Louise Cooper - Indigo 06 - Avatar by Louise Cooper - Indigo 06
Authors: Louise Cooper - Indigo 06
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open litter, behind her. She shut her eyes as the descent began, horrified by the litter’s swaying and by the effect of the great headdress on her sense of balance, and heard Grimya’s mental voice from where the wolf walked between Shalune and Yima in the litter’s wake.
It’s all right, Indigo, it’s safe. The stairs are wide enough, and the women must have done this many times before.
Indigo tried to concentrate on that reassurance and make herself believe it as their progress continued. Halfway down, the drums began again, thundering out an insistent rhythm, and she thought she could hear, mingling with their din, voices crying out and calling encouragement. Then at last they were on the final flight, a broad sweep that took them down onto the arena of bare red sand between the cliff wall and the lake. A flat, squared-off rock four or five feet high stood in the center of this plateau, and the litter-bearers set their burden on the rock, so that Indigo was enthroned above the heads of the crowd, where she could look down upon the entire proceedings.
It was, she thought as she drew in a sharp breath, an awesome scene. The sun had blazed down behind the trees, and the tropical night was falling with its uncanny rapidity. Before her in a line stood the priestesses, and Uluye alone before them, her crowned figure nightmarish in the torches’ jumping glare. Around the lakeside, the congregation watched and waited. A few, granted a privileged position on the edge of the arena, were lit by the torch glow, and Indigo saw strain and fear in their faces.
Suddenly the horns blared out another short fanfare, and the drums ceased. A bird shrieked from somewhere in the forest’s depths, and then as the last echoes died away, there was silence.
Uluye stepped forward. Arms crossed over her breasts, she walked with dignity to the lake and without a pause, waded into the water. An eager murmur went up from the watchers; a child wailed and was quickly hushed. Uluye kept moving, advancing down the sloping bank. The water rose to her thighs, to her waist, to her shoulders. Then she stopped, uttered a high-pitched cry and ducked under the water so that only the crown of her elaborate headdress showed above the surface.
The watchers gasped again. Two of the warrior-priestesses set down their spears and moved with silent efficiency to take up stances at the water’s edge. Every eye was on Uluye’s headdress, and Indigo found herself counting the passing seconds. They stretched on and on, and her pulse quickened. Surely no one could stay underwater for so long without coming up to breathe. She exchanged an uneasy glance with Grimya, kept counting....
Abruptly there was a great churning in the lake, and Uluye rose. Water streamed from her hair and clothing, and the rattling groan as she sucked air into her lungs echoed across the lake. The warriors splashed into the water and caught her arms as she seemed about to fall; she was rigid in their grip, head thrown back, eyes wild as though possessed, and her mouth stretched wide in an agonized but triumphant smile. Her helpers pulled her back toward the edge, until they all stood knee-deep in the water. Then, as though suddenly regaining her strength and her wits together, Uluye shook off their guiding hands and raised her arms high.
“The Ancestral Lady favors us!” she cried. “I have stepped into her realm and returned unscathed, and I am strong in her eyes!”
A howl of approach went up—mingled, Indigo thought, with more than a little relief. Nodding gracious acknowledgment, Uluye left the water and stalked toward the rock where the litter was set. As she approached, her gaze met Indigo’s briefly, and Indigo saw the truth behind her proud demeanor. Uluye’s immersion in the lake for minutes on end without drowning had not been magic, though to her simple and superstitious audience it surely had all the trappings of something supernatural. It had been a self-imposed test
It’s all right, Indigo, it’s safe. The stairs are wide enough, and the women must have done this many times before.
Indigo tried to concentrate on that reassurance and make herself believe it as their progress continued. Halfway down, the drums began again, thundering out an insistent rhythm, and she thought she could hear, mingling with their din, voices crying out and calling encouragement. Then at last they were on the final flight, a broad sweep that took them down onto the arena of bare red sand between the cliff wall and the lake. A flat, squared-off rock four or five feet high stood in the center of this plateau, and the litter-bearers set their burden on the rock, so that Indigo was enthroned above the heads of the crowd, where she could look down upon the entire proceedings.
It was, she thought as she drew in a sharp breath, an awesome scene. The sun had blazed down behind the trees, and the tropical night was falling with its uncanny rapidity. Before her in a line stood the priestesses, and Uluye alone before them, her crowned figure nightmarish in the torches’ jumping glare. Around the lakeside, the congregation watched and waited. A few, granted a privileged position on the edge of the arena, were lit by the torch glow, and Indigo saw strain and fear in their faces.
Suddenly the horns blared out another short fanfare, and the drums ceased. A bird shrieked from somewhere in the forest’s depths, and then as the last echoes died away, there was silence.
Uluye stepped forward. Arms crossed over her breasts, she walked with dignity to the lake and without a pause, waded into the water. An eager murmur went up from the watchers; a child wailed and was quickly hushed. Uluye kept moving, advancing down the sloping bank. The water rose to her thighs, to her waist, to her shoulders. Then she stopped, uttered a high-pitched cry and ducked under the water so that only the crown of her elaborate headdress showed above the surface.
The watchers gasped again. Two of the warrior-priestesses set down their spears and moved with silent efficiency to take up stances at the water’s edge. Every eye was on Uluye’s headdress, and Indigo found herself counting the passing seconds. They stretched on and on, and her pulse quickened. Surely no one could stay underwater for so long without coming up to breathe. She exchanged an uneasy glance with Grimya, kept counting....
Abruptly there was a great churning in the lake, and Uluye rose. Water streamed from her hair and clothing, and the rattling groan as she sucked air into her lungs echoed across the lake. The warriors splashed into the water and caught her arms as she seemed about to fall; she was rigid in their grip, head thrown back, eyes wild as though possessed, and her mouth stretched wide in an agonized but triumphant smile. Her helpers pulled her back toward the edge, until they all stood knee-deep in the water. Then, as though suddenly regaining her strength and her wits together, Uluye shook off their guiding hands and raised her arms high.
“The Ancestral Lady favors us!” she cried. “I have stepped into her realm and returned unscathed, and I am strong in her eyes!”
A howl of approach went up—mingled, Indigo thought, with more than a little relief. Nodding gracious acknowledgment, Uluye left the water and stalked toward the rock where the litter was set. As she approached, her gaze met Indigo’s briefly, and Indigo saw the truth behind her proud demeanor. Uluye’s immersion in the lake for minutes on end without drowning had not been magic, though to her simple and superstitious audience it surely had all the trappings of something supernatural. It had been a self-imposed test
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