So here more is coming, Anon, as you said you were looking forward to it. ;)

I would like to thank Carawyn, Liathathuveril and sian22 for their feedback and support and Lady Bluejay for beta-reading and correcting my language-blunders.

Clouds over Isen

Chapter 10

Sky and River

"Horseking called?" Her arms crossed in front of her chest, Airik shot him her usual glare, causing his hackles to rise. The damned crosspatch! And he had felt sympathy for her plight just a moment ago. Éomer glared back at her, and then all of a sudden he remembered his wife's remark. What would he do, were he in Airik's shoes? In an attempt to hide his embarrassment, he softened his expression and rose.

"I called you, for I learned something that might be important." He picked up the wrapped disk. "This was found by Frithuhelm, and he thinks it might be of Dunlendic origin. But as we are not sure, I would like you to have a look at it and tell us if you know what it is."

Flipping back the cover, he held the disk out for her to see.

He could not say what kind of reaction he had expected, but certainly nothing like the one Airik showed. She froze, staring at the disk like someone stunned, and then her lips started to quiver, an expression of ultimate sorrow and longing spreading over her face. Never averting her eyes from the disk, she slowly, almost reluctantly, put out her hands, palms up as if in worship.

Worship… His heart missed a beat as memories flooded his mind. The beowbur… The basket filled with golden grain… His own hands put out in supplication… The pain of longing…

One swift step brought him close to her, and bowing his head in acknowledgement, he placed the disk in the Dunlending's open hands. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out until all of a sudden she hugged the disk to her chest and with a sound between a sob and a groan fell to her knees, her tears flowing freely.

Silently he motioned to the two old men to leave the tent and crossing his lips with his forefinger, signalled them to say nothing. With a nod they slipped out, letting the flap fall closed behind them.

He stood for a moment, breathing slowly through his nose to calm himself, and then he quietly knelt beside the weeping woman.

"Airik?"

She raised her head, visibly struggling to get her emotions under control. He put a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"Airik, I am sorry to cause you grief, but I need to know the facts to enable me to make a decision. What is this disk? What is its meaning? Will you not tell me?"

She heaved a breath, the disk still hugged to her chest. When she finally spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper. "This is Soksidh ut Unaru, disk of the sky. Is…" She hesitated, searching in her mind for the fitting word. "Is holy."

She swallowed, and suddenly some of the old fire was back in her eyes. "You say Frithuhelm found disk? Where?"

Watching her closely, he sat back on his heels. "At Acwuld's. A ruined farmstead north of here on the banks of the Isen. Half-way between the Fords and the wizard's vale."

She bared her teeth in an expression of disgust. "Curse wizard. But how come..." She stopped, holding the disk in front of her and looking doubtfully from it to Éomer.

"There was a fight. Acwuld and his farmhands did not flee when Frithuhelm warned them that the wizard's orcs were building a bridge further upriver, but stayed, trying to defend the farm."

Airik shook her head." Stupid man."

Éomer shook his head. "Not really, Airik. Wulfrun is his mother, and she insisted, threatening to curse him if he didn't. But he was intelligent enough to send the women and children to safety.

She grimaced. "Wulfrun is useless. Pain in arse, as Horsemen say."

A wry smile crept into his face. At least in that point they agreed. "She will be dealt with. And as for the disk: Frithuhelm found it on Acwuld's midden."

"Midden? What is midden?"

"The dungheap. Someone must have thrown it there on purpose." And probably in an attempt to cow the remaining Hillmen, he silently added in his mind.

She vigorously shook her head. "Soksidh ut Unaru is important, is holy. If Hillmen there, fight for it, protect it. Not stand and see disk in dirt."

He did not like what he had to tell her now. "It might well be that they did fight to protect the disk, Airik. Frithuhelm went to bury the remains of his neighbour and the neighbour's farm-hands, but he found many more bones of Men, bones that could only belong to fallen Hillmen."

A deep frown appeared on her face. "Bones? Why bones? He wait long before go?"

He suppressed a sigh. "He went as soon as possible. But we have evidence that the wizard's orcs ate the dead, men and orcs alike."

"Ate?" There was visible horror in her dark eyes and her knuckles stood out white as she clutched the disk harder.

He nodded. "That we know for sure. We do not know how the Hillmen died, who killed them. Maybe they died in battle with Acwuld's men, but maybe they were killed by the orcs. And we do not know if anybody save the carrier of the disk knew that it was present at all."

He pointed at the disk. "You say the disk is sacred for the Hillmen. I can imagine that one of the Hillmen carried it, as a means of protection or to win your gods' favour, or even both. Probably the orcs only found it when they… " He halted, stopped by the sound of Arik's ragged breath.

"I'm sorry, Airik, I..."

She shook her head determinedly, though her eyes were moist. "No sorry, Horseking. Airik will see truth. No matter if bitter."

He could not but admire the Dunlending's attitude, the way she fought to control her emotions, to think straight and do what was necessary. She would be a remarkable ally, but could he really win her over? He felt his doubts like a millstone round his neck. Was he really prepared to set her free? A bird of prey, she would soar as soon as she saw the opportunity, but to what outcome for the Eorlingas? Could he trust her? He rose, and motioning over to the table, he bade her follow him. She sat down on one of the stools and put the disk on the table. Silently he took his chair, poured a cup of smallbeer for her and then waited until she had taken a sip.

"I also need to see the truth, Airik. I'm the leader of my people, I'm responsible for their safety. Frithuhelm was attacked at Acwuld's, the very place he had found the disk two years ago. I need to find out who attacked him and who attacked your village. And I need any information that can help me to draw correct conclusions."

For a split second her dark eyes narrowed, but then she nodded. "We have same aim, we go same way. Airik will tell."

She took a second sip, gathering her thoughts, and then pushed the cup away. "Drink good, but no good, Airik… inemsithem." She grimaced, propping her cheek in her hand, miming what she did not know the word for.

Éomer tried to help. "Tired? Drunk?"

"Drunk. No good, Airik get drunk."

He leaned back, reaching for the small linen bag his squire had hung up on one of the tent poles and took a small box made of birch bark out of it. "It's only small beer, but I dare say you have not eaten enough lately to cope with even that. Here, have some of these."

At first she eyed the small barley cakes suspiciously, but then she took one and started to nibble gingerly. Éomer smiled encouragingly. "It's waybread made from barley and lard. Keeps you on your feet even through an exhausting day. And it's fresh. Eat, Airik. You have to be strong if you want to go the way you have chosen."

She nodded. "Yes, Airik know. Bitter way in past, bitter way in future. But Airik chose, Airik tell." She put down the cake.

"Long story. When wizard called Hillmen to war, Ilagem Aretim, Airik mother-mother, wise woman of tribe, sent men of village. Sent sister-son, leader of men. Gave Disk of Sky to leader, to protect men, to make gods give victory."

"But how can this disk do that, Airik?"

She looked at him, frowning. "Disk is Sky, is male power of tribe."

He did not understand what she meant, but thought it better to let her finish her tale without further interruption, so he just nodded, inviting her to continue. But she was not fooled by his gesture and smirked.

"Horseking not understand, but Airik tell. Is about gods of Hillmen. Airik tell, but only once, only to king of Horsemen. Horseking listen."

He bobbed his head in acceptance, waiting for her to explain. She hesitated, her gaze showing traces of uncertainty, as if she was not sure if she should really let him in on her tribe's secret law, but the moment passed and she cleared her voice. "Disk is image of Sky. Sky is father god of …" She waved her hand vaguely. "Of world. River is mother god. Sky and River make world, make earth, make life, plants, fish, deer, Men… everything. But only when come together."

Her fingers softly touched the edge of the disk. "So disk is very strong token. But disk belongs in village, belongs by river. Airik mother-mother was Ilagem Aretim of village, was keeper of disk, keeper of village. But gave away disk, took disk from river. That was great wrong."

She did not look at him, her eyes fixed on the disk, her fingers fluttering over the dark green of its surface. "Ilagem Aretim not tell anybody. Airik found out later, in spring, when disk was not found. Men of clan did not come back. All were killed. And disk was lost together with sister-son of Ilagem Aretim."

"But how did you find out?"

"At Aren-at." She pointed at the golden figures on the disk. "Is mighty ritual in spring. When moon full and seven stars shine first time, Ilagem Aretim of village takes disk, shows disk to tribe, dips disk in river, makes father and mother come together. Until new moon grows, children of tribe seek for… " She hesitated, her hands cutting the air in front of her, annoyance at not knowing the word clearly showing on her face. "Seek for little bird, brown with white breast. Lives near water, dives in running water, dives when ice melts.

He could not help a smile, thinking of the little bird, well-known to anybody living close to the mountain streams. "A dipper."

"Dipper?" She tried the word like a morsel of unknown food and then shrugged. "Bird dips in water, so yes, perhaps that is name. Children of Hillmen seek nest of … dipper."

She pointed at the cluster of the seven golden pegs on the disk that Éomer had immediately taken for an image of the Seven Sisters. "Hillmen call seven stars Nest of Dipper. Dipper is holy, is bird that flies from father Sky to mother River. When dipper nest is in sky and children find dipper nest by river, new life will come. Hillmen start planting."

Heaving a sigh, she stared at the disk. "But spring came and river was dead, and disk was lost. And tribe cursed clan of Ilagem Aretim and left." Lost in thought, she pressed her lips together, but she did not manage to hold back the tears that again flowed down her cheeks in big drops.

Éomer cleared his throat. "Let me try if I understood you correctly. You know that your grandmother secretly gave the disk to your uncle, and..."

"Uncle?" The frown was back on the Dunlending's face.

"Her sister-son."

Airik nodded and he continued.

"Well, he carried it and as it was sacred he would not have thrown it away or let anybody else do that."

Another nod.

"But Frithuhelm found the disk on Acwuld's midden, so we must assume that your uncle was killed and the disk thrown there by the orcs."

Again she nodded, more reluctantly this time.

"Frithuhelm buried your uncle's bones, took the disk but kept it secret. He only now, after the recent attack on Acwuld's farm, thought it might be of importance, might even be a reason why the Hillmen attacked. But all the time nobody knew where the disk was."

"No Horsemen know of disk?" She eyed him doubtfully.

Éomer scratched his jaw. "Alfric, the old man who brought it, helped Frithuhelm burying the bones and knew about it. But he never talked about it. I'm not sure though if Frithuhelm spoke to his wife about it."

"Osláfa no talk." Airik smiled. "Wise woman. See, know, not talk. Good woman. Frithuhelm happy to get good woman."

"He certainly is. And he's not the only one." Éomer grinned at her, but her face went blank all of a sudden, making him feel strangely guilty, as if he unknowingly had forced a door he was not to pass through. He suppressed a curse, hoping he had not spoiled their negotiation beyond mending. But then Airik drew a deep breath and to his utter relief the awkward moment passed. Clearing his throat, he continued his evaluation.

"You say, that your grandmother gave the disk to your uncle secretly. So at that moment nobody knew she did it."

Again the Dunlending nodded.

"But you found out what she had done?"

"She tell Airik."

Was it just his impression or was her tone really more dismissive? Carefully keeping his voice bland, he probed further. "So you are the only one who knows where it went."

The Dunlending hesitated.

So that was it! His expression grew stern. "Who else?"

She avoided his gaze.

He leaned forward. "Airik, it is important. If somebody else knew he – or she – might be the one who arranged for those attacks and..."

She squared her shoulders, her dark eyes flashing angrily. "No. Sitilimo good man, no traitor. Sitilimo swore."

"And you are sure you can believe him?"

Again she nodded, still glaring at him. He suppressed a sigh. There truly was nothing worse than a stubborn woman! Forcing his voice to sound casual, he pressed on. "Well, and where is that man now?"

She shrugged. "Airik not know. Lead people of village west to find place to live. Only clan stayed at river."

Again an evasive answer! This was getting him no further. Better to change the aim of his questions a bit. He folded his arms in front of his chest. "So you insist that nobody else knew about the disk?"

The twitch of her lips did nothing to conceal her disdain. "Hillmen only knew disk was lost. Airik knew how."

And your grandmother and this man who is obviously some kind of leader of your tribe, Éomer added in his mind, knowing better than to confront her again with that flaw in her statement. He slowly put his hands on the table, one on each side of the disk, his palms flat on the table top, carefully avoiding any contact with the disk. "But if your uncle was killed at Acwuld's and if the orcs threw the disk on the midden, maybe a Hillman saw it. Someone who did not dare to oppose them then. Somebody who survived."

Pressing her lips into an angry tight line, she lowered her head, acknowledging the possibility. He almost sighed with relief. At least they were getting somewhere.

"What would it mean if someone got the disk?"

She met his gaze with a frown. He tried a different approach. "Would someone who went back to retrieve it become a leader of the Hillmen?"

She shook her head. "Leader of clans are oldest women. Women chose leader of tribe. Men only leader when war, only lead warriors."

Why had it to be so difficult to get anything straight and plausible out of this woman? He tried again. "But you said that Sitilimo led your tribe."

She angrily shook her head. "Airik say "lead". Airik say Sitilimo know way. Sitilimo is speaker of tribe.

Speaker… Grimborn had told him last winter that the Dunlendings had a warrior as their spokesman but that that man only acted in the name of the women's council. He scratched his bearded jaw. "So what happens if your warriors want to give battle and your women decide against it?"

Airik smirked. "Warriors can go. They have arms. But they not have victory."

He fought back a grin. No Eorling would go into battle without having been blessed by a woman, and obviously the Dunlendings had some similar traditions and probably superstitions. Reaching to fill his cup again, he nodded his understanding. "So the warriors are afraid if the women don't bless them."

Still smirking, she shook her head. "No, warrior not afraid. But warrior not stupid. Women own food, own house, own blankets. Women say no, warriors get no food for fight, get no food, no bed when come back."

He almost spilled his beer. "So they only raided us in the past when your women were happy for them to do so?"

Seeing his anger, she shrugged. "Not always. Young men might try, not ask women. Fight, kill men, take … things to bring back to tribe, show they are warriors."

Young warriors… youngsters without tokens. They were back to the assumptions they had drawn when Ulger had first told them about the attack on Acwuld's. And they fitted all too well. His hands clenched into fists.

"So what if those young men who set out to raid Acwuld's farm were not after Wulfrun's few possessions but were trying to retrieve the disk? What if there is someone who told them what he had seen?"

She tilted her head.

"Perhaps. But why attack village? Why kill women in village?"

He shifted the cup from one hand to the other. "What if both were after the disk and one group believed it was still in the village, that your grandmother had it hidden somewhere, while the others knew it was at Acwuld's? What if it was a kind of competition? If there is a council of the oldest women of the tribes, can they have sent the young men to get the disk back?"

Airik scratched her jaw, making him aware of his own habit when thinking. Finally she nodded.

"Yes. If warrior saw orcs throw disk away and tell council… No, if tell Ilagem Aretim of his own tribe..."

All of a sudden, her eyes flashed and leaning forward, she pushed her cup aside.

"Horseking listen. Airik think: Old women want disk, need disk. Perhaps move to new river to live there."

He frowned. "What new river?"

She waved her hand impatiently. "There is big river west. Soldiers of Stoneland go there."

The Greyflood! He nodded and she continued, her voice sharp as a cutting edge.

"Old women council tell young men: Find disk. Young men go to village. Not find disk. Get angry and kiIl Ilagem Aretim. But one man know where disk. Saw orcs of wizard throw away disk. Perhaps man has sister-son, young man. Tell sister-son where to find disk. Sister-son take friends and go to Acwuld's. Only seven men at Acwuld's."

He raised his hand to scratch his jaw, but remembering her previous gesture, he stopped mid-motion.

"Yes, you certainly might be right. But why his sister-son? Why not his son?"

She looked at him as if he had asked the most stupid question possible. "Brother of mother is teacher of son. Son find disk, mother get praise. And brother of mother."

He frowned. "And what about the father?"

She shrugged. "Father not same clan. Son belong to mother family. Brother of mother cares for children of sister, and of mother-sister. For children of same clan."

Béma, that was complicated. Complicated and weird. "But a father certainly loves his offspring."

Again a shrug. "Yes, but child is not his…." Searching her mind for the fitting word upset her visibly.

"Responsibility?" Éomer tried to help, which only got him a stubborn frown.

"Duty," she finally said. "Is not his duty. Duty always lay with clan, clan always clan of mother."

He tried to get back to the initial topic. "So if somebody has the disk, it raises the importance of his clan?"

She grimaced thoughtfully. "Of clan, of tribe. But only if council agree."

He felt they were going in circles. "So the last word always lays with the old women?"

She grimaced. "Yes and no. Council of wise women talk with tribe, with old men, with warriors. No good do things without talk."

To imagine the Dunlendings had councils, that they thought it necessary to talk things over, to agree before any actions were taken, that their warriors listened to their wise women, boggled his mind. Were they not savages, wild people without laws? But then Gamling had said they had followed certain rituals when they had buried their dead at Helm's Deep. But pondering the existence of Dunlending culture would not get him anywhere. He heaved a breath.

"So nobody could take the disk and try to overrule the others with the help of it?"

Airik shrugged. "Anybody can try anything if strong. But not right, not law. Warriors sometimes attack other tribe, fight about land, about hunting, about women. Not good thing." She grimaced again, her face a mixture of sadness and disdain. "And council not always wise."

"You fight amongst yourself?"

"One tribe fight other tribe. Yes, sometimes."

He frowned. That certainly proved they were savages. No doubt there was some rivalry between the Eastfold and the Westfold, and that sometimes escalated into drunken brawls, but there had never been raids on each other. He cleared his throat. "So the young men who attacked your village were of other tribes..."

Her expression became dismissive again. "Airik not know. If come for disk, perhaps also young men of Airik tribe."

He was at a loss. "But they killed your women and children."

Airik gave a bitter laugh. "Yes, they killed, but women and children not same clan. And they not think forgoil be in village. Not think Horsemen cross river to help. Perhaps they plan take disk, kill women, kill children – nobody tell what they did." Her face became a sardonic mask. "Easy thing blame killing on Horsemen."

As Saruman had done before. Éomer nodded grimly. "But what would they get out of it? Does the ownership make the tribe who owns it a leading tribe or anything like that?"

She sighed. "Disk is very, very old. From times when tribes lived near Great River. Then fire came and war and orcs and bad men and tribes go west, go away from war. Long time ago. Found other river, but Horsemen came, took away land. Tribes became Hillmen, but still had disk, still had mind… remember." She touched her forehead. "Disk belong to all Hillmen. Nobody own it."

Again they were going in circles! He was losing his patience and did not hold back his glare. "But then the whole speculation about young men trying to find the disk makes no sense. Why should they risk..."

The Dunlending shook her head. "No risk, Horseking. Find Disk, kill women, give disk to Ilagem Aretim and get honour. Be warriors."

"That would simply be too many participants to hush things up. Sooner or later one of them would talk and..."

Her mouth twisted contemptuously. "And what? Airik clan outcast, Frithuhelm forgoil. Who ask? And who believe truth? Dead women can tell nothing."

He shook his head thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, Airik. I won't say that your idea is wrong, quite the contrary. It makes sense that the disk plays a role. And I can imagine that the raiders wanted to find it to get acknowledged by the council. But there still is something missing, something we have not seen yet."

If her glare was any indicator, she obviously did not like his answer, but after a moment she nodded. "We go and see. Talk to women in village, to raiders." She bared her teeth. "Airik know way to make raiders talk. Then we know."

Seeing her face, he did not doubt that ability for one second. He nodded. "And until we know, we had better keep it secret that we have the disk."

"We?" Again that bitter laugh. "Horseking has disk."

Holding her eye, he took the disk and carefully put it on the woollen wrapping. "Yes, I have it. And I'll keep it and guard it. But this I swear, Airik of the River: Help me to find out why those young men attacked Acwuld's and the village, help me to find out who is behind all this, and I shall give it to you to be used at your sole discretion."

Annotations:

forgoil: the only word Tolkien gives of the Dunlendic language, an expletive meaning "strawhead"

Soksidh ut Unaru: (Dunlendic(Greek backwards) dhiskos tu uranu : disk of the sky

Aren-at: (Dunlendic(Greek backwards) ta nera - the waters

Who's Who? (Thanwen universe)

Éomer: King of the Riddermark, said to have a tendency to fly off the handle

Lothíriel: Queen of the Riddermark, for good reason called scipflota cwen (pirate princess) by her husband

Éothain: the king's friend and captain of the royal guard

Eorthwela: Éothain's wife

Erkenbrand: Marshal of the Westfold

Egefride: his mother, a clever old woman, knows Dunlendic

Leofwaru: his wife, a sweet-tempered lady, but not the brightest candle on the cake

Sigward, Lord of Trihyrne: Erkenbrand's father in law

Frithuhelm: a young farmer (widowed), the gentle giant of the Mark who can get quite ungentle if need be

Osláfa: his second wife ( Acwuld's widow ) has three children and is some years older than Frithuhelm

Gudram (10), Stanfleda (6), Eadger (2): Osláfa's children

Wulfrun: (in "Winds" her name was Arild, but I changed that because otherwise there would have been too many names starting with an A .) Acwuld's mother; not the most lovable contemporary, to say the least

Acwuld: farmer, killed by Saruman's orcs, Frithuhelm's former friend and neighbour

Stapa: Frithuhelm's horse, partly cold-blooded and well-trained

Alfric: an old Westfold Rider, knows a few things about leechcraft; a friend of Frithuhelm

Brūn: Alfric's horse

Ulger: captain of a Westfold border patrol

Airik: Dunlending, taken hostage by Éomer in the last winter, clever, ruthless and famous for her bad temper

Umirok: her baby-daughter