Captive Spirit Read Online Free PDF Page B

next Season of Longer Days. I’d already decided to worry about it then.
    “But I thought he was your friend?” I said, more so to talk about anything besides a wedding. “You’ve known each other as long as I’ve known you. Is that why he got so angry at you today? Is it because he’s a Red Ant?”
    Honovi shook his head, surprising me. “It has nothing to do with being a Red Ant. But, Pakuna is no friend. He’s a brother, I’ll admit that. But he’s no friend.”
    “Since when?” Even though we were from different Clans, we always treated each other as sisters and brothers. Like family.
    Honovi didn’t answer. Instead, he lowered his forehead closer to mine. He put his hands on my shoulders. “Aiyana, are you happy about it?” he whispered, even though there was no need. “Is this what you want?” We were completely alone, if you didn’t count the jack rabbits and doves.
    A nervous giggle rumbled inside my chest. “Happy?” My lips pressed together as I broke from his gaze and stared past his shoulder at the river through the trees. The surface of the water twinkled from the sun. I lifted my face to his. My voice turned flat. “It doesn’t much matter what I want. We both know that.”
    Honovi’s gaze softened. He squeezed my shoulders. He started to open his mouth but then shut it because what could he say? The marriage was already arranged and the less we spoke of it, the better. That was how things were done in our village, especially if a Tribal Leader deemed it so. No one would dare deny Miakoda or his son, least of all a girl who’d rather compete in ball court than prepare stews or weave baskets.
    And I was considered a woman, even though I didn’t feel like one. That only made it worse. Women got married and hoped for sons, as many as Hunab Ku would allow. That was our way. And there was nothing anyone could do to change that, least of all Honovi and me.
    We walked back to the village in silence.
    ***
    I left Honovi in the courtyard between our pit houses, tied my sandals and then ran to the Great House in the center of our village as fast as I could. Even from our house, I could see the tips of the flames from the fire pit in front of the Great House. And the smells from the roasting deer and rabbit made me dizzy. My stomach couldn’t decide whether to growl or turn queasy.
    I didn’t like the way I left Honovi. We didn’t discuss the intricacies of the ball court win like I’d hoped, and the silence between us during our walk separated us still. He barely mumbled goodbye before he ducked under the doorway to his pit house. I wasn’t used to Honovi behaving like he wanted to be rid of me. Usually it was the opposite.
    “Aiyana,” Gaho exhaled tiredly when she saw me approach the fire pit in the village. Her face beaded with sweat and she shook her head as her eyes scanned me from my tangled hair to the bottoms of my dusty sandals. And I recognized that pinched look about her mouth and eyes. It said that I was about to disappoint her. Or I already had. I shifted nervously from one foot to the other, waiting for her verdict.
    “Did you bring more wine?” she said. Her tone was doubtful.
    I froze.
    Wine .
    And then my eyes closed briefly as I remembered the jar tucked inside the doorway to our pit house. How could I have forgotten? It was just a single jar!
    “Where’ve you been all this time? I’ve been waiting for you. You’re needed here.”
    “I’ll run back and get it—” I blurted, but Gaho lifted a single finger, stopping me.
    “No. There’s no time. We’ll get it later. The ceremony is about to begin.” And in the next breath, her face softened. “The Tribal Leaders told us that there will also be a Dance to Womanhood before the Rain Ceremony.” Her voice lowered with a nervous mixture of excitement and warning. “You’ve been invited to participate.”
    I moaned inwardly, probably because I was the only girl in our entire village who didn’t go to bed each