Free Heavens Before by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow Page A

worry; I won’t mention Tseb-iy again. I’m sure you realize that he was the worst sort of man for you.”
    Parah dropped the split sweet-bean into the small clay pitcher of water. Later, it would be boiled, cooled, mixed with Iltani’s precious honey, and added to finely crushed wheat to make cakes for their evening meal. Choosing another bean, Parah split it carefully, as if the task were more important than Tseb-iy.
    “He has not abandoned me, Iltani, but I won’t discuss him with you or anyone else.” Parah stood, holding her tray of food. “These two beans should be enough to flavor your honey cakes. Now, I’m taking this water into the other room to boil it over the fire. If you wish, you may bring out the wheat, and I’ll help you grind it. But I warn you: Any more of your little sighs and words about Tseb-iy, and I’ll tear all the hair from your head for being so disrespectful to the mother of your husband.”
    “I was not being disrespectful,” Iltani protested. Carrying her bowl of grain, she followed Parah. Passing Annah, Iltani aimed a kick in her direction. “Move!”
    Annah cringed. She wanted to follow Iltani to keep watch over her precious shell carving, but decided it would be wiser to remain in the storage area. She had to finish her water and rest. Alone now, she retrieved hergrass bag. Satisfied with this small victory, she covered herself with her veil and cautiously stretched out on the mat.
    Closing her eyes, she remembered him, her beloved. He had been so enraged by her bruises this morning that she was terrified. But it was good to know that he longed to protect her. She was also glad Yerakh had not witnessed her beloved’s rage; Yerakh would have found some way to challenge the young man and kill him—and Annah.
    How do you know of Yerakh? Annah wondered to the young man. Have you met him before? Did you meet my father? Pondering these things, Annah drifted into sleep. Her dreams shifted between visions of her beloved, the river, the shell carving, the Tree of Havah, and Iltani’s gloating, honeyed smile.
    Suddenly Yerakh’s voice intruded, bellowing, “Answer me! Who gave this to you?”
    “I found it!” Iltani screeched in response. “If you want the truth, I found it on the creature. She was wearing it.”
    Fully awake now, Annah huddled on the mat. Yerakh was in the main room of the lodge with Iltani. But if he came after her in the storage room, she could not escape. She trembled, listening for his footsteps. Instead, she heard the sound of a slap, flesh against flesh. Iltani screamed. Then something small and light struck the taut leather partition of the storage room.
    Annah could hear Iltani scuffling with Yerakh, crying, “I’ve done nothing wrong! Ah … I swear to you, the creature had it!”
    “Liar!” Yerakh cried. Annah winced, hearing him slap Iltani’s face again. “No man in this settlement would give that creature such an ornament. They won’t even touchher; they know she’s mad. Who gave this to you?”
    Iltani sucked in a breath, whining, “Let me go. Ask your mother. She’ll tell you.”
    Feeling a bit safer now, Annah crept over to the partition and peeked around its carved wooden frame. Yerakh was gripping Iltani’s long, gold-decked braid of hair with one hand, while his other hand was poised to slap her again. But at the mention of his mother, he glared at Parah.
    “She said she found it,” Parah said, neither defending nor condemning Iltani.
    “I’ve done nothing wrong,” Iltani protested again, tearful. “You shouldn’t punish me; I’m not the one who’s bearing Tseb-iy’s child!”
    Hearing this, Annah clutched at the partition frame in horror. Parah gasped and fled through the open front doorway of the lodge. In a renewed fury, Yerakh ran after her. Iltani followed them, fearful but eager.
    She wants to see Yerakh beating I’ma , Annah thought, sickened. She started to go after her mother when a pale gleam caught her eye: The