seemed to be focusing now on Jesse. Iondaee knew that Jesse was right. The cougar was defending his meal when he attacked the warrior. He wasn't interested in them if they would simply move away from his dinner. Iondaee leaned down to look into Jesse's eyes one last time.
“Thank you, my friend. I will never forget you.”
The woods were beginning to glow in an unnatural white light. Jesse could feel his body beginning to float. The pain was diminishing. He was going home.
“I will never forget you, either. Look after your people, Iondaee. Keep them safe.”
A gentle stroke on his cheek was the last thing that he remembered before he fell into an ocean of endless white.
Seven
Jesse awoke to the smell of sizzling bacon and a stream of blinding sunlight. He glanced around the lean-to, surprised to see Uncle Matthew at the campfire with both his and Jesse's knapsacks fully packed. The food smelled delicious. It felt as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.
“What time is it, Uncle Matthew?”
He glanced up at the sun. “Oh, I'd say it's around ten-thirty. You had a good sleep in. Must have been all that exercise.”
Jesse crawled out of his sleeping bag and joined his uncle at the fire. “Why are we all packed up?”
“Jason came by at dawn and said it was time to go,” he explained. “He said he had his vision last night. Kept it to himself, though, which is his right. He'll talk about it when he's ready.”
Jesse sat down next to his uncle. “Where is he now?”
“He went back to clean up his site at the mounds. He'll be back soon. The boy can't resist bacon. Eats it by the ton.”
Uncle Matthew laughed. Then he reached into his knapsack and pulled out a small wooden box. He passed it to Jesse.
“Here is something your father asked me to pass on to you after you had completed your trip with us. It's something that has been passed on through our family for generations. I hope you will cherish it as much as your father did.”
Jesse gently opened the box. Inside was a chain of interwoven gold strands. Hanging from the centre of the chain was a beautifully shaped curve of what looked like greyish white ivory.
Jesse stroked the smooth surface of the pendant.
“Amazing. Please tell me about it.”
“Well, legend has it that the pendant came from the antlers of a deer spirit. The spirit vanished after helping some of our people escape the Iroquois after the fall of Ste. Marie. But one of our great leaders, Chief Iondaee, cut off a piece of antler before the deer returned to the world of the spirits.”
Jesse was about to say something, but his uncle had this glimmer in his eye that told him that somehow he knew. Jesse touched it. He could feel Iondaee in its smooth surface.
“Thank you, Uncle Matthew. This means more to me than you know.”
His uncle simply smiled and nodded. Suddenly, Jason came stomping up to the campsite with a huge grin on his face.
“Congratulations on your vision quest, Jason,” offered Jesse.
“Yeah, thanks.” replied Jason, dropping his pack. “What's that you got?”
“Something from my father. It's a piece of deer antler.”
He showed it to him.
“That's great, Jesse. I bet it will always help you remember this trip.”
“In more ways than one,” Jesse said, smiling to himself.
After eating a wonderful breakfast and cleaning camp, they started off along the trail that would return them to the truck and the outside world. As they came to the mounds of the ancient village, Jesse stopped and looked around. He could almost hear the children playing and smell the smoke rising from the longhouse roof. Jason approached and stopped, standing beside him.
“Tutayac really loved this village. She told me all about it. I only wished I had seen it for myself.”
“What?” gasped Jesse.
Jason smiled. “Hey, even women warriors need their guardian spirits.”
“You mean…”
“Growwwl,” purred Jason.
“It was you who saved their lives at the creek!”
Jason put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, that was just the beginning. Wait until you hear about the adventures she and her people had in the land of the Algonkian. You'll never believe it!”
Acknowledgements
I would first and foremost like to thank my wife, Amanda, whose endless patience and understanding allowed me the time to complete Broken Circle. Also, I would like to thank the staff at Ste. Marie among the Hurons, and especially Bev Rashleigh, for their assistance in helping me with the many historical questions I had regarding the Wendat nation as well as the French mission of Ste. Marie.
Ste. Marie among the Hurons
Ste. Marie among the Hurons was Ontario's first European settlement. The Jesuits arrived in the prosperous land of the Wendat and, with lay workers, began construction of the pallisaded community in 1639. The community included a church, barracks, workshops, residences and a sheltered longhouse for native visitors. Ste. Marie was home to 66 Frenchmen, representing one-fifth of the entire population of New France. The presence of the Jesuits in Huronia split the Wendat nation into traditionalists and Christians. The Wendat nation was also severely weakened by European disease which enabled the Iroquois to launch a full-scale war against their rivals to the north. In 1649, with the Iroquois controlling most of Huronia, Ste. Marie was burned to the ground by the French community so that it could never be used by the Iroquois. The Jesuits then retreated back to the safety of Quebec. Beaten and abandoned, the remaining Wendat people either migrated south to Kentucky or east to Quebec.
After extensive research, a team from The University of Western Ontario recreated Ste. Marie on the original site in Midland, Ontario. Ste. Marie can now be experienced by touring the historical site and interacting with staff dressed in period costumes, both native Wendat and French.
STOLEN AWAY
Christopher Dinsdale
For the wonderful women
in my life:
my wife, Amanda,
