Chapter 14: The Rescue

The tide rose, making an island of Ursus Minorica, and as the sun set, the North wind had gained in force scattering the billowing black clouds into harmless fragments against a blood red sky .

Still, it would be a while yet before waves tipped with frothy white flattened so that rescue would be possible.    It was safest to remain, waiting until the tide peaked, and when the sea was usually at its calmest. Luckily, the next high tide was due to occur at night, enable rescuers to approach under the cloak of darkness.  It was the only window of time, for it was quite certain that the Bahr-Bahr would return in great numbers when the tide lowered and Ursa Minorica was accessible to them once again.

Although Jayah was as ancious as everyone else, she was also thankful for the wait-- much needed time  to regain a bit of strength.  During the wait, Jayah summoned up the courage to inspect her new born twins more closely.  And it was as Yahnna described, both male and female parts that bore the final irrefutable evidence that she had given birth to near perfectly conjoined fraternal twins.

Twins were rare, and conjoined twins rarer yet.  Most twins never made it to full term, but when times were good and if the storage of food lasted throughout the entire winter, twin's were more likely be brought to term and survive. So twins were a good omen and considered sacred by the Dykelander people.  Although there were no conjoined twins presently among them until the birth of Atal and Lant, there were stories --most dying at birth along with their mother, and for that reason, conjoined twins were regarded as a bad omen.   Jayah knew that this would pose to be one of their greatest hurdles when time came for Atal and Lant to be brought before the Tribal Council.

The historical accounts involving conjoined twins concerned only identical twins, and so Jayah took consolation with the fact that her babies are male and female,  like Ayah... and so surely this counts in favour for my babies.

There was other evidence that Jayah detected: a subtle difference between the shade of colour in one eye to that of the other; the hairline at the forehead didn't run straight across as is the norm, but spiked downward in the middle, the peak of which touched the very the tip of the starr tattoo; there was a third nipple, and at the base of the neck were two tiny projections ... the tip of two fingers.

The rescue was to occur according to directions that Yahnna had given to the scouts she had sent ahead to Ursa Majorica, and in turn relay her instructions to the other clans already gathered there.
The rescue part were to come at high tide by coracle -- traditional circular boats made of tightly woven reed lined with cured fish hide. She had the presence of mind to see down the road, and knew that it would be the only way, and with that in place, success then depended on the weather.

Night fell and the tide reached its peak, and as all had hoped, the north wind dissipated, and the sea became flat.  The risen tide washed into the cave so that it's entire floor became flooded with deep calm water and so enabling the rescuers to paddle through the lower entrance and to the vast interior. From there, the clan members above, having plenty of rope between them, were then lowered through the caves upper entrance and into the welcome arms of their rescuers.

It was a magnificent rescue, a day recollected over by generations upon generations of story tellers.