by S E Turner
'This clearly demonstrates what we are capable of. And at a time when spirits were low and all hope had gone, we all rose above it and have excelled ourselves. We should be proud. We have had to rise above the scale of destruction and have found it within ourselves to rise up even higher than ever before.'
The congregation were processing this information carefully.
'I truly believe that our boys will return unharmed. I truly believe that. I believe that with all our focus and energies they will be returned home.'
The crowd nodded and a rumble of murmurs echoed round the room.
'But now I want to step up our game further. I want to draw on other skills that we have, and I know that each of you have those skills.'
The murmurs rumbled louder. Anxious faces wore the guise of uncertainty. What could she possibly mean?
'I am fearful of the future. We live in changing times, and from what I have witnessed recently, we need to be prepared in case of another attack.' She looked at the concerned blank faces. Most didn't fully understand what she meant, so she drew breath and shouted it from the rooftops. 'We have to avenge what the Emperor and the General have done to our people. These rulers are a disgrace to humankind. They instil fear and force their way in by brandishing the blade. They lead by destruction.'
A cheer went up.
'I want to show them that they can't just thunder in and take what is not theirs. That they can't wreak havoc on an established community and bring it to its knees.'
People were on their feet now.
'I want every man, woman and child to take a weapon and train until they can pick it up and launch it without even thinking about it. I never want to see our community ravaged again. I never want to see that type of fear instilled again. Never again will anyone, from anywhere, descend on our land and tell us what to do!'
The roof nearly came off with cheers. She could hardly hear herself speak. 'We start today. We start right now. We are the Hill Fort Tribe. And we will conquer! We will prevail! Our boys will return to a tight, secure fort, where everyone, and I mean everyone, is skilled in the art of warfare!'
The applause sang into the rafters, and the tribe was fired up with grit and determination amongst such powerful words.
Colom approached her from the side. 'I admire your spirit, Ajeya. You are still so young but so incredibly strong.'
'Thank you, Colom. That means a lot to me.'
'You were meant to come here,' said Peira with admiration. 'You and Dainn were brought together by the spirits, and when he returns, he will see many changes.'
Ajeya smiled at the thought of him returning. She had missed him so much—his smiling face, his warmth, his effervescence, his passion for life. His totem was keeping him safe. She would never give up hope.
Jena and Hagen were the next to join her side and were too emotional for words. All they could do was to hug her and smile with copious amounts of pride.
And then Keao came up and she stretched out her arms to greet him. 'My dearest brother.' she embraced him warmly.
'I'm so proud of you, Ajeya. You really have pulled this tribe together.'
'It's not my doing, Keao. They have done it all on their own. I am just extending that determination.' her words were humble.
He continued. 'I turned on you at a moment when you were dealing with your own demons and your own loss. I reacted badly and I am so ashamed.' His voice was tight.
'You've apologised already, brother, and I understand that you were shocked and traumatised. You spoke out of anger and not from your heart.'
'But I shouldn't have said the things that I said to you, or to Colom.' He shot a look at the leader who bowed his head low and placed his hand on his heart.
'Colom knows you didn't mean it.'
'Yes, I have apologised to him as well.'
Ajeya put her hands on his shoulders. 'Keao, I want you to know that it's because of you that I stood here today and ignited that fire into our people. It's because of you and your disappointment, your wrath with the tribe for not trying to stop the General. You were right to be angry, and we were wrong to just stand there. That should never have happened, and our weakness was our own demise.'
He took her hands and kissed them. 'But we are farmers, as you said back then, no one but you and Dainn, and maybe a few others, could actually fight with a weapon.'
She rose up high to his small voice. 'I never want to see that happen again, though, Keao. You have instigated the change and I want you to help me. I want you to teach the children how to camouflage themselves, how to remain still and poised, how to focus and stay calm and still, and be accurate with a catapult, or an arrow, or a spear. All those things that you taught me, I want you to share.'
'You really mean that?' His voice was incredulous and brimming with pride at the same time.
'Of course, I really mean it. There is no one better for the job. I am who I am because of a handful of people, and you are one of them. It is your teaching of nature and your perception of our senses that has carved me and defined me, so we need to share that with everyone here.'
He kissed her hands again. 'I love you so much, Ajeya. Thank you for giving me a reason to live again.'
'You have a son out there who will return, and you have a wife here who needs you. Every day you have a reason to live.'
'When shall we start?' He was eager to get going.
'We start right now, Keao. We start today.'
Chapter Thirty-Three
Colom and Peira, Hagen and Jena watched in awe as the new troops manoeuvred on the plains around them. Listening to instructions, forming close knit groups and practising all day, every day—hour after hour with little time for rest, so passionate was their determination.
Basic weapon training had been followed by war games; carefully orchestrated strategies and what to do in an attack. They had mock manoeuvres where the defending troops were made up by one half of the clan, and the attackers consisted of the rest. Even the musicians were brought in with the drums, as Colom said that the instruments could be used to intimidate their enemies. So anything that made a noise, a beat, or a rhythm was used to give instructions and orders in the heat of battle.
Skilled metal workers forged even more swords and lances, while the women weaved protective garments and made shields out of layered animal hides. Day after day, the clan trained hard, practising tight formations and forming shield walls, attacking each other with blunt wooden swords. This exercise had been executed with such force that if the wooden swords had been real, the General's army would be depleted in an instant by the spitted lances and curved sabres.
Ajeya had led a regiment of archers and spent most of the daylight hours practising on a prepared shooting field. The butts used mounds of earth for targets, and the archers sent wave after wave of arrows to stand like flags of honour in the dug-up ground. Farmers, gardeners, shepherds, unused to such materials, trained so hard that their fingers bled, so the women made leather finger guards for their protection. Nothing was left to chance, and anything that could strike a blow was excavated to be used.
They collected chunks of weighty rocks to bombard invaders in stronger, more efficient catapults, and stacked them in metal carts. Ballistas were camouflaged with nets and foliage, but easy to get at. Weapons used for hunting the stag and the boar now became longer and more powerful with razor sharp edges and toughened welded shafts. Spending long hours in the forest aiming and targeting objects with spears and daggers; they had learned to lift, aim and throw an assortment of spears, rocks and arrows. And Keao instilled the emotional focus of their craft.
'Everything in nature is an illusion to outwit and outmanoeuvre. So, look to the skies to see the nimbus, smell the direction in the air, and feel the pace in the breeze. For only then will you become aware of your surroundings. Only then will you hear the different sounds and feel the change. Only then will you survive.'
Within a few months, the Hill Fort Tribe had become accomplished w
arriors—they could feel, breathe and see a disturbance in the air. They could grasp a weapon and make it become an extension of their own bodies. Their eyes and instincts instructed them, protected them and alerted them for anything untoward and threatening. They worked as a team guided by sounds and noises and were taught to have panoramic vision like the animals.
But on this day, Ajeya could sense something in the air, and she could feel a change. By dusk, the mood was heavy with anticipation. Because somewhere, out of the crevasse of the mountains, in the vast wilderness, coming through the mist, came the familiar rumble of horses' hooves.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The men had been travelling north for several days now. They all felt hot and sticky, disgustingly dirty, and almost sick with hunger. It was the hottest month of the year and insects in the north were just as troublesome as those in the south. And while the blood sucking monsters fed on their malnourished bodies, none of them could remember the last time they had eaten a proper meal.
The Hill Fort lads had started upstream along the watercourse that flowed near a ravine, then they began ascending the mountain along a tributary creek, forcing their way through heavy underbrush. They stopped by a steep rock wall over which the creek spilled in a cascading spray. The wall presented a barrier that ran parallel to the gorge, and they had to circle some distance before they found a gap large enough to admit the horses. They followed the course of the gorge and then began to follow it upstream again. Then they began their ascent up the challenging stocky glacier. Back in the forest, the crest of the mountain could be seen. Now they were on it and home was the other side. It wasn't far to go, but the only way was up and over the rocky edged perimeter, an arduous course which required the skill of the horsemen to guide their animals round to the other side in safety. As they edged forwards and round, an expanse of land unfolded, and the party remained speechless as they absorbed the spectacular vision.
Pine and spruce dominated the higher elevation which was home to a range of squirrels, birds and bats, the boys embraced the smell of freedom as the wind picked up and trees thinned out to a familiar sight. An expanse of land whose far end terminated in the grey brown rock of the mountain, sparsely covered with clinging growth, soared into the mouth of a cave. Specks of light that come with dusk fell on the rock formations—they danced on the wind and into the entrance of the chamber. This was easily recognisable. This was Dainn and Ajeya's domain, and Dainn felt that he wanted to weep for the lost time and the miles that had kept them apart.
The river they were following gushed into a stream and beyond the stream was their camp. A falcon had followed them like a personal guard heralding their return with a haunting cry and saluting her praise for uncovering a sleepy vole. A blanket of dazzling dew continued round and highlighted their path to where the village and the colour of peace and tranquillity merged. Their goal was right in front of them. At last they were home. They looked at each other. They were safe. And for the last time on that journey, the once six captive lads galloped home for a clan's welcoming.
'I can smell the dinner cooking,' cried out Dainn.
'Me too,' echoed Durg.
'I hope they've got enough for all of us,' shouted Storm.
'I can't wait to see mother and father,' cried Rufus.
'I'll race you, Malik,' challenged Tay.
The clan were out preparing dinner when the first sightings were made.
'Open the gates! It's Dainn and the boys. They have returned to us.' Came the call from the watch tower.
The gates were hauled open and after the initial shock, a hundred throats roared them home.
'Thank the gods, thank the gods.' Ajeya crumpled on to her knees to give thanks to her hare totem. She wailed into the sky and wept tears of joy. And gradually, as each mother saw her child through the gates, they fell on their knees and sent prayers to the Blessing Tree. The fathers and children followed the howls, and when they saw the reason for the excited screams, ran towards the galloping racers. There were cheers and jubilations amongst all of them and an excited Keao just about managed to outrun Red as they raced towards their son.
'Praise be to the gods,' hailed Colom. 'And praise be to our totems that have protected our boys.'
The horses were trotting by the time they reached the arms of the open gates that had been swung wide for them, and the entire Hill Fort Tribe were lined up in jubilation to welcome them home.
Colom and Peira were first in line to greet their son. Dainn jumped off his horse and ran to his mother's arms. 'Mother, I have missed you so much.'
She hung on to him and wept until her tears ran dry. Dainn wiped her face and then embraced Colom. 'Oh, father, how glad am I to see you!'
'And me, too, my dearest boy. And me, too.'
'What happened to you all?' asked his agitated mother. 'I saw many boys taken that day. Is everyone safe?'
'They are all fine. We were saved with moments to spare by a remarkable woman.'
Peira shook her head with relief.
'And of course, I will tell you all about it in due course, but for now I need a bath, something to eat, and most importantly, I need to see my Ajeya.'
'Of course, you do, my love. I will heat up the water for you right now and get everyone preparing to celebrate your return, but my dear boy, give me one last hug.' She wrapped her arms around him and held him like she would never let him go. But she knew she shared his love with another, and wiping away stinging eyes, hurried off to attend to her duties.
He watched his mother scurrying off and his heart sang after her.
'Where is Ajeya, father?' Dainn said looking around. 'Is she well? Is she all right?'
'My dear boy, Ajeya is without doubt one of the strongest, bravest women I have ever known,' and Colom looked in her direction.
Dainn followed Colom's gaze towards the courageous young woman. She was embroiled in her own emotions as she welcomed home Rufus alongside Keao and Red, taking it in turns to hug him and shower him with an avalanche of kisses. Tears of joy ran in quantities and such emotions were heartwarming to view. Then she felt his eyes on her and she turned.
She froze as she looked at him, and he somehow looked even more handsome and more strong than she had remembered. His beautiful golden hair had been cut short in a primitive fashion. Who had done that, she wondered? Her displeasure was obvious. His clothes were that of a stable boy. Where had they come from, she thought? He did look tired and drawn with a covering of dry dust from a barren path, but he was still her beautiful Dainn and how she loved him. They held the gaze and the umbilical cord of love started running with life again. It twitched and pulsed and she could feel herself moving towards him with trembling legs. She walked slowly at first, fearful that her unsteady limbs would buckle beneath her, but also terrified that she was dreaming, and scared that he would be snatched away from her arms again. They were so immersed in their own vacuum that not a sound outside of their trance was audible, not a quiver could be felt, just the umbilical cord that held them together that was reeling her in. She felt herself walking quickly. Then she began to run. Faster than she had run before. Faster than a horse. Faster than the wind. She felt as though she was flying. Her feet didn't touch the ground. But it was Dainn twirling her through the air and holding on to her for dear life.
'How I've missed you.' He kissed her face a thousand times.
'I didn't stop praying for you. I knew you would return. I knew I would see you again.' She could barely speak through his bouquet of kisses and her rivers of tears.
'You are the hare, Ajeya, the all-knowing and powerful hare that can see things before anyone else.'
She smiled and cried and gave thanks to her totem. 'I've missed you so much.'
'So, tell me what you have been doing, my little hare. I have had to imagine it for the last nine months, so now you can tell me.'
'Apart from missing you and sending powerful thoughts to protect you, you mean?' She hugged him.
He laughed
.
'Come with me, I will show you what I have been doing. Let me take you around the camp. Let me show what our people have done. It is truly incredible.'
She led him around the impressive fortress with the high gates, stone towers and timbered keeps, where a deep ditch and solid walls were part of the reinforced defence system. Ballistas and huge catapults stood like sentries. A stone courtyard was surrounded by outhouses, storehouses, stables, a blacksmith and sheds full of weapons. The pastures were green and lush with oats and barley with the smell of pollen on the wind amid the sweetest detection of wine, and fields yielding fruits that stretched away for miles. A squadron of bees could be heard as they darted through the air, drawn to the subtlest scent of herbs and plants. And the solid lodges were now reinforced and built with stone upon granite foundations.
'Have I been away this long?' His voice was pitched in disbelief as his eyes looked on in awe.
'Yes, you have and it's been far too long.'
She took his hand and led him to the cavernous Meeting House with a watchtower at one end rising twenty feet above the Blessing Tree and looming over the magnificent waterwheel.
The hall was sombre and quiet. She took him to the smaller blessing tree that clung on to its own small ribbons of hope and fortune.
'I came here most evenings for my own private vigil.' Her voice was tight. 'I never gave up hope, I never stopped believing.'
'Neither did I, my love, despite everything, I never gave up hope. You were my shining light at the end of a very long tunnel and I looked up to the hare in the moon every single night.' He kissed her face. 'When I was imprisoned, I dreamed of the day that I would be holding you in my arms. I would close my eyes and imagine us standing on a marbled balcony of a gold encrusted palace, the walls and floors adorned with jewels and mirrors, and the brightest, biggest moon was looking down on us.'