“I ran away from my village some moons ago. My father wanted me to marry into another village, further down the coast, so he could make peace with them. He arranged a meeting between our families. He and my mother came, along with my brothers and sisters. We all showed up at a place on the beach, halfway between the villages. The son I was to marry was evil, as was his father. They both wanted me and were determined to have me. I am not to be treated like that. I broke the old man’s arm and killed the son. I took the old man’s blaster and ran. I ran to avoid my father’s anger and the vengeance that would come from the other village.
“I didn’t live my life to be offered as a sacrifice. I didn’t learn to fish, hunt, fight, and weave, just to be used like a piece of meat. I couldn’t, even though I knew it meant war. My father should have known better.” Braden watched her, mouth set in grim determination, taking full responsibility for her actions.
“Sorry about the blaster. It’s a gun, but the energy module needs recharging.” Braden made the tell-me-more sign. “It’s from the ancients. We have little of their tech left. The ancients’ war was too long ago, beyond anyone’s memory. We only know the words because of the stories our elders tell around the fires at night. Just like I’ll be expected to tell them when I get old.”
“I don’t know what a gun does or what an energy module is, but I understand that it is an ancient’s weapon. It must be powerful, like my Rico Bow.” Braden unslung his bow and showed it to her. Trust had to be earned. He wanted to get a closer look at the blaster, as she called it, but knew she wouldn’t just hand it over.
She looked at the bow with great interest. “Yes. This is very nice work, light carbon-fiber. Durable. Smooth curves. I’ve only seen one other recurve bow like this.” She handed the bow back to him.
“Recurve bow, you called it?” he asked.
“Yes. These curves improve the strength of the pull, and help it to be more accurate.” Braden laughed. He had assumed the inventor’s name was Rico. His easy laugh and smile seemed to put her at ease.
‘What do you think, G, can we trust her?’ Braden asked in his thought voice.
‘Yes.’
‘I thought so, too,’ he answered via the mindlink before talking aloud so Micah could hear.
“Micah. If you would like to talk with my companions, I think G-War can arrange that.”
“Really? What could an animal say that I want to hear?”
Braden was surprised by her attitude. “They think as we do. They talk as we do, or better, if you’re Master Aadi.” He nodded to the Tortoid, who blinked a couple times in response. “Look at me, Micah. Now listen, with your mind.”
Her eyes narrowed as she watched Braden, then popped wide open as she heard the others’ thought voices.
‘And now it can hear us all. I am a Hillcat. I can speak with all creatures,’ G-War said.
‘I am Skirill, a Hawkoid from the Cliffs of the Bittner Mountains. I can speak the language of the humans and with Golden Warrior’s help, I can also speak to you through our mindlink.’
‘I am Master Aadi, young human. How are you feeling this daylight?’
“I don’t know how I feel. I’d always been taught that animals were less than humans. They were to be used, eaten, anything we needed from them because humans are superior.”
‘Not so much, human,’ G-War said coldly. ‘I never considered Braden to be enlightened, until I listened to your thoughts.’
“Hey! You called me by my name,” Braden exclaimed. The ‘cat sighed and let his legs dangle as he sprawled on a thick branch. It was going to be a long turn.
Braden nodded to Micah, who was still reeling from the revelation of intelligent animals. “Once you get to know him, you’ll realize that he can be quite an ass. Master Aadi, on the other hand, will let you know before you go too far down the wrong road. He is the wisest one I’ve ever met. I would encourage you to listen closely when he speaks.”
Micah laughed to herself as she looked at the ‘cat in the tree. “So he can be an ass, huh?”
63 – Dinner Tales
The daylight passed quickly as they talked. Late after midday, Braden’s attention waned as he was falling asleep while sitting. Micah returned to her fishing, promising to get something good for dinner. Braden roused a sleeping G-War to help him find a deer or a wild boar to add to their food stocks.
Micah had taken a liking to Master Aadi and Skirill. They both feasted on the fish that she brought to the surface. Skirill impressed her by catching the fish that she threw high into the air. He also talked to her with his squawking, high-pitched Hawkoid voice. He showed her where the fish were, improving the effectiveness of her line tosses.
Aadi ate fish from her hand. He found her fishing technique to be interesting, so he hovered close by. Braden asked her not to let him get into the water or drink directly from the lake. She didn’t ask for a further explanation, understanding that everyone had a vice or two, no matter their age.
By evening, they were both successful. Braden returned with a spike buck carried across his shoulders, cleaned but not butchered. The ‘cat ate his fill from the organs at the kill site and almost had to be carried back. He waddled under his own power, barely able to keep up with the burdened human.
A number of small, round fish cooked slowly over a small fire. What they lacked in size, they made up for in quantity. Braden soon added fresh venison to the spit.
While their meal cooked, Braden cut branches for a field smoker. He then started butchering the buck to strip out the meat for smoking. Micah joined him with a curious curved blade. They made quick work of the deer.
With the meal cooked and a large stock of venison smoking, they ate. This time, Micah ate more slowly, enjoying the mix of fish and venison. Braden enjoyed the evening. It had been a long time since he sat and talked with another human. She was a link to the south. For her, he was a link to the rebels of the north.
The biggest revelation came when she told him that he was the offspring of the ancients. All humans were. For some reason, he always thought of the ancients differently. They were no different, she assured him. The ancients fought among themselves, but with terrible weapons. Those who lived lost the ancients’ knowledge as they struggled to simply survive.
We’re all descendants from the ancients, he thought. Why had he never understood that? Because that’s not how it was taught. The ancients were mystical creatures, to be revered, not emulated. Braden thought back to the oases and the amazing things the ancients had built, but they couldn’t overcome the human tendency toward conflict. He recognized the irony as he felt his long knife at his side, his recurve bow on the ground next to him. He thought about their run from the men who followed them out of Whitehorse, of those G-War had killed so he could escape Cameron, of the man being hung in Binghamton.
“We never change,” Braden said as he settled in to tell Micah the story of his recent travels as a Free Trader, telling her everything until the moment they saw her at the lake.
64 – The New Caravan
The morning found Braden and his companions preparing to leave. From Micah, he learned a great deal about the world of the ancients. The people who survived in the south embraced the passing of knowledge about the ancients and their history, while the people in the north, his people, had forgotten all there was to know from the before time.
Micah looked uncomfortable as Braden finished loading the cart. Master Aadi was the first to speak.
‘Micah, if I may be so bold. Traveling in a group, we are safer. Braden seeks items to take north to trade. On the way, we learn, broadening our knowledge. In my two hundred cycles, I have never learned more than what I’ve gathered in the short time traveling with Braden and his companions. I, for one, would like you to join us. Teach us and learn from us,’ the Tortoid ended with a hopeful tone in his thought voice.
Braden thought it would be natural for her to join them, but didn’t want to ask. He didn’t know if it was his male pride, or
suspicion of other humans. She seemed trustworthy. He was a good trader, which meant that he could read people well, understand them. What he believed was that people always put themselves first. No one was truly selfless. It bothered him that he felt this way. He trusted his companions fully, but couldn’t find that same level of trust in any human besides his parents.
“That’s so odd, hearing you in my head,” Micah said aloud. She didn’t seem to let it bother her, though, and adapted quickly. “Thank you for the offer, Master Aadi.” She let that linger as she looked at Braden without moving. It seemed like she wanted confirmation that he supported her joining the companions.
‘I like her,’ said the ‘cat. Micah smiled. G-War was talking to all of them.
“By all that’s holy! Ten cycles, you don’t tell me anything. One turn and you like her?”
“I’m beginning to see who the ass is,” Micah offered, laughing.
Braden shook his head and then offered his hand. “Welcome to the caravan, if you’ll have this pack of misfits.”
She shook his hand heartily and hurried to get her small pack of things ready to go.
“Ten cycles, G! C’mon, Ess, you like me, don’t you?”
“You healed ‘e when I was in need, young hu’an, and ‘or that, I will always ‘e grate’ul,” Skirill said out loud.
“That’s not much, but it looks like that’s what I’m going to get. So that’s how it’s going to be, huh? Four to one, now. I think I need a dog…” A chorus of laughter answered him over their mindlink.
When they were ready, Micah joined Braden on Max. Skirill flew ahead. There were plenty of trees for him to sit in and watch as Braden’s caravan slowly made its way south.
Braden was happy to have Micah join the caravan. She could help guide them in this part of the world, help him to understand Old Tech should they find any. And the ‘cat liked her, which was all he really needed in order to give her his trust.
“I’ve never seen creatures like these. You’ve tamed them. What are they?” she asked as she carefully stroked the softness of Max’s neck.
Braden started to feel funny with Micah riding in front of him.
“I think you should ride Pack. He wears a harness, but it’s a saddle, too. That way we don’t wear poor Max down. We don’t want that, do we, Max?” Braden stroked the horse’s neck as he helped Micah down and watched her awkwardly climb into Pack’s saddle.
“How’s that feel?” he asked.
“Fine. Just fine.” She looked at him oddly. He felt the color rise in his face. What was wrong with him?
65 – Everyone Adds Strength
Braden had forgotten what it was like to travel with another human. He was used to making the decisions--where to go, how far, when to stop. His companions were indifferent to those issues. Micah was far more engaged.
Braden carried the burden of leadership with him, even though it often felt like the others knew his arguments before he made them. They nudged him in one direction or another, yet he was the one who made the final decisions. The journey through the Great Desert was his decision and the others followed. Preparing them to survive the trip was his job, and he did it. They all had a role in keeping each other alive, but Braden carried the full weight of their lives on his shoulders.
And now he was responsible for one more. Still, nothing changed. There would be one more voice in the conversation. In the end, they had to count on each other to stay safe.
“If we get into trouble, you need to know what we can do. G-War is known as a Hellcat by those who aren’t bonded. He is fearless in battle and quicker than a snake, as we saw in the Great Desert.” Braden nodded back toward the ‘cat, who looked into the distance seemingly indifferent to the human’s conversation.
“Skirill is a Hawkoid and can see like you can’t imagine. He is our scout and he also is hell on our enemies. When we were attacked by wild boars, you should have seen him wheel and dance, just over their backs, raking them with his claws. We want him on our side. You should see him eat this big red fruit that we found in the oasis. We’ll talk about that at a different time. As a matter of fact, that’s probably more embarrassing for me than him.” Skirill must have been listening in as he swooped over their heads and let out his Hawkoid screech.
Micah watched as he glided upward, losing speed until he flapped his powerful wings to quickly gain more altitude. He circled the area before them, diving and frolicking. She felt at ease with his keen eyes watching over them.
How long had she traveled alone? Maybe a couple moons? She was constantly afraid of being found by people from the other village, even by her own family. She didn’t want to go back, under any circumstance. It was too much.
Maybe she found a new home as a member of this caravan. The companions’ voices sounded pleasant in her mind, reaching her at a level she didn’t know possible. The caress of their thought voices was soothing. The courage of their convictions was comforting. She felt protected, a rare feeling in this part of the world.
Braden kept turning in the saddle to look at her while they talked. He had seen that she was thinking, so he let her go. Once her eyes focused back on him, he continued. “Now Master Aadi has a special gift. He makes a sound like a thunder clap. It explodes right in your head. I got a glancing blow of it when we first met him, and I thought my head had bust open. I expected to see my brains all over the ground. He exploded a Maintenance Bot back at the oasis.” The Tortoid blinked rapidly. Was that embarrassment?
“You’ve seen functioning Bots?”
“Yes. Oasis Zero One is completely functional. The Bots keep everything clean. They feed the fish. They tend the fields. They even recovered the Bot that Aadi destroyed, and they put it back together! I saw it the next daylight going about its business. I think it intentionally avoided Master Aadi after that. Oh yeah, almost forgot about the Development Unit at Oasis Zero Three. Another Bot, but this one was big and it was still building the oasis. I wonder what we’ll find when we go back.”
“I’ve seen Bots, but none of them worked.”
“Then that’s where we want to go, unless you have a different idea of where we can find Old Tech? That’s our goal. Then we take it back north to trade.”
“I think you need to see the capital city of Sanctuary,” she offered.
“Exactly. If anyone lives there, we will work with them and see what we can do. That is where we were headed when we had the fortune of finding you.” Why had he said that?
“Uh huh. You have to see it. That will tell you everything you need to know. Then maybe we can look at what else we can do, where we can go.”
Braden didn’t dig into that statement. He knew she was being secretive, but not malicious. He wanted to see what she wanted to show him.
He resumed the conversation he started earlier.
“I’m pretty good with my Rico Bow, I mean, my recurve bow. I can hold my own with the long knife, but we try not to let things get that close.” He waited, but Micah wasn’t forthcoming. He needed to know. They all needed to know. “So what do you do? What are you good at?”
Micah hesitated before answering. “I can weave and I can fish, all different kinds of fishing. I make my own gear.” She was holding back.
“And?” Braden encouraged. “How were you able to break the old man’s arm and kill his son?”
“I can wrestle. I broke the slime dog’s neck. The old man had more warning, so I was only able to get hold of one of his arms.”
“I never heard of a girl who could wrestle,” Braden started saying. Micah jumped down from her horse and walked over to Braden. She waved him down. As he started to dismount, an arm wrapped around his head and twisted until he was thrown on the ground. Micah followed him down, where he was tangled in his bow and long knife. As she reached for him, he rolled away, leaving his bow behind.
He came to his feet, facing Micah with his arms wide and ready. She circled slowly, low to the ground. She was shorter than Braden and he saw that if
he went toe to toe, she would have better leverage. He had the better reach, but that would only work if she couldn’t grab his arm. If he overextended, then she would have him.
They circled. He feinted a couple times, throwing short punches toward her to gauge her reaction. She twisted, staying compact, minimizing Braden’s target.
He threw his knife to the ground by his bow and started to jog in a circle, then ran around Micah. She looked at him oddly, but followed his movements. She kept her feet active so she didn’t cross them. Braden didn’t see an opening at first. He would wear down quickly if something didn’t happen soon. He watched, and she offered him the side of her head for a moment as he kept running. With a short left hook, he took a swing, counting on his momentum to give it strength.
She caught his fist, pushing it so it passed harmlessly in front of her face. Then she rotated his arm, letting his momentum continue to twist it. He went face first into the dirt. She landed on top of him with his arm pulled behind his back. He breathed heavily and thought about trying to buck her off, but she was low, parallel with him. If he tried to kick, his arm might be forfeit.
He couldn’t afford to get hurt. They had too far to travel.
“I give. I give. You win!” He panted. “I stand humbled by your mastery of the art.” She let him up, where he bowed deeply to her. She was far stronger than he suspected.
“I’m sorry, Braden. It seemed like you wouldn’t believe me. It was quickest just to show you.”
“I guess it’s the same as how you felt about the animals. It was easiest to show you. And I’m the one who’s sorry. I don’t know why I would question your abilities, just because you’re a woman. In the north, men do the hard work, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It would probably be easier on everyone if they shared.” Braden massaged his sore arm, then picked up his weapons.
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