“Have you been hurt?”
Her voice sounds worried and he smiles carefully at her, shaking his head. His eyes move towards Dagwood, who’s sitting next to Knox. His pants are torn and his thigh is bloody, but he shows no signs of physical pain. Without hesitation he’s risked his own life to save him from an unnecessary and dangerous situation. A situation he’d gotten himself into because of his own recklessness and lack of self-control. And it could’ve cost his life and Dagwood’s life. He’d never be able to forgive himself if Dagwood was killed while attempting to save him. Skye would never forgive him either.
She grabs his arm and pulls him into the hut.
“Get away from the door. You’re much too easy to see …”
Shortly afterwards, Dagwood gets up and looks seriously at the others in the hut who have gathered around him.
Blood runs down his leg, and Flo gasps in shock: “You’re hurt!”
She drops to her knees and holds his leg, but he pulls away from her.
“Later, Flo!”
His voice is serious and sounds unnaturally hard. Flo pulls back from him as he tells them: “We have to have some tactics, a plan, so that we can chase those disgusting animals out of our camp. And scare them so much that they’ll never come back. We must shake the fear out of our bodies and find our bravest selves. And mourning Knox will have to wait until the fight’s over. We need a guard by the door so we can see if they try to approach the hut. Finch, will you take the first turn? Be careful that you’re not too visible. Let us know if you see something, no matter how insignificant is appears!”
They all look at him and nod in agreement. Finch finds his knife and stands by the door. The rain pours from the sky, through the doorway and into the hut. The channels outside the door can no longer keep up, and the puddles around the hut are growing larger and larger. Finch looks worried at Dagwood, but he doesn’t say anything. They have bigger problems than a flooded floor right now.
“Our advantage is that we have the hut to protect us. There’s only one entrance, so they can’t attack us without us seeing it, and if that happens they can only enter the door one at the time. It’ll be too risky for them, and they don’t know what kind of weapons we have in here. I think that was what they were trying to find out last night when they were sneaking around the hut, but it was too dark for them to see anything. On the other hand, they know we can’t stay in here forever. First, we need to collect all the knives, spears, stone slings and other tools that we can use as weapons. Then we’ll have to find a way of leaving the hut, to get behind them without being noticed or attacked.”
Axton points to the dogs, and says: “We can send out the dogs to attack them and thereby create chaos. Then we’ll be able to sneak out in the meantime.”
Puk is about to protest when Dagwood takes over.
“We only have two adult dogs, and they couldn’t make a big enough distraction or chaos for us to sneak out unnoticed. And they’re just as vulnerable to the spears as we are, so they’ll probably get killed right away. The dogs are a part of the clan and will have to fight with us when the times come, but we won’t sacrifice them meaninglessly.”
Puk’s relieved.
Dagwood continues: “Maybe we should wait until night. Even though they could hear us leaving the hut, they won’t be able to aim at us when it’s dark … The spears are their advantage, and if we remove that opportunity we might stand a chance. They’re thin and starved, but they’re good fighters … at a distance. If we can get close to them, we might be stronger than them.”
Salomon cuts in: “The night is a good time to attack, and we can already start making shields and spears from the wooden beds. Maybe we can even make some kind of protection for the dogs so that they won’t get hit. We need everybody, even them.”
Evi listens as they discuss their plans, and her heart beats violently in her chest. The fear of getting into a fight and the sorrow of losing Knox suddenly overpowers her, and she breaks down crying.
“Can’t we just stay in the hut until they go away by themselves? I … I can’t fight. I don’t know how … I’m scared.”
She’s sobbing so much that the others find it hard to understand everything she’s saying, but they feel for her and they all have some of the same feelings inside of them.
Flo walks over to her and says: “We can’t stay in here forever. Maybe we can barricade ourselves in our small fortress for a while, but before long they’ll starve us out, and then we’ll be even weaker from the lack of food and water. Stay with me. We’ll make it together. Like we always do …”
Dagwood looks at her, and for a moment he’s taken in by her gentleness towards Evi. Flo doesn’t see him looking at her – but Skye does.
All of a sudden, pain shows on his face, and a tormented sound presses its way through his teeth. The wound on the backside of his thigh is obviously starting to hurt and he can’t hide the pain. Skye insistently pushes him down on the bed.
“Let me take a look at your wound.”
Dagwood tries to downplay the seriousness of the situation and attempts to get up again. But Skye holds him down and looks him in the eye while saying: “Dagwood! Let me take a look at your wound. Now. What’s the point of playing a hero if your wound cripples you? What good can you do if you’re lying sick with fever, bleeding on the floor like a wounded animal incapable of defending yourself or the rest of us? We need you.”
He smiles at her crookedly and lies down on the bed in resignation. Skye cleans his wounds, and he lets her do it without chasing her away.
Salomon and Puk pull Knox’s body over to the corner of the hut. They carefully remove the spear from his chest and put a blanket over him. Puk’s devastated inside, but he knows that he can’t fall apart now. He must be strong, no matter how unhappy he feels. Twice comes over to Puk and pushes his snout under his arm, and he gently strokes him behind the ear.
Suddenly a voice sounds from outside.
“We’re not leaving without the girl.”
It’s the tall boy who’s talking again, and his voice seems closer than ever before, but Finch can’t see anyone close to the hut.
Salomon rushes to the door and looks out. How can he speak so calmly and unaffected after being hit by the spear? He ought to be lying down, screaming in pain somewhere, not continuing to negotiate like nothing’s happened. It’s almost as if they have supernatural powers, but Salomon knows that it’s only because they’re skillful warriors. Skillful at fighting against their inner fears and demons. Skillful at scaring their opponents out of their minds even before the actual fight has begun, so that you lose all faith and courage and surrender without a fight, convinced that you’ll lose. In his life he’s met people before who mastered this kind of warfare. His father was one of them.
His thoughts are stopped as the tall boy continues to talk.
“We can go on waiting …”
Dagwood gets up from the bed and looks at the others.
“Come on, let’s get going. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
CHAPTER 43
The difference between night and day isn’t much. The day’s been grey and dark, and the sparse daylight mingling with the constant pouring of rain is long gone. Inside, the light is dimmer than usual. They barely keep the fire going to save the dry firewood they’ve stored by the fireplace. The water level outside the hut has increased so much during the day that water and mud have crept across the doorstep and spreads over the entire floor. Everything around them is wet, and soon the water will reach the fireplace too, and put out the last light around them.
Outside the hut it’s been quiet for the most of day. The silence has only been interrupted by the thundering of the sky. The silence has worried them because they know the boys haven’t gone but are probably preparing themselves to fight. Salomon ties a bit of rope onto the shield he’s sitting with.
>
“This is the last one. We’ve run out of wood that can be used for making shields and spears.”
He ads it to the other things they’ve all been working on energetically since morning. Almost all of their beds have been taken apart or chopped up and turned into weapons and shields. They’ve forgotten to eat and drink all day, as their minds have been occupied by more important things.
Dagwood walks to the door and looks out. He’s happy to see that the moon’s covered by dark clouds, because sometimes it would light up the sky almost as brightly as the sun, and they needed as little light as possible to avoid becoming moving targets.
“Let’s get ready.”
Dagwood tries to keep their courage up, but he’s struggling not to be affected. None of them know what’s waiting for them out there. They’re going to war. A war that might lead to casualties. Someone might die. Someone might have to take another’s life. It doesn’t look good, whichever way he looks at it. They’ve already lost Knox, and he’s wounded too. He doesn’t know how many boys are out there, but they seem to be more than them. They’ve surrounded the hut and can see their every move, unless the night can help them.
In silence they put on their wooden shields. The smallest and the weakest have a single one put on their bodies so that they can move their arms freely and won’t get tired from the weight of the heavy shield. The body shield is made out of two wooden plates tied together with a rope on top, hanging across the shoulders. One plate protects the heart and the stomach, the other one the back. They’ve also made shields for the adult dogs the same way – two rectangular plates tied together across the back. The others, and the strongest, will have a shield tied to their arms so they can protect themselves while fighting.
Finch has mixed ashes from the fireplace with water, and they all rub the dark substance on their faces so that their skin won’t light up in the dark like small lanterns.
“Okay, here’s the plan …”
Dagwood summons them all in the middle of the hut, except Salomon, who’s standing guard by the door. Earlier they’ve thought out the plan together and reached an agreement. There’s no good plan. All the possibilities they’ve discussed are risky and reckless, but this one seems to be the least dangerous. That is, if all the factors turn out to their advantage. They still don’t know what the other boys have been planning during the day, and maybe they’ll handle the situation differently than they expect. Time will tell. But if they’re still out there in a circle around the hut, their plan might work.
“First, you’ll walk out in small groups of three, giving you eyes in all directions. No one walks alone. You’re going to make a bit of noise so that their attention is focused on you, but not so much that they’ll figure out you’re deliberately trying to distract them. You’ll take the dogs with you and send them ahead so that they’ll make some extra commotion. If the boys do what we’re hoping for, they’ll gather to fight in groups, which will make the distance between the watch posts further and might distract them for a while. Then Salomon, Axton and I will sneak out. We’ll try to sneak behind them unnoticed. If we succeed, it’ll be us who’ve suddenly surrounded them.”
He’s followed intensely by a ring of wide-open eyes as he talks, and had the situation not been this serious he’d be laughing at their dirty faces. They look like wild animals that have taken a mud bath.
“Remember it’s dark out there, and the ground is muddy and slippery. But you know the area. You know where the holes in the ground are, and where the bushes are, and where to hide and go for cover. And remember this too. We’re not going to hurt anyone unless it can’t be avoided.”
Axton looks at Dagwood, and says: “But they aren’t going to be scared of us unless we hurt them. Otherwise, they’ll just laugh at us …”
Dagwood nods, and answers: “I know, but I didn’t mean we shouldn’t hurt them at all. I mean we should avoid killing them. And hope that they’ll be so scared that they won’t come back for vengeance. No matter what, there’s no easy solution to this situation.”
Salomon walks over to the others and steps into the circle. He looks Dagwood in the eye, as if he was the only one in the room.
Quietly, he says: “It’s time to start.”
Puk grabs the largest dog and bends down to its head. He whispers small commands into its ear and it reacts immediately. Slowly the hair on its back stands up and a deep growling finds its way past its bared teeth. He makes a sign with his hand while saying: “Seek,” and both dogs run quickly out of the door and disappear into the darkness. Shortly afterward they start barking, and it’s time for the small groups to be sent out.
One by one they sneak out of the door and gather in the agreed formations. They move forward quickly, and soon they too have disappeared into the darkness.
Dagwood feels his heart beating unnaturally fast, like it’s jumping out of his chest. He can’t stand the thought of something happening to the others. Or to Skye. She just returned from a terrible ordeal in the forest and now she’s out in another one.
He looks at Salomon, who’s standing a bit away. His eyes are directed at the dark night and his face is serious. He doesn’t look scared but angry, almost murderous. And still, Dagwood senses a hint of something else. Worry, maybe. Not for himself but for someone else.
Right then, Salomon turns his face towards him as if he knows what he’s thinking, and Dagwood forms a small smile on his lips. Not a smile signaling joy or happiness, but a smile signaling hope and unity.
“Are you ready?”
Salomon nods and walks over to him saying: “No matter what happens tonight, I want you to know that I think that you’re the most worthy … the only one worthy. I could never do what you do. Or be like you. So make sure that you survive tonight. Promise me you’ll survive tonight.”
Dagwood listens, surprised at his words. They sound so final, and wrong.
“What are you saying, Sal? We’re all equally worthy. No one means more or less than someone else, let alone you. You’re the only one who makes me feel safe. Why all this sudden self-doubt? We’re going to win this fight. Together.”
He looks deep into his eyes as he speaks, but then Salomon looks down, avoiding the confrontation of eyes.
Dagwood continues: “I promise I’ll survive this night and this fight if you promise me the same. Will you?”
Salomon doesn’t answer him, and somewhere inside Dagwood feels it’s not just this fight tonight Salomon’s speaking about, but also another one.
Skye clings to Puk with her hand. She’s afraid to let go and lose him and Finch. Her spear is raised, ready to defend them if they’re attacked. They’re all struggling to keep their balance in the mud, and the night is darker than the darkest darkness. They trip over almost every stone and root on their way, and they reach for each other in panic to avoid falling. The rain pours down and only makes the visibility worse and the ground more unstable.
Finch closes his eyes and tries to visualize the area in his head. It’s harder to navigate in the dark than they thought, even though they know the area inside and out. They take one step at a time and try to stick to the plan even though they’re all scared. Somewhere in the dark, Skye thinks she can hear one of the other groups, but she’s afraid that she might be mistaken. Maybe it’s not one of the other groups but the hostile boys hiding behind a bush or a tree, ready to jump forward and attack them.
She shivers at the thought that she might stand face to face with her attacker, even though she knows he’s probably lying hurt somewhere else. But the thought alone scares her. Finch suddenly makes a move and signals that they should go on. Slowly, the others follow to confront their enemies.
Inside the hut, Salomon, Dagwood and Axton prepare to carry out their plan. In whispering voices they agree on who should exit first and in which direction they should each head, and quietly they sneak out of the hut.
; Dagwood has sneaked a short distance away from the hut without being spotted, and he ought to have passed the circle of spear throwing boys by now. He starts moving forward toward the front side of the hut so he can watch the enemy from behind while they’re busy watching the small patrols of three. The night is so still that every little step he takes on the muddy ground makes as much noise as if he was a large, clumsy animal.
Suddenly he sees a small group of boys, and his heart starts racing as if he’d been running all the way from the forest to home. He needs to concentrate on not gasping for air and takes in a deep breath. And then another one. Slowly his heart settles back to its normal rhythm and he carefully hides behind a bush so he can get an overview of the situation. They haven’t discovered him but are focused on the small group that are getting closer to their hiding place. It’s Flo, Evi and Carrick.
He stretches his neck to see better, and for a moment he forgets to watch out. There’s a low rummaging sound behind him, so low it could be a small mouse or a long-ear stretching in the grass, but Dagwood chooses to ignore the sound. He discovers too late that it’s one of the shabby boys who has sneaked up on him and now has a spear pointing at his face. He quickly rolls to the side, and the spear flies through the air and hits the ground with a violent force. The boy rushes to pull the spear from the ground and prepares for another attack.
Dagwood looks at his face and sees a wildness in his eyes that scares him. His eyes are wide open and he bares his teeth like when the dogs try to scare an opponent. Dagwood knows he must react quickly if he’s going to avoid being hit, and he turns to the side and kicks as hard as he can against the boy’s leg. His opponent loses his balance and starts falling, exhaling a strange tormented sound. Like a large, limp ragdoll, he lands hard and lifeless on the ground, face first. He doesn’t move or say anything.
Dagwood gets up, shocked, and moves closer carefully. Why is he lying so still? Is it a trick? Is he trying to trick him into getting so close that he can stab him with a knife? He kicks him with one foot, but he’s still silent and lifeless. Carefully he squats next to him and rolls him over but immediately lets him go again in a state of shock. An arrow has penetrated his skull and sticks out of his eye. He’s completely dead. Dagwood looks around in panic in the dark, but he can’t see anything. The arrow came from behind, and unless it was one of the hostile boys who misfired, someone else is out there.
The Dawn of Skye (The Someday Children Book 1) Page 32