by Saxon Andrew
The middle-aged man stared at Gregor and then said to Anderson, “The Council will want a full report on this.”
“That will be decided by the Clan Leader.”
“Tell him we want it!”
“I will.” Anderson nodded at Gregor to follow and he walked through the crowd. Gregor noticed that all of the women had either a sword or bow strapped across their back. He also noticed they were all vibrant and beautiful. It also was abundantly clear that all of them were spoken for.
He looked up at Anderson, “How old is that man?”
Anderson stopped and looked at Gregor, “Ye may not remember the orders I’ve been given but I will not answer ye questions.” He turned and continued through the crowd. Gregor wondered what was going on but it was too late to worry about it. The ship was gone and he was stuck with his decision. He followed the man and wondered where they were going.
• • •
Two days later, Gregor wished he had done more to stay in shape. The tall man and his mate walked at a fast pace and he was struggling to keep up. Cleaning boosters kept him strong but didn’t help with his endurance. He was worn out from the previous day’s walk and Gregor finally had to call them to a halt, “I’m not going to be able to keep this up!”
Anderson looked at his mate and rolled his eyes as he sighed, “Ye win.”
“I’ll take me winnings when we get home.”
Gregor looked at them with his eyebrows together and Anderson said, “I wagered Ellie that ye would at least make it to the Clan.”
The woman laughed, “Andy, he looks strong but he doesn’t walk much.” Gregor and Anderson looked at her and she pointed at Gregor’s feet, “Look at the soles of is boots, they’re not worn at all.”
Gregor lifted a foot and looked at the bottom of his boot. She was right. Anderson rolled his eyes again, “I should ave seen that.”
“Just like you should ave seen the color of is eyes when ye were trying to kill em.”
Anderson sighed, “I miss a lot.”
Ellie put her arms around his waist, “Yes ye do. But I love ye anyway.”
Anderson looked at Gregor, “I really thought me wager was a lock. During our sword fight I was out of breath and ye was not out of wind at all.”
Ellie snorted, “That’s because ye were doing all the heavy swinging. He just blocked ye sword and that takes little effort.”
“No he didn’t. He was swinging at me as well, Ellie!” Anderson stared at his wife and she shrugged and turned away. “HE WAS SWINGIN AT ME!”
Ellie sighed and looked at Gregor, “I’ve not thanked ye for not killing my husband during his foolishness.”
Anderson’s expression turned angry, “WHAT DO YE MEAN, WOMAN!? I WOULD HAVE FINISHED EM IF WE WEREN’T INTERRUPTED!” Anderson looked at Gregor, “Tell her!”
Gregor looked at them and shrugged. He saw Anderson’s face turn redder and Ellie stepped over quickly, reached up, grabbed his chin and turned his face as she brought her face an inch from his, “Ye are a fool, Anderson MacGregor!” Anderson’s mouth opened and she put her right hand over it, “He took ye hat off ye head and didn’t even cut it. He took the buttons off ye sash and didn’t cut it either. He cut the laces off ye leggings without cutting ye legs. He did all this in the middle of ye attacking him with ye sword. Do ye not think he could a killed ye if he chose!?” Anderson closed his mouth and Ellie took her hand away. She looked at Gregor, “Thank ye for not harmin me husband.”
“He fought a good fight,” Gregor replied to Ellie.
Ellie snorted, “He’s one of our best but it was clear who the better fighter was that day.”
Anderson stared at his wife and Gregor saw his eyes narrow as he turned to him. “Ye were playing with me!”
“No, I wasn’t. I was doing everything in my power to avoid being killed.”
“But ye weren’t tryin to kill me.” Gregor was silent and Anderson said, “Were ye?”
Ellie sucked in a breath and Anderson rolled his eyes. Gregor wondered what he said that caused Ellie to respond as she did and then saw it, “In your society, it’s bad form to ask a question.”
Ellie nodded, “Aye, it is. I apologize for me husband’s bad manners.”
Gregor looked at Anderson, “I tried to do you no harm.”
Anderson inhaled a deep breath and looked at Ellie, “Let’s make camp here for the evening, I’ll start the fire.”
Ellie nodded and went on her toes to kiss Anderson on the cheek, “I don’t know how he learned to handle a sword like that but I am thankful ye weren’t cut.” Anderson nodded and took off his backpack.
Gregor heard a loud roar echo through the forest; it reminded him of the Green Death. Anderson looked down at Ellie, “Why don’t ye go and get our meal.”
Ellie smiled and took the bow off her shoulder. She turned and, in a moment, disappeared into the forest to their left. Gregor turned to Anderson and said, “She is going to meet the beast that made the roar.”
“There’s a Nagsta close by. It must be a young one that hasn’t learned to keep its distance. Its stupidity will be our meal.”
“That roar sounded rather loud,” Gregor said tentatively.
“It’s not that big. It’s only ten feet tall and thirty feet long. Ellie will bring the best parts back for us to eat and leave the rest for the forest dwellers.”
Gregor looked out in the direction Ellie had disappeared and heard another roar that stopped suddenly in the middle. Gregor struggled with how to state things without asking a question. He finally said, “We should go help her?”
“Naaa, she can handle it. She’s only bringin the best parts of the beast.”
Anderson collected dried wood from around the trunks of smaller trees growing among the giant trees they were camping under and had a fire started by the time Ellie returned carrying a bag over her shoulder next to her quiver of arrows. He looked at her with raised eyebrows. Ellie put the bag down next to the fire and shrugged, “It was not alone but the mother ran away.”
Anderson nodded, “She should have taught her hatchling to stay away as well.”
“She had six other hatchlings with her. Her work will be easier in the future with one less to care for.”
Gregor listened to them and then heard loud grunts and roars echoing through the forest. He knew that whatever was making those noises had to be huge. He heard Ellie say, “It appears the dwellers are having a disagreement over the carcass.”
Anderson nodded, “They’ll work it out.” He took the bag Ellie brought back and pulled out large pieces of raw meat. He opened his backpack and pulled out a small bag of brown and white powdery granules and sprinkled them on the meat. Ellie pulled a metal arrow out of her quiver and ran it through the meat as Anderson stuck two Y shaped pieces of wood into the ground on each side of the fire. Ellie put the arrow in the forks of the Ys and began turning it slowly over the fire. Gregor saw that the couple was experienced and worked together without having to give or receive instructions. They had been doing this for a long time.
In less than ten minutes, daylight gave way to darkness; it was almost like someone turned off a light switch. Anderson saw Gregor’s expression and smiled, “The trees block the late day light. Ye’ll get accustomed to it.”
Gregor sat and waited for the meat to cook and saw Ellie leaning against Anderson. Occasionally, she would sit up to turn the metal arrow but would then move back against his side. Gregor noticed that Ellie had her bow on the ground beside her with an arrow on top of the quiver next to it. Anderson had his sword lying on a piece of cloth outside the scabbard next to him. Suddenly, he heard a loud noise in the brush to the right and in an instant, almost faster than he could follow with his eyes, Ellie had the bow up with an arrow notched and pulled back. Gregor had his sword in his hand and saw Anderson reach forward to turn the arrow over the spit and say, “It’s just a Fouler. It’s run here to lose a predator chasing it.”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed and she listen
ed closely to the sound coming from the forest. She released the tension on the bowstring and sat back down, “Ye be right. You may miss some things Anderson MacGregor but no one knows the forest like ye.”
Anderson gave her a squeeze and said, “I think the meat is done.” He took the arrow off the fire and used his sword to cut a piece of meat off. He cut it into three pieces and handed one to Ellie and one piece to Gregor. Both of them took a bite and watched Gregor closely as he smelled the meat, put his tongue on it, and then took a small bite. He chewed it for a moment and stopped. He looked at the two across the fire from him and saw they were staring at him like they were waiting for something. Gregor said, “This is pretty good,” as he took another bite. He saw the two look at each other and knew something had happened. He thought hard on how to ask them and finally said, “The two of you were expecting something.”
Ellie smiled, “Aye we were. Ye’ve eaten the meat before.” Gregor’s head went back and his eyes narrowed. Ellie nodded toward the meat he was holding, “The first taste of Nagsta meat is extremely bitter and almost impossible to bear. However, once the juices enter ye body, it becomes tastier. You’ve eaten it before.”
Gregor took another bite and chewed it slowly. It really was tasty and he thought for a moment and then said, “I was born here, not on Earth.” The two stared at him in silence and he knew they wondered what he was suggesting. Gregor continued, “I’ve thought that my mother may have had me on Earth but this lends proof that I was here before I went to Earth.”
Anderson nodded, “Aye, it does add proof that ye are who ye say you are. The children don’t eat the meat before they are ten months old.” Gregor was thankful Anderson had provided that piece of information. He was wondering how to say a statement that would get a response. He also realized that in the Bellingham society, one volunteered information to assist those communicating with each other from having to ask questions. This means of communicating would lead to a very open society.
Gregor looked at the wood burning and noticed that it wasn’t the same color as the trees. He thought for a moment and said, “The tall trees don’t have dead limbs fall from them.”
Anderson looked at Ellie and saw her give a tiny shrug. He turned back to Gregor and was silent for a moment before saying, “The tall trees will not burn.” Ellie elbowed him in the ribs. Anderson winced slightly and saw Gregor stared at him intently, “That’s not entirely true. The young trees will burn before they grow to their full height but the giants never lose branches because they are too strong.” Anderson looked up at the canopy of branches high overhead with the fire’s light flickering off them. “The Elders grow until their roots go deep into the soil and start pulling the metal from far underground into their bodies. Once that happens, the tree will not burn.”
Gregor had so many questions he didn’t know how to start but knew questions would not be answered. He shook his head and saw the two could see him struggling but could not help him. Then he realized something that he had not understood. He smiled and looked at them, “The older man who told you not to answer my questions did that to force me to stop doing it; not to prevent you from giving me information.”
Ellie smiled and shook her head in wonder as Anderson said, “Aye, that was the purpose of his order but there was a limitation placed on what we could tell ye.” Gregor’s eyes narrowed and Anderson held up his hand, “Any information about ye history will have to come from the Clan Leader. It is not our place to discuss that with ye.”
“You know something about my history.”
Ellie’s smile vanished and she looked up at Anderson, who was shaking his head slightly. She continued to stare at him and he took a deep breath and blew it out slowly before saying, “Be careful what ye tell em.”
Ellie looked at Gregor, “Your mother was the finest woman I’ve ever known. Ye should be proud of the line you come from Gregory MacGregor.”
Gregor stared at her and knew they would not say anything else. Gregor lowered his eyes and said, “I thank ye for your kindness.”
Anderson laughed out loud, “Now you’re learning how we speak. Good!”
Gregor smiled and said, “Aye!” Both of them laughed as Ellie put some more pieces of wood on the fire.
• • •
The next morning, after walking two hours, Gregor heard the sound of flowing water. Thirty minutes later, they arrived at a river that was flowing through the forest. A large canoe was beached on the river’s bank. Six men were waiting and Anderson held out his hand indicating for Gregor to wait. Gregor stayed at the edge of the forest as they walked forward and starting talking with the obvious leader of the group.
Gregor noticed that the leader would look at him as they spoke along with the other five who had gathered around to hear what was being said. Gregor found it odd that in this society, there didn’t appear to be anything that wasn’t everyone else’s business. Even the large crowd gathered after he was attacked to hear what was being said. He wondered what would happen if he walked over to listen in but decided to honor Anderson’s request for him to stay back. He looked at the canoe and saw that it was a different color than the trees’ trunks and branches. It must have been made from one of the young trees. He wondered how tall the tree had to get to change color; the canoe was at least twenty feet long.
Finally, Anderson waved him forward. The Leader looked at Gregor, “My name is William and I’ve been ordered here to take ye to the Clan Leader.”
Gregor stared at him and said, “You’re related to one of the men I met where I landed.”
The man flinched and glanced at Anderson, who shrugged. “Aye, his is my uncle.” He looked over his shoulder, “Craig, gather ye pack and tell William the Older that I send my blessings.”
A young man nodded, went to the canoe, and took his backpack out. He walked by Gregor and stared at him as he walked up the bank and disappeared into the forest. Anderson looked at the Leader, “Where is Jen?”
“She decided to remain, her baby is too young.”
Ellie sighed, “This will not be a good time for Craig.”
The Leader nodded, “Somethings must be carried without complaint.” Anderson looked at Gregor, “William is now in command and he is responsible for delivering ye to the Clan Leader.”
Gregor nodded and looked at the Leader who said, “Ye will sit next to Anderson with Ellie. We should be leaving now.” Gregor nodded and boarded the canoe with the others. The Two front rowers pushed the canoe off the riverbank and leapt into the bow. The rowers back paddled the canoe out into the river’s main current and then began pulling on the oars. The boat picked up speed and Gregor saw these men were incredibly strong in their upper bodies. They stroked for hours and only broke long enough to eat a meal and drink from their water skins. Gregor looked at Anderson and Anderson said, “We’ll arrive in two days.” Gregor nodded and looked out at the forest on each side of the river. He saw something on the bank to the left side of the canoe that looked very much like a giant Venzel Dragon. As they approached, Ellie stood up in the canoe and raised her bow. In an instant, the giant animal disappeared into the forest. Ellie relaxed the bowstring and sat back down.
Gregor noticed that it was full daylight but it wasn’t bright under the trees. Light made it through the canopy high overhead but not enough to make it look brighter than early evening. But he could see things clearly and his normal light sensitivity was not an issue. This light level felt normal. He sighed, this was more proof he came from this planet.
The canoe moved through the water smoothly and it was covering a very large distance in a very short time. He wondered how long it would have taken them to walk all the way to the community they were going to and decided that he was thankful the canoe was there waiting to take them. Then he paused; how had the canoe known where to go? He knew Anderson and Ellie were not carrying any electronic devices, at least none that he could see. He also knew the ship had not detected any electronic emissions from the planet bef
ore it landed. How did they know? He looked at Anderson pulling on the oar next to him and said, “You expected this canoe to be waiting for us.”
“Aye, I did. I didn’t think the Clan Leader would wait to speak with ye and would send it for us.” Gregor saw the Leader frown. Anderson saw it as well and his expression showed he didn’t care. It was clear Anderson had already decided that Gregor was one of them and deserved the respect of a reply. Gregor decided to keep his questions to himself and not place Anderson and Ellie in a difficult situation. He turned and stared at the banks on each side of the river in silence. The Leader watched him and was surprised he didn’t continue to attempt to uncover more information. Gregor smiled; good!
• • •
The next day, Gregor began seeing structures under the trees on each side of the river and knew the community was close. He saw the Leader stand up, come back to him, and sit down in canoe, “Show me ye sword, please.” Gregor hesitated but then reached over his shoulder and pulled the sword out of its scabbard. He held the grip in one hand and the blade flat across the other with the etching of the knot up. The Leader looked at it and then looked Gregor in the eyes, “Please show me the grip.” Gregor moved his hand to the hand-guard and exposed the leather of the grip. The man stared at the intricate markings on the leather and Gregor saw sorrow in his eyes for an instant, which immediately disappeared. “Thank Ye.” He walked back up to the front of the canoe and Gregor looked at the grip. The leather used to make the grip had a mark on it that repeated itself the entire length. It looked like a straight line with another line going into it at a ninety-degree angle. Coming out of that vertical line was a letter V. At the end of the line, another horizontal line intersected it in the middle and the pattern kept repeating itself. He had seen that pattern thousands of time but thought it was purely decorative but now he knew it had to be something else. He looked at the Leader and saw he was staring out at the far bank of the river and knew he wasn’t going to find out what it was from him. But whatever it was, it had clearly impacted him. What was it?