Now was my chance to move in and deliver my potion. I ran toward the fire and poured the potion into the tea pot. Then I returned to my hiding place behind the water jugs.
I could hear the guards walking around the cages, securing the doors. Amara, as swift as a deer, had eluded them, and she was undoubtedly hiding somewhere.
The guards returned to the fire. They talked awhile. Two other guards joined them. One of the men stirred the tea. He dipped the tea out with a wood ladle and poured it into four large earthenware mugs. The guards took the mugs and began to drink it down. The potion did not take long to have an effect. The men began to have slurred speech. Now they staggered around the fire like drunken men, and one by one they fell to the ground, unconscious.
I was amazed at how easily my plan had worked. The potion was strong enough to keep the men out long enough for us to complete our mission.
It sounded like someone threw a stone at the water jug. I turned around and looked behind me. I saw a light near the cages. It was Amara with the lantern. I ran over to her.
“Your potion worked so fast!” Amara exclaimed.
“It is powerful medicine, I was certain that it would work,” I said. “All the guards are knocked out. They will not wake up until long after sunrise.”
“I see that they are out!” Amara said, slightly amused. She looked in the direction of the cages. “There is a cage door on the other side that is less visible. Let’s go now!”
“I will follow you,” I whispered.
We cowered down low, moving to the other side of the largest cage. In the lantern’s light, we located a door. It was locked with a heavy wood bar placed within two braces. The bar was across the middle of the door. We raised it out of the braces and the door easily swung inwards.
The foggy dark night prevented us from seeing very well once we were inside the cage. We moved around slowly. Amara held the lantern up high. There were many people sleeping in the middle of the enclosure. Amara recognized a girl about her age. She shook her gently.
“Aleya, wake up! We are here to rescue you.”
Aleya raised up. “Amara!” She exclaimed. “How did you get in here?”
“We have come to your rescue, Aleya. We need to wake everyone.”
She got up and woke up one of the men.
“An-kel, wake up!” Aleya prodded. “We are going to be rescued!”
An-kel stirred and rose up, looking around. “What is going on, Aleya?”
“Amara and Saline are here to rescue us,” she replied. “We are going to be free!”
An-kel got to his feet. At first, he was in disbelief that they were being rescued by women. But it did not take him long to come to grips with the situation.
He was a warrior and the chosen leader of the captives. Now that he was awake he started to organize the operation. He and Aleya went and woke up the rest of the people.
We were ready to leave the cage. Everyone was very quiet as we left, walking swiftly and in complete silence.
An-kel told us to take the captives away from the camp while he and another man rescued the children. They were in a smaller cage nearby.
Amara and I led the people into the woods and we waited in the underbrush, huddled together.
An-kel released the children from the smaller cage, and they joined the rest of us. Parents embraced their children and there were tears of joy. I was feeling great happiness to see these families reunited. It was dark and bitterly cold, but the warmth of love made all that seem insignificant as mothers, fathers, sons and daughters embraced.
I counted everyone in the group. There were 21 adults and 16 children.
An-kel comforted two of the young women who were upset. Their babies were still in the camp. I volunteered to go back for them.
“No, Saline!” Amara exclaimed. “An-kel and I will go get the babies. You must lead the people a safe distance away from the camp and hide.”
Amara handed me the lantern and a bag of wood chips to keep it burning. Then she left with An-kel and Aleya.
I led the people deeper into the woods. We waited there for the others. The young mothers were very anxious as we waited. Several other women were comforting them.
“Saline, I am Amenta,” a young woman said. “Thank you for saving us from this terrible place.”
I nodded and held her hand. “Do you know where the babies are,” I asked.
“They were kept at one of the tents and cared for by Umbunti women.” She replied. “They were going to raise them as their own.”
“Raising them to be slaves,” I replied.
“Yes, we were all made into their slaves. I hate the Umbunti. They beat us and forced us to work until our hands bled.”
I told Amenta about my own captivity in the other Umbunti camp. Everyone listened as I recounted my experiences there and how Amara had rescued me. They all wanted to know more, so I told them about how Amara and I planned their rescue. I told them every detail from beginning to end about our expedition to the camp. They expressed amazement at how my sleep potion had put down the guards.
An-kel, Aleya, and Amara returned holding three babies in their arms. Two other children were with them, both boys.
“Did it go well?” I asked Amara.
“We had to bind and gag the women in the tent. They were not easily subdued. We need to get away from here as quickly as we can. We must go towards Beaver Marsh to get the weapons stash.”
Amara lit two torches. We needed to see in the dark and fog, and the light helped us to move quickly. Amara held one of the torches, and Aleya held the other one. She walked toward the middle of the group.
Once again, we trudged through the forest in the night. Amara led us to the fringes of the Beaver Marsh.
“Why are we stopping?” An-kel inquired.
“We are close to the marsh, where we hid our weapons,” Amara explained. “There are many weapons hidden in my canoe.”
Amara held the torch up high as we looked back and forth through the heavy foliage. We could not find the canoe. The fog and darkness made it very difficult to see. We seemed to be searching in the wrong place.
Amara looked angry. “We have to remember where we hid those weapons. I was sure it was here…”
I was trying to remember. “Perhaps if we find our camp in the pine grove, we can retrace our steps to the canoe.”
“The Pine Grove?” Amara reflected a moment. “Do you remember where it was, Saline?”
“Not in the fog and darkness,” I said. “We may have to wait and search for it after daybreak.”
“I don’t want to wait that long.”
“What direction is the marsh from where we are?” I asked.
“West”
“Where is the stream?”
Amara pointed south.
I picked a large rounded leaf from an overhanging tree branch and placed it on a barren patch of ground.
“This leaf is Beaver Marsh,” I explained. “This long stick is the stream. We are about here.”
I placed a small rock on the ground to mark our present location. Amara looked at my make-shift map with keen interest. She picked up a stick.
“I see now,” she said enthusiastically. She pointed with her stick. “The marsh is here, the stream is there, we are here…”
She paused to gather her thoughts. She pointed at the leaf again, a little to the right of the stick stream. “From the marsh, we went this way to the pine grove.” She moved her pointer stick and made a mark in the soil to show the location of the pine grove.
“From the pine grove, we went this way to hide our canoe.” She pointed again with her stick, then looked up.
“We have to look farther in this direction along the marsh,” she observed, pointing towards the northwest.
An-kel came over, lantern in hand, and asked us if we were having trouble finding the weapons.
“We have been looking in the wrong spot,” Amara explained. “We are going to search farther up the marsh.”<
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An-kel nodded and returned to the group. Amara and I moved up the marsh and we continued our search. It was not long before we started to see some familiar areas. Amara found one of the tree branches which she had placed as a marker. We were close.
We found the tree and pulled off the vines covering the canoe. This was a most welcome sight. I took the torch and made my way back to the others.
“We have found the canoe,” I said.
“Great news!” An-kel proclaimed. “Everyone, we will follow Saline. She will lead us to the weapons.”
I led everyone to Amara. She had lit another torch and was unwrapping the weapons, sorting them in the canoe.
An-kel looked at the weapons. He seemed very pleased with them. He had warrior command status in Amara’s village, and he now took charge of weapons distribution.
Out of eight young men in our group, five of them were experienced warriors. An-kel equipped them with bow and arrow, spears, and shields. We now had six fully equipped warriors, including An-kel. Of course, Amara was as skilled as any warrior, and she still had her bow. Some of the women were given knives. We were now well equipped and able to protect ourselves.
Chapter Thirteen
Decision
It was now daybreak. The fog still blanketed the forest. Now that we had daylight the torches were extinguished. We still needed to be careful in our movements so as not to expose ourselves to our enemy.
We were undecided about our destination. Amara wanted to go back to the long houses.
“We only have one canoe,” An-kel argued. “It is impossible to make a river journey with only one canoe.”
“I know where there are other canoes near our village,” Amara said.
“We would have to go around the marsh and up river to get there,” An-kel replied. “I think that would be very risky.”
“We can stay away from the river and off the main trails, making switch backs often as diversions,” Amara contended. “I have been doing this all along and have kept the Umbunti off our backs.”
An-kel looked somewhat uneasy with Amara’s plan. I wanted to help however I could.
“If we are unable to make it to the canoes, we can head up to the cliffs and join my people,” I said.
An-kel nodded. “Yes. We always need a good back-up plan just in case. If we fail to get to the river, Saline will lead us to her people.”
“Agreed,” Amara replied. She pointed at the canoe. “We can take turns carrying it. There are provisions in the canoe that we need.
Amara led the group towards the stream. We filled our water sacks. We now had enough water to last us for about two days.
Amara and An-kel led us into the lowlands forest on the other side of the stream. We traveled south most of the morning. At noon, we rested under a grove of nut trees. The fog was clearing, and the sun broke through the forest canopy.
We rationed out the rest of our provisions. There was cured ham, nuts, and some cheese. But now we were completely out of food. The adults could make it several days without food if necessary, but not the children.
After we ate, two of the children came to me. They knew me from the days of trade at the River Village.
Cian was very pretty with long, straight light brown hair, green eyes. She wore a simple deer hide pull-over dress with some inlaid gem stones on the front.
Aun, her younger brother, had darker hair, brown eyes, and he wore a wraparound over a lion cloth.
Cian giggled. “Do you want to play some games with us, Saline?”
“What kind of games?” I asked with a smile.
“The guessing game!” Cian said. “I am thinking of an animal. What is it? You have three guesses!”
“A fish?” I said.
“No!”
“A snake?” Aun guessed.
“No!”
“A bear?” I asked.
“No.”
“A bird?” Aun guessed again.
“No!” Cian laughed. “You each have one more guess. If you don’t get it, I win!”
“A squirrel?” I said.
“No. You’re out!” Cian quipped, pointing at me.
Aun tried again. “A fox?”
“No! You’re both out! I win!”
“Oh, you are so good at this game, Cian,” I said. “What was the animal?”
“A turtle!” She exclaimed.
“Oh, a turtle, I should have got that one!”
Aun laughed. “I should have guessed a turtle, she likes to have them for pets.”
“Turtles do make nice pets,” I said.
I thought about my favorite pet, my dog Dallie. I hoped that she was safe at the shelters, protecting Taer my son and Father.
“Do you have any pets?” Aun asked.
“Yes. I have a dog named Dallie. She is a great companion and watch dog.”
“I also like dogs,” Aun exclaimed. “We had a lot of dogs at our village. I hope that they are alright.”
I ran my fingers through Aun’s hair. “Dogs know how to take care of themselves on their own. They are smart and good hunters. They will return once this crisis is over.”
Cian and Aun both gave me a hug. I felt tears in my eyes.
I braided each of them a wrist band from some binding strips. They watched me braid and they were amazed at how fast I was at this. I had made many braided necklaces and bracelets and traded them at the River Village market since I was a young girl.
Amara joined us. She admired my hand-crafted bracelets. Cian and Aun ran to join the other children for games.
“Saline, An-kel and I are going to scout ahead towards the river to see if it’s safe. We will also search for more canoes. We are taking the warriors Summa and Oci. Kion, Voca and Telk will stay and help you set up camp. This is a safe place, well hidden.”
“I am staying here?” I asked.
“Yes, it is best for you to remain here and help to set up camp. You are a great comfort to the people.”
I nodded my head in approval. I was feeling somewhat relieved. The scouting expedition would be extremely risky. Once camp was established I could get some much-needed rest “You did not get much sleep last night, Amara. Why don’t you get some rest now before you go?”
“We hope to be back before sunset,” Amara replied. “Please have my bed ready! I am leaving most of our supplies here.”
Amara sorted through our packs and took only what she and the scouting party of four would need: a little food, water and torches. She left all the blankets and tarps.
Everyone bade farewell to the scouting party as they left. Amara and I embraced, then they slipped away into the forest. I felt a little uneasy as they left.
All the men and women worked together to make camp. I helped to weave a thatched roof from tender sprigs. My experience in basketry made this go much easier. We put together a large roof and supported it with tall poles that the men cut from some trees. The roof was made water proof with straw and mud wattle.
We gathered straw and fern fronds to make our beds. Several layers of the fresh cut ferns made very comfortable places to sleep. It felt good to have shelter over our heads. I laid down for a much-needed nap, along with many other tired souls.
Later that afternoon, the warriors Telk, Voca, and Kion went to hunt with their spears and bows. We waited for them to return with food. We were all very hungry, hoping for a successful hunt. Food in our bellies would go a long way towards giving us the strength to make it home.
A deep and wide fire pit was dug, and the older children gathered whatever dry wood could be found in our damp surroundings, mostly fallen timbers sheltered by deep underbrush or other downed trees.
Amara had left us some torches and the lantern. I sifted through the ashes within the lantern chamber for any hot coals. There was one hot coal still smoldering, and I used some dry grass and leaves as tender to bring flames. Next, I lit a torch, using it to light the fire in the pit.
This kind of fire put out a lot of smoke and odor.
I hoped that we were deep enough in the forest so that the Umbunti would not notice. They might think that it was one of their own fires, as they tended to burn things everywhere they went.
Amenta and Aleya found a spring in the woods not far from our camp. We filled our water sacks and placed them inside the hut.
Cian, Aun and the other children came to play. Aleya and I took them to the spring where I had found some fine clay earlier. The clay was soft and easy to dig with our hands. We took some large chunks of it back to camp. The children had fun making all kinds of shapes from the clay: animals, play houses, dolls. The children were very creative and they had fun.
The warriors returned carrying the slaughtered carcass of a cow on a pole. They cut the meat off and skewered large chunks, roasting it over the flames of the roaring fire.
While the meat was cooking, Amenta and I gathered and washed some greens near the spring. Back at the camp we took some sprigs and used them as skewer sticks.
Once the meat was cooked and cool enough to touch, we cut it in smaller chunks and skewered it on the sticks along with the leafy greens. This made a delicious meal on a stick. We savored every bite.
Evening was fast approaching. The fire died down to red glowing embers. I put some hot embers into the lantern chamber so we would have light. This was a welcome glow in the encroaching darkness.
Amara had not returned. We were all very concerned about her and the scouting party.
We prepared to sleep in the hut. The canopy that Amara and I had used as our tent at Beaver Marsh now became a big blanket. I hung the lantern from the ceiling and watched as its glow slowly faded. It became very quiet as everyone fell asleep under the big canopy. I said prayers for Amara and the scouting party, and soon I was also asleep.
I woke to the pleasant sounds of birds chirping in the forest canopy. I smelled meat cooking and got up and saw several of the men by the fire, smoking the rest of the meat from the hunt to preserve it.
The Wings of Creation Page 9