by Marius Thue
Thoke remembers the promise he made to Neera and sees an opportunity to sneak up to the chief’s hut. Up there, he might find some answers and perhaps some unarguable proof. Even though he hopes to be proven wrong, he must be absolutely certain before taking any action.
As he sneaks out, a man suddenly leaves his hut and steps in front of Thoke.
“Hey there, out stretching your legs I see,” the man says with a foolish smile. He's thin and ragged in both hair and beard. The rest of him cannot be said to follow the same description. He's been taking advantage of the abundance of food. In his hand he holds a short crooked spear, which he uses to support himself. “Is our chief so lazy he doesn't even bother to give you a tour? You're Thoke, right? The old friend?” The man doesn’t give Thoke a chance to answer. “Dorkas rarely tells me much about anything. Mostly he puts me here for guard duty. You would have to search far and wide for a more boring job, I’ll tell you. I don't even get to see the fights from here. Someone must watch the tool hut, he says. Well, in here we keep all of our weapons, so I guess there's truth to it. Dorkas likes to keep things gathered in one place to avoid lethal quarrels inside the village. If everyone got to carry a spear, there would be much blood to clean away, I guess. Just have a look around, but remember, I'm on guard, so don't go and try nothing,” the man speaks with that foolish grin ever stuck to his face. He laughs, one hand on his spear and the other on his round, bloated belly.
Suddenly the man’s gaze glides to one side, and he becomes as stiff as his spear. A drop of sweat runs down across his forehead. Thoke regards the strange man for a moment before a massive shadow covers them both.
He turns around to look straight at a mountain of a man. A thick forest of black hair and beard, one can barely see his facial features.
With a bone crunching punch to the chest, he sends Thoke falling into the hut. He lies there gasping for air among the tens of spears, daggers, and bows. On a wide tree stump, he sees something that sends chills down his spine. A large moose's head with wide antlers sits there, staring at him.
“Ah, scares you does it?” the strange man says while looking into the hut. “Org uses that on his head when he's out scouting, you see. Scares some folk, I promise you. He doesn't like it when someone he doesn't know get to close to it though.”
Thoke looks at the giant man. His hair is thick and almost down to his hips. He truly is a beast, but not the kind Thoke believed him to be.
Thoke tries to stand, but Org pushes him back down. In one hand he holds a spear pointed down at him. Despite feeling his heart pounding beneath his chest, Thoke remains calm, not making any sudden movements.
“Thoke, my old friend,” Dorkas comes walking up from behind the beast. “This isn't the way back to your hut, is it now?” Dorkas shakes his head as if disappointed, but Thoke glimpses a sly smile for a heartbeat. “You had to sneak around. Why couldn't you just have gone to sleep? Then I could have sent you on your way, figured out some lie that I found your ravages’ camp and killed them, and you would have simply wandered off. Now I think you might not have believed me. This is a problem.” Dorkas bends down, clearly faking some form of remorse.
Their gaze is drawn to the chief’s hut as the flap of the entrance gets pulled aside.
“You already know my beautiful woman don't you, Thoke?” Dorkas smiles that sly smile openly this time.
Renai slowly makes her way toward Thoke, daggers in her hands. He can feel his eyes grow wide. It's her. She was the woman Dorkas spoke of all along. Thoke gets to one knee and stands in the opening of the hut, trying to find the right words. Renai slashes a dagger across his cheek, drawing a small drop of blood, which seems to make her even angrier than usual.
“Why?” It’s all Thoke can think to say.
“We own these lands,” Dorkas says. “As I told you, we cannot have other tribes around. There's just not enough resources for us all. After all these years, this village is what means the most to me. More than anything else. Renai told me about how you stole her tribe from her brother, the way you have scared everyone into submission. You always were great at manipulating the people around you, old friend.”
“Garnek was hurt. I never stole anything,” Thoke says loudly.
“Ha!” Dorkas laughs mockingly. “Thorkar and all the others were under your spell from the day you were born!” Dorkas yells and brings his face close to Thoke's. “I should have been groomed to lead. Not you! I was older and a better hunter than you could ever be!” Dorkas pulls back in an attempt to calm himself. Thoke wipes the spit off his face, feeling anger boiling inside him. “I had to bow and scrape to get Thorkar's attention, while you had everything laid right in front of you. Now I'm chief of the greatest tribe these lands have ever seen, and no one can take it away from me, especially not you!” Dorkas points at Thoke, who looks at Renai.
“Renai, think of your brothers and your father. He was killed by these people.”
“Dorkas has told me about who you really are,” Renai begins. “You're just like the man my dear father and my dear brothers handed me off to. They tossed me aside like I was rotten meat. They gave me to that monster without even checking what he really was!” Tears come running down Renai's cheeks as she begins to scream. “They didn't even meet him. They just wanted to get rid of me. That monster did things to me, horrible things, and made me do worse. All these years I've been waiting for my chance to strike. To hurt them like they hurt me. Dorkas promised to give me that chance, but you became a problem. So we waited for you to leave before striking.” Renai shakes with anger. Carefully she sticks the point of her dagger into the spot on Thoke’s cheek that was just pricked moments before and pushes it in hard.
Thoke stares at her, feeling the pain pulsing from his cheekbone.
“That was your father’s doing. Garnek and Janeg cannot be blamed,” he says.
“But they did nothing to stop him. They let it happen.” She removes the dagger. “I wanted to take everything from them. Janeg first got his punishment, then Father got his. Now I have taken something from Garnek as well.”
“The children,” Thoke realizes. “You had Dorkas take his grandchildren.”
“They'll be better off here with us, free of monsters like you, who could have lost it at any moment, and those who would have given them away when they were sick of them.”
“Garnek lost his grandchildren. Your father lost his life.” Thoke's eyes flicker as he tries to figure it out. “What did you take from Janeg?”
“You should have asked Hiro before it was too late, but I guess he wouldn't dare to speak,” Renai suggests.
“His woman didn't die from the frost did she?”
“Sure she did, but the frost had some help. A blizzard can hide many a thing, even Hiro's chopped of toes.” Renai smiles trying to seem smug, but it only comes off as sad.
“You were given to a monster, so you became one yourself,” Thoke says softly. Renai is about to cut him again, but this time Dorkas stops her.
“She's the most amazing woman,” he cuts in. “Her anger comes from people who abused her. Just like I was shunned in our childhood. This chat has gone on for far too long. Now, my old friend, I'm afraid I must end this happy reuniting.”
Dorkas nods to Org, who throws his spear toward Thoke. He ducks under, grabs a spear from the hut, and throws it hard into Org's right shoulder. He barely lets out a grunt before ripping the spear back out.
Thoke looks at Renai, Org, and Dorkas. They're now standing in front of an army of ravages, painted in their black stripes. Dorkas must have arranged this while the strange man distracted him. This is a fight Thoke cannot hope to survive.
He takes a step back, grabs a fist full of arrowheads, and throws them full force into the crowd. In the confusion, he grabs the moose's head and runs for the palisade.
“After him!” Dorkas cries.
Arrows rain down on Thoke. Most miss or simply bounce off. Some attach themselves to his pelt while a few pierce the skin.
He bites his teeth together and jumps over the palisade before disappearing into the woods.
“Let him go,” he hears Dorkas say. “Maybe he comes to his senses and leaves for good.”
Thoke looks back and sees Renai stomping away in anger. Limping from a couple of arrows lodged in his leg, he runs toward home.
CHAPTER 20
Back at the camp, Janeg and Mekar are digging. They are burying ash and bones inside the circle of boulders. With large, flat rocks they break the ground. The frost makes the ground hard, which is why they have been heating it up with fires over the last few days, making it easier to dig. The frosty mist coming out of their mouths as they work resembles the smoldering fires which stood there recently.
Janeg hears a scraping sound coming from the forest. He halts his work to look over and bumps into Mekar. Thoke has returned. He walks hunched over, right past them, his gaze distant as a man walking in his sleep.
A total of ten arrows stick out of his back, two are stuck to his left calf, and he has one in his right thigh. With his dead look, he drags a moose's head after him in the snow, making a long trail follow him as he limps along.
“Thoke, are you alright?” Janeg asks with a worried frown on his face.
Thoke doesn't even react, as if he doesn't even hear. Janeg and Mekar exchange a worried look before dropping what they're doing and go to follow their chief.
Sitting by the campfire, Neera spots her man limping into camp. She runs to him and they meet midway. Thoke falls down to one knee while Neera cups his jaw with her hands.
“Thoke;” is all Neera manages to say before he falls lifeless to the ground. People begin to gather around their wounded chief. Neera strokes the braids on the side of his head while his eyes stare into hers just before they slowly close.
The morning after Thoke awakes, instantly he feels the pain throbbing through his body. Neera sits by his side, washing the wounds on his legs.
“What happened?” he asks in a hoarse voice.
“You came limping back to camp the other day. I pulled fourteen arrows from your body,” Neera explains. “Not many were too deep, but one stood through your neck and close into your throat. A couple had only barely broken your skin and were only held in place by your pelts. Garnek helped me with the worst ones. You screamed like a dying seal, but we got it done.” Neera begins washing the wound in his neck with water.
“I feel fine now, thanks,” Thoke says, a poor lie he knows, but it was worth a try.
“You say so, but I can tell that's not the truth.” Neera detects the lie immediately. “What happened out there my love?”
“It was Dorkas. Neera …” Thoke tries to sit up, but has to lie back down. “It was Dorkas. He's the ravages' chief. He's to blame for Larii's death.”
A silence falls upon the hut. Neera seems to struggle for words as she moves her mouth up and down without making a sound.
“Dorkas, as in your best friend Dorkas?”
“He's alive, but he's no longer the same. The gods have changed him somehow, twisted him. He has built a village with over one hundred people. One day they will attack, and then we won't stand a chance.”
“Slow down now.” Neera lays a hand on Thoke's cheek. “Perhaps your father lives as well then, and your brother. We should try to find them, they would help us for sure.”
“That may be, or at least I believe it to be so. Dorkas told me some things, but he also kept a lot hidden. Now we need to concentrate on protecting ourselves from the ravages.” Thoke looks sadly up at his woman. “We might have to run.”
“No.” Neera pulls back. “You can protect us, I know you can. Except, was Dorkas like you then, with abilities, I mean?”
“He never said, and neither did I. But he barely looked to have aged at all since I last saw him, so yes most likely. Dorkas isn't a fool. He must have figured out the same about me.”
“Well, that changes things, then. Then we do need to run as fast and as far as possible.”
“There's one problem, though. He has the children, and from what I understand, they're still alive.”
“Well that changes it right back I guess.” Neera shakes her head and laughs, perhaps in fear, perhaps in relief. “Then we must fight and get them back. If Dorkas could build a village, then so can you.”
“So we will.” Thoke smiles and strokes her cheek gently. “We'll need more people, then, and I have an idea. Dorkas's ravages have many enemies out there. There's one more thing, though. Renai was there. She and Dorkas lead the ravages together.”
Neera widens her eyes as she looks taken aback.
“That should be difficult to float by Garnek and Janeg,” she says.
“It's they who she's looking to hurt. She's been angry all this time because she was given away to that man. Apparently, he was some kind of monster who did horrible things to her. She's made her choice anyway, so I'll speak with Garnek and Janeg about this.” Thoke manages to get up and give Neera a kiss. It feels good to have her near him. He hates being away from her for so long. “How are you doing now?” Thoke asks. He's almost forgot about what she must be feeling after Larii died. So much has happened, it's difficult to keep track of it all.
“Mostly, I'm angry,” she answers, getting back to washing his wounds. “Sometimes I begin to sob without knowing it, but seeing you alive and awake helps a lot.”
“Angry is right.” Thoke embraces his woman and holds her tight, defying the pain in his back.
“You kept your promise,” Neera says, gesturing at the massive moose head lying beside them. “We'll burn it along with their village.”
For a heartbeat Thoke swears he can see fire in Neera's eyes again.
Thoke gets to his feet and walks out into the camp, where everyone is looking at him with hope in their eyes. They gather in front of him, most likely wanting answers as to the whereabouts of their children. The clouds cover the sky, blocking out the sun. Thoke breathes in the cold morning air, relishing the silence for a moment.
“The ravages have a village surrounded by a palisade,” Thoke begins. “They have caribou in enclosures and free access to the sea. The children are alive, and the ravages want them to grow up there. There's over one hundred of them.” A gasp goes through the tribe. Thoke bends his head and waits for them to settle down. “The chief most likely has abilities like myself and is extremely dangerous, willing to do anything to protect his village. He looks at everyone as a threat and for sure will march his army of ravages against us. He will look at my tribe as the biggest threat of all. That is why we will build our own palisade, right here around this camp. We'll have others join us in our defense, tribes that have been chased away from their hunting grounds by the ravages. When they see our palisade, they will come. Together we will bring the ravages to their knees and free our children!” Thoke's speech is met with a thunderous roar from the tribe members. Even Mareks and His join in on the cheer. The noise dies down as Thoke holds his hands out to calm them. “There's still one issue. Renai is with them.” Garnek and Janeg perk up. “She's been leading the ravages alongside Dorkas. They attacked her family at her own command. She led them here to take the children and kill her father. Hiro and Larii were in the way of her vengeance. Garnek, Janeg, we need to talk. Neera will explain the rest to the others.”
Thoke begins walking toward the stone circle. Garnek and Janeg share a confused look before following. In the middle of the circle, Thoke turns around.
“Renai wants to hurt you. She had your father killed and made sure the children were taken from us. She also admitted to having made sure Kora died.”
“Lies!” Janeg exclaims. “Kora died from the frost.” Janeg breathes heavily, all riled up.
Garnek drops his stick and folds his arms together, appearing much calmer than his brother. He places all his weight on his good leg.
“She talked about the blizzard, that she made sure your woman wouldn't make it out alive.” Thoke sees the brothers struggling with the information a
nd decides to change tactics. “Just tell me about that day, about what happened.”
Garnek nods to Janeg, urging him to speak. Janeg shows his compliance by looking down and sighing.
“A blizzard came on us fast. We couldn't see much further than the tips of our noses. For a long time, we looked for shelter. I held Kora’s hand, but suddenly she was yanked away, as if she'd fallen. After that, I couldn't find her. She was just there, and I couldn't find her.” Janeg holds both hands over his head and paces around for a while before resting is back against a boulder.
“We found her buried in snow the day after,” Garnek cuts in. “She had wandered far in the opposite direction. Her left ankle was broken. We assumed she'd fallen when we got separated. As you already know, Renai and Hiro also went missing in the storm.” Garnek's eyes grow distant. Maybe he realizes the truth of what Thoke is telling him.
“Renai's angry because she says you gave her away to a monster as she calls him. She's been looking for ways to get revenge ever since,” Thoke explains.
“The man was a monster alright,” Garnek says. He awkwardly bends down to get his stick and begins limping over to the boulder. “Father took care of it all. He had talked to the tribe’s chief who gave him his word. The man was good, he said. Our tribe was too large and we struggled to sustain our numbers. We were starving. Father thought Renai would be better off with another tribe, and we believed him. The day she came wandering back, she told us her man had been killed by invaders. Father sent me with her to investigate.” Garnek seems dizzy as he pushes his back against the boulder, still having to support himself with the stick. “When I saw the creature, I was horrified. He was pale as snow and covered in blood. Looked more like a beast than a man in truth. Renai told me he was a demon who enjoyed drinking people’s blood. I couldn't believe her, though. Obviously this man was disfigured, but he was hardly the only bizarre looking human around these parts. There are hairless men, giant men, small men, and heck, then there are even godlike men as yourself. We buried the monster deep into the ground and placed as many big stones on top as we could find. If he truly was a demon, at least he wouldn't be able to claw his way back out. When we got back, I convinced Father to let Renai stay. She told us she was alright, but we knew this wasn't the same girl that left only a few days before. From then on, she had an anger in her, an unmatched aggression.” Garnek places one hand on Janeg's shoulder. “I guess she never quite forgave us, Brother.”