by Marius Thue
Thoke looks up at her. She's angry, but that's not the story her eyes are telling. In there, there's only pain, just like the pain he has seen so many times in Dorka’s eyes.
Before she reaches Thoke, an arrow hits her in the back. Neera has hit her mark. She stands on top of the platform next to Mekar and her son. Renai barely lands on her feet and turns toward Neera. Another arrow hits her in the chest.
Thoke looks toward the forest’s edge, where Dorkas is running for the village with great speed. Neera is out of arrows and throws her bow aside. With determination, she walks toward Renai, who rips the arrow out of her chest.
Neera stands at arm’s length of Renai, saying nothing. Renai screams and swing her daggers at her while blood trickles out of her mouth. Neera ducks clear of every blow with ease.
Thoke sees Dorkas running faster than even he could ever do, but as he gets to the opening in the palisade, he has to fight his way through the crowd.
Renai lashes out at Neera, but her movements are sluggish. Neera barely has to move out of the way anymore. Calmly, she pulls out her dagger and places it deep up under Renai's chin. She falls down bleeding, landing close to her brother Garnek.
Dorkas roars with fury as he sees his love fall lifeless to the ground. He runs toward Janeg with his dagger raised high. Janeg is busy fighting one of the ravages and can't see the hostile chief come running up behind him.
Dorkas swings his dagger, but in the blink of an eye before it hits, Thoke comes running into Dorkas, pushing him with his shoulder. The chief of the ravages goes flying and hits the palisade with a loud crack. The wood gives way and Dorkas falls through to the other side.
The fight seems to be nearing its end as the dead riddle the village. Thoke's villagers are withering away, making the survivors gather around the hut by the boulder. Over half seem to be dead and the ravages have the rest surrounded.
Not one ravage remains outside the palisade. They snarl and poke their spears at the villagers who are now backing away. There is nowhere else for them to go, unless they step into the hut.
Suddenly a series of wolf howls are heard coming from the forest. Hoster has twenty warriors by his side and near twice as many wolves. They charge toward the campsite.
The ravages has to split up to deal with the outside threat but are overrun by the wolves that pour into the village. Now the ravages are surrounded from all sides. Hoster and his men come running in through the opening, making the number of fighters somewhat equal on both sides.
“They're breaking apart!” Hoster shouts while pulling his spear out of a dying ravage.
As soon as the opportunity presents itself, Thoke runs out to look for Dorkas. He looks down at the splintered area of the palisade where Dorkas fell through but sees no one. Thoke goes back to his warriors as they gather against the few remaining ravages.
“Scatter with the wind if you want to see the end of this day,” Thoke shouts. “Don't go back to your village. Tonight it will also burn.”
The threat causes the ravages to stop and look around for a moment. Some of them realize the battle is lost and turn to run off into the woods. Hoster orders his wolves to stay put. Thoke leaps up onto the boulder to get a better view of the damage.
Mekar still stands on one of the platforms, looking out at the fleeing ravages. The fog seems to have grown even thicker, though most of it might be smoke from the burning village. Mekar turns, smiles, and raises his hands in victory.
“Those were the last. They have all gone. We've won!” he cries out and is met with cheers from the villagers. “By the gods, I need a nap.” Mekar's jest causes the cheers turn to laughter.
Suddenly Dorkas jumps up from behind the palisade, landing on the platform and the villagers turns silent. Mekar turns around, but he can't stop it. Dorkas stabs his dagger with great force through his stomach; the dagger and Dorkas's hand come out the other side. He then drops the dagger and pulls his hand out before grabbing Mekar’s head by the ears. With his eyes fixed on Thoke, he makes that sly grin.
“Dorkas, no!” Thoke pleads, holding his hands in the air.
Dorkas pauses for a few heartbeats, making Thoke think he might do the right thing. With a bone-cracking jerk, he twists Mekar's head around. Lifelessly, he falls off the platform, landing chest down, but his lifeless eyes stare up at the sky.
Dorkas has that look, like he knows something the rest of the world is oblivious to. Thoke looks at him in contempt, but Dorkas's face remains unchanged. He turns around and jumps off the palisade. No use of chasing him. Dorkas was always the faster one.
Serk bends down next to his father, releasing a horribly chilling scream. Gerak and Terot stand, looking down on the once mighty Garnek lying slain on the battlefield. Terot walks around with his hands on his head and tears in his eyes. Gerak stands frozen, not saying or doing anything.
Neera walks over to Rhekir, seeing he's made it without serious injuries. She wipes blood off his cheek with her hand.
“You look just like your father once did, before the beard,” she says softly with a smile on her face, probably hoping for a smile back. She gets none, however, only a light nod.
The others are gathering their dead, dragging them over to the stone circle, which is the only place in the village untouched by fire. The fire still spreads across the palisade and huts, making most of the village unbearable.
Half-dead ravages are killed immediately. The children inside the hut are cared for and brought out of the village. It doesn't take long before the hut catches fire as well.
Thoke walks over to Hoster, who’s petting his large black wolf. Boron runs to Thoke and licks is fingers as he often does. Blood trickles down his chin and sticks to Thoke's hand.
“Where did you find all of them?” Thoke asks.
“Seventeen men followed me here,” Hoster begins. “Eight are chiefs themselves and all had wolves loyal to them. I think there were thirty of them. As usual, Boron here turned them all into his pups.” Hoster strokes his black wolfs' head. “They all share hate and fear of the ravages, wolves and men alike. I urge you not to paint yourself in black stripes near this lot.”
Thoke turns to his tribe, pulling on his beard while contemplating what to say. The knot still sits tight in his beard. The warmth of the fires burn against his face, so he takes a few steps away from the sea of fire.
With a quick count, he estimates about forty of his villagers have survived the battle. People are crying while bringing their dead and wounded away from the fires.
“We have all lost someone this day.” Thoke raises his voice for all to hear. “A father, a woman, a child, or a friend. We are to honor our dead, but now is not the time for grief. The ravages have taken all they can from us. I say they get no more. They are running scared back to their village across the mountain. Their chief has lost his woman and is weaker than ever. Let's go there and end this once and for all!”
It takes a moment, but eventually Thoke's words are met with roars of agreement. “Neera, Hoster, Janeg, Gerak, Terot, and Serk, you're with me. The rest will place our dead in the stone circle and tend to our wounded. The wolves remain in case there's a second attack. Now we burn their village and bring back the children!” Thoke’s last words are as loud as he can shout, trying to overcome the sounds of burning, crackling wood.
Those he named step up beside him, and so does Rhekir. Thoke looks at him, not knowing what to say.
“I'm coming too,” he says with determination.
Thoke grabs him by the shoulders and nods before embracing his son tightly.
“You fought well today, my son. You have regained your honor, so now you come with us to avenge your sister.”
Thoke and the others gather as many weapons as they can carry. Boron attempts to join them, but Hoster orders him to stay and keep the wolves under control. With the burning village behind them, they head for Dorkas's village.
CHAPTER 23
The group treks up the mountain at a fast pace. Thok
e remembers where the village lies, and it won't take them long to get there.
The sun is barely visible behind the clouds, having yet to make it half way across the sky. On top of the ridge, the snow is deep and thick. It's soft and wet at the surface but over foot deep it's hard and therefore easy to walk on.
They're all dressed for the cold air of the mountain. Gray-white furs from caribou cover their entire bodies. Even hoods are worn for the journey.
Thoke smells smoke all the way up here, and he assumes the others can detect it as well. He walks ahead of the group. The others are beginning to tire. Rhekir follows Thoke closely, pushing himself to the limit just to keep up.
On the edge of the ridge, Thoke sees Dorkas's village below. The sun passes its midway point, meaning they won't make it down there before sunset. From here, the village looks desolate and abandoned. For a moment, Thoke thinks they might have all left but then realizes there's no way Dorkas wouldn't make his last stand.
The rest of the group finally catches up to him and regard the much larger village in wonder. Serk immediately begins descending the mountain, ready to avenge his father. Knowing there's no time to lose, Thoke turns to the others.
“Let's make torches when we reach the tree line. This village won't be here tomorrow.”
Gerak, Hoster, Terot, and Janeg begins to follow Serk down the mountain while Thoke, Neera, and Rhekir remain for a moment. Neera and Thoke embrace each other and share a kiss before beginning their descent.
Later, Thoke and his men arrive at Dorkas's village. The sun has just fallen below the horizon. No fires burn in the village, so all eight of them have made a torch.
By the gates Thoke sees two torches burning weakly in the darkness. It's quiet, like a burial site here, making Thoke feel even more worried than usual.
Thoke holds his torch up against one of the logs by the gate and sees a bloody handprint that has been dragged to the inside. He moves his torch down to the ground, where a trail of blood leads in the same direction. Thoke steps inside, having no idea what might meet him. There might be a trap at every turn, so they must tread lightly.
“We must stick close together,” Thoke whispers before making for the chief’s hut. He assumes Dorkas would have gone there upon his return.
Thoke, Neera, and Rhekir walk in front while Gerak, Terot, and Serk walks backwards to cover the rear. An ambush could end this invasion faster than it started. It's narrow between the huts, so they can only walk three deep. Hoster and Janeg walk in the middle, looking to the sides.
They're almost at the center of the village. Thoke can hear the waves splash up the beach, but other than that, there's nothing. Suddenly there's a noise down by the sea gate. It sounds like someone tripped and fell, all the while cursing on the way down. A whimper from a small child follows.
“Janeg, Hoster, Gerak, and Terot, you go and check it out,” Thoke commands with a whisper. “Keep together and walk back to back. Look inside the huts for the children, but be cautious about it. We'll meet here after.” The four of them break off and head for the sound.
Thoke, Neera, Rhekir, and Serk passes the hut that holds all the village’s weapons. Thoke pulls the flap aside and sees no weapons but rather a woman and three children. She sits shaking in a corner, holding them in her arms. None of the children belong to Thoke's tribe.
Janeg leads his group down to the gate. He looks inside a hut while the others keep a lookout. The first one's empty. Some steps further down, they open another. This time Janeg sees two women and all of seven children huddled up under some furs. None are their children. The women sit there, not speaking a word.
“What children are we looking for exactly?” Hoster asks, whispering.
Janeg realizes Hoster never met the children as he came into the tribe too late.
“Just look for four children between one and two years old,” Janeg explains. “We're looking for three boys and a girl.”
“That's helpful,” Hoster says in a sarcastic tone.
“Just look for any children, and we'll have a look at them,” Janeg says.
“How do you even see the difference between those little ones?” Hoster asks. His voice sounds even worse when he tries to whisper. There's not much difference from his regular voice however. “They all look alike to me. Heck, I even struggle to see the difference between my own! Might be because I have eleven of them, though. That's the problem with having many women, I guess. Spawns so much offspring. I'll leave the search to you and keep a lookout instead,” Hoster continues, holding up the flap of a hut.
Janeg peeks in and goes silent for a moment. There’s something about what Hoster said that just hit him.
“None of them are mine, no,” Janeg lies. “But in our tribe we all help with caring for the children. Look forward to it.” Janeg looks up at Hoster smiling, making Hoster chuckle in that raspy voice.
Thoke and the others reach the chief’s hut. Thoke stands ready with his spear in hand while Rhekir pulls away the flap from the entrance. Neera holds out her torch so everyone can see inside.
Serk still keeps an eye out behind them, where he can see the entire village. Thoke steps into the hut. It's messy in here, not at all like it looked when Thoke was here last. Someone must have left in a hurry. There are some bloody rags on the ground, which could have been used by Dorkas, but Thoke never saw any wounds on him.
Janeg peeks into a hut where he sees little Drolo, Diseni and Hiro's youngest son, curled up in a corner by himself. Janeg’s heart lightens as he sees the little boy. Before he manages to walk in, he hears a loud noise behind him. Hoster and the others have their spears pointed toward the gate. There stands five ravages all covered in splatter of blood. They have closed the gate by pushing a part of the palisade inward, making exiting difficult.
Another sound can be heard by the mountain gate. There stands another seven ravages, which have done the same, closing the gate. They run inside the village and toward Hoster, Janeg, and Terot, who now find themselves surrounded.
The ravages attack from both sides at the same time. In the first attack, Terot gets stabbed in the shoulder by a spear. He falls to his back, twisting in pain.
At the chief’s hut, Thoke and the others see what’s going on from up high, and they begin to run down to them. Thoke makes a powerful leap and lands right in the middle of the fighting. Neera, Serk, and Rhekir run up behind the seven ravages who came from the mountain gate.
The ravages begin to fall as Neera and Serk both plunge their spears into their enemies' backs. Thoke and the others hack and slash at their foes and quickly gain the upper hand. Hoster stabs a ravage and turns to Thoke, grabbing his arm.
“Thoke, up there!” he says, pointing to the chief’s hut.
There Dorkas stands looking down at them with a smug smile on his face. Suddenly tens of ravages come pouring out of the huts around them. Thoke tries to run back up to Dorkas but is quickly surrounded by ravages.
The eight invaders do a great job of defending themselves, but it all seems impossible. Over twenty ravages surround them, making any escape out of the question. Terot bleeds heavily and sits on one knee. Thoke has to do something drastic, something he has no idea whether it will work.
Heedlessly, he attacks, throwing himself into the crowd, swinging his spear around like a man gone mad. His spear breaks into a thousand pieces, so Thoke begins to kick and punch. It all happens so fast that all he can do is aim at any black stripes around him. Ravages go flying everywhere, making the others seem hesitant to attack.
“Find the children and get out of the village. I can hold them here!” Thoke commands. He's been cut several places by the ravages, he realizes, but it doesn’t slow him down.
“I found Drolo in here!” Janeg shouts and runs into the hut. He pulls out the boy and holds him tight.
“I found the others!” Gerak screams, his head poking into another hut. “All of them, they're in here!”
Neera runs toward Thoke but is cut off by a ra
vage. She stabs the man in the stomach and pushes him away.
“Take the others and get going,” Thoke says while taking Neera in his arms. “Make sure the children get home. I'll join you later.”
“Burn the village, then come back to me,” Neera replies, before pulling Thoke’s head down for a kiss. She grabs him by his tied up beard and smiles a worried smile.
Janeg holds Drolo in his arms and begins running to the mountain gate. Gerak helps his brother, Terot, up and supports him as they run. Serk carries one of the other children while Neera and Rhekir carry the two last ones.
Hoster has, in the meantime, been forced toward the sea gate by two ravages. A woman and a man run at him, but he manages to climb over the pushed over blockade. Janeg sees the ravages climbing up and over after him, and hands Drolo over to Serk.
“Make sure he gets home,” he says before stroking the child's cheek gently.
Janeg pursues the ravages and climbs on top of the palisades wall. From there he can see Hoster backing away with the ravages in front of him. He jabs his spear toward them while walking slowly backwards. The man seems to be smiling for some odd reason.
One of the ravages lunges out and Hoster has to throw himself backwards quickly. With a loud thump, he lands in the fighting pit. Janeg tries to run down to help, but gets his foot caught between two logs of the fallen palisade. He pulls with all his strength, but it will not budge. Desperate to free himself, all he can do is to watch as the ravages jump into the pit.
Thoke holds the ravages at bay and picks them off one by one. They have also made their mark, though, as Thoke is riddled with cuts and scrapes. His gray-white furs are colored a deep dark red. Only eight ravages remain as bodies lie scattered around him. The ravages still persist in their attack.
Neera and the others get over the gate and begin to run up toward the ridge. A scream cuts through the air as Neera sees Dorkas standing right in front of them.