He nodded at me and I lead the small group out to meet the strangers who were heading our way.
As we walked, nobody said a word. The only sound was that of the pistons on Amos’ leg brace. We all kept a look out for surprises that might be hiding just out of sight.
I knew this was my first test as a leader and I was contemplating my move. What was I to do against an army of people, women, old people and children aside, this group was large enough to be an army. Walking to face a possible death, I couldn’t help but think about my life up to that point, the wasted youth, spent learning the ways of the Chief Leader, instead of out playing with the other kids and getting into trouble. This was the extent of my life, taught to be a leader. I was on my way to see if I learned anything. Perhaps, just by leading this small welcome party, I have dismissed everything I had learned.
“I see them,” Amos said as he adjusted his eyes.
I looked, but saw nothing. It wasn’t surprising, I didn’t have extra super eyes like Amos did.
“What are you thinking?” I asked him.
“They look scared, almost as if they are on the run from something, or someone.”
“Do they look like they mean us harm?”
“Hard to tell at the moment, they do have guns, but I don’t see many men of fighting age.”
The brothers kept silent as they scanned the landscape. The discipline they showed was impressive, the three of them moved in unison, as if they were one person.
The group came into view after what seemed like hours, but was really only about thirty minutes . They stopped about a hundred yards from us, and we stopped as well. The brothers stood tall and made sure to let the group know that they were armed. Now that we could see them, they looked like a sad bunch of people. They carried very little with them and looked tired, hungry and thirsty.
One man walked away from the group, followed by an old man with a rapid gun. I walked to meet him followed by Mathew and Amos.
“We are not here for trouble,” the man yelled as he drew near. “We came to see the new leader of your clan.”
“What do you want with him?” I asked.
“We are in danger, we need his help.”
“What endangers you?”
“Raiders.”
“Raiders did this to you?”
“Took out every man of fighting age. All but me. I am the governor of this clan, they needed to humiliate me, so they let me live to lead my people away from our homes,” he spoke with sadness in his eyes.
I saw a chance to do as my father would want. The opportunity to grow our population. He wanted to grow and make a central society, to bring back what the world had before the great war. As I looked over the group before me, I saw a future that would match my vision from the night before.
“Do these raiders follow you?” Amos asked with good reason.
The man looked around, “We haven’t seen them. I figured that they stayed at our camp.”
“You come from the east, what’s there?” I asked.
“We lived at the base of the mountains, the water that runs off from the winter snow kept our crops watered and gave us a nearly unending supply of fresh water.”
“Is there more beyond the mountains?”
“We never journeyed over the mountains, they’re tall, and they kept us safe as long as we kept in their shadows,” he lowered his head. “Well, until now.”
Amos tapped my shoulder then adjusted his eyes, “We have movement in the distance, looks like raiders just over that ridge,” he said to me quietly.
I looked in the direction he was suggesting, but saw nothing. I trusted Amos, his eyes were better than anyone’s, so I had no reason to question him.
I didn’t want the raiders to know we knew they were there, so I calmly spoke to the governor, “Our camp is straight ahead, take your people there and wait for us, you have parasites following you.”
The governor fought the urge to turn and look.
“Just go, we’ll take care of them,” I said as I slowly reached for my weapon.
The governor returned to his people and Amos and I returned to the brothers.
“We have raiders hiding over the ridge,” I told Mathew.
I turned back and saw that the people were walking our way. The governor stopped when he got to me, “Thank you for your trust, and your help,” he said with great respect and even a bit of embarrassment and fear.
Not fear of us, but fear that the raiders might get to them before they could reach the safety of our camp. I nodded to him and told him to keep moving.
“I count five, and they are just over the ridge and getting closer. I don’t see anymore,” Amos said.
After the group passed us by we turned to walk behind them, just to lure the raiders down from the ridge before we were to make our move. I kept an ear out for movement behind us, as did the brothers.
“My friend,” I said to Amos. “I could use your eyes on this, but I also need one person to lead the group to our camp.”
“Say no more,” Amos said as he patted my shoulder.
He quickened his pace to join the governor. I watched him as he made his way to the front of the group, the pistons hissing away. It made me realize that Amos would follow with no questions asked. I needed to keep him on my side, and close to me.
I looked to either side of me and saw the brothers deep in concentration. They, like me were waiting for the attack that was to come, however, unlike me, they were thinking it was soon to come. I knew better, raiders were not going to attack us while we were on the move, it wouldn’t make sense that after following for so long, that they would make their move before we reached the camp.
The first move would have to come from us. We needed to take out the few scouts that followed us before they saw our camp and were able to report back to the rest of their group.
“Mathew, Mark, Luke. I need you to listen closely. The raiders will not make their move on us while we are in transit,” I explained.
Mark cleared his throat and spoke calmly, “We figure they are just a scouting party, tasked with following the group.”
Mathew continued Mark’s thought, “Once we get to our destination, they will return to the boss and report.”
“Bringing the entire raiding party down on us,” Luke finished.
“My thoughts exactly,” I said. “What do you suggest? Attack now, or wait?”
“In thirty yards, they will be free of the ridge,” Mathew started.
“They will have no place to hide and will be forced to fall back even farther behind us,” Mark added.
“That’s when we make the move,” Luke finished.
The plan was sound, but we would have to be quick on the draw. Being out in the open was never the place I wanted to be in a fight. The cover and the high ground is always the preferred location from which to mount an attack. To be honest, I have never seen it done successfully. I put my faith in the hands of the triplets and in the hands of the ancestors.
“Right, I’ll follow your move,” I hesitantly said to Mathew.
“Your ancestors are looking down on us, as is our God,” Mark said.
“There are only a few of them, and with your gun and the power that courses through it,” Mathew added.
“We can’t lose,” Luke finished.
We walked another thirty yards, maybe more, before Mathew spoke up.
“They’ll start falling behind now.”
“For a little while, trying to use the ridge for as long as possible,” Mark said.
I waited a moment for Luke to finish the thought, but he didn’t.
I noticed a small grove of dry trees and shrubs and told the brothers that the grove would be the only other place for the raiders to hide, past the ridge. The three nodded in agreement, “Then we cannot move past it,” Mathew informed.
The brothers keep their heads on a swivel and noted everything they saw.
“They just ducked behind the last ten or fifteen feet
of the ridge,” Mark informed me.
“They’re trapped until the grove,” Luke added.
The brothers separated themselves from me, turned, and raised their weapons as they dropped to a knee. I turned and drew my revolver. I lifted the scoped weapon to my right eye and adjusted it for distance. I held it about a foot away from my eye, looked through the scope and rested the crosshairs on the top of the ridge. I waited and made a few quick glances toward the brothers who looked like statues aimed at the ridge. In unison the brothers said, just loud enough for me to hear, “Help me to walk by the word and not my feelings. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided.”
After only a brief moment, I saw a head pop over the top of the ridge. Without hesitation I fired a shot, dust, rocks and blood sprayed the air and the head fell back behind the ridge. Instantly four other men jumped up and began to fire. I watched as they fell, one by one, killed by the triplets.
The four of us waited for more raiders to top the ridge. It was a moment of tension for me, but the brothers seemed calm as they continued their prayer, “Help me to embrace what comes my way.”
I don’t know how long we waited, but I was the one to make the first move toward the ridge. The brothers followed my lead and we reached the ridge at the same time.
As I crested the ridge, nearly out of breath, I was met by a rifle aimed right at my head. The raider had the drop on me and my life flashed before my eyes. The future of my people was uncertain, and I gasped as I closed my eyes tightly waiting for the shot. I heard it, it was loud and I fell to my knees. I knew instantly that I was dead due to my carelessness.
After a moment, I realized that I was not dead, not only that, but I was in no pain. I opened my eyes and saw the raider with the rifle was no longer before me. I looked down and saw the raider lying on the ground, missing part of his head and beside me was Luke looking down in disappointment, and maybe even a bit of pride, having saved his Chief’s life.
“Thanks,” I said as I tried to breath.
My heart was pounding hard and fast. It felt like it was likely to jump right out of my chest.
Luke held out his hand, I took it and he helped me to my feet.
“Too close Chief,” he said.
“Damn,” I said quietly as I looked around.
Raiders were always covered from head to toe. They wore leather masks, each one designed by its owner to instill fear. They always carried pouches or sacks of some sort to stow their stolen or scavenged goods. The only purpose of a raider was to plunder, steal, kill and destroy everything he encounters. They move in large groups of up to a hundred in one pack. Recently there had been tales of packs a thousand strong.
Mathew was going through the pockets and pouches of the dead raiders, Mark was looking around for possible tracks from any runners and Luke stood at the top of the ridge, next to me, looking around like he was on guard duty.
I stared at the body below me, wondering what I would be doing at that exact moment if Luke hadn’t been there to save me. Would I be dead, or just wounded? Would I have fallen down the ridge that I had just climbed, or fallen forward toward the raider?
My reign as Chief Leader was almost the shortest in my people’s history. I learned a valuable lesson that day, right there on the ridge. That my life was no longer my own to do with as I please. I was responsible for far more than just me. I walked away from the brothers and from the dead raiders, I needed to be alone at that moment, away from the looks of pity that Luke was shooting at me. I walked alone until I reached the grove of trees and shrubs and waited for the brothers to finish their tasks.
I spent the free time, not thinking of myself, or my mortality, but of the raiders. I wondered how long it might take them to realize that their men were not going to be returning. How long before they send more men, or even send the whole raider party. That would be the worst-case scenario, the entire raider’s army heading toward us, itching for revenge.
Once the brothers were done doing whatever it was they were doing, they joined me in the shade of the trees.
“Are you ready to return to camp sir?” Mathew asked.
Chapter Three
It was a long and silent walk back to the camp, which gave me too much time to think about my mistake. I had to learn to think before I made a move. I was always taught to think before I acted when it came to my people, but I never took the advice when it came to myself, I was a doer, it was instinct for me.
The gravity of my position was getting even more clear. Everything I did had to be for my people, everything. Every move I made, every thought I had would have to be to the benefit of the Valley People. My life was too important, I had to protect myself, especially from my own stupidity and I had begun to rethink my choice to lead the hunting party.
After a time, the group of people led by the governor came into sight. They were walking with no order to them. I began to make my way to the front of the mass of people to speak with their leader while the triplets remained in the rear to keep a look out for any other trouble.
As I passed through them, I couldn’t help but feel their pain. The women and children looked lost and scared, the older people looked to be at the end of their ropes, almost unwilling to carry on. I couldn’t imagine what they were feeling. I have felt loss more times than I care to remember, but I have never felt the loss of so many at one time. Husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, all killed for what? Nothing more than the want of their things, their homes?
Life has no meaning to the raiders. It is a flash, then the bang and your gone, just like that. Our lives are short enough without people like the raiders out there to shorten them even more. They were something I needed to address during my time as Chief Leader, the need for them to be eliminated. Raiders were unpredictable and created a constant threat to my people, to all the decent people in the world.
I slowed down near a young mother trying to console her crying daughter. The child couldn’t have been much more than two. Tears cleaned streaks from their dirt covered faces as the young mother turned to me with a look of great sadness. The sorrow tugged at my heart strings like nothing I had ever felt before.
I placed my hand, lovingly on the mother’s shoulder, “We’re gonna take care of you, both of you,” I said with as much of a comforting a tone as I could muster.
She tried to force a smile, but failed and turned back to her child, hiding her face.
I continued my walk to the front of the group and slowed my gate to match the governor’s. Amos was walking with him.
“Your people seem strong, Governor,” Amos said.
“They have suffered greatly in the past, but never this much. I fear for them,” the governor replied.
“We are almost to the camp of the Velley People,” I interjected.
As we walked, we began to see the gates of the camp and the people behind me started to talk amongst themselves. I heard one older man say, “It’s bigger than I thought.”
Another voice said, “We should have had walls like that.”
I noticed Fletcher standing on the wall and as we drew closer, the gates began to slowly open. Eventually I saw my mother standing tall with pride and relief. I made it a point to get to the gates before the governor and his people. Standing at the gate, I turned to my mother. “They desperately need our help,” I began. “They were attacked by raiders who killed every man of fighting age and forced them out of their homes and their land.”
The governor stopped at the gate as did Amos. I waved them through, “Come. You are welcome here,” I said to them.
The governor stepped aside and allowed his people through the gates.
The young mother passed me with her young daughter who was no longer crying. They both seemed to have relaxed, if just a bit. The last to pass through were the triplets.
“I’m glad you made it back safe, Jacob,” my mother said.
The governor heard this and walked over to me, “You’re Jacob?” he asked.
“I am,” I
replied.
He grabbed my hand and shook it, almost too hard, “Thank you so much for your kindness and protection,” he began with sincerity in his voice, “My name is Dallas.”
“What happened to you was a travesty, nobody should have to deal with such a loss. Let your people rest and I will get back with you later,” I said to him.
Dallas smile and walked back to his people. My mother rested her hand on my shoulder as the two of us watched our people gladly help out the new strangers with what little food we had to share.
“This might have been a big mistake,” I said quietly.
The gates made a loud clanking sound as the gears started to turn and the gates began to close behind us.
“You did the right thing. It’s gonna be hard to feed all the extra mouths, but it is the right thing,” she paused a moment before continuing. “I’m proud of you and your father would be proud too.”
Amos walked up behind me, his pistons hissed as he stopped.
“You spent some time with them, more specifically, with the governor,” I said to Amos. “What are your thoughts?”
He didn’t answer right away, it was as if he was recounting his time with them, trying to figure out what to say. He seemed like maybe he wasn’t sure, or he just didn’t want to rush to judgement. He looked over the crowd of newcomers with a pensive stare, watching their movement, examining their facial expressions. Amos was always thinking and never rushed to say anything, not out in the open anyway. He always let his views be known when he and my father were in the house, away from others.
Amos sighed loudly before speaking, “As much as I hate to have the extra mouths, they need our help and they seem genuine to me.”
“We’ll have to house them too, not just extra mouths to feed,” I reminded Amos.
Amos continued to look over the group, “We can manage it Chief,” he said.
A thought popped into my head and I spoke on it, “And if we have to move soon? What do we do then? We build new shelters for all these people, then break them down for a migration?”
Jacob's Reign_The Reign Begins Page 3