Bonesetter

by Laurence Dahners

  Most everything had been moved and Pell was inside with Gia, Agan, Panute, Boro and Falin, packing up to leave. Tando, Deltin, Manute and Donte had climbed up ravine to hide a final load of stores. They had had to go quite a ways away on this final trip, as all the suitably sized crevices nearby were full.

  That was when Pell heard a familiar voice calling out.

  “Tando? You in there?” The voice broke as it spoke so that Pell wasn’t sure of its intended tone—was it threatening? Querulous? Friendly? That voice belonged to Denit though, broken or not, there was no doubt in Pell’s mind. Ginja raised her head, growling.

  Saying, “Great spirit! That’s Denit!” Pell grabbed his spear and ran over to peer out the flap covering the cave entrance. Ginja shouldered his knees aside to look out herself, her growl turning into a low, vicious sounding snarl, hair standing up all along her back. Pell heard rattling as the others grabbed spears behind him, but desperately thought to himself that their three strongest hunters were all up on the cliffside. Pell got a clear look, it was Denit! He was about thirty feet from the entrance to the cave, down at the foot of the little walkway leading up from the clearing. Denit was skinny, though not nearly as skinny as Boro. Dirty, disheveled, unkempt, he looked like an animal that had been dead for several days. Pell remembered how difficult it had been for Denit’s mother Fellax to get him to wash occasionally, or to cut or braid his hair. His furs lay in ragged layers, looking like they hadn’t been off his body for months. Behind Denit stood Roley, looking like he had been chewing Pont’s beloved hemp. In fact, it looked like he had a wad of it in one cheek at present. The healer stood behind Denit too, as did Belk, Gontra and Exen. Pell suddenly realized that with the loss of Pell, Tando, Bonat and Boro, these six were all the hunters that were left in Roley’s band. Still, there were more than in the Cold Springs band. The huge and dominating Roley, all by himself, was a formidable force. Pell found himself trembling, “Hello Denit, what do you want?” Pell was pleased that his own voice didn’t break.

  “Pell?”

  “Yes.”

  “Doesn’t Tando live here?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want to talk to him.”

  “He’ll be back very soon.” Pell certainly hoped so.

  “Then I’ll wait and talk to him when he gets back.” Denit turned and began talking to Pont.

  Gia was looking out the other side of the flap. “Pell,” she whispered, “is that all of their hunters?”

  “Yes,” he whispered back.

  “Do you think they’re here on a raid?”

  “Yes… Maybe we should just give them some spirit meat?”

  She didn’t respond for a moment, “Do you think if we gave them some, they’d leave? Then we could finish moving before they came back to demand more.”

  “Maybe. But the more I think about it, the more I think it’s pretty risky. After we gave them some, they’d realize we must have more and they might just decide to attack us for whatever they think we have left.”

  Denit turned away from the healer. “Hey Pell, is that sniveling whiner Boro back with you?”

  “Boro’s here, yes.”

  “You know, he wasn’t any better at hunting than you were. Worse really, kept driving away all the game. Does Tando really think he can bring in enough meat to feed both of you girls?” Denit laughed at his own joke. Some of the others hunters snickered with him.

  Pell swallowed. Embarrassed to be insulted so openly in front of Gia, he tried desperately to think of a witty response. None came to mind and he couldn’t bring himself to look toward her, especially knowing that his face was flushing bright red. But then he had a thought that might worry Denit a little. “We’ve joined with another group now. We’ve got more hunters than just the three of us.”

  “Great! We had some really bad hunts when Boro was bringing us bad luck. Now that we’re rid of him, we’re planning a big fire drive hunt down in the valley to put in a big supply of meat just before winter’s freeze. We need more ‘good’ hunters to do it well. Maybe Tando and your new hunters could join us. We’d split the meat with them.” Pell was afraid to say that they didn’t need any meat. That would certainly make them the target of a raid. “Well maybe we could,” he said, stalling for time. How far did Tando and the others go back anyway? Why weren’t they back already!

  Denit laughed. “Not ‘we’ Pell. Girls like you and Boro aren’t what we need on this hunt. We want your hunters.” He laughed some more at his own wit, jabbing Exen with his elbow.

  Gontra looked at Denit, “I know Boro was bringing bad luck Denit, but Pell could certainly help with a fire drive.”

  “Oh come on Gontra. You know he’s just as worthless as Boro. He almost killed Tando in that last hunt.”

  “Tando must have forgiven him. He lives with him now.”

  Pont leaped in front of Gontra, practically slavering in his face. “You know that’s just because Tando thinks that Pell ‘fixed his wrist’, I’ve explained over and over that it was my intervention with the Spirit of the horses, the horses which we were hunting that day. My intervention, which eventually resulted in the healing of Tando’s wrist!”

  Denit snarled, “Yeah, Gontra, just because Tando believes Pell’s rubbish doesn’t mean that you should too.” The group fell to arguing among themselves in a confused rumble that Pell couldn’t interpret.

  “What can we do, Pell?”

  Pell turned to see Gia looking at him fearfully. Why was she asking him? He wasn’t the leader of their little band. He looked over at Agan and said, “Agan?…” but Agan was looking at him with wide eyes.

  Agan said, “Our old tribe seldom got into fights with others. I’m not sure what to do. I know that in tribes that do fight, their hunters do the fighting, but with Tando, Manute and Deltin gone you’re our only hunter. What do you suggest?”

  I’m the hunter? Pell thought desperately. They certainly couldn’t win by brute strength alone… he knew he wasn’t a good “hunter” much less a fighter. His father would have said to use a tool but what tool? They needed to outwit the others. Suddenly he remembered the trap that he’d set up on the path to the cave moons ago! “Wait!” he said excitedly, moving to the other side of the cave entrance flap and peering out. Yes! He could still see the braided leather rope going up the cliff side. It looked OK, though he realized that he hadn’t checked it for weeks, who knew how much it might have deteriorated. What of the smaller rope up to the trigger brace? Yes, it looked OK also. He peered up the cliff. The net full of rocks that served as the counterweight to drive the trap also appeared intact. Denit and the others were farther down the path than the noose though, so there wasn’t any point in trying it right now.

  “Boro! No Gia! Here, hold this rope. Hold it as if it were our lives. If I call out ‘pull’ jerk on it with all of your might.” Gia, looking puzzled, took the rope and gave it a tentative tug. “No! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to yell, but don’t pull on it until I say! Then pull hard. It’s very important not to pull it before I say.” He moved over to peer back out the flap. Denit and the other’s argument had petered out but they were still talking among themselves and looking furtively over at the cave entrance.

  Denit turned, “Pell, why don’t you come on out and talk to us? You don’t have to hide in your cave; we don’t mean you any harm.” A little snicker at the end of his words belied the friendly words.

  Pell took a deep breath and stepped just outside the flap. “What do you want to talk about? I thought you were just waiting for Tando and our other hunters?”

  Denit’s little group looked startled. Though Pell didn’t know why, they were astonished by the vigorously healthy appearance of the strapping young man who had appeared at the entrance of the cave. After a moment’s hesitation Denit said in a calculating tone, “Oh, aren’t your other hunters here either Pell? Is it just you?” Then, before Pell could think of a response, “Oh my, look at you Pell, Tando’s been feeding his ‘little wife’ well has
n’t he? Did you know we’ve decided that Tando must be mating with you, now that Tellgif’s dead? We can’t imagine why else he would stay with an outcast girl like you.” Again, Denit ribbed Exen and barked a laugh at his own humor.

  The color rose in Pell’s cheeks. With a sinking sensation, he realized that, without the fear of other hunters who might’ve been present in the cave, Denit and his band were shuffling forward a little, preparing to attack. Despite the sinking sensation in his stomach, Pell felt his rage building. Astonished at his own temerity he heard himself say, “Well now, if Tando were that sort, why wouldn’t he have mated with you, Denit? Could it be because you smell so bad?” Denit flushed with anger and stepped forward, hefting his spear. The others shuffled forward behind him but then they stopped, staring at a spot just behind Pell. When Pell glanced back, he saw that Ginja had shouldered the flap aside. Hackles up, lips curled back in an ugly rictus, she stood there just outside the cave entrance, snarling. Spittle dripped from her maw as she took a few stalking steps forward.

  Denit turned to snap at Pont, “I told you that he’d trapped the Wolf Spirit!”

  Astonished only momentarily, Pont pulled out one of his rattles, admonished, “The wolf spirit will be on our side soon,” he said, then began chanting.

  Pell was greatly relieved that Ginja’s appearance had at least stopped them for now but his mind roiled. When would Tando and the others get back? Could the healer really bring Ginja under his control? He looked down uncertainly at the animal, which, now that they had stopped approaching, had stopped advancing herself.

  Pell looked back to Denit and the others. With dismay, he realized that they had resumed shuffling closer. He shifted his grip on his spear. Should he call Boro out to stand with him? Or would they then realize that he really didn’t have anyone else to back him up and therefore attack all the faster?

  Pell realized that they were now approaching the area where the noose was buried in the dirt. Where was it exactly? He couldn’t see it, or remember its exact location! How long would it take to work? Would it work at all? Why hadn’t he tried it out? At the time, he hadn’t wanted to carry all that rock back up after tripping a test run, but that seemed a weak excuse now. Spirits! He at least could have marked its location better. He stood on his toes peering for evidence of its whereabouts.

  “What’s the matter Pell? Afraid of our feet now?” Denit’s jeering tone roiled Pell’s stomach further.

  Suddenly Denit danced ahead a few steps and cast his spear! Dodging Pell shouted, “Pull! Gia, pull! Now!” Then he thought with horror that Denit was all the way on his side of the trap, and, it didn’t look like the others were in it yet. “No! Don’t!” As if in slow motion, he saw the small rope snapping tight against his wishes.

  Snarling, Ginja leapt forward to meet Denit.

  Denit’s spear missed Pell by a handspan, struck the wall behind him, then clattered back, striking him on the shoulder.

  Pell raised his own spear, wondering whether to cast it, or save it to fight hand to hand.

  The rope of the snare burst up out of the dirt of the trail, much closer to the cave entrance than Pell had remembered. Denit was in its reach but only his trailing leg! The rope snapped up the inside of his leg, then the noose sawed shut about his knee. Suddenly jerked upside down, Denit shot up the cliffside. As Pell watched Denit’s screaming, bouncing transit up the face of the cliff, his gaze encountered the net full of rocks descending just beyond.

  After, Pell would recall the events in short, slow motion segments.

  -The net bursting open.

  -A swarm of rocks, each the size of a man’s head exploding forth.

  -Denit’s ascent hesitating, and then Denit beginning to descend again, preceded by the bounding stones.

  -Pell’s gaze swinging down to encounter Denit’s band.

  -Their faces gaping upward openmouthed—the hunters simultaneously realizing that those small boulders were hurtling directly at them.

  -All the hunters but Roley beginning to scatter.

  -Roley, staring dazedly upward, wad of hemp visible in his open mouth.

  -Roley, struck on the head by one of the rocks, falling as if clubbed to the ground by a giant.

  -Denit bounding away from the cliffside in his descent, then the rope catching on something above so that he swung back to slam into the rock face with a sickening thud.

  -As the stones struck the path, clouds of dust puffing up so that Pell could see only poorly.

  -His horror growing as a bounding rock struck one of the Aldans in the back, tossing him bodily from the path.

  -Ginja yelping and scurrying back toward Pell.

  As he started toward the carnage, Pell dimly perceived the others coming out of the cave behind him.

  Agonized screams arose from within the dusty cloud hanging over the path. What have I done? Pell thought in dismay. In his mind, he had always pictured the trap ensnaring a small group of enemies and lifting them a short distance off the path. There they would hang, arms bound at their sides by the rope, helplessly watching his triumphant approach. They would plead for his mercy and agree to his conditions.

  Instead, he rushed toward them, his gorge rising in his throat. He came first to Roley, thrashing violently about on the path. Pell stopped, staring but fearful to approach closely because of his dread of being struck by the wildly thrashing, yet still powerful limbs. Limbs that he had so learned to fear, over his years in the Aldans. Not knowing what to do, he looked about and saw someone lying just off the path, gasping in obvious pain. He moved that way. Then, suddenly worried about a counterattack, he looked cautiously about for the others. He thought he saw Exen, running in the distance. Perhaps he saw, through the clearing dust, someone else lurking near the edge of the clearing. He looked down and saw that Belk was the one lying at the edge of the path. Belk gripped the right side of his back and twisted in agony. He gasped for breath, but wasn’t blue like others Pell had seen dying for lack of breath. Pell knelt beside him and said, “I’m sorry Belk. Spirits, I’m sorry! I didn’t know this would happen! What can I do?”

  Belk rolled his eyes, struggling for breath. Pell remembered having the wind driven from his chest by Denit when he was younger. Maybe that was all that was wrong with Belk? People did get better from that. Pell looked up to see Gia and Boro standing there, eyes wide. Agan, Panute and Falin stood just outside the cave, surveying the scene. Ginja stood beside Pell, eyeing the thrashing Roley and growling. Gia said, “What spirit attacked them Pell? How did you call it?”

  At first he wasn’t sure what she meant, then he realized that she had no idea of her role in tripping the noose. He had never explained it to anyone but Tando and Donte. “I had set up a trap… outside the cave… in case we were attacked. The rope you pulled tripped it. I didn’t mean for it to do this!”

  “Trap?” she asked, twisting her tongue about the unfamiliar word.

  “Uh, yes, it’s a… device to catch things. It’s what I hunt with. This one was only supposed to catch people… not to really hurt them… but something went, went terribly wrong.”

  “Spirit! That was amazing!” Boro exclaimed. He, as opposed to Pell, obviously wasn’t horrified by the outcome of events. “You did that?! Can you teach me how? Do you need to be able to control the Wolf Spirit? Who taught you how to do it, can I learn from them?”

  Gia shook her head during Boro’s questions, looked about, and then interrupted, “What should we do for these men?” She gestured at Belk and Roley.

  “I don’t know. Belk,” he said looking down at the injured man, “where are you hurting? Can we help?”

  Belk rolled his eyes again, but this time managed to grunt an answer, “Get Pont.” A voice over Pell’s shoulder said, “No, don’t. Pell’s a better healer than Pont is Belk, ask him to take care of you.”

  Pell looked back. Gontra stood just behind him! Running up the path behind Gontra were Tando, Donte, Manute and Deltin. They were certainly a welcome sight. Wh
ere were the rest of the Aldans? Well, with Gontra behind him, that meant that he now knew where, how many? He looked about, Roley, Belk, and Gontra by the path, Exen running, Pont? Maybe in the bushes, that was five… Oh! And Denit hanging from the rope! Remembering Denit, Pell looked up, “Tando, Gontra, Boro, help me get Denit down!” He went over to where Denit hung limply, upside down above the path. Pell scrambled up onto Tando’s shoulders and, pulling out his knife, cut the rope about Denit’s leg. With the others help he lowered him to the path. With Denit down, they all stared at him. His head lolled at an unnatural angle and his face was a dusky hue. At first Pell hoped that the color only resulted from being hung upside down but shortly it became obvious that his color wasn’t improving.

  Gia knelt and listened to his chest. “He isn’t breathing… His heartbeat is weak. He will die soon.” She said this with distress but with the complete assurance of someone who was absolutely certain of an outcome.

  Pell said, “What can we do?!”

  Gia looked up in puzzlement. “I don’t know of anything, do you?”

  “No! I’m not a healer! Maybe Agan knows of something? Some herb?”

  “I’ll ask but I’m sure she doesn’t.” Gia rose and jogged up the path to her grandmother.