by T J Trapp
Focus. He created a sharp edge on a small rock, and after a few rough tries he had most of the bounder’s skin off. He took a bite of the raw flesh and almost gagged. That’s not going to work. He spit out the remainder. Focus. Soon he was grilling the bounder’s carcass on a hot rock. It was burned on the outside and undercooked on the inside – But better than raw.
✽✽✽
Cautiously, Alec retraced his steps from the day before. About midday he came over the crest of the knoll and saw where the slavers’ camp had been the day before. All that remained was flattened grass, cold campfires, and a mess of human and animal waste.
If he was going to rescue Erin, he needed to catch up with the slave caravan. I am going to have to follow their trail, he thought. They are not moving too fast. And then what?
Alec decided that first, he needed some clothes and supplies. The little village that the slave raiders had attacked the day before looked like it would be the best source. He could see the village walls in the distance. Okay. Get to the village first, get some stuff and then follow the slavers’ track. It should be easy to find the slavers – Just by following the smell alone, thought Alec.
Alec’s feet were still raw and sore, so it took him a couple of hours to reach the village. The outer gate had been battered down, and the place was eerily quiet. He cautiously entered the village gates. Only a few stray dogs moved on the street, looking at him warily, tails between their legs.
Finally, Alec called out, “Is anyone here?”
There was no answer.
Alec walked up to the first building, located near the village gate, and pushed aside its broken door. It had been a guard-shack but now there was a stack of dead bodies against the wall, starting to smell of death. He could see that they had all died of bullet wounds.
He walked around the corner to the village square. It was strewn with several dead bodies, mostly old people, women, and children, including a few babies. The ones who wouldn’t make good slaves, thought Alec. Some looked like they had been torn into pieces. The sight of the mauled bodies brought back the scene of the runaway boy from the slave line; Alec was sick to his stomach when he realized the slave-raiders had allowed their dogs to feed on these bodies.
Across the square was a large heap of discarded clothing. Alec walked towards it, passing more bodies on the way – these people looked as though they had died defending their village. Most had been hacked to death with swords or spears, but bullets had killed a few. A couple of the local dogs were scavenging on the bodies. Alec’s stomach turned in disgust, and he bent to retch his half-cooked breakfast.
No one seemed to be left in town. No large work animals either, just the dogs. Alec rummaged through the pile of clothes – it seemed to be a mix of men’s and women’s items, in no particular order. He soon found a pair of mostly-intact trousers that would fit him. No underclothes that he wanted to touch, though. He shook out the trousers and put them on. He dug on through the pile and found a serviceable set of peasant sandals and a shirt. All of the boots were too small for his feet.
Alec was amazed at how much more confident he felt with clothes on than he had felt when naked. The Aldermen raiders understood that emotion and used it to keep people subservient.
He hadn’t found anything that resembled a weapon, not even a knife. He looked around the silent streets and crossed the village square to a nearby house; as soon as he entered, he could see the place had been ransacked. He tried the next house. Same. Every house had been searched and anything or anyone of value taken. Not much left.
The villagers must have taken all their weapons to the outer wall for defense, Alec reasoned. He did find a sturdy rake and converted the handle into a staff for himself.
The raiders had taken most of the food. He found a few left-overs from yesterday’s meal on a table in one of the houses and shoved a piece of bread into his mouth to quell his nausea. From a small smokehouse out back he could smell cured meat, and in the straw on the floor of the shack he found a ham of some kind that had been missed by the raiders. The only reason Alec found it was that a dog had dragged it down and started to eat it. Oh well, better to eat dog food than starve, he thought, and picked it up and took a bite out of it.
Standing by the shed, Alec thought he heard a sound. He looked around and heard it again. Beside the shed was a small outhouse. He walked over to it and heard a whimper.
“Help me, please,” a small voice said.
Alec opened the outhouse door and looked in. At first, he didn’t see anyone; then he looked in the toilet hole. Down in the filthy sump was a boy, probably about ten years old, too short to climb out on his own.
“Can you help me? I can’t get out,” the child said. The sides of the pit were higher than his head, and there was nothing to grab. Alec could see the claw marks along the sides of the privy pit where the boy had tried to climb out.
Alec flipped up the outhouse seat, reached down, and gave the boy a pull. He scrambled out easily enough but was covered in filth. Alec almost gagged at the smell. Once out of the pit, and standing on the outhouse floor, the boy looked at Alec suspiciously.
“Are you one of them?” he asked.
“No,” said Alec, and then, seeing the boy’s uncertainty and disbelief, added, “I am trying to get rid of them.” Alec led the boy out into the sunlight. “What’s your name?”
“Ilave,” was the answer.
“Well, Ilave, let’s get you cleaned up, and then figure out what to do.”
The village well was on the other side of the square. They went over to it, and with a little work and the use of some of the discarded clothing for rags, cleaned the worst of the mess off the boy. He’s improved from ‘disgusting’ all the way up to ‘filthy,’ thought Alec.
“Now let’s find something for you to eat.”
Alec and Ilave went back to the house where Alec had left the ham. The dogs had grabbed it again and pulled it back on the floor after Alec left, but the two of them shooed the dogs out.
After Ilave had eaten, Alec asked, “What happened?”
The boy burst into tears.
Ilave told his story between sobs. “They came to the village. We all ran inside and closed the gates. We have had raiders before, and they never bothered anyone inside the gates.” He wiped his nose on his sleeve. “My dad always told us not to stray far from the village wall. The raiders look for stragglers, he said, and take them to be slaves.” The tears came again. “These men were different! They looked more like soldiers and they came right up to the gate! They had a terrible weapon that made a great sound – our village guards all fell dead. I don’t know what it was.” Terror swept over his small face as he recounted the scene. “The raiders pulled our gates down with ropes and their drungs. No one could stop them! Our guards were all dead! There was blood all over! Then the raiders came through our gates.
“We all ran. I was watching when the gates came down, and I saw them fall – they pulled them right off their hinges. I was too close to the gates, and I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t make it back to my house.” The boy again convulsed in sobs. “I didn’t know what to do! So, I ran away from the raiders and towards this outhouse. I hid inside but I was afraid they would pull it over and find me, so I jumped down the hole. I hid down in the latrine!”
“You’re safe now,” Alec said, trying to sound soothing. Poor kid!
“I could hear the fighting, and at first I could see a little between the boards of the outhouse wall before I jumped down the hole. The fighting seemed to end. Then I could hear the raiders yelling to search every house. And they had dogs! I could see just a little bit and some of the dogs looked terrible.”
“Those men and their dogs searched every house. If they found anybody, they dragged them to the square. In the square, they tied their hands behind their back, and put a bag over their head.” The boy looked at Alec to see if this tall stranger believed him.
Alec nodded reassuringly. “Go on,” he said gently
.
“They were there for a long time. They lined everybody up. Then they took the people, one at a time, out of the line. It looked like how we shear our flocks every spring. A couple of men would hold them, just like we hold our animals, and they would cut off their clothes, just like a fleece. Then they were naked. Then they put a collar around their neck and tied them to the person in front of them. I think that they were going to tie them to drungs because there were several there.
“I saw them take my mom, and my dad, but I never saw my big brother. I don’t know where he is. Maybe he was out there. Maybe he’s dead now. There were so many people.” The boy paused.
“And then I saw them do things to people. Horrible things!” He broke down again, his thin body wracked by deep sobs. Alec let him cry for a few minutes.
“Like what?” Alec said softly, although he figured he knew.
“Well, anyone who was old – anyone who couldn’t walk, those men beat them with their whips until they bled, and then …” The boy stopped and shuddered. “And then, they set their dogs on them. Their dogs … they just … the dogs would bite the people and chew on them. The dogs were killing them. I saw them throw two babies to the dogs and the dogs … the dogs just tore them apart!” He covered his eyes – trying to erase the scene.
“And then they came back through the village, with their dogs, looking for anybody they missed the first time, I guess. I was scared. I was so scared!” The sobs welled up again.
“That’s when I jumped down into the bottom of the latrine pit. But I thought, maybe that wasn’t so bad because I thought that maybe the dogs couldn’t smell me there, because, you know, of all the smells that were already there.” Ilave sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand.
“I couldn’t see anything after that. There was a lot of noise, and I could hear the drungs snorting and the men yelling. And then after awhile, it got quiet. So, I thought they had gone. But I was afraid and decided I should stay hidden for a while longer. I could tell when it got dark. It was so quiet. No voices in the village. Just the village dogs. I decided it was safe to come out, but then I couldn’t. It was very slick down in the pit. And it stunk. I tried and tried …” he made clawing motions to show how he tried to climb, “but I couldn’t get out. I was afraid I would be there forever!”
He looked hard at Alec. “When you got here, the village dogs started to bark, so I knew that someone had come back to the village. At first, I thought it was one of them, so I kept quiet. But when it looked like you might leave, I had to call for help. I knew I couldn’t get out of here by myself.
“So, thank you for pulling me out of the pit.”
After telling Alec his story, Ilave was exhausted.
“Where is your house?” Alec asked.
“I’ll show you,” the boy said. The two of them walked across the village to Ilave’s house. There were a few scraps of food for Ilave and then the boy climbed into his little spot and fell asleep, comfortable in the safety of his bed.
Alec stayed awake well after dark, very disturbed by the boy’s story. Also, he was undecided about what to do with the boy – take Ilave with him? But where would that be? Or leave him here, to an uncertain fate? Eventually, Alec went to Ilave’s parents’ bed and crawled into it, glad to feel the warmth of a real bed and real blankets. He felt guilty sleeping in a bed when Erin was out in the cold, but he did it. And he dreamed of fighting with Sarah.
✽✽✽
The next morning, Alec was up with the sun, but not before Ilave.
“Ilave,” Alec said to the boy, “I am going after the men who raided your village. It is going to be dangerous.”
“I can fight them,” Ilave said enthusiastically, his ten-year-old bravado showing. “I am tough!”
“I know you can,” said Alec, “but I need you to do something else. If I rescue your parents, they will need someone here to take care of their stuff and the rest of the village until they get back. Can you do that? By yourself?”
Ilave brightened up. “I know how to draw the water and keep everything running. I can make porridge, and I know where the food stores are in the shed.” He nodded. “I can do that for mum and dad.”
Alec wasn’t sure what kind of fate he was bestowing on Ilave, or how Ilave would feel surrounded by the sights and smells of death, but Ilave had more chance here than coming with Alec. It was mid-morning by the time he had Ilave settled.
“Goodbye,” he said to Ilave and hugged the grimy little boy.
“Safe journey,” the boy said and waved until Alec was out of sight.
✽✽✽
Alec gamely started out on the track of the slavers. He had the stick made from the wooden rake handle – not nearly as good as his other staff, but functional – a pocketful of rocks, and a simple sling. He had briefly thought about taking the time to make a new staff but decided his new medallion would determine the outcome of any fight, not a staff. He had taken the time to fashion a pouch so that he could wear the medallion around his neck.
Instead of following his previous path, Alec walked diagonally across the Grasslands to intercept the path of the slavers. It would save him a good portion of the day, and he was concerned that time was important. Even then, he almost missed the track of the slave train. Only a step that almost landed in a pile of human excrement alerted him to the path. Looking around he saw that he was on the far side of the caravan’s swath. A little further and he would have missed it.
It was harder to follow the path than he expected. That, combined with the fact that he cautiously approached every rise to make sure he wasn’t detected, slowed him considerably. Alec saw several of the hyra as he walked, but apparently they thought he was too healthy for them and gave him a wide berth. Evening found him with no sight of the caravan. He briefly thought about walking through the night but decided he would most likely lose the track if he did.
Alec made a quick camp and heated some rocks for sleeping. He had bagged two little game birds during the day as he walked, and now he skinned them and cooked them on a hot rock. Again, he singed the outside and left the inner portion barely cooked, but it was better than his previous attempts and satisfied his hunger.
The next morning, he continued following the slavers’ trail. He figured he was moving about twice as fast as the caravan, so he expected to catch them today. He decided that when he found them, he would take some time to observe them and develop a plan to free Erin. He didn’t know why Lily was now a serving lady – had she defected to the Aldermen? –or whether he could or should try to free her also.
Alec was slightly lost in thought when he heard a growl at the same time he sensed movement. One of the sentry dogs! He twisted around with his shaft and struck at the dog; it rolled away from him and started to lunge at him. He swung his shaft and hit it again. The dog backed off and growled. That gave Alec the moment he needed. Focus. Dark energy swirled around the new medallion in satisfying patterns. Alec had no love for these dogs – they had torn people apart in front of him – and he felt no remorse in heating the dog’s blood to the boiling point. The animal collapsed in front of him before it could howl and alert more of the pack.
Lucky, thought Alec. He crept to the top of the next rise. He could see the Aldermen’s camp in the distance. It looked like they were setting up for the night. In the far distance, he could see another village. If things were true to form, tomorrow would be a raiding day for the group. A good time to see what I can do, he thought.
He circled the campsite, moving upwind from the dead dog. If other dogs were released, perhaps they would be attracted to its smell and not to him. The best shelter turned out to be on the far side of the camp, the same side as the next village. He found a rocky spot where with a little help from dark energy he could create a cave. He climbed on top of the rocks to a vantage point where he could survey the camp. The setup looked familiar. The women were camped on one side the men on the other side – there were more people in each group now, due
to the raid on Illave’s village. The wagons were in the middle. The trogus were positioned in the front and the other livestock situated behind the wagons. The camp appeared animated with the usual activities of feeding the captives and the animals as well as the slavers preparing their gear for their next raid.
As the sun set, Alec crawled down into his cave and sealed the opening. Only a small air hole was left. Twice during the night, he heard growls and footsteps. His smell must have alerted the dogs. He didn’t know if the sentries would discover the missing dog, but he hoped there was no scent link from the dog to his hiding place.
Okay, I’m snug in this cave, but how am I going to find Erin? Maybe he could sense her. He let the dark energy expand out over the camp. He could feel lots of bodies. Finally, he felt a familiar focus. That had to be Erin.
I am coming to rescue you tomorrow, he thought to her. Be ready. He smiled, thinking of Erin. He slept fitfully and dreamt that she was telling him to come quickly, or it might be too late.
✽✽✽
Erin lost track of the days. Each morning after eating they were herded along the path again, walking long hours under the blistering sun. Erin was feeling filthy. Huddling close together at night, sleeping in everyone’s urine and crap, and eating the messy mush was horrible. Little biting flies buzzed about, attracted by the smell of blood and filth.
At night she would try to sense Alec; she felt that he was alive. Every day she felt like he was getting closer. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. Maybe it would be better for him to leave the grasslands without her. Then she realized that she didn’t even know if he actually had escaped the slavers. She hadn’t seen Lily in a while and knew nothing of what was happening in the men’s side of the camp.