by Sam Taw
Trudging across camp, I checked on the amputee warrior first, keen to see if my handiwork had been sufficient to save his life. When I walked into the crowded hut, the men thanked me for my efforts, and for the resin Tallack had left for them. The lad’s breathing was steady, his friends had bound his stump with care, and given him enough poppy juice to knock him back out, but he lived. That was one less thing to worry over.
My next call was to Kitto’s hut. Here I found one of his trusted warriors watching over him and Tallack standing by the door. Kitto was alive. His eyes followed me as I drew closer, but other than that, he did not move.
Tallack faced the worried man at Kitto’s side. “Can you leave us alone with him, just for a bit?” The Chief gestured for the Head Hunter to leave, holding the door drapes back to ease his path. Tallack lowered his voice. “What are Kitto’s chances for recovery, Aunt Mel?”
I gazed at my nephew, unable to ascertain his feelings on the subject. He’d become so tricky to read of late. “Difficult to say really. He might last a few days, maybe longer. From the smell of him, I’d say he’s lost control of everything from the shoulders down. He’s lucky he can still breathe.” As soon as I’d said it, I realised how cruel I was being. Kitto’s eyes widened, his breaths were ragged and fast. I should have waited to say those things when the great warrior could not hear.
Tallack nodded, and kicked his shoes against the dirty floor rushes. “I see.” His voice was quiet and authoritative. “I think you should go now, Aunt. I’ll sit with him for a while and then make an offering to the gods.”
I smiled, giving the Chief’s arm a little squeeze as I passed him. Hurrying outside, I let the door skins fall behind me. That’s when I heard the unmistakable sound of cracking bone.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
It took all my will power not to run back inside the hut. I knew what Tallack had done, but I struggled to reconcile myself with his decision. Kitto looked set to live, but for how long and in what state was a mystery. I didn’t need confirmation of his death.
Had Tallack snapped his neck to rid himself of a rival, or to spare the great warrior the shame of living a life where others had to wipe his arse and feed him with a spoon? I told myself that it was no different to putting the lame horses out of their misery, but that was a lie. Kitto was no animal. Would he be assured a place in the Summerlands, or would his murder be considered a humiliating way to die? Only the gods knew the answer.
I loitered outside our house for a while, waiting to see how Tallack behaved when he left Kitto’s hut. It wasn’t long before the Chief called out to the men, bringing them all to his side. He stood in the doorway as brazen as you like and made the announcement.
“Men, the mighty Kitto lays in the arms of Cernonnus. May he carry him into the Summerlands to sit with my father and all our brave ancestors.” There was not a hint of emotion to betray him. He was so different to the boy I used to know, so cold and calculating. “Tonight, we will give him an honourable send off, along with the rest of the fallen. Gather the wood and build us a pyre of which we can be proud.” There were no cheers nor foot stamping, just a group of grieving warriors with their heads bowed in reverence.
Ren pulled on his leggings and joined me on the dusty path outside. “What did I miss?”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from my heartless nephew. “Tallack killed Kitto.” Neither of us spoke as we absorbed the ramifications. This was another family secret that would have to be taken to our graves.
The pair of us stood watching the group of Head Hunters rally to their Chief’s orders, darting about camp to collect their blades and axes for the long day of wood cutting and stacking ahead of them. They were without a clan leader once again, but this time happy to comply with the young Chief’s wishes. Kitto’s insidious influence was gone. Tallack held sway over two warrior clans. He just needed to bring the Alchemists and the few followers of the Priest Sect to heel.
After a while, Ren finished dressing and went to help with the pyre building. I should have offered to wash and bind the dead ready for the pyre, but I couldn’t face such a grim task. Since I was under no obligation, and Tallack did not give me a specific order, I slipped away to the beach and spent the afternoon in the dunes and salt marshes. There were a few useful plants to harvest, but mostly I just sat in what shade I could find to come to terms with all that had occurred.
There was a certain comfort to be had watching the men toil. Hunkered down in a cool hollow of the dunes, I sat still as they passed by carrying the split logs and brushwood to the pyre at the end of the beach. Our tribe was not as large as many, and our menfolk were diminishing fast. If we were to keep hold of our lands, Tallack would need to begin training the womenfolk with axe and spear as well as archery. That would mean a new supply of forged bronze weapons, something we could not achieve without tin. Everything depended on us retaking control of the mines, and for the life of me, I had no idea how to bring that about.
I had hoped that my afternoon in hiding would oust the fog inside my head. My aim was to return to camp with a fresh outlook and renewed vigour, but my spirits were lower than ever before. I met up with Ren at the side of the river, hoping that he would have an answer to our problems. He nodded and handed me a soaked cloth, then presented his bare back for me to scrub. “Where have you been? I was about to fetch Kewri to help me search for you.” He tried to sound light-hearted but I heard the worry in his voice.
Scrubbing the dirt and sand from his back, I drifted into a daze.
He faced me, taking the cloth from my hand. “What is it? What’s wrong?” His brow wrinkled; his stare was intense.
“I can’t see a way out of this. I sat in the dunes just thinking, hoping for a solution, but drew a blank.”
Ren smiled, dipping the rag in the water and wringing out the excess. “We’ll find a way. We always do. Even if we just wait them out, they’ll eventually run out of food, then we’ve got them.”
I frowned at him. “By that time, Kenver’s men will have shot all our watchmen through with arrows. They’ll be no one left!”
“Ah, you’re just tired and grieving. It’ll all seem better in the morning.”
I left him to finish washing, slightly annoyed by his condescension. It wasn’t like him to dismiss my opinions so lightly. Had I lost his respect as well as that of my nephew’s? Being the only woman in camp was certainly not ideal. How did Senara cope with them on her own among such bawdy men? The more I thought about her, the more I worried that she too might be suspended from a tree with her skin shredded and bits lopped off her poor body. That was another one of Ren’s ideas, neither asked for nor sanctioned by our leader.
When I got back to our hut, Kewri was helping to butcher the horse carcasses ready for drying. Blood pooled beneath the benches attracting flies in their thousands. A quick glance up the gorge was enough to tell me that the crows had found the bodies of our men. They made such a racket, flapping and bickering over the tenderest portions of flesh. How the mothers of the fallen would quail if they knew we’d left them in the ravine to be scavenged while they rotted in the heat.
When it came time to light the pyre, Tallack ordered a few of the Sea Warriors and Kewri to stay behind in camp to watch over the cooking pots and protect the boundaries while we all filed down to the beach. Tallack was prepared this time, having a full speech memorised in praise of the men’s bravery. He paid particular tribute to Treeve, as was expected, and to Kitto for his courage in surviving the rope trick for so long after the event. His performance was immaculate, even managing to make his voice break in the middle of his eulogy. For all his feigned emotion, his eyes were dry. Perhaps I was being too harsh on him. People deal with sorrow in such different ways.
I scrutinised the faces of the men in search of any signs of disbelief. Not one of them suspected my nephew of foul play. Aebba the Wild would be ashamed of his son if he were still alive. He may have been idle and dissolute but he was honest until his last breath. Ta
llack stepped forward and lit the kindling at the farthest end of the pyre, before retreating from the high flames as they licked the greased poles to the top platform of swaddled bodies. The heat was fierce, driving us all backwards until the sea breeze cooled our backs.
Ren and Tallack kicked a comfy depression in the sand and sat, encouraging others to join them. I watched the men gather, wondering if the invitation extended to me. I loitered for a time, but this was a place of mourning and remembrance traditionally held for men alone.
Tallack looked up at me and patted the sand at his side. My heart almost thumped out of my chest in surprise. It was a long time since he’d graced me with his favour, apart from false praise over my skill with a hot blade. All anger over his dishonesty vanished; such was my elation. As I struggled to fold my legs and lower myself down, he put his arm about my shoulders and hugged me close.
“Shall we stay here to eat, Aunt? I’ll send someone to fetch the food down from the camp.”
I’m ashamed to admit that I beamed up at him and nodded, my eyes filling with grateful tears. This was how he always won. His charm was more deadly than any blade. Before long, we were all tucking into the roasted horse and a bowl of the stewed roots and leaves I’d harvested in the afternoon. It was not my favourite meat, though it was tender, almost sweet, it tasted too much like venison for my liking. Since the priestess sacrificed the white hart, my preferences had shifted somewhat. Still, I was hungry and food was in short supply.
Ren licked the juices from his fingers. “Bet old Kenver wishes he could have some of this.” He tore another chunk off the communal joint and crammed it into his mouth.
“He’s welcome to come out of hiding and join us.” Tallack grinned. “I’ll permit him a couple of mouthfuls before I run him through with a spear.”
The men chuckled and grunted their amusement. They seemed uneasy, laughing alongside the blazing pyre. Was it better to disrespect the fallen and titter at their leader or offend Tallack by remaining silent? The Chief sensed their apprehension and changed the topic. “The Alchemists should be running low on food by now. Another couple of days and they’ll be chewing on their shoe leather. If we leave the horses behind, we can sneak up the gorge on foot and capture them as they leave the tunnels for supplies.”
The warriors made agreeable noises in support of Tallack’s plan, but we could all see how it was flawed. Kenver would have enough food stored to last them for a number of moons. He had access to all our tin. The Alchemists could have signalled any passing foreign ship with which to trade grain, wines, and even exotic goods.
We were more likely to starve than his men. As the night wore on, I couldn’t stop myself wondering about the children and womenfolk. Surely Kenver did not have them tucked away in the tunnels all this time too, and if not, where were they?
It bothered me for the rest of the night. When the pyre burned low, Ren and I walked back to the huts. Some of the torches marking the path back to camp sputtered and fizzled out, leaving us to step cautiously for fear of falling into the river. Our hut was the easiest to spot in the dark. It was far larger than the others, having once belonged to Kenver and his whole family at one point.
I looked at the perfect thatch in the moonlight. “Why do you suppose the miners left this entire camp in pristine condition? If you were Kenver, wouldn’t you trash the place before retreating to the mines?”
Ren scratched his chin thinking. His gaze followed mine, taking in the state of the huts and shelters all around us. “Hmm.”
“What?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they didn’t have time. Perhaps their scouts saw our sails and they had to make a run for it at the last moment.” He ducked under the door frame and started flinging off his clothes. That was a lame excuse but the more I pressed him, the more determined he was to shut me up, clamping his lips over mine until I could hardly breathe.
I was still thinking about it in the morning when we woke. I took the water jug and began the walk to the spring up the adjoining valley. Senara was waiting for Tallack outside his hut, out of breath and eager to divulge information. I was so pleased to see her, I dropped the jug to the grass and embraced her.
“Thank the gods you are alive. I’ve been out of my wits with worry.”
Senara blushed, but being the good-natured woman I know her to be, she hugged me back. “You know me, Fur Benyn. Slippery as an eel in pork fat and twice as cunning.” She grinned, tucking my head under her chin.
Tallack heard us and came outside. “What news do you bring?” He pushed us both through the door, away from the warriors’ hearing.
Senara cuffed her nose and looked at each of us in turn. “I um… saw the ambush yesterday, and I’m sorry for what happened. I wasn’t able to stop them.” Her gaze fell to the floor as she adjusted the straps of a wrist guard on her arm.
Tallack moved closer and put his palm on her shoulder. “No one could have, Senara. I cast no blame on you. Were you able to find out precisely where they are holed up?”
Nodding she said, “Yes, and no. There are several tunnel entrances from what I could see and many that are blocked. From waiting and watching, I could tell that they are all connected together somehow. Even if you could get close, they can escape through alternative routes.”
“So, attacking from the gorge is pointless?”
Again, she nodded. “There is a small clearing at one of the larger entrances, where they’ve erected defences, but it’s well guarded. They came out of the mines when you had all gone and strung up the rest of our men next to Treeve for the crows. It was a gruesome sight.” She faltered for a moment, trying to hold herself together. “I did creep along the coastal path on the top of the cliffs towards the east though. There’s a small creek that leads down to the gorge from the opposite side. It’s densely forested at the bottom end as far as I could tell, with a track leading from the cliffs that is obviously well used.”
“You think that this is how they are able to sneak out of the mines at night and pick off our watchmen?” I said, desperately searching my memories. It’s possible that there were hidden pathways on the cliffs, although I saw none while I was watching my nephews complete their warrior quest. “I don’t remember there being such a path…”
“It’s there, Fur Benyn. I promise you.”
Tallack rounded on her. “Could you see if there were any ropes across the trees, maybe low down near to the base of the trunks?”
She was already shaking her head. The path is lined either side with rocks at the top. There are no trees until much further down.”
Tallack’s frown smoothed out and a smile reappeared. “Then that’s how we’ll catch them. They won’t be expecting us from that direction.”
“Begging your pardon, Chief, but Kenver will defend all approaches to the mines.” I said, before I could stop myself. “He grew up here, he knows every blade of grass and rock. He will have set traps; you can bet on that.” He wasn’t best pleased with my outburst. The scowl he threw in my direction leeched the heat from my bones.
Just when I thought I’d undone all the good will between us, he chewed his bottom lip and rested his fists on his hips. “You could be right. We can’t risk the rest of the men, until we know for sure.” He said no more. Instead, he grabbed his mysterious grey sword and his water bladder, and charged out of the hut with Senara and I stumbling after him.
Calling out to the men, he picked six of his crewmen out of the crowd and told them to follow him. They were all young and lithe, some having seen fewer summers than our Chief. They were no match for the brute strength of the miners if they should stumble into their hideout. He hadn’t thought anything through. Tallack the Fearless, seemed determined to live up to his name.
“Tallack!” I cried out, but I clamped my mouth shut quickly. He was the Chief and he’d made his decision to go with them. I had no right to undermine him in front of the men.
Senara looked at me and sucked in her lips. She understo
od my concerns as well as anyone. “Should I catch them up, Fur Benyn? I know the path better than any of those boys.” As soon as she’d said it, I had visions of another ambush, more entrails spilling from guts, broken bones and smashed heads and much worse besides. Without thinking, I clutched the sleeve of her tunic. “We both have to go. Will you help me, child?”
There was a moment’s hesitation from her lips. I could see she thought me irrational and she was right. How could I even begin to keep up with their speed and agility. I set my face to stern, glaring until she nodded. We hurried back to fetch my healing kit and then straight along the start of the gorge to the cliff path beyond. Thank the gods that Ren was not in the hut or he would have stopped us from going.
It was certainly steeper than I remembered. Either I was less fit than during the winter season, or the hot breeze was taking its toll on my strength. Senara led the way, taking me along a lesser used path that came out further along the cliffs. Panting heavily through the pain in my joints, I heaved myself up the last chalky scree slope to the top. The bright sun was almost blinding. Shielding my eyes against the light, I could see across the grassy strip of land where the miners used to graze their goats. It was empty now, save for a shadowy mass of moving figures at the far end of the cliff.
“They’re over there, Fur Benyn.” Senara gasped, pointing to the blurry visage ahead of us. I too was shocked that we’d caught them up so easily. I stood still, squinting until I could see Tallack and the boys laying down on the grass. One was running towards us. We met him half way between the path and the lounging crewmen.
“Why has the Chief stopped?” Senara grumbled at the young man.
Puffing and blowing, the lad caught his breath before answering. “He sent me back to fetch you. We can’t find the creek that you mentioned. You’re to come and lead the way.” It wasn’t long before we were all standing on the edge of the cliff overlooking the bay.
