A few minutes later, the firing slowed, and then almost stopped, with only an occasional shot heard. Then it grew quiet, except for the groans, moans, and screams of the wounded.
“Finish off their injured men and take all the captive boys and females to the village center.” Zedock ordered as he walked among the captives looking them over. Fine looking bunch we got this morning. Must be a good fifteen or so boys and a good twenty girls, he thought with a huge smile. Hard to tell how many women yet.
As if reading his mind, Luther walked to him and said, “Forty-five women, but not all are of prime age. I'd guess thirty are still in their twenties and the rest older.”
“Any grandmas that you could see?”
Grandma was a term used by the tribe to label any woman too old to conceive a child. Luther smiled and said, “Six, as far as I know, but one is a real looker.”
“Bring all of them to me.”
As the old women were pulled from the group, a young boy screamed, “Nana!”
“I'm okay, Nathan.” one of the woman replied, but Zedock couldn't see her.
“Nana!” the boy screamed again, but a guard struck him hard on the head with a gun butt.
Luther walked to the guard and said, “That boy'd better live, or I'll have your head. The captives mean more to us than you. I want all of you guards to remember, without our slaves, we have no People.”
“He'll live, I didn't hit his ass that hard.”
The older women were brought forward and lined up for Zedock to view. Most were old, well into their sixties, with wrinkled eyes and white hair, but then he spotted one in the middle of the group. She was short, just a bit over five feet, shapely, with blue eyes and red hair. Her complexion was smooth and slightly tanned.
He stopped in front of her and asked, “What are you called?”
“I am Nora.” she replied with her head up and chin out.
He could see the defiance in her bottomless blue eyes. He ignored her anger and asked, “How old are you?”
“I am fifty-four and the mother of three of the women you have taken captive.”
“Are you a grandmother yet?”
“I am.”
Zedock then said, “Luther, place her with her daughters.”
Long tense minutes passed as the women welcomed their mother and the boy that had been struck with the gun butt came around. The boy stood rubbing his head, but he remained quiet.
Zedock finally said, “Luther, line these five women up, belly to back.”
Luther roughly lined them up and said, “They're ready.”
“I want all of you captives to see what happens when you disobey the Snake People. We are now your new masters and we, no one else, will determine if you live or die. We have the power to let you live or die.” Zedock said.
While he allowed time for his words to sink in, the five older women began praying.
Then, without another word, he pointed his rifle at the women and pulled the trigger. One round flew through all five and they dropped. The captives screamed and cried, but Zedock simply walked down the line of dead and wounded grandmas and placed a bullet in each head. In a matter of seconds, a large puddle of blood formed under the dead women. Their bodies twitched, but hardened man he was, he ignored it.
“Try to escape and we will kill you and if you have a child, we'll kill your child too. Think well, before you disobey us. Disobedience will not be tolerated. Luther, get these slaves moving.”
Before they left the village, snow began to fall and Zedock called out, “Luther, have the captives put on their extra clothing. The temperature will drop like an old woman's chest in a bit.”
“I'll see to it.”
The walk was cold and they'd not brought horses on the trip, because they wanted to move with little noise. The stealth had been worth a little walking. When Zedock looked at the captives, he no longer saw fellow human beings, but cases of rifles and ammunition.
Snow began to stick. They continued to move, because the Snakes knew home was near, and they'd be more comfortable in their lodges. Once home, hot food would be eaten, their wives were near, and sleep would come. The prisoners were scared, some even injured, but all suspecting their future was taking a terrible turn for the worst.
It was after midnight when they moved into the Snake village, and the captives were moved to the large lodges built for their stay. The warriors, except for guards, all went to their lodges to relax and eat. Zedock walked to Masheck's lodge and knocked on the door.
The winds were high enough that little dust devils in white moved across the center of the village, and Zedock shivered as he waited. A minute later the door opened and Masheck smiled as he said, “Enter, please, it's cold outside.”
He then opened the door wide.
Zedock entered and the heat from the fire was overpowering to him. He'd been in the wind and cold for so long, warmth felt hot. We must have all been close to hypothermia, he thought.
“The shaman says the temperature is around twenty degrees, with the winds gusting up to forty miles an hour. Why didn't you hunt a hole, instead of walking back?”
“No food for one thing, and we'd already completely destroyed the village before the snows came. I was concerned that we might lose some of the slaves in the snow, too. Visibility was poor and the risk great, especially if we stopped over night. So, here we are. We lost no one on the return trip.”
“I suspect your results were worth the cost of the raid?”
“Many women, young girls and young boys were taken. One or two more villages and you'll have more than enough slaves for the Japanese trader. We had a large number of young boys, but all the numbers will be given in the morning by Luther.”
“Go. Go to your lodge, eat, and then get some sleep. You got little sleep last night and then marching back in this weather, you deserve some relaxation.”
“Uh, I do have one question, if I may ask of you a favor?”
“Ask, and if it's within my power, you may have it immediately.”
“There is one captive, over fifty, that I desire. I wonder if I might —”
“Yes, you've more than earned her, so as of this minute, she is yours.”
Lowering his head, mostly due to fatigue, Zedock replied, “Thank you. I must go now and I will send for the woman in the morning.”
Masheck shrugged and said, “As you wish.” He then opened and door and said, “Sleep well, you've done much for The People.”
In the lodge of the captives, the stunning woman with the red hair and blue eyes sat thinking of a way out of their situation. Her mind knew for a few of them to escape would be easy, only she wanted to save all the women, but saw no way. Most would die in the cold, some were stunned by the violence they'd seen when their village was taken, and others had already accepted their fate.
Finally, she spoke, “Do all of you want to remain here, as prisoners of the Snake People? Do you realize what they'll do to us? Our boys and girls will be traded off, or raised as Snakes, and will never know who they really are. The women will either be made slaves, or taken as a wife by one of these bastards. I for one will die before I allow a Snake warrior to touch me. A few of us may be turned over to the men, to use until we die. We must escape!”
One woman, older than most but yet still attractive asked, “And, how are we to accomplish this, Lila? We have no weapons and none of us are trained as warriors.”
“One of the younger women can lure a guard in, while the rest of us look to be asleep, and when she gets him into her blanket, I will kill him.”
“There is a blizzard raging outside, so where do we run? How will we survive?”
“I have no answers for your questions, but do I have one young woman that is brave enough to help some of us escape?”
Phoebe was a young woman of eighteen who said, “I will help, but only if I can go with you. I will not stay here, and death in the storm is preferred to life with the Snakes.”
“How many others ar
e willing to go with us?”
A woman called Preshea raised her hand and said, “I will go.”
Then, Zona raised her hand, “I will go too.”
Both are young and in good health, as is Phoebe. The biggest handicap will be me, because of my age, Lila thought. A minute later she asked, “Can we depend on the rest of you not to say anything of our escape?”
She got a few nods, a firm yes from some, and nothing from those terrified.
“When do we do this thing?” Phoebe asked.
“In a few minutes, here is what we'll do.” Lila said and then whispered.
Ten minutes later, all of the women looked to be asleep, with none sitting up. All were in their blankets and in her blanket, Lila held a piece of firewood, about as big around as a man's wrist. She waited patiently, her heart pounding in fear. If the guard screamed, it was likely all of them would be shot, even the innocent.
Phoebe moved for the door and opened it slowly.
The guard was young, he'd just turned twenty the year before, and was freezing standing by the door.
Bringing his gun up, he asked, “What do you want?”
“I am cold.”
“You are cold? At least you have a warm fire. I am frozen; now close the door and go to bed.”
“You do not understand my meaning. I need warming up...I desire a man.”
The young warrior blinked a few times, considered the risk, and realized they'd never had any problems with captives. That was the main reason a few prisoners were always shot in the village, to instill fear in the rest.
“What of the others?”
“They sleep and will not know.”
“I don't know. I should stay at my posting.”
“I can bring a smile to your face. I am young and have been trained well by my mother.” She pulled the blanket open for a few seconds to allow him to see her nakedness.
“I will come, but we must be quiet. If I get caught away from this door I will be in big trouble.”
“No one will ever know. Now, come.”
The guard followed her into the lodge and noticed the others rolled up in their blankets. All looked to be asleep, so he followed her to an empty spot beside Lila. With the guard watching her, Phoebe removed the blanket, placed it on the ground and then said, “Come to me.”
The young warrior quickly undressed and he was smiling as he moved to Phoebe on his hands and knees. The young woman leaned forward and kissed him hard on the lips and then fell back to the blanket with a loud sigh. “Come to me,” she said.
While he'd moved toward Phoebe, Lila crawled from her blanket, and was ready for her to break her kiss with the man. She held the wood high over her head and the moment the young woman spoke, she brought her club down hard with both hands.
The warrior didn't make a sound, but blood squirted high from his shattered skull, which caused a couple of the captives to gasp.
“Hurry, get dressed, and dress for cold weather.” Lila said, and began to go through the dead man's clothing. She took his belt, which held a knife, canteen, ammo pouches, flint and steel, a couple of hard crackers of some sort, and a tomahawk looking edged weapon.
She handed his clothes to Preshea and said, “Put these on now, and then put your other clothes over them.” The naked man was on his back, he'd rolled over in his death throes, and Lila noticed his eyes were open. She picked up the AK-47 and said, “If any of you wish to join us, do it this minute or you'll never have another chance.”
No one replied, so she said, “Let's go and do it now. I have no idea when they change the guard, and this boy was out by the door for hours. I'll go first, then Phoebe, Zona, and finally, Preshea. Move for the rear of the lodge. We'll move away together once outside the lodge.”
Lila walked to the door, cracked it open and saw nothing. She then opened it wide and stepped out. She expected a scream or gunshot, but it remained silent. She moved to the side of the lodge, but stopped near the corner, where she could see the door.
Phoebe came next, but then as Zona was leaving she heard gunshots, and Zona fell screaming as bullets stitched her body. Preshea ran through the gunfire, but fell beside the lodge.
“Can you move?” Lila asked.
Slowly getting to her feet, Preshea said, “Yes, I've taken a bullet through my arm. Forget about Zona, she's dead.”
“It won't bleed much, not in this cold; now move. Follow me into the woods, and we have to move fast.”
Chapter 23
UNDER COVER OF THE SNOW STORM, the Cheyenne Mountain and Eagle warriors moved for the Snake village. All warriors were wanting to finally put a stop to the tribe's attacks. Traders told them the tribe was also one of the larger ones dealing in slaves, which they'd traded for guns. Amon and Mongoose decided it was time to end the reign of terror the tribe had established in the region.
All the warriors were wearing parkas made of cowhide, insulated with duck and goose down, sewn by hand by their mothers or wives. Mongoose led the whole group in prayer before the attack, and even Colonel was along for this raid. The rest of the village, with few men remaining now, were locked in the mountain, the solid steel door shut tightly and locked.
Amon and Ada were leading the Dog Soldiers, and so far they'd found no guards around the village. Strange there are no guards, but maybe the guns give them a false sense of security, Amon thought. Or, they're fair weather warriors.
Ada neared and whispered, “I just heard gunshots. Did you hear them?”
“I'm not sure, but why now? Hell, it's gotta be just a few hours before dawn. Wouldn't all of them be asleep?” He glanced down at the snow and frowned; it was already over four inches deep.
“I have no idea, just telling you what I heard.”
“Movement, right in front of us.” Amon said, and then dropped to one knee and slipped the safety off his rifle.
“I see it. Let them get closer, because we don't want any gunfire if it can be avoided.”
Lila's long red hair was spotted through the blowing snow and the blood on Preshea arm was clearly seen as they attempted to run in the downfall.
Preshea slowed and then stopped.
“What in the hell are you doing? We have to run!” Lila said.
“I feel weak and can run no more. Leave me and go on. I don't want to hold all of you back because of me.”
Amon heard parts of the conversation and thought, Females, and they're running from the Snake village, so they must be slaves.
“Stop!” Ada said.
“We are friends.” Amon added.
“How do we know your words are true?” Lila asked.
“You don't, but we're on our way to attack the Snake people. We're a mixed group of Cheyenne Mountain People and Eagle People. Who are you?”
“We are of the Southern Mountain People, taken as slaves by the Snakes. We escaped from them just a few minutes ago.”
“Sergeant Dooley?” Amon asked, as he turned and looked for the man.
“Yes, sir?” Dooley replied from behind a large pine.
“Come to me.”
When Dooley arrived, Amon asked, “Do you know of the Southern Mountain People?”
“Sure, allies of ours. Why?”
“The women in front of us claim they are of the tribe and escaped the Snakes.”
Dooley asked, “What are your names?”
“I am called Lila, the other two are Phoebe and Preshea. Are you Sergeant Dooley?”
“I've been called that or just Dooley.” he replied and then turning to Amon he added, “I know Lila and Phoebe, so it's likely they're telling the truth. I know these two are safe, and I suspect strongly the other one is as well.”
“Lila, I want you to return with Sergeant Dooley to the main group, because we are scouts. Once there, you'll be given warm clothing and your injuries will be cared for, okay?”
“Oh, thank God. Yes, yes, we'll go with him.” Lila said, and then gave a silent prayer.
“Come, ladies, and we'll see
to your needs.” Dooley said with a big smile.
“Sergeant?” Amon asked.
“Yes, sir?”
“Drop them off and then return as quickly as possible. When we strike the village, we'll need every man we have.”
“Will do, sir.”
As a false dawn was forming off to the east, Masheck was screaming and yelling in the middle of the village about the dead guard, a dead prisoner, and the escapees. He was ready to start shooting warriors, but knew killing would be unwise, so he vented his anger by shouting. I'm short of warriors as it is, and that dumb ass goes into the slave lodge hoping to get warmed by a woman. Well, by God, he got warm and dead, too. Don't these young men have any sense these days? he thought as he yelled about the dead man.
Luther appeared and said, “Our number of female slaves is short four, so counting the dead one by the door, that means three escaped.”
“Well, aren't you the mathematical genius? Can your ass add, too?”
Zedock had been quietly allowing Masheck to vent, but now he said, “Fighting among ourselves will not bring the women back. It's very likely they'll all freeze to death in this cold.”
Masheck had been so angry, he'd forgotten about the storm, and now he smiled.
“So, no one really escaped to freedom. They'll be dead by daylight.”
“Well,” said Masheck, “There will be no reason to look for them, because their tracks and bodies will be covered with snow. But, from now on, no guard is to enter the slave quarters under penalty of death. It's just plain stupid for them to want a woman when there are more than enough around for them to take.”
“What of the older woman with the red hair?” Zedock asked.
Luther replied, “From what we learned, she was the brains behind the escape and it was her idea. They used a young girl to lure the man in, then the older one beat him to death with a log. She's one of those missing.”
Well, thought Zedock, she's intelligent as well as beautiful. That's a rare combination these days. I think she would have made me the perfect mate, but she's vulture bait by now, or soon will be.
Eagle People Page 23
