by Joe Zeigler
“Hello,” he said, greeting them with a bow.
“Hello, Akule,” Micaela and Eijá replied. Ederra remained silent with a disapproving look.
“May I speak with Ohad?” he asked.
“Ohad is gone,” Micaela replied, “run away with what treasure he had left after his flint investment loss.”
“That is unfortunate,” Akule said. “I have heard a rumor to that effect and came by to learn the truth.”
“And now you have. Ohad is gone. Is there anything else we can do for you?” Ederra asked, steeling herself for the answer.
“As I am sure you know,” Akule continued, “my fellows and I have made an arrangement with Ohad.”
“What arrangement?” Micaela asked.
“We, the elders, agreed at Ohad’s bequest to breed you three girls as a service to you and to your clan.” Akule calculated they were not aware of the details so he would try claiming that the arrangement was for the three of them.
“You are lying!” Micaela exclaimed. “Ederra and I were victims of the Breeding. We don’t need you old bastards to rape us again.”
“And I,” Eijá said, “have had enough, too!”
What is happening here? Akule wondered anxiously. These females, girls, calling him a liar. He would have them whipped!
“You!” he rasped. “You have forgotten your place. You should be grateful that we are willing to breed you. Yes, grateful! You have forgotten yourselves and your obligations!”
“I know my place is not under your naked, sweating body,” Eijá said. “You may forget that.”
“But,” he sputtered, “it is arranged. I have delivered payment to Ohad. There is a contract that you must honor.”
“Which is it?” Micaela snarled, shocking Ederra and Eijá, who had never known Micaela to be anything but a sweet young girl. “Are you claiming you are doing a service to our clan and us by breeding us or are you saying our bodies have been bought and paid for? Which is it?”
“Let me explain,” Akule whined, now totally on the defensive before these three young girls. “It is both but mostly for your good and the good of the People. But Ohad insisted on being paid for his effort to organize this small Breeding to gain your agreement. So, for the benefit of the clan and for the future, we paid him.”
“In flint?”
“Yes, in flint, damn it! Now, are you three going to perform or not?”
“Not, you smarmy old bastard,” Micaela growled. “You go away, and if you or your debauched friends come near any of us again, I’ll cut it off!”
“You cannot speak to me this way,” Akule said, drawing himself up. “I will take this up with Danijel. He will see that you three keep your word!”
“You mean Ohad’s word,” Micaela replied. “And, yes, you do that. Tell Danijel your story, and good luck to you.”
With an angry look, Akule retreated with as much of his dignity as he could maintain.
“Do you think Danijel will support him?” Eijá asked.
“No, I don’t believe there is a chance of that,” Micaela replied. “Danijel just took Ixchel, who was bred, as his daughter. I think Danijel thinks of all of us as his daughters. He will not support further rapes.” She smiled at both of them. “We will be OK. Now, let’s get back to what we were doing before that evil old man interrupted.”
Micaela resumed her basket weaving, and Ederra started work on a new woven plate.
Meanwhile, Eijá hurried down to the river and started to gather reeds that met Micaela’s specifications.
“Hello, Eijá.”
“Hello…who are you?” she asked the handsome young man who approached.
“We have met, though you may not remember. My name is Gwuune. It was I who sent you up for the healing.”
“Oh, you are the one who saved me.”
“Well, there were two of us that found you, Cuidightheach and me. Anyone would have done the same.”
“That is not true…Not many would have known what to do.”
“So you know?” he asked, puzzled, as he did not recognize her as one of the Jah.
“I know nothing other than you saved my life, and I am grateful,” she answered and looked at him intently.
“What is your situation now?” he asked.
“I’m gathering reeds. What do you mean?” Seeing the embarrassed expression on his face and noting his blush, she was instantly sorry for what she had said while not understanding why she had upset him.
“I mean,” he stammered, “where are you living and what are you doing for food?” Which meant, of course, whom are you living with?
“Ah,” she responded, suddenly understanding. “Ohad has abandoned his dwelling, and Micaela has it now. She invited Ederra and me to live with her. I am gathering reeds for Micaela’s baskets, twelve of which she has already sold to the Traders. So I am doing well, though there’s no meat in the pot at the moment. We will be all right…great.” She smiled directly into his eyes.
“Ohad abandoned his place?” he asked, confused.
“Yes, he’s gone, for good, we think. He had some reversals and was pretty much run out of the city.”
“You do look hungry,” he observed. Moving closer, he reached out, placed his hand on the back of her neck, and pulled her to him, firmly pressing his lips to hers. Eijá responded by involuntarily inserting her tongue deep into his throat, and she almost gagged on the response. When she was finished, he released her with no further ado.
Lowering her head and looking to one side, she said, “Thank you.” Her knees were weak, barely holding her up.
“I will bring a couple of rabbits by your dwelling later, an evening meal for the three of you.”
Still not making eye contact, Eijá reluctantly responded, “Gwuune, thank you. But you must come join us for the meal also.”
“You will prepare food for me?” he asked, surprised.
“The three of us will cook food for all of us to eat,” she replied, picking her words carefully so as not to commit herself to more than she—and possibly he—wanted. Her relationship with him was confusing enough already, and she wasn’t sure how that had happened. Am I supposed to drop to my knees? I must be careful. I’m not ready for that—yet.
***
“So,” Micaela said, smiling, “exactly who have you invited for the evening meal?”
“Gwuune,” Eijá replied. “He is one of the scouts. I’ve heard he is Danijel’s best.”
“Is he tall and handsome?” Ederra asked.
“Yes, Eijá, is he handsome?” Ixchel asked, smiling. She had finished her chores for Liùsaidh and was sitting on the ground, visiting with the girls.
Blushing, Eijá replied, “No, it’s not like that. We were talking, and I mentioned that we have no meat in the house. He fed me and said he would bring two rabbits by for our meal tonight. I had no choice but to ask him to join us. I made it clear that it would be all of us preparing the meal for him. And for us, too,” she added quickly.
“He fed you!” the girls exclaimed in unison.
“Did you then take to knees?” Ederra asked, giggling.
“No, no…it wasn’t like that,” Eijá stammered. “He is just a nice man who saw I was hungry.”
“Ah, he is a man now, not a boy?” Micaela asked. “And how did you happen to meet this man?”
“I’ve just seen him around camp. He is of the River Canyon people. He saw me gathering reeds and stopped to ask about them,” Eijá lied, not ready to reveal her shameful experience to the other girls.
I don’t understand why this happened, Eijá thought. I come from a good family—my mother and father are still together. They taught me the ways and how to behave. My parents taught me to look down on girls who have been had before mating or the Breeding. Now I’m one of them, soiled—and Gwuune knows. He is not going to want me. No man will.
“Are you pregnant?” Ixchel asked, getting to the point.
“I don’t think so…” Eijá replied. “Maybe.�
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“That could be a problem. You all know that I am, and it makes attracting a mate difficult.”
“Impossible,” Ederra whispered.
“Don’t worry. I visited the herb woman earlier and obtained some of the medicine that Ohad fed me. It will quickly end your problems,” Micaela stated with conviction.
“Ohad poisoned you?” Ixchel exclaimed, shocked. Then she thought about it for a second and realized that as shocked as she might be, she was not surprised Ohad would do such a thing. He was probably trying to sell Micaela again and needed her as a virgin.
“But you almost died. It was awful. All that blood,” Ixchel cried.
“The herb woman told me that Ohad purchased enough medicine to treat twenty women, and it sounded like he, never one for half measures, fed me all of it. She assured me that it requires but a small dose and the pregnancy is ended without all of what I went through.”
“Will anyone find out?” Ederra asked.
“Only if one of us tells,” Micaela replied, looking at the others as they all shook their heads. “So it would be a secret,” she concluded.
“I’ll do it,” Ederra murmured.
“And I,” Eijá said.
“Would it be all right if I spoke with Liùsaidh?” Ixchel asked.
“No,” Ederra cried, “already you are sharing the secret.”
“All right, all right, I will not ask her about that. I do want to ask her what she thinks of the Breeding. That will not give our secret away.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Ederra insisted. “It will be better if I talk to her.”
“So, when is your tall, handsome young man coming?” Micaela asked, ending the discussion.
Cleaning House
“Caddarak, come quickly,” Wenerdu called while running toward him across the camp.
“What is it?” he asked.
“A young girl is missing—Riannon, daughter of Diamanda. She went down to the river to wash and didn’t return. Her mother went to look for her and found only her garments, washed and laid on a rock to dry. Riannon was not there and did not answer when Diamanda called. A group of men set out to search for her and found her with Sgom and Yalk. They have her tied to a tree. Cadall and Daegtan have eight men surrounding them, but they are well armed with new obsidian-tipped weapons and refuse to yield.”
“Where are they?”
“Follow me,” Wenerdu said and set off in the direction of the river.
***
It had started when Sgom had approached the girl while she was bathing in the river and tried to talk to her despite her protestations.
“Leave me some privacy,” she had demanded. When he didn’t move, Riannon came out of the river, covering herself as best she could, turned her back on Sgom, and reached for her garments. She sensed Sgom close behind her and started to turn just as he hit her on the head with a rock. He whistled, and Yalk appeared. Between them, they carried her across the ford and about two hundred yards into the woods to a dry gully, where they had prepared a place to use her. They had just tied her into the position they had imagined, and talked about for weeks, and were about to fulfill their fantasies when Cadall and four of his men appeared on the edge of the gully, looking down on them. Glancing around, they saw another four men, led by Daegtan, on the opposite side. They were surrounded.
When Caddarak arrived, he saw the girl down in the gully, naked and suspended between two trees in what he could only think of as a compromising position.
Two equally naked men, whom Caddarak recognized as Sgom and Yalk, stood beside her in defensive positions. Sgom was threatening Daegtan and his men, holding a six-foot spear with a large obsidian tip in one hand and a knife in his other hand. Yalk faced Cadall and his men. Being taller than Sgom, he held a seven-foot spear on guard and carried an obsidian axe in his right hand. Obsidian axes were unusual, as they were extremely brittle and not suited for any work other than chopping flesh. As Caddarak knew, they were excellent at that. This could be a problem.
“Sgom,” Caddarak called, “what are you men doing down there?”
“We’re just having a little fun, Caddarak. No big deal. It’s been so long since we’ve been on a raid that we need some recreation.”
Caddarak glanced at the girl hung at what he realized was an accessible height and angle. He suspected that this was not the first time they had done this kind of thing.
“So, Sgom, have you had this kind of recreation before? Do you do it often?”
“Well, Caddarak, you know how it is…After a raid, a couple of young girls always run into the woods alone. Once things are under control, Yalk and I slip away and round one up for a go at it.” He smiled smugly. “But we never shirk our duty. We always do our jobs and make sure the enemy is under control before we set out. It’s harmless.” He glanced guiltily at the girl, bound and gagged, suspended in the air. She was fully conscious now and struggling against the ropes and hook, mindful of her situation.
Caddarak sighed and started climbing down into the gorge.
“Hey now!” Sgom protested. “What are you doing? Where do you think you are going?”
“Is something wrong?” Caddarak answered innocently. “I’m getting tired of shouting at you. I’m coming down to talk like men and work this out with you. You know you are going to have to turn Riannon loose. Raping the enemy’s women is one thing. Attacking one of ours is another thing altogether.” He laughed, as if in a good mood, and continued, “You are going to have to get your own. But first, give this one back or face the wrath of Diamanda, her mother.”
Sgom looked relieved, and the spear point wavered. But he also appeared puzzled. He had not thought it would be this easy. Though he wasn’t sure what he thought, other than that they had been caught. Perhaps it isn’t too serious an offense and is understood by the other men. After all, we are all men, with the same needs. “OK.” He leaned his spear against the tree, put the axe in his belt, and moved toward the girl with the intention of freeing her.
Caddarak was nervous about Sgom’s nearness to the girl. He might intend to use her as a hostage. But, no, he put down his weapons. It will be all right.
“Wait,” Yalk spoke for the first time and moved the point of his spear in Caddarak’s direction. “Sgom, don’t trust him! Caddarak stays up there. You can talk from up there.”
Caddarak, startled, began to say something but failed as he slipped on the steep slope and gave out a startled yell. He screamed as he slid headfirst down the embankment toward Yalk. Yalk lost a moment, as his first instinct was to catch Caddarak and save him, and his next was to leap out of the way. He accomplished neither. Caddarak slid between Yalk’s legs. Just as he slid under him, Caddarak rolled onto his back, and an eight-inch flint knife slid from his palm into his extended hand and gutted Yalk. After Caddarak had slipped past, Yalk stood, still and silent, dropped his weapons, and tried to push his intestines back into his body.
Caddarak twisted sideways, bent at the waist, and gained his footing as Sgom was reaching for his spear. Caddarak turned his side to Sgom, kicked him aside, and grabbed Sgom’s spear. He feinted to the opposite side. When Sgom followed, Caddarak buried the eight-inch knife blade in his throat. It was over.
Diamanda jumped off the embankment, landing on her feet halfway down, and ran the rest of the way, finally catching herself on a tree before hurrying to her daughter and starting to tear at her bonds. To free her before anyone else saw her like this.
“It’s over,” Caddarak said. “Get out of here and give the women some privacy. We’ll come back and bury the bodies later.”
“I’m going to stay and comfort the women,” Wenerdu said. “You were quick, as always.”
“Quick? No, I simply fell down the hill and bumped into them.” He smiled. Then, with a serious expression, he added, “I had heard rumors of such things happening to girls in the past. I worried but wished to believe the stories were not true, and if they were, it was not our people. This is a sad day.”
“Caddarak, you say the strangest things and are very different from the Prophet. We are the Chosen, the Raiders. We rape and pillage. It is what we do. I don’t know why you are so shocked and surprised. And,” she chided him, “it seems an overreaction to kill them.”
True, he thought, but all that may change.
“That is true,” he replied, “but that girl is one of ours. That is unacceptable. Honestly, I don’t think that kind of thing is acceptable at all. It seems a little beyond taking women from the enemy to make them wives.
“I wanted to make an example of these two. Without raids, such things could become ubiquitous if I didn’t deal with it promptly and make an example of the offenders.”
“I am sure you are right,” she replied, putting her arm around him. “The Sun shines, and there will be no more of that from those two.”
Girl Business
The evening meal had gone well, with Gwuune impressing the girls. Eijá could not take her eyes off him. He stopped by the riverside the next day to visit with her as she worked.
He seems nice, but he knows; he saw. Perhaps all he wants is some of what those Raiders took from me, she thought. But there has been no sign of that so far. No mention of that day. He seems nice, but why would he want a soiled creature like me? A tear escaped her eye but not his notice.
“What’s wrong, Eijá?” he asked, moving toward her. “Are you all right?”
She sobbed. “You know what’s wrong. Damn you!” She dropped the reeds she had been collecting and ran up the hill, through the city street to the Plaza and the safety of Micaela’s pueblo.
***
Having delivered the twelve baskets as promised, Micaela sat outside the prepared-food vendor with Gedeon, enjoying the noon meal and his company.
“I have already promised all twelve of those baskets, Micaela. They had sold before they arrived. How soon can you bring me more? I’ll take all that you can bring me.”
“I think I can bring you two a day, perhaps increase that later. Eijá is collecting the reeds for us, and Ederra and I are both weaving. We’ll see how many we can produce.”
