by Inmon, Shawn
Lost in Kragdon-ah
An Alex Hawk Time Travel Adventure
Copyright 2020 Shawn Inmon
Original Artwork Copyright 2020 by Jerry Weible
All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
A Note for Readers
Chapter One | Alex’s Oath
Chapter Two | A Journey of a Thousand Miles | Begins with a Single Step
Chapter Three | The First Mighty River
Chapter Four | Into the Kranda-ah
Chapter Five | The Jump
Chapter Six | Into the Kranda-ah Redux
Chapter Seven | The Boar
Chapter Eight | An Offer of Freedom
Chapter Nine | Fight to the Death
Chapter Ten | East
Chapter Eleven | Another Traveler, Another Door
Chapter Twelve | Tonton-ah
Chapter Thirteen | The Battle of Tonton-ah
Chapter Fourteen | Lusta-ah Revealed
Chapter Fifteen | Otkan
Chapter Sixteen | The Ancient One
Chapter Seventeen | A Whirling Dervish
Chapter Eighteen | A Fork in the Road
Chapter Nineteen | Dandra-ta
Chapter Twenty | The Hunt
Chapter Twenty-One | A Race Against Time
Chapter Twenty-Two | Another Decision
Chapter Twenty-Three | Hakun-ah
Chapter Twenty-Four | Hakun-ah Redux
Chapter Twenty-Five | Spring
Chapter Twenty-Six | East Redux
Chapter Twenty-Seven | Versa-eh
Ambush
Chapter Twenty-Nine | Arrival
Chapter Thirty | Grinta-ah
Chapter Thirty-One | Okrent-ah
Chapter Thirty-Two | Shipwrecked
Chapter Thirty-Three | The Uncharted Island
Chapter Thirty-Four | Rescue
Chapter Thirty-Five | Harta-ak
Chapter Thirty-Six | Possible Answers
Chapter Thirty-Seven | Before the Rescue
Chapter Thirty-Eight | Lasta-ah
Chapter Thirty-Nine | The Battle of Lanta-ah
Chapter Forty | Draka-ak
Chapter Forty-One | The Escape
Chapter Forty-Two | Werda-ak
Chapter Forty-Three | The World Still Spins
Chapter Forty-Four | Numb
Chapter Forty-Five | The Journey Home
Chapter Forty-Six | Across the Plains, to Home
The Alex Hawk Time Travel Adventure | concludes in | Return from Kragdon-ah | Available September 2020
Author’s Note
Glossary
The Middle Falls Time Travel Series
A Note for Readers
This trilogy is set many centuries in the future. That means that all spoken languages would be unrecognizable to those of us in the twenty-first century. Names, especially, can be difficult when they are so unfamiliar. To make this easier, I have created a glossary of names, places, and words that might be strange and difficult to retain. I have done my best to identify each of these in context when they are first used, but if you ever need to check on something, the glossary is in the very back of the book and accessible through the Table of Contents.
Chapter One
Alex’s Oath
Alex Hawk was stunned.
A few hours earlier, he had been planning his return to his own time. To Amy, his daughter.
Now, Ganku-eh, chieftain of the Winten-ah, was asking him to stay. To chase after a small army of invaders who had a two-week head start.
How many impossible feats do I need to complete before I can make up for one impetuous act of stepping through that damn door?
Ganku-eh, a woman and leader who was not much used to repeating herself, did exactly that.
“I don’t want to ask you, Manta-ak,” she said, using Alex’s Winten-ah name. “You have done everything we asked of you, and we agreed that we would help you to return to your own home.” She leaned forward, her voice softening. “And we will. But first, I claim the oath you gave my husband. So many of our best have been killed. There is no one else I can ask to do this. You must save Lanta-eh.”
She spoke in the language of the Winten-ah, but after four years living with the tribe, Alex spoke it as naturally as he did English. Understanding the language did not make what she asked of him any easier.
Alex noted that she did not apologize, did not say ‘I’m sorry to have to ask this—’ Those kinds of social niceties did not exist in this world. He knew and respected Ganku-eh and understood why she was asking.
Still.
He had longed for his daughter—to watch her grow, to let her know he had not abandoned her—for four long years.
How long will it take me to track them down? How much longer will Amy think I have abandoned her?
Alex walked to the edge of the cave. Below, the tribe was welcoming back the surviving warriors, and integrating the former members of the Denta-ah who were now Winten-ah. It had been the way of the world in Kragdon-ah for as long as anyone could recall—the vanquished became part of the victors.
Alex pictured the battle that had taken place in the open field below. The children, happy to be let out of the caves, laughing, and playing
Did the warriors hide in the forest until the children were allowed out so they could use them to draw out the meager defensive force that had been left behind? If so, that spoke not just of a ruthlessness of purpose, but strong strategic thinking. They would be difficult to track and perhaps more difficult to kill.
In his mind, Alex saw the overwhelming force of the invaders not only attacking the children, but holding them as hostages to draw the defenses out. And finally, the battle, which was not a battle at all, but a massacre.
Alex could see Ganku-eh’s husband, Banda-ak, throwing himself at the superior force, knowing he was going to die, that all those he led would die, doing so only to buy those in the cliffs a few precious moments to prepare. But it was for naught.
The invaders had taken what they wanted and fled. The Winten-ah were so damaged, there had been no one to send after them.
Until Alex returned.
Monda-ak, his huge dog who was always in tune with Alex’s mood, moved beside him, nestling his massive head under Alex’s arm, and whining slightly. That brought Alex back from whatever faraway place in his mind or memory he had been.
Does any of that matter? I gave my word. That’s the end of it.
Alex turned to Ganku-eh. “I can’t do it alone. I won’t survive. Can Sekun-ak come with me?”
“Yes.” Sekun-ak said without hesitation. “We can go together.”
“No,” Ganku-eh answered. “He cannot.”
Sekun-ak turned, surprise written across his face. He would never defy her, or even openly question her decision, but he was shocked that she would not allow him to go.
Ganku-eh fixed him with a steady look. “I knew before you volunteered that you would want to go, but I cannot allow it.”
Sekun-ak bowed his head, accepting.
“I have made all decisions of importance for the tribe for so long. I never hesitated. But now, sending our best off to Denta-ah, no matter how pure my reasons, has resulted in disaster for us all. Many of our warriors are dead. Our children are almost all dead. My husband is dead. If the intruders had come when we were at full strength, we would have fought them off and Lanta-eh would still be with us. I have failed the tribe.”
Alex opened his mouth to speak, but Ganku-eh waved her hand, silencing him.
&nbs
p; “I can no longer be the leader of Winten-ah. Sekun-ak, I will put you forth as our new leader.”
Sekun-ak’s head shot up and surprise lit his eyes.
He had been the tribe’s greatest hunter and had sat in on every major decision the tribe had made for many solstices, but he had believed Ganku-eh would be the chieftain until she grew too old and feeble to do so.
Alex took a step toward the fire and looked at Ganku-eh more closely. In the short time he was away with the army, new lines had appeared at the corners of her mouth and eyes. Her hair had been jet black a few months before, and now it showed the first streaks of gray.
She is mourning. Of course she is. She has lost almost everything and can’t carry the burden of leadership any more.
Alex looked at Sekun-ak and saw grief on his face as well. He laid his hand on both Sekun-ak and Ganku-eh’s shoulders.
They were all silent for long beats before Alex said, “Who should it be, then? Who can help me find the kidnappers?”
Ganku-eh took a deep breath. “I have given this much consideration. On the day the attackers came, Werda-ak was out retrieving meat for us from his traps. He is almost a man and he has been trained to be a tracker from his first solstice forward. He is the best we have left. He should go with you.”
Alex considered. Werda-ak was the grandson of Doken-ak, who was the first friend he had made in Kragdon-ah. He was young, but Alex recognized the wisdom in Ganku-eh’s words. Not only could he track, but he had been trained in survival skills—fishing, edible plants, trapping—at his grandfather’s knee. Werda-ak’s father had been killed by a ronit-ta—a dire wolf—when the boy was still suckling at his mother’s breast. Doken-ak had been the only father figure he had ever known.
Alex lifted two fingers to his forehead, acknowledging the wisdom of the choice.
He paused for a moment, then said, “I would like to bring Senta-eh, as well. She was my best bow fighter in Denta-ah. She has shown she will keep her head when things go wrong.”
“Yes. She is a good choice,” Sekun-ak said. “But, that is not enough. You need more. Now that you have returned, we have plenty of well-trained men.”
Alex considered that, then remembered how slow it was to travel with an army. “No. I want to travel quickly. We have so much ground to make up. More people will only slow us down.”
“With only three people—” Sekun-ak started.
“—four, counting Monda-ak.”
“—all right, four. With only the four of you, how will you fight them when you find them?”
“I won’t know until I get there. I feel in my gut we’ll do better with just the three of us. I’ll leave in the morning.”
“Again, no,” Ganku-eh said. “You are still wounded. Stay for a few nights. Let Niten-eh make a poultice for your shoulder. Rest. Eat. Plan your approach with your group. They are two weeks ahead of you. Two more days won’t matter.”
Ganku-eh turned to Sekun-ak. “I will put your name forth in a meeting tonight. Will you accept?”
Sekun-ak’s eyes flitted to the smoky roof of the cave, then came to rest on Ganku-eh.
“It is not a burden I would have ever sought. You say you failed us, but that is the first false thing I have ever heard you say. I agreed with every choice you have made and I would have done the same. Still, you and Banda-ak have carried this weight for a long time. It is your right to relinquish it. If it is what you wish, I will accept.”
Alex watched the two of them, and felt like he could see a burden lift off Ganku-eh’s shoulders and settle on Sekun-ak’s.
He and Monda-ak descended to the lower level, where he found Senta-eh in the armory. As the leader of the archers, she had been outside the circle of greatest damage in the battles. Still, it was obvious she was worn down by the months of training, the long hikes to and from the battle and the responsibility of leading her squad.
Alex found her bent over a table, fashioning an arrowhead.
“Back to the short arrows, hmm?”
Senta-eh raised her head and gave him a tired smile. “Your longbows are perfect for making war. I hope we will never need them again.”
Alex stopped to consider that. Which would be better on the journey ahead—the longbow or her regular bow? The longbow had three times the range, but she hadn’t had enough practice with it to be accurate. She was deadly with her shorter bow.
“I need to ask you something,” Alex said.
“You want me to come with you when you go after those who took Lanta-eh?”
Alex laughed. “How did you know that already?”
Senta-eh raised her eyebrows. “There are no secrets in the cave wall. I probably knew before you reached the top of the cliffs. Is that what you want? It makes sense.”
“Yes. But I want to give you the choice. If you want to stay here instead, I understand. I thought maybe you were ready to start a family.”
Senta-eh’s eyes flashed. She lifted her right arm and flexed. Her muscles rippled. “I am no nursemaid. I am a warrior. I know we will need to make new children to make up for those we lost to the invaders, but I am more equipped for other tasks.”
“Good. Ganku-eh is forbidding me to leave for two days.”
“Niten-eh needs to heal you. Our road will be long and hard. You need to be strong. Is it just the three of us, then?” She nodded at both Alex and Monda-ak.
“No. I am going to ask Werda-ak to come with us.”
“The boy?” She was quiet for a long moment. “That is good. Doken-ak trained him well. The four of us will move quickly and he will help us find them. I may not be good at replacing the children we lost, but I will be exceptionally good at punishing those who took ours away.”
She turned her attention back to the arrowhead with a renewed sense of purpose.
Alex knew when he was dismissed. He and Monda-ak wandered out into the dusk of evening. Above him, a meeting of the tribe had been called, and even though it was still summer, both torches and fires were lit.
He saw a tall, lanky figure trotting in from the forest. Over his shoulder, a rope with four massive hares dangled. Their still, white bodies bounced against his back as he ran.
“Gunta, Werda-ak,” Alex said, raising his hand in salute.
“Gunta, Manta-ak,” he answered. Werda-ak glanced up at the largest communal cave and saw the fires. “Has a meeting been called?”
“Yes.” Alex considered telling him the news, but decided to let him find out for himself. “I’ve been tasked with finding the invaders who attacked us and bringing Lanta-eh home.”
“Reforming your army, then?”
Alex detected a small note of bitterness in his voice. He had volunteered for Alex’s army, but had been deemed too young.
Things change so quickly. A few months ago, he was too young to be one of four hundred soldiers. Now, we’re asking him to be part of a small force to carry out a mission the whole tribe is counting on.
“This army will be smaller. Me, Senta-eh, Monda-ak, and you, if you want to come.”
Alex watched the young man stand a little straighter, put his chest out a bit more.
“Your grandfather taught you many things that Senta-eh and I do not know. We will need to track them. We will need to find a way to feed ourselves on the journey.” Alex nodded at the hares. “They are weeks ahead of us, so it will likely be a long hunt.”
“When do we leave?”
“Two days. We’ll leave before dawn.”
“I will spend the days examining their trail, then.”
“You could rest,” Alex suggested.
Werda-ak looked at Alex. He was already the taller of the two of them. Where Alex was finely muscled, Werda-ak was whippet-thin.
“I don’t need to rest. I am not old. I can run around the world and never become tired.”
As if to prove his point, Werda-ak ran to the cliffside and up the trails and ladders without breaking his stride.
Alex looked at Monda-ak. “You and he will su
pply the energy, my friend. Let’s go see Niten-eh. She’ll get us fixed up before we need to leave.”
Alex spent the following days resting and being nursed back to something resembling full health by Niten-eh. She found early signs of infection coming into the shoulder wound Alex had suffered in the Battle of Denta-ah. That wasn’t a surprise to Alex or anyone, since Sekun-ak had forcefully shoved a bandage deep into the wound to stop the bleeding while they were still on the dirty and dusty battlefield.
Niten-eh, who had forgotten more about plants and herbs than anyone else in the tribe knew, made a paste, and turned that into a poultice. She must have sensed that her own time was drawing near, because she had a young woman with her now, and she instructed her in each step.
She dropped reddish brown leaves into a bowl, and ground at it with a small stone pestle. “When you first start,” she said to Antra-eh, her young apprentice, “you’re going to push too hard on the leaves. You’ll crush the life out of them. Instead, do it this way.” She moved the pestle against the leaves in a gentle clockwise motion. “When they start to break down a bit, just spit into it to help hold it together.” She did just that, leaning over and spitting into the bowl.
“I’d really rather not see behind the curtain in the sausage factory,” Alex murmured in English, knowing they couldn’t understand him.
The old woman and the young girl ignored him. When Niten-eh was happy with the consistency of the mixture, she slathered it on a thick bandage and applied it to the wound.
“You won’t be healed in just two days, but leave this on for a few days after you leave, and when you remove it, the infection will be gone.” Niten-eh packed more clean bandages and a variety of cure-all herbs into a small pouch. “Carry these with you, since I cannot accompany you.”
Alex looked at the withered woman, with her white hair and bent back.
“Too bad you’re not coming,” Alex teased. “I think you could keep up with us.”
Niten-eh narrowed her eyes at Alex. “You joke, but I would surprise you,” she said, poking Alex in the chest with a bony finger. She straightened up as best she could and wandered away, trailed by Antra-eh.
