Norseman Chief

by Born, Jason

  My mind turned on what to do as I crawled onto the rocks on the other side of the ford. I may be able to run down the two Fish who dragged the girls, but the other was young. No matter how much better my warrior legs were at this point, his wind would last days longer than mine. My hand fell onto the spear once again, so I claimed it as my own and headed up the slope after them.

  The gear I carried bounced on my back so I tugged at the knot, letting it drop free behind me, lightening my load. Then gaining sense, I stopped and grabbed my bow and string, before continuing on. By the time I crested the ridge, panting, and sweating with my heart pounding into my throat, I heard them running along the top to my left. The path they were on seemed wider here, well used. The Fish village must be very close.

  After a mere ten paces, I caught sight of the man who dragged Makkito. The girl was likely frightened out of her mind and fled so that she nearly passed her captor. Seeing my quarry sent a burst of energy to my limbs and I closed on them more quickly than I thought possible. Clumsily, I switched the spear and un-strung bow between hands and without slowing, heaved the spear a short distance into the warrior’s back. He accelerated forward, still clutching Makkito’s leash and dragged her to the ground with him.

  I jumped over them both, locked eyes with the terrified girl and shouted, “Wait for me here.” She seemed confused behind her dirty, sweat-streaked face and so I shouted over my shoulder. “Makkito, I am your father’s brother, Enkoodabooaoo. You have nothing to fear. Wait for me there.”

  I did not have time to verify she obeyed, but plunged ahead over a broad rock and began to descend the other side of the ridge. I cursed again when I saw that in the valley below sat a large quiet village, smoke curling up from countless cooking fires. At the pace we all ran we would be there in short order. It was less than an English mile away.

  Refocusing on my task, I now saw that Alsoomse was over the shoulder of her captor. The coward with the bleeding scalp was several paces in front of them. I would never catch them before they reached their people. Another curse.

  In a fluid motion, I looped one end of the bow cord onto the notch at the end of the bow. I slammed that end into the ground and leaned all of my weight onto the stave so that the belly swelled like a woman who is ready to freshen. I looped the string on the second end, grabbed the first arrow my fingers fell upon and nocked it into place.

  My little Skjoldmo’s head bobbed in and out of my target area. I could not stop. I could not think. In a single heartbeat my eye focused, my mind focused, my breathing calmed. After offering several curses this very day, I then prayed mightily to the One God and let the cord snap.

  In what seemed an eternity, the arrow’s path rose only slightly before falling into the man’s ass. Both the warrior and Alsoomse plummeted to the ground. My daughter smacked the back of her head hard then skidded several feet off the path. I was already running toward them when I saw the man attempt to climb back to his knees.

  A kick to his ear from my boot sent him back to the ground as I passed them both. I could not bear to look at my daughter for fear of what I would see. I ran to drop the coward before he reached his people. My hands fiddled another arrow in place while my legs thundered beneath me. It was no use. With every step the fleeing man pulled further and further ahead. Soon he would raise the alarm of an entire people and I would be a single, exhausted old man with two girls trudging through the wilderness. I might as well begin torturing myself on the path.

  I padded to a stop, breathed in and out twice, and raised the bow. My muscles quivered while I drew the cord back, leveling the bow to aim. The arrow flew. It missed its mark – high. I calmed myself again. My eyes blinked, squinting tightly to shoo away the stinging sweat that burned them so. Another arrow found its place on the cord and bow’s belly. The man grew smaller and smaller as he receded into the trees. This would be my last chance. My right hand came back to my mouth, then my cheek, then my ear as I strained against the power held within the bow. I felt that the bow called out at that moment. The bow and I were one, a single instrument of death and mayhem.

  The fingers of my right hand straightened, the cord skipped away, tearing at the elbow and forearm of my left arm as it always did. This time I felt no pain as the motion and scraping were nothing but the most natural thing in the world at that moment. The arrow flew higher than I wished it would and my eyes collapsed in frustration, my shoulders sagged. All my effort was going to be for naught. I would be killed and my daughter and the daughter of Etleloo would be wives and slaves to Fish.

  But a piercing crack echoed through the forest just then. When my eyes popped open I saw that the coward was crumpling to the ground with only the arrow flighting protruding from the back of his skull.

  Time. I bought myself just a little time.

  . . .

  I ran back to the Fish warrior I had shot in the back side. He was groggily coming to his senses. As he saw me walking toward him, the man felt in his belt, retrieving a short bone knife. With the arrow still protruding from his ass, he hopped onto one leg to defend himself. I had neither the time nor energy for such nonsense as engaging the man in hand to hand combat so without hesitation I nocked, drew, and planted an arrow into his chest. The frightened look on his face disappeared to one of peace before his back hit the path’s floor.

  Alsoomse was still unconscious. Her breathing said she lived. The girl’s face had the distinct red imprint where a hand had smacked her sometime on the journey. I wanted more time to tend to her and the massive lump on the back of her head, but did not have such a luxury. The little creature soon found herself on my shoulder bouncing her way back to pick up Makkito. Skjoldmo’s arms swayed as I walked, brushing my back, as if she patted me in welcome. I told myself that I just needed a few more steps before I would break into a run again.

  My muscles were spent. There would be no running, especially with Alsoomse’s weight, even as small as it was. Makkito sat next to the path when I found her. She stared at the fallen soldier in front of her, her knees pulled up and held tightly with her forearms. The man’s blood darkened the path and she was transfixed by it. I was surprised to see that she too had blood on her legs and dress, but she must have been splattered by the Fish warrior when his blood spilled. The leash was still wrapped tightly around Makkito’s neck. Raw, red abrasions were painfully visible under the leash and even on her wrists. The girl was traumatized by the ordeal.

  We had no time for sorrow. I tried to speak with kindness, though I think my panting tone did not help. “Makkito.” The girl stared ahead, not looking at me. “Makkito!” Her face, blank like an afternoon summer sky, turned toward me. “Makkito, you are your father’s daughter. We have no time for weakness. Be as Etleloo would.”

  The mention of Etleloo seemed to awaken her somewhat. “Etleloo? Did my father send you?”

  I thought of my friend, but shoved the ideas deep into the bile of my belly before any emotion could show. “Yes. Etleloo sent me to retrieve you. Now he commands that you move with me now.”

  She nodded, though absent-mindedly. Makkito stirred and stood. I did not bother to remove the leash as I wanted nothing more than to place distance between us and the nearby Fish village. I figured the girl could remove it herself when her mind returned.

  We walked up to the ridge and then back down to the rushing stream, picking my pack up along the way. I carried the luggage and Alsoomse over to the other side, setting them next to the two fallen Fish men. One of them, the man whose shin I had hacked into with my sword yet lived. He was ashen with no strength and so I had no particular worry when I left to carry the confused Makkito across the ford.

  I set the girl on the rock that hid me only moments before next to the hobblebush. I pushed some food into her hand which she ate without thinking. Good, I thought. Then I turned to put the Fish warrior out of his misery. My saex blade slipped across his throat and that was his ending.

  As I wiped the blade clean, I decided I should confu
se the hunt for us as much as possible. Soon Pohomoosh arrows stuck out from both dead men. As much as I’ve never liked the practice, I then scalped each man, carefully tying the skin and hair bloody mess to my belt. The three men on the other side of the hill would have to remain as they were, for I was not about to go back.

  I lumbered up the slope to shoot the already dead man – the first I had killed after he shit in the corner of the rocks – with a Pohomoosh arrow and scalp him. With each step back down to the girls, I began to dream of curling up under that hobblebush and napping. My muscles felt wilted. They were too exhausted to scream.

  Alsoomse still slept. I set her across both shoulders like I carried a lambkin and tied her feet and hands together so my limbs were free. At first I was going to have Makkito carry my pack because she was older, likely thirteen, and strong, but her mind was incapable of understanding even the most basic task so I gave up and, like a pack horse, carried everything myself.

  And so began our long trek home.

  After we crested the first ridge from the river, I was certain I began to hear echoing calls behind us. The bodies of the young warriors nearest the village of the Fish were likely found. Soon the others would be located and shortly thereafter, a war party sent out to follow the tracks of a single man carrying a heavy load and a girl.

  We walked the way we had come, except now whenever we could cut across a shortcut of difficult terrain we did so. It was not long before darkness fell upon the land, but we dared not stop. The sky was clear so the land quickly lost its heat. My feet, soggy from the stream, became cold and I craved a fire. Still we marched.

  What plan did I have? None really, except to move constantly. I knew that my muscles were dead, but I also knew from experience that my body could be asked to perform extraordinary tasks and it would rise to the occasion. I was not so sure about Makkito. Yet she was one-half Etleloo and no doubt carried his fire for life somewhere behind her dark eyes. We walked in silence.

  Sometime just before the sun rose, we plopped down on a rotting log to eat and rest. I gently laid Alsoomse onto the ground with a soft portion of my pack supporting her head. She seemed to rest peacefully. I did worry for the girl, lest you think I was acting cold. But I knew that my wits were to be the only protection for our tiny band. I further knew that if Hurit were with me or if she ever found out that the girl was unconscious for many hours, I would never hear the end of her worry. A mother worries. This is a good thing, I suppose. We should all act in the manner that God intends of us.

  “So my father sent you?” asked Makkito, breaking the silence while we sat.

  “Yes, in a manner of speaking, he did.” The girl nodded while gnawing on some bit of food in the dim moonlight.

  “What did he do in another manner of speaking?” the intelligent girl prodded.

  I did not have time for games or lies. I looked at her directly. “Your father demanded that you be rescued from the Fish. In the end, the chief decided against it, but your father and I would not stand for it. Together we came to rescue you both.”

  “And yet he is not here. Where is he?” Makkito interrupted.

  “He is dead. The Mi’kmaq with whom we were recently at war commanded it.” She swallowed hard and looked less like a girl on the cusp of becoming a woman and more like a fragile little girl. Tears came, but she controlled herself in a manner that would have made her father proud. There was no need to tell her it was an arrow from my bow that killed the man.

  The silence resumed. We had tarried long enough and as I carefully set Alsoomse’s peaceful form across my shoulders, Makkito said, “There were three of us taken that day. You said you came to rescue us both, but there were three. Kimi, Chief Kesegowaase’s daughter was left in the Pohomoosh village.”

  “If it could be so, we would have rescued the girl. But it cannot be so. We will be eternally blessed by your Glooskap if he guides us out of this mess as it stands already.”

  She sighed, but stood. When I began to hike the pack up around my shoulders the girl caught it, stopping me. With a tough, firm smile she swung the heavy pack onto her own back and we marched.

  That girl was Etleloo’s daughter for she walked rapidly up and down hills all the next day without complaint or breaking. At times I even let her lead when the trail was such that making a directional mistake was nearly impossible.

  But despite our solid pace, I knew that with each step, the Fish gained on us. Their best warriors would be trailing us, making up three strides to our one. They would probably fall upon us in the coming night. This knowledge gave me no exceptional insight. I thought back to Leif and his ability to divine the future. He gained no insight from his foresight either.

  If I could get us to the Pohomoosh Mi’kmaq village safely there was a small chance that the chief there would honor his agreement and see that we were given safe passage across his lands. He would not fight his Fish cousins for us, but he may force them to wait to attack us in the land of Kesegowaase. Or, he may end up in battle with the Fish if the latter took note of the arrows littering their fallen men. By Hel! Or Luntook would kill us with a smile on his face.

  This line of thinking was worthless. None of it mattered. The Pohomoosh village was some days away. By then the Fish would have already swept us up like we were dust in the path of a wind storm. I would be killed. The girls would be killed. In the end I would have saved them from a kidnapping and given them over for murder.

  Night again fell. We walked. After a time we rested. While Alsoomse slept and Makkito ate, I quietly backtracked three or four hundred ells to find out just how close were our pursuers. I perched myself at the top of a slick stair-step slope, greased with green moss and trickling water, we had ascended some time earlier. The weather had been unseasonably dry since the last of the snow left, but these rocks were made precariously wet from a natural spring that oozed its way out of the hill’s side. My form would be hidden from anyone across or below as I crouched beneath a small butternut tree that grew in the shade of the nearby pines. The tree’s original seeds were likely set there in the droppings of some rodent.

  I soon became bored and felt my eyes close for a time. I do not know how long I slept, but when my eyes shot open at the sound of a man’s voice, the night was still as pitch around us. Down below in the ravine I counted at least twenty Fish warriors gathered in the soft moonlight to eat. They did not use a fire.

  One of the men said, “You two move ahead and scout for us. We must be gaining on this lone man and whoever this little person he has with him. We will follow-up shortly.”

  As good soldiers, the two in question stood and began moving toward the damp stone hillside. I backed out from under the tree and jogged back to where the girls lay.

  Makkito was fast asleep. Alsoomse was rummaging through my pack stuffing her mouth with anything that looked edible. When she laid eyes on me, the girl simply said, “Welcome back, father.” It was as if I returned to our mamateek in the village after a short hunt. She was calm and showed no sign of distress. I ran to her and hugged her close. You likely think it was foolish to be so careless when the Fish scouts would be here in moments. I did not care. I was driven by selfish emotion. I wanted to squeeze that little beast before they came and so I did.

  Much too soon she pushed me away saying, “Father, I need to return to my studies with Torleik. I like him much more than I like those wicked men I’ve been with the past several days.” I laughed. Too loud, I laughed at this precocious little creature. Makkito stirred then. I do not know if the scouts heard.

  “We will have two visitors in no time. They are from the people who took you, the Fish. You are not to worry. If you want to survive, you’ll do exactly as I tell you.” Alsoomse nodded obediently. Makkito returned to the frightful gaze she wore when I first rescued the girl. To her, I said, “Girl, you are nearly a woman. Act as an adult would act. Fear nothing. You are the daughter of one of the greatest warriors ever know among the Algonkin. Will you obey me completel
y?”

  With a quivering lip, she nodded. “Completely?” I asked again. “I mean do exactly as I say?”

  More certain now. “Yes.”

  “Good. You two sit here and visit. I am leaving you alone. Talk about whatever you wish, but talk so that you can be heard. Let the men who come from the Fish approach you. Do not flee. Though I leave you, you will be completely safe.” I took no time to see that they understood. I ran ahead away from the Fish.

  But, of course, I circled back so that I crouched just ten steps from the fallen tree where the girls sat. The two Fish scouts could not help but take the bait I set for them. They stood talking to the girls, unaware that their deaths were moments away.

  “Who are you?” one of them asked.

  “We are the people of Kesegowaase,” answered an amazingly confident Alsoomse. Makkito nodded.

  “So you were taken by our men, dragged here then rescued? Where is the man who took you back? Before we confronted you we heard the older one currently without a tongue say that she couldn’t believe the man abandoned you,” said the other pointing at Makkito.

  “We were rescued by my father. He is a big man with grey hair, but my mother tells me it used to be yellow like the color of grass in the fall. He carries a blade that cuts men in half with one stroke.”

  Both men chuckled at her bravado. One of them even elbowed the other in the ribs. “Ha, my father has flaming red hair and shoots fire from his mouth.” They giggled at the joke.

  Alsoomse, as earnest as ever, said, “That is wonderful. My father tells me that my grandfather had red hair too. I don’t know about the fire breathing, though.”

  The Fish tired of her now. “Yet this amazing warrior of yours left you alone rather than face the Fish. I believe we’ll just wait here until the rest of our men arrive. Some of them can take you back to our village, while the rest of us hunt down this cowardly father of yours.” Then one of them saw my pack. “I wonder if they have anything good to eat.”