by KM Fortune
“You certainly did,” said a man’s voice and Willow saw a few of the group had crested the ledge. The man who spoke pulled the scarf wrapped around his face down and grinned. “I really thought you were going to take on that beast all by yourself,” he said looking straight at Willow. Before Willow could answer, another person from the new group stepped forward. She pulled away her scarf and smiled at Willow.
“You wouldn’t be surprised if you knew her like I do,” the young woman said. “Willow is a warrior among warriors.” Willow suddenly realized she was looking into the face of an old friend from years ago. Someone she had never forgotten.
“Emilia,” Willow said as she stepped forward and held out her hands in greeting. “I cannot thank you enough.”
The other woman smiled and accepted Willow’s embrace. The two hugged for a long moment and Willow was filled with a surprisingly strong sense of relief and nostalgia. After another minute, Emilia stepped back and looked into Willow’s face. “I’ve wanted to repay you for a long time. It makes me happy to do it at last,” she said. Willow bowed her head in acknowledgement.
“So you have. Honestly, I was worried you might have forgotten or your clan’s chief might not listen to you,” Willow said and was surprised when the man who first spoke laughed.
“Oh, there was no problem there,” he said. Willow shook her head confused.
“I don’t understand,” she said as she saw Emilia shoot the other man a look softened by a hint of playfulness.
“Don’t listen to him. He is making a joke,” she said and then became more serious. “I’m the one who decided we would come to your aid, Willow. I’m the clan chief.” Willow did not know what to say. The Emilia she once knew was a scared little girl clutching a doll. Before she could think of a way to respond, the long howl of a wolf sounded through the dark.
“I believe it is time to go,” the man with Emilia said, no longer smiling.
“You’re right. The night belongs to the wolves,” Emilia said as she turned and called to her party. “Regroup! I want our new friends in the middle of the line until we get back to the sleds at the lake.” She looked back at Willow. “I am offering your party refuge for as long as you and your people want it,” she said. “Are you ready?”
Willow nodded. She was ready indeed.
BOOK 6 – REVELATION
CHAPTER 1
As the morning sun rose against the gray sky, Raven walked along the railroad tracks. She was careful to watch her footing as the thin layer of snow on the ground covered the wooden ties. Turning an ankle would be easy. Only the occasional metal of a rail showed through in places. Most of the pieces were missing, no doubt scavenged long ago. Raven imagined steel was a precious commodity in this new future she found herself in. In fact, she was realizing anything from the time before the world fell apart, and the wars took over, was precious.
In front of Raven walked the tiny, young woman Kit. Four feet tall and lean, she seemed to have no problem walking the precarious path between the rails. Her steps were light and dexterous. Raven was a little envious. Her friend’s lifetime of experience growing up on the wasteland gave her skills Raven knew she would never acquire. Am I actually thinking that? she thought. I don't have those skills because I lived in a time where everything was easy. My greatest struggle was trying to drive home from work during rush hour on a congested freeway. The memory made her pause her steps. She had not remembered driving in traffic until just now. Memories of the time before she was frozen were few, but she had noticed things were starting to come back more often. Raven was sure now that she was once a school teacher of elementary students. She had lived in Los Angeles but originally grew up elsewhere. The elsewhere was a hole in her memories still, but at last, she was confident the details would return with time.
Steps sounded behind her, and she turned. "No stopping," Hector the cat mutant said.
“Sorry,” Raven apologized even though his tone irked her a little. “I was just remembering something.”
“Well remember it later. We still have at least a day and half of walking before we get there and I am in a hurry,” Hector said.
“After two days of this, I know already,” Raven said. “You don’t have to be rude about it.”
Hector huffed out a breath. "Fine. But can you walk a little faster? Pretty please?" he said. Raven shook her head at his mocking tone but started walking again.
"I would be more motivated if you explained where we are going and what the plan is," she said to him. Hector did not answer. His lack of sharing information was getting on her nerves. He clearly had a destination in mind. All he would say was they needed to stick to the railroad tracks. It also did not help that he was clearly expecting something spectacular from her when they arrived and she was pretty sure she would disappoint him. When he did mention anything about their situation, he continued to allude to her being a witch and how it would help his situation. So far Raven let him believe it, but she knew eventually it would all come out. Considering Hector's temper, Raven knew the end result would not be a good one.
Willow opened her eyes and realized for the first time in days, she was really, truly warm. Wrapped in a bed of soft furs, she was more comfortable than she imagined possible. The urge to go back to sleep was strong, but she fought it and turned her head to look around. The space was dim, with only a single candle shedding any light. It was disorienting. Willow remembered riding on a sled over the lake after the rescuers came and saved them from the wolves’ attack. She could recall clearly the moment she knew they were going to be okay after she saw the high walls of the clan’s camp. The rest was a blur of murky memories. All she could remember was being fed a bit of broth and Emilia’s voice repeating they would take care of her. “Eat and then rest, my friend,” Emilia had said. I must have dozed off, Willow thought. The warmth of the camp and the comfort of the food no doubt having overwhelmed her.
Swallowing, Willow realized she was thirsty, but when she glanced around her sleeping roll, there was nothing to drink. Time to get up, she thought and started to unravel herself from the thick blankets. At the sound of her movement, a blonde-haired woman peeked in through a flap at the entrance of the room. "Good. You're awake," she said and continued in carrying a tray. "I was about to wake you to eat again. This will be much easier." Willow looked at the stranger. She was surprisingly plump and matronly. It was something Willow had not seen for years. She had forgotten how different the people of the lake were from those Willow knew on the high desert prairie. Here there was ample food if you liked fish. The clan would chop holes in the ice on the lake and gather food with their lines and lures.
The idea of fish stew made Willow's mouth water, and she could already smell the pungent odor of the soup the woman carried in. Sitting up, she waited while the tray was set down. "My name is Liza," the woman said as she handed Willow a spoon. "And I understand your name is Willow. Yes?"
Willow nodded. “Yes,” she agreed taking what Liza offered and moving closer to the bowl. “Where are the others who were with me? Is everyone alright?”
Liza smiled. "They are all fine. Even the young woman with child," she replied. Willow felt relieved. The journey through the snow as they ran from the Patrols was grueling and, if not for the help of the soldier Matthew and his knowledge of the emergency outpost, they all would surely have died. Thinking of Matthew, Willow frowned and, after eating another bite of the hot food, she turned to Liza.
“What about the man with short hair? The one named Matthew?” Willow asked. Liza’s smile faded.
“Do you mean the soldier from the Patrols?” she asked. Willow felt uneasy at the woman’s change in tone. Although Willow was not sure about Matthew yet, she had not necessarily wanted him to come to harm.
“Yes,” Willow replied. “Is he alright too?” Liza gave a small nod.
“He lives,” she said. “But only because Emilia insisted the people wait until you were awake to explain why he was with you.” She gave
a derisive snort. “He insists he is a friend and not a threat. As I’m sure you can imagine, no one believes him.”
With his hands and feet tied, Matthew tried to get comfortable on the bare ground where he was being held captive. His stomach growled, and he was thirsty but already knew asking for anything was pointless. They provided him a bowl of fish stew once a day and nothing else. His only luxury was one thin blanket. It was miserable, but Matthew could not expect them to treat him any differently. He was a soldier from the Great Cave in their eyes and nothing more. An enemy to be hated. Although he was not sure, Matthew had guessed there was some delay in his being executed because of Willow. Only she would have any influence on the new people who gave them refuge. The connection Willow had with the young leader Emilia was not lost on him. Even though the rest of the night was a blur as they were rushed to the lake and driven to the walled camp in sleds, it was evident the primary reason aid was being provided was because of an unpaid debt.
It was not until they were all back at the walls and entering the camp that people began to realize he wore the black and gray uniform of the Patrols. Suddenly people were pointing sharp spears in his face, and there was a lot of shouting. All Matthew could do was raise his hands and repeat over and over he was not the enemy. Even when Dawn tried to defend him, her son Twig pulled her away and told the new people he thought they should kill Matthew immediately, before he tricked anyone else. In the end, Emilia, as the clan's chief, made the decision to hold him in a cell until Willow could be consulted. Unfortunately, Matthew quickly learned the woman had collapsed upon arrival at the gates. He would have to wait until she recovered and hope she would explain who he was and why he could be trusted. His life was in her hands, and he knew it.
There was a rattle of chain at the door of the cell and Matthew opened his eyes to look. A burly man, the one who brought him his portion of stew both days, was unlocking the gate. Matthew sat up but knew better than to speak. He had learned quickly, after the first quick backhand, his keeper was not interested in anything Matthew had to say. Trying to be patient, Matthew was intrigued by the fact the man was not carrying any soup. Does this mean something has happened? he thought.
“Get up,” said the man.
Unable to stop himself, Matthew spoke up. “Is it Willow?” he asked. “Is she awake?”
“You mean the woman with the big scar? Yeah. She’s finally awake,” he said with a grin full of rotted teeth. “Now we finally get to figure out the best way to kill you.”
CHAPTER 2
Kit was bored. Following the railroad tracks was easy and there was nothing exciting to look at while they walked. The pace was excruciatingly slow as well. Her normal rhythm was almost always at a jog if not faster, but Hector the cat mutant had been very clear she was not to get too far ahead of them. Kit thought he was a bit of a bully yet she had made something of a promise to Raven to not cause trouble, so she stayed with the group. Only when she mimed the flight of a bird to make it clear there was game ahead did Hector agree to let her wander off and hunt for their dinner. For two days, this had been the routine.
What if I pretend there is something to hunt? Then I could at least look around a little, she thought. The area was relatively new to her. Even though she roamed far and wide as a scout for her clan, they were days from where her nomad tribe had normally camped, and there had never seemed much reason to come in this direction. From her experience, it was flat and barren. The occasional abandoned railroad car or engine was interesting but rarely yielded anything useful. The fact Hector was so determined to walk this direction led Kit to believe she might have missed something. All the more reason to go explore. Deciding to try out her idea, she stopped and waited for Raven and Hector to catch up. When they drew close, she acted like a rabbit and pointed off to the left. Hector grunted.
“Why don’t you just talk like a normal person?” he asked. Before Kit could respond with a flip of her finger, Raven jumped to her defense.
“Stop,” she said. “Sometimes people simply cannot talk. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong.”
“If you say so,” Hector said. “She’s weird if you ask me.”
“And you’re normal? A cat mutant?” Raven said. Kit chuckled. She has a good point, she thought, although Kit believed that it was strange Raven did not know more about mutants. Everyone knew there were mutants. Yet when Hector asked Raven about it just last night, Raven explained mutants were only in movies and books in her world. The statement only seemed to make Hector mad. Kit found it all so confusing.
After listening to Raven and Hector arguing for another minute, Kit started to back away. When they noticed she was leaving, Hector growled. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.
Kit shrugged. She was confident after watching the two of them just now that Hector would not hurt Raven. They seemed to have come to some sort of strange understanding. Like friends but with a lot of bickering. “She’s going to find us some food,” Raven said. “You should be thankful and not so negative,” Hector shook his head.
“Fine,” he said. Before he could change his mind, Kit turned and ran ahead toward the hills in the distance.
Blaze reclined against a giant log and took in the heat put off from the large fire pit in the center of the great room. Still taking it all in, he was continually impressed with this clan's shelter. The people lived all together in a lodge made of hewn logs and with a roof made of shingles. It was weatherproofed with fish oil and large enough everyone who lived there was given space to call their own. Even compared to the warehouse where Blaze and his clan recently lived, it was big. When Blaze asked who made it, people would explain it was created by the elders of long ago. Their people had lived there for generations. Only the wall built around the camp was newer. It was created years ago when the Patrols began to hunt the people with such determination in both the mountains and on the plains.
It was because of the wall the people of the lake were able to remain in place. The clan's chief, in his great wisdom, decided to build the twenty-foot high barrier as soon as there was word from traders that the men from the Great Cave were coming out with the clear intention of killing any humans they found. The foresight saved the lives of dozens of people who lived behind the great walls. When the Patrols had come, they flung themselves against the barrier and fired their weapons at the logs, but in the end, they could not get in. Even when they tried fire, the snow and cold rendered the flames ineffective. At last, the soldiers went away but had always remained a threat as groups of them came from time to time and captured or killed anyone they could find out on the lake. People in the clan sadly recounted to Blaze it was a raid on the lake which murdered their wise chief just six months before. Emilia had taken his place at the bidding of the people, and everyone loved her although there was some grumbling about the slow execution of the enemy soldier from the Patrols who came in with Blaze's group. Rumor was the man would prove to be the clan’s revenge for the death of their beloved leader.
Blaze was not sure how he felt about their talk of torture. Although he did not like Matthew, he did not necessarily want the man to die. He only wanted him to go away and leave his people alone. The fact the man spared Blaze's life once and used his knowledge of the area to find them all shelter just a few days before also troubled his conscience. Still, Blaze knew better than to try and interfere. The decision would be up to Emilia as the clan's chief. Only Willow might be able to sway her. Thankfully, his friend was up and around at last. He would never admit it to her, but he had been worried. Willow was always the strongest among them, and her leadership had carried his clan through many hardships over the years. Perhaps now her leadership will prevail again, he thought. For Matthew’s sake, he hoped so.
When Willow emerged from the tent of animal skins where she had been kept while she recovered, the size of the great room surprised her. It was even bigger than she remembered. There are also more people, Willow thought as she looked and saw Emilia was
waiting for her. The young woman smiled and approached with her arms open. Willow walked to her, and they embraced in a long hug. Pulling back, Emilia nodded at Willow. "You look a hundred times better," Emilia said. "We were all a little worried."
Willow sighed. “I was a little worried myself,” she said. “Thank you for taking care of me. Your people are very gracious.”
Emilia shrugged. “They respect you as the leader of your group. Not to mention the debt we owed you,” she said.
“Well it is repaid tenfold,” Willow said.
“Good enough,” Emilia said. “Now we can get down to the first order of business. Everyone here is eager to do something about the soldier you arrived with. Why in all the world were you traveling with one of the enemy?”
Willow shook her head. “He is not like the others,” she replied. “Where is he?”
“We have him tied up and confined,” a man standing near Emilia answered. “Until the nature of his execution can be decided.”
"Wait," Willow said with an increasing sense of unease. "What has he done to deserve to be killed?"
The man scoffed. “He wears the black and gray. It is all the reason we need,” he said. Willow looked at Emilia.
"He has done nothing but help save us. My group would not have survived without his aid. I admit I don't like his presence but can't we just send him away?" Willow asked. Emilia sighed.
