"Under siege by who?" Ni-T'o's voice was as calm as ever, but there was a low, ominous tone of outrage underneath it. Whoever these invaders were, they would most certainly pay.
"The men we saw were from several tribes and villages near the city, and once ruled by the city. They have gone renegade, and have taken some of the newly adopted villages from past times with them. The surviving Rattlesnake priests and their followers fled to them when they were banished, and convinced them that the leadership in the city has grown weak, and that now was their chance to rise up and conquer these new lands for themselves!"
"The Rattlesnakes!" Nate said, as if merely uttering the phrase left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. "No surprise there."
The crowd murmured, and all four of the great chiefs looked disgusted at the thought of their most hated foes finding power again. He who would have been their fifth great chief, F'vni, had been gruesomely murdered by the cruel Rattlesnake priests.
The Raven captain motioned for permission to speak, which Ni-T'o gladly granted. The esteemed old soldier rose. He was not wearing his usual warpaint and the scars of many battles were now visible, vivid, pale streaks across his deep bronze face and hands. With a polite bow to the gathering, he began.
"Although we defeated the Rattlesnake priests, and drove them from the city, their fangs sink deep, and have poisoned the hearts of many. They still have followers, particularly among the outlying villages, regrettably the home of no few savage-minded folk who relish the grisly entertainments these evil men provide. Many of these villagers have served as warriors for the city; they are fierce, and should not be underestimated." His warning given, he sat carefully back down. The man was probably stronger and fiercer than any in attendance, but the years were taking their toll.
The Raven Priestess remained silent, as was her way, usually allowing her close confidants to speak for her. She nodded her head in support of her captain's words.
T'cumu now stood, with a nod to Ni-T'o. The four great chiefs being equals, he was free to speak at any time, but still gave his elder cousin the courtesy. Ni-T'o nodded back and sat down, glad to take a rest. T'cumu turned to Hakáayu' U'ush, who still stood, waiting politely for further questions.
"Esteemed elder, Hakáayu' U'ush, please tell us how many men you saw in total. Also, we wish to know of those other types of people you saw among the invaders."
"Overall, I would say there were around four hundred men. As for the strangers, we saw them in the distance from our hiding place, but there were some who stood out. One must apologize to the great chiefs from distant times, but there were those among them who somewhat resembled you. Some had very pale complexions." he said, motioning toward Nate. "But there was one who was much darker, as if his skin had been burnt black by the sun. They all wore clothing of a strange cut. We can't be sure, but we believe they may be from the future people's village of Boomtown, who have recently sent emissaries to our city. Also among them was one who wore garments of metal, and bore weapons like yours, Sir," he said, motioning toward Gonzalo as politely as he could.
The Spaniard stood, his powerful swordsman's hands clenched in shame and rage.
"There would be no mistaking that one. A Spanish conquistador to be sure," Gonzalo growled. "So, one of those villains still draws breath and has not repented as I have done. It seems fitting, an adder finding common cause with the vipers. Perhaps my God will forgive some of the blood I shed when I rode with their legion of the damned, if I send this one to Hell for Him. Truth told, it would be a pleasure."
Nate rose, and reached over to clasp his upset friend on the shoulder in quiet support. Gonzalo still struggled mightily with the ghosts and demons of his past, but managed a wan smile and sank back down to the floor.
"Boomtown was settled by men who were once prisoners of Schullerville," Nate explained to the gathering. "That time was over a hundred years after my own, but I will tell you what I have learned of it. Schullerville was originally a fortified village where they kept men who committed crimes against their own people; thieves, cheats, and murderers. It was a prison, a place of no escape, where they were punished for their crimes by having their freedom taken away. I heard that the worst of these criminals killed each other off in some kind of a big fight after they arrived in this time, but still, these are men who were once kept apart from innocent folk, locked up in a place where they could do no further harm. Those of Schullerville who had been their keepers said that their remaining prisoners had served their time, and so were pardoned and set free, after which many went to found Boomtown. Even so, I wouldn't trust any of them, not one bit. Perhaps most of them truly have reformed, but there's always a few bad apples in the bunch bound to slip back into evil ways. These men will be particularly dangerous. I've met their ilk in my own time. They will be without honor."
Nate's skill in the tribal dialects had greatly improved over the months proceeding, but T'cumu took a moment to clarify a few of the concepts to make sure all in the gathering understood what their great chief had said. A murmur filled the room again, the sound of worry edging into fear for their besieged friends and relatives who had chosen not to follow them to the mesa's greater safety.
T'cumu raised his hands, motioning for calm.
"Please, there is, as yet, no need for such grave concern! Yes, the threat is great, and the enemy cunning, but not as cunning as our own Gonzalo and Nate, who have time and again taught us useful ways from the future, helping us all to survive in this dangerous world!”
Nate and Gonzalo shared a quiet glance with each other, a flush of red coming to their deeply tanned cheeks. They were both modest men who had come to their newfound high positions very much by accident. They could only hope the confidence their brave new friends had in them would continue to be justified.
T'cumu saw that glance, and knew his friends were embarrassed by the praise so often heaped upon them. He would have to discuss that with wise Ni-T'o when he next had a chance. Whether they were sure of it, or not, Nate and Gonzalo were in fact critical to everything they were trying to accomplish here, and he hoped that both men would come to accept, and thrive in their new roles as leaders of a new people. He gave his two brothers from other times and lands an encouraging smile and continued.
“These men, both experienced soldiers, knew that we might one day need to go to war, and heeding their wisdom we have prepared a force that is faster and more deadly than any other people in this time can muster! A cavalry of horses!" The last phrase was in English, but those gathered knew the foreign words well.
The murmur returned at the mention of these strange, new animals that had recently become so prized. Most wholeheartedly supported the cavalry, but there were some who distrusted the outlandish, perhaps even scandalous notion of men riding on the backs of beasts.
Ninak-Mkateewa, the self-proclaimed wise-man of the Mesa People, had been uncharacteristically quiet so far. He now took this inopportune moment to rise to his feet, uninvited of course, to motion for silence and address the gathering. Whether out of respect or curiosity, the people paused to listen. The great chiefs all sighed and rolled their eyes in unison. At times he could be amazingly helpful, but the cantankerous old meddler was always a caution.
"People of the Mesa and honored guests! It is true that our esteemed great chiefs hailing from distant times and lands have taught us much. They are indeed the dragonslayers, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their many contributions to our existence here in this unfathomably ancient and bizarre world we have been swept away to. But would it not be foolish to turn our backs on our own ways at such a difficult time as this? We have fought many battles in our times, and know well the ways of war. Now we are asked to send our best young men into the fray on the backs of these creatures, a tactic that is completely untested!"
T'cumu, who held a large portion of the responsibility for the training of their horses and horsemen, scowled mightily at the wizened little old man, and rose to speak out in a rig
hteous tone that hovered just above a rumble of thunder.
"'Untested' you say? Absolutely not! Our men have been riding their horses for months now, drilling with them daily in tests that simulate the battlefield. They are using techniques that rise from centuries of experience, brought to us by our brother chiefs Nate and Gonzalo, both of whom were trained as horsemen since childhood, both soldiers by profession in their former times! Would you question their tactics?"
"It is my duty to question men's words, young chief, sometimes even to question the words of the gods themselves!" The last was said with a glance at the Raven Priestess. It was quite plain that she noticed the implied challenge, and a frown appeared, a dark cloud forming on her radiant face.
"Horsemen, soldiers! So they say!" The old man continued, his voice taking on a shrill tone as the blood began to rise in him. "How should we know the truth of their tales from the future, we who have not ourselves lived in those distant times? All we know is that which they have told us! The world is filled with many tales of great deeds, some few of which are true!"
The Raven Priestess rose as far as her knees and affixed Ninak-Mkateewa, whose tone had now become quite rude, with a glare, a clear warning that this time he had gone too far. Her captain began to rise, scowling dangerously, but she stopped him with a slight brush of her lithe fingers on his arm.
T'cumu took two steps forward despite himself, looking as if he was about to pounce on the surly old fellow, just as his namesake, the bobcat, would an offending rodent.
Ni-T'o stepped between them, and brought his face in close to Ninak-Mkateewa's wrinkled visage, capturing his narrow, darkly glinting eyes in an unshakable, piercing gaze.
"The men you speak of in such unfair and disparaging tones are beyond question, even from you, ancient one! They have proven their worth and skill, over and over, before our very eyes, as you well know, as you have seen for yourself! If it was not for these men I fear for what might have become of us, we would most likely still be many tribes divided, cooped up in Stone Wall village watching the siege from within, and helpless to do anything about it! Now we are a force united, borne upon the backs of these powerful creatures, standing a head taller than any enemy, and moving ten times as fast! They will melt before us like snow in the spring's first rains!"
"Perhaps, perhaps! Still, it is too much to put all our trust in these men who so recently were strangers to us! How can we be sure they will be right this time? Can we believe all their claims? We have grown weak, and rely on them and their foreign ways too much!"
This caused a clamor to erupt in the room. Some might hold some reservations about the newfangled methods Nate and Gonzalo had brought to them, but very few doubted their integrity. They were revered as heroes, the dragonslayers in name and deeds, and rightly so. The much vaulted office of great chief was not bestowed lightly by these stout-hearted, canny people. Ninak-Mkateewa opened his mouth to speak again, but then seeing the sour, and even, perhaps, dangerous looks being cast his way from various quarters of the room, fell silent, glowering at all assembled with his deep-set, pitch-black eyes, perhaps beginning to realize that yes, maybe this time he had said too much.
The two great chiefs in question had watched in stunned silence as this all played out, dismayed at the sudden lack of faith displayed by the elderly wise-man who, despite his sometimes fractious ways, they had felt was an ally, if not a friend. Nate scratched his stubbled chin in consternation, and felt the soft, supportive touch of his wife upon his shoulder. For her part, she was otherwise busy regarding her fellow spiritual leader with a look that suggested a hawk trying to decide which end of the lizard to eat first. Nate placed his hand gently on her arm, quietly signaling to her that reason should prevail. He was trying to think of what he could say and was coming up blank. Somewhat to his surprise, Gonzalo cleared his throat and motioned that he would like to take the floor. Ni-T'o and T'cumu gladly welcomed him to do so, going so far as to pull him to his feet. Following a sweeping bow, he spread his hands out to the gathering, imploring them to hear his words.
"My esteemed friends and fellows, T'cumu and Ni-T'o have flattered us greatly. Yes, Nate and I have brought new ways to the many tribes that have joined together to become the Mesa People, things that the men and women we are descended from learned over long, hard centuries of war and suffering. So far yes, our suggestions have worked, but we by no means take sole credit for that. All our methods would have been useless if the people of the tribes were not as clever and courageous as you are! It is with your great creativity and craftsmanship that you took the ideas we brought from our own times, and not only implemented them, but improved on them, wielding the results with incredible skill! We never could have accomplished any of this without your wisdom and strength! Without you we would still just be two lonely strangers riding hopelessly through the unknown, beset by demons and dragons on all sides until we eventually succumbed to some inevitable and most certainly awful fate." Gonzalo paused to see that all eyes were held rapt upon him, the crowd scarcely even breathing. He gave them a grateful smile and continued.
"To our good fortune we found you, or rather, you found us, and brought us into your care! We are still alive only because of your good will, and we strive to share whatever we have to help all of us survive here in these godforsaken hells. We are all one tribe now, we are The Mesa People, and we do the most good when we work together as we have, bringing all our individual strengths to bear! We shall ride out to Stone Wall Village on our wonderful horses like a terrible wind from the heavens, the first cavalry this New New World has ever seen, and we will beat these craven invaders back down into the holes they crawled out from! They shall feel our righteous wrath as they fall beneath the thundering hooves of our bold mounts, and the deadly sting of the arrows and blades of our unstoppable warriors! We shall have victory, we, The Mesa People, united, mighty, and brave! Let us go forth together and triumph!"
Gonzalo, face flushed from the emotion he had poured into his impromptu speech, looked around to see his friends and fellow great chiefs, Nate, Ni-T'o and T'cumu, grinning broadly at him and clapping. They were soon joined by the Raven Priestess and her officers, then the room erupted into cheers, and the wild, hair-raising yodel of war-cries. Gonzalo noticed Ninak-Mkateewa melting away into the shadows, hopefully off to reconsider his opinions in the safety of his secret lair. No one paid the fellow any further notice, and the four friends, brothers in heart and soul, all independently came to the conclusion that the old malcontent's bid to drive them apart had only served to strengthen their bonds. Once the celebration died down, the work of planning their next move began, a process that went long into the night.
****
Nate's Cabin's front porch
Nathan Tucker and his wife, the Raven Priestess, stood with their arms crossed, glaring at each other in a test of wills.
"Look, I know you want to go, but it's just too damn dangerous," Nate told her, trying to remain calm despite his new bride's extreme stubbornness. He knew she was used to getting her way, but this time . . .
"I have proven myself in battle many times, Nathan Theseus Tucker, and before your very eyes! How can you doubt me?" Her voice was as even and cool as the calm before a looming storm.
"Of course you have, I ain't calling none of that into question! It's just that this time there's gonna be a whole bunch of bad men out there, and we are going into battle with a half-trained force, and I am one of the people responsible for them! I am going to have my hands full, and I don't know if I will be able to protect you!" It was quickly plain that this line of reasoning was only making things worse, as he could see a dangerous fire kindling in her bright, amber eyes.
"Ha! It will be I who will be protecting you, just like the last time!"
Nate sighed, and wiped the sweat from his brow with his ragged old handkerchief.
"Yes, you sure did save my butt from the big, bad bird, it's true. But fighting people and monsters is different."
; "Oh, is it? Then what of the battle with the Rattlesnake priests, in which I also saved your butt? I have slain man and beast, many times! Why don't you believe in me now?"
She was on the verge of getting really upset now, and Nate paused to take a deep breath. She was right of course, she was meaner than a razorback hog when she faced an enemy, and twice as fearless. Why was he so set against her joining the mission to liberate Stone Wall, anyway? He knew the answer deep down, and finally allowed himself to say it.
"I do believe in you. It's just that I'm scared to lose you. If anything happened to you out there, I don't know what I would do." His hands fell to his side in a gesture of hopelessness. He gazed at her there, leaning against the rail, dressed in a billowy, soft white blouse instead of the usual dark tones she preferred. She was a goddess of the night come to visit the day, and her beauty and grace moved him like no other woman had ever done. The thought of life without her almost made his heart stop, but he knew that she was a kind of wild thing and could not be caged, even if the bars were made of safety and love..
A smile came swiftly to her ever-enchanting face, and she reached out and took his hands.
"Of course! Now I understand, my love, and love you all the more for it. But, there is something that you must understand about me. To you I am your wife, and it seems that your people's customs are not that different from mine. Hvishi will not be joining Ni-T'o on the battlefield, she will stay home and tend the fire, and fear for him as she anxiously awaits his return. Was that not also so in the land of Texas?"
Nate managed a small smile, and nodded.
"Yes, it was so in Texas. Just so."
Grantville Gazette, Volume 71 Page 15
