Until Dawn

by Laura Taylor

  “So if you don’t not like them, why are you picking them out?” Dave asked her. Sky was twenty-three, and Dave twenty-five, making him one of the prime candidates for her to choose as a husband. But unfortunately, his over-eagerness to get to know her seemed to have had the effect of making her wary around him, and she’d spent a fair bit of time trying to get to know other people instead.

  “They make everything else squishy,” Sky explained, licking her fingers. “All the juice comes out and makes the rest of the salad wet. I’ll eat them, just separately.”

  “Leave her alone,” Nicholas griped mildly from the next table. “I know you’re all grumpy about food going to waste, but there’s nothing wrong with someone not liking tomatoes. I’ve seen Sky eat dandelions, and half-rotten apples, and raw comfrey leaves, for that matter!” Comfrey was a leafy herb with a rich collection of vitamins and minerals, but the leaves were both bitter and furry, making the plant one of the tribe’s least favourite ‘emergency’ foods. “We have an abundance of basic food supplies. If we were starving, it would be a different story, but we’re not!”

  “I’ve just never seen anyone pick them out before,” Stick said. He was the one who’d started the conversation, fearless of accidently getting on the wrong side of one of the women, as he currently had no intention of getting married anyway. And it seemed he was perfectly happy to take advantage of that position to ask some of the awkward questions that the other men were too afraid to ask. There were rumours that certain men had actually offered him bribes to ask particularly thorny questions, though Stick had smoothly denied any knowledge of such ‘favours’. “They’re not even cut up, so they’re not leaking tomato juice on anything else. But if you don’t want them, can I have them?”

  Sky looked momentarily taken aback. “No. I’ll eat them,” she insisted again. “Just after I’ve eaten the rest of the salad.”

  “I think she’s just trying to be tactful about the fact that she doesn’t like your cooking,” Dave said jokingly to Mario, who’d prepared the midday meal. It was a fairly standard salad with boiled potatoes, and Mario had donated his ration of eggs to Sky for the day, frying them to round out the meal for her. But even with the ongoing flurry of gifts, she wasn’t likely to consider Mario as a potential husband. He was too old for her, but unfortunately for him, neither of the other two women had shown even the slightest interest in his attempts to court them, while Sky, at least, had taken the time to chat with him each time he’d cooked her a meal.

  The door to the main cabin opened and Aidan stuck his head in. He looked around, then sighed when he saw the group of men all gathered around Sky. It was a bloody miracle any work was getting done around here at the moment, and he couldn’t wait for the women to make their choices so the village could go back to normal.

  “Hawk! You got a minute?” he called, and Hawk nodded, excusing himself from the table.

  “Aw, no, we were having fun!” Sky complained, trying to hold onto Hawk’s hand, and he had to forcibly extract his wrist from her grip.

  “Sorry, Sky, but we’ve got a problem with the water pump. I need Hawk to take a look at it,” Aidan told her, the news finally convincing her to let go.

  “Okay. But I expect you to bring him back in one piece.” She blew a kiss to Hawk, then went back to discussing the merits of the various components of her salad with the other men.

  Outside, Aidan led Hawk down to the river. ‘What’s up with the pump?” Hawk asked. He’d been one of the men to help design it, and though it was effective, it was also fairly crude, making it prone to regular breakdowns.

  “Nothing,” Aidan said, not prevaricating about his intentions. “We just need to have a chat.” He stared out at the river flowing smoothly past the village, the water clear and cool. “It’s less than a week until the women are going to have to make a decision. And I’m sure you’ve realised there’s a very good chance Sky’s going to ask you to marry her. Have you thought about what you’ll say?”

  Hawk made a non-committal sound. “First of all, there’s no guarantee she’ll ask me, because she’s been eyeing off at least three other men at the same time,” he said, and this was something Aidan liked about him. Though he was young, he was exceptionally level-headed, and despite his own hopes and desires, he still managed to keep an eye on the bigger picture. “And secondly…” He hesitated, a pained look on his face. “…I don’t know. She’s… fussy. We had tomatoes at lunch. She insists she’s going to eat them, but refuses to leave them in the salad. And all the other stuff is the same; the washhouse is too draughty; the bread’s too hard; the cabin’s too dark and stuffy. I mean, for fuck’s sake, we cleaned out a whole cabin just for the three of them, and turfed five men into other lodges that are already too crowded -”

  “We’ll be building another two lodges over the winter,” Aidan interrupted, but Hawk brushed him off.

  “I’m not complaining about the space. My point is, we went to a lot of effort to try and make them comfortable, and she’s not being particularly grateful about any of it.”

  Aidan let the silence deepen for a moment. “Sounds like you’ve got your answer right there,” he said mildly.

  Hawk sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, I look at Stormbreaker, and… If he’d married Mei-Lien, would he have gotten over Rochelle? He’s been moody as a bull with a sore tooth lately and… I don’t know. It’s just never that simple.” He reached down and picked up a handful of pebbles, tossing them one by one into the river. The deep ‘plunk’ sound was soothing.

  “Do you know who the other two are going to choose?” Hawk asked at length.

  “I’m pretty sure Mist is set on Jamal,” Aidan said. “She gave up on River after she found out he attacked the other women. And they’ve been spending plenty of time together down in the sheep paddock, so I’d be very surprised if something didn’t come of it. Flame, I have no idea.”

  Hawk snorted at that. “I heard her say she was rather disappointed you were already taken,” he said slyly.

  “Bloody hell,” Aidan muttered. “Believe me, one woman is more than I can handle. There’s no way I need another one.”

  “She and Dusk have become good friends.”

  “They’re very alike. Headstrong, independent, courageous.”

  “The world needs more women like them.”

  “That it does.”

  Three days later, the tribe was gathered at the fire circle, waiting for the all-important announcement of which man each woman was going to choose as her husband. Tensions had been running high over the past few days, with more than a handful of arguments sprouting up over insignificant issues, and Aidan was profoundly grateful they’d managed to put a time limit on this chaos. Even so, the presence of the three new women had put a strain on their tribe, and Aidan had a feeling it would take a little while for everyone to get over the inevitable wounded pride that resulted from today’s decisions.

  Mist was up first. “I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that I’ve chosen Jamal,” she said, happy but bashful.

  “And Jamal?” Nicholas asked. “How do you answer?”

  “Yes,” Jamal said immediately, coming over to put his arm around Mist’s waist. “Nothing could make me happier.”

  The tribe cheered, a wedding ceremony and feast planned for the evening.

  “Sky?” Aidan prompted. “You’re up next. Which of these fine gentlemen would you like as your husband?”

  Sky looked around the crowd, enjoying the fact that all the attention was on her for the moment, and Aidan agreed with Hawk’s decision – she wasn’t the right one for him. He’d pulled Sky aside that morning to ask her what her decision was going to be, and when she’d said Hawk, he’d quietly advised her to choose someone else. Aside from the potential humiliation of being turned down in front of the tribe, it would also create ongoing issues and resentment, given that any other man she chose afterwards would know that he wasn’t her first choice. Sky’s disappointment had been obvious
, but it hadn’t taken her long to choose an alternative.

  “I was hoping,” she said coyly, “that Dave might consider me as a wife.”

  Dave’s jaw dropped. He immediately grabbed the end of his ponytail, wringing the life out of the poor thing in his surprise.

  “Me?” he asked, not quite able to believe it.

  “Yes, you. If you’ll have me.” A smile crept onto her face at his obvious delight.

  “Oh, golly gosh, yes I would.” The news was clearly a shock to him, and Aidan couldn’t blame him. Though he was a hard worker and easy to get along with socially, Dave was not particularly smooth with women. He’d put his foot in his mouth a number of times over the past few weeks, and Mist had quickly dismissed him as a joker lacking substance, while Flame hadn’t given him more than a passing glance. But his outgoing nature would fit in well with Sky’s talkativeness, and a few subtle hints had convinced her to reconsider the man, after her initial inclination to look elsewhere. Now, she smiled and skipped over to Dave’s side, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek.

  “Congratulations,” Aidan said as the tribe applauded, relieved that that part was over. “And finally, Flame. Would you like to tell us your choice?” Again, he’d checked in with her this morning, having had no idea who she might choose, but she’d replied that she hadn’t decided yet. To Aidan’s knowledge, she hadn’t been enamoured with anyone in particular, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if she simply decided to go back to her own tribe.

  “Hawk,” she said, cool and confident, looking directly at him. “How would you feel about having a wife?”

  Aidan wasn’t the only one who hadn’t seen that coming. There were a number of murmurs from the other men, while Hawk’s jaw dropped and he simply stared at her. She was nearly ten years older than him, decisive and self-assured, and for a moment, no one seemed to know what to make of her decision. But after the initial shock wore off, Aidan realised the offer was a huge compliment to Hawk. Flame was not the sort of woman who wanted a man she could walk all over. She wanted a partner who was her equal, as capable, as confident, and, similar to what Aidan had found with Dusk, who would challenge her to question her own beliefs and grow as a result of it.

  “I... wasn’t expecting this,” Hawk said, stalling for time.

  “Would you like to take some time to think about it?” Nicholas offered.

  “I’d like to speak to Aidan for a moment, if I could.”

  Nicholas nodded, and Flame graciously agreed, so he and Aidan headed away from the group, just out of earshot. “Is this crazy?” Hawk asked, keeping his voice low. “I mean, I like her, but she’s...”

  “A lot?” Aidan suggested, and Hawk nodded.

  “I’ve talked with her enough to think she’ll respect my opinion. She knows her own mind, but she hasn’t tried to walk on anyone else while she’s been here. I’m more worried that she’ll constantly have to be holding herself back. She seems like the sort of woman who enjoys a good argument now and then.”

  Aidan nodded, considering the situation carefully. “What I’ve got with Dusk isn’t easy,” he said eventually. “I’m not complaining, I’m certainly not saying I would want anyone else. But if I want to have an opinion, I have to be ready to back it up with hard facts and solid experience. She’s brought a lot of good to this village; we have a new shower system, she prodded us to get the solar hot water going on the roof of the washhouse, and some of the men have asked her to train them in sword fighting. She’s bloody good at it, you know.” Hawk nodded, having seen the evidence of that himself. “But it’s not a smooth ride or an easy one, and from the looks of it, Flame is going to give you a similar experience. Personally, I think you’d be good for each other, but that’s just my opinion. The real question is, are you ready for that? Because if Flame isn’t what you want, then it’s perfectly reasonable to decide you’re too young to be getting married, and to leave it for a couple of years. You have enormous potential – this isn’t the first time I’ve told you that. But you don’t have to realise that potential all at once.”

  “You bloody well know how to ask the difficult questions,” Hawk griped. He stared off into the trees for a long moment, as if the tall eucalypts held the answers to the mysteries of the universe. When he finally turned back to Aidan, it was with a crooked, knowing smile. “You know what? I like a challenge. I think I’m going to say yes.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  It was coming up on the end of August, and winter was drawing to a tentative close. The weather had already started to warm up, seedlings pushing their first leaves above the soil and the fruit trees putting out their first buds. A pair of magpies were building a nest in a tree on the southern side of the village, and Hawk was going to significant effort trying to tame them, to prevent the male spending the entire nesting season swooping on members of the tribe. Small morsels of meat tossed out onto the grass below their tree were gradually winning them over.

  But despite the imminent turning of the seasons, Mother Nature still liked to prove she was a temperamental mistress, and today, she’d served up a blustery southerly gale, dropping the temperature down to a cool eight degrees and then knocking another couple of degrees off with the wind chill. Most of the tribe was huddled around a roaring campfire in the centre of the village, sharing a batch of thick stew that Nicholas had cooked up out of the remains of the latest sheep they’d butchered. This time of year, root vegetables were the staples of the tribe, until spring gave the fresh greens a boost, and the stew was chock-full of chunky potatoes, carrots, parsnips and swede. Split peas and chopped herbs rounded out the offering, and there had been enough wheat left over from last season’s harvest to make some bread to dunk in it.

  Three new cabins had been completed over the winter, giving the newly-married couples some space and privacy, while also easing some of the congestion in the bachelor lodges. Sky, Mist and Flame had settled into the routines of the tribe well, and Flame had gone out several times to look for deer – a little pre-emptive in Aidan’s view, given that they didn’t have any bows to hunt them with yet, but Flame seemed perfectly happy to work on her stalking skills, even when there was no chance of coming home with a meal just yet.

  All in all, Aidan reflected, the year had been good to them. They’d suffered no deaths, they’d gained six women, they’d secured a new tribe of allies and their village had survived the summer without burning down. For once, he had nothing to complain about and plenty to be grateful for. But they all knew from hard experience that Lady Fortune was fickle, so when he happened to glance up the hill and saw Stick racing down it, he felt a wary concern. The boy’s natural exuberance could mean he just felt like running… or it could mean that serious news was on its way.

  “News!” Stick shouted, as he arrived at the fire circle and leapt up onto the platform. “News from the Tribe of the South Wind! Gather round! Gather round!” Since they were all pretty much gathered already, there wasn’t much need for the theatrics, though Aidan wasn’t going to deny him the attention.

  “Come on, out with it,” one man called impatiently, to which Stick simply grinned. He shoved his hair out of his eyes, a combination of bright mischief and canny watchfulness reminding Aidan that he was no longer a boy. He’d come a long way since the tribe had found him, a skinny, shivering child covered in mud and shaking in fear, and in a couple more years, those vivid blue eyes were going to be attracting a fair dose of female attention.

  “The women,” Stick said, after making them all wait a moment longer, “have decided to try their hand at farming. They have politely requested the opportunity to purchase a number of our fine sheep…” That got Aidan’s attention. He welcomed the opportunity to trade, of course, but negotiating the deal itself was fraught with complications. But Stick wasn’t finished. “…and they’re willing to pay with horses!” The last part came out in an excited rush, and then Stick whooped out a cheer that was echoed by a dozen people. Horses meant they could travel longer distanc
es far more quickly. It meant they could plough their fields and grow more grain. It meant the ability to move much larger, heavier objects than could be moved by hand, even with two dozen men helping.

  “I have a proposal for you,” Stick called to Aidan above the noise, and he held out a folded sheet of paper. “The scout’s waiting for your reply, then she’ll take either your acceptance or a counter-offer back to Faith tomorrow.”

  Aidan set his dinner aside and waded through the throng of people to take the note from Stick, unfolding it and reading the women’s proposal quickly.

  “Well,” he said to Whisper, who appeared at his elbow to read the note over his shoulder. “It looks like we’ve got some work to do.”

  A week later, trudging along the winding path towards the eastern road, Aidan could barely keep the smile off his face. It was a fair-sized group he was leading, half a dozen warriors, in case they ran into trouble, Mei-Lien to lend her skills as a doctor, Sky to report on how things were going for the three women from Faith’s tribe, Dusk, just because she wanted to come, and at the rear of the group, Stick and Stormbreaker, each leading three sheep, who plodded along placidly with collars around their necks.

  When they finally made it to the clearing, Faith was already there, and Aidan wasn’t surprised. Travelling went a lot quicker when you were on horseback. When they saw the men coming, they dismounted and came to meet them.

  “It’s been a long time,” Aidan said as they reached the centre of the clearing. “How have you been?”

  “How are our women?” Faith demanded immediately, not wasting any time on pleasantries.

  Aidan gave her a look that was half amusement, half patient forbearance, and tilted his head over his shoulder to where Sky was coming along near the back of the group. “Ask them yourself,” he said good-naturedly.

  Once she saw Faith, Sky handed the leash of the sheep she was leading back to Stick and rushed forward, embracing Faith in a bear hug. “I’ve missed you! It’s so good to see you!”