I saw Father as I got water. He had some eggs and a jug of goat’s milk. We walked together back to the hut.
We ate our fill of hot soup, bread and cheese. Father ate much of the soup; he was very hungry. He picked up Tare and set him on his lap and gave him some soup. Taer ate a little, but since I had already fed him he was not all that hungry.
I poured some goats milk into an earthenware cup and sipped it slowly. We sat on wood chairs at the table, the same table where I prepared food. Dallie nudged my leg for table scraps.
“How is the fighting going?” I asked. “What do you know, Father?”
Father had been talking to our warriors as they picked up supplies, so he was aware of the situation. He gave me a worried look. “The Umbunti have made a strong intrusion into our territory. There are several bands of them out there. They move constantly so it is difficult to push them out.”
I did not know that the invasion was so serious. We have always defeated invaders very quickly.
“Many villages on the Great River have fallen,” Father continued. “Many tribes are now scattered.”
I was shaken by this news. It was clear now that we would not have an easy victory. I was feeling very anxious for Mar.
“Do you know where Mar is now?” I asked.
“Yes. Most of our warriors are in the area of Swan Lake.” Father answered.
“Mars outpost is there,” I replied. “He knows the lake area very well, better than anyone else.”
“Yes, you are right, Saline. Mar is leading our warriors in battle there, we are hoping for good news soon.”
I could hear some hesitation in Fathers’ voice, as though he was holding back some information.
“It is going well for us at the lake, then?” I said, studying Father’s face.
“The fight continues day and night; our enemy is well equipped and there are many bands moving in all directions. We have been caught off guard by their night attacks, as this is new to us. This is a very difficult enemy.”
I was beginning to expect that victory would not be swift or easy. What if we were not able to withstand these attacks? We had a large territory to defend, from our salt mines to our grain fields in the lowlands. We would fight to the last person. We would defend our ancestral lands to the death of our people.
I looked at Father. He could not hide his weariness. “You need to get some sleep,” I advised. “Please, Father, get some rest so that you can regain your strength.”
Father got up from the table and went to his bed at the other side of the hut. He laid down and was soon in a deep sleep.
Taer played with toys and some clay. I had to watch him closely to make sure that he did not eat any of the soft clay. I gave him another meal of bread and soup broth.
Father slept the rest of the day and all night. When it was night I also went to bed with Taer at my side.
Chapter Eight
The Umbunti Camp
I woke up in the morning before Taer and Father. I got up to stir the fire and put on more wood. There was not any wood left outside the hut, so I put on my sandals and went to the wood pile at the cave entrance.
As I looked out of the cave, I could see that the sun had not yet risen…the sky was mostly dark in pre-dawn. The wood was stored in a huge pile at one side of the rock shelter, the side nearest the waterfall trail close to some large boulders.
I loaded my carrier, an ox hide stretched between two long poles, with logs. As I loaded the logs, I heard something above me, from behind one of the boulders. Some pebbles rolled down the incline.
A warrior appeared above me, standing on an outcropping next to a boulder. I did not recognize him. He had the yellow stripped headband, armbands, and other familiar painted markings worn by our warriors. But his over vestments seemed out of place.
I heard someone from behind. I turned and saw another unfamiliar warrior. The two men grabbed me, covering my mouth as I tried to scream. They tied my hands behind my back and gagged me with wadded hides.
I realized that these warriors were not from our tribe. They were Umbunti. They were dressed as Adeluci warriors. These vestments were taken from our warriors who were either captured or killed.
I was forced out of the caves with both Umbunti at my side holding onto my arms. We hid behind the crevasses along the cliff ledges, moving slowly towards the waterfalls. These Umbunti warriors moved under the cover of darkness, taking advantage of every hiding place…low recessed areas along the cliff face. I was amazed at how they moved quickly without being seen; sometimes down on our hands and knees.
They held onto some large knap sacks. Most likely some plunder they had taken from the platform in the cave. They probably had raided our salt and grain stores.
These Umbunti were very rough looking, they pushed me along and made me lay low to the ground, grabbing my hair and slapping my face. It was a terrifying ordeal.
We made it to the waterfalls. We were again shielded behind the boulders, and now we had the forest as cover.
I could hear the waterfall as it thundered from the cliffs onto the rocks. From here it flowed rapidly down the mountain. We followed the stream away from the falls, staying back from the main trail. The lowlands forest lay ahead.
It was still very dark; the sun had not risen yet. The birds were beginning to stir with the early light of the new dawn.
The Umbunti warriors had gone this way earlier. I could tell by the way they were guided by markers which they had made in the forest floor. To an untrained eye the forest would have appeared undisturbed, but to an experienced tracker the signs were there – an upturned leaf, a bent twig, stones out of place. It would not be an easy task to follow their route.
The sun had risen, so the woods were not as dark now. We were traveling in many different directions, avoiding the many high observation posts. The Umbunti knew about them.
I began to have misgivings that the Umbunti were planning a full assault on our cliff village using this route. This was a trial run to explore a way to my village. I felt sick to my stomach realizing that my village was about to be attacked in a surprise raid. If I could somehow escape, I could go and warn my people.
The Umbunti warriors continued to force me through the lowlands until about midday. I had been familiar with most of the surroundings, but we now entered an area which I had never seen. I was now tethered to a long strap. The gag was taken out of my mouth. We were far out of hearing range of my people. It was useless to scream.
The Umbunti spoke another language that I did not understand. I had no reason to talk anyway. I am sure that if I did say something I would have been slapped or jabbed in the stomach.
We entered an area of the forest that had many large boulders. I remembered that my people called this the land of giants, a forgotten place of dread. We threaded our way through many boulders and came upon the Umbunti encampment. There were several tents and some poorly constructed huts in a narrow ravine within the deep recessed canyon.
I was afraid. The warriors pushed me forward as several Umbunti women came up and glared in my face. I knew that Umbunti captives were abused.
The women grabbed some switches and formed a circle around me. The men looked on and cheered as they beat me severely. The women converged on me swinging the switches, hitting my legs and hips. One woman swung at me with clenched fists and hit me in the side of my head. With the pain of the lashes and the blows to the head, I started to faint, but as I fell to the ground I saw one of the men who jeered at me; he was Bordith.
When I regained consciousness, I was laying on the ground, my wrists still bound behind my back. My ankles were also tied with strong rawhide twine.
There was blood in my mouth, and I spit it onto the hard earth. My body was covered in welts from the beatings that I had suffered.
The sun was now past midday. I laid there quietly observing the camp with my eyes half open. I did not want to draw attention or endure anymore beatings. The Umbunti were like a pack of an
gry wolves.
The camp was very busy with making war preparations. Arrows and spears were being sharpened, bow strings tightened and realigned. Several warriors were applying red war paint to their faces. There was going to be a major raid tonight or in the pre-dawn on my village. I had to find a way to warn my people.
I tried to loosen the bonds, struggling to slide my wrists through the tightly wrapped rawhide strands. The bindings were so tight that it felt like a burning sensation in my skin.
I saw Bordith walking around the camp. He was speaking the Umbunti language and appeared to be partly in charge of the operations.
So, this is what became of Bordith after he was banished from our tribe. He had apparently been living with Umbunti and learning their way, plotting this attack on our territory. I hated Bordith even more.
Small low smoke fires were lit and a meal was made. No doubt they were cooking foods which had been plundered. I was given nothing to eat. I laid face down in silence as I did not want to draw attention.
After the meal, Bordith came over and yanked me up by the hair. He glanced at me with his angry face and cold eyes, letting out a long evil laugh.
“Saline, the priestess girl of Adeluci tribe,” he shouted in my ear. “Now you are property of Umbunti. You belong to the winner of our games! Yes, now we have our fun, Saline.”
“Now our games, my friends, and to the winner goes the priestess girl!”
He proclaimed this in my language, then he translated into the Umbunti tongue. The men laughed.
The sun had set, and it was getting dark. Wood was added to the fire and it glowed brightly, casting shadows off the boulders. Bordith and several men gathered near the fire and began their gambling game with wood dice and shells. They were laughing and shouting as they played and drinking a strong brewed beverage.
The game went on well into the night. Judging by his hoots and constant loud bragging, Bordith was winning. I was feeling sick inside knowing that I would soon be Bordith’s woman.
The wagering went on as the dice were thrown on a game mat. It seemed that the stakes were being raised to include other valuable items that were plundered in recent raids.
Bordith always won. I knew that he always cheated by using various diversions with his quick hands.
Bordith had won everything, and he boasted his victory loudly, slapping the backs of his defeated opponents.
“Now I will go get my prize!”
He yelled this in my language, looking over at me. He started to walk towards me but then he stumbled. Too much heavy drink made him woozy. I was thinking that in this condition it would be easy to fight him off.
I felt a soft tap on my shoulder I turned my head and then I saw a face close to mine. It was a very dark night, but in the dim flickering fire light I could make out a warm, pleasant, familiar face.
“Amara!” I whispered in a surprised tone.
My heart leaped with joy. I could not believe that Amara, my best friend, was here next to me.
She quickly cut the straps on my wrists and ankles. I was free!
“Come, Saline!” She implored. “Follow me!”
She ran out of the rocky ravine and fell to her belly. I followed her lead.
We could hear Bordith when he discovered that I had escaped. He cried out in dismay and anger.
He immediately initiated a search party. Amara and I got up and ran swiftly into the forest.
The sounds of the search party faded behind us. We slowed to a walk. It was impossible to see in the forest on a moonless night. Amara held onto my sleeve as we went.
I would have been completely lost otherwise. I don’t know how Amara could navigate through the woods at night so easily.
We stopped to rest. The forest was alive with many night creatures. Owls, small tree dwelling animals with large eyes, and a lot of flying insects.
“Amara, I have been so worried about you after your village was attacked.”
We embraced as tears flowed down my face.
“Saline, you are hurt!” Amara said, lightly touching my wounds. She took a small wood vial of salve and applied it to my injuries.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
“We knew that you went missing from the Cliff Village, and my tribe has been looking for you,” she replied. “Our search party came up the mountain stream in a canoe. We looked for you in many places. Then our scouts located the Umbunti camp.”
“I had a feeling that you were taken there, especially when Bordith was seen near one of the tents. The search was called off when it got dark. I did not want to give up, so I told the men that I would go onward to the Umbunti camp. I continued in the dark on my own…the men had to return to our camp for patrol duty.”
Amara looked around us. “Saline, we must get to the mountain stream. There is a canoe hidden there.”
“You lead the way, Amara. Let’s go quickly! I have to warn my people that the Umbunti are planning an attack on my village soon.”
“You know of an attack?” Amara asked, alarmed. “When?”
“I think they will attack my village just before sunrise. They may have already moved warriors into position.”
We continued to walk through the darkness of the forest.
“The Umbunti attacked my village two days ago,” Amara said in an angry voice. “They have ransacked our store houses and we had to abandon our homes. We had to flee into the forest. They overwhelmed us quickly.”
“Yes, Amara, I know. Many of your people are at the cliffs.”
I stumbled on a tree root and fell to the ground. Amara helped me back to my feet. She apologized, making sure that I was alright. She took some hot coals from her pack and lit a torch. It flamed up immediately, a welcome sight in the middle of a dark forest.
I was very happy that Amara had the foresight to bring a torch and hot embers. It was very tedious trudging through the forest in total darkness. To have torch light was a great comfort, and we were able to move faster now.
I was feeling tired and somewhat weak, but I forced myself to keep going at a steady pace. I had not eaten all day. I had been taken captive and abused and forced to walk long distances. Now I was hurting, but I pushed on despite all injury. Being with my best friend Amara helped me to gain the strength that I needed to keep going.
Amara urged me onwards. She held me up when I stumbled. We locked our arms together and she carried some of my weight. I could not have made it alone, I didn’t have the strength. This was a struggle of survival.
Some wolves howled in the distance. They were out on the hunt now.
Suddenly we heard movement in the woods. A young warrior quietly walked toward us. Amara immediately recognized him as Keno, her brother. We were happy to see him. He and Amara embraced, and they talked about plans.
Amara told him to warn my people of an Umbunti attack. He nodded and retreated back into the forest as quietly as he had come. I was happy that my people would now be warned of an attack.
We continued onwards through the forest, making better progress with the torch. We came to the stream. It was wider and deeper here, with a slower flow. Amara searched the woods for her canoe. She had hidden it somewhere in the underbrush.
I sat and rested on some rocks near the stream. I watched as Amara continued her search for the canoe, torch blazing brilliantly. I knew when she had located it. I could hear her moving away the leaves and branches that had covered the canoe, making it invisible.
She pulled the canoe from the hiding place and carried it to the water. It was small and lightweight, easy to carry.
Amara motioned me to come and get into the canoe. I got into the back and waited.
It was made of parchment reinforced by an interwoven wooden frame. Amara’s people were expert canoe makers. They traded their finely crafted canoes to faraway places for other crafts and wares.
Amara got into the center of the canoe and unfastened the paddle from the side. Then she put out the torch.
Amara
shoved forward with the paddle against a rock. The canoe jolted forward and we were quickly in the middle of the stream, moving with the rapid current.
The stream became a river as we came across a tributary; I felt more at ease in the wider expanse. All was very serene and peaceful as a glimmer of light from the rising sun shone along the horizon.
I felt better in the cool, still morning air. We hardly made a sound as Amara paddled the vessel, rhythmically dipping on each side, accelerating the canoe to a rapid speed.
Amara stopped paddling. The canoe continued to glide forward on the water. She reached into her side bag and pulled out some dried meat. She gave me a large chunk. I ate it eagerly. I had not had a meal since Father and I had my soup back at the hut. I thought about little Taer. All my loved ones now seemed so far away. I was torn from my family. The only thing that gave me comfort was in knowing that Father was with Taer, and he could care for him. I felt fear and anger.
“How much farther to your camp, Amara?”
“We are halfway there, Saline.”
Amara picked up the paddle and resumed the rowing. We were losing our cover of total darkness as the sunrise drew nearer. Now we needed to be extra alert for enemy warriors.
We were both getting tired, it had been a long period with no sleep. I could feel exhaustion sweep over me, and my eye lids dropped. I almost fell asleep, but somehow, I would snap back and open my eyes again to see Amara diligently rowing.
Chapter Nine
The Long Houses
I heard a splash in the water just in front of the canoe.
“What was that?” I gasped.
“We are under attack!” Amara shouted. “Get down!”
I bent down low in the canoe. Several arrows splashed in the water nearby, and a few whizzed above us.
“Over the side!” Amara commanded.
She leaned to her left and went into the water. I did the same. She flipped the canoe on its side and used it as a shield. We held onto the inner frame. Arrows were deflected by the canoe’s bottom. I was impressed by the strength of the construction of the vessel. The bottom was made of layers of finely woven wood strips, light weight and strong, reinforced with resin. Arrows shot from a distance could not penetrate the hull. They bounced off harmlessly.
The Wings of Creation Page 5
