Here was a way out. He suspected that with the ease that she’d defeated all of his favorite moves that most likely she could have put him on the ground a second time and won the round. “Okay, I’ll accept that, but I don’t want you to go around bragging that a mere slip of a female defeated me.”
Again she smiled, “I said that we could call it a draw. I’m not looking to brag about anything like that. After all it would mean that there would be many out there that would want to challenge me just to prove I was lying. Besides, whether you want to accept it or not, I’m better than you, and it has nothing to do with your abilities, which I have to admit, are pretty good. But you see my sires are regional champions with the staff, and I, with my siblings, have been trained since we learned to walk on how to use the staff. Then we used to have free-for-alls involving all of us children and then every once in a while my sires would join the fray. We’d all end up with our share of hurts and bruises, but it was fun. So instead of proving that I could beat you, which I think you now know that I can do, I thought it would be just as wise to test your skill and just give you a taste of mine. Kal did warn you not to do this. He’s had a taste of our wide open staff sessions where all of us attacked each other.”
Shaking his head and smiling looking briefly over in the direction of Kal and then back at her he said, “At least you could have warned me, then I wouldn’t have made a fool of myself.”
Again she smiled, “Would you have believed me if I suggested that I was better than you?”
Shrugging he said, “Probably not. I’ve never met a female who was interested in the use of the staff, let alone be good at it. I guess the joke’s on me.” Turning and facing Kal he asked, “So I guess you did warn me. And you being her mate how have you fared against her?”
Kal laughed, “I have more bruises, bumps, and hurts to count and that’s not including the many to my ego as she easily bested me and still does. But you see because of where I come from and do I never really needed to learn to use the staff. So I was clumsy and awkward, slow, and she was patient to bring me along to where I am. But I don’t come close to her competence, or ability. Then I visited her family on the farm and witnessed one of their free-for-alls, and then got involved with them. To be honest I got beat up pretty good. And even her youngest sister bested me without even raising a sweat. Look they told me a story and after watching them in action I know that they didn’t exaggerate anything at all. Let’s just say that the ones who attacked them got a surprise and quickly left.”
Laughing now Trehe said, “At least you could’ve reinforced that warning to me.”
“Well, if you think about it,” Kal replied, “I did warn you, but for some reason you didn’t believe me.”
“I guess that I have to admit that’s a true statement. I figured that she was just putting me on and that I needed to put her in her place.” He then laughed harder, “Guess it was me who got put in his place.” He stood quietly for a moment deep in thought. “This gives me an idea, since I now know that I won’t have to worry about you, Jura, and it’s this …” He went on to explain and the two of them could see the logic in it. It would be a way to get inside the site and with the two of them, Kal and Jura drawing attention to themselves the others could sneak in and then drive out whoever was occupying the site.
Even though it was difficult to tell through the lightly blowing snow that was falling, dusk was on its way, and the dropping temperatures were reflecting that change. “Hey Kal,” Jura said, “there’s a chance that we can get out of this up above.” It was hoped that the ones who were occupying the site presently didn’t know that it was the two of them that had located this place back in the Season of Falling.
“Are you sure? I mean we’ve somehow got ourselves all turned around and we need to find a place for the night.” He was trailing a little behind giving the appearance of reluctance for passing up the shelter that the trees may have offered.
She stopped and turned around. “Look I know that the trees could have provided some protection. But both of us know that when we were standing in there trying to decide whether to continue or stay that the winds just cut, so there’s a chance that just a little ahead there might be someplace better. Besides if we don’t then we can always return to those trees.” Not waiting for a response she headed up through the gap in the rock face and he followed.
Both of them had spoken loudly making it appear that they were trying to be heard over the growing winds, but were actually putting on a show for the ones that were just a little ahead of them. They were hoping by being so obvious that any attention would be drawn their way, and as they passed through that gap, the others hid behind that rock face so that they could listen for the expected challenge. “Hey Kal, I smell smoke. I think someone has the same idea.” Jura stopped and waited for Kal to join her, and both took a deep breath as they were nervous at this point, since shortly they would be challenged, and they would know how many were here. They didn’t have to wait long as from the direction where the leader’s shelter had originally stood they were approached by four individuals. “Whew, are we glad to see you,” Kal said. “We made a wrong turn somewhere down below and it wasn’t until we got up here that we realized it and then the winds picked up and it got colder and the snows started blowing and we knew that we needed to find some place to wait out the night. I wanted to stay down in the trees, but my mate here,” he pointed at Jura, “wanted to look a little further before it got dark. And I guess she was right. Since it appears that the four of you have already established a camp which means that it has to be a better place than where I wanted to camp. You know down in those trees.”
The one who appeared to be the leader looked at the other three knowingly and then at Jura and Kal. He smiled and said, “That’s true. This is a better place for a camp. What are you doing out here in this remote place? There’s nothing around for a very long way from here.”
Jura looked disgusted and pointed her finger at him saying, “He thought he knew a quicker way through this area. We were heading for that small village that sits close to the Sacred Mountains. We are to meet some of his distant family members who wanted to meet me, but I guess they’ll just have to wait. Hey maybe you guys know the right trail.” She smiled and then with the encouragement of the leader the two began to retreat towards the hidden fire. Jura then asked, “By the way, what are the four of you doing out here? Did you get lost too?”
This brought laughter from the four. Since they were from the underworld, thieves and such, they felt that luck had just turned in their direction. After all they had been complaining about being stuck here in the cold, with no female companionship or any ale to drink and what shows up at their proverbial doorstep but a female, and accompanied by a single male. And with the remoteness of this location, if the two disappeared and were never heard from again then it would be chalked up as the outback taking two more. Yes it would be an enjoyable night, at least for the four of them. The other two, well that was their problem wasn’t it? So concentrating on the two of them, the four surrounded them and casually led them back to the fire with all sorts of imaginings in their minds of what would be happening this night. But when they headed around the small obstruction that hid their fire both from sight and the winds to their surprise six unknown males were standing there warming themselves.
Looking over at them Trehe said, “Nice fire you’ve going here and such a nice location. Oh I suspect all those plans you had wanting to take advantage of the two poor lost travelers isn’t going to happen. Instead the four of you are simply going to pack up what you have and leave. Now before you say anything you have two choices in this, you can go without putting up a fight or you can, but in the end the results will be the same. Besides knowing the type I’m looking at here I suspect that what you had planned wouldn’t have happened anyway. You see that female that looks like such an easy target would have whipped all of you and probably not even raised a sweat doing it.” He could see the d
isbelief in their eyes and he smiled. “You know I’m almost tempted to let you try. But that would be a waste of effort and energy and you’ll need that energy to get back down before this storm moves in with full force. So be good little ones, grab your gear and just leave, and let your bosses know that this site is no longer yours.”
* * *
Sabohl was furious. He wasn’t used to the idea that someone would do to him what he had been doing to others for many cycles of the seasons. He figured that even though the two, Kal and Jura, had gotten the information and announcement that specifically identified the site that they had discovered, in the public view ahead of him, that in the end he would still win. He had control of the site after all, and later he could claim that they were the usurpers claiming something that he had discovered with his team and they had ridden his coattails so to speak. Then came the word that not only had they beaten him to the specific announcement, but now had ejected his people from the site and they now were sitting on it. Well, one thing for sure, this can’t stand. I’ve got to get them out of there and immediately begin to undermine this whole thing. Just because they did the legwork means nothing, the site is mine. They have no right to it. I’m on top because I know better how to treat the site, how to let others know what is there, and most of all, how to interpret what is there.
The blowing storm outside rattled his door and with the air that escaped into the room where he was sitting caused the lights to flicker dangerously, coming close to being blown out. None of this helped his mood. He stood and paced a bit and went over to his rather large roaring fire and warmed his hands. At least he had this one consolation; he was here where it was warm, while they were on that site of his in this storm. This brought a chuckle to his lips and an evil smile. They weren’t going to be there long. He’d be sure of that – although at this moment he really had no plans of how he was going to remove them. The only satisfaction he had, even though the news had been bleak, was the cowering reaction from the ones who had reported the failure to him. He remembered yelling at them and literally throwing them out of his shelter. He really needed to learn to control his temper. Let them freeze, in the end I’ll still have the site, and I’ll still be in charge. He paused a second in his thoughts as another crossed his mind. Who’s behind this? It can’t be just those two. Even with family help they wouldn’t have the understanding or wherewithal to pull this off. But from what I’ve gathered nobody recognized the ones who were with the two of them. Is there someone else working in the shadows?
He looked around his shelter in that particular room. It all appeared to be too ordinary, too normal, why was this happening, why was this particular operation falling apart? Hadn’t he planned well, and hadn’t he kept on top of all of the developments, hadn’t he kept the two under constant surveillance, yes, so why were things going so wrong? Well, this had to change and change now. With a decision he sat back down, wrote a quick note, shrugged into his heavy coat and exited the shelter. It was night, and nobody was here to notice that he had left, and nobody would think it strange if he went out at night. It was another one of the many ruses that he had developed over time. This going out at odd times so that it would appear to be something that he normally did. He stuffed the completed and folded note into his pocket and headed out the door only to be hit was a very strong and cold wind that snatched the door out of his hands and slammed against the side of the shelter, blowing loose papers off the tables inside, scattering them everywhere. He cursed, grabbed the door, and slammed it shut. Damn, now I’ve another mess to straighten out, and damn my temper.
Unknown to Sabohl, like he, and his many minions who kept watch on the ones that he deemed important, he too was under observation. And as long as they remained unknown to him, they would be able to track and document his night time travels, which in the end could, and probably would become critical in finally destroying the power that he held. Finally eliminating his narrow minded views, and the refusal to accept any others, however compelling – other than his own. “I wonder where the great Sabohl could be heading out on such a night as this?” One of the unknown watchers asked.
“Don’t know, but I suspect that when he got that news earlier today that it didn’t bode well for the ones who had reported it to him.” This brought a quiet laugh from the three of them who had the duty tonight. “I guess”, the first one said, “that we had better see what he’s up to.” He stood up in the shadows and asked, “Shall we?” Knowing most of the routes that Sabohl took, the three of them spread out and covered them while remaining hidden and in the shadows. They suspected that he was heading for one of his many drops, and because it was as nasty as the weather was, maybe for the first time they might get a chance to see what was actually written there, but they really doubted it. Besides it wasn’t worth the chance of discovery. It had taken too many cycles of the seasons to establish their network and to have him discover them now, well that could end their chance of toppling him and getting someone in there who was more conducive to the ideas and facts that were being presented and uncovered.
* * *
The storm had rolled in with its full fury – winds, blowing snow, and so much of the white stuff falling that it was almost impossible to see. Jura wondered how their ancestors survived in this stuff. And while the location was such that it was an easy place to defend, it surely didn’t protect one from the elements. The eight of them had moved their camp back against one of the rock faces that was located on the east end of the site. She suspected, from the reading of the journals, that this was where the priest compound had been located. And when she saw the layout of this area it made complete sense. The priests were the warriors of their ancient gods and not warriors against other tribes and clans. So to have the whole clan of warriors between the entrance and the location of the where the priests lived meant that if an attacking force reached the priests’ compound, then all was lost anyway. Still that didn’t help keep one warm when facing one of these storms this far to the north.
If anybody had any sense at all, and that includes me, none of us would be out in this. I’m an outback female and used to nasty weather, but this is so much worse than anything we face down from where we are from. I thought those storms were bad, but now I’ve been proven to be quite wrong. And it would now make sense that the ones they were supposedly chasing, that remnant from one of those lairs, the ones who died in the Sacred Mountains would have to face even harsher storms than this. With them having to fight for every step and not prepared for any of this, plus to have been with child and from the words this female was late in her carrying, it’s no surprise that they died. Although that doesn’t explain the death of that patrol, who knows maybe they had some bad food or something. Anyway with only three surviving to that point it would have been easy for them to sneak around that encampment and disappear into the Sacred Mountains only to succumb to the weather. Now that sucks, it really does. To have been so close to safety, and away from the attackers, only to die in one of the storms. I wonder who these people were and whether we needed to bring destruction down on them like we did.
Well, maybe, since we did find this site, this could mean that the rest that are mentioned in the journals is real. Even though they are dead and gone now, and not just from destruction and death, but almost from memory, and who would have thought it would be that way? Actually so close to being forgotten completely, and then their whole lives were being turned into myth instead of being real. Yet being here right now and being cold was very real. She wondered how her ancestors could live like this. At least the clans had permanent shelters, but the tribes moved all the time with those temporary shelters, and they had to be so much worse than the clan homes. But all of this was unknown, conjecture on her part. Shrugging, she didn’t have any answers, and she snuggled deeper down under the coverings to keep warm. While the rock faces kept most of the winds away, every once in a while a gust would find its way in and chill them more than they already were. Finally she move
d closer to Kal and snuggled up close to share their body heat. The fire that the group had burning was more for cheer. The storm seemed to steal the heat right from it, although if one got up very close they could feel some heat. Smiling and trying to keep it light Kal whispered, “Careful there Jura, I might think that you’re interested in getting physical as close as you’re getting.”
She forced a smile and shook her head. “Yeah I can see that, but I’m not the type that will perform in front of an audience, and you have to admit we have one. Plus, even though I know you’re joking, you’d not get me to undress in this kind of weather. So we’ll just have to share each other’s body heat and try and keep warm that way.”
He put his arms around her and pulled her closer saying, “That’s fine with me, at least we’re together. And I don’t think we’ll have to worry about anyone moving in this weather – although I doubt that Sabohl will take this well. I suspect that we’re going to have to face something after this storm clears. After facing this one, and knowing that there are probably others on their way, storms that is, I think I’m quite happy not to have lived here back in the distant past. This would have been just pure misery. No wonder there were so many deaths recorded during the Season of Cold. Our shelters we have now are so much better built then they were in the days of the journals; at least I think so from the descriptions. Although I have to admit that having you this close is so tempting – something about being male with a female this close to me, especially you – oh well, so be it.”
She smiled back at him even though it was a weak one. Yes getting physical would have been nice. It would have taken her mind off of being so cold, even if it was for a very brief period of time. And the physical activity, while not vigorous, would warm one, followed by the afterglow and the closeness, sharing everything they had. Yes, such a nice thought. This brought her full circle as she thought about the life style of their ancient ancestors. The idea that a female, when requested from the herd for breeding would be required to be ready, which meant that she’d be without her clothes – in weather like this, right. There had to be something that wasn’t written in those journals that covered weather like this. Well, she’d have to search them out and see. One thing for sure being a female and having to live that life style was beyond her comprehension. So what did the females do? There was some distance between the shelters where the female herd lived and where the warriors’ shelters were located. And a warrior would have to first go to the herd’s location, make his request, and return to the warrior’s shelter where the female would make an appearance. Guess our ancestors were much hardier than we are today. Because there’s nothing mentioned it probably was considered unimportant. Wow, unimportant? For one to have to move through this stuff, not fully clothed, and consider it nothing – almost impossible to believe. I guess that would make one appreciate the warm body on the other end though, but afterwards to immediately return – still beyond me, that’s for sure. Still, she had to admit that right now that warm body next to her was very nice and comforting.
A Taste of History Past Page 17
