A Woman's World

by Lynne Hill-Clark

  Baya reluctantly pulled her eyes from the view to study their situation. The pack of predators circled the base of the tree that they were now trapped in. “What do we do about them?”

  “We don’t have enough arrows to shoot them all,” Vicaroy said.

  “I guess we wait them out.”

  “Look.” Vicaroy pointed to two distant figures. They were difficult to make out. The grass bending around them was the only thing that betrayed their presence. Upon closer inspection, Baya could make out that the two creatures were like Mook and Tara. The two animals split up. One startled an animal on the outskirts of the herd.

  The animal broke into a full sprint. The predator was not in a hurry. It made a weak effort to chase its prey. The second predator hunched down in the tall grass. It was almost too easy. When the prey ran by, the crouching animal lunged with its powerful back leg. It took its prey to the ground twisting its neck in the same motion. The second predator joined its hunting companion for the feast. The grass and their faces were soon covered in shiny dark blue blood.

  The pack of predators at the base of the tree sniffed the air. With a couple barks and snaps they headed in the direction of the fresh kill.

  “They’re off in search of an easier meal.” Vicaroy observed.

  The pack of predators circled the two hunters. They may have been smaller but they greatly outnumbered the hunters.

  “Now is our chance. We have to get off these plains.” Vicaroy made his way out of the tree.

  “How?” Baya was immensely curious to see who would win the battle over the carcass. She wanted to stay and watch. Plus, the tree was safe, as the ground was crawling with large beasts and vicious predators. Yet she knew they couldn’t spend the night in the tree. They needed to get somewhere safe by nightfall — somehow.

  “There’s far too much prey on these plains and with them come predators and lots of them,” Vicaroy said. “Our chances may be better if we can get far away from here.”

  That all made sense. “I guess that’s why people don’t live here.” They hadn’t seen land quite this lush and they hadn’t seen near this many animals. In fact, until a couple days ago they hadn’t seen any large animals. But the problem remained. “Where should we go?”

  “We head to the southeast. To those mountains.” Vicaroy pointed and then jumped to the ground.

  Baya followed. She held out her arms to Tara. “Come on little one.”

  Tara wiggled her back end as she readied herself for the leap into Baya’s waiting arms.

  “That’s the nearest change in scenery and it keeps us heading eastward, as much as possible.”

  “Brilliant. Now let’s move.” Baya headed toward the mountains at a slow run. This place was overrun with large plant-eaters and the predators that fed on them. They had to get across the plains as quickly as possible. She had the sinking feeling that their chances of making it to those mountains unscathed were slim.

  Chapter 55

  A flutter of hope filled Baya as the southeastern-most mountains grew close.

  They had to slow their pace after Tara began to fall behind.

  “We’re almost out of the plains,” Vicaroy said. “We need to make it to the base of those mountains. I know we’ll be safer the farther away we can get from the herds.”

  “But Tara is tired. Can you carry her, so we can move faster?”

  Vicaroy sighed.

  “Give me Doba.” Baya held out her arm and Doba moved from Vicaroy’s shoulder snaking his way across to Baya’s arm and wrapping himself over her shoulders.

  But I’m still mad at you for bringing that hideous creature along. Doba’s voice announced.

  “Come on. She’s just a baby. Someday she will be big and strong and then you’ll be glad she’s around,” Baya replied.

  Vicaroy quickly secured his spear to his back with his bow and easily lifted Tara in his arms. They picked up the pace, not quite running but a brisk walk. Tara’s head rested on his shoulder and her four eyes quickly grew heavy.

  “Poor little thing. She’s so very tired.” Baya rubbed behind the animal’s ear.

  “Little? She’s really heavy for a baby.” Vicaroy complained as he adjusted the animal in his arms, trying to get a better hold.

  The suns were getting low in the sky. He couldn’t carry this animal all night and they needed time to gather wood for a large fire to help keep wild beasts away.

  A low growl to Vicaroy’s left caused his heart to jump into his throat and the now-familiar surge of energy coursed through his entire body. Another growl came from behind them.

  Baya had turned toward the threatening sounds but Vicaroy had a feeling that they were distractions. As a hunter himself he knew that you never gave up your position to your prey until it was too late. So the only reason to growl before an attack would be if the attack was not coming from that direction.

  Damn, these animals were smart, Vicaroy thought as he sat Tara down, trying not to make any sudden movements. As he turned away from the growling sounds he swiftly readied his spear from where it had been secured to his back.

  Baya heard a scuffle coming from Vicaroy’s direction but she didn’t have time to look as four dark eyes emerged from the tall grass. Her bowstring groaned as she pulled it tight. When the beast bounded for her she let the arrow fly. The scaly beast slid to a stop at her feet with her arrow sticking out of its chest. It looked like the same type of animals as the ones that had treed them earlier. Another of the pack had halted its attack; it was now more cautious as its prey had easily taken out its companion.

  Baya tried to talk to the animal but she could only make out that it was hungry. All it wanted was to sink its sharp teeth into Baya. So she disappeared as the beast leapt for her. It found nothing where it landed. She merely stepped aside and drew her knife.

  Her movement came naturally, she didn’t have to think. Some deep instinct took over. Her only unfeeling thought was that the threat must be eliminated. How to alleviate the problem came naturally. She wrapped her arm around the beast’s shoulders. With a quick forceful jerk of her arm the knife entered the animal’s neck slicing it open.

  Baya wasn’t sure if the pain-filled cry had come from the beast or from somewhere else. She scanned the area for any other threats as she turned toward Vicaroy.

  Horror pulsed through her veins as she ran toward him. One of the beasts lay dead with Vicaroy’s spear wedged deep in its chest. Yet another beast had its teeth deep in his left arm. He struggled to reach his knife with his right hand. He gave up on the knife and sent his fist crashing into the animal’s face. The animal tightened his jaws and shook his head.

  Vicaroy’s scream filled Baya’s ears causing her blood to turn to ice. Every second seemed like a minute. She could not move her feet fast enough to get to him. She was still invisible as she drove her knife into the spine at the base of the animal’s skull.

  The jaws instantly loosened and Vicaroy’s arm fell free of the animal’s mouth. Baya scanned her surroundings only to find Tara’s long tail disappearing in the grass as the last of the beast chased after her. It must’ve decided to go after something smaller.

  She ran for her bow. Her quiver was still on her back. She quickly moved into the tall grass after them.

  Vicaroy tried to stop the bleeding from his arm with his good hand. He scooted across the dirt toward his knife in case any more animals were still out there. He heard a faint whimper and then Baya calling for Tara to come back.

  She must’ve shot the last one, Vicaroy thought as he winced in pain. He strained to reach his knife. He would feel better if he had it on him.

  Baya rushed back into the clearing. No Tara. She knelt down beside him. Tears filled her eyes at the sight of the dark blue liquid on the ground —Vicaroy’s blood. Panic rose in her chest. What could she do?

  A woman’s education only included some basic medicinal techniques. If a woman showed aptitude she might receive a calling which would include further education in
the healing arts.

  Shema’s lecture rang in Baya’s mind ... We can’t make wounds disappear and we can’t make the sick healthy. For that they had to rely on medicine, which was far from foolproof.

  “When Mook injured my shoulder one of the priestesses used an ointment and bandaged the wound.”

  “We don’t have any such ointment with us, but I believe it was made from the cockelle root.”

  “So for now I’ll bandage your arm to stop the bleeding. We can look for the root as we go.”

  Vicaroy nodded. “We have to get out of here and I can’t be dripping blood as we go.”

  Baya gave him a sideways look, not understanding. She moved for her pack.

  “This place is covered in blood and will soon be crawling with predators. We have to get out of here and I can’t leave a trail of blood for them to follow us.”

  “Right.” Baya said. “You seem to have the ability to understand how predators think.”

  “I’ve become a predator myself since we found this Goddess-forsaken land. We’ve had to hunt for our food every day. I’ve found my wounded prey before by following the trail of blood it left behind,” he explained.

  That’s right, Baya remembered. She rummaged around in her pack for an old tunic that could be used as a bandage. But first she found Doba coiled up in tight circles. “It’s okay. It’s safe now.”

  Doba scurried up to her shoulders again.

  “It’s a good thing you’re so good at hiding.”

  Vicaroy gritted his teeth as Baya lifted his arm. He didn’t want to scream in front of her. Yet, he’d never felt such pain.

  “Sorry. I’m trying to be gentle,” she whispered.

  When she tightened the cloth around his arm a fierce yell escaped his lips.

  “I’m so sorry.” She kept her voice down trying to remain calm. She couldn’t fall apart now. She tried not to look at the injury too closely but the large gashes were hard to ignore. Blood-stained muscle was practically falling out of the gashes on his arm. She caught a glimpse of something white as well. Bone. She tried not to think about it. “You just rest.”

  Vicaroy didn’t protest. He wasn’t entirely sure he could get up anyway. Intense pain pulsed through his arm while a duller pain throbbed in his leg. It was all he could think about as he struggled to remain conscious. They had to get out of there. It wasn’t safe in these open plains.

  The tunic was soon soaked with Vicaroy’s blood. Baya quickly gathered their belongings. When she was done she inspected the bandage. “It looks like the bleeding has stopped or at least slowed. It’s not dripping, anyway.”

  She helped Vicaroy up by his good arm and supported him until she was sure he could stand. “I pray that you can walk.”

  He nodded and winced in pain as he took a step. “I don’t have a choice. We have to get out of here. More beasts will arrive any minute.”

  Baya headed in the direction that Tara had run off. “Tara!” Baya yelled.

  “That creature is going to be the death of us,” Vicaroy muttered.

  “This isn’t her fault.”

  “She slowed us down and we can’t waste time looking for her now. We have to get as far away from here as possible.”

  “I know. She’s hiding somewhere nearby and she’ll find us … or we’ll find her.”

  He winced with every step. His left leg sent a painful throb through his body every time he put weight on it.

  Baya was right. They hadn’t gone far when Tara came bounding out of the grass and leapt into Baya’s arms.

  Vicaroy was in too much pain to be startled by the animal’s sudden appearance. The last of the suns was setting for the day. They made their way toward the mountains as fast as they could, which was not fast enough.

  Chapter 56

  Two moons lit the way as Baya and Vicaroy walked well into the night. The distant orange glow of the third moon could be seen barely peeking over the horizon. Vicaroy’s wound had soaked the cloth and blood trickled down his arm.

  Baya helped him to sit down on a stump. She wrapped a fresh cloth around his arm. “You need to rest. Let’s stop here for the night. I’ll set a protection spell to help conceal us.” Surely she had the strength for that, while they were at rest.

  Falling into a deep sleep and possibly never waking sounded like the best thing in the world to Vicaroy. “No. We need to get to the tree line, at the base of the mountain. That will offer more protection and we’re almost there.”

  Tara lay panting next to Baya.

  If he wouldn’t stop for himself then maybe he would stop for Tara. “Tara is too tired to go any farther. We have to stop.”

  But Vicaroy awkwardly and with a couple loud grunts got to his feet. “We can make it — we have to, or none of us will make it through the night. We’re not safe out here on these plains. What if they can smell us, even with your protection spell?”

  Baya buried the blood-drenched tunic in a shallow hole in an attempt to cover up some of the scent. She took Tara in her arms and hurried to catch up with Vicaroy, who actually hadn’t made it very far.

  The sight of the dark trees up ahead was the only thing that kept them pushing forward. Baya’s back ached from carrying all their supplies and Tara. Yet, with one look at Vicaroy, she knew she had nothing to complain about. The trees were not getting close enough fast enough. It felt like every time she took a step, the trees would move two steps away. “We should be to the forest by now,” she said.

  Leaving the plains behind and entering the tree-filled land was like arriving home after a long day of work. A sense of safety flooded through Baya. She had never been more relieved than when Vicaroy gingerly sat down against a large rock. She lay Tara down next to him and let the packs fall to the ground. She lit a ball of fire so she could better examine his injured arm.

  “It looks like the bleeding has pretty much stopped.”

  But Vicaroy was already dozing. She laid his bedroll out and he barely moaned as she helped him onto it.

  Her feet ached but she still had to gather wood. She thought about using her own fire ball instead of finding enough wood. She couldn’t afford to deplete her powers by keeping a fire lit all night. Plus, if she fell asleep the fire would go out. Not to mention she had to conserve enough energy to set a protection spell around them for the night.

  Once she had a raging fire burning, she watched Vicaroy with concern. Her eyes scarcely left his chest, watching every rise and fall of his breath.

  He had to be okay. She couldn’t lose him. He had been right when he called this land Goddess-forsaken. Ameris abandoned this land for good reasons. The old tales about the wild untamed beasts were true.

  Only they were smarter than she had expected — cunning at catching their prey. That pack had surrounded them and then used decoys to distract them while others attacked from the opposite direction. Baya shivered at the thought. What other horrors awaited them out there?

  Vicaroy didn’t look well. His skin was much too pale. He’d lost a lot of blood — too much blood.

  She distracted herself by setting a protective layer around them. After another silent hour of watching Vicaroy breathe, the adrenaline had left Baya’s body. She forced herself to keep her eyes open. She listened intently for the slightest sound but thankfully the forest was silent.

  The morning light caused Baya to wake with a jerk. She’d dozed off sitting with her back to the large rock. Her neck was stiff and her feet still ached when she stood. In fact, most of her body ached, especially her back.

  Vicaroy remained fast asleep, yet still breathing. She had to find that root — what had he called it? Cockelle? What had it looked like? If his injury became infected it would be the end of him.

  Baya stoked the fire, forced some dried meat and nuts down and headed into the forest to see what she could find. A nearby stream provided water for their bladders. She carefully dug up any plants that looked like they could be cockelle.

  Baya woke Vicaroy when she returned.
He struggled to sit up against the rock.

  “You have to drink,” she coaxed.

  Chapter 57

  Vicaroy and Baya camped there for several days, with the large rock protecting their backs. Vicaroy’s upper thigh swelled to twice its normal size. He slept most of the time as a way to escape the pain from his injuries. When he was awake he taught Baya how to make the ointment from the cockelle plants to treat his arm.

  “It’s a good thing you know so much about plants,” Baya mused.

  “Azod taught me to make all the medicines and poultices for the Unawi’s healer.” Vicaroy flinched as she poured water over his wounded arm. He ground his teeth together and moaned as she gently dried it and applied the medicine.

  “Sorry,” she breathed.

  Baya did the hunting and the cooking, which tasted horrible. Vicaroy tried to guide her in how to season the meat but Baya had never cooked before. “Maybe this is why women don’t cook. We’re terrible at it.”

  “It takes practice. I couldn’t cook at first either,” Vicaroy said.

  On the fifth day Vicaroy was determined to move on. Baya was worried as his skin had not regained its proper color and there was still some swelling in his leg. Nevertheless, they moved on. It amazed Baya how stubborn Vicaroy could be when he put his mind to something.

  The following days were tedious as they slowly made their way up the mountain. They stopped in the afternoons, long before dark, so Baya could set up camp and Vicaroy could rest. The higher they climbed the colder the nights grew. She reminded herself to be grateful that they weren’t seeing any large predators in the mountains. It was similar to the western coast, before they’d entered the plains. They only saw birds and small game, which supplied them with fresh meat.