A Girl Called Badger (Valley of the Sleeping Birds)

by Colegrove, Stephen

  “Time to move,” said Badger.

  They reloaded and dropped from the building. A Westcreek stepped in front of them with an axe in his hand. Badger jumped back and Wilson shot from the hip. His bolt hit the raider in the chest and spun him into the gravel. Out of bolts, Wilson dropped the crossbow and followed Badger across the street. They scaled the side of another building using a few convenient windows.

  Badger crawled across the roof and fired her last bolt. Down below, a Westcreek aimed at her but a round fired from the meeting hall exploded through his hand and rifle.

  Wilson pulled out his pistol and used his left arm as support. He fired four deafening shells at the raiders. The sound made his ears feel numb, like they were stuffed with cotton. He saw a group of village men run across the square and fire their rifles.

  Badger kicked his leg and Wilson looked over his shoulder. A pair of raiders aimed rifles at them from a nearby roof. Splinters flew around Wilson as the bullets missed.

  He couldn’t see Badger. Wilson half-clambered and half-fell over the edge of the roof and landed in the mud.

  Badger waved at him from a doorway. More villagers with guns appeared through the smoke in the plaza. The meeting hall was totally obscured by gray haze now. A few yellow flashes of muzzle fire came from what was probably the second floor.

  Badger yelled in his ear. “The gate!”

  They ran south. The streets were full of armed groups so they kept to the alleys.

  The houses near the gate were empty and quiet. A single, massive door on rollers kept secure the main gap in the wooden palisade. The day before Wilson had seen the door rolled shut, and it took a dozen men. Two thick wooden bars kept it from opening. The bars were still in place but three beams for locking a smaller, man-sized exit were gone. Wilson found them piled nearby, over the bodies of three village men.

  Wilson closed the smaller door and lifted the bars into place. He ran back to Badger in the shadows of a nearby building and reloaded his pistol. His hearing was still muddied by a high-pitched ring.

  A minute later Badger touched his arm. Two raiders crept in the shadow of the palisade wall toward the gate. The first raider leaned his rifle against the gate and lifted the locking bar. Wilson fired and hit with his third shot. The other raider shot at Wilson and missed but the splinters stung Wilson in the face. As the tribal pulled back his rifle bolt, Badger stepped forward and flipped a knife into his belly. He ran a dozen steps before Badger caught up and stabbed him in the neck.

  A group of villagers appeared and grabbed the rifles and cartridges from the bodies. Most decided to stay in front of the gate but a few climbed the nearby roof.

  Wilson jogged with Badger back to the central square. Only twenty minutes had passed since the shooting had started. Clumps of villagers stood around, some armed and some wounded. Nurses and helpers were carrying the bloodiest cases into the meeting hall. Around the square, villagers used knives to finish off the wounded Westcreeks. In the center of the plaza was a large pile of their bodies.

  Wilson and Badger walked into the meeting hall. Teacher stood talking with a group of older villagers. Blood streaked the front of his white robe and a girl bandaged his right arm.

  “Are you hurt?” Wilson asked.

  “I’ll survive. Others weren’t so lucky. You’ve probably discovered that we were attacked again.”

  “We just came from the south gate.”

  “Is it secure?” asked Teacher.

  “Now it is. I think that’s where they got in.”

  Teacher pulled on his beard. “A group of traders came in yesterday. I’ll send for them.”

  “Do you need anything?”

  “You’ve helped enough already. I recommend you check on your friends from Station.”

  The expedition was scattered in three houses around the village. Yishai’s house was close to the eastern gate, and there Mast and a few boys in Yishai’s family had fought with the raiders. Mina’s brother had taken a bullet to the shoulder, but everyone else was fine and accounted for. When they returned to the square Badger retrieved the dropped crossbows and Wilson salvaged a few bolts from the dead tribals.

  The night sky turned a morning gray as they walked back to their rooms. Wilson lay under his sheepskin but found it hard to sleep.

  SUNSHINE WARMED HIS ARM. Wilson realized he had overslept and scrambled for his clothes. Badger’s room upstairs was empty and her gear missing.

  Wilson walked toward a rumble and buzz coming from the village square. A large number of men, women, and children were crowded around the travelers from Station. Badger stood in a group with Mina and a few other village girls. Nearby, Father Reed moved his lips as he read from a small book.

  “Good morning,” said Wilson.

  “What? Oh yes. The prodigal son has returned,” said Father Reed.

  “What do you mean by that?” asked Wilson with a forced calmness.

  “Isn’t it obvious? You’ve arrived ready to travel just as we’re leaving. Therefore, I take it you––the prodigal son––are making the wise choice to return with us.”

  “Son?”

  “A figure of speech.”

  “No, it’s not and I’m sick of these games. I know who Teacher is and you meant it literally. What good was it to keep him a secret? Wait, you don’t have to explain. You can save your breath. I know you’ll say it was to protect me. You love putting things in boxes and ‘protecting’ them until they die.”

  “Don’t speak to me like that. I did what I could to change his mind. Your father and I … we had other problems. We were like two stubborn goats. We fought about things that didn’t matter. The ones that did … that was my fault. When you’re older you’ll understand why none of us wanted to talk about it, and why it was kept secret.”

  The door on the meeting hall opened. Yishai and Teacher appeared with a group of village hunters. They greeted everyone and moved slowly through the crowd toward Wilson and Reed. All except Yishai wore dark traveling leathers and carried packs and rifles. His father’s right arm and shoulder were wrapped in bandages. A belt around his waist held pouches and knives. Instead of a rifle he carried a walking staff.

  “Now I see what’s happened,” said Reed. “I know what choice you’ve made.”

  Wilson sighed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I blame myself,” said Reed. “I thought taking you as apprentice was my atonement. I thought I could wipe out those old mistakes, but I was wrong. Don’t give dogs what is sacred; don’t throw your pearls before swine.”

  “What’s this about swine?” asked Teacher brightly. “Is that something you need for your trip, Reed?”

  “No. It’s from a book you couldn’t possibly remember.”

  “Oh but I do,” said Teacher. “As a dog returns to its vomit, so do fools repeat their folly.”

  “That’s very good, Simon.”

  Teacher lost his smile. “That’s not my name here, Alan. Call me Teacher.”

  “Why are you dressed like that?” asked Wilson. He pointed at Teacher’s outfit.

  “Can’t I walk with my friends a short distance? Not to change the subject, but we know more about the raid last night.”

  “How did they get in?” asked Wilson.

  “The traders. We found their bodies in the square. My best guess is they killed their escorts and the guards at the south gate, then opened it. Normally we would have been more diligent about watching any outsiders, but there was the excitement of Mina’s return and the wedding. Since the raiders went straight to the meeting hall we think they wanted to kill either Yishai or me.”

  “Knowing the other tribes and especially the Lagos, I would say the trick is on the Creeks,” said Wilson.

  “Why do you say that?” asked Reed.

  “Flora was behind the first attack here. Her men from Lagos are probably burning Westcreek to the ground.”

  “She’s got a bag full of tricks but wouldn’t do that,” said Te
acher. “They’re both part of the Circle. That’s the slave-trading group I mentioned before.”

  “So that’s where the tattoos come from,” said Wilson. “Have they asked you to join?”

  “Last year. But we can manufacture our own rifles. Not as high quality as some of the Circle rifles, but we can do it. It doesn’t matter because the only trade these people are interested in is slaves and old machines. Slavery is unconscionable to me and we don’t have any ancient machinery.”

  “Did these men speak English?” asked Wilson.

  “Yes, English and the dialect.”

  “Negotiate with them,” said Reed. “If they’re literate men, they’ll be open to reason.”

  “I doubt it,” said Teacher. “I wanted to trade furs, but they wouldn’t accept anything but ‘the standard contract.’ And like I said, that means slaves.”

  “How unfortunate,” said Reed.

  “Stay far away from them. If they discover you live in a place like Station with working machinery they won’t stop until they’ve murdered everyone and clawed it away.”

  Father Reed sighed. “That much I can believe.”

  “Now, if you’ll excuse us?”

  Teacher and Yishai returned to the steps of the meeting hall and faced the crowd. Teacher slowly thumped his walking stick on the wooden porch. Villagers joined in the rhythm by clapping their hands or stomping the gravel. The square thundered until Teacher raised his hand.

  “Citizens and believers. The last few days have been filled with happiness and grief. My heart is heavy, remembering the sons and daughters who perished last night defending the village. We’ve fought twice against evil in the past few days and won. It’s all thanks to the blessings of God and the sacrifice of those brave friends.”

  Teacher paused. “But good has come in this time of trouble like a flower sprouting from the muck. Two beautiful daughters of the village whom we thought dead have been welcomed back. The fathers and mothers who hear my voice know there is no greater love than a parent for their child, and no greater pain than when they are separate. The reunion is a blessing from above.”

  Teacher held a hand over his heart. “All of you know I came from the west. What you don’t know is that I was a father. I was forced to leave my son behind.” He extended a hand to Wilson. “Today, father and son have been reunited!”

  The crowd erupted in cheers and villagers pushed Wilson forward. He climbed the steps and gave his father a hug. Both wiped tears from their faces and faced the crowd. Teacher held Wilson’s hand high in the air. The crowd cheered until his father lowered it.

  “My son is on a journey to save the life of someone he cares for deeply. His path is dangerous and full of peril. I can’t let him face this alone.”

  He gave his walking stick to Wilson and removed the silver cross from around his neck.

  “I will return in one week. In that time Yishai will provide you guidance from above.”

  Murmurs rolled through the crowd. Teacher raised a hand and the villagers became quiet.

  “We’ve been friends for many years. I promise to return soon. During that time, remember the words I’ve taught you. In famine the Lord will deliver you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword.”

  There was a commotion in the crowd. Wilson saw a crowd of villagers bending to the ground and pushed his way to them.

  Mina looked at him. “What’s wrong with her?”

  Badger lay on her side, shaking. Wilson sat down and held her head in his lap. Reed knelt beside him. The priest slid up Badger’s left sleeve and put his fingers on the forearm scar, then pressed the sequence. After a few seconds Badger’s arms and legs stopped moving. Wilson brushed hair out of her eyes and pressed a hand to her cheek. He looked up to see Reed watching him.

  “You two certainly have a flair for the dramatic,” the priest said.

  AFTER BADGER RECOVERED ENOUGH to yell indelicate phrases at everyone, the two groups of travelers gathered to leave. The crowd followed them through the streets of the village and out the main gate. Everyone stopped outside the walls.

  Mina and Kaya came to Wilson and hugged him. Mast shook Wilson’s hand.

  “I’ll come with you, just say the words, friend.”

  “Your new boss won’t like that,” said Wilson. “Who’d watch out for her?”

  Mast put a heavy pouch in Wilson’s hands. “For your pistol.”

  “Where did you get these?”

  “The shell casings you gave me back at Station, remember? I had a blacksmith reload them. These are dirty rounds so they’ll be loud and make smoke. And make sure to clean your barrel after firing them. Or die.”

  Kaya gave him a tiny purple knot of string.

  “It’s for luck, if you didn’t know,” she said.

  “Thank you Kaya.”

  Reed stood in front of Wilson, fiddling with something in his hands.

  “Sometimes I feel like an old rattlesnake with too much spit left,” he said, and put a small object in Wilson’s hand. “Forget what I said before. Just be careful.”

  Wilson opened his hand to see a necklace with a silver cross, and put it over his head.

  The travelers slowly separated. Wilson, his father, Badger, and five hunters from David walked east while Reed and the others turned west, toward Station.

  The group bound for Springs followed the old road along bare, rolling hills. Half an hour later Wilson stopped at the crest of a rise and looked back. The nearby lake was white with mist and trails of smoke floated over the walled village. The towers at the north and south reminded Wilson of wolf’s teeth jutting into the sky. Tiny villagers walked in the green corn and a pair of tiny oxen plowed earth through a blackened field.

  Wilson noticed a pair of men running up the hills toward him. The travelers waited, and as the men closed the distance he recognized Carter and Martinez.

  “Forget something?” he said.

  “We’re coming with you,” said Martinez, between breaths. “Father Reed said his idiot apprentice needed some help.”

  “Idiot apprentice?”

  “Sorry, sir. His words. Not mine, sir.”

  “Reed’s in a tough spot,” said Teacher. “When you’re a leader there are no easy choices.”

  Wilson shaded his eyes and spotted a cluster of dots creeping along the road to the west. Badger took his hand and squeezed it.

  “Never look back,” she said.

  TEN

  The road led them east. Badger and Carter scouted in front and out of sight. Wilson and his father led the main group of three hunters plus Martinez. Another pair of village hunters trailed at the rear. They would stop in cover and watch for a few minutes, then run forward and wait again.

  A trail of scattered rocks covered with patches of tall grass, the road dipped gently through the hills and passed overgrown heaps from the old days. Wilson wondered at the purpose of the rotting structures. Workshops? Ancient tribal homes?

  “Aren’t we too exposed on this road?” asked Martinez.

  “It’s fast so we’ll follow it for a few hours,” said Teacher. “The road curves north then south, and a tribal village called Woodland is at the apex,” said his father. “It will be best to cut overland through the hills.”

  Martinez nodded and stopped to wait for the trailing scouts.

  “Have you thought about coming back to Station?” asked Wilson.

  “First we have to find this ‘sequencer’ east of Springs. It’s going to be a hard journey. I wish I could snap my fingers and just make it appear.”

  “The founders used to do that, right?”

  “The rumor is they controlled machines like that, by talking and fingersnaps. I don’t believe it, but honestly, anything’s possible. It was a strange and fantastic time.”

  “Maybe,” said Wilson. “I’m not convinced they were all that fantastic. They’re all dead. Their wonderful houses and machines are dust.”

  “Death and decay are inescapable facts of li
fe, son. No matter what we do, no matter what we build, it will crumble in the end. But we still have to try. Take the founders of Station. Their goal was the survival of humanity and that was the point of the rules. They were normal men and women with extraordinary talent, but in the end, just as human as the rest of us. They lived and died working to create a better life for their children.”

  “What child did you create a better life for?”

  His father sighed and they walked together in silence.

  “Why did you grow a beard and create this fake ‘Teacher’ persona?” asked Wilson. “Why not be yourself?”

  His father smiled. “Names and the roles they play …”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Let me ask you a question. Why do you put one foot in front of the other?”

  “To walk, obviously.”

  “But why do you walk? Apart from reasons of survival, why does a person do anything? What makes you risk your life?”

  “You’re saying you motivated people?”

  “Exactly. Life is more than just survival. People are the same, whether in Station or out in the tribes. They want to be part of something greater than themselves, something that has come before and continues when they are gone. It’s ironic that I had this epiphany when I was shivering and starving in a cave. When I came to David I gave the people inspiration. I remembered some of Reed’s teachings, and the rest I made up.”

  “You don’t regret that?”

  “My words inspired them like a lantern in the wilderness. Why would I regret any of it? I never used the teachings to benefit myself. That’s probably why they’ve always trusted me.”

  “Father Reed could take lessons from you.”