The kDira's World Anthology

by K R McClellan

  kDira looked him in the eyes for a moment, then turned and walked towards the gate.

  “Blackhorn, First Hill, come, we are leaving,” she called out to her warriors.

  Agis, grabbed her arm as she passed.

  “kDira, we have to do something,” he said angrily.

  “We will. Not now,” she replied. “Now move. We need to go.”

  The five Blackhorn, accompanied by twelve First Hill gathered their things and walked out the front gate. It shut with a thud behind them as the last one exited the compound. In the early afternoon light, they made their way to the Great Highway, then headed west in hopes of finding the passage through the Kaiba Forest from the north to the Blackhorn Village.

  They managed to kill a few chideer along the way and cooked them over and open fire in the twilight of their first night after Midlandia, and everyone welcomed the fresh meat.

  The trip took five days to make their way back to the Blackhorn village, and every day kDira’s illness persisted. She wished now that she had mentioned it to one of the healers at Midlandia when she had the chance, but now she just had to hope it would go away.

  Seeing the gates of Blackhorn was bittersweet. It meant they were home, but their mission was a bitter failure. She vowed to herself that she would seek revenge on the Midlanders as she had on the Karn, but for now they all needed rest.

  Guller made himself at home in Elick’s hut, and immediately began perusing all the tomes and scrolls that he had never seen before. Here, he could spend the rest of his days and be happy at least that he had more to do, more to learn.

  The elders found places to call their own and some began cleaning up the village from the destruction that the Karn had caused.

  kDira returned to her own hut, badly damaged and looted. She cleared off her bed and laid down to rest once more, with no specific reason to ever get up again.

  It was then that a commotion was heard outside in the courtyard of the village. kDira grabbed her bow and knife and ran to where the sounds were coming from.

  There in the middle of the courtyard were Ari, Threg, and a half a dozen other Midlander warriors. With them were Elick and the two Princess Mothers!

  “I thought you might be missing these three,” Ari said to kDira, who immediately ran over to her and threw her arms around her.

  “Thank you, Ari, thank you!” kDira said, kissing her cheek. “Once again, not only have you saved me, but saved our tribe!”

  “Not everyone wanted to come with us,” Ari said, “but they promised to keep quiet about our leaving. They will pay dearly, I am certain, if Sylys Hayden finds out they knew about this.”

  “Elick, old friend, welcome back!” kDira said, waving to the Interpreter.

  “Glad to see you again as well, brave kDira,” he said.

  Again, kDira gave Ari a hug that squeezed the air out of her lungs. “I am so glad to see you, and so grateful for your sacrifice, all of you,” kDira said to the new arrivals.

  “Princess Mothers,” she continued, “it is so good to have you back with us.”

  “Everyone gather around!” she announced. “Today we are overwhelmed at the return of our Princess Mothers. And we are eternally grateful to our Midlander friends that brought them to us.”

  “kDira, if it’s alright with you, we are Blackhorn. From this day forward. With your blessing, of course,” Ari said.

  “Certainly. From this day forward, these fine travelers will be forever known as Blackhorn.”

  A roar went up within the village, as each warrior held his or her sword or bow in the air in approval.

  Then Guller stepped forward.

  “Mighty kDira,” he said, “I think I speak for all of the elders when I say that for simplicity sake, for pure convenience, mind you, we would like to become Blackhorn as well.”

  kDira welled up with tears.

  “Of course, my brave Guller. All of you have proven yourself worthy of being called a Blackhorn, and from this day forward we shall all be of the same tribe,” kDira announced, and again a cheer rose up within the village.

  “Warriors, gather your bows and set out on a hunt. Tonight, we celebrate, for it may be short lived. Tonight, we are one tribe, and we have our Princess Mothers back again. How can we not celebrate?”

  Some of the elders took the Princess Mothers to their huts to clean them up and finally put on some proper Blackhorn clothing. kDira went back to her hut, overwhelmed with emotion. Once inside she cried openly, in a way that she hadn’t cried since she was a young kreb.

  Suddenly she was aware that another was with her. Agis had followed her into the hut, and upon seeing her burst into tears he went over to hold her. kDira fought against him for a moment, but could no longer resist his embrace.

  “It’s okay,” he said to her. “I will leave when you’re ready for me to leave, but I think you need this right now.”

  She nodded in agreement and slowly she stopped crying.

  “I am just so overwhelmed right now,” she said. “I don’t know what is happening to me. Not a very strong leader right now, am I?”

  “You’re tired, it has been a rough journey, and here we are. We made it. Certainly, your emotions are going to cut loose on you,” Agis said, understanding.

  “You’re right. Leave me now, I wish to lie down,” she said.

  Agis kissed her cheek and turned to leave. As he was walking out the door he could hear her retching. He turned to look back at her.

  “I’m fine. Go,” she demanded.

  Agis did so as he was ordered. Like kDira, he was not aware that Winter would be there before they knew it.

  pART 2

  War

  cHAPTER 14

  Four Days Earlier…

  Sylys Hayden woke that morning to the sound of one of his warrior krebs almost breaking down his door. The Midlander leader restrained his outrage long enough to hear what it was all about.

  Fralek, one of the Midlander warriors that had been on loan with the Blackhorn just the day before was standing in the doorway, looking as though he was afraid for his life.

  “What is it, Fralek? Speak up, kreb!”

  “The breeders, they are gone, Hayden,” he said with fear in his voice.

  “What do you mean, they’re gone?” Hayden demanded.

  “I was on watch, and when I went to check on them, they were gone.”

  “Are you telling me you fell asleep?” Hayden accused.

  “No, Hayden. Someone hit me on the head, and when I came back around they were gone.”

  “Stupid kreb. I want everyone out in the plaza right now. Move!” Hayden ordered.

  Fralek jumped as though he’d seen a ghost and ran out to the huts to get everyone to muster for Sylys in as short amount of time as possible. Best not anger him further, krebs have been known to lose their heads for less.

  As everyone wiped the sleep from their early morning eyes, they managed to find their way into formation in the plaza.

  As the last of them moved into place, Fralek joined them in their ranks.

  “I understand that our newly acquired breeders are now missing. I suspect that some among us might have helped them,” Hayden announced over the ranks of Midlander warriors. “Who are we missing, can anyone tell me?”

  Noske, the young interpreter apprentice stepped forward and spoke.

  “Sylys Hayden, I am sorry to inform you that the Blackhorn Interpreter is also missing,” he said.

  “This day just gets better and better,” Sylys said under his breath. “Anyone else missing?”

  Fralek sheepishly stepped forward again.

  “There are a number of Midlanders not in their huts as well,” he began, then he continued by naming each of the Midlander warriors that were missing, including Ari and Threg.

  “I should have known those two would be behind this,” Hayden said. “Those two got a bit too cozy with the Blackhorn.”

  He paced back and forth in front of the line of Midlanders, obvious
ly agitated.

  “Someone let their guard down last night, and our breeders are now gone,” Hayden said, looking at Fralek with an evil glare. “We have been betrayed by our own, and this betrayal must be avenged. If I had to guess, they are on their way to the Blackhorn village to join up with them. We still outnumber them, and if we strike with surprise we can regain our breeders and put that kDira of Blackhorn in her place, on her knees at my feet.”

  The ranks erupted in cheers and war whoops.

  “Silence! Silence, all of you!” Sylys commended. “It is your failure that has put us in this position. You must now make this right. Get yourselves a good meal and be ready to march out by mid-day. Dismissed!”

  The plaza fell into a bit of chaos as everyone hurried to fill their bellies, or ready their gear. When they went to sleep the night before, the last thing they thought they would be doing in the morning would be getting ready for a battle with the Blackhorn.

  The Blackhorn and the traitorous Midlanders have over a day’s head start. They would most likely expect retaliation, and would be making ready. Hayden knew that kDira was a capable leader, and her warriors, some former Midlanders, were also just as capable at their specialties, which was proven in their assault on the Karn.

  “Fralek!” Hayden yelled. The already shaken Midlander warrior stopped what he was doing and sprinted front and center to Sylys Hayden.

  “Yes, Hayden?” he said, shakily.

  “You have failed me. Tell me why I should not remove your head here and now.”

  “Sylys, I have no excuse. They came at me from behind, I… I did not see them coming…” Fralek said, almost stuttering.

  “Sure sounds like an excuse to me, kreb,” he said with a sting to his voice.

  “Until I say otherwise, you are no longer a warrior. You are a beast of burden. You carry packs and gear for the real warriors. You are an animal and will eat and sleep with the animals. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, great Hayden,” Fralek said, fighting back emotion. He must remain strong to prove himself once again and be accepted as a Midlander warrior.

  “Now go, help the others pack and relieve as many as you can from having to carry too much. The real warriors need to be ready for battle.”

  “Yes, great Hayden,” he said, running off to find the others getting ready.

  Many had overheard the conversation between Fralek and Hayden and were already treating Fralek like a lesser being, like a pack animal. Some started handing him sacks of food and bota bags of bryne and water. Fralek knew better than to complain, the alternative was much more unpleasant. Losing one’s head made lots of things seem better by comparison.

  By mid-morning the bulk of the Midlander army was ready to head out. Fralek was loaded down, bringing up the rear, as everyone marched out the gate with their battle-ready gear on and ready for war. Close to sixty left Midlandia that day, leaving behind about twenty Midlanders, most warriors, to guard the village while the bulk of the tribe set out for Blackhorn.

  “Do you think it wise to take this many from the village?” asked Duard, Hayden’s number one in battle. Duard was a tall, strong warrior with a clean shaved head and a fur vest covering his ironically hairless, muscular chest. Duard gave up wearing any armor as he felt it inhibited his agility in battle. So far, his choice in battle attire has not let him down. He was the most capable warrior in the Midlander army.

  “We have enough, Duard,” Hayden said, never taking his eyes off the path ahead.

  “Certainly they only have twenty or so good fighters at best, why do we need three times that?” the warrior asked.

  “Ask any of the warriors that fought alongside kDira. She is crafty, and her people follow her loyally,” Hayden said. “She will not lay down her arms willingly.”

  The small army headed out onto the Great Highway and turned west to make their way to Blackhorn. The road was hot in mid-day and radiated into the air. The warriors were ready to rest by the end of the first day. They pulled over to the edge of the forest along the Highway for shelter to set up their camp.

  Fralek ambled into the camp as the sun was setting and the fires were already blazing. Falling to his knees, he was beginning to wish Hayden had taken his head from the beginning and saved him the torture of bearing the weight of all the packs that were thrust upon him.

  “It’s about time, Mule!” a warrior cried out as he walked over and took a bag of meat from the back of Fralek. Several others approached him and took some botas of Bryne. Fralek just watched them walk away, knowing full well that he was not entitled to any of the food or wine unless it was offered to him. To ask for some would be a disgrace. Feeling faint, he fell forward, pack and all and passed out on the damp, forest floor.

  Unconscious, Fralek never noticed the huge black beast sneak up behind him. Smelling meats and other tasty odors coming from the backpack slumped over the unwitting Midlanders lifeless body, the blackber grabbed the backpack and gave it a massive shake. The sheer power of the beast lifted the pack, with Fralek still strapped in, high off the ground and back and forth like a rag doll. Dropping the pack to the ground, the mighty blackber let out a growl that alerted the entire camp.

  Again, the beast grabbed the pack and the still incapacitated Fralek and gave it another shake, and the Midlander warriors stood in awe. Then some ran the other way in search of a safe place to hide.

  Sylys Hayden called his warriors to arms. Most pulled their weapons, and still more ran for a hiding place. Several fired arrows in the direction of the blackber, while others, with swords drawn, ran to confront the beast. Duard led the charge at the beast. The blackber gave the pack one more shake and Fralek came loose, hitting the ground with a thud.

  The blackber turned and ran off into the woods with the pack, bryne and water dripping from puncture wounds in several of the bota bags.

  Suddenly there were screams from behind. Many of the warriors that had run off were now in peril. Deciding not to chase the blackber with the pack, Duard and the others turned to see what was taking place on the other side of the camp. They could hear screams and cries of pain in the distant woods.

  “Another blackber?” Duard questioned.

  “Go find out!” Hayden yelled. Twenty or more warriors ran in the direction of the screams. As they pushed through the increasingly darkening woods, they quickly became aware of the screams dying down, and they began seeing the trails of blood left by wounded Midlanders.

  “Could one blackber do all this?” one warrior asked Duard.

  “If it was, it was a big one,” Duard answered. “The cowards didn’t have a chance. Let’s hope that the blackbers got enough to eat tonight and leave us alone. Let’s get back to camp.”

  Hayden walked over to the body of Fralek. He looked down at him and saw no signs of injury.

  “Maybe his neck is broken,” he mumbled to himself. He kicked the body of Fralek once, then once more, harder. Fralek moaned and slowly rolled over on his side, holding the spot in his ribs where Hayden had kicked him.

  “Once again, you’ve let us down, mule!” Hayden said in his most angry tone.

  “What happened, Hayden? What did I do?” Fralek asked, completely in the dark as to what had taken place.

  “You let a blackber take the pack of food and drink, you worthless beast,” Hayden scolded.

  “I’m sorry, Hayden. I was so tired, I couldn’t keep myself up,” he pleaded.

  “Duard, have some warriors tie our mule to a tree as blackber bait so if they come back, maybe they will leave us alone.”

  “Yes, Hayden,” Duard said. He gathered a couple warriors and they did as instructed, tying Fralek with his arms behind him, around a tree.

  “I’m sorry, Hayden. Please don’t do this to me,” he begged. But his pleas went unnoticed.

  The forest was getting dark, the fires were going out. And Fralek could hear every sound in the woods. And he questioned his very existence.

  cHAPTER 15

  Three Days
Earlier…

  Fralek barely slept that night, the thought of becoming a midnight snack for a blackber was not the recipe for a quiet, pleasant slumber. As the early morning light broke through the tree cover above, the Midlanders began to mill around and make ready for that day’s travel.

  Fralek waited patiently for someone to come over and untie him from the tree, and strap packs onto his back again for him to carry on the trek to Blackhorn. Several times his Midlander tribemates looked his way, but no one ever came to release him from his bonds. As he watched the camp pack up and head out on their way, he hung his head and accepted his fate. For Fralek, death could not come soon enough.

  Hayden led the Midlanders, minus Fralek, out of the woods and back to the Great Highway for another day’s travel. Duard was one pace behind him and to his south-hand side.

  “Duard,” Hayden called back to his number one.

  “Yes, Hayden,” Duard said, rushing up to the side of his leader.

  “How many did we lose last night?” Sylys asked.

  “There were four killed, but it looks like two are just missing. Six total gone,” Duard said.

  “So, are you now still questioning my taking so many? We are down six warriors, and almost no food. At this rate, I will be lucky if I am the only one standing by the time we get to Blackhorn,” Hayden said sarcastically.

  “I will see that we have some warriors set out on a hunt before dark this evening,” Duard said.

  “They better be fruitful, or we will go hungry tonight.”

  From a distance, hidden just outside the range of site within the woods, Lyren and Shamaya, two Midlander warriors who had run for their lives when the second blackber attacked, watched as Sylys and the remainder of his army marched off down the Great Highway.

  Lyren, a male warrior of average height, and Shamaya, a female warrior a bit shorter than average, were both part of the raiding party led by kDira several days earlier. Now, fearing that Sylys would not take kindly to them running off in the face of danger, decided it safer remained behind in the woods. They did not want to become mules like Fralek.