Eagle People (17 page)

“By God,” Eldon said from near the shelter, where he was placing supplies in the back to keep them dry, “that meat smells so good. I didn't realize I was so hungry until I smelled meat cooking.”

Laughing, Mongoose said, “My mother once said 'When cooking, the smell of the foods, as well as how it looks when served, is as important as taste.'”

“I agree, but on the trail, it's pretty hard to make a chunk of beef on a stick look good. I've found, if I'm hungry enough, even rat tastes good.” Eldon said, and then smiled.

“I don't care much for rat, 'possum, or snake, but I've eaten all three. My husband dislikes cat and dog both, but they're just meat to me.” Mongoose said.

“I heard,” Eldon said, “cats and dogs were once pets of the Ancient Ones.”

“I have read that many of them had one cat and one dog.”

“I don't see how that would be possible. The cats and dogs I've killed while hunting are all vicious, and I know the two animals have no love for each other.”

“Perhaps one day if your men find some pups or kittens, we can try to raise some of them. I think the dogs would be good in guarding a village. Maybe if raised together they don't fight. We have a few dogs now, but they're raised as meat.”

“What of cats? I see no practical use for them.”

“Raise them for food, like we do sheep. Then in the days of hunger or when the weather is bad and hunting cannot be done, eat a cat or two. I'm not overly fond of the meat, especially when compared to beef or deer, but I'll eat it if hungry.”

Lydia ran to them, which made Mongoose sure the woman had seen something.

“Riders, and I counted four. They are moving in this direction, so I think we will either have to talk or fight.”

“What tribe?” Eldon asked.

“Too far away to tell.”

“Should we separate or stay together?” Mongoose asked.

“Stay together but when they near, move about twenty feet apart, and have your weapons ready.  How long do you think before they'll be here?”

“Within twenty minutes. They were walking their horses, so they're in no hurry and must feel they're safe.”

All three were armed with steel swords, shields, and bows, taken from the Mountain People.  Eldon also had a crossbow, but it was in the shelter. He'd discovered the weapon too slow to load in closeup fights, except he thought they'd be deadly in ambushes.

Lydia, who'd moved back to watch the strangers approaching said, “They've spotted our smoke, so they'll come.”

“Stay where you are, until we're sure they'll ride to us as a group. They might separate and then come at us from different sides. Still can't make out who they are?”

“I see them clearly and suspect they see me, but I've never seen their clothing and decorations before. They are an unknown tribe to me.”

Five minutes later, the four men rode over a slight crest on a rolling hill and stopped their horses, looking at the strangers camped below. Mongoose and her group were together now, Lydia gone from her perch, and standing side-by-side. All three had an arrow ready, hoping it wouldn't come to a fight.

“Do you hunger?” Eldon called out.

One of the four said something that Eldon couldn't hear, and the men walked their horses closer.

“We hunger,” the biggest man in the group said, “but not for food.”  

Shit,
thought Eldon,
they want women. Maybe I can convince him otherwise.

“What tribe are you? I have never seen your clothing style around here.” Mongoose asked.

“We are Great Lakes People from far North.” the big man said, and then gave a big tooth-gapped smile.  

“Why are you on the land of the Eagle People?” Eldon asked.

The big man, who Eldon could now smell, replied, “We are a mighty tribe and go where we wish.” When Mongoose looked at the man, he winked at her.

“It is a good day to die, isn't it?” Mongoose asked.
There will be a fight and when it starts, fat man, you'll be my target. I will not be insulted by the likes of you.

“Well, now, pretty lady, I guess it is, but if any dyin' takes place around here, it'll be you folks that die. Let's discuss this hunger of ours.”

“Go. Return to your people now and you can leave safely.”  Eldon said.

A rail thin man at the far end of the line chuckled and asked, “Ya have some big balls, son, but who's goin' to stop us, ya? One warrior against four?”

“Our women are warriors too, so you've been warned.”

All four men laughed and the thin man said, “We're lookin' for breedin' stock, and ya have two mighty fine lookin' ones with ya right now. We might just kill ya and then take 'em. I think they'd enjoy being used by real men for a change. What do ya say, darlin'?”

When the men looked at Lydia, Mongoose raised her bow, pulled the string back and let an arrow fly.  

One of the four men screamed a warning, but the big man took the arrow deep into his hip. He gave a pitiful scream, fell from his horse, and hit the ground hard, driving the arrow deep into his coxa.  As one, the remaining three charged forward, giving loud war cries.

A man with a spear narrowly missed Eldon, with the tip getting caught in the Eagle's shirt, but with a hard swing of his long sword, he made a long gash in the man's right thigh. Falling from his horse, the injured man stood surprisingly fast and pulled a bronze sword. Since he was injured, the Great Lakes man made no effort to start the fight, so Eldon took the battle to him.

Circling, each man looked for an opening or weakness, but saw none. Eldon started to move to the left, then quickly moved right, which opened the man up. Using the tip of his sword, he sunk about four inches of hardened steel into the man's shoulder. Grunting, with blood flowing from two injuries, the Great Lakes warrior took a roundhouse swing which Eldon easily ducked under, and extended his sword blade. The sharp metal took the warrior low and deep in the belly, and when he dropped his sword, Eldon lifted the sharp blade, opening a twelve inch incision.  

The fatally injured warrior fell to his knees screaming, as he attempted to hold his bloody intestines inside. As crimson stained hands grasped at the rolls of purplish-gray gut, Eldon swung his sword with all his strength and grimaced as the Northern Lakes warrior's head rolled across the ground. The body fell to the left, quivering as its central nervous system shut down.

Mongoose quickly released a second arrow and saw her target take the long shaft in chest, but he acted as if she'd completely missed him. He swung a bronze battle ax as he rode by her, but missed, which allowed her time to nock another arrow. As he was turning his horse, Mongoose released another arrow which struck the man in the middle of his back. He completed his turn, gave a loud scream, and fell from his horse.

Knowing the man was still alive, which made him potentially dangerous, Mongoose ran to him as she pulled her skinning knife. His eyes were open and blood was puddling under him when she neared, but he seemed unable to move.

My last arrow must have struck his spine and he's paralyzed,
she thought as she squatted beside him. Grabbing his filthy hair, she said, “We warned you our women were warriors, but the Great Lakes People must not have such warriors. When you get to the other-side in a few minutes, tell the men warriors a woman killed you.”

Without another word, she sent the point of her knife up and under the man's ribs, where she jerked the blade violently from side-to-side, ignoring his screams. Then, pulling the bloody blade, she cut his throat, as was the custom of her people. His body thrashed and jerked as she released his hair, letting the head fall, and stood. Her hands and forearms were dripping blood and the sweet coppery smell of blood filled the air.

Lydia's target moved right for her, which unnerved her a little, but she released her arrow and smiled as it struck the man in the left eye. He fell from his horse, slid on the grasses, and lay unmoving.  She walked toward him, another arrow ready, only once near she saw he was dead. She knelt and cut his throat.
The arrow entered his eye socket, then about four inches of the shaft went into his brain, which resulted in death,
she thought.
I could never make a shot like this if I wanted to do so. It was God's hand in my shooting.

Eldon asked, “Are you two hurt?”

“No, I'm fine.” Mongoose said.

“No injuries.” Lydia replied, “But what about you?”

“I'm fine. Now, let's go see what Mongoose hurt that started the dance.”

The big man was still screaming as they neared. Once at his side, Eldon kicked the man's weapons away from his reach and then pulled a knife from his belt.  

“No . . . one . . . uses women . . . warriors.”

Mongoose laughed and said, “We do, fat man. Do you have a name?”

“I . . . I am called . . . Clint. What will . . . you . . . do . . . with me?”

Eldon said, “It is the custom of our people to torture captives to death. You will die a slow death.”

“No . . . torture.” The big man raise his right arm, which he fully extended and opened his hand wide, which was sign language meaning he was unarmed.

Eldon laughed and once sober said, “Of course you are unarmed. It'd be hard to torture a warrior to death if he had a weapon.”

Mongoose, using Sioux sign said to Eldon, “We will use ants.” Then looking down at the injured man she said, “Clint, it looks as if your bad day is about to get worse.”

Chapter 12

AS ASA AND BYRON STOOD
over the bloody mangled body of Har, both wore smiles. The Big River People were no more, except for a few women and young girls. Every male, regardless of age, was killed in the attack to prevent the Big River People from ever walking on earth again. Asa was quickly killing off the weak and disease thinned tribes, and already had more land than his people could defend. He thought if he killed all his enemies, then all would belong to The Wolf People.

“Ora,” Asa asked, “how many women did we capture?”

“Twenty women and sixteen girls.”

“What would you guess the oldest woman's age to be?”

“Sixty and she's useless to us, unless someone needs a slow slave.” He laughed and then added, “The rest are around thirty or less in age.”

“Bring the old woman to me. It is time to put fear in the hearts of the women who yet live, and to show them we are powerful.”

The women were all taken before Asa who smiled at the beautiful young women and said, “We are your masters. Some of you will be allowed to marry into our tribe, especially you young girls; a few of you that are older may marry, while the remainder will become slaves. A few of you will be kept to entertain the young men without wives, which means you'll get little rest, because our men are always wanting a woman.”

He allowed time for his words to sink into the minds of the frightened women. After many long minutes he said, “Bring me the old woman.”

The old woman was brought before Asa and she kept her head lowered, not making eye contact with him.

“Kneel.” Asa said.

She knelt in the grasses and kept her head lowered. Asa pulled the steel sword that had been taken from Har's blood tarnished hands and held it high over his head, allowing the sunlight to reflect off the sharp cutting edge. He then slowly lowered it.

The old woman hadn't moved or said a word the whole time. Asa suddenly stuck about two inches of the blade into her back, which brought a warbling scream; her torso went straight, and her head came up. As soon as her head was up, the blade swung through the air and her head rolled to the grass. Her eyes actually met his for a second or two as she blinked, then a fountain of blood shot from her severed neck, and her body fell forward.

Most of the women and young girls screamed in fear, but a few stood unmoving as if in shock.

Walking to the head, Asa picked it up by the hair with his hand, and holding it high said, “This is what happens to those who dare disobey The People.”

Knowing he had the women scared, Asa said, “Byron, pick any woman you want and take her here, so all of them may witness what is in store for them.”

Byron walked among the women, looking for one that he'd seen earlier, when they were being rounded up. Finally, he stopped in front of her. He grabbed her left arm and led her forward. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she left the group, and once beside Asa she fell to her knees.

Asa laughed and said, “She thinks we're going to remove her head.”

Forcing her to her feet, Byron took his knife and cut her simple wool dress down the middle.  He then removed it and threw it to the ground. It wasn't until he started undressing that the woman realized what they wanted from her, and she smiled. She'd been raped before and it was expected when a tribe was overrun by the enemy.
You may take me now,
she thought as her legs were being forced open,
but one day I will kill you.

When Byron finished with the woman, her clothes, now useless, were handed back to her and she was shoved back into the group naked. Once her clothes were on, her hands were secured behind her back, just like the others. Ora then had each woman's head tied to a long rope with a number of slipknots tied every few feet. By using four long ropes, four men could easily handle the captives. The woman, a narrow line of blood now running down her leg, was still smiling, because she was a survivor.
I'll have my revenge, but it will take time,
she thought as the men with the ropes began walking.
They will never know I am the one responsible for what is to come.