When Munk turned to a second old hag who came over to see what we were talking about, she smiled broadly, oblivious to the stench, and volunteered what had happened. Also in a language that Munk understood, but Tor with his limited understanding, required Shea to help with gestures.

She smiled with squinting eyes against the smoke and sun. "I am happy for this day. We were all captives, kept here against our will all these years until we are old. They have raped us and taken our children for their evil ways. I know this pestilence. It came to our camp when I was a child and most of the older people died, the three of us, sisters, survived, only to be captured by these evil ones who robbed us of our lives!"

She waved her hands vigorously towards the nearest pile of burning bodies. "Be gone all you evil ones! The gods have taken their wrath out on you for what you have done! Burning is too good for you! Now, we have to get you out of our minds!"

Munk asked, "Are any of the evil ones still alive?"

"No. We took care of them during their fevers, their vomiting and their cries all night long. In the end, they grew corpuscles under their arms and in their vile groins, and began bleeding out of their nose, ears and eyes. We dragged them dead out into the cold and snow where they stayed for the ravens, wolves and other flesh eating animals to pick away at. But, too many for them to eat.

"It was only in the last few days that they have thawed out enough for us to begin burning them before flies and vermin, along with the rotting smell, attracting wolves and bears out of hibernation, drive us away from here, the only home we know." She spit smoke and ash.

Munk, sympathetically, replied. "We will help you with the burning and you can come with us to our encampment. You are all getting old. I don't think you can survive and take care of these children, too.”  He waved his hand toward the few children bringing wood to the fires. "How many?"

"Seven, all captives like us. Thankfully, the gods spared them, but so many died… innocents, too!” Tears started streaming down her dirty cheeks as though the acrid smoke had finally got to her determined, but strained, eyes.

Tor surveyed the children and spotted one that he thought looked very familiar. She was gaunt, just filthy and smoke stained, but with unmistakably brilliant dark blue eyes that was the quality that he thought he knew. He approached her as she approached a pyre with more wood to throw on it.

"Are you Thal?" He inquired in his language.

Those beautiful sapphire eyes lit up hearing her language again. "No, but you look like the one who carried me off when I was but a baby. Are you Tsen?"

"I am Tor, his son. Now I remember why I recognize your eyes. You were a beautiful baby that we couldn't leave behind… Tia."

"I know who you are now, too. I remember you, Tor. I remember how our mother called out incantations to the gods for your father and you to come home. I was a part of your family until these awful evil men came and took us away. All gone now, except me and two other boys." Her face changed from a smile to tears. She started crying.

"Shush, shush… We will take care of you now you are free from that evil. You can be part of my family." He patted the shoulder of Shea to show Tia his mate, and now, family.

Tia rushed into Tor's arms. She was so light; just a set of bones with skin on top. Those big eyes fixed on his while she felt his comfort and her own disbelief. Could this be real? She wondered.

Tor hugged her gently for fear of breaking her bones and wiped the tears smearing her face with the soot and sorrow as he did.

"One question left… What happened to Nila, our mother?"

"I was playing with the other children in camp when they came, shouting and yelling, Shooting arrows and throwing spears. I ran, so scared, with the others until I ran into mama, not even seeing her. She yelled in my ear above the din, 'Go, run quickly to that secret hiding place I showed you! I will come back for you when it is safe again.' She ran off and I never saw her again!"

Tia began crying again, as if somehow that little body still had anything more to offer by way of tears. Once again, Tor rocked her in his arms and asked another question. Remembering Nila's story of surviving evil raiders and losing all but her father, while away in the mountains hunting, by hiding under the riverbank. Only to be abducted and smitten by her captor, Tsen. So like Tor at that age.

"Did you get to that secret hiding place?"

"There was so much confusion, everyone running every direction to try to avoid getting hurt. Many were and were screaming in pain! Since I was small and fast, I left the camp and crawled through the brush and brambles scratching myself until I found that ancient log not cut for firewood because it was so huge. I crawled in underneath and pulled the heavy moss over me until there was only a small hole to look out of and breathe air.

"I was there a long time even after the distant screaming stopped, but did not dare to move, even though ants were crawling on me and some were biting me. I was so scared I dared not call out or even whimper. I bit my lip. I waited. I waited for mama to come. And then, I heard a dog sniffing. The sniffing came closer, until this dog was sniffing in my eye hole!" She sighed.

"They grabbed me and pulled me out from under the log. They carried me to the waiting boats where they had Pet and Pinc already in the boats. As I passed the camp I saw many dead people that I knew, but I didn't see mama. Maybe she got away… I never saw her again! I never saw mama again!"

Tor handed the poor girl over to Shea to comfort and feed some dried berries for energy and smoked jerky for strength. While he went looking for the boys who he knew were older.

He caught up with Pinc doing the same thing that Tia was doing, bringing wood to the fires like most of the Canyon people were doing.

"Do you remember me, Pinc? Tor called out to him.

Pinc threw his load on the nearest fire and then turned his emaciated body to take a look. "Yes, I was nine notches and wanted to go along with you and your father going on that raid. But your father, Tsen, turned me away, saying, "You're too young." I remember trying not to cry, but did anyway.

"And then, two notches later, when these guys raided our camp, I found out how terrible fighting was, dodging arrows and clubs until one caught me in the head and I didn't know anything until I woke up in the boat tied. A captive now for so long by these depraved ones. So glad that the gods infected them so they can no longer beat and abuse me for their pleasure." His eyes started to tear up but he stopped them to ask a question.

"How is your father and the others? Did they come back with you?"

"They were all killed by an old man while they were sleeping. I chased him up a mountain into the snow and put an arrow into him when my bare feet end legs failed me. They were numb and bleeding so I was no longer able to catch him; had to turn back.”

Tor gave him some jerky to chew while he worked. Watching Pinc walk away bawling like a child he no longer was.

Later, to escape the smoke and stench, the fires burning much brighter than before with wood piled high, they returned downstream to where the boats were to make camp for the night. Where their tributary merged with the much larger, Rine, they gathered all of the survivors to have them bathe and get away from the stench and heat of the fires that burned brightly in the distance.

Some of the survivors had to be carried in the water because they were too weak and could not swim. But they all were grateful after initially being so fearful, for how refreshed they felt after emerging from the water and resting under shade on that hot, hot day, foretelling summer to come.

Bedding furs were brought, the ones the old women pointed out that were not infected, and a temporary camp was built so that fresh meat and fish could be fed to the hungry lot and discussion could begin about what could be done.

Relaxed and sitting before a roaring campfire, eating soft fish, watching out for bones, or prechewed, boiled or finely cut up meat, The three sisters were ready and willing to negotiate. They designated Pell to speak for them, the one that initially told Munk what happened.

Her shrunk stomach bursting, Pell began… Speaking primarily to Munk who understood her. "I want to thank you and the gods for your arrival today to help us rid our camp of the evil that surrounded it for so long, our lifetime…" She choked up, but regained her composure, her nose running. "But we cannot stay in this evil place and my sisters and I are too old to find someplace else and to make a camp. But we will try if we have to. Some of us will die next winter."

"When I saw you, I immediately knew we had to help you and those children. I'm so glad that none of those evil men survived. We would've had to fight and kill them. You could have been harmed." Munk was trying to be diplomatic.

"But we died, too. Some of our best and most resourceful, especially when the evil ones were away finding victims and treasure. Why the gods saved us, I do not know."

"You have no other choice but to take the long trek back with us to our canyon camp for the winter so you will be fed, warm and safe until the next spring and you can then leave if you want to start a new camp for your clan to restart again."

"We have no clan! It is too long to think ahead like that. I will be dead by then."

"The youngsters with you will take care of you and you will live long. We will bring all of your belongings with us so you will have them to make your life like here, only better."

"Belongings! They gave us none. Took everything we treasured. We want their treasure. What they stole from so many clans!" Spittle flew from her mouth and her sad eyes turned to angry evil.

"Okay, you can take whatever you want as yours. What you don't want, but we may use, we will take… All of it… With us. The horse will help us bring any heavy load, along with these boats."

Tor interrupted. "We meant to talk to you privately, but I guess it's best that everyone knows. I have been talking to Shea today and she wants to help me find my mother before it is too late. I still have some of the river to explore and we should return, with or without her, after two cycles of the seasons. My Tsen must stay with me."

Startled with that response, Munk questioned Shea. "Is this true ? Do you want to abandon your clan and me over this young man I have decided to be your mate and give us strong children?"

"I love you dearly, daddy. But I have come into womanhood and I still do not have a child. Tor has helped you and our entire clan grow stronger than we ever thought we would. He has taught me so much in such a short time, along with all our younger people lessons that will stay with and help them while you wait for my return. I have never met a man like Tor. I cannot leave him now during his quest. And with a fellow member of his family needing a mother to overcome her loss of her childhood. Tia is coming with us by boat so that we can move quickly and end this endless searching that Tor must do."

All that Munk could do after hearing her passioned response, the loving father that he was, was,  "Forgive me, I didn't know you had such strong feelings. May the gods be with you and may you quickly find Tor's mother and return to me, wiser about the world than I will ever be." While he fought them, tears still rose in his eyes.

It had been that kind of day. They settled in for the night.

Copyright 2021 © Ronald W. Hull

6/9/21