Journey of the Messenger Cycle 1 Part 9b

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The flight from Burret’s Crossroads had not been a speedy affair. Many of the women had been underfed and abused for months. Two were pregnant with one in poor health. A handful of them were in better shape, three had been captured more recently along with the pair who been locked away for the exclusive use of one of the men. The group barely made it into the hills before rest was required.

They drank water and ate. The initiate from the Order of Mercy checked on each of the women, she was exhausted and there was little she could do for most of them. Ijah encouraged everyone to keep moving, they were still too close to avoid anyone who came this way searching for them. Some of those that had started the flight on horseback were asked to walk for a while so others could ride, one of the pregnant women was having difficulties staying conscious, she was in considerable discomfort.

Ijah left them in the care of the initiate once they resumed their pace. She moved to a hilltop that allowed her to see what was happening in the village. She watched and waited. It took a long time before anyone showed up from Freeton. Of Berri and Osran there was no sign.

Those that came down from the town to the village stopped, most of them entered the stone roadhouse where the women had been held. At that point Ijah carefully withdrew and jogged along the side of the road until she had rejoined the fleeing women. Some were already asking to stop again but she urged them to keep going a while longer.

They pressed onward, eventually coming to a stone bridge spanning a gully between two hills, along the bottom of the gully ran a small stream. Many of the women stopped, a few sat down too exhausted to even seek a spot to rest. The pregnant woman who had been suffering the most fell over with a cry of anguish, blood running down her legs. The initiate tried to help her while Ijah made sure the others moved off the bridge to a shaded spot. Despite the initiates efforts to save the woman, she died. This triggered a breakdown in many of the others, there was weeping and wailing, it seemed half the women were ready to give up. The initiate was spent, exhausted beyond recourse, she collapsed as well. Some of the women became more agitated, one of them tried to throw herself from the bridge before Ijah intercepted her.

Frustrated and near losing her temper, Ijah took a moment to calm herself. She was not sure what she had expected, but the way this was going they would all be captives again before nightfall. Or they would all be dead.

One of the women approached Ijah, she was one of the two that had been locked away. She was very pretty and had armed herself. She asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Goddess, yes. Can you get up that hill and keep an eye on the road? Shout if you see someone coming.”

She nodded, heading to the hill. Ijah took a look around at the other women. Two others who had armed themselves, standing to one side, they appeared to be siblings. She waved them over. There was a moment of hesitation, words were exchanged, then they came over to where Ijah stood on the south end of the bridge, “What do you want?” Asked the one who appeared to be the older.

“Do you know this area?”

“No, sorry. We’re from further west.”

“Are you good with horses?”

“No, dogs we know, hunting and tracking.”

“So you know how to use those bows?”

“Well enough, yes.”

“And you’ve woodland skills?”

“Woodlands is pretty much all that’s west of here.”

“So, if I sent you south to find help, would you?”

She hesitated, considering Ijah, she nodded somewhat reluctantly. “We would.”

“Thank you. I’m going to get these women moving again. Head south until you find a large homestead or village, bring what aid you can.”

“Very well. You’re going to have to keep them alive for a day or two, maybe longer, it’s unlikely anyone will be at the nearest homesteads.”

“I will. We’ll stay on this road or within sight of it.”

“Good luck… And, thank you.”

The two of them left. Their departure was noted by a few of the others. A lanky woman approached Ijah, “Where are they going?”

“I sent them to get help.”

“Well, Potters Bridge is three days from here. They fended off a couple of attacks from those guys in Freeton. They’ve decent walls and a militia but… it’d be four or five days before they could get to us, assuming we keep moving towards them.”

“You’re from the area?”

She nodded, “About a day northeast of Potters Bridge.”

“Do you know of any places nearby where we could find shelter or defend ourselves, should it come to that?”

“There’s another homestead about a day and a half from here, likely a couple of days for us. It was sacked but would offer some shelter, maybe some food… Oh, there’s also a stone circle of the wild-folk, it overlooks the road, about a day from here. Folks generally stay away from it, though.”

“That’s good. Can you use that spear?”

“Not so much so, no.”

“Okay, take up a position on the other side of the bridge. If they come for us before I can get the rest of them moving again, I’ll join you there.”

She sighed wearily, “Fine, but I don’t think we’ll stand a chance against them.”

“Let me worry about that. Shout if there’s trouble.”

She went back across the bridge, Ijah looked at the rest of the women, they had noticed the activity and had thankfully calmed down somewhat. Ijah forced herself to smile, “Alright ladies, let’s all take a bit of water, share with those who don’t have any.”

Hesitantly they did so. “Good! Now, everyone take three deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose, exhale slowly through your mouth… Good. Now again… And, once more… Very good. We really do need to get moving, there is shelter and more defensible ground a ways south of here, I’ve sent out two to get help. So those that need to ride can get on the horses and we’ll keep going. It won’t be too long before we can take another break.”

One woman looked like she was going to panic again, Ijah moved to her and offered a hand, “Let me help you up.”

Startled, the woman looked at her despairingly, but she did reach up and take Ijah’s hand. Once she was on her feet, Ijah asked her, “Can you help this woman? She is a follower of the Goddess of Mercy, I’ll get the two of you up on this horse and then we can all keep going.”

They were on the move again, Ijah called her two lookouts to join them. She lead one of the horses and this time they kept going for a long while, managing to cover twice the distance that they had already traversed. Ijah called for a rest when she noticed one of the younger women swooning and stumbling. She still feared they had not gone far enough. She sent the pretty woman and the one with the spear to keep watch, thankfully it appeared as if the initiate had recovered somewhat.

Ijah was just about to try to get them moving again when the pretty woman called down from the nearby hilltop, “Riders!”

Panic ran through the group, some began to wail. Ijah went back north along the road and stood beside the spear-woman. Eight horses came into sight, Berri was leading most of them as Osran trailed behind. Ijah was very relieved. She called back to the women letting them know it was her friends, with more horses. When her companions reached them, Ijah asked, “Any sign they sent people out?”

Berri nodded, “Two riders to the east, west and south.”

Osran added, “Two who went this way are dead.”

“Good. How far back?”

Berri said, “Two yat back, maybe a bit more.”

“Okay, so we still have some time. When they don’t return the others will come this way. Let’s get these women on the horses and get moving.”

It took a while, but once again they were on the move, now with eleven horses. Only the most able of them had to walk. Ijah felt a glimmer of hope, they were covering more distance. Perhaps they were not all going to die.

They camped along the road that night, Berri and three of the women saw to the horses, food was distributed and water skins refilled from a nearby stream. Osran and the spear-woman took the first watch. Ijah meditated until Osran woke Berri for her watch.

She and Berri took a walk along the road then climbed a hill to look around. If the enemy was out there, they had been disciplined enough not to light fires. After a while Ijah said, “I’m sorry there was no time to explain the situation before I started killing people.”

“Ah, well, seems you were right to do so.”

“How’s your face?”

“It’s a good cut, a fingers width further right and I’d have been dead.”

“Did you clean the wound?”

“A couple times now. It’ll likely scar.”

“There’s an initiate of the Goddess of Mercy, she seems to have some powers of healing.”

“Well, I think there’s many others more in need. Osran took a deep wound to her leg. She’s toughing it out, but if there’s any healing to spare, then it should be for her.”

Ijah smiled, “You’re a good woman, Berri. Thank you for coming with me.”

She was silent for a long time. Quietly, she said, “You’re welcome.”

There were no threatening disturbances that night, they were on the move shortly after dawn. Food would become an issue. They had enough to see them through another day and a bit beyond, after that they would be relying on what they could hunt or gather. Ijah knew such efforts would slow them down.

Near midday they were moving through a sparsely wooded area, periodically they could see a towering hill to the southwest, atop of which was a circle of megalithic stones.

From the north they could hear riders approaching. It sounded like a sizable force, Ijah shouted out to the others, “Head for that hill! Get within the circle! Anyone able to fight stay with me.”

She sent Osran along with the others, charging her to protect them. Berri and three others, including the spear-woman and the pretty one, joined her. She looked them over, it was not much of a fighting force, “Berri and I will do most of the fighting, you three will support us. We’ll try to stay in among the trees and fall back towards the hill when we have to. Don’t get separated and let’s try not to get caught out in open ground. Move back from the road and hide.”

They had barely managed to settle themselves before the first riders came into sight through the trees. A dozen moved past before one of them spotted the group fleeing towards the hill. Ijah estimated a score or so had come after them, they appeared better equipped and disciplined than the gaggle they had fought first.

An older man in scale mail was issuing orders, Ijah tapped Berri’s shoulder and pointed, “Get that one.”

She nodded and took careful aim. Her shot struck the man in the throat, as he fell from his horse the other men cried out in dismay.

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