Derelict

Both Deceived and Deceiver are His

Chapter Eleven

It was never easy to snatch a baby from the arms of its mother knowing she would never again hold him. Not that he cared one whit about any baby if it were a Speck. No, they were an abomination, destined as fodder for whatever critter was prowling close by in the Wastelands at that particular moment. The Mandu decreed it and like his forefathers, Rusk believed it. The Specks had to go and no mercy could or would be shown.

But the parents of the baby didn't always agree. In fact, they never agreed. Since becoming Touri of the Griff clan over twenty years earlier, he had stolen away at least thirty babies. He had become hardened to the cries of the mothers and wary against the threats of the fathers.

When he pulled Tyler's baby from her arms, little did he realize that act would tear the Griff clan apart. It had been fifteen years ago and he doubted he could ever forget. Every time he ventured near Tyler's offshoot clan, every time he even thought about her, he remembered that night. She had delivered and the midwife announced--as was her duty--the baby had been born a Speck.

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Not even a day out of Cairo and the labor pains started. Everyone was excited, for the newly-widowed Tyler was loved by all throughout the clan and everyone looked out for her, coddling her, guarding her, and treating her like a daughter. Her cart pulled off the road near some forgettable long-dead town and she was already in the throes of labor. A contingent broke away to protect and aid the mother-to-be while the main body of the caravan continued south. Rusk chose to stay, figuring to benefit by association when the most popular woman in the clan gave birth. It proved to be a poor decision.

Several hours later, the baby came into the world on the back of a trade cart on the side of the road in the most harsh and desolate conditions imaginable. It wailed like an angry cat. The midwife gasped, astonishment and horror painted across her face. "Speck! It's a Speck!" she announced to Rusk and the others assembled around the cart.

Tyler struggled to catch her breath, exhausted from the delivery and loss of blood. "No," she cried. "My baby. Let me hold my baby!"

The midwife turned to Rusk. "Let the will of the Mandu be done." She handed the squirming, naked child to him.

"Aye," he agreed. Rusk inspected the baby and noted the large reddish corruption splayed across its neck. The very thought of touching its contaminated flesh made his skin crawl. "This child bears the mark of the Speck and is an abomination. Let the will of the Mandu be done."

"Nooo!" Tyler wailed in agony and fought to rise to her feet. "This is murder! Give me my child, he is mine!"

Men rushed forward to restrain her or possibly help steady her, Rusk could not discern which. Tyler dissolved into an hysterical heap, wailing and fighting against the men.

"I am the Touri of the Griff clan. I pronounce this baby a Speck which must therefore be destroyed according to our law and tradition. The Mandu have decreed and I hear their command."

He turned to his Tourinar and passed off the baby to him, grateful to be free of the disgusting creature. As Touri, the clan Chief, his duty was to pronounce judgment. But it was the role of the Tourinar to implement it.

"Do your duty," he charged. "As ever before, do your duty to protect the clan from the wrath of the Mandu."

"As you will," answered his Tourinar. "I seek to serve their ways."

Rusk smiled, grateful for the ready and willing support of his second-in-command. "As you always have. Once again you have proven your worth Caddo."

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Caddo had taken the Speck baby deep into the wild, not returning for four days. Tyler used the time to gain her strength and also gain a following, stirring up resentment among others who had likewise lost babies. She had plenty of support, for almost everyone in the clan had family or friends whose babies had been tossed away like rubbish. All of them grumbled and cast dark looks his way causing Rusk to guard his back and sleep lightly. When Caddo did return, Tyler and her cohorts confronted him with threats and animosity. Rusk did nothing, content to let his Tourinar bear the brunt of the growing discontentment. Caddo bore her vehement assault for an eternity, weathering her tirade with unrivaled patience. Rusk watched from a distance and was amazed at his tolerance. He would have had the woman flogged for insubordination long before this.

Then one morning, she was gone. And with her, a third of the clan had followed into rebellion taking along a third of their stock and trade goods.

That morning Caddo stood with arms folded and stared at the horizon, a look of resignation on his face.

"Where have they gone?" asked Rusk joining Caddo. "Will they return?"

"No, Rusk. They will not return." It took Rusk a moment to realize Caddo had used his name rather than his title.

"And you Caddo? What of you?" Rusk eyed him. Measuring him.

Caddo remained silent, his eyes locked on the distant hills. A tiny tremor of worry passed through Rusk. He needed Caddo, he realized. Good things seemed to happen at the hand of Caddo. Trade prospered and the reputation of the clan grew. Caddo had the respect of the Griff and the good will of the other clans. Even the outlanders respected him, something he had never before seen and he was too valuable to fall prey to any useless sentiment brought on over the destruction of a worthless Speck baby.

"Tyler has left to forge her own way and she will be the mother of a new clan. She has named it the Blood clan. For her baby was born in blood and so then shall this clan be born. And she will hold it to her bosom in place of the baby she was denied." Caddo spoke as if all emotion had leached from his voice.

Rusk stood with legs trembling, unable to process what he heard.

"She gave me a message." Caddo then turned to Rusk and stared into his eyes with a menacing intensity. "She said Rusk should not expect to live for long upon entering my domain."

In spite of himself, a shadow seemed to pass over them, chilling Rusk and filling his mind with black thoughts.

"And I too have a message," continued Caddo. The shadows gathered and seemed to deepen. "What you believe to be the truth is nothing but a lie and what you believe to be a lie oft times contains the truth."

"What?" What is he talking about? Tyler must have really messed with his head! "You're letting her get under your skin aren't you? It was just a Speck baby! They're worthless. It's not worth getting worked up over."

Caddo did not answer for many minutes. He had returned his gaze to the horizon, staring forward as if it contained all the answers. When he did speak, it was with the quiet words of a man in anguish. "You are walking down a path I cannot follow. I have worked tirelessly for the clan but I see now there are some burdens you have chosen to carry, burdens you must bear yourself. I have too many of my own."

"I don't understand what you're talking about. What burdens?"

"The wheels are now in motion and what I have known was coming draws near. My time as Tourinar is ended."

Rusk felt the blood drain from his face and he slumped to the ground, suddenly weak. Of that conversation, he understood nothing but one thing:

Caddo had turned against him.