The Mender

# 7 VIOLENT ONES - Rescue

Esri tried biting the hand covering her mouth and struggled to get away.

"Stop, Esri, it's me," whispered Dagan.

"What are you doing?"

"Zura saw you were gone. She came and got me. I should have realized you would go and try to get Wilki and her baby. You think it's your fault she was taken, don't you? It's not. Come back to Flat Rocks. We will get Kai and Nat and go with a big group. You can't do this alone, Esri."

"I'll find a way. Something terrible could happen if we wait."

"I knew you wouldn't agree to come back. Then I'm coming with you, but we will not kill. Zura and Nagar are right. If we start killing then we are no better than the Violent Ones. We'll watch. When it's dark, maybe then we'll have a chance. If we have to fight, try only to wound them, hurt their legs or arms."

"All right."

"Promise me this with your complete spirit."

Esri placed her hands on Dagan's chest, "I promise you, Dagan, with every part of me that I will not become a killer like the Violent Ones."

Dagan smiled at Esri, "All right, little songbird. We'll go find Wilki and Wilki-Dumu. Let's rest for the remainder of the night. Who knows how long it might be before we can sleep again."

The first light of day was breaking across the eastern sky. They walked for several hours, moving cautiously, alert to any sounds or movements, staying hidden as much as possible. They used hand signals to communicate. Mid-day, Dagan gestured to Esri to drop flat to the ground and motioned a distance away from them. Otom was standing relieving himself. They must be close to the Violent Ones' bode.

Esri and Dagan circled away from Otom and waited to see where he went after he was done. They advanced slowly in the direction he took, remaining hidden. Soon, they spotted the Violent Ones' bode and made their way to a stand of thorn bushes that provided a vantage point. Using their flints, they quietly cut away some of the lower branches and tunneled their way in, silently dealing with the painful scratches from the thorns.

The bode was smaller than Flat Rocks but the features looked much the same. There were a few caves and a few shelters made of sticks and skins. Small clusters of people - men, women, and children - were moving about, starting the day. A large central area had a low fire going in the middle. They saw Riga emerge from one of the caves and sit in the central area. She spoke to a young woman who brought Riga something to eat.

A woman's voice began yelling and Ulun came out of the largest cave, his arm wrapped around Wilki, pulling her hair. She was crying, trying to struggle while holding onto to Wilki-Dumu. Everyone at the bode came over to watch what was happening but no one did anything to help Wilki. Ulun said something, but Esri and Dagan were too far away to hear what it was. Otom grabbed Wilki from behind. At the same time, Ulun wrenched Wilki-Dumu away from Wilki. He held the baby above his head and began to laugh. Wilki screamed, "No, no, no!"

Esri gripped Dagan's arm, "Ulun is going to hurt Wilki-Dumu. We must save him."

"We'll drop down to those bushes," Dagan pointed below. "And then run in yelling. I'll fight off Ulun and take Wilki-Dumu. You free Wilki and then take her and the baby away. Run as fast as you can. Do not look back. Do not wait for me. I will hold them off."

The people in the bode were preoccupied with watching Ulun dance around with Wilki-Dumu over his head. They did not notice Esri and Dagan approaching.

When the two were close, at Dagan's signal, they came running and yelling. Ulun spun around. He looked like he might throw Wilki-Dumu. Riga rushed up to him and took the baby. Ulun yelled, "Kill them, kill them!"

Several of the Violent Ones grabbed spears and hurled them at Dagan and Esri. They barely managed to duck away from the sharp edges.

Dagan bellowed. "Get them and run. Run Esri!" He was now close enough to slash at Ulun's legs with the long, sharp flint at the end of his spear and the large man toppled over.

At the same time, Esri's spear cut into Otom's shoulder. He bellowed, dropped his cut arm and Esri wrenched Wilki away from him. Esri took the baby from Riga. They exchanged a brief look and Riga said, "Go."

Dagan continued to roar and slash wildly, fending off the ones in the bode who were fighting them. "Run, Esri," he raged again, and again.

"Follow me, Wilki," Esri shouted as she started running, holding Wilki-Dumu, with Wilki close behind. Though Dagan had told her not to, Esri glanced back and saw a flint cut deeply into Dagan's arm. She stumbled and nearly fell with Wilki-Dumu. She needed to save that baby. She needed to run away. Two men from the bode broke away from the fight with Dagan and chased after Esri, Wilki, and Wilki-Dumu.

Wilki and Esri, carrying Wilki-Dumu, topped the ridge overlooking the bode and came face-to-face with a huge snarling cat. Now they were trapped.

She was a large, white cat with strange wandering eyes. Grilu's cat. The big cat streaked by Esri, Wilki and the baby and raced toward the two men who were chasing them. When the men saw the cat they turned and ran back toward their bode. Esri and Wilki stood stunned by what they had seen.

"We must keep moving before more come after us," said Esri. Wilki-Dumu was sobbing in Esri's arms, "Give me your sling, Wilki. I'll keep carrying Wilki-Dumu. Are you all right to travel? Did they hurt you?"

"They did, but I can walk. They are horrible people. Ulun was going to kill Wilki-Dumu. He was mad because I kept fighting them. But Dagan, where is he? How can he fight them all?"

"He can't."

"What do we do, Esri?"

"They will kill us if we go back."

The women held each other. Wilki-Dumu quieted down and went to sleep. He was a healthy baby, starting to walk. His birth brought such joy and promise of a new beginning after the devastation of the Ash Rain. They looked at him and knew that no matter what, they needed to bring him safely back to Flat Rocks.

They walked steadily until night fell, continually looking back to see if anyone was following them, but it didn't appear so. They found a sheltered place to spend the night. The two women took turns staying awake but they were so exhausted that when morning came they were both sound asleep. Esri woke first and sat up when she saw Wilki sleeping. A short distance away sat Grilu's cat, head up, calmly gazing around. The huge cat turned, looked at Esri, yawned, stood up, and padded away.

They had at least another day's walk ahead of them. Taking turns carrying Wilki-Dumu, they concentrated on moving quickly. They were less anxious about staying concealed. Grilu's cat appeared to be protecting them. Around mid-day they could see a large group of people off in the distance and not long after, Nat stepped out of some bushes ahead of them. He was scouting ahead of the group.

Nat said, "Why are you walking out in the open? They could easily find you. Where is Dagan?"

Esri dropped to her knees sobbing. Nat looked at Wilki who shook her head. Nat went to Esri and wrapped his arms around her.