The Barbarian Mate

Chapter 6

Althea fell on her back with a laugh. Her belly was huge from eating. Rubes look at her with pure amusement.

"Want more?"

"God no! Do you want me to die?"

A man came in making Althea sit up fast.

"Adduc puella." [Bring the girl]

"Come on let's go."

"Why?"

"Who knows with Yeilk. "

Althea follow behind Rubes. The minute she step outside she feel everything she ate coming up. She double over and empty her stomach.

Dead bodies littler everywhere and Yeilk stood in the middle, blood dripping off his sword and axe.

"Are you OK?"

"Do I look OK?" She didn't mean to sound so harsh but it's not like she has ever seen a dead body in real life. "Sorry."

"It's OK." Althea wipe her mouth and stood up straight.

"What is the meaning of this Yeilk?"

"They want her."

"Want me?" Althea was taken aback. "They don't even know me."

"You'll be surprised what people around here knows,"Rubes replied. "But if anyone knows about you that means someone from this tribe spread the news and it's punishable. Someone telling others you're here is like telling a chief sworn secret."

"What is he going to do?"she asked Rubes, her eyes not moving from Yeilk.

"Punish whoever is responsible. Only a male will do it. See the line up? One of them is the traitor."

"What if he's not there?"

"Then he'll be declared a traitor on the run and the news will spread. Yeilk know all the men in this tribe. That man will be killed on sight."

Althea shrudder.

Mercy isn't something these people know.

She watch Yeilk walk through the line up with his sword on his shoulder.

She was dreading the turn out. Death seem to be the mostly used punishment in this world.

"Vos!" [You!]

"Found him,"Rubes whispered.

"Is he sure?"

"He's the chief for a reason."

The man fell to his knees with tears rolling down his face while a woman and two little boys huddle together.

"Is he going to kill him infront of his family?"

"His wife will find another husband."

She get that he did something wrong but killing him infront of his family is inhumane.

Two men pull the man from the line and Yeilk's sword fell from his shoulder.

"He's going to die now."

"Isn't there anyway he can give him another kind of punishment?"

"In the big towns maybe but in tribes no."

Everyone start chanting. Althea slipped away as not to witness the gruesome death.

She walk away from the tribe but not too far. She sit down on a boulder with her head in her hands.

It was peaceful but her mind wasn't. She was thinking about the family who just lost a member. She know what the man did was wrong but there should have been other ways to punish him. But she didn't have a say in their culture. Hell she barely know the people she was staying with. All she know was that they like killing, they are built like a tank and their culture spooks her.

The language is Latin.