A Right Hand Woman

Sweat an Tears

After two days of travel, there was little sign of the men searching for us. On a few occasions, voices could be heard in the distance, and once, we heard horses racing past us and saw brief glimpses of them far off to our left. We spent quite a few hours huddled in the dirt hoping they would not return. From then on, we stayed as far from the road as we could get, but still always heading towards Dayan. By noon of the third day, we reached the outskirts of what was once our valley, our home. The smell of wet burnt wood could be smelt already. Waiting some time to make sure it was safe, we left the cover of the trees and made our way down to the settlement. But from our higher vantage point, we could see there was little left to Dayan.

The smoking, smouldering remains of buildings could be seen where ever the eye wandered. The smell of burnt wood and flesh, so strong you could taste it. Debris littered the roads and blocked alley ways that once connected the streets. Not one building was left untouched from the fires. Hand in hand, Susanna and I looked around at what once had been a beautiful, quiet town with weeping eyes. ’I thought there would be someone left. Anyone’ Susanna had whispered, but I was already moving away. Home, I had to get home. David and the boys would be there. I started running, I could heard Susanna calling out after me to wait, but I couldn’t. I forgot everything around me and ran.

By the time I reached the beginning of the road to my home, I was lathered in sweat but feeling positive. I had had to go the long way because of the destruction in my way, but I had made it. As I started jogging up the way, my heart sank. Rising in the distance, was what was left of my home. Nothing stood but the smoking remains of wood. All the barns had been burnt, not one building stood. I reached the courtyard and stopped. ’DAVID!’ I screamed from the top of my lungs. ’BOYS!’ they had to be here, somewhere, hiding. I started to run towards the tree line that backed our property, yelling David’s name again and again, when arms grabbed me around the waist, dragging me to the ground. A hand went over my mouth, stopping my screams, as I looked into Susanna pale face. ‘Quiet, now. There are men coming’

We stood together and ran for the remains of the house. Even in the burnt out state it was, I knew where things had been. At the back of the house were stored some old swords from David’s very brief days in service to the noble family’s in the region. Pulling a charred piece of furniture out of the way, I saw the dull glint of a steel blade. Pulling it out, I passed it to Susanna, and went to retrieve another. Just as my hand found a handle in the ashes, the hooves of horses could be heard coming to a halt. Still crouched down, I slowly raised my head. Are these men friend, or are they foe. Five men on tall horses sat sneering at us, one of which I knew. ‘Help Me…. My sister is bleeeeding to death!’ He spat at me. ‘Well well see how fast she bleeds when I’m done with her, you stinking whore’