The Elder Origins (4 page)

             
“Since the day we arrived.”

Madison fell back to her bed clutching her stomach. “And you thought it best to say nothing?”

              “No, I thought it best to search the area before we plotted our home here. We scouted the woods and did not find anyone for miles before making for the shore again. There were tracks and signs of life here all around us. But then we found an arrow with blood on it. We figured it was from their recent hunts.”

             
“So they have weapons?”

             
“Of course they have weapons, Madison. What people do not have weapons of some sort?” He stepped closer to her. “If they meant us harm, they would have done so already. They would never permit us to begin to build if we were so unwelcome.”

             
“Or perhaps they saw fit to simply watch and know of us before coming with force.” Madison stared at the ground. She could visualize the home they had built coming down upon itself as her previous home had.

             
Jamison sighed and sat upon his bed. “I will not give into such thinking before knowing more about them. They are beings without our God and they can conceivably be taught of our ways. If we welcome them with open arms the way our lord intends for us to, then we have nothing to fear.”

             
“The men who took our people with swords and fire were men who knew God.”

             
Jamison scoffed. “Not our god! They worshipped nothing but a vengeful being who they thought sanctioned all their evil doings and encouraged their pillaging of the innocent. These people have not been exposed to such evil and we must not judge them lest we judge ourselves. Do you understand?”

             
Madison simply covered herself with her blanket and lay down. She nearly turned away from him in frustration, but she didn’t want to anger him further. She yearned for the faith in mankind of all features and cultures as Jamison possessed. But she always found herself in doubt. And recently, in a consistent state of distress and anxiousness. She told herself time and time again that it was simply memories of that fateful night coming back to intrude upon her mind. Now she wasn’t so convinced.

4

              A few men set out at dawn as expected. Jamison tried to argue for Jayden staying behind to tend to the hunting for the day, but he would not hear of it. Jamison feared what he might do, but knew that his skills in tracking animals would be useful. There was no man better for the hunt or for the maintenance of their lives in the community they had built when it came to their food source. Jayden had successfully conditioned everyone for any circumstances they could encounter, proving he was quite valuable. Yet his presence demanded the attention of everyone without his having to speak a word. He was almost feared. Not for aggression, but his features and disposition. He was tall but not overbearing, strong but not overpowering. Madison knew when he stared at her, that he saw straight through her. He saw through everyone. It made him one of the strongest of the group, and still one of the most frightening in Madison’s eyes. It seemed as though he never looked at anyone. He saw only what use they had.

             
Madison feared Jamison being out in the wilderness with him. She knew that Jayden had nothing of a violent resolve, but she was still unaware of how capable he could be persuaded to it.

             
They did not return until nightfall, when Madison had just finished preparing the evening meal. Their late hour had her wondering if they were to make camp elsewhere in their quest to find these people.

             
Jamison dismounted his horse. It was one of the few they had brought with them across the seas. She obediently stood in place as he walked toward her, rubbing his chin in dismay and looking to the ground as he walked. He did not meet her gaze until he was a foot or two before her.

             
“What did you find?” she asked.

             
“Nothing but tracks and traces of their hunting grounds, a little animal blood from their recent kills for food, and droppings of feathers like we saw from their garments. That was all.”

             
“Jayden used the entire day for tracking and truly found nothing? Did he ever get separated?”

             
“Of course not, why would you think that?” he inquired.

             
Madison spoke in a hushed tone. “Are you sure he would tell you even if he did see something of note? He seems as though he would want to observe them on his own. He clearly does not think anyone else here capable.”

             
Jamison knew that it was likely. No one knew for certain where Jayden went for his hunts and rarely did he require the assistance of others until he came close to their camp with his kill in tow.

             
“He may know more than he has led on, but he was the one who first brought the attention of others to the fact that we are not alone here.”

             
“But you said that you noticed our first day here,” she said.

             
“Yes. But others were not aware. Jayden spoke of it quietly to Lyndon, and then Lyndon to me. Our suspicions were confirmed when we regarded one another’s sightings.”

             
Madison turned and took to the meal again, watching it over the fire Jamison had carefully taught her to build.  Jamison sat on the log beside her as she prodded at the meat over the flames.

             
“So we wait until they make an appearance yet closer whilst we sleep?” she said.

             
Jamison had no response.

             
“There is nothing that can be done just yet,” said Lyndon coming up from behind Jamison. He looked at her in the eyes as he spoke. “Until they decide whether we are of gentle means, we cannot make a move against them. The least we can do is make ourselves more familiar with the area and know these woods as best we can should they approach us in an untoward manner.”

              Jayden sat with them and started to carve at the meat before Madison had given her blessing that it was prepared. He had little regard for manners or Madison’s territory over the meals. She thought it best in fact to not enquire further as to what they found. Each seemed to be lost in their thoughts. Jamison appeared nearly bleak in his prolonged staring at the burning fire. She took their lengthened silence as exhaustion from an entire day of riding and continued to serve, and then clean from the meal.

             
Over time Madison had grown quite comfortable with taking their cooking tools and cutlery to the sea for cleansing on her own. Each day she ventured just slightly farther away from their shelter to make herself more at ease. The men ventured out together and occasionally she went with one of the few other women who treaded the great journey with their husbands. She had grown weary of them always asking why she came by passage with only her brother and not a husband. She responded that she intended to find one amongst the group, but she had not yet the time to know anyone as they had been working hard to build a new home. This seemed to satisfy them, although she knew not how she could have been expected to grow an acquaintance with anyone. She only managed to get on the decks of the ship when accompanied by her brother as the women were often scolded whenever they left their quarters. Their presence was made to feel like a sort of intrusion of a male world.

             
Madison drew the hem of her skirt to her knees and held it between them as she dipped the cutlery into the waters to soak them properly. Her hands burned from having been so close to the heat of the open flames from the cooking meat and then making contact with the salty water.

Above her, she heard a flock of b
irds urgently making way to land. Their cries echoed between the pillared crags on either side of her. A strong breeze came from overhead and drifted down towards the sea. With violent strength it blew her hair from the cloth she had meticulously wrapped it in and threw it behind her head. It came with such force that she nearly lost her footing, but she could still see the movement of the wind before her as it sent water rocking back and forth. She took one hand to the ground allowing her hem to fall and dropping half her cutlery in the water. What had just been warm water turned to ice within seconds and sent a sharp chill throughout her body. A pain in her back erupted from the drastic change in temperature and she let out a gasp.

Gathering herself together, she forgot the cutlery as she saw the wind push behind her to the trees. The forest bent and curled so dramatically that the timbers looked as though they could snap. Her hair blew in front of her face now covering her view. She took her hands to grab for it to see what was happening. The trees had begun to break apart and were crashing to the ground. Shards of wood flew into every direction as if each branch and log had been struck with the power of lightening. Madison threw herself down and into the water. She knew it would not protect her, but it was the only defense she could think of. The debris fell about in needles of wood wafted through the air. Debris was everywhere and what had once looked like a patch of trees down a wooden path to her valley was now nearly destroyed. An enormous crack sounded from the trees and crashes of thunder rang sharply in her ears.

Jamison.

Her thoughts immediately ran to her brother, who no doubt was still by the fire. What was left of the thick wooden trees had gone flying in the direction of their lodgings. She knew they were not built nearly strong enough to withstand these kinds of winds. This gust put all the English winds to shame. It almost didn’t even feel like a wind. Rather an explosive force. The earth felt as though it was shaking beneath her and the waters were slapping her face as she tried to stand. She faltered several times before managing to get on all fours and forcing her way up to her feet. With each step she took she felt as though she was being pulled back. She yanked up her hem and ran as hard as she could, determined to stay level.

The shards of wood on the ground were thick and sharp. Many of the trees were broken halfway and still standing straight up with jagged edges pointing to the sky. She climbed over the heavy broken branches and tried with every muscle not to fall as the earth appeared to shake. She could feel her heart beat throughout her entire body. It was quaking along with the ground. Fighting over the shards and trying not to grab for anything that could potentially cut or splinter her, she held tightly to her hem. Her dress and hair were matted to her face and body. The weight of the fabric slowed her down more and more with each step. But she continued to move quickly, only to freeze once again at the vision before her eyes.

The fire that had just moments ago warmed their cool bodies caught several of their homes on fire. Men ran everywhere gathering fabric and the water they had to stop it. The women stood trying to treat one of them who had been struck through the chest with a sharp branch. But it was clear to Madison that this man’s spirit was no longer within the confines of his body. He had left it the instant the piece of wood had prot
ruded him. Jamison gathered the few horses they had and lead them outside to the stream for safety as others followed to collect more water. The debris lay everywhere upon the ground making it difficult for anyone to move with haste. Everyone had gashes and scraps, some worse than others. The air began to clear of debris as it fell to the Earth. She could then see that this man had not been the only victim of nature’s wrath.

Once Jamison had the horses lead away, he spotted Madison and ran for her. She remained frozen at what she saw sprawled out before her. Jamison reached her, grabbed her arm and forced her towards the thick stream. The debris that had reached the ground was now adding to the growing flames. They seemed
to trail them. Madison yanked her dress up again and ran as fast as she could. Her legs burned from trying to rush over the debris of trees behind her. The earth that shook beneath them now started to tremble and they both fell hard into the ground. Madison curled up and tried to cover her head, fearing the trees that remaining on either side would come down upon her. Jamison rolled over atop of her and protected her as best he could. All Madison could do was close her eyes, her hands were over her ears to deaden the sound of men and women screaming and their homes crashing to the earth. The fire spread to the grasses and quickly began to move around them, the smoke clouded Jamison’s lungs as he coughed into Madison’s back under him. Madison felt everything that had happened in England beginning to take hold again.

Jamison reached for her dress and made her run for the st
ream. He jumped into its depths and brought her along with him, hoping the waters might provide the little shelter they could find from the fire. They both sat up from the water and watched as their home burned from just beside the waters. This time it was Madison who reached for Jamison and took his hand in hers as she began to trudge through the waters of the stream. They ran through the waters covering their mouths and others started to follow as the horses ran in the same direction. There was no-where to hide now from the fires engulfing their newly created home.

The
stream began to deepen as Jamison was pulled Madison’s weight through it to keep her from falling. They gasped for a breath, struggling to get through the water. The air was finally clear from the smoke that had nearly covered them in the stream. Only a handful of survivors left to trek up the hills behind the valley until they reached the top. Madison allowed herself to stop and look behind them to see the others following. Many collapsed nearby in exhaustion and desperate for the clear air their lungs heaved for. It was only then that they noticed the ocean waters had taken complete control of their village. It overtook the remaining trees lining the path where their homes had been only a moment ago. It rushed in with speed to extinguish the harsh flames. In seconds a hissing noise that could be heard from the top of the hills. For a moment, Madison feared that they would have to continue running down the length of the hills above the valley to escape the waters that appeared to be rising even higher. But it stopped at the hillside’s edge. The crashing of the water sent a backlash wave towards the other end of the valley and through the trees to the sea. It took with it everything they had built, every soul they had lost, all the debris from the trees and plunged it into the ocean. They watched with squinted eyes from the smoke still lingering and the dark skies to see what was happening. The stars left minimal light, but enough to witness the shattered landscape.

Madison turned around to see the remainder of the ongoing hills behind them. All appeared still and calm, almost harshly so. The sea’s wind and waters had taken from Madison everything she knew back into the dark nadir of the ocean. She stumbled
to the ground and stared at the opening between the two crags to the sea. There were no more heavily forested trees barring their valley from the sea’s gusty winds. There was no more protection for them. Their only possessions now were their horses, a couple jugs draped around their necks for carrying water and the few weapons the men had on their waist belts.

No one spoke for what felt like a minutes. There was nothing to be said. Lyndon took hold of the three horse’s reigns and handed one to Jayden and one to Jamison. He led the way down
the hill and into the lands Jayden had only ventured a number of times in search of food. The animals grazed there so rarely that he hadn’t explored farther as the woods were the main area the wild game enjoyed. Now it was their only refuge from the sea and its vengeance.