Eagle People (12 page)

“At the next dark turn, I'm slipping from my horse and checking our back trail. I think we're being followed.”

“Do you think that's wise? If you're captured, you'll be on your own, because this information must reach Asa.”

“Don't worry about me, and get back home. I'll find you, more than likely, at some point tomorrow.”

“As you wish, but I think it's pretty damned stupid.”

“Someone is riding my ass, because I feel it.”

“Good luck. I intend to ride long and hard, so if you miss us, it's a long walk home.” Byron said as they rode around a dark curve. When he didn't get a reply, he saw Ora was gone.
He's a damn fool, because what can one man do even if we are followed?

Ora moved into the shadows to hide in the thick brush lining the trail. He grinned as he watched their drag man, Eli, ride right by him, scanning as he moved.

Within thirty minutes of Eli passing, he heard movement. Two Dog Soldiers of the Eagle People stopped almost in front of him, but were using some sort of hand signs to communicate. Ora watched closely, but the sign made no sense to him at all. Suspecting these two were the reason for his earlier spell of uneasiness, he raised his bow.

His first arrow dropped the nearest warrior to the ground, where the Eagle began to scream and crawl toward the brush on the other side of the trail. The second warrior charged right at Ora and at the last second leaped from his horse onto the warrior of the Wolf People. Both men were knocked to the ground and when they broke away, the warrior of the Eagle Clan pulled his new steel sword.

“I'll gut you like a fish.” the Eagle warrior said, holding the long steel blade in his hand.

Ora, feeling foolish, pulled his much smaller knife and held it cutting edge up, and then lunged at his enemy. He immediately felt the sharp bite of the sword to his thigh.
I have to even the odds in some way,
he thought,
or this Eagle will kill me. I have to do it quickly too, or I'll start to weaken from blood loss.

The warrior made a sweep with the sword hoping to decapitate Ora, but the Wolf ducked and when the sword passed over his head, he lunged toward the man and felt his knife slide into his enemies right shoulder. The Eagle warrior, unable to retain a grip on his sword, dropped it to the grass near his feet. He then pulled his knife with his left hand.

“I though you were going to gut me, Eagle boy?”

Around and around they moved, each searching for a weakness in the other but none was seen.  Finally, the Eagle warrior's foot slipped on a pebble and down he went, with Ora on him in an instant.  The warrior was forced to drop his knife in order grasp at the Wolf's right hand, which held his knife, but he missed and the knife blade sunk deeply into his left shoulder.  

Knowing his enemy was now unable to protect himself, Ora stood, and picked up the sword.  

“Get up.” the Wolf said.

“I cannot on my own.”

Ora grasped the man's right wrist and pulled him to his feet. He glanced around and saw both horses standing near. Then a thought hit him,
Where is the other warrior?

Knowing the man in front of him was unable to move his arms, Ora quickly tied his legs together, picked up his bow and made an arrow ready. He then searched for the injured man, but found nothing due to darkness. From the dim light of the moon, he spotted some drops of blood, only that was it.  
I usually get in a killing shot and he was an open target, so he'll die,
he thought, and then gathered up the horses.

He untied his captive and led him to the horses. He then helped the man mount, tied his feet together under the horse and tied his hands to the saddle horn. Lastly, he tied a rope around the man's neck and tied it to the horn as well, to keep the man honest as they moved. He, as well as his captive, knew if the rider fell from the saddle, he'd hang.

Ella remained motionless in the shadows of a clump of brush and watched the whole process.  She wanted to help Ralph, but she was bleeding profusely from her side and she could hardly move.  The pain came in waves and it took all her training as a warrior to keep from screaming. Then, she passed out.

When she next open her eyes, she was laying on a blanket and Eldon was treating her injury.  The sun was up and she could hear birds singing. He gave a weak smile and said, “Ralph was taken and I have men following the Wolf People to get him back. You've taken an arrow through your side, from left to right, and it doesn't look good.”

“I will . . . die?”

“I think you will pass over, yes.”

“I have died . . . protecting my . . . people.”

“Do you have much pain?”

“I . . . hurt.”

“Drink.” Eldon said as he raised her head with his hand.

“Kill . . . me.”

“I cannot do that, and you know to do so would violate our warrior code. There is no enemy threat, and I can only kill another warrior to prevent them from being taken captive. Most enemies torture captives to death.”

“I . . . hurt . . . kill me.” Her whole body suddenly shook with pain.

“Drink.”  He placed the cup of rough alcohol to her lips and watched as she swallowed. He was able to get three cups of the strong drink down her before he lowered her head.

“Four, maybe . . . five . . . Wolf warriors.  I . . . heard talk. They . . . know . . . our village . . . location.”  Ella said through clenched teeth, and sweat was beading on her pale forehead.

Eldon was torn between his oath as a warrior to always try to save the lives of other warriors and ending her suffering. He knew she'd never survive the injury, because the arrowhead had caused massive internal bleeding and death was only a matter of time, after much pain.

Hearing her groan and moan and watching her jerk and twitch with pain for over an hour, he finally stood over her and pulled his sword.

She met his eyes, smiled, and then said, “Thank . . . you.”

He raised the blade high overhead and then brought it down hard, with all his weight behind the steel blade, which struck the top of her head. The blade went in deep, Ella quivered once, gave a light gasp, and died.

Pulling the bloody steel from her head, Eldon wiped it clean on her pants, and then wiped the tears from his eyes. In close to twenty years as a warrior, he'd never had to do anything that bothered him as much as this had. He then knelt, lowered his head and said, “Lord, I have killed, not out of anger, but out of love and compassion for a fellow warrior. Her pain was severe and her injury such that she could not have survived. You know this, my God, so please forgive me, because I have sinned greatly against you. This I ask in the name of Jesus, amen.”

He wiped his eyes once more and then covered Ella's body with another blanket.
She died bravely and in defense of her people, which is a good way to die. I think songs will be written honoring her death, and I will always pray for her.  I just wish there had been some way to —

“Eldon, it is us. We have returned.” Georgia said as she neared.

He wiped his eyes once more and said, “Ella has passed over to the other side.”

“It was expected.”

“Did you get Ralph?”

“No, but we tried. We managed to kill one more of their warriors, but the remainder rode from us.”

“Why didn't you follow them?”

“Our horses were killed. I suspect they downed our animals on purpose, too.”

Lowering his head, Eldon said, “Lord, give Ralph strength, because the Wolf Clan will torture him, and they are a cruel people.”

“Yes, my brother, they are cruel. We must return to our village. We cannot return with Ella's body, so it must remain here.”

“Before she died, she told me the enemy knows the location of our village.” Eldon said, and then wiped his eyes.

“Then we must run like the wind to the village and warn everyone. Come, we must leave now.”

“What about Ella?”

“I think you are grieving and not thinking as a leader. We must return home now, so Ella will have to be left behind. She would think of our people first, and we must as well. Our living people come before our dead and it is as it should be. Come, we must hurry.”

Ralph smiled as he rode, although he was in great pain, because he knew the Wolf People would first interrogate him and then torture him to death. He didn't fear death, but didn't really welcome it either, but in the end his revenge from the grave would make his death worthwhile. He wasn't by nature a cold man and most would call him tenderhearted, except he knew no matter what he said to his enemies, he'd eventually die on the fire poles. They would assume, as would any people, that his tale of small pox would be an effort to avoid death. The sun was shining, which made his desire to live grow stronger.

Ora saw the smirk on the prisoners lips and asked, “Why do you grin? Do you not know your death will be slow and painful?”

Meeting the warriors eyes, Ralph said, “But nothing compared to your death, and the deaths of many hands of your people.”

“Of what do you speak? You are making no sense. What harm can you, a bound prisoner, do to me or my people? Are you a shaman who can turn us all into frogs?” Ora gave a mighty laugh at his own joke.

Puzzled by Ralph's statement, Byron asked, “What are you talking about, Eagle?”

“Have you ever heard of small pox?” Ralph asked and then grinned. Deep inside, he knew he spoke the truth, but he didn't want to infect the whole Wolf Clan with small pox.
Lord, I cannot allow my illness to spread if I can prevent it in some way, he thought. If they choose not to believe me, that is their choice, not mine.

“Good God!” Ora said, and his eyes grew wide.

“You lie!” Seth yelled.

“What is it? What is this small pox?” Lum asked, but was ignored.

Byron laughed and said, “You have no pox. Where are your red dots filled with pus? If you had the disease your face would be covered with leaking pimples.”

“In my mouth, because when I clear my throat, I can feel the mucus. My back hurts, I am feverish, and ache. I know, because the man who once owned the sword the ugly one now carries had red dots on his face.”

“Tilt your head to the sun and open your mouth. I will see.” Byron said.

Ralph did as instructed, but the leader remained silent, as he tilted the prisoner's head in different angles.

“Well?” Ora asked, his apprehension easily heard in his tone.

“He has —good God— small pox. I see the red dots in his throat.”

“What now? We can't take him to the village or everyone will get sick, right?” Lum asked.

Ora, riding beside the captive, brought his sword up in one fast sweep and brought the blade hard into Ralph's neck. The prisoner's head rolled from his torso, a fountain of blood shot into the air, and the sword continued through the swing. Ralph's body suddenly slumped forward and the smell of fresh blood made his horse skittish. Blood from the severed neck ran freely down the horse's front leg, which caused the animal to prance. After taking a few minutes to get the horse under control, Byron, who held the reins said, “Damn you, next time make the sonofabitch dismount. Blood is everywhere.”

“He angered me, but why did he tell us of his sickness? I would have kept quiet and infected the whole village.”

“Perhaps he did not want the village to get ill.” Lum said.

“You killed him instantly and he knew someone would, so I think he wanted a fast death.”  Byron said and then added, “But, this brings up a new problem.”

“Oh?” asked Lum.

“Now we will all become ill over time. Also, how do we warn The People of small pox? I am a warrior, not a shaman, but we need to get the word to The People.”

“How do others get the disease? No one has answered my questions.” Lum asked.

“Through touching, breathing around a sick person, drinking or eating after them, I think. I am unsure.”

“Can we not ride close to the village and then yell our information?” Ora asked.

Ralph's body was now hanging grossly to one side, so Byron said, “Yes we can do that. Ora, dismount and untie the dead man from his horse.”

As Ora worked, he asked, “What about us?”

“What about us?”