The Chronicles of Hvad Ch. 03

"I'm sorry, Ljudevit." she said. "I'm so sorry."

I heard her words, but I couldn't answer. I stopped breathing, even.

- "Why, Berit?" said Borna. "Why are you sorry?"

She turned to face him, and saw that everyone was listening. So Berit addressed us all: "When they found three men of their men dead - and Andon - they were furious. Our remaining warriors had already been disarmed, and moved to the great hall, while Maigon's men moved into their houses, holding their families hostage. There were two rapes - women learned never to be alone, anywhere."

"But the killing of three of their own drove them mad. Vazrig raped your mother, Lord."

"Your sisters, Ljudevit ... my dear friends ..."

Berit stood up straighter. "They raped Ninlih, and killed your father when he tried to stop them. They raped your mother. Rihan stabbed the man who was trying to rape her - that drove them berserk. They killed them all."

When she stopped, there was no sound in the clearing but the crackling of our fire.

"But that only seemed to whet their appetites. They killed your wife, Priit, and your father. Shant - your mother, too."

She fell silent again.

The carpenter spoke. "I heard a scream next door, and saw Berit rush into Priit's house. She stabbed one of them with a knife. The second was trying to draw his sword, while he pulled up his trousers. I knocked him to the ground. Berit killed him, as well."

- "We killed them both." said Berit, her teeth clenched.

Berit dropped the shield she had been holding the whole time. That was when we saw that she had a belt around her waist, with a sheath for a long knife. She drew the weapon from its scabbard. Then she looked Borna in the eye.

- "Will you let me kill me more of them, Lord?"

Borna walked to her, and placed his hands on Berit's shoulders.

- "You did well."

- "I want to kill more of them." she repeated. "I don't want to mend your garments, or wash them. I don't want to cook. I want to fight. Will you let me?"

- "I'll teach you myself." said Borna.

I'm surprised that I remember so much of that evening. My mind felt ... fuzzy - as if someone was yelling in my ear, but I could still hear other voices. I saw my sisters - lovely Ninlih, the beauty of our family, and gentle Rihan. I was thinking of all my mother's well-meant advice, and of my father, with whom I so rarely saw eye to eye.

Yet I also felt Borna's hand on my shoulder, as I sat on a big log. I don't recall what he said, or if he actually said anything at all. But he must have, because I clearly remember nodding, as if to let him know that I was alright. Or would be.

At some point, I stood up, and sought out Priit, and Shant. I expressed my condolences, I suppose, though I can't remember exactly what I said. It didn't matter.

Kanni, of all people, wrapped her arms around me, and left the streaks of her tears on my cheek. She turned me, without letting go of my arm.

There stood Noyemi.

She looked especially small, and vulnerable. My first thought was that Berit would kill her, if she knew that this was Mushtal's sister. Then I had the oddest idea: it struck me that if I was another type of man - Mushtal, or Antras, maybe - that she would be in grave danger. Or Khoren. But hadn't he already raped Garine, and weren't Borna and I parties to it?

Noyemi swallowed. "I'm sorry." she said.

- "So am I." I answered, and then the tears came.

I disengaged from Kanni, and steered her towards Noyemi. I'm still not sure why I did that.

Borna stood next to me, without saying anything. That was how Kawehka found us. I had forgotten that the bowman was even there. He looked from Borna, to me, and back again.

- "I will help you." he said.

- "You don't owe us anything." said Borna.

- "No. But it's the right thing to do."

***

The first thing Kawehka did was to move our camp much deeper into the forest. Then he showed us how to build a fire properly, so that the smoke dissipated as it rose through the trees. He also helped us to conceal our tracks, making us harder to find.

But he wasn't happy about the four horses we had with us. Borna sent the carpenter and his girl to replace Dirayr, to look after our herd of horses. He brought Dirayr back to rejoin us.

We butchered the two lame animals.

***

"I was wrong." said Borna, to me.

- "About what?"

- "Garine. And Noyemi. I shouldn't have ... given them. As if they were ... prizes. I wasn't thinking, Ljudevit. Of your sisters, or mine. Of our mothers."

- "What makes you say that?" I asked.

- "I don't want to be a brigand. Or a rapist." said Borna.

"Berit has me thinking. How can I swear to avenge my mother, and your sisters, after giving Garine to Khoren? I keep telling myself that I'm not like Mushtal, or Vazrig."

- "You aren't." I told him. "Ask Kanni. Or Noyemi."

He shook his head. "I don't know. Tell me this, Ljudevit: can women be warriors?"

- "Berit, you mean? I don't see why not. She's already killed more of our enemies than anyone but you, me, and Khoren."

- "Mmm."

- "Are you going to let Shant fight?" I said.

- "I'll train him." said Borna. "We owe that much to Mihran."

- "Then train Berit, too. See how she does. They can be horse holders, at the very least."

Borna was regretting the pledge he'd made to Berit. But he wasn't quite ready to reverse his decision, either.

***

Our foes seemed determined to find us. Every day they came to the clearing behind the blueberry patches, and then split into two groups.

Twenty or thirty men would stay with the horses. Meanwhile, thirty or more enemy warriors would push deeper into the woods. They followed any path that looked like a trail, seeking signs that might lead them to our encampment.

Kawehka showed us a few more spots from which we could observe, without being seen. The foresters shadowed our pursuers from a distance, but left them unharmed because they rarely approached anywhere near the place we actually were.

Kawehka never told us exactly how many foresters there were. 'People of the Wood', he called them. We met three or four men, but was impossible to guess how many people lived in the forest.

They were hunters, and trappers - not warriors. Even if there had been twenty of them, there were still far too many of the enemy for us to think of attacking.

But Kawehka believed that we needed to curb their aggressiveness. They had to be taught that the forest was a dangerous place. And Borna knew that his people were itching to strike back at them, some way. Any way.

I was the one who found the location. We had passed the spot when Kawehka moved our camp. When I showed it to Borna, he immediately saw the possibilities.

We went to one of the trails they had already discovered. Priit and I led our two remaining horses along it, while Lovro and Abirad followed, clumsily hiding the traces of our passing. They made sure to miss a few foot and hoof prints.

Our enemies found our track two days later.

***

There were five of us. Everyone held a hunting bow; each archer had more than a dozen arrows planted in the ground before them. Two of these bows we had stolen from Asrava's steading; two more had been provided by Kawehka's people.

Borna held an archery contest, letting every warrior take part. The results were almost comical. Borna himself was the best shot among us. I'm proud to say that I myself was second only to him.

But the rest of our warriors were pathetic. Dirayr couldn't hit our makeshift target from any distance, while Priit lost three arrows before Borna took the bow from his hands. Khoren wasn't bad, but he had a different role to play in Borna's plan.

- "I'll stick to my axe. Or a spear." said Lovro, recognizing his limitations.

- "Fucking bow is warped." complained Abirad. But he was no better when I exchanged bows with him.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Shant shoot. He was almost as accurate as me. The boy was thrilled with his success, and with the compliments he received from Lovro and Priit.

- "Do we give Khoren the last bow?" Borna asked me. "Give Priit his spot?"

- "I don't know. But while we think it over ... why not let Berit try?"

Borna grinned. "Good idea. Berit!" he called. "Have you ever handled a bow?"

- "Only a few times." she admitted. "But I can't be worse than Priit. Or Dirayr."

- "Hey! It's harder than it looks." said Abirad.

These bows didn't require so much strength. Berit proved that she could pull them, and then proceeded to shoot almost as well as Khoren had.

- "There's a spot for you, if you want it." said Borna.

- "I want it."

Later, Berit found the opportunity to thank me.

- "For what?" I said. "You earned your place."

- "Maybe. But I wouldn't have had the chance if you hadn't suggested it. Thank you."

That was how Berit and Shant came to be with Borna and me, atop Borna's Butt. That was the name we gave to the little knoll that I had found. It wasn't very high, but the ground around it was exceedingly difficult to cross.

Best of all, though, it overlooked the path we had baited, only twenty yards away. We had a reasonable view of the trail, and there were two areas which were not blocked by tree branches. That gave us a clear line of sight - and lines of fire.

Kawehka rejoined us atop Borna's Butt, to tell us that the enemy were coming.

- "There are quite a few of them. Are you sure that your men can handle their part?"

- "Absolutely." said Borna.

Kawehka was right. There had to be forty enemy fighters. We had seven warriors, a forester, a boy and a woman. But every one of us was glad to see our foes snaking their way along the path, mostly in single file.

The fifth man from the front was Mushtal.

- "Wait." said Borna, softly.

He watched their progress, until at least a dozen men had passed the places on the path which we could reach.

- "Now."

The five of us stood, nocked an arrow, and drew our bows. We didn't wait for a second order, but fired when we were ready.

Kawehka's shot was a thing of beauty. His arrow struck one of Mushtal's warriors in the side of the head. The fellow stood there for a moment, as if stunned, then collapsed.

Borna's arrow deflected from a shield. Berit and I missed completely. Shant hit another warrior, but in the leg.

Their reaction was everything we could have hoped for.

There were shouts and cries, and men swivelled around, trying to locate where the attack was coming from. Some did us the favour of turning their backs, looking for ambushers where there were none.

Kawehka hit his next man, but his arrow struck a leather scabbard strap, and did not penetrate. I was the only other one to hit. I was happy to see my man sink to his knees, with my arrow protruding from his back.

Now our enemies could see that they were only being assailed from one side. Every single man got his shield up. Mushtal was shouting instructions from the front, and we could hear Vazrig's voice further back, towards the rear of their column. But neither one was in a good position to see what was happening.

The men in the middle of their group could see us - and it had to be pissing them off. There were only five of us, including a boy and a woman. But how to reach us?

It was almost impossible to leave the path and approach the knoll we were on. Any man who stepped off the path instantly discovered that the moss-covered ground was very soft - and very wet. When you placed your foot, it immediately began to sink. Where the forest floor wasn't wet, there was thick undergrowth, a near-impassable tangle of brambles, thorns, and shrubs.

We took our time, and fired again. Kawehka put a second arrow into the man I had hit, who was still kneeling on the path. Borna hit a shield, while Shant and I missed completely.

- "Yes!" hissed Berit, as her arrow struck an exposed leg, either by luck or design.

We didn't have an inexhaustible supply of arrows, and many of our foemen were wise enough to keep their shields up. But there were plenty who tried to come at us, across the boggy ground.

One of them slipped, and several of us fired at him as he struggled to regain his balance. Kawehka and I missed, but Borna put an arrow in his neck. He was down, twitching. His comrades tried to cover him with their shields.

We peppered them with arrows, forcing them to keep their heads down, as they tried to rescue their fallen friend. Finally, they dragged him back to the path.

While we looked for targets, Borna had instructed us to shout insults, to taunt and distract them. Berit was particularly effective, as everyone could hear her high-pitched voice.

- "Come on! Come and get me, you rapists! You cowards! Not so easy when I'm armed, is it?"

They could also tell that it was Borna himself who opposed them. That, and the fact that there were so few of us, had to drive them mad. Mushtal was screaming himself hoarse.

The leaders finally asserted themselves. Vazrig, from the rear of their column, got a dozen or more men off the path, where the footing was drier. They began to work their way around our location, to the west.

That was perfect. Kawehka had assured us that there was no way around on that side.

Mushtal took a little longer to get organized, but eventually he and his men began to circle our little knoll to the east. There was a path there - and they found it. It was narrow, but it led directly to our position.

When Mushtal's men found the going easier, they picked up speed. Their friends were under attack, and they could hear our taunts. They charged up the little slope on the flank of Borna's Butt.

And ran straight into Khoren and Lovro, who were waiting for them with axe and shield. Both wore chainmail shirts. Behind them were Priit, Dirayr, and Abirad, equally well armed.

Mushtal's men were rushing up that slope in single file. It is extremely difficult to keep your shield high - and in front of you - when climbing a hill. I couldn't see them, from where I stood. But I heard the roar as Khoren and Lovro struck. I wouldn't have wanted to be the first man up that hill, to run into those two.

In my (admittedly limited) experience, there are people holding weapons, dangerous people, warriors ... and one more group.

A man can hold a spear, or an axe, without having the least idea what to do with it. But give Berit a sharp stick, in the mood she was in, and she'd likely gouge out that man's eyes.

A warrior, though, would make short work of both of them. A warrior has been through a fight, without turning his back to run. He knows - or should know - what to do if he's facing a man with an axe, or a spear. He can be trusted to stand beside his friends, and not let them down. I considered myself a warrior, along with Priit and Dirayr.

Most men become warriors through experience, with their friends beside them. It's a matter of training, and shared experience. There are exceptions, though. Some people come into the world ready to bear weapons. Warriors born.

The last group, though, were not the same. These were the champions, and the killers. You wouldn't face them alone, given half a choice. Borna was one of these. So were Khoren, and Lovro.

When those two crashed into Mushtal's men, the result was easy to predict. The enemy broke and ran.

According to our plan, Borna left off shooting, and went to join the others. He would rein them in. He meant to sting the enemy, to hurt them - but not to engage in a full-scale battle, with our ten against their forty.

Meanwhile, Kawehka led the archers off the back of the Butt, along a narrow path which the enemy would have a hard time finding. He showed us the way for several hundred yards, until we came to a small clearing which we recognized. Then he doubled back to find the others.

It was dark when they rejoined us.

- "I think we could've killed more of them." said Abirad.

- "We?" chuckled Lovro. "You would have had to be closer to kill any of them."

- "You know what I mean!"

We tried to calculate how much damage we had done. Kawehka had killed one, for sure. And Borna's neck shot was likely fatal. Kawehka had put another arrow into the man I had hit in the back - hard to tell. Both Shant and Berit had inflicted leg wounds.

Khoren and Lovro tried to reconstruct their side of the action. Together, they had despatched the first man up the hill. Khoren was sure that he had slain another. Lovro wasn't sure exactly what had happened when the two of them charged down the hill.

- "Hard to tell." he said. "Happened so fast."

- "I still think that we could have done more." insisted Abirad. "We might have caught Mushtal, if we had pressed harder."

I glanced at Noyemi, but she did not show any reaction to the mention of her brother.

- "We got exactly what we wanted." replied Borna. "We didn't lose a man - or woman. And I want to keep it that way. I didn't want any of you running into them in the dark."

- "If I run into someone in the dark," said Khoren, "don't you think it's them who should be afraid?"

No one had a reply to that.

***

We returned to the site of the ambush the following day. The men on the path had dragged away their dead comrades. But on the side of knoll, where Khoren and Lovro had fought, we found three corpses.

- "They ran away." said Lovro. "Didn't even come back for their dead."

- "They're more afraid of the forest than we are." I said.

- "And so they should be." said Borna.

We stripped the bodies, and dragged them off.

Our little victory was wonderful for morale. It was cheering to know that we had hurt them, with no loss on our side. No one had to point out, though, that others in our steading might pay for our success.

I passed Asrava's sword (which Borna had given to me) to Lovro.

- "You'll use this better than I would."

Lovro nodded. He didn't disagree with me.

- "Thanks, Ljudevit." was all he said.

***

We were coming to realize that we would probably have to spend the winter in the forest. It was a daunting, sobering thought. It also put us even further into Kawehka's debt. He and his forester friends showed us what we would have to do.

Shelter was a primary concern. We would have to dig our own caves in the sides of the hills. Borna had originally taken shovels from Asrava's steading so that we could bury his father and the others. Those shovels were priceless now.

We would need food. More food than we had stolen. Mountains of food. So we scurried about like squirrels, directed by the foresters, collecting and gathering. The women were just as good as the men at this work, so we had plenty of hands available.

The enemy returned to the blueberry patches every second day, but they were leery of pushing too far into the forest. Instead, they tried to tempt us into attacking them in the clearing. A small party would arrive, and set up camp. But there was always a second group behind them, of twenty or more, ready to swoop in if we tried to ambush the first bunch.

They came very early one morning, and scaled the heights from which we had observed them. But they were not skilful enough to conceal their presence from Kawehka or his forester friends, so their plan came to naught.

Borna faced less trouble from the enemy than from within our own group.

Khoren and Abirad, in particular, did not take well to what they called 'women's work'.

- "Why are we digging for roots? We're warriors!" said Abirad.

- "Everyone eats - everyone works." was Borna's answer.

But he did try to combine warrior work with food gathering. We went out to rejoin the carpenter, and collected a number of our horses. Borna took all of the warriors, and included Shant and Berit. We rode east, into Mushtal's lands.