Chapter 23

Predators had come at us all the time and my PK was enough to keep them away except once. I think the animal was too old to fight for easier game. This was a bear like animal that died to our spears. Sonya and I survived because of our shields but in retrospect we should have just picked the animal up and dropped it.

We ate the flesh and made packs with the hide and this allowed us to carry some of the children on our backs instead of on our stretcher like affair. More of the meat was dried to be carried as we walked. Children and adult alike were hurt and needed more healing spells. We tried to get as much distance as we could and this meant we went beyond what some could safely manage.

When we had doubled our distance from the destroyed base we called a halt in a small untenanted cave. It had been used by many creatures over the years but none recently. The bones and other detritus were thrown out. I felt safe enough to use magic to make a composite recurve bow, a few strings and two dozen arrows. This was done a little at a time and as subtly as I could. A small lake was nearby and the children and adults had a chance to catch the fish that were there. Sonya and I could have reached into the water and taken them but this was therapeutic for the refugees.

The next valley had people in it and either we avoided them or change our looks to suit a group of wandering people. To reduce the amount of magic we worked with nature. Tall water plants were used for fibres and woven both magically and by hand into a fair quality of soft cloth. It was magic alone that made the garments. Hide from other animals was thickened and used for soles while the usual skin was stitched for uppers.

A third of the people we found used hats and we chose to stay and make them too. We dried fish and meat and when the packs were as full as we could make them and still carry the infants we set off.

From the ridge we called out so we would not come at them unawares. They were waiting for us with weapons when we got to their farms. This was the usual way we were greeted and usually only lasted a short time. I didn't want to advertise our magic though so the procedure took longer.

There were thirty individuals here but mostly they were youngsters. The old died soon if they were not strong and quick. The parents needed lots of children to assist them when they got older and to handle all the farmwork.

We stopped about ten metres from them. My bow was unstrung and the spears were on my back. It was our children that showed them that we were not going to fight. A short conversation of where we were from and where we were going was interspersed with our own questions of what the valley and its people had for us.

It was not too long after that we were offered some food and we in turn offered some of ours. One of the questions asked me was if I would sell some of those with me. It was a way of mixing blood lines but was still slavery. I did some tinkering again so there would be more variation in the next and succeeding generations.

There were nine men though some were old. Their thoughts were leading to them taking me on and taking the women.

I said, "I really have little to trade you. We had some coloured stones but they were lost crossing a river. My bow is too important to me to trade for."

Sonya said, "Why don't you show how good you are at it. Once you are done I will show them how one of our women can handle a toy like that."

I said to the villagers, "Women get to be very pushy since I was a boy. Do you want me to show you what I can do with the bow?"

They had their own bows and used them a lot for protection. It was close to noon now and one of the village children set up a bundle of rushes. I had kept calling to him to go further back until it was beyond what the farmers could reach never mind hit.

The child put the rushes in front of a tree and I stuck eight arrows in the ground and took the ninth and put it into the bow. With just enough guidance from Sonya I fired one after the other very quickly until all nine had been shot. Everybody walked to see the target and they were very surprised to see that they were all within a six centimetre ring. The men took the arrows from the tree and found them buried deep. It had taken only seconds to loose all nine arrows and there were nine men so I think they would have second thoughts on acquiring some fresh blood.

Later that day, some of the men went with me as we looked for one of the bear like creatures that had been attacking them quite persistently. Even with their numbers they were reluctant to go after it. After an hour, we found the bear and the reason it was so determined. It was a mother of two growing cubs and these took a lot to feed. The mother was perhaps two tonnes or a bit more and the cubs though small were a hundred kilos each.

I knew that nobody was going to go into the cave so I asked one of the men to get Sonya as a way to stall. When Sonya came, I generated an illusion of the mother scrambling from the cave. Sonya happened to be in the way so I could not use my bow and the illusion started to run down a path. We all ran after but Sonya stayed behind.

The mother disappeared ten minutes later but Sonya was using all her tricks to get the three to climb the steep embankment and get to the next valley. Sonya caught up to us an hour and a half later with a large antelope over her shoulders.

"I thought you men went hunting. This was the laggard of a small group. They were so easy to kill that I used a stone."

The men didn't like this but the women did. We had a good meal that night and we left the hide with the village. Some of the women donated clothing to our children and our women thanked them for their generosity. On the way out of the village I put a healing spell on a woman with cancer and another with diabetes. We would be well gone and the villagers would just think their family members beat whatever was bothering them.

Three days later we came to a small river. I knew it would get bigger as more small rivers joined it. It was heading more east but it would still get us further away from the base and much quicker.

Instead of making a raft, I formed a shield in the form of a large boat. I had rested previous to this and would be able to hold the form for a few hours. Everybody got into the invisible boat and Sonya was the one using her PK and other abilities to push us. She tried her hardest to get the furthest possible and we made nearly fifty kilometres before we both had to rest.

Sonya found a small outcrop of the material we used for crystals the next day as we bypassed a set of rapids on a portage that had been used recently by somebody else. We took only two kilos to make some crystals. This would be a difficult task with the attributes of those with us.

We were getting further away from the destroyed base and figured that we could risk using more magic. There would be a lot of our family dispersed in small groups bringing the light to the people they met and we could now act just like them with impunity.

After two more trips in the boat we found we had made almost a hundred kilometres. When we pulled into the shore that night the family cut light poles from some saplings and tried their luck at fishing. It had been raining all day and everything was wet but those with us were not perturbed by a bit of moisture.

We found a good camping spot and rested while some fished. We heard squeals of joy from the children and just smiled. I wondered how our own babies were doing now and tried to guess the chance of how many could be dead when the mage's base blew up so spectacularly.

In an hour we had lots of fish but we made love instead of processing them. It was a relaxing pastime and Sonya and I were able to get the rest to assist us in making some good but small crystals. Our energy was rationed and attention now shifted to a very light shield to keep off the rain. Water left the hollow we were in and it also left the wood that the family had brought to cook it.

I held Sonya in my lap as she gently moved to keep both of us stimulated. A small fire was now cooking our meal but we were still in love even after what must be close to six and a half years. Food was brought to us and the older children took turns feeding us with their hands. We both liked this arrangement.

It looked like it would rain all night so the new family got into position and Sonya formed the power grid. The stone we had made was charged then all the other ones we had. I usually slept holding Sonya while my mind kept just enough of the power flowing to keep us dry.

Animals came during the night and Sonya or I shooed them away and went back to sleep. The next morning we powered up the crystals that we had depleted during the night and had a breakfast of fish.

Today, I made a boat that had a top to keep us dry. It was not that much extra work. We only got ten kilometres before it had to disappear. We had another obstacle to bypass.

There was a trail here showing that this portage was regularly used. Sonya was in the lead while I was at the end. I heard some loud voices ahead that were deeper in timbre than the women. I found nothing coming from Sonya and I started to run forward in fear when I heard, "Wait!"

I looked through the eyes of the women or children near Sonya and saw the backs of some men as they ran frantically away from us. There were weapons on the ground and some looked to be up the incline too.

Sonya finally said, "It was an ambush. Apparently this happens once in a while."

"What happened to them?"

"Some of those bears came down from further above and started to kill phantom men. The real men ran."

Part way down the path we came on a boy of twelve that had been part of the group. He had broken a leg and had been abandoned by his mates. Sonya just put him to sleep and stretched the leg as she cast a healing spell. When I got to them Sonya said, "You better throw him over your should. His village is ten kilometres down river and he shouldn't walk for a few hours."

The boy stank. I removed his clothes with a spell and cast a cleaning spell on him. The women were clustered around now and checking the new meat. The young girls that had seen me with the older women seemed to like what they saw in the boy.

It took fifteen minutes to get to the other end of the portage and ready to push off. The boat was made quickly and we all got in. Sonya pushed the boat hard and we passed some men in boats. The men quickly pulled into the shore and tried to flee. One boat was against a vertical rock face and couldn't make it. Sonya flipped their boat for good measure and all the rest she found.

The village turned out to be larger than we thought. It was more of a city. The natives of Sookra didn't seem to like congregating in large numbers. My eye showed that it was nearly three hundred people but again most of that was the young that would die off until only the fittest remained. There was no dock and everything was mud. Sonya and I helped everyone to shore then I went back for the boy and our packs.

There were gates around the town but they remained open. Men armed with spears were blocking our entrance.

The man in the middle asked, "What do you want here?"

"We came here to rest for a while and perhaps find a dry place to sleep. We were ambushed by some of your men and this one fell by the trail. We carried him here because the rest left him."

The man saw only four other men in our group and came closer to look at the boy's face. "You have Sodacka. It is against the law to capture someone from our village."

"It is against my law to be attacked. Perhaps I will go back and kill all the others that ran from us."

"That is against the law too."

"Who makes the law here?"

"Crasta is our leader."

"Is he one of those that ran and left a boy to his fate?"

"Crasta is out hunting."

I had read the guard's mind and not only was Crasta out hunting but I had his son on my shoulder. Down the river there was a similar village that followed the same practice as what Crasta did. If it were not for innocent travellers getting picked off it would be fine with me to leave them to their feeding upon themselves.

I cast a loyalty spell on this man and the guards behind him before we marched into the village. Whoever knew of us which by now was the whole village was out in the rain to look at us. Crasta's home was large but the majority of it was still a dirt floor. At least he had the foresight to build up this area to keep the water away.

There was a lot of us but we fit in if we stayed standing. The woman of the house was frantic then even more so when she saw that I was holding her naked son.

She was a woman but did have enough courage to demand, "What are you doing with my son?"

"I was thinking of keeping him for a slave. He was caught attacking us."

"But... he's my son."

"It is your husband and his men that are to blame. They attack to rob strangers. This has to stop."

"Did you kill my husband?" She said in a piteous voice since she figured that we had already.

"The coward ran with his men and left the boy to us."

"He would never leave his son."

"Ask the coward when he comes back. There is a good chance he will hide until we have left. Now get us some food."

Sonya sent women to help and we basically cleaned the cupboards out. Sonya and I went to the waterfront and didn't see any boats yet. We pulled rocks from the river and made a dock but as yet it was only good for shallow draught vessels. People on the wall had seen us and soon we had the entire village watching us.

The river was wide and slow here but there were still a lot of fish, especially in the deeper areas. Sonya and I pulled twenty out of the water to wiggle on the land until I used a simple command to end their lives. The fish floated in the air behind us as we approached Crasta's home. The woman was to clean and cook the fish and her now awake son was to help. All the rest of the children in the house had to assist.

I took copper from Crasta's treasury and we went around town finding places to house and feed my family. The word had spread very quickly and I got a lot of obedience. I wanted the leader to find some penalty in what he had try to do to us.

One large hut was a tavern with a few men seated at the three tables. I spent extravagantly but only sipped the very poor drink. Sonya had found an old woman and she was forced to follow her to see me. She was put on the table and we both looked at her legs. They were in poor shape and the woman would die in a few months. We cast some healing spells on her and ordered food so she could get a good meal.

Sonya went out and found three more that needed our care. The last two were children. When they left, Sonya didn't have to go for more, they came to us now. We fixed bad teeth and poorly healed fractures. Open sores were cured. One girl of three had only one eye and we spent a long time on her and needed to take a break after.

Food came unbidden and it was the best they had to give. Sonya went out again to move our people where they would have a roof over their heads during the night. I continued to treat some of the ailments the people had.

The guard came to me around supper time. He got to his knees on the dirt floor as he had to do for Crasta. "Master, Crasta is at the gates with his men. He has heard about you and would like to know what you would do to him."

The man was brave to even do this. "Tell him to come here and kneel as you have done. His men will stand. Also tell him that I can throw a rock bigger than his house at him if he runs."

The guard was visibly shaken and said, "Yes, Master." He hurried to his feet al left.

There were people around me and they were very worried now. I continued to work on those that needed me. I was now down to minor medical problems but I did them anyway until Crasta appeared. I had a boy on my lap and I was casting a spell that would remove lice and other parasites from him.

Crasta hurried forward and got to his knees. The men that tried to attack us hurried into the room too. I treated more patients and the last was a young woman with a cleft lip. When she was done I said to the kneeling man, "I heard that you pass laws here then don't abide by them yourself. I think one of your penalties is to be burnt at the stake for robbery and trying to murder."

The man shook in fright but said nothing. His eyes were still on the ground.

"What would you do if you caught someone from Osani after he tried to take something destined for this village?"

He did not say anything though his mind was working very fast to come up with an answer. "Answer me. What is the penalty?"

In a low voice he said, "We would kill him but not by fire. We would use a spear."

I just looked at him but read the minds of his men. He was not a bad leader and his men would follow him if he asked it. None of them were saints but this world was not ready for any of those kind of people yet.

I said as if giving a sentence, "I will think on this matter and talk tomorrow at this time. You have at least that long to live. You are a hard man in a hard world but you do not even do what you expect your villagers to do. All of those that tried to attack me will stay here tonight. Do not drink any of owners wears but your families may bring food and water."

With that I moved through the crowd and to Crasta's home to sleep under his roof tonight.

Our love making was different and even more care was shown for the women. The husbands that had been captured wanted more wives but I had not allowed it unless I knew that the woman would want the man over me. So far I had been the overall winner.

A few small crystals were made and powered up. Some of the married women got these so they could practice. Sonya's magical knife was duplicated and worn by the married women. It was just my way of removing the uniqueness of the article by making a lot of them.

When the lovemaking was over I listened to the thoughts of the people of the village. Some were angry at me taking over but it was very deeply hidden. They did have reasons to thank me for what we had done. I was sure they wouldn't try anything nasty.

There were few qualified hunters in the village that had not been in the band that attacked us. Those that were came to my summons. I made a quick map of the area on paper that I made from leaves. The men had difficulty seeing this map as representing the land. Once that got across to them, I pointed out where they could be successful in hunting. They seemed happy now and left to feed the village we took so much food from.

Our family had to stay here and see what they could do to help the village while Sonya and I went down river to the village of Osani. Some of the boys of the village saw the imprint of the magic boat as it pushed into the water. Sonya pulled out two large fish for them to work on and we left.

We needn't go fast now that we had a small boat and the trip was short. Sonya said, "We should make some fishing hooks and line for the village. What they use now is poor to say the least."

"Tell them about nets and how to knot them. That means you have to teach them how to make better fibres for string and then invent the shuttle to carry it."

"I like that idea too. Some of the other groups have done that. Captain Harris knew exactly how to make nets."

"He is not here now and I guess we'll have to see what we can do."

We looked at the area we passed to see what could be made of it. There were clay deposits that would make better pottery and far ahead was a beach with white silica sand suitable for making glass.

Eight kilometres down river a new river branched in from our right. It was just after this that the village appeared also on the right and on the other side of the main river we had come from. The walls were not as good though. There was just as many guards that came out to greet us.

I was interested in results and just made the guards loyal to me. We learned about the ruling family and saw some obvious discrepancies right away. The family led by Pontak was not as good at leading. The man was a slob and the village was like that too. The huts were similar but the village seemed to be worse. Perhaps it was the thickness of shit around the huts that did it. The last village it was only half as deep.