Chapter 62

Kirov didn’t make it through the night. My people had staked him out as ordered, and the sentries had been told to keep an eye on him. They did, at least for the most part, and then someone turned a blind eye in the middle of the night. When that happened, one of my people had slipped out into the night and they had slit the man’s throat. I wasn’t happy about it. While I hadn’t expected to get anything out of the man, beyond what Struthers had told us the night before, I had wanted to ask him a few questions just to confirm some of Struthers story. I was still wondering about the destruction that Monty had discovered in the other village. The video collected showed that our old enclosure had been hit with some kind of explosives; most likely rifle grenades of some type. The destruction at the Hilltop village was less conclusive, but I was certain that whoever had trashed my old enclosure had also attacked the local village. Struthers had declared it hadn’t been his band of bullies, but I hadn’t really believed him. I had hoped to get some kind of clarification from Kirov when I finally took the time to speak with him. Now that wasn’t going to happen.

I let my people know that I wasn’t happy. I knew exactly who had turned a blind eye. It had been Xypha. The guilt was written all over her face. I could understand why she did it as Kirov was a bastard and a killer. A young girl of maybe fourteen, who was obviously a former member of the Plains People, had convinced her that killing the man was the right thing to do. It was, but Xypha had no right to decide when it would happen, and neither did the girl. I reminded people of that, and then I let the matter go. I did warn Xypha that there would be consequences in response to her actions, but for now we wouldn’t talk about it. Given the fact I was still addressing the Sygor issue, I felt a reluctance to punish Xypha then and there. It would happen, and everyone knew it would happen because I told them it would, but only once the mission was over with, and Winslow was dead.

Sygor was still with us. Sometime after staking Kirov out and finally getting to sleep, I’d sat with members of my group, and they’d convinced me to reconsider my decision to banish Sygor. I still wasn’t happy with Sygor, but for now I was going to keep him around.

That was my key compromise. I intended to stand firm on banishing Sygor, and I’d made that clear to everyone who’d argued against it, but I had changed my mind about when the banishment would commence and how long it would last. The way I saw it I still needed the young man. He was a good hunter, a fair leader when he kept his head straight, and he was determined to find Winslow and kill him. Even if I did kick him out of the tribe and send him away, Sygor wouldn’t have gone far. He’d have dogged our heels as we travelled in search of Winslow, and I was certain in my heart, that if I didn’t kill Winslow right away, Sygor would step in and do it, whether I liked it or not. Keeping him with us was, in my mind, a way to keep the man under control. My only hope was that Sygor wouldn’t prove me wrong.

With no one to interrogate, and with Sygor on a leash so to speak, there was little left to do that morning except to decide what to do next, and that decision wasn’t that hard to make. I planned to head west.

I didn’t choose west because of what Struthers had said the night before; I chose it because of what I’d already known, and the fact that what Struthers had said, had simply confirmed it. The truth was that I’d known that Winslow, or at least some of his goons had travelled west after they’d arrived in the area. Monty had sent a multitude of drones north and those drones had sent back hours of video showing the death and destruction wrought by the man and his minions. It hadn’t taken me long to realize that most of the death and destruction the drones had flown over had been focused in a westerly direction. It was thus reasonable to assume that if we went in that direction we’d find the man. Only time would tell if I was right.

The morning was already late by the time we were ready to head off. Breakfast had taken time, given that we had a few more mouths to feed than I’d initially planned for. That would be something that needed to be addressed. When I’d planned this mission originally I’d factored in the need to hunt in order to sustain ourselves while we were in the north. What food we’d packed in was all stuff that could be used to stretch whatever game we took. There was a ton of dried fruit and nuts packaged up in the panniers on the packhorses, as well as tubers and root vegetables, wheels of hard cheese, and dried legumes. There were also flour, salt, and other ingredients that could be used to make biscuits, flat bread, or to thicken a stew. Even so, all of it wouldn’t last long with an extra two dozen plus mouths that needed feeding. It meant that the women would have to forage as we headed westward. I sat and told them this before we headed out. I also sat and explained to them the facts of life. It was an eye opener for some of them.

The big issue in my discussion with the women that morning was the same old issue that cropped up every time I’d spoken to a group of Forest People, and it didn’t matter that I’d been through the topic a half dozen times before. That topic was the whole slavery issue, and regardless of how I explained the fact that my people didn’t practice slavery of any kind, it still took time for the women to get it in their heads that they weren’t my possessions, or the possession of Dunbar, Burton, or Tonko, and the only reason we were bringing them along with us was because we knew that left on their own and to their own resources, many of them would die. Both the Forest People and their former slaves had problems understanding it, and as in all the other times I’d discussed the issue, regardless of what I said, a handful of the women didn’t really believe me. I was certain that in time they would, so I let the matter lie as I had once upon a time with Marta and her friends, because for now it didn’t really matter. What mattered was that the women and children understood why we were there, and what was expected out of them.

“Are you ready for this,” I asked Lottie, once everyone was packed up and groups had been formed up. She was standing by the helicopter, waiting for the word to take off. Helen was already onboard the bird, as was Sarah. Sarah was playing door gunner on this trip.

“I am and we are,” Lottie replied promptly, smiling warmly as she did. “What about you and your gang? Have you sorted everyone out?”

I had and I told her so. The arrival of the women and children into our group had required me to change my plans in order to accommodate them and their needs. There was no way the women and children could keep up with our mounted force, and there was no way I was leaving them behind. A compromise had been worked out this morning, sometime between me pissing on Xypha over the killing of Kirov, and when we finally sat down to breakfast. That compromise saw my group splitting in two.

The first group would be under me. That group included Dunbar, Burton, Tonko, Ruba, Olla, Geeta, and Gort. Our group would fan out in front of the second group, moving ahead as quickly as possible without taxing our mounts, so that as much ground as possible could be covered in a day, and that we’d be in position if Lottie and her team spotted anything interesting. As for the second group, it was led by Gogra. He’d be in charge of the women and children, and the hunting and foraging. I gave him Sygor, Ohba, Ozmat, Carmen, Zahta, and Xypha to help him out and to protect the group from any unexpected trouble. My choice of who went where wasn’t received well by a few individuals, especially Sygor, but then again, he didn’t have much choice in how I used him. He could toe the line, as he’d promised he would until the end of this trip, or he could leave. He knew that, as did everyone else.

Lottie’s mission was the hardest of the tasks ahead of us. The Huey only had a limited operational range and if we were going to get any use out of the helicopter, flights needed to be limited to short hops at best. Even then, a hell of a lot of fuel was going to be burned up in the process of powering up and taking off, so using it had to be planned and reserved for when we actually needed the helicopter to check things out. In essence we couldn’t use the copter very much. I intended for Lottie to take the Huey up later that morning, once my group had been on the trail for a while, so that she could scout the immediate area for us, with the task of reporting any sign of movement across our axis of travel, and to confirm our assumption that Winslow was indeed headed west, and then we were going to put the helicopter back on the ground and leave it there until we absolutely needed it. That meant Lottie, Helen, and Sarah would be sitting on their asses for a few days at the very least, but it was better than the alternative. I could send them up and have them fly west as far as their fuel could take them, hoping that they spotted Winslow and his thugs, but if we did that, there would be no fuel left when the copter came back to earth and the trio of women would be on their own until the rest of us caught up to them, and considering the Huey had a range of three-hundred miles and a little bit more, that wait could be a long one.

I bid the women good luck and then I mounted up. I said my farewell to Gogra and then we rode out.

The trek westward was boring. That wasn’t a bad thing, considering the alternative and what an ‘exciting’ trip could entail, but it did make for a very long day. The area through which we were riding wasn’t that exciting to look at. It was a combination of small, rolling hills covered in prairie grass, and stretches of open flatland. Once in a while we crossed a stream that broke the landscape on its way northward towards the river that ran through the heart of the plains, and we spotted a boulder or two, but that was it. What game we did spot was always off and away from our route, and any animal we did approach bolted without hesitation the moment it heard us coming. In fact, the only thing that did break up the monotony of our trek was the occasional village that we came across, and in truth, none of my people wanted to even go near them. The couple we did pause and investigate had long ago been picked over by scavengers. All that was left to show that people had lived there at one time was a fire pit or two, and the charred remains of some scraps of skin that had served as a dwelling that hadn’t completely burnt away. The villages were depressing to look at, and when Dunbar or Burton came upon one, they made certain to warn me of it, so I could lead my party away and thus avoid the repeated discomfort of seeing them.

Lottie contacted us two hours into our ride. By that point my party had covered roughly twenty miles and I was ready to hear from her.

Lottie had flown northward after takeoff in order to have a quick look in that direction before swinging westward. She reported spotting several massive herds out on the plains, grazing aimlessly as the herds slowly moved along. She also reported spotting the ruins of a couple of settlements that lay north of our arrival point, but nothing else, at least not on our side of the river. Lottie did report seeing a fairly large community off and across the river as she turned westward. The settlement actually encompassed two hilltops, and both hills were surrounded by a single protective wall.

I filed that tidbit of news away for a later date. One day I might mount an expedition to visit the place, particularly if the Gateway kept working for us, once we’d sent our missive back across the void between this Earth and our original home. If it did, I’d be doing a lot more travelling. For now though, I simply wanted Lottie to tell me what she saw.

She really didn’t have much to say. Once she’d swept the northern flank in the vicinity of our route, she swept across our path, flying towards the southwest. She reported spotting several burnt out villages, but that was it. There was a small herd of wild cattle grazing a few miles ahead of us, but as far as Lottie and her people could see, there weren’t any people about. In a way it was disappointing to hear.

Once Lottie had crossed our path she turned the Huey towards the south. The area adjacent to the plains became more rugged and tree-covered the further south you went. The plains gave way to rolling hills, and the rolling hills gave way to forest-covered foothills, and then the upper end of the escarpment. This area covered thousands of square miles of wilderness, if not even more. There were out of the way valleys there, some half hidden beneath the forest canopy, and others easily seen from the air that could accommodate settlements. In fact, Lottie soon reported seeing a number of them, scattered about the area. Most were small groupings of huts and lean-tos that numbered fewer than ten in total, but one or two were larger. Most were definitely out of the way. However one was within an easy day’s ride, if not less, of our current location, and what made it interesting to us was the fact that someone in it, tried to signal Lottie that they were there. When she reported seeing green smoke, I told her to get her ass out of there.

The news that there was someone out there who recognized what a helicopter was, and who had a smoke grenade with them, gave me pause to think. Fortunately, about the same time, we came upon a stream flowing across our path. I decided it was a good time to halt.

Halting gave me an opportunity to brief my people on what had been seen. The news caused a bit of a commotion. Some of my younger people wanted to head off and find this community, and in particular, find the person who’d released the smoke. The more level heads suggested we wait. As leader the final decision was mine to make.

“So what do you want to do?” Burton asked me pointedly once I’d briefed everyone on what Lottie had reported and those who had an opinion had expressed it. We were both sitting on a rock watching our horses drink, while others in our group did the same.

“I’ve got mixed feelings about the sighting,” I told him, keeping my voice down so others couldn’t hear what we were talking about. “The person could be Winslow, although I doubt it was. Lottie flew back out over the plain after spotting the smoke, and she reported seeing the ruins of several other villages out there just ahead of us. That suggests that Winslow kept on going in that direction. Of course we won’t know until we go and check it out.”

“Well, Dunbar and I could go and do that for you,” Burton suggested, “or we can wait a bit and let Gogra catch up to us. When he does, I can take Sygor and Ozmat and see what I can find out.”

I looked at him when he mentioned Sygor. I still had my reservations about the youth. He wasn’t a kid anymore. In fact he was a grown man by all accounts, but sometimes he just couldn’t think straight. I sighed in exasperation and I shook my head.

“I can’t trust Sygor to play by the rules,” I replied in a troubled voice. “If you go there with him in tow, and you find it is Winslow, I’m afraid that Sygor will simply kill him. I don’t want that to happen. I want to interrogate the bastard before he dies. If what we believe is true; that I sent General Ridgeway everything he needed to bring Quantum and Winslow down, I have to talk to the man. I need his personal passwords, his banking information, the names of who supported him, and anything else we can think of that would help the General and his people to do their job. That’s one of the reasons why Sygor isn’t riding with us. I’ll let him be there at the end, but until I give the order for Winslow to die, I simply can’t trust the man.”

Burton looked at me and sighed in response. He bowed his head in thought for a moment or two and then he gave me a sideways glance.

“You know, you could just try and speak with Sygor,” Burton suggested. “I know he’s a hothead. I had enough problems keeping him on a short leash when we were screwing about in the south, but he’s also smart. Maybe if you explained the issue, he’d behave himself.”

“I wish I could believe that,” I told Burton in all honesty. “It would make life easier for everyone. Unfortunately, I think that telling him the truth would only set him off again, with even more rage directed at me and right now I can’t afford that to happen. It wouldn’t be good for anyone.”

“I know,” Burton responded in a sympathetic manner, “and to be honest with you, I don’t think you should tell him the full truth, however, half the truth might be just enough to keep Sygor in line. It’s either that, or you send him packing tonight.”

“You know I can’t do that,” I sighed in reply, shaking my head as I did. “I’ve made a deal with him, and with the rest of the community, and I intend to keep it. For now, just let me think about it. I’m not planning on going after that man Lottie spotted just yet. Lottie said she was going to set down the helicopter by a stream up ahead, roughly a dozen miles in front of us. I think we should catch up to her and set up camp near the helicopter. Then we can do a little hunting, and we can send someone back to let Gogra know what’s going on. Maybe by then I’ll have an idea of what I really want to do.”

Burton agreed to my suggestion. He volunteered to ride back once we’d gotten to the helicopter and I willingly accepted his offer. By that point some people had pulled out food and they were eating it. I noticed this and I suggested that everyone else do the same. We stayed at the stream for another thirty minutes, eating and resting our horses, and then once everyone was fed, we mounted up once more and headed out. We started at a walk, and then we pushed the horses into a trot. A short time later we were travelling at a lope. Even so, it took us some time to finally reach where the helicopter had put down. In fact, it took us about two hours.

Lottie and her team were happy to see us when we did show up. After a few heartfelt hellos and a quick check to make certain that all was right with the helicopter and on their part, with my party, we settled in and set up camp.

I posted sentries and then sent out Tonko and Gort to hunt. Lottie had told them where they could find game nearby as Helen had spotted a small herd of bison a few miles to the northeast that were moving in a westerly direction. Once Tonko and Gort were off, I pulled Burton and Dunbar aside to chat. I invited Lottie to tag along.

“Okay,” I said as I settled myself down on a large rock so I could rest and speak at the same time. “Obviously we’re going to have to go after whoever Lottie spotted today. The thing is that whoever it was, whether it’s Winslow or one of his goons, he knows that somebody will be showing up, either today or very soon. The fact that the helicopter didn’t come in when he’d popped the smoke grenade might make him nervous. From what you’ve told me Lottie, the terrain near the village was suitable to land the helicopter, if you’d wanted. Personally I’m glad you didn’t. While you’ve only mentioned seeing one uptime person on the ground when you buzzed the place, the possibility was that other uptime personnel could have been there, lying in wait. You could have landed the copter only to find out that you’ve stepped into someone’s trap.”

“Well, I’m glad you are pleased that I didn’t land,” Lottie noted in a good natured fashion as I paused to take a drink from my canteen, a smile forming on her lips as she spoke. “You do realize that I’ve learnt my lesson as have Helen and Sarah. Both of them screamed at me not to even think about landing to see who it was. Considering the last time I did something like that, I lost my co-pilot and my helicopter, landing that bird anywhere near that village was the last thing on my mind.”

I ended up chuckling about that. Dunbar and Burton chuckled as well, and after a moment Lottie did as well.

“I for one am happy you did learn your lesson,” I pointed out as I pulled myself together and I pressed on, “and I’m certain that Carmen and Ruba will both be happy to know this as well, once we’re all back together; however let’s get this chat over with so we can move on. As I said, there is a good chance that whoever is at the village is expecting company soon. While I don’t mind the fact he knows we’re coming for him, I do mind that we do this properly. I want you, Lottie, to tell us everything you remember about the village and the terrain around it. Then we can make some plans.”

Lottie not only did that, but she pulled out a field message pad from her flight suit trouser pocket, and with a pencil she quickly sketched a map of what she’d seen for us, filling in details as she worked, and as she remembered them. When she was done she handed it to me. I then handed it to Dunbar and Burton.

The village was up the length of a long narrow valley, roughly southeast of our current position. According to the map Lottie had drawn, it was on the eastern side of a small lake or an oversized pond. The village was surrounded on the south and eastern side by forest and from her count she estimated that the village contained forty or more dwellings. She suggested that we confirm that with Helen and Sarah, and I told her we would.

“I think I should go and check it out,” Dunbar suggested once Lottie had given us directions as to how to get to the village. “That way I can see if there is anyone else there, besides the locals, who might pose a threat.”

I agreed. I told him to take Ruba with him. I then sent Burton packing. I’d decided I would speak to Sygor and see if I could convince him to play by the rules. If I could, I’d send him in with Burton and a couple of other people. If not, then the young hunter would be just that on this trip. I’d allow him to be there at the end; to watch justice being dealt out against Winslow and whoever else we might take alive, but that would be it. He’d definitely wouldn’t be allowed near a prisoner, at least not until I was done with the person, and sentence had been passed. While Burton took off, following our back trail, I took up sentry duty, while everyone else sorted out what we were having for supper.

Tonko and Gort were the first to return. Their hunt was successful as they’d stalked and killed a young male bison. To my pleasure I learned that both of them had taken their bows and they’d made good use of them. Both young hunters had loosed their arrows at the same animal, almost at the same second, and according to Tonko, both arrows had hit nearly the same spot. The bison had staggered a step or two after the strike, but that was all it was capable of doing. After that the animal’s front legs gave out, and a second after that, the animal dropped dead, flopping over onto the side opposite where the arrows had struck. Both hunters were ecstatic with their kill and those of us back at camp congratulated them enthusiastically for their success.

The bison was skinned, cut up and almost cooked by the time Burton returned with Gogra and the others. I quickly learned that Gogra had done well that day, travelling with the women. He’d used our spare mounts, those that had been brought along for Lottie, Helen, and Sarah, to haul travois upon which he’d placed a few of our new people. He’d also doubled up riders so that everyone could ride, at least part of the time. It had still required some serious walking on the part of a few of the women, but Gogra had kept the group’s pace to a steady walk, and he’d allowed several breaks through the trek. It was dark when the party showed up, but for the most part, the animals and the women weren’t overly exhausted. Even so, the women were tired, and they were grateful to have food waiting for them when they arrived.

Gogra came to me once all his wards had been settled, and all the horses in his party had been taken care of. By then the old man was ready to sit and chat. I saw to it that he was given food and a beaker of tea. Only then did I ask him about his day, and only then did I tell him about mine.

Gogra really didn’t have much to report. It was then that I learned what he’d done to speed up the movement of his party and I congratulated him on his resourcefulness. He then told me that Sygor and Ozmat had gone hunting along the way and that both youths had dropped a doe. I suggested that perhaps that meat should be smoked tonight, considering the fact that my party had brought in the bison and it was already being served to those who’d just arrived. Gogra agreed, promising that he’d put people to work on the task once he’d eaten. That was when I told him about what Lottie had seen. While he ate, I told him what I thought, and what I intended to do.

“Burton said you were thinking of sending Sygor with him and Ozmat to capture the man the flying woman saw,” Gogra muttered thoughtfully, failing to remember Lottie’s name. “He also said you were worried that Sygor would not obey orders. What are you going to do?”

I sighed and looked off for a moment. From where I was seated I could see Burton sitting with Sygor and Ozmat, casually speaking to them as he ate his supper. Our eyes met for a moment, and he silently questioned me if I was ready to speak to Sygor yet. I simply shook my head no, and then turned my attention back to Gogra.

“I’m in a bind here, Gogra,” I told the older man. “Sygor is a good hunter and a valuable member of our community. In ten years’ time I would have placed him in a position of leadership, much as I’m doing with Burton and you. Regrettably, Sygor is also a hothead. His heart is full of anger towards the people who killed his family, who razed his village, and who abused him. It doesn’t matter that he’s killed half a dozen of these men. In his heart, if one man lives then he must kill him, regardless of what I say. Even worse, he is now associating these men with me. His anger is being directed at me and those I trust. I can’t accept that. I am certain if someone had tried to kill Agar when you sat by his side advising him, you would have struck the man down. I do not want to kill Sygor, but the man must learn, or he becomes a danger to us all.”

“I know this Jake,” Gogra sighed in reply, “as do the others who asked you to be lenient with the young man. I have spoken to him, as have others. He says he is sorry for what he has done, but his words are still filled with anger. I do not know what to say to you. You must decide.”

I nodded my head in understanding and then I stood up and let the man be. Silently I walked over to where Sygor sat eating his meal. The young man jumped up the moment he saw me approaching.

“Come with me Sygor,” I told him coldly. “We need to talk.”

I led Sygor over towards our picket so we could be alone, but still be within a short distance of the camp, and under the watchful eye of our fellow companions.

It took me a minute or two to come up with what to say to Sygor. I did appreciate how he felt. It had been a horrendous sight to see, and while he probably hadn’t known any of the dead, the knowledge that his own village had been slaughtered by men just like those that had killed the people at the compound, and that he could have ended up the same way, made his outburst understandable. It still didn’t make it right and I told him so. I also told him that I was having problems trusting him. His outburst hadn’t been the first time that he’d allowed his emotions to rule his course of action and he knew it. I pointed this out to him as well. He just stood there in silence taking it all, but not once showing any remorse. Deep down inside I doubted that I would get any from him. I then explained to him that Burton wanted to take him to capture a bad man, but that I was hesitant about sending him along. I wanted the man alive, especially if it turned out to be Winslow. I needed to speak to the man and to question him in depth before I ordered his death. In fact, I had a death picked out for the man that would prove fitting retribution for the crimes that he was guilty of. It only required that the man survived long enough to suffer the punishment. When Sygor asked what the punishment was, I refused to tell him as it was a surprise. My question was, could I trust him to bring the evil men to me alive and able to answer questions, or should I send him back to Gogra to babysit the women and children.

That comment stunned Sygor. It shouldn’t have, because ultimately protecting the women and children of our tribe was his greatest responsibility, but at that time and place he really couldn’t see it. He scowled at me in response to my question, holding my gaze for a moment or two until he realized he wouldn’t win staring me down. Finally, he bowed his head and said he would behave. At that I told him that this was his last chance. If he disappointed me after this, he would be gone. I then turned and walked away, heading towards where Burton sat, leaving Sygor to think about what I had said. It was now time for people to get to work.

I sent Burton out with Sygor, Ozmat, and Carmen. I had wanted to go along as well, but Burton advised me off the idea the moment I brought it up. He argued that with Dunbar already out in the woods with Ruba, watching the target and keeping the village under surveillance, that I should stay behind to bolster the camp’s defences. In a manner of speaking he was correct, suggesting that I should stay behind. The truth was, I got the impression that Burton didn’t want me out on the mission, just in case Sygor did act up. The feeling I got from Burton was that he wanted to deal with Sygor himself. Sensing this, I caved in to his suggestion. As Burton and the others rode off, I called out my best wishes to them, while at the same time wishing Burton luck in trying to straighten Sygor out. If he could, I would be eternally grateful. I really didn’t want to have to kill the young man.