Chapter 66

I had actually met Cadar a few times in the past, when I had visited the Horse People just after I had taught Agar how to ride. The man was medium tall, in his late thirties or early forties, well weathered in appearance, yet still physically fit and healthy looking. He even had all of his teeth. He had been a hunter on the verge of retiring when I had first met him, but like Agar and Gogra, the man had seen the benefit of using bows, hunting lances, and riding horses. He’d caught onto what I had shared with Gogra over the winter that the man had spent with me, and he was now a strong leader in the Horse People. In fact, as far as Mondo had been concerned, Cadar’s loyalty had been unquestioned. I soon learned differently.

“I will admit to you, Gogra,” the man declared solemnly, “that your brother will not be missed. It only grieves me that his death did not come sooner. If it had, many of our people would not have died.”

Gogra hung his head for a moment, and then he nodded his understanding of the man’s words.

“That may be true, Cadar, but I did not wish my brother dead,” Gogra muttered in reply, not meeting the man’s gaze. “If I had, I would not have left the tribe. He had been my brother for many years, both when my father was chief, and when Agar was chief. When Mondo became chief I made my choice and left. I went to the Bear Tribe and Jake welcomed me and those I brought with me into his ranks. I have been happy, there. I certainly did not return here to do my brother harm.”

“But you have done in your brother,” Cadar pointed out bluntly. “Now you are Chief of the Horse People, whether you want to be chief or not. It is tradition.”

“It is a tradition that must end,” Gogra declared with a stern shake of his head. “I am no longer of the Horse People. I am a member of the Bear Tribe! I serve my chief as advisor and as a sub-chief in a community far to the south. I cannot stay here.”

“But you must stay,” Cadar exclaimed in a voice torn between anger and pleading. “The Horse People need you. If you do not return, many more will die. You know this to be true. History will repeat itself if you do not do your duty to your tribe.”

It soon became clear that the leadership of the Horse People passed from father to son and from brother to brother, if necessary, and it didn’t matter whether one brother died naturally, or if he passed on with the help of another brother. It also quickly became clear that when there was no direct line of descent or in the case where someone such as Gogra refused to take on the mantle of leadership, things got messy. According to Cadar, it had happened in the past and many people had died as a result of it.

That fact gave me thought. I looked from Gogra and Cadar out over the communal hearth to where the men of the Horse People were still waiting, mounted upon their horses. There were hunters left in the tribe, of which the majority looked to be in their mid to late teens. Besides Cadar there was one other man who appeared to be in his late thirties, and one other man who appeared to be in his late twenties. I eyed the younger older man as best as I could from where I was seated. He appeared to be fit and healthy. He also appeared to be smarter than the other men gathered beyond the ruined wall of the enclosure. While the younger men jabbered amongst themselves, clearly talking about what had happened that day, and possibly debating what would happen next, that man and the older man sat astride their mounts in silence, with their eyes fixed upon Gogra, Cadar, and me. I could tell without much difficulty that the man would most likely be a contender for the leadership, if it came down to it, as would the older man, and possibly Cadar. As for that, my gut spoke to me and told me that if the three men each sought to lead the Horse People, the conflict would leave two of them dead and most likely any hunter that had supported their claim, with their families suffering death as well. As Cadar had said, many would die.

“Is there no way of resolving this peacefully?” I enquired once I turned my attention back to the discussion at hand, interrupting Cadar as he once again cajoled Gogra to accept fate and to return to the Horse People as their leader.

“Only Gogra can ensure peace,” Cadar responded promptly, glancing intently at me before once again turning his stern gaze upon Gogra.

“That might be so,” I pointed out, persisting to press Cadar for an alternative solution, “but Gogra is not of the Horse People, anymore. He is of the Bear Tribe! He is one of my leaders, and a trusted advisor. I could not permit him to leave my tribe for any reason that was not his own desire, and as Gogra has pointed out, he does not desire to lead your people.”

“Then there will be more deaths, and the Horse People will suffer because Gogra will not do his duty to his people,” Cadar declared vehemently, his visage colouring as he spoke.

“Gogra is doing his duty to his tribe,” I rebuked Cadar, the sharpness of my voice startling the man. “He is Bear Tribe now, and not Horse People. He serves my people, not yours; and if you persist in insulting my advisor, then I will take offence. Do you wish that?”

Cadar’s head snapped about to gaze at me, first in disbelief that I had spoken to him in such a manner, and then with anger; his face colouring and his eyes narrowing as he peered into my face. I met his gaze solidly and unblinkingly. I stared him down, refusing to say a word. It seemed like minutes, but I was certain that it was only seconds, and when the time had passed, it was Cadar who looked away. He took one last glance at Gogra, but found there the same resolute gaze that he’d found in my face. The man sighed heavily in response then in reply to my question the man shook his head no.

It was clear that Cadar wasn’t happy. His shoulders slumped in response to my reply and in reaction to the fact that he wasn’t getting his way with Gogra. He visibly crumpled before us, changing from a leader and a man of determination into someone old, tired, and uncertain of what to do next. He fidgeted for a moment or two in his seat, and then he rose to leave.

“Sit,” I snapped at the man as he stood up. “We are not done speaking here. I want to know more about what will happen next, and I want to discuss a thought that I’ve had while listening to you badgering Gogra.”

My tone and manner were curt, but they were also effective. The man had surrendered to the fact that he wasn’t in charge here, and he wasn’t going to win by bullying people. He sat himself back down at my command, obediently taking his seat, to hear what I wanted to know, and also what I had to suggest.

“First off, I have counted three contenders for the leadership of the Horse People, while sitting here, listening,” I started once Cadar was seated and looking at me. “Are there any more potential candidates that I’ve missed?”

Cadar looked at me, and then asked who I thought would fight for the leadership. I pointed out the two older men still seated upon their mounts, and then I included him. He nodded in agreement, and then mentioned a fourth.

“Do you see that tall, young rider who is seated amongst the other young men of the tribe?” Cadar asked. “He is Laktar, and is very popular amongst the younger men. He is a good rider and a good hunter, although he has only been a man for three years. People look to him. He was a rival of Nabok, so you needn’t worry about him seeking revenge; but I am certain that those who once followed Nabok will now turn on him.”

I eyed the young man for a moment or two. He was tall for a member of the Horse People, and he looked healthier than most. He was one of the few men waiting out beyond the ruined wall of the enclosure armed both with hunting lances, and a bow and quiver of arrows. At that moment he was talking animatedly with a group of seven younger men.

“Would he live in peace if Gogra accepted the leadership of the tribe?” I enquired pointedly.

“If Gogra made him hunt leader, he would be happy,” Cadar admitted freely. “He is still a boy and more interested in hunting than in leading our people at the moment, but I am certain in time he will want more power. He would definitely attempt to be Gogra’s chief advisor, much as Nabok tried to be with Mondo. It would give him status in the tribe, particularly if he could dominate the older hunters. If he was not acknowledged, then he would be trouble.”

“How would things go if Gogra did not return as chief?” I pressed the man. “Do you really want to fight for the leadership? Can you not resolve this peacefully amongst yourself and the other contenders? Certainly you and the other two older men could come to an agreement where one of you becomes chief and the other two his advisors.”

Cadar glanced out towards the other two men and he looked at them in silence for a second or two before turning his gaze back to me and replying.

“I could live with Kogar leading the tribe,” Cadar told me bluntly, “but not Heget. Heget brags too much about what he can do as a hunter, even though most hunters know of his skills and know that he is not that good. As for Kogar, I am sure he would do the same, if I were chief. Heget would accept either of us, so long as he was made hunt leader, which would not happen; at least not if I had a say in the matter. That would lead to other problems, most of all with Laktar.”

I nodded my understanding in response to the man’s reply. Then I nibbled on my lower lip for a second or two as I turned my gaze towards the men that Cadar had spoken about. I looked at them thoughtfully and then I turned back and spoke to Cadar.

“What do you think about joining my tribe?” I asked the man pointedly.

The man sat back and blinked at me for a second, not knowing what to say. Then his face clouded over and he shook his head no.

“The idea is appealing to me,” the man admitted in a slow, thoughtful manner, “but it is one that I cannot accept. I will not abandon my people to men like Heget and Laktar. Both men would speed up the destruction of our tribe.”

I smiled in response to the man’s reply, taking him by surprise. I then glanced over to Gogra who had been following the conversation intently. When our eyes met he raised a questioning eyebrow towards me, silently enquiring of me as to what I had planned. I simply smiled back at the man, and then turned my gaze back to Cadar.

“I wasn’t suggesting you abandon the Horse People,” I told the man, smiling as I did. “What I was actually suggesting was that the Horse People merge with my tribe. I’ve already offered the same deal to the Hilltop people, and I’m willing to do the same with the Horse People. Do you think they would accept?”

My suggestion stunned Cadar into silence once again. He sat blinking at me in disbelief, slack jawed. Then he glanced at Gogra who just nodded at him. Then the man turned and glanced out across the enclosure to where the rest of the men of his tribe waited. Finally, he shook his head violently, as if to clear his muddled mind. When he’d done that, the man returned his gaze to me.

“I don’t know,” Cadar admitted slowly, with reservation in his voice. “I think some might say yes, considering that Gogra is a member of your tribe and he is held in great respect; but there are others who would not like the idea, particularly if you are also inviting the Hilltop people into your tribe. Those people will not like sharing the land with another tribe.”

“That is a pity,” I told Cadar bluntly, “because that is the only solution to this problem. Gogra is of my tribe. If he accepts to take over the leadership of the Horse People, then the Horse People will be no more. They will be integrated into my tribe. That will mean that the hunters and the rest of your people will be sent to a number of my communities to live.”

“You have more than one community?” Cadar asked with surprise in his voice. “How big is your tribe?”

“If the Horse People and the Hilltop People join us, then our numbers will be greater than six hundred strong,” I told Cadar in a matter of fact manner, keeping my face straight as his eyes grew wide with wonder. I flashed him a smile and went on, “although many of that number are women and children in need of men. We currently have three settlements built or in the process of being built, and we are thinking of creating two more, so you can see that my people are thriving.”

Cadar nodded his head in acknowledgement and then he started chewing at his bottom lip, as he contemplated what he would say next. After a second or two, Cadar made a suggestion.

“We should speak to Kogar and Heget,” Cadar informed me in a conspiratorial manner. “You should put the question to them. I think Kogar will accept the idea without issue, and I believe that Heget will as well, once he knows which way the wind blows.”

“What about Laktar?” I pressed when Cadar didn’t suggest inviting him to sit with us.

“Laktar will not agree, no matter how we present this idea,” Cadar declared with disgust in his voice. “The young hunter will not see the good of the plan. He will only see that his status will fade away, and he will become just one in your tribe and not worthy of your notice. We needn’t speak to him.”

I wasn’t so certain about that, however, in the spirit of the moment and with the desire to move matters along so we could resolve our differences, and thereby, allow Tikál to return to his village unchallenged, so that he could fetch his mate and child, I gave in to Cadar’s recommendation. I told him to go and fetch Kogar and Heget. While the man rose and headed back towards where the other riders still sat waiting, I called Tikál over.

“I want you to mount your horse and to return to your encampment for your family, while I continue to speak with these riders,” I told the young man. “Take Tonko and Bogdi with you. They are both former members of your tribe, and they should still be known by the people living in the encampment. Bring back Nabok’s mate and child as well. Oh, and take my healer with you. You might have use of her.”

Tikál agreed with my suggestion and went off to get his horse. While he did that, I called Tonko, Bogdi, and Carmen to me. Quickly I told them what was going on, and what I wanted them to do, expressing my concern that Mondo might have already driven the women and children from the tribe. I warned them to be careful, and put Tonko in charge. All three of my people told me that they would take care. Then they went off into the cave to saddle their mounts and to prepare to ride. By the time they were heading out, Cadar was returning, leading Kogar and Heget.

I greeted each man formally and asked them to take seats beside Cadar. They did, with Kogar sitting down right beside Cadar, leaving Heget to sit the furthest away from me. I took note of it, but let it slide for the moment. In time, if the men joined my tribe, they would learn not to take offence over seating, since everyone in my tribe had a voice when I held a council, and they could use it without concern to whatever perceived status they held or did not hold in the tribe. Instead I focused on the matter at hand, which was bringing Kogar and Heget up-to-date on what I had spoken to Cadar about. It didn’t take long, but it did leave both men stunned. In the end I was forced to question them to get them even to respond.

“What do you think?” I asked first glancing at Kogar and then looking past him to Heget. “Can you live with the arrangement, or would you rather fight to be leader of what is left of your tribe?”

“I am willing to consider your offer, Jake of the Bear Tribe,” Kogar muttered in response, although his words came hesitantly. “However, I do have questions that need to be answered, before I say ‘yes.’”

I nodded my understanding and then glanced at Heget one more time, waiting to hear from him. The man was nervously chewing on his lower lip.

“What about you Heget?” I asked the man pointedly. “Will you commit to discuss this plan, or would you rather go back and sit with Laktar? It is your choice.”

The man licked his lips and then looked about nervously. He first looked at Cadar and Kogar, who both looked back at him sternly, and then he looked to Gogra. Gogra looked back at the man sympathetically. When Heget saw this, he let out a sigh.

“I will listen to the plan as well,” Heget declared in a tentative manner. “I wish to hear what you have to say, and what you want from me.”

I nodded my head in understanding and then I flashed a quick look at Gogra. When the older man nodded his head approvingly towards me, I proceeded. For the next hour I spoke to Kogar and Heget. I told them about my tribe, the size of it, who made it up, and what we intended to do to help it survive; and, more importantly, to thrive. My oration was received with mixed reviews. Kogar willingly accepted the thought of joining my tribe, but he wasn’t in a hurry to move southward, while Heget was more worried about where he would stand in a community where hunters made up such a small percentage of the population, and where women were taught to hunt, fight, and more importantly, kill.

By that point in time, I’d been speaking to Cadar, and then to Kogar and Heget for almost an hour and a half, and during that whole time, the rest of the hunters had been either standing around chatting amongst themselves, or sitting upon their mounts, chatting with each other. Regrettably, it was now getting late, and most of the riders were getting a little restless. I decided it was time to invite the rest of the group in so Gogra could speak to them. Gogra agreed, as did the other two men.

I sent Cadar to fetch the others and to invite them to come and sit at my hearth, in order to listen to what Gogra had to say. I told him to word what he said exactly as I had put it, knowing full well what would be implied, and also knowing that it would piss off Laktar at the very least. Cadar said he would. While he went to get the others, I had a quick chat with Gogra falling back on our common tongue, thus excluding the other two men.

“I want you to claim the leadership of the Horse People, when the others arrive,” I told Gogra pointedly, “and then I want you to tell them that you are merging the Horse People with our tribe, placing them under my leadership. I’ll take it from there.”

Gogra agreed. Then we turned our attention back on the men still seated with us, and with the men now following Cadar into the enclosure. To my pleasant surprise, all of them left their weapons outside the enclosure, except for the knives they wore at their belts.

Gogra rose as Cadar came and sat himself down in his seat again, and once the other riders had either found a place to sit, or a place to stand. Then he spoke. He kept it short and sweet; crisp even, as he said that he was now the chief of the tribe, and then he dropped the bomb on the lot of them, telling how the Horse People would join my tribe in order to survive, and that I would be the new chief. As expected, that single statement set off the explosion of anger we’d all been expecting which didn’t take more than a second to occur.

“No!” Laktar bellowed angrily from where he stood, across the hearth from Gogra and me, surrounded by his allies and friends. “I will not accept an outsider as chief. I am a rider of the Horse People. I refuse to accept this.”

“Is that so?” I enquired coldly, addressing the young hunter as I took to my feet. As I did, I motioning for Gogra to step away from me, just in case I needed to reach for my sidearm. “Did I really hear you correctly? Are you really going to refuse to serve under the leadership of the man who taught the Horse People to ride and who gave you weapons to help you be good hunters? I think you might have made a mistake. Do you wish to repeat yourself?”

Laktar glared at me with bulging eyes, and spittle dripping down his chin. He scowled angrily in response to my statement, and then he chose to ignore me.

“You old man are not the leader of the Horse People, if this is your desire,” Laktar spat across the hearth, pointing a finger at Gogra, “and neither are these other two women if they are willing to accept this insult to our people. I, Laktar, am the new chief and I will fight any man who says otherwise.”

“You will, will you?” I asked the young hothead. “Well I doubt that. Gogra was the rightful heir of Mondo, who left no sons to follow after him, and Gogra accepted the title of chief when Cadar offered it to him. He is the rightful chief and you are not and now since he has asked me to accept the Horse People into my tribe so they would survive, I am the chief, and you are not. You may accept this and live in peace in my tribe, or you may mount up on your horse and ride away. Those are your only two choices. The third choice will only lead to your death.”

“You are nothing to me,” Laktar declared vehemently, glaring at me with hatred in his eyes, “and you are nothing to the Horse People. I am the chief now and I say you will die.”

I shook my head in exasperation and then sighed openly at the young man. By this time he was standing almost alone as those young hunters who’d stood by him originally had begun to back away.

“Look kid,” I started to say; however I never got to say the rest. That was when Laktar decided to attack me.

The kid had balls, but only that. With a bellow of outrage that told everyone that he was pissed off and that he was going to do something stupid, Laktar pulled his knife from his belt. Then with a controlled toss, Laktar flipped the blade about in his hand so he could hold it by the blade, with the intention of throwing the weapon by it. That was about as far as he got. Dunbar took him down at that point.

Laktar’s plan was flawed from the get go. The kid had forgotten about my people, who were now ringing the enclosure, and about our weapons, which could cut him down from a distance without much effort. Even as he was bellowing how he was going to kill me, I was pulling my pistol out of my holster and was taking aim; getting ready to shoot the young man. Fortunately for him, Dunbar stepped in, quite literally, and knocked the young man to the ground, disarming him as he did it. I was actually taken completely by surprise.

Dunbar had been on the lip of the overhang watching what was going on. He didn’t know what we were talking about. He had no grasp of the Horse Peoples language, but he really didn’t need to know it; Laktar telegraphed his intent. When he saw the kid pull the knife, Dunbar simply jumped off the lip of the overhang. With a twist in the air as he came down, Dunbar had turned about so he would land directly behind the kid, facing the back of the kid’s head, and towards where I was standing. Laktar didn’t even notice him. Once behind the kid, Dunbar dropped Laktar with a blow to his head. The kid went down in a heap, and in the process, dropped his knife. With the threat dealt with, Dunbar took a few steps back, eyeing the young men who’d jumped aside on Dunbar’s appearance, as their courage started to return.