Chapter 14: Of Sky Fire & Judgment

It was well after dark when we approached the winter camp. The camp was as I remembered it the night before with several fires going but no visible sign of habitation. I had previously cautioned Iega and we approached with care. There! I saw the shadow of movement at the edge of one of the fires. A woman scout.

"Hello," I called out, "It is I, Dac. Hello."

Three figures darted across the opening toward us. Two to the sides and one towards the front.

"Dac?" Sheel's voice, "Who is with you?"

"Iega." I responded, "He is one of this clan. A friend. Not armed."

"Hold!" Sheel's voice demanded, and then I saw a small fire arc high in the sky before landing about ten feet in front of us. Suddenly I was blinded as a huge fire came to life where the small sky fire had landed. I pulled my spear and made myself ready for anything.

My eyes finally grew accustomed to the light and there stood my beautiful Sheel, bow ready and aimed directly at Iega. As my eyes panned past the fire I saw Roya, also with bow armed and aimed to my left, then Treeya with a spear loaded in a atlatl and aimed off to my right, and Martreen, she also had a spear loaded in a atlatl and aimed behind me.

"My fantastic, wonderful, beautiful women," I called out to them, "Had I been Broc I surely would not have seen another sunrise. Do I have your permission to enter?"

"Oh yes Dac! Oh yes." Sheel called out, her voice now soft and sensual.

As Iega and I skirted the fire and entered the camp he commented to me, "Never would I have believed what my eyes have just witnessed. Women, not only with weapons, but also women that obviously know how to use them! This is beyond anything imaginable."

He was in for another surprise not a moment later. Just as my two mates and Treeya rushed me plying kisses on my lips, cheeks and neck, three clans women brandishing regular thrusting spears encircled Iega holding him at bay. "If you move at all Iega, you will never move again!" One of the women told him in a voice that sounded very sure of itself.

"Wait! Wait!" I yelled happily under the onslaught of welcoming kisses, "One at a time please."

They all backed off an inch or two. I pulled Sheel into my arms and gave her a kiss worth remembering. Then I followed suit with Roya, and finally Treeya (the first time I had ever kissed her in that way). Then I stepped the two paces to where Martreen was standing alone and I kissed her as well.

I took a step back and looked at them. All four women were dressed in the lightweight leather pants and shirts, "Dear Earth Mother! I have never seen a sight as beautiful. After seeing you four, if I were to die tomorrow, I would die a satisfied man!"

Then they were all over me again kissing and hugging. We were interrupted when Iega called my name, "Dac! Please."

I looked over toward him and the three women controlling him. I said, "Sorry, I don't run this camp. You'll need to talk to Sheel or Martreen."

"Martreen," he said taking on a voice of authority, "tell these women to back off!"

Martreen smiled as she slowly stepped over to him, "Hello Iega. If you ask rather than demand I might consider it. But, only because I don't believe you're a threat, especially since it look's like that arm is broken."

Iega must have gotten it because he nodded and this time he asked politely, "Martreen, will you have a look at my arm... please? I will not be any trouble. Actually, looking around at these women, I do not think I could cause any trouble even if I wanted too."

Martreen returned his nod, and then she waved her hand indicating to the women guarding Iega to relax. They did, backing away several feet. Then Martreen asked me, "Did you find Broc?"

"Iega told me where he is. He should not arrive back here until sometime the day after tomorrow."

She nodded then turning back to Iega once again, she said, "Come on Iega. Let's go to the long hut and I'll have a look at that arm." then turning back to me she smiled broadly and said, "Glad to see you're back Dac. I'll see you later." Then she, Iega, and the three guards headed toward one of the long huts.

About half way there Martreen turned and said over her shoulder, "Oh Dac, they told me about the spear straps. If you look closely you'll see mine are not attached yet. When you have a moment perhaps you can help me with them?" Then she smiled again.

I laughed. So did my mates and Treeya. I guess they had told Treeya about the straps as well.

"Let's go get our man something eat." Roya suggested to the other women as she slipped her arm through mine and led me in the direction of a fire near the center of the camp. As we walked together, I saw several other women vigilantly standing guard at their posts.

"Your surprise fire worked perfectly Sheel. That was really something!" Treeya told Sheel.

"Yeah," I commented looking over toward Sheel, "was that an arrow with fire I saw flying through the sky?"

"Yes and no Dac." Sheel told me taking my other arm, "It was an arrow but not one of yours. I made it by trimming a tree branch then copying the fletching with some hawk feathers. The arrow didn't need to be as accurate or as strong as our hunting arrows because all it had to hit was that huge pile of dried moss, grass and kindling."

"But how did you keep the arrow lit? And how did you get that pile of kindling to light so quickly?" I asked ever more curious.

"Martreen showed me how to do that." Sheel told me, "Apparently, at one time she had mixed several things together looking for a remedy for skin burns. Well, she mixed some of that black liquid we find seeping up from the ground from time to time, along with some ash and sulfur and some other stuff. I guess the mixture was not very helpful with skin burns but she found if you throw anything soaked with it into a fire it burns like crazy. I soaked all the stuff for the secret fire in Martreen's liquid along with a small piece of hide which I tied around my home made arrow."

"Very impressive! You have no idea! Not only did that fire give you a good look at who I was, it also blinded me for several seconds. Were I an enemy, I would have been dead." I said honestly, "And what of you my dear Treeya? You looked very formidable standing there with an armed atlatl."

"Roya and Sheel helped Martreen and me practice with the spears after we finished Martreen's leather outfit. Both of us are pretty good Dac, honest." Treeya said, sounding a little embarrassed.

"You don't have to convince me. I'm sure you are. I would not doubt that there is anything any of my women could not do. The secret fire, the flaming arrow, the spear training, just the way you've managed to get those other women to use spears is phenomenal enough in itself."

We reached the cooking fire and I sat down. There must have been some kind of agreement between the women, because it was Treeya alone that served me dinner.

While eating I told the girls about my scouting expedition and how I came about finding Iega. I also told them that after Martreen was finished looking after Iega I wanted all of us to sit together and discuss what I had learned from Iega about the clan.