Chapter 15

We were having breakfast at first light and our forward scouts came in with two men bearing a white flag on an inverted spear. Their arms were taken from them in a polite search and they were brought before Glenda, Mandor, Susan, and me.

One of them said, "We are from the People. We have come to offer you joy and peace."

I said, "That's interesting. What if we're not interested?" They looked shocked. I continued before they could say anything. "We have a nice community of a pretty good size. The people voted on their leaders and like the joy and peace they have." I decided not to go into details about Virginia and Luray or our allies in Atlanta and The Oaks.

The same man said, "We want to help you. By joining the People, we can bring you a release from pain and the joy that comes from not having responsibilities. The People live in harmony with all. You just need to meet with our leader and he will show you the way."

I said, "If we don't join you, what will you do?"

"We will continue on our path and allow any who do desire to join with us."

I said, "The way is blocked. You will not be allowed to proceed in the same direction. You will have to go back over the mountain and find a different path to a different destination."

Both of the men looked troubled. The same one said, "We must go forward. It is required. The People must proceed in the direction. There are not enough of you to stop us. No one may stop us."

"I think we will. Return to your leader. Tell him that the way is blocked and you may not pass. Any move in this direction will result in war between you people and my people."

They were sent back to their camp. We heard that night from Dorothy and Reggie about the result of their report. She and Reggie returned in the early morning after another day of sexual use. Both said they didn't want to go back.

Reggie gave the report in those wee hours even though he was tired. He said, "Their leader didn't like what his two guys told him. He walked up to them and put a hand on each one's forehead. A second later, they collapsed. They were still lying there when we left. The leader said, 'No one talks to the People that way. We prevail. We will lead all men to joy and peace.' I think he plans to attack later this morning."

"Okay, we'll be ready for them if they do. You two get some rest. Thanks for your efforts and information you brought.'

I looked around and saw nods from the people around me. We were ready. I said, "The only thing I can suggest is that their leader needs to touch a person to affect them. Make sure everyone is aware of that. Make no special effort to kill or spare him. We outnumber them and have better arms. We should be victorious as long as we watch for traps. Let's get set."

We waited, taking breakfast in shifts, as we watched for signs of an attack. It came with warning from our sentries as they made us wait until mid morning. The attackers were not well organized and they seemed to have no idea of tactics or value in their men. Men just began to run at our supposed positions. We began to pick them off with arrows from our hidden positions. They didn't really know where we were and used no scouts or any leadership. It was like being attacked by a mob. Even the Dumdee used tactics making them more difficult adversaries. The attack continued for a while and then slowed. I gave the signal to advance and we moved toward the camp being watchful and looking for their leader. We had the camp surrounded and began to draw our line tighter. They attacked again and I saw the leader. He came at one of my men who dropped him with a sword blow with the flat of the blade to the side of his head. He dropped like a stone. At the moment, I didn't know whether he was dead or alive. When he dropped, I saw that the fight went out of his men. They began to surrender and were docile.

I sent a man back to the tent where Reggie and Dorothy were sleeping and he returned having noticed that they were both very relaxed. We tied the men and brought their dead into the camp. We hadn't lost a man and only had two wounded and neither one was serious. Our men were beginning to think about the victory celebration with the women and what value the camp and the captured men might have. We won and the possessions were ours to take. The women would be available after the celebration and use.

Suddenly, the women tensed up and the men captured began to shake in their bonds. I looked over and the leader was conscious! He was looking around wildly and seemed angry as he struggled in his bonds. I went over to him and said, "You aren't dead after all. What is your name?"

"I am the Leader!" He screamed at me. When I started to speak again, he screamed at me to be silent. I was tired and didn't have much patience. I kicked him in the stomach hard. The air went out of his body and he choked some.

Quietly, I said, "I asked your name. You are no longer a leader. Your people were defeated and I am trying to determine what to do with you."

He said, in an angry voice, "Let me look you in the eyes and touch you and I will show you my power."

I replied, "I don't think so. We are careful people and don't tolerate people who are controlling like I have seen you do." I thought a moment and looked up at a couple of my men. "Blind him!"

One held his head while the other nicked his eyes deeply with a knife. He screamed with the pain. I decided that he would die though wasn't sure how. I thought of his hands and had an idea.

"Men, get the fire hot and bring a cutting block." They didn't know what I planned but did as I commanded. The leader was moaning with pain. I had two men grab him and hold him. A third released his bonds. His arms were brought in front of him and tied together. I had his arms placed on the cutting block. I took an axe and removed his hands just above the wrists. My captive screamed and blacked out again. We put his arms in the fire and cauterized the wounds I had created. After that we waited. His hands were tossed into the fire to burn. Burning flesh was not a pleasant smell so I moved downwind. We left him there to recover his consciousness. He couldn't see and couldn't touch now. If he didn't want to talk, we would just kill him and find out what the other prisoners might know. It was obvious he had some kind of power but I think his "fangs" were pulled.

I watched my men enjoy the women while I waited for the leader to rejoin us. It was interesting to watch as the women did not fight at all but were submissive to a degree that I had never seen in captured women. The men were not fighting against their bonds except for straining when the leader had been conscious. I waited and the leader came back to life groaning in pain.

I said, "You can no longer see or touch. You can talk now or die painfully. It's up to you. I don't really care." I did care because I wanted to know his history.

He said, "I hurt. What did you do to me?"

"We blinded you and removed your hands. The question remaining is whether you die easily or after a lot more pain. If you answer my questions, you will be killed as painlessly as possible. Otherwise, you will die painfully.

"Now, what is your name and where did you come from?"

His voice was agonized but he answered, "I was born Charty. My mother was a Landgon. She had been taken from them and used. She escaped and returned to her people and I was born eight months later. Our life was difficult. The Landgon's are not kind to children that are not Landgon or acceptably related. When I was about three or four years, I discovered that I could make people like me if I stared into their eyes and touched their heads. I later learned that I could control them after I had done that. They would follow me, too. I left with a small band and collected more as time went on. We were coming this way because I had heard that a great salt lake exists to the east and I wanted to see it."

"What about the sex?"

"As I grew older, I wanted women and they would want me after I touched them. We had group orgies and they just became wilder and wilder as more people joined me. The last two people who came to us were different. I was in a hurry and didn't look at them closely. I don't think they were as affected as most people.

"Please, let me die. I hurt soo bad."

"I will keep my word." I pulled my knife and cut his throat. He bled out quickly.

The other captives saw my actions and were horror stricken until the Leader died gurgling as he bled out and drowned in his blood. When his body relaxed in death, the captives began to have new, confused looks on their faces. I told my men to take it easy on the captives until we had time to question them. There were less than twenty men, twenty-two women, and six children. I began questioning the men trying to determine a disposition that was fair and in keeping with our traditions.

The first man brought to me spit on me and was backhanded for his stupidity. I said, "I was going to question you to determine your fate including the possibility of freedom. Instead, we will watch you dance." I looked over at two former Sin Loos men and said, "Prepare him for dancing. If he spits again, teach him pain."

The man may not have been smart but he was consistent. As the two took him from the Virginian squad, he spit again. He was still tied. They dropped him. After wiping off the spit, the man who was spit upon kicked the man in the crotch hard. He howled in pain. As he was moaning and trying to touch himself, they prepared a broad gag and tied it on. While he remained down, they put poles in place. Then, they went to the man and cut away his clothing leaving him naked. They tied his hands to the two end poles and then mounted him over the center post. Dorothy helped insert the pole into his ass. When they pulled his legs out and the pole slid up his ass, she said, "Big things in the ass aren't so much fun when it's your ass!"

He was screaming in pain even through the gag, as his legs were pulled apart. The pain of spreading his legs multiplied the pain from the pole going into his bowels. It was a wide pole and he was already bleeding from his torn sphincter. He was forced further down and his screams grew louder until he fainted. The man who was spit upon urinated upon him to arouse him. They left him there suffering and dying.

I looked over at the rest and said in a quiet voice, "That's bad but it can be worse. Think before you talk. Particularly, before you spit." A few of our people laughed unpleasantly. I had another candidate brought forward along with chairs for the judges. "Tell me your name and your history."