The Hard Road by D.A.Sanford - HTML preview

Marriage and partings

The next day, Tartan and I are summoned to the ruler and elders. We are informed that there has been an agreement among the elders.

“We have considered what you have said. What others do not know is that we have had a secret hide just for this occasion. Runners have been sent to the other tribes along with the other races to expect treachery. We elders will stay in the sanctuaries. My son Tartan will be the leader. You and him, after you mate, will go to that hide. We will stay and if necessary be sent to the final life. This is our gift to you.” He hands Tartan a scroll.

“A long time ago, before the treaty, we were a guerilla army, known as the Green Ghosts. We did not play fair. We set traps, dirty, cruel traps. They were meant to inflict grievous harm and sometimes long lingering deaths. All the weapons and books are at the hide. Today, you two memorize this map then, in front of me, burn it and spread the ash. My sons, I am sorry that this falls on you but once again we must fight for our existence. That is for the young. We elders will buy you the time to get to the hide. It is our old home. You will understand.”

Tartan and I both know what the meaning of buying us time means. Tartan and I stand at attention and he says that we will carry on the fight. We leave and study the map. In the morning the village was alive with activity, in preparation of the mating and what needed to be done afterwards. The runners came and told them of the humans starting their move.

That can mean only one thing, my father is dead but how many more? There is a feast going on and in the midst of it, my now father tells Ziva and I to go into the tent that has been set up. I had been told that it is their tradition that the tribe must hear the satisfied screams of my soon to be mate and then comes the mark. The bite on the right shoulder.

I do understand his urgency.

We go in and slowly we undress. Gods she is beautiful. “You are the best. You are perfection.”

We embrace and the passion that has been bottled up for years pushed aside all other thoughts. Ziva is a screamer. When we climax, she screams, “Bite me now, claim me!” I do. After we calm down. I leave the tent as per the ritual. Her mother comes in as I leave.

After a small bit of time, mother and daughter come out. The mother announced that her daughter has been breached and she has been claimed. Ziva is then seated with her shoulder exposed and I stand next to her. Father now tells everyone to come and verify the mark. Which they do. Each looks at the mark then nods to me in affirmation. Once the last one has acknowledged, it is announced that we are mated.

The ruler, not father, now speaks. I know what he is going to say. “My daughter is now mate to Raymond Conger. Now as ruler, I must tell you that anyone under the age of forty must now follow Tartan and Raymond to the hide. The humans have a new king and are now marching towards us. You ones that are under forty are the future. All you will need is there.”

He raises his fist and yells, “The Green Ghosts have risen. We will buy you time. Now you have one hour to clear out. It is a few long days to get there. The other tribes are on their way there. Tartan is the new ruler. Raymond is his advisor. Now Go. We elders will wait for you in the final life. Make us wait a long time.” There is crying but it seems like they have had fore knowledge that this may happen. True to form, in less than an hour, we were on the move. The last in line had brush and were erasing our tracks. No one turned around. All knew that it would be a dishonor to plead with them to come. We all knew that they were not going to let themselves be taken as slaves. Fight to the last one.

It was three days getting to the hide. There were some others already there. They looked at me and were wary but when Ziva walked to me, took my hand and removed her right shoulder strap, those fears went away.

Just like our group. All were under forty. Tartan introduced our group and they immediately acknowledged his leadership. Once that was settled, we went inside. There before us is a labyrinth of tunnels and rooms off a very large meeting room. On the walls were very detailed drawings of the different traps. None that I would want to trip. Those traps are stakes and spears, Pit falls that the cover would allow a goblin to run over but the weight of a human would cause that human’s foot to drop into it with enough force as to pierce the soles of the toughest boots. Those spikes were covered in dung.

Saplings were bent and secured with a trip wire. There was a paddle attached with spikes. Once tripped it would go through even the toughest armor. There are trip wire bows. Blow darts with poison tips. So many things that we could cover any trail, anywhere. Only the different races would know that you don’t travel on the paths or near them.

Once all have assembled and the word of fallen villages have been received. Tartan holds a general assembly.

“I have received word that my village was attacked. They fought bravely. They took a lot of the attackers with them as they valiantly died. None of them were captured. They all died fighting.”

He choaks but then stands proudly,

“Our elders showed us just what they were made of. They are the Green Ghosts. I want each of you to carry a name of your relative engraved on the blade of your sword and dagger. You see my brother in law here. He lost his birth father to this treachery.” I speak, “I lost both of my parents to the traitor king Erik. Just now we were told that my marriage parents were lost. I will not stop until I either die or the evil king is killed. You are now my family. The other oppressed races are my family. Were you go, I go. Where you fight, I fight. Remember the fallen and avenge them.“ Ziva now speaks, “Look around you. All here are people, not goblins, not felids, not human, we are people. Look at these drawings posted on these walls. Study then and dig. Sharpen the stakes, collect the dung. Make those arrows and darts. Make the poisons for those arrows and darts.”

Tartan now finishes.

“Tonight we will celebrate the lives lost today. As of dawn, Those of you that are fifteen to thirty, we will go out and take this war to those who wish to harm us. Those of you who are thirty one and older, you have the most important task. Protect the young, protect the mothers, protect our home here at the hide. As of dawn, not one of us will walk the normal paths because we are going to lay these traps. As of dawn, our primary target is the leaders. Then the soldiers. I want you to remember, not all humans are with their king. Watch and report. If you see humans resisting, hide but use the darts on the enemy. After the battle is over, your captain will yell to those rebels, The Green Ghosts will fight your enemies. Then leave without showing yourselves.”

That night, there were many tales told of the elders. Many salutes and many fond tears. There was sorrow in the hearts but at the end of the celebration of life, the shaman stood, raised a glass and proclaimed,

“They are now in the final life rejoicing their victory. May we all celebrate our reunion with them in the very distant future.”

Morning came. We all knew what was expected. Tartan had told me that I would go with him.

“Even though they know that you are family, you still are human so they will be hesitant to follow you. By showing them that you will follow my orders, you will gain their trust. It will not be long before you will lead your own pack. I know that you really don’t want that but your skills are best used as a leader.”

I do not question him. He is the leader and has the best interests at heart. Then he blindsides me when he said that Ziva would be leading a different pack. “I don’t need to explain but I will. I can’t have either of you together in the same pack. Looking out for each other can and will become a distraction. I cannot have that because that would end up as losing one or both of you. She already has been told and understands. Go now and make your peace with her. Have a good farewell then use the words that our parents told us. May we be reunited in the final life.” Those words struck home. The goblin combat creed is that you are dead already. Your body is a shell. Fight as if there is no tomorrow for you. You fight for the young ones. You die for them but fight you must.

I find Ziva and we go off to a quiet area, like so many other mated couples. We make love as if it was the last time. Passion and then the embrace. We tell each other that we will meet again. I tell Ziva.

“In the final life, I want a hug from you and then we will go on a hundred year walk alone together.”

We kiss and then we both have to leave. I love her but now I must think of her as dead. It turns my stomach but it also makes me mad at Eric. I will make him pay.

I must now say that being mad and being angry are two different things. Being mad will cause you to think, cause you to plan. Being angry will make you run amuck, without thought. Being angry gets you killed,

The three of us have made a pact. Until this is done, none of us will inquire how the others are doing, Again, we are dead.

Packs are formed. Goodbyes had been said earlier. We all knew what was expected of us. Kill and if necessary die. There is no surrender. The packs go off in different directions knowing that some of us will never return to the hide. Just like Ziva and I, no mate is with the other. We all march alone with the thought driven into us that we will never see that loved one again in this life.