Valeria crouched in exhausted despair as the sky above her churned with clouds lit by flashes of lightning. In her lonely journey north, she had crossed endless miles of scrub desert under a blistering sun as thunder rumbled on the horizon. Finally the ground began to become rugged, and Valeria had seen more and more scrub trees which she took as a sign that she was nearing water. Night was falling ant thunder was rumbling constantly when she finally topped a rise and a flash of lightning revealed a vast canyon, plummeting hundreds of feet down to a river far below. Rain began to pelt her as she fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the size of the obstacle before her. Climbing down the sheer cliffs in storm swept darkness was suicide, but remaining exposed on the ridge was little better. Valeria gritted her teeth and wiped away tears of frustration along with the sheeting rain.
Suddenly she heard a rumbling growl behind her. Whirling she saw the massive bulk of a giant bear looming over her, its approach hidden by her fatigue and the storm. Its blank white eyes gleamed in the darkness and its huge jaws gaped as it roared then leaped at her. With no time to grab her sledge, Valeria rammed her bracer between the bear's jaws as it knocked her to the ground. The bear's breath reeked of carrion as it gnashed at her bracer and tore at her with its huge claws. Valeria screamed in desperation as blood and hot saliva sprayed onto her face as the bear steadily pushed her arm back. Suddenly Valeria screamed and drove her thumb into one of the bear's eyes. Its jaws gaped with agony as blood exploded down its face and Valeria drove her heels into the bear's chest with all her strength. The bear tore free and Valeria tried to scramble clear holding her injured arm when she realized she was in a shallow gully. With nowhere to run Valeria turned to face the enraged mutant as the bear howled and reared up to its full twelve-foot height. Then with a roar a wall of water smashed into it from behind. There was no time to run as Valeria threw her arms in front of her face as the raging torrent slammed into her and swept her over the edge and into the canyon far below.
Joshua Graham led a hunting party along a narrow trail as water poured from the sky and thundered past them in the raging Colorado River. Not for the first time did Graham envy the tribals he led for their simple attire. They were called the Sorrows, and they wore only a loincloth, necklaces of Yao Gui teeth, and tattoos of wavy blue lines that traveled up their torso's to their faces in emulation of their sacred river. In contrast, Graham wore a white shirt, boots and an armored vest over tight bandages that covered his entire head and body.
Graham had led the hunters to see if there were any survivors of their disastrous river crossing before the flood hit. The entire tribe had been wading across chest deep water when a scouting party of White Legs found them. Overcome by bloodlust, the White Legs attacked, spraying the Sorrows with lead from their Thompson submachine guns. Only the heavy rain and the White Legs inexperience with their weapons kept the crossing from becoming a bloodbath. Then a group of Sorrows toward the rear made an unspoken agreement and turned back to shore, chanting a prayer to Mother River. Although vicious and cruel, old traditions died hard and the White Legs hesitated in superstitious awe. Graham was in the shallows when he realized what was happening and tried to turn back. Two Sorrow hunters seized his arms as one shouted.
"Mother River comes!"
Graham turned and heard a roar building in volume over the crack and rumble of thunder. With a curse, he fled to shore with the others as a huge wave of water crashed into the rocks below. None of the Sorrows looked back as the echo of gunfire was heard over the fury of the river. Once the women and children were given temporary shelter in one of the many caves in the canyon wall, Graham demanded a search party accompany him back to the ford.
"They have been taken by Mother River." The tribe's shaman, White Bird announced solemnly. "River and Storm rule now, the White Legs will not follow tonight."
Graham glared at the Shaman, then selected three hunters and set out, not because he doubted White Bird's word about their fate, but to alleviate the guilt and rage he felt at surviving once again as others gave their lives. There had been no sign of either the hunters or the White Legs, and Graham had almost returned to the Sorrow's camp when one of the hunters shouted.
"Joshua Graham! Look!"
Graham looked down the rocky slope and saw the black bulk of an uprooted tree caught on jagged rocks protruding from the seething water. Suddenly a flash of lightning showed him what the hunter had seen. A shock of white hair was visible above the water, as well as an arm extended over the trunk of the tree. It was neither a Sorrow as both the men and women shaved their heads, nor was it a White Leg who wore their hair in long black dreadlocks. As Graham watched he saw the stranger's arm begin to slide down the trunk as the water began to tear the snag loose.
Graham didn't know who the stranger was, but he had failed to save the hunters and now God was giving him another chance.
"Take my arm!" He shouted as one of the hunters ran toward the camp. A Sorrow clasped his forearm while another took the hunter's other arm and braced himself against the bank. The tree wasn't far from shore, and Graham thought the dam formed by the tree and the rocks would break the grip of the River just enough.
"You failed to take me once, and you will fail now." Graham growled at the torrent as he stepped into the water. Immediately the river caught him and swept him into the tree. The Sorrow had lost his grip and Graham was alone in the river as the water roared and tore at him. His scabbed lips twisted into a snarl of effort, Graham pushed away from the tree and lunged for the river's captive, getting his arm around the stranger's throat as they began to go under. With a heave he pulled the surprisingly heavy body toward the surface, and in a flash of lightning realized with astonishment that he was trying to save a woman. He also realized that the she had a huge steel hammer strapped to her that was pulling them both down like an anchor.
Suddenly there was a crack and the tree shifted as the water began to tear it loose. Graham realized that there was no time to save them both as his bandaged hand slipped on the slimy bark. Then a pair of strong hands seized his arm and he and the mysterious woman were pulled away from the tree. Looking back, he saw the face of the hunter who had lost his grip earlier, and behind him a line of Sorrows from the camp forming a human chain that steadily pulled him from the river as the tree suddenly rolled over and with a roar the freed water swept it away into the darkness.
Graham waded ashore, dragging the huge half-naked woman with him. No sooner had he dropped her to the ground than White Bird crouched at her side, listening for breath as the other Sorrows murmured and stared.
"She lives." White Bird announced, and the murmuring grew.
"Is she a spirit?" Asked one of the Hunters.
"She is a mutant." Graham growled. "A… human changed by the Great Fire."
"She carries the mark of the giant Yao Gui." White Bird observed as he pointed to rows of ugly gashes on the woman's huge body. Many of the Sorrows gasped and looked away, as the stranger had taken on the terrible power of the great bear. Only those who wore the claws of the bear continued to watch as White Bird finished his examination.
"The river has almost taken her." The Shaman announced with stern finality. "Bring the Daughter of She to the camp. We will bring her with us to the Narrows."
"We don't know anything about this…woman." Graham rasped.
"You bring her from the river, do you wish to send her back?" White Bird asked calmly as he directed the hunters to lift the unconscious mutant's body and carry her to the camp.
Valeria's dreams were fragmented with faces and emotions fading in and out leaving as little impression as waves on a beach. Then she became aware of a constant chanting that blended with the distant roar of falling water. The sound became a guide that pulled her from the darkness to consciousness. Her eyes slowly opened and she saw that she was in a cave illuminated by a flickering campfire.
Her last memory was of being pulled underwater after exhaustion and the relentless battering of the river overcame her. She could still hear the sound of falling water, but the chanting that had woken her had stopped.
"You awaken Daughter of She." Valeria turned her head to see a woman kneeling by her side. She wore only a simple two-piece suit of blue cloth that exposed most of the blue lines inscribed on her body. A fan of eagle feathers framed her shaved head and her eyes were warm despite her lack of facial expression.
"Drink this" The woman said as she offered a clay bowl filled with a pungent dark colored liquid. Valeria propped herself on her elbow, noting that she was still wearing her armor, but felt clean and her wounds were only faint scars. Valeria drank the bitter tea without complaint, than sat up on a mat of woven grass surrounded by a frame of branches.
"Where am I?" She asked as she handed the cup to the woman.
"You are among the Sorrows in the Narrows of the Great Canyon." The woman replied with a smile as she looked into Valeria's eyes without fear.
"The Sorrows?" Valeria asked as she self-conciously broke eye contact and looked about the cave.
"My people Daughter of She." The woman explained with a nod. "I am Waking Cloud, midwife and healer to the Sorrows."
"I'm Valeria."
"This is known to me Daughter of She, for you spoke in your sleep. Much of it was strange and difficult to understand."
"Why do you keep calling me 'Daughter of She'?" Valeria asked curiously, lulled by the roar of the falls and Waking Cloud's sing-song voice.
"When Joshua Graham pulled you from the river you bore the marks of one who had faced the giant Yao Gui." Waking Cloud replied. "White Bird named you as none who bore such marks have ever survived. White Bird says that you were chosen by She, and that you carry her power within you."
"Who is Joshua Graham?" Valeria asked as she looked down at the faint claw marks on her torso.
"He is an owslander like you." Waking Cloud explained, still sitting motionless with her eyes shining in the firelight. "His tribe was New Canaan before the White Legs killed them. Mother River brought him to us as it brought you."
"Is he here?" Valeria asked as she turned to look at the entrance to the cave.
"Yes. Joshua Graham wanted me to tell him when you recovered so that he may speak with you. I will bring him now." Waking Cloud rose from her knees in one smooth motion and turned to leave the cave through the tunnel.
"Thank you." Valeria said with a smile before Waking Cloud could leave.
"You are…welcome Daughter of She." Waking Cloud replied, as if uncertain how to reply.
Waking Cloud silently walked out of the cave, leaving Valeria to look up at the shafts of sunlight shining through several fissures in the ceiling. Once again events had conspired to allow her to cheat death. She had survived so much she almost regarded herself as unkillable. Her ordeal in the river was a sobering reminder that despite her superhuman mutations, she was still mortal.
"Welcome to the Narrows." A deep voice rasped. A powerfully built man emerged from the shadows of the tunnel, wearing light body armor and completely wrapped in bandages.
"I am Joshua Graham, and I know you call yourself Valeria." He stopped before her and regarded her silently for a moment with his arms crossed. Valeria got to her feet and looked down into his eyes, which she could see were deep gray and surrounded by scabbed and scarred flesh. Her nostrils flared as they were filled with a faint, familiar odor that she chose to ignore for the moment.
"Waking Cloud said that you pulled me from the river. Thank you." Valeria extended her hand toward Graham, who took it without hesitation in a powerful grip.
"I have been the cause of too much death for me to ignore opportunities to preserve it." He replied grimly as he released his grasp.
"I understand." Valeria said solemnly as she lowered her hand.
"Yes." Graham replied as he stared thoughtfully into her eyes. "I believe you do. I have you at a disadvantage. I learned much about you as you spoke in your delirium, but you know nothing of me. If you have questions I will answer what I can."
"Waking Cloud said the river brought you to the Sorrows?" Valeria finally asked.
"That is a question with a difficult answer. Do you know anything of Caesar or the Legion?"
"No, I don't." Valeria admitted as she shook her head. "I've heard of them, but I came from the south and didn't pass through their territory."
"Then I'll enlighten you." Graham growled as he crossed his arms. "Caesar's real name is Edward Sallow. Thirty years ago he led a group of scholars from the Brotherhood of the Apocalypse intending to study the tribals east of the Colorado River. When he came to New Zion. I joined him as a translator." Graham fell silent a moment as he considered what he would say next. When he finally spoke, his tone was flat and emotionless.
"Eventually Sallow betrayed the teachings of the Brotherhood and changed his mission from discovery to conquest. He took the name of General from ancient times and sought to militarize the tribes. Any that refused to submit were crushed and the survivors enslaved. In my pride and arrogance I joined him becoming his Malpais Legate and leading his army in battle. Tribe after tribe was defeated and absorbed into what came to be called the Legion until we came to the Colorado River and faced the NCR."
"That stands for the New California Republic?" Valeria asked, frowning as the memory came to her.
"Yes." Graham replied with a nod. "The NCR controlled a pre-war edifice called Hoover Dam. Caesar became obsessed with defeating the NCR, and I led the Legion across the Dam to its first defeat since it was formed." Graham's voice dropped to a hoarse whisper as rage began to burn in his gray eyes.
"As punishment for that failure Caesar ordered me set afire and thrown into the Grand Canyon. By the grace of God I survived, and was found by the Sorrows who were migrating along the Colorado River as they have done for almost two centuries."
Valeria stared in astonishment at the bandaged man. Even Graham's spare account of his terrible ordeal amazed her with his fortitude. Even with her superhuman abilities, she had only barely survived her fall into the canyon, and she hadn't been set on fire first. That was when she suddenly recognized the odor that had accompanied Graham when he entered the cave.
"You're a ghoul, aren't you?" Valeria observed quietly. Graham's eyes widened and he visibly started.
"How could you…?"
"I've met a lot of ghouls, and I recognized your smell." Valeria explained. "I have a more acute sense of smell, so I'm the only one who probably noticed. That and I think you're bandaged as a disguise, not to cover injuries."
"Why would you think that?" Graham asked with a scowl.
"My father was a physician." Valeria quickly explained. "I know that burns over eighty percent of your body is lethal. You are also moving without any discomfort which would be impossible if you had that much scarring."
Graham glared at Valeria for a long moment, then sighed heavily.
"You have impressive intuition." He finally admitted. "Before Edward became Caesar, we journeyed to several areas called Taboo by the tribals. A sinkhole trapped us in an underground silo filled with radiation. We escaped with apparently no ill effects at the time. As the years passed I began to show symptoms of ghoulification as my skin began to rot. The Legion regards ghouls as beasts so I concealed my condition, and even used it to further the myth of my own invulnerability. Caesar forbids the use of drugs, but none suspected the radiated water I drank before battle to increase my healing."
"I won't tell anyone your secret." Valeria said quietly when Graham finished speaking.
"You have my thanks." Graham rasped with a nod. "But now we must discuss the reason I wished to speak with you. The Sorrows have taken on a terrible burden by sheltering me. Rumors have spread that I didn't die that day. Caesar fears what I know, and will stop at nothing to destroy me. He has unleashed the White Legs against my people at New Canaan. Now his attention has turned to the Sorrows and the White Legs have come to the Grand Canyon. They are vicious and brutal, and their war chief Salt-Upon-Wounds is infamous for his cruelty. The Sorrows are strong and brave, but they are hunters not warriors. To stand against the White Legs means changing their entire way of life to waging war. That would take time and weapons I don't have. Even if I did I wouldn't do it. I spent years crushing the cultures and traditions of the tribes to induct them into Caesar's war machine. I swore a vow that I would never inflict such evil again."
"If you can't fight you have to run." Valeria observed as she crossed her arms.
"Yes, but that has its own difficulties. Such an action would change their way of life, which is to follow the cycles of the River. However I consider it the lesser of two evils. But even so the Sorrows will not leave this place because it the sacred site of their 'Tree Father'."
"Who is the Tree Father?" Valeria asked with a frown.
"One of three spirit deities which include 'Mother River' and the 'Ghost of She'" Graham explained. "White Bird, the Sorrows shaman, has told them they must wait for a sign from the Tree Father. I can't sway him even with the White Legs fast approaching. The rains and flooding bought us some time, but only a little."
"What can I do?" Valeria asked in confusion.
"Through happenstance you fit their tribal myths, and White Bird has announced that you are of the Spirits." Graham replied as he shook his head in frustration. "He has declared that you are the chosen one who must meet with the Tree Father. From what I've been able to deduce, I think the Tree Father is a myth that has grown from encounters with a survivor of the Great War who aided the Sorrows before they became a tribe. This individual would leave notes and gifts to teach and aid them in survival. His sacred site is taboo, and the Sorrows claim that any who find his dwelling never return. I believe this survivor must have laid traps around his camp, to preserve his isolation."
"So you want me to expose the Tree Father as just a story?" Valeria asked as she uncrossed her arms and scowled as she rested a fist on her hip.
"I doubt anything you could show the Sorrows would convince them of that." Graham replied, shaking his head in frustration. "It is my hope that whatever you find will be interpreted as a sign by White Bird. If that's not enough then the Sorrows are doomed."
Valeria stared for a long moment into Graham's gray eyes, then nodded.
"I'll do what I can."
Valeria stood at the base of a narrow cleft in the towering cliffs as the morning sun painted the rocks with blazes of orange and red. Her mouth burned with the bitter taste of Datura root as she looked at hand prints etched in red ochre on both sides of the path. She felt dizzy a moment after drinking the foul-tasting potion White Bird made from the clusters of white flowers growing around the entrance, but otherwise felt nothing. She assumed her metabolism dealt with whatever narcotic effects she was to have experienced.
"The hands warn of a taboo place." White Bird explained as Valeria readied her hammer. "The spirits of this place have become restless and angry. I used to speak with the Tree Father under the protection of the Datura root. Now I cannot travel this path, but you have been chosen by She and might be strong enough."
Valeria nodded as she checked the two tomahawks she had added to her belt. The weapons were simple and weighted to spin in flight. Valeria found that with her reach and great strength she was able to hurl them with considerable force and some accuracy.
"I will wait for your return Daughter of She, or until the sun touches the peaks. The Burned Man will return soon from his tasks and the Sorrows must be prepared for what will come."
Valeria looked at White Bird at his mention of Joshua Graham's title. As she and the shaman had set out for the sacred site of Morning Glory Cave, Graham had taken a group of hunters with him to scout possible routes of escape, as well as the location of the White Legs. Valeria agreed with Graham that she had to hurry. She had no idea what waited for her at the top of the trail, but knew that if she failed in her mission the Sorrows would remain in the Narrows. Graham said that the White Legs were numerous and armed with firearms given to them by Caesar, meaning the Sorrows were doomed if they stood their ground.
White Bird sat cross-legged at the cliff edge and silently regarded the canyon below as Valeria started up the path. The gradual slope quickly became a climb over piles of boulders. The silence became ominous as the shadows grew thicker and Valeria continued her climb with only the moan of the wind through the crags looming above her. Then she began to see ferns growing from beds of moss clinging to the stones. There was no sign of insects, only clouds of spores hanging in the air. Something about the still motes made Valeria uneasy, and she did her best to avoid disturbing the increasingly frequent patches.
Finally she reached the end of the trail and found that it opened into a windswept plateau overlooking a ravine. Several trees were sprouting from the rocky soil, with one in particular looming over them all. Its bare branches reached toward the sky like skeletal claws while its roots undulated over the ground like serpents. The twisted trunk was dark green and covered with bracket fungi, somehow looking deformed and twisted. Valeria pulled out her sledge and warily stepped onto the plateau, resolving not to touch the roots of the grotesque plant. Across the clearing Valeria saw what appeared to be a cave almost completely covered by the strange fern-like growths. She began to approach the cave when a hoarse voice echoed around her.
"I can't…believe it. White Bird finally sent…someone."
Valeria started and looked about for an ambush. The only movement she saw was the branches of the trees in the wind.
"The big…tree in the…middle." The voice said, as if struggling for breath. "You'll find me…there. Don't worry. I won't…hurt you." The last words were said with great weariness, and Valeria found that oddly reassuring. Holding her hammer at the ready, Valeria approached the tree, realizing as she approached that the deformed trunk looked like the gnarled and twisted form of a man. She looked up and saw a knot on the trunk that resembled a nose less face. Then one eye opened and the yellow orb rolled down to look at her astonished face.
"There you..are." The tree said, yellow teeth visible in its mouth. "You have no idea how…happy I am…to see you." Realizing the potential double meaning in the tree's statement, Valeria raised her hammer.
"Oh no!" The tree objected. "I'm not going to…hurt you. I've been…rooted to this spot for over twenty years…now. My name is…Harold."
"Harold?" Valeria replied as she lowered her hammer. "You weren't always a tree?"
"No, I used to be…human once. A long time ago I was exploring a…base and got covered in glowing green…stuff. I thought it turned me into a…ghoul at first. Then Herbert started to grow out of my head."
"Herbert is the…tree?"
"Nah, Herbert is what I like to call him…his real name's Bob."
"So you're the Tree Father of the Sorrows?"
"More or less." Harold replied wearily. "Herbert was getting…hard to carry around. I came here because I heard…rumors of weird plants in a…cave. I found the cave over there…and went inside looking for some kind of…cure I guess. Turns out it was used by someone the Sorrows called…The Father in the…Cave." Harold closed his eye and took several labored breaths while Valeria waited for him to continue.
"I found some…journals from a survivor of the war named Randall Clark. Seems he holed up here until he met some refugees from Vault…22. Seemed some kind of fungus made them crazy and he killed them all except one. A girl named…Sylvie. She lived with him a while until he found out the…fungus got her too. Then he found out the fungus…was in him. That was when a bunch of…kids showed up. He knew the fungus was going to get him so he hid from the kids but left them supplies and notes and stuff. His last…entry said he was going to kill…himself, but it was hard to read."
"The children must have become the Sorrows."
"I think so. Well, I just finished reading the…journal when a big plant creature jumped me. I drove it off with a flare and got out of the cave, but I was hit bad. I don't know how long I was…out, but something in the cave made Herbert go crazy. When I came to, I was…rooted to the ground. I've been stuck here ever since."
"How did you become the 'Tree Father'?"
"That was White Bird…I think. It was…twenty years ago when he came up here. He was…training to be a medicine man and I think he wanted to…prove he had the stuff by going to a taboo site and returning. He was lucky, the plant creatures don't like sunlight or that…Datura Root. I hadn't…spoken to anyone but Herbert for so long. I talked to White Bird but I don't think he…listened. I guess he updated the 'Father in the Caves' story to include me."
"White Bird sent me to speak with you."
"He's come up here a few other times. The last time I…asked him to send someone who could help me. I guess some of my…message got through."
"Help you how?"
"I need you to do me a…favor. Could you please…kill me?"
Valeria stared speechless at Harold's distorted face. Harold's eye looked down as he sighed, then returned his gaze to Valeria's.
"I've been rooted to this spot for over twenty years. I don't know how much longer I have before I won't be able to see…or talk. That and something…bad happened to Herbert. Every now and then he grows a seed that…hatches into one of those plant creatures. I don't know…how long they're going to stay in those caves."
"How can I help you if I agree to do it? Do I have to use fire?"
"Oh no, no! I got caught in a burn ten years ago and I felt everything! I need you to… destroy my heart. After the fire Herbert sort of…moved it down below somewhere. I think you can reach it through the caves."
Valeria turned to look at the cave then back to Harold.
"I think the Datura Root protects you from the fungus." Harold said. "At least White Bird never seems to catch anything."
"It's not that Harold." Valeria replied softly. "I was told that I'm a killer, but not a murderer. I won't murder you."
"Oh no, it wouldn't be murder. I would have done it myself if I could. It would be a…mercy. I'm getting lost a piece at a time inside Herbert. Please, I'm…begging you to kill me."
Valeria's eyes began to shine as the sadness she kept hidden deep within her began to surface.
"I've been mutating ever since I left Vault 101." Valeria whispered. "I don't know if it will ever stop and I'm going to turn into some mindless behemoth. One day I might be where you are now. Begging someone to kill me before I'm lost forever."
"So you'll do it?" Harold asked, his lips twisting into a semblance of a smile.
"I will Harold."
"Thank you…you've made me so happy! I'll just say goodbye to Bob."
Valeria turned and advanced toward the cave. She had almost reached the entrance when Harold called out to her.
"I never asked…what your name was."
"It's Valeria." She said as she turned to look back at the mutant.
"Thank you Valeria…goodbye."
"Goodbye…Harold." Valeria replied as she wiped tears from her eyes with her hand as she turned to enter the cave.
The humid darkness enveloped her as she descended. Moss was growing everywhere and vines were running along the walls like arteries. Glowing green motes floated in the air and Valeria could hear a rapid throbbing like a huge heartbeat. The tunnel opened into a cave containing the remains of a wooden table and chairs overgrown with moss and red mushrooms. The heartbeat was louder in the cave, and Valeria saw another tunnel leading deeper into the plateau.
As she approached it, her senses warned her before her boot stepped on a wire. A quick examination revealed the trip wire had been snapped, but the trap hadn't detonated. Her gaze followed the rest of the wire along the cave ceiling and down to a pile of crates covered by moss. It was clear that someone had rigged the cave to explode a long time ago. Valeria wondered if it had been Randall Clark when he realized he was going to turn into a monster. That reminded her of Harold's warning that there were plant creatures living in the caves and she hurried into the tunnel.
She didn't have to go far before she found what had to be Harold's heart. It had grown to monstrous size and was surrounded by roots like a cage as it hung suspended among the stalactites. Valeria hefted her hammer and stared at the giant pulsing organ as she tried to see the quickest way to end Harold's torment. Suddenly she heard a growl from deeper within the tunnel. Realizing she was out of time she seized her hammer and with a scream brought it down with all her strength. The root cage shattered as her blow drove into Harold's heart, bursting it like a ghastly balloon. Steaming brown blood splattered over Valeria as the heart's contents gushed to the ground. Valeria staggered back, gagging on the thick odor of copper as the stream slowed to a trickle.
Suddenly a hunched green forms scrambled out of the darkness through the slimy muck and leaped at her. The pommel of Valeria's hammer smashed into its mockery of a face, exploding its head in burst of blazing green motes. Valeria staggered away as the creature thrashed and flailed in Harold's blood, and Valeria heard more growls and inhuman cries from the darkness. She turned and ran, stopping only long enough to seize the wire she had discovered earlier and give it a desperate yank. Nothing happened and Valeria turned and leaped toward the tunnel. Her boot slipped on the moss and she sprawled to her hands and knees. Before she could get up something heavy landed on her legs and raked her thighs with its claws. With a shriek, Valeria kicked back at the huge humanoid trying to drag her back into the cave. In the moment she looked back she saw the floor seething with crawling shapes moving toward her, and a shower of sparks suddenly spraying from the pile of crates. Valeria screamed and drove her foot into the creature's head as the crates exploded like a blast of lightning bringing the ceiling down with a roar. Valeria flung herself up the tunnel as choking clouds of dust billowed past her as tons of rock buried the last refuge of Randall Clark.
Valeria emerged from the tunnel covered with a thick paste of dust mixed with Harold's blood. She limped to the front of the tree as she tried to wipe the gore from her face and body. Harold looked the same as he did when she spoke to him except his remaining eye was dull and lifeless. She reached forward and gently pulled his leathery eyelid closed, then turned to leave. She had killed one of the Sorrow's gods, and had no idea what kind of reception to expect when she returned to White Bird. All she knew was that she would tell as much of the truth as she could, and then reap the consequences.
When she finally reached White Bird's camp, she found him waiting for her with his arms crossed.
"The Daughter of She returns covered with the blood of the Tree Father." White Bird said with no emotion in his face or voice. Valeria nodded and waited warily.
"The cycle is complete. The Daughter of She has freed the Tree Father to journey to sky. In turn you have freed the Sorrows to journey from the banks of Mother River. Grasas, na'ne Daughter of She."
Valeria's knees almost buckled with relief. She had been mortally afraid that her actions would enrage the Sorrows. With White Bird's statement she realized that she had managed to free Graham to try to evacuate the tribe.
If there was still time.
"It is good news that White Bird has received the sign that the Sorrows can leave the Valley." Joshua Graham said without looking at the Shaman sitting cross-legged across the campfire. "But it may be too late. My scouting expedition found signs that the White Legs have been encircling this area, doubtless to cut off our escape."
"Why haven't they attacked if they outnumber and outgun the Sorrows?" Valeria asked from beside White Bird.
"Salt-Upon-Wounds has tried that before." Graham replied. "Each time we were able to elude him using the Sorrows intimate knowledge of the Canyon to find trails. This time it appears he isn't taking any chances. He's taking advantage of his numbers, sending scouts to find all possible avenues of escape. Once he believes there is nowhere to run he will attack."
"Do you have a plan?" Valeria asked, glancing at the shaman who sat placidly beside her.
"Yes, but it won't be easy. With the permission of White Bird I intend to take a force of Sorrow hunters to the Meriwitia Spring Tunnel. We will do whatever damage we can to the White Legs there and give Salt-Upon-Wounds the impression that we will use that route. If it works, it will draw the White Leg's attention and allow the women and children to escape through the Diamond Creek Tunnel."
"What about you?"
"The Sorrows are more skilled at woodcraft than the White Legs. I believe we can elude pursuit long enough to reach the tunnel and rejoin the tribe. Once the tunnel is reached, I will destroy it to delay pursuit."
"You have explosives?" Valeria asked in surprise.
"There are hidden caches of weapons and supplies at many points in the Canyon. The Sorrows insist they're from the Tree Father, but lacking knowledge of demolitions they leave them untouched. I liberated one such cache, which the first group of Sorrows will carry to the tunnel."
"The Sorrows have followed Mother River for many, many moons." White Bird suddenly said. "The Tree Father watched over us and showed us how to hold to our traditions with our roots sunk deep in the banks of the River. Then She, the bringer of death and change freed the Father, and in turn freed us. Now we will change as the River changes yet remains the same."
Graham waited, the tension in his posture betraying his impatience at White Bird's manner of speech.
"The hunters will go with Joshua Graham. The Sorrows hunt the Yao Gui; we will hunt the White Legs. The Bear and the Bull will fight in the Canyon as they fight in the owsland. But Joshua Graham must make a promise before the Spirit of the River and She."
"What promise do you require White Bird?" Graham rasped.
"Many of the young men do not understand that hunting the Yao Gui and hunting the White Legs are not the same. The White Legs do not hear the call of the river, and they kill as wild dogs do, without need or hunger. Do not let the Sorrows forget who they are, Joshua Graham. If they do, they will become as the White Legs."
Graham stared intently at the Shaman before he finally said. "Very well. I swear I shall preserve the Sorrow's ways, even if my life is forfeit. So help me God."
"Then it is time." White Bird said with a finality that brooked no further discussion. "The Daughter of She will accompany the Sorrows to the Diamond Creek Tunnel."
"Why?" Graham snapped with a glance at Valeria.
"The past and the future of the Sorrows travels with our women and children. They will be far from Mother River, and only the power of She will keep them from the wrath of the Bull."
"But…" Graham started to say as he glared at the Shaman. White Bird returned his gaze calmly, and Graham finally nodded once before glaring at Valeria. White Bird turned without another word and strode to the tunnel leading from his cave. Graham turned to Valeria and growled.
"With your intervention I can begin the Sorrow's retreat, but I do not share White Bird's unconditional confidence in you. The Sorrows will obey White Bird's will in this so I have no choice but to trust you."
Graham stepped forward and stared with grim intensity into Valeria's eyes before adding. "The Sorrows are my people now, and if anything happens to the ones in your care there will be no power on Earth that will save you from my wrath."
"Understood." Valeria replied with a tight-lipped nod before turning and following White Bird out of the cave.
The Sorrows gathered silently at the island Below Emory Falls, the women carrying dried provisions in hide shoulder bags, and in many cases tightly swaddled infants strapped to their backs. The men had all solemnly embraced their loved ones, than silently stood around Joshua Graham until with a nod he led them into the pre-dawn darkness.
White Bird joined the women and children and stood calmly watching the sky as thunder again rumbled in the distance. The children also stood quietly, but stared wide-eyed at the giant woman standing in their midst. Valeria returned some of their stares with careful smiles to hide her fangs. The children didn't smile in return, clinging closer to their mothers but still staring.
Then a red spark rose into the darkness over the canyon rim before slowly drifting down.
"It is Joshua Graham's signal. We go now." White Bird announced and he began to lead the Sorrows out of the Valley that had been their home for over a hundred years. As they made their way along pitted roads and crumbling trails, Valeria was impressed by the silent discipline the Sorrows demonstrated. The young children walked without complaint while the infants slept with the aid of an herbal draught their mothers had given them.
The day was dawning cloudy and cold with a wind blowing at their backs as the procession made their way over an ancient timber bridge that creaked and groaned over the roaring water visible below through gaps in the bridge planking. Suddenly a coughing roar echoed over the peaks and the Sorrows stopped looked up at the rumbling sky.
"Mountain Yao Gui." White Bird announced. "It is a sign. The spirit of She walks with us."
Valeria looked back at the Sorrows and saw their shaved heads bobbing in assent as they continued the crossing. Lightning flashed in the distance as Valeria stepped off the other side of the bridge, than stopped flinging her hand out to halt White Bird. The Sorrows froze as Valeria crouched down, staring at the packed dirt between the patches of asphalt. Than she struck the pommel of her hammer on the ground and the rusted jaws of a bear trap exploded from the ground, snapping on the handle with a clang. Valeria felt for the buried chain and with a wrench tore it out of the ground before flinging the trap into the river.
"You have keen eyes Daughter of She." White Bird observed. "The White Legs have laid traps."
"You saw it too." Valeria accused as she slung her hammer.
"Yes, but the Sorrows needed to see that the Daughter of She has sight."
Valeria stared at the Shaman as he continued walking then shaking her head followed him. Finally rain began to fall as lightning flashed and rumbled directly overhead. Suddenly there was a cry from among the Sorrows. After their previous silence, Valeria was startled at the sound and turned to look back. She could see that someone had fallen and several Sorrows were kneeling around her. Valeria strode back through the line, the women and children stepping out of her way until she stood over the one who had cried out. To her shock Valeria realized that the Sorrow on the ground was pregnant. Waking Cloud was examining her and she looked up as Valeria approached.
"The baby may be coming soon, she cannot walk."
Valeria looked about in consternation, than down at Waking Cloud.
"Tell her not to be afraid, I'll carry her." Valeria said as she slung her hammer. Waking Cloud nodded and quietly spoke to the woman who closed her eyes and began to take deep breaths. Valeria took the Sorrow in her arms and effortlessly lifted her. From further ahead White Bird nodded and began to walk without waiting for Valeria to catch up. Not wanting to jostle her burden needlessly, Valeria walked as fast as she dared while worriedly looking down at the woman's rain and sweat-streaked face.
The rain was pouring steadily when White Bird stopped next to a battered metal sign with faded white letters showing that they had almost arrived at the Diamond Creek Tunnel. The Sorrow that Valeria had been carrying finally relaxed as her contractions eased. Despite Waking Cloud's assurance that her waters were intact and the baby wasn't coming, Valeria preferred not to take any chances and continued to carry the woman. Her exaggerated care slowed her down and she was halfway down the column of sorrows when White Bird had called the halt.
The Shaman continued to hold his hand toward the Sorrows as he looked slowly about at the trees covering the rugged slope rising from the road. The Sorrows also began to look about and Valeria carefully set the woman on her feet and reached for her hammer when White Bird whirled and opened his mouth to shout. Whatever he was about to say was lost as a roar of gunfire erupted from the pines and the Shaman jerked and crumpled to the road.
With ululating cries, ten white painted warriors with shaggy dreadlocks leaped from the trees, their guns blazing as they raked the Sorrows trapped on the road. Discipline was lost as children screamed in terror while their mothers tried to shield them with their bodies. The White Legs howled with triumph and bloodlust, their red painted faces twisted into savage grins as they ran forward to prevent any Sorrows from escaping.
Then they heard a howl that brought them up short in confusion. Before it had finished echoing from the cliffs, a crack of lightning revealed a white-haired giant hurtling toward them with a huge hammer in its fists and eyes blazing with white-hot fury. The White Legs opened fire, but the giant warrior was already among them striking like a thunderbolt. So sudden was the reversal, the White Legs fired without aiming, their wild shots hitting each other as they tried to shoot the whirling, leaping warrior. In moments seven of the war party were dead and the survivors reeled onslaught, dropping their empty guns and pulling out clubs and tomahawks.
The first White Leg to swing his club found it blocked by the hammer's haft, before his skull was shattered by the pommel. A bloody gash appeared on the giant's side as another White Leg slashed the warrior from behind. The warrior screamed and spun about, glaring with wild-eyed fury at the White Leg who froze in shock when he realized he faced a woman. In that second her hammer struck sending the White Leg's corpse flying through the air.
Only one White Leg remained, and she turned to run down the slope toward the creek. In her panic she tripped and smashed head first into the rocks at the water's edge. With blood mixing with her red war paint, she staggered to her knees and turned to face the creature that protected the Sorrows. The woman stood on the slope above her, covered with blood, her fanged mouth twisted with rage. The White Leg saw her death in the woman's eyes and immediately began to sing her death song.
The keening wail of the White Leg cut through the red fog filling Valeria's mind and she hesitated as the woman's song rose and fell in a breathless rush of despair. Suddenly the song ended and the White Leg waited on her knees, her head raised as she looked into Valeria's eyes. Pain began to replace her rage as Valeria stared at the woman, than slowly lowered her hammer. The White Leg waited for the end, then Valeria turned and began to walk heavily back to the road. The woman stared in mute incomprehension, than staggered to her feet and splashed into the creek as she ran to the other shore.
Valeria looked up the slope and saw Waking Cloud standing at the top with a knife ready in her hand.
"There are many hurt at the tunnel Daughter of She. We must tend to them and ready the explosives for Joshua Graham." Valeria nodded and looked back to where the White Leg she had spared fled into the trees. The wailing and crying from the road above returned her to the moment and she followed Waking Cloud to the tunnel.
Salt-Upon-Wounds watched his warriors move along the bridges and cliffs of the Sorrows' camp with mounting fury. The Sorrows had slipped through his grasp repeatedly on their flight down the Canyon, and now appeared to have eluded him again.
He had sent war parties to all the paths out of the Canyon and laid traps to further slow any escape attempts. He had been confident that this time the Sorrows would not escape.
The pre-dawn attack at the Meriwita Spring Tunnel had almost wiped out the war party camped there. By the time reinforcements had arrived the Sorrows had already fled. His scouts told him that the Burned Man had been leading them, and in his rage Salt-Upon-Wounds almost sent all of his warriors into the canyons after him. However he had learned valuable lessons in his pursuit of the Sorrows and the Burned Man. Upon questioning the survivors he learned that no women and children had been present. The Burned Man had tried to trick him again by making him think the Meriwita Tunnel was the Sorrows escape route. Salt-Upon-Wounds ordered the White Legs to advance on the main Sorrows camp. He fully expected to find the women and children hiding there as they waited for the men to return. In preparation for the coming slaughter, Salt-Upon-Wounds wore his armor of thick spiked leather and donned his skull painted helmet.
The ashes of the cook fires were still warm when the White Legs arrived, but there was no sign of the Sorrows. Salt-Upon-Wounds seethed with rage as his warriors searched and despoiled all they could find. He considered dividing up his force and sending them to all the tunnels to reinforce his war bands but realized that the Burned Man and his force of hunters were still out in the canyon somewhere. As much as he hated the Burned Man, he had a grudging respect for his cunning. Dividing his force into smaller bands would allow them to cover more territory, but would also leave them vulnerable to attack. So there was nothing he could do but wait for some sign as to where the Sorrows had gone.
"Ave Dread Chief." A White Leg warrior said in a greeting adopted from Caesar's Legion. "Our scouts return with a Dead One from the Diamond Creek Tunnel."
Salt-Upon-Wounds turned and looked down on the group of warriors approaching him across one of the Sorrows suspension bridges. Between them was a woman in the leathers and war paint of a storm drummer, his newly formed force of warriors armed with weapons of the old world. They stopped before him and the bloodied White Leg peered at him through her dreadlocks with the faraway look of the walking dead. Salt-Upon-Wounds didn't need her name, it was meaningless; she had prepared for death and hadn't died.
The War chief stepped forward and glared at her through the eyeholes of his helmet.
"Why are you here dead one?" Salt-Upon-Wounds growled as his hand closed about her neck. His warriors shifted and murmured about him as they waited for the dead woman's reply.
"We were fleet and we reached the tunnel before the Sorrows." She replied in a singsong voice, heedless of the hand on her throat. "We laid traps at the bridge and waited at the tunnel with the Storm Drums. The Sorrows came with only women and children, and we prepared for the killing. Then the stranger came…" She shuddered and looked away from her chief, as the murmuring about them grew louder.
"What stranger!" Salt-Upon-Wounds snarled as he shook the dead woman.
"A woman." She gasped. "A woman taller then our tallest warrior and wielding a hammer of iron. Her magic was stronger then our storm drums, mightier then our mantis fists. Our blows only made her stronger, her eyes were white flame and her teeth and claws were red with our blood." The warriors were now silent as all the White Legs listened to the dead woman's account.
"Near two hands of our warriors fell, I alone remained. My Storm Drum was empty of thunder and the stranger turned to me. I saw my end and sang my song of death."
"Then why do you walk, dead one?" Salt-Upon-Wounds hissed in her face.
"She stopped and listened, and when I finished she walked away." Salt-Upon-Wounds stared into the dead woman's eyes, then grated out one question.
"Did the stranger bleed?" The woman nodded, and then gasped as Salt-Upon-Wounds' Mantis fist rammed into her abdomen and tore up into her heart. He flung the twitching body from him to fall to the river below and held his gory fist aloft.
"Hear me warriors of the White Legs! This stranger who fights for the Sorrows is no spirit! She bleeds! And anything that bleeds I can kill! Our totem is the one-headed bull of Kaiser, which is mightier then all others!" He glared at the warriors assembled about him, his bloody Mantis Fist still upraised. "We will take the Burned Man's head to Kaiser, and I shall take the stranger's scalp for my belt!" The White Legs brandished their weapons and their war whoops echoed from the cliffs.
"Gather all our warriors! We go to the Diamond Creek Tunnel!"
"Why did you allow a White Leg to escape?" Joshua Graham growled with barely restrained fury as he glared up at Valeria. "Our only chance was to direct his attention away from our true route!"
"I'm not a murderer." Valeria replied as she glared down at him with her arms crossed. "I'm a mutant freak and a killer, but that is a line I will never cross."
Graham clenched his fists with rage as stared into Valeria's eyes, but suddenly realized that her action didn't stem from a stubborn naivety, but from a profound pain he could see in her gaze. The strange woman had made her decision knowing full well the possible consequences. Suddenly Graham's rage cooled and was replaced by weariness.
"I used to believe the end justified the means." He finally said as he looked over the groups of Sorrows tending the wounded and the dead. "I held to that belief even as I damned myself for eternity. Perhaps God is infinite in his forgiveness, but I am not."
Suddenly a Sorrow hunter appeared out of the trees and ran toward Joshua.
"Joshua Graham!" The Sorrow gasped between gulps of air. "The White Legs come!"
"Everyone into the tunnel now!" Graham ordered and watched grimly as he saw Sorrows helping the wounded to stand.
"There isn't enough time." Joshua growled. "By the time I set the charges the White Legs will be on us." He turned to Valeria as he chambered a round in his pistol. "The Sorrows regard you as touched by the Spirit World. With White Bird dead they are without leadership. I will slow the White Legs and give you time to escape."
"No you won't." Valeria said with grim finality. Graham started at her unexpected denial, and felt some of his rage return.
"I underestimated Salt-Upon-Wounds and led the Sorrows into a trap." He snarled. "It was because of me that New Canaan was destroyed and my people slaughtered. Now the Sorrows are about to pay the price for my sins, and I will sacrifice my life to prevent it."
"Your place is with the Sorrows Joshua." Graham opened his mouth to object but Valeria shook her head. "They are your tribe now. You know the wilderness and you know Caesar. You said New Canaan was destroyed just from its association with you. Your death won't stop Caesar from hunting the Sorrows and you know it. Their only chance out of this trap is with your guidance."
"The White Legs will be on us before we are halfway through the tunnel."
"No they wont." Valeria replied grimly. "I will stay behind. You've seen what I can do. I will buy you the time you need to get the Sorrows to safety."
"The tunnel must be destroyed for the Sorrows to have a chance." Graham objected. "I will be leaving you to your death."
"I've had to turn away too many times Graham. I had my reasons, and I've hated myself for it each time. The Sorrows are not my people, but I can help them and I will."
"Joshua Graham, Daughter of She, we wait in the tunnel." Said Waking Cloud as she approached. Graham looked between Waking Cloud and Valeria, than made his decision.
"God be with you Valeria." He said as he extended his bandaged right hand. Valeria clasped it, than watched Graham turn and run to the tunnel.
"Paz patasooba Daughter of She." Waking Cloud said as she stared into Valeria's eyes. "May Mother River guide and protect you." She bowed her head, then turned and joined Joshua Graham at the tunnel.
Valeria watched until Graham and Waking Cloud vanished into the darkness, then stood and walked into the middle of the road. She had faced overwhelming odds before and survived, but this time survival was not her goal. She had to focus their attention on her, but with their firearms she knew she couldn't take a defensive position. She had to attack the White Legs with everything she had, embracing her rage and using its power. Valeria took several deep breaths to clear her mind, then she began to revisit scenes of horror and despair that even Dala couldn't remove completely. She recalled moment after moment of suffering and death until she finally recalled her father sacrificing his life for hers. The floodgates in her mind opened and Valeria's lips curled into a snarl she began to shake with rage.
Suddenly she heard war whoops as the White Legs charged out of the mist, their Sub Machine guns flaming as they sprayed the canyon. Flinging her arm up to protect her face Valeria screamed in reply, then hurled herself into a hacking howling storm of clubs, hatchets and spiked gauntlets. The White Legs howled as they tried to overwhelm her with numbers, but were hampered by trying to not hit each other. Valeria didn't have that problem and every blow from her hammer killed or maimed a White Leg. Soon she was standing in a pile of bodies as war band after war band charged in increasingly desperate attempts to drag her down. Suddenly Valeria found herself alone as the White Legs staggered back up the road. Wild-eyed and covered with blood, Valeria shrieked her defiance and braced for the next attack.
Salt-Upon-Wounds was also snarling as the bloody remains of the war bands returned. He turned to look at the rest of his warriors, and could see fear in their eyes. He had made himself the sole chief of the White Legs by killing all of his rivals. He had turned them from their old traditions to follow the example of Kaiser and the one-headed bull. With the thunder drums, none could stand before them and his people followed him without question. Now a stranger stood alone in the mouth of the Diamond Creek Tunnel. Armed only with a hammer, she stood before the thunder drums and slaughtered many hands of his warriors. He could feel the growing doubt of his people, doubt in his leadership and doubt in the power of Kaiser. Salt-Upon-Wounds knew the stranger would eventually fall under the weight of numbers, but the doubt he was sensing demanded his personal intervention.
"You are all weak!" He roared at his warriors. "You will hide here like frightened children while I kill the stranger!" He furiously jerked the ties on his mantis fist and noted the dark stains of Datura Venom on the chitinous blade. He then strode forward to face the woman standing in the way of his vengeance. He reached the final bend in the road and for the first time saw the woman described by the Dead One. She was tall as a Yau Gui, her near-naked body covered with blood from the dead heaped about her as well the oozing wounds covering her body. Her white eyes were burning with berserk wrath as she glared at him through a mask of blood. Suddenly there was a roar as a cloud of dust and debris billowed from the tunnel mouth. Salt-Upon-Wounds stared at the tunnel, wild-eyed with rage as he realized the Burned Man had escaped once again. Turning his helmeted face toward the giant woman he raised his fists skyward and roared.
"Hear me Outman! I am Salt-Upon-Wounds, war-chief of the White Legs! The scalps of many hands of warriors decorate my lodge pole! My magic and the magic of Kaiser is mighty and I will take your scalp!"
The woman snarled and raised her hammer. Salt-Upon-Wounds yanked a tomahawk out of his belt and hurled it before he charged. Valeria swatted the hatchet out of the air with her hammer, and then realized too late what the attack truly was. Diving in low, Salt-Upon-Wounds slashed his Mantis Fist at Valeria's abdomen. She screamed and swung her hammer, but the war chief somersaulted back into a crouch.
"Hah!" Salt-Upon-Wounds barked in triumph. "You will feel the sting of Datura now Outman! I will eat your heart before I take your hair!"
Valeria staggered as she felt the burn of poison in the deep cut. Only her inhumanly dense tissues had prevented her from being disemboweled. Salt-Upon-Wounds began to walk slowly around her, clearly waiting for the poison to take hold before his next attack. He was confident now, and the trembling he saw in the woman's limbs was clearly a sign that they would soon fail.
The war-chief was wrong. Valeria's shaking was not weakness but the last remnants of her reason being swept away in a wave of berserk fury. With a scream Valeria launched herself at Salt-Upon-Wounds swinging her hammer in a vicious arc. The war chief staggered as his helmet was torn from his head. Using her momentum Valeria whirled and brought her hammer down, smashing Salt-Upon-Wounds' headless corpse to the pavement. Looking up, Valeria howled at the White Legs watching from the road. The White Legs staggered back averting their eyes and holding their hands with their index fingers and thumbs touching. Still averting their eyes, they withdrew leaving Valeria alone among the dead and dying.