Chapter 18 - Storm on the Horizon
Chapter Summary
The Black Rains have come to the Lands.
Chapter Notes
Sorry about taking so long to update this story. I have been busy and catching up on other projects. Also, this is the first chapter that I have written using some new software. I hope you enjoy.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Guenuche stood in the room she and over fifty others had rushed into when the burning rain had started coming down. Several people had splashed clean water on their skin to wash off the toxic mess. Off in the corner was sitting a young Skairku boy who looked to be just exhausted. Not the physically drained exhausted that was connected with work. The type of exhaustion that was seen when too much death was seen. It was the look that more and more children were being seen with. She moved and sat down next to him, just to ensure that he wasn't alone.
She had been raised as a Wand-Wod. One of the keepers of knowledge and healing from the days before the first Heda had come from the heavens to save them. The herb, the root, the sun and the moon were the magic they used to heal the body and soul. When to plant and when to sow.
Her garments spoke of respect, understanding. That was before the storm came here and, like everyone else, Guenuche had to seek shelter from the burning rains.
Now.
Now her once beautiful ceremonial garb of her order lay smoldering and wet on the floor alongside the clothes of warriors and farmers.
Wearing just the bare undergarments that's were soaked to beyond wet with clean water, she probably looked like she had finished swimming moments ago. Shit helping harvest cranberries hadn't left her this wet since she had gained her full status among her coven. Looking around Guenuche did her best to see if there was anyway or anyone that she could help in that immediate time. Out of everyone in the room who was turning to their wounds or ensuring that people were trying to get warm near the fireplace, this young child seemed to have needed most care at this time.
The boy was curled up trying to get warm as She's put her arm around him. The young boy excepted the gesture he pulled closer to her. Maybe it was just the physical contact or the fact that she was offering a kind embrace. But the child didn't question who it was from, just that it was there and what was needed in this time of distress.
"Thanks." The fact that he said it in Tri Spoke volumes about he and his family and the culture that they had started to adopt since coming to these lands.
"Are you alright?"
The boy shook his head.
"My Dad- He." He curled up tighter into a ball.
"Did he?"
"He got me in before the-" The tears in the boy's eyes spoke volumes.
Guenuche's heart broke.
She didn't know this boy's Gods or Goddesses, but she felt that she needed to do something.
"My name is Guenuche."
"Ethan."
"A Good name."
"You had a mask as part of your headgear. Not warrior Mask."
"Wand-Wod."
"Like Luna and... Um Raven."
"Raven?"
"Raven of my people."
"Raven kom -" Guenuche stopped cold at the realization of the name. "She is- Wand-Wood?"
"Nathan was talking about it. Big news, he is a member of the Hundred. Like Raven and Ontari. Guess when you take down the Lady in Red who talked Uncle Theo to bring her to our home. Stop her from hurting people like Ms. Indra and Mr. Lincoln. Maybe becoming a Good Witch like you, is a good thing."
Ethan spoke of the event she in a way only a child could understand.
"I might not be as powerful as her, but thank you."
He was shivering. She started to rub his arms to warm him up.
"How about I get you near the fire." Ethan nodded as she helped him up and guided him over to the fire where several children had been gathered along with a pregnant woman.
The woman was telling a story as the two approached.
Ethan seemed calm.
Maybe between the familiar of a story being told, and how scared the other children were, they all seemed to take comfort in this.
Guenuche Sat with them.
The story being told was of Bekka and how she helped those in need just after she arrived.
Ethan mouthed the words as he worked to translate it.
It was strange and yet soothing to watch this. Occasionally he would grin and lean against her as the story moved along.
The Skaikru were shifting from being scared of them to- well not trusting, but understanding of their ways. She felt the boy's soft voice mirror the drama of the story, the challenges, the trials ahead, and yet a path to be walked.
Guenuche felt safe around the boy as he got comfortable near her and started to snuggle into her side. The normality helping soothe her own fears about the destruction taking place outside.
It would be a while till the rain stopped, but till then Guenuche would stay with the boy.
"May the spirit of the Heda keep you safe little one." Guenuche said as he slowly started to drift off to sleep. She would stay by his side till his clan came for him.
Raven's Rock was a mess. But considering that the emergency ingress had helped save a lot of lives.
A few trampled-on toes, a few twisted ankles, a couple broken legs from when a transport cart had been shoved into people, a broken arm, a sprang wrist, a lot of cuts Andrew bruises and a shitload of smoldering toxic clothing was now lying in a pile. Gustus watched as the people who had come to this place for safety were being treated. A Skaikru woman was moving around wearing a pair of cut of shorts and a blouse was moving around in her bare feet helping rinse off skin and wounds.
"We have a third degree chem burn here." Woman called out she knelt to help pull the clothing off the child who was crying. Gustus moved over to the site.
The wound would heal, but there would be a scar.
"Long Panther." Gustus didn't know the woman's name, but the name seemed fitting given her long feline appearance and cat-like movement. Saying the name in Trig seemed to calm the child down. "Keep cleaning the wound as you are doing. The cleaner it is, the better it is for healing." he stated in the old tongue. The woman nodded. The child looked up at him and with tear-filled eyes felt safer.
"You keep going. Check on the rest of the wounded, I will keep working on the ones here." She stated as she motioned for him to continue. Then she added. "I have been learning your language. I like the name you gave me." There was no hate in the voice.
"Gus... we have a stab wound." One of the Azgeda called out. "Not violent, but we have to get this man out of here to keep him out of the wet." Gustus moved to see the wound as the Azgeda man leaned back from the weariness of the mess. A damn work hoe had been jabbed into the poor fellow during the rush to safety.
"Move him to one of the side hallways and get a herbalist and a leather worker to treat that wound. He will live, He'll have a nasty scar, but he will live."
"Understood." the Azgeda stated.
Off in the distance a barber and a tattooist were treating a woman's injury from the transport cart accident.
A Skairkru elder was doing his best to catch his breath before moving back to the mess in the main chamber.
A large hunting dog was shaking off the excess clean water from its fur as several children who had gathered around it and got soaked again, but both the animal and children seemed calmer together.
"We lost twenty-three souls, a slew of farm fowl, and about fifteen steeds to the rain." A Delphi called out from the door.
This was going to be rough, but for now as the wounded were being tended to, Gustus paused and stated out a prayer.
"In Peace, In Love. May you lave this shore. May you find the next safe passage on your travels until our final journey on the Ground. Your fight is over. May we Meet again. From the Ashes, we will rise."
That was when a hand tapped him on the shoulder.
Gustus turned.
"Good words my brother, you are not the only one who is saying this on this day." The person spoke as they were scrubbing off the excess water with a towel.
"You have no argument there."
The fear had taken place and had faded. Now... Now it was time to get back up and get back to the tasks at hand.
Gustus moved onto the next wounded and injured person he found and kept going until no more needed to be treated.
Helena was standing in the showers inside of Raven's Rock. She has scrubbed herself raw trying to erase the images of seeing one of her fellow Arkers... Melt.
Between having to get those people inside of the mountain, she looked down at her arms to see the fingernail marks where she had dragged a Grounder boy who must have been almost half her age through the door.
She was Twenty-One years old.
Bi-sexual
A virgin
And never had been in a real and true relationship.
To see a person, die like that-
Helena knelt to the floor of the shower and laid against the wall.
The soap from the shower would be heading down to the circulation system and to the hydroponics and aquaponics bay in a few minutes. Melted away to be shifted broken down and absorbed by the various plants to be purified into the life support system.
Two years trapped inside of a mountain with-
Then a voice of a child called out.
"No"
Helena turned to see a man drag a child into the showers. Helena moved to get up.
"You are getting your weekly bath."
"I already took a bath after the storm."
"That wasn't a bath! That was getting the poison off."
"No." The child called out.
"So, you saw someone die too?"
The father turned to her.
Then the girl.
Helena stood up.
She didn't care if they saw her naked.
"You saw someone die from the rain?" The girl spoke as she's looked at Helena. Guess not having tattoos was a rarity among these people.
"I did. How they-" Helena stepped back into the running water. "Some Maenad I am." The water stopped. "Damn timer." Helena pulled the lever to start the countdown again. "Silence is death." The water didn't start.
Helena pulled the lever down again.
Nothing.
Helena moved to another.
Nothing.
"Silence is death. Silence is death. Silence is death. Silence is death."
Helena was getting scared.
"No noise, no bugs, no birds, no moving life-"
The water came on again.
Helena froze.
"You are not in here for the water? You are here for the noise!"
Helena nodded.
"On the Stations, when you hear quiet... It usually meant death. It meant that something had broken down and you had to get out of there quick. The heartbeat of the station had ceased." Helena got back under the water.
"So, this place is the only one you could find that makes noise. You are not used to being in a cave?"
"I'll even take a crackle of fire from a candle if I have too, but right now... I-" The girl's father walked up to her and took her out of the water spray.
"It's okay... listen to my heart"
Helena tried to fight back, but after a moment, she could hear the breathing and slow gentle whoosh of the heartbeat.
She just relaxed.
"So, a Maenad." The Grounder Father spoke up after a moment. "I heard the stories... Guess your recent connection to nature and its loss is scaring you."
"You have no idea." This felt good. She felt safe.
He smelled like a Grounder, but... not dirty grounder. More like- Grounder plus Farm Station.
"Are you a farmer?"
"How did you know?" The girl spoke up.
"Oh, fuck yes... someone who also hears the lack of sound from the bugs. Feels the life in the soil, knows the sounds of the worms moving. I'll take hearing damn Cockroach scurrying about now."
"Cockroaches?" The girl spoke up.
"They break down leaf litter, like it moist, good soil makers. Make a ton of noise." She cried. "The damn rain is killing them. I'm hearing them burst in pain. Birds dying, chicks starving." She grabbed onto the father. "Silence... Death is silence. The great predator is coming."
"It is going to be alright." Helena's eyes looked to be clogged with tears. "You help my daughter bathe. Then you both get dressed and you come with us." Helena nodded.
"Okay..." Helena nodded.
"I'll stand watch by the door. Keep the Great Predator from coming alright."
"Helena. My name is Helena."
"Jason." The father said. "My little one is Bersis."
"Thank you."
"These rains have the strongest of us worried. You are not the only one Helena kom Skiakru."
"Thank you."
"You already said that."
"You feel warm. Strong heart. Like the Farm Station's agricultural pumps. Full of life." Helena inhaled deeply. "I could float safe here in Zero G."
"Are you well?"
"I'm a virgin. I make baby with you. My warmth is yours. By the Earth Mother."
"Dad... I think she is-"
"You smell good. By the Earth Mother, and the trees that are her children, you smell good."
"Um... Helena..." Helena hadn't felt this safe in ages. No wonder Octavia loved being in Lincoln's arms.
"Yeah..." she said muffled into his great smelling chest. She looked up. Then her brain kicked back in. "Ah..."
She looked down at her naked body.
"Okay embarrassing."
Then the Grounder Chuckled.
"You haven't felt this safe in a while?"
Helena shook her head.
"The rain was the straw the broke the horse's back. You just want to feel normal, feel safe. Maybe find a husband and poop out a few claw hunters like yourself and teach them to hunt the wilds."
She gulped.
"I long for the warmth of summer soil under my fingers. I grow a wild batch of strawberries. They go good with rabbit."
"Okay... I help bathe your kid... I'll go with you. "
"Bersis." The girl approached and looked at Helena.
"Can you help me bathe?"
"Okay." Helena nodded as she watched the girl start to undress.
Seeing only a few tattoos on the girl's back. Two, three of them. She looked like to be from Niyliah's kin.
"Trikru?" Helena stated.
"No... Shallow Valley. I was born in Polis." the girl was checking her out. "No war or kill marks."
"I'm a huntress. Most of my kills are animals."
"No Mountkru?"
"No kills of them." Helena moved to get the water started. "Handled the reload of weapons,"
"You have touched a gun?"
"Yes."
"What do they feel like?"
"Like a heavy metal club. The damn things scare the crap out of me. Mostly because of the noise. My damn ears are ringing afterwards. I can load one. Mostly single shot rifles work for me. Raven found one that looks like a war-club with a spear tip on it. It needs a lot of work to get going. I think she gave it to Luna of the Boat tribe when they had to deal with the entire Echo Ice Nation crap."
Helena moved and got some body scrub and a sponge and started to clean the girl's back.
"Thank you." Bersis stated.
"If you wash your front, I'll find some scented oils to clean your hair with."
"Hair oils?"
"Yeah... One of the girls takes the leftover flowers and presses them to get the oils out."
"My mom did the same thing with the flowers from TonDC."
"That is nice to hear... Crap... Is your mom going to be pissed at me for hitting on your father?"
The girl got sad.
"She was taken by the Mountain. Wanheda helped us get her body back."
The bodies of the dead they had found in the caves of Mount Weather. She remembered the cleanup job done. A gruesome act that left many, like her having nightmares of what horrors this world had for them.
"I am sorry." Helena's words just felt so half stated.
"You were one of the people who removed the bodies?" The girl's voice made it hard for Helena to speak. But she could nod.
"I did not envy the task you were given. How many?"
"Too many. Most of their victims were dressed in rags. We had to do identification via clan markings. The bones... We did a check of the teeth to find the minerals of their homes to match against the known clans. Some we had to-"
"You burned, didn't you? Because there was no one to claim them."
"Jasper wants to hold a ritual when we burn Nia's body, Use the burn spot as the beginning of a wheat field. Link this world and the next so that the dead can go find peace. Nia blew up the bunker, killing the people who had taken shelter there. They hadn't begun on building the barn they would temporarily live in. The growing season was growing short. They needed that field in place."
"You see wheat, as in the crop as a link between the worlds of the living and the dead?"
"Yeah... That is how the daughter of the Earth Goddess is able to journey back and forth from the realm of the dead where her husband lives and she is Queen."
"You mean that..." Bersis was growing worried.
"You believe in this world and the next. We believe that there is a path for the dead to journey there. For them to find peace. Giving the dead a door and a path to get there. Well, it is our way of helping the dead get some rest from the horrors they have been through. To get some peace."
"Can you tell me the story?"
"Sure."
Helena started to tell the story of Hades and Persephone and how they met.
She kept telling the story as they finished bathing, dried off and got dressed.
Jason during all of this grinned.
The Gods of New and Old were looking out for him and his daughter.
Maybe even the spirit of his wife from the other side.
Helena looked up at him and realized that even a fierce warrior as she was, that the next few months and years would be hard on her. But... The Earth Mother was looking out for her and...
"So... you hunt rabbit?" She blushed as she realized that she only had eaten meat a few times in her life.
"Well feared warrior, I hope you like rabbit jerky in Lentil stew."
"Lentils ..." Why did it have to be in her favorite bean soup? "I will gladly have dinner with you!"
Madi of the Shallow Valley People watched as her father spoke with one of the warriors who had come back from traveling to the islands. There were stories that the Skaikru were setting up a bunker on one of them. After the last few rainstorms that had hit, her mother had pleaded with her father that's they should flee.
Madi has seen a few Skaikru with their white stripped warpaint back in a cave near Polis. She had skinned her knee then. Now with the thick bandage covering it, she wished she had been born with red blood like her parents.
She's had her knee bandaged under new leggings, and her old ones had been burned to conceal that she was a Nightblood.
If she was found out to have black blood.
KILL THE FLAME KEEPERS.
KILL THE FLAME KEEPERS.
IT IS THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL BE SAFE.
IT IS THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL BE SAFE.
KILL THE FLAME KEEPERS.
KILL THE FLAME KEEPERS.
KILL THE FLAME KEEPERS.
Madi's heart was beating hard in her chest.
She needed to stay calm.
Calm was needed to safety.
Calm was needed for protection.
Calm was needed when she needed to kill.
Madi started to scratch the Triple Arrow and crescent circle sign of her people into the log she was sitting on.
"Madi... are you-"
"I am alright mother." Madi stated as she did her best to keep occupied.
She missed her paper, her charcoal, her paint.
She just wanted to be a kid.
No running unless it was with children her own age, maybe younger, maybe a little older.
"You want to be a normal child. Have friends, play, learn a trade."
Madi fought back her feelings and dreams.
"I do. I hate the flame keepers."
"I understand too." Madi broke and hugged her mother. "I hate them too."
"If I ever see one, I will do what you told me to do. I will kill ever last one of them."
That was when her father came up to them.
"I got a boat. It will take time for us to travel there. But from what I have been hearing, there might be some people there."
This brought up concern in her mother.
"Who?"
"I think, Skaikru." Her mother winced and gritted her teeth.
"Do you think they know of Nightbloods?"
"Stories about Wanheda state that they might know about Nightbloods only as a passing term in our society. But I do not know. But they have no fear of Guns."
"If they have to die to ensure our child lives, then so be it."
Madi didn't want any more death, but because of her cursed blood, there would be.
Echo slept next to Bellamy. The rains for now had stopped.
Both knew that on the following day they would each be shock lashed. Their punishment would ensure that there would be peace.
Echo pulled herself closer to the man who had so much to make her world right.
"Bellamy." Echo's words bore the weight of her decision.
Bellamy listened to her speak.
"This punishment of Blood, Sweat and Tears..." She braced herself for the statement he would speak. "If it ensures-"
Bellamy reached up and caressed her face. Her white Warpaint somewhat fading from the last few days.
"I am scared too. But not for us. But both of us have to pay for our actions taken against as agents for those who ordered those deaths."
Echo lowered her head.
"The pain will only last a few moments, but the debt we have to repay will probably last the rest of our lives."
"Then..." Echo took a deep breath and felt the weight of the air within her chest.
"They may forgive us at some point, but forget what we have done... No."
Echo bit her lip.
Bellamy reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek. The war paint looking less scary and more like a shield against pain.
"The right of the Kill has been given. Decisions have been made. We get to live, but we must endure pain first."
"Pain, I can endure." Echo stated as she relaxed as her sister came in to lie down on the bunk outside of her and Bellamy's cell.
"The things we do for our family. Our sisters, Our burdens. Our responsibility."
"Our Weakness."
"Our Strength and the weight to bare so that they have a better life than us."
"From the Ashes may we Rise to become what our people need."
Echo pulled closer to Bellamy.
She and Bellamy had found each-other in cages, but somehow, they had found strength there in their darkest times. Now...
Echo felt hope.
"If I don't survive, I wish Kore to become a member of Skaikru, especially a member of your family. Full honors." Bellamy knew what she was stating.
"Understood." Bellamy pulled her close. Echo's heart jumped a bit. "Maybe someday I will fully forgive you for what happened and I-"
"Hockness." Echo just blurted it out.
Bellamy might not know what the word meant, but she needed to have-
Bellamy grinned.
Oh, shit...
He knew what it-
"It is good to have dreams for the future."
Echo rested some at the realization that her fleeting word might not just include her own desires for a family of her own.
Maybe being here may have been the work of the Gods and like that first time they had met. Like now, she had needed hope during that dark time.
She wasn't going to argue with the Gods.
If her blood was the offering needed for her sister to live. Then it would be offered.
Then Bellamy hugged her.
It wasn't much, but in the morning, she would be strong.
Echo drifted back to sleep as she looked at Kore.
Kore would have a future.
The price for the future would be Echo's suffering.
"Echoash." Kore called out.
"Yes, sister."
"I don't want to lose you."
"I know."
"I want you to survive."
"I want you to survive Kore."
"I don't want to be alone!"
"You won't be."
"But..."
"You won't be alone. Bellamy's kin are going to help take care of you."
"But I want you."
"I understand. But if I don't make it. I want you to be the best member of Skaikru you can be."
"But if you live!"
"Then I will be there for you. I will be the best sister and mentor you will have. I-" Echo swallowed hard. "if I get knocked down by this. I will use my strength to rise again to stand by your side."
"Okay." Kore pulled herself over to the cell and stretched out her arm. Echo took it.
The both spoke the following words:
"My sister, my responsibility."
Bellamy grinned.
Both girls blushed.
"So, Bellamy kom Skaikru is the one you wish to be your future
Echo nodded.
"That's good. Mother and father would have liked him."
"I think they would have."
Echo had never thought much of her future, but now- with the world ending as it was. Maybe it was time for her to turn the page. Start her life fresh.
Maybe being banished was the best move needed for her to escape the legacy they cursed her with.
Kore was now safe.
If Echo survived the next few days.
Then Echo could see the start of Kore's new future.
Echo could sleep now and with a squeeze from Kore, Echo drifted off to her slumber.
Bree Devon. No, she was Bree of Skaikru.
Bree Devon's life ended when she was sent down here to the Ground to either die or survive to make babies.
Between her suicide attempt and Niyliah's potion she had found a home here.
Now as Bree sat down by the long dinner table. Over the last few weeks in heading to this Delos place, she had thought much about her life. Mostly that being a Diva did have its limits.
But… being with animals… there was no argument there.
There was understanding, listening, and… being clothing optional around the beasts well they didn't mind.
Maybe that is why some of the untamed horses wanted to be around her. She just knew when they wanted to feel important and others… well, the ones that had been scared, well they came up to her.
Some had thought it her being some magical connection. Or being a trapped animal in human flesh. For Bree- it was freedom.
Fuck… her hair was a mess, but the animals sensed that when she washed it with the flower oils, they wanted some too.
She did get a few gawkers because of that.
Shit, they must have thought she was into Bestiality, but being a fabled Maenad rather than a girl who had gravity sickness, maybe this helped her feel better.
Though she wasn't the only Maenad in the camp, she felt better.
Over the last few weeks, more like herself had come out as being Maenad and some of the shame had faded.
At least they were not self-medicating as she once did. With Alcohol and Drugs.
Some of the younger ones had gotten the help they needed as this would be their home now.
The older ones... Like herself were bonding with the elements here and accepting the changes to their bodies.
It was hard, but... it made them stronger for having endured it.
This was something that needed to be worked through, coped with. Maybe till the day she died… Hopefully many years away, Bree checked the scared flesh around her neck from her noose that had nearly taken her life.
But now…. After getting a bath from helping a young mare get used to people wanting to get on her would make a good meal taste all that much better.
"Bree…" A young boy called out. Jaden… of, Red and black garments, no face tattoos, um Shallow Valley. "That steed you ride- the Freakdrina one-"
"Janus. He belonged to a friend of mine who passed. He needed a friend to console him. He is strong." Jaden nodded.
"Why..." She grinned.
"Why I ride him. I guess, he speaks to me. He was lonely. Both of us had been dark places." Bree leaned over to motion the boy to come closer. "Want to brush his fur after we eat?" There was a nervousness about the boy. Janus nehed.
Somehow her connection to the surrounding animals had made her to be feared, but also, well to the children her gifts had made them curious about her.
Bree grinned.
"Yeah, I smell it on him." The boy gulped. "No... I fucked my suitor last night you huge cock shit." Bree leaned over and listened to Janus's body language. "what do you mean he-" Janus had made her get the point. "Oh... Not me." Bree leaned over to look at the boy. "You like boys and you want to impress the guy...". Bree blushed. Janus had just highlighted what he had smelled off of you young boy.
The young boy was exploring his sexuality.
"You are short in your height, but the rest of you is." Janus neighed. Bree just blinked before she glanced down at the young boy's crotch.
"Uh, So Janus saw me- my-". The boy was embarrassed. Janus neighed. Bree grinned.
"Well, given the impression I am getting from Janus. By horse standards, small. By Human standards-" Bree cleared her throat. "Women dream of what you got. Men desire to have what you have."
Bree held off on some of the more erotic details but the boy got the point.
"Oh..." Bree moved over and put her arm around the boy.
"You are young, and well Young." Bree stated as she saw others looking at them. "Love and learning what you love is a mess at your age. Even I have my messes when it comes to love." Bree handed the brush to the young man. "Start telling me what is happening in your life."
The young man shifted around some; he adverted his eyes.
Then he looked back at her.
"I like the boy. I mean ..." Bree saw the apprehension in the boy's body language.
"Talk about him as if he is a girl." The concept helped move the tension to a safe place.
"Okay..." the boy stated in Trig. "My heart skips when I see her. I love her grin. Her face. Her strength."
Bree wasn't expecting the concept to be taken so literally.
She just shrugged and let it go.
Seeing the young man just continue and light up with the words showed how much in love he was in love.
Brushing Janus helped the boy open up as he talked about how his feelings. Now that wasn't anything new for Bree to hear. But for the kid, opening up about his feelings as on a completely different level. Now Grounders had different versions to talk about love, but they also had words and concepts that were not used in old school English. Same sex love and heterosexual love shared some of the same emotional references to lovers felt. But for gender specific same-sex relationships there were terms that were affiliated with the male and female genders. Bree had to sort out some of the more nuance parts of the conversation, mostly having to do with girl and guy parts, but the raw emotion of what this boy was feeling was normal.
Bree had sympathy for the kid.
"Do they feel the same way for you?" Bree stated to the young man.
"Yeah." Bree moved over and nuzzled the top of the kid's hair.
"Then tell them." The youth nodded as he bruised a few burrs out of Janus's fur.
"Alright, but can I finish taking care of the horses?"
"Sure." Bree moved and changed her shirts to something cleaner than she was wearing then she stopped mid-way as the sounds of nature changed and it forced her to lean against the mobile stable. She could hear it in her teeth.
Then off in the distance over the ridge the low clouds of the black rain could be seen. They wouldn't get here, but they could hear the screams from the wildlife.
Bree rushed back to the boy and told him to get on Janus.
"We have to get to the radio. The storms are on the move again." Bree was wincing through the noise.
"What's wrong?"
"The animals are screaming from over the ridge." Bree stated as she was doing her best to race Janus to the radio.
Raven needed this update ASAP.
The rains were drifting inland and towards Arkadia.
The smell of burnt plastic was still hanging on the air. It could have been worse, but the soda ash that was being converted into usable plant food had been changed into a type of material by Skaikru for their baking needs. That and a replacement for their fire suppression system foam. the stuff was goopy, but it killed fire faster than anything she had seen.
By the Gods... Adria had found how to use it to stop the fire that had nearly been set in this place.
Now as she walked into the meeting, a good trail of the foam was being swept up along the hallways and placed into buckets. It wouldn't be used for fire suppression again, but with a little work Skairku was going to repurpose the spent foam into plant food. They would need it given the rising population coming into the settlement.
Monty of Skaikru was working to create a new powder base to replace the compounds lost.
It would be awhile till they replenished it, so they spread water buckets around to cover the more vital areas until their fire suppression system could be brought up to speed.
Luna had stubbed her toes on a few of the planter boxes on her way here to the meeting room.
She had always enjoyed going barefoot, but now, well... sandals were looking to be better in the short terms as a solution for her to keep her toes from turning permanently black and blue. She picked her foot up and rubbed the tenderness from them.
Taking her seat Luna and several individuals were sitting around the large conference table that had once served the council of the Skairkru, now the Correlation of the Thirteen Clans. Clarke, Roan, Raven, Abby, Nyko and a few others from people she had only heard of but were now seeing for the first time.
"So far between the work, we have been able to do on Raven's Rock as well was the old Second Dawn bunker also known as Bekka's Tomb we just have enough space to save the population of the thirteen clans." Clarke spoke as she pointed to the map that helped make with her fellow Nightbloods.
Thirteen bunkers. Almost one for each Clan but given that they were concentrated along the clans linings the mountain range stated that those clans were going to be the best protected. Though migration from the villages that had a bunker near them had forced some clans to let go of some of their differences.
"Ingranronakru is going to head west across the plains with the farm animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, Horses, and goats will do their best to get them to this Delos place Bekka informed us about before the next wave of storms hit. We leave within the next day to ride the herds out there." The Ingranronakru chieftain spoke to the group. Luna had seen him talk to the riders and animal handlers that would be taking the livestock to safety. It would take a good two months using the ancient railroad paths till they met up with the hyper-loop tunnels to reach Delos. Raven was giving an update on what she had created to help the Ingranronakru on their journey.
"I have modified a few of the drones that Alie had flying around to obey your commands... That should help keep track the animals with you until you reach that settlement. Most of the commands will be given through a set of gauntlets that I am making and the learning curve for them is being based on kite flying so even a child can control them. I know because Adria took one out for a flight and buzzed a few sheep to go where she wanted them to go." Raven spoke, turning back to Clarke. Luna was grinning ear to ear at hearing Adria's name.
"The two major shelters on Azgeda land... The Moses Damn and Skaikru's farm station should help hold our numbers for the next little while till this long winter storm passes." Roan spoke. "I have let it known that those individuals such as the warriors that are presently in Polis will help aid in the evacuation to Raven's Rock once the twelve hundred Ontari and the other chieftains finally settle on those to remain. So far, she has used a list of skills that she found in an old text of Bekka's to help divide out spots. So far it has helped take a lot of the stress out of who needs to stay and who needs to be placed in the other settlements."
"Ontari is currently working with Niylah, Monty, Wick, Jaha, Octavia and that Trishanakru farmer Ilian to get the Second Dawn main bunker working again." Clarke spoke as Luna rolled her eyes.
"Well... considering that he nearly destroyed Arkadia and Luna betting the crap out of him when he almost hurt her daughter with all of that flammable material he grabbed." Raven spoke. Luna looked by at her friend. "Murphy is looking into helping make Ilian a little more compliant in getting his vengeance out of the way. As for Adria, she has come up with several ways for the more skittish of the clans to understand the way the bunkers work by classifying them as ships."
"Well, I am glad that Adria was learning some of your people's knowledge." Luna spoke as she remembered the hurt young man. Octavia was hurt emotionally by being deceived by him. Seeing the man was working his penitence off was a worthwhile punishment for him.
Considering his actions of "Terrorism" Skaikru was going to flat out execute the young man. Octavia throwing him out of the camp after she attempted to shoot him in the head with one of their small fire arms.
The ghosts of Pike Kom Skai- no Ark. Skaikru had revoked his status so his actions wouldn't stain their clan after his death. Octavia's scream was the type that could only be set free within a storm's wrath.
Being caught again in the burning rains had forced the two of them to come to terms with their pain.
Ilian's return was an acceptance of his fate. Octavia looked to have let her anger out; not fully, but enough where the voice of the Gods and Goddesses could be heard.
"Repairs upon Arkadia will be complete in the next few weeks to where the environmental systems will protect those in here." Raven stated as she looked at a stack of reports that she and the other Kanics had compiled together. "Some sections harmed we will have to repurposed, but we are going to be swapping one section into an Algae farm."
"Algae?" One if the delegation spoke.
"It was a type of pond scum, but we bred it to become eatable. Mostly we use it as a supplement for fruits and grains when we ran short on those items during some growing cycles."
"Sea weed here with our people," Luna stated. "Green Briar's tanks have been modified to carry it along with fish and water tolerant crops. It had taken work, but between what is left of my people and the skills that some of your group have... We will be operational before the next full moon."
"I am impressed." Roan stated.
"We didn't have much land on our metal island, that didn't mean that we were not into growing crops. Before the poison rains came, my people were known not only for our fish but also for our fruits." Luna paused at the images of the fruit trees dying as the fruit gorged itself full of toxins as the rest of the plant lay dying. How many children of her people had died from those fruits?
"Luna..." a voice called out.
"Luna..." Raven had gotten up to shake her shoulder.
Luna was shaken back to reality.
"I'm..."
"Even the greatest warriors cannot unsee some horrors." Indra of the Trikru stated. "Battlefields full of dead, and plague villages. You have my compassion and sympathy Luna of the Floukru."
Luna swallowed hard as she leaned back and listened to the rest of the meeting.
Most of the facts went as follows:
Second Dawn- 1200 (Polis), Ontari was sorting out the population of who would be there of the local residence, but was working on putting 100 of each clan in the bunker to keep the peace. Most of her work was based on the hard information and lists that Klark had created for who needed to be in each bunker for keeping it operational for survival.
Arkadia- 450/500 (Arkadia), Mostly Skaikru and local Trikru villages. Most of Skaikru would be spread among the other bunkers to get them operational and the vacant space being seeded to Trikru as a peace settlement. Indra agreed with this. She had been the one who had gotten the local leaders to come and start to settle the people in. The Arkers were a little uneasy with this, but given that it was the price they had to pay for wrongs that Pike and his followers had done. They had to accept it.
The Great Dam - 1000 (Azgeda), Most of the local villages near the capital and the Desert Clans would be heading there. Roan and his War Chiefs would be running that one. Roan wanted to make peace with the Desert people as much as he could. There was something up, but there were hints that Roan might have had a Sandkru lover or a family there during his exile in their lands. Whichever one, it showed that Roan wanted to put some distance between the hostilities of what his mother had sowed and his rule.
Agro/Garden Station -350 (Azgeda), about Fifty Skaikru would be caring for the local members of Azgeda rural villages in that part of Azgeda. The vessel was safe and strong given recent events of getting rid of the Bandits had soothed things for Skaikru and Azgeda. A person called Miller the Elder of Skiakru had been chosen to lead the settlement. Klark had some history with this man through his son being one of her original Hundred Warriors, but there was word that he was a just and kind leader who cared about the needs of people as he had come to the aid of those who had family members taken by the feared Mountkru.
Raven's Rock- 5000 (Louwoda Kliron), Nearby villages and the overflow from Polis would be heading there given its size. It was nearly five times the size of the one in Polis, but it was in the process of serious repair given the attacks that the Mountkru had launched upon it. Gustus led that effort well. They would be up to speed with the "Solarpunk" tech that had been spliced together from the records gleamed from Bekka's journal.
Ark Two - 210 (Delphi), Mostly rural folks, their hydroponic system needed work, but it would be operational soon. It was going to be long journey for them, but for being farmers. They would consider these years the time of fallow land.
Winter's Harvest -50 (Podakru - Lake People), It wasn't large, but most everyone had either headed to the Rockline or Shallow Valley area bunkers. Those who had stayed, stayed to ensure the fish stocks were ready for return to the great lakes of the lands. Winter's Harvest had been a large underground "seed lake" for restoring fish and underwater wildlife during the scarcity years before of the Great Fire.
Delos - 210 humans minus the local inhabitants and 50,000 heads of various livestock, Bekka had stated that it would be well outside of the swath of the storms, but she wanted the group heading there to make contact with the monks of Alcatraz Island. Word had been lost with them sixty years earlier, but from the last reports, the fire storms had lessened. Word was that Ontari's jaw had hit the floor when she heard about the library the Monk's had being the bibliophile she was.
Salt's Pit – 1000 (Ingranronakru), The old salt mine had a lot of history items in it, but also a serious environmental system to it. They needed a repaired desalination fresh water system put it, but mostly the place was ready to go. Though Ontari had screamed at the top of her lungs in glee when she discovered that Salt's Pit had been a storage place for libraries and that there were entire sections filled with books. That Raven had found blueprints for a hand-cranked machine called printing press used the mass produce books made this place important for her. The young Heda wanted make sure that knowledge was more accessible to the people given she was racing to make up in such a short time for her lack of an education.
Green Briar-500 (Boudalan - Rock Line), a former bunker build for political leaders, but with a little work, it would be more habitable with crops. Luna was going to be taking care of this one since the systems were so close to that of one of the Floukru's sailing ships. There were few of her people left, but Luna took it as a sign from the Gods that the reason they had been spared was so that they could save these nearly 480 plus souls.
Watney Two - (16) (Trikru/Skaikru), The False Second Dawn bunker that had been found. Though there were many dead that had been removed, the seeds that had been in there had survived. Mostly due to there not being an environmental system in there. Something that Skairkru could easily fix with their inflatable habitats they had salvaged off of their mighty Skyship. Sixteen souls volunteered to care for the seed vault, mostly farmers. All married with a child or two on the way.
The Windmill - (300) (Rockline), This was a hardened structure, but mostly they needed to repair the lighting system and air systems, but other than that, she was operational. The supplies were going in along with some retrofits from Skaikru's farm system to help keep people feed during their time in there.
And finally, Becca's Island – (The Light House). Not big, but it would be enough to help those who could make it there. Murphy was planning on making sure that the bunker there had enough supplies to care for those who would be stuck there for the nearly two years of isolation. He said that he was going to put some more books in there along with a decent amount of liquor to soothe the stint there.
The more of this that got read out, the more Luna started to sense that she needed to take the lead in helping get the leadership in these places so that they could ride out this storm.
These were the ships that would carry them into the future.
Now all they had to do was plot the course to navigate the storms ahead.
May the Great Heda bless them for the voyage ahead.
With that out of the way, Luna's thoughts turned towards that of Ilian and what would happen to the young man who had returned for his punishment.
Luna looked at Ilian as he sat in the cell, they had done his most recent return from the Bunker in Polis to help with move and resupply of materials Skaikru wanted to copies for their people in Polis.
She was still angry at him for trying to set fire to this village. Starting with the room where her daughter was hiding in during the game they were playing.
This shelter against the storm to come was important.
Luna's knuckles hurt.
Octavia and Niyliah had to pull her off of him before she killed the fool.
The young man looked scared.
But Luna shook hard as she looked at her bruised fists.
Despite everything that had happened, she couldn't blame him.
He had seen technology that had created Alie as the monster that had claimed his family.
In truth, the technology was neither good nor evil. It had been used to craft a creature that was supposed to help humanity. But given Bekka's inexperience with forging life into existence, it had gone bad.
What Bekka had forged had been so literal in its understanding of the world. It had no sense of nuance, the shades of gray that made up all life.
Something Bekka set right when she had created the Nightbloods.
That was when Luna opened the door and walked in.
"Ilian... we need to talk." Luna spoke as the young man moved away from her in fear.
Today Luna wasn't Death Incarnate, today she was Luna of the Floukru, Daughter of the Peaceful Sea.
Then Murphy walked into Ilian's cell next to her.
"Well, guess that there is another conflicted arsonist here in Arkadia." Murphy spoke to the young man before him.
Even wearing his feau Flamekeeper garb, he guessed that taking some of the "official role in this would smooth things over with the local Grounders."
"Flamekeeper... I..." Ilian spoke but stopped himself.
"You did a lot of damage. But I heard from Luna the reason why you did it." Murphy moved to sit by the young man. "You wanted to set fire to the technology that Alie inhabited." Murphy reached out the touch the young man on the shoulder.
"I..." Ilian sensed he was going to be punished. The acceptance was there in his eyes. John had seen it too much on the stations, even from his father's eyes.
Ilian's face hurt. Luna had punched his face so many times that he was going to have some scars from the damage she had done. Now with Murphy of the Sky Clan standing by her outside of his cell, something in his gut told him that his punishment was eminent.
"So, am I going to be executed or am I going to be left outside of the bunker to my fate?" Ilian stated as he sensed that his little arson attempt was the type of thing that would get anyone put to death.
Murphy rolled his eyes and sighed. "My friend between the escape you did. Octavia being the emotional wreck she is and her wanting to kill you and herself. I sense that what you really want is to get to Alie's bones and burn them so that your family can rest in the next world."
Ilian sighed at that statement. "Since that is the reason for all of this shit-" Murphy looked over to Luna. "How about I offer you the means to get you justice and help finally to bury that non-corporal bitch forever." Murphy statement hung in the air as he moved to present his offer on the table. When Murphy asked what Ilian's trade-craft had been back in his home village, well - that would be a day that Ilian would speak of for years to come.
"I am having you released to my custody. From what I have heard, your father was a decent Blacksmith."
"He was." Ilian looked concerned. "Up till Alie came and killed my father. My-"
Luna and Murphy saw the pain in the boy's eyes.
Who knew that being the son of the town Blacksmith would allow him to gain the vengeance and peace that he had so sought.
"How about I lead you to the true bones of Alie to forge into tools of peace."
Ilian rose from his place and looked at the Flamekeeper before he bowed before him.
"I pledge my fealty to your cause."
Luna the Flamekeeper grinned.
Bekka walked through the computer lab in The Aurora Community College. The team of uploaded humans were pounding their way through a good century of computer data. For equipment that was well beyond its service life, it had done its best to keep tabs with ever decreasing sensors the status of the bunker. Grabbing a chair, she sat down. It felt good having a team to work with.
"Heda, the research data is currently coming in from the system download and you're correct the amount of work that needs to be done would be considerable right now, but not fully unexpected." One tech stated as she pointed out on the holographic monitor.
"What's the status on the system?" Bekka stated as she looked at the information.
"So far, the Bunker is usable. Your old archive on materials pertaining to the blood forge shows the chamber will need new pseudo-embryonic fluid, but that is easily replicable. Project Rune Stone is on standby. the Hydroponic Farm will need new crops, but the pump system will need to be purge and cleaned."
Bekka leaned back to look at the information.
"Well, that is better than expected." Bekka stated as she looked at the other project on the table. "What about the migration to the old Ark Station?"
"Upload of residence will be completed in the next few weeks to the Ark systems along with the movement of the station to its new orbit to Tacoma station."
Bekka leaned back at the location of their new home.
"Let me know of the status of getting our physical link system ready to speak to the station. I want to make sure that Thor, the computer system there is on friendly terms with us."
"Understood." The tech stated as Bekka watched as the various virtual loading ships started moving from Aurora to take off to fly to the Station sim system.
Wick walked Around Arkaida one last time. So far, they had put eighty plus Grounders from the closest villages into Arkadia.
He had helped a woman who had lost her arm in the missile strike from Mount Weather move into her room. Given some time, he and Raven could create an artificial arm for her. He was on his way to talk with Raven when he saw a woman in a strange bird-like face mask and a strange staff was formed into an open spiral egg at the top standing in her workshop. Before he could interrupt a very large Grounder came up behind him and threw him into the wall.
"Skaikru..." The large dark-haired man moved to place a large muscled arm across Wick's throat. "You stay away from my sister." The man looked angry.
Wick was concerned by the fact that whatever had happened between him and some girl or woman that he may have come across was drawing pure ire from this man. Then the sound of a throat being cleared made the glaring man turn his gaze from Wick to the masked woman who had been in the room.
Wick watched as the man's face went white as a sheet as the scour from the woman could have made this person wet and/or shit himself where he stood.
This was only backed up by the loud gulp that one could have heard in near orbit.
"Wand-Wod." Were the only uttered words from the man. The young woman whose feminine figure though concealed under an avian themed armor and cloak that looked beautiful as if the Gods themselves had forged it. Though how pissed she looked stated that she wasn't pleased that there was a fight about to take place before her.
"Why. Are. You. Holding. This. Man. Off. This. Floor." She gritted each word between her teeth.
Wick wasn't going to argue.
"Wand-Wod." This Wand-Wod woman stated she might have been some elder. Probably a deadly warrior. Given the clear smell of urine right now. Not his. Someone who could seriously fuck you up.
"He… my sister-" The man was on the verge of groveling for his life. Then Wand-Wod turned to glare at Wick. Then he gulped too.
"You are Wick. The one Raven kom Skaikru speaks of."
"Yes." Wick wished he hadn't said that.
"This is her place of magic. Her black mirrors. Her tools. Her sanctuary. Her Workshop."
"Yes." Okay... she was looking for Raven.
"Good." Then she cleared her throat. "Why did you drag your fight into this place?"
"He was…" The large man decided that he needed to quickly leave as he quickly dropped Wick to the floor and left.
Wick coughed as he slid to the floor. Then she tapped her staff on the floor.
"Thank you." Then the woman shoved the end of her staff into Wick's chest.
"Did. You. Cheat. On. Raven. Kom. Skaikru?" The singular word statement illustrated that she was even more upset.
"Listen. Raven and I haven't dated in months. She broke up with me." Wick stated as the woman glared at him.
"Why?" Her words were stern.
"We didn't work." Still glaring, she tilted her head. Not good enough answer. "Um…" Wick tried to process his words better.
"Raven's heart broken by pain. Suffering. Death. betrayal."
"Raven's complicated. She kept me at a distance. We just drifted apart." She pulled back as if his answer had gotten her attention and she understood what he was saying.
Then the crash from outside and the Grounder's yelping voice got her back to her... Vengeance.
"What did you do to that man's sister!" Wand-Wod was pissed as she gestured with the staff to Wick's groin that she was pressing into with.
"I don't know his sister?" Wick looked up at Wand-Wod. "The only woman I helped was-" Wick winced. "He thinks I did the deed with his one-armed sister!" Wand-Wod turned head back. If the guy that he had been slapped against the wall by wished that he wasn't here.
"Ah... The one who was asking about making her a metal arm. The one based on the work you saw on the Puppets in Polis." Wick nodded. Wand-Wod seemed to understand. "I have seen your work with the brace The Sora girl wears. She has shaved much of the weight off to make it more comfortable for her to wear." The formal caress and roll of some perfect soft earthen brown fingers around the woman's exposed chin as she pondered the work Wick had done. "I know of this woman. She lost her arm because of the Mountkru when the launched their weapon for fire and death upon her village." Mountkru was stated in the way of vileness that Wick did not wish to be at the hands of this woman if she decided to do the death of a ten thousand cuts to. "You wish to follow the instructions and desires Wanheda issued to her people to aid those who had been hurt."
Wick nodded. Fuck... Wick nodded like his life depended on it.
"Good... Do the measurements. Make sure they fit well, make sure they are comfortable. Make sure that she can carry her child in that arm without her getting tired."
Wand-Wod's words were like a judgement being passed.
"Thank-" Wand-Wod moved over and, stopped.
"Do not thank me. This one, will help you." She pointed a slender finger at the direction of the idiot who had caused this mess. And from the sounds outside was doing his best to get up and get away from this mess.
Then she grabbed Wick and marched him out of the workshop.
Grounders were getting out of their way as they passed.
Wand-Wod must have had some serious clout among her people. She might be up-there next to Clarke's street cred as Wan Heda.
Okay... not good.
Then Wick was knocked to the ground and next to the large mountain of the Grounder that he had gotten in the "fight" with.
"We live or die alone. We survive only by connecting. You teach him Metal work for limbs, He teaches you Gona and Kru..." Wand-Wod then grabbed the both of them by the nuts as if her move to their collapsed state was like she possessed power over the laws of gravity itself was at her command and squeezed. "ARE we CLEAR!" The tone was definitely that of a Sith Lord. Or one that would make a Sith Lord shit themselves.
Wick and the Grounder Nodded in understanding.
"Good. Now, I go to speak with Raven Sora kom Skaikru, about joining the sisterhood." The release of the grip took place as Luna entered the hallway giggling.
Something about "Plow..."
Wand-Wod just giggled as she looked at the scene where himself and this mountain of a Grounder now lay.
Whatever it was, whatever the terms were that Raven had gotten herself into.
He would never piss off Wand-Wod again if he wanted to keep his ability to reproduce or ever have sex ever again.
Given the raunchiness of the context, Raven might be entering a serious sisterhood of Amazons or Witches.
But the way that Luna looked at him stated that. Whatever problems that Raven had with him were now done with.
But also, that this Grounder was going to be the friend with the damn shovel who was going to ensure that any relationship that Raven was going to enter into was going to be thoroughly vetted and... well if the guy didn't measure up- Wick didn't want to be there when the body was disposed of.
Chapter End Notes
To be continued