Chapter 6
Two Steps Forward
Several tense minutes later, the small group was safely ensconced in a hut on the perimeter of the settlement. Veronica glanced out of the door, watching the flow of human traffic as Roxton and Challenger checked out their weapons. Darrus rested against the wall, waiting for the explorers to settle themselves.
"You were going to tell us what's happened to our friends," Veronica prompted as they made themselves as comfortable as possible.
Darrus sighed. "To understand what has happened to your friends, you must know the history of my people. It not an easy story to tell, so please do not interrupt me." He took a deep breath and began. "For many generations, we lived peacefully with our neighbors. We suffered very few hardships and we thrived. All of that ended suddenly seven sun cycles ago. Nessos, a handful of hunters, and I returned from a distant hunting trip to find our village in ruins. All of the buildings had been burned or destroyed. The dead were everywhere, left lying out in the sun for the scavengers to feast on. Men, women, and children; the young and the old, all of our people, slaughtered. In our shock, we wandered the remains of our village, taking in the sights of the horrible battle. It was Nessos who found the lone survivor, barely alive among the wreckage. He called out to us, and we ran to see what he had found. It was his daughter, Mirra. She had been savagely beaten and used by Namorian raiders who left her for dead with all the others."
He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "In spite of her terrible injuries, she told us how the village had been taken by surprise during the night. Our warriors fought back but were overwhelmed by the much larger raiding party. We used our meager supplies to try and save her, but it was beyond us. She died in her father's arms. We spent the next few days burying our dead and mourning. We were all that remained of the Keergans. On the fifth day, Nessos told us that the gods had visited him during the night. They told him that we remaining seven must avenge the attempted destruction of our people. We gathered what supplies we could and set out to find them."
"As we followed their trail, we came across other villages and tribes who had been attacked in the same manner we were. We took what able bodied men they could spare and continued our search. After a cycle of the moon, we found the Namorian's camp. We watched them for two days, determining when would be the best time to attack." Darrus' whole attitude seemed to change as he leaned forward, eyes fixed on some unseen point. "We were a small group, but our anger and vengeance made us strong. We attacked just before sunrise on the third day. The Namorians were so sure of their superiority, they posted only two men on night guard. The rest were drunkenly sleeping off what they had stolen from the people they destroyed. The fight was over by early dawn. We had wiped out our enemy. They would not be a threat to anyone any longer."
"Once we had finished our enemy, the men from the villages who had survived the Namorian attacks were eager to return home. All of the surviving groups were small and lacked the strength they would need to hold off any other raiders or threats for long. Nessos had become a leader to our warrior group. When he suggested that the surviving tribes merge for safety, the men agreed. We began the trip home, gathering up our new tribe as we traveled. We returned to the site of our old village and built a new, stronger home. While life was different that it had been before, it was good. However, some of our people could not move beyond what had happened. They couldn't function as they had before. Our new medicine man suggested a solution, the yemmor drink. It was given to those who needed it, and our people became whole again. Once more, we thrive and prosper." A fierce look of pride settled on Darrus' features as he looked at his captive audience.
"That's a terrible story, but what does it have to do with our friends?" Roxton asked.
Challenger answered for Darrus. "It's the yemmor, isn't it? Marguerite and Ned have been given yemmor by your medicine man." When Darrus nodded in conformation, he continued. "Do you remember our run-in with Largo? The liquid he gave to Summerlee, Veronica, and I must be something similar, some kind of derivative. Hopefully, the yemmor Marguerite and Ned have been exposed to will run its course and their memories will return. Just as our behavior returned to normal as the drug left our systems."
Darrus nodded again, pleased. "Yemmor does wear off over time, allowing the memories to return. It is used to keep memories from the mind. It can block some or all memories, depending on the amount and the type of behavior immediately after it is taken. Some of people simply created a new identity for themselves," he explained.
"So you and your people kidnapped our friends, drugged them, and gave them a new identity to make them a part of your tribe?" Veronica asked incredulously.
"It is not our way to do that, usually. It is just that...well...." Darrus shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. "Nessos saw your two friends in the jungle and told them to bring them to him. It was not until they were in our village that he announced that the gods had told him that they were the avatars of Mirra and Renn. He and the medicine man gave them the yemmor and a new life."
"So why are you telling us this and helping us? I mean, you were willing to kidnap innocent people at your leader's request," Roxton challenged, not bothering to reign in his anger.
"Because this is an insult to us all," Darrus snapped back. "Renn and Mirra were my family too, and I loved them. Your friends cannot replace them. They have the right to return to their lives. Forcing them to stay with us would a violation of my people's beliefs. We are not like the Namorians. We do not destroy lives."
His angry outburst stunned the group into silence. They sat that way for an uncomfortable period of time, digesting all of the information that had been presented. The clanging of the dinner bell broke the silence, causing the tense group to jump.
"Come," Darrus directed as he climbed to his feet. "It is time for dinner. This will give us an opportunity to observe your friends and work on a plan to allow you all to escape."
TBC.
Well, what does everybody think so far? Drop us a line and let us know.
Several tense minutes later, the small group was safely ensconced in a hut on the perimeter of the settlement. Veronica glanced out of the door, watching the flow of human traffic as Roxton and Challenger checked out their weapons. Darrus rested against the wall, waiting for the explorers to settle themselves.
"You were going to tell us what's happened to our friends," Veronica prompted as they made themselves as comfortable as possible.
Darrus sighed. "To understand what has happened to your friends, you must know the history of my people. It not an easy story to tell, so please do not interrupt me." He took a deep breath and began. "For many generations, we lived peacefully with our neighbors. We suffered very few hardships and we thrived. All of that ended suddenly seven sun cycles ago. Nessos, a handful of hunters, and I returned from a distant hunting trip to find our village in ruins. All of the buildings had been burned or destroyed. The dead were everywhere, left lying out in the sun for the scavengers to feast on. Men, women, and children; the young and the old, all of our people, slaughtered. In our shock, we wandered the remains of our village, taking in the sights of the horrible battle. It was Nessos who found the lone survivor, barely alive among the wreckage. He called out to us, and we ran to see what he had found. It was his daughter, Mirra. She had been savagely beaten and used by Namorian raiders who left her for dead with all the others."
He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "In spite of her terrible injuries, she told us how the village had been taken by surprise during the night. Our warriors fought back but were overwhelmed by the much larger raiding party. We used our meager supplies to try and save her, but it was beyond us. She died in her father's arms. We spent the next few days burying our dead and mourning. We were all that remained of the Keergans. On the fifth day, Nessos told us that the gods had visited him during the night. They told him that we remaining seven must avenge the attempted destruction of our people. We gathered what supplies we could and set out to find them."
"As we followed their trail, we came across other villages and tribes who had been attacked in the same manner we were. We took what able bodied men they could spare and continued our search. After a cycle of the moon, we found the Namorian's camp. We watched them for two days, determining when would be the best time to attack." Darrus' whole attitude seemed to change as he leaned forward, eyes fixed on some unseen point. "We were a small group, but our anger and vengeance made us strong. We attacked just before sunrise on the third day. The Namorians were so sure of their superiority, they posted only two men on night guard. The rest were drunkenly sleeping off what they had stolen from the people they destroyed. The fight was over by early dawn. We had wiped out our enemy. They would not be a threat to anyone any longer."
"Once we had finished our enemy, the men from the villages who had survived the Namorian attacks were eager to return home. All of the surviving groups were small and lacked the strength they would need to hold off any other raiders or threats for long. Nessos had become a leader to our warrior group. When he suggested that the surviving tribes merge for safety, the men agreed. We began the trip home, gathering up our new tribe as we traveled. We returned to the site of our old village and built a new, stronger home. While life was different that it had been before, it was good. However, some of our people could not move beyond what had happened. They couldn't function as they had before. Our new medicine man suggested a solution, the yemmor drink. It was given to those who needed it, and our people became whole again. Once more, we thrive and prosper." A fierce look of pride settled on Darrus' features as he looked at his captive audience.
"That's a terrible story, but what does it have to do with our friends?" Roxton asked.
Challenger answered for Darrus. "It's the yemmor, isn't it? Marguerite and Ned have been given yemmor by your medicine man." When Darrus nodded in conformation, he continued. "Do you remember our run-in with Largo? The liquid he gave to Summerlee, Veronica, and I must be something similar, some kind of derivative. Hopefully, the yemmor Marguerite and Ned have been exposed to will run its course and their memories will return. Just as our behavior returned to normal as the drug left our systems."
Darrus nodded again, pleased. "Yemmor does wear off over time, allowing the memories to return. It is used to keep memories from the mind. It can block some or all memories, depending on the amount and the type of behavior immediately after it is taken. Some of people simply created a new identity for themselves," he explained.
"So you and your people kidnapped our friends, drugged them, and gave them a new identity to make them a part of your tribe?" Veronica asked incredulously.
"It is not our way to do that, usually. It is just that...well...." Darrus shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. "Nessos saw your two friends in the jungle and told them to bring them to him. It was not until they were in our village that he announced that the gods had told him that they were the avatars of Mirra and Renn. He and the medicine man gave them the yemmor and a new life."
"So why are you telling us this and helping us? I mean, you were willing to kidnap innocent people at your leader's request," Roxton challenged, not bothering to reign in his anger.
"Because this is an insult to us all," Darrus snapped back. "Renn and Mirra were my family too, and I loved them. Your friends cannot replace them. They have the right to return to their lives. Forcing them to stay with us would a violation of my people's beliefs. We are not like the Namorians. We do not destroy lives."
His angry outburst stunned the group into silence. They sat that way for an uncomfortable period of time, digesting all of the information that had been presented. The clanging of the dinner bell broke the silence, causing the tense group to jump.
"Come," Darrus directed as he climbed to his feet. "It is time for dinner. This will give us an opportunity to observe your friends and work on a plan to allow you all to escape."
TBC.
Well, what does everybody think so far? Drop us a line and let us know.