Written By: MaryAnn aka Jville
Chapter 1
Ardeth and his friend Raza were on their way back to their camp from a gathering of the Medjai chiefs. They made a stop at an open market in a small town near their camp. They needed a few supplies and Raza had promised his wife a present upon his return.
"What will be your gift to Atiya?" Ardeth asked as they walked among the stands.
"I will know it, when I see it," Raza said, going to the next booth. This booth had silk and other dry goods but still nothing appealed to him.
The marketplace was very crowded and people were bumping into them as they walked about. A young woman carrying many pottery items bumped into Ardeth, dropping many of the pieces, shattering most of them.
"You fool! I just bought those," the man yelled at the woman, as he hit her with his walking stick.
"I am very sorry. I was bumped into," she said.
"Quiet," he said, getting ready to hit her again.
Ardeth grabbed the man and hit him, knocking him to the ground. "Do not hit her again. I am the one who caused her to drop them. If you want to hit someone you may try your luck with me," he said as the man got to his feet.
"She is my woman. I will do as I see fit," the man told him.
"She does not deserve the treatment you are giving her," Ardeth argued. He saw that the woman was picking up the unbroken pieces. When she stood up with them carefully balanced in her arms she smiled at Ardeth quickly before the man saw her.
"Move on, woman," the man ordered. She bowed her head down and started to walk away. The man pushed her through the crowd causing her to drop the pottery again and fall herself. Ardeth saw the man start hitting and kicking her. He and Raza tried to get through the crowd to help her.
Ardeth saw the man pull a knife. "NO!" They didn't reach him soon enough and he stabbed her in the shoulder as she was trying to defend herself.
The man saw Ardeth and Raza coming toward him and he took off running through the crowd to escape them. Raza followed as Ardeth looked after the woman. She was bleeding a lot from the wound. Ardeth placed his hand over it trying to stop the bleeding. He pleaded with others in the market to help but they all turned their backs on him, ignoring his pleas.
Ardeth picked her up and walked quickly to the place were they had left their horses tethered. Raza came running back to catch up to him. "He got away. Seems he has friends at the market. The crowd seemed to be helping in his escape," Raza said.
"We will take her to camp. Mother will help her," Ardeth said. His mother was a midwife and one of the healers of the tribe. "Help me get her on my horse." Raza held the woman on the horse as Ardeth got on behind her.
*******
Ardeth held her tight as they rode hard to the camp. The ride seemed to take longer than usual. He pushed his horse as fast as it could run with two riders; he feared she would lose too much blood if he didn't.
Ardeth looked for his mother and father as he rode up. Raza took the woman from the horse and carried her to his tent, which was closest. Ardeth saw his parents and went over to them. "Mother, I need your help. A woman has been stabbed. Raza took her to his tent," he told them as he led the way.
Zia Bay entered the tent with her husband Harith. "Who is this poor child?" Zia asked, as she looked over the woman. She called everyone younger than her fifty odd years 'child', even her son, who was chief of this Medjai tribe.
"I do not know her name. She was beaten and stabbed at the marketplace, Mother. After she was hurt no one else would help her. So I brought her here," Ardeth explained with the sound of deep concern in his voice.
"Husband. We need to take her to our tent. I have everything I need there," Zia said, getting up from the girl.
Harith was very strong for his age. Without any effort he picked the woman up to carry her to their tent. Ardeth started to help his father but he motioned him out of his way. Ardeth followed them, along with Raza and his wife Atiya.
"Ardeth what is going on?" a voice asked.
Ardeth turned to see his aunt Asima coming up to him. "A woman was hurt at the market. I brought her back for mother to tend to her," he explained.
Asima walked in the tent with Ardeth. "Asima, I am glad to see you," Zia said. "Husband, you and the other men leave. This is woman's work, no men allowed," she ordered.
After the men left the three women bent to the task of removing the woman's clothing to get to her wounds. "Oh my! The poor thing is covered in bruises," Zia said. "I will prepare the herbs we will need." She left Asima and Atiya to clean the wounds.
"Zia, she has an older wound which is very infected. We will need to drain it quickly," Asima said.
"This poor woman has been tortured," Atiya said, looking at the other scars on the woman. "Who would do such a thing?"
"She belongs to the tribe lead by Iman Botros. See her markings." Asima pointed them out.
"The Medjai tribes shunned his tribe for the way they treated others. They became barbaric in their ways," Zia said, mixing her herbs. Iman and his closest followers began raiding other Medjai camps when they were out of food or supplies. They would also raid caravans of tourist, killing them to get their money and other belongings. They also had no respect for anyone especially their women, which they treated horridly. "Go tell Ardeth what we have found. He will decide whether to send a message to their leader," she said to Atiya.
******
Atiya went out to find Ardeth. She saw him over with his father and Uncle Edward. "Ardeth, I have some news about the woman. She has the markings of the tribe led by Botros. We also see that she has been tortured. She has many scars on her back. She has one older wound, which is very badly infected. She is very lucky you brought her to Zia," Atiya reported.
"She was not with a man from the tribe. He treated her as a slave," Ardeth said, angrily.
"Easy my son. As a courtesy we should send a message to Botros. She may have family there," Harith said.
"I do not believe they are owed such courtesy. I will wait for now. I want to talk to the woman before I do anything."
"She has slipped into darkness, nephew," Asima said coming up to them. "Atiya, Zia needs us both. I will tell you when you can come in," Asima told the men before she and Atiya walked back to the tent.
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