Chapter 42
They woke with the sun. Ash packed up the Rover while Clarke prepared the panels for their trip. It took less than an hour and they were on the way to Eden. Clarke was driving again. Ash was staring out the windshield. There was still nothing more than sand. She would occasionally look over at the GPS thing and see the direction that they were going. She was still amused by the roads and trails that it showed that hadn't existed since the bombs fell. How Clarke read it, she wasn't sure, only that she did.
It was almost midday when they came over a large sand dune and rolled down into a valley of sorts. It wasn't quite Eden, but there were large sand dunes and berms on both sides of the Rover. It was obvious that this was probably a former trail or river before Praimfaya, or at least, she hoped that it was. Clarke followed the valley until there was nowhere else to go. She stopped the Rover and got out.
To Ash's surprise, she didn't unpack anything, except one rifle. It was the one that Clarke carried for the most part. It was then that she realize that Clarke wasn't using it for protection or as a weapon. She was using the scope of the rifle to see things beyond their abilities. Clarke had slung the rifle over her shoulder and climbed on top of the Rover. She was standing on the roof of the Rover and looking through the scope.
Slowly, she lowered it. She pointed the barrel of the rifle down and away from the Rover and Ash. (Gun safety is important at all time, folks.) A smile crept across her face as she finally turned and looked down in the expectant eyes of Ash.
"It's just over these berms. I can see the trees. We're home, Ash. We're home."
She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. It was the biggest smile that she'd made in the longest time. Clarke passed down the rifle to her and then climbed down. Ash stowed the rifle quickly as Clarke got down and back into the driver's seat. Ash resumed her seat and they were off.
Clarke was no longer being careful. She'd seen Eden. She knew they were home and safe now. There was no need for them to be as cautious. There was still need, but Clarke was literally throwing that out the window as she sped through the sand and newly made deserts on the outskirts of Eden.
She rushed over a large dune and that was the first time that Ash saw Eden. Clarke hadn't lied to her. It was lush and green. It was everything that she'd described and more. This was going to be the place that she lived out her last days on earth. It was an oasis in the middle of a radiation soaked desert. This was the place that Ash would finish her redemption and prove her worth not only to Clarke and Madi, but hopefully to Keyron. She wanted to make sure that Clarke was cared for in her "rebirths," and she wanted to be part of it.
It wasn't a new feeling for her. She'd felt drawing to Clarke, if she wasn't lying to herself, since the first time that she realized Clarke was a natblida. Being Wanheda and Ash's knowledge of the legends only cemented that need and want further. And, now, Ash was Ash again and bore the blood and marrow of the Great Wanheda. Keyron had made this happen for a reason, but Ash wasn't sure why yet. But, if it was her choice, she would become Ash kom Az kom Wanheda and she would help Clarke in anyway that she could.
It was another hour before Clarke was driving them past a sign that was clearly marked at Louwoda Kliron. Clarke told her that the sign was from the former government of the country whose land they were on before the bombs. It called the area the Shenandoah Valley, and it was some sort of protected land. For what, Clarke didn't really know, but it didn't matter. Praimfaya had gone over the entire valley and nothing was burned. Somehow the small mountains that surrounded it, which weren't more than sand and rock now, had protected this little parcel of land from the scourge.
"While Praimfaya didn't ravage the valley, Madi and I have come to call Eden. The Radiation still took its toll. Everyone still died here. We can't forget that."
Ash agreed with her. This was once a village and it had people that lived there. They had to respect that. They had to honor that. And, the first thing that they were going to do was honor those people by giving them proper funeral rites and sending them to Keyron in peace. They hadn't burned in the Death Wave, and while their souls might not be trapped, Ash wasn't going to take that chance. Clarke agreed with her to burn all the bodies, even it wasn't for the same reason. She knew that Clarke wanted to do it to make sure that they didn't poison themselves with the dead, but she also knew that Clarke knew of their rites. Besides a fire was going to be the easiest way for them to clear all the bodies.
Clarke pulled up into front of a large building. They got out of the Rover and went inside. Looking around, she knew that they would end up staying in this place. It was big enough to make rooms for everyone. There was a kitchen that was actually vented out of the building. It was large enough to keep them warm enough in the spring, summer and fall. She found that the central room, with its dining table and various sitting chairs, had a large fire place. It was obvious that whoever lived there over the years since the bombs had modified the building to be function in the new world. Now, Clarke and Ash would do more to make it more functional for them in their new world after Praimfaya. This was going to be home.
Ash got right to work. She started pulling the bodies out of the building. There were five total. She pulled them to a central location in the village.
She stopped after the last body as she realized that Clarke was searching through the rest of the village. She didn't know if it was for Madi or not, but Clarke seemed to be on a mission. When she came out of a few of the buildings with bottles of something and an old world oil lamb, she realized what Clarke was doing. Looking around, she realized that they needed to find a building or buildings to burn the dead in. Ash decided that she would look for one while Clarke hunted down more oil.
Ash found a decent size building on the edge of the village. There were hardly any trees around it. She was worried about the trees. She didn't want them to catch in the fire, too. She was afraid that they wouldn't be able to deal with the blaze. She wanted to make sure that they could handle this. It was going to be a big job. Looking around, Ash decided that she wanted to dig a trough around the building to make a fire break of sorts. She went looking for a shovel.
It took her two days to dig her fire break. When it was done, Clarke had collected enough oil, Ash supposed. While she was digging, Clarke had been moving some of the bodies. After she was done, they both gathered the rest of the bodies and put them in the building. As they were piling up the bodies in the building, Ash wondered if she'd picked a big enough building. After two more days, they were done with the bodies. She knew that it was a village, but she hadn't been prepared for the amount of them. In the end, she'd lost count after the thirtieth body.
Clarke lit the torch and stood outside the building. Ash was standing beside her with another torch. They both took a deep sigh.
"Yu gonplei ste odon," Clarke said loudly.
Ash cocked an eyebrow at the volume, but she repeated the words aloud, too. "Yu gonplei ste odon."
They both tossed their torches at the building. The oil caught quickly. The flames licked at the bodies. The building went up as the flames moved around it, the building, and the oil was feeding it. They stood there for a while.
Clarke reached out and held Ash's hands as the building kept burning. With a slight tick of her head, Ash realized that Madi was standing in the forest watching them. She could barely make her out, but she knew that the six year old had been handling herself since before they got there. It was the first true contact that they'd had with her. With Clarke holding her hand, she hoped that the child would be curious enough to come back into the village.
After a few hours, Clarke turned to leave the burning building. It was still smoldering. They had more oil to the side. Ash realized that Clarke was going to light again after a while. She was going to let it burn down, then she would feed it with more wood and oil, so that all the bodies were properly burned and sent to Keyron. Ash knew that Clarke felt like she had a responsibility to these people. So, she would let her have this and help her with this.
As the sun started to set on that day, Ash moved to the fire ring that she created in the middle of the village. She'd found a large pot and crafted a cooking stand and tripod to hand a pot from. She knew how much that Clarke liked rabbit stew. She had some vegetables and started a soup. She would go hunting in the next few days, hoping to find some sort of protein, mostly rabbit, so she could make the stew.
Clarke had gone back to the house. Ash watched her go. She knew that Clarke was cleaning out each building. She didn't stop her dinner preparation. She sat by her fire ring. She was cutting up some of the veggies that she'd found to be the base of the soup. She knew that it wasn't something that they really wanted to eat, but it was going to be much better than those damn ration bars. She couldn't help but smile as she tossed the veggies into the pot. She'd found some herbs and such in some of the house. She put them in to season it. As she was doing this, she looked out over the fire ring into the woods.
Madi was standing there, watching. She hadn't come any closer, but she was getting more and more curious. She wondered how hungry the girl was. She had to be eating. She looked well fed, but she had been fending for herself over fifty days alone. When their eyes met, Ash could see the anguish and the hesitation in her face. Ash didn't call out to her. She was going to let Madi come to them, and she could tell that the food they were and would cook would draw Madi in to them without anyone having to get injured. She smiled again as she went back to working on the soup. She would have to cook outside for the most part, until Madi made her decision to join them. They weren't going to rush it. They were doing this at Madi's pace. It was both for Madi and for Clarke. She looked over again and the child was gone.
Clarke brought out some bowls a while later. She sat down beside Ash and handed her the bowls. When Ash saw three, she didn't question it. She just reached into her big pot of soup and ladled out all three bowls. She sat the third bowl out to the side on some rocks. It was an offering, but they weren't going to call out to her. They sat there and ate their soup, slowly. When we they were done, Clarke took the bowls and headed back to the house they were making. Ash sat there for a few minutes. She watched the woods for a while, but then she decided that it was time to go to bed, too. She left the bowl there, hoping that Madi would come and eat it.
When she entered the house, Clarke was waiting for her. She'd cleaned up their bowls. She was sitting at the table. She wanted to know if Madi came out.
"Did she come get the soup?"
"Not while I was out there," Ash replied. "I left her bowl though. Hopefully, she'll come get it."
"She's a strong fisher."
"I understand that, Klark, but she needs more than fish."
"I know that. I'm a fisa. She needs a balanced diet, but we don't know what all she's been eating."
"She's been keeping fed, though."
"You can tell that?" Clarke questioned.
"She doesn't look hungry, Klark. Her parents did well with her. They taught her to survive. You've told me this, too. She helped you learn the Valley in your past lives. She knows this land better than we do. She knows what to eat. She knows how to fish, and most of all, she knows where to hide. This means that she has shelter," Ash told her. "She's curious about us though. She can't help herself though. She's been taught to hide from the Fleimkepas. We aren't them, but she doesn't know that."
"We should go down to the lake in the morning," Clarke stated.
"You want to be a little more overt in our offerings?"
"It isn't that."
"Then, what is it?"
"I know where she is hiding. I've sent her there, too, in the past. It is a safe place for her. I know that she can handle herself, Ash. I've never doubted that, but she is still my daughter for all intents and purposes. I can't just let that go. I never will."
"I'm not asking you to, Klark. I would never do that. She is important to you, so that makes her important to me. But, I need you to remember that she led you into a bear trap and then stole all of your provisions while you were passed out from the pain. She's scrappy and can handle herself well. She has fight in her and I know that it was has helped her get through these last few weeks alone in a village with the dead. But we are hear now. We will take care of her. We will help her deal with it and make sure that she knows that she isn't at fault for all their deaths because she wasn't surrendered. We have to be smart about it, though. Or, we are going to get hurt," Ash told her.
Clarke reached down and rubbed her right reflexively. The scars were still there, and it was mistake that she only made...twice. She knew better than anyone how dangerous Madi was, and she knew the reasons. She never faulted her for them either. She praised Madi for her prowess, but she also wanted her to just be a kid.
"I just want her to be okay and be a kid," Clarke stated.
"She seems fine, Klark. And, she is a goufa. She'll realize soon enough that we aren't here to take her back to Polis. We aren't going to hurt her. We know that, but she doesn't. We could tell her all we want to, but it isn't going to matter. She is wild child now. We'll have to coax her back to us. We'll leave her food and stuff out. That will be the start," Ash explained. "But, if you want to go wandering down to the water tomorrow, we'll go. You need to learn to swim anyway. I'll see what little things have survived for us to trap for meat."
"I don't want..."
"I know that you aren't eating much meat. You haven't been since I met you, Klark. I can only imagine that it has something to do with the dead from the Maun-de. I respect that, but like you told me earlier: she needs protein. You told me that protein is meat."
"It isn't just meat."
"Then, what else can it be?"
"Beans, mushrooms, bugs," Clarke answered.
"Then we will grow some."
"How?"
"We will start a garden tomorrow. I know that you have some seed from Beka's lab stashed. I may not be able to read your Ainglish, but I can understand pictures. You've been carrying that around since before Beka's, when we were in that bunker. I know that you've added to it. I'm sure that you did before Praimfaya. You were packing days before it hit and it was things that I wasn't thinking of taking. You were planning for the long term, when I was just trying to make sure that we made it until we got to your Eden."
"Well, we're in Eden," Clarke replied.
"I know we are. And, she'll be okay. We'll be okay, too. I'll make sure of that. For now though, we both need sleep. It has been a very long couple of days. We've done a lot. And, I am sure that she'll be happy to know that all their souls are at peace now."
"They might be, but I never will," Clarke lamented.
"One day you will, Klark. I will see to it that it happens. I will find you again in another life. You will have your peace," Ash swore to her, taking her hand and leading her to their shared bed for the night.
