More people continue to pour into the street until they stretch almost as far down as Arthur’s hut in all directions. I won’t even attempt to guess how many villages mill around in front of me, certainly they’ve increased by our numbers by at least eight or nine-fold. I’ve only ever been to a couple of villages outside Avlym, but I know there are still several more who must have refused Arthur’s call.
Thoren launches into a similar speech to the one he gave his people not too long ago. Only a few things have changed to accommodate the new arrivals. For example, the floor of the tavern has been completely cleared along with several other communal spaces to allow for enough sleeping space. This however will still not be enough and so everyone who currently resides in a hut will have to offer up their floorspace to the residents of the other villages.
Before long, Tarrin’s council members are back moving amongst the people with their papers and their lists. The process takes considerably longer this time and the sun is high in the sky before they finish. Given the sudden tide of jobs and duties approaching him, I assume that Orrian has cancelled our morning training for today.
The remainder of the day consists of setting up housing for those staying to fight and delegating various tasks for them to busy themselves with. I spend the remainder of the light confined to Arthur’s hut as I try and draw a detailed map for Damaris to follow tomorrow. I add everything I can remember about the journey that might help Damaris to not stray from the path. Now that we’re in Tarrin, it’s not too difficult to trace a route leading back to Avlym and from there it’s just a case of following the river upstream until she reaches Edwyn’s den and then disappearing into the mountains.
A part of me longs to go with her, I want to see Avlym for myself before we go off to war, but I can’t. Disappearing at a time like this would be too selfish, there is too much here that needs to be done. Besides, where I hope it would fuel me to fight the colony, I’m not sure I want to risk the possible hopelessness and despair.
Damaris sets off with the vulnerable the next day. A large crowd amble along slowly behind her, it’ll take a few days for them to reach the mountain and perhaps another couple to return with Jaq and the others.
Harvey is with several others who could perhaps fight in the war but have chosen not to. They have been assigned to either the front, flanks, or rear of the group, forming a pitiful protective barrier. They won’t be of much use in the case of an attack but it’s better than nothing. Also, the colony have their hostages and we should be their focus. Even if they have caught wind of the travelling villagers, we will be their priority and so hopefully they should leave Damaris and her group alone.
I watch as Ida takes Alice’s hand in her own and disappears among the heads. She had bawled for an entire evening when I had told her that she had to leave. Hurt as it may, I stood my ground and eventually she sulkily agreed to going after Arthur stepped in to say that he needed someone to look after Ida for him. I will come back for her when all this is done, and I will bring Mother with me.
Arthur has graciously continued to allow us to stay in his hut, although Orrian has given the older man back his bed. Of course, with the other two gone there are now only the three of us, giving us much more space than those crammed into the tavern and the other homes.
I wipe my eyes as those heading for the mountain finally disappear around the corner and out of sight. There’s little else we can do until Damaris returns with Jaq, Orrian has persuaded Thoren that the few tribespeople are worth waiting for. Until they arrive, everyone in Tarrin will just have to continue with their preparations.
Now that we have so many extra hands, most of the spears have been made and any more proper weapons have been brought along by each village. There are plenty more hunters who can help provide for the increased number of residents. They still struggle and everyone is left a little hungry but there is nobody among us who is not used to such conditions.
Orrian continues with our training sessions, pushing me harder as I begin to improve. I feel as if Randall and myself are swapping positions, his bruises fading whilst I am constantly being dealt new ones. I know Orrian’s beginning to get restless, desperate to return to the colony. His people, like Mother, have remained captive for too long. The more we take our time here, the more chance there is that they will never return from behind those iron bars.
Five days later, Damaris returns to Tarrin. She had escorted the others to the mountain without incident and there should be enough food stored away there by Jaq and Ryfon that they won’t be pressured into hunting for a while.
Only the four of them return to their king, the original three who separated from us as well as Damaris. I realise that after every capable man and woman had fought on the beach, this is all of Orrian’s army that remains free. This is all that’s left, an entire tribe reduced to only a handful of us. However, now that they're here we can finally begin remedying that problem.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“It won’t work!” one of the village leaders exclaims heatedly at the suggestion of using ladders to scale the colony walls. “From what we’ve heard, there’s too many of them, they’ll just pick us off
