Each time he did, he more fully realized why he had regretted letting Klipta-ak leave Winten-ah to join them.
Klipta-ak had gone from a prisoner of war with a death sentence hanging over his head to being the head builder in a brand-new community and he had made the most of his new life and opportunity.
Their village, Danta-ah was somewhat limited in size by the fact that it all had to be completely built inside the caldera. But, knowing that, Klipta-ak, with input from Harta-ak and Versa-eh, had completely planned their village out before they started their first building.
The first time Alex had visited them, there were only a few temporary huts and longhouses to shelter them, but Klipta-ak had proudly shown off what he had accomplished. It was a scale model of the caldera, with their city also built to scale inside it. He built the caldera itself out of clay, but then installed tiny factories to process the danta, houses for everyone, roads, and even a modest town hall that they could expand if needed.
It was crudely done by twenty-first century standards, but well beyond anything Alex had seen since arriving in Kragdon-ah.
Now, years later, the scale model had come to life.
As was always the case, defense against animals and attacking humans had been the first priority. The inverted dome was their first line of defense. There was only a single entrance in and out, and Klipta-ak had designed and built a sturdy, tall fence with a single heavy gate in the middle.
Then, he added three guard posts around the edge of the caldera that gave them three-hundred-and-sixty-degree views of anyone who might be approaching.
They logged the area closest to the caldera for their lumber, which also meant that there was no coverage for man or beast to sneak up on them.
Klipta-ak had built a beautiful home for Harta-ak and Versa-eh. It very much reminded Alex of the lovely wooden buildings he had burned to the ground in Lasta-ah. It was an unusual design for the area, as it didn’t feature a single sleeping area, but was instead divided up into bedrooms. Alex knew that more than anything, they wanted to fill those rooms with children. To be the center of a growing bustling family.
By now, though, everyone knew the absolute truth. Childbirth equaled death. Not sometime. Not most of the time. Every time.
Unless something changed in the next few decades, mankind would be fini.
Sitting on the grass with his daughter and Monda-ak, his best friend, Alex still felt a little lonely. So many of the people he knew and loved the best were gone.
He saw Reggie—who had settled permanently into Winten-ah, and Reggie’s daughter, Tinka-eh heading toward them.
Tinka-eh was six years old now, a tall child who had left all her toddler chubbiness behind. She walked beside Reggie. Like an adult, not a baby. When she saw Sanda-eh, all pretense of adulthood left her, and she ran and jumped on Monda-ak as though he was a furry trampoline.
Monda-ak sighed, laid his head on his paws, and looked at Alex with his mournful brown eyes as if saying, This is what you have brought me to. I am the mightiest warrior in the land and now I am a rug for toddlers.
Reggie sat cross-legged next to Alex on the grass and smiled, two time travelers stuck out of their own time. Neither had planned on raising their daughters on their own, but they were both more than up for it.
Alex squinted at Reggie in the afternoon sun. “Haven’t you been stuck here at one place long enough?”
Reggie smiled a little broader. He always had the wanderlust, but with Tinka-eh, he had preferred to stay in one place. “I like it here just fine.”
“I do too,” Alex said. “It’s home. But after a long winter in the caves, I’m ready to stretch my legs. I’m going to see Harta-ak and Versa-eh.”
Reggie’s eyes lit up. “That sounds like a pretty manageable trip. How long are you going to be gone?”
“Got a hot date or something?”
Reggie was the one person in Kragdon-ah that Alex allowed himself to speak in the slang of the twenty-first century.
“I have an ulterior motive,” Alex continued. “For some reason beyond my comprehension, people seem to like you. Wait. Check that. They seem to love you. I figure I’ve always got a better shot at a warm reception if I bring you along with me.”
“Don’t bullshit me, man. You’re freaking Manta-ak, hero of Kragdon-ah. I’m just a dude who sings for my supper.” He glanced at the two girls, who had now both climbed aboard Monda-ak’s broad back. Tinka-eh had wrapped her legs around his neck and was pulling on his ears as if they were reins. “Hey there, Tinka-eh. Be gentle with Monda-ak. Those ears are attached.” He turned back to Alex. “I think that’s a good plan. Anyone else coming?”
“I thought we’d travel light. Just the five of us.” Monda-ak woofed, happy to be on an adventure again.
“When do we leave?”
“After all this time, you still have to ask me that?” Alex said with a grin.
“Right. Too-damned-early it is, soldier.”
Chapter ThirtyDanta-ah
The trail to Danta-ah had become familiar to Alex.
Several years earlier, he had stopped and filled in the hole around the blind turn in the trail. He knew where it was, so it posed no danger to him, but he hated the idea that some other unwary traveler might have fallen in and met a horrible death. It had been a long, hot day of digging, but he felt better having accomplished it.
“Gunta, stranger,” a voice hailed Alex when he got within a few miles of Danta-ah.
That’s new.
“Gunta, but I am no stranger. I am Manta-ak and I travel with Untrin-ak, Monda-ak, and our children.”
A tall man with a friendly expression stepped out from behind a tree. “You are indeed. You are always welcome in Danta-ah.” The man whistled and three other warriors stepped out from
