“At this rate, you’ll be the most advanced village in this half of Kragdon-ah.”
Klipta-ak laughed. “That is a low standard to clear. People here live like their ancestors did twenty generations back.”
Just then, an out of breath young man burst through the gate, shouting “Harta-ak! Harta-ak!”
Their whole group ran back to the front of the gate with Harta-ak in the lead.
“What? What is it?”
“I have a message from Rinka-ak.”
The boy doubled over, trying to catch his breath.
“Did you run all the way from the river?”
“Yes, the message is important. Rinka-ak says you must get a message to Winten-ah. The greatest army he has ever seen is camped out below his village. He says there are too many to count.”
“Why would an army that big attack Rinta-ah? There’s nothing in that village or ours that is worth what it would take to move an army like that.”
“They are not attacking Rinta-ah. At least not yet. Rinka-ak says they are not to be trusted.”
“What is it they want, then?”
“They want to destroy Winten-ah and kill Manta-ak.”
Chapter Thirty-OneAn Invading Army
The boy had finally caught his breath. “Can you send someone to warn Manta-ak?”
“There is no need,” Harta-ak said, pointing at Alex. “He is here.”
The boy’s jaw dropped open. In his mind, at least, the already-burgeoning legend of Manta-ak grew three times larger. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t,” Alex said, waving away the worship that appeared in the boy’s eyes. “I am just here to say hello to my friends.”
Harta-ak put an arm on the boy’s shoulder. “Thank you, but you should return to Rinta-ah now. Rinka-ak may need you.”
Reggie laid an arm around Alex’s shoulders and said quietly, “What the hell do we do now?”
For just a moment, Alex felt tired. Not the kind of tired that ten nights of sleep would cure. It was an exhaustion that went deep inside him. Then he shrugged that off. There was a challenge at hand, tired or not.
“Wait!” Alex shouted after the boy. “I have a question.”
They boy hurried back. “Yes?”
“They are at Rinta-ah?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know the man who leads the army?”
“Rinka-ak said he called himself Draka-ak.”
I didn’t think he would come all this way himself. I guess he realized that if you want to kill someone right, you’ve got to do the job yourself. At least, you and a few hundred of your best friends.
“How is an army of that size going to cross the river? Rinta-ah still has just one boat, right?”
“We have one boat and Danta-ah has another, smaller boat.”
“So, again. How are they going to cross the river?”
The boy took a deep breath. “The man who leads the army is very angry. He had a person who led them to Rinta-ah. He thought it was easy to cross the river there.”
Alex digested that.
A massive army. But, what is a massive army in Kragdon-ah? Five hundred warriors? A thousand?
Alex turned to Harta-ak. “How many people can cross in the boat at one time?”
“In their boat, ten. In our boat, four.”
“And how long does it take to make a round trip to the other side and back?”
Harta-ak considered. The Kragdon-ah day was not divided into twenty-four hours. “On summer solstice, if we started at first light, we could make fifteen trips before the sun set.”
“But solstice is a long way away. The days are shorter now. So, tomorrow, how many round trips could they make?”
“The problem for them is that there is only one rope bridge, so they can only use one boat at a time. If they started at first light, I think they could make ten round trips before darkness fell.”
“Good. Ten trips, ten men carried at a time. They can put a hundred people across at a time. But that does not include their horses and whatever else they are carrying for a trip so long. Not to mention that they want to make war on us when they get to Winten-ah.”
The boy spoke up again. “The man who leads their army killed the man who led them to Rinta-ah.”
“So there is one less person to carry across the river,” Harta-ak said. He was trying to lighten the mood, but no one laughed.
Alex had again started to think like the tactician he was. “They have two choices, then. Retreat east for many days so they can find an easier place to cross. Or, slowly take their men across ten at a time and leave their horses and much of their equipment behind. Either way, they are going to be stuck where they are for a few days.”
“That gives us time to get back and warn Sekun-ak then,” Reggie said. “We can pull everyone into the caves and be ready for an attack when they get there.”
“With an army that size, they could come and set up camp in our field and lay siege to us. We’ve already planted the krinta for the year. How would it feel to be trapped in the caves, unable to even poke our noses out while they taunt us, hunt our land, and gather our crops we’ve planted? No, I am not a fan of hiding in our caves unless it is a last resort.”
“What can you do then?” Versa-eh asked. “This is not a situation where you can burn their city down like you did last time.”
“Right. You’re right.” Alex glanced at Versa-eh. “There’s something I have to do. Can you take care of Sanda-eh for me?”
“Of course I will,” Versa-eh said, scooping the little girl up into her arms and holding her tight.
“If something happens to me and I don’t come back...” Alex let the obvious thought trail off.
“Of course we will,” Versa-eh answered his unasked question.
“Thank you.”
Alex laid his hand on Monda-ak’s head. “You can’t come with me this time. I need you to stay and help them take care of our girl. You’ll do that for me, won’t you?”
Monda-ak woofed quietly, but it was not his normal, happy woof.
Finally, Alex turned
