Chapter 6 Hrad
HRAD
When Alisha warned us that the ship rattled, she didn’t mention that the shudders would travel through my bones. Charlie watches me from the other side of the ship. Kate is sitting next to me with that all too familiar look in her eyes.
I am not prey for either of them.
I keep my fingers relaxed even though they want to curl around the seat, and close my eyes, hoping that I appear relaxed even though I want to be back on the ground, even if that ground is the continent where the other Honey tribe will hunt me.
I know how to evade that kind of hunter.
I am familiar with how my people behave…humans…I am still figuring them out. Sometimes I’m a threat, something akin to a wild animal that is best avoided. Sometimes I am a curiosity, a creature they want to study. Few see me as a person.
Alisha does. She doesn’t have that hungry look in her eyes like Kate does.
Like I’m a prize to be claimed. I’ve had women claim that they choose me and become upset when I decline, not understanding that I also have a choice.
I want to trust as easily as my brothers.
To have a mate…or even an affection with a man. But I fear being used and discarded.
I spent a lot of last night thinking about my life and making peace with what may happen on this mission.
And while I claim not to fear death, I have repeated those words so many times the cloth is wearing thin.
Because I look at my brothers and their happiness, and I want that, yet I do not trust anyone to be that close to me.
Which means I am torn in two different directions, and no one can live at war with themselves. One side must win.
Either I remain alone and belong nowhere, or I learn to trust another and create my own home. The first I am familiar with. The closest thing to a home I have known is with my banished brothers. They became my family. Everything we did was for each other. We became limbs of the same beast.
They will not cast me out, but I am no longer as functional, and the beast is no longer needed to survive. The ship bounces in a way that reminds me of a ship cresting waves. There is no salt spray in my face or wind in my hair, but the feeling is not that much different. A couple of people gasp.
The cabin crackles, and Alisha’s voice fills the air. “We are currently skirting the coast of the mainland, and I anticipate landing in ten minutes. When we land, please leave your bags where they are, and assist with getting the camouflage netting over the ship.”
She shouldn’t need to remind her team of every single step, but this team is not made of warriors. Half of the people here will panic in an emergency if not told what to do.
“Remember, no loud noises. No chatter. Use your comms, and if you see something, call it in,” she continues. “You’ve been assigned to a group. Do not wander off to chase samples. Stay together. This is recon only, not a diplomatic mission.”
Everything she says was in the official documentation. And while I struggle to read their letters, Ruby went through everything with me. I wish Ruby were here instead of Kate. Ruby is sharp and serious and dangerous, but it wouldn’t be fair to separate her from Aldit.
Alisha continues with the rest of the briefing. While I don’t have a specific job like the others, I am to assist with labor and security as well as general advice. If not for the proximity to a tribe, I might enjoy the mission.
“Prepare for landing. This is going to be fast,” Alisha says.
By fast she means rough, and by the time I step out of the ship, I want to spread myself on the dirt and enjoy the stability. There is no time as we pull out the netting, dotted with leaves, and drag it over the ship. To my eye, it doesn’t look particularly well camouflaged.
Someone should have asked for my opinion. I hope it does not come to needing it. Did anyone see us flying over the sea, or were we able to hide in the brightness of the sun as it rose?
Charlie, Neve and Kate load up with gear.
They will set up cameras and take soil and rock samples.
They also have the greatest distance to travel and won’t be back until day six.
The sites for samples and cameras are marked on the map, and with each camera set up we will be able to track their progress.
Hugh intends to fly a modified drone over a farm and perch it in a tree.
The drone has been given wings and fur to appear like a cloud seeker from a distance.
I hope no one shoots it down as hunting practice.
Though it is usually only the banished who turn cloud-seekers into a meal, tribes need a bigger supply of meat.
Erica…she is working with Hugh, but she was almost dropped because much of her work can be done by watching the cameras.
But while Hugh is studying farming, she is more interested in the people.
We explained that all of our tribes work slightly differently—Orik’s tribe allows women to take two mates, while my tribe sends fourth sons away.
Some rely more on fishing and others on farming.
There is trade between nearby tribes, but also bigger gatherings once a year, which is especially important for small tribes where a woman may be too closely related to potential mates.
It seems as though my brothers and I can talk about our lives until we run out of breath, but the humans will only believe it when they see it for themselves. It is far better to learn from someone else’s wisdom than to start over. But humans do not like to be told that either.
I wonder what they would be doing if there were no people on the planet. Would they stumble around trying new things, or would they do it the way they did on Earth? As they have discovered, some of those ways do not work.
I try not to be too relieved when Charlie, Kate and Neve head off into the scrub. Alisha softly checks their comms are working and, when she is satisfied, she approaches where Hugh and Erica are getting the first of their cloud-seeker drones ready.
I stand to the side, standing guard as though I expect warriors to appear out of the trees. I hope we were unseen, or if we were seen, that no one wants to investigate. Who would believe in a flying ship?
I did not.
I could never have guessed Edilk’s falling star was a ship containing a colony of humans.
Or that I would end up as part of that colony.
I want to believe we are far enough away from the tribe that they will not come looking.
Tiril discussed with all of us the best place to land, based on our knowledge of our tribes.
Close enough to observe but not close enough to be observed.
So while we selected several locations, it was a human who decided on the final one based on the soil and rock samples they wanted to take.
“I want a view of the area,” she says. “Before I go and set up the other two cameras.”
That’s the biggest job for Alisha. She doesn’t just sit around and watch the ship. She needs to place two cameras: one near the river, and one between the ship and the tribe.
The other three humans are further away from the tribe, and therefore at less risk of discovery. The work we are doing is much closer. For a moment, I wish I were with the others. But Charlie would not want my help even if I offered my services.
Alisha makes sure the drone connects to her tablet before Hugh sends it up. He has been practicing making it fly like a cloud-seeker, and once it is in the air, I am almost fooled.
My lips curve as I glance away from the sky to find Alisha looking at me. The smile remains on my lips as she moves closer so that I can view the tablet screen.
“Tell me if you see anything,” she whispers as if there are warriors lurking in the trees.
It is odd to see the overhead view of the ship as the drone dips and circles. I spot the other humans moving through the trees, heading towards the first point. Hugh directs the drone in a widening circle that takes in the river.
“There is the trail they use.” I point at the screen, and Hugh steadies the drone. “Follow the river upstream.” I keep my voice soft. Upstream, there is evidence of heavier use. There’s a bridge, and several huts. “Stay downstream of the muddy track, or you risk being caught setting up the camera.”
Hugh continues his flyover of the settlement.
It is not as large as the ones Edilk and Orik describe when talking about their tribes.
I cannot remember the size of my tribe. I don’t even remember the faces of the older banished.
I don’t know what became of them, but I assume they are dead.
They died in their first winter alone, were hunted by predators, or were killed by another tribe.
Some banished chose to raid the nearest tribe just to get it over with.
They are reckless, choosing certain death over fragile survival.
I was raised to believe it was honorable to choose the fight and take a woman. But even before I had to leave, I knew that wasn’t my path. Why should I risk my life to bring a woman to a tribe who didn’t want me? While I never said those words out loud, the moment I walked away, my life was my own.
There are people moving around the settlement, starting morning chores and chasing children. I expected to feel some pang of hurt, but I’m just as curious as the humans. This is how my people live when they aren’t sent away.
I’m aware that Alisha is watching me, and I’m sure she will have questions later, but I may not have the answers.
This is as strange to me as it is to her.
No one seems to notice the drone as it continues its lazy flight past the houses to where people are letting animals out of their huts and into pens.
“Oh wow,” Hugh murmurs. “What is that?”
“Delicious,” I murmur
The humans laugh while I think of a way to describe the creature.
It looks like a strange cloud-seeker that has forgotten how to fly.
Instead it uses its wings as front limbs to walk on all fours, its fur is thick and shaggy and a purple-red not dissimilar to the leaves on the shrubs in this area.
I have never seen them in that color before. The ones my tribe had were much paler.
“So you eat them?” Hugh presses.
“Yes, and use their fur for spinning and making clothing.” I was never taught to spin.
It wasn’t considered a necessary skill for a banished warrior.
In that respect, my brothers had a better education.
They were part of village life and expected to contribute.
And over a long cold winter, the spinning of fibers and hooking of clothes kept idle hands busy.
Vari and Bridget both tried to teach me, and I failed to make anything useful. I am much better at gathering what they need and breaking down the stems of the grass with a rock.
“You are not catching one and bringing it home, Hugh,” Alisha warns.
“It’s already domesticated. Do you know how long that takes?”
I glance at Alisha, having heard this argument in the meeting. I’m sure she’s heard it more times than me.
She smiles at me and sighs. “We will find something smaller than a screamer. The animal that nearly trampled Yva makes good eating.”
Hugh grunts.
“Don’t put it in a tree right near the farm, as it will be noticed. You’ve been in the area too long. Move on,” I warn.
He nods, and the view on the screen changes as he completes the meandering loop back to where we are.
Alisha pulls up the map and hands me the tablet.
“Can you mark it up and select the camera locations? And I will sort them out.” She nods at Hugh and Erica.
Most of their work will be done by drone, but they are also going to set one up near another tribe further up the coast. They are trying to gather as much information about the tribes as they can.
It seems like spying, but there is no planned attack. They are trying to learn how to survive. I can’t help but wonder if the humans would’ve floundered and died in a generation without us here.
I draw the settlement, sketching in the building, the yards and the bridge.
I mark the approximate location of the trail, knowing that we need to be downstream of it.
The bridge will mark the difference between drinking water and other uses such as bathing or washing.
The camera needs to be on the other side of the river to capture the most river activity.
But also not directly in sight of the busiest areas.
I mark a potential location, but it will be better to determine the exact location when we’re there.
As for the camera between the ship and the settlement?
I’m not sure; my instinct says not too close to the settlement. Anything too close risks discovery.
Alisha finishes talking with Hugh and Erica. They’re going to remain with the ship while we put up these other two cameras. When we return to the ship, they are going to head out for two days to observe more of the farming and settle their drones.
“Ready?”
I jerk my head in agreement. She studies the map for a couple of heartbeats. “Where is the other one going?”
“That depends on the trails.” I point up the hill, glad that the slight hollow gives the ship a little cover. I still don’t trust the netting.
“Okay…let’s do this near one first so we don’t need to carry so much.”
We pull on our backpacks and each grab a case, which contains the camera and batteries and such, and set off up the hill. At the top of the hill, I glance back.
The hard edges of the ship have been softened by the netting and leaves. If I wasn’t looking for it, I may not have noticed it. However, if I often came here to hunt, then I would be immediately suspicious.