Teleporter (a Hyllis family story #2) (27 page)

Daussie helped the girl up and into her clothes which lay strewn about the stall. In an effort to help her warm back up, Daussie wrapped the girl in a horse blanket. They went back out into the main part of the barn where they found the other girls still gathered around Nyssa.

Daussie stepped close to Nyssa and whispered, “Where’s Tarc?”

“He didn’t think these girls should be around a man for a while. When he let me in he said he was going to go drag the bodies out of the farmhouse and start a fire in its stove so we’d have a warm place to sleep tonight.”

“All thirteen of you?”

Nyssa nodded, “I think a little crowding would be good for us tonight.”

Lizeth rode beside Daum, her mood ranging from disgusted to furious. They had spent yesterday afternoon and evening going around to argue and plead with the leaders of the caravan and the various surrounding farms. After talking themselves hoarse, she and Daum had managed to recruit a grand total of seven men to return with them. Then it had taken until this next morning to get going. Prichard and his son were the only two of the seven who hoped they might actually accomplish something today. The other five just considered this to be a scouting mission.

She’d tried to convince the farmers and caravaners that the raiders were demoralized after having so many of them killed when they tried to stop the caravan. She didn’t tell them about the mission she and Tarc had carried out since neither she nor Tarc were supposed to have gone and she was afraid that someone would accuse them of “inciting” the kidnapping of Daussie. As evidence of the raiders’ demoralization, she described how the raiders had left the farm they’d been holed up at and “fled” to another.

Dubious voices had suggested they’d just used up the resources at the first location.

Daum had pleaded for aid to rescue his daughter, leaning heavily on their mercy. When speaking to the various groups he’d asked them to consider the possibility that their own daughters could be next. Mostly he’d met the stony and uncomfortable faces of men who didn’t want to risk their own lives for an unknown girl. They weren’t fighters after all and the risk to their own lives during a rescue attempt would have been high.

Lizeth had wanted to berate them for their lack of courage. Instead, she told them that this was the best chance they had to throw off the yoke of the raiders’ taxes.

At one point they had about fifteen men who said they were willing to come, but when it became obvious they wouldn’t be able to recruit an overwhelming force with which to attack the estimated 20 to 30 raiders who were thought to remain, volunteers started dropping out. The seven men who’d agreed to go anyway were young and full of fire, but even they didn’t really expect to fight today. They thought that maybe, if Lizeth was correct and almost all of the raiders had actually become demoralized enough to flee—maybe then they could attack those who remained.

Lizeth knew they had far too few men to make a difference and would have just given up—except she couldn’t do that to Daum, Tarc, and Eva. Eva rode at the back of the group. She’d refused to stay back with the caravan when everyone else in her family was out here in harm’s way. Not having any fighting skills, Eva’d brought a selection of her medical gear so she could help anyone who got injured.

Arco had actually given Lizeth a direct order not to go. Well, actually he’d given that order to all of the members of the guard troop, but Lizeth knew that it was really directed at her. When she’d decided to come anyway, she knew that she was presenting Arco with a real dilemma. She was the deadliest of his guards and he would be loath to lose her. On the other hand, allowing her to stay after an episode of direct insubordination would be problematic as well. She really didn’t know what he would decide, but Lizeth felt relatively confident she could get a job in another guard troop if she lost this one. If she could convince them to take a woman, that is.

Prichard called ahead to Lizeth and Daum, “If the boy was right and it’s just a little ways further down this road, the raiders must’ve taken over Yates’ farm. Yates had been paying his taxes to them, so if they took him over they might actually
have
been retreating.” After a pause, Prichard continued, “The buildings on Yates’ farm are out in the middle of their fields so there’s no way we’re going to sneak up on anybody there.”

Lizeth glanced at Daum who had a bleak look on his face. He saw her look. Speaking in a despondent tone, he said, “We’re not going to get her back, are we?”

Exactly what I’ve been thinking,
Lizeth thought sadly. Aloud, she said, “Don’t give up! The raiders’ morale has
got
to be low after you dropped so many of them out there on the road. Imagine how they’re going to react when you start killing any of them who poke their heads up at their new hideout.”

“I’m afraid that once I start doing that, they’ll just start killing hostages…” He gazed off as if looking into an infinite distance. “If they do that… it’d stop me in a hurry,” he said, almost whispering.

Lizeth said nothing for a while, then, “Maybe we’ll think of something once we see the lay of the land there. Tarc’s had a while to look things over. Could be he’s seen a weakness.”

Desolately, Daum said, “It’s hard to imagine ex-soldiers having a weakness so great that we could exploit it before they killed a bunch of their hostages…”

Again they rode in silence as Lizeth tried to imagine such a weakness herself.

Lizeth’s horse reared a little as someone stepped out into the road ahead of them. At first Lizeth thought it was the start of an ambush. She glanced quickly to both sides trying to see the men who would spring out from wherever they were hidden in the woods.

Daum said, “Tarc!” He rode ahead and leapt down. Lizeth followed. Daum clasped Tarc, then paused. Lizeth thought he was marshaling words to tell Tarc how few men they had with them. Though, she thought, surely Tarc could see for himself how small the group back behind Daum and Lizeth was. Heavily, Daum said, “We only have nine fighters. We couldn’t convince the caravaners or the farmers to send more yet. We’re hoping to scout and come up with a plan with enough likelihood of success that we’ll be able to convince them to send more.”

Lizeth looked into Tarc’s eyes. He looked desolate. A cold sad feeling gripped her heart as she decided that he must be about to tell them that Daussie had already been killed.

Tarc sighed. In a flat and lifeless voice, he said, “That’s okay, the raiders are gone. When they took off, they left thirteen women, well mostly girls, behind. The girls are a ways behind me. I’ve been scouting ahead.”

“What about Daussie?” Daum asked anxiously.

“Oh,” Tarc said as if he’d forgotten she’d been in danger. “She’s okay.” He tilted his head, “A little traumatized, but okay.” Tarc looked over the group of men behind Lizeth and Daum. Quietly he said, “I don’t think it’ll be so great for a whole bunch of men to come up on the girls right now. A lot of them
really
don’t like men at present.” He sighed, “I wish Mom were here, she might know what to do”

“Eva’s at the back,” Daum said. He turned and called over his shoulder “Eva, we need you up here.”

Eva trotted her horse up to the front. When she saw it was Tarc she immediately leapt off her horse and clasped her son hard to her. Pushing Tarc back out to arm’s length, she said querulously, “Daussie?”

Tarc nodded, “She’s okay. There are a bunch of girls back there in the woods that the raiders left behind. They hid while I came up here to check on who you guys were.” He looked around at the men who’d ridden up behind Eva, “I know you guys are friendly, but the girls are pretty stressed out so I’m not sure how they’re gonna deal with having a bunch of strange men approach them.” Looking back at his mother, “Can you come talk to them?”

Prichard, just behind them now, leaned forward, “Where are the raiders?”

“Gone,” Tarc said emotionlessly.

Unbelieving, Prichard drew his head back, “They’re gone?! Are you sure?!”

Tarc merely nodded. Lizeth couldn’t understand why Tarc didn’t seem any happier about the situation. He seemed completely flat. Eva also studied her son with a look of concern. She glanced back at Lizeth, then turned back to Tarc. “Maybe Lizeth could come with me?”

Tarc nodded. “That’d be a good idea. I think we should walk though.”

Prichard, who’d been listening intently said, “We’ll send a few scouts out to be
sure
none of the raiders are hanging around. Also to go look at the Yates’ farm and confirm the raiders are
really
gone.” He sighed, “We need to know what happened there. Don’t want to find out they just went out on another raid and are about to come back.”

Tarc sighed, “The Yates, their son, and their grandson are all dead. The daughter-in-law and granddaughter are with the rest of the girls back there in the woods.” He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder as he spoke. Then he shrugged, “The raiders
are
really gone, but it’d be fine for you to send out some scouts and look around. Just don’t get very close to the girls in their present state of mind. I’ve been staying pretty far away from them myself. They’re about 100 yards back, off in the woods on the right side.”

Lizeth wondered to herself if seeing the Yates family destroyed was the reason Tarc seemed so depressed. She’d swung down off her horse and stepped over to Eva and Tarc. Now she took Eva’s horse and her own and tied them near some likely grass, “I’m ready to go if you’ll lead the way.”

Eva said, “Give me a minute, I’m going to get my pot so we can make the girls some tea.”

Just before they reached the girl’s location, Tarc said, “They’re just on the other side of that little bit of underbrush there. How about if I take the pot, start a fire and heat some water for the tea while you ladies go on ahead.”

“They’re going to have to deal with men eventually,” Eva said.

Tarc shrugged, “Yeah, but I think it would be better if you’d talk to some of them for a while first.” He shrugged again, “Actually some of them
seem
to be fine. But some of them are
really
freaked out.”

“But
you’ve
been around them already!” Lizeth said. “Why should going back to them cause a problem?”

Tarc looked toward where the girls were located. “Actually, I’ve been staying pretty far away from them. They see me in the distance. Daussie tells them I’m out there protecting them…” he looked off into the distance himself, “but I don’t get close.” He chewed his lip a moment. “I think maybe they’re reassured to see a man out there somewhere protecting them. Just not one that’s getting close enough that he might think to do them some harm. In fact, when we all start heading back together, I think it’d be good if some of the men were way out in front and some of them way back behind… Acting as protectors, you know? But not right with them.”

Eva looked at her son for a moment, then said “Okay, I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve actually talked to them. Meanwhile, you go ahead and start a fire and heat us some water.”

Tarc pointed, “If you need me right away, I’ll be going down to a little stream over there to get the water first.”

Lizeth followed Eva as she stepped through the little screen of brush the girls were hiding behind. All of the girls looked a little hollow eyed, but some of them looked truly frightened. First Eva went over to hug Daussie and they whispered together for a bit. Then Eva spoke for a few moments to a pretty woman who looked to be in her late twenties.

Finally, she turned and knelt close, but not too close to the rest of the girls. To Lizeth’s astonishment she began singing a lullaby. Eva had a
beautiful
voice! A moment later, Daussie joined in on harmony. Though Lizeth had heard that particular lullaby hundreds of times,
this
time it seemed like a work of art.

And very calming…

After speaking for a while in a hypnotic tone that seemed to calm everyone’s nerves, Eva turned to Lizeth and said, “Can you see if Tarc has the tea ready yet Lizeth?”

As Lizeth walked back to where Tarc had said he would brew the tea, Lizeth suddenly realized they didn’t have cups for all the girls to drink from. As she pondered this problem she reached Tarc who handed her a large pot of tea and an astonishing stack of cups that all nested one inside the other. They were obviously technology from the ancients as they were all so perfect and fit together so well.

Lizeth took the tea back to the girls and found Eva and Daussie singing to them again. This continued while Lizeth and Daussie passed out the cups and poured everyone a little tea. Eva resumed talking to the girls.

After a bit, Lizeth walked back to where Tarc had been, surprised to find that she herself felt much calmer. She didn’t remember much of what Eva actually said, however, she realized that she
had
been worried about whether Arco would let her stay with the guards. She didn’t feel all that worried about it anymore. She’d get a job somewhere.

Lizeth gave the big pot back to Tarc who said he would make some more tea and went to the stream to fill the pot.

Lizeth stood around for a bit, feeling a little at loose ends. After a while she decided to go out to the road and see if any of the others had returned from their scouting. She wasn’t sure whether she’d been gone long enough for them to make a trip to the farm and back. In fact, she realized with a little amusement at herself, she wasn’t
at all
sure how long she’d been gone. Evidently it had been long enough. Prichard was there talking to the rest of the men. Well, except for Daum who had gone off to check on the next farm to the north.

As Lizeth walked up Prichard looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. “That boy… what did he say happened to the raiders?”

Lizeth frowned as she tried to remember. “Um… I think he just said they were gone.”