Chapter Seventeen

The Village of Vaio

They headed out of the War Front on horse back again, as there was no fear of the horses tripping on something that they could not see.

Brook and Robin led the way down the cliff and they picked their way watching carefully for anything that might be a sneak attack.

“Where are we headed?” Andreya asked as they rode through a forest, watching the shadows carefully.

“We’ll head towards the village of Vaio,” Brook said, “its on the edges of the territory, where most of the adults go through. When we get there, someone will be able to take you to the east.”

Andreya nodded and looked forward. She had not really considered what was going to happen when they got to their destination, she had not wanted to think what was going to change. She had so much change already.

She looked to Brook and Robin; she was positive that she could never be in Hirota again. They were too headstrong about the Ciathans, with too many prejudices against them.

The trip was a fast and silent one; Andreya had never seen the landscape so void of life, and Robin and Brook were silent as they urged their horses forward and neither Fox nor Sparrow said anything. Andreya supposed that they were anxious to get to the village – they had been in Hirota for so long, it would make sense that being this close to home they would want to go there.

The sun began to set as they reached what Andreya thought must be the village of Vaio, it was a tightly packed and busy town, full of Ciathans. Brook and Robin rode close on either side of her as they trotted down the main street of the village, Fox and Sparrow on the outside of them. There were people of all occupations roaming the open streets in the coming night, each with a lantern and looking very much like a regular Hirotan village to Andreya. Except the fact that they were all staring at her as they past through their midst.

“Do they always do that with visitors?” Andreya couldn’t help asking Robin.

“Not many Hirotans come through Vaio, and even fewer who come on horseback,” Robin explained, “in fact, I’m probably right when I say that you are the only one.”

“Ah,” Andreya said looking forward again, “I suppose that I should go talk to someone so they don’t kill me on sight.”

“That’s where we are headed,” Brook replied with a smile, “don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”

“If you say so,” Andreya answered watching the crowd of white eyes in dark faces staring at her.

Brook brought her to a large building only a few feet from the entrance to the shipyard and then dismounted from her horse.

Andreya dismounted with a hand from Robin and walked into the building, her cheeks reddening as the Ciathans watched her limp into the building.

Inside looked vaguely like it was originally a stable, the scrubbed wood flooring was chipped and unevenly laid. There was a desk in the far end of the room and locked drawers lining the walls. There was about seven Ciathans already in the room, including a tall bald man standing by the desk, leaning on it slightly.

He stood up straighter as Andreya, Brook, Robin, Fox and Sparrow approached him.

“Well, well, well,” he said in a very low and friendly voice, “our newest adults seemed to have picked up some stragglers with them.”

“Yes, sir,” Fox said with a straight face.

“Brook, Robin,” the man said, “we assumed that you were dead.”

“I’m sure we would have been more than once,” Brook replied slyly, “if it hadn’t been for Andreya.”

It seemed for the first time that the man’s eyes slid to Andreya, who was standing with her weight on her good leg looking a little bewildered.

“A Helew?” the man asked.

“No,” Robin jumped, “Andreya is not a Helew, Elephant.”

Elephant stared at Andreya, “what purpose did you bring her here for?”

“She has saved my life more than a couple times,” explained Brook, “the Helews now believe her as an enemy. I wish to ask permission to send a guide with her to the East – she can’t return to her home now.”

Elephant watched Andreya carefully, Andreya held his gaze, though she was not sure that that was the best thing to do.

“Andreya,” Elephant said finally, “do you understand what you have done?”

“Um,” Andreya stuttered, “I helped a friend? And kept my word?”

Elephant continued to watch her then said finally, “we have men travelling to the East in three days time, are you sure that you are ready to leave your home behind?”

“I left my home behind a long time ago – there is no one at Veii anymore,” Andreya replied.

Elephant said nothing else to her but turned to one of the men standing beside him and spoke in quick Ciathan to the man.

“I will ask Spider to bring you to the East Andreya, he knows people there that would be able to help you set up your life,” Elephant said as the other man disappeared out of the building.

“Thank you,” Andreya said gratefully.

Elephant gave a nod and then turned to Brook and Robin, “I take it that you two have finished your time?”

“More than,” Brook said crossing her arms.

“Very well, there is a ship that leaves tomorrow morning for home, you four are welcome on it,” Elephant said.

Brook and Robin seemed relieved and Sparrow and Fox were very excited again.

“I have beds for you all, if you wish to sleep?” Elephant asked.

“Very much so,” Brook replied with a sigh, “it’s been a tough two months.”

“Yes, I thought so, Cougar!” Elephant called and a short, trim man came up to them and with bow showed the five travellers out of the building and up a flight of stairs on the outside.

Upstairs was a large dormitory style room, with a few of the eighteen hammocks occupied.

“There is a bathing area for men at the right and for women on the left,” Cougar explained pointing the two doors out, “feel free to choose a bed when you have cleaned to your liking. Andreya, Spider will be waiting for you when you have finished cleaning – please come downstairs again when you are done.”

Andreya nodded and Cougar left them to themselves. Robin and Fox took themselves off to the male wash room, while Sparrow, Andreya and Brook headed to the door on the left.

Inside was not like any wash room that Andreya had been inside. It was an open room with a row of benches right in the middle and along the walls what look like hoses sticking out of the top.

“I’ve never seen a room like this before,” Andreya said looking around.

“What do you do for washing?” Sparrow asked.

“We have tubs and draw water,” Andreya said.

“Oh, well, this is a lot easier,” said Brook stripping down to her underwear. “The water from the sea is draw into these pipes and they shoot them out, allowing us to stand up to wash.”

“Oh,” Andreya said as Brook now completely naked walked to one of the hoses and twiddled a tap beside it. In a moment a jet of water hit the top of her head, running through her dark hair.

“You might want to get undressed,” said Sparrow beside her already walking over to the hoses, naked, “clothes and water don’t always go well together.”

After taking a breath Andreya pulled of her shirt, but had to sit down to take off her pants because of her leg. Feeling self-conscious she went to one of the hoses and turned it on. Andreya was highly surprised when the water hit her; it was warm even though it was still at the beginning of spring.

“What happens if a guy walks in?” Andreya asked.

“They won’t,” Sparrow said.

“Yeah,” Brook continued, “cause they know if they do they won’t be castrated they don’t walk into a woman’s wash room.”

“You can do that sort of thing?” Andreya asked her brown hair streaming in her eyes.

“Of course, any woman with a weapon can protect herself, and any woman with a weapon can protect any other women who doesn’t have a weapon,” Brook said.

“Oh,” Andreya said, “where I come from a woman has to do what her man told her.”

Brook stared at her then mumbled to herself, “I always thought Hirotans were wacko.”

Andreya soaked in the warm water for a little bit longer when there was a knock at the door and Cougar’s voice came from outside it.

“Andreya, when you’re finished, Spider is waiting downstairs for you,” he said without even touching the doorknob.

“Thank you Cougar,” Brook called soaping her long dark hair. The footsteps retreated from the door and Brook tossed Andreya a bottle.

“What’s this?”

“Don’t you ever wash your hair?” Brook asked.

“Well, I do, but with soap.”

“This stuff is better for your hair, go ahead.”

Andreya poured some of the slow moving liquid into her hand. It smelt very nice and she rubbed it into her hair. After a moment she rinsed it out and her hair felt smoother than it had any other time that she had washed. Andreya fiddled with the switch that had turned her water on and it finally turned it off again.

“You’d best head downstairs,” Brook said after turning off her own hose. “Spider isn’t usually a patient guy.”

Andreya dried off with a towel that Sparrow had passed her and then donned a new travelling outfit that Brook gave her and limped out of the room.

She took the stairs slowly, her right leg still hurting. Outside the moon was just beginning to rise that the village seemed to have taken on a new tone of life, there was people laughing and talking, walking around the place with light steps. Andreya made it down the stairs and leaned on the side of the building for a moment.

“Do you need an arm?” said a voice beside her making her jump. A boy about the same age as Robin was standing there smiling.

“Um,” Andreya began and looking towards the door of the building.

“Relax,” the boy said, “you’re Andreya right?”

Andreya nodded.

“I go by Spider,” the boy said, “you’re supposed to be meeting me right?”

Andreya relaxed, “yes, Cougar and Elephant said that you could help me get to the East?”

“I sure can,” Spider said with a grin holding out an arm for her to steady herself with. “What happened with your leg?” he asked when she steadied herself on his arm.

“It was punctured by a creature in the marshes,” Andreya explained not wanting to completely go into the details.

“You survived that monster?” Spider asked with an awed expression on his face, “when we were little, we used to dare each other to go and take on the monster in those marshes.”

“Did you?”

“Of course not,” Spider replied, “our parents would never let us.”

Andreya looked at him curiously for a moment, “how long have you been here?”

“I was born in Vaio, it’s not just a military camp,” Spider explained, “my father is Elephant, so I’ve been here for as long as I can remember.”

“Wow,” Andreya murmured, “I never guessed that there would be actual family life here.”

“It surprises a lot of people,” Spider said good heartedly.

“Why don’t you hate me?” Andreya asked randomly.

“Because I was told of your appearance and what you had did before I met you,” Spider replied, “but I’m willing to give everyone a chance, even if those older than me aren’t.”

“Good to know,” Andreya replied.

Spider laughed, “we are not all crazy. Now, how fast can you ride?”

“What do you mean?” Andreya asked.

“Well, with your injury – does it hamper your riding?” Spider inquired.

“No,” Andreya answered and she explained how Mother Gai and Solcin had healed it for her back in the Village of Seyers.

She talked for quite a bit with Spider, very late into the night. When she was beginning to yawn, Spider sent her up to bed and she collapsed into it gratefully.

It must have been very, very early in the morning when Andreya was woken by a very loud and terrifying yell.

Brook, in the bed beside her, immediately rolled out of her hammock and grabbed her weapon she hurried to the stairway. Robin and Fox were right behind her as the sounds of screams and shouts reached their ears.

Sparrow gave Andreya a hand to steady herself on as she swung out of the hammock and grabbed her bow and quiver.

“What’s happening?” Andreya asked reaching the stairwell. Spider was running up them.

“It’s time to go,” he said reaching them, “the boat is shipping out, and we are leaving now for Lokin.”

“What’s Lokin?” Andreya asked as Brook rushed passed her back into the room. “And what’s happening out there?”

“Lokin is our biggest village to the east,” Spider explained, “and we are under attack.”

“Does that happen often?” Andreya asked.

“Yes,” Brook replied handing Andreya her twin swords.

“Let’s go,” Spider said and Robin motioned for Andreya to get on his back. He piggybacked her down the stairs and then set on the ground as there were people running around.

“Come on!” Spider said leading the five of them into the shipyard. Arrows whizzed past them as they hurried into the abandoned shipyard.

Suddenly there was group of Hirotans in front of them, yelling and screaming, Spider drew his sword and attacked them head on.

“This way,” Brook said grabbing Andreya’s arm and leading her to the side of the fight. Andreya unhooked her bow, strung it and fumbling picked out an arrow. She took aim and hit a Hirotan in the eye that was bearing down on Spider.

“Thanks!” he called as Brook and Fox, on either side of Andreya fired arrows towards the Hirotans that were following them.

Spider turned back to the fight and Andreya only caught out of the corner of her eye the sword that slid through his ribs. Robin was immediately on the Hirotan and the rest of the ambush party melded with the reinforcements leaving six dead.

Andreya hurried forward, dropping beside Spider and feeling his neck.

“Andreya?” Brook called standing in front of her now firing arrows.

“He’s dead,” said Andreya after a moment hanging her head slightly, “I can’t do anything for him.”

She stood up and wobbled slightly, putting an arrow to her bow.

An arrow flew from one of the back archers of the Hirotans and found its way between Brook and Robin.

Andreya felt the searing pain in her shoulder before blacking out completely.