strings and ribbons in his hair. He took it all with the same rag doll stupor he showed for everything else. He didn’t eat. He didn’t clean himself. He hardly noticed when I tried to cheer him up.
The only thing that woke him up was once when Kitten tried to take off this thin silver chain he wore around his waist. It had a medallion dangling from it that I hadn’t noticed before, probably because he kept it tucked down in his loincloth. When she grabbed it he started fighting like a wild animal. She decked him when he chomped down on her thumb and threw him into a corner, but she let him keep the chain.
I helped him up. “What was that all about?”
“She tried to take my Balurra. ’Tis the token of a man’s love for his lady. He makes it with his own hands in the shape of her family crest, and only reveals it to his beloved or at his death.”
I got a look at it before he put it away. It was a silver circle with a design of green and black diamonds inside. I’d seen the same mark inlaid on some of the luggage from Sai’s coach. Must have been his sweetheart’s stuff.
***
After a while I noticed that there were some intra-camp rivalries going on. There was another clique of Aarurrh chicks who gave our gang the cold shoulder. We’d always make sure we did our gathering as far from them as possible. Queenie sneered at them, “They from One-Eye’s clan. Too good to dig ’cause their men best hunters. Hrrn! They steal kills from other men.”
“So how come nobody says something, Hur-Hranan?”
“Best hunters protect chief. Nobody can talk to him.”
Yup, just like trying to see the boss when his secretary hates you. Not gonna happen.
One-Eye’s clan had most of the top spots in the tribe, and lorded it over everybody. One-Eye was the worst. We used to pass him and his men most mornings on the way out of camp. He always gave Handsome, who was part of his squad, the shit detail, sometimes literally. The Aarurrh used the stream as one big combined dumpster and toilet, and sometimes they threw in so much stuff that somebody had to go dredge it out. Handsome was always the guy, and One-Eye made sure to let Kitten see. It was a funny way to try to impress her, but hell, I’d seen bikers pull the same shit back home.
One day after Kitten had been moping all morning, I asked Queenie why she didn’t dump One-Eye’s ass for good. Queenie grunted, angry. “Can’t do. Chief give her to Hruthar.” Hruthar was One-Eye’s real name. “They join at pregnant moon festival, next moon. Too soon.”
“The chief’s giving her to Hruthar, Hur-Hranan? You don’t get a say in it?”
She sighed. “When I girl, I leave Hirrarah tribe and join warrior from Yurrahah tribe. Yurrahah wiped out by Unrarach Clan and my man die, so I come back here. But too old to have babies now. No use they say. Won’t feed me. Har! I best digger here, but they want warriors. Chief say he take me back if I promise daughter to him to do what he want. I got no place to go so I say okay.” She ripped a tuber out of the ground, angry. “When cheater Hruthar make top man, chief promise Murrah to him when she joining age. Now she is.”
Man, and I thought chicks had it tough back home. I saw how One-Eye treated Kitten. I couldn’t see him changing when they tied the knot. I felt sorry for her and Queenie. But then something happened that made me put their troubles on the back burner.
***
One night Queenie and Kitten left us alone at the tent to go do some secret tribal women stuff. No slaves allowed. Sai was his usual talkative self, so I’d gone down to the creek to rinse the grain for the next day’s breakfast. When I got back to the tent Sai was teetering on top of Queenie’s cooking tripod, the tallest piece of furniture in the tent. Getting up there must have been the most athletic thing he’d done since we got here.
“Sai? What the hell...” Then I noticed the rope around his neck, knotted to one of the
The only thing that woke him up was once when Kitten tried to take off this thin silver chain he wore around his waist. It had a medallion dangling from it that I hadn’t noticed before, probably because he kept it tucked down in his loincloth. When she grabbed it he started fighting like a wild animal. She decked him when he chomped down on her thumb and threw him into a corner, but she let him keep the chain.
I helped him up. “What was that all about?”
“She tried to take my Balurra. ’Tis the token of a man’s love for his lady. He makes it with his own hands in the shape of her family crest, and only reveals it to his beloved or at his death.”
I got a look at it before he put it away. It was a silver circle with a design of green and black diamonds inside. I’d seen the same mark inlaid on some of the luggage from Sai’s coach. Must have been his sweetheart’s stuff.
***
After a while I noticed that there were some intra-camp rivalries going on. There was another clique of Aarurrh chicks who gave our gang the cold shoulder. We’d always make sure we did our gathering as far from them as possible. Queenie sneered at them, “They from One-Eye’s clan. Too good to dig ’cause their men best hunters. Hrrn! They steal kills from other men.”
“So how come nobody says something, Hur-Hranan?”
“Best hunters protect chief. Nobody can talk to him.”
Yup, just like trying to see the boss when his secretary hates you. Not gonna happen.
One-Eye’s clan had most of the top spots in the tribe, and lorded it over everybody. One-Eye was the worst. We used to pass him and his men most mornings on the way out of camp. He always gave Handsome, who was part of his squad, the shit detail, sometimes literally. The Aarurrh used the stream as one big combined dumpster and toilet, and sometimes they threw in so much stuff that somebody had to go dredge it out. Handsome was always the guy, and One-Eye made sure to let Kitten see. It was a funny way to try to impress her, but hell, I’d seen bikers pull the same shit back home.
One day after Kitten had been moping all morning, I asked Queenie why she didn’t dump One-Eye’s ass for good. Queenie grunted, angry. “Can’t do. Chief give her to Hruthar.” Hruthar was One-Eye’s real name. “They join at pregnant moon festival, next moon. Too soon.”
“The chief’s giving her to Hruthar, Hur-Hranan? You don’t get a say in it?”
She sighed. “When I girl, I leave Hirrarah tribe and join warrior from Yurrahah tribe. Yurrahah wiped out by Unrarach Clan and my man die, so I come back here. But too old to have babies now. No use they say. Won’t feed me. Har! I best digger here, but they want warriors. Chief say he take me back if I promise daughter to him to do what he want. I got no place to go so I say okay.” She ripped a tuber out of the ground, angry. “When cheater Hruthar make top man, chief promise Murrah to him when she joining age. Now she is.”
Man, and I thought chicks had it tough back home. I saw how One-Eye treated Kitten. I couldn’t see him changing when they tied the knot. I felt sorry for her and Queenie. But then something happened that made me put their troubles on the back burner.
***
One night Queenie and Kitten left us alone at the tent to go do some secret tribal women stuff. No slaves allowed. Sai was his usual talkative self, so I’d gone down to the creek to rinse the grain for the next day’s breakfast. When I got back to the tent Sai was teetering on top of Queenie’s cooking tripod, the tallest piece of furniture in the tent. Getting up there must have been the most athletic thing he’d done since we got here.
“Sai? What the hell...” Then I noticed the rope around his neck, knotted to one of the
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