Just Ride Part Three

There was excitement threading among the Midnight Wagons at the rise of the central fire. The packs were filled for the journey with portions of jerky to chew on and botas of water or in Duran's case ... paga. If that man ever took a sip of water he would probably get drunk and pass out. We had enough small items to make some good trades. It was going to be an interesting trip, little did we know at the time just how interesting.

Once we could see the line of dweller wagons in front of us, Duran and Sage gave signal for the women to remain back a little. Never know what silly outsiders will do and they had no intentions of any of us getting hurt. We had merely come for some trade, I swear that was all we had in mind ... honestly. Petra and I watched as the men approached to meet the first of the wagons. From the distance it all seemed to go well, those nods and pointings that men do when posturing for each other. Then it seemed everything went into slow motion. It wasn't our tunnel vision that created the scene but the dwellers themselves moving slowly. Hands began to reach in the air and each of them slipped off the buckboards. Sage gave the signal for the rest of us to approach. I would never have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it with my own two eyes. The caravan was surrendering everything they had as long as the women could go free and they could all leave safely. They were literally begging for the Tuchuk men to please .. please take all that they had. I think we all blinked a few times and decided to give the dwellers what they asked. We took what they had and watched as they scurried into the openness of the plains, unarmed, without supplies and on foot. I almost laughed remembering a story I had told Fonce once about the Celts and how they won battles much the same way.

Duran shrugged and Sage finally fell off his kaiila laughing when they were all well out of sight. Petra, Marnus and I took reins on the bosk and turned the wagons back toward the harigga and I finally leaned out to ask Duran what the &^%$ had just happened. He lifted a brow without ever looking at me to answer ... just ride woman ...shut up and just ride.

During the journey back I pondered the many things that had swirled in my head, Tarra's neglected advise, the strain in the friendship with Cana, Ba'atar, the talks with Ramza, the talks with Kam, that urgent feel of wanting to be somewhere I wasn't, that feeling of anxiety that didn't go away. I'd watched how fear had made a simple situation become a nightmare for those that gave into it. The dwellers had reacted to their fears not the unassuming arrival of the Tuchuk. Hadn't I been doing the same thing in different ways.

It all came into wonderfully crystal clear focus when I looked up to see the myriad of multi-colored wagons stretched out in front of us once more. I relaxed and realized that right now, here was where I belonged and no, I would not fear that it wasn't.