StoneHeart and FlameTongue

~~~ Quick Series Recap ~~~

Hart's three wives - Gwen, Jeanne, and Enys - have organized a group of women to go raiding. They plan to wipe out some highly-aggressive clans that live nearby and claim the spoils as their own. Enys told the others that she had three perfect villages in mind. The group will also forage for seeds and try to locate some trees that Wendi can use to make charcoal for the forge.

~~~

Early the next morning, Gwen and Jeanne kept me in bed while Enys went with Meredith and Jolla to get the last-minute arrangements made for our group to set out.

I climbed between the thighs of my first two wives and gave them a cream-filled deposit to assure them that I'd be back.

Outside, Jala had my breakfast in her hands. She sat on my lap as I ate, holding the water-skin. She told me that Molly was still giddy and excited about being pregnant with a boy - my only son. As I ate and I conversed with my daughter, I watched Enys gathering the women that would be setting off with us. We had a mix of those I'd already met, already fucked, and some that weren't in either of those groups.

I took a drink of water to wash down my food and then sent Jala off with a hug and a kiss. I headed over to check in with my wives to see if we were close to being ready to head out.

The answer to my question was yes. I gave Meredith and Jolla hugs and kisses and then did the same with their daughters. Gwen and Jeanne informed me that they were going to try to see about having a true double-bed built - so that we could sleep together without the ridge in the middle - where the two frames met. I told them that I was very much in favor of that. While we'd made it work, my body was still a bit sore from the experience.

Jeanne and Gwen walked with us until we got to the log-walls and the ramp. They collected one more kiss from me and then I jogged to catch up with Enys - who was leading the group of a dozen women that were traveling with us. Erin was the only other woman that I knew by name. She greeted me with a smile as I passed her to reach my white-haired wife.

"So, where are we headed, gorgeous?" I asked her.

She grinned and offered me her hand. I twined my fingers through hers. She studied what I'd done for a moment and then beamed at me. Apparently, I had taught her something new. I was glad that she approved.

"I'm going to keep our destinations a surprise," Enys said quietly. "I have my reasons."

"That's not mysterious at all," I said. "You're keeping secrets from me, little wife?" I teased.

Her face sobered.

"It's for ... our safety," she answered. "Please don't make me divulge the details right now. I'll explain when all of this is over - though the secrets may be well-known before I finish what I've planned for us to do."

"Do the others know?" I asked.

"Gwen and Jeanne?" she asked in reply. "No, I told them only what I've told you and the others. Some in our group may have figured out at least a portion of what I'm up to but - I don't think so. Still, I'd rather not reveal too much beforehand. All that I promised you will be accomplished. If I am successful in moving decisively and quickly, it should happen without too much bloodshed."

"You're really driving me crazy with this, beautiful," I told her.

She squeezed my fingers and gave me a disarming smile. She pulled me against her side and lowered her voice.

"We'll mark the things that Erin and the others think we need to grab on the way back as we travel away from the village. The first several hours of this journey will be along the same path that we will use to return. By midday, we'll take a course that will set us on the path to sweep through the three villages that I have in mind. I need as few people to know our plans as possible so that - by the time we head home again - we don't have foes lying in wait for us. We'll be encumbered at that point and we'll have to move more slowly. Is that enough to satisfy you for now?"

I leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

"I trust you," I told her.

Enys squeezed my fingers again and pulled my arm around her. We walked side-by-side.

"I am so happy to have found you, my lord," she said. "My new sisters are a delight. The gods have smiled on me. I hope you and the others will be highly pleased with what we bring back home when we return. If the gods will grant me just a bit more favor, I think you will be satisfied that I have served you well."

We traveled for over two hours before we came to a section of the path where the hard-packed soil led into a thickly wooded area. Enys called the group to a halt. She told them to rest, relieve themselves, and get something in their stomachs.

While the others took a break, Enys pulled me ahead of the group - towards the small grove of trees.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"Up?" she inquired.

"What are we up to - what are we doing - what's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"This section of the road can be dangerous," she warned. "There are spiders here that have a taste for blood. I want to draw them out and kill them so that we don't have to worry about whether any of the women are going through their monthly cycle ..."

"Okay ..."

Enys pulled a dagger from a leather sheath that she had strapped to her thigh - under her skirt.

"Sneaky ...," I teased her.

She grinned back at me. She used the dagger to cut a small slice on the side of her forearm.

"Smear my blood on your arms. It should draw the spiders to you. Together, we will remove them."

"Anything I need to know about these monsters?"

"Their bite causes paralysis but - from what I have observed - you are resistant to far more than most men - so I believe that you will be unharmed."

"Paralytic venom sounds useful ...," I told her.

She nodded and said, "If we can keep from damaging the venom sacs, that would be helpful."

"And they are located where?" I asked.

"Beneath and behind their mandibles," she replied.

"Easiest way to kill them and still preserve the sacs?"

"Remove the head," she replied. "The legs are covered in spiny points and may prove useful as well."

"Got it," I said. "Yank the heads off and leave them for the harvesters to collect ..."

Enys nodded and said, "I'll use my lightning if it looks like you're being overwhelmed - but I think that's going to leave us with no harvestable materials."

"Probably," I said. "I agree with your plan. We ready?"

Enys studied how I had applied her blood. She nodded. I tugged the hand-and-a-half blade out of the shoulder sheath. My pretty wife nodded once again.

I headed into the trees.

On my first pass, I only got attacked a half-dozen times. I killed five of the spiders without them being able to try to bite me. I let the last one try. The sharp tips on their mandibles were barely able to break my skin - and the amount of venom that was injected didn't do anything more than make a small area around the wound go numb - and then only for a few minutes.

Happy that our plan was going to work without any problems, I moved three paces to the right of the path and headed through the small forest once again. I got four times as many spiders this time. As I killed each one, Enys dragged them to the narrow packed-dirt trail. At the other end of the area that we were clearing, I turned around and - once again - followed the path about three paces to the right.

Once that section had been deemed clear, I moved three more paces to the right and made another sweep - down and back - resulting in another dozen spiders attacking. Overall, we had about three dozen spider corpses that needed to be collected.

We returned to the rest of the group, told them what we'd been up to, explained what we needed them to do - and then warned them to call out if they saw a spider attacking. We got everybody up and moving and made our way through the forest - collecting all of the useable materials without too much difficulty or delay - and without further incident.

We traveled another hour before Enys pulled me to the left of the path to check a series of caves that regularly harbored something similar to a goblin. We found three caves inhabited and I wiped them out while Enys covered me. One other cave held the corpses of a group of men who appeared - based on the loot they had collected - to be a band of thieves. Based on the bite marks on the corpses, we figured the goblins had found them before us. We sorted through the grim remains and grabbed anything that was valuable or useful. After that, we returned to the group.

We traveled another half-hour before Enys took Erin and scouted for some timber that we would need to cut down on the way back. They also found some wild onions and a few other forage items that we could try to domesticate to raise in our gardens or fields.

Once Erin and Enys returned, we traveled a bit further until the trail split in several directions. The first intersection offered three choices. A short time later, we came to a smaller fork in the road. Both times, we kept to the left.

We traveled two more hours before Enys had everyone take a restroom break, eat something, and get some water. She cautioned them to stay quiet - but told them to be ready to fight - just in case. She informed them that her plan was to complete the raid without the need for violence. She would do the talking, I would provide the show of force, and we'd try to keep from killing too many people. Our group only needed to arm themselves so that they were ready to defend against unexpected resistance.

We traveled another half-hour before I saw a village that was probably the size of Circle Clan's settlement. Enys moved forward with confidence. It was obvious to me that she knew the place well. I stayed on her heels - ready to deal with whatever problems she stirred up.

My cute little bubble-butted wife headed straight for the largest hut. A muscled woman emerged, spotted us, and fixed her eyes on Enys. She jogged our way, pulling a sword from her hip. I started to reach for my own sword, but Enys told me to leave it sheathed.

"Enys," the woman said, coming to a stop in front of her. "Who are these people? This male doesn't look like those that you were with before. What happened to Bair?"

"This one killed him," Enys told the woman. "Pack up everything you want to take with you. You're coming with us."

"Bair's dead? Who's in charge of the Tribe of War now?"

"Probably Willum - unless he got himself killed on the way home."

"Willum's a hot-headed idiot," the woman said matter-of-factly.

Enys merely nodded.

"I'm not sure we can carry everything I've a mind to take," the woman said.

The leader looked at me. I held out my hand.

"I'm called Hart - like the stag," I told her.

Her eyes went straight to my crotch.

"There's a queue," Enys told her, snickering. "I'll get you moved to the top if you can get this rabble moving quickly enough. Hart, this is Loren. Loren, I need to warn you that he's put a child in every woman he's lain with."

"You?"

"I was given a choice by the gods - a child or a bit more power," Enys told her.

Loren's eyebrows rose as she reappraised the girl.

"We need to keep moving," Enys told her. "I won't tell you my plan - but I want to make two more stops before nightfall. I'm hoping to be home by then."

"Home?"

"Hart merged the Circle Clan with the Night Raiders. He took over the Night Raider village and is making it more defendable."

Loren looked me up and down one more time.

The female leader turned back to Enys and told her, "I've got an anvil and some broken weapons that we were reforging. They'll be heavy."

"Make a sledge to put them on and Hart will pull it. He'll want that anvil for sure."

Loren looked at me and I nodded.

"Anything else you have, that you don't want to come back for, needs to go with us," Enys told her. "We have a few that can help pack - but I need their hands free for defending your lot while we're moving. They also have tasks for the trip home. If you need something busted loose, Hart can handle it."

"We'll get it," Loren said. "It's gonna take me more than an hour."

Enys worried her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment, thinking.

"Go get them started and then come back to talk," Enys told her. "I need to reveal a bit more of my scheme to Hart and get his advice."

Loren looked back and forth between the two of us.

"He listens to you?"

Enys nodded and told her, "He's got two other wives. They and their mothers serve as the council at the village."

"No men?"

"All dead. Hart rescued Circle Clan first and then went to check on the Night Raiders because he knew he'd killed a bunch of them. They hadn't left any males at home when they raided Circle Clan."

Loren shook her head at hearing that. I agreed with her assessment.

"Go get your people moving," Enys told her.

Once Loren was out of earshot, Enys turned to me. She pulled me down to whisper into my ear.

"There are two more villages like this - subjugated by the Tribe of War," she told me. "There should be almost no men. The women here are little more than slaves. Bair's men are free to do as they please, as long as they keep the females working. They provide protection to this place in exchange for ... favors ... or worse."

I nodded.

"The next village is almost an hour away - and the last another half-hour beyond that. What do you think about leaving our group here and the two of us moving on? I hate to sit here, doing nothing, while these women pack. It leaves too much time for somebody to slip away and pass the word to Willum - or anyone else that might come and make things more difficult ..."

"I agree with your plan," I told her. "Who are you going to leave in charge?"

"Loren and Erin," she replied.

"Do it," I told her. "I'll carry you on my back and we'll move more quickly."

She kissed me and then I stood up. Loren was returning.

"I'll go get Erin," I told Enys.

Enys nodded to me and then pulled Loren close and began to whisper instructions to her. I motioned Erin over to me and then took her by the hand, leading her back to Enys. Enys pulled her into the whispered huddle and the three of them worked out the details together.

Once Loren and Erin knew their roles, Enys and I headed over to talk to our raiding party.

"Hart and I are going to go check on another set of caves," Enys lied. "Stand guard here. Erin is in charge of our group and Loren is in charge of the new women. We will be guarding them as they carry stuff away from here. Hart and I will be back in an hour or so. By then, hopefully, these women will be ready to move out. Keep an eye out for trouble ..."

The women from our raiding party nodded. I handed the sword and sheath off to Erin and then knelt down so that Enys could climb onto my back. I gripped her legs in my hands, stood back up, and took off at a jog - following her directions on which paths to take.

After fifteen minutes of bouncing along as she rode piggyback, Enys complained that her legs hurt. In the end, I locked my fingers together behind my waist and she stood in my hands and hung onto the top of my head. It wasn't the most comfortable for either of us - but it let me speed up a bit more - so I was okay with the trade-off. We arrived at the next village after another twenty minutes or so.

This village was almost the same as Loren's. The head woman's name was Syble. Her group were herders. They had sheep and some thin-looking cattle. The group of women included some weavers and a couple leatherworkers as well, of course. Enys told Syble and her villagers to get all of their shit packed and to be ready to move when we returned.

Once again, Enys and I set off. I ran for almost another half-hour before we arrived at a village that focused on gardening. Korma was the head-woman at that location. Enys pretty much gave Korma the same speech that she had given Loren and Syble - and then urged them to hurry and get everything packed up to vacate the place.

Each of the three villages was half-again larger than the Circle Clan had been. I wasn't really sure how we were going to have enough space for everybody - but I was super-pleased with how the day was going. We'd just have to work out those details after we got home.

As we stood there, chilling our heels, waiting for Korma's women to get everything packed up, Enys fidgeted nervously. She began pacing. She looked like she was thinking something through and struggling with a decision.

"What's up, gorgeous?" I asked at a whisper.

"We need to make one more stop," she whispered back. "It could really mess with my plans - but it would gain us valuable resources."

"You're knocking it out of the park so far ...," I told her.

"Knocking what - and what's a park?" she asked.

"You're doing great," I told her. "What's your idea?"

"We need to hit Tribe of War's main settlement," she said. "There is a group of women there ..."

"Let's do it," I told her.

"You're sure? You didn't even wait for me to finish explaining."

"Are we ahead of schedule?"

"Yes."

"Have we had any setbacks yet?"

"Not unless Willum swept in behind us at the first two villages ..."

"When you and I first met, you had enough power that you could have fucked Willum up pretty badly," I told her. "Now, you'll do far more than just fuck him up ... I'm really not worried about running into him or his men."

She gave me a wicked grin.

"Tell Korma that we'll be back," I told her.

"I'm going to send her to Syble's village," Enys informed me. "We'll meet them there and move on to Loren's after that."

I nodded and waved her off. She conferred with Korma and came back grinning.

I hooked my fingers together behind my back and knelt down for her to climb into her riding position once again. She climbed back into her spot and I stood up to take off. This time, we headed to the left of the path that we had been following before.

A half-hour later, we were approaching a small city. It was easily four or five times the size of the Night Raider village. Enys had me hug a line of trees and move to the right - so that we wouldn't be as visible. We made it to the group of homes that she pointed me to without incident.

Before I set her down, she pointed to a tower in the distance.

"Don't stop to kill anybody if you don't have to," she said, "but go knock that down and get your ass back over here. While they're trying to figure out what happened, we'll slip out."

I squatted down. She dismounted, kissed me, and told me to hurry.

I took off, cutting back and forth through the city streets - making my way to the tower in the distance. As I ran, I wondered how I was going to break the thing apart in order to topple it.

When I arrived at the tower, I found an open doorway at the base. I stepped inside to see a set of wooden stairs that led to the top. I realized, as I looked around, that the tower was a simple wooden structure with a latticework of staves lashed to the legs. Over the staves, an earthen façade had been mortared into place.

From a distance, I had thought that the thing was made of stone. It was actually almost completely made of wood. At first, I started trying to climb the lattice-work and tearing the ropes apart. I had trouble holding myself up and trying to get my fingers dug into the cordage that they had used to lash the pieces together.

I dropped back to the ground, clenched my fist, and began punching the staves at the edge of where they connected to the massive legs of the tower. I worked my way around the base of the structure, knocking everything apart that I could reach.

Just as I finished with the last stave, a warrior came running in with a huge battle axe. I stepped into his swing, punched his head off of his shoulders, picked up the axe, and started chopping the leg beside the doorway.