The Great Escape Chapter 11, Part 3 of 6

The Great Escape
Chapter 11, Part 3 of 6

"Why?"

"Well, I don't know. I just assumed. Here's an idea. You name her, and I'll name the next one."

"Next one! You're mad if you think I'm going through all that again!"

"All right, let's both suggest a name and choose between us from the two."

"You first, then."

"I choose 'Freya.'"

Freya had been Annela's mother. She died four years ago.

"Oh, darling! It's perfect. Thank you. She's Freya."

So, for the rest of his month in the forest, though he was Urulla's bedmate and stayed nights with her in the Honeymoon Lodge, Ezra spent as much time as he could during the day with Annela and Freya. They sat together at the feasts, proud parents showing off the newest Woodlander to the adoring tribe.

The adventurers return

One morning, a few days later, Annela was nursing Freya in her hut. It was just after breakfast, and Ezra called on her before leaving for work. Erin followed him in, carrying some hot porridge for Annela.

"Hello, Darling, how are you today?" he asked.

"My nipples hurt," she said, adding: "She's your daughter. She's been latched onto my tits ever since I squeezed her out."

His reply was interrupted by a shout from outside.

"They're back! They're back!"

It was Pepi, shouting at the top of her lungs.

No one needed to ask, "Who's back?" Erin looked up, smiled at Annela, and shoved the hot bowl into Ezra's hands, scalding him where it dripped. She ran outside, wanting to be the first to greet her daughter.

It was true! The adventurers were back, plus two others, marching at a good pace across the clearing into the camp. Most of the Woodlanders ran to meet them, Pepi first of all. The hugs were joyous and prolonged. Erin refused to let Carlin go, kissing and cuddling her daughter. Even Wildchild graciously allowed herself to be hugged, suppressing her natural urge to escape.

The two strangers looked at the huddle from one side, bemused by the extravagant affection of the tribe.

The babble was terrific. Even Pepi's excited shouts were submerged in the general medley. There was too much to tell on both sides: everyone's story got muddled together, and no one heard anything. Tamar first broke free from the crowd to insist they enter the camp and say 'Hello' to the rest of the tribe. She wanted to boast about how they'd found the lost Miner tribe, and there were two of them as proof.

The two Miners, a tall blonde middle-aged woman, strikingly handsome, and a shorter, darker woman in her early thirties, were silent until Mirselene arrived to impose some sensible order. She greeted Wildchild and Tamar with hugs. She would have hugged Carlin if Erin hadn't smothered her so completely.

"Well done, girls! Well done, indeed! Welcome back!"

Mirselene had stopped the women in full gabbing flow. There was peace for a moment. She continued.

"Come on, let's get everyone into the camp. Ladies (she addressed the strangers), you are welcome to the Woodlander Camp. Tamar, please will you introduce us?"

"Yes, Madam. " The girl said proudly. This is Eloise, my mother, and Adarna of the Miner Tribe."

Mirselene took this amazing revelation in her stride.

"Welcome, Ladies, most welcome. I am Mirselene, chief of the Woodlanders. Please come along and make yourselves comfortable. You must be exhausted."

"It was a long journey, Madam," Eloise said. "You won't remember, but I met you once before, many years ago, at the Cloner Fair. You weren't chief then, of course."

"It is perfect to meet you again, Eloise. I hope you and Adarna will stay long enough for us to get to know each other properly."

"Thank you, Madam."

"Come on, everyone. Let's get you some food and drink. Off you go, girls."

As they reached the huts, Tamar noticed something. Ezra had come out to watch the commotion. He stepped down from the veranda to greet the girls, a wide grin revealing his feelings.

Shouting "Ezra!" Tamar dropped her backpack and ran across the camp to jump on him and be kissed.

Wildchild picked up her friend's backpack and sauntered over to join them. Holding Tamar tightly, Ezra bent over to kiss Wildchild lightly on her forehead, rightly guessing she'd been hugged enough for one day.

"Girls," he confided, "do you want to see what Annela made while you were gone?"

Their eyes lit up, and they exchanged a smile before Tamar leaped from his arms onto the veranda and ran into the hut. Now Carlin finally broke free from Erin, saying, "Let me go, Mum, I want to see!"

Pepi was at her heels. They overtook Wildchild and followed Tamar into the hut where, at last, Freya had drunk her fill and nodded off to sleep.

Annela was sitting in her chair with her daughter in her lap. Tamar was the first to approach. She was so moved she couldn't speak. She kissed Annela and then stared in wonder at the baby.

"Her name is Freya," Annela said. "You can hold her if you want."

Tamar sat next to Annela on the stool and took the baby in her arms, expertly supporting her head in the crook of an elbow. She cooed in a motherly way. Carlin stood beside her, wanting to touch the baby, adoring Freya's bunched-up red face and tiny, perfect fingers and toes.

Pepi was behind Carlin. She had missed her friend so much that she stood hopping from one leg to the other, eager to speak, too excited to stand still.

"Carlin, I helped deliver her. I did, didn't I, Annela?" Pepi exclaimed.

"Yes, you did, Pepi. You were courageous. You saved her life - and mine."

"I was fearless, Carlin. I helped with my small hands," she admitted proudly, showing them off. "That's why they chose me."

"Well done, Pepi." Carlin was impressed, but Pepi wouldn't bathe in glory for long. She had something important to show Carlin.

"Come on, Carlin," she said, "come and see my cow. She's not 'my' cow, of course; she's all of ours,' but I look after her. Come on."

She grabbed Carlin's hand and tried to drag her out of the hut.

"I named her," she continued. "I bet you can't guess her name, can you? Can you guess? ... It's Jemima. You wouldn't have guessed, Carlin?" she babbled on.

"Pepi, I want to see the baby."

"But she's boring! She doesn't do anything! Come on, please? Jemima does stuff. She runs around. You can milk her, and the milk's warm."

Pepi was making such a fuss that Carlin had to go with her.

"Don't worry," Annela said, "You can come and see Freya whenever you want."

As Carlin allowed herself to be dragged down to the meadow to pretend interest in Jemima, the Friesian cow, Ezra held the cloth open for Wildchild to enter. She kept her distance, but he saw she was just as obsessed as Tamar.

"You can hold her as well," he said.

Wildchild approached the bed and knelt next to Tamar. She saw Annela's serene joy and shared her fascination. She put out her hands, and Tamar passed Freya over.

Wildchild held the baby in one arm, rocking her gently, stroking the back of her tiny hands. Freya half-woke and tried to grasp Wildchild's finger. Wildchild was enchanted. She turned toward Ezra and said the first words any adult Woodlander had heard her speak.

She said: "I want one."

The night feast started early and lasted until the rain started. Tamar sat next to her mother, who tried to encourage the excited girl to eat more. But there was so much to tell; whether anyone ate anything was a wonder.

What was most noticeable was how much the girls had changed. Everyone could see the growing spurt the girls had put on, especially Tamar. She seemed to have grown three inches in the last three months. Even Carlin, who was never going to be very tall, had grown an inch or more.

The news also went around that Wildchild had spoken, but she remained silent now. Even Tamar, an intelligent girl with lots to say who usually spoke on behalf of the others, left the job that night to Carlin, who seemed to have conquered her great shyness.

When the everyday chatter over dinner had ended, the tribe settled down in silent expectation. Carlin told the story of their trek to the White Mountains and back, how they passed through the forest and climbed the glacier to cross it at its narrowest point, backtracking to the tall volcano with its lizards and boiling pools. Then, they set off across the arid steppe to the river and the five valleys. She described hunting the rabbits and Tamar's trick for catching trout. There were eagles, osprey, and even a flock of quail.

The valleys contained caves made by the Miners, but no one lived in them. They explored the first four valleys up to the snowline and then pressed on to the fifth valley, where they finally met the last two Miners.

"We knew the valley was inhabited when we got about halfway up because we saw traps set for rabbits and nets in the river to catch fish. We sat by the traps, lit a fire, and waited for the Miners to find us."

"Which we did when we checked the traps that afternoon," Eloise said, taking up the story.

"Adarna and I saw the smoke from the fire and approached warily, but when we saw they were young girls, we had no qualms."

"We shouted a greeting from a hundred yards away, and the girls stood up and waved. They seemed friendly, so we approached. They'd come a long way because their clothes were rumpled, their hair bedraggled, and their faces smudged with dirt."

"Then we both stopped. We were close enough to see their faces, and this one" - she put her hand on Tamar's knee - "was uncannily familiar."

"Mum and I just stared and stared," Tamar said.

"Adarna pulled my arm, and I understood that she had also recognized her, but I couldn't stop staring at her, at my Yael."

"Yael?" Mirselene asked.

"I knew it was her, my stolen baby. I had named her 'Yael,' and I wept for months after she was taken. I longed for her to return but finally gave up hope of ever seeing her again. And then, there she was. Come to find me."

"I cried out 'Yael,' but she didn't move; Wildchild pushed her forward, and we ran to each other. I was weeping."

She was weeping again now. The Woodlanders sat around the campfire with shining eyes, gazing sympathetically at the pair, silently hanging on every word.

"We held each other," Eloise continued. "It was beautiful. It made all the waiting and yearning seem like nothing.

All the pain and regret disappeared; now, my girl was back with me. I couldn't speak."

She hugged Tamar and kissed her forehead.

Adarna took up the story.

"We sat and talked for hours. We were amazed by how far the girls had come, how they'd found us. They had other amazing things to say, but when our astonishment was over, we collected the rabbits and fish and brought everyone back to our cave."

"Their cave is at the top of the valley," Carlin added, "near the snow line. It's cold outside but warm in the cave."

Adarna said, "The girls weren't used to the cold. It's warmer here in the forest; it's almost night."

"They stayed nearly a month with us. We showed them how we live, netting fish, trapping rabbits, and foraging for vegetables."

"There's a hot spring in the mountains you can sit in," Carlin said. "The water is fizzy and steams, but it's cold when you get out."

"And there's a boiling mud pit that splutters all the time and stinks of rotten eggs," Tamar said, adding: "We loved the mountains. The peaks go on forever. But it's cold."

"The cold was one of the reasons the girls wanted to come back here," Eloise explained, "though there wasn't any discussion. Adarna and I wanted to see the forest and meet all the Woodlanders."

Mirselene had a question.

"I'm told the remaining Miners live in the Cloner City. Why did you two stay in the mountains?"

"That was due to me," Eloise explained. "About fourteen years ago, after the Herders snatched Yael, three of us, our chief, an elder, and I went to ask the Cloners to intercede with the Herders."

"It was a clear violation of the law, and it should have been an easy case to adjudicate. Madam Law-Speaker was on our side, but the Cloner Chief was not. She delayed and delayed, making one excuse after another for why nothing could be done straight away. I had to wait for the Cloner Fair, but she made another excuse when that came and went."

"We Miners had to go home, but we also had to decide what would happen to the tribe because Yael was the only clone bought in ten years. We had so little to trade and had used up all our tokens. It took another year, but we decided the tribe had no future in the mountains. Everyone came to live in the Cloner City."

"Except it wasn't in the Cloner City. They put us to work with the Farmers. It was hard graft, but we didn't complain. It was an even harder life in the mountains and very lonely. So we worked hard and began to earn Cloner Tokens again, so the tribe is carrying on among the Farmers, but I wasn't satisfied."

"I couldn't stay there, knowing that the Cloner Chief could do something about Yael but chose to do nothing."

"Why did she do nothing?" Mirselene asked.

"The trade agreement with the Herders was precious to the Cloners," Eloise explained. "At that time, something changed. The Cloners began favoring the Herders above all the other tribes, even the Farmers, and they put up their prices every year, as you know."

"We know," Mirselene said. "I'll tell you our story later, but we've only started trading directly with the Herders again. Go on with your story."

"Well, a few years after the tribe left the mountains, Adarna and I became bedmates. She saw how unhappy I was there and said: Let's go home."

"It was better for me in the mountains. I could never be thrilled but was less unhappy without seeing other women with their children. Adarna made a greater sacrifice, though, giving up her chance of a child."

"I didn't mind," Adarna said. "The Cloners were getting ever more economical. I probably had no chance anyway."

"Well, it's not too late," Mirselene assured her. As you know, things have changed recently. It's too soon to discuss your future, but now that Tamar, er, Yael, is back, there is no reason you need to return to the mountains."

"It is something to discuss," Eloise allowed.

They talked on into the night until the rain made it necessary to end the feast. Ezra and Urulla had already retired from the Honeymoon Lodge, and Annela was long tucked up in bed with Freya. Beds were found for the five adventurers and those who couldn't sleep turned over all the fantastic events of the day in their minds.

The next day, Mirselene was in her element. That most well-organized of women, who delighted in organizing others, plotting, and, especially, formal agreements, planned a day of meetings.

After breakfast, she ensured the Woodlanders' guests slept well and ate heartily. She told the tribe to stay nearby because a meeting would be later. Half an hour later, Shepherding Lenta, Casti, and Parvinder went into her hut for a conference of the Matrons, and she invited Eloise and Adarna to join them.

While the women talked, Ezra had a chance to speak to Wildchild and Tamar. He took them to one side for a private chat.

"You know I visited the Herders for a month?" he started.

"We do," Tamar affirmed, nodding.

"I got on very well with Solange; who agreed to forgive you both?"

"Yes, we know." They could have been more impressed.

"She does not claim Wildchild but wants Tamar back because of the property you will inherit."

Neither girl responded to this information.

"I also spoke to Galatea and Judith. Do you want to know what they said?"

Wildchild maintained her pose of studied indifference, but Tamar said, "Yes, please."

She felt no resentment toward Judith and was happy to learn more. She also thought Wildchild ought to know about her mother.

"Tell us about Galatea first, please?"

Wildchild gave Tamar a stare, but, as usual, she indulged her younger friend and stayed to listen to Ezra.

"Solange kept Galatea and me apart for the whole month," he explained, "until the very last day, when I had a short chat with her. I told her I was friends with you, Wildchild, and hoped to see you again soon. Then I asked her if she had anything she wanted me to say to you."

"'Just one thing,' she replied. 'I want my knife back!'"

Wildchild smiled bitterly and put her hand protectively on the fearsome hunting knife she always wore on her thigh. That was her answer.

"Tell me about Judith?" Tamar said.

"She's a sweet lady and is sorry for what she did. She loves you. She misses you and wants you back. I told her I'd say this to you."

"Thank you, Ezra. I miss her too. She'll always be my Herder mother."

"Well, I expect Mirselene and the others to discuss your futures as we speak. Is there anything you want me to say on your behalf?"

The girls exchanged one of their psychic glances and smiled.

"No, thanks, Ezra. We're content with things just the way they are."

With that interview concluded, they did their chores, not leaving the camp.

When Ezra was summoned to join the meeting as a courtesy, it was standing room only, so he leaned against the door-post. When Wildchild and Tamar were admitted, they had to sit on the floor, but the matter was swiftly resolved. Mirselene did all the talking.

"Wildchild: you are almost of age. Soon, neither the Woodlanders nor the Herders (nor your mother) will have any claim over you, but we like you very much and want you to stay with us. Nothing has changed in that regard."

"Tamar, yours is a different case. We had no formal treaty with the Herders when we adopted you, and you were away from us when we did make a treaty, so the subject never came up, but now your mother is here, and all those obligations are canceled. Your first duty is to your mother."

"She can take you away with her. She can leave you with us as a child of the tribe. Or she can ask to join us. Of course, Eloise, you need not decide now."


To be continued