Chapter 17 - Joining the Tribe

Noah found himself taken away by a few more men, and brought into the woods beyond the campsite. They always made sure to keep him and Thomas out of view of the soldiers along the wall, stealing glances back at the base to make sure none had seen them. They spoke their language among themselves, and occasionally Thomas would join in, exchanging a few soft words. The only contact Noah made with the men happened if he fell behind, which spurred them on to speak out, and beckon him to stay with the group.

Down a hill, some ways into the forest, they came upon a flowing stream. Its clear waters revealed the dark, spotty stones beneath, giving the liquid a dark shade. Early morning mist hung over the low area, and the world about lay covered in dead leaves and red moss. To Noah, the world smelled of mud and fall decay.

Another exchange of words between Thomas and one of the men took place, followed by him walking over into the water. He began taking off his clothing bit by bit and washing each newly bared area with the water. Noah looked him up and down.

The man before him, who had once been seen only ever behind a desk shuffling through papers now looked a fully different person. While pale from much indoor work, the muscle beneath stood ridged and well maintained. Any fat that had accumulated over his career as Master, already began melting away over the course of recent events. All this, while standing out in its own way, seemed uninteresting when Noah spotted the scar. Long and wide along Thomas’s back, it stretched from shoulder to hip in a curved trench of dark purple.

Once seeing it, Noah could not bring himself to look away. Never once had he known Thomas to have ever been a soldier. And, until recently, he had never seen him even hold a sword, let alone use one in combat.

A hand fell upon his shoulder, and Noah looked back to see a bearded man looking at him. The man nodded to the water, and spoke something before giving him a gentle push. Noah stumbled his way down the last bit of the hill and into the water.

It bit into his feet with icy fangs. For a few moments he hopped around like a dancing frog, causing the men on the bank to laugh among themselves. Thomas stood up from watching his bare legs, a slight smile on his face. He tossed Noah a black stone, its smooth shape resting nicely in his hand.

“Wash yourself off,” Noah pulled his shirt over his head and began rubbing the stone along his shoulders in small circles. “And be thorough. Might be the last washing you get for a few days.”

Once he had stripped down fully and finished washing as much of himself he could find, one of the men called over to them. Two of their companions stood holding a new set of clothing for each of them. Noah took his gratefully, shaking like a leaf the entire time. He looked it up and down, holding it before himself.

It appeared to be similar in design as the others of the camp. A long flowing tunic reaching to the mid calf. To wear under it were a set of brown chalvar and shoes to match. He put the outfit on, feeling its soft warmth engulf his shivering skin. Thomas did the same, and the two looked nearly identical. The trick became complete when another man walked over to them and wrapped a red cloth around their head and face, leaving only their eyes exposed. Each of the men brought forth similar clothes, and replicated the look of the two newcomers.

Noah watched as Thomas and the men walked about each other and found that he eventually lost his companion after only a few moments. One of them spoke and another responded causing the group to laugh. Noah looked from one to another, hoping to find the give away at one of their eyes, but nothing revealed itself.

“It would seem,” Thomas’s voice spoke out from the man closest to Noah. “as long as we keep our mouths shut, there is no telling us from them.”

One of the men stepped forward. He held out Thomas’s sword, which he had let go of when they were first brought to the woods. Taking it, he looked it up and down for a moment, admiring its heavily detailed scabbard and hilt. A red jewel set within the crossguard, and a thread of gold spiraled along the black handle.

He sighed and walked over to a willow tree. Whispering something to the weapon, he propped it against the trunk and turned around. All of the men, along with Noah, looked at him in confusion. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

“At this point, if I find myself in a situation where I need to use a sword, I’m already dead. Might as well leave it here to find on our way back.”

“Odd bit of reasoning, there.” Thomas nodded at Noah’s words.

“Perhaps. But, I feel I’ve earned the right, at least this once.”

The group made their way up the misty hill, and disbanded upon reaching the camp once more. Already, tents were being deconstructed, and mules were being loaded down with supplies. Many hands moved to these tasks with practiced effort, amazing Noah with the speed and flow at which the camp disappeared.

Thomas led him over to a wagon pulled by two familiar horses. On top of the wagon, holding the reins, Solomon looked down at them, smiling. He nodded, and turned to face the road before starting up the animals. They pulled the massive wagon along, each of the other steeds in the now removed camp following their lead. The whole company fell in line behind their leader as he made his way towards the gates. Noah fell in line next to Thomas behind the wagon.

The soldiers watched them all pass under the wooden gates, their eyes trained to seek out any hostile movements. Solomon waved his giant hand to them all, smiling the whole while. Just as the wagon reached the gate, he turned to the left and looked at the commander in red. Bowing his head, Solomon spoke words of gratitude before passing out of the man’s view beyond the wall. The whole time the soldier’s face never moved. Only just before he himself passed through the gate, Noah noticed a curl of disgust show on the man’s upper lip. Then, he was gone.

Behind the wooden defenses an open area lay before reaching the cliff. On the left and right were the black stair bases of each spire. Between them, a platform lay wide with a type of pulley system of ropes stretched all the way up to the top. Solomon spoke for everyone to unload anything they can do without, and the people began taking bulkier items off of their mules and backs, and placing them onto the platform. Once this was done, a soldier standing nearby to the right spire, went inside and pulled a chain. High above came an echo of a bell clanking out its tune. In response, the ropes of the pulley went taut and the platform lifted into the air and up along the cliff it went.

“Alright,” Solomon shouted out once more to his people, who had crowded around to watch the platform go up. “Now we go ourselves to the top.” He turned and led on.

Noah, for the first time, noticed the path up the cliff. He had seen it before, while approaching the base, but now up close, he understood its design. On either side of the spires, a road had also been carved into the black stone. It raised at a steep angle, making a ramp like path up the side of the cliff. Possibly an ancient defense method, leaving the only method of marching an army into the region as slow and narrow. Just from the sight alone, he knew that no less than a day would pass before they reached the top. His legs felt weak already.

Men and women followed Solomon as he pushed the horses upward, eventually getting out of the wagon and having a smaller woman lead the animals while he went to the back with Thomas to push. None of the tribe hesitated to go where Solomon led.

“Will you walk with me?” Noah turned to see the face of Solomon’s daughter looking back at him. Her brows were raised, waiting for a response. All Noah could do was nod stupidly. “Oh good. Then you won’t mind helping me with this.” She slung a pack from her shoulder and pressed it into his arms before walking on a head. “Come on. A long way to go from here, and I have a few things I need to ask you about.”

Noah looked up one more time to the great height of the cliff’s top, then back at the girl walking ahead of him. She looked back and beckoned him. Swallowing his anxiety best he could, Noah took his first step up the path.