thing happened before, with the women and children knowing and doing nothing? A person of any age who would not speak against such obvious wrong deserved no sympathy when the consequence of that wrong came back to strike him personally.
Three men came after him, guided by a dog. A clubber and two daggers. They must have borrowed the canine from some other tribe, for there had been no animals at the camp before. Neq had known it would come to this: small cruising parties tracking him down relentlessly. He was ready.
He looped about, confusing the scent-trail, then attacked from behind. He killed one dagger before they could react, and swung on the other.
"Wait!" the man cried. "We--"
Neq's sword-arm transfixed his throat, silencing him forever. But as the blade penetrated, Neq realized he had made a mistake. He recognized this youth.
Han the Dagger.
The boy who had balked at raping Neqa. Who had helped free Neq, however temporarily. Who had fled while the sexual orgy continued, after trying to stop it.
"Wait!" the third man, the clubber, cried, and this time Neq withheld his stroke. "We did not do it. See, I am scarred. Where you struck me when we fought in the circle, and I--"
Now Neq recognized him too. "Nam the Club--the first of Yod's men I engaged," he said. "I tagged you in the gut." Nam might be better now, but he could not have participated then; not when that wound was fresh.
"The other dagger," Nam said, pointing to the first dead of this trio. "Jut--you fought him and Mip the Staff together. You did not wound them, but Jut hid. He knew what was coming. He never--"
Neq reflected, and realized that Jut's face was not among those he had seen at the raping. He had just killed two innocent men.
Not quite. Jut had not raped, but he had not protested either. He had fled, letting it go on. Even Han had had more courage than that.
"There were fifty-two men in Yod's tribe--plus Yod himself," Neq said. "Fifty-three altogether. Forty-nine did it, after hearing my oath. If you three did not, that accounts for fifty-two. What other man is innocent?"
"Tif," Nam said. "Tif the Sword. You killed him in the circle before--"
"So I did." Neq hesitated, feeling sick as he looked down at Han. "Tif I do not regret, for it was a fair combat. Jut I might have spared, had I realized. But Han helped me, and--" Here regret choked off his words.
"That's why we came to you," Nam said. "We knew you did not have cause against us. We thought--"
"You turned traitor to your tribe?"
"No! We came to plead for our tribe!"
Neq studied him. "You, Nam the Club. You bragged of diddling. Had you been fit, would you have raped my wife?"
The man began to shake. "I--"
Neq lifted the tip of his sword. Blood dripped from it.
"I am a clumsy warrior," Nam said with difficulty. "But never a liar. And I am loyal to my leader."
Answer enough. "Were you friend to Han the Dagger?"
"No more than any other man. He was a stripling, softhearted."
Yes, the clubber was no liar. "I spare you," Neq said. "For the sake of this lad who was innocent and whom I wrongly slew. With choice, I would have cut you down instead, but now I spare you. But take this message to Yod: I spare no other."
"Then kill me now," Nam said simply. "Yod is a good leader. He is a rough man to resist, and he has bad ways about him, so that when he tells us to do something--even something like that--we must do it or suffer harshly. But he takes care of his tribe. He had to make an example."
"Not with my wife!"
"Discipline. He had to show--"
Neq's sword sliced off his nose and part of his talking mouth.
Then, sorry, Neq killed him cleanly.
And vomited, just as though he were a lad of fourteen again, at his first blooding.
At last he buried the bodies in honorable nomad fashion, digging the grave and forming the cairn with his sword. He did not mount their heads.
Twenty-five remained, and they were dying more readily now. But Neq performed his ritual with a sense of futility.
Three men came after him, guided by a dog. A clubber and two daggers. They must have borrowed the canine from some other tribe, for there had been no animals at the camp before. Neq had known it would come to this: small cruising parties tracking him down relentlessly. He was ready.
He looped about, confusing the scent-trail, then attacked from behind. He killed one dagger before they could react, and swung on the other.
"Wait!" the man cried. "We--"
Neq's sword-arm transfixed his throat, silencing him forever. But as the blade penetrated, Neq realized he had made a mistake. He recognized this youth.
Han the Dagger.
The boy who had balked at raping Neqa. Who had helped free Neq, however temporarily. Who had fled while the sexual orgy continued, after trying to stop it.
"Wait!" the third man, the clubber, cried, and this time Neq withheld his stroke. "We did not do it. See, I am scarred. Where you struck me when we fought in the circle, and I--"
Now Neq recognized him too. "Nam the Club--the first of Yod's men I engaged," he said. "I tagged you in the gut." Nam might be better now, but he could not have participated then; not when that wound was fresh.
"The other dagger," Nam said, pointing to the first dead of this trio. "Jut--you fought him and Mip the Staff together. You did not wound them, but Jut hid. He knew what was coming. He never--"
Neq reflected, and realized that Jut's face was not among those he had seen at the raping. He had just killed two innocent men.
Not quite. Jut had not raped, but he had not protested either. He had fled, letting it go on. Even Han had had more courage than that.
"There were fifty-two men in Yod's tribe--plus Yod himself," Neq said. "Fifty-three altogether. Forty-nine did it, after hearing my oath. If you three did not, that accounts for fifty-two. What other man is innocent?"
"Tif," Nam said. "Tif the Sword. You killed him in the circle before--"
"So I did." Neq hesitated, feeling sick as he looked down at Han. "Tif I do not regret, for it was a fair combat. Jut I might have spared, had I realized. But Han helped me, and--" Here regret choked off his words.
"That's why we came to you," Nam said. "We knew you did not have cause against us. We thought--"
"You turned traitor to your tribe?"
"No! We came to plead for our tribe!"
Neq studied him. "You, Nam the Club. You bragged of diddling. Had you been fit, would you have raped my wife?"
The man began to shake. "I--"
Neq lifted the tip of his sword. Blood dripped from it.
"I am a clumsy warrior," Nam said with difficulty. "But never a liar. And I am loyal to my leader."
Answer enough. "Were you friend to Han the Dagger?"
"No more than any other man. He was a stripling, softhearted."
Yes, the clubber was no liar. "I spare you," Neq said. "For the sake of this lad who was innocent and whom I wrongly slew. With choice, I would have cut you down instead, but now I spare you. But take this message to Yod: I spare no other."
"Then kill me now," Nam said simply. "Yod is a good leader. He is a rough man to resist, and he has bad ways about him, so that when he tells us to do something--even something like that--we must do it or suffer harshly. But he takes care of his tribe. He had to make an example."
"Not with my wife!"
"Discipline. He had to show--"
Neq's sword sliced off his nose and part of his talking mouth.
Then, sorry, Neq killed him cleanly.
And vomited, just as though he were a lad of fourteen again, at his first blooding.
At last he buried the bodies in honorable nomad fashion, digging the grave and forming the cairn with his sword. He did not mount their heads.
Twenty-five remained, and they were dying more readily now. But Neq performed his ritual with a sense of futility.
Similar Books
