Beyond the Palace
by Davina Lee
*
Author's Note
The last chapter ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.
Matoaka had just freed the young woman from the ropes that held her tied to the tree. But even as Matoaka took to her feet and raised her staff to join the fight, the defensive circle of shrine maidens was being squeezed tighter by what seemed to be an endless stream of knife wielding men from The Palace.
Though just as it looked as if all was lost, the old mother who watches over the shrine maiden's encampment caught the scent of danger on the wind and sounded the alarm with a long, loud howl.
Are the shrine maidens cooked? Will the old mother's call bring much needed reinforcements? Will they arrive in time? And just what will that reinforcement brigade look like?
Let's find out.
* * *
Chapter 9: The Jaws of the Wolf
The old mother assigned to watching over the
miko
lowered her head and pricked her ears. Still no sound of horse's hooves came. She sniffed at the air. The scents carried on the wind from the girl pups had not changed. The hackles on the old mother's neck rose for the second time that night.
She raised her head to the moon and let loose a sustained howl.
In the distance, a second wolf mother answered the call. And a moment later, a third. When the old mother heard the fourth repetition of her message, she began her sprint down the hill from where she kept watch.
* * *
The last of the flares had fallen to the ground and hissed out. The parachutes that slowed their descent lay limp in the dirt. But the men had started a small fire and its light was gradually increasing as pieces of dry leaves and sticks were being fed by a group collecting kindling.
Just beyond the illumination of the dancing flames, Matoaka squirmed and wriggled as two men held her by the wrists. A third was measuring out a length of rope in his hands. Matoaka's staff had been kicked away out of her reach.
The young woman Matoaka had defended sat propped against the base of a tree, her head lolling. For the second time that night, a rope held her fast to the trunk.
Beyond the young woman, Matoaka set her eyes on Chihiro. Chihiro was on the ground and bleeding from a gash across her thigh.
"She needs medicine," hollered Matoaka.
As Chihiro was being dragged over to be sat against a tree next to a pair of subdued shrine maidens, Matoaka watched Rei pull her leg back and kick the man in front of her. The sound of her foot against his knee echoed like a branch snapping. And as he went down, Rei finished with a kick to the crotch.
Matoaka turned her gaze to the man in front of her who was holding the rope. She settled her eyes on his kneecap. As soon as he turned his attention to the rope in his hands and away from her, Matoaka pulled her own leg back.
As Matoaka was shifting her weight to her opposite foot, another man stepped up beside Rei and knocked her to the ground with his fist. Rei went down and he snapped his gaze to Matoaka. "Δu vi volas iom da Δi tio?" he said.
Rei looked up, spitting blood. The man she had knocked down with a kick held a blade in his hand now. Two of his friends moved beside him with coils of rope in their hands.
Matoaka gritted her teeth and let her own kick fly. A sound like a snapping twig reached her ears and she smiled. The man who had knocked Rei to the ground turned and marched toward Matoaka, wearing a scowl.
* * *
The old mother ran down the hill as fast as her legs could take her. She darted past the encampment where the
miko
made their dens. The scents of the girl pups had faded. There was no smell of their supper and no sound of their voices.
The old mother kept running.
* * *
High atop a bluff in the distance, the old mother who kept watch over The People pricked up her ears at the sound of a sustained howl cutting through the night air. She sprang to her feet. The scent carried over the wind along with the call was unmistakable. The scent of girl pups, some of whom had been with The People only recently. And among the mix of scents, her own girl pup.
The old mother raised her head and howled to acknowledge the call. She then turned and darted down the switchback trail, picking up speed at every straightaway and skidding around the corners, kicking up stones and dust. She sprinted down the path, through the trees and toward the stream.
The other wolf mothers, camped beside the stream with their new pups, were already on their feet, hackles raised. After a brief series of snuffles and nods, a single wolf mother moved closer to herd the girl pups together. She stood in front of the pups, while the other two old grays watched the approach of the old mother coming down from the bluff.
As Matoaka's wolf mother approached, the two beside the stream were already in motion, picking up speed to form up beside her. The trio bounded through the shallow water and tore through what remained of the tree cover, leaping over any obstacles. They sprinted past the lodges where The People made their dens. And finally, they emerged into the open prairie, the tallgrass bending to part around them as they ran.
* * *
Matoaka moaned as she raised her head and blinked her eyes. Blood ran warm down her face. She tried to move her hand to wipe it away, but the rope around her wrists and elbows stopped her. Another length of rope encircled her waist, keeping her back pinned to the trunk of the tree behind her.
Matoaka let her head sag, but moved her eyes from side to side. Three men were keeping sharp watch over her and the other shrine maidens she could see. Another pair was coming into the clearing with firewood. Two more were pacing around engaged in conversation.
"
Kion ni supozeble faru kun ili?
