When the strange men invaded, no one knew what they wanted. They were so foreign to us and didn't speak our language. They only killed those who tried to fight back or who tried to kill them, but for the most part left the rest of us in peace.
My father was the elder in our village and he sent to the next village for the man who had come through trying to spread the word of his monotheism. He had spoken many languages, so my father thought he could find out what these people wanted. He had to be forced to come when the invaders were described to him, and once he arrived, I saw why.
They treated him badly, as if they knew him, or knew of his kind with their shaved heads and red robes with the heavy chains crossed over their chests. Still, he did speak their language and he was able to translate for them.
They were pillagers from across the dividing sea and they came for tribute. They did not kill because if they killed, there would be no one left to sow the fields and tend the livestock. They would come for their bounty twice a year.
To ensure we did not cheat them, four men would be left behind and they were to be treated as kings, given a place to live and served as our kind serves our monarch. No one dared fight them or disagree.
On the day they were to depart, they made another announcement. There were nine of their ships and the captain of each ship would choose out one child each of the village elders, to be sure that there was no deceit. There were twelve elders in all and most had children grown, and even grandchildren who were of marrying age.
We were forced to gather, the children and grandchildren of the elders, even Hildy with her suckling babe was made to stand with us for them to choose from.
I was not afraid, I was small for my age and could do no heavy lifting or work of any kind. I kept my eyes down and stayed small as they looked through all of us. My friend Jenal was chosen first, and I had figured he would be. He was young and strong, large among our people. He was training at the smithy and he was valued. Two more young men were chosen out, hard workers both.
When Eliza was pulled from the group, my heart hammered in my chest. She was young, like me, and beautiful. She was willowy and graceful, not built for hard work at all and she was only eighteen, half a year younger than me even if she was a head taller. We had been friends once until Jenal had scorned her and she thought I was the reason why.
After that, three more young women were chosen out. Buxom and full figured Bethamin, Lyndie with her long raven tresses and Ginny with her beautiful face and large blue eyes.
Jon was pulled next, and he was a curious choice to me since his father was the scribe and he was small and weak like his father. He only knew letters and numbers, that was all he was good for. Did these savages have such a need? They must.
The last to get to choose was the youngest among them and he looked to the oldest before stepping up to choose. The oldest man gave him a nod and I could see then that they were father and son.
The young man stepped up, lowest rank among them and went through the remaining of us one at a time, choosing much more carefully than the others had.
What he wanted was obvious as he walked past every boy and looked over every single girl, even Hildy who was bouncing her babe on her hip. He stopped in front of me and put a finger under my chin, forcing me to look up at him.
He turned to the monk and asked him a question. The monk turned to me. "Olin asks what age to put to you."
"I am 18," I answered warily.
The monk told the boy and the boy nodded and looked down at me. He put a hand on my shoulder and led me away from the group and my heart fell. I looked back at my father fearfully and he stepped up as if to say something, but the invaders drew their short swords.
The leader, the oldest among them who had chosen Jenal, spoke and the monk translated as he spoke.
"The youths will not be harmed and will be returned here in one year. In that time new youths will be chosen unless they decide themselves to stay. If we get word from our men who are staying, or if when we return you do not have our third ready for us, or if our men are harmed, only the heads of your youths will be returned to you. Do not cheat us, do not test us. Do not try and escape from here and get help, every village up the coast is paying the same tribute. Your lives, your children's lives, they will be forfeit if you try to cheat us."
With that, the nine of us were loaded on to rowboats, three in each and rowed out to the larger ships. It didn't take long for all of the invaders to load into their long rowboats and row out to their ships and we were all separated as we were delivered to ships.
The boy stood and lifted me high enough that two of the men in the ship grabbed my arms and pulled me up, then the rest of the men climbed a short rope ladder before lashing the rowboat to the rear of the long ship. The boy was talking, shouting at the men and I stood watching the shore as the boy ignored me.
I didn't even get to say goodbye or get any of my things.
When the sail was raised and the men were all sitting, they began pulling on huge oars that were set in divots on the side of the ship. The other half of the men were sitting in the middle, arranging the bundles and crates of things they had taken from my village.
I hugged myself, feeling despondent as the shore got further and further away. Once it was gone, I looked at the other ships and could make out Lyndie in the one on the right. The man who had taken her had hold of her face, forcing her to look up at him as he spoke to her. He seemed angry. I turned to the other ship on my left and I could see Bethamin, her dress ripped open and her heavy breasts exposed as the man who had taken her was ramming his hips into hers from behind. Her heavy breasts were swinging under her as he thrust and she was hugging the mast with her face hidden, her skirts piled on her back. Some of the men were watching and laughing and cheering the man on as he ravaged her.
I looked away, going pale, then barely made it to the side of the ship before vomiting.
A hand on my shoulder made me jerk and cry out in fear, but the boy was gentle as he turned me and wiped my mouth with his sleeve. He held up a small skin of something that smelled foul to my lips. I shook my head, trying to turn away from the liquid, but he followed my with it and spoke. I didn't know what he said, but it sounded insistent. I took a swallow of it and grimaced, then coughed as it burned going down. My nausea fled immediately and I felt warm all over as he helped me sit down.
I don't know how long I lay there, unmoving and uncaring as I stared at the sky, my head propped on a bundle of furs. When I began feeling aware again, it was dark and the boy was standing near me looking up at the stars.
"What did you give me?" I asked him.
He looked down at me, and from the angle, I couldn't see his expression in the moonlight. I did notice half the men were sleeping now, the ones who weren't rowing. Someone was singing a quiet cadence song and I could hear the same from another nearby ship.
The boy squatted and spoke quietly to me.
"I don't know what you are saying," I shrugged.
