Rebels of Vulvar (Vulvarian Saga Book 2), стр. 18
Less than an hour after we had escaped Nisa, we arrived in the farmyard outside Haela’s house. I felt as though I could not have pulled the cart another dozen steps.
“Wait here,” I said to the others, as I stumbled toward the front door of the darkened house.
Beating on the door and calling out Haela’s name, I soon heard rustling sounds from within.
“What do you want at this hour?” Haela called from beyond the door.
“Haela, it is Tom Gray,” I shouted. “We need your help.”
After a moment, Haela threw open the door. She stood in the doorway, wearing a nightdress, and holding an oil lamp.
“I thought the rebels had captured you,” she said. “You never met with me in the city.”
“They didn’t capture me, but detained me after a fashion,” I said. “But, none of that matters now. I have the warriors of Thiva with me. We need your gardo.”
“The warriors the rebels captured?”
“Yes, and most are in poor condition. We must get them away from Nisa before the rebels mount a pursuit.”
“Where are they?”
“Out in the yard, near the well.”
Haela followed me out into the yard where I’d left the others.
“By the Goddess Queens,” Haela said after examining the women by the light of the oil lamp. “Get them in the house. I’ll clean and tend their wounds as best I can and get them clothing.”
“No time for that,” I said. “We must get on the road. Please hitch your team. I expect we have only three hours before daybreak. The rebels will then pursue us.”
Haela nodded. “I’ll hitch the team and bring the gardo around. But, at least bring them what blankets you can find inside the house.”
“I can do that,” I said.
Haela rushed away to hitch the team. I took Emer and another woman into the house.
“Go to the kitchen and collect whatever food you find we can take with us,” I said to Emer. “And, find a vessel for water.”
She nodded and departed. I turned to the other woman.
“Go through the house and get all the blankets you can find.”
The woman nodded and left me.
I went to the washroom. There I collected towels, a bar of soap, and a metal basin. Stopping in the kitchen, I filled the pan with water. Then I took it all outside to the women. Placing the bowl, towels, and soap in their hands, I told them to bathe their wounds as best they could. Emer and the other woman arrived. The woman passed out the blankets she had found. Emer held up a cloth sack.
“I found dried meat, some root vegetables, and bread,” she said. “And, a stone jug which I filled with water.”
“Good,” I said. “Once we get everyone into the gardo, you may pass out the food.”
The women grabbed the towels, wet them in the water basin, and shared the soap. By the time Haela drove the gardo into the yard, they had all cleaned their wounds and washed away the grime from their bodies as best they could under the circumstances.
Haela climbed down from the seat of the gardo. While she rushed inside to change out of her nightdress into proper clothing, Emer helped me load the women into the back of the wagon. We gently lifted the very ill woman and placed her on the floor. She was still unconscious but breathing.
With everyone aboard, Haela returned and climbed to the driver’s seat. I climbed up and sat beside her. Haela released the brake, slapped the backs of the veovarks lightly with the reins, and clucked to them. The gardo rolled out of the farmyard and rumbled along the dirt track toward the paved road. Minutes later, Haela steered the team onto the paved road, and we were headed north, away from Nisa.
“Do the rebels have baacaases?” I said.
Baacaases are equine-like beasts used similarly to the way the people of Earth used horses. I was most concerned about the possibility of mounted pursuit.
“I’ve never seen rebels riding baacaases,” Haela said. “I’ve only seen them on foot or occasionally riding is veovark-drawn carts.”
“That’s splendid news,” I said. “Even at this slow pace, with the head start, they won’t overtake us on foot.”
“The rebel patrols at night are unpredictable,” Haela said. “But once we are a few legas north, if no patrol has stopped us, we won’t have to worry further about it.”
“How many rebels are in the patrols?”
“Usually three or four men,” Haela said.
“If we encounter a patrol and they force us to stop, I’ll take care of it,” I said.
“I thought I heard trumpets sounding in the city earlier,” Haela said. “Tell me, Tom Gray, in the name of the Goddess Queens, what did you do in Nisa?”
“Yes, you heard trumpets,” I said. Then I summarized for her the night’s activities.
“I think the Goddess Queens will not be well pleased,” Haela said. “You’ve made it impossible to return to Nisa to carry out the mission they gave you.”
“Pleasing the Goddess Queens was not my primary concern,” I said. “As I told you, I came to this world to free the woman I loved. I am delighted I could also free the others. Had I captured or betrayed Cooke in some way, the rebels would have slain the warriors of Thiva in revenge.”
“That’s true, I suppose,” Haela said.
“You know you cannot return to your farm as long as the rebellion continues,” I said. “The rebels will track us to your farm and understand you have helped us.”
“It matters little,” Haela said. “Without laborers, I cannot farm. But, there are few spies left in Nisa now.”
“You’ve done your part, Haela,” I said. “You’ve taken enough risks. I salute your courage.”
“Thank you.”
“My mother is Anax of Thiva,” I said. “I will speak to her about you when we arrive. She will repay you for helping us