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The nation Chapter 59
“Let’s keep the insults to a minimum, please and thank you.” Leland had the tone of a parent in his voice, “we need to discuss what is actually happening here, in Ondu, and not fantasize about unfamiliar places to live. We have people here who are hungry and without some basic necessities because of the flooding, how do you propose we handle that, Rognvald?” He let a little disdain carry the last few words across the hearth.“Yes, let’s get back on topic here. We have food shortages, damage to homes, livestock and horses missing or injured. The pens and stalls have also been looted by the rushing waters; how do we recover from that?” Sokonan walked over and sat in her usual spot.The rest of the council members all strolled back to the hearth when they saw Harden walk in. He was late but everyone knew that Indra was pregnant and having a tough time since her delivery. Harden had been doing all he could to care for the infant, it showed on his face like the sun on a clear summer’s day.
The nation Chapter 60
“Wondered about what?”Pause.“Briaunna, did you go to sleep or something?” “No,” she said, her hands fidgeted. “You know how people talk about things that they really don’t know about?”“Yeah, like gossip.”“Right!”“What does that have to do with your mind?”“My mind, what?” She was confused.“When I sat down you said that your mind was wondering something, I asked you what it was because you stopped in mid-sentence.”“Oh yeah, I remember now, but I’m not sure if I should say it.”“Is it hurtful?”“Maybe.”“Is it true?” Erek asked.“Yes, all of the evidence points to it being true.”“Then how can it be something you are unsure to say aloud?”“Erek, what happened to you?”Now, Erek paused, his thoughts screeched to a halt. He really didn’t know, he knew he was different now, somehow better than he was. Everyone had remarked about how thoughtful he was now, and how well he understood things. Had he not understood things before? Erek remembered having trouble understanding things befo
The nation Chapter 61
Her husband had done and said things to her that made her sick. Harden promised to raise the boy as his own child, he said that he forgave her and that he didn’t care who she had been with. He never told her that the reason he hadn’t made love to her wasn’t because he didn’t love her anymore, it was because he carried so much stress that he could not perform in bed. Harden wanted to explain everything to her, but they weren’t able to have a civil conversation. These days they just avoided each other.When night came, Indra had gotten up from her bed. She moved like she was sleep walking, but she was fully awake. The ache in her gut had grown to an overwhelming pain that was unbearable, so unbearable that only one thought persisted in her mind. She walked around the room looking for a little pouch that her father had given her when she was thirteen winters old. The pouch had something in it that she needed, she had no idea where it was, so she searched the room.Harden and Briaunna did
The nation Chapter 62
“It’s a good thing that we left Oren with mom.”“Yeah.” Rognvald stared.“What are you gonna do?”“I don’t know,” and he really didn’t know. All of the plans and schemes that he had tried, or wanted to try, seemed stupid now. He had always liked Indra and he thought that he could have loved her, now, standing over her body, he felt little in the way of feelings for her. That surprised him, he was shocked that she would take her own life, but his numbness now left him thinking about himself.“We have to tell Harden; I mean The People will need to know to.”He looked at his daughter, she was so young, but now he could see her mind working behind her eyes. “I’ll tell him. You go home and tell mom that Oren is not lying, this time anyways. I’ll wait here for the woman who keeps the fires burning, then I’ll go to tell Harden.”“Ok, I’ll go help mom.” She was feeling conflicted within herself, much like her father was.When Claudia left, Rognvald found a blanket to cover Indra’s body. The w
The nation Chapter 63
“What the fuck is going on?” His voice was loud enough to wake the baby; the child began to cry.“Where is she?” Asked a frantic Erek.“Who are you talking about?” Now Harden looked confused.“Erek, now... you settled down,” Rognvald reached for Erek’s shoulder, “I have this under control.”“Control?” Erek jerked away from his father’s grip. “What do you have under control? Nothing, that’s what.”Harden could see that Erek had been crying, that sent a chill through him, Indra, he thought.“Dad? Why’s the baby crying? He was just asleep five seconds ago.” They had yet to find a name for the precious little boy.“Not now.” He said to Briaunna. To Rognvald he said, “what are the both of you doing here?”“I have to see her,” Erek pleaded, “let me see her.” He tried unsuccessfully to push passed Harden.“Erek, what do you think you are doing? You have done enough around here, don’t you think?” The anger was plain in Harden’s voice.“I have to see her body.”“Erek!” Rognvald yelled, “stop!
The nation Chapter 64
Kaya had this sassy little smile that spoke to her adventurous side, some of the young men took her smile as a challenge, thinking that they could make her happy. Callum knew that he could not make her happy, he saw the reluctance in her eyes, a fire burned there that only she could put out. Her soft lips and firm breasts were a precious gift that only she could give, the sacred space between her legs was a thought never too far away from the young men of Ondu. Callum and Kaya had been friends for a long time, the two of them, along with Marx, had known each other since they were eight winters old. Kaya and Marx had been friends for longer than that.Callum did miss Kaya, he had not spoken to her in over a month, he’s been a bit preoccupied with Marx. Marx had not known of her feelings for Callum until the two had a close encounter at the large boulders. Since then, Marx has made it her business to win over Callum. Marx would never wish for dreadful things to happen but when the Flist
The nation Chapter 65
The second piece of good news came when each hunting party returned with fresh meat. Each party that went out came back with kills, it was a remarkable sight and an infrequent occurrence for the hunters. Usually, the success rate was much lower, some of the older villagers thought it was a blessing or a sign from the Gods, that everything would be alright. Callum’s hunting party brought back the second most meat, Vardon Rig’s party had two big kills for each man in his party, and they were exalted by The People. Callum was not competitive in that way, he was happy to help in any way he could, Bastien was a different story.Bastien was very competitive and thought to himself, if only Raymond was a better shot! The rest of the boys in his party knew that he was upset, everyone but Ray that is, Ray was ignorantly blissful. What made Bastien a good leader was his ability to not speak before thinking. He could have berated Ray in front of everyone, causing a scene that would hurt Ray for n
The nation Chapter 66
Rognvald manipulated his way into the leadership role of the group leaving while Harden mourned for Indra. His impassioned speeches about how The People had suffered, about the benefits of a new village and farmlands, and about trade left all but a few of the council members questioning Rognvald’s motives. It was clear, to every member, that Rognvald thought he should be chief. Harden was propped up by his friends and supporters during his grief over losing Indra. Only a few people knew about what really happened, how Indra died, and those people had their own agenda.Kaya hadn’t been this far from her home since before her parents died. The farthest she strayed from her doorway was to collect wood for the hearth fire, that was only a few meters from the door. She had no reason to leave, even after the quarantine was lifted, she stayed home. She let the kiln fires go cold, there were still pieces inside that needed to be finished, she left them there. The rest of her home was empty, d