Navii had her oldest daughter by the upper arms and was staring earnestly into her face.
“What happened? Is it the baby?” Brav demanded, seeing that the infant was still clutched in the girl’s arms.
“N-no.” Yolii shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. “R-r-riivers,” she stuttered at last. “T-took her! Took her away!”
“Who?” Brav demanded. “Where’s Danielle?” He was already scanning the group of women for her and not seeing her. “Was it Danielle?” he asked, looking back at Yolii. “Is she the one they took?”
The girl nodded frantically.
“Th-they dragged her away,” she whimpered. “R-right in front of me!”
“Oh, friend Bravik, I am so sorry.” Kozen was suddenly there, squeezing his arm. “We mourn for you,” he said softly, shaking his head.
“Mourn for me—what are you talking about?” Bravik demanded. “I’m going after her—whose coming with me?”
He was certain that most if not all of the males would respond at once. He and Danielle had become part of this community—they did everything with the H’rakens. They did chores with them, broke bread with them, worshiped the Mother Stone with them every night—surely they would want to save one of their own.
But the males all looked away and the women were already beginning to weep and wring their hands in mourning.
“Friend Bravik,” Kozen said gently. “We are sorry but when one is taken by the Riivers, there is no way to rescue them.”
“The bite of a Riiver is deadly,” Navii explained, taking up her husband’s tale. “Not even the Mother Stone can heal it. I fear that your dear one is already dead—or as good as dead.”
“So that’s it?” Brav demanded. “You’re just going to write Danielle off as dead and forget about her?”
“We will mourn with you after the harvest,” Kozen said, squeezing his arm gently. “And if you wish to end your existence, we completely understand. There is no life worth living without the other half of your heart.”
“Fuck that!” Brav growled. “I’m not killing myself and I’m not leaving Danielle to be torn apart by those fucking animals! I’m going after her even if I have to go by myself.” He turned to Yolii. “Show me where they took her from!” he demanded.
Still clutching the baby in one arm, the girl raised a finger and pointed to the trees.
“Th-there. They dragged her away right under the biggest fursa tree.”
Brav ran to where she was pointing and sniffed deeply. There was the unmistakable scent of the Riivers—rot and corruption and dead flesh, he thought. But under it, almost obscured by the disgusting miasma of her captors, was Danielle’s sweet, feminine fragrance. He would have known it anywhere and he would have followed it to the ends of the universe.
He followed it now, plunging into the trees with a silent prayer that he wouldn’t be too late.
Thirty-Seven
“Do not bite her! Her flesh is only for the Leader!” the Riiver on Danni’s right hissed to the one on her left.
“Will he eat her or bite her and make her his bride?” the one on the right returned.
“No one knows. But she must not be bitten by any but him.”
Danni felt sick. She wanted to scream at them to let her go but a cold, hard hand was pressed over her mouth as they dragged her along. She could barely catch a glimpse of them through the shadows of the forest but they looked like some kind of mutants to her.
White wrinkled skin that looked almost melted, covered their naked bodies and their eyes were huge and red—clearly light sensitive since they winced away from any sunlight—though there wasn’t much, since it was a mostly cloudy day.
What was wrong with these people? What had happened to them to make them look this way? Where were they taking her? And who was the “Leader?”
Danni had no answers to any of her questions, but she was horribly afraid she was going to find out—the hard way.
Thirty-Eight
Brav could have followed her scent anywhere. Even overlaid by the Riiver miasma, he could pick it up—a ribbon of light in a river of bile. It led him through the forest and straight to the foot of the mountains—to the looming mouth of a cave filled with shadows and fleeting white shapes.
In there—Danielle was in there surrounded by the Goddess alone knew how many of the filthy, stinking Riivers and there was only one way to get her out.
Brav gripped the blaster tightly, waiting for the right moment to charge in. He didn’t dare to wait until nightfall—Danielle might be dead by then.
She might be dead NOW, whispered a pessimistic little voice in his head. At least, if the H’rakens have it right.
Brav refused to listen to that voice. He pushed it away—Danielle was alive—she had to be alive. Anything else was unthinkable!
He got into position, hiding in the shadow of the trees in the front of the cave, studying the enemy. The Riivers seemed to be going about their business—not expecting any kind of attack or retaliation for their kidnapping. Probably because the H’rakens immediately wrote off anyone who was taken and didn’t even try to rescue them—the cowards!