The Valley of Tooth & Claw by Chris McInally

Author:Chris McInally [McInally, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2019-07-14T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

The ache in Kate’s wrists was incessant now, her poor skin rubbed red-raw by the primitive rope used to bind her hands. Looking down at her restraints, the professor noted faint traces of blood intermingled with the coarse fabric. Still, the pain concentrated about the woman’s wrists was nothing compared to the rest of her body. Her back and legs hurt the most she found, evidence that their march had indeed been an arduous one. By Miller’s estimation however, they were now on the home stretch. Thankfully, after the better part of a day on the move, it was almost over. Or was their hell just beginning? What fresh horrors awaited them? Kate had no doubt that time would ultimately tell on this front.

In any event, Professor Miller and the others stood atop the brow of a small hill, surrounded by their kidnappers. From here the land fell away from the group, the decline smooth and gradual. Bottoming out after less than twenty feet, the land, more or less level from here on, proceeded to stretch for about a quarter of a kilometer before coming to the walls of a heavily fortified settlement.

A village, Kate supposed quietly as she looked out over the expansive plain. Their village. She warily snatched a glance at the tribesmen scattered all around her.

Ultimately, they didn’t hold her attention for long and Kate went back to studying the settlement yonder. More specifically, Miller surveyed a series of thatched, sun-bleached roofs just visible beyond the twin sets of sharpened palisades that made up the village’s imposing defenses. As to the rest of the abodes, she couldn’t quite make them out from where she stood, partially obscured as they were by the double-ring of fortifications.

Returning then to the defenses, Kate inspected the first set of palisades. This ‘outer rim’ protruded away from the main site on a menacing angle; the stakes rising from the ground at roughly forty-five degrees. It was immediately obvious that this feature was intended to ward off attackers˗ and large ones at that. Behind this initial perimeter, a second set of walls had been erected. Composed of similarly fashioned stakes, the sharpened tops of these pointed skyward. The geographer estimated the height of them at close to thirty feet, possibly even more.

Miller’s gaze turned next to the settlement’s gateway. Here was the only gap in the structure’s otherwise complete and fearsome outer perimeter. Roughly rectangular in shape, the outline of the entrance was rimmed left and right by yet more spear-like stakes, as was its top. Lastly, on either side of the entrance sat platforms. Strangely enough, these made the professor think back to her childhood in Huntsville and her cousins’ old treehouse, in particular.

Guardhouses, Professor Miller presumed silently, for some reason imagining archers atop them.

“Impressive,” she heard Greg say, the man standing just off to her left.

“Huh?” Kate turned to look at Professor Trentham.

“The structure is rather impressive,” Greg elaborated for her, “wouldn’t you say?” He signaled towards it with an open hand.

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