Wren

By Belinda Weikel

Wren’s seventeenth birthday is not a joyous event for her. She does not want to be courted by every willing man in the colony; and especially, not by the Chief’s son. Things go from bad to worse as Wren finds her birthday celebration interrupted by uninvited guests.
When the black suits come, people are taken, never to be seen again. Now, Wren finds herself a slave of the black suits, and a lab rat for their torture happy Doctor. When Wren meets other people who were taken from different colonies, escape becomes inevitable.
Now, she and her new friends must survive a lethal pack of Rippers, ruthless marauders, and power hungry leaders. The suits must come down, and safe escape to rally the forces is the only option left.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Belinda Weikel
• Release date: May 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476179957

Belinda Weikel

I am a single Mother of three bright children. I work a day job and I write when I have time. For me, writing is a way to relax and have fun. I hope anyone who reads my novels will enjoy them as much as I have.

Book preview

Wren

By Belinda M. Weikel

Copyright © 2012 Belinda M. Weikel

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 1475235046

ISBN-13: 978-1475235043

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Thank you to my kids Holly, Malachi, and Zane for being a strong family. Love and thanks to my parents for supporting my endeavors. Also, thank you to my brother William Weikel for being the first to buy my paperback novels. I love you all.

Chapter One

The Company of Trees and Beasts

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Today marks the end of seventeen years for me. I should be happy, but I am far from it. Turning seventeen today just means that the freedom I have known up to this point will soon be taken away from me. I thought being out on my own hunting and gathering would help to get my mind off of the suffocating future that awaits me; instead, I seem to be thinking about it more. I love hunting, exploring, and roaming free among the mountains and wildlife I know so well. This land sings to me, and I know comfort here that I can never feel locked up inside the colony. Soon, I will not be allowed to roam these lands anymore without permission from the man who will be my husband.

The next year of my life would ideally be spent being courted by any man in the colony who wishes to be my husband. At the end of the year, on my eighteenth birthday, any remaining suitors will face off against each other in the arena. It's a simple wrestling match, but I have seen them turn ugly in the past. No one has ever died in these matches, but egos tend to be seriously wounded. All of this, on its own, is acceptable except I already know of one who will be vying for my hand. In all likelihood, no one else will even try to compete against the Chief's Son Aiden. He is a spoiled, controlling brat, but skilled and most do not have it in them to stand up to him. I cannot honestly blame them. There is also the fact that I have never given any of them reason to think I want to be a wife at all.

I have already pushed the boundaries more than a few times in the past few years of my life. Women are not normally allowed to hunt, or roam alone in the woods. The only reason I was given any real leeway on this was because fresh meat was scarce, and I was adept at what I did. In a year, I would be married off and expected to have babies. Women were expected to have babies and do women things in an effort to strengthen the colony. Healthy babies are not overly common, and it is considered a significant honor to have more than two successfully. I am just not ready for that kind of responsibility; especially when I do not get to choose the man I will have them with.

The old ones in the colony tell of stories from the past. Most of these stories tell of times before even the oldest can remember. People had access to an over abundance of food and supplies, but they abused their wealth. Wars over greed and power were fought introducing large amounts of poisons into the atmosphere. What was left in the aftermath was a world almost unlivable. It must have improved since then, but I see remnants of buildings and other ruins from time to time when I am on the hunt. Sometimes I wander through these ruins imagining how it must have been.

A large buck walks into view shaking me from my thoughts. I take aim focusing all of my irritation into the ideal target before letting my arrow fly. The arrow hits home, and I watch as it makes a little jump from the impact. The magnificent animal doesn't have a chance. It only goes a short distance before falling over, unable to carry its own weight any further.

My current hunting companion is my dog Ghost. He is white with small splotches of black here and there. Dad brought him home to me as a pup one year after a remarkably successful trade. Since then I have taken him on every hunt with me. At first he was not particularly helpful, but I enjoyed watching him discover his surroundings. I make short work of butchering the buck, so I can pull it all back without too much trouble. Ghost will help with the haul, but I won't be able to hunt anymore today; we will barely be able to manage to get all of this back. This was the first large buck I had seen in the area since I was just a little girl following my father around out here.

I was just eight years old when father took me hunting with him the first time. When he took down that first buck, I knew this was the life for me. After that day, I practiced every chance I got with the tools of the trade. He taught me to track my prey, shoot, set snares, and, of course butcher my kills. What my father did not teach me, I taught myself. Using blades of different styles, in different ways was something I taught myself over time. I have become as proficient at hitting a target with a throwing knife as with using a bow and arrow. When there are shorter distances between me and my prey, I prefer a blade to any other method.

Dad was one of the few traders in our little colony. He would only be with us for a few weeks before having to take off again with furs and other trinkets to exchange. He chose to deal with another colony towards the south that was several weeks away by horse. He always talked fondly of that colony, and there have been many times that I wished I could have gone with him. My being a girl and hunting was tolerated, but there was no way they would allow me to be a trader. I am almost certain that I would have been quite brilliant at it.

I missed my father more than anything right now. He was away on one of these trades and had been gone longer than usual. Mother tried to pretend it did not bother her that he was not back with us yet, but I knew better; she was just as concerned as me. I know my Dad can defend himself in most situations. The thing that worried me the most out in the wild was the possibility of crossing a pack of Rippers. I also worried that he might run into a rogue gang of thieves. They were known to patrol the known trading paths robbing and killing at will.

There were many dangers my father faced on his trading endeavors. He would not talk about most of the dangers at home around Mom and Jasper, my little brother. I would only hear about the people and things he had come across when we would go on our hunting forays. He had no problem talking about these things with me and nothing else but the trees and beasts to hear him. The Rippers were the one thing that truly frightened my Father, and that, in turn, frightened me. There were so many things I wanted to see and do, but it was highly unlikely I would ever get beyond my cherished forest.

I speak calmly while tying Ghost's pack to his frame. Come on Ghost. I have to face my doom at some point today. At least I will have you by my side when my suitors declare themselves; or should I say suitor?

Ghost licks my hand and then my face as if trying to comfort me. He knew I was not my usual happy self. Then we head off back to the barricades that protect the brunt of the colony. The barricade was made of a solid stone foundation and thick trunks of trees sharpened to outward angled points at the tops. There was a sturdy bridge around the interior of the wall that was constantly manned. There were also four towers within the structure that were kept manned by our best sharp shooters.

There were other things besides animals in the woods, especially at night. The main thing we worried about out here were small packs or the occasional loan male Ripper. Larger packs do not come this far up into the mountains; they don’t have the skin needed for our winters. Rippers do not make a habit of moving about during the day. Dad says they have eyes and ears meant for night hunting. The solid tree trunks barricading the colony show fresh claw marks every few days or so from one of them nosing around. These things were one of the reasons the rules were so strict within the colony, and I was only allowed to leave those defensive walls and hunt during the day.

The wind has picked up, and I can feel my long braid whipping out behind me. There must be a storm moving in, and I pick up the pace dragging my travois loaded down with the butchered deer carcass. Ghost was mostly carrying my hunting supplies, a bundled up package of choice meat from the buck, and our lunch for the day. After a short while, I was able to see the north tower and the sharp shooter on duty. He spotted me at about the same time and waved cheerfully. When I got closer he was climbing down the tower, and his replacement was taking his position. I would hate to be up there with this storm blowing in, but someone had to do it.

I could feel myself smile as the stout man makes his way from the open gate to me and Ghost. Looks like you lucked out on your shift today, Gunther. The storm is moving in fast. I suppose it is the time of the year. Spring is beautiful and dangerous at the same time.

Gunther's bright smile was clearly visible through his thick brown and gray beard. Lucky is my middle name. Looks like you had a bit of luck yourself today, Wren.

The burly man inspects my kill before taking the travois from my back and walking along with me. Oh, by the way, happy birthday little one. I knew you would want to know that you have a caller waiting at your home for you. I guess he thinks he can win you over by pushing himself on you every chance he gets. It's not quite fair to anyone else since he is supposed to wait for the ceremony tonight to announce his intentions.

My heart sinks at his words and weariness begins to weigh on me. Could you take the travois to the house for me? I need to make a stop somewhere else before going home. He looks at me curiously for a moment. I swear I won't try to run away. It would be extremely dangerous with this storm moving in, and spring brings out more than storms.

Gunther was close friends with my father, and he was probably one of the few in the community who understood me the way Dad did. Yes; I would hate for you to have to cut a marauder’s throat for thinking you are just some girl. Take all the time you need little bird.

My best friend Tanner was the only other person whom I felt comfortable being myself around. He did not judge me for being different, and in many ways promoted it. Ghost followed me into the downward slope of the colony. All of the noisier, dirtier craftsmen of the colony lived on the south facing slope; I never quite understood why.

Tanner lived with his older brothers Glen and Bane; they were the blacksmiths of our colony. There were others in the colony who dabbled in the trade, but the Kruger brothers were the best at it. Tanner worked on all of my weapons personally, because I was not actually supposed to have weapons at all. The only exception was the bow and arrows for hunting. My blades of different varieties were always kept hidden either at the Kruger’s, or in various locations around my home. Tanner was proficient at inventing new types of blades that I could hide in better places on my body.

Ghost knows where we are going and takes the lead. When he finds the right door, he nudges it open with his nose and quickly goes inside. I am only a few steps behind him. When I enter the room, Bane is sitting in his voluminous lounging chair with a large pile of white hair in his lap licking his face excitedly. I could tell by Bane's expression that he had been napping in the chair when Ghost decided to wake him up cheerfully.

Bane looks up and sees me through the flurry of white fur. Wren! Get your monster off me before I decide to make his skin into rug. I don't need a bath today.

I can feel the laughter rising at his predicament while trying peel Ghost out of his lap. I think the bath might be a matter of opinion, Bane. Where is Tanner? I had a fantastic day today, and I brought him something.

Bane points at the door behind him and gives Ghost a treat and scratches his head. Tanner and Glen are both working. It has been a busy day today. Pretty sure it has something to do with the ceremony planned for tonight, and the coming weeks.

Just like that my gloomy thoughts are brought rushing back to me. I shove Bane back into his chair and head for the door leading to the Kruger's shop. As soon as the door opens, the heat from the blazing forges smacks into me like an invisible wall. Ghost makes her way to Tanner who is banging away on some metal contraption. I have no idea what it is at this point. When he feels Ghost pawing at his leg, Tanner drops the hammer and removes his protective metal mask. Even with the protection of the mask, Tanner's face is still smudged with soot, and sweat. He has been working extremely hard today; probably since before I got up to head into the woods.

Tanner tossed the mask aside and met me at the door. Before I can object, he hauled me up into his arms in a massive bear hug and whispered in my ear. Happy birthday little bird; even if you choose not to be happy about it.

He puts me back on my feet and scratches Ghost behind the ears in acknowledgment. So how did you two do today? You must have done well. I didn't think you would be back until late. We all know how much you would like to forget about today's celebration. I was a little worried you might take off without telling me; running off to live in the wild with just your dog for company.

I begin to roll my eyes in response. I remove the bundle from Ghost's pack and pass it to Tanner. I can feel the warmth of a blush creeping into my cheeks at his words. The thought did occur to me, but I knew I would miss my family and wouldn't have you three to harass anymore. As for the hunt, I brought you some of the choice cuts. It was a perfect day for hunting; the first large buck I have seen since I was a little girl.

Glen comes over taking a peek at the bounty I've brought them. Well aren't we a lucky bunch. The girl knows how to feed her own family and three strapping boys to boot; can't beat that Tanner boy. He ruffles Tanner's hair up before going back to work.

Glen’s words sound strange, but I immediately get sidetracked into other matters. Tanner quickly pulls out the blades I used to butcher the buck and begins examining them for nicks in the metal. I'll have these sharpened up good as new for you by tonight. I'll leave them behind the planter in the back of your house when they are done.

I casually try to get a better look at what Tanner was working on by the anvil. His broad shoulders move in front of the metal work, blocking it from my view. You will get to see it tonight with everyone else. I promise. Until then it’s a secret; even from you, Wren.

Tanner's soot covered skin makes his striking blue eyes stand out even more than usual. He looks at me through the bangs of his thick brown hair waiting for a response. His hair is not long, but it’s not short either. All of the Kruger brothers were tall, broad shouldered and similar in appearance. The only difference was in their hair and eye colors. Tanner had the dark brown hair and blue eyes, while his oldest brother Bane had auburn hair and green eyes. Glen was a true blonde with pale blue, almost gray eyes and the most sensible of the bunch. They all treated me like part of the family, and maybe that was why I felt so comfortable here.

I finally give in and shrug my shoulders only a little annoyed that my best friend was keeping a secret from me. We never keep secrets from each other, but there had to be a compelling reason or Tanner would not be doing it now. If there were ever anyone in this community I could trust besides my own family, it would have to be the Kruger brothers. I don't have time to think about it much before Bane is charging through the back door of the shop.

We all turn to face the onslaught of the over six foot tall Bane. Wren! Aiden's on his way over here. If you truly don't want to see him, you and Ghost need to move out the side door, now.

Bane grabs my arm firmly, and ushers me out the side door with Ghost close behind me. I wait until I can hear a flustered Aiden burst into the blacksmith shop questioning everyone about my whereabouts. The Kruger brothers each quickly give Aiden a different answer as to where I have gone after dropping off my skinning knife to be sharpened. The boys do not mention the other blades meant for more than a simple hunter. Then Ghost and I took off up the slope towards home as quickly and quietly as we could make ourselves move. When I walk around back of the house, Gunther is there helping to finish cut up the buck into manageable portions to be smoked, or turned into jerky. I can smell the aroma of venison cooking as it wafts through the back door.

Gunther smiles brightly and shakes his head at me. Go on and get inside little bird. You need to eat and get cleaned up. You have a significant night tonight. I see you managed to avoid him up to this point, but you will have to face him, and any other suitors before you know it. You could at least try to look like the woman you are.

I pout a little childishly and stomp up onto the porch. Why? Maybe I should go to my birthday party covered in leather and dirt. I don't want a husband, and I don’t care much about looking like a woman.

I had not eaten all day, and I quickly remove my leather boots, and leave them on the back porch. I would hate to track mud in through Mom's spotless kitchen. Gunther continues