Robinson Crusoe 2245: (Book 2) by E.J. Robinson Page A

combatants’ faces.
    Hushed voices ran through the crowd as Robinson passed. Others pointed out the mark on his arm, while a few hissed at him like hungry felines. The womenfolk were busy cooking food over fires and tanning hides, while the children carried freshly picked turnips and beets.
    They led Robinson to the largest of the mud domes and ordered him inside. His only source of light was the coals of a fire. The walls were colored with stick figures engaged in some kind of violent game that he didn’t understand.
    Sometime after dark, a woman brought a bowl of fish, rice, mushrooms, and herbs in a simple but tasty broth. Later, the leader returned with Nameless and two of his biggest cat men. They had trouble entering with their shoulder armor intact. Robinson didn’t see how they maneuvered in them during a fight. One of the men placed kindling in the brazier and stoked the fire to life.
    “This is the leader of the village,” Nameless said. “He wishes to know your purpose here.”
    “Wait,” Robinson said. “Before we get to that, how did you know my name?”
    The leader spoke to Nameless, but she shook her head forcefully and held up a hand to silence him. Then she turned back to Robinson.
    “Like most men, they are not patient, but I’ll try to answer what I can. I am called Nameless. It is not the name I was born with, but it is as good as any. Some months ago, marauders from the river attacked my village. They butchered my people and razed our home. I am the only one they spared. I was taken as a slave aboard their ship. I was treated badly, but not as badly as some. I learned quickly to keep my head down and mouth shut. I worked, listened, and learned.”
    The leader of the cat men again tried to interrupt her, but Nameless held out her hand. Again, the man sat back, frustrated.
    “On this ship was a girl. Your age perhaps. She had been there longer than any other. The master of the ship was cruel to her, but his cruelty afforded her some protection. The crew called her ‘rose’ because she was beautiful but pricked like thorns. They spoke of how she once traveled with a boy who carried two axes and fought like the devil. Together, these two slayed many of their kind.”
    Robinson’s heart was pounding in his chest. He had so many questions but fought to remain silent as Nameless continued.
    “The girl remained unbroken despite the abuses heaped upon her. I alone discovered she had a plan for escape. One night, she broke her bonds, but rather than flee, she sought to cut the master down in his sleep. I alerted the guards to stop her. It was, I believed, my only hope for survival. And yet, when this girl fled the ship, she took me with her, even though she knew I had betrayed her. She gave me life when I tried to bring the end to hers.”
    Robinson nodded but let her continue.
    “We swam to this island,” Nameless continued. “But the master and his dogs were quickly at our heels. In the end, we could not outrun them. So the girl gave up her freedom for mine.”
    Her eyes fell to the fire, as if reliving the event all over again. “It was she who named me Nameless, though I never learned hers.”
    “Friday,” Robinson said. “At least, that’s what I called her.”
    Nameless nodded.
    “What happened afterward?” Robinson asked.
    “She was beaten badly and returned to the ship. I remained hidden, but the search for me was brief. The next day, the master’s ship was gone.”
    Robinson took a heavy breath. He was relieved to know Friday was alive, but the details haunted him.
    “How long ago did this happen?” he asked.
    “A moon, maybe. By now the master should be close to home.”
    The leader of the cat men whispered to the girl again.
    “They fear the master, as do most along the river. But they fear the Aserra too. They seek a truce with your people for your release.”
    Robinson looked the men over and saw the fear in their eyes. They were simple folks, trying to carve a life from