"I cant tell you anything else until we actually finish digging the first section."

Verik stared at Tendaji as they looked at the would be canal system, two days ago the wayward few had returned and been awarded "honors" of various sorts. Now that things had calmed down it meant that the time had come to start on the canal or at least ironing out the details.

Tendaji had verbally given him a list of what tools that had been made available for the project and it was a lot worse than Verik had guessed. The sheer quantity of water needed for all the fields meant the canal would need to be deep and wide, some eight or more feet down and at some points twelve feet deep and just as wide.

They had walked the whole length of where the canal would be together and both were in agreement that the tools available left a lot to wishful thinking and prayer. However, due to some recent problems a certain field had to be abandoned as the crops had been hit with blight and were now left to wither away fully. Bad luck that would spell doom for many if something was not changed and soon.

Then again, since this field no longer needed water that meant a handful of workers were now available for other tasks well ahead of schedule. Rather than send them to another field to lift the burden of water carrying Tendaji was now gambling on Verik's plan by having him start now and not later.

That the chief was making this gamble was in no small part a large display of faith in his plan, all the more reason Tendaji wanted to be absolutely certain before finalizing it.

In the end it wound up as a draw, until the first part was dug out Tendaji would be unable to physically see just how much earth would be moved. A fact Verik was well aware of and had continued to try and impress upon him.

"Where this dirt go?"

"Anywhere, but for now it would be best to just pile it along the canal until you agree or refuse to build those extensions on the hill for housing. Whatever boulders we dig up can be chiseled down and used to form the support wall."

"We have no... What you call them? Masons?"

"You have brick layers right? They will suffice, same principle but more like a jigsaw puzzle with greater weight involved."

"Where chisels come from?"

"The slave irons, heat them up, beat them out, instant chisel. Crude, but effective. Wont be needing them for a while anyway so no big rush, the digging comes first. Now about the flood gates-"

"You want us steal wood from across river."

"Absolutely. It would take forever to get anything suitable from within your tribal boundaries but three or four missing tree's over a larger area will not be missed nor provide any hints as to whom."

"Require floodgates?"

"Three. Minimum. It is non-negotiable, without them your fields would be permanently flooded. Also there is no negotiation on the clay culverts."

"Your clay, culverts? Easy. Timber not so easy."

Tendaji stared at the field below them before looking back at the marked lines of stone. Yesterday Verik and his little band had walked with baskets of stone and clearly marked the path of the canal for all to see. Everyone was forbidden from touching the stones and at Verik's behest were required to inform him if they bumped one.

"Not easy..."

"No but worth it, the payoff is down the road and not immediate-"

"I know, many want to start now, many think this waste of time. I think it maybe work, if it work solve many problems but not enough tools."

"Nor shovels."

The chief shook his head slowly and continued to stare at the line of markers that stretched off over a vast area, his eyes continued to calculate just how long it would take to pull it all off.

"Tendaji, it will be slow going at first but once the rains come and the soil loosens up things will pick up quickly. Right now we just need to get started so everyone knows what to do and expect, if we get this test section dug everyone can look at it as an example for what to do."

Letting out a long sigh Tendaji gave a slight nod and walked off before calling back that tomorrow his laborers would be here in the morning, waiting. Whatever tools they had for this project would be at his disposal and the smith would start on the chisels. As to how good a bronze chisel would be neither knew but at least one of the irons was made of iron albeit rusted.

"When we get my sister?"

Verik turned his head to the pursuing party, his little band of "mercenaries" had grown and followed him everywhere he went. Today had been no exception as both wanted to see what was brewing and as Verik guessed it would inevitably result in the question that had just been asked.

Shahid was antsy, he wanted to get his sister out immediately but fully understood that it would take time. Simply breaking her out would do not good if they had nowhere to go or had to cross the dangerous landscape and run the risk of capture all over again.

"You will not like the answer."

"Tell me."

"A ship will come here after the harvest, this ship will collect taxes then sail north to Iuny. I intend to take said ship."

"That months from now!"

"Yes but it is the best chance you will ever have. By then they will have calmed down, forgotten and become complacent again. Also a ship is the fastest way to escape, with it we can sail away into the night bound for... Anywhere on the river."

"They follow anyway."

"Not necessarily. You see, its a government ship, no one will question it nor care. Altayih, can you read and write?"

"Yes captain... Why?" Altayih looked confused before looking at Shahid who shrugged.

"Government ship means government cargo, that means papers. Paper means bureaucracy and lots of signatures and writing. If we play our cards right we can go to Iuny and play along so long as you can read the documents. Shahid, you said the guards at Iuny are... What was it? Utterly worthless?"

Shahid nodded, he had told them his story several times at Verik's request and even made him draw out a crude map of the city and where his sister was held.

"So long as we stay straight faced and play the part no one will care, we are just one more government tax ship among many passing by, not there to collect, just passing by."

"Captain..." Altayih held a finger up inquisitively, "how do you know we will not be the only ship?"

"River this big? No less than three villages, Tajan described them to me... It will take several ships, I imagine the tax office assigns one ship per village or more depending on the amount of cargo space required."

"If they send more than one?"

"Wete has one cargo raft."

"What does that mean?"

"It means they can only bring one ship here at a time otherwise Wete would have two cargo rafts."

"Maybe they wait."

"If there is one thing a tax man hates is being stuck waiting forever while someone else coughs up their left lung knowing that they have to wait on the right lung. I imagine Fareed is no exception and it is probably the rule for the region and "take it now and quickly" is most likely preferred over waiting. Either way we will find out."

"So we take this ship somehow... Then sail it somehow, none of us know how to do-"

"Oh the slaves on board will do that for us."

"Rather certain of yourself. We kill the crew, free the slaves and they will just... Sail it for us?"

"Of course. The price of freedom. Also they will be paid of course."

"With what?"

"With all the "taxes" collected from the village."

"So they take it from Wete, we take it back then... Sell it?"

"Some, not all. Some we keep."

"Tendaji will go insane."

"Not if he gets a quarter of the cargo back."

"My sister-"

"Shahid... If this works you and your sister will be sailed away to safety, food in mouth, coin in pocket. You will still serve me but your woes will become fewer. Besides, you lost your spear, you owe me a replacement for the one I gave you a few days ago."

"I have to throw it away!"

"Throw it over the wall next time. Anyway, we have as many months to train for the raid, I suggest we focus on that. We do not want another repeat of past events do we?" They all shook their heads. "Good. We have no less than three months to prepare."

"They not find me because of spear?" A light bulb had gone off in Shahid's head, he was not used to thinking like this but was starting to learn very quickly.

"You worry far too much but your head is technically in the right place. I took that spear off a dead bandit, assuming they did or even have that ability to "trace" its origin somehow, it is still a dead end, literally. They want the owner they will have to dig through hyena crap by now."

"Leave."

"Come, you-"

"Leave."

Asha and Sibi were hunched over a row of plants pulling weeds while the stallion continued to proposition Asha. It was their turn to tend the plants while others carried water and today was a first, no one had ever paid attention to her before. It was not flattering either.

Still he tried, but there was a look in his eyes, something was... Wrong. It was not honest, he was up to something. "He," as good a description as any, she had seen him around the village but never up close. Never introduced himself, tried talking to her, anything, she was invisible to him. Until now.

Now all of a sudden he was very, very interested in her. Dangerously so.

"Asha say leave, you leave!"

"Think about it yes? I visit tomorrow."

"NO." Sibi and Asha both said the same thing at the same time without ever looking up and then looked at each other with the same knowing look. This was not over.

"Asha, you say something to him maybe and forget? Wave?"

"No! He not even live near me! I think... Dont know? Never see him except carrying water! Why he so interested now?"

"Maybe your new friend is reason enough..."

"Verik? Why that one take interest now then?"

"Exactly why he take interest. See look in eye? He no interested in you, he interested in Verik."

Asha looked up with the strangest look on her face for a minute before Sibi shook her head and explained.

"That one use you to get at Verik, make many enemy when bring that skin back. Even offer some to you in front of village and then told by Nuru he can marry any Wete."

"He not want us to marry?"

Sibi smiled at her younger friend.

"Oh, so you plan to marry him now?" The look on Asha's face was priceless as she tried to answer before finally giving up, she had been caught red handed. "Some not want him around, want him driven out good or bad. Some want him to stay, like him now and maybe more. But if he marry you, a Wete..."

"They not get rid of him so easy, have to drive me out too."

Sibi nodded.

"I think that one try and persuade you to marry him instead, Verik show no interest in others, only you. Take you away, making him go easier."

"I marry... I marry Verik not that one, dont like that one."

"Not meant they not try. But... Worried. That one when he leave... He know that, see it in eyes. My husband have same look sometimes, knows he lost then maybe do something foolish."

"He not force me to marry, against Wete law."

"No Asha, that one may try to go for Verik now. Warn him, yes? That one up to something, he not do it without others urging him either."

"They attack Verik they punished or exiled by law."

Sibi shook her head but said nothing, there was something missing here, something the other knew that they did not. Much time had passed since Verik's arrival and she knew some had asked Tendaji to have him thrown out but it all failed. Whoever they were or how many, they were trying everything possible and now they had tried to get Asha.

That meant they were at the end of the rope and would try something else.

"Ah! Damn pig! Leave!"

Sibi snapped out of her thoughts and jerked around to see Asha throwing a few stones at a boar that had snuck into the field. It was rooting around and digging up the yams and eating them, from the looks of it the stones were not dissuading it any either.

Letting out a sigh Sibi waved Asha off and yelled at one of the others to get whoever was responsible for keeping the wild animals out of the fields today. Once in a while this would happen and as such Sefu had assigned one or two for the sole purpose of chasing them off or killing them if they refused to leave.

At least it was not an elephant this time, that had caused a great deal of trouble they did not need.

"Training over for you, come."

Verik started at Jelani as she walked off with her bow, quiver and a spear before looking at Sefu who shrugged and waved him off. Leaving Altayih and Shahid behind he followed the archer down into the fields where things were held up for some reason on the end closest to the wilds.

It did not take long to see why either, a wild boar of some sort had wandered in and begun to feed happily on the crops and by the looks of it... Was engorging itself to no small amount on the yams. Rocks had been thrown, even sticks by the looks of it but it ignored them all or as he found had charged the farmers and nearly gored one in the leg with its tusks.

"You eat meat, you eat that yes?"

"Uhh... Yes, bacon tastes very good."

"Kill it and you keep it."

Jelani waved him off as if to say "have at it" before wandering off to one side so she could watch. Hunting a pig, that was new. Deer? Rabbit? Yes, but not this and never with a spear of all things. Jelani had made no offer of allowing him to use her bow and part of him remembered that it would probably only piss it off.

That meant walking up, skewering the boar and holding it in place till it bled out and died. It was a very tasty prospect though and perfectly timed. The salt supply was at its peak so salting the meat would not be an issue assuming he did not gorge himself on the meat and so long as it did not gore him first.

Oh how long it had been since he had tasted fried pig flesh.

"You careful, not get gored with tusks no?"

Asha and Sibi were here, he had learned their schedule already and after giving her a smile Verik walked down the rows towards dinner.

This will be easy, just level the spear, stick it at a distance before it charges or if worst comes to worst... Chase dinner, hopefully Jelani will loan me her bow if it decides to run.

Leveling his spear and moving forward quickly to close the gap he remembered that the world is never that easy. Seeing him long before he got there the bacon on legs turned, let out a sound, bobbed and then charged.

Keeping the spear point level with the onrush of horned bacon Verik let it come and braced himself, to his side Jelani did nothing but had an arrow notched just in case. Probably in the event that he ran like hell from dinner rather than fight it to the death.

Verik was not moving an inch. In a split second his dinner was fifty yards away and the next he felt himself being driven steadily backwards as it impaled itself on the spear. He was at risk of being thrown down by the now enraged creature albeit nothing grand in size, keeping his boots planted he pushed back with everything he had.

Thrashing and squeeling it tried desperately to get at him, even driving itself deeper onto the spear without dying instantly. Something warm pushed into his back and began pushing against the would be murdereous pig with him.

When it ended everything was covered in blood including plenty on his boots and pants, it had bled itself out rather quickly but those few brief moments had felt like an eternity. For its smaller size compared to the wild hogs he had seen this one had put up quite the fight.

Turning around to see who had helped anchor him he found Asha, Sibi and two others glued to him from behind while Jelani just gave him a smile before offering him her large knife.

"Thank you."

His words went to all of them but none smiled more than Asha but he guessed those smiles would come to a halt very shortly. Removing his spear Verik drug the critter off and away from the fields with a few tagalongs before field dressing it.

Sibi turned away quickly before leaving, two vomited on the spot while Asha and Jelani watched both in horror and a degree of fascination. Before long he had finished and returning the knife to Jelani he realized they had a problem.

"This pile of guts is going to draw something, probably with big teeth."

"No worry, even if bury blood draw them. We stay inside tonight though hm?" Jelani finished wiping her knife off with dust and dirt before sheathing it and walking off leaving only Asha and Verik behind. The other two had left quickly after voiding their bowels.

"You eat it now?" Asha had never taken her eyes off of it, she had never seen him eat anything other than a fish he realized.

"No, it has to be cooked thoroughly or salted. I plan to roast part of it tonight and let the rest bleed out then finish by salt packing it."

Grabbing its lighter form Verik checked it for flees and ticks before carrying it away, Asha joined him, holding his spear so that Verik could focus on hauling the carcase.

"You eat head too?"

"No, thats for the tanner, he needs the brain for tanning the hide. He reminded me of that fact after the snake hide not that he couldnt manage without one."

"You have much leather now."

"Yes we do. Lots, more to come once this is skinned and tanned. Paying him will be a problem though... I will think of something."

We. This thought floated through Asha's mind and reminded her of something very important.

"Be careful!"

"What?" Verik froze and looked around searching for something before looking at Asha curiously.

"No, no. Be careful, Sibi think someone out to get you."

"She thinks? Or knows..."

"Strong think, know Sibi long time. Listen to her."

"Any idea as to whom or what?"

"Yes... Not know name but stallion try and... Proposition me today."

"Bastard."

Asha caught the whisper from Verik's mouth but pretended she had missed it, one more reason he kept growing on her.

"Sibi think he trying to get me away from you, get me to marry him so it easy to chase you away."

"You refused him I take it."

"Yes!"

"Because you want to marry me or because you simply do not like him?"

"I-" She stammered a second but Verik turned his eyes away and stared ahead.

"What does he look like?"

"How you tell him apart from rest of us?"

"What is his tribal mark?"

"Ohh... Sorry... Never pay attention to that but I see him again I look."

"Its alright, I dont think he will try anything right now, I have been here a little while now and they have not turned violent. Yet. I figure whatever they are plotting will have to follow the law right?"

"Yes, but not know what. So be careful yes?"

"Would I up and leave you just like that?"

"I hope not."

"Then do not worry, I wont."

As they walked past the lines of workers they gaped at them and what he was carrying, some retched, others looked disgusted and at least half did not care.

"Canal start tomorrow yes?"

"Who are you?"

Verik stared at the zebra who approached with a smile that was quickly wiped away after seeing the carcase but they did not back away nor run.

"Siji. Tendaji say I come to you now, we make canal to water fields."

"Ah yes, tomorrow. Yes, we start tomorrow, how many is he sending?"

"Uh... Ten and ten and ten and ten and five."

Does he even know how to count above ten?

"Forty five. That is... More than I was expecting."

"Take many to work blighted field, now we do nothing."

"Ohh we will have plenty to do, too much in fact. Not enough tools either..."

"We manage!"

"So we shall Siji, so we shall. This canal shall be built of pure zebra power and held together with spit, bubblegum, duct-tape and a lot of wishful thinking."

Neither Siji nor Asha had any real idea what that meant but they understood the gist of it and smiled. They all knew that no matter what happened in the following days there was one ultimate truth to it all: whatever happens, happens.

Author's Notes:

This will be the last chapter for some time, I need to make ends meet and donations to help me continue in writing these stories has amounted to a big fat ZERO on my Patreon page. Therefor my attention now turns to other things because writing just one chapter takes hours and that does not include going back to edit or rework the chapter, time I could spent doing something that puts food on the table. When will I update this story again? Probably not for a long time as it is a money drain and not a money maker. Paying the bills and eating is far higher on the list than this story.