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  An Epic of Survival

  Book Three, The Darwin’s World Trilogy

  By Jack L Knapp

  COPYRIGHT

  Book Three, The Darwin’s World Trilogy

  Home

  An Epic of Survival

  Copyright © 2014 by Jack L Knapp

  Cover Art Copyright Mia Darien

  Images from Fotolia

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work.

  Disclaimer: The persons and events depicted in this novel were created by the author’s imagination; no resemblance to actual persons or events is intended.

  Product names, brands, and other trademarks referred to within this book are the property of the respective trademark holders. Unless otherwise specified, no association between the author and any trademark holder is expressed or implied. Nor does the use of such trademarks indicate an endorsement of the products, trademarks, or trademark holders unless so stated. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark, registered trademark, or service mark.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue 5

  Chapter One 6

  Chapter Two 11

  Chapter Three 15

  Chapter Four 19

  Chapter Five 24

  Chapter Six 29

  Chapter Seven 34

  Chapter Eight 38

  Chapter Nine 43

  Chapter Ten 49

  Chapter Eleven 54

  Chapter Twelve 60

  Chapter Thirteen 64

  Chapter Fourteen 69

  Chapter Fifteen 74

  Chapter Sixteen 81

  Chapter Seventeen 86

  Chapter Eighteen 91

  Chapter Nineteen 96

  Chapter Twenty 100

  Chapter Twenty-One 105

  Chapter Twenty-Two 111

  Chapter Twenty-Three 116

  Chapter Twenty-Four 121

  Chapter Twenty-Five 126

  Chapter Twenty-Six 131

  Chapter Twenty-Seven 136

  Chapter Twenty-Eight 140

  Chapter Twenty-Nine 145

  Chapter Thirty 150

  Chapter Thirty-One 155

  Chapter Thirty-Two 160

  Chapter Thirty-Three 165

  Chapter Thirty-Four 170

  Chapter Thirty-Five 175

  Chapter Thirty-Six 180

  Chapter Thirty-Seven 185

  Prologue

  Welcome to Book Three of the Darwin’s World Series.

  Matt and others have been transplanted to a parallel timeline. The version of Earth where they find themselves corresponds to Earth’s late Pleistocene Epoch, about 15,000 years before Matt’s 20th Century birth.

  The transplants adapt to local conditions and soon form associations, from familial to tribal to village level. A variety of factors made it necessary for Matt’s ‘family’ to join a larger tribe (Darwin’s World), then seek a location to establish a permanent home (Darwin’s World II: The Trek).Their journey began in late winter and lasted until early fall. The end of that journey brings us to the present work.

  The place they’ve found isn’t perfect, but it’s the best that can be found before winter sets in. The tribe must build shelters and store food to see them through the hungry time; primitive societies call it that for good reason. Matt’s Tribe had known hunger during the recent harsh winter.

  The people begin building a fortified village in a narrow valley, against a limestone cliff that becomes part of the defensive wall. A small river runs through the valley, reaching the sea some twenty miles south. This sea is a narrow arm leading off the Gulf of Mexico, or what will be called that in the time when Matt was born. It follows the path taken by the lower Rio Grande of modern North America, the time and place called Earth Prime.

  The tribe’s numbers are small, despite having absorbed people during the journey. Matt felt that the best solution would be a cliff dwelling similar to what the ancient Anasazi had used. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded by enemies, they had prospered, safe in their canyons and cliff-hollow villages. Matt hopes his small group can do the same.

  The engineers, however, feel the cliff-hollow is not large enough to house the tribe, now that it has grown to more than a hundred people. Instead, they decide to build storage bins in the hollow and construct a walled village below. Matt goes along with the decision.

  Then tragedy strikes. Two tribe members, Laz and Lee, are captured. The tribe has had trouble with raiders before, but this is the first time they’ve lost members. Earlier encounters have seen the captors killed, their captives released. Captives who were not rescued were taken south and sold as slaves, into the area corresponding on Earth Prime with northern Mexico. None have ever returned.

  Matt decides to stop the raids by striking back, but there’s a problem; nothing is known about the lands across the seaway and the tribe is outnumbered.

  No matter; Matt will recon the unknown lands, a first step to rescuing Lee and Laz. Both are valuable tribesmen, but Lee is also the son of Lilia, Matt’s consort.

  Meanwhile, winter is coming; the tribe must prepare shelters and stock them with food. This reduces the manpower available to Matt.

  Will this winter be as harsh as the previous one? No one knows. Survival of the many must take priority over rescuing two.

  There’s much to be done, not much time to do it, and few hands to do the work. Some must hunt, plants must be harvested, firewood must be cut and stacked.

  The rescue expedition will need warriors, people who must come from the group that does the hunting. Using them on a raid might mean starvation for the others, even should the rescue be successful.

  These are the issues that Matt and the others responsible for the tribe must solve.

  Part One: Rescue

  Chapter One

  “I don’t see anyone, Matt. How about we steer for that little cove?”

  “Go ahead, Piotr. We’ll hide the boat on shore; if it cracks, it cracks. We can patch it again or just steal one of theirs. We took this one, we can do it again.”

  “Sounds good, Matt. You want to go in now or wait until dark?”

  “We go in now. If anyone’s watching, they won’t be suspicious. Waiting offshore, they would wonder why we don’t land.”

  The boat glided smoothly into the sheltered water, driven by the paddles. The beach was a mix of sand, pebbles, and shell, smoothly shelving. A small gully, overgrown with brush and weeds, offered concealment.

  Jumping overboard, the men dragged the boat up the beach. Turning it upside down, they carried it into the gully, then covered it with branches.

  Moving farther up the slope, they concealed themselves to wait for dusk.

  #

  Planning the reconnaissance had begun the week before.

  Five people, buckskin-clad, looked south across the seaway. They appeared to be in their early twenties, but looks are often deceiving. All had undergone the Futurists treatments before being transplanted; older bodies had been replaced o
r rejuvenated, memories retained and augmented. None showed signs of further aging. Even scars, the result of living in harsh conditions, had vanished after a short time.

  “We’re never going to keep those bastards away if all we do is respond. They’ve got to learn there are consequences for raiding us.” The speaker was tall, dark-haired, and armed with bow and spear.

  “I agree, Matt. But they’ve got more people and their weapons are as good as ours.”

  “Even so, if we don’t act, they’ll keep taking people, one here, two or three there. There are more of them, but probably only a few hundred. Otherwise, wouldn’t the raids be bigger?”

  “What if they’re also raiding into South America, Matt? Or maybe further to the west?”

  “Sal, the kind of small raiding party they send means they’re not capturing many people. At a guess, they’re picking up less than a hundred slaves over here during the course of a year. There just aren’t many people to capture. Maybe slavery is only a sideline, a part of what they’re doing down there.”

  “Matt, I’m not sure all of us know what you’re talking about. I guess if you know, the rest of us can just go along with you for the time being.”

  “While we wait, they could be taking Laz and Lee even farther south. Meantime, we have to build shelters and gather food. We can’t mount a rescue without hurting our own chances for survival, not yet. We don’t have a lot of time, and we’re also short of extra manpower.

  “They picked the right time, probably why they prefer late summer and fall for their raids. That raiding village we wiped out captured people at other times, but they held them until they could be sold.

  “The raiders aren’t the same ones as the slaveholders; farmers and miners can’t leave their slaves behind. Besides, who would make sure the crops got tended while they were gone? Anyway, that’s what I think.

  “I’ll take a small patrol over there and spend a couple of days sneaking around. With luck, the farms won’t be far inland, but I’ll go into the interior if I have to. It’s too much to hope that we’ll find Lee and Laz as soon as we get over there.”

  “You’re just looking, Matt?”

  “For now, Piotr. Think you might be up for a little walk in the woods?”

  “Sure, Matt; it beats sitting around and chipping stone. When do you plan to leave?”

  “I’m going to need three more guys. I think five is enough, six is too many. If we take more than that, the odds of being discovered go up. It won’t matter as much later, but for now, I don’t want them to know we’re coming.”

  “I want to go too, Matt.”

  “Not this time, Lilia; you wouldn’t be traveling alone. I can be risked, but if you’re in danger, so is our son or daughter. No, you help Colin get the village built and see to stocking it with food. You’ll need furs and firewood as well as meat, plus whatever vegetables you can gather before winter.”

  Lilia reluctantly nodded agreement.

  “How are you going to conduct the scout, Matt?”

  “Move after dark, hide during the day. With five people, there’s enough for two teams and an extra, me. The teams will alternate, one pair watching while the other sleeps, and I’m the spare. I’ll only stay three or four days this time, a week at most. I don’t intend to fight, not yet. I’d rather get Laz and Lee back first, then raid the slaveholders. I’ll teach them they’ve got something to lose. I’ll burn them out, destroy everything I can. I’ll hit them where it hurts most, in their profits. If we can free slaves at the same time, great, but that’s not the aim. The priority is to get our guys back. Chopping out the slavery cancer might have to be left until later.”

  The others nodded, then left to go about their business. Lilia remained behind.

  “What about the people here, Matt?”

  “I’ve got you and Colin to look after them, Lilia. The engineers too, they’ll be working with Sal and his crew to get shelters built. For that matter, everyone will have to pitch in. With luck, the houses will be up and the walls finished by the time I find Laz and Lee. No idea how long it will take; I can’t just amble up to the slavers and ask them nicely to return our people. At the same time, I won’t be able to operate after first snow. We’ll leave too many tracks. So that gives me a month or two, probably not more than that.”

  “You’re sure you can do this, Matt?”

  “I have to try. I won’t leave our son over there, Lilia. He’s my son, even though he had a different father, so I’ll do what a father would. We fought together, risked our lives for each other. Laz did too. I’ll bring them out or die in the attempt.”

  “Don’t talk like that, Matt. I depend on you, we all do. You’re the heart of the village. The buildings are just buildings, they need people to make them into a town. That means we need you.”

  Lilia paused for a moment. “It’s not easy to say, but if the choice is rescuing Lee or coming back alive, leave him. He might escape anyway. He’s very resourceful, in part because you taught him to be that way, but I can’t lose you. Our child can’t lose you. We need you.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind, Lilia.”

  Matt left to find Marc and Michel.

  “I need you two to go find that boat, the one we found after we wiped out that raiding party. Bring it back here. I’ll get the other guys together and we’ll meet you when you get back.”

  “We’ll need food, Matt, but we should be ready to go as soon as we’ve got rations.”

  “I appreciate it, Michel. We’ll be waiting when you get back.”

  #

  Marc and Michel paddled wearily up the river, late on the afternoon of the second day. They rested, leaning on the thwarts, while Matt, Piotr, and Santiago dragged the boat up on the beach.

  “Took longer than we expected, Matt. We found it where we left it, but there was a long crack in the hull. The bottom had dried out, and when the wood contracted a split opened up. But we punched holes and laced the crack together. I sealed it with pine rosin, the ties too. We did that as soon as we found the boat, and after a while, it stopped leaking. I think it swelled and caused the crack to close up again. I tightened the laces before we left this morning, and only a few drops have leaked in since.”

  “Good work. See Lilia for something to eat and get some rest. We’ll start training tomorrow. We’ll be ready to go in another day, two at the most.”

  #

  Matt called the four men together at dawn.

  “We’ll take bows, a dozen arrows, and our spears. Pack a spare bowstring, two water gourds, and dried meat rations for four days. I think Lilia has some dried fruit, take some of that too. Carry your belt emergency kit. No sleeping furs, we’ll huddle together if we need to. We’ll travel after dark, so we’ll keep moving to stay warm.

  “Questions or suggestions?”

  “Knives and hatchets too, Matt?”

  “Right, Santiago, but tie them in place so they don’t bang against anything. We’ll carry the bows unstrung, but keep your spears ready. If we’re hit in the first few minutes, we won’t have a chance to use the bows.

  “One pair sleeps during the morning, one sleeps during the afternoon, and we don’t switch duties while we’re in enemy country. We’ll probably be short of sleep before we get back, but if someone’s too sleepy I’ll take his place. If we do it right, nobody will find us anyway. We should be able to get ashore, sneak and peek, look for a place to land a raiding force. We’ll find out as much as can, then it’s back to the beach and head for home. We need to know where they are, how many of them there are, and whether there’s a lot of movement. Roads, obstacles, anything that will hinder us later on when we raid them.

  “Piotr takes over for me if necessary. If we’re discovered we’ll evade. If we can’t remain together, try to escape in pairs. If you get separated, go back to the beach and find the boat. Wait long enough to see if anyone else got away, then move the boat offshore. You can watch for a day or two, see if anyone else gets away, but the priority is to g
et information back.

  “Today, we’ll practice setting up a typical hide. I’ll show you how to keep watch, then we’ll walk through patrolling while it’s still daylight. Tonight, we practice moving after dark. Collect supplies tomorrow, get a good night’s sleep, and cross the seaway the next day. Let’s get to it.”

  #

  The slow minutes passed as they crouched in screening brush, only a hundred yards from where they’d concealed the boat. Wavelets lapped on the shore, a light breeze stirred the sparse grass. They waited, silent, listening.

  Matt finally decided it was dark enough to move. Motioning to the others, he soundlessly made his way toward the line of sparse trees south of the beach.

  The men were all experienced woodsmen; moving silently was an ingrained habit. Matt scouted ahead, setting the pace. Santiago came next, carrying the knotted end of a woven cord. Other knots had been tied, five feet apart. Marc held the first knot, Michel the second, and Piotr held the coiled end. Santiago had wondered at the extra length, when Matt showed how the patrol, despite the darkness, would remain together yet far enough apart to keep from blundering into each other.

  “Shouldn’t we cut off the excess, Matt?”

  “We’re looking for information. Not only what to expect on the ground, but enemy forces, weapons, training, how alert they are, things like that. We explore the terrain first, then snatch somebody. That’s what the extra rope is for. We might even find Laz and Lee.”

  Walking was easy; the ground was even, only a slight slope leading up from the shore. There were few bushes beneath the trees. Shallow creeks slowed their pace, but otherwise presented few difficulties. Their wet buckskins were uncomfortable, but soon dried.

  Matt estimated they’d traveled at least a mile when they discovered a well-traveled path leading south.

  #

  Days were shorter now, leaves changing color. Summer had begun to give way to fall. The icecap was gone now, the lowlands warm and green, home to wildlife. Glaciers persisted, shaping mountains, plugging the upper valleys between peaks. In time they too would vanish, victims of advancing warmth.