Chapter Six

Sure enough, the Domineers were not far away. The sky was starting to brighten as dawn approached, but it would be a while yet before the morning sun was able to illuminate the woods of the great Appalachians. The Domineers were hiking through the hilly, snow-covered terrain in the form of a party consisting of over twenty men, armed lightly but dangerously. Most of them were extremely anxious about crossing back into the vast realm of no-man’s land after all the Domineers’ encounters with the Runners.

The majority of the Domineers in this company were originally grouped under Ramon Morenno’s command when they had been gathered in the southern regions of the Dark Zone, but that was before his younger brother had fallen. Ever since then, all of the Outsiders had regrouped under Ramon’s chain of command and moved back up north along with the newly reformed Ravennites. They had heard all the stories about what transpired between the mountain savages and Robert’s forces; stories about how the Ravennites forcibly crippled the outpost at the Iron Furnace and slaughtered a great number of them, including Robert Morenno at the battle to take the Citadel, the Ravennites’ last refuge. Some among their ranks believed that the Ravennites led Robert’s men to the Citadel on purpose in order to lure them into a deadly trap. 

Whatever the case, it worked, and the Domineers who managed to flee the onslaught were all but shaken and demoralized beyond repair. It was at that point that Caine, the sole Ravennite who betrayed his own people and defected to the Morennos, had assumed command and attempted to regroup the last of Robert’s fighters so as not to fall into total ruin at the hands of their enemies. Despite his efforts, when word quickly reached the ears of Ramon Morenno, he gathered all his people, as there was no longer any point to remain in his position, and marched up north to rally the rest of the Domineers, and Caine relinquished his temporary authority.

However, it was no more than a couple of months ago that the Domineers learned that Ramon had authorized Caine to gather a large team to head back down into the southern territories of the Dark Zone. It was peculiar to the rest of them because Caine had taken very few warriors, and they carried with them far more tools than weapons. Ramon never revealed their purpose, and Caine’s company had not been heard from since.

Until now.

The Domineer party was cautious and fearful that the Ravennite Runners may have been suspicious of their movements this far away from their territories. As they hiked, they attempted to move in irregular patterns, hoping to throw off anyone who might be tracking them. Eventually, they turned southward and hiked quickly for about another mile before stopping by the underside of a small, snowy cliff. This was where they had been told to stop and wait when they were sent out from their camp, but they had not been told what they were waiting for.

The leader of the Domineers’ party stepped outward as the rest of his team tried to stay concealed in the shadows of the small cliff and the surrounding trees. This man was in his late twenties. His head was shaved and covered by an old, worn out snow cap. Slung on his back, he was carrying not swords, but two large tomahawks. On the belt around his waist, he was also carrying about half a dozen small pouches that were tightly tied shut and connected by a single string running around his belt. 

The rest of his men were anxious when thinking about coming face to face with the merciless Runners out here, but in a way, this man almost wanted to see them again. He had encountered them before, a few weeks ago when they attacked the outpost where he had been present. They failed miserably to defend it, as the Runners were extremely cunning and employed both stealth and brute force tactics to overwhelm them in minutes. Very few of them managed to escape the fallen camp, and he had gotten away with his life, but not his pride. Part of him hoped to see the Runners again so that he might teach them a lesson of his own that they would never forget.

As the minutes ticked by, one of the Domineers sitting with his back against the cliffside began groaning impatiently. “What the hell are we supposed to be doing?” he grumbled out loud.

“I don’t know,” one of his comrades replied vacantly. “They didn’t tell us hardly anything at all.”

“They probably just sent us out here to die,” another spoke up, disturbing the rest of the company with his comment. “To eliminate loose ends. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

The man leading the party snickered to himself and shook his head. “Well, if any of you ladies wants to turn back now, be my guest, but don’t expect my sympathy when you get your sorry asses cut down out there.” His company suddenly fell silent at the sound of his words, and he turned and stared back at them harshly. “Have any of you ever seen action with these animals they call the Runners?” There was a brief moment of murmuring among the group as no one could bring themselves to say anything back. “Yeah, I didn’t think so,” their leader answered for them. “Well, I have, and I’ve got news for you, they aren’t so much animals as the rest of those savages. If you wanna survive, then I suggest you keep your eyes peeled, your weapons close, and your dicks out from between your legs. It’s time to toughen up! Now, you four,” he directed his attention to several Domineers standing with their backs planted firmly against the cliffside. “Make yourselves useful. Go out and comb the area. Fifty yard radius.” With that command, the four Domineers each gave a brief groan before slipping out into the nearby tree lines.

Much of the party lowered their heads sheepishly in compliance. “But what are we supposed to be waiting for?” another Domineer asked. “The sun will be up before long and I’d rather not be caught out here in broad daylight.”

Glaring back at the questioning Domineer, their leader replied, “We find out when it comes to us. That is what we were told.”

The murmuring had begun again. “That doesn’t sound reassuring.” the Domineer responded.

Just then, the leader of the company put his hand up quickly to silence the rest of them. He turned and appeared to examine the woods before them. Sure enough, he could make out someone beginning to emerge from the trees. The rest of the Domineers suddenly stood to their feet cautiously as another small group approached them. They were immediately relieved to see that the new arrivals were not Ravennites, but their own.

The leader of the scouting party headed over to greet them. About five men stepped out from among the woods. He stood before them and looked them over curiously before speaking. “Is this where you’re headed?” he asked cautiously.

One of the men from the new company stepped forward. “We were sent here by Caine. We were told that an escort party would be here to lead us back to Ramon’s camp. I assume that would be you?”

Turning his head to look back around at his own company, the man leading the first party said, “The name’s Rand. What’s the purpose of this? What are you carrying with you?”

The man from the other group of Domineers stepped forward and whispered cautiously, “We have a message from Caine.”

Rand raised his eyebrows. “You said you came from Caine’s operation in the southern territories?” he asked with growing interest. “What’s going on down there? What is he doing?”

The man shook his head. “I can’t say,” he replied sternly. “I’m sorry, but this message is for Ramon Morenno’s ears only.”

Rand opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden, curious thought struck his mind. “Wait a minute, how did you know to meet us here?” He looked back at the others again. “How did we know to meet you? We haven’t had any contact with Caine since he went south.”

“That doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we get back to Morenno’s camp as quickly as possible.”

“Just how important is this message?” Rand persisted.

“Important enough that it must not fall into the hands of the Ravennites. Those are Caine’s words.” The man stepped closer and grew a very serious look. “You weren’t followed out here, were you?”

Rand narrowed his eyes as he recalled the four men he sent out to scout around the area. It had been no more than ten minutes, but he thought it a little curious that they had not reported back yet.

Rand’s scouts had only traced about thirty yards out from the rest of the party. Their anxiety never ceased. At all times, the Domineers were on high alert for Ravennite movement whenever they headed out into the mountains. Their eyes were scanning nervously around the wooded, leafless canopies, as they had been told that the Ravennites had a tendency to attack from the trees like beasts. If anyone may have been up there, it would have been nearly impossible to see them, as the sun had not yet brightened up the sky enough. 

They were so focused on the tree tops that it never occurred to them to look anywhere else. As they walked slowly and cautiously, they failed to notice the Ravennites lying half-buried in the snow. They had been watching the Domineers’ every move, and two of the Runners had planted themselves in the snow, waiting for their prey to unknowingly approach. 

The small group of Domineers passed slowly in between where the Runners were lying. They remained as still as death, not even breathing. When the first two Domineers passed by, both of the Runners turned their heads ever so slightly and looked toward one another. Even in the darkness they could make out the other one lying parallel to them, and it was almost as though they knew what they were thinking.

The action erupted in a matter of seconds. As the two Domineers bringing up the rear of their small group passed in between them, the Runners jumped up as fast as lightning into a kneeling position. Moving almost identically, they each targeted the Domineer next to them and swung their arms into the backs of their legs, knocking them completely off their feet. No sooner than they hit the ground, the Ravennites swiftly produced stone knives and drove them into the hearts of their prey.

The other two scouts had not reacted until their comrades were already dead. Startled, they whipped around and took out their swords threateningly. Now that their attention was diverted from the trees, it did not take long for the Runners to spring into action. Two more of them had hidden themselves high up in the tree branches. When the Domineers had been suddenly distracted, the Runners in the trees emerged from their concealment. Each of them was carrying a long, coiled rope, the ends of which were tied into a loop resembling a noose. They stepped out onto the tree limbs and swung their ropes down below. The Domineers had their swords raised and prepared to engage their attackers. Before they could even make a move they felt the ropes suddenly fall over their heads and wrap around their necks. They lost their grip on their swords as the ropes were instantly yanked upward. The Domineers choked as the ropes gripped their throats, and it was at that moment that the Runners on the ground rushed over and swiftly executed their incapacitated prey.