Branwen's Treasure

“Branwen, be extremely cautious!” Burton warned. “Do not let the Pixies see you if you want to live to see another sunrise. They are the most territorial faction to emerge during the Aftermath and they are relentless. Pixies are obsessed with jewels and baubles, and they protect their hoard like a scorch of dragons.”

“Aye, Grandfather, I will.”

“Stick with the Tinkers as much as you can. They can fix anything and will trade goods for anything you can sneak through the pipelines. You'll find them trading and salvaging among ruins during daylight hours, but they spend their nights in their caverns working on their crafts to avoid the Pteromechs. Don't forget to keep your eyes on the sky. Pteromechs use rotors to climb into the sky and drop disablers. You'll be supper for their pets if a disabler hits near you. That’s one thing the Tinkers will long regret. They made the first Pteromechs with parts from the old line of independent bots. The makers didn’t know that one of the bot self-replication programs was still active and the Pteromechs started making nefarious duplicates of themselves with parts from the old factory the bombs didn’t destroy.”

“You’ve done all you can to prepare me for my first trip across Sweeney Fen to Powis. When I return, I will have a tale of adventure to relate by the fire.”

“Be sure to return, Branwen. Your grandmother will have my hide if you don’t!”

Branwen had been preparing for this first trip all her life. It was necessary for survival. Since the days of reckoning in the mid-2100s when life on Earth was nearly destroyed, her family had been able to survive by salvaging, trading, and farming. They were known to the people of Powis and welcomed there, but Pixies and the regional contingent of Pteromechs made the journey perilous. Babbinswood was a quaint place, far enough from the targeted centers in the southeast during the last great war for the local people to survive the first salvos. Staying hidden and relying on the wares they had in storage saved them from the afflictions spreading through the densely populated areas east and north where the virus spread from the initial targets. However, now they needed to trade for medications for those affected by the variants that slowly spread across the region during the Aftermath. The fortress lab by the castle in Powis made the medicine. Resources found in places like Babbinswood were necessary for the production of medicine and the lab techs in Powis traded medicines for resources and food.

Branwen planned to meet Brigid in Morda. Leeks from the Babbinswood-Morda area were highly prized for both nutrition and medicinal value. Oats were also in high demand in Powis to feed both the people and their ponies.

Branwen left Babbinswood early the next morning with a pack full of the best leeks they had grown that summer. Grandfather had been farming all his life and knew how to produce fine foods. He was well-known before the war and his connections helped them survive during the Aftermath, a period of chaos and recovery since the last great war had decimated the population. She stayed along the low woodland trails and emerged from the woods to greet the mid-day sun. She would be exposed to the sky with sparse cover at field edges across the last two miles to Morda, but no Pteromechs were in sight and the air was still and quiet except for the noon songs of the day birds. Pixies stayed in the woods, too, but were seldom near Morda this time of year. Their home was by Lake Vyrnwy and they travelled along River Vyrnwy. Pixies raided survivor settlements and Tinker towns, taking food and jewels for their hoard of treasures.

It was a beautiful Autumn afternoon and the last two miles to Morda were quickly behind her. Brigid was ready with her pack and they took the southwest path toward Sweeney Fens. The Fens were wetlands inhabited by a few Stragglers who managed to survive the bombings, but they brought the germs with them and spread the afflictions across the region. Avoiding Stragglers and making their way through the Fens, Branwen and Brigid encountered a Tinker at a crossing of paths. They agreed to take a few of the Tinker's gadgets to the lab at Powis in exchange for food and mead and shelter for the night. The dangers of night were to be avoided. Pteromechs used night vision to find targets and they hunted more at night than during the day. Pixies were active, too, and completed most of their raids in the dim moments before dawn after scouting settlements during the day and resting most of the night.

They left the cavern of the Tinker a few minutes after dawn, a light haze in the air enlivened by the morning songs of the day birds. Between the south edge of the Fens and Powis was a dangerous hike only for those being watchful and taking shelter at night. Tinkers frequented the area and would provide shelter, but they had to remain alert. The first day brought no dangers as they passed Pant and quickly crossed the River Vyrnwy without seeing any evidence of Pixies being there recently. One can never be too cautious in their haunts. They ventured west to Sarnau to rest at the home of a Tinker who had long been an ally of Branwen's grandfather. Branwen and Brigid were welcomed into the underground lair and exchanged stories with Llew. He had made a special machine to press the leeks for the lab techs in Powis. They were to take one to Powis to trade for some goods he requested and stop to get another during the return trip for her grandfather. Llew told them about reports of Pixies raiding Wern recently, so they ventured along the trail west toward Guilsfield. It would take a few more hours, but it was always best to avoid Pixies.

The Tinkers at Guilsfield welcomed them during the mid-day break and reported that the path to Powis had been clear. No Pteromechs and no Pixies had been in that area this week. The major activity was to the east from Wern to Wattlesborough.

Branwen and Brigid were greeted at Powis by guards with drynk and good humor. They led them to the fortress labs where the new supply of leeks was needed immediately. They delivered the first Tinker's gadgets and Llew's press to the machine room tech before trading the leeks for the medicines needed in Morda and Babbinswood and some fresh supplies for the return trip. The castle was imposing and difficult to approach undetected. They defended it against Pteromechs and Pixies, who seldom attacked in recent years. Pteromechs don't need medicines or food, so there was little to gain for them. Pixies had raided the castle during the early part of the war and managed to take most of the jewels. Their interest was in food and general chaos, but there were easier marks for them across the countryside.

Branwen and Brigid celebrated a successful trip momentarily and settled into a guest room in the castle for the night. Prepared for the return to Sarnau and then Morda, they left the castle an hour after dawn. The guards reported a minor scuffle with Pixies west of Wern, but no major raids. They started northward, hiking along the trail to Guilsfield. The first few miles were calm, but Brigid heard a low hum in the distance. It was the hum of airborne machinery. Three Pteromechs appeared a mile to the west. They hid in a small group of trees by the path and watched them approach. Two of the Pteromechs suddenly dived toward the ground nearly a half-mile from their location and dropped disablers. The explosions were ear-shattering, but they were not close enough to feel the aftershock of the blasts. Three Tinkers and a couple of wild deer ran across the trail behind them, followed by the Pteromechs. Brigid pointed north and they sped across a clearing then edged back to the trail. They reached Guilsfield a few hours later and reported the incident to warn other travellers.

The Tinkers at Guilsfield were happy to receive them and thanked them for delivering the gadgets of their colleague along the trail to Powis. They also related reports of Pixies returning from Wern and lands farther east starting small scuffles in the area. They would have to be careful on the path to Sarnau to deliver Llew's payment for the press.

They waited an extra hour after dawn before leaving Guilsfield. There were Pteromechs near Burgedin. Fortunately, they were going east and Branwen and Brigid were heading north along a small grove toward Sarnau. They watched the Pteromechs disappear before leaving the grove. They covered the trail to Sarnau quickly and were greeted heartily by Llew. He was happy to see them safely return after hearing reports of both Pteromechs and Pixies in the area. He was pleased to receive payment for the press as well. They shared tales and enjoyed mead and an evening supper before resting for the night. The leg of the journey to Morda for Branwen and Brigid included crossing the River Vyrnwy, a dangerous trek now that Pixies were active in the area again.

They left an hour after dawn, planning to cross the river before mid-day break, when Pixies were least likely to be moving about. The sky was clear and sunny and no Pteromechs were seen or heard as they travelled northeast to the river crossing. There were tracks at the crossing, but they were of deer and a few water birds who had landed to get water and mud for their nests. The area was quiet. They made a stealthy crossing and rested a moment on the north side of the river. Between them and Morda were small groves and light trails as well as the Fens. There was evidence of Pteromechs dropping disablers and one Tinker's wagon destroyed along the trail, but they did not encounter anyone along the path to the Fens. Then, in a grove of trees leading into the Fens they were set upon by a pair of Pixies. The Pixies attacked them from the back, trying more to rip open their packs than to injure them. They were hungry and looking for food and jewels.

Neither Branwen nor Brigid wore jewels away from home. It was forbidden due to the Pixies. Years before, Pixies had attacked Branwen's grandparents and parents along the path to Wern to trade with Tinkers. The Pixies flew into a rage when they saw Branwen's mother wearing a beautiful heart-shaped locket around her neck. Her father stood between them, but he was overwhelmed. A scream from one brought four more Pixies down upon them. Her grandmother managed to disable two Pixies with her bow, but she couldn't stop them all. Her grandfather had been wounded gravely and her parents were killed during the attack. The locket was gone. Her grandmother got help in Wern and the Tinkers cared for her grandfather until he could travel. Branwen was only three years old at the time. She had been with Brigid’s family in Morda.

Branwen unsheathed her short sword and slashed at the Pixies. The one nearest shrieked when the blade caught her shoulder. The other lunged at Branwen as she turned to strike the injured Pixie again, knocking Branwen to the ground a second before Brigid's sword pierced that Pixie’s heart. The injured Pixie spat and snarled as Branwen rose to face her. Branwen's eyes opened wide when she saw the locket around the neck of the Pixie. Her mother's heart-shaped locket! She knew it from the painting of her mother that her grandmother kept on her dresser. Branwen's sword flashed, propelled by her fury, and stuck the Pixie to the ground. She knelt and grabbed the locket, reclaiming the once-lost family treasure.