At the age of thirty-two, Kara faced life with pragmatism. Bedding with Ator had been neither better nor worse than with others she had been with in her life. She had eight children from six different men, three of whom still survived and accompanied her. All her husbands had died in perilous hunting sessions, attacked by beasts, succumbed to diseases, or in wars. The most recent, precisely due to the latter reason, just a few days ago. He was Samman’s lieutenant, who died just before Samman.

That she remained alive after eight childbirths in such a hostile world was quite a feat, and she truly considered herself a survivor. She knew few women who had reached her age, and Ulla, the witch of her new tribe, was one of them. Ulla even surpassed her, likely being over forty.

Now Kara was Tabal’s woman, and she didn’t expect anything particular from the act of love, except that the boy would probably finish quickly, being young and, as rumoured, a virgin. Since it was his first time, Kara’s children spent that night with Cadfe’s new wife —the unattractive woman rejected by Ator—, whose offspring were familiar friends so that their mother’s absence wouldn’t be noticed.

She prepared appropriately like any female assigned to a male: she washed herself, undressed, and lay down, waiting for her husband, who was still talking with other men in the centre of the cave. While waiting, she reviewed the plan they were going to execute that night, which, if successful, would save Umma from death.

It all started the previous night when Kara lay with Ator. The one-eyed man did something that no other man had done before; he touched the front of her chest, those two small protrusions that barely stood out from her torso. In fact, now that her last child had finished breastfeeding a long time ago, they were practically indistinguishable from those of any man. Moreover, men generally had even more developed pectoral muscles due to their constantly use of them in all kind of activities.

But the size of Kara’s breasts was not an exception but the norm, with the real exception being her stepdaughter’s. Breasts that Ator undoubtedly desired, as was clear with that gesture he made towards Kara.

So, when they finished intimating, she asked him:

“You desire Umma, don’t you?”

“Yes,” he responded bluntly. The main firelight of the cave timidly reached where they were, and Kara could see the anger reflected in the eyes —or rather, the only eye— of her former husband, now that she was assigned to Tabal.

“Wouldn’t you like her to be your wife?” she continued. He didn’t answer but made a clear gesture of agreement.

“What’s stopping you?” she insisted, sensing the possibility of saving the girl.

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“Well, to do that,” he replied, “I’d have to kill Unnum and declare myself chief. That, for a start.”

“Would that save her?”

“First, I’d have to lie with her. Then she’d no longer be a virgin, and Ulla wouldn’t kill her. She would sacrifice one of the captured girls, who are also virgins, in her place.”

Hearing that, Kara fell silent. It wasn’t a plan to replace Umma with another girl, who could be one of hers. But that was foreseeing too much. Perhaps he wouldn’t sacrifice any, or if he did, it might be Sudda’s baby, who was sick and would die anyway.

“The problem is Tabal,” Ator continued. “I’d have to kill him too.”

“Is he really the problem?” she wondered. “Is the boy more difficult than Unnum?”

“No,” he smiled, “I can kill him even with one eye closed.”

“That easy? He’s a strong lad...”

“Yes, but I’m stronger. I’ve killed many men in my life, while he hasn’t killed anyone.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“I’m fond of him,” he replied. “I know I’d have to kill him to get the girl, and I wouldn’t like to do that.”

“Well... I could talk to him. If I convince him to stay still when you...”

“It won’t work,” he interrupted. “He’s loyal to Unnum until death. Why do you think he left her in his care?” he muttered angrily. “Because he knows he won’t betray him,” he affirmed.

That was the conversation they had the previous night. But now things had changed. It was actually quite lucky that the young man hunted the aurochs, and even more so that, as a reward for saving him, Unnum granted her as a wife to him. Because that made things very easy to carry out the plan, and on the way to the caves, Kara approached Ator for a moment and said:

“I’ve talked to Umma, and she’s going to cooperate.”

The one-eyed man was pleasantly surprised. He had already decided to kill Unnum, as what had happened that afternoon after hunting the aurochs was the last straw. He was pleased to find that there was someone else on his side.

“And what about Tabal?” he asked, cautiously.

“I’ll take care of him. I’ll keep him ‘busy’, you know what I mean, and I assure you he won’t find out about anything.”

The man grinned mischievously and said:

“Well then, I’ll take care of Unnum.”