 
### Fear of Mystics

Book Two of Saga of Mystics

by Chris Walters

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

_Fear of Mystics_ is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016 Chris Walters

# TWO WINTERS PAST, SPRING'S HORIZON

"They lived their lives in chaos and uncertainty, until purpose found them." _\- Jan Ganefalk, Blue World_

# CHAPTER ONE

A loud shout of "Kiai!" broke the early morning quiet as the former cadets formed a line to meet their foes. An especially foggy and cold morning had met their waking hours, and the four men and two women who now patrolled the loose barrier on the west side of town had heard the attackers approach. There was no doubt who the attackers were. They would, of course, be Bandits. Eric Fine's men had taken to Manitou Springs and, for the past year and a half, harassed any person who came within their grasp. This was especially true of those who represented Red Rock Bluffs, or Council Bluffs, as most people called it.

"Form up!" called out the squad leader, Monty German. "Staff and long knife out, neutral stance!" he directed.

Without a word, each member of his squad pulled the required weapon and stood calmly. This group was comprised of what they now called "warriors" at the Bluffs, those who had both training and ability in martial arts. Martial arts no longer meant only foot and fist, nor did it limit itself to weapons. Now, martial arts included the power of the mind and spirit.

Out of the mists before the warriors charged four men, walking quickly. Monty looked behind them for more. The Bandits always traveled in groups of five. It was a good thing that Monty noticed, or he may not have paid any mind to the sound of foot on gravel behind him. As it was, he swirled his staff in an arc behind him.

"Circle formation," he shouted through tightened voice, and his group formed a circle with their backs to one another.

Monty's staff whirled through the air and a loud snap rent the air, as it was blocked by a bat from the attacker behind him. He heard the clash of steel on steel to his left and knew the battle was on.

The thick fog hid nothing from sight any longer, as the close combat grew intense. Monty was used to close combat, even when he had been a cadet at the Air Force Academy. But since the Event, combat was different. Not only was one compelled to physically protect themselves by any means necessary, but one also had to prepare their mind to defend from psychic and mental attacks that whirled around at the same speed.

Natalee Ward had taught him well, and as he parried with his blade and swung with his staff, Monty reached out with his mind in a focused burst at the man's head. The psychic attacks had the desired effect, and the man blinked. It was just enough for him to miss the block on the high arc of the staff. Within milliseconds, the staff cracked across the attacker's left ear and he fell to the ground. Monty whirled his staff high, and cracked the man once more for good measure across the back of his head.

With his foe clearly unconscious, Monty turned to see one of his squad-mates defenseless on the ground and a man raising an axe high over his head to finish her off. Gathering all his mental prowess, he combined a skilled knife throw with a mental guiding push. The knife was too heavy for true effectiveness, but it was enough. The blade struck the man in his upstretched arm, slicing a deep red line before passing by into the ground beyond him. Monty leaped to run after the man, but the wound had caused him to momentarily drop the axe.

As Monty neared, the man let out a loud whistle and his friends retreated quickly into the fog. The warriors stood quietly, their breath gulped in and loudly exhaled. Monty helped his cohort up from her place on the ground.

"Thanks," she offered. Monty just winked at her.

Turning to look for the one he had incapacitated, he caught a glimpse as the man ran off to the east. Apparently, he had not been as unconscious as Monty had hoped. After a short pause, they dusted themselves off.

"Third one this week," one of his mates mumbled.

Monty nodded, "Yeah, we better head to checkpoint for our relief. The council will want to know about the increased sorties."

Gathering their small amount of equipment, the group marched back north.

# CHAPTER TWO

Even in the cold outdoors of early spring, the smell of a cadaver was daunting. Adam tried to keep himself from laughing as his new students adjusted to the stench. Cadavers were only good for anatomy lessons, healing had to be done on living beings. This was his third term, and the first of the new year, since they had set the Hillside up as a Healing College. They did not teach during the winter, but this new class seemed promising. Eighteen of the brightest, who had been tested to show a proclivity for healing. Two of them were power healers, like his wife Erica, and three were more veterinary in their abilities. But, that left thirteen to become healers. After their training, they had agreed to work for the council for two years before they could return home to serve their own groups.

"I know the smell is bad," Adam comforted the students, "The good news is that you can work with live people once you test out of anatomy. Now, step closer so we can talk about the muscular structure."

Hours passed as Adam explained human anatomy to people who mostly already got it. Abilities seemed to shine in those who already had interests, passions or training in a particular area. For example, Emma's work with plants seamlessly translated from her doctorate and life's work in botany. Adam had been a medic in the old world (as people now called it), which picked right up in his ability to heal. The intensity of one's abilities, or how powerful they were, was something else altogether. Jenny and Cliff were Council Bluffs' two main researchers into the nature and use of abilities. They had deduced that power-level was something more inherent. Jenny could see the level of one's power in their aura, but she wasn't sure what made some people more powerful than others.

Exhausted by teaching, which was not his favorite thing, Adam walked up the road to the residences to see his wife. Erica heard him coming and waddled out to meet him, her abdomen distended by the life growing within it. She was six months pregnant now and radiant with joy, even through the difficulty of pregnancy. They were having a girl. Adam had known that much sooner than science in the old world would have told him. By the first trimester, they had named her Rose.

"Hey babe! How was class?" Erica called out across the residence area.

"The usual, teaching people who already know. How has your day been?" Kneeling down and placing one hand on each side of her belly, he spoke directly into her navel, "And how is my little Rosebud today?"

"Oh, she is kicking and active, as usual," Erica smiled and kissed him as he stood up, "I made some stew, if you want some."

"That sounds wonderful," Adam put his arm around her and headed back to their rooms.

After having a bite to eat, Adam walked out and sat near the pond with Erica and looked out over the rest of the old city. Reports of crumbled buildings came in sporadically now, just as they had after the last winter. He assumed less deaths from exposure than during the first winter, since people would be more prepared. But, he had to decide which of the twenty-seven healers who had finished training he would send out on the itineracies which the council had proposed.

As if reading his mind, Erica asked, "Have you given any thought of who to send to the Bluffs for the itineracies?"

Itineracies were what the council had come up with to name the groups of four who would travel from spring through fall to aid the small communities who had cropped up wherever people had bonded together. One healer was needed for each, as well as one warrior, one empath, and one kinetic. He was happy he only needed to decide on healers. Deciding which kinetic for each group was a task he did not envy. The kinetic abilities were not broad like the healers' abilities were. Deciding whether to bring fire, earth, water, or force would be a daunting task. Empaths were difficult on the opposite side, often their abilities were too vague to qualify. Adam's task was simple, pick six healers to join the itineracies, send four to bolster the healing at the bluffs, and keep the rest at the Hilltop, in case people came here for help.

Most of the council members would be joining these early itineracies, with obvious exceptions being Erica because of the pregnancy, and Ted because of his leadership at the Bluffs. They all felt strongly that this would show the community the value of this endeavor. With that, Adam could not disagree.

"I have thought about it," Adam started, "You know I would like to go myself, but I understand why I can't."

Erica nodded. "Well, you want to see this little bud come to bloom, right?"

Adam smiled and gently rubbed Erica's belly, "Yes, I do! I was thinking Jack, Gerrity, Antwon, Kelly, Fisher, and maybe Jasmine? What do you think?"

Erica thought for a moment, "It's your call, but Jack might balk at orders from anyone. You know that."

Adam stared off into the distance, "You're right, I know. But, he is a powerful healer. He might be the most powerful healer we have. He needs less power recuperation than others do, which would really help in the field. He seems best suited for this task."

Erica didn't say anything. She didn't need to. Adam had already thought her concerns through on his own. They sat for a while in peaceful silence until the breeze started to pick up, and it got too cold. Adam would let the healers know in the morning who was going and they would leave immediately.

# CHAPTER THREE

Steph moved through the high brush slowly, not looking forward to what she would find. They had heard the screams the night before and smelled the smoke. It had become a too common occurrence over the last few months. There was still a pillar of latent smoke rising into the sky up ahead. She shuddered at the thought.

A crackle of a boot on dry grass startled her and she looked up to see her husband, Bill, walking in from another direction. He gave her a look that said, we will do this together, and joined her before they moved on. Taking his hand in hers, she settled her resolve and moved into the clearing. A platform and spire had burned to the ground, just like the others she had seen. This one was worse. Two charred and dangling corpses were still propped against the pole on which they had been burned. The platform beneath them had burned with the straw and branches which had been used as kindling, but the pole remained.

The tears welled up inside her and cascaded down her cheeks. These two could only be the Carruthers boys from their nearby farm. They had been sixteen and fourteen. Rumor had it they had dabbled in the forbidden arts in order to heat their home and feed their family.

"Let's cut them down and bury them, honey," Bill said as he moved forward.

Something moved to her right, in the direction of the mostly frozen stream bed. Fearing a return of the people who did this, Steph held her hand out and stopped her husband. They both remained perfectly still. Out of the brush came a modern legend.

Long, dirty hair hanging in his face, and a beard that reached half down his chest, a man stepped into the clearing facing them. He was called by many names and talked about in hushed tones all over the old city, or that is what she had been told. She had assumed he was a bogeyman, a fiction created to keep people in line. As soon as she saw him, she knew she was wrong. He emanated the power and calmness of which she had heard. His hoodie pulled up and his dark sunglasses in place, she could not see if his eyes glowed the way people described, but she knew who she was seeing. It was the one they called the Wanderer, the Traveler, or just the Hermit.

Bill and Steph Richards stood still as statues as he walked toward them and turned to survey the execution site. In other parts of the city, she heard they thought of him as a hero. But out here where the faithful resided, he was thought of as the harbinger of doom, the minion of the Adversary. He was a known powerful mystic, and a top priority target for those of the Faith. The Richards' did nothing as he walked around the burn site, stopping to consider the two boys' corpses. Without a word or a look, he then moved on. He disappeared into the brush, just as he had come.

Bill looked into his wife's eyes, "Was that...?"

Steph nodded, "I think so. Let's forget it and just do what we came here to do."

Bill didn't need a second word on that idea and immediately went to clearing the charred wood, so he could get to the corpses. Steph prayed quietly for the boys, before she also went to help him. This task would take time.

# CHAPTER FOUR

As the people bustled about, setting up the day's market, Minister Silvio "Sal" Martino went from stall to stall to see if he could lend a hand to anyone. He passed out food to those who had nothing to trade, blankets from the chapel to those who were cold, and words of comfort to those who needed them. These "survivors' markets" had popped up across the city last spring and summer, but from all he had heard, they were even more prevalent now. They showed a society trying to rebuild. Small groups coming together for protection and companionship. Sal wasn't positive that this was a good thing.

The early morning icicles dripped cold water on the pavement in this former parking lot, and Sal thought back on two winters without power. He thought on the devastation it had caused and how many people had died without protection from the cold. Colorado Springs and the surrounding area had been a mid-sized city of around four hundred and twenty thousand souls before this all started. Most people he knew assumed that number to be less than fifty thousand now. Sal shook his head as he thought about it. It wasn't how he thought the end times would happen, not how all of the books laid it out, but it was definitely the end times.

"Father Sal?" a voice called out from one of the stalls. People often called him Father, but he did not prefer it. It was mostly a misunderstanding since all of the Faith wore the collars that had been common to those of the Catholic or Episcopalian priests prior to the end.

"It is just minister, friend, how can I be of service?" he replied.

A young man stood next to a young woman clearly in the late stages of pregnancy, both of them bundled into heavy coats. The scarves wrapped around their faces were not enough to hide the red nose and cheeks gained from exposure to the pre-dawn chill on their way here.

"Could you pray for my sister?" the young man said.

"Have you prayed for her?" Sal asked, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder, "God hears you just as easily as he hears me." The young man stuttered out a response and Sal just smiled and put his other hand on the young woman's shoulder,"Come, let us pray for her together."

Sal led the brother and sister through his usual prayer for providence, finishing as he always did, with a prayer to keep the Adversary's minions and their heathen magic at bay. As he opened his eyes, he saw fear on the girl's face.

People had gathered around during the prayer, but Sal spoke directly to the young pregnant woman, "I can see that the vile magic has touched you. Do you exhibit any of the signs of possession?"

The girl looked over at her brother, who had clearly brought her for more than prayer.

"Minister," the boy began, "my sister does not dabble with the dark abilities. But the boy who got her knocked up, he was a witch of the worst kind. He tricked her."

Sal turned back to the girl, "Is this true?" A murmur went through the crowd.

The girl looked at the ground for a while, then Sal lifted her head up, so he could look in her eyes. She nodded and immediately looked back at the ground.

"What is this boy's name?" Sal queried.

"F-f-frank," the girl slowly stuttered out, "Frank Keller."

Sal relaxed. "Frank Keller is no longer a problem. He has been cleansed of his demons."

The small crowd erupted in a cheer, praising God for this. Sal continued, "But, it is a lesson my friends." He addressed the full crowd now, "You see what the Adversary will do when we do not protect ourselves from his wiles? This woman did nothing wrong, the Keller boy was a neighbor, she knew him. But those who have given themselves over to the Adversary are no longer our friends, no longer our relatives. They are now the demon that lives within them. Make no mistake, friends. We are in the final battle of mankind and we must choose sides. We are either on the side of the demon, or on the side of the Lord. There can be no two ways about it."

The crowd cheered. The shouted "Amen" peppering his speech. When they had hushed down, Sal continued, "The Lord's Hammer is our gift, the last weapon against the Adversary's power. Keep vigilant. And young lady," he finished toward the young woman, "bring that child to the chapel when it is born so we may be sure the taint of the Evil One is not on it."

With tears rolling down her cheeks, she smiled a sheepish smile, agreeing to this order. Sal continued his work of good deeds, handing out food and clothing. There were no dissenters this day, that was a good thing. Perhaps the Lord, and his faithful, were already winning the battle.

# CHAPTER FIVE

The chill of the morning air made Ted Craven stomp his feet and rub his arms for warmth. Spring had sprung, as they say, but in Colorado, spring mornings were still very cold. Grabbing a "fire stone", he started up the fire pit in the center of the Council chamber. He was always the first one there, but the others would be along shortly. The post-dawn light poured in from the rising sun off the eastern plains. Ted stared out across the old city, even from this vantage point, he could see nature retaking its own.

Over the last year and a half, the elements had corroded and eroded many of the signs of technological advance for which the old world was most noted. People had died in droves, through the elements or the bad actions of others. Eric Fine's Bandits still sealed off Manitou Springs and the passage up into the mountains. Tales of "Survivors' Camps" were common, as were the tales of their markets that popped up for commerce wherever groups of people could safely congregate. Had it not been his job to do so, Ted would prefer not to think about the big picture. As it was, he could see the world devolving into a sort of dark age of superstition and fear. Had someone asked him two years before, he would not have thought it possible.

"Good morning, babe."

His wife, Kayla, said as she walked into the chamber behind him. He turned to greet her.

"Well, good morning, beautiful!" He gave her a warm hug and a quick kiss, "Max still asleep?"

Kayla shook her head, "No. She is down the hill. I wonder if there is a way that she could get some distance from her dogs. There are so many now, and she seems almost incapable of concentration with that many thoughts flowing through her brain."

Ted smiled. "She doesn't want to disengage, honey. She likes this. She is happy, which is more than I can say for most right now."

"That is a fair point. It just worries me."

Kayla began dusting off the stone benches for people. They had these council meetings once per week, but the room still got filled with dust and the occasional snow drift.

Kyle Ward, Britton Casco, and Erica Cross all walked in together, laughing about some hidden joke. Ted inclined his head in greeting to his nephew and his nephew's boyfriend, before giving the pregnant Mrs. Cross a big bear hug.

"Good morning, you all!" He said jovially.

They all replied in kind as the final three members of the council, Pastor Rich Carson, Dr. Emma Pare, and Ted's mother-in-law, Beth Merritt, joined them. Jenny Martinez was not at the Bluffs right now, instead being on a quick mission to retrieve some items from the museum downtown with the Ko brothers.

"I left Jordan to take care of Cooper," Emma started, "Less distraction than the last time."

"That is very kind of you to consider," Ted answered, "But it really isn't necessary. I doubt anyone minds him coming to the meetings." Ted looked around the room, and no one seemed to disagree. "Shall we get to it, then?"

Everyone took their seats around the fire, as Beth passed out some baked goods she had brought with her.

Ted began, "As always, the weekly Council meeting will begin with an accounting of goods. So, how do we look?"

Britt went into a long accounting of their food and supplies. They were in good shape, and Emma followed with a report on the planting they had begun and the livestock that were in the pens. Over the last year and a half, the Bluffs had accepted trade in livestock and seed from farmers on the eastern plains. Those trade deals had dried up, as had most from the east.

"Has anyone heard anything about why we haven't seen folks from the east? Is it possible we have another group of healers out there?" Ted asked.

Erica spoke up, "That would be wonderful, but we shouldn't assume. It brings me to what Adam wanted us to talk about, the itineracies." The response was expected, as there were some who really believed in the idea and some who felt that safety was better. Erica broke in, "When we formed this council, we said we were here to make the world more livable and a better place for survivors. How can we say we are doing that when we sit behind stone walls and wait for the needy to come to us?"

"How do we know it is safe, Erica? What has changed to make us think that time has come?" Britt was a former cadet commander at the Air Force Academy and had certainly been trained at security, but Kyle interrupted him.

"Safety can't be our only concern," Kyle offered. It was clear to Ted that this was an ongoing disagreement between the two.

"We have talked this out for weeks, or months. I think it is time for a vote," Ted said.

Although they had an even number at the moment, Jenny's vote would not have mattered, since everyone except Britt and Beth voted to form itineracies and send them out. They had decided to send six teams, each with a healer, a warrior, a kinetic, and an empath. They would leave after the Easter celebration, which Ted liked to think of as the Spring celebration. He was not fond of religious observances. This gave them two weeks to prepare. Erica let them all know the healers they had already picked and as a group, they decided on kinetics. Jenny was considered to be the best choice to determine which empaths to send, so they would get her info when she got back. Britt gave his recommendation for warriors, but was quickly cut off by Kyle.

"I want to go," Kyle stated rather plainly, and Britt looked at him with surprise and concern.

"As an empath?" Britt asked.

"As a warrior. I may not have fighting powers, but I am still one of the best fighters in the group. Additionally, I think it is important that we, as Council members, support these itineracies with our own involvement if we want them to succeed."

Britt bristled at even the thought of his love venturing out into the unknown. Not for the first time, Ted thought about the negative consequences of so many on the Council having close relations with one another.

The conversation went on for a while, but there was no denying the logic that Kyle laid out. He had been thinking about this for some time and telling no one. For every argument Britt or Beth made, Kyle had already developed an answer. It struck Ted just how much Kyle was like his father. In the end, they chose the teams and those teams included Kyle, Jenny, and Rich as representatives of the Council. Britt was able to successfully lobby to have Kyle and Jenny together on their team, since Jenny did not prefer to lead. Her inner sight tended to get in the way of effective leader communication.

As the meeting wrapped up, Ted watched Kyle and Britt walk away in a heated discussion. He turned to his wife, "You think they will be okay?"

Kayla glanced over at the men, "They will, or they won't. Worrying about it won't change anything."

Ted smiled at his wife. He wondered how she would have responded if he had told her he had decided to be gone for months ahead. Then he remembered, he had told her that many times in his life, as he prepared for deployment. He lingered in thought on long-past arguments, the distance they created, and the trust that coming home always increased.

# CHAPTER SIX

There were no vines covering the doors. No one had smashed in any windows. In fact, it seemed like no one cared about this building, even Mother Nature had left it to its own devices. Cliff peered through the glass doors of the Downtown Museum of Art, and could still see the paintings and sculptures inside. He waved his brother, Kin, over and stepped aside for Kin's ability to do its thing. Kin was a Telekinetic, or Telly, as the group called them.

Kin walked up to the door while Cliff and Jenny looked up and down the street for Bandits, or any other problem that might arise. Putting his hand to the door at the point of the lock, Kin closed his eyes and pushed with his hand, there was an audible click. He did the same at the bottom of the door and the first set of doors were open. The small group moved quietly inside the building and up to the gate, so Kin could work on the locks there.

Cliff kept watch, trying hard not to look at Jenny in her form-fitting yoga gear. The woman wore these clothes all of the time, unless it was especially cold. It was just what she felt comfortable in. But Cliff was fourteen and in the midst of a tsunami of hormones that drove him mad with lust anytime any woman was around. A beautiful woman in form-fitting clothing was like this new world's version of porn, even if she was twice his age, and a close friend. Cliff adjusted himself, he didn't really want Jenny looking at him right now.

Over the past year and a half, Jenny and Cliff had been the researchers of record for the Council, specifically in regards to powers. Cliff had found books that helped Jenny understand what the colors she saw meant. Unfortunately, that meant whenever she turned on her inner sight, she could see the lust just oozing off of Cliff. She had never brought it up, but Cliff knew that she could see it. That research was why they were here.

As they got past the inner gate, Kin pulled out a light stone, and the others followed suit. It was hard to pass by these wonderful works of art, but they were here for a reason. Cliff had found a reference to a potentially useful exhibition that had been going on at the museum at the time of the event. It was called "Mesopotamian Life of the Ancients" and included artifacts recovered from the occupation of Baghdad and the subsequent removal of these items when terrorist groups had begun destroying anything in Baghdad that they considered against their religion.

Cliff looked back at Jenny, she was stopped in front of a painting. He walked back to where she was and reached his hand out to feel the history of the painting. He saw its history, including the death of some owners during the second World War, when the Nazis had stolen this work from a family. He saw the scenes that had played out before and after that and then opened his eyes to see the tear silently falling down Jenny's cheek.

"Did you see it?" She asked.

Cliff nodded. She had taught him how to read an item better than he had already discovered. The death of the elder members of the family had been immediate, as the work was stolen. The return to one of the children after the war, and the scenes from her life of meaning afterward were joyous. This was the hardest part about being able to read items, it allowed the reader to peek into other people's lives, to see their joy, their sadness, their tragedy, and their triumph. He felt bad for people who did not have this particular ability, it was beautiful to see into other people's lives. While sometimes too painful to watch, the ability gave one the opportunity to see the long history of an item, the older the better. They were now on their way to items that were multiple millennia old, the stories would be amazing.

Kin unlocked the door that closed the exhibition and they all walked in. Kin did not have the same abilities, so he did not stop in his tracks the way that Jenny and Cliff did. There were many items in the room, but right off to the left, there was an item that emanated a glow of power. Cliff had not reached out with his mind, he did not need to, it seemed to reach out to him. He turned to see Jenny staring at him.

"I guess you see it too?" he asked her.

"See what?" Kin asked looking around.

"It doesn't matter," Jenny replied, "Take everything. This is the mother lode. We need to get it back to the Bluffs."

They began to gather every artifact they could put their hands on, including the small stone cylinder that was throbbing with power. It was a black stone, engraved with cuneiform writing all around it. There were no images engraved into it, just the language that none of them could read. Cliff quickly put it in the sack they had brought, gaining a quick image as he touched it of the soldier who had rescued it from the museum ahead of the terrorist attack. He didn't have time for reading yet, they would do that when they got back. But a thought popped into his mind about the fact that no one had entered this building since the event.

"Hey," he said to his brother and Jenny, "Didn't they have a kitchen here, a restaurant or something?"

Jenny nodded, "For events and things."

Kin smiled broadly at his little brother, "This building hasn't been foraged."

# EARLY SUMMER

" _You know the original paleontologists didn't even know the term dinosaur. They thought they were studying the origins of dragons." -_ Anthropologist, Dr. Kenneth Sloan

# CHAPTER SEVEN

The clip-clop of galloping hooves was accentuated by a joyful laugh. Peri walked toward the sound. She had been told the tale of the woman, Annie Grace, whose power was said to be overwhelming and amazing. Toward this clearing on the south side of Black Forest, she walked to her destiny.

All her life, Peri had dreamed of being a different type of entity, something fantastic. She used to cosplay as a faerie or a witch, and when the new powers had arrived to the world, she had hoped to be one of those. In the end, she had shown a rather mundane ability with light. She could make herself and the area around her glow, which was okay, but not that special. Rumor had it that her old boss from the yoga studio, Jenny Martinez, was super powerful and was a member of the Council up at Red Rocks Bluff. But Peri had never been to see her, too ashamed of the way she had left her in the yoga studio back when the Event had happened. How could she face her now?

As Peri stepped into the clearing, the fire suddenly died, and all noise stopped. No longer could she hear joyful conversation, or laughter, or the twittering of interesting creatures. Now she was in the pitch black of night, all alone. Out of the darkness, a woman's voice sounded.

"Are you of the Faith?" the woman asked.

Peri was filled with dread. She was sure that the tales were untrue about the church community at the edge of town that burned people, or hung them, or drowned them, for exhibiting powers.

"I am not a member of a church, if that is what you mean. I was out for a walk," Peri peered into the darkness, her eyes struggling to adjust.

"This is an odd place for a walk," the voice said. The tone of voice was colored with humor, Peri could make that much out. She had to take a chance, she was sure the stories about oppression of powers were not true anyway.

"Okay, I was looking for the lady," Peri offered quietly.

A rough voice from her right, low and earthen, rang out, "What lady is that?" There was a giggle to her left and a high pitched sigh from a tree nearby.

The woman's voice, calm as ever, asked, "Prove you are not of the Faith. Show your power."

"It isn't much," Peri answered, "Just this."

Her immediate area lit up an almost daytime level of light. Unfortunately, it did not light up the surroundings, which remained shrouded in darkness.

The fire in the pit roared back to life, and Peri was finally able to see with whom she was talking. All around the clearing danced a gaggle of mythical creatures. There were three centaurs, talking to two satyrs. In the tree nearby sat four harpies, their heads turning on their necks like a swivel. Close to the fire stood five were-beasts, two of them like wolves, two of them like cats, and one of them like a golden retriever. But at the center of the clearing, standing next to the fire pit, was a young woman in her thirties. She was short and stocky, with hair that reached down to her waist, straight and the color of earth. She had dark lashes, but bright, blue eyes that held her gaze intensely. This had to be the lady.

"Are you...?" Peri began.

"I am Annie Grace," the woman answered, "Do you have a fantasy?"

Peri dropped her gaze in a little embarrassment, but reached into jacket pocket and pulled out a small envelope. "I do," she said and handed across the envelope.

Annie pulled something small, but beautiful, out of the envelope. "Oh, what a wonderful choice." The butterfly in her hand flapped its wings twice, but remained in her palm, "Follow me into the hut."

They walked into the dark shack and Peri knew her life was about to change.

# CHAPTER EIGHT

"Open the gate ," Andy said, though not particularly loudly.

The men on duty swung the gate wide, allowing him to cross back into the safe confines of their little town. He led his horse by its bridle, walking next to her. The snow shined bright in the morning sun, reminding him to put on sunglasses to protect against the glare. The glare was brutal in the spring and early summer. He doubted there would be much more snow in the coming months, but Colorado always had a few snowstorms in June.

"General," one of the guards said in a sort of greeting as Andy passed by.

Andy just nodded his head in response. For a year and a half, the men had called him General Andy Summers, just as Lord Marshall Eric Fine had ordered. Andy was the titular head of the fighting forces of the walled town of Manitou Springs, but he was really just a bandit lord and he knew that. He had once been an enlisted man in the United States Army. After the Event and the Battle of Carson, he had been made the head of policing at the Compound, before it had burned to the ground through insurrection. Rather than destroying him, Fine had made him the leader. Andy did not enjoy this role.

Stopping to tie his horse to a hitching post in front of an old restaurant in the center of town, Andy considered the cost. He had assumed following Fine was the answer in this new world, but instead, he had seen that it was lonely and demoralizing. They had started with just over two hundred men. Through sickness, battles, and desertion, they were down to seventy-eight.

The Lord Marshall was jogging at this time of the day. Andy knew his routine better than most. He would be roaming the hills to the west. The man never stopped his physical training and continued to be in good shape in his late fifties. He was in better shape than Andy, and Andy was only thirty. To his surprise, he heard the stomp-stomp of Eric's feet on the pavement as the older man finished his run early.

"I miss my music," the Lord Marshall said as he came close, "There was nothing better than tunes to accompany a good jog."

Andy nodded his agreement.

"How was your scouting trip, General?" Eric asked.

"The usual," Andy offered. "Scarce population, patrols north of the highway by the Council's people, survivors' camps and survivors' markets are popping up. It seems our bandits are not enough."

Andy Summers did not say all that was on his mind. The Lord Marshall was not noted for appreciating other points of view. Their existence was barely that. They needed to do something new.

Eric nodded as he stretched. Almost as a side note, but also almost as if reading Andy's mind, he added, "We may have to come up with new tactics."

"Yes sir, just what I was thinking," he couldn't believe the slip. It had just burst out of his mouth, like he didn't know to whom he was speaking.

Halting in his stretch, Eric looked for a long moment at his subordinate. After a quick assessment, he went back to the stretch, "Have any ideas?"

Andy cleared his throat, he wasn't quite sure how this was going to go over, "Well, I think we need to form alliances." Since Eric wasn't interrupting, he continued, "I think if we send out bandits as protectors, we might gain more leverage."

The Lord Marshall stared off into the sky, while pulling his foot toward his back in a quadriceps stretch. Andy was not sure what was going through the man's mind. It was always a dangerous thing to challenge how the boss wanted things done. He could not have been more surprised by the response.

"Yes. Send them out with new orders. Protect the weak, make alliances, and get us information," Eric finished his stretch, "That was a good idea, Andy."

As Andy Summers watched his leader walk into the headquarters, he was shocked by what he had just heard. That may have been the first time Eric had ever called him by his first name. He hurried off to give the orders, before reason returned to Lord Marshall Eric Fine.

# CHAPTER NINE

Looking back over her shoulder, Kate could see the clouds forming over the front range. The afternoon storms of summer were beginning. The rain wasn't so bad. After all, it was nothing like the rain after the Event, but summer storms often brought hail. Also, they were out in the eastern part of the Old City, heading even farther east. That meant an increased likelihood of tornadoes forming. It wasn't common, but it happened, so you had to look out for it. Kate thought back to when the kids had been small and that tornado had ripped through the housing area on base in Texas. Cal had been on one of his many deployments, and she had never really talked to him about it, but it had scared her so much.

Cal had been gone now for a year and a half, but every thought of him still made her sad. He was the world to her, and now he was gone. Of all the people who would have turned this world of lemons into lemonade, Calvin Ward would have been chief among them. But he had made a mistake and wandered on to loose ground during the Great Storm. The ground had given way and a river had swallowed her husband whole. She had put on a good face for the kids, but she was still deeply grieving the loss of her mate and best friend. She didn't know if it would ever stop hurting.

"Ma'am?" Antwon asked, checking on her.

"Sorry, Antwon, just thinking about something," she replied.

Antwon Shabazz was the healer for her itineracy. She had chosen to lead one since Kyle had suggested that at least half the council go out on these journeys to connect with others. She was so proud of the man her son was becoming, and proud of the way he interacted with his boyfriend, Britt. But, she was also happy to be out from under their watchful eye. Their worry about her was a little oppressive, and she just needed the space to breathe.

"There is a farm up ahead, it looks like there are people there," called out their kinetic, Jonah.

Jonah was an Aquakinetic, or just Aqua for short. His ability was with water, and she had chosen to bring him because she would be near farmers. Farmers on the high plains east of the city were always in need of water, and Jonah's ability could help. The warrior who made up their fourth and final member was a young man named Alex. Kate didn't know him before they left, and hadn't learned much about him since. But, Britt and Kyle both said he was an able fighter.

Alex had been a second year student at the Air Force Academy. He was naturally quiet but had a strength about him that was undeniable. He seemed to have almost no sense of humor, and never laughed at any jokes. But neither was he stern. He was just a calm young man who did his job. His job right now was protection, so he ran to the front of the group with Jonah and led them onto the farm. An older couple was working in the fields; they could see that. The couple were that indiscriminate middle-age that always gave Kate a hard time. She just couldn't place their age, maybe it was forties, maybe fifties. Kate and Antwon caught up quickly as the four of them walked through the open gate on to the people's property.

"Well, hello!" called out the woman, as the group came close.

Kate waved to her. "Hi! It is nice to see people going about their normal lives," she smiled broadly. They had come across many people on this journey and Kate's welcoming smile had always been a great introduction.

"Yeah, life doesn't stop just because the tractor doesn't work anymore," said the man as he walked toward them, "What brings you out our way?"

Pleasantry and caution was how everyone they met on the eastern side of town had engaged with them. This couple was no different. In fact, they were even more pleasant than others they had met.

"Oh, we figured it was time we got out and met the people who have made it through," Kate said holding her hand out and shaking the man's hand before moving on to his wife and shaking hers. "I am Kate Ward. This is Antwon, Jonah, and Alex."

The woman spoke first, "We are the Richards', Bill and Steph. Did the church send you out?"

Kate looked at her companions to see if they knew what Steph was talking about, but none seemed to, "No. What church is that?"

Bill laughed, "If you have to ask, then they didn't send you. Where do you all come from?"

"We are from the west," It was all Kate wanted to offer right now, she was still assessing the situation.

"Welcome to the east side!" Steph smiled as broadly as Kate had and Kate began to wonder if it was as much a tool as the smile Kate herself used, "We have some pie, and I think the sun tea will be done now. What do you say we have a break, Bill?"

Bill nodded and all six went to the porch, where Steph gave them all some kind of delicious fruit pie and sun tea. Kate began to wonder if she could trade for tea. It was a nice, cheap flavoring. They all sat quietly eating and drinking in the shade of the Richards' porch, when Steph looked off to the growing clouds in the west.

"Storm is coming in. It doesn't look too heavy, but we will probably have to sit out the short rainfall. I was hoping for a little more. The crops need it." Steph stood and stared west.

Kate stood up and walked next to her, "Maybe we can help with that. You were so generous with your pie and tea."

Jonah stood, "Let me take a look at your irrigation."

"You some kind of irrigation expert, Jonah?" Bill queried. There was an odd look of fear on the man's face.

"Something like that," Jonah replied and began walking toward the corn fields. Based on the way the trees grew in a line at the far side, one could tell there was a stream there. All six of them ended up walking out that way, the other five following Jonah.

"You can see it is just a small stream, it really isn't enough to add much to our crops. We do what we can, but I am open to any suggestions you have," Bill said softly. These folks were clearly more worried about water than they were letting on.

"There is a well nearby?" Jonah asked.

"Yes, there is. How did you know that?" Steph asked.

Jonah sort of ignored the question and walked to the edge of the stream. Flattening his palm out and closing his eyes, he stood for a moment. In a few seconds, a pump nearby began to bubble out water into the surrounding field. Jonah opened his eyes.

"We will need to capture that water," Jonah said, "It will keep going for about three-hundred gallons or so. That is all I have the strength for right now."

Kate and the others turned to look at the Richards', expecting to see wonder or gratitude. What they saw was fear.

"You should go," Steph said, as Bill walked back to the house without looking back.

Kate walked up close, "Did we offend you, Steph? We are just trying to help."

Steph leaned in close, "I know. I really do, we both do. But, it isn't safe to show your powers here."

Kate was flustered, "Why not?"

Steph started to back away, "The Lord's Hammer will come. You have to go, or they will cleanse you. I am sorry."

Steph hurried back to her husband. They walked inside their house and closed the door. Kate heard an audible click as they locked the door behind them.

"Guess they don't really want our help," Antwon realized.

"What is the Lord's Hammer?" Jonah asked.

Kate just shook her head and shrugged, "Okay, let's move on."

They moved down the road, closing the gate behind them. The light rain and low wind began about ten minutes later. The storm passed in less than fifteen minutes with no hail and no sign of serious wind. Kate resolved to be more careful about showing any of their powers in this area. The Richards' response wasn't expected, and certainly wasn't normal, but she knew there had to be a reason for it. They would assume the position of a small group of ability-less travelers. At least until she could figure out what the hell the Lord's Hammer was.

# CHAPTER TEN

The flutter of wings flapping in the breeze did nothing to assuage Rich's astonishment at what he was seeing. He turned toward his group, seeing the same shock on Jack's face; the abject horror on Kim's; and the equal level of wonder in Cliff. Cliff's smile was almost an opposite mask of the repulsion that showed in Kim's features.

"What are we looking at?" Rich asked.

Cliff ran forward, "Harpies!" he shouted and burst into the nearby clearing.

Rich and the other two followed him, though Kim kept her distance. Once in the forest clearing, Rich saw an even larger number of "mixed" beings. The ones that Cliff referred to as Harpies were part bird, part human. But, there were others. There was half-horse, half-human. There were those who looked part cat, part dog, or part bull. It was an absolute shock, and Cliff had run into the middle of them with glee. A woman in her early thirties, wearing an earthy garb, walked out to greet him.

"Centaurs!" Cliff spit out, in a flurry of excitement, "Minotaurs, Were-creatures, Faeries...Faeries, Rich! Do you see them?" His smile was infectious, but Rich didn't share his enthusiasm. This wasn't a movie, or a get up. These were real.

"I do, Cliff," It was all Rich could think of to say.

Turning to look at his companions, Rich saw similar expressions to that which he probably bore himself. The look of shock had left Jack's face, but Kim retained an expression which Rich had long seen in parishioners. It was the cold, distant fear of the other, of anyone who was different. It was a look of judgment. It brought him up short. He checked his own thoughts, to make sure he did not bear a similar expression, and turned to the woman walking toward them with her arm around Cliff.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am," Rich started, "My name is Rich Carson. This here is Jack Collins, Kim Pile, and that young man is Cliff Ko."

"I am pleased to meet all of you," she said in a lilting voice that was instantly pleasant and free of the judgment that his friend, Kim, was currently throwing around, "I am Annie Grace."

"Is it your power that does this?" Cliff spurted out, throwing his arms wide like they could encompass the entirety of the fantastic beings.

"Yes, I guess so," she replied, "People ask to be changed and I think about it with them for a while, then they change. It is really up to them. But, you speak of powers. Do you have powers?"

Before Rich could stop him, Cliff just vomited out all of their information. He would have to talk to the boy about that later. "Not cool powers like yours. I can help people put their powers into stones. Rich sings people calm. Kim is a pyrokinetic. Jack is a healer."

Annie laughed lightly, enjoying Cliff's enthusiasm and most likely thinking that he was too free with information as much as Rich thought he was. "Those sound like much more useful abilities than mine," Annie offered.

"Everyone has something they can do for the greater good, ma'am," Rich interrupted, trying to shut down the boy's exuberance before he got them in hot water.

Annie just nodded at him. Her face was calm, with a constant smile on her lips. She had laugh lines in all of the places of a person who is practiced at finding humor in everyday life. She had a peace about her that reminded Rich of those who have lived life, lost love and come out the other side a little wiser. He hoped he exhibited that kind of calm. It made him think she probably did what she did for the same reason they did what they did. She just wanted to help people.

A thought occurred to Annie that shadowed her face with concern, "We do have a small problem that could use a healer. One of our centaur mares is near to birthing a foal, and it would be wonderful if you could look at her."

"You are breeding them?" Kim asked, aghast.

Annie turned, a darker look in her eyes. It was clear that Annie had no grace for the type of phobia which Kim was expressing. "No," She answered curtly, "We are not breeding them. Like all other people, they have relationships, they have intercourse. Natural things happen." Annie turned toward Jack, some of her peace returning, "Is this a problem, or do you think you could help?"

Jack shrugged, "The anatomy will be new to me, but I will see what I can do."

"Can I come, too?" Cliff interjected, "Or would that be weird?"

Annie let out a hearty and refreshing laugh. "Of course, you can come, you are very welcome here, Cliff."

As they walked toward a hutch in the far side of the clearing, Annie looked over her shoulder at Kim, a cold stare like she was seeing right through her. Rich couldn't blame her. Kim's display was bigotry in its purest form. Rich wondered how much of that showed on his face when he had first seen Annie's group. A little shame crept in from the sides of his mind.

"I am going to walk around the area. This place creeps me out," Kim stated and stomped out into the woods.

She was not going to see the good in this community, Rich assessed. He would have to have a talk he had never enjoyed. Many church-goers are victim to this kind of fear of the other, but it isn't a particularly biblical approach. Contrary to popular belief, the bible preaches a rather accepting view of refugees, the poor, and those different from you.

"Okay," Rich called out, "Don't go too far, we won't be here long."

Kim just waved back over her shoulder; which Rich took to mean that it was okay. He turned and began a mental cataloguing of all he saw. The Council would certainly want to hear about this.

# CHAPTER ELEVEN

The four robed men walked in single file through deserted streets on the south end of town. They seemed to be the only people anywhere around. Paul motioned to his four team mates to fan out, as he walked out into the open. As one, the men in robes turned and walked his way. Their synchronicity surprised and concerned Paul. He saw no communication, nor even notice of him by these robed travelers. They just turned and walked for him.

"Good afternoon, gents," Paul began, smiling widely to settle any doubts about his welcome. The thought occurred that they might think they could rob a single person on the road, "It is good to see people out here. I am not from these parts. Are there markets in the area where people get together? I was looking to trade."

The man in front with the dark skin, light eyes and loose curls answered him with only an intimidating gaze. The other three fanned out to his side, creating a human barrier before Paul.

Paul snorted to himself, "Look, I know there are four of you, but I can take care of myself. Don't try to take what is mine." He pointed at the chest of the closest man. Their silence was annoying at the least, oppressive at the most. He continued, "Are you going to tell me where the survivors' market is, or should I just move on?"

The dark man stood in silence, the other three looking at him, rather than at Paul. The dark man leaned forward and sniffed, giving him a look of disdain. Paul knew the tactic, they thought he was going to pay them off to leave him alone. Hell, Paul had used that tactic many times in the past.

Deciding not to let this continue, he grinned at them and decided to show his ability a little. Lord Marshall Fine had directed them not to take anything but information from people, but it couldn't hurt to knock these idiots on their asses. Gathering his chi, he pushed out with his hand toward the four men. Nothing happened. Gathering his strength, he once more pushed toward them. Nothing.

In succession, each of the robed figures turned their head toward him and said one same word.

"Witch."

"Witch."

"Witch."

"Witch."

Paul looked back for his team, searching frantically for some aid. For some reason, his powers did not work. He needed the help of his team, but they were not quick enough. The four robed men brought cudgels out from within their sleeves, as quick as the wind itself. Paul felt weak in his legs, and had not realized the level to which he counted on his ability. All four men raised their arms, and the dark leader smashed his cudgel over Paul's left eye, tearing a gash across his face as he fell to the ground. His head bounced off the asphalt, and his gaze dimmed for a moment.

Paul could not see any longer with his left eye, but with his right, he saw his men running to his rescue. Unfortunately, he also saw them get torn to shreds. His head was light, and his legs felt like lead. He could not raise himself to help. These four men, dressed like monks and bearing no more than short clubs, quickly dismantled one of the best Bandit teams in all of Manitou. But Paul could see there were only three of his team, where was Steve?

Gathering all the strength he could muster, Paul began to crawl away as the robed men beat his companions. He didn't go far, unable to garner the slight energy it would take to get up and run away. He did not feel the smash into the back of his head, he only blacked out with its force.

How long he had been out was a mystery, but when he awoke, things had slightly changed. Struggling to regain his focus, he noticed the scent of burning wood and opening his eyes, saw the swirling smoke. Gasping and sputtering on the smoke, he tried to make out where he was. It had been in the street. He had faced four men. The memory rushed back to him, and he realized his own doom. His only thought was that he needed to get away from whatever this fire was.

Trying to stand up, he found he was bound to a pole in the ground and surrounded by branches. Had those men tied him up? Gaining a little clarity in his mind, he was able to see that his team was tied to the pole with him. The smoke was furling up around their bodies from somewhere below. His eyes came into focus as the dark man in the robe stepped before him, just out of the growing fire's range. Next to him was a stocky, bald man with a goatee. He had not been there when they had fought. The man shouted over the crackling fire.

"You have been judged, evil doers!" The man had a fervor on his face that Paul found startling. What was he shouting about? "You will burn for your sins, and meet your father, the Adversary, in eternal damnation. The Lord has seen you; the Lord has judged. He has sent his Hammer to deal with you. Die in agony!"

Paul watched each of the four men he had faced, and the other man who wore a priest's collar, turn their backs on the fire, just as the heat reached him. He frantically tried to release himself from his bonds and get away from the fire. When he could not get loose, the searing pain of flames licking at his legs made him shake violently. His own screams of pain drowned out any other sound. But just before fading out, Paul saw a figure at the edge of his vision. He beheld the horrified face of his friend, as Steve turned and fled at the end of the block. The group of executioners took off after him, but Paul burned to death knowing what a great runner Steve was.

# CHAPTER TWELVE

Her repulsion only surpassed by her anger at being made to commune with these abominations, Kim stomped through the edge of the woods away from Annie Grace's clearing and the monstrosities that abounded there. She would occasionally look over her shoulder and up into the trees to make sure none were following her. It was disgusting. They had mixed their God-given bodies with those of base animals. How could Rich abide this? He is a pastor for God's sake. It wasn't right; it wasn't natural.

This was just another sign proving her belief in what had occurred. In the year and a half she had lived at the Bluffs, Kim had become overwhelmed at these powers. She herself exhibited a sign of this apocalypse in the ability to call fire forth from out of thin air. It had helped occasionally, there was no doubt about that. But, the number of men she had killed in the Hilltop assault was too horrific to think of. Some estimated it to be almost two hundred. She had burned them to death. Who could cleanse her of the blood on her hands?

Now this. Beyond having to accept the demonic powers of the people remaining in this godless world, she now had to deal with people who mixed their breed with animals? It was just too much. She would certainly talk to Ted and the Council. They must see how terrible the shame and judgment they were cursed with for not trusting in God for their redemption. This could not stand!

Hearing a twig break beneath someone's foot, she turned to see which of the creatures was following her. But, it was just an ordinary man. He stood staring at her, breathing heavily.

"What?" She asked exasperated. "I am sorry, but that is disgusting. It is abomination. They aren't even human anymore."

A change came over the face of the man, he smiled slightly, kindly. Then he spoke in a deep but carrying whisper.

"You are not one of them. You are of the light." He rasped out, "You must come with me. Leave the sin behind."

Kim felt the warmth of the tear running down her cheek. Her redemption had arrived, and just at the time she had asked God for it, "Thank you," she said quietly, "The Lord has answered my prayer."

"Indeed, he has, woman." The man waved her over, clearly being careful to keep quiet and relatively out of sight.

Kim plucked up her courage and followed this man out of the woods, away from those she had come with. She saw the Lord's hand in rescuing her, perhaps she could redeem herself in this end of time.

# CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The discomfort Rich had with the blended creatures was apparent to all, but it really wasn't judgment, it was just weird to him. He wasn't ready to live in a world that had Werewolves, or Satyrs. But this is the world he lived in. There was no changing that, so he had best just get used to it. He had greeted a few of the "people" who were standing around. They all just stared at him, making him even more uncomfortable.

In the center of this clearing, there blazed a campfire with pots of something bubbling over it. Meandering his way near to it, he leaned in and sniffed at the big pot that was brewing.

"It is just stew; it won't turn you into one of us," said a soft voice behind him and he turned around to look at a cat-woman. Even in that feline face, he could see the hurt and distrust.

Rich smiled as best he could, "No. I just was wondering what was cooking is all."

"Mm, hmm" the cat lady purred out.

"I am sorry," Rich finally let out, loudly enough for the whole gathering to hear, "This is all pretty new to me. I am sorry if I seem taken aback. I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable."

There were mumbled answers from the trees. Rich caught something about, "Why would we be uncomfortable in our own home?" and, "Traipse in here and judge us!"

The clip-clop of hooves brought one of the centaurs up next to him. "It is new to everyone," the centaur answered, "This is a gift that Annie has provided us."

Rich cleared his throat, not wanting to offend, but still wanting some information, "Does this have something to do with your powers?"

"No," the centaur said, "I am a war kinetic, though, so it doesn't hurt. My name is Phineas. That is my centaur name; my human name was Roger."

Rich stuck out his hand, "I am Rich Carson."

"You are from the Hillside group?" asked the cat lady, "My name is Felicity, by the way."

"I am from Council Bluffs," he thought it best not to tell too much before he was more acquainted with them, "I am a Council Member, actually."

Felicity's ear flicked gently. "So, then you are a member of the Hillside group," her dismissiveness was so feline in its nature, that Rich couldn't help but smile.

They knew more than they were letting on. They knew of the Hillside, but not of the Bluffs. "I guess so," Rich answered her.

He was going to ask more questions of them, as he saw Jack coming out of the hutch. Phineas looked up and galloped off toward him with some haste. Not thinking it was too rude to walk toward them, Rich followed suit. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw that Felicity was still staring at him with that mischievous side-look. Everything about her was like a cat. He got close enough to hear Jack speaking with Phineas.

"...she is fine. The foal is fine. Actually, everything is as it should be, from all I know of equine anatomy. That isn't much, but it is enough to tell what is happening. My guess is that you will soon have progeny that I assume is the first natural-born centaur on record."

Phineas let out a joyful laugh that sounded a little too much like a neigh, "Doctor Jack, you are a wonderful man." The human half of his body picked Jack up in a giant hug and swung him around before putting him down.

"It is just Jack," Jack offered, turning red with embarrassment.

"No, my friend, you are Doctor Jack, friend of the Centaurs!" Phineas shouted out, and the whole area erupted in shouts, claps, hoots and hollers. Rich watched Jack, a young man not known for his humility, just overwhelmed by the praise and thanks. He saw a humility in him that immediately made him grateful for the journey of learning they were now on. Rich walked up and clapped him on the back.

"Well, done, mate!" Rich exclaimed.

Nodding a look of a need to speak in private, Jack walked out of earshot of any of the others. They were all busy congratulating Phineas anyway.

When they were clear enough, Rich looked up to make sure they weren't being spied on from overhead. "What's up, bud? Where is Cliff at?" Rich looked around but did not see the boy.

Jack smiled, "Oh, he is still in the hutch with Annie. He is fascinated by her, and what she is doing here."

They continued walking to the edge of the clearing, near to where Kim had walked off. Rich peered through the branches and brush, looking for a sign of her. "What's up?"

"What she is doing is amazing," Jack started. "She is melding and molding their DNA, I could see it when I was helping out the centaur. There is a blending of DNA I would not have thought possible, but it is going to be a huge help to us."

"How so?" Rich queried, questions already filling his mind.

"We might be able to use the same technique on humans. We could make them stronger, faster, more powerful. We could correct genetic mistakes, perhaps even save some within the womb. I combined my healing with a little of this while working on Phineas' mate. I didn't tell them, and I don't think they could tell. But, I cured a congenital defect that was causing her problems but was also able to cure the defect that created that defect in the mare. The possibilities are astounding."

Rich smiled at the young man. Messing with DNA was a bit of hubris in Rich's mind, but it wasn't his call. "Will you share all of this with the Council?" he asked Jack, "You can describe and explain it much better than I ever could."

"Of course!" Jack was genuinely excited by the realization, and Rich could tell he wanted to explore this ability some more. Cliff was just coming out of the hutch with Annie when a loud bird call rang out above the clearing. Rich watched the creatures grab weapons from out of nowhere, and scatter into the woods, leaving the clearing empty except for Annie and Cliff.

"What is happening?" Rich yelled to Annie. She held a finger up to her lips to quiet him, looking off toward the south. They rushed to her side. She did not speak until Rich and Jack drew within a few feet.

"The Faith," she whispered.

"The faith of what?" Rich whispered back.

"They are called the Faith," Annie looked frightened, "They do not like our powers at all, and think of us as the kind of freaks your woman friend thinks of us."

"Oh, damn, Kim," Rich said. He looked to Jack and the two of them clearly had the same thought. They ran in the direction she had wandered. They needed to find her and keep her away from those who would harm her, "Cliff, stay with Annie."

Rushing through the brush, they came to another clearing, this one unoccupied by any except Phineas and a Werewolf. Phineas stared into the distance and the wolfman sniffed around the ground.

"Yes, it was the Faith," The werewolf growled out.

Phineas spit on the ground, "They have found us. I have to let Annie know, and we have to move farther into the forest."

As he started to trot by, Rich asked Phineas, "What about the woman that was with us, Kim?"

Phineas nodded his head toward the werewolf.

Half man, half wolf, the creature looked up at Rich, its pale eyes gleaming. "She went with them. There is no sign of a struggle. She went with them." The werewolf shouldered by both men and ran off into the woods.

Rich stared in the direction the wolf had pointed, not entirely certain what that meant.

# MIDDLE OF SUMMER

" _Change comes on us all. There is no getting away. The stages of our lives creep up, and we can only cooperate with the passage of time."_ \- Chester Hilcomb, _On the Aged_

# CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It was difficult to keep focus, since she was experiencing the minds of more than one hundred members of her pack at the moment. At times, her mind frayed from the multitude of visions that hit her all at once. Taking all of the thoughts, directions, and desires into her own mind, she sat and let the warm sun wash over her. She was just beginning to learn to control it, but humans talking to her didn't help. So, Maxine Craven sat on top of a rock, away from all other distractions, and took it all in. By synthesizing the information, which she could barely do, she could basically see an area many miles wide and many miles long. She smelled what her pack smelled, she saw what they saw, and she felt what they felt. A small whimper from Queenie jolted her out of her dilemma.

Looking down at the Rottweiler, who had been her constant companion since the death of Princess, she knew just what the large dog's issue was. She reached down and pet Queenie behind the ear.

"I see them," she said.

A small portion of her pack, six dogs in all, were following three men heading their way. The men sang loudly, which made Max happy, but there was something strange in their scent. The song was not one she recognized, more of a ballad like those she had heard in movies about Shakespeare. Though they were not far away, the men had not noticed Max, and she had no reason to move. Maxine Craven was the safest person in the area right now. She might be the safest person in the world. She could see everything for miles, and was under the constant protection of a mass of canine protectors who saw her as their leader. She relaxed on the rock and viewed the men through the eyes of her pack.

One was large and muscular, bright red hair and beard that went half way down his chest. He carried a staff and looked like he was dressed for a show from the middle ages. His clothes were brown leather and tan linen, the latter super wrinkled. He had no sleeves, but was tattooed up both arms all the way to his shoulders. Just to his side was a good looking younger man, who Max immediately took a liking to. She had been too young to be very interested in boys when she still had school to attend, and now most were afraid of her. But she was gaining more and more interest in men in general, and this young man interested her in specific, though he had to be six or seven years older than her. His puffy shirt was open to mid-chest and there was a colorful tattoo across his chest. He had dark hair, hooped earrings and an eyebrow piercing. He was soft-skinned and clean-shaven. Max thought he was dreamy. She almost didn't take the time to consider the third man, though he was clearly their leader. He was bald, but had bright blue eyes that caught Max's attention. His broad smile was surrounded by a goatee and a mustache curled up at the ends. In all, the group looked like fun.

Max saw them coming from a long way off, but they were startled when they turned a corner and there she was, sitting on a rock, with Queenie by her side. Max took in their confusion from multiple angles at once.

"Well," said the leader quickly, his smile growing, "What have we here?"

"Hello," was all that Max replied. She stared at the younger man, and when he looked at her, she felt the flush in her cheeks and looked away.

"How do you do, My Lady? I am Robin Hood and these are my merry men, Little John and Will Scarlet." He bowed low, but not in a karate way that Max was used to, this looked like something she had seen in a cartoon once.

"Those aren't your real names." She answered, "I know who Robin Hood is."

"What do you know of my namesake?" the bald man asked. There was something weird about them, but she felt in no way threatened. None the less, she silently sent one of the dogs to get Adam from the nearby Hillside.

"Robin Hood always wore green, you don't. And he had a bow, you don't," Max answered him.

"Do I not?" The man asked and pulled a short bow from his back. It was small, but the dogs took it as a threatening. The men were clearly shocked as the six dogs around them came out from the brush, and Queenie stood up with the hair up on the back of her neck.

"Whoa!" said the man going by Will, "Let's not get eaten here."

Robin Hood put away the bow just as Adam and two others jogged into the area behind Max.

"She controls the dogs," said the tall man going by Little John.

"No, I don't. They are family," Max replied, as she stood and wiped off her shorts of the dirt that caked from sitting in the sun. Adam passed her and held his hand out to the men.

"Hello, I am Adam Cross. Have you come for healing?"

"Healing? No. We were passing by, seeking adventure, and stumbled on this young lady sunbathing," The Robin Hood guy replied.

Adam turned and looked at her, "Sunbathing huh?"

Max just shrugged.

"Is her power a sort of mind-meld with the dogs?" The younger man asked, but Adam just ignored it.

"I can see what characters you play, but would it be impolite to ask your real names?" Adam asked.

The bald man laughed, "You have to love a direct man. I am Mickey Cobb, or Robin Hood, if you will. This is my brother, Theo Cobb. The tall man back there is our friend, Brandon Gains. We lived in Larkspur..."

"Renaissance faire?" Adam cut in.

"Very astute, my friend. Yes, that was our employ before the darkness came. Now, we seek adventure of any kind." Mickey bowed again, as he had when greeting Max for the first time, "Are you a healer?"

"Yes, there are a few of us near here. We trade healing for goods and supplies, usually. We also train healers for survivors' camps," Adam offered. "What are your powers?"

"What makes you think we have powers?" Theo asked coldly. There was some fear her pack could smell. There was more to this question than it seemed.

Adam relaxed and smiled, Max could tell he was getting more comfortable with them, "Everyone has powers now, friend. It would be more unusual if you did not."

"Fair enough. I play with fire," suddenly Mickey had a ball of fire in his hand. Though smaller than the ones she had seen other pyros utilize, it was controlled. Another appeared in his other hand and he began to juggle them. Adam and the two warriors with him smiled broadly. Then Mickey doused the flames. "Brandon has a strength power," Brandon lifted a large rock nearby, as one might lift a light bag of groceries, "My brother's gifts are with the weather, and lightning. But he won't show that in case anyone gets hurt."

"You are a weather witch?" Max asked Theo.

"Well, I like to think of myself as a Warlock, but yes. That power is actually a little light, I can bring up the wind a bit, maybe moisten the air, fill a valley with fog. The biggest part of my power is lightning though," He shot a small arc of lightning out of his finger into the dirt and then stopped.

Max giggled and looked up at Adam, "He is an Electrokinetic!"

"What?" Theo asked.

"She just means your power is with electric currents. We figured that would be a thing, but hadn't seen anyone with that power yet," Adam answered. "Three kinetics travelling together, seeking fortune. It sounds like a great tale for around the fire. Max was only here to get us for a meeting of our council at Council Bluffs. If you would like to join us for the journey, I would love to hear any info about up north, we haven't heard much since the Event."

The trio agreed to accompany them, and soon Erica had joined with some others and they began the long walk to Council Bluffs. Max tried to avoid anyone seeing her crush on Theo, but every time he would even glance her way, Max would blush and turn away. As they headed up the long road to the Bluffs, the twenty or so dogs who were with them had to show themselves and come out of the brush. Theo seemed fascinated and ended up spending time with her, hearing about the scope of her power. He didn't seem afraid of it, which was refreshing. Maybe that is because he had never seen her kill.

# CHAPTER FIFTEEN

This was a larger council, and could not be held in the usual chamber. Instead, they held it outside and anyone was welcome to attend. Ted walked toward his daughter and her companions, nodding his head at Adam as he wrapped Max in a great big hug, lifting her off the ground.

"Dad!" Max pushed away from the hug in a way that she never had before, almost as if she was embarrassed. Ted was reminded of the conversation he and Cal had about the same with Natalee all those years ago. Had the time come when it was no longer cool to hug your dad? Ted hoped not.

He moved on to give the very pregnant Erica a hug and then turned toward the three strange men that were with them, "Hello. I am Ted Craven, Head of the Council. Who might you be?"

"I might be many people, but for today I am Mickey Cobb, dressed for the moment as Robin Hood." The bald man bowed and Ted immediately liked him.

"Nice to meet you, Mickey, and welcome to the Bluffs."

"Let me introduce my little brother, Theo, and my good friend, Brandon." Mickey turned to each in turn, and Ted shook hands with each.

"What brings you to the Bluffs?" Ted asked.

"We just followed these folks...," Theo cut in.

"Adventure, sir, adventure!" His brother interrupted him.

Ted smiled. Mickey was clearly an entertainer, and excessively charming. He saw the way his daughter looked at the younger man, Theo, and realized why she had pushed away. She had a crush.

"Well, we have a council meeting to greet some traveling groups. You might be interested in learning what they have to tell us. Perhaps you could tell us about your travels. There is food on the table over there," Ted pointed to a table piled up with fresh produce, "Maxine, would you come sit by your dad for the meeting?"

Max nodded and walked off to the bench at which Ted usually sat for larger meetings. Ted thanked the men again for coming and went to take his place. Rich's group had still not returned, but they could wait no longer. Ted stood and the crowd grew quiet. Not having microphones any longer had quickly taught people to quiet down so everyone could hear.

"Good afternoon, everyone. We will begin the large council hearing of the returning itinerants. I want to thank each group for their efforts and the information they will provide. From the short reports people gave me, I think we can help some folks and create some trade relationships quickly and beneficially. So, without further pause, let's hear from Jessica."

Ted sat as Jessica came to the front. The last two years had been good for her. She was no longer the quiet girl who doted on Kyle's every need. She had become a leader in her own right, beautiful and intelligent.

"Hi, all!" Jessica began. "Our itineracy was composed of myself, Natalee, Ben, and Gerrity. We were tasked with heading south, but avoiding the west side and Manitou areas, because of Fine's group. We did see a group of his bandit's and prepared for a fight, but for some reason they left us alone, and that was the only interaction we had with that group. The south side had few of the survivors' camps we have heard so much about. We saw the ruins of Fort Carson, burned out. We erected a sign at the mass graves to tell people what happened, but we should probably return with a Terra to make that sign more permanent since it is wood now and won't last. The entire south side of town was burned out after the Event, so there wasn't a lot to see there. It looked like the resort was burned out as well, although we specifically were not supposed to go that way. We did meet small camps of folks and gave aid, but most were struggling and had nothing to trade. We did our best to help them and move on. There has been widespread devastation, both to the health and the structure of the south side. Illness, conflict and the elements have destroyed the population. Almost everyone we met was in such a bad situation that the best we could offer was for them to move closer to our area. The population may build soon, and indeed there are camps down the cliffs already forming. We should probably send warriors to patrol for their safety since we don't want innocents as a buffer between ourselves and Fine's group. And, that is all I have."

Ted stood. "Any questions for first group?" No one had any, there was small mumbling, but nothing too difficult to manage. Ted spoke out in a louder voice, "Jenny is speaking for the next group, I believe."

Jenny nodded and came to the front, "Our itineracy was Me, Kyle, Kelly and Slim." Jenny was used to public speaking even before the Event and her confidence showed, "We went north, and have much the same to report. We did meet many more survivors' camps than south did, I guess. The people to the north seem to mostly be trading and scavenging. The change in climate with all of the added rain, both near to the Event and after have increased lakes up near Monument, and the streams remain much more full than before the Event. We saw people beginning to grow fields where they could. This was mostly corn and berries. There were some with livestock, and they were willing to trade for either goods or services. We brought back three goats and an Alpaca we traded for some Terra work that Slim did and some healing that Kelly did. The camps reported small groups of rovers that attacked and stole on occasion, but said that was mostly last summer and this spring they really hadn't seen any. We heard mention of a group of entertainers from up north," Ted glanced over at Mickey, Theo, and Brandon, who were chowing down on some vegetables and not really paying attention to the meeting. "From the reports, they are quite entertaining, and some said were from the Renaissance faire in Larkspur."

Mickey's head popped up at this, apparently, he had been listening.

Jenny continued. "It does not seem like there is a huge security risk on the north side. No group has moved into the Academy. We were never challenged in any way. People were kind and seemed to want to engage in trade. We informed them of our presence and told about the healing school. Some asked if we were teaching empaths and kinetics, and I didn't really have an answer. That is all I have for now. Any questions?"

Ted smiled. Jenny didn't need him to ask for her. But he did have a question, "I do not have a question for you, but for the group. Should we expand the training school to train empaths and kinetics? What about Warriors beyond our own? Let's consider this and talk another time but keep it in mind. Also, I believe we have some of those entertainers in our midst. I would like to introduce to you all Mickey, Theo, and Brandon from Larkspur, I am guessing."

All three men stood and bowed with great flourish, showing themselves to be showmen. Ted continued, "I will see what we can barter to get them to provide us with a show either tonight or tomorrow?" Mickey nodded his head.

After waiting for any other questions, which didn't come, Ted stood again, "The third itineracy has not yet returned, so Kate?"

Kate came to the front, "Our group was Alex, Jonah, Antwon, and Me. We were tasked with heading due east. We travelled through much of the old city and did run into roving bands from time to time with only a few skirmishes. The middle and east of the city have formed into many small communities that have found ways to wall themselves up in blocks and such. There were a few camps who were really only one extended family, but most were straggling survivors who bonded for security and combined resources. Many were very leery of outsiders and not prepared to trade, some were downright rude. In the far east, we met farmers and ranchers, but there was a very different vibe out there. They did not like our powers at all." A mumble went through the crowd. "It actually seemed dangerous to show them, so the last half of our trip, we just met people and didn't provide assistance. There is some group called The Faith out there that "protects" the people against those with powers. How they do that, I couldn't tell you. We didn't meet any actual members, but were kicked off one farm when Jonah filled their well and helped with irrigation..."

Ted looked up and saw Rich jogging into the area, sweating profusely and out of breath. Jack was by his side and Cliff followed a little behind them. He stood, "Our fourth group has returned, let's let them catch their breath as we hear more from Kate...," Rich jogged right up to the front and got close to Ted.

"Kim has been taken."

# CHAPTER SIXTEEN

She was in her time of remorse, and as such, was not allowed to speak. But, Kim watched as they dragged the unconscious woman to the platform and tied her to the post. She stood in quiet reflection as the Faith gathered dry wood from the area and began to stack it around and beneath the platform. Kim was at home now; these were much more her people than the people of the Bluffs had ever been. They were kind. Minister Sal was a good man, whose only purpose was the get through this Armageddon and eliminate the demons causing these abilities. He would do that through prayer for the willing, or through violence for the unwilling. It was love he was showing, even if they did not see it.

Sal looked at her and inclined his head to indicate she should obtain wood as well. She walked the area and picked up small branches and laid them around the platform. As she turned, she nearly bumped into Cory, the leader of the Lord's Hammer. His cold eyes always frightened her, but it was he who had taken the demon of fire from her when Sal had seen that she was penitent. He never smiled, nor did any of the Lord's Hammer. But neither did they laugh, or cry. They didn't speak or get angry. But God had granted them the ability to cleanse people of the demonic powers which possessed everyone left in the world. They were a blessing.

Kim bowed her head and Cory just walked by her, emotionally impassive as ever. Kim heard the moan and realized he was not concerned anyway. She saw the other Lord's Hammer members move into place around the platform as the woman came groggily to her senses.

"What...what is going on?" the woman mumbled. Kim was hesitant to even think of her given name. Sal had taught her that those still in the powers were servants of the Adversary. Even those she used to call friends. Just like herself, they had been controlled by demons. Kim had revealed everything about them to Sal, and he had absolved her of her sins. He had even said that God forgave her for burning hundreds of living men that one night many months ago. She would forever be in Sal's debt. She had led the Lord's Hammer to the clearing where the abominations were made. There, they had captured this woman, Annie Grace. She had refused to bend the knee. Sal had determined that her only redemption lay in the fire.

"No. Please. No," Annie sobbed out, and Kim just turned away to take her place in the outer circle with the rest of the faith.

Minister Sal stood before Annie, clearly in her view, but not so close to be touched by the flame that was certain to come next. "Demon awake!" he shouted at her, and her eyes went wide, "Come out of this woman, or you will return to the pit from whence you came, servant of the Enemy!"

Annie's eyes darted from side to side, "What are you talking about? You are crazy. Let me go!"

"Silence!" Sal called out, "Do you repent of your evil? Do you repent of the power of the Evil One? Do you, Annie Grace?"

There was silence as the woman sobbed. Sal turned to speak to the Faith, but Annie yelled out one last thing, "Go fuck yourself, asshole!"

The Faith gasped and mumbled, but Sal did not look at Annie again. He continued looking at the Faith as he spoke. "Given the opportunity to repent, the faithful always repent and the demons always revile. Have we not see it, friends?"

The crowd agreed they had seen it. Kim nodded along with the others.

"Now, in these end times," Sal continued, "it is only we who can make a difference. It is only those of the Faith who can stop the evil, the abomination, and the power of the Adversary. God has shown it to us. Has he not?"

"He has!" Kim shouted with the rest. The Faith were growing excited with the speech.

"Those who repent are saved, turning from their evil ways. Those who do not are condemned to eternal fire by their own actions," Sal turned around and looked at Annie again.

"By your words and deeds, you have been judged, Annie Grace!" Sal stated.

"You have no right...," Annie mumbled through her tears.

"God has the right," Sal replied and inclined his head to the Lord's Hammer, who lowered their heads in prayer. Sal lifted his head to the sky, "Lord, convict this sinner and the demon who resides within her. Bring your fire down and consume her flesh, that her spirit may be free again."

The fire sprung up in the dry wood immediately, in just the same way it used to spring from Kim. But, in this case, no one had used powers. They could not with the Lord's Hammer around. This meant that the fire had come directly from God. Kim had heard of it, but had never seen it. It was proof that God Himself was on their side.

The fire grew rapidly. The smoke began to rise, and Annie began to gasp and sputter, "Please. Don't do this. You don't have to do this."

Sal stood with his head to the sky as the flames grew and caught the platform on fire. Annie squirmed and pleaded as the flames licked at her legs and began to scream as she herself caught fire and began to burn. Kim immediately thought of the men near the Hillside, that she had burned. It was hard not to make the parallel, but that had been for herself and for evil. This had been for God. She reminded herself of that as the flames took Annie's voice, and soon after, Annie's life.

While Annie Grace's corpse burned in the clearing, the Faith walked away singing hymns. The Lord's Hammer remained behind to protect the Faith, as Sal said that occasionally a demon would escape if not watched. But, the rest of them went back to the Chapel Grounds, slowly and with great joy.

# CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"We need to do what we can," Ted said as he walked out of their little stone home.

"Why do they need you to go?" Kayla followed him.

Ted turned and looked into his wife's eyes, "Sweetheart, I always send other people. Sometimes a leader needs to show that the risk is even. Why is this bothering you so much?"

Kayla looked down at the dirt. When she looked up again, he saw the worry in her eyes, "After all of these years, all I wanted was a reprieve from the deployments. Only since the Event, have I been able to make sure you stay home."

Ted felt a guilt that had once been familiar spread into his chest. He had left her home so many times, as he headed off to foreign wars. But this was different.

"These are not foreign wars," he said, trying to comfort her, "This, I am doing to protect our family and friends. To make sure our daughter grows up in safety and with all of the provisions she needs."

There was a long silence. Finally, Kayla responded, "I understand." It was all she said, and she turned around and went back into their home. She was not going to see him off.

Ted continued out toward the center of the Bluffs, to where he would meet up with his team. They had a plan, and Ted wanted to make sure they followed it. They would tour a few areas mentioned by the itineracies, going south for a bit, then straight north through the center of town and, eventually end up on the east side. Ted would assess this Faith himself and see if there was peace to be made.

As he rounded a corner, he was surprised to see a row of mountain bikes lined up, "Hey! Where did we get these?"

Rich walked up and shook his hand, "Anthony found that bike rental place untouched. Apparently, it never occurred to anyone to grab bikes when the cars stopped working."

"Well done, Johnson!" Ted called out to the former soldier.

"Thanks, Sarge!" Anthony called back.

Ted was the last to arrive, and there were many more than the team there to see them off. Only Ted had no one to see him off. Kayla had, of course, returned to their home and Max was nowhere to be seen. Jordan was hugging Emma off to one side, while Anthony's young girlfriend was handing him a loaded backpack. Rich was leaving instructions to the young pastor who would see to the chapel in his absence, the same who had seen to it during his itineracy. Antwon's wife and kids were there to say goodbye, and Kin was trying to hug his brother, who would have none of it. Ted looked closely at the young man, who had a clear discomfort to his affect.

Ted walked up to Cliff, "You doing okay, bud?" He reached out to put a hand on Cliff's shoulder, but the boy winced and pulled away.

"Yeah, it is just a rash. It is something I picked up on the itineracy, but it will fix itself," Cliff wouldn't even look at Ted.

"You are probably right, but go see Adam before we leave," Ted wanted to make sure his whole team was healthy, but he also cared a great deal about Cliff Ko.

"Adam already returned to the Hillside," Cliff responded. "It will be okay."

"No," Ted firmly stated, "It will not be okay. I need you checked out before we go. Who is the best healer here right now?"

Nat responded, Kin was here to see her off as well, "Got to be Jack."

"Then, go see Jack. It won't take long and maybe he can give you some comfort." Ted wasn't even done talking when the boy stomped off toward the healer's area.

"Sorry about my brother," Kin said.

"I served with a lot of teens, son, this is nothing new," Ted replied. Kin smiled gratefully.

After about fifteen minutes, Cliff returned, seemingly a little better. Jack walked next to him.

"Everything okay with Cliff?" Ted called out.

Jack nodded, "He will be okay. It isn't contagious and I helped his pain receptors. He will get through it in no time."

There was something odd in the way that Jack phrased that. Ted pondered for a moment, but really didn't have the time to think about it. "Okay, let's mount up, team!" he called out.

Rich, Emma, Antwon, Anthony, and Cliff all boarded their bikes. Natalee was already on hers and waiting down by the gate. That girl had been given point once, right after the Event, and never looked back. One could always find her at the front of the team. Ted was very proud and fond of his niece. He would bring up the rear for now, though that would sometimes change throughout the trip. He boarded his bike and looked back in the direction of his home. Kayla was standing in the alley, her hand raised to say goodbye. He blew her a kiss and made his way down the road to the gates, following his team.

# CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Fishing had always been his church. Eric Fine stood in the stream, the water flowing around his waders. It was his most Zen moment. He cast his fly far across the stream, letting it float, seeking to lure its prey. With a flick of his wrist, he lofted the fly high and out again, alighting softly on the moving water. He felt the presence of the intruder, long before he heard him. It raised the hair on the back of Eric's neck to be interrupted during his peaceful early hours.

"What is it?" He said, testily.

"Forgive me, Lord Marshall," Came the quivering voice of one of his men, "One of the bandits has returned and General Summers sent me for you. He said you would want to hear this."

"One?" Eric queried.

There was a pause, a stunted moment that told Eric there was more here than he had initially assumed, "Yes, Lord Marshall. Just one."

Eric heard the man tramp through the brush away from him, as he turned and made his way to the Creekside, stopping to take his string of trout out of the water and carry them with him. Fish in one hand, pole in the other, he made his way back to downtown Manitou Springs. He wondered to himself why there would be only one. It had to be conflict, maybe even the one the Bluffs called The Hermit. For only one man out of five to return, something drastic had to happen. For Summers to interrupt his fishing meant something dire.

Eric handed the line of fish to his aide as he entered the headquarters building, placing his pole gently into its place beside the door. As he removed the waders, he saw an anxious Andy Summers quickly striding toward him.

"General," Eric said as a form of greeting and also to set the tone. Andy was a naturally anxious man. Often, Eric had to change the mood through the tone he set.

"Lord Marshall," Andy began. "One of the men returned..."

"Why, yes, Andy. The fishing was fine today."

Andy ignored the unspoken reprimand, "You need to hear what he had to say."

"Interrupted my fishing? Don't be silly! It is never an interruption," Eric gave Summers a cold glare.

"Forgive me, sir. I would not have interrupted..."

Eric waved off the explanation, "The point has been made. What is going on with the men?"

"Man," Summers answered, "We have a new threat."

Eric walked into the back room to see a shaken man, sweating heavily from the journey. Eric couldn't remember his name. Was is Shawn? No, Steve maybe? He had clearly come with all haste.

"Tell me," Eric ordered.

The man told a tale of a group of robed men, who looked like monks. The bandit thought they might be called the Lord's Sickle, or Hammer. The bandit's chi did not work at all on the men. These four monks had taken four of the five men and burned them in the middle of the street on the east side of town. The bandit had run back all the way to tell the Lord Marshall of the fate of his team, knowing full well that often meant a death penalty for leaving your comrades in the field. This was different. The fear the bandit felt from the monks was greater than his fear of his Leader's response.

"You have done well in bringing me this news," Eric began, seeing the shock on the man's face and even startling Summers, "Go. Get some rest, and some grub. General Summers and I will prepare a proper response to this outrage."

Eric shook his head slightly when Andy started to say something. He did not want to discuss this in front of any of the men. As the man left, Eric closed the door behind him and turned to look at Summers.

"So, it is true. All that we have heard?" Summers asked.

"Apparently, it is," Eric answered. "The Faith, and their Lord's Hammer, is not just a myth told at survivors' camps to scare the children. If that is true, it means they have thousands of followers. If the first, more unbelievable story is true, then the second one can't be far wrong."

"Do we stick to the same plan?" Andy looked almost relieved, like he at least knew what direction they were headed in.

"Yes," Eric said, "Open the road up to the mountains. Pull our defenses back to just the edge of the Highway, not blocking it. It seems, General, that we will have to win the favor of old enemies."

"Yes, sir," Andy answered.

"Make it happen, Andy. I will leave with a small group, once our defenses have been reset. When do you think that can be accomplished?"

"It should not take more than a few days total," Summers replied.

"Very well," Eric said. "Let's begin."

The change in the borders of the Manitou encampment would serve the purposes of enticing people to make their way up the highway, but would also serve another purpose. Since Eric had less than forty percent of original numbers, the reduction would make their area more secure while not looking like they were pulling back. Eric went to change clothes. It was time to show a different type of leadership, again.

# CHAPTER NINETEEN

Jack Collins watched the bicyclists wind their way down the road from his place atop the over-looking cliff. As requested by Cliff, he had kept the secret, never telling anyone about the 'malady' that was ailing the boy. But, Jack was absolutely fascinated. He had been in the hut with Cliff and Annie for most of the time there. He had heard Cliff's questions about the changes she was able to accomplish for people. He had seen the boy's excitement, but he had never imagined how quickly Annie had been able to act. In the few minutes within that hut, after Jack had walked out to talk with Rich, she had begun Cliff's transformation.

Jack thought back on what he had learned from helping the centaur mare. He had seen the intricacy of the DNA blend, and the movement of power that flowed through. He had been able to help the mare by stabilizing the bond. He had just done the same for Cliff, which should quicken his transformation and make it much less uncomfortable. The rash now covered most of Cliff's body, but Jack was able to "convince" Cliff's body that it was a normal transformation which took the pain and most of the itch away.

But curiosity is a hungry beast, and Jack's curiosity had now awoken and yearned for more information. Without even her notice, he had made excuses to check something on Natalee Ward and had delved into her genetic structure. He had strengthened her bond with her powers in just a moment and slipped out without anyone the wiser. But, he needed more knowledge and he needed it from the willing. He had tried to analyze another in the last few moments who had not given permission and it just didn't work. This made sense with what he knew about Annie's ability, since every person she transformed had asked for the gift. There was at least one person who he could willingly study. He turned and walked toward the other side of the Bluffs, deep in thought.

Arriving outside the small stone building, he cleared his throat.

Beth appeared shortly, startled to see him there, "Oh, hello, Jack! Is there something I can do for you?"

Jack smiled warmly, "Just making the rounds. Adam asked me to check on all children, just a normal checkup. Can I do a checkup with Cooper?" The lie was simple, it was small. She wouldn't even see it.

"Certainly," Beth replied. "Come on in!"

"I am sorry, Beth," he said, and she stopped her turn toward the inside, "As you know, my power won't work with you in the room. Can I spend a moment with him alone? It won't take more than a minute or two unless there is some issue."

She fell for the ruse, "Of course. I don't know why I didn't think of it. I need to go get some juice for him from the gardens, is about five minutes enough?"

# CHAPTER TWENTY

It was a warm afternoon, but not too bad. The heavy labor of working in the field had always been something that made Steph Richards' blood move and soul rise. None the less, she thought back on their visitors and considered the value they had gained from irrigating the well-water that had gushed up. Her husband Bill had always been more concerned about the powers that people showed than she had, but for safety, Steph kept quiet. The Faith were ruthless with those they determined to be users of the powers.

She wiped the dripping sweat out of her eyes, as she manually pulled the weeds. Looking around, she thought this year's harvest would yield more than enough to get them through the winter. Perhaps, it would even provide some trade opportunities. As she glanced around, her eyes fell on the robed man standing at the end of one of the rows of corn. The delight she had felt at this solid day's work melted into fear. The man just stared at her. The Lord's Hammer never talked. Taking her gloves off and again wiping her brow, she walked toward him.

"Good afternoon, sir," she smiled an uncomfortable smile.

The robed man looked toward her house and then back at her. She looked in that direction and saw the other three standing with her husband out in front of the porch. Slowly, she made her way to join them. The sound of the man behind her stomping through her yard, was a little disconcerting.

"Honey?" She called out to Bill. He just looked at her.

"Steph, we missed you at the chapel last week," came a voice from the bench on the far side of the patio. Looking past those in front of her house, she now saw what she had not seen before. Minister Sal Martino sat comfortably on her front porch. This was even more concerning than she had originally assessed.

"Good afternoon, Minister. What brings you out to our farm?" She replied.

"Why don't you and Bill come have a sit with me, and we will discuss that."

Sal's voice dripped with contradiction. He sounded sweet, but she heard within it the hidden threat that generally kept people in line. She walked past Bill, grabbing his hand as she did and they made their way up to their own porch, like invited guests.

As they took their seats, the Minister began, "So, any problem that kept you from chapel?"

Steph answered, afraid her husband would say too much, "No. No problems. We were working the farm, trying to deal with an overactive well for the last few weeks."

Sal's cold gaze bored into her, "Some of the local people say they were visited by strangers. We didn't hear this report from you. Were you visited by strangers?"

Steph understood finally what brought them here, "Yes, but we told them to leave."

"Why would you tell them to leave? Bill, why don't you tell me?" Sal turned his head toward her husband, but kept his eyes on her.

Bill stuttered out a response, "Th-They only showed powers once and we kicked them off the property. They wasn't here but a few minutes."

The Minister's eyes shifted over to Bill, matching where his head was already pointed, "Powers?"

"They messed with the well, and Steph told 'em to get out," He was trying to save her, and she appreciated it. It had the added benefit of being true.

Steph interrupted, "It has taken us weeks to get our well under control, after their meddling."

Sal sat in silence and looked back and forth from Bill to Steph. The silence was long and full of tension. Eventually, he just stood up.

"Meddlers will make things more difficult, won't they?" He said, walking toward the steps. At the last moment, he turned quickly and looked right at Steph, "But, you will report any strangers in the future, won't you?"

Steph was taken aback, but responded quickly, "Of course."

"Excellent," Sal stated, "The crop looks nice."

"Yes," Steph answered, happy for the change of subject, "We hope to have enough to trade this fall."

"And to tithe, right?" Sal said as an aside, but Steph knew it wasn't a suggestion.

"Either way, we tithe, Minister," Steph replied, a little offended at the suggestion.

"Yes, you do, sister. The Richards are believers, good believers, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are," Steph's eyes narrowed.

For once, she wished she had one of those demon powers to throw at the man. Later that night, she would ask forgiveness for that thought in her prayers. But, at the moment, his arrogance and bullying were too much. Knowing better, she kept quiet about her concerns.

"Brothers," Sal called to the Lord's Hammer, now ignoring the Richards', "Let us move on to the next home. I think we will find collaborators today."

Sal led the Lord's Hammer out the Richards' front gate and headed down the road. Bill and Steph just stood on their porch watching them until the men were completely out of sight. As soon as they could no longer see them, Bill pulled Steph into an embrace. He comforted her as silent tears fell from her eyes. This release of tension was becoming more and more common. They never talked about it, but both of them knew that the Faith would either collapse, or someday they would come for Bill and Steph. They seemed like common farmers, but Steph had been a history professor. There was a historical path that was common for these types of situations, and Sal Martino was playing this like a script.

# END OF SUMMER

" _Who am I to judge? Should I split the world up over who looks like me, who speaks like me, or who loves like me?"_ – Everett Pickering, PhD.

# CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The scream broke through the quiet of the night and Beth leapt up to grab the baby. With Cooper in her arms, she hid in her house, her only comfort in the knowledge that other people's powers would not work against her. However, she was still a woman of advanced years with only a boy just turning two in her care. She waited out the screams, heard the frantic running about, and the eventual silence as the disturbance ended.

As summer turned to fall, it had been just more than two years since the Event. More than six weeks had passed since Ted and the others had left on their journey, which was not a long time for one of these journeys. She could not wait for them to be home. About two weeks after they left, the lunacy began. People became irritable, angry and violent. Their libidos also went into overdrive. It was as though all forms of control had left people, they no longer had discretion and would just give into impulses right away. It was also certainly an aspect of someone's power. This second turn at the lunacy happened precisely twenty-five days following the end of the last. This was the third night, and she hoped it followed the last month's pattern and only lasted those three days.

Beth was, of course, not affected. Her own ability shielded her from other people's powers. Kayla had taken to staying in her home because Beth also seemed to be able to shield others. Beth had found this out in an unfortunate way, walking in mid-day to find her grandson, Kyle, and his boyfriend Britt engaged in passion that was best left to married people in her opinion. Shocked as she was, her understanding was piqued when the control immediately returned to Britt and Kyle as soon as Beth was in their presence. After some awkward moments, Britt had appointed himself to patrol down the hill, so he wouldn't lose control like that again.

Someone appeared in the doorway. She had not lit a candle, so she could only hope it was someone friendly. The shadow filled her with some dread.

"Mom, are you okay?" It was Kate, checking up on them.

"Yes, sweetheart," Beth replied, standing to hug her daughter, "Is everything okay out there?"

Kate lit one of her light stones and placed it on the window sill, "Yeah, that wasn't a pain scream. If you know what I mean."

"Yes, dear, I do know what you mean," Beth comforted herself with the knowledge that she was old, but not a fool, "Let's not light up the house, okay? I don't want to draw attention."

"I hope this is the last night of this," Kate offered, turning the light off and slipping down to sit next to the wall. Beth could tell she was exhausted.

"Has Jenny said anything about this curse?" Jenny Martinez was one of their two resident researchers into abilities and powers. The other was Cliff Ko, but the boy was off with Ted.

"Well, she did scream something," Kate laughed lightly. "That was her screaming."

Beth was not amused, "Who was the man?"

"Not a man, it was the healer Jasmine," Kate said rather matter of fact.

"Jenny is gay?" Beth asked, "I never knew."

"I haven't talked to her about it, but I kind of get the feeling she is interested in both men and women. I heard her tell Nat once about a relationship she had with a woman. It sounded like it was long-term, but since we have known her, she has only dated men," Kate had a little smirk on her face, Beth could hear it in her voice, "Well, until tonight."

Beth thought Kate was taking all of this a little lightly. Beth had long since left her judgment by the wayside for people who were gay or whatever. Even her own grandson was gay. But, she was actually concerned about population. In the last two years, as far as the council could tell, about eighty-five percent of the population had died throughout the old city. Conflict, illness, extreme weather, and misadventure had killed so many people, their first summer had been taken up burying the dead. As far as she was concerned, who someone was attracted to was becoming less important than bearing children if one was of age to do so.

Kate let out a gasp of recognition. "Of course," She said.

Beth just looked at her, "What?"

"This curse. You said this curse," Kate replied.

"I did. That is how I see it, don't you?" Beth was astonished at being reprimanded for the use of the word. But, Kate apparently wasn't reprimanding her.

"Mom, do you know of anything else that people refer to as a curse that happens once a month for a couple of days?"

Beth's eyes widened. How had she not seen it? "Menstruation?"

Kate nodded, "This is tied to someone's menstrual cycle. We just need to find out whose." Kate rose and dusted off her pants, "I need to get some rest and talk with Jenny about this in the morning. Who is the best healer in the Bluffs right now?"

Beth thought for a moment, "With Adam at the Hillside, that would be Jack Collins."

Kate nodded, "Okay, we will figure it out tomorrow. Here is hoping we are soon through with this cycle."

As Kate kissed her Mom and left the home, Beth said aloud, "I think we all hope this is over soon."

# CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

"Phineas!" Cliff called out.

It was the first word the boy had uttered in days and there was a guttural sound to it. Ted looked to where he had shouted, and there, in the middle of the road was a being that was the torso of a man, connected to the body of a horse. Ted had just seen his first centaur.

The half man, half horse stood in the middle of the road, halted by the sound of his name. He slowly turned and looked their way, the slow clip-clop of his hooves sounding on the pavement.

"Who knows that name?" The creature shouted back.

"It's Cliff," The boy responded.

The swishing of the centaur's tale mirrored his clear discomfort at being recognized. Ted's group rode their bikes a little closer. The centaur turned and Ted saw the muscles in his flank flex, and knew they would never catch him.

"We helped your mate to foal," Cliff shouted.

Phineas turned again, then slowly inched toward them, caution in his eyes and in his steps, "Cliff? Yes, you were the boy with the healer."

Cliff rode right up to him. The rest of the group followed a little more slowly, "Right, I was with Jack. How is your mate, and the foal?"

A smile warmed Phineas' features as he replied, "Mary is well, and the foal, his name is Chester. We are grateful for your help."

"These are some other friends," Cliff said, pointing behind him to each in turn, "This is Natalee, Antwon, Anthony, and Emma. You remember Rich I am certain." The centaur gazed coldly at Rich, something was wrong, "And this is the leader of the Council, Ted Craven."

"You are from the Council of the Bluffs?" Phineas asked Ted.

"Yes," Ted answered. "It is nice to meet you."

"Have you come to give us aid?" This came out almost as a neigh. There was deep sadness in it.

"What kind of aid can we give? Is something wrong, Phineas?" Rich was the one who answered, he saw the same sadness that Ted saw.

"We must be protected from the Faith. They have declared war on all of us. They call us abominations and spawn of the adversary."

Rich stepped forward. Matters of faith were generally left to Rich due to Ted's well-known dislike of organized religion. "Can you tell us about them?"

The centaur looked around cautiously.

"Hmm," Rich considered their surroundings. "Perhaps it would be best if we were not out in the open then. Could we talk about this in your camp? I know Cliff would like to see Annie again, and Ted really wanted to meet her."

Ted recognized the response in Phineas' eyes before he ever spoke. He had seen that response in the eyes of many soldiers over the course of his army career. It was the look of one who had lost someone close in combat. Phineas took a moment, but he did respond, "She is no more. The Faith, and their evil priest Sal, burned her at the stake for being in league with the devil and creating monsters."

"No!" Cliff's response was relatively expected, but its fervor was not, "She can't be dead. Tell me that is a lie."

"I am sorry, my young friend," Phineas replied, lowering his head. Ted was struck by just how equine his attitude and interaction was. "She had that effect on people. She was truly one of the most generous and giving souls this planet has ever seen. But she is no more." A single stream of tears went down his left cheek. Turning back to Rich, he said, "There is no camp."

Having nowhere to go, they just moved along in the direction the group had already been heading. Phineas told them all he knew of the Faith, their leader Minister Sal, and his henchmen, the Lord's Hammer. He told them of the Lord's Hammers' negating of people's powers and how people had already begun to rely so heavily on their powers that when they were taken away, they were useless to defend themselves.

Cliff spoke up again, "Do they affect you? I mean, do your abilities change?"

Phineas lowered his head, "Sadly, yes, or they never would have taken her. I could not use my powers to defend her. But, if you are asking if we change back around them? No, we are what we are. That can't change due to their ability, because ours is a change in our basic making, our DNA if you will. No, I and my family will learn to fight without our powers and on that day, we will avenge Annie Grace."

Ted thought for a moment, then asked, "Phineas, do you know where the Bluffs are?"

Phineas smiled, "I was a construction worker in the old life. Red Rocks Bluff was a job we were assigned to work. I would have been there the day after, you know, but it was pointless after that."

Ted nodded. "Good. The Faith has not come to the west side of the old city. Gather as many of your people as you can and go to the safety of our area. You can rely on our numbers and will be accepted by our people. We value difference and variety. Perhaps you can make a home there. When I return, we can discuss integrating your people into our community if any of you would like that."

"You would do that?" Phineas asked.

"We stand together or die alone, I always heard," Ted clasped the large hand of the centaur.

Phineas rode off with amazing speed to go tell his family. Ted was going to need to tell the group at the Bluffs, so they wouldn't be startled. He also needed to find out what was going on with Cliff, the boy was taking the news about Annie hard and he had only met her once. Eventually, Cliff would also have to tell him about the rash. Cliff was wearing a hoodie, with the hood up, in the middle of summer. He had become moody and overly sad and kept alone and off to the side most of their trip. Ted remembered what Cal had told him about Kyle's adolescence, and he wondered once again at how to help a teen out of their problems, just as he wondered with Max all year. He wondered if puberty would be especially difficult now that the teens had powers, and what that difficulty would look like.

_Maybe it looks like this,_ he thought to himself.

# CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Another warm September day made Adam Cross anxious. He was alone at the Hillside now. There were other people, but his love was not there. Erica had left a few days before for the safety of the Bluffs. She was off to give birth to their baby girl and he was here, an administrator at a school for healers. He desperately wanted to be with her.

They had celebrated the second anniversary of the Event with the students and other healers a little over a month ago. It was hard to believe two years had passed without technology of any kind. That was the smallest thing it was hard to believe. Taking his reprieve from the mid-afternoon sun, under the shade of the large aspen grove that grew next to the Hillside's pond and stream, he closed his eyes while lying in the tall grass Emma had grown all that time ago. A warm, but pleasant breeze blew across the water and picked up a little coolness. Adam was grateful for that.

Opening his eyes, Adam saw Mitchell heading his way. Mitchell was a jovial man, one of the warriors that had not been a cadet. He was one of those stragglers they had just picked up along the way. He was quick with a joke, and everyone enjoyed his company. He approached with purpose, but no seeming urgency.

"Hey, bro. Some dudes down the hill for you," Mitchell said calmly.

"Who are they?" Adam asked, not moving from his relaxing spot.

Mitchell just looked at him and smiled, "Fuck if I know, man. You want me to walk back down and ask, then walk back here and tell you? They are just some dudes on horses."

Adam raised up and dusted the grass off his clothes, his back a little damp from the moisture in the grass, "Horses, huh?"

Mitchell grinned again, "Four dudes on horses, you think they are the Four Horsemen?"

Adam laughed. "Well, this is the apocalypse, so I guess they could be. They asked for the guy in charge?"

"No, man," Mitchell shook his head, "They asked for Adam Cross."

Adam was a little shocked, but maybe his name had got around. It didn't really matter; he would have gone anyway. He and Mitchell walked the windy road down to the first landing, not in a rush. After checking on a student group on that landing, they continued down to the gates and out into the meeting area. In the last two years, the area at the bottom of the Hillside had turned into a little community. This is not only where the students lived and learned, but a small town had developed from people who came there for safety. Kayla and her Terras had spent months building the area and enclosing it with walls for protection. They had left the original road leading that way as the main thoroughfare, and had left a large space in the middle for meeting and celebrations. Adam and Mitchell walked into this open area, where they saw the four horses first. The men were on the other side of the horses, standing in a small group and talking.

"Welcome to the Hillside," Adam greeted them as he walked their way.

From behind one of the horses strode a tall, tanned man with shaggy gray hair and a medium length beard. He looked very different, but Adam would have known him anywhere. Major Eric Fine had made it inside their defenses. Adam stopped right where he was, and Mitchell took a defensive stance, though he clearly didn't know why he was doing it.

"Thank you for the welcome, Cross. It is good to see you," Eric walked over and reached a hand out to shake Adam's. Adam was too shocked to respond and did not want to put his hand into that monster's grip. He just stood looking at Eric.

"Ah," Eric said, dropping his hand, but smiling broadly. "Don't worry. I am not here for conflict. I need to talk."

Adam was offended immediately, "What do we have to talk about?"

Eric laughed. "Oh, I don't want to talk to you, Doc. I am here to talk with Craven."

"He isn't here."

Another smile, this time a knowing one, crossed Eric's face, "Yes. I know. He is at Council Bluffs. But, if I had gone up that long road, the fight would have been brought to me before I had a chance to talk. So, I came here instead. Since I have not hurt you, or the others, he can be assured I am here in peace."

"Or you can hold us hostage, you mean," Adam knew this man too well for this charade.

"Adam Cross, why so negative?" Eric walked forward and clapped Adam on the arm, "It seems that there is a bigger threat to both of us than either of us is to the other. I would like to discuss this and see if we can come to some kind of agreement. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes," Adam glanced to Mitchell, who tightened his grip on the hilt of the blade that hung from his waste.

Eric crossed his arms, "Now you are being rude. I could dismantle all of your guards without my men even being involved. This is not a fighting post. I could have taken your pretty, and very pregnant wife, on her way to the Bluffs, if I had wanted hostages."

Adam's heart skipped a beat. Eric Fine knew too much. He knew about the Bluffs. He knew about their warriors. He knew about Erica. "You stay away from Erica."

"She is fine. I saw her heading up the long road to the Bluffs, she was accompanied by three fighters. My guess is she was within the gates by an hour after I saw her. And, congratulations, by the way. Married and about to be a father. Good for you." This time, it seemed Eric thought better of clapping him on the shoulder.

The man was certainly not there to fight, at least not right now. Adam turned to Mitchell, "There is a Shepherd out front. Go tell her what has transpired, send for Ted."

"A German Shepherd? So, it is true. The girl speaks with animals, amazing!" Eric turned around to his men and waved them to go sit down. They all pulled canteens and some kind of pouch with food from their packs and walked to some nearby benches, sitting down to relax.

"It may be a long wait," Adam said, "I mean it may be days, I am not sure Ted is at home right now. Perhaps you could come back."

Eric smiled a knowing smile, "Adam, let's not insult each other. I am going nowhere. You can either give us rooms to sleep in, or we will pitch tents right here in your courtyard. You choose."

Adam couldn't come up with a better solution. He called to some instructors who were waiting nearby, "Prepare the hospice rooms for them."

Eric broke out in a laugh, "Hospice? Cross, good for you for keeping it lighthearted."

Adam turned around and walked back toward the inner gates. He wasn't sure who would like the wait less, Eric Fine or himself.

# CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Walking everywhere had become easier over the last two years, but the robes were still burdensome. Sal had always been theatrical, but Cory did not love the robes he had made the Lord's Hammer wear. Cory and his three friends, Tyler, Nate, and Jim made up the Lord's Hammer. They did work they believed in, which was only a continuance of the work they did before the end times. They had been political operatives and culture warriors, working within Sal Martino's operation. Now they worked directly for God, though the structure really hadn't changed that much.

Years before, barely out of High School, Cory had met Sal when he worked to get the President elected by bringing cultural issues to the forefront. All of that seemed so long ago, and so unimportant in comparison to what they were doing now. Now, they were separating the wheat from the chaff in the end times. The apocalypse had not happened exactly as expected, but Minister Sal had shown everyone how it still conformed to the scriptures. Cory and his friends played an important role in these end times.

He did love the bond he had with the other Lord's Hammer, a spiritual bond that had happened almost immediately upon the end of technology. Due to their almost shared thoughts, they did not need to speak, and Sal had made sure they committed to not speaking any longer before sending them out to do the Lord's work. Sal was big on the theatricality of their unspoken bond. Capturing and burning the heretics and the demon-possessed was daunting, but it was made easier by their bond.

On this mid-September day, Cory and his friends went from street to street looking for the evil ones. God had granted the Lord's Hammer the ability to take away people's demonic powers. Most people thought it was permanent, but it wasn't. The power drain was only active when the Lord's Hammer were present. Occasionally, they had met people who were so full of the Adversary's power that it took all four of them to blunt that power. The witch, Annie Grace, had been one of those. Most just melted when in the presence of the these four of God's holy warriors.

This particular trip had a point. Sal had sent them out to track down the one known as the Wanderer, or the Traveler. They had been searching for weeks, following rumor and the hint of a story across the eastern and southern parts of the old city. They had left areas over which the Faith held sway, and searched in areas in which the use of powers was prevalent. After all their searching, Cory was not sure they weren't tracing a rumor. This man was supposedly very powerful in the dark arts. He was a shadow of a man. No one had a good description, and those who mentioned something were usually grandiose descriptions born from fear. He had glowing eyes, supposedly. Some said he was a vagabond. Some said he was John the Baptist. He sounded like an urban legend to all of them. But all of that was about to change.

Turning onto a street covered in the leaves of autumn's arrival, they saw a man standing in the middle of the street. They could feel his power tugging at them, as they turned as one toward him. He did not run, as some do, and he did not seem afraid in the slightest. When they were thirty yards or so away, he took the dark sunglasses off and Cory could see the sparkle of his eyes. They glowed with a golden light, and sparkled like gems. Without quickening their pace, nor slowing, the Lord's Hammer walked toward him and he did not move. The glowing eyes were the first indicator they might have found their prey.

As they moved closer, the man looked down at his hands and flexed them. Cory knew what he was doing, this man was experiencing the power drain, it always threw the demons off. This was going to be easier than he could have hoped for. He had the right man. This mud-covered vagrant was the legend of whom so many stories were told, and at whom so many knees trembled. It was a joke. In reality, he was a vagrant, with matted hair and a long beard. Dirt covered his flesh and his clothes

He wasn't sure which one of his comrades willed it, but as one, they all pulled the cudgels from their sleeves as they moved close to the Wanderer. Cory looked into those eyes as the power drain dulled the glow and removed the sparkle, and he stared into the dull green eyes of a common man. He would strike him down with God's mighty power and rid the old city of his perverse abilities.

As he raised his cudgel over his head to strike the man, his friends did the same. Cory was closest and relished the thought of ridding the area of this menace. The Wanderer moved with blinding speed in raising his own arm in an upward arc. He should not have been able to move that quickly. But, quickly he had moved, and something was in his hand.

Cory didn't feel the pain immediately, but he did see the blood and his own hand fly off the wrist. As he looked back at his foe, he saw the man replace a blade into a sheath at his waist. The Lord's Hammer rushed forward, losing their concentration. None of them defended against the evil vagrant. Cory fell to the ground as one of his friends tied off his wrist with a tourniquet. His blood still oozed from the stump, but had stopped spurting out. The loss of blood was causing him to grow woozy.

The world had gone silent, he could hear no sounds at all as the shock set in. As he looked at the Wanderer still standing there, Cory's blood dripping from the top of the sheath at the Wanderer's waist, he was shocked at the sight. The man did nothing to wipe the fresh blood from his blade. Once again, Cory looked up at those eyes, the face still as stone. The man looked right back at him, catching his gaze and holding it. The Wanderer smiled, and his eyes exploded with a golden glow in an instant. They had been played. His own arrogance had cost Cory his hand. The man had never been weakened by them. The Lord's Hammer had walked right into his trap.

As Cory began to lose consciousness from shock, and the moderate loss of blood prior to the tourniquet being applied, he watched this man put his sunglasses back on and slowly walk away. The Wanderer was not concerned about them at all, and Cory felt fear for the first time since all went wrong.

# CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Nat looked forward to returning to her home and her family. It would take a few days to get back across the city, and back to Council Bluffs, but her excitement grew with each day. This trip had been informative and they had acquired some trade relationships with some survivors' camps, but it would be good to be home.

"That farm up to the right...," Antwon called out.

This would be the farm that her Mom's itineracy had visited. Ted had decided to make one more appeal, before heading home. Riding their bikes up, they waited outside the gates to see the Richards'. Ted did not want to offend them by entering their property without permission. Nat hoped someone would see them before they stood there like idiots for an hour. There were definitely people in the house, and she was almost sure someone looked out the window at them.

"Cliff!" Ted shouted behind her, "Where are you going?"

She turned and saw the boy hauling ass on his bicycle down the road in the opposite direction of the way they were headed.

"Damn it, boy," Ted exclaimed, "Nat, Antwon, chase him down and bring him back. I don't know what he is thinking."

Cliff had grown even more reclusive over the course of their trip, he did not speak at all anymore and his skin had taken on a greenish hue that caused everyone concern. They didn't really talk about it and Cliff would not let Antwon even look at him, but Nat guessed that Antwon was sent to force Cliff to comply with a check-up. Natalee pushed her bike hard to catch up, as she saw him head off the road into a dense corn field.

When she and Antwon pulled up, they both thought they would be wiser than Cliff had been and dropped their bikes at the side of the field, running into the area into which they had seen him disappear.

"Cliff!" Antwon called out.

"Come on, buddy!" Nat seconded.

There was no sound initially, but suddenly they heard the crush of metal and a strange sound ahead in the corn. Looking at each other in shock, they both ran forward. Rushing into an open area in the middle of the field, they were horrified to see Cliff's bike, mangled beyond recognition laying amidst the downed corn stalks. Something large had torn the bike to shreds like it was plywood.

"Cliff," Natalee called out with urgency and fear, but quieter than the first time. She wasn't sure what else was out here.

Something moved in the stalks ahead of them, large and scaly. As Nat inched her way closer, she pulled her blade from out of its scabbard. There in the dark between two corn stalks, she saw huge serpentine eyes staring back at her, then the creature who had attacked their friend turned its back and slithered as quickly as a snake can move. It was out of sight, and there was nothing Nat could do but try to run after it. It was shockingly fast, but there was a chance Nat could catch it. At the very least she would be able to chase it away from their young friend, wherever he was. But, Nat was brought up short. A few feet into the clearing, she found a massive amount of blood and a heap of loose skin. It was just a few yards into the patch. She fell to her knees.

The hoodie, soaked in blood and ripped to shreds lay right in the middle of the gory scene. He hadn't even been gone very long. This great snake, or whatever it was, had torn him to shreds in seconds. Antwon came and kneeled beside her. Neither of them could believe he was gone. After a short while, Antwon tugged at her to get her out of the patch. It was not safe for them to remain.

"No. He was one of us. We bury him."

"I hear you, Nat. I really do," Antwon was clearly struggling against a fear of being in this field without clear vision, "We need to get back and tell your uncle what happened."

"Go ahead, I am burying what is left of him."

Nat began to dig with her hands in the dirt. After a pause, Antwon joined in, probably just to make it faster. They didn't have to dig far, there wasn't much left of him but scraps of flesh. After about twenty minutes, they had a moment of silence for him. Then, to Antwon's relief, they made their way back to their bikes.

Riding back was slower, the words were not coming to Nat how she would explain this. She thought of Kin, and telling her boyfriend that the last member of his family had been killed. She was at a loss, but as they came within sight of the farmhouse, Nat could see a body in the street and someone kneeling nearby. The thoughts of Cliff's demise were numbed by the chance that the body in the street was her Uncle Ted. She recognized his form, but her mind would not accept it.

Another person ran toward him with a pail or something in their hands. Nat and Antwon both picked up their speed immediately, sprinting their bikes for maximum speed. As they drew close, Nat could see the person sprawled out on the street was definitely Ted. But, he was moving. He was still alive! Antwon went to his side and settled into a healing. Nat pulled her blade and walked up to the couple who were there.

"Where are the rest of my group?" She asked, pointing the blade at the woman's chest.

The woman, and her husband, cowered away from Nat. The man said, "The Faith took them. There is nothing we could do."

"Nat," came the weary voice of her uncle behind her and Nat turned, "They didn't do anything. They were being victimized also. These guys came, looked like monks and another who looked like a priest and claimed that the Hermit had done them some harm. They told us to bring the Hermit to them for justice. Then they took Rich, Emma, and Anthony."

"Uncle Ted," Nat inquired, "How were they able to attack you?"

Her uncle shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs of being bludgeoned over the head. "They took my powers away, like being around your grandmother, but much worse. Where is Cliff?"

Natalee's tears broke through, but she did not sob. She couldn't answer.

"Something in the field got him," Antwon said, "We buried what was left."

"No...," Ted exhaled, "Cliff."

# EARLY AUTUMN

" _Before the catalyst, there is always seeming inaction. Each molecule plays its part in the beginning of action."_ \- Dr. Nils Hoeffer, Council on Biological Ethics

# CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Riding their bikes back to the Bluffs as fast as they could was taxing for the others, but Nat's abilities gave her extra stamina as well. Uncle Ted had not allowed her to ride ahead, feeling that he should meet with the Council himself and develop a plan. Her concerns were even more specific. How was she supposed to tell Kin about his brother? Turning her bike up the long, steep hill to the Bluffs, she racked her brain to try and find a way.

Antwon was dragging behind, not having the physical abilities that both Natalee and Ted had. Nat turned and looked at her uncle and he just nodded. He knew that she wanted to get back. She could not stand putting off this bad news. She put all effort into a bicycle sprint up the hill. In no time, she came to the gates and the greeting of the guards. She saw Max, Kin, her Mom, and her Aunt Kayla walking their way, and knew that Max's dogs had seen them. She ran up to Kin and threw her arms around him. Without saying anything, she began to slowly cry.

"Honey," Kin started, "What's wrong?"

"Where are the others?" Her mom said, as Ted and Antwon came through the gates behind her.

Nat sobbed into Kin's shoulder, "I am so sorry, Kin."

Kin pulled away from her a little, "Wait, Natalee, where is Cliff?"

She broke down, "He ran off. There was nothing we could do. We went after him and ... and... there was nothing we could do."

Kin disengaged from her and walked right up to Ted, "Where is my brother?"

"Oh, Kin," Ted said compassionately, "Cliff ran off into some field. Some creature was in the field. He is gone. Cliff is gone."

"No!" Kin yelled and then his tears were flowing too. "He was just a boy. Why didn't you take care of him?"

"Kin, we tried," Natalee began, but Kin pushed by her and went back to the home that he and Cliff had shared. Nat just stared after him.

Her mom put her arm around Nat's shoulders, "Give him time. This is hard."

"I know Mom." Nat brushed her mom off her shoulders and walked toward the Council chambers. As was usual, they would debrief the remaining team in chambers. This was not something Ted would initially want to talk about in front of everyone. As she walked, she saw people with bandages and healers out in force. She began to notice the damage to buildings, it looked like they had been in a battle. But why would her Mom and Aunt say nothing when they arrived?

As she arrived, she saw Erica walk in with an infant in her arms. She had given birth! Nat ran over and gave Erica a hug. As much sadness as Nat was feeling, Erica seemed to be carrying a burden as well.

"Erica, she is so beautiful!" Nat kissed the baby on the head. "What is her name?"

"Rose," Erica replied, smiling.

"Where is the proud Papa?" Nat asked, looking around.

"He hasn't met her yet. We will talk about that in a minute."

The rest of the council and a few others were piling in to the chambers, so Nat went and took a seat along the wall. The last person to come in before they closed the doors was Kin, who sat across the room and wouldn't even look at her.

Ted began the meeting, "Nat, Antwon, and I are pretty tired, to be honest. But, this can't wait."

Nat's brother, Kyle, nodded his head in greeting from his place on the Council and Nat smiled back at him, sheepishly. Ted went through the entirety of their story in a pretty succinct fashion, finishing with Cliff's death and the capture of their party's members. He stated the Faith's demand, without really sharing how unrealistic it was to think they would capture and turn over the Hermit to the Faith.

Completing the tale of their trip, he concluded with, "We will need to figure out what to do. We will do this as a team. But, I have to be clear, there is no way we are not going to battle against this group. They have determined that we are of 'the Devil'. Trust me when I say that there will be no peace right now with these people. That being said, I would guess you all have some things to tell us also?"

Kayla had been in charge while he was gone, so she stood and addressed the assemblage. "Yes, we have a couple of issues here at home. We are having what can only be described as a collective menstrual period. We don't know what is causing it, but it is happening on a lunar cycle. During the three days it persists, every man woman and child loses impulse control. We get violent. We get overtly sexual. We have no control over our emotions. It is pervasive. It has caused fights, affairs, rapes, property destruction, a little bit of everything."

"Great," Ted said in exhaustion. "Not only will we have to send an army out to fight the Faith, but we will have to worry about everyone here tearing each other apart once a month? And that doesn't even include keeping an eye out for Fine and his men." A low mumble rolled through the room, and Ted looked up. "What?"

"That is another thing," Kayla stated cautiously, "Eric Fine is at the Hillside, waiting for you. He has Adam and the other healers there."

# CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Emma could not see through the burlap sack that had been placed over her head, but she could smell her own sweat rising up. Combined with whatever had been held in the bag before, onions she guessed, it was a fairly repugnant odor. They had walked, and stumbled, for a very long time over multiple days, and had no idea where they were. They were hit any time they tried to talk to one another. It was one of the most frightening experiences of her life.

For a few days, they had been tied to some wood apparatus on some hard dirt in the middle of a hot area. That much she knew. The sun beat down and drained them of energy, but that was not the biggest concern. Every once in a while, Emma would try to reach out with her mind and interact with the plants around them, but to no avail. Her powers were still there, she could feel them, but they were dulled. Gagged except when they ate, and always having their eyes covered, she did not know if the other two with her even noticed the dulling of their abilities. Both men's abilities were tied to their voices.

Anthony had a gift of persuasion. When used, he could sway people. It was never what Emma expected of that kind of gift. It was resistible, in that it was just persuasive, not commanding. Emma was one of the few people he had told about his ability, as they had been friends since they had left Eric Fine's compound together. He couldn't make someone do something they didn't want to do. He could convince them if they were on the fence, or get them to do what they really wanted to do against the pressure they might otherwise feel. Emma always considered it a fascinating gift.

Rich, on the other hand, could change the mood with his singing. It worked when he played instruments also, but that wasn't an issue either. As a scientist, Emma had never had much use for religious people, but Rich was different. He was the kind of religious person one hoped to meet, but rarely did. He was not one to judge. He was accepting of others, even when they greatly disagreed with him. And, he was the most compassionate person. That was why it was so surprising when they were taken.

After the men knocked Ted unconscious, a feat already beyond comprehension, they had bound and gagged Emma, Rich, and Anthony, and led them off to God knows where. The only solace that Emma could find was in the fact that Natalee, Antwon, and Cliff had been away from them and had not been captured. She only hoped Ted was alright.

Footsteps crunched nearby. "Take the hoods off," came the unmistakable deep voice of Minister Sal.

Blinding white light made her squint at the hazy forms before her as the hood was unceremoniously ripped from her head. The breeze was wonderful, though. She closed her eyes to try to let them adjust and breathed deeply of air not compressed with her own body odor and the lingering scent of musty onions.

"Tell me," came the sound of Sal's bass voice.

The voice that followed overwhelmed Emma with sadness. "This is Dr. Emma Pare, she is a biologist from the military."

It was Kim Pile's voice and Emma squinted enough to see Kim standing next to Sal and a whole group of people wearing robes that looked like monk's robes.

"Kim?" Emma gasped out.

"Be quiet!" Sal said and one of the young men by her side grabbed her by the hair, jerking her head back. "What demon resides in her?"

As Emma tried to understand what the hell that meant, she heard a stammering Kim reply, "She makes things grow, plants and such."

"Have you ever seen her harm anyone with this?" The venom dripping from Sal's voice was unmistakable.

"No, she grows gardens and flowers. She isn't dangerous." Kim replied.

"You will convince her to repent, then?" Sal asked.

"Of course, Minister," Kim said and Emma saw her bow.

"This one?" Sal asked, clearly moving on. The man had let go of her hair, so she was able to look to her right and see a beat up Rich next to her.

"This is Pastor Rich Carson. He is able to soothe people with music," Kim said, and Emma could actually hear the fondness in her voice.

"A Pastor who works with the enemy...," Sal mumbled.

Rich responded, "We are not your enemy."

Sal backhanded Rich across the face, "Keep quiet, demon. I did not say your group was our enemy. You are the worst kind of heretic. A supposed man of God, willing to work on behalf of the Adversary himself. Using the power of the demons inside you to conquer the world. Do you think your master will win the war?"

"You are delusional," It was all Rich said, but the anger that small phrase held was not lost on anyone. Emma had never seen Rich angry.

"Gag him again. If he speaks, bash his head in," Sal stated, as though he was ordering someone to clean the kitchen, "His sentence is death."

Emma looked up and saw the shock and horror on Kim's face, but for some reason, the woman said nothing. Emma did not feel the same restraint. "Are you afraid of someone challenging you? Do you fear the truth from this man, this good man?"

"Gag her, too." Sal said and moved down to Anthony, who was on the other side of Rich.

Sal turned to Kim and she complied, saying, "This is Anthony Johnson. I don't think he has any powers."

Sal seemed confused by this. He looked at the man standing next to Anthony, who was missing his right hand. The man just shrugged and shook his head no. Sal continued, "If he is not possessed, he might be saved. I can show mercy, as our Lord has shown mercy. Convince him to take the pledge."

Kim didn't say anything, but she bowed her head once more.

Sal turned to the crowd watching, "The Lord has given these people into our hands. Two of them may be saved, only He knows for sure. But a man who sells his soul, is indwelt by demons, and who was once of the fold? He is a traitor to God's cause. He will receive the just penalty for his choices, as an example to the rest. We will go to the edge of the devil's own stronghold and burn him for his crimes." Turning back toward the three of them, Sal said, "I will give the other two fifteen days to comply, or they shall burn with him. Take them to the cells."

Emma looked around for Kim, but before she could make eye contact, the burlap was pulled back down over her head and she was roughly pulled to her feet and led away.

# CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Ted's apprehension was quickly giving way to the simmering anger that dwelt just beneath it. He had travelled directly to the Hillside, as soon as he heard that Eric was there. The walk did his mood no favors. The Lord's Hammer taking his powers away had been startling. All his body wanted now was to exhibit those powers against any foe. Eric was providing an opportunity.

But, he had other worries, and did not have time for Fine right now. Leaving Nat and Antwon behind to rest, he had brought a group of twenty warriors and three of his daughter's dogs. The dogs could watch, and Max could relate what was happening to the others at the Bluffs. Of all the times for this confrontation, Eric Fine could not have chosen a poorer one.

As he approached the gate, Ted sent one group of five warriors to the left and one to the right, taking the remaining ten with him to the center of the little village that had sprung up at the base of the Hillside. With a staff in one hand, and looking a little bit more like a modern wizard than he intended, Ted strode into the center of town, to find a bearded and relaxed Eric Fine lounging on a chair in the sun. The complete lack of danger actually concerned him.

"Craven!" Eric called out like they were old friends. "I have been waiting more than a week. I was beginning to fear you wouldn't come." The tall, tanned man stood and walked toward the group.

Ted took notice that Eric's men did not move, or even seem to care that he was there. "What game is this, Fine?"

"No game, Ted." Eric smiled at him, and Ted was taken aback. "I just knew you wouldn't let me ride up to the Bluffs to talk with you. We need to talk."

"I don't have time for this. There are real concerns...," Ted began.

"The Faith?" Eric looked at him with a knowing look, surprising the hell out of him. Just beyond Eric, Ted saw Adam walking their way. He did not seem upset, or in any way inconvenienced. He walked right past Eric and pulled Ted into a large hug.

"I am glad to see you back," Adam said. "Has Erica?"

"Rose is beautiful, Adam," Ted replied and saw the tears well up in Adam's eyes. Turning to Eric he said, "Are you going to hassle me if I send my friend to see his newborn?"

"Of course not," Eric answered, "Congrats, Adam."

Without looking at him, but in a way that showed very little animosity and no fear, Adam replied, "Thanks, Eric."

Adam left, and Ted sent three of his men with him. Turning to look at his former Commander, he asked, "Okay, what do you know about the Faith?"

Eric proceeded to give him the intelligence he had like they were equals, commanding different teams in the same force. Initially shocking to Ted, he soon relaxed into the banter through which veteran soldiers engage. He shared his own intel, on meeting them and the dulling of his powers.

"This is a dilemma that calls for us to put aside our other grievances. Do you agree?" Eric asked.

He didn't trust Eric Fine, but the man was right that they were going to need all hands to defeat this new threat. Perhaps they could form a lasting bond, but that would have to wait until later. "Yes. But, what are you willing to do, Eric?"

Eric thought for a moment, then stated the facts, "My men have been directed that we are not to accost your people without provocation. I have already opened the Highway up to the mountains. And, in case you didn't notice...I am here at your mercy. What more would you have me do?"

"You opened the Highway?" This had been a disagreement between the two groups right from the beginning. Eric wanted to control access, and Ted thought access should be free.

"Yes, the road is cleared. We have pulled back to the edge of the road so we can watch it, not block it. But, I think I know why you want access. The Grand Master."

Ted considered it for a moment. He had not seen the Grand Master since he and Cal trained with him as kids in Los Angeles. The man had moved to Colorado many years before and become a Master Blacksmith to help deal with his own PTSD from his time in Southeast Asia. Ted knew he was here and had wanted to get in touch with him after settling in, but the Event had stopped any settling he could do. The Grand Master of his martial arts system would be a great source of help, but a master blacksmith might be even more valuable, if it came to all-out war.

Eric waited for his response, but the man had always been impatient. "If you want to visit him, I will go with you. I always wanted to meet him."

Eric was from a different style altogether, but every martial artist had heard of Master Pike. He had been a legend before the times of Chuck Norris, or even Bruce Lee. The man would be close to eighty now, but Ted was certain he would be happy to see him. Master Pike had been like a father to him as a child.

"Okay, but we have to hurry. The Faith has my people, and I can't just let that go."

"Then let's move. My horses are rested. We can take two and bring two for reserves, just in case." Eric said.

Ted looked him hard in the eyes. "Just the two of us?"

"Has it been so long since you saw someone willing to make peace with you?" Eric asked and walked toward his men.

Ted turned to one of the dogs and spoke to his daughter, "Tell everyone where I am headed. This may be the difference between success and failure. Have one or two of the dogs follow us."

Ted walked to his group of warriors and told them his plans, then walked back to Eric, who handed him the reins of one of the horses. Ted took it, and climbed into the saddle. Riding off down the road and out the gates, Ted caught sight of two dogs running through the high grass off the road.

Eric called out to him, "Bringing the dogs huh? No trust?"

"It is what it is, Eric," Ted replied and they rode hard for the pass up to the mountains.

# CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

One always thinks cold air will calm a chest full of anger and hurt, but Kyle Ward never found that to be the case. Early autumn at the Bluffs was certainly beautiful. They were surrounded by aspens, which turned quickly, but were now in the shades of yellow, orange and red that people used to travel from all over the world to view. Kyle stomped through the leaves that had fallen to stare out over the city, glaring at the old city as though he could burn it down with his eyes. The emotional pain that bubbled up within him was just too much.

He had asked Britt to marry him, and his boyfriend of two years had said no. It was horrifying and painful, and tears of both anger and hurt burned down his cheeks as he stood silently. He heard the light footsteps behind him and turned to tell Britt this was not the time. But, it wasn't Britt. Jenny stood there staring at him.

"That is some aura you've got there," She stated, "You want to talk about it?"

Kyle shook his head no, but went right in to telling her anyway. He and Jenny had grown to be good friends since Jessica had left after the itineracies. With a small band of helpers, Jessica had decided to try to the cross-country trip to see her family. It wasn't wise, but she had wanted to make the journey ever since the Event. They were such good friends, that these months without her had been a real struggle. No one had heard a word about the small group, and Kyle hoped she found her family, but right now he could have used her help. Jenny had stepped in to be a real friend lately. "I am an idiot. I thought he cared. I thought he loved me." Kyle just broke down.

"Britt?" Jenny asked. "He does love you, Kyle. I can see it when you two are around each other. I think he has a deep and true love for you."

"Yeah?" Kyle asked angrily, "Then why did he just reject my proposal?"

"Oh, Kyle!" Jenny exclaimed softly, "I am so sorry. Did he say why?"

"Yep," Kyle was on a roll now, "He says that the world is so unbalanced, so dangerous and so new, that he couldn't stand it to lose me. It is just bullshit! Those are all the reasons I want to do this. Can't he see that? Any of us could die tomorrow, away from each other. All I want is to know, and for him to know, that he belongs somewhere. I want him to feel that he has someone waiting for him, someone to fight for, and who will fight for him."

Jenny hugged Kyle closely, "Don't you think he knows that now? Don't you?"

Kyle was in no mood for reasonable answers. "Damn it, Jenny. He doesn't want me."

Jenny took a long pause, a smirk growing at the edge of her mouth. She didn't need to say anything; Kyle knew what he sounded like. He just shook his head and sat on the cold ground. Jenny sat next to him.

"Oh, shut up," he said to her and they both laughed a little. "It hurts to be rejected, even if his reasons are fine."

"It does," she said.

They sat for a long time, him crying and her comforting him when they were almost bowled over by a playful black Labrador. Kyle pet the dog as his cousin, Max walked up.

"My dad is on his way with Eric Fine. He wants you to meet him down the hill, they won't be coming up," The twelve-year-old offered.

"Everything okay?" Kyle asked wiping his tears away.

"Seems like it," she answered. "What about you?"

Kyle just nodded. Over the last two years, Maxine Craven had lost the joy that used to be a huge part of her life. She seemed preoccupied most of the time, and Kyle knew she had struggled with a hundred different dogs always being in her mind. But right now, she seemed almost sad.

As they walked, Kyle put his arm around her shoulders. "You alright?"

Max thought for a minute, but smiled at him and answered, "Yeah, just thinking." Then, after a pause. "They are on horseback; we have to hurry."

Max ran off toward some Bikes that were sitting in the center of town. Kyle knew there was more there, but she couldn't say what that was. He hurried to the bikes and he and Max rode down to meet his uncle and their main enemy, all the while wondering what this was about.

# CHAPTER THIRTY

"What, in the name of all that is good, is going on?" Sal asked, as he rapidly walked to where the penitent were returning to camp.

"It was awful. The Adversary has shown himself," The woman replied.

Sal looked up to see the Lord's Hammer returning as well as the other fifteen workers they had sent to create the spectacle for the heretic's execution. He nodded his head toward the small building that made up his lodging space, and the four young men followed him.

Once inside, where no one would hear their voices, Sal turned, "What happened?"

Though most people thought they were mute, the Lord's Hammer spoke just fine. The silence had been a dramatic gesture that Sal had proposed to intimidate the masses. Cory rubbed his stump, then answered, "Giant snake, or Lizard or something. It was pretty creepy."

"Tell me about it," Sal said, and was told the tale of the group going to the edge of the area of their control and setting up the pyre. From the yards where they had been gathering, a large shrieking scream had broken the silence. Rushing to discover what was there, they had seen a great green shape slither away into a creek nearby.

"Could it have been one of the witch's abominations?" Sal asked.

Tyler, the second in command after Cory, shook his head, "Annie Grace? No, it had nothing human on it. I would swear it had wings though."

"It flew?" Sal queried cautiously.

"No," Tyler replied. "I just thought I saw wings."

Sal considered this for a moment. It might all work out to their favor. It was just the right amount of theatricality. "Everyone saw it?"

The four men all nodded.

"And did anything happen when you dulled it?"

"It had no effect I could see," Cory answered.

"Alright, let's go speak to the people."

Sal walked out, not waiting for the others, but knowing instinctively that they would follow. They were good men, who had done his bidding prior to The End, and had not failed him since.

The Faith huddled around the warmth of the central fire pit, as Sal took his place on the podium to address them. "Friends and believers," he began, "today, as some of you have heard, our team came face to face with the true Enemy. The Serpent of old shown his face."

Whimpers and gasps went up in the crowd, and died down as Sal continued. "But, we do not have a spirit of fear, do we? We have a spirit of strength! God himself is our sword and shield. He will protect us from the wiles of the first liar. But, friends and believers, we have been validated. Have we not said that the Enemy roams among us? And do we not now see him in his evil flesh? It is just as the good book foretold in Revelation, is it not? The serpent has revealed himself before the great battle. Victory is before us. We will go meet the hordes of the enemy and come out victorious!"

The crowd broke out in a loud cheer, just as he expected. They would do as they were told, and they would fear these others, these heretics and sinners. No one would stand in the way of God's people. Minister Sal Martino would make certain of that.

# LATE AUTUMN

" _Just when the day breaks, when that new day begins and the slightest hint of light breaks the horizon. That is when you know you are seeing something new." -_ Marilyn Borman, Photographer

# CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

In the end, it didn't turn out to just be Eric and Ted heading up into the mountains. Ted had met with Kyle and agreed to bring him along, since he said he needed a break from the Bluffs for a few. Kyle had not wanted to speak about it, and Ted didn't push. Also, the three entertainers had chosen this time to move on and asked to accompany them up the pass. Eric had then added two of his own men to balance it out, and suddenly there were eight of them plus two of Max's dogs. Riding at the front with Eric, Ted looked back at the band of people with them. All were on horseback, which the entertainers had specifically loved. Eric had made a point to remind them what he did to horse thieves, but Ted wasn't sure those horses would return to Eric anyway.

"I like this better," Eric stated out of the blue.

"What's that?" Ted asked.

"Less conflict, riding up to meet the old man together," Eric replied.

Ted wasn't thrilled with Eric's use of the term "The Old Man", knowing what he had done to the last man who was called that, General Stone. He decided to ignore it. They had passed the little towns up the pass on the way to Woodland Park, which were entirely abandoned. They didn't find bodies, or signs of a struggle, but every building was empty and unlocked. All of the buildings in these tiny rest stops on the side of the highway were just vacated. One day, the people just left, not bothering to lock them up.

"Do you think all the people that used to live up here went west?" Ted asked.

"Well," Eric answered, "They didn't come our way. I would have known."

Of that, Ted was certain. The man had been so controlling when he had been under his command, that everyone called a system that was too regimented "just Fine". They were turning toward the small town and county seat, Woodland Park and were surprised by what they beheld. It was a shock to see people, lots of them. There were no walls on the town, and people were just milling about, having a normal day. Ted hadn't seen anything like that since the Event. There also seemed to be many more people than Ted remembered being in the town to begin with. He guessed that all of the people from the small villages along the highway had come here.

As they rode up to the center of town, people waved and greeted them, completely unafraid of newcomers. Woodland Park had reverted to a mid-sized cowboy town, it looked like. There were horses, stables, shops set up, and even a tavern and a café. Ted looked at Eric and was shocked to see the older man smiling. A young man walked up to them.

"Good afternoon!" He greeted them warmly.

"Hello," Ted responded, "We came to see..."

"Master Pike, yes we know. He is working in the smithy today. It is over by those stables." The man pointed to a building about a block away.

"Sorry, how did you know we were here to see Master Pike?" Ted asked.

"It is okay, Mister Craven," The man replied, "There is nothing to be concerned about." The man did an elaborate salute and bow that was known to Kenpo practitioners everywhere.

"My father always said if you leave your mouth open like that, you will catch flies," Eric said, and Ted realized his mouth was indeed wide open.

He shook himself out of the stupor and saluted the short version back to the man, who smiled and walked off. Eric silently directed his two men to stay with the horses, while the rest of them walked toward the smithy. Ted took it all in. This hamlet of happy people and its lack of fear, or anxiety, shocked him to his core. These people were relaxed, they felt safe, and they had a calm about them that was unnerving. Walking closer to the smithy, they could hear the loud clank of hammer on anvil and a boisterous voice coming from inside.

Inside the small out-building were four men. Three had their backs to him, not seeming to care about strangers at their backs. But the fourth was special. The old man working at the anvil was a man he cared deeply about and had not seen in decades. Not much had changed about the Grandmaster. He was short, stocky, and bald, with a long peppered beard that hung midway to his chest. He looked exactly like what Ted had remembered, if perhaps a little older. His sparkly blue eyes looked right into Ted's as a wide grin crossed his face.

"Ted Craven!" Pike shouted out and dropped everything to walk over to him.

"Grandmaster," Ted replied and bowed deeply.

The man pulled Ted into a hug, which lasted a long time, but not long enough. Ted had missed this man more than he could possibly have conveyed, and seeing him healthy and vibrant made Ted ache about the news he would have to give. After a short period of time, he turned to Ted's companions.

"I am aware of Eric Fine," Pike said with a curt handshake, "But introduce me to these other..." The Grandmaster looked at Ted and back to the others, "This can only be Cal's son, Kyle. Boy, you look just like your Dad at your age."

Kyle gave the long version of the Kenpo salute, "Good afternoon, Grandmaster."

"Your dad and uncle are two of my favorite students of all time. It is clear they taught you well." The short man shook Kyle's hand and clapped him on the shoulder. "Why didn't Cal come?"

Kyle responded, "My dad passed away."

"No," Pike replied, "I would have felt it."

Ted guessed at least one of Pike's talents must be a connection to those he knew. It was probably why that man knew Ted was coming. "It happened right after the Event," Ted offered, "It was before most of us exhibited abilities."

The grandmaster shrugged like he didn't really believe Ted, and moved on to the other three in the room. Stuttering out their introductions, he named Theo, Mickey, and Brandon and told where they were from.

"Oh! You will have to perform for us," Pike stated. "I am sure we can come up with some form of payment." Turning toward Eric, he said, "Mr. Fine, I believe you know my friend."

One of the men turned around, and Ted saw that it was Eric's turn to be shocked. The man said, "I hear you are no longer using Shogun, or even Sensei as a name."

Eric stared coldly at the man, "Coulson? Where are my people?"

Coulson was completely calm when he replied. He clearly was neither afraid, nor angry, "They were never your people, Eric. To be honest, most of them died on the journey. The remainder made it all the way here and the Grandmaster took us in. We are a part of this community now, out of choice, not submission."

The dig hit Eric and it was clear he was considering his options. Pike interrupted, "You two will have plenty of time to argue out the merits of each one's case, but for now, let's get something to eat!"

"We don't have time, sir." Kyle spoke up, "Some of our people have been captured. Uncle Ted needed advice, and he said you would be the one to ask."

Pike placed a hand on Kyle's shoulder, "It will be okay. You can tell me all about it. You have come to the right place, son. But, I am a hungry old man. So, let's just go get something to eat and a beer to wash it down, while you tell me your tale."

At this, Mickey sparked right up, "You have beer? Oh, I think we should listen to the Grandmaster."

A laugh went around the room, as they headed to the tavern across the street. Ted could see the tension in Eric's shoulders and just hoped the man did not ruin his chance to get advice.

# CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Looking out at the large group forming, Rich could see that there were some in the robes of the Faith, but many were just locals who were there to see the trial. He wasn't particularly certain why this was needed, since Sal had already sentenced him. He guessed this was a show for the locals. Sal Martino was nothing if not theatrical.

"Gather, faithful!" The cry went out from the podium nearby.

Rich looked around, happy for the chance to finally see something, after weeks of basically being blindfolded. He was still gagged, though, so he probably was not going to be asked to defend himself. The people came close. In their looks, he saw many expressions, most of them joyful at the sentencing of a heretic. In a few faces, Rich saw shock and fear. He knew there were good people here. Across the way, he saw Sal walking toward him and Kim shortly behind and he knew what was about to happen.

Sal was not going to question Rich. He was going to question Kim in front of Rich. It was a clever ploy. The crowd would get the feeling that he was giving a defense when he wasn't. Rich doubted even Kim knew how she was being used. She had never been the sharpest tool in the shed, God bless her. She was a pawn for a charismatic leader to fulfill his will. Unwittingly, so was Rich.

"Fellow believers," Sal began and the crowd quieted immediately, "We are here today for serious work and serious consequences. Many of you believe that we of the Faith have dealt with the demons that plague these end times. I am here today to tell you that you are correct! We have found those who exhibit these abilities, who have been indwelt by demonic spirits, and have dealt them the consequences of their choices. There is only one way to send a demon back to hell, and that is through God's own fire. So, when you have seen the burnt remains of people at a stake, that was us."

The mumbling in the crowd at first gave Rich some comfort, but the nodding of heads he could see dulled his hopes. Sal continued, "We are a community of believers. We are the remnant of the apocalypse. All of us are. The only question is whose side will you be on? Will you be on the side of God?"

A small agreement, went up in the crowd.

"Will you be on the side of the Enemy?"

The no was a little louder this time.

"I ask again, then, will you be on the side of the Most High?"

A thunderous cheer went up.

"Or will you be on the side of the Devil himself?"

The no was as loud as the cheer this time, and Rich knew he was doomed.

Sal turned and pointed at Rich. "Here before you, we have brought one from the so-called Council in the west. A former man of God, who has turned himself over to the adversary and used his abilities to capture not only the minds, but the souls of the innocents. He allied himself with the worse kind of evil, and we have proof. This woman," he pointed to Kim as he turned back to the crowd, "is a witness to his heresy, and his actions in league with the Devil. Kim Pile once was a resident of Council Bluffs; she was one of their people. But, she has repented, renounced Satan and his power, and come to the light. Kim do you renounce your former life?"

"I do," Kim replied in a manner of call-and-respond which was often used in baptisms.

"Do you embrace the life that God has promised you?"

"I do," Kim replied again.

"Have you seen this man, who purports to be a man of God, using the power of the Enemy?" Sal pressed her for confirmation.

"I have," Kim responded.

"What manner did this power show itself?"

Kim looked at the crowd, "He is able to change large groups of people's moods through his singing."

There was silence. Sal could tell the crowd was not picking up what he was laying down, "Are you saying that he can influence people? Can he get into their minds and sway them to unwholesome thoughts, and control them?"

"Yes," Kim lied.

Rich knew then that she was lost. She knew his power had no control of minds, that it only helped with mood, mostly in a calming fashion. She was painting him in the worst light possible. It was no longer a question of Sal just using her. This was a willful act to kill her friend.

"Oh, my fellow believers," Sal exhorted, "This must be wiped out. Do you want to be controlled? Do you want this man's voice influencing your children and luring them to darkness? I should say not! The Faith is here for you."

Sal turned and walked up to Rich, pointing a finger right at his face, "I condemn you, in the name of the Almighty!"

The crowd cheered loudly all through this portion of the show. And that is what this was, a show. Sal wanted to get the community behind him, so he used the oldest trick in the book. He literally demonized Rich and all of his friends.

"As a demon-possessed heretic, who has given his life over to the Evil One, I condemn you to be cleansed by fire. This will be carried out in full view of believers and the others. A notice will be posted all over town, to let people know. It will be a spectacle to all around, so they may know the power of God is in this place. He will defend us from your influence and oppression!"

Although the Lord's Hammer were standing nearby, dulling his power, Rich began to hum a hymn. In his mind, he repeated the words of the hymn, "A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our helper He, amidst the flood, of mortal ills prevailing..." It was quiet and only for himself, but Sal was not pleased. Even though no one could hear his words, Sal knew the hymn. It was a challenge to his authority, just as Rich intended it. Sal motioned to the men standing near him and as Rich looked up, one of them struck him hard in the head with a club and he blacked out.

# CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

It had been a long time since they had a beer. It wasn't very cold, but he didn't care. There is something about drinking a beer with friends that makes you feel the world will be okay. The world was, of course, not okay. But, he still had the beer.

He had finished relating the events of the last two years to his former sensei with a little bit added by Eric and Coulson. Mickey, Theo, and Brandon had wandered off at some point to see the rest of the bustling town. As Ted looked around, it occurred to him that things would probably not have developed as well as they had here, if Eric had not closed off access from the more populated areas. If more people had escaped to the west, up the mountain pass, this small town would not have had the buffer to develop their own culture. It reminded him to never assume something was all bad, or all good for that matter.

"These guys seem like old-school assholes," Pike said, after a moment of thought.

Ted nodded and Eric smiled. It was hard not to like the man. From the outside, he was a diminutive old guy, bald with a long gray beard. In his blacksmith outfit, he sort of looked like a dwarf. But those who knew him, knew a different side of Master Pike. He had served seven tours in Viet Nam, as a Tunnel Rat. Tunnel Rat was a name the army gave to soldiers who would take a pistol and go into the dark cave complexes which were set up by the Viet Cong. They would do intel and return. It was intensely dangerous, a fight with the unknown. Most soldiers hated being assigned to it. Master Pike had volunteered, and he never brought a pistol. He brought a knife.

This jovial, friendly elder had been a stone cold killer in his early life. He was one of the most decorated soldiers in Viet Nam, only missing the Medal of Honor because no one ever considered him in that much danger. He would disappear into those holes and return covered in blood and just tell people, "All clear." The blood was never his own.

When Ted and Cal had started training with him in the seventies at the age of eight, he had been scary. It was too soon after the war, and what would later be called PTSD had strongly taken a hold of Master Pike. But he brought these two young boys up to be honorable men, who served their country well. And master Pike had dealt with his PTSD through becoming a Master Blacksmith, and the catharsis that brought him. Who knew that blacksmithing would be such a valuable pursuit in the years to come?

"They clearly have abilities, what are they trying to prove?" Pike stated.

"How do you mean?" Eric questioned, leaning in.

"Weren't you listening?" Pike asked him, "Ted's mother-in-law has the same power, it is a negating power. It drains away, or dulls other people's powers. My guess is that all four of these yahoos have the same power. I have done some research on this with the folks around here. The powers are not that complicated. They fall into categories. It isn't like anyone has particularly unique powers."

"Cliff always said there were two branches, empathic and kinetic," Ted answered.

"Smart boy," Pike replied.

Ted was saddened beyond measure at the loss of Cliff. He hadn't had time to grieve, and didn't have time now. "He was at that," he answered.

"But that isn't all. Think, Theodore!" Pike snapped with a smile. No one had ever called him Theodore except Master Pike, mostly because it wasn't his name. On his birth certificate, it said "Ted Craven". Pike continued, "It is all about focus. It is difficult, but one can obtain that focus from the inside. We have tested it with many of the town's people. It sounds like this Hermit has that kind of focus. We have also tested various patterns, and have created some items in the shop to bolster our focus."

"So the items give you the focus?" Eric interjected again.

"Of course," Pike replied. "It probably is the same thing your friend, Cliff, was doing with the gems. These abilities are similar, but tend to manifest in ways that are very unique to the person. It follows their natural abilities, but also their training and interests. You say your old field medic became a healer, and this botanist became a plant grower, or whatever?"

Ted nodded.

"The abilities followed their natural selves," Pike continued.

"What about the patterns you were talking about?" Ted asked.

"We don't know why, but some patterns work better with some skills. Light for instance works very well with a focus pattern of regressive, concentric circles. Kyle," He said, turning to the younger man, "You said your ability is with light?"

"Yes, Grand Master," Kyle answered respectfully. Ted knew his father would have been proud.

"Here," Pike reached into pocket and pulled a small disk on a leather chain out. "Try this on."

Kyle put the necklace on, "Holy shit...sorry, Grand Master."

"No, holy shit is right," he clapped Kyle on the back. "When the pattern is right, and we have perfected the light pattern for the same reason it makes up most of the stones you have created, the user is instantly more focused."

"Does this work on other items as well?" Eric asked. Ted could see the wheels turning in Eric's mind, it caused him some concern.

"Yes, but the material seems to matter. You can paint, or draw these patterns and it will help you focus when you are in the heat of work, or battle." He gave a sideward glance at Eric. The older man was fooled by nothing. "But metal, and preferably stronger metals, have a more lasting effect. My knife has been turned over four hundred times, and each time, I carved the three patterns I wanted into it. One, we think means defense. Another is for speed, and the third is a personal focus symbol I use. By utilizing that symbol, I can make sure the patterns only work for me. The strongest material I know is diamond. To embed a diamond with the correct focus pattern, it will take a skill like the one your young friend Cliff had."

Kyle blurted out, "But he died. How can we use his power?"

Pike looked at him, Ted could see the care he had for a boy he had never met because of how similar Kyle looked and acted in comparison to his father at that age. "Two things, like I said, abilities are similar. Someone else has the same power, you just have to find them. You have already told us of someone who has that power. He is the one who taught it to Cliff."

"The Hermit?" Ted asked.

"The Hermit." Pike answered.

"How do we find him?" Eric asked.

"We may not," Pike answered, "But, we will try."

"We?" Ted queried.

"If it is alright with you, Council Leader, I was thinking I would winter at Council Bluffs."

"Yes, of course, sensei," Ted did not think of title, or of how Eric had bastardized that title, "I mean, I would be honored."

Standing up, Pike said, "Then I guess we better get moving. I have some items to craft before we leave and I must let Coulson know of my decision."

Ted hadn't even realized that Coulson was no longer with them.

"Relax, get a meal. Perhaps one of your friends will let me borrow their mount. They don't seem to need it." Pike walked off toward his shop in a manner which did not invite anyone to follow.

"What is he talking about?" Eric asked.

"No clue," Ted answered, "Let's go find our group."

Wandering around the center of town, they eventually ran into Mickey, Theo, and Brandon entertaining a large group in the small park in the center of town. Ted waited out the show, then waved them over.

When they walked over, Ted was quick, "Looks like a short trip, boys, they are going to help us. We are headed back."

Theo shifted on his feet, "About that..."

Mickey cut in, "I think we are going to stay here in Woodland Park."

"No," Eric responded, "We are going to need all hands to fight this battle."

Ted turned to him, "That really isn't your call, Eric."

Mickey cut in again, "In all fairness, Ted, it isn't yours either. We were always just visitors. My family went into the mountains after the Event, and I never found them. It was always our intent to look for them in the small towns up here. We will settle somewhere once we find them."

Ted reached out and shook Mickey's hand, "Then I wish for you the best of luck, and good fortune. I know you will find them."

"Thanks, man," the hand shaking went all around, before Ted, Eric, and Kyle returned to the Blacksmith shop.

They found the Grand Master and Coulson walking toward them holding some items. "Well, I have others, but for right now, let me present you with gifts for our journey. Kyle, you may keep the necklace I gave you, but you must name it and I will add the name on the back at some point. Ted, you will have to name this," he handed Ted a metal six-foot bo staff that was capped with an intricate and jeweled top. He expected it to be heavy, but it was light as a broom handle when he picked it up. "Do not assume it lacks sturdiness, my old friend. It has a symbol for both strength and lightness built into it, as well as durability. This will both work for the staff and for you and the powers you already exhibit."

Turning to Eric, he said, "I pondered your past behavior with the fact that you sought help, and allied yourself with a former enemy to achieve a goal. I will be candid, and tell you that I am still not sure about you. But you came, and for that, we honor you with a gift. This dagger only has a simple focus pattern. But, I have affixed it with three gems. If you continue your friendship with the Bluffs, perhaps they will imbue those gems with other patterns for you. If not, you have a helpful gift, and I feel gracious in giving it to you."

"I am humbled," Eric replied and bowed.

"For you, I would hold off on naming it until it has a meaning for you." He turned back to Ted. "Should we move out?"

Ted nodded and they moved back to the horses. With the three men remaining, there were three extra horses. The Grand Master took one and Eric's men led the other two. Ted had hope, as they made their way down the steep incline to Colorado Springs. He wasn't sure if he had a euphoria born of some pattern the Grand Master had put in the staff, or if it was the circumstance of this outing that brought him hope. In the end, he didn't really care which one it was.

"Tell me how your dad fell again...," He heard Pike say to Kyle as they rode next to each other. It was a good thing for Kyle to finally get to know this great man.

# CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Nate looked down at the torn corpse of the dairy cow at his feet. It had definitely been torn apart by a large beast. His first thought was perhaps it had been one of those wolf-men which they had seen when they had taken Annie Grace. But, the bite marks were absolutely huge. The rest of the Lord's Hammer had gone to other farms to see the strange events which were happening all over. He had come here, to this dairy farm, to find seven different cows ripped apart, large portions of their torsos missing. In the days prior to the Event, this would have been blamed on space aliens. Now, it was anyone's guess.

This Annie Grace woman had caused a large problem. Her demonic powers had twisted human beings into sub-human creatures. Nate rarely doubted their mission, but in this case, it was so clear cut. He regularly felt they were on the track, but could there be doubt about this? This was the definition of evil. However, he wasn't sure she had anything to do with this. Stepping on some remaining entrails, he noticed the slippery blood and looked around. This was fresher than he had assumed. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He got the sudden feeling he was being watched.

"Come out from where you are," He called out, uncertain of what kind of response he might get. But there was nothing.

It was late in the afternoon, and getting chilly. They had experienced a few snow storms, but nothing like the last two years. He didn't know the exact date, but was sure it was close to November now. The planted fields across the fence nearby had not been completely harvested. They had belonged to a family of heretics, who had spoken out against the Faith, and had paid the due price for their sin. The brown, dying stalks looked a little creepy to Nate, but he saw no reason to think anyone was there. He sat on a stump to wipe his shoes free from the gore that had attached to them.

The rustling sound in the field brought him straight to his feet. Adrenaline pumped through his system, heightening his senses. Nate was not afraid of demons, their powers, or their works. God had granted him, and his friends, the ability to crush those powers. He stepped closer to the field. Back about twenty feet in, he thought he saw a dark shape.

"Come out, demon!" He yelled, feeling the tin in his teeth that adrenaline brought. There was no movement. Was it a large rock? Was it another cow?

"In the name of God, come out, demon!" He shouted, invoking the Almighty for both effect and to remind himself of his own protection.

"What are you shouting at?" came the voice behind him, and he almost jumped out of his skin.

He turned to find his friend Jim staring at him, "You scared me to death."

"It will be your death, if Minister Sal finds out you spoke in public. Found some cows, did you?" Jim replied.

"Yes."

"All of us found something similar. It is a beast of some sort, and we aren't sure this is a part of our mission. Cory sent me to get you. Now, shut up and...," Jim stopped short as a large crashing sound came out of the dry field. There was something in those dead stalks of corn.

Jim pulled out his cudgel and walked toward the sound with much more calm than Nate felt. But, with his friend by his side, he felt that much stronger. He also pulled his cudgel out. There cudgels were small, hard, wooden batons with rivets in the business end. All of the Lord's hammer kept them up their sleeves. They used them mostly on the possessed, who were distracted by their sudden loss of abilities in the presence of the Lord's Hammer. Right now, they were going to use them on whatever was hiding in the corn fields.

Nate could see the shape of the creature from where he was. It definitely wasn't human. It also definitely wasn't a cow; it was much bigger than that. As they came closer, they heard an exhale, or perhaps a huff, come from the creature. Jim pointed to the side, noting for Nate to fan out to the right. Getting closer, Nate noticed it was a deep green color mixed with some brown that camouflaged it to some degree. He noticed two thin yellow lines on its side. While wondering about those, the lines opened into eyes, fully the size of his fist. That huge thing wasn't its body, it was just its head.

Jim gasped, seeing the predicament they were in, and the thing turned its head in a flash and snapped just in front of him. Nate saw his friend fall to the ground, and shouted. The beast turned on him, brutally warm breath coming out of its maw, as it moved its jaw in the weirdest way. It almost looked like it was trying to talk, then it roared and rose up. Finally, Nate saw its full size. This thing was huge, easily four times the size of a cow, with wings that now spread out behind it. It turned and fled, leaping into the air and falling in a sort of flighted hop that would have been comical if Nate were not so freaked out by it.

Jim rose to his feet, looked at Nate, and they both ran as fast as they could back the way they came. They ran in one direction, while the beast ran in the other. After about a mile of running, they slowed and looked behind them.

Catching his breath, Nate said, "Don't call me crazy, but was that...?"

"A dragon!" Jim responded. "You saw it too, right? That thing was a dragon."

# CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

It was a lot to take in. Eric rode down the pass in silence, while many of the others talked. Coulson was alive, but Eric still didn't know what had happened to all the people he had taken with him. A man who Eric had heard of all his life, who had been the instructor for SFC Ward and SSG Craven, had befriended him. He had spent days and hours with these people he had used to know, who he had discounted as traitors and weaklings. He still thought they were going about things in the wrong way, but now he needed them. If they did not band together and take on the Faith, the Faith would eventually come to them. He had reached out to make a pact with an enemy, but now found himself uncertain that he still saw them as an enemy.

They departed the pass, what had once been Colorado Highway 24, at the western side of Manitou Springs, and rode to his gate. It was getting dark, and they had decided to stay the night at his town, before the group moved on back to the Bluffs. To his shock, Eric had been invited to join them at the Bluffs. They were going to take him inside their camp, where he could see any weakness they had. It was either incredibly smart, or incredibly stupid. Only time would tell.

Riding up to the gate, he saw the sentries posted there. He did not wait for the challenge, "It's Fine, open the gate."

Both men saluted. "Yes, Lord Marshall!"

Eric looked around to the others and saw the Grand Master smirking at him. "It is just a title," Eric stated.

"Hey, whatever floats your boat," Pike replied.

The gate opened and they rode into the center of town. Andy Summers came out to greet Fine, "Lord Marshall."

"Hello, General," Fine replied, without really thinking about it, "Will you find our guests a place to sleep for the night. We are leaving in the morning."

Seeing the look on Summers' face was enough for Eric to know the question forming in his subordinate's mind.

"Yes, this group, and myself," He continued, "I will go and fight our growing enemy in the east. Any more news on that front?"

"Nothing. We have only sent out two scouting groups. Neither has returned yet," Summers replied.

Summers made a motion and some men led the party off to a building that used to be housing for men that had long since died. Once the party was out of earshot, he turned to his leader, "What do you want me to do with them?"

Eric understood where the question came from, but was too tired to explain, "Just what I asked. Give them rest and get us new horses for the morning. This Faith is a real threat. Also, don't be stupid. That old man they have with them is not to be trifled with."

Eric walked to his own housing building, but not without noticing the disregard with which Summers took his orders. At the moment, he didn't have the time or energy to deal with it. But, sometime soon, Eric was going to have to show Andy Summers who was boss. It was just the nature of things.

# CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

"Are you alright?" Emma whispered to Rich, who was tied up across the room from her.

He was gagged as well, but managed to nod a yes. Rich had been gagged almost the whole time, they seemed to think his singing was dangerous. Emma had always found Rich's guitar playing to have the most effect, but it didn't really matter. She could see the trickle of blood dripping down from above Rich's right ear. Of them all, Rich had been treated the worst. They had left Anthony un-gagged which had worked well for Emma and her friends, since no one knew his ability. The reason they were alone now was that Anthony had asked to see Kim, thinking he might convince her to help.

Anthony could not get them to let him, or Emma and Rich, loose. It wasn't the way his power worked. He could only convince a person of something they already believed, or bring doubt, where there was room for doubt. These people were devout, there was no room for doubt. Hearing the footsteps coming, her tension grew. There was no telling if the guard would come back with Kim, or with Sal. If Sal came, any of them could be beaten at any moment.

Sal seemed to hold to a medieval version of theology, which posited that a demon could be beaten out of a person. Emma was a scientist, and not given to speculation about spiritual forces. She even recognized that there was science involved in their abilities. Emma could see down to a DNA level in most plants. It was hard to explain, but she simply cooperated with them in their purpose. In so doing, she could help them be weather resistant, or grow faster, etc. She didn't actually see it as anything much different than the way Anthony worked with talking to people, he just cooperated with their instincts and thoughts.

Emma had made all of them a little more comfortable by silently growing soft plants beneath them, making sure they did not get too green for late autumn, or too long. If Sal figured out she was still using her powers, he would most likely burn her in a moment.

"That one asked for you," the guard said, then stepped outside.

The people of the Faith treated all three of them like they were subhuman. They did not call them by their names or even gendered pronouns, it was always "that one", or "it". Emma assumed they thought of them as asexual demons, rather than human beings. She knew this was Sal's doing, but couldn't understand how people were taken in by it.

"What is it, Anthony?" Kim asked curtly.

"Hey, Kim," he said in that deep tone that Emma always found relaxing.

"Yes?" Kim asked, the nastiness dripping from her voice.

"I hoped you could look after Rich. He is bleeding from that gash on his head, and the lump is growing," Anthony responded.

Kim didn't even look over at him, "No, I can't."

Anthony pleaded with her, "Kim, don't you see? Rich is hurt. He is your friend."

"That isn't Rich Carson," Kim said, and Emma knew that it was futile. She was brainwashed or something. A tear quietly welled up in Emma's eyes and fell down her cheek.

"What do we have here?" Sal's voice cut through the tent. Emma had not even heard him coming. He was flanked by two other members of the Faith, but not the Lord's Hammer. As long as those men stayed away, she was able to use her abilities.

"Oh, Minister," Kim said, startled, "I did not hear you arrive."

"And what are you doing in here, sister?" he asked.

"Anthony asked for me."

"Did he?" Sal asked and walked over to where Anthony was, searching for something. "And why is that?"

"He wanted me to look after the heretic," she answered, her head drooping down.

"The demon heretic," Sal hissed.

"Yes, forgive me, Minister, the demon heretic. He...it was trying to get my help, but I didn't give it." Her eyes kept darting down every time he would look at her.

"But, you are here. You wanted to see your friends," His words had a great impact on Kim, she began stammering.

"No, n-n-no, Minister. T-they are not my friends. They are demons." Emma could see the sweat beading on Kim's forehead. What had this man done?

"That they are," Sal replied, "Go into the fields, now. Work your hands free of this entanglement."

"But, Minister, it is nearly dark and I worked all day."

"Hard work chases the demons away. Your demon seems to be hovering...," Sal looked into her eyes, and Kim's fear was palpable.

"Then I will work it away," she spurted out. "By your leave?"

Sal nodded and Kim ran out. He turned toward Anthony, "Now, what was this about?"

Anthony replied, "I just wanted her to look after my friend. He is hurt. Could someone please..."

Sal let out a curt laugh, cutting Anthony off. Without answer, he turned to walk out, adding to the guards, "gag the other two. No one sees them without my permission. Are we clear?"

Sal did not wait for the response, but the two men answered, "Yes, Minister," in unison. They came in and roughly gagged both Emma and Anthony. Before they blew out the light and departed, Emma made eye contact with Anthony. In those deep brown eyes, she saw the despair she had not allowed herself to feel.

# EARLY WINTER

" _You have heard it said that faith can move mountains. I believe it is true. I have seen faith do great things." -_ Penelope Rivers, _Faith of the People_

# CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Kyle was livid. He could not understand why this decision was made without him there. He stomped across the central courtyard and into the council chambers, making a bee line for his uncle, not even stopping to knock the snow off his boots.

"Now, Kyle, wait a minute...," Ted began.

"I am a grown man, Uncle Ted," Kyle spurted out.

"I know that, but..."

"I can make my own decisions," Kyle continued.

"Of course you can..."

"What makes you think you have the right to do this?" Kyle finished.

Ted paused for a moment, this had clearly taken him back. "What right? I am the head of the council. You are among those who has continued to vote me into that position. Right has nothing to do with it."

Kyle huffed.

"It doesn't, bud," Ted reached out and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I simply didn't have time to ask. I certainly would have left it open to discussion, but I needed to make a decision and I did just that. Can I explain it to you?"

Kyle nodded.

"I need you here," Ted began, but was quickly interrupted.

"I am a better fighter than most. I know it isn't my power, but I feel like I could make a difference," Kyle hurriedly explained.

"Of course you could. That is why I need you here," Ted looked into Kyle's eyes. "Kyle, I need a leader, and one who can fight. We are taking almost our entire force with us. I need you here, in charge of the Bluffs."

It made sense, of course, if he had known he was being left in charge. It was a real honor to be chosen for this. Why hadn't Britt told him that part? "Britt didn't say..."

"Did you give him a chance?" Ted asked with a soft laugh. "The way you walked in here, I am guessing he told you that you weren't coming and you stormed out to confront me."

Kyle blushed a bit at that. Everyone was on edge. Whatever had been happening to people was getting ready to happen again. You could almost feel it in the air. "My emotions, they are getting the best of me."

"Yeah," Ted responded in exasperation, "Beside the urgency of getting our people back, and being on the edge of full winter, I want to move the force out of the Bluffs before we all kill each other. The only reason we remained this long was to celebrate the feast."

"Thanksgiving without Rich was weird, though, right?" Kyle asked.

"You know my feelings on religion, but yeah, it really was," Ted replied, "We need to go get our people back, and before Christmas. With safety and numbers, we should be back before then, if we don't have a protracted battle."

This was the concern, but most of the council felt that the numbers should suffice. The demi-humans, as Annie Grace's friends had come to be called, had been arriving for weeks. She had been much more active than Kyle had understood. But, the demi (as they were known) would not be joining the force. They were too tired, and too afraid of the Faith. No one really knew if the Lord's Hammer would be able to turn them back to humans and the demi didn't want to take that chance. Still, the force would contain hundreds of fighters, as well as dozens of empaths. As far as they knew, the Faith was comprised of roughly one hundred monk-like workers, and four total fighters, The Lord's Hammer. A force of this size should allow them to get their people back and broker for peace with this east-side group.

"We good?" Ted asked.

Kyle nodded.

"Good," Ted continued, "because I have sent four itinerant hunter groups in each direction, with two dogs each to find this Hermit guy. Grand Master says that without Cliff around, he is the only one who might be able to prepare gems of null for us to slap on these four guys. Eric left early this morning to bring troops of his own on this venture."

"Good," Kyle offered, "I still didn't like having him here."

"I understand that, better than most. But, we need to work with the people with whom we can work. Our working with him could make the whole region safer."

Kyle couldn't argue with that. But this guy had been the reason that his dad had to leave the army, on top of sending people who killed folks. He was the essence of a bully, and Kyle was not fooled by his new demeanor.

As though reading his mind, Ted said, "I don't trust him either. Maybe I never will. But, we have to do what is best for the people."

Again, Kyle couldn't argue. They both turned toward the door and walked out to find Grand Master Pike waiting, and talking with Max. As the two men drew close, The Grand Master turned to them.

"Can I ask why you are keeping such a powerful empath as this young girl in camp when she is experiencing her first menses?" he queried.

Both Ted and Kyle looked from the old man's face to Max's, not picking up what he was putting down.

He continued, "Can't you feel it? We are all experiencing her Pre-Menstrual Syndrome. She is one of the most powerful people here, and her power is redistributing the hormonal flux across the whole of the population."

Ted looked at his daughter astonished, "The fights, the attacks, the ... other things?" Ted asked, thinking of the raging sexuality that came each lunar cycle. How had he not put two and two together. The Grand Master just looked at him like it was an obvious conclusion.

Ted acted quickly, Kyle had to give him that.

Ted knelt down near his daughter, "Honey, I am going to need you to stay here at camp and help Kyle protect the place. Can you do that?"

"Sure, Dad," she said.

"I can try to ease her symptoms, maybe that would help," Jack Collins spouted out from nearby. Kyle hadn't even seen the man standing there.

"Aren't you going with the others?" Kyle asked.

"No," Jack answered, "Adam was still upset he didn't get to do itineracies, or the last trip, so I am staying as the healer-in-residence." He turned to Max, "Do you mind if I give you a checkup, Max?"

"Nope," she answered and walked off with him.

Ted turned around to Pike and Kyle, "I would have liked her dogs by my side on this, but it shouldn't be a problem."

The Grand Master watched her walk away, "She is a great gift to your community. You know that, right?"

Ted nodded, and the three of them walked to the staging area. The force would leave today, and Kyle would need to show a good face. He also needed to apologize to the man he loved for flying off the handle like that.

# CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Andy watched the boss riding his horse up Manitou Avenue toward the East Gate of their camp. Eric Fine was alone. If there was a time to do this, it was now. Andy had the support of at least twenty men in the camp. If he played his cards right, he could use the weakness Eric showed in going for help to propel himself into the leader of the Manitou bandits. He was beginning to think that Eric wanted to stop the bandits from their normal patrols. This would not sit well with the men Andy had left in camp. These were the types of men who took what they wanted. That would have been perfect for the old Eric Fine. But now, this soft man, who fished instead of battling, was threatening their way of life.

Andy waved from his viewpoint in the watch tower next to the gate, to put the old man at ease. He would do this quickly and silently, and then explain to the sixty-four remaining men (other than the half dozen already in on the plot) what was happening. They would rebuild without the man they had once called Shogun. _Who knows,_ Andy thought, _perhaps I will go back to using that title._ Turning to motion to the men below to open the gate, he made a quick hand gesture to let the six conspirators know to get in place.

As he turned back to look at his commander for the last time he could still call him that, all he saw was the horse. A second earlier, Eric had been riding that horse up the street to the gates. Now, he was nowhere in sight. The men pushed the gate open and then looked up to Andy. Summers jumped down to the landing midway and shouted to his men, "Where did he go?"

Seeing their eyes go wide, he turned, axe in hand. Eric stood behind him on the landing, a small smirk on his face.

"Thanks for the greeting, General."

Andy swung the axe he had in his hands, but Eric let out a loud kiai, as he snapped the handle in two. The head of the axe spinning off behind his target's swiftly moving body. Eric snatched the rest of the handle out of Andy's hand.

"If you are going to mutiny," he said, "don't change your behavior. It makes it obvious."

Andy didn't even have the time to think about what Eric said. Eric settled into a stance, punching Andy in the chest with such force that he flew off the six-foot landing and into the street. Andy's breath was knocked out of him, but he could still see what ensued. Eric lightly sprung down onto the street, as Andy's six conspirators rushed him as one. Andy was proud of their teamwork, as they attacked him from different sides, in random patterns. But, it didn't matter. He had never seen anyone move the way Eric did that day, not even Eric.

He flashed a new knife in his hands as he defended himself, a huge smile on his face. That bastard was enjoying this. He crushed one man's knee with a kick, then thrust the blade into his temple. The next met three slashes across his abdomen, as the man's bowels fell out over the street. It might have hit Eric, and made him stumble, but he was moving lightning fast. This man lost his hand, the other sprayed blood out of his throat to the spot where a millisecond before Fine had been standing. It was over in seconds, all six men splayed across the road in death. Two men ran around the corner and Eric didn't wait, he threw the knife in his hand with perfect precision, into the first man's throat. But, the shocking thing was that the injured soldier reached for it, and before he could put his hands around it, it flew back into Eric's hand and he walked up and buried it just under the sternum of the second man. Eric picked the man up like he was day old fruit and tossed him against the brick wall nearby.

Andy now knew how much he had misjudged the Lord Marshall. There the man stood, not a drop of the others' blood on him, barely breaking a sweat, and grinning from ear to ear. He caught Andy's glare and walked toward him. Andy had not yet caught his breath, as Eric grabbed him by the hair and dragged him toward the center of town.

The sound of the clash must have brought everyone out, because they were all standing in the center of town when Eric roughly dropped Andy to the pavement.

"Anyone else?" Eric called out to the gathering.

You could have heard a pin drop in town at that moment. Eric looked around, wiping the blade of his knife off on a cloth he pulled from his back pocket before sheathing it.

"Well, men," Eric continued, "That was downright fun! I haven't had a fight in quite some time, and I need it to prepare me for a battle ahead. And there is a battle ahead, gentlemen. Out to the east of town is a group of religious fanatics who seek to subjugate the area to their predetermined will. They want us to lay down our power, our chi, and take up God as our only strength. They are somehow able to stunt our powers."

He waited for the mumbling to die down before continuing, "So, I have joined with our old enemy, the Council. We have made a pact to defend ourselves and each other. This is an opportunity, men. Make no mistake about it. I have decided to act. I am old hat at taking on religious extremists, and they won't even know what hit them."

The crowd cheered, Andy could see Eric's officer training from the U.S. Army coming into play here. Eric got to the point, "This is how it will play out. I will go to battle, and we will win. Then I will return and make a few changes. The time has come to build this community up, with our values, with our ideals, not those of other groups. But first, I have to go secure our future. For that, I will only take volunteers. Who wants to fight these fanatics with me?"

The men were pleading to accompany him. Andy could see how poorly he had timed his conflict. Even he wanted to go to this war. But Eric wasn't done, "I will need only about twenty to man the fort while we are gone. I was going to leave Summers in charge, but he has proven himself to be...unfit."

Andy could feel every eye there bore into him. Barr, one of the men he knew was on his side, stepped forward. "Lord Marshall, I would like to go with you. But, if you look to honor a person, I will sacrifice the glory of battle to protect our homes for the bandits."

"Barr! That is a great idea, and I accept that sacrifice. We have to come up with a new name again, though. Bandit scares the shit out of people. We only want to scare them so much." Everyone laughed. "We will just be the Manitou. How does that sound?"

"And you will be our king, our Fisher King!" The whole crowd cheered. Andy vaguely remembered some Arthurian legend about a Fisher King, but didn't remember the details. Barr called out, "All hail the Fisher King!" Everyone shouted their approval.

Once it died down, Eric added, "We don't have much time. Barr, pick out nineteen others to share the sacrifice. The rest of us ride to war!" Everyone began to move off and get ready.

Barr called out, "King Eric!" Eric turned. "What about him?" His voice dripping with disdain, Barr pointed right at Andy.

"He is a traitor, and an attempted assassin. Hang him from the tree near the highway, for all too see."

Eric had stated it so calmly. He gave the order and turned away, walking toward the HQ. Andy didn't even have time to call out for mercy before three men grabbed him and yanked him down the street, occasionally pummeling him with fists and feet.

# CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Kim braced herself against the cold, then walked across the former parking lot at the east side chapel. The blowing snow stung against her face, as she pushed her way through the sudden meeting which had been called by Minister Sal. Once she arrived, she realized she was one of the last to do so.

Sal took the stage and began his announcement, "Fellow believers, let us pray. Almighty God, we know you have given us victory, and we continue to count on you for our future. We have struck the demons wherever we have found them, and feel your shield before us and behind us. Please give us wisdom in the coming days, and smite our enemies in the field, and in their homes, that we may retake this land for you. Amen."

A loud, murmuring amen rippled through the crowd.

Sal continued, "Friends, the time has come. Our scouts tell us a large contingency of the heathen are approaching from the west. This will be the stand that breaks them, mark my words. God himself is at our back, and no one can deny him this victory. It is dark, and cold in the city tonight. But this is the time for which God has trained us. We must go door to door and summon our supporters. For we will have a celebration on Christmas Eve. At dusk on that day, we will show this evil force what they are up against. We will burn the heretic free of the possessed spirit, and tell them once and for all, we will not be cowed by their might. For the might that stands with us is greater than that of this world. We will strike down every last man, woman, child, or abomination that shows up. So, go. Go, now, before it is even night. Rouse the support of our neighbors and friends. Tell them they are required to join us at the edge of our territory, out on old Powers Boulevard. Tell them that the Almighty requires their presence, so he may show his power to all assembled. And may God be with the Faith."

Sal turned and walked off rather suddenly. Kim was left a little stunned. She suddenly felt this was not rhetoric. Sal actually intended to execute Rich Carson by burning. The events of the last few weeks had torn her confidence in whether or not she had done the right thing. Certainly, she understood executing those abominations, those half-human, half-beast things. There was no denying their evil. Giving Annie Grace, the witch who created them, over to the flames was just. But Rich Carson just sang, and made people comfortable. He was wrong, but he wasn't evil. He even preached the gospel, how could he be indwelt by evil spirits. Ever since she had gone to see Anthony, a small voice in her head reminded her that Rich Carson was her friend. She was struggling to justify his execution.

Kim followed the rest of the throng of believers back out into the cold. Each person made their way to their home bunk, to dress for the cold travel, and gather what they needed to move to battle. Kim moved toward her area, but at the last moment, she deviated and headed toward the holding area. She couldn't talk to them anymore, on Minister Sal's orders. But, she couldn't talk to Sal either. The man had no grey area. Making absolutely certain no one would see her, she stepped lightly inside the building.

"Sister Kim?" One of the guards called to her.

She reacted quickly, "Have you heard? We are off to finally destroy the heathen, and burn the heretic."

"Praise be to God," the man answered.

"Praise him indeed," she replied. "I have been sent to let the prisoners know their fate."

"Oh. All of them? I thought maybe the doctor...," the man, it seemed had some conscience as well.

"It is not my place to question the minister's orders," Kim answered.

"No, nor mine. Pass through, sister," The man said, and Kim walked past him into the dark enclosure.

She hated what she was about to do, but saw no way around it. Pulling the small baton, she kept in her sleeve for protection, she suddenly turned and brought it down with all of her strength on the back of the man's head. There was a dull thud, but it was accentuated with a crack that Kim had not expected. Thinking she had probably cracked his skull, she was horrified. A woman's voice called out from the darkness.

"Who is there?" Emma said.

"It is me, umm Kim, I have to get you guys out of here. You and Anthony run as fast as you can west. I am pretty sure a force is coming from the Bluffs. You should be able to reach them within a day or two."

"What about Rich?" Emma asked. Kim continued untying everyone.

"He is weak from the beatings. And he is the one they want. I am going to take him south to give you all a chance to get away. Just go North until you get to the road and then run west as fast as you can." Kim was worried that she and Rich would be caught, but she didn't want the others to know that.

"Thank you, Kim. I knew we could count on you," Emma whispered.

Kim was shamed by Emma's statement. It was only chance that allowed her to come around in time. Sal could have killed all three of them before this, and Kim would have watched, perhaps even cheered.

"There isn't time, just run," Kim blurted out. Emma and Anthony complied, heading out the door and stepping over the crumpled form in the doorway.

"Rich?" She asked, as she untied his bonds and removed his gag.

"Hey, girl," Rich answered in a whisper. His weakness was clear in his voice, as she helped him to his feet. This was going to be hard, he would not be able to walk well.

"We need to go, Rich."

"Wait, I have to tell you something," Rich said, frustrating Kim, but she gave him the chance to chastise her. He did not take it. "Kim, this isn't your fault. It isn't God's fault either. It is man's fault. Remember that, no matter what. Okay?"

"Sure, Rich," she answered him, without really listening to him. "Can we go now?"

"Yep," Rich said, and limped his way toward the door, leaning on Kim for support.

As they reached the doorway and Kim moved the unconscious man from their way, the main door of the building flew open and two of the Lord's Hammer burst in, Cory and Jim. As Kim stood staring at them, holding Rich up with one arm, Sal walked through the door as calm as day.

"Kimberly," he said, sweetness dripping from his tongue, "I thought you were a believer. I guess you want to burn with the rest of them. Take her."

Sal turned back to the outside, as Cory and Jim grabbed her roughly by the arms, and Rich fell to the floor. Just before she was knocked unconscious, she heard Rich say, "Remember what I said, Kim." Then all went black.

# CHAPTER FORTY

Ted's use of a horse, when so many of the men were walking was grating on him. He wanted to be with his people, but they also needed a visible leader to follow. He had never wanted to be this kind of leader, an officer. He was a grunt, a squad leader, and a good one for most of his career in the army. A man who relished the position of being an officer was riding toward him with a much smaller force. Eric Fine, and his fifty men, were all on horseback.

His men taking their position riding to the side of the walking force, Eric trotted up next to Ted's mount.

"Council Leader," he said as a greeting.

"Lord Marshall," Ted replied.

He noticed something in Eric's response, but wasn't sure what it was. Tossing Eric a medallion on a leather strap, he said, "Wear this. The Grand Master was able to make a handful. He said he folded the metal with symbols for focus and defense. He hoped this would work against the Lord's Hammer's dulling powers."

"So this will keep us from losing our powers around them?" Eric queried, catching the medallion in the air.

"Well, not really. He hoped it would help. What we really need are gems, and without Cliff, the Hermit is the only one who might be able to imprint them. We sent out groups to find him." Ted's answer filled in the gaps, without revealing too much about their defenses back home. He still did not trust this man.

"Where is Pike, anyway?" Eric asked, turning in his saddle and looking around.

"He said he is too old for battles now," Ted answered softly, "I think it has more to do with not wanting to spark up that PTSD again."

There was silence for a moment, "They used to tell stories about him, when I was in ROTC."

With a note of surprise, Ted asked, "Really?"

"Yes," Eric replied, thinking back to some memory he wasn't sharing. "He was a legend still, even in the eighties. Five Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, a Distinguished Service Cross, and NO purple hearts. They say they would have given him the Medal of Honor if he had ever even got a scratch in the jungle."

Ted listened intently. He had heard stories also, vague recollections that sounded absurd from old soldiers who didn't wish to remember that war. Pike was the person most prepared for this time. He had always been a close up fighter, preferring his knife to a gun. But he had seen his share of death, and wanted no part of it any longer.

Eric continued, "That doesn't even count the Martial Arts community. He was known nationwide, before I was even born. He received a black belt at the age of fifteen, back when it wasn't common. He taught movie stars, kickboxers, and rock legends. He was a god as far as my teen friends were concerned."

Ted smiled, "As his student, I sort of thought he was also."

"It was what I was most envious of about you and Ward," Eric answered, and Ted was completely taken aback by his honesty. "You got to learn at the feet of a true Master."

"You always seemed dismissive of our martial art," Ted responded.

"It was envy, that's all. You were both good soldiers, I know that now."

They rode in silence for some time, as Ted tried to take in what he had just been told. Had this man grown so much, that at his age, he actually had self-awareness? It was hard to fathom. He had known Eric Fine for a very long time.

The snow had only fallen lightly, so they were lucky in that regard. As far as they could tell, they would not see another storm until after Christmas, maybe next week. Ted wished he had been able to convince Mickey, Brandon, and Theo to stay with them. Theo's ability allowed him to forecast weather, which was a valuable commodity these days. Ted sincerely hoped this wouldn't take long. He really wanted to be with his family for Christmas.

"How far is their camp?" Eric asked.

"We don't have far to go," Ted answered, "Scouts tell me they are coming to us."

"That's convenient," Eric muttered.

"We will see," Ted answered, and rode on.

# CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

"I should go," she said, with a sadness that Kyle couldn't shake away.

He loved Maxine so much. He always had. But, in the months of living close together, he and his young cousin had become very close. They had bonded over the growth of their powers, and he was one of the few people she could talk to about her concerns. She was definitely concerned now.

"What are you talking about?" He asked her, "Where would you go, kid?"

"I don't know. Into the mountains, north, south, does it matter?" She asked him exasperated.

"Of course it matters, you are twelve years old!" Kyle's voice raised a little, but his cousin just cocked an eyebrow in the slightest way and tilted her head to the side. It was shocking not only how much the dogs exhibited parts of her personality, but how she exhibited parts of theirs. Certain looks, certain movements, were just very canine. This was one.

"If you are afraid for me, you shouldn't be," Max offered. "I am the safest person around."

"Of course you are, but what about us?" Kyle countered. Smiling a warm smile, he added, "You are one of the reasons we are so safe here. Why do you think you need to leave?"

"I am a danger to the camp," She said it as a matter of fact, and there wasn't much Kyle could do to argue it.

"Maybe you could just stay with Grandma," Kyle let out.

Her look had changed, she was in that faraway place in her mind, where she went when too many dogs were communicating with her at once. He couldn't wait for Grand Master Pike to finish her medallion. The focus would help a lot.

"Max," he interrupted her thought, "What is it?"

"They found him," she said, "The Hermit. My pack won't go in there, the fear is too much."

Her breath became a pant. Kyle could see the fear come across her face. She couldn't separate herself from the emotion.

"Pull them back, Max, now," he said as he ran to catch her from falling to the ground.

She looked up at him and said in a whimper, "I can't see him. He is there, but the pack can't see him. He is a shadow, Kyle."

"Pull the dogs back, sweetie. Make them run away."

He saw her visibly relax, and knew she had taken his advice. "Get a healer!" Kyle yelled out to anyone who could hear, "And Jenny Martinez! Bring Jenny here." Looking down at his cousin's still shaking extremities, he hugged her close, "It will be alright kid, you did good."

Kyle's mind ran over their recent conversation about her being safe. She was, of course, correct. She was the safest person. But, even she was helpless against the Hermit it seemed. This man had power unlike anything anyone else exhibited. Who was he?

After a few moments, Jack Collins, the most powerful healer they had, arrived and collected Max. He led her back to the healing house to give her some rest. They passed Jenny as she was coming Kyle's way.

"Is she alright?" Jenny asked.

"They found the Hermit. He is south past Eric's old compound in some kind of cave," he was concerned enough about Max that he didn't even look at Jenny. She walked up and hugged him.

Hugging her back, he asked, "What was that for?"

"With my gift, it is hard to miss your worry," She answered, "She will be okay. Do we know why she can't see him? I had no problem seeing him."

"How did you know about that?" he queried cautiously.

"It has happened before. It scares the hell out of her, and out of the dogs. But, it doesn't seem to hurt her, and there is nothing I saw from him that would make me think he would hurt a small girl." Jenny started in the direction that Max and Jack had gone, the same direction Kyle was staring in.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kyle asked, turning to look her in the face for the first time.

"Is it hard being everyone's big brother, when you are younger than almost everyone here?" She asked him playfully.

"Jenny, I am serious...," He needed to make her see the danger.

"I was with him for a long time. I can't tell you why, but he won't hurt me. Maybe I am the only one he won't, I don't know." She looked again in Max's direction, "But we need him. He will either come, or he won't. My guess is that he won't."

"What?" Kyle asked.

"I have been thinking about it. He isn't one to do what others tell him to, or ask him to do. He has some kind of internal motivation. That is the only way I know how to explain it."

Kyle was annoyed that this was the first time he was hearing that Jenny doubted the plan would work. "Why didn't you bring this up in council?"

"I was going to, but it made no difference. They might have waited too long to rescue Rich, Emma, and Anthony. The Hermit coming might make a difference in our favor, but his not coming may not matter at all. It is hard to tell. It is a shot in the dark." She somehow didn't seem defeated by this.

"But, you will still go?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Jenny replied.

"Why? If you think it won't work, why go at all?" Kyle questioned her, he really couldn't understand.

"Because it is only a guess. What if I didn't go, and he could have helped?" She asked, "Besides, I said I would."

"But, Jenny?" Kyle started.

"I am not afraid of him, Kyle," she answered, "If he had wanted to harm me, he would have done it long ago. He has the strongest abilities of anyone I have seen so far. I am not sure we could stop him if we wanted to."

Jenny's pack had been ready for two days already, and she left before dark. Two warriors joined her, but only until they were close to the Hermit's position. Jenny had made sure everyone understood that she was to go it alone for the last portion. Kyle wished he could have sent dogs with her to report back, but that really wasn't an option. He thought on Jenny's words to him, " _If he wants to help, he will._ " He sincerely hoped that the Hermit wanted to help.

# CHRISTMAS EVE

" _All things come and all things go. Thus it has been since the beginning of time. This too shall pass, my son." -_ Father Alard, Act 2, scene 1, _Merrifield Rites_

# CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

"Is it done?" The minister asked in his usual businesslike fashion. When out of the hearing of the masses, Sal was fairly direct. Cory always preferred him that way.

"As you ordered," Cory replied. "I left Nate and Jim with them, to make sure that none of their abilities made a sudden reappearance."

"Good. And the other two? Have we discovered them?" Sal queried.

"Not a sign. Even the trackers, who followed them North, have found nothing."

Cory wasn't surprised. He knew the reasons they were fighting the powers everyone was exhibiting. It had more to do with order, than good versus evil. But, a little bit of those powers would have gone a long way right now. The trackers they had were no match for the abilities that some of the opponents' powers.

"We will find them eventually. The Army from the west is still on the march?" Sal was distracted by planning. He had told Cory many times how important timing was, and now Cory could see that timing was everything in this endeavor.

"Yes, all evidence shows they will be here today," Cory answered. "Also, the farmers and civilians are gathering. Our force matches theirs, in size, if not in training."

"All we need is the show," Sal said, half to himself. "We know that. All we need is to convince them it is better to fight through intermediaries. Your arm will hold up?"

Cory looked down at the stump of a hand, and pulled out the prosthetic they had made, fitting it firmly over the mangled flesh on his wrist. It was made of iron, a studded round appendage with a straight spike coming out of the end. "Oh, I think I will be alright."

Sal nodded, "They will send their best. We must take them quickly, and they must die before they adjust to not having their powers."

Cory just looked at the older man, "Sal, we have done this before."

"But you underestimated the Wanderer."

Cory tapped the new "hand" against his leg, "And I learned my lesson."

A short nod was all Cory got for encouragement. It was not Sal's way to give too much support. Silence was as close to support as the man could provide. "Let us go make a show then."

They walked out of the tent that had been erected as a command area. It was cold out today, but still relatively dry. He could see the clouds forming over Pike's Peak and knew they were in for a snowstorm today. The worst of the weather usually hit from January through April, so they wanted to be home quickly and miss any major storm. It was not uncommon for Christmas to mark the beginning of the stormy season, sometimes with a blizzard starting it out. Cory thought on Sal's urge to get this done quick. As usual, Sal Martino was correct.

They didn't need to call a meeting. Everyone was already standing around the pyres, hurling insults or pleading with the two condemned to confess their sins and receive swift redemption. The latter was simply not going to happen. Cory knew Sal wanted the drama of a show, to exhibit his control and authority.

As the two of them walked toward the pyre, Tyler silently fell in with them. Most cleansings only required one or two of the Lord's Hammer. This particular cleansing would display the whole authority of the group with Minister Sal and the Lord's Hammer standing side by side, vanquishing the foe, and lighting the cleansing fire over the captured.

Sal stood before the crowd, who immediately silenced themselves. "Fellow believers, we all know why we are here today. We are here to cleanse this city, once again, of the influence of the Adversary. Today, through his cleansing fire, the Lord Himself will rid us of this threat. This heretic, and his conspirator, the traitor, will both burn in his righteous fire."

The crowd cheered for Sal and the Faith, and jeered the condemned.

Sal continued, "I know some of you doubt. Let me tell you, there is no room for doubt in this action. We must be strong. We must be steadfast. We must honor our God with this sacrifice."

There was a scream, and gasps as people turned to look. Far off in the distance, Cory could see the slow approach of the force from Council Bluffs. Their horses were a nice touch, it made them look more imposing. But they were walking into the trap specifically set for them by the most effective planner Cory had ever met. The opponent was walking right into the wide open maw of their impending doom, and they couldn't even see it. Everything was happening according to plan.

# CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

"Mr. Craven," the silky, smooth false pleasantries of the Minister made Ted's skin crawl, "It is nice to see you again. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Ted looked at the four men behind Sal. The Lord's Hammer stood silently, seemingly unconcerned about the parlay in front of them.

"Cut the bullshit...," Eric began, but Ted put his hand up. Fine was clearly not enjoying either the farce of this truce, nor the inner tug each of them could feel with all four Lord's Hammer standing this close. It made one's muscles feel like they hadn't the strength to keep standing.

"I think you know why we are here," Ted answered, "We have come to collect our people. Hand them over and we will leave you to your revival in peace." Ted knew there was zero chance they would get out of this without a fight. He had hoped their numbers would cow the Faith, but it turned out they had brought a force equal to the force from the Bluffs.

"That I cannot do," Minister Sal answered, without explanation.

"Then we are at an impasse, Minister." Ted waited for the older man to feel he had backed them down, then continued, "It is war. One of my people told me they remember you from before the event. You were a political operative with the Christian Right. They called you ruthless, and frankly faithless. I guess we all change." He let what he knew about Sal sink in for a moment. "But, we had lives before the event also. I was a U.S. Army Soldier, as was Mr. Fine here. We have cadets from the Air Force Academy, soldiers, war-trained fighters. If we leave this meeting without our people, that experience and training will rain down on your people until there are none left. Give me back my people, and avoid the destruction that comes your way."

Sal actually seemed prepared for this. It was the strangest thing Ted had ever seen. He responded, "Yes, that does seem a predicament. But, the godless can't stand up to the God-fearing. We are secure in His power and might. But, since you are so strong, perhaps we could negotiate a different type of arrangement."

"Give me back my people."

"Yes, yes, if you can win. Many centuries ago, trials by combat were performed to settle such things. It was believed that God himself judged the match. Whoever won, God was on their side, so they won. I propose a similar match now. My champions against yours."

"This is a foolish suggestion...," Ted began, trying to see where Sal was headed. He couldn't possibly think these young men could defeat seasoned soldiers.

"Why, can your fighters not defeat four political operatives?" Sal's voice dripped with sarcasm and derision.

Before Ted could stop him, Eric took the bait. "Done," he said, "don't come crying when your boys lose, because it won't be over then. Each and every one of you will pay for your actions."

"I know the stories about you, Mr. Fine. Or is it Major Fine? Sensei? Shogun? Lord Marshall?" If Eric was taken back by the man's knowledge of him, it didn't show. All Eric was showing was the malice that made people fear him so much. "So, should we expect the evil intent you unleashed on so many in the early days of these end times?"

Eric smiled an evil looking smile, full of hate and aggression, "You should."

Sal turned to Ted, he added, "His presence here tells us all we need know about you and your intent. Please include him in your champions. Seeing his destruction will please not only God, but many of those in our camp who barely escaped his clutches."

"He couldn't stop me if he wanted to," Eric replied, referring to Ted. The Minister seemed almost intent on drawing Eric's ire. Ted didn't have time to wonder why, because it had worked.

"And, I don't want to," Ted replied. "I will also join. You have killed my friends, and I don't like your ilk. We accept your proposal. Eric and I, Commander Casco here, and my niece, Natalee, will make up our four." Ted saw the reflexive twitch in the Lord's Hammer at the mention of Nat.

"No women," Sal said.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone you were defeated by a female," Ted's taunt was close, but he had missed something. There was something there, but he wasn't sure what it was. "Besides, why are you so afraid? You have killed plenty of women."

"We do not beat women. It is against our code." Sal's mental gymnastics to make sense of this thing were so common among those who held an inconsistent belief. "We cleanse them of demons, it is true."

"Our champions, or our army, you choose. Either way, Natalee will be kicking the shit out of you."

Sal considered for a moment, "Very well. I suppose it doesn't matter. She is not a woman anyway, since she is indwelt with the Adversary."

"Oh, I am certain she will be quite adversarial," Ted played on the words, but he was running out of patience.

"Bare handed only," Sal demanded.

"It won't save your lives," Eric added.

"Nor yours," Sal responded. "Go say your good byes, Mr. Craven. Our champions will meet you here, in the middle, in let's say fifteen minutes."

"My watch doesn't work," Ted countered, "But, if I see you coming, I will know it is time."

"Cute," Sal said, and turned toward his camp and walked back.

When they were out of earshot, Eric turned to him, "Shit, Craven, I didn't know you had that kind of venom in you."

"I hate his kind. They are manipulators, takers, oppressors. After we kill his men, I will deal with him personally." Ted's anger burned.

Eric let out a laugh, and strode with even more confidence, if that was possible, back to his men. They all prepared themselves and waited for movement from the other side.

# CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

This was what he had been waiting for, a true test of his skills. Eric could feel the drain of energy from his legs, from his arms, from his everywhere. It had been prevalent when they had stood before these four while talking to their leader. It was pervasive now, preparing for close combat. These four young men, standing still as stone, not knowing their doom was at hand.

Eric took the far left of their own foursome, with Craven and Casco in the middle and Ward's daughter on the far side. He had never cared much for either Ward or Craven, but there was no denying Craven's ability to lead a squad. In moments, he had analyzed tactics and given them rough working orders for this fight. Eric didn't answer to him, but he would follow these guidelines for as long as they worked. He doubted it would take much time to crush these men.

The Lord's Hammer stood about twenty yards from them, more spread out than his group was. They seemed like they were set up for a losing battle of red rover, with about five yards in between each of them. Which side would move first was really the only question left. Eric knew that after destroying these men, he would crush that Minister into pulp. He greatly disliked any of these religious types, having seen enough of them through many years in the sand. They were always black and white in public, and conniving bastards in private. They could always be bought, for a time. Eric felt the same about these as he did about all the others. It was just easier to kill them all.

"Oh, fuck this," he said and strode forward to land the first blow. He vaguely heard the shout of Craven's warning before he did, but he didn't care. He could take out four men without training, and never break a sweat. The men startled, and Eric knew he had won. But, they drew close together to fight him as one. Then he realized his mistake.

They weren't coming together to fight him; they were joining their powers. He felt not only his ability rush from him, but all the energy it took to move toward them. He stopped in his tracks, too late to stop the others from following him. Gathering all of the focus he could, and concentrating on the medallion around his throat, he did all he could to take a stance and begin the rote movements he had trained at his whole life. To his right, he could glimpse Craven doing the same. The other two were probably doomed.

Remaining close to one another, the Lord's Hammer attacked. With the two younger members of his group nearly incapacitated with exhaustion from the drain, it was up to Eric and Craven to fight two apiece. The Lord's Hammer were young men, full of vibrancy, and clearly not feeling the effect that their powers had on others. It took all of his power to just block and parry their attacks, he had no counter ability at the moment. The dread was settling on him, when he saw the movement to his right.

In a flash, Casco had hauled all of his energy together and thrown himself at one of the men fighting Craven. He was swinging wildly at the man with the missing hand. Eric had not seen until now what was in that hand's place. He had a studded cuff with a spike sticking out of the end. Casco went down with that spike in his chest, and the man turned toward Natalee.

As he did, Eric found a little bit of energy return to him. It wasn't much, but it was enough to counter a blow. And he did counter, punching one of his attackers square in the temple and knocking him back on his ass. He felt a sudden rush, but it wasn't adrenaline, it was his own body's energy returning with the foe's loss of focus. He realized what needed to happen, but Craven shouted it first.

"Separate them!" His former subordinate shouted.

Eric spread out, and was left with only one, as the other joined to attack Craven. The spiked one was still chasing Natalee, who was drawing him away from the others. His power still drained. Fighting only one, Eric was forced to resort to simple martial arts. But his natural strength was back, so he began to attack with force.

Things were turning his way, his opponent reeling backward from a front kick to the sternum, when he heard the cry. Craven was on the ground being pummeled. Natalee did the worst thing she could and rushed to his side, bringing three of the Lord's Hammer together, and instantly sapping her strength. His foe down for the moment, Eric turned to try to draw them away.

A cry of anguish went up from his force. Spinning, Eric saw the flames spring up from the two pyres, to which the Bluffs' people were tied. It distracted Natalee and the spiked man hit the side of her head with his studded cuff. A cry went up again, but this time from the other side. Assuming that his men were riding in to wipe the ground clean of the enemy, Eric was overwhelmed by the shadow that fell across their battle. It was large, it came from above, and it was causing both forces to shout in terror.

Eric looked to the sky to see a great winged lizard flying above. The thing was about the size of a bus and blotted out the sun when directly overhead. The Lord's Hammer backed away, keeping together. Craven lay in a pool of his own blood, his niece crawling toward him to check on him. Casco had not moved since he had been stabbed. The creature in the air circled and swooped down upon them.

Even though his foe was backing away in fear, Eric could not help but feel the doom as this monster landed heavily in the space directly between his downed comrades, and the Lord's Hammer. It did not turn and thrash his team, as he expected. Rather, it crouched, gnashing its teeth toward the Faith in a show of protection. The beast was guarding his team!

Just as that realization hit him, Eric noticed a man atop the serpent's back. The dirty vagrant couldn't be anyone other than the Hermit he had heard so much about. As the man leapt from the back of the dragon, which is the only word Eric could think to identify the beast, he knew what he was looking at. Skinny as a refugee, hair matted with twigs and dirt, beard to mid chest, he still would know that face anywhere. He sat in stunned silence as the man walked toward the Lord's Hammer. Eric didn't even make a move to stop the fourth, who ran to join his friends.

# CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Jack rushed to her side as she fell. He saw the horror on Kayla's face, the pain of guilt in Maxine's expression, and the shock as the rest of the courtyard took in what just happened. In a fit of frustration and anger, Kayla had exploded a stone wall nearby, sending shard of rock in all directions. It had taken only moments to realize that two of them had struck her own sister.

Jack had tried to help Max control the effect she was having on the Bluffs. He really felt this time was not her fault, but what could he say? He had not tried that hard to control it, instead using the little tween girl as a guinea pig to understand more about powers and DNA. Why was she special? Why was she so powerful? These had been the questions, because up until now, no one had really been hurt during her menses.

"Carry her to the healing house," he shouted out to two nearby men. Reaching out with his mind, he could tell that Kate's life was slipping away.

Seeing Beth approach, he called out, "Beth, no. Your presence will hinder the healing."

Quickly, he and the two men brought her to the healing house and then he asked for privacy. The piece that had gone through her forearm was not a problem for a strong healer like Jack, but a smaller shard had hit Kate right under her skull and entered her brain. Bringing as much focus as he could muster, Jack delved into her brain and saw what he needed to see. He could save her.

He battled with the other possibility too long. She was now the perfect experiment. If he let her pass, he could find out if he was correct about his ability to raise her from the dead. He could find out if what he thought was true. He could use what he had learned from Annie, from the Mare, and from Max. If he waited a few moments, he could see if he had the power to give immortality.

# CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

"No!" Minister Sal walked past his men, who hurried to follow him, protecting him from others' powers as they had since the end came. "This is a violation! We had a deal!"

He stood before the creature and the dirty man in front of him, and Cory ran to his side. "It is him, Minister. It is the Wanderer. Beware!"

The Faith responded with a gasp, none of them having heard his voice before. One lone voice of screaming rang out in the silence that followed. For some reason, Kim Pile was still heard sobbing in the midst of the fire that burned her. Cory had never experienced that before, but he didn't have time to think about it for now. Gathering his friends in a tight line, directly behind Sal, they focused all of their might on the Wanderer and his beast.

"Ah, the Wanderer, the Hermit, or whatever else you are called," Sal spat at the man, "You ride the serpent of old, who we know as our adversary, only proving our point."

The great beast gnashed its teeth at him, but the Wanderer just stood there passive, wearing those same sunglasses that Cory had last seen on his face. Sal stepped forward and the Lord's Hammer followed suit, ensuring a ring of protection around their leader. The Wanderer moved slightly and nodded at the dragon. It turned and lowered itself, nodding at the two downed combatants. Seeming to understand the creature, the young woman and the other warrior loaded the two on the creature's back. Once they were secure in some kind of harness, the beast took two strides and leapt into the air, spreading wings that flapped its huge body higher and higher before flying off to the west with a loud screech.

Cory returned his gaze to Sal and the Wanderer. The other man had not moved, and kept his face to his adversaries, his back to his friends. The two who remained seemed to be trying to get a better look at the man. Sal took another step forward, now confident of his protection from the man's powers. Cory only hoped that Sal remembered what he had told him about the man's deadly speed when he had taken Cory's hand off.

"Ah, your master has departed," Sal said loud enough for the Faith to hear, "what power do you now have?"

The man calmly looked at Sal and shrugged. He reached up and removed his sunglasses, exposing those glowing, sparkly golden eyes for all to see. Their powers were doing nothing to reduce that. Cory could not see the blade which had been used on his wrist, but the man carried a staff, jeweled at the top, and wrapped with wire. He stepped up to Sal, who stood his ground before the man, and cocked his head to one side.

Cory had never felt anything like what happened next. In an instant, he was lifted bodily from the ground and spun through the air. He flew about twenty yards back and landed on his side, scraping flesh off as he dragged to a stop along the asphalt of the former highway. Looking up, he saw he wasn't alone. All four of the Lord's Hammer were tossed back in such a way, leaving Sal to stand alone with the most powerful of the possessed he had yet seen. The man reached out with his hand and Sal also flew through the air, but not away from the Wanderer. Sal Marino flew directly into the man's grasp. Holding the Minister in the air, he cocked his head to the other side. Cory could not see the Minister's face, but his body began to convulse and blood came out of somewhere, drenching the Wanderer's clothes.

Jim got up to run away, but the Wanderer made one slash with his staff and Jim fell over in place, breathing his last gasp. The other three huddled together, trying with all of their might to shield themselves from the Wanderer's power, to drain his ability and energy. It was not effective. The remaining male combatant, the one called Fine, stood and walked up next to the grimy man.

"Ward, let me have this," he said and stepped toward the remaining three.

"Ward?" The young woman behind them said, "Dad?"

Cory was distracted by the Wanderer turning to look at the woman. He did not see, and barely felt the blows that took his life. Fine did not use any ability, he simply beat him to death. Cory faded from life seeing the young woman run toward the Wanderer and embrace him.

# CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

There was something so familiar about the Hermit, but Nat couldn't put her finger on it. Then Eric wandered to his side.

"Ward, let me have this," he said and stepped toward the huddled group of the remaining Lord's Hammer.

What did he mean by Ward? Was he speaking to her? "Ward?" she asked, and it struck her where she recognized the man from. He was thinner than she had ever known him, and the hair and dirt were never something he would have tolerated, but that looked like her father standing before her. "Dad?"

The man turned. Gone were the hazel green eyes that she missed every day for over two years. They had been replaced by dazzling orbs of sparkling, glowing golden light. His face was covered in anguish as he looked at her. She couldn't say she ran into his arms; she didn't even know how she got there. She just was suddenly embracing her father, who she thought had been dead for two years. She didn't understand how he could be standing here, but she didn't care. She hugged him and began to sob.

After a moment, she pulled slightly away, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Her dad began to make wild gestures with his hands, but said nothing, not even a moan or mumble.

"I don't understand," she muttered.

Jordan Kane ran up with many others. He shouted out, "He can't speak," as he ran past them and toward the still burning pyres.

"You can't speak?" she asked her dad.

He shook his head, no. Then he turned and walked over to the fires. Raising his hands like Moses parting the red sea in the movies, the fire calmed to a simmer and went out. Tied to the charred pole in the middle of the pyre was a corpse, burned so badly it was black and unrecognizable. Tied to the same pole was an untouched Kim Pile, her hair lightly singed, and not a stitch of clothes left on her. She had not burned next to the other person. Somehow the fire had not affected her.

"Kim," Jordan asked quietly, "Who is that?"

Kim sobbed into her knees, balling up on the platform as others cut her down.

"Kim, please...," Jordan began, "Is it Emma?"

Kim shook her head no, and continued to cry. After a short bit, she whimpered, "It is Pastor Rich."

Nat's heart sank as quickly as it had risen upon seeing her father. Rich Carson had been a constant bit of kindness in their camp. He was someone who had always had a kind word, an encouraging story, or a song of restoration. Now, he smoldered in a hideous position on that pyre. Her anger grew to a relentless roar in her chest.

"Where is Emma, Kim?" Jordan asked.

"She got away. She and Anthony...I released them." Kim whispered.

"Thank god," Jordan answered, then looking at Rich's corpse, "Oh, Rich. This is horrible. Someone cover him up."

Fine began taking control. "Gather all of these people, the opposing force," he began, "we need to make sure they don't continue to cause us harm."

No one moved. With exasperation, he turned to Nat, "They are waiting for your approval."

Nat thought for a moment, then said, "Do as he says. No one is killed though. Are we clear?"

Eric looked at her with a dismissive smile and said, "sure."

"Sarge?" came a voice from behind her, and she and her Dad turned to see Adam Cross standing there. "How is it possible?"

She looked up at her father's face. It was impassive, and unclear. He made a few gestures with his hands.

From next to her, Jordan responded, "He feels like he should know you, but he doesn't. He also wants you to know that he is sorry, Nat."

"For what?"

Jordan waited for the nonsensical gestures, "He doesn't know. He just knows he is so sorry."

"And how do you know what he is saying?" Nat asked.

Jordan just shook his head and shrugged, "I don't know." Then he asked a question of Cal, "How did your dragon know who Ted and Britt were?"

While the man who used to be the Hermit answered with strange hand gestures, Nat wondered what Jordan was talking about.

"You are kidding me," Jordan let out a whoop that unsettled her, and clearly some others. "Cliff?"

"Wait. What about Cliff, and what did you mean about the dragon knowing Ted and Britt?" Nat queried.

"Didn't you think it was weird when this huge dragon asked you to put Ted and Britt on his back?" Jordan looked at her like this was a normal question.

Nat was dumbfounded, "What are you talking about? The dragon didn't say anything, it just gnashed its teeth and huffed a few times before that huge screech it made flying out."

"Holy shit, I didn't know. I guess I never had the chance to use it." Jordan answered.

"Use what?" Nat was getting very frustrated.

"I guess I can understand things. I can understand your dad's sign language, and I could understand Cliff's speaking." He said.

"Cliff's? Wait, what?!?" Nat gasped.

"Yeah, that is what your dad just told me, the dragon is Cliff. How is that even possible?"

Nat thought back to finding Cliff's "remains". Was it possible that he had shed that skin they had found? Was that all they had seen? "Why didn't he come home?"

"I don't know; he is not here to ask." Jordan replied, "Nat, can I go look for Emma and Anthony? I have to find them. I want to make sure she is safe."

"Of course, Jordan. Go."

Jordan ran off, grabbing two people to go with him.

"Well, that was silly," Adam said next to her, "Who is going to translate for us, now?"

Nat smiled, "Let's just stick to yes or no questions, shall we?"

"Okay," Adam answered, "Sarge, can I give you a checkup?"

Cal started to back away, concern in his face. Nat put her hand on his arm. "It is okay, Dad. He is your friend."

Cal stopped, and nodded at Adam. Adam closed his eyes and ran his hands across Cal's body, keeping about a three-inch buffer from touching him. After a short bit, he did the same to her father's head, letting out a gasp as he did so.

"What?" Nat queried cautiously.

"He has a piece of metal in his brain," Adam said. "My guess is that is what is causing speech loss and also the apparent amnesia."

"Can you take it out?" she asked.

"I would want Erica there to refill my power, just in case," he answered, "And, Nat, I don't know if it would restore anything. We know so little about the brain right now, and how our powers are affected. Maybe we can look when we get back to the Bluffs."

Cal began to gesture wildly and shake his head no. He was physically backing away from them.

Nat once again put her hand on his arm, "Dad, it is okay. Please come home with me. We need you."

A tear dripped down her cheek at the thought of him not coming with them. He saw it and his resolve faded. She saw him resign himself to the fact of that return, and he nodded his assent. He may not know her, or understand anything. But, he could not ignore her pain, it was too much for him.

The rest of that afternoon was taken up with making sure Eric and his men didn't take any people hostage, and setting rules for their community. She eventually agreed to Eric's demand that any person crossing west of Sand Creek, which was a little bit to the east of where they currently were, would be subject to detainment and questioning. Much to Eric's dislike, she agreed they would support the limitation of using their powers if any of her people went east of Sand Creek. Leaving that meeting, they allowed the rest of the faith to disperse, leaderless.

"That was a mistake," Eric stated. "They will regroup."

"They may," Natalee responded, "and we will return if they do. Mr. Fine, they want to live in peace, unafraid of the rest of us. I can't blame them for that. The Lord's Hammer is no longer around to shield them from what they fear most."

"Well, the two of them are left. I only beat the one who stabbed Commander Casco."

"Where are the other two?" Nat queried.

"We took one over to my men, the other is...," He looked around, "Shit. The other one snuck away with the group. I guess we will just have to make an example of this one, and then chase down the other."

Nat thought on his idea, "Mr. Fine," she answered, "We need to keep peace. You could tell most of these people were not fighters."

"Little lady," he replied condescendingly, "I have seen a lot of non-fighters in war come back to be a problem. In the sand, it happened every day."

"This is not the sand," she responded, "This is America."

He stared at her for a moment, then shot back, "There is no America."

Nat had to grant that assertion, but she also had pledged safety to those who left. "Be that as it may, he is one man. He is no more dangerous than my grandmother."

He just nodded his agreement and walked to his men. He moved quickly and she was not able to stop him. Pulling the blade which the grand Master had made for him, Eric Fine expertly threw it in the direction of his captive. The small dagger buried itself in the man's eye. Holding his hand out, the blade returned as the man crumpled to the ground, dead.

She was so startled, she almost didn't control herself and ran toward him. Eric turned, but her father caught her and shook his head.

Eric smirked, "Now only one of them is alive. They can't combine their powers."

He tried to approach her father, his hand out to shake. Cal bristled and snarled. It was so animalistic and unlike her father, Nat was a little thrown off.

Eric lowered his hand, "Okay, Sergeant, another time I guess." He turned back to his men who all cheered for him. It made Nat sick.

Eric eventually mounted up and left with his fifty men. Nat created an outpost in a building nearby the battle. They called it the Sand Creek outpost, or sometimes the Eastern Outpost, and it kept a compliment of twenty warriors, a healer, and one Terra to help them fortify.

Early the next morning, her force departed. Adam was riding Ted's horse, a gift from Eric that remained after the conflict. Nat and her father rode the other two. She watched Cal stare at an old restaurant as they passed it.

"What is it, Dad?" she asked.

Adam cut in, "It is where we were when the event happened. Do you remember it, Cal?"

Her father just shrugged and shook his head, no. They picked up speed, hoping to be home before the end of Christmas Day. Rich's corpse was burned the rest of the way to ash by one of the Pyros, and they carried his ashes home. Kim walked alongside the force, deep in thought. No one would go that close to her. There was something she wasn't telling them; of that they were certain. Nat hoped to find out from Emma and Anthony, when they arrived home.

# CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Ted's head was pounding, but he could feel the rush of cold wind on his face and it brought him to. Where was he, anyway? Looking down, he realized that he was strapped to a large, green, scaly beast. The sound of flapping wings, louder than anything he had ever heard, burst into the whistling of the wind going by. He turned and looked to see two giant wings, resembling those of a bat, but scales and skin, rather than the hair of a bat. It seemed the creature flew like an eagle, flapping higher, then soaring its way through the air.

Through the air? He looked over the edge at the ground, hundreds of feet below. He grabbed ahold of the harness and pulled himself close to the beast. It had increased body heat, not common for a reptile. This was all that was keeping him warm in the cool December afternoon. Turning to look behind him again, he saw Britt Casco tied to the beast as well. Britt was pale as a ghost and out cold. The amount of blood on his shirt caused Ted great concern.

The beast began to descend, and Ted was just glad he was tied in, because he certainly would have fallen off. The descent gave him a feeling of weightlessness, which in different circumstances, he would have found delightful. In the present circumstances, it was disconcerting. Leaning to look down again, Ted saw the Bluffs from above. The beast had taken him home. He wondered how the beast knew where to take him.

The landing was softer than he expected, though still fairly jarring. They landed in the middle of the courtyard. Ted heard the screams of the people in the area, but didn't have time to worry about that. The serpent crouched to get them closer to the ground, and Ted quickly untied himself, before turning to release Britt. He saw his nephew running from across the clearing.

"Britt, no!" Kyle yelled, vaulting up the side of the beast without any fear or thought for his own safety. He helped Ted untie him, carrying him off the beast's back and hurrying toward the healing hut. Jack Collins had come just after Kyle, and he turned to also help Ted, but Ted waved him off to help Casco. Britt was the more important heal at the moment.

Ted looked up to see his Mother-in-law and his former instructor walking his way.

"Ted," Beth began, "Are you alright?"

"Hi, Mom. It is nothing a good rest won't take care of."

"What happened?" Pike asked.

"I couldn't tell you. I was fighting two of them, and the next thing I know I wake up on the beast's back," he said, pointing to the great serpent. As he turned, he saw Kin Ko running at the thing with a spear in his hand.

Ted didn't even have time to stop him before he hurled the spear with all of his might at the dragon. Quick as a flash, the dragon turned, lashing its tail out and slapping the spear out of midair. Two pyros came forward and began hurling fireballs from their hands, but the dragon sort of played with them, eating the fireballs like they were toys. It gnashed its teeth, chomping down several times in a strange manner and leapt to the sky, flying south toward Pikes Peak.

"Stop!" Ted yelled, as the pyros continued to try to hit it with their attacks.

"That thing killed my brother!' Kin shouted at him.

"We don't know it is the same creature," Ted said calmly.

"Have you seen any other dragons around?" Kin asked angrily, then stomped his way back the way he had come.

"What was that?" Pike asked.

"I don't know, but someone put me on its back. I was strapped in when I woke up." He looked around at those standing nearby, and was shocked to realize that most were not human. The humans had all run, screaming when the dragon had begun its downward swoop. Those that remained were not there when he had left for the conflict. They were a menagerie of half-human beings. There were centaurs, harpies, faeries, were-cats, and werewolves, as well as a number of demi-humans which Ted had no words for. Annie Grace's group had arrived after the force had departed, it seemed.

Phineas, the great centaur male he had met on the east side, trotted up to him. "One of our faeries has some healing," he said, "would it be okay to have her look at you?"

"That would be very kind of you. Thank you," Ted replied.

The faerie flew forward on wings which reminded him of a dragonfly, but there were others whose wings were more reminiscent of butterflies. She had normal dimensions, but was much smaller than a human, maybe three feet tall. Her wings were almost as long as her body, and she twittered around in the air.

Her tiny voice squeaked out, "You will be okay. I have begun the process, so you will heal faster. I do not have the mending abilities that your healers do."

"Is that something we can teach you?" Ted asked, and the faerie smiled and giggled and flew in a circle around him.

"Really?" she asked, "That would be the best!"

It was hard not to be overcome with joy in the small woman's presence. His head felt clearer and the throbbing had subsided. "Where is my family?" he asked.

Beth and the Grand Master looked at each other for a moment.

"What?" Ted asked, "What is it?"

"There was an incident," Beth answered, "Max's period came, and the Bluffs went more wild than before. People were somewhat better able to control themselves, but I was helping at the other side of the bluff...,"

"Your wife had a short fit of anger, and a wall exploded," Pike followed.

"It injured Kate, I guess pretty badly," Beth finished.

"Is she okay?" Ted queried, anxiously.

"Jack says she is fine," Beth answered, "I can't come near because it would impair his ability to heal her, he says."

"So where is Kayla?" Ted asked.

"She is at your house," Pike answered. "She says she is a danger to everyone, and has confined herself to quarters."

Ted just stared at them, he was missing something. "If Kate is okay, why is she so distraught?"

"It was pretty bad, Ted." Pike said, "Jack has apparently had some trouble healing Kate. She was struck in the head."

"Is she conscious?" Ted asked, concerned.

"Oh, yeah, she seems fine to me, but Jack says he needs to help her more. Anyone can see her, except Beth, of course." Pike answered.

"Okay, I will go make sense of Kayla's fears and regret. Where is my little girl?" Ted asked.

Beth just looked down, "No one has seen her since the accident. We think she ran away."

# CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

The snow silencing all but the obvious crunching of the footsteps getting closer, Emma was certain they would be taken. They had been running for days, and every time they made a turn to the west, their pursuers would be there. She and Anthony had turned back several times already. Now, they were trapped. Neither her skills, nor Anthony's, were particularly useful in a fight. The best she could do was set up a defense. In the winter, that defense would immediately alert anyone looking that she was there. A wall of plants has that effect.

If the Lord's Hammer was out there, it would be even worse. Two years past the event, every house, or shop, or shed, was completely looted bare and they had not found any food or clothing. In short, they were starving and freezing. A small tear rolled down her face, stinging as its heat touched her cheek.

There were three men following them. They had seen that through the blowing curtain of snow. Up until now, Emma had been able to avoid any contact. But, Anthony's cold was getting worse. He was barely breathing through his nose any longer, and his light coughs had alerted the pursuers to their presence. They were inside a shop whose windows had been destroyed long ago, huddled behind a counter which no longer held any wares. They had no way to get to an exit and all she could do was hope they moved on.

"Why are they running from us?" A voice asked, too close for her comfort. There was no answer.

Emma thought it a strange question. Why wouldn't they run from people from whom they had escaped after a three-month imprisonment? The hubris of the people of the Faith never ceased to amaze her.

"Should we check down the block?" The voice asked again, "I don't think anyone is here."

"Okay," said a voice that rang familiar, though muffled by something over his mouth. "I just want her to be okay. Let's just find them and get them home."

A cold shiver went down her spine. Were her ears deceiving her? It couldn't be Jordan. Why would he be with these people? Had they captured him too? She quietly leaned to peer around the counter and almost hit her head on the man looking right at her, a large blade in his hand.

"Here," he called out. Emma shrunk against the counter, looking for anything with which to defend herself.

Another man ran around the counter and knelt before her. He pulled the scarf down from his face, a thick beard hiding a face she only dreamed was still real.

"Well, hey there, beautiful," Jordan said with a smile, tears welling up in his eyes. "You gave us quite a chase."

"I don't want to go back," she chattered through cold-clenched teeth.

"To the Bluffs?" Jordan asked, removing his jacket and throwing it around her shoulders.

"T-t-to the Faith," she stammered out.

"We took care of them, sweetie," He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her arms and trying to keep her warm.

"What do you mean?"

Jordan looked at her eyes, brushing her hair out of the way like he was getting a better picture of a painting, "We marched with an army to rescue you. Did you think I would let them take my love, and we would do nothing?"

Emma broke down in sobs, as the other men moved past her to take care of Anthony.

Jordan held her close, and whispered, "You are my one true love, Emma Pare. True love does not give up."

She sunk into his chest, feeling the emotional warmth of his care to compliment the physical warmth his body was providing. They stayed inside that shop for the night, heading west in the morning. It ended up not being far, and it took them less than the total daylight of the next day to get to the Hillside. Anthony was pretty ill and needed the attention. The guest hut's warm hearth was a relief against the cold, blowing snow. They would make the journey home after the storm broke.

# THE NEW YEAR

" _Most people tend to forget that the story isn't about the son who ran off. The prodigal is the son who remained. It is his story that gives the moral." -_ Pastor Rich Carson

# CHAPTER FIFTY

"You're sure about this?" Natalee asked her dad, as they stood next to the ice over the flowing stream. He just nodded at her, so she used the bark he had pulled from a tree and took a few cups of water from the stream. She had to walk quickly, because bark leaks. But, getting it to him, she poured it over his head.

Cal rubbed the cold water into his face, washing away some of the grime and caked-on dirt. He was even more recognizable then. The smile lines which returned to the corner of his eyes were so recognizable, even if his golden, glowing eyes themselves no longer were. He knelt in the snow and nodded at her. Pulling the blade from the scabbard at her side, she moved closer to him. But, he shook his head no and removed a much sharper knife from his own sheath.

Nat began the process of shaving her father. His returning features, as she did so, were like a new wash of relief at each step. She was slow and methodical, making sure to not pull at the facial hair as she sheared his face smooth and clean. When she moved on to cut his hair, he stopped her and shook his head no again.

Cal got up and walked down to the water, cupped some into his hands and made his hair completely wet. As he walked back, it now hung in strings around his clean face. It was her father's face, there was no doubt about it. At the side of his head, she could see the scar and the small metal protruding, which Adam said went almost all the way through his head. It was so like her dad to get his hair wet in the bitter cold, and it did not seem to affect him one way or the other. This man, this new Hermit-version of Calvin Ward was so similar, but in so many ways, so different than the father she knew. Cal was a planner; the Hermit was instinctual. Cal was a talker; the Hermit could not speak. Cal was her father; the Hermit barely knew who she was but seemed to love her as an instinct. It was going to be hard to explain to her mother and brother that this was both Calvin Ward, and not Calvin Ward.

They rejoined the group at the river's edge. Nat could see by the horses that Eric's men were back. The man still gave her the chills, and probably would have even if she didn't know what a murderous scumbag he had become after the Event. For some reason, her uncle had tolerated his presence in the battle with the Faith and now, here he was again. As they walked back to their group, Cal kept the same cold disdain for Eric he had exhibited ever since he came back. Though he didn't seem to really know him, Cal acted like Eric Fine wasn't even there. Eric turned and tried to speak to him, but her father had just walked past him. Eric watched them approach now, warily. Eric Fine and Calvin Ward had a long history, going back to their years at war. It seemed that the Event changed nothing in their dislike for one another.

"Eric is asking if he can take a healer back with him to Manitou," Adam began, "we were just working out the specifics."

"You are going to go?" Nat asked Adam.

"Hell, no," Adam answered, "We might send someone, but it is a question for the council."

"Or what is left of it," Nat cut in, thinking of Rich.

"Yes," Adam added, "We will have to replace Rich on the Council, which is also a council vote. We have a lot to do when we get back. I don't think it is a bad idea to continue our short alliance." Turning to Eric, he finished, "I doubt it will be a problem, but it is the kind of thing the council votes on. We will let you know soon."

"Very well," Eric said, mounting his saddle once again. "I will await your response, and your request."

Natalee watched Eric and his men ride off across the bridge that spanned the river and gallop their way south after that. "What request?"

Adam turned to her, "He requested a healer of us, and suggested some trade arrangement. For the healer, they could give us something, if we wanted it. My concern is about how they received the items he offered. His men are nothing more than common thieves." He turned to look at Cal, a grin spreading across his face. "My dear friend, returned from the grave. You look more like Calvin Ward without all that facial hair, but the long hair? I am not sure Kate will stand for that."

A shadow crossed her father's face again. It was the look of shame and regret which he wore for a good deal of the early time since they had reunited. She walked up and stood before him, "She will understand. She still loves you. She still misses you. Every god damn day."

Cal nodded at his daughter, but she still couldn't wait to see Jordan again. He could understand her father's weird gestures. He said "sign language" but it wasn't any form of sign language which she had seen before. Jordan would be able to fill in the gaps. What had happened after Cal fell into the creek? Where had he been for the last two years? Why did he never come back?

That last question was certainly wrapped up in whatever he felt guilt about. That much Natalee knew, even if she didn't know what that guilt was based upon. Since they were back in their own territory, the group split. Most of the healers, and a few others, went with Adam straight for the Hillside. Natalee and the rest turned to the long trek north and up the approach to the Bluffs. By dark, they would be in the warm safety of their homes at the Bluffs. She spent most of that ride trying to figure out how she would explain her father's presence, and still being alive, to her mother and brother.

# CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

"What do you mean she is gone?" The hair on the back of Ted's neck stood on end, as he stared at the man giving him the horrid news.

"I am sorry, sir," The man spit out, "She walked with some of her dogs down the road. She does that all the time. We didn't think anything of it. It wasn't until we realized that all of her dogs were gone that it occurred to us she was gone. We sent out patrols, but nothing. Our patrols have been pretty reliant on her for a while."

"You are basically telling me that my twelve-year-old daughter ran away?" Ted asked.

"Yes, I guess so," The man replied.

Staring at the man who was clearly chosen from a group to relate this news, he didn't want to take out his frustration with his daughter's choices on him. But, it was hard not to since this man was the only one available.

"Okay, gather a team," Ted said, "We will take horses and chase her down. She can't have gotten that far."

The man nodded and departed. Jenny Martinez was holding him in a long stare. It wasn't shock, or anger, but it was something. "What, Jenny? What is it?"

"Don't do this," her statement was soft, and almost kind, but Ted could not understand why she said it.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Go after her. She is not a little girl, no matter how much she looks like one. She has a hundred life experiences coursing through her all the time."

"A hundred canine lives!" Ted exclaimed.

"Yes," Jenny responded, "But a hundred lives all the same. And a hundred minds. She couldn't control what she was doing to people. So, she got away for everyone's safety."

"You knew about this?" Ted took a step toward her, his anger having a new subject.

"No, Ted," Jenny said, standing her ground. "Don't be an asshole, it is not your way. Of course I didn't know."

He backed down. She was right, he wasn't going to come out ahead in this by intimidating a young woman.

"I didn't know about it, but I could see the turmoil inside her every day. I wish I had done more, but I don't know if I could help," she said, almost to her shoes. She felt remorse at not doing enough. Ted had no intention of feeling that way.

"I hear you, Jenny. I really do." He told her, "But this is my daughter, and I am not going to let her run into the wild blue yonder in this dangerous world."

She snorted dismissively and Ted's eyes went wide.

"Ted, she is the most capable person in our entire group. In the old world, she would have been at risk. But now? She is a walking army. I am sure she will come back when she is ready."

Ted understood where Jenny was coming from, but she didn't have kids. She didn't understand. He looked her right in the eyes, "I understand, Jenny. I am going to go look in on my wife." She relaxed her shoulders a bit, but it didn't last. "Then, I am going to mount up and go bring my daughter back to the Bluffs. I need to do this."

He pushed past her without waiting for a response. It wasn't any of her business anyway. What did this even have to do with her? He stomped his way back toward his home and entered. It was dark inside, and Kayla didn't even call out to see who was there.

"Babe?" Ted called out.

"In here," came her voice from the bedroom.

Ted walked into his bedroom and saw his wife curled up in a ball on their bed. She had been crying, probably for days. He walked over to give her a hug.

She held her hand up, "No, I am dangerous. You don't want to be this close."

Ted looked at her closely. Pre-Event, she had been an ivy league educated economist. She was one of the strongest people he knew. But now, she was a mess.

"I do want to be this close," he said and leaned in, kissing her softly. "Where else would I want to be?"

She fell into a fit of weeping into his shoulder, eventually sobbing out, "I hurt Kate."

"I know, babe," Ted replied, "But Jack says she is going to be alright. I haven't seen her yet, but I am sure she doesn't hold it against you."

Kayla looked up at him, and saw his face for the first time since he came in. He could imagine what she saw, he was pretty bruised, bloody and swollen.

"What the hell happened?" She gasped.

"Well, babe, it was war. Sometimes you get hurt in war." Her face was full of so much worry; he almost couldn't take it. "But, I think it is over. Britt is hurt pretty badly. I think he will be okay."

"What about the others?" Kayla asked.

"I don't know. I was knocked out and flown here on a dragon." This last part he said with a little bit of excitement. Every time he thought about it, he was even more excited about the fact that he had ridden on the back of a dragon. It was so unbelievable.

Her face was filled with shock, amazement and the slightest question of whether or not she was being punked. "A Dragon?"

"Don't ask, because I don't know," he answered her with a grin. "It left though, so it may come back with more." He paused for a moment, trying to decide what to tell her about Max, "I have to go for a little bit. Stop beating yourself up. Kate is fine."

"Why do you have to go?" She asked.

"You are not the only person in the family who blames herself for what happened, it seems." Deciding hiding it wasn't for the best, "Max has taken her dogs and split. She has run away."

"Oh no," Kate whispered, "Please go get her."

He smiled and kissed her again. "Where do you think I was going?"

He sat with her for a few more minutes, holding her and comforting her before heading back out into the cold. The man he had spoken with earlier was there, sitting on horseback, and holding the reins of a fresh horse for Ted. Behind him, two other men sat on horseback waiting to accompany them. Ted strode to the horse and pulled himself up into the saddle. He realized how much he was not up for this as he became dizzy the moment he settled into the saddle.

"What the hell is that?" The man next to him exclaimed and Ted looked up to see three creatures walking his way. They were clearly half-man, half-wolf, but looked pretty different than the film or cartoon representations of werewolves. They were basically very hairy men, with over-protruding noses, sharp teeth and pointed ears.

"Good afternoon, friends," Ted spoke first, "What can I do for you?"

"The alpha asks that you not follow her," the one in front growled out.

"What did you say?" Ted asked.

"She has accepted us into the pack, and had us remain here so you will know she is safe," Its voice a deep and guttural growl, "We are of the pack mind, and can relate to the Dad anything that is needed."

"What is your name?" Ted asked.

"I am Marvin. There are nine in our sub-pack. We will make our den outside the gates." Marvin replied.

"You can stay inside the gates," Ted began.

"We are not tame," Marvin replied. It was a simple statement that both explained and warned. Marvin was not so much telling him that his group was not safe, but rather that his group was independent.

Ted nodded, "And my daughter sent you to tell me this?"

Marvin lowered his head, his expression changed when he looked up again. Something in his expression was so Max, but Ted couldn't figure it out, "Please, Daddy," he said in his own voice, but Ted knew he was speaking to his little girl, "Give me space. I need to do this. I will be alright."

Ted's heart sank. His mission was pointless. Jenny was right. He wasn't dealing with a twelve-year-old girl. He was dealing with a complex being. She was capable far beyond his understanding. It took only seconds to make up his mind.

"Okay sweetie," he said, tears welling up in his eyes, "Don't stay away too long."

Ted saw Marvin's face return to the look it had before he had channeled Ted's daughter. He knew she had heard him, and was done talking about it. Marvin and his sub-pack turned and headed for the gate.

Ted called out to those with him, "Dismount. Go back to your homes, we will not find her."

Ted himself dismounted and handed the reins back to the man who had brought the horse. Turning, he saw Jenny standing there staring at him again. She smiled sadly and turned away.

# CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Kyle stood waiting, as he saw the long line coming up the road to the Bluffs. They certainly didn't seem to be in any hurry. But, that was one of the Bluffs' great advantages. The only way to it was up a narrow, steep incline. The benefits of this were obvious. Not only was it difficult for a force to approach the Bluffs with any size, but the residents and defenders of the Bluffs could see them coming for a long time. This was precisely why the Council had chosen it as a permanent home. Additionally, it was tiring to walk up that long incline. This is what he was seeing his own people deal with now, the fatigue of climbing the road to the Bluffs.

With Britt on the mend, he was comfortable waiting to greet them all. He just wanted to know what happened since both his Uncle Ted and Britt could not tell him. They had very little information. How did the battle end? Where did the dragon come from? What could they expect on the eastside now? These questions poured through his mind as he waited at the gates, a greeting smile plastered on his face. He felt it was important to greet people as they returned.

As the first people walked through the gates, he was surprised that Natalee wasn't one of them. Ever since the Event, she had been the point person in any foray, and was always out front, no matter what. With both Britt and Ted returned, though, she would have been left in charge. He began to search farther back in the crowd as they entered. Finally setting eyes on her face, he smiled a wide grin and waved at her. She looked up at him and tentatively looked to her side, to the man walking next to her. Kyle did not immediately know who this thin, long-haired man was. When it hit him, it hit hard.

With sunglasses on, having lost a lot of weight, and grown his hair out, there was still no mistaking that man. But, it could not be. He felt the cold wave of adrenaline shoot through his body, and goosebumps raised on his arms and a knot raised in his throat. Almost to himself, he whispered, "Dad?"

Kyle rushed forward to the man, and flung his arms around him. But his father did not hug him back.

"Kyle," his sister started, "I don't think he remembers us."

Kyle pulled away, seeing a sadness in his father's face. "He has what?" he asked, "amnesia?" Turning to face his father he asked, "Where have you been? Why didn't you come back?" Tears began to run down his face, but Cal said nothing.

"He can't speak, Kyle," Nat told him.

"What?" Kyle turned and looked at Nat. Her compassion and understanding showing all over her face, making Kyle feel the guilt of his own judgment.

"Adam says there is a metal spike in his brain, and he couldn't remove it without consequences. He doesn't know what those consequences would be."

Kyle looked at both of them, trying to take it all in. "Do you know where he has been?"

Nat snorted out a short laugh, "Yeah," she said, "So do you. Kyle, let me introduce you to the Hermit."

His mouth dropped, "No fucking way."

"Right?" His sister said with a grin, "He was around the whole time. But, something is keeping him back. We don't know what." She turned and touched their Dad's arm, he looked at her, "Do you want to go see Mom?"

Kyle saw what he could only think was regret, and that same sadness cover his Dad's face. But, this wasn't his Dad. It was some mix of the legend of the Hermit, with Calvin Ward deep inside. He could see small fragments of his father, but mostly it was the quiet strength he had heard tales of for two years. The Hermit stared at Natalee for a while, then nodded slowly. They walked back toward the housing unit their aunt had built for his Mother.

Kyle didn't really think about it. He stopped, "Mom isn't at home. She is in the healing hut."

"Why?" Nat asked, "Is she hurt?"

"Jack says her healing is taking longer," Kyle answered, "But she is fine. She was hurt in an accident."

Coming to the healing hut, which was more of a building than a hut, they led their father to the doorway. Nat pulled Kyle's arm and indicated to let Cal go in alone. Kyle nodded and they moved to the middle of the courtyard.

"So, tell me about this accident," she requested.

"There is more than that. Max was apparently the cause of all that craziness," Kyle said.

"Yeah, Uncle Ted said that right before we left."

"Well, she is gone now." He let that sink in. "She left to keep us safe, and the werewolves are part of her pack, so she speaks to us through them."

"Wha...?" Nat started.

"I know, it is so weird." Kyle answered, "What happened with you guys?"

"That Minister guy is dead. The Lord's Hammer is dead. Well, one got away, but the rest are gone so they can't join their powers and hurt people. The Faith is scattered, and we set up boundaries. Our area now reaches to Sand Creek in the east. They can have anything past that. We set up an outpost. How are Britt and Uncle Ted?"

"They are fine. Britt is mending up at our place, and Uncle Ted is spending more time with Aunt Kayla. She is afraid of her own power and now, devastated that Max left. She won't accept that Uncle Ted won't go after her." Kyle shook his head.

"Why won't he go after her?" Nat asked, suddenly angered at this news. "If he won't, I will."

"No you won't, Nat. For the same reason he won't. She doesn't want it. And she isn't in danger. She is the safest of all of us."

He saw the truth of this wash over his sister. "But, you have to tell me where that dragon came from."

"Cliff?" Nat asked with a grin.

"You call it Cliff?" he replied. "That is kind of messed up."

"No, Kyle, it is Cliff."

Kyle was trying to make sense of what his sister was saying when he heard a yell and Jack Collins came running out of the healing hut, a gash above his eye. Their father followed behind, punching the air and a wave of force hitting Jack in the back. He flew across the courtyard and slid in the snow on the ground.

"Dad, no!" Nat called out and ran to their father, whose face was covered in anger. Nat stood between him and Jack. Jack scrambled to his feet and ran out of the area.

Cal looked around the courtyard and settled his gaze at someone running in. Kyle turned to see a returned Jordan, Emma, and Anthony. Cal began making wild gestures in the air at Jordan, whose face was distorted by anguish.

"No," Jordan said, crumbling to the ground.

"What did he say, Jordan?" Nat asked the young man.

"How would he know?" Kyle asked, but his sister just ignored him.

Jordan answered slowly. "It is your mother. He says it is an illusion, she is not alive. He says Jack did something, umm, undead to her?"

Kyle turned and ran full force into the healing hut. Against the wall sat his mother, or what was left of her. She was gray and decaying, nothing like what she had looked like earlier in the day. Her eyes, devoid of any color, shifted and looked at him.

Kyle sank to his knees, "Mom?"

"How could you do this, Jack?" Nat's voice came from behind him.

A crackling voice answered from his mother's mouth. Jack seemed to be answering through her, "I am sorry Natalee. I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"Come back and let's talk about this." Nat said, her anger clear.

A hollow cackle came out of his mother's decaying mouth. "No, I will not be coming back. That lunatic will kill me."

Natalee's breathing was labored. Kyle could tell his sister was doing all she could not to lose it. "Then let her go."

"Very well," his mother's mouth said. Then she went limp, falling to the floor in a heap.

"What the fuck?" Kyle began.

"She has been dead for days." Nat began, "Dad told me – through Jordan. He is super powerful, and other people's powers don't work well on him. The Faith found that out the hard way. So did Jack. I am guessing he kept Grandma away?"

"Yeah, he said her power would inhibit the healing."

"It would have destroyed the illusion," Nat answered. "He was somehow able to use her powers after she was dead, but he needed us to believe she was alive."

"How?" Kyle asked, "And why?"

Nat just shrugged, slowly walking to her mother's corpse and kneeling next to her. Cal walked into the room, and waved for her to come to him. Natalee complied, while Kyle watched in shocked disbelief.

With an overwhelming sadness, Cal held his staff up and their mother's corpse burst into flame. It was a hot flame, but the stone of the building would not burn. They left her cremation experience, and walked out to the courtyard. His father had returned, but his mother was gone. Kyle wasn't sure how much more he could take.

# CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Constantly looking over her shoulder, Kim made her way through the brush. She knew that Maxine Craven's dogs would find her, if she wasn't careful. Maybe even then they would find her. She was terrified. Slipping away while no one was looking was less difficult than she had assumed. No one even looked at her any more. She could tell they all blamed her for Rich's death, and maybe that was correct, but she couldn't remain with them any longer. She doubted anyone would come after her this time.

Her full intent was to make her way south, then up into the mountains. Apparently that Eric Fine had opened the pass and was no longer harassing the passersby. Perhaps she could slip by without notice, and make a life for herself up in the mountains. With no sign of any dogs, or followers, she crept her way out of the bushes and almost ran into a running Jack Collins.

"Oh!" she exclaimed.

Jack looked at her with some apprehension. Had he been sent to return her? "Jack, I can't go back."

"What?" He asked. "Oh, yeah, not a problem. I am heading south and west. You can follow along if you want."

Her fear of being returned was replaced by an annoyance that Jack didn't even seem to care. She could follow if she wanted? What kind of nonsense was that? She thought the people from the Bluffs always looked out for one another. She guessed a lot must have changed in the few months she had been away.

"Look," Jack said hastily, "I need to be where I am going before nightfall. We can walk together."

"Where are you going?" She asked sheepishly.

"They need a healer at Manitou," he said, "I am not welcome at the Bluffs. They don't really like me there, because I like to do things a little bit differently. Everything has to be the way they say. And bringing that Hermit guy into camp? That guy is a monster."

"I agree," Kim cut in with fervor. She was thrilled she had found someone else who saw what she saw.

Jack stopped and looked at her. "Oh," he said, "You aren't going back at all either?"

Shaking her head, Kim sighed with relief. "No, I will never go back there again. They don't like me anymore."

Jack smiled. "I guess we are in the same boat. Do you want to go to Manitou with me?"

"If I remember correctly, they don't take women in." She hung her head, he was going the one place she couldn't go.

"I am pretty sure they changed all that." He replied, "Plus, they are only warriors. I am sure they could really use your kinetic abilities. What were they again?"

"Fire," Kim said softly. She wasn't sure she would ever want to use them again. After all of the Faith's teaching, most of which she believed, it had been her who had accidentally set the pyres ablaze. She was just trying to get away. She had no idea it would light them up and burn Rich to death. She saw this ability as a curse of the Adversary. "I would prefer not to use it."

A strange look came over Jack's face. "Perhaps I can help," he said.

Kim didn't know what he meant, but he was friendlier than anyone had been the whole march back to the Bluffs. They fell into an easy conversation, and she found him a little intruding with his questions about her powers, but she was sure he was just interested in making her feel okay.

# CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Ashes. Natalee sat with the bowl in hand, waiting her turn. They had discussed it for a while, but in the end, Kyle had sacrificed his own desire to do this and had allowed Nat to carry her mother's ashes to the edge of the cliff. Since Rich had no family, Kyle was set to release his ashes. Kevin, the pastor who was taking over the chapel with Rich gone, was saying words to the assembled people. Nat couldn't hear them, she was so involved in her own grief and inner thought.

Every person in the Bluffs had come out to pay their respects. That was nice. It was also special that all of the demi-humans had come to pay their respects also. They hadn't even known Kate Ward. Survivors from camps, survivors from the towns and from Hillside, even some of Eric's men had come to pay their respects. It was beautiful. She heard the low howl and turned to see the small band of werewolves lightly howling their grief. She knew it was Max who was feeling the pain. This sort of thing didn't even surprise her any more.

When her time came, she released her mother's ashes into the wind. Watching the dust float away, she turned to look at her father. Their love had been the ideal. It was the model of which she planned all relationships around. She could remember them laughing, and being too affectionate for a teen girl's likes. Now he just stood there, stoic, his sunglasses hiding the emotions she wasn't even sure he still had. He didn't even remember her. Her father would have been devastated, the Hermit was stone.

A moment later, she traded places with Kyle, as he released Rich's ashes into the air. They were carried away, as her mother's had been. Over the day, some of the Terras had made statues of both Rich and her mom. They were beautiful, and moving. Different kinetics had come together and bonded with two of their few remaining imprinted diamonds, so fire and water, air and light, would all play over the faces of the statues to a thrilling effect. It was a nice thing to do, but it wouldn't replace her mom.

She didn't have a lot of time to think about treating her mom better, about being a better daughter. A group had been called by her Uncle Ted to join as leaders and get more structure in their government. They could no longer simply and loosely attempt to let things happen. It had cost lives. The Bluffs had defined territory now, and there would be much more structure in the days to come. As the ceremony came to a close, she didn't look around, she just made her way to the Council chambers as requested. She and Kin had never made up. He still didn't forgive her for not saving Cliff, and refused to believe that the dragon was actually Cliff. Her father was distant, and a different person. Her brother was taking care of his boyfriend, and her uncle was taking care of her aunt. Her cousin had run away, and there just wasn't anyone else with whom to share her grief.

Inside the audience portion of the chamber sat around fifty people and she moved to the back and took a seat. Pretty much every faction was represented, and every known leader was present. She hoped it would start soon, and saw her Dad standing with Jordan and Emma, while looking at Grand Master Pike. Did he have the memory? Was he trying to place the face? She couldn't tell. Her uncle stood up and addressed the assembled group, assuaging her concerns about time.

"Thank you all for coming," he began, "as you know, we are in a position where we will need to be a little more rigid in our form. I don't think there is any dissent about that. It has been two and a half years since the Event. The time has come to stop pretending it is all going to go away. So, I have decided to help with that structure, with the aid of my sensei, Grand Master Pike. He has agreed to train blacksmiths up in Woodland Park, using the rough model we developed at the Hillside for healers. We will also train their healers, and anyone else willing to learn. Adam is going to create a structure at the Hillside Healing College (that is what we are calling it), and we will accept forms of payment for that training."

There was some question about payment, but Ted just let the grumbling die down before continuing. "As most of you have heard reported, our old paper US currency is useless in the markets. But the coins seem to trade well. We have decided to adopt a certain standard for trade, and will attempt to fairly influence its use in our lands. Our lands extend from Kettle Creek in the north to old Highway 24 in the south. They go east to Sand Creek and west to here at the mountains. Natalee was wise enough to set up an outpost on the eastern border. We will need to create and man a few more than that. People need to feel safe."

The agreement was wide enough, that it didn't hold up his speech for long. "Those outposts will represent districts. They are North, South, East, Central and Bluffs. The council will appoint leaders to each, we don't have titles or responsibilities yet, so don't ask." A laugh went around the room. "Today's goal is to begin. This beginning is with the Council. Moving forward, responsibilities and structure all are in place. About half of our existing council have chosen to depart, including myself."

A shout of dissent went up from the assembly, but Ted calmed them down quickly. "Kayla and I need time. I will be here for you, just not in that role. He doesn't know I am doing this, but as we will need a new leader, I would like to nominate someone."

Nat's ears pricked up, she was sure he was talking about her Dad. This might keep him around, Nat was already feeling like he didn't want to be in the Bluffs.

"Kyle," Ted said, surprising both her and her brother, "I wish to nominate you to be the Head of the Council of the Bluffs. It is a lot of work and responsibility, but I know you are capable."

The shock on Kyle's face was delightful to his little sister. He stammered out, "I would be honored to serve, but I am sure someone else..."

"All those who approve?" Ted called out to a chorus of Yes! "Any no?" he called out to silence, before a wide range of congratulations were shouted at her brother.

"Excellent!" Her uncle exclaimed, "Your duties begin tomorrow. As for all of the other seats, we will increase the total seats to ten. Three will be trainer positions, who do not have to sit in every meeting. Those will be Healer training, Adam; Kinetic Training, Niall; and Warrior training, Natalee."

Nat had a buzzing in her ears. Did he just say she was in charge of warrior training?

"Sorry, Nat," Ted called out, "We couldn't ask. You might have said no. Everyone welcome Commander Natalee Ward, she will be taking over Britt's duties. He needed the time to recover." She blushed at the welcome and congratulations that now came her way.

"Our other council members were chosen by the existing council unanimously. They are Phineas, the centaur, for Security and Guard. Dr. Emma for Supplies and Provisions, continuing her role. Jordan has agreed to handle diplomacy with other groups due to his recent ability revealing itself. Chief Healer at the Bluffs has been appointed, and Kelly has agreed to do it. Our head of research will remain Jenny. And lastly, our treasurer and keeper of the coins, will be Jeremy. Any questions?"

There were none and they adjourned quickly. Passing the myriad of well-wishers, she made a b-line for her father. He was listening to Grand Master Pike, as she approached.

"Dad?" she said and he turned to look at her. He looked around the room and nodded to Jordan, who quickly came over to translate.

"I am going with Pike," Her father said, through translation. "I am not ready to settle down, and I want to see his town. I will always be around. If you need me, use this." He handed her a ring, which she immediately recognized as her mother's wedding ring. "I have imbued it with a ..." Jordan stopped translating and just looked at her dad.

Cal made some wild gestures, which she was growing used to seeing. Jordan nodded and continued, "I have imbued it with a calling ability."

Jordan spoke for himself, it was apparently too hard to translate. "I don't know how to say what he is trying to convey. Basically, if you hold it, and think about needing him, he will know. Is that right?"

Her Father nodded, then took his sunglasses off. His laugh-lines and eye-wrinkles were overshadowed with sadness. He was clearly diminishing his glowing eyes a bit, so she could see his expression. He was sad to be leaving her. He hugged her closely.

Jordan's voice softly added next to her, "He loves you. His memory is completely shot, but he knows he loves you. He knows he loves your brother. He knows he loved your mother. He says that Pike will be able to help him focus and perhaps get his memory back."

"I love you too, Dad," she said, the tears in her eyes matching the longing in her chest.

Cal and Grand Master Pike turned and walked out of the room. She knew he wouldn't come to say goodbye. Cal Ward would have done anything for one last moment with his daughter. But, the Hermit needed to wander. She wondered if he would ever again be just one person.

As she watched him go, a hand laid on her shoulder. She looked up at her brother. "He'll be back. Deep down inside of him is our Dad. He is just fighting his way to get back."

Nat looked down sadly, then a grin covered her face and she looked up at Kyle, "Whatever you say, Council Leader."

His hand on her shoulder went around into his normal brotherly side hug. "Yeah, bite me...Commander." They both laughed and walked out of the Council chambers. Their grief would take months, if they ever got over this loss. But they had each other, and that would be enough for now.

THE END of Book Two

# EPILOGUE

He sniffed around. There were plants, but not much else. Letting his senses intensify, he waited to hear any sound, smell any scent. But there was only the sound of the wind; only the scent of old death. Originally he had flown down to the old resort, forgetting it had once been Eric Fine's compound. Even after all of this time, it was a burned out husk of a resort with all of the buildings nearby completely destroyed. It wasn't a bad choice, because there were no people. But it was flat and boring and there was no place to make a lair.

People feared him now. He was huge, with a massive wingspan. He had to admit he loved it. Though he had at first been afraid of how others perceived him, he could think of nothing better than the fact that he had become a dragon. His brother trying to spear him to death when he landed at the Bluffs was not awesome, but perhaps he could find a way to communicate, to let others know who he was.

After the resort, he had another thought and had ended up here at the installation formerly known as NORAD. Nothing had been open for him to go inside, but high above the big doors, he had found a small outdoor garden. He smelled the dead air coming from an opening inside. It meant that there was a door open inside this enclosure. The plants had escaped the enclosure through a makeshift entry. It looked like nature itself had helped him out, but he wanted to make sure no one was inside.

Without a sound coming, he knew he was okay to proceed. He began to tear into the little enclosure with teeth and claws, eventually opening it to nest size. He giggled to himself on the inside. He couldn't produce eggs because he was male, but a nest would have been so cool!

Seeing the open door, he sniffed at it. The air coming out was dark and wet. If he had to guess, when the rain fell it had flooded. There were animals inside, small animals, he could hear their chittering. He lit into the doorway and in another two hours or so, he had torn a hole big enough to get himself inside. It was still pretty cramped for a being of his size, but it would do for now. He would take the time to open his new lair up. Perhaps he would even open another door. If he could get the main door open, that was even bigger than him. For now, he had a place to rest. He had a place to sleep. He had a place to bring his prey, to feast on it. He felt bad that he had to steal cows from farmers to have enough to eat. But he needed sustenance, and the cows were the best he could find. He loved being a dragon. If he could figure out a way to breathe fire, Cliff thought he might be the most joyful dragon of which he had ever heard.

# Thanks!

Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won't you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer?

Thanks!

Chris Walters

Other Books by Chris Walters:

Age of Mystics

Blood of Mystics

Kelvin the Elven

3 Moons and a Stranger

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# Glossary of Names

Books in which the character appears are listed in parentheses as (b1) or (b2) or (b1, b2)

**Adam Cross** – 35, former US Army Medic, former restaurant manager at Pep's, Healer; head of Hillside Healing College (b1, b2)

**Alan Stone** – 64, commanding officer at Fort Carson; Lieutenant General; _deceased_ (b1)

**Alex** – Warrior; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Alton Tooney** – 57, registered sex offender and neighborhood handyman, Black Forest; _deceased_ (b1)

**Amy Paolo** – 26, wife of Mike; Aquakinetic; _deceased_ (b1)

**Andy Summers** – 30, clerk at Fort Carson, Private First Class; General Andy Summers, second in command to Eric Fine; Manitou Camp; Warrior (b1, b2)

**Annie Grace** – undetermined age, leader of Annie's Camp; powerful Empath (b2)

**Anthony Johnson** – 29, scrounge, heavy weapons, Corporal; Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Antwon Shabazz** – 21, Healer; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Ben Smith** – Empath; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Beth Merritt** – 70, mother of Kayla Craven and Kate Ward; Council Bluffs; Void Mystic (b1, b2)'

**Bill Richards** – 55, farmer, Chapel Grounds (b2)

**Brick Martin** – 52, pastor of the Spring Life Church, megachurch pastor, televangelist; _deceased_ (b1)

**Britton Casco** – 24, Cadet Commander at Air Force Academy; leader of warrior group at Council Bluffs; in relationship with Kyle Ward; Council Bluffs Member of the Council; Warrior (b1, b2)

**Calvin Ward** – 48, Dojo owner, former soldier; _deceased_ (b1, b2)

**Carruthers boys** – _deceased_ (b2)

**Chester –** infant, foal of Phineas and Mary; Annie's Camp (b2)

**Cliff Ko** – 14, role-playing gamer; Council Bluffs; Item Empath (b1, b2)

**Clinton More** – 67, Commandant at Air Force Academy; Major General; _deceased_ (b1)

**Corporal Danvers** – 36, Black Forest Police Department; _deceased_ (b1)

**Cory** – 22; Lord's Hammer Leader; Chapel Grounds (b2)

**Cooper Paolo** – 2; Council Bluffs; Cryokinetic (b1, b2)

**Donna Harris** – 24, Private First Class, stationed at NORAD; _deceased_ (b1)

**Ellen Harris** – 28, server at Pep's; _deceased_ (b1)

**Emma Pare** – 44, botanist; formerly stationed at NORAD; Council Member at Council Bluffs; in relationship with Jordan Kane; Plant Empath (b1, b2)

**Eric Fine** – 56, infantry officer, dojo owner; Major; AKA Sensei, Shogun, Lord Marshall; Leader of the Manitou encampment; Warrior (b1, b2)

**Erica Cross (Butterfield)** – 28, former server at Pep's; married to Adam Cross; Hillside Healing College; Council Member at Council Bluffs; Power empath/power healer (b1, b2)

**Fisher** – Healer; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Frank Keller** – _deceased_ (b2)

**Garrity** – Healer; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Grand Master Pike** – 74, leader of the Woodland Park Survivors, Childhood Instructor of Ted Craven and Calvin Ward (b2)

**Hermit** – middle aged, unknown origin and identity, powerful mystic, considered an urban legend; an arch-mystic [unknown limits to powers] (b1, b2)

**Jack Collins** – 19, Healer, Hillside and Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Jasmine –** Healer; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Jeff Prince** \- 37, store manager at the sporting goods store (b1)

**Jenny Martinez** – 29, yoga instructor, businesswoman, local celebrity; Council Member at Council Bluffs; researcher into the powers and abilities of survivors; Item Empath (b1, b2)

**Jessica Peters** – 21, student, retail employee at sporting goods store; Council Bluffs; Telekinetic (b1, b2)

**Jim Coulson** – 51, government worker for city government; was leader in Eric Fine's compound; whereabouts unknown (b1, b2)

**Jim** – 22, Lord's Hammer; Chapel Grounds (b2)

**Jonah** – Aquakinetic; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Jordan Kane** – 24, technical support at NORAD; specialist; Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Jose Rio** – 21, infantry soldier, stationed at NORAD; Private; assumed dead (b1)

**Kim Pile** – 49, Realtor, Black Forest resident, overtly religious; Pyrokinetic; Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Kate Ward** – 45, Cal's wife; Illusion Empath; Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Kayla Craven** – 47, Ted's wife; Terrakinetic; Council Member at Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Kelly –** Healer; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Kin Ko** – 23, former student at Denver University; Cliff's brother; in relationship with Natalee Ward; Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Kyle Ward** – 22, former student at Pikes peak Community College and employee at Sporting goods store; Light Empath; Council Member at Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Mary** – 25, Centaur, Mate of Phineas (b2)

**Maxine Craven** – 12, Ted and Kayla's daughter; powerful Canine Empath; Council Bluffs (b1, b2)

**Mike Paolo** – 28, Amy's husband; Hillside; _deceased_ (b1)

**Miles Damiano** – 33, former army scrounge; part time dojo manager at FMAA; Eric Fine's right hand man; _deceased_ (b1)

**Monty German –** 29, Warrior; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Natalee Ward** – 19, prom queen; powerful Warrior; in relationship with Kin Ko; (b1, b2)

**Nate** – 22, Lord's Hammer; Chapel Grounds (b2)

**Paul –** Manitou bandit (b2)

**Peri** – 23, Jenny's assistant; Annie's camp (b1, b2)

**Phineas** – 35, Centaur; mate of Mary; Annie's Camp; Warrior (b2)

**Rich Carson** – 61, former pastor of small church in Black Forest; neighbor of Ted and Kayla; Music Empath; Council Member at Council Bluffs; (b1, b2)

**Ronnie Jones** – 25, drug dealer; _deceased_ (b1)

**Rose Cross** – infant; child of Adam and Erica (b2)

**Silvio "Sal" Martino** – 61, Leader of The Faith, Anti-Mystic; Chapel Grounds (b2)

**Slim** – Terrakinetic; Council Bluffs (b2)

**Steph Richards** – 51, farmer; Chapel Grounds (b2)

**Steve** – Manitou Bandit (b2)

**Ted Craven** – 50, infantry NCO; stationed at Fort Carson; Sergeant First Class; Council Leader at Council Bluffs; Powerful Warrior (b1, b2)

**Tyler** – 22, Lord's Hammer; Chapel Grounds (b2)

**Zane Meyer** – 50, infantry NCO; stationed at Ft. Carson; Staff Sergeant; _deceased_ (b1)

