Jake pulled a bench out and motioned for Beaupre to sit. “Now, I have to thank you for being so patient with us. I’m sure waiting with such important news wasn’t easy.”
“It wasn’t,” Beaupre admitted, “but Simon Sczspanski told me only to speak to Jake Larkin. And let me tell you that pissed off your mayor to no end.”
“Simon? Is that ruffian still around? Mother of the Mountains, I haven’t seen the man in a decade. I would have thought he'd retire from the Rangers.”
“Simon? Quit? What would he do all day if he couldn’t bust people’s heads?,” laughed Beaupre. “He’s head of Rangers now.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. What does surprise me is the idea of a man like him asking for help.” Jake had met Simon Sczspanski on a scouting trip along what had once been called the Colorado Trail. The older man had actually ambushed Jake at a checkpoint that had been cleverly hidden in a niche of rock hidden by a spruce. The trail led right through Kenoshan lands, and Simon had been on lookout. The two had tussled for a good half hour, a fight they now both claimed to have won. It had been the first meeting between the Townships and Fort Kenosha; these days, the fort supplied them with tea and rice, and the Townships supplied them with wheat and tobacco. The cattlemen of the Ranch had begun trading beasts with the Kenoshan ranchers as well.
Beaupre took a piece of cloth out of his bag and handed it to Jake. “Ever seen this symbol?”
Jake took a look at it; some of the charcoal that they had used to draw on the cloth had smeared, but it was still discernible. The strange triangle. “Yes, I have,” he admitted slowly. “It was on some metal drums I found in frozen in a lake, upslope from Three Ponds.”
Beaupre cursed softly, shaking his head before going on. “I was hoping to get here before them, but I should have known better. They don’t worry about getting caught in avalanches like I do.”
“Wait, slow down,” said Jake. “You were trying to beat goners here? In winter? The Gone don’t MOVE in winter, everyone knows that.”
“No, not the Gone. Something else. No one is sure what or who. But whatever they are, they don’t seem to be on our side.”
Jake looked down at the symbol again, and then back to the Kenoshan. “I think you’d better start at the beginning,” he said.
Beaupre let out another heavy sigh. “The beginning. Right. Well, the beginning was back in November. It had been a month since the snows had set in good, and so most of us in the Jefferson valley had settled in for winter. I don’t live in the fort proper, of course. Most of them folk don’t particularly like Christians, or Jezzites, whichever you prefer. We all live down in the valley, in old Jefferson, and we’re used to not hearing from anyone in the Fort during the winter months. They have to deal with us come planting time, of course, but other than that they avoid us like the plague.”
“I remember Simon saying something about that,” said Jake. “Simon kept talking about the Nine; I assume that they’re like our Three?”
Beaupre gave a chortle. “What? No! The Nine were the people who started Fort Kenosha back during the Awakening. Hell, two of the Nine were my Great Grandparents. Folks at the fort don’t really have religion, though some of them have taken up with your Three in recent years. Simon is descended from the Nine, too. I’m surprised he didn’t mention it.”
Jake shrugged. “Not that I remember. But go on.”
“Right. Well, anyway, round the end of November, we all hear this roar from the sky. We all look up, but the clouds are low and thick, and all we see is gray. Some folks got scared, but nothing really happened, so most of us just brushed it off. Then, a couple days later, we hear it again. We still don’t see the thing, cuz it happens at night, but we can see flashes of light, like shooting stars in the sky. Except that they move altogether, and way too slow.”
“So, me and a couple others head up to the Fort proper. It was a panic there… folks said they had seen the stars drop something as they flew by. Simon had sent some Rangers out that direction, but they never came back.” Beaupre got a haunted, faraway look in his eye, and Jake rose to pour him a snort of whiskey. When he handed it to the Kenoshan, he drained it at a shot, his earlier protests about drinking on duty obviously forgotten. “Simon knew something was coming,” Beaupre continued. “Felt it in his bones, he said. He pulled me and my friends to the side and asked us to help get the Fort ready, just in case. We cleared the snow out of the trenches around the walls, made sure they were manned. It was way too cold for goners, but no one knew what had dropped from those stars. Then we sat and waited. A couple days went by. Folks started to think that maybe there was nothing to worry about.”
Jake shook his head. “If there was nothing to worry about, then where did those Rangers that Simon sent go to?”
“That’s exactly what Simon said. And he was right. We heard the moans about noon that third day. Saw the first of the Gone coming in from the east about two hours after that.”
Jake gave Beaupre a questioning look. “I thought you said it was too cold for goners?”
The Kenoshan met his gaze. “Yeah. I did.”
Chapter 5
“A spike?”
“It sure looked like it. I didn’t want to get too close, but I swear that’s what I saw.”
“Wow. I didn’t think anyone was that backward these days. I don’t think anyone’s gonna miss these hillbillies.”
“Well, no. Isn’t that why we’re here in the first place?”
“I guess that’s true. So… the larger town or the smaller?”
“Definitely the larger.”
“Alright. Find some places in those ruins to paint. We’ll take care of it from there.”
The Kenoshan didn’t stay for very long after finishing his story. Telling it seemed to drain him, like it had been all that had kept him going for a long while. The cheerful demeanor that he had displayed when he had first arrived had evaporated. The two men had shaken hands at the door without saying much, but Beth had noticed the difference in Beaupre. “Did you give him news he didn’t like?” she had asked.
“I didn’t really give him any news. I listened to his story, and said I would talk to the council.”
When he didn’t go on, Beth gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine, keep your secrets for now. You know I will get them out of you eventually.”
“You will,” promised Jake. “I’m not trying to keep secrets. I’m just….processing.”
Beth had gone back in to the kitchen with Charlotte. The smell of the chili started to permeate the house. Jake let Trig in, who shook the snow off of himself and promptly went to sleep in front of the fire; apparently, the Kenoshan’s dog had worn him out. Smiling, Jake sat down on the couch and put his feet up on the table. The smile didn’t last long, though. The weight of what the Kenoshan had told him lay on his shoulders like a heavy fur.
It was strange to not be doing anything; it seemed he had been going nonstop since he left for Three Ponds. He almost felt guilty for not helping in the kitchen, but from the muted voices coming from that room, the two women were either talking about him or someone he knew. A man didn’t stay married to the same woman for twenty plus years without learning when to make himself scarce. And the upside was, while she was talking with Charlotte, she wasn’t giving him hell about putting his feet on the table.
Jake was staring blankly into the fire when Seth finally came home, Katie under one arm. Apparently she had gone back outside while he was talking to Beaupre. She was giggling incessantly. “Well, look who it is,” said Jake to his son. “I was starting to wonder if you were going to move in with Harpers.”
“Sorry, Dad. They had chores that needed doing, and Mr. Harper was kind of in a fog. So I helped Tommy get some wood cut for them.”
Jake held up his hand. “That’s all fine. Coming home late, I could have forgiven you for. But what on earth have you brought into the house?”
“Daddy, it’s ME! I’m just upside down!” Katie insisted.
“Is i
t? Well, I hope you listened to your mother and took your boots off before coming into the house. If you’re upside down, snow will drip from your feet and go right up your nose.”
“Daddy, that’s just silly,” Katie informed him as Seth set her (bootless) feet on the ground. “Who was the other doggie that was playing with Trig earlier?”
“Her name is River. She and her human are visiting from out of town.”
“She’s really nice. She gave my face licks, and then rolled around in the snow, and then she shook herself really hard like Trig does and got snow all over me! Is that how doggies have snowball fights?”
Jake laughed, which made Trig pop his head up. “Well, Trig, you heard the lady. Have you been throwing snowballs at me all this time without me realizing?” Trig gave a great yawn and put his head down on his paws. If he was guilty, he wasn’t admitting it.
“Alright, squirt, go change out of those wet clothes,” said Seth, setting his sister on the ground.
Katie ran down the hallway and into her room. Seth took off his own boots and coat and started to head to his own room. “Son? Come down and sit with me for a bit,” Jake called. Seth stopped dead in his tracks, not looking at his father. “You haven’t done anything wrong. That I know of,” Jake reassured him. “I just need to talk to you.”
Seth slowly turned and walked to the couch, looking at his father warily. “What about? Same thing as last time?”
Jake shook his head. “No. Sit down, kiddo. It’s important. I had that chat with the Kenoshan today. I may need to ask you some favors.”
Seth sat down, looking a bit more relaxed. “What do you need, Dad?”
“You’re seventeen, Seth. Long past when you should have made a decision about what you want to do with your life. I know you were talking about the Scouts last year, but I didn’t want to push you into anything. Well, something may have happened. And, as Scout Captain, I’ve gotta tell you I may need every hand I can get. It’s your decision, son, but I need that decision sooner rather than later.”
Seth opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking down at his feet. After a long moment, he looked back up. “Can I ask what you need the people for?”
“Specifically, no. The council has to be informed, and the Kenoshan is setting up a meeting for tomorrow morning. Generally? There may be more goners this year than we’ve seen before. So if you want to be a Scout, I want to get your training started now.”
Seth thought it over a moment, and then slowly nodded. “Yeah, Dad. It’s pretty clear something bad happened at Fort Kenosha. I wanna help with…whatever it is.”
Jake mentally cursed. Seth had realized that something more was going on more easily than he had expected. It could be that he just knew how his father’s mind worked, but somehow he didn’t think so. The Kenoshan had been in town for long enough for everyone in Aspen Vale to start suspecting. He made a mental note to bring that to the Council’s attention; secrecy was not going to be much of an option. “Are you sure? If you join, I won’t be Dad anymore. I’ll be Scout Captain, and I’ll treat you like any other recruit. And people may be harder on you, knowing you’re my son.”
“I know. I can handle it, Dad.”
“Good. Then first thing tomorrow, I want you to go to the Arena. Find Marty. Tell him I want every Scout who can be gathered , active or inactive, to meet here at the house. I’m gonna ask Jay Carpenter to bring his Longshooters, too. And I need you to keep your mouth shut about this around the McEuons. At least for now. Can you do that?”
Seth nodded. “Yes, sir. Can I come to that meeting?”
Jake shook his head. “No. One of the things we’ll do there is vote to accept you as a recruit. Till you’re voted in, you can’t attend meetings. It’s just a formality, though. I’ll fill you in as soon as the meeting is over. Alright?”
“Deal.” With that, Seth got up and went to his room, shutting the door.
“Do I get to know what you two were whispering about?” Beth asked from behind him.
Jake started a little; he hadn’t realized she was there. He was slipping. “It was about our son choosing a path. He chose.”
A dark look came over his wife’s face, but she nodded. “You said you wouldn’t push him. Should I be worried that you did?” she asked quietly.
Jake opened his mouth to ease her mind, but then abruptly shut it. “I honestly don’t know,” he answered truthfully.
“Are you telling me that there won’t be any Scouts in the Ruins at all tomorrow?” asked Tommy incredulously. “That is so rud! That is the ruddest thing I’ve heard all week!”
After his talk with his dad, he had gone to his room and thought over what had happened the last couple days. He had used the excuse of Tom Harper’s grief to go back to the Arena. His mother had looked aggrieved, but Dad had given him a nod. After all, it was easier to avoid him accidentally saying something around the McEouns if he wasn’t there. When he had got there, though, Mrs. Harper had told him that her husband had specifically asked for no visitors today. Seth had nodded in understanding, and had been about to turn away when Tommy had popped out. “I’m getting my coat, Lark,” he had said. “Don’t you move, I wanna talk to you.”
“What are you boys up to?” Mrs. Harper had asked suspiciously while Tommy went to grab his outdoor gear.
“I really don’t know, Mrs. Harper,” he had said, “and I’m a little scared to find out.”
But he did know. And sure as hell, it was the first thing out of Tommy’s mouth when they got out of ear shot. Seth sighed. “Tommy, I don’t think you get it. Something serious is going on here. I really think we should stay out of there.”
“Trying to get out of it again, are you? You really are scared, Larkin!”
“A little, yeah,” said Seth, calmly. “My dad basically just told me that he doesn't have enough Scouts and that I needed to join. He's never said anything like that before, so obviously something happened that makes him think he needs more men. No reason for that except nomads or the Gone. Dad says goners, but I’m not so sure. I mean, it’s winter. Whatever brought the Kenoshan, it wasn’t the Gone.”
“C’mon, Lark, use your head,” said Tommy, reaching over to thump Seth's forehead. “Something went on at Three Ponds, but your Dad never said it was OK. That means it’s probably not. And this guy risked snow slides and blizzards and everything else to get away from Kenosha. It’s a sickness, bet you anything. And if it’s a sickness, getting away from people is the best thing we can do. As far as I know, there aren’t any people in the Ruins. So we'll be safe if we go.”
Seth almost said something about Lord Jezias, but held his tongue. Tommy didn’t seem to believe in the Three. “OK, that makes sense. But why would that make my Dad ask me to join up?”
“Because,” said Tommy, speaking slowly as if to a child, “if you’re a Scout, then you are going to be out. Scouting. As in, away from people. People who might get sick.”
Seth felt his eyebrows go up his eyebrows in surprise. “That…actually makes sense,” he conceded.
“Exactly,” said Tommy triumphantly. “And if you’re gonna be out abandoning us all to certain death, least you could do is come keep your best friend safe as he enters the Forbidden Ruins.” Tommy put a mock spooky emphasis on the last, which Seth couldn’t help but laugh at. “So, are you in or what?”
Seth sighed. “Damn it, Tommy….. yeah. I’m in.” He still thought it was a terrible idea. But who would keep Tommy out of trouble if not him? “Who else is going?”
“Me, you, Josiah Marolt, John Carpenter….and Abby.”
“Abby?” said Seth, taken aback. “You never said anything about her coming!”
It was Tommy’s turn to sigh. “Nothing for it. She heard me and you talking about it last night. She blackmailed me into letting her come. I think she has a thing for you.”
Seth felt his heart rise into his throat. He didn’t realize he had stopped walking until Tommy had already taken four more steps. “A... what do
you mean, a thing?”
“You know, a thing! She’s spent all night last night staring at you, at least until…” Tommy trailed off a moment before clearing his throat and pressing on. “Anyway, she made me promise that if we went she could go along. So really, this is your fault, for being so damned irresistible.”
“I…I didn’t know. Sorry?”
“Whatever, man. It’s not your fault. Not like you asked for it, right?”
I asked for it. Every day for the last five months, since I saw her at the Fall Dance. I asked the Mother for it with every waking breath. “Right. What should I do about it?”
“I don’t know!” Tommy exclaimed. “That’s your problem, buddy. Just try to let her down easy, I guess.”
“Yeah, sure. Right,” said Seth, looking away from his friend. “Or… maybe I could spend some time with her first. You know, give her the chance to get over her thing? If she knew me better… and I don’t want your Dad mad at me for hurting her. And she could probably use someone to talk to.”
Aspen Vale: A Tale of the Gone Page 9