Hope grinned. She and Grace had thought to use some of the sheets and blankets to create packs with. They’d grabbed a stack each from the closet and headed into the living room where there was more room to spread out. Hope dropped her stack on one of the big leather sofas, and had a sudden idea. She slid the sheets to the floor and lifted one of the thick, leather covered cushions. She turned it around and, sure enough, the entire thing was made of leather, and there was a zipper set into the back edge. She unzipped it and pulled out the foam rubber cushion, leaving her with a large, square, leather bag. She turned around and held it up for Grace to see.
It only took Grace a moment to understand. “Brilliant,” she said as she leapt to her feet and reached for the second cushion as Hope reached for the third one. Using knives from the kitchen, they cut long strips of leather from the back of the sofa and ran them through slits in the leather bags to use as straps. The tops zipped closed, which was nice, and they wouldn’t have to worry about them tearing or coming apart since the leather was very thick and heavy. In far less time than they had imagined possible, they had three sturdy packs.
Now, as they loaded the packs with food and supplies, Hope was very glad she’d thought of the leather cushion covers. She didn’t think cotton sheets and blankets would have been sturdy enough to last them on a three or four day trek through the desert.
“How much time do you think we’ll have before more of the Brethren come to the compound?” she asked Berta.
“My best guess is about three days,” Berta replied. “They’ve never left four new berezi here longer than that before, but it could be less.”
“Let’s say they come back tomorrow,” Hope said. “How will they go about searching for us?”
“They used to use infra-red,” Berta said. “But that was many years ago, when I last tried to escape. But, I will tell you a secret.”
Hope glanced up at Berta and smiled at the older women’s sly expression.
“These bozos leave me here alone most of the time since I can hardly walk. I’ve done a little exploring in the other houses now and then, when I got bored. I found the infra-red unit they used to find me years ago. I promise you, nobody will ever use that thing to find anyone again.”
Hope laughed. “Thanks, Berta,” she said. “That’s great to know.”
“That doesn’t keep them from getting a replacement, mind you,” Berta warned. “But it will slow them down some.”
“I understand,” Hope said. “And thanks for telling us.” She finished putting the last of the dishes into her pack and zipped it closed. “It’s about noon now, but I think we should leave as soon as we’re ready. I know we won’t get too far before dark, but I don’t think we should wait.”
“We’re not going to be able to walk at night,” Grace said. “We couldn’t find any flashlights or portable lanterns. We haven’t been able to find anything to start a fire with either. That’s going to be a problem.”
“The guards must have flashlights of some sort,” Hope said. “Maybe they’ll have something for starting a fire too. Which one of the buildings do they stay in?”
“There’s a small brown house on the far side of this one,” Berta said. “And you’re right, they do have flashlights. I’ve seen them.”
“I’ll run over there and see what I can find,” Grace offered.
“Okay,” Hope agreed. “I’ll finish up here.”
Once all of the packs were loaded, Berta helped Hope work out the best way to tie bedding onto them. They ended up cutting another set of slits into each pack which they ran long strips of sheet through as ties. Then they used the ties to attach several tightly rolled blankets and sheets to the back of the packs. Hope added as many as she could to each pack. They weren’t very heavy, and she thought there might be a way for them to use them as a tent or tarp.
None of them had any clothing aside from what they were wearing. Berta had offered whatever they wanted from her closet, but she had only a few changes of clothes herself, and no coats or hats. They were very lucky that it was spring, so it wouldn’t be too hot during the day. But it also meant that the nights would be very cold. The extra blankets would be needed when the sun went down, even if they just wrapped themselves up in them.
Hope was wearing jeans, a tank top and sneakers, so she knew she would be cold at night. Grace was dressed almost the same, only she was wearing a cotton t-shirt instead of a tank top. But Karma had been wearing flannel shorts and a thin, oversized t-shirt style top with cloth slippers. Aisling had been wearing jeans and a fleece top, so she offered to swap clothes with Karma, which surprised Karma a great deal.
As the women were much the same size, Aisling’s clothes fit Karma comfortably. The problem was with the shoes. Aisling was wearing sneakers, but her feet were just a bit bigger than Karma’s, so they were loose on Karma’s feet.
Karma had stuffed a few small pieces of torn sheet into the toes of the shoes and said that they would be fine, but Hope was worried. They would be walking sunup to sundown as fast as they could over rough terrain for the next few days, and the condition of their feet was going to be of critical importance.
Hope had wondered if perhaps it wouldn’t be better if Karma stayed behind with Aisling. When she met the other woman’s gaze with her own, she knew Karma was set on going, and she was clearly ready to fight about it if necessary.
“It’s not for me to say whether you go or stay,” Hope said. “That’s a decision for you to make. But understand this; if you can’t walk, we will leave you behind.”
Karma’s brows rose in surprise.
“I don’t mean we will abandon you,” Hope said quickly “We’ll find a safe place for you to camp, leave you with food, water and fire, and we’ll mark your location. We will come back for you.”
Karma relaxed. “All right then, that works for me.”
“Be sure, Karma,” Hope warned. “Neither Grace nor I can carry you. You would have to stay in one place, on your own, until we come back for you.”
“I understand,” Karma said. “Don’t worry, Hope. I’ll be fine.”
Hope nodded, though she was still doubtful. But, as she had said to Karma, it wasn’t up to her to tell the other woman what to do. The decision to go, or to stay, was Karma’s to make.
Hope and Berta finished tying on the last of the rolled blankets just as Aisling and Karma came in with arm loads of liter sized plastic bottles filled with water. There were twenty-one bottles in all, seven for each of them. The problem now was how to carry them.
Hope picked up one of the bottles and turned it around in her hands. “The necks are narrower than the rest of the bottle, and the lids form a small lip. I think we can tie a strip of cloth around the neck of some of the bottles, then hang them from a belt around our waists. We can put the others in our packs. There’s plenty of room for them, and that will help distribute the weight a little.”
The other women all nodded. Working together it didn’t take long for them to create three belts from more strips of leather cut from the now ruined couch. They used strips of cotton sheeting to hang three bottles from each belt. Hope tied one around her waist and frowned. It was heavier than she had thought it would be, but there was no help for it. Without water, they would never reach their destination.
Just as they finished putting the rest of the water bottles into the packs, Grace came in with an armload of stuff which she dumped onto the table.
“You found flashlights,” Hope said as she looked through the pile.
“And extra batteries, a couple of butane lighters, plus three knives, and some extra large sweaters. They smell a little musty, but I don’t think we’ll care much when it gets cold.”
“Good girl,” Hope said happily, reaching for the knives. They were large hunting knives, each in its own leather sheath. She slid each blade from its sheath, then selected one and tested the weight in her hand. She held it by the tip of the blade and flipped it into the air, catching it by the handle. I
t hadn’t been sharpened in a while, but it had good balance. It was the best of the three, she decided. She picked up the sheath and turned to add it to the belt with her water bottles, noticing for the first time that all of the other women were staring at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Looks like you know how to use that knife,” Grace said.
“Like I said, my cousin is an Agent. He taught me a thing or two about self-defense, and insisted I learn how to handle a knife. I’m no good fighting with the thing, but I can hit a bull’s eye at twenty yards.”
“Wonderful, if any bulls come after us, we’re in luck,” Karma said.
Hope shot her a startled look, then burst out laughing when she realized the other woman was joking. Karma smiled and reached for the sweaters, shaking each one out before folding it up.
They quickly divided up the new supplies, then helped each other on with the packs. The packs were a little difficult to get on the first time since they had to adjust the straps for each of them, which took some time. Once they all had their packs on and adjusted, they thought they’d work fine.
“Oh, I have an idea,” Berta said. “You should each tie a pillowcase to your belts so you can gather fuel for your fires. You’ll find lots of dried brush everywhere, but that stuff burns very hot, very fast. It’s a good idea to collect heavier sticks and wood as you go if you want a fire that will last.”
“Great idea, Berta, thanks,” Hope said as Grace headed for the linen closet. A few minutes later they all had a collection bag tied to their belts along with their water bottles and knives, and were ready to go.
“Now Aisling, remember, don’t talk where the guards can hear you, or take the blindfolds off of them,” Hope reminded her.
“Don’t worry,” Aisling said. “Berta and I will be fine. You three just get to that town safely and soon. We’ll be waiting for you to come and get us.”
“Count on it,” Hope said. “We’ll go as fast as we can.”
Hope, Grace and Karma left the house, crossed the compound and, using the key Grace had taken from one of the guards, let themselves out through the gate. Hope debated whether or not to lock the gate behind them. On the one hand, it would be easier for Aisling to leave if she needed to for some reason. On the other hand, it would warn anyone coming to the compound that things were not as they should be. In the end, she locked the gate and tucked the key deep into the pocket of her jeans. Then she checked the sun, turned to the northwest and started walking.
Hope called a halt several hours later when they came to a group of gigantic boulders near dusk. They found a sheltered area within the group that had a small overhang that looked perfect for a campsite. Hope spent a few minutes making sure that the area wasn’t home to anything they didn’t want to sleep with, and they began setting up their first camp.
They were all very grateful to Berta for her idea of collecting sturdier fuel for a fire as they walked. Even though they had all collected everything they saw that looked burnable, they still didn’t have very much. Hope divided the thicker sticks and twigs up, along with the dried brush they’d also gathered, setting aside enough for a small fire in the morning.
Without fire, they couldn’t heat water, and without hot water, they couldn’t regenerate their food. They had some protein bars, cheese, crackers and lunchmeat that would work for lunch or snacks while they walked, but they needed a fire at least twice a day in order to use the regens. Without those, their food wasn’t going to last very long.
Once the fuel was divided, they only had enough to cook a meal and heat some water for tea before the fire began to dwindle. But they didn’t mind. It had been a long day and they were all looking forward to some sleep.
“How far do you think we walked?” Karma asked Hope as they sat watching the fire die down.
“I think about fifteen miles,” Hope replied. “On average, in this terrain, I think we can safely guess at three miles an hour.”
“At that rate, it’s going to take us days to reach that town,” Karma said.
“If we‘re able to maintain a steady pace, and walk ten hours a day, it will take us three more days,” Hope said.
“That’s a lot of walking,” Karma said.
“Yes, it is,” Hope agreed. “How are your feet?”
Karma untied her shoes and pulled them off, then slipped her socks off so that she could look at her feet by the light of the dying fire. “They feel fine,” she said. “They look fine. They’re a little sore from walking, but I think the shoes are working out. I owe Aisling big time.”
Hope smiled, pleased to hear Karma praise Aisling. Personally, Hope thought Aisling was courageous as hell. She hoped they were able to get help back to her before anyone decided to go check the compound.
“How are you doing, Grace?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Grace said. “I love hiking and I run every day, so this is easy for me.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Hope said. “I used to run, but I haven’t done it for a while. I just got back from six months on Jasan and I didn’t run much while I was there.”
“Wow, that’s funny,” Karma said. “I just got back from Jasan as well.”
“Why were you there?” Hope asked.
“I went as a contract bride, but when I met the male-set I was contracted too, I changed my mind. How about you?”
“I spent six months in Bride House, but I didn’t meet the right guys,” Hope said, thinking that it seemed odd that both of them had just returned from Jasan.
“What about you Grace?” Karma asked with a grin. “You just get back from Jasan as well?”
Grace shook her head, but something about the expression on her face gave Hope pause. “What is it?” she asked.
“I didn’t go to Jasan, but I have an identical twin sister, Faith, and she did. She spent three months there in the women’s sanctuary, then came back to Earth about two months ago.”
“She only stayed for three months?” Hope asked. She’d heard about the women’s sanctuary on Jasan. Usually when women went there, they stayed for a long time.
“We had a death in our family so she decided to come home,” Grace said. “I have a feeling that those idiot guards were supposed to get Faith, not me. Frankly, I’m glad they got me instead. Faith’s had a rough year. What I don’t get is, why the heck are they going after women who spent time on Jasan?”
“I don’t know,” Hope replied. “There must be a reason, but whatever it is, we can’t hope to understand it without more information. Right now, I think we need to get some sleep. Dawn comes early.”
Chapter 23
Earth, Redoubt of the Brethren
Jarlek entered Stalnek’s office and closed the door. He both hated and coveted his brother’s office, resulting in a feeling of instant tension every time he entered the room. His own office was less than half the size, and it wasn’t because of a limited amount of space. Stalnek ruled the Brethren with an iron fist, and one of his many rules was that no one was allowed to have anything bigger or better than what he had.
Jarlek crossed the wide expanse of silk carpet, rounded the carved, antique mahogany desk and sat down in the custom calibrated chair that cost more than his house. He activated Stalnek’s vid terminal and logged in using the information Stalnek had provided in the message he’d just received in his own office. He didn’t understand why Stalnek’s message had ordered him to do this, but he had learned many centuries earlier to obey Stalnek’s orders, no matter how strange they might be, without question.
He activated Stalnek’s personal messaging program, found the message addressed to him, and played it.
“Jarlek, I sincerely hope that you are alone. If you are not, stop this message at once and send everyone else out before you continue.
“I have received word from Xaqana-Ti that the Directorate has learned of the Brethren.”
Jarlek’s jaw opened in shock as he listened to Stalnek relate everything that Xaqana-Ti had told
him, and what was being done about it. He was relieved to learn that there was a plan to evacuate the Brethren should that become necessary, but horrified by the idea of abandoning Earth.
Jarlek, you must contact our informant at once and verify the things I have told you. You will have to make the final decision whether or not to evacuate our people from Earth based on the information you get from him. It’s not possible for me to reach home in time to handle this crisis myself.
“I have forwarded your personal vox code to the Captain of the vessel on its way to you. He will contact you when they reach Earth’s orbit, so keep your vox with you at all times.
“At the end of this message I will give you the codes for the vault. Do not forget to take the relics, Jarlek. They are more important than any ten members of our race. You are charged to keep them in your personal possession at all costs. Failure to do this will not be forgiven.
“The compound on Li-Hach-Cor is abandoned, and William is missing. I have information that he may have been taken to Jasan and I am on my way there to determine if that is true. In the event that William is lost to us, I have decided that Darck will be the next Chosen. Command him to the Redoubt at once and put him under guard for his safety.
“I am entrusting you with the future of our people, little brother. Do not fail me. Do not fail the Brethren.”
When the message ended, Jarlek leaned back in Stalnek’s chair and considered everything his brother had told him. Once he was sure that he had assimilated the shock of the situation, he made a mental list of what he had to do. Then he sat forward and prepared a message to their informant. He played it back twice, listening to himself with a critical ear. It would not do to reveal his true feelings, especially to a man he had never met. Satisfied, he sent the message, turned off the vid terminal and left Stalnek’s office.
The next item on his list was to get a hold of his son. He was excited that Darck was to be the next Chosen, but his relationship with his son was not very good. Darck had a tendency to ignore messages from him. What should require no more than a quick vox call would probably turn out to be one of the most difficult tasks facing him.
The Bearens' Hope: Book Four of the Soul-Linked Saga Page 15