“Your people are Adam’s people.”
“Only half of Adam.”
“Well, the other half are my people only at another time in history.”
“I’m not so sure.” She turned back to Luke.
Luke was more lost for understanding than he had been when he first came through the portal. “What do you mean, Agent?”
“Remember the story I told you about the disappearance of Orion from that farm in 1854?”
“Come on, Moon, cut to it. You know I remember.”
“Was he just a farmer, a slaveholder? How was he able to survive here being just a redneck farmer from 1854? Why do the Nephilim know about him? Shevay called him his old friend. My people have always been leery around Adam. I am beginning to think it’s not because Orion is just different.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t know, Luke, but there is something more to Orion than we know.”
Grace ran up to them pointing back to Adam and Wak’o. “Look!” Wak’o was sitting up. Adam was helping her to drink from Moon’s water bottle. “Luke, Adam wants you.”
The bleeding had stopped, but Wak’o was still in bad shape. Moon and Grace took over tending her as Adam grabbed up his spear.
“Luke, you have to go for Orion,” Adam said.
“What can he do?” Moon said.
“She will die here,” Adam said. “We have no way to carry her. We may be attacked by the Reeze at any time.”
“Like she said, what can he do?” Luke said
A bird whistle came from the darkness. Adam turned in the direction from which it had come. Another bird answered. “They are here,” Adam said.
“I’ll put out the fire,” Luke said.
“No,” Adam said. He pulled Wak’o away from the firelight. “Grace, you stay with Wak’o.”
“Okay,” Grace said.
“Luke and I will take our posts,” Moon said.
Adam nodded and slipped into the darkness.
The sliver of moon shed very little light to see by, but Luke was ready if anything came close. He had an arrow on his bow.
As the minutes passed, he was less afraid, but more anxious. From the darkness he heard a rustle and a thud. He squeezed his bow so tightly his hand hurt. He heard a whistle. It was Moon’s signal that things were good. He relaxed his bow a little. She was deadly.
Luke strained to listen. Someone was wading the river. He focused his eyes with all he had, but it was so dark. Suddenly a loud splash came from the river, and then silence. Adam whistled from the river. He was also deadly.
More birdcalls came from the darkness. Luke found the situation almost humorous. It was like an old western and he was surrounded by Indians, but he was the one with the bow and arrows. A man screamed with pain. Adam whistled. Instantly the humor was gone. It was going to be a long night.
The gray light of dawn was never more welcome as it was now. Luke had not shot one arrow, had not seen one enemy. Adam and Moon had taken care of it all night. Luke believed they had killed a dozen or more. He found himself shaking and it wasn’t from the cold.
He saw someone walking along the river, raised his bow; but then he heard Adam whistle. Luke exhaled the longest breath ever.
“They are gone,” Adam said as he walked up.
“Or dead,” Luke said.
“You must go for Orion,” Adam said. “You must go without rest.”
“I will. I will be fine.”
“No need.” Moon came up to them. “Grace has gone.”
“What?” Luke looked back toward the coals of the fire. “How do you know she went for Orion?”
“Wak’o told me. She left about an hour ago.”
“I will catch her,” Luke said and started.
“Luke,” Moon said. He turned. “You can’t catch her.”
“Damn it!” Luke threw his bow to the ground. He felt guilty. It was all his fault. “She will be killed.”
Moon shook her head. “Do you really think you are more qualified for the mission than she is?”
Luke picked up his bow and walked by Moon to the coals of the fire. He placed a few twigs on it and fanned to get it started, and then put bigger pieces of wood on. Of course, Moon was right. He was the least qualified for the mission. The only reason Adam had suggested it was because he needed Grace here to help protect Wak’o.
Adam and Moon moved Wak’o back to the fire. She was still alive thanks to the orb, but she was still critical. Luke knew it was his fault. And now Grace was on the race of her life because she knew Luke wasn’t the man for the job. He had come to save her, but look at him now.
Moon put a large stick on the fire. “Grace will be fine; she is so athletic. They will never catch her.”
Luke turned to go to the river. “I will get fish for the fire.”
Moon followed him. “Luke, you can’t blame yourself for this—not for any of this. You are not a trained soldier. You’re not a trained law—” Moon lowered her head. “I’m sorry.”
“No, Agent. You are right. I’m not trained, nor qualified to be here. I’ve only survived this long because of you and Adam.” He looked off in the distance. “And now, Grace.”
“I think you have made a good accounting for yourself. There are few less Scrain because of you.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m a regular one man army. Just leave me alone. At least I can hunt and fish so let me go do that.” Luke turned from Moon and went to the river. She didn’t follow, and for that, he was grateful. He waded into the river to wait for a fish to swim by, and he thought and worried about Grace.
Chapter 18
Grace ran like an animal. She was afraid, but not afraid of the Reeze chasing her. She was afraid her leather sandals would fly off her feet. She had outdistanced the man, but he wouldn’t give up. She probably could outlast him, but she didn’t want to burn up all her precious energy right off the bat, miles to go before she reached the mountains and Orion—if she could even find him.
She had to force her machinelike legs to slow the pace. It wasn’t an easy thing to do—they wanted to go. Instinct told her body to pour it on—get away as best as you can. She looked back—he was gaining. She talked to herself, “You can do this. You can do this.” As he drew closer, she slipped her leather top down, revealing one of her breasts—all is fair in love and war, and this was most definitely war. He grew closer until he was only fifty yards or so behind her. She tripped and fell, and then stumbled back to her feet. She hoped it looked real as she turned to face him with fright and self-pity dripping from her face. The man ran up to her with his spear raised, but he hesitated and his eyes found her exposed breast. Bingo! He never saw the club until it was inches from his head, way too late. Too bad there is no Internet here Grace thought. The man’s wife back at the hut could really use www.find-me-new-caveman.ugg.
She looked back the way they had come and saw no one else. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked down at the bludgeoned man. No need wasting the man’s death. She took his waterskin, found a little jerky on him, and picked up his spear. He didn’t have anything else worth taking.
She jogged along for another mile, came over a rise, and almost ran into a camp of six or seven Reeze. She skidded to a stop. They were skinning an animal—antelope maybe—and all stood as she stopped. She was caught off guard and was calculating whether to run back or forward when one of them motioned for her to pass. She made a wide circle and went on. She remembered Adam saying not all Reeze were in with the German, but there was no doubt they knew who she was. They watched her go and then went back to the job of cleaning the animal.
As she ran, she kept looking back and didn’t dare stop to rest, hoping they didn’t change their minds and come after her. The prairie soon gave way to trees and bushes. She worried anything could be hiding behind any one of them.
The water was soon gone. She knew she should not have eaten the salty jerky. Now water was on her mind, right behind wondering if her going after Orio
n was such a good idea. Yeah, she was better fit for running than Luke was. Yeah, she was the most athletic. She, with the help of Wak’o, had been surviving just fine. She probably could defend herself better than Luke could. Those were the pros. But there were the cons as well. First, she wasn’t exactly sure how to find Orion. She had listened to Luke and Adam describe the place, but now she wasn’t so sure. She would just keep heading east and hope she found him. Second, she was not even sure she could lead Orion back to the party. Third, Luke had made a mistake back there and had let the Reeze get to Wak’o, but had he really made the mistake, or had Adam just expected too much and blamed Luke. Luke was a hunter—the best hunter she knew. He was a true survivalist, not just some armchair want-to-be. He wasn’t a warrior, but neither was she. However, both were quickly becoming warriors. Now that she really studied on it, and if it was on a scale, Luke probably was more qualified for this journey. She shook her head and slapped her face. No need to second guess now. She was here now and she was going to do it right, somehow. But right now, she needed water.
The ground in front of her fell off into a slow grade ravine with a river below. Yeah, Baby, just what she was looking for. She skidded down the long slope to the water. She threw her bag and tools aside and fell to the water’s edge and drank and drank and drank. Oh, what a relief. The river was as clear as purified water. All the water in this land was good and sweet, nothing like back home.
She scooted back onto her butt and admired the babbling river. This was paradise. This must have been what the Garden of Eden looked like. She had always loved hiking in the wild. She loved camping and just enjoying nature. The Ozarks were beautiful, but they even fell short to this place.
She reached around to get her waterskin to fill for the rest of the journey. Six Reeze were there, spears raised. Too late and too many for the naked breast maneuver. Yeah, Luke should have been the one for this mission.
Luke looked out at the vast prairie and wondered how Grace was making out. It was getting dark and she would have had to make good time to arrive at Orion’s cave by now. Luke was relieved that the day before he had described the mountain range where Orion lived. It was easy—it looked so much like the Ozarks where he and Grace were from. But it was a big area, and if she didn’t remember Luke’s details, or if he had gotten the description wrong, she could get lost. And if she had to spend the night alone on the prairie—
“Luke.” Moon put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s no use worrying. It’s out of your hands.”
Luke turned. She was right, but being right didn’t stop him from worrying or blaming himself.
“She will make it,” Moon said.
“How’s Wak’o?”
“The bleeding hasn’t started back, but she is weak. She would probably be dead if not for the orbs.”
Luke nodded. “And we are sitting ducks here.” He kicked at a weed. “The Reeze were friends with Orion and Adam. How could that Nazi sway them?”
“Only some of them.”
Luke took both of Moon’s hands and looked into her eyes. “What can Orion do? Why does Adam want him here?”
“I told you; there is more to Orion than we know.”
Luke dropped her hands and turned back toward the prairie. “You don’t know that.”
“Luke…” She didn’t finish.
“Back home I know the wild like I know the inside of my cabin. I can eat off the land. I can build a fire in the rain. I can make my own clothes from nature.” He turned back toward Moon. “I can survive there. But there the spirits are in the wild, the spirits of nature. They are not tangible. They are…just out of sight. You believe they are real, but you have no proof. It’s like God. It’s like the Indian spirits. We believe in them. It’s faith. But here you see things. Here you have real magic, like those orbs. This is more than I can comprehend. This is more than I understand.”
“Those orbs are a mystery, indeed, but no more of a mystery than you have in your world.”
“There are no damn floating orbs in my world.”
Moon smiled. “People have been reporting those will-o’-the-wisps since recorded history and you know that.”
“Those are just fairytales.”
“Are they really?” She took Luke’s hands again. “Here’s a mystery then: how do the geese find their way when they migrate? How do they even know to migrate? Hmm? How about this: when armadillos want to die, how do they know where the highway is?”
Luke admired her smiling face. She was more beautiful every time he looked at her. But her smile fell and she looked past him. He turned to see a good many Reeze silhouetted on the prairie by the fading purple sky, reminded him of Indians in a western.
“We’re in trouble,” Moon said.
“I didn’t make enough arrows,” Luke said.
“Take your position!” Moon said as she ran toward the fire. “Adam, they’re coming.”
Luke jumped behind the breastwork they had fashioned from driftwood. Everything was ready. Clubs were there, extra arrows, rocks, and spears. Adam carried Wak’o in his arms and placed her in the prepared bed they had made for her. Adam handed her a spear.
Adam turned to Luke. “You ready?”
“I’m ready.” He was as ready as he could be, but was it enough?
The little fort was on the highest point in the area, and they had a commanding view of the prairie and river below. They had cut down anything close that would give the attackers something to hide behind. It was about as good as they could do.
Moon placed wood on the fire about thirty yards away. They hoped it would draw the attacker’s attention to that, and if they attacked towards it, they would be easy pickings.
Moon slid into the fort. The three were situated like quails, their backs to each other. “We can’t let them get in here with us. We don’t have room to fight. I know it’s a small target, but we must hit them in the head.”
“In the head?” Luke said. “You don’t ask for much.”
“Luke is right,” Adam said. “That will be hard.”
Moon laid her pistol in front of her. “A spear or arrow to the chest may not stop them right off—more than likely it won’t—and they will be among us.” She turned to Luke. “I must conserve my bullets. If at all possible, you shoot first with that bow. You should be able to stop them before they get to us. We will finish what gets through.”
“You must think I’m Robin Hood.” Luke felt a heavy responsibility settle on him like a boulder.
“I know how well you shoot,” Moon said. “Don’t think about what if you miss; think about how many you can stop.”
“Here they come!” Adam said.
Two sprinted across the prairie toward the fire with their clubs high in the air. They stopped at the fire and searched frantically for someone to club. Luke shot one in the temple and he collapsed. The other finally saw the fort, but before he could take a step, Luke put an arrow in his throat. He dropped his club and grabbed for the arrow, but the blood spewed and he sank to the ground.
“You were a little low on that last shot,” Moon said.
“I will do better on the next one,” Luke said as he placed another arrow on the bow.
“Here come four more,” Moon said.
They zeroed in on the fort this time, coming in single file again, screaming as they came. Luke shot the first one in the head. The second one tripped over him. When he got back to his feet, Luke shot him in the head, as well. Before Luke could get another arrow ready, the other two were at the fort. Moon dropped both of them with her pistol.
Luke heard a loud shrill behind him. He turned to see a Reeze on the end of Adam’s spear. Moon whirled and hit the man in the face with a club. Adam threw the dead man away from the fort.
Luke looked back out across the prairie. More Reeze had appeared there. “Adam, how many Reeze are in the tribe?”
Adam looked to where Luke was looking. “It appears Karl has fooled many of them.”
Moon pulled o
ut Luke’s binoculars and surveyed the men. “There are more than fifty.”
“Are they getting ready to attack?” Luke said.
“No. It appears they are settling in for a wait. Some are circling around down river.”
“They will wait until it is completely dark,” Adam said.
“I won’t be able to shoot before they are upon us,” Luke said.
“We can’t leave,” Moon said. “They have us circled.”
“Now I know how Custer felt,” Luke said.
Adam stood and raised his spear. The Reeze across the prairie raised theirs in reply. Adam looked down at Luke and Moon. “If they don’t leave, they will all be dead.”
Moon dropped the binoculars back into Luke’s bag. “You have magic that I’m not aware of, Adam?”
“Orion will come,” Adam said. “He will come.”
Luke looked at Adam’s face. He really believed Orion would save the day. But how was that old man going to get them out of this fix?
“Orion will come. You will see.”
Moon sat down beside Luke and smiled. “We need some of that real magic now.” She winked.
Luke looked up at Adam. He slowly nodded. “Maybe we will get it.”
Grace’s wrists burned when the man tied the straps around them. She should have been more on guard, but it was way too late to think about that now. Now was the time to plan what to do next.
They shoved her along, one man leading her from a rope around her neck like she was a horse—ass is more like it. They followed the river, going to who knows where. She wanted to cry, but she wouldn’t give the heathens the satisfaction. In fact, the first chance she got, she was going to put a foot up beside one of their heads.
As they walked, she saw mountains rise up in the east. Her heart leaped. They looked just like the Ozarks back home. She recognized the hill top she was supposed to be looking for, the one Luke and Adam described. But they weren’t going that direction. They were walking south. She was close. Why hadn’t she been more careful?
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