“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 see 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 tim
es 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 had 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’s 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. H
e 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, 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. Jessica 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.
Fear of Mystics (Saga of Mystics Book 2) Page 15