Fear of Mystics (Saga of Mystics Book 2) (7 page)

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, he 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?”