by D B Bray
Jack slid his window open and listened intently to what he said. Adam stood in front of the fire and slammed three bats into the soft earth.
“Here are the bats of your elders.” Touching each bat, Adam said their names.
“Fred.”
The group stood and roared, “Fred.”
“Jaque.”
The group roared, “Jaque.”
“Char…” A tear dropped from Adam’s cheek. He cleared his throat. “Charlie.”
“Charlie.”
“What happens if one of us falls?” he shouted, his voice emotional.
“Move on!” they shouted back.
“And how do we carry on?” he barked.
“Fill the ranks!”
“Step forward as your name is called.”
“Billy.”
Billy stood up and walked over to a bat as the Blades chanted his name.
“Take Jaque’s bat,” Adam said.
He did as he was instructed.
“Now kneel,” Adam said, pointing to the soft earth in front of him.
Billy knelt in the sand, facing the fire.
“Lucy!” he said.
Lucy looked up as she walked down the church steps. She walked over to the fire with Jasmine, Toby, Quill, and a few others who had been walking with her. Adam held his hand up.
“Unless you’re a Blade. You aren’t welcome in our ceremonies,” he said, waving Lucy over.
“What about me?” Toby asked.
“Not unless the members vote on you. Go back to the church and see how your brother is,” Adam said.
Toby sulked away with the others, his shoulders sagged. Henry glanced over his shoulder and shouted, “I propose Toby Madison to take my brother’s place.”
Jack’s heart skipped a beat as the envy set in. He slid closer to the window by his bed.
What about me?
Adam cut his eyes at Henry. “What was that?” he asked.
“I said, Toby is one of us, Adam,” he said from the first row.
Adam and Toby made eye contact. “Blades, hands up if you vote yes,” Adam said.
A few of the Blades hands rose, then a few more, until all were raised.
Toby smiled and sprinted over to Henry, embracing him a bear hug, almost knocking him into the fire. Henry giggled and returned the gesture. Toby stood up and saluted.
“Ready for duty, sir,” he said, trying to mask his excitement.
“Sit with the others, Toby of the Blades,” Adam said.
Lucy wandered over to the bats. “Take Fred’s bat and kneel,” he said.
Lucy stared at the bat for a long moment; her hand brushing against it. She gripped it, hefted it into the air, much to the amusement of the others. She knelt next to Billy with a simple nod. Off in the distance, she saw Vern wave, and then he disappeared into the darkness.
“The last bat, Blades.” He said, staring at each person's face. “Should go to the man who helped us all. I nominate Jack Madison to carry Charlie's bat.”
Jack’s heart pumped heavy, the blood rushing between his ears. His door swung open, and several Blades carried his stretcher out to the fire. They laid him down in the dirt next to Lucy, who slid her hand over his thigh with a wink.
Billy picked him up, helping him to hold the weight off his broken leg. Jack gripped the bat and held it as high as he could.
“No fear,” he shouted, slamming the bat back into the earth.
Hours later, in a small chapel in the church, all the commanders met at the round table in the center of the room. All eyes on Jasmine.
“It seems to me that the document is a bunch of ideas that helped start the United States of America, what we used to be called. I am asking the commanders around this table for a vote to reach out to our fellow tribes around this area and call a meeting with them,” Jasmine said.
Everyone glanced at the opposite side of the table where Quill sat. He tapped his index finger against the wood. “I understand your logic, but what can we offer these tribes they don’t already have?”
“We can offer an alliance to allow larger cities to grow and protect each other against the slavers,” she said.
“There hasn’t been an alliance around here in years, too many to count,” exclaimed one man from the Protectors.
“Now there can be,” Jasmine said, holding up the Constitution.
“That’s a piece of pa——”
“You're right,” Jack yelled over him, raising up from his stretcher. “But that piece of paper tells how each of the tribes will have a vote, and we can settle differences diplomatically, instead of violently.”
The other man sat down and took an angry pull off of his canteen.
“Adam, what are your thoughts?” Jasmine asked, turning to her right.
“I’m used to fighting slavers. Peace is new to me.” He shrugged. “We have new elders, and I don’t speak for them. If you want my vote, all elders must vote unanimously in favor, for or against.”
“And if it’s a tie?” Rufus asked.
“We won’t vote. We’ll side with the winner,” Adam said, making eye contact with Jasmine.
“Jack and I are for peace,” Lucy said, sitting near Jack.
Adam smiled at them. “I’m with you.” He turned around. “Billy?”
Billy pushed himself off of the wall. “I kill slavers, now more than ever, but I’ve been side by side with Adam most of my life, so if he’s in, I’m in.”
“Anyone against?” Jasmine asked.
A few of the remaining Statues hands went up as well as some of the Protectors who looked at the others with contempt. Jasmine counted hands.
“All for?”
Almost all hands went up, save for a few who abstained.
Quill nodded with a sigh and then looked at the Blades. “So, who wants to be runners?”
Chapter 21
“I don’t see why this document even matters, Lucy,” Jack said, pulling on his cleanest shirt. “I mean, it didn’t have magic powers, some of our friends died for it, a waste of time if you ask me. And if the other tribes don’t go for it, we're in serious trouble.”
Lucy smiled, kissed him, and then turned to leave. “Give your speech and find out.”
She closed the door behind her.
It had been months in the making, but the Chiefs of the anti-slavery tribes finally came for a meeting. Jack was overdue for a speech to explain why the document mattered.
Why does it matter??? Jack fanned the pieces of the document out in front of him. The Preamble was folded up by itself near a candle. Jack sighed and pulled it back.
One phrase caught his eye; Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
A knock at the door broke his concentration. “Who is it?” Jack asked over his shoulder.
The door creaked open, and Vern snuck in. Jack reached for his bat, but Vern was faster.
“I mean you no harm, Jack Madison.”
Jack eyed him wearily and then slowly released his grip on the bat. Vern nodded and cracked a smile. He gave a head nod toward the chair, then glanced around with a nervous tic as Jack sat down.
Vern took a knee. “Jack, I came to tell you what I know from the history books I’ve been reading in the woods. I think I found the secret.” He giggled and put his fingers to his lips for secrecy. He glanced around and sniffed the air. “Well, one at least.”
“You’ve gone crazy, Vern.”
He touched the brand in between his eyes, then sniffed. “Maybe.”
“Go on,” Jack said.
Vern giggled again and then cracked open the book in his hand that Jack had somehow missed earlier.
Vern read from a passage; “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of Americ
a.”
Jac rolled his eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know, Vern.”
The ever-present giggle returned. “Okay, okay. The secret I found was a quote by James Madison.” He handed the book to Jack.
The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.
Taking the book back, Vern gave a wicked smile and leaned closer, his breath so foul, Jack had to do everything he could to keep from pulling away. “The secret is the people, Jack. Like you, me, and Lucy. That’s the power it holds. It tells us that men like Red, The Takers, and the other slaver tribes can’t do whatever they want. They’re accountable to us, the people.”
Jack sat back and rubbed his eyes. “So, this all about how we treat each other?”
Vern pointed to the last paragraph. “Here, Jack.”
The Constitution of the United States is a law for rulers and people, equally in war and in peace, and covers with the shield of its protection all classes of men, at all times and under all circumstances…
David Davis US Supreme Court
Jack read the statement a few more times and then made eye contact with Vern. “So, he who has the gold, doesn’t make The Rules?”
Vern shook his head no. “Get the leaders to understand that, and you may just change the way we live.” He stood up and shook Jack’s hand. “Good luck, Jack Madison. Take care of Lucy.” A familiar giggle returned, and he walked out of the room.
Later that evening, Jack walked into the room where the Chiefs were seated with the leaders of the Blades and Statues. He walked to the front of the table and gave Lucy a smile.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you for coming to this meeting, my fellow leaders. My name is Jack Madison, and I am here to tell you about what we have discovered and to ask for your help in fixing a problem we all have.”
The men and women seated in front of him looked at one another.
“We have found The Constitution of the United States, a document that told our ancestors how to live and what was required of their tribes—-”
One man stood up and pointed at Jack. “You want to tell me how to run my tribe, boy?”
Jack bristled. “No. I’m simply going to request an alliance with the tribes in this room, not to merge them into one. We have all lost loved ones and friends to the slavers in one way or another. They rule our lands.” He waited for his words to sink in, then continued, “I’m asking for everyone to band together and crush them. We haven’t got the time to iron everything out just now. We can do that later. But we must eliminate the slaver tribes before they unite under one leader. The people of Fort Camden gave The Takers a shellacking, but we didn’t eliminate them all. We must band together, or we’ll die.”
Jack stood patiently as the Chiefs had a hushed conversation about his speech. After a few minutes, Lucy stood up and hit her glass with a fork, then sat back down.
The Chiefs glanced at Jack. He lifted up Vern’s history book. “I will read this statement and then ask for a vote.”
“We don’t vote boy, those with the gold make The Rules, you should know that,” a woman in the front row said.
“This about how people should be protected. There are more anti slaver tribes than slavers,” Jack said.
“What would you know, boy?” came a voice on his left.
Jack kept his cool, ignoring the comment. He cleared his cottonmouth again and began to read; The people within the Zones shall remain free to do as they wish without the harm from others and the generations beyond. It is the principles written on the document that protects us, not the other way around.” He closed the book. “Now, who’s with us?”
No hands went up. Jack dropped his head and took a deep breath. The room was silent until he heard a familiar giggle in the back.
Damn. Does he ever stop giggling?
“I’m with you, Jack Madison. I know where all the slave camps are around Philadelphia.” He stuttered. “And, and treasure, there’s tons of treasure,” Vern said, leaning next to a woman in the back row who gagged at his smell.
“Boo!”
The woman gasped and slid over a few feet.
An older man in the middle of the crowd stood up and looked at Vern with disgust. “You,” He pointed at him. “Crazy man. Do you know where the treasure is? My people are starving.”
“Oh yes, I know where all the treasure is buried. And I’ll show it to you after…” He spun around in a circle and bared his stained teeth. “But first——”
Another man shot to his feet. “First? What do you mean first, what do you want, you dirty mongrel?”
Vern made a clicking noise with his tongue and giggled. “No need for name-calling, sir. First, you side with Jack, then sign this,” he said, holding up a piece of paper.
A woman close to the front snatched the paper out of Vern’s hands and read it; We, the tribes of Zone Five, hereby pledge allegiance to our brothers and sisters to crush the slaver tribes throughout the Zones, wherever they may hide.
We will assimilate all willing freed slaves into our individual tribes and will come to the aid of our allies whenever we are needed. We will do this for the gold offered by The Protectors.
So help us, God
The woman snorted and spat on the floor. “How much treasure is there, loony toons.”
Vern giggled. “Loony Toons, that’s good. Do you speak for all the Chiefs?”
She glanced back at her counterparts. Vern watched as each of them nodded. She turned back to Vern. “Yes, I do.”
Vern clapped his hands together. “Oh, the luck we have, eh Jack.” Vern gave him a gentle poke in the ribs. “The luck we have.”
Jack cut his eyes at Vern and hissed, “What luck? They’re about to leave.”
Vern giggled again. “It’s luck, trust me, it’s luck.”
Jasmine stood up.
“What’s your name?” she asked the woman.
“Alora.”
“Alora, will you and the other Chiefs follow me, please?” Jasmine asked.
Jack shook his head at Jasmine and mouthed, “No.” Jasmine paid him no mind as she walked past him.
The leaders followed Jasmine down to the abbey and then into the crypt. “If we’re going to be partners, what’s ours is yours. Now, will you help us?” Jasmine asked, lighting the rows of candles against the wall.
The other Chiefs stood in awe at the accumulated wealth of The Protectors and Statues. Food and bottled water lined each wall as far as the eye could see. Boxes of rifles sat in the center of the room, in front of the books that had been kept down there for centuries.
Jasmine faced Alora. “So with your allegiance, The Protectors will provide food, shelter, and weapons if you will help us rebuild Fort Camden and expand the land further west. Do we have an accord?” Jasmine asked.
Alora picked a book off the shelf. “A Never-ending Story,” she muttered.
Jasmine gave Jack a nod. “That’s exactly what this is, Alora. A never-ending story. But if we beat the slavers, it doesn’t have to be a never-ending story,” Jack said.
Alora took a pull off her canteen and glanced at Jasmine. “How would you know what it takes to beat the slavers, you wear a dre—-”
Before Alora could move, Jasmine had a blade near her throat. “Don’t.”
Alora smiled and backed away. “So, the mice can fight?” She laughed. “Good.”
Jasmine lifted the piece of paper Vern offered earlier into the air. “Sign here, Alora, if you agree to our terms.”
Alora glanced over her shoulder, signed the document, and then handed it to the other Chiefs. They all signed their names or marked an X if they couldn’t write.
Jasmine stepped back and folded the paper, then handed it to Bushwick. “Now, let’s rebuild.”
