Through the Gate: The Chronicles of Cornu Book 1

by L J Dalton Jr

  Aftermath. Classes were canceled for most of the week. On Friday, Mike caught the AMTRAK to Newark. He got a taxi to Montclair. He already knew that Mr. Jones hadn’t made it. The plane crashed right into his offices. That in a way was a blessing, he probably never felt a thing. The problem was his two kids, both a little younger than Mike had lost their father. The funeral was going to be at Martins and the service at St Luke’s. He’d be buried at Rosedale. Mike wasn’t looking forward to this.

  He got home and got dressed in his best dark suit and conservative tie. Along with his parents he rode over to Martin’s for the viewing. He’d been to these before. It was always people who were much older and had lived a full life. He was lucky none of his school mates had died doing stupid teenage things like driving drunk. As he walked in, he could see Mrs. Jones and her two children. Mike was able to mumble a few words to each of them. He saw their tear stained faces and it tore at him. He later realized that the important thing was showing up not what he said. He went up and knelt before the casket. It was an empty casket, as they hadn’t found his remains. Kneeling there he felt a cold anger burning in his gut. We hadn’t done anything to those people, they were some sort of religious animals.

  The funeral was on Saturday. Mike went through it with his parents. Both of his sisters and his brother-in-law Bill were there. He could see that his parents were really affected. His mother cried off and on during the whole thing. She wasn’t the only one crying. He could see his father struggling to hold back the tears. It’s really a moment when your father is on the verge of tears. Afterwards, it was a very somber diner at the Mulvaney’s. Mike packed up and his sister and brother-in-law dropped him off at Newark Penn Station.

  When he got back to MIT, he was quiet for the next few days. Everybody gave Mike the space to get his head together. During this time, he concentrated on his studies and used them as a refuge. He started to come out of after about a week. Within three weeks he was back to normal. But he knew that something had changed. He couldn’t put his finger on it, maybe it was the final loss of innocence. In a way he envied his brother Jack, who was going to be able to strike back. Yet at the same time he worried about him and his sister-in-law Rosa and young nephew.

  As his spirits improved, he started to get an interest in girls. There was one girl in particular, Sue. She was a graduate student in Math and couple of years older. He talked with her off and on. He started to notice that she often stopped him to talk. Interesting he thought, maybe something will come of this maybe something won’t.

  John Goes Semi-Prepper.

  9/11 had a dramatic effect on John Mulvaney. He was Rockefeller Republican, which meant that he was strong on defense, fiscally conservative and socially liberal. He and his family lived an outdoor lifestyle. He hunted and fished as did both his sons. He and his wife enjoyed taking hikes although camping out was not Mary’s style. He owned guns, but they were all for hunting – a deer rifle and a couple of shotguns. The guns and the ammunition were all locked in a green gun safe down in the basement. He’d never considered getting anything like the AR-15, plus the assault weapons ban made those difficult to get and pricey. But John knew that he wanted something more than just his deer rifle. Intellectually, he thought it was stupid, but emotionally he needed that protection. Emotions won.

  He really researched the assault weapons ban and found that the Ruger Mini-14 was specifically exempted from ban. It only had a five-round magazine, but he could get several. After 9/11 he didn’t expect the assault weapon ban to hold up. People were just too scared. But right now, he wanted something legal that would provide some protection. He went out bought two of the Rugers and six five-round magazines. It was a .223, but that was fine. He bought 200 rounds of ammunition for the two rifles. The Rugers weren’t the only guns he bought. He also bought two Glock 17s and three Glock 19s with extra magazines for all of them. Another 200 rounds of .9mm ammunition went on the bill. In purchasing the guns, he made sure that he followed all the New Jersey regulations. Once the ban was lifted, he intended to get AR-15s.

  He got home and put the guns in a new gun safe, then he and Mary sat down to talk. 9/11 had scared both of them, and the airline going down in Queens so soon afterwards just ratcheted up fear and unease. “Mary, I know this is irrational, but it’s I feel better now that we’ve got these in the house. I feel stupid in a way but emotionally I think I needed to do this.”

  Mary nodded. “John I’m not happy about it either, but I know we can’t go back to before 9/11, not so soon after it happened. What are you most afraid of and what should we do?”

  “Well I’m not afraid of a bunch of terrorists driving around Montclair, killing people. That’s just plain stupid. People who are saying that are fear mongering for their own benefit. What I am concerned about is an attack that will cause a breakdown in civil order for a few days or maybe a little more than a week. Or something like a dirty bomb in New York that we’ve got to evacuate.” Mary looked concerned but nodded her agreement.

  John continued. “What we need to do is to take precautions for the most likely scenarios and hope that they never come to pass. We have to make sure we’ve got enough food and water on hand last a couple of weeks at least. Maybe some of that freeze-dried stuff would be best. Money is also something we should have around. We should have several thousand dollars in the house as an emergency. I’m also going to get some Krugerrands and put them in money belts for both of us. We’ll need to have emergency stuff packed or nearly packed so that we can get out of here in a half hour if need be. What do we do if I’m at work and you’re at home, or we’re driving around and need to get home? We need to keep the gas tanks at least half full and a couple of emergency gas cans ready to go. I can use the gas for the lawn mower and the trimmer. I want to put gun safes in your car and my truck for the Glock 19s. Both of us need to be able to use all the guns. The shotgun is the best weapon if you have to try and keep people out of the house. Scares the crap and them and you don’t have to aim all that well.”

  Mary sat quietly for a while taking it all in finally, she was ready to talk. “I hate every bit of this, every stinking bit. I wish that it never happened. I wish those bastards would all die of the plague.” Mary went on and John sat and let her vent. Once she ran down, Mary looked at John. “Well, I may not like it but better safe than sorry. I hope that in a few years we can put this all behind us. I’ll learn to shoot, maybe it will be fun. You’ll never get Julie to carry a gun. In an emergency she would be at the hospital anyway. The same with Sharon, no gun. I don’t see Mike having a problem with it, even if he goes along just to humor you.” Mary never mentioned Jack. He lived near a military base and his wife was an army brat. If anything happened, they would be taken care of.

  When John went back to work on Monday, after the market closed, he called his local mechanic, Joe Hillman. “Joe, this John Mulvaney, how are you? I’ve got something to ask you.”

  “Sure, John I’m doing fine. Glad you made it out of that mess. Real sorry about the people we lost. What do you need?”

  “Joe, I may be getting a little paranoid here, but I’ve got two under the seat gun safes for the cars. Can you put them in?”

  “John, you’re the third person who asked me that. So, in all this paranoia, you’re not alone. I’m starting to think about doing the same thing. I’ve got a gun in the shop, but I tell everybody, just give them the money, no heroics, we’re insured. Don’t want anybody hurt. But what are you thinking about anyway?”

  John explained how what he was really worried about was something that would cause a breakdown in law and order for a short time and the possible need to defend against crazed people.

  “I hate to say it, but you make some sense. What type of safe is it?”

  John gave him the make and model of the safe and that it would be bolted to the floor plate in the car.

  “Sure, we can do it. Take about two hours, is what I’m guessing. If you could have Mary drop them off so I co
uld look over them and get an idea on what we really need to do. Then she can make an appointment and drop the cars off one at a time and we’ll get it done.”

  The next day, Mary dropped off the two safes, still in their shipping boxes. Two days later she had the first safe installed and then on the next Monday the second safe was installed in John’s truck. Mary started going to the shooting range and becoming familiar with the Glock. She was never going to be a dead shot, but she could hit somebody at 20 feet, and not hurt herself with the gun. That was good enough for John and he put the Glock and an extra magazine in the safe. The combination was simple, 3-4-1.

  They put together a ‘go bag’. Since John did some backpacking and camping, the bag was simple. It was John’s basic backpacking kit plus the bucket of freeze-dried-food that they’d bought. John threw together a fanny pack for Mary. It had a survival sleeping bag, which was nothing more than two survival blankets together, a knife, a few survival bars, cheap portable poncho, a multitool and a Bic lighter. They also put the money belts where they could get them. Both agreed that if they had to evacuate, they would meet at Sol’s. If they were to stay at home, John would make it home or shelter in the office until he could get there. They assumed both Mike and Sharon would be safe at school.

  Bart’s Caravan Raid

  Kornin was leading thirty-five of Bart’s men through the Nordia pass. They were disguised as a merchant caravan going to buy goods at Midport and then transport them back south across the Sud. There were ten ‘guards’ and twenty-five ‘merchants’ and their helpers. The four guards at the pass simply let them go and wished them good luck. They headed down the road towards Vinfarm. Vinfarm was a farming village on the road from the pass. It was known for wine, cheese, sausages and wool. Once they reached the village, they stopped to buy some supplies - wine, cheese and sausages. Kornin, carefully reconnoitered the village in case they had to do this again.

  Then they went on towards the River Road. The plan was elegant in its simplicity. This time of the year the trade winds blew towards Landia. The trading ships would return laden with goods from the other continents. The merchant caravans would move west along the river road towards the heart of Landia. Kornin hoped to capture two caravans, relieve them of their goods and then flee out of Nordia through the pass. From the pass he would then head into the kingdoms south of the Sud. Once there they would head to the hidden alpine valley and slowly sell the goods over the next few months. This was going to raise the ire of the authorities, because they would have to eliminate the merchants and guards. While Bart’s band had avoided violence, this particular raid would be an exception. Any women would be brought to the south and sold into slavery or stay on as concubines of Barts band.

  When they reached the River Road, Kornin surveyed the area. The road came down through the grasslands. Trees bordered the River Road on both sides. On the southern side the trees extended in about one hundred yards and then it was grassland. The road from Vinfarm had about twenty-five yards of grassland on either side of it right up to the River Road. The woods on the north side of River Road were much deeper. A mile west down River Road was the bridge over the crystal river. Kornin called Riten to him and gave him his instructions. “I want the men to go into the grasslands to the east there. It will be hard to see from the road.” and he pointed to the area he meant. “I want you to have them dig a number of shallow graves. They don’t have to be too deep; we just want to cover up the bodies and keep scavengers away. I don’t want any vultures circling around the area. Also, don’t want the smell. That would be a dead giveaway. We’re not taking any prisoners, unless they’re women.” Riten nodded and went off to get that done.

  While the graves were being dug, he detailed two of his men to ride to Midport. It was about a day and half’s journey away. He wanted them to try and come into the town from the east. That was an extra precaution. They were to spot any promising caravans and then notify Kornin. He told them that they would get to take only two caravans before they needed to leave. Once the men left, Kornin walked the whole area and carefully considered where he would place the men for that ambush.

  Once that was done, they settled down in the grasslands. Their camp hid the freshly dug graves and they looked like a caravan that had stopped and rested for the night. They sat around and waited for word from Midport. Everyone knew it could take several days for the right caravan to come along. During the day Kornin placed the men in their ambush positions and went over what each would do. This was done several times. None of the men particularly liked this, but they knew that the careful preparation of Bart and the people working for him meant less danger for themselves. So, they tolerated it without many complaints.

  Two days later, Kornin’s two men arrived at Midport. The city had grown up around the ducal palace and it had spread out from the fortress on the bluff. They picked a modest inn near the main caravan assembly area. Their cover was that they were looking to sign on as caravan guards, and they looked the part. Both had weapons and the look of fighters. This allowed them to talk to all the heads of the caravans without arousing suspicion. The inn catered to the caravan trade and sitting in the common room at night gave them an opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge. Two days later they spotted the perfect caravan.

  It was small, only twenty people, five guards and fifteen merchants. The cargo was just type that they were looking for. Loads of tea, spices and ivory from Astica. This was a valuable cargo and easy to dispose of in the south. It would depart in two days. The next morning one of the men departed Midport heading west. When he reached were the road from Vinfarm where it connected to the River Road, he turned south towards Kornin’s camp. Kornin agreed that this caravan would make a perfect target.

  Three days later the caravan arrived at the ambush site. Kornin waited until the caravan was in the middle of the ambush. At his signal the men he’d stationed to the north of the road rose up and fired. The first volley killed four of the guards and more than half of the merchants. The men then charged out of the woods to engage the survivors with pistol and sword. The fight was short and one sided. The merchants weren’t fighters and Kornin’s men quickly killed them all. There were four women who survived the attack on the caravan.

  Kornin had his men quickly gather the horses and mules and move them to his camp. The women were bound and taken to the camp. Kornin called Riten over. “Get the bodies in the graves as soon as possible and see what you can do with the blood.” Riten directed the men to carry the bodies to the graves and cover them up. Then he and another man took on the task of covering the blood. The first thing they did was spread sand over the whole area. Once it was dried, they used fir branches to sweep the dried sand and blood off the road. The final thing was to get water and wash down the crown of the road and get any remaining blood off the road. When they were done there was no sign of any blood.

  In the meantime, Kornin directed the men to unload the horses and mules, get them tethered, watered and fed. As he looked through the loot, he was very pleased. He turned to his men “A really good haul. We’ll all get bonuses for this raid. Let’s get some drugged wine into the women and we can celebrate tonight.” The men cheered. Couple of men prepared the wine and added the drugs. They forced the women to drink the drugged wine. Within a few hours they would be willing participants in whatever the men wanted.

  Within an hour only a detailed examination would have shown that a slaughter had taken place. The men celebrated and passed the now willing women around. Kornin’s band continued to act as a merchant caravan camping in the grasslands. For the next couple of days caravans passed by heading west, luckily none attempted to join the camp.

  Riverbend was the next stop after the ambush site. When the next caravan arrived, they were surprised that the caravan that proceeded them out of Midport wasn’t’ there. There was a bit of concern, but when no survivors straggled in and nobody saw anything on the road, everyone assumed that they had gone directly south over the Nordia
pass to sell their goods. It wasn’t unheard of.

  Four days later the last man in Midport arrived at Kornin’s camp. There was a caravan just as rich as the first, but with more people. There were ten guards and thirty merchants in the caravan. The amount of goods was half again as much as the first. Kornin knew that this wasn’t going to be as easy as the first caravan. They’d hit it, kill all of the people in it as fast as they could and then head south towards the pass. He had his men dig enough graves. No need to make it easy for the authorities to find out where the ambush took place. This would be the last attack and then they would head for the pass and safety.

  When the caravan showed up, they followed the same script. They killed a number of the people with the first volley and then closed to finish them with pistol and sword. These merchants put up more of a fight and Kornin suffered four wounded men. One of the merchants was riding a fast horse near the end of the caravan. At the first shots, he took off to the east, back towards the inn that was the next stopover on the way to Midport. Kornin’s men shot at him, but muskets at range against a moving target aren’t that accurate. He got away clean. Kornin urged his men to hurry. The bodies were thrown into the graves and quickly covered. There was an effort to hide the blood, but some was still visible. The horses and mules were gathered together and joined with the ones they’d taken from the first caravan; they headed out south towards Vinfarm and the pass beyond there. Kornin, knew that the alarm would be raised sooner than he had expected. He berated himself for not having men blocking the road in both directions. But what was done was done. All he could do was to urge his men to hurry. They were experienced bandits and knew that they would be pursued so it didn’t take much to get them moving quickly.