Rescue Mission

by Linda Jordan

  Damon gazed off into the distance and said, “I know. It’s me or if a miracle happens, her statement last night will bring someone. I’d be pleased to hand this over to someone else.”

  “Well, until that happens, you’re it. So do what you’re doing. Handle this job with integrity and grace.”

  He stared at her.

  “I mean it. You’re one of the most competent people I’ve ever met. You rise to confront every crisis. I’ve only been here a short time and there’s been a lot of chaos. In the middle of it, there you are, straightening the tangles and making everything flow smoothly again.”

  “Doesn’t feel that way to me. Feels like I’m jumping from the frying pan, to the fire, then into a damn volcano. And all my efforts just make things worse.”

  “You need more sleep.”

  They were at his house. They went inside and he showed her the bookcase of battered gardening books.

  She found three that looked likely. One on native plants, another on garden plants and a third on weeds. The surrounding woods probably contained a mix of all three. Formerly a residential area, filled with houses, now ruined. People were still digging useful things out of the rubble in the woods here on a daily basis.

  Nature had reclaimed this area with weeds and native plants and garden plants gone feral. She had some work ahead of her trying to figure out which plants were which.

  “Now go back to bed and sleep,” she said, standing in the doorway with the heavy books.

  “I can’t,” he said.

  “What is so critical that it can’t wait a day?” she asked.

  “I’m waiting for the people gathering wire to return. And the people finding animals to come back. And the hunters are due back. I need to be there.”

  “Everyone knows where to find you if there’s an emergency. Everything else is just you sitting and waiting and letting panic defeat you. Sleep while you’re waiting. Otherwise, you’ll be useless to everyone.”

  Damon said, “You’re right of course.”

  “I’m always right,” said Evangeline.

  She went out through the door, closing it behind her. Then walked back to the center of the village and sat down at Damon’s table.

  Spreading out the books, she opened up the pages, taking care not to mix up the order of all the loose pages. The breeze kept trying to blow them away, so she finally got nearby rocks to hold down the pages as she read. She noticed Damon had done the same thing with all his papers.

  After a while, she realized people had begun to populate the surrounding tables, eating lunch. She went over to the cooks and got a bowl of deer soup. There were a few root vegetables floating in it.

  “What’s this?” she asked Angie about a round one, brown with a white center.

  “Oh, Jackie found a patch of burdock. Burdock root.”

  “Does Jackie know plants?”

  Angie looked over to a tall, thin younger woman, about Evangeline’s age.

  Jackie nodded and said, “My mom used to scavenge for wild plants. I learned a little and I still remember some of it.”

  “Good. I’ve got some books on plants I’m trying to read. Can I come to you if I have questions?”

  “Sure,” said Jackie.

  “Oh, and I’m in charge of teaching everyone how to defend themselves. We’ll meet tonight, after you’ve cleaned up from cooking dinner. After you’ve eaten. Will that work?”

  Angie raised her eyebrows.

  “Is that necessary?”

  “Yes,” said Evangeline. “Being able to fend off an attack is important. Whether it’s one of our enemies or some guy getting too friendly. I wish it wasn’t so. You all need to learn and practice. Can you spread the word around?”

  “I can do that,” said Jackie.

  “We’ll be ready tonight,” said Angie.

  Evangeline smiled and tasted the soup. The deer meat added a richness that balanced the earthiness of the vegetables. She also tasted oregano. The previous villagers must have left some behind.

  “This is wonderful,” said Evangeline. “I like it much better than what you were making with all the fancy imported ingredients back in the Zoo.”

  “Thank you,” said Angie, her face brightening. “We’ve been working hard, trying to make do with few ingredients.”

  “I love it.”

  She went back to the table and the plant books to finish the soup. It felt good to have a purpose again. A direction for her energy and her life. She smiled for the first time in a very long time.

  Tonight would be an introduction to defense. She’d need to start slowly. Some of these people hadn’t taken care of their bodies. Just used them to do work. She’d start off with stretching and breathing exercises. And give them a long talk about attitude. Do some strength work and sparring. Give them a couple of easy moves. One to disable an attacker. Another to disarm. End with more stretching. Keep it short and light. None of them were used to physical violence from another human. She’d increase the lessons as everyone grew stronger.

  Evangeline hoped they’d all be spared violence from the upcoming war, but that was far beyond her control.

  19

  Cady

  Cady pulled a few weeds in her small herb garden and planted a few more mustard seeds for greens. It had rained again last night and soil smelled damp and rich. The greens might make it through the winter, might not. There were never any guarantees with nature. Or with life, for that matter.

  Her mind was intent on trying to understand Kali’s presence at her window that morning. She hadn’t told Beth or Mazzy about the deity. Most people didn’t know who Kali was. If they did, they only knew her as Kali, the Destroyer. They didn’t know her as the Mother. She embodied both forms.

  Which aspect was she embodying now?

  Mazzy had gone to spread the word that there would be a meeting tonight. To discuss magic. Cady was not looking forward to it. It was likely Beth would lose her husband tonight. Which the woman seemed to be looking forward to.

  Cady had seen it before. Beth was spoiling for a fight, having been passive too long. She had passed any point of reconciliation and was out for blood and revenge.

  Cady stood, looking at her small garden. It was a start. If everything went well, she’d have carrots and greens for the fall, and perhaps through the winter. She’d been given potatoes, winter squash, onions and apples and had put them on a table down in the small, hopefully waterproof, root cellar beneath her house. She would add more vegetables to her garden next spring. It would be a lean winter for everyone.

  She dusted off her hands and went inside the house. Monster was sleeping on her bed. Cady washed up and ate a bunch of blackberries she’d picked earlier, along with some goat cheese from Joe, her former neighbor. Her meal done, she set off for the Commons.

  The Commons was a large wooden building that held everyone in the village, children included, and still had more room. There weren’t enough handmade chairs for everyone just yet, but there would be. There was only one room in the building and it was crowded. The new wood walls smelled like the fir used to build them. That scent mingled with the sweat of everyone around. The entire village was working hard to survive.

  There was a high counter at one end and behind that, a sink, stove, two large refrigerators and a chest freezer. All scavenged and refurbished by Will and Ryan. The idea was that people would bring their excess food to the Commons and leave them. Those in need could take what was there.

  Cady moved to sit in a seat on the edge, but Mazzy and Sharine motioned for her to come up to the center of the circle, near them. Cady sighed and walked through the ring of chairs, three rows deep.

  She sat in an empty wood chair, running her hands over the sides of the seat. Even though it was new, the wood felt smooth as glass. Someone had taken their time with this one.

  When everyone was present, Mazzy spoke.

  “We have two things to talk about tonight. One is the name for our village. We’ll save that f
or last. First, I want to talk about the increase of magic in our village since we moved here to the lake.”

  There was laughter from several people in the back of the room.

  “Magic doesn’t exist,” said someone behind Cady. A woman’s voice.

  “It most certainly does,” said Joe, who’d never had any powers. He stood slowly, leaning on a carved wood cane. His arthritis must be bothering him. He rubbed his grizzled white beard which stood out in contrast to his blue black skin.

  “I’ve got things happening to me that can’t be explained any other way,” he said.

  “Can you tell us about it Joe?” asked Mazzy.

  “Well, you all know I never had any magic, back at the old place. Gave a side eye to those of you who claimed you did, even though I like you well enough. But since we got here, strange things been happening. Every time I turn around I’ve been seeing Orisha Oko. He’s making sure the water’s pure. Checking over my goats, helping heal their injuries. Keeping tabs on their kids born this spring. Weeding my crops. He don’t talk to me, but I can put my hand right through him. Yesterday, he helped me find one of the babies what had been lost. Led me right to her. She was stuck five feet up in a maple clump, silly thing. Those are only a few of the strange things been happenin’. I could go on all day.” Joe dropped down on his chair with a thunk.

  “Me too,” said Gia, standing and tucking her long dark, hair behind her ears to straighten it. “I’ve never had any magic either, although I knew other people did. I wasn’t able to bring many books with me from our old village, so I haven’t had much to do since we got here. I’ve been helping other people out where I’m able. Every single person I’ve helped has been having some sort of magical experience. Many of them won’t talk about it here. They’re too shy or they don’t really understand it. People are seeing deities, where they’ve never been able to before. They’re able to heal animals. Where someone’s cooking was once awful, they suddenly can now create delicious food. One person is able to be absolutely accurate with what the weather will be for the next two weeks. Another can say beforehand, where the good hunting is and how many of what creature they will catch. Still others can hear their child’s thoughts. I think being in this place has something to do with all the magic happening.”

  There was a lot of noise from the back of the room. Behind Cady. She twisted around to look. It was Liam. Might as well get this over with.

  Cady stood to speak.

  “Ever since we got here, strange things have been happening. There are a lot of spirits, deities and mythological creatures in this area, for some reason. I don’t know why, perhaps the lake is a magnet for them. Magic fills the air. Everywhere I look, one of you has a new-found gift. Some of you haven’t noticed yet, or perhaps you just chocked it up as a coincidence. This magic will change our village. We will need to find a way to train people to use their gifts wisely. And we’ll need to know which person to call for help with any given problem. Especially in emergencies.”

  Liam laughed out loud.

  “Do you have something to say to all of us Liam?” asked Cady, with as much kindness as she could manage.

  He was pacing around the edge of the circle. If any of them were going to disagree outright, it was him. The big bully.

  Finally, he stopped and said, “This is all garbage. Best I can figure is that those of you who are sick, who think you have magic, are poisoning all the others in the village. I think we should never have come here. We should have stayed put. Or maybe those who fancy themselves as having magic to look important, should leave.”

  “No one is keeping you here,” said Mazzy.

  “I shouldn’t have to leave. You’re the ones who are sick.”

  Mazzy stood, hands on her hips. “You’re the one protesting the changes that have happened here. This goes for anyone else here. For some reason, this lake is a magnet for magic. It’s only going to increase. If any of you aren’t willing to accept that, and the fact that your neighbors, and perhaps even yourself, are going to develop strange powers, then this is the time to pack up and go back to the old village. We will miss you.”

  Sam stood and said, “There’s a problem with that. Our old village has been taken over by people fleeing the Zoo. They’ve moved in. If you go back, you need to be aware of that.”

  Liam said, “I’m leaving. Who’s with me?”

  There was silence. Then Mason, Liam’s good buddy, said, “I’m going.”

  No one else said a word. Cady felt the tension in the room, thick and oppressive like a thundercloud about to shoot down lightening at any moment. She took a deep breath, trying to dissipate her own edginess.

  Liam turned to leave the building and said, “C’mon Beth. We’re going.”

  Beth stood in front of her children and said, “I’m staying here. So are the kids.”

  Liam looked at her and said, “Like hell you are. You’re my wife. You come with me.”

  “No,” she said. “I’ve got magic and so do all the kids. We belong here.”

  Liam made a move towards her, but Tank and Mateo stepped in front of Beth.

  “You can’t stop me from taking what’s mine.”

  “This is a free village. No one belongs to anyone else,” said Tank.

  Tank just crossed his arms and cocked his head at Liam. Liam was a big man, but Tank was huge and muscled. Liam was soft, all fat.

  Mateo also stared at Liam, waiting. He was smaller, but wiry and quick. He could use a knife and had one on his hip. Cady wouldn’t have wanted to tangle with either Tank or Mateo. Liam, she probably could have taken, back in her prime.

  Finally, Liam turned to leave with Mason.

  “Damn witch, you can keep her. Not worth anything anyway,” he said, spitting on the floor as he left.

  The door slammed and they were gone.

  Cady caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see Kali, dancing outside the window. Destruction, that was the aspect she must be embodying. Or perhaps it was the Mother. The village had protected Beth and her kids.

  Beth was openly crying, Cady guessed it was from relief. Sarah handed her baby to Sam and went to Beth, putting her arms around her.

  “Thank you all,” sobbed Beth.

  Beth’s kids hugged their Mom and Sarah. One big group hug.

  “Well, that settles that,” said Mazzy. “I think the name of our village is Enchanted Lake.”

  “I second that,” said Joe.

  “I third that,” said Beth. “Let’s vote.”

  Mazzy said, “All for it?”

  Hands raised in the air.

  “All against?”

  There were no hands up.

  “Passed. Our village is now called Enchanted Lake.”

  Gia stood and said, “I think Cady’s right. We need to talk about how to teach people to use their magic wisely. And organize information about who can do what. Those of you who are interested meet here tomorrow evening after dinner. We’ll try to figure out how that might work.”

  Cady decided to participate. She had some ideas about things. People mingled around and talked. Not yet wanting to leave.

  “Fire,” yelled Joaquin, running from the window to the door.

  Several adults ran after him.

  In the growing dusk, Cady could see Beth’s house ablaze. There was no question about what happened. Liam had torched the place. Mason didn’t have enough imagination, he always followed Liam’s lead. Everyone moved out the door, adults corralling the kids.

  The wind was blowing. There was no saving Beth’s house. People grabbed any container that would hold water and drenched nearby houses. What had Liam used to make the fire spread so quickly? That house had been made of green wood, built not more than a month ago.

  Then Cady felt a tingle down her back, the one she always felt when there was big magic going on.

  There, standing out in the open was the slight form of Bao. His long, black silken hair swirled in the wind. His eyes were c
losed and his arms held high, as if calling something.

  Cady could see blue streaks of energy coming from his fingers. A dark cloud overhead answered and rain began to fall. Light at first, then a downpour.

  It wasn’t long before the fire was out.

  Cady began to clap. Then the others looked to see what she was clapping about and joined her. Bao dropped his arms and looked around, then down at the ground.

  “Are you the reason it’s been raining every night?” Cady asked him.

  He nodded.

  “Is this a new power for you?”

  “Yes. I wanted to keep my seeds and seedlings watered, but still have the sun and heat during the day,” he said. “There’s not much time before the fall rains come.”

  “Thank you,” said Beth.

  Beth’s house was gone. A charred, smoking mess.

  There came a thunder of wings and Onyx landed.

  “The man who began the fire and his friend are on the other side of the hill. Running away. Back to your old village. Do you want me to do anything about that?” the dragon asked Cady.

  “Bring them back and make them build a new house for Beth,” said one voice.

  “Good riddance,” said Joe.

  “Let them go,” said Beth. “I never want to see him again.”

  “There could be consequences,” said Sam. “He could lead the people from the Zoo to us.”

  “Could or will?” asked Cady. “Have you seen something?”

  “It’s unclear,” said Sam. “Every time I try to look into our future here, it’s all jumbled. I’m worried.”

  “I’m unclear too, Sam,” said Cady. “I don’t trust Morrigu. She’s our biggest problem. If Liam and Mason join her, there’s no end to the trouble they could bring us.”

  “What can we do about it? Should I ask Onyx to bring them here?” asked Sam.

  “No. We’re well rid of them. We’ll wait and adapt. We’re good at that. I’m not as young and flexible as I once was, but I can change. So can the rest of us. We’ll deal with whatever comes by sticking together.”

  Beth and her children were moved in to Sarah’s house, until another house could be built for them.