Where We Stand

by Angela White

  With him glowing crimson, it was impossible to say that it was all a ruse, and neither man spoke.

  Marc began outlining the plans for the mines and weapons they would place along route 40, and the Eagles turned their minds to it and dug in. The urge to be perfect here was terribly strong. The competitions in Safe Haven couldn’t compare to these men who challenged nature on her own terms daily. Jax and Paul had developed a healthy respect for their escorts, especially while riding in the wee hours and trying not to let anyone know how cold they were, or hear their shivering. The Indians hadn’t appeared to notice the weather or discomfort.

  Marc finished telling them what needed to be done, then included Thaddeus. “You will be their right hand. Take care of my men. They must live to become ghosts.”

  Thaddeus understood. In the old world, a trip from here, to Denver and back, would have been a two day drive. Now, by horse, it would take four days each way. That was with breaks, though, and Thaddeus wasn’t sure Marc intended to take any. He had the same glaze that the restless braves sometimes carried when the reservation fences became too tall, too constricting. Those had been the first walls he’d brought down after the War.

  “I will protect them. Do not fear for their safety.”

  Marc sighed. “I don’t fear for their safety. I fear for yours. My rookies are new, but they hand out death as fast I do. Keep the riders away from them until they understand what and who we are.”

  Thaddeus took the instruction to heart. The soldiers were the targets, not each other. “I will handle it.”

  Marc hesitated, then pushed on. “Other people may come, other races. They feel my pull, know the time has come. You have to convince your warriors to let them help us. There are rancherias, pueblos, and colonies of native americans all over this broken country. We need as many as we can gather.”

  Thaddeus didn’t care for the new information. “That will be no easy task. We locked ourselves here when the War came, to avoid those who survived. Outsiders were not welcome before. Now, they are hunted, purged from our lands.”

  “There are more like me.”

  Marc’s words drew the attention of the entire group. It was something the Indians had been wondering of Paul and Jax.

  “They will come to find me, to help. You won’t know them. They will not give you the signs that I have. They, too, have been hunted.”

  “The soldiers want to use them,” Paul added, looking only at Red Stone. “To regain control.”

  Mutters went around the camp and the drag rider leader came closer. “We will not allow such power to fall in the hands of our enemy. It is better that you die.”

  “I agree. But until that time comes, I will fight!” Marc shouted, gratified by the flinches. They were beginning to understand what he was now.

  Marc calmed his inner rage, controlling the demon. He’d never imagined hunger like this. “We will be joined by many people, of many races. Some of them will be the enemy in disguise. We will search each other and watch for those few. The rest we will welcome gratefully into our quest.”

  The idea of spies had men staring at each other. Marc had already warned them of one such person and they glared around in suspicion.

  “Tell us who the traitor here is, so that we may end his knowledge.”

  Marc denied them. “He hasn’t chosen to betray us yet. As long as it is only thoughts, he has done nothing wrong.”

  That was against the codes they were relearning or had been raised on, but Marc continued before anyone could speak. “Perhaps a dance would help him understand that the riches the enemy has promised will not be given.”

  Red Stone’s mouth dropped open, betraying his control. “You would have us ghost dance!”

  Marc grinned widely. “Yes. Let the people search the future and discover for themselves what waits if they continue to hide. The new earth will not stand for it. You must remember the first lesson of the great spirit.”

  “We cannot love our enemy!” Red Stone protested.

  “Yes, you can,” Marc affirmed, thinking of Adrian. “You respect his power, admire his intelligence, and loathe his ways. You love him for the challenge he will give you, for helping to prove your worth, your strength. The enemy is to be loved,” Marc repeated harshly. “And then destroyed like the plague that they are.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Near Holly Springs National Forest

  7/17

  1

  “Wait.” Angela’s voice was different than it usually was when she was about to tell him of things they needed nearby and Adrian slowed to a gradual stop, fighting the heartburn.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  She was out the door before he could protest and though she had a shadow, Adrian followed.

  Angela stopped on the sidewalk, straining to view into the scraggily trees that lined the block of paint chipped, dark homes

  After a moment, she walked slowly toward the tallest row of branches, gaze darting nervously around.

  Angela looked up. “There.”

  Adrian struggled to spot whatever she had and when he finally realized what the small, huddled shape was, his heart thumped. He would have rolled right by if not for her.

  “That branch is ready to break.”

  Adrian was studying the big tree. “Yeah. Look further up.”

  She understood as she spotted the other shape, this one clearly dead. “Followed his cat up and got stuck.”

  Adrian was glad there were no live cicadas in the trees. Plenty of eggs waiting for spring, though, and he began searching for the right way to rescue the boy.

  “Or they both hid,” Adrian offered, trying to distract her from the plans he could sense forming in her mind. “Lots of bullet holes and casings.”

  Angela considered the branches, mind working the puzzle. Before he could argue, she lunged upward and began scaling the tree.

  In view of their convoy, her actions drew immediate attention, and the Eagles scrambled to secure the area as people began to get out of their vehicles for a closer look.

  Roughly half way, Angela glanced up to find the child staring at her with a crushing gratitude. It was a relief so powerful that she smiled as tears pricked her lids. Another of her lost children, found.

  “I’m Angie.”

  The boy was younger than 10 and older than five, with matted brown hair and skin so dirty, she wasn’t sure if he was black or not. His dark brown eyes ran with tears, cutting a path through the grime that gave her a hint of his lineage. Middle eastern.

  “Hanali.”

  Craaaccckkk!

  The tree was thick, but brittle and the branch she had just left snapped. It fell heavily to the ground, causing people to chatter. Now that she was over half way to the top, the wood was weaker, rotting from the top down, and she had to reach further to find a good grip, earning splinters. Some of her grabs were risky, making the men below mutter.

  “How long have you been up here, Hanali?” she distracted the child as the wind blew against the tree, causing it to sway sickeningly

  She pushed herself to grab the last branch and hauled herself into the fork he was in.

  “A...week? Many days.”

  She gave him a quick look over, spotting the backpack that had surely saved his life. “Smart to carry stuff now.”

  The boy put a hand out, like he almost couldn’t believe she was there.

  “My mother had hair like yours. Black... long.”

  Angela didn’t hesitate to pull him carefully into her arms and let him cry on her chest.

  “I’ve been so alone!” he wailed.

  She rubbed his tangled hair comfortingly, keeping a tight grip on the tree with her legs as the wind hit them again.

  “I’m here now, Hans. I’m here now.”

  His thin arms tightened around her neck and when she began to whisper, he nodded against her.

  “Okay. Eyes closed?”

  She slowly shifted him into position. “Yes, and hold tight, b
ut remember that I have to breathe. Don’t squeeze my neck.”

  He was shaking, terrified, and she quickly used the rope from her belt to tie them together. It wouldn’t hold for long, but it would buy a few seconds for action.

  “Okay. Onto my back, like when you were a baby.”

  She held still as he ever so slowly wrapped himself around her. His legs were thin, hard knots against her hips and she wished she had another rope to tie them around the middle as well as the wrist.

  “Angela.”

  She found Seth in the tree next to them, a long coil of rope over his shoulder and grinned.

  She held up a hand, being careful not to over-balance, and a second later, the rope fell roughly over her fingers.

  She snatched at it, got the end.

  Angela slid the rope around them and carefully tied it, stomach in knots as she secured him. Now, she had to get him down.

  Adrian observed with the rest of them, sending up the rope all he could do beyond the inflatable catchers the men were hurrying to set up under the tree. His heart thumped as she began the slow climb down.

  Her feet came first, each perch sought and tested carefully before she put their weight on it. The crowd’s muttering rose as the wind howled through the trees, shaking them. Leaves and drops of sticky liquid fell over the people.

  Snap!

  Angela jerked them back up as the branch gave, bending enough to tilt her feet down, and she slowly eased them to the other side of the trunk, using the alternate route she’d chosen on the way up. It was almost straight down, but nearly branchless and she scaled the thick trunk like a cat, using the sides of her boots and her fingers in the bark cracks to crawl down.

  As she neared the last 15 feet, the bark became too slippery to get a grip and she reluctantly switched to the front, where the branches were wider spaced but thicker. She eased her foot down and the branch cracked off, causing her to jerk them up against the trunk while she recovered her balance. The rest of the branches were too thin or weak to hold them, and Angela gritted her teeth in concentration. Her arms and legs were aching with the effort it took to hold them in place against the wind. The witch was ready to handle it, but with so many witnesses, she had to be careful.

  “I’m gonna drop him to you. Five seconds!” she called to the catchers below them.

  When the boy tightened his grip, she sent a calming mutter over them both. “They’ll catch you, Hans. I promise.”

  Before he could respond, she drew her blade and quickly cut through both ropes that bound them.

  She heard the sound of the buoyant catchers and then people murmuring in comfort... then a crack.

  The branch hit her arm like a dead weight and she was knocked from the tree in a heavy thud of pain, falling through the sky toward the ground.

  “I’m sorry for my sins,” was all she had time to think.

  Arian grunted at the impact, staggering as she slammed into his outstretched arms and dropped to the ground. Her head rolled against his arm, blood drops sprayed across her face from hitting the other branches on her way down.

  Adrian felt his own gift reach out to her, lending her strength.

  “Mom!”

  Charlie was trying to shoulder his way through the crowd now around them and Adrian waited without breathing for her lids to open.

  Angela struggled to wake, the blow a hard one, and she winced at the brightness. Where’s the layer of grit that kept this from happening? was her first thought and then she became aware of Adrian holding her, his face full of intense concern. What she could see over his shoulder made her heart thump with joy.

  “The boat... It’s south by southeast.”

  A second later, she opened her eyes to find herself in Adrian’s arms and surrounded by camp members. “What happened?”

  Adrian let her sit up as she stiffened and slowly faded into the mob as Charlie made his way through them.

  “You okay?”

  She started to nod and had to close her lids as dizziness took her balance.

  “Yeah. Slight concussion, I think.”

  She slowly pushed herself to her feet, using Charlie’s arm to steady herself and even as he suggested she go to Doctor Brooke, she was turning toward the boy she’d brought down.

  He was standing by himself, observing them with a scared, hopeful expression.

  She opened her arms to him. “Welcome to Safe Haven, Hanali.”

  The child didn’t hesitate and Charlie’s firm hand on her shoulder kept her from falling when he dove into her embrace.

  Angela slowly led them to the medical tent that was now being set up, swaying. Everyone was missing John and Anne, but they were grateful that another doctor had come. Their last group of new arrivals before leaving the Springs had been a medical man and small group of nursing students who’d survived together by hiding inside an armored truck. They had picked up more than forty people in Little Rock, though all but Conner had joined after the fact. When Adrian’s magic had blasted through that ravaged city, not just magic-users had answered his call.

  “Let Dr. Brooke look at you and I’ll be in next.”

  She turned away before he could beg her to come along and Charlie was there to steady her when she swayed.

  “Mom?”

  She held up a hand, concentrating, and found a pair of intense blue eyes observing her from across the hoods. No words or thoughts were spoken, but everyone felt their bond, their connection.

  Charlie stiffened at her side. The feelings in that look were impossible to miss. There was something between her and Adrian, and it was strong. He went to his assigned vehicle, glaring.

  “He’s hurting. We don’t like that.”

  Angela didn’t glare at Lee, keeping her focus on the pain instead.

  “Can you help him?”

  “He wants what I’m not free to give,” Angela denied through the waves of nausea.

  “But you care,” Lee protested, blurting more than he’d intended. “We all know it. You want him, too.”

  Angela’s cheeks and neck flushed a deep crimson, and Lee flinched as her head snapped up to reveal eyes of the same color.

  “Would you betray Candy?”

  “To keep this from falling apart? Yes,” Lee agreed reluctantly.

  Angela sighed, pulling the anger in. “So would I, but not now, not like this. Give him time, Lee. He’ll adjust.”

  Lee wasn’t so sure about that, but it was heartening to have her refuse the request. He hadn’t wanted to make it. He liked Brady. They just needed Adrian more.

  2

  “He’s on that damn laptop again,” Samantha complained as Neil joined then. “Can’t you order him to give it a break or something?”

  Neil heard the serious tone and stored it. Why was Samantha worried about it?

  “Maybe. You’ll have to give him something else to do.”

  Samantha snickered. “I could ask him to take my shift tonight over the teenagers. That’s always a blast.”

  “We’ve got Kevin training people on the radio. One of them will take over it full time.” Neil stated quickly, not wanting Sam to get in trouble with the Boss for joking during a mini-meeting.

  Angela didn’t protest and Neil wanted to make sure she understood what that meant. “He’s yours now.”

  Angela flipped her ash into the can they were passing. “He always was. Next?”

  Neil frowned. “Adrian usually rewards them when they come around.”

  “I’m not Adrian,” she denied coolly. “You have to do more than that to impress me.”

  Neil swept the Mess, wondering if the burnt towns and graves they’d been passing all week were the reason the eating area appeared to stay so empty now. He didn’t want to admit it was because of how many camp members they were losing. Angela and Adrian were heartsick over it, but they weren’t stopping anyone or sending men out to talk to them into coming back.

  “A man needs to keep his hands busy,” Kenn joked as he spotted Tonya comin
g from the medical area.

  “What’s she doing?”

  Angela picked out the redhead and went back to her notes, glad of the painkiller she’d been given. Her shoulder was throbbing. “Dropping off more supplies to the new doctor. He said the results were surprisingly hopeful and he wants to try another batch.”

  It was interesting to have each team’s assigned medic attending the doctor’s classes, but it was also a way to be sure the new man was living up to John’s standards of care. Their medics were less than rookies, but their training had to start somewhere and waiting until later wasn’t an option.

  Kenn replayed his morning of breaking down the camp. Tonya had told him the Dr. Brooke was going to come by the pharmacy tent to pick it up once they got settled at the new site.

  Angela sighed, weary even though it was only lunch time. They’d been on the road for days now. “She’s doing work for me, Kenn. Let it go.”

  That made Kenn reconsider the not-so-great possibilities. If Angela did have Tonya on something, the redhead would have told him. For Angela to cover it up, it had to be serious.

  “Are things all set with the site?”

  “It’s all wired,” Kyle reported. Each campsite they left behind now was deadly.

  “Any word yet?” Samantha asked. She was the only one who thought it could be anytime now.

  “No,” Angela answered.

  She left the table.

  They were assuming Marc was busy causing damages and delays, but the deadline of the soldiers coming was fast approaching. Kenn and Kyle were saying they’d have word in the next week. Angela had said ten days. Adrian claimed three weeks. His estimate wasn’t taken seriously. That was nearly double the time they’d thought to have to prepare and none of them were willing to count on it. In their allotted days, they were making steady progress, though, and Angela walked through the camp, using those signs to bolster her flagging spirits.

  “I miss you, Brady,” she whispered, rubbing her shoulder.

  3

  Jennifer swept the fully-packed truck Kyle had prepared for her departure. She was driving it during this move, but still wasn’t sure if she could take it out into the wilderness. Safe Haven had become her home.