Emma looked around for Kim, but before she could make eye contact, the burlap was pulled back down over her head and she was roughly pulled to her feet and led away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ted’s apprehension was quickly giving way to the simmering anger that dwelt just beneath it. He had travelled directly to the Hillside, as soon as he heard that Eric was there. The walk did his mood no favors. The Lord’s Hammer taking his powers away had been startling. All his body wanted now was to exhibit those powers against any foe. Eric was providing an opportunity.
But, he had other worries, and did not have time for Fine right now. Leaving Nat and Antwon behind to rest, he had brought a group of twenty warriors and three of his daughter’s dogs. The dogs could watch, and Max could relate what was happening to the others at the Bluffs. Of all the times for this confrontation, Eric Fine could not have chosen a poorer one.
As he approached the gate, Ted sent one group of five warriors to the left and one to the right, taking the remaining ten with him to the center of the little village that had sprung up at the base of the Hillside. With a staff in one hand, and looking a little bit more like a modern wizard than he intended, Ted strode into the center of town, to find a bearded and relaxed Eric Fine lounging on a chair in the sun. The complete lack of danger actually concerned him.
“Craven!” Eric called out like they were old friends. “I have been waiting more than a week. I was beginning to fear you wouldn’t come.” The tall, tanned man stood and walked toward the group.
Ted took notice that Eric’s men did not move, or even seem to care that he was there. “What game is this, Fine?”
“No game, Ted.” Eric smiled at him, and Ted was taken aback. “I just knew you wouldn’t let me ride up to the Bluffs to talk with you. We need to talk.”
“I don’t have time for this. There are real concerns…” Ted began.
“The Faith?” Eric looked at him with a knowing look, surprising the hell out of him. Just beyond Eric, Ted saw Adam walking their way. He did not seem upset, or in any way inconvenienced. He walked right past Eric and pulled Ted into a large hug.
“I am glad to see you back.” Adam said. “Has Erica?”
“Rose is beautiful, Adam.” Ted replied and saw the tears well up in Adam’s eyes. Turning to Eric he said, “Are you going to hassle me if I send my friend to see his newborn?”
“Of course not.” Eric answered. “Congrats, Adam.”
Without looking at him, but in a way that showed very little animosity and no fear, Adam replied, “Thanks, Eric.”
Adam left, and Ted sent three of his men with him. Turning to look at his former Commander, he asked, “Okay, what do you know about the Faith?”
Eric proceeded to give him the intelligence he had like they were equals, commanding different teams in the same force. Initially shocking to Ted, he soon relaxed into the banter through which veteran soldiers engage. He shared his own intel, on meeting them and the dulling of his powers.
“This is a dilemma that calls for us to put aside our other grievances. Do you agree?” Eric asked.
He didn’t trust Eric Fine, but the man was right that they were going to need all hands to defeat this new threat. Perhaps they could form a lasting bond, but that would have to wait until later. “Yes. But, what are you willing to do, Eric?”
Eric thought for a moment, then stated the facts, “My men have been directed that we are not to accost your people without provocation. I have already opened the Highway up to the mountains. And, in case you didn’t notice…I am here at your mercy. What more would you have me do?”
“You opened the Highway?” This had been a disagreement between the two groups right from the beginning. Eric wanted to control access, and Ted thought access should be free.
“Yes, the road is cleared. We have pulled back to the edge of the road so we can watch it, not block it. But, I think I know why you want access. The Grand Master.”
Ted considered it for a moment. He had not seen the Grand Master since he and Cal trained with him as kids in Los Angeles. The man had moved to Colorado many years before and become a Master Blacksmith to help deal with his own PTSD from his time in Southeast Asia. Ted knew he was here and had wanted to get in touch with him after settling in, but the Event had stopped any settling he could do. The Grand Master of his martial arts system would be a great source of help, but a master blacksmith might be even more valuable, if it came to all-out war.
Eric waited for his response, but the man had always been impatient. “If you want to visit him, I will go with you. I always wanted to meet him.”
Eric was from a different style altogether, but every martial artist had heard of Master Pike. He had been a legend before the times of Chuck Norris, or even Bruce Lee. The man would be close to eighty now, but Ted was certain he would be happy to see him. Master Pike had been like a father to him as a child. “Okay, but we have to hurry. The Faith has my people, and I can’t just let that go.”
“Then let’s move. My horses are rested. We can take two and bring two for reserves, just in case.” Eric said.
Ted looked him hard in the eyes. “Just the two of us?”
“Has it been so long since you saw someone willing to make peace with you?” Eric asked and walked toward his men.
Ted turned to one of the dogs and spoke to his daughter, “Tell everyone where I am headed. This may be the difference between success and failure. Have one or two of the dogs follow us.”
Ted walked to his group of warriors and told them his plans, then walked back to Eric, who handed him the reins of one of the horses. Ted took it, and climbed into the saddle. Riding off down the road and out the gates, Ted caught sight of two dogs running through the high grass off the road.
Eric called out to him, “Bringing the dogs huh? No trust?”
“It is what it is, Eric.” Ted replied and they rode hard for the pass up to the mountains.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
One always thinks cold air will calm a chest full of anger and hurt, but Kyle Ward never found that to be the case. Early autumn at the Bluffs was certainly beautiful. They were surrounded by aspens, which turned quickly, but were now in the shades of yellow, orange and red that people used to travel from all over the world to view. Kyle stomped through the leaves that had fallen to stare out over the city, glaring at the old city as though he could burn it down with his eyes. The emotional pain that bubbled up within him was just too much.
He had asked Britt to marry him, and his boyfriend of two years had said no. It was horrifying and painful, and tears of both anger and hurt burned down his cheeks as he stood silently. He heard the light footsteps behind him and turned to tell Britt this was not the time. But, it wasn’t Britt. Jenny stood there staring at him.
“That is some aura you’ve got there.” She stated. “You want to talk about it?”
Kyle shook his head no, but went right in to telling her anyway. He and Jenny had grown to be good friends since Jessica had left after the itineracies. With a small band of helpers, Jessica had decided to try to the cross-country trip to see her family. It wasn’t wise, but she had wanted to make the journey ever since the Event. They were such good friends, that these months without her had been a real struggle. No one had heard a word about the small group, and Kyle hoped she found her family, but right now he could have used her help. Jenny had stepped in to be a real friend lately. “I am an idiot. I thought he cared. I thought he loved me.” Kyle just broke down.
“Britt?” Jenny asked. “He does love you, Kyle. I can see it when you two are around each other. I think he has a deep and true love for you.”
“Yeah?” Kyle asked angrily, “Then why did he just reject my proposal?”
“Oh, Kyle!” Jenny exclaimed softly, “I am so sorry. Did he say why?”
“Yep.” Kyle was on a roll now. “He says that the world is so unbalanced, so dangerous and so new, that he couldn’t stand it to lose me. It is just bullshit! T
hose are all the reasons I want to do this. Can’t he see that? Any of us could die tomorrow, away from each other. All I want is to know, and for him to know, that he belongs somewhere. I want him to feel that he has someone waiting for him, someone to fight for, and who will fight for him.”
Jenny hugged Kyle closely, “Don’t you think he knows that now? Don’t you?”
Kyle was in no mood for reasonable answers. “Damn it, Jenny. He doesn’t want me.”
Jenny took a long pause, a smirk growing at the edge of her mouth. She didn’t need to say anything; Kyle knew what he sounded like. He just shook his head and sat on the cold ground. Jenny sat next to him.
“Oh, shut up.” He said to her and they both laughed a little. “It hurts to be rejected, even if his reasons are fine.”
“It does.” She said. They sat for a long time, him crying and her comforting him when they were almost bowled over by a playful black Labrador. Kyle pet the dog as his cousin, Max walked up.
“My dad is on his way with Eric Fine. He wants you to meet him down the hill, they won’t be coming up.” The twelve-year-old offered.
“Everything okay?” Kyle asked wiping his tears away.
“Seems like it,” she answered. “What about you?”
Kyle just nodded. Over the last two years, Maxine Craven had lost the joy that used to be a huge part of her life. She seemed preoccupied most of the time, and Kyle knew she had struggled with a hundred different dogs always being in her mind. But right now, she seemed almost sad.
As they walked, Kyle put his arm around her shoulders. “You alright?”
Max thought for a minute, but smiled at him and answered, “Yeah, just thinking.” Then, after a pause. “They are on horseback; we have to hurry.”
Max ran off toward some Bikes that were sitting in the center of town. Kyle knew there was more there, but she couldn’t say what that was. He hurried to the bikes and he and Max rode down to meet his uncle and their main enemy, all the while wondering what this was about.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“What, in the name of all that is good, is going on?” Sal asked, as he rapidly walked to where the penitent were returning to camp.
“It was awful. The Adversary has shown himself.” The woman replied. Sal looked up to see the Lord’s Hammer returning as well as the other fifteen workers they had sent to create the spectacle for the heretic’s execution. He nodded his head toward the small building that made up his lodging space, and the four young men followed him.
Once inside, where no one would hear their voices, Sal turned. “What happened?”
Though most people thought they were mute, the Lord’s Hammer spoke just fine. The silence had been a dramatic gesture that Sal had proposed to intimidate the masses. Cory rubbed his stump, then answered. “Giant snake, or Lizard or something. It was pretty creepy.”
“Tell me about it.” Sal said, and was told the tale of the group going to the edge of the area of their control and setting up the pyre. From the yards where they had been gathering, a large shrieking scream had broken the silence. Rushing to discover what was there, they had seen a great green shape slither away into a creek nearby.
“Could it have been one of the witch’s abominations?” Sal asked.
Tyler, the second in command after Cory, shook his head. “Annie Grace? No, it had nothing human on it. I would swear it had wings though.”
“It flew?” Sal queried cautiously.
“No,” Tyler replied. “I just thought I saw wings.”
Sal considered this for a moment. It might all work out to their favor. It was just the right amount of theatricality. “Everyone saw it?”
The four men all nodded.
“And did anything happen when you dulled it?”
“It had no effect I could see,” Cory answered.
“Alright, let’s go speak to the people.” Sal walked out, not waiting for the others, but knowing instinctively that they would follow. They were good men, who had done his bidding prior to The End, and had not failed him since.
The Faith huddled around the warmth of the central fire pit, as Sal took his place on the podium to address them. “Friends and believers,” he began, “today, as some of you have heard, our team came face to face with the true Enemy. The Serpent of old shown his face.”
Whimpers and gasps went up in the crowd, and died down as Sal continued. “But, we do not have a spirit of fear, do we? We have a spirit of strength! God himself is our sword and shield. He will protect us from the wiles of the first liar. But, friends and believers, we have been validated. Have we not said that the Enemy roams among us? And do we not now see him in his evil flesh? It is just as the good book foretold in Revelation, is it not? The serpent has revealed himself before the great battle. Victory is before us. We will go meet the hordes of the enemy and come out victorious!”
The crowd broke out in a loud cheer, just as he expected. They would do as they were told, and they would fear these others, these heretics and sinners. No one would stand in the way of God’s people. Minister Sal Martino would make certain of that.
LATE AUTUMN
“Just when the day breaks, when that new day begins and the slightest hint of light breaks the horizon. That is when you know you are seeing something new.”
- Marilyn Borman, Photographer
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
In the end, it didn’t turn out to just be Eric and Ted heading up into the mountains. Ted had met with Kyle and agreed to bring him along, since he said he needed a break from the Bluffs for a few. Kyle had not wanted to speak about it, and Ted didn’t push. Also, the three entertainers had chosen this time to move on and asked to accompany them up the pass. Eric had then added two of his own men to balance it out, and suddenly there were eight of them plus two of Max’s dogs. Riding at the front with Eric, Ted looked back at the band of people with them. All were on horseback, which the entertainers had specifically loved. Eric had made a point to remind them what he did to horse thieves, but Ted wasn’t sure those horses would return to Eric anyway.
“I like this better,” Eric stated out of the blue.
“What’s that?” Ted asked.
“Less conflict, riding up to meet the old man together,” Eric replied.
Ted wasn’t thrilled with Eric’s use of the term “The Old Man”, knowing what he had done to the last man who was called that, General Stone. He decided to ignore it. They had passed the little towns up the pass on the way to Woodland Park, which were entirely abandoned. They didn’t find bodies, or signs of a struggle, but every building was empty and unlocked. All of the buildings in these tiny rest stops on the side of the highway were just vacated. One day, the people just left, not bothering to lock them up.
“Do you think all the people that used to live up here went west?” Ted asked.
“Well,” Eric answered, “They didn’t come our way. I would have known.”
Of that, Ted was certain. The man had been so controlling when he had been under his command, that everyone called a system that was too regimented “just Fine”. They were turning toward the small town and county seat, Woodland Park and were surprised by what they beheld. It was a shock to see people, lots of them. There were no walls on the town, and people were just milling about, having a normal day. Ted hadn’t seen anything like that since the Event. There also seemed to be many more people than Ted remembered being in the town to begin with. He guessed that all of the people from the small villages along the highway had come here.
As they rode up to the center of town, people waved and greeted them, completely unafraid of newcomers. Woodland Park had reverted to a mid-sized cowboy town, it looked like. There were horses, stables, shops set up, and even a tavern and a café. Ted looked at Eric and was shocked to see the older man smiling. A young man walked up to them.
“Good afternoon!” He greeted them warmly.
“Hello,” Ted responded, “We came to see…”
“Master Pike, yes we know. He
is working in the smithy today. It is over by those stables.” The man pointed to a building about a block away.
“Sorry, how did you know we were here to see Master Pike?” Ted asked.
“It is okay, Mister Craven.” The man replied. “There is nothing to be concerned about.” The man did an elaborate salute and bow that was known to Kenpo practitioners everywhere.
“My dad always said if you leave your mouth open like that, you will catch flies.” Eric said and Ted realized his mouth was indeed wide open.
He shook himself out of the stupor and saluted the short version back to the man, who smiled and walked off. Eric silently directed his two men to stay with the horses, while the rest of them walked toward the smithy. Ted took it all in. This hamlet of happy people and its lack of fear, or anxiety, shocked him to his core. These people were relaxed, they felt safe, and they had a calm about them that was unnerving. Walking closer to the smithy, they could hear the loud clank of hammer on anvil and a boisterous voice coming from inside.
Inside the small out-building were four men. Three had their backs to him, not seeming to care about strangers at their backs. But the fourth was special. The old man working at the anvil was a man he cared deeply about and had not seen in decades. Not much had changed about the Grandmaster. He was short, stocky and bald, with a long peppered beard that hung midway to his chest. He looked exactly like what Ted had remembered, if perhaps a little older. His sparkly blue eyes looked right into Ted’s as a wide grin crossed his face.
Fear of Mystics (Saga of Mystics Book 2) Page 9
