The Event - Tales of the Triad, Book One

Chapter 15 - Allies

  The week went by fast, with the funeral the day after Gary's death. Not much time, but without the proper facilities for holding and embalming a body, it was important to move fast. The stone was simple, name, dates, a short inscription Charlie asked for and the two sides of the first coin Gary had designed for the Citadel. A soldier played taps on the bugle and John played 'Amazing Grace' on the violin, as these were the only two musical instruments on the Citadel. A stone fence was built around the cemetery with a nice arched gateway and life went on.

  Coins were minted and pay rates established. A small tavern opened, that served beer, wine and a limited menu of food, a bakery was being run by the castle, with paid help, so bread was available for everyone again. A park was built, the Gary Dortmund Park, with a playground at one end and a ball field at the other. The land south of the plateau was opened up and a few families moved to the new village and started farming and raising animals. Charlie moved there and started a small farm like she had before.

  Tasha discovered the workshops and started hanging around Suki and his crew. She found an outlet for all the knowledge she had soaked up while an invalid and Suki found someone he could bounce ideas off of and brainstorm with.

  Mandy and Badger got engaged and asked if a preacher could be found, as Mandy wanted a Church wedding and was excited to hear from Lieutenant Morrison that there was a Baptist Church at Ft Knox, with an actual Pastor in the pulpit. John promised to borrow him, if he could be persuaded to come down for a service, when he took Morrison back.

  Then the week was over and John took off, leading three ships north to get more gold and to return the Lieutenant to his General. Snow covered the ground by the time they entered Georgia and the temperature was dropping fast. John was glad for the heavy coat he had decided to wear and wished for some long underwear to go with it. When the ships climbed to get over the mountains in Tennessee, ice started forming on the interior. The rest of the teams were dressed for cold weather and were looking at the snow, piling up under them as they flew north. John wondered if they were wearing enough.

  Smoke was rising from the buildings as they approached the base and they could see bodies on the ground, dark blotches against red tinted snow, with fighting going on as they watched. John ordered ships to land and the troops aboard prepare to backup the army troops engaged on the ground. Then he jumped.

  As he approached the ground and the fighting, John slowed his decent and used the com to give instruction. He changed his path and as he flew over the line of men and Goblins, he fired his wand, cutting down a dozen of the enemy, then landed in the hole he had made. Getting Sallie in one hand with his wand in the other, he joined the line defending the perimeter as the ships landed behind him, the soldiers pouring out with Joshua and Jenny to form a line behind, firing into the oncoming Goblins.

  General Clark was in the line with his men, with a bloody face and a cavalry saber in his hand, cutting and slicing with the rest of the men. Steam from dead bodies and clouds of warm breath from the living filled the air as men and Goblin fought. The battle was strangely silent, with the thud of an impact, or the quick intake of breath from a cut and the sound of metal striking metal, as weapons crossed. The energy weapons were silent but for a faint hiss as the charge burned through living tissue.

  A second wave was forming and coming at the soldiers across the dirty snow. John, Jenny and Joshua all flung liquid flame across the advancing Goblins, killing most and routing the rest. The last few Goblins on the line started looking back and trying to run, but none escaped.

  Tired and blood dripping from a cut on his face, John looked around for someone else to kill and couldn't find anyone. He had no idea how long the fight was going on before they had arrived and he had lost track of time, but he knew if he was tired, these others must be exhausted. He turned and looked behind him at the people he had brought into this. Joshua and Jenny were on their feet, waving back and the rest of the men seemed to be alright, so John looked for the General. He found him and Lieutenant Morrison to his left, about twenty feet away and walked over to them.

  “General Clark, I didn't know you had a party planned. Hope you didn't mind us crashing it.”

  Clark smiled, breathing heavily. “I think I'll let it slide, this time.” He held out his hand. “Welcome back.”

  John took his hand and shook it, then looked at the wounded, being treated by medics. “We can help with the wounded, too, with your permission.”

  “Do it. Any help is welcome.”

  John pulled out the blue healer and waved the other two over. They were pulling theirs out as they ran and started healing the first man they came to. John started where he was standing and fixed the slice on Clark's shoulder and his broken forearm.

  Clark was amazed. “If you could ask your medics to set up a triage, we will be able to treat the most serious first.”

  “Lieutenant, see to it.”

  The medics worked fast, marking the most serious and calling one of the Wizards over immediately for the critical. While they were working on the wounded, Clark took Morrison's report and the soldiers from the Citadel set up a perimeter, with a few squads from the Fort. As John was finishing his last patient, reinforcements arrived, nearly two hundred of them, lead by Captain Malachi. He eyed John and the others, but reported to Clark first.

  “The runner told us what was happening, but on foot in this stuff, it took awhile to get here. I was concerned whether we would make it in time. How many did we lose, Sir?”

  “At least eighty. We are still looking through the bodies and some are missing. If those people hadn't shown up, we would all be dead. We no longer have any wounded, they are all . . . they are all healed, by these people. I can't imagine how to explain what they did and I saw it being done. You may want to hear the Lieutenants report, or at least part of it.”

  Morrison told the Captain about what he had seen and heard on his stay with the Wizards at the Citadel, about doors you couldn't walk through, about coining without touching, about welding steel and melting stone with a look and healing with a little blue rock. The Captain walked through the bodies and looked at the Goblins, shaking his head in disbelief. After the dead were separated and the Goblin dead were piled up, John disintegrated the corpses with a long burst from his wand and the Captain became a believer.

  After John offered to use the ships to help transport the dead back to base for burial, Clark nodded to Malachi to start loading them. It took a while, but when they were done and all the living were transported back to the main camp, General Clark called a staff meeting, disappearing into his offices.

  Davis was pacing back and forth, having cleaned his energy rifle twice since the fight. It was his first action and he was still feeling the rush of surviving. A fellow showed up and started talking to the Citadel troops. They pointed him to John and he approached.

  “I understand that you saved a lot of our people today and I just wanted to thank you.” The man, about thirty five, receding brown hair and clear blue eyes, with small wrinkles in the corners, was clean shaved, wearing the first suit and tie John had seen in months. John noticed a small bulge in the pocket of the coat and a black ribbon coming out of a book in the pocket.

  “Actually, Pastor, I was going to come looking for you when General Clark was done. My name is John and we have some people who want to get married in a church.”

  “It's the suit, isn't it? Dead giveaway. I'm Will Brown, pastor of the only Baptist Church left in Kentucky, as far as I can tell.”

  “Is that what you call it? Kind of a long name. Have trouble fitting all that on the bulletin?”

  Will laughed. “Matter of fact, I was thinking about shortening it a bit. Is the couple with you?”

  “No, we were going to see if you would come down to Florida and maybe have a few services down there and marry a few while you were at it. I was raised Baptist, myself, so I feel like I really need to tell you a few things.” John pulled out his wand. ?
??I am a Wizard.”

  Will laughed again. “There really isn't any such thing as magic, you know. I've often wondered how people could believe such things.”

  John lifted both of them onto the roof of a nearby building, circling it once before landing near the chimney.

  “Of course, one must keep an open mind. How did you do that?” Will looked uneasily at John and put his hand in the pocket with the Bible.

  “I said I was a Wizard. I would never lie to a man of the cloth. Matter of fact, I always had a little trouble lying to anyone.” John lifted them again and returned to the ground. “I know you are going to have questions and I know that most Christian churches speak against witchcraft and sorcery. I do too. This is not black magic and it is not, in and of itself, good or evil. It's just something that we can do now. After the event, things happened. Can we talk for a while, before you make up your mind about us?”

  “Yes. I know things have happened and most tech is gone and I have seen and heard a few things that are, or were, impossible. I will listen to what you have to say.” They walked off a short distance and sat on a bench nearby.

  Jenny watched for a few minutes and then joined them. John made introductions and Jenny sat and listened, just wanting to be close to John after the battle.

  After an hour, General Clark came out of his meeting and looked for John. Colonel Davis saw him and pointed to John's location. Seeing the General approaching, John and Will both stood up and waited. Clark and his staff stopped in front of John and Clark saluted. “The base is yours, Sir. We await your orders.” John saluted and held out his hand.

  “If you will excuse me, Pastor, I think I need to talk with my chief of staff.” John and the Wizards, accompanied by Colonel Davis and the General with his staff, disappeared into the building and were not seen again until the next day. Sergeant Edgerton met with the Noncoms on the base and saw to the preparation for security for the night and then filled them in on what to expect from their new CO. They didn't believe half of it, except those who had survived the battle earlier in the day.

  The meeting was long and coffee was flowing into the daylight hours the next morning, when they finally broke to get breakfast and some sleep. John was impressed by Clark and his staff, who were not all professional soldiers. He had a staff of those who had survived, reserve, National Guard and regular army. He even had a few Navy, Air Force and Marines and a few foreign officers who just happened to be there at the time. His troops were the same mix, but they had all pulled together to save who they could and to maintain such discipline as was possible in the current situation. They had made weapons out of whatever they had, clubs, spears, axes.

  At the time of John's arrival the second time, his troop strength was almost five hundred and fifty men and women with the civilian population, on base and in the area on farms, almost two thousand. They had two real doctors and three nurses, as well as a dozen trained medics. Teachers, middle, high school and college level were among them, as well as trained technicians and mechanics, who John felt could make the transition to the new technology without too much difficulty. Several hours of the meeting had been with the medical staff, discussing changes in Human physiology. They had made a lot of tests and had hundreds of pages noting differences that had occurred in the months since the event.

  The Wizards were able to identify Dwarfs and Elves from the information that the staff had accumulated and explanations were offered and disbelieved, until Goblins were mentioned and General Clark identified several people who had been in his command, but were among the Goblin dead. With his testimony and of others who had been at the battle, the medical staff was still skeptical, but would keep an open mind.

  At least a quarter of the population were no longer classified as Human, but John made sure they understood that they were not the enemy, but simply different. He also told them about the Dwarf colony and the help they had been both to their Human neighbors and in the fight against Goblins. It took Joshua standing up and telling them that he was an Elf, before they would start to be reasonable. Clark had seen him fighting against the Goblins and healing his own troops after.

  John explained part of the split in the Human race and the current theory behind the event. That started some new debates, which were quickly put on the back burner when Clark hammered on the table with the hilt of his saber.

  John called Carl and asked if they wanted to come up and speak to the Dwarf population. He also arranged an airship to pick up a few representatives and bring them up the next day. Joshua would speak with the Elvish population and after that was done, they would meet again and make whatever additional plans would be necessary under the circumstances. After a few more comments and questions, they were dismissed and went in search of food and a bed.

  Jenny was collected from the bench where she had fallen asleep. John carried her out of the conference room and into the mess hall. He woke her up to eat and she and Joshua sat and talked, before she once again fell asleep over her eggs and sausages. John and Joshua ate well, going back for seconds, before they were satisfied. The coffee was strong, hot and freely available. John was determined to see if he could get a few pounds to take back, maybe more than a few. Jenny woke up again long enough to finish eating and by then John was done too.

  He left Joshua and carried Jenny to the quarters he was to use, putting her in the bed, taking off her shoes, socks and jacket before covering her with the heavy quilt. He pulled the door half way shut behind him and lay down on the floor in the living room, with a quilt over him and under him. If there had been a sofa he would have rather used that, but like so many things, the sofas were mostly synthetic.

  Before falling asleep, John checked his wands and decided to replace a few of the crystals. The longer they were used, the smaller they got and eventually they would be consumed completely. John would rather not have it happen in the middle of something. The butt end of the wands could be unscrewed and the stones replaced easily. The energy the Wizards used up took a little longer to replace. Food and rest were required for that. As he dropped off, he wondered if Jenny had remembered to check her wands.

  He slept for a few hours and woke up with Jenny snuggled in with him. He had no idea how long she had been there, but was too tired to care and dropped back to sleep. He woke up again with Joshua standing over him, grinning. “One word and I will make you suffer.” John threatened, in a strained whisper. Joshua backed up and waited, while John tried to get out of the quilt. It wasn't easy, as he had folded the quilt in half and he was in the back half, while Jenny seemed to have a death grip in the fold. After trying to slowly squeeze out the top, John realized that she was awake and having a wonderful time.

  “Jenny, time to stop and let me out. Now please.”

  “Spoil sport. I was having such a nice dream too. Why didn't you just lie down in the bed? It's a lot more comfortable than the floor.”

  “I was trying to be a gentleman and respect a certain young lady.”

  “I can believe you were an old fuddy duddy when you say stuff like that. Why don't you just give in to the inevitable?”

  “How old are you? Give in to the inevitable. You got that from a movie, right?”

  John and Jenny were both getting their shoes and coats while the chatter was going on. Joshua was laughing and not making any effort to hide his amusement. When John gave him a look, Joshua held up his hands and said. “You told me not to say anything. You didn't say not to enjoy it.”

  “OK, I'm dressed and almost awake. What's up?”

  “The reps for the Dwarfs and Elves are here and Carl is landing in ten minutes. You said you wanted to be notified.”

  “Great. I guess we don't have time for lunch, do we? Did you all remember to check your stones?”

  “I did this morning. Lunch is not ready yet, anyway. You have about an hour before they open the mess. You want some coffee?”

  John shook his head no and walked out to see who was there, Jenny right on his heels. Th
ere were about thirty people talking in front of the Generals office, both Dwarfs and Elves and Clark was talking with them. When he saw John coming he started to salute, but John said 'as you were' faster than he could come to attention.

  “Morning General.”

  “Morning John. Introductions?”

  Clark introduced John and Joshua, then each of the thirty representatives. John in turn, introduced Jenny. He looked up and saw the airship landing. Jenny was fuming at being ignored by the other adults, but she held her peace.

  Clark, the thirty and those officers and medical staff present were all watching the ship land. The door opened and Carl walked out. John and his two Wizards nodded and Carl returned the nod. John opened with the suggestion they use the conference room, which was rejected by the reps. They just wanted to know what was going on and they saw no reason to wait any longer. John started.

  “There are four different species present here. The General is the representative of the Humans. Joshua is a Representative of the Elves, and Carl is the representative of the Dwarfs. Each of you is either a Dwarf or an Elf. Either Joshua or Carl will answer your questions as to what that means to you and what options we can offer you.'

  No one believed a word of it. Clark finally cut through the noise with a question. “You said four. Who and what is the fourth?”

  “Wizards. The four of us are Wizards.” Laughter broke out amongst the visiting group. Carl nodded and four wands spit a variety of energy into the air around them, Jenny using the green and yellow beam with the horrible noise. “You had to use that one, didn't you.”

  “They were ignoring me. I don't like being ignored.”

  The screaming stopped and all eyes were on them. Carl picked out his people and Joshua picked out his and John and Jenny walked over to the general.

  “What the hell was that thing she did?”

  “Ask her. Her name is Jenny. We call her 'The Vengeful'. We have good reason. And, no, you really don't want to know.”

  Clark looked at Jenny and she looked back, arms folded.

  “Perhaps I misjudged you because of your age. I beg your pardon. What was that?”

  “It was a beam designed to release the molecular bonds of matter, resulting in the apparent sound wave you experienced. The wave form generates immense heat, causing rock to flow like water and any nearby structure to ignite explosively. In addition, the energy directly affects the nervous system causing most life forms to become drooling, screaming, mindless lumps of flesh for several seconds after the beam is stopped, giving us the opportunity to do additional damage to anything that survives the initial blast.”

  Clark blinked and looked at John. “You're on your own here. Just remember that she's only twelve.”

  “You are on our side, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “That's a relief. Can I buy you lunch? I believe its pizza day in the mess.”

  Jenny considered it for a moment, but pizza was too strong. She decided to forgive him for now and took his arm. “I'll let it slide for now. Just watch your step, OK?”

  “Thank you. You're very generous.” Clark looked back at John as he let Jenny lead him away.

  John followed at a safe distance.

  The Dwarf meeting was over in twenty minutes, everyone wanting to go to Franks cave immediately. Joshua's meeting took a while longer, since he had to find some trees that were not dormant for the winter so that they could listen to them. It wasn't easy in this weather, but in the end, he was believed. As of yet, the Elves did not have a home other than the Citadel, but many wanted to go with Joshua and help find a home. It was a start.

  Charlie was splitting wood again. The new stove in the kitchen was great for cooking, once she got used to a wood stove again. Between the cooking and the fireplace, she had to split a lot of wood. She had helped to plant trees for days after she had moved here. She still planted two trees for each one she cut down, another rule of John's, which made perfect sense. Without trees this culture would shut down fast. Houses, fuel, even food, apples, peaches, pears and nuts, trees were essential and she had planted many of each, hoping to live long enough to enjoy their produce.

  She was tired, but content. The chicken house was done, the birds were laying and she had enough to eat fried chicken every now and then. She had fifteen acres cleared so far, thanks to John and Christine, a good barn and winter wheat in the field. She wished Gary could have been here to see this place but, things happen.

  She had been thinking about taking in a child from the placement home, but she hadn't quiet made up her mind yet if she was ready for that. After the thaw, she was having one of the three small springs she had enlarged so that she could have a pond for ducks and fish and by then, she should have made up her mind about a child. For now, the home was going to bring a little girl by to show her the farm and let Charlie have a chance to experience a child in the house, but the house mother would also stay for the first few visits, just to keep an eye on things.

  Charlie was trying to finish the wood so she could clean up before they arrived and she almost made it. A smaller airship landed at the edge of her yard and a little girl stuck her head out and looked around. Behind her, Maria waited for her to move before coming out herself. The girl looked like she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave the ship, but eventually she took a few steps out onto the ground and Maria stepped out after her, a small bag in her hand. Maria waved and Charlie returned it and waited by the wood pile. Tasha stuck her head out of the doorway and waved, but didn't come out, just waited. April apparently made up her mind and walked slowly toward Charlie, stopping a few feet away and eyed her for a minute. Charlie stuck out her hand and introduced herself.

  “I'm Charlie. What's your name?”

  “April. You live here alone?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “You got a boyfriend?”

  “Not any more. He died a while ago. Goblins.”

  “Here?!” April’s eyes grew even larger and she looked around the grounds.

  “No, not here. He was with a team up north and they got jumped. He didn't make it.”

  “Oh. I'm sorry. I hate Goblins. They tried to eat me and Tony. Celia tried to help and she got bit.”

  “Celia. You mean Cecilia, Joshua's friend? Where you with Elizabeth?”

  “Uh-huh. She's a Wizard now. So's that lady.” April pointed at Tasha, still in the door of the airship.

  “I was there when John brought you all down from Atlanta. He picked up Christine and had her help with all of you. Do you remember? You all stayed with us for awhile, until we all came here. You and your brother Tony are twins, aren't you?”

  “Uh-huh. What's that?”

  “That is my brand new chicken house. Why don't we go inside my cabin. I need to clean up and supper needs to be finished and then we can sit down and get to know each other a little better. Do you like fried chicken?”

  “Uh-huh. Is Miss Maria gonna stay too?”

  “She sure is. Maria, do you like fried chicken.”

  “Love it.”

  “Well, come on in and let's put your things away.”

  Maria turned and waved to Tasha, who waved back, then lifted off, heading back to the Citadel.

  The next morning, Maria woke and looked up at a rough timber roof, puzzled for a minute. She looked around the room and saw another bed, a dresser with a small mirror and two doors. Until she heard Charlie and April talking from beyond the first door, she couldn't remember where she was.

  This was a luxury she didn't have at the house, with a dozen little ones to wake, bath, dress and feed each morning. The other two women at the house, Janell and Shiraz, were left to tend the children for the next two days, while she, the lucky chosen one, got to not only lay around in bed late, but to leave the Citadel and see what was going on in the rest of the . . . Kingdom. That really sounded weird. Kingdom. Like King Arthur and knights, and Queen Guinevere and Merlin. “Merlin we have,” she thought, “But Arthur is Merlin. Ar
e we really going to have a King? This is the twenty first century, this is the USA and this is Florida. The Kingdom of Florida. That was just wrong on soooo many levels. Still, Knights, Lords, and Ladies, it sounded so romantic and we even have Elves and real Wizards. Real magic.”

  She turned the quilt back and swung her legs out of bed, her thoughts having awakened her to the point that lying in bed was not possible. She wanted to walk the woods, feed chickens and split wood for the fire and do things she had never done, even these small simple things, because they could have happened in her life before, if she had only made the small effort her family had asked for. She was excited about being alive now, at this time, in this place and making something new. She washed in the basin and dressed quickly, then opened the door to the living room. Charlie and April were pulling a pan of biscuits out of the oven of the wood burning stove and the aroma was wonderful.

  “Morning sleepyhead. Are you hungry?”

  “Matter of fact, I am. Can I help?”

  “Sure. You want to plate the bacon, it should be about done.”

  Maria moved to the stove, a large blue wood burning stove with bright silver trim, and a heat box wrapped around the stack. The claw feet added to the antique look and feel of the stove and the black cast iron cookware fit the kitchen area to a 'T'. She picked up a cooking mitt and lifted the bacon press out of the skillet, founding the bacon to be ready. Setting the press to the side, she picked up a spatula and scooped the bacon out of the skillet and onto the waiting warm china plate.

  She turned, lifting the skillet from the hot iron stove top and looked at Charlie for guidance. Charlie told her to pour the extra bacon grease into the grease pit on the side and put the skillet on the trivet by the sink. Maria looked where Charlie had pointed and saw a tin lid, which she removed. Under the lid she saw a shallow pan with lots of tiny holes and poured the bacon grease into it. The grease drained through, but the bits and pieces were left in the small pan.

  “Huh. So you can strain the grease and save it for later and the little sieve thing catches the food and you throw that out. Neat. Who thought that one up?”

  “Hon, that's been around for hundreds of years. People just quit using things like that when they quit using grease from cooking and started buying vegetable oil and lard from a store. Then people started saying it was bad for you and they quit doing a lot of things.”

  “Oh, yeah, like cholesterol and stuff. Well, I mean, it is bad for you, right? Doesn't it do things to your heart and make you die faster?”

  “Sitting on your backside watching TV all day, eating processed food, white bread, junk food, all those chemicals and preservatives, that's what will kill you. My grandparents raised a garden, in the fall butchered hogs, in between went hunting and fishing and ate butter, cooked with animal fat, like bacon grease and they both lived to be in their 90's and still worked the farm until the day they died. When you work hard all your life, you don't drink, well, not very much anyway, don't smoke and don't breath pollution in the air and drink poison in your water and eat poison in your food, hey, a little bacon grease or butter isn't going to hurt you.”

  “You really think so? I mean, like at the school lunch, we could buy chips, cookies and stuff out of the vending machines and we had mac and cheese and pizza a lot. Why would the school feed us things that were bad for us?”

  “Did the school get a cut of the money from the vending machines?”

  “I don't know. You think they wanted the money and didn't care about if it hurt us? They wouldn't do that! I mean, they're teachers and they're supposed to take care of us and you know, make sure we learn stuff.”

  “I don't want to get on my soap box before breakfast, so why don't we get this food on the table and see if we cooked it right. We can always talk about stuff later, if you want, but right now, I'm hungry. How about you April?”

  April already had half a biscuit in one hand and a fork in the other, the other half of the biscuit being chewed rapidly and somewhat noisily, the moist crumbs sticking to her tiny lips. She did nod, however, giggling and sending crumbs across the table. Charlie and Maria joined her at the table and Charlie took the remaining half biscuit and put some butter and jam on it, before handing it back.

  “Tank you.” she said, around the remains of the biscuit.

  “You're welcome, sweetie. Do you want bacon and eggs, too?”

  April nodded, as her mouth was busy, the other half of the biscuit being masticated vigorously. Charlie filled her small plate, while Maria poured her a glass of fresh, cold goat’s milk. Then they both dug in themselves. Half an hour later, Maria finished wiping up the last of the egg yolk and bacon grease from the plate with the last bite of biscuit, licking her fingers when she was done. Charlie was finishing her coffee and thinking about what she had planned for the day.

  She thought of taking the day off and just spending time with April, but then, April wouldn't know what living here was actually like and she wouldn't know how April would handle this kind of living, either. She felt she needed to be fair with the girl and show her that they must work, as well as have time for play, but that the work must come first. She was already late with her normal day, not being sure what time to wake up these two kids, being city raised.

  Maria had slept forever. Charlie was not quiet in the kitchen either, making more racket than was needed. April was awake as soon as Charlie got out of bed, wide eyed and alert, watching Charlie as she headed outside to use the outhouse. Charlie saw her watching and asked if she needed to go, also. April nodded and got out of bed, walking over to join Charlie and they went to take care of business. It was nearly forty five minutes later, with breakfast almost ready, that Maria joined the others.

  “You don't have to Maria, but I was planning on making this a regular working day for April and me. I thought she should get an idea of what it takes to live here, sort of start her off with a taste. You can join us if you'd like, but that's up to you. First off, we got to do the dishes, then go out and take care of the animals. So, April, give me a hand and we will get this done.” Charlie got up from the table and April followed, carrying her dirty breakfast dishes to the sink. Charlie had a stool at the counter so April could stand up with her and help.

  There was a kettle on the stove, which Charlie took and filled the wash basin in the sink with the hot water it held. Maria watched for a minute, then finished cleaning off the table and offered to dry.

  When they were finished, Charlie led the way to the chicken house with the few scraps that were left from breakfast. April gathered the fresh eggs while the hens were scratching and picking the crumbs from the grass, along with the odd cricket and pill bug. Maria and April were both watching the chickens as three of them chased a large grasshopper and catching it, devoured it rapidly.

  “Chickens eat bugs and caterpillars? I thought they ate like corn and seeds and stuff.”

  “Protein. They eat anything they can catch, just like people do. They eat small stones, too and egg shells and oyster shells. When they eat grain, even the cracked corn I feed them, they don't have teeth to chew with, so the stones help grind up the food, after they swallow. They need calcium, to make egg shells, so they can lay eggs and they need protein to grow chicks and for muscles and feathers.

  “Duck eggs are bigger and I think they taste better, but chickens are easier and cheaper to raise, until I get the pond dug. These are free range birds, because I keep a fence around them and trim the flight feathers, but let them run and scratch and collect some of their own food. In a few months, I'll move the fence to another area and let them run there. Next year, things go right, I'll drag the whole chicken house that way a hundred feet or so and start them out on a new area. This spot here will be my new vegetable garden, with a whole year of free fertilizer from the birds.”

  Maria looked puzzled. “Fertilizer. Where do they get that?”

  Charlie wasn't sure she was serious. Even April knew that much.

  “Poop. The chick
ens poop here and that's the fertilizer, right Charlie?”

  “Yuck. They can't do that. You can't eat food that grew in chicken, you know, poop. Wouldn't it make you sick?”

  Charlie shook her head. How can someone not have a clue where their food came from or what you had to do to get it? She decided to talk to John, and see if they could do something about this . . . this ignorance.

  She knew there were not many survivors from farms, that most were from towns or cities and did all their food gathering at the local supermarket chain or had it delivered to the door, after buying it on line. There was going to be major starvation if these people depended on one or two people to raise food for the thousands still alive.

  Once the chickens were taken care of, Charlie led the girls to the goat pen and watched as April milked the first goat.

  “Mr. John showed me how to do this. He's funny.” She had to use both small hands to get the milk flowing properly.

  Charlie nodded; impressed that such a small child could do such a good job. She and April spent the rest of the morning working outside, weeding, squeezing bugs on the plants between thumb and finger or in Maria's case, telling April when she found a bug. After lunch they split more wood and finished building a small shed for the garden tools, one side attached to the cabin.

  At the end of the day, Maria skipped dinner and went to bed, after washing in the bucket in the wash room, which was a fenced in area just out the back door. April was tired too, but she hung in there, helped with supper and cleanup. She fell asleep leaning on Charlie as they watched the fire dance in the stone fireplace, across the wood they had split earlier. Charlie put her to bed and banked the fire, making sure the heavy screen was across the fireplace, preventing an ember from burning the place down. She snuffed the candle and joined April, falling asleep quickly.

  The next two days went fast and when the airship came for Maria and April, they were sorry to leave. Next weekend April would be back and she promised to bring Tony with her, but Maria wasn't sure if she would be back herself. It might not be her turn again for a month, with the other two women taking children around in the meantime. They all hugged good-by, April a bit tearfully and Charlie handed a letter to Tasha, who was once again the pilot. After waving at the airship until it disappeared over the rim of the plateau, Charlie turned back to her work, anxious for the time to pass quickly until the next visit.

  John read the letter from Charlie again. He had fears similar to those she expressed, about a generation without even the most basic knowledge, who would starve without a microwave and a freezer. He knew it was worse than she feared, since he was aware that Maria had been raised on a ranch and still knew nothing. Many of the young people and some of the older ones had fled farms and ranches for city lights and remembered nothing of what it took to live like this. The school was only a partial success with many children being enrolled and every skilled adult teaching something.

  The fact that April seemed to be happy with her first visit was a good sign and gave John some encouragement to something he had been talking about, but had not yet done, in part because of the lack of enthusiasm from the rest of the council. An apprenticeship program, with a Guild running the training and making sure that the training standards, which were not written yet, would be adhered to. There was a knock on the door and John yelled for them to come in. Badger was there, bringing the only other two craftsmen in town with him.

  “You wanted to see us?”

  “I sure did. Come on in and have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

  “Thank you, but no. we would just like to know what this is for.”

  “Straight to the point. First, it's nothing bad. I need a favor, but it's not for me. I need each of you to take a child or two from the orphanage.”

  Badger spoke first. “Mandy and me, we already have a kid and I don't know that we can afford to take another one. They aren't cheap to raise and taking in a stranger, well, it might not go over so good, if you know what I mean.”

  Johansson, the tailor was less enthusiastic. “I'm not even married and I'm not really looking. What do I know about raising a kid?”

  The cabinet maker shrugged. “I thought about it already and my wife was always on me about adoption before all this. She's gone, after The Day, but, well, I still just don't know what kind of job I would do with a kid, me being a widower and all.”

  “I'm not asking you to adopt. I just want you to take them in and train them in your craft. I want to start a Guild and you three are the closest thing we have to Master Craftsmen. I want you to each take an apprentice. The Kingdom will pay you a small fee for the successful training of an orphan, with a small bonus for each apprentice who reaches journeyman status. Those business people participating will be given preferential treatment for orders placed by the kingdom, starting today. I will have various tests set up and a review board who will determine the level of training and the awarding of the journeyman and Master status, but we have to start somewhere. What do you think?”

  Badger was the only one with a smile on his face, but he was actually the only one who could be considered a Master in his trade. “A Guild. If that's the case, I think I can see my way clear to work with you on it. I've already started training our boy, but I can train two as easy as one. Might be easier with two, if I can get them to compete with each other. Of course, a girl can work leather too, you know. Maybe I find the right one, I get a daughter out of the deal too. That would be nice, a boy and a girl. Mandy will be all right with that, I'm pretty sure. What about you fellas, don't you need to pass on your skills?”

  “Like I said, I have no interest in having a kid underfoot. If there's nothing else, your majesty, I got work to do.”

  John thanked him and said they were done. Then he looked at the cabinet maker.

  “I don't think I would be interested right now, because I already have people working for me. Maybe another time, if business picks up.”

  John thanked him and walked him out as well. He still had Badger left, sitting at the table.

  “That didn't go too good, did it?”

  “No, but I was hoping that they would at least be open to the bribe I offered. When business picks up. Didn't I just offer him more business?”

  “Maybe a medium fee and a large bonus would have been better, without work. Of course, I wouldn't trust them to train anybody if they have to be bribed or threatened to do it. I like teaching old skills, but feeding another person was a concern. People still have a lot of stuff we looted, sorry, recovered from the ruins and shoes aren't high on the need list right now.”

  “You do more than shoes, don't you? I seem to remember saddles mentioned once and that coat of yours is really nice. You did that too, didn't you? And I saw a musette bag or pack of some kind in your place. Where did that come from?”

  “Yeah, I do other stuff, but nobody here needs it and I can't live on shoes for you and your friends. You only have two feet and they're both covered. How do I train somebody without work?”

  “I'll get you work. I've got an army, a small one and I need boots and equipment for them. I will have cavalry one day and I will need saddles for them and saddlebags, wagons need traces and harness's and I need a new briefcase, remind me to show you a sketch I made. I need a thousand pair of boots to start with. How much leather do you need, square feet and how thick? What about oils, mink or neats-foot, do you have any?”

  “You want them tomorrow? How about the next day. You serious about this?”

  “Yes, I am dead serious. These people are wearing stuff from WW2 and it's not going to hold up for much longer. If that stupid tailor had an ounce of gumption, he would have been looking at uniforms for years to come. You know what the army wears on their feet, right? You get me a list of what you need to get started and I will get you a copy of the inventory I still have. Let me know what else you might need, tools, hardware, fittings, what kind of thread do you use, anything. I will work you hard, but I will expect
even more.

  “Right now, this Kingdom has only two Master Craftsmen, a leather worker and a blacksmith and we are both of them. You've got it easy, because you just have to take on one apprentice. I need a blacksmith, a weapons smith, an armorer and a Wizard. And I need to learn to ride a horse. That last one is a little scary. Because I cannot command a cavalry unit if I don't understand their limitations.”

  “I didn't ask. But thanks for sharing.”

  “Sorry. I get testy from time to time. Get back to me with what you think you will need and I'll get it to you. As soon as you can, go by the orphanage and check out the kids. I'll let them know you're coming and why. A couple of the kids are already claimed, so don't just pick the cute ones OK?”

  “Telling me my trade Master Smith?” Badger was smiling, not offended.

  “I got enough problems of my own. Go, get, do your thing. I'll stop by tomorrow with my inventory and we can look at your needs then, OK?”

  Badger nodded as he left, heading home to tell Mandy they were expecting.

  Joshua was waiting outside, with General Clark. They both came in when John saw them.

  “General, good to see you again.”

  “Likewise. Quite a place you've got here. I'm glad we decided to move south, especially since it’s twenty below at Ft Knox right now.”

  John whistled. “That's worse than I thought it would be, especially so soon. Winter has barely begun and we have snow here, a sprinkling anyway. But twenty below is incredible. What about your quarters here, are they ready, and acceptable?”

  “They are, on both counts. I watched Joshua and Jenny building an equipment bay for some of our materials we managed to recover before we left. It was unbelievable. That stone foamed and bubbled like a hot soda and took shape like, well, like magic. I'm still having a hard time with that; you'll have to forgive me if I sound stupid from time to time. But, as I was saying, that foamed stone or expanded stone is an excellent insulator. You people seem to think that a wall two feet thick is normal, so it should stand up to almost anything the weather can throw at us.”

  “Actually, it's thicker than that. When John first exposed us to this technique, we played around with it for awhile and found it was just as easy to go one foot or six. A little more nitrogen in the mix, a little more basalt, it didn't take any more energy one way or another. So we messed around and came up with our current design. The term we like to use is massive overkill. We also alternate layers throughout the structure of hardened stone, with metallic elements, a certain crystallized core structure, a more flexible layer mixed between each, like scales on a reptile. We like our stuff to last.”

  “What crystal structure did you use? Crystal shatters easy, doesn't it?”

  “Diamond, three inches thick.”

  “Holy Cow. You're serious. You can create diamonds as construction material.”

  “That was Carl's contribution, as a matter of fact. It's good to have friends in low places.”

  “We need to ignore him. He will only get worse if we pay any attention to that sort of thing.”

  Clark felt like he was a punching bag. Always in control, of himself and his emotions, things were happening faster than he could handle. These people were always behaving so differently, taking things so matter of fact, like creating diamonds with your mind and using them to build a storage room for uniforms and shoelaces was normal. The jokes were unending and they weren't even good jokes. This guy, this comedian, this Wizard was in charge of everything. Clark took a deep breath and then another. His mind cleared and he moved on.

  “You alright? It gets to you after a time, doesn't it.” John sighed. “It's a defense mechanism. The jokes, the banter, the word plays. It gets to me too, in a big way. So many people just gone to dust, like they never were, civilizations, nations, everything and everyone I ever knew, or ever loved, gone to dust. The guilt is the worst. Who am I to still be alive? Why am I still alive? What purpose must I have, what deeds must I do to be worthy of this life? What makes me think I can ever be worth the lives that were lost, any of them? It's hard to survive this event, this catastrophe and remain sane. Humor helps. Sometimes it takes off just enough of the edge that I can get through today, or most of the day. Stay busy, stay focused, don't dwell on what you cannot change.”

  Clark shook his head. Speaking was hard sometimes, because you might not stop. He understood what John meant, because he had his own defenses, not humor, but keeping things in order, keeping those things he could control held tightly by his will and sometimes, with work till you drop, it was enough.

  “Back to the buildings. Yes, the troops are all housed, and the civilians also, but we need to get these people working. I know about the school, but so many of the adults don't do anything and with their jobs gone and their current job skills useless, they don't feel like they have anything that they should be doing. They need purpose and direction, or they're just going to sit there and wait for the government to fix things for them. The bad thing is that they don't know how to do any of the things that we now need to have done. Can we train them to do something to meet the current conditions besides digging ditches?”

  “We can train them; the school does take any age, not just kids. We are going to need farmers and if they don't want to run a farm themselves, then I will put them under a farmer as field hands. We don't have enough food to just scavenge it from the ruins. I will put land grants into the mix and give titles to the people who want to work and who are willing to train others. At one time we were joking about labor squads and forced conscription, but if these people don't start getting involved with the incentives I am already offering . . . Those three that just left, did you see them?”

  “Yes I did. Joshua said they were the tailor, shoe maker and a cabinet maker.”

  “We need those three to train our people and I offered to pay them to take in an apprentice. I offered government contracts, I offered gold and the cobbler, Badger, was the only one who would take me up on it. If I can't bribe these people to do what we need done, what do you suggest I try?”

  “Stop feeding them. Right now, Colonel Davis is still operating this as a rescue, an emergency relief situation. We need to change the basis of our operations from relief to recovery. The service people, soldiers, care givers, teachers, they get paid for their work, right? So we start paying people for work and get them off the dole. We draw up a list of jobs that need to be done, give aptitude tests and then issue jobs which earn money to buy food and materials from the Royal Exchange. We control the supplies that no one else is providing, until someone starts providing.

  “If we get a farmer growing wheat, we need a miller to grind it and a baker to bake it. We need a butcher to handle the meat and a grocer and so on. We do all that until the people we have doing the work as hired labor and unskilled labor at that, are able to open their own business and take over for us. We will tax them, of course, when they start earning money, but we will finance them to get them started. We will use soldiers to run the exchange for now, with Davis in charge of the whole shebang. Mans got a calculator in his heart, a camera in his skull and does detail work you would not believe. You want me to get this started or not?”

  “Matter of fact, I do. Joshua, you see any problem with this? It's not forced labor; they can starve if they want.”

  Joshua was ready to start beating people into line anytime, so it was a question asked as a courtesy only. The look on his face was one of smug satisfaction.

  “I'm good and I have a list of the jobs we need to get started on and the list you asked us to get together with the skills, including hobbies, along with names and current quarters. We have all the other stuff too, age, sex, family alive, health, so it's a pretty comprehensive list. Two copies, one for the Colonel and one for?”

  “Central repository, hall of records, shoe box under the bed.” John shrugged. “We need a state record keeper for weddings, funerals, births and service in the Army and all the tons of paper we used t
o have.”

  “Colonel Davis is the perfect choice to head up a department. He will not be a civil administrator, though. He needs to retain his rank and position in the Royal Army of something Kingdom. What are we calling this Kingdom? Any decision on that?”

  “I'm having a hard time just calling it a Kingdom. Davis is a good choice, and we need to tie in the school with this hall of records. We need to train clerks, scribes they were called in the old days. A civil service is definitely needed. We are going to . . . No, not we. I am going to let go. General Clark you are the senior officer and you will run the Army. You and I will discuss the direction we need to go, but I am not going to run this day to day, you are. Colonel Davis will be under you and he will head up the Civil Service. Joshua, do you and the Elves have a home picked out yet?”

  “We think so, but we would like to wait until spring to make the move. I'm yours till then.”

  “Thanks. I need you to work with the training system, with Davis. We need to push these people hard, to shock them out of this wait till Washington gets here attitude. I don't want people hurt, but I don't want them to sit on their butts until they die. I am going to work with training, the troops, the school and the Guilds. I need at least three apprentices' to train starting tomorrow; Charlie will get her kids and at least two adults to train as farmers. I will see to that tonight.”

  “Willie and Tammy's bunch were asking about land Down Below, earlier and I told them I would ask you.”

  “Good, I'll see them next and take them down for a look. I want to talk to Charlie anyway and I can kill two birds with one stone. Jenny, Beth, come on out, I know you're there. Show yourselves.”

  Clark looked where John was facing and saw no one. Then, suddenly, the two girls were just, there.

  “Not bad. You need to control your breathing better. Jenny, I think you were trying to hold your breath, right.”

  “Yes. I ran out of air and I had to breathe harder than I should have. I just need to breathe shallow all the time in the field.”

  “That's a neat trick. John come up with that, or you?”

  “Beth did. We can't be invisible for long yet, about five or six minutes, but we're getting better. John can hold it forever, but he can do anything a lot longer and better than us.”

  “Practice, age, imagination, physical strength. Those are the requirements and you just need to keep at it. You two coming with me Down Below? We need to stop and pick up a few people. Did you hear enough to know who and why?”

  “If you will excuse me, I need to see Davis and get this started. Wizards, good day.”

  Clark left and the rest were right behind him, Joshua coming for the visit to Willie and Tammy, who were excited to see everybody coming down the street. A crowd gathered, most of whom John and Joshua recognized from the former north Georgia colony. After the greetings died down, John started asking questions.

  “You all want to get land of your own?”

  “Yes, we sure do. Not that this place isn't nice and all, but we just don't feel right sitting on our butts. My goats need to roam a bit more than they can here. Land up here is taken for one thing or another.” Willie was eager as was Tammy for her chicken and geese flocks and the others for gardens or field crops and even cattle.

  “Anybody raise horses? We will need horses, for plowing and the military, not to mention the rest of the businesses.”

  Two had, but only Willie had any horses and they were both geldings, which left out any chance of breeding. John promised them horses, if they would breed some of them for the army, for a fair price. Others would need to grow wheat and other grains, others potatoes and other root crops and others would grow feed for livestock, to sell to the army as well. They were all excited when John was through talking and everyone wanted to fly down and pick their land, so the whole street headed for the airfield.

  While John flew to Charlie's place, the two girls took pages of notes on requested items and supplies the new farmers and ranchers would need for this venture. They had brought what they had with them from Georgia, but many had lost everything on The Day and had not been able to replace very much. Houses would be needed and land cleared, seed, plows, hoes and shovels, the list grew. They landed and everyone piled out, like a bunch of kids on Christmas morning. Charlie wasn't quite prepared for such a group, but she waved at John and waited patiently for her answers. The girls were still taking notes, so John lead the group over to Charlie and started the introductions, as well as explain the reason for the invasion.

  “Neighbors, huh. All of them? Not too close, OK? Neighbors are good, but fences or a little distance make them better.”

  “How many acres do you need, in the future? One hundred, two hundred, how many?'

  “That's hard to answer. What will happen tomorrow or next week? How many people will I need to feed today, next week, next year?”

  John drew in the dirt with a stick. “Your land is here and the house is here. Most of your land is north between the house and the rock face, about fifty acres, right? Cleared acres about fifteen, plus some woodland and rock you can't farm anyway. So, let’s say the house is the center of the farm and you get the land around the house, say a hundred by a hundred. That gives you ten thousand acres, with a water source, that river to the east, woodland and I'll make more woodland as common land for the village to use and a lot of arable land for you to rotate crops, let some lie fallow and expand as you need.”

  The others were crowding around, listening to the conversation and wondering if they would get a similar deal. John waited for Charlie to comment first.

  “And you get what in exchange?”

  “You know me so well. Did your visit with April go well?”

  Charlie nodded, knowing he would get to the point eventually, even if he did go around the bush a few times first. “It went great. April took to this place like a duck to water and I even got Maria off her ass and liking it. You know that she doesn't know where food comes from, or that you can use manure to fertilize crops?”

  “I see your problem. It's my problem too. What you don't know is that Maria was raised on a ranch out west and she still doesn't have a clue. These people,” he waved his hand at Willie and Tammy, “they know this stuff and they want to work their own land, raise crops, pigs and families. I've got two thousand people like Maria up there on that rock and they will sit and die before they get off their collective butts.”

  John stood up and looked around at the people gathered around him. “Here's the deal. You each get ten thousand acres, you each get financed and supplied with everything we can find and/or make that you need to succeed. You will each be supplied with field hands who don't have a clue what to do and you will need to turn them into farmers or at least sharecroppers. You will be given adults, teenagers and possibly children, from the orphanage. The first few years, we will give you a stipend, money, clothing allowance; help you with housing, until you get on your feet. After that, if you take in new help, we will help with the expense for first year, let’s say and by then they should be earning their keep.”

  “You won't you know, gives us all those people at once, will you?”

  “No, of course not. We will try to send you people who may have some tendency towards this kind of life. No guarantees there, but it will be better for us and for you if this works. I will help set up silos and other storage as well, but you will need to set up a co-op.”

  Willie looked at him. “You done this before ain't you. I didn't know that, but it's pretty clear from the way you talk.”

  “Yes, I was raised on a farm in Kentucky, back in the 40's. My grandparents raised me and taught me how to live on dirt, rabbits and weeds. Nothing like a good mess of lambs quarter, Polk and field greens, maybe a chunk of fatback thrown in.”

  “1940. How old are you?” Tammy looked incredulous.

  “I'll be eighty two in March.”

  “You're older than Willie?”

  Willie looked a little insulted. “W
hat you mean, older than me? I ain't that old.”

  “No, but I am. Just one of the things that screwed up our lives on the day this happened. You all want to do this?”

  “Ten thousand acres. That's more than I ever dreamed of. I can take some hands to train and work it. I can show them how it's done. We got ourselves a deal. Where do we start?”

  “How about the rest of you?”

  Everyone was ready and willing, and they all went to the barn to talk in the shade, the girls taking notes as usual. They laid out plans for the community, stretching for miles, with common land for grazing, woodland for firewood and for hunting, a center for town meetings and the co-op offices, storage areas, cattle pens, even a tannery, which John was glad to hear. More writing for the tools and chemicals needed for tanning the hides of the meat animals. By the time the ship took everyone back to town and Charlie had disappeared into the distance, John felt like they had a chance, for the first time since this all started.