Chapter 15-1

Chapter  15-1

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Aunty M was in Granny’s kitchen a simple kitchen compared to the Downing Farm. For she had only the basics nothing fancy. Walls painted tinted yellow with a flower print of spring roses with oak cabinets and simple but clean wooden floor. Making a nice hot breakfast, as she sets it on a tray for Linda with freshly squeezed orange juice.

Nathaniel walked into the kitchen pouring himself a cup of Joe and spreading some jam on his toast next to his eggs and beacon, helping her carry Margaret’s in behind her. Setting it by Granny’s chair stoked up the fire too take the chill off the room. Aunty M sets up the tray next to Linda as she begins to stir, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Linda looked around the room seeing Nathaniel and Aunty M with a surprised look in her eyes. They just nod in her direction, giving her a moment to recollect her thoughts as she tries to smile as they ate.  Suddenly she remembered the previous night her eyes lit up. Her head rebounds dropping the fork on her plate looked straight at Aunty M. Tears start to form as she whispered Danny’s name.

Aunty M sits next to her, putting Linda head on her shoulder. “Shh, its all right dear, he safe they all are,” well accept EJ, but she couldn’t have everything she wished. For now anyway or if ever.

Linda looks up and sighed. “How and where?”

Aunty M looked across the room at Nathaniel for extra support. “They fled taking Danny with them. I don’t know where except the boys will be back searching for their brother with Jaydan as soon as the rest of there the family is out of harm's way. Doc Whitmore will be back in a day or so dear as soon as his family is safe too. Now eat your breakfast then you can tell me all about it then. For I to must leave. Not to worry dear, Nathaniel will be here and I think.” Hearing some at the door.

Aunty M going to the door, “your friend….  Come in, I’ve sort of been expecting you Mrs. Trenny”…  Mrs. Trenny gave everyone a surprised look as Margaret opened the door. “Officers,” as Aunty M nods. “Good morning Brad, Nathaniel said you and Doc had nice ride last night,”

“If you call egg on your face a good ride Margaret, Margaret you knew exactly what we would find down there, and tried to tell us old fools. Well, you certainly got our attention.” He replied handing her the morning paper with the school break in on the front page at Payson Jr. starting on the front

“Black Knight leaving a trail of death of destruction in its path...” in bold letters across the top. Aunty M gasped reading the headlines giving the paper to Nathaniel to read watching his face and eyes drop. As everyone else visited with Linda, “Margaret you need to leave soon and head west and find the Derrick The Judge if Time, either way, it's no longer safe to hided here.” Nathaniel intoned.

“Yes I know that, but you killed two of them.”  She replied hoping it made a difference to prolong just a little longer...

“I’m aware of that, who’s the say how many he has now. I can’t fight off a whole army of them not in front of all these people. You know that and I know that. It’s going to take time before these people are ready for that kind of battle. It’s your job to find those people to help me. And you can’t do it by sitting around here.” He said helping her gather her things.

The officer walked down the hall with the Mayor where Aunty M, Nathaniel are sitting in the kitchen with her bedroll next to her as they get ready to say goodbye. “She refuses to leave or even consider going back home.” The officer replied.

“Then don’t force her too right now, she has two missing boys and a husband. How he could careless I don’t know, or he’d be down here with her. I say let her stay if she wants to. I believe Jaydan out of town Brad, he’s not planning on being back for a while, put her in there and let her help Doc, give her something to do while she here. Nathaniel will keep a close eye on her while I’m gone.” As she slings over the saddlebags and bedroll over her shoulders heads for the back door.

“Where are you going, Margaret?” Margaret doesn’t answer as she says goodbye to Nathaniel picking up her saddlebags heads out the back door. The Mayor and the officers followed her as she puts her legs in the stirrups…

Margaret yells into the wind. “Yaw, yaw.” riding hard, towards the west until she out of sight. Turned towards the east quick as lightning on the map, about fifty miles due east and turned west again; over the hills near the creek bed in the lower trees where Jaydan and his men have set up their first campsite waiting on the word to press on.

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Jaydan and his men hiding in thickets around the area noticed the rider weaving, riding straight for their camp. Their hearts pounding as the rider grew closer making sure the traps are well set, they all waited with anticipation.

Margaret's eyes glowed, her hair bright red as it sparkles against the sun. Margaret laughed as she waved her hand leaped into the air over the traps. One by one disarming them laughing if it was some sort of game and she was the prize as Margaret made her way into camp.

Margaret took off her saddlebags as the boys and Jaydan calmly walked in see her sipping a cup of Joe by the fire. She smiles then laughs at Jaydan. “Your boys got to do better than that son, it was mere child’s play. Speaking of which have you heard of anything of our boys?” She asked taking another sip than thinking twice about it.

“Not a word. I was hoping you would have.” Jaydan asked taking a seat next to her.

“Well not exactly,” Margaret said handing him a copy of the morning newspaper. “Nathaniel killed two of them the same night and I believe they both tore Whitmore’s and Downing’s farm apart, looking for anything regarding the boys and the families. One of them even paid a visit to Stuart’s home looking for Danny. Nathaniel wasn’t sure how many they are that he sent, suggest I get out of town and fast. Giving you and the Judge an update of the situation down here and see about getting some more help for him and you against these beasts that Morgan has raised from the book of shadows.” She replied taking a long sip of her Joe as she suppressed a tired yawn.

“Lenny is now setting up a site for a possible way station and I was in the process of gathering the ingredients for the boy transformation. The problem is I have to collect three of the four items from a different solar system when the season is right. It's not like I can go to a store ask. Do you carry fork ukase root, bin berry juice nectar, or even denlarinton dried bark moss? Nothing that simple plus lead an army into battle, while trying to break out a boy, hoping he’ll just follow you without needing to explain everything,” Jaydan stated calmly.

“Regarding that, I might have an idea, a temporary solution that might work and buy us a little time. Double enchantments on the boys with some object, allowing EJ to see who they are... then give him the potion quickly and remove the enchantments and then quickly carry him out of there. Right under Morgan noses too safety where he belongs to recuperate, the boys and their father will be safe and sound while we’re dealing with Morgan,” she said as if it a simple solution to all their problems.

“You make it sound so simple Margaret,” Jaydan said looking over the horizon. “If only it was,” as he points to the paper. “Your forgetting about Morgan’s goon squad is still out there and what they might have found,” he said.

“Which was a whole lot of nothing my friend, a whole lot of nothing? You see I beat them to the punch, of course, I wasn’t as messy as they were, I knew where to look for the files at boys homes and the school. I gathered them and burned them… On the main computer, I listed them as moved, address unknown.

“Then I sneaked out with your key, I even removed your file. You can do with it whatever you like.  I left everything else untouched however his beast didn’t. Plus they didn’t care to cover their tracks and ransacked everything they touched, looking and finding nothing but scraps.

“It will be at least a day or two before they put things back together again and when that happens, they still won’t know anything, and when the computer comes up listing the boys as moved and their files missing. They’ll just move on like they always do. Now then help me get settled in while we wait for the boys to return…..”