Chapter 1-3

Chapter 1-3

 

Pa picked up his son in one swoop. Ma grabs the blanket, makes a run for the tunnel with her boy, laughing in Pa’s arms. Ma reached the corner, laughing as Pa placed Sylen in her lap, smiling as she wrapped the blanket back around him.

Jayden frowns as he watches them and really begins to worry as the people come in droves. Drealin checks the items off the list, shaking his head, and watches the pile recede to nothing.

“Sir,” Drealin said, pointing to the list of things. Jayden knew very well what was happening as the items trickled down to nothing. These people did not know how to share; they were in it for themselves, taking more than they needed while others went without, like wolves among the flock. Derrick was right. He was in for some challenging times ahead, not just fighting off Morgan’s attacks, but also from his own people.

Underneath the cavern, everyone could feel it shaking like someone or something was blasting a hole out of the mountain. The men outside screamed back into the tunnels for cover as the rocks exploded into little pieces. “Now that’s better,” they heard a woman cough as she climbed out on her hands and knees, helping some more people out.

“Oh, my!” Margaret said, looking around. “What a mess.” Looking at the people in the hole, “You better stay there till I know it’s safe.”

“Yes, Margaret, we will.” They said, holding their children close to them.

Margaret turned with her eyes amber hot, hair flowing in the balmy air, and stepped away from the mountain. Her hands clenched tight around her staff�"points with her staff on the cliff’s ledge. “You, I can see,” she raised her staff of white flame. “How dare you enter this valley, my valley of green, with your poison?” She yelled.

The Darzzee henchmen looked down at her and shook, crying out to his master as he fell to his knee, dead with his four comrades beside him. Aunty M tried to feel sorry for them but looked around at all the destruction they had possibly caused or helped. She had no regrets about taking their very souls and sending them directly into the Light. She questioned, however, if she could live with the fact.

That her new life as the Lady of the Light. She would take upon the consequences of being a guardian of Truth and be the one judge that would decide their guilt for the crimes they would commit in the name of the Dark Shadows of Twilight and their masters, in particular Morgan and his master Hess.

Margaret cries, looking at the house where her family was. Now smashed to cinders, not even a frame stood standing. For the first time, she felt completely and utterly alone as she slowly weeps. A man places an arm around her. “Woman, why do you weep for something that is not dead, gone, or lost?” he asked.

Margaret recognized the voice as she turned around and saw Jayden standing beside her. “You mean?”

“Oh yes. They are inside waiting for you, in fact, wondering where you are. I too was worried because I needed all the help I could get. But did you have to blow up my mountain to get my attention?” he asked.

“Sorry, I got tired of waiting. Those annoying wizards and their wives could drive a person batty.”

Jayden and Aunty M entered the cavern with her group. It did not take long as she searched the room, finding just what she was looking for. Plus, one extra surprise when she looked on the ground in Ma’s lap, holding her boy against her, sleeping comfortably. Now that his belly was filled, he had three blankets and a long cotton night shirt keeping him warm. She was not about to put him down on the hard, cold floor just yet.

Aunty M kneeled, taking his little hands and brushing his hair. It was the most wonderful thing she had seen in a long time. Yet she could feel it. In the cavern, as night came closer, she could see it in Jayden as worry set in.

She looked around the room for Derrick, watching the people; something was wrong. Aunty M slowly left, hating too, but knowing the boy was in capable hands now. She went back over to Jayden to ask, but already feared the answer. “Jayden, where’s Derrick? I could have sworn I heard his voice on the mountain.”

Jayden slowly turned. “Yes, that was him saying goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” Aunty M sounded shocked.

Jayden puts his arm around her. “Walk with me.” Passing the men stacking crates of food and bags of wheat grain, flour, salt, and dry goods. Setting up makeshift tents outside the tunnel to house things in. Jayden slowly brings her up to date as they sit outside watching the men work, another group of people coming this way led by four Captains. “Margaret, I never intended to be in this situation,” he said, as he saw the people coming down the broken road. “I have led nothing in my life except a classroom. I have always been on my own. Nathaniel is a lot more capable than me in these sorts of things,” he said.

“Yes, he would say the same about you. I am sure if he was in your shoes, but he cannot, can he? Look around. These people are a lot stronger than you think. They built this town once long ago, and now it is up to you to build a new one. I say let us have one heck of a shindig and then bury our sorrows and then get the heck out of here. Oh, by the way. I killed those four Darzzee that might have had a hand in this mess on that cliff over there. But I think you’re right. There are dark souls in your group. I felt them when I walked in,” she said.

“Now then, my dear friend, about our little shindig. The cavern is out of the question because of its size unless you want me to make it bigger and since your supplies are running short. There are more ways than one to skin a skunk. One is to gate all the people down to where your men are or bring men and supplies up here. You need the horses to pull the wagons with the supplies you have now.

“Unless by some off chance, some of the livestock survived and the horses here made it beside one lucky horse. EJ’s Pony, and we just haven’t been able to find them yet. Either way, you are going to need those men and supplies, regardless. 

“Now for the people here. Like I said, move them all down where your men are, leaving a few up here to resume the search while you gather what you need for your people to move them.” She said as she looked around the area for a hint of green and hope, but not finding any.

Jayden looks at Margaret. “How about I just leave you in charge? I’ll follow you,” he replied.

“Jayden, someone didn’t give me the job, and I strongly believe that someone intended to give it to you, not to Nathaniel or me. You see, before Derrick left, we had a friendly chat on that hill over there. It made little sense to me then, as he looked far away, looking to the future using his gift of sight. He placed me right where I needed to be. I thought he was a crazy old fool, making me a nanny for so many children to watch over them, to care for them as my own.

Today, when our world was falling apart, I gathered all the children and their mothers that I could find and brought them with me to make a shelter in the mountain for our lives.

It was not by chance or accident that we huddled together in the dark, awaiting it to stop. Jayden, Derrick, knew the time, he knew the task that was suited for the person. Nathaniel has his task, and you have yours. It is me that follows you, my dear friend.”

Drealin came out of the tunnel looking for Jayden and bowed to him. “Oh, please, Drealin, you don’t need to do that; get up, man,” Jayden replies.

Drealin smiled, ignored him, and handed him the list of supplies found. “I found several cooks for you just like you asked, sir. They just want to know what to prepare and how many are coming to dinner.”

Aunty M laughs, slapping Jayden on the back. “What?” Jayden’s face grows long, pacing back and forth. “Tell them to prepare anything that will make my mouth water, and cook as much food as they would for an army of three hundred hungry soldiers, and they’re starving. I want those bellies full tonight, every last one. Drealin, you tell them that,” he said.

“Yes, sir.”

Aunty M and Jayden headed back inside the tunnel, where all the people were now. It was really getting crowded, and people nearly stepped over each other. They wanted to be with everyone, afraid of being left behind.

Jayden could see this was not working out as people in the corners of little families filled the tunnel. Margaret was right; either they had all been out in the blistering sun looking at the town blown to bits or found a better place for refuge and soon. The air was stifling, and the stench was growing inside the cave of so many people with no air moving around the room.

Jayden stood on a crate so everyone could see him and waited for the crowd to be quiet. “People, I know you are frightened of what is out there, seeing our homes and countryside gone as if the world has died. I, too, am moved, but I am just one person, and we all need your help if we are going to make it. As much as I would like, this cavern is not big enough to hold all of us. More people are coming from the neighboring towns, some not as bad off as we are yet. But their land is dying all the same within hours or days; this poison, this disease that plagues our lands, will far reach them.

“I have seen it in other worlds like ours. Some call it the plague of death, for it leaves nothing in its path alive. Our only hope is to find a place where it has not reached, till the soil once more for a season, maybe two, and gather the supplies, foraging, sharing our knowledge with each other as we look and build a new safe haven to call our own.

“With that in mind, we are not abandoning our friends and families that may still be here waiting for us to find them, for the search goes on as we speak. With that in mind, I have entrusted five of my best captains, whom I trust, to take you into their hands and move you to a safer place. Where there is lots of fresh air, green grass, trees, and open space, then we will have a nice dinner and entertainment under the stars all together.” Jayden quickly steps off the crate. “Alright, Margaret. I hope for our sakes we can pull it off.”

Margaret said, “That is why I am going down first before the rest. I hate surprises, and you do not let them out of your sight.” Margaret pointed to three men standing in a corner, watching Jayden with interest. “One of these men is your spy.”

Jayden stared, stunned, at the corner where she was pointing. It was the captain he pointed to, EJ, on the hill watching their campsite. He was a longtime friend and a companion that he fought with by his side numerous times. He saved his life twice in battle with Captain Walters.

Now, he is standing remarkably close to the boy whom his friend had saved. Jayden’s hands clench white with anger, then release as he regains control. “This is no time for a battle. There will be a place and time as he focuses on the task. But there is one thing he can do now,” he said, looking around the room.

“Captain Walters, I need you to organize fifty people into a group with Captain Richards, making sure each person has the basic needs according to Sir Drealin, and then take them down to the campsite.”

“But― I thought we were staying here, sir?” Walters replies.

“Why? There is nothing but dried-up dirt and old buildings; we need fresh air and sunshine,” Jayden walks away.

It only took a couple of hours before Jayden had his first group of people as they walked through the tunnels back outside, where they could see the broken town of Springfield.

The second gate opened on the mountain’s north side with three wagons and eight more soldiers. Jayden nodded, and his loyal Captain Rigs, driving one of several wagons they brought with them, saluted him. “Glad to see you again, old friend.”

Rigs said as he jumped down from the wagon. Captain Rigs looked around at the town. Margaret was right. Sure, is a mess, nothing but dried-up dirt.”

“How are things down there, Captain?” Jayden asked, watching the men load the wagons, almost dropping a flour sack on the ground. He could see mistakes happening right before his eyes. Jayden made his way over to the wagon and said, “easy, son,” he said, helping him lift the flour sacks.

“Thanks, Mr.” The young lad smiles.

“Anytime. Say I’m looking for a boy about your size to run a few errands for me.”

“I cannot, sir. I am supposed to help load this wagon like my Pa told me to.”

“Who’s your Pa, boy?” The boy points to the captain, talking to an older gentleman. “I see.” Captain Rigs smiled as Jayden walked over to the young man’s father and introduced himself. The boy shakes hands, leaping about Jayden like a tadpole on stilts.

“Captain Rigs, meet Jared. I am sure you could use a good errand boy.”

Captain Rigs shakes hands and laughs, slapping the young boy on the back.

Captain Rigs continued, “Anyway, things are better down there than here, sir. Plenty of wood for cooking and lots of space to spread out into groups to get organized.” The boy tagging along like a lost puppy. Rigs smiles as Jayden laughs at the boy’s amusement.

“Well, then I won’t keep you, Captain, since you have things well under control,” Jayden replies.

“Yes … but… the boy,” Captain Rigs tries to escape it.

“Oh, he’s all yours.” Jayden calmly said and laughed as he walked away.

“What?” Captain Rigs replied in shock.

Jayden laughed, walking away with the biggest smile on his face. Things were going well, with a few bumps now and again as Jayden walked the confines of the groups. He was standing on the hill where Derrick planned to build the jewel of the town that would have held and hidden the biggest mystery of all.

Looking down at the cobblestone street now crumbled by broken buildings, people picked up the scattered books of pages of old history; Jayden fumbles in his pocket for the key he still has, of many now, to several libraries of borrowed books. The one thing about being a wizard is the people you know and the books they hold. If you borrow a book, it is fine because it is always called back to the owner in the first place when you no longer need it. So, with a wizard, the wizard is the borrower of all books.

It depends on which library you are in when you borrow them. Unless, of course, you are the wizard who owns the books and lends them all out, then you are in trouble because either you need a bigger library, if something happens to all the wizards, all books will returned to you all at once, or you were a fool to lend them all out in the first place at the same time, or you need to find more wizards to lend books to.

Jayden returns under a lean-to, showing the map of the caves, the old city, and the tunnel system. Working with other sects was difficult, to say the least of his problems, as he watched his compatriots leave through the gate down to the main camp. The wizards have their way of doing things. The Pixies have theirs, and so on and so on. “You expect us just to leave? They could be still out there somewhere.” It was the same old question.