Anarchistbanjo's World

“The rest was classified and I couldn’t get into it”, Ellen said. She hesitated as if with an internal struggle.

“Our base is part of the secret mountain complex. We are only allowed to use the emergency room and some nearby areas. It is under high security with lots of armed guards. There are field operatives that come and go from the complex all the time. I shouldn’t be telling you this so please keep it to yourselves.”

“Wow,” you’ve certainly given us something to think about,” Rafe shook his head. “This doesn’t sound good to me. There is something wrong, especially if the rogues are really field operatives. Why would field operatives attack us?”

“And attack the Village,” Crow spoke up. “There have been several incidences of villagers being attacked by rogues and we always believed it was clansmen that attacked us. It is beginning to sound like someone wants the clansmen and the villagers to hate each other. Perhaps someone is trying to provoke conflict between us. We need to go to the village and prove we are not attacking them. Too many people have died already.”

“Yeah, and my parents were right in the middle of it,” Tobal said bitterly. “It killed them and it might kill us if we are not careful. He turned to Crow who had been listening intently to Ellen’s story.

“What can you tell us about any of this? It sounds like your grandfather, Howling Wolf was as much in the middle of this as my parents and he is the only one still alive that I know of except Sarah’s father.”

“This is all new to me,” he said. But I will talk with him about it. I will return with any information I feel is important. More than ever I feel there is danger to my village and they need to be warned.”

Tobal was thankful Crow never mentioned the special training on bi-location and the secret meeting place under the waterfall. He was certain that Ellen was too.

“I’m concerned about Apprentices leaving the area and visiting the village.” Ellen told them. “We will be ordered to stop you from going there even though there are no specific guidelines preventing it. Crow seems to have found a loop hole in the system only because he is from the village himself and because it is within our area of coverage. Our orders don’t contemplate such unlikely scenarios. You need to travel as fast as you can.”

She continued, “As long as the air sleds continue to monitor your med-alert bracelets you should be alright”. She paused, “That does mean we will need to patrol further to the west then we have in the past.” She looked straight at Crow. “They are going to try to stop you from reaching the village you know.”

“I know,” he said. “It will be alright. Grandfather is expecting us.”

They left things at that and the conversation moved on. The group gradually broke up and began talking about other things. Tobal and Becca stayed together holding hands as they wandered around the group chatting with other clansmen. They slowly made their way to the beer keg where Rafe had rejoined Dirk.

Rafe and Dirk were both still on the beer task force and grumbling because they had twice the beer to brew since the reserves had been consumed at the Yule party last month. Still they were good natured about it and said they were trying a new recipe that should be quite interesting. It was just as well there was only a small group that month though. They wouldn’t be drinking quite that much.

Becca hadn’t heard about the special brew Dirk and Rafe were cooking up and didn’t really know what to think.

“When will this new beer be ready to drink,” she asked doubtfully?
“Sometime this April probably,” said Dirk chuckling. “Rafe and I both plan on being medics by then. We can administer first aid to anyone that needs it. Pump their stomach or something.”

Tobal snorted and blew beer all over.

“Hey, watch it,” Rafe complained. “It’s not that funny.”

Tobal turned to Dirk, “How did that sure thing match go?”

Dirk turned red, “Not so well.”

“He got his ass kicked.” Rafe chuckled and proudly displayed his own fifth chevron. “Some people actually win once in a while.”

Rafe ducked a playful fist that Dirk threw at him. “Now we get to see who the best man is. We’ve got a bet going on who is going to get their sixth chevron first.”

“You still fighting the girls,” Becca kidded, “or have you gotten to the big boys yet?”

Dirk got a little red but Rafe took it in stride. “I don’t have to worry about it. Everyone is still challenging me. I haven’t gotten to challenge anyone yet.” He grinned at Becca, “I would challenge you if you hurry up and train some more newbies.”

She grinned back. “Perhaps we can always arrange something unofficial.”

This was a side to Becca that Tobal hadn’t really seen before and it interested him and disturbed him at the same time. They filled their mugs and rejoined the crowd. There was a drum circle forming and the sound was deafening in the small building.

Tobal and Becca slept together that night. They cuddled for a long time and shared stories about things they had done and things they wanted to do. The energy between them was different and when Tobal asked about having sex Becca murmured “not tonight. All I really want to do is just hold you and sleep with you.”

With that cryptic answer circling in his brain they kissed, embraced and fell asleep entwined in each other.

The next morning was bright and cold and there were sun dogs circling the sun promising even colder weather. They joined their friends for breakfast and soon Becca was on her way to base camp to continue training with Loki, her third newbie and Tobal set out on the trail toward sanctuary.

As he snow-shoed toward Sanctuary and pulled his sled he wondered at the strangeness of how things had been with him and Becca last night. He had certainly not been prepared for it and didn’t really understand it. It seemed things had been all right but then again it seemed there had been something wrong.

He hoped she hadn’t changed her mind. Perhaps she was sleeping with Loki, the newbie. He instantly crushed that thought. He knew it was not true, but he just didn’t understand and because he didn’t understand he felt a little hurt. He had been expecting something like last month and it had not happened.

As he neared Sanctuary his thoughts turned to the subject at hand. He now had four chevrons with only two more before he was eligible for the Journeyman degree. As he headed toward sanctuary he felt kind of strange because Sarah had really been the last person he had trained and that had been in September and October.

He didn’t really count Crow since Crow had taught him much more than he had taught Crow. That meant he hadn’t been doing much training in four months and he was determined to get going on it again. He wanted to get this training over with and be partnered with Becca more permanently if she was still interested.

He thought of the ways he had changed in the past years and the things he had done. He had gained a reputation as a very good trainer. None of his students had any trouble soloing and their students didn’t seem to have much trouble either. At gathering and circle people came to him with questions on the best way to do things.

His opinion was respected. He was also gaining a reputation as someone that kept to himself and was hard to get to know. His closest friends continued to be Rafe, Crow, Ellen, Sarah, Melanie and now of course Becca. People liked him, his friends liked him, he was companionable but in a quiet sort of way. He didn’t have anything to prove and he didn’t show off. He was just comfortable and at ease with the situation, any situation. People respected that.

Tyrone was Tobal’s fifth trainee and the month of late January and early February went by fairly fast and uneventfully. Tyrone was a tall, wiry farm boy from the Appalachian Mountains of all places, a real honest to God hillbilly complete with a Southern Accent and an engaging smile that would drive the girls wild at circle. The training came easy to him since he was already an accomplished hunter and trapper.

The nights were long and Tyrone spent many evenings carving a fiddle and then practicing with it. He had learned the skill from his grandfather back home and Tobal watched in fascination at the precision with which the fiddle was created piece by piece and then lashed together and sealed with pitch. He had never seen anything like it and was appalled at the terrible noise it made until he got used to it.

He used to laugh when Tyrone would pull out the fiddle and start to play because the wolves would start howling to keep company. All in all Tyrone was good company and the month went rapidly. Tyrone was a natural story teller and knew how to make people laugh and Tobal laughed often. Tyrone was like the brother Tobal had always wanted.

Once Tobal asked him how he had heard of Heliopolis way in hillbilly country and Tye had thrown back his head and laughed and laughed. He stretched his long legs and shrugged.

“I never heard of it before,” he admitted. “I was trying for a city named Minneapolis and got my ticket wrong. My head never was that good with names. I knew it was cold there and didn’t give it much thought until we had to start hunting our own meat and making our own clothes. It was so much like back home that I figured something was wrong but thought I’d study on it for awhile.”

Tobal had been drinking tea and it exploded from his mouth and nose as he doubled up in laughter.

“Stop, You’re killing me,” he waved weakly at Tyrone who was doubled over laughing too.

There were melancholy times when Tobal thought back over the past year and how much he had changed. He was more resourceful and inclined to do things by himself or on his own. He didn’t care much about what other people thought. He had learned to judge people not by their appearances, but by what they did and even as important by what they didn’t do.

Almost in spite of himself he found his feelings about Becca were deepening. She down played what she did and seemed to have a quiet competence that went unremarked. She had just a hint of melancholy that matched his own. There was an emotion in his heart that stirred and sang when he was around her. As spring drew closer he found himself thinking about her more and he knew he was in love.

Late February came around as Tobal and Tyrone snow shoed their way to the gathering spot. He dropped Tyrone off with the guards to be prepared for his initiation. There were going to be three initiations that night.

Nikki had proclaimed her newbie, Bran, as ready to solo and he along with Loki and Cheryl had been examined and approved to solo by the elders. Nikki was ecstatic because the winter training had gone pretty well. She was looking forward to training her next newbie.

“Hey Tobal,” she asked, “Think I can get my six trained by mid summer? This winter training isn’t really that bad.”

“That might be cutting it kind of close,” he considered, “but go for it. I’m hoping to get mine done by May if I can.”

“By May?”

“Yeah, when the weather gets warmer I can speed the training up a bit. Or at least I hope I can. Next month will be one year for me. Rafe was finished in one year. I thought I could too but I don’t think I will be able to.”

“It’s more important to do a good job and teach properly than get done quickly,” she said.

He nodded, “I did need to spend some extra time before winter with Melanie and Sarah. I will just see how the last one goes.”

“See you later at circle?”

“Sure,” I’ll probably be with Becca if I can find her.”

He waved and headed for the food area. A quick lunch seemed in order and then helping out with some of the shelters. There were a lot more people this month and the weather was milder even though the snow was deeper.

There were some minor frostbite cases for the medics to treat but not as many as last month. It seemed people were learning they had to be careful. On the down side one of the clansmen had fallen through the ice on one of the creeks. He had managed to get out but not been able to get a fire going. He had frozen to death before the medics got to him. There were more medics at camp. They were going to have a memorial service. Angel had had found him and been unable to help. It was already too late.

The incident served to remind everyone just how fragile and dangerous it really was in the wilderness even with all the safeguards that were in place. The death put a damper on things and people were quiet.

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Chapter 20

Somehow Tobal didn’t feel that optimistic about the planned expedition but didn’t have any right or authority to stop them. Perhaps Crow was right. Perhaps the village did need some form of protection. He was feeling moody as he walked away from the group. Becca came with him.

“I’m not very good company right now,” he warned.

“I’ll risk it,” she said.

Neither one said much as they watched the preparations for the three newbies that were going to be initiated that evening and got something to eat. It was so cold wind breaks had been set up around the fires to bounce the heat back. Most people seemed to either stay inside or near the fire pits used for cooking. They ate by one of the cooking pits.

“May I ask something?” He finally said.

“Sure,” Becca answered through a mouthful of tasty stew.

“Why last month?” He asked. “Why did you come to me like that?”
“Was it wrong?” She asked wiping her mouth clean with her hand and looking
up at him with those green eyes.

“No,” he whispered. “It was exactly right. I just don’t know if I could have ever come to you that way. I was too messed up or afraid or something.”

“I was afraid too,” she said thoughtfully. “Then when we kissed it was so good and later you gave me that present. Look,” she said. “I’m still wearing it. She pulled the carved owl out from where it had been hiding within her parka. It was Anne that really helped. She read my palm that day and told me I would loose the one I loved unless I acted immediately to keep him from leaving.”

“Really?” He asked curiously. “Where would I have gone?”

“To Melanie,” was her simple reply. “This has been kind of hard on her cause
she really likes you too.”

Tobal flushed, “You and Melanie talk about this stuff?”

She put her bowl down and came over to him, pinning him back against a windbreak. She laughed.

“We women talk about everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything!”

“Well then, I’m going to keep my mouth shut around all of you.”

She set his bowl down and kissed him. “It won’t do any good. We’ll just tell stories then.”

“What kind of stories,” he undid some of the buttons on her parka and reached inside. She gasped in pleasure and their embrace was much longer than the last one. No thought of continuing the conversation. They were lost in the moment and in each other.

“Hey, some of us are trying to eat around here.” Nikki and Melanie had brought their own bowls of stew to eat by the fire.

“Becca, are you saving any for us?” Nikki quipped.

Tobal flushed.

Becca just nuzzled closer, “No, you’ve got to get your own.”

Together all four cleaned the dishes and moved toward the circle where the initiations were about to begin. It was cold and they took up positions next to a wind break that shielded one of the signal fires. As long as they stayed out of the wind it was all right.

Misty was HighPriestess that night and both she and the High Priest wore furs. The circle seemed much smaller than usual. There was a strong wind with drifting snow even in the sheltered valley and no one seemed anxious to dance around the fire clothed or not.

Tobal felt sorry for the new initiates that had to stand blind folded in such a wind with shortened tunics even if they were right next to the bon fire. To his relief they were wrapped in blankets to prevent over exposure to the bitter cold. In all things safety was the over riding concern of the medics and Masters. Living in harsh conditions made one strong. Being foolish killed you.

They watched together as Nikki’s, Melanie’s, and Becca’s newbies were initiated. Afterward Tobal was introduced to Cheryl, Loki, and Bran, the new initiates.

“If you are not careful we will catch up to you,” Melanie warned. “Cheryl, Loki and Bran make three newbies apiece for each of us. You have only trained one more than us.”

“I know.” Tobal frowned. “Why rub it in?”

The girls laughed and hugged him. “We’re just teasing. Don’t be so serious all the time.”

Tobal had gotten his fourth chevron that morning and was eager to get training. He already felt it had been a major mistake on his part to sit out the last month. The boredom and solitude had almost driven him crazy. He had tried working on the meditations and exercises Crow had taught him but it had been hard to focus and concentrate. Much of the time his thoughts had kept going back to Becca and their growing involvement with each other. Somehow it seemed to push everything else away. He didn’t know what had happened to his self discipline.

Immediately after circle things were moved inside one of the permanent shelters and continued out of the bad weather. This had happened a few other times during heavy rain but was unusual. Clansmen believed in having circle outside rain or shine, hell or high water. They spent so much time in the elements it didn’t bother them much and they were dressed for it.

They found a warm corner and started to gather. By the time Ellen got there ten people were sitting around waiting to hear what she had learned. Needless to say, Ellen was not happy with everyone knowing about the rogues or about Crow taking an entire group to the village for a visit.

Finally she gave in and sat with them and talked about what she had found out in her research.

“I was able to tap into the city’s data base and look into the historical archives and records.” She began. ” Ron and Rachel Kane were scientists that lived in the city and developed the sanctuary training system.” She looked around the group. “Those are Tobal’s parents, for those of you that don’t already know.”

The look of surprise on a few faces told Tobal that at least a few hadn’t known.

Ellen continued her story. “The sanctuary program was originally a social experiment designed to create a utopian community of specially trained and competent individuals. It was a personality modifying program to create physically, emotionally and mentally healthy individuals with strong will power and high creative ability.

It was highly successful in creating individuals that seemed to be more highly motivated and competent than the norm found within the Federation itself. The graduates showed scores that were mentally, emotionally and physically superior to non graduates and it was no surprise when the military got involved and the project became classified. Heliopolis became a natural recruiting ground for highly competent leaders and soldiers. It was a city-state devoted to the development of the Ubermench or super human and the main recruiting ground for Federation Special Forces.

As time went on the graduates gained political power within Heliopolis itself and voted for political changes that challenged the values and life styles of the older citizens that had not participated or agreed with the social experiment. The citizenry split along lines that supported the social experiment and those that were against it.”

Here Ellen stopped and said thoughtfully, “There is a saying that old timers never change their minds, they just die off and the younger generation outlives them. That was not the case in Heliopolis. The changes were so fast and radical there was not enough time for mediation. The hostilities and tensions became so great it resulted in a massacre of several students and families living at the main Apprentice gathering spot and the deaths of Ron and Rachel Kane whose bodies were found floating in the lake nearby.”

Ellen broke off from her story to look around at the group. “It seems not only Tobal lost his parents then but Crow lost both parents and Sarah lost her mother. This was not in the official report but in what I have learned personally.”

Sarah was white faced and her fists were tightened. There were murmurs within the group until Crow stopped them.

“Let her finish.”

“These multiple murders created a military emergency and the entire city fell under martial law directed by the Federation and Tobal’s Uncle Harry Kane who was the commander in charge at the time. It was under his command that any of those connected with the murders were eliminated or deported and Heliopolis became a secret classified program controlled by Federation military.”

Tobal started. His uncle had said he was in charge of security, not that he had been Commander in charge of the entire project. There was obviously a lot his uncle had known about and not shared with him.

Ellen continued, “The military created a new program that allowed no children or elderly unless they were physically fit enough to make it through the three degree system. It was simply a system designed to create recruits for the Federation military. The thought was it created better soldiers.

The city of Heliopolis became a city of the elite ruled by the military, a city of supermen and superwomen if you will. The graduates were still human but something about the training eliminated dysfunctional areas and built strong healthy individuals that could out compete the average person in all areas.

This continued several years until enough data was available to compare the graduates of the sanctuary program with special military forces. It was here they showed radical differences. The graduates of the sanctuary program did not do well in the normal military. Studies confirmed that military training suppressed the individual and forced conformance to a rigid authoritarian structure that was simply not endurable to the average graduate. The graduates of the sanctuary program were individuals and not team players.

It was at this point the Federation lost much of its interest in the project and turned it back to civilian control. The Federation continued to recruit graduates for field operative positions and kept a mountain complex manned with military personnel for special training. They also agreed to share medical resources with the medics as they needed them.

Ellen stopped and looked around, “That was when the city was granted the right of self government. But only those that had completed the restructured sanctuary training were considered citizens with the right to vote. They voted to adopt the military’s program in favor of the earlier program run by Ron and Rachel Kane. The earlier program had consisted of the creation of a village with children and old people as an important part of the social research that was going on. There was no more interest in the creation of another ‘village’ in the wilderness. It was felt there were too many ‘Safety concerns’.”

The Citizens of Heliopolis maximized individual qualities under a loose structure of cooperative effort. The city itself gained in political power and influence even as it remained closed to normal trade and commerce. Its citizenry were active in the outer world owning companies and making directives that influenced world politics. They formed an elite pool of superior resources that fought for it’s own place in world politics. It was whispered that government research continued at a nearby secret mountain complex where Special Ops field agents were trained.”

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“It wasn’t that bad was it?” He whispered to Becca.

She just nodded at him and kissed him. There were some tears in her eyes. He hoped they were tears of happiness. “Everything is all right now though.” She brushed at her eyes.

Melanie gave them both a big hug and kiss and they watched the rest of the show together.

Kevin and Zee had put together a crazy puppet show complete with a small stage. The story was about two Apprentices that partnered up for the winter and fell in love. They proclaimed undying love for each other and then later wore black tunics and fought each other all the time in a bizarre twist on the Journeyman degree until angels came in airsleds and carried them away. The crowd thought it was funny. Tobal wondered where they got the ideas though and asked them as they came off the stage.

Zee joked, “Why from you and Becca of course. Good to see you’ve finally come to your senses.”

Both Kevin and Zee congratulated them and gave them hugs. It seemed that Zee and Kevin were really happy exploring their new relationship and staying warm as possible this winter.

It was Kevin that asked, “So are you two going to partner up for the rest of the winter?”

Becca glanced first at Tobal and then at Melanie. “We are both going to keep training newbies through the winter. Right?” She looked at Tobal expectantly and gave his arm a squeeze.

“Uh, that’s right,” he mumbled. “Got to keep training newbies. We can partner up as Journeymen.” He knew he had given the right answer as Becca brightened and smiled widely.

They turned their attention back to the stage as Sarah sang some beautiful Celtic music she had learned from her father. Her voice and the songs were haunting and left a hush over the crowd. Tobal looked and could see tears in the eyes of some of the listeners. There was definitely love and romance in the air.

Mike and Butch took the stage next and had everyone gasping and rolling on the floor at their stand up comic routine. They were natural clowns and comedians and loved to entertain people. They concluded their act to wild applause and a break for dinner. As people broke for dinner a line formed to congratulate Mike and Butch. It seemed they had really made a hit.

Sarah came over and they all gave her a big hug and told her how beautiful her songs were. The six of them left to get some food and drink. Later they met with others and headed back to watch more of the talent show. The remainder of the evening was a lot of fun even though Tobal didn’t know many of the performers. It was almost as fun watching the antics of the audience and chatting with friends.

Mike and Butch showed up after dinner in high spirits and were looking to have some fun with the girls. Their comedy routine had made them very popular and like celebrities they were surrounded with groupies. They were party animals and liked to play with the girls at circle where it was fun and light. There were lots of girls that liked fun too and Tobal guessed neither Mike nor Butch would be sleeping alone tonight.

Becca noticed his jet and amber necklace and asked about it. He suggested they go back to the teepee where they could talk. They helped each other undress and slid into the blankets to keep warm. It was about an hour later when Becca reminded him about the necklace.

Slowly he told her the story from the beginning and showed her the necklace, the hospital bands, the ceremonial dagger and the wand. She was quiet and didn’t say very much after that.

They made love once more and fell asleep. In the morning they both agreed the sweat hut sounded like a good idea. They laughed as they sat in the steam and told stories as the sweat ran off them. They dared each other to run outside and roll in the snow and run back in. To the amazement of several onlookers they were both crazy enough to do it although their hair was frozen all most immediately once they made it out side. Once was enough and the next trip was to get their clothes. It was refreshing and did put them in a good mood.

Becca made up her mind to take the stage at the talent show. She was a surprising gymnast and did some cart wheels, head stands and hand springs that showed just how good of shape she was really in. She topped it off with a back flip that brought cheers.

Then it was Tobal’s turn. In desperation Tobal painted his face and did a pantomime routine about claiming sanctuary, how bad the food and water were how it took his things and did the med exam. He pantomimed all of it down to taking a shower without clothing much to the hoots and laughter of the crowd after they finally realized what he was doing. The newbies especially thought it was funny and everyone had a good laugh out of it. Later people came up and said how they had enjoyed it.

Next on the stage were Nick and Tara. Tara had gotten Nick as drummer and did a strip dance for the entire group to enthusiastic applause.

Tobal and Becca talked with them after the show. Nick and Tara looked happy together. They had settled for the winter at her base camp and Nick had done lots of heavy work getting things ready for the winter. Tara boasted they even had enough firewood already cut to last through the winter. Nick had made stone axes for both of them and they had worked at it till it was all done.

Nick flushed at the praise but there was a quiet glow of acceptance in knowing he had earned it. Tobal realized Nick had matured a lot in just the few months since he had worked with him and known him. Sometimes relationships did that to a person. Nick had shown his stone axes at the talent show earlier.

The celebration was not all fun and games though. The Ox showed up for the Yule party, he had two chevrons and was boasting about beating Rafe, which almost got him into a fight there. Rafe was well liked and no one likes a bully, especially one that rubs things in. After a bit he stuck with some of the rowdier Journeymen and concentrated on getting drunk.

Drunken Journeymen brought their own share of problems into the camp. That week the entire camp went through the emergency beer supply and ran out. Tobal thought that might be one of the reasons people started the cold journeys back to their own base camps by the end of the fourth day.

Nikki was planning to try for another newbie. She was determined to at least try training in the winter time and see if it suited her or not. She really didn’t look forward to spending the entire winter partnering with anyone and was trying to avoid it if she could. She liked both training and the solitude of being alone at times.

She already had two chevrons and was tied with Becca and Melanie. Having a little fun at the parties once a month was just fine for her. She wanted to be a citizen and didn’t want to waste precious months and years camping out in the woods like Wayne and Char. Tobal had noticed Nikki really seemed to not like Wayne and Char for some reason and couldn’t figure out why.

Melanie and Becca were competitive enough that they hated the thought of Nikki advancing ahead of them and someone needed to train this month’s newbies. All three girls tried talking him into going to sanctuary with them but he really felt like he needed a break. There had been too much happening and he needed some time to sort things out, especially about Becca and himself.

Late January was bitter with sub-zero temperatures. There were several cases of frostbite that needed tending at the gathering spot and the medics made a point to question everyone if they needed to be treated. Frostbite if not treated could lead to infection and the loss of a limb.

Sarah proclaimed her newbie, Ben as ready to solo. There were two others willing to solo and the elders grudgingly gave their approval after issuing strict warnings about the dangers of these extreme temperatures. Each soloist had two weeks supply of food they had prepared ahead of time and warm clothing. They felt they were ready.

Four more people had gone. They just packed up and headed west toward the coast. The medics kept track of them until they were out of range. The winter months were the ones when they lost the most people even though it was the most dangerous time of year for travel.

That month not many showed up at circle. Zee and Kevin continued staying together and didn’t show up at circle. Neither did Wayne or his soloed student. Tobal suspected they were waiting out the winter together. Char and her partner didn’t come either and it was probably because of the bitter cold this time of year. Tara and Nick were not there either. Those were just clansmen Tobal had hoped to see but didn’t.

Mike and Butch showed up in high spirits and looking to have some fun with the girls like last month. They were hoping for a little casual sex with no strings attached. Just something to release the tension of cabin fever that started to grow this time of year. Last months’ week long celebration had given the two eternal optimists much encouragement and they hoped to push their luck again. The trouble was no matter how much they tried none of the girls seemed interested.

Crow was back and talking with the others when Tobal got there. They all looked as he came over. Becca slipped into his arms and gave him a passionate kiss.

“Everyone knows,” she whispered in his ear.

“Knows what?” He said with a grin. Teasing one of her stray hairs back in place.

“About the rogues, your parents, Crow’s parents, Sarah’s parents, the massacre and the possible attack on the village.”

“What!” His smile vanished.

“I told Melanie and Nikki,” she confessed. “On the way to sanctuary last month. It seemed important. They are both very concerned. But Crow has been telling everyone else since he came in this morning. He’s getting a group together to go to the village to ensure its protection.”

He turned to listen to the rest of the group. Anne, Derdre, Seth and Sarah were all going to visit the village. Sarah was hoping to meet Howling Wolf and ask about her mother. Anne, Derdre and Seth had just come from soloing and didn’t feel like training any newbies in the extreme cold. They needed a little social time after an entire month of being alone.

The village was within the area the medics monitored and it wouldn’t be as if they had left the area. They had heard stories of the rogues and believed Crow when he said it wasn’t the villagers causing the attacks.

Crow looked at Tobal, “Grandfather says it is good if I bring as many others as I can. He says it will help ensure the safety of the village. He says you can come if you want.”

“You have been in contact with your Grandfather about this?”

Crow nodded, “We are only planning on staying there for a month and then coming back. The main point is to show there is good will between the village and us and that we are in contact with each other when we need to be.

Grandfather thinks the city needs to know this. We will all be leaving in the morning.”

Tobal couldn’t think of anything useful to say. “Can you talk to Ellen before you go?”

“Sure,” Crow replied. “Things will be fine.”

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“I can see that,” Rafe nodded. “Sure, I’ll be there. Where are we meeting anyway? It’s cold out there.”

“You getting soft in your old age?” Tobal joked. “You just keep lots of that grog on hand. I was thinking of meeting out by the central fire like we did last time.”

Rafe sighed, “Ok, right after circle then. Did you see Dirk made his fifth chevron?”

“Already congratulated him, how about you?”

“Maybe next time,” Rafe said. “The fights are getting more even. I can’t wait till you get to be a Journeyman and get your butt whipped all the time.” He chuckled.

“Well I’ve got to leave and get hold of Ellen.” He turned toward the door.

“Sure, changing the subject,” Rafe laughed as Tobal went out.

It was mid afternoon and he arranged with both Crow and Ellen to meet immediately after circle by the central fire. Ellen had changed into her robe and was getting ready for circle. She was one of the few non-ritual team members that was going to be wearing a robe. It was so cold most of the others including Tobal were wearing their furs to circle. He asked her about it.

“Oh, I’ll be alright,” she laughed. “I’ll be next to the fire and can keep warm there.”

“Well, I’ll have some extra blankets or furs by me if you get cold,” he told her.

“Thanks Tobal, but I won’t need them really. Especially tonight since I’m so keyed up.”

“What’s up?”

“I’m training to be High Priestess of the Journeyman Circle. It is quite different than this one. Misty will keep doing this one for awhile yet.”

“That’s great,” he grinned. “You will be High Priestess when I become Journeyman. You will probably get to initiate me again.”

She smiled, “we’ll just have to wait and see. I’ve got to get to the circle now though. See you later, ok?”

With that she gave Tobal a hug and he went looking for the girls. More and more he looked forward to the circle time he shared with Melanie and Becca and sometimes Nikki. He had come to think of it as something they did together as friends.

He had noticed the last few months that Melanie was spending a lot of time with Becca. Part of him was sad and upset but part of him was honest enough to realize Becca was a lot different than he had imagined her to be. He had been thinking about her quite a bit these last few days and didn’t really know why. She wasn’t at all what he had expected. She hadn’t shown the vicious, aggressive behavior she had during the disastrous night of the Halloween dance.

Instead, she seemed more aloof, unemotional and withdrawn as if she was hiding some deep secret or misery and keeping it to herself. It was only with Melanie that she seemed to cheer up and laugh about things. Several times he suspected they might be laughing about him but pushed that thought away. He was hoping to get a little time alone with Melanie. But it seemed that was not to be and with good humor he filled his tankard and moved over to sit beside the two girls.

“There any room for me?” He teased.

Melanie and Becca both jumped with delight and took turns giving him a hug and a kiss. Melanie’s hug was delicious and his arms folded around her as their lips met in a kiss that was longer and more passionate than he had been expecting. He took his time thoroughly enjoying it and almost regretfully stepped back.

“My turn”, Becca quipped and stepped up to him with a glint in her green eyes he didn’t recognize. She pulled the hood off and shook her red hair so that it cascaded freely around the fur of her jacket. Then she reached up and pulled his own hood back and ran her fingers through the hair at his temples till her fingers found the back of his neck and pulled his lips down to hers.

It seemed as if the universe had stopped and there was only this one moment frozen in eternity as he breathed her essence into his lungs and heart and breathed his back into her. Almost reflexively his arms tightened around her and crushed her against his body. Their lips fed on each other with a passion that consumed them in a whirlwind of feelings he had never felt before.

He moved first lifting his head up and shifting his grip as he stepped back. Her eyes met his in a soundless plea that he couldn’t answer. He saw the hurt come into her eyes as he moved back and looked away.

“Wow,” he said. “ I need to sit down after all that and I’d better sit between you two so you don’t fight over me.”

Instantly he knew that he had done and said the wrong thing. Both girls instantly went from being glad to see him to cold as death itself. He pulled the hood back up and so did Becca. They sat in frozen silence.

He tried joking and asking about their month but nothing worked. He was actually relieved when Nikki came over to join them. If Nikki noticed that anything was wrong she didn’t mention it and soon all three girls were laughing and telling stories between initiations.

They were however, very curious and envious of his new decorative clothing. He told them Crow had taught him. He opened his fur coat and showed the beautiful beadwork and porcupine needles stitched carefully and decoratively on the comfortable buckskin clothing he was wearing.

“How does Crow know these things?” Becca asked curiously. “I thought you were supposed to be training him. Not he training you?”

The girls laughed and Tobal blushed. “I just got lucky,” he said. “Crow grew up in a village about two hundred miles west of here.” He instantly wished he hadn’t said anything about the village.

“You mean the rogue village?” Nikki asked.

“You really need to talk with Crow about that,” he said. “I’d really like to stay and chat,” he said. “But I’ve got to talk with Rafe and Ellen right now.”

“You are always talking with Rafe or Ellen.” Nikki pouted. “You spend more time talking with them then you do with us. What’s that about anyway? Are you too good for us?”

That last comment had a little bite to it and Melanie and Becca looked at each other. Tobal didn’t like to leave things that way. It just didn’t seem right. He sighed.

“It’s about increased rogue activity,” he said. “I’ll tell you about it later if you are really interested.”

“You promise?” Melanie asked suddenly suspicious. “There’s something going on that you are not telling us. You can’t lie worth a damn Tobal. No one is in danger are they?”

“We don’t really know.” He pleaded. “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk later ok?”

Then he stood up and left before they stopped him or asked if they could come with. He went around to the other side of the fire circle and waited, painfully aware that Nikki, Melanie, and Becca were not leaving the fire circle either. They were going to watch the meeting from across the fire.

Rafe was the first to join and then Crow. Ellen came last. She had changed out of her robe into furs. She smiled at Tobal.

“I almost took you up on that offer.” She said shivering. “I was freezing on one side and roasting on the other side all night. You were right. I should have worn my furs. I didn’t really need the robe.”

She looked at the others, “Are we ready?”

Tobal cleared his throat hesitantly. “We might have a problem.”

All three turned to look at him expectantly.

“Becca, Melanie and Nikki are on to us. They know something is up and want to know about it. They are sitting across the fire from us now.”

Crow, Ellen and Rafe turned and looked across the fire and the three girls smiled and waved at them.

Ellen sighed, “I still don’t think we should tell any more people than we need to about this. This could be very dangerous and I don’t even want you talking to any of the other medics about it. Please?”

Reluctantly they all agreed and turned back toward the issue at hand with Ellen taking the leadership role.

“There are still many tracks around the lake area.” She told them. “I continue to patrol it every other day but never see anyone. I am convinced they know when I am coming because of my med-alert bracelet. They know I am coming and hide.”

“It gets worse,” she said. “There is a growing rumor the rogues are from the primitive village west of here. There is another rumor that the city is planning an attack on the village to make the area safe for all those that are claiming sanctuary.

“They are planning to attack my village!” Crow demanded. “Why? We have no technology to track people like you say the rogues do. We do not even have med-alert bracelets. I need to leave immediately and warn my grandfather.” He got up to leave but Tobal stopped him.

“You said your grandfather, Howling Wolf has trained you in the ways of the shaman?”

Crow nodded in the affirmative, his dark eyes flashing. “Yes, that is true.”

“Well,” Tobal suggested. “Can you get a spirit message to your grandfather instead so you don’t have to travel there physically?”

Crow pondered the question and Tobal could see he was visibly relaxing. “Yes, I can send a message to him that way. I will do it tonight after this meeting.”

“Good,” he said. “That means you can use next month to complete your solo. It would be a shame to not finish your solo since you have worked so hard at it.”

“I will ask Grandfather,” Crow said stiffly. “I will do as he suggests. My own parents were massacred and buried in a mass grave. I don’t want my grandfather or my village to suffer the same fate.”

The mention of Howing Wolf jarred something loose inside Tobal’s mind and he tried fitting things together. Howling Wolf just knew too much and was in the center of too many things. He had trained his parents in bi-location and hand-fasted them together. He had built the cairn over the mass grave by the waterfall. He was somehow in contact with Sarah’s father. Perhaps it was Howling Wolf the rogues were interested in and not the village itself.

“Maybe they are interested in Howling Wolf and not the village?”

“That would mean my sister and I would be in even greater danger,” Crow told him.

Rafe said, “We need to know more about the village and the city of Heliopolis. We also need to know more about the sanctuary program.” He looked at Ellen. “Is there anyway you can research some local history on the computer and find out what the official story line is on all this stuff? I’m getting so many versions that my head is going to split.”

Ellen nodded, “That’s a good idea. I’ll see what I can dig up for our next meeting. Now”, she turned to Crow, “Can you fill me in on what you’ve told Tobal.”

Crow again told the story of the Lord and Lady and the research at the lake. He told of the part his parents and his grandfather had played in it. He also mentioned how the Lord and Lady had taught his grandfather and the others in a secret location to go on special journeys where they would disappear and return at a later time bringing objects back with them. That’s when he floored Ellen and Rafe by saying the Lord and Lady, Tobal’s parents were still alive and needed their help.

Ellen was visibly shaken and didn’t know what to say. She finally asked how the Lord and Lady spoke to him and questioned him about his experiences. Tobal had forgotten Ellen was training as a High Priestess for the Journeyman degree and was expected to speak with the Lord and Lady. She was obviously having some trouble with the concept that the Lord and Lady were Tobal’s parents and that they were still alive as physical beings.

It was shortly after that when she excused herself and the meeting was over. Crow went to warn his grandfather the village might be attacked and he might be in danger. Rafe stayed for a few extra minutes talking with Tobal.

Tobal wondered why Ellen felt none of the Masters/medics could be trusted. It seemed strange since Rafe knew several of them and trusted them. Perhaps it was not the people, Rafe suggested. Perhaps it had something to do with the job of being a medic that made it dangerous to confide in them. Anyway it was a puzzle with no ready answer.

Perhaps Rafe would learn the answer when he became a Master. He was at four chevrons and could get his fifth and sixth at any time. Rafe especially would be seeing Ellen on a regular basis at Journeyman circles and could get word from Tobal to her in case of an emergency. On that note they separated and went on to other things.

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