Neanderthals

Avalon 1.12 The Name of the Game part 2 of 4

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They had traveled that way before—by divine fiat—so the feeling of disorientation did not last long. When they vanished from one part of the globe, they knew they would arrive elsewhere instantly and only had to adjust their mind and eyes to the change in scenery. In this case, it was easy, because they remained on the undulating landscape, though a great forest sat to their right, and a man nearby went down on his knees. Only one thing caused all of them to wonder. The field they were on looked full of horses, and a number of them had western style saddles and saddlebags.

“Oh, you just made it,” the man said, as he got up from his knees. “Mother must have sent you, and good thing. I was about to pass out.”

“Nameless?” Lockhart remembered the man, or rather the god from a past encounter. He was the Kairos.

“Good to see you again,” Nameless said. “Good to see all of you, but now you must listen carefully before I go away and let Wlvn gift you.”

“Gift?” Lincoln asked.

Nameless waved off the question and waved them in close. “First, don’t go into the forest. That area for miles belongs to the Titan at the center, Loki assisting. They have the territory ringed by forest and a one-way electric fence. It is like a dog fence that keeps in dogs, but you don’t have to wear a collar. It is keyed to humans. You can pass through from this side but will get scorched trying to pass through from that side. You can see the old man,” Nameless pointed and some, for the first time, saw a man sleeping peacefully on a fine mattress.

“Nice Mattress,” Katie whispered. Her eyes were always on the technology of the times.

“Compliments of mother Vrya,” Nameless nodded his head. “He went unconscious racing through the fence on horseback. The horse felt nothing, but the fence nearly killed him.”

“And Wlvn?” Lincoln asked.

“He should be out cold,” Nameless admitted. “But you first. Now listen, here is the kicker, or two. The Titan at the center has made an agreement, or Loki has, with the Gott-Druk. They are his strong-arm helpers, and have the ships, shuttles, and firepower to enforce the slavery of the people.”

Several eyes looked around as Lockhart spoke. “We may have a Gott-Druk from the future following us through the gates. Maybe not. That has not exactly been confirmed yet.”

“We found him in Odelion’s time.”

Nameless nodded. “I remember, only it is the ones from this time that are your immediate threat. They will be out in force looking for me—I mean Wlvn, and might pass on you, but no guarantees. Then also, there are night creatures around. They won’t bother you at all unless they are given your scent and you become their prey. Then they won’t stop until they eat you. And no, they are not native to this earth, though I have yet to fix a planet of origin.”

“God help us if one of them starts after us through the gates,” Mingus said.

“They can be killed,” Nameless assured them with a look at Captain Decker and Lockhart. “But they are very dense creatures, almost all muscle and cartilage, so the bullets might not penetrate as much as you would like. Also, they are smarter than any earth animal, so keep that in mind.”

“And?” Boston wondered if there was more.

Nameless shook his head. “Just the zombies chasing Wlvn, but I suspect they won’t bother you. Oh, and watch out for Loki.”

“Now the horses,” Alexis said. She had her eyes on a gray.

Nameless nodded, tossed some dust in the air, and traded places with Wlvn so the dust fell on Wlvn’s head. “Just a little godly magic to keep me conscious until we are finished.”

“God of the horses?” Lincoln payed attention. “But you are just human.”

Wlvn nodded. “Long story short. When Poseidon lost the contest for Athens to Athena, he was not going to give the Athenians the horses for nothing. He brought them to me. He figured I would know what to do with them. Then he laid hands on me and filled my mind with everything I needed to know about the care and handling of the beasts. And he allowed that I could lay hands on others as well to spread that information quickly. Knees, please.”

No one understood what he was asking until Alexis got down on her knees. Everyone followed her example. Wlvn only said one more thing as he went from person to person and laid hands on each in turn. “This is very draining. If I was not due to go unconscious from the electric fence, I would certainly need to pass out after this.” When he finished, he stepped back and let Nameless return in his place. Everyone else marveled and tried hard to integrate this sudden influx of new knowledge.

“Now don’t worry. Wlvn already laid hands on the horses too. They will recognize you all and know which of you they belong to. Yes, Mingus,” Nameless spoke before Mingus could register his protest. “You and Roland have horses as well, and you will ride with the others, so get used to it.”

“But the saddles,” Lockhart started to speak, paused to consider his words, and spoke with sure and certain knowledge. “They are from the nineteenth century. Aren’t they a bit out of time?”

“The horses are from the eighteen-seventies. The saddles are a concession since hopefully you won’t be staying in a given time period for too long. The horses are all sturdy mustangs, stallions from the old west—Marshal Casidy’s days. He got them from a horse trader in the Dakotas. Then Alice and I managed to bring them back here to this point. Horses and the use of horses spread slowly across the old world, but it begins here on the edge of the steppes. These particular horses should not be startled by the sound of gunfire, hopefully never needed, and since they are also from the future, they should be able to go with you into the future.”

People went to their horses, also knowing which ones were theirs. Lockhart got fancy. He whistled and the horse went to him.

“One more thought,” Alexis made everyone pause. “How is Lady Alice?”

“Confused.” Nameless shook his head. “My Storyteller is still missing, not dead so most everything is in confusion. Avalon is whole,” he assured the elves. “But she can’t just bring you home and I can’t send you there. I’m sorry. You will just have to get home the hard way.”

“Understood,” Lockhart said, and he walked his horse north where Boston waited so he could check the direction.

“Now, you all need to move on at least an hour from here,” Nameless continued. “It would be better if old man Wlkn woke up none the wiser. And me? I have to pass out for a while.” He watched the party mount, not expertly by any means. “Good luck with your butts and legs for the first couple of weeks. Knowing how to do something and doing it are two different things. Good luck.”

As they rode off, Nameless went back to his knees, traded places through time back to Wlvn who immediately ate dirt.

~~~*~~~

It became nearly dark when the travelers stopped for the night. They just had time to build a fire and rub down the horses, using Captain Decker’s rope to tie them off for the night. Everyone felt tired, but excited about the horses. The women had all ridden before; Boston especially, who rode in a rodeo. Lincoln had ridden some during his time with the CIA, though he was not at liberty to say where or why. The elves, of course, were more than capable riders, though they preferred their own two feet. Only Captain Decker and Lockhart had never ridden other than Lockhart’s one trip down the Grand Canyon on a donkey’s back.

“I expect we will all feel it tomorrow,” Lockhart said.

“Why wait for tomorrow?” Captain Decker asked and rubbed his backside.

Still, they were happy knowing they would not have to walk all the way back to the twenty-first century. All seemed well with the world, and though Lockhart insisted on the two-person watch, they all felt they would get a good night’s sleep. Naturally, they got nothing of the sort.

It started about midnight when Alexis woke up to the sound of a baby crying. It sounded far away and faint, but she heard it clearly. She had just gone to sleep an hour earlier from first watch, so she knew it could not be a dream. It came again, and she shook Lincoln.

“What?” Lincoln sounded groggy. He had just fallen into a deep sleep.

“Listen,” Alexis said. “Can you hear that?”

They listened but heard nothing. Just before Lincoln said, go back to sleep, you were dreaming, the sound came again. It sounded louder and still sounded like a baby’s cry, but there was something different about it—something off. Alexis jumped up and found the two on watch, Lockhart and Mingus had heard it too. They stood side by side and stared at the line of trees in the distance.

“It’s coming from inside the forest,” Lockhart pointed as Katie and Boston came up from the horses and Roland jogged in from the dark.

“Night creatures,” Mingus named them. Roland only had to nod to confirm.

“They appear to be guarding the perimeter of the trees,” Roland reported. “But whether that is to keep people out or keep the slaves in, I cannot say.”

“Let’s hope they don’t catch wind of us or the horses,” Katie spoke from behind. “So far the horses don’t appear spooked by them.”

“I don’t think they recognize that sound as a danger,” Boston suggested.

“Catching wind of us won’t matter,” Lincoln said. He read about them in the database earlier that evening. “I skimmed through their information when I was on watch. It appears they eat what is handy, like scavengers. I’m glad we did not camp near the trees. They only kill what is handy when they get hungry enough, but it also said they can go for a long time without eating. Mostly, it said they get or are given a scent and then they hunt, and they don’t stop hunting that one thing until they catch it or die.” He looked up. “When they are on the hunt, they generally ignore everything else.”

“Given a scent?” Alexis had to ask.

“The text was unclear about that,” Lincoln admitted. “My guess is whichever god brings them here from wherever they come can lay out what or who they want hunted.”

“And god help the hunted,” Mingus concluded, as the sound appeared to fade again in the distance and people returned to their beds.

Avalon 1.9 The Elders part 1 of 4

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After 4176 BC on Malta. Kairos 16: Odelion

Recording …

“I think it is ugly.” Boston rarely minced her words.

“It’s artistic,” Lincoln tried to give the benefit of the doubt. He had his pad and pencil out to make a rendering.

“It looks like it has been here for a long time. Let me see.” Katie Harper finally pulled out one of the mysterious bits of technology from of her backpack. She examined the carving by scanning it and checked the readout.  The object, a flat faced carving on a stone, not really a statue, sat all alone in a clearing in the jungle.

“A representation of some demon-god,” Boston suggested.

“No. A true rendering of a spiritual reality, I would say.” Mingus touched it carefully. “I would call it a greater spirit of the night.”

“Call it a dream spirit,” Alexis suggested.

Lincoln amended that. “A nightmare spirit.” It had a flat head with high brows like a Neanderthal, eyes that glared and were far bigger than necessary, fangs for teeth, and four arms that ended in claws and looked to be reaching for the onlookers.

Katie spoke again. “According to my best estimate, this carving is about nine thousand years old.”

“Let me see.” Boston stepped over to look at Katie’s equipment. “The amulet also has a temporal setting. It says ninty-four hundred years.” She showed Katie so they could compare.

“But you said, or rather Lincoln read from the database that we have only traveled three hundred and fifty years since the beginning.” Captain Decker did the math. “You are saying this is older than the Kairos.”

“I would say nine thousand years older.” Katie nodded. “That would make it pre-flood.”

“Gott-Druk,” Mingus said.

“Neanderthal,” Lockhart translated for those who did not know.

People nodded. “I had forgotten,” Alexis admitted.

“This is Malta,” Katie said. “There should be some old temples around here as well, though they may be ruins already after the flood. It would be a good way to check the readings.”

“Quiet.” Roland’s word came sharp. His hunter senses were on alert since they climbed down the mountain and entered the jungle, and he was presently the only one paying attention to the wilderness. People looked up as he waved quickly to one side of the clearing. Everyone scattered, hid, and did their best to remain perfectly quiet.

They heard the strangers before they saw them. There were three, and they clearly looked Neanderthal. They all had on orange jumps suits of a sort that looked technologically way beyond what the humans imagined the Gott-Druk should have. Lieutenant Harper and Captain Decker, in particular, looked for classic cavemen.

“But the locals are resistant, our ancient cousins are behaving stupidly, and there are Elenar reported in the area.” One of the Gott-Druk complained as he counted off his fingers.

A second Gott-Druk, the evident leader of the group quieted his fellow. He held up a device of some kind. He pressed some buttons and looked into a screen. “An ancient Ankaron Battleship. I don’t think we even have one of those in a museum.” He turned his device off and reassured his comrade. “You could take it down with a handgun.”

“Still, there is the one favored by the powers of the earth. He has already cost our cousins dearly.” The Gott-Druk counted a fourth finger.

“Yes,” the leader said. “But if we can eliminate him and take down the Elenar, the first plan may yet go forth as ill-conceived.”

The third one spoke. “But if the first plan succeeds, we may never be born.”

“Worth the risk,” the leader said as he lifted his device and punched some more buttons. He lowered it and scanned 180 degrees of the forest where the travelers were hiding. “But come. We are too out in the open here.”

The others looked. “I see nothing,” one said, but the leader moved off and the others were obliged to follow.

Captain Decker and Roland cautioned everyone to remain silent. They led them through the trees, and not in a straight line. Roland scouted up front to pick out the trail and Captain Decker watched the rear. They went a mile beyond the carving in the clearing before Roland let anyone speak.

“What were they on about?” Katie Harper wanted to know.

“I met the Elenar in the future—back home,” Lockhart said. “They are like Cro-Magnon, maybe Denisovan and if not the enemies of the Gott-Druk, they are watchers at least determined to make sure the Neanderthals don’t come back and try to retake the earth.”

“I see,” Boston said. “But where would the human race fit, if the Neanderthals were successful, I mean, in retaking the earth?”

“We would not fit,” Lockhart said.

“Or become a permanent slave underclass,” Mingus suggested.

“Well, one thing.” Lincoln spoke up. “I suspect the favored of the gods is the Kairos and if the Gott-Druk plan is to eliminate him, it might be a good idea if we find him first.”

“Right.” Boston spoke with some vigor. “This way.” She had the amulet out and pointed. Roland joined her at the front.

After hardly another mile, they came to the sea, and not the best beach in the world. In fact, the jungle marched right down to the water in several places where they saw a ledge. They could see where the waves were digging the dirt out from beneath the trees and imagined there might be a beach someday, but not yet.

“I thought we might find a village,” Alexis said. Lincoln shrugged. Roland, Mingus, and the marines kept quiet. Boston shook the amulet the way Doctor Procter used to shake it.

“What?” Lockhart asked.

“The amulet points straight out to sea, twenty miles.”

“Nautical miles?” Captain Decker asked.

“Let me see,” Lockhart imitated Boston’s curious attitude and she showed him. “But it is a little to the south. Let’s try this way. Maybe there is a peninsula or something.

“Not on Malta,” Katie shook her head.

“Another island?” Boston turned to face the marine.

“No,” Lincoln answered. “There are two or so other islands in the Malta group, but they are north, not south.”

“The woods!” Roland spoke sharply again, and everyone jumped. An airship of some sort came into view. It sounded plenty noisy, like driven by an internal combustion engine, and it flew low and slow across the water. Lockhart and Lincoln agreed it had to be a shuttle, probably four to six passengers plus crew.

“Surgical strike,” Captain Decker suggested.

“Hurry!” Lockhart said, and they hurried south in the wake of that ship.

“Hold.” Captain Decker threw his hand up when they got close, and no one argued. They peeked out from behind the trees. They could see smoke from fires high in the sky and guessed it had to be the village, but they saw no houses because of the small hill that blocked their view.

The airship looked to have more in common with a glider or navy seaplane than a spaceship from their angle. It landed on the water, skidded, bounced, and slid to a stop, like a rock might skip across the surface of a lake. The Gott-Druk climbed out. There were six, and they wore something like rubber mukluks that allowed their short, squat bodies to scramble to the shore without a serious wetting.

Lockhart started to rise. He had in mind to talk it out, but Roland held him down. The three Gott-Druk in orange came out from the trees to meet the newcomers on the shore, and the first words out of the orange leader’s mouth were not kind.

“Idiots! How are we going to surprise anyone when you come blundering in with your noisy antique? Did it occur to you to stop up shore and walk here, quietly?”

“Elder,” One of the other orange men spoke. “Look at these primitive weapons.” He pointed at his fellow Gott-Druk and the handguns they carried.

“Better than the sticks and stones we will be facing.” The leader ignored his fellow to give out his instructions. “Kill everyone, males, females, and children. That is the only way you idiots will not miss him.”

“Right,” Lockhart nodded to Roland and instead of getting up, he pulled his shotgun up to sight. Captain Decker already had his up. Lieutenant Harper, Boston, and Lincoln readied themselves. Roland unhooked his sword but got his bow ready.

Avalon 9.8 The Wild West, part 4 of 6

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As they headed out the next morning, Katie rode with Sukki between her and Elder Stow. Lockhart had some questions for Captain Barnes.  “So, when did this alien ship crash in the Potomac?”

“March fourth, 1865, in the evening after President Lincoln spoke. We have spent the last ten years tracking alien prisoners all across the country, in Canada, and Mexico.”

“And you have had no help from the Kargill police—the what-you-call-them.” Lockhart was unsure of the name.

Captain Barnes nodded.  “Ahluzarians. Yes actually.  We have an Ahluzarian with us.  Commander Roker.  He went with Marshal Casidy, Rodrigo the Apache, Mini Taggert, she is a sharpshooter and real cowgirl from Missouri, and a fur trapper and Indian guide out of Western Canada named Gordon Smythe.  Gordon was a great help in Oregon.  Interesting.  Marshal Casidy has taken to calling the seven of us the Magnificent Seven, but he has not explained what he means by that.”  Captain Barnes stopped talking and leaned over, assuming Lockhart knew what that meant.  Lockhart chose not to explain the reference.

“Go on,” Lockhart said.

“Well.  According to Commander Roker’s records of the prisoner manifest, we have neutralized all but one.  This last one, though is especially difficult.  It is a shape shifter, and having been on this planet for ten years, it has become expert in appearing human.”

“I don’t get it,” Lockhart admitted.  “I was there when the Kairos told the Kargill directly that this planet was off limits to visitors, and the Kargill agreed.  Any Kargill ships had to avoid this solar system altogether.”

“By the Kairos you mean Marshal Casidy?  The Marshal has not explained that well, though I have met Doctor Mishka, the Princess, and others.”

“Yes,” Lockhart confirmed and thought for a second.  “Two time zones before this one.  He was living as a woman, Lady Elizabeth…Stewart something…she was Scottish, during the English civil war.”

“Two hundred years before our own civil war,” Captain Barnes said, but he did not sound certain.

“Yes,” Lockhart said.  “But what was a Kargill ship doing so close to Earth?  Go on.”

“Ah,” Captain Barnes mouthed.  “As I understand it, there was an altercation on the normal route.  Something with the Reichgo, and the prisoner ship and escort got diverted in this direction.”

“You say prison ship, not a penal ship?”

“No,” Captain Barnes shook his head.  “They were not taking one or more difficult populations to resettle elsewhere.  This ship carried individuals that for whatever reason refused to settle down or were criminals of some sort.  They were being escorted to a prison planet—a nasty place with no atmosphere on the surface, and no way off.  A few have been recaptured and are in holding cells.  We have had to kill most of them, sorry to say.”

“Holding cells on the escort ship?”

“No, on a newly called ship,” Captain Barnes said.  “The original escort ship was destroyed in the crash, though Marshal Casidy was able to save, shrink, and time-lock the main gun from the ship.  He hid it in President Lincoln’s office where no one could get it without the time key.”

“I’ve seen it,” Lockhart said.  “We borrow it in the future.  Go on.”

“Well.  He won’t even tell the Kargill the time technology involved.”

“What destroyed the escort ship?” Lockhart asked.

“Uncertain,” Captain Barnes said honestly, but in a way that suggested he had some thoughts.  “I talked to Mister Smith.  He is a Zalanid and the Kargill’s liaison with us and others around the globe.  Have you met him?”  Lockhart nodded.  “Well, he said circumstantial evidence points to the Gott-Druk, a people who began on this planet and who have a technology superior to the Kargill, though I cannot imagine such a thing.”

Lockhart looked back at Elder Stow.  He rode on Sukki’s other side so Katie and Elder Stow had the girl well boxed in.  Lockhart nearly said something, but changed his word to, “Neanderthals.  It is what we call them in the future.  Apparently, this planet has produced a lot of intelligent species—people over the last four or five billion years.  That is why this is a Genesis planet, because conditions are right—or maybe I should say God has used this earth as one of a dozen planets in the whole Milky Way to create intelligent life.”

“Genesis, as in God created the heavens and the earth?”

“Yes.  But I have been told that story, our human story as written for us, started somewhere between 14,000 and 16,000 B. C. when a moon bumped into the artic and the last ice age melted suddenly.  The whole earth got flooded and the atmosphere got enough dust, ash, and debris in it to blot out the sun.”

“The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.”

“That is very good. I can’t quote that.”

“My name is Jacob Barnes,” Captain Barnes said. “My mother was Jewish.”

Lockhart smiled and continued.  “Anyway, the Neanderthals were one of several human-like groups that got taken off planet at that time or before that time.  They were given a different world around a different sun somewhere out there in the night sky.  There were a few small pockets of us humans who were protected in the catastrophe, and once the earth settled down, they, I should say we were allowed to replant the planet.”

“Noah,” Captain Barnes guessed.

“No,” Lockhart said.  “That came later.  Once the earth got reestablished, some of the ice returned and there was another sudden meltdown. Katie calls it the Dry-us, or Dry-adds, or something.  Then, lesser meltdowns continued for some time, on and off.  The earth was pretty unstable, wobbling less and less but continuing for about ten thousand years or so.  Exposed land got flooded in various places.  Us humans had a hard time of it.”

“But God promised not to wipe out the human race again.  He made the rainbow covenant with Noah.”

“He did, but then that man, Nimrod, gathered lots of survivors and built a tower to human glory.”

“Babel.”  Captain Barnes understood.

“The tower fell.  People got scattered.  Languages got confused with people in their little groups all over the globe.  But the earth by that time was more like we know it today.”

“When was that?”

“About 4,500 B. C.  That was when the Kairos was first born as cute twins, one male and one female.”

“Twins?”

“Two bodies, one person.  I still don’t understand how that worked, but that was where we came into the story and started our journey home.”

Captain Barnes whistled to think of what these travelers may have seen.

“So, you are Jewish?”

“What?”  Captain Barnes had to focus.  “Mostly.  My father is Church of God.  He got caught up in all that Millerite madness when he was young in the 1840s.”

“Whatever that is—was,” Lockhart shook his head.  “But, so now, the Neanderthals or Gott-Druk have had thousands of years to advance themselves.  Counting from the time of Babel, we are some ten thousand years behind them in the technology department, and not having the same language and culture among us has not helped in some ways.”  Lockhart looked back again and decided he would not single out Elder Stow at that time.

Captain Barnes rode quietly for a time before he spoke again.  “Maybe the Gott-Druk shot down the prison ship and the escort ship.  But why would they do that?”

Lockhart shook his head, but then talked freely knowing this information would eventually enter the Men in Black records if it was not there already.  “Since being taken to new home planets, most species—people have settled into a good life.  The Gott-Druk, for some reason, have always had a small minority that want to return here, to earth, and retake what they consider their ancestral homeland.  That has been a real headache at times.”

“I can imagine.”

Lockhart continued.  “I would guess the Gott-Druk hoped so many alien criminals would badly disrupt and maybe cause the death of millions, thereby paving the way for their return.  I am a bit surprised they crashed here, though.  I would have thought Europe.”

“Europe?” Captain Barnes asked with the single word.

“I’ve been told Europe, the Middle East, and western and some Central Asia is the extent of their homeland.  The Far East, India and Southeast Asia belonged to the Elenar.  There were others, but those two were using soft metals and the Elenar may have discovered bronze when the Agdaline first came looking to trade for grain.  That might have been around 18,000 B. C.  It was an Agdaline moon that careened off the earth and brought about the destruction.  They were experimenting with anti-gravity, trying to develop faster-than-light travel, when they tore the atmosphere off their own planet.  They had to search for a new home.  It was all a big mess.”

“Agdaline?”

“A long story,” Lockhart said.  He realized he had questions but ended up talking most of the time.  That was the way it sometimes worked.  He decided maybe Katie could do some of the talking.  “What say we stop for lunch?” Captain Barnes agreed.

Lockhart went to kiss his wife and hug his new daughter, then they had a good lunch and Katie did plenty of talking, with Tony and Lincoln interjecting thoughts now and then.  Nanette and Sukki said little, both showing their shyness in front of three relative strangers.  Decker only made a couple of side comments to Sergeant Reynolds, who laughed.  Elder Stow said practically nothing, even when the discussion turned briefly to the Gott-Druk shooting down the prison ship and the escort ship, but that did not surprise the travelers.  He appeared to have things on his mind, and the travelers politely left him to his thoughts.

Preview: Avalon, Season 9, Masters

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Table of Contents

9.0 Pestilence 

After 1312 A.D. The Alps: Kairos lifetime 111: Prudenza de Genoa

9.1 Johanne 

After 1374 A.D. Northern France: Kairos lifetime 112: Quentin, the Highlander

9.2 The Called 

After 1437 A.D. Aragon & Castile: Kairos lifetime 113: Catherine, La Halcon

9.3 Bewitches 

After 1499 A.D. Bavaria: Kairos lifetime 114: Hans of Brementown

9.4 Broadside 

After 1562 A.D. The Caribbean: Kairos lifetime 115: Peter van Dyke: Captain Hawk

9.5 Men in Black 

After 1624 A.D. Scotland: Kairos lifetime 116: Elizabeth Stewart MacLean of Gray Havens

 

9.6 Earth and Sky 

After 1690 A.D. Delaware Valley: Kairos lifetime 117: Lars of the Lenape

9.7 Revolution 

After 1755 A.D. Valley Forge: Kairos lifetime 118: Michelle Marie Lancaster

9.8 The Wild West 

After 1823 A.D. Dakota Territory: Kairos lifetime 119: Marshal Miguel Casidy

9.9 California Dreaming 

After 1889 A.D., Hollywood Springtime: Kairos lifetime 120: Nadia Iliana Kolchenkov, M. D.

9.10 July Crisis 

May 1914 A.D. Heidelberg: Kairos lifetime 120: Doctor Kolchenkov

9.11 Blitz 

May 1941 A.D. London: Kairos lifetime 120: Colonel Kolchenkov

9.12 Home 

Christmas 2014 A.D. : Kairos lifetime 121/137: The Storyteller/Alice of Avalon

Avalon Season 9 Introduction

The travelers came to Avalon in the Second Heavens to be transported instantly through the Heart of Time to the beginning of history.  They went on a rescue mission, but things did not go as planned.  The Kairos—the Storyteller, had to jump into the void before history to become lost in eternity.  Now, in order to get home, the travelers must return the slow way.  They follow the Amulet of Avalon that points the way from one time gate to the next, and cross dangerous time zones that center around the many lives of the Kairos, the Traveler in time, the Watcher over history, a person who never lives a quiet life.

They have unlimited vitamins, elf crackers, for their health; and unlimited bullets, which are needed far too often.  They ride mustangs brought back from the old west, and wear fairy weave clothing that they can shape and change with a word in order to blend into the local culture.   By a special gift of the Kairos, they can understand and be understood no matter the local language.  Inevitably, they have to deal with thieves, brigands, armies and empires, gods and monsters, spirits and creatures, space aliens and the great unknown.  They try hard not to disturb history along the way.  That is not easy.

To be sure, all they want is to get home in one piece, but they are not the only ones lost in time.  Some people lost in time might want to follow them, or even go with them.  But some people are not so friendly, and not everything lost in time is a person.  Some want to fight the travelers.  Some want to hunt them.

Season Nine brings the travelers into modern times and to home in the twenty-first century. They travel through the renaissance and the reformation, the age of enlightenment and exploration, the industrial and other revolutions.  They just want to get home, but the Masters seem to be everywhere trying to send the human race off course and destroy the future.  If the Masters can turn humanity to despair, and make the human race desperate enough for safety, security, and solutions, then with kind words and empty promises the Masters can take over.  That would ruin and destroy all people—a fate worse than slavery.

CAST

Robert Lockhart, a former police officer, is now the assistant director of the Men in Black.  He was in charge of the rescue mission that left from 2010 and traveled through the Heart of Time to the beginning of history.  Something went wrong.  The Kairos, the Storyteller had to jump into the void before history began in order to save their charge.  Now, everything on Avalon is out of sync, and the travelers are forced to return to the future through the time gates and across the dangerous time zones that surround the many lives of the Kairos.  Lockhart is now charged with leading this expedition through time, though he has no idea how he is going to get everyone home alive.

Major Katherine Harper-Lockhart (Katie), a marine and an elect—a one-in-a-million warrior woman, whose doctorate is in ancient and medieval cultures and technologies.  She is torn between her duty to the marines and her desire to be part of this larger universe she is discovering, though since she married Robert, her path seems set.  She carries the prototype amulet first used to travel the time zones.

Benjamin Lincoln, a former C. I. A. office geek who keeps the database and a record of their journey.  He tends to worry and is not the bravest soul, but sometimes that is an asset.  His wife, Alexis, was kidnapped by her own father Mingus and dragged back to the beginning of history.  This prompted the rescue mission which got everyone stuck in the past with the time gates in the time zones as the only option to get home—the long way around, as they say.

Elder Stow, a space traveling, technologically advanced Gott-Druk (Neanderthal) from the future who got thrown back into the past.  He is forced, at first, to make a truce with these ‘humans’ to join them in their journey.  He has since adjusted to the idea, and believes it is his only chance to get back to the future.  His technological toys, as he calls them, have come in handy.

Sukki, a Gott-Druk from the before time who got taken off planet to a new world at the time of the flood.  She joined a small group determined to return to Earth.  She is the sole survivor.  The travelers take her with them, knowing she cannot survive alone in the past, and she is learning that these travelers are now her new family.  Though adopted by Elder Stow, she begged the Kairos to be made human, like the rest of her family.  The goddesses who did that got a bit carried away and left her empowered like a superhero.

Lieutenant Colonel Decker A former navy seal, now a marine special operations officer, he will do all he can to keep everyone alive, even if it means shooting his way back to the twenty-first century.  He is a skeptic who does not believe half of what they experience.  An African American, he got gifted in the deep past by his eagle totem and can see beyond normal vision.

Nanette Jones Decker A student from 1905.  She is an African American who once worked as Professor Fleming’s Administrative Assistant.  She only willingly left the professor back in the time of Julius Caesar when the professor got diagnosed with cancer and insisted.  She has magic, rooted in telekinesis, when the Other Earth phases in and leaks magic energy into our universe.  A brilliant woman, she fell in love with Colonel Decker, thanks to Aphrodite and the Colonel had no power to resist the goddess.

Tony (Anthony) Carter A graduate student in Antiquities in Latin and Greek.  He also got pulled into the past from 1905 and lived seven years with Professor Fleming and a few classmates in the days of Julius Caesar.  He joined the travelers because it seemed his only chance to get back home.  He has since learned that he will likely get home in time for World War One.  Something to look forward to.

Plus, as always,

The Kairos.  But that is a different person in each time zone.

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TOMORROW

Something special. See you then.

Reflections W-2 part 3 of 3

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Dismounting got the boy babbling.

“B-but, you were, you were….”

“One of the gods. Yes.” Wlvn dragged Gndr to old man Wlkn’s house where Strn and Brmr were already piling out of the doorway.

“N-no, you were….”

“Dressed for war and with weapons, yes I know.” Wlvn picked up Brmr for a hug while he looked at Strn. “Get your things, all of them,” he said.

Gndr tugged on his sleeve. “N-n-no! You were a girl.” Gndr, at fifteen, noticed.

“Oh. I suppose I was,” Wlvn said. He had not really thought about it that way until Gndr mentioned it.

“You’re not a girl,” Brmr assured him and Wlvn took a second to smile for her, but that was all the time he had. The mothers, children, and few old men and women left in the village were beginning to gather and ask questions. Wlkn asked as well. Wlvn whistled for all of his horses before he turned to the gathering crowd.

“Go,” he said. “Flee. Go visit your parents or relatives in the other villages. Go visit a friend. Move in.”

“What? Why?” People asked.

“The helpers will be here soon with their flying wagon, and I don’t expect there will be any village left after they are done.” The people looked horrified, but they did not move until Wlvn yelled. “Go! Now!” A few screamed and everyone shouted as they rushed off to gather whatever few possessions they might have.

“Wlvn?” Old man Wlkn did not ask an actual question.

“You need to come with us,” Wlvn said, and he turned to his siblings. “Gndr and Strn, mount your horses. We have to ride hard and fast.”

“Not again,” Gndr complained, but he did as he was told.

“But it will be dark soon,” Strn protested.

“I don’t know if I can,” Wlkn said, honestly enough, while Wlvn gathered the reigns of the gentle mare that Brmr started learning to sit upon.

“You must do your best,” Wlvn told Wlkn, even as he looked at Strn.

“But that’s my horse,” Brmr complained.

“You are riding with me,” Wlvn assured her, and he lifted her to the back of his second-best horse, and after realizing that he had nothing worth taking, he jumped up behind her and grabbed the reigns.

“But wait.” Old man Wlkn, who had gotten up very carefully on to the back of Brmr’s horse, looked like he wanted to dismount again, like he forgot something, but Wlvn interrupted the old man’s worried mumbling.

“Too late. Ride.” He took off. Gndr and Strn followed, after a moment, and Wlkn tried to catch up the whole way. Fortunately, with the coming darkness, Wlvn knew he would have to slow their pace, considerably. He only hoped that they could gain an insurmountable lead, first. He knew the shuttle might find them through the trees; but then it might not have scanners sophisticated enough for that. To be honest, the thing that scared him most was the idea that they were being followed by a bunch of dead men on horseback.

Wlvn never looked back, he didn’t dare, but he kept his ears open. He expected to hear the faint whine of the helpers’ shuttle at any moment. Helpers! Wlvn gagged a little on the name. He remembered who they were, one of the elder races of humanoids that had once shared the earth, but who had been taken off world in the time of a world-wide catastrophe. The Storyteller called them Neanderthal, but they called themselves Gott-Druk; and then he remembered something else. The Gott-Druk were not supposed to come back to the earth. Neither they nor any of the other elder races were supposed to return. Nor were they welcome. Yet here they were, helping Loki and a Titan enslave the one remaining earth-bound race, the human race. Fortunately, Wlvn remembered yet one more thing. One elder race, the one called the Elenar had issues with the Gott-Druk. Wlvn did not know where the message came from, whether it came to him from somewhere in time, or from somewhere closer to home, he heard the message loud and clear that the Elenar were on the way.

“Great!” He mumbled. All he needed was two ancient, space-faring races battling it out right over his head.

“It is great!” Brmr shouted, her face in the wind and her hair blowing for all it was worth. “It is great.” She said it again and turned her head to smile up at her brother with a smile so full and sure, Wlvn could practically count her teeth.

 Wlvn prayed mightily, but he did not stop when he saw the line in the ground up ahead, now in the dim light of the moon rise.  He felt the sting as soon as they touched the barrier, but he had every hope that the horses would carry them across to safety, and they did, though it was not far before they slowed and eventually stopped. Both Strn and Gndr had slipped off to lie unconscious on the ground. Old man Wlkn stayed up on horseback, but he sagged and looked ready to slip off his mount at any moment. Brmr still breathed, thank God. Wlvn felt terribly dizzy, but he alone stayed conscious, not because of any virtue on his part, but because he was more or less fully grown, going on nineteen years, and yet still young enough to withstand the electrical shock. Sadly, there would be nothing he could do for the others for some time. Good thing he did not have to.

Mother Vrya arrived. She helped the boys recover quickly and made a cushion for Wlkn to fall on. Wlvn got down, Brmr in his arms, but he quickly fell to his knees and felt in danger of passing out. “Mother.” He managed the word before he slumped forward. He felt grateful for her attention, and he imagined she would speak soothing words. He did not expect the scolding.

“Quit being so dramatic. You survived the electric fence; now change to my son for a minute.”

“Oh.” Wlvn spoke with his face in the dirt and once again, he vanished from that time and the Nameless god came to take his place. “Mother!” Nameless almost scolded her right back as he sat up and spit the dirt from his mouth that Wlvn should have tasted: but the word of near scolding came also full of love. Vrya, after all, was the goddess of love.

Vrya stood over Brmr, the little one, but she paused as Nameless stood. She walked up to him with a very strange look on her face. “How long before you will be my little one?” She asked and placed her gentle hand on his cheek to caress his face.

“You know I cannot tell you that,” Nameless responded, but he had to smile when he said it.

“You know I cannot help asking,” Mother Vrya said, and she returned to her task. She picked up Brmr in her loving arms. Gndr and Strn shuffled up to stand beside her as she glanced at Wlkn who lay still, unconscious on his cushion. “Now that you are free of the land of the abomination, I can take these children to a safe place. I am sure you already have something in mind to do. I suspect that it will not be an easy journey, especially if you run into too much interference, only remember, I will be there when you need me, my son.” And she vanished. They were all gone, disappeared into thin air so only Nameless, old man Wlkn and the horses were there, including Thred, who had followed them all of the way from Wlvn’s village.

Nameless got to his knees as a precaution before he went away and Wlvn came back, also on his knees, of course. Wlvn thanked Nameless for being thoughtful because he decided that he might pass out for a while after all.

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MONDAY Chapter 3

Wlvn and old man Wlkn begin their quest but are immediately interrupted by Odin and by a high radiation energy blast which is luckily not well aimed.  Until then, Happy Reading

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Reflections W-2 part 2 of 3

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Wlvn had a week to prepare for his journey to the center of the universe. He left the actual preparation of the grain and the wagon in Gndr’s hands since Gndr came of age and could not avoid going. Strn, not old enough, had to stay home and take care of Brmr, though Wlvn expected old man Wlkn to do most of the watching since he finally reached the age considered too old to make the trip.

“It will probably snow,” Wlkn said, while his eyes examined the sky. “And the villagers from Mskvt will fail to show up with the grain, and with the snow, we probably won’t be able to hunt or gather much.” Wlvn ignored the man and walked away before Wlkn started in on starving to death and whatever other worries might be on his mind.

While Gndr got the grain ready, Wlvn carved a new kind of harness, one where the horse could pull with his shoulders, not cut against his neck. He knew he tempted some time displacement in doing that, but he would not put Thred in any other kind of harness, and he would not take any other horse. Thred did not like being made to pull a wagon at all, but he was willing to lower himself for Wlvn’s sake who believed, without any evidence, that it was imperative he have the quick means for a getaway.

“All right, Thred. It won’t be for long.” Wlvn assured the horse and the horse puffed in response, but settled into a nice, easy pace. When they got to the line, Gndr seemed amazed. He never saw so many people in his life and he did not know that many existed. Wlvn hushed him and told him to keep his head lowered and do as he was told, just as he had been instructed by their father. “Don’t draw attention to yourself.” Wlvn talked to both Gndr and Thred, and then he looked around for his mysterious cloak, but he did not see Mother Vrya anywhere.

When they came to the top of the rise, Gndr let out the expected gasp, and Wlvn hushed him as he had been hushed. As they came near enough to be within range of hearing, Gndr, Wlvn, and every man and woman in the train had a terrible start. Wlvn had to cover Gndr’s mouth to keep him from screaming, and he had to look away to keep his own scream at bay. The Titan came out of the dome. He eyed the horses in the line and drooled like he could eat several, raw, and no doubt he would have if the immortal had not stepped between them.

“My Lord!” Loki shouted up and did something in the exercise of his godly power to be sure he was heard. Wlvn and everyone else found their eyes drawn up to the Titan, but in his fear, Wlvn quickly pulled his gaze away and turned it toward a party of mounted men that were half-hidden by one of the long houses. Wlvn recognized several men from the villages who looked to be riding in good order, and some helpers were with them, though they did not look at all comfortable on horseback. “My Lord!” Loki regained Wlvn’s attention. “Consider this new development before you act in haste. Think how these riders can extend your territory and bring ever more to the truth.”

The Lord of All did consider, and he looked out over the line of humanity which already served him, utterly. When he spoke, it was in a voice like thunder.

“Very well.” The Titan’s face seemed easy to read. He looked reluctant to give up his lunch. “For it has been said: cursed is the ground because of men. Through wretchedness they shall eat of it all their days. By the sweat of the ground, they shall eat until they return to the ground from whence they came, for they are dust and to the dust they shall return. All men must know this. We will extend our reach until all men can be made to understand.” With that, the Titan reached out and grabbed a man, snatched him right up off the ground. The man screamed. Many people screamed and looked away. The man stopped screaming when the Titan bit the man’s head off and went back into his dome because clearly the smell of horseflesh was driving him crazy.

Wlvn focused his eyes for a minute on Loki and noted how easily he swayed the Titan, even when the Titan wanted something. Wlvn wondered who was in charge here, and the worst of it, Loki would probably get away with it by blaming it all on the Titan. Wlvn felt like letting out a little Flern-type “Grrr,” but he got interrupted by a woman’s voice.

“No, no, my son.” He felt the tap on his forehead. Of course, by the time Wlvn looked around, the cloak went half-way down the line. He watched it disappear over the little rise, and then he heeded Mother Vrya’s advice, turned his eyes from Loki and concentrated on the task at hand. He reached down and scooped up a big handful of mud left from the recent fall rains. He splattered it directly in Gndr’s face which made Gndr open his eyes, wide. The mud went back and forth for a little, but then Wlvn ended it when he spoke.

“That is about as unappetizing as I can make us, now drag your feet and look down. Don’t do anything except what you are told.”

Gndr looked like he finally understood on the third telling. He tried to look stupid which Wlvn thought was a very simple thing for his brother to do.

When Wlvn and Gndr were third from the front, the movement of the horsemen caught Wlvn’s attention. He looked up, but his first sight was the face of Eir, peering out from the little window in her cage. He felt like she called him and spoke to him, though she could not have been speaking, exactly, from that distance. “It is a trap.” Wlvn hardly had time to respond when the horsemen pulled up for a closer look.

Wlvn looked down, emptied his mind and did everything he could think of to hide, hoping they would pass him by, but they stopped alongside the wagon all the same. Wlvn looked up at the riders in a last, mad hope that they might not give him away, but what he saw disturbed him beyond anything he had yet seen. The humans looked like empty shells. This appeared far worse than mere mind control or brainwashing. These men were the living dead, soulless zombies, animated flesh or flesh reanimated by the souls of the men after death, and it seemed a wonder the horses would even let them ride. Again, Wlvn suspected Loki. Wlvn knew that none of those living-dead options would be beyond the reach of the gods, but he also knew that the flesh was probably no longer under human control. No doubt, the flesh had become demon infested. They certainly pointed out Wlvn without hesitation, and one of the decaying corpses even made a sound probably meant to be, “He is the one,” but it came out, “Eeeaawonn”

Gndr screamed at the sight of the flesh falling off that finger, but Wlvn did not have the luxury to scream. One second, he reached for his knife and the next second he no longer stood there. Diogenes came all the way back in time from the court of Alexander the Great to stand in Wlvn’s place. What is more, he came clothed in the armor of the Kairos, god-forged chain mail over leather, and he had a sword at his back and a long knife across the small of his back also forged of that wonderful new material the dark elves had discovered, Flern’s dream metal, bronze.

“G-gods of Olympus!” Diogenes’ sword jumped into his hand, and he cut down the nearest helper where the helper had a hard time keeping his seat. He cut the restraining harness on Thred’s back with the same stroke. Thred responded by rearing up and making a great noise in the face of the zombies. Terrified by the smell of death, he could hardly contain himself. Gndr barely got out of the way, and at the same time, Diogenes sheathed his sword, well-practiced soldier he was, leapt up on Thred’s back and grabbed Gndr with his hand to drag the fifteen-year-old up behind him in one motion.

The zombies started to push their horses in to cut off his escape route, but Diogenes grabbed Gndr’s hands around his waist and brought Thred up again. Thred responded with a great noise and motion that made the other horses hesitate, and Diogenes seized the opportunity to race for freedom, brushing by the horse formerly occupied by one of the helpers, where the horse desperately tried to back away. Diogenes considered and went away from that place to let the Princess come and sit with Gndr, lightening the load on Thred’s back.

The sudden appearance of the woman in the man’s place disturbed and confused the zombies and dumbfounded the helpers so none of them went rushing after her. That allowed the Princess to take off back up the road at great speed, and she wasted none of the opportunity. Thred seemed more than happy to get out of there; but then, Loki, a master of false appearances, had not been fooled in the least; yet even he shouted, “Get him! Stop him! Kill him!” That did not help the zombies or the helpers since the boy, Gndr, was the only him present at the moment. The Princess wondered why Loki did not simply trap her with a small exercise of his godly power, but then, she did not waste too much energy wondering.

As soon as they were over the rise and out of sight, the Princess considered trading places once again through time even as she caught sight of the robe out of the corner of her eye. She thought Mother Vrya smiled. Of course! She traded places with Vrya’s son-to-be, the Nameless god, and that proved a good thing, because Gndr could not hold on much longer. Nameless glued the boy to his seat, but then he found he could do little more. No way they were going to disappear and reappear in Wlvn’s village. “Eir.” He said her name out loud. She was the one, blocking Loki’s efforts, canceling out any exercise of Loki’s godly power. That eased the Princess’ getaway. Unfortunately, Eir blocked Nameless as well. Nameless knew it was only because she was so young and did not exactly know what she was doing. Nameless smiled and loved the girl as he always would, and he at least tried to send a message. “Thanks. I’ll be back for you.” He felt her heart beat a little faster.

Thred let out great gasps of air by the time they got back to Wlvn’s village. The sun would soon be down, so he did not have much time to make his moves. Nameless unglued Gndr, who looked to be in absolute, uncomprehending shock, and then he let go of that place so Wlvn could return to his own life. Wlvn decided to keep the armor and weapons, however, and his armor dutifully adjusted itself to fit this new form

“Get down.” Wlvn had to tell his brother what to do and help him dismount.

Reflections W-1 part 2 of 3

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Wlvn never said anything, but he had imagined for some time that he had lived other lives in the past and many more in the future. He supposed it was his way of escaping the hardship and hopelessness of his daily life—to pretend to be someone else in some other land and some other time. He also thought at times that it was not exactly a sign of mental health, but then, he had little else to live for. Sadly, most of what he supposedly remembered about those lives seemed a plague of useless information, given his present life and circumstances. He could not remember anything about working in metals or even how to build a plow better than the stone and bone contraption they used. Sometimes he imagined that certain information was being kept from him, deliberately, for some reason. Only now, Wlvn felt certain that, given the opportunity, he could fly the craft he identified as a shuttle. This information did not come to him from the Storyteller, the Princess, Diogenes, or Doctor Mishka for that matter; the four people he imagined as lifetimes he would live one day, far in the future. They were lives with which he was slowly becoming familiar, yet as impossibly far in the future as those lifetimes felt, he knew they were not far enough. The knowledge of the shuttle had to be coming to him from even further in the future, from a lifetime of which he was not even aware. “Unless, of course, this is not the first life where I have encountered whoever these helpers are,” he mumbled out loud.

“Son?” Father looked up.

“Nothing.” Wlvn shook his head. He looked at his feet. He had a great deal to think about as they inched forward, one wagon space at a time. Naturally, the first thing he thought of was more of the useless stuff. He guessed that this line of wagons might be the first traffic jam in human history.

Wlvn took a step and someone touched him square on the forehead and whispered, “My son, even when you are not my son.” The words were spoken with the kind of true whisper where he could not tell if it was a man or woman speaking. He looked up and saw the back of a full-length cloak and hood, which told him nothing. This cloak walked, unnoticed, against the train of wagons. It walked slowly and deliberately away from the center of the universe. Wlvn touched his forehead, but nothing had been put there. When he looked again, the cloak was gone. He stood on his toes and tried to look over and around all of the wagons behind, but the cloak was not there. Whoever it was, had vanished into thin air.

“Son.” Father’s word sounded a bit more urgent.

“Sorry father.” Wlvn tried to assume the right position and attitude. He mirrored his father as well as he could.

They did stop when it got dark, but Father proved right; little sleep came Wlvn’s way. With the first light of dawn, they started again, and Wlvn got his first real look at the helpers. Some walked up the line to be sure everyone got up and started moving. They had whips.

The helpers hardly looked human, being squat, very muscular, with great brow ridges and sloping foreheads. But they had to be human, didn’t they? Wlvn pondered all of this and searched his memory. He searched through time to those few lifetimes he could remember, but neither the Princess, the Storyteller, Diogenes, nor Mishka told him anything. He knew it was pointless to ask Flern, a fifth lifetime he often remembered in detail, and one that made him uncomfortable. Flern was a girl. Wlvn could not imagine living life as a girl. True, the Princess and Doctor Mishka were girls, but they were far enough away in the future, and generally older, so he could overlook that reality. Flern lived too near him in time and shared a similar culture, living almost as Neolithic a life as his own. He could not imagine being a she. He decided not to think about it at all.

By the time their turn came, Wlvn started thinking of his mother, Gndr, Strn, and little Brmr. He managed to get himself into the right position and the right attitude, as his father told him, so he felt a little surprised when one of the helpers came up to him, grinning, holding tight to something in his fat fist.

“How old is this one?” The ugly brute looked hopefully at the one who examined the grain offering. Father had just finished explaining about Mother being home with the baby and the two younger children. Father hid nothing, he did not dare, but when asked the question, he had to blink. An expression crossed his face that looked briefly like fear for his son.

“Fifteen.” Father spoke honestly enough. Wlvn wanted to say nearly sixteen, but something held his tongue.

The one beside the grain shook his head to the disappointment of the other, and then he spoke in words that no one among Wlvn’s people should have been able to understand. Wlvn’s surprise turned to shock. He understood the words, perfectly.

“We don’t take them that young, however tempting, lest they cease producing and we run out of selections altogether,” the chief helper said. “And we don’t take the fathers until the sons are old enough to take over.” With that, the chief helper put a mark on the back of their hands and told them exactly where to put their grain. Father moved them on.

“Quickly,” he said; but Wlvn moved slowly, still in a bit of shock. He could not keep his eyes from staring back, in part for understanding what they said, but in large part for realizing that the bone the grinning one nibbled on was not an animal bone, but the end of a human leg. Wlvn looked away before his empty belly emptied itself further.

“Come on, son.” Father risked speaking again. “Quickly now.” They were the last ones to fill that bin, after which the wagons would be sent over to the other side, and Wlvn tried to concentrate, but again he got distracted. A man that was clearly a man, not one of the ugly brutes, kept staring at them. He seemed to point at them with a boney hand, a hook nose, and a pointed chin, all pointing together. Wlvn thought the man looked crooked in some strange way, yet he was about to smile a friendly smile when the man floated up into the air. It seemed the man was looking for something and thought perhaps a little height might help it come into focus. Wlvn looked away, thinking, this is one of the gods! The man came back down to his feet, walked off to the other side, and Wlvn breathed. Then he remembered the man’s name when a memory came to him from somewhere in time. Loki! Wlvn also remembered his feelings were not kind toward that particular god.

“Son.” Father tried again, and Wlvn began to empty the grain from the cart into the bin, but for a third time he became distracted. This time, it was a face, a girl’s face. The girl appeared to be a prisoner in a cage, a small cage, like one a lion or tiger might occupy in an old city zoo or on a circus train. Wlvn felt his jaw drop because the girl looked absolutely stunning, though she could not have been older than thirteen. Wlvn paused, in part because he was not sure if the girl called to him. Perhaps the call came only in his mind, but it came with enough pull to garner his attention.

“Son.” Once again, father’s voice required his attention. Wlvn hurried to finish unloading, at which point Father was for getting out of there as quickly as possible. Wlvn spoke before they could turn from the bin.

“Turn this way, Father, please. I am asking you to trust me, and I can’t explain just now, but please.” He asked his father to turn the cart around by heading deeper into the camp rather than away from the center of the universe. Father looked at him, dumbly, but there must have been real urgency in his plea because his father complied. Then came the hard part.

“Stop here,” Wlvn said, and he pulled hard on the oxen collar to stop the beast from turning further. “Pretend you are having trouble with the harness, fix the wagon, anything, only stay here for a minute.” Again, Wlvn’s father raised an eyebrow, but he noticed that all eyes were turned in the other direction where they were presently sending the wagons, so he said nothing, and he began to fiddle with the rigging. He watched his son melt away behind the nearest small building.

Wlvn found the back of that building to be a genuine cage with metal bars and everything. The girl stood right there, so close, in fact, she was able to reach her skinny arm through the bars and touch Wlvn’s cheek almost as quickly as he saw her.

“Wlvn.” He whispered his name.

“Eir.” She gave hers as she studied his face. “You are not the one,” she said at last and collapsed. “I saw your hair, it is like his, the color of the sunset, but your eyes are not his. Your eyes are brown, like the mud. His eyes are as dark as the night, though sparkling as if full of stars. And yet…” She sat up a little straighter. “I sense that you and he are very close, that somehow, he must come and stand in your place.” Eir withdrew her hand and withdrew herself into her captivity.

Wlvn was not sure what he felt, but a storm brewed somewhere in time, and it was such a storm, Wlvn dreaded to think what might happen if that storm ever got loose. “You are a prisoner.” He made it a statement.

“Since I was a baby,” Eir answered softly. “I am a hostage. I barely remember my mother and father, but one day my Nameless, red-haired, black-eyed warrior will come and save me. I have seen it in the setting sun. I have felt it in the earth and heard it whispered in the wind.” She fell silent.

“It will be me.” Wlvn spoke without hesitation in his voice, like he was speaking undeniable truth. “Though perhaps not in this lifetime,” he concluded, strangely. Eir frowned, but only for a moment before her expression changed because of some understanding that Wlvn could not yet grasp. His own thoughts got interrupted by his father.

“Son. They have noticed,” Father said, and Wlvn felt obliged to return to the cart even as Father spoke more loudly. He nudged the ox and they turned toward the road for home.

Wlvn spoke of his encounter several times on the way home, but Father always had the same basic answer. “It is not our concern. There is nothing we can do for her.”

Wlvn finally let out his deepest feelings about the issue. “But I believe she is being held as a hostage against the gods. I think that she, herself, may be a goddess.”

Father looked horrified at that thought, but still he said, “There is nothing we can do.”

Wlvn and his family made it through the worst of the winter, though not everyone in the village survived. Three elderly people and two children died of the winter plague. Wlvn knew it was likely some strain of pneumonia, a disease against which he felt powerless. Despite having access to his future life as Doctor Mishka, the only thing she suggested was near starvation and malnutrition contributed mightily. Wlvn got angry and cried. He imagined his future lives were as bad as everyone around him. There is nothing we can do, he thought.

Avalon 6.3 Stubborn, part 6 of 6

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

The chariots could not move as fast as the horses alone, even on open and relatively flat ground, but there seemed no doubt who they were after.  Lincoln figured they could track the horses, even in the woods, so their only hope was to keep their distance, or find back-up.  Alexis looked back when they came to the edge of the woods on the other side of the open field.  The chariots had fallen behind, and the men were well off, but jogging dutifully along.

“They will have to slow way down when they reach the forest,” Evan said, with a look back.

“So will we,” Alexis said, as they started in among the trees.

“What happened?” Lincoln asked.

“They must have had the chariots already hitched up and the soldiers ready to move out for some reason.”

Lincoln grunted, as an arrow whizzed past him and stuck in a tree.  “Damn,” he said.  As Alexis pushed out front, Lincoln pulled his handgun and fired twice in the direction of the archer.

“Help,” Evan yelled.  “We are not far now,” he told Lincoln.  “Help!” He pointed for Lincoln. “It is more over to the right, I believe.  Help!”

Alexis and Lincoln angled in the way he pointed, and probably hurried the horses more than they should.  Evan tried one more “Help”, before Lincoln hushed him.

“Trees are a great way to get hidden. quickly.  But it loses the point if you keep giving away our position.”

“Yes, of course,” Evan said, but he did not look too embarrassed.

They very quickly came to a clearing filled with horses. On closer examination, they realized half the horses were centaurs.  On a grassy ledge beside a cave and some rocks, a wolf with black hair filled with red streaks growled, not at them, but at something else.  When they got up to the others, they turned and saw a path through the woods that Evan either did not know about or forgot about.  The three chariots were coming up the path in single file.

“There are a couple of dozen soldiers coming along behind the chariots,” Lincoln reported.  Poor Evan stared at the centaurs, like they were something he never imagined before.

The chariot in front stopped and a man shouted.  “I see you have friends.  Cecil.” He pointed.  “I suppose these people have also come from the future.”

“Yes,” Lincoln shouted back.  “And Cecil is going with us.”  Lincoln took courage being back among the travelers.

The man scoffed.  “You are welcome to him.  He has proved useless, and in some cases, dangerous.  Good luck.”

“Lord Tarquin.  I told you that you needed horse riders, not just chariots,” Evan responded, as he got down from behind Lincoln.  He went up toward the ledge to be protected by the wolf.

Tarquin paid no attention, as he already moved on to the centaurs.  “Colon,” he said.  “Don’t tell me she has forgiven you.”

“I forgave you,” the wolf seemed to say.

“We are working it out,” Colon answered at the same time, as the wolf changed into Valencia.  She took a moment to brush back her long red hair before she rose up about ten feet where she could hover and look down on everyone.

“Tarquin,” she said, a sharpness in her voice.  “You have no business here.”

Tarquin got mad.  “People come onto my land.  It is my business to know who they are and what they want.”  The foot soldiers came up to stand alongside the chariots.  Some had spears, but some had bows and arrows ready.  “The seven hills are filling up.  There are new homes, hamlets, even growing villages crowding one another. Soon, a man will not be able to walk and know where one village ends and the next begins.”

“There is time before that happens, but the King in Alba Longa got old, and he stopped paying attention.  Latium is falling apart, the tribes are fighting one another, and the brothers quarreled.  The usurper has the rightful king locked away, but he does not care about Latium.  People are coming to the seven hills by the hundreds to escape the fighting and find peace.  Maybe you need to talk to all the people, to make the seven hills like one big city, for mutual protection, if nothing else.”

Tarquin shook his head.  “I will not share the crown with what you call representatives from the other hills and villages.  Why do you not understand?  That would only lead to chaos.”

“Tarquin.  Some things are beyond your understanding, but some things you already know.  Have you made a decision about your daughter and my boys?”

“I heard they got adopted by the chief shepherd and his wife.”

“I suckled and weaned them.  I still claim them.”

“Wolf’s milk,” the driver of Tarquin’s chariot mumbled plenty loud.

“My daughter is only six,” Tarquin protested.

“And the boys are twelve.  What’s your point?”

“Maybe I will have a son to follow after me.”  Tarquin grinned, but it looked like the grin of a man who had little hope.

“Make up your mind soon, before Acca Longia begins looking for potential mates.”

“Faustulus can be bought.”

Valencia appeared to roll her eyes, but they got interrupted by a voice on the wristwatches worn by the travelers. They heard Elder Stow’s voice.

“Things are wrapped up here.  The humanoids are locked away, and the Gott-Druk Father…er, Captain has agreed they do not belong here.  They only came here as a last resort.  I only have one last thing to do, and then we will be ready to ride.”

“Roger,” Lockhart responded and looked up at Valencia.  Valencia appeared to be talking to someone that no one else could see.

“Yes, lover.  Everyone, please.”

Everyone in the conversation, travelers, chariots, soldiers, and centaurs all vanished and reappeared on the island in front of the Gott-Druk freighter.  Most of the men and centaurs shouted in fear and surprise.  The travelers hardly blink, having traveled that way on plenty of occasions.

Valencia arrived, still in the air, but she came down to earth and hustled to the boys, Romulus and Remus, who arrived with a dozen sheep. A big man stood there as well, his back to everyone, shaking his finger at the boys.

“Tell your father these are the sheep I claim for the blessing of his flock.  It is spring, and he will more than make up for these with new lambs.”

“You brought these for me?” Valencia asked.  “The Gott-Druk don’t eat much meat.”

“No,” the man said.  “But those others do.  You said it is still a long way to the new Gott-Druk world.”

Valencia nodded and stood on her toes to kiss the man’s cheek.  He turned, wrapped her up in his arms, and planted his kiss right on her lips.  Then he vanished.  Valencia turned to the nearest Gott-Druk, still smiling, a silly smile, but serious in her tone of voice.

“Fresh water and sweet grass to keep them alive until you feed them to the humanoid prisoners.”  She turned on the boys.  “Drive the sheep to the cargo hold where this man tells you, then come right back, and don’t you dare touch anything, do you understand?”

The boys nodded, and one of them said, “Yes, Mama.”

Valencia returned the nod and turned to Tarquin and Colon, who somehow managed to end up next to each other. Tarquin spoke.  “That was?”

“Saturn,” Valencia said, plainly. She did not give it another thought, but several of Tarquin’s soldiers and a couple of centaurs backed up a bit.

Finally, Valencia turned to the travelers, and specifically the two on foot, Elder Stow and Sukki.  “So?” she asked without spelling anything out.

“She is being stubborn,” Elder Stow said. “Here, she has a chance of joining a crew of nine on a ship that needs twenty.  She has a free ride back to the new world where she can live a happy and safe life, away from all the dangers of the road.  She refuses.”

“Father!”  Sukki got unexpectedly verbal.  “You agreed to be my father and I agreed to be your daughter.”

“Exactly,” Elder Stow raised his voice a bit.  “A daughter should obey her father.  You are grown, and not a child, but now it is a father’s job to make sure his daughter will be cared for and safe.”

“But I have a whole family.”  By which she meant tribe, in the Neanderthal sense.  “I have Katie and Lockhart, who are the best Mother and Father.  And Lincoln and Alexis take good care of us all.  And Major Decker makes me laugh, sometimes. Laughing feels good.  Our people don’t laugh enough.  And Boston is my best friend, ever.  I don’t want to leave.”

“But it is dangerous,” Elder Stow tried once more.  “There is no telling what we will run into on the road.  I would never forgive myself if you got hurt.”

“Or if you got hurt,” Sukki responded.

They stared at each other.  They hugged.  They turned to their waiting horses and got right up.  Sukki went to ride beside Boston, and just to make the point, she put her glamour back on so she looked human, albeit, a big, strong looking girl.

Elder Stow turned to Lockhart with a word.  “Ready to ride.”

They had to cross the river the hard way. Tarquin had to abandon his chariots. He said he would have to fetch them when he sent men with rafts.  Evan crossed, holding on to Lincoln, and that prompted Lincoln to ask.

“Do you know how to ride?”

“Of course,” Evan said.  “I ride horses like this all the time, when I am not driving the wagon.  My family cannot exactly afford one of those automobiles.  They are a rich man’s toys.”

Lincoln and Alexis got busy figuring out the horse business, but Katie overheard and asked.  “When, exactly, did you leave the future and find yourself stuck in the past?”

“October twenty-first, 1905. Why?  Isn’t that where you are from?”

“Figure that out later,” Valencia said. “You are going to want to watch this.” She stood between the boys who were already almost as tall as herself.  She put one hand on each of the boy’s shoulders, soaking wet as the boys were, and she nodded across the river.  The big Gott-Druk freighter rose slowly in the sky, and when it got high enough, it rapidly increased speed until it disappeared in the clouds.

“Tarquin,” Valencia said.  “As I said, some things are beyond your understanding. But your daughter needs a husband.”

Tarquin turned quickly from awe at the Gott-Druk ship to sneering at Valencia.  “We shall see about that.”  He turned, and his people turned with him and marched back toward the village.

Colon bowed to Valencia and whispered, “Forgive me,” like he just figured something out, and it frightened him.  He rode off with his company and made a point of shoving one centaur.  No telling what that was about.

“Evan will ride Misty Gray,” Alexis announced.  “He is a good horse and will give no trouble.”

“Alexis will double with me on Cortez,” Lincoln said, and helped her up.

Lockhart looked around.  “We are all here.  Soaking wet, but all here.”  He noticed Valencia and the boys walked off, but he guessed the boys were already bugging her on wanting their own horses to ride.

“Boston and Sukki, keep up.  No straggling,” Katie said.

“Yes, Mother,” Sukki responded. Boston had to go one better.

“Yes Mom.”

Lincoln, who rode beside Evan asked, “So, you came from the future back here to the past.  Any idea what we will find in the next time zone?”

“Oh,” Evan said.  “That will be very dangerous.”

************************

MONDAY

The travelers enter a war zone…Episode 6.4, Stories, will post in only 4 parts, so there will be a post next THURSDAY and it will post in a single week… Don’t miss it.

So, until MONDAY, Happy Reading

*

 

Avalon 6.3 Stubborn, part 5 of 6

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

“Valencia?” Lockhart asked. Valencia nodded, and Lockhart felt the need to defend himself.  “Well, Lincoln wasn’t here to ask.”

Katie didn’t smile.  “We got trouble,” she said as she got down from her horse.

“Right here in River City,” Lockhart said, as he and the others got down to join her.

“Good one,” Decker told him, quietly.

“I know,” Valencia agreed, but she had other duties.  She turned to the boys and shooed them off.  The boys groused, but picked up staffs that leaned against the rocks and ran off like in a race.  “They are supposed to be helping their father with the sheep.”  Valencia invited the travelers to join her on the ledge, and maybe in the cave.  “The dwarfs dug it out for me. It is quite comfortable,” she said, about the cave.

“Seriously,” Katie said, with a hard look at both Lockhart and Decker, to be sure they kept their mouths shut.  “We were not sure what to do in this situation. It never came up before.  But now, apparently, Lincoln and Alexis have managed to get Professor Emerson, though we have no idea where they are.”

Lockhart cleared his throat. “Elder Stow and Sukki have gone invisible to check on the Gott-Druk merchant ship on the island.”

Valencia nodded, but it looked hard to tell if she thought that had been a good idea or not.  “Cecil lost his chestnut.  I told him he had to wait until you came so you could take him back into the future.  I said he had to try to fit himself in while he waited, and warned him against saying things about the future.  I know he said some things, but none of it history shattering.”

“But, how did you know we were coming?” Boston asked.

Valencia smiled.  “I always know you are coming, I just never know when. I said Cecil might have to wait six months or six years.  I had no way of knowing.”

“How long has it been?” Katie asked.

“They have been stuck in the past for almost seven years, as far as I know.  Six months or six years was only a suggestion.  Lucky for him, it turned out he has only been stuck in this time zone for about three months.  But then the Gott-Druk ship landed, and they are a pickle.”

“What do you mean?” Lockhart asked.

“Three humanoid warships caught them outside of a planetary system when they were making some minor repairs.  They could not run, but being only a merchant ship, with a minimum of second-hand weapons, they destroyed all three warships, but not before a humanoid shuttle crashed into the cargo bay. To be fair, the Gott-Druk were merchants, not warriors, and were outnumbered three to one.”

“Not made to fight against trained soldiers,” Decker understood.

Valencia said, “Yes, well, the humanoids captured the ship, and the Gott-Druk faked engine trouble and came here. I am sure they are stalling, figuring that I will show up eventually, but I honestly don’t know what I can do to help them. Neither Salacia, nor any of the other gods will help.  They all say it is a flesh and blood problem and needs a flesh and blood answer.  I am afraid my intervention might make less flesh and more blood.”

Katie got ready to call Elder Stow and get an update, but Colon, who nobody realized was still there, interrupted as everyone heard a Bang! Bang!

“I hear sounds of distress.  It sounds like humans.”  Colon waved, and a half-dozen centaurs came out of the woods to stand beside him.  They carried clubs, and two had bags of stones and slings.

The travelers went back to their horses and mounted up.  They pulled their weapons to be ready.

“I hear it too,” Boston shouted. “I think it is Lincoln and Alexis. I think the shouting is Evan, or Cecil…Whatever.”

###

After stunning, or maybe killing the humanoid, Elder Stow spoke to Alexis over his communication device so the two Gott-Druk engineers could hear.  He did that on purpose so they would not go into shock when he made himself visible. He kept Sukki invisible for the time being.  “What seems to be the trouble?” he asked.  The engineers stared at him, so he thought to explain a little. “Never mind how I got here, or where I came from.  Let’s just start at the beginning.  How many humanoids are on board?”

“Eighteen,” one said.

“There are usually two here at all times,” the other said, almost as quickly.  Elder Stow touched a spot on his belt just before the other humanoid came into the engine room, gun drawn.

“What are you doing here?” he yelled, giving his fallen comrade a long look.  He did not wait for the translation device to work before he spoke again.  “You do not belong here.”  He pulled the trigger on his gun, but the power did not penetrate Elder Stow’s personal screen.  Elder Stow responded by pointing what hardly looked like a small stick at the humanoid. The humanoid either became stunned, or died and fell next to his companion.

The engineers spoke fast.  “We had a crew of twenty, but lost five in the battle and the crash in the cargo bay.”

“Two got killed defending the ship before the surrender.”

“Three got eaten.”

Elder Stow held up his hands for quiet. “Get weapons and watch these two in case they are only stunned.”

“But, there are eighteen,” one said. He looked rather young, about Sukki’s age.

“Not now, son,” Elder Stow said, kindly. “Only sixteen.”  He pulled out his scanner.  “You two stay here and repair what may or may not need repairing.  I will be back.”  He became invisible again, and said, “Come along, Sukki.”

“Yes, Father,” the engineers heard Sukki respond and looked at each other before they scrambled to arm themselves.

Elder Stow and Sukki followed the signs on Elder Stow’s scanner.  They found nine sleeping in two rooms in the crew quarters.  Elder Stow carefully shot all nine of them, to stun them, so if they did not die, they would stay asleep for a while.  He checked each room to make sure they had no other way of escape while Sukki took all of their weapons to the hall.  He noted that even the vents were too small to crawl through. Once he helped Sukki remove anything in the room that might be used as a weapon, he shut and locked the doors. Then he turned up the power of his weapon and melted the metal doors to the metal frames.  Any humanoid who woke would not escape those rooms without cutting equipment.

Elder Stow and Sukki found two guarding the communications room.  The humanoids did not want any of the Gott-Druk calling for help.  Clearly, they had no idea how long a range the Gott-Druk device might reach.  Also, clearly, the Gott-Druk had reached a level of technology beyond anything the humanoids knew.  Elder Stow recalled the histories.  His people far surpassed Anazi technology, and that happened a thousand years ago.  Now, they absolutely surpassed any humanoid technology, since the humanoids, at first, merely built off the scraps of what the Anazi left them.

“The gap between the elder and younger races is widening,” Elder Stow told Sukki as he shot the two guards.  He and Sukki dragged them to a closet where they locked them in.

“Father,” Sukki said.  “These creatures have invaded and killed our own people.  They do not deserve to live.”

Elder Stow stopped to look at her, kindly.  “Yes,” he said.  “I must remember you are from the before time.  Your distrust of the Elenar, and your disrespect for humans is strong.  There seems to be something in nature which is innately xenophobic.  All creatures naturally hate and fear anything that is intelligent and different. Call it the fear of the unknown. But I have learned some things in this journey.  All life is precious.  Mercy is not a bad thing.  And sometimes half measures are enough.  Most of all, good and bad are not determined by outward appearance, and people come in many shapes and sizes.  Some will be good and some will be evil, but we cannot judge by appearance alone.  It is not our place to determine who should live and who should die.  We are not God.  And even the worst offenders deserve a chance to repent.”

Sukki nodded and kept quiet.  She might not have understood exactly what he said, but she willingly trusted her adopted father.

They came to the flight deck. Sukki shrieked, and alerted the three humanoids there, even if they could see nothing to account for the noise. Sukki could not help it.  The Gott-Druk pilot sat in the command chair, half-eaten.  Elder Stow did not mind killing those three so much.  He turned up the power on his weapon and left three small piles of ash where there had been humanoids.  Apparently, knowing the lesson about mercy in his head did not prevent him from reacting out of anger and upset.

“Father?” Sukki wondered.

Elder Stow turned his weapon back down and sighed.  “As Alexis sometimes says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.”

When they returned to the engine room, they found the humanoids had only been stunned after all.  The Gott-Druk engineers had them well tied, and in fact, Elder Stow had to cut the ties around their legs so he could get them to walk. The humanoids were astounded that he could understand them and speak to them in their own tongue without the need for the translation device.  They were appalled that he had the technology of invisibility.

Elder Stow went invisible in front of them all and spoke.  “Come along.” Anyone watching would have seen two tied humanoids followed and guarded by two Gott-Druk coming down the runway, and that is it.

###

Alexis and Lincoln, with Evan behind him, started across the open fields by the river with some trepidation on the part of the travelers.  They walked their horses well within sight of the village walls.  Lincoln feared the villagers would come out and get after them in no time, but Evan-Cecil assured them.

“By the time Lord Tarquin hitches up his chariots and gathers his men, we should be well out of range and hidden again in the forest on the other side.”

Lincoln thought to distract himself from his worry.  “So, is it Evan or Cecil?”

“Evan,” the man said.  “But apparently, it is too Gaelic for the locals. Cecil fits better on the Latin tongue and memory.”

“Where are we going?” Alexis asked. She and Lincoln had agreed to meet the others back at the campsite on the other side of the river.

Evan understood.  “We need to go around the hill to the cave of the she-wolf.” He paused to think before he quickly added.  “It isn’t what you think.  She is not a werewolf, exactly.  I mean, she is a werewolf after a fashion.  But she is a very nice lady.  And brilliant, in a way.  Yes, I think she is brilliant.  And she can fly.  I don’t know how she does that, but it is true.”  He looked at Alexis to see if he put her mind at ease.  He felt some surprise that she did not appear to be surprised or distressed at all.

“Valencia,” Lincoln said.

“Might as well,” Alexis responded. “It is where the others are, except Elder Stow and Sukki.  I wonder how they are making out.”  She reached to turn on her wrist communicator, but stopped when they heard and saw movement at the village gate.  Three chariots came out and headed straight for them.  Twenty men, all armed, jogged after the chariots.

“Damn,” Lincoln shouted, and they began to gallop.  Evan just had to hold on.

Avalon 6.3 Stubborn, part 4 of 6

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Lincoln and Alexis tied off their horses. They were both soaking wet from the river crossing, and so were the horses, but none seemed any worse for the wear.  Lincoln thought to try out his wristwatch radio.  “Lockhart, can you hear me?”  He had to wait a minute, figuring Lockhart had to remember how it worked.  He heard Katie’s voice in response.

“We hear you,” she said.  “Keep in mind, every peep on the radio reaches everyone. Meanwhile, Robert is not getting the best cooperation from Elder Stow’s horse.”

“That is a very good horse,” they heard Elder Stow respond.  “You just have to coax it, gently.”  Elder Stow did not have a watch-radio, but he could easily pick up the frequency on his communications device.

“We will try not to get out of range. How does it look, Lincoln?”

“Like we figured.  The people came out to work on the spring planting. There are not many near our location, but even if no one comes close enough, we have a good view of the city wall, mostly a wooden wall, and the city gates.”

“Elder Stow?”

“A merchant ship as I surmised.  We are about to go invisible for a closer look. There appear to be some crew members sitting around a fire. We will let you know what we find out.”

“Roger.  Out.”  Katie nudged her horse into the water and bit her tongue rather than complain about how cold it was.

###

“Are you ready?” Elder Stow asked. Sukki nodded, so he flipped the switch and checked to be sure she went fully invisible.  Then he made himself invisible, so they could still see each other, but no one else could see them.  “Let us see what the people are talking about.”

As they walked up, they saw seven Gott-Druk sitting around the fire, and two men that were definitely not Gott-Druk, standing, with guns in their hands.

“Humanoids,” Sukki whispered. Elder Stow nodded and hushed her.

“So, you say the ship will not fly?” It sounded like a question, but Sukki and Elder Stow had to wait for the translation device to translate the words into Gott-Druk.  Of course, to Elder Stow and Sukki, the translation still sounded like “So, you say the ship won’t fly?”  They had been gifted by the Kairos with the gift of the little ones.  No matter language got spoken, they heard it in their native tongues.  Likewise, they could respond if necessary, and the person they spoke to would hear the words in their own native tongue.  A few alien languages they had come across had been difficult, but Humanoid and Gott-Druk were easy.

“Too much battle damage,” one of the Gott-Druk responded.  “You attacked us with three warships, and we would have gotten away if you had not crashed your shuttle into our cargo bay.”  They had to wait for the translation again.

“I got hungry,” the humanoid said, and appeared to laugh.  After the translation, he added, “So, why did you come here?  This world is marked in green.  No one is supposed to come here.”

“We did not exactly have a choice.”

“But this world is no good for repairing your ship.  It is only good for food.”  It sounded like yelling, humanoid style.

“We did not exactly have a choice,” the Gott-Druk repeated.

“Come,” Elder Stow whispered.  He led Sukki up the ramp and into the ship where he thought to add, “Don’t touch anything.”

They arrived in the engine room where a humanoid held the two Gott-Druk engineers at gun point.  They heard the humanoid yell into his communication device. “I can’t get it to work.  I don’t even understand it.  They call it ion energy and say it powers the photon drive, but they call it dark energy and anti-photons.  I don’t even know what they are talking about.”

They heard the roar from the other end. “Keep them at it.  The longer we stay here, the greater chance we have of being discovered by whatever reason this world is marked in green.”

Elder Stow heard enough.  He pulled his weapon and set it with just enough power to stun a Gott-Druk.  He imagined it might kill the humanoid, but that could not be helped.  He fired.

###

Out in the fields, a middle-aged woman came to rest in the shade of the trees.  Alexis took the chance.  She shaped her fairy-weave clothes to imitate the local styles, and made some small noise in the woods so the woman would not be startled by her sudden presence.  The woman looked back and saw her.  Lincoln stayed out of sight, but he held on to his Patton saber and had his handgun at his side, just in case.

“Your pardon,” Alexis said.  “I am looking for someone and perhaps you could help me.”

The woman did not bother to rise, but shaded her eyes as she looked up.  “You must live some distance from here, like on some outlying farm,” the woman said.  “I know a lot of people, but I don’t recall your face.”

“I do not live near here,” Alexis admitted.  “I do not know the face of the one I am looking for, but I know his name.  It is Evan Cecil Emerson.  Do you know him?”

“Cecil? What do you want him for? He is pretty useless.  He can’t hardly dress himself.  He doesn’t know anything about work or tools.  He can’t hitch up the oxen, and couldn’t plow a straight line if he got threatened with the whip.  He is an idiot.  I got a six-year-old who knows more than him.  What do you want him for?”

“He doesn’t belong here,” Alexis said, plainly.

The woman laughed.  “You may be right about that.  He’s been saying the same thing since he showed up some time ago, hungry and helpless.  I would bet the Etruscans threw him out, but we take in all the strays here.  We got some Etruscans, Latins, Sabines, Albans, Greeks.  We even got some that claim they came from as far away as Asia, from a place they called Troy.  I don’t know where that is, either.  I don’t know where Greece is either, except I heard about it all my life. So, who told you about Cecil, and where does he belong?  He sure doesn’t fit in here.”

Alexis took a deep breath before she decided on honesty.  “A faun from Vatican Hill asked me to fetch him.  Cecil is from the future, and I intend to take him there—to take him home.”

The old woman stared. Then she laughed. “You a believer in the wee people? You go for all that magic foolishness?” She paused in her laugh.  “To be sure, Cecil says he is from the future. He says he got separated from his wife there, and does not know how to reach her.  Funny you should say that.”  The old woman’s eyes got big for a second, before she squinted and pointed.  “Cecil is there, with my husband, probably messing up the planting, again.”

“Tyrus.”  The woman stood, shouted and waved.  “Tyrus.  Bring Cecil.” The man scowled and handed the reigns for the plow to the young boy beside him.  Cecil did not move until Tyrus waved for him to follow.

“What?” Tyrus shouted back.  “We’ll never get the field done if we leave off work.” His voice lowered as he drew near. “Cecil is doing his best, poor as that may be.  What?”

“This young woman says she is looking for Cecil; says she wants to take him back to the future.”

Alexis had to concentrate, but managed a sentence in English.  “Do you want to return to the future?”

Cecil fell to his knees and began to weep.

Tyrus looked flummoxed.  “I can’t allow that.  Lord Tarquin himself told me I could have him if I didn’t lose him. If he goes missing, what is going to happen to me?”

“On the other hand,” Alexis said, reading the couple.  “If I take him off your hands, you will get much more work done and have one less mouth to feed.”

Tyrus rubbed his jaw.  “There is that.”

“Ah-ha,” the woman nodded and smiled, like she liked that idea.

“No, but it cost me to have him.”

“Benjamin,” Alexis called.  Lincoln stepped into sight and made a show of sheathing his saber.  “Do you have those coins you picked up from Ibelam?”  She turned to the couple and explained, even if they would not understand. “Ibelam helped a friend, Artie, and she paid him in gold coins such as the Androids minted for their economy, and mostly for trade.  Ibelam was kind enough to share a few, despite him being a notorious pirate.”

“Here,” Lincoln handed them over and Alexis gave them to Tyrus.

“Ibelam?” Tyrus asked.

“Yes.  I imagine he sailed by here at some point, though that would have been when you were a child.  He captained the ship, Sinbad’s Folly.”

“Sinbad?” Tyrus appeared to know something.  Some light went off in his memory.  “Notorious,” he agreed, and looked at the coins.

“Cecil,” Alexis waved for him to join them.

“Evan?” Lincoln asked.

“Either,” the man said, and he hurried. He almost started to cry again when he saw the horses, but they mounted, Evan behind Lincoln, and they rushed to the river.  “No, that way,” Evan said, turning them away from the water

“We have to get out from under the eyes of the town,” Lincoln insisted.

“We will.  Trust me.  That way,”

They turned downriver and soon came out of the trees where they could be plainly seen by anyone up on the village wall.

“By the time they bring out the chariots, we will be back under cover and out of range, believe me.”

Alexis spoke into her watch. “Katie. Elder Stow.  We got Evan Cecil.  How are you doing?”

“We have a dilemma to resolve, but it should not take long,” Elder Stow responded first.

“Just coming to the cave where Valencia should be located,” Katie answered.  “I’ll let you know.”

Evan appeared startled by the voices that came from the little bracelets the people wore.  He did not say anything, but he looked more closely at his saviors.

###

The riders and their centaur guide came out of the trees on to a small clearing.  The spring flowers grew up to a grass covered ledge, at the back of which sat a clear cave among the rocks.  Colon stopped, so the others stopped with him, and wondered what he would do.

“Lady,” he called.  “My lady.  Gracious lady, I have brought friends of yours.  The faun of the gray hair sent me.  Lady…” Colon stopped speaking, and looked worried.

A wolf slowly emerged from the cave, growling and snarling.  It looked hungry.  The travelers noticed some red hair that grew out of the wolf’s back.  Colon took a step back, but he tried to smile.  Two identical boys, no older than twelve, came from the cave to stand beside the wolf, and both complained.

“Mama.  We have company.”

The wolf let out a little grin before it changed into a woman, about five and a half feet tall, with long red hair down her back, and eyes as dark a charcoal.  “Thank you Colan,” she said.  “It doesn’t fix things, but it helps.”  She turned to the travelers.  “Lockhart, bad timing as usual.”  She opened her arms.  “Boston.” She had to wait.  Boston hesitated because of the wolf, but only hesitated for a moment.

One of the twelve-year-olds put his arms out for a hug, but Boston snubbed him, and the woman slapped his hand. “Romulus,” the woman scolded.

“And Remus?” Katie asked, and got that groupie look on her face.