Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle) (13 page)

Connor grabbed his pack from the truck and closed the lid to lock it. He wiped the
remaining
snow residue off the top and sat his pack on the ground. He pulled out his compass and
laminate
d
map from
his
bag. He laid out the map on the flat surface and the compass over the map key. He moved his body and twisted the map until he was satisfied. Connor then called all of
them
over to the truck. “We all agree that the temporary bond is in that direction.
His arm pointed due north and Sarah
felt the bond pulling
her
in that v
ery direction. “Now if we take the
road
route we will run into
nine
small cities
and three towns
before we
even
hit the Canadian border. But if we take a direct route we will only pass through two of
the citie
s and one town
.” Connor turned to look at all of
them
. “The direct route takes us through the mountains and it might get a little tricky
since it snowed during the night
. Do you want to stick close to the road system or
simply
go through the mountains?”

Kara raised her hand. “I say mountains because the bears are hibernating and because it will be secluded for us.”

Connor lifted an eyebrow. “Kara you also need to know tha
t you cannot change into a wolf or fly as a Fwen.
”

“Why?”

Mark answered. “Because it’s hunting season and if
human hunters
saw us in our transformed states… What would you think would happen?
Plus this is a
long
journey
and
we need to use the least of our abilities as possible.
Lastly, some of us cannot fly and it wouldn’t be right to be rude and leave them behind.
”

“Oh…” She wen
t quiet as she started using her
vivid
imagination.

Jack
spoke “Your sister has the right idea
, Son
. The sooner we arrive
,
the less we
will
have to worry about.
Less human interaction is the key.
”

Connor shifted his gaze upon Sarah. She
said “The quicker we get there, the quicker we can get out of the cold
weather
.”

He smiled. “It’s settled then.” Connor said as he put the map and compass back into his pack. He slung it on easily and clasped the clip over his sternum. “Let’s get started!” He said with a playful smile and closing his cloak.

Below and Above

The
very
first thing
they
did as
they
finally stared
the
journey was to leave the parking lot.
Sarah’s f
ather shut
and locked
the gate behind
them
. When he walked back over to
the group
he
closed the front of his cloak. Sarah
saw that he had a strap over his left shoulder
,
indicating his ancient
iron club
lay
against his side.

They
all started walking together and with
their
mate
’
s. While walking along the sidewalk Connor said “If we take a left at the corner it will get us under the cover of the forest quicker
than if we keep walking in this direction
.” No one argued
his assessment
as
they
followed him around the street corner.

For t
he next seven miles Connor and Sarah
walked in front. Mark and Kar
a took the center and both of Sarah’s
parents took the rear.
The sun
eventually picked itself up
off the ground and brightening the sky. The snow
constantly
crunch
ed
loudly
under
their
feet with each step.
The businesses and homes ha
d become sparser for each mile they
walked at a normal human pace
.
Soon
the concrete sidewalks came to an end and utilizing the road became the only option
. Cars didn’t bother
them
and went around
, slowing for a simple act of courtesy so as
to not splash
them
with snow
and slush
.

About a mile away the six of
them
sighed
in relief
when
they
finally saw the thick tree line.

Sarah
tightened the front of
her
cloak as
they
crossed the street and entered the trees.
She
originally feared
Fangs would get in
her
way as
she
walked, but they didn’t even come close to
hindering
her natural gait
.
Then
they
all disappeared into the forest
,
still walking
,
until
they
were clear of all traces of humanity
and technology
. Connor stopped as did
she
and the rest of the group.
His
expression remained
calm as
i
s his covered body. He said evenly “I think we should run, but at a pace that won’t wear us out too quickly.”

His proposal lingered for a minute until Mark said “I’ll second that. Do you think we should run in a
ny
particular order?”

“Yes, I do
actually
.”

“We’re listening, Brother.” Kara said
,
opening the front of her cloak t
o flip the hood over her head. Sarah
saw that her ears were pink and
her own
probably looked the same.
It was
really
cool this morning
and the wind wasn’t helping
.

C
onnor stood closer and looked her
in the eye for just a moment and then he looked at eve
ryone else who had suddenly beco
me closer.
They
all stood in a loose circle. Connor stood close to
Sarah’s
right and to Kara to
her
left. Mark
,
her mother and f
ather were all shoulder to shoulder and standing
before her
. Connor started with “Mark and Jack will take lead. The girls will take middle and I will take the rear. Does that sound reasonable?”

Before anyone could speak up
Sarah
asked
her
relatively calm mate “Why can’t I run with you? Why should I take middle?”

He smiled softly and spoke to his love
in his
deep,
soothing voice. “Because I’m going to take the hardest job. The person in the back has to make sure everyone is covered
and fall back to take care of trouble, should need arise
. I need Mark to keep his hearing as sharp as he can make it without altering the structure of his ear
s
and
his sense of smell is
highly
adept and
your father will use his sonar
every now and then
to see what Mark cannot detect
. The front men are the scouts.
I need my sister and your mother to stay in the middle with you.”

“
Is it because I’m with child?” Sarah
released the front of
her cloak to cross her
arms
defiantly
.

“Partly.” He smile became a grin. “Have you forgotten wh
at my mother requested of me?” Sarah
remembered
clearly Jenny
telling him to br
ing everyone home safely. “What
ever happens with all of us is my responsibility. I decided that this course of action would be the least hazardous to everyone.”

“Connor,”
her
attention was pulled to
her fa
ther
as he
asked
. “why do you think this formation will work for the best?”

Connor took a deep breath before explaining. “If either you or Mark detect something different, you can warn us. If there is danger we cannot avoid, we will decide what to do if it comes up. Our number one problem will be
from
someone spotting us
while
running
through the wild
.
It will be impossible to hide the fact we aren’t entirely human.
That’s your job
,
to keep everyone hidden while we move.
We need to work together and your
centuries of
experience will keep us safe.
The girls have the most
flexibility
to do whatever they need to do. I will take up the rear, the defensive position, and remove any
obstacles
we will come across.
” Connor looked at each of them
in turn
, feeling good to have articulated it as clearly as possible
.
His voice suddenly changed from pleasant
in
to
that of
a leader
or commander
. “I
f
anyone says
Stop!
,
we all will. If someone becomes tired, we will all rest
until they are ready to continue
.” Everyone understood Connor’s worry without him s
tat
ing anything else.

Kara asked in a weak voice “Brother, why can’t I take the lead with Mark and Mr. Branderson?”

His voice changed back to calm
and reassuring once again
. “Kara,
who cannot fly in our group?” H
er
silver eyes shifted over to Sarah’s
suddenly flustered parents. “That’s right. If we don’t have a choice and need a quick escape plan, you wil
l need to carry Jillian.”
Connor shift
ed
his
solid
, penetrating
gaze to Mark
that gave no quarter
. “And you do the same for Jack.”

“You got it.” Mark said evenly. He nudged Kara with his elbow and then she conceded
a moment later
.

“Let’s get going!”
Jack
said in annoyed voice as he walked north.

“You heard the man!” Connor
added with enthusiasm and soon were on
the
way.

Sarah remained
running so slow
ly
and she
knew
she
could walk faster in
her
sleep, but at least
they
are traveling faster than any human on the planet. The leafless trees allowed the sun to hit the ground to light
the path. Sarah
held the front of
her cloak closed as she
ran in the exact center of the group.
At least the movement kept the cold somewhat at bay. Her f
ather and Mark were b
oth running side by side about twenty
yards ahead of the center
with their cloaks bundled around them
. Every now and then
she
felt
her
father release a blast of his sonar to scout
nearly a mile ahead
while Mark shifted his head from side to side as he smelled the air and listened to the sounds of the forest.
Jillian
ran off to
her
right and gave about three feet of room
to run free
. Kara did the same, but gave
Sarah
a
n extra
spare inch.
She
stole a glance behind and saw Connor’s cloak wide open as he ran and his eyes were focused and intense
, taking nothing for granted
.
He looked like some kind of superhero with a cape
billowing behind him
.
His arms swung from side to side and his strides
were always placed perfectly
, but strangely he was the only one not making noise in the snow
.
Even the treads of his boots barely made an impression. It was strange for what looked like a two hundred and forty pound man to not leave a trail behind himself. With his cloak open she
wondered how he could stand the cold, but he was always said he liked the cold.
He smiled at
her
and
she
blushed.
Sarah
returned
her
focus back to the front.