The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) (4 page)

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The
Second Kingdom is comprised primarily of wooded lands hosting a wide assortment
of firs and deciduous trees. As Rebekah walked along a junction of the Northern
Road she was kept in cool shade by the tall giants. Had she arrived in the
Second Kingdom ten to twenty miles to the east or west, she would have appeared
in large orchards of hearty fruit and nut trees. These crops and wood are the
primary resource that the Second Kingdom has to offer the other eleven
kingdoms.

Over the
next two and a half hours Rebekah walked among the grand trees towering over
the roadway. As she walked, the Fox followed behind her and the Owl flew above
and before her. The road was devoid of people. Through the woods were filled
with the sounds of animals, Rebekah never saw any. Every now and then she would
see a small trail lead off from the main road and wind into the deep forest.
There were even times that she smelled wood smoke or heard the distant sound of
axes hitting wood, but there was no visible sign of human life. The solitude
gave Rebekah abundant opportunities to talk to and learn from the Owl.

They
talked further of the twelve created races, only eleven of which were to be
found in the Crossroads. The Owl was free with information about them and how
they made up the twelve kingdoms of the Way World. Rebekah was amazed to learn
that nothing here was native. Everything had been transplanted in one way or
another from the worlds which connected to the Here Between.

By the
time the sun was arching toward late afternoon, Rebekah became aware of the
trees thinning and becoming smaller. Within ten minutes the road broke free of
the forest and became surrounded by tall grassy meadows. Once free of the
trees, Rebekah saw her first sign of Haven. A large spire broke from the
horizon and gleamed in the light of the sun. As she moved closer, the spire
seemed to grow in height and the light hitting it fractured, creating small
dancing rainbows all about the structure. Rebekah was so captivated by the
complex beauty of the spire that she did not notice the Owl’s change of flight
pattern so that it was gliding beside her.

“It is
the Spire of Heavenly Glory. The local artisans refined crystals and other
minerals that reflect and refract the light of the sun. All throughout the day,
a third material absorbs light so that even at night it glows brightly. Only
during periods of long rain, cloudiness, and during the longest winter nights,
does its radiance fail. It is during these times the warriors of Haven become
most vigilant.”

“It’s
wonderful! I never knew something like this was possible.”

“With God
all things are possible. It took generations to create and has stood sentinel
for hundreds of years. We will find you sanctuary at the base of the spire.”

“The
spire is part of a church?”

“Yes, it
is the church’s property used for worship, a mission base, and a house of
sanctuary.” Before Rebekah could comment or ask more the Owl spoke again.
“Come; we are almost there and the day is coming to an end.”

The rest
of the trip into Haven was uneventful. As Rebekah got closer more rooftops
became visible, but the spire towered over them all. Soon, Rebekah saw that the
town of Haven was surrounded by a formidable wall at least eighteen feet high
and half as thick. The ground close to the wall was cleared of any trees or the
sprawling meadow she was currently walking through. Rebekah could see sentries
roaming the wall top, and ahead of her two of them were guarding a massive
gate.

Unsure of
the protocol of entering so heavily fortified a town and receiving no
instruction from the Owl, Rebekah stopped in front of the guards. The Fox sat
next to her and the Owl soared overhead. Rebekah stated her name and requested
sanctuary at the temple. The two guards studied her for a moment, so she took
this opportunity to study them. One of them was a weald; the other, a Coterie
(two of the alien races the Owl had told her about). Before she should focus
too closely on the features the Owl had used to describe those races, the two
guards bowed their heads and motioned for her to enter.

The main road
led right up to the temple. Rebekah was focused on the elaborate design of the
temple and thus did not take the time to look at the rest of the town around
her. She did not see the very different people around her as she studied the
images etched into the stone surface or the elegant scenes displayed in the
stain glass windows. Even the broad double doors, were carved with wondrous
art. As she entered through the open double doors she was taken aback by the
fairly plain interior. There
were
the half a dozen
stained glass windows on either side of the church and tall carved pillars of
dark wood, but this was the main decoration inside the structure. Other than
several large candle stands, each holding seven thick candles, there was no
other decoration.

Rebekah
had walked into a room no doubt designed for corporate worship. She stood in
the middle of a main aisle with two more merging into it, one on either side of
the church. The side aisles were smaller, only allowing enough space for two
people to walking abreast. The main one, however, could easily fit four people
shoulder to shoulder. Between either of the two outside aisles and the central
one there were banisters, where Rebekah supposed worshipers would stand or
kneel during the service. There were only six benches on which people could
sit. Two small benches on either side were placed toward the front where the
three aisles came together. Then there was one large bench on either side at
the back of the church right inside the door.

Rebekah
kept walking forward until the three aisles merged. In front of her were three
broad stairs leading up to a large stage. On either side of the stage was a
massive carved column. Between each of these columns and the exterior walls
were small carved double doors similar to the ones she had entered the temple
through. However, Rebekah’s attention was drawn back toward the stage. At the
back, one of the two small doors opened and a man had emerged.

Though
the man wore a long robe, it could not conceal his muscular build. He was bald,
so it was easy to see that his ears did not protrude from his head. Rebekah
noted this fairly quickly and found herself staring at them trying to determine
if they were just not poking out, or truly flat against his skull. She would
later come to understand that the latter was true. As he came closer she also
noticed his eyes were dark all around, except at the very center. She was so
taken by these oddities that at first she did not realize he was speaking to
her.

When she
recognized she’d been staring, Rebekah blushed. As she began to listen more
closely, she realized he was not speaking English. There was something familiar
about his speech, but nonetheless she couldn’t understand it. Before she could
speak herself, the Owl swooped in and landed on a banister near her. It
extended a wing and touched her. She stared at the Owl as it folded back its
wing and closed its eyes.

“Oh,
don’t go to sleep now, I need help here. I don’t understand this man.” Rebekah
hated the exasperation clearly lacing her words, but she was getting a bit
tired of all the mysterious ways and strangeness and just wanted to rest and
process for a while.

The man
placed a hand on Rebekah’s arm to get her attention and said, “But madam, I
understand you.”

Rebekah
looked up to the man and almost instantly began gazing at the odd color
reversal in his eyes. While the Owl had told her this was key identifier for
the gaeder, Rebekah had not expected their eyes to be so captivating. She
quickly shook free of her trance and began to ask, “
How .
. ? I couldn’t understand you . . .” However, she stopped with a large sigh and
a sideways glance at the Owl. She began once again. “My name is Rebekah and
I’ve come from far away. I’ve been told you can help me.”

It was
the man’s turn to stare now. His stare alternated between Rebekah and the Owl.
He did not seem to notice the Fox. After several heartbeats, he nodded.

“Of
course you must have just crossed over,” he stated. Before Rebekah could do
more than nod her head he continued. “Yes, we can offer help in several ways.
Perhaps a place to rest and some warm food to start. In the morning, we can
talk of what else you might need. My name is Brother Carefrin and the sanctuary
is at your service.”

Rebekah
smiled and whispered a thank you as Carefrin bowed and led her through one of
the carved doors at the top of the stage.

The sun
was nearing the tops of the tallest trees when the Koens broke out of the
woods. In front of them they found a dusty road wide enough for them to walk
four abreast. Before they went any further, though, the Beagle came trotting
down the road carrying a bulging sack. David set Dinah down and Nic, who had
been carrying Mary, set her down. David took the sack from the Beagle and
opened it. Inside were a few water skins and some hard packed bread squares.
Looking up from the sack he thanked the Beagle before motioning for everybody
to sit. Most of them had already done so.

David
passed out the bread, one square to each of the children. He then divided the
water skins, telling them that two would have to share each one. Those holding
the water skins quickly partnered up and took a long drink, trying hard to
gauge how much half was. Several of the other children looked concerned, but
were surprised when they received a full water skin. Jeremiah, who was sharing
with Mel, was about to try an experiment when David called out.

“Just
because it seems endless, don’t waste it.” David then looked at each of them.
“Whenever you are blessed, don’t squander it or assume it is endless.”

For many
of them this was not the first time they had heard something like this from
their father. Now, however, it seemed to carry extra meaning. Slowly everybody
started in on the bread and were astounded by the sweet taste of fruit and
honey each bite. Many of the children started staring at the Beagle as they ate
and continued to drink.

Finally,
with his mouth half full, Jeremiah (unable to keep any more questions to himself)
asked, “How’d you do this?”

The
Beagle shrugged its shoulders and smiled. David answered, “It was needed, God
provided.”

Becoming
annoyed by David’s mysterious nature and sensing an opportunity Eve spoke up.
“I know you said you would explain things when we got somewhere safer, but the
Beagle said. . .” Here Eve faltered, realizing the words she had just spoken.

Before
she could fully recover her thoughts, her father asked, “What is your question,
Eve?”

Eve held
tightly to her resolve and began again. “It’s obvious that those woods back
there were not our woods. We seem to be in a completely new place, yet we’ve
only been traveling by foot. Where are we?”

“The Way
World, also known as the Crossroads or the Here Between.”

Before he
could say any more Jeremiah perked up, “Between what?”

The
Beagle answered. “Between Earth and the other home worlds of the other sentient
races.”

“Are we
ever going to get a straight answer out of either of you?” Eve’s irritation was
mounting and, being who she was, she didn’t care if everybody else knew.

David
gave her a sharp look and then answered. “From what I’ve come to know, there
are twelve home worlds for twelve different sentient species created by God.
Each of them has a Way or portal that leads here. In the beginning, no humans
or other sentient races lived here; this place was only a crossroads, a
bastille. However, the creation was broken and this place changed, like all
other places. Demons soon learned how to linger here. They began waylaying
angels, and the war between Heaven and Hell was soon fought openly here. God
saw the Void’s ultimate goal of holding the Crossroads and destroying all
creation. So He opened the Ways to his chosen tribes. The Tribe of Man was
called through Jacob when he saw the gateway open at the place he would call
Bethel. However, it would be several generations before any human entered into
this realm.”

David
looked at Eve, who was dumbfounded. The he said, “That is perhaps the best
explanation I can give you.”

Everybody
was trying to digest this information when Deborah asked, “Different species .
. . are you talking about aliens?”

“Alien to
what you know, yes,” the Beagle replied. “Though each of these species bear
many differences and similarities, they share one common factor: they were created
in the Way of God like humans. They have also been endowed with freewill, and
can choose to follow their Creator or not.”

Before
any more could be said, David interrupted. “Now you have more to think about.
Any more questions will have to wait. We have a few more miles to cover before
we lose the light. Those things after us move in the night, and we need to be
inside before they get moving again.”

Though
the children were tired and still had questions, they needed no more motivation
to get moving again than the reminder of the riders who had trapped them the
day before. With renewed eyes they began looking around as they traveled up the
road after their father. For the first time, they studied the bordering woods
and began to see species of trees they weren’t able to identify. A few sharp
eyes even spotted birds not of Earth. The fact that they were not home started
to sink in. They mulled over the fact that they were being thrust into some
place beyond anything they had ever known or dreamed of.

The late
afternoon shadows were creating a deepening darkness on the dirt path the Koens
had been traveling for many hours. Several of the older kids had the smallest
ones clinging to their backs or riding on their shoulders. They were all
getting tired, but a creeping fear of the coming night kept them all quietly
trudging along.

Jeremiah
was the first to smell the wood smoke. He whispered to Mel, who was carrying
him on his back, “Do you smell food?” Mel stopped, took in a deep breath, and
caught the faint scent of burning wood.

“We are
close now.” Mel jumped at the sound of his father’s voice so close at hand. He
readjusted Jeremiah, who had nearly fallen off his back. Mel looked at his
father in surprise; he had not even heard him approaching.

David
smiled at Mel, “You’ll pick-up the skill of observation and stealth quickly
enough. I did at your age.” David then turned to the rest of the children who
had gathered around. “Oswald’s Farm is a way station for travelers and a
meeting hall for the area farmers. It is the largest place for days in any
direction and marks the beginning of the Sixth Kingdom’s vast farm lands. We
can put up there tonight, eat, talk, and rest. In the morning, we can gather
supplies for the next leg of our journey. I’m proud of all of you for not
complaining and trusting me even under these strange circumstances. I wish I
could tell you it would get easier from here, but I’ve always been honest with
you and I don’t want to give you false hope. Now come on; refreshing drinks and
hearty food are specialties of Oswald’s Farm.”

Less than
five minutes of walking brought the children out from the wood-lined pathway to
farmland that stretched as far as the eye could see, save a large farm complex
in the near distance. As the group got closer, they could make out a large
three story house, two long barns and half a dozen silos. Fragrant smoke poured
from a large chimney on the far side of the house.

The
fields were full of lush growth which easily came up to Dinah’s head. The field
to the left of the group grew a strange plant with broad purple-green leaves.
To the right, the fields yielded what could easily be identified as maize, and
just beyond the farm house fields of wheat swayed with the light breeze.

The children
were now all walking on their own. Dinah, the youngest, kept poking her head
into the strange purple and green leaves. Mary and Jeremiah kept running from
one side of the road to the next, touching first the maize and then the broad
purple-green leaves. While the rest of the children looked around in silent
awe, Ruth and Hannah ran up to their father and asked about the unknown plants.

“They are
called chap. They are a root crop resembling carrots, but blue. That is the
part you eat. The leaves and stalks are turned into a paste which is used to
seal wounds and prevent infection.”

With this
new knowledge, the two girls ran to their siblings and talked at length about
the many uses of the alien carrots. As they were explaining this to Jeremiah
and Mary, who were still running from one side of the road to the next, the
group reached the farm manor where David was already talking with an elderly
gentleman wearing a broad straw hat.

When the
children gathered around their father they all quickly realized they could not
understand what either man was saying. Just then the Beagle arrived from
guarding the rear and began rubbing up against the children. One by one, as the
Beagle touched them they became aware of what their father and the elderly man
were saying.

“. . .
the crossing is shifting and we became separated,” their father was saying.

The
elderly man responded, not at all surprised. “Been doing that more and more
lately. One end of the crossing will be stable, and then both will shift.
Sometimes it will be minor; other times it’s like you experienced. She’s
probably clear in another kingdom. The whole system is becoming fouled. While
we’ve always had to rely on ourselves out here, we’ve not even seen an avian in
over a decade. Insur is still purported to rule over the Central Kingdom, but
we’ve not had official word or courier out in these parts for a couple of
years. All we get are the travelers’ stories, and they are getting worse.”

The old
man stopped talking and shook his head. He clasped David on the shoulder and
then smiled broadly. “However, it is great to see you back. Please, come in and
introduce me to your family.”

David
motioned for the children to follow him and they all entered the farmhouse
through a set of broad double doors. Upon entering, the children were astounded
to see a large gathering room which nearly covered the whole distance of the
house. Two opposing stairs led up to a second floor, with many rooms visible
along the open hallway that wrapped around three of the four walls. Circular
wooden tables with matching chairs were set up all around the main floor.
However, only one of the tables was occupied. At it sat three men with russet
red skin and dark hair. Behind the men sat a large hearth with two doors beside
it. The hearth would have afforded a good view of the kitchen because it was
double sided, but it had a roaring fire going in the half closest to the
kitchen.

The
children only had a moment or two to take in these details as they were led to
an alcove between the set of stairs. There, a larger table than the rest was
set up, allowing them all to sit comfortably. As they were sitting, the elderly
man took off his large brimmed straw hat to reveal short-curly-salt and pepper
hair and ear lobes that lay completely flat against his head. Several of the
children began to stare, and as they did they also noticed his eyes were
different than theirs. Whereas their eyes were white with colored retinas and
black pupils, his were black orbs with white retinas and light purple pupils.

Before
any of the children could begin to comment, David moved beside the older man.
“Pardon my forwardness, Brother Oswald, but my children have yet to learn not
to stare at every new race they encounter. I was only recently able to
enlighten them that humans are not alone in the cosmos.”

Oswald
merely bowed his head and smiled broadly. David cleared his throat to call his
children’s attention to him. Almost all of them, save the youngest, turned to
their father. “Dinah, Mary, Jeremiah, and Ruth; stop staring and pay
attention.” The girls had enough sense to be embarrassed and began to blush,
but Jeremiah merely moved his shocked expression from Oswald to his father.
David gave him a stern look that had little effect.

“Brother
Oswald is a gaeder. Gaeder are one of the twelve chosen races. They look a lot
like humans, except they have longer fingers,” (Oswald raised his hands so they
all could see), “earlobes that lay completely flat against their heads,” (Oswald
then turned his head to the side to provide a better view), “and different eye
configurations.” At this, Oswald opened his eyes wide and Jeremiah scooted
forward for a better look.

Oswald
began to laugh at this and smiled even bigger. “Brother Koen, I like your boy
there; he is a curious one.”

David
smiled and softly chuckled to himself before continuing, “Gaeder are typically
farmers, but they do many different things just like humans. When their
ancestors had their time in the ‘Garden,’ they fell to temptation the same as
all the other chosen people. However, their ‘Adam’ took responsibility for his
sin, so when God cast them out of the Garden He did not curse the ground
against them. Therefore, gaeder have a way with farming that no other race can reproduce.
So here in the Crossroads we all defer to them for this task. This is also why
you will find them in nearly every kingdom.”

While the
rest of the children took in this new knowledge, Jeremiah asked, “Why do you
both keep calling each other brother? What was that language you were speaking
outside? Why did you switch to English partway through? And. . . .”

“Jeremiah,
please slow down.” Everybody turned to the new speaker. It was the Beagle who
now also sat in a chair at the table. “There is much to learn and many
questions to answer. However, you must take time to absorb your new knowledge;
otherwise it becomes useless clutter in your mind. As for your first two
questions, the gaeder are a deeply communal people and refer to everybody as
brother or sister unless they are related as father, mother, aunt, uncle, a
grandparent, and so on. To call them merely by first name or family name is
highly insulting, as they see it as an attempt to exclude them from the
community.