As the soft light of dawn filtered through the rows of bristling spikes that stood surrounding the settlement of the Vikings, Olaf with the Angelos at his side slowly slipped past the gatehouse. The footfalls of their horses as they filed toward the gate were the only sounds to break the silence of the day. Vapour lifted from cavernous nostrils as one of the horses tried to shake off the unwelcoming attention of midges that were bent on making their presence known. Three burly men guarding the entrance to the settlement and disturbed by the intrusion stood too, their swords gleamed at their sides, they were kept warm by long heavy furred coveralls; their alert eyes scrutinised who it was that approached them. On recognising Olaf one of the men waved him forward before resuming his game of dice. Olaf gestured to Gabriel and Michael to follow as he made his way past the guards and out into the open.
As they covered the short distance to the wood Gabriel turned and with a quiet word cut Grey Wolfs bonds and let him mount his horse. They quickly rode toward Bear Point where they found their friends waiting for them. They stopped briefly to eat before moving on again. The Wood was silent at their passing; even the creatures of the forest did not wish to give account of them.
“We will need to hurry; when we do not appear at dusk they will think something is amiss, and when morning comes they will send out a scouting party to track our whereabouts,” said Olaf, “By then we must be at the river.”
“The Dakota,” said Gabriel, “are in the Great Plains. The Ute are in the Great Basin. They are leagues apart. Are we still warning the Dakota? And don’t forget the Hopi should now be with the Dakota or do we try to get to the Ute before Lothos and Malachi?”
“Why,” asked Grey Wolf, “do you need to go to the Ute in the Great Basin?”
“We believe,” said Humming Bird, “that the Shadow People are after something important there. Which means the lands between here and the Great Basin will be filled with peril.”
“Then,” said Grey Wolf, “you must warn the Dakota first otherwise the alliances you seek with other nations mean nothing.”
Michael looked at Grey Wolf thoughtfully, and nodded imperceptibly to himself.
“You are right,” said Michael, “alliances mean nothing without sacrifice. To the Dakota then.”
“We cannot afford the time,” said Gabriel.
Michael tugged on his reins; his unwavering gaze seeking out Gabriel’s eyes; carefully he leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
“Gabriel, we have brought this fight here and we are the ones that will make them victims,” said Michael.
“We did not bring the war here - they did,” replied Gabriel harshly.
“Do you really think,” said Michael sadly, “when blood’s spilled we will be blameless?”
“I’m afraid that’s War,” said Gabriel, “it’s collateral damage.”
“That’s their War,” said Michael, “it’s not our war and collateral damage is just damage. And giving it a name to cover over its true nature does not diminish the reality of it. That’s the way they fight with half-truths and lies - are you now saying we have become them? If so, we’ve already lost the war and we didn’t even know it. I believe there’s time to warn the Dakota and the Hopi, and get to the Ute before Lothos and Malachi; and even if there isn’t; it is the right thing to do; so we’ll do it.”
“Well I hope you’re right,” answered Gabriel, “we have already lost too much for your conscience to get the better of you now.”
“You’re right,” said Michael, “we have lost too much, but the one thing we should never lose is being of good conscience, let’s hope it stays like that, because that’s what’s really being called into question here. Otherwise we may as well say that the worst things in the nature of man are the worst things in the nature of us.”
“Are they not? Consider Azazel. They are but a lighter reflection of us and sometime a much darker one.”
Gabriel tugged at his reins and pulled his horse clear of Michael's. They proceeded on in a stiff silence to the edge of the wood where they stopped for a moment. The quiet and stillness was powerful as though some oppressive cloak surrounded them. Michael dismounted and gestured for the others to remain where they were while he went on ahead. He bent down and crept along the tree line so as not to be spied, and then he moved among the trees. He stepped so quietly, so that no creature of the forest noticed him. The trees shielded his presence, the boughs of their branches protecting him from view as they swayed in the wind, their twisted trunks preventing him from being spied. Something drew his attention ahead, a noise. A strange knocking sound echoed chaotically. His breathing slowed as his temper altered, Michael felt his muscles constrict in anticipation of what it could be and his jaw slowly set as he began to recognise the sound. He peered through the trees - there in front of him were both Viking and Shadow people and on the other side of the wood was an army of wood cutters feeding stone built foundries with swords, arrows and bows piled close by. Michael’s eyes widened; come spring when Lothos headed west he intended that no one stop him. It appeared to Michael that their preparations had been on-going for some time. He wondered how it was that Uziel had not known about such a thing, could have Lothos known that Olaf was Uziel and that he was not what he seemed; or had Uziel been turned by The Dragon in the middle age of man and that was the real reason for his so called escape? The realisation of what could have happened tightened a knot in Michael’s stomach, he turned frantically and sped back toward Gabriel - could it be, that once more, they had been outwitted. As he rushed forward he could hear the clanging of hammer on iron anvil becoming more distant. Michael flew over bush and raced past tangled brush his mind fixed on one thing: had he been deceived and if so what did that mean for Gabriel?