Morning at rock camp the next day was one of those topics
where the definition seemed to be variable depending on the individual speaking
at the time. For the old geezers it was just about the same time as usual. As
far as Tina and I were concerned, we missed it, we joined the living at the mid
day meal. For the rest of the inhabitants at Rock Camp, the day was canceled
due to lack of interest.
When Tina and I did finally get up and come to the dining
room, we found the two old male relics sitting quietly playing a game something
like checkers, the difference being, the board was much larger, and there were
many more pieces. We ate the mid day meal with them and them asked them to show
us the improvements made we left Rock Camp in the care of Gil and Sean.
The old men introduced themselves as Bill and Tom. As we
talked with them we discovered that these two old relics were full of
information about the world, and the causes of the final days before the wars.
Both the men had left the whole thing behind them, or so they thought, when
they moved their families far away from the cities, and took up a subsistence
life in the wilderness.
"The only problem," began Tom, "was that
the stupid people in power at the time, just couldn't stand the thought that
there were some of us who simply didn't want to have anything to do with what
they were doing."
"And still don't!" added Bill.
Tina, "If you took your families, what happened to
them?"
"We buried our wives two years ago." Bill said,
"They lived good lives, but the wilderness was hard on them, and they
didn't think they had much of a reason to live after our kids ran off to live
their own lives."
"That must have been sad, I'm sorry." consoled
Tina.
Tom took over, "It was tough at the time, but
we," Tom indicated his friend, Bill, "ran into each other soon after
my wife died, and took up together, sort of naturally."
Bill broke in, "And have spent the last few years
trying to get some of these younger scamps to screw up their courage, and do
what you're doing." He finished with a crooked grin.
We'd been walking as we talked, and had come to the site
of the cistern. "This is nice," said Tina, "But doesn't it need
to be larger, and covered?"
Bill, "Well, yes. It does. But we didn't want to
insult the labor of Sean and Gil, they had it built by the time we got
here."
I asked, "Do you really think they'd take it
personally if you were to improve on their project? I wouldn't have thought
they had such a thin skin."
Tom, "As it turns out, they don't, but we didn't
know that when we got here. In fact it wasn't until we started the bridge
project, that we really figured out Gil and Sean hadn't know you for a long
time, and were in charge here pretty much by being first residents!"
"Is there a problem with them being in charge?"
I asked.
Tom, "No, not at all. I know I wouldn't want the
job, and I don't think Bill does either."
I replied, "I wouldn't want to run this place
either, so if they'll do the job, I say let them." There was a pause in
with the two old men just nodded their agreement, then I continued, "But I
can see that they need some kind of help keeping the lid on the situation, so
if you don't mind, I'd ask you to just keep on running the labor detail if you
don't mind."
Both the old men smiled a wicked sort of smile and agreed
to oversee the work parties at Rock Camp for the foreseeable future.
Bill laughed, then said, "But that doesn't mean we
wouldn't like to get hold of some lively old broads, does it Tom?" Bill
elbowed his friend rather harshly. The two of them laughed together for a
moment, then appeared to remember there was a lady present.
"Oh, sorry ma'am." They both sort of muttered
it together, and looked a little embarrassed.
"Don't worry about my sensitivities gentlemen, I
know exactly what it is you're planning to do with those, "Old
Broads," as you put it!" Tina looked at the two old lechers while
they eyed her, "And I'm going to be sure they do too, just so I can watch
you two squirm!"
The two old men looked at Tina and for a moment, then
Bill said, "You'd do that, wouldn't you." It was just a statement of
what he could see was fact.
Tina replied, "You can both bet on it!"
"I hate to interrupt your fun," I changed the
subject, "but Tina and I need some good mounts for the return trip to the
city, and a string of extra horses for when we come back out with the next
group. It took us three weeks to get here, and it will take about a week to get
back, even with the horses."
Bill and Tom took us to the corral and pointed out ten
fine mounts for us to ask for, "As soon as Gil or Sean got out of bed and
decide to join the world." As Bill put it.
I grinned at him, then said, "We wanted to start
back today, but we won't get started until tomorrow now, and if we wait for
either of them to come up for air, it will be next week!"
Bill was about to say something, when the air was cut by
a chorus of laughter, then four voices, "We resemble that remark, but you
can take any of the horses you want to." Gil had finished the sentence
alone. "See you next time!" and he led Lavern back towards the
buildings. Sean and Toni stayed to help us catch and halter the horses we were
going to take, then they too headed for the privacy of Sean's home.
Bill, Tom, Tina and I spent the rest of the day packing
supplies for the two way trip to the City of Towers. The rest of the population
in Rock Camp showed themselves from time to time for one reason or another, but
mostly the place was deserted. We ate a late dinner and went to bed after some
hours of talk about the Counsel, most of which was Bill and Tom telling us what
they'd learned of the Counsel from observing the actions of those they ruled.
*** *** *** *** ***
Tina and I left Rock Camp with the first light of day in
the morning. The only ones who were there to see us off, were the two old men,
and Toni. The old men told us there was a place to ford the river with the
animals about two days up river, then the three of them waved as we started our
trip back to the city.
We rode hard, and slept little on our way back to our
friends in the dungeon under Tower Four, and made the return trip in six days,
even with the many river crossings, and extra miles of our forced detours to
find places to ford.
We arrived at the supply cave just west of town the
evening of the sixth day, unpacked the horses, and hobbles them, since the
corrals had been destroyed when the Counsel had followed us on our first trip
out, and still hadn't been rebuilt. Both Tina and I were exhausted by the hard
trip, but we also wanted to get back to the dungeon and see our two friends we
had left there a month before, so we walked the distance to the city outer wall
and followed it north until we came to the drain we had come out of when we
left. From there it was just a short walk up the tunnel to the grate in the
dungeon, but we had to wait for the rain, and water flow, to recede before we
could enter the drain.
The rain finally let up just before morning, which
allowed us to move up the tunnel. We were able to open the grate from
underneath, and drug our dripping bodies and packs out onto the dry dungeon
floor where we collapsed, while we got our strength and wind back. Soon we
gathered ourselves and quietly moved through the tunnels until we came to the
end of corridor Four East.
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Chapter 85 | Chapter 87
Index | Title Page
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