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Brynnhollow

Book 7: Unsung

© 2018 by MultiMapper
All Rights Reserved

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Chapter 4

"What happened to everyone?" Archdruid Highley asked as he looked around in panic.

"They are, no doubt, exactly where they were a moment ago." Reaper said slowly.

"The better question might be, what happened to us?" Den asked rhetorically.

"Okay. What happened to us?" Dex asked into the silence that followed.

"Look at where we are. What can you tell me about this room?" Mr. Hansen asked slowly.

"It's the same..." Zanner began to say, then really looked at the room they were in.

"We're in the Vinculum Chamber in the Protectorate, aren't we?" Dex asked cautiously.

"That's right. This is the Roman style ruin, not the gazebo that we were in before." Mr. Hansen confirmed.

"Which is also evident from the landscape that we can see through all the archways." Mr. Couleigh observed. As the others looked out, they noticed the arid 'too bright' scenery indicative of the protectorate.

The wheezing growl from Linnaeus drew everyone's attention.

"Do you think we need help?" Den asked in response.

"Who? What kind of help? What are you talking about?" Zanner asked in confusion.

"My demi-brother suggested that I might call upon the aid of my father in this endeavor." Reaper explained.

"Your dad's an angel, right?" Dex slowly asked.

"Yes. That is correct."

"Do you think that calling him would help us... I mean, like... at all?" Zanner asked haltingly.

"Truthfully, no." Reaper regretfully informed them, then explained, "My father has many virtues and is quite powerful, but he can also be somewhat... controlling. Were he here, he would no doubt attempt to resolve the entire situation himself, thus destroying all that we have achieved."

"Um, yeah. Let's not do that." Zanner said uncomfortably.

"With the Vinculum not allowing us to travel to the other barriers, do we have any way of communicating with the other spellcasting groups?" Mr. Couleigh asked Mr. Hansen quietly.

"No. None that I can think of." Mr. Hansen confirmed.

"Then does that mean that everything that we've done so far is lost?" Zanner asked uncertainly.

"Quite the opposite." Reaper immediately answered.

"I don't see how that can be. Without communication with the others, there's no practical way for us to coordinate our efforts to release the stored magic or recreate the barriers." Mr. Hansen said reasonably.

"We can't be sure that the others are even alive. We're just assuming that they are." Mr. Couleigh said seriously.

"Considering that before the separation we had gathered everything and everyone that would be needed, it seems that our best course of action might be to proceed under the assumption that the others are in place and also proceeding as though nothing had changed." Mr. Hansen said reasonably.

"How long do we do that? I mean, if they're all dead... how long do we wait for them? How long are we going to stay here and pretend?" Zanner asked anxiously and appeared to be fighting for emotional control.

"I could hike to the edge of the barrier and ask Jengelica to drive to Brynnhollow... that could take a few hours." Archdruid Highley finished unenthusiastically.

"No. The others are depending on us to do our part. We do not want to lose this chance." Reaper said decisively.

Linnaeus let out a sudden barking growl that seemed rather urgent.

Archdruid Highley, Den and Reaper obviously understood whatever Linnaeus had said and were considering it carefully.

Zanner, Dex, Mr. Hansen and Mr. Couleigh just as obviously did not understand and looked at each other stupidly, waiting for someone to tell them what was going on.

"Father, hear my prayer." Reaper said as he turned his face upward and fanned out his multiple arms, almost like wings.

"Should it please you to do so, would you aid me, your beloved child of flesh, to reinforce the sanctuary you created for us?" Reaper slowly implored.

Unwillingly, Zanner and Dex followed Reaper's hopeful gaze toward the ceiling, although they intellectually knew that they weren't going to see anything there.

"Father, I seek only the aid of a few of the less powerful celestial beings to do those things that the limits of my earthly flesh prevent me from doing for myself." Reaper said hopefully.

"I thank you for your attention, Father. You have my love and admiration always." Reaper finished as he closed his eyes and bowed his head reverently.

"Wow. I never even thought of talking to my dad like that." Zanner said frankly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure that he doesn't expect you to." Mr. Couleigh said with a grin.

"You're Nazzy's dad, aren't you?" Dex asked curiously.

"Yes. That's right. Nazareth is my son. We met at the picnic by the lake at D's house." Mr. Couleigh said with such pride that nothing else needed to be said on the subject.

"What did you just do? What's going to happen?" Mr. Hansen asked Reaper cautiously.

"I have no ability to predict the future, so I can only speculate on that. But in regard to what I just did, I called for help to do things that I am unable to do with the personnel and supplies at hand." Reaper said carefully.

"He doesn't know." Den said simply, then explained, "He said all that stuff without really saying anything. So either he doesn't know or he won't tell us. Since there's no real reason for him not to tell us, I'm guessing that he just doesn't have a clue."

"There are many possibilities. I just have no way of knowing which, if any, my Father will choose." Reaper tried to explain.

"No clue." Den summarized with a grin.

Zanner and Dex shared a smile with him.

* * * * *

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Zanner screamed as he skittered back, further into the stone structure, to be nearer his teammates.

"Just stand back. It doesn't look like it's trying to attack us." Mr. Hansen said cautiously.

Mr. Couleigh reached around Mr. Hansen and grabbed both Zanner and Dex and pulled them to stand behind him.

As Mr. Hansen started weaving the signs of a rather complicated defensive spell, Reaper said, "These appear to be help from my father."

Everyone froze in place as they watched a second bizarre creature slowly walk into the room.

"What are they?" Mr. Couleigh asked hesitantly, still shielding the boys with his own body.

"Cherubim." Reaper said simply.

Zanner and Dex finally emerged from behind Mr. Couleigh to get a better look at what the creatures were.

In the simplest terms, they had the bodies of large birds, six wings and the faces of children. In short, they were horrific.

As the first one came to a standing position, its lower wings crossed to cover its legs. The middle set of wings were spread behind it while the upper set of wings crossed to mostly cover its face.

The voice of the thing when it spoke was like a combination of nails down a chalkboard and bubbling stew.

"In the company of humans I speak their common language, as is courtesy." Reaper carefully instructed.

"Child of Sword. Your father sends greetings and salutations. I am Zarall, my other is Jael. We are at your service." The cherub said in a voice that was not entirely human-like, but nowhere near as grating and uncomfortable as its natural voice. It could almost be considered 'child-like'.

"This barrier we are in is joined with two others, forming a triangle. I need to know that the people at the center of the other two barriers have survived and that they are working toward our common goal."

Zarall closed its eyes for a moment, then quietly said, "There is trace to follow if we go now."

"Go then. We will be working under the assumption that the other two groups are doing the same." Reaper said firmly.

The two celestial beings crouched into what was obviously a more comfortable posture for them, then hurried out of the room.

"Dex and Zanner, are you ready for this?" Mr. Hansen asked cautiously.

"We're fine, but what about you? Do you think you're going to be able to unfold space then remake the barrier?" Zanner asked anxiously.

"After seeing the lengths that everyone's going to... I'm confident that we'll find a way."

Zanner smiled at Mr. Hansen's decision, then said, "Okay. Let's do this."

* * * * *

"What just happened?" Milo asked as he looked around anxiously.

Rhuru-wra let loose a pitious growl that left no doubt that he was not pleased with whatever was going on around them.

"It appears that when the proper groups were gathered, all within the vinculum chamber, that the chamber separated into its component pieces. The room that existed several places at once is now separate rooms." Professor Everstone said speculatively.

"What is this place?" Dr. Williams asked as he looked out the archways at the lush thick foliage.

"It appears that we're within the Southseid barrier." Professor Everstone answered slowly, then added, "For us to complete the job that we came here to do, this is the group that we need to be with and this is where we need to be."

"Do you think that Paul's okay?" Filipe interjected anxiously.

"I'm sure that he's fine. He's probably at the Brynnhollow version of the vinculum chamber." Agent Fastbeck quietly assured the young teenager.

"Yes. And I have no doubt that right this minute, he's deducing that we need to proceed with our original plans." Professor Everstone added confidently.

Rhuru-wra bleated a whine that drew everyone's attention.

Milo considered for a moment, then told him, "It won't hurt to have them here. Go ahead and gather anyone you want to support you and have them standing by. If G is up to it, I'd like to go ahead and get started as soon as possible."

Without further adieu, Rhuru-wra dashed out through the 'stonehenge' archway and into the thick, humid forest.

"I'll try, but I don't know how much good I'll be if I'm trying to concentrate on doing magic while I'm worried about Paul and my dad." G said honestly.

"I'm not clear on where Brynnhollow is located. But if you can give me an idea of where we are in relation to where they are, I can try sending a couple of my shadows to check on them." Milo said quietly.

Before G could answer, a shadow seemed to separate itself from the wall and become its own independent being.

"I'm sorry Obby, but there's no way that you can go out to find him on your own. You would only be able to travel about as fast as a normal human and it wouldn't be safe for you. Stay here with me and I'll keep you safe until we're back with Agent Roberts." Milo finished gently.

Obby looked around at the others who were staring at him, then walked to stand before Milo, where he was promptly gathered into Milo's arms.

"He's fine. I promise. You'll be back with him before you know it." Milo crooned as he held the shadow in his arms as though it were something precious.

"Um..." G awkwardly interrupted, "What?"

"This is Agent Roberts' shadow. His name is Obby. Please try to be kind to him, he's in a fragile state at the moment." Milo implored him to understand.

"Um, yeah. Just let me know if there's anything I can do." G said uncertainly.

Rather than answer verbally, Milo, still in his Elven form, made a graceful series of hand gestures, obviously casting a spell.

A moment later, two shrouded figures crossed through the archway and stopped before him, hovering slightly above the floor.

"Who can tell me where we are in relation to the other colonies?" Milo asked seriously.

"I can help you with that." Agent Fastbeck said immediately as he stepped forward.

"If you can give me an idea what direction and how far, I can give my shadows enough to go on to start searching." Milo said frankly.

"I don't really have a sense of where North is, so I don't know about directionality, but I can give you a decent idea of distance."

"I can conjure a compass." Dr. Williams volunteered.

"Then that should be all that we'll need." Milo said with a slight smile.

* * * * *

Given the information that Agent Fastbeck had been able to provide, Milo ended up sending shadows to both the Nevermore and Brynnhollow barriers. He explained that he wouldn't be able to send more than the most rudimentary messages, but he would be able to determine without question if the other two groups were doing well.

"While we're waiting for the shadows to return and give us their report, the best thing that we can do is begin the Assembly of the Magi to release the stored magic." Professor Everstone said seriously.

"The Assembly of the Magi started the moment the three of us met. Everything that's happened since then has been to bring us to where we are right now." Milo said with certainty, then he turned to G and asked, "Are you ready to begin?"

Rather than give a verbal answer, G held out the baton that he had been mindlessly carrying for most of the past few days and called upon it to extend itself into its true form.

With no outward triggering movement, the spear came into being.

"I'm not exactly sure what you need for me to do, but I'm ready to do it." G said simply.

"Empower me." Milo said simply, then explained, "I will take your magical power and guide it to release the great lake of magic stored within the vinculum."

"We could have done that anytime." G said cautiously, sure that he was missing something.

"No. It's not going to work until all three of us, the Magi, are performing their spells at the same time. Right now, the most I can do is perform my part of the spell and wait for the other two to do theirs." Milo explained.

"And I'm going to have to keep the spear's magic flowing until everyone else has their spells done?" G asked to verify his understanding.

"Yes. You'll need to keep up the magical flow until the barrier has been dismantled and recast. Once that's done, I will sever the flow of the stored magic from the vinculum. Only then will you be able to stem the magical flow from the spear. Do you think that you're up to it?"

"Now you ask..." G muttered under his breath.

"Once we start, we're committed to it. The only way to back out is for everyone, everywhere, to stop their spells." Professor Everstone explained.

"How long is this going to take?" G asked anxiously.

"Hours, maybe. Although it could conceivably stretch on for days." Professor Everstone said frankly.

"I can't cast a spell for days!" G protested.

"You misunderstand. You won't get a choice. If you begin this, you will not be able to withdraw. Even if something goes horribly wrong with the spell, there is no failsafe, there's no escape clause built into it. At the end, there is a remote possibility that there will only be a withered husk left occupying the space where you once were." Professor Everstone said gravely.

"You've got some kind of sales pitch there." G said snarkily, obviously trying to hide his nervousness with humor.

"G... Gwayne, the chances of that happening are remote, but there is a chance. I believe that you have the level of power and the skill to do this successfully. If we give up this chance to help the Wudewas, there likely won't be another." Professor Everstone said seriously, then finished by saying, "The choice is yours."

"No pressure." G said somewhat hysterically as he looked around the gathering.

"G, if you can't do it, I can try. You don't have to." Filipe said as he stood confidently at Dr. Williams' side.

G smiled at Filipe despite himself, then quietly said, "I think these guys are going to need your help doing the spellcasting. Don't worry about me. I got this."

"Are you sure?" Agent Fastbeck asked quietly.

"Yeah. I wasn't really thinking about backing out. I guess I just wanted to get a sense of how dangerous it really was. Besides, what kind of a brother would I be if I didn't do my part to give Paul everything that he needs to show off and be amazing?" G finished with his trademark cocky grin.

"So what do we still need to do?" Agent Fastbeck asked as he looked around.

"At this point in time, we need for G to use the Mikael Spear to direct a pure elemental magical flow to Milo." Professor Everstone said slowly.

"And the rest of us will need to be prepared. Just as soon as Milo is able to release the stored magic of the Southseid barrier, we will need to direct it to Rhuru-wra and his people."

"I'll go let Rhuru-wra know that we're about to start." Agent Fastbeck said as he took a step toward the archway.

Obby quickly moved to Agent Fastbeck's side and put a hand on his arm to hold him back.

"What?" Agent Fastbeck asked as he looked down at the transparent hand.

"What are you doing, Obby?" Milo asked cautiously.

After a moment of listening, Milo smiled and said, "He knows that you're Agent Roberts' coworker and friend. He wants to help you if he can."

"Never let it be said that I turned down help when it was offered." Agent Fastbeck said with a smile at the shadow at his side.

Obby released Agent Fastbeck's arm and followed along as he stepped through the archway.

"You ready?" G asked as he hefted the spear.

"Would you like to wait for the report from my shadows before you start?" Milo asked cautiously.

"Nah. If I know Paul, he's probably already got the magic up and running and is just waiting on everyone else to catch up to him." G said with an amused smile.

"You make having a brother sound like an incredible experience." Milo said gently.

"Depends on the brother." G said simply, then held the spear forward.

Milo took in a deep breath to help him clear his mind.

As he did, he noticed G's skin becoming 'painted' and the most serious and determined clown expression he had ever seen come into being on G's face.

* * * * *

"What... the... fuck just happened?" Paul asked in bewilderment as he looked at the small group gathered around him.

"Paul..." D said in a warning tone.

Paul looked at D challengingly, almost daring his father to chastise him.

After a moment to consider, D finally said, "Never mind. Besides, criticizing a demon for swearing does seem kind of pointless."

"Where did everyone else go?" Corabeth timidly asked.

"I'm guessing that everyone went to where they're needed to cast their part of the spell." D said speculatively.

"Yeah. It was like when we got the last puzzle piece in its right place, everything all of a sudden just activated or something." Paul reasoned.

"We sort of came to the conclusion that we were already part of the spell ritual, even when we were setting up for it." Ares interjected seriously, conspicuous in his Karasu Tengu form.

"I got that feeling too. But I never expected for something like this to happen." Agent Roberts said honestly as he looked around with concern.

"I know that you guys are busy figuring this out, but would you mind if Dark and I left for a minute to be sure that our family is okay?" Ares asked anxiously.

"Yes. Of course. But we're going to need you back here soon so that we can start recasting the barrier." D easily responded.

"They should be within a few minute's walk from here. I just have to see for myself that they're alright before I can focus on anything else." Ares said as he looked anxiously through the Brynnhollow archway that he had entered through.

"Go." Paul said firmly.

D looked at his son, somewhat surprised at his audacity, but didn't countermand him.

After a moment to be sure that no one was going to object, Ares and Dark turned as one and hurried away. As soon as they were through the archway, they changed fully into their animal forms and continued on at their best possible speed, flying and slithering away, respectively.

"Do you think G is at the Southseid barrier?" Paul asked his father anxiously.

"I think that he's probably in that barrier's version of the Vinculum chamber. Given who we have with us, it seems reasonable to assume that they're in a nearly identical situation." D said assuringly.

"Okay. I can understand why you'd think that, but I can't just stand back and trust that everything will eventually work out. I need to prove to myself that G and the others are okay." Paul said as he made a vague motion toward the ground in front of him.

Just as he did, a blur of darkness deposited two furry little bundles at his feet.

"Something happened to separate us and I need to be sure that G is okay. I want you two to find G and see how he's doing. Help him if he needs it, then I'd like for Mah Zah to stay with G and for Ginh Zah to report back to me. Got it?"

A serious bark and meow were the immediate response.

"I left a trace portal at the Southseid base camp. That should save you some time. There shouldn't be any humans around, so you can go in your natural forms. That way you can bypass the Southseid barrier completely and go in from the air." Paul said seriously.

The puppy and kitten immediately transformed into red and black winged lizards.

"Mah Zah. You're still my familiar, that's not going to change. But I want for you to let G understand your language so that you can tell him that we're fine and find out if he needs anything."

A quick hiss was Mah Zah's immediate response.

Paul made a quick gesture and a complex spell diagram appeared on the floor.

"Go." Paul said simply.

Mah Zah and Ginh Zah immediately flew through the dark blur that had formed in the center of the spell diagram.

"Why did you leave a trace portal at the base camp?" Corabeth asked curiously.

"Just because it's so far away. It took so much time and work to get there, I thought that it might be good to have it in place sometime later."

"You turned out to be right about that." Corabeth said frankly.

"Actually, I was thinking that I could have it there in case I forgot my gloves at the base camp or something like that. I didn't have the first clue that I'd be using it for something like this." Paul admitted.

"However it worked out, it looks like it's going to save some time." D said honestly.

"Did you get a chance to call Nicholas and Amelia after I talked to you last night?"

"Yes. Both agreed, although Amelia told me to remind you that you can't talk directly to Nomia." D said seriously.

"That's not entirely true. Until Amelia enters into a contract and officially makes Nomia her familiar, she has no say in who Nomia bestows her gifts upon. She can talk to me if she decides that she wants to." Paul said firmly.

"You know, to those outside the wizardry discipline, you sound a little tyrannical." D cautiously informed him.

"That's part of what it means to be a summoner. You have to either dominate or submit. That doesn't only mean in your dealings with demons." Paul said seriously.

"Be that as it may, our primary concern now should have to do with completing our mission and remaking the Brynnhollow barrier."

"Once I get started spellcasting, I'm probably going to be immobilized for the duration. I refuse to be helpless." Paul stated firmly.

"I'm not asking you to be." D said simply.

Three spell diagrams appeared on the stone floor in front of Paul. People automatically backed away so as not to be caught in one of them.

Paul was undoubtedly pushing his limits as he seemed to have lost touch with the world around him and became consumed with casting the three complex summoning spells simultaneously .

No one spoke in deference to the great power and skill that were being displayed.

In his low demonic voice, Paul slowly began to incant, "In the land held by Circe, where the disgraced have been exiled, I call upon the Yan-gant-y-tan to bring one forth to do my bidding. I call upon Xaphan. Come without odor and be bound by my word. I hereby summon! I hereby command! Come forth!"

A gray blur appeared just above the spell diagram.

Paul watched intently as a mostly humanoid demonic being took shape from the gray blur that had appeared above the largest of the spell diagrams.

The demon had the classic horns and pointy ears that one might expect. It's furry body seemed to be somewhat misshapen, with the limbs appearing to be spindly in comparison to the barrel shaped torso. Also notable was the fact that the demon's hands and feet seemed to be disproportionately large.

"I'm going to summon Nomia and Frederick now. I can't communicate with either of them directly, so I'm going to ask you to translate for them. Ginh Zah will be back soon. She's going to be working with me, helping me with my spellcasting. I'm going to be counting on you three to watch after things while I'm busy with that."

Xaphan growled briefly and held Paul's gaze as he slowly raised one of his too-large hands.

Paul slightly smiled, then responded, "I'm not afraid of what you are. That's why I summoned you. Guard my back so that I won't have to keep track of what's going on while I'm focused on other things."

The tips of Xaphan's long spindly fingers ignited into five separate flames.

"Good. I'm going to be counting on you." Paul said In a deadly serious tone then turned his attention to the next smaller spell diagram.

A moment later, a demon imp appeared in the center of the diagram.

"Hello Frederick. I'm going to be needing your help today." Paul said with a smile.

It took a moment for Frederick to assess his situation, but as soon as he had determined where he was, he immediately launched himself at Paul's hoof and enthusiastically hugged his lower leg.

Paul laughed at the action, then reached down and plucked the demon imp from his leg to relocate him on his chest.

"Believe me, I'm as glad as you are that we're going to get to work together." Paul assured the imp as he gently petted him.

After a few seconds of that, he glanced toward the last spell diagram for a moment and watched as a blur in reality deposited a tiny nearly humanoid figure who appeared to be composed of leaves, twigs and general debris.

"How's my favorite Demon Sprite doing today?" Paul asked gently.

The little demon chittered an enthusiastic response.

There was a moment of silence, then Paul looked at Xaphan inquiringly.

Somewhat grudgingly, Xaphan growled, "Other say that you will to summon. Give warning."

Paul smiled, then said, "I should have known that Amelia would let you know what was going on. Anyway, all that I'm going to need for you to do is stay alert and watch after things while I'm tied up with some complicated spellcasting. Are you up to that?"

No translation was needed. Paul was easily able to deduce the answer from the enthusiastic and animated response.

Paul looked around the gathering and said, "For anyone who didn't catch it, I've just summoned some demon helpers who can help us out if anything comes up while we're spellcasting. I don't have any reason to believe that we're going to be attacked, but face it. If someone were planning to attack us, you couldn't ask for a better opportunity for them."

"I thought you were just being paranoid." D said with a tender smile at his son.

"Yeah. I'm paranoid the same way that you are when you prepare for contingencies before an important meeting." Paul said with a grin back at his father, not entirely dispelling the seriousness of his response.

"Paul. I'm worried about Dag. Do you happen to have another portal placed at the Protectorate?" Miss Oaken quietly asked.

"No. I was only there for our initial evaluation and never entered the actual Protectorate. From what I heard, with the blessing they bestowed on the land, it would probably be lethal for me or anyone demonic if we tried to go there." Paul said honestly.

"So there's no way you can get in touch with them to see if they're alright?" Miss Oaken asked to confirm.

"Not that I can think of. Even if I could target my Oculus Demonus in this dimension, it wouldn't matter because it won't work where there's holy ground." Paul said regretfully.

"If we're going to have any contact with them, it's probably going to have to come from them contacting us." D said frankly.

"You guys aren't waiting on us, are you?" Ares asked as he and Dark approached the archway, again conspicuous in their Karasa Tengu and Nāga forms.

"No. We were taking care of some other things. Is your family alright?" D asked cautiously.

"They're all fine. Although they could 'sense' when the vinculum chamber broke apart." Ares said frankly.

"Regardless of whether we think we're ready or not, we have everyone here that we're supposed to and time is ticking away from us. Does anyone have any reason that we shouldn't proceed?" D asked as he looked around the room.

"We don't have any way of coordinating with the other groups. Shouldn't we try to arrange something for that?" Mr. Bentley Brown asked seriously.

"And just what would you suggest?" D asked flatly, letting his disdain for the man be clearly heard by all.

"Actually, that's a good question." Paul quickly said in Mr. Bentley Brown's defense. "But if you think about it, even though the Magi are going to be releasing the magic all at once, each group is going to be casting the spell for their own barrier. I can't see any reason why you'd have to coordinate that."

"Even so, without a way to coordinate, the Magi won't be able to release their magic simultaneously." D said slowly.

"That's not really a big deal because we were never going to do that anyway. We're all part of the same cooperative spell, but it doesn't trigger until we've each accessed the power of the relics and done our own versions of the spell. When all three of us are ready, the release will happen, but until the third one of us completes his spell, the others will just have to wait and be ready." Paul explained with some difficulty.

"So what does that mean? What do you have to do right now?" Corabeth asked Paul curiously.

"I have to go ahead and start my casting of the spell to access the magic stored within the Brynnhollow portion of the vinculum. Once I've done that, then I just have to wait until Milo and Reaper have released their magic. As soon as that's done, then everyone can get to work taking down and recasting the barriers." Paul said thoughtfully.

"It sounds to me like you have a better idea than anyone else of what needs to be done next." D said cautiously.

"I know about what the Magi have to do. Once the magic has been released, I'll have to regulate the flow. At that point I'm out of it. I'm just going to have to trust that you and Miss Oaken and Corabeth will take care of the rest. There won't be anything else that I'll be able to do for you at that point." Paul said frankly.

D looked at Miss Oaken and Corabeth before quietly saying, "We'll make it work."

To Be Continued...



Editor's Notes:

Seems that the time has finally come to reestablish the barriers. Hopefully all will go well.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher