Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series

I take in the beautiful sight before me as I duck under the tent door, only to be shown a whole tent city sitting in the middle of the forest. All around me sit tents ranging from small to large each made out of animal skins and even old tents from the outpost. I follow Archer down a path, taking in people with violet eyes and walking about having a normal day. Women hang wet clothing on a large wire across two trees. Children run in front of us laughing s they chase one another. Some of them stop to look over me, but it’s strange that I don’t get as uncomfortable because they aren’t looking at me because of my eyes but because I’m a stranger. We turn up a path passing through some trees to a large towering tent.

Archer smiles as we pass a few women making a few giggles out, and I have no doubt he likes to flirt. We approach the towering tent that rises high over us as if it had two floors.

“This is where the tribal council meets and does its important work,” Archer explains as we duck inside the tent. When I step inside I see a large table in the middle of the room with eight seats tucked into it. a few maps sit on the table as do two candles giving them light. A few other smaller side tables sit against the walls of the tent including three large bookcases with rolled-up paper and even a good amount of books.

A man stands in front of a bookshelf behind the head of the table in front of us. Like Archer, he stands tall with defined muscles easy to see under his patched-up red flannel shirt. His sleeves are rolled up just below his elbows as he holds a book, flipping through it. He stands just an inch taller than Archer with shaggy hair that sits longer a greyed shade of brown his roots and through his hair.

“Dad,” Archer calls to his father causing him to look up from his book. The man like the others has violet eyes popping out with the nice tan on his face, his short peppered beard expanding over his jaw and his top lip. Like Archer, he has a sharp jawline but the corner of his eyes and mouth have old wrinkles showing more when he smiles looking over us.

“Ahh, son. She’s awake.” He speaks up, he has a deep voice that is a little gruffer but filled with kindness and warmth. He walks over to us places his book on the table and extends his hand out to me.

“I’m Mordecai Caspian, the tribe’s leader. You may call me Mordecai, or Mordi.” He says with a broad smile. I shake his hand surprised that although his hand is rough and calloused it almost soft and warm too.

“I’m Aspen Stone,” I speak up swallowing a little. He lets go of my hand as he puts his hands on his hips looking between the two of us.

“Well, I’m sure this has been an odd day to wake to, how are you?” He asks. I can’t help but see my uncle in the way he speaks although a little less rigid in his tone but I bet they would be friends.

“Ah, the president’s daughter.” He speaks up knowingly, I can’t help but be a little surprised. I look at archer expecting him to know who I am as well, but he looks a bit surprised by his father.

“I’m familiar with your uncle, but know of your father.” He explains and I nod. Apparently, everyone knows my uncle.

“I see. But right now I do need to return to my team.” I try to get this moving, but I can’t help but be nervous about being away from them for too long. Mordecai nods getting that I wanted to get moving. He tilts his head to the table. Mordecai sits at the head of the table I sit on the corner next to him as Archer sits next to me.

“Don’t worry about your team, I have some of my men watching them, they haven’t moved since they lost track of you last night. We wanted to only help you out when you were injured and... inform you of the difficult position you are in.” He begins growing a little serious. I nod, already aware of the turmoil I’m facing on all sides.

“I need the primordial or I’m going to die. The medicine they have been giving me has kept me healthy so far but I don’t have long. Archer said if I do I’ll be helping with a massacre.” I speak up. Mordecai nods with a grim smile.

“I can see you are a bit skeptical.” He points out and I nod, this is all getting a little too crazy. Before today I thought I had one path and now I’m finding out everything is basically a lie.

“You said they are giving you medicine?” Archer asks and I nod. they give each other a serious look. I look between the two confused.

“What? You think they are poisoning me?” I try to joke out but they take it a little too seriously. I mean why would they?

“I don’t know about that, but when you haven’t taken the medicine how have you felt?” Archer asks. I furrow my brow thinking back, when I was split from her I felt pretty good.

“Fine, I guess.” I shrug.

“If I was you I wouldn’t take any more medicine... I doubt you know what any of it is.” Archer speaks up. I don’t know what it is.

“Why would they poison me?” I ask but I know they wouldn’t have the answer.

“I propose we return you to your team. You continue on your mission. I will have Archer and another follow behind your team in hiding. When your every ground zero, you will get the virus. Infect yourself, like you were meant to do. They will be with you the whole time. They will help you destroy any other remnants of the primordial at ground zero, and bring you back here where you can live safely.” He states. I’m a bit bewildered.

“Why would you destroy ground zero? What if someone else needs the primordial?” I ask. I mean it’s the only way to get it apparently, right?

“We have allies in the city and outposts, if someone is infected we’ll set up a rendezvous point to collect them. We will be the sole protectors of the cure. We have plans to get the property machines to manufacture the cure, when times right we will help give it to others.” Mordecai explains. His plan seems so thought out. I think about the plan for a while, this whole thing would require lying to the team and making them think I’ve died. It just felt a little wrong. But I can’t be sure who on the team is trustworthy of this or about the others.

“You wouldn’t be able to tell anyone on the team, the government has people listening everywhere, they probably have more than one on the team,” Archer says shrugging sadly. I’ve gotten so good at lying and yet I’m so sick of it. At this point, I’m lying to everyone, and I’m losing track of who knows what. I don’t know who to trust. I need to bid my time to figure out who’s lying and who I can truly trust.

" How do I know I can trust you guys, I don’t know you?” I ask the obvious question.

“Because we have given you every answer to your question, we are trusting you with our own secrets,” Archer says looking straight into my eyes, I look at him. There’s not a hint of a lie.

“I know you uncle, aspen. He is a good man, he’s trusted me with his life..... so trust him. We are not lying to you.” Mordecai finally says.

“Okey, I won’t tell them. I’ll go with the plan...... but how do I explain where I’ve been?” I ask. It’s not like I can tell them I was with a secret group who are supposed to be alive and hiding their very existence.

“You’ll tell them you were thrown from your horse and injured, you were able to get up and got lost. So you bunkered down in a small alcove a ways away. You were bleeding so you passed out.” Archer says with a shrug.