Gloria continued briefly. “The manner in which we have traversed the land, and the many battles that we have seen, would take an age to detail. It is enough to say that we have remained as we have begun, a tribe led by women against the darkness caused by men, and a tribe dedicated to the new age and the new ways.”
She breathed deeply, exhaling seemingly for minutes before resting her chin on her chest. Then, after a short while, she raised her head again, and looked toward them with eyes that were piercing and clear.
“So what about you?” she said simply.
“Us?” Ryan answered. “I think we’re all fascinated by what you just told us. Because we have experience of the Illuminated Ones, as well.”
And as simply as he could, Ryan related the events surrounding the companions landing in a private redoubt and finding documents pertaining to the secret order of the Illuminated Ones. About how they had trekked across a desert and encountered the strangely clad warriors with laser blasters. About the ville of Raw, which had been founded by those who had left the Illuminated Ones, and of how they believed the order still existed, maintaining a redoubt and stockpile hidden in a secret location.
“And perhaps this is the place we seek. It certainly sounds like the gateway that’s your quest.”
J.B. spoke in the pause, his voice quiet but carrying in the silence of the camp. “I’d love to get my hands on one of those blasters that works. We’ve seen what those rays of light can do, and that’s some firepower. The ones we found were missing the power source, but if I could find that—”
“It’d be some kind of blaster, eh, honey?” Margia said, speaking from the shadows. J.B. looked over to her and could see that the blond Gate armorer was looking at him with a renewed respect in her eyes. “You’re a man who knows his trade—am I right?”
J.B. had no ego on most things, but when it came to weaponry he took a quiet pride in his knowledge and skills. He nodded. “I like to keep blasters good, to keep plas-ex and grens to hand and in working order, and I like to find new weapons and learn about them. You can never stop learning.”
Margia eyed him with an admiration that Mildred found almost as disturbing as the way in which Gloria had been looking at Jak.
“I like your attitude, boy. I think you and me are going to get along just fine.”
Before Mildred had a chance to say anything, Ryan spoke to Gloria.
“Seems to me that your quest is our quest. We’ll join with you.”
AFTER MORE swapping of stories designed on both sides to sound out the fighting properties and attitudes of both the Gate and Ryan’s people, the companions were allotted their quarters for the night. A large tent made from a polyethylene-and-nylon sheet molded around flexible tubing, it was roomy enough to house all seven without too much difficulty.
When she was sure that no one from the Gate was near, Krysty spoke to Ryan in tones hushed enough to be heard by the rest of the companions, but not outside the tent.
“Are you sure we should join them so soon? How do you know we can trust them?”
“I don’t. Not any more than they know they can trust us. Not any more than we could trust anyone. But I do know that I don’t want to have to fight them right now. And I also know that we have a common goal. Mebbe there’ll be problems later on, but right now we need to travel with someone. There’s always safety in numbers when you’re in unknown territory.”
Jak had been silent the whole time, but now he spoke: “Gate also unknown territory…”
Chapter Seven
Despite Jak’s fears, the next few days moved at an easy and uneventful pace. Doc and Ryan consulted with Gloria over the direction she had chosen for the tribe to proceed. The two men had spoken at length of the northwesterly direction in which they believed the hidden stockpile to be located, and it would seem that whatever hidden energy line the instinct of the warrior queen was following was also running in a similar arc. Ryan called upon J.B. to take readings with the minisextant, and the result was that the Armorer believed Gloria’s direction would lead them past the vast emptiness where once had stood the old predark capital of Washington State and trace its course around the outskirts of the Seattle area, which was the scene of their previous encounter with the Illuminated Ones.