Canterbury Knights - A readers guide

[D'Artagnon]

I was recently asked to give a timeline for my stories, since they're all interconnected.  Sort of a sequential ordering, as it were.  Okay, here goes.  This is both a timeline and an idea of where future stories are going to fit in with it all.

 

 

Summer Stories - Coupe, then Last Place, then Wearing the Inside Out, then Riposte, with two other series scheduled (No spoilers on those yet)

 

Fall Stories - Educating Max, Lost Boys (unfinished), an as yet unreleased three part short story with a working title of "The Diary of Alex the Great" and there is work happening on another Max story, no title as yet, but this one is written from Max's own perspective instead of the "committee" style (in a sense, it's Max taking control of his own story)

 

Along the way, there are plans for little easter egg sort of things to drop into the spaces between stories.  Mostly these are like hints at what the villains are up to, and in one case, at the midway point of Riposte, all the major characters will give a personal perspective on the events and their personal musings.  Look for it about 10 chapters into Riposte, tentatively titled Interludes on a Summer's Night.  Interludes runs the gamut from deep sorrow, personal insights, funny moments, romantic encounters, introspection and in some cases is just our first look at a few characters.

 

Riposte will be kind of strange at first, since it has two unique sets of chapters: Numbered and Lettered.  Basically, it is two complete stories that intertwine, but could be read alone, sequentially.  The pattern is simple enough, Chapter 1, followed by Chapter A, then Chapter 2, then Chapter B, and so forth.  Either way, the stories aren't perfect mirrors of each other but they do combine.  Might sound confusing at first, but it does work.

[Guest]

I'm reading it now well actually not right this second since I am typing here LOL thanks for the timeline.  It makes more sense when I was reading. maybe Castle Roland will get them up faster. know what i mean nudge nudge, a nudge is as good as a wink to a blind bat whoa eh, is your wife a goer? know what I mean nudge nudge? do you like photography? candid photography?   Ok way to much python in my life     

[Mark C.]

Thanks for this, makes it clearer than mud now, grin....

[D'Artagnon]

Canterbury Knights Story List

 

Boys of Summer

Coupe

Last Place

Wearing the Inside Out

Riposte

more to come

 

Heroes of the Fall

Educating Max

Lost Boys

The Diary of Alex the Great (pending)

"new Max story"

more to come

[D'Artagnon]

Boys of Summer Cast List - Likely to grow as the stories do.  For simplicity, I've added a simple notation to the list showing where the characters appear.  C for Coupe, LP for Last Place, WIO for Wearing the Inside Out, R for Riposte (coming soon), Int for Interludes (also coming soon),

 

 

Robby French 13/M  C, WIO, R, Int   Student

aka Robyn the Blue of Cerulean  a Satyr changeling

 

Kenny Tannagord  13/M  C, WIO, R, Int   Student

aka Kay Neth the Steel-Eyed  an Eshu changeling

 

Anne and Dennis French  37/F and 39/M  C, R     Librarian and Speech Consultant

Robby's Parents

 

Mitch Tannagord 35/M C, WIO, R   Fencing Master/Thane

aka Caspian   a Troll changeling

 

Juan Castillo15/M  C, WIO, R   Student/Athlete

aka Croaker  a Red Cap changeling

 

Yoseph 48/M C, LP, WIO, R   Garou Teacher/ Sept Leader at Black Rocks Caern

Garou name unrevealed  a Garou elder philodox (keeper of the ways) of the Silent Strider tribe.

 

Jesse Franklin  16/M  C, R  Student Athlete

 

Bert and Becca Berube  14/M and 14/F  C, R   (fraternal twins)  Student Athletes

 

Sylvia 15/F  C, R  Student Athlete

aka Countess Donna Trag, aka the Black Dragon, titular ruling noble for the seelie court in the Canterbury area, a Sidhe changeling

 

Sir Graham   age unrevealed/M  C, R, a Troll in service to Donna Trag, human relationship unknown, human name unrevealed.  Serves as captain of Donna Trag's guard (like has title of Thane)

 

Sir Korbesh  age unrevealed/M  C, R   a Red Cap changeling and principle leader of an open rebellion against the throne of the Kingdom of Apples.

 

Queen Mab  extremely old/F  C. R   an ancient Sidhe, Queen and Ruler of the Kingdom of Apples

 

 

Cody Reynolds (Later changed to Donersly)  14-15/M  LP, R, Int  Student, Legally deceased (as Reynolds)

aka Speaks With Water, aka Glub-Glub   a young Garou theurge (spirtualist, medicine man, magician) of the Child of Gaia tribe (probably genetically linked to the Silver Fang and/or Glass Walker tribes)

 

Nick Belanger   14-15/M  LP, R, Int  Student

aka Shadow Foot  a young Garou ragabash (stand up comic/super spy) of the Child of Gaia tribe. (born into Black Fury tribe)

 

Sven and Magnus  aprox 16/M  R   Students with minor citizen status in Denmark

Garou from the Get of Fenris tribe

 

Veronica  very old/F  R   Tribal Elder for Children of Gaia, Sept Leader at Black Rocks Caern

aka Sea Smoke, a highly revered Child of Gaia galliard (moon dancers)

 

Rolf   at least 60/M (looks mid 20's)  R  Tribal elder for Children of Gaia, Sept Warder at Black Rocks Caern, Surfer

aka Thrasher a highly respected and well known Child of Gaia ahroun (warrior), taught by Bruce Lee, and a legendary master of the Klaive, a Garou ritual weapon of cast silver.

 

Paul Carver   15/M  WIO, Int  Student

 

Jack Tomas  14-15/M  WIO, Int  Student

 

Dr. Tomas  very old/M  WIO   Scientist

 

Carol Carver   35/F  WIO  Mother, occupation unknown

 

Sarah Willets  53/F  WIO  Great Aunt, occupation unknown

[D'Artagnon]

Heroes of the Fall Cast List - Likely to grow as the stories do.

 

At present, these characters appear exclusively in Educating Max, although Max and Mike do appear in brief cameos in Coupe and Riposte (in Coupe they are seen at Barnie's Burger Barn playing air guitar and in Riposte they appear at a somber moment)

 

Max Perault  13/M  Student/Athlete   Telepath and Telekinetic

 

Michael Perault  19/M  Student/Athlete   Telepath and Telekinetic

 

Cameron Durman  17/M  Student   aka Eeyore

 

Max and Mike's parents Perault

 

Cam's parents Marion and Frank  Durman

 

Becky (last name unrevealed 18/F  Student

 

Dr. Conrad   49/M  Secret Government Scientist

 

At present, very little information will be given about these characters until their story, From the Diaries of Alex the Great comes out.  There are a few moments of cross over with other stories, but that will be revealed at a later time.

 

Alex 17/M  Student Athlete

 

Jordan 15/M  Student

 

Dylan 15/M  Student  (not the same as the Dylan that briefly appears in Lost Boys.  Might change the name)

 

Marty  14/M  Student

 

Hank  16/M  Student Athlete

 

 

These five only appear in Lost Boys, for now

 

Samuel "Sammy" Frost  13/M  aka the Kat

 

Joshua Daniels14/M  aka the Hawk

 

Kyle Dakoon  15/M  aka the Coon or Coonie (hockey team nickname)

 

Tom  Gabrielli 16/M  aka the Wolf

 

Andy Fox 14/M?  aka the Fox

[Mark C.]

Thanks for this....is helpful....

[D'Artagnon]

Some random facts about "Canterbury, Massachusetts"

 

Settled in 1641, primarily by English Puritans.  The local inhabitants of the area were a mix of several native tribes, notably Abenanki,

 

Canterbury High School (Jr. and Sr. High) school teams are known as the Knights.  School colors are gold and brown.  There is a statue of an armored knight in the same pose as Rodan's "Thinker" in the courtyard by the main entrance to the school.  The town this is based on also has  is a replica of one of the famous statues by Michelangelo in Tomb of Leorenzo De' Medici, affectionately nicknamed "The Thinker". 

 

In the southeast corner of the Grand Army of the Republic park, there is a statue of a woman with a hatchet in hand,  She is Hannah Dustin, and it is the first bronze statue of a woman erected in the US.  Her story is both tragic and frightening.

 

I'll add more as it comes to me.  The AC is broken and the apartment is hotter than an over boiled hot dog exploding in a microwave.  There's some juicy tid bits about Bradford College (now Northpoint Bible College) and it's connection to lots of ghost stories and one Mr. H. P. Lovecraft.

[Zergrinch]

Okay, just to be clear, so the Summer and Fall stories generally do not interact outside a cameo or two, correct?

[D'Artagnon]

Well, chronologically, the Fall stories do take place months after the summer ones.  So after a fashion, they do interact.  There are cameos here and there, mostly to show that even little things between stories do link.  Like I say in many of the stories, small towns have their ways.

[Zergrinch]

*Twitch*

Now I know what D'Artagnan withdrawal symptoms feel like =O

[D'Artagnon]

Although it's not completed as yet, Dr. D'Artagnon recommends....

 

Andy dropped from the end of his swing line, releasing it at the height of his swing out.  He quickly kicked his feet out and up, tucking into a tight ball as he did so and letting his momentum rotate him backwards, even as his body mass continued through the air.  He counted softly to three and uncurled from his tuck and stretched out, arms and legs aimed at the roof which was his target.

 

He landed hard, his feet scraping the rough roof shingles, his hands open so the fingertips took the brunt of his weight as he landed on the slightly angled roof.  He allowed the momentum to bring him forward, rolling across his shoulder and through to the opposite hip as he came to a stop on the roof of the porch.  The house was old, like most homes in the sleepy New England town.  Two floors above a partially exposed basement, the main floor being what might be considered the second floor.  The porch was elevated to match the main floor, and it was this porch that Andy had selected as his initial landing point.  The roof of the house, one floor above him, was peeked and would not have made for as silent a landing as he needed, especially since the houses in this part of town didn’t have a lot of old trees nearby, or other access to the “thieves’ highway” as other neighborhoods.

 

He waited a moment, keeping perfectly still in the humid night air.  The overcast skies reflected much of the city lights, giving Andy enough to see by, and enough shadows to hide in.  With a flick of his wrist, the rest of his swing line retracted into the wind up reel on his left forearm.  He quickly secured the line and pulled out his climbing claws from the kangaroo pouch of his hoody.  He slipped the set of claws over his fingers, securing them to his wrist guards.  The sharp talons stuck out from his palms, nearly two centimeters of forged steel.  With these claws he could dig into soft surfaces like roofing shingles or wood and pull himself up, keeping his fingers safely out of the way.  With a practiced ease that made the assent look almost casual, the fox jumped up and grabbed the edge of the roofline, the claws finding easy purchase.  He climbed up to the shingles and found a safe shadow beside an old chimney remnant to rest and gather his breath.  He sat and rested his back against the chimney bricks, relaxing for the first time since beginning his mission this night.

 

He was so close to the reason for his mission.  He would be able to gather necessary intelligence tonight, to be able to know what he needed.  Plans could be drawn up based on the information he could gain tonight.  Plans could crumble as well.  So much depended on Andy making the right choices, on getting the timing right.  Lives were at stake.

 

So it probably shouldn’t have surprised the fox as much as it did when he heard the bowstring tighten.

 

“Do not move, or you wont have to worry about moving again,” a young voice said, from the same direction as the quivering bowstring.  Andy looked towards one of the nearer gables on the roofline and he saw the slight figure holding the double recurve, an arrow with a heavy hunting tip nocked and held perfectly still.  The figure seemed to be a boy, about 13 years of age, if Andy had to guess, and his aim was dead on target.  Even with the shadow’s protection, Andy knew he couldn’t dodge an arrow at that range, aimed so accurately.

 

“I am not here to harm him,” Andy said, evenly.

 

“Then why?”

 

“To see if he is one of my kind.  One of the kind your father started, so many years ago… Jack Thomas.”

 

“You aren’t the only one to know names, Andy Fox.”

 

“You know of me?”

 

“Obviously.  You can reach down your leg and pull out the knife now.  Slowly,” Jack warned.

 

“And if I refuse to disarm?” Andy asked.  The shaft left Jack’s bow and landed inches from Andy’s crotch.  The fox actually twitched at the speed of the arrow suddenly appearing so close to his boy bits.  The __thwack__ of the arrow penetrating the shingles and the quivering of the fletching as it came to rest were a testament to the power of the bow.  By the time Andy looked back, Jack already had another arrow nocked, aimed and drawn back.

 

“It would not be advisable,” Jack replied.

 

Andy reached his left hand down to the sheath on his leg, hidden behind the fabric of his sweatpants.  He drew out the knife, slowly, and placed it on the roof, about a foot from his feet.

 

“Kick it over the edge.”  Andy moved to comply but heard the bowstring tighten back more.  “Slowly,” Jack cautioned.  Easing his foot closer, Andy nudged the knife with his foot, sending it skidding off the roof.  The blade clattered off the pavement driveway below.  Andy made note of where he heard the sounds of the blade hitting the ground, in the event he could retrieve it later.

 

“I know about you,” Jack said.  “You’ve remained loose and hidden for years, but I have been able to track you.”

 

“Have you now?”

 

“Do not be coy.  As good as you are, you cannot escape all of the eyes around us, even if you aren’t center screen, you are seen from time to time.  I’ve accessed data records of over four thousand public and private camera systems in the Canterbury area, and many other places throughout the Merrimack Valley.  I have pieced together your movements over time.  You do get around.”

 

“And the legends of the Merrimack Cat Burglar never played into it?” Andy asked.

 

“I also have access to much of my father’s data.”  Jack eased tension back on the bow, indicating to Andy that the boy’s arm might be tiring.  The pull on the hunting bow must be enormous, Andy thought, looking for a possible way out of this situation.  He doubted he could make it to Jack’s side and disarm the boy without taking at least three shots from that bow.  If the boy’s skill was a match for his speed and aim, Andy would likely wind up with at least one arrow poking out of his own skin before he could reach the other boy.  The idea didn’t appeal.  Leaping over the side didn’t seem like a great plan, but better a fall and a possible broken bone than a sucking chest wound or an arrow impaling him to the roof.  The nearest other roof he might leap to was on the other side of this building’s peek, and Andy had no illusions about reaching that without making himself an even broader target.

 

“So your father knew of me?”

 

“He know about you, not of you.  I pieced together the rest recently.  Father was… let’s just say that his interests weren’t peaked enough in you to warrant further study.  You will answer my questions now.”

 

“Ask away,” Andy said, still hoping to at least gather some information and possibly escape.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

“To see if Paul Carver is one of us.”

 

“One of whom?”

 

“Gifted persons,” Andy said.  “Persons who have been genetically altered thanks to your Father’s manipulations.”  There was some venom in Andy’s voice on the word “father.”

 

“And you suspect Paul fits that category?”

 

“I saw the camera footage from the Battle of Lafayette Square,” Andy replied evenly.  “Two traffic cameras, an ATM video surveillance monitor, no less than six police dash cams and fourteen separate cell phone videos exist of that battle.  I saw what you… and he were capable of.”

 

“Then you know not to push me too far,” the other boy said with no inflection to his voice.  Andy had to admit, the boy definitely kept his cool.  If the situations had been reversed, the fox doubted he could have maintained such balanced, reasoned calm.  Then again, Andy supposed, being on the giving end of a projectile weapon certainly tipped the balance of power in Jack’s direction.

 

“Again, my intentions do not involve harming him.  I mostly wanted to talk to him, if he was available for such.”

 

“And you hoped to speak with him without me around?”

 

“Given present circumstances, can you blame me?”

 

“Point,” Jack conceded.  “Next question.  Why do you want to talk to him?  An alliance?  Information?  Testing his mettle?”

 

“Possibly the first.  Obviously the second.  The third could be interesting, but I feel that sort of thing is best left to daylight and appropriate scheduling.  Fighting on rooftops, even just sparring, tends to be messy, public and more dangerous than necessary.  I think that the two of you have had more media and police attention than you care for, lately.”

 

“Again, point,” Jack admitted, the bow string audibly relaxing slightly.  Andy detected a slight quiver in the other boy’s draw arm.  Reflected light from the streetlamps showed on the curved surfaces of the bow, showing to Andy that the other boy was beginning to tire.  Still, Andy felt no great rush to test Jack’s skill with the weapon.

 

“To what end do you seek an alliance?  My father is dead.  His legacy died with him.”

 

“There you would be wrong.  There are others out here, like Paul Carver, like myself, who have been gifted by what your father did to our parents.  In my case, to my grandfather as well as my parents.”

 

“Speak plainly, Fox,” Jack warned, his eyes narrowing in the darkness.  Andy had the sudden impression he was being scanned a lot more deeply than mere sight alone could account for.

 

“There are others of us out there, Jack.  Surely your own research into your father’s past should have revealed a pattern to you by now.”

 

“You speak of others.  What do you mean?”

 

“Changelings.  Werewolves.  Even a vampire or two.  This town is almost a magnet for supernatural activity.  I know of at least three separate groups operating in the valley here.  You, I’m not sure about, although I don’t doubt there’s something different about you compared to the others.”  The bow string in the other boy’s hands seemed to tighten again as Andy said that.  “Not that it’s a bad thing.”

 

“Go on,” Jack prompted, his voice as tight and terse as the twisted cord under his fingertips.

 

“During the Battle of Lafayette Square, Paul exhibited abilities that mark him as similar to myself as regards powers.  He is very fast, much stronger than he looks.  I’m willing to bet he heals phenomenally quickly, that he has enhanced agility and senses.  Perhaps,” and Andy paused, drawing his legs up to rest his forearms across the tops of his knees.  “Perhaps you have noticed other phenomena around him.”

 

“Do not tempt me to shoot you by moving again,” Jack said, his aim shifting slightly to keep the center of Andy’s chest under arrow’s tip.  “I’ve been trained to use this by a changeling girl whose last name is Oakenbow.  I feel confident that her training has been very thorough.”

 

“Do you?”

 

“I could perform minor surgery on you from here with this.  The one way kind.”

 

“Ah, long range amputations, gotcha,” Andy said, letting a trace of a smile play over his lips.

 

“You have impressive technology and technique.  That retractable climb assist is very advanced.  That was at least a 30 meter swing.  How did you acquire the device and how are you trained in its use?”

 

“Not information I’m willing to part with just yet,” Andy continued smiling, his hand trying to secretly work the second knife he carried out of its secret hiding place.

 

“Unless you want an emergency circumcision, you need to start answering questions,” Jack replied, narrowly.  Andy could almost feel the younger boy’s eyes locking on target.  *Trust is earned, not traded,* Andy thought, realizing that Jack could, and likely would, follow through with that threat.

 

“My grandfather was a spy, in his youth.  When my parents died, he took me in.  He raised me, taught me all that he knew.  The swing line is something he’d used back in the war.  I modified it with modern machining and materials.  Most of my abilities are what he trained me to be,” Andy shrugged.  “Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

 

“The immediate concerns.  Which war?  Which country?”

 

“Grandfather was a patriot,” Andy called out indignantly.  “And he suffered enormously for this, __our__ country.  If you have a problem with that, you probably should go ahead and shoot me now, since it was at your father’s hands he suffered, Nazi war machine!”

 

The accusation was answered by a shaft sprouting from the roof to Andy’s right, pinning his arm to the shingles through the fabric of his hoody.  The point didn’t even graze his flesh, but the spinning of the barbed tip twisted the fabric, tightening its grip around Andy’s wrist.  *Damnit!* Andy thought, realizing that the pinned arm now made it impossible for him to snake the hidden knife into his right hand down the sleeve of his hoody.  Before he could even draw breath in surprise, Andy heard Jack draw, nock and tighten back on the bowstring again, a fresh shaft glinting evilly in Andy’s direction.

 

“Now that we’ve established who is in control here, listen well to this,” Jack said, taking a step forward on the slanted roof, his feet sure, his balance perfect.  “If I were a Nazi anything, you’d be on a slab somewhere answering questions with the help of a 12 volt battery, some heavy jumper cables and some wet car wash sponges.  I am __not__ my father’s thing,” the archer said with a menacing growl in his young voice.  “If you watched what happened in Lafayette Square in such detail, then you should have known that.  I am not his.  I am proud of my country and the country my boyfriend’s father died defending, with honor.”

 

*Boyfriend,* Andy thought, filing that information away.  He knew that Paul Carver’s father had died in the Air Force, a highly decorated pilot moving rapidly up the ranks by his example and skill and courage.  Some of Paul’s pride in his father must have rubbed off with Jack as well.

 

“Point!” Andy conceded.  “I guess we’ve both been trained exceptionally well.”

 

“I choose not to underestimate,” Jack replied, his voice returning to a more neutral tone.  “Getting back to topics, what sort of alliance could you offer if Paul is somehow like you?  And to that end, exactly what group of those you mentioned do you fit into?”

 

“Now that is a good question,” Andy started, hoping to distract Jack.  Then he heard the bowstring tighten further and abandoned such a tactic.  Clearly, bullshitting his way out of this wasn’t going to earn him any points.  Nor would angering the other boy.  *Cards on the table, huh, Gramps?* Andy thought.

 

“Look.  I don’t know exactly what we are.  I know that many of us share similar baseline abilities.  Speed, agility, rapid healing, advanced senses, massively greater proportional strength than anyone purely human should have.  You’ve seen that in him.  The world has, even though most choose to ignore it for some reason.”

 

“Go on,” Jack prompted.

 

“There are other abilities.  I’ve seen this.  I experience this.  If he has that too, then it helps all of us to know what those additional powers may be.”

 

“What is yours?”

 

Andy balked for a moment.  “I have an alternate form.  For the sake of simplicity, this is my alternate form.  It would be rather dangerous to shift to how I was born while like this,” Andy said, indicating the arrow pinning his right arm in place.  “If you can accept that as truth, there’s no need to prove it, is there?”

 

“I believe you,” Jack said.  He didn’t relax his stance any, however.  “Father postulated that the minute differences in DNA between persons affected by his serum would magnify and possibly create unstable mutations in most offspring of any two of his former patients.  But he also postulated that such pairings would also create unpredictable genetic alterations which could result in unusual side effects, other than his attempts to create super-soldiers.”

 

“And Paul qualifies, since both of his parents were part of those treatments,” Andy finished the thought.  “I do not say this as an accusation.  I feel we must pull together, share information and resources.  The incidents of weird things occurring in this town are pointing towards a growing trend.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Surely you can see it.  The weird bird attacks on the stone bridge earlier this summer?  The sudden disappearance of 86% of the homeless people around town?  Even the unexplained disappearance of Ralphy Kurak from his own house?  These things are pointing to a gathering of forces.”

 

“Homeless people can be hard to keep track of, especially in the summer when they are more transient.  Your argument doesn’t track.”

 

“Okay, how about all the missing people that your father is responsible for.  Or how his prison transport suffered such a catastrophic and unexpected accident on the way to Federal prison?”

 

“People have underestimated Father many times.  While it was shocking that he came back to attempt to get to Paul and me, it was hardly a surprise that he was able to affect and escape.  He’s very clever and resourceful.”

 

“You almost sound proud,” Andy said, without thinking.

 

“He trained me well in that regard.  Something you should keep well to mind.”

 

“Noted.  Still, all my instincts and training says that something big is coming.  Something dangerous and that we need to be ready.  Already, there are those with psychic gifts starting to go missing.”

 

“Psychics?” Jack asked, for the first time clearly caught off guard.

 

“Yes.  If you don’t believe in such things, then you really haven’t been paying attention to things around your own life, lately.”

 

“Father… predicted that those with mental powers would likely emerge first.  Direct mind abilities that affect other minds and the physical world.  He predicted that abilities related to energy effects would be rarer and likely fatal to those who develop them.  There are no precedents for modern people to draw on for the training and assistance of such people, so they would likely misuse their abilities in some tragic, fatal way.”

 

“So you see why I feel the need to find others of my own kind.  Self-preservation through mutual protection and training.  Paul is in danger.  So are you.”

 

“We are getting training,” Jack replied.  “Paul already has excelled in his weapons training with the changelings.  As have I.”  Jack realized almost too late that he may have given away too much information.  In the darkness, his cheeks reddened with shame, but he kept his breathing regular, shallow.  Ready to hold his breath in a moment to aid in his aim.  He might be liking what Andy was offering, but he wasn’t ready to take unnecessary chances.

 

“Yeah, I can see that,” Andy nodded towards the arrow holding him in place.  “Any closer and I might be making the roof a bit wetter.”

 

“If my estimation of your abilities and training is accurate, you’d have emptied your bladder before you left to come here, or at least someplace along the way.”

 

“You are a quick one.”

 

“I will talk with Paul about this.  But, when next we meet, it will be at a neutral site, in public and in daylight.”

 

“Understood,” Andy said, tightly.  Public places weren’t in his comfort zone much these days.  Too much of a chance he might get recognized by someone much older who could find it odd that Andy himself hadn’t changed any.

 

“Do not come here again, uninvited.  Nor to my brother’s house across the mill stream.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Jack relaxed the bowstring, bringing the weapon down by his side.  He kept the arrow nocked, Andy notice, but the tension on the string was reduced to barely enough to keep the string in a very wide angle going to the pulleys at either end.  Jack nodded to the arrow sticking through Andy’s sleeve.  Andy took that as a cue to pull the arrow free.  He wiggled the shaft and found it had imbedded fairly deep into the roof, going through at least two layers of shingles.  It took nearly thirty seconds to pry the point up a fraction of an inch before a small shadow covered him.

 

Andy looked up and saw Jack leaning over him, the bow slung across his back.  The smaller boy simply grabbed the shaft, pushing Andy’s hands aside and he began to rotate it counterclockwise, longitudinally.  Andy heard the soft scrape of aluminum on steel as Jack unscrewed the arrowhead from the shaft.  With a few deft movements, the shaft came free and Andy felt the tension in his sleeve slack and relax.  Before Andy could stand up, Jack had backed away and held up Andy’s hidden tactical knife, still folded.

 

“It was both wise and foolish of you to not totally disarm,” Jack said.  “If I’d thought you were a threat to Paul, I’d have killed you at the height of that impressive swing.”

 

“Clearly we have much to teach each other,” Andy replied, smiling.  Perhaps he could swing an alliance with this boy and thus gain an inroad through to their allies as well.

 

“Don’t mistake my fascination for your abilities to be an automatic agreement to your alliance.  Other lives play into this as well.  And they will have their own say, I’m sure.”

 

“I would have it no other way,” Andy agreed.  “We all need to know what we’re getting into.  But we also all need to know who is on our side and who isn’t.”

 

“Give me three days,” Jack replied, stepping back and squatting, resting one knee on the roof.  He tossed Andy the knife and fished out a new arrowhead from a pouch on his quiver’s strap.  In seconds, he had the shaft rearmed and snug back in the quiver.  Andy nodded at the skill and precision of the other boy, sensing a kindred spirit.

 

“Where?”

 

“GAR Park, near the cannons at the southeast corner.  Around 3pm.”

 

“After your fencing class?” Andy said, showing that he knew at least a little of their schedules.

 

“No one likes a smart ass,” Jack replied, evenly. 

 

 

 

 

[Al Norris]

Oh Hell!

Robby? You've been holding out on us all!!!

 

[D'Artagnon]

*hangs head in shame*  ....is not finished yet....   not holding out.  just been busy with like forty things going on at once and being broke, lol   I hear there's a club i should join for that.

Just an idea that happened to trip and fall in that big echoey empty space betwixt my ears.  Needs a little more before it's done.  There's another idea that's like extremely long at this point, and growing, so PART of it may appear before long.

[Zergrinch]

* Perks up from Dr. D'Artagnan's medication!

(beat)

Channels Oliver Twist.  "Please, sir. I want some more."

 

[D'Artagnon]

The Codicil for Educating Max is in the pipeline, nearly finished, so that may be tacked up soon.  This little ditty above is nearly polished, just got to figure which tree limb to hang it from.  There are three other major deals in the works, one (Alex the Great) nearly done, another just a chapter (Riposte) that needs a kick to hit its finish line and a newish project that intros a new character with a different angle on the "second chance" theme (working title is Bolt from the Blue, but i think it'll stick)

 

[Jeikor]

Yes, that was a nice little shot in the arm to perk us up . . . but now we have to go through withdrawal all over again. (SIGH!)

Seriously, thanks for giving us this peek.

[D'Artagnon]

Been going back through the current story list.  Found a few places where the various timelines between stories overlap and some place where they conflict each other.  So I'm in the midst of creating a master timeline showing all the major events. It wont be publicly posted in full form, to keep the spoilers out.but I may post the rough estimates here at some point.  I know it will be incomplete at first since there are four or five stories still in the productions stage, but this is mostly to get things straight in my own twisted head, lol.

[Al Norris]

55 minutes ago, D'Artagnon said:

Been going back through the current story list. ...  but this is mostly to get things straight in my own twisted head, lol.

I've peered into that labyrinth you call a 'head'. There are no straight paths to anything!.... How is this supposed to work, again?

[D'Artagnon]

Well, I brought string this time.  Cord, actually.  Cable, more like.  Steel cable.  Wrapped in plastic.