chapter 24 lost and found and lost we were up early before the sun the council meeting was fast and heated while we discussed the best way to do this to their credit no one even mentioned the possibility of staying out of it not even old bullet let's get these bastards let we get the Elder we have the key she was heated we need to organize the families to start a pack up we'll have to go deep into hiding after this but come for us for sure once we initiate the fight Clarence spoke from the experience out on the Prairies the cree had put up a fight they held up for a pretty long time too before the armed forces were brought in with drones to pick them off we loaded up every available weapon mostly bows and arrows pulled taut with Youngwood and reinforced with repurposed wire there were a few guns ours included some crossbows and an arsenal of knives there were 19 of us without slopper who we made stay back to supervise our pack up each one of our little crew was armed and ready to fight we had all suffered Beyond dignity with the loss of two of our group and the thought of getting one of them back made us almost unreasonable with motivation the mapping was the most important part since location and surprise were our two biggest assets on this Mission most of our morning was spent studying the route and picking out the best vantage point to wait they aren't loading up a big Convoy they don't think there's much of a threat it would even be smaller if they didn't know about the council father Carroll had explained before he ran back to his car by the main road and then rushed back to his office in town before he was missed but still their ego was big enough they feel pretty comfortable just don't don't you feel any comfort not yet soon enough it was 11 o'clock and the transport Convoy was scheduled for noon so we made our way into the trees France you need to remember these arseholes will be locked and loaded my Dad pulled me aside as I filed past the council who's older older or disabled members had lined up to see us off I know Dad and you remember they don't think of us as humans just Commodities he cupped his palm at the back of my neck and held me there in his anxious grip I know Dad you take care French don't break cover just disable the drivers and wait for them to abandon them about and in the cargo just like we planned I know I'm serious don't go playing hero and rush out in sight because they'll shoot you dead where you stand I'm good Dad we know no one is going to break cover we stay in the trees and wait for them to leave Minerva it took General putting a hand on my on his shoulders for my dad to release me and let me run into the woods I turned around at the edge and gave him a little wave I wish I hadn't the tear on his face sent needles of adrenaline into my muscles we split up close to the road and scrambled and put into position me and Derek lit in to the bows and leafy Nooks to crouch and lay the rest of the group lined both sides of the road along a 100 foot stretch where it narrowed and from encroaching Bush into a single Lane the plan was to wait for the Convoy and shoot at the tires and then we disabled the drivers or allow them to run into the woods at which point we tie them up so they couldn't join the ranks that would be sure to follow it was an hour away from town so he wouldn't have much time before the calvary arrived and then we'd spring Minerva and join the main Camp who'd already be on the move to another Safe Haven a straight short shot North from here before I scrambled up to my spot Meg put his pouch around my neck for safekeeping he told me just in case I can't lose this I cannot go back to the schools no matter what I tucked it into my t-shirt and padded it against my chest nodding to Mig then ascended 11 bodies flattened against the ground at the edge of the woods they were safely out of sight up the slight Hill from the road and that's where Rose was I'd made sure of it when she insisted on coming don't get Macho with me no reason at all for me to not fight she was cold around me but I was too excited about Minerva to unleash any real venom as I protested her involvement in front of the others I had a feeling it wouldn't be all smiles and playful arm punches later on when she got me alone and let loose making the twins joined two of the main campers near the road and just before the serrated edge of Asheville began they were crouched behind an outcropping of rocks left over from a small Avalanche off the hill years before chi boy had run up the road to the start of the vulnerable curve to scout out the Convoy's arrival Derek with almost a breed almost as long as mine hanging over his neck and dangling like a Vine was in a pine straight across the road from where I was perched in sticky Balsam I caught him watching the girls in the tree line including Rose and whenever he looked to my side I shot him the finger to my annoyance all he did was mime laughter all theatrical and quiet and now we waited the trees were here were thickered than down the road which made this the perf spot perfect they threw their Shadows over the road like the plaid of Minerva's favorite skirt Minerva I couldn't believe she was on her way to us right now and that we were going to get her back we had to get her back once she's on the main Highway there'll be more traffic then in the capital well then she's gone into a maze father Cara had spoke candidly before rushing off it's now or never I'm afraid noon approached in a slow Crouch pulling itself along the road warming the air to to honest to God spring the ground was thawed now and the bellies and knees of those in the woods were damp the air smelled of mud and with the abundance of precious water everything with the potential of being green flexed and groaned and desperately began to grow you could almost hear the leaves opening like reaching fingers almost feel the trees pulling their posture straight a long low whistle unfurled along the cracked asphalt and landed in my lap barely Audible and then only to those listening Chi boys signal I stopped breathing and the scream of quiet filled my head to bursting then from a short distance away came the rumble of a motor then another and then The Gleam of Glass and Mirror reflecting the midday Sun winked into the Horizon here they come everything happened in a blink of an eye for the muscles that brought movement in the mechanism that drove them where Panic had woken and fear stalked prey everything took a thousand years there were two vehicles a Dusty red car with blue doors and in front and 20 feet behind the white van of our Collective nightmare father Carroll was right they were cocky only two vehicles for a weapon that could bring them all down I guess they were still considered her just another Indian after all mistaking their arrogant arrogance for stupid was our mistake they were going about 80 kilometers an hour before they slowed down to take the curve this was our chance The Archers Drew and released and the and the road was littered with arrows that flew in a trained Ark some hit the road like hard rain one punctured the roof of the red car and another hit the front tire bang it blew and the car skidded to the side to side before the driver got control by then a second wave of arrows had been loosed the side window had shattered and the second Point broke the rubber of the useless Tire the driver used an elbow to push the smashed glass pane out onto the road gun screamed from a spot just before the driver shot at him hands yanked him down in time the bullets getting off the Rock and into the gravel with a sharp hiss the driver took a second shot into the trees and I heard a man's yell and general slumped to the ground holding his right shoulder my mouth was bone dry I leveled my rifle on the branch just in front of my face and put the car in my sight it was almost stopped now and the driver still shooting the tire wobbling off the rim like a hula hoop and then I saw the van speed up and try to overtake the car to get away in front and away and before I could aim shots rang out from the other side on the road and the van screeched to a halt the long wine of the horn like a solid alarm the driver was hit I looked up in time to see Derek lower his gun he looked over at me and I recognized that face as one I'd just worn a few weeks ago he wouldn't be shooting any more to anymore today his one lucky shot had put him into retirement the horn kept going long and sharp covering the sounds of the passenger door opening and the slap of hard shoes a blonde woman with a messenger bag was flying out by her side dashing into the woods shooting blindly behind her without turning back to cover her Escape chiway would be waiting for her just past the first cluster of birch Now The Archers released another wave and the driver in the red car didn't have time to back up he was punctured with a half a dozen arrows some along his arm the last one cutting through the meat of his neck from one side to the other he fell into the into onto his side dead in a pool of his own blood in the curve of the empty passenger seat another man a recruiter with his whistle shorts and a baseball hat opened the back door and step out with his hands raised in the air I saw him mouth his mouth open and close he was speaking but we couldn't hear him over the thick shriek of the van's horn the twins crawled up from behind the rock with the length of rope Meg watching their six with his revolver behind them they scrambled across the road still crouching a bit in case there was anyone left shooting and when they got within spitting distance of the car they threw the rope and pretty much lassoed the recruiter when his legs snapped together under the Rope he fell over his sunglasses smashing on the pavement hat rolling off his head and the twins were wound the Rope fast and tight and then gave Meg the thumbs up zigwan snatched the cap off the ground and placed it sideways on his brother's head it was done chiboy ran back from the woods the female tied at the hands and feet were thrown over her shoulder like a bed roll Derek was already jumping the last foot to the ground and those who would attack from the trees were walking cautiously towards the road before I scrambled down unused rifle on my back I sought out Rose spying her and wob and bracing in the dirt expansed between the woods and the road we had done it the twins two hats for two heads now whooped and hollered while they dragged the recruiter off the off to the rocky Oak cropping a couple of main campers were already in the trunk of the red car pulling out the spare tire Vehicles were a valuable coup and even one stuck a full of arrows like a metal porcupine we all all met at the van gathering around the back doors like little kids chi boy grabbed the handle and yanked it wouldn't give locked we read his lips since the horn was still going it must have we must have gotten used to it make points to his fingers to his chest and then towards the front of the van he gave the international hand gesture for turning uh turning a key he went to grab it from the ignition tree and zigwan swapped hats back and forth for the first time I saw wob and chiboy for what they were as they stood there his long arm thrown over her shoulders a couple I laughed my relief knowing Minerva was here she was actually here I cut my hands over my scene over the scene between the two back doors and shouted men it's us we've come to get you it's all Nation now we're just grabbing the keys suddenly the long drone of the horn stopped and it was all shocking like the absence of ground at the start of a fall then like punctuation a gunshot poked a hole in the day and all the air ran out I leaned around the side of the van in time to see Mig wands both arms shoved through the window struggling the driver not dead after all fought back chiboy ran to the other side and yanked opened the door the van rocked with fight then there was a second shot then the van was still Meg rushed back with the keys in his hands fear imprisoned imprinted between his eyes are you okay I was confused searching Meg's torso for signs of blood why was he shaking did he shoot you I reached out and pulled up his button shirt to the side looking for a hole it wasn't me he forced key after key into the lock until one of the slid to the Hilton clicked he didn't shoot me Mig met my eyes only for a second but I saw Panic there it stitched into his Iris and brought electricity to the surface he yanked the door open and she fell into his arms obviously she had been pushed up against the back doors waiting for her rescue he caught her and sank to the ground I dropped mine to my knees beside big wands grabbing at Minerva like a kid like I never had when we were on the run I grabbed her hand placing it in my under mine and over the hole in her chest blood hot and sticky gushed out between her fingers her thin shirt was already soaked through you're gonna be okay I lied and she smiled patting my hand comforting me even now in my distress stemmed from her own peril the blood blossomed under my knees like peonies over craigie asphalt Minerva wore a navy blue jumpsuit her hair had been cut short and I barely recognized her the lines on her face were deep the deepest around her eyes she had no sweaters no Long John's underskirts no kerchief over her head but when she opened her mouth to speak I knew it was her for sure she leaned in close to Megan spoke in words in the language they fell Softly on his face they must have been real nice words because he smiled then and closed his eyes so that the tears that welled up were pushed out onto his skin and Rose was weeping loudly she dropped hard to the ground and gathered my nervous head in her lap no no Nokomis don't go you can't go she was shaking her hair and her her eyes Wild on her face kiwin kiwin promised Minerva whispered and Mig nodded Meg took her other hand and she began to sing low sweet words depleting breath that wasn't being replaced I knew she was going and Meg picked up the verse and sang and it it was a traveling song we were frantic but silent we needed her we all needed her she couldn't go but she was singing her song she'd already begun and the whole world stopped for that one moment for an old lady in a jumpsuit and a weeping man covered in blood and anguish to sound to sing a new sound into the wind to make sure she left with a dream so that she'd have all the magic she needed when she was gone Mig placed her hand back on her chest and rubbed her arm smiling I gently placed her hand on top of the other and stood and chibe walked a gathering crowd to give them the news but Rose she couldn't let go she picked up one of men's hands now and held it to her cheek like a broken bird key when she whispered rocking her foster grandmother stroking her forehead with a handful of loose curls at the end of her braid I stayed beside her so no one would interrupt doing the only thing I could do now right now allowing her to grieve Rose looked up into my face key when she says go home I looked down at Rose her beautiful face swollen with tears holding the old woman's head in her lap Still rocking her her sticky bloody hands trying to straighten her shirt to smooth down her cropped hair heavy tears blurred my vision I was looking at Rose from the bottom of a well I couldn't remember falling into what kiwan Frenchy you must always go home