It is as if I have heard this song, long prior. But from where?

The old raggedy one continued her half-song and half-chant through half the morn. Meera thought her crazy and was about to send her away, but this earth-smelling bag of rags was her only hope to save Sam. Finally, around midturn and after what seemed far too long, the raggedy one opened Sam's mouth and poured some water into it, saying different words.

Most of it spelled out. She continued this three instances, then titled Sam's head back a little to let the water go down her throat. Jandra thought that if Sam had been alive, it would have drowned her.

The raggedy one then clapped her hands together once, grabbed Sam's hands and held on tightly. Suddenly, Sam breathed in a breath so deep it was as if she hadn't breathed in over a moon, then bent over and began coughing.

As she did this, the old raggedy one climbed down from the bed and looked at May, "Get me some wine."

May, fully surprised, went to do so, and the raggedy one followed after her, chortling with glee.

Sam was yet coughing and trying to breathe. Meera, in disbelief and paralyzingly stunned, tried to help Sam to bend forward a little more.

Jandra just kept saying, "You are alive. Sam, you live."

Meera was in full disbelief, "You but died. I know this as truth."

Sam's coughing began to slow down, but she continued to take huge breaths, as if trying to fill air into her body. She finally opened her eyes.

Yet slightly coughing, "I am sorry to have done this to you, Meera."

She placed a hand on Meera's shoulders and Meera could feel Sam's strength flow into her. Instantly, Meera was relieved of her deep worries and felt as if everything would be fine. Sam smiled at her, in between her coughing and breathing, thankful for her good friend. As her need for coughing halted, she began to breath in more slowly but yet fully, as if her - 217 -.

lungs held volumes of air. Meera was unable to move, but wouldn't leave Sam's side.

Sam looked to Caitha and smiled, "Come nearer, Caitha."

Caitha did as Sam asked, and Sam placed a hand on her shoulder.

Caitha felt the power that Meera had spoken of to her in their private moments, and felt Sam thanking her for taking such good care of Meera. She also felt Sam's love for her. Caitha smiled and touched Sam's cheek in return.

Sam then looked at Jandra and smiled, "Jandra. So sad," and she touched Jandra as well. Like with Meera and Caitha, Jandra could feel the strength flow from Sam, but saw that Sam was unaffected. Jandra felt comforted by Sam's touch and knew the community would be safe for a while longer. Sam wiped a tear from Jandra's face and looked at it. Sam cried but one tear, took her tear and joined it with Jandra's, placed it in her hands and rubbed them together, and then placed her hands within Jandra's. Jandra had no idea what that was about, but Sam seemed to know something she didn't.

Sam then looked at Keddi, "Our sad and loving scout."

She touched Keddi's cheek and Keddi also felt Sam's strength flow into her, and instantly felt the love that Sam and Brett had shared. She was glad that Sam now knew for certain that Brett had loved her deeply, in truth, and not because she was a scout.

The old raggedy one came back in with a flask to her lips, "Are you not out of bed yet? I must be back and you must provide me with supplies.

They listen not to me!"

Sam laughed, got off the bed, knelt down to the old raggedy one, and placed her hands on the old raggedy one's head, and they both remained in that position for a long while. Meera and the others just watched in disbelief, not wishing to interfere.

When done, Sam removed her hands and kissed the old raggedy one's cheeks, "I will see to your provisions."

She looked at a guard, "Please make certain that she has all that she requests, and double it."

Sam began to go with the raggedy one to her horse, but Jandra halted her, "Sam, you cannot go out dressed like this."

Meera laughed, "That would certainly prove your reputation," and then began to cry. "Oh, Sam, I am so glad that you be alive." Sam went over to Meera and hugged her. She said nothing to her, nor did she send her any thoughts. It was just enough to hold her for a moment.

Finally, Sam said, "I knew but to trust your instincts, Meera. I am sorry to have done this to you. I but knew that I would die, but I also knew you could find the old raggedy one."

- 218 -.

Meera being Meera, pulled away and said, "I am sorry. I should not have allowed such emotion. But thank you, Sam. Now, you must dress as you are completely naked, again."

Sam looked at Keddi, "Who will take the Old One back home?"

"Margeria and I will. She is a character and I think Margeria has taken to her as one would a pet."

After seeing that the guards could see to the Old One's provisions and wine, May came back in to see Sam. Sam saw May and went to her, placing her hands upon May's head. May couldn't understand what she was feeling but could feel a strength enter her body and make her feel younger. Sam let go and then hugged May to her, gently, for a brief moment.

After placing on her garments, Sam went to the patio where all the Women of Woden and the Men of Hengist were waiting a report. They had first heard she was dead, and then heard that the strange old person in the rags brought her back to life. They didn't understand this, but accepted it, as there was certainly no way for them to understand how such could occur. And they had waited throughout the long eve.

Sam began to speak to them. She told them of the betrayal. She told them of Meera and Jandra's turn and what they had to do with the remaining advisors, guards and sentries who had betrayed Woden. She told them of how Hengist had become isolated from them. And she told them, in length, of the High Spirit Mother and the evils she had caused. She told them how Josin and The Highest had betrayed the community. She then told them of their return to their original practice with Hengist and that trade, entertainment and an open exchange of ideas would become an accepted practice between the two communities.

And finally she said, "Many of us have lost our companions these prior turns, but we must now grow back our strength and community. We will discuss our issues and questions together as we have done prior. We will grow and learn together as a community, as we have ever prior done.

And we will relearn to trust and respect each other for our strengths, our weaknesses, and our differences. Thank you for your good wishes. Return to your dwellings and let us begin in the morn with a renewed community that now includes Hengist. Our festival approaches, and I vow that it will be a grand one. Good eve."

All the women and men knelt, "Highest". "Chosen One." "Highest."

"Chosen One." Her community then rose and turned toward their dwellings, and Sam returned to her own. She told May to go to her own dwelling and rest, had Meera move the guards outside her dwelling, kissed Meera and Caitha a good after midturn, what was left of it, and got everyone out of the dwelling.

As all were leaving, Sam saw that Jandra was leaving as well.

- 219 -.

"Jandra, why do you leave me?"

Jandra turned to her, looking well saddened. "Sam, I know I have done wrong to you and the community by not telling you this knowledge sooner. So I am leaving, as I know you must no longer trust me. I understand, though, Sam. I have broken your trust and what love you could have for me."

"No, Jandra. This be not so. You have done no wrong. In truth, you held true to Woden. How could you know who to trust in all these moments of such deception?"

"Perhaps it is as you say, but I am yet sorry for such occurrences."

Sam nodded knowingly, "It is so, as am I, but it is not of your doing.

Come, you must rest. It has been but a long vigil for you. I will hold you while you sleep."

Jandra followed her like a puppy and could think of nothing better than to fall asleep being held by this most wonderful woman, no matter how strong and strange her new power now felt. Jandra had no fear of Sam, and that was strange enough, but as she had felt the power, she also felt it as a familiar and safe moment, from far long prior.

While Jandra slept, Sam began reading the diaries that The Highest had wanted of her. She had much knowledge to put together and felt that some of it was in these diaries. She knew that Woden had much to learn, so began where she left off what seemed like so many turns prior: With his army, as he calls that motley and disgusting group, he is now forcing all the women to get pregnant so that his community continues to grow, in what he calls "the ways of the lord". So, he rapes us daily to ensure that we get pregnant as soon as possible, although he calls it as doing his duty. Yeah, right. The only good thing to come of all this is that we are being well fed so that we can continue his precious birth cycles.

This morning, he forced us to listen to him read an entire chapter from his bible. If we show we don't listen, he has us whipped. He is now forcing us to memorize passages from his sermons. Like I care. All our knowledge, and we have come to this. All of us have our Ph.D.s and yet we can do nothing. How stupid I feel.

He had been keeping all us women apart so that we couldn't unite against him, but without the proper maintenance, the housing sheds are beginning to fall apart out of neglect, and the forest encroaches daily. He's no choice now but to keep us all together in one of the last two housing sheds. The men fare - 220 -.

no better. Those that choose to follow him must deal with his insanity, and those that dare go against him are being hung. If we women speak out against him, he whips us until our backs are bloody pulp, but goes no further until he achieves his ideal community numbers. Of course, he is the only one allowed to touch us, so all the children will be closely related. I personally hope this baby dies. If it doesn't, and I'm still here, I will be forced to kill it just so Burn doesn't get his hands on it.

What have I become?

We women have united together now, and whenever he isn't in the shed doing things to us that I thought existed only in horror stories and preaching to us, while the other men watch (and I'll never forget that they just stand there!), we have begun a plan. Three evenings ago, we helped six women to escape.

They have stolen some equipment and promised that they will return for us when they find us a spot to live, and a way to get there. In the meantime, we steal what goods and weapons we can and wait until we have enough supplies to begin our revolt.

In return for services, some men give us weapons and supplies.

We have buried them in the ground for now.

From the reading, Sam could tell that this had been a shared community where women and men lived together. She remembered from the first journal entry that the writer referred to this trip as an experiment. She wondered what type of experiment the community had been. She read through the next several journal entries, which seemed to get worse for the women with each moon. She read that some of the women died in child-birth, and some died from what they termed a venereal disease, an unknown term to Woden. Sam thought that the experimental community's medical knowledge seemed far more advanced than Woden's. She read that the imprisoned women had asked Burn for a medical kit, but he had refused. Sam noticed that according to the journal-writer, Burn was getting increasingly more insane from this venereal disease, and then saw that events suddenly changed greatly in Entry #9.

We did it! We escaped this last eve and are holding-up in a makeshift shelter. We have enough weapons and ammunition to hold off Burn for a while, especially now since some of the men escaped at the same time. We are hold-up about two miles north from the original site. He knows where we are, but we will stay and battle it out from here. Some of the men have asked to stay with us, but we've decided that they will not after the treatment they have shown us. We no longer trust any of them. We would be stupid to do so.

- 221 -.

It's a bittersweet victory, though. We have lost five more women, and I dropped two of the journals during our escape. I will make an attempt to retrieve them at some point, but fear Burn will destroy them if he finds them first. He's systematically trying to destroy all the last remnants of our ways of living and our history. At the mention of Earth, he kills the one who says it. How very sad for us.

Entry #10: We begin to build our own community now. We've distributed chores so that everyone takes care of the gardens, everyone helps to build the buildings, and we trade off with the guarding duties. We do this so that we all will learn. If we become specialists, we stand the chance of losing our basic skills if the specialist leaves or dies. We have learned this the hard way with all the technology, which is now useless.

Our gardens are really pitiful. I would trade my Ph.D. for a gardening book. We saved what seed we could but have only potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, cabbage, one type of lettuce only, and onion. We'll have to learn to cultivate wild vegetables from the jungle even if these do produce well for us. Four of us go out daily to hunt for whatever we can find. If I'm ever out hunting and run across Burn, the women better watch out if I'm also cooking, cause I'll serve him up for dinner. I hate him. I really, really hate him.

An interesting thing is happening to us. We no longer want or need men. Some of the women have begun to pair up with each other. While not so unusual back home, I have a feeling that this may soon become our norm. Some of the men that we haven't allowed into our community have settled near us, but follow our rules. They keep to their own but have promised to help protect our new communities. We don't like it, but it makes sense for now.

I wish I knew how long we'll have to wait. The waiting for our scouts to return seems never ending. I'm constantly reminding myself of the Shackleton Antarctic journey, as he came back for all his men, after a really long time, too. But for all I know, our scouts may get killed or die with disease and never be able to come back to us. I think we should begin to build a boat, just in case. Yeah, right. Like we're boat builders, too. Dream on, Kimi. I miss home and wish I'd never come. This was supposed to be the biggest moment of my life. I had qualified to come here, to this new place. And while it's much like home in its flora and fauna, we have become barbarians, and all due to Burn.

Whoever wrote that Lord of the Flies book was right on the money.

- 222 -.

Sam halted her reading and thought about the new book in her community: Le Morte D'Arthur. She wondered briefly where it might have come from. Nowhere in all the realm could such a book be produced in this fashion. She noted that most of Woden's books resembled the journals that she was reading. She was curious about the journal writer and her reference to home.

Finally tired after reading, Sam went to sleep with much on her mind regarding the recent events. She woke early, but Jandra had already woken and was waiting for her.

"Have you been awake long?"

"For but a little while. I just wanted to be near you and watch you breathe. We all thought you had but died."

Sam yet lay upon her pillow, just looking at Jandra and choosing not to reply.

"Why did you so easily trade your life for mine? Your life be much more important than mine."

"You are wrong, Jandra. No one life be more important than another.

I chose to save your life because your life means much to me and Woden.

You did the same for me when you jumped in front of Fionn."

"But I owed you that. It was my fault that Fionn and Vining tried to kill you."

With her finger, Sam traced Jandra's frown, "No, it was not. As Second, you will learn that you cannot take the blame for other's actions. It be enough we tend to our own. You did as you thought best."

"You were so serious when I told you the story. I know that it upset you."

Sam sighed and began to touch Jandra's hair, "Certainly it upset me. It upset me because the betrayal was deeper than we had but imagined and I had not trusted my instincts. I knew The Highest took her own life overly quickly."

"I wonder who be this High Priestess' sister that she says be in Woden."

"How might this be so? None of us is mystical."

"You are."

Sam looked at Jandra quizzically, beginning to think the same, ". . . but what do you think this means to"

May entered with the morn meal, interrupting Sam's thoughts, "Good morn, Chosen One. Good morn, Second. I but overheard you speaking so knew you were awake. Both of you need to eat, as you both grow much overly thin. I cannot have sickly looking ones under my roof when I am but the cook. It bodes badly for my reputation."

- 223 -.

Sam smiled at her, "It is good to see you too, May. Thank you for this meal. We will take the moment to eat and enjoy it so that we grow meat upon our bones once again."

Sam rose from the bed and held out her hand to help Jandra, "Would you give me the pleasure of walking with me on my rounds this turn, if you but have the moment?"

Jandra took Sam's hand and rose. Holding hands, Jandra kissed her.

She hoped that their relationship was changing from passion to love. She liked the thought of it, but didn't yet believe that Sam could truly love her, knowing that Sam loved Oisin.

"Of course. I would like this much. I must first attend to the community sessions this turn, and then a short meeting this eve with Tehna and Briggon to attend to the festival. It seems to be a duty I inherited. We can take our late eve meal together. Perhaps you would consider attending the community sessions with me but this once?"

Sam nodded.

"Sam? Why do you but ask me to go with you on your rounds? Is that not your moment alone with the women? Are you certain I will not be interfering? Or are you just trying to teach me how to do rounds so I do not offend others overly"

"Hold, Jandra. You make me dizzy with all your questions. In truth, I ask you as I would like the women begin to see us as together. As Highest and Second, and as companions. It be the moment this be made known.

This community has had but overly many secrets."

Jandra wished that Sam had said 'as lovers' instead of 'as companions,'

but settled well for whatever it was that Sam could give. Through the turns, she hoped that Sam could learn to love her.

Sam walked arm-in-arm with Jandra to the park where the community sessions were to be held. She didn't wish to take away from Jandra's duties or esteem with the women, but knew that the women were glad to see their Highest alive and well. As she and Jandra arrived, the women knelt before them.

"Highest."