In The Beginning, Gail Daley [red white royal blue .TXT] 📗

were family time. At dinner, everyone discussed his or her day’s activities and the next day’s plans.

Most of the children at Veiled Beach Lodge had been born during the war before the bio-weapon hit Vensoog and were much older than Zack and Katherine’s five. Despite the disparity in age, Katherine observed the children were making friends, although they still seemed to cling to each other. Jelli was a wonderful icebreaker because none of the others had met a tame Sand Dragon. Jayne hadn’t raised an eyebrow when Violet brought her pet to class, but the other two teachers protested that if she continued to attend the Sand Dragon would grow to take up too much room. Katherine looked them over, and then at Violet’s tense face, and said, "I fail to see a problem here. It’s a big room and you’re on the ground floor."

Her daughter’s beaming smile had been reward enough.

The morning Roundup started, Katherine and Zack were rousted out of sleep in the early dawn by the pealing of a crystal bell. "What the Hell is that?" Zack demanded.

Katherine rubbed sleep from her eyes. "It means the first of the Swarms has been spotted out to sea. We have about three weeks to get the livestock down from the hills before they arrive. It will be all hands on deck for Roundup."

The children burst through Katherine and Zack’s bedroom door with excited or anxious demands about the cause of the noise. Katherine yawned and reached for her bedrobe. "Hush, now, it’s nothing to worry about. It means we start Roundup today."

"What’s going to happen?" asked Roderick.

"It means that after breakfast you will have time to use those riding lessons. We’ll be heading up into the high meadows to bring down the stock. We’ll be gone several days."

"What about Jelli?" asked Violet, "I can’t leave her behind—"

"Jelli will have to ride in the newborn animal cart with the other baby animals who can’t keep up with the moving herds," Katherine said firmly.

"Everyone needs to go back to their rooms and dress in your riding clothes. Pack a small carryall with a jacket and two changes of clothes."

Roundup was quite an undertaking. Zack counted forty riders including children of various ages, the supply wagon carrying food, bedding, extra clothing, and portable domes, and two more empty wagons. Katherine explained that one of them would carry baby animals too young to keep up with the moving herds. This wagon was partitioned into four separate sections and already held a somewhat grumpy Jelli.

Just as they were starting out, Katherine’s com chimed. She projected the vid-com in front of her so everyone could see and hear it. Images of Genevieve and Gideon appeared.

"We received a message on the crystal net from the Clan Patrol at Horned Cove," Genevieve said. "There's a band of Wilders moving into your territory. The word from Karnelon Height is that they’re armed with laser weapons. Apparently, some Wilders have taken over one of DeMedici’s outposts on the edge of N’Sicily Isle and are using it as a base. They landed on Stranger’s Cove and went up the hill to take out Karnelon Station. The Station was under attack when they called Horned Bay Patrol. I know Roundup is taking place, so you don’t have spare manpower, but I suggest you arm your riders and work in trios in case they make it around the coast to your side."

Katherine and Zack exchanged glances. "We have to do Roundup," she said.

"We could leave the children here," he suggested.

She shook her head. "The families at the Stations will have their children with them; a few more won’t make any difference to our situation."

He nodded. "Okay, then. Listen up everyone! I need volunteers. I want two armed outriders at both ends of this caravan and two along each side. If we’re attacked, we make a triangle of the wagons and put the riding animals and the children inside the triangle. Older children will oversee taking care of them. The rest of us will be divided up into two groups, one to defend the triangle and the other outside it to attack the Wilders. The strategy is to catch them between us. Any questions?"

He turned to Katherine, "Do you have any heavy weapons we can bring along?"

She nodded. "Anyone who can handle a Plasma Rifle, go to the armory and check one out. Pick up extra plasma bolts for the rifles, your side arms and for the Force Wands. We’ll store them in the second supply wagon. Bring along one of the light Plasma Cannons in case we need one."

Vernal and Corrine who planned on staying behind because they claimed they were too old to do Round Up, agreed to step up patrols along the coast and to warn Fisher Ships affiliated with O’Teague to watch out for Wilders.

Katherine had always loved Roundup. She took a deep breath smelling the sweet scent of dried grasses mixed with the sharp odors of the wet crystal rocks off the ocean. The familiar feel of her horse moving under her and the creak of leather all said this was home. She had only been away three months, but it had seemed longer.

Since they didn’t need to ride herd, Katherine, Zack, and the children rode together in a family group next to the Babe wagon because Violet insisted Jelli would feel left out if they didn’t. Katherine took advantage of the time to show points of interest to everyone.

"It’s a well-marked trail", Zack remarked. "Will we stick to it?"

"Yes," she answered. "When we reach Alpine Meadows Station, we’ll help Jordan and Mia with their gather and then swing around the mountains and pick up the families and stock from the other four stations. Some of the outposts like Seven Trees will join us at each of the camps with anyone they want to send down."

"You leave the outposts unguarded?" Zack asked disapprovingly.

She shrugged. "The storms make it hard for anyone to move around enough to attack anything. Wait until you’ve been through