Anarchist Knight:Apprentice

“Why did you come here then?” He asked.

Gradually her story came out. She had heard about the mysterious, Forbidden City of Heliopolis and of how anyone, no matter their race, religion or past could go there and claim sanctuary. There were rumors of time travel and witches circles and magick. She had run away from an abusive home to get here and now she was scared. She didn’t understand anything about this place.

“It’s not at all like I thought it would be,” she confessed tearfully.

“You ran away from home?” Tobal asked.

She blushed and her face went red to the roots of her dark brown hair. That’s when Tobal noted in the dim light the remains of a black eye and a yellowing bruise on the left side of her face. This girl was not a stranger to violence. He shuddered to think of her with the Ox as a teacher. She was seeking sanctuary in a totally different way than he had claimed sanctuary. He had been seeking for clues about his parents and their deaths. She was simply looking for a place of safety.

Not quite knowing how to begin. “This is kind of complicated,” he said at last.
“Sanctuary is not that easy and becoming a citizen takes a long time.” He began lamely. “You see, they don’t just let people into Heliopolis….”

She started to clench up and quiver at his words fighting back tears and he motioned her to keep quiet and let him finish. He tried a kindly smile and saw her flinch at his attempt.

“Heliopolis only grants citizenship to those that have proven themselves worthy of being citizens. Claiming sanctuary just means you are applying for citizenship and willing to prove your worthiness.”

He stopped as he realized she didn’t understand a word he was saying. He tried again.

“You just had a medical exam right?” She nodded. “You’ve also taken a bunch of tests and been given a pack with some clothing and a sleeping bag right?” again she nodded.

“What you are now expected to do is go out and prove that you can live off the land by yourself for an entire month.”

She looked at him in shocked disbelief. Her eyes were starting to widen in horror with dawning comprehension.
“You mean there is no sanctuary here?” She asked.

His face relaxed into a grin as he sat up once more on the hard cot.

“There is safety and sanctuary in a way. A group of us live outside the city in the wilderness. We have all claimed sanctuary, even Ox whom you already met. We are proving ourselves worthy of becoming citizens of Heliopolis. The requirements are completion of three degrees of work and study. The Apprentice degree is to learn how to survive alone in the wilderness for an entire month or 28 days, which is the moon cycle. You do this without any assistance from anyone else. Once you have soloed you are expected to train six other people to solo. Training these six people proves your mastery and ability to survive in the wilderness. Once these six people have soloed you are eligible for the Journeyman degree which we can talk more about later.”

“Ox has already trained five people to solo but I haven’t trained anyone yet. I just finished my own solo three days ago. I came here hoping to find someone to train.”

She was much more curious now and attentive to what he was saying.

“Ox came here to find someone to train and we had a little personality clash as you noticed”, He grinned ruefully. “At least I’m still alive! I thought he was a little too offensive for my taste.” He looked at her solemnly and said, “I’d be glad to teach you the survival skills needed to solo and receive the Apprentice degree if you would like.”

She looked at him with a glint of humor in her eyes and a light smile on her face.
“I’d like that very much Mr. Tobal,” she said.

“Tobal,” he replied, “Tobal.”

“Mr. Tobal,” she said, “ I like your style.”

“Drop the “Mr.,” he said, “just Tobal, ok?” They both laughed.

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He was feeling satisfied with his pack and starting to feel better in general when he heard footsteps entering the building and a timid "Hello."

He froze in the darkness waiting. There was a short silence and the footsteps continued until he heard the familiar mechanical voice saying.

"Do you seek sanctuary in the city of the sun?"

A timid female voice answered weakly, "Yes, I do."

Tobal moved silently to the edge of the dark archway and looked into the other room. He saw a slight figure with her back toward him. She was entering the sliding door into the exam area.

Yesterday he had gone through the exam wearing his med-alert bracelet and it had been nothing like the two day processing he had gone through the first time. It had only taken about 3 hours before he emerged with his new clothing and gear. He knew it would be two days for this newbie to finish processing so he settled down to wait. The pouring rain continued and he assumed Zee and Kevin had decided not to travel in the storm and would be coming later after the weather had cleared.

It was around noon on the second day that a sure footed hulk came through the door dressed in the gray tunic of an Apprentice. It was a boy Tobal had seen at circle briefly but hadn't talked to. He felt this hulking boy had been hostile toward both him and Rafe. Tobal remembered the boy's name was Victor, but most people called him the Ox, probably because he was so slow and big. The Ox stopped and grinned when he saw Tobal.

"Anyone come in yet?" He asked.

"Yeah, someone's processing right now," Tobal replied.

The Ox padded over to him, his bulk towering over Tobal in a menacing way. He could see the five chevrons on the Ox’s sleeve and knew the Ox intended to claim this newbie for himself.

"You'd better run along little boy," the Ox told him. "I'll take care of this one."

An icy feeling settled into Tobal's gut. He felt sick and powerless to stop what was happening. The Ox was too big for him to take in a fight. He sat back on one of the cots without saying anything. A small flicker of triumph gleamed in the Ox’s eyes as he turned and went outside for his pack.

Moments later Tobal heard a door slide open and the girl, now dressed in a gray robe and carrying a bundle, stepped into the darker room where he sat waiting. As if on cue the Ox came stomping in and walked up to her. He roughly grabbed her arm.

"Come on, I'm your new teacher," he growled. "Let's get going."

She shrank back obviously terrified and Tobal instinctively stood up without thinking.

"Wait a minute Ox," he said. "I've been waiting here three days and I think you're rushing things a little bit. She might prefer to go with me than go with you."

His challenge stopped the Ox in his tracks.

"You still here scarface?" He asked, "You'd better run back to Rafe before I mess you up."

"Why don't we just explain the situation to the newbie," said Tobal reasonably, "We can both talk to her and she can make her own decision about who she wants as a teacher."

The Ox didn't even wait. He spun and lurched over to where Tobal was standing, grabbed him by the tunic and threw him down on the floor. In disbelief Tobal narrowly missed being kicked in the face by a huge boot. This guy was really trying to hurt him! He rolled hastily to his feet and watched the Ox with fear in his eyes. There had been no real warning. Tobal was caught completely off guard by the viciousness of the attack and had no idea what to expect next. The Ox was obviously used to getting his own way and was coming around the end of the cot to close with him and give him a real pounding that could involve serious injury.

Instinctively Tobal’s hand went to his knife and he held it in front of him protectively with the edge upward. The Ox halted, shock registering on his face. He was obviously not used to being threatened with knives and didn't know what to do about it.

Sensing an advantage Tobal took a quick step toward the Ox, waving the knife slightly.

"I said let's talk to her. Let's explain things to her and then let her decide."

The Ox stood still, not moving, a nervous tick showed on his left cheek and his eyes were bulging. Like most bullies, the Ox was a coward at heart. He was clearly unprepared for any of this and didn't know what to do. The silence built until his nerve broke, unwilling to challenge Tobal any further he spun away with a dangerous glint in his eye.

"I'll remember this." He said and stalked heavily out of the room.

Tobal turned toward the girl who was shrinking from him in fear. Then it occurred to him he was still brandishing the knife in a threatening way. He put the knife away blushing.

"Sorry about that," he said in an embarrassed way.

He felt a red flush creeping up his face making the muscles go tight and pulling the scar tissue making it stand out in the dim light. He was uncomfortably aware of how he must appear to this frightened girl.

"Sorry," he said again weakly and sat down on the edge of a cot. "It's ok, don’t be afraid. I'm Tobal, What's your name?" He asked trying to lighten the situation a little.

"Melanie," she whispered. "I've come to seek sanctuary but they stole all my things!"

She burst into tears not able to take any more. Despite himself Tobal chuckled at the irony of the situation. Apparently she knew as little about sanctuary as he had when he first arrived a little over two months ago. He lay back on the uncomfortable cot and looked her over with interest. She was taller than he had first thought and came up easily to his shoulder. Her dark hair was straight and stringy and her face was thin and long but her eyes were dark brown and vulnerable right then. Her shoulders were shaking and she was obviously going through an ordeal.

"You're not from around here are you?" He observed thoughtfully.

She whispered "No", with a sad and lost look on her face that told him she didn't really want to be here now either.

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He chatted with Wayne and Char for a bit before sunset. They were building a permanent base camp and planned on spending the winter together. That got Tobal thinking about the coming cold weather and how he needed to get prepared and make some changes in his training. He resolved to pick up his winter gear he had cached at Rafe's on the way back to circle next month. He thought he would be ok for this month and furs were not prime yet.

He visited with Tara for awhile. She was concentrating on building a base camp and getting ready for the coming winter. She was hoping to find someone to share camp with and was disappointed when Tobal said he was planning to train during the winter.

The bon fire was lit and word came around that there was going to be several Apprentice initiations and Ellen wanted to get started early. Tobal almost forgot about it until he heard one of the guards boom out.

"Becca Morgan is welcomed into our clan as a new member."

Along with the others, he was caught up in the shouting, applause and craning his neck to get his first view of this new member of the clan.

As the High Priestess and High Priest began the initiation ceremony Tobal found himself remembering parts although some things seemed reversed. Then he realized the High Priest was doing the initiating and not the High Priestess. They had reversed roles because of Becca being female. It seemed the High Priestess only initiated male candidates and the High Priest initiated female candidates.

Tobal was admitted into the circle by the High Priestess with a hug and a kiss and found a place to sit on the northern side of the circle. He sat with others as the circle was purified and made ready for the candidate.

Everyone sat back in anticipation as Becca was led out hood winked with both hands tied behind her back. Her guide was the same dark haired girl that had been his guide and he still didn’t know her name. He was going to have to ask someone. As Becca was initiated Tobal found himself staring at her. Her tunic had been cut so short he could almost see where her slender white legs joined together beneath the cloth and he found them incredibly attractive.

He was watching the candidate or rather watching her legs as the charge was read and began reliving in his own mind the particulars of his own initiation. He could feel the energy building within the circle and he sensed the presence of the Lord and Lady as they took their accustomed places over the central fire.

When the drums started and it was time to move around the circle and build the cone of power he found himself dancing clockwise with the others. As he touched her shoulder and gently turned her it felt like a spark raced up his arm and then down his spine. He felt thrilled and uncomfortable at the same time. What was going on? He was obviously aroused and attracted by this unknown girl. He could even feel how she must feel as the focus of all this energy.

His elation turned to shock and horror as the Priest took the hoodwink off Becca and her face was exposed to the fire light of the circle. As she blinked, he saw it was the face of the girl that almost clawed his eyes out a year ago. She was being initiated into his clan and his circle as a sister.

Stunned and hurt, he got through the rest of the ceremony by retreating so deeply into his own thoughts and inner anguish he hardly realized what was going on within the circle. He sat through three other initiations in a stupor. Later when the party started Tobal made a pretense of having a good time but soon slipped away and nobody seemed to notice he was gone.

Tobal didn't know if anyone had missed him. He left that evening and struggled his way up the cliff leading back to sanctuary. He was well on his way along the narrow cliff ledge as the sun came up and shed its light into the valley. He didn't want to talk with anyone. All he wanted to do was get away and be alone for awhile. His gut was churning with a mixture of raw emotions.

It wasn't fair. This was his clan, his circle, his people, and his friends. For Goddess sake, he was in the middle of the wilderness attempting to become a citizen of a Forbidden City. What was the likelihood she would be doing the same thing? The world simply wasn't that small.

He was in a numbed state as he made his way toward sanctuary for the first time. The trip was a blur and he didn't remember much. He ate from his own food supplies and didn't bother hunting for anything but water for his two canteens.

The cheerful, easy piece of mind he had experienced during his solo was gone and he stumbled blindly along. The connection he had formed with nature was temporarily forgotten as the sun beat mercilessly down on him during the day and he slept on the hard ground during the night. The next two days it rained mercilessly and he narrowly avoided a flash flood that swept his camp away with most of his belongings.

Luckily he still had his map and compass in a pouch around his neck and was able to triangulate his position. He was wet, cold, tired and hungry as he trudged across a muddy terrain made slick in spots by red clay that clung to his shoes making every step a challenge. The water had filled his shoes and sloshed between his toes. He could feel blisters beginning to form on his heels from the chaffing.

When he arrived at sanctuary nobody was there. He was a disappointed but also very humbled that he had lost most of his supplies in the flash flood including his jerky. As he chewed down some of the nasty tasting stuff from the machine he resolved to wait right there until someone did show up. There were usually several new people each month that somehow arrived at sanctuary from where ever they came from. Remembering Rafe’s advice he stripped completely leaving his gear in a corner and went through the medical exam again getting a new set of robes, pack and med kit and most important fresh socks and a new pair of hiking boots.

Tobal thought about using the new robe as a rain coat or slicker and grabbed several blankets to take back to the lake as a covering for his teepee. He went through the contents of the new pack, med kit and found another knife, razor and toothbrush to replace those he had lost in the flood. He looked at his old wet hiking boots wondering whether he should keep them or not. Besides being soaked, they were almost worn out from the rugged life style of the past two months. He decided to hang onto them anyway. Boots were hard to come by in the wilderness and homemade ones just didn’t have the comfort of these heavy duty hiking shoes.

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The next day continued at a luxurious pace. For the first time there was no hurry or pressing matter. He indulged in curiosity and took exploratory hikes away from the stream to check out interesting and promising areas that from time to time caught his attention.

There was plenty of small game and he was always able to knock down some bird or animal for a quick meal. He never thought about using his bow. He had no need for that much meat and didn't want to waste the time curing and drying it into jerky.

As long as he was following the stream he didn't have to worry about getting lost or even using the map and compass. All he had to do was keep going downstream. There were actually a few times when it was raining that he would set up camp for a few days in the same spot and just sit out the bad weather. It was so peaceful and beautiful that one day led to the next. There was no pressure to perform and no Rafe to challenge him or push him harder.

He loved setting his own pace and being his own boss. He moved as the spirit moved him and his solo was more like a vacation than actual work.

When he arrived at the lake he made one spot a semi-permanent base and spent two weeks at the lake just fishing, exploring and working on his clothing and equipment. The lake was good sized and fed by several mountain streams. Tobal spent several days just exploring around it and enjoying the colorful sun sets in the evening.

But nights were not restful and his dreams were filled with dark, menacing visions of people being killed and bodies being piled into mass graves. The Lord and Lady never came to him and it seemed the dead walked in his dreams instead of the living.

Game was plentiful and he started a permanent camp similar to Rafe’s. No one seemed to be at this particular location but he did run across the remains of old camp fires and a few shelters. There was nothing recent. He saw many deer with young and the bear had come out of hibernation. He saw one mother bear with cubs and gave it a wide berth. Spring was the natural time for most wild species to give birth and nourish their young. Many of them at one time or another came down to the lake for water usually in the early morning or late evenings just before sunset. One morning he even saw a cougar or mountain lion on the opposite shore of the lake.

It seemed like birds were everywhere and he learned to listen to the forest and what it was telling him. There were times when it was noisy and times when it was almost too quiet. At night the trees would creak and sway in the wind and he would hear night creatures prowl around the camp in the darkness. It had not bothered him when Rafe had been there to talk to. But being alone in the woods was a lot different than being with someone. He thought maybe his dark dreams were getting to him.

Tobal thought about the time he would have to teach six other people to solo just like Rafe had done. He didn't know if he wanted to teach anyone yet. It would be much more fun to explore and develop a permanent camp. Perhaps he would take his newbies down into this area. With that in mind Tobal began building his own teepee shaped structure. He could get the blanket material from sanctuary later after the framework was completed.

He began setting up things he had seen at Rafe's, a smokehouse, a rack for drying jerky, a sweat lodge, and several traps for fish and for quail. These were spares for later in the winter months since he didn't need them right now. It didn't take him long to realize that he needed more cord and string. He also wished he had something heavier than a knife to cut wood with. A good axe would come in handy. He remembered the one he had seen at the store in Old Seattle and tried making one like it. It turned out better than he had expected and he used it to chop smaller trees for his shelters.

The days passed and once or twice he reflected it was strange he wasn't missing human companionship. He wasn't even feeling lonely, just surrounded by a deep peaceful feeling, at least during the daytime. Before he knew it the month was almost up and it was time to head for the gathering spot once more. It was almost full moon. The clan would be having circle and they would be expecting him back.

He gathered enough smoked fish, rabbit and venison jerky to last several weeks. He could supplement that with anything fresh he found along the trail. He hated to leave the lake. He loved to watch the ducks, geese, beaver, muskrats and all the other animals that visited the lake and called it home. He even toyed with the idea of staying, but it was time to go and he knew he would be back.

As Tobal neared the gathering spot he saw others heading toward the circle. When they waved he felt like he was indeed coming home. Nobody else whistled as they approached the camp and they laughed at him. He asked why and was told there were no guards except on the trail that led from sanctuary. Newbies were only to come into camp from that path. After they had joined the clan there was no need for a guard. It was just part of the initiation. Tobal felt silly and wonder why Rafe never told him that part of it. He remembered Rafe laughing at him the last time they had come to circle when he had been constantly whistling. It was so like Rafe to let him figure things out for himself.

He was in high spirits as he helped set up the structures and gather firewood for the bonfire. He was enjoying being treated as an equal and kept busy throughout the day. He was feeling good when his friends showed up congratulating him on his solo.

He talked with Nikki, she had completed her training with Zee and the Elders approved her for soloing this month. She was excited about it. Tobal made sure to give her a kiss for good luck. Nikki was a stocky well built brunette with an infectious sense of humor and an impulsiveness that got her into trouble at times but she always managed to get out of it just as quickly.

"Hey, don't I get one too?" Zee asked pouting and tossing her braided raven hair back over her shoulder.

Tobal moved over and gave her a big hug and a kiss. "How have you been?" He teased.

"I've been doing quite well thank you." She laughed. "I'm heading out for sanctuary in the morning. You want to come along? It's always more fun traveling together than alone." She smiled.

"That sounds like a good idea," he said. "How early are you planning to start out?"

"The sooner the better," she replied. "How about sunrise?"

"I'll see if I can get up that early," he griped and they both smiled.

He walked over and found out Kevin was going to try for a newbie and hoped there would be enough newbies for everyone. They congratulated each other on their solos and told stories about how it had went. Kevin was pretty excited.

When Rafe showed up it was kind of odd because he was alone and didn't have anyone with him. After a warm hug, Rafe told him that he had been going around visiting people and taking it easy. He would be getting his sixth chevron at the awards and his initiation as Journeyman in two weeks. He was a bit nervous but excited at the same time.

Later at afternoon assembly introductions were made for Tobal, Kevin and the four other newly soloed Apprentices. They were brought out in front of the circle to the sound of cheering, good natured applause and joking.

The next to be brought forward was Rafe. Rafe and another boy who had been Kevin's teacher were both eligible for the Journeyman degree. They were called to the front as the sixth chevron was sewn onto their sleeves amidst joking and laughter. The Journeyman degree initiation was going to be on the new moon in two weeks. The location was marked on both of their maps. It was a secret location that the Apprentice degrees didn't know about.

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The drums beat faster and faster until the dancers were sweat streaked but showing no sign of stopping. A sudden signal from the High Priestess brought complete and abrupt silence to the entire circle as everyone turned and looked at her. The tension and energy in the circle was overpowering.

"Lord and Lady," she shouted, "We ask you to send your blessings and our blessings out to those in special need this night. We especially ask you to bless and assist those that are about to solo. Be with them and guide their steps so they may return successfully to us in a month’s time. So mote it be!"

"So mote it be," the entire circle replied and Tobal felt such a wave of energy and love wash over him that he was swept out of his body and up once more into the arms of the Lady, this time as a baby. She gazed lovingly into his eyes as his consciousness faded away.


Tobal woke as someone helped him back to the edge of the circle where his robe was laying. The circle felt empty, the energy was gone although he still felt it inside himself. That wasn't the end though because Nikki's initiation began. Again he experienced the build up of energy, only this time it was directed at Nikki. Again in his minds eye he saw the Lord and Lady taking their place above the central fire.

Later there were people standing in relaxed bunches around fires drinking and eating. Instinctively he knew the circle had done some powerful magick that night and that his solo would be blessed.

This was quite different from the wild party he had experienced last month. There was a feeling of joy, friendship and goodwill as people joked and talked with each other helping themselves to enormous quantities of food and drink. They gradually moved into small groups to quietly sit together and talk far into the night. He made a special point of welcoming Nikki into the clan.

He spent time chatting with Zee and noticed Angel was back from sanctuary. She was limping slightly but otherwise seemed to be doing well. He met another Apprentice named Tara. He had noticed her dancing and made a special point to meet her. Wayne and Char were both there laughing at some of the stories Rafe was telling. It was a good party and he felt warm and happy when he finally made his way to bed.

Tobal's solo wasn't the way he envisioned it. He left circle on the 2^nd morning when everyone else was leaving. He had decided to explore some country that he hadn't visited before and wanted to find a place with adequate water. He was also interested in finding an area where he could set up a permanent base camp. To his surprise, he wasn't interested in the solo. He was interested in exploring.

With those two things in mind he decided to head south and see what the country was like. His map showed a small lake about a hundred miles South. He wanted to check it out and do some exploring. It was out of the area he was expected to stay within but there were no hard rules about where he could and couldn't go. His vision of the Lord and Lady seemed to be directing him and pulling him toward that lake for some reason. He had noticed it on the map before but it was only since last night he really felt compelled to see it on his own.

Somehow the energy of the circle last night had changed something inside of him and altered his plans about where he was going to solo. Still it felt right and he headed east until he found a small stream that emptied into the lake. With a light heart he whistled as he started out. The day was bright and shiny. He kept on the lookout for things to eat and made a leisurely camp near the stream. It was late May and the weather was a little chill in the evening but wonderful during the day.

After setting up a shelter and gathering fire wood for the night he roasted a rabbit he had gotten with a sling earlier in the day. As it was roasting he brought the last firewood into the camp. He was hoping for fresh fish in the morning and set out fish traps. Earlier he had stopped by one of his caches and brought some smoked jerky from the deer he had killed.

He mixed some of the jerky with greens and made hearty soup that went well with the rabbit. It really hit the spot. He had gotten salt at circle last night and used it sparingly in the food. It was wonderful.
These daily activities were so routine for him that he didn’t really think about them anymore. He was thinking instead about the territory up ahead. Staying alive and having enough food was not a concern thanks to Rafe’s excellent training.

He settled in under the blankets, the crackling of the fire in his ears and firelight flickering against his face. In his minds eye he could see the Lord and Lady watching over him and he wondered at his feeling of being protected. Feeling surrounded in love and peace he fell into an easy sleep waking only to tend the fire as it burned low.

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Who knows why one person gives up and dies while another struggles on through overwhelming odds and comes out on top? We all want to survive. But are we willing to do what needs to be done?

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