Entropic Quest

Ten

"Now what?" Edeline asked the question on everybody's mind. They all shrugged together.

"It's not like we have a lot to go on," Baudry offered, which wasn't helpful at all.

"More like nothing," Barque suggested. "I'm taking off," and started to walk away, with Princess wrapping herself tightly around him.

"Wait," Edeline called out, "wait a minute, please."

At that, Barque turned around and rejoined the group gathered around the dogwood tree. He reminded himself that he hadn't yet made his conquest of the new blood, something he very much wanted to do.

"We're supposed to all work together," Edeline said, but Barque was harsh in his reply.

"A Striker working with a Savior? Never!"

"Isn't that just a game?" Edeline queried. "Aren't you all actually people outside of that?"

"Some of us are," Baudry put in. "Others," he added, gesturing at Barque and Ember, "have lost themselves entirely within it."

"Not entirely," Ember protested, though weakly. She was at that moment considering the positions of several Smackers in the surrounding vicinity and realized she was far more entangled in the pursuit than she would readily admit.

"Wait a minute," Barque paced restlessly. "Didn't she call you her granddaughter? You're the hidden one's granddaughter?"

"Duh," was Ember's brief response.

"I get it, I get it," Barque said heatedly. "So this is all some kind of fancy setup, isn't it? It's how you think you'll be able to keep an eye on me, so you can stop me from scoring on you, which I most definitely will do. I'm not falling for this trap. Oh no. I am definitely out of here this time."

But he didn't go away. His eyes had unfortunately landed on Edeline's chest once again and there they remained, locked in place, in spite of his other intentions.

"Now then," Edeline spoke. "This isn't getting us anywhere. I propose we sit down and organize ourselves."

As the others somehow obeyed her and sat on the ground in a circle, Edeline began to realize that all those years of attending meetings might actually be paying off. She led off again.

"Let's review what we know. The Hidden One told us several things, some of them admittedly vague, I admit, but a few things seemed very clear."

"Such as?" Ember prompted her as Edeline paused.

"Such as," Edeline continued. "We have a task, but let's set that aside for a moment. She also told us that all of us together are needed to accomplish this task, and that she chose the four of us especially. She must have had a reason for that. Now, I don't know any of you, really, so I don't know what you bring to the matter or why she would have chosen you. I don't know even know how she knows me at all or what she thinks I can contribute, but if we take her at her word, then there must be a reason. I suggest we go around the circle and each of us take a stab at what we think The Hidden One might be wanting from us. Ember? You first?"

"Why her?" Barque demanded. "She's in on it, I'm sure. And what about you? You came with her, didn't you? Um, I mean," he went on, softening his tone, "I'd like to know more about you, so why don't you go first?"

"Yeah," Ember said, "After all, this is your idea."

"Okay," Edeline drew in her breath. "My name is Edeline, as you know. I'm fifty-one years old, but I'm supposed to believe I'm actually thirty two, and that I've been thirty two for nearly twenty years and will be thirty two forever, is that about right? "