It was early February when Herbert returned to the New Midian. He brought me news that would spark significant change in the years ahead. The newspapers were heavy with reactions to the story from both America and Canada.

  Queen Victoria I of Great Britain, the Dominions and Empress of India, had died in January.

  I knew this event was coming, but I couldn't remember when it happened. It was only a matter of time due to age that death would ultimately visit her. Now was a time of great change within the British Empire, with the Dominion rights. The Australians had formed the Confederation of Australia a few days before her death. That meant both they and the Canadians were the first of the dominions. I knew that ultimately New Zealand and South Africa would join them.

  Speaking of South Africa, the last of the Boer rebels surrendered to Lord Kitchener, marking the end of the armed resistance. What people call the Second Boer War had ended after just over a year. What lessons the British Army would draw from this conflict going forward would be fascinating to discover.

  The state funeral had taken place in London and had been attended by every Royal family in Europe: the Czar Nicholas II, as well as the 19-year-old Crown Prince of Prussia and Germany, Wilhelm. The young Crown Prince was 19 years old and would assume the German throne and become the Kaiser in 1903. Press reports of his interactions noted how well he handled the situation and how favourably the other Royal families spoke of him.

  On the 14th day of February, Edward VII opened his first Parliament as King. His speech sparked significant interest both within Parliament and across the country. He read a letter from his now deceased mother at her request to be read at the opening of Parliament. This was a break from tradition, but it was allowed. In his speech, he called on the Empire to reform and embrace the Imperial Federation. Her son, now King, also echoed her views on this, calling on the Parliament and the dominions to hold a great Imperial conference to discuss the issue.

  To say that put the cat amongst the pigeons on the issue was an understatement. I got the papers two days later, and all of them from Portland carried numerous stories on the concept of the Imperial Federation.

  I was at the top of my special bubble, thinking about what this could mean to the British Empire, when I noticed the riders approaching. The ground still held snow, but it was melting slowly, turning to mud. Flash freezes now and again were making the ground treacherous.

  "It's a bit early in the year for visitors."

  I shifted down to the gates to see who was coming and quickly recognised Senior Ahmed. It was definitely early in the year for him to make an appearance. As he grew older, he found the winters harder each year.

  He had his four bodyguards as usual, but there were six riders with them that I did not recognise. He was a much younger man, about forty years old, I would reckon. The two rode ahead of the bodyguards, signalling they held a higher rank than the other men.

  I waited for them to stop in the clearing and watched as the bodyguards held back while Senior Ahmed and the stranger dismounted. Watching Senior Ahmed, I could see that both the weather and the right were affecting him more than usual. He was old now, late 60s, maybe even older. Life is hard for younger people these days, let alone for someone his age.

  They walked to the gates, and Senior Ahmed called out. "Keeper, we wish to speak to you. Please grace us with an audience."

  I waited for about thirty seconds before making my appearance.

  "Senior Ahmed, it is early in the year for one of your visits."

  "Indeed, it is, Keeper." He paused before continuing.

  "I am here to introduce you to Senior Jacob, who will now be speaking for the Way of Athamos." He indicated to the man standing next to him.

  "A pleasure, Keeper of New Midian." He spoke with a slight bow. His voice was northeastern-accented and was delivered with an educated pronunciation.

  I took a moment to look closer at him. He was slightly taller than Senior Ahmed, about 5'8". I suspected he was in his early 40s and had a neatly groomed moustache. He had light brown hair and green eyes. He was trying to present a diminutive of a polite stranger being introduced, but I knew better. He had probably been highly trained and schooled in how to deal with me.

  "Welcome, Senior Jacob. I suspect that you are Senior Ahmed's replacement?"

  "He is. Alas, time has caught up with me, yeah, and it is time for me to step away from my position." Senior Ahmed spoke, and I could hear the weariness in his voice.

  I looked over again and wondered if there was more happening here than I suspected. Was he retiring or was he dying? Honestly, I do not care either way, but I like to know what was going on around me so I can make informed choices. I decided to see if I could discern which one it was.

  "Entropy claims at all in the end, Senior Ahmed. It is good to see that you have seen fit to end your time of service and take what joy you can in your remaining years."

  "I thank you for your kind words, Keeper. I have decided to return to the village of my birth and spend out my last years with my family there."

  Retirement then.

  "I hope you find the peace you're looking for then."

  I didn't, but they do need to know that.

  "To that end, I will now speak for the Way." Senior Jacob, now we enter the conversation.

  "Very well."

  I wondered if there was more, and there seemed to be.

  "The elders are happy to inform you that our oil production facilities are now fully online and we are withdrawing a sizeable amount of oil from the fields we control. As you informed us, we are seeing increasing demand for crude oil and its products across many industries. We project that in the next ten years, we will be the largest oil producers in North America."

  I nodded along as he spoke, making it look like I was interested in what he was saying. As long as they were making money, I didn't really care what position they held among the oil producers.

  "We have started producing helium as well as you indicated. We are seeing great interest from both start-ups here in America seeking to create airships and those abroad. Germany especially seems to be eager to buy what we can supply."

  That was primarily due to Count Zeppelin and the flight of the L1.

  "At first, we were hesitant, but your words about controlling critical resources and how we might use that to bend nations and organisations to our interests resonated. The elders saw the wisdom in your approach, and we have now adopted it."

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  I wish he would hurry up. Senior Ahmed talked for a while, but at least got to the point quickly.

  "With all that you have shared with us, the Way of Athamos is now prospering with a greater bounty promised by future years. The elders seek to know if there's anything more you can share with us about the possible future days to come."

  And there it was. The praise and pointing to their accomplishments were all a preamble to another ask. But this time I would be exacting a much greater price from them if they were willing to pay it, of course.

  "I will not, Senior Jacob. I have met the conditions of our agreement, and it is up to you to meet yours."

  My words didn't take them by surprise, it seems. It looks like they had already planned for such a reply.

  "The elders expected such an answer and are willing to honour our side of the agreement completely. They are willing, however, to offer these items in exchange for more knowledge." He motioned to the four bodyguards behind him, and one of them dismounted.

  The man came over, carrying a heavy item wrapped in cloth he had removed from the saddlebags, and handed it to Senior Jacob, who unwrapped it for me to see. What he revealed were four large and very old-looking books. I caught the names, and they were all in Latin, but I could make out enough to realise that they were all volumes regarding magic and the occult.

  "We offer you these ancient and red tones of knowledge in exchange for more of your own."

  So that was their offer. I was interested, but I wondered what they were seeking in return.

  "If I were to agree, what would you want to know?"

  He shifted slightly, and I could see he was eager to press what he thought was an advantage. "You spoke before of a great conflict that is coming. The elders would like to know more, so we can better prepare for it."

  So you can better profit from it, I thought.

  "That conflict I cannot speak of. The flow time is changing, and it's warping. I do not know when or where it will break out, but I know it will one day, and what form it will take is hard to say."

  The death of Kaiser Wilhelm II had changed everything. The German state was not being as aggressive in its militarisation as it was in my timeline. It was militarising, but at a much slower pace, and was seeking to upgrade its forces rather than expand them. This meant there was no tension with the British, as a naval treaty bound them. On both sides, the French and their allies were adopting a much more defensive posture along their shared borders.

  "I understand, Keeper." He sounded generally unhappy with my words.

  There might be something they could salvage from this by throwing out an ultimately useless bone.

  "I am willing to give you one piece of information in return for those books. Leave them in the gates, and I will give it to you."

  Both men perked up at my words. Senior Jacob seemed hesitant at first, but he decided to risk it and place the books inside the line of the gates as I requested. So I fulfilled my side of the deal.

  "The last century was dominated by rail. This century, the air will become both a means of war and a means of transport. Roads will also become part of this, as automotive transport becomes capable of carrying more loads over greater distances. As nations industrialise more, their demand for resources will increase. As I have already told you, oil will be the driving force more and more as the decades pass. So, understand that all means of transportation will become vital. Whether by rail, road, sea, or air, as the populations grow, more will be produced and shipped."

  They listened eagerly to my words. I could see that at first, they did not understand. I found it a bit ironic that Senior Ahmed ultimately grasped what I was saying faster than Senior Jacob, who was younger.

  "You are saying, Keeper, as the world becomes more industrialised, logistics will become the deciding factor in all things." He said.

  "You are correct, Senior Ahmed."

  I found it interesting that he used the word logistics. It was not the open, well-used term I knew. It was used only by the military, indicating that Senior Ahmed had once served in some capacity.

  "Now, gentlemen, I must be away, for I have duties to attend to."

  I dismiss my avatar and watch the two men. Senior Ahmed nods to himself and turns and walks back to his horse. Senior Jacob spent a moment looking at the space I had been in, and I think you might lean over and try to reclaim the books. But in the end, he too turns and walks away.

  I watched them ride off, then reached out to Harrington, which made his day when I told him what was waiting for him by the gates.

  Watching him run was rather entertaining.

  February continued, with snow giving way to rain more often.

  The trees were still bare, giving me a clearer view of anyone approaching, as today.

  Eight riders with three donkeys trailing. Their packs and the tools I could see clearly signalled their profession: mining. I suspect they were on their way to the northern mines, not travelling south. The mines closed over the winter because it was not cost-effective to have miners living in the mountains.

  It was about this time of year that the miners started to flock back to work the scenes in the mountains that were still producing. So why are they here? Maybe an early bit of exploration of a local legend to see if there was any truth to it, or perhaps just a plain bit of grave robbing?

  I watched them gather and dismount outside the gates. It was then that I noticed something odd about them. I have seen many groups of miners and grave robbers over the years, and they were always moved with a specific, almost predictable rhythm.

  These eight men were far too quiet, spending too much time observing their surroundings. Their hands were always close to their guns, and the guns were positioned for quick draws. The way they move to carry themselves spoke of discipline, and that was something that I did not find in the usual fare coming to New Midian. Each man was well fed and looked strong. I didn't see any signs of alcohol abuse, and they were all as far as I can tell in their early to mid-30s. Their clothes were battered and worn, but they were far better groomed than the average mining group.

  Something was going on here. Something fishy. I had developed a healthy sense of paranoia over the decades, and it was screaming at me now.

  I watched on from just over the gates, trying to figure out what was going on here. I decided to take some action now to at least begin protecting myself.

  I reached out to my Hunters.

  "Wake up! We've got eight men at the gates, and there's something strange about them."

  I sense my Hunters becoming alert. They knew I never spoke to them like this unless something was strange or serious. The fact that I had already called out this group to them alerted them to the threat I thought they posed.

  They're extremely well-armed and not moving like miners should. They're not even acting like grave robbers there, too quiet and disciplined."

  I added this piece of information to give my Hunters more context. I had been counting guns since the group had arrived. Each man carried at least two, as far as I can see: one pistol and one rifle. I can also make out that each man had a lot of ammunition to hand as well attached to their belts. It was a safe bet to say that they were carrying possibly even more guns and knives under their large, heavy coats.

  This looks more like a raiding party.

  Were they from the Way of Athamos? Or the Daughters of Medusa?

  Either organisation could send a raiding party against me if they really wanted to, and that was my first go-to when I thought about it. As I watched them gather before the gates with the three donkeys after tying up the horses, I began to think, maybe not. Both organisations were benefiting from our relationship, and it would make sense for them to make such a hostile, public move against me. So was it another group I didn't know about?

  These thoughts were springing through my mind as the men crossed through the gates. As they did so, each man checked his rifle. The donkeys were tied together, and the men formed a ring around them as they moved.

  The group'slead member walked up to the plinth with the inscription and inspected the words carved into its surface. He turned to the group, and after the first word spoken by them since they had arrived. “Advance.”"They exited the courtyard and took the northern pathway.

  [Alert! Cult members are not recognised as Challengers.]

  "Cult members?"" I have not seen this type of alert since the last time the Way of Athamos had entered New Midian with both magic and weapons. I knew my Hunters would see the alert as well and take corresponding actions. I felt like I needed to add some more.

  "They're taking the northern pathway. I strongly suspect that they have had military training, and each man is heavily armed. It is highly likely that they also have some form of magical resource we are not yet aware of. This will have to be a group ambush; firearms are allowed."

  It was about midday, and I knew the spirit would not be involved in today's festivities. It was overcast, but not so dark that she would be hidden until later. I had authorised the use of firearms as I felt that my Hunters would need them. They all prefer not to use firearms, as it does not grant them the kill to add to their tally. But this group had me worried.

  I travel slightly higher above them as they continue to walk. They were all scanning the graveyard around them, still not speaking. The occasional hand gestures, and I realised they were using the sign language for communication. This again spoke to training.

  I needed to prepare a place for an ambush, which I suspect was going to turn into a pitched battle.