There had been animals crying and howling all through the night and few of the tribe, or the campers about the area, had slept peacefully. Danjel had sat up, half-asleep, in a folding chair beside the trailer's door, with rifle in hand, wrapped in his long gray suede cloak over wool and leather jacket because the nights were still quite cold.

      The howling was driving him mad, or nearly so. Wolves made him particularly nervous. When he had moved to Varna and driven taxis, there had been many trips in the area of the Carpathians, and that area was, to this day, known to be heavily populated by the Wolfbreed. You could not tell them from real wolves when in wolven form, unless very sharp-sighted and trained to know the subtle signs. Danjel did not know which he feared more, the feral wolves or the more intelligent ones that could spring up onto two legs. The really scary thing was that, in the Carpathians, people told tales of finding stranded young men or women in the woods, who later shifted into wolven form and ate people alive.

      It was a dark night and the moon was full, which made the fear worse. The Germans, Alaric, Merideth, Claudia all of these new BCG crew, they seemed to sleep well, but for the waking with the occasional loudness of the cries. They did not have large packs of Breed in Germany, only the most civilized families, who had long ago taken to cities and passed for human. Leonore had grown up close enough to the mountains, in Krakow. She spent the night awake near the fire, scanning the trees.  Robbie tried to sleep, but every few hours wandered from the trailer to see that Leonore was well.

      Twice, the cries of baby Maureen joined the howls, and Adelle would walk her back and forth over the site saying, "Poor things."

      When he couldn't sleep at all, Danjel took up the ring of thorns he had been crafting and carved individual thorns from the twisting branches where he wanted smoothness.

      Close to dawn, the inhuman cries grew louder, as if directly outside their ring of firelight. Danjel balanced the ring of thorns on his head and took up his rifle. Leonore pulled a knife from somewhere along her leg. "What's gotten into them?" Leonore asked.

      Danjel shook his head. He didn't know. Just as the sun was rising, he saw the first of them. Leonore had to see the same thing, for she screamed aloud, which brought Patrick and Robbie both running outside half-dressed. The woods were littered with corpses, all seemingly human. Screams sounded from other campsites throughout the woods.

      Danjel beat on the side of the trailer to wake the others. As soon as there was a noise of waking he left to look more closely at the bodies. And yet still, there were howls and cries from a slight distance west. Danjel came to a clearing on the water. Many of the bodies were naked, as if they had once been clothed in fur. Some wore a type of fatigues, camouflaged for the season and mix of trees. Fallen about them were various tools and weapons.

      Danjel bent to one of the clothed bodies. It had bites torn from its flesh. It had been a real man, a man with a name and maybe a family. Good or evil, he had been a man. And the man had chunks of flesh missing from his gut and thighs, long parallel lines of blood along the back of one arm. Danjel dug carefully into the clothing. He felt a presence behind him.

      It was only Leonore. "Vulkodlak," she said, "I have met a few before, not these personally, I mean..."

      "But you know what they look like," Danjel finished. He took some ammunition, bullets made of silver, from the man's pocket. He reached toward the head then and removed the goggles. Night vision certainly, maybe infrared. There was another sort of gasp behind him.

      "Claudia," Leonore said.

      Danjel stood slowly and turned. Claudia looked hurt. "Are you wounded?" he asked as he moved toward her. She did not answer immediately but looked toward the clothed corpses. "Claudia!"

      Her mouth worked silently before the words came out. "Those are the uniforms of the Protestant Underground." Danjel understood. In Zakopane, where he had played the regrettable part in her imprisonment, there had been questioners of the PU with the Russians and Swiss guarding the jail. It was they who had treated Claudia so roughly. Besides that, Danjel knew that when she was even younger, in Paris, the PU had hurt her in some way, only she had never revealed the details. He also thought some, though not all, of the terrorists involved in the Paris riots, which he had witnessed, were of the PU.

      "I'll take you back to the trailer," Danjel said.

      "What's wrong with her?" Leonore asked.

      "Claudia says these terrorists are from the Protestant Underground. She has been wanted by them for several years now and once, that I know of, was held and tortured by them," Danjel explained, "I think she also witnessed them do something very horrible when in Paris."

      Claudia was babbling. She said something about knowing that the northwest parts of Poland had undergone Germanization and it wasn't surprising there were Protestants there, and so she should have guessed the Underground would be there. Then something about a girl on fire and the smell.

      It did smell bad. But Danjel was fairly certain Claudia spoke of a remembered smell. "Leonore," Danjel said, "Please ask the others to gather the bodies into two piles away from the water, a clearing without large trees if possible. One for the terrorists and the other for the Vulkodlak. I know it is not pleasant. I will return and help as soon as I make sure Claudia will rest. Tell them to take any useful items they wish from these terrorists, but not the automatic weapons or these silver bullets. We need to destroy those."

      Leonore nodded, grimly, but she nodded.

      Danjel took Claudia's arms and led her into the trailer. Alaric and Merideth were just inside, pulling on jackets. "Claudia is not well. I gave orders to Leonore, please help her. I will also help soon."

      Merideth saw his seriousness and hurried outside. Alaric followed shortly. Others must have also woken. There were many cries of disgust or horror and still the cries and howls, but it came to Danjel that the sounds were somewhat different. There was a distinct presence of gunfire, not quieted by any manner of silencer and louder cries. There were battle calls over the mournful cries.

      "Claudia, rest inside. You will be safe."

      She lurched from his grasp and fell to the toilet, vomited. There seemed little food in her, all bile. Disgusting as it was to smell Danjel knew Claudia could not help it, felt ill and needed some comfort. He dampened a towel in the sink and wiped Claudia's face.

      "Please, lie down. I need to help the others. Don't worry, you deserve rest."

      "Even little children," she said. Held his gaze with her trembling eyes.

      "I know. I'm sorry."                 

      Danjel returned outside. The tribe were all awake, all dutifully lifting bloody bodies. "Try not to let any float down stream," he called and ran to help Miko and Marcus lift a large naked man from the lakeside.

      The piles were growing.

      "Miko, Adelle," You can stop helping with the bodies," Danjel said. Adelle had her baby in one arm and Miko was the smallest. "Gather pine branches and needles and throw them over the stacked bodies."

      Both nodded. Marcus even patted the boy on the back and assured him it was all right to leave. Danjel looked up from a clothed body, searching it for equipment, and noticed Merideth had her camera with her. He motioned for her to come to him.

      "I'm sorry, I thought it was newsworthy. We could use the money from covering a story, and well, this seems important."

      "I'm not mad," Danjel explained. "I trust you. I just thought you might like to show what these men were doing." With a nod Merideth waited as Danjel covered the dead man's face in his hat. He then pulled the silver bullets from the pocket and held up in his other hand the automatic weapon.

      Merideth took several steps back and took her shots. "Got it," she said and smiled. Danjel did not know why she could smile. But she was gone before he could ask. Patrick came to help lift the body. Together he and Danjel took it to its pile.

      Again, Danjel walked out after a body. He lifted on of the naked bodies on his own, walked with her to the mass graves. The gunfire grew louder just then.

      Danjel dropped off the dead woman's body and listened. Sascha approached, carrying a man on her own. She looked so frail, but Danjel thought having to wear that frame had the benefit of artificial strength. Danjel held a finger near his mouth. Merideth ran up carrying only her camera. In half a minute, Robbie, Marcus and Leonore were all there.

      "They are coming back this way," Danjel said quietly, "with another group, another armed group."

      More of the tribe joined them. Patrick and Marek carrying a body, Cyprian carrying an armload of guns to add to the pile. Jayne and Erik carried large armloads of scavenged equipment. They all came, carrying bodies, or gear or branches to cover the corpses from sight and smell.

      Again a volley of gunfire, this time a pale cloud billowed through the woods toward the east. Danjel gestured for them to fall back. "It could be a poison gas, get back until we are sure!"

      Danjel jogged toward the trailers with the others. The noises were close and they could make out flashes of red in the smoke. "I think it's just a smokescreen," Merideth said.

      A group of people ran from the trees behind the large trailer and came into plain sight calling peace. Danjel saw immediately from their clothing they were only campers. "We're peaceful!" they called one last time and then stopped, catching their breath and looking about.

      "Do you know what's going on?" a woman among them asked, "Is it the Russians?"

      Danjel looked up. The smoke was thinning slightly, and Merideth was sneaking about the trees, Alaric joining her from another direction. She turned back and drew two shapes in confirmation. "Looks like civilian Wolfbreed chased west by the Protestant Underground and the Darkling Guard pressing the PU back from the German border."

      "We thought we heard strange howls last night," said a man.

      "Why were you moving bodies?" one of the campers asked.

      "I thought we should dispose of the dead with some honor rather than leave them strewn all over the campsite. If they are not claimed by one of the armies I'd suggest burning them."

      "Who are you people?"

      "We're Goth," Danjel said with a smile. Merideth and Alaric seemed to be surviving the smoke and so he strode off to join them.

      Alaric waved him toward a large tree. Danjel went forward as quietly as he could, pressed himself close to the tree and looked further into the woods. The red jacket paired with black pants was easily recognizable as the DG uniform. The guardsmen were of all manner of Darkling as well as Human. Some here had wings and flight ability. Others clung easily to trees and fell on the soldiers of the PU from above.

      Merideth was nearby, filming the battle.

      "Guardsmen, regroup!" a voice called loudly and instantly the red and black uniformed soldiers rushed in to a central spot and were mainly hidden. Several minutes passed. A squad of six DG approached near silently from the north. The one in command signaled a halt and looked them over.

      He was a Vampyre, Danjel was fairly certain. His shape was entirely Human and he was pale, even for a northern European and wearing what were likely military issue sunglasses. "I know you," he said to Danjel. "You formerly traveled with two of my cousins."

      "I don't recall," Danjel admitted. He had met many Vampyres when traveling with Joy and David, too many to recall.

      "I am Vampyre Freidric of the German Darkling Guard, fourth gen Azyurian through the bloodline of Vampyre General Angel. We two met in Berlin. But that is beside the point. I must ask if you recovered any documents or data storage devices from the bodies you moved."

      "We took only some gear, goggles, knives, things like that. We left the weapons and silver bullets with the bodies."

      One of the guardsmen laughed.

      Yes, funny those terrorists thinking silver really had any effect on the 'Breed. Not so funny how bullets of any kind at all could be made to kill them.

      Freidric silenced his squad with a hand signal. He looked at Merideth and then Alaric. "We enjoy your stories. Disturbing, the troubles in Poland. The stories about the unnamed heroes of the Posen resistance cells, helping refugees to flee the Russian army, went over well in Berlin. The story about the priest, whose name you can't reveal, who serves the principles of Catholisism more faithfully than the Pope, because he does not give blessings to armies that invade neighboring nations or have orders to kill on basis of race; I liked that one myself. The tragedy that is tearing the church apart and the priest helping Darkling who had to be moved from the public hospital for fear of Russian attack."

      "Thank you, Vampyre Freidric," Alaric said. "Would you care to comment on today's events?"

      "I have no official comment, but to tell you that similar attacks have been made along much of the German border, all from terrorist groups."

      "You are saying the terrorist organizations are working together, and in conjunction with the Estates Liberte, to distract the Darkling Guard from the Russian troop movements?"

      "I never said that," Freidric said, but he smiled, two sharp fangs showing. "Carry on then. We will take care of the rest of the clean up." Quickly he signaled his soldiers away and they took only an instant to turn and move out of sight.

      "Of course there is a conspiracy to keep the DG from engaging the Russians or Swiss too soon," Alaric said.

      Danjel nodded. "I'm afraid it does look that way. We should break camp soon, move on."

      He walked back to camp wearily, not having slept the night before. He went into the trailer without listening to the others question him. Something was off. Claudia was not in bed.

      Again Danjel went outside.  "Where is Claudia?" he asked the first person he found, Sascha.

      "I don't know," she said and really looked concerned.

      "Has anyone seen Claudia?" Danjel asked more loudly, "Is anyone else missing?"

      Mikolaj waved his hand from the dead fire. "I saw Claudia go away. I didn't know she was supposed to stay."

      Danjel walked closer to the boy. "I know. You couldn't. Do you remember which way she left?"

      Miko nodded. "She went toward the river, but more that way, upriver."

      Danjel looked through the thin tree-cover to the river. Miko was still pointing in the direction opposite the flow of water. Danjel nodded. He walked quickly to the river and then began a hike against the flow of the Oder.

      A few minutes at swift pace and Danjel was afraid Claudia had drown and washed downstream with the other bodies. He had a vision of carelessly stacking her among the other bodies to be burned. He imagined being inside the pile, all those stiff cold bodies and thick dark smears of blood against him, covering him. He imagined the smell. Danjel shook his head to be rid of the image. Jesus, let her be all right, he prayed silently.

      Some small sound made him look. He could have missed her. "Thank God," Danjel said aloud. Claudia was shivering in the water. Danjel threw off his cloak in quick flick of the shoulders, and jumped down into the water-filled hollow, which was eroded from the softer earth beneath a great tree. The river cut a deeper path just here, and bowed out toward this tree's slippery roots.

      Claudia looked cold, face turning blue. She was shivering still and crying. She looked at him, desperate. "Something has my foot," she stammered. John looked down through the water. There were many tangled old tree roots. "I can't feel it, my foot."

      Danjel threw his jacket to the bank and walked carefully into the hollow.

      "C-cold," Claudia said, "I wanted to get clean. Just clean."

      It was freezing. Danjel put his right arm about Claudia's waist and bent, flinching at the coldness of the water as it penetrated his shirt. With his left hand he felt for Claudia's trapped leg, slipped his fingers down its length to the tangle of roots. Don't think about the cold," he told himself, Claudia's been here much longer.

      "I'm s-stupid," Claudia whispered. The chattering of her teeth was worsening. Danjel pressed his face into the water. As the cold touched the back of his neck it seemed to feel twice as cold. He peered through the water. How had she gotten her foot in here?

      Danjel tugged at her foot. If it hurt, Claudia couldn't feel it. It was stuck. She must have been in a very different position when it slipped in, or it had swollen. Danjel rose for a breath.

      "Maybe you should leave and get help."

      If he left, he was really afraid she would die. He forced a smile, stammered through the chattering of his teeth. "I got it, don't worry."

      Danjel went under, grasped the roots in both hands and pulled. He closed his eyes. God, Danjel thought, if we are meant to die please take us both now. If it is your will that we live, help me! Danjel fought taking a breath, swallowed cold water. He felt his fingers going numb.

      Danjel opened his eyes again. No time to keep breathing, I have to get Claudia out, he thought. A face appeared before him, it took a moment to realize it was Claudia, underwater with him. She had something in her right hand. It was the ring of thorns he had made. She pushed it through the water. Blood mixed into the clear water.

      Danjel opened his mouth to speak, without thinking, "No!" he shouted and swallowed more water. His chest stung and he thought he had drown. Claudia's white slip and silvery hair carried aloft by the running water made her seem an angel. Don't take your foot to save us, Danjel thought.

      And then he was coughing. Danjel felt water pass up into his mouth and saw it fall to the thin grass. He looked up. Claudia was curled in a ball beside him, a crown made of thorns cutting into her hand where she still held it. They were several meters downstream and on the bank. Danjel wasn't sure how.

      He sat up, chest in pain. He looked for Claudia's feet. They were discolored and one bled but they were attached.  Danjel crawled back to his jacket and cloak. He reached Claudia, threw both over her.  Somehow he had the strength to lift Claudia into his arms and stand. He took the crown from her, put it on his head. Her injured hand he held closed and close to his chest. Then he walked.

      "Alaric!" Danjel began to call. "Alaric!"

      He could hear no response.

      "Start a fire!" Danjel shouted as loud as he could. "Can you hear me?" he called as he stumbled on. His own body felt cold and numb. "Build the fire!"

      Claudia said nothing. He knew she was alive, she shivered in his arms. At least, Danjel thought she's shivering, it means her body is trying to keep itself warm.

      "I need a fire and blankets!" Danjel called. This time he heard shouts in return.

      "We're coming!"

      "Fire," Danjel said, "blankets." He saw Alaric there and dropped Claudia into his arms. Danjel fell to the ground.

      "They've been in the river!" Alaric shouted to the others, "Get blankets. Build the fire! John needs help!"

      In not a minute Elzbieta and Merideth lifted John to his feet. He was John. Danjel was not miraculously spared from death. Danjel did not lead the Goth. Danjel did not wear the crown of thorns.

                      †               †               †

      John had fallen asleep, too exhausted to watch the tribe work together to care for their Leader and Lady. He only woke when he had been stripped of wet clothes and wrapped in blankets before a fire. John woke with all the tribe gathered around, tea and stew both cooking over the fire that warmed him. Alaric and Elzbieta sat closest, both rubbing his body through the soft fabrics to help the warming, or perhaps to comfort him. It felt nice.

      He could see Claudia. She did not look entirely well, but clearly she was recovering and well tended. Karina was removing a herb filled cloth from the kettle and placed the warm mush of healing plants on Claudia's wounds. Merideth wrapped the wounds in clean strips of fabric. Robbie and Sascha sat next to each other, petting Claudia softly. Adelle was feeding warm broth to Claudia from one of Maureen's baby bottles.

      She pushed the bottle away. Adelle scolded her but Claudia reached a hand from beneath her blanket toward John. He moistened her lips. "It happened," she said.

      "What?" John asked.

      "Like you said. A moment of complete love." Her voice grew louder, though it was still very weak, soft, "I felt it," she told them, "John told me that..." she grew weak again and closed her eyes.

      "I told her that if a person surrendered to loving others more than themselves enough to make total self sacrifice they could have this feeling that was ecstasy. They would know complete love, like Christ."

      Claudia curled further into her blankets but she whispered to Adelle, whispered more than a phrase. Then Adelle looked up. She turned to John. "Claudia says you jumped into the water to save her knowing she was trapped and freezing and when she asked you to go you kept trying to free her. She thought you would die trying to save her. Claudia says she felt so weak and cold, that maybe there was only time to save you. She was going to cut off her foot to make you go."

      "She never did it," John said.  "We just got to the bank somehow."

      Claudia whispered something again.

      Adelle looked stunned. "Claudia says that when you both tried to sacrifice yourselves for each other somehow a miracle was done."

      John nodded. "I believe, for I have no idea how we got out of the water or Claudia became free of the tree roots."

      "God gave us a miracle!" Elzbieta said happily.

      A time passed, and Alaric helped John to move, sat him down beside Claudia. They were both still in their blankets and surrounded by helpers. Elzbieta served stew, first to them and then to the others. Karina brought them a tea and asked that they finish it all, it was meant to be medicinal. It smelt as if a sweet smelling ingredient had been added to disguise something foul, and tasted about the same.

      Alaric brought his crown and placed it back on his head. John looked around the tribe gathered before him and Claudia. Not a one of them questioned his wearing a crown. Truthfully he had made it without knowing he was making a crown, but it was, and it was made of thorns. It seemed the tribe felt pride in seeing him wear it.

      They were made to eat, to sit and do no work. Claudia began to look healthier, more pink. She leaned close and whispered to John, "The crews are not fighting."

      "They haven't since this morning when I told then to collect the bodies."

      She smiled. Her lips were cracked, but it was still beautiful. Only minutes would pass and members of their tribe would stop by to ask if they had any orders. Claudia did ask to be brought her computer. John said, "No one is to die today."

      As it got later in the afternoon Alaric sent out hunters and gatherers. He led the hunters himself, announced that it was Sascha's turn to be in charge of the camp unless John or Claudia had orders. Robbie had remained behind as well and seeing them both Claudia called to them.

      "Please listen to me," she said, "and I mean John to be informed of this also." Sascha and Robbie both assured Claudia that they were listening. "I hope you will continue to work together. I have a reason to want such a talented crew all working together. I have a project and I am not certain any one of us can do it alone."

      "Something you can't do?" Robbie asked.

      "Is it military?" Sascha asked, "I can get you DG stuff, at least their European Guard."

      Claudia just studied each. She waited. She checked something at her computer. John wondered what it was. "Our tribe is growing, I knew that it would. There are still so many places we might discover members of our tribe...I want you to continue to enhance our net presence. In fact I give you permission to sacrifice security when you believe it will increase efficient recruitment. But there is a new project I haven't mentioned, you must prepare the crew."

      "Just tell us," Robbie pleaded.

      "Big huh?" Sascha asked.

      Claudia nodded. "Alexandria's mainframe."

      "She isn't kidding?" Sascha asked Robbie.

      "Listen. Our tribe will scare some people. Think about our goal. We want to destroy the old feuds that fuel wartime economy and replace nations with a tribe. We want the young to lead the old and everyone to love. We want music and culture. We want perfection and will not stop reaching for it. Do you really see what we dream? One nation again, one people...and not through genocide but welcoming others to share what we have. Freedom of information, to be oneself, to live as one chooses. Everything that America says it has but doesn't."

      "And only I have passion?" John laughed.

      Claudia paid him no mind. "There will soon be many who have heard of us. Through our web presence, through the articles published by the daily as documented by our own Merideth and Alaric. They will hear rumors of us from soldiers and citizens we have passed by. Soon, this will come, and we must be ready. I happen to respect the Union and be loyal, but they are the greatest power, the only one with the power to really harry us. If they get it in their heads that it will be for our own good to keep us from some danger...we have to be prepared to fight back. At the very least I want to tap their every communication, to know what they speak about us."

      "But Alexandria," Robbie said.

      "Governments have been taken down before, but that was way back n the day. Now any real nation has its own army of ex hackers securing their lines and at the same time trying to hack every other nations system. The whole thing creates a constant state of practice and alertness."

      "Free agents like us," Robbie began, "We do well enough taking down corporations, and they are well guarded as some nations. But the Union?"

      "It can be done," Claudia insisted.

      Sascha studied Claudia. They all seemed to study each other. "You have connections with Alexandria, think you can intuit what they have designed?"

      "Yeah, today there was a Vampyre that said he knew John," Robbie said.

      "Who!" Claudia demanded.

      "Relax, it was only some fourth gen Vampyre from Berlin," John told her. It surely hadn't been David.

      "I will trust you two with this," Claudia said. "I am blood-bound to a Vampyre who is Azyurian as the High Lord, fourth gen but fairly powerful, he also happens to be one of only two members of the famous Jewel Family of America to have become a Vampyre."

      "Aren't you worried he can read your thoughts?" Sascha asked.

      "I shut him out," Claudia said quickly.

      Sascha questioned Robbie in a gaze. "I am Darkling," she said. "In the most remote way," she said in answer to Robbie's unasked question. "I am one of the Pix, but have actually passed as human to doctors who tested my blood. I am removed by generations from any full Sidhe or angels."

      "We only met Robin," John said and Claudia shivered.

      "You met Robin?" Sascha asked, "He is only incredibly ancient!"

      "I found him rather creepy," Claudia said quickly. "Is it congenital condition by merit of Pix blood that you wear the frame?"

      Sascha nodded. "You obviously know a bit about them. Many Pix are frail-bodied and it is the power in the Angelic Faerie blood that actually keeps them going. When the blood is generations diluted, the body is frail, but there are no Angelic powers to help you fly about when your legs are withered and useless. I can barely move if the frame is removed, but with it I am quite able. I have had a frame of some kind since birth, basically. But, like I said, I pass for Human in blood tests; it's just any old, annoying, genetic defect so far as I am concerned. Don't be afraid the SCB or anyone will come after me and hurt the tribe."

      "We are not afraid," Claudia said. "but you understand now maybe, that if it is known John and I are now who we are Alexandria may try something well intentioned. At the very least we need that data tap."

      "It will take some doing, research," Robbie began.

      Claudia nodded. "There is a little time, do not rush. I only meant to prepare you. We still have much of our tribe to discover and plenty of ground to cover. There many be other bad days, like today."

      "I don't know, today seems a good day," Sascha said, "I thought Robbie was twice as horrible as he turned out to be." She smiled to show her jest, John imagined.