The truck finally rolled to a stop and Yasu was helped down to the ground by the soldiers.

  She looked out at a stunningly beautiful scene consisting of a huge, secluded mountain valley that had formed in a volcanic caldera, complete with an extremely blue lake, which was surrounded by forest on all sides, except in two places.

  The first was a crack in the wall of the caldera, which had been blocked with a dam, probably to allow rain to deepen the lake, rather than pouring straight out of the valley.

  The second was an area that had obviously been modified by men, which included a variety of buildings, one of which looked like a regular house. Nestled among the nearby sections of forest, some log cabins were visible. The place gave off a strange vibe, like a summer camp, rather than a military base. Most everything was in disrepair, but one of the nearby buildings, which was clearly setup like an outdoor cafeteria, appeared to have been recently repaired. The air was thin, but fresher than anything Yasu had ever experienced before, even including the time she’d been sent to a summer camp for a week. The smell of frying meat drifted on the wind, coming from the cafeteria, which had a rather wild scent.

  The trucks were in a dirt parking lot, the borders of which were marked with logs and carefully-arranged rocks. There was some evidence of rather tall weeds having been recently felled to restore the parking lot to a useful state. There was also a dirt road leading up to a crack in the caldera’s wall, which was how they’d arrived.

  While the soldiers began hauling baggage out of the trucks, an elderly couple approached, arm in arm.

  The man was in his mid-eighties, appearing at least half Mexican and was fairly short, at five-foot-five. Despite his advanced age, the man’s arms rippled with muscle and it was obvious he was extremely fit. He wore camouflage military fatigues and the markings on his shoulder indicated he was a staff sergeant, a rank most civilians never saw used.

  The woman was nearly twenty years younger and just as fit, with an ample bosom most women would have been jealous of. She was tall, with blond hair, though that was beginning to lose its color, especially at the roots.

  When her turn came, Yasu tore her eyes off the newcomers and was handed her bags, consisting of a suitcase and backpack.

  Once everyone had been handed their things, the elderly couple approached and the woman spoke in a friendly fashion, using an odd mixture of southern and rural accents, “Welcome to Camp Sapphire Friendship and Sapphire Lake! This valley is my home and I want y’all to feel comfortable here for the next two weeks, as if it was yer own home. I’m Macie Weber-Greer,” she gestured to the man beside her, who bowed his head and waved, “and this is my husband, retired Staff Sergeant Ignacio Greer. If ya need anything while y’all are here, just ask and we’ll see what we can do with what we’ve got on hand, though we don’t have much in the way of civilized resources.”

  In the background, two of the trucks rolled away, leaving only one behind. Most of the soldiers left with them, but the sergeant, corporal and three others stayed.

  “If y’all would follow us,”Macie requested, “we’ll show ya around.”

  The tour started with the “chow hall”, as Macie called the outdoor cafeteria, where a lunch of surprisingly tasty military rations was served, which had been supplemented with locally-sourced rabbit and venison, that tasted rather wild, though it was rather better than any meat Yasu had tasted before, almost as if the wild and mostly untouched nature of the place had perfectly enhanced the flavor.

  When lunch was over, the Greers led them down toward the lake, where an amphitheater complete with a raised platform for a stage had been cut from the bedrock. The stone had a positively ancient and worn look, as if it had been cut thousands of years before, the age of it practically radiating from the stone. In that light, Yasu looked closely at the stage, wondering if it had once been a sacrificial altar.

  To one side of the amphitheater were some elderly docks, complete with some canoes, kayaks and a motor boat, which was in such bad shape, it was barely floating, though a box of tools, a gas can, a bottle of oil and some parts sitting on the dock indicated someone had been working on the engine.

  “This is where y’all will have most of yer meetings and training sessions. The witches among ya will get yer early morning magical training here, which will start at five, sharp, while the rest of ya will get to sleep in real late, until seven in the morning, when breakfast is served.”

  Yasu grinned with amusement. She had no issue with getting up so early, but the others were grumbling, as if it was a hardship, despite how early some of them had gotten up to catch their flights. For example, Yasu had caught hers at two in the morning.

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  Macie finished the official details, “Lunch will be from noon to one and dinner will be from six to seven, every day. There will be a meeting at the amphitheater every morning at eight. All other details will be announced by yer trainers.” She smiled warmly and went on, “More unofficially, I’ll be dancing for y’all every evening, right here, just after sundown.”

  Her husband finally spoke, “Ladies and gentlemen, take my word for it: you don’t want to miss that! My dear wife is one of the best dancers you might ever see. She’s studied everything from ballet to tribal dancing and sometimes even mixes in a little torch juggling.”

  There were murmurs of anticipation among the recruits and their frowns about the schedule turned into guarded smiles.

  Macie gestured toward the docks, “The boats are available to you in the afternoon, once yer training is done for the day. Feel free to borrow one if ya like, because that’s what they’re for.

  Next, the Greers led the way to a set of six log cabins a short stroll away, through the woods, three for the women and three for the men, with a shared fire pit between them. The walls were rather worn, but the roofs appeared new, which were made from split logs covered in tar and shingles. The windows were nothing more than wire mesh, presumably to keep the mosquitoes out. To either side of the small camp site were some roofless walls set on concrete pads, which turned out to be cold-water showers, complete with running water. That came from a tower up the hill, which was filled with water that had been pumped in from the lake via a windmill. Some distance away were a pair of ancient-looking outhouses.

  “Y’all will be sleeping here at night.” Macie informed the group, then suggested, “Go ahead and get settled in, then relax for tomorrow. Explore if ya like for the afternoon, but if you’re gonna leave camp and head into the woods, make sure ya tell someone where you’re headed, just in case.

  “The valley is pretty safe, but there’s some bears about, who aren’t very used to people, so if ya bump into one, make yerself look real big, by raising your arms, then yell at ’em! That should scare the big softies off, but whatever ya do, don’t turn yer back on ’em. You gotta stare ’em down!”

  “Still, if you want to avoid that as much as possible, stay in camp.” Ignacio suggested, “We’ve used a few old woodland tricks and a little witch magic to make sure they avoid the area. Nonetheless, they may still wander in, so be on guard when you’re not inside, especially on your way to the outhouse.”

  Since she’d been raised to do so, Yasu bowed to the Greers and said, “Thank you. You’ve made me feel very welcome.”

  Macie mimicked Yasu’s bow, then rose with tears in her eyes as she smiled, “It’s been almost forty years since this old summer camp was running and it makes me happy to see it going again. I know y’all aren’t the teens I envisioned filling this place, but I’m still glad to see ya here. You’re welcome any time. I really mean that. Any member of The Order is welcome in my family’s valley.”

  “The Order?” Yasu asked.

  “Oh, sorry I spoke out of turn, though there should be no harm done.” Macie shaded with a little embarrassment, “Verda, that’d be Mrs. Bagley to y’all, will tell ya all about it in the morning.”

  “Of course.” Yasu bowed her head.

  Macie did the same and smiled again, “Have a good day!”

  The Greers walked away and the recruits spent a little time selecting cabins. Yasu picked one at random, stepping inside. The interior walls and floors had recently been sanded and smelled a little of pine shavings, though it was obvious a few floor boards had been replaced, to make the structure sound again. It was rather roomy for the handful of women and teen girl that would be sharing it; it could have held up to ten, in a pinch.

  The cots were unusual, however, because they were hand-made, using small, round poles made from sanded tree branches, with deer hide strung on the frames, furred side up, to make them softer. There were sleeping bags tucked in one corner.

  Yasu selected a cot and slid her bags beneath it, taking a moment to lay down.

  “Wow, these are rather comfortable.” She commented, leading the others to do the same.

  The teen agreed, in an Irish accent, “They are!”

  Two of the women, who were most certainly identical twins, opened their bags and began to change clothes, probably out of a dislike of military garb.

  Sitting up again, Yasu mused aloud, “Do you think the Greers made these?”

  “They may have.” The girl shrugged her shoulders.

  One of the women stepped over to the corner and picked up the sleeping bags, passing them to the others, who unrolled them on their cots.

  Yasu introduced herself with a bow, “I’m Shime Yasu.”

  The teen was next, offering her hand, “Nina O’Duggan.”

  She had red hair and the athletic frame of a teen that lived an active lifestyle. Yasu decided she could be no older than fifteen and found herself wondering why someone so young would want to tangle with demons.

  They shook hands.

  “Emily Baxter.” One of the women used a South African accent as she shook hands with Yasu.

  She had a fair complexion and long, silky, blond hair. She was also rather tall, at five feet, eleven inches.

  Yasu was forced to tip her head upward to meet the woman’s gaze, since she was only an inch taller than Artemis.

  The twins had changed into the kind of hard-wearing clothes that would have fit in on a ranch. One wore faded denim trousers, while her sister had opted for a skirt of the same material, though in a much darker shade. They both donned cowboy hats and boots. Their skin was sun-tanned, in patterns that indicated it was due to spending long hours working in the sun. They were in their late twenties.

  The one in the skirt finished getting her boots on, then gestured to her sister, speaking with a mid-west accent, “This is my sister, Laurie Parke and I’m Lorena Ziegler. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Yasu glanced at the left hands of the sisters, noting the wedding band on Lorena’s hand, while Laurie lacked one. That likely meant Lorena’s maiden name was Parke.

  With introductions out of the way, Nina became very interested in her new friends, sparking a round of sharing a few personal details, while everyone got more settled in. Later in the afternoon, they took some canoes out on the lake for a little fun.