The four men entered the courtyard and turned north.

Harrington was ahead of them, and Rodriguez was following behind. They were walking alert but not tense. They did not expect trouble and were more interested in planning the search of the graveyard.

I was not paying much attention to the men, but I was more curious about what my Hunters would do. I moved ahead, looking for Harrington. I almost missed him. He was positioned between a large tree and a tomb. The area was heavily shadowed, and he was manipulating them to improve his ability to hide. He was carrying the cavalry sword, which was drawn, and he was hiding it with his body to prevent the metal from reflecting.

The group was close to him and would pass him soon. If they were looking closely at the environment, they could have seen him. They were not looking in his direction but into the graveyard. Harrington was on the other side of the path, on the side closer to the outer wall.

The men were discussing how to get to the church. They were progressing deeper into the graveyard, not encountering anything that alarmed them or raised any cause for concern. I knew Rodriguez was somewhere behind them, but I wasn't sure where right now, as I had moved ahead instead, focused on Harrington. They had reached his hiding place, and I knew he would have to move soon or could be spotted.

We were close to the edge of the hunting grounds he was assigned. I suspected he chose this location because it allowed Rodriguez to catch up. I noted the change in his body language and knew it was about to begin.

There was no preamble or sudden dramatic appearance. He launched a blitz attack at the closest man to him, who was just passing where he was hiding. He came out running the man through the site with the sword, causing the scream in pain. Harrington twisted the blade as he pulled it back, and the other three were exclaiming in shock and horror and scattering. Two of them were trying to draw their guns, while the third was holding the rifle and began to point it towards Harrington.

This man was in the back of the group and was unable to get a good aim at my Hunter. Rodriguez's Tomahawk was thrown from behind him and buried in the back of his skull. He jerked violently with the impact, pulling the trigger by reflex, firing the gun. The shot went wide, and he promptly collapsed to his knees. He wasn't dead, but the Tomahawk buried in the back of his skull was causing him to be unable to control himself anymore.

Rodriguez ran past him almost on all fours. The others were not yet aware of the danger behind them, as it would focus on Harrington. He had pulled his blade from the man he had run through and was advancing on the next. His first victim had collapsed to his knees, trying to hold in his intestines. Pulling the blade free from his body caused a nasty gash across his stomach, causing the organs to spill out. He was screaming in pain and horror as he was desperately trying to hold his insides where they were meant to be.

Harrington's next targeted victim was pulling his pistol from his holster, but was shaking violently in fear. This allowed him to get close, and he, too, was run through with a sword. The final man turned to flee, but Rodriguez jumped on him, using his body weight to push him into the ground. Rodriguez was without a weapon but still had his teeth and used them to rip out the man's throat. He died of drowning in his own blood as Rodriguez continued to savage the ruined throat with his teeth.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

Harrington didn't waste any time, quickly finishing off his two.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

We were both given Rodriguez the side eye, watching him continue to devour the corpse of his second kill. The last man with the Tomahawk in the back of his skull was looking around, blinking, and blood was flowing from his nose and ears. It was clear that he was not with it, and then suddenly his eyes rolled up into the back of his skull, and he collapsed forward.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

"I will let you clean this up."

I didn't want to see what was going on anymore, so I quickly left the area. I knew the hunters knew what they had to do to clean up, so I left them to it. I went and found Roberson, then had him deal with horses outside.

As I watched him guide the horses away, I thought about the number of people who had been visiting the last few months. It was getting ridiculous, and I realised I was going to have to do something sooner than I planned.

"The Daughters of Medusa might be the answer in the long run."

It quickly dawned on me what I needed them to become in this world. The Way would be directed into financing and politics. The Daughters would be directed into mass media, and two would influence politics, but from a different angle. I would use them, hopefully, if my plans panned out in the long run, to make sure that knowledge of my existence would be quietly suppressed or debunked.

That will not help me in the short term, but I still have to plan for the long term. It was now reaching a critical point; I knew that the number of disappearances in this area would start to attract attention.

And attention was something I didn't want.

Eleanor reappeared a few days later. Thankfully, I had no more visitors during that time, and the graveyard had been cleaned up, hiding the deaths that had recently taken place there.

It was time to see what they would offer me and whether they would accept what I would give them in payment. They could easily turn round and say no, but I was betting on human greed.

She called out, asking me to appear, which I promptly did.

"Eleanor, Daughter of Medusa. Have you and your sisters reflected on what I offer?"

"We have. We are willing to enter into a treaty with you if we can both come to terms." Her answer was quick and spoken with certainty, which was a good sign.

"My terms are easy. Do not interfere with those who seek to enter this place. Do not attempt to influence or control me or those who serve me. I would also call upon you and your sisters to perform tasks for me out in the world that my influence cannot reach. In return, I offered knowledge of what is to come and how to best prosper from it. Break faith with me and I will exact a price, maybe not today or the next, or not for decades, but it will come in this life or the next."

"Are these same basic terms offered to the Way of Athamos?" She asked. She was fishing for information.

"Yes, they are. The Way accepted my terms and now acts when I require. In return, I gave them knowledge of what is to come, and they are now positioning themselves to benefit from it."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"When you offer us the same?" Now that was a question she already knew the answer to.

"No. I will offer you something different but equally as valuable."

"How can we be sure that what you offer will profit us just as much as the Way of Athamos has learned?" Her body language was tense, and her tone slightly combative. This was not the approach I expected, and I realised there was more going on here. I decided to see if I could force the issue.

"My terms as stated, accept them or not."

My abrupt statement and cutting off any future attempts to fish for information seemed to surprise her. I suspected that if they had dealt with any supernatural entities, or the accounts he had read indicated that it would be a dance of words and hidden conditions. I didn't bother with such things, believing that the best route through life was a direct one.

"May this humble servant ask a question?" Her tone changed, and I noticed that she was far more deferential now.

"Of course."

"May you elaborate on what you are desirous to do?" I could sense an undercurrent to her question, and I thought about it for a few moments.

At first I wondered why, but the more I thought of it, the more I came to understand. The order was all-female, and I suspected they had been taken advantage of many times throughout their history. They possibly feared that it would happen again.

"What I will call upon you to do will be well within your organisation's power. It will not be anything sexual or ritual-based. There will be no blood sacrifices or attempts to enslave."

She blinked several times at my words, and I think that she finally understood that I knew more than I let on about her group. She seemed to come to a decision and stood up straighter. When she started speaking again, her tone had changed, becoming far more formal.

"I, Eleanor Magistrate, a Daughter of Medusa, accept the terms and conditions of what is offered by the keeper of New Midian."

As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to tense up, expecting some great fanfare or any form of acknowledgement of what she had just agreed to. I notice her eyes are glancing slightly around without moving her head.

"Don't worry, nothing is going to happen. Agreeing to my deals is rather a simple affair."

She seemed to relax a bit more at my words, or maybe 'disappointed' was a better way to put it.

"Now heed my words, Eleanor. What I desire the Daughters of Medusa to do is to help hide my existence."

She tensed up again when I started speaking, and I could see her thinking, "Here comes the cost." I could see that my desire confused her.

"I can see your confusion. Let me explain. Those blessed with the dreams will eventually come here if they desire it. That is the way things are meant to be. However, stories are spreading through national media, fueling gossip and drawing others to this place. Too many coming would alert the authorities to my existence, and that would be bad for everyone involved."

I could see she now understood what I was worried about.

"You and your sisters will need to reach out and start taking control of the national media, as I will leave it to your own means. I will provide you with information and knowledge about the future, as well as how to manipulate and control the media in ways you cannot understand. Through this control, you will be able to shape national conversations and political trends. How you direct this outside of my goals is not my concern as long as my existence remains hidden."

Power. That was what I was offering her, and I could see she understood it, though only partly. She lives in an era when mass communications and media manipulation were not fully understood or grasped for their potential impact. Sure, you had the rise of the media barons, but they were nothing compared to what was coming.

"Why not offer this to the Way of Athamos?" She asked me.

"In a way, I have, but just from a different angle. The Daughters of Medusa, with my help, will take control of the national media, and from there you can influence anyone you desire."

She was intrigued, I could see that. She was likely pondering the best way to seize control of the nation's sole primary media source, the newspapers. I decided to get her moving, but in a direction I wanted.

"You start by spreading your influence into the newspaper industry. How I will leave it to you, but you must also focus on the national telegraph system because controlling information…."

I stopped speaking when I heard the wind of another horse. Looking up and past her, I saw Senior Ahmed had arrived with his usual entourage.

Well, this was going to be problematic.

"Keeper, I must ask you not to deal with that lying harlot." Senior Ahmed rolled up quickly, his face furious as he looked at the woman before me.

"Do not interfere with our dealings, you want-a-be alchemist!" Eleanor sat back, her voice laced with venom.

Things went downhill fast after that.

I watched the barbs and hostile comments being exchanged. It was entertaining to begin with. Senior Ahmed's escort remained back, not getting involved after I gave them a look when they tried to move forward. They saw the wisdom of staying back and chose to remain impartial.

Senior Ahmed and Eleanor were so locked in their verbal exchange that they never noticed what passed between me and the escort. Both their tones were increasingly aggressive, and the language was nothing short of verbal warfare.

I don't want this to escalate any further.

"ENOUGH!"

The power of my voice even surprised me. The two arguing adults before me suddenly stopped and were incredibly tense. It was then that they realised how badly they had stepped into it.

Both turned and tried to make apologies, but I held up my hand, forestalling them.

"If you want to argue, that is your own business, but not here and not now."

They remain silent. They were quickly rallying themselves, bringing their emotions and body language back under control. Whatever happened between the two organisations, both members before me were on the verge of coming to blows. Who knows what the rest of the organisations alike would do when they encountered each other?

"I have struck deals with both of you and those you represent. I will not interfere with what you do outside of my area of control. But here I will have decorum in all meetings and conversations."

They both shifted uncomfortably, but they were showing far more control now. A fair distance separated them. They were giving each other the side eye. In doing so, they are trying to figure out what the other person was thinking.

"It seems that we will need to organise a rota to allow each of you access to speak to me. So with that in mind, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I will allow only The Way to approach. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will be for the Daughters. Sundays will be a day of silence for me. I will, however, allow access outside of the schedule for emergencies."

It was the best I could come up with on the spot. The two representatives before me looked unhappy but understood I was being fair to both of them. I once heard that successful diplomacy was about finding a compromise that allows two sides to agree on most of their demands, even if they remain unhappy with the overall outcome.

"Do you agree to these terms?"

They both quickly agreed, knowing that testing me right now would be no benefit to either of them.

"Excellent. Now go away, I have had enough of both of you for one day."

With that, I dismiss my avatar. I watch as they both glare at each other, but leave peacefully after a few quite amusing minutes of trying to be the last to leave.

"It's days like these I find it's easier to deal with my Hunters than "normal" people."

July continued, and I got a fresh delivery of newspapers.

The Portland Times was now making great use of photographs in its publication. The Crossway Chronicle was a far smaller publication, but it, too, was beginning to use more photographs. These were normally reserved for special occasions or events of great importance.

The Portland Times ran a two-page spread on the growing use of zeppelins in Germany. The article was discussing the possibility of civilian air transportation through the means of the zeppelins. The author was citing different specialists who were speaking out for and against this mode of transportation.

I remember from my own world that zeppelins came to the forefront during the First World War. Looking at the photographs provided by the paper, I could see that the technology in this world was almost as advanced.

Could zeppelins be the primary means of air transportation?

There was one massive drawback to the use of zeppelins, and that was hydrogen. The United States had an enormous reserve of helium located within its borders, and if it sold it to the Germans, it would make zeppelins far safer as a means of transport. One stray spark at the moment, and the airship would explode into a fireball.

I didn't remember where the helium deposits were located within the US, but that was a possibility I could investigate through the Way of Athamos. I would have to keep my eye on how this world is embracing zeppelins. I could rely on my memories of my own world, as this world was now becoming more distinct every year that passed. There was still much the same, but I was starting to see the differences more and more.

I was still pretty sure that they were on course for a world war in Europe. But it seemed the Pacific might be the catalyst — or at least another front — in such a conflict. Japan was now making overtures to the French to counterbalance the Russians and Germans, who were looking to expand around them.

The storm was gathering but had not broken yet.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.