Justin woke suddenly, he had
fallen asleep at his desk, he looked at his pocket watch, it was after eleven
p.m. He felt his coffee mug, it was cold. His crossword puzzle sat unfinished
before him, the empty squares of seven down were silently mocking him. He
stood stiffly and stretched and walked to the window and looked out into the
darkness.

“Penny for your thoughts.”
Jonathan said. Justin whirled around and saw his old friend standing there.
Justin’s mouth moved but no words came out at first.

“Jonathan! I’m dreaming aren’t
I.” Justin said, regaining his composure.

“Well, yes and no, old friend.
I’m here to warn you that there is trouble, big trouble coming to Thorn
Valley. A few days, a week at the most. You must be ready, already it is
sneaking up on the valley, it thinks it has the element of surprise on its
side.”

“Of course there is, this year
was the first since we moved here that nothing natural or supernatural has
threatened the community. Apparently no one is maintaining the giant glowing
sign inviting people to attack us. Who is this enemy?” Justin asked angrily.

“They are rats, big ones,
possibly NIMH rats. I have encountered one that could wield magical powers to
a limited degree. I don’t know who is the leader behind this attack. Possibly
Dr. Schultz.” He responded defensively. Justin turned to the window again.

“Dr. Schultz and NIMH
rats?” Justin asked with surprise.

“I’m not sure, but where else
could they have come from and I was captive of Dr. Schultz when I was rescued.”

“How do you expect me to
convince the populous of Thorn Valley to prepare for war when I tell them that
a dead mouse came to me in a dream and told to prepare for an attack. They
would laugh in my face and throw me out of office.” He said sadly.

“Justin, I know its all hard to
believe but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t of the utmost importance.”
Jonathan replied. Justin was silent, standing at the window, Jonathan just
looked at him for a few moments then saw that Justin was sobbing. He rushed
over to him and patted him on the back as high as he could reach.

“Justin, what’s the matter.” He
asked with concern. Justin turned to him and looked down at his old friend.

“Jonathan, it’s my fault your
dead. I should have been more careful. I should have been watching better for
the cat. I’m so sorry.” He sobbed and fell to his knees and hugged Jonathan.

“Justin, I was there, remember?
You did your job, you made no mistakes. The cat was very unpredictable. He
caught us both off guard.” He explained, his eyes began to get misty watching
his friend’s emotional display.

“I’m so sorry.” He repeated.

“Justin.” Jonathan said.
Justin didn’t look up.

“Justin!” Jonathan shouted.
Justin met his gaze.

“Justin, get a hold of
yourself. I’m not dead. If I was I wouldn’t be here. I’m alive and
kicking.” Jonathan said sternly.

“But Jonathan, I saw it happen.
I was watching from under the cabinet when Dragon pounced on you and...devoured
you.” Justin said weakly.

“He pounced on me, but that’s as
far as he got. What happened was that at the moment he was about to bite I
vanished into a strange ethereal place, limbo, so to speak. There is something
that only Nicodemus knew about, I was beginning to manifest strange powers just
like him, he created the red stone to help me use them, I should have kept it
with me. But anyway, I vanished right in front of Dragon’s eye.” Jonathan
said.

“But, I went back that night, I
had to make sure. I found traces of blood on the floor.” Justin replied.

“The stupid cat bit his tongue
as I vanished.” Jonathan said with satisfaction, then looked around Justin’s office.

“Justin, how long have I been
away? This is obviously Thorn Valley, so the move went according to plan. Do
you know anything of my family?” He asked fearfully.

“Yes, Jonathan, they live here
in Thorn Valley, They have been a great blessing to us over the years.”

“Years?” Jonathan asked in
horror.

“Yes, Jonathan. It has been
years. Your children aren’t children any more. Teresa is one of our
scientists, Martin a machinist and Timothy, well. Jonathan, a lot has happened
while you’ve been away. After Dr. Schultz destroyed the Rosebush, a different
NIMH scientist came to the farm, he caught Martin and took him to NIMH.”
Jonathan gasped in horror. “He did some experiments on Martin and turned him
into a strange evil version of himself.” But Justin gave a reassuring smile.
“Timothy went to NIMH and freed him, and Mr. Ages managed to bring him back to
normal, and Jonathan, Tim also freed the mice that were lost during the first
escape.” Justin said.

“They all survived?” Jonathan
asked in amazement.

“They all survived, they and
their children thrive here. Thanks to Tim, what can I say, he’s his father’s
son, he is my Vice-president now and it wouldn’t surprise me if he is leader
here someday soon. He’s a son any father would be proud of.” Justin said.

“President? Vice-president?
Things certainly have changed.” Jonathan said sadly.

“Justin, What of my youngest? A
boy or girl?” Jonathan asked.

“Cynthia is a lovely young woman,
bright and hard working and to the surprise of all of us, is in the guard.”
Jonathan’s looked shocked and indescribably sad.

“Cynthia? Cynthia...Would you
believe I’ve never even seen her? Dragon got me just before she was born. She
has never even seen me.” Jonathan said sadly. Justin tried to change the
subject.

“Well, as I said they are all
grown, Martin and Teresa are both engaged and Tim is married, his wife’s name
is Jenny, she was born at NIMH, she escaped and following directions given to
her by Martin. She, who had never in her life had been outside the lab made
the perilous journey through city and wilderness to us and informed us about
Martin and the other prisoners. She is clever, intelligent and brave to the
point of foolhardy, she was born to be a member of the Brisby family. Well,
she and Tim took it upon themselves to set out to start a rescue without
waiting for the rest of us, who were somewhat hesitant to return to NIMH, we
caught up with them at NIMH and to make a long story short, the prisoners were
freed, Martin was rescued and the lab was burned to the ground. That reminds
me, your going to be a grandfather in about a month, courtesy of Tim and
Jenny.”

“A grandfather?” Jonathan asked
excitedly. “Tim, a father. The last time I saw him he was so weak and sickly
from the spider bite we thought he might not survive and now he’s going to be
starting a family.” Jonathan sighed sadly.

“What about Rose?” He asked,
his voice now little more than a whisper.

“Rose...Mrs. Brisby. She
recently agreed to move here and stay with her family permanently. She had
stayed here with the kids until the were grown and then returned to the farm,
Until recently that is.” Justin said cryptically and he turned away from
Jonathan.

“That’s great, with her here and
her armed with the stone. It will give us a great advantage over our enemies.
Even though I couldn’t be there to see it, while I was in Limbo I was aware of
the times she used it. Our bond was so strong I could see her, but I couldn’t
reach out to her, to speak to her...to tell her I wasn’t dead...” His voice
trailed off. “But now that I’m back, I’ll have time to get to know her and the
kids all over again. Hopefully its not to late be a part of their lives.”
Jonathan said hopefully. Justin remained silent and continued to face the
window. Jonathan detected something ominous in Justin’s silence.

“Is there something wrong with
Rose?” Jonathan said with growing anxiety.

“Jonathan, you have to remember
that you have been away a long time and you also have to remember that Rose
isn’t one of us. I mean she is a valued, cherished if not revered member of
the Thorn Valley community, but she didn’t have the NIMH treatments. She has
lived far beyond the life span of an natural field mouse, I think the few times
she has used the stone have something to do with that, but Jonathan...”
Justin’s voice choked with emotion. “Jonathan, I honestly think she’s come
here to die.” He said softly. Jonathan’s mouth fell open, he turned and began
pacing the room, then he climbed onto Justin’s large office chair and looked
over the cluttered desk.

“If only there was more time,
its taking a tremendous amount of power to make this contact with you. I want
to go to her, but I only had the strength to visit one of you, I have to put
personal feelings aside, all of Thorn Valley is in danger. Justin, you must
prepare for the coming storm. I know you still think this is a dream, but you
must believe me. Tell Rose that I love her and that I’ll be home soon, I’m not
sure where in the country I am right now, but I’ll get home as quickly as
possible. Please don’t tell the kids. The trip to Thorn Valley may be very
dangerous and if I don’t make it then they will be none the worse. But, tell
Rose not to give up hope. I’m bringing help, his name is Dante. Farewell,
Justin. See you soon.”

Justin woke suddenly, he had
fallen asleep at his desk, he looked at his pocket watch, it was after eleven
p.m. He felt his coffee mug, it was cold. His crossword puzzle sat before
him.

“It was good to see you again,
old friend. Even if it was just in a dream.” Justin said and glanced down at
his crossword puzzle. Then he gasped when he saw that the answer to seven down
had been written in with the unmistakable handwriting of Jonathan Brisby. He
reached over to the intercom and buzzed the captain of the guard.

“Owen! Get your tail to my
office A.S.A.P.” He said into the intercom. Justin sneaked quietly into the
bedroom to change into his work clothes. Trying hard not to wake his wife or
the infant twins.

“Justin, why are you getting
ready for work? Its after eleven.” Isabella asked sleepily. He leaned over
and kissed her.

“Sorry, duty calls.” He said
and hurried out the door and headed for his office.

******

Rose wasn’t sure where she was,
she seemed to be wandering, lost in some strange place. She could have sworn
she had just seen Jonathan for an instant and was desperately trying to find
him. Strange sounds and images crowded her senses, she was growing very
frightened.

“Mrs. Brisby.” A ghostly voice
called out of the darkness. It was a deep, bold voice, vaguely familiar. She
followed it.

“Mrs. Brisby.” It repeated.
She could see a large form in the mist, it was slowly approaching her. The
figure quickly leaned forward so that its face was visible. It was Jenner!
She cried out in rage and raked her nails across his face. Jenner stumbled
back, she continued attacking him, cursing him and hitting him. Suddenly, some
force pulled her away from Jenner.

“Rose! Killian! What in heaven’s
name is going on?” Justin shouted. Justin’s voice snapped her out of her
dream. She looked over at the rat she had attacked.

He was sitting on the floor,
holding a hand over the bleeding scratches on his face, looking at her with a
look of shock and anger. It was not Jenner, but there was a very disturbing
resemblance.

“I’m sorry.” She said to the
rat.

Justin released her and moved over
to Killian.

“What happened?” Justin asked
him.

“I was doing my rounds when I
saw Mrs. Brisby in the hall, it looked like she was lost. I was about to ask
if she needed help when she scratched me.” He replied.

“It doesn’t look to bad, get up
to the infirmary and have them take a look.” Justin said reassuringly.
Killian stood and nodded.

“Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”
he responded curtly and stormed off down the corridor. Justin turned his
attention back to Rose. Her small gray form trembling terribly. She had her
red cape tightly wrapped around herself. She looked down at the blood on her
hand.

“I don’t know what came over
me. I must have been sleep walking. I’m so sorry.” she sobbed, he gently
picked her up and cradled her in his arms.

“Better get you up the infirmary
also. Maybe Mr. Ages can give you something to help you sleep better.” He
said gently.

“Who was that? He...he looked
like Jenner.” she asked, shuddering at the mere mention of Jenner’s name.

“Killian is Jenner’s son.”

She rested silently. Justin
thought, perhaps blissfully in his arms. When they got to the infirmary they
found Killian lying on a bed while Mr. Ages, still in his night shirt, was
treating the scratches. When they got there Justin placed her gently on one of
the beds and wrapped a blanket around her. Finally, Mr. Ages finished
bandaging.

“Your face will be as good as
new in no time. Just keep the area clean and you’ll be fine.” Mr. Ages said
gruffly. Then he walked over to the still shaken Mrs. Brisby and began gently
speaking to her.

Justin looked at her sadly. He
thought back to the first time they met, she had been so young and beautiful
then, now just a few years later, he and the other NIMH fugitives looked
scarcely a day older than when they escaped, while she now seemed as old as Mr.
Ages, her once lovely brown and white fur had turned almost entirely gray and
she walked with a slight stoop, but he still thought her beautiful. He had never
been able to admit it to anyone other than her, but he had always loved her.
Since the day he first laid eyes on her under the rosebush all those years
ago. For him it had been love at first sight. Her beauty alone would have
been enough to win his heart, but her selfless courage and deep nobility had
truly won his heart. He could tell that she had felt something also at their
first meeting, he could see it in her eyes and just before he had left for
Thorn Valley, when she gave him the stone, they had impulsively kissed, and
just the memory of that kiss still gave him Goosebumps. But, sadly, it became
clear that her heart would always belong to Jonathan Brisby, in life and in
death. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his wife, Isabella. But the humans had
an expression, “You never forget your first love.” His thoughts were
interrupted when she looked up from her conversation with Mr. Ages and smiled
warmly at him, then she looked back to Mr. Ages. He quickly looked away. He
found that very unnerving. She had done things like that in the past, it
seemed that she had developed a strong sense of empathy over the years, most
likely another side effect of the stone’s power. He walked over to Killian and
patted him on the shoulder.

“I want to thank you, Killian.”
He said softly, hoping Rose wouldn’t hear.

“For what, Justin?” He asked in
surprise.

“For not fighting back. I know
that as a guard you’re trained to react and return an attack in an instant.
Thank you for having the presence of mind not to hurt her.” He said. Before
Killian could respond, Rose approached his bed.

“Yes, Thank you. You certainly
had every right to strike back. I’m very sorry, Killian. When you came out of
the dark, all I saw was your father coming at me...the way he did at the farm,
on the night...” She fell silent, they knew all to well what happened next.
Killian smiled at her. She had seen Jenner’s smile, an evil, insincere smile
as he had manipulated her in her time of need. She searched Killian’s face and
his smile for similar emotions, but could only find genuine warmth.

“No apology necessary.
Actually, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.” He said
and gave Justin a stern look. Justin looked away.

“Uh...Yes, that is very true.
It was a couple of weeks after we had moved here. I was under a lot of
pressure and still felling very responsible for the death of Nicodemus when
Killian came up behind me in a dark corridor. I turned and before I could stop
myself, I sucker-punched him so hard that I broke one of his ribs.” Justin
said sheepishly.

“For which I have long since
forgiven and forgotten.” Killian replied.

“For which I am very grateful.
Killian.” Justin responded, still obviously embarrassed. Mr. Ages
interrupted.

“Justin. May I have a word with
you, please?” He asked and grabbed Justin by the sleeve and led him to another
room. Rose stayed by Killian’s side.

“Its strange, I thought I had
met all the rats here in Thorn Valley, but I don’t recall ever meeting you.”
She said.

“That’s because I have been
specifically avoiding you.” He responded.

“Why?” Then she looked at the
scratches on his face. “Oh, of course.” She responded and looked sad.

“Its nothing personal, I know
that Jenner tried to kill you for the stone and that he nearly killed your
children also in the process. I just thought it best to stay away, to prevent
any wounds from being reopened” He responded. She could sense genuine
sincerity in him. She found it hard to believe that the unspeakable Jenner
could produce anything but a miniature version of his evil self.

“Has it been difficult being the
son of Jenner, here at Thorn Valley?” She asked.

“Not really, the entire
community knew that he and I were as different as could be. They knew that I
did not share his views and goals. But to make it easier on those who do hold
a grudge, I’m a Lieutenant in the guard and I’m in charge of the night watch.
So that way I stay out of everyone’s way and needless to say, having more than
a little resemblance to the man doesn’t sit well with those who remember
him...or what he did.” He said sadly. She stepped closer and reached up to
touch his cheek, she turned his head so that she could see the scratches.

“Again, I am so sorry, Killian.
I hope it doesn’t leave a scar.” She said sadly.

“That scar would be nothing
compared to this one.” He said and lifted his chin up to reveal a long scar
that ran all the way across his throat, running almost from cheek to cheek.
Mrs. Brisby gasped at the sight.

“How did you get that?” She
asked in alarm.

“From Jenner.” He responded
matter-of-factly. She gasped.

“Your own father...slit your
throat? Why?” She asked in horror.

“Well, I was very young then, I
only had him to take care of me. One day I asked him why I had no mother. He
smiled a sad smile and put me on his lap, Which was very exciting, because he
never let me sit on his lap. Then he told me she had died. I asked him what
that meant and he told me. Then I asked him how mother had died, he sighed,
put his hand gently under my chin, then he roughly pulled my chin up so our
eyes were locked and he drew his dagger and pressed it against my throat.

“You murdered your mother, you
killed her as she gave birth to you.’ He said and slowly drew the blade across
my throat, not deep enough to kill me, just deep enough to leave a scar. Then
he stood, dumping me, bleeding and crying onto the floor and walked out and for
the rest of his life had nothing more to do with me. So when Jenner...did what
he did, no one suspected me of being a coconspirator, thankfully.”

He recounted the story so
calmly, so emotionlessly that it hurt her just to listen, she wanted
desperately to offer some words of sympathy and comfort, but the act which had
been described was so horrible she found herself speechless. He smiled at her
again.

“I appreciate what your trying
to say. I’m sorry, its an ugly story. I don’t know why I brought it up.
Please forgive me.” He said and rose to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me, Mrs.
Brisby. I have to get back to my rounds.” He nodded to her and quickly left
the room.

“Justin, I’m worried about
Rose. She just told me that she just had a dream where she saw Jonathan and
that concerns me very much.” Mr. Ages said, his normally cold, stoic front
fading.

“Why?” Justin asked.

“Well...I don’t know how to say
it...”

“Your worried that she’s begun
mentally preparing herself to die.” Justin responded. Mr. Ages nodded.

“In so many words, yes.”

“This is one instance where your
guess is off by miles. You’ll have to trust me on this. She’s not crazy or
ready to cash in her chips just yet.” Justin said.

“Well, I certainly hope your
right. I gave her something to take to help her sleep tonight.” Justin stood
and patted Mr. Ages on the shoulder and walked to the door, then he stopped and
turned back to him.

“Do you ever recall Nicodemus
speaking of anyone named Dante?” Justin asked.

Mr. Ages thought back. He had a
sudden vivid memory. He was sitting in a very crowded restaurant at a wooden
table that had graffiti carved on it and then someone put a large plate of
pancakes in front of him. Then the image quickly faded.

“No, I don’t recall that he ever
did.” Mr. Ages replied. Justin smiled and left the room.

******

“May I escort you home, Rose?”
Justin asked hopefully.

“My, what a gentleman. You
certainly may.” She said with a smile. The two walked the dimly lit corridors
chatting about nothing in particular. Then she grew very serious.

“Killian told me how he got that
scar on his throat, is it true?” She asked.

“Yes, Jenner gave that to him
when he was a small child. The only time I ever saw Nicodemus enraged was when
he found out about that.” Justin responded.

“What would have driven him to
do something like that to his only child?” She wondered out loud. Justin
sighed.

“Jenner was what’s called a
sociopath. He had no conscience, no sense of right or wrong. Willing to do
anything to anyone to achieve his goals. Jenner had always been unstable, even
before we were captured by NIMH. The captivity and the treatments only made
him worse, when we escaped he teetered on the brink of madness, with only our
collective will to survive keeping his madness in check. Then as our people
wandered he grew close to a pretty rat named Nell, she was everything he was
not, he was darkness and evil, she was sweetness and light. They made the
strangest pair you could imagine. It was the one and only time in his life that
he had ever opened his heart to another living thing and when she died in his
arms a short time later, giving birth to Killian that is when he finally
snapped. He actually wept over her death. But when he had finished mourning,
it became clear that his soul died with her and what filled the void inside him
was a deep and abiding hate for everything. He didn’t fall into the abyss of
madness, he eagerly hurled himself over. I’ve wondered on occasion over the
years, that if Nell had lived, if she and Killian could have saved Jenner from
himself.” Justin said sadly.

“Its so sad, what a terrible
legacy to leave your child.” Rose responded.

Justin was well aware of how
badly she felt about what had happened that evening, he debated whether to tell
her about his dream, not sure if it would help or hurt her. It couldn’t have
been mere coincidence that the both of them dreamed of Jonathan at that same
moment, what would be the odds of that? He had seen with his own eyes
Jonathan’s handwriting on the crossword puzzle and as his thoughts drifted back
years, to that tragic night on the farm, he in fact hadn’t actually seen Dragon
eat Jonathan. He weighed these things on his mind as they reached her door.

“I know you don’t like it when I
do this, but I know something is deeply troubling you. What is it?” She
asked, looking up to meet his gaze. His heart and his reluctance melted under
her gaze, the sparkle in her big blue eyes was undiminished by time.

“Mr. Ages said that you dreamed
about Jonathan while you were sleep walking.”

He replied. She looked
embarrassed.

“Just an old woman’s flight of
fancy, perhaps. Nothing for you to worry about.” She reassured him.

“No. Rose...” He knelt and put
his hands on her shoulders. “Jonathan came to me in a dream, this very night.
At the same time you had your dream. He came to warn me that there was danger
coming to Thorn Valley, He wanted me to tell you that he loves you and the
children and...” He took another deep breath. “He said that he is still
alive, Dragon hadn’t killed him. He said he is returning as quickly as
possible to help us.” He said. Her mouth fell open and tears were forming at
the corners of her eyes.

“Alive?” She asked in a
whisper.

“He said he wanted to go to you,
but he wasn’t strong enough to do it. He felt he had to warn Thorn Valley
first. I guess he tried to contact you anyway, but he just wasn’t strong
enough.” Justin replied. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried tears
of joy. He gently put his arms around her.

“Jonathan’s alive. I think I
knew, somewhere deep inside that he was alive. All these years I’ve waited for
him to come home and now, at last, I’m going to see him again.” She said
between sobs. He held her gently until at last she stopped crying.

“I’m sorry, Justin.”

“For what?”

“Well, now you can understand
why there could never have been anything between us, even beside my growing
old. This is why I could never leave go of Jonathan, because he had never gone
from me. Justin, if things had been different,” She said and kissed his
cheek. “I would have married you in an instant.”

“Jonathan is the luckiest guy I
know.” Justin said and smiled.

“Did he say what type of danger
we are in?”

“He didn’t know much, he said it
was NIMH rats and perhaps Dr. Schultz. He said it was only a matter of days
till they arrive.”

“We must be ready for them, I
will use the stone if need be.” She said. Justin cringed inwardly at that
suggestion.

“I’m sure it won’t come to
that.” Justin said. She looked sad.

“If it does, I hope I have a
chance to see Jonathan first.”

“Don’t talk like that, Rose.
We’ll take care of whoever is coming and you and Jonathan can be together
again.”

“But will he still want me?
Look at me, this is the very reason he couldn’t bring himself to tell me the
truth about his nature. He lived in dread of the day when I would finally know
the truth, when I grew old and he remained young. He will return to find his
worst fears come true.”

“Mark my words, Rose. Jonathan
will shed tears of joy when he sees you again.”

“I pray that is so. I better
get my rest, thank you for telling me. Goodnight Justin.” She said. He waited
until she had gone inside, then sighed. She would have said “Yes”
Justin thought as he stood at her door. Then like a bolt of lightning he
remembered that Owen would be waiting for him in his office. He took off in a
run and looked at his watch, it was after midnight.

When he got to his office he
found Owen fast asleep on the couch.

“Owen, Wake up. Sorry I’m
late. I was unavoidably detained.” He said. Owen groggily, sat up and rubbed
his eyes.

“What’s this about Justin?
What’s the problem?” He asked.

“I have information that an
attack is being prepared against us. We may have no more than a few days to
prepare. But even those numbers are not certain. I need you to double the
guards, the wide range patrol and call up the rangers.”

“The rangers? Their training
is just barely over.” Owen asked.

“This will be their baptism by
fire. We need to know who and what we are up against.”

“Do you want all the
rangers called into active duty?” He asked. Justin knew why he had asked the
question. He sighed.

“Yes.” He replied. “Also, I am
going to have Arthur check on the condition of the sanctuary, to see if there
are adequate food and medical supplies there and to make sure the escape paths
through the caves are all clear.”

“Justin, who are we going up
against?” He asked.

“Rats, possibly NIMH rats and
possibly Dr. Schultz.” He replied. Owen looked stunned for a moment.

“Justin, where did you get this
warning from?” Owen asked with skepticism.

“I’m sorry, Owen. That source
will have to stay secret for the time being.”

“For the record, I do not like
being kept out of the information loop. It makes me wonder if perhaps you
doubt my ability to do this job.” Owen said with veiled hostility.

“Its nothing of the
sort, Owen. I have never questioned your ability to do this job. If anything,
my source may affect people’s perception of my ability to do my job. You’ll
learn soon, be patient and when you see, you’ll understand why I had to keep
you in the dark.” Justin replied. Owen shrugged.

“You haven’t steered us wrong
yet. I can wait.” He replied. They discussed further plans and details and
when Owen had gone, he dragged Arthur out of his home to discuss further
details. Arthur was not happy about the thought of another impending crisis,
but he immediately sent people to check the caves and supplies. After he had
finished with Arthur, he went to address the Rangers, it was one of the hardest
things he had ever had to do. Afterward Justin dragged himself home. He knew
this was probably the last chance for a good nights sleep for quite a while.
He walked back to his desk, the crossword puzzle still sat there, Jonathan
Brisby’s handwriting still clearly visible. He took out his key ring and
unlocked a large drawer on the right side of his desk. In the drawer was a
metal box, marked with a large “N” that contained the stone. He opened it and
lifted it by its gold chain, then he looked closely at the stone. Never in all
his years as leader had he ever been able to active the stone. Regardless, he
put the stone around his neck. Then, with a moment of hesitation he removed
the second item in the drawer. A sealed letter and on its front, written in
Nicodemus’ handwriting, were the words “To Dante.”

“Dante, Dante. Who are you?”
Justin asked. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. His mind was
suddenly filled with a strange image. He was sitting in the passenger seat of
a huge car. He was small enough to not be able to see over the dashboard. He
looked down and saw that he was human, he turned to look at the driver. and to
his horror saw that it was Dr. Schultz. He woke violently from his dream. His
wife appeared in the doorway, he placed the letter back in the drawer and
locked it.

“You look so tired. Come back
to bed.” she said and hugged him.

“I am tired, but not just
physically. In the last few hours I have experienced just about every emotion
I am capable of and had old wounds painfully reopened and relived many painful
memories. One of the worst being that I discovered that I had felt responsible
for the death of Jonathan Brisby.” He said as they walked arm in arm to the
bedroom.

“You say ‘felt’ not ‘feel’. You
don’t feel responsible now?” She asked.

“No, my love. I can say with a
clear conscience that I am not responsible for the death of Jonathan Brisby.”
He said with a smile.

******

Cynthia was so tired, she had
been up very late studying and had only been in bed less than an hour when she
was called up for active duty. She leaned on her bow and was just going to
rest her eyes.

“Brisby!”

Cynthia quickly opened her eyes
and stood at attention. Lieutenant Snap was standing in front of her. Rats
were normally twice her size but he seemed many more times larger. The huge
rat leaned over and had his nose so close it was almost touching her’s

“Am I interrupting your beauty
sleep?” He shouted in her face.

“No, sir” She responded.

“I’m glad to hear it. Now pay
attention. President Justin is coming here personally to brief you all before
your mission. I don’t want anyone napping when he gets here. Is that
understood?” He shouted.

“Yes, sir.” Cynthia replied.
The Lieutenant then continued down the line shouting at the rest of the
Rangers.

“All I have been told so far is
that this is not an exercise, this is the real thing. So no games and don’t
get lazy!” He shouted.

“Lieutenant Snap. Is everyone
present and accounted for?” Justin asked as he and Captain Owen approached.

“Yes, sir. All rangers present
and accounted for, sir.” He replied. Justin’s eyes scanned the line of
rangers, all twenty covered in camouflage fatigues, cloaks, packs on their
backs and each with long bows, the fur on their faces streaked with black and
green camouflage paint. His eyes came to rest on the comparatively tiny form
of Cynthia Brisby at the end of the line. She smiled when their eyes met.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the 1st
Ranger team. I’m sorry to have to call you to duty at this stage of your
training, but we have reason to believe a threat is coming. Rats of unknown
origin. It could be within days, a week at the most. It is with great
reluctance that I send you out with your training just completed to face a very
real danger, but we need the Rangers out there to locate and keep us informed
of the enemies movements. So we must send you out into the field because our
home, no, our very lives depend on thwarting this enemy. All Thorn Valley may
depend on your eyes and ears.” He said passionately.

Cynthia could see the pained
look in his eyes when he had looked at her. Justin, you have been like a
father to my brothers, sister and especially to me, and I’m more grateful than
I could ever put into words, but like a father you have to accept that there
comes a time when you have to let go. To let your child spread her wings and
fly. I have chosen to help protect Thorn Valley, I was to small to be an
effective guard but here in the Rangers my size is a positive boon. Though I think
Commander Snap still thinks that the guard in any capacity is no place for a
mouse. But I passed the training, I showed everyone that I could do it. I
know you didn’t like the thought of me being in the Rangers, but this is
what I want. Its something I need to do. I hope you can understand that.
She thought to herself as he spoke.

“Captain Owen will give you your
assignments. Good luck and good hunting.” Justin said and turned away. Just
before he was out of sight, Cynthia saw that he wiped his eyes with the back of
his hand. Captain Owen went down the line giving each Ranger a map.

“Brisby, Carl. You get zone
five.” He said. She frowned, as the ten zones around the valley go, zone five
was the least likely place for any attack. She had a feeling that Justin had
put him up to this, because he didn’t want her in any danger. She made a
mental note to have some strong words with him when she got back. Commander
Snap then addressed them.

“I have spoken with the people
in the communications center. I have been assured that all the long distance
communication systems are fully operational. Do not forget to take your code
books. Just remember that I worked long and hard to get authorization to form
this unit, its my baby. I will not tolerate any of you screwing it up. If any
of you do, I’ll personally kill and eat you. Do I make myself perfectly
clear?” He shouted.

“Yes, sir.” They shouted back.

“Well, what are you waiting
for? The clock is ticking! Go!” He shouted.

With that the line separated and
began the long march to their respective zones. Cynthia and her partner Carl
looked at their map and groaned collectively. It would take them at least a
seven hour march to get to their position in zone five. This wouldn’t be the
first time they had to go without sleep while with the Rangers. She checked
her compass heading and they began walking.