Day Five Hundred Fifty Five #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Elijah and I met with the Hamashiachites early. We had exciting news. Our queries had led us to a group that meets under the sign of the fish. They are eager to meet with and join our people in their pilgrimage.

We have much to prepare before tomorrow. And we will have to adopt the same strategy to get them ashore as we did to get them on the ship, sending them out by twos and threes.

And all by the end of tomorrow, for the Captain tells us our business will be complete here and we’ll no longer have a reason to remain.

He also learned the other ship needs our help. They do not bear the mark either.

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Day Five Hundred Seventeen #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

The Raj twins, (for such they are), awakened us early and led us on a serpentine crawl across the face of the city. I would not like to make the trip any later.

Elijah reflected an unruffled demeanor upon entering the shipyard. I, by contrast, could not contain my excitement at the prospect of reuniting with the Captain and the crew of the ship.

Two vessels were on the stocks in the dry docks, but neither one was ours. The twins left us at the shipyard office to make our queries.

To our joy the Captain emerged from the office as we were climbing the stairs.

To our questions he gestured to the first in a line of waiting ships.

Day Four Hundred Twenty Five #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

What had appeared to be distant hills in the morning light has grown to become mountains with the fall of night. It must be the coastal range we’ve been told about, so the port city is just beyond.

We met two men on the road today. They slowed their gait upon sight of us. And we passed each other warily, exchanging queries about the sections of the road we have respectively passed through. They report all clear through the mountain pass; and we gave a similar account for the section of road that we had been on.

We saw plainly each man bore the mark, and they clearly noticed we do not.

For a time I cast frequent glances backwards.

Day One Hundred Forty Two #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Lyle plied me with questions upon my return. And all the more so when I ignored his queries and went straight to the warning from Grazie. We talked long into the night and picked up the threads this morning.

Then Lyle conferred with his leaders and at his request they freed us from all responsibilities in the field for the day.

We entered the east end and walked directly to the second avenue entrance, but found the gates still closed. We stood waiting and debating for some time. Then we both had the same thought – to check out the first district.

Its gates were now closed also, but tacked to them was an invite from Kip to meet there tomorrow.