Many years ago, some people discovered a deep blue crack in the walls of the Fountain Cliffs. They built a room around it, which later would be known as the Oven, and a great stone staircase leading up to that room. Over the following decades a large complex sprung up next to staircase, snug against the face of the cliffs. They named it the Abbey at Fountain Cliffs. Those that lived there called it the Abbey. Most of the folks in the Ring knew it as the Sand Castle.

One hundred and fifteen people lived there. A few dozen Hunters packed the halls of the east wing. An equal number of Jacks had been groomed to support them. Nine engineers made their weapons, and a training staff of six taught them how to fight. Eleven Sisters cooked their meals and cleaned up their mess, and the five members of the Priory told them what to do. Five more rooms were set aside for the Searchers, but they were hardly ever there. Three boys in the motor pool kept the vehicles running, two doctors stitched up their wounds, and one stressed out Becka kept everybody in line and on time.

For everything else, there was John Grub.

So from the moment he saw Rafferty St. John's giant token bouncing toward the Abbey behind a motorcycle, John Grub knew he was going to end up being the one to deal with it.

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He began formulating his plan even before the request came to him. When it inevitably did, he told them nine days.

It had taken the help of four Jacks to move the head into his workshop, and poor Marcus had managed to strain his back good enough to be off duty for a week.

John spent the first day pulling all of the inner workings out of the hollow of the cranium, including some sort of strange translucent cable that was still glowing, and changed colors when he handled it. He locked that up in a steel cabinet. You never knew when you might need something like that.

He spent the following two days on his hands and knees inside the thing, hammering out all of the dents sustained during the trip. God metal was tough, and it fought against the hammer.

It took three more days to design a pulley system that was both strong and smooth enough for the task.

On the seventh day, he rode out to Falls Rock, and purchased two pretty blue glass spheres from Anne, whose red hair shone in the sun like it always did. He popped out the God's black eyes, and fit the new blue ones in the sockets. It might not be anatomically correct, but it would show better.

On day eight, he brought the reluctant Jacks back, and together they hoisted the token to the top of the west corner. The pulley worked like a dream, and the group was toasting their accomplishment before the sun even started to set.

The next morning, he climbed to the roof and inspected his work. There was a little sagging that worried him. These walls weren't really meant to hold something this heavy. He replaced a few suspicious bricks, and installed a brace in one corner. It would hold.

Nine days.

He climbed down, and looked up. The God's head was perched atop the Abbey, staring out at the place it had come from.

John Grub didn't know exactly what message they were hoping to send, but he was pretty sure they could see those blue eyes all the way out in Falls Rock.

He would have to ask Anne the next time he saw her.