While the families took steps to protect their knowledge, it was in many cases, too little, too late. While the knowledge was moved the Plague followe..., often wiping out the people charged with its safekeeping. Then when the Plague abated, and people were able to travel to those so-called safe refuges, all they found were the dead. The vast amounts of records that had been moved there were eaten by the rats before they too succumbed to starvation.What was lost can’t even be guessed at, the. . then you showed up to save us!" Both girls smiled at that statement.When one biker tried to start the truck with no success, they both said at the same time, "Alan!" Michelle asked, "Who is Alan?" One of the guys said that he was a friend and could fix anything. They talked for a bit, then decided that one would ride back, while the other waited with the girls. I saw the guy who came back. He explained to the leader what was going on. The honcho seemed happy to hear the news and sent Alan and. ." Captain, your best may not be good enough. Retreat is not an option this time, my friend. There's no falling back, no safe ground. While you're fighting a force of two thousand in the forest, I'll be fighting a force of three thousand at Abita.I'm taking Captain Burto and the remaining twelve hundred men to the village to engage them; we'll be outnumbered no worse and no better than what you'll be. While we're gone, we leave our cities and villages unprotected, and if either of us fails to. We would have liked to have had one more couple, and ideally two, from outside the family. We had tried to tempt a few to come to us when the last troupe had closed, but sadly none of the redundant performers had really wanted to continue; they all assumed that we wouldn't be long behind them in folding. We regularly talked idly about giving it up, but none of us really wanted to, and while we were making a living, even if a poor one, we were determined to continue as long as we could. Ro in.