There...

#### Lewis Farm

* We pick up exactly where we left the Keystones at the end of "Twist of Fate". The five Keystones (Scarlet Blake, Jessie "JD" Davis, Derrick "Ricky" Lewis, Heather Jones, and Van Halen) have agreed to join Randall Flagg to help him uncover who might be interfering with the timeline and set things straight. The Cowardly Lion, The One Ring, and Bubo are along for the ride.
* The Keystones prepare to go, with Flagg's promise that their families will never know they're gone.
	+ Scarlet's thoughts are on the new friends they made and what they may be experiencing, and picks up her bat from the ground. Her brother Kyle Blake promises he'll watch her parents.
	+ Heather tells Lion that they'll be going on another journey.
	+ Ricky shakes his father's hand, exchange a hug, and his father, Reggie Lewis gives him his hat.
	+ JD and the One Ring make a pact to protect one another.
* They all feel a pop, and their ears ring. Flagg is upset, he tells everyone to grab hands before the future is set. Scarlet grabs JD with her right hand, and Heather with with her left. Heather is holding onto Lion. Van Halen holds onto Lion and reaches out for Ricky. Randall Flagg holds Ricky and JD's free hands.
* "It's gone. The Loop's gone." Randall Flagg says, as they disappear.
	+ As they travel, Scarlet feels both Heather and JD being pulled away from the group. She can choose to consolidate her strength to save one of them. In the end, she chooses to clasp their hands together and save them both.
	+ But the ring tells JD that they can save Scarlet together, but not as strangers. If they share secrets they'll have the power to save her. JD agrees, and manages to keep hold of Scarlet. Flagg (who doesn't know about the ring) doesn't know how JD managed to save Scarlet.
	+ Flagg draws all of the energy needed to get them to their destination by accidentally pulling the energy from Scarlet. (Mechanically, Scarlet accepts the broken state in order to ensure that they arrive without leaving it to chance.)

#### The Age of Always

* They arrive in a forest. It's filled with every kind of tree they can imagine. It reminds them of the forest they've seen in their dreams.
* Van Halen is upset. "He's taken us to The Between. He's going to get us all killed."
* Scarlet is unconscious, but she awakens and is sick.
* Ricky helps set up a camp fire.
* Randall Flagg offers to answer their questions as they sit around the fire.
	+ They are in The Between but it's not as dangerous as Van Halen has been told. It's also called "the Age of Always" because it has been around forever. The Eternity Road is the path that goes through it and a forest sprung up around it. People come and go but only a few stay. They need to be cautious of them. The other worlds all touch the Between for finite periods. But all can be reached on the Eternity Road. It is dangerous only for people who "make walls, who make rules and don't want you breaking them."
	+ Flagg believes that whoever is pulling the strings and creating all the problems is here. "Enough of these puppet strings and killing worlds that don't deserve to be killed."
	+ Something is wrong with Garrett prime. Someone was messing with the way things were supposed to work out. Changed whole years and decades toward their own ends. Randall Flagg asked the Queen if he could go to the 60s and take out the Walker and Archeville, but she wouldn't let him because the balance between Good and Evil would be skewed. Their job is to keep the scales balanced.
	+ Bringing the Keystones is against the rules. But he's brought them here to take out this interloper so that they could go back to the natural order of the universe working things out without interference.
	+ Back in Garrett, the Loop has disappeared and Flagg had to get them out before they became trapped in a future where Garrett had no Loop.
	+ The combination of the Loop and the Energy below Garrett combined to make Garrett Prime special above all others.
	+ They won't be travelling through time. Instead, they'll use the Eternity Road and everywhere they need to go will come to them.
	+ He's going to train them.
	+ He reminds them that he's given up all his magic except the ability to travel until the Keystones agree to give it back to him.
* Ricky points out that they can't go back to their lives until they've solved this problem for Flagg because the Loop will be gone.
* Randall Flagg steps away to keep watch.
* Scarlet curls up in front of the fire with Lion curled at her back.
* Ricky checks in with Van Halen who is upset because none of them (including Randall Flagg) are supposed to be there, and that the rules had been broken. She has promised the Queen when she went to the Keystones world that she would never do such a thing. Ricky encourages her to see that the person they are there to stop has also broken the rules, and that they need to focus on keeping the band together and safe. Afterwards he leans his back up against a tree, pulls his hat down, and falls asleep as he watches Flagg in the distance.
* VH & Heather curl up on the other side of lion. VH has slept next to Heather for a year and Heather is now familiar.
* JD watches the others and the fire before he falls to sleep. The ring is content.
* In the morning they walk toward Randall Flagg's cabin.
* The Forest is perfectly beautiful and rife with wildlife.

#### Flagg's Cabin

* They encounter no others and in the late afternoon, they approach Flagg's Cabin. It is pristine and in good repair. Inside it's small but cozy, with a living room and kitchen. Two bedrooms on the ground floor and one large bedroom upstairs with four beds in it. Smells like leather and pine.
* Flagg recommends they rest the night and get started with learning the next morning.
* For the purposes of mechanics, the Cabin is the kid's hideout. They can heal here.
* Heather and Scarlet chat. Scarlet explains that she's been upset because she's felt like by agreeing to work with Flagg, she's signaling to the Autobots that she doesn't trust them to handle things.
* JD looks for things that Flagg cares about, but doesn't seem to find anything. ("Put a pin in that" says Greg.)
* Ricky goes to find Flagg outside, and asks whether there are any chores to be done.
* In the morning, they all feel better. Flagg asks them each what they want to learn.
	+ Ricky wants to learn about Eternity Road.
	+ Heather wants to learn about magic.
	+ JD wants to learn about the people of the Age of Always
	+ Scarlet wants to learn about War

#### The Eternity Road

* Randall Flagg takes Ricky out first. They walk through the forest to a black-top highway.
	+ *RF "I know it don't look like much, but this is Eternity Road. Look down. Don't touch it. Look down that way. Look down that way. There isn't any place or any when that it won't take you. Rule number one: Never ever ever walk on the road unless you are ready to leave. You will not be given the chance to step back off. Rule number two: if you're going to be traveling in a group, the entire group must take to the road at the same time. Your feet must hit the asphalt within heartbeats of the first to travel. Rule number three: Whoever's the guide ... that's you, Ricky ... guide must step on the road first and be the last to step off. Got it?"*
	+ *RF "Being a guide on eternity Road isn't tough once you get it past this first part anyway. The road is very picky. It will only allow those it deems worthy to guide others across its surface. This part of the road is in fall, but just down there, just down there it's summer. "*
	+ *They walk down to summer and see the heat of summer rise off the asphalt. Randall ask Ricky to put his hand on the asphalt and Ricky feels no heat. Randall says they'll stay there until he can feel warmth.*
	+ *RF "Think of who you are. Think of why we are all here. Introduce yourself to Eternity road. Explain it you, Ricky Lewis. Give the road a reason to like you. As soon as the sun starts to set, your time's down. Now the Lewis' know the land. That automatically gives you a step up in the road's mind. You know the roads of Garrett, don't you?"*
	+ *Ricky nods.*
	+ *RF "That farm of yours is in one of the oldest paths of your land. I was there in 1893, when your family bought that land and built your homestead. Nearly a century passed. Where does the time go? Ricky I couldn't help but notice when we were sitting in your kitchen with all the boxes everywhere - correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like one of the Loop's crooked deals. Am I right?"*
	+ *Ricky "Yes sir"*
	+ *RF "You know we could fix that, right? Be easy."*
	+ *Ricky "Isn't that the same meddling that we're trying to stop?"*
	+ *RF "No...Who's to say they didn't change it to stack the deck against your family. You can make it right. It's Lewis land. Should always be Lewis land."*
	+ *Ricky "But who's to say that they did stack it against us?"*
	+ *RF "And we make it right."*
	+ *Ricky "If it can be proven to be wrong, I'll happily fix it, but if we can't prove it, shouldn't change it."*
	+ *RF "Well I can now. You'll be able to once you and the road become friends. When the sun starts going down, come back to the cabin. Don't get discouraged, the road, it's fickle..." "My money's on you, Ricky. Be you."*
	+ *Ricky "There's no point being anyone else."*
* When the day is done, Ricky hasn't yet succeeded.

#### Pollution's Pain

* Heather's the next to go. Flagg asks Lion to stay behind, and takes Heather to a pond with a waterfall pouring off of a cliff face on its far side.
	+ *RF:"I want you to forget everything you know about magic, and I know you read books so you need to forget all that shit. There are no books filled with spells, no wands to focus your magic (I mean some people carry them for show but they don't mean shit). There are no magic words. You cannot Hocus Pocus or Abracadabra your way into magic. Magic at its very core is a purification of the spirt. Most worlds, the one you lived in included, begin to stain the spirit after you've lived in it for a time. The longer you're there, the greater the stain. Once stained the spirit cannot learn or use Magic. You are blocked from the ways of witches and wizards. See ...*
	+ *RF points at the waterfall.*
	+ *RF: "This waterfall is called "Neil Hackett Muna Ray." Now we just call it "Pollution's Pain." Before magic can be learned you must purify yourself in its waters." "Like any relationship, this is built on trust. Pollution's Pain must get to know you. The things in Age of Always, they have preference. You know walk a mile in my shoes? There's only one way to do that."*
	+ *RF points to the Cliff face and at 10 feet, 20 feet, 30 feet, and 50 feet are ledges.*
	+ *RF: "I'm not asking you to trust me, but listen. The longer you're in the water and you're riding with it, the more it gets a chance to know you. The higher you go, the longer you'll be in the waterfall on the way down."*
* Heather fearfully jumps from the 10 foot ledge. In the moment she's in the waterfall it's like she's suspended in a rainbow. And then she plunges into the water and pops back up to the surface.

#### Sweat Lodge

* JD's the next. Randall Flagg takes him to a creek that comes off of the pond. Next to it is a lean-to against a moss covered bolder. He pulls a skin doorway aside, and they enter a humid space. There's a scorched black pot over a flame. Flagg throws a mixture (looks like dried grass and dirt) into the pot and it starts to bubble.
	+ *RF: "Yeah there's only one real way to learn about people. You can't read about them in books. Whoever wrote the book makes the person seem the way that they want them to seem."*
	+ *RF: "The good thing is here in Always there's only a few people that are always here. No pun intended. There's The Ferry Man, The Bishop, The Gunslinger, The Many-headed Court, and The Queen.*
	+ *JD: "Ok. And which one are you?"*
	+ *RF: "Well, I'm off the list. I was the Man in Black. Ooo. But they kind of took me off the list. I didn't pay my dues right."*
	+ *RF: "You must pick on these people who you want to focus your time and attention on. You're going to learn about them. You're going to see the world through their eyes, because that's the only way to know ... really know who they are. And even though they won't be aware of your presence they will ... those that you look in on ... they will automatically feel better when in your presence. They will trust you more. They will listen."*
	+ *RF: "Now, the Ferry Man, supposedly the Ferry Man is the very first of Eternity's Road's guides. Some stories claim he's the road's consort ... whatever ... the second being in the age of road. Think of him and you will see his spirit. You will know his soul. Should a guide ever be needed, the Ferry man is the best among them.*
	+ *RF: "Now, the Bishop, I only mention her because, well, she's honest, loyal, strong - you know, the very worst kind of person. Um, I didn't explain, she's good at heart, but she's a zealot. She uh has a strict code of ethics based on The Ten Commandments. She doesn't break 'em. She's driven. Only mention her because, should any of you ever need healing or, God forbid, be brought back from the dead, here in the Age of Always, the Bishop can do it. So if you think on her, well you'll become one of her flock."*
	+ *RF: "Now, the Gunslinger, shit, uh. Where do I start with this? Well, he's a Warrior Knight, he's stubborn and strong, he will not aid you if I'm around, let's just put that on the table but if I should fall there's no one better to help you through the Age safely. Um, except maybe your, your Scarlet. I see a mighty story in her. But then you think on the Gunslinger and become a member of his posse."*
	+ *RF: "Finally, the Queen: She sits on the Mobius thrown inside the Azure Citadel. She rules the Age of Always and most of the other worlds, Van Halen's included. She cannot be thought on, using this cauldron, but if you think on The Many-Headed Court, the only other being in her presence, you'll see her. You won't know her like you'll know the others, but you'll see her as if you standing bearing witness. If you think on her, you become a servant of the Queen."*
	+ *RF: "So, my friend, you may pick two of these to think on: The Ferry Man, The Bishop, The Gunslinger, The Queen. Think on two of them. They will hold you in their heart, and you will learn about them. And when you meet in the flesh, there will already be an affinity.*
* JD picks the Ferry Man and The Bishop.
* JD sees the Ferry Man taking a group of older people along the road. His head is wrapped in a white turban and he has a long white kind of loose fitting robe.
* JD looks in on the Bishop and sees a beautiful woman watching somebody burn at the stake.

#### The Glade

* Scarlet is last.
	+ *RF "Now it's going to be your job to protect those you love from the danger the moment it calls on 'em. You must attack those that mean harm and end them before they have a chance to do likewise.*
	+ *S "Right"*
	+ *RF "Yeah, you play football. If you subscribe to that the best offense is a good defense horseshit do ya?"*
	+ *S "No. I don't play defense."*
	+ *RF "Good. Having a weapon is well and good here in the Age of Always but unlike Garrett, nearly everyone's got a gun or sword or something. Only distinction lies in who can actually use their weapons. You know those guns are special. I've only been near them a handful of times, and normally, the wrong end but felt ..." (words are unclear)*
	+ *When Scarlet takes out her guns, RF asks to see 'em and Scarlet declines.*
	+ *He takes her to a clearing. Where there's rain, there's sun, there's snow, there's wild flowers ... all next to one another.*
	+ *RF "Most of the Age of Always kind of sticks to it's spots. Here's winter. There's spring. Here's Summer. There's fall. This clearning ... we call it The Glade ... all of them are here at once. ANd here in the Glade, or some people call it "The Perennial", the only way to get through it, to walk through all the seasons. You'll experience and meet each of them.*
	+ *RF shoots his gun three times: a rock, flower, and a bluebird each explode.*
	+ *RF "What I need you to do, I need you to hit your target, Scarlet. You're walking through this clearing, walk through the perennial and each season, and pick a target you shoot. Some of them are easier to hit than others. Once you're through, you should have two bullets left. Fire them into the air. One for the Queen, and one for all the Slingers that came before you. You understand?"*
	+ *S "Yes coach, I mean ... Flagg."*
	+ *RF "You know they have Gunglingers here. People that wield those types of guns? Here they train boys who die and fight. They only train boys. They won't train girls. Remind you of anything?"*
	+ *S "Yeah. Same damn story."*
	+ *RF "I can't think of any body better to be wearing that rig. You walk through this glade, you show all of them. Mistakes have been made. You're gonna prove them wrong. There's more ammo in the tin by the tree. Reload each time you walk through the glade. You'll know when it works: four seasons will become one."*
* The seasons don't become one, but the guns begin to feel right.

#### The Cabin

* JD, Heather and Scarlet each catch a glimpse of a figure at different time: tall & gaunt, with a long beard that touches the belt. Just a glimpse before they duck again into hiding and is not seen again.
* The keystones continue to practice for the next week.

## Characters

* Van Halen
* Randall Flagg
* Cowardly Lion
* The One Ring
* Bubo
* Kyle Blake
* Reggie Lewis
* The Ferry Man
* The Bishop
* The Gunslinger
* The Many-headed Court
* The Queen

## Locations

* The Loop
* Age of Always
* The Eternity Road
* Flagg's Cabin
* Pollution's Pain
* The Glade