Cinderfella

Story: Cinderfella 2: A New Life

Chapter: 28 Tarasque de Noves

Author: Eric McQueen (mcqueen.richarderic@gmail.com)

Mature Readers only due to sexual situations and graphic sexual content

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They confront Wahkooha and discover what he really is.

Tarasque de Noves

We did take a little time to get Max steady again. At least stabilized enough to get on his horse and stay there upright.

"I'm sorry," Max said a little shaky. "What I did was stupid."

I nodded, "It wasn't the best tactical move, but it did prove one thing."

"What?" Max asked. "That the men from Creid can't change?" He asked a little bitterly.

"I hope not!" I grinned. "Some of my dearest friends come from Creid." I shook my head, "I don't want any of you to change. You proved to be Human, Max."

Seth leaned toward Max, "That's a good thing." Seth stage whispered so we all could hear.

Wahkooha was very patient and even his six men were patient. They probably saw Wahkooha do magic and knew there were consequences for questioning his actions. Then again, Chitto told me a warrior's training included patience. What did I know? I often ran out of patience, Toby and Dennis tested that so many times when growing up. Especially Dennis who could be bullheaded at only a couple of months of age.

We finally followed Wahkooha and his men. The northwest had mountains and the ocean. I had yet to see the ocean, but Chitto said it was there. He knew about the trees, so we believed him. The road bent to the left and down to the right was a spectacular view of a city on the water. The road was carved into the side of the mountain to make it easier for wagons pulled by horses. Natives didn't really do that. A path up the mountain was fine for them or a single horse with a rider. Remember, before Europeans and others got here, they didn't have horses originally. Cities were also something Natives did NOT do normally either. Chitto and the other Muskogean people had permanent houses and buildings now. Most of the large tribes, however, did not settle the same way we did. The tribes migrated according to the season, so few permanent structures were needed. Owning land didn't make sense to any of them, almost. Below was a good-sized city, but the architecture was very different from A'Dore, Blethos, or Creid. They were round. Yes, round, like all of these many colored spheres were sunken in the ground. There were big spheres and little spheres that were set in many colors. Unlike my family that were Muskogee, it wasn't just the curtains or awnings that added color, but the whole structure. I will give most Natives a huge amount of credit about taste. Not one structure was a pastel. There were bright red, blue, dazzling yellow that added brightness to the dull grey cast sky. No green. They were surrounded by green with many trees that were forever green. There would be a lot more green in Spring and Summer. The trees that shed their leaves had done that weeks ago, but there was still green in trees. Stairs from the street allowed entrance into this...whatever it was. The design made a lot of sense. Chitto told us during the Summer was really the only time the sun really showed itself. Autumn, Winter, and Spring it rained often. The rain would simply roll off these round structures. Snow would too when it was the conditions were right. There were hundreds of these spheres in Gitchi giving it a festive appearance even now and most had smoke coming up from them for warmth or cooking. Maybe both. There were a few really big ones that seemed to be made up of a few spheres with grooves on the side of the spheres allowing runoff.

There was also a port I never saw a tribe have or use. The water Gitchi was on was a bay of some sort, but went for miles! Chitto told us a larger sea was about twenty-five miles away and that sea emptied into the Pacific Ocean. This was the best place for a city and there were smaller communities hidden on the side of the long bay to defend against naval attack.

I let my horse slow down to allow Toby and Thomas to catch up. It was about to begin getting dark, so the temperature would fall again. I took my arms out and began signing to both of them. Hopefully, Thomas had enough from the years before to understand.

"Say nothing out loud about anything you observed," I signed, but didn't move my mouth. Toby nodded, so I went on, "Explain just enough to your cousin. I know you saw something. We'll talk about it, but I don't want to risk being overheard." Toby nodded again.

Thomas grinned, signing, "I got it, Uncle Erik." He also didn't move his mouth.

"Just checking," I assured him. I caught up with Seth.

"Did you...?" Seth asked to see if I got my point across.

"Yep," I answered.

Now, this was tricky. The Natives here pretty much have used sign language since...well, forever! They may speak English now, but before there were so many tribes with their own language. However, they all used the same sign language. Chitto showed me when we were kids, but it was nothing like we used with Toby. The language we used had changed over the years. Signs for words had been shortened or combined to make it easier. Toby could speak to anyone in the family and be understood. Bent and Garth might get confused if we used the "family language" with them and they knew sign language. Wahkooha had managed to "see" and "hear" through others. Or at least as Tawa, he could. I in no way believed Tawa was the real god Tawa speaking through Wahkooha. We were told again and again it was a Child of Eve. It wasn't because I doubted Tawa ever existed. I was in no position to say with authority that Demetrius' "Big Guy" was real. Who's to say He didn't appear to these people as Tawa? But He never appeared to anyone. Remember Christ's mother Mary? After He got her pregnant, he sent an angel to tell her about it. You have to wonder how He delivered His manseed to her. I did. I even asked Him. I did, really! Of course, I didn't get an answer, but...I didn't really expect one.

I doubted Wahkooha ever saw us sign before, so he didn't know everything. Seth, Toby, Thomas, and I could communicate with each other and no one could overhear or if they saw us signing, they wouldn't know what we said.

We arrived at a big structure that had flatter sides. It still had the round roofs. It was bigger than Seth's and my home in Royal Valley, but not the size if Blethos' Palace or A'Dore's Palace. We were led into an entryway on a marble floor. Marble! I didn't know a single tribe that used that. It was used by Greeks and Romans first, but quarries were found here on this continent that supplied plenty of marble from its quarries.

The tallest room was the entrance hall as our footfalls echoed. It was a cool room, lacking heat from any fireplace or stove.

Wahkooha turned and smiled at us, "I know you'll be hungry soon, but I'm sure you would like to clean up before you eat." Two women came in. He waved at one woman, barely more than a girl. "This is Winnie," he motioned to the other one a little older, "and this is Benithia."

"Winnie, I got," Seth muttered and shrugged, "Winifred, but Benithia?"

"There are tubs in a couple of rooms," Wahkooha said. "Follow them and you have clean clothes waiting after a hot bath." He gave us a shooing motion to do as instructed. The corridors curved gradually to make an eventual circle. All doors to rooms went toward the center of the overall sphere. Windows were on the other side of the corridor where they were propped open, but closed now. We brought glass making with us from Europa, but that could be cold when the weather was. These corridors were shorter in height, but overly wide.

Technology was just what it was, applied science to ease lives. There were lights on the walls where a bright flame danced on a fat wick. The lights were chubby glass bowls of oil so the level of oil could be seen. The fat wick was almost an inch around sitting in red oil. There was glass cover around the flame and a shiny brass plate reflected the light outward. I sincerely wanted to know who was responsible for these designs. They were nothing short of ingenious.

We pulled Thomas and Toby in the room with us. Not for safety, but so we could talk. We let the others decide who got divided in the Creid group. They had a game they played quickly with their fingers and hand. A finger stuck out meant something, a flat hand meant something, and a bald fist meant something. The losers were quickly dealt with and went in one room and the winners did it again. I smiled as Beau turned to us in triumph.

"I won!" Beau smiled happily.

Seth and I were smiling at Beau's happiness, but Seth asked the question, "Great!" Seth said just as enthusiastically, but then asked seriously, "Now, explain what you all just did that you won."

Beau didn't seem to know why we didn't know it, but he nodded, "We do it whenever we first take turns or go somewhere. Stone, parchment, and sword. You do not know this!?"

I grinned as we walked in the room we were to use. "We don't, but if you explain it, that won't be true anymore."

"Sure," Beau nodded, smiling bigger, "We hold our fists out and put our fists in a circle three times and hold what we choose. A flat hand for parchment, a finger is a sword, and a fist is a stone."

"And victory is what?" I asked.

"Parchment covers stone, stone breaks sword, and a sword cuts parchment!" Beau said logically.

Okay, it made sense.

As we got the furs off and started to undress, Toby held his shirt together and looked at Winnie. He was acting like taking his clothes off in front of her was something he wouldn't do. Was he really that shy?

"After you get undressed," Winnie instructed, "Place them in a pile there. Fresh clothes are waiting over there. We have a bathroom," she pointed to a tall troth that had water constantly coming down. "Solid waste over there." She pointed to some oddly shaped toilets. There were two side by side and four sets. The big one was, and let's be honest, the shape of a person's ass when we did that solid stuff. I found out the smaller one shot of warm water at your ass to clean it. No cloth needed. Again, ingenious. I heard of something like it from Europa for the rich. Bidets? Plumbing had been around a while in Roma. Winnie took the discomfort of a child and left us alone.

Five nearly blinding white tubs sat as steam rose in the air from them. There were large white...fireplaces? They stood on legs and we heard fires in large pot bellies that were closed, but they radiated heat. There was a bottle on each tub and a cloth for drying when we were done.

Seth began to sign to Toby. We had no way of knowing if anyone could overhear or see us, so no one shaped words with our mouths. "What did you see?"

Toby spelled out Wahkooha and gave a sign telling us that would be Wakhooha's sign from now on. It was shorter. "I don't know if Wahkooha is a Native." He hurried on. "If he is, I'm sure more than one parent was European."

That was odd. I'll explain. In history, marriages in the tribes were not necessarily permanent. Don't gasp! We do it, too. And get this, a man could have more than one wife! Again, don't get too excited guys, the women could have more than one husband, too. Divorce was very simple as neither owned anything, meaning nothing was divided so they just separated. Family wasn't just a mother, father, aunts, uncles, and siblings. More than one family joined together to form an extended family. There were siblings that shared a single parent, but they all lived together. Peacefully! No one gender was better than the other. Men and women shared the same status in the community. Practically no tribe had a written language when we got here those thousand plus years ago. Cultures change. Written language was seen as an advantage and sped the natural development along. Our cultures merged. Not just on the Natives. They had effects on those from Europeans and Britons. For example, when people from the Church came to tell everyone, especially the Natives, they were burning in Hell if they didn't convert. My Great Grandfather threw them out of A'Dore where God split them on their pompous asses. My Great Grandmother was Muskogee! Nobody was telling my grandmother she was going to Hell! I never met her, but I was told no one was more kind or considerate than she was. Everyone loved her. She and other Natives brought tolerance with them. (Some didn't get the gender equality part. Tolerance? Many still didn't know the meaning of the word.)

Oh, yes, and one more thing. Christian and I had Native blood, yes. We were family with Chitto and his father Harjo, yes. My cousins might not agree, but tradition was that you're part of the tribe if you were born from a member of the tribe. A female Muskogee member has to give birth to the next generation. Grandfather was her son. His son, my father, was not Muskogee. Our mother was not Muskogee either. Neither were Christian and I for the same reason. Got it?

That really wasn't a rabbit, it really is related. It wasn't just running after a random topic.

"Chitto said there were quite a few tribes up here," I signed. "They must have joined together."

We heard the sound of water as Beau got in a tub and sighed with contentment. "My toes are finally getting warm."

"I want warm toes, too," Seth finished undressing. We all did so we could have warm toes.

We had just gotten settled and in the middle of cleaning when Lukus was suddenly there.

"Lukus!" Seth said looking about the room suspiciously, "We might be watched or listened to."

Lukus shook his head, "Not at the moment. I won't allow it." He pointed at Toby, "Toby's right. He's only a quarter Native, but he is a member of the tribe."

"Meaning?" Seth asked.

"He was born a Native. Meaning his mother was born of a Native, but her father was not." I explained looking at Lukus. "That doesn't explain how he could aim lightning from the sky to hit Max wherever he wanted?"

Lukus nodded, "He was able to block us for a while. Ceto got an answer today. His mother is a granddaughter of a very powerful Shaman. His father was a very powerful Druid Mage."

"So," Seth shrugged, "he's a magician."

"Do not minimize this, Seth," Lukus stressed, "It's a talent they have passed down for generations for two or three thousand years! He's a powerful man that can really access the magic."

Suddenly, there were loud splashing sounds coming from Toby's tub. I can only remember one time he'd done this before as he spoke so fast in his sudden excitement his words were...unknown! "...at...ot...aw!" He slapped his own forehead. He was in a tub between Seth and me, and we could just reach an arm each.

"Calm down, Son," Seth urged.

"And slow down," I added. Like I said, he had great peripheral vision so he understood us both, "Say it again."

He sighed, not because we didn't understand, but in frustration that he failed to communicate. So, he went back to signing knowing we would understand that and he could express emotions better. "I knew I'd seen it before once in A'Dore. A year or so ago, Ada and Ana had a professor about different cultures in Europa and Britannia. There was a book on Celtic and Gaelic groups!" Toby had to shake his hands out as he was signing so fast. "It had these illustrations of this..." he struggled to remember and spelled it out, "Tarasque de Noves, it's a Druid Deity that is a lion holding two Human heads. That was hanging around Wakhooha's neck. On his right index finger was a wide silver ring that had Cernunnos, which is a woodland god that is supposed to be very powerful."

"You were staring at him on the trail," Thomas marveled. "You saw that when?"

"Right then," Toby replied verbally.

"How!?" Thomas blurted.

I nodded waving my hand at Thomas, "If your cousin said he saw something. It's true. He sees way more than anyone except for," I shrugged a nod, "maybe God."

"You read my sisters' textbook," Thomas said to confirm.

"Well, no." Toby felt some further explanation was needed, "I didn't read it, I kind of skimmed over a lot of it."

Toby admitted with a look of regret as Thomas just nodded in stunned amazement repeating, "You just sort of skimmed over it."

"Yes," Toby said. "That's why I had trouble remembering it. Skimming isn't that good to remember facts."

"You skimmed over it for only a few seconds and remember THAT!?" Seth asked in disbelief. "You take after him." He pointed at me.

What could I say? Seth's and my son was a genius! A parent could not be more proud!!

Lukus was smiling, too, "And like we said, Wahkooha accesses the magic differently. He can access it, but uses something like we did with the magic when we redid the house in Thorne Valley and it became the new house in Royal Valley. Remember? We used those wands to focus our visions for the house and concentrated the magic."

"We'll never forget that" I assured Lukus.

"Even if a head injury was involved," Seth added, "neither of us could forget that."

I looked over at Seth, "But let's not test that theory." I looked again at Lukus. "He uses these two..." I waved at Toby, "things he said they were, like magic wands?"

Lukus again nodded, "Now, this is key..." he leaned toward us, "only God has ever enchanted objects. The fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the juice from the Forbidden Fruit..."

"Aren't they the same?" Seth asked.

"Yes," I answered quickly, but didn't miss Seth's eye roll.

"I married a priest," Seth moaned.

I sat back, "Oh, God, no!!" I instantly shot back and then grinned. "I studied more than most priests have." I shrugged, "And they're supposed to be celibate. I'm not."

Lukus frowned, but there was humor still in his eyes. "As I was saying, this Tarasque de Noves and ring with Cernunnos have been enchanted for generations!"

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means," Lukus began, "his ancestors have put their ability to access magic in those objects since BEFORE any empire in Greece or Roma. Meaning even with all of Lilith's Children combining our magic, we can't take them off Wahkooha. His magic is very powerful and very different."

"What can we do?" Beau asked.

I was surprised, too. There was no indication that Beau was listening and I scolded myself for assuming he wouldn't understand. His question was proof he did understand.

"Great question," I said to Beau. "How can we make him take them off?"

Lukus nodded, "He never does." This time, there was no chair to slide over like when Demetrius sat. Lukus was sitting down, seeming like he was going to fall flat on his back as nothing but the floor was beneath him. I could see Seth, Thomas, and I were going to stop him, but when he got into what would be a comfortable sitting position in a favored chair, he stopped going anywhere. The man even crossed his legs as men do in a comfortable chair, only...there was NO CHAIR!! Even with all I had seen Demetrius and Dara do, I never saw either of them do THAT!! He was suspended by nothing. I learned never to say anything was impossible, but this...this seemed IMPOSSIBLE!! "I know Demetrius told you how we get instructions from..." he pointed straight up, "Him."

It was a second or two before I regained my voice, "He did," I nodded. "He communicates with a feeling as to what you can do or are not to do."

"That's right," Lukus nodded, "so when I say none of us felt what we did when we asked Him. It was so strong; it was like a shout! YOU have to figure out how to do it."

"That's not all He said," Demetrius said and just walked up. Seth, Toby, and I had seen this before, so we didn't react. Thomas knew about Demetrius, but was shocked. Beau was unaffected because he knew they did magic and wasn't surprised when they used it.

"I was getting to that!" Lukus argued. "You interrupted me."

"We," Demetrius pointed at Lukus and to himself, "are available to do whatever we can to help you."

Lukus shook his head at Demetrius, "The way you said it makes it sound like just the two of us!" He looked at Seth and me, "He means Dara, Ceto, and Martha, too."

"But if your magic doesn't work on him..." Seth began.

"No," Demetrius said, "but it works on everyone else. You know what we won't do."

I nodded, "You won't hurt anyone."

Seth grinned, "But you can certainly scare the Hell out of them!"

"We can," Lukus smiled, "Not Wahkooha, but the other Natives."

"We need to plan what to do." Demetrius agreed. He pointed up. "It seems He wants the Children of Lilith and the Children of Eve have to work together to solve this mess."

"Can we be sure we won't be overheard or watched?" Seth asked.

Lukus smirked, "Just as our magic can't really affect him, his magic can't really affect us." He looked smug as he folded his arms across his chest. "Just call one of our names and we'll make sure he can't and won't."

"But he can affect us," I said solemnly. "Even hurt us."

"We need a good plan," Lukus said.

"Isn't magic..." Seth thought for a word and shrugged, "magic?"

"Well, the magic is just there like the air." Demetrius explained. "How it's used is different. You've experienced three different kinds of magic. Ours, Wakhooha's, and the magic that took your scars away."

"Wasn't that God?" I asked. "Or at least Lilith maybe?"

Both Lukus and Demetrius shrugged, "We still don't know." Demetrius said sadly. "We can't hurt or heal."

"Wait a minute," I held my hand up. "Christ did, but He claimed he was the Son of God, but there were many besides him who healed and caused people to rise from the dead."

Seth nodded with arms folded across his chest, "Yeah, what about that?" He looked at me. "I no longer question what you say is the scriptures. You say it's there, it's there."

I rolled my eyes at Seth, but I knew what he was doing. He kept things light so we wouldn't frighten Toby or Thomas. Who knew with Beau? "Thank you." I looked down at myself and grinned. "We better finish up, my skin's wrinkling. We'll get what we can from Wahkooha so we can plan."

Lukus nodded, "Just say any of our names even in front of Wahkooha. We'll be there."

Demetrius leaned toward me, "You're not alone with this, Son," I saw his face get very serious for the first time I'd ever seen him as he touched my arm, "We won't let any of you get hurt."

"I believe and trust you, Dad," I admitted, "but I don't want anyone hurt in our home countries either."

His jovial face came back, "Then get busy! You ARE pruning up." He turned to Lukus, "Show me that invisible chair thing again. I've landed on my ass every TIME!"

"Practice," Lukus said and they both disappeared. "You'll get it." We heard fading in an unseen distance.

Getting out of the tubs, hair washed and drying with a large cloth around us. We had gotten so warm, the air in the bathroom was cold. We picked up the clothes and whomever touched it, it shrunk or grew to fit. In our hands they did this. It was again deerskin. (If you were a deer around here...wait, if you were a deer you would have left or become part of someone's wardrobe. I know, the Natives wasted nothing, the meat, bones, fat, and skin and thanked the deer for the sacrifice. I didn't have to like it.)

"I wonder if this is what Ella experienced when Dara made her dress?" Seth asked as the shirt he put on grew to fit properly.

"Nah," I shook my head, "This is totally different." I slipped my trousers on and hooked the bone fasteners. "What Dara did for Ella was to allow Ella to go to a formal ball and meet my brother. They met and married. That was about love and happiness. This is showing off."

"Why?" Seth asked.

"He isn't Tawa at all," I said angrily, "other than giving Natives a reason to follow him." I waved at the bathroom, "A modern bathroom? Even more modern than ours. He's not Tawa or any god, but a thief and a conman who wants to control many people. Those attacks were to frighten and weaken any citizen in our kingdoms and demoralize to reduce any resistance."

Thomas finished putting his shirt on and it shrunk to fit him. He was in shape and I knew that was honed, but his adult mass had not developed yet, "What is he talking about when he spoke about purging and cleansing?"

I smiled at them and shrugged, "I'm working on a theory, okay? There's no proof."

"Fear," Beau simply stated.

Again, Beau did process things just fine. He understood what Wahkooha might be trying to do.

I grinned at Beau, "From now on, Beau, you need to talk! You have good insight. You're smart and right. He wants us to be frightened; of his power and of him."

Beau looked away slightly and he blushed at the compliment and a big smile came on his face, "Aw, you know how Creid were before." He even scrapped his moccasin on the floor. It wasn't fake or a put on. He WAS really humble.

I nodded, "I do!"

Seth chuckled, putting a hand on Beau's back in light pat and left it there. He wasn't laughing at Beau. Beau's kind of honest sincerity was delightful. A humble Creid was never considered possible. "When King Yannick arrived the first time in Royal Valley, I was scared to death! Everyone in Blethos and A'Dore knew who you are then and were terrified, all the way up to the two kings!"

"Another difference was motivation," I said. "Dara, Demetrius...Hell, all of them do what they do to selflessly help others. Wahkooha does it or himself."

Seth began to silently sign, "Are you sure no one is listening?"

"If anyone is listening," I said as though it was my idea, not an answer to Seth's question. "Harming any of us would be a mistake. To send us back with tales of your benevolence won't happen if any of us came to harm. Telling everyone how well we were treated, the magic clothing tailoring and hospitality won't happen if something happens. King Christian of A'Dore, King Samuel of Blethos, and King Yannick of Creid know we're here. It will be unfortunate for many here if we don't return."

We stepped back in the corridor and saw the others talking as they waited for us. They were also dressed in deerskin. Even Reese had on a fitting shirt! His bulging muscles were covered and I wondered if more than one deer was used to make it.

"Thank Hvuse," Chitto blurted, "We were planning to come in and see if you drowned!"

Hvuse is the Muskogee name for God. You may say it isn't. Prove that isn't a name he would go by. Hvuse was the father of other gods. He fathered the corn goddess and had the hunting god with her. His daughter!?! Again, no gasping. Remember, Zeus married Hera who was his sister and children together, separate, and even solo! Jupiter and Juno in Italy, but they are the same gods!

"The water was warm!" Seth stated helplessly. We shouldn't be blamed.

"My toes got warm," Beau added.

Max grinned, "That's good." He chuckled, "Mine were, too."

"We only left because our host promised dinner," I patted my stomach, "I'm sure he'll do it, because I'm hungry."

An older man came down the corridor. He looked maybe sixty, but he was still physically fit. He had the traditional long hair, but it was white. He was well dressed in his deerskin clothes, again with a styling from the Europeans on this continent.

"I am Dakotah," the man said with his hands in front of him. "I will take you to Wahkooha."

Chitto cocked his head, "What tribe are you? Lummi? Makah?" They were known to be local tribes.

"I was Kalispel," the man answered, "but now a member of the Wahkooha Tribe."

Okay, that was almost impossible. No Native leaves their tribe he was born into unless there are three reasons. One, they commit a very severe crime (which almost never happens, the grandmothers decide punishment and they don't take it easy on the guilty party). Two, they marry someone into another tribe, but include their tribe with their name. And three, his tribe is eliminated by an attack or natural disaster.

"Can you tell us why?" Chitto asked.

The man had no expression, "It wasn't just my decision. My whole tribe joined this tribe and so did many others from the area."

"Why?" Chitto asked in a tone that was not adversarial or angry.

"It was Tawa's instruction," Dakotah replied simply. "Wahkooha is waiting."

"It would be rude to have our host wait," I said and waved to Dakotah who turned and led the way.

We got to see more of this...palace? Natives didn't have kings, so no palaces. I didn't believe Druids had any either. Celts had ruins, but... The philosophies of both held nature in both Native culture and Druid culture as sacred. That was written by someone in England. Druids didn't write any of their rituals, rites, and traditions down. They were very secretive. Even after the Natives developed a written language, they still sang their history and stories. It was a custom.

We were taken to that big entrance area and went through a door opposite the entrance. It was just a little smaller than the entrance hall with a bright red stone. There was a single chair that wasn't fancy, but it was clearly used when Wahkooha had guests that needed to speak to the leader here. A chair. Natives preferred pillows and cushions. This building lacked the grandness of A'Dore, Blethos, or Cried. It did have that impact on a person coming in for an audience with Wahkooha. Coming into our palaces, the need to impress was used and I saw the effects in people. I had been a little dismissive of Creid's impact at first, but it had a very powerful impression. War. A'Dore and Blethos had the tapestries, sculptures, and paintings. Creid had tapestries of battles, swords, knives, battleaxes, maces, shields and other items on display as art. In their own way, weapons of war IS art. It was later after Yannick and I fought in front of King Mordor and his warriors that I saw some items had very ornate scrolling on handles and at the base of the metal of some swords. Not to mention some artistic etching of runes all the way up on the sword. The shields, too. Tapestries of battles were elegantly displayed.

That was also sort of related to the topic, so not really a rabbit.

I knew about the sweat lodge, longhouse, and other Native structures such as the structure Dyami was in (if you can call a temporary skin covered thing a structure). In spite of what those from Roma who invaded, they did record what they observed Celts and Druids did. In Latin. There was one thing that said it was done by Druids. They seemed to love round structures. There were many stone circles on the British Islands, and two were here on this continent. These extremely ancient, heavy stones weighing tons arranged strategically for the moon and its phases. They say it was a Druid. It was said that it had a great power and was used for unknown reasons.

What did I know? I don't think anyone knew Druids still exist. They shrank from the world, but they still had to be around. We were meeting with one now. He was just one person, but were there more? I didn't know. The Romans and the Church drove them away. Wakhooha's grandfather seemed to be a European man who married his grandmother. A Druid married their daughter and passed his power to Wahkooha. Wakhooha's mother passed her grandfather's abilities as a powerful shaman. His father had taught Wahkooha some. Where were either of his parents now? Did he have siblings? He was alone? We would have to ask.

There were two sets of double doors on either side of the single chair. This was a banquet room with room for several dozen people, but the room was unoccupied by anyone. There were two fireplaces on either side of this banquet hall. A low polished wooden table, set low at the normal level for Natives with large pillows to sit on for diners.

Seth suddenly froze in stride and pointed at a large furry mass lying in front of a fireplaces to the left. It began to move and...I had seen some in the forest areas of A'Dore, but this was huge! The dark black fur on the head and back, lighter grey fur on his legs and underbelly. It was the biggest wolf I had even heard of! Probably half a ton! It stood up on all four legs and his head was still level with Seth's head. It stretched as I had seen dogs do when they woke up. Seth protectively stood in front of Toby, Thomas, and me. Chitto looked stunned and our Creid friends were conditioned to take action and were reaching for swords they were NOT wearing. The wolf yawned and then began to change. It shrunk in places and hind legs changed as it stood on them and his front legs became arms. A fully clothed, except for the feather headdress, Wahkooha stood before us now and there was a smile on his face that had no humor in it. He was an average, white man with black hair cut short. This was clearly a demonstration of power and to show us who we were dealing with. I wasn't impressed. Almost all of us had frowns. Beau was just staring with his eyes and mouth wide open.

"You took so long," Wahkooha said casually, "I got tired and there's nothing warmer than curling up in front of the fireplace. I must have dozed off."

This was on purpose. It probably worked with the other Natives or the others sent to attack our hometowns and the people. Every one of us had seen some spectacular magic for the past few days. Lukus and Demetrius had said his magic was different, but after seeing Demetrius as an avenging angel. This was good magic, but Seth, Toby, and I had seen some amazing magic, too. I was pleased that none of the Creid were moving in surprise or shock. Even Beau, once he knew it was Wahkooha, he was now looking at Wahkooha with a little annoyance.

"Hopefully," Max said just a little less than flippant, "dinner didn't get cold."

There was a table, not a thing was on it. There wasn't any smell of anything cooking, either.

"The hot warming water was soothing," Seth explained. "It was nice to not be cold for a change."

Our reaction, or lack of the expected reaction, registered only slightly...just for a split second on Wakhooha's face. It didn't have the desired effect. He quickly recovered, "No, not at all." He waved his right hand at the table. Now the table was set with steaming bowls of things I didn't know. The smell was there now and very inviting. Individual bowls and spoons were there with napkins. Knowing what was found up here livestock and wildlife wise, it could be many things.

I turned to Seth, Chitto, and Max. "Should we tell him the truth?" I whispered to them and grimaced as I got shrugs as an answer. "Thanks for the input and support," I muttered.

"I thought only Tawa could use that kind of power when he's in you." Chitto waved at the table, "This, the wolf transformation, and the lightning bolt that hit my friend. Tawa is in you now?" He said. It was a challenge. "If that's true, why attack our countries and kill our people? Why this whole cleansing part?"

I walked a little forward toward Wahkooha, "Because it's all him." I pointed at Wahkooha. "There is no Tawa, is there? There never was."

Now Wahkooha was smiling, but very sinister, "You don't believe in Tawa."

"That's not important," I said back. "Whether or not, what I believe doesn't matter to him. If he is or isn't, that belief counts for nothing. I do believe in a higher power, but it isn't you." I said firmly. "There are many ignorant people who aren't intelligent at all. I've known many leaders who kept them that way to make these leaders able to control the masses. We are working to correct that. We have schools for everyone in A'Dore, Blethos, and Creid. And they're learning."

"Erik has argued with priests and won!" Seth said proudly. "He's very smart."

"Thank you, Seth," I said without taking my eyes off Wahkooha. "I told people it was proper and perfectly acceptable to ask as many questions as they could think of. Demand to be shown where anything you are told is true in your life. Find the evidence. I've studied scriptures and what the Church calls the Apocrypha, but there are many other scrolls I'd love to see and study, but the Church guards those carefully. I've even read some of the Torah." I nodded, "You were right. All of us have been touched by the spirits, or rather, we've all seen people who can access the magic." I pointed at the table, "Last night we had dinner created like this was and the cleanup was instant. Again, this morning."

"We slept in tents or whatever created the same way," Max added. "We were comfortable and warm. And when we left, the large campsite was gone as if it was never there."

"Many people believe in superstitions," I nodded. "They believe in things like witches, vampires and werewolves." I shook my head, "I don't. I can't say there aren't any, but I've never seen one or heard from anyone who has."

"I'd like Miss Ceto's Three Sisters Vinson Stew again," Beau rubbed his stomach and licked his lips at the delicious memory.

"In a minute, you ask her," I smiled at him. "But I think you just want to see her again."

Beau blushed, "Sure, she's pretty." He said logically.

"It won't hurt to ask her," Max chuckled at his friend. "If she did it for anyone, I know she'd do it for you." He bumped his shoulder into Beau's arm affectionately.

"What we saw with the wolf is a Druid thing," I looked at Toby, "What did you say it was?"

Toby grinned and began spelling in sign language. That caused Wakhooha's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Oh," I said to Wahkooha as I put my hand on Toby's shoulder, "this is Toby...Tobias really. Seth's and my eldest son. He's a genius and he's also deaf. He speaks with his hands and fingers."

Keeping the fact he could speak now, seemed the prudent thing to do. Toby finished signing to me. "Right," I nodded at what Toby really said, "Cernunnos. He's the Druid deity of the woodlands. It was because of Cernunnos you changed into a wolf. I'm sure you can also do a bear or a mountain lion."

Now, Wahkooha was glaring at us. Mostly at me. No one has dared to challenge Wahkooha.

"I thought Druids followed the phases of the moon religiously," I said and shrugged. "It is part of your religion. From what I've read, werewolves change involuntarily on the night of a full moon." I waved at the wall and to the outdoors, "Tonight's a crescent moon."

"Erik," Seth said, using the tone he used with Dennis when he corrected our youngest son's behavior or giving him instructions. "You know just because it's written doesn't make it true. Perhaps Wahkooha can. We know what is written about Lilith isn't true."

I gave a concurring nod, "You are so right, Seth! God forbid the Church should give an equal voice to women!"

"Who?" Wahkooha asked, baffled. "Lilith?"

"Oh, that's right," I said nodding as I remembered. "You believe in many gods. You are a pagan." Yes, I was condescending. I felt no fear because I knew there were unseen eyes watching us. I had the sworn promise that nothing would happen to us. Could he call lightning while inside? That lightning wasn't all he could do, I was sure. "The leaders of the religion of our home countries didn't like giving women equal status and didn't include many witness testimonies by women so you also don't know about others in our scriptures. They use the scriptures to control us from what we can eat and even who we can love. Are they true?" I shrugged. "There isn't a lot of proof one way or the other, but we've seen people that can perform feats of magic like you."

"Do you think Miss Ceto will bring that stew?" Beau asked me excited.

"Of course, I will." Ceto said and suddenly was there beside Beau. Just as beautiful and again dressed like a Native.

Wahkooha suddenly jumped back after seeing this. It was clear he had never seen anyone do this. Could he?

Ceto smiled at Beau and had to stand on tiptoe to kiss Beau on the cheek, "I will be glad to." She looked at us. "Should I make some of everyone?"

"Who..." Wahkooha began, "What are you?"

"She's Human," Demetrius said, doing his famous stepping out of a solid wall dressed like he normally did. "Doesn't she look Human?"

"I hope the offer to make some for everyone includes us," Lukus said as he and Martha were sitting at the table in higher end clothes.

"I heard it was divine!" Martha said with a big smile. "I'd love to have some."

"After we reset this table," Dara said. She was dressed as she normally always did, in clothes that glittered and sparkled in the light. She looked at Wahkooha, "I'm sure what you were going to give them was delicious, but..." She stretched her hand toward the table and it disappeared. The table, the pillows, and the bowls of steaming food were gone. A new higher table of polished wood was there with chairs! Lukus and Martha looked like they'd been there a while. "I cater to them about their needs, but also to what they are accustomed to." Dara moved her outstretched hand slightly and the table now had properly folded linen napkins, china plates, bowls, sterling silver, and crystal glasses befitting a very formal royal dinner in A'Dore or Blethos.

Demetrius rolled his eyes and looked at Wahkooha, "She always does this. She is overcompensating." He shook his head.

"How is having a proper dinner setting overcompensating!?" Dara argued with her fists resting on her hips.

"Because these are men!" Demetrius defended loudly. "Warriors! They don't want to be concerned about keeping their pinkies up." He waved his hand toward the table and the fancy plates vanished, replaced with large metal plates, on which a large darker metal bowl sat. "They are having stew, woman!" The silver was replaced with big spoons and a knife you could use in a battle with someone else. Large, folded clothes you could bathe with replaced the linen napkins. The delicate crystal glasses were replaced by large metal steins! "THAT is the setting for warriors!" He said in proud satisfaction.

Dara sighed, "Fine." She said giving up. "I try to bring a little culture and class in the lives of these gentlemen..." She muttered.

It wasn't faked, but you knew that. It was also on purpose such as Wakhooha's wolf transformation. They were showing Wahkooha what they could do and who he was up against.

"You can't be Yenaldooshi," Wahkooha said in almost a whisper.

"Those are witches," Chitto translated for us.

"No," Ceto answered knowing what Wahkooha said was. "We're not."

"Are you evil?" Wahkooha asked.

I was stunned by the question. I walked closer to Wahkooha, "Who do you think you are!?" I shouted. "How can YOU ask THEM that question?"

Wahkooha looked at me and looked at me, his face distorted and there was a look I had never seen before. His eyes had the look of madness. "Who am I?" Wahkooha repeated, "Who AM I!? I am god!"

"NO!" I shouted, "YOU'RE NOT!!" I was more than just angry. I was furious. "You sent people to attack people in A'Dore, Blethos, and Creid! People died! Families were torn apart. You attacked my home in Royal Valley! If we hadn't stopped them using a plan by my brilliant son, they would have killed many that I love that are both friends and family."

Wahkooha grabbed my arm, but released it quickly as if my arm scorched him. In that instant, just an instant, I saw a little boy about five or six years old who cried as they covered the body of a woman I knew to be his mother. A man with a black beard touched his shoulder. He knew the man as his father. The image changed and the man was clean shaven talking to the boy who was two years older than when his mother died.

"...Fae people were driven from our home, son," the man told the boy. "People looked at us with fear. They came to our home in Gout Odin. We fled to Pictland." The boy knew these were in northern England and southern Scotland, so I did, too. The word Fae was a recent word addition, as Morgan le Fae was known as a powerful sorceress. (Yes, we love to change the spelling of many things.) "We fled to Meath." That was in Ireland. "They were jealous of our family's power and didn't understand our ways." His father looked very serious. "A group of us came here to the Eastern Shore of the continent, but those from Europa and Britannia soon came wanting us to convert. Many refused and many of us were killed. That was over a thousand years ago."

"What happened to the others?" The boy asked him.

His father sighed sadly, "Many converted and joined the others from Europa and Britannia. My father was chased away and he wound up here." He smiled finally. "These people were open and accepting. They had beliefs similar to our own." He shrugged, "We made our home here." He reached out touching the boy. "You are very special, son. I will continue to teach you our Fae-ways."

The scene changed; it was just a little later. His father was lying with wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding. The Chinook Tribe, which they both belonged to, had been brutally attacked and many warriors were killed or dying. His father had used his power to protect the tribe. We were victorious, but at what cost? His father was dying! The boy watched as his father did something that the boy had never seen! His father slipped off the metal necklace he didn't take off even in the bath. He pulled the ring off his finger that also never came off.

"This isn't..." he father's labored breathing caused difficulty with speech, "...the end." He even smiled, "I'll be back. I don't know when..."

They believed in reincarnation, so his son mourned his father's departure, but knew his father would be back. Not as his father.

"Put these on," his father commanded softly, "and never take them off. Swear it!"

The boy nodded, putting the Tarasque de Noves around his neck. The wide silver Cernunnos ring only fit his right thumb for now, "I swear it."

"Your training...was not completed by me," his father said. "I showed you things you can do." He touched the Tarasque de Noves that dangled. "Don't lose them. Your power will...be greater...now. All your ancestors' power...soon mine will be yours."

This was all so fast! It was quicker than when you drop something and it hits the ground. I was still furious, but I understood now. I had been "shown" things before. Well, the visit with King Mordor was a real visit, I just wasn't physically there, but I saw, heard, and smelled everything! Remember? King Mordor told me about Arthur and Lukus.

When Seth was helped to remember his mother with Lukus' help. I had been holding Seth's hand and I saw what little Seth's, or Crowned Prince Philip's, five-year-old eyes! I experienced Seth's memory and saw, heard, felt, and smelled what he did. I'll never forget that. Lukus also had his fingers on Seth's temples. They were projecting what I saw?

This, however, was also different as I was an observer. I was an independent third party to memories of Wakhooha's life.

"Brathachadh!!" I shouted at Wahkooha who cradled his injured hand against himself. It was in a language I didn't know, but at the moment, I knew it meant he'd committed a serious crime of betrayal to his father and ancestors. It was an ancient form of one of the Irish languages.

Wakhooha's eyes widened and he knew what the word meant. "Your father never wanted this!" I waved at the dining area and beyond. "I'm sorry you lost your mother so early. Several of us did, too! Your father even told you that your training wasn't finished." I shook my head, "but no one else could train you, but the Natives tried using their beliefs." I pointed at Wahkooha, "You know your father was a good man! He used his gifts to help people."

Wahkooha frowned angrily, "I AM helping them!" He waved at the village outside. "They were backward and divided. The Cree attacked without provocation! We couldn't stand against them alone!"

"You brought them together," I said, "but subjugated them! Why attack us? We didn't even know where you were!" I looked back at Demetrius, Dara, and the others here. "I can vouch for every one of these people. They are not evil."

"We just met Martha," Seth chuckled looking at Lukus and his wife. "But she's nice, so I feel confident she's not evil either."

"You have the nerve to ask them if they are evil," I growled. "You most certainly ARE evil!!"

"I do what's necessary!" Wahkooha shouted.

"For you! You lie, you steal, and people are killed!!" I shouted back. "How is that necessary?"

"I haven't stolen anything or killed anyone!!" Wahkooha said angrily and was grabbing me again and again, he let go quickly with a scream of pain. He held his hands out as they shook. Red welts were seen on his hands as he looked at me. I knew they would blister; he was not too badly injured. "What are you??"

"You have stolen these people's trust. That lightning bolt wasn't a freak occurrence. You've done it many times." I said advancing on him, but he was backing up as I did. "I'm an angry man! You are a liar! You are NO god. You are responsible for the death and destruction you ordered whether you were there or not!" I pointed at him. "Take that Tarasque de Noves and that ring off!"

Wahkooha was now panicked, "I can't! By what power do you do this?" He turned and shouted a word I didn't know, but everyone knows when a king calls for his guards. Wahkooha had been so confident, he had not posted any guards in this area.

I waited as two Native warriors came in with leather breastplates on, then two others. It took a few minutes before a dozen men were here. Was it because the warriors took so long, or because I tapped my foot as I wasn't too patient? Both maybe.

"Grab them! These people are Yenaldooshi!" Wahkooha shouted, pointing at us.

These warriors looked hesitant. If we were Yenaldooshi, or witches as Wahkooha said, wasn't he a god? He had power over them. Couldn't Wahkooha stop them? They came and...well Toby was the smallest so a man headed toward Toby. Seth pushed Toby protectively behind him.

"Don't touch my son!" I shouted and even I wasn't prepared for the echoing volume boomed very loudly! No one was going to hurt him or anyone else. All of those with us had no fear of what they saw or heard. No matter who they touched, Creid, Chitto, or Child of Lilith, the Native warriors jerked their hands away just as Wahkooha had done. Their hands were burned.

"That is a lie!" Seth said, "Calling us witches."

I smiled. The Children of Lilith were doing what they said. No one of them would hurt any one of us. I felt power running through me, just as Wahkooha claimed Tawa was doing. "They knew that already." I looked at the Natives. The truth was easy to see in them, "They've known that a while." I cocked my head at the Natives, "Haven't you? But how could they defeat someone that claims to be a god and can will the elements to do what he wants? It would be a suicide that accomplished nothing." I turned back to Wahkooha, "Now, remove it, or we will."

Wahkooha suddenly sprinted for the door. Unlike the Children of Lilith, he couldn't just vanish. He tried the doors realizing they wouldn't open.

"Brothers," Chitto said to the Native warriors, "we are here to put a stop to this. It's all about greed for power and money. Nothing more."

As Wahkooha tried to get away, he was dashing back past me and was suddenly stopped by something no one could see. Something invisible stopped him.

"Take them off," I said again. "Now." My hands went out slightly and I saw a white light appear on Wakhooha's necklace and right forefinger. It would only go so far.

"He needs our help," Demetrius said calmly. Coming up beside me he took my hand, then Dara. "I mean all of us. The Children of Adam and Eve, as well."

One by one we surrounded Wahkooha and I felt even more power. The same sort of white light that Seth had when his scars went away. I wondered if whoever had done that was doing this. The ring and Tarasque de Noves were glowing! Then as the light faded, they disappeared.

Wahkooha grabbed his chest with his left hand and looked at his right hand. He sank to his knees, he suddenly exhausted. Being without the power was making him weak.

I turned to Demetrius, "Thanks for helping. The magic you sent me was amazing!"

Demetrius grinned, "That wasn't us." He shook his head, "You ignore the truth. I told you after the wedding. It could have been you. You are a Son of Adam." He looked at Wahkooha who was rocking and moaning. "Now, I know it was. You cured Seth's scars and you did this. I told you, we can't heal or hurt anybody. We helped you get rid of those things, but that burning was all you!"

The Fae