Travelers

Avalon 3.12: part 2 of 5, Opium Dealers

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

“What kind of a name is Puzziya?” Lincoln asked.

Puzziya spoke over his shoulder from where he was riding behind Lincoln, once they convinced him to get up on the beast. “Hattic?” he said, not sure what he was being asked.

Lockhart helped the man get down. Lincoln turned his head toward Katie and said, “Sounds Hittite?”

“Hattian,” Katie shook her head. “Though it sounds Luwian. The Hattians lived in this land long before the Hittites arrived. The Indo-European peoples are just now moving to the edge of the area, Hittites, Luwians, Hurrians, Mitanni and so on. The Hyskos are being pushed out of southern Syria and Lebanon, like dominoes, but that will all take the next five hundred years or so. The Hattians, or Hattic are the people already in the land, and they refuse to move, so they sort of get absorbed by the Hittites. Some believe the Hittites form a ruling class over top, but then the Luwian language becomes widespread in the south and west of Anatolia and—”Barak Scenery

“We got the picture,” Decker interrupted. “And we got company.”

Men were coming from the huts and buildings on the high ground overlooking the endless poppy field. Puzziya went running to the men and told them all about the beast of Lelwani and the death of Hatusti. He pointed over and over at Alexis, Mingus, Elder Stow and the rest, and no doubt said something about people of power, which the travelers were getting used to.

The inevitable delegation of men came with questions. “Puzziya says you caused the beast of Lelwani to sleep among the poppies, but Puzziya may have been confused. Perhaps it was a simple beast of Inara, lady of Inar. Perhaps an ordinary, hungry wolf?”

“Inara, goddess of the wild animals,” Lincoln read from the database.

“It was neither a creature of Lelwani nor a beast of Inara,” Alexis said. “But a man, who for three nights when the moon is full, becomes a wild and ravenous wolf, driven to kill and eat men.”

“The full moon is tonight,” one of the men spouted, but the first speaker scoffed.

“You speak of a werewolf, but there are no such things, just stories to frighten children. And there are no Were people here.”

“But I saw with my own eyes,” Puzziya defended his story, but the man was not listening. He was already examining the horses and equipment the people carried with his own eyes.

barak puzzy man 5“I am Ulwazzi,” the man said. “Come. The day is hot. You may eat and rest with us this evening, and sleep safe under the moon.” He laughed and led the way to the side of one of the bigger buildings where he suggested they make their camp. There was a pen beside the building which had several horses penned up.

“I don’t know if our big mustangs may hurt their ponies,” Decker said.

“Horse is not one to get along well with others,” Mingus agreed.

“Father, you named your horse?” Alexis asked.

“My horse’s name is horse. That’s it.” Mingus responded grumpily.

“Double watch tonight,” Lockhart decided. “One to watch for the wolf and the other to keep an eye on the horses.”

“Maybe triple watch,” Katie suggested. “The third to watch the camp and our equipment. I didn’t like the way Ulwazzi was looking at our things.”

“Mingus, Roland and Boston, keep your glamours up while we are here.”

“Yes,” Roland said, “And how would he know there are no Were people around here?”barak camp

Lockhart nodded to Katie. “Triple watch,” he said. “Mingus, Roland and Boston watch separately so we have your ears available all through the night.”

“Boss!” Boston objected and grabbed her husband like she did not want to let go.

“Elder Stow, please take the middle watch so we have your scanner available in the night.”

“Would you like me to set a screen around our camp that the wolf cannot break through.”

Lockhart shook his head. “But set one for quick activation, in case we need it.”

“Boss,” Boston came up with her eyes on her amulet. “We got way off track coming here,” she said. “We should be moving in that direction.” she pointed.

“I know. But I figure if this is the night of the moon, it isn’t a matter of if the wolf will come, but when. It has followed us through every time gate, but it has hunted Puzziya, and I imagine it will want to finish that hunt. Wolfy has his scent.”

“You mean Bob,” Boston said. Lockhart looked at Alexis

“Bob,” she said, as if everyone knew it.

“Bob,” Katie said and shrugged.

###

Cooking fire 2

About an hour before sunset, Puzziya was sent to fetch the travelers for a supper made especially for the strangers.

“But I heard talking about your horses, and Ulwazzi was extra interested in the things you call sadlies.”

“Saddles,” Lincoln corrected the man.

Puzziya nodded. “They mean to have them, and I do not know what to do.”

Decker spoke up. “I think Mingus and I may stay and watch things here.”

“Perhaps I should stay,” Elder Stow suggested.

“Elder Stow,” Alexis got his attention. “This may be a chance to have some more vegetables, and a little less meat. I’m looking forward to it.”

Hadj mingus“Can you detect opiates in the food?” Lockhart asked Mingus.

“Yes, what are you suggesting?”

“Nothing, necessarily,” Lockhart said, “But my old police instincts are flaring, like some part of this operation may not be strictly legal.”

As they went inside, Roland asked Decker how Ulwazzi knew anything about saddles.

“Maybe he just saw them and judged their usefulness,” Decker said, and Roland offered a thought.

“We will have to watch that to not mess up history by introducing saddles too soon.”

Decker said nothing. He just checked his rifle.

Inside, Mingus went straight for the table that had been set up. He checked for Opiates by tasting everything. Alexis scolded him, but he said it was the only sure way. The meat and vegetables were fine, he said, but the coarse grained bread was soaked in the stuff. After Mingus tried it, he excused himself and went outside. Alexis got out her wand and a golden mist spread out around the table and settled on the bread.barak puzzy man 3

“So, Ulwazzi, what is the idea?” Lockhart kept his voice calm, while Boston reached into her side pack, around her Beretta, to pull out some bread crackers.

Ulwazzi’s eyes were big on being discovered, and they got even bigger when Boston heated up some water in her hand to turn the crackers into fresh, steaming bread. “I do not understand such things you are doing?” Ulwazzi said, feigning innocence.

The travelers sat while Boston and Alexis made a big plate’s worth of food for Decker and Roland.

“What about Father?” Boston asked.

“He will be busy for a while,” Alexis said, and she tried not to grin. Outside, Mingus was singing away and trying hard to keep his feet from dancing. “Opiates have a strange affect on elves,” she explained. “It liberates that portion of the brain where the music is stored. He should be all right in a few hours.”

“I should have some of that,” Boston said with an elf grin.

“You don’t need it,” Alexis responded with a bit of a grin of her own. “Obviously, you have music in your head all the time without drugs, and dance and wiggle even when there is no music playing.”

Alexis“True,” Boston agreed.

“It wouldn’t be so bad,” Decker said. “If he could carry a tune.”

Alexis got snippy. “Despite the P. R., not all elves are happy-go-lucky little sprites who like to sing and dance at the drop of a hat.”

Roland wisely kept his mouth shut.

************************

Tomorrow, the third post, bringing the first half of the story to a stopping point.  Serious things happen in tomorrows post including the werewolf attack.  Don’t miss it

werewolf 1

Avalon 3.12: The Moon Goes Down, part 1 of 5

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

After 2508 in Eastern Anatolia. Kairos lifetime 45: Barak in the wilderness

Recording …

The night sky was cloud covered so neither the moon nor stars could be seen. The rain was not pouring, but certainly dribbling enough to dampen everyone’s mood. Only Roland and Boston kept smiling. The rest of the group might have imagined there was something about elves that made them immune to the weather, but Mingus was miserable enough.

“You could call this a dark and stormy night,” Roland suggested.

Boston turned her head and shouted. “It was a dark and stormy night.” She giggled while the others moaned, and Mingus came riding back from the point. He stopped beside Lockhart and Katie, but Lincoln and Alexis listened in.Barak dark night 3

“I think the edge of the poppy field is just up ahead. Anyway, there are trees like the edge of a forest.”

“Thank god.” That was the general consensus.

“And for the record,” Mingus continued. “There’s no point in putting my son and that girl up front. They could lead us in circles and not care one bit.” He turned his horse and rode out again to the point, hopefully to find a campsite.

“I bet Roland and Boston would still be smiling, too,” Katie said.

Alexis turned her head. “You mean his son and that girl.”

“I remember,” Lincoln mused. “That girl was a television show back when.” Alexis nodded.

“I’m sorry everyone,” Lockhart spoke up and apologized for the tenth time. “I did not want to camp in the middle of a poppy field, but I never imagined it was the biggest field in recorded history.”

“Somebody call Guinness,” Katie said.

“Are you getting sarcastic because of the rain?” Lockhart asked.

“No, you,” Katie said. “I am learning from you. I am getting to be just like you.” It was hard to tell if she thought that was a good thing or a bad thing.Barak dark night 2

“Not true,” Lockhart objected. “I am getting a lot from you.” Then he did not want to talk about it.

The travelers finally stopped in a clearing just inside the trees. That was still too close to the poppies for Lockhart, but the others assured him the opium was not going to leak out of the plants in the night. “Okay,” Alexis finally could not lie to the man. “I secretes a little liquid at night, but it cannot even be seen unless there is plenty of light, like moonlight.”

“So we should move further away?” Lincoln asked.

“No,” Alexis assured her husband that as long as they stayed out of the field, they would be fine. “I mean, it isn’t airborne. Just don’t wander around the field touching the plants and then licking your fingers. Opiates are basic medical stuff.” She said the last to satisfy how she knew what she was talking about.

“Actually, Opium has already been medical stuff for at least a thousand years, as pain killer and like an anesthetic. Also used by priests in ritual practices, or so the text books say.”

“Doctor Katie, ancient civilizations and technologies,” Lockhart said with a smile

“The plants haven’t had generations of selective breeding, either,” Katie added a bit more to the discussion. “I can’t imagine even in its raw form it is very strong.”

Barak opium“Now, don’t go all twenty-first century know-it-all,” Mingus interrupted. “These people are certainly capable of some selective breeding, especially when there is a good market for the product.”

“A field that size certainly suggests a good market,” Alexis agreed with her father.

“Who would have thunk it,” Decker said. “A bunch of cavemen getting high.”

“Decker!” Several people protested, and Katie tried to straighten out her superior officer.

“There is a twenty-first century know-it-all. We left the stone age almost from the beginning and went through an age of copper and soft metals. Now we are in the bronze age, and we will be for a couple of thousand years, but anyway. The point is these people are hardly stone age cavemen.” Decker put his hands up like he was not going to argue the point, but he pointed at Elder Stow and the Gott-Druk took that as an invitation to speak.

“My people, and the Elenar—especially the Elenar knew all about the poppy seeds in the before time. I also have an historical record of sorts, though it is not detailed and I have already seen where it is quite wrong on several rather important points. Still, assuming it is accurate in this case, we cultivated the poppy’s in the before time and may well have bred them for potency. The opiates affect our physiology the same as they affect any human.”

“Not elves,” Mingus said, and then wanted to take it back.

“How does opium affect elves?” Lincoln was curious, but Mingus shut his mouth, and Alexis showed deference to her father. She would not even tell her husband about Opium and elves.

People began to settle in to sleep. Lockhart called for one person, short watch through the night. He had no reason to believe they were in any particular danger that night, in the rain. He exempted Boston and Roland, who were in their own world and already resting in their tent, as far as anyone knew. Everyone else slept under the tarp they made by splicing their fairy weave tents together, temporarily. They did not need to sleep inside. It was hot out. It had been a warm rain.bonfire

Lockhart was about ready to doze off when he heard shouting out among the poppies. Someone was shouting at them, and drawing closer. Decker had his ever present rifle, but Katie spoke.

“I sense no evil intent.” As an elect, her senses were refined to feel out an enemy miles away. Decker, a trained navy seal had some pretty refined senses as well. All the same, he kept the rifle in his hands. Mingus, the elder elf, settled it.

“I sense fear, overwhelming, and near screaming panic. Even if this one means us harm, he is in no position to do us harm.”

Every eye went up when they heard the great howl of the wolf in the distance. Roland and Boston came out of their tent, rubbing their eyes, and looking like they had not really slept in a week, while Decker spoke.

“I’m guessing the moon is full tonight.” He pointed at the clouds and drizzle of rain.

“But is it the first moon, the middle moon, or the last moon?” Katie asked.

Alexis did not care. She had her wand out and grabbed Roland’s free hand. His other arm was around Boston, to hold her up while she tried to get her eyes open. Elder Stow shot a flare out over the poppies, but the only thing they saw was the man as he burst out of the field and collapsed in front of their fire. Katie and Lockhart went to him, while Alexis began to chant.

Moon 3“Surround, around, and swallow it down…” It was not very good poetry, but easy to understand. She was causing the opiate poppy seeds to be attracted to the wolf and get in its mouth and up its nose. Each verse ended with the refrain, “Sleep, sleep, sleep,” and she was drawing on the magic of Roland and Boston as well as her own. The spell was seriously strong.

They heard a growl in the distance followed by a kind of whimpering howl, and then nothing. Roland and Boston were both asleep by the time Alexis finished. They fell to the ground where they held on to each other. Alexis sat to get her breath as Mingus made a comment for Decker.

“I trust we will be safe tonight.”

“As long as it doesn’t snow,” Decker said, drawing on a childhood memory.

Lincoln, Katie and Lockhart were only then getting some story out of their visitor.

“Hatusti, my friend and I—I am Puzziya—we came out from the camp in the hills to test the poppies in the night under the moon to see if they were ready to harvest.” The man had a scarf over his mouth and nose, and gloves on his hand. “Hatusti was good at knowing such things. But when we got deep into the field and the sun went to rest, the clouds came and it began to rain. The rain was light and not hard, so we prayed to Nerik of the storms and waited, thinking the rain will soon go and the sky will clear. We waited a long time, but the storm god did not answer us.”barakpuzzy man 6

“We were ready to return to the camp in the mountain, when the answer came in the form of the great beast of the mountain, the servant of Lelwani. My friend, Hatusti was taken, and I am ashamed. While Hatusti was being eaten, I ran. I thought of nothing but to run away. I might have run to the end of the world and fallen off the cliff if I did not see your light. I saw your fire. I came to this place. I am ashamed.”

Alexis stood by then and summed up her work. “With a full belly, a sleep spell and plenty of opiate poppy seeds, the wolf will sleep. It will probably wake in the morning when it returns to being a man, but I assume we will be gone by then.”

“Your brother and that girl are back in their tent, asleep,” Mingus said, and to Alexis’ look, he added, “I should have left the girl out in the dirt.” He turned his back on everyone, lest they see the lie in his face. He dragged Roland into the tent and carried Boston gently to lay her beside his son. Decker and Elder Stow saw, and though Decker would never say anything, Elder Stow let out his full grin and said, “Family.”

************************

Be sure and check in tomorrow for the second post in Avalon, episode 3.12, The Moon Goes Down

moon 4

Avalon 3.11: part 5 of 5, Wedding Day

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Hathor sat in the front on the aisle next to Teti, Anak, and Mother Nephthys. Mingus sat beside Nephthys and left a seat empty for Decker, the best man, if he should need it. That was on the groom’s side Horus sat on the other side of the aisle next to his friends Lockhart and Katie, with Sakhmet squeezed between them on the bride’s side. Lincoln was beside Katie and had a seat open for the maid of honor, Alexis, if she wanted it. Everyone else, gods and little spirits, sat behind.Teti wedding 3

They waited until sundown for the ceremony so the dark elves and others could join in the festivities. That was not a problem, because it took all day to shape Boston’s fairy weave into a bridal gown she liked. Hathor kept trying to change the color to pink because it matched Boston’s red hair so well. Teti finally explained that white was traditional, and let Hathor read a small bit of her mind concerning the matter. Hathor’s eyes got big and said, “Oh,” more than once. Teti could not swear that Hathor did not see more than Teti intended.

Finally, Boston had her flowers and said she was ready. They only had to tell her she was beautiful for the millionth time.

Elder Stow acted as usher, and when they were ready, he went to sit behind Horus. Lenanni and Mia got to be the flower girls. They joined Elder Stow on the bride’s side where Kotemmi, now cured, watched them. The priestess of Mehit helped, a lovely girl who kept glancing at Sakhmet and for some reason could not stop crying.

Teti makeup 1Ankar was the ring bearer, and he made Koteph walk for one of the few times in his five years of life. They sat behind Teti on the groom’s side where Kidrash and her husband corralled them with their own children.

Decker was good and hardly complained. He only once suggested that Roland was doomed, and otherwise stood at his military best, in his fairy weave imitation full dress marine uniform with his gold leafs proudly on display. Roland, beside him, kept nervously fiddling with the bow tie on his fairy weave tux.

Roland almost lost it when Isis came at sundown. She walked from behind to not cause a scene, and stood facing the congregation at the very front. She looked about thirty-five or so, a mature woman, but she could not help appearing supremely beautiful and supremely powerful. Hathor was a beauty beyond reckoning, but it was easy to see where she got her looks. Teti wondered how they might look side by side, mother and daughter, if they both appeared to be twenty-five or so. Then she figured Aunt Isis put on a few years because of the stress over caring for Osiris.

By contrast, Mother Nephthys made herself appear more like a fifty-year-old. “Mother?” Teti started to speak, but Nephthys hushed her, and then knowing her daughter’s mind, said, “I am just the right age for a grandmother. Hush.”Teti wedding 2

Lincoln pulled out the database and started the wedding march music. Alexis walked in, slowly, while everyone stood. Boston came after, with Lockhart to give her away. Mother Nephthys started to cry, and Teti almost joined her, but then Lockhart kissed Boston on the forehead and put her in Roland’s hands and sat. Roland and Boston knelt before the goddess, and everyone else sat and quieted.

“We are gathered here today … “ Isis began, and did a perfect job, of course. Thoth even praised the little sermon and said it was succinct and not one word too many. When she got to the part that said, “Do you Roland—“ Roland interrupted.

“I do.”

“And do you Mary Riley—”

“I do,” Boston said.

###

Teti wedding 1That evening, Teti explained to the women, even while they were going back for seconds on cake, that the wine was a gift from Silenus, “For that red headed girl that he liked so much.” Roland and Boston made their way to the hastily erected hut out in the field the travelers had crossed four days earlier. It would be their honeymoon suite, and they were very happy, but first they were interrupted by an apparition.

“The wraith,” Roland said as he went to stand in front of Boston. “From Tetamon’s days.”

“Can’t be,” Boston said, but she tried to see over Roland’s shoulder.

“You are mine, little spirits of life,” the wraith said in her glee filed, but frightening voice. “I waited for your happy day.” The wraith cackled and began to suck out their life and joy like a dementor straight from Azkaban It did not get far before forty pounds of wildcat let out a roar much bigger than its size would Teti Bast 4suggest. A moment later, a streak of white light came racing across the fields.

The wraith looked at the cat and knew it was in trouble. Then it saw what the white light represented and it let out a high pitched wail. The people at the reception looked up at the roar, The wail woke those who left the reception to go to bed.

Suddenly, there were gods and goddesses all over the front of the honeymoon house yard, but the wraith was fleeing for its life across the wastes, headed for the desert where it might find a place to hide.Teti unicorn

“Like Mut,” Boston said. “It was so focused on getting us alone, it had no idea what was actually going on here.” Then she turned to the unicorn, glowing as bright as ever. It tapped its front hooves three time in the dirt, while several young goddesses gushed over the creature. “Goodbye,” Boston said, and felt very sad, while the unicorn reared up and took off back across the field. Boston looked at the gods and goddesses, and especially Ma’at, who caught the bouquet, and confessed that she wished Thoth might notice her some day. Boston did not know, but she saw that Katie had to hold her tongue. “Good-bye,” she said to them all. “Thank you for coming,” and then her mouth got busy kissing Roland, and they went over the threshold and closed the door.

Bast, the wildcat laid down on the doorstep to be sure they were not disturbed in the night.

Teti Bast 3Back at the reception, Decker asked. “So we get to leave in the morning?”

“Dear, no,” Mother Nephthys said. “Give them a few days at least.”

“How about a week?” Alexis asked.

“How about a few days,” Mingus said then he shook a finger at his daughter. “You could learn from your brother. You might have married one of your own kind.”

Alexis looked at Lincoln and he shook his head. “I would not make a good elf,” he admitted, and was a bit put off with the speed with which everyone agreed with him, especially Mingus.

************************

Be sure and return next Monday for the final episode in Avalon, season three: episode 3.12 The Moon Goes Down.

moon 5

Avalon 3.11: part 4 of 5, Preparations

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

“Lady Mut, they are here,” Kotemmi said, and Sakhmet took to the air. She grabbed Alexis and Katie and raced for the door. Teti also rose up, caught Boston around the waist and told Kidrash to grab on to her free hand. They got half-way to the outside when Sakhmet came back in to snatch Kidrash.

Teti Mut 1Then Mut appeared, and the great stone doors of her sister’s temple slammed shut, but Boston was facing the rear, and with her head now cleared, she let her magic out. Every torch and candle in the place flared, and the braziers exploded. Teti also blew on the doors and they dropped like they were hit with a battering ram. Sakhmet got out first, but Teti also made it to the outside as Mut looked confused with the fireworks and temporary hurricane force wind.

Teti landed on her feet, moaned, and held her tummy like she pulled a muscle. Alexis ran to her, but Mut came to the door of the temple and opened her mouth. Whatever she had in mind to speak was drowned out by the lion’s roar. Sakhmet was in danger of losing it. Katie had been hurt and Sakhmet loved her adopted mother that much.

“Mehit. You and I have no quarrel,” Mut said. “It is these interlopers from time and this Kairos that must be removed.”

“And who told you that?” Katie asked, feeling somewhat recovered. She was concerned to keep Sakhmet from overreacting and reached out to stroke the lion’s fur. No one had been seriously hurt, yet, and Kidrash was doing a good job keeping the people back.egypt lioness

Mut ignored Katie and could not help wagging her tongue at Sakhmet. “Fine guards you have at your temple. They were so easily manipulated.”

Sakhmet turned again into a woman when Katie stroked her fur, but she had something to say. “I should have eaten them.”

“Woman.” there was an interruption. A distinguished looking gentleman stepped around the corner and there was fire in his eyes. “You are so involved in yourself, you have no idea what is happening here.”

Mut looked at the speaker, but mostly looked puzzled.

“I have come for a wedding,” the man said. “And your sister, whose temple you have violated, has come with me.” Nut appeared beside the gentleman and tapped her foot in disapproval.

“As have we,” a young man added and he came around the side of a building with the most beautiful young woman anyone might imagine. The young man straightened his glasses as he looked at the gentleman, and Mut opened her mouth as wide as the temple door, but said nothing.

“Son, do you have something to tell her first?” the gentleman asked.

“Yes. These travelers out of time are permitted to travel anywhere in our lands where their travels may take them, and you are not to interfere. In fact, the least hint or thought that you may interfere will be held in judgment against you, even forever. I have decreed.”

Teti Mut 2“Now, woman,” the gentleman spoke again after giving Nut a look of reassurance. “Go home.” Mut closed her mouth with a “clack” of her teeth. “I am not telling or debating or any such thing. I am saying, go home and be there when I arrive.” He waved his hand and Mut vanished. The people watching did not imagine she had any choice in the matter.

Kotemmi took that moment to stagger out from inside the temple. Her hair bun was collapsed, her dress covered with soot and ash, and she looked totally dazed and confused. She caught a glimpse of Nut, her true goddess, and fainted.

“Papi Amun, I am so gad you could come,” Teti said as the gods came to her. “Horus the brave, please do not frighten the men with your strength.” Horus pushed his glasses up and chuckled. “Cousin.” Teti reached out for the woman, and Boston stared at the woman, dumbfounded by her beauty. But Alexis was preoccupied and spoke.

“Teti needs to be home in her bed. She stressed herself badly saving us, and needs time to heal. I think the baby is all right.”

“The baby is fine,” the woman said in a voice as beautiful as the rest of her, and they all found themselves in Teti’s greatly expanded room, and Teti on her wonderfully improved bed.

“Cousin,” Teti reached for the woman’s hand. “Let me tell you about washers and dryers.”

###

Teti party 2Anak kept saying this was the best dream he ever had. Lockhart and Lincoln agreed, but they pointed a lot and tried to remember all the names. Most were little ones—elves, dwarfs, a few dark elves and the like, but some were lesser spirits and some were gods, disguised as well as the gods could disguise themselves. Horus did well blending into the travelers, but with his glasses, he was a natural, while at the same time, those who knew about glasses did not doubt who he was.

“I must say,” Horus spoke as he clapped along. “Teti’s little ones make wonderful music.”

“They do,” Lincoln agreed. “Even if I don’t recognize any of the instruments.”

“Katie could name them,” Lockhart said, and Lincoln and Horus looked at the man and both secretly agreed that he was next.

“Over here.” the men looked up to where Decker was guiding Elder Stow to a seat.

“My father,” Elder Stow shouted and waved at Lockhart when he got close. “I shpoke with the Lady Nephthys. She shaid I could have a beer without a hangover.”

“Very good,” Lockhart said.Stow 3

“How much has he had?” Lincoln asked

“Just the one cup,” Decker said “As far as I know.”

“Sh-good,” Elder Stow grinned a grin as wide as his Neanderthal face. “Shis very good.” Then the others had to catch him as he fell over and began to snore. They laid him out and the musicians came over to incorporate his regular snoring in their songs.

Once seated again, Decker added his thought. “I heard three lovely ladies are going to dance for us.” He did his best to remember the names. “Neith, Wadjet, and her sister.” He snapped his fingers before he came up with the name, “Nekhbet, or something like that. Do you know them?”

“All warrior women,” Horus nodded.

“I got that impression,” Decker said, and he sounded interested.

Horus pushed up his glasses and looked at the man. “Neith is the ancient goddess, and as far as I know she is asexual, and doesn’t care about that sort of thing. Wadjet is the cobra of the delta and moves well, maybe slithers well, but she is seriously gay. Nekhbet is the vulture who likes her dead meat well aged, but I hear she goes both ways if you are interested.”

###

Teti party 1“I wonder what the men are doing,” Boston craned her neck toward the back as if somehow she could look through the wall to the outside.

“Now it starts,” Teti said with a grin.

“You will wonder that your whole married life,” Alexis said.

“That’s all they talked about the last bridal shower I went to,” Katie agreed.

“Men!” the dwarf queen said in a voice that made the others laugh.

“Here they are, fresh from the oven,” Hathor said, as she and Nephthys came in carrying trays full of food, and everyone went straight for the brownies.

“Wherever did you discover this marvelous chocolate, the elf queen asked, and the fairy queen, the goblin queen, Serket and Seshat agreed.

“Not to mention the sugar,” Alexis added.

“Trade secret I’m afraid,” Teti said, and everyone knew that meant not to pry into the business of the Kairos. “But for Boston, I thought a little taste of home might be nice.”Teti a2

“Won’t your mother be surprised when you bring home a husband,” Nephthys said sweetly.

Hathor nodded and added a thought. “You would think her daughter becoming an elf would be enough to get used to.”

“I’m practicing my glamours to appear human, like I used to look,” Boston said, and craned her neck again to say she really did wonder what the men were doing.

Avalon 3.11: part 3 of 5, Red and Yellow Hair

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

In the morning, Teti, Katie, Sakhmet, Boston, and Alexis headed for town to shop. There was not much to get, and not really any shops to speak of. There were workers in wood, clay, and metal, but nothing that would transfer well into the future, unless they could find something in gold or silver. Sadly, Thinis had to import everything metal, and that was mostly copper and a crude sort of bronze.

To be honest, most people made what they needed for themselves, or with the help of neighbors, and shortly the shopping trip became a time for visiting Teti’s friends, old and new. Kidrash, the fisherman’s wife, was one of her oldest and dearest friends. Kotemmi was another.

“But she gave herself to the temple of Nut, goddess of the sky, who was once married to Geb, the earth, and whose sister Mut is supposedly married to Amun, but is not so secretly sleeping with Set for the past five hundred or so years,” Teti explained.Teti market 5

“Horus kicked Set out of the two lands some time ago,” Sakhmet said, happily.

“You mean, glasses?” Alexis asked, and she put her hand to her face to show what she meant.

“That’s the one,” Sakhmet confirmed and Boston giggled as Alexis dragged Boston to look at the linen, mostly white, which was used for clothes, sails, blankets, doors and windows, and almost everything.

“I swear,” Kidrash said as they stopped to wait. “Teti, you were irreverent as a child and you haven’t grown one bit.”

“I am,” Teti nodded. “But it is hard, sometimes, given the company.” She nudged Sakhmet and Sakhmet nodded, vigorously.

“Sakhmetet,” Kidrash rolled her eyes and called the girl as she knew her to be Teti’s cousin from Abydos. She scolded them as if they were making a joke, and nudged Teti.. “Your cousin is as bad as you,” she said. “Just don’t be that way around Kotemmi. She takes her worship seriously.”

“So do most of the gods,” Teti admitted. “But sometimes it is all too serious for me. My father, one of them anyway,” Teti winked at Katie. “He said life is too important to be taken seriously.”

Teti guardThey all had to think about that for a minute, while they fingered what vegetables were in the market. Boston screamed. Alexis threw her arm out to protect Boston, but the three big men had spears and were not inclined to stop.

“Red hair. I wonder if it is red everywhere,” one man said

Katie said something else. “Stay here,” and she meant it.

One kick to the knee, and Katie put the first man down, possibly with a broken knee. The second one was quick. He poked at her with his spear, but she dodged and grabbed the shaft, stepped in, while her foot found his middle. He let out a great “Oof,” and she doubled the affect by ramming the butt end of his own spear into his stomach. Then she twisted the weapon to block the third man’s spear.

The man paused. Katie said, “Run,” and the man did as some of the men in the market came up to grab the two on the ground and chase the third.

Sakhmet ran up and threw her arms around Katie, and praised her to no end. They were both happy until one of the men in the market mentioned that the disruptive element were guards from the temple of Mehit, the lion goddess.

“Mine?” Sakhmet got mad, and would have said much more and done who knows what if Katie had not hushed her and calmed her down.

###

Boston 7When they arrived at the temple of Nut, Kotemmi came out to greet them. “Priestess,” Kidrash bowed. The others said hello, but minded their own business, except Sakhmet, who peeked over Kotemmi’s shoulder in an effort to see the temple inside.

“Red and Yellow hair,” Kotemmi said in a suspicious voice. “People told me, but I would not believe it until I saw with my own eyes.” Teti and Katie at least wondered what Kotemmi was suspicious about. Boston modeled her head.Katie 3

“And it is really red,” she said, knowing the rest of her appearance was a glamour imitating humanity.

“Don’t push it,” Alexis said an aside while Sakhmet all but leaned into the temple.

“So how is Nut’s sister, Mut these days, if you know?” she asked. “Most of us don’t get to see her much since she has been skipping down to Kush and Nubia to visit, you-know-who.” Kotemmi raised both eyebrows as she tried to make sense of what Sakhmet was saying. She was about to respond, when another priestess came and whispered in her ear.

“But come. Everything is prepared,” Kotemmi said, and they followed her into the dark.

Teti templeTeti took a good look at the candles, torches and braziers that gave light to the stifling gloom of the temple, and she wondered why the sky goddess didn’t have the roof removed to present herself. She supposed it would ruin all the food laid out on the altar if it ever rained. Teti caught the chanting from somewhere in a room behind the altar, and thought nothing of it. It was what priestesses did, but then Katie went stiff and her eyes glazed over. Boston fought it and let out a sharp sound. Sakhmet looked up from where Kotemmi was kneeling in front of a big statue meant to represent the goddess, Nut. It was like Sakhmet was preoccupied with trying to figure out how the sculptor got it all wrong. And Alexis moved.

With her wand in hand, Alexis stepped behind the altar and shot something into the back room. The sound from there became a muffled protest, like the woman’s tongue was glued to the teeth and the lips were glued shut. Then things got serious.

************************

The second half of Avalon, episode 3.11 will post on Monday and Tuesday of next week.  Don’t miss it, the Festival of Marriage.

Teti wedding 4

Avalon 3.11: part 2 of 5, Evening

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Two hours later, the travelers came to her front yard. Teti went out to face them, and she caused them to stop and face her. Her hand was still up to shade her eyes, and with her other hand on her hip, she spoke sharply. “Who are you to tromp across my fields on great, unclean beasts.

“Simple travelers,” Mingus said. “Please forgive our ignorance.”

“And a fine looking young couple traveling with you. Are you married?”

“Not yet,” Boston lamented.

“Well, you should be,” Teti said with a grin against the sun. “Maybe we can work something out while you are here.” Before anyone could respond, the others caught up. “Great! How do you expect me to get any grain at all out of that field with you tromping all over it?”Teti a1

“We are very sorry,” Alexis apologized as Decker came in from the wing to where everyone had stopped.

“We are looking for a woman named Teti,” Lincoln said, and added an aside for the others. “Teti is normally a man’s name. The woman should be Tetifer or something.”

“I know who you mean. The lion killer, or maybe the peacemaker if she is around to overhear.”

“Yes, that’s her,” Lincoln said, but he checked the database to be triple sure.

“Does your village have a name?” Katie asked to be polite when the woman blocking their way looked like she was not going to say where they could find Teti.

“Thinis,” Teti answered. “That ridge you came over is full of graves. The great god of war, Anhur is buried there. So is Narmer, the first ruler of the two lands, and many Pharaohs who came after. In the village you will find the temple of Anhur as well as the shrine of Sakhmet, the lion goddess we call Mehit. Perhaps you intend to go and pay your respects?”

“Thinis,” Katie breathed the name deeply. “A city lost in legend.”

“It would be good to see our Sakhmet again,” Lockhart was on a different track.

“Beauty. Love.” Anak came up from the river when he saw the travelers stop at the house. “Welcome friends,” he said as he went to Teti and slipped his arm protectively around her. Mother Nephthys chose that moment to stick her head out the door. little Mia holding her dress.Teti fam 1

“Tell your friends there is room in the barn for their horses and plenty for supper. Come on in.”

“Anak, my husband,” Teti said. “Allow me to introduce my friends. The three elves in front are Mingus, Boston and Roland. The humans behind them are Major Decker, Captain Katie Harper, Lockhart, Alexis and Lincoln. The floating old one is Elder Stow. They are friends from the far future.”

“Forgive my wife,” Anak said. “She sometimes says things that make little sense.”

The travelers smiled and Lockhart spoke up. “But that is the charm,” he said.

“I knew it,” Boston shouted. She got down and ran up, but then paused before she gave Teti a gentle hug around the baby. Teti smiled for her.

“Let us get you married,” Teti said. “Then maybe you can get in this condition.”

Boston looked at Roland and disguised nothing in her look. “Oh, I hope so,” she said.

###

Teti night 2After a fine supper of beef, onion and local bread, Teti and Nephthys excused themselves to put the children to bed. Ankar wanted to stay up, but he was nine, and told their visitors would still be there in the morning. Lenanni wanted to stay up when Ankar protested, but she was glad enough to go to bed. Koteph was half-asleep during supper, and Mia was young enough to still be good. With that, it did not take long to tuck them all in and then Teti turned to her mother with a question.

“Do you think your sister might be wiling to marry young Boston and Roland?”

“Elves have their own ways. It is not generally so formal,” Nephthys responded.

“I know, but Boston has not been an elf for very long. She was raised human and still has human memories and some human dreams.”

“Yes, I know. Roman Catholic. White dresses and flowers and rings.”

Teti paused and tapped her cheek. “I suppose we should have a bridal shower first. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after to have a day to prepare. Then the wedding the next day, unless the men throw Roland a bachelor party. They may need a day to recover.”

“There is a lot to be said for eloping, the way elves usually do it.” Mother Nephthys said, but she smiled. “In the future, people make everything so complicated, but I am looking forward to it.”

“Good. But what can I possibly give her for her shower?”

Mother Nephthys patted her daughter’s hand gently. “You have already given her Roland. Let that be enough.”sakhmet 1

Teti nodded, but still she tried to think of something as they rejoined the others. There was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Anak stood, and as a kindness to him, it never occurred to him how his small house became big enough for all of those people to be there, comfortably. “Can I help you?” He asked.

“I came to see my mom and dad,” the woman at the door said. Anak stepped aside and the woman came in and immediately squeezed herself between Lockhart and Katie. “So when are you two going to finally get married?” the woman asked. Katie and Lockhart passed a glance over the woman’s head and then gave her a loving hug and squeeze. Sakhmet found some tears.

Avalon 3.10: part 2 of 5, Gathering Friends

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Decker and Katie had their rifles out and had taken up positions where they could get a bead on the transport. Roland had his bow and his last arrow ready, and Boston had her Beretta, sat beside him, and spent the whole time smiling at Roland and not paying any attention to what was happening. Lincoln and Alexis stayed back with the horses, while Lockhart crawled forward to look. He had his shotgun cradled in his arms, just in case.

“Hello?” Elder Stow inched forward. “Are you there? Can I help?” Elder Stow took two more steps and stopped again. “Is anyone alive?” Lincoln had assure him that the Gott-Druk and the Elenar were both Neutral in this portion of the war. It was the Pendratti fighting the Sevarese and Bluebloods, and some others, though only those three tended to visit Earth. And the occasional Marzalotipan, of course, who took everyone’s side as long as there was a profit to be made. “Hello?” he called again as he got close to the open door. He could not tell if the door opened in the crash or got opened by someone still alive inside. Then he heard a voice.

“Gott-Druk. Why should you help?”

“I have friends. One human is a great healer. We saw the battle above and wondered if there were survivors and if we could help.”

“Why should humans help us?”UFO crashed

“It is their way,” Elder Stow said, frankly. “I understand it is not the way of the Pendratti.” Indeed, Alexis explained that the Pendratti sought to control space and force all other, what they imagined, were lesser creatures to serve them. They would no more reach out to help a lesser creature in distress than a lioness might reach out to help an injured gazelle. “It is not the way of the Gott-Druk, but humans are strange. They claim to hate to see anyone suffer.”

“This is known,” the Pendratti voice admitted. “We will be out, over my ruler’s objections, if you may help her.”

Elder Stow stepped back as a lizard man helped a lizard woman walk stiffly from the wreck. The male looked unhurt, but the female was bleeding from several places, a thick, brownish green puss.

###

“It’s a bird,” Ibin el-Wadi expressed his surprise.

“Bird-like,” Hadj agreed. The Marzilotipan had arms that were wing-like, but not wings enough to fly. It wore a kind of pants, but mostly it was covered by feathers in a variety of colors. The female wore nothing but feathers, mostly brown and green, so it took some deductive reasoning to figure out she was a she. They both had beaks for a nose, but with puffy, though relatively normal lower lips. And they both looked out from behind sharp green eyes, ready to deal with whatever came their way.

UFO Birdman 5“Those are fine looking beasts, but maybe not the most comfortable to ride,” the male said. “I have an old, but serviceable Gott-Druk ground transport which would serve you well, and I might let it go for, say, three of the beasts.”

“The camels are not for sale,” Hadj said as he looked back at the camp being pitched under the shelter of the big ship.

“Then perhaps the horse? I believe that is the name of the beast, and it appears to be a fine looking animal,”

“No horses,” Mingus said, and sounded a bit possessive.

“You have names?” Hadj asked. He settled on calling the male Reglala and the female Ouklee. That was about all he could get his tongue around. Then he explained. “Your system files should state clearly that this planet is off limits.”

“Yes, yes.” Reglala agreed. “But we saw Sevarese chasing the Pendratti to this place and thought they would surely fight and we could pick up the salvage. We mean to help keep the planet clean of outsiders, not interfere with anything.”

Hadj looked at Mingus who offered his opinion. “A finely crafted excuse.”

Hadj looked at Ibin el-Wadi, but the old Bedou did not speak Marzalotipan five, the trade language, so he had no idea what was being said.

“I’ll think about it,” Hadj said. “Meanwhile, I am waiting for my friends. Maybe you can make a deal with them when they arrive.” He turned his three to the camp, and got down from his camel in time to kiss his wife Ishitak and scold his son, Jaral.

###

The Travelers approached the Marzalotipan ship without concern. The Marzalotipan were only Avalon Travelersaggressive in sales, not in war. They had Commander Slurpee, as Boston dubbed her, up on a stretcher, pulled by Lincoln’s horse and held aloft by Eder Stow’s anti-gravity device. Alexis rode beside her patient, but Elder Stow had to walk with the other Pendratti, a young one Lockhart called Commander Cody. Naturally, Katie had no idea who he was referring to, but at least she knew what a hot rod was.

“As bad as Marzalotipan screeches, honks and oogles may be, I think Pendratti-reptilian guttural tongue slurping is worse,” Lockhart concluded.

“Yes,” Katie agreed, but her eyes were straight ahead. “Looks like someone got here first.”

Three men stepped out from the human camp, and Boston had already abandoned Honey and was running like a flash. Roland had to give Lincoln his and Boston’s leads before he could chase after her.

“Father Mingus,” Boston Shrieked and threw her arms around him. “Oh, I am so happy,”

Mingus hardly knew what to do or say. He almost smiled, but refrained.

“Lockhart,” one of the men waved. “I see you brought a friend and a passenger.

When Lincoln arrived, dragging the three horses, he spoke before Lockhart could answer. “Hadj?”

Hadj wife 1“And Ibin el-Wadi.” He introduced the third member of the group. Of course, they all knew Mingus.

“Father,” Roland said, formally, while Boston let go and turned toward Hadj. She looked down and turned the toe of her right shoe in the dirt until Hadj smiled and opened his arms.

“I hug,” he said, and she flew into those open arms. “I better know how to hug. I have three wives.”

Boston just said, “I am so happy.”

“The friend is Cody?”   Elder Stow and the Pendratti both looked at Lockhart for confirmation, so he explained.

“I was thinking one of the lost planet airmen, but no one gets it.”

“The passenger, as you say,” Alexis interrupted. “Her name is Slurpee. Thank Boston for the name.”

“Welcome. Welcome one and all,” Reglala the Marzalotipan opened his arms as well. “I have a dermal regenerator brought all the way from the galactic rim and the planet of the Hongouree,” Ouklee said and pointed to a big machine on the open platform set up in front of the ship. “Of course, the Hongouree are amphibious, but theoretically it should work.”

UFO Birdman 6“No guarantees,” Lincoln said.

“As is,” Lockhart said at the same time.

“Use at your own risk,” Katie added.

“Alexis,” Roland looked at her. “Aren’t you going to say something to your father?”

“I’m thinking about it,” Alexis said. “But I am happy for you and Boston.” She got down from her horse. Cody and Elder Stow had her patient down on the ground.

Avalon 3.0: part 4 of 4 A New Beginning

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Junior sat down to watch the newly created Niudim eat. He was trying to discern certain more subtle aspects of his making when Lockhart interrupted.

“So where did the imps go?”

Junior nodded and left off his examination to answer. “The Mojave on the other side of the world where the goddess will never find them. The plan might not work, but at least they will be safe.”

“That’s it? You just sent them off?” Lincoln wondered.

“No.” Junior shook his head. “I gave them a lovely thatched roofed house with roses of the desert in their garden and a big pen full of buffalo and big horn sheep and other animals native to that part of the world.”

‘Sounds lovely,” Katie said.

Junior smiled for the first time and it warmed the hearts of everyone present. “Truth is they will eat through that food in a couple of weeks and probably accidentally burn the house down. Then they will be right back to their same old tricks, make a golem out of buffalo hide, and send him into the nearest village to beg, borrow or steal whatever is edible.”

hole in the earth“And what will you and Mister Bacon be doing?” Decker asked.

“We will head down into the underworld this evening at sundown. It would be better if you were not around for that.”

Lincoln shivered. “I can’t imagine not being afraid.”

Junior shook his head. “The Kairos has access to all the underworlds. I have little ones who work down below. I can go down and back up by pledge of all the gods and Hades, Erishkegal and even Hellas have no right or power to prevent me. I also happen to be immune to the food of the dead. A precaution I think, but then I am also immune to ambrosia, the divine nectar, the apples of youth, and of course fairy food.” Junior sighed.

Lockhart looked at Junior for a moment as if trying to figure out something in his own head before he moved. He could not guess, whatever it was, so he spoke. “Okay people, lets pack it up and see how far we can get in daylight.”

Junior and Niudim waved until the travelers were out of sight. The Travelers returned the sentiment, but it was not long before they were beyond of the only source of love in that world. The group moved mostly in silence. When they spoke, it was cordial. They were all trying hard to remember their true feelings, even if they were not feeling that way at the moment.

The sun seemed to take forever to set over that flat land of grass and sand. It was Lincoln who finally came to name the land the desert of Arabia. They were in the Middle East, but a long way from the Tigris and Euphrates. Fortunately, Junior made sure their water skins and canteens were full before they left.

Roland did not have to go far to find a gazelle that appeared to want to be taken for supper. There was also wood in the area for the fire, though no one could imagine where it came from. The animal was cut and cooked, and people ate their fill and drank sparingly from their water. When each person laid down to sleep, Katie started it all.

“Lockhart,” she said. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he responded, and they both turned on their sides, away from each other and not near enough to touch,

“Roland,” Boston spoke up. “I do love you.”

“I know, and I love you too,” Roland responded.

“I know,” Boston said and she took a minute to fluff her makeshift pillow.

Alexis turned to Lincoln and risked touching him. Lincoln faced her and spoke. “I love you too. I followed you to the end of the world, or the beginning of the world as the case may be because I did not want to live without you.”

“I know,” Alexis echoed Boston’s word. “I’m glad, and I love you too.” She turned over and tried to get comfortable on that hot and sweaty night.

The whole group was up in the early light before dawn. “We better move before the day gets too hot horses in the nightagain,” Lockhart said. No one said they agreed. They just went about saddling up and preparing to go.

All that long day was spent in silence, especially when the blazing sun forced them to walk and walk their horses. There was only one brief conversation between Elder Stow and Decker, the two who were unencumbered with immediate concerns about love.

“I do not understand these people,” Elder Stow said. “My people were made to live in just these sorts of small groups. Relationships are encouraged, but so often these appear reluctant, especially among the mother and father of the group.”

“In our tradition relationships are discouraged because they can so easily distract from readiness and from the mission. The brass wouldn’t like this, and people know office romances are generally not a good idea. But in this case, I would like to see these relationships strengthened. It means they will be watching out for each other double hard, and it sets me free to watch the perimeter and deal with whatever may be following us..”

“Exactly, and indeed,” Elder Stow said, and he floated overhead to his place where he could watch the perimeter on the other side of the column.

The travelers walked long into the cool of the night. Though the landscape remained unchanged, full of scrub grass and sand, the night got cold in the wee hours just like a real desert. The travelers had to thicken their fairy weave clothes and bundle up. It was two in the morning when they found the time gate.

Lockhart would have stopped the group by midnight, but Boston kept saying it was just up ahead. No one argued about wanting to stop, and Lockhart thought long about their journey so far. They had been subject to wars, pestilence and diseases unheard of in the twenty-first century. They had been chased by ghouls and demons, trapped and attacked by locals including soldiers, fought aliens, night creatures and a little green man. They twice had their minds and wills taken over by powers in the earth. They once went into a world where the sun never came up, but the group was never so anxious to leave a time zone. A world without love was unbearable.

They broke their informal rule and went through the time gate in the dark. They found themselves in some region of the Alps, as Lincoln reported. There was snow on the fir trees and in windblown piles on the ground, and they appeared to be on a kind of road that wound through the high country. There was a small clearing in that place where they could set a camp.

horse night snowThe travelers dismounted and Roland went straight to Boston. He wrapped her up in his arms and she was eager for his kiss. Lincoln and Alexis hugged first, like old married couples do, but soon they joined the kissing party. Lockhart dismounted and Katie looked at him, but said and did nothing. It was up to him to walk to her and slip his arms around her.

“I’m slow,” he said. “But I will get there.” Katie just nodded as he touched his lips tenderly to hers. She kissed him back, and it wasn’t so tender.

Elder Stow went to hover beside Decker who had yet to dismount when Decker heard a voice.

“Ooo, that is something you don’t see every day.”

Decker looked up. It was a ghost floating just above his and Elder Stows heads. Decker made no sign of surprise. He slipped off his horse and shouted, “Make camp,” though it technically wasn’t his place to say that.

Avalon 3.0: The End of Love, part 1 of 4

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After 3206 BC south of Mesopotamia. Kairos lifetime 33: (Amun) Junior

Recording …

“A woman wants to hear the word love now and then, you know.” Katie gave Lockhart a hard stare and ignored her horse’s footsteps. There was not anything to see except sand, sparse vegetation and the blazing sun overhead.

“Yeah, well, for a man that is not so easy.” Lockhart wiped the sweat from his brow. “I can tell you I admire and respect you. I think you are the nicest, kindest, most thoughtful and intelligent woman I have ever known. I can tell you that you are beautiful and I would not be lying. In fact, you are the only woman in the whole world—in the whole of history I have ever found who I felt I could be happy with. But I can’t say that other word because I am not feeling it right now, and that’s for sure.”

Katie looked away for a minute before she answered. “Everything you just said, ditto to you, but now that I think of it I don’t feel that word either.” She nudged her horse to move out on the flank with Captain Decker and Lockhart threw the sweat from his hand to the ground.

Lincoln leaned over to whisper in Alexis’ ear. “Children,” he said. “Wait until they really start having an argument.”

Alexis pulled her head away and wiped her ear like she was afraid he got something on it. “You mean like—“

“Now don’t you start.”

“Start what? You have no idea what I was going to say.”

“Start anything. I don’t want to hear it.”

Alexis gave Lincoln a Katie kind of hard look. She spoke between her teeth. “Fine.”

“Fine,” Lincoln answered and ignored her look

“Don’t touch me.” Boston’s voice was loud enough for all to hear.

“Who said I wanted to touch you, Princess Little Fire.” The sarcasm in Roland’s words were evident.

“It’s just, I can’t get any peace.” Boston turned her head and shouted at the group. “There is no escaping you people.” She spoke more softly. “I can’t get any rest.”

Roland said nothing more.

When Katie rode to the flank, Elder Stow hovered over to pace Lockhart. He had something to say, and he spit as he talked.

“My Father.” He turned up his nose. “It is only right to give you fair warning.”

Lockhart looked at the Neanderthal.. He did not entirely trust the Gott-Druk, and thought he might never entirely trust him, but he listened.

“I am not happy traveling in your company and I do not care what happens to your people, all of you homo sapiens who stole our homeland and drove us out into the darkness among the stars. It was difficult, but I was finding my way back home to the future just fine without you. I am thinking I could take the amulet and find my way easily and leave you all here to rot.”

Alexis whipped around from in front. “The gods would break the amulet rather than let you have it, and they would break your equipment, too, so you would be left here to rot with us.”

“We have faced things where your super advanced equipment was no protection. You don’t have to love us. You don’t even have to like us, but there is safety in numbers. We watch out for each other and travel together.”

Elder Stow nodded to common sense, even if he did not like it. “The thing is, right now I do not care about my children whom you killed. I do not care about my own people. As you homo sapiens say, they can all rot in hell.” With that thought on his mind, he floated back out to the perimeter.

“Decker,” Katie started to speak sharply but amended her word and softened her voice to offer more respect. “Captain, is there any way you can look up ahead and see if we are getting anywhere?”

Captain Decker looked at her to judge how upset she might be before he spoke. “I loved my wife once,” he said, like he was drawing on a thought from nowhere. “Right now I cannot imagine it, but it must be true or I would not have married her.”

“Where did that comment come from?”

Captain Decker took a moment to adjust his seat in the saddle. He let his hand slip down to finger the stock on his rifle. “It’s just that after a while we found that it really wasn’t love, it was lust. There was no love, and we both knew it even if she would never admit it. Still, I stayed with her for a number of years, even when she got hot and cranky, and believe me, she was an expert at getting hot and cranky, but some of those days were good.”

Katie glanced at Lockhart. “How did you manage that?”

“Do you love him?”

“I thought I did. I don’t hate him, but right now I don’t feel any love at all.”

“Me neither. But I haven’t felt love for years.” Decker unsnapped the strap on his rifle. “I stayed with my wife as long as I did because I made a promise. I did my duty.” Decker pulled his rifle and startled Katie back to task with the words, “We got company.”

Katie rode back over beside Lockhart and pulled her own rifle even as Roland said, “Visitors.” The procession stopped where they were. “They appear to be imps,” he added.

Three dirty, gray skinned imps came over the scrub grass. They were short legged but had arms nearly long enough to drag their knuckles. The women knew at once, but it took the men a moment to realize the one out front was a female.   They all had the same look about them with big mouths with a few sharp teeth showing, big saucer-like eyes and nostril holes that did not quite support an actual nose. They were clearly not human, and in another time and place they might have claimed to be from the planet Zorton and nobody would have questioned it. They stopped when they were a few feet away.

“Elf.” The female said.

“My name is Roland, and these are my companions.”

“Fancy that,” the female cut him off before he got into the introductions. “An elf forced to drag a bunch of short livers around. Must be a curse of some kind.” The female out front spoke to the younger males that hovered over her shoulders.

“You have a name?” Roland was trying to keep things civil.

“Magpie, and these are my boys, Snot and Puss.” Magpie leaned forward, secretive, but she had no ability to whisper. “I tried to ditch them back a ways, but I cook and they eat, so.” Magpie shrugged. “So now we will be taking one of your horses and be on our way.”.

“The horses are a gift of the Kairos. You dare not so much as touch one.”

Magpie paused for a minute to consider her options. “Kairos is that way.” She pointed back the way she came. “He wanted us to do a job for him, but I don’t care about him. I don’t love him no more than I do my own sons, and I don’t care about them, none at all. Besides, I’ve been dreaming about horse bacon.”

“Now hold it,” Lockhart had dismounted and stepped forward. “No one needs to get hurt.”

Decker put a bullet between Magpie’s feet. Her eyes got very big at the sound of thunder and puff of dust as Decker spoke. “I don’t understand. What is everyone’s problem? So you don’t love the Kairos. So you don’t love her. So you don’t love him.” Decker did not specifically point to a person. “I haven’t felt love in years. But I made a bunch of pledges when I joined the service, and I made promises to this group, and I intend to keep them all. Love doesn’t matter. It doesn’t keep me from being loyal and faithful. Hell, I’m a Marine. I take my orders and I do my duty to the best of my ability, period.” He turned to face the imps. “I understand you are pledged to the Kairos, so if he asked you something, you need to do it to fulfill your pledge, to do your duty. Maybe you don’t love him, but love’s got nothing to do with it.”

Everyone quieted to think. The travelers understood very well what Decker was saying. The imps understood, but they were not really persuaded by it. Loyalty, faithfulness and duty were not strong in the imp character, and keeping promises was laughable. Roland understood this of the imps, so he felt it was important to add one thing.

“Then again, if you cause harm to one of us or one of these horses, the Kairos will know, and he has the power to cast you into the land of eternal torment.”

Magpie rubbed her chin as she admitted, “There is that.”

************

To be continued.  Look for Tomorrows post, Avalon 3.0, part 2 of 4 Love by the Fire

Until then … Happy Reaing

MGK

Avalon 2.7: The Trenches

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

            Looks like war in the camps.  The Djin seems to have taken over the mind and will of the people to play a dangerous and deadly game.  The travelers in the camp have no will to resist, and the ones on the hill who are still in their right minds appear equally helpless.

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            Boston and the women built a tower on which she could stand.  They made it out of upside-down wagons, a table and a chair.  It slanted a little, but it was not entirely unstable.  Boston felt safe enough to stand up on the chair, and there she watched all around as the sunlight faded into evening darkness, Alexis paced, and the old woman told stories to the gathered children.  Better than television, Boston thought, and then she wondered what television was.

            Even as the last wisps of purple left the sky, Katie came up to check their handiwork.  “We may need some light.”  She shouted up to Boston, though Boston was not that high up.

            “I was thinking that, but I see Lockhart has set some signal fires a little way into the wilderness and pulled his men well within the perimeter.  Lincoln is still setting his.  I would guess Lockhart told him what he was doing and Lincoln is copying the idea.

            “And a good idea it is,” Katie responded.  “I assume you can’t blaze like the sun for very long.”

            Boston was not sure she could blaze like the sun at all, but she said nothing.

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            Lincoln saw them coming.  He moved all of his hunters with their bows to the front, first.  He briefly wished he had his rifle before he wondered what a rifle was.  That was okay,  they had to wait for the enemy to get close enough.

            “Ready?”  Lincoln moved down his line of archers.  “Remember, just shoot in a straight line.  They are bunched up and you will hit something.  Don’t try to pick a target at this range in the dark.  I don’t want twenty arrows in one person and none in the rest.  Aim.”  Lincoln raised his hand and paused to let the enemy inch closer before he dropped his hand and shouted, “Fire!”

            The volley was withering.  A number of men were struck with arrows and the attacking group quickly gathered their wounded and retreated. 

            Lockhart, a good man in charge of protecting the south ran into the same kind of situation – the enemy attempting to sneak up in the dark.  He dealt with it in a similar way, but this enemy raged after the first volley and attacked.  It took two more volleys to finally drive them off, and certainly some of those men that were down were dead.

            With Lockhart distracted by the attack, a third group took advantage and tried to move on them from the Southeast.  Fortunately, Boston saw from her perch and did not hesitate.  She raised her arms and groaned and shouted.  Katie, who was gifted, Alexis, who had magic of her own, and no doubt the Sybil who looked up, saw the golden power of Boston’s magic rise up into the air like a flare.  At once, Boston threw her hands forward, pointed straight at the sneaky enemy.  The Golden sparkles rushed out over the camp to that place, and the wind followed.  It was a concentrated wind blast of hurricane strength.  It picked up most of the enemy and blew them back in the direction from which they had come.  A few escaped by falling flat to the ground, but then Lockhart was alerted and men came running, so as soon as Boston’s initial blast gave out, the men on their faces jumped up and hastily retreated.

            Everyone paused to catch their breath, and in that brief silence they heard a howl.  It was one with which the travelers were familiar even if the people were not.  The bokarus in ghost form came rushing over the perimeter of the camp and brought Boston’s wind back with it.  People were knocked in every direction.  Tents were torn up by the roots.  Wagons were shaken.  A couple fell apart while several others wheeled off in whatever random direction they were pointed.

            Lockhart and Lincoln held their lines together, as did Katie at the center.  Otherwise, some might have run wild in panic.  “Alexis.  Boston.”  Katie shouted.  This creature, in ghost form, was something which she, for all her gifts could not touch.  The frustration of that ate at her.

            Alexis stomped over to the women and grabbed Star’s bow and one arrow.  She groused, “I am a healer, not a wounder.”  Her magic was much whiter than Boston’s yellow, slightly orange magic and she covered the bow and arrow with a white glow before she handed it back to the hunter.  “Star, shoot it at the bokarus when it flies overhead.  You don’t have to hit it, exactly, but the closer the better.”

            Star waited at the ready, and let the arrow fly with some lead time as a good hunter should.  Alexis had her hands together and her eyes shut tight.  The arrow missed and they thought it was laughter that came from the bokarus; but then Alexis opened her hands and opened her eyes, and the arrow exploded like a bomb on the Fourth of July. 

            The bokarus shrieked.  It felt that.  The women cheered, but then it looked like the arrow just made the bokarus mad.  It headed for the children, and Alexis was afraid some of them were young enough for the bokarus to suck out their life force without having to kill them first.  She looked up at Boston.  So did Katie, Star and the others.  Boston appeared to be staring at her finger.  She did not have a wand.  No one ever told her she needed one.  Her finger would have to do, and when she heard the children scream, she pointed that finger.

            Boston was thinking of Lockhart’s “heat ray” comments.  She did not know what a heat ray was, but she imagined herself as her Amazon name, “Little fire.”  She knew that fire consisted of light and heat, and she felt there was no reason they had to go together.  When the children screamed, a dull red beam of light came from Boston’s finger.  If she had been herself, she might have likened it to a laser beam.  It struck the bokarus in the back and this time the cry of the bokarus sounded painful.  It pulled up from the children, but Boston’s finger followed it.  It began to fly in wild directions, but still she followed.  Her finger fire set a tent aflame as she tracked the bokarus near the ground, but she caught it and stayed with it as often as not.  Finally the bokarus had enough and it streaked out across the camps and vanished in the dark in the distance, Boston hoped never to return.  It had better not.  She was used up.

            Boston sat on the chair to catch her breath.  She did not hear the cheers from the women, but she did hear the Sybil when she ran up as fast as she could.  “Lincoln,” she yelled.  “He is facing the wolfman!”

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Avalon 2.7:  Changes … Next Time

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