Cinderfella 3: Life Continues - 26. Challenging A God

Two days ago was the 19th year since 9/11.  Daniel, you survived that, why not with the cancer?  I don't blame you.  I miss you.  I love you.
Readers: I kept meaning to post this, but a voice kept saying, "Just a little more!"  I still have a couple of things to add, so it ain't over yet.  

Challenging A God

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 that 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. It isn’t? Prove he isn’t. He 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 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. Wahkooha’s grandfather seemed to be a European man who married his grandmother. A Druid married their daughter and passed his power to Wahkooha. Wahkooha’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 the 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 three or four hundred pounds or more! 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 Na tives 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 Wahkooha’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 clean up 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 Wahkooha’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 stines! “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 Whakooha’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.

“...Faye 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 faye 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 Britiannia 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 Britinnia. 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 faye-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 Wahkooha’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. Wahkooha’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! What power do you do this from?” 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.

“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.”

Wahkoohan 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.

“Take them off,” I said again. “Now.” My hands went out slightly and I saw a white light appear on Wahkooha’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 won’t heal or hurt anybody. We helped you get rid of those things, but that burning was all you!”