by C. J. Parker
Tabatha placed a kiss on Derek’s cheek before following the well-worn path to Bobbie’s house.
Derek led the way up the ladder followed by Troy into the dimly lit room. Aetheria nodded in greeting. “My name is Aetheria. I’m the Sentinel of the Chosen for the Final Battle.” She shifted her gaze to Troy, nodded regally and smiled. “Welcome home, Aesir.”
Derek laughed. “Aesir? His name is Detective Troy Jackman, homicide.”
“My given name is Aesir.” Troy stepped forward. “It is Norse for Of the Gods. I’m a Sentinel, as Madam Aetheria is. It was she who sent me to you. Once an Outsider has become attached to one of the Chosen, we have to make sure he is of good heart and soul. You were found…” He grinned, stepped away and stood at Aetheria’s side. “…acceptable.”
“Oh goody,” Derek responded dryly. “And what is a Sentinel?”
Aetheria walked over to stand before Derek. “The Sentinels were created once Cain gave birth to his first child after his sin. The sin of the father passed to the children, and we were sent to protect his offspring. But we were not allowed to cause harm to anyone, so the Spirit Warriors began. They are winnowed very carefully from those who have died in the service of their own kind. The Chosen are those who are spoken of in the prophecy.”
“You’re saying Tabatha is one of these Chosen?” Bobbie dropped onto the couch. “Who else? Me? Kangee? Rhonda?”
Troy’s body stiffened, his eyes widened. “Rhonda?” He faced Aetheria, his expression filled with surprise and hope. “You have found the lost one?”
The light of the old woman’s smile lit the room. “Our Bobbie found her and brought her home.”
Troy nodded and glanced out the window toward the common grounds. “Does she know who she is?”
“In time, Aesir.” She patted his hand. “In time.”
“Wait!” Derek held up his hand as if asking permission to speak. “What are you talking about? Chosen. The Final Battle? What battle? Troy, what the hell is this?”
Aetheria strolled around Derek, taking in his thorn-embedded suit and muddy shoes. She stopped in front of him, looked into his eyes, and cupped his cheeks in her hands.
Aetheria’s gaze landed on Derek before lowering to the floor. Her mouth turned down in a deep frown. “Poor, dear boy.”
Her quiet voice was calming. Bobbie sensed the tension in Derek’s body ebb away.
“You’ve been through so much sadness and suffering. Your Elizabeth was good, a near perfect soul, but while part of your heart, not part of your spirit. You’ve been betrayed by friends and will be betrayed again. You must learn to see through their concealing veil. I give you this power.” She ran her fingers over his face again and uttered words from a language Bobbie didn’t recognize. “You’re eyes are open. Use them.” She dropped her hands away.
Derek looked from Bobbie to Troy and back again with an incredulous expression. “What was all that mumbo jumbo about?”
“Soon enough, my boy.” Aetheria turned her attention to Bobbie. “The others must know their purpose as well. Gather your friends, Bobbie. The time has come to begin fulfilling the prophecy.”
Bobbie stood on shaking legs and stepped toward the door. So much was going through her thoughts—the safety of the village, the Guardians, a murderer. Pressure in her head built to the point, she expected her head to explode at any second. Maybe she should just take Kangee and her friends away and let the village take care of itself. They didn’t want her here, why should she give a damn about them?
“Kangee must be here,” Aetheria said, as if reading Bobbie’s thoughts. “Later in the evening, I will begin your joining.”
Anger overrode confusion and fear. “Do I have no say in this joining?”
“Do you not love Kangee, Robertina?” Aetheria tilted her head to the side and smiled.
“Of course, I love him.” Bobbie sighed with exasperation. “I’ve always loved him. That has nothing to do with anything.”
“After we talk, you may speak your misgivings if you still have them.” Aetheria waved her argument away. “Now, do as I say.”
Bobbie raced down the ladder, skipping most of its rungs in her annoyance. What good did it do to be queen of anything of Aetheria was going to run the show?
Old man Walter hobbled across the grounds to stand a few steps away. “Miss Bobbie, everyone is getting frightened. Is there something we need to worry about? What are the Outsiders doing here? They worry about the missing ones and those who have been murdered. Do you not care for us?”
“Mr. Walter, I’m not going to lie to you, we have troubles, but nothing we can’t handle. I want you to gather everyone together. Pick four of our strongest men. Have them divide the other men into four groups and form a schedule to guard the village. We need to know if anyone is near the area.”
Bobbie ran her hands over her face, trying to hide the growing fear in her gut. “Though, the Outsiders who came today are my friends, they could have been the enemy. They should never have been able to get so close without our notice. Make it clear that no one is to leave the village alone. And under no circumstances are any of our women and children to be left alone. If their men go out, we are to give them someone to watch over them until the husband returns. I promise to tell you the minute I know anything more than conjecture.” His expression wasn’t one of acceptance. Bobbie smiled. “Do you want gossip or the truth?”
“The truth.”
“Then you’ll have to wait. All I have to go on right now is gossip from the likes of Cuda and Omeda.” She leaned closer to look him in the eyes.
He nodded. “That ain’t enough, for sure.” He turned to walk away but paused. “But once you got a handle on that truth, you got to tell us something, girl.”
Bobbie held up her right hand. “Promise.”
Walter walked across the grounds and waited until the other villagers gathered around him before he spoke.
Kangee stood at the base of the tree. Bobbie waited to make sure Walter was far enough away not to here. “They’re waiting for you,” she snapped. “I have to get Tabatha and Rhonda, then I’ll be back. Something is up, Kangee. Do you know anything about this?”
“Other than our joining?” He looked away from her toward the sound of an argument coming from one of the houses.
“I think it’s far more than that.” She massaged the base of her neck. “I have a bad feeling about all this. Aetheria keeps talking about our purpose. Now, apparently, my friends have a purpose in her great plan, too. Wasn’t it convenient of me to bring them along?” She shook her head. “I don’t think I want to hear any of this. It’s not like I don’t have enough to think about. I’ve got some organization wanting a piece of me. Now, I’ve got to think about some battle under a strange moon.”
Kangee pushed her hair behind her ear. “You’re Queen of Clan Moran, sweetheart. I don’t think you have much choice.”
“Peachy, just peachy.” She had no idea coming home was a signed affidavit for everyone to take over her life. All she wanted was to grab Kangee by the hand and run like hell. “This all keeps getting better and better.”
“Bobbie.” She glanced up to see Aetheria standing at the rail. “The sooner you retrieve Tabatha and Rhonda, the sooner you will have answers.”
Bobbie dashed across the yard to her home. Taking the stairs three at a time, she ran into the house, meeting Lexie in the doorway. “Where’s Tab and Rhonda?”
Rhonda poked her head out the bedroom doorway. “We’re in here.”
Tabatha came up behind Rhonda and leaned on the doorframe. “So, what’s the latest?”
“Aetheria needs to talk to us. Hurry.” Bobbie pointed her finger at Lexie. “Stay here. Do not leave until we return. Cuda is in a rage. I’ve told him to stay out of the village, but God knows he doesn’t pay any attention to me. I have no idea where he is now, but I don’t want you near him. Understood?”
“I’m not afraid of him.” Lexie shrugged. “He can be tamed with on
e swift, well-placed kick.”
To keep from screaming, Bobbie clamped her teeth in a vise-like grip and ground her words through them. “Promise you’ll not leave, Lexie.”
She heaved a heavy sigh. “Oh, all right. I promise.”
Bobbie hugged her close. “Thank you. I’ll fill you in as soon as we get back. I’ve made it clear no one is to leave the village alone, that goes for you, too.” She led Tabatha and Rhonda out the door and was halfway across the village when she spotted Troy standing at the base of the ladder and Derek helping Aetheria as they descended.
Troy’s gaze landed on Rhonda.
Bobbie placed herself between the stranger and her friend and tried to stare him down.
He smiled and looked away with a nod.
“I think it would be best if we met in the Council House. What I have to say is for the select only, and there are too many ears among us.” Aetheria gestured toward the opposite side of her tree where Cuda stood at the edge of the village. “Cuda, your woman came wanting shelter. She cannot stay among us if you no longer have use of her.”
Cuda curled his lip with a snarl. “She is my concern, not yours, old lady.”
“As long as she stays in this village, she is my concern. She is a commoner you found on the street and not trustworthy.” Aetheria walked toward the Council House with a wave to the others. “Come along, children.”
Tabatha, Rhonda and Derek waited a few feet from the entrance while Aetheria and Troy whispered a rhythmic chant as if pleading with God Himself.
Bobbie nudged Derek’s shoulder and whispered to him, Tabatha and Rhonda. “You may feel a resistance at first. If the Ancestors find you acceptable, you will be allowed to pass. If you fail, do not try to force your way through. They can do you great harm.”
“Great! More hocus-pocus.” Derek shook his head before offering her a serious look. “If I don’t get in, Tabatha doesn’t either. She stays with me.”
“She has to do this, Derek. No harm will come to her, I promise.” Bobbie couldn’t understand his reluctance.
“Then understand this real quick.” His gaze hardened. “Harm or not, I’m getting in there.”
A veil surrounded the hut-like structure, glistening with silver sparks. Troy was first to step through and instantly his clothing was replaced with a long flowing green robe. Aetheria crossed, her dress transformed to a vibrant lavender toga style wrap.
Derek inhaled deeply. “Tabatha, we’re leaving.”
The door to the Council House swung open a bit wider and out stepped a black woman dressed in a gown of clear sky blue, skin glowing, eyes gleaming with happiness. “What you waitin’ on, baby girl?”
Tabatha’s mouth fell open with a gasp. “Bertha! What are you doing here?” She ran through the shield and into the woman’s arms.
“Another Outsider! And in the Council House!” Cuda dashed into the crowd, screaming at anyone who would listen. “What have they done? They bring more and more of them. They will destroy us, I tell you.”
Bertha stepped forward, pointing her long finger at Cuda. “Tongue of serpents, still in silence—throat of the traitor gasp for air.”
Cuda dropped to his knees, raking his nails into his neck. He opened his mouth but only a gargled wheeze escaped.
“What the hell,” Derek muttered.
Bobbie glanced at the features of her people surrounding her. The surprise in their eyes was genuine. Bobbie didn’t know what to think anymore.
“Come here, baby boy.” Bertha held Tabatha under one arm and reached out her other for Derek. “You ain’t never been afraid of old Bertha. You ain’t gonna start now.”
Shaking his head in defeat, he stepped forward and into her embrace as he placed a kiss on her cheek.
The villagers stared at the spectacle. One by one, they lowered their heads in reverence, some shaking in what Bobbie assumed to be fear.
Aetheria muttered a chant. With a great intake of air, Cuda scurried away.
“Do not forget what you have seen. The prophecy has begun. Those who work against us will not be tolerated.” Aetheria ran her gaze over the villagers.
Kangee leaned down to whisper in Bobbie’s ear. “Who is the new woman?”
Smiling through tears, Bobbie watched the happy reunion. “Bertha. She served as cook for Tabatha’s family from the day Tabatha was born. But she was more of a friend to her than a servant. Bertha is her family.”
“We’re all family, Bobbie.” Tabatha grinned. “Wish I’d known your name was Robertina. I could have had some fun with that all this time.”
Bobbie’s heart filled to the point of bursting. She’d been alone and without people for so long, but now she’d been given a new family. Tabatha and Rhonda were her sisters, Derek her brother, Aetheria her mother, Bertha a kindly old aunt. Kangee? She sighed in acceptance. “Kangee is my lifemate.”
He leaned closer. “Did you say something?”
Shaking her head, she motioned them forward.
Tears formed in Troy’s eyes as he reached out to Rhonda. “Come. It’s okay. You won’t be harmed.”
She hesitated for only a moment before taking his hand and stepping in. Once in the hut, Rhonda snatched her hand away, wiped it on the thigh of her jeans and backed away from him.
Troy lowered his gaze and released a heavy sigh.
Bobbie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry for Rhonda. How long had it been since she’d had a boyfriend? Too long, Bobbie guessed.
Once they were all inside, the veil outside the doorway shimmered and shook, transforming into a row of ghostly sentries. Dressed in loincloths, dragon-hilted swords hung down their backs. Over their right shoulders hung the skins of their animals.
Bobbie peered out the door and scanned her people. The air around them smelled of fear and indecision. They had experienced so much loss in the past few weeks, and now they were being left in the dark as to what their future held. They expected her to give them guidance and, Bobbie prayed she’d be strong enough to do so. They needed reassurance that she wouldn’t let harm come to them. She stepped between the warriors to the edge of the open door. “I’m calling a clan meeting tonight. You deserve to know what is happening and how to protect your loved ones. Until then, please go home, and do not leave the grounds. It will all be okay.”
She closed the door on those left behind and faced the warriors. They stood rigid with their heads bowed and allowed her to pass between them once more. She assumed this meant they approved.
The throne from that morning was missing. Now, circled on the speaker’s platform were eight high-back chairs. Four forged from gold, three from silver. The remaining chair was a carved cedar replica of the others.
Aetheria guided each person to a seat. Right to left she placed Kangee, Bobbie, Tabatha, and Rhonda in the golden thrones, Bertha, Troy, herself in the silver.
Aetheria pinned Derek with her stare. “You must swear to never speak of what you hear or see in this place. You will have to earn the silver throne of a Sentinel. Do you so swear?”
Every eye turned to him. He nodded. “Yeah, okay, I swear. Now what the hell is going on?”
Chapter Ten
The sun was at its highest point as Kangee settled into his silver chair and inhaled deeply. Troy stood at the back of the room, arms crossed as if guarding the door from intruders. The Spirit Warriors lined up along the walls like statues, but their power filled the room with heavy magic impossible to ignore.
Kangee ran his fingers over the chair’s armrest unsure of the honor bestowed upon him, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Aetheria of his misgivings. During their short time together on Spell Weaver’s Mangrove, the Shade of Kangee’s grandfather had told him tidbits of what was to come. Now, that it was here, his heart beat a frantic pace, and a bead of sweat ran from his armpits down to his waist. Nothing was predestined. He and Bobbie still held the power of free will and could stop this at any point.
Nodding, Aetheria stood in front of the group. A
gentle twist of the ring on her middle finger of her left hand and the north wall came to life with a scene resembling an old black and white home-movie.
A large, heavy-built man worked his field. His muscles strained and stretched, accentuating his every movement of hoeing row after row of a well-tended garden. The man’s long black hair hung in wet strands, his breathing harsh with effort.
Aetheria gestured toward the man. “Behold, Cain, the eldest of the fated brothers.”
Kangee glanced around the room, trying to judge everyone’s reactions. Bobbie’s attention shifted from the scene to her friends and back again, her face a constant play of mixed emotions he couldn’t read. In her chair, Rhonda had curled into a tight ball, knees drawn up against her chest, as if trying to escape. Tabatha leaned close to Derek sitting in his unadorned chair, but her eyes never left the north wall. Derek never took his attention from Tabatha and gripped her hand tightly.
The background faded and another took its place.
A slender young man roamed among a herd of sheep. His golden-brown hair, tied with a blade of dried reed grass, hung to his waist. His eyes were bright with laughter as he watched newborn lambs frolic in the field.
Again, Aetheria gestured toward the wall. “Abel.”
The temperature dropped considerably, and the air hung heavy with electric-like currents raising the tension higher. Kangee’s skin rose with goose bumps, reacting to the change in the hut.
The two men stood in a thicket, the dark of night surrounding them.
“Why?” Cain shouted. “You walk among those smelly creatures and watch for predators. You do no backbreaking work. You do not have to sow or reap. I bring forth the food we eat with the labor and sweat of toil.” His fists hung tensely at his sides. “But God shows you the favor of His gratitude. Why?”
“I gave the best of my flock, the prize lamb. You, brother, gave the lesser of your harvest, keeping the best for yourself. Show honor to God and He will honor you.” Abel retreated.