Goddesses and Gremlins - Part 5
By Beaten Man   Replies to humbled@abeatenman.com 
Part 5  -  The Wages of Sin


Authors Note: I interupt the tale of Shatiluaan and the Ward family at its
halfway point with an important message to the readers who have gotten this
far.

My name is George Gordon. I am the tales author. John and the rest of the
characters contained in the more than a dozen stories the Beaten Man has sent
this site are products of my imagination. The characters in Goddesses and
Gremlins are not. The matters contained in the story are of the utmost
importance and there is a reason it is being told here.

Why this site? As I wrote in a limerick " The Valkyrie is a website Dedicated
to Feminine Might" Those words were chosen carefully. Who is mightier than
God?

Unlike most stories appearing here the violence in this story is not the
stories reason for being, it is only incidental to the more important message
contained within it. The story has been written in a style designed for
discouraging all but the most intelligent and curious of this sites
readership. To you, those who read on through the eighth part, will fall the
task of spreading Her glory.

Who I am and how I came to be in possession of the original manuscript used to
produce this tale are fully explained at the stories end. That is not
important now. What is important is for you to know that this tale was first
written almost 200 years ago, in 1824. It has patiently waited for almost two
centuries for its message to be seen. This story is being published in
Paperback and even has a website devoted to it. The world must know of Her.

You will simply know first. I have done my part. And now the story continues

Part 5 - The Wages of Sin

Chapter 30

The mark of mortal sin was upon him. In the light it glowed as an aura all
about him and cast its serpants shadow upon the walls. Rasha Shaluann had
summoned him for the balancing. His destiny awaited him. He who had followed
in the path of the one who would lead was delivered unto her by Rasha. This
one called mar teen must forfeit life.

The Natuli had been cast from the valleys of plenty and wandered for nearly
six thousand years as penalty for the first Mortal Sin. When the tenth Nai
Oben Sha was slain by the issue of her own loins, the seed bearer she herself
birthed, it was the eleventh who balanced the ledger. And so it has been ever
since.

Mortal Sins are the Province of the Nai Oben Sha.

Shatiluaan dropped to her knees and chanted the sacred oath as the vile
creature that had committed the vilest of deeds was frozen in his tracks by
the wrath of Rasha Shaluaan. When she had repeated her vows to Rasha three
times she arose to face the serpants spawn.

I've listened to enough of her insane babble Martin thought as he reached for
the succulent and invitingly naked object of his lust.

Chapter 31

The Twenty Ninth Day of August in The year of his Majesty King George III,
1809

The Right Honorable Winston Blakely

His Majesties Ministry of Trade

Nairobi Mission

Dear Sir

This is anectodal to our dispatch of the 14th of July this year and your
reply.

The hither to untranslated portions of documents unearthed earlier this year
in your Kenyan exploration have now been translated. These translations will
clear up some of the inconsistencies you noted

Though the words themselves were in the same Kenyan dialect as the other words
within the documents they were meaningless within that dialect. The words are
phonetic reproductions of ancient Arameic. They in turn are Arameic
translations of pre Sumerian Cuniform. The missing or corrected translations
and their roots are as follows.

Rasha is, as stated, mother, but it is actually derivitive of two words. Ehera
which is God and Sha which is of all.

So stated correctly in the maunuscript it should have been God of all. Our
confusion stemmed from the root symbol ehera. It is both the presumerian
symbol for God and for mother. It is in fact the root for many words in
Arabic, Hebrew, Greek and Egyptian. The Hebrew ema or mother and the Egyptian
Ra or God are two examples. Even Hera, the Greek queen of the Gods, is derived
from the symbol

As for the use of the tribal word Natuli being out of context, it really is
not. Natuli is not Kenyan. It is simply kenyanized dialect and is in reality
four different words in the Aremeic from which it is derived.

It has two meanings. Translations as follows.

En Atu Ule The chosen ones This is the primary translation

En Atu Uhale The Chosen People Would be its secondary translation

As for the passage translated as "They followed the slither" It should read -
They followed "He who would lead."

The dialective word used in the document was rutanu. In the ancient aremic it
would actually be

eru et anu. Eru meaning he who and et anu meaning would lead.

However the similar eru etanu, in other contexts, would be interpeted as the
slitherer [or serpant] led and thus resulted in our error

Two, three and four translations are not at all uncommon in Aremeic or in its
successors Arabic and Hebrew. For instance in Hebrew Shalom is Hello, Goodbye,
Peace, Brick and Life,

Both translations of natuli probably spring from a single phrase, as did no
doubt Rasha and rutanu. The language is extremely ancient and seems to pre
date even the earliest cuniform

The root souce of the language is believed to be the same as that of the
Tablet previously translated. We are still trying to trace its exact origin
and age. From the symbols the tablet is well over five thousand years old and
could be as much as six thousand. It is the earliest form of a written
language this museum has seen.

I trust I have addressed your concerns.and I apologize for the errors

Again we express our gratitude for the source material.

Sir Dudley Worthington, Curator

His Majesties Museum of Natural History, Cairo

Chapter 32

As he followed discreetly behind him Foote couldn't help thinking that Martin
was actually stupider than even he thought. Here he was a bad cold or a missed
stair away from the largest fortune in the Carolinas and he would risk it for
what was essentialy a dare. He actually had the gumption to defy his father
over screwing a slave.

This would be too easy. All he had to do was wait for Martin to finish fucking
the new slave and leave. That shouldn't take long he thought.

All Foote would have to do is his job. Just start yelling in the dark, who the
hell is out here, who's prowling about. Martin had no where to go except back
down the dirt path to the manor. He would run right into everyone coming the
other way to investigate the ruckus.

It wouldn't take the old man long to figure out what his son had been up to.
And Foote would be the innocent but attentive slave overseer. He'd heard
noises on the path and come to investigate. He'd had no idea it was Martin.
He'd thought it was a slave making off.

Nothing would make Nathanial Ward angrier than having his orders defied. He
would know that Martin wasn't to be trusted. If he couldn't trust him when he
was alive how could he trust him when he wasn't. He'd surely move to make
Gabriel his heir instead of Martin. He'd been moving in that direction for
years anyway. Foote thought himself quite clever as he watched Martin descend
into the fruit cellar,

Niles Foote's wit was as sharp as his face and he fancied himself a modern day
apparition of the angel of death .

Chapter 33

They reached each other at about the same time. Martin grabbed for the slaves
naked breasts. She for his throat. Martin couldn't believe the strength In the
black females hands as Shatiluaan squeezed his throat and chanted her ever
constant babble.

At first he twisted at her breasts. Then he tried prying the hands from his
neck. When that didn't work, in desperation, he drove his fists down onto her
arms and leaned forward on them. The downward pressure succeded in breaking
the strangle hold.

He stumbled back and punched at her as he did. The blow lacked force and she
ignored it punching back at his face. Her blow send him reeling back towards
the bed. She leapt at him and knocked him on to the bed. He landed on his back
with her hands again wrapped tight around his throat.

He beat at her desperately as she climbed atop his chest, still clutching his
throat and still chanting. She succeded in pinning one shoulder beneath her
knee as she moved up his chest, continuing to squeeze. Now he clawed and
scratched at her face with his one free arm.

His struggles grew fainter as he began to loss conciousness and as she
continued strangling him. Soon they ceased altogether. She continued to
squeeze, continued to chant.

Martin had been dead five minutes by the time she stopped chanting and
released his throat.

Chapter 34

Gabrial had been unable to sleep, unable to get the image of the two seamen
dangling in Lucas's grip the previous night out of his mind. He had spent much
of the day, as always, with his grandfather. And as always the giant slave
stood silently in the back ground and stared into space as his grandfather
gave Gabriel his daily lesson on managing the affairs of the Ward empire.

But today instead of being an unnoticed piece of furniture Lucas had been the
constant object of Gabriel's attention. His eyes and thoughts kept wandering
back to the hulking presense drooling in the corner. Gabriel was grateful that
he had been spared from harm by the massive black man's intervention, but now
his presence made him uncomfortable. He had seen how easily Lucas could crush
a man's neck and how little feeling or emotion he displayed in so doing. That
much strength of body without a mind to govern its actions frightened him
deeply. He had wanted to scream out to his grandfather that they were all in
danger, that at any moment they could be instantly crushed by the not so
gentle giant. He'd wished that Nathanial would find a reason to send the slave
on an errand so that he could speak of his fears without being overheard by
the subject of the conversation. But of course he had not. Lucas was not
refered to as Nathanials shadow without reason. He was rarely more than a few
steps away from wherever Nathanial Ward happened to be

So Gabrial was troubled that evening and could not sleep. He was in the pantry
at the rear of the house when he heard his father coming down the back stairs.
He'd watched as Martin tip toed off the stairs and quietly left through the
kitchen exit. His eyes had followed Martin into the moonless night until he
disappeared from view. He had been curious as to where Martin was going in the
middle of the night but had been afraid to approach him and had instead
remained concealed. He had noted his fathers obvious desire to slip out
unnoticed and was afraid he would be angered at him if he approached. Martins
temper was his most well known attribute and none knew of it better than his
son.

He was fearful that his father might suddenly return and think that his son
had been spying on him. Gabrel decided to overcome his discomfort at Lucas's
nocturnal presence on the second floor and go to the room there that he had
avoided these last two nights. As he began to retrace his fathers steps up the
rear stair case he saw the giant at the top of the stairs staring back down
towards the rear door. He could not bring himself to climb the stairs and pass
by Lucas. Instead he hurried back to the pantry and lit the lantern to
illuminate the room. He would rather be discovered spying on his father and
risk his anger than to pass what was to him now a monster on the stairs.

He was still in the pantry just after sunrise when news of the discovery of
Martin Wards body reached the Pines Manor. He was the first informed.

Chapter 35

Foote was growing impatient. The horny fool Martin had already been screwing
the slave for an hour and he still had not left. He marveled at his staying
power as he cursed it at the same time.

He was quite surprised when Martin emerged from the fruit cellar being half
carried and half dragged by the black amazon and his wife Lucille. This was
certainly not a turn of events that he had expected.

He watched in silence as the two women dragged him away from the house and
dumped him off to the side of the path. He watched the two return to the
cellar and then a few moments later he watched as Lucille re emerged and
replaced the latch on the cellar door. He watched her lock it and then reenter
the house through the front door.

He waited another fifteen minutes until he was sure there would be no more
activity and then hurried over to where they had dumped Martin. Martin was as
stone cold dead as even Foote could want him to be. The deep bruises around
his throat made it apparent that he had been strangled. His bloody hands
apparent that he had struggled. Foote blamed himself for Martin Wards death.
The thought pleased him.

And for once Foote was not sure what to do.

Chapter 36

Shatiluaan remained atop the body of the vile follower of the serpant praising
the wisdom of Rasha Shaluaan in casting him into eternal fire. None would ever
pray for the redemption of any who would commmit the first mortal sin. Never
may those who follows in the path of the one who would lead and commit the
original sin be prayed for, This sin the Mother cannot forgive. Only eternal
suffering can balance the ledger..

When satisfied in her praise of Rasha she stood before the altar of the Nai
Oben Sha in thankful silence. She was pleased when the pale luaan Lu-cee came
to attend her.

Lucille Ward, alarmed at the sounds coming from the basement, entered to find
her husband laying dead or unconcious upon the bed and the negress she now
called Luann scratched, bloody and bruised standing in the other room in
silence as though in a trance.

She rushed to her husbands side and checked for a pulse or other sign of life.
When there was none she stood over him quietly weeping and softly praying.
After a few moments the negress came to her side and gently turned the newly
widowed Lucilles face up towards her own. She shook her had from side to side
and repeated one of the two words she had been taught. No, No she said gently
over and over.

Lucille was a kind and gentle woman. The passing of the father of her son
could not help but to sadden her. And though they had been distant for many
years and he had been abusive he was still her husband and she would weep for
him and would pray for his soul.

But she was not unaware of his shortcomings and his ability to be violent.
From the the wounds on the Negresses face she knew that Martin had beaten her.
From his presence here and from her nudity that he had come to rape her. She
knew in an instant that he had met a fate brought about by his actions.

She marveled at the apparent strength of the woman who now so gently held her
face. She was a big woman, almost as big as Martin, but a woman none the less.
She must have been terrified by the attack in the night.yet she had resisted
and killed her attacker. Terror must be the supreme motivator she thought.

And now the poor frightened woman was begging her no, begging her not to tell
anyone of what she'd done.

Lucille knew nothing of the Nai Oben Sha or mortal sin. She could not know
that Shatiluaan was merely trying to save her from commiting taboo. Save her
from praying for a soul Rasha would allow none to pray for.

What Lucille did know was that if Martin was discovered dead in the basement
the poor creature would most assuredly be killed instantly. She too might even
be in danger. It was she who had untethered the slave. Though she was the
mother of his grandchild she was sure Nathanial would extract some penalty
from her for her failure to follow instructions. Especially in light of what
that failure ultimately cost.

She would feel guilty for her actions but she would mourn Martin at another
time. For now thoiugh, she must remove him from this room. No good and much
bad could, come from his discovery here. She began dragging Martins body off
the bed and towards the fruit cellar.

Shatiluaan in turn had no way to know that the vile seed bearer was the mate
of the pale luaan or for that matter that she even knew him. She only knew
that she was no longer chanting for him and was now removing his vile presence
from the shrine of the Nai Oben Sha. In this Shatiluaan would happily assist
her attendant.

Together the two woman dragged Martin out of the basement and a hundred yards
or so up the path. When they returned to the basement Lucille, using her own
hands to demonstrate, showed Shatiluaan that she wished to tether hers.
Shatiluaan did not understand why Rasha Shuluaan wanted the luaan to bind her
but happily sang praises to The Mothers wisdom as she allowed Lucille to wrap
the rope around her wrists.

When she had replaced the tethers about Shatiluaans wrists Lucille cleaned the
slaves face and addressed the scratches as best she could. Then she replaced
the peg in the fruit cellar door and relatched it.

Once finished the widow Ward returned to her room. She would pray for her
misguided husbands soul and await the news of his death.

Chapter 37

It took Foote a few minutes but he finally decided what to do. Nothing

Martin was dead and good riddance to him. Gabriel was now the heir apparent.
He was a minor and his mother was his legal guardian. If something were to
happen to Nathanial, and he was getting up there, Lucille would, for a time,
be in charge of Wards empire.

He alone knew of her complicity in Martins death. Foote would have a great
deal of influence over her if she knew that he knew. There was nothing to gain
and much to lose by involving her now.

Let someone else discover the body and bring the news to Nathanial. That way
there would be no questions asked of him as to what he was doing out there in
the middle of the night. Nathanial, assisted he was sure by Lucas, would be
asking a lot of questions trying to get to the bottom of his sons death. Let
him ask them of someone other than himself.

As for the slave, he still wanted his ride on her body. Martin was big, but
soft and weak. She would find Niles Foote made of stronger stuff. And he sure
as hell wouldn't be stupid enough to untie her hands.

Foote, like Lucille, returned to his quarters to await the news of Martin
Wards death.

Niles Foote's wit was as sharp as his face

Chapter 38

The body of Martin Ward was discovered just after sun up by a group of field
hands and slaves on their way to the fields. The overseer Joshua was leading
the group and to him fell the task of bringing the news of the discovery to
Nathanial.

Fifteen Minutes later he burst into the kitchen of the Ward Manor shouting
that Martin Ward had been killed. He ran right into Gabriel. The stunned young
man could not believe what he'd heard. He questioned the overseer again and
again if he was sure. Seen it with my own eyes he was as cold as stone was the
same reply he got each time.

As soon as Joshua told him where the body had been discovered, near his home,
Gabriel rushed out to first check on his mother. He left the unlucky feeling
Joshua to climb the stairs and communicate the news to Nathanial.

Gabriel cried as he ran up the path towards his home and cursed himself for
not talking to his father as he'd left last night. He would never have the
chance to again. And maybe he would have not set out for wherever it was he
was going. He did not like his father, but he had loved him.

As Gabriel sprinted towards his home Joshua stood on the back staircase trying
to determine if it was safe to rush passed the unescorted Lucas who stood at
the top of the stairs. There was no staff present and they were alone. The
giant gave no indication that he was aware of the overseers presense and
Joshua had no idea if he would be allowed to pass. He did know he was afraid
of him. He had never seen him before without one of the family or staff
present. It was as though he was in the presence of a large attack dog that he
had played fetch with when his master was present and now the dogs master had
left the room..

Just then, to Joshua's relief, the elder Ward appeared behind the Nubian
slave. He blurted out the news as Nathanial pushed past his bodyguard. Ward
sat heavily on the stairs with his face in his hands as Joshua repeated the
details.

Eventually Nathanial instructed Joshua to return to Martins body and see to it
that nothing was touched until he got there. All those that had been with him
when the body was discovered were to wait there as well. He would be there as
soon as his strength returned.

When Joshua had left Ward sent Lucas to fetch him some shoes and clothing.
When the giant was out of sight and he was alone he allowed himself a few
minutes to weep quietly. Nathanial Ward was a cold, calculating emotionless
man but he was a man. He was human. This was one of the rare moments that he
showed that he was. He was alone and no one would know.

By the time Lucas returned with his clothing his humanity was no longer
showing.

When Gabriel returned to his house he could see his weeping mother already
standing with the knot of people crowding around his fathers body just beyond
the house. She had decided that in light of the commotion going on just
outside her window it would be better if she were to investigate rather than
wait for someone to come and get her. He ran to her side.

The two stood together in silence with his arm around her shoulders and wept
over the body of Martin Ward. Both lost in their own grief. Both wondering why
it was that they did not feel as grief stricken as each imagined they should.

Chapter 39

A hundred yards to the south the smell of seed roused Shatiluaan from her
slumber. She felt the first faint stirrings of the heat and inhaled again
deeply. She awaited the coming of her new attendants to remove her tethers and
bring the offerings of the days bounty. Rasha would be sending seed bearers
and the heat would be upon her by the evening. Soon the luring would begin.

Shatiluaan would not waste this day. It was time for her again to silently
recount her peoples history. She began with the first mortal sin and the
treachery of the vile serpant whose spawn she herself had slain hours earlier.

Shatiluaan was a hundred yards to the south and more than fifty five hundred
years away by the time Nathanial Ward, his slave master Foote and his ever
present shadow arrived at the body of Martin Ward.

By the time Ward dismissed the gathered slaves and ordered his employees to
remove his sons body to the place everyone called Flo's shed she was reciting
the ancient story of his defiling of the twelve tablets of the twelve clans
and his death at the hands of the eleventh Nai Oben Sha as he grasped for the
thirteenth tablet of the En Atu Ules. The last remaining, and the original,
Ledger of Rasha Shaluaan.

When Nathanial Ward and his entourage entered her new hut she was just getting
to the story of the great lie of he who would lead and the eternal taboo of
all who would believe it.

..............................................................................
...

To be Continued in Part 6

He Who Wished to Lead