Goddesses and Gremlins - Part 7
By Beaten Man   Replies to humbled@abeatenman.com 
Part 7  -  Destiny and Demons


Chapter 49

Only once in over fifty five centuries had there been no successor to the Nai
Obin Sha.. Shatiluaan was the first First Daughter since the eleventh without
luaan siblings who might succeed her Never since then had the En Atu Ule been
without those who could carry on their march to eternity Now, The Mother in
her wisdom, had sent the seed that would spawn the Chosen Ones who were to
inherit the Promised Place. Those who would not believe in the vain lies of he
who wished to lead would now settle in the Green Hills beyond the great waters
end. She was Nai Obin Sha and would teach her daughters and her daughters
daughters her peoples history and they would establish Rasha Shaluaan's realm
in the new fertile garden. Their spawn would spread the word of Rasha's glory
and destroy forever the lie of the false god created in the image of the
Serpent. With the lie exposed the souls of six hundred centuries of humankind
would at last be free to enter Rasha's eternal realm and be suckled at the
breast of the Mother of All.

Her day of conception had been indeed glorious, Shatiluaan had sang the
Mothers praises all day in her happiness. The young seed bearer had lain the
entire night within her embrace. Twice more his stalk had stirred and twice
more they had moved their bodies together as one in the rhythm of passion. And
twice more Shatiluaan enjoyed the Mothers gift of release and satisfaction.
She had not failed the Mother and her Mother had rewarded her bountifully.

At days break the young seed bearer had taken his leave. Soon after her hut
had filled with the virgins who now attended her. She was offered water and
scented oils so that she might cleanse and refresh herself. The days bounty
was filled with exotic foods to sate her appetite and fruit for the altar.

The pale luaan Lu-cee had spent hours teaching Shatiluaan more words so that
they might communicate in the language of the promised place. She had learned
please and water and food. She learned that a luaan was called woman and that
a seed bearer was referred to as man. She would soon know the language that
would be the language of her daughters

Shatiluaan in turn had taught Lu-cee that she was Natuli and that pleased the
luaan who now called her Luann the Natalee. Lu-cee had embraced her when she
took her leave and said goodbye Luann of Natalee as though they had been
conversant for years.

She was un-tethered, she was with daughter, she was attended, she was beyond
the great waters end and upon the Green Hills. The Nai Obin Sha of the chosen
ones was indeed grateful to the Mother of All Daughters. Even now as she
walked between the young sire of her unborn daughter and the sharp faced one
along the path from her hut she sang her praises.

Chapter 50

Lucille Ward awoke from her troubled sleep to the sound of her son singing in
the hallway outside her door. Her dreams of dark demons led by a wrathful
Nathanial Ward quickly receded from her mind as she listened to the sounds of
her sons early morning good spirits. He had entered her room with a breakfast
tray and his good humor had been infectious. She had listened as her son told
her of his plans to care for her now that he was the man of the house. He was
flushed in his excitement and had never appeared as enthusiastic as he did
that morning. He had been quiet and reclusive the night before, now he was
sure and assertive, chattering on of the responsibilities of manhood as she
ate her breakfast. Lucille was thankful that he had been able to shed the
trauma of his fathers death so quickly. She'd wished she could do the same.

As she ate her morning meal Lucille resolved that she would seek out Foote and
get to the bottom of his puzzling behavior the day before. He had plainly
signaled that he had knowledge of Martins death and was keeping it secret for
her benefit. She wanted to know what he knew and more importantly why he would
deceive Nathanial about it.

As for the slave woman, Lucille had made up her mind that she had done nothing
wrong and represented no danger to anyone. As soon as Nathanial was safely
gone the day before she had released her tethers and would keep her freed as
long as she was in her care. When she was done with Foote she would go to
Nathanial and tell him so.

For now she would occupy herself with the care of the unfortunate woman
Cleansed, fed and treated kindly she might overcome the terror she must surely
be feeling. It might even become possible to communicate with her.

Shatiluaan was the one thing Lucille, at least, did not feel guilty about
regarding her husbands death. She had no doubt she had saved the girls life by
shielding her involvement from Nathanial. She only wished that there was some
way she could confess her own involvement without involving the poor girl.

She was still working on Shatiluaan's communication skills when Foote's
unexpected noon visit saved her the trouble of finding him later.

Chapter 51

Gabriel was up before the dawn, eager to meet his first day as a man. The
woman who had shown him undreamed of pleasures still held him in her embrace.
He kissed her awake and swore his undying love as she shook the sleep from her
eyes. He knew she would not understand that any more than she would his
promise to return that evening when his days work was done but he would tell
her none the less. She may not have understood him but she still smiled at him
as he made ready to leave and chanted happily as he climbed the stairs.

He roused the house staff and set them about making some breakfast He gave the
slave women instructions to bathe and feed the guest in the basement and to
prepare a tray for his mother. He was now the man of the house and acting
every inch the part. After washing and changing he brought his mother her
breakfast tray. As she ate he reassured her that there was still a man in the
house and that she would be cared for as well, if not better, than she had
ever been.

He felt as if had grown a foot taller than the previous day. He was sure the
change in him was noticeable. He longed to tell her of his new experiences but
of course knew that he could not. He was bursting with energy and pride as he
made good use of every moment of the early morning. By eight thirty he was
whistling along the path towards his grandfathers manor eager to begin the
days work.

Chapter 52

Neither the morning nor the mood was sunny for Niles Foote. He had arrived
back at the compound from his confusing early evening hike to yet another
indication that his clever mind was failing him. He had forgotten that his
overseers were to report to him that evening. They were milling around the
cook house, where all the meals for them and the slaves they oversaw were
prepared, waiting for him to show up. He had to endure three hours of reports
that basically told him that no one had seen or heard anything the previous
night and that everyone on the Plantation had been asleep in their bunks. All
things Foote already new better than them. But he still had to listen
attentively to each of their reports.

When they were finished he still had to review the days work accomplishments
and prepare a report for Nathanial who would want to be briefed on the days
activities as soon as he returned from Charleston. By the time he had finished
with Ward it was after two and so he hadn't gotten much sleep that night. And
that was after only getting a couple of hours the night before. So, for
starters, Foote was dog tired that morning.

He was also very unhappy and feeling double crossed by his employer. His late
night briefing of Nathanial Ward had not gone well. Ward wasn't at all
interested in Foote's briefing. Instead he wanted to talk about his own
accomplishments that day. Specifically his plans for the continuation of the
Ward empire once its founder was gone.

As expected, Gabriel was to be his successor. What was not expected was that
there would be a trustee to manage the businesses until Gabriel attained legal
age. Someone else would be in charge of the families business while Foote
"assisted" Gabriel in running the plantation. Foote had not envisioned
Nathanial turning to anyone other than him to manage things. He felt betrayed
and un-trusted by his employer. He suddenly felt the twenty years he had
invested in doing Wards dirty work as he dreamt of controlling his empire had
been wasted.

He had another problem now as well. He had lied to Nathanial regarding Martins
death. If that were to come out he might also be losing his job. There was one
person who knew of his deception, Lucille Ward. He would need to see her and
make sure that information never came to light. Besides that she would still
be an influential figure where Gabriel was concerned. It was less than two
years until he gained legal status. Once that happened the trustee, if there
was one, would be gone and Gabriel would be on his own with only his mother to
advise him. And if anything were to happen to Gabriel she would own
everything. She was suddenly even more important to Foote than Gabriel.
Instead of going to lunch after his morning rounds of the fields he would be
going to see the Widow Ward.

Foote was a tired man with a lot on his mind as he rode from field to field
that day keeping his eye on the days activities. Quite a few of the overseers
felt the sharpness of his tongue that morning and many more of the slaves the
crack of his whip on their backs. Everyone was glad to see him ride off when
the noon chuck wagon made its appearance in the fields.

Chapter 53

Nathanial Ward was tired too. His previous day had began early with the death
of his only son and had included two long carriage rides and a frenzy of
activity in Charleston. To top that off he had a two hour session with Foote
until near three in the morning. He felt every bit his 64 plus years that
morning as he sat with Gabriel and went over the affairs of his various
businesses.

The boy would need to learn much. He was familiar with the plantation but knew
nothing of Wards various other enterprises. And there were a lot of
enterprises to learn about. Ward owned the largest bank in Charleston and
another bank in Charlotte. He owned a timber company and all the major
warehouses and grain silos in the area. There was an import and export company
and of course his lucrative slave breeding enterprise. Throw in a newspaper, a
few small general stores and his interests in Carolina politics and there was
plenty for him and Gabriel to talk about.

Gabriel for his part was all ears and attention that morning. He felt
wonderful and on top of the world, paying close attention as his grandfather
went over in turn each of his different business interests. Not only was he
now a man, he was a man with a great many responsibilities. He was eager to
begin assuming those responsibilities.

When the conversation turned to Wards slaving activities and specifically
Lucas the lecture turned into a debate. Gabriel was opposed to the idea of
raising people as though they were cattle and was, at the same time, doubting
his grandfathers wisdom in keeping someone as dangerous as Lucas around. He
certainly could see no connection between Lucas and any of his grandfathers
activities.

Ward explained to him that originally he had wanted Lucas as breeding stock.
He was the largest and strongest slave he had ever seen. When Lucas had shown
no interest in the slave women he attempted to breed him with he had been
forced to find other uses for the giant. He found that his intimidating
presence made business negotiations with other men go much smoother. And he
had been quite useful in assisting both Martin and Niles Foote in dealing with
recalcitrant slaves and certain business associates who did not have the best
interest of the Ward empire on their minds. Nathanial did not elaborate on
exactly what form that assistance took. As to the breeding activities, Ward
was convinced it was the key to the families continued dominance of the local
commerce .

The debate ranged on through lunch and was still going on when they were
interrupted by Niles Foote accompanied by Lucille Ward. Foote's interruption
was not unexpected, he often came by the manor at that time of day, but
Lucille Ward had not been there in years. Their presence together could only
mean something had been uncovered regarding Martin that needed Nathanial's
immediate attention. Ward was the one who was all ears as they began talking.

By the time they were through Foote was hurrying up the path back to Martins
home to fetch the slave woman for Nathanial.

Gabriel was struggling to keep up with him as he went. No one was going to man
handle the woman he was sure he loved. And no one was going to hurt his woman
either. Not even Nathanial Ward.

Chapter 54

Lucille Ward was quite surprised when her maid came to the cellar to tell her
that master Niles was waiting for her upstairs, No one ever came there to see
her. She had been the plantation outcast for fifteen years. As for Foote, she
hardly knew him. He had stopped by a few times over the years to get Martin
but only for a few moments at a time. She probably hadn't spoken a hundred
words to him in the seventeen years she'd been at the Pines. Now he was
waiting to see her, and on the very day she had planned to see him. This
couldn't be just coincidence.

He was polite and inquired as to her health and how she was getting along
since her husbands death. He was truly sorry that such a fine man as Martin
had been taken so early in life. Eventually he got down to business. He had
been thinking about the scratches on the slaves face and how they got there.
Lucille responded by reminding him that he had said he'd put them there.

Yes I did maam, Foote began, but I didn't scratch her. I thought you might
have had something to do with it so I kept quiet until I could speak with you.
Why would you think I had anything to do with it she responded. Because you
and I both know Martin came here to rape that black woman downstairs. Foote's
demeanor hardened as he delivered that last line.

She had no way of knowing that he'd seen her and Shatiluaan moving Martins
body. She did know that she wanted to protect the girl but at the same time
was struggling with the guilt of keeping the circumstances of Martins death
from her son and father in law. Lucille decided that she could protect the
girl and get rid of the guilt of her silence with one simple lie. He was
raping that black slave and his heart gave out she suddenly said. I moved his
body so that Gabriel wouldn't find out what he'd been up to.

Foote looked as though he had been hit by his own whip as he stared back at
her in disbelief. He managed to stammer out that he would have to inform
Nathanial of her confession as he tried to determine whether or not to let her
know he had seen her and the slave. You won't have to tell him anything she
said, I'll tell him myself.

Foote decided to keep his information to himself and offered instead to escort
her to Nathanial. He wasn't sure how what she had to say affected him but he
was sure he wanted to see the look on Nathanial's Wards face when she told
him.

Chapter 55

Gabriel was a man now. If his mother had something to say regarding his
fathers death he had the right to hear it. He was not going to leave the room
as she had asked. I'm not going anyplace were his exact words when she asked
him to wait downstairs while she talked to Nathanial.

And so in front of her son Lucille recounted her story of Martin's death. She
had heard the sounds of the girls screams and Martin shouting. She had gone
down to the cellar and found him in the act of raping the girl. She had
shouted his name and when he turn to look up at her he had groaned and
suddenly collapsed back on top of the slave girl. She had pulled him off of
her and checked his pulse, he was dead. He must have had a heart attack. She
panicked when she realized he would be found in the arms of a slave woman and
wanted to protect his memory for his son. With the assistance of the slave
girl she had moved him away from the house. Now her guilt over her silence had
gotten the better of her and she begged everyone's forgiveness for her
original deception.

To Gabriel it made perfect sense. That's why his father had been sneaking off.
As for protecting his fathers memory for him, his mother really shouldn't have
bothered. Everybody on the plantation except Lucille knew that Martin took his
liberties with the slave women often. To Gabriel it almost seemed poetic
justice that his fathers heart would give out as he raped one, It was for his
mother that he was concerned. And for Shatiluaan.

Nathanial was a bit more skeptical than his grandson. What about the marks on
Martins neck he wanted to know. Lucille offered as to how the slaves had
struggled against him making the marks. She speculated that though her hands
were bound they were not tied to the bed and she could have still used them.

He was still skeptical and he knew two things. His son would still be alive if
it weren't for the slave girl and she had helped move his body. He also had a
hard time believing that Martins heart suddenly gave out. He wasn't sure of
what Lucille's involvement really was but would make no move against her in
Gabriel's presence. That matter he would settle in time. For now, though, the
Amazon slave had to die. She was simply too much of a problem, he would just
have to write off the investment.

After he told Foote to bring him the girl he got his next surprise of the day.
Gabriel began to argue with him that it was unnecessary to bring her to the
manor, that she would have nothing to add to his mothers story and was simply
a victim. Besides what good would it do to question someone who could not
understand your language. When he had ignored Gabriel and told Foote to go
anyhow his grandson had run off after the slave master screaming back at him
that he loved the girl and not Foote or anyone else was going to put their
hands on her. Ward was now relatively certain that Martin wasn't the only man
in the family who'd had his way with the black female.

Oh well, she'll soon be just a memory he thought as he called Lucas into the
room.

Chapter 56

Shatiluaan was in the largest hut she had ever seen. The roof was as high
above her as the tree tops and the room was wide enough for a whole clan to
wander about in. There was a great staircase in the middle of the hut that
branched off in to two smaller staircases that each went in separate
directions heavenward. There were doors and hallways off the room that went on
to still more rooms and more doors beyond. Surely this must be the realm of
Rasha Shaluaan herself. She must have been summoned here for something truly
grand. The Nai Obin Sha chanted her devotion to the Mother as she stared at
the great room in wonderment.

The seed bearer sire of her unborn daughter had been so timid when he came to
fetch her. He had taken her by the hand and gently tugged at it so that she
would follow. He had led her up the small stairs by her altar and out into the
dazzling sunlight. They had walked down the pathway with the promised green
hills visible just beyond the trees that lined the trail that led to the great
hut. Such signs of the Mothers presence coming on the heels of her night of
conception humbled the first daughter as she watched the sharp faced seed
bearer climb the great staircase.

Her attendant Lu-cee appeared as if by magic from a darkened hallway. She took
her other hand and with the young seed bearer began leading her heavenward, up
the great staircase. As she climbed the staircase she could see images of the
old red faced seedbearer staring back at her from the walls. Each image
appeared older as they climbed higher on the stairs. This must be the time of
his destiny she thought as she ascended towards the great hall at the top of
the stairs.

As they walked down the wide hallway Shatiluaan began to smell the scent of
the giant spawn of the serpant. She dropped to her knees and recited her oath
to Rasha three times. She was here as summoned and the demon would meet his
destiny as the Mother wished.

She rose and told the startled Lu-cee yes and indicated they should proceed.
She was now pulling the pale luaan and the young seed bearer as she followed
the demon's scent down the hall.

Chapter 57

Nathanial was just instructing Foote as to what he wished done with the slave
girl when she pushed into the room and ran at Lucas with her arms
outstretched. She was babbling on in her sing song gibberish as she leapt at
him and grabbed him around the throat. She wrapped her legs around the giant
and attempted to squeeze his huge neck.

The giant stared at her blankly as Lucille and Gabriel tried to pull her off
the huge slave. Nathanial kept screaming at both Lucas and the startled Foote
to kill her. The Giant seemed frozen so Foote drew his revolver and took aim
at the girl. As he fired Gabriel and Lucille succeeded in pulling the Slave
off the Giant. Footes first shot struck Lucas in the chest where the girl had
been a moment earlier. His second shot struck Gabriel in the shoulder as he
reached in front of Shatiluaan to protect her.

Lucille and Nathanial both rushed to the stricken Gabriel as Shatiluaan again
leaped at the wounded giant and put her hands back around his throat.

The sounds of the household staff rushing up the great staircase were drowned
out by Foote's third shot

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

To be Concluded in Part 8

The Balancing