Chapter 22 ( Two warlocks in South America and A Trip To Rome)

South America:

The next morning dawned with filtered sunlight that shone in brilliant beams through the trees. Richard and Hadassah lay tangled together. Richard spooning the young woman with his arm under hers and grasping a breast in his sleep. As the morning grew on it became more muggy and they began to stir. Hadassah opened her eyes and looked down at Richards hand cupping her furry breast. She lifted her arm and tried to remove his hand from her breast. He half opened his eye and grasped her back to him and she could feel his hardness pressed against her back. Smirking slightly, she half rolled over while looking over her shoulder." Again? Didn't we do it like five times last night? I am not so sure I can walk and we have to go into a boobie trapped temple of certain death in a hour or so." The old man nuzzled her ear. " Woman, This is what you do to me. I can't help it. I am stricken by your beauty and your streak of evilness that runs four miles wide. I have been alive for over one thousand years and have never found anyone so like myself." Hadassah smirked slightly," Now don't be getting all soft on me now." Chuckling loudly, he responded. " Oh woman, this is not soft whatsoever." Pulling her to him she began to make noises that scattered the birds." 

Two hours later..

The young woman sat up with the sheets over her breasts and kicked around. " Richard? Where is my necklace?" He rolled his eyes as if he was completely innocent,  as if he didn't have it behind his back." Come on man." She whined." I can not be seen like this, it would frighten too many children." Richard broke into a toothy grin." Then I shall butcher them with fire and cold. I know, I know, your confidence is not that high yet. There will come a day when you no longer need that jewel wrapped around that silken neck." She blushed deeply under her fur and clasped the jewel he handed her onto her neck. " Thank you." She said softly, and continued," No one has ever told me I was beautiful in my natural form. They usually run the other way. I am such a sight. This tail that catches on EVERYTHING, this fur. Do you know how hot this fur is?" He nodded and responded softly," I can only imagine. However, I do have this cooling charm that will make you cool when you are hot." She looked at him tears wetting her face. 

And then he continued as he pulled out a flask and said," Drink this." Chuckling softly as she took it and spoke," Who am I now? Alice in Wonderland?" Richard raised and eye brow and asked," What do you know of Alice and the Old. Rabbit hole?" Looking up at him as she swallowed the potion and handed him back the little bottle. She said," My mother loves ancient stories. She read me," Moby Dick"," The Great Gatsby", And so, so many others. It has always been a tradition in my fmaily. She also read to me Kraxion novels  And One of My ancient Great Grandmother's named Rahnyah was the High Priestess of Rioo. They called her Grand Minx. I read alot of her prophecy and predictions and so many other things about the Riooan people. Seeing that I look mostly like the Riooans." She said softly.

He turned and gestured widely," What? No Dr. Seuss?" Looking at him like he had gone mad , she clipped," Dr. Seuss? Who is that?" And quite flippantly he replied. " Seuss is dead. Dead I said. Down in the ground. With dirt on his head. Doc's in a box. Covered in Rocks." Hadassah, looked at him funny and just started laughing uncontrollably as she was pulling her leggings on and lacing up her thigh high boots. Her breasts still not covered as she reached across the double coffin and dug in the sheets retrieving the halter top with a look of joy upon her face.

 The old warlock looked at her out of the corner of his eye and said," You know that looks like the halters they had back in 1985. Ahh I was sixteen years old and wow, the girls really did not like me. They said I was way too nerdy, that I liked books way too much. They were all into going to the mall and watching " Flashdance " and going to the roller skating rink." Hadassah looked at him as if her were bonkers and repeated.

" Roller skating rink?" He looked at her and nodded as he said yes and clasped his hands in front of him and  paced a little under the roof of the temporary hut. " Yes, it was these boots that you put on that had four wheels on them and you rolled around a flat oval floor listening to loud music and there was a great big disco ball above that spun around. All the girls wanted to be asked to do the couple skate. It was a big thing back then. I am sure there is something in some archive somewhere on this planet that has roller skates in it."  She hopped in the middle of the coffin and crossed her legs and said, "Tell me more. What other things did girls back then like? You said the Mall? What was that?" He tapped his temple and poked a single fore finger up. " Ok, so a mall is like a huge building that houses many, many stores. Well all the kids back in the 1980's liked to go there in huge groups. The girls would go to these shops and buy clothes that were so crazy and they had hair styles so big that smelled of Hairspray." Giggling she said, "Hairspray?" He nodded and continued," Yes this sticky wet stuff that stunk so bad. They sprayed it in their hair so it wouldn't move from the style they put it in. It was totally the rave. Ok now get your ass up we need to get those artifacts and get back to Avalon." 

Nodding her agreement, She got up and finished shoving her cloak into her satchel and looked up." Wow I do feel cooler. That's pretty cool. I think I am going to have to stock up on that stuff, it's just amazing."

Meanwhile just outside of Avalon heading East towards France:

 Daz and Kerari rode in silence. The horses strode in unison. Looking over to the large paladin she spoke loudly." Ok we need someone who can build under water and someone who can bilge it out. How about we stop in Calais and see if there is anyone who can help?" Daz merely nodded and kept looking forward as if nothing had transpired between them thinking only of the task ahead.

Kerari sat thinking about the night they shared, it lightened her soul to have connected with Daz after so long a time. She knew he was in mourning but it felt as if she had always been able to feel a part of his soul. Nearing the channel they awaited a ship. The channel was still to wide to cross on ferry so a ship would have to do. Daz bartered for a cabin and they boarded and went to the cabin. It was near the aft of the boat and it was quite large. Kerari was the only female on the ship so she kind of stayed in the cabinthe three days it took to cross. 

Looking about in her bag, she found something that she could cook for them and went to the galley to ask cook if she could borrow the stove for a few moments. The old man nodded and motioned for her to use whatever he had. She showed him what food she had and asked for a few apples and two small portions of meat. She handed him two coins of silver that were quite large. He smiled and pulled down a large piece of Ribeeye and handed it to her. The beautiful elf worked deftly over the stove and finished up her meal in record time and walked it to the aft of the ship where she and Daz were staying. When he came in from up on deck he smiled when he smelled the Apple strudel and the rib roast. She gestured for him to sit at the table and she served him his plate. "Your Majesty," She said softly. He smiled and reached up to softly touch her beautiful face and wondered why he didn't come back to the grove for all the ages of time he was gone. He was so enamored with Humans he had forgotten about her. The one who shared his Beltane fires for those twenty some odd years before he left. She never ventured after him she always stood guard against intruders in the grove.

They made Calais just as it started to rain two days later. Kerari hugged the old cook and her hair fell softly over her shoulder. Daz came up behind her and placed his hand softly on the small of her back to guide her off the ship. Not that she could not do it herself but it was the gentlemanly thing to do. As they stepped off the ship she turned to him and said," Thank you , Your Majesty." Daz smiled, " Please Kerari call me Daz like you did when we were children." Kerari giggled," Daz, I was the child. you were way older than I old man."  He nodded and said softly," True."

they turned down a street near the warf and went up another and found a tavern just as the winds picked up coming in off the sea and pushed their cloaks up around them. The wind pulled the door from Daz's hand as he opened it and slammed into the wall behind. A large hearth was roaring a warm fire and the smell of roasted chicken wafted in the air. The two pulled off their cloaks and warmed themselves by the fire when Daz spoke, " I need a Mage, a druid and someone who can build a bilge pump relatively easy." 

Veldron the dwarf edged closer tot he elves and said," I can make a bilge pump, what are we going to be draining?" he asked. Daz looked at him and responded, " Well, We need to get into the vault under St. Peter's Basilica in Rome to retrieve an artifact that I have use for. There are many artifacts in this vault along with a good many books. that have been around for well over three thousand years. Histories of ages passed." The dwarf nodded and said," Yes I will go with you. 

I'll take a few small tokens. I heard Leonardo Davinci's engineering designs are in the vault but no one has been brave enough to even attempt such a feat." Nodding, Kerari said that' s where the Druid comes in ,we need a druid to help build a retaining wall thirty feet down so it is ten foot above the water line. Then we will bilge it out and break through the vault from above and go down. It must be built strong and waterproof."

 Old Lord Brennan leaned forward from his table and into the light." I will come with you." Daz turned and thanked him, then looked closer." Sir, I know you. My father trained you when you were a lad." He said as he shook the old man's hand and noting just how frail humans were one more time and chiding himself for marrying such a frail human. Shaking it off, he smiled and looked around for a mage as he sat down at their table. Kerari got up and went to the counter and ordered four mugs of hard mead. The woman behind the counter handed them to her and said, That will be two silver," Kerari handed her the silver and returned to the table and handed everyone the mugs of mead. As the elf sat down she caught a purple flash out of the corner of her eye as a mage walked through a wormhole right up to the counter. Bethrina's long hair swaying as she walked. Her curly brown hair spilled out of her cloak and down to her waist. "Barkeep, may I please have a mead? It is so windy out there and cold for a spring night." The woman at the bar said," Three copper and those people at the table are in need of a mage. Said they are going to Italy."  The young mage turned around and strode right up to the table and sat down beside Kerari," Hey I heard you need a mage she said then took a big drink from the mug in her hand.