End of previous chapter:
'What is this place? Where are we?'
'I do not know,' Seisi said. 'But methinks we have some explanations to do first.' He turned around and pointed at the mutinous group of the Avebury witches.
***
'I want you to explain to me what this shit is all about. Now.' The landlord of the 'Whacky Bramble' was glowering at her from under his bushy brows.
Trueth decided a strategic retreat was in order and moved backwards a few steps. The guy was obviously working out a lot, the muscles in his arms were straining the cucumber design on his borrowed terrycloth dressing gown into elongated smudges of green. His legs, spread in an aggressive stance, were the size of beer kegs. Very hirsute ones at that. Kegman threw Trueth's blanket at her feet, whisked around and stabbed his digit at Damian. 'This is all your fault, always messing with things better left alone. I don't care for this magical crap. You're all fooling yourselves.'
'So why are you here with us, then?' Myrtle asked, massaging her temples.
Trueth could watch her no longer, she walked across, pressed two fingers to one side of Myrtle's head and shared some power.
Her former landlady dropped her hands, her mouth forming a big round 'o'. 'You're the real McCoy, aren't you?'
'It's Deveril, actually. Trueth Deveril.' Trueth sketched a bow. 'I registered my name correctly when we checked in at your establishment.'
'Will you stop this bullshit!' The landlord stomped across and grabbed Trueth by the sleeve of her pyjama top, nearly ripping the fabric. 'I want answers!'
Seisi moved closer to Trueth like a second shadow and pointed at the furry nether regions of her attacker. 'Your privates are showing, pray cover yourself good man.'
Sniggering erupted behind them.
The publican gazed down his front, went beetroot red in the face, veins bulging on his temples. He did, however, remove his meaty paws off Trueth's pyjama and balled them into fists. 'I will show you something, raghead.' Without further ado, the landlord charged Seisi.
He, however, just rose into the air, floated above the head of his attacker and landed behind him. 'Note that my head is not clad in any cloth, ragged or otherwise. I also believe you might be going entirely in the wrong direction. In the meantime, your privates are still on display and I do not consider them to be a pretty sight.'
A general outburst of mirth followed his words, sprinkled with applause.
Trueth got slightly worried for Seisi and kept tracking their nemesis who was stumbling over the grass, carried along by his momentum. The landlord stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly. His mouth was open as well, yet he made no comment. He appeared to be surprised by her companion's magical aerobatics. But how could he have missed Seisi free--floating in front of a cliff face?
'I told you, Jack,' Damian said from the side. 'You never listen to me. There are magical beings left, even if not many. The friend of these two was one of them. I would be a bit more careful if I was you, and not insult this young man. He's pretty powerful, even if he doesn't show it.'
The landlord was trying to keep the front of his dressing-gown closed. He did not quite succeed. 'Who are you?' His voice had come down a few decibels, but he still sounded alarmingly like an enraged bull.
'I'm Seisi, Son of Thutra. Priest of the fourth rank, serving the sun god Ra.' Seisi inclined his head, albeit only briefly.
'No shit, is that true? You're one of the Egyptian Wiccans?' The girl from the souvenir shop, dressed in a pretty tulle dressing gown over an embroidered nightshirt, pushed to the front. The uneven lawn made her stagger in her high-heeled feathery mules. 'I always wanted to meet one of you guys!'
Seisi raised one eyebrow.
Trueth felt a stab in her diaphragm and discovered she was harbouring feelings she had never experienced before. How dare Miss Fluffy take an interest in her partner? She needed a lesson. Or two. 'He's no Wiccan. If anybody is a fully-fledged magical being, it's Seisi. It's hard to explain, but there is a whole magical world somewhere. That's where we're...he's from. A parallel ancient Egypt. And if you all calm down a little bit, he can explain to you what happened. For I have no clue at all.'
Another unwelcome feeling, this time, regret, made Trueth's eyes sting. She had found a home with the Al-Nours in Cairo, another one with the Suka nobles in the past. Now she had lost both. Trueth sniffed. Next, she felt angry with herself, now was not the time to succumb to useless emotions. At least, Seisi was still with her. How he would react to an auburn haired chit making puppy eyes at him, Trueth did not know. She decided not to take any risks, marched across to where he was standing and put her arm round his shoulders. He promptly encircled her waist and her spirits rose in response.
Amusement floated into her mind. Do you think I am that fickle? I take no interest in scantily-clad maidens of dubious provenance. And before you ask, you always convey your thoughts through your actions.
The group had moved closer and listened as Seisi delivered his observations of their communal sleepwalking the other night. He explained that Trueth had undoubtedly--albeit unconsciously--fulfilled her role as catalyst, calling the witches to the henge and using their talents, limited as they might be, to shift the group across. Trueth was both impressed and touched when he briefly explained how he and his canine companion had joined them at the last minute.
Trueth bent down to pat the dog, who panted cheerfully in response.
He was with them; that was all that counted. As to why they were here and what she had done exactly, Trueth was at a loss.
Seisi must have sensed her concern, he squeezed her waist once more and turned his head towards the skies behind them. 'I also believe, we might have other issues.'
She checked and saw clouds moving in, framing the sun whose rays were streaking from behind the dark mass as if they wanted to send a last greeting before capitulating. Their death throes illuminated saffron-yellow berries like explosions of colour against the backdrop of the indigo skies.
'We must find shelter. I believe the weather might be turning,' Seisi said.
'And where the fuck are we supposed to hide?' the landlord bellowed and pointed at the forest surrounding them.
Seisi furrowed his brows. 'I know not. I need somebody to climb one of these trees.'
'Can't you fly up there?' Damian asked hopefully.
'I could, but I prefer to preserve the energy my high priest endowed me with as long as possible,' Seisi said.
'Rob, John, come down there. At once!' a middle-aged lady in a striped dressing-gown shouted up the nearest fir tree. Her efforts were directed at the ginger duo, who were already halfway up the timber and, in perfect teenage tradition, blithely ignored their mother's bleating. They reached the top; there they stayed, gently swaying in the rising wind like a duo of under-dressed monkeys.
'Oh cool! I can see houses,' minion boxer shorts said. 'Funny old-fashioned ones, like in this stupid place mum dragged us to last month. What was it called again?'
'Stratford something. Yeah, you're right.' His brother was more traditional, sporting the Simpsons on his underwear. He seemed to squint into the distance. 'There's a funny effect, though. As if the buildings were under water,' Simpson-shorts yelled his observations down towards the people on the grass.
'A magical veil,' Seisi shouted towards the treetops. 'You have done well. Now come back here, we will need you to point us in the right direction.'
They were missing something, something that should be obvious. Trueth tried to kick her sluggish brain into action. 'If there are survivors from either these Neolithic mages or the witchfolk, why have they not turned up?'
A gust of cold wind rushed through the clearing. Miss Fluffy shivered in her mules. 'Can we stop the kaffeeklatsch and get somewhere warm, please?'
'I can't imagine these people are going to be overly thrilled when our hodgepodge assembly arrives in their backyard, ' Myrtle said.
And on this merry note we break for Xmas. Next chapter will follow on 29 December. In the meantime, I hope all of you - not only those celebrating - have a great time! If you liked this story, please leave me a vote or a comment. Or both XD. Wattpad writers write for feedback. We thrive on it! Thank you so much. If you REALLY liked it - maybe you can tell your friends about it?
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This chapter is dedicated to catfigaro thank you for your support of my stories!
The image is taken from DeviantArt, copyright catch22