Tree Secrets

Chapter 18

AND THEY'RE OFF! – Legacy, Louisiana

1986

"Well, are you going to tell us why we're here, or do we have to guess?" Zacheus' tone was belligerent.

Anxious and edgy, Pandora spoke, "Listen closely. What I want you to do must be done with the utmost skill." She turned her attention to Lilith, "Lilith, can I trust that you, as an Elemental and my trusted friend, will bring all the powers of nature to bear when necessary?"

Lilith spoke in a soft sing-song tone with a slight Greek accent, "I am a Deva, in the land of the Devic Realm and am bound to you by code, blood, and contract, I will do as you wish. However, you must tell me what this mission is - and my reward."

Pandora considered the spectacle before her and thought back to her own days as a wood nymph in the Devic Realm. Wood nymphs, elementals, sprites, dryads, naiads water nymphs, hamadryads, fairies and gnomes are all considered part of the Devic Realm. Angels are also part of this realm but on a far more elevated scale. Angels know the ways of man and have mastered all the elements of the earth due to their closeness to the Supreme One. Lilith, unlike most Elementals who only had control over certain forces of nature such as air, fire, water and ground, could as a Deva, control them all. On the other hand, true wood nymphs are a very specific part of the Devic Realm, with limited options for advancement within that world.

Pandora's ambitions reached much farther than being assigned to and guarding trees as a regular wood nymph. She knew very early on that was never going to be enough for her. So, during one of the Preservation Wars between the Old Integreu (the three sisters that ruled the Lineal Pastures and Ancestral Gardens) and the rebel magicians from the Necromantic Council, who wanted to oust the old sisters from power, Pandora joined the Necromancers and the enemies of the Forgotten Ones (a term used in all Realms for the mythological creatures man has discarded). She traded her nymph status for that of a sorceress and never looked back. Lilith had fought beside Pandora in those wars and became indentured to her when Pandora saved her life in battle.

Pandora brought her thoughts back to the present. "I'll explain it all in just a moment," her eyes fixed on Alicia who had become bored with Pandora's conversation with Lilith and was now busy cleaning her paws. "Alicia, I expect you to be creative and resourceful with your talents. You will be dealing with children, so your power to change yourself into any warm or cold blooded creature should come in very handy. You know how much children love animals – USE IT!" Pandora's anger rose to the surface, "Watch your partners and if they get into trouble, step in quickly and do whatever it takes to eliminate the children."

Alicia's face lit with delight. Pandora could always count on her favorite pet to do the dirty work, no matter how unpleasant. Alicia had been given to Pandora by Gatorus, head of the Necromantic Council. It was quite an honor to be given a gift by such an esteemed leader. After all, Necromancers, if they wished, could summon the dead and speak to them, even use them to predict the future, which would have come in very handy in the Ancestral Forests, if the Integreu hadn't won the wars.

"Children? This is going to be fun for a change. Usually, it's just one of your human playthings or some dumb dryad that's stepped out of line," Lilith's sing song laugh was made even eerier by the sound of the swishing wind around her and the fire in her eyes.

"And now you, Zacheus," Pandora had turned to but before she could say a word, he was on his feet and pointing a finger at Pandora's face.

"Look, I don't know what you're planning, Pandora, but I'm not going to be a part of killing anyone, especially not children!" Zacheus' eyes flashed with bright specks of yellow.