As it turns out Philo was a kind fellow after all. The man spoke four languages and helped friend and foe alike. He had been a man of worship at one point, to God's Cynddylan could hardly pronounce. The jovial man new everything there was to know about mythology and even spirits that were not as distant as gods. "So where do dos stories come from?" Cynddylan asked as the two stopped their cart to rest. Philo stretched and held his back. He barked as something snapped then sighed with relief as the ache was gone.
"Those stories of Zeus and Apollo and all them are more real than the average person knows." Cynddylan paused as he thought about this to himself. " Now Cynddylan, it's hard to know what you're thinking about if you won't tell me. What's in your head, enlighten me." The fat man sat down and folded his hands over his thighs. Cynddylan went to the back of the cart and pulled out feed for the donkey's and a leather bag of water.
"I just wondered what you meant by tat, tats all." Philo nodded.
"Well, first off, this is secret stuff no one is aloud to know about it and if you ever catch one of the magical folk, they won't soon admit it. In fact they'd probably kill you. So don't snoop." Cynddylan hand feed the donkeys. They were both almost as round and Philo. They ate their oats greedily. " The first thing you need to know about in this world is a demon. A demon is a powerful, horrible thing, they prey on human souls when they are at their most miserable." Cynddylan didn't seem to respond to that. He dropped the oats bag and pulled the water bag around the first donkey's face. " Demon's can disguise themselves in any form , man or woman, they are not bound to one gender or even one species. But most demons have a go to species they align themselves to. The beasts always prefer the more nasty stuff too, bats and wolves and spiders and crows, awful things all of them. Don't ever trust a man with red eyes I always say. Stick to what seems natural. Too perfect is a bad sign."
"What about the other things?"
"Well there are also things called shinigami, or reapers, or death gods, they have many names depending on the culture and the language. The gist of them is they run life after death, they collect your soul and ship you off. They also preserve the balance between humans and demons. They're like office workers for the dead. They don't bother humans much, just when you die. I've heard of some other ones but I only hear rumors and legends of them. Demons are uncommon, the other stuff is even more rare."
"Why is tat?"
'Shinigami kill em. They figure they upset the balance and therefore must be destroyed. I don't know details." Cynddylan returned the horse food back to its place then returned to help Philo up.
"Why do ya know so mutch abot these tings?" Philo brushed off some dust.
" Because I know a man who is one. He's an old friend of mine. A scholar I happened to come a crossed in Athens. He's a shinigami, and an important one. He told me all this because I witnessed something I should not have."
"Wat did ya see?" Philo hoisted himself up onto the cart and exhaled sharply.
" I saw an old man kiss a young girl to death. But he was no man and that was no kiss. My friend saved me from an illegal soul extraction. What that means I don't know but that's what he told me."
"Your friend tells you mutch."
' You'd be surprised how little it really is, YAW!" The donkey's began to trot along down their path toward a deep valley before them.
After locating a place to stay for the night the girls were hard at work unpacking their things. Most of what they owned was mutual property of them family, and almost all of it had something to do with witchcraft. Morganna's pack contained a jar stuffed with six thin fish and a small leather sac full of bones. In another container she had eight vials filled with powders of various colors, contained in the largest of them was a pound or so of sand from the hour glasses of dead men. Her mother took this from her and examined it as she set in down on the table she was using to hold her ingredients. She looked up searching for her eldest. Lilith was making the beds.
"Lilith, I need you to watch the girls tonight. I have business to tend to. This new job might take a few weeks so I'd like to start sooner rather than later." Lilith held the sheets up to the night air to let out the damp smell they had.
"I can do that. Will you leave before dinner?"
"yes, I'll leave it for you though." Lilith nodded. Esmeralda picked up a jar of fish she had set aside with the sand. She opened the jar and removed three dead fish each one pickled and slimy. She lay each one out on the sand ad rolled them in it like it was flower. The fish released a slow exhaling sound like a woman's breathing, their skin sizzled and browned and their eyes seemed almost animated as Esmeralda prepared them with some greens and onions. The fish steamed when she set them on boards for the girls. They all giggled at the little show. Esmeralda very rarely cooked with magic. The girls divided the food amongst themselves as their mother left.
Esmeralda entered the meeting place like a goddess. Her shoulder were back and her chin always elevated. This was no act, this was just how she carried herself. Before her sat a dark man cloaked in royal clothes. He had Egyptian facial features yet a distinct foreign touch to his dress and carriage. He was a large man Esmeralda took him to be about six foot and 200 pounds. He was thick but not definded in his muscle. She thought him unattractive, while it was apparent he found her anything but. The man stood and she found her estimates accurate.
"My lady, I'm glad to see you found this place, I hope it was not much trouble to you. Please understand I'm not proud of what I'm doing, I'd like to be secretive if that's alright." Esmeralda walked past him to look at the view out the window, it was dusk now and the city was all blues and purples.
"That speech isn't necessary. I know what you'd like and I'm uninterested in tarnishing your reputation as long as you do not offended mine. Remind me of your name I forgot it since your message."
"Are you in the habit of offending your clients you filthy bitch!" He snareled at her out spoken behavior, he had not expected this from a woman, even of her variety.
"No but I am in the habit of killing the one's I don't like, so I advise you remember your manners." She said it like it was the time of day. He bit his tongue and reconsidered insulting a witch.
" My apologies your ways are strange to me, my name is Shabaka ."
"My ways are strange to everyone. I suggest you tell me in exact terms what it is you want from me." He nodded at sat down again.
" I want to rule Egypt and I want to rule all of it. My brother has only the lower part under his true authority though we have conquered to Memphis. He has not returned to Egypt since his conquest. He's weak, I want it all, I deserve it all." Esmeralda paused thinking about her request.
"In your letter you sounded less aggressive."
'My letter was in dictation, I did not want my brother to know my thoughts. Will you help me?" Esmeralda turned to face him for the first time.
"If I help you kill your brother and take control of Egypt my price will be very high."
"Once I am king of everything, no price will be to vast."
" So we are clear I will tell you what I want now it may take time for you to get it for me. I want the hands of the high priest at the first temple you build. I want the blood of a cow blessed to Hathor. I want thirteen Egyptian cobra's from snake charmers, I will know if they are wild. And…" she smiled. "I want the after birth of your first born son." Shabaka stood in shock at the oddities she requested, he had expected her to ask for money. " I will consider what you ask me to do, if I find any reason against it at any time the deal is off, expect results in a months time. I will work quickly." She left the room without waiting for his response.
When she arrived home the girls were all asleep. She closed the door and put a few paper talesmins around it. The seals protected anyone unwelcome from entering it would be their protection while she slept. She did not trust Shabaka, or anyone who knew what she was. Fear is a powerful deterrent, but unfortunately it also brought out madness. And she'd have none of it while her daughters slept.