Powaw continued to glare at Talo, his eye’s radiating power. “Well?”

I’m made. Maybe he can tell if I’m lying or even read minds. Go simple.

“I’m Huritt and Talo,” managed Talo in the most unassuming voice he could muster.

“Baby what do you mean? Are you OK? Do you hear voices?” Alsoomose shook visibly. There were cases of possessions and hexes, but they were very rare, and often required a great deal of time and contact.

“Go on Talo. Tell us more about you.” Powaw was clearly having none of it.

Shit. Shit. Shit. What will they do with the full truth? I can try to hide it, but is it just going to lead to more angst and bigger problems in the future? What’s the worst they can do? Kill me? Kinda tried that one already. Maybe honesty is always the best policy?

“I’m...no... I have…” stuttered Talo. Damn, I don’t know the word for planet or reincarnation. “I’m from another place...before mommy.”

Powaw’s eyes narrowed, “And where would that be?”

Talo pointed to the ground, “ or soil?” Talo tried speaking in English for the first time, and made a gamble that the word he knew for earth, like in English, could refer to the planet or the ground. Sadly, he was wrong.

Alsoomose slumped down to the floor, and Powaw projected different colored barriers around himself and Talo, isolating them from everything he could think of.

“So are you saying you’re an earth spirit? Did someone bring you to Huritt?”

“No. Not spirit. Powaw know magic to language?”

“Do I know a magic language? What do you mean ‘to language’?”

Aaaghh. Grammar is hard.

“No, no! More language? Axculi.” Talo just stared at Powaw.

“Good heavens! Now he’s speaking in tongues. We need to get a priest in here ASAP. Huritt and Talo, you will stay right here.” Powaw stepped out of the barriers, then added another around Talo. “Steward, fetch the bishop at once, this could be an emergency. Do it with as much discretion as you can muster. I must take care of the Grand Duchess.” The steward, like most of the palace staff, could be relied on to keep secrets.

All stewards, including the chief steward, had sworn death-bound oaths not to reveal any of the activities in the palace. This came with a substantial bonus pay, and as long as you didn’t screw anything up, substantial job security.

Powaw turned his attention to the duchess. She was hyperventilating and jittering back and forth. “There, there, Your Grace. Take just a bit of sedating magic.” A brown sparkling mist rolled off Powaw’s hands and covered Alsoomose’s body. It rested on her skin but didn’t penetrate it.

Finally, she nodded a little, and the mist flew into her pores. She stopped shaking almost immediately. “It’s all my fault...wah wa hahaha. I let someone put a hex on my baby. I couldn’t protect him. I..I—”

Powaw produced more mist with a slightly different shade of brown. “Don’t worry Your Grace. We don’t know it’s a hex, and it’s certainly not your fault. Let me and Eladuni try to handle this, and you just rest. Yes, rest.” At this Alsoomose faded into sleep.

Did Powaw just emit a narcotic gas and knock out my mom? Wait is she my mom? I want to think so. I certainly care for her like my mom...just because I would be willing to knock her out to nurse doesn’t mean I don’t feel filial emotions...maybe even love?

“What is the meaning of you summoning me, you old coot?” Bishop Eladuni was the second oldest member of the Grand Duke’s court—just three years younger than Powaw.

“Yes, sooo sorry to bother you about a possible possession of the young marquis. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your prayers.” While Powaw certainly believed in the gods—it would be silly not to when they frequently made their power known—he held disdain for the religious.

Concern quickly replaced annoyance on Eladuni’s face. “Possession? What do you mean?”

“I mean I heard it directly from the boy’s mouth. He calls himself Huritt AND Talo. He said he was from the soil. To top it off he started babbling on in tongues.”

“Did the tongues mean anything?”

“What you mean did they mean anything? It was nonsense. That’s why it’s tongues.”

“No you fool. If it has no interpretation and is just noise, it’s jubilation. Tongues contain meaning even if you don’t know it. That’s their defining feature.” Eladuni was again incensed and strolled over to Talo.

“Bring down these barbaric walls and let me examine the marquis.” Powaw just harrumphed and waved his hand. The bubbles of light faded from around Talo, causing the boy to stand up.

“Hello, I’m Talo. It is good to meet you.” Maybe I can win them over with manners, he thought.

Eladuni stroked his beard, and stared at Talo for awhile before answering, “I am Bishop Eladuni. Head of the Church of the United for this duchy. So are you not Huritt and Talo?”

“We are same. You have magic to languages? ” Talo nervously thought he was being accused of having a split personality disorder. He really didn’t understand many of the spiritual and religious words being used right now.

“I don’t think it’s gibberish Pow, there’s a pattern. Talo, can you say that last part again?”

“Hmm? ”

“Yes, there it was again. No idea what he’s saying, but he’s saying something. I think I know someone who can help.” At this Eladuni began slowly chanting and waving his arms around. A low groaning sound began to fill the room causing Talo to run to his mother’s side in fear. Eladuni clapped his hands, and then a pillar of fire came out from his fingers which took a vaguely humanoid shape.

Odd. I can’t feel any heat coming off that thing, but it clearly looks like it’s burning. Maybe I don’t understand combustion after all.

Eladuni began conversing with the figure in a language no one else understood. He then nodded, held out his hand, and a golden light passed into the figure. This caused the apparition to shudder slightly, then it turned and approached Talo.

“Sssss ”

“”

“”

“”

“Sha sha shaaaa ”

“”

At this, however, the specter ignored Talo and returned to Eladuni to translate.

“Hey, my hat isn’t weird...un-hun...a different planet.... Did he say which one?”

A ghostly head without a face turned back to Talo and hissed, “”

“” Talo tried to continue the conversation, but the being just ignored him and continued to converse with the bishop.

The specter shuttered again, the bishop nodded, and then a bright light filled the room. When Talo could finally see again, the spirit was gone.

⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂

Author's note: So ummmm this happened:

****Image removed because it grossed someone out. I cut the artery in my left pinky and had to get stitches.****

which in turn might slow me down a bit. I mostly had this chapter already written. I'll try to keep slugging through (though not actually slugging, cause you know, finger). Do people want me to post a notice if I don't think I can hack a chapter tomorrow?