Matriarchal Mayhem by John Stormm (great books for teens TXT) 📕

“Biannach bi, Jonathan,” Leona addressed him directly, knowing his description from the stories. “You wear the runes of the magi. Your matriarch approves?”

“I am my father’s son,” Jonathan replied simply, and bowed slightly. “My sisters bid you welcome, a warm reception awaits you all, inside. Allow me to escort my honored lady to our hall.” Jonathan took her proffered arm, as the other gentlemen took up the baggage and followed behind. Her daughter, Fiona and her nieces were hard put, not to gawk. When the women in her clan met, there were no men present, at all. Since the family connection between hers and Melanie’s clan would be the adept wizard, she assumed there would be at least a single exception to this rule. It was obvious, by the runes and the stories that Jonathan was yet another exception. She couldn’t figure how these other young men fit into the witch clan. Was Storm such a prolific breeder, that he had other children by other wives?

* * *

     At the door, Helene Mpoyi, dressed in her most elegant native attire, greeted the visiting matriarch with a heartfelt blessing in Swahili. The Caribbean witch, Gem, appeared at her side and sprinkled sea salt and blessings on the visitors as well. Their eyes grew wider as they came into the great hall. The men and women present appeared to be a veritable United Nations of Witchcraft. A large banner, in Celtic script, welcoming the witch clan, stretched across the room. Smaller flags and placards of all sorts decorated the walls. A candle lit head table, flanked by two long tables were set at the far end of the hall. A steaming iron cauldron sat on a hook in the fireplace, the unmistakable root beer smell of brewing sassafras coming from within. A lovely redheaded woman was ladling pewter mugs of the brew. Before the head table stood three, very tall, women cowled in ornate black velvet cloaks. The cowled woman to Leona’s left, held the hilt of an ornate, unsheathed sword. The woman to the right, held a gnarled wooden scepter with a large green stone orb in its grasp. The taller of the three, in the center, was holding an intricately carved wooden staff with a rampant unicorn largely visible on its top half.

Jonathan moved forward and greeted the unearthly trio as his sisters, and introduced Leona and her charges to the family. The sisters removed their cowls and each stepped forward to meet their long lost cousins. Becky, Jonathan and Tori bowed slightly to the visiting matriarch, as Melanie waited for her due. Leona and her charges bowed slightly to Melanie as Storm clan matriarch, and offered their blessings on the hall. Tammy brought the honored guests steaming mugs of sassafras, and the young men brought chairs to the hearth for the sisters and guests to sit. Mel poured a libation to the fae present on the hearthstone and the party was officially begun.

“The smell of this brew brings back so many memories,” Leona smiled into her cup.

“My father and the boys still harvest it from the same places your grandmother taught him,” Mel explained.

“Is your father well?” Leona asked, “Will he be coming?”

“He’s in the apartment in the tower,” Mel replied. “He’ll be down soon. I think he’s preparing a proper enchantment to greet you with.”

“This whole turn out is so enchanting,” Leona observed. “You out do yourselves.”

“More than one family, one culture or even one world is represented here today,” Mel explained.

“My grandmother used to call him ‘the world’s tallest elf,’” Leona reminisced. “I imagine he’s still quite fae. My mother used to say he could cross over into the Otherworld like he was a native. All of my aunts had commented on that. They were a bit fearful about him, as he was very unpredictable as a boy. I found him to be head strong, but very sweet when we were children together at Grandma’s house. Once, in Grandma’s garden, he crossed over, and I was with him. I saw faeries for the first time. I’ll never forget that. Nobody would believe me when I told them, though.” she smiled sadly.

About this time, the crowd, that had been enjoying refreshments with the Storms and Leona’s family, an expression of murmured wonder spread through the room, and the crowd had quieted and parted as a familiar blue orb, floated into the hall towards the ladies seated at the hearth. Leona’s eyes grew wide.

“This must be Sundog,” Leona breathed. “I’ve read about you. To be honest, I thought you were the ‘fiction’ part of the stories.”

“He prefers it that way,” Mel supplied. “Dad must be coming down now.”

The old wizard walked into the hall, following the path the faery had cleared for him, nodding and smiling to all of his acquaintances and guests. His long, ash blond hair hanging loosely over his cowled black cloak, silver clan ring and medallions gracing his fingers and neck, with a carved ebon staff in his hand. He approached the hearth and kissed his daughters each on their cheek, and greeted his cousins warmly.

“Leona, you have aged so gracefully,” he said unabashedly. “What a wonderful matriarch you’ve made. Grandma would be so proud of you, to see you so.”

“And you as well, cousin,” Leona conceded. “I never would have thought such was possible,” she indicated with a sweeping gesture.

“I have a bit of a surprise,” Storm said. “If you’ll give me but a moment to prepare.” Leona nodded as the wizard started giving instructions to various people.

“I need the hearth area cleared and people to take their seats at the tables,” he indicated. “Tori, if you will set your rift wand on the mantle, please?” Tori placed her strange scepter on the mantle piece and backed off to help with the seating. Melanie stayed seated at the hearth. Leona and her charges started to rise and move for the tables, when the old wizard stopped them.

“Forgive me, but this is an experience, you’ll all appreciate,” he said, motioning for Fiona and her cousins to remain by the hearth. “I mean to include you all in on this. This time, Leona, someone will believe you,” he said enigmatically and raised his staff and struck the hearthstone thrice. His eyes flashed with lightning, and thunder shook the windows as the room went suddenly dark. A moment of disorientation and the candle light and hearth’s fire lit the room again. No electric lighting appeared and the hall was empty of people, except for Melanie, her father, Leona and her three neophytes were present in the room.

“You’ve made them all disappear!” Fiona blurted out, her cousins looking wildly about.

“Not them…US,” Melanie corrected. “We’ve crossed over. This is the Otherworld version of this castle.” Her father clapped his hands, and fae lights descended from the upper reaches of the rafters and danced in formation to an eerie music that filled the hall.

“Your father commands the faeries,” Fiona remarked.

“We ARE fae,” Mel returned. “We’re only a generation removed from our fae roots. In the time before your visit, Daddy asked them to help. These are friends, not servants.”

“If you want to meet this family, it’s important you meet all of us as we are,” the wizard said. “I won’t pretend our aunts were wrong about me, but neither will I accede that they were right.” Leona looked askance at him, and the girls looked apprehensive.

"Don’t be afraid,” Storm continued, “I’m no monster. We’ll be having a lovely dinner with our human guests and clan members shortly. I just wanted you to see some things for yourselves, with your own eyes. You came to look me over, and consider me back into the clan. I’m afraid I might still be unfit for you, but I want you to judge me such for all the right reasons. The people you’ve met are people I have come to love, and they love me, in spite of my differences. They are as much family to me as yourselves, and they are important to me. I’m not asking you to restructure your clan to make room for me and mine, not as such. I think our past matriarchs are greatly honored in being the founders of not one, but two great clans. I don’t think it’s possible for a human matriarch to manage such as we are, and will be,” he gestured between himself and Melanie. “I also wouldn’t feel right about changing the centuries long traditions that you have preserved, and has brought our kind this far. But we are related, and not so loosely as we have treated each other for so long. Perhaps, a bit more mutual respect and family love are long over due.” The wizard looked upwards and sighed deeply, “I’m showing off on a grand scale, simply to show you who, and what we are, and how different. I don’t mean to startle or alienate you. I just wanted you to know what I really felt about all this, and heap enough honor on you to show you are loved and respected here.” With that, before anyone could respond, the wizard brought his staff down on the hearthstone again. A crack of thunder shook the windows, and a light flashed. As the ladies eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room, they found themselves all seated at the head table to the sound of a hearty applause by all the people seated around them.

The dinner was excellent, with so many dishes from so many cultures present. Gem had brought Caribbean dancers complete with Afro-Caribbean drummers to entertain. There were belly dancers with Middle Eastern music. Jonathan and the advanced students did a weapons kata set to music. Melanie got up and sang a set of tunes, ancient and modern, with a group of musicians she managed to cobble together for the occasion.
Later, her husband James showed up with the twins, which completely captured Leona’s heart. The party slowed down and guests left as time allowed, but the talking and reminiscing went on, until the ladies were driven to their hotel rooms, late that evening. The old wizard was as happy and proud as she had ever seen him. Himself, Bex, Tori, and the boys stayed to clean up and lock up the hall, and get it in shape for the Halloween parties later in the week.

The next afternoon, Mel met with the cousins and drove them to the airport to see them back. Everyone promised to keep in touch. She was sure they would. Leona had expressed to her what a wonderful matriarch she thought Mel was. Leona was sure her grandmother and great grandmothers would have been so very proud of them both. Mel was proud the whole event went off without a hitch. There was only a single, mild altercation in the parking garage to mar an otherwise perfect time. But Mel quickly put it out of her mind.

* * *

“Mel, do you have any idea how this handgun got into our glove compartment?” James asked, the following day. All was back to normal... such as we know it.