[WitchQueen]

The time has come for King Ahmed and Ishtar to leave the cave behind the waterfall. King Ahmed tells Ishtar it is important that she listens to him.

King Ahmed looks very nice and very Arabic. He is wearing his Sword at his side. The King tells Ishtar to follow him where the path narrows, other than that we will talk along the way. They now go down the stone steps with the pouring water of the waterfall cascading down from the swift current of the stream above.

Outside in the small clearing are some of the Head Hunters. Chief Mobato and his son Couto are there along with some more of the chiefs men. The men wear paint on their faces and chest. They are colorful. They carry bows and arrows for hunting.

King Ahmed introduces Ishtar to the natives. They are of the tribe of the Watanis. During the time that King Ahmed spent on Xanthia, he spent some of the time learning the language of the Watanies.

A short while after Ishtar's greeting, King Ahmed bids the chief and his men farwell till another time.

Ishtar is in amazement of the Rain Forest as the two of them walk along. King Ahmed tells her that the Castle is built on the second level of the mountain and they will be there shortly. The canopy of the overhead trees makes it difficult to see very far ahead. King Ahmed tells Ishtar the Watanis have hidden traps to keep poachers and intruders out. If they trespass they risk being captured and beheaded. The Watanis will place the head on a bamboo pole and let them dry in the sun.

By now King Ahmed and Ishtar have arrived at the staircase leading to the Fortress and the Castle. Ishtar is amazed about how ominous the Fortress and Castle are. They are built with Charcoal Grey stone and it would be very difficult to attack the Fortress. On a cloudy day or at night the Fortress and the Castle look black.

King Ahmed and Ishtar enter the Castle. It is lighted by candles that some of the women in the nearby village have made. There are also women who will make clothes for Ishtar and the King. Gold and silver coins are the currency of Xanthia.


One of the housekeepers explains some things to Ishtar. Ishtar can go to the Watanies for makeup that they make from various plants and flowers in the Forest.

King Ahmed shows Ishtar to her room so that she can put her belongings away.

Ishtar truely likes King Ahmed and she hopes he likes her. She does not know if he has a harem or other wives. She does know he has been on Xanthia for a while now. She has silently commited her loyalty to the King and she has sworn to herself that she will always try to help him with what he wants to do if possible.

It was the ArchAngel Raphiel the woke her from her sleep of death on the planet Earth. Saint Raphiel explained to her that it was time to get ready for her journey to the River Styx. He explained some things about King Ahmed and Xanthia. Saint Raphiel told her the King had been there for awhile. Saint Raphiel had the power to grant her Wisdom.

WitchQueen