Chapter Fourteen
Nomads

Buttercup was extremely nervous about entering into the first Lumentian village, for obvious reasons.  She still wasn’t sure why she wanted to stay with the Lumentian prince and his bodyguard, since never wanted to have anything to do with Lumentians for most of her life.  After the experience she went though, she thought she would hate Lumentian with a fiery passion, but she just felt grateful to Robert more than anything else.  It was so strange.  Of course, it was a little stranger to know he went by Robert, because most of her life she referred to him as Prince Thomas.  It made perfect sense why he wouldn’t use his first name, however, since that would be confusing.  She’d heard of sons using a different name when they were named after their fathers for that very same reasons, but she thought Lumentians weren’t that smart, at least the royalty.  All the male members were named Thomas!  But now she saw that Robert, at least, seemed to be smart enough to at least be original with what he was called.

She was actually surprised at how much she felt she could trust him, despite the fact that she had met him the day before while he was dragging her out of that cell, and the fact that he was Lumentian.  Her experience with Lumentians was really less than stellar, between getting kidnapped by them and having her village overrun by their soldiers.  But here she was, insisting that she continue to travel with them even after they entered into Alter, where she would be safest and back with her family.  Of course, she also wondered if perhaps it had more to do with the quest than actually trusting Robert and Clover.

Clover, she wasn’t sure about, although she seemed like a Lumentian elf.  Most elves were born in a country called Sato, which was a small kingdom attached to Collis, and was associated with it when referring to the Five Kingdoms.  But greater numbers were being born actually in the Five Kingdoms as they were starting to abandon their homeland because it was actually a rather hostile place.  No elf dared set foot in Alter, though, for some unknown reason, so she had never seen an actual elf until now.  Clover wasn’t anything like she expected.  She had never seen anyone that dark before, and she never saw anyone with green hair before.  She had always thought elves looked like humans in coloration, for some reason, and she was shocked to see how wrong she had been.  Elves were elves, and they weren’t human, so of course they didn’t look human, she chided herself.

But their quest to find out what happened to the Angelus Dei really appealed to her for obvious reasons.  She liked the idea that she could prove to her mother that this wasn’t just all made up, that something had happened to the goddess to cause her to disappear.  It was less about sticking it to her mother than it was to her sister, who just blindly followed what her mother said, at least when it came to her broader opinions.  Their mother’s opinions on what Lily should be doing with her life seemed rather…grey.  But still, at least her mother had her reasons for not wanting to hear about the disappearance, because she had better things to do than worry about a goddess disappearing.  Lily, on the other hand, didn’t want to think for herself.

About the only good thing about getting kidnapped for as long as she had been was the fact that she was sure Lily was now forced to take up the chores she had been doing, because there was no one else around to do them.  Buttercup was positive that Lily put up a grand fight about it, but considering Buttercup was gone, she no longer had her arguments that her sister can do it just as well, or even better, than she ever could.  She was getting a taste of what it was going to be like once Buttercup found a man that actually wanted to marry her, and force her out of the house.

She almost screwed up earlier, mentioning what she did when she woke in front of Robert. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but she didn’t want to give the prince the impression that she was actually an educated young lady.  It shouldn’t have mattered to her what he thought of her, but she realized that Hyacinth sort of had a point.  Lumentians all looked the same – with their yellowish skin, their dark hair and eyes, and their slanted eyes – but some of them, particularly the prince, were actually rather, well, handsome.  Typically they looked odd and foreign to her, but he somehow caught her attention when she finally got a good look at him.  He looked like every other Lumentian out there, except somehow, he seemed…different to her.  And she sort of hated him for it.

There was just something different about him than she had seen in every other guy she knew.  For one thing, she never knew Lumentians got that tall.   She had heard that they were a shorter people in general, and here Robert was, towering over everything.  He wasn’t built like most Lumentian kings, either, who were usually brutish and rather dim.  Robert was thin, almost too much so, and she could sort of see why he wasn’t much of a fighter.  He didn’t really have the muscle to throw a punch that would cause damage.  He seemed more of an intellectual type, especially since Clover mentioned he spent most of his time in the library.

She wondered, briefly, if perhaps maybe he wouldn’t have cared for her love of reading.  Maybe it was something they would share in common.  But no, she told herself.  It was best to leave that be for the time being.  She didn’t know him very well, and he could be looking for a wife that was dumber than he was.  That seemed to be the common case amongst men.

Still, after about two more days of traveling, she realized she was growing more and more terrified about actually entering into a Lumentian village.  The worst part was that she was in the heart of Lumentis, not at the border where the people were slightly more accepting of Alterians in their village, usually there for trade of because they had gotten a little lost.  These people wouldn’t accept her all that easily.  She was going to stand out like a sore thumb with her hair.  There was no way she was going to disguise that, sadly.  “Why would you want to cover it?” Clover asked shocked when she asked for a bit to clothe to throw over her head.

“Because, no one in Lumentis has orange hair.  It’s always black or brown.  They’re going to know I’m Alterian.”

“Some of us have an orange tint to our hair,” Robert said, seeming a little offended.  “It might not be as bright as yours, but I’ve seen it.  We have more variety than that, you know.”

She glanced at him.  “You all look alike to us Alterians.  Dark hair, slanted and dark eyes, that weird skin tone.  Excuse me for not having seen many Lumentians before.”

Clover was fingering her hair.  “Your hair’s so pretty, though.  It’d be a real shame to cover it.  Besides, I thought you were proud to be an Alterian.”

“I am proud to be an Alterian,” she insisted.  “But Lumentians are cruel, and they’ll want to capture me again and imprison me if they saw me walking freely around their village.  I don’t want to stand out.  Queen Tiana, is there anything you can do to help?”

The unicorn lifted her head majestically to look at her.  She realized her folly in asking such a mundane question of the unicorn queen.  “I’m actually with the elf,” she told her.  “I rather like it.  I haven’t seen many humans with that hair color.  It would be a shame to cover it up.  Besides, my magic wouldn’t last very long.  It takes very powerful magic to change ones natural appearance, and it always wants to revert back.  It wouldn’t do you much good.”

“This’ll be a test,” Robert said.  “One village, and we’ll gauge their reaction to you.  Lumentians aren’t all cruel, I’m finding.  But if they treat you badly, then the next village, we’ll figure something else out.  Even if we hide your hair, there’s still other ways in which you stand out as an Alterian, you know.”

His eyes rested on her forehead, and she knew what he was looking at.  He had already asked her one night if it had hurt for her to be pierced as many times as she had, and she really didn’t have any answer for him.  The ears hadn’t been all that bad – a temporary pain at best.  It was the eyebrow that she regretted the most after receiving it, although she knew some people were pierced in worst spots.  Lily claimed she was going to have her belly button pierced when she became of age, and Buttercup thought that was foolish.  Mostly because Lily was a showy person, and the only person who would see her belly button was her husband, unless she planned on being really promiscuous, and allowing everyone to see her belly on a daily basis.  The only people who did that were the whores in the bigger cities.

She relented, though, since the group seemed rather decided on the matter.  She didn’t think her hair was all that special, to be honest.  People were always telling her that it was so beautiful, and that she should be happy with a color that vibrant.  But it only caused her hardship, since she was the only one in the village that had hair that color.  It caused her to stand out, and the males in the village to exactly who she was and what her quirks were.  And it caused all the Diabolus Dei priestesses who chanced a visit to the village to try to recruit her.  One thing she did not want was to live a priestess’ life.

She felt extremely tense as they headed into the village, a little like she was going to be sick and like she needed to run all at the same time.  Robert and Clover didn’t look any less relaxed, and it was really only Tiana that seemed calm about this.  She still looked like a unicorn to them, but she explained that her glamour only really worked on people who didn’t know the truth.  As usual for this time of day, the village gate was wide open to all visitors, but they were stopped before they could set foot into the village.

“State your business for being her kind into my home,” one of the guards sneered, gesturing rudely at Buttercup.

Clover calmly pushed the man’s arm down.  “Now really, is that any way to treat a guest in your village?  Maybe we should go elsewhere, where people have manners.”

“No Alterian is going to be welcome in a Lumentian village,” the second guard sneered as well.  “You might as well hand her over now so we can take care of problem.”

“She’s no problem, I assure you,” Robert said.  “We rescued her from a band of bandits that were intended to use her as a sacrifice.  Considering that’s a practice we haven’t used in centuries, you can see why we viewed it as barbaric and rescued her.  And now she’s traveling with us until we can safely take her home.  Naturally, we can’t allow you to arrest her simply for being an Alterian, since we’ve gone through all that effort to save her in the first place.”

Buttercup tried to give the name her best innocent look.  Thanks to her pale skin, freckles, and youthful appearance, her father always said that the look was easy for her to achieve.  “I promise I’m not up to any bad deeds, sir.  I merely want to go home.”

He blinked at her.  “You know Lumentian, girl?” he demanded of her.

She hated how everyone seemed surprised.  “I do, sir.  It’s my native language, actually.  I grew up on the border between Alter and Lumentis, and we adopted it as our official language to make dealing with your kind a little easier.  I’m sorry if that offends you.”  She hated doing it, but she bowed to the man.

The two guards glanced at each other, debating.  “Very well, you may enter.  But we will not be responsible for any actions the people of this village may take against the Alterian.  It is in their right, after all.”

“Naturally,” Robert said, grabbing Buttercup’s forearm and dragging her in.  Almost immediately, people began to stare, but Robert and Clover gave such an air of confidence, although she knew they felt anything but, that the people just more or less ignored them.

“Now the difficult part is finding lodging that’ll accept an Alterian,” Clover said, glancing quickly around the village.  “This is going to be more difficult than usual.  We may have to camp outside of town.”

“That’s fine,” Robert said.  “But we need to work on manners in this kingdom.”

“Can you blame them?” Buttercup asked.  “I wouldn’t expect my people to treat your people with any more respect.  I’m actually shocked that they even let us in here!”

“Give us some credit there,” Clover said, grinning at her.  “Just have to know how to appeal to people, that’s all.”

The people actually seemed polite enough, merely staring at Buttercup rather than invoking something.  She supposed she was an oddity in the sea of yellow skinned people, with her pale, pinker skin, her orange hair, and her green eyes.  That wasn’t even to mention her braids and her piercings!  No wonder they took to staring.  She tried to ignore the stares as best she could, but she could just feel the eyes on her.

Considering lodging was going to be their main difficulty, they searched for that first.  The first couple of places pretty much slammed the door in their faces before they could even enter, but the fifth place actually had their wife standing outside, waiting for them.  “Welcome,” she said, holding out her hands in a warm gesture.

“We’re seeking lodging for the night,” Clover said, adjusting her grip on her sword.  It wasn’t a threatening move, but rather it just appeared that was where she placed her hand that was otherwise unoccupied.  “Except we have an Alterian traveling with us.”

The lady smile.  “Yes, I know,” she told them.  “I figure you must have great reason to be traveling with such a person.  My husband and I heard about an Alterian in the village with travelers, and I knew you’d find no other place to stay.  We do, in fact, have a room open for you.”

“You’d lodge an Alterian?” Buttercup asked, surprised.

The lady glanced in her direction, and her grin widened.  “Honestly, I don’t see what the fuss is about.  You’re but a child!  You seem harmless enough.  After all, you can never truly judge someone until they’d done something to prove they can’t be trusted.”

“Harmless?” Robert asked under his breath as the innkeeper’s wife herded them inside.  Clearly he was thinking about her bow and arrows, and she sort of had to agree with him.

The innkeeper was actually just as welcoming as his wife, and his only condition to allowing them to stay was to have Buttercup tell him hr story.  She did so to the best of her ability as the others listened intently, although she fudged the bit about her not being able to find a husband because of her education.  Instead, she made it out like no one wanted her because of her hair.  “It is an unusual color,” the man said.  “I was a soldier in my youth, and I traveled Alter.  Most of the people have blond or brown hair, or an orange blond.  The few I saw with hair that color were the priestesses of the Diabolus Dei.”

“I assure you, I am no priestess,” Buttercup said hastily.  “My village and my family worships the Angelus Dei.”

“I thought the Alterians worshiped all the gods equally,” the wife said, looking confused.

She shook her head.  “We view the gods as equal, but each person worships a god individually.  Perhaps because we live so close to the Lumentian border, we worship your goddess.”

The man chuckled.  “Then you aren’t that evil.  Not if you don’t worship an evil god.”

“We don’t see him as evil, though.  He is a bit more chaotic than the other gods, for obvious reasons, but he is not evil in himself.  Nor to any of us tolerate anyone calling him evil.  He is a god, after all.  Gods cannot be evil.”

“The Angelus Dei is the goddess is light and goodness, so there must be a god of darkness and evil to balance her out,” the man pointed out.

“The Angelus Dei is merely the goddess of the wind, just like the Diabolus Dei is the god of fire.  Although I do think it’s hilarious that you people anointed the god who gives is light as the god of darkness.”

All four of them frowned, as though this was something they had never considered before.  It took an outsider to put holes in their theories.  The wife decided to change the subject from the religious debate.  “Still, you’ve been through so much,” she said, patting Buttercup on the top of her head.  “I pray you do not have a difficult time in our village.”

In all honestly, they actually did not, all things considered.  No one acted against Buttercup, and none of the vendors refused them service when they wanted to buy anything.  They would sort of glare at Buttercup, but a sale was a sale, and they weren’t the sort of people who gave up on money based on prejudice.  It wasn’t like Buttercup was trying to buy anything with Alterian money.  In fact, she had no money on her, which was why she was glad Robert and Clover agreed to travel with her at least to take her back home.  She realized after that first night that she would have never survived traveling back alone.

They bought the supplies needed to last them for several days of travel until they reached the next village, as well as a few extra luxuries that they seemed to like to treat themselves with.  “Do you think Tiana really likes oats?” Robert muttered to Clover as they were staring at treats to give the unicorn queen.

“Well, she’s technically a horse, so I’d imagine she likes all the same things that horses like,” Clover theorized.  “She seems to enjoy them anyway.  Sir, a pound of your best oats, please.”  Buttercup figured they used to get ordinary oats, but of course they would need to get the best for the unicorn queen.

Buttercup didn’t see any point in looking at any of the useless merchandise people were selling, the trinkets and whatnot people would buy on a whim.  There was no point in it at the moment, although she allowed her eyes to skim over it to judge what Lumentians considered ‘luxury’.  She spotted something she never thought she would see in a Lumentian village, and she hated the fact that Robert happened upon her while she was staring at it wistfully.

“Some Lumentians like to line their eyes with kohl because they like the way it looks on Alterians,” Robert commented casually.  “Of course, it doesn’t quite achieve the same effect it does on you paler Alterians, but it’s an interesting look.  How much is that, sir?”

The man listed off a price, and Robert dug into his pockets to pull out the coins.  Buttercup was humiliated.  “You didn’t need to do that,” she muttered harshly at him.

“Yes, I did,” he insisted.  “You’re Alterian; isn’t it customary for you to line your eyes?  You were staring at it pretty hard.  I imagine you follow tradition, Buttercup.”

She scowled at him.  She was already in his debt, and she didn’t want to add to it.  But she took to offered kohl, and didn’t say anything further about it.  But she felt better knowing she could line her eyes later, and look like a proper Alterian.  It had been bothering her ever since she realized it had rubbed off in the cell.

They continued to wander about the village even after they were finished shopping, which Buttercup learned was how they looked for information.  She realized it was a brilliant idea, since the best way information got across in Gracia was through the village and the gossip the silly girls would giggle about.  Unfortunately, no one had anything to say about the Angelus Dei’s disappearance because they were all talking about her.  She felt like she was ruining the trip, although both Robert and Clover tried to reassure her that wasn’t the case.

That night, she had her first taste of real Lumentian food, and she had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised at how great it tasted.  Maybe it was because she hadn’t had a proper meal in well over a month, maybe it was because she didn’t have a hand in producing it.  Maybe it was really that good.  She had no idea, but the innkeeper’s wife seemed pleased with the way she ate the food she prepared.

Robert and Clover were carefully watching their money, such that they only took a one bed room.  Robert took the floor, although Buttercup protested because he was royalty, while she and Clover took the bed.  “I share a bed with my sister every night,” she admitted.  “We have a large family and a small house.  The only one who doesn’t share right now is Jacob, because he’s the youngest, and we have an odd number of siblings.  I don’t mind.”

The following day, they ate a hearty breakfast that Buttercup enjoyed too much, collected Tiana, and left the village, much to their relief it seemed.  Buttercup enjoyed the comforts of the inn that reminded her a little of home, but she was glad to be out of that village, surrounded by Lumentians as she was.  She didn’t mind the company of the one Lumentian she was with, because he was nice and interesting, but an entire village of them was just a little suffocating.

But she had forced herself to join them, and she wasn’t going to complain.  She figured she was going to get used to being surrounded by Lumentians in due time, and probably get used to their stares.  It was just new at the moment.  “That wasn’t so terrible,” Clover said about mid-day, when they were completely clear of the village.  “I was honestly expecting them to stone her.”

“We’re not that bad,” Robert insisted.  “Sure, we dislike Alterians and view them as evil, but they’re still people, and for the most part, Lumentians don’t want to hurt another human being.  I wasn’t terribly worried about it, at least after we got past the guards.  They would be what caused us trouble.”

“Oh yes, Lumentian soldiers don’t exactly view us as people, but rather demons they need to rid the world of.  That’s why they’re so eager to keep shoving us back into our own country, so they can have more room to spread out,” Buttercup said bitterly.

“We’re not expanding Lumentis,” Robert said.  “The last time we set your borders was when we made peace with your people, enough so that we’re not decreasing the land size.  Your land is part of the Five Kingdoms as well, and you’re people are Dei people.  It wouldn’t be right to kick you out of this land entirely.  Where would you go?  Innsmä?  You’re apparently pale enough for it.”

“I’ve never heard of Innsmä,” Buttercup told him.  “Where is that?”

“Um, it’s somewhere near Cerulande,” he said.  “That side of the world.”

“Oh.  That would be a difficult journey for us, though.  And they may not accept that we worship the Dei.  Maybe Northrop, since they seemed more tolerant, but…it’s so cold, from what I re…heard.”  She almost slipped up again, and she berated herself.

“It doesn’t matter.  Your people aren’t going anywhere,” he reassured her.  “I can promise you that much.  Its only a handful of people that still want to expand the borders, but most Lumentians are very happy with the way things are now.”

Buttercup had to believe him, since he was the prince and knew about these sorts of things.  Come to think of it, she might have read about Innsmä.  They had a different legend for how mermaids came into being, as a blotched experiment from their god.  And mermaids were only female, could only have daughters.  It was a ridiculous notion, really.  Mermaids were a completely different race, and could only have children with other mermaids, so of course there needed to be mermen.  It was just that mermen were just as pretty as mermaids, just as the dwarf women were just as rugged and tough as dwarf men. 

Come to think of it, centaurs came from the same area, and they were all makes and could only have sons.  But then again, they at least had the equipment to mate with human females if they female was willing enough to attempt it.  How would one go about mating with a mermaid?

These were the sort of thoughts that apparently got her into trouble amongst the men in her village, since all they wanted to think about was their own achievements, no matter how petty and stupid they were, and how great in bed they could potentially be.  None of them seemed to be able to hold an actual conversation without it somehow involving themselves, and it was a little frustrating, actually.  It was really no wonder they wanted dumb woman, and why the smart or unusual ones hardly ever found a man to wed.

Their travels pretty much played out like that, though.  They traveled several days, following a set routine of walking and resting, and interrogating following travelers.  These people were less prejudice against the fact that the group was traveling with an Alterian, and would readily answer what they would know about the disappearance.  It seemed like no new information was being provided, and she got to hear firsthand the rumor that it was her people that kidnapped the Angelus Dei.  She even heard the one where she was placed into human form, which she quickly denied when they glanced at her.  There was a reason she styled herself the way she did, after all, since she always admired the way the Angelus Dei looked in textbooks and in the statues of her.

Once they came upon a village, they would have to explain the reason why Buttercup was traveling with them, and then she was faced with stares.  There was always one innkeeper willing to house a Alterian for a night or two, depending on when they arrived, which she was grateful for.  She could tell Robert and Clover would much prefer to spend the night indoors for a change, and Clover wanted the chance to rest without having to protect her prince. 

But it was hard to get any information out of people, because she would instantly become more popular than the rumors about the Angelus Dei.  “Maybe I should stay outside the village with Tiana,” she remarked after the third village this happened in.  “You might learn something.”

Clover sighed, but Robert quickly refused.  “We’re not leaving you outside a village on your own.  You want to be a part of this quest, and you’ll be a part of it.  For now, we’ll just stick with the traveler’s information, and just use this opportunity to rest and stock up.”

“There’s nothing to say that you wouldn’t cause rumors outside villages, either.  All it would take is one person spotting you, and you’d light up the gossips circuit.  At least this way, you get a bed and a warm meal as well.  I wouldn’t worry about it so much, Buttercup.  The situation is going to be reversed in Alter, so this is just preparing you to defend us.”

“Well, Robert, anyway.  An elf, even an Lumentian elf, would always be welcome in Alter, trust me.  We don’t get much of them.”

“Yes, well,” she said, looking a little embarrassed.

Still, it was troublesome, and Buttercup felt a little bad for putting them though it.  They were having a lot more luck without her, and here she was, forcing herself on them.  Then again, she reminded herself, this would have happened regardless.  They had planned to take her home from the beginning.  It would be after they left Alter that she would need to feel bad, and she wasn’t sure if they were going to find information in her home kingdom or not.  At the rate they were going, it seemed highly likely, actually.

It was after that third village, while Buttercup was feeling low about herself, that they happened upon a people she never actually expected to see in her lifetime.

They were traveling along, not seeing anyone, when Clover paused.  “I smell smoke,” she said.

“Oh hell no,” Robert said.  “Last time you said something like that, we found a band of bandits.  We’re not going to see who they are.”

“The last time I said that, you got to play white knight to Buttercup over here.  Don’t tell me it was all bad.  I want to at least check it out.  I won’t go charging in this time, I promise.”

Robert muttered something about suicidal elves, but followed her nonetheless.  Buttercup kept close behind, not wanting to be seen in case they were the bandits that had to still be searching for them.  They had had great luck thus far, which lead them to believe they managed to hide their trail very well, but their luck may have run out.

But they didn’t find any bandits on the other side of the trees.  They found a very large field instead, and a small, disassembleable village filled with people going about their day to day lives.  Robert looked impressed.  “Nomads,” he muttered.  “I didn’t think the existed anymore.”

“Not an entire village of them, anyway,” Clover agreed.  “This is really impressive.”

“Ho there, visitors,” someone shouted at them.  “Come out from the forest.  Who knows what evil lurks there?  We don’t bite, I promise.”

The group, having been caught, reluctantly stepped out of their hiding place.  Buttercup, who had been standing a few feet into the tress as not to be spotted, wondered how he saw Clover and Robert, since they camouflaged in well.  “Greetings, friend.  We were just passing by, and noticed your fires.  We mean no disrespect, but we wanted to make sure you were friendly.”

He waved them off, giving them a broad grin.  “Oh, naturally.  When traveling, its hard to tell whose friend and whose fiend.  I’m not offended, trust me.  But I figured it was easier to meet us up close and in person to judge than standing in those prickly trees.”  He made a face.

“I’ve never seen a troupe this large before,” Robert commented.  “I thought nomads had gone extinct with my great-grandfather’s rule, when he gave them land to work.”

“Ah, King Thomas the Eighth.  Fine man, but rather short sighted.  Nomads weren’t meant to settle.  The village still stands today because there were a few of us that wanted to settle, but we’re nomads.  We can’t settle.  So we left.”

“And have been hiding ever since?”

“Well, naturally!  We didn’t want his son to get the same idea.  The people of Lumentis have been excellent in keeping our existence unknown.  We don’t cause trouble, after all, and we’re excellent traders.  We carry goods from one end of Lumentis to the other, from Tara Nora, Silverstine, and beyond!”

“But not Alter,” Buttercup pointed out.

He glanced at her before grinning.  “Nomads have never been welcome in Alter.  Your people developed with the idea that humans were meant to settle and have a set home.  We’re frowned upon, especially since we’re a Lumentian invention.  So no, we do not carry Alter goods, unfortunately.  The best we can offer is Lumentian created kohl, I’m sorry to say.”

She blinked at him.  “I wasn’t looking for anything, sir.  I was just making a comment.  You have items from four of the Five Kingdoms, but nothing from Alter.  Nothing to educate the Lumentians about my culture.”

He grinned again.  “Ah, no, we do not.  Which is a shame.  I believe my people would benefit greatly from Alterian culture, but sadly, your people do not see it that way.”

“You…you’re okay with Alter?” she asked, shocked.

He grinned.  “My dear, we accept all cultures within out troupe.  We’re seekers of knowledge and equality.  If an Alterian ever wanted to join us, he would be more than welcome, so long as he didn’t bring any even with him.  I trust you are not evil, child.”  He gave her a sideways glance.

“I do not worship the Diabolus Dei, if that’s what you’re implying.”

He shrugged.  “I wouldn’t care if you did, so long as you kept your worship to yourself.  Our motto deals with never harming others, not if it can be helped.  Worship of the Diabolus Dei would be allowed, but none of the witchcraft associated with it.”

Buttercup wasn’t offended by this statement, actually, because she knew that’s where the stigma came from.  Because there were witches in Alter that preformed evil deeds in the name of the Diabolus Dei, from some reason, within her kingdom.  “No witchcraft,” she agreed.

“Then come, stay while.  Tell us your story, and we’ll make it worth your effort!”

Angelus Dei
Chapter Fourteen