Chapter 3

Catherine woke up in bed next to Oliver and snuggled against him, happy that she didn't have to go to work. This was the first time ever that she didn't want to go. Last night, she had dreamed of the God and she had to talk to Oliver today about her dream. She studied his features as he slept. His rugged features and tanned skin gave him such a masculine appearance. Although he always looked like he had shaved, she had never seen him do it. Somehow, never having the opportunity to watch him shave made her feel like she had been shut out of an intimate part of his life.

He stirred as if he sensed her eyes upon him. He rolled over to face her and, without opening his eyes, said, "Good morning, my love."

"Good morning, my lovely man," she replied. She leaned forward a little and kissed him. Any concern about morning breath was without merit as she knew he wouldn't mind. They often made love first thing in the morning. She reached down and slowly stroked his cock. As it swelled under her touch, he reached between her legs and gently rubbed her. Her lips swelled and spread under his magic fingers, enabling easy entry for a finger. Her clit tingled from the nearness of his thumb to it.

She pushed him on his back and mounted him, riding him with deliberation. The tension in their bodies increased with excruciating slowness. She loved these long drawn out morning trysts. He reached up and rubbed her erect nipples between his finger and thumb. The sensations that his touch ignited in her body brought a moan to her lips. His hips rose off the bed to bury his cock ever deeper into her. She moaned in happiness and joy. This was the way that the Gods and Goddesses meant life to be lived.

Oliver ran his hands along her body, working them towards her clit. He framed her clit between his thumbs. Her motion combined with the pressure of his thumbs drove her towards a quick orgasm. She wasn't going to complain, he could last for a long time. Flexing his cock inside her brought triggered a sudden orgasm within her. Her cunt responded by fluttering against his cock, a sensation that made him shake and moan. As his excitement grew, his hips thrust up against her harder.

She finally calmed down and returned to moving slowly on his cock. The tension that the slow movements invoked in him was almost unbearable. His muscles tightened causing his body to arch. His balls pulled up tight as he neared orgasm, but couldn't quite make it all the way. He loved it when she did this to him. His leg muscles started trembling as they started to give way. She smiled down on him and leaned forward so that her long hair brushed against his chest. Tracing intricate routes across his chest with her fingertips drove him to greater levels of excitement...

The strength of his body below her and her knowledge that she had control over that strength for the time being brought her to a second orgasm. The fluttering of her cunt along his cock was just enough to take him over the edge. He screamed out his pleasure as she suddenly increased the pace of her ride on his cock. As pulse after pulse of come emptied into her, his entire body shook.

In the aftermath, she lay atop him with his arms wrapped around her, pressing her body in a loving embrace to his. The smell of her hair filled his nostrils. The beating of her heart was in tune with his. He wanted to lay in bed that way all day. She slowly raised up and said, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"You."

Laughing as she climbed off him, she could see the disappointment on his face. Taking the opportunity to tease him, she said, "You already had me. Is cereal alright?"

He groaned as the cool air touched his skin. The desire to hold her some more drove him out of the bed even knowing that she would leave for work soon. He followed her out of the bedroom. When they reached the kitchen, the telephone rang. Catherine looked at it in surprise and answered it. "Hello."

Oliver listened to one side of the conversation as he searched for the cereal bowls. He heard her say, "Yes, I'll wait."

He carried the bowls to the table and set them out with spoons. It was a long time before she said anything. "Hello?"

"Oh, it's you, sir. This is Catherine."

"Okay, John." He stopped surprised by the use of the name. He wondered who John was that could invoke such respect in her.

"Yes, I know where he is. He's here with me."

He turned from the refrigerator with the bottle of milk. He looked at her with an expression intending to find out who was on the phone. She said, "Okay, I'll get him for you."

She covered the phone and said, "It's John Carter. He wants to talk to you."

Taking the phone from her, he looked blankly in her direction. He had no clue why John Carter would be calling him. He spoke into the mouthpiece, "This is Oliver Brown."

John Carter said, "This is John Carter."

"What can I do for you?"

John was quiet for a moment as he considered his next statement. Finally, he said, "I would like you to come here to the Druid College. I want you to act as my assistant in running the college."

Laughing at what he thought was a joke, Oliver answered, "That's crazy."

Unperturbed by the comment, John Carter said, "Not crazy at all. You are next in line to become the Grand Druid. When I am gone, you will inherit the role of College President. As a result, you need to learn about your future job."

The seriousness of John's statements stopped Oliver from thinking of this as a joke. He had not realized that he was next in line to become the Grand Druid. The thought of that almost caused him to get sick. He asked, "Are you serious?"

"Very serious. Get here at your earliest convenience and expect to stay here for a while."

Oliver thought about his engagement to Catherine and asked, "May I bring my wife?"

"Catherine?"

"Yes, we will be getting married soon."

John was quiet for a minute and that made Oliver nervous. He figured that John was trying to figure out a way to prevent her from joining him. John answered, "Sure bring her. If I remember correctly, she only has to be there twice a year."

Wondering what she would think of moving across the country, Oliver looked at Catherine for a minute and then said, "That's correct."

John said, "I expect to see you here soon."

Oliver said, "Okay."

The call ended at that point. Oliver turned to Catherine and said, "I'm afraid that I have to move to the college."

She asked, "Why?"

"It appears that I'm next in line to be Grand Druid."

Catherine responded with a giggle. She said, "I already know that you're a grand Druid in bed with me! Next in line my ass."

Oliver laughed at her earthy humor and light hearted way of dealing with the issue of this importance. He picked her up in a hug and spun her around. After kissing her, he said, "I love you so much."

She asked, "Am I coming with you?"

"Of course. I wouldn't go any other way." He kissed her passionately and hugged her tightly before finally setting her down on the ground.

She said, " I dreamed the God last night. He told me that you would be changing things for both of us."

Oliver frowned at the news, as it dashed all hope that it would be a temporary assignment. Since he had just returned from Columbia, he decided that the end of the month was soon enough to respond to the summons. Seated at the dining room table, they ate breakfast quietly, each lost in thought at the implications of the news.

Oliver found himself in the meadow. The Goddess, the God, and the Two-Sided One were facing him. The Two-Sided One was in his masculine aspect, hugely grotesque in his fat form. The God stated, "You have answered our summons."

Oliver said, "Always will I answer your summons."

"Yet you ignore the summons of the Grand Druid," charged the Goddess as she looked at him. There was no anger in her voice, but he felt uncomfortable under her stare.

"I planned to go at the end of the month."

The lips of the Two-Sided One flapped as he said, "And that is your earliest convenience?"

"I could go sooner."

The God asked, "You could?"

The Goddess asked, "When?"

The Two-Sided One asked, "How soon?"

Oliver answered, "I shall go tomorrow in the morning."

He woke in a sweat and looked over at Catherine with a sadness that came from having to leave without her in the morning. Hoping she would understand, he got up and went to his backpack. He pulled out twenty thousand dollars and set it on the table. Filling the backpack with all of his robes, except for the one he would wear on the plane, gave him something to do while organizing his thoughts. He made reservations for a 6:30 flight, checking the clock to make sure that he had enough time to get there. It was only 3:00, but he would have to leave soon to get there on time.

He crept into the dark room and kissed Catherine on the forehead. She woke and asked, "What's going on?"

He said, "The Gods and Goddesses came to me while I was asleep."

She stretched and yawned. She asked, "You have to leave now?"

He nodded his head sadly and answered, "Yes. I have to get to the airport for a 6:30 flight."

Getting out of the bed she said, "If you wait a minute I'll drive you there."

He said, "How about I drive and you take a nap?"

Still sleepy, she nodded her agreement while putting on her robe. After ten minutes in the bathroom, she was ready to go. They walked out into the night and got in her car. It was a long drive to the airport, but he would have time for breakfast at the airport. She was still awake when he turned onto the highway. He looked over at her and said, "I left twenty thousand for you on the table."

Giggled at his misplaced concern for her, she said, "I'm a business woman. I don't need your money. I've still got the fifteen thousand you left for me last time."

He knew that she probably had every dollar he ever left with her. He said, "Well, you can treat yourself to a new pair of shoes or something."

She hit him lightly in the arm at the idea of spending that much money on shoes. He was always teasing her about wearing army boots under her robe. She wasn't embarrassed by the comment because they weren't army boots, they were hiking boots. They were the best that she carried in her store, but still cost less than the average pair of designer shoes. She asked, "You want me to buy something sexy to wear?"

"Sure. That would be good. Any ideas in mind?"

She laughed and said, "Well, I thought I might get a pair of flannel underwear."

He retorted, "Kinky."

When they reached the airport, he went to the ticket counter and paid for his ticket. The woman behind the counter automatically upgraded his ticket to first class. He didn't notice until she handed him the boarding pass. He said, "I didn't ask for a first class ticket."

"I gave you a free upgrade."

Surprised, he looked at her and said, "Thank you very much. I'm overwhelmed."

Laughing at the look of surprise on his face, she said, "We do that for all the Druids now."

"Oh, how did you know I was a Druid?"

Catherine hit him in the side as she said, "You forget you're wearing the robe. Things have changed since John told us that we were to wear the robes in public. Everyone recognizes us now."

The woman behind the counter watched the exchange with interest. She had never seen two Druids together. Realizing that he looked stupid, Oliver turned to her and said, "I've been in the jungles for a long time. I seldom make it to the states."

His surprise at the upgrade and the reason for his comments became much clearer. Following Catherine to the restaurant in the airport, he still had an hour before boarding time for them to eat breakfast. As they walked through the terminal, people pointed at him and watched as the couple passed. For him, the stroll was an unpleasant experience as the majority of people had a dull glow and a fairly large amount of black over their hearts.

It was impossible not to notice the attention they were receiving. He said, "everyone is looking at us."

"Yes, we are not so widespread yet. Seeing one Druid is a topic of conversation for a week at work. Seeing two of us together is news. I'm sure they're speculating if there is some problem with airport security."

This was an unnerving experience for him. He was used to blending into his environment, not sticking out as a topic of conversation. At the coffee shop, he ordered eggs and coffee while she ordered a fruit plate. They sat there chatting about their future plans. Catherine would join him in a few weeks and they were both looking forward to it.

Their meal was interrupted by a man in a business suit. He said, "Excuse me. I couldn't help but notice that you are Druids. What can you tell me about the Druid College?"

It was at that moment when Oliver realized that he actually had very little idea what was going on with the Druids. If he really was next in line as the Grand Druid, he was truly ignorant of his future responsibilities. He listened as Catherine answered the man's questions, learning as much by her answers as the man. He had not known the requirements for entry, the curriculum, and the daily life of students.

Catherine explained that an intelligence test was the key requirement for entry. The secondary requirements demanded that the candidate demonstrate a willingness to pursue the full course of study and to present themselves to the Gods and Goddesses. She covered the daily activities faced by the students and the dedication that was required to master the material presented to them. She even described how first years went through the program naked.

As the man was leaving, he said, "It was nice to meet you Dr. Carter."

Oliver looked at the man and apologetically smiled at being mistaken for John Carter. It might be the first time, but it wasn't going to be the last time. He said, "I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself. I'm Oliver Brown."

"Oh, I sorry. I thought you were John Carter. I understood that he was the only one of you that wore a brown robe."

Oliver said, "I guess I'm going to have to get a name plate sewn into this robe saying something to the effect that I'm not John Carter. I just started my service as a brown robe and most people don't know anything about me."

Catherine hugged him and said, "I think that is going to change soon."

The man said, "I'd like to thank you. My daughter was involved in drugs and really blew her chance at a good future. It is good to know that she'll have a chance to get an education."

Oliver's eyes flashed at the mention of drugs. The strength and passion in his voice was unmistakable when he said, "Drugs are the scourge of this country. I will eliminate that problem and I hope your daughter may get a chance to stand beside me in that war."