Chapter 22

Things were quiet for the next couple of days - at least in Statesboro. However, the FBPI carried out raids and attacks elsewhere in the country during this time on those less prepared than we had been.

On Sunday we held a service in the Glen of the Eternal Flame. Dad and Uncle Will both spoke and led the service. Our Moms, Sisters, and Wives provided the hymns. There was a big cookout at the lake on Sunday afternoon that everyone attended.

The printing plant was busy on Monday, usually their day off, as they had missed several days of work last week due to the moves and shopping. All of our employees seemed to be in good spirits. We even had some customers come through the portals to visit the herbal store and the bookstore.

Mid-morning of Tuesday, the 25th, the wards in the defensive shell around the old printing plant location set off the alarm and Dad, Sean, and I went to see what was going on. Arriving there, we saw several women attempting to get through the wards and the defensive shell.

"That's Oneida Toups!" Dad said in surprise to Sean and me when he had gotten a good look at the woman who seemed to be the leader of the group. We emerged from the tall grass now on the site and approached the defensive shell.

"What are you looking for and what do you want, Oneida?" Dad asked when they had noticed us.

"We need to talk, Mark O'Connell!" she said in a clear voice. "I was sent by our Covens to get help."

"Talk about what?" Dad demanded.

"Talk about these attacks. They have to be stopped. They have arrested many of our people and others also. Most of them have done nothing wrong," she told us through the defensive shell.

"All right. Just a minute and we'll lower the wards," Dad told her.

"Is that safe?" I asked, unsure.

"Yes, I think so. We never had a quarrel with her or the others from the Black Magic and Voodoo Realm in New Orleans. It was only the Mayfairs that we had trouble with," Dad told us. Sean and I lowered the wards and Oneida Toups and three of her Coven entered the area. We immediately reinstated the wards after they were inside, not wanting unwelcome visitors although we had detected none in the vicinity.

"Just who do you represent, Oneida?" Dad asked after they were inside. There was nowhere to sit and no refreshments.

"We thought this was your printing facility," Oneida said, ignoring Dad's question, and looking around her at the area covered in tall grass and a few bushes.

"It was," Dad told her. "We have a Realm of our own now and have moved everything there."

"Everything?" she asked in shock.

"Yes. Along with the printing plant, we have moved all of our houses and properties along with the houses and the properties of our employees," Dad told her.

"Houses and properties!?" she asked not understanding.

"Yes, the actual land that the buildings sit on, also the road leading up to our properties," Dad told her, nonchalantly.

"But ... but!" Oneida started at a loss for words. "No one is that powerful!" she finally got out.

"My sons and their wives are," Dad told her. "They are also the ones that created the defensive shells and the wards, and not just here. NOW just who do you represent?" Dad demanded again in a stern voice.

"I represent all of the covens in the New Orleans area and the Realm of Black Magic and Voodoo," she informed us.

"Does that include the Mayfairs?" Dad asked curtly.

"NO, after Marguerite perished, Mary Beth took control of the entire clan, which she nearly had before that, and they have all fled to one of the Caribbean Islands leaving their property and other possessions to be sold by the non-family members of their law firm and financial empire. They are no longer associated with us," Oneida assured us.

"And what do you expect us to do for you?" Dad asked pointedly.

"Tell us how to stop those people. We are afraid that they will gain access to our Realm and destroy everything that we have built," Oneida told us, obviously near panic.

"My Sons and their Wives are the ones responsible for all of the wards and defensive shells that have stopped the Government's agents," Dad informed her.

"All of them? Even the ones in Boston and other parts of the country?" she asked amazed.

"Yes, all of them," Dad answered.

"Could they show us how to create them?" she asked.

"You don't have anyone powerful enough," Dad told her.

"Not powerful enough!!" she demanded indignantly.

"NO, not even I am powerful enough nor are my daughters," Dad told her.

"But you gained entrance to our Realm so easily before," she said not understanding.

"Yes," Dad admitted, "Your wards weren't that strong. The entire Boston Council tried three times to crash my Son's wards and failed. My Sons and their Wives crashed the wards of the entire Council with one try." Oneida Toups didn't look well at this revelation.

"But what can we do? Those people could invade our Realm and destroy everything that we have built over time!" Oneida pleaded again in desperation.

"I believe you have the right idea," Dad told her. "Those people need to be stopped, They are harassing mostly innocent people who have done little or nothing wrong. They have just been trying to make a living with their Talent. I believe that we need a meeting of the major Magic groups to determine a way to stop the FBPI and to have those innocent of wrongdoing released."

"Yes, a meeting!" Oneida said expectantly, "But where and when?"

"I'll contact the Boston Council, and see when they can attend. Also there is a group out West, that we recently became aware of, they should be contacted to attend too if possible. I'll get things set up and contact you," Dad told her.

"How?" Oneida asked.

"My Sons and their Wives will come to New Orleans to access your Realm," Dad told her. Oneida didn't seem too happy with that, but finally agreed. She and her Coven members left after that. They headed down the street and disappeared behind a vehicle there.

"Do you think that's the solution?" Sean asked after they were gone.

"I don't know, but the attacks must be stopped," Dad asserted with a sigh. "I'm just not sure how, Sean."

Later that day Dad left for the Boston Council. He returned later with a thoughtful look on his face, but didn't say anything for quite a while. It wasn't until dinner at Edana and Gale's house that evening that Dad filled us in on his meeting with the Boston Council.

"The Boston Council was very agreeable to the idea of a meeting of all of the major Magic organizations or players," Dad told us, and paused for a short time to let that sink in.

"They want to have the meeting here," he told us next very casually, causing quite a reaction from the female members of the family.

"HERE!!" came the shriek from a number of female throats.

"Yes!" Dad said and paused again.

"We have the portal to the Boston Council, so it will be easy for them to get here. Also some of their people have been in contact with the group out in Kansas, and they will be coming with them.

"The real problem is the New Orleans people. There isn't any way for them to get to Boston independently. We will need to bring them here and then take them to Boston if the meeting were held there. The Boston people thought it would be easier to have the meeting here," Dad told us and paused again.

"Personally, I don't think the thick headed Irishmen are anxious to have a bunch of Southern Witches up in their precious part of the country," Dad told us with a big grin.

"We could move them directly from New Orleans to Boston, if necessary," Sean told Dad.

"I didn't think the point was worth arguing about," Dad told us. "The Boston people will return there each day. The Kansas people may or may not return with them, but I don't expect many people from their organization. The Boston Council certainly has better facilities to put them up than we do. The New Orleans Witches can stay here at night if they desire, or return home," Dad finished.

"How long are these talks going to be?" Mother Katie asked, concerned.

"And just where are we going to put those witches?" Mother Margie asked.

"What about food?" Edana asked.

"The meeting should be no more than a day, maybe two at most," Dad said. "Surely we have enough extra beds in our five houses to put up a couple of Witches for one night. There won't be that many of them. As for food, they can eat what we eat. We may need to make a trip to one of the large grocery stores for extra food though. What we will definitely need is to get some O'Connell's Irish Ale from the brewers in the Otherworld. You know how those Irishmen on the council like to drink," Dad finished.

"Just where is this meeting going to be taking place here?" Mother Katie demanded.

"Why in the Glen of the Eternal Flame, Sweet Wife," Dad replied with a smile. "I don't think any of them will start anything if we have the flames dancing there when they show up." Dad was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he finished.

"What about a table?" Tara asked.

"We'll get one or two at one of those large discount centers," Dad told her. "Along with chairs."

"Tomorrow, I want Gus, Sean, and their Wives to go to New Orleans. We still have the portal to the bookstore there. Will you be able to locate the Black Magic and Voodoo Realm from there?" he asked us.

"Yes, you have told us numerous times that the entrance is located in City Park in the center of Popp's fountain," Sean told him.

"Yes, that's right. You'll need to advise them of the meeting and arrange to pick them on Thursday, the 27th," Dad told us.

"Okay, we can do that," I assured him.

"What if they don't want to come?" Annie asked.

"That's for them to decide," Dad told her. "They are the ones that wanted help, and this whole thing is the outcome of their visit here. If they don't wish to attend, then they will be left out - both now and in the future."

"Yes, that's reasonable," Sara said, and we all finished our dinner. Our Moms still appeared to be a little put out at having the meeting here. Of course, they and our Sisters would be the ones to do the extra cooking and serving.

Later that night, Annie talked about her feelings on the subject with me.

"I always wanted to see New Orleans," she told me. "There is so much history there and the music, too."

"Yes, it's a real party town. Our folks were there to break the curse on our Moms, but from what they have told us, I don't think they spent a lot of time touring the city. They spent a lot more time in Boston and at the 'Burren' there," I told her.

"I don't imagine we'll have much time to see it either," Annie said with a sigh.

"No, I don't imagine so," I told her. "Maybe we can go to see it after all of this is over, sometime."

"Yes, that's something to look forward to," Annie agreed, before curling up against me and going to sleep.

The next morning, Wednesday the 26th, we discovered that out internet connections were blocked. It appeared that the FBPI had been busy at work behind the scenes. It didn't take much Magic to get around their blocks, but we then discovered that we had also been blocked out of the server at our Home-school Organization, and our Sisters and their Husbands had been blocked out of their college's server also. This didn't make any of us happy. In fact, our Sisters were hopping mad about it.

"We definitely need to deal with these people, and in a hurry," Edana told us in an angry voice before we left for New Orleans.