JC: William Redman Carter
Noble Savage
Chapter 19
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005

"We're your bodyguards. I'm Natalie."

"And I'm Nicole," said Natalie's twin sister.

Lucy looked from one to the other. Despite the fact that Nicole had 
black hair and Natalie had blond, their hair was cut in the exact 
same style. It was parted along the top of their head and hung 
down to their shoulders without curls. They both had simple bangs 
that came down to just above their eyebrows. Lucy asked, "Which 
of you dyes your hair?"

Natalie removed her wig, exposing her short brown hair, and 
answered, "Neither one of us dyes our hair. It's not healthy."

Lucy looked from one woman to the other wondering how she was 
ever going to tell them apart if they both removed their wigs. 
While Natalie replaced her wig, Lucy asked, "So you are my 
bodyguards? I was kind of expending two burly guys."

"Your boyfriend must be very trusting if he'll let you go in a 
bathroom with some burly guy tagging along," answered Nicole 
with a grin at her sister.

"I didn't think of that," Lucy said turning bright red at the reminder 
of that. William had told her she would have company when going 
to the bathroom, but she had not believed him. She was still trying 
to deal with the idea that she had lost her privacy and was now a 
public figure. 

An hour after Rock had gone to bed for the day, he was awakened 
by Colt. The big man grumbled about being woken when there 
wasn't an emergency. Colt just smiled and gestured with his head 
towards the door. Rock entered the living room and saw the twins. 
His partner had not mentioned the arrival of the twins, but their 
presence explained the smile on the man's face. More than happy 
to see them, Rock said, "Nikki and Nat, nice to see you again."

"Hi, Pebbles. Long time, no see," said Nicole with a twinkle in her 
eye. Her eyes flicked down to his crotch in a very obvious manner. 

"It's been a long three weeks. It'll be nice working with you again, 
Nikki," said Rock.

The exchange only confirmed what Ling already knew. It was half 
the reason she had chosen the four of them. She cleared her throat 
and said, "Do you know what you are supposed to do?"

Opening her jacket and pointing at her gun, Nicole answered, 
"Protect the young woman from all and sundry that would harm 
her. We'll work twelve-hour shifts with shift changes at eight. I'm 
the night shift."

"I'm the day shift," said Natalie twiddling her blond hair. There 
was a reason they had chosen the colors of their wigs in the 
manner they had. 

"Ling, do you mind if I sleep while you brief Natalie? Night shift 
starts in six hours and I've got to get some rest," said Nicole.

Nodding, Ling said, "Go ahead."

Colt came out of the bedroom and said, "I've moved my gear into 
the other room."

"Come on, Nikki. Time for us to get some rest," said Rock with a 
yawn. The entire group had traveled the entire morning and he 
hadn't gotten any sleep. 

Having just finished setting up the second guest room for Natalie 
and Nicole, Lisa looked confused at his announcement. She asked, 
"You're changing rooms?"

"Rock and I sleep together," answered Nicole moving to stand 
beside Rock. She bumped him with her hip, a gesture that 
indicated her continued interest in him. He slipped an arm around 
her and, together, they headed towards the bedroom.

Watching Nicole and Rock leave the room, Colt looked over at 
Natalie and asked, "So are you ready for the grand tour of the 
property?"

Natalie answered, "Whenever you are."

Smiling at Ling, William said, "We'll leave it up to you to show 
them around."

Changing into her professional mode, Ling stood and said, "We'll 
do a walk around the property. I'll show you where I want security 
features added."

After the trio had left the house, William asked, "What do you 
think of your bodyguards?"

"They seem kind of average looking. I was kind of expecting some 
tough looking people," answered Lucy.

"If Ling picked them, you know they're good," Ed said. 

William's cell phone rang and he answered it while Ed and Lucy 
talked about the twins. He was grinning at his father when he 
finally hung up the phone. "Doug is coming over for a visit."

Noticing William's grin, Ed asked, "And?"

"I'm going to enjoy watching the two of you talk," William said.

"Why?"

"Doug is not quite sure that the Druids represent good," Lucy 
answered knowing that William and Doug often spent hours 
discussing the matter. She enjoyed listening to them argue. In a 
way, she was curious about what Ed and Doug would say to each 
other.

"Really?"

"His thesis is that power corrupts and the Druids are too powerful 
not to become corrupted," answered Lucy. 

Lisa rolled her eyes having heard the discussion more times than 
she ever wanted. As far as she was concerned, the Carters were 
good people and that wasn't based on an intellectual argument. She 
knew them and that was all the proof she required. Her mouth 
dropped when Ed said, "It's a valid concern."

"I can't wait for the two of you to meet," William said.  "Let's go 
swimming until he shows up."

Lucy was out of her seat and stripping before William had even 
finished his suggestion. It wasn't long before William was naked as 
well. They went out the back and headed towards the pond with 
lots of grabbing at each other. Ed chuckled and said, "Lisa, you 
might want to send this Doug fellow down to the pond when he 
gets here."

Laughing at the exuberance of the young couple, Lisa said, "No 
problem."

Getting up, Ed went to the back door and undressed. Lisa 
examined the handful of scars on his back. She asked, "What's it 
like getting hurt so much?"

"It hurts," he answered with a grin. 

Lisa blushed at his answer and said, "I don't mean it like that. I 
mean, what's it like knowing you are putting yourself in danger?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed answered, "Usually, I don't think 
about it at the time - I just act."

"Are we in danger?" asked Lisa getting to the real point of her 
concerns. She'd been concerned when Rock and Colt had shown 
up. With the addition of Natalie and Nicole, her fears had 
quadrupled. 

"A little, but Ling is making sure that danger will be kept at a 
distance," answered Ed turning to look at the young mother. 
Stepping closer to her, he said, "You are right to be concerned. I'll 
make sure that your husband knows that his first priority should be 
to protect his family."

"What's going to happen?"

"I have no idea. You'll have to ask William if you want to know 
about the future. He's better at that than I am," Ed answered with a 
light laugh. 

His words didn't comfort her despite knowing that he was probably 
right. She said, "I'm worried for Tim."

Ed put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. In a comforting 
voice, he said, "Don't worry. William will make sure that all turns 
out for the best. He's good at that."

She felt the strength in the man even as her hands ran over the 
scars on his back. She believed him and she believed in William. 
That comforted her more than four bodyguards. Pulling back, she 
said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now I better get down to the pond before people 
start to wonder about what I'm up to in here," Ed said with a wink 
at Ken.

Lisa realized at that moment that she'd been hugging a naked man. 
Blushing, she said, "Off with you before my husband returns."

"Too late," Ed said as he slipped out the back door waving to Ken.

The couple watched out the back window as Ed made his way to 
the pond. Ken had entered the room right before Ed had told Lisa 
that he was to take care of his family first. It had touched him more 
than he could imagine. How many parents would say that? He 
didn't know. Putting his arms around Lisa, he said, "He's an 
amazing man."

"Yes," answered Lisa. She looked over at her husband and said, 
"I'm horny."

"Where's Tim?"

"Swimming."

"Let's go."

"Where?"

Smiling at his wife, Ken said, "Upstairs. Where else?"

Ed was engaged in a dog paddle race with William when Doug 
arrived. Considering the small size of the pond, it was the only 
kind of race that could be held there. Doug laughed when Ed said, 
"You swim like a Chihuahua."

Trying not to swallow any water, William retorted, "And you swim 
like a Wiener Dog."

The comment caused Ed to lose it. Laughing, he had to stand 
before he drowned. The mental image of a Wiener Dog swimming 
was just too much for him. Still paddling, William shouted, "I win 
by default."

Seeing Doug, Lucy waved to him and said, "Come on in. The 
water is great."

Having visited in the past, Doug knew how things worked around 
the William household. He stripped and entered the water. It didn't 
bother him that there were a few people present whom he didn't 
recognize. If they were here with William, he was sure that 
anything that happened there would stay there. Assuring privacy 
was a major concern for him. His father was running for re-
election, so this was a year for Doug to keep a low profile. The last 
thing his father needed was a news story about his son cavorting 
around naked with minors present. 

Lucy swam over to him and said, "Glad you could come."

"Who is the guy trading insults with William?" 

"His father, Ed Biggers," Lucy answered.

"Oh," Doug said getting worried. "Maybe I ought to go."

Grinning, Lucy asked, "Are you going to deprive William and I of 
the chance to watch you debate good and evil with Ed?"

"Preferably," Doug said turning and making his way to the edge of 
the pond. He'd told William on many occasions that he wasn't sure 
that he wanted to have that discussion with a Druid.

Lucy laughed at Doug’s discomfort and said, "He won't bite."

"You don't know what they are capable of doing," Doug said. He 
thought about his father's race and the damage that could be done 
to his father's political career. 

Doug nearly jumped out of the pond when Ed, standing right 
behind him, asked, "And just what do you think we're capable of 
doing?"

Wondering if he was going to kill his father's chances of re-
election, Doug answered, "Anything you want to do."

"I'd say that you're pretty close to correct," Ed said. He turned back 
to William and winked before he added, "while being about as 
wrong as you can be."

Doug stared open mouthed at Ed. He stuttered for a moment and 
then asked, "In just what way am I wrong?"

"Let's go up to the patio and get some sun while talking about it," 
Ed suggested while exiting the pond.

"Oh boy," William said. He'd been looking forward to this 
conversation for a long time.

"Oh God," groaned Doug as he got out of the pond. 

While everyone made themselves comfortable in the chairs around 
the patio table, William opened the patio bar. After setting cans of 
soft drinks out for people to grab, William filled a couple of bowls 
with pretzels and chips. Lucy carried the bowls over to the table.

Once the couple had finished playing host and hostess, they sat 
down. Opening his soft drink, William asked, "So in what way was 
Doug wrong?"

"I don't think he understands the source of our power," Ed said.

"I think I understand it very well. Your powers are granted to you 
by your Gods and Goddesses," answered Doug.

"That's right. We are constrained by our Gods and Goddesses to 
act in the best interests of humanity."

"The early Catholic Church claimed its power was given by their 
God, yet it wrecked havoc throughout the dark ages. In fact, it was 
responsible for the dark ages," stated Doug. He was willing to 
argue that point all day long. 

Smiling Ed asked, "So you are concerned that the Druids will one 
day plunge humanity into a new dark age?"

"Uh, not exactly," Doug answered. He said, "The early church was 
against science. I think the Druids may lead us to a tyranny of 
science."

"Interesting," Ed said as he thought about the implications of the 
statement. He wondered what a tyranny of science would mean if it 
were imposed by a group working for the Gods and Goddesses.

"Too much light is just as bad as too much dark."

Looking directly at Doug, he said, "You may well be right. Our 
contributions to the world have been technological. John Carter 
gave us fusion technology. Many of the Druids emerging from the 
college are science and engineering oriented."

"So you admit it?"

"Admit what … the possibility that the future could be dominated 
by men and women of science?"

"A tyranny of science."

Ed shrugged his shoulders as if not knowing how to respond and 
looked at William. He asked, "So what does the future hold for 
us?"

"I'm not prepared to answer that question at the moment."

Lucy looked at William as she considered his answer. He didn't 
say that he didn't know what the future held. He said that he wasn't 
prepared to answer the question. A glance over at Ed convinced 
her that he had noticed the point as well. Doug laughed and said, 
"Not prepared? I'd say that it was impossible to answer that 
question."

William smiled at the suggestion and said, "I'd say that it was 
highly improbable."

Ed turned to look at Doug and asked, "Have you considered that 
we promote a very uninhibited lifestyle? Have you considered that 
we consider the safety of all people to be very important? I'd say 
that it suggests a compassionate element to our actions."

"You are very powerful. Power corrupts. Sure, you may promote a 
very uninhibited lifestyle for yourselves. That doesn't mean that 
you are going to do that for others. For all I know, you could 
declare that many of our freedoms harm those who are weak," said 
Doug.

"You are very concerned that we have too much power and that it 
will corrupt us," said Ed nodding his head. He could understand 
that argument, particularly since he had that discussion with John 
Carter. He asked, "Who will lead the Druids to that end?"

"The Grand Druid," answered Doug. 

"You are making the assumption that he actually leads us."

"He's the Grand Druid."

William and Ed laughed at that. At the confused expression on 
Doug's face, Ed explained, "Every Druid serves the Gods and 
Goddesses. We've met the God or Goddess that we serve. There's 
no way that a single servant could lead us to perform an act 
counter to that desired by the one whom we serve. We know our 
place in the grand scheme of things and, believe me, it isn't at the 
top."

"Huh?"

Ed leaned forward holding out his medallion. He said, "This was 
placed around my neck by the Two-Sided One. No one can remove 
it except one of the Gods or Goddesses. As long as I wear it, I 
serve the Two-Sided One. I do not serve the Grand Druid or any 
other human power."

"Really?"

Having seen her mother touch the medallion, Lucy had burned 
with curiosity. She leaned forward and grabbed at the medallion 
with the intention of removing it. It slipped out of her hand. She 
chased it around Ed's chest, never able to get a good grip on it. 
Surprised, she said, "It's slippery."

"It can be very solid at times. Try to grab it without wanting to 
remove it."

Lucy grabbed the medallion and held it up to examine it. The 
explicit representations of genitalia embarrassed her. She dropped 
it and said, "Strange."

"I can't remove it," said Ed. He picked up the medallion and looked 
at it with a smile that suggested that he was privy to some private 
joke. "I wouldn't want to remove it, even if I could."

"So you're saying that every Druid acts independent of the Grand 
Druid," said Doug.

"Yes."

Lucy asked, "Doug, what would make you confident that the 
Druids don't represent a threat?"

"I guess some sort of checks and balances scheme would make me 
feel better. There isn't any kind of opposing power to keep you in 
check," Doug answered. 

A hard look came to Ed's eyes as he said, "There is an opposing 
power and it is far stronger than we are. Its' name is evil."

Feeling that he was finally getting a sense of the fanatic behind the 
calm Druid mask, Doug asked, "And just what is the nature of that 
evil?"

"Evil is all around us. I talk about those who kill, abuse children, 
steal, and harm others without restraint. Evil hides from the light of 
day waiting for the chance to emerge and wreck havoc."

"Just how far are you willing to go in order to rid the world of 
evil?"

"I'm willing to give my life to protect a weak person who is being 
attacked by evil. Look at my scars if you don't accept that," 
answered Ed.

There wasn't much to say in answer to that.  Doug asked, "So are 
you willing to remove the strong before they take advantage of the 
weak?"

Ed laughed and said, "Believe it or not, all of us have our strengths 
and weaknesses. It's just a matter of when a person uses their 
strengths to harm a person who is weak at the moment. Attempting 
to get rid of evil by eliminating those who are strong is foolish. It 
targets everyone and no one."

The discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Ling with the two 
bodyguards. Colt and Natalie looked at the group gathered around 
the table. Smiling, Natalie looked at Ed's cock with a very direct 
and assessing gaze. Teasing Colt, she said, "I think I'm going to 
like this assignment."

Colt frowned as he followed where her eyes were focused and 
realized that she was looking at the largest cock he had ever seen. 
He looked over at her hoping that she wasn't going to get any ideas 
that he should measure up to that monster. Feeling a little insecure, 
he said, "Come on. We've got work to do."

Undressing, Ling joined them at the table. Colt stared at the most 
perfect body on a woman that he had ever seen. Natalie noticed 
what he was looking at and said, "Down boy."

Realizing that he had been thinking thoughts that weren’t 
appropriate, Colt said, "Let's get to work."

Ling watched them leave with a little concern for her decision to 
hire them. She said, "I hope they'll work out. They are the best I 
could find."

Ed turned to Doug and said, "I ask you once again, how would you 
assure that Druids do not become an evil force in the world?"

"I don't know," Doug answered.

Sitting back in his chair, Ed asked, "Do you think the founding 
fathers intended for us to have a right to freedom from religion?"

"I haven't thought about it. They explicitly described freedom of 
religion along with separation of Church and State. Based on that, I 
would have to guess they did mean freedom from religion. At least 
that is the point of view that has been in the news a lot lately."

Lucy sensing that the discussion was about to get very interesting 
leaned forward to look at Ed and asked, "Why do you ask?"

"I was just going to comment that the majority of the founders 
were Freemasons."

It was well known that Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, and others 
were Masons. Doug knew that his father was a Mason. He said, "I 
knew that."

"Do you know what is required to become a Mason?" asked Ed 
raising an eyebrow as he asked the question.

"You have to proclaim a belief in a higher power and to have two 
other Masons testify on your behalf that you are a moral man," 
Doug answered.

"Why do you think that a candidate has to proclaim a belief in a 
higher power?"

Lucy answered, "Because they understood that without a belief in a 
higher power that there is nothing to keep a person honest. Without 
having to face judgement by a higher power, a person can do 
anything they want without fear of supernatural retribution. To 
avoid any kind of retribution, all they have to do is avoid being 
caught."

"Exactly," said Ed. Looking at Doug, Ed said, "Think about that 
for a minute. Without a higher power, there is nothing to define 
good or evil."

"How about societal rules?"

"You're a historian. Tell me if there has ever been a society with 
laws totally disconnected from a religion."

Doug thought about it for a moment and answered, "I really don't 
know the answer to that question."

"Neither do I, although I suspect that there hasn't ever been one. I'd 
say that the founders of this nation were very enlightened 
individuals. They believed that all religions were of equal value 
and thus accepted that all men should be allowed to follow the 
religion of their choice. They denied the ability of the state to 
impose any specific religion."

"What is your point?" asked Doug.

"I don't believe that they ever meant a freedom from religion."

"Why?"

"A higher power establishes what is good or evil. Societies made 
of like-minded individuals who believe in a higher power utilize 
the definitions of good and evil to create laws. The laws, in and of 
themselves, do not assure that men will follow them. It requires 
men who are motivated to follow them," Ed said. Raising a finger 
in the air, Ed said, "A person who believes in a higher power has a 
very powerful reason to pursue good over evil. They have a reason 
to follow the laws of men."

"I'll buy that."

"On that basis, I'll suggest that the founding fathers never meant 
for there to be a freedom from religion."

"I'll have to think about that," said Doug wondering if there was 
anything in the writings of the founding fathers to support that 
conclusion. Confused, he asked, "What has that to do with what we 
were talking about?"

"Where does this put individuals who know beyond a shadow of a 
doubt that a higher power exists? I'm talking about a person who 
has already faced the higher power and knows they will face them 
again."

"I suppose there aren't many things that can tempt them to commit 
evil acts."

"I'm talking about Druids," Ed said. Leaning forward to make his 
point, he said, "What mechanism, process, or procedure created by 
man can force a Druid to avoid evil that is nearly as effective as the 
knowledge that he or she will face their God or Goddess?"