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 AMAZING GRACE
FAIRY TALES OF A TRAILER PARK QUEEN, BOOK 15
KIMBRA SWAIN
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and
incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a
fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual
events is purely coincidental.

Kimbra Swain
Amazing Grace, Fairy Tales of a Trailer Park Queen, Book 15

Kimbra Swain / Crimson Sun Press, LLC

kimbraswain@gmail.com
crimsonsunpress@gmail.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and
Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is
prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Cover by: TS95 Studios

Formatting by: Crimson Sun Graphics
Editing by Carol Tietsworth: https://www.facebook.com/Editing-by-Carol-Tietsworth-
328303247526664/
 CONTENTS

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20

The Trailerverse Expands!

Cast of Characters
Acknowledgments
About the Author
 CHAPTER 1

C aressing the deep mahogany wood , I admired the light and dark
tones of the oak bar top. The craftsmanship heralded the old days
when things were done by hand, but I knew it had been compiled
with magic. When the Tree of Life rose in the center of my stone
circle in the forest beyond my home, branches were ripped off in the
process. We preserved the branches in the wooden bar at the new
Hot Tin Roof bar. I brushed back a tear and met Levi’s gaze with a
smile.
“It’s gorgeous,” I said.
“Is it what you wanted?” he asked.
“It’s what he would have wanted.”
My grandfather, Nestor Gwinn, had died in the final battle for
Winter. He protected my children by sacrificing his life, and now he
was the supernatural babysitter for the New World, a baby boy
named Xavier. I had visited him and Katherine as often as possible,
but it wasn’t the same as sitting down at this bar and having a cup
of coffee with him. He always knew the right thing to say to
everyone. Which is why Levi would be taking his place behind this
bar, and not me. The establishment belonged to us both.
A week after the battle, after we had all rested, Remy showed up
at our door with the proper paperwork which gave the bar to us.
However, it had burned in the final battle. In honor of his last
wishes, we rebuilt the it. It hadn’t opened yet. We were looking over
the final construction. We expanded the seating area and rebuilt the
apartment upstairs. Callum was going to move into it once we
signed off on the final papers.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Niles Babineau said, coming in the front door.
“It’s not polite to keep a Queen waiting,” I smirked.
He smiled broadly at me. “Indeed. Perhaps you will spare my life
until we finish our business here,” he said, as he laid papers out on
the new bar top.
“This time,” I said. Levi stood next to me as we looked over the
papers laying before us.
“The insurance that Nestor had on the place wouldn’t pay out,
because technically, Shady Grove is a condemned city. However, he
had significant savings, and all the materials and labor were
covered. Remy has all the money details if you care to know. I just
want to know if everything is done to your satisfaction. Is there
anything else you need from my crew and me?” Niles asked.
“The whole place looks fantastic,” Levi said.
“It really is fine work, Niles. Thank you,” I added.
“Awesome. If you don’t mind leaving a five-star review on my
social media page, that would be fantastic,” Niles said.
“Your what?” I asked.
“It’s a thing on the internet that he can use to promote his
business,” Levi explained.
“An endorsement from the King and Queen would do a world of
good since we’ve moved here permanently. You have a lot of fairies
who want to go back and forth now. You’ll have to set some ground
rules for travel,” Niles said, as he packed the papers into a folder.
“Wait, what?” I asked.
“Hmm, I talked to Troy about it. There are fairies gathering in the
nearby cities hoping to get passage into the Otherworld,” Niles said.
“More than a few, actually.”
“Exiles?” I asked.
“Some. Others were born here to fairy parents,” Niles said,
handing the building information to Levi.
“When did you tell Troy?” Levi asked.
“A couple of days ago. He said he would get with you guys and
discuss it. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to get him into trouble,” Niles
explained.
“No, it’s not that at all. He’s still adjusting to his new life,” I said.
I wanted to talk to him anyway about the future of the Shady Grove
police department. He’d spent much of his time with Mark helping
him settle into his new role as the Alpha of the Shady Grove pack.
The pack had changed since Mark took over. He’d struggled as
the new boy king of a bunch of wild animals. Kwaski and Mrs.
Santiago backed him fully, but there were wolves that challenged his
throne. He’d won every challenge. The thought of that young boy
having to fight for his position turned my stomach. Dominick assured
me that he was holding his own, but I didn’t like it. I wanted to talk
to Troy about it and find out what, if anything, Levi and I could do to
help the situation.
“Thanks for everything. My crew and I are at your disposal,” Niles
said, as he rushed out of the door, leaving Levi and I alone.
Levi pulled me to his body, firing off that tingling sensation that
drove me crazy for him. “I say we christen this bar,” he said, lifting
me up to sit on the newly shined wood.
“This is not the proper place to swap gravy, Levi Rearden,” I
warned. “The health department will shut us down.”
“We are the health department, and I say this is very healthy,” he
grinned while sliding his hand up my thigh. I’d worn shorts because
it was hotter outside than Alabama asphalt. He played with the hem
with daring eyes. I pushed his hand away, and he jerked back
toward me, burying his face at my stomach. He lifted my shirt and
started blowing raspberries on my skin.
“Quit!” I yelled, as the bar door opened behind us.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, stop it,” Callum said.
“You guys are gross,” Aydan added.
“Why is he kissing your belly?” Winnie asked.
“I like to kiss all of her,” Levi responded. Winnie’s eyes widened,
and I slapped him on the shoulder. The men, young and younger,
laughed, but Winnie blushed. The little skirt she wore was already
riding high on her thigh.
“Is that the skirt we bought last week?” I asked.
“I guess,” she said tugging it down.
 “She’s growing,” Levi warned. He and I had already discussed her
accelerated growth rate. Something was going on with the exposure
to the Otherworld. Shady Grove was technically part of Winter now,
and it seemed that it came with all the happy side effects of living in
the fairy world. Including wonky time shifts and accelerated growth
for those with fairy blood, which meant, every child in this town
minus the pure-blooded shifters like the Santiago children, were
growing and maturing faster.
Winnie had started asking about boys a few days ago. Like boys
and their parts. I almost died. I don’t know if any mother is prepared
to explain sex to their daughter, but the fact that I was trying to
explain it to my 7-year-old sent me into a tizzy. Levi refused to touch
it, so it was left up to me to figure out the best way to explain
swappin’ gravy to her.
Our options included allowing it to happen or finding her
somewhere to grow up outside of Shady Grove. I’d been separated
from her once before and I wasn’t going to do it again. Levi and I
agreed that she should stay with us.
“I’m just going to put you into a potato sack until you get over
this growth spurt,” I said, ignoring the obvious.
“Mom, it’s not a spurt,” Winnie said.
“Yes, it is. Look at you. Going through clothes before I can get
them on ya,” I replied.
“Kyrie and Celestina were at Aunt Wendy’s yesterday. They are
growing, too,” Winnie replied.
“Well, shit,” I muttered. “Winnie, it seems that now you have
fairy blood in your system you are going to grow up faster, and
there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
“How fast?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, you will be as big as Aydan
in a couple years,” I managed to say before my voice cracked. Aydan
had grown up in an instant, and there were times that he was still
very young and innocent. Which was the reason Callum had decided
to move into the apartment above Hot Tin.
Callum sought me out not long after the battle and told me that
he loved Aydan, but that he was sure it was just as a brother. He
explained that he saw now that there were times when Aydan was
grown and mature, but others where he had a lot to learn. Aydan
and Winnie had taken the news pretty hard, but it wasn’t like he was
leaving completely. It made me happy to know that he was able to
make such a mature decision, especially when Aydan wasn’t ready to
make any decisions at all.
Callum and Aydan visited the shamans who transformed Aydan
from toddler to young man in an instant. Niles had sent them there
to learn about the Native American ways. To learn their stories.
Aydan came back talking about hallucinogens and how trippy it was.
Callum came back talking about how it was a spiritual experience.
Callum had benefited much more deeply than Aydan. I loved both of
them, and I knew that this was something that I had to let them
figure out on their own. I, however, did think that Callum was doing
the right thing by Aydan.
“You just wait. I’m going to beat you up,” Winnie warned Aydan,
who pretended to be scared and hid behind Callum. “Not you, Cal.
You are the good brother.”
“I’m the good brother,” Callum repeated. Aydan poked him in the
side. Then they started to wrestle.
“Stop that in this new place! I swear if the two of you break
something, I’m gonna whoop you both!” I yelled. They settled down,
but one would nudge the other occasionally to keep the fight going.
We chatted about the new place, admired the red felted pool
table, and folded white towels before getting everything ready to
lock up for the day. We would open in two days as a celebration of
the victory over the evil that had tried to change the world.
Just before I turned out the lights, Dominick rushed into the bar.
“What the…” I exclaimed as he ran in while pulling up a pair of
shorts.
“Sorry. We need you out at Troy’s house. There is a faction that
has joined up to take Mark out,” Nick said.
“Take him out?” Levi asked.
Between huffs, Nick explained, “They have challenged him and
anyone who believes he is the true Alpha to a fight to the death.”
 “Son of a bitch. This damn town can’t settle down for two
seconds,” I cursed. “Aydan, take your sister home. You guys stay
there until we come home.” I knew better than try to keep Callum
out of it.
“We want to go,” Aydan protested.
“Do as I say. We will not go over this again,” I said sternly.
“I fought in the battle!” Aydan added.
“From the clouds. Out of danger. Aydan, you might be ready to
fight, but she isn’t,” I said, pointing to his sister. “Please, do what I
ask.”
Winnie walked over to him, showing more maturity, and took his
hand. “I want to go home, Aydan.”
He pursed his lips and closed his eyes. In an instant, they were
gone. He’d mastered the art of skipping after just a couple of
lessons.
“With Winnie growing, we are about to have two teenagers in
the house,” I huffed. Callum laughed. “You hush!”
“It’s better to just let her rant,” Levi said to him.
“You hush, too. And take us to Troy’s,” I demanded.
Levi grinned, as we joined hands and he whisked all four of us to
the driveway of Troy’s home.
 CHAPTER 2

L evi walked ahead of me with C allum . A t first , we headed to the

house, but quickly turned toward the backyard when the snarls of
wolves caught our attention.
Rounding the corner, I saw a young man standing with Amanda
and Troy. He didn’t take his eyes off the advancing wolves which
looked to be more than twenty strong. He had a few behind him.
With a burst of white fur, Callum ran on all fours to stand beside the
young man.
I’d seen him before while looking at Mark. The Alpha in him had
always been prevalent when it emerged. Even Winnie could see it
through his real form. But now that had changed, the young man
overshadowed anything that was left of the boy. He stood before his
parents with his fists balled up, holding back a shift.
Dominick joined Troy and Amanda, as Levi and I stalked up to
the scene.
“I’ve got this,” I whispered to Levi.
“Oh, shit,” he smirked.
“Good evening. I thought I’d come by and visit my favorite Alpha,
but it seems I’ve shown up at a bad time. Want me to come back
later?” I asked sweetly.
“Queen Gloriana, welcome to the headquarters of the Shady
Grove pack. Allow me to dispatch these few ruffians, and we can sit
down for a drink. I believe I have some orange soda,” Mark said,
without taking his eyes off the wolves.
 “Is there anything I can help with here?” I asked.
“No, it is a pack matter,” Mark replied. The veins in his neck
tensed. His strong arms rippled with new muscles. His legs looked
like he’d run a thousand marathons. He wore a pair of jogging shorts
and a loose white tank top. I noticed he was barefooted. Beyond his
matured form, the hair covering his body indicated that the
accelerated growth had magnified on the young Alpha. He could
easily pass for thirteen or fourteen years old, but only in the face. If
I didn’t see that sweet face, hardened at his enemies, I would have
thought him to be at least eighteen.
“See that’s the thing. Since you became the leader of this
rabble,” I said, pausing to stare at the wolves approaching him, “it
seems like you’ve been challenged quite often. From what I
understand, you have won every challenge against your claim.”
“Every single one,” he replied with the tone of a snarky teenager.
“I will win this one, too.”
I took a deep breath. “I have no doubt of that, but seems to me
that there is no need to prove yourself. I recognize you as Alpha.
This is still Shady Grove, and I’m still the fucking Queen.”
Levi snickered behind me, but kept his mouth shut. I really did
have the perfect husband.
“Your rule isn’t recognized by the pack,” Mark replied.
“Oh, really?”
“That’s not what he meant, Grace,” Troy interjected.
“I’m not talking to you, Troy,” I said, settling my gaze on Mark’s
father. He knew when to back down, too.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
“When it comes to pack rule, the wolves decide who rules,” Mark
clarified.
“Am I allowed to fight on your side?” I asked.
“Wolves only. Father is allowed because he was one of us,” Mark
said.
I reached down and pulled off my tennis shoes and handed them
to Levi.
“What the hell are you doing?” he muttered.
 “You aren’t a wolf. Stay out of it, Deer,” I said. I didn’t have to
spell it out for him. He knew how I meant it. It’d become my favorite
nickname for him.
I opened myself up to the power of Winter, allowing it to sink
deep into my veins. The blue swirls of power spread across my skin,
and a cool breeze blew out of the North.
The wolves opposing Mark stopped moving to watch my
transformation. When I embraced Winter during the Battle of Shady
Grove, she began to whisper sweet, powerful nothings in my ears. I
dreamed of frozen dancing sugar plums and spells. There were so
many things I could do. It was about time that this town and the
Otherworld knew just how deeply and wholly I felt that power.
Cold darkness surged upon me, enveloping me in a swirling cloud
of snow. When the snow settled, I stood before them as a pure
white wolf with turquoise eyes. The blue swirls curled over my fur
creating icy tattoos. Immediately, I felt the power of the Alpha. I
could hear his voice in my head.
Mark Maynard had embraced his new role, but the moment I’d
arrived he worried that everything he had built would be washed
away by me doing something to overshadow his strength. Until this
moment, that was exactly what I had planned to do. But feeling his
thoughts, his fears, and his confidence that he could win this fight, I
made a bold move.
“I am Gloriana, Queen of Winter and the Exiles. However, in this
form, I am a member of the Shady Grove pack. Mark Maynard is my
Alpha, and I obey his will. I stand behind him. Not in front. Not
beside. I follow his rule.” My voice rang out clear as if I were
speaking with my human vocal cords.
Winter power moved again behind me. Knowing that Levi had
access to all my powers, I knew he would join me. His wolf was a
pale grey, almost blue with pulsing swirls of Winter. His deep blue
eyes met with mine, and he nodded. Without any explanation, he
joined me to stand behind Mark, who held his human form. Callum
gave me an appreciative look.
Mark’s doubt faded, and confidence replaced any fears of my
interference. He had to feel the connection between us. A voice
deeper than his normal spoke into my brain.
“You honor me, Gloriana and Levi. If you truly want to be part of
this pack, then I expect full obedience. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Levi and I answered in unison.
“Very well. We will hold our position until they strike one of us.
Otherwise, we wait,” Mark instructed.
“As you wish, Alpha,” I responded, then turned to the opposition
to give them a snarling growl. It felt good rumbling around in my
throat. Levi huffed.
“If Dominick doesn’t stop looking at your tail, I’m going to kick
his ass,” Levi said.
I looked back over my shoulder, and Dominick shifted his
attention back to the pack.
“I have a nice ass. That isn’t my fault,” I replied.
“I swear if he sniffs you, it’s on,” Levi said.
Knowing Dominick, he would sniff me just to get on Levi’s
nerves.
One of the opposing wolves shifted into human form. The man
stood a foot taller than Mark and sported twice as much hair
including a long, but trimmed beard.
“They cannot join your ranks without being part of the pack.
They have to prove themselves,” the man said.
“Raoul, Grace and Levi Rearden have given me authority over
them as their Alpha. That is all that is required,” Mark responded.
“I demand a fight of blood,” Raoul said.
Mark snarled. “That is not necessary.”
“I will do it,” I responded.
“As will I,” Levi echoed.
“No, I said it wasn’t necessary!” Mark yelled. His words sank into
me as the Alpha’s power fought against my own will. “Are you here
to fight, Raoul?”
“Not today, Alpha,” he said, bowing deeply to the boy.
“That’s a shame,” Mark responded. “I’ve only had one challenge
in the last two days. I was starting to get bored.”
“Wow! I think he’s been taking notes from you,” Levi said. I
nudged him with my paw.
 “Raoul, if you bring a force against me again, I will kill you, and
every wolf that opposes me will leave this pack. By order of the
Queen of Shady Grove, any shifter living within the wards of this
town must be a part of the Shady Grove pack. As its Alpha, I comply
with that rule. All of you knew the rule when you moved here. You
chose to stay. Just because there is a new Alpha, the rules have not
changed. You accept me as the leader of this pack, or you move.
Don’t come to me with this nonsense again. The last thing I want to
do is kill any of you. But with the moon as my witness, I will do it.”
Mark stepped forward, distancing himself from us. The wolves with
Raoul turned and stalked away.
It made me sick to think about the impact of his statement. I
hated that he would have to kill any of them, but I wouldn’t stand in
his way. If it came to that, then so be it. Secondly, every shifter in
this town had been rejected by their families or had chosen to leave
their pack. Now they wanted to stand against Mark and his family,
knowing that if he was ousted as Alpha, his followers would be
banished from the pack. Which meant, they would have to leave
Shady Grove.
Not on my watch.
 CHAPTER 3

T roy ’ s three girls piled on him the second he walked into the door of
their home. He laughed, dragging them with him to the living room.
We passed through their kitchen where Amanda stopped to fix
glasses of sweet tea.
Callum had shifted back and followed Levi and I into the Maynard
house along with Dominick who ducked around a corner, then
reappeared with a pair of shorts.
“Keep your nose away from my wife’s ass,” Levi chided.
“It’s a dog eat dog world out there,” Dominick quipped.
“That was lame,” I said.
“Gotta give me points for effort!” Nick exclaimed.
“He’s right. Stay away from my ass,” I replied before taking a
seat on the couch. Levi sat next to me while Troy laughed and
played with the girls. Rosalie, Magnolia, and Camilla looked to be in
the two-year old range. “Troy, are they growing too?” I asked.
“They are. I suppose it’s my fairy blood,” he said.
“Is Amanda faeborn?” I asked.
“No, I am not,” she replied, entering the room with a tray of
sweet tea and one lemonade. She knew I didn’t drink tea.
Sacrilegious in these parts, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t like sweet
tea.
Levi retrieved my drink from the tray, then his. “So, children with
any fairy blood are accelerating,” he surmised.
“It seems so,” Troy replied.
 “This is why I haven’t been to see Winnie,” Mark said, entering
the room. He stood in the doorway. Looking through my sight, he
looked the same as he did in the doorway. Tall and lean with dark
eyes. His nose and jaw line had formed hard lines. His boyish hair
had lengthened on top in dark brown almost curls. “I’m afraid I’d
scare her, and the last thing in this world I want to do is scare her.”
“She’s growing too. Plus, she misses her friend,” I said.
“I’m not a kid anymore,” he said as his eyes hardened. “I’ve just
got to wait until she catches up with me. I promise you that I will
never do anything to hurt her.”
“If you do, I’ll strangle you,” I said.
“Grace!” Levi exclaimed.
“You will not touch my son,” Amanda growled.
“No!” Mark’s voice echoed in the small room. His mother backed
down. “She’s right. If I hurt Winnie, I’d want her to kill me.”
“It was a form of speech,” I said, setting my glass down at the
table. I couldn’t believe how much he’d grown and matured with the
growth. The Alpha emerging plus the fairy in him had dealt Mark a
double blow. I stood up and crossed the room to stand before him.
“You have always been family to us. You will always be family to us.
If you need us, all you have to do is call. Levi and I back your claim
to be Alpha one-hundred percent.”
“Thank you, Queen Gloriana,” he said, bowing his head to me.
I lifted his chin to look into his darkened eyes. “That’s just Grace
talking. No need for the Queen stuff.”
“Thank you, Miss Grace,” he said, relaxing his stance. Finally, I
saw in him the boy I’d seen less than a month ago.
“I also know that you have no intentions of hurting my daughter.
I will try to explain to her what’s happened. She’s actually pretty
adaptable. You might be surprised,” I said.
“I’m too old to be around her, considering how I feel. It will look
bad,” he said.
“You still feel the same way about her?” I asked.
“Yes. I always will,” he said. “But I need to give her space to
grow. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy that she was going to
catch up to me sooner rather than later.”
 “She is going to give you hell. You know that, right?” I asked with
a chuckle.
He looked around me to Levi. “It’s worth it, right?”
“Damn straight, it is,” Levi responded.
“Mark Maynard! What are you implying?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Like mother, like daughter.”
I died laughing along with the rest of the room. “He’s not wrong.
Winnie is more head-strong like you each day. Maturing faster isn’t
going to make that any better,” Levi said.
“How would you know?” I asked before sitting down next to him.
“Well, I mean, I see Aydan struggle,” he said.
“Aydan was different. He would have been better off left to grow
in the fairy way than this thrust forward they did on him. He’s
adapting, but it will take time. Probably about two years, in fact,” I
said.
“Which is how long it takes a fairy child to grow and mature?”
Dominick asked. I’d forgotten he was even in the room.
“Yes. When fairy children grow, their minds and maturity grow at
the same time. It’s accelerated and strange to humans, but for
fairies, it’s normal. I do hate that she is going to lose her childhood,
but to be honest, childhood hasn’t been that good to her. If she
loses anyone else, I worry about her and those fire powers,” I said.
“Do you fear her fire because you don’t inherently have those
gifts?” Amanda asked. She had always been forward about her
opinions. I heard the contempt in her voice, but chose to ignore it.
Without answering her verbally, I held my palm up, pulled power
from the fire stone, and created a ball of fire floating above my
hand. She tilted her head sideways, then dropped her eyes to study
the carpet. I closed my hand. The flame extinguished.
Levi cleared his throat. “How much more will Mark grow? This
happened so quickly.”
“We don’t know, but if the last month has been an indicator, by
the end of this month, he will be fully matured,” Troy said. Amanda
drew in a deep breath. As a mother, I knew how she felt. When
Aydan’s growth surge happened, I felt like I’d lost something that
was owed to me. I’d carried him. I’d squeezed him out of my vagina.
By the goddess, I should have gotten a little more time with my
baby boy.
“It’s good that I am. I can beat those wolves one on one, but
when they gang up like that, I need to be stronger,” Mark said.
“You won’t ever fight them alone,” I said.
“Thank you for that, Grace. I admit, I’m a little jealous that you
can become a wolf. I miss that wild feeling of letting go and
responding on instinct,” Troy said.
“Fairies do that, too. In fact, you probably have a fairy shift form
of your own. Just depends on your heritage. Your parents. Your
father was a wolf?” I asked.
“No, my mother was a wolf. She was the matriarch of our pack.
When I was born, I became the Alpha,” Troy said.
“You grew fast, too?” I asked.
“Not like Mark. I didn’t live in the Otherworld,” Troy said.
“Right. So, your dad was a fairy. Summer,” I said.
“I didn’t know that he was at the time, but yes,” Troy responded.
“Did he have a form?” I asked.
“I don’t know. He never showed it to us if he did. He did teach
my brothers to be ruthless and uncaring. He is the reason I left the
pack. He demanded blood when there was no need to shed it. Sure.
There is a time and place, but he was blood thirsty,” Troy said.
“Like Rhiannon,” I said.
“Any chance on her returning?” Amanda asked.
“I hope not. It’s weird seeing Stephanie and Tabitha around
town.” Since the battle, we had given the reincarnated versions of
our enemies a short leash. Stephanie had joined Niles’ construction
group as a secretary. Tabitha tried to make friends with people, but
everyone kept her at a distance. Neither of them had spoken to me,
but Troy and his police force had kept an eye on them for me.
“Which reminds me, Troy, was there something you were supposed
to tell us from Niles?”
“Oh, shit. I completely forgot about that. He and Remy said that
there were fairies gathering in the towns nearby hoping to get into
Shady Grove. They worried that we might turn into some sort of
fairy ‘destination vacation’ type thing. The town isn’t fit to have a
whole bunch of fairies come up in it,” Troy said.
“I need to get a feel for who is out there waiting to get in,” I
said.
“I’ll go take a look for you,” Dominick said.
“You can’t go alone,” I replied.
“Sully will go with me. We can head out to Tuscaloosa tomorrow
and see what we can discover,” he said.
“We need someone to head to Birmingham, too,” Levi said. “I’d
go, but we have so much going on with the coronation.”
“You have a ready-made mob network at your disposal,” I
reminded him.
Tennyson had given everything to Levi. Stone and Bronx followed
him around like they had their former boss. “I’ll talk to Stone and
see who we can send.”
“Have them branch out to Steelshore, Atlanta, and Nashville. I
need to know what we are looking at. If people want to go home, I
want them to have the opportunity, but it seems like a daunting task
to keep up with who and what goes in and out of our town,” I said.
“You need an alternate route,” Amanda suggested.
“I agree. Perhaps after the coronation, we can set up something
nearby. I’ll talk to Astor about it as well. I want to keep Summer
involved in our decisions. Everything we do affects them too,” I said.
“You need a new council,” Mark suggested.
I decided I liked the new Mark. “That’s a great idea. I’ll talk to
Betty. What do you think about the council, Amanda?”
“I think I have my hands full around here for a while. Someone
else might be better suited for my spot. Perhaps Mrs. Santiago,” she
suggested.
“I represent the shifters,” Mark said.
“Well, in a month, when you look like an adult, you can take a
spot,” I said, teasing him a little.
He folded his muscular arms over his chest with a smirk. I could
see the edge of a tattoo peeking out from under his shirt sleeve. He
saw me notice it and pulled the sleeve up for me to see. A tribal-
style wolf howling over a crescent moon.
 “All of us have one,” Dominick said, lifting his sleeve to reveal the
same tattoo. Amanda and Troy showed us theirs too. “It was my
idea. To bind us together after the war. We lost so many wolves. The
unrest here has more to do with that gaping hole in our pack than
Mark’s ability to lead. He proved that he could during the fight.
Chris’s hogs took just as many losses. However, we took the brunt of
the casualties.”
I knew that they had. “He’s right, and we haven’t paid our
respects for that. We need to have a town wide memorial before the
coronation. I want them all to know that their people will be
remembered. Ours, as well.”
“I’ll work on it. You focus on this fairy pilgrimage stuff, and I’ll do
the memorial. Plus, I’ll check on Jenny and the coronation
preparations,” Levi responded. We didn’t talk telepathically much
anymore, because we had become so in tune to each other after my
death. It took a couple of weeks, but our bond was stronger now
than it had ever been. Which was a very good thing, because I
needed Levi more than I could have ever imagined.
 CHAPTER 4

L evi and I skipped back to the house leaving C allum with the wolves .
I loaded up in the truck to go and talk to Betty. Winnie decided she
had had enough of Aydan, so she rode with me. Aydan went with
Levi.
“Do you and Uncle Levi have sex?” Winnie asked, as we drove to
town.
The truck swerved as I tried to control it and keep my brain from
exploding.
“Do what?!” I exclaimed.
“Sorry,” she muttered, looking down at her hands in her lap.
I cleared my throat and prepared myself for another of those
crazy conversations that I only expected to have with my son, but
things change. Life changes. Fairy life especially.
“Yes. Levi and I have sex. He’s my husband, and we love each
other very much,” I said, hating every word that came out of my
mouth.
“Are you going to have a baby?” she asked. I’d equated sex to
procreation. Perhaps I could inform her delicately about the
pleasures of it as well. It felt so wrong to talk about it, but I knew
her mind and body were moving faster than she was used to. I
reminded myself that it was normal for a child to be curious.
“We aren’t planning on having a baby, but I am not opposed to
having one. There are other reasons to have sex,” I said.
“Like what? Seems kinda weird,” she said.
 “It seems that way to you now, because you don’t understand it.
And I’m telling you these things because you are growing up faster
than I expected. I want you to ask me all these things. Or your
Uncle Levi. Let us help you learn about being an adult,” I said.
“What about Callum or Aydan?” she asked.
“Aydan is still learning. I want you to come to me, Winnie. I will
always answer your questions. I will never judge you for asking.
Uncle Levi would tell you the same thing,” I said.
“You didn’t answer me,” she responded.
“Huh?”
“What are other reasons to have sex?” she asked.
I thought I’d avoided it, but bless it, this child was smarter than I
wanted to admit.
“Sex can feel very good. Maybe not the first time, but it can be
fun. But take it from your momma, having sex with someone
because it is fun is nothing compared to how good it feels to having
sex with someone you love,” I said.
“Like you loved Daddy,” she said.
“Yes. Like I loved Dylan. Like I love Levi,” I said. “If you have sex
with someone you love, we call it making love. Not just sex.”
I looked over at her, and she seemed to be taking it all in.
“What is swapping gravy?” she asked.
“Did you hear your Uncle Levi say that?” I asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Just seemed like he was saying that instead of
talking about sex in front of me,” she said.
“You are very right. That is what your Uncle Levi calls having
sex,” I said.
“I like gravy,” she said.
“Heavens to Betsy, Wynonna Riggs, it’s not the same kind of
gravy,” I said, trying not to laugh. “This child just asked me what
swapping gravy was. I’m gonna beat your ass.”
“Did you tell her what it was?” Levi asked.
“We were already talking about sex, so yes.”
“What did she say?”
“She said she likes gravy!”
 I could hear Levi laughing in my head. “Like mother, like
daughter.”
“When I get home…”
“Yes! Talk dirty to me, Baby.”
I ignored him after that. Then I realized Winnie was watching
me. “What is it?”
“Did you see Mark?” she asked.
I sighed. Might as well break it to her now. I pulled the truck
over on the side of the road and turned it off. She looked confused.
“Yes, Winnie, I saw Mark. He wants you to know that he’s still
your friend and that he cares about you a lot. Things with the
wolves are very hard for him right now since he’s in charge,” I said.
“I know. I just thought maybe he forgot about me after the
fighting and now that he’s a big boss man,” she said.
“He hasn’t forgotten about you. Remember how he looked when
you used your magic to see him?” I asked.
“Yes, he looked old.”
“Well, he’s not quite there, but he’s definitely grown,” I said.
“Are all the kids growing? Soraya and Kyrie, too?” she asked.
“Yes. All of them,” I replied. “Even Mark’s sisters.”
“Guess we just gotta deal with it,” she said.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” I replied while cranking the
truck. “Let’s go get a strawberry milkshake.”
“Sounds great!”
You could never be too old for a milkshake.

“Two strawberry milkshakes,” Betty said with a smile as she sat the
two milky concoctions in front of us.
“Yummy! Mom, can I go talk to Celestina?” she asked.
Celestina and Kyrie were in the diner alone. Betty told us that
Niles was in the parking lot of the Food Mart working with the
construction crew. We didn’t really need a Food Mart any longer
since Levi’s network made food deliveries to every house in town.
We were rebuilding the shopping center for some semblance of
normalcy. Mike’s psychedelic-covered vape shop had survived the
battle, but he had added a fresh coat of rainbow paint to cover some
of the battle grime.
“Are you excited?” Betty asked.
“Hmm. About what?”
“The coronation,” she said.
“You know how much I love big events.”
“Your wedding turned out quite nicely.”
“Yeah, if you ignore the spell-induced stomach virus, the wild at
the borders, and trailermosas, it was great!”
She tsked at me. “Shame on you, Grace. It’s your big moment.
You need to savor it.”
“We have other problems,” I said, watching Winnie talk to
Celestina and Kyrie. Soraya had come from the kitchen to join them.
“They are growing,” she said.
“Yes. Among other things,” I sighed.
“What else?”
“Fairies flooding the border towns wanting to get a look at the
tree and fountain. Or wanting passage back into the Otherworld. I
don’t think my office is big enough to accommodate the issue.
Dominick and Sully went to Tuscaloosa to scope it out. Levi is
sending some of Stone and Bronx’s guys to check out Birmingham.”
Luther joined us from the kitchen. He hadn’t said much since the
battle. I think it weighed hard on him that he wasn’t able to
participate. He and Betty had kept their bottle secret despite my
best efforts to drag it out of them. However, I knew that in going
forward for me to trust them, I needed to know.
“How are you, Grace?” Luther asked.
“Tired. You?”
“About the same,” he replied. “I hate to see them miss
childhood.”
“I didn’t miss mine. I keep telling myself that watching Winnie
mature daily. She asked me on the way over what swappin’ gravy
was.”
Betty started cackling. “I’m glad Soraya hasn’t asked anything.”
 “I’m sure Winnie is telling her everything I told her,” I said. “I’ll
be happy to sexually educate your ward through my seven-year-old.”
“I see your point,” Betty mumbled. “I think that is why fairies
tend to be so difficult to deal with as adults. They miss all those
formative years. You were wilder than a Betsy bug. Immature.
Shady Grove changed you.”
“The people of Shady Grove changed me. We have to make sure
that happens with our children. And their children,” I said.
“Listen to you being all Queen-like,” she teased.
“Took me long enough.”
“It took you as long as you needed to get it right,” Luther said.
“Thanks, Luther. You should join the town council,” I said.
“What?!” Betty exclaimed.
“Yeah, we need to reform it. I’m just teasing Luther. Betty will
retain her spot. We will let the people decide who they want to
represent them,” I said.
“You are the Queen. Astor is the King. I don’t think you need a
council,” she said.
“We do, actually. It’s a new world now. There will be fairy
problems in this world that will need attention. The fairies of Shady
Grove lived among humans for years, and there is no better
representation than the Exiles to govern it. I have my knights for
Winter. I have my Exiles for the human realm.”
I sucked down the last of my milkshake as Betty pondered it.
“When did you get to be so wise?”
“It was always there. It just wasn’t any fun,” I said with regret.
“And now it is?”
“And now I’ve got no fucking choice.”
“Is that the language of a queen?”
“Fuck yes, it is,” I replied. “Y’all knew what y’all were getting
when you got behind me.”
“Actually, I think you have surpassed every hope we had for you,”
Betty said.
That made me blush. I shook my head trying to picture it.
Jeremiah Freyman dragged me into this town, and they all watched
me come in here like hell on wheels. The wheels were attached to a
double wide.
“You think Jeremiah did something to me to make me not see
that you all were like me?” I asked.
Betty laughed. “You never figured that out, did you?”
“It’s been kind of a whirlwind since I stepped into that church
almost two years ago. That’s when I knew that all of you were in on
it,” I said. “So, how did I not know? I should have felt something.
Saw something. Suspected it.”
“Grace, we like to work at the diner. Luther makes food, and I
serve it. We clean it all up together. Nestor ran the bar. Brad has the
BBQ place. Remy is a lawyer. Dylan was a sheriff. None of us had to
do those things. We could have employed Brownies or other minions
to do tasks for us like bring us food. Instead, for each of us to
appear human we would walk into that Food Mart, then through the
line with Mable who made the best glamours on either side of the
veil. She wasn’t hiding us from you, but from the humans mostly.
Then, when you came through her line, as she gossiped about who
was sleeping with who, she would dose you, too. A little witchy
magic to keep you from asking. To keep to yourself until you were
ready.”
“I knew Remy was an immortal being when I met him. It was
almost immediate,” I said.
“He didn’t live inside the Perilous Vale, which was controlled by
your father and Rhiannon.”
“They hid you?”
“They forced us to be hidden from the human realm. We were
surprised when it worked on you. Mable assured us that she had
talked to your father and it was what he wanted,” Betty explained.
“Well, shit. I guess I wasn’t too stupid to live,” I said.
“I dunno about that,” a male voice came from behind me. “Too
beautiful to live, maybe.”
“Remington Blake, you are the devil,” I said.
Remy walked up and gave me a big hug. “How are ya?”
“I’m fine. Learning more shit that my father did and planned for
me,” I said.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Mausoleum, unter dessen goldener Kuppel der zehnte und elfte
Imam ruhen neben Alis Schwester, Gemahlin und Mutter. Dieses
Heiligtum stammt aus neuerer Zeit. Die Kuppel wurde erst 1908
vollendet. Ihre Goldbekleidung, die schon aus weiter Ferne wie eine
kleine Sonne leuchtet, ist, wie eine Inschrift über dem Tor verrät, ein
Geschenk des Schahs Nasreddin von Persien und hat 30000
türkische Pfund, also über eine halbe Million Mark, gekostet.
Das andere Heiligtum mit einer blauen Fayencekuppel ist eine
unterirdische Krypta, in der der zwölfte Imam, der Mahdi, der
„Herrscher der Zeit“, der Messias der Schiiten, im Alter von vier
Jahren verschwand. Sie wurde vom Kalifen Nasir im Jahre 1210
gebaut. Andere Teile des Heiligengrabs stammen aber aus neuerer
Zeit.
Wir ritten auch in die kleine Stadt hinein, um uns wenigstens eine
Vorstellung von der Lage der beiden Heiligtümer zu verschaffen und
sie von außen zu betrachten. Man bewachte uns dabei scharf, damit
wir nicht etwa das verbotene Gebiet betraten. Wir konnten daher nur
von der Schwelle aus einen Blick in den Hof des Mausoleums
werfen und kehrten dann durch die ärmlichen Basare und das
Stadttor, das in einer hohen, von einer indischen Prinzessin zum
Schutz gegen raubgierige Beduinen errichteten Mauer liegt, zu
unserm Lager am Bahnhofsgebäude zurück.
 Phot.: Schölvinck.
Aufbruch aus Samarra.

Neunzehntes Kapitel.
Die Karawane des Herzogs.

A m andern Morgen verließen wir schon vor Sonnenaufgang

Samarra, um baldmöglichst Tekrit zu erreichen, wo der größte
Teil der Karawane des Herzogs auf uns wartete. Von den neun
Wagen der Kolonne waren vier bei uns, zwei Droschken, ein Jaile
und ein Kerbelawagen. Die beiden letzteren waren trotz ihrer
Gebrechlichkeit mit Gepäck so schwer befrachtet, daß ich ihnen
keine lange Laufbahn prophezeite. Doch ging bis Tekrit noch alles
gut ab, denn die Straße dorthin war so eben, als wäre sie asphaltiert,
obgleich man von einer wirklichen Straße eigentlich gar nichts sah;
der gelbgraue, dürre und harte Alluviallehm des Bodens erlaubte zu
fahren wie man wollte. So waren hier einst die Heere des Altertums
vorgerückt. Jetzt ging die türkische Etappenstraße hier durch. Aber
nur wer von Bagdad nach Mosul wollte, kam dieses Weges; in
umgekehrter Richtung benutzte man besser eines der Tigrisflöße bis
Samarra.
Den ganzen Tag über war der Tigris oder doch sein dunkler
Vegetationsgürtel in Sehweite. Schaf-, Ziegen- und Rinderherden
weideten auf der Steppe; hin und wieder kam ein Bauer mit einem
Esel daher; sonst bildeten nur Steppenhühner (Keklik auf Türkisch)
und Heuschrecken die Staffage. In ungeheuern Massen pickten die
ersteren zu beiden Seiten der Straße, in mächtigen Wolken flogen
sie auf, wenn unsre Wagen sich nahten, waren aber sonst wenig
scheu. Was sie fraßen und wovon auch die Herden der Nomaden
lebten, war nicht recht einzusehen, denn das kurze Steppengras war
von der Sonne völlig gedörrt und obendrein von Heuschrecken
verdorben. Auch bei diesen war Schmalhans Küchenmeister; mit um
so größerer Gier warfen sie sich auf den Pferdemist, und wo sie gar
den Kadaver eines Zugtiers fanden, fraßen sie sich buchstäblich zu
Tode. Die gefallenen Tiere sah man nicht vor lauter Heuschrecken,
und die Kadaver umgab jedesmal ein Wall toter oder sterbender
Fresser, die mit aufgeschwollenen Körpern dalagen und die Luft
noch mehr verpesteten. Auch wir selbst konnten uns während der
Fahrt der widerwärtigen Insekten kaum erwehren, klatschend flogen
sie uns gegen Gesicht und Hände, und als wir nördlich von der
Ruine Dur, wo unser Weg wieder unmittelbar an das Stromufer
heranführte, die Pferde tränkten und ein Bad nahmen, wimmelte
selbst das Wasser von diesen widerwärtigen Insekten; ganz wie auf
dem Euphrat hatten sich auch hier ungeheure Massen verflogen,
und unwiderstehlich riß der Strom sie mit sich, um irgendwo ihre
Gebeine in seine neuen Ablagerungen einzubetten. —
Unsere beiden Droschken sollten den Gepäckwagen
vorausfahren; die Kutscher aber hatten etwas von räuberischen
Überfällen munkeln hören und offenbar vereinbart, sich gegenseitig
nicht aus dem Gesicht zu verlieren, so daß wir alle zusammen an
dem Gasthof in Tekrit vorfuhren, wo die übrige Reisegesellschaft
bereits gestern ausgespannt hatte. Außerdem waren noch Oberarzt
Professor Reich und Major Reit, beide auf dem Wege nach
Deutschland, seit gestern hier eingekehrt.
Tekrit mit seinen engen, gewundenen Straßen, anspruchslosen
Stein- und Lehmhütten und langen grauen Mauern liegt wie Hit auf
einem Hügel, gesichert gegen alle Überschwemmungen. Mehrere
Kaffeehäuser am Tigrisufer bieten eine prächtige Aussicht auf den
Strom. Eines dieser Kavekhanes beherbergte englische Offiziere,
die wegen Übermüdung oder Krankheit ausruhen mußten. Auch
mein alter Freund Rybot war darunter, und Herzog Adolf Friedrich,
Professor Reich und ich unterhielten uns einige Zeit mit den
Gefangenen. Ihre Gefaßtheit im Unglück war bewundernswert; von
Erregung über die Kriegsereignisse merkte man ihnen nichts an. Als
ich daran erinnerte, daß der Herzog Gouverneur von Togo gewesen
sei, das englische Truppen besetzt hätten, während er an der
Westfront stand, meinten sie lächelnd, Togo werde natürlich wie alle
Kolonien bei Friedensschluß zurückgegeben; die englische Presse,
die allerdings eine andre Sprache führe, habe darüber
glücklicherweise nicht zu bestimmen. Das vornehm zurückhaltende
Wesen dieser Angelsachsen stand in so wohltuendem Gegensatz zu
dem Ton englischer Zeitungen und so mancher Bankettreden
englischer Staatsmänner, daß man sie kaum für Angehörige
desselben Volkes hätte halten mögen.
 Phot.: Schölvinck.
Ein Teil unserer Kolonne.

Mittlerweie hatte sich auf den zwei engen Höfen, die unsern Troß
beherbergten, das malerisch bunte Durcheinander einer
Karawanserei entwickelt. Unser wertvollstes Gepäck war in einem
stockfinstern Loch geborgen, vor dem Schölvincks Diener Gustav
Wache hielt, während die Ordonnanz des Herzogs und sein
afrikanischer Diener Schmitt unter Konsul Schünemanns
Oberaufsicht die Kutscher und Burschen befehligten. Der schwarze
Koch aus Togo wirtschaftete eifrig an seinen Töpfen, während sich
sein Landsmann mit Gläsern und Tellern, Messern und Gabeln
zwischen arabischen Stallknechten und Hufschmieden
hindurchschlängelte, die unsere Pferde fütterten oder beschlugen.
Auf der Terrasse an der einen Hofseite saßen etliche Perser,
Filzmützen auf dem Kopfe und gewundene Locken an den Ohren,
um einen glühenden Mangal herum und stopften mit einer
Feuerzange Holzkohlen in den Samowar, aus dem unsere Teegläser
gefüllt wurden. Ein Tekriter Bäcker kam mit einem Sack voll Brot
hereingestürmt, und Frauen brachten in Holzkummen Milch und
Joghurt. Die Flammen unserer Tischlampe und des Lagerfeuers, an
dem für uns und die Mannschaft das Abendessen bereitet wurde,
warfen unruhige Schatten in das so schon lebendige Bild, und wir
freuten uns, beizeiten auf dem Stalldach, wo unsere Betten standen,
dem Lärm dieses Feldlagerlebens entrückt zu sein.

Phot.: Schölvinck.
Ein schwieriger Abhang.

Um 3 Uhr morgens, als das Dunkel der Nacht noch auf der
Steppe lag, erwachte die Unruhe des Abends bereits wieder.
Deutsche und Türken, Araber und Tataren drängten sich
durcheinander, um die Karawane zum zeitigen Aufbruch fertig zu
machen. Deichseln knarrten, Geschirre rasselten, Pferde und
Maulesel wieherten in der frischen Morgenluft. Während wir
frühstückten, wurden die Packwagen beladen, Kisten und Kasten mit
Riemen festgemacht, und sowie ein Wagen fertig war, fuhr er auf die
Straße hinaus. Dort ordnete sich die Kolonne.
Diesmal nahm ich im Automobil des Herzogs Platz. Am Steuer
saß derselbe Chauffeur Laube, der uns bei meinem Besuch an der
Westfront von Bapaume nach Metz begleitet hatte. Die Straße —
wie meist in Asien eine Menge parallel laufender Fußwege — war so
glatt, daß man bequem 40 Kilometer in der Stunde fahren konnte.
Schwierigkeiten machten nur hin und wieder einige höchstens 10
Meter tiefe Wadis durch die Steilheit ihrer Abhänge. Die Landschaft
war ziemlich die gleiche wie am Tage vorher. Nur war die Steppe
dichter mit einem Rasen bedeckt, den die Heuschrecken
verschmähen; diese fanden sich daher nur bei Tierkadavern. Um so
häufiger waren die Steppenhühner, die dicht vor unserm
heransausenden Auto in Wolken aufstiegen, mit ihren kurzen
pfeifenden Flügelschlägen uns umschwirrten und sich bald wieder
niederfallen ließen. Wenn wir anhielten, hörten wir das Gackern der
Hennen, die um ihre Küchlein bangten. Mit sicherer Hand erlegte der
Herzog neunzehn Hühner, die eine willkommene Abwechslung
unserer Speisenkarte waren, uns aber auch in den Verdacht der
Straßenräuberei brachten. Denn eben als der Herzog schoß, kam
eine unbeladene Kamelkarawane des Weges; sogleich begannen
auch deren Leute zu schießen, um uns zu zeigen, daß sie nicht
unbewaffnet seien. Als sie dann sahen, daß wir friedliche Europäer
waren, kamen sie herangeritten und grüßten „Marhabba“. Auch
graue Antilopen mit weißem Bug zeigten sich in kleinen Herden;
aber ihnen war nicht beizukommen; ehe man sich zum Schuß fertig
machen konnte, waren sie verschwunden.

Begegnung mit einer großen Kamelkarawane.

 Phot.: Schölvinck.
Beduinen am Tigris.

In zweieinhalb Stunden erreichten wir den Ort Charnine am Fuße

einiger Hügel. Hier machten wir für heute halt, um unsere Begleitung
zu erwarten. Der neuen Karawanserei auf einer steilen Anhöhe, wo
gerade eine mit Getreide beladene Rinderkarawane einzog und ein
„Seraiban“, ein Aufseher, mit vier Wachtposten sich einquartiert
hatte, statteten wir nur einen Besuch ab. Für unsere Tagesruhe
wählten wir den alten Han, eine malerische Ruine mit bedenklich
brüchigen Gewölben und Mauern. In seinem Außenschatten ließen
wir uns nieder, brieten die heutige Jagdbeute und vertrieben uns die
Zeit mit Unterhaltung, Lektüre, Rauchen und Streifereien in die
Umgebung. Im Laufe des Nachmittags kam Professor Reich in
seinem aus Bagdad stammenden, gelb angestrichenen Deckwagen,
der wie eine Postkutsche aus der Zeit Napoleons aussah, umsomehr
als an seiner Rückseite ein großes N prangte. Einige Stunden später
fanden sich auch Schölvinck und Busse ein und dann die ganze
Kolonne. Auf dem hohen Ufer eines 10 Meter breiten und 3 Meter
tiefen abgeschnürten Tigrisarmes, der von allen Seiten durch frisch
sprudelnde Quellen gespeist wurde und reich an Fischen,
Schildkröten und Fröschen war, fuhren die Wagen zu einem
reizenden Lager auf. Ringsum wimmelte es von Steppenhühnern.
Als wir uns nach einem erfrischenden Bad beim flackernden Feuer
versammelten, umsummten Myriaden Insekten die Lichter auf
unsern Tischen. Auch eine große häßliche Tarantel kletterte auf
einen unserer Zeltstühle und mußte ihre Kühnheit mit dem Tode
büßen. Die Mannschaft tötete noch vier dieser giftigen
Riesenspinnen. Im übrigen dokterten wir lange an einem Pferd und
einem Maulesel herum, mit denen es nach den Anstrengungen des
Tages zu Ende ging.

Araber vom Albu Segar-Stamm.

Am andern Morgen zogen wir in nordwestlicher Richtung weiter,
der Herzog und Busse zu Pferde, Schölvinck und ich im Auto.
Rechts erhob sich die Bergkette des Dschebel Makhul, links dehnte
sich die lautlose, jetzt fast völlig einsame Steppe. Da erschien am
Nordrand des Horizonts eine Reihe schwarzer Punkte, etwa
dreihundert Kamele, die unbelastet südwärts wanderten. Während in
Zentralasien die Karawanen in langen Reihen hintereinander
marschieren, läßt man sie in Mesopotamien gewöhnlich neben der
Straße in breiter Herde über die Steppe gehen, damit sie nicht
andere Karawanen behindern. Wir hielten und machten einige
photographische Aufnahmen von den ruhig und würdig
vorbeischreitenden Tieren, die unser Auto ganz ohne Scheu mit
offenbarem Interesse betrachteten. Die Besitzer der Karawane,
wohlhabende Kaufleute, kamen auf grauen Stuten hinterher geritten.
Als wir eine kurze Strecke weiter gefahren waren, wurde eine
unzählige Masse solcher schwarzen Punkte vor uns sichtbar. Bald
hatten wir sie eingeholt. Diesmal war es ein ganzer Araberstamm
namens Albu Segar, der in der Umgebung von Mosul neue
Weideplätze aufsuchte. Ein graubärtiger Alter berichtete uns, das
heutige Ziel sei ein niedriger Hügel rechts der Straße, und da wir den
Unsern weit voraus waren, schlossen wir uns den Nomaden an, um
eine Lagerung großen Stils mitzumachen.

Phot.: Schölvinck.
Das alte und das neue Transportmittel: Kamel und Automobil.
Hier wie in Tibet bestimmen Weide, Wasser und Jahreszeiten die
Wanderungen der Nomaden. Jetzt trieb die große Hitze die Albu
Segar-Araber nordwärts; im Herbst wanderten sie wieder den Tigris
hinunter. Wo sich ergiebige Weide fand, machten sie einen oder
mehrere Tage Rast oder unternahmen wohl auch einen Abstecher
westlich in die Steppe hinein.
Ein prächtiges Bild, wie die Herrscher der Wüste durch ihr
angestammtes Reich zogen, das sie nur mit wilden Tieren teilten und
in dem sie jede Quelle und jeden Weideplatz seit den Tagen ihrer
Urväter kannten. Kamele, Pferde und Esel trugen ihre bewegliche
Habe, Männer und Knaben, teils beritten, trieben die Lasttiere an.
Auf hohen gelben oder weißen Dromedaren ritten die vornehmen
Frauen; sie saßen tiefverschleiert in einer Art Vogelbauer, das durch
Vorhänge geschlossen werden konnte, jetzt aber geöffnet war;
einige hatten ihre kleinen Kinder bei sich. Andere Frauen ritten nach
Männerart auf Pferden. Die armen Leute mußten zu Fuß gehen.
Gewaltige Schafherden überschwemmten in mehreren Abteilungen
die Steppe.
Bald war der Vortrupp an einer salzhaltigen Quelle angelangt.
Nun wurden schwarzbraune Zeltbahnen auf dem Boden
ausgebreitet, Stangen darunter aufgerichtet, die Zeltbahnen durch
Seile gespannt und diese an Pflöcken befestigt. Wände aus
Schilfmatten trennten die Räume für Frauen und Küche ab. Die
Räume der Männer wurden schnell mit Teppichen und abgenutzten
Kissen ausgestattet.
 Araber vom Albu Segar-Stamm.
Wir hatten für uns und das Automobil um Unterschlupf während
der heißen Tagesstunden gebeten. Der Wagen verschwand unter
dem äußersten rechten Flügel eines großen Zeltes, und wir
verbrachten hier den ganzen Tag. Wir beobachteten die Araber, und
sie nicht minder neugierig uns. Europäer und Autos waren ihnen
nichts Neues, aber beide zusammen in einem Zelt als Gäste hatten
sie noch nicht erlebt. Erst waren sie scheu und zurückhaltend,
allmählich aber brach das Eis. Einige besonders schöne Gestalten
mit blitzenden Augen, aristokratisch geschwungenen Nasen und
schwarzen Bärten in der kleidsamen Tracht ihrer weißen Tücher
(Keffije), deren Zipfel über Schultern und Rücken herabhingen und
auf dem Scheitel durch zwei dicke, runde Ringe aus schwarzer oder
brauner Ziegenwolle (Aggal) festgehalten wurden, versetzten
sogleich meinen Zeichenstift in Unruhe. Es war aber schwer, sie zum
Modellstehen zu bewegen, und erst als ich unsern Gendarm vor
ihren Augen porträtiert hatte, ohne daß dieser dabei einen Schaden
erlitt, und jedem einen halben Medschidije versprach, ließen sie sich
dazu herbei. Bald lockte der Klang des Silbers auch Leute aus den
Nachbarzelten heran, und alle Furcht vor den moralischen Folgen
der Prozedur schien gewichen. Die großen, starken Menschen
waren wie die Kinder und schämten sich weder ihres Geizes noch
ihres Mangels an Mut. Eine der Frauen zu zeichnen, war dagegen
unmöglich. Nicht als ob diese sich geweigert hätten, aber die
Männer duldeten das nicht. Der Häuptling des Zeltes erklärte mir,
auch für unser ganzes Gold und Silder werde keine Frau des
Stammes der Schande des Porträtiertwerdens preisgegeben.

Der hungrige Araberjunge.

 Als Dank für die Gastfreundschaft, die die Araber uns gewährten,
kauften wir für 7 Medschidije zwei Schafe und ein Lamm und luden
die ganze Gesellschaft in ihrem eigenen Zelt zu Gaste. Die Schafe
wurden geschlachtet, abgezogen, in der Küche in zwei großen
Töpfen gekocht und auf großen Metallplatten das Fleischgericht
hereingebracht. In zwei dichten Gruppen knieten die Männer zum
Mahle nieder und schlangen mit heißer Gier herunter, was sie
erwischen konnten; die abgenagten Knochen zerschlugen sie auf
dem Rücken ihrer Messer, um auch das Mark zu genießen. Für uns
wurde eine besondere Portion nicht sonderlich schmackhaft in Fett
gebräunt. In einiger Entfernung sah ein bleicher magerer Junge mit
fieberhafter Aufmerksamkeit der Fütterung zu. Er sei krank,
behaupteten die Männer, und dürfe nicht essen; ich reichte ihm ein
großes Stück, seine Augen glänzten, seine Zähne blitzten, und in
wenigen Augenblicken war seine Beute verschwunden. Seine
Krankheit war wohl nur Hunger gewesen. Aus andern Zelten stellten
sich noch mehrere Gäste ein, jeder erhielt seinen Anteil, und es blieb
sogar noch Fleisch übrig, das zu späterer Verwendung wieder in die
Küche geschafft wurde. Sehr befriedigt erhoben sich unsere
arabischen Freunde von diesem ungewöhnlichen Festschmaus.
Unser Silber hatten sie in der Tasche, das Fleisch der ihnen
abgekauften Schafe selbst aufgegessen, und die Felle bekamen sie
noch dazu geschenkt — ein feines Geschäft! Dafür bewirteten sie
uns mit Airan, saurer Milch, und dünnem Gerstenbrot, das auf einem
Kasserollendeckel gebacken war. Den Schluß machte Kaffee, der
bitter war wie Chinin.
 Einer unserer Gäste im Araberzelt.
Merkwürdigerweise war die Hitze im Zelt gar nicht drückend. Es
wehte schwacher Nordwind, aber er kam doch direkt aus der in der
Sonne glühenden Steppe, und die Zeltbahnen waren mit so weiten
Stichen zusammengenäht, daß die Sonne auf dem Boden allerhand
Lichtstreifen zog. Auch mußte die dunkelbraune oder eher schwarze
Farbe die Wärme anziehen. Und doch ist in diesen heißen
Gegenden kein Schatten wohltuender als der im Zelt der Araber. In
den Löchern der Hans oder den unterirdischen Särdab ist der
Schatten dichter und die Zahl der Wärmegrade etwas niedriger, aber
die eingeschlossene, unbewegte Luft sehr drückend. Die schwarzen
Zelte dagegen sind nach allen Seiten hin offen, die Luft kann
beständig wechseln, kein frischer Hauch geht verloren, und Licht
und freie Aussicht nach allen Seiten geben dazu ein Gefühl der
Freiheit, das man in geschlossenen Räumen sehr entbehrt.
Als der Abend dämmerte, meldeten uns die Araber, daß Wagen
und Reiter auf der Steppe in Sicht seien. Es waren unsere Leute.
Wir verabschiedeten uns also von unseren arabischen Wirten oder
vielmehr Gästen, stießen wieder zu unserer Karawane und begaben
uns zur Quelle Bilalidsch, wo diesmal unser Nachtlager sein sollte.

Phot.: Schölvinck.
Ein Rad ist los.
Die Karawane hatte einen neuen Unfall erlebt: einer unserer
Perser war, jedenfalls im Schlaf, von einem Wagen gestürzt und
überfahren worden. Jetzt lag er in einer Droschke, und ein Kamerad
pflegte ihn. Gebrochen hatte er nichts, wie sich bei näherer
Untersuchung zeigte, aber das Erlebnis hatte ihn doch mächtig
angegriffen.
Nach kurzer Nachtruhe waren wir früh um 4 Uhr wieder auf den
Beinen. Heute mußten der Herzog, Schölvinck, Busse und ich zu
vieren mit dem Auto vorlieb nehmen, da der Weg nach Assur für die
Gepäckwagen sehr beschwerlich war, und alle Pferde gebraucht
wurden. Er führte über die an sich unbedeutenden Hügel, die den
Dschebel Hamrin mit dem Dschebel Makhul verbinden; aber sie sind
von Wasser und Wind zu verfitzten Labyrinthen verarbeitet. Bald
boten tiefe Rinnen mit steilen Rändern lästige Hindernisse, bald war
die Straße so schmal, daß das Auto kaum vorwärts kam, bald lag sie
voller Blöcke oder war durch Erdrücken gesperrt. Unser tapferes
Auto überwand aber alle Schwierigkeiten und konnte schließlich
über ebenerem Gelände in beschleunigter Fahrt dem Tigrisstrom
und der alten Königstadt Assur zueilen.
Unsere Reisegenossen aber kamen nicht so glücklich durch. Als
wir nach Besichtigung der Ruinen von Assur ausruhten, langte des
Herzogs Ordonnanz Gustav mit der Nachricht an, ein Jaile sei auf
dem schwierigen Wege umgestürzt und zerbrochen und habe dem
Kutscher, einem alten Manne aus Bagdad, den Oberschenkel
zerschmettert. Sofort schickten wir das Auto, um den Verunglückten
zu holen. Konsul Schünemann und Wachtmeister Schmitt hatten ihn
so gut wie möglich geschient, und wir ließen ihm alle Pflege
angedeihen. Der Alte weinte über sein Mißgeschick, war aber mit
einigen Zigaretten schnell getröstet. Als dann am Abend unter
Gepolter und Hallo die übrige Kolonne mit ihren schwitzenden
Gäulen und schwer bepackten Wagen, die auch noch die Last des
verunglückten Jaile hatten übernehmen müssen, angekommen war,
übergaben wir unsere beiden Patienten dem Bahnhofsvorsteher und
ließen einen von der Mannschaft bei ihnen, um sie nach einigen
Ruhetagen auf einem Kelek nach Bagdad zu bringen.
Diese kleinen Mißgeschicke waren aber nur ein Vorspiel dessen,
was auf dem Wege von Assur nach Mosul unser wartete.
 Phot.: Schölvinck.
Assur.

Zwanzigstes Kapitel.
Die Königsstadt Assur.

I n Assur ging es uns nicht so gut wie in Babylon, wo uns der beste
aller Führer zur Seite war. Hier mußten wir uns damit begnügen,
aufs Geratewohl über Schutthügel und Fundamente von
Palastmauern zu wandern, in der glühenden Sonnenhitze die tiefen
Suchgräben und Schächte zu durchklettern, die das Ruinenfeld
rechtwinklig durchqueren, und hier und da im Schatten einer
Marmorplatte oder eines unterirdischen Gewölbes auszuruhen. Wir
fanden auch den großen, zerschlagenen Steinsarkophag, den die
deutschen Archäologen mit unendlicher Geduld wieder
zusammengefügt haben. Die Ausgrabungen begannen mit Erlaubnis
der türkischen Regierung und unter Leitung der Deutschen Orient-
Gesellschaft im September 1903 und wurden bis zum Ausbruch des
Weltkriegs fortgesetzt. Ihre Ergebnisse gliedern sich in fünf Gruppen:
A) Baudenkmäler aus assyrischer Zeit; B) Einzelfunde aus
assyrischer Zeit; C) Denkmäler aus parthischer Zeit; D)
Verschiedenes; E) Die Inschriften von Assur. Bisher sind vier
Foliobände der Gruppe A erschienen; daraus kann man sich eine
Vorstellung von dem Umfang eines Werkes machen, das nur die
Schilderung einer einzigen Stadt enthält. Aber diese Schilderung
muß in Zukunft die Ruinen ersetzen, denn diese sind, wie mir
Professor Andrae schon in Bagdad sagte, durch die Ausgrabungen
zerstört worden. Ohne letztere hätte jedoch die wissenschaftliche
Forschung niemals die Stadt erobern können, die dem assyrischen
Reich seinen Namen gegeben hat.
Nach meiner Heimkehr versuchte ich, in die Folianten von
Professor Andraes grundlegendem Werk „Der Anu-Adad-Tempel in
Assur“ (Leipzig, 1909) einzudringen. Assyrische Tempelbauten
waren vordem wenig bekannt, und man ersehnte seit langem die
Gelegenheit, über die sargonischen, also jungassyrischen Tempel in
Chorsabad (etwa 720 v. Chr.) hinaus ältere Denkmäler dieser Art zu
erforschen, um Material zum Vergleich mit den besser bekannten
babylonischen und den umstrittenen salomonischen Tempelbauten
zu gewinnen. Der Anu-Adad-Tempel am Nordtor der Stadt Assur
zwischen dem Palast Assurnasirpals im Osten und dem „neuen
Palast“ Tukulti-Ninibs im Westen erfüllte diesen Wunsch.
Anu und Adad sind zwei Götter, Anu der Himmelsgott und
Gottvater, Adad „sein tapferer Sohn“, der Gott des Blitzes und des
Wetters. Die Ruinen ihres Tempels zeigen zwei typisch assyrische
Heiligtümer; das ältere wurde Ende des 12. Jahrhunderts von
Assurrisisi begonnen und von Tiglat-Pileser I. vollendet; das jüngere
baute Salmanassar auf den geschleiften Mauern des alten in der
zweiten Hälfte des 9. Jahrhunderts.
 Beide Tempel bezeichnen zwei verschiedene Bauperioden, die in
Einzelheiten sehr voneinander abwichen, im Hauptplan aber
miteinander übereinstimmten: die eigentlichen Tempelräume lagen
jedesmal zwischen zwei mächtigen Türmen (Zikkuraten)
nebeneinander, ihre Tore gingen nach Südosten, und davor war ein
Hof, den allerhand Seitengebäude umgaben.
Von dem älteren Tempel ist nur der Unterbau erhalten, bis zu fünf
Meter hohe, dicke Mauerteile aus steinharten Ziegeln von gelbem
Lehm. Sie stehen auf felsigem Grund, der durch Erdfüllung geebnet
worden ist. Die Reste genügen, um den Grundriß mit größter
Sicherheit zu bestimmen. Rätselhaft ist nur der Überbau mit den
Toren und Türen. Auch Inschriften des Erbauers fand man an Ort
und Stelle; eine von ihnen lautet: „Assurrisisi, Priester des Gottes
Assur, Sohn des Mutakkilnusku, des Priesters des Gottes von Assur,
des Sohnes von Assurdan, dem Priester des Gottes Assur, Erbauer
des Tempels Adads und des Gottes Anu“.
Der Hof ist 50,5 Meter breit und 28 Meter tief. Seine Mitte nahm
ein Brunnen ein. Die geringfügigen Reste der umliegenden Gebäude
mit ihren Zimmern und Gängen geben viele Rätsel auf. Wer Assurs
jetzige Schuttlabyrinthe gesehen hat, muß aufs Höchste den
Scharfsinn bewundern, der diese Tempel und Mauern rekonstruiert
und sogar Detailzeichnungen von ihnen entworfen hat.
Der Grundriß der beiden Türme ist quadratisch, ihre Seitenlänge
36 Meter. Aber wie sahen sie selbst aus? Konnte man sie besteigen
und wie? Ein Vorbild aus assyrischer Zeit bietet der Tempelturm von
Chorsabad, um den sich eine einfache Rampe zur Spitze
emporwindet. Wahrscheinlich waren auch die beiden Türme des
Anu-Adad-Tempels massiv wie alle bekannten Zikkurate. Andrae
vermutet, daß ihre Höhe etwa 50 Meter betrug, und daß ein fünf
Meter breiter, langsam ansteigender Weg vom Hof aus hinaufführte.
Baudokumente auf Ziegeln und Terrakottaprismen nennen Tiglat-
Pileser I. als Vollender dieses Tempelbaues. Die im Jahre 1852 von
Rassam und Layard gefundenen, heute im Britischen Museum
befindlichen berühmten Prismen, deren achthundert Textzeilen die
Regierungstaten Tiglat-Pilesers verewigen, verschweigen, daß sein