The final races were very exciting. Toby's race was the most exciting one. He was running in second place, when the third place rider tried to knock him out of the race. Toby did some fast maneuvering, and managed to get away from him and still pass for the lead. He was able to hold the lead and win the race. The Judges black flagged the other rider, who admitted he was told to do it by the kid who Toby passed and who had come in second.
Sasha's final race really couldn't be called a race. He just made it look too easy. He came off the line way out front, and stayed there the whole race. No one was even close to him at the finish line.
Kyle, had a little more trouble than the other two. He was running in first for a good part of the race, but then started to fall back. He was able to hold onto the second place spot, but just barely. We were to find out after the race that one of the pistons in his bike had seized up, so he was running on only one. We were all amazed with what he could do with this beat up old bike, we couldn't wait to see what he would do with a new one.
After loading all the bikes back into the trailer, and Kyle's back into his mom's truck; the whole group headed back to the farm. David called ahead to let Sherry know they were all on their way, and that the kids were definitely hungry. They had agreed to grill hamburgers and hotdogs, and Sherry told David that her dad and Uncle Matt were already manning the grills. The two extra guests would be no problem, seeing how many were going to be there anyway.
On the way to the farm, Sasha was a little quiet. He was a little sad that his new mom wasn't going to be there to help celebrate his win today. But, he figured she would let him know when he got home that she was proud of him. Mikael had made a point not to mention anything about Cindy or the girls to Sasha all day. There was to be an extra surprise at dinner tonight.
In David's explorer, the boys talked nonstop about what they all had seen that day, as if the adults hadn't been there at all. Steven and Eric were laughing at David's surprised reaction. They were used to boys doing this, he wasn't. David had been telling the boys over and over that he had in fact been there too, then figured out what his brothers were doing, and finally just let the boys go. When they got to the farm, David did remind all the boys that they needed to go wash up, but Eli cut him off.
"Before I do that Dad, I need to go take care of my fish. It is time for the evening feeding."
"Okay, but you might want to check with your Grandpas and Uncle Max, they might have already done it for you." David told him.
"I will, but I told them to leave it for me, I need to do the water checks and all that, and that is still something that I want to do myself. It won't take me that long." Eli said before running towards the back of the house.
David just had to shake his head and laugh. There was not another 11 year old kid like Eli! As David walked up to the house, he smiled when he saw Sherry sitting on the back deck with Karen and Kelly. He was also very happy to see that Judge Tucker had made it out. He did not see Cindy though.
David bent over and gave Sherry a kiss on the cheek. "Hello, Sweetheart. Is everything going alright?"
"Yep, Uncle Max took the girls and Cindy down to the pond, they wanted to see the fogies." Sherry giggled. "They should be back up as soon as Eli is done in the fish house that is if you have him call his uncle."
"Got it. I am going to go get cleaned up a bit. Then I will help where ever you need me. Russell, thank you so much for doing this for us. I can't tell you how happy you will make one little boy!"
"No problem at all David! This is one of the happier parts of my day job. And, I am bacheloring it for the weekend, so I get a free meal as well. I would call that a twofer!"
At the Judges statement, all the adults started laughing. It was about that time that the boys started to show up, all of them staring at the two grills like hungry lions ready to pounce.
David sent Eli a message through their mental link, asking him to let his Grandpa Max know that dinner would be ready as soon as Eli finished in the fish house. It wasn't long before everyone was waiting on Grandpa Max, and his group to arrive.
Mikael and David tried very hard to make sure that Sasha's back would be turned towards the path to the pond. They really wanted to make this evening a total surprise for the boy, but they forgot the excitement of a 6 and a 4 year old!
"SASHA!!! DADDY!!" Yelled 6 year old Emily as soon as she saw her brother then her dad.
"DADDY!!! SASHA!!! Little Mary-Beth did the same just in the reverse order.
"MOM!" Sasha yelled as he turned to see who was yelling his name. "Wow, Emily, Mary-Beth, and Mom, you guys made it! I didn't think you were going to be coming out tonight!"
"Неужели вы думаете, что я бы пропустил празднование первой большой победы моего сына? Приходите теперь мой ребенок, вы должны лучше, чем это знаете меня! " Translation Translation ("\"Did you really think I would miss the celebration of my son's first big win? Come now my child, you should know me better than that!\"")
"Но мы даже не знали, что мы собирались питаться здесь сегодня вечером, пока мистер Хант не пригласил нас, так как вы узнали?" Translation Translation ("\"But, we didn't even know we were going to be eating here tonight until Mr. Hunt invited us to, so how did you know?\") Sasha replied to his mother in fast Russian.")
"Hey you two, there are others here who do not speak Russian, so please speak English. You can speak all the Russian you would like when we get home." Mikael said interrupting the Mother and Son combo.
"Oh, I am so sorry! I do forget that not everyone here speaks both languages. Where I grew up, everyone spoke both English and Russian, so it is very easy for me to switch between the two of them. And, with Sasha now, I want to keep him up on both languages as well; it would be good for him to be able to speak both. I don't want him to lose his heritage." Cindy explained quickly.
"That is not a problem. I agree with you that Sasha should not lose that part of him. I also love the sound of that language; it is so smooth sounding to listen to when you speak it. I think learning Russian would be a pretty cool thing." Eli told the group. "After all, you never know when you would need to speak to someone from another country!" Eli said with a smile at his dad.
"Well, in that case I am doing really good then!" Sasha said while pulling his youngest sister onto his lap. "I also speak Greek, Spanish, and a little French. I want to learn Arabic next!
"Hold on! You mean to tell me that you are 10 years old and you speak five languages already?" Judge Tucker asked the boy.
"Yes Sir, see it was a matter of survival, and I found out that I can pick up and learn a new language pretty easy. There were people from all over the place in the circus, and if you didn't understand what they were telling you to do, you would get hit or kicked. So, I found it much easier to learn what they were telling me to do by understanding the language. Most of the carnies didn't have a problem helping me learn their language, and the Ring Master, he like it, because I could talk to almost everyone that way."
"Wow, you are an amazing boy Sasha! I think that gift of yours will take you a long way in life." Nevin said.
"What gift are you talking about Sheriff? I don't have a gift." Sasha asked.
"Well, now I would think that what the good Sheriff is talking about, is the gift of linguistics. This is one of those gifts that does not matter if you are a Wizard or not. Some people are born with the ability to quickly master other languages, and it sounds to me that you are one of those people. There are very few people who have this ability who do not go far in life." Grandpa Max said from his seat.
"Darn, I was hoping you were saying that I was getting my Gifts early like Eli did."
"And just how young man did you know that Eli got his Gift's early?" Asked Judge Tucker.
"Well, when we all went swimming at the pond." The boy blushed.
"Oh I see." He laughed. "Eli is still a bit older than you are, so do not rush to grow up too fast, Sasha, enjoy this time you have while you have it. All too soon you will have many other things to worry about and you can't be as carefree as you are now. That is something to treasure." The Judge told the boy.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, and monsters, dinner is served." Gerald said as he walked out the back door.
"Hey, don't be calling Prince and Bentley monsters!" Eli protested to his grandpa.
"I wasn't, I was calling you kids monsters. I have seen the way you eat, and that my grandson is monstrous." Gerald told his grandson with a straight face. All the adults laughed while all the kids started growling and making monster faces.
After everyone got their food and was settled at the big picnic tables, they started to eat. Judge Tucker had made sure that he was sitting with the kids, right across the table from Eli and Sasha. This was not an accident, and he had some help from some of the other kids to make sure that it happened.
"So, tell me Sasha, how do you like your new home and school?" Tucker asked.
"It is so great! I am making all kinds of friends at school, I was a little worried I would be picked on because I am the youngest kid there, but they are all nice. And it is so awesome to now have a home, did you know I got my own room and bathroom now!" Sasha said barely taking a breath.
"No I did not know that, I will have to speak to your parents about spoiling you." Russell laughed. "I am so glad things are working out for you. How about your little sisters, are they a pain in the butt?"
"No, not at all. I love them so much; I would be lost without them. Mb gets so excited when I get home from school; it is funny to watch her jumping around. I love when I get to help Em with her school work."
"I take it Mb is your nickname for Mary-Beth?"
"Oh, sorry, yes Sir, and Em is short for Emily." Sasha said glancing over to where the young girls were sitting with Cassie and Melinda.
"That is just wonderful. How about you Eli, how are you fitting in at school?"
"School is great; I made some really great friends and have really settled in. It is a little weird trying to remember to call Dad Mr. Hunt and not Dad while we are at school, but he doesn't get mad at me if I forget." Eli said before taking another big bite of burger.
"That is great Eli; I remember hearing you had some problems with bullying at your last school, I am very glad to hear that is not happening here. How about you Toby, how is your life going now you are with the Martins?"
"Better than I dreamed it would ever be!" Toby said while still munching on his chips.
"Great, you guys make my job so much easier. I am very glad you are all doing so well in your new environments and that you have all become such good friends. Toby let me ask you, what do you want to see happen to you in the future?"
Toby thought about it for a few seconds, "Sir, what I really want is for Dr. Martin to be able to adopt me and for me to become Toby Martin for real. My old dad, he didn't love me, but I know that Dr. Martin does, and Ryan does as well." Toby said with a small tear in his eye.
"I do not think that is out of the question. But, let me look into it! How about you Sasha, what do you want to see happen to you?"
"I want Mamma and Poppa to adopt me and for me to be known as Sasha Welsh. I want to know that I am safe from being moved again. Right now, they have only temporary custody of me, so if CPS decides to, then I get moved. I love my parents and my little sisters a whole lot and I don't think I could take getting taken away from them." Sasha told the Judge with his head held high.
"Sasha, do you think that having a Mom who is not a Wizard might be a hindrance?"
"No, why should that matter? It's not like when I do get Gifts she would be my trainer anyway. I mean, I have never heard of a Wizard being trained by their own Mothers. I know there are women on the Council's Training roster, but they do not train their own kids. Dad's do, but not moms."
"Well, you are right about that. Toby, do you think it is a hindrance that you do not have a mother in your life?" The Judge asked.
"I didn't before, so why should it matter now. I mean, really if I need a mother's advice I can go to Mrs. Mills, Mrs. Mears, or Mrs. Hunt, well that will be her name soon. I don't think that a family has to be Mom, Dad and kids, it just has to have lots of love."
"Wow, very nicely stated Toby. Thank you for letting me eat with you and talk with each of you." The Judge said as he started getting up.
"Hold up Your Honor, I have some questions for you." Eli started.
"Okay, Eli go ahead and if I can't answer something then I will tell you that." He said sitting back down.
"Fair enough. Why are Mom's not allowed to train their own kids?"
"Well, honestly it comes down to two things, protection and safety. See, a mother's natural instinct is to protect their children and see to their safety. A Trainer for the Council of Wizards sometimes has to use tactics that put the student in some dangerous positions. A Mother would have trouble doing this to their own child, and then there is the other way around as well, if a mother tries to protect their own child by saying they did what was needed but didn't because they wouldn't put their child in a dangerous position, then that in its self is a danger."
"Oh, I get it now, like when Mom doesn't want to watch what Dad and I are doing?" Eli said with a smile.
"More than likely, yes. Any other questions?"
"Yes, but I will have to leave them for later, I don't have permission now to ask them." Eli said as he got up and walked away.
His last statement really confused the Monco, but he figured it would all come out at some point. The plan had been for him to make Sasha's adoption final, now he wanted to do two. He knew that the papers were already filled out, they just needed to be filed, and that could wait until Monday. With a quick call to Cindy Mayfield, the Judge knew that everything was in place to make it happen sooner than later.
Once everyone was finished eating, and with the help of the other kids, Eli had collected everyone's paper plates. Judge Tucker asked for everyone's attention.
"First off, I would like to thank you all for your time. The next item is thank you to the extended Hunt-Kerry family for having us all out here and preparing such a wonderful meal." Everyone started clapping looking towards Sherry and George. "I had the pleasure of sitting with some of the younger people here today while enjoying my meal. I cannot call any of them Kids, they might still be Kids in age, but these are all very mature young people who I know are going to do great things in the future. At this time I would like for Sasha to come up and join me, Sasha?" Everyone waited until the young boy got up and nervously stood by the older Judge. "I have spoken to Sasha, and he has expressed his desire to become a full member of the Welch family. He wants to know that he will get to see his little sisters grow up, and it is my pleasure and honor to make that happen. As of this day forward, Sasha will now and forever be known as, Mr. Sasha Kohler Welch, son of Mikael and Cindy Welch, big brother to Emily and Mary-Beth Welch!" Everyone started yelling and screaming for Sasha and the whole Welch family. There were lots and lots of happy tears, however, there were also one set of sad tears that the Judge noticed.
"Can I please have your attention again?" Judge Tucker called out and waited for everyone to calm down. "Thank you! Now, as happy as this is for the new Welch family, we have some more business to take care of. Dr. Martin, you have expressed a desire to raise Toby as your own child, has that changed in any way?"
"No Sir, that is still my wish! I love Toby as much if not more than I do Ryan!" Ron Martin said causing a lot of chuckling and one slightly offended Ryan to yell, "HEY!"
"Well, I can find no reason to wait until we are in a court room to make this official. As of this day, Tobias will be known as Tobias Allen Martin, son of Dr. Ronald Martin and brother to Ryan Martin." Everyone there was cheering again, all the while the new Martin family was in a tight group hug.
The judge glanced over to Eli, and caught his eye. He was really shocked when he heard Eli in his own mind. 'Yes Sir, I think now is the perfect time for me to be adopted by my dad as well. This would be something special for Sasha, Toby and me to share for life.' Before the Monco could respond Eli added, 'Please do not ask how this is possible at this time, all will be reveled tomorrow.' Judge Tucker just nodded at Eli not trusting his own voice at that moment.
After the Martin's broke their group hug, Judge Tucker did the next surprise.
"Now, while we all knew that this was coming, it was not supposed to happen until tomorrow. David Hunt, do you still wish to adopt Elijah?"
"Without a doubt!" David responded.
"Then with no further a due, Elijah Everett Kerry will now and forever be known as…" the Judge was interrupted by Max Hunt, who whispered in his ear. With a big grin, the Judge continued, "as I was saying, from this day forward Elijah Everett Kerry will now be known as Elijah Everett Kerry Hunt, King of all Wizards!"
Everyone but Grandpa Max was shocked by that last little statement. Grandpa Max just smiled at his Great Nephew while he hugged his new son. Everyone was cheering the three newly adopted boys on when David stepped over to his Uncle.
"Mind telling me why you decided to have Eli announced like that?"
"Are you mad at me?" When David assured his uncle he was not upset just confused, Max continued. "Well, from the look on his face, your new son had just blown his mind into complete melt down. I figured that if Eli hadn't already let him know there were going to be problems because your son spoke with the Judge, using his Telepathy Gift. I knew there were going to be questions from the Monco, so I figured just get it over with, after all, most of the Wizard World is going to know that King Elijah Everett Kerry Hunt has taken his rightful place within a few days."
"Well, that sure was a surprise for both Sherry and myself." David told the older man.
"That was the idea my Khil! That was my idea." The older man said while they watched the kids race towards the fish building, both of them knowing that the Eli roller coaster was going to be open for business.
All of the adults sat around and chatted. David explained to Judge Tucker why he had held back on telling him that Eli was the Dexas. Russell was more shocked to hear that someone on the Wizard Council was trying to kill the Dexas, or even had killed whole families in order to prevent the Dexas from even being born. He was having a very hard time with it, until David explained about the Dexas's bank accounts and what would happen if the Dexas wasn't found before the deadline expired.
"Well, that I can understand. Unfortunately I have seen many good people do very bad things because of money. David, you do not have to worry, I will support Eli with everything I have. I will also do everything I can to protect him. I am at his service.
While David was talking with Russ, Nevin and Melonie were talking with Natalie about the job offer and finding out what other help she might need. Nevin explained to her that many of the Deputies in the department were going to be doubling as part of the Dubuquas and that Parker Evans was the Copus Dubuquas. Natalie was very surprised that she had met the Dexas, and that knowing her families past they still wanted her and Kyle around. She was also a bit concerned that people from her husband's past might try to use her to get to King Eli.
"Sherriff, the more I think about this, the more I feel this is a bad idea. If my husband's friends find out that we are close to the Dexas, they might try to use us to get to him. I am worried that because of us, King Elijah might get hurt, or that Kyle might. I think it might be a good idea if I gather up Kyle and we leave, and maybe leave the area."
"Natalie, I can assure you that young Eli can protect himself from anything that they could do to him. Also, with him already wearing and bonded to the Wizard Heart, he can protect all those around him. I would be more worried about anyone else who tries to get to him." Melonie told her.
"Wait, what do you mean anyone else? Has there already been an attempt on his life?" a very shocked Natalie asked.
"Yes, there was an attempt, but it was to kidnap him not kill him. We had the potential kidnappers contained, but Eli got a bit upset and took care of them." Nevin said while trying to down play the whole school shooting scene.
"What do you mean, took care of them?"
"They had already killed the school secretary and Eli refused to allow them to hurt anyone else because they wanted him. He used his Gift of Levitation and basically threw them into the brick walls and glass head first, killing one on impact, the other died on the way to the hospital, but we do not know if the suicide pill or the impact killed him. We were able to capture the third would be attacker, and kept him from killing himself so we know who sent them for Eli. So as you can see, Eli can and will protect himself and those around him."
"Oh my gosh! Does he know that he killed the one attacker? That poor child!" Natalie said with tears in her eyes.
"Yes, David talked to him about it, and Eli knows that what happened was done in self-defense. He knew that if the attackers got out of the office many innocent people including a lot of kids could have been hurt or killed, he did what he had to do. It does bother him, but that is just a sign that he is a good person." Nevin explained.
"So you really think that Kyle and I would not cause King Elijah any problems with us being around?"
"What would cause me problems, Mrs. Poliski, is if people whom I feel that are my close friends avoided me because of where I was born into the Wizard World. I am going to need all the friends I can get to help me fix the problems of our world, there are going to be lots of different tasks that I will not be able to handle by myself, I need those I trust around me to help with that. I already consider you and Kyle part of that trusted circle."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will try not to let you down."
"Please call me Eli, Mrs. Poliski. I never want my friends to feel I am above them." Eli told his new friend's mom.
"Thank you Eli, but only if you call me Natalie."
"Nope, I am still a kid, and I can't call an adult by their first name. How about I call you, Aunt Natalie?"
"That would be awesome if you would call me Aunt Natalie! Ivan was the only extended family I had left, and he isn't a good person." She said starting to cry lightly.
"Well, now you have a large extended family! Not only with the department, but all of us are just like a big family! I hope you will join us!" Eli said giving her a hug.
"We all agree Aunt Natalie. We all like you and Kyle, and we want you, or you would never have been invited to come back to the farm with us." Ryan told her. All the other kids were agreeing with him.
Natalie, I think the kids have spoken, you are a part of this crazy family whether you want it or not. Now, I expect to see everyone out her tomorrow by 9:30 am at the latest. I know that we will be getting some extra guests, like members of the Council of Wizards, and I do not want anyone over tired and grouchy!" Sherry said looking right at David and Steven when she said that, causing everyone else to start laughing. "Natalie, that includes you and Kyle. The Wedding is scheduled for 11 am, but there will be lots to do, and I will be in my room the whole morning. Breakfast is at 7 am, be there, or go hungry!"
Everyone took that as the hint it was meant to be and started heading home after saying their goodbyes. Sherry headed up to her room for the night, she said she had some last minute things to take care of.
"Grandpa, are you cooking breakfast tomorrow?" Eli asked George.
"No, tomorrow your Aunt Kelly and Aunt Karen are going to take care of breakfast, so that I can make sure everyone is where they need to be. I expect all five of my grandkids to help where ever they are needed, that includes keeping the house clean. Can I count on you all?" George told the kids.
Natalie and Kyle came out early to the farm. Natalie wanted to show the faith everyone had put in her was not going to be wasted. She planned to help cook breakfast and lunch for everyone. Kyle had worn his normal clothes, but his mom had made sure his dress clothes were hung up ready for him to change into. When they arrived at the farm, Kelly and Karen were just getting started in the kitchen.
"Well, hello Natalie and Kyle. I wasn't expecting you all this early." Kelly said when she opened the back door to them.
"I wanted to come help with the cooking. I figured after breakfast you two would be busy helping Sherry, so I could stay here in the kitchen and keep the troops fed. It is the least I can do to help out."
"That is great, and very thoughtful of you. Melonie will be out sometime after breakfast, she will be helping with the lunch as well. I am sure that between the four of us we can keep the monsters all fed." Karen laughed.
"Is that going to be our new nicknames?" Cody asked rubbing his eyes as he walked into the kitchen.
"Looking like that, I would say, YES it is going to stick. Why don't you go get cleaned up a bit and get dressed, Son. Breakfast will be ready soon." Karen told her new son. The others had to giggle at his state. He had come into the kitchen in his boxers, which were tented.
After he had headed back upstairs, Karen started laughing. "I swear that boy has no shame. Lord help me if he ever starts sleeping naked. I would be surprised if he even knew his own name most mornings. That is a walking zombie!" All the ladies in the kitchen were laughing. Kyle did not understand what they were talking about one bit.
Once the food smells started getting stronger, more of the kids started to arrive. The girls were a bit hyped up, the boys were moving like the walking dead. The ladies cooking were doing a good job of keeping it together until the men arrived. Kelly and Karen had to sit down they were laughing so hard. David and Steven both looked like they had been hit with a steam roller. Eric looked a little better, but that was only because he had taken the time to shave before coming down.
"Alright! You all need to get something to eat, then get started getting your showers. You kids may dress in normal clothes for now, but please try to stay clean after your showers, you won't really have time after lunch to retake them. You men need to get yours done and get dressed. You will need to be greeting the guests as they arrive and showing them where to park. David, you need to be out of the house in by 10 am at the latest." Kelly told the group. She was really taking charge.
Once the kids were fed, they were herded up to get their showers. Cassie helped Melinda with her shower, she loved acting like a big sister to her little cousin. The boys did not double up, but they were quick, knowing that the others all needed to shower as well. The men were waiting for all the kids to be finished before getting theirs out of the way. This was one thing they did not take into consideration. By the time Steven and Eric got their turn in the shower, there was no hot water, so cold showers were taken.
After he had his shower and had dressed, Eli knocked on his mom's bedroom door. After being invited in, he rushed to his mom and hugged her.
"I am soooo excited! Today we truly become a family! I hope you are as happy as I am Mom!" He told his mom while still hugging her.
"Oh son, I have never been happier. I have you, and now David. I know that at first we were just saying we were going to get married as a cover, but I feel he truly does love both of us. I know he is a good man who will take good care of us and protect us. I am so happy you are happy, son, you mean the world to me!" She told her son while holding him. "Now, I need you to make sure you stay out of trouble today."
"Mom, I don't ever get in trouble!" Eli told his mom with a hint of hurt and anger.
"That is not the type of trouble I was meaning, Son. I want you to make sure you are with the others at all time today. There are going to be a lot of people that we really do not know that well around, and I am worried that someone is going to try something. I do not want you or the other kids to be harmed in any way."
"Do not worry, mom. I know that Parker is already here, as is a bunch of the Dubuquas. I know Chad said that he was coming out to help with guiding people where to park. He said that there were going to be the whole group of Explorers here to protect the property."
"Wait, what are the Explorers?" His mom asked him.
"Well, that's what we came up with seeing how we couldn't officially call them the Dubuquas yet. We said they were all part of the Explorers Group, and that would explain their training they were doing and why they all dress alike. I think it is a cool name, and we might keep it, or have a branch of the Dubuquas known as the Dubuquas Explorers, they would be like the elite of the Dubuquas. We are still thinking about it."
"Wow, son, I did not realize that you were putting so much into setting things up. When do you have the time to do all this? I know that you spend most of your free time in the fish house or with Noah." Sherry asked her son a little concerned he was pushing himself a bit hard.
"Well, it's really easy to be doing many different things at the same time now. If Noah and I are fishing or swimming, I can be talking with Parker at the same time using my Gifts. I am also using the past kings advice or more so talking things out with them. They are helping me a lot."
"Well, that is good then. I am just a bit worried that you are doing too much."
"I am being careful, Mom, and Dad is always making sure that I am not overdoing anything. He makes sure that Noah and I have time to have fun. It is a little weird when I am talking with Parker, it's like it is a different part of me, and it does not take any effort or interfere with whatever else I am doing."
Sherry hugged her son and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Now on your way out, do you think you could ask Aunt Karen and Aunt Kelly to bring me a cup of coffee?"
"They already know! Love you mom!" Eli said before running out the door.
The wedding was scheduled to begin at 2 pm. David and the other men had their tuxes out in the office of the Fish House. Even Eli's was out there. David, Steven, and Eric were sitting in the building talking about everything that has been going on. The kids were all hanging out in the living room playing video games, or board games. They were taking the 'try to stay clean' seriously.
By one o'clock, most of the guests that had been invited had already arrived, along with quite a few uninvited but expected guests. David was not really surprised that most but not all of the Council of Wizards had shown up for the event. Even though they had not been directly told when and where the wedding was going to take place, they found out and arrived. Councilman DuPree, Councilman Meeks, and Councilman Lincoln were three of the four Council members who were not there. David had already heard from the fourth member, Councilman Kataria, who could not get away from China for just the wedding. He had assured David he would be returning in a few weeks and would love to meet David's new family then.
David was a little surprised that Councilman Lincoln didn't come. He was one for always liking a public appearance and letting others know of his great heritage.
The other two Councilmen who did not show, they were expected not to. One was believed to be the one behind the killing of Eli's birth parents and the latest attempt to kidnap him. The investigation into those crimes was still ongoing, but they were not getting much new information. Nevin was getting very frustrated with it.
David was hoping that the Wizard Heart would give Eli the Gift of Forced Truth, so they could find out once and for all. So far, this had not happened.
At 1:30, all the men started getting into their tuxes. You could tell David was really starting to get nervous, which made Eli start to giggle.
"Eli, please tell me what you find so damn entertaining?" David asked his son.
"How nervous you are! Dad, you already did the hard part, you asked her! This is just for show, you got this!" Eli told his dad.
David took a deep breath and hugged his son. "You are so right! Thank you little buddy! I feel better now."
All the men went out to take their places. It was just a few minutes until the ladies appeared. First down the aisle was Melinda, she was acting as the flower girl, and she was adorable. Next was Karen, the Maid of Honor. Once Karen was in place, the music changed, and George appeared with Sherry. They made their way down to the front where David was waiting. Once they were there, George passed Sherry's hand over to David.
Before Judge Tucker even started to talk, they all heard a bunch of shouting coming from the main entrance to the farm. They then heard gun shots.