Gaia's Champion Ch. 04

Though his words had the sound of sincerity, Jason could tell that there was something that this man wasn't saying. He guessed that he was likely a member of that church that Amy's family was a part of. He put on his best neutral face and kept his wits about him, knowing that this man was likely to spot anything that wasn't consistent with the story Jay was going to feed him.

"Any idea what she looks like? I was up with a bunch of my friends camping but there was no one new there with us," Jason told him.

It was a half truth, as Jay did know Amy to a degree. The man pulled a smartphone out of his pants pocket and scrolled through before he found a picture of her. He showed Jason the picture. It was dated and Amy looked more the prim and proper church girl in the photo, wearing a white dress. He squinted at the photo, making it look like he was trying to remember her.

"Nope. Haven't seen her. Was up with a bunch of my buddies and their girlfriends, and this one dyke chick who was just a real pain in my ass!" he fibbed, feigning that his weekend was spoiled by this woman.

"Oh? Who, if I may ask?" Chad wondered.

"Her name's Elizabeth. Not sure if you'd know her," Jason said as he described Liz to a tee.

"Oh! That bitch!" Chad scoffed, realization dawning on his face.

"You had some bad run ins with her too?" Jason asked.

"Yeah! Several years ago..." Chad shared a brief story about how Liz was an absolute bitch to one of his friends who was trying to talk to another girl. The way Chad went on about the whole thing made it sound like Liz was an absolute and utter bitch. The story might have been true, the way that the man was telling it. Jay was certain that Chad was tilting and coloring the facts, to paint his friend in a more favorable light.

"Sounds exactly like something that bitch would do!" Jason fibbed. "Would like to see her cut down size sometime!"

"Oh, don't worry. We got her back for the stunt that she pulled," Chad said with a smirk. Jason didn't like the dark light that flared behind his eyes when he mentioned getting back at Liz. He was going to have to find a way to repay this guy for whatever he pulled, if it was as bad as he was guessing.

"Anyways, I should probably get going and look for her, since she's not here. Any idea where I could find her?" Chad asked imploringly.

Jason put his chin in his palm for a moment, to make it seem as though he was thinking something through. He'd already had a plan to send this punk on a wild goose chase, to keep him from getting anywhere near Amy. Then he made a show of remembering something and raised his hand with his finger pointing up.

"There's another park that has a trail, going up another cluster of mountains, but very few people go there these days! It's right here in the brochure!" Jason told him as he dug the folded paper out of his pocket.

"Why do so few people go there?" Chad asked.

"Because the campground is supposed to close soon. It's not a very popular trail and rumor is, that there have been problems with mountain lions up there. The park authorities are closing it and they are apparently going to revamp the trails, opening it again next year. Some people who are hardcore campers like to go there anyways because it's so remote and hard to get to," Jay informed the man.

"Thank you! That actually does sound like a place she'd want to go. She likes her solitude," Chad said, a smile lighting up his face. Hearing that sealed the deal for investigating that place and he shook Jason's hand and bolted for his car, a nice BMW M3. The car started and Chad was off like a shot, tearing down the road like a madman.

Chad was evidently obsessed with finding Amy, on a level that he was sure could be construed as dangerous. He was glad that he'd learned to be able to read people a while ago, or he likely wouldn't have been able to see through Chad's façade. He smirked to himself as he knew that Chad would spend at least an hour getting there and Gaia only knew how long he'd be waiting for Amy to show.

Maybe twenty minutes later, Jason heard the chatter of his friends just coming down the trail. He supposed they must have hoofed it to get there so soon! That, or he spent more time in the glade than he initially thought. He saw everyone head for their vehicles and found Amy and Liz heading for Liz's car. Jay walked up to them and told them of what had happened as he helped them stow their gear.

"Wait, what?! You're saying that Chad was here??" Amy asked, incredulous.

"Yeah. I sent him on a wild goose chase, because I didn't trust him. Call it a hunch or a gut feeling, but it was the way he spoke about you and the way he carried himself. Something was off and I knew it. So yeah, I lied to him and hope that he stays occupied with thinking that you are at that other campground," Jason told her.

"Thanks for that," Amy said, while kissing him on the cheek. Liz also stood on her tip toes and pecked Jay on the cheek as well. Surprised, Jason smiled at her and she gave a small smile back to him.

"OK, we need to talk about this, but not here. Liz, Jason needs to come with us, because we may need him," Amy told the other woman.

"Agreed. Jason, get in the car. We'll fill you in on the way," she told him.

"Why? What happened?" he asked, confused as to what was happening.

"Just do it!"

"OK! Just let me stow my bag and we'll go," he told them. After packing it in with their bags in the trunk, he closed it and got in the back seat of the nearly new Impala. Once they were all in, Elizabeth started the car and they were off. They left the park and took the highway, heading down the road to get to the city.

"All right, so what's going on?" he asked the ladies.

"We're heading to my house, to grab my things and to convince my mother to leave my dad. Mainly because of the bullshit that he's pulling!" Amy stated.

"What's happened?"

"Years ago, I was promised to Chad as his future wife. I know, its outdated and archaic, but that's what the church allows. As I got older, I saw what Chad was starting to become and I wanted out of it and my mom backed me on that. Because it happened when we were barely tweens, the church allowed it and the match was cancelled. Obviously, my dad didn't want it cancelled," Amy said bitterly.

"And this Chad character is of the opinion that you should be his then?" Jason queried.

"Very much so! He kept on pushing for me to announce that I had changed my mind, but I refused. I was trying to keep him away long enough until I could figure out what to do, but he kept pushing for it. He obviously knows that my father didn't cancel the match and he came here to 'fetch' me. He would then present himself to my father and ask that the match be recognized," Amy continued.

"Don't you get a say in this?" Liz asked, horrified at the prospect.

"My father, being head of the house, has final say of what happens to his children, especially if any of them are daughters. It is in the laws of the church that a father can overrule his daughter's and wife's wishes if he thinks that he knows better," Amy finished.

"That's horrible! What kind of monster would consign his own daughter to a life she doesn't want?!?" Jason blurted out in anger.

"The kind that doesn't want his daughter to be a proper and independent woman," Elizabeth put in angrily.

"That and his faith in this church is absolute," Amy responded with vitriol.

"Sounds more like a cult to me! So, the plan is to what? Go to Amy's house, grab her things and make a run for it?"

"No! Liz was gracious enough to extend an invitation for myself and my mom to come and live with her at her place. At least until we can get our own place away from my father and brother," Amy said.

Hearing this earned Liz, a pointed look from Jason, which had her blushing slightly.

"What? She needed a place to stay and I have tons of room to accommodate her and her mom. It's the best option we've come up with so far, unless you have any better ideas?" she shot at the redheaded man.

"Nope. In fact, that does seem like the best idea, as I'm sure that Chad wouldn't think to look for Amy with you. He doesn't seem to be overly fond of you in fact," Jay told her.

"I'm not fond of that man either. Not at all," she said as her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. Jason noticed this and thought to ask Liz about what happened, but let it go. She'd tell him about it when she was damn well good and ready. Not before.

"Now that I think about, it might be that your little brother is in on this as well. Why else would he be such a little snitch otherwise?" Jason put out there.

"That snarky, sanctimonious little shit!" Amy cursed, her ire up, as the puzzle pieces fit together. "That must be how my dad was able to know what I was up to and how Chad knew where to look! You said that Chad took off for that other campground to look for me?"

"Yeah. The bugger took off like a bat out of hell! That campground is easily an hour away from the one we were at, but if we're going to do this, we need to move fast!" Jay told the girls.

"I agree!" Liz said, pressing on the accelerator, putting them above one hundred kilometers an hour.

"Since you'll be having Amy around, I'm guessing that...a lot will be happening?" Jay wondered with a smirk on his face.

"Yes, it likely will," Elizabeth admitted, blushing slightly. "But don't worry, things will keep on keeping on, like they have this weekend."

"Glad to hear it," he said while shooting a smoldering look at Amelia, who warmed under his gaze.

"Keep on being a good boy like you have been, and I'll let to punish my ass with that cock of yours in the near future," Liz teased him lustily.

"Not just your ass Liz. My ass needs some punishment too," Amy put in, while making a show of licking her lips. Jason's smirk bloomed into an all out smile, thinking about the fun times that lay ahead for all of them.

"So, how much time do you think we have on Chad?" Amy asked, snapping Jay out of his lust filled daydreaming.

"Two hours, for sure. Three, if we're lucky," he told her.

"OK. My dad and brother aren't due back from their retreat for at least five hours, so we have some time," Amy said.

Less than an hour later, Liz came up to the exit that led to Amy's neighborhood and took the off ramp. After a few traffic lights and turns into an urban area, she pulled up to the front of Amy's house. It was modest two-story home, having been built at least a good ten to fifteen years ago, going by the building style.

Jumping out of the passenger seat, Amy ran for the front door, with Jason right behind her and Liz only twenty seconds after him. Amy opened the door with a key she produced from her pocket and walked on in. She took off her shoes and continued into the house. Jay and Liz doffed their footwear as well and were right behind her.

"Mom?" Amy called out, seeking her mother out. Both Jason and Liz saw that the house was both nice and well kept, with hardly a speck of dust anywhere. The walls were in pristine shape and painted a soft taupe color. Amy's mom must have been a neat freak for the house to still be in such a condition.

"In here!" an older female voice answered from the living room. The group of them walked towards the sound and were greeted by the sight of Amy's mother seated in a soft beige armchair. She held a novel in one hand and glass of red wine in the other as her green eyes found Amy and her friends.

Amy's mother looked like a mirror reflection of Amy, but one who could be considered a... MILF. She had the same hair, the same facial structure, the same curvy, feminine body and looked to be the same exact height. Only she was a little bigger in the chest, maybe a D-cup, possibly even a DD and was a bit narrower in the hips, probably forty-three inches around.

"Amy! It's good to have you home!" her mother said in greeting, as she rose to hug her daughter. "Who are your friends?"

"Mom, this is Jason Bjornsson and Elizabeth Ives. They're new friends of mine that I met while camping this weekend. Jason, Liz, this is my mother, Eva Marston," she said by way of introduction.

"You know that your father won't approve of having friends outside of the church," Eva said to her daughter with a touch of regret in her voice.

"About that mom. I'm not sticking around to hear dad's disapproval or another lecture of his. I'm leaving and I'm not coming back," she said seriously.

"I expected that this day would come, but not after so long. Gather your things baby, I'll do what I can to misdirect your father and brother," Eva stated.

"Mom, you won't have to do that, because you're coming with me," Amy told her.

"Much as I want to Amy, I can't. I still have your brother to think about..." she started but was promptly cut off by Jason.

"We believe that your son is a lost cause Mrs. Marston. He's been informing on Amy to your husband about what she gets up to. Even that guy, Chad, knows about what she does when she's not at home," Jason interjected.

"Wait, Chad is involved?? How?!?" Eva questioned him. Jason gave a brief rundown of his encounter with Chad at the park and told her that Amy filled him in on who he is and why he's trying to find her.

"He was looking for her? You are certain?" Eva grilled.

"Yeah. He even showed me a picture of Amy when she was younger, wearing this really nice Sunday dress, at what appeared to be a picnic," Jason confirmed for her.

"I was hoping that I was making some headway with Darren. Maybe make it possible to free him from your father's grip, but it appears that he's lost," Eva said regretfully.

"So, you'll come with us then?" Liz asked tentatively.

"Absolutely! I've stayed here, playing the part of the dutiful and submissive wife for far too long! I've been going stir crazy here, being the demure and proper housewife. Having no life outside of family is a difficult thing to endure," she said.

"Then why did you stay?" Amy wondered.

"I stayed for you and your brother," Eva said, her voice laced with both regret and hope. "I did everything that I could, to minimize your father's and the church's influence on your lives. I've lost that fight with Darren, but you Amy, I'm glad that you were able to break free!" she finished while hugging her daughter. Amy hugged her mom back, glad that she was seeing sense at last!

"I don't want to sully the moment, as it is nice and all, but if you two are going to leave, we need to get going! Chad will likely realize by now that he's been duped and be on his way here," Jason butted in.

The ladies came to this realization with a start and exploded in a flurry of activity. Amy raced upstairs with her mother and with Liz's help, they packed everything that they would need. They had nearly three suitcases between them and a few other items that they had packed into overnight bags. Jason helped them by heading out to the car and found a way to Tetris the bags into the trunk. It was a tight fit, but he managed it.

"Oh!" Eva said as she was putting on her coat. "There is one more thing! I'll be right back!"

With that, Eva raced on down to the basement door and trundled down the stairs. Amy looked confused, as her mother never went down to the basement in living memory. She heard some movement as her mother was evidently searching for something. Maybe five minutes later, Eva came back up the stairs, holding a small footlocker of some kind.

"Something that I remembered that your father doesn't know about," she said simply. Amy simply shrugged as Jason took the item from her and they finished getting ready to leave.

"It's probably not a good idea to take our phones and laptops," Eva said, obviously loath to leave the items behind. "Especially since the phones are in your father's name."

"Likely a good plan, since they probably have bugs in them," Liz said idly.

"Hmm. I may have a solution for that. For the laptops at least. I have a friend who can check them out and make sure that they are free of any sort of tracking programs or devices," Jay offered.

"Really?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. I'll give him a call and have him meet us somewhere. The guy owes me a few favors, so it won't cost anything," he assured the women, as Eva locked the door behind them

Amy cooed as she kissed Jason on the cheek, an action that her mother smiled at. After grabbing both computers and their cases, the quartet left the house and piled into the car. Liz started the engine and they were off, heading out of the neighborhood as quickly as possible. Amy had warned Elizabeth to not drive like a maniac, so that they didn't draw any undue attention to themselves.

Jason also reached out with his Druidic power to make sure that no one had seen them. He felt quite a few life signs nearby but sensed nothing out of the ordinary when he expanded his senses. No one had seen them, and he felt no apprehension or sense of urgency from anyone when they were leaving. They'd made a clean getaway, were just getting onto the highway and Jason knew that they were in the clear.

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Chad revved the engine and was tearing down the highway at a near breakneck pace. Amy was not at that park like the man said, but if he hadn't seen her, then she must have already left to go home. He kept his speed reasonable, so as not to get pulled over, but he sped on, nevertheless. He reached Amelia's home almost three hours after he'd left the park that he thought she was initially at.

He pulled up to the house, walked the pathway to the front door and rang the doorbell. Chad heard nothing and no one came to answer the door. He tried again and he still remained unanswered. He figured that if no one was home, then they would have gone out to get groceries or something to make dinner, as the hour was still early yet.

Besides, he couldn't just walk into the house, although it was his right to do so. To enter uninvited, into the home of a powerful cleric of their order, would result in a severe punishment. He didn't want to risk annulling the agreement that he had made with Amy's father, so he left it be.

He most certainly didn't want to jeopardize his chance at power and becoming a strong cleric himself. Chad walked back to his car and resolved to speak to Amy's father the following day. He would also go and speak with his own father, to be sure that he was proceeding correctly, to lay claim to her. He also thought that speaking with one of the high clerics to confirm this wouldn't hurt either.

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And this is the end of chapter 4! So much is happening, so fast and it is a doozy with all of these revelations and changes cropping up! What will happen to Amy and Eva, now that they're no longer under the thumb of the church? Will Amy's dad and brother find them? What exactly was Chad going on about with him becoming a powerful cleric once he had Amy? Those answers will come, but in further chapters down the line.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I do hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!