The 11th Commandment

By Dee Carey

Dee was born in Rochester New York. Currently, she resides in the Chicago area in a small town called Channahon. One of her grandsons (Nik) lives with her.

Writing rebuttals

• Language: English
• Publisher: Writers Branding LLC
• Release date: Dec 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639455669

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The 11th

Commandment

Dee Carey

The 11th Commandment

Copyright © 2022 by Dee Carey

ISBN:

Ebook: 978-1-63945-566-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

The views expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Contents

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Epilogue

Tara

I lifted my wings and attempted to fly. It was hard work, my arms were not accustomed to the weight of the wings. Standing, I opened and closed the appendages several times. Finally, I was able to get enough lift to rise from the cart. Once I settled back to the ground, I shook to rid myself of the feeling of total immobility. Several feathers fell free onto the ground. I paid them little mind; all winged creatures molt from time to time.

I must find Sean, Bishop, I said as I extended my wings and took flight.

What They Are Saying About

The Eleventh Commandment

The Fox and the Gargoyle

The walk of Christians is full of pitfalls. The Devil counts the souls of Christians as amongst the greatest of prizes, and he throws temptation in front of them every time he can, in the hope that they will stumble and fall, and become his.

But the love God has for His children is everlasting, and the Blessed Mother of our Savior is watching us, and is there to help us in times of temptation.

But what happens when a boy is turned into a fox for his evil deeds, when a church leader is charged with the care of the fox, and when a gargoyle is one of their group? What temptations will they face, can they possibly win against the Devil, and how can faith help them overcome all? What plan does the Higher Power hold for them?

Touched with legend and fantasy, filled with faith, comes a story for all ages. A. Dee Carey has a way of taking us back in time, of writing in a style reminiscent of a bygone era, that literally transports the reader back to another place and time in history. In a story rich with faith and innocence, with wisdom and genteel emotion, The Eleventh Commandment will take you on a journey back in time, and on a journey filled with faith and all it means. This is another totally unique tale in her Fox series.

Angela Verdenius

Love, Heart, & Soul Moments

Dedication

To My Superman. I hope I’ve made you proud. I love you, Bill.

Prologue

Scotland 420AD

Back in the deep recesses, before the time of natural law, it was established the world needed a disinterested panel to oversee the business of mankind...

High above the land was a suspended mist that housed a board of wizards, priests and seers. Under the direction of the Ancient Ones, they were directed to guide the course of man’s affairs.

When corruption was discovered, they selected from the earth a pair of innocents. Upon the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, one of these transformed into a fox, whose size and cunning permitted access to areas humans could not reach. The remaining innocent took whatever form the board deemed useful.

This is the legend of The Eleventh Commandment, The Fox and the Gargoyle. This pair, like so many before them, was to attain human-hood by their devotion to God.

Cast of Characters

Sean ~ a lad who was mentored by St. Patrick, who is transformed into a fox for entertaining the devil.

Tara ~ a gargoyle upon whose wings is carved the 11th Commandment.

St. Patrick ~ actual person ~ a priest who is summoned by the pope.

Pope Leo the Great ~ actual person ~ he is directed by the Blessed Virgin to transport the 11th Commandment to Mary’s Well in Scotland.

Mary ~ the Mother of God.

Damien Darke ~ epitome of evil, the devil.

Chapter One

Sean

I knew better than to mess with the forces of evil. Oh, I knew better, but never thought it would come to this.

The bullies would leave me alone now. I slowly rose from the dirt and brushed it off my tunic. They scattered like mice from a sinking ship. In my brief lifetime, all I ever wanted was to be a part of something, to have some worth, to be accepted like the other boys in the village. Constantly the object of their scorn, I distinctly remember the moment in that final humiliation when he stepped in. Damien Darke promised not only would I be accepted, but I would be far superior to those who belittled me. All he had to do was stand above the dirty cowards. He stood tall, an imposing man. Suave and sleek, he was immaculate in his dress with long, slender perfectly manicured fingers. He represented all that I desired, with a magnetism I so coveted for my own. I sensed, but did not heed, he was also dangerous. The others clearly knew and scattered, not even daring to shout taunts at me as they usually did.

And Damien asked so little, all I had to do was report the comings and goings of Patrick. Patrick took me in, fed and clothed me when I had no home or family. I reasoned that since I am with him all the time, what could it hurt if I tell Damien Darke? Surely, the churchman had no cause for shame. Nothing I could say about him would bring him harm. I thought what I had agreed to do might not meet with Patrick’s approval, but he was so good I was sure no evil could harm him.

Patrick called as Damien slunk away into the nothingness from whence he came. There was a faint scent of sulfur in the air. Patrick caught it at once. He narrowed his eyes as he approached me.

Sean, who have you been talking to?

I hung back into the shadows of the small wooded glen, feeling I’d done something wrong, but was not sure what it was. Ah, no one, I’m here alone, I replied, haltingly. I prayed the forest would swallow me up. Holding myself tightly, I crossed my arms and lowered my head.

Patrick drew himself to his full height and placed his hands on his hips. Boy, don’t think to lie to me. I’ve given you every advantage, this is no way to treat a benefactor.

For a reason I did not understand, I began to tremble. I was more frightened than I’d ever been. In my heart I knew Patrick would never harm me, yet I flinched as the clergyman moved toward me; the thought of my evil action engulfed me. As I moved backward, my feet became entangled in the vines growing among the saplings. I was young and more agile than the bishop, so I quickly evaded him and headed for the small dwelling we shared and hurried toward my secret hole behind the hut. His footfalls hit the shack mere seconds behind mine.

I thought he knew nothing of my so-called sanctuary, but Patrick reached in and grabbed me by my tunic and held me fast.

Roughly, he pushed me into our small dwelling and removed the small vial from the cord about his robe. Picking me up as if I were a small child, he set me firmly down on the stool beside the hearth, then moved to our small dining table and picked up a cup.

Pouring the water from the vial into the cup, he placed it before me. Towering over me, he handed it to me and indicated I was to drink. I took the cup and raised it to my lips, though I was certain the liquid would not be to my liking, I drank as he bid.

Strange feelings flooded through my body. My blood seemed to curdle in my veins, and within my heart a great battle was being waged. I was being punished for a sin far more grievous than I could ever have imagined. Vanity must be a far greater sin than mere theft. I fell onto all fours. I looked back over my shoulder and noted I now had a tail, a thick white plume of a tail. My back was covered with a russet fur. I held out my hands and saw they were now paws, covered with a shiny black fur. This is what happens when you fall prey to evil. I knew deep within my heart that my transformation was tempered by Patrick. Had I no protector, I would have burned for my sin. What seemed a harmless trade was far more, and the price paid was greater than I assumed at the onset of the bargain. I fled the hut and stamped the ground, but my padded paws made no impression on the soft grass. I felt helpless, that my existence was little noticed. More frightened than I’d ever been in my short lifetime, I’d become as nothing. Perhaps I could have endured the hazing of the village boys if I had only known the consequences? Anything would have been better than this.

Patrick leaned down beside me. Tears were forming in his eyes. Sean, you have been in the company of the devil. You listened, and agreed to work for him. For that you are relegated to be an animal. I tried to lessen the punishment, but I can do no more than this. You will remain with me as my pet and I will care for you all of your days.

I pressed my furred body into the dirt. It was hopeless; I should have known. Surely, the Christ who had died for us all could intercede for me. I implored Patrick to speak for me. Yet, I knew he’d done all he dared.

I had disrupted his thoughts and his way of life. Oh, would it ever be as it was? We were free to travel and preach of the Lord’s goodness. I had ruined his plan. What would become of me? How will I survive in an animal body? I don’t know how to forage or hunt. For a certainty, I would starve. But, was it fair I be punished so grievously for my sin? Surely, there were those who stole and murdered, who should suffer more gravely than I? Yet, who was I to determine the reason of God?

The cleric replaced the vial to its cord and said, Come, Sean, we must rest and prepare for our journey as the pope himself has summoned us. We will leave for Rome in the morning. I guess there is no sense in your packing, as you now have no need for clothing.

As a fox, I looked up at him, his eyes brimming with tears. Where could we be going and why were we leaving all I had ever known? Had the great pope sent him a message by pigeon? I felt even more abandoned than I did as an orphan. Yet, I had the company of Patrick, a man I was fortunate to even know. I watched as he gathered his meager belongings and fell onto his pallet, laying his head upon the crude pillow. I jumped up to the ledge that held my bedding and burrowed among the blankets. Exhausted as the change had made me, I quickly slipped into slumber.

When I arose, the sky was clear and cloudless. The hut we’d shared was devoid of any hint of our existence. All our provisions Patrick had packed in a tight bundle and slung it across the back of his large horse. Apparently Patrick had worked through the evening hours as he’d constructed a small cage for me. He’d fashioned a carrier of leather drawn over a wooden frame.

It was large enough for me to stand in or lay as I chose. Across the front of the carrier there was a simple flap that could be closed in inclement weather and left open while riding to observe the land around us. This method of transport pleased me well. We’d been walking for several miles and the sun was high, when the cleric indicated we would stop for a rest.

Finding a large oak tree near the edge of a meadow, he removed the bundle and spread out his blanket for a table and upon it placed a few hard biscuits and some salted meat. Refreshed after a meal and a short nap, we again headed out for Rome.

The day seemed endless to me. I felt my meager meal rise in my throat with the rocking motion of the horse. The animal was gentle and I am sure meant me no harm, yet I felt as I imagined sailors feel before they get their sea legs. I forced down the bile and lay within my enclosure as close to the bottom as possible. Patrick had an overlarge draft horse named Ox. As he had little value as a farm horse, Patrick acquired the animal for little coin. Though large, Ox had a gentle nature and was happy to serve Patrick.

Ox was undisturbed by the additional weight on his back. He did not mind another animal riding upon him, as many horses did. His back was broad and flat and easily held my carrier. I knew I would soon accommodate myself to the rocking motion.

I was just beginning to feel comfortable as the sun was low in the sky. The pink haze indicated the next day would be auspicious for