CHAPTER 48
THE FINAL DUEL
Alexsis looked at the time displayed by the car's radio. It showed 4:48 P.M. They were on the outskirts of the Charleston suburbs. Beside her, Veronia studied the map. "Only a few more blocks to go," said Veronia. "Pull over for a minute."
Alexsis steered the car to the edge of the road and put the gearshift into park. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I just want a few moments of time with you." Alexsis exchanged looks with Veronia. Alexsis tried to force a facade of equanimity over her face. She knew that her eyes betrayed her feelings. Veronia reached over and placed her arm around Alexsis. They hugged.
As she held Alexsis, Veronia said, "I wish it didn't have to be. We've had such good times. I don't want to see them end."
"Maybe they don't have to," said Alexsis, holding tightly to her friend and spiritual mentor. Veronia was shaking. For Alexsis it seemed as if they were each clinging to the mast of a shuttering shattered ship on a storm savaged sea. Alexsis held on in fear of her unknown future lost alone in a seething sea. Veronia, the captain, seemed to be holding on in fear of where she knew the sinking ship was sending her.
Alexsis sensed the strength building in Veronia as clung together. The shaking subsided. Her body became firm and controlled. Veronia took a deep breath and released her hold on Alexsis. "I'm ready," she said.
Following Veronia's guidance, Alexsis soon approached the place where they were to meet Nati. The closed gas station was readily recognizable by the boarded up windows and dilapidated appearance. It must have been unused for a long time, for a plethora of weeds had grown up throughout its lot. They poked their green growth from every crack of any significant size in the concrete. Alexsis pulled off the street and around the dingy white building.
Alexsis was relieved to see that the garage hid the back area from the fronting street. A thick growth of tall bushes and trees around the back lot totally enclosed it from side observation. She felt comfortably hidden from prying male eyes.
Alexsis spotted Nati standing alone, leaning against the building. Nati recognized them through the car window. She raised her hand in greeting. A large 'potent pouch' hung beneath her raised arm. Relief showed in the beaming smile on her face. Alexsis pulled the car to where Nati stood.
"I sure am glad to see you two," Nati said into Alexsis' open window. "I wasn't sure you would come." Nati looked passed Alexsis into the car. She glanced into the empty back seat.
"You gave good directions. Besides, I had an excellent navigator," said Alexsis, nodding towards Veronia.
"You did come alone?" Nati said.
"Uh-huh. If you want to get in, we can get going," said Alexsis.
"How about if I drive. I've arranged a place for us to stay," said Nati.
"That's fine with me," said Alexsis. "I'm exhausted from driving all day. I'm not used to it."
Nati backed away from the car door. As she did, she helped Alexsis open it. Alexsis got out saying, "I'll get in the back." She reached inside and unlatched the lock.
After Alexsis was seated in the back, Nati pushed the door firmly shut and moved to the driver's door. There, she stood between the open door and the car and looked around. Her actions puzzled Alexsis.
"Nati? What is it?" asked Alexsis.
Concern flourished within Alexsis when Nati reached into her large handbag and took out an automatic pistol. Alexsis twisted about searching for the danger. Seeing none, she looked back at Nati. Nati was no longer looking around the car. She was staring into the car at them.
"Don't move, either of you," Nati said. Her eyes darted between them. The black hole of the gun followed like a third eye. Nati made eye contact with Alexsis, but clearly avoided looking into Veronia's.
"It's okay. You can come out," Nati said in a loud voice. She raised her left arm and waved.
Alexsis was mired in confusion. Why was Nati behaving this way? She looked around to see who Nati was calling. A form moved from behind a flowerless lilac bush across the concrete lot. It was a man.
She turned to question Nati. "Nati?" said Alexsis. "Who is ..." Before she could complete the question, recognition registered. It was him. It was Grey.
Grey approached the car cautiously, until he was only ten feet from it. The gun in his right hand was leveled at the passenger side window. After one more step, he stopped and examined the car's occupants. When he looked at Alexsis, his face took on a devious grin.
"Good work, Nati," he said. Alexsis watched Grey come around to the driver's side of the car and stand next to Nati. With each step he took, Alexsis felt a deepening sinking feeling.
"We meet again," he said. "This time you won't be running off."
Grey flashed a look at Nati and said, "Go get the van."
She looked back at him without moving. Alexsis wondered if Nati was about to make her move and overpower Gray.
She didn't. Instead, Nati said to him, "Don't look into her eyes. She'll put a spell on you."
Grey made a skeptical guttural sound. Alexsis noticed that none-the-less, he avoided looking directly into Veronia's eyes.
Nati reached into her handbag and took out a pair of sunglasses. Avoiding Veronia's eyes, she ducked into the car and quickly stuck them on Veronia. "Leave them on," she said.
Veronia said nothing. She left the glasses in place.
"I'll go get the van, now," said Nati. She left.
Several minutes later an enclosed van pulled slowly around the end of the building. Nati stopped it beside the car. The rear end of the van was so close that it was impossible to open the front door on the passenger side.
"Let's go. Out," ordered Grey. Alexsis looked at Veronia. She nodded to indicate that they should comply. Alexsis opened her door. She watched as Veronia squirmed across the front seat and out of the car.
As Alexsis stood beside the car, she looked over to Nati and said, "How could you betray us like this?"
Grey snickered at her question. "You want to tell them or should I?" he asked in a gloating tone.
Nati just shrugged. Grey, clearly basking in his achievement, said, "Your Nati is Nathan -- a transsexual. Despite the operation, he is still enough of a man and intelligent enough to not be brainwashed by your group."
"You... You're a man?" exclaimed Alexsis. She glanced over at Veronia. The sunglasses hid any message from her eyes. The tight pucker of her mouth showed that she too was considering this new information.
"It depends how you want to look at it," answered Nati. Her voice now sounded different from what Alexsis remembered it -- deeper and more raspy. "Certainly, I'm a woman on the outside. Inside? Who knows for sure?"
Alexsis was confused. Nati -- a man? Why hadn't Veronia seen this? Why wasn't Veronia saying anything?
Grey ordered them into the back double doors of the van. Inside the van, Nati handcuffed Veronia and Alexsis to tie downs on the van's interior walls.
"I'll take them from here," Grey told Nati. "You take their car to the nearest airport and fly back to Dallas. I'll get in touch with you later."
Grey climbed into the van and quickly drove off with them.
Grey had only gone a few blocks when he reached down and picked up a car phone. He steered with his forearms as he dialed it.
After several seconds, he said into the phone, "Hi. It's me. Grey. Everything went off perfectly. I've got her. Where do you want to meet."
Grey listened for a few seconds. Then, he said, "Wait a minute. Let me pull off the road and write down the directions." He did. A short time later, after consulting a map, he was again driving.
"Make yourselves comfortable," he said, looking into the interior rear view mirror. "We have a bit of a ride ahead of us."
Alexsis felt Veronia take her hand. It comforted her. She periodically squeezed it for re-assurance.
Alexsis didn't look forward to being jailed. She wondered if she would share a cell with Veronia. Or, would the authorities separate them? What then? A trial? Alexsis felt confident that the Femtal would quickly bring attorneys to their defense. She and Veronia might even get out on bail, although Alexsis doubted that. What was the worst that could happen? What would the charges be? She had heard news reports that they were wanted for possession of illegal weapons, subversive activities and aiding and abetting abortions. The latter was punishable by death under the latest FPA laws. Could they truly be put to death? She shivered at the thought and squeezed Veronia's hand again.
Alexsis continued to sort through the possibilities. Even as she did, a feeling that something wasn't right kept re-occurring. The silent ride continued for a long time. The vehicle maintained a moderate pace, swaying to the twisting and turning of the road. Periodically, Grey swerved the van left and accelerated to pass another vehicle. The third time this happened it piqued Alexsis' curiosity. By now they should have long since been on the freeway heading for Charleston. The meeting place couldn't have been more than ten minutes from Interstate 77.
The nagging sense that something wasn't right coalesced into a sudden bloom of suspicion when she recalled their arrest. Grey had not said they were under arrest. He had not read them their Miranda rights. And, why no other agents? Why just Nati -- a traitor -- and Grey?
"Where are you taking us?" said Alexsis loudly over the noise of the vehicle.
"Don't ask questions. Just keep quiet," ordered Grey.
His answer confirmed her suspicions. Once again they were being kidnaped. But why? Would she have to undergo drugs again? Fear began to shake her. Veronia squeezed her hand. Looking over to her, Alexsis received a comforting smile. "Everything will be okay," Veronia mouthed to her.
The memories of the happenings in Colorado left Alexsis less that fully confident. She began to feel nauseous. Maybe it was the memory of the drugs effects. Or, maybe it was the motion of the vehicle. Or, was it fear? Whatever, she didn't feel good. Moreover, her left buttock had gone to sleep. She was totally uncomfortable. She bent over and put her head onto her knees. All she could do was hope that the ride would end soon.
The ride did not end soon.
After several minutes of driving in silence, Grey turned on the radio. He tuned it to a pop music station. The music, disrupted as it was by periodic fading and static of its AM signal, did not provide any comfort or distraction to Alexsis. Nor was it any better when the station cut over to a nationally syndicated news report. The newscaster told of more incidents of social disruptions by the Ultra-fems. He followed this with a short piece on Veronia's predictions, saying, "It has now been four days since the Ultra-Fem cult leader Veronia gave a cryptic prediction that many have translated as dire. Today, the world is peaceful. Another cult leader's ridiculous predictions have proven baseless."
The newscaster went on to chronologize the progress being made under the new FPA laws. The piece included a report by three male congressmen on how the movement would soon be over. Their consensus was that things would shortly return to the way they were in the good old days.
The newscaster concluded the story by saying, "Is this the great leader that so many of you women have chosen to follow? Get smart, gals. See through this silly cult-leader's sham. Don't be mislead into doing things that you will regret when her true colors finally come out."
As the announcer went on to predict more thundershowers for the area, Grey turned towards the back of the van and said, "Soon it will all be over. When I'm done with you, Veronia, and the truth comes out, you won't find a woman in the world who'll take you or your movement seriously."
The daylight outside fled, turning the world around them as dark as Alexsis' mood. Grey drove on. Rain and lightning began and ended. Still, Grey drove on. Finally, hours later, Alexsis felt the van slow. The manner in which Grey studied either side of the road indicated that he was searching for something.
"That must be it," Alexsis heard Grey mumble to himself. She felt the van turn and proceed slowly. A minute later it came to a halt. Grey shut off the engine.
The interior of the van lit up as Grey opened the door and climbed out. Darkness returned with its closing.
Alexsis heard distant muted voices. They ceased. The rear doors of the van opened up and the van's interior lit up again. Grey climbed in with them. "This is it," he said. "Party time." He leered at Veronia as he said this.
Grey removed Alexsis handcuffs. He then handcuffed Alexsis to Veronia. Grey loosened Veronia's other arm from the van wall. He then dragged them out into the refreshing night air.
Alexsis looked around. She heard the sound of a blustery wind in trees. It carried with it the sound of distant thunder. She smelled the dank of damp vegetation from the earlier rain. The shapes around her gave the impression of a forest on all sides. The only break in the darkness came from a dimly lit doorway a few dozen feet away. Alexsis saw the silhouette of a tall thin man in the doorway. He watched them approach.
Alexsis was still ten feet away from the door when the man moved out of the doorway. Alexsis saw the building's interior. It was a church -- a small, old church built with walls of stone.
Grey pulled Alexsis and Veronia inside. The interior smelled musty, as if it had been closed up for some time. The only light came from candles on the altar at the room's far end. The weak light showed cobwebs in numerous places, especially near the ceiling.
Alexsis heard the door creak behind her. She looked back. The lean man who had stood in the doorway shut the door tight with a clunk. He then turned towards them.
The man appeared very old. The flesh of his face was dark and heavily wrinkled. It carried a multitude of deep brown age spots. Despite his apparent age, he had a full set of gray curly hair which was only slightly receded.
The stranger wore a bulky black jacket. His shirt and pants were equally black. His manner of dress became clear to Alexsis when Grey said, "This is a hell of a strange place to conduct our business, Father. A church?"
"Yes, but it's no longer used," the priest said, with a heavy accent. "It once served a nearby mining town. When the mine closed, so did the town. Without a congregation to feed it, even a church can die. But, one small parish is not our problem tonight. It is the safety of the entire Catholic Church that must be guarded."
As he spoke, the priest moved until he stood in front of Alexsis and Veronia. He surveyed each of them briefly with his lucid eyes. The look he gave Alexsis seemed to see as deeply into her as Veronia could. Alexsis shuttered under his gaze. It was one thing to have Veronia, a woman, see her into depths. It was quite another and very unpleasant thing for a man to look so deeply.
It quickly became clear to Alexsis that it was Veronia, not her, in whom he was interested. He reached over and removed the sunglasses Veronia still wore. They dropped to the floor. Veronia remained unmoving. Alexsis watched the man's aged eyes stare at Veronia. He moved his hand and drew a cross in the air between them. Alexsis felt the floor beneath her jerk and tremble slightly. From the corner of her eyes, Alexsis saw Grey look around for the source of the jolt. Neither the priest nor Veronia showed any concern or distraction over the ground's tremble.
"It is you," the voice of the man rasped. Then he added, still staring at her, "And, you remember me. Don't you?"
"Father Tonsitino," said Veronia in a level voice. They were the first words Alexsis had heard from her since they'd been abducted.
The priest turned away from Veronia. He said to Grey, "For nearly thirty years, I've waited and watched. Never sure. Always wondering. When I first saw her in a remote Mexican village, I was skeptical. Yet, I couldn't take a chance. I had her sent to a Catholic orphanage in Guadalajara. From the events there, I still couldn't be sure."
The priest turned back to Veronia and said, "You were so subtle about it. I could never be certain if maybe it wasn't all just co-incidences. Then, those years afterwards; still so seemingly benign. You gave no real evidence of what you are then, either. Possibly just more co-incidences. Even now, I'm not a hundred percent sure. Neither can I take the chance and guess wrong."
"What are you rambling about," groused Grey. Alexsis recognized the behavior from the months of another lifetime and person when she had lived and loved with him. He was impatient for something that he wanted.
The priest looked at him and breathed a deep sigh. He said, "She appears to be the one whose child would be the next Christ. 'Appears' to be. It's possible that she's not. The ancient records are so abstruse; so hard to understand. They were written over two thousand years ago. Times and the meanings of words have changed so much. There are warnings -- words that have lost clear meaning over the centuries."
"Hey. I thought you said all I had to do was knock her up. That the kid would be another Christ," said Grey.
"Yes. If..." the priest paused. He looked back at Veronia as if seeking some sign from her. Alexsis looked at her also. Veronia's face was a complete blank. Then, the priest reached a conclusion. "I must take the chance." He crossed himself and muttered, "Our Lord, give me strength."
"Perpetual Mother, give me strength," Alexsis thought she heard Veronia say as she stared intently at the priest.
The priest again turned to Grey. "There is more to the act than just impregnating her. A specific ritual must be followed. It will take time. We should get started."
Grey looked warily at the priest. "Ritual?"
"That is why I brought you to this church. The act should take place on consecrated ground to ensure the best chance for success. We'll do it in front of the altar," the priest said. "Before Christ."
The priest turned and took a few steps along the back pew. He reached under it and removed a large black leather satchel from the shadows. Alexsis hadn't noticed it before.
"What do you have there?" asked Grey.
"Things from the catacombs beneath the Vatican," the priest answered. He shot a look over at Veronia. "These have been guarded by the Church for two thousand years. They're priceless. Without these, we would have no way to conduct the ritual for another coming. The others of my group were skeptical about my taking them. But, we counseled and I persuaded them that she was the one." He nodded his head towards Veronia. "When we're done with these, they must be returned to the catacombs beneath the Vatican -- in case they are ever needed again."
"Bring her along," said Father Tonsitino. He nodded his head towards Veronia, then started for the front of the church. Grey grabbed the handcuffs that held the women together and pulled them. The three of them followed the priest.
Father Tonsitino moved to the altar. There, he set the bag down and opened it. He reached into the satchel and carefully took out a thick rectangular package. It took a few seconds for Alexsis to recognize it as an ancient book. The covers were of thick leather. Four broad leather straps formed the back binding. Opposite the binding, three leather cords secured the two covers together. Both covers were embossed with intricate gold patterns and symbols. The symbols were of a language that Alexsis didn't recognize. She thought it might be Greek. He laid the book on the altar and opened it. He placed a crucifix across the pages to keep it open. The pages were thick and crammed full with bold black characters. Gold, red, green and blue colored illuminations curled delicately around the periphery of the text.
Father Tonsitino studied the first page of the book for over a minute. He then reached back into the satchel and took out a large cloth. After studying the area around him for a few seconds, he spread the sheet-sized cloth on the floor between the altar and the communion rail.
Alexsis watched, noting that the cloth was an off-white piece of linen about eight feet on a side. Embroidered all around the periphery was a six inch wide band of closely spaced symbols. In the center was embroidered a large cross. The embroidery threads were brightly colored. Their exquisite detail reflected expert hands.
Father Tonsitino pointed to a faint brown stain near the middle of the cloth. It lay in the center of the long axis of the cross. He said to Grey, "That's where it is said that the mother of the first Christ lost her virginity. In a few hours, a fresh blood stain will be there to mark the conception of the second coming of Christ."
The priest turned his gaze to Veronia. "You don't seem to be concerned about any of this," he said to her. It was the same thought that had been going through Alexsis' head. Veronia seemed almost detached from what appeared to be some bizarre rite in which she was soon to become involuntarily involved.
"Conjure up the full strength of your evil. It will be needed," Veronia said, matter-of-factly.
The priest crossed himself. He moved to the altar and returned to studying the book. Then, Father Tonsitino took more items from the bag. He removed and unwrapped six candles. Each was three inches in diameter and over eight inches long. All showed black tipped wicks in irregularly concave wax -- signs that they had been previously used. The sides of the candles were decorated with intricate symbols that repeated along their lengths. Although she could make no sense of the patterns, they had a disturbing effect on her. She avoided looking directly at them as the priest set the candles on the altar.
Next, he took out two small statues. From where Alexsis stood, they looked like tiny replicas of a woman and a man. The man's genitals were distinctly visible and abnormally large.
The priest removed more items from the satchel. One was a concave stone dish. Others included crudely made glass jars with markings on their sides. Their tops were sealed on by a clear crackled substance. The priest used his long thumbnail to carefully removed the sealing substance before lifting the lids.
Father Tonsitino also took from the satchel a brass item about six inches tall and six inches in diameter. The top was a thin concave bowl. It was supported by the heads of three snakes whose bodies curled downward in tight spirals to a hemisphere. There, the rest of their length enclosed the hemisphere. Looking more closely, Alexsis saw that the hemisphere was actually an upward pointing woman's breast.
The last object the priest took from the satchel was an ornately tooled silver box about four inches on a side. Its top was decorated with a raised five pointed star. The star was elevated at its center and surrounded by a pentagon formed from a broad raised line. Outside the pentagon were tiny raised animal heads. The sides were also decorated with raised images. The closest side to her had a strange looking lion's head.
The priest undid a simple latch and lifted the lid of the box. He removed a cloth pouch. From the pouch he took out a two inch diameter ring. It was gold and formed from a serpent swallowing its tail. He set it on the altar.
He reached into the box and took out another pouch. Undoing the draw strings, he carefully removed a round object. He held it up to look at it in the light a candle on the altar. Its perfectly spherical surface, about two inches in diameter, reflected the room in a distorted miniature. It looked to Alexsis like reddish amber. Within the sphere Alexsis could just make out a large flaw. Looking harder, she saw that the flaw was shaped like a coil. A bulge at one end gave the impression of a miniature snake cast within the amber.
Everyone in the room was mesmerized by the sphere -- even the priest. After several seconds of looking, he set it on top the pouch on the altar.
Father Tonsitino returned to reading from the large book, using his finger as a place marker. Periodically, he picked up and examined one of the objects on the altar. His finger continued to move methodically down the page. At the bottom, he turned the page. After scanning this new page briefly, he returned to the original page.
He looked over to Grey and the women and said, "I'm ready to begin." Grey seemed relieved, but Alexsis felt a strong twinge of panic in her stomach. She again remembered the incident in Colorado and the intense nausea she felt after the drugs had worn off. She glanced at Veronia who stood superficially appearing indifferent to the whole situation. Yet, Alexsis sensed a tension in her. It was nothing that she could pin point. Rather, it was a difference from what she had seen over the years of living so closely with her.
The priest began by placing a small pile of straw-like material in the stone dish. Next, he took two small rocks and began striking them together near the straw. Sparks flew from the impacting rocks towards the straw. After several strikes, smoke started to rise from the straw. Then flames appeared. With the life of the flames assured, the priest took a rather tall glass container and slowly poured liquid into the edge of the dish. The flames from the burning straw flicker slightly, as if going out. Then, they flared back. Soon, the dish was a mass of low blue flames. The smell of the burning liquid was sweet and heavy.
The priest carefully added more liquid to the dish. The flames now floated happily atop the liquid. The priest once more referred to the book. He removed some sticks from a container. These he used to transfer flames from the bowl of fire to the six candles.
Father Tonsitino once again bent close to the book and read its bold print in the dim candle light. He looked up and squinted at the containers. He picked up one, read its label and set it back down. After another try, he appeared to find the one he sought. From it, he poured a small pile of dust into the brass concave dish supported by the three snakes. He lit this powder with a burning stick ignited by the bowl of flame. Within a few seconds, heavy smoke began to drift upward from the powder. The priest cupped his left hand over it as if to contain the smoke. With his right hand, he lifted the brass piece by one of the snakes and walked with it towards Veronia. She stood her ground.
Reaching Veronia, the priest lifted the brass piece to the level of her face. His hand was still cupped over the smoke. He suddenly blew hard between his hand and the smoldering ash. Ash and smoke flew into Veronia's face. She gasped in reflex and turned away. A queer look came over her face. She staggered backwards a step and collapsed to the floor. Veronia's sudden movement and the handcuffs between them pulled Alexsis down to the floor with her.
Alexsis' worry over the fall was quickly replaced by concern over Veronia. Alexsis squirmed up and knelt over her unconscious leader. The priest sensed her movement and snapped, "Leave her be." His words paralyzed Alexsis. Veronia's crumpled body frightened her.
"She's okay. She's merely asleep," said the priest, as if to reassure her.
He walked back to the altar and put the brass piece down. Afterwards, he stepped back over to Veronia. He looked at Alexsis and said to Grey, "Get her out of the way. We can't have her interfering."
Grey, who was still watching in silent amazement, said, "Okay." He unlocked the handcuffs from Veronia's wrist. After looking around for a second, he dragged Alexsis to the end of the communion rail. There, he linked the handcuffs around the railing support and attached the free end to her other wrist. After securing Alexsis, Grey turned back to the priest.
"Help me," said Father Tonsitino.
Grey moved over to where Veronia lay, saying, "What are you going to do?"
"Help me move her onto the cloth. You get her shoulders." At the priest's direction, they lifted Veronia's limp body and dragged it onto the cloth. They positioned her over the embroidered cross. When the men were done, Veronia lay opposite the direction of the cross with her heels resting on the short cross member.
"Good," said the priest as he smoothed the cloth back flat on the floor.
"Stand over there," he told Grey. Grey backed away as the priest directed. Father Tonsitino began removing Veronia's cloths. He dragged her cotton pull-over blouse up over her head and off her limp arms. As usual, she wore no bra. Moving along her length, he pulled on the elastic waist band of her slacks. In a series tugs, he simultaneously removed her slacks and underpants. He tossed them and the shirt carelessly away.
Alexsis looked at Veronia. Her body was now naked of everything except the opal pendant she always wore. It was a beautiful body that Alexsis knew well. She bit at her lower lip and choked back the potential sobs of sympathy for the humiliation her friend was suffering from these fiends.
Grey's breathing was loud. Alexsis looked over and saw him staring at Veronia's naked body. It was a look she remembered well. At one time, she relished him having that look on his face and for her body. Not now. Especially not looking at Veronia's naked body.
Alexsis sensed that events were moving hopelessly towards something terrible. She wanted to stop all of this. Yet, she knew she was helpless.
"Please. Stop what you're doing. Let us go," she burst out a plea.
Her words startled the priest. He looked up at her and then over to Grey. "She must not disturb this. Get rid of her."
"I want her here. I want her to watch," said Grey.
"Then gag her or something."
Grey picked up Veronia's blouse. He twirled in into a thick cord. Then he tied it around Alexsis' head and across her mouth.
As Grey did this, the priest worked at positioning Veronia's limp body. He laid her hands palm down on either side of her. He spread her legs straight and wide apart. He examined her exposed pubic area closely. Veronia's nakedness, her revealing position towards the priest and the altar and his examination of her horrified Alexsis. Her eyes blurred with tears.
"Good. It is not her time," said Father Tonsitino. He returned to examining the book and the lighted candles. He selected four of them and set them about Veronia's body. One pair of candles was set about a foot either side of her breasts. The second pair was set about a foot either side of her lower hips. Her body shimmered and flicked in their light.
"Undress," the priest said to Grey. He returned to scanning the book.
Grey looked at the priest for a moment, then over into Alexsis eyes. His face took on a fiendish grin. He winked at her. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he puffed up his chest, exposing its thick turf of hair. Grey took his time removing his clothes. While sliding down his pants, the bulge of his erection pushed through the slit in his boxer shorts. He tucked it back in casually before removing them.
"Kneel here," the priest instructed him. He pointed to a spot between Veronia's knees. Grey did as he was instructed.
"Sit back on your ankles." The priest took Grey's hands and set them palm down on the tops of his hairy thighs.
"Sit up straight," instructed the priest, pushing back on Grey's shoulders. "Now, don't move."
The priest went to the altar and retrieved the gold ring of a snake swallowing its tail. He returned to Grey and said, "I have to put this around your cock. You must have it on when you enter her." He reached down and placed it on Grey's erection. It dropped heavily down.
Grey winced, then smiled at the priest and said, "Whatever you say."
"Don't speak again. Not until after you've taken her."
He returned to the altar and consulted the book for several seconds. He picked up the sphere and looked at it between readings from the book. Seemingly satisfied, he went over to Veronia. There, he carefully placed the sphere in her navel and spent considerable time positioning it.
When he stepped back, Alexsis noticed that flickering candles had given the brownish-yellow sphere the appearance of having lost its distinct shape. It seemed to be a wavering mass of dark red color floating at her navel. Alexsis' attention was captivated by its jelly-like contortions.
"You will keep your eyes on the red sphere," the priest said to Grey. "Don't look at anything else." His words appeared unnecessary, for Grey was watching it intently.
"Now I must pray for Him to come to this impregnation. It will take time. You're not to move or say anything. Just concentrate on the sphere. When she is fertile and He has arrived, she'll reach out for you. Then, you will take her and impregnate her with your seed."
Satisfied that Grey understood, the priest returned to the altar and studying the book. Father Tonsitino picked up a clay pot, took a stick from it and ignited it in the flame from the dish of liquid. When the stick began to smolder on its own, he laid it on the tall brass piece that had been used to put Veronia to sleep. Thick smoke rose from the stick. Its smell soon reached Alexsis. The odor was pungently spicy. After a few breaths of the odor, Alexsis felt herself becoming sexually aroused. She looked over towards Grey's still strong erection. She remembered it inside her.
Alexsis thoughts were interrupted by the movement of the priest. He took the serpent supported dish and placed it just beyond the top of Veronia's head. The smoke from the burning stick floated upward a foot or so before it settled downward around Veronia's head. It appeared to be attracted to her.
Satisfied that the smoke was reaching Veronia's nostrils, Father Tonsitino returned to the altar. He began reading aloud from the book. The sounds he made were a chant. He chanted slowly at first, frequently stumbling over the words and articulations. His tempo improved as he continued to read. Alexsis found the chanting almost pleasant sounding.
Alexsis let her gaze return to the sphere in Veronia's navel. It still wavered in the light. She looked at Grey. He stared into the sphere. The smell of the incense grew stronger. Alexsis let her curious gaze drift to his erection. The uncircumcised mass of flesh no longer appeared as unpleasant looking as it had when he first undressed.
Looking at it, she noticed that it had a flickering brownish-yellow glow about it. After watching for several seconds, she concluded that somehow the sphere was focusing the candle light onto his erection. The thought delighted her.
The chanting of the priest continued. It only stopped when he periodically turned the page of the book, added liquid fuel to the dish or lit more of the incense. Even then, he repeated a sound over and over again -- much the same as chanting a mantra. Distant thunder sounded. It's remote rumbling seemed to compliment the priest's chanting.
The smoke from the incense filled the floor around them. It got progressively deeper over the next several minutes as the priest continued his chanting from the book.
Time began to lose meaning for Alexsis. The priest's chanting and the smell of the incense absolved her concerns for her welfare. Other than the chanting, Alexsis was only aware of the wavering sphere and Grey's immense erection. She began to sense an itch-like feeling between her legs. It was an itch she began to wish Grey's erection would satisfy. He couldn't or wouldn't, as he was frozen in his kneeling position staring at the same sphere that made his erection look so appealing.
Alexsis squirmed slightly, seeking satisfaction. The desire to quell the itch increased, teased by her slight movements. Alexsis pulled her knees upward and forced her upper thighs tightly together. She moved and twisted her pelvis to the tempo of the chanting sounds of the priest. She stared at the glowing erection imagining it soothing the itch that her movements were inadequately satisfying. A flash of relief at last came. Her body sagged under the unburdening. The satisfaction was less than complete.
Alexsis returned her weak gaze to the wavering sphere. She let her mind absorb its sight and the chanting of the priest. It wasn't long before she was asleep and dreaming.
In her dreams, the world throbbed to the same tempo as the priest's chants. She was a tiny girl looking for her mother. She sought her in clay pots and string drawn pouches. Her mother was nowhere to be found.
From room to room, Alexsis wandered looking for her mother. In one room she saw priests chanting, naked except for their black over white clerical collars. Each had a huge erection that dwarfed any she ever had seen before. They looked at her with lust in their eyes. "I'm looking for my mother," she stammered.
"In the big room with red walls," they chanted in unison. She fled their room in fear. Her fear was that if she delayed to subdue their erections, she wouldn't find her mother.
As she stepped from the room, she saw Veronia in the distance. She too was naked. Alexsis wondered if she knew where her mother was. Veronia did not seem to hear her calls. Alexsis watched her go through a door.
She rushed down the hall to the door Veronia had entered. It had closed behind her. The door handle that she reached for was gold colored and L-shaped. What greeted the grip of her hand was a slimy thick cylinder of flesh. Closer examination revealed a penis shaped handle in her hand. Without mental reservation she gripped it to turn. Fluid spewed out and it turned soft -- drooping limp and useless. The door remained latched. She called out to Veronia to let her in and began banging on the door.
Suddenly, her pounding pushed the door open. Veronia was nowhere to be seen inside the large windowless and seemingly empty room. All of a sudden, she noticed it wasn't empty. For to her left stood a satyr. It watched her intently. It was a huge, burly beast with a pair of large horns on its hairy head. Its face was masked with a curly red beard that matched the rest of the hair on its body. The eyes were bright red and wavered like jelly. His muscular torso led to massive stumps of thighs. These tapered quickly to thin shins that mated with cloven hoofs.
Most fascinating about the beast was his erection. It was gargantuan -- clearly closer to the size of horse's than a man's. Seeing it sent quivers through her stomach. His look told her what was about to occur between them. Her fear was mixed with hunger. Inside her raged the urge to consume that erection within her. That urge co-existed with the knowledge that doing so would bring both ecstasy and pain.
The ache between Alexsis' legs yielded a wetness. Her breathing pulsed as rapidly as she knew he would, once inside her. The urging ache muted the fear. He stepped slowly towards her. She wanted him to hurry, for the sparks were beginning to fly within her. He wouldn't. She stepped towards him. That action massaged the area between her legs enough to turn the sparks into an explosion.
Alexsis awoke to that erotically intense explosion. In her mind, it melded with the sound of close by thunder. She squirmed to prolong feeling. Like the thunder, it ebbed away all too rapidly. All that remained was the image of the approaching satyr. Without the mitigation of lust, the fear of the image dominated her. For a second or two, she didn't fully realize it had been a dream.
Awake now, Alexsis saw that nothing in the room about her had changed. The priest still chanted. Veronia still lay nude on the floor between the candles. Grey still knelt poised for he role in this rite.
Alexsis saw that Veronia's muscles were drawn tightly, showing themselves in rigid relief beneath her skin. Her body was slick with moisture. The candle light next to her reflected in a large smear from the sweat on her skin. Grey too was wet with sweat. His muscles too were taunt. He seemed to be struggling forward, barely held back by a powerful restraining force.
The spicy smell of the incense was oppressive. The air of the dim room was full of drifting smoke that occasionally took on a recognizable shape before diffusing back into just smoke. Alexsis watched the shape of a winged serpent coagulate and then break up. Horned beasts and similar gargoyle shapes came and went. Alexsis fell back into sleep. The sleep was filled with the beasts she had seen in the smoke. All had the reddish eyes of the jewel in Veronia's navel. All had erections that she fearfully ached to have. She drifted in and out of these sleeps several times, usually awakened by the explosion of a climax of anticipatory lust and a concurrent clap of thunder.
Finally, Alexsis awoke to a change in the chanting of the priest. The sounds were no longer the continuous undulating sounds that had lulled her to sleep so often. They were shorter and clipped; more directive in nature.
The priest was nearly to the end of the book from which he read. His clipped sounds were getting louder and more forceful. The sounds brought pulses of lust to Alexsis. She looked longingly to Grey's still immense erection. It was soaked with the clear liquid that seeped from its tip. She wanted it. Yet, she was painfully certain it was not destined for her.
She was filled with a jealous hurt as she let her gaze drift to Veronia. Her view locked onto the stone in Veronia's navel. It had turned black. As the priest barked out his clipped sounds more loudly and assertively, she saw the blackness of the stone begin to seep out of it. It became a black cloud above the stone. Unlike the smoke from the incense, this cloud did not drift and dissipate. Rather, it hung coagulated over Veronia's abdomen. It constantly swirled without distinct shape. Wisps licked from it, flowing like the eruptions of solar flares.
Among the words the priest was snapping, came Veronia's name. Then, Grey's. The other words were unintelligible, but Alexsis sensed that they were ordering Veronia. Veronia moved. Her chest heaved a filling breath. Her legs spread farther apart, ever so slightly. Then, her palms turned over, as if she was welcoming Grey. The black cloud at her abdomen shuttered in a frenzy of turbulence. It moved above her pubic hair. An arm of the cloud began to drift like a penis down between her legs. None of the cloud touched her.
Veronia's breathing became rapid and loud. Alexsis remembered her dreams. She was sure she knew of the ache Veronia was feeling within her entire being, but mostly deep in her pelvis.
The priest barked out more strange words that included Grey's name. He stirred. His buttocks rose from off his heels. The erection stood out above the black cloud. The black cloud now agitated upward and surrounded the erection. Then, as if sucked up by a vacuum cleaner, it swept into the slit of Grey's erection and was gone. The erection swelled larger, like a snake bloated on something eaten.
The priest barked out another retort that contained Grey's name. Alexsis envied Veronia for what was about to happen to her. For the dreams had never given Alexsis the physical satisfaction for which she ached. She watched Grey as he leaned forward to let himself down onto Veronia.
Then, it happened. The interior of the church was filled with a quivering light. The sound of thunder began before the lightning's illumination died. In the illumination, Alexsis' attention was grabbed by the Virgin Mary's statue standing against the opposite wall. The statue's image continued to shimmer in her retina even after the lightning ceased. The woman of the statue looked alive. Her gaze stared at Veronia's prostrate body. A look of deep pain-laden sadness filled her eyes. The look of sadness touched Alexsis. It brought back to her the reality of what was happening. The look washed away the lust Alexsis felt.
Another flash from lightning filled the church. The Virgin Mary's statue returned to view. Or was it the Virgin Mary? Had not Veronia often said that the Virgin Mary, like her, was actually the personification of the Perpetual Mother? The image of the statue that Alexsis saw now no longer had its hands folded in prayer. Rather, her right hand pointed towards Veronia. Her left hand was held palm upwards, with the fingers curled partially open. The statue, with hand gestures and eyes, beckoned Alexsis to go to Veronia's aid.
Alexsis wanted to help to her. Yet, she was helplessly bound by the handcuffs to the communion railing. Alexsis looked at Veronia. Veronia's heaving chest and slowly moving hands showed that she was about to submit to him. Veronia was about to become another undoing of woman-kind's future.
A third lightning bolt burst the room into brilliance and thunder. Alexsis' attention was snatched by a flickering near Veronia's neck The dying lightning lingered in the opal of Veronia's pendant. The pendant sparkled and glowed a bright blue-tinted white. The light captivated Alexsis. She felt herself drawn into it. A part of Alexsis tumbled into the light just as she had so often tumbled into Veronia's eyes.
The fall was brief, although the distance seemed infinite. Alexsis was immediately aware of where she was. She was of the common mind that Veronia had said their ancient fore-mothers possessed. Alexsis now existed simultaneously on two isolated sides of a bottomless chasm. On one side, she sensed what Veronia sensed. On the other side, she knew her own knowledge and felt her own body's feelings.
Alexsis heard and felt what Veronia did. Through Veronia's mind she understood the priest's demanding chants of "Submit, Veronia! Bring forth His child! Give life to His greater glory..." Alexsis felt Veronia's lusting ache for the wet swollen flesh that was about to penetrate her. Veronia's desire was a thousand times the yearning that Alexsis had felt in her own body. Veronia's lust was for a pleasure so great that it could only be derived from the ultimate sin -- a pleasure that would take her imperceptibly close to the border between intense pleasure and intense pain.
Alexsis was nearly drawn into the fury of Veronia's desire. Only the link with her own mind and body held her back. Alexsis still understood the depths of the evil that was imminent.
"No, Veronia! Stop!" Alexsis called out to the lusting mental presence she knew to be Veronia. "You must not let this happen."
Alexsis felt a mental shove from Veronia. "Leave me alone. I can't stop now. I must have a daughter."
"No," said Alexsis, persisting. "Can't you see. It's Him that you will produce. Him! He's evil."
Alexsis felt another lust ladened thrust of repulsion from Veronia. "Get away from me," came the message with it. The force of the thrust pushed Alexsis towards the chasm that separated them from being one. She balanced precariously on its edge. She feared that if she fell she could not reach this state of dual presence again.
Veronia's attention returned to her lusting desire for gripping the approaching flesh. Her distraction saved Alexsis from the fall.
Alexsis felt despair. Veronia appeared hopelessly beyond help. Alexsis rummaged hastily through her mind for a solution. She found none. All she saw was a memory of their escape from the cabin in the Colorado mountains. Then too, things had seemed hopeless. The only thing that had saved them then was the Perpetual Mother. 'But, where is She now?' wondered Alexsis.
Through Veronia's senses, Alexsis heard Father Tonsitino call out, "Lord, Father of Christ, come and sanctify this act. Send us the seed of your second Son!"
The words sent a shiver of terror throughout Alexsis psyche. With all of the will power she could muster, she called out a silent prayer. "Perpetual Mother, I know that you hear me! Come to me! Help me to save us all!"
The thought was barely complete before Alexsis sensed a third presence with her and Veronia. "Alexsis, your perfect faith has brought me here," said a soft soothing voice.
"Veronia," the voice continued. "Free yourself from the lusts of the body that traps you. The time has come to act."
For a moment, nothing changed. Then, suddenly, like a screaming mob struck mute, the lust that had saturated Veronia and submersed Alexsis was gone. What remained was blessed emptiness.
"Their power is immense," Alexsis heard Veronia think in her normal and lucid manner. With that thought, Alexsis saw Veronia's disappointment over the inability of her human body to combat the priest's ancient spell.
"We have the capability to stop them," came the firm thought of the Perpetual Mother. With her thought was the impression of the need to act. Indeed, as Alexsis looked from her own body's vantage point, she saw that Grey was about to penetrate Veronia's exposed opening.
What Alexsis saw passed mentally and simultaneously to both Veronia and the Perpetual Mother. Their repulsion to it was immediate and powerful. Their three minds coalesced into one intellect. Half following and half participating, Alexsis felt Veronia's arms rise and her hands shove the unsuspecting Grey away from her. Through both her own eyes and Veronia's, Alexsis saw Grey's body propelled backwards like a toy doll thrown by a child.
In one simultaneous move, Veronia next grabbed the amber sphere from her navel and bolted to her feet. She was standing tall and firm before Grey's body stopped its tumbling at the feet of the priest. The startled priest grabbed the ancient book and backed away from Grey.
An astounded look came over Grey's face. It lasted only briefly before change came over him. The dark pupils of his wide eyes turned into the glowing red of burning embers. The thick hair of his sweat-sheeted body grew more dense and longer. As she watched, Grey's body metamorphosed further, taking on the form of the satyr of her dream. Yet, what she saw now was more frightfully distorted and uglier than any dream she could imagine. Despite the changes, Alexsis could still recognize Grey.
The voice that came from his transfigured throat rumbled and rasped as roughly ugly as his form. "Do not contest me in this matter. Submit to bearing my child and spare yourself unbearable suffering."
"No! Never again shall we submit to you," said Veronia's deep voice. It carried with it an echoing persistence.
"No!?" howled the Satyr-Grey. "You dare deny me? You fool! I shall have you a thousand times and to your utter agony each time! You will bear me many sons!"
The Satyr-Grey leapt to his feet and rushed towards Veronia. His approaching form, with its forearm-length erection, set terror clamoring loudly within Alexsis. She saw nothing of this in the calm mental psyche of Veronia or the Perpetual Mother. Rather, she sensed them absorbing the evil fury in the intent of the Satyr-Grey. The energy they absorbed was re-focused, as if by a mystical mirror, into an invisible barrier between them.
The Satyr-Grey reached the barrier. His motions slowed. He strained to move through it. The harder he strained, the more energy Veronia's psyche reflected into strengthening the wall. His rising rage fortified the barrier even further.
"Arrrgghh!" screamed the Satyr-Grey in frustration as he backed away from the wall. His chest heaved heavy from the exertion. His breathing rasped like a saw against metal.
"Submit or I will destroy her," he raged, looking over at Alexsis' body. The raving red-eyed look he gave Alexsis, sent a shutter of fear-driven nausea through her body. She saw in those eyes the power to do what he threatened.
"No. I will not submit and you will not harm her," said Veronia.
With Veronia's defiance, Satyr-Grey's face became contorted and purple. Alexsis began to feel his anger touching her skin like heat from a raging fire. She felt the temperature of her flesh begin to rise rapidly. At the same time, her mind sensed Veronia's actions. Again, the mystical mirror appeared and reflected the erupting heat of Satyr-Grey's assault. This time, the focus of the re-direction became the cowering priest. One moment, he stood by the altar clutching the ancient book close to his chest. The next moment, all that remained was a six-foot tall statue of black ash. It crumpled of its own weight. The gently moving air smeared the fine ash over a large area.
Seeing the result of her shield, Satyr-Grey screamed, "I'll damn you to eternal chaos. You and everything else that you have stolen from me." He started to quiver in anger. Like a large sounding board, the ground around him seemed to amplify his trembling. Alexsis felt the movement from her own body as well as Veronia's. The shaking increased. The timbers of the ceiling creaked and groaned. Alexsis' mind was certain that the surrounding walls and ceiling were about to bury them. They didn't.
Alexsis sensed in Veronia why the structure held together. She mentally watched as Veronia absorbed the energy emitted by Satyr-Grey. Like a huge sponge, she sopped up more and more of the power his evil was generating.
The sponge filled quickly. With no excretion of its contents, the sponge appeared dangerously close to its absorption capacity. Then, Alexsis watched Veronia release the absorbed energy in a brief focused burst. The energy was pushed into the ground beneath Satyr-Grey. Its intensity was so great that the ground beneath him split. A six-foot wide chasm formed beneath him. It ran across the width of the church and pulled the stone walls of the church cleanly apart.
Satyr-Grey immediately realized its supporting ground was gone and began to fall. Even as it quickly disappeared, Alexsis saw the black cloud appear and Grey's normal form return. It was Grey's scream that she heard fade into the depths of the abyss. Veronia tossed the sphere into the chasm after Grey.
All that was left behind, hanging over the chasm, was the dark cloud from the amber sphere.
The black cloud turned into a loud miniature tornado-like swirl. The tornado's winds formed the blurred words, "I no longer need that weak piece of flesh. For I shall personnally return into my chaos all that you have taken from me."
Alexsis felt the ground shake. She heard and felt raging winds. They coldly lashed rain horizontally through the broken walls of the church. Among it all, Alexsis heard Veronia's calm voice proclaim, "You shall never un-do what I have created."
The mass of dark smoke twisted and pulsed more and more rapidly. Through Veronia, Alexsis sensed the colossal power that the turbulent evil cloud was generating. She watched as the evil cloud sought to send its destructive power reverberating throughout the planet and its atmosphere. Veronia strained to prevent it. She reflected most of the energy into the shell of a large sphere that surrounded the church. As the energy flowed from the cloud of chaos, Veronia's mystical mirror focused it into strengthening the shell around them. Some leaked through. It caused the earth around them to quiver and convulse violently.
The struggle between Chaos and Veronia continued with numbing and deafening vigor. Alexsis sensed the taunt strain of Veronia's mental muscle against Chaos's mental muscle. Alexsis felt Veronia's trembling as she held the mystical mirror that reflected and focused Chaos' energy. Alexsis sensed Veronia's concern over her ability to prevail.
Alexsis felt Veronia beginning to weaken. She sensed that Veronia knew that the end was near. The time had come to act decisively.
"Go!" Alexsis heard Veronia mentally order her. "Leave me to finish this." With Veronia's order came an image of her plan.
Even as Alexsis shut off her mental link with Veronia, she saw the end occurring. Veronia released her restraint on the walls of the sphere where she had been focusing the energy. As if powered by a huge elastic squeezing, the sphere of energy shrank quickly around the cloud of chaos. Veronia continued to focus the screaming rage of the black cloud into the pressure that compressed the sphere of energy. As the sphere shrank, Veronia's body dissolved into a myriad of sparks. They coated the inside of the sphere.
<----->
Alexsis was never sure afterwards about the timing of it all. It could have happen in an instant, or it could have taken hours. Nor was she sure how long she lay there trying to recover her senses from the jolt of supernatural energy she had encountered.
Her mind only regained its sense of time when a cone of morning sunlight pierced the broken wall of the church. The light fell onto the church floor where Alexsis had last seen Veronia standing. Something glinted brightly where the sunbeam fell. The glint, like Veronia's eyes, stirred and beckoned Alexsis. She pulled her binding handcuffs through the railing that had broken during the earlier devastation.
Alexsis approached the sun illuminated spot. Standing over it, she saw what was causing the glint. It was the pendant Veronia always wore. Alexsis bent over and picked it up. She looked closely at it. Then, she fell to her knees and began to cry, giving out both tears and deep pulsating sobs of joy and sorrow.
Inside the pendant, Alexsis had seen a tiny black cloud surrounded by a sphere of sparkling stars.