Chapter 15: The Mother of...
Sue was in her own world, immersed in Maggie's book. She practically had the thing memorized at this point, but she was trying to read between the lines. If Dr. Barnes had left any hidden clues, Sue couldn't find them. She had no idea what would happen to her during the second rite and what the final trial would be. The obscurity must be by design. She simply needed to wait and see what would happen--not an approach she was happy with at all.
In her mind, she was committed to the process; she would meet the challenge of becoming a Nuymean priestess. Her decision was already made despite not knowing the price she would pay--there was always a price, wasn't there? The general lack of information was a concern, but she was past the point of no return. She felt a sense of finality that made her stomach do flip flops. Her trust was simply expected. Part of the test? Yes, she would face it. Would she measure up? She might fail to meet the expectations of those around her, but she vowed that she would not fail herself. Priestess or failed science experiment? The outcome would tell her: real or imagined, delusion or phenomenon, potential greatness or obscurity.
Several sections of the text had ritualistic language in them along with notes on pronunciation. In all of Dr. Barnes' writings, this was the first mention of how Nuymeanic was actually spoken. How did Maggie know what it sounded like? Regardless, Sue repeated each section over and over, sounding out the words. She knew that she would need to speak them for the ritual, but for what kind of audience?
The Viking chastity belt was a serious distraction. The lock kept clunking around on the chair. She had to lift it up when she sat down to get it out of the way. It made her feel like some ill-mannered ranch hand adjusting his balls after a long ride.
Her naked breasts and mostly naked body gave her a constant feeling of exposure which reminded her of her predicament just as much as the relentless squeeze of the corset. In the end, the effect made her just plain horny. Something about the confinement and lack of access to her own body was making her crazy. A few months ago, masturbation was just a basic needs thing like washing her hair. Now sex was an obsession. She would get on her knees and beg to be released from the belt if that's what it would take. She never wanted to come so badly in all her life, never thinking of sex as an urgent need before.
Somehow she focused on the book through it all. It was the fear. Phrases like, "I now give my body up to the service of the gods," and "May the gods find me worthy to possess," tended to catch one's attention. She practiced saying them over and over hoping her Nuymeanic was correct. Most certainly, getting such a ritual wrong would be a really bad idea.
She
must
be ready for the solstice and the second rite despite the short time frame. If this was her life's moment, she was going to grab it with both hands. Waiting another year was not an option she even wanted to think about. She was already formulating a plan. Not only did she want to approach the ritual properly as its subject, she also needed to attend properly to the science involved. She would start by examining the Nuymean ritual circle on the other side of the annex. Chances were slim to none that anyone would see her semi-naked.
As soon as she could get some clothes, Sue would go upstairs to the storage room holding all of the prepared liquids, gels and herbal solutions. She would prepare samples to send off for analysis, especially the main preparations used in the ritual. The more she knew about them the better. The book didn't say what they did, but she knew that they would be mostly likely applied to her body. They weren't lamp oil and incense.
Next, she would look through the other records for more information, now that she had a little better idea what to look for. There had to be more to go on. For example, an ally would conduct the ritual. What or who was the ally? Where did they come from? Some kind of avatar? The book raised more questions than it answered. It was mostly a set of illustrations, hieroglyphs and detailed instructions with no reason or purpose explained.
A knock at the door startled Sue.
Finally!
She got up carefully to answer the door. The heavy lusterite phallus shifted inside her. She couldn't help but to pry at the ancient steel of the belt once again compulsively--she still had one or two unbroken fingernails. Her goal was only a few millimeters behind the ancient steel, but it may as well have been a mile. Once again she pounded the plate in frustration barely managing to rattle the industrial lock hanging at her crotch. None of the sensation reached the right areas. She stood up straight, trying to look nonchalant, but inside all she felt was indignation.
When she opened the institutional steel door, Sue found Maya waiting anxiously, a little out of breath, wearing her typical tight jeans and long-sleeved top. As usual, her make-up was impeccable. The colder air from the annex poured into the warm suite. Suddenly she was extremely conscious of her naked breasts as her nipples immediately reacted to the draft. She wanted to cover herself, but realized it would betray the embarrassment and insecurity she really felt. She motioned Maya inside so that she could close the door. It definitely felt awkward being mostly naked around someone fully dressed.
Maya was bursting to speak. "I got here as soon as I could. Bill didn't give me much warning before taking off. I guess you all had quite a night last night."
Sue had the impression that Maya was fishing for more details about what happened, maybe they didn't tell her everything. "I don't remember some of it very well, but I can't wait to catch up with those guys for locking me up and leaving me here like this. Please tell me you have the key to this stuff?"
"I'm sorry sweetie, but they had good reason. Don't worry, it'll be over with before you know it, and I'll help you as much as I can."
Not the answer Sue was looking for. "What is that supposed to mean? I can take care of myself. Good reason? This is ridiculous," she fumed.
"So you don't know? I guess you couldn't. You never heard what happened with my Mom."
Whoa! How did she miss that? Sue's head was spinning, but she didn't want to act like she didn't know. She couldn't be talking about anyone else. Maya was the daughter of Dr. Maggie Barnes? Sue could see Charlie's features in her face now. Did everyone else know? Things like this reminded her just how much of a geek she really could be, serious density. She had to start paying attention to last names. Sue didn't want to let on that she didn't know the relationship and tried to keep her best poker face.
"What happened?"
Maya took a deep breath. "After a lot of training, women start to go through a process my Mom called
alignment.
They start to channel an effect, like an aura, when they are in contact with a lusterite phallus. I know its not scientific, but it happens with observable results. The aura can influence the mind. Men's sexual desires can be completely consumed by the power of it. The guys doubted they could resist for long if any of them was alone with you. With women, the aura is more of an individual thing affecting only the woman in contact. My Mom said it physically affected a woman's brain."
Affected the brain? More than a bit scary. Sue remembered the strange events with Bill last night. Maybe that's what happened. None of this was mentioned in the writings.
Eureka!
Like a flash, Sue had a realization. The lack of men in the Nuymean works and artifacts: this had to be why.
Sue immediately had serious doubts about a possible scientific basis for this aura, but Maya and the guys obviously believed in it and so did the Nuymeans. Perhaps it could be some kind of psychosomatic phenomenon like certain voodoo believers experience, imagined but real to the subject. Regardless, it was a question that needed an answer; she clearly experienced something first-hand the other day. At least, she
thought
she did.
Where to start? Were they all trying to set her up? She had to allow for that possibility even though she had no reason whatsoever to believe this was all an elaborate hoax. If it were, then how they pulled it off raised even more questions than it answered. What was the motivation anyways? Unlikely.
