by Paul Martin
Carolyn duplicated Sarah's response with a low bow, then feared she did something wrong when Adele removed a small vial from the still open box, not another medallion. Adele handed Carolyn the vial and told her to drink.
Turning to face the coven, Adele said. “My sisters, how say you? Do you accept Carolyn to be your new sister?”
Again, each sister raised her candle high. Carolyn let out an audible breath of relief, surprised at how much she really wanted to be a member of her Grandmother’s coven, carry on in the family tradition even if this wasn't exactly banking. From Sarah’s subtle hints, Carolyn knew there would be more to this ceremony. Silently, she bowed to the others and waited anxiously, not exactly sure what would come next.
Adele handed her candle to Sarah and helped Carolyn remove her cloak, leaving her to stand in front of the coven in nothing but her birthday suit, shivering in the cool, damp air. What the hell did I get myself into? I’m standing naked in front of a bunch of hooded strangers, and yet, for some odd reason, I’m not the least bit scared or embarrassed. So why does this feel so perfectly normal? What’s happening to me?
Adele retrieved her candle and stepped back, allowing Sarah to assume control of the ritual. Sarah stepped to the altar, her eyes clearer, and fastened a blue sapphire pendant around Carolyn's neck; exactly like the one Sarah wore every day.
Sarah chanted, “Goddesses of Air and Water, Goddesses of Fire and Earth, Goddesses of the Moon and Sun, hear me. I present for your approval, your newest daughter, Carolyn Waters.” Sarah then indicated for Carolyn to lie down on the altar.
Carolyn climbed onto the stone slab, surprised how warm the altar felt on her flesh, and laid flat on her back. Hands grabbed her ankles and pulled her legs wide apart, tying them to the corners at the end of the altar. Other hands tied down her right arm. Her left arm remained free until Sarah took her wrist in one hand and held an athame high in the air with her other hand, candlelight gleamed off the large blade.
“Goddess of Fire, my Mother, I beseech you to assist us in welcoming our new Sister into our coven.”
A wide-eyed Carolyn nervously watched the other members surrounding her as they drew similar knives. A brief moment of panic hit her. Oh, my God! They're going to kill me. I'm going to be a sacrifice in some bizarre ritual. Why can't I scream?
The women chanted an ancient mantra that touched Carolyn at a primal level. Every lungful of air she took, Carolyn's senses rose to new heights of awareness. She heard her new sister's hearts beating in cadence to the chanting, each having a visible aura glowing around their heads. Their emotions; confidence, pride, anticipation, and from one, lust, filled her senses.
Sarah neatly cut a long, shallow slice in Carolyn’s left palm with her athame, blood poured freely from the wound. Her hand held above her navel, blood dripped onto Carolyn’s stomach while Sarah sliced her own palm, as did the others.
Her sister’s blood dripped onto Carolyn's body, pooling on her stomach, mixing with hers. A dozen sets of hands began slowly, caressingly, smearing their blood onto her skin. Hands touched her face, neck, arms, and legs. The sensations Carolyn experienced seemed more sensual than anything else did. Old, wrinkled hands mingled with young, smooth hands on her stomach and chest.
Slick hands and fingers caressed her breasts, while others glided up and down her thighs, occasionally brushing against her aroused mound. Carolyn’s body burned with desire, and she bit her lip to hold back a moan as one hand did more than lightly brush up against her damp pussy. The heel of someone’s hand pressed firmly above her clit and twisted back and forth, driving Carolyn into a heated frenzy.
Then, one by one, her sisters licked the blood from her skin, hands continued to caress and tease her, while lips and tongues brought her to a shuddering orgasm—a hard, body-tightening, toe curling, eyeball-rolling orgasm.
Carolyn had never made love to a woman before, and to her amazement, lay in what may well only be called a dungeon, being ravaged by twelve women, yet she couldn’t summon the will to object. It’s only rape if you say no, she reminded herself, and I’m not saying no. A finger's feathery touch on her lips produced an overwhelming urge to take the digit into her mouth and suck. Her tongue swirled around the finger as her mouth sucked away in devilish delight.
To Carolyn’s utter dismay, her sisters withdrew their hands, lips, and tongues, leaving her craving their return. She opened her eyes as one member approach the foot of the altar, casually discarding her robe. The woman appeared to be a couple of years younger than Carolyn, her body tanned, toned, and firm. The full, round breasts rode high on her chest, age and gravity had yet to touch them. The young woman wore a half mask on her face, leaving only her golden hair, chin, and a set of lush, pouting lips exposed.
The cat mask suited this woman to a T. With feline grace and agility, she climbed onto the slab, crouching between Carolyn’s legs, her lips turning into a snarl as she rose to her knees. She then stretched her arms high above her head, clawing at the air, her ribcage fully outlined on her taut body.
Carolyn’s right arm now loosed from its restraint, and licking her lips, she ran her hands up and down her own ribs and over her breasts, anxiously waiting for what this young woman would do next.
Her eyes widened as two robed sisters approached and buckled a strap-on cock to the young tigress. The attached dildo, bigger and wider than any Carolyn had ever seen or used, appeared made from a highly polished, ivory tusk.
Carolyn fell into a sexual fervor as the chanting increased in tempo, her heartbeat matching that of her sister's, and fire seemed to course through her veins as if she were a panther on the prowl. Her vision narrowed, focused on her prey, as the woman crouched between her legs.
Her chest heaved with desire as she stretched her arms, Carolyn eagerly anticipated taking this temptress and to be taken in return. Her feline lover’s head lowered to sniff Carolyn’s dripping pussy. A long, slow, maddening lick along Carolyn’s slit caused her to convulse with a fresh orgasm. Before the shaking subsided, Carolyn felt the huge dildo enter her, the pain unbelievably exquisite. As the dildo inched further and further inside her, Carolyn's fierce desire demanded she take every inch, and right now. Nothing else would quench her wild yearning.
Carolyn’s slick legs, freed from their bonds, wrapped around the woman’s sweat covered hips and jerked her closer, the last few inches of the dildo ramming home deliciously.
Carolyn gasped at the intense pleasure. Imagining Caleb as the one between her legs, and insane with pure animal lust, she rode her lover with crazed abandon. The hands returned, touching her breasts, arms, face, and anus.
Carolyn sensed nothing but lust in the sensual caresses, making her come once more in an earth-shattering explosion, threatening to shatter the last shreds of her sanity as endless, rolling waves of thunder coursed through her rigid body.
Minutes later, and with the orgasm’s last vestiges still echoing inside her, Carolyn slipped into a semi-conscious state as damp cloths cleansed her body. Dimly aware of the warm cloth draped over her trembling body; a sense of floating overtook her while strong hands lifted and carried her out of the room and up the stairs to her bed. The women sang softly as they carried her, an ancient song she vaguely recognized, again not able to place where she heard the refrain before. The soothing tone relaxed her, and a peaceful darkness settled over her.
When she woke, the sun shone high in the afternoon sky. Chester lay curled on her stomach and Sarah dozed in the rocking chair next to the bed. Carolyn smiled lovingly at them, closed her eyes, and fell back to sleep.
Chapter Six
The vision of a smiling Adele standing next to the bed filled Carolyn’s eyes when she opened them. Tantalizing aromas tickled her nose from the tray Adele held, laden with more food than Carolyn normally ate in a week. Carolyn quickly scooted to a sitting position, making room for Adele to set the tray down.
“After your initiation, my dear, you need to replenish yourself.”
C
arolyn surveyed the tray’s contents; a large glass filled with chilled orange juice, a pot of hot tea, a huge pile of steaming, scrambled eggs, toast, sausage links, and a stack of waffles swimming in butter and syrup. “Do you think we can eat all this?”
Adele smiled down at Carolyn. “Not we—you. You expended quite a lot of energy during the ceremony. You nearly wore poor Samantha out, something no one has ever been able to do. It kind of reminded me of my initiation, quite a few years ago, I’m not ashamed to say.”
Blushing, Carolyn asked, “Are there many more ceremonies like last night’s I’ll have to go through?”
“First off, my dear, the ceremony was two nights ago, you slept the clock around and then some. Secondly, the initiation rite is only for new acolytes, like you. Of course, there is always Beltane, our May Day celebration. Beltane can get rather wild, but you need only to participate up to the level of play you want. No one will force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” Then, with a mischievous grin, she added, “Unless you want Samantha’s role? I think you would be very good as the Lover.”
Carolyn turned a beet red. “I admit, I enjoyed myself, but I’m glad I won’t be the center of entertainment again, will I?”
“Child, our ceremonies aren't for entertainment. Acolyte initiation is a very important ceremony. Your blood and spirit now mix with those of your sisters. We are joined as a family, body, and soul, for all time. Now eat, before the eggs get cold.”
Carolyn scooped a large forkful of eggs, took the fluffy morsels into her mouth, and while she chewed, realized what had been nagging at her since she woke. Strange sensations, emotions more than voices, filtered through her mind. “I can sense them!”
“Who can you sense?”
“Why, all of them. All my new sisters.”
Adele beamed. “Very good. Can you describe what you’re sensing?”
Concentrating, Carolyn said, “I don’t hear any voices, more like, I can tell their moods; only I can’t tell who is feeling what. For instance, Sarah? She is very happy, probably baking right now. Then there is another, I don’t know who...”
“Don‘t worry, you will learn to identify each sister as you get to know us better. I believe you are sensing Samantha right now.”
“Which one is Samantha?” At Adele’s canary eating grin, Carolyn said, “Oh! Okay. She’s hopping mad over something, and she’s very sore?” Carolyn said with an embarrassing smile.
“Yes, she is. I imagine she’s mad at her boyfriend again; those two are always fighting. Although, you’re the reason she’s so sore,” Adele said. “Anyone else?”
Carolyn smiled broadly, “Yes, I do feel someone else. I’m positive what I’m feeling is coming from you, the feeling is much too strong to be from anyone else.”
Adele nodded. “In time, you’ll find that distance and familiarity with each sister will affect the strength of the emotions you receive. What feeling are you getting from me right now?”
Carolyn extended her arms to embrace Adele. “Love.”
Adele sat next to Carolyn on the bed and hugged her. “And pride too. You are my sister now; of course, I love you, my dear.” Then sounding more like a mother than a sister, Adele said, “Now, I’m not going to tell you again. Eat!”
Shoveling food into her mouth as fast as she could, Carolyn mumbled, “Yes, Sister Adele.”
* * * *
Breakfast left Carolyn feeling like a boa constrictor who swallowed a large boar or a small elephant. She wondered if it would be safe to take a bath, or should she wait an hour? Would two hours be safer? Her sisters had done a good job cleaning the blood from her, but she needed to soak her stiff and sore body, smell clean soap on her skin, and mainly, wash her hair.
Humming, she added scented oils and bubble bath salts to the hot water. If she sensed her sisters’ moods, they could also sense hers, and she was determined to give them nothing but good vibrations. Slipping into the tub, Carolyn let out a long, “Ahh!”
Growing up with only her mother to call family had always left a hole somewhere deep inside Carolyn. As a child, some of her friends had only one parent, like her, but they at least had brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. When her mother died, she felt abandoned, totally alone in a harsh world. Today, she had a real life cousin, an extended family with her new sisters in the coven, and, if she had her way, a man to love for the rest of her life. Nothing in life sounded more perfect.
If she were to have Caleb though, she had to find a way to free him from Caroline’s curse. The soreness in her body slowly dissolved as Carolyn mulled the seemingly insurmountable problem of how Ellie got into the locked study. The answer came to her in a flash. The same way Hargrove and her coven sisters entered the house! Through a secret entrance.
Old mystery movies were full of old houses like this with secret doors and passages. Furthermore, how does Chester keep getting himself into locked rooms like the library and the spare bedroom?
Cutting her bath short, Carolyn dried off quickly and went to search for Chester, hoping she might get him to show her how he managed to get into locked rooms. She found him in his favorite spot, the windowsill in the library. She tried talking to him, tried coaxing him to show her where the secret door might be. All she got in return was his, Stupid human, do you really think I can talk, stare.
“Some familiar you turned out to be. Okay, you asked for it. I didn’t want to resort to this, however, you leave me no choice, buster.”
Picking Chester up, she carried him upstairs, locked him in the spare bedroom she found him in before, and then rushed back to the library. Not knowing where he might pop out, her head kept swinging back and forth, trying to look everywhere at once.
Looking toward the front, a slow, groaning noise from a bookcase behind the desk alerted her to Chester’s entrance. Carolyn raced around the desk in time to notice Chester nosing open the bookcase, but once he passed through the opening, the bookcase started to close behind him. Carolyn jumped to grab the door before it closed completely, and propped a desk chair in the doorway to keep it ajar.
With flashlight in hand, she inspected the black hole on the other side of the door. Cautiously stepping inside, Carolyn started to follow the narrow passage. A second later, she flew back out, frantically brushing at her hair and clothes, her feet stomping madly as if the floor was on fire.
“Fucking cobwebs are everywhere in this damned house!”
Armed with her trusty broom, Carolyn re-entered and inched her way sideways down the passage in a fruitless effort to avoid touching the walls and the multitude of spider webs. Coming to the end of the passage, she noticed slats nailed across two studs to form a ladder.
“Well, the bedroom is on the second floor.” Tossing the broom up first, Carolyn climbed the ladder and found herself in another maze. Forcing herself to move slowly, Carolyn began tapping on the walls with the butt end of the broom in an effort to detect a hidden door.
When she heard Chester’s muffled cries from the other side, she tried pushing and banging, but the wall wouldn’t budge. Pointing the flashlight at the wall, she inspected the section closely, finally finding a latch, which, when released, allowed the door to swing open. Carolyn stepped into her own bedroom closet.
“Chester! Good boy! You did it.” She picked him up and gave him a big hug. “I’ll bet every room has access to these passages. This is how Ellie was able to get into the library and proves she set Caleb up. I can’t wait to tell Sarah. Before I do though, I need another bath,” she said, brushing more sticky cobwebs from her hair.
Carolyn shed her clothes faster than a whore on a Saturday night and jumped into the shower. Minutes later, her hair still damp, she was knocking on Sarah’s door. Carolyn tried containing her enthusiasm by shifting her weight from foot to foot, as if standing in line at the ladies room, and clamping her hands behind her back so she wouldn’t be tempted to beat on the door too often. Finally, Sarah opened the door. “Sweetie, I didn’t expect you today.
Should I?”
The words gushed from Carolyn’s mouth. “Sarah, you’re not going to believe this! I found how Ellie got into the library. She used a secret passageway. They’re all over the place. We can free Caleb now!”
“Slow down, child. What’s all this about secret passages?”
Carolyn inhaled deeply; spicy scents wafting from Sarah’s kitchen filled her nose. “Mmm. What smells so heavenly? What are you baking?”
“Thank you, dear. I’m baking peach, cinnamon pies. Would you like a slice? We can talk while we eat.”
Carolyn's stomach growled. How can I possibly be hungry after eating such a huge breakfast? She chuckled. “You’ve convinced my stomach, at least.”
Sarah’s unhurried, methodical pace annoyed Carolyn at first. However, once seated with a large wedge of pie and a glass of ice-cold milk in front of her, she felt calmer and took up her story again. “I found how Ellie managed to get into the library without a key. I discovered a whole bunch of hidden passageways. Every room in the house is connected one way or another to all the rest. Ellie would have easy access from the passage in her room and be able to enter the library without anyone observing her.”
“How marvelous, my dear. Ester used to wonder if her drafty old house hid a secret passage or two, only we never did find any. How did you find them? Did you use a spell?”
“No. I used Chester, my familiar.”
“Oh, how very clever of you. Why didn’t we try using one of our familiars?”
Carolyn shrugged. “Chester's the one who's clever. What do we do now? Do we still need to call Ellie in a séance?”
Sarah thought for a minute before answering. “No, I don’t think we need to now. I believe we should summon Caroline instead and present her with the evidence you’ve discovered. Adele said she will help at the séance.”
“Maggie did too. Will four people be enough?”