‘I hadn’t realised you were starting so early,’ Nich announced as he joined them. ‘How is work progressing?’
‘As you see, we have opened the passage,’ Professor Cobb answered. ‘Currently we are shoring it and making preliminary notes. You have missed little.’
‘Good,’ Nich answered and moved to beside Lily, the others moving further back to sit down in the grass.
The work continued, the team pushing deeper into the interior of the barrow and bringing up lights, illuminating a long passage of red-brown earth with grass roots growing from the roof and walls. Lily found her excitement rising, also her arousal, while the dank tunnel gave her the same feelings of sanctuary and protection she had known in her dreams. Glancing back, she found Violet, Tammy and Juliana chatting happily, animated, perhaps aroused, but not overtly so.
Linnet arrived to join the others, not from the main path but from the track that led down the hill to the north. She was in a summer dress, a loose white cotton smock that showed the contours of her body beneath, apparently naked. As she approached she turned a handstand, proving she was nude underneath with a brief flash of pubic hair and pert bottom. She laughed as she landed, and put her hand to her mouth as if on the sudden realisation of what she had shown. Lily smiled and waved back at her greeting, wishing she herself could feel the small woman’s simple, unrestrained happiness.
As Linnet sat down one of the team appeared in the tunnel mouth, announcing that they had reached the slab, and that the last of the shoring would shortly be in place. He disappeared again and Lily glanced to the stile, praying that Ed would not appear before she had at least had a chance to look at the slab. Her need was urgent, stronger even than her normal curiosity for ancient sites. If Ed came she knew she would go, and that as his fiancée she would get no help from the others. Ed did not appear, but Alice Chaswell did, hurrying over to them and apologising for her lateness.
‘Your timing is, in fact, remarkably good,’ Cobb answered. ‘In a moment we can go in.’
‘Excellent,’ Nich remarked. ‘I trust I may accompany you?’
‘Yes, yes,’ Cobb answered, ‘in due time, the way is narrow. Alice and myself should, I think, be first.’
The shoring team returned and Lily watched with mounting impatience as the initial investigation of the slab was completed. At last her turn came, and beside Nich she ducked low and entered the passage. It was well lit, stretching through the red earth. The floor was soil, then broken rock and at last hard sandstone before they reached the slab. She was sweating, despite the cool, fresh air and the undeniable draught. A lump rose in her throat as she focused on the slab, a great piece of granite, set at a low angle, her own height or more and nearly as wide. Marks showed on the surface, smooth, flowing curves, eight arms spread around what might have been eyes.
‘Beautiful,’ Nich breathed, reaching out to stroke the smooth surface of the stone.
Lily was trembling, her heart hammering in her chest, her nipples agonisingly stiff, her panties and thighs wet with juice.
‘There’s a breeze,’ Nich went on. ‘I can feel it. Beneath is a hollow. We must persuade them to lift it, we must.’
He moved back, making a salute to the image on the slab. Lily nodded and followed him, finding it hard to draw herself away. Outside, Nich’s efforts proved unnecessary. Alice had already persuaded Cobb that it was crucial to lift the slab without delay. Again she glanced nervously at the stile, then at the group of girls, finding Linnet looking back at her with a knowing smirk.
Heavy equipment was brought up, the shoring team sent back down, and after a wait of agonising frustration they returned, reporting that the slab had been moved and what appeared to be a natural opening into the rock revealed beneath.
‘You said it from the first,’ Cobb addressed Alice. ‘I admit I was sceptical of your famous intuition, but I take it back. Now let us see what we have found.’
He went down, Alice also, again leaving Lily in a state of nervous frustration. Alice alone returned, highly excited, telling the others to follow. Again Lily entered the passage, her feelings stronger than ever, leaving her weak-kneed as she finally reached the end and peered into the gap where the slab had been pushed aside. Two brilliant arc lamps illuminated it, a gaping cavern running with the low plane of the strata, widening from the hole. The roof was marked, figures cut into the sandstone, writhing, flowing curves of tentacles and the soft contours of female bodies, entwined together, caressing, copulating.
Lily tried to stifle her cry as she came, involuntarily, without so much as a touch to her clitoris. Embarrassment welled up inside her, but if Nich or anybody else had noticed they gave no sign. He was staring at the carvings, his mouth wide, then squeezing into the gap and shuffling crablike down the slope to join Alice and Cobb.
Nich nodded and went back to his examination of the carvings, his eyes wide with wonder and delight. Lily stayed close to him, her body in his shadow, sure that her sexual arousal would be all too obvious. It was impossible not to look at the carvings, and looking at them was bringing her rapidly towards another orgasm. All were in the same, smooth, flowing style, unlike any art she had ever seen. The human figures were undoubtedly feminine, some petite, more with the opulent curves she had seen in early carvings of the Earth Mother. One near her showed a girl kissing the bulbous head of an octopus, another a more rounded woman kneeling with the creature on her back, a thick arm disappearing between her thighs and clearly into her vagina. More showed women wrapped in tentacles, the octopus on their bellies, the sperm arms curved back to probe their vaginas. Some of the women were kneeling down to lick the bodies of the beasts, others squatting, wrapped in tentacles, or to take the sperm arms into their mouths, between their breasts, even into their anuses.
Her urge was to strip naked, to stare at the pictures and let her mind run with dirty fantasies, of being mated by huge octopus, of doing the same things as the women in the carvings, of being held in eight firm arms, of being penetrated, her vagina filled with sperm arm, then with the sperm itself, of her nipples being pulled up under suckers, of her breasts being enfolded, of the taste of their skin in her mouth, of her anus being opened by a tentacle tip, of coming as a sucker pulled on her clitoris…
She had come again, crying out and slipping on the sloping rock.
Violet sat cross-legged, her eyes fixed on the black hole in the front of the Wythman. Linnet, or Elune, had finished talking, leaving her dizzy with emotion. What had been said was compelling, yet frightening, also hard to embrace. Nich’s concept of the god Sigodin-Yth, or Txcalin, had been easy to come to terms with. It was essentially metaphysical, something she understood, a being that could be sensed, that could influence humanity, but could never be seen, nor touched. Elune had explained that this was merely an echo of her Christian upbringing, and that a god could animate a solid form, yet it was difficult to accept.
So was the thought of entering the earth and dedicating herself to the god, especially when the girls refused to explain the process in detail. To revel in the freedom of pagan belief was one thing; to crawl into a dark hole and down to whatever might lie in wait for her was another. She was also sure her dreams had come not from the god, but from Nich, by suggestion. Certainly they differed from those of the girls, and, although she had felt the same overriding sexual urge at the solstice party, the same was true of every other female present. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, as it was Nich who had brought her to her new level of belief and awareness, she felt it was to Nich that she owed her love. Her chain of thought broke at the sight of movement in the barrow mouth. Aileve emerged, supporting Lily, with Nich following.
‘She was overcome,’ Aileve announced as she helped Lily to the ground.
Thomazina nodded, Juliana moving to place an arm around Lily’s shoulders. Nich squatted down beside Violet, kissed her and put an arm around her waist.
‘It’s magnificent,’ he said, ‘beyond anything I could have imagined. There ar
e carvings, and what Professor Cobb thinks is a form of writing. The carvings go far beyond anything Laverack even dared to speculate…’
‘Laverack?’ Aileve broke in.
‘Yes,’ Nich replied. ‘He wrote a treatise on the octopus in erotic imagery. He knew of Sigodin-Yth.’
‘I knew him,’ she went on. ‘Theo Laverack, he was my lover in ’57. We went to Brittany together, and I told him some of my dreams.’
‘You affected him strongly,’ Nich replied. ‘Thomazina has explained to me. You may speak openly.’
‘You are a man,’ Juliana stated. ‘Still, you have rare sympathy. You seem to have induced dreams in Violet, as hers do not come from the god, or not entirely.’
‘No?’ Nich answered. ‘But she called on him and he came.’
‘You came,’ Juliana went on. ‘A green man with the head of an octopus, the image the Celts gave Txcalin, mingled with your own image. I am impressed, I wonder, but she is not a true dreamer.’
‘Suggestion,’ Violet added.
‘You may still go down, if you wish,’ Elune said.
Violet shook her head, unable to answer, or to meet the girl’s eyes.
‘I’ll go,’ Lily said softly.
Elune rose and walked to Lily, taking her hand. Violet felt herself shivering and leaned closer into Nich. For a moment there was silence, broken by the sound of voices from the direction of the barrow. Aileve rose and walked to where Professor Cobb was emerging from the hole, talking excitedly to his colleagues. He was grinning, his whole body animated, and he greeted Aileve with a hearty handshake. They spoke for a while before Aileve returned to the group.
‘They are going down to the Ferryboat for lunch,’ she announced. ‘I’ve said I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things. Now is our time.’
Violet stood, responding to the gentle pressure of Nich’s arm. Lily rose with Elune and Juliana, her expression dazed, her eyes wide and damp. They walked forward, Thomazina and Aileve linking arms to either side, Violet and Nich following. At the tunnel mouth they stopped. Elune spoke, a tumble of words in the same, quick sibilant language she had used when mounted on Nich. At the end Violet caught a word that may have been Txcalin. Elune advanced, with Lily’s hand held in hers, into the tunnel, the white of their dresses fading in the blackness, then gone.
‘We must celebrate!’ Thomazina declared. ‘Come down to Abbotscombe, we’ll get drunk on cider and go into the woods for sex.’
‘A new handmaiden,’ Juliana answered, ‘and so lovely. Come, then, there are nettles in Rocombe Woods, I hope.’
‘We must celebrate, yes, but not in Abbotscombe,’ Aileve put in. ‘Elune and I were there this morning. There is likely to be a fuss.’
‘Why?’ Violet asked.
‘She stole clothes for us from a washing line,’ Aileve explained. ‘Her dress and a great big baggy thing so I could get back to my hotel and change. A woman saw her and chased her. I think she saw me, too. Also there is your policeman, Thomazina, who you need not worry about meeting in the town.’
‘What did she do to him?’
‘She led him over a wall on the slope, four feet on one side, twenty on the other. She was still laughing about it when I met her in Rocombe. We can go into Tawmouth: the bar in my hotel serves a cider like your father used to make.’
‘I agree, I need the drink,’ Violet put in. ‘But what about Elune and Lily?’
‘They won’t be back, not for a while,’ Juliana answered.
‘Meanwhile, Nich and yourself may join us.’
‘You do us honour,’ Nich answered. ‘Is there some ritual we should complete, some sort of abasement to Txcalin?’
‘Even you think like a Christian,’ Juliana laughed.
‘There is no abasement. He feeds on joy and sex, not fear or subordination. Elune’s people would drink and couple until they passed out, even the Celts, those who worshipped. I used to join them, and mock the prudish Christians in the street!’
She jumped the stile, breaking into a run on the path, the others following, down to the shore, where the ferry was about to leave. Thomazina came last, letting Nich pay her fee and trailing her hand in the water as they crossed the estuary. She felt happy, blissfully so, revelling in their success and her part in it, knowing that her efforts would bring new love and respect from Aileve and Juliana.
At the hotel they chose seats in the garden, overlooking the sea, deep blue and sparkling with reflected sunlight. Aileve had chosen the Royal, as always, allowing them to watch the sea and the crowds on the front. She and Aileve ordered strong cider, Juliana and Nich heavy red wine from the south of Italy, Violet gin punch. They were quickly merry, drinking and toasting their success.
A waiter arrived, bowing unctuously and suggesting a salad of baby octopus and fish. Thomazina found herself laughing at Juliana’s indignant refusal and realised that she was already drunk. Aileve placated the waiter with a tip and ordered Dover sole, mackerel and salmon, then chocolate cake, ice cream and honeycomb. They ate, becoming increasingly drunk and in ever better humour, even Violet losing her sombre mood.
As Thomazina began her second helping of chocolate cake, with melted ice cream and honey already running down her chin, Juliana nudged her and pointed to the front. A man was walking in their direction, his grey suit and angry expression very out of keeping with the generally happy atmosphere.
‘Lily’s boyfriend,’ Juliana said, ‘the one who drove her to the god.’
‘Ed Gardner,’ Nich added, ‘a customs officer and a regular bastard. I only wish we could tell him.’
‘You can,’ Aileve answered. ‘He won’t believe you.’
Ed’s anger, already high, grew as he saw the drunken group. Nich Mordaunt was there, flaunting his weirdness, along with his freakish purple-haired girlfriend, a fat girl whose beach shorts could barely contain her bottom, some vicious-looking, busty bitch and one of the female archaeologists, which showed that they were all the same: freaks and parasites. Worse still, Mordaunt was looking at him, an impudent, taunting stare.
He walked on, intent on finding Lily. She had been gone in the morning, leaving no note. He had been to her flat, and to everywhere else he could think of, until he had decided that she must have gone up to the barrow. Returning to his house, he had waited, intending to teach her once and for all who was in charge when she came back to make his lunch. She had not done so, and his intentions of slapping her face and perhaps taking his belt to her backside and legs had grown to a determination to give her a full-blooded beating.
‘Ah, Officer Gardner, looking for your fiancée?’
‘Yes,’ he snapped, stopping. ‘Was she with you?’
‘She was,’ he answered coolly, then hid a sudden grin behind his wine glass.
‘Well where is she now?’ Ed demanded.
‘Gone,’ Nich answered. ‘Gone beyond your reach, Mr Gardner, gone to her god.’
‘What the fuck are you talking about?’
‘The truth, Ed, even if you could never accept it. She has left you, dedicating herself in preference to Txcalin.’
‘Look, you weirdo, I don’t know what you’re going on about. Where’s my Lil?’
‘Lily has left you, as I said.’
‘Where is she, you little shit?’
Mordaunt laughed and took a sip of his wine. Ed clenched his fists, tempted to drive one into the grinning face. Holding himself with difficulty, he addressed the archaeologist, whose name he struggled to remember.
‘Right, then. Dr Cashwell or whatever your name is, perhaps you’ve got a bit more sense than your weirdo friends. Did Lil go up to Aldon Hill this morning?’
‘Yes, and it’s Chaswell, Dr Alice Chaswell.’
‘Right, so what I want to know is, where is she now?’
‘As Nich said, she has had a change of heart, and of religion. You cannot follow her.’
‘Bollocks!’ Ed spat. ‘She’s my girl. I want to know where she is, now!’
‘Temper, t
emper,’ the plump girl said and giggled.
Ed closed his eyes, trying to fight down his rising fury.
‘I will tell you,’ he heard, looking round to see that it was the busty girl who was speaking.
‘The tide is approaching low,’ she continued. ‘If you hurry, you might arrive in time.’
‘Juliana!’ the plump girl hissed.
‘No,’ Juliana continued. ‘Don’t worry, Thomazina, he wants to know. I shall tell him.’
‘Get on with it,’ Ed growled.
Juliana reached out, taking the bottle of wine and pouring a slow measure into her glass. The plump girl was staring, round-eyed and frightened. Dr Chaswell looked worried, then suddenly calm, as if reaching a decision. Mordaunt was grinning, his girlfriend merely puzzled.
‘Cross the ferry,’ Juliana said, ‘and go through the tunnel to Ness Beach. Walk out to the Aldon Head and around the ledges of rock until you come to a big sea cave, if you can. Enter the cave along the ledge, then wade and climb until the space opens into a cavern with a sandy floor. There you will find Lily, with her new lover.’
‘I’ll kill the bastard!’ Ed hissed. ‘And bollocks to you, Mordaunt, you freak, with all your crap about gods. I ought to break your arms!’
‘I told the truth,’ Nich answered. ‘Lily’s lover is no mere man. You will find Txcalin in the form of a great octopus, and Lily in his tentacles.’
‘What?’ Ed snapped. ‘You bullshitting little freak!’
Nich said nothing, but shook his head and sipped his wine. Ed’s grip tightened on the wall of the hotel garden, his nails digging into the paint.
‘It’s true,’ Alice Chaswell said quietly. ‘Believe what you like. Lily has tired of your brutish, controlling ways. She has left you for Txcalin.’
‘An octopus! She’s left me for a fucking octopus!’ Ed yelled, then caught himself, realising that several diners from nearby tables were staring at him.
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