Chapter Eleven
Morgan was still dazed about Tracy’s performance. He went back to his room and saw an email from Alfonse. A big file, the promised outline, was attached. He was relieved to have a distraction. He printed it out and hopped onto his bed to read. He kept seeing Tracy’s naked body in his mind’s eye.
“Man these women lately!” He mumbled to himself. His phone started buzzing repeatedly. He opened it up and saw a string of emails from Tracy.
He spoke to the air, “Beautiful women are blowing up my phone with nude pictures.” He smacked his head in amazement. He copied the pictures to his computer, then copied them to the new phone.
He texted Demetria. “Tracy said to send these along.”
Demetria replied, “She’s a goddess! Can you both come here? Talk to Robbie for safe passage.” For good measure she sent a selfie with Vera kissing the side of her face.
Morgan chuckled and mumbled to himself, “I guess the life of a consort has its privileges.”
He switched phones and texted Tracy, “Hey! Want to go visit Demetria? I think she loves you, now. Ask Robbie for deets.”
A few minutes later the phone buzzed. She replied, “We have to walk at night!”
He wrote back, “OK, so what’s the big deal?”
She replied, “It’s twenty miles! 5 hours!”
He wrote, “No biggie! It’ll be fun.”
“Pick you up in an hour?” She wrote.
“OK. CU.” He replied. He packed a backpack with a change of clothes and his toothbrush. He wrote a note and waited out on the porch for Tracy to pick him up. He watched the cars roll by on the pavement for an hour and breezed through Alfonse’s outline and occasionally made notes in the margin.
Tracy beeped the horn and stopped the car. He waved with his cast hand and jogged over to the car and hopped in. He said, “This should be a nice adventure!”
Tracy nodded. “I just hope we don’t get lost. Robbie said I’d be able to find the trail. Anyway, it’s supposed to be a nice night.”
“Hopefully we’ll figure out a more convenient way to get back and forth, soon.” Morgan said. “A twenty mile walk? Wow. I think that will be a personal record by about 18 miles.”
They ate dinner and lounged around waiting for nightfall. Tracy read through a list of instructions from Robbie. They powered down their normal cell phones and put them on the counter. She shut off the lights in the kitchen. They shouldered their packs and went out through the basement door and shuffled into the woods. Morgan whispered, “I wonder if this is really necessary. Seems like overkill.”
“Overkill? Boy, you just got shot by the people hunting your lady love!” Tracy hissed. “Robbie knows what he’s talking about. They do this stuff all the time.”
“Good points.” He bumped into her. “Sorry! How can you see where you’re going?”
“I guess I have good night vision.” She replied. “Stay close. Hopefully your eyes will adjust soon.”
After a half hour of bumbling through the dark woods, he could finally see. They rambled along at a good pace for a couple hours and emerged from woods into a field by a stream. A crescent moon was shining and reflecting on the water’s face. It was very dark and the night sky was full of stars and some wispy clouds glowed in the moonlight. Crickets were still chirping and the water burbled over some rocks. The smell of fresh cut hay was heavy in the air. They paused by the water.
She said, “This really is beautiful. Who could have guessed all these trails are here?”
He nodded and gazed up at the moon. “I know, it’s like we’re in the wilderness. How far along are we?”
Tracy said, “I think this is the halfway mark.”
“Good!” Morgan said. “I still feel surprisingly fresh.”
“Me too, this is fun.” Tracy smiled. “How’s the arm?”
“Luckily, it’s nice and cool tonight, so it’s not too itchy. I can’t wait to get this cast off.”
“Robbie likes to complain about all his achy bones, so now you’ll be able to join in.”
He became thoughtful. He said, “Hey Tracy, you know being around Demetria is, well, a very unusual experience? I told you a little bit about the whole thing with Steve and Marta. Really, I left a lot out, anything could happen.”
She took his cast arm in hers. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
He was surprised. “Really?”
She said, “I am not sure if all this is really sinking in with you, yet. I think it is with me. We keep getting a chance to make these choices: ordinary life, or this crazy, wild one. You chose crazy every time so far. I’ve just been watching. I’m like a kid who’s afraid to jump into the pool. So now…” She pretended to hold her nose and jump into an imaginary pool.
“OK.” He nodded. “I see. I plan to keep making these crazy choices and keep going to the very end.” He pointed down the path.
They continued hiking and eventually were on an old network of farm roads that spanned fields between two county roads. The miles ticked by easily. The night was just starting to give way to morning and they saw a sign on the edge of the path. “Elysium Farms”.
Tracy said, “Hey! We made it!”
Morgan stretched, “That wasn’t bad at all. My legs are tired, but I’m surprised we could do that so easily.”
Tracy nodded, “Me too. Ok, so I guess we just go on in. Remember, it’s Marta, not Demetria.”
Morgan sighed. “Poor Marta.”
They crossed the big open field, passed the birch grove and found the farmhouse and barns. A person was working in the dim incandescent lights of one of the barns, so they knocked on the open barn door and called out, “Hello?” Tracy said.
“Whoa!” Vera jumped. “Man, you freaked me out!” She was doling out breakfast to goats. “Say hi, girls!” She scratched one of the goats behind the ears. It bleated.
“Sorry to startle you,” Tracy said, “We’re friends of David and Marta and Amy by the way. I haven’t seen her in forever.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Vera.” She waved at them.
Morgan apologized, “Sorry we got here so early. We never walked that far before so we gave it way too much time.”
“No problem. David said you’d be here. I’m just not totally awake yet. I am used to being out here with just my thoughts for a couple of hours. Let me show you up to Marta’s room.”
A barn near the farmhouse served as a garage and the second floor had been converted into a couple of small apartments. Vera tapped on the door and opened it carefully, but it still creaked. Demetria was fast asleep. Morgan and Tracy crept inside and closed it carefully.
Demetria’s black hair cascaded down her back onto a multi-colored Hudson Bay blanket and her white skin was ghostly in the twilight. Morgan put his bag on the floor and carefully sat on the edge of the bed. He put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. She stirred awake. “Morgan!” she said dreamily. She sat up and the blankets slipped down. She was naked under the covers. She hugged him and gave him a big kiss.
“Hi!” Tracy waved.
“Get in here, you two. It’s chilly. You can keep me warm. There’s plenty of room and we have a while before we need to get out of bed.”
Tracy stripped off her clothes.
Morgan said to her, “Hey, Can you help me get this shirt off?” Tracy was a little nervous and fumbled with his shirt. When she got it off, she smacked his bare butt. He laughed. “I guess that’s fair play.”
Morgan hopped into the bed and Demetria hugged and kissed him. Tracy slipped in on the other side and Demetria hugged her and kissed her face. Demetria sat up between them and stretched languidly, then stroked their backs with her fingertips. She said, “I am going to teach you both many things. They were always kept secret among my people, but you could go shout them on the street corner and nobody would understand.” She thought for a long time and finally said, “You two have a complex relationship already, but you’re very stifled together and that wil
l keep slowing us down.” She stroked their hair. “Do you feel the energy that’s bottled up in you both? By now, I feel it is getting intolerable.”
Tracy mumbled huskily, “Yes, I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin into yours, Demetria.”
“Good!” Demetria was pleased. “That’s poetic. It’s good you can put it into words. You two are like pagans, untroubled by the teachings of any old fools and not bound by dead hands. It is so much easier with you!” She clambered out of the bed. Demetria pulled some oil out of a dresser. “I made this yesterday.” She examined them both. “Oh you two should kiss, I think, look at the awkward space between your bodies, just don’t get over excited, Morgan. You have a lot of work to do!” She coached him.
Tracy held his face in her hands. She planted a kiss on his lips and her tongue darted into his mouth.
Demetria said, “Oh wow. I feel that energy. Lay back Tracy.” Demetria poured fragrant oil into her hands and into Morgan’s. They began to rub the oil into Tracy’s skin. Tracy tried to relax, but she couldn’t help but respond to their touch and moved with their hands. Demetria said, “You’re going to start seeing things, just follow them.”
All the sensations merged into a bodily static charge and soon Tracy felt like she was floating away on an electric sea. She closed her eyes and saw a bright field and a girl with long dark hair, almond eyes and olive skin. The girl wore a white gown and a brocaded green and gold sash and a belt that was embroidered with pictures of flowers. The ocean sparkled in the distance. Demetria stood next to Tracy and said, “That was me when I was your age.” Demetria put her arms around Tracy’s shoulders. When Tracy blinked, she was looking through Demetria’s eyes at her own body. She saw herself breathing and saw her pulse beating in her neck. She reached out and touched Morgan’s face. It was very real.
She said, “Whoa!” from Demetria’s mouth with Demetria’s voice. Morgan looked at Demetria and Tracy said, “I’m in her. It’s me Tracy.”
Morgan kissed Demetria’s mouth. The sensation was so foreign that Tracy snapped back into her own skin and gasped. She saw Morgan and Demetria still kissing. “Now I’m down here.” She said. She felt supercharged with life and energy.
Demetria smirked at Morgan. She said, “If you thought being a consort was easy, you’re about to earn your keep.” The two girls attacked him.
EPISODE TWO -- I Had An Irish Setter
Three Years in The Past
The Chardon Chronicles: Season Two --- The Winter Page 11