Sapphic Tales - Sisters of the Moon

 

Desire (a Poem to Aphrodite)


Bethany in thought:

'Fore the first breath of dawn was the Morning Star drawn
O'er the hills to the East of Paphos
When the cygnets took wing where the ragged rocks ring
The shores of the isle of mythos

From the foam and the spray in no royal array
Did she rise from the waters at dawn
Knowing naught but desire that burned as a fire
Completing the high Pantheon

From the sea she ascended as the Graces attended
And adorned her in golden raiment
Then she rode a great shell 'pon the waves as they fell
To the shoals of the coastal descent

Aphrodite was born one Cyprian morn
By the seed of Dione and Zeus
For the love she inspires in your carnal desires
I will charm, bewitch and seduce'
                                         By Bethany

Melissa in thought:

'From pine-clad hills, I watched the Goddess rise out of the azure sea.
Come to shore. Her bronzed body gleamed in the sunlight
Blown in on Zephyrus warm breath, her divine skin shimmered
Droplets of water fell like sparking jewels from her sinuous shape.
Upon her deathless brow, they placed a well-wrought crown, both fair and golden
 
Into her pierced ears they put adornments made of orichaic and costly gold; around her tender neck and breasts, so alluring, they arranged necklaces of gold.
And when she'd been adorned with lavish finery
They led her to the Gods, who saw and welcomed her with outstretched hands.
I watched from the hill, as the Goddess proceeded inland, to the place where her Temple was built. Before the temple, an altar was dedicated to her divine and lustful rites. In the woodland glade, amidst the scent of Thyme and Rosemary, her servants would honour her in the rites of love and lust.

I felt my calling had arrived; my sisters would be called also to her service.
My thoughts were with the dark haired one, whom I had known before and in a time before. My body ached for her. I knew our time together again was at hand, for as I walked through the pine trees, to offer myself to Aphrodite's service. I knew my eyes would behold her once again.'

                                                            By Melissa

Bethany's remembrance:

'My heart raced, as I stepped up a rocky slope through sprays of myrtle and fragrant oleander. The untouched beauty springing forth at my every turn filled my heart with love for this ancient isle, for I knew it was chosen for us. My memory of her was as if we had embraced but moments before, and I knew the pounding of my heart was more anticipation of her touch, than the exertions of my climb, for she was near. I would forever be bound to my spirit-sister through some mystical design the Powers had ordained we play a part.

From a shimmer of light through the highest limbs of a wild orange tree, I was drawn off my path by the call of curiosity. Voices like the far-off peel of bells drew me hence, as did the sharp fragrance of orange. My mind opened as if summoned, and the bright faces that looked down upon me were familiar. Calliope and her sister Erato sat upon nearby branches, as their feet danced together playfully. 

"Where goest thou, young lioness?" asked Erato. 

"She goes to serve the new goddess," quipped Calliope, "Only her thoughts betray another calling."

I felt my naked skin blush as I was transparent to the eternal Muses. Their beauty aroused me to trembling ecstasy, but I could not delay, though I longed to hear the poetry of their song. 

"Do not get stung by the honeybee nymph!" warned Erato brightly. 

But Calliope touched her sister's hand, and said softly, "Melissa has already pierced her heart, has she not, young Ariel?" 

My face warmed, as Erato replied, "Aphrodite's young lioness may sting the bee-nymph with her talented tongue!" 

Calliope laughed and dropped her tablet to my hands. "You cannot come before Aphrodite empty-handed. Offer her this!" I looked up to give my thanks, but they were gone. I gazed around the hillside, and a gust of wind brushed the fronds of a feathery tamarisk against my bare legs. The sensation brought me back to my purpose, and with the Muse's tablet in hand, I skipped to the brow of the hill and entered a grove of olive trees. 

Wandering in the distance ahead of me, I saw her approaching a colonnaded temple of travertine. I stopped and stared at her beauty. She sensed my presence, turned and smiled. My brow lifted, and the flower of my sex grew slippery, as we met again by the temple of our goddess Aphrodite.'
                          
                                                      By Bethany Frasier

Melissa's remembrance:

'I stared in amazement; it was she, my lover I had last seen at sunrise on the Samhain, in another time and another place. She drew my gaze into her deep brown eyes, which I recalled so well. My eyes locked with hers, and I felt my legs tremble. We looked lovingly at one another's naked bodies. How well I recalled her beauty, her soft, warm skin glowing in the light of the bonfire that special night. And here again she stood before me, as naked as I recalled, when we made love in a frenzied dance of passion under Northern Skies.

She leaned towards me and kissed me slowly on my moistened lips. Night was drawing on, shadows were lengthening, and the sweet scent of the wild flowers permeated the twilight. I brushed her long hair from her face, and smiled.
Suddenly, the Goddess herself appeared, smiling unlike any human could. She spoke softly, "Girls, my beautiful girls, I have summoned you here to serve me well, in ways no other semi-divine beings have been granted. Come take my hand, each of you."'

                                                    oOo 
        
The Narrative begins:


She led the lovers to an altar in front the Temple, crafted from the finest white marble. Aphrodite beckoned to a priestess, "Bring us the finest of the wine."
Bearing golden goblets, the priestess offered them to the trio. "Drink, my friends. Drink deep", Aphrodite intoned. Both Melissa and Bethany took a long draft of the heady brew, feeling it flow through their limbs. Aphrodite drank too, and called for more. Soon, the three of them were laughing. The darkness was falling quickly now, the shadows lengthening. The priestesses were lighting lamps, which hung from the trees, as the flames cast flickering shadows. Soon, the sound of music filled the air - lyres, drums, and sweet song. The sweetest voices imaginable sang praises to the mighty Goddess of Love.

Aphrodite, looking upon Melissa and Bethany, slipped her white gown from her shoulders, revealing the most perfect and desirable body, Her skin shimmering in the golden light from the hundreds of lamps glowing in the darkness. Her breasts were perfectly formed, her taut belly, and the rise of her mound highlighted. Her firm thighs beckoned. They held hands in awe; they felt their syrups begin to trickle down the inside of their thighs. Smiling, Aphrodite motioned for Melissa and Bethany to disrobe, which they did immediately. They both felt the refreshing coolness of the night air upon their naked flesh. Aphrodite looked approvingly on their nakedness, "My girls, you have such wonderful bodies; so enchanting. Approach me!"
 
                                                               By Melissa G


Hand in hand, they stepped naked upon the marble dais of Aphrodite, and reclined luxuriantly upon her tapestried curule. Bowing at her feet, Bethany held out her gift - the wax tablet of Calliope, framed in a case of etched gold. With her right hand, she received her tribute, as she cupped and caressed Melissa's soft breast with her left. Turning to the handsome figure behind her throne, she commanded:

"Eros, my love. Read to us now from the gift of my fairest and most faithful supplicants."

The golden-skinned bowman took the tablet of the Muse, and leveling his gaze at the assemblage, he began to read with a clear voice.

The song of love has echoed long
A chorus through the ages
And bards have offered words enough
To fill a million pages

From harlots moans to poets rhymes
The chorus has been lifted
And ever have the gods allowed
Desire to be gifted

Oh fairest femme in all ideals
Art thou the single thought
That fills the endless yearnings
Our desire has ever sought

For beauty did the gods bestow
The daughters they endowed
With tempting form and faces fair
That they would carry proud

But eros is the fevered love
Which will not be restrained
By mortal hand or human heart
It cannot be contained

For though the gift the gods have sent
Is precious beyond measure
They proffer too a guiding hand
With such a baneful treasure

Personified in spirit form
Both beautiful and mighty
Innana they have given forth
And also Aphrodite

Though some may say these haughty femmes
Are one and all the same
Their tales are told in different times
Of how they both became

Though Aphrodite rose in foam
From 'neath the coastal sea
Her sister roamed the Sumer steppes
'Fore Cyprus came to be

Daughter of the moon they claim
And sister to the Sun
Innana played at love intense
A battle to be won

Her beauty fierce, an iron will
That would not be forsaken
She dared descend the underworld
But her life was cruelly taken

Her sister-god declared her false
Erishkigala cried
That fair Innana came to steal
Her throne in endless pride

Innana lay alone in death
For days they counted three
But two would follow through the gates
Of hell to set her free

Ugala were the demons called
That Enki brought to life
Gala Tura and Kur Jara
Together faced the strife


Eros shifted uneasily before the poem was concluded, and raised one brow staring closely at the two beautiful attendants to his mistress. Aphrodite though, remained detached, caressing her two favorites erotically. Eros was secretly indignant that the poem of Calliope belabored the importance of his mistress' prior avatar, Innana. This was a night for Aphrodite after all, her first upon her throne.

Hypnos and Morpheus, standing near the golden bowman, noticed the impressed wax of the golden tablet softening under Eros' heated touch, and offered to hold the heavy golden gift while he refreshed himself with drink. Aphrodite stirred, as if roused from a dream, and noticing Morpheus now holding her gift, asked him to read it to her again. The God of Dreams began slowly, for the impressions in the softened wax had seemed to subtly blur. Morpheus looked deeply into the poem, and with a soothing voice, began his soft, personal recital to the Goddess and her two exotic priestesses. As if entranced by a dream, Melissa and Bethany became lost in each others charms, softly kissing and caressing each others skin sensuously. Under the caring touch of the Goddess of Love, their sex became sublime and nearly infinite in depth. The story of Innana began to wrap them into a sexual dream, soft and darkly mysterious.
 
                                                          By Bethany Frasier


The voice of Morpheus became a velvet toned incantation; its mellow tones seemed to fill the ears of the lovers as they softly and tenderly caressed each others naked skin. The light from a thousand torches gleamed over their bronzed and supple bodies, glistening with sweet sweat. The mighty goddess was enthralled as she observed her priestesses' love making. She stood and loosened her white robe and let it fall to the floor. As Melissa and Bethany writhed in orgasmic ecstasy, Aphrodite began to masturbate herself, calling out in her golden voice, she cried in utter wantonness, and fell upon the two girls in wild abandon. 

They made love in that sacred grove before the Temple as the moon rose high in the night sky. Three bodies, lost in sexual frenzy, they took it in turns to satisfy the Goddess. Bethany lay between Aphrodite's open thighs and lapped at the divine nectar, which poured forth like a silver fountain from the Goddess' divine sex. The taste was finer than anything she had ever experienced, and she felt her head swim from the heady juice. Melissa lay next to the Goddess, and used her hands to stroke Aphrodite's enormously stiff nipples; her lips kissed the Goddess, deeply and sensitively. They felt the Goddess shudder and shake as her orgasm roared through her magnificent body.
 
They lay together for awhile, wrapped around each other. Aphrodite rose to her feet, whilst the girls admired a body so perfect, no mere mortal could ever hope to emulate. 'My sweet girls, you have served me well, and you have earned my love and protection, for I will always be with you, even when you cannot see or hear me. Come now, Morpheus has prepared a bed of soft mosses for you. Lay here and rest, and let sleep enfold you. In another time and another place, I have need of you'. Exhausted by their exertions, Melissa and Bethany lay down to rest as the Goddess smiled over them. Morpheus came forward, beckoned by the Goddess. As they lay in each others arms, Morpheus sprinkled a cloud of golden dust over them, and they immediately fell into a deep sleep.
 
Now by a bond unknown by any but the Olympians, Melissa and Bethany shared the same dreams, and as they slipped out of consciousnesses, images began to cloud their minds while dry hot desert winds blew. On the wind, the moaning of a great demon seemed strangely present. They saw mighty rivers, cities of mud brick, with towering buildings. In their minds, they heard the whisper of a name, over and over again, Inanna. Their purpose was becoming clear, Inanna, predecessor of the mighty Aphrodite was in some way needing assistance. Back in time, they were being sent through the magic of dream, to rescue and restore Inanna. 

The dream was revealing piece by piece, the tablet of Calliope was no story for their entertainment, but a task set by the mighty Goddess. They were to descend into the underworld of Sumerian mythology, and bring forth Inanna from the underworld. Both girls saw clearly now the form of Inanna's dark sister, Erishkigal. They unknowingly trembled in their slumbers, for the form of Erishkigal was frightening, and yet beautiful. The girls wrapped themselves in sleep tightly around each other, for in their lost world, they knew not yet whether they would wake in another reality, or carry out Aphrodite's task as a dream within a dream….

(c) 2008: Melissa G
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 7:03 PM

In their dreams were they changed in form though their spirits remained intact. Melissa and Bethany were called out of the darkness of their shared dream by the voice of their mistress, summoning their help. From the underworld beneath their feet arose the spirits of two demons who saw them in their nakedness and whirled them into their embrace. They danced as one as their legs spun in the shadows and their breasts bounced to the beat of a far-off drum, or perhaps it was their heartbeats. The demon spirits hugged close to their bare skin and attracted to the scent of the sex they had shared with the goddess, entered them through their aroused slits, possessing them with the fire of the Ugalla. 

Melissa and Bethany pulled each other close together and wrapped their legs around each other as they let go of their separate selves and each of them joined with their demon spirit. The sound of the drum grew louder and became maddening to Melissa and Bethany, who suddenly felt they were being torn from the womb of their dream-world. They were wrenched into madness, possessed by demons and the two lovers had only the comfort of each others embrace until that too was stripped from them. A blindingly bright confusion assailed their minds, towering ziggurats against an azure sky, an imperious voice commanding their attention, but they were too lost and bewildered to take heed or understand. Only two names rang out from the cacophony, Kur Jara and Gala Tura, then a sense of danger and preparations to be made, and then there was darkness.

They awoke slowly, feeling unfamiliar hands caressing their naked bodies—small, soft hands which were comfortingly feminine. Warm oils scented with spice and cedar were being anointed into their soft skin, and when they opened their clouded eyes they saw the sinuous shape of a beautiful young woman, back-lit by the torch-light.
 
"I am Nincubura and you are in the Temple E-Apsa."

The two girls sat up, reflexively drawing their knees to their bare breasts, less to hide their nudity than an instinctive fear of the unfamiliar. The young woman tried to soothe their fears and answer their many questions, but with a note of urgency in her worried voice. Bethany queried first:

"I felt before that we were being held in the hands of a giant! Was it but a dream?"
 
"No," said Nincubura. "You were both brought into this world from the dust under the nails of Lord Enki, to whom I was sent in desperation by our mistress, for she is now dead. But foreseeing her doom by the hand of her sister Ereshkigal, she prepared by calling you hence. You have served her faithfully as I do, for you are her most-beloved and therefore mine also, and I have loved you while you slept. I am her minister upon this world, though my temple is in Uruk. We are now in E-Apsu, the temple of Enki in Eridu. Please! I beg you to learn quickly. You have been given the spirits of two Galla demons from the underworld, for only so-possessed could you ever return to Kur to rescue Innana. You will go by the names Gala Tura and Kur Jara. 

"You must pass through seven gates as did our Lady, but you must do so secretly. You were chosen of all who serve the goddess of desire because you are the most beautiful and seductive of her priestesses, and only through those wiles can the dark Ereshkigal be charmed into releasing the corpse of Inanna. She will offer you a riverful of water, a fieldful of grain, but you must refuse and demand the body of Innana. You will carry the water of life, Gala Tura, and Kur Jara will carry the food of life which together will revive the goddess Innana. Come with me now to the palace of Ganzer where lie the gates to the underworld. The first Doorwarden is Neti. The drum you hear beats a requiem for our lady, but the sound will hide your footfalls, for you must enter the first gate without being discovered."

(c) 2008 Bethany Frasier
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Friday, July 11, 2008 - 12:37 AM

Melissa and Bethany hugged each other tightly. They were dressed in fine white linen gowns, around their necks were beads of the finest Lapis Lazuli. Strands of fine gold were woven into their hair, hanging down like golden rain. They embraced each other, the pounding in their chests made their breasts rise and fall with every beat of their hearts. Melissa smiled warmly at Bethany, and kissed her warm soft lips. 

"We face the terrible prospect of appealing to Erishkigal, our mistress’ dark sister. Let us not be afraid, for Aphrodite is with us through time and space. She will guide us." 

Bethany smiled in return, "Whatever ordeals we face, we face together under divine auspices. Enki has given us instructions to appease Erishkigal. We shall not fail to raise our Divine mistress from death." Melissa took Bethany’s hand. 

Ninshubur looked the girls over and nodded her approval, "Go forth now. Take this path and approach the entrance to the underworld. I have dreamed that Inanna’s future avatar is watching over you. I know her not, except that she is come, and yet has been, and always was here since time began." The girls smiled knowingly. Nishubur pointed along the pathway, "Go now, and the great Mother be with you."

Melissa and Bethany slowly walked hand in hand downward towards a great door of bronze set in the face of a cliff. An echo of distant drumming could be heard seeping out from under the door, faint and yet insistently calling them on. As they stood before the great doors, they considered how best to pass through the gateway undetected.

As they stood before the gate to the underworld, voices could be heard, mingling with the drums. In response, Melissa began to sing in her angelic voice, and Bethany sang with her in sirens tone…

“I am the daughter of the Ancient Mother
I am the child
of the Mother of the World.
I am your daughter,
O, Ancient Mother
I am your child
O, Mother of the World.
O, Inanna! O, Inanna!
O, Inanna!
It is you who teaches us
to die, be reborn and rise again.
Die, be reborn, and rise!
Her story/Lore
Queen of Heaven and Earth

As they sang, the great bronze gates swung open, and Melissa and Bethany, aware they must pass undetected, still did not move though. Neti, the gate keeper of terrible aspect appeared. He glowered at the girls. 

"What do you want? Why do you seek passage into the underworld from which none can return?" 

Melissa and Bethany smiled at Neti and kept on singing their chant. Neti stood transfixed as the girls' voices mesmerized and disarmed him. Turning to Bethany, Melissa slipped off her linen gown and stood proud and naked. Neti could only gasp at the perfection of her body displayed before his weary eyes. Bethany followed Melissa’s lead, and removed her gown, letting it slip slowly to the floor. Slowly the girls began to dance a dance of raw passion. Moving around each other, they stroked each others flesh. Neti was transfixed, his jaw hung slack as Melissa kissed Bethany. 

They caressed each others breasts, making their nipples harden and stand proudly erect. Sliding a hand between Bethany’s open thighs, Melissa rubbed her slick wet sex, enjoying the sensation of the velvet smoothness of her partner’s labia. Bethany threw her head back, and uttered a high-pitched moan of total abandon. Hearing her Siren’s voice, Neti became paralyzed. He could neither move nor speak. Melissa continued to make love, for there could be no stopping now, Bethany’s and Melissa’s love for one another was too strong. 

Bethany’s body was bathed in sweat, and eager fingers soon pushed into Melissa’s cavern. Melissa groaned as her orgasm gushed forth like the water of life. It ran in rivulets down her lean bronzed thighs. Finally, the girls paused for breath, panting, then embraced in the glow of their love making. Finally, they remembered the dumbstruck Neti. 

"How can we pass undetected, Melissa?" Bethany asked. Melissa smiled, and took a strand of fine gold thread from her hair. She approached the gate keeper. She wrapped the golden wire about his head, and as she did so, she closed his eyes and whispered in Neti’s ear. 

"You will remember nothing when we pass through this gate. You will remember nothing." With that, she took from a small pouch about her waist a sprinkling of powered lapis lazuli, and cast it into Neti’s eyes. "You saw and heard nothing, by the power of our lady Aphrodite." Bethany understood. The Goddess had granted them magical means to pass on through the gate and into the descent towards the encounter with Erishkigal. Melissa took Bethany by the hand, and together they descended into the dark passageway, lit by flickering torches....

(c) 2008: Melissa G
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Friday, July 11, 2008 - 5:57 PM

The last light of the living world narrowed to a sliver behind Melissa and Bethany as the massive bronze doors swung together and closed behind them. They had passed the first gate of the underworld and its guardian Neti remained outside, standing sentinel, oblivious to the deception of Melissa's spell. Their eyes slowly adjusted to the torch-lit dimness of an enormous stone staircase descending down into the murky depths of Kur, leading them to the second gate. The echoing drumbeat grew louder now as the young girls walked hand in hand towards their next test. As they approached the second gate, they beheld a large obsidian bust of the dark goddess Ereshkigal, elder sister of their mistress watching them from a deep-set niche in the stone wall. The gates of heavy carved cedar were bolted shut however, and no gatekeeper to unlock them presented himself. 

They looked around but saw no other way past the gate. Melissa began to realize that she had forgotten that Neti was the doorwarden of ALL the gates of the underworld, and without him to open the locks they would be trapped between the outer-most gate and the second door. She looked at Bethany but knew that she too understood that they had miscalculated. They hugged each other close to dispel their fear but looking over Melissa's shoulder Bethany saw the lapis lazuli stones taken from Innana by Neti as she passed through the second gate. They were placed reverentially upon the bust of Ereshkigal, shining a dull blue reflection in the light of the eternal flame of the flickering torches. She suddenly realized that the crown turban of Innana which had been taken from her mistress by Neti at the outer gate had never been recovered. Was it still outside the first gate, Bethany wondered. 

"My love!" said Bethany "The seven periapts of power carried by Innana were surrendered at each gate. Here are the blue lapis stones of her necklace." As Bethany lifted the string of stones, they touched the obsidian and their natural vibrations resonated together. The harmonics sang in Bethany's mind and the power of obsidian to clarify thought unclouded the fear from her mind and she suddenly saw a solution to their predicament. "The STONES! Do you hear them singing? We have traveled through time and great distance on many occasions during our journeys. The night we danced around the Samhain fire we were transported to the Violet Coast. We were surrounded by the great circle of standing stones and through their power did the goddess create a portal to send us to Pizzo. The lapis stones too are imbued with the powers of the goddess Innana. If we focus our emotions in harmony with her natural powers the stones will take us to wherever we will them."

Melissa saw how to make the plan work. She smiled at her lover and motioned her over. Bethany brought the strand of blue jewels and handed them to her companion who un-looped the doubled strand. She lifted the gown from her lover's shoulders letting it drop to the floor. Shimmying out of her own sheer gown, they faced each other naked, and pulling Bethany to her breasts, Melissa placed the opened string of lapis stones over their heads and around their shoulders. 

"Desire is the power of Innana. Our love will empower her amulet. But we host the galla demons and they are sexless. Without them we cannot survive our descent to the underworld, so we must be sure they are not left behind." 

Bethany removed the lapis lazuli beads with which Ninshubur had adorned her and touched them to the lapis stones of Innana. Melissa followed her example and the trinity of lapis sets began to sing in harmony. The vibrations amplified and sent waves of indescribable pleasure through their skin wherever they touched. Bethany lowered herself to the cold stone floor pulling Melissa down with her, and they faced one another with their legs spread wide around each other. Bethany touched her humming necklace to her lover's throbbing slit and Melissa immediately gasped for breath as the pleasure penetrated her sex. 

She was soon gushing the clear nectar of her arousal and Bethany slid the stones between her lover's opened labia and into her sexual cavern, pushing them up towards her womb. Gala-Tura awoke to the virginal penetration and felt the flame of desire ignite within its demon spirit for the first time in the eternity of its existence. Melissa responded with an uncontrollable orgasm and knew she must act quickly before she lost the capacity. She lowered her vibrating beads and guided her hands to Bethany's already aroused sex and slid them deep inside her. Kur-Jara's demonic spark erupted into a flaming torch of unaccustomed passion as Bethany shuddered with a climax and grabbed Melissa by her arms pulling her to her. 

Consumed by incalculable pleasure and desire, they focused their love upon one another and pulled their bodies together, touching their quivering sex and grinding them until their orgasms enveloped all four entities into one perfect flame of pleasure. Their last thought focused on the journey together, and as they lost conscious awareness of the time and space they occupied, it began to slip and pass them as their combined bodies and spirits dissolved through the material into the ether, passing beyond the second gate like phantoms.... like beams of light slipping through the cracks...

(c) 2008 Bethany Frasier

Bethany and Melissa stood on other side of the second door. Their bodies seemed to glow as if coated in bronze. Peering ahead into the flickering shadows, they saw the path descend down a flight of stairs. Hand in hand, they turned and faced each other. Melissa stroked Bethany’s face, softly, gently, with sensual intent. Her tongue slowly licked the sweat off Bethany’s cheeks. Melissa pressed her lips to her lover's and kissed her warmly, deeply. She felt Bethany respond. Even in this dark cavern, their love was only too evident. 

Bethany placed her arms around Melissa’s shoulder’s and drew her tight against her. Lifting her right knee, she pressed against Melissa’s wet sex, causing her to tremble as her nectar fell onto to Bethany’s insistent knee. Melissa’s hands reached around Bethany’s back and slid down, feeling the fleshy fullness of her buttocks. She eased her cheeks apart, and pulled Bethany tighter against her. They shuddered in mutual passion. Smiling, they turned and faced the way ahead. 

Walking slowly through the torch-lit gloom, they followed the path and descended a steep flight of stairs, which curved around as they went ever lower. A low sound of wailing seemed to float over the constant drumbeat—the trance-like beat that never ceased. Feeling no little trepidation, they reached the bottom of the stairway. A large cavern appeared before them. The ceiling appeared to be high up, and it was lit by oil lamps, which glowed from out of niches in the rough cut rock walls. 

Gripping hands tighter, the girls stood and allowed their eyes to penetrate the dark corners. At the far end of the cavern they could see the third set of doors. They looked dark and forbidding, made from ebony wood. In the center stood a pedestal, where a statue of a winged demon perched. Around its neck, they could make out Inanna’s double strand of beads. Slowly, they moved forward. In movement faster than the eye could discern, the demon was upon them. It flapped its hideous wings and swept Bethany aside. Bethany was slightly stunned as she hit the rock wall, and she slumped to the ground.

The demon seized the struggling Melissa, and as much as she struggled, she was virtually powerless. The demon ran rough talons over Melissa’s naked body, causing Melissa to cry out in pain, and as trickles of blood oozed from her scratches, the demon howled in triumph. The evil creature dragged Melissa over to the pedestal and tied her facing the cold stone. Shouting out in a strange tongue, the creature held a whip in its talon. As the helpless Melissa attempted to free herself, the demon brought the whip down across Melissa’s shoulders, with a horrible slash. She screamed out as the lash cut her skin. Each stroke made the demon cackle with foul pleasure. Blood ran down her back as each cut bit into her beautiful skin, causing red weals. Sweat poured from Melissa’s body, as she groaned with the pain. 

Bethany, clearing her head, heard her sister’s cries. Rising quickly, she looked on aghast as the whip cut the air on its way to Melissa’s tortured skin. Horrified at this punishment of her lover, she cursed as another lash cut her lover’s skin. Racing to her sister's rescue, she hurled herself upon the demon, and with a swift movement of her strong hands, she grasped the double beads of their mistress Inanna which were strung about the demon's neck. Using all of her strength, she twisted the beads tightly, calling upon the Goddess for protection; she pulled hard and began to throttle the creature. 

It howled in surprise, and thrashed as Bethany tightened her grip, slowly squeezing the life out it. Bethany felt the creature weaken as the power of her love for her sister, and power of protection embodied in the beads, drained the life out of the vicious and ugly beast. It sank to its sinewy knees, flapping its awful wings, as Bethany applied all her power. Its reptilian tongue protruded, as it died, giving up its life force. Once again, light triumphed over dark. Bethany, her body on fire from her exertions, sat upon the floor. She looked with sadness upon Melissa, tied and bleeding from numerous lash marks. But her sister was strong, Melissa would heal. 

Bethany untied Melissa from her bonds and laid her face down upon the floor. Her back was cut and slashed. Melissa moaned, but turned her head and smiled up at Bethany. "Do not fear, my love," whispered Bethany, "The Goddess has provided us with much help." Bethany took the leather pouch which was tied around her nubile waist. Reaching inside, she took a handful of the magical ground lapis dust and sprinkled it over Melissa’s wounded back. Before her eyes, and with astonishing rapidity, Melissa’s wounds healed quickly. Melissa’s strength returned, pulsing through her naked body. 

She rose and kissed Bethany with an intensity that only they could imbue their intimacy. Melissa stood while Bethany examined her skin, and not a blemish could be seen upon Melissa’s delightful back. Bethany took a moment to admire Melissa’s magnificent rear. Looking around, Bethany spied a flagon near the third set of doors. Knowing nothing was here by mere chance, she walked over and picked it up. Coming back to Melissa, Bethany knew it was a gift from Aphrodite. 

Opening the flagon, she sniffed the fragrant bouquet of the heady brew from Cyprus. Together, they drank deeply. Like new blood, it restored their strength and vitality. Taking each others hands, they decided to approach the third door. Melissa looked at Bethany and smiled; they knew each others thoughts. They blew softly and the doors creaked open just enough to allow them to slip through. Once through, the doors shut themselves. They decided to sit awhile, before setting out along the passageway once more.

(c) 2008: Melissa g
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Sunday, July 13, 2008 - 7:23 PM

Upon the plains of Sumer, as Bethany and Melissa faced the winged-terror at the third gate of the underworld below, two fierce armies stormed into one anothers ranks as the city-states of Uruk and Akkad met in battle upon the edge of the Tigris river marshes. Gilgamesh the King raised his sword as the cry of battle rang through the companies of his warriors, and the sand at their feet drank the blood of the vanquished. Beyond the edge of the battlefield, a young girl shrank in horror at the sight of her brethren and countrymen being cut down in the flower of their youth as they fought to defend their people. She dropped to her knees and prayed to her gods for a miracle that would spare her city from the rape and pillage she knew would follow. She offered up her life to the gods if they would listen, but the din of battle and the cries of the fallen drowned her pleas as iron clashed through bronze in the blur of the distant battle. Then a cold hand touched her shoulder from behind as Isyra kneeled towards the dawn. 

"Why do you care of the men at their play?" said a soft voice."They are only men. The gods will make more." The young girl fell from her knees and reeled upon the ground as she looked up to behold a beautiful woman clad in black. She was tall and slender with raven hair that danced upon the wind. 

"They are my tribe!" said Isyra. "My people will perish if they fail!" The dark goddess lowered her gaze to the girl on the ground and in her eyes she saw despair and opportunity. 

"You can help them, young sister, if you would make me but a small sacrifice. I am Lilith. Your mothers know of me, but I can help you all the same. Your prayers will be answered if you will share with me. Just a taste of you. Such a little thing, and I will give you power to save your tribe." Isyra closed her eyes and slowly nodded as she knew this was her only hope. She felt cold fingers sweeping her hair from her neck as Lilith knelt beside her. "You are so fair and so young. So will you be forever." Isyra felt the icy lips of Lilith opening on her neck.

* * * * *

In the solitude of the enfolding gloom in the keep beyond the third gate, Bethany and Melissa rested. Gala-Tura silently wept in pain as it remembered feeling the wounds being cut into Melissa's skin. Kur-Jara struggled to recover its composure after experiencing the battle with the hell-spawn beast while trapped in the body of Bethany. So many confusing emotions they had experienced in this symbiosis that the Ugala could not fathom. How was this frail creature of delicate beauty from the outer world endowed with the strength to slay a winged hell-beast bare-handed? What were these burning sensations that she felt for her companion? 

As Bethany had leaped upon the back of the beast, Kur-Jara felt a transformation, as if its skin had changed. Slender fingers had become sharp claws digging into the hide of the beast as Bethany had struggled to retain her purchase high upon the shoulders of the fell creature. Fear had been transmuted to courage, as of a lioness protecting its mate. The Ugala were immortal demon-spirits who were denizens of the underworld, and yet they paled at the thought of an encounter with one of the dreaded gate-beasts, yet these two frail and slender femmes had survived the battle, and emerged as victors! What magic was at work in this mystery?

Melissa lay prone on the ground as Bethany draped her long dark tresses around her sides and licked away the still-fresh blood and sweat from her lover's back. Though her wounds had been closed and healed by the lapis-powder, the blood she had lost still streaked around the sensuous ridges of Melissa's prominent scapulas, and Bethany would not have her companion so stained from her recent torture. The Ugala sensed these two beings who hosted them were possessed of all the experience of passion and compassion which they themselves had never known until this moment. During the passage through the second gate they had been imbued with the fire of sexual communion as Melissa and Bethany had shared their erotic intercourse with them. At the threshold of this, the third gate, the Ugala had been shown the passion of filial love as Bethany threw her life into the offering to rescue her soul-sister. The Ugala, secreted inside their mysterious hosts now understood why these two had been chosen by the Powers to deliver the Goddess of Love from death.

In the shadows under the interior of the third gate, Melissa and Bethany turned to each other in a close embrace and felt the hardening of their nipples upon one another as they pressed into each others soft breasts. It is an act they have replayed a hundred times in sexual play, but this moment is filled with an added emotion which they had always known but had not always expressed. Total devotion. And as they clung to one another a new physical sensation appeared in their conscious minds simultaneously. 

"What is that?" they both said wordlessly with their surprised eyes. They slowly looked down at their breasts and to each of their right nipples as they drew them apart, a lapis lazuli gemstone adorned the tip of their bosom. Melissa recognized their significance immediately. These were the stones that the Goddess Innana had worn upon her breasts in adornment and had been required to surrender to Neti before she could pass through the third gate. One by one, the seven periapts of power were being restored to the goddess through her priestesses as they defeated and slipped past the closed gates of the underworld.

The endless expanse of the chamber beyond the third gate seemed to stretch in every direction, leaving no wall or visible path in sight save the great wall which held the gate itself. They both peered out into the eternal gloom. "Where do you suppose we may find the fourth gate, my love?" asked Bethany, but her lover could offer no answer, until from deep within, Gala-Tura spoke through Melissa's mind. No language was needed, and to Melissa, the words came as the inspiration of a rhyme:

Ancient anguish, cries of sorrow
Fill the past and all the morrows
Penance paid but ever owed
And mercy begged but not bestowed
E'er in shadows 'neath the arches
Spectres keep eternal marches
Ever on through darkness wending
Ways and paths which have no ending
Treading light the stones that crumble
'Neath their dread and silent rumble
Through the dim-lit mist of ages
Tread the ghosts of men courageous

Before they could even guess the meaning of the rhyme, the sudden report of iron hitting iron startled them from their reverie. Hinges whined and pintles fretted as the massive gates behind them again began to heave open! Bethany trembled with fear that she had only rendered the creature on the other side unconscious, and that it had revived to follow them through the gates. She wanted to run, but Melissa stayed her with a motion of her hand. As the massive gates swung inwards towards them, Melissa pulled Bethany off to the side so they could stay behind one of the massive doors, letting it hide them from whatever came through. 

They peered around the edge of the gate to see a ghostly banner drifting high in the air as the pole it was flying upon bobbed with the tired hands of a spectral herald. A procession of the dead, fallen warriors from a battle in the world above streamed through the great portal towards their fate in the eternal underworld of Ereshkigal. The insignia of their livery was a representation of Ishtar, which the Akkadians called Innana, but after a short time had passed, they were followed by a far longer line of the defeated souls of the fallen warriors in the service of King Gilgamesh. Melissa-Gala-Tura and Bethany-Kur-Jara could make no sense of the endless columns of the dead, but realized they could disappear in this throng of dead souls to pass unseen through the next gate.

(c) 2008 Bethany Frasier
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Monday, July 14, 2008 - 10:33 AM

Mingling with the throng of lost souls, Bethany and Melissa passed unnoticed through the fourth gate. The tide of the deceased flowed ever downwards, until the passage came to a fork. The army of the dead streamed off to the left and disappeared into the darkness beyond. The sound of their feet made an unearthly shuffling sound as they trudged ever onward and downwards. Bethany Kur-Jara, and Melissa Gala-Tura slipped from their midst and beheld the right hand fork. Holding hands tightly, they strained their ears, and heard that same steady beat of the drum, which had been with them since they first approached the entrance to the underworld. 

As they listened, an anguished moaning was also heard arising out of the cavernous entrance to the right-hand track—a moaning filled with pain, sorrow, and with the blackness of utter despair. Bethany whispered to Melissa, "It is Erishkigal. Her despondency will guide us now." 

Melissa smiled, although this was no place to smile. "My love, I feel her too, in my bones and heart. Let us proceed upon this path and fear no evil." Together they walked, hand in hand. Pausing at the entrance, they kissed passionately, always reinforcing the depth of the bond that bound them together as one. Softly, they sang praises to Aphrodite and Inanna—Aphrodite, avatar of Inanna, who herself was Venus, the morning star. They felt her presence always. They lingered for awhile, unable to break from the kisses which lit fires in their loins. 

Eventually, hand in hand, they walked under the torch-lit archway and into the passage beyond. They were surprised to find the ceiling was very low, causing them to stoop as they made their way forward. Burning lamps set in niches every few yards cast an oily glow on the dark walls. The passageway narrowed, allowing no space to walk side-by-side. Bethany led and Melissa followed, gripping Bethany’s hand with intensity. Soon enough, they reached the end of the track, and looked out onto a square room cut from the rock. A large fire was burning in a brazier set in the center of the room. 

Bethany and Melissa began to search the area, using all their senses. Their eyes soon picked out a group of girls, who stood on the far side of the glowing brazier. Light flickered from the jewelled loin cloths on their semi-naked bodies. The glint of gold could be seen around their wrists and ankles. Both Melissa and Bethany were intrigued. The girls were nubile, beautifully formed and all had the most alluring breasts which would tempt any human. As Melissa and Bethany watched, sweet music from an unknown source filled the room. Sweet beyond belief, it was a mixture of lutes and flutes, drums and cymbals playing an intoxicating rhythm. 

The girls began to dance, slowly turning and undulating their magnificent bodies in time to the beat. Their breasts rose and fell, bobbed as they gyrated, moving in circles around one another. They danced a dance of unbelievable sensuality. Their hips swayed with such erotic power, and their shapely legs moved with a grace unknown to mortals. The tallest of the group, placed her hands under her ample breasts, and held them up in the direction of Bethany and Melissa, and then she beckoned them to come forth. Both Bethany and Melissa were spellbound, and found themselves moving towards the group of dancers.
Neither could stop themselves or the other, from what appeared to be a form of sexual enchantment.
 
Melissa and Bethany walked around the brazier, bedazzled by the scent and sight of sexual allure, even while the voices of Gala-Tura and Kur-Jara whispered in their heads to be wary of danger. However, the dance of these sirens was intoxicating. Bethany looked this way and that, as did Melissa. The seven dancing girls surrounded them, forming a circle. They began to move around the girls in a slow dance of pure sexual desire. Melissa's and Bethany’s eyes followed them as the girls moved seductively. They removed their loin cloths, leaving them fully naked. They were irresistible. 

Sweat rolled down their bodies, following the curves between their resplendent breasts, with their fully erect dark nipples. It ran in streams over their bellies and Venus mounds. With their hands, they stroked their sexes, gyrating and teasing the girls. Closer and closer to Bethany and Melissa they came, dipping their fingers into their wet crescent moons. They held their fingers up and licked them. Now within touching distance of the girls, they fell upon Bethany and Melissa. The Leader of the dancers laughed long and loud, as three girls each took hold of Melissa and Bethany. 

As the music rose to a crescendo, Melissa and Bethany were being caressed by three pairs of hands, experienced hands which stroked and delighted their naked skin. Both girls found themselves being kissed on the mouth, while other pairs of hands stroked their now stiff nipples, pulled their full bottom cheeks apart, and fingers slid between their thighs. The girls were being drawn into a web of utter sexual bliss, from which they might never return to complete their task. Bethany felt herself being turned around and bent over. An agile finger slid into her sweet anal opening, while her hair was pulled back and she found herself licking the delicious wet cunt of another dancer. She panted hard as the third girl attending her knelt under her belly and began to slowly tongue her dripping split. 

Melissa was standing upright as one girl fingered her juicy swollen labia. A second girl was behind her, fondling a breast, and pushing three fingers into Melissa’s stretching anus. The third girl concentrated on Melissa’s breasts and Melissa felt herself splash copious amounts of cum from her gaping sex, as it was probed expertly. She felt she was dying of pleasure, and was losing her reason. But the voice of Gala-Tura, immune from sexual temptation, began to force its way into her mind with renewed insistence. ‘You must not let these dancers of Erishkigal possess you, or you will never return to yourself, neither you nor Bethany.' 

Melissa tried to clear her head, while waves of passion consumed her body. She glanced at Bethany, who was being unmercifully ravished, her screams of pleasure mingling with the entrancing music. Melissa noticed a gleam of gold in a corner of the room. She immediately recognized it as Inanna’s ringed hip girdle, which she had had to abandon at the fifth gate. It represented Inanna’s ego. Melissa called out loudly to her lady Aphrodite, "Mighty Goddess, give me your strength!" Her invocation had barely escaped her lips when she began to feel her limbs grow stronger. With a mighty push, Melissa threw off these witches of wanton desire and ran to the corner, pursued by the dancers, who had thrown off their guise and now appeared as the ugly crones they really were. 

Melissa seized the girdle of Inanna and placed it around her body. The crones immediately stopped dead in their movements. Melissa Gala-Tura, cried out, "By the power of Aphrodite, by the magic of Inanna, be gone foul crones, be gone." A howling wind sprang up from nowhere. It whirled through the hall, dust swirled, and filled the hall. When it settled, the hall was empty, apart from Bethany who lay on the cold stone floor, spent from so much sexual excess. Melissa went to her sister, her lover and soul mate, helping her to her feet. Bethany's legs were weak. Melissa bade her sit and rest. She went to a pot she had noticed, and found it contained cool water, no doubt another gift of their divine protectors. 

She sponged down Bethany tenderly and explained how they had nearly fallen into a sexual trap of enticement. Bethany understood only too well. Kur-Jara confirmed it to her. Melissa and Bethany rested awhile, drank the water, and drew strength anew. Melissa noticed a large wooden door on the far side of the hall. She recognized that this was indeed the fifth gate. Taking Bethany once more by the hand, they approached the door. It was open, and no doubt the dancers had not bothered to close it behind them. Kissing Bethany fully on her lips, Melissa gave praise to the great Goddess, and walked through the gap, passing through the fifth gate and into the passage beyond….

(c) 2008: Melissa G
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Monday, July 14, 2008 - 7:20 PM

The full moon darkened to blood red as the circle of the world eclipsed its light. In the distance an owl screeched from some hidden perch. The desert night wind carried the moans of Lilith above the shadowy streets of Uruk as she cried out in orgasmic pleasure, but her shrieks were unheard under the shroud of night. The city slept in an unwary peace as the succubus made her rounds, seducing men in their dreams, mounting their hardened phalluses, and stealing their seed for her issue. The handmaiden of Innana was her co-equal as a temptress and had earlier this eve served her mistress' pleasure as they whored through the drinking houses, dragging stupored men to their breasts, and satisfying their carnal lusts. But now, while the goddess slept, her raven-haired servant hungrily attended her own needs and desires. 

The angels had punished Lilith for her rebellion in the Garden, her defiance of Adam as her superior. Her children had paid with their flesh, but the first femme knew survival above all else, and to preserve her existence she had tread the path to darkness. From the eternal abyss was Lilith's deathly gaze now mirrored, and as Innana slept, her clouded dreams warned of betrayal. Innana suspected her servant aspired to become powerful like unto a goddess herself, but she did not know how far the lady in black had already come, or the powers she had obtained, for which she had bartered her soul. It would one day be written that in the reign of Gilgamesh, Lilith had taken up as her abode the hollow trunk of a great tree, in whose uppermost branches perched the screeching anzu bird, and under whose twisted roots lived a great serpent. But what was never revealed in the annals of her myth was the ancient history of this tree, which had once grown tall in what had now become a forgotten corner of the Garden, which Enki, God of Wisdom had prepared for the coming of the first man and the first woman. 

Lilith had known this tree since long before when she had first walked upon the earth, had sheltered under its sweeping canopy, and learned its secrets well. Its roots delved deeply into the earth, reaching down even to the vaults of the underworld, where demons dwell. Long ago an ancient dweomerlak, a demon spirit had assumed the form of a serpent and burrowed upward following the circuitous path of the twisted taproot, carving out a dark and sinuous tunnel from the pits of hell to the surface of the earth. Lilith alone knew of this secret passageway to the underworld, for she had descended its turns and done what no other mortal had achieved. She had journeyed to the underworld of Kur and returned to the surface alive, in violation of Ereshkigal's inviolable law. For no one returned from hell.

* * * * * * * * *

Melissa and Bethany stumbled in the darkness beyond the fifth gate, catching their toes clumsily upon the worn and rounded edges of ancient stone. They were tired and scared, having been so completely tricked into giving their bodies to the sexual ravages of the sirens. Though Melissa still wore Innana's ringed hip girdle, they had not yet dressed themselves again, having barely the presence of mind to gather up their gowns and loin cloths where they had dropped to the floor amidst the orgy of beautiful temptresses. The two girls were experienced lovers and had known sexual excess through their young lives, but even they were sore with swollen labia and tender breasts from the groping hands and mouths of the hell-spawn harpies. The two Gala demons within them were overwhelmed by the experience. Neither had known sexual excitement before their merging with Bethany and Melissa, and this initiation had left them totally subdued.

The gloom surrounding them had been intensified by a murky atmosphere of heavy mist in which the low-burning torches spread their light into an eerie red glow, but the droning cries of Ereshkigal had mercifully subsided. Bethany stumbled to her knees and her lover helped her to a seat on something hard and rounded that they could not quite make out in the darkness. 

"Why does the queen of the underworld moan so when I am the one who feels so tired"? Bethany complained. Melissa caressed her partner's soft hair and unfastened the girdle of Innana and wrapped it around Bethany's taut and shapely tummy. 

"This will give you strength my love." Suddenly they sensed another presence and looked up to see the dim outline of another young girl haloed by the atmospheric glow. Fearing another challenge, Bethany and Melissa cautiously took a defensive stance, but the placid young woman did not move.
 
"Do not be afraid," she said, with an Akkadian accent.
 
"Who are you? queried Melissa.
 
"I was the seventh among the dancers who entranced you. But I could cause you no harm, though I was bidden to stop you as were the others. I withdrew when the other six surrounded you both," she said.
 
"How does Ereshkigal know of our coming? We have passed the gates in secret," replied Melissa.
 
"Your temptresses were not sent by Ereshkigal. She is in agony and can harm no one. The power of your mistress' girdle broke the spell of the dark succubus who sent us and she cast them off with the wind, which is hers to control," the soft-voiced girl explained.
 
"Succubus?" asked Bethany.
 
"I knew her not when I bargained my soul to save my brethren in battle, but I had no other way to save my people. She gave me a weapon to destroy the warriors of Gilgamesh who attacked Akkad. But she is vampyr, and took my blood and shared hers with me, infecting my body forever with the demon inside her. She brought me here through the dark earth to complete my transformation, but I escaped her grasp."
 
"But who is she that she can pass in and out of the underworld with impunity?" asked Melissa.
 
"I do not know. She consorts with the serpent that dwells nearby beneath the black roots of an ageless tree which springs forth in the world above. I have seen her instructing the mariliths, the spawn of the serpent, and they scheme against the queen, Innana's sister and have poisoned her throne. That is why Ereshkigal cries out in endless pain."
 
Bethany looked at Melissa, who seemed amazed at the young girl's story, and she also saw admiration in Melissa's glistening eyes for the girl's intentions and strength ...and something more. Bethany reached out and touched the young girl's body, but it was almost ethereal, as a cold wraith. "What is your name?" asked Bethany.
 
"I am Isyra," she replied proudly. "And I desire..."
 
"What?" asked Melissa.
 
"I could not join the other dancers for I knew they intended you harm, and yet I envied them as they touched you, caressed you. In the fire-light you were beautiful and I desired to make love with you both." But as she said this, Bethany could see, even in the shadows, that her gaze was fixed on Melissa. She felt touched by this tortured girl's good heart and knew Melissa felt warmly towards her too.
 
"You can guide us to the sixth gate, Isyra," said Bethany, "But first, let us talk of ...desire."

(c) 2008 Bethany Frasier
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Monday, July 14, 2008 - 10:55 PM

Melissa continued to return the stare of Isyra. She looked the girl up and down; her naked body glowed with a reddish hue in the light from the glowing brazier illuminating the passage way. Melissa noted her fine upstanding breasts, the large nipples standing proud. The girl's hair was long, braids hung down, resting over her shoulders. Her features were delicate; her nose finely proportioned, indicating noble blood, and the large, black almond eyes held a world of lust within them. Melissa continued to look the girl over, noting her firm belly, the prominent mound of Venus, and the dark triangle of lush hair between her thighs. Her legs were shapely, and very much complimented the girl's beauty.
 
Melissa sat down and rested against Bethany. She draped her arm over Bethany’s shoulder, stroking her arm. "Come sit with us, Isyra," Melissa beckoned. The three girls rested against the wall, Melissa draped her other arm around Isyra’s shoulder, and drew the girl close to her. Her skin tingled as she felt Isyra’s skin against her. "Let us rest awhile." The silence now pervading the hall stilled their minds, and presently they drifted into a pleasant sleep, born of the ordeal they had endured. 

After a few hours, all three girls began to stir. Melissa saw that Bethany was still not fully awake. The girl Isyra was awake though. Her dark eyes turned to meet Melissa’s. The desire in them was alive. Melissa was fully aware of the girl’s previous feelings towards her and Bethany; here in the depths of Kur, it seemed to Melissa that the power of Aphrodite was still all pervading. Melissa thought of the Cyprian Queen of love, who was with them always, through time and space. Protecting and restorative, her love was the supreme messenger of the divine Shakti. 

Isyra stood and stretched her nubile limbs. "I will find refreshment," she spoke softly in her Akkadian tongue. She bade Melissa to sit, and Isyra wandered into the shadows. 

Melissa touched her labia. The swelling had subsided now, and she knew
the remarkable powers of their bodies were healing them quickly. Bethany moaned softly as she regained consciousness. "Hello, my love," Melissa whispered into Bethany’s ear, and kissed her softly on her cheek. Bethany looked into Melissa’s eyes with tender love. 

"That was quite an ordeal," she spoke, as she lightly stroked her still swollen sex. "I’m still tender," she complained. 

Melissa kissed Bethany’s lips, "You will heal soon. Your power of restoration is given by Aphrodite. Rest, my love. The girl Isyra has gone to find some sustenance." 

"I am hungry, Melissa." In a little while, Isyra reappeared bearing a basket of food and a flagon of wine. She looked surprised. 

"Your lady provides you with gifts. This basket was laid in the corridor, and such boons do not have a reason to be here in the land of the dead." They greedily fell upon the food, consuming it with relish. Grease dribbled down their chins as they finished the food. They passed around the flagon, slaking their thirst. Melissa knew the wine. It was Cyprian. Its heady bouquet and exquisite taste hallmarked it as coming from Aphrodite’s own vines.
 
Sated, Melissa looked again at the girl Isyra, the one with the blood of the vampire in her. Bethany now was also looking intently at Isyra. Feeling fully restored, she returned to her theme of earlier. "Desire, tell us of your desire." 

The girl smiled seductively. "When the harpies ravaged you, I felt pain, and yet excitement. I knew then that I wanted to share in your love, to be with you. I hated what they were doing, and yet I still rubbed my sex as I watched them. Your bodies filled me with a lustful longing which I yearned to fulfill, for I have need of love. For so long I have waited for love, here in the dark corners of my mind, in the recesses of Kur. And now you are here." Melissa said nothing. She looked at Bethany, and without a word being spoken, Bethany nodded and smiled. Melissa understood, in their unique way, bonded as they were for eternity. 

"Come here, Isyra," Melissa said, and with her fingers, motioned the girl to stand. Melissa looked into those dark eyes, which seemed to glitter with stars. She reached out and brushed Isyra’s hair back, leaned into her, and kissed the girl on her full lips. Isyra returned the kiss with a forceful thrust of her body, clasping Melissa tightly against her own. Their breasts crushed together with a furious passion. Isyra, rolled her hips, and pressed her prominent mound upon Melissa’s. Melissa gasped between kisses; this girl was on fire with lust. She gripped Melissa’s head, as her kisses became ever fiercer. 

Bethany looked on with approval. Both she and Melissa were very capable of sharing their love, but nobody could ever part them, and this made them generous with their gifts. Aphrodite had taught them well. Isyra had sunk her teeth into Melissa’s neck, but she didn’t draw blood. Her hands played over Melissa’s soft skin, making her moan in delight. Melissa reached down and slid her fingers expertly along Isyra’s moist sex, causing the girl to groan in turn. 

Melissa continued to stroke her partner's swelling labia, which were wet and greasy with sap. She easily pushed her fingers deep inside Isyra’s sex, as Isyra began to ride Melissa’s fingers. She arched her back as Melissa probed her deeply. The sticky sap coated Melissa’s palm as it ran from Isyra like a stream. She felt Isyra’s nails rake her spine, but she felt only slight pain, such was the lust sweeping away all before it. Bowing her head, Melissa took one of Isyra’s nipples into mouth, sucking hard to make it erect. The girl splashed a surge of orgasmic juice over Melissa’s rapidly moving hand. 

As the girl writhed under Melissa’s spell, Bethany rose to her feet. She stood behind Isyra and kissed her neck. Bethany’s hands parted Isyra’s buttocks, firm and delightfully well-rounded. Bethany knew the girl was lost to them; she was in the throes of a love few could ever hope to experience. Licking one of her fingers, Bethany pushed firmly inside Isyra’s anus, making the girl stagger against Melissa’s continued fingering. Leaning over Isyra’s shoulder, Melissa kissed Bethany’s lips, as they squeezed Isyra between them. 

Feeling their legs beginning to give way, the girls gently lowered Isyra to the floor. Melissa spread Isyra’s thighs wide and lay between them, licking the girl’s swollen labia, and pushing her tongue inside her. Isyra could not speak; she moaned and called out in a primal ecstatic gargling sound. Her cum pooled under her buttocks. Meanwhile, Bethany sat astride the girl's face and lowered her still sensitive sex onto Isyra’s lips. Bethany came quickly, her sap showering the girls finely featured face. 

Melissa looked up and smiled at them both, Melissa’s face shone with a coating of sweet juices which reflected the dull light. "Well, now we have had our desire, without wasting too many words, do you agree, Bethany?" 

Bethany grinned in return, "Yes, my love. I believe actions have spoken louder than words." They lay on either side of the exhausted Isyra, and Isyra thanked them both for the love they shared with her, for liberating her, for even though her blood was tainted with that of the Vampire, her heart was pure.
 
Melissa rested. Their shared love had given Bethany and Melissa new power, and strength pulsed through their bodies. Iysra too was feeling exhilarated now, satisfied beyond imagination, her lust sated. Melissa drew more wine from the flagon and peered into the darkness beyond the light from the brazier. She knew tribulations lay ahead. Bethany read Melissa’s mind and they exchanged knowing looks. Isyra would be with them for the rest of the journey, to reach Inanna’s rotting corpse, and with the help of Gala-Tura and Kur-Jara, resurrect the Goddess from her deathly prison. Both Melissa and Bethany became aware of the Gala’s renewed presence. The Galas, having absorbed an incredible amount of sexual energy, knew something totally alien had been imbued into these sexless spirits.

Melissa took Bethany’s hand. Bethany, having shared the last of the wine with Isyra also took Iysra’s hand, and they strode forward along the passageway. Somewhere ahead lay the Sixth gateway. Melissa heard a voice inside her head, 'Beware of Lilithu, beware Lamashtu….'

(c) 2008: Melissa G

Posted by Sapphic Tales on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:34 PM

The requiem drums continued to sound for Innana like the beating of her impassioned heart, now stilled in death. They echoed in the minds of Bethany and Melissa as they walked with Isyra through the twi-lit chambers of the underworld towards the sixth gate. The ominous warnings of Gala-tura lingered in Melissa's mind as she searched the darkness ahead of them. Lamashtu and Lilithu. Melissa remembered that Lilithu was the Sumerian name of Innana's hand-maiden, and wondered at the strangeness of this warning against a beautiful temple priestess, and yet the dangers they had faced by the siren temptresses at the last gate assured Melissa that feminine wiles were perhaps their greatest weakness. Beauty and passion had lured these two girls to each others' side, and the pagan goddesses of love had drawn their abilities and devotion to their service, but would passion protect them here in the underworld where love was lost. Heartless were the demons that dwelt here. Lamashtu was hell-spawn, a spirit of darkness which rose at night to the world above, murdering children in their cribs. Melissa had heard the name from ancient lore, but she and Bethany walked now into its very lair.

A chill shivered through Melissa's exposed flesh as the two names echoed in her mind. She reached into the depths of her memories, searching the boundaries of her subconscious for a way in, for a clue to what the warnings in her mind forebode. As Bethany and Isyra walked hand-in-hand along side her, she became unmindful of her footfalls and let her companions lead her body through the endless chambers of the underworld while her mind drifted along a separate path back to the world above. She was not asleep. She was not awake, but a soft voice was speaking to her while soothing hands caressed the curves of her full breasts, anointing her skin with scented oils and balms of cedar. 

She sensed the presence of Bethany, her lover through the ages, lying next to her and was comforted by that too. The voice though was speaking to her through the veil of her subconscious, and while the words streamed into her mind she attended only to the beauty and familiarity of the voice. Ninshubur massaged Melissa's breasts with loving tenderness as she whispered softly but insistently into her ear the tale she had to tell...the story she needed these two unconscious emissaries to understand before they embarked on their perilous journey to the underworld, as hell-demons stirred restlessly inside of them.

Innana's minister too had listened as her goddess carefully instructed her how to proceed in the coming days, for the goddess' life depended on Ninshubur obeying her commands faithfully. Innana had grown suspicious of her hand-maiden Lilith, whose devotion seemed feigned of late. Lilith, she had learned, had dark designs and dreams of power for herself, and as informants loyal to the love goddess had watched, the raven-haired vixen had even transformed before their eyes, sprouting dark wings in the night and lifting into the black skies over Uruk. Innana knew this could only mean that Lilith already consorted with evil forces, allying her plans with those of the spirits of the underworld. Innana took thought of her sister-god Ereshkigal, and knew Lilith must have designs on her realm as well.

The throne upon which Innana wielded her earthly power with her lapis lazuli rod and measuring line in her grasp was ceremonial in nature, for the goddess of love entertained more often in her tapestried bed chamber than in her throne room, but of late she had sensed a subtle change in the aura of the temple throne. She grew less and less comfortable receiving supplicants from that chair and found herself avoiding it altogether. Even Ninshubur had noticed the change.
 
"What of Lilith, my mistress?" she had queried, knowing that Innana must already have conceived a plan to deal with her dark-minded hand-maiden.
 
"My sister Ereshkigal must be warned that Lilith deals secretly in her world below, but I must determine if my worst fears are true. I suspect Lilith has cast a spell upon my throne. I sense her darkness when I grow near it, and more. When she was true to me and we shared our bodies and our passion, I learned to feel her aura, even after she had left me to sleep. My dreams were filled with her essence. I know her. I must journey down to Kur upon a quiet errand to Ereshkigal. I must learn the truth, and warn my sister. If I sense the darkness of Lilith upon the throne of my sister-god, I will know she has betrayed us both!"
 
"But how will you announce your purpose, my mistress? The underworld is sovereign to your sister, and she rules Kur jealously!" warned Ninshubur.
 
"She has lost her husband Gud-gal-ana to the wildman Enkidu, and I will go to mourn him. It was I after all who sent him to punish King Gilgamesh for spurning me. I did not intend to bring death upon my sister's husband, but I will go to drink with my sister the libation of his rites." Innana explained. "I will come before my sister, though she will be wary and suspect my purpose, but to learn whether Lilith has poisoned her throne too, I must sit upon it. Only then can I pass judgment upon Lilith, but I fear the Anuna will also pass judgment upon me. My life will then be imperiled, and you Ninshubur I entreat to act on my behalf to bring rescue if after three days I do not return."

The Goddess Innana then carefully instructed her minister on the protocols of her mission to rescue her from death, ending with the beating of the drums in requiem, which would intone for days in the ears of all her worshipers to keep the life of their goddess always in their minds and hearts. The beating of the drums... Melissa's and Bethany's minds were mesmerized by the booming cadence endlessly accompanying Ninshubur's instructions until they disappeared into their subconcious minds, and only the drumbeats remained, booming...booming

"The drums grow louder again, my love," Bethany said, startling Melissa from her far-off reverie. Melissa concurred absently as she tried to recall what had called her attention from her companions. 

Isyra looked at each of them curiously as her head turned from one side to the other, and then inquired: "Drums? I do not he..." Suddenly an icy wind cut through them, nearly pulling their hands apart as their long hair whipped behind them. Bethany struggled to keep her footing as Isyra dropped to the stone floor and Melissa turned to keep her back to the icy blast. "What's happening?" she cried!

 The screech of anzu birds carried in the chill wind and their deafening call drove the girls' hands to cover their ears. Without warning, the wind changed direction and swept them forward. Bethany and Melissa turned to grab hold of Isyra, but were carried beyond reach of her by the relentless force of the gale. They tumbled and rolled as errant gusts caught them at unawares. Their own tresses lashed at their eyes and stung their ears and necks until they were on the ground rolling over and over in tears. The wind died suddenly, leaving them dazed and lying in clumsy heaps upon the stone flags. Shaking their hair out of their faces, they looked up and beheld a sight that froze their souls.

"Melissa! Where are we?" Beth whispered. Dangling in twisted tendrils from the upper vaults of the enormous chamber there hung dark, slithering roots of some incalculably ancient tree. From over the edge of a craggy precipice where the floor disappeared only a few feet ahead of them, slender tongues of flame rose, flickering their light through the tangled mass of tree roots and casting a latticework of shadows upon the far-off walls. From the corners of their vision Melissa and Bethany were startled by movement, but were relieved when they saw it was only Isyra treading up between them from out of the gloom. 

"Isyra, we thought..." but suddenly their young companion grabbed them both by their hair and with surprising strength dragged them both to the edge of the chasm. Bethany twisted and shot a furious gaze up at Isyra but was met with a vacant stare out of lifeless eyes that had once seduced them with their beauty. The absence of any life or trace of a soul behind those eyes horrified Bethany and she began to struggle from Isyra's grip, but the vampyr released her hold upon their tresses and they slumped to the floor again.

The glow of flames rising from the open canyon at their feet became noticeably brighter and the girls felt the heat warming their exposed skin. The echoing roar of fire soon filled their ears as the expanse before them filled with an inferno. The tangled curtain of roots suspended above them began parting ahead of the rising firestorm and both girls had to duck as gnarled, viney fingers brushed past their heads. Suddenly, the slimy vines encompassed them, wrapping under their armpits and pulling them into the air with their legs dangling helplessly. Bethany felt her arms and legs being wrapped in the slithery tendrils and soon she couldn't move any part of her body. She saw her lover several yards away in the same predicament. The heat of the fiery abyss below them rose about them and they were soon drenched in sweat.

Below them, the form of Isyra stood upon the precipice unchanged, but as Melissa watched in bewilderment, her body began to move in un-natural ways, assuming inhuman poses as if something inside her struggled to shake itself free of her, shedding her body as a discarded skin. A spectral mist coalesced around her, growing in size and defining in shape until the young girl's body collapsed to the floor beneath it. Bethany and Melissa could not tell whether Isyra was dead or unconscious but grieved at the sight of their friend's prostrate body, and struggled against their bonds uselessly. The dark figure now standing above Isyra's prone form was the raven-haired seductress Lilithu. She looked up at Bethany and Melissa and smiled.

"You seek the daughter of the moon, my lovely sisters. You have found her."
 
"Never!" cried Melissa. "You cannot claim that lineage which belongs to our mistress, Innana."
 
"And where is your mistress now? Her corpse hangs from a hook at the pleasure of her own sister, who will soon be dead as well. Can you not hear her moans of agony?"
 
"You are a traitor, Lilith!" accused Bethany. "Innana showed you only love and you betrayed her. Our friend lies at your feet and it was you who enslaved her to your evil will and tainted her blood with death!"
 
"She will live forever," contradicted Lilith, "Unlike your beloved mistress. This one belongs to me now."
 
"You cannot long hold her to your will, for her heart is still pure. We have seen it. Nor can you take what is Innana's," said Melissa.
 
"But I already have," gloated Lilith, as she drew out Innana's Lapis measuring rod and line and held it forth. Melissa's and Bethany's hearts sank as they began to realize their quest had fallen to ruin.

"Do your allies here in the underworld know you will betray them too?" asked Bethany.
 
"I am wed to my ally," replied Lilithu. "There are princes of darkness who were cast into the underworld long before Enki gave the rule of Kur to Ereshkigal. When the pantheon of Sumer is but a memory and the names of Enki and Innana are all but forgotten, my husband Samael will remain to rule in hell and I will rule upon the earth. Adam could not subjugate me, nor God and his Seraphim. They poisoned my womb, but I shall bear with Samael a worldful of demons and the line of Lilithu will rule."

Melissa shuddered at the soulless plans of Lilithu and great sorrow filled her voice. "And where is love and beauty? Where are the things Innana taught to the world? Even Lilith once shared those things with our goddess."
 
"Innana was born a goddess," said Lilithu. "I was born the first woman. She never felt man's wrath at her disobedience, nor God's punishment for her rebellion. If men were fair, we would be deemed their equals. If I were empowered, I would not need to take power. I would not need to become a demon to ascend." She then assumed a fearsome stature and changed shape before their astonished eyes. What she became was a nightmare. Bethany and Melissa looked down and beheld Lamashtu.

Rising from taloned bird-like feet, the abomination held forth double-headed asps in each hand. Its long fingers tipped with sharply pointed claws. Lion-headed, but with donkey's ears and teeth, the demon looked up at the two trapped girls. From out of nowhere black wings spread, lifting this horror from the ground and rising it up to face Bethany's struggling body. Without a word it released the snakes which quickly slithered around her legs and up her thighs. 

"Bethany!" screamed Melissa, but Bethany was petrified with terror as the snakes paused below her venus mound, constricting tightly around her upper thighs. Bethany struggled in vain to shake them from their grip on her but they suddenly turned and bit down on each side of her outer labia, pulling her open. As Bethany gasped, the demon reached forward and touched her, drawing the length of its curved claw back-handedly down her exposed clitoris, sending chilled goosebumps across the surface of her skin in waves. She clenched her jaws and threw back her head in disgust as her most intimate organ was laid vulnerably open and violated. 

She felt the tip of the claw pass over her hood and penetrate her gaping slit. She could not open her eyes to face her assailant as the talon slid deep and turned inside of her, probing towards her womb as if searching for something. She felt it linger for a moment inside her, then winced in pain as it was torn out of her in surprise. The demon shrieked and slashed its claws across her stomach, leaving parallel trails of seeping blood. 

"NO!" screamed Melissa, as she helplessly watched her lover being cruelly tortured. The demon Lamashtu turned and snorted at Melissa's tears, quickly turning its attention back to Bethany. While the snakes still held open her vagina, the demon spread the claws of its thumb and longest finger above Bethany's clitoral hood and with a wicked snap, closed them harshly together, piercing her tender skin. Bethany screamed in agony and Melissa could only thrash against her bonds, screaming with her in tears. 

Bethany fell limp in shock as the creature's mouth opened over her sex and sucked the blood streaming out of her open wound. Then, after slaking its bloodthirst, the demon drew forth from some hidden cache a fine chain with an open ring at one end and drew it around her neck to pull her to attention. Bethany opened her tear-filled eyes to face the horrid creature and it dangled the chain before her eyes with a hiss. The chain was then pulled around her slender waist and the open link was pinched closed upon another link several inches from the other end of the chain. 

A glistening black ring then appeared in the palm of Lamashtu's hand. The demon lifted the ring, staring her in the eyes and spoke the incantation: "INSABATU KANASU" and with a flash, the demon slapped it hard against Bethany's wounded sex. Bethany looked down at herself in horror as the ring now passed through the hole torn through her clitoral hood and was linked to the end of the chain dangling from her tummy. She winced, throwing her head sideways, knowing this rape of her body was permanent. She seethed anger at the demon as it collected its serpents from her thighs and turned to Melissa.

"Bethany!" cried Melissa, but Bethany slumped in pain, her long hair veiling her face. "You are Lamashtu! Killer of babies and children. Why do you interest yourself in us?" Melissa demanded of the demon, expecting no answer. Melissa wore the ringed hip girdle of Innana and was thankful for its protection, but the demon looked up and down her lithe body and snarled. Its clawed hand shot out and seized Melissa by the throat and began choking the life from her. She sputtered, unable to breathe, and as she struggled to free her arms from the entangling roots, weakness overcame her. As she began to lose consciousness, she thought she saw over the shoulder of her assassin a fleeting streamer of movement, the lunge of a tawny lioness leaping across the chasm towards the back of the hell-demon, and then all before her eyes went black.

When she awoke, the fires below her had receded into the pit and she no longer felt its blistering heat. Bethany was nowhere in sight, nor was Lamashtu. The twisted roots about her body supported her but they no longer held her in their grip, and she slid her arms and legs out of their spirals and climbed down the spiderweb of vines to the floor below. Isyra too was rousing from her sleep and Melissa helped her sit up. They brushed the hair from each others faces and Isyra smudged off some of the dirt on Melissa's skin left by her contact with the black roots. They smiled at each other briefly but looked around furtively for any signs of Bethany. They began walking around the perimeter of the great pit, peering down over the edge occasionally, looking for any signs of their friend's disappearance.

Finally, Melissa spied a lone figure lying on a narrow ledge several yards below the heights of the abyss. She carefully climbed down the rocks and recognized her companion's long flowing hair draped across her back. "Bethany!" cried Melissa as she closed the distance and dropped to her side. Fearing what she would find, she rolled Bethany over onto her back and gasped at her wounds and torn skin. But beside her, where she had been covering it with her body a moment before, lay the Lapis Lazuli measuring rod and line of their goddess Innana. Melissa quickly uncoiled the cord, and while holding the end in her grip she called up to Isyra: "Catch the rod as I throw it up to you!" As Isyra waited to pull upon the cord, Melissa knelt beside Bethany and began to sing softly.

Where are the stars in the night far above
Now dimmed by the glow of our Goddess of Love
Let the light of the moon, Innana the fair
Send our sister back by your gentle care
May your powers to heal by the touch of your grace
Bring strength to her limbs and light to her face
Through my loving heart say the words I may sing
To stir her soul and let her life take wing
"Emuq epesu ebebu"

With those words, Bethany slowly opened her eyes and beheld her lover and smiled. Melissa leaned forward and kissed her softly as she caressed her cheek. 

"Come, my love. Can you climb?" Together, they looped the cord around them and climbed back to the top with Isyra's help. She returned the amulet of Innana's earthly power to Bethany and together they ran towards the sixth gate not far ahead. Melissa suddenly heard her lips speaking the Sumerian incantation: "ATI ME PETA BABKA." Bethany touched the shimmering jeweled rod to the heavy doors and they gave way before them, opening towards the next passage.

"Finally, we're through!" said Melissa.

(c) 2008 Bethany Frasier
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 12:02 AM

Exiting the sixth gate, they found themselves in an eerie corridor. The wailing of Erishkigel was quite loud; it resonated along the passageway and echoed across the walls. It seemed to merge with the sound of the drumbeat mimicking the beat of Inanna’s now still heart, making an ethereal sound so laden with pain and anguish, which seeped into the heads of the three girls, and ran through the core of their bodies. The Gala spirits were attuned to respond to Erishkigel’s wailing pain, and they mitigated the affect of her heart-rending agony on Bethany and Melissa’s psyche. 

Isyra seemed to feel nothing at all, and the blood of Lilith which pulsed through her veins, appeared to render her immune to suffering, and yet, enough of her own blood remained to enable her to assert her true self at times of crisis. Melissa looked carefully at her and knew that when their mission was complete, Isyra would also be liberated from Lilith’s 'gift' of poisoned blood. Their latest tribulation had ended. The girls decided to rest. All three sat with their naked backs against the great gateway. 

Bethany winced; her torn flesh still pained her. Melissa bade her to lie on her back and spread her long and sensuous legs wide apart. Melissa still carried the small bag of Lapis dust around her slim waist. Melissa looked with concern at Bethany’s ripped and shredded skin, from which drops of blood oozed. Isyra looked wide-eyed at the blood, but had enough control not to want to feed upon it. Melissa took a sprinkling of dust; she called out loudly in the gloom for the blessings of mighty Aphrodite, and cast the powder over the wounds. 

She remembered her own back, how Pezzuzi’s whip had slashed and stripped her skin, and trembled again. Melissa looked lovingly on Bethany, and allowed the dust to fall gently onto the wounds. Bethany sighed, her voice a murmur, a whisper as the magic Lapis dust began immediately to heal her wounds. Melissa thanked the great Goddess, and watched in wonder as Bethany’s skin wondrously became whole again. 

"My love, your beautiful vulva is healed. Your clitoris is whole again." Bethany lay back, not yet daring to touch her sex. The memory of the horror of the demon’s vicious violation of her sacred sexual flower was still all too fresh in her mind. "Lay still, my precious darling," Melissa cooed to her lover. She bid Isyra to stand, "Look with me a little way down this corridor. The Goddess will have seen to our needs and left us a gift." Isrya smiled her delightful warmness. 

Lilith’s blood had temporarily lost control of the girl. Together they ventured a little way down the passageway and came across another flagon standing against the dank wall. Melissa smiled knowingly and said to Isyra, "The Goddess is always here for us, and her gifts appear when we need them. The mighty one cannot enter Kur, but by means only she knows, she provides." 

‘Your mistress is truly the Mother," she said reverently.

"She is your Mother too, and she will tell us how to free you from your curse when the time is right. We do not question her ways. We accept her wisdom in all matters." 

Melissa glanced ahead, it was difficult to see into the gloom, but she knew they would not pass into the Hall of Erishkigel without a great danger yet ahead. Melissa took Isyra by the hand and they returned to Bethany. Bethany lay still, her hands resting on her head, her magnificent breasts upright. Melissa once again admired Bethany’s nipples, and thought lovingly of all the times she had enjoyed them against her lips, filling her mouth, and how desire overcame her. 

"My love," spoke Melissa. "The Goddess, our Mistresses has provided." 

Bethany smiled up at Melissa, "Sweetest girl, I am free of pain." 

Melissa leaned over Bethany, and pulling the stopper from the flagon, chanted, "With this libation, in the names of Aphrodite and Inanna, I purify Bethany from the vile rape of her vagina. Grant she is purified before you." Melissa poured out the viscous liquid and watched as it trickled the length of Bethany’s sex. 

Bethany sang a song in praise of her sex, "My vulva, the blessed vessel of the full moon, the comely horn of the new moon, purified it will be." 

Melissa sang softly with her, "Your vulva is moist. I, Melissa, servant of the Goddess in her holy name, say your vulva is moist. Let your chosen lover place her hand on your vulva." 

Bethany guided Melissa’s hand to her sex. Melissa massaged the libation into Bethany’s vulva, and Melissa took great care, softly rubbing the liquid into her soft flesh. She stroked Bethany's clitoris , smoothed the heavy herbal infused wine along the length of Bethany’s shining sex. Bethany allowed herself to gasp in delight, for no one had fingers as practiced as Melissa's, so skilled was she in the art of love. Melissa finally eased her oily fingers inside Bethany, who gripped Melissa tightly as she climaxed, pouring forth her sweet juices. Sitting astride Bethany, Melissa removed her fingers, and praising the Goddess, slowly licked Bethany’s nectar from them. 

Bethany sighed deeply, healed and purified. She was enraptured as she was once again unified with her lover. Melissa asked Bethany how she felt, smiling a salacious grin. Bethany could only reply,"I am whole again." 

"Here," said Melissa, "drink from the flagon, for it will give us new strength while we repose before we face whatever lays ahead." Bethany drank from the flagon, and felt the strange brew warm her belly. Her blood pulsed in her veins. Melissa took her turn to drink, and passed the flagon on to Isyra, who watched with wide eyes the magic Melissa worked on Bethany. "Come, let us huddle together, for there is a chill in here." The three girls embraced and slept for awhile. The shared heat from their bodies warmed them through.
 
Melissa woke after a few hours repose to the ever present sound of the drum. Erishkigel’s wailing had subsided to low, soft groaning which seemed to float along the corridors' narrow confines. Melissa rubbed her eyes. Apart from those sounds, there was an eerie stillness about the passageway. It felt to Melissa like the tomb it was. She gently shook Bethany awake; Bethany yawned, and stretched her limbs. Neither of the girls had any concept of time. All that had been lost once they’d passed through the First Gate. Melissa kissed her gently on her lips. 

"Welcome, sweet one. We have rested well, for how long I do not know, for time does not mean anything in Kur." Bethany returned Melissa’s kiss, and sighed. 

"That is true, my love. How many hours and days have passed since we began this hellish journey, I do not know." 

"It is not our concern," replied Melissa, "for the Goddess is not concerned over trivialities." Melissa and Bethany turned to look at the still sleeping Isyra, and both expressed admiration of her finely honed body, her proud breasts with their dark nipples. Her flat belly only served to emphasize her large mound, and beneath, her fine, dark bushy triangle. The neat lips of her sex peeped between the silken mats of her hair.
 
Bethany exchanged a knowing look with Melissa as she leaned over Isyra and drew her nipple into her mouth. Melissa allowed her hand to slide over Isrya’s mound, then let her fingers stroke Isrya’s lips, which began to swell under Melissa’s deft touch. Isyra stirred, but did not yet wake up. Melissa used her fingers to open Isyra’s vulva. She relished the sweet, oily liquid coating her eager fingers. 

Bethany continued to suck Isyra’s nipple, while her hand playfully caressed Isyra’s other breast. The girl turned, a smile radiating across her beautiful face. Her lips opened and she murmured softly as if she was enjoying an erotic dream. Melissa withdrew her oiled fingers and offered them to Bethany, who took them into her mouth, and Melissa shook as she felt Bethany’s tongue suck her fingers. Bethany's eyes danced with delight as she looked into Melissa’s. Love radiated between them like a magnetic force. Melissa leaned forward and kissed Bethany, savouring her taste mixed with Isyra’s juices. 

"Time we awakened our companion, I believe," said Melissa. Bethany nodded her agreement and they gently prodded Isyra until the girl's eyes opened. She saw nothing but pure love looking back at her. 

"Here, young friend," said Bethany, "Drink of the gift of the Goddess." Isyra took the flagon and drank the magical elixir, its heady fragrance fully awakening her senses. 

Isyra said softly, "I had this dream, that I was being made love to while I slept." She stopped suddenly and smiled softly, "It was no dream. It was you two!" Melissa and Bethany laughed. Even in this place of darkness, of seemingly no hope, they retained their exuberance. 

"Yes," they said, "The more love we give to you, the weaker Lilith’s poison becomes."

Melissa made tighter her leather cord from which the lapis bag hung. She adjusted the breechcloth of Inanna, representing the sexual aspect of the Goddess. She rose to her feet, Bethany rose with her, and then Isyra. Both Bethany and Isyra were fully naked, having lost any vestige of clothing in the previous encounters with the forces of Darkness. Melissa looked ahead. It was quite dark, and the only light being emitted was from a series of small oil lamps, set in niches. 

Melissa strained her eyes and could make out that the corridor took a turn to the right. She also noted the corridor narrowed considerably. Taking the lead, she took Bethany’s hand, who in turn took the girl Isyra’s hand. "Come, it is time to move on," Melissa said. Bethany held the three together as Melissa led them forward, walking boldly to the beat of the ever-present drum, and the whispering moans of Erishkigel. They moved as one ahead into the gloom.
 
Reaching the turn, Melissa slowed down and bade Bethany and Isyra to stop. Melissa put her back to the cold wall and eased herself around the bend in the corridor. She found herself in a natural cavern, in which a pool of water glimmered from the light cast by hundreds of burning torches set high in the walls. The cavern appeared almost bright. At the far end, Melissa could see a huge and magnificent gate made of Bronze, from which many Jewels sparkled. The Glint of the Gold was everywhere, embellishing the gate. 

Melissa knew this was the seventh and final gateway of Kur, beyond which lay the hall and throne room of Erishkigel. Their goal was in sight, but Melissa instinctively knew this seemingly empty cavern was filled with immense dangers. And yet, cross this space they must. She turned around and went back to tell Bethany what was ahead. 

Bethany mused, "Well Melissa, as you say, we have to face the danger. We do not know what lurks in the shadowy corners, but we have no choice." Melissa agreed. This was why they were here. 

The girls gave Isyra the choice of crossing with them, or remaining where she was until they returned for her. Isyra chose to accompany them, saying, "By the grace of your love for me, I am saved from an existence cursed by the Goddess. I will come with you." Melissa reminded her that she was not yet wholly free from Lilith’s curse, and that she may still be overcome by the poison in her blood.
 
Melissa stepped out of the corridor, just ten feet inside the cavern, Bethany on her right hand side, Isyra on the left. They held hands and looked in all directions, but nothing could be seen, and Melissa hesitated again. 

"Oh, come Melissa," chided Bethany, her nakedness glowing in the torchlight, breasts strong and firm, her strong thighs glowing in the flickering light. "Let’s go and see what hell has in store for us." Bethany tugged Melissa’s hand, as Melissa gave her that look only lovers fully understood, and they moved forward quickly. 

They had gone no further than five yards when an evil wind gust whipped up out of nowhere. It howled around them, blowing their hair back. Its cold blast caused them to shiver. The wind swirled around the pool in a twisting circle forming a shape, which coalesced into a form. Melissa, Bethany, and Isyra gripped hands ever tighter. Melissa and Bethany called on Aphrodite, and the Galas within. 

Gala-Tura, and Kur-Jara responded by awakening their psychic powers, imbuing the girls with their gifts. The mist swirled ever higher, then descended, the wind howling from it as it spun around and around. Finally it came to the floor of the cavern, and formed an apparition, a luminous spectre of a woman with long coal-black hair. The voice of the Galas whispered inside Melissa's and Bethany’s heads...."Beware the Edimmu!"
 
The apparition slowly assumed a corporeal form, that of a woman of great beauty, dressed in a long purple gown, trimmed with gold. Her opulent breasts strained against the silken fabric. Melissa and Bethany held the gaze of the creature. For what seemed endless moments, they continued to stare at each other across the space between them. Then, the Edimmu threw back its head and screeched a horrible cat-like wail, its loudness filled the cavern with bouncing echoes and its high-pitched screech seared the brains of Melissa and Bethany like red hot needles. 

Gala-Tura and Kur-Jara were prepared, and operating from within, they nullified the effect of the shrieking banshee. Isyra, however, was clearly in pain, and Bethany made her place her hands over her ears. The Edimmu lowered its head, its long tresses of raven black hair swayed back and forth. The creature was clearly surprised that the girls were still standing. It appeared to glower with pure hate in their direction. 

The Edimmu were succubi, demonic phantom-like entities which feed not off blood, but off the life-force of their victims. Melissa and Bethany, though, were not terrified, for terror from its victims was food for this insane creature. Isyra had regained her composure, being held tightly by Bethany. Melissa waited for the undead thing to unleash its force against them. They didn’t have to wait long. The creature sucked in air and blew a gust of evil breath against them. 

Like a magnetic net, it wrapped around the girls. It sought to overcome their minds and suck the life out of them. The Galas, however, had prepared a psychic barrier which shielded both Melissa and Bethany. Isyra was not so fortunate. While the poison of Lilith which still ran through her blood was an antidote, in as much as the creature could not take that part of Lilith within her, it did not prevent her from being wrenched from Bethany’s grip and dragged across the floor by the sheer psychic power of the entity. 

Isyra’s breasts and body were torn as she scraped the cavern floor with her naked body. Bloodied and weakened, she lay at the monster's feet. The Edimmu would torment its victim. Melissa and Bethany sensed it was going to use Isyra to make them vulnerable to its psychic attack. It meant to render them emotionally open to its power. 

The Edimmu took a firm grip on Isyra’s hair and hauled her over to a post standing on the far side of the pool. Holding the girl up with one arm, it quickly produced leather ties and bound Isyra’s hands. It looped the ties through a metal hoop, and let Isyra hang there, suspended by her arms. Melissa's and Bethany’s impulse was to charge the creature and fall upon it in just anger. Yet they could not. Their psychic field and the creature's psychic power repelled one another, holding each other in check for now.
 
The Edimmu screeched and made a long, drawn-out hissing sound. Isyra moaned as she hung from her pole. Her naked body was gleaming with moisture mixed with blood running from her cuts and grazes. The ethereal monster turned to the girl and scraped a sharp nail down Isyra’s chest down to her mound. It raised a thin red cut which bled. Isyra screamed and twisted but she was tightly tied, and it only increased her pain. 

The Edimmu turned and looked at the Girls. Both Melissa and Bethany hated what was happening but they could not drop their guard and allow their emotions to flood their brains. The Galas maintained their emotionless state. The female Edimmu made a second attack on Isyra. It clutched Isyra’s sex, and ran its talon-like nail over her labia, causing Isyra to scream even louder. Her howls of agony echoed around the cavern, reverberating off the walls. Blood began to run down the inside of her thighs. Her cries were pitiful and filled both Melissa and Bethany with horror. 

"By our lady, Melissa," cried Bethany, "Do something. I cannot stand this much longer." Melissa grimaced, and called on Aphrodite to assist. The creature was relishing its torment of Isyra. Its eyes glowed like red coals. As it ripped Isyra’s thigh from just inside her groin to her knee, crimson blood spurted out and pooled on the floor. "Oh, lady of heaven," cried Bethany. 

Sensing that Bethany's resolve was weakening, Melissa called again to the Goddess. "Give me guidance, our Lady." The answer was swift in arriving. Melissa did not even know how the words emerged from her lips, but she called out in a loud voice, "Akhkhura, Barra, Edin Na Zu, Anna Harrani Sa Alaktasa La Tarat." 

Isyra was howling in great pain as the Edimmu slashed her across her belly, making a deep cut from which a profusion of warm, thick, dark red blood oozed. Melissa’s words penetrated the monster's psychic barrier and it turned furiously to face them. Melissa called out again. The words rang out loud and clear, the power of the Goddess within them.

"The Demon that seizeth man
The Demon that seizeth man
The GIGIM who worketh Evil
The Spawn of the wicked Demon
SPIRIT OF THE SKY, REMEMBER!
SPIRIT OF THE EARTH, REMEMBER!
He who forges images
He who casts spells
The Evil Angel
The Evil Eye
The Evil Mouth
The Evil Tongue
The Evil Lip
The Most Perfect Sorcery
SPIRIT OF THE SKY, REMEMBER!
SPIRIT OF THE EARTH, REMEMBER!
NINNKIGAL, Spouse of NINNAZU
May she cause him to turn his face toward the place where she is!
May the wicked Demons depart!
May they seize one another's bones!
SPIRIT OF THE SKY, REMEMBER!
SPIRIT OF THE EARTH, REMEMBER!"
 
With these words, the apparition staggered back several paces, tore its own hair, and fell to its knees. Before their eyes, it began to disintegrate, collapse and crumble into dust. A wind sprang up, and blew the remnants of the evil Edimmu past Bethany and Melissa and into the corridor behind them. Both Melissa and Bethany rushed forward to the torn and bloodied Isyra. Tenderly, they released her from her bonds and lowered her to the floor. Isyra had by now fainted from shock. Bethany was very concerned, "Melissa, can the poor girl be saved?"

Melissa looked at Isyra’s body, ripped and torn, and knew there was not enough Lapis powder left to heal the girl. It was then that the voice inside her head spoke to her directly. Melissa beckoned Bethany, "The Goddess has given me the way of healing. Come, help carry the girl to the waters of the pool." 

Together they carried the wreck of Isyra to the pool. Melissa instructed Bethany to lower Isyra into the water, that the Goddess had instructed her do this. Gently, they placed Isyra into the pool. The water was shallow, and they set to work softly using their hands to cleanse Isyra’s wounds. They worked lovingly, all the time singing softly. Soon enough, Isyra stirred, as her senses returned to her, and by the power of the Goddess, her body was magically healed. Both Bethany and Melissa gave due praise to their mistress. Isyra smiled at them with tender eyes, from which tears ran down her cheeks. Isyra had regained enough strength and with the help of the girls, she left the water, and laid down to rest.
 
Happy that Isyra was recovered, Melissa said, "Bethany, the girl has lost much blood. She will be weak. But Lilith’s power is furthered weakened by Isyra’s loss of blood. Let her rest while we approach this final gateway." 

The girls walked to the great jeweled door, through which the beat of the insistent drumbeat could be heard. Beyond lay Inanna, and the dread presence of Erishkigel. Melissa considered how they may pass. She removed Inanna’s breech cloth, her symbol of her sexuality, and standing fully naked apart from the sliver of leather which secured the pouch of Lapis to her slender waist, she looked over the door.
 
Set in the center of the right hand door, a strange protrusion was clearly visible; it appeared to be a golden phallus, which doubled as a pulling handle. Melissa knew now that the surrender of her breech cloth meant the surrender of her sex, to be penetrated by this Golden Phallus, that would then unlock the door. She called Bethany over, "You must caress my sweet vulva, and moisten me, my love, for we have to offer up the gift of sex to pass through." 

"My lover, my precious one, it is done," replied Bethany. She knelt between Melissa’s open thighs and gorged herself on Melissa’s ever increasing wetness, sucking and licking furiously. She felt her mouth fill with Melissa’s sweet wine. Her hands gripped Melissa’s firm buttocks, and rocked Melissa as her tongue brought her exquisite joy. Melissa’s orgasm soaked Bethany’s face, and Bethany felt so alive again after the recent horrors. 

Melissa asked for Bethany’s assistance as she turned away from the door. With Bethany’s guidance, she backed onto the golden phallus, allowing it to penetrate her to its full length, its thick girth filled and stretched her wide open. Bethany, her hands on Melissa’s shoulders, pushed Melissa back and forth on the Golden Rod. Bethany was in rapturous wonder as Melissa’s wet sex slid effortlessly on the Gold Rod, shining with Melissa’s juice. As she approached orgasm, the door began to open, just a little at first. Melissa knew her oncoming climax would open it enough to allow them to slip through. "Quick, Bethany. Go and bring Isyra. The time is almost upon us. Erishkigel and Lillith await…

(c)2008: Melissa G
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Thursday, July 17, 2008 - 9:28 AM

Bethany pulled Isyra to her feet, and with her arm around her they splashed bare-footed through the shallow water at the edge of the dark pool and raced for the final gate. They could see Melissa ahead of them, writhing feverishly as her head swayed from side to side. Isyra feared Melissa was possessed by some final bewitchment at the end of their journey, but Bethany only urged her on faster as a sliver of light split the two shimmering doors ahead of them. 

Melissa's hands were over her head grasping two jewels set in golden bands embossed upon the great door. From these, she was pulling her slender, well-turned body up and down the golden phallus which ran with her juices. Her feet were off the floor, pushing against the upper edge of the door sweep as she plunged herself down, again and again upon the gate-key for which her own body served as the lock. As they neared the enormous portal, Bethany gathered up Innana's hip-girdle from the floor and shouted the words, "SARRAT IRKALLI, PETA BABKAMA LURUBA ANAKU!" The great doors slowly swung open and Isyra and Bethany gently lifted their exhausted friend from the phallus-key and helped her regain her footing as they slipped between the gates to the illuminated chamber beyond.
 
After being long-accustomed to the gloom of the passageways between the gates, their eyes were suddenly assailed by the light of a thousand torches receding down an enormous corridor of pointed-arch vaults, their light reflected brilliantly from a polished floor of black marble. They knew by the formality of this hallway that they had reached the antechamber of the Queen of the Underworld and the echoing groans of the queen herself confirmed their propinquity to the conclusion of their journey. 

Melissa suddenly folded forward from the arms of Bethany and Isyra and slipped to her knees. She was still in the throes of ecstasy from her climaxes upon the gate-key. Its mystical properties had heightened her arousal to such a level that Isyra and Bethany were also overcome by desire for her. They unburdened themselves of the flasks and satchels strung about their waists and laid down the amulets of Innana's power they had regathered along their descent. They kneeled before Melissa, who already flowed like a fountain for their thirsty lips. 

Bethany's heart raced as she kissed her lover's warm lips while Isyra caressed Melissa's soft, full breasts, taking her hardened nipple between her lips and tongue. Melissa responded by cupping her hands between the legs of her two beautiful companions and sliding her fingers into their wet folds. Soon, Ereshkigal's moans were drowned by those of the three young girls writhing together at the foot of the seventh gate. Isyra and Bethany wedged themselves between Melissa's widened thighs, taking turns tasting the copious stream flowing from her swollen, silky vulva. They alternated their attentions licking her inner thighs of the juices that had poured from her while she had been impaled upon the gate phallus. Melissa's final orgasm was so exquisite her partners held onto her legs to keep her from thrashing so wildly that she might injure herself. 

While Melissa was laying back gasping to recover her breath and composure, Bethany and Isyra pleasured themselves upon each others aroused sex as they sat squirming their pelvic rings together in a tribadist embrace. Melissa propped herself up on her elbows and watched with fascination as her two friends climaxed together. The shiny black floor beneath their rounded bottoms glistened with a pool of the girls' sweet nectar and their bodies were slick with each others juices, but all the anxiety of the task ahead was forgotten in this moment of total pleasure and release. The love this trio felt for one another was the only emotion contained in this enormous chamber. Even the gala demons within Bethany and Melissa had learned to partake in the pleasures of their surrogates, though they themselves were devoid of gender.

After the moment had been thoroughly enjoyed, Isyra looked about them for something with which to dry their wet thighs. Nothing they had carried with them seemed adequate to the task, but Isyra cast her gaze farther afield and spied a crumpled cloth lying on the floor in the corner where the great gate was supported on its hinges. She slid a foot underneath herself and pushed up to see what it was when Bethany suddenly began to be troubled by the shadow of foreboding. Isyra was nearly upon the unidentified remnant when Bethany sensed the approach of the being she feared most. It was a trap! 

"Isyra, stop!" she shrieked, but as Melissa and Bethany leaped to their feet, a flash of light appeared in the corner out of which stepped a hideous apparition. Isyra turned to run but it was too late. Lamashtu grabbed her arm and pulled her into the vortex of wind and fire from which it had emerged. 

"KI-AG BELUM BAPHOMET! PETA ABANASKUPPATU! TARU!" the beast cried, and in a crash of thunder the mystical portal clapped shut with the demon and Isyra both gone in an instant. Melissa began to run towards the spot from which they disappeared but collapsed sobbing as Bethany ran to her side. Bethany sank to the floor in tears as they both realized the enormity of their loss, for Lilith had taken from them the most precious thing they had found on their bleak journey through the underworld. They cried in each others arms for what seemed an eternity, until they were wrung out and exhausted, and completely demoralized.

Bethany finally rose and absently walked to the corner to identify the bait Lilith had used to ensnare their friend. Stooping down she held up the disheveled cloth and shook it out. "My God, Melissa. Look! It is Innana's pala dress! The last thing she surrendered as she passed through the seventh gate."
 
"We now have all seven of her symbols of power except the crown turban, which remains outside the first gate," said Melissa. They pondered a rescue attempt, but knew of no way to even begin. Melissa wondered if Lilith would use Isyra as a shield, her trump card to stop them from reaching Ereshkigal. They resolved to press on and hope for an opportunity later to find their friend. Melissa tied Innana's hip girdle around her torso while Bethany slipped on her pala dress. They collected the food and water of life which Lord Enki had given them to revive their goddess and padded lightly down the final corridor to the throne room from which Ereshkigal's plaintiff moans could still be heard.

In a dark, torch-lit vault Isyra watched helplessly as her captors locked her wrists and ankles in heavy bronze chains. Lamashtu had transformed itself into Lilith again and she and her hell-prince husband Samael spoke in a language she could not understand. Their sharp tones suggested that they were in disagreement however, and Isyra wondered if her fate was the issue. She pulled uselessly at her bonds and thought feverishly for a way out of her predicament. Lilith seemed to have prevailed at the end of their discussion and hurriedly took her leave as Isyra felt the creep of dread at being left alone in shackles with this creature of darkness who had long ago seduced Eve herself and brought ruin to the human race. 

She wondered how Lilith had brought her here, what magicks she had invoked and whether the incantation she had used could be repeated to whisk her out of this place and dissolve her from these chains. The words were Sumerian and she understood all but one which she could not at the moment recall. She knew she had new powers since Lilith had mixed her blood with her own, and as a vampire she felt stronger than she had as a mere mortal, but she knew also that even if she were unchained she was no match for this satanic lord. She hoped that if she could repeat the complete incantation Lilith had used she could escape, but knew not where she would materialize. She decided that anywhere would be better than here. 

Baphomet! She suddenly remembered the mysterious name Lilith had used. She ordered the words of the spell in her mind so as not to make a mistake and chanted them quickly as Lilith had, so Samael would have no time to silence her. The air stirred and the weight of her chains lessened but Samael wheeled instantly and pointed a clawed finger at her shouting: "KALU"! The spell collapsed and Isyra slumped down again under the renewed weight of her chains and closed her eyes to seal in her tears. The serpent-demon closed in on her, staring at her fiercely. In an unexpectedly mellifluous voice he inquired: "What was that you said, my dear"?

In the great throne room of Ereshkigal, Lilith stood before the Queen of the Underworld and entreated for the release of the body of the goddess Innana, her former mistress. The Anuna, the seven judges of hell looked upon their suffering queen with pity and wished she would grant Lilith's request and rid herself of this sorrowful reminder of the sister who attempted to seize her throne and usurp her power.
 
"Oh great one, I see how your heart is sick with the betrayal by your younger sister, she who has enjoyed the light and love of the living world where you cannot dwell. Lord Enki has given you but this dark place to rule while your fair sister he gifts with the vast surface of the world above as her kingdom. And in her vanity, your sister seeks to come where the living may not pass and take this realm as her own also. This injustice has weighed heavily upon you, mistress, and the sorrow for the mortal judgment of the Anuna, condemning her to death has torn your heart also. Innana was my queen and my lover. I ask for her remains so that she may be given the rites she once deserved. Her minister Ninshubur has sent me to pay my respects to the Queen of Kur, and beg of you the release of our goddess's mortal shell."

"LIAR!" shouted Melissa. As the Anuna turned their fierce gaze upon the two new intruders, Melissa and Bethany stepped before Lilith and begged the queen's audience.
 
"Great one, your sufferings have been rendered unto you by the treachery of this pretender who has long deceived you without your knowledge!" cried Melissa.
 
But Lilith interjected, "Great Ereshkigal, can you not see your own gala demons with whom these two have joined themselves to trespass into your realm in secrecy? Why would they use such trickery and deceit to pass through your seven gates unseen if it were not your very throne they sought? Where is Neti? Where is your door-warden to guard the way? They have bewitched him at your outer gate, leaving the halls of Ganzer undefended, and they would use their charms to deceive you also." 

The black lady smiled and watched the queen twist uneasily with her sharp gaze fixed upon Bethany and Melissa. Pain and doubt gripped Ereshkigal as the girls feared a cruel decision which would deliver them to the same fate as their lady Innana. The Anuna watched also and were prepared to render judgment at a signal from the queen. Melissa and Bethany joined hands. "Now, Melissa! It may be our last chance," whispered Bethany. They closed their eyes and took a deep breath.

Together, the girls summoned all the powers of the six amulets of their goddess and cast a counter-spell to reveal the poisonous enchantment Lilith had placed upon the throne of the queen. But Lilith quickly parried their spell, invoking the name of the darkest of her demon-lords: "Baphomet, my liege and my love, come forth and take the kingdom I have arranged for thee. Together we shall rule hell and earth!" The air stirred from a tense calm into a frenzied whirlwind as a portal opened, unfolding from the darkness beyond the underworld. But instead of Baphomet, another prince of the netherworld appeared before them in a flash of flame, and with him stood a beautiful young girl. 

"Isyra!" exclaimed Melissa, and the girls quickly moved to pull their young friend out of the line of fire. Lilith trembled and looked around for a way to flee from the wrath of her husband Samael, Dark Prince of the Abyss to whom her treachery had now been revealed. His aspect was terrifying, part man, part serpent and consumed in flame and rage.

"So, Lilithu, you would deceive the deceiver, kill the queen, plight your troth to two dark lords to invoke their powers and divide Kur in twain," said the fell prince. "Adam could not have known his good fortune when you fled the Garden." Lilith cringed and knew not whether her death would come from the judges of the Anuna or from her betrayed husband, but didn't wait to find the answer. She drew up a fierce wind and took wing upon the gale as Samael turned in relentless pursuit. As the astonished assemblage shrank back from the storm, Lilith, with the wrath of hell behind her, flew out of the Hall of Ereshkigal and disappeared down the vaulted corridor beyond the throne room as the smoke trailed out the great hall after them.

Silence filled the throne room for several moments as all eyes peered beyond the threshold through the receding vapors. Melissa and Bethany smiled quizzically at Isyra, who shrugged. "I may have mentioned to him that Lilith called upon Baphomet to open the portal when she abducted me." 

They gave her a hug and turned to Ereshkigal who was now reclining upon her throne, still suffering Lilith's spell. They re-intoned her laments for her heart, her back and her liver, and offered her their sympathies. They told her of Lilith's plot to poison the thrones of both her and her sister to gain power over both worlds, and summoned the powers of the six divine amulets of their goddess to remove the fell enchantment from her throne and purify her body. 

"Lilith's taint is the poison of her demon blood, which through her magic has poisoned your own, as it has our friend's," said Melissa. Ereshkigal's pain began to diminish as did her fierce demeanor, and she began to show warmth and gratitude to the three girls and asked of them their names. But as Enki had instructed, Melissa and Bethany revealed only the names of Gala-Tura and Kur-Jara as their own. The queen offered them generous gifts of grain and water as Enki had foretold, but they declined, asking only for the body of their goddess Innana. The queen acceded to their request and the corpse of their goddess was carefully lowered from the wall.

Isyra kneeled with them as Melissa and Bethany drew forth the water of life and sprinkled it upon Innana. Her deathly pallor slowly disappeared from her cool flesh and they placed into her mouth the food of life Enki had also sent. Her skin warmed to their caresses and their mistress miraculously awoke. She smiled at Melissa and Bethany, lifting her hand to their faces and a fleeting look of recognition momentarily crossed her countenance, but the girls pulled her to her feet and she saw her sister leaning forward upon her throne. 

"Welcome back, young sister," Ereshkigal said to Innana. "The moon returns to the night sky once again." 

Innana looked at Melissa and Bethany and said, "You have done me great honor and your praises will be sung in ages to come. Your lives will be bound with mine. I see in you a fire which burns brighter even than my faithful minister Ninshubur, who has sent you to me." She walked to her sister and bowed and while Bethany and Melissa wondered what was next for them, Innana and Ereshkigal spoke privately to one another.

As Innana took her leave of the queen of Kur, Bethany and Melissa surrendered to her the six divine powers which they had recovered for her along their journey. They adorned her with her lapis jewels and dressed her perfect body with her ringed hip girdle and pala dress, leaving them naked once again. Innana admired their physical beauty as she had their spirit. The lapis lazuli stones they had worn upon their right breasts though, she gave to Ereshkigal as a parting gift. As she turned to leave however, the judges of the Anuna required an exchange for her right to depart the underworld. They surrounded her with a picket of galla demons to serve as her escort on the condition that they returned with one who she would choose as her replacement in hell, for a balance must be preserved.

Melissa and Bethany approached the queen and asked, "Highness, what of Isyra? She was brought to your world against her will by Lilith. Can she not depart again with our lady's retinue?" 

Ereshkigal looked closely upon Isyra, thinking deeply upon the matter. The girls were about to despair her fate when she replied, "Isyra has suffered much at the hand of Lilith, but so have we all. The scales of life and death between the world above and the underworld must ever be in balance, but she has also saved my throne and my life. I owe her a debt. Here is my offer. Isyra's blood has been tainted with the demon blood of Lilith. I would have Lilith pay for her crimes upon me, even if Samael finds his own justice with her. That part of your blood which is Lilith will I keep here in the underworld, thus binding her forever to this realm. You will be cleansed of her poison, but her vampyr curse will remain within you forever, for that was a bargain you signed with your blood. 

"You may leave my realm upon this condition: that you pursue Lilith to the ends of the earth if necessary, find her, and send her back to me. This will be your destiny, even if it takes an eternity. Immortal you may be, but if you give up this quest, you will be returned to me to serve in her stead." Isyra nodded her assent, and turned to kiss Melissa and Bethany. 

"Innana," said Ereshkigal, "Teach her the ways of love, for she will need these pleasures to counter the sadness of her quest." 

Isyra looked at Melissa and Bethany with profound love in her eyes and said, "My friends have already taught me so much!" 

Bethany and Melissa held her close and bade their farewells. Melissa whispered, "We will find each other again, if you desire!"

Innana walked back and took Isyra to her side. She turned to Bethany and Melissa and said: "You worry not for yourselves but only for your friend. You are worthy acolytes indeed, and will ever remain my favorites as priestesses of my temple, but you will not be serving me as my emissaries to Kur, for love is lost here. You are needed elsewhere. The galla spirits within you are your ransom to the queen and the Anuna. They will stay to serve Ereshkigal as you have served me. Bid them farewell! Thanks to you, I live again. You have been hearing the beat of my heart while my heart was stilled. The drums of my requiem have filled your minds since you were brought here. Once I remove that cadence from you, nothing more will hold you to this world or to this time. Go with my immortal gratitude. We will meet again. Take each other by the hand. Mighty Enki, let the drums stop!"

Bethany and Melissa took each other by the hands and pulled themselves close together in a tight embrace as the last drumbeat echoed away in their ears. Silence filled the minds of Melissa and Bethany for the first time since they had awakened in Ninshubur's care. They felt the galla demons within them depart, and they felt a part of themselves being torn from them as well. They fell through a maelstrom and sensed no tangibility to their physical bodies or the dark world they had grown accustomed to. They felt only each others touch, which they clung to for their very lives. As darkness closed around them, they were only aware of the warmth of each others bodies and the chill wind upon their invisible skin. And then they dreamed.

Aphrodite kissed them both as they awoke, and sat together with them upon their bed of soft mosses. The Golden Goddess brushed their brows and asked if they had enjoyed a restful sleep. 

"Morpheus' voice is very soothing, but the dreams he inspires can be quite vivid," she said softly. "I hope you dreamed of pleasant journeys." 

Melissa and Bethany looked up into her soft eyes and said simply, "We dreamed of you." 

They smiled and jumped to their feet, and the soft grass felt good under their bare feet, which in their minds had too long walked only upon hard stone. Overhead in the dawning sky, the barest sliver of the new moon appeared through the silhouetted canopy. They danced in a circle around the goddess, who admired their naked beauty, and she joined hands with them, pulling herself from the center, dancing with them as equals. 

"Perhaps Calliope will visit you today, Bethany. Or have you no more poems to sing for me?"

"I will think of something m'lady," replied Bethany.

(c) 2008 Bethany Frasier
Posted by Sapphic Tales on Saturday, July 19, 2008

The Song of Hathor
by Bethany Frasier & Melissa Germaine


Melissa stirred from a troubled sleep, sensing she was alone. In the darkness she reached out her arm to find if her lover were still by her side, but found only Bethany's gossamer gown lying crumpled upon the soft moss. The black night was moonless and stars filled the sky like jewels. A mist was rising out of the vale and it seemed to glow faintly, not catching light but softly creating it. Turning her gaze slowly around the horizon, she saw in the distance the dark figure of a girl's body silhouetted by the pale fog beyond, her legs apart, naked and standing alone. She watched for a few moments, wondering at her lithe figure and long, sweeping hair which fell almost to her buttocks, and she felt a deep, warm stirring calling forth memories of their past intimacies together. She could see that Bethany's gaze was cast towards the heavens and that she was motionless as a caryatid.

Rising to her feet, Melissa padded softly across the wet grass, slowly closing the distance between them. Emerging from beneath the high canopy of trees under which they had slept, she looked into the night sky and marveled at the beauty of the river of stars ambling across the sky from horizon to horizon. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the streak of a starfall, but it was gone by the time she turned to focus upon it.

"There will be six more," whispered Bethany quietly, but before Melissa could speak, another streak caught her eye and then another. As she watched the same patch of sky, her eyes learned where to expect the next falling star, and with the seventh, the display ended.

Melissa was thrilled by the mysterious event and wondered what had called her companion from her sleep to find it. She felt dawn could be no more than an hour or two away. She slid softly behind her lover, pulling a fine string off of each shoulder, letting her sheer gown fall to the grass beneath her. Her bare breasts touched Bethany's feathery curtain of hair as her hot mound pressed into the softness of her lover's rounded cheeks. Bethany reached behind her and caressed Melissa's dew-kissed hair as her lover lifted her chin onto Bethany's shoulder and kneaded her mons into her ass.

"The night is lovely. Come lay with me."

Bethany turned and nestled her breasts into Melissa's. Their lips found each other in the darkness and as their tongues swirled together, their hips began a soft dance which crescendoed with their passion.

As co-mingled juices streamed down their inner thighs, they felt the soft, slick skin of their breasts sliding together in each other's sweat. Their night dance quickened with their ragged breaths until they fell to their knees, their long hair wiping across each other's wet skin. They lay in the grass, Bethany upon Melissa, finding familiar creases and soft hillocks to explore once again, taking up each other's sweet juices with furtive laps of their tongues until ecstasy screamed unheard under the flood of stars of the Milky Way.

"The sistrum of Hathor will soon entice Ra from the netherworld, my love," Melissa said in quiet gasps. "Let us honor her with a show of our desire." As Melissa looked up in amazement, seven streaks of light cut across the sky from the Perseus radiant in quick succession and her rapture erupted under Bethany's quick tongue. The stars blurred together and Bethany was grateful for the cool mists which rolled over the grasses upon which they lay, for their refreshing droplets chilled her heated skin as Melissa's impassioned body heaved under her in breathless abandon.

At dawn, Bethany awoke in her lover's arms where they laid under the stars an hour before. The sky was streaked with a pale red glow and Bethany looked to the air, but the birds whose waking song she had fallen asleep to not long ago were nowhere to be seen. She admired the lean curves of Melissa's soft skin glowing in the warm light of a new day. She breathed in the intoxicating scent of their love-play, which still lingered on their skin, and gently combed her fingers through her lover's silken tresses, pulling the last finger-length between her lips. Melissa woke suddenly and started momentarily until she felt her companion close by.

"A dream!" she said, almost under her breath. "How long...?"

"We've slept but an hour since..." but Melissa grabbed her arms and they pulled each other upright.

"Let us find food and then I must see the goddess." Bethany assented encouragingly.

Bethany waited on the steps of the pavilion where Aphrodite held court. The open-air temple was expansive so that she could not hear their conversation across the distance of polished marble. She knew only that Melissa had been troubled by her dream and now sought the counsel of their mistress. But in her heart, she felt a call to her spirit and prepared her heart to say farewell to The Goddess of Love.

oOo

The tall grass waved lazily over Bethany's head as she lay looking up at the azure Mediterranean sky. The blueness of it overhead was so deep she squinted to discern if she might see stars twinkling faintly through it. Time seemed to have no more meaning under this perfect day than it had in the darkness of Kur, though that memory was fading like a dream vanishing upon the morn. She wondered if Melissa felt as wistful, and realized this was the first she was parted from her lover since that night of their erotic firedance together upon the eve of the sacred Samhain in the borean woods of the enchanted isle, now far away.

Their time was now drawing to a close on this isle, home of their goddess, for they sensed a change in the wind the fates were blowing. Aphrodite had bade Melissa to find the Oracle of Kyprios upon the wooded hills above the western coast where her temple had been newly consecrated. But she was cautioned to go alone. Their parting had been bittersweet but Melissa and Bethany knew their fates were, as always, in the hands of the goddesses. Bethany had accompanied her as far as the open grasslands in the valley below the hills and there their hands and lips had parted for a while until Melissa's return.

Bethany drew her legs off the soft bed of grass upon which she laid and lifted her feet to dance in the air with the swaying heads of the tall grass. As a gentle breath of breeze bent the grasses one way and another, her slender, shapely legs would follow their lead. As their grain-filled heads bowed and rebounded, her bare feet would gracefully turn and twist to mimic them. When a sudden gust pushed a prairie wave over her head, bending the grasses almost to the ground, she laughed at having been outguessed by the winds. Tiring of the game she straightened her legs to the zenith and after a moment was startled when a dragonfly lit upon her toe and flitted momentarily but wouldn't fly off.

She pulled her leg towards her face to look closely at her visitor. It turned, stepped onto another toe and Bethany giggled to herself. She wiggled her toes and finally the slender-winged insect flew off. She put her hands under her hips and lifted her legs again high into the air then lazily spread them wide. She felt the inner lips of her vulva pull apart and slowly pulled her finger up through the moist valley until it rose up her clitoral hood.

She felt for any scar left by the penetration of Lamashtu's claw or the slave ring the demon had cast into her most intimate flesh, but no trace remained that she could find. Melissa had examined her for any trace of the demon's cruel wound but Bethany would always be haunted by her assault. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the thinly-filtered sun raising fine beads of sweat upon her darkening skin, feeling it cooled by the soft breeze. She soon felt the muscles of her eyelids relax while her fingers rolled playfully over her clitoris. Melissa's lithe image filled her mind as waves of pleasure rolled out from her warming sex. Bethany felt herself nearing her favorite place as her whole body became consumed in pleasure. She gave herself up to the crashing wave as she climaxed luxuriantly, then relaxed and slowly drifted into sleep.

oOo

Melissa had scaled the gentle hill upon which the oracle of Cyprus was alleged to be found, but she had been wandering through a thin glade since mid-morn without finding a trace of the ancient site. Her mistress had cautioned her that her search may not at first be fruitful, but patience was not the first instinct of those who loved the goddess of desire, for desire itself was impatient. Melissa longed for the company of her paramour but the goddess had instructed her that this day she must seek the oracle alone. When they had heard her words she knew curiosity had shown upon her countenance while Bethany's expression had remained inscrutable. She wondered if Bethany knew the reason for Aphrodite's command, but felt it wise to question neither the goddess nor her lover, hoping her silent friend might open the subject herself as they walked hand-in-hand through the trees towards the west, but Bethany had remained warm and close to her but silent.

The sun twinkled brightly through the leaves of the great trees overhead as they swayed in the steady breeze. The rush of the air through the interlaced branches made a sound that filled her with both comfort and wistfulness, like the breaking waves of the sea. Melissa's senses were open and attuned to the mysteries of the world behind the world her eyes could see. She looked up the hillside for a path she had not yet searched but a flash of the full disk of the sun temporarily washed the sight from her eyes as the canopy overhead had suddenly parted with the wind. She closed her eyes and saw the dull red-against-red outline of the gold disk behind her eyelids.

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and the image appeared and disappeared, changing to the shape of a golden barque and then a chariot before she could be certain it was really there. She suddenly realized she was losing her balance upon the slope of the hillside, but when she opened her eyes again the world had subtly changed. Everything in front of her eyes seemed the same but stripped of complexity. The world off to the periphery seemed different and elusive. Instead of focusing on that which normally occupied her mind's attention, her mind pulled her gaze always off to the sides where she felt understanding lay, but as she drew it towards the center of her vision, the feeling of comprehension was lost so that she was constantly trying to see what lay beyond the edges of her waking window.

She now realized that all her senses had been reoriented to attune to the world from a different perspective. Clarity of sight, sound and touch seemed always to be off to the sides of her normal center of attention, and it was maddening to lose the clarity whenever she tried to focus upon it. She wondered what was happening to her, whether she was losing her mind or her consciousness. She felt dizziness and confusion sweeping over her. Her conscious mind, now receding from her grasp, felt one final sensation from the world she knew as she felt her knees hit the rough bed of fallen twigs and leaves upon the ground upon which she knew she had fallen. In her mind as in her dream she felt herself descending steps of cold stone in the darkness and felt her path downward would be endless. She was alone.

Melissa awoke to the mid-day light filtering through the trees. She was lying upon the forest bed but she was not alone. Upon her hand a dragonfly sat motionless. Though her natural reflex tried to pull her hand away, she found she couldn't move until the dragonfly took flight. She sat up and sensed the presence of another sentient mind nearby but saw only the trees.

"Where is your friend?" said a voice.

"Who?" answered Melissa warily.

"Why did you not share your dream with her?"

"If you are an oracle, you know already," countered Melissa.

"Bring the lioness to me and I will answer your queries."

"My goddess counseled me to come alone," said Melissa.

"Aphrodite could not explain your dream. Why follow her counsel? Bring Ariel to me and I will help you," the voice persisted.

"Why will you not show yourself?" Melissa asked. She began to feel an invasive presence probing her thoughts and knew not whether she should close her mind or whether the oracle would help her this way. Why would Aphrodite send her into danger? She knew there was need of caution regarding the oracle's interest in Bethany. Her heart betrayed her and her thoughts filled with the eve of the Samhain and the night-long dance of passion she first shared with Bethany. The memories turned real once again and her body gyrated as it had that night. Her nipples hardened under her gown and her sex flowed like a spring but she knew she was being used as a surrogate. She forced her mind back into focus and tried to confront the oracle with all her attention.

She found herself on her feet and except for the wetness streaming down her legs she was back in the moment, but the oracle was silent. She looked around, slapped her arms to her sides in frustration but still there was silence. She felt she had been abandoned and began walking down the slope through the trees. After several minutes she heard footsteps approaching and froze in her tracks. Wading through sprays of myrtle climbing the incline of the forest floor to her left she watched an old blind woman carrying a large bundle under her arm.

She kept still as the woman approached her, paused, and craned her head as if listening to the sounds in the forest, then continued her trek up the hillside. Melissa followed her with her eyes, but shrugged and continued down to the valley below.

"You must journey to the Festival of Hathor," said the familiar voice. "You will find your answers along your path, but stay close to the augur."

(c) 2008 Bethany Frasier

*******

Melissa continued her walk down the valley, eventually emerging onto the beach. The heat of the late afternoon was stifling. The gentle sea breezes were cooling though, and she enjoyed the caress of the slightly cooler air on her bronzed skin. Melissa sat down and stared out to sea, into the haze. Due South across the waters lay the ancient land of Egypt. The late afternoon possessed a calm and quiet feel, the rustling leaves of nearby Olive trees and the scent of Oleander, sweet thyme and Rosemary filled the air with a heady mix.

Further down the beach, Pine trees added a sharper note. Melissa’s mind was almost empty for now, and her eyes felt heavy. Lulled by the dream-like atmosphere and the sound of crickets, she lay back on the warm sand and closed her eyes. The sun was low in the western sky, and her thoughts began to focus on Bethany. In her mind, images came forth of the night of the Samhain, where she and Bethany had devoured each other in an exhibition of unparalleled and unbridled sexual passion.

Melissa was aware that Bethany and she had an ancient lineage, although neither of them had known how old they were, nor how far back in the mists of time they first came together. Each of them could not explain nor remember how they came to the enchanted island of the Northlands, only that the great Goddess, she of many avatars had brought them there in order to celebrate her Sexuality. Now, they were servants, priestesses of Aphrodite, whose will they were subject to. The Goddess had demanded much of them in their mission to free Inanna from Kur. Both she and Bethany had suffered great tribulations in carrying out their mistresses bidding, but she had been with them throughout and her love was always present.

Aphrodite though, was a beneficent mistress; she had bestowed gifts upon them that no other mortal would ever gain. They were favoured ones⁠—the Chosen of the Goddess of love, and now the oracle had told Melissa she must travel to participate in Aphrodite’s Egyptian counterpart’s great festival. The oracle had not made clear the reasons, but she knew it would only become clear once she and Bethany had arrived in Egypt. Hathor, the Greek rendition of Hwt-Hrw was an ancient Goddess, one of the many manifestations of the Great Mother. Melissa’s intuition saw clearly that Hathor was a primeval essence of the divine feminine, possessed of many aspects, principally sexual love, drunkenness and music. The greatest of human pleasures came from her benevolence. Truly Aphrodite’s sister.

The soft wind stirred the grasses and Melissa’s mind returned to the seven meteors she had observed the night before. The thought drifted into her consciousness that in some way they had to be connected to the seven sacred cows, which were all manifestations of Hathor. Nothing specific came to mind. Perhaps, as the oracle suggested, it would become clear to her and Bethany once they arrived in the Nile Valley.

Melissa stretched out and her hand lazily found itself resting on her mound. She enjoyed the feeling, and allowed her fingers to play with the fine pubic hairs adorning her sex. Her other hand undid the clasps of her white gown, and pushed it aside, exposing her full breasts. Squeezing her nipple, she felt a growing excitement. She stirred and murmured softly as her fingers played along her wet sex.

"Hello, my love," whispered Bethany, who suddenly appeared by her side. "Allow me," she whispered in Melissa’s ear, and Bethany kissed Melissa’s ear. Melissa purred sweetly as her lover’s tongue licked her ear and then she stiffened slightly as Bethany sucked her ear lobe.

The heat of the late afternoon lay heavy over the landscape. The air shimmered and a haze cast itself across the azure sea. The world seemed to have lost any sense of time. Indeed, here in this blessed island, time to these girls had little meaning. Mortal concerns were not theirs to share. Melissa enjoyed Bethany’s kisses upon her neck and the warmth of her hand on her breast. Melissa’s nipples grew erect as shadows lengthened.

Bethany then drew Melissa’s toga down her body, and pulled it free of her feet. She then kneeled astride the softly cooing Melissa, leaned forward, and kissed Melissa’s full moist lips. Melissa returned the kiss with vigour, her hands reaching out and clasping Bethany behind the head. She pulled her tightly against her. Melissa moaned demurely as Bethany’s finger’s rubbed her swollen labia; the sensations flowed through her body, igniting the flames of passion in her.

Bethany sucked on Melissa’s stiff nipples, taking each perfect breast in turn. She enjoyed the feeling of her own nipples brushing over Melissa’s body with equal relish. A gasp came from Bethany as she became aware of Melissa’s fingers sliding along her own wet sex, and her love dew dripped onto Melissa’s mound. With a shaking spasm, Melissa’s quick quivering quim gave forth its fountain of sweet nectar, causing Bethany to cry out with joy. Bethany took an oily finger from Melissa’s love groove and licked it slowly, as Melissa’s fingers worked her slick sex; Bethany felt it swell as she became more and more excited.

She thrust her pelvis against Melissa’s fingers, crying out as Melissa pushed three fingers deep between her wet folds, now opened like the blossom of a beautiful flower. She sobbed with pleasure as she felt her own orgasm explode in furious spurts, the stream of hot juice, falling on Melissa’s delightful mound and running down to mix with Melissa’s own syrups. Exhausted, Bethany lay alongside Melissa, their bodies heaving and panting, sweat coated.

They lay still for quite sometime, looking up at the blue vault above, now darkening as night drew on. A dragonfly hovered nearby and landed on Melissa, who opened her eyes to view the creature. Melissa wondered if it was the same one which had earlier landed on her foot. She casually brushed it away. One had to be wary of interpretations, but the feeling remained with her that somehow, it was conveying a message.

Bethany leaned on one elbow, and gazed at Melissa, her eyes wandering with a ceaseless wonder at the perfection of her lover and companion’s body. It still and always would utterly mesmerize her. 

"My love, tell me what happened when you spoke to the oracle?" Melissa turned around and looked into Bethany’s wondrous brown eyes, those eyes which peered into her soul.

"Sweetest love, nothing was made clear to me. You know how the oracles are a matter of correct interpretation. My love, we are summoned to Egypt, far across the Southern Sea, to take part in the great festival of Hathor. I expect whatever is meant to happen will happen, and the purpose of our journey become clear." Melissa embraced Bethany, who looked somewhat surprised.

"It is not for us to question the Goddesses," she replied. "We must go then."

"Yes, we must," replied Melissa, "Very soon we take ship. But come, my sweetest lioness. Let us take some refreshment, sit around an open fire, and remember the night of the Samhain." Bethany smiled with immense warmth.

"How could I forget?" The gathering darkness was falling like a velvet cloak upon the island, as the girls made their way back to Aphrodite’s Temple complex….

(c) 2008 Melissa Germain Soames

********

Their bare feet instinctively found sandy toeholds in the native stone as they neared the end of their climb up the rocky ascent from the beach. Melissa turned and pulled Bethany up to her level as they worked their way up the slope. The sun was lowering almost to the horizon behind their backs when Bethany turned and squinted into the upper limb of the setting Mediterranean sun. Her heart quickened for she sensed they were about to be blessed by a rare vision offered by the earth mother.

"Turn and look, my love!" she said, as Melissa wheeled upon a grassy tussock between outcroppings of the rocky headland. As she peered distantly across the sea below them, Melissa marveled at the reddening haze through which the setting sun descended, but Bethany told her to watch the upper rim of the star as the thick atmosphere tore its waning light from the setting disk in ragged layers of fire, rippling like a slow mirage over the warm sea. "Watch the upper limb," urged Bethany, and as the lowest parts disappeared beneath the distant horizon, a flash of pure green light appeared for a moment, separated from the rest of the starlight and then quickly was extinguished as the last of Ra's disk disappeared from the day.

Melissa was transfixed by the rare spectacle and watched the last vestiges of daylight recede from them through the infinity of twilight that ringed the western sky. She kissed Bethany's cheek as the first evening star twinkled through the darkening sky above the horizon. As Bethany brought her gaze downwards towards the shore below them, she looked up the coast and saw in the distance the darkly jagged spur of Petra tou Romiou breaking above the pale foam of the crashing waves. The divine land-fall where their goddess had risen from the sea aroused a familiar passion in Bethany's soul. The sound of the breakers rushing to the beach below them filled them also with a passion for the sea as they knew they were soon to voyage across it to the deserts of Egypt.

They thought to make for the temple through the night to say farewell to the goddess and beg her leave as they knew they must now journey upon a mission of their own across the water. They had not yet lost sight of the sea through the tall trees when Melissa saw the distant flicker of firelight through the woods to their left. Curiosity turned their course north along the coastal rim to find the source of the light. The tall pines gave way to groves of olive trees and their walk became easier as the thick bed of pine needles upon which they walked turned into soft grasses.

They quietly approached a small clearing where driftwood and olive boughs had been piled and set ablaze. Seated beyond the fire were two young girls who could not yet have seen their approach through the flames.

"Hello, young friends!" called Melissa, as they neared the camp-site. They were huddled together under a blanket of soft wool as their clothes dried upon pikes staked next to the fire.

"Hello! Did you also come to visit the shrine?" said the young girl with tresses of auburn, still damp from the sea.

"Shrine?" inquired Bethany.

"The rock of our goddess, Aphrodite," said the other. Bethany glanced at Melissa who looked upon their hosts with a reassuring smile.

"You are servants of the goddess?" asked Melissa.

"In our own way, though we have not yet been allowed to join the sisterhood of temple priestesses."

"You are very beautiful," said Melissa. "But you are still very young. Can you not wait a year or two? Priestesses of Aphrodite's temple are called upon to service the men of station who come to pay tribute and honor the goddess. You seem still in flower for your beauty, and cannot have lost your innocence so young. What are your names?"

"I am Kyrenia," said the girl with dark eyes. "This is my sister Galenia. We are from nearby Paphos. Have you journeyed far?"

"Far indeed, young friends! I am Melissa, and Bethany here is my companion." At the revelation of their names the two girls stepped before them, letting their blanket fall to the ground behind them. They both knelt to Melissa and Bethany who were surprised by their display of deference.

"You are favorites of the goddess. You are fabled by all who would honor her," said Kyrenia.
Bethany and Melissa gave them their outstretched hands to pull them to their feet, but the two girls kissed them instead. Bethany stooped down and picked up their blanket and re-wrapped the naked young girls against the cool night air, but was stirred deeply and admired their youthful beauty, as did her lover.

"Please share our food and tell us of your journey," said Kyrenia. Melissa and Bethany kneeled together beside their new friends and sipped an infused brew which had been warming in a copper pitcher in the embers at the fire's edge. The herbal tea was a stimulant which refreshed them immediately. They thanked the girls for their hospitality and told them they were on their way back to the temple.

"You came not on pilgrimage to Aphrodite's rock, you say?" asked Galenia, puzzled. "And yet you came this far to the coast?"

"Gal!" interrupted Kyrenia. "You should not be so inquisitive." Bethany smiled and explained that the goddess had sent them on an errand of a personal nature to them.

"You have both surely seen much of the world though, and know lore from many lands. It has been whispered that you know of times both past and future. Are you also goddesses?" asked Galenia.

"We are carried through the world and the ages by the tides and currents of eternity to serve the goddesses. Our destinies are intertwined, and joined to theirs."

"Please, can we beg of you a story?" asked Galenia.

"Melissa is the master of lore," offered Bethany, "But here is a story I have heard told":

'In the ancient domains of Ea, the Lord of the Waters prepared a perfect garden for the coming of the first woman and the first man to the world. He gathered from the far corners of the earth the wisest and fairest of the beasts to dwell in the garden so that when they arrived, Adam and his mate would learn the wisdom of Ea and be not alone. The animals of the garden lived in harmony, for there was no want in so bountiful a paradise where the water was as nectar and the figs were the ambrosia of life. But after the making of Adam from the clay and Lilith from the watery abyss, so there ended the harmony of the garden, for Lilith would not submit to the patriarchy of man and god.

 'Adam was ever expectant of Lilith to submit to his will in all things and lay under him as an inferior, but would not allow Lilith to mount him and be as his equal in the act of love. So Lord Enki sent Inanna, the daughter of the moon to teach Lilith the arts of love so that Adam's restless desires would be soothed. The goddess of love arrived in her accustomed manner astride her golden feline bearers, two magnificent lionesses, who carried her proudly before the gathered hosts of the animals of the garden and her retinue was received by Lilith, who welcomed the lovely goddess and begged her alliance in reasoning with her obstinate mate. But Lilith's complaints to Adam had only estranged his affections and he wandered away through the garden in callous mood taking even the females of the bestiary and dominating them to his will also.

'But Lilith and Innana were kindred in mood and became impassioned lovers in Adam's absence, and the goddess made Lilith her handmaiden to serve and share her pleasure, for the femmes understood passion and generosity in love, while man knew only lust and dominance. But seeing that his purpose was not served in sending Innana to the garden, Enki summoned her back from his envoy to return from the garden east of E-den. But as she departed, the goddess of love in sympathy transfigured one of her lithe and powerful feline bearers into a beautiful dark-haired girl to return to Lilith as her companion. But in frustration at the loss of her goddess and lover, Lilith uttered the name of he who may not be named, and was banished forever from paradise and cast back to the abyss, never knowing the fair gift she was sent from her mistress. But the young maiden who remained behind would not stay in the garden to suffer the will of man, for being a lioness in spirit, her heart was akin to both Lilith and Innana, and would not be dominated. But she could not return to rejoin her sister to carry the fair Innana on her journeys, and her destiny in the world is now hers alone to tell.'

"That is very sad!" said Kyrenia.

"Yes!" agreed Melissa, as her gaze lingered softly upon Bethany from below her raised brow. But Bethany only smiled wanly and asked Kyrenia and Galenia if they had recently been to nearby Paphos, and if they knew of any boats they might engage for passage across the southern sea from that port.

"There are always shore-runners carrying consignments of copper to Enkomi, but they will not take a girl aboard unless she is the daughter of the king and it is by royal command that they do so," said Kyrenia.

"What do they fear?" asked Melissa.

"The men say it is bad luck to take ship with a woman aboard. My grandfather told of a merchant ship from Canaan which stopped here in Alashiya to take on many talants of copper mined from this very hill rising behind us, but before it reached the shores of Antalya the ship went down in the waters of Uluburun and all hands perished. It was said a woman was seen climbing aboard as a stow-away the night the ship dipped oars. But we have heard too that the mine from which the copper was dug had no shrine consecrated to the gods for their blessings of the wealth taken from the earth mother. The ship's cargo may have thus been cursed and Poseidon reclaimed it from man. I believe this may be the truer story, for many mysteries surround the heights above this place where the oracle is said to exist."

"You have been to the oracle?" asked Melissa.

"Oh, no!" asserted Kyrenia. "Only persons of strong hearts and clear minds can even find its hidden location, much less bear contact with it. It is a perilous place. None have discovered its whereabouts in generations and it is not spoken of in these regions of Alashiya."

After a moment of silence, Galenia remembered Bethany's question. "Where do you wish to travel over the sea?" she asked.

"We travel to Egypt for the Festival of Hathor to honor the earth-mother," said Melissa.

"But you are priestesses of Aphrodite," noted Galenia. "Does she send you as her embassy?"

"We serve the great goddess in all her avatars," said Melissa. The sisters looked at each other in puzzlement and Bethany smiled, reaching behind her to gather something from the ground into her hand. She held forth her arm to them and uncurling her fingers there appeared a mushroom in her palm.

"This you see is but the visible fruit of an invisible plant which spreads unseen beneath the soil for many thousands of cubits in every direction. When you see these growing here and there, it is natural to think they are all separate and individual things but they are each and all but the visible fruit of one great hidden lifeform. So it is with the great earth mother. She lies unseen behind all of nature but shines forth in visible form in different times under different names. She has been called Innana and Ishtar, Astarat and Cythera, and in days hence in the faraway north she will be known as Freya and Aidin. But in Egypt, she has been worshiped for a millennia and has been called Hathor. But they are all faces of the sacred femme in all her aspects, and we are ever hers." Melissa bowed her head in quiet assent.

The four girls shared stories into the night until the air grew chill and more dry boughs of olive were thrown to build the heat of the campfire. The two sisters grew enthralled by the worlds Melissa and Bethany had seen and indeed were in awe of their charms. As the fire grew hot again, Melissa and Bethany were called by memories of their fateful first dance together and rose hand-in-hand to face the light of the fire. They threw their heads back with their legs intertwined to watch the glowing cinders fly towards the stars, and their long hair swayed behind them in a quiet rhythm, glowing and softly backlit by the flames.

Galenia and Kyrenia were both enamored of their beauty and watched every curve of their bodies which now danced erotically to a music which only they and perhaps their goddesses could hear. A flagon of wine was drawn from the bundle the sisters had brought with them and was passed between the company for refreshment. Kyrenia sang a soft ode to Aphrodite as the girls danced, and warmed by the fire and the wine, she threw off her blanket and sprang to her feet naked before Melissa and Bethany.

"Teach me to dance as you do. Teach me to honor the goddess with my body!" she begged. Galenia rose and joined them around the fire as Bethany and Melissa took them each by the hand and kissed them softly.

"Tomorrow you will return to the temple of Aphrodite bearing a token of ours and a message from us to the goddess," said Melissa. "Under our graces you will be welcomed into the sisterhood in service to our lady." Then Bethany and Melissa let fall their gowns to join Galenia and Kyrenia in their nakedness and they danced with one another in the firelight late into the night.

(c) 2008 Bethany Frasier

**********

The dry kindling burned with a fierce red glow as the flames leapt skywards. Glowing embers and sparks rose into the night sky. The four girls swayed as they circled the fire, casting eerie shadows which disappeared into the background. Each girl turned as they made their circular motion around the dancing flames. The heat radiated outwards and beads of sweat began to appear on their skin, reflecting the fire, glowing like rubies. Twisting with an undulating erotic motion, their superb bodies moved as one. In an increasingly trance-like state, the girls threw their heads back and forth, tossing their hair around so that it was like kelp, pulled to and fro by the tides.

The atmosphere was charged with an unearthly magic; Kyrenia brought forth a tambourine from the sisters' camp site and began to shake it with a rhythmic movement and Galenia also fetched a small drum which she beat with her free hand. Both the sisters were blessed with magnificent breasts, which jumped seductively with their every movement. Bethany and Melissa danced with frenzied yet sensuous movement, sublime examples of the perfection of the female form. Melissa began to sing, in her sweet honey-toned voice; Bethany joined her at once as they slowed their progress around the fire and began a very deliberate dance of seduction. Their voices sang to the mighty Goddess, Aphrodite herself…

"Praise you, Aphrodite, goddess born of foam.

Fairest of all Olympus' maids, always precious
jewels adorn you; silks drape your unparalleled form.

With sweetly scented hair you come, your sea-green eyes
shine as stars, and all fall at your delicate feet.

You, who look so kindly on lovers, I praise you.

You, who answer prayers of longing, I praise you.

You, whose gifts entrance all, young and old, I praise you.

You, who brings sweet bliss, who comforts the bereft,
who binds souls together, no heart can deny you.

Aphrodite, whose beauty would light the night sky,
I praise you and thank you for blessings given."


The night air filled with the scent of olive wood. Fragrant smoke drifted across the glade, mingled with sweet scented flowers of the night, and the musky scent of the heavily perspiring dancers. Finishing their song, Bethany returned with the flagon of wine and passed it to Melissa, who drank deeply. Melissa in turn passed it Bethany, who drank her fill of the strong and heady brew. Next, the sisters took their fill, and the wine soon went to their pretty heads, filling them with lustful thoughts. 

The light from the flickering flames performed its own dance over their naked skins, which were shimmering from copious amounts of sweat running down their bodies from head to toes. Melissa reached out and took Kyrenia's hand, drew the girl towards her, and clasped her in a tight embrace. The sensation of Kyrenia's nipples against hers excited Melissa, and she pushed Kyrenia's hair back, then leaned into the girl's neck and kissed her. Melissa's hands glided over Kyrenia's sweat-soaked back, marveling at the smoothness of the girl's skin. Bethany smiled at Galenia and the girl walked over, and cupping Bethany's face, she kissed Bethany deeply, and with some force on her lips.


In the light of the glowing fire, the presence of Aphrodite permeated the air. That the Goddess was looking over them was an overwhelming feeling in both Melissa and Bethany. Their mistress fueled the utter lust and wantonness which burnt in their minds; they would please her by satiating her desire with their love-making. 

Melissa whispered in Kyrenia's ear, "Now we will please our lady by our lust. Here in this sacred glade, we will honour the Goddess with our bodies."

Bethany understood this well enough. She raised her arms above her head as Galenia cupped both Bethany's wonderful breasts, lowering her head to suck Bethany's deep rose red nipples. Bethany's moans filled the night air, competing with the crackling of the burning wood. Her legs trembled as she felt her nipples stiffen under Galenia's tongue. The warm moistness of the girl's mouth sent shivers through her. 

Bethany opened her thighs and Galenia's fingers sought out her fine downy flower. Instinctively, Galenia's fingers skilfully caressed Bethany who was moaning loudly. Melissa and Kyrenia looked on with approval. 

"See how my sister makes love to your companion?" said Kyrenia with a certain amount of pride.

"Well, your sister is pleasing to us, as you are," said Melissa in her soft voice. Melissa looked into Kyrenia's dark olive eyes, and said, "Now you shall please me. Kneel before me, girl." Kyrenia obediently did as Melissa asked. Melissa stroked the girl's hair, and putting one leg over Kyrenia's shoulder, eased her wet sex over the girl's face. "Now,  please me with that tongue of yours, my delightful one, and make me deliver my nectar to your lips." 

The girl's eyes widened with rampant desire and she was most eager to please the more experienced Melissa, to show she was a worthy lover. She licked Melissa's wet folds, her tongue giving Melissa utmost pleasure. Her mouth was filling with Melissa's hot love juice. Melissa sighed with pure delight, and she looked over to Bethany and Galenia. Bethany was rocking back and forth as Galenia's fingers slid inside her swollen labia, easing deep inside her. Her eyes caught Melissa's and they told Melissa that Galenia was very satisfying. Melissa's eyes reflected Bethany's, and both girls were close to their orgasms.


"Aphrodite be praised in all her glorious love," Bethany called out into the night air, as Galenia's fingers unleashed her orgasm. Fountains of hot juice spurted from her quivering quim and she rode Galenia's thrusting fingers harder still. Melissa thrilled with mounting excitement as Bethany's cries echoed around them. Melissa gripped Kyrenia's head firmly and as Kyrenia's fingers stroked her nub, she screamed aloud with a primeval howl of pleasure. Her climax splattered the girl's face with a stream of molten love syrup. Kyrenia licked all the more, savouring the fluid of this chosen one of the Goddess.


Completely satisfied, Melissa and Bethany lay down on the soft moss, panting. Their breasts rose and fell with each breath. The two sisters lay with them, and Bethany and Melissa praised the girls for their love making. Recovering their composure, Melissa said to Bethany, "Our young friends will make worthy servants of the Goddess; she will be most pleased with their passion and enthusiastic ardour."

"My love," replied Bethany, "Aphrodite has already displayed her approval of these delightful girls, bringing them the gift of our bodies." 

Melissa smiled knowingly, "Yes, and now we should return their love. Let me take Galenia, and you shall take Kyrenia. In fact, we shall take them both between us one at a time."

The two sisters were ecstatic at Melissa's words. "We are both honoured on this magical night, to be granted Bethany's and your love," said Kyrenia. 

Melissa told Galenia to kneel on all four limbs, and the girl positioned herself as told. Melissa knelt behind the girl's well rounded and curvaceous globes and licked down her spine, enjoying the saltiness of her sweat on her lips. The girl groaned loudly. One of Melissa's hands reached under Galenia and brushed her large nipple with the upturned palm of her hand. Galenia was under her spell, and Melissa circled the girl's anus with the finger of her other hand. Galenia started to push against Melissa's finger until it slid inside her bottom. The girl cried out with lustfulness and Melissa pushed her finger deep into her, feeling her moistness as she kept up a steady rhythm. 

Melissa motioned Bethany over, while Kyrenia sat watching, mesmerized by the scene caught in the red light cast by the fire. Bethany lay under Galenia, her head between the girls thighs. Bethany was happy to feel Galenia's breast's brush her belly. As Melissa continued to finger Galenia's anus, Bethany reached around with both her hands, and pulled Galenia's labia open. Bethany's tongue licked the girl's cunt slowly, and then faster. Galenia wasn't going to be able to last very long before her multiple orgasms rocked her shuddering body, and minutes later she howled as she splashed Bethany's face with a jet of hot, musky cum. 

Her arms and legs collapsed and she fell onto Bethany's body, her face buried in Bethany's still leaking sex. Melissa shouted with joy, and turned to smile at Kyrenia.

"Your sister was wonderful. Both Bethany and I are enamoured by our new lovers." Galenia lay on her back, staring at the stars, her chest heaving and her body sweating as she lay bathed in the firelight. Bethany sat up, licking her lips.  

"I think she will sleep now for the rest of the night." Bethany looked Kyrenia over, Her eye's widening. Both she and Melissa had an enormous appetite for love making; they were both famed for that, amongst many other legends that clung to them.

Melissa sat down next to Kyrenia and kissed the girl on her full lips, enjoying the sensation as it set her nerve endings alight again. She took one of Kyrenia's firm breasts in her hand and caressed it, paying special attention to the girl's impressive large nipple. Melissa's hand wandered from one breast to the other as her lips gently sucked the girl's ear lobes. Turning her attention lower, Melissa gently bit the girl's neck and shoulders. Melissa eased Kyrenia down until her back lay on the soft moss. Bethany parted Kyrenia's thighs, displaying the girl's pudenda, and stroked the lips until they became engorged and glistening in the firelight.

Bethany smiled a salacious smile, and produced a gourd, a dildo of magnificent proportions. Bethany let her fingers play with the girl's swollen sex, and then cupped the gourd into her palm. Bethany pushed its head against the girl's open cunt. Kyrenia moaned and Bethany eased its mighty girth into the girl, stretching her wide open. Kyrenia's feet drummed a tattoo on the floor as she gasped. Bethany allowed one of her hands to feel her own juicy sex, and began to thrust the dildo firmly into the young girl. 

Kyrenia's hands clawed Melissa's skin, raking her back, and Melissa felt beads of blood. For a moment, Melissa had a vivid memory of the cruel lash from which she had suffered at the hands of the great demon Pezzuzi in Kur. Melissa shook her head firmly and the memory faded as quickly as it had appeared in her mind. The love-making dispelled the awful memory of her vicious flogging.

Under Bethany's skillful use of the gourd, Kyrenia writhed with pleasure. Bethany also felt immense pleasure as she looked down and saw the shining girth and length of the gourd as it split Kyrenia. The girl started to twist and swivel as her massive orgasm spilled out of her like a waterfall. Her flood of orgasmic juice soaking the moss under her globes. When her now very sensitive cunt could take no more, she closed her thighs, and Bethany gently withdrew the dildo. Melissa and Bethany lay at either side of the girl, and kissed her gently. "Rest now, sweet girl," cooed Melissa. Bethany kissed the exhausted Kyrenia's eye lids, and the girl passed into the realm of Morpheus.

Melissa leaned over and kissed Bethany with great passion, enjoying her lover's kisses—kisses which were matchless. They stroked each other's hair and whispered their undying love for one another. The fire was dying down and Melissa stood up, and displaying her naked, gleaming body for Bethany's gaze, picked up some more wood, and rekindled the fire. 

"Come, my darling and only one. Dance with me," she sweetly intoned to Bethany. Bethany rose, and held Melissa in a tight embrace. "My love, I love you, I love you." 

Together as one, locked in the embrace of eternal and undying love for each other, they began to turn in slow, gentle circles around the fire. The memory of their Samhain night burned bright in their minds as stars moved across the night sky. In the glow of the flames, they remembered another time and another place. Faster and faster they swirled until their flesh appeared to merge with one another's. The dark night and the crackling flames were the only witnesses to the extraordinary spectacle, except for the unseen eyes of Aphrodite. Kyrenia and Galenia slept soundly as Melissa and Bethany danced in ecstasy, lost in their private world into which no other could enter. Melissa cooed softly to her lover as they moved around the fire. 

Melissa released Bethany from her embrace and both she and Bethany began to cavort before one another in slow sinuous movements, emphasizing their bodies. Melissa swayed her hips and cupped her breasts, holding them out before Bethany. Bethany danced provocatively, turning her back to Melissa. She thrust her full sumptuous bottom forwards and backwards as her hips tilted in a snake-like undulation. Melissa's pupils were like full moons as she beheld the glorious form of Bethany, who was now moving her arms in such a way as to make her shoulder muscles ripple. Melissa closed in on her, clasping Bethany with two hands on Bethany's hips. 

Pushing her breasts against Bethany's sweat-streaked back, Melissa pushed her wet sex against Bethany's warm globes. The feeling set her shaking with a fever. Melissa reached around and felt the weight of Bethany's breasts, and she squeezed them playfully. Bethany tilted her head back and sighed heavily as Melissa bit her on the neck and shoulders. She moaned audibly as Melissa's hands stroked her firm belly, and rubbed her prominent mound. Bethany's juices flowed copiously at Melissa's touch, and ran in rivulets down her thighs. Melissa pulled her around and kissed her rich full lips.

"Forever together, my sweet one," Melissa panted. 

"Never will anyone ever love another as we love each other," Bethany replied. As the glow from the fire began to die down, they draped their arms about each other's shoulders and returned to where Galenia and Kyrenia slept deeply. Melissa found a woolen cover amongst their campsite. 

"Come, my darling," she soothingly said to Bethany, "Let us join our young friends and sleep now."

"Yes," replied Bethany whose eyes were slowly closing, "Let us join them in the land of dreams." Melissa and Bethany joined the two sisters, their naked bodies would keep them warm, and Melissa pulled the blanket over them all.

The dawn found them all sound asleep, as the rosy light began to streak the sky and chase the night shadows away. As they slept, a messenger from Aphrodite's temple was making her way down the valley towards their camp….

(c) Melissa G: 2008

*********

Melissa dreamed as she lay nestled between Bethany and Kyrenia. Despite the warm communion and sensual touch of her friends, from the dark corners of her mind, shadows crept from the umbra of her subconscious, painting the canvas of her dreams with fear. She walked alone again. Downwards in darkness her footsteps carried her over rough stone as the invisible trickle of water through unseen cracks in the rock overhead dampened her spirit further. The same scene had played out each night in her dreams since the evening of the seven starfalls. Every time she had awakened from the nightmare with a start, knowing an ominous entity awaited her in the darkness below, but never learning where her descent would take her. But this time she steadied her heart for what lay ahead and summoned the courage to step deeper into the darkness.

Bethany sensed a tightness grabbing her heart and roused from her sleep. Melissa was on her side, her back holding the heat from Bethany's bare breasts between them as they were spooned together under the wide blanket. Her nipples felt Melissa's skin becoming wet with sweat and felt the involuntary twitches as the muscles of her back tried to contract but were stopped by the paralysis of her dreams. Her nipples hardened under the small movements and she gently eased herself from skin contact so her erect protrusions would not awaken her lover. 

She opened her eyes to the dew-soaked morning and rolled carefully onto her back, drawing the blanket half off her naked body. The damp air stole the heat from her skin and its brisk touch brought her fully awake. Only her feet were still warmed by the dying embers lying at the edge of a circle of blackened boughs, still smoldering with a thin trail of smoke climbing listlessly through the wet air into the dawning sky. Bethany heard the far off bleating of moufflon as they foraged through the maquis on the slopes beyond the glade under which they had slept. She rose and walked through the soaked grasses to an outcropping of rock overlooking the sea.

Galenia stepped up quietly behind Bethany who appeared to be ritually toning her back and shoulders with gracefully sweeping outstretches of her arms. Her rhythmic movements looked like poetry in motion to Galenia who could only stand and admire the beauty of her lithe body as it stretched and flexed. She paused and awaited the end of her new mentor's disciplines but Bethany dropped her head under her raised arm and called her to her side with a glance. 

"Come sit with me," invited Bethany. Galenia lifted the sheet she had wrapped around her body and pulled herself up on the rock next to Bethany, now recovering her upright stance from a final twist of her torso. Bethany smiled warmly and reached out her hand to comb her fingers over Galenia's soft hair. The young girl opened her wrapping inviting Bethany out of the dew-filled air to share the warmth of her body. Bethany climbed the boulder into her friend's outstretched arm and pulled her side of the thin toga back around them both. 

"The morning is beautiful," said Galenia. After turning her head to look into the eyes of her companion, Bethany smiled and nodded her agreement. "This is our favorite place," said Galenia. "Kyrenia and I came up here with our friend once when we were younger, when the sea was covered with ships as far as the eye could see. It was said the fleets of all the Achaean kingdoms were anchored off the shores of Paphos and their king came to honor ours. This was the best place from which the spectacle could be viewed." Bethany put her arm around the young girl's shoulder and Galenia wrapped hers around Bethany's waist.

"I never felt so wonderful, so alive before you and Melissa shared yourselves with us last night," Galenia confessed. "I have always wondered about being with another girl. My sister and I grew up with the most beautiful girl in the kingdom and I'd watch my aunt dress her and dream what it would be like being in bed with her, but now..." Bethany took her hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

"There is love to be found from both sexes and you will know this soon enough. But you are concerned with Melissa's words concerning the duties of a temple priestess. The custom of becoming an hierodule is a practice not uncommon in the temples, but from the times of Innana, the call has been to the women of the villages surrounding the temple to at least once come to the shrine of their goddess regardless of their high position or beauty and give up their bodies to a stranger in service to the goddess, thence to return to their lives having fulfilled this obligation. It is a more common custom in the levantine regions than those here under Achaean influence, but this, fair Galenia, is not to be your destiny. Under our auspices you and your sister will join our sect of the sisterhood of Aphrodite and offer yourselves only to the goddess herself or to her priestesses. I sense you and your sister already possess hearts of great nobility."

Galenia looked at Bethany and offered a guarded secret. "Kyrenia and I have been companions of the king's daughter since we were children. We grew up in the royal court because our mother's sister was nurse to the young princess and now serves as her hand-maiden. It was she who sent us on this retreat while the queen is away and the princess chooses among her many suitors for a mate. The king is a great patron of the goddess and consecrated her temple over the hills to the east of Paphos. He counseled us to offer ourselves to Aphrodite's service now that the princess has grown to the age of marriage. He will be very pleased that you have taken us under your graces to serve the goddess." 

The sun had risen over the crest of Mt. Troodos behind their backs and the sea below them sparkled with reflected sunlight as a gentle morning breeze rustled through the treetops overhead. Bethany grew concerned for Melissa who would ordinarily have risen with the sun, but still lay under the blanket with Kyrenia near the cooling campfire. As she turned on the rock she caught sight of a lone figure running through the glen closing the distance between them. As the newcomer neared the clearing, Bethany made out a tall and shapely girl with flowing blond hair, dressed in attire common to courtesans of Aphrodite's temple, but adorned with a spray of beautiful flowers. 

"Greetings!" cried the girl as she entered the encampment. Bethany recognized her immediately as Thallo, the Horae of the budding flower, one of the twelve Graces of the Hours who greeted Aphrodite at her coming from the sea. Bethany kneeled in her honor and the lovely femme bowed to Bethany's warm welcome. Her wild tresses glowed in the golden light of morning and Galenia adored her beauty as she watched Bethany receive the lovely Grace in her open arms.

"At last I have found you!" she exclaimed as she caught her breath, and Bethany led her by the hand to meet Galenia. Upon her introduction the young girl curtsied to the flowered beauty who kissed her softly upon the forehead. "But where is Melissa? For much has transpired in your absence and you are both in danger"! Bethany paled as she took thought of her lover and ran to wake her, pulling Galenia behind her. Thallo followed upon their heels with the delicate flowers at her breast bouncing with her fair hair upon her bosoms. 

Bethany kneeled over Kyrenia and Melissa who were still nestled together and tried to rouse them from sleep, but met with no response from either. Galenia gasped in fear when Thallo kneeled and touched Melissa's brow, pulling it slightly upwards. Bethany dropped to her heels when she saw no iris or pupil, only pale white orbs behind her limp eyelids. Bethany quickly checked Kyrenia's eyes and found the same clouded sclera as those of a statue. 

"Melissa!" she shouted, as she shook her lover's shoulders. Galenia fell to her sister's side and pulled her into her arms with tears streaming down her face. 

"Oh, Kyra! What bewitchment is this? Awaken, my sweet sister!" Thallo looked around for spider, snake or herb...any natural explanation for the mystery, but none could be perceived. 

"This is sorcery!" pronounced Thallo. 

"Galenia!" said Bethany, "You know the land around this place. Where is there bay laurel that grows near?" Galenia shook her arms in impatience with her memory and looked about for a familiar path. She began to panic, but Bethany rose and took her by the hand, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Sweet child, your sister will recover if we keep our heads and use them quickly." Galenia closed her eyes and calmed her nerves as Bethany stroked her hair. 

"There were once fragrant herbs growing below the brow of the headlands to the north. I may find laurel there," Galenia said, and Bethany sent her off. Thallo looked sadly upon Bethany and offered whatever help she could give. 

"What has happened that our mistress has sent you to find us?" Bethany inquired.

"King Cinyras has left Alashiya. His patronage no longer protects us," said Thallo.

"But whom is there to fear?" asked Bethany, in growing puzzlement.

"Paphos is in turmoil. The queen returned from Ceres' festival and learned of a terrible thing that has befallen her family in her absence, and she is blaming Aphrodite for the tragedy. There has been enmity between them before."

"Oh, no!" said Bethany "Please tell me their daughter is all right, for she is the dearest of friends with Galenia and her sister."

Thallo grew pale and looked over to the trail by which Galenia had left. She cast her eyes downward and quietly said: "Myrrha has fled the kingdom. It is her disgrace which has torn the realm asunder. It is believed she is fleeing to Panchaia, where the king rules over his principal realm. Paphos is but a vassal city-state where he has gained his vast wealth from the trade in copper."

"Disgrace? What has the king's daughter done at so young and innocent an age which could have disgraced the royal family so?" asked Bethany. Thallo demured and did not wish to speak of it, but Bethany took her by the hand and begged an explanation.

"By the account of Queen Cenchreis, her daughter was bewitched by a curse cast by Aphrodite out of jealousy, for Cenchreis had boasted that her daughter's beauty surpassed even that of the goddess. Myrrha was possessed by the curse of patrifilia. With the help of her old nurse, she deceived her father and seduced him to her bed. Twelve nights of incestuous passion in darkness ended when Cinyras brought a lamp to the bed chamber to reveal his secret mistress and found she was his daughter. Myrrha fled in terror when her enraged father drew sword over her." Bethany sat in sadness for her friends and concern for her lover as she petted Melissa's soft thigh. 

"Come. Let us gather wood before the embers die," she said resolutely. "We must steam the bay laurel if Galenia can bring us some leaves."

Thallo and Bethany uncovered Melissa and Kyrenia and anointed their naked bodies with ablutional oils infused with essence of mint. The bay laurel Galenia had found with the mint leaves were steamed for their aroma, and they fanned the vapors under the girls' noses while they massaged them sensually.
Galenia sat with her hands over her mouth, praying silently to both the ancient eastern gods and the Olympians of whom she had learned from the Achaeans who were spreading their influence over western Alashiya. Bethany and Thallo sang quietly together, calling upon the blessings of their mistress while they worked the scented oils into the tanned skin of the two girls lying before them.

Fair Aphrodite, from the foam tempest-tossed
Call to our sisters who in darkness are lost
Let them feel our love as we kneel and pray
That their eyes again see the light of day

But as their prayers left their lips the mouths of Melissa and Kyrenia began to speak in lifeless unison as if through another mind, and breathlessly the girls attended:

In darkness weeps the mother wronged
Desire mocks her sadness
So near she keeps what once belonged
She now succumbs to madness

Sad sybil, one of sisters three
Who sightless ever borrows
Witless eyes with which to see
The doom of all the morrows

Fair Libya has lost her queen
The love of Zeus has cost
For none again have ever seen
The children she has lost

Now ask no more but hearken for
The bleating of the goat
No respite shall you see ashore
Find shelter 'board a boat

And set thy sail o'er southern sea
To fete the seven cows
And naked, dance your destiny
If destiny allows

Their recitation ceased and their eyes opened as if freed of enchantment. Bethany breathed again.

"Bethany!" cried Melissa. She reached up and they pulled each other into a tight embrace. "I was trapped in that awful dream!" Bethany held her close and they clung together while Kyrenia and Galenia did the same.

"Bethany..."

"...What?"

"Why do you smell like mint?" sniffed Melissa. Bethany wondered where to begin. Suddenly Melissa recognized Thallo kneeling beyond Bethany's shoulder and greeted her with a wide smile.

"Bethany?" urged Galenia.

"What?" sighed Bethany.

"What was the meaning of the riddles Kyra and Melissa spoke?" Melissa and Bethany loosened their embrace and Melissa looked puzzled.

"What riddle?" asked Melissa.

"Bethany!" Thallo prodded.

"WHAT?" Bethany gasped.

"LISTEN!"

Thallo motioned for silence from everyone, and in the distance they heard the urgent bleating of the moufflon scattering through the maquis beyond the glade, running before some unknown danger.

"Hearken for the bleating of the goat!" cried Thallo. "Its begun. The words in the riddle!" In the distance they heard the unmistakable sound of men clomping up the hillside with clattering swords and leather harness, winding their way up the slopes to their left. "We must depart this place. Quickly!" Thallo urged.

The girls hurriedly gathered their belongings and put away their many questions for a safer time. They ran low through the glade, ducking through bushes and brambles. Melissa and Kyrenia who were still naked paused to slip on some clothing and then with a leap they all disappeared over the rim of the headland, skidding down the hillside to the shoreline. After dropping between rocks at the foot of the descent, their feet pressed into wet sand where the receding tide had just exposed the heights of the beach. The intermittent rocks provided cover from any eyes that may have been spying down from the top of the heights where they had made camp. 

They stayed together and ran in a wagging file down the beach with Thallo leading and Bethany and Melissa bringing up the rear. Kyrenia kept looking forwards and back, for she was the most puzzled by the many unanswered questions since she awoke and by who was leading them. They reached a cove where the shoreline receded inland a ways and splashed across a fan of water from a stream which emptied into the sea. Beyond was an irregular coast where the headlands had broken apart into towering rocks rising from the beach. They lost themselves from any possible pursuit by cutting behind and around these massive rocks in an unpredictable fashion and their footprints were washed out by the last of the foam riding high up the beach from spent breakers.

They slowed from a run and caught their breaths while Bethany tried to answer some of Kyrenia's many questions. After walking for nearly an hour they rounded a ridge that gently rose up from the beach and saw Paphos in the distance ahead, laid out over a wide bay. Far ahead they saw boats drawn up on the wide beach and farther off near the port were anchored several low-prowed ships with many oars standing in rows. Knowing it was folly to hope for a chance to take sea upon a boat that relied on many oarsmen, they made for the smaller boats with mast for sail. 

The two sisters could not understand the urgency of escape for neither had yet been told of the discord at the king's palace, but they put their trust in the three who were the most trusted by the goddess and showed them to a boat kept ready for those of the royal court to use at their pleasure. They stayed hidden until dusk and by then the tide was sweeping high upon the beach. The boat was tilted and pushed down the short, steep stretch to the water, and once afloat they climbed aboard releasing the sail to the coastal breeze. Working together, the five girls tacked away from the shore and disappeared from sight of the port of Paphos.

(c) Bethany Frasier 2008

**********

Thallo leaned lightly upon the tiller, bearing south by southeast along the coast of Alashiya. No longer tacking against the onshore breeze, she had turned sail and kept Cyprus just beyond the sight of all eyes aboard save her own, knowing that they would also be invisible to those searching eyes ashore watching the western seas for their escape. The royal princess Myrrha would be the fugitive for whom those eyes would keep watch, but in the nets cast for her Highness, they too could be ensnared.

The night had passed in tears for young Kyrenia and her sister, for Bethany reluctantly broke the news of Myrrha's sorrow as they awaited the darkening skies of dusk to make their escape from the beach. Their dearest friend was lost to them and they turned to each other for comfort, weeping upon each other's breast. As the stars drifted westward overhead, Hathor's milky trail faded towards the night skies over Egypt. Their journey was finally carrying them towards their original destination, thought Melissa, as she sat with her bare feet caressing Bethany's upon the wooden deck. 

She stared wistfully at her lover, but in her mind the riddle in the rhyme from her dream-trance was haunting her thoughts. Bethany rested with her eyes closed, leaning her back upon the mast, dreaming of far off lands where they both had danced under such a star-filled sky as this. Melissa's touch felt warm and reassuring after nearly losing her to a nightmarish possession by what power she could not guess. Unless they could solve the mysterious riddle which Kyrenia and Melissa had uttered while under bewitchment the previous morning, they could never discern whom their true enemy was.

Thallo kept the talking board at the prow of the strogulla aligned with the brightest star in Carina. Canopus it would one day be called, after the helmsman of king Menelaus, whose fleet even now lay menacingly upon the long beaches of Ilium. The southern pole-star was reddening so low it dipped towards the horizon, but Thallo knew its light led to the northern harbors of Egypt where her friends would be safe, if only Poseidon would grant them passage across his realm. 

But in his deep abyss, the god of the waters was ill-inclined to heed the prayers of these fair travelers, priestesses of Aphrodite, for his alliances were with she who had of late plotted against the Goddess of love, and brought her patronage by the king to an end.

"To whom does Thallo speak?" asked Melissa, watching curiously as the beautiful helmsman leaned from the tiller and murmured something into the darkness off the stern. Bethany craned her head around to look over her shoulder but by the time she could make out the be-flowered horae behind her in the dim starlight, Thallo was bearing hard on the tiller, turning the helm abeam to correct their course. Suddenly they heard the sound of water splashing along side the boat and then again towards the prow. The noise brought the two sisters to their feet and they leaned over the port-rail. 

"Look!" they both cried. "Dolphins! Three of them." Bethany and Melissa looked at each other, certain that this was no happenstance, for dolphins were servants of their mistress too, since her very ascension from the sea. Kyrenia and Galenia watched in fascination as the graceful creatures leaped and dove into the waves making their way ahead of the boat and then veering off on a tangent towards the southern coast of Cyprus. 

"Thallo, what does it mean?" asked Bethany, but before she got an answer, Melissa cried out. 

"Look there!" Pointing off the starboard bow Melissa's outstretched arm led their eyes even in the near-darkness. Closing in upon them from the deeper seas, a pale, square sail shown above the horizon on the dark sea bearing shoreward on a course which would soon intercept their own. 

"Can we turn-to and escape?" Bethany asked in desperation. 

After judging the closing angle of the two craft, Thallo shook her head and said: "They will catch us before the dawn does." 

Melissa stepped to the rail, grabbing a line and wondered aloud: "But who can they be? And how can they know about us? They come from the deep sea, not from Paphos." Galenia and Kyrenia now realized their peril was from a new threat that they had heard of since childhood.

"They are the sea-people," Kyrenia said with fear in her voice. "They are from no country, but they prey upon the coasts and upon un-armed traders on the high seas. They are privateers. They owe their allegiance to no king, but it is rumored that Cinyras has long paid them to allow his copper boats to sail freely between the ports of Alashiya. But thence, when his precious metal is paid for, and his customers sail back to their homeshores, the sea-people will attack and hijack their cargoes. Only the Pharoah's ships are safe from attack for these pirates fear the fleets of Egypt." 

Thallo pondered what Kyrenia had said and then offered: "But we carry no riches." 

Bethany looked at her four beautiful young shipmates and realized at once what fate they would share: "We shall be enslaved and sold for our bodies."

Thallo knew she was safe from the threat of mortals, but her companions did not share the powers of the graces, and she could not shepherd them to safety upon the waves of the Mediterranean. She bade her four companions to hide in the water close to the curve of the hull, away from the side of the ship they would be boarded. As the harsh voices of men carried over the narrowing waters between the two vessels, Thallo faded into thin air as the night fades with the coming dawn and disappeared from living sight. As the girls tried to cling to the tarred lashings which held together the hull-boards of their boat, the waterline rose with the heavy weight of men as they jumped across on ropes from their larger ship.

They heard the buzzing of twisted hemp pulled through tackle and the rustling of canvas as the sailors secured the boat and hauled down the single sail their small craft carried. The clomping of booted feet upon the wooden deck and the coarse shouting of uncouth men disappeared and re-appeared from their ears as their heads bobbed above and below the surface of the water, but they struggled to maintain their tenuous purchase without making a sound. As they heard voices grow louder over their heads they knew that searching eyes were leaning out to scan the water around the hull, so they ducked beneath the waves and held their breaths as long as they could, until their burning lungs could bear no more. 

Like drowned rats they floated once more upon the surface and listened as their boat was gutted of every useful item the pirates could seize and carry aboard their own ship. At last their hearts sank as they heard a pounding shaking through the hull and realized the brigands were knocking out the sea-cock to scuttle and sink their boat. As the hull sank lower and lower it began to roll from their grip as the boat tipped on its side and slowly gurgled beneath the surface. The rush of water swirling in a vortex to fill the vacuum of the sinking vessel carried them down in a spiral to the mast as it too slipped through the foam and disappeared beneath the sea. The girls clung desperately to each other and splashed wildly to stay afloat, but their cries only gave them away and the men aboard the nearby ship roared with delight as they spied them struggling not to drown.

As the sun rose into a red sky above the horizon the four girls were pulled roughly onto the ship of the sea-people and tossed back and forth between the men like limp bundles. Their wet dresses were ripped from their trembling bodies piece by piece, and they stumbled around nearly naked upon the rough deck boards of the pirate ship until they pulled themselves close for protection and collapsed together in a heap of stringy, wet hair and bare skin. Bethany and Melissa kept the two younger girls between them and tried to shield the innocent girls from the pawing, calloused hands of the sailors who surrounded them, but they were horridly out-numbered and even their skills and experience with superior adversaries could not deliver them from this predicament.

They held their taut bodies at the ready for any taunt, but made no offensive moves of their own. Galenia and Kyrenia held their hands over their breasts trying to cover their nakedness in humiliation while Bethany and Melissa held their friends firmly behind them making no attempt to conceal their nude bodies from the rapacious eyes of the pirates. A tall man with a sword slung at his side pushed through the ring of men and gazed down at the four helpless young girls, and after looking them over for a few moments demanded to know where their captain was. 

"We sailed the boat ourselves," sneered Melissa, but even as she said it, she wondered how Thallo could have survived the scuttling of their craft so far from shore. The leader of the men whom Bethany took to be the captain wasted no more time questioning his new slaves and ordered them to be taken below deck and chained in shackles. Within minutes the four girls had been man-handled down the gangway and found their wrists and ankles bound in cold iron couplets and their naked bodies chained next to one another against the rough-hewn timbers of the ship's frame. 

Bethany spat at the grimy man who locked her manacles as he groped her breasts and brutally pulled upon her hardened nipples. He struck her hard with the back of his hand and her long, wet hair whipped around as her head was slammed against the beam which held her chains fast. Melissa jerked in her restraints but could not defend her lover sitting next to her. She just looked at her dazed companion in tearful pity. As  Bethany shook herself back to her senses the brute turned and grunted: "You will be the first I'll bring to my friends, whore, when we take your bodies for our pleasures!" 

Bethany knocked her head against the hull behind her in frustration and looked over at Melissa. "I'm sorry, my love," Bethany sighed. Melissa reached her foot over to caress Bethany's, stretching her chain to its limit to comfort her friend.

In the near-darkness below the deck, only thin lines of daylight could be seen between the hewn deckboards close over their heads. Kyrenia and Galenia could be detected in the darkness beside them only by their quick and frightened breathing, and Melissa by her incessant tugging and testing of her chains. The trapdoor above the ladder slowly opened and their eyes strained to see as their irises closed against the sudden brightness let into their dark hold. A lean figure backed down the ladder carrying a sloshing flask. Compared to the rest of the burly crew, this pirate seemed leaner and more nimble than the others, but still landed heavily in the tall boots they all wore. 

Silhouetted against the glow behind him, the approaching figure kneeled, and passed to them one by one a flask of water to drink from. When the heavily swathed figure got to Bethany, he paused, and instead of tipping the mouth of the flask to her dry lips himself as he had done with the others, he found her hand in the darkness and put the flask into it. She slowly lifted it to her mouth, sniffed it cautiously and took what was left of the water, tasting Melissa's sweet lips on the wet opening. Briefly illuminated by the band of light filtering through the cracks of the deck above, intensely dark and exotic eyes shone back at her under a wide headband. 

She reached out with her other hand and grabbed his wrist. He did not react at first, but after a few moments he gently patted her arm and she let go of him. "Thank-you for the water," she said quietly. Without knowing why, she asked his name. 

"I am Miokos," he replied softly. "Do not be afraid."

"Are you Greek?" she inquired, trying to learn more of her captors, and oddly not wanting him to leave. In a breathy reply intended to disguise his voice, he answered: "No, I am not from the west."

"Why have the other men left us alone for this long?" Bethany asked cautiously.

"The captain has them in the rigging, trimming sail to make all speed possible. We must sight the coast by mid-morning or lose our bearing. We can only sail beyond sight of the coasts by night when the stars may guide us across open sea," he explained. "After that, they will come for you."

"Do they not fear taking women aboard ship? Is it not an ill-omen to all sailors?" Bethany prodded.

"You will fetch a handsome price when you are sold to the slavers, if they do not first use you up themselves when the captain turns them loose upon you."

"Then why should we not be afraid?" asked Bethany, puzzled.

"Because I do not think they will have the chance to rape you." He would say no more and quickly withdrew up the ladder to the deck above.

After sitting in the darkness pondering Miokos' words, Bethany called softly to Melissa: "My love, have you slept since yestermorn?"

"No," she replied. "I fear the dream will take hold of me once again. Or the thing in the dream! But I am very tired. I wish we were not restrained so, for I crave your touch. Your caresses would excite me and keep Morpheus from delivering me to my tormentor again."

"I wish now we had not heeded the admonitions in the riddle-rhyme and taken to the water so soon. And yet our path to Egypt made it seem the inevitable course to follow," mused Bethany. "Now our boat is gone and we are stranded with these beastly pirates."

"Tell me again the rhyme Kyrenia and I spoke, every word, for it must hold the answers we need to know who our true enemy is," said Melissa.

Bethany thought for a moment and hesitatingly began to recite the rhyme.

In darkness weeps the mother wronged
Desire mocks her sadness
So near she keeps what once belonged
She now succumbs to madness

Sad sibyl, one of sisters three
Who sightless ever borrows
Witless eyes with which to see
The doom of all the morrows

Fair Libya has lost her queen
The love of Zeus has cost
For none again have ever seen
The children she has lost

Now ask no more but hearken for
The bleating of the goat
No respite shall you see ashore
Find shelter 'board a boat

And set thy sail o'er southern sea
To fete the seven cows
And naked, dance your destiny
If destiny allows


Melissa repeated the second stanza over and over to herself. "Does this mean that all three sisters are sibylla? The herophile of Delphios, or The Oracle of Delphi is said to be the illegitimate daughter of Zeus and Lamia, Queen of Libya and daughter of Poseidon. But when Hera discovered her husband's infidelity with Lamia she had all the children she bore him hidden from her or killed, and yet the oracle lives! Perhaps the Oracle of Kyprios is sister to the Oracle of Delphi, and also a surviving daughter of Lamia. if all her daughters are sibyls, there must be yet a third oracle somewhere."

"But what has happened which involves us in the fate of the daughters of Lamia?" asked Bethany.

"This began with my dream, upon the night of the seven starfalls," mused Melissa. "Aphrodite sent me to find the Oracle of Kyprios to discover its meaning, but the oracle said I would find my answers on our journey to the fete of the seven cows, ...Hathor," Continued Melissa.

Bethany returned to the first stanza of the rhyme and suggested to Melissa that the 'mother wronged' could mean Lamia, and 'desire' who mocked her sadness might refer to Aphrodite, Goddess of Desire. "But why would Lamia feel resentment towards our mistress? she wondered.

"Aphrodite is also the daughter of Zeus," Melissa reminded, "And she is celebrated and patronized by the King of Alashiya while the nearby Oracle is shunned and nearly forgotten."

Bethany knew that this mystery could be solved with Melissa's vast knowledge of the lore of the gods, and their attention to signs discovered along the journey if eyes were kept sharp and wits too. The two lovers sat together in the darkness pondering where the signs were leading, and Bethany hoped Melissa's contemplation of the riddle would stave off the dream she feared to re-enter.

But after awhile, Bethany heard Melissa's chains move and she knew her lover was shifting and turning as best she could within the limits of her restraints. A soft murmur escaped Melissa's lips and Bethany wondered if she had fallen into sleep against her will. But her sighs became louder and sounded to Bethany like soft moans of pleasure, and Bethany whispered: "Are you alright, my love?" 

Melissa let out a long exhale and replied in a wavering voice: "There is something down there!" Bethany wondered what she meant, but shortly thereafter Melissa sighed in obvious pleasure and her chains jerked suddenly. Bethany strained her eyes to try to see anything close to her friend but only saw Melissa's legs dimly visible in the shadows as she drew them up and apart. "Bethany!" Melissa's voice quivered. "My clitoris! Something is... Ohhhhhhhh..." Bethany leaned as far over as she could but there was nothing there but Melissa and she was obviously very aroused, writhing in sexual excitement.

"My sex! It is inside me!" she exclaimed.

Bethany rolled her eyes and said: "Melissa! Are you awake?"

"Oh yessssss..." she cried in sheer joy. "Ohhhhhhhh... MMmmmmmmm..." Bethany began to catch the delicious scent of her lover's vulva filling the air and knew Melissa was pouring out her juices between her thighs, but Bethany wondered if her lover wasn't having a sleep-deprived hallucination. Melissa panted and convulsed, shaking her chains continuously, then with a long, gutteral groan and a thud, she knew Melissa had climaxed and was coming down from her rapture with rapid breaths and small, trembling spasms.

"Are you quite finished?" asked Bethany.

"Mmmm-hmmmm..." cooed Melissa, obviously satisfied.

"Are you two having sex?" demanded Galenia incredulously. "How did you get free?"

"We're not!" Bethany called over to her. "Melissa is having erotic hallucinations!"

"Bethany! I swear something was playing with me!" Melissa cried.

"Yes, dear," she replied.

Melissa just sighed in exasperation and Bethany wondered if any of the men topside had heard her moans and she feared they might come down to investigate. But the ship was noticeably rolling in sea swells now and Bethany took thought for the ship reaching coastal waters where waves began piling up as offshore swells. The timbers began creaking however as the mast strained under the load of a heavy wind heaving upon the sail. Bethany felt a change in the air and began to realize it was a squall they were sailing into. She hoped the task of keeping the ship trimmed against the gales would keep the men too occupied to come after them, and she spread her legs to keep herself from tipping over with the heaving deck. 

Suddenly, she felt a feather-soft tickling between her legs and the sensation sent a tingle through her body. She tried to reach down to feel her sex, but the chains stopped her and she felt helpless. She tried to close her legs but found she couldn't without rolling side to side with the ship. She next felt the inner lips of her sex spread apart suddenly and she jerked in surprise, rattling her chains. 

"Something wrong, Bethany?" asked Melissa curiously, and Bethany just sat there quietly, telling herself that she was just imagining these teasing sensations. Suddenly she felt her sex being lapped deeply by an invisible tongue and she recoiled, slamming her legs together. 

"What the...?" 

Melissa was suddenly fascinated at Bethany's troubles and then she heard unsuppressed giggling coming from the darkness near Bethany's feet. Bethany heard it too and the two girls almost in unison said: "Alright, Thallo!  Show yourself!" A white flower materialized in the air over Bethany and fell down to her mound. The comely shape of the lovely Grace shimmered into view as she knealed over Bethany, and Thallo allowed herself to come into full view.

"Thallo!" cried Melissa. "It was you!" Thallo laughed again and gave Bethany a playful nudge with her foot.

“So, my gentle Grace...We four are captured, held captive aboard a pirate ship, locked in chains, there are two dozen brigands who have us naked, and helpless, and who at any moment could decide to come down here to despoil us, and you decided to take the opportunity to come and enjoy our bodies yourself one last time before they had their crack at us?" Bethany summed up.

“Oh, no!" replied Thallo. “I would not let that happen to you. There is help on the way."

“Can you get us out of these manacles?" asked Melissa.

“Not yet. But we have an ally on board, and when the time comes, you will be set free. The storm has delayed the arrival of some friends who will give you safe passage over the sea. Poseidon is trying to interfere with our plans, but those who serve Aphrodite can be quite resourceful," assured Thallo.

“But aren’t you forgetting a ship full of brigands who won’t be inclined to just hand us over to anyone without a fight?" Bethany inquired.

“I do not think you will have to worry about that, fair Bethany. Our friends will deal with these privateers quite fiercely, I believe." The hatch above the ladder opened and someone slid down the gangway. Thallo closed her arms across her breasts and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Bethany and Melissa wondering what was about to happen. 

Miokos stepped towards them and knelt at Bethany's feet. "You must know something before the Amazons arrive. There may be little time." Amazons, thought Bethany, marveling at the name. Miokos took Bethany's hand as they spoke and guided it in the darkness. Bethany started at the tactile revelation, but said nothing for it only confirmed her suspicions and she was more shocked by Miokos' mention of the mighty warrior women whom the Greeks called A-Mazos for she had heard of them only as legend. She now understood why Miokos was their ally and why they were likewise kindred to this compassionate pirate. 

"There are many factions of the Sea-people," Miokos explained. "These are the Labu from Libya. They are ruthless free-booters like the other factions, but the Amazons despise them most of all and we must not be caught in the coming blood-bath. Your friend thinks you will be safer if they find you here as the captives of the Labu."

The men Kyrenia had called the sea-people hauled desperately at the rigging trying to keep canvas upon spar as the storm whipped the lines through their burning hands. They feared the ship closing in upon them more than the storm and would see their ship ripped apart by the gale before facing those who sailed the ship which now bore down upon them. Even the misogynist pirates knew the ferocity of the Amazons. Few men could withstand their battle-skills, so if the winds held and the canvas held, they hoped their smaller, more maneuverable ship might save their lives. 

Their race was nearly won, but the Graces were not with them. Thallo had summoned Eurus, the unlucky spirit of the eastern wind to counter Zephyrus of the west, and the sail of the sea-people quickly fell limp over their heads as they looked up and trembled at their doom. Melissa felt the deathly calm that surrounded the ship, and before long the silence was broken by the cries of men and the whiz of many arrows. The sounds above deck became terrifying as bronze and iron swords clashed in ferocity and blood spilled through the cracks in the deck boards. The splashing of bodies into the sea and the shrieks of women wild with blood-lust filled their ears and soon the carnage was over and the ship was taken. 

Many footsteps could be heard clamoring over their heads, and soon the light of day filled the hold as both hatchways were thrown open and they were surrounded by the tallest and fiercest women Bethany and Melissa had ever seen. Fair but fell, they carried shields on their backs and swords at their sides. Many held spears and cudgels which were stained with fresh blood. Under their bronze helms they wore their long hair braided tightly and cinched at the ends with copper rings. They looked upon the naked girls with compassion and curiosity, then seized and disarmed Miokos who stood next to them, but Bethany pleaded for them to stay their wrath and interceded on Miokos' behalf.

She looked up at the last of the pirates and said: "Show them!"

Miokos pulled free from the Amazons and tore off both headband and keffiyeh, unwrapping the scarf and pulling it free, revealing hair which was long, lush and nearly black. As one layer of apparel after another was removed, the curves and volumes of a lovely girl with dark, eastern eyes were revealed. She stood before the Amazons in tall boots and billowing pantalons sashed at the waste, but above that her skin gleamed in sensuous curves and her breasts were uncovered to reveal her magnificent beauty. Melissa and the two sisters of the court of Paphos were amazed by the transformation and as one-by-one their bonds were broken and they were freed, they stood to embrace their new friend. 

They were escorted up to the deck, which by now had been cleared of the bodies of their captors, and a tall, beautiful woman pulled off her helmet and waited for them to be brought before her. Antinara, second-in-comand lead the five girls up to her captain and introduced her with gracious cordiality. Their leader was the great Penthisilea, and Melissa and Bethany bowed respectfully while Kyrenia and Galenia kneeled behind them. Miokos looked around at the ship which was now free of all men and knew she must try to explain her presence among the Sea-people to their bitterest of enemies.

"We deal with our enemies before we treat with new friends," challenged Penthisilea, as she looked sternly at Miokos. "How come you to be among these free-booters, young one? I have never seen such dark and beautiful eyes among any of the races of the Sea-people." 

Miokos stepped up to face the imperious Amazon and began a tale which amazed even Melissa and Bethany. She was the daughter of an alchemist from lands far in the east who had journeyed from kingdom to kingdom westward, trading their arcane skill with incendiaries for what riches they could barter. They had taken passage on a trading ship sailing to Mycenae, hearing that Agamemnon was building a mighty military alliance, but their ship was attacked by the Sea-people and they were taken captive and made to use their skills to mix fire-pots and smokers to use against their enemies in battle. 

Her father had recently died and only her knowledge of pitch and tow gave her continued protection by the captain from his crew as long as she served his needs. Her eyes filled with sadness as she recalled the loss of her father and she grew silent. Penthisilea studied her face in fascination as she concluded her story and knew no such face could have been born of Labu, so she offered the young girl refuge on her ship until they reached the coasts of Asia Minor where she could then choose her fate, for the Amazons were journeying to Ilium to fight for King Priam against the Greeks who now laid siege to Troy.

"What will be done with this ship?" Melissa asked. "Our strogulla was sunk by the Sea-people and we must continue across the sea to Egypt."

"Ah, you are the friends of the Horae who brought us to our quarry. But more than that, you serve the goddess Aphrodite, whom we honor. You may have the ship, but who will sail her for you?" asked the warrior queen.

"Miokos, will you sail with us?" piped up Bethany.

"Are you sure you want to sail with a pirate?" joked Miokos. "But if Penthisilea will grant me leave, I would join your crew."

"We have one more for your sisterhood of sailors," offered the Amazon. "She is young and we pulled her from her foundering boat only yesterday, but we cannot take her north to war. I fear she may not offer much help. From her look she is noble-born, but she will not reveal her lineage." The Amazon captain snapped her fingers and ordered the girl to be brought topside.

"Myrrha!" cried Galenia. On the deck of the larger ship now standing abeam stood the Princess of Alashiya, daughter of King Cinyras of Paphos. The young princess smiled for the first time in days as she saw her dearest friends upon the ship below her.

"A glad re-union of friends," noted Penthisilea. "It is a sign of good fortune. Tonight we will share a feast and make merry. Your ship will be provisioned for your journey south, and tomorrow we will part ways.
But let this night's celebration be joyous and gay!"

(c) 2009 Bethany Frasier

***********

The Amazon Queen led the group across the boarding plank to her ship. Melissa, Bethany, Thallo, Kyrenia, Galenia, and Miokos followed Penthisilea aboard the large Amazon vessel. The boat rocked gently on the swell as the storm subsided. The cool night air refreshed the girls, and their relief at their freedom flowed through their bodies. Their naked bodies gleamed in the glow from the torches and lamps now lighting the length of the mighty Amazon warship. 

Only Thallo had managed to retain a vestage of clothing. The others were all naked. Melissa, Bethany, Kyrenia and Galenia all showed red weals on their bodies where the chains and manacles had cut into their skins. Forgetting the pain, they took turns to embrace Myrhha, kissing her, and stroking her long dark hair. The night air filled with girlish laughter and joy.

The Amazon warriors were busy on deck, stripping themselves of their armor, cleaning weapons and talking excitedly of the battle so gloriously won. Melissa heard one of the girls call to another, "Oh, before I finished off the chief of the pirates, I cut off his penis and threw it overboard, you should have seen his face!" Howls of laughter erupted throughout the vessel.

The girls were tired, dirty, and disheveled. Penthisilea looked them over and grinned, "I think you ladies are in need of some rest and a good cleaning." She beckoned to one of her stewards, barking out an order, "Take these young ladies, clean them up, clothe them, and give them wine." 

The steward bowed to the Queen, "It shall be done, my Queen. This way. Please follow me." She led the girls below decks to a cabin at the stern of the vessel. Here were laid out several couches. The steward indicated to Thallo to remove what was left of her tattered clothing. Thallo gladly tore off the last vestiges of her garments. Bethany and Melissa cast their eyes over her gloriously naked body, taking particular delight in Thallo’s firm, jutting breasts, her dark nipples standing proudly from her deep, olive-skinned breasts. Her firm belly and her lush, jet-black bush further down filled them with desire. 

Kyrenia and Galenia smiled as they let their eyes wander over their five naked companions. Suddenly, the girls' attention was rudely interrupted as buckets of cold water were thrown over them, causing great merriment amongst the Amazons now attending them. All seven girls were shaking, and the Amazons quickly rubbed them dry in turn. Melissa smiled at Bethany as they enjoyed the pleasurable feel of the cloth being rubbed gently over their naked skin. Both felt a rising flow of sexual energy begin to flow through their veins.

The cabin was lit with oil lamps, which cast flickering yellow light and shadow around the walls, illuminating the space with a surreal atmosphere. The glow emphasized the girls' curves and skin tones, as the light and shadow played a magical dance over their pliant skins. Heavy aromatic oils drifted on the air, making the girls heady.

The Amazon girl swept her arm towards a row of benches. "Please sit here, noble women, whilst wine is served for your refreshment." She clapped her hands and two Amazons appeared with amphora filled with the powerful sweet red wine of Crete. Melissa sighed as she rested her delightfully firm buttocks on the wooden bench. Taking the proffered goblet, Melissa drank deeply, throwing her head back, and allowing the wine to slide down her throat. 

Holding her goblet, Bethany watched in rapture as Melissa’s firm breasts rose with the action. Melissa’s long hair hung down her back. Bethany smiled at her companion in that seductive manner Melissa was so used too. Bethany raised her goblet as Melissa wiped her hand across her lips in a blatantly sexual gesture.

"Drink, my love. Drink up. The night is young and I feel passion is in the air." Bethany drained her goblet, slurping noisily as she drank the strange brew. As she savored its fine taste, she wondered if the Amazons had infused the wine with some aphrodisiac; such was the feeling that was already flooding through her veins. 

"My darling one," she murmured to Melissa, "Now that this ordeal is over, we will make love like never before, giving praise to the Goddess for our rescue." 

Melissa nodded, and whispered above the general noise of their companions' excited chatter, "Praise be indeed to our divine patron."

The other girls, Thallo, Kyrenia, Galenia, Myrrha and Miokos were playfully stroking and kissing one another, the memory of their ordeals being greatly diminished by repeated draughts of wine. Miokos’ magnificent full breasts, with their large ruby red nipples were causing quite a stir. Both Galenia and Kyrenia were teasing Miokos, as they fondled her breasts, touching and squeezing them in turn. Miokos delighted in the attention.

As Melissa and Bethany continued to stare into each other’s eyes, they started as a scream was heard from above decks, and then another long wail, and more screams. Alarmed, they asked the Amazon what was happening. The girl laughed, "Oh, Penthisilea kept a few of the sea-people prisoner. Right now they are being flogged slowly for their crimes against you. It’s no more than this trash deserved. They’ll hang there all night, and in the morning they will be killed." Melissa and Bethany said nothing; they did not disagree with what was going on above them on the main deck.

"Come now, Ladies, please relax and lay yourselves out face down along the benches.We will now have to oil your skins, and tend to your wounds. All the girls did as asked, stretching their naked bodies along the benches. The Amazon steward couldn’t do anything but admire this glorious array of naked girls. How beautiful their nubile bodies are, she thought. Such fine full buttocks. She touched herself between her strong thighs, and felt a trickle of wetness and a swelling of her nub. Her other hand ran over her one breast, for all Amazons had only one breast. 

Whilst the girls were servants of Aphrodite in all her avatars, the Amazons worshiped Artemis, Ares and Cybele. Not that this prevented them from having desires. The Amazon made a sign, and seven attendants stepped forward carrying bowls of warmed olive oil infused with sweet thyme. Melissa stretched out fully along the bench, her hair brushed forward, and gazed at Bethany, who returned her gaze. They wriggled as warm oil was poured down their backs and over their buttocks, the oil running between their full cheeks. The Amazon attendants poured more oil down their thighs and calves. 

Thighs astride the benches, the Amazons slowly worked the oil into the girls' backs, kneading, smoothing and caressing their skin, Both Melissa and Bethany were cooing as the skilled hands of the warrior girls worked their bodies. Both groaned with sheer pleasure as firm hands smoothed their buttocks. Bethany audibly groaned as the Amazon parted her cheeks and with one finger, caressed the cleft between them. 

"Oh, by the Goddess," cried Melissa, as she felt an oily finger stroke her anus. How she longed to be penetrated, imagining Bethany’s finger deep inside her bottom.

The Amazons finished off by using two-hand massages on the back of each thigh, and then eased the tension out of the girls' calves. Melissa reached over and gripped Bethany’s hand, fingers interlocking for a moment; the touch was laden with intent.

"Please turn over onto your backs now, and we will continue your healing massage." Without further ado, all seven girls rolled onto their backs. From the satisfied noises coming from the other girls, Melissa and Bethany knew they were enjoying themselves immensely. These Amazons were experts, having done this kind of healing massage on their companions after many a battle.

Seven pairs of upright breasts pointed at the ceiling beams, a truly enrapturing vision. The light from the lamps gleamed on their shining skin as the Amazons got to work on the girls again. Melissa and Bethany began to slowly writhe as skilled hands softly stroked their breasts, and fingers nimbly rolled their nipples. Both Bethany and Melissa have especially sensitive nipples, which soon stiffened, sending signals around their bodies. By now, both were very moist. 

Moans were heard right along the row of benches as oil was poured over their bellies, and those deft hands and fingers worked down from navel to mound. The Amazons used two fingers to open up the girls' labia, and oiled the soft wings of the seven girls with soft touches. They were good, these Amazons. They deliberately stopped short of giving the girls orgasms, for that was not their purpose. Melissa had strong urges to just get up and make love with Bethany right there and then. Bethany reading Melissa’s mind had similar urges, but both had to control themselves, as this was just the preliminary to the night ahead.

Finally, the Amazons completed their work, and seven utterly relaxed and rejuvenated girls were feeling imbued with new life. Now that the infused oils were soaked into their skin, Melissa reached over and allowed her hand to slide over Bethany’s skin, delighting in the silky softness under her fingertips. Rising off the bench, Bethany came to Melissa’s side and kissed her fully on her lips. Bethany’s hands cupped Melissa’s smooth-skinned breasts, then gripped her shoulders.

"My love, you feel like heaven to touch." Melissa closed her eyes, and pouted.

Opening her eyes, Melissa noticed fresh clothing being laid out for them all; she couldn’t help wondering how long it would be before it was all shed again. 

Copyright March 2009: Melissa DJ

*************

The two ships rolled abeam on the swells of a gentle sea, subsiding from the tempests of both storm and battle. Bethany and Melissa too shared the languor of the quiet sea with their tired companions after days and nights without sleep. The sensual anointments given them by the attendants of the Amazons had refreshed their spirits and the seven oiled and robed girls relaxed near Antinara, the helmswoman at the stern of the Amazon barque while Thallo spoke quietly with Penthisilea. 

The dozen or so Amazon warriors who had taken the ship upon which they had been held captive cleaned spear and sword of drying blood. The few remaining pirates taken prisoner watched with dread as the final remains of their shipmates were wiped from their captor's blades. Bethany recognized one of them as the ruffian who had struck and assaulted her as she was slapped in manacles early that morning. She saw the contempt in his eyes for the well-trained femmes who had bested them in both battle and sea-faring. She saw also the fear that sweated out of their doomed and filthy bodies as they hung from their arms, lashed to the rigging, awaiting whatever fate the she-warriors would deliver them. 

She fought her instincts to feel pity for the miscreants whose deaths were certain. She knew they felt no remorse nor contrition for their heinous acts against her friends or the countless others upon whom the sea-people had wantonly preyed. But if she felt no pity, neither did she crave vengeance, and passed the loathesome creature without a word. The Amazons would question their prisoners and dispose of them in a manner Bethany chose not to contemplate.

Several of the warrior-women took up a contest among themselves hurling spears from the rail of their ship to a target upon the deck of the other ship, which tossed upon the warm sea, tethered by a single line, abandoned of all her crew. Bethany marveled at the accuracy of their marksmanship with both boats bobbing in opposition. A cluster of spears grouped tightly at the intersection of the mast and the lowest spar like a sheaf of fasces. Ainia, one of the younger of the Amazons tossed a spear into the hands of Melissa who stood nearby watching the contest, inviting her to join them. 

To their great surprise, Melissa fell back several steps towards the interior of the ship, re-balanced the spear in her right hand with an adroit bounce, and with a quick spin of her lithe body lofted the spear through the rigging of both ships striking in the center of the cluster of spears that were thrown before hers. A great shout of praise rang from the throats of the warrior women, and while they encircled Melissa lauding her skill, Bethany smiled and mused to herself: Beware the sting of the honeybee nymph!

Melissa led her buzzing swarm of admirers over to Bethany and they joined hands, signaling the assemblage that lighter spirits and a turn towards more sybaritic pursuits were desired by the priestesses of Aphrodite. Bethany pulled Miokos to their side and she in turn reached for the sisters of Paphos and together they danced like sprites beneath the swaying mast. Even the stern Amazons smiled and joined hands in a circle around the dancing girls. Under the warm Mediterranean sun the tanned skin of Melissa and Bethany glistened with sweat as they spun and skipped their bare feet over the wooden deck. 

Bethany shrugged her gossamer gown off her shoulders and twirled it towards the rail with a kick of her foot. Kyrenia and Melissa also swept off their clothing and joined her, and together their breasts bounced in a sensuous rhythm with their footfalls. Even some of the youngest Amazon girls shed their capes and tunics to dance naked with their new friends. Bethany spun down upon her heels to sit with Galenia who had tired and rested against the deck rail, watching wide-eyed at the beauty of so many trim and toned femmes dancing naked before her. Bethany noted her young friend's gaze resting curiously upon the chests of the Amazon girls who had only one breast upon their left, and the smoothly-muscled pectorals of a man on their right. Bethany answered her unasked question. 

"Before they bloom, the Amazons cut out the bud of their daughters' right breast so that it will not develop and hinder their bow-arm in battle. Only the slightest scar remains, which the contours of their musculature usually conceal. Even so, are they not magnificent?" 

"They are amazing!" responded Galenia. Melissa, overhearing their conversation, came and rested with them, sitting on the other side of Galenia. 

"A-mazos in the Achaean tongue means 'without a breast'," explained Melissa as she reached over Galenia and playfully pinched Bethany's nipple. 

"Didn't think I could hit the target, did you, my love?" Bethany rolled Galenia over onto Melissa and the three of them tussled playfully, pulling hair and pinching each others' nipples. Their sex-play stirred their passions and soon Melissa and Bethany were intertwined in the most intimate of tongue-play as their heat rose while the afternoon sun was setting. 

Myrrha watched as her childhood friends Galenia and Kyrenia joined into the exotic chain of female bodies, tasting each others' soft, wet flesh. She wished to be among them if only for comfort, but she had felt sick and queezy for as long as she had chosen the sea as her escape route, and as the great ship heaved lazily over the rolling swells, her fair skin paled to nearly white. The two sisters noticed the princess off by herself with her head bowed to her knees and left the sex-play of the other girls to keep her company.

As Melissa lay with her eyes focused softly upon Bethany, now crouched between her legs, she gazed dreamily beyond her to watch the three young companions of the royal court of Paphos, re-united again. Galenia and Kyrenia sat upon either side of the Princess Myrrha, recounting their adventures since they had been parted. But the young princess would only listen and not speak of the events in her life which had consigned all seven of them into exile upon the seas west of Alashiya. She sat upon the folded canvas that the pirates had stripped from the rigging of the royal strogulla which had brought her friends to be re-united with her once again. 

So much had happened since their last time together. Her world now seemed foreign and unfamiliar to her. The childhood games they played together at the court of her father's palace in Paphos were part of a world she had left behind, and a life from which she now fled. All three of them had passed from innocence by paths of different chance to arrive here together once again, amongst an unlikely company of mythic seafarers. She was a princess, and yet amongst this astonishing assemblage she felt she was but the least, with no notion of the part she played, except to flee the shame her incestuous impulses had brought to her house and homeland, running from a father she had deceived and betrayed. 

She prayed to the gods for forgiveness, and for solace in the arms of her friends. Miokos sat and watched everyone around her closely. She knew her path was now shared with this band of beautiful young exiles, and wanted to learn where their journey might also take her, but she was more than content in their company and as she watched Bethany's head gliding up and down erotically between Melissa's thighs, she wiggled her fingers through her own slippery wet groove until her thighs were glistening with wet rivulets.

Thallo beckoned to Bethany, who had just finished satisfying her lover completely, and after seeing Melissa had closed her eyes, basking in a luxuriant after-glow, Bethany licked her lips clean and joined the Amazon Queen as the be-flowered Fate begged her leave. Penthisilea motioned Bethany to sit, and she nodded her head respectfully to the Queen, who began her inquiry.

"The Horae has told me your band is fleeing the court of Paphos. Speak, and tell me please why a priestess of Aphrodite should flee the great patron of her mistress. Is there dissension in the Temple of the Goddess"?

"Not in the temple, my lady but in the house of her patron, the king," replied Bethany, "Queen Cenchreis has blamed Aphrodite for enchanting her daughter with incestuous desire. Myrrha flees from her father's wrath now. Her two friends have been in our company and now join her in exile. We have taken them into the Temple of Aphrodite as initiates, but their aunt who was nurse to the Princess plays some part in this deception of the king, and I fear she alone may know the truth of who is responsible for this tragedy." Bethany continued to relay what news she had to the Amazon queen, who looked upon each of her guests as their accounts were told. But the imperious Amazon seemed most interested in the plight of Myrrha.

Myrhha's eyes widened as Penthisilea came and sat close beside her near the rail of the ship. The imperious warrior seemed more than a woman to the young princess, and since the first moment she was brought before her, Myrrha had feared her. She had answered none of the Amazon Queen's many questions of her since she was pulled from her small boat alone and frightened, but the queen now looked upon her with gentler eyes, and casting her gaze out over the sea, she spoke as if to herself. 

"When the dawn came, we rose from camp and climbed into the hills with spear and bow. My sister laughed as I was so eager to press forward and find our quarry. The tracks were seen as light failed at dusk so we waited for the night to pass and I dreamed of the coming hunt as my dear Hippolyta slept softly beside me. I wished for my sister to be proud of my skills which our mother had trained in us both, and as the sun rose above the trees, we awoke to resume the hunt. We separated and she vanished into the trees upon the hillside to flush the fell cat from her hidden lare that I might have my kill. My bow was slung, for I wished to face my prey close at hand and see her eyes as I let my spear fly to her feral haunches. 

"My blood was hot and I sensed my moment was at hand when the underbrush parted and the tawny beast caught the thin rays of the climbing sun through the trees. I saw her golden coat shine from the shadows as she emerged. No mere lioness, she was a great feline like the companions of the gods that were made at the beginning of the world. Her lithe form and glowing coat were as an image carved upon the altars of ancient temples. I had seen her likes bearing the goddesses of old in my earliest memories of childhood. I felt my blood rush and my spear was already at hand as I widened my stance for the throw, but as my arm drew back and my weapon began its fateful arc, my aim was lost when suddenly I felt the sting of an angry bee upon my eyelid. 

"I saw nothing as my spear sailed off its mark into the trees rising upon the hillside, but I heard her anguished cry as my wayward spear pierced my dear sister's breast. My own heart felt that deadly stab as my sweet Hippolyta turned and fell. My life ended as hers did, and though her dying words spoke forgiveness, none of my own could I abide. Only my own life could pay the price for my shame, and only in battle can an Amazon die with her honor. So came I into exile along with my band of loyal companions, sisters all, and my course to Phrygia was set, to die upon an Achaean sword on the plains of battle 'tween the sea and the unscalable walls of Ilium. I pray only that mighty Achilles be the champion to whom I pay the price for my sister's untimely death."

Penthisilea turned her gaze from the milky horizon to the young princess whose eyes were now filled with tears. Myrrha took the queen's hand in hers and raised it to her lips. "We walk in shame together, my lady," she said softly. 

Penthisilea stroked the fiery red hair of her young companion and then rose. After turning to walk away, she stopped and said sadly: "Would that I had only loved my sister too much, as you did your father, the King. We shall both pay for our transgressions, fair princess, but no redemption shall I find in death. I pray yours may sow the seeds of forgiveness and bring some beauty to the world as great as your own." The queen looked over at Bethany as she held the sleeping Melissa in her arms and stroked her dark hair softly. They seemed as loving sisters to her and her thoughts returned to the memory of Hippolyta as she had tearfully held her in her arms dying.

Melissa passed deeper into sleep, no longer able to fend off the hand of Morpheus as he shuttered her conscious mind from the waking world. She floated in darkness, but once again found her feet landing upon cold stone as she descended that familiar but frightening path down to the very heart of darkness. But just as her dream had seized Kyrenia as Melissa had held her in her arms by the fire on the previous morn, Bethany now felt the tug of evil upon her mind also, and fought to stay awake lest she be enslaved by the same nightmare which had reached from Melissa's subconscious and trapped Kyrenia with her in the depths of fear.

"Come to me, Melissa!" said a hauntingly familiar voice. Though her conscious senses were stripped from her, Melissa once again felt that peripheral awareness which had confused her mind in the presence of the oracle of Kyprios in the woods upon the coastal mountain above Paphos.

"Bring her to me now!" insisted the voice.

"Where are you? And what is this place?" demanded Melissa's mind.

"The place you fear most! Of all your memories, this has been the darkest! You shared this horror with the lioness. Her company kept your heart from yielding to fear and madness. Her hand in yours redoubled your strength! You belong together, so bring her to your side again and you will be safe."

Melissa's mind knew she was being tricked and the knowledge gave her strength. "You would have me believe this is Kur, but we faced that cold damnation of fire together and returned tempered with new strength. That darkness is only a memory and you cannot use it to frighten me into betraying my love. We have no errand here. It is you who needs Ariel for some dark purpose, and my goddess has cautioned her away from your presence. Who are you?" demanded Melissa.

"She is upon my doorstep. So close!" revealed the voice, carelessly. "I thought you had brought her to me upon your last visit, but merely a child did you offer," mused the voice distractedly, and then grew cold and calculating again. "Perhaps she has abandoned you! There are others whose charms call to her and she may leave you here alone in the darkness while she delights in their company, caressing their skin, joining her fair body to theirs in sexual play. They are together now! Loving and sharing themselves. The young novices whom you have so arrogantly given to Aphrodite. They are with your Bethany, offering their bodies to her, and caring not for your devotion, she has turned from you to them! While you are lost and alone, she has forgotten you for the taut and supple softness of those young and nubile sisters."

"You cannot torment me with jealousy," declared Melissa. "That is for those who would possess others calling it love, but love is not possession. It is sacrifice!"

"You think I do not know you, Melissa? For you have sacrificed much for the goddess. Though she has ever shrouded your lives in mystery while you serve at her side, I know that you and your companion have walked the world in secret purpose for many an age of gods, old and new. And strangely have you been drawn to their sides as their familiars. The Titans knew you, as do now their children upon Olympus, and the myriad roles you have played few would guess, for you walk quietly through eternity by means which even I cannot guess, but always in the shadow of the great goddess in whatever avatar she might appear. 

"But I have guessed some of your secrets, young priestess, and I know that your beginnings recede into the mists of time. You were made with the earth long ago and you were once an Idaean Oread, but no mere nymph did you remain! When the powers of the Titans waned and the god Cronus tried to consume all his children, his wife Rhea intervened to save the last. That infant was given into your care by Rhea to hide him from his father, who feared his children would surpass him. You dwelled then in the heights of the Psiloriti upon Crete. 

"There in a cave near the summit of Mount Ida you kept a mewling infant hidden from his jealous father. Rhea chose you to conceal the first Olympian and nurse him with the sacred milk of Amalthea. You fed him enchanted honey from your cavern hives for you were the honeybee nymph, and your drones gathered the nectar of the gods upon those lofty Idaean heights. And that is the link which binds us together, Melissa! The magick of your honey gave Zeus his prescience, and he passed those powers down to his children. Yes, not only to Aphrodite, but also to me. For I too am the first generation spawned of Zeus through his illicit love with my mother, Lamia, who begot the Oracles. My power to divine the future descended to me from the very honey you fed Zeus in his youth, as did those of my sister, the Delphic Oracle. 

"But there is still a mystery surrounding you which I have yet to divine. Cronus found you out and punished you for deceiving him. He transfigured you into a lowly wurm and left you alone in that dark place. Zeus saw what his father had done and took pity upon you for that injustice, and changed you back from wurm to honeybee, your truer nature. But here now is the mystery. You now serve the goddess as a beautiful young woman once again. How you returned to this form to serve the lady of desire once again has been clouded from my vision. 

"The honeybee and the lioness. An unlikely pair, and yet you appear and disappear in my visions of the past and the future, slipping in and out of the timeline of the world unexpectedly, and unpredictably. Your secrets confound the Oracles, for the future is our province and ever have your paths eluded our focus. My half-sister must have a purpose in giving you such powers, but perhaps Aphrodite is only one of your benefactors. For in the past you must have served Astarte, Innana, ...even mighty Hathor herself. Do I not guess close to the mark, Melissa Honeybee?"

Melissa's mind reeled in the darkness at the revelations of her tormentor, for no one before had ever guessed the guises and secrets behind which Melissa and Bethany had occulted themselves through the ages. She had always believed their true natures were kept veiled by the powers of their goddess. She could not even escape this scrutiny of her inner mind for she was ensnared in her own nightmare. But was this the true oracle with her now or only a phantom in her dreams? Melissa's mind trembled with doubt, for if the oracle were only a construct of her nightmare, then their secrets were still safe, but had the oracle actually entered her mind that morning in the woods? She pondered desperately as the voice from the darkness continued.

"Unlike Dione, Lamia was cursed by Hera for her illicit affair with Zeus, her husband. All of my mother's children by the King of Olympus were destroyed by Hera save only my two sisters and myself who escaped. We are the three lost Sibylla and have withdrawn from the world within the temples of the Oracles. From our mountain shrines we can prophesy the future, but you and Ariel seem to possess powers to change it, always in the service of your mistress! It was revealed to us that the Princess of Paphos would bear a child who would become the favorite of all Aphrodite's lovers. This we could never allow, for Aphrodite is worshiped and feted, most of all the Olympians, while we, her half-sisters are cursed and condemned to obscurity. 

"With the unwitting aid of one close to the princess, we cast upon Myrrha an illicit obsession with her father the king so that she would spurn all her royal suitors and remain un-wed and childless. This we did to deprive Aphrodite of her greatest happiness, fair Adonis! But when the princess, distraught with shame, tried to hang herself knowing the depravity of her obsession, her witless nurse intervened and plotted a scheme to enable the princess to consummate her doomed desire. Our plans fell to disarray, but after the heinous deed was committed, the king drew sword over his daughter and we hoped his wrath would end her life, but you have stepped in once again to thwart our plans. Now the princess is in your care and your intervention has clouded our visions of what will be. And our visions are all that we have!"

Fear gripped Melissa, for she was helpless to warn away Bethany, and through the thin tendrils which still connected her with her waking mind, she knew that a hand stretched out to her into the darkness from the world outside and that it was Bethany's. Her mind fought to stay in control, but she felt defeated by the inevitability of the sibyl's designs. Suddenly, in the blackness, a fleeting gold and green glimmer caught in her vision and she tried to focus upon it, but had no reference points in the darkness. A buzzing passed her senses and she felt the smallest of breezes upon her sweat-drenched face. She had the sensation of falling backwards but she awoke before she felt her impact upon the ground. "Bethany! No!" was her last thought.

Bethany's mind reached out to Melissa, now receding from her in the labyrinth of her dark dream, and as she searched for the receding echo of her lover's heart, a long-forgotten memory awoke from the distant past—a memory of another black and fearsome place where she had taken shelter from a storm while climbing the mountain slopes above the Amari Valley upon the eternal island in the wine dark sea. The mountain was sacred to her goddess and her path was as always led by her guidance, but as the clouds broke suddenly upon the mountainside, she had raced into an open dromos running far back into its dark recesses to escape the bitter wind. 

As the thunder of the storm had quieted to the drone of a steady rain, she had fallen asleep in the lightless tholos, and when she awoke still in darkness, she knew not which way led out. She stood in the quiet blackness hoping for a sound of the world outside to point her footsteps, but the only sensation which manifested was a growing fear. She wandered in darkness through the cavernous tomb fearing no path would lead to her escape, but as panic and despair began to descend upon her, a thin pencil of light coming from no apparent source in the shadows overhead dimly illuminated a circle upon the floor. She kneeled to examine the ring-shaped object below her and saw an undulating movement around its circumference which startled her for a moment. 

She had seen the shape before in ancient symbols carved upon amulets of power, but this apparition was a living creature, a worm curled 'round upon itself, consuming its own tail. A living Ouroboros, thought Bethany, puzzled by the mystery. She knew the Ouroboros was the mythical embodiment of the sacred circle, the most ancient symbol of the divine creative power of the eternal femme. Life consuming itself to be reborn anew. 

Bethany felt a comforting presence and believed her goddess was near. She realized that she could faintly see the stone wall in front of her where there had been only pitch blackness before, and as she watched, light waxed upon the wall, save for a shadow which took the sensuous shape of a young female figure. She watched in fascination as the silhouette grew darker in contrast to the growing light. Suddenly realizing the shadow was cast by her own body, she turned to see the source of the light behind her, but was startled when she heard the voice of a young man breaking the silence.

"Meli..." the voice suddenly broke off as she turned and before her stood a beardless youth with long, golden hair standing tall and straight in his young manhood.

"Who are you?" asked Bethany.

"I am one who would well ask that of you, for this was the home of my youth. By some on this island I am called Kouros, for they only knew me as a boy. To others I am Welchanos. And whom may you be?" replied the young man. "I nearly mistook you for the nymph, you are so alike in beauty."

Bethany began to step sideways, eyeing the young man cautiously as she began to trace a wide circle around him to keep from being cornered against the stone wall behind her. As she stepped aside, he saw the orobouros upon the floor and gasped. He rushed forward and knelt before the undulant and Bethany suddenly felt protective of the small creature and returned to stand over it, guarding the living symbol of her goddess from harm.

"You have no need to fear," the young man reassured. "This is why I have returned. I was raised in this cave from infancy to hide me from my father. My mother gave birth to me here for my safety and throughout my youth I shared this secret place with my nurse and tutor who had made this her abode long ago. She reared me through my youth, fed me honey from her hives, and taught me wisdom. She kept me safe through my young life, but even this vast redoubt could not hide her from my father's wrath when he finally found where my mother had hidden me. This was his vengeance upon the nymph of Mount Ida for her role in deceiving him. And now, my cautious friend, who may you be?" Bethany studied the face of Welchanos and quieted her fears.

"I am a servant of the goddess. I was summoned here but I know not why," said Bethany.

"Perhaps I do. You are not altogether as you seem," asserted the young man. "Your appearance belies your true nature, just as this small creature beneath us does also, for I would know my guardian in whatever form she appeared. Pick it up!" Bethany obeyed and scooped the small creature into her palms. "Now, my fair friend, become what you once were and carry Melissa back with you!" 

With a casual gesture from Welchanos, Bethany felt the veil of her earthly appearance fall from her like gossamer. She turned, dropping to the floor as if by instinct and when she opened her eyes, the shadow upon the wall had changed from the figure of the young girl she was, to the sinuous shape of a great cat. The worm was nowhere to be seen, but the sound of a buzzing honeybee flitted past her ears.

"Your cruelty is undone, father!" bellowed Welchanos as the caves shook with undying echoes of his great voice, and Ariel knew then that he was a god. But the young god had disappeared before she could turn around, and the caves were dark once again. But she was not alone. She felt a new presence as comforting as a mother's.

"Welcome, my daughter," said a warm voice older than Ishtar, older than Innana. The Egyptians had named her Hwt Hr, a combinant deity of all things femme: desire, fertility and creation, but much more ancient was this ultimate goddess. Bethany felt a warm and erotic tingling stirring within her sex and knew the Goddess had poured her essence into her, body and soul. Shaktipat, the descent of grace it would one day be called, but the presence Bethany felt within her as she closed her eyes was only a more perfect form of the spirit she carried within her since her earliest memories.

"You are deep inside Mount Ida, my womb upon the earth. You have wandered far since you departed the garden long ago. You were called here for a purpose. You, Ariel, are one of two, each a half of the whole. Throughout eternity you both have and will serve me together and apart, but you will always return to be joined and rejoined upon the most sacred of nights when the veil is thinnest between the worlds of the living and the dead. There you will dance together, joined in passion 'round the flames that light the way for the lost and departed. But you are connected by love and desire, for that is my nature. You each represent the two essential aspects of the world: continuity and change. Life and death, or rather life and rebirth. 

"Your natures are the essence of your forms. The honeybee, gatherer and sustainer of life and knowledge, who provides the food of the gods; and the lioness of the Goddess, bringer of death and transformation. As such, you are inherently a skin-changer, for in dire need and in the presence of the ancient powers you can return to your original form. But your lover was made with the world as a nymph, and this mountain is her home. Now, her first task is complete and her journey with you begins. She was chosen to protect the link between the old gods and the new, but ever impetuous, the king of the Titans has punished her for playing that essential role which was her destiny. For protecting the son from being consumed by his father, the father has in his vengeance changed Melissa into the worm which consumes itself. 

"Such a harsh injustice could not long stand however, and the new god whom she once nurtured has with your help changed her into a honeybee, to share this cave with her friends who have always made the honey which has fed the gods. But her purpose here is fulfilled and now begins your journey together away from my womb. Melissa has been bound to this mountain, for it is my most sacred place upon the earth, but having completed her task, Zeus will now live to rule the pantheon, and I will be reborn as his daughter. The circle continues, and you both will serve me now as the beautiful femmes you will remain through eternity. 

"When you leave this mountain, you will appear as you were before, but the lioness and the honeybee will remain inside of you both forever. When she leaves as your companion through eternity, Melissa's beauty will remain as it was when she was an Oread, but her Idaen powers, ever tied to this place will become hidden, just as your memory of this meeting will be, except perhaps in your dreams where truth lays, ever hidden. In your waking minds you will remember only the sylvan glade where the autumn fire burns, where every harvest moon you will dance in naked abandon through eternity as loving sisters. But if you part, you will always remain bound together. Across great distance or great gulfs of darkness your minds and souls will remain connected. You will see through each other's hearts when you are in the presence of the dragonfly."

Bethany awoke. She found herself in the center of a circle of thirteen friends. It was night, but the sea was lit by a full moon. All the kneeling girls around her were naked, illuminated by the cool moonlight upon their shoulders and by a warm glow upon their faces and breasts from the embers of a shallow brazier sitting on the deck next to her. Melissa was in her arms, stirring from a deep sleep, and though Bethany felt she had just awoken from a dream, she could not remember anything that had transpired in her dream. 

Thallo was walking around the perimeter of the ring of young women and Bethany recognized the action as a closing of the ritual circle. Thallo had invoked the powers of the Goddess, initiating twelve to join her in worship of Aphrodite to call Bethany and Melissa out of the deep trance into which they had fallen. But from the inner darkness they had retrieved the answer to the puzzle which had begun on the night of the seven starfalls. The sibyl's dark mind had imprinted upon Melissa's subconscious and still echoed with the secrets of her prophesies.

Myrrha was with child! Fair Adonis she carried in her womb! A son whom Aphrodite would call her greatest love. The Sibyl of Kiprios in her efforts to meddle with the outcomes of prophesy had instead brought them to fruition. Her vengeful attempts to deprive her half-sister of the happiness of true love had merely contrived to bring forth the very events she had endeavored to avert.

Thallo, being one of the Fates had also foreseen the coming of Adonis, but in her wisdom knew she must not interfere with the flow of events. Her role had been to shepherd the priestesses of her mistress through the dangers along their road without changing destiny as the Oracle had attempted to do. The charm of the thirteen had broken the spell upon Melissa's subconscious mind and the Oracle could no longer enter her dreams. The attendants of the Amazons brought forth wine for all the company and the drums they carried into battle were instead used to beat out the rhythm of a dance.

"Our path ahead is clear then!" said Bethany, as she pulled her lover to her breasts. "Tomorrow we escort the Princess to safety and make sail for Egypt to fete the Seven Cows." As their fingers interlaced, they called upon all the femmes to join them in celebration of the coming of Myrrha's child and Aphrodite's fairest lover.

The other girls looked on with smiling faces as Bethany and Melissa began their love-play, intertwining their bodies in heated passion. Glancing at each other with gleaming eyes, the others quickly joined them.

(c) July 4th, 2009 - Bethany Ariel Frasier

Sisters of the Moon 

Her nails dug deeper into the flesh of her fleeing prey as it climbed ever higher upon wide-swept wings into the cold night air. In the darkness overhead, the moon glowed faintly behind storm-clouds as she clung desperately to the fell creature. The pale disk appeared to turn in a bluish streak as she swung from side to side beneath the nightmarish beast above the rocky chasm receding far below them. They were climbing to the heights of the lowest clouds, through which jagged bolts of lightning arced across the sky, amidst terrible thunderclaps.

She twisted and clung tenaciously as the creature struggled to shake her loose, climbing ever faster, until the young girl's grip faltered and was at last torn away. She felt herself in free-fall, reaching frantically to make one last grasp at the lash trailing from the demon's coal-black raiment. Against all hope, it whipped into her fingers, but she felt it burning through her hands as she gripped tighter, and even through the searing pain, she felt herself slipping hopelessly to the end. With a final scream, she fell, downwards to the earth, as her quarry hissed and escaped into the darkness above her.

Upon the rain-swept coastline below, a pale but graceful figure raced across the rocks towards the sheer precipice into which the shadowy figure fell from the sky. Catching herself short upon the very brow of the cliff, the young huntress watched breathlessly as the vampire she had chased through Tuscany hurtled downward, twisting and turning to avoid the jagged teeth of the Etruscan coastline. As her falling body disappeared into the chasm ahead, the storm-tossed sea pushed a swell of water into the gap between the headlands, building a wave ever higher within the constraining walls of the inlet, until the deadly void was awash with the roiling sea.

The timely surge of water rose over the rocks only moments before her body would have been torn apart upon their razor edges. She disappeared into the boiling foam as the water receded from the chasm, and from the cliffs above, her pursuer watched in vain for any sign of her body surfacing. So intent was her gaze that her eyes almost missed another figure approaching behind her, closing the distance from the trees along the coastal ridge. Her hunt was now diverted as she hurriedly dropped from sight between the rocks of the cliff.

Bethany approached the edge of the jutting headland where she had seen the lone figure ahead of her only moments before. She climbed down the cliff-face with as much alacrity as she could without losing her footing upon the slippery rock. After a long and treacherous descent, she reached one last outcropping, which overhung the small beach at the mouth of the great coastal gorge, and jumped the last ten feet into soft, wet sand. The figure she thought she had made out, silhouetted above the cliff's edge when she approached, was nowhere to be seen, and she wondered now if it had only been a trick of her eyes, or did someone else know the significance of the creature which had just escaped into the night-sky? She searched across the breaking wavecaps crashing to shore for any sign of the body she had seen hurtling helplessly down from the sky, a fleeting shadow against lightning-lit clouds.

Was that ill-fated girl her friend Isyra? 'Could even an immortal vampyre survive such a fall?' Bethany wondered. She searched the rocks for the torn body of a friend who had walked the world for nearly three millennia since last they had parted - a friend condemned for all eternity to search the world for the she-demon Lilith, and return her to the underworld to face the justice of the Goddess Erishkigal, who had already waited an aeon, and now grew impatient. Bethany knew the creature which had fled into the heights of the storm was that very same demon which Isyra had so long sought, and now Bethany also sought. She felt eyes upon her in the darkness - watchful eyes, full of curiosity and menace. And she knew she was not alone in her hunt for Isyra and her prey.

Her wet clothes clung to her as both the cold rain and the spray of the Tyrrhenian sea crashing upon the coastal rocks had soaked her to her skin. Thunderclaps echoed off the cliff, and nearly deafened her. She was tired by her wearisome quest, having chased every rumor of Isyra's whereabouts around the Levantine crescent of the Mediterranean, until her trail had led her at last down the coast of Etruria. The prospect of catching up to Lilith haunted her too, for it meant facing Lamashtu once again. Her rape by that hideous demon was terrible enough, but her subsequent battle with the hell-creature in the dark underworld nearly three thousand years ago had literally cost her her life! Only the Grace of Innana, through the prayers of Melissa, had restored her life.

Only the Goddess knew the torture she had endured in that battle to save her lover's life, and ultimately, the life of the Goddess herself. She missed Melissa. Their separation was another sacrifice they had willingly made in their eternal service to the Goddess. Her lover and companion through the long ages of antiquity had been dispatched on a separate mission to Alexandria to consult the ancient scrolls of the Royal Library there, and tap their vast store of arcane knowledge in search of any clues concerning Lamashtu, the fell beast Lilith had learned to become at will. Where there was one, they would find the other. And on this night, in this terrible storm, Bethany had at last caught up to Lilith, and perhaps Isyra too, but she feared her friend of old was almost certainly the one she had just seen falling to her doom from her long-pursued quarry, as the vile demon made good its escape once more upon the sea-borne winds of Libeccio.

Bethany searched the short stretch of beach, hearing the roar of breakers crashing upon the outcroppings of rocks in the darkness nearby. The tide was bringing each successive wave closer to her, and soon the wash of foam was rising around her calves, and then swirling back down the steep slope of the beach to return to the angry sea. She was soon hard-pressed to maintain her balance, as the very sand beneath her feet was being sucked out from under her arches with each tiresome footstep. Her skin was covered in goosebumps and her search was looking futile.

In the darkness, she heard the roar of an incoming wave rolling in from the sea, which sounded ominously large, and she knew she had lingered too long upon this narrow strand of beach, which was no longer safe. She turned and struggled with her footing in the yielding sand to reach safety, but it was too late. Her body was upended by a wall of water that carried her towards the base of the cliff from which she had descended a few minutes earlier. Suddenly, she was tumbling under water, trying to discern which way was up, and as her body rolled through the wild surf, her head struck unyielding rock, and she remembered no more.

She awoke to daylight. Her body felt stiff and sore, and her head pounded, but she found to her surprise that she was in a room with stone walls and a warm fire burning in a soot-blackened hearth. She turned her head painfully into blood-matted hair, and through a narrow window cut in the ancient stone, she saw a dark tower looming up above her, silhouetted against a bright, clear sky. She guessed it was morning. How long she had been there she could only conjecture, but someone had obviously come to her rescue before the sea had claimed her, and she was grateful to her unknown benefactor, who must have borne her injured body for a milia passum up a steep ascent at the coast's edge. Wherever she was however, the trail was now cold, and her search was once again nascent.

She realized her wet clothing had been removed, and she was lying naked under a course, wool blanket. She eased herself out of bed and walked unsteadily upon stone flags to look out the window. From somewhere nearby, she heard a young girl singing, but could see no soul around the grounds within her view. From the higher vantage she could see the base of the tower, hugging the cliff-rocks, high above the sea, and far below, gentle waves were lapping a small beach, just visible beyond a jutting headland. She judged she was not far from where her adventure had climaxed in the storm at the edge of the sea, but in the calm of a clear morning, the world seemed very different.

A voice behind her startled her, and she turned suddenly to see a young girl had just entered quietly through the door so as not to disturb her had she still been sleeping. Her face brightened as she saw Bethany standing by the window.

"We feared you might never awaken!" she said, with a smile spreading across her young face. "May I wash your hair then, or is your injury still too painful?" Bethany judged the girl to be past puberty, but too small in stature to have carried her here from the beach. The girl gazed at her naked body with fascination as she approached, but Bethany's composure did not suggest modesty, so the girl continued to stare at her full, upright breasts.

"What is your name?" Bethany inquired.

"Constantina," replied the girl with a blush. Bethany told her she was very pretty, perceiving the girl felt awkward, having been named for an old, dead Emperor.

"Did my clothes survive my accident?" Bethany asked with a smile. The girl blushed again and opened a chest decorated with bronze straps at the foot of the bed.

"We dried them by the fire, and Fausta mended a tear. The leather pouch you carried was also dried, along with its contents."

"And this place..." began Bethany.

"My father's villa," Constantina answered. But Bethany could see by the elaborate furnishings of even this simple cottage that this was part of a latifundium, an estate of great wealth, and that Constantina, by her demeanor, was one of perhaps many daughters of a wealthy Roman nobleman, or perhaps a senator.

"How did you come to be lost in the storm?" the young girl asked. "How were you injured?"

"Where was I found?" Bethany queried.

"My sister found you lying upon our doorstep. You don't remember coming here?" Constantina looked at her in sympathetic puzzlement. Bethany again wondered who had pulled her from the sea and carried her here. She pondered if any of the slaves who worked the estate might have found her and carried her up from the sea, but knew they would surely have reported the discovery to their masters.

"Constantina, have any unusual occurrences transpired in the vicinity of late?" Bethany inquired.
The young girl seemed hesitant to answer, so Bethany knew she would need to gain the girl's confidence, and approach the question from another angle.

"Tina! Go help your sisters!" Bethany looked up at the woman who had just entered the room, and smiled at Constantina as she hurried out the doorway.

"You are a courtesan?" asked the woman tersely.

"My name is Bethany. I am not a courtesan. I am searching this province for my friend, who I fear has come to harm during her travels. Her name is Isyra." Bethany watched the woman's eyes carefully, and discerned a flicker of recognition.

"My name is Fausta. I serve milady and her daughters. I'm sure my mistress knows nothing of your friend. You may stay here until you are strong enough to travel, but I suggest you stay away from the house. If my master's friends from Rome see you, you may find you are a courtesan yet. And if your friend is as comely as you, you may also find her in the bed-chambers of the nobles!"

"Thank-you for the advice, and for mending my garments," Bethany said with courtesy.

"You had better get them on before any of the men see you like that!" Fausta added, nodding to Bethany's nude body, as she withdrew from the cottage.

In an earthenware basin, decorated with images of Etruscan legends from its pre-Roman greatness, Bethany carefully rinsed her hair of her dried blood, so as not to encourage her wound to seep any more, and toweled it dry enough not to soak through her thin blouse. She wrapped her pleated skirt around her, and tied it at the waist with her sash, and stepped out barefoot into the sunshine of the garden. The strong westerly gusts of the night-time storm had given way to gentler Mistral winds from the north. They cooled her damp hair while the bright sun warmed her face.

Constantina and her sisters were at the edge of the vineyards, but Bethany could not make out their task. At the garden gate, Fausta was directing a young slave-girl towards the cottage, and Bethany smiled as the pretty house-servant approached her with a bow.

"I have been sent to serve you, Milady," she said, with her eyes lowered to Bethany's feet. Bethany took her by the hands and straightened her servile stature so that she was looking into her eyes, which were beautiful.

"What shall I call you?" Bethany asked with kindness.

"Valeria, maam," said the girl, deferentially.

"Valeria," Bethany repeated. "Your name means 'strong and healthy'. Was your name chosen by your parents, or your masters, Valeria?"

"I was named for brave, Christian martyrs by that name, Milady," she said, with a hint of pride.

"You are Christian then?" asked Bethany.

"My parents raised me to be of their faith, Milady. They say it has now been declared the official religion of the Empire."

"I see," said Bethany, leading her by the hand through the garden towards a stone wall, which bordered the edge of the escarpment down to the sea.

"Have you a husband? Children?" Bethany asked.

"I am still... still a maiden," she answered bashfully, "but the master of the house has upon occasion given me to his guests for their entertainment. I would be happy to serve you in the same capacity, Milady," she offered willingly. Bethany smiled at her and cupped her chin softly. She turned to face the sea, and looked far out to the hazy horizon. Both of them looked out over the brilliant blue Tyrrhenian with wonder.

"Have you been to sea, Milady?" Valeria asked, feeling more at ease in her presence. Bethany recalled her many journeys stretching back over the millennia, across many lands and many seas.

"Yes," she said at last.

"I have always dreamed of it. It is so beautiful," Valeria sighed, and then remembered herself. "I'm sorry... Milady!" she added.

"Please, call me Bethany, sweet Valeria?" she asked.

"I would do anything to please you, ma'am... but my mistress would have me whipped if I should ever show such disrespect to my betters." Bethany looked into her eyes with gentleness and pulled her hands up to their breasts with hers.

"I myself was born into servitude, Valeria. You will never be less than my equal," assured Bethany. The slave-girl seemed puzzled by this, but was enamored of Bethany's kindness, which she was not accustomed to from those she was given to serve.

A bell rang, calling the girls in the garden to breakfast, and Constantina led her sisters through the garden gate, beckoning Bethany to join them. Valeria, who had already eaten with the servants, accompanied her, to stand in waiting while she broke her fast. Upon a marble trestle set on a trellised terrazzo outside the villa, seven girls shared fruits and bread, and a bright, joyful morning. Bethany could only draw a stark contrast with how her previous night was spent, and quietly enjoyed the mirth of these beautiful young girls, as she was introduced around the table by Constantina. She was the focus of their interest, and Bethany relayed some of the story of her travel down the coast of Italia, with no mention of vampires or demons.

After breakfast, Bethany and Valeria walked the western edge of the lands, over which the tower of the villa had survey. Bethany discreetly searched the sea coast below the cliffs for any sign of Isyra's body washed in to shore from the now-gentle sea. She knew that Isyra had been drawn here by the same information that she had discovered, as she had traveled around the rim of the Mare Hadriaticum - rumors of the predations of Lamashtu upon children, as they slept in their nurseries in homes scattered across towns and villages of Etruria. Her pattern was legend. The horror of her nocturnal visitations was known for centuries, from ancient Sumeria to Rome. Isyra had pursued her for centuries, and now Bethany and Melissa had joined the hunt. Time was running out for their friend, for Erishkigal would soon call Isyra to serve in Lilith's stead in the bleak underworld of Kur, if she could not bring the Goddess her betrayer.

Constantina had caught up to them before the afternoon had brought long shadows over the meadows, and the three of them were back near the villa. The tower loomed above them, and its foundations wrapped around the rocks of the escarpment plummeting down to the sea. A window was open in the tower above them, and Bethany believed she saw the shadowy outline of a figure standing by the window. In front of them, a marble staircase descended around the stonework of the foundation, until it joined a steep, back-switched path leading downward to the beach. Bethany started down the staircase, but the younger girls held back.

"You are going down to the sea?" Constantina asked with concern.

"Too strenuous a walk for you two? Going down is the easy part!" Bethany teased, "We can make it back before sunset." Both girls looked at each other and Bethany wondered what their reservations were.

"The stairs are forbidden?" she asked, "...or the beach is forbidden?"

"Milady, the path leads past the cliff-face, and the Grottos there are forbidden," Valeria explained. Bethany looked down the gently-turning staircase.

"Who builds a marble stairway to a forbidden place?" Bethany puzzled. "Well, you two stay here. I'll take the chance and run past the caves!"

The two girls looked at each other again, and resolutely stepped down to join Bethany on the third step, emboldened by her confidence.

"I wonder if you know of the trust you engender, Milady?" Valeria took Bethany's hand, and she smiled at them both, and took Tina's hand also. Together, they started down the forbidden stairs.

"Have either of you ever seen these caves?" Bethany asked.

"Tina wandered down here when she was very young, but Fausta came and shooed her back up to the house," Valeria answered.

"Did they scare you, Tina? These caves?" Bethany asked of the young girl.

"No, ma'am," replied Constantina. "Fausta did!"

"Fausta scares everybody!" Valeria offered. "She is a witch!"

"Witches are usually very wise women," Bethany replied. "You mean she is still pagan?"

"She does not favor the Christians," Valeria assured, "but the Christians hold her in equal contempt. They believe she is helping to hide the identities of those who still meet quietly to carry out the rites of the mystery cults, which still flourish secretly." Bethany felt she must get to know the children's nurse better. They had by now descended many flights of the staircase, and it was narrowing to hug the edge of the steep slope more closely. Soon, the polished marble treads gave way to native stone, which had been carved out of the very rock of the cliff-face.

"What are the legends surrounding these caves?" Bethany inquired, as the dark recesses opening into the solid rock yawned ahead of them on the right of the path below.

"They are not legends so much as they are prophesies, Milady," Valeria said in a hushed voice. "Fausta has told us that since she herself was young, it had been foretold that when the age of gods and demons drew to a close, these caves would be their last redoubt," Bethany stopped dead in her tracks as she looked above the mouth of one of the largest cave openings and saw an image carved into the stone which she never expected to see. Unmistakably, there was the head of a great lion looming over the rough opening.

Fearing the great caverns yawning beside them, the girls flew down the steps ahead of Bethany, and after she paused to gaze deep into the dark recesses in the cliff-face, to ponder once more the significance of the lion-head carved into the stone far above, she skipped down the stairs and joined her companions nearing the beach far below. The golden sands felt comfortingly warm in the afternoon sun, and the girls were overheated and glistening with sweat, after racing each other down the last flights of steps. Bethany strolled down the beach and stepped into the bubbling foam rising up over the sand from a spent wave, and hiked up her skirt around her waist, enjoying the refreshing water swirling around her feet.

Constantina playfully kicked water upon her friends as they all three danced through the edge of the sea. Valeria retreated up the beach, but Bethany and Tina were getting each other soaked, so Bethany finally pulled off her clothes altogether and splashed through the warm sea naked, wading into the deeper waters and diving into breakers as they cascaded onto the shore. Tina followed her example, and shed her dress too. They beckoned Valeria to join them, but she shook her head shyly from the shore.

"She's so afraid of anyone seeing her without her clothes," Tina laughed. "She'll never strip!" Valeria made a face, and plopped herself down in the sand, watching, while Bethany and Tina bathed and played with each other in the warm Tyrrhenian Sea. Tina was enamored of Bethany's beautiful body, and splashed water upon her full breasts, just to see her nipples pop out.

They were both soon worn out from wading against the undertow, and pushed each other down in the shallows to let the broken waves wash around their nude bodies, while they reclined on their elbows. Tina turned and gazed upon Bethany's glistening figure, as the sea splashed off her upturned breasts.

"You're very beautiful, Bethany. Do you have a lover?"

"I have had many!" Bethany smiled. "And yet there is one..." She said no more, but Tina knew from the wistful look in Bethany's eyes that she was sad to be apart from someone very special.

"Have you read the poetry of Sappho?" Constantina asked. "We have learned about her life on her Isle of Lesbos. I love poetry. Hers has moved me greatly."

"Your people come from Lydia, not so far away from Lesbos," Bethany observed, "centuries ago."

"So they say, Milady. On my mother's side, that may be true. My father is Roman. Many have come to this beautiful place. The Tyrrhenians only the latest. My sister's friend Claudius is a young poet of local renown, whom my father patrons. He writes about this place as it has been through the long ages. Feniglia, Cosanus... it has gone by many names. Claudius has named it the Silver Mount in his poems. My father has taken a liking to that name. It has been an inspiring place to have lived. But Lesbos... there I would like to have called home, living and learning as one of Sappho's students. I was born too late," she mused.

"Is it merely her poetry which inspires you, or her brave life?" Bethany asked.

"Centuries ago, Sappho taught women to love women," Constantina said, defining her thoughts. "That is where true passion lies - the deepest of intimacies. Have you ever engaged in the love Sappho espoused, Bethany?"

"I believe it was the very purpose for which I was created," Bethany reflected. Tina knew then that her friend's deepest love, though parted from her for the moment, was another woman. She smiled, and leaned over, cupping Bethany's breast with her palm, while planting her lips upon her new friend's. Constantina was suddenly drawn in by a magic she had never before felt. The experience of Bethany's brief kiss left her trembling and breathless, as if she had kissed Aphrodite herself.

"Where did you learn... to do that?" Tina gasped, and not expecting an answer, she kissed her again, soulfully and passionately, unable to withdraw. Bethany gently leaned her down and caressed the young girl with her eyes—warm and knowing eyes, into which Tina lost her heart. The desire she saw seemed enchanted, almost mythical, and even knowing she herself was but a surrogate, Tina drank the irresistible desire she saw in those magical eyes into her very soul, and surrendered everything she was to the pleasure of this consummate seductress. Bethany's lips glided lightly down her neck, and Tina thrust her young breasts upwards, begging for Bethany's touch. She caressed them with her moist lips, and took the young girl's nipples into her mouth, one by one, suckling her to ecstasy.

Bethany could feel the girl's heart pounding, and hear her ragged gasps, as she tried in her excitement to catch her breath. Tina felt lost in a dream of sexual abandon, inundated with sensations so profound, her corporeal body felt removed from the physical experience, to inhabit some Platonic ideal of carnal rapture. When her climaxes became so overwhelming that her nubile body felt it could no longer contain them, she became dimly aware that Bethany's tongue had explored her entire body, beyond her mind's reckoning of time, and had just parted from her spasming sex, with a finely-spun tendril of viscous dew pulling apart from between her enervated sex, and the wet lips of one who had made Aphrodite herself scream out in delight!

 Constantina's body trembled, slowly emerging from the dream, back to the moment. The tidal pool they shared together could be a pond of her own juices for all she knew, but Constantina was content beyond all her experience. Bethany looked up at Valeria a few cubits away, to see her glistening fingers between her thighs, and the setting sun reflected in her wet, enraptured eyes. She too had lost count of both their time there and her own climaxes.

When the three girls had composed themselves, the urgency of the coming twilight soon impressed itself into their lulled consciousnesses, and they gathered their clothes and dressed, as they walked towards the steps leading up from the beach. The sun peaked out one last moment from a gap in the layers of far-off clouds hugging the horizon, and Bethany looked up to see the lion's head far above them, bathed in a golden light, which suddenly changed in hue to green before it was extinguished, but the light had not come directly from the sun. Shadows cast above the great carving pointed away from the source of illumination below, and as they ran up the steps to beat the coming night, Bethany saw the source of the sun's reflection off the path ahead of them.

Upon the bare rocks below the mouths of the grottoes, lay a brilliant disk, shined to a mirror-like polish. Bethany jumped across a short gap between the stairway and the rocks, and stooped down to pick up the shiny object. It was a round disk, emblazoned with an image of an ancient deity astride two great lionesses. The runes which stood out in relief were Akkadian, and Bethany recognized it as an amulet to the Goddess Ishtar, the Akkadian name for Innana. This, she realized immediately, had fallen from the neck of Isyra!

(c) Bethany Frasier
December 1, 2011

                                                                         Chapter 2

Melissa strayed off the dusty road and found a shady place to rest under a grove of date palms, not far off her path. She had been walking for hours, and even in sandals, her toes were powdered with a crusty layer of Northern Egypt, which puffed out in a cloud when she stamped upon a flat, exposed rock, levered-out of the sand by a hidden root. She reclined against the woven husks of a leaning palm-trunk, and pulled her sandals from her aching feet, shaking out the desert dust. She reckoned she had enough water in the skin bladder slung around her shoulder to reach the next oasis along the road to Alexandria, even if she poured a little over her hot, tired feet, so after taking a swig to soothe her parched mouth, she rinsed the dust off her bare toes, and re-corked the skin-flask.

She idly entertained the urge to pour the entire flask of water over her long hair and down the cleavage of her ample breasts to refresh herself before the last stage of the journey, but she knew it was a foolish notion. Bethany might do such an impulsive thing, ever trusting to the Goddess to provide vital necessities along her path when most needed, but even a Priestess could not always expect such convenient grace in the desert, where one's very survival was always a test. The Providence of the Gods and Goddesses were at Their own divine choosing, and expecting predictability from the lofty pantheon was foolhardy.

Her friend and lover, now far away across the sea, often took such audacious chances, as she was doing even now, but she was no fool, Melissa noted to herself with a quiet smile. More than once, Bethany had survived danger while boldly trusting to luck, where none could be reasonably expected, but hers had always been better than Melissa's. Perhaps her lioness-heart made her so daring, and fortune truly did favor the bold, but Melissa had always trusted to wisdom, for that was her divine gift.

Indeed, wisdom was what she hoped lay at the end of her long journey. Her task in going to the great annex of the Library of Alexandria was to glean any obscure secrets from the archives of the Serapeum which might reveal a weakness in their quarry that they might exploit. It was little to hope for after the long hunt, but time was running out for their friend Isyra, whose millennia-old search for the vampyre Lilith might come to a fruitless end without their help. That was the task with which their Goddess had charged them—to find and capture Lilith and Lamashtu, her demon counterpart, so that Isyra might at last be free of the onerous bargain Erishkigal had bonded her to, three thousand years ago. Even for a Goddess, an aeon was a long time to be patient!

Melissa lifted the gauze of her long, cotton skirt and waved the hem up and down to help the afternoon sun dry her feet before she set out again. She might reach the great northern capital of Egypt by nightfall if she kept up her pace, for she was anxious for her long journey to come to an end. She had not long resumed her walk along the wide west road when she heard ahead a loud clamor. The nearer she drew to the great city, the more settlements she passed, built up along the natural route of commerce along the coast.

As she entered the outskirts of the town, the canvas awnings of a bazaar stretched out into the streets, shading the merchants and their wares from the harsh African sun. It was from the narrow alleyways stretching back from the merchants' stalls that the commotion arose, and as she walked into the little village, she saw the backs of a crowd of excited men in white keffiyeh, who were all waving their arms and shouting angrily at someone she could not yet make out.

As she stopped to see what was happening, a young girl wearing torn wrappings broke through the crowd of men, and pushed her way to the front of the bazaar, as the crowd turned to shout after her with undisguised hatred. She ran straight towards Melissa and collapsed at her feet, but the crowd began to close in around her, picking up stones to hurl at the young waif.

"Stop!" shouted Melissa, and such was her tone that the men were startled, and momentarily stopped short and heeded, until she could ask what offense the young girl had committed. The girl's older brother stepped through the crowd and spat on the ground at the girl's feet.

"She is shamed!" he exclaimed.

At first, Melissa thought the young man was going to grab the girl by the arm and drag her away, but he stopped short when he saw the look in Melissa's eyes.

"Always she comes for water without permission from her uncle. Always she allures the men when the bazaar is most full, and now she has tempted my companion to pull her shawl and reveal her ornament. It is sinful, and she is dirt. She flaunts her beauty and the men are helpless. Now, she has brought dishonor to herself and must be punished!" The young girl knelt closer to Melissa, and grabbed the hem of her skirt.

"This young one is not responsible for the lust in men's hearts! Her beauty is a gift from the Goddess. You defile that gift, taking it as an invitation!" Melissa asserted. "It is in your own hearts you must look for shame!"

"Baahhhhh!!" Her brother shouted. "So do you always protect one another. It is not your place to come unbidden and interfere! It is men who decide when a woman has sinned," and he lurched forward again threateningly.

Melissa stood fast and narrowed her eyes, blowing a fine breath through pursed lips. Before the young man could reach down and pull his sister away, he swatted his neck and cried out in pain, ducking and swatting the air, again and again, as he was stung over and over. The crowd of men fell back and gave way, as a swarm of angry insects lit on their exposed skin. They ducked, and beat at the empty air frantically, and soon the crowd fell apart, as the vanguard among their ranks broke away in all directions.

"Perhaps you should cover your exposed flesh better! It is such a temptation to my friends!" taunted Melissa, as the girl's brother struggled to his feet to get away.

"Take the bitch and begone!" He gasped. "Neither of you are welcome here!" He turned, and stumbled away with the fleeing crowd of men. Melissa laughed and lifted the girl up to face her.

"You are safe now. What is your name?" Melissa asked.

"Amunet," replied the girl, giving Melissa a hug.

"Do you wish to remain here, or will you accompany me to the city?" she asked the girl, who was looking around in wonder at the men fleeing into the alleys behind the bazaar. She dusted off her dress and threw the tatters of her shawl off her head and smiled at Melissa in gratitude.

"Let's go!" she replied.

"First, let's go to the well and draw water. My flask needs filling, and I don't think we need permission from the men any longer. Gather what you need for the journey from your house, and join me at the well."

The rest of the afternoon's journey was now more pleasant, as Melissa shared her long walk with a companion, and learned about her new friend. They laughed and chatted together until the sun settled low in the sky, and at last they reached the outskirts of Alexandria. The city had been a marvel of the world for seven centuries, and everywhere they looked, they saw magnificent architectural wonders built by the Ptolemy's. The great Library, now moved to the Temple of Serapis, had accommodations set aside for visiting scholars, who came from far and wide to study the ancient scrolls gathered in its archives for hundreds of years, since Ptolemy founded the vast institution centuries before.

It was a great seat of enlightenment, and its current curator, Hypatia, was a woman, so there was no thought of the narrow prejudices which still existed outside the stone halls of the Serapeum. All were welcome to share the accumulated knowledge of the known world. Melissa and Amunet were shown to their quarters by a custodian, and their immediate needs were provided for before they retired for the night after their long journey. Their first order of business was to visit the baths, to soak the dust of their journey from their skin.

The baths were huge, and fed by fountains which adorned the center of the pools. Tapestries brought by ships from around the Levant decorated the high-ceilinged chambers, and Amunet was amazed at the beauty of the place. She never dreamed such places existed in the world. Side pools were fed with fresh spring water, to wash away the sweat and grime of the road, before the girls then joined other women, already in the great central bath. They both disrobed, and Melissa understood why the men in her village considered Amunet an irresistible  temptation, even if they had never been privileged to see her as Melissa now did.

They relaxed in the refreshing waters and swam together, innocently admiring each others beauty, until the weariness of the road was soothed away. After their ablutions, they wrapped themselves in towels and returned to the wing which housed their apartments. There were two beds in their rooms, but Amunet stayed close to Melissa and desired to share a bed with her, just as she had done with her sisters and cousins back home. Amunet was still only a young girl of sixteen, but since the girls of her village were sequestered away from the men in their living quarters, they had learned to turn to one another for pleasure, and Amunet was no stranger to the love of other women. Indeed, Melissa had told her of Bethany, and Amunet had shared her stories of femme passion with the girls of her community, so the girls would not be lonely in their quarters during their stay.

Their first night together was not their first night of passion, but more of simple intimacy. Though Melissa's vigor was renewed, Amunet fell fast asleep in her arms, so tired was she from the adventures of her day. Melissa held her in her arms, nestling her bare breasts into her companion's back, and so safe and secure did the young girl feel, that she did not move or turn from that position all night. Melissa breathed in softly through her sweet-scented hair, and thoughts of Bethany filled her mind until she too fell into sleep, and her dreams were vivid, recalling the love she had shared with the lioness of Innana for centuries uncounted. She also dreamed of a young girl falling, falling out of a stormy, rain-swept night, and worried for the safety of her lover and sister-Priestess, but trusted in their Goddess to keep her safe until they were once again re-united.

The next morning, Melissa was eager to explore the endless tomes housed in the Serapeum. Although there was a system cataloging the contents of the vast collection, many of the more obscure scrolls which dealt with ancient mysticism were housed in chambers hidden away from the main library. These scrolls were considered arcane, and even dangerous to those uninitiated in the arts of magick and sorcery. She would have to gain the trust of the librarians to be granted access to them, but she had been here years before, and a few were left among the curators who remembered her and the ancient knowledge she herself had contributed to the library. And if they had aged, she seemed to defy the passage of time, which itself lent an aura of mystery and magick to her, now that she had returned.

The times had changed though. For centuries, the great library was sacrosanct, and the rulers of Alexandria supported the unfettered accumulation of knowledge, no matter what its content, but the rise of Christianity had brought with it political intrigue amongst the power-brokers of the capital city, and many of those who served the Pope in Rome, wielded an undue influence over the freedom of scholars to pursue their studies, especially when the church deemed them heretical. Hypatia herself was wary of the influence the Christians wielded to stifle the freedom of knowledge that had been the hallmark of the library since its inception. She was a woman of great stature and independence however, and Melissa was glad Hypatia held the forces of darkness at bay.

Amunet sometimes accompanied Melissa into the remote recesses of the Serapeum, trying her best to understand what was being searched for, but Melissa would only share what she deemed safe for the young girl to know. Melissa began to feel her researches were being watched by invisible eyes, and she did not feel comfortable drawing attention from parties she did not know whom they served. She decided it was safest not to put Amunet in any danger from curious observers, until she could ascertain their loyalties. She sensed the political climate outside the library was asserting itself among different factions working inside the library, and figuring out whom she could trust added an additional layer of difficulty to her research.

She had communicated her fears to Hypatia herself, but the answers she got only confirmed her suspicions that the renowned Curator of the Library was not altogether certain anymore who were her friends and who were her enemies. Although sometimes she worked far into the night, Melissa always enjoyed returning to Amunet in their chambers, for the young girl's innocence and exuberance always soothed her. There was a quality not unlike Bethany about her, which she found very comforting and familiar. Many nights, they shared their bodies in sapphic passion, and their mutual trust grew as weeks went by.

After a time, Melissa began to suspect that even if the information she sought existed somewhere among the endless shelves of scrolls, it was being guarded and kept from her. All the references to the demon Lamashtu she found contained similar entries, stories and accounts which she had known herself for centuries. Indeed, few who had survived an encounter with the dark demon knew as much as Bethany and Melissa did, who had battled her to a draw in the Underworld of Kur centuries ago. Still, she believed there was something, somewhere, transcribed by coevals of Lilith herself perhaps, which remained undiscovered.

One librarian had been more helpful than most in pointing her in the right direction, and she trusted her own judgement that the woman was not corrupted by the forces which sought to compromise the integrity of the library and its patrons. She had an affinity for Amunet as well, and took pleasure in showing her friend scrolls which might interest her, while Melissa delved alone in the dark recesses of the lower archives.

One day, Melissa tired of the darkness of the lower levels, lit only by oil-lamps and candles, so she sought the sun in solitude out on the sea-walls of the harbor of Alexandria, and wondered at the awesome grandeur of the Lighthouse guarding ships from the rocks out in the distance. It towered high above the tiny island of Pharos, upon which it was built centuries ago, and she wondered why she had never before thought to view this wonder of the world, so close at hand. It was the tallest structure in the world, and remained so for centuries to come.

While she sat on the quay watching ships slowly edge their way past the lighthouse into the harbor, she became conscious of the passage of time and the changes in empires she and Bethany had witnessed across the centuries. Sumer was gone. Akkad fallen. The gleaming cities of Assyria and Phrygia, leveled and lost to time. Even Gods and Goddesses were perceived differently by the civilizations which had risen and fallen in their time, but the Goddess herself, by whatever name she was revered, would guide them for the remainder of their days, even if She was forgotten by those who now sought to make Christianity the cult of the masses.

The changes she saw coming frightened her, for it heralded the loss of history, the loss of enlightenment. The Christians seemed to be afraid of knowledge, and increasingly strove to suppress it wherever they spread. She feared for the future of the library, and wondered who would remain to preserve wisdom if Cyril and his mob succeeded in destroying the multi-culturalism which for centuries had defined Alexandria as the center of enlightenment.

Melissa knew that many of the pagan believers in the ancient gods of Greece and Rome were being forced into hiding, to practice their beliefs in secrecy, fearful of the intolerance of the Christians. Mystery cults now kept the old pagan faiths alive, forced into hiding in fear for their lives. Who would preserve the old knowledge, if its adherents were driven into hiding, or killed by the mobs incited by the frenzy of religious fanaticism? Then she realized she couldn't be the only one to see the hand-writing on the wall. Secret societies must already be extent, hidden from the attention of the Christian fanatics.

Hypatia was the public face of tolerance, and must know already her political influence was drawing danger to her personally. Her paganism would one day be her undoing, if Cyril and his mad monks of the desert monasteries ever gained real power. That day was coming. Then she understood her next course. Melissa returned to the Library and sought out Sacmis, the old librarian who had given her the most help during her searches. She found her with Amunet, who was helping her file scrolls.

"Sacmis, who are the secret ones who watch my every move in the lower archives? Though they have never made themselves visible, I know their eyes are ever over my shoulder. What do they want, and for whom are they working? Why do they hide?"
 
Sacmis asked Amunet to carry a stack of scrolls up to the public reading room in the center of the Serapeum, and as she watched the girl disappear up the stairs, Sacmis bade Melissa to follow her. Together they wound their way through mazes of racks holding dusty tomes that few even knew existed, then into a dark catacomb-like vault that descended even to the lowest foundations of the ancient temple. Through a dark door, which creaked upon its rusty hinges, she pointed the way into a dim passageway, at the end of which lay another heavy door with an ornate lock.
 
"This is their lair," she whispered "Whoever they are, your answers will be found beyond that door. I am not allowed beyond this point. They come and go by day mostly, but you must be careful, for they are unpredictable. Learn their patterns if you can, and if you deem it safe, and only then, use this!" With that, she pulled an old brass key from a gap in the stone and showed it to her before returning it to its hiding place. Then she withdrew, leaving Melissa alone in the dark shadows.


                                                                         Chapter 3

A knock at her door disturbed Bethany from her reverie, and she quickly put the silver amulet she had been studying around her neck and hid it under her blouse next to her breast. Just as she had concealed the ancient talisman, the latch-string pulled upwards and her door opened a crack.

"Milady, may I come in?" came the hushed voice of Valeria. Bethany rose and invited the young servant-girl into her chamber, giving her a light hug after she had curtsied respectfully. In the candle-light, her long auburn hair glowed as radiantly as did her skin. Bethany guessed her to be only a few years older than Constantina, perhaps not yet twenty.

"Your feet must be tired from our long walk, Milady. Please allow me to bathe and rub them for you," she requested. Before Bethany could answer, she took the basin of water and poured it into a copper kettle, and hung it over an iron hook in the fireplace to warm.

"We will bathe and rub each others tired feet," Bethany insisted, "and enjoy each others company."

Valeria smiled at the prospect of being allowed to stay the evening, for she enjoyed the companionship of one who seemed so worldly, yet treated her as a sister. She had been given in service to many of her master's guests who had visited from the far reaches of the Empire, but always before, she had been treated only as a slave or concubine. Bethany pulled out a stool and bade her guest to sit while the water warmed, and tell her about her life in this household. The young girl blushed, and demurely began apologizing for her simple, uninteresting life, but Bethany took a brush from the table and turned her toward the fire-light. Lifting the young girl's billowing tresses from her shoulders, she began brushing the wind-blown tangles out of her long hair, and smoothed it with her hands while she asked if Valeria had enjoyed herself on the beach.

"Please forgive me for not swimming with you today, Milady," she began, "I am so awkward."

"You are not awkward in the least!" reassured Bethany. "I'm sorry if I caused you embarrassment."

"It's not that I am so modest, as Tina suggested. Its just..."   She faltered, and struggled for a way to explain. "I simply did not want Tina to see..."   She hesitated again.

"...the way her father has treated you," finished Bethany. With her hair away from her back, in Bethany's hands, the neckline of the slave-girl's tunic could not entirely conceal the healed scars of numerous lashings she had suffered in her young life. Bethany had seen much cruelty in the world she had so long walked, and yet the mind of one who could take a whip to so innocent a child as this was beyond her understanding. Valeria wished she could hide her shame simply by clenching her tunic close to her neck, but Bethany put her breasts against the girl's scarred back and wrapped her arms around her in a close and comforting embrace. She could feel Valeria's tenseness dissolve with a quiet sigh, as she leaned her head back against Bethany's.

Wisps of vapor were curling up from the copper pot over the fire, and Valeria kneeled to swing the kettle out from the fire and poured the heated water into the ornate porcelain basin. Bethany helped her set the basin on the floor between them, and then directed her to sit down across from her on the stool while she lifted her feet into the soothing water. She sat on the edge of the bed and put her feet on top of the pretty young girl's, and their feet played together in the warm water, taking turns immersing each other in the deep center of the bowl. They felt the warmth surging upwards as their toes danced, and they rubbed each others insteps.

"The friend you have been searching for..."   Valeria began shyly, "Is she... your lover?" Bethany recalled her last tender moments in the embrace of Isyra with her lover Melissa in the distant past.

"No, my dear, not in the way you mean. She was briefly, long ago," Bethany shared. "Her true lover she may yet find one day, if the Goddess wills it," Bethany ran her toes softly up Valeria's leg, and despite the warmth of her touch, the young slave-girl shivered. She remembered how she felt on the beach, watching Constantina being seduced and driven to ecstasy by the touch of this woman who now was touching her. Her eyes slowly traveled up Bethany's body, and a beam of firelight flickered brilliantly in reflection from something shiny suspended from a fine chain around her neck.

She realized Bethany was leaning towards her, her beautiful face closing the distance between them, and the mirror-polished amulet, spinning first in one direction, then the other, had her mesmerized. It softened into a twinkling blur, and was then extinguished as Bethany's lips met hers. Valeria closed her eyes and she was a slave no more, except to whatever desires were Bethany's, and whatever pleasures this mysterious seductress offered, she would succumb, not merely her body, as she had with others, but for the first time, her very soul.

Their lovemaking was as a dream. The fire seemed to build as their passion did, crackling and hissing upon the hearth, making their naked skin glow in pulsing copper-red, as they joined together upon the bed, struggling for complete closeness and intimacy. They shed their gowns and their heartbeats raced, as nothing save the shining amulet remained upon either of their nude bodies, and as it was pressed between their soft breasts, its metallic disk warmed with their body heat, leaving an impression of a Goddess astride the two great lionesses who bore her, into Valeria's glistening skin. How many hours passed before the fire smoldered in the banks of its ash and embers, neither were aware. Their fuel was as spent as the fire's.

The candles surrounding their bed had all burned down and gone out, but Bethany felt the warm mist of Valeria's quiet respiration on her neck, as their bodies intertwined in the near-darkness. Half-awake, Bethany heard a soft grinding of stone against stone, and lifted her head just in time to see a sliver of dim light disappear into the darkness as what she judged to be a large hearthstone was pulled back into place beside the dimly-lit fireplace. She eased herself out from under her sleeping lover, and crept silently to where the sound seemed to have come. Her eyes made out the dimmest of outlines of fading light around what seemed to be a loose stone among many large stones, which formed the wall into which the fireplace was set. Had someone slipped into the room while she and the young slave girl were consumed in passion, Bethany wondered... and for what purpose?

Bethany was wide awake now, and set her fingers probing around the mortar, pointing the stones to one side of the great hearth. Her nails dug into the cracks between two of the stones, and as she pulled, she felt the stone shift in place. She could not pull it away from its position, as she lacked the grip, so instead, she tried pushing and the stone moved inwards. She put on her gown and braced herself on the floor between the bed and the stone wall, pushing as hard as she could with her feet, and the stone slowly slid inwards.

She pushed her head through the opening and heard an echo of footsteps, and glimpsed a faint light receding far below, until the only sound left was a deep whisper of air murmuring through far-off passages in the deep darkness. She finished shoving the stone into the recess behind, until she could crawl through, and felt the floor fall away to the right, behind the wall, As she shimmied around through the narrow opening, she found that both headroom and legroom expanded into a stairway, which she crept down silently.

She could no longer see any light fading upon the walls of the old stone stairwell, but if she stopped and listened carefully, faint echoes of footsteps could still be heard in the darkness, descending downwards far below her. She tread carefully, fearing a misstep that might send her tumbling down into the total darkness, but her bare feet felt the way ahead nimbly, as she tried not to lose the echoing trail of footsteps still barely audible far below. She knew her own soft footfalls could not be heard, but still, whoever was below her on the endless staircase stopped occasionally, as if listening behind for pursuit. After descending many long minutes in total darkness, the spiral staircase straightened out for a stretch, and suddenly Bethany felt the wall fall away from her left hand, which she was using to orient herself by feel.

She stopped and groped around in the darkness to discern the reason the stonework had receded on only one side. Edging her toes carefully along the front of the step, she sidestepped along the stone tread, and at last her hand touched the wall again. She finally realized that she had reached a branch in the stairway, and another set of steps split away, climbing back up to her left in another direction. She was sure the last footsteps she had heard had passed below this point, so she continued downward carefully, until the branch narrowed and she could once again touch the left-hand wall as well as the right. She descended more quickly as the stairs twisted once again into a spiral, and continued downwards without change for more turns than she could keep track of.

Without warning, the stones beneath her feet no longer dropped away with each step, and she nearly lost her balance as the floor flattened out into a straight corridor, just as pitch-black as the stairs had been. A few yards beyond (as nearly as she could guess), the right-hand wall dropped back into the opening of a doorway, and her hand stretched out until she felt the course ridges of rough woodgrain under her fingertips. She stopped still and listened for a moment, with her ear close to the door, but nothing could be heard. She lingered there for a short time, realizing that she had not heard any sound of footsteps since she had passed the wye, where the stairway had branched apart, now far above her.

The darkness was oppressive, and the cessation of sound had deprived her of one more sense with which to orient herself, so doubt and indecision began to play mischievously on her mind. Should she give up and return up the stairs to the safety of her bower, or continue on? Was this only the first door of many, or should she try to open it and risk facing whatever unknown might lay on the other side? She felt around and located a cold iron ring near the center of the door, but did not risk moving it for fear of making a clanking sound. She felt that as long as she made no sound at all, she was still safe, for no one could know of her presence. She finally proceeded onward down the dark corridor until it turned sharply to the right, and shortly thereafter, the cut stone she had been accustomed to feeling beneath her feet changed to irregular rock, that undulated unevenly beneath her bare feet.

She found this very disconcerting, as it suggested she might have descended into a cave, where not even her sense of touch could be relied upon to keep her from immediate danger. But before she had taken more than a few footsteps forward, the path began to slope downwards again, and the walls on either side of her outstretched arms disappeared. For the first time, fear began to claw away at her confidence, as she crept slowly onward without any way of orienting herself. She could get desperately lost very quickly, and never find her way back! But before she had gone far enough to lose her sense of direction, she began to hear something again. She felt it at the same time. Wind. An icy draft was slowly moving through the space around her, and far below, she heard the deep, lonely moaning of cave-winds. The air seemed much damper too, and she began to shiver with the cold.

Curiosity drove her forward, even if she risked losing her way back. The path beneath her bare feet seemed to fall away on either side of her, and if she strayed too far to the left or right, she risked slipping downward and falling, perhaps into an unseen and endless abyss. The floor ahead rose a bit however, until after a couple dozen paces it seemed to crest, and then began descending again, steeper and steeper, until she began to fear she would lose her footing no matter which direction she turned. She almost turned back when a stone gave way beneath her feet and she lost her balance, tumbling forward in the darkness. She stretched her hands out, hoping to catch herself before she hurtled over a cliff in the darkness, and her fingers and palms were scraped raw as she rolled over and over on the jagged rock before she came to a rest on her side.

For many moments she was afraid to move, fearing she had broken a bone, until the pain began to subside and she could stretch her limbs, feeling for blood or injuries. 'Sure-footed as a lion, huh?' she thought to herself, shaking her head. All sense of direction was lost now, as she slowly crawled on her sore hands and knees, feeling her way along until the floor of the cave rose up into a wall. She pulled herself up and rested against it, wishing she had had enough sense to have turned back and returned up the stairs when she had the chance. She realized she had just survived a very dangerous precipice by a miracle, and going back that way might be suicide. She was afraid to go back and afraid to go on, but knew she might be trapped in darkness forever unless she found her way out.

As she sat in the pitch blackness, wondering uncomfortably what to do, she listened to the deep rustling of the cave-winds and detected a new sound, almost hidden by the soft whistling of the air. Somewhere ahead, the echoing sounds of the sea could now be definitely heard rolling through the great cavern. She struggled to her feet, and kept both hands on the wall from which she had just risen, walking it hand-over-hand, for fear of losing her balance again. A hundred cubits further she chanced, by hugging the rough rear wall of the cave as it descended in a gentle and irregular slope. There seemed to be no corresponding wall to her left and she guessed she must now be walking along the edge of a sheer cliff-face, which fell away into emptiness on the other side.

Bethany knew she must have descended into the inner recesses of the forbidden grottoes, hidden in the seaward side of the mount upon which the great house above was built. They were almost inaccessible from the outer cliff-face, past which she had climbed on the stairs from the beach the afternoon before. These secret stairs down which she had stolen in the darkness must be the only way to reach the caves without a climb, unless one had wings! She was dreadfully tired, and feared one more slip might be her end, so, buoyed by the hope that morning might bring some light into the caves from the tunnels leading out to the sea-cliffs, she huddled against the rock and closed her eyes, comforted by the far-off sound of the sea, breaking against the beach below the rocks.

She awoke still in darkness, engulfed in complete silence. Even the sounds of the sea were gone. She could not even believe she was awake, so utterly deprived of sight and sound was she. Only her pain was real, and it was beyond any she had felt when she had fallen asleep. She wondered what was wrong with her, and in the darkness, she tried to feel for her injuries, but she could barely move. She felt very warm and she could feel her skin drenched in sweat, but through the pain she began to feel something else: her own nails digging into the scratched and ragged skin of her palms, as she clenched her fist tightly around something hard as a diamond.

She opened her eyes and to her surprise there was light, flickering on the rocks around her. Ahead of her, wisps of flame were leaping upwards from the abyss beyond the ledge upon which she sat, and as her eyes adjusted to the changing light of the fire, she looked down to see what was clenched in her death-grip. Her eyes widened in utter surprise, and her body shook at the sight of the impossible thing she was holding. She raised it from her lap, turning it so the long cord attached to it fell away to the side, trailing onto the ledge in a coil beside her. The sparkling blue handle dazzled in the firelight, and she gasped in recognition as she held before her unbelieving eyes the Goddess Innana's most prized symbol of her divine power on earth: the lapis lazuli measuring rod and line, stolen by Lilith in Kur three thousand years ago!

Her mind reeled at what she was seeing, at what couldn't possibly be happening! Trembling now, she slowly looked down and found she was naked, with a lapis lazuli gemstone covering one nipple. She knew the other one was on Melissa's nipple, in the ancient Sumerian Underworld. She took a long, deep breath before confirming her dread suspicions. She widened her thighs and slowly looked down to her sex, where a black onyx slave-ring pierced her flesh from one side of her clitoral hood to the other.

Her blood-curdling scream pierced the silence of Kur, echoing up through the well of fire where she had just battled Lamashtu, the fell demon who had burned the slave-ring into Bethany's sex by dark magicks. She had saved her lover from the death-grip of the demon, and won back Innana's most precious periapt of power, but it was a Pyrrhic victory, for she was dying! She felt the life draining from her terrible wounds, and as she fell over upon the token of her Goddess, she thought of Melissa, and with her last breath, passed from the world of the living.

                                                                      

                                                                          Chapter 4

With the help of Sacmis, Amunet learned to assist in watching for the shadowy figures who occasionally came and went through the confusing maze of corridors leading down to the lowest vaults of the Serapeum, marking their habits as best she could. Melissa kept watch on the secret door from a vantage of darkness, and learned when the shadow-men entered and departed. She counted their numbers with difficulty, for not all of them frequented the chamber with any predictable pattern of regularity, and they moved with stealth at all times. After many days and nights of patient waiting, Melissa learned there were periods when no one appeared to occupy the chambers beyond the secret door, and determined how long it might be safe for her to enter, unobserved and undiscovered. The long watch had tried her patience, for she knew Bethany and Isyra were both in the last stages of their pursuit of the demon Lamashtu, and might be in mortal danger even now, without a clear plan how to battle the fell creature.

 The secrecy with which the shadow-men surrounded themselves convinced Melissa that there were undoubtedly other protections in place within their inner sanctum which could reveal her intrusion if she were caught off guard, so she spent the days before her intended entry planning a diversion with Amunet, which might allow her time to hide or escape. Without knowing who these people were, or whether they were possessed of supernatural abilities, her plans might go dangerously awry, without a contingency for any unforeseen eventuality. Amunet grew increasingly apprehensive as the time grew near when Melissa intended to enter their lair, for she had grown fearful of the dark, robed figures, whose movements she had helped track. She had grown to love Melissa, and worried for her safety, venturing into so mysterious a place. They obviously wielded power, but what Amunet was not yet fully aware, was that Melissa did too.

                                                                             o0o

Melissa spoke little more on the night of her sojourn into the sanctum. She spent the late afternoon in meditation, sharpening her senses and hoping for any insights she might obtain through communion with her Goddess, but little was forthcoming by way of inspiration or enlightenment. Melissa was uncertain her intentions were even in line with the Goddess' desires, for she didn't even know whose interests the shadow-men served, man, God or demon, but she trusted her instincts as a Priestess that the outcome would in the end be blessed. Amunet came to her side as the afternoon waned, and Melissa gave her instructions on what to do if she should be detained before she could return in the morning. The young girl held Melissa close, and they stayed in each others embrace until dusk, when they at last supped together and gathered up what they needed for the night ahead.

Many of the things Melissa carried with her at all times, but she gathered special crystals and amulets to protect her from magicks she feared might be guarding the lair of the shadow-men. They spent their last hours together sharing their experiences during the times they had been separated in the great city, for Melissa wanted Amunet to keep her mind sharp this night.

The library was very nearly deserted when they quietly descended the steps from their apartments into the lower archives of the Temple of Serapis. Even the large doors at the main entrance were shut this night, for Hypatia was away in another part of the city, meeting with groups of scholars and community leaders who might continue to fund the transcription of the scrolls and manuscripts which found their way to Alexandria by ship or caravan. Amunet stayed close to Melissa's side, taking short, quiet footsteps, emulating the stealth Melissa exhibited when she desired not to be heard.  In the distance, they heard the echo of a door swinging to, and guessed it was one of the custodians of the annex, retiring for the night. Melissa brought Amunet down to the place where she had watched the door of the secret sanctum, and there they waited, attuned to every whisper of a sound, until they were sure it was safe. They risked no torch or candle, until Melissa had made her entry, but once inside, she would need light to see, so she carried a small lamp to be ignited with sparking-stones given to her long ago by Miokos during the Age of Ilium.

Quietly, she slipped through the shadows until the great door was in front of her, and retrieved the key from the niche where Sacmis had indicated. The fact that the key was known by anyone outside the brotherhood of the shadow-men suggested that the barriers to the interior that really mattered could not be breached by a mere key and lock. In fact, the use of the key itself might trigger the very alarm she hoped to defeat. She struck a spark to the wick of her lamp, and the pale glow illuminated the surface of the door dimly. She attended to the keyhole closely. Nothing seemed remotely unusual about either it or the key, and she wondered if she might be over-thinking the problem. Second-guessing her caution might be her first mistake, she decided, so she continued her examination of the ancient door.

Holding the lamp next to the keyhole, she noted that there was no flicker of the steady flame. Not a breath of air was passing through the keyway from the other side, which aroused her suspicion. She slowly passed the lamp across the surface of the door in several directions from the keyhole until she noticed the flame suddenly dance and smoke. She withdrew the lamp and tried to repeat the phenomenon. Roughly the width of two hand-spans to the right of the keyhole, there was air passing through what appeared as a solid wooden surface. The visible keyhole was the trap—a ruse, to reveal an unauthorized intruder.  The real keyhole was concealed by illusion. Melissa carefully slid the key through an apparently solid surface, and it disappeared into the door. When she could push the key no further, she slowly turned it and heard a curious wisp of sound. The illusion was dispelled, and the real keyhole became visible as the false one disappeared. She had unlocked the door and confirmed that the sanctum was indeed protected by magick. But she had only defeated the first barrier.

Amunet breathed a sigh of relief as Melissa gave her the signal that she had successfully opened the outer door. She watched intently as the great door swung inwards and the flame that Melissa carried before her slowly disappeared into the dark recesses of the interior. She said a prayer to the Goddess for Melissa's safety, as the silhouette of her friend blended into the shadows ahead of her. The hidden lock was a device for catching the unwary. The shadow-men had arranged for Sacmis to become aware of the secret key precisely to lure an unwitting spy to fall into their snare. Melissa knew the second barrier would be more subtle, designed to stop whoever might have the cleverness to elude the first trap. The next one would undoubtedly require more than wit to overcome. It would more than likely require sorcery.

Melissa was conscious that her time to solve the puzzle might be limited before someone returned to discover her, so she wasted no time. From the pouch slung at her hip she withdrew two crystals, one dark and one clear, and held them together in her palm so they resonated with a harmonic vibration that she could feel tingling upon her skin. She stepped forward carefully, testing each footstep with a gentle pressure before committing her full weight. The floor seemed to be made of the same stone which marbled the rest of the lower galleries beneath the Serapeum.

Melissa suspected that since the great edifice had originally been consecrated as a temple long before it had been converted to a library, that the shadow-men had not been around when the foundations were laid. Any protections they had erected had to have been overlaid over the existing surfaces of the structure, so they were either illusions or magical barriers. She looked for any change in the architectural motifs upon the visible surfaces that differed from the rest of the library, but the passageway through which she walked appeared similar to the many others she had traversed during her exploration of the vast library.

She had proceeded far down the corridor before it occurred to her that no other hallway within the Serapeum extended so far in one direction without any turns. She spun around and walked back a few paces until her lamp revealed the outer doorway through which she had entered. It had taken her many minutes to proceed forward, but only a few seconds to return to her starting point—another illusion, she realized! She set her lamp on the floor and searched through her pouch until she withdrew pieces of azurite and moldavite. She touched the azurite to her forehead to dispel illusion and clear her vision. It would unlid her third-eye chakra, through which she could see to the truth of things. Hoping that the moldavite would reveal any supra-dimensional constructs erected to establish pathways through solid stone, she concluded that the shadow-men weren't able to alter space and time. They had limits—the limits of mere mortals, for only the gods could truly change reality.

What they possessed was knowledge of the arcane. They knew spells and enchantments to cloud the mind, or confuse already clouded minds. The knowledge gathered from the fringes of ancient empires had been brought to Alexandria for centuries. But every scroll and every tablet concerning demons and the occult found its way down here. These were the custodians of the ancient tomes which contained the answers she sought from aeons past.

This was a hidden library within a library, but with no ordinary librarians. These mysterious guardians of secret knowledge, unlike the librarians with whom she had worked during these many weeks in the galleries above, were jealous curators of ancient texts which were kept from public view, known to few, and protected behind walls of both stone and magic. Melissa understood only too well the cult of secrecy that sequestered hidden knowledge, for as Priestesses of the Eternal Goddess, she and Bethany led similar lives, which were forever cloaked in mystery, and the paths they walked were known to few but the gods.

Melissa extinguished the lamp on the floor and let total darkness enfold her. She knew she could trust neither her sight nor any tactile sensations she encountered in this place, for they would be tricks of the senses. She sat on the floor and closed her eyes to the darkness, focusing her thoughts until she entered a deep trance, cutting off all physical sensations, so that her mind was all that remained of the world. Her perception, freed from the distraction of her physical senses, re-tuned into her third-eye chakra, which she had stimulated with the vibrations of the azurite. The revealed world around her began to impress upon her mind through a boundless spectrum, unlimited by the narrow confines by which her physical senses received impressions of only her immediate surroundings. Distance, parallax… all the subjective perceptions which give the mind a one-sided view of reality disappeared from her consciousness, and left her with the universe as it existed, not as it was perceived.

With the clarity of her inner eye, she attuned to everything, near and far. Even time and space opened out into infinity, without her mind being pinned to a single location within either. She 'saw' everything, as her mind opened outwards to receive the universe, but she knew she risked becoming lost in it. She searched for herself in the vastness of the cosmos and tried to focus her attention upon details germane to her immediate task, but found the attraction to the totality of existence an almost irresistible allure. The most riveting facet she found was the all-surrounding presence of other minds. They pocketed reality, universes within the cosmos, each one mirroring the world outside themselves in different ways, distorted and incomplete.

Melissa imagined this was the way the gods perceived the universe, and wondered how long she could continue without succumbing to madness. She knew she might soon be overwhelmed by the immensity with which mere mortal minds were not prepared to cope, but she had lived for thousands of years. Her affinity with the Goddess would strengthen her endurance. It also led her to Bethany. Out of the endless sea of minds, Bethany's shone out to her like a beacon in the void. To her all-seeing 'eye' she appeared alone and in darkness, as both woman and lioness, but she was hurt, bleeding, and in danger. Somewhere across the Mediterranean, Bethany's spirit was flickering like a withering flame. She was teetering on a knife's edge between life and death, and the revelation of her lover's peril shocked Melissa out of her trance. 

Shaken and in doubt, Melissa attempted to focus on the dragonfly mantra, to call forth the spiritual totem and symbol of the link between their hearts. She hoped by establishing the link with Bethany that she could re-enforce her life-strength and pull her back from the precipice of whatever danger now threatened her, but the connection had always been elusive, coming unbidden, except by forces beyond their own control. She beseeched the Goddess for strength and focus.


                                                                    Chapter 5

Bethany awoke disoriented, surprised to have awakened at all. She was not even sure which century she was in. The last memory she could recall seemed to be her final moments of life, as she lay dying of terrible wounds suffered in her fierce battle with the demon Lamashtu in the fire pit before the sixth gate of Kur. But that was three thousand years ago! Then she remembered her long descent down endless stairs into the darkness of the grottoes beneath the old Roman estate on the cliffs above the Tyrrhennian Sea in Tuscany. She remembered Constantina, and the passionate night she had shared with the slave girl Valeria. That sweet memory was more real to her as she tried to gather her wits, but her current surroundings seemed indistinguishable from the rock-walled pit where she had fought the demon to a standstill in the ancient Sumerian underworld.

She peered over the edge of the rocky ledge upon which she sat, and saw a dim light reflected off the rough-hewn walls of the chasm far below her. The light was not the glow of hell-fire. It was weak and pale, but it was daylight. She looked down at her apparel and recognized the gown she had thrown on when she had left Valeria in her bed the night before. In the cavernous twilight, as she gazed off to her left, she saw a natural rock bridge spanning the chasm, illuminated dimly from below. In the wan light of day, she now realized how perilously close she came to stumbling off that narrow span in the total darkness of the previous night. Peering down into the depths of the chasm below, she knew a fall in the darkness would have undoubtedly ended her seemingly immortal life. She was grateful for what little light there was, for she would now be able to safely retrace her steps back up the treacherous rocky path she had followed down to this point, to rejoin the stairs up to the world above these forbidden grottoes.

She suspected that somewhere below her, deep within the inner recesses of the caverns behind the coastal cliffs, could be found the secret lair of the demon Lamashtu, where she took refuge during the day after her bloody nocturnal hunts over Tuscany. She also suspected that Isyra had already discovered its whereabouts, and had encountered the dark demon herself, but had either lost a battle with it, or failed to prevent its escape. If her vampyr friend from ancient Akkad had been the one she had seen falling from the winged creature as it climbed into the stormy clouds only a couple nights before, what hope would Bethany have of challenging the fell demon alone, without weapons or armor?

She stood exposed to the cold rock in her bare feet, with only a dressing gown for cover. Even assuming she could once again take the form of her inner lioness, how could she defeat the creature now, when she had failed to defeat it three thousand years before in the fire-pits of Kur? Turning to gaze once again upon the pinnacles and needles of stone rising up from the endless depths receding far below her, she turned, and with renewed strength, leaped across the narrow rock bridge and disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel carved into the ancient rock.

As she climbed back up the dark stone stairs, she wondered where across the sea Melissa was, and whether she was close to finding a solution how to capture the demon alive, to return either it or Lilith to the justice of Erishkigal. She had found the old wooden door set into the left side of the tunnel, but it was locked when she tested it. Climbing the steep, spiral staircase grew more tiresome with each step. In the darkness, she trusted her footing, but when she finally reached the branch in the stairs she had passed the night before, she decided to take the right-hand path, which she guessed led up to the great house on the cliff's edge.

After countless turns, the spiraling steps abruptly straightened out, and still in darkness, soon leveled off into a straight corridor. Into the black corridor she proceeded slowly, listening for any sound. A soft light appeared up ahead, and as she cautiously closed the distance, she saw that it traced the pale outline of a door set into a niche on the right-hand side of the stone corridor.

After discovering the door handle in the darkness, she froze before she could attempt to open it, for she heard muffled voices engaged in a conversation from the room on the other side:

"Is she well enough to be moved?" asked a male voice.

"Her wounds are healing, but she is as cold as death!" answered a woman's voice.

"Have you discovered who or what she is?" inquired the first voice.

"No. She has revealed nothing, but Sienna and Pavia are taking turns at her bedside. If she speaks in her sleep, they will attend to her words."

"What of the other?" asked the male, in a voice nearly too soft for Bethany to hear.

"She cannot be found. A slave-girl was discovered in her bed asleep this morning. The girl says she knows nothing of our guest's whereabouts, but she was naked when we found her, so they appear to have spent some time together last night. If she learned anything, we will beat it out of her!"

"No, I will talk to her," and no more was spoken, but Bethany soon heard a door being closed inside the room.

She listened for any indication that the room was still occupied, but after many minutes, she decided to venture through the door, if only to escape the oppressive darkness by which she was feeling smothered. The light on the other side of the door nearly blinded her when she pushed it open, but as her eyes adjusted to the daylight streaming through an open window, she found herself in a chamber lined with shelves full of scrolls, impressed wax tablets and hand-bound tomes. Upon two large writing tables in the middle of the room were various transliterations left in carefully divided piles, held down by stone paperweights. Near a hearth was an ornate curule-chair covered in dyed woven fabric, with arms trimmed in leather. Upon the back of the chair was emblazoned a crest with a large Roman letter "A". She perused the parchments left on the table and recognized several different languages - Sanskrit, Greek, Egyptian, Cuneiform, and Gallic Latin.

Having adjusted to the daylight, she turned to look at the door through which she had entered, but saw no features distinguishing a doorway anywhere along the wall where it should have been. The outlines of the exit were invisible, concealed by the ornamentation of the coffering adorning the wall. She saw no way of returning by the way she entered, so she was trapped in the main house without a retreat. The doors to the library were an ornate affair, emblazoned with the same monogram as the chair. Bethany guessed that it stood for the family name of the nobleman who owned the estate.

As quietly as she could, Bethany pulled one of the great doors open a crack and peaked out into a marbled hallway lined with carved stone busts on elaborate pedestals, presumably representing the ancestry of the illustrious family that had founded the latifundium. But before she could venture out, she froze, as a hand on her shoulder restrained her exit.

"Please stay and talk," said a voice behind her, and she wheeled around to see a young man in fur-trimmed robe addressing her. "The secret door from which you entered is but one of several which lead to my sanctum. Forgive my stealth, but I needed to see what you would do, having found your way, rather surreptitiously, into the very heart of the Ahenobarbus Estate. You are quite the explorer."

"I apologize for my intrusion. Are you the master of this house?"

"No. I am a guest too—but a rather permanent one. I am Claudius Rutilius Namatianus, the master's poet and librarian, and you have found your way into my sanctum."

"Do your duties include the instruction of the master's daughters?" Bethany inquired.

"I understand they have taken you into their midst. Yes, I am their tutor. Constantina tells me you are well-traveled and learned beyond your years. You have already discovered some of the secrets beneath this villa, I see. Quite resourceful."

"Simple curiosity. My chambers were entered in the middle of the night from a secret passage, and I followed my uninvited 'guest' down the dark stairs I discovered below my quarters. Can you shed any light on my shadowy intruder?"

"That would be my friend Fausta. Please forgive her clumsy attempts to spy on you. My curiosity about you prompted her to clandestinely seek for clues to your true identity. You see, we have another mysterious guest residing with us, and your coming was too much of a co-incidence for the two of you not to be connected in some way. Constantina has told you of the prophesies bound up in this ancient place, which I have rechristened Mons Argentum in my poems. Your arrival here is no happenstance. You have come to a confluence, by some design beyond my reckoning.

"Any man who has walked among the powerful knows power when he is in its presence. Your demeanor is that of no servile woman, and though you may endeavor to seem in appearance a person of little import, you comport yourself otherwise." Claudius invited Bethany to sit, for he had a poet's curiosity and sensed he had found someone with answers to his many questions.

"If you deem my arrival of significant consequence, I implore you to help me. I've traveled far in search of a friend, and I fear she may have met with danger here," Bethany began in earnest.

"Tell me of this friend you seek, and you may enlist my aid. Please tell me everything you know, for this may be a moment in the story of this place when the prophesies tied to this mount are meant to come to pass."

"Her name is Isyra. Long ago, she made a bargain with a goddess to pursue and effect the return of Lilith to judgement for her crimes against the sister-Goddesses of Sumer. But Lilith is a dyad, a woman of dark means who has joined with a demon to become one entity, though she can appear in either form at will. As the demon Lamashtu, she is fierce and dreadfully powerful, but as Lilith, she is sinister beyond words, and treacherous in her schemes.

"Before Isyra bargained with Ereshkigal, she made a desperate bargain with Lilith to save her people from the doom of war against the overwhelming armies of Gilgamesh. She is bound to Lilith by blood, for they share the same curse. Isyra has been pursuing Lilith for a time beyond reckoning, and if she fails to return her prey to Ereshkigal, she will be called back to Kur to serve in her stead. Her time is running out, and I am bound by friendship with the help of one other to come to Isyra's side to carry out her quest."

"One figure in your incredible narrative is left out," Claudius noted. "I believe your friend may be here, but you were both carried to this house unconscious and weather-beaten by someone as yet unnamed. You spoke of another friend involved in this pursuit. Could this person be the mysterious figure who delivered you both to this estate, injured and senseless?"

"No, the other of whom I spoke is my lover Melissa, a priestess of great wisdom, and she has journeyed to the Library in Alexandria to search any secrets about our opponent which may assist in our quest. My unseen benefactor, and presumably Isyra's as well, remains a mystery. You suggest our friend Isyra has been brought here as well. May I please be taken to her so I may be sure it is really her?"

"Fausta and Constantina's sisters are tending to her wounds. She is being sequestered until we could determine her identity and intentions. The caverns below this mount have long held their mysteries well guarded, but the Ahenobarbas have delved many passages into their depths in anticipation of the day when the prophesies may be revealed. I fear your demon-prey has taken up its abode in the inner reaches of these caverns, and your arrival is the harbinger of the fulfillment of prophesy. We shall soon see."

Claudius lit a lamp and led Bethany back through the hidden door in the library wall from which she had entered. They proceeded down the dark stairway, past the fork, and downward to the recessed doorway Bethany had discovered the night before. He withdrew a large key and unlocked the rough wooden door. Inside, Bethany saw a pale figure sleeping on a bed, watched over by Pavia, whom she had met at breakfast the day before. "Isyra!" Bethany exclaimed. At the sound of Bethany's voice, Isyra awakened.

   
                                                                        Chapter 6

"You have seen through my eyes, Melissa. You have stretched your mind beyond your body to perceive past the scope of your vision. To be a goddess is to know what lies beyond the boundaries of mortal perception. But you enter upon these powers at great peril, for the human mind is unprepared for such knowledge—such hideous truth. As my Priestesses, you and Ariel have been given abilities beyond the ken of mere mortals, yet you are not fully endowed with the powers of the Olympians. So, beware. You have stretched your vision beyond its limits to see the mortal peril of your lover, but fear not for her life, for I have taken her into my care. Tax yourself no further this night and I shall offer you respite and comfort in my manner." With that, the Goddess withdrew, leaving Melissa alone and exhausted in the darkness.

She awakened to the sounds of footsteps approaching beyond the outer door. Her plan had been to enter the sanctum, garner what secrets lay hidden here, and withdraw in stealth leaving no trace of her presence. To her chagrin, she realized she had slept through the night, and was about to be discovered by the Shadow Men as they returned to their redoubt. Her first instinct was to hide, but upon reflection, she considered that the Goddess may have put her to sleep in this secret keep for reasons beyond the recovery of her senses.  She resolved to make a show of strength, whatever came through the door. The darkness that had surrounded her for hours yielded to a wan light as a hand holding an oil lamp pushed through the door opening into the crypt from outside.

"Melissa, run!" Amunet screamed from outside. The door slammed shut, silencing her young friend.

Melissa stood before the man in the shadows and studied him closely. He had the look of a monk, but his robes were not of any order with which she was familiar. She was inclined not to trust him but for the fact she was brought to him by a trusted friend. Sacmis she felt was one of the few amongst the Librarians of the Serapeum in whom she could share her confidences, and while this old mystic was obviously connected to those whom she suspected had interfered with her research, he might also be the one who knew the answers she had journeyed so far to learn. The old man studied her just as closely and in his eyes she saw... wisdom. She had not felt so transparent since the day long ago when she had withstood the scrutiny of the Oracle of Kyprios upon the wooded slopes of Mt. Troodos centuries before.  

"Who are you?" the hooded figure demanded.

"Who are you, and why have you been spying on me?" Melissa countered defiantly. The darkling figure laid aside his lamp and crossed his arms.

"My name is unimportant. Only our mission is. You have come a long way. What exactly do you seek?" he inquired. 

"Only knowledge," Melissa answered honestly.  

"And to what end shall you use the knowledge you seek?" the robed man pressed. 

"Hypatia has given me free rein to study the arcane lore here in the lower Serapeum. The tomes here are free to everyone to whom Hypatia has granted leave. Why do you interfere, and what is your interest in my research?" she demanded. 

"Keen, I would say! For you seem to be looking for things which I and my brethren have kept hidden for thousands of years." 

"You are monks?" she began, and after a thoughtful pause, "...but, thousands of years? The Library itself is not that old, by centuries!" 

"You might think of us as librarians, who are antecedent to the Library itself. Throughout our tenure we have gathered knowledge when the world around us was darkened by ignorance. When the Ptolemy's built this temple of enlightenment, ours were the first scrolls brought into the great collection of knowledge here, and though we are a secret order, it was deemed this might be a sanctuary where we could gather still more knowledge for our purposes."  

"But what has that to do with me?" Melissa inquired. "Why have you been watching me?" 

"Because we are watchers!" he said simply. "We are a council whose task it is to watch over the ones who protect the world. We have worked in secret for thousands of years, but you have stumbled now into the very heart of our lair, and we have discovered you are searching for the very thing we ourselves seek to find: a way to slay a demon vampire—the first Vampyre, Lilith!" 

Melissa was stunned. For thousands of years Lilith had walked the earth, gathering powers to herself by means arcane and sinister. She had befriended Goddesses and Demons alike, seducing them, bargaining for power to avenge herself of the wrongs she perceived had been done to her since her first days in the Garden. Her soul had turned to darkness and she had betrayed even She whom Bethany and Melissa served as Priestesses throughout their time. But always they thought they had been the only eyes which sought her out, for their friend Isyra's fate was bound up with that of the Dark Lady. Now there were others joined in the hunt, and Melissa hoped it was a good omen, but for one misgiving: they were charged with bringing Lilith back to Erishkigal alive, while these Watchers sought her death. 

"What do you propose? An alliance?" inquired Melissa. She felt ill at ease falling in with any earthly faction, for she and Bethany served the Goddess alone, and guarded her interests in secrecy, and without compromise. 

"We have yet to figure out exactly who you are, and why you also pursue our quarry," said the old man. "Things Sacmis has told us about you seem impossible on the face of it, unless you are a demon very different from our experience, possessed of powers as magickal as our slayer. Sacmis, however, is one whose instincts we have learned to trust, and she trusts you." 

"I have the same regard for Sacmis as do you," admitted Melissa. "She has helped me separate the wheat from the chaff, and has saved me much wasted effort in my searches. I will continue to rely upon her instincts where you are concerned, if only out of necessity. We both have our secrets, you and I, but perhaps if we merely share some of what we know about the Dark Lady, we can be of benefit to one another." 

"Then please follow me," said the cloaked figure, as he rose and touched the wall behind him. The heavy stone creaked inwards revealing an inner chamber beyond the small, dark room they now occupied. Melissa watched as he beckoned her to follow, but the room beyond was lighter and more opulent, and Melissa wondered at the secrecy she had already been entrusted to by being invited into what was obviously their inner sanctum. As she proceeded through the doorway, a narrow passageway opened up to reveal a large, well-lit chamber lined with marble shelves upon which were lined thousands of scrolls, a veritable library within a library. 

"What do you know about Lilith, and why do you search for information on such matters as demons?" the librarian asked. Melissa knew the time for secrecy was past if she was to get the information she needed.

"My mission is one of devotion. I cannot tell you who I am, but I serve at the pleasure of one who guards the world in greater capacity than even your fellowship, and she has given my companion and myself the abilities to act on her behalf to represent the will of the Olympians in this world." Melissa confessed.

"Haughty aspirations, but the fact that you have penetrated our veil of secrecy indicates you do possess abilities beyond those of most mortals, and I suspect, having found your way past our defenses, mortality is not a thing you fear. Your appearance belies your true nature, I suspect. Now, what is your business with the Dark Lady?"

"We have known Lillith for many centuries. My companion was transmogrified by Innana to serve as her  lover and mate when Lillith was spurned in the Garden by the first man, but Lillithu turned to darkness instead and was cast into the void, where she acquired her fell powers and demonic allies. She paired herself with the demon Lamashtu and they share spirits as a dyad, with the ability to transform from one to the other, and through that incarnation she has wrought much suffering in the world for aeons. She is thus nearly unstoppable, for Lamashtu is a demon of immense power. When we have confronted her in the past, Lilith has fought us as the demon with whom she shares identity and we have lost the contest at great cost."

"This companion you speak of, surely not the frail girl we found outside of our sanctum waiting for you?" the librarian surmised.

"No. She is but a recent friend I've taken into my care. My companion has journeyed alone beyond the Levant, seeking out our quarry. But I must find a way to help her when she finally confronts Lamashtu or she may once again perish in the battle. We have been charged with bringing Lilith back to Kur, to the underworld of Ereshkigal to face justice for her crimes. If we fail, another of our friends, an innocent victim of Lilith's curse, may be forced to serve in her stead."

"You have been to Kur?" the librarian answered in astonishment.

"The underworld was where my companion and I last fought Lamashtu to a standstill. Without the intervention of the Gods, she would have perished from her injuries, having saved my life for a second time."

"If you were truly in Kur, you must be demons yourselves, for no human soul can escape there once entered."

"Lord Enki had the foresight to instill the spirits of two Galla demons within our bodies, which we traded to Ereshkigal for our escape to regain the world above once again. But our friend Isyra, who shares Lilith's demon blood was sent back with us to capture Lilith and return her to Kur. She has been pursuing the Dark Lady for many centuries, but her time is running out, and we have been enlisted to join the quest. We are now very close to the end of the chase, and need but an edge we lacked in our last encounter."

"And you come to us for that edge, if such knowledge even exists. You have filled in many gaps in our records of the history of this creature, and your knowledge of events from the annals of the ancients reveals the truth of your claims. Our order may not have the guidance of the gods, as do you and your companions, but I see that we may have some resource that may help you, buried in our ancient scrolls. We will assist you, but we must know more about your companion who is the one that must face the enemy. What power does she wield that enabled her to battle the demon to a standstill?"

Melissa's instincts towards secrecy had been honed for millennia. She and Bethany had walked the world through the many ages of mankind serving the purposes of the Goddess with hidden identities and clandestine motives. They moved events and influenced history in subtle and unnoticeable ways, representing the powers of the Great Mother without revealing the nature of Her interventions through the obscurity of their actions. She now faced a moment when she would be forced to compromise her instincts to save her friend and lover, and enable her to complete their task. But even Melissa did not know everything about her companion.

 "In our time together I have only seen her in the form the goddess gave her—in appearance, not unlike myself. She conceals her true nature well, and it is revealed only in the direst of need, and not always at her own bidding. Always in the presence of a supernatural power is it manifested, a god or a demon. I believe she cannot bring it forth otherwise, as if she must tap into their unearthly power to become the feral beast from which she originated. I have not seen her change. But I have heard it. I was chained by the demon Pazuzi with my back bared to its stinging whip. She could not abide my suffering, and leaped upon the demon's back. The sound was terrifying as her voice became a deafening roar and her fingers became claws as sharp as knives. Then she changed back and freed me from my bonds before I could turn to see the transformation."

"You have not told me her name," the librarian probed. Melissa once more hesitated, fearing she had already revealed too much, but her need was too pressing.

"In her human form she is Bethany. But her true name is Ariel, lioness of the Goddess. Innana transformed her from one of the great twin beasts She rode astride. And only in that form was she able to contend with Lamashtu at the seventh gate of Kur."

 "An intriguing tale," said the robed figure, "One that may shed light on your dilemma. I must confer with my brethren and confirm what I suspect when I research the relevant records. Go to your young friend awaiting you outside our chambers and return upon this day's sunset. We may have an answer for you then."

 

                                                                        Chapter 7
 

At the setting sun, Melissa made her way back into the lower vaults of the Serapeum to learn the counsels of the Shadow Men. They were now the only outlet for her mission’s success at her long journeys end. The door to the sanctum was open, and no magic would she require to gain entry this time. Amunet had once more accompanied her down the stairs into the heart of the library, but remained outside the door awaiting her return. This time, Melissa was met by nine robed figures seated across from her at a long table, but only one rose to address her, the same man with whom she had spoken that morning. 

“The forthcoming battle under the Argentum Mons has been long foretold. You have a stake in the outcome, but so do many, not all of whom even understand the true nature of the players in the struggle. Perhaps not even you. I realize you fear for the life of your companion because you interpret her last battle with Lamashtu as a loss. I can only tell you that the next battle may have a much different outcome.” 

“You speak in riddles,” said Melissa. “Why can you not make plain what you appear to have discovered?” 

“We have delved into the history of encounters with demons, both major and minor. The ones with the most relevance to your dilemma are those with the ability to traverse the barriers between the underworld and the world above. Since the appearance of Adam, mankind has flourished upon the circles of the world and demons have retreated to the underworld where they are bound by its inherent barriers. Some few, however, are powerful enough to emerge into our world and return across the barrier at will. Lamashtu is certainly one of those few.  

“But why is there hope that the next encounter with Lamashtu in our world will be any more successful than the last battle in the underworld?” asked Melissa. 

“That battle you counted as a loss. But it may have been only a stalemate.  What piqued our interest was not your account of the battle with Lamashtu, but your tale of your previous encounter with Pazuzu.  Pazuzu is a powerful demon, perhaps greater even than Lamashtu. And yet your friend defeated him without a scratch. Did it not seem odd to you how easily the demon succumbed? We will tell you now the missing piece of the puzzle you came to find. You seek a power to defeat Lamashtu, but that power is Pazuzu. They are natural enemies and have always been. Pazuzu is the only demon with the might to match its nemesis.” 

“I do not understand,” said Melissa. “Pazuzu is dead. I saw the corpse of his hideous body.” 

“Pazuzu is a demon spirit, not a mortal. How could your friend have killed him? When you relayed to us your encounter with Pazuzu, we realized there was more to the outcome than you perceived. We believe Pazuzu deceived you, in all probability with a purpose very much connected with your future destiny. He saw an opportunity in your meeting at the third gate of Kur, and attacked you with the specific intention of calling forth the lioness to defend you.” 

“How would being strangled by an incensed lioness avail him?” asked Melissa, mystified by this enigmatic proposition. 

“Demons are complex entities. Not all are pure evil like Lamashtu. Pazuzu is the spirit of the southwest wind, and not all winds blow ill. Pazuzu has occasionally benefitted mankind by defending them against other more sinister demons, and by defeating Lamashtu, he would do so again. But he may have found a clever way to come at Lamashtu with the element of surprise by concealing himself inside another less powerful entity. When he encountered the two of you, he recognized such an opportunity in your friend and he drew forth her hidden beast. He chose to instigate a battle with the lioness with the intent of sacrificing his physical form and transferring his demonic spirit into the lioness without her realizing it. There he has lain dormant, awaiting Ariel’s inevitable clash with Lamashtu, when he will manifest once again to redouble her ferocity.” 

"You’re saying Bethany has carried the spirit of Pazuzu inside her for nearly three millennia without sensing his presence?” Melissa gasped incredulously. 

“Time means nothing to an immortal demon. It is clear to us that Ariel survived her first battle with Lamashtu only through the presence of Pazuzu’s spirit inside her. Her death would otherwise have been irredeemable. Why Pazuzu chose not to reveal himself to his enemy at that time is not clear to us, unless there is some hidden purpose only he is aware of. The true battle is apparently to be fought in this world, not Kur. Therein lies the prophesy of Argentum Mons, and it is there in Tuscany that all the entities involved in the prophesy have now arrived. The final battle is imminent.”  

“You have said that demonic spirits cannot die. If Lamashtu cannot be killed, what outcome from this confrontation will serve either of our purposes?” Melissa posed. 

“We have discussed this at length, and there are several possible outcomes suggested. The caverns beneath the Silver Mount may be a hell-mouth. Many demonic battles take place on or near the portals to the underworld, and this may be why the powers-that-be have decreed this location to be the confluence where this struggle will occur. Your goal is to return Lilith to Kur. If defeated, Lamashtu and Lilith may once again be separated into two physical entities. Your friend will return Lilith to face Ereshkigal, and Pazuzu will drive Lamashtu back to the underworld as well, where she will no longer pose a threat to the children of womankind upon whom she has long preyed.” 

“You assume much,” said Melissa. “Surely, there are other outcomes less favorable. How do we know Lamashtu won’t recognize her ancient enemy and retreat from Argentum Mons once more without engaging in battle?” 

“There are two more powerful players in this drama who may also serve a purpose. One is the vampire Isyra, in whose cause you claim to have enlisted. The other was sent by us before we knew all the facts surrounding Isyra’s existence. She is a mystic, a demon-slayer who was sent to kill the vampire. She has been tracking Isyra since she left the Levant, but we have no way to recall her, or alter her mission. However, one of our order resides at Argentum Mons, where he serves as advisor to the Roman lord who presides over the estate. He too may play a role if fortune brings your friends into his counsels. Otherwise, we cannot say what may happen other than what the Fates decree.” 

Melissa was stunned by these revelations. She wondered if her Goddess knew that Bethany had been used as an unwitting vessel by a powerful demon through all the long aeons they had served Her, or was this all part of a greater plan of which even She was unaware. The enormity of the implications made her mind reel, and yet she and Bethany had always been servants of a greater good, through designs that only the gods themselves knew. As Priestesses, they had been elevated to tasks which as mere mortals they could never truly conceive, but perhaps this convoluted plan was the only method by which the task Ereshkigal had set to them could possibly succeed. The nine robed figures stared at her enigmatically as she digested the information they had imparted. 

She pondered her next course, for if the knowledge she had gained could somehow be imparted to her far-off lover, would it be an advantage to her or a disadvantage? If Pazuzu was to attack Lamashtu in surprise, then Bethany had best not know the demon was concealed within her. But would Bethany summon the courage to face Lamashtu without knowing she had a hidden advantage? Lamashtu had all but extinguished her life during their last encounter, and even after three thousand years, that terror lingered in her lover’s memory. In gravest need, Melissa believed she could convey to Bethany the secret she had learned using their most intimate connection, the third-eye chakra her Goddess had warned her to use only at her peril. The leader of the nine broke the silence. 

“We have entrusted you with this knowledge and brought you into our confidence having only recently discovered you are the beloved of a personage whom we hold in the highest esteem. Had we not learned this, our trust would not have been so readily forthcoming.” 

“To whom are you referring?” asked Melissa. 

“One whose poems have been entrusted to us to protect through the ages. She wrote about you and Ariel during your time with her upon Lesbos, centuries ago.” 

“Sappho!” Melissa exclaimed. “You have guardianship of her work?” 

“Our Aeolian scholars have been collecting and preserving her writings for more than two centuries. We have surmised from her accounts that you both were her lovers for a time, were you not? In her letters, she described you with such passion and devotion, as the inspiration for her verse and her way of life.” 

Melissa looked away wistfully, recalling a long ago memory. “We were blown by a southwest wind to the shore near Eresos where we met a young girl, noble-born, waiting by the coast with her younger brother. They both looked to the sea for the return of their elder brother, a wine trader who had journeyed to Egypt. They welcomed us as we had come from Egypt and sought us out for news from the southern sea. We were told of the recent loss of their father, how distraught with grief their mother Cleis had become since his death. We offered consolation and the blessings of our Goddess Aphrodite. Her younger brother Larichos fell entranced by Bethany, and we were welcomed into their family.” 

“You present a rare opportunity for us to learn from your perspective if you are willing. Your arrival comes at a critical moment. There are forces gathering outside these hallowed walls which would destroy everything Hypatia has accomplished here. We fear for her safety, and wish to complete our work and remove our collection of scrolls before the Christian mobs desecrate this temple of knowledge. With your help, we may accomplish our task before it is too late. Hypatia even now negotiates with the leaders of Alexandria for their political support, but Cyril and his mad monks have cast a shadow on her pristine reputation, and we fear for her life.” 

“That shadow portends a coming age of darkness I fear," said Melissa. "This repository of ancient knowledge is sacrosanct. I would not see it destroyed. I will offer what I can to complete your codex of Sappho’s work if you will agree to conceal all her references to Bethany and myself. The influences we have rendered during our travels cannot be part of history’s written record. Upon this our Goddess would insist.” With that, Melissa and Amunet repaired to their apartments above in the great galleries of the Serapeum.