"I can feel that these women are our own kind. Their desires are only to be safe. They came to my signal."
Lucia climbed out of the SUV and flicked her finger over the screen of her glass pad, bringing up the controls for the gates to the fortress. The heavy metal gate slowly slid open, revealing the dozen women beyond. They were dirty and cold and carried what few belongings they still had. Some seemed injured, others seemed completely bewildered. Lucia knew how they felt.
"Welcome, ladies, to the new temple of the goddess. You may be wondering why you are here and what brought you to this place. You may be experiencing strange things, such as feeling or hearing people's thoughts and emotions, or able to direct powerful energy through your hands. These things and more will be explained to you. Here you will be safe, and I invite you to come inside."
The group of confused women began filtering through the gate. Once everyone was inside, the gate slid shut. Lucia and Bridget helped the women climb into the SUV. With all their belongings inside it was a tight squeeze, but everyone eventually fit.
She drove to the front of the mansion and parked in front of the stairs, leading up to the second-floor entrance. The women climbed out of the SUV and grabbed their belongings, still as worried and confused as ever. It would take a great deal of dedicated explanation to bring the new witches up to speed. Most of them seemed utterly terrified.
The new arrivals climbed the stairs to the front entrance and were greeted by Benny the Goudy butler. Several of the women screamed and ran down the stairs while others simply took several steps back. They started stammering to each other, their fear showing.
"Ladies, this is Benny, the Butler. Along with all things magical, he has been revealed to human eyes. Come inside. We have plenty of room and food for everyone. Later we can have a meeting to discuss what the future holds for all of us."
After Lucia and Bridget served a hearty lunch the new arrivals retired to their private quarters to rest, recuperate, and wash up from the terrors of the road. Bridget and Lucia went back upstairs to the workshop. A moment later, Orion arrived.
He crossed the room, closing the space between him and Lucia in a few steps. She stood with open arms and fell into his embrace. Having him here, with the sun shining, caused her emotions to overflow inside her and a tear to slide down her cheek.
She melted into his arms and let out a deep sigh. She felt as if she could finally breathe for the first time since the sun went dark. Even with all the tragedy in the world, she had found this man who loved her so deeply, across time and space, loss and heartache.
She rested her head against his chest, feeling his heart beating under her cheek. This was home, here with Orion. All her life she had felt out of place and out of touch. She had always been a strange duck. But now she knew who she really was. Under mortal disguise, she was a powerful priestess of the Goddess who had created every human and immortal on Earth.
"It is so good to have you back," Lucia said.
"It is good to be back, my love," he said.
Lucia, Orion, and Bridget sat in a corner seating area of the workshop and Lucia served them tea.
“We must discuss how we will run the temple, moving forward," Orion said. "This is a very touchy time for everyone. Xander is still on the loose. The Surge has lost some of its strength, but it is still a threat to us all. Don't believe for a second that he will leave the priestesses unmolested."
"Xander is a problem for all of us, but he is a problem for the witches more than anything," Lucia said.
"He will kidnap any witch he finds," Orion said. "I have no doubt of that."
"What exactly was said at the council meeting?" Lucia asked.
Orion set his porcelain teacup on a table next to him. "The council members made it clear that they expect the witches to offer themselves as breeders for the next generation of immortals. I reminded these men that the protection of the witches was the primary driving force behind the immortal war in the first place."
"Then why are they insisting we offer ourselves as breeders?" Bridget asked tensely.
"I cannot control the immortals outside of the alliance or inside of it for that matter. Every male immortal alive on the planet today will want a witch for himself to replenish his own clan or coven. It is unfair. But it is reality. Even the allies are more concerned about stopping Xander than they are about protecting the virtue of the reawakening priestesses."
"But we are talking about many of these men's former wives, lovers, daughters, and mothers," Lucia countered.
"This may matter a little. But at the end of the day, everyone's primary concern is stopping Xander. If he gathers strength by kidnapping and breeding witches, thereby growing The Surge even stronger, we are all doomed. The allies refuse to allow Xander to take over the world. It isn't just the humans and the witches he seeks to rule. He wants to rule us all. Not even the men of the Blackrose coven or the dragons of the Ironclaw, who have been our allies for millennia, will stand by and allow Xander to kidnap and breed every witch he can find while we stand back being gentlemen and allowing the world to be stolen from under our feet."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Bridget said.
"Bridget, you and I both know that there was a similar expectation at the original temple,” Lucia said.
"Yes there was an expectation, but women were never forced into becoming breeding stock," Bridget objected.
"This is a new and desperate era. Our numbers have been severely limited. Over the last two thousand years, thousands of immortals have died from accidents or in battles. There are few of us left,” Orion said.
"And what do you suggest we tell these women? They trusted us," Bridget said.
“I believe we should create some kind of arrangement that will be acceptable to the allies and the non-allied forces who are not part of Xander's Surge. We could use many of the old rules from the original temple. I believe we must be more forceful than we were before,” Orion said.
"At the original temple, we only provided our protection and training with the expectation that a witch would accept a partner eventually,” Lucia said. "That stipulation has always been part of the agreement.”
"In the past there was no set time limit for how long a priestess could remain with the temple before taking a mate. But now, to get the buy-in from the allied forces, we're going to have to put some kind of hard limit on how long a witch can remain under our protection before choosing a mate," Orion said. “This is my suggestion. We offer protection and training to any witch who arrives at our door. On a random rotating basis, half a dozen witches will be selected each month to meet with suitors. A witch can refuse all suitors for one rotation. But on her second rotation, she must accept a suitor or she will lose the protection of the fortress."
"Are you saying that the twelve terrified women who just arrived today must be told that they are expected to marry someone whether they like it or not?" Bridget asked indignantly. "And I suppose that includes me?"
"It would have to include all unmated priestesses," Lucia said. "I don't see how we have any other option."
"If we create agreeable terms, the allied forces will help protect the temple. If not, none of us will have any protection outside these walls. There will be nowhere to turn for help if The Surge comes here. My wards and my walls can only withstand so much. It cannot withstand the full force of The Surge. We must have the agreement of the allied immortals or we are all in danger," Orion said.
Bridget sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. She let out an irritated huff and looked out the window.
“We might as well be auctioned off to The Surge if we’re going to be auctioned off to anyone," Bridget said.
"It is not the same thing,” Orion said. “There is every possibility that you will find the man that you were once mated with two thousand years ago. A man who loves you more than anything."
"And there is just as good a chance that I will end up with some dominating douchebag who only wants me
as a walking baby box," she sneered, standing from her chair.
"Bridget, please don’t be angry. I need you,” Lucia said. “We all need your help. What other choice do we have in this?"
A tear ran down Bridget's cheek and she brushed it away. Bridget was a tough woman who was used to taking care of herself, and Lucia knew that this mating arrangement was a lot for her to accept.
"If I leave, I'm vulnerable to The Surge or anyone else. If I stay, I'm breeding stock," Bridget said.
"Don't you want to find love?" Orion asked.
"Honestly, since the end of the world, that's been the last thing on my mind.”
Chapter 15
Over the next several days, Orion, Bridget, and Lucia helped the new arrivals settle into life at the fortress. More women arrived every day, sometimes just one, sometimes half a dozen. Orion's fortress was massive and could house many hundreds of people. Lucia sometimes wondered if he hadn't planned it that way from the beginning.
Bridget had been angry at first, but she understood why it had to be done, and she started to come around. They could not afford to be at odds with the allied immortals. It wasn't like the world before the dark sun.
Lucia assured Bridget that she would find someone good for her. They would use their spells and their magic to draw the man most suited for Bridget. Lucia wouldn’t let her friend or any other woman end up with a bad man. They planned to use their considerable strength to assure that that did not happen.
Lucia and Bridget begin organizing the witches into a coven to do the work of the priestesses of the temple. Witches were not simply breeding stock for other immortals. They had an important role in the world as wielders of powerful magic and immortals themselves.
Now that they had reawakened to their own identities, their long life was possible for them again. The magic that Gama had blessed them with ran through their veins. They would take up the old ways, carry out the old rituals, and praise the Goddess in the way that they had for thousands of years before the veil.
The coven used magic to carry stones from a quarry in the mountain to build a ritual space much like the monoliths of old. On the day of the first ritual, two dozen new priestesses gathered in a grove behind the fortress at high noon. Giant quartz rocks stood in a circle around the perimeter.
“I call upon the Goddess Gama, our Mother. Creator of all. Wielder of the magic web. Queen of the Earth and inner realms.”
Lucia called on the light of the sun and the blessing of the Goddess to oversee the temple and protect them all with her love. No matter where the Goddess had gone, Lucia knew that their prayers would reach her and that she would always wish to protect her children.
After the first ritual was complete, the witches met in the grand banquet hall on the ground floor of the fortress. Now that they had completed their first gathering as a coven, Lucia knew it was time to tell them the truth of what was expected of them. She had avoided this conversation for as long as she could, but it couldn't wait any longer. Orion had been conversing with the allied forces, ensuring them the witches would become available for mating soon.
They’d accepted his terms, but now the women needed to know what their fate would be. Lucia stood from the head table, her long white robes flowing around her body. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she knew that many of these women could feel that there was something amiss.
"My beautiful, beloved sisters," Lucia started. "It is good for us all to be together again after so many centuries of forgetfulness. The dark sun reawakened our powers and now we gather here together as we once were.
“We all know by now that the destiny of the priestesses of Gama is to be the mothers of all immortals. We must take that responsibility seriously in these times of great evil. The reality of our world is that there are many dangers, not only to the humans, but to the witches as well.
“Every immortal alive today will want to mate with a witch who will give birth to immortal children. There is a battle being waged right now as we eat our cake and drink our champagne. The Surge will stop at nothing to take over the world.
“Xander Valdis wants more than just the human population under his rule. He wants all of us under his thumb. He wants to sweep destruction across the face of the Earth and leave nothing good and true alive. And because of that, I must tell you now the expectation of all witches who remain under the protection of the fortress.
“This is our new temple to Gama and as long as you are here you will be protected from The Surge and from all immortals who would molest you. But our protection must come with a condition. In order for the temple to not be attacked by even our own allies, the eligible unmarried witches of the coven must offer themselves as mates to immortal males."
There was a gasp from the crowd and everyone broke out into loud chatter. There were objections all around and Lucia could feel their anger and frustration mounting.
"I thought we were safe here!" one of the women yelled.
"You are safe here. You will always be safe here. But you must understand we are under a tremendous amount of pressure. The world is not the world we once knew. We must cooperate if we want to preserve any of our ideals. If we want to see a bright future for ourselves and for our children, we must have the cooperation of the allied immortals."
"You're selling us out," said another woman.
"No she's not," Bridget said, standing. "You don't understand what will happen to you outside of these walls. The immortals who are roaming the Earth now will be able to sense your magic. The second they see you, they will take you and they will rape you until you give birth to their children. Is that what you want? To be left with no choice at all? To have no protection? The males we will allow to choose among the witches will have already been screened by Orion and our arch-priestess Lucia. They will not let unjust men come here to claim us."
"Thank you, Bridget," Lucia started. “This is how it will work. There will be a random rotation. Every month, six women will be offered as mates to the suitors who come to the fortress. We don't know how many suitors will arrive each month. But we will only offer six women as mates. Each witch may refuse to be mated for one rotation. On the second rotation, she must choose or she will lose the protection of the fortress. This is the only way to keep all of us safe. I beg you sisters to understand what we all must sacrifice to live in a better world."
"You are not being expected to offer yourself to a stranger," said one of the women.
"That is only because my husband has already claimed me. Remember, my dear sisters, you were most likely alive two thousand years ago. Your soul existed on this plane during the time before the veil. In all likelihood, you will find your husbands from that time. These negotiations are only to gain the cooperation of the allied immortals and those not allied with us. It's unlikely that you will ever be approached by a man who is distasteful to you."
"You can't guarantee that."
"You're right, I can't. And that is why you are allowed to refuse one rotation. That means that you may refuse all suitors, even if there are a hundred of them to choose from,” Lucia explained.
"But then on the next rotation we must choose or we are left to fend for ourselves," said one of the angry witches.
"I am afraid this is our only option. And if you do not agree now then you may leave. No one expects you to stay here. We're not forcing you. But the fact is that if you remain under our protection you must agree to cooperate. It is the only way that we can function while protecting everyone," Lucia said, her voice cracking.
"Sisters, please. Let our arch-priestess rest. I sense this decision is extremely distressing for her," Bridget said.
Orion had remained silent during the announcement. Lucia slipped into her chair, feeling the weight of the declaration heavy on her shoulders. Her priestesses were angry at her, and it was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling. But there was something else besides that, she could feel a stirring inside her, something she had not been paying attention to.
&
nbsp; She reached under the table, grasped Orion's hand, and squeezed it tight. She needed to be alone with him, to hold him, and to feel herself under his protection. She mourned for the women who did not yet have their husbands. And she prayed more than anything that her sister witches would all find the men who had loved them in a previous lifetime. Her love for Orion was the most important, most brilliant, most amazing thing in her life, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.
As the witches filed out of the grand banquet room and went upstairs to change out of their robes, Lucia walked upstairs to the quarters she shared with Orion.
They had a grand suite on the third floor with a huge bed at the center. There was a sitting room and another small study off to the side.
When the night fell, they walked onto the balcony outside the French doors and looked up at the clear sky. The moon shone brightly over the land, illuminating the courtyard in a pale silver blue glow. Orion wrapped his arm around Lucia and held her close to him.
"You are worried, my love. I can smell your distress," Orion said.
Above in the night sky the stars fell in a shower. All around, above her, the shooting stars streaked across the sky. She felt as if it was an omen, but she wasn't quite sure if it was good or bad. She closed her eyes, feeling Orion's quiet strength beside her.
Lucia searched deep inside herself, trying to understand her own feelings and the strange stirring sensation at her core. Suddenly, she knew what it was.
She was with child.
A memory of the last time she'd learned that she and Orion would be having a new baby flashed across her mind. It had been on a night much like this one, with the stars streaking across the sky. Now she knew that it was indeed a good omen.
"Husband," she said, opening her eyes. "I am with child."
Orion gathered her into his arms and gazed into her eyes. His own eyes shone brightly in the light of the moon as he leaned in to kiss her. In that moment, even with all the death and destruction, even with all the anger of her own sister witches, Lucia could not have been happier.