Chapter Nine
Athan returned for Melinda just before sunrise the next morning. He wore a white robe belted with a red sash.
She saw his frown when he found her curled up in the corner instead of in the stasis field where he had left her. His eyes narrowed sharply. “Come with me,” he told her.
They transported to the Temple of the Sacred Pool. Already, Melinda could see Volosian men lined up outside, also dressed in white ceremonial robes with red sashes, their heads bowed in silent contemplation.
Melinda lagged and Athan grabbed her arm just above the elbow. He propelled her into the grotto. The four members of the High Holy Council stood, two on either side of the circle, waiting.
One pair stepped forward. They reached up and unhooked the pins at Melinda’s shoulders; her dress dropped to the floor in a puddle at her feet, leaving her naked except for her shoes. Immediately, she tried to cover herself with her hands as her face heated with a blush of embarrassment.
“Please enter the circle,” the red-haired Councilman instructed.
Melinda shook her head and started to back away when she felt a strong hand grip the back of her neck. Athan placed his lips close to her ear.
“You will do as you are told,” he hissed. “You think you have nothing to lose, but you still have feelings for people back on your world. Tell me, would you care if your parents died, or did they mistreat you so terribly that their deaths would be inconsequential?”
“You leave my family alone!” Melinda snarled at him. She tried to twist her head around to give him a withering glare but his fingers dug into the base of her skull to keep her in place. She did not doubt he had the strength to crush her vertebrae if he wanted. She imagined him severing her spinal cord and leaving her helpless but alive. He was sadistic enough to make that happen. He might even have the power to bring her back and forth from paralysis if he wanted. She realized then how little she still knew about the Volosians.
“Don’t,” she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek. She loved her family dearly and she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle anything happening to them. It didn’t matter that they did not really understand her or her dreams she was pursuing; they loved her and she loved them. They were good people. How dare Athan or anybody else threaten them? She felt the hairs standing up on the back of her neck as the rage coursed through her. She wanted to curse Athan within an inch of his life, but she tried to hold back her rage and not set him off. As much as she hated to admit it, he held the cards here.
He reminded her of every bully she had ever met in her life. Because she was overweight they thought she was an easy target for their aggression when she was growing up, but they learned quickly that if you crossed Melinda then she would stand up and make you sorry you did, as Ryan Taylor learned the hard way during sixth grade lunch period. She could still remember the look on his face as she dumped her chocolate milk over his head. The entire cafeteria erupted in laughter and he ran out of the room crying like a little girl. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to stand up to a bully and it would not be the last.
“Sit,” Athan ordered, biting out the last letter. He released Melinda and she began to move, slowly, stepping down into the circle. She walked across to the chair sitting in the center, the bright green, emerald candles growing brighter with every step she took until her naked body was awash in green light. She almost felt like an alien right then.
“Turn around,” Athan said.
She did. She glared up at him, tears flowing freely now. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had said no, she thought. Roth was right about that.
The second pair of Holy Councilmen entered the circle and approached her. As they did the candles of green flame suddenly united together, forming one huge green fireball that burned higher and brighter, the flames stretching easily seven feet up in the air. She could hardly see anything except for the green flames. The heat was warm and almost soothing as it floated over her skin with a soft breeze. It was gentle and calming, but she fought it hard. It was just another trick to lull her into a highly suggestible state so she would be more compliant. Not only were they raping her body, they were going to rape her mind as well. This race of beings were pure scum; and Athan was the vilest of them all by far, which probably explained why he was the leader. They lifted her as easily as a child and placed her in the chair. Melinda’s breath hitched as they positioned her legs in the smooth, curved recesses of the supports. They began to chant over her, anointing her forehead, temples, and throat with oil from a silver bottle. The scent of it filled her nostrils and she began to feel lightheaded.
She blinked hard, trying to stay focused. Roth! She glanced around, frantic, looking for him. Where are you? You said you wouldn’t let this happen!
The Councilmen retreated and Athan stepped into the circle, the flames parting to outline his body as he stepped through and then returning to their raging position behind him.. “I will have the first blessing,” he announced. He untied his sash and draped it across Melinda’s belly.
She watched, her chest heaving rapidly, as he shouldered out of his robe, exposing his lean, hard body.
“Yes,” he said, as though savoring the moment. He reached out and ran his hands down the insides of her thighs. “I shall take…and you shall give.”
This was it. This was the point of no return. The fear of everything that was going to happen culminated with this act right here; she knew that she was only seconds away from being penetrated against her will by this vile creature. She had to act fast. With Roth nowhere to be found, Melinda took matters into her own hands. . and quickly grabbed the sash off her stomach, looped it over Athan’s head, crossing the ends, and pulled in opposite directions. Athan’s eyes widened in surprise as the sash tightened around his throat. It felt good to see genuine fear invade his mind and spread across his evil face. Melinda leaned back using her weight as leverage to strengthen the sash tighter, but his neck was thick and muscular making it harder to squeeze.
Unfortunately, Melinda’s attempt on his life lasted for less than a ten seconds. Athan dislodged her easily with his superior strength, breaking her hold and shoving her backward into the cradle. His lip curled.
“Stupid child!” he spat, and for a moment she could see the pattern of red and gold scales on his neck and cheek as he raised a clawed hand in preparation to strike her. In that instant, the scent of the oils – or perhaps something else – kicked in. Melinda’s eyes fluttered and rolled back in her head...
She wandered through the jungle. The sky above grew dark with the approach of a storm, clouds rolling as a brutal wind whipped the treetops into a violent dance. She squinted against the gale and picked her way through the dense undergrowth. She had to find shelter. Her arms curled protectively around her belly, swollen with child. She called out for help but the sound of thunder drowned out her voice.
The familiar beating of leathery wings made her smile. She turned and looked up, expecting to see her husband, only to behold one of Quetzalcoatl’s three brothers: Tezcatlipoca, dubbed The God of Deceit by her people. She watched him lightly before her, his wings shrinking back into his shoulders. He smiled at her. “You are far from home, Meztli,” he said. “You are also alone, separated from your companions.” He clucked his tongue. “Such a shame.”
As she watched, he went down on all fours, transforming into a jaguar in the blink of an eye. His golden eyes glinted and with a roar he launched himself at her. She let out a scream as she tried to run but tripped and fell to the ground just as the skies opened up and the rain began to fall –
Melinda snapped out of the trance with a gasp. She stared up at Athan, trembling. “It was you,” she said, gulping. “You killed her. You killed Meztli.”
Athan smirked. “Yes,” he said, “I did. We were sent to that planet to study, not to fall in love with the natives. It was better when they revered us as gods. When it came time to return to Volos, Roth refused to leave. He had grown too attached to them. But I found a way to make him go.”
He dragged his claws across Melinda’s stomach, just lightly enough to leave a series of four red scratches in her brown skin.
“I simply…cut…those…ties.” He chuckled a low sound that sent chills racing through Melinda’s veins.
“You will find that when I want something, there is no force in the universe to keep me from having it.” His hand shot up and grabbed Melinda by the throat, making her choke out a gasp of surprise. “And now, I will have you.”
He smiled wider as he produced that pair of razor sharp claws, holding them high above her head.
“And now I will kill you,” Athan said.