Chapter 5
THE THUMP, THUMP, thump, thump of a drum and the sound of ocean waves lapping on rocks invaded her dreamless sleep. The drum didn’t bother her as much as the ocean. There was no ocean anywhere near the Appalachian Mountains. Dreaming, Carolyn concluded. Then someone shook her shoulders.
“Wake-up, Bree.” The woman giggled.
Carolyn’s eyes flew open. It was nighttime. Had she slept all day? A large bonfire in the center of the stone circle illuminated the young woman crouched before her. “Will ye dance in our power circle tonight or take a wee nap?” she asked, then giggled again. The woman wore a white hooded robe, with green vines embroidered around the hem and sleeves. Wavy red hair spilled out from around her hood.
“Power circle?” Carolyn’s gaze swept the area around the Druid stones. This wasn’t the same circle of stones. There were more stones and the circle was larger.
Within the circle, several people were dressed in similar white robes except for one man who wore a black robe, and all held green branches in one hand. They danced around a fire. She noticed several wooden bowls near the center, but couldn’t see what was inside them.
Where did all these people come from? Was she having a lucid dream? One of those very vivid dreams. Her heart pounded twice as fast as the drumbeat.
The woman giggled again. “Bree, do not worry. To be sure I was nervous my first time.” The woman grabbed Carolyn’s arm and helped her stand. Carolyn looked down and noticed she also wore one of the white robes and worn leather sandals.
She searched on the ground for her backpack, but didn’t find it. The hood slid from her head and straight, dark hair fell to her waist. She swayed and shot out a hand to brace herself against the stone. What was happening to her? Her hair was dark blond and only shoulder-length. A closer inspection revealed the body wasn’t hers either; it was slimmer more petite. And what about this Bree…what happened to her?
The standing stone felt coarse and cool beneath her calloused hand. Damn, what did this woman do to make her hands so rough? She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Okay. Either she was hallucinating or somehow, she was transported here, or her thoughts were transported within this woman. Or she was transformed into thought energy that entered this woman. But where did the woman’s thoughts go?
Her head ached.
Think, think. She gripped the stone until her fingers throbbed.
Stop being a scientist and trying to create a hypothesis. If her situation had anything to do with chemistry, she might come up with something that made sense. Carolyn blinked several times, then rubbed her eyes with her fingertips, wishing her vision would clear and she’d find herself back at the Druid’s Circle. No luck.
This place was nothing like the Appalachian Mountains. In the distance, beyond the field, a grass slope led to a rocky shoreline. Moonlight glistened on a vast sea. She gasped in shock and began to shake.
Beyond the stones lit by moonlight, a stark, lonely place stretched as far as she could see—rolling hills of jagged rocks divided by grass fields, a few scrub pines and not much more. Not the lush forest of the Appalachians.
Oh God, was she dreaming? Yes, she had to be. If she opened her eyes really wide she would wake up by the Druid’s Circle or in her tent. She tried opening her eyes which were already open. Wake up. Wake up.
The drumbeats continued while the people danced around the bonfire, swinging their arms. If she was dreaming, then how could she smell the salty air from the ocean and the wood fire? A part of her wanted to run, but the logical part said to stay calm, search for clues and find answers.
If the ley lines brought her here, maybe other ley lines existed that could take her back, but not if she panicked.
Beneath the surface of her thoughts, a dark, bottomless pit held the truth of her reality, and she dared not go there for the moment. If she explored the “what if she couldn’t get back” thoughts she would start screaming and wouldn’t be able to stop.
She twisted her fingers in the coarse burlap-like fabric of her robe to keep her hands from shaking.
The woman glanced down at Carolyn’s fists. “Bree? I know this be your first time, love. But do try to enjoy yourself.” Standing next to Carolyn, the woman took her hand. “Do you want to watch for a while?”
Not knowing what else to say, Carolyn said, “Yes.”
“Then stay here for now, ye do not have to dance. ’Tis a beautiful ritual honoring the goddess and god and the deities of nature. Those bowls hold our offering of earth’s bounty—herbs, fruit, cream and fresh churned butter.”
Carolyn nodded while her mind raced. Dream or the ley lines she wasn’t sure, but she would try to remember everything she could. “What’s your name? Where are we?” She wondered if the woman thought her questions were crazy.
The woman stopped smiling and frowned. Carolyn held her breath, expecting the woman to start trouble. Instead the woman’s face softened. “Oh, Bree, I will ask Allin if he can do a healing ritual too. Maybe ye are with fever. I’m Fina and this is the Isle of Iona.”
“Oh, now I remember. I’m sorry, Fina. I’m just a little fuzzy.”
“Fuzzy?” The word didn’t seem to mean anything to Fina. “Here, take my mistletoe, join the circle or stay here as you wish. I will ask Allin to bring some herbs to make you well.” She motioned to a man in a black robe, and he gave her a solemn nod.
“Thank you.” Carolyn didn’t know what else to say. She held the branch in one hand, then leaned against one of the megaliths as the drumbeat picked up. The men and women moved clockwise around the fire waving sprigs of mistletoe high above their heads.
Allin, the man in the black robe murmured strange words with each revolution around the circle. He reached in his robe’s pocket and tossed a handful of granules onto the fire. The flames flared several feet higher for a few seconds, lengthened the shadows of the dancing couples, then the fire returned to normal. A puff of smoke swirled around the group.
Carolyn inhaled the woody scent of sage and copal incense, she guessed. Similar to the stick incense she had bought at a farmers’ market. The potent aroma sharpened her focus on the scene.
A jolt of fear shot through her, reminding her she had no idea where she was or what she would do.
The drumbeat sped up and the men and women increased the speed and intensity of their dancing, waving their arms, reaching out to embrace or touch each other’s hand, a shoulder, a hip. Men and women giggled, some chanted and continued to move around the circle. A few of the women had shrugged their robes off their shoulders, baring their breasts. And some, including the men, had completely removed their robes, tossing them outside the circle. A quick check confirmed that Carolyn was naked beneath her robe too. The realization sent surprise and also an excited tug at the pit of her stomach.
The drumbeat quickened, and the circle of naked men and women rotated faster and faster. Mesmerized, Carolyn stared as her pulse beat faster. The carefree intimate movements of the people, the burning incense, the drumbeat and complete surreal situation made her head spin.
Carolyn felt she should look away, but she couldn’t. As her body responded to the erotic energy and the sensual scene, desire surged in her veins.
A cool breeze swept across the open land, fluttering the flames and her robe. She had a sudden urge to remove her clothes too. The sexual energy soared and swirled like an invisible whirlwind of consciousness. Her heart thundered against her breast bone. She leaned against a rough stone megalith for support.
Then the energy of the moving circle changed. The drumbeats slowed, the dancing slowed, and the touching became more erotic, though the group continued moving. The electrically charged air hovered within the circle, connecting everyone.
With the slower pacing began a new stage of the ritual.
Allin stopped and pulled Fina from the dance. Moonlight enhanced every angle of his lean muscles. As he kissed her his dark wavy hair hung into his eyes.
Carolyn’s eyes widened, she held her breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
She felt her face flush as she watched the men and women touch themselves in intimate ways. The men’s bodies gleamed in the firelight, some were slightly aroused, some fully erect. The women’s breasts swayed as they walked. The leaping flames in the bonfire matched the leaping sensations surging through Carolyn’s body.
The men tossed their sprigs of mistletoe into the fire, then reached out to the woman behind them and gently touched or grasped her hands.
Fina fondled her breasts, her belly and between her legs, enticing Allin, but not letting him touch her yet. He watched her with hunger flaming in his gaze as he stroked his shaft, while his other hand attempted to touch her. But Fina always stayed inches away from his fingertips. She twirled for him, offering every view and undulated and teased. Finally, Allin seemed as though he could take it no longer. His cock was hard and thick, his eyes glinted with madness. With a groan he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. Carolyn longed to have a man look at her with such lust.
Other couples and a few in groups of three and four glided out of the circle and began a similar lustful dance of intimate touching, kissing and exploring with hands and mouths.
Two men gently pressed one naked woman against one of the flat megaliths as they stroked her breasts. Slowly, their caresses traveled lower. One man rubbed his hand gingerly between her legs, his fingers probed through her triangle patch of dark hair as she spread wide for him and groaned in pleasure.
Then he knelt before her, his mouth at her sex while the other man suckled her breasts. The woman cried out, her body shuddered. The man on the ground stood then picked up the woman, wrapping her legs around him and plunged his cock into her.
Moaning she fell back against the other man who supported her against his chest. Both men were lean and not overly muscular, their chests smooth. The one standing behind her kissed her neck and fondled her breasts. Would he take his turn after the first man finished? All the other women had been taken.
Carolyn wet her lips and held her breath, wondering if she would be next.