Decisions are born out of necessity. When comfortably situated one may take all the time to make a decision. There is never a reason to hurry; we have all the time in the world.
Chapter 16
Sean had stayed with Loggar that night. It felt strange to be making love to her on planet side. Sean had been exhausted and tired and all he wanted was sleep. Kathy kissed and touched and teased him into arousal. She had a different feel about her on Necron. Sean couldn’t pinpoint it, but their lovemaking was a little different. Loggar had screamed twice and loud before Sean collapsed on top of her. It was a bit bizarre but Sean welcomed the orgasm. They slept soundly.
In the office now, Sean listened to the reports of the various departments. He found himself strangely drawn to Herb, the mathematician. Herb looked somewhat silly in his one-size too small jumpsuit, but he spoke with a voice that sounded brilliant.
"Milkens and I concur that this place was meant to be found." Herb continued, "All the equipment ports, the redundant equations, all that stuff indicates someone wanting all this stuff to be studied."
Loggar listened carefully. She read all the reports. "Phillip, what about the statutes and do you have a possible reason for Sean...Commander Blakemore apparently starting a reaction in the north chamber?"
Phillip Grebfine stood up and cleared his throat. He was a wired looking man who had a habit of stressing most of his words. "The statues are robotic in nature. We think that by applying heat of unknown calories may be enough to activate most if not all the effigies."
"Heat?" Loggar asked.
Phillip nodded rapidly.
Sean thought Phillip had too much caffeine in his diet.
"Yes," Phillip continued, "the material of the center android – best, in the first chamber, words to describe it, is mixed with plastic-like polymers. The material is hard now, but with an interior temperature of 150 degrees we believe that it will become soft, almost like skin"
"And the Commander's presence?"
He shrugged. "Don't know. We think that most of the chambers are controlled be gene response. Kurp could tell you more on that."
Loggar turned to an old man who looked as if he were asleep.
"Kurp?"
He slowly raised his head. Big bushy eyebrows hung over small black eyes. He grunted once. "Commander Blakemore's DNA matches 79% of the test DNA we found in the med. area of this facility. Blakemore should be able to enter most of the chambers we had to force open. Whomever designed this place may not have thought that someone as close to Blakemore's DNA would walk these corridors. This man may be the closest thing we have to a Necronian."
"Excuse me?" Sean blurted out. "I'm not a whatcha called me.
I'm human, Earth human..."
"I know that young man, don’t get upset over a label. Your DNA pattern is close enough for government classification. Besides, haven’t you ever wondered if some other species had seeded Earth?"
"No."
"What was that young man? Did you say ‘no?’"
"Yes, I said ‘no.’" Sean snapped.
Kurp chuckled softly. "Sorry, Commander, but sometimes an old man likes to have fun. But don’t feel bad. The good Captain here is 77.5 percent close."
Robin looked over to Kurp. She had momentarily daydreamed of distant aliens seeding Earth some distant reality ago. "Mr. Kurp. 77.5?"
He nodded.
"You mean, the Commander and myself are related? Like brother and sister?" Robin had a morbid thought and paled.
"No, you and I have a common gene structure 99.999999959693 compatibility. As much as 1 would like to hope, you are not my daughter."
Robin blushed.
Kurp continued, "It just means that you and the Commander have more of a desirable gene structure this place wants. Now whether you two have alien blood . . ."
Sean coughed.
“...is purely speculation. It could be just total accident."
Loggar sat back in her chair. "How is it this place knows?"
Tim Shepard spoke up. "It takes a sample of air containing molecules exhaled by everyone. It doesn't exactly read your genes; it analyzes the chemical combination that you breathe out and makes a statistical calculation. If you match within its perimeters, which you've shown you do, it'll do something."
Sean asked, “Do something? Like magic?"
The room went silent and all heads turned to Loggar.
She leaned forward. "Yes, something like that Sean. But we figure it's all technology."
"What?"
"Think of it this way. A group of people land on Earth way in the past. The locals see the new people doing and saying things. Things happen. They think it's magic. It's not magic, just technology."
"And the 79 percent?"
Kurp said, "If they have the technology they have the medical know-how to gene slice and re-engineer them. We know it for a fact. I got a zettabyte worth of data to prove it. Give me an hour and I'll explain at what point in our history where it occurred."
Loggar turned to Herb. "In your report Herb, you said that we where being watched. By whom?"
Herb scratched the top of his stomach. It protruded out a bit. "The guys in the electronic department noted that when certain rooms were occupied energy sparks would develop and travel to the first chamber, possibly to other chambers unknown.” He shrugged. “Possibly into the statue." Herb caught the eye of one of the technicians. Both smiled at each other.
The tech took out a small device and turned it on. He watched the readout.
Loggar leaned closer toward Herb. "Have all the rooms been noted?"
Herb's grin turned to a smirk. He nodded. "All the rooms that have been identified have a large red E on the inside and outside near the door jam."
Loggar let her eyes glide across the room from Herb to the door jam. "Good Goddess, Herb! There's an E at the door."
All heads turned to the E.
Randals shouted, "Shit. Herb. Why didn't you tell us? "
Herb held up a hand, "Quite please."
Everyone listened.
Herb looked over to the Tech. "Got something Milk?
Milkens nodded. "I got a peak reading just before you told Dr. Loggar about the E and suddenly everything dropped off. No spikes now."
Loggar looked at Herb. "A test?"
Herb nodded. "Yeah, the thing may be ‘alive’ or working. It has been listening and probably looking all this time. Remember I mentioned the formulas?"
Loggar nodded.
“I went back to an old backup file on some equations. The redundancy was not there. This thing I think has been guiding us along. Helping us to understand this facility and itself.
Randals shot out, “Dr. Loggar, I can’t believe Herb would do such...”
Loggar raised a hand up to silence Randals.
His mouth hung open for a second then it shut tight.
Sean felt his embarrassment.
Loggar said, “Herb, give.”
“Everything we had found four months ago was not due to accident. I went back and checked on all new findings, the new chamber, the questions, the library, all the stuff was conveniently placed so we would ‘stumble’ on them. I think that the statue or something close to it wants us to learn as much as we can.”
Loggar leaned back and closed her eyes. “I want everyone, I mean everyone, to submit what they know or think they know. Herb, you set up the next meeting place that is secure.”
Randals started to say something but was silenced again by Loggar’s hand. He shut up.
“It should be big enough for all the department heads to sit comfortably.”
Herb grabbed a piece of paper and started writing. "1 can think of only one place. I won’t say it out loud. Read this.” He slid it over to her face down. "It may have been able to read this but it doesn’t matter. If you think it's a good idea then you can set up a time now.”
Loggar read the paper. ‘JOHNSON.' She thought a bit and then nodded "Good thinking. Great choice.” She passed the note around the table. “Does anyone have something to say before we adjure to the next meeting?”
Randals stared Loggar in the face. "Yes, I do."
Loggar sighed. She had an idea what it was going to be about but she did ask. "Yes?"
"Are we going to breach the existence of the order and her secrets to strangers?"
All heads turned to Loggar.
Kurp spoke up. "I know that Captain Spaarin is in the Most High, but the Commander?"
Loggar pursed her lips. She knew this was going to happen. "Sean Blakemore is not."
Murmur rose in the room.
Kurp continued. "How far are we going to go?"
The room fell silent.
After a second Loggar turned to Sean. "Sean. I didn't want to put you on the spot just yet. I wanted to ask you in private first, but it seems best to ask you now." She gave Randals a particularly piercing look.
Sean felt queasy and sick to his stomach. He hadn’t eaten for too many hours. Most of this talk was starting to bother him. He had also noticed the others giving him strange looks. He nodded a ‘go ahead.’
Loggar said, "We are all members of the Most High Goddess.”
Sean nodded.
“We are all doing this for the Most High Goddess."
He nodded again.
"We are going to need your help. For the research part, our technology is good enough to record and possibly understand most of Necron. But there are a few things that technology alone will never be able to answer. There is a room, the library that contains hard copy books. These books were used, we believe by the elite. You and Robin are possibly descendants from these elite."
Sean opened his mouth, Loggar interrupted.
"I know, Sean, you are not an Alien, but the fact remains that you are the only person who can activate most of the rooms - you did one room earlier." Loggar waited to see if Sean would response.
He didn’t.
"We, of the Most High Goddess want to go beyond what technology has to offer. We want to do Wicca."
Sean's mind raced through all the events that happened to him in the past two weeks. He remembered how sad he had been and at his wits end before this assignment came up. He thought about how much he loved Kathy and what she had given him. She loved him he knew that. He didn’t care why, it was just so. Sean sat and thought for a long time. Loggar and the rest waited patiently. Sean looked over to Robin. She had no hatred in her. Her face was soft, her eyes inviting. She was stunning. He looked at Kathy, the woman he now loved. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and her brows furrowed. She was concerned. Finally after Sean decided what he wanted to say he had to figure how to say it. After a moment or two Sean cleared his throat.
All members listened intently.
Sean said the only thing that made perfect and utter sense for him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He said, “I want to join the Most High Goddess."
Agegi wished he could laugh.
There is a very old saying. It’s based off millennia of experience and situations, yet it is the least listened to and followed of all wise sayings: Be careful what you wish for, it may happen.
Chapter 17
Sean sat opposite Loggar at a small table in a room that didn’t have an E stenciled near the door. Kathy Loggar felt “safe.” Sean did not. “Privacy” was a word that didn’t really exist. It didn’t exist on board the Johnson, or throughout GRID system. “Safe” and “Privacy,” in Sean’s mind, were words used to give a false sense of security. He let Loggar continue on. If she felt “safe” in this room then he wouldn’t be the one to spoil the atmosphere.
“Sean,” she said, “Wicca is a nature-based religion. Witches know that, as men and women, we are part of the central nervous system of Gaia, which is in turn a part of the kingdom of Ka ...”
"Gaia? Ka?"
Loggar nodded. "Yes, Gaia is the Earth organism. Ka is the main entity where Gaia exists. Before space-travel, we thought Gaia was it. It wasn't until a hundred years ago or so did the Most High accept the fact that Gaia was part of a bigger picture. We had to rethink our entire concept of the universe. We based all our ideas and concepts on the motion of the stars, the Sun, and of Earth. We structured our lives around planetary motions. In a way, we were probably the first astronomers. To do a ritual, one has to know the right celestial settings.”
Sean sat motionless and was determined to absorb what he was listening to. Sean's notion and concept over the all God thing was scant. He didn't believe in a God, or a Goddess. He was a Buddhist – A follower of Buddha-Dharma to be more accurate and followed Bushido. But what Loggar was telling him somehow drew him further in. It was as if her words were some type of magical drug that would allow him to transcend all his problems. Wicca to him was rapidly becoming something to believe in. It was a long time sense he allowed himself the luxury of believing in something besides GRID. Loggar got up and walked over to a shelf of books. She ran her fingers alone to length of the shelf and stopped at a small black book. She pulled it out. "Here, Sean." She gave it to him. "Read this. It will answer a few questions."
Sean looked at the cover. It said, 'Wicca: The Myth. The Truth.’
Loggar gave him a big smile and kissed him on the cheek. She looked at her watch. "I have a meeting with several of the departmental heads. Sometime in a few days, we're going to do a gate ritual."
Sean looked up. "Gate ritual?"
Loggar nodded. "Yeah. We’re...actually you're going to perform a rite of passage so to speak. You're going to awaken Agegi."
"Awaken? Agegi?"
Loggar nodded, “The single statue in the first chamber. Since it seems to be watching us and guiding us it seems logical to help animate it.”
Sean listened to her words with a bit of uneasiness. He thought the whole thing a bad idea, but who was he to question the validity of...well...Kathy, the Most High Goddess? He tuned his military gut feeling down several notches. He continued to listen.
"Herb and Milkens 'found' a file that contains the words to activate the statue fully. It's not too different from a passage we've use in one of our rituals. It seems that the Necronians used words to perform various tasks. Some of the tech and theory lads think that this entire complex had two modes of operation. They worked at a computer terminal not too different from ours or they simple spoke the commands. The lads in tech, bless their hearts, recovered older versions of the same software. The phrases used were less complex and easier to remember. They think that as time went on the Necronians made just about everything they did into a ritual."
Sean listened and nodded. But the one thought that haunted him was, ‘is it safe to activate Agegi? With trepidation in his voice Sean asked. "Is it wise to activate the statue?"
Loggar's smile dropped. Sean wished he had somehow rephrased his question differently. "I mean, this is Alien technology and didn't Herb think that it was kind of strange that they started "finding" things?"
Loggar said, "He used the word 'stumbled'." Her words came out curt, sharp, and had an ugly undertone.
Sean chose to ignore the way she answered him. He told himself that this was her project. She and all these scientist type were the experts. They understood, more than he could, Wicca in its entirety. Loggar continued, "I've talked it over with most of the others. We're going to set up a level 9 force field just outside the doorway..."
Sean moved the book around in his hands.
"You okay Sean?"
Sean signed. "Maybe, maybe not. I just don't know if I'll fit." He stopped and considered his words. "What if all this doesn't work?"
Loggar shrugged, "Then it doesn’t. If you're concerned about what the' others think, don’t worry. I get a general sense that they like you."
Sean looked at the book again. He opened it to the beginning.
He chuckled at his choice. Usually he opened a book in the middle and read a few lines just to see if he would like it.
"You chuckled Sean?"
Sean nodded and gave Loggar a slanted grin. "Yeah I did." He began reading and walked off.
Loggar watched him and smiled inwardly. Sean was going to work out just fine. A little naive to the ways of the Goddess but he was going to work out.
***
Randals stared into the monitor. He read with wide-eye fear. Cold sweat formed on his forehead. He heard a sound and nearly jumped out of his seat.
A tech came in, got a tool, and walked out.
Randals continued to read the text scroll before him. At one point he began to smile. His smile turned into a chuckle then turned into a hysterical fit of laughter. After a moment he shut down the terminal, got up from his chair and leisurely walked out of the room and down the hall. Randals was deep in thought when he stepped through the doorway. It was his office and on the door jam was a large E painted near it.
***
"No, no, no. Not there. Backup, Milk."
Milkens, the tech from Electronics, followed Herb’s instructions. He stepped forward several paces, paused then backed up. He held a TF emitter of some sort.
"Right there! That's it."
Milkens stopped.
Herb walked over to the tech. He wrote a big X just in front of Milkens' feet. "I think this is it."
Milkens nodded. Herb had his flashes of brilliance, but this one surely out did them all. The problem had been how to null out the building's gene sampling ability. Herb figured that if they couldn’t null the ability out then they could somehow trick it. Make it accept all DNA.
Herb placed a medium sized box on top of the X. He turned it on.
Milkens and he stepped back.
Herb said, "I feel tingly all over. You feel it Milk?"
Milkens nodded. "The TF field is damping the air."
Herb reached into his pocket and pulled a small spurt bottle.
"Ready, Milk?"
Milkens nodded. .
Herb took a deep breath and squeezed. A misty poof of air whispered away from the little bottle. The lights and the machinery fizzed, bleeped, and popped, "Hot damn." Herb shouted. "We is friggin' geniuses."
Milkens patted him on the back, took out a notebook and started writing feverishly. He mumbled to himself. Herb knew to leave Milkens alone when he was in this state. Herb watched as the man poured his thoughts into his journal. Milkens looked up after a minute and proudly said, "I can miniaturize the box."
"What about the sample?" Herb asked.
"We could encode it onto our clothes. The field would be strong enough to pull the sample off our clothes and deliver it to the sampler."
Herb nodded. "Do you think you could make three by the time of the rite?"
"Yeah. I can do it."
Herb looked around for a terminal. It was in the corner. Herb walked over to it. The markings on this one were different from the standard ones. For one thing, they had to trick the complex into turning it on, so it had to be special. He ran his fingers across the symbol. It looked familiar. "Hey Milk, what does this look like to you."
Milkens peered over Herb's shoulder. "Well, I been damned."
"Huh."
"That's the symbol for Marduk."
"THE Marduk?" Herb's stomach sank.
Milkens backed up. "Yeah, that's exactly it. Necron was more then a good name for this place, it's perfect. I think we should tell Dr. Loggar about this one."
Herb turned and let out a loud sigh. A mystery is about to unravel.
***
"Again, Sean, repeat it again."
Sean sat in the middle of the floor and recited the piece again. Loggar listened with eyes closed. Sean said the passage with feeling this time. Loggar's skin tingled. She shuddered. After Sean finished she said, "Very good Sean. That was very good. Now do the Imbolg. Recite the passage before you deliver the Charge in its entirety.
Sean closed his eyes and dredged up the words:
"Behold the Three-Formed Goddess;
She who is ever Three - Maid, Mother and Crone;
Yet is she ever One.
For without Spring there can be no Summer,
Without Summer, no Winter.
Without Winter, no new Spring."
Sean opened his eyes. "Well?"
Loggar smiled and touched Sean on the shoulder. She nodded.
"Excellent Sean. In one day you memorized a fourth of our basic knowledge."
Sean shrugged. "I'm good with certain things."
Loggar moved closer and rubbed herself along Sean's side. She whispered in his ear, "I know."
Someone coughed.
Loggar and Sean turned.
Herb and Milkens stood just outside the doorway. "Sorry to disturb you two, but Milkens and I have something to show Dr. Loggar. It'll only take a minute. Afterwards you guys can pick up where you left off."
Sean turned a bright red.
Class for now was adjourned.
***
Loggar entered the room first.
Herb pointed to the screen and indicated where the symbol was.
Loggar stepped up tentatively and glanced down at the strange characters. She touched it and nodded. “This is the Marduk symbol. Fantastic! The files indicated we might find something like this, but to actually stumble on...” She stopped and turned to Herb and Milkens.
Milkens was writing in his journal when he suddenly stopped.
He looked up and swallowed hard.
Loggar said, “You two. What were you two doing in here?”
Herb replied, “Just checking on the rooms. You know, looking for things.”
“Things?” Loggar raised an eyebrow.
Herb and Milkens looked at each other. Both nodded rapidly.
“Yeah, Doc. Things. This section hasn’t been thoroughly explored.”
Loggar held a dubious look on her face. She scanned the room with her eyes, walls, ceiling and the floor. “Herb, what’s that X doing on the floor?”
Herb remained silent.
Loggar stood on top of it and looked around. “Herb, would this be something you and Milkens are doing without departmental approval?”
“Dr. Loggar, please, I’m head of the...”
"Now I know something is wrong. Give."
Sean had stayed just outside the doorway. Earlier he found that just by crossing a threshold things would erupt with activity. The first four times made him jump. The next four intrigued him. The last four pissed him off. He couldn't just walk into a room with equipment without it suddenly coming on.
Loggar walked over to the terminal and touched it. It was warm toward the end. "How?"
Herb started to fidget.
"Herb!"
"Okay, okay. Doc we'll talk."
"Well?" Loggar said after Herb had paused a second too long.
"We turned the room on."
"Turned the room on? How? Impossible! Show me.”
Herb glanced at Milkens.
Milkens jotted down some notes.
"Okay watch." In an overly dramatic way Herb took the black box tucked in a corner of the room and placed it on the X. "Ladies and gentlemen, for your amusement, the great Herb and Milk will dazzle your eyes and tantalize your senses." He threw the switch on.
The air in the room felt tingly against their skins. Even at the doorway. Sean felt it.
Herb pulled out the squirt bottle. "As you can see ladies and gentlemen, this innocent looking squirt bottle has amazing properties. Observe."
A wisp of vapor escaped from the bottle.
A second later the room popped and beeped, the terminal came on and dozens of suspended display images filled the room. Corner to corner the room was touched by symbols of color and light. Readouts of some unknown source hovered in front of them. It meant nothing to those ignorant of the incomprehensible.
"Amazing!" Loggar exclaimed. "How?"
"We took a sample of the Commander's DNA and cultured it. The box ionizes the air. When the sample hits the air it spreads out so the Necronian sniffer picks it up." Herb swept his hand around the room slowly. "The results."
"You were going to keep this from me?" Loggar said with a tight jaw.
“No, no. Milk and I were planning to make three miniaturized versions of the dampener. We just wanted to get the fundamentals down first. That's all."
Loggar relaxed her face and smiled. "You know you could have told me."
Herb nodded. “Yeah, and you would have mentioned it to Mr. Administer, too.”
“Well, yes. He is my proxy when I’m gone. He should know some of the things I know. Just in case.”
“Yeah, but not this time. He would’ve tried to control our procedures.”
“Oh, Herb, Randals isn’t like that, he’s...well...”
Herb uttered, “He’s well, what?”
Loggar closed her mouth. “Okay maybe you’re right, but you still...”
Suddenly the room powered down.
“Sean,” Loggar asked, “could you step in here please?”
Sean paused a bit. He was lost in thought about what had just transpired. Did Herb and Milkens find a way to not use him? He felt strange, almost bad, at not being needed. He also felt hurt that he could be useless. He stepped into the room.
The room came to life.
***
Randals typed feverously on his terminal. He had to get his thoughts down on file. This was important. He was going to do something he hadn’t dreamt before. But before he never had the means or the ‘know how.’ Soon would be different. He felt it and it was good. His life was going to be forever changed.
Words are but sounds to the ear, wave fronts that make a passage through the ether. But thoughts, they are different. Thoughts may travel or stand still. Even thoughts as old as time may be just that, as old as time and thus mean nothing at all. Be careful what you invoke. Trend lightly into a dark room you’ve never been in before – something may bite you and you can’t remember which way to the door.
Chapter 18
The group had assembled themselves at the entryway to the chamber. All were clothed except for Loggar and Sean.
Sean’s face was beet-red from embarrassment. Earlier, most of the men had clapped him on the shoulder and said, “not to worry, you’ll get use to it. Nice body though. I looked like that once – three decades ago. You’ll be fine.” With all their words of encouragement and praises, Sean felt uneasy. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. Was it because he was naked? Or was it because too much depended on him? Loggar told him that he and she would be ‘drawing down the Moon.’ She would then charge the Circle, and drawing down the Sun would proceed.’
Loggar stepped up behind Sean and whispered lovely in his ear. “Sean, my beloved. I am ready. Are you?”
Sean turned and looked at all the faces staring at him. He caught Robin's eyes. She stayed somewhere toward the back. Her role in this would be very minor. Herb had a robe on, as all the rest, but his was a size too small.
Loggar kissed Sean on the ear, then the side of his forehead.
Sean looked into her eyes. He saw the same eyes he fell in love with, what several weeks ago? But these eyes were somehow a little different. Still her eyes and yet not her eyes. He stared into the chamber. The statue stood motionless in the middle of the room. It seemed to taunt him into awakening it, almost daring him too. ‘This,’ Sean thought, 'is not such a good idea.' He was not going to turn them down. He had disappointed a lot of folks in the last few years. Maybe this was his chance to make up for it. The statue stood there, with its blank bland face. He turned back to Loggar and the group. Randals was off to the right. He had a particularly determined expression on his face. "I'm ready." Sean said out loud.
The group collectively took a deep breath and relaxed.
"Then let us begin."
Two men, dressed in brown robes, walked up with an altar. It was waist high and had a large bowl sunken halfway into it. Several athames, they all looked hand-made, were on it. Sean was to pick the athame that had a deer's foot for the handle and a long narrow iron blade. They lit the candles and walked away. Loggar drew an imaginary circle around the receiving room to the main chamber. She stood in front of the table with her backside exposed to the chamber. Sean knelt in front of her and gives Loggar the five-fold Kiss.
Sean said, "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways." He kissed her on the right foot and then the left. Loggar spread her arms and stood with feet apart. She held the scourge and her athame.
"Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar." He kissed her right knee, then her left. "Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be." He kissed just above her pubic hair. He was too nervous to enjoy his position. "Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty." He kissed the right breast, then the left. They quivered slightly from each kiss. "Blessed be thy lip, that shall utter the Sacred Names." Sean stood up and embraced her, kissing her lips in the process. He knelt again and using his right forefinger touched Loggar on her right breast, then her left breast, then just at the baseline of her pubic hair.
He did this twice finishing with a touch to her right breast.
Loggar spoke, “I invoke thee and call upon thee Mighty Mother of us all bringer of all fruitfulness; by seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit do I invoke thee to descend upon the body of this thy servant and priestess.”
Sean spread his arms outward and then downward “Hail Aradia! From the Analthean Horn pour forth thy store of love, I lowly bend before thee, I adore thee to the end, with loving sacrifice thy shrine adorn, thy foot is to my lip, he kissed Loggar’s foot, “my prayer up borne upon the rising candle-smoke; then spend thine ancient love, O Mighty One descend to aid me, who without the aid am forlorn.” Sean stood up and took a step backwards.
Loggar drew the invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air in front of Sean and said, “Of the Mother darksome and divine mine the scourge, and mine the kiss; the five-point star of love and bliss here I charge you, in this sign.”
Sean and Loggar faced each other.
Sean swallowed hard. Little sweat beads ran down his forehead.
Loggar’s face was blank and still.
Sean said, “Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of the old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melsusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arainrhod, Isis, Bride and by many other names."
Loggar still facing Sean with a look that began to unnerve him, said, “Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me who am Queen of all witches. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit; and mine also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth and mine is the cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal and beyond death. I give peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold. I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the earth."
Sean took a breath and said, “Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess; she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, and whose body encircles the universe."
"I who am the beauty of the green earth." Loggar said, "and the white Moon among the Stars, and the mystery of the waters, and desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise."
The assembled group stood up.
Randals rocked back and forth on his heels. He seemed to be swept up in some dream-like vision and feeling.
Loggar continued, "Come unto me, for I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek for me know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee then thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, I have been with thee, then from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."
Sean raised his arms wide; he was swept up in the moment. He felt alive and young and new and energized. He spoke with confidence and half believed he had power. He started in a low tone and finished loud and with energy behind his voice. "Bagahi laca bachahe'. Lamac cahi achabahe', Karrelyos, lamac lamac bachalyos. Cabahgi sabalyos, baryolas, lagozatha cabyolas, samahac et famyolas, harrahya!"
Loggar and the group responded with, "Harrahya!" The sound resonated around the entryway.
Sean and Loggar faced the altar with their arms raised in the Horned God salute, fists clenched with palms forward and first and little finger fingers pointing upward.
Sean said, "Great God Cernunnos, return to earth again! Come at my call and show thyself to men. Shepherd of Goats, upon the wild hill's way, Lead thy lost flock from darkness unto day. Forgotten are the ways of sleep and night - Men seek for them whose eyes have lost the light. Open the door, the door that hath no key, the door of dreams, whereby men come to thee Shepherd of Goats, O answer unto me!"
Loggar’s heartbeat increased. Sean recited the passage with more passion than any male member of decades with Most High ever did. She chanced a glimpse at the assembled members. She saw on some of them that this was it that Sean was going to do it. It alarmed her but she drank in his energy and it was wonderful.
Sean and Loggar moved closer to each other, rubbing shoulders. In unison they shouted over the humming sound of the group. “Akhera goiti!" They lowered their hands. "Akhera beitji!" They shouted.
The group formed a circle, facing each other, with man and woman alternating as far as possible, and linked hands.
They chanted the Witches - Rune together. Sean was swept into a delusional sense of reality. He felt light headed and started panting. The hum started out softly and increased to a sound that seemed to shake the walls with its illusional energy.
“Eko, Eko, Azarak, Eko, Eko. Zomelak!" They shouted. "Eko, Eko, Cernunnos, Eko, Eko, Aradia!" They shouted louder.
Time seemed to blur as they chanted the ‘Eko' over and over again. And when they reached a point that Sean believed they could yell no further Loggar shouted, "Down!"
They all sat still facing inward.
Sean was covered in sweat. His eyes stung. He blinked hard several times in an attempt to produce tears. He wiped his eyes with the back of this hand. ‘Bedamn the group if they thought ill of him for lacking the discipline to endure the stinging.’ He thought.
Loggar stood up and offered a hand to Sean.
He grabbed it and hoisted himself up. He stood with his back to the Altar and clenched his deer-footed athame. He placed it in his right hand and lifted it up to his left breast. The point was upward.
Loggar faced him and gave Sean the five-fold kiss. Afterward, she knelt and invoked, "Deep calls on height, the Goddess on the God, on him who is the flame that quickens her; that he and she may seize the silver reins and ride as one the twin-horsed chariot. Let the hammer strike the anvil, let the lightning touch the earth, let the lance ensoul the Grail-let the magic come to birth.” She touched her right forefinger to Sean's throat, left hip, and right breast, left breast, right hip, and then the throat again.
Sean followed her touch and remembered she was ‘Invoking the Pentagram of Fire’ Loggar spread her hands outward, palms forward and said, “In her name do I invoke thee. Mighty Father of us all - Lugh, Pan, Belin, Herne. Cernunnos - Come in answer to my call! Descend, I pray thee, in thy servant and priest." She stepped back.
The group rose.
Sean made the Invoking Pentagram of Fire towards Loggar with his athame. He turned to face the chamber. With sweating palms he grasped the athame with both hands and ‘Invoke the Pentagram of Fire’ at the statue. He took a step into the chamber and yelled, "Let there be Light!"
It is an age-old belief that wishing, wanting and having should never come to pass. In wishing you set into motion a desire of wanting and in wanting you begin the process of having. But the trick is to have a healthy balance between the three. One can wish for the Moon, but without the where alls and resources the Moon is forever minus a minute away. As the Greeks put it, there has to be a balance between Theoria (thought) and Praxis (action). If the balance is not struck, then the result is that one is either silly looking or just plain completely stupid. Theoria and Praxis – think carefully.
Chapter 19
Agegi witnessed the entire preceding and was appalled. The Elders would never have subjected him and the ancient ones to such barbaric rhetoric. There was nothing he could do but let them do their silly little ritual. Then it happened. He had grown bored and started looking inward when the one called ‘Sean' stepped into the chamber. The room came alive with heat and light. He felt his skin softened as the temperature climbed higher and higher. These creatures indeed meant to awaken him and that was good.
Sean stepped into the chamber. The room seemed to pulsate with light and heat.
The group walked in and assembled themselves along the wall.
Loggar stood to his right.
Sean was thankful for not having any clothing. The temperature began to climb. One of the techs had told the group that the temperature would have to reach 136 degrees for about ten seconds if the Statue was to be activated. Sean counted to twenty.
The statue moved, the heat vanished, and the room fell silent.
The sound of air rushing into long unused lungs filled the air. An eerie sound on someone who had drowned years ago and suddenly their lungs were able to expand and drawn in something that had desperately been needed. The statue took a deep breath for the first time in a long time.
It let it out slowly and enjoyed the once again ability to breathe air.
Sean's first impulse, as it was for the others, was to run. But the fascination of watching the statue come to live mesmerized him. It was because of him that the statue awakened. Sean took a stepped forward and looked into the blank eyeless face of the statue. Agegi looked down at Sean. "Who has awakened me?" His voice echoed throughout the chamber. In the far corner, someone pissed on himself. Two people fainted, and one of the oldest members suffered heart failure. She died silently.
Sean looked into the face and said, "1 am a remnant of an Elder. I am Sean. Who have I awakened?”
Agegi breathed again, inhaling air for a long time then exhaling it in an equally long time. Damn it felt good to breath. The process of inhaling and exhaling was worth being subjected to the silly rituals of these curious people. He stepped off the platform and looked at Sean.
Loggar and the group took a collective step backward. Sean stood fast, damned if he was gonna back down from something he brought to life.
Agegi looked at the group, then back at Sean. “I am Agegi, an Ancient one.”
Loggar whispered. "Oh shit.”
"You speak our language?" Sean asked.
“I do many things. I am Agegi, Sean. Why have you awaked me?” Agegi said, playing the game and going through a poorly scripted play.
Loggar took a tentative step forward. "To learn from you.”
Agegi turned his blank face to Loggar.
Loggar almost cringed but kept her composure, if Sean could do it, she could do it.
"What is it you would learn from me?"
"We have a religion based on the Elders and the Ancient Ones”
We...we are awed by you."
Agegi spoke, "Are you worthy of my inspiring awe?"
Loggar stepped forward, placing herself in front of Sean. ”We as a people have tried to hold the ideas and concepts of what we learned generations ago. We mimicked what we saw and thus created a belief. You are part of that belief and we are prepared to take a step forward in our understanding of that belief. We would only like to further our understanding from a being that was part of its origins."
Agegi took another step forward. "And what do you have to say remnant of the Elder Ones?" Agegi moved its smooth featured face toward Sean. Agegi liked this one. He was different.
Sean cleared his throat. "I want to know what my purpose is." There, he said it. Something he had buried deep inside for too many years. And with saying it Sean realized that maybe the Most High Goddess was not a thing for him. "I want to understand why I am here. Hasn't there been a time when you asked yourself that very question?"
For a second time in Agegi's existence he was moved by a question. Sean struck a nerve. Agegi would forever remember that. "Yes, remnant Sean, long ago, but now things are different," Agegi breathed. His breathing was measured in massive inhaling and exhaling of tens of seconds. "I am different. I know my purpose."
From somewhere in the back Randals shouted, "And what is your purpose?"
Loggar gave Randals a hateful stare as he walked up front.
Randals had committed a breach in protocol. Loggar cursed herself. Herb had been right, Tony was a wildcard and today he was going to grandstand.
Agegi stared into Randals direction. "Come here." Agegi commanded more than requested.
Randals stepped forward.
"You ask a question. Are you prepared for the answer?"
Randals responded with an answer he had been propped for.
He nodded. "Yes. I am."
"Then step closer."
Randals walked to within arms reach of Agegi.
Agegi looked down. He was a full two and a half meters taller. He reached out and placed his hand on the top of Randals head. Sean stared with jealous fascination at the scene. Randals made first touch.
"What are you called?"
"Tony Randals." His voice quivered slightly.
"Then Tony Randals, this is my purpose." And with that Agegi's hand tightened on Randals' head. Long thin probes extended from his fingers. They inserted themselves into Randals brain, sinking out vital information about this strange species that was willing to worship the likes of him. And finally, after all this time, which seemed like forever, Agegi finally laughed.
