Chapter 3

I returned to the front desk and explained my difficulty with the car to the desk clerk. Our conversation was overheard by one of our dinner companions from the night before. Howard had been sitting by the fire sipping coffee. He ambled over to the front desk and offered to help me with the car. We returned outside and Howard opened the hood. He inspected wires and connections mumbling to himself all the while. He went to his own car to get his tools and I went to the front desk to see about getting a tow truck.

Howard returned to my car. I could see him from inside the lobby as he measured with various test equipment and disconnected wires here and there. I was berating the clerk about his failure to have a current yellow pages when Howard came back in.

"Its your ignition control unit." He announced triumphantly. "I'm certain of it."

"Wonderful." I said dryly. "You wouldn't have a spare Mazda ignition control unit in your pocket? Would you?"

Howard laughed. "No. I'd only use it for a paperweight most of the time."

"Then I shall still need a tow truck anyway..."

"Don't be foolish young man. Have you never heard of FedEx? A tow from here in the middle of nowhere would cost you a fortune. Order the part sent here for delivery tomorrow and I'll put it in for you."

I was relieved and protested weakly, but Howard insisted that it was no inconvenience. I knew that his suggestion was the most sensible. I asked the clerk if we could stay another night.

The clerk said, "There's always plenty of room at the Hotel California. I'm sure we can accommodate you."

Howard agreed saying, "Hotel California is such a lovely place, like an oasis in the desert, and there is plenty of room."

I carried my coffee back to the room to break the news to Cindy, but she was not in the room.

As Howard and I were dealing with the car problems Cindy had awakened to find me gone. She panicked briefly and then went downstairs to look for me. Lady Natalie found her as she was getting a cup of coffee.

"Good morning Cindy. Did you sleep well?"

"Just fine. Thank you. Have you seen Robert?"

"No. I have not. Has he gone missing?"

"I'm sure he's here somewhere. He left a lot of his things in the room..."

Cindy was nervous and on the verge of babbling as she remembered the night before and the promise she had made. She tried to act normal, as if nothing had happened, and looked around the room. She was hoping to see Robert, or anyone else. She wanted to see something or anyone who might give her some reason to excuse herself from conversation with Natalie...

"Perhaps you'd like to see the little gallery that they have here at the Hotel." Natalie offered. "Hotel California is such a lovely place."

"I'd love to. I had no idea they had a gallery here." Cindy replied hoping that the gallery was not in Natalie's suite.

Cindy followed Natalie through the lobby to a small door behind the left spiral staircase. Natalie opened the door and they went down a marble staircase to the stone corridors below the hotel. Natalie opened a metal door revealing a climate controlled room with good lighting and new carpet. Cindy did not notice the carpet, or the lighting, or even the cool temperature in the room. Cindy was spellbound by what was on the walls. She walked from wall to wall all around the room.

"Do you recognize them?" Natalie inquired.

"Yes. They are the murals from Pompeii aren't they?"

"That is correct. They were perfectly preserved when the volcano eruption occurred."

The murals astounded Cindy. She inspected artwork that she had only seen in small photos in a college textbook.

Natalie asked, "Do you remember what the murals depict? Do you recall their purpose?

Cindy swallowed hard and answered in a low tone. "They are from the initiation chamber."

The first mural showed a noble Roman woman approaching a priestess or matron seated on a throne, by which stands a small boy reading a scroll. This is presumably the declaration of the initiation. On the other side of the throne the young female initiate is shown again, in a purple robe and myrtle crown, holding a sprig of laurel, and a tray of cakes.

Another mural showed the initiate returning; she now carries a staff and wears a cap, items often presented after the successful completion of an ordeal. She kneels before the priestess and then appears to be whipped by a winged female figure.

There were many more murals. Cindy inspected more than a dozen of them. Cindy recalled seeing pictures of most of them from her textbooks, but there were many that she did not recognize at all. She saw one mural that showed a figure wearing the mask of a beast with a phallus in his or her hand. The figure towered over the initiate and was tall as a man, but had the shapely body of a woman.

Cindy stared a long time at the mural wondering where it had come from and what it meant. "The mystery cults. You mentioned them last night."

Natalie replied, "Yes. These murals are from the mystery cults of Dionysus. Are you familiar with their rituals and traditions?"

"Somewhat... I know that they are thought to have started as a cult that revolved around the drinking of wine. They later evolved into a cult that celebrated the sexual pleasures as well. They died out hundreds of years ago."

"Did they?"

"Yes. The Roman's attempted to stamp them out. They went underground and gradually faded away."

"It is true that the mystery cults were persecuted. Can you imagine why the initiation ritual was so important to them?'

"Yes. They depended on complete loyalty and submission to the cult for their survival. A single traitor among them could bring death to them all. They would show no mercy to an unproven initiate."

"Do you recall what was required of a female initiate to the mystery cult?"

Cindy shivered in the cold room. She thought a moment before responding. Cindy recited the lines of her textbook which had been burned into her photographic memory: "The young woman was prepared as a bride of Dionysus, an Ariadne, and encountered him in union in the underworld. The ritual symbol of Dionysus was hidden in the Arc till the culmination of the female rites. They usually used a goat's penis and later fig wood phallus. The phallus was only removed from the Arc at the culmination when the bride was taken. After which she undertook a similar communion or wedding feast."

Natalie allowed the statement to hang in the air. Cindy shivered again. She once more circled the room looking at all the murals. She was certain that she had never seen a number of them. Art history was her passion. She was sure she would remember scenes as vivid and disturbing as the ones she saw now.

Cindy exclaimed, "About a third of these murals don't exist! They are unknown to the scholars. How can you have such perfect reproductions here of things that the Smithsonian has never seen?"

Lady Natalie replied, "Of course they exist. You are looking at them now. Perhaps you simply do not remember all of the murals."

"No. I'm certain that a number of these scenes are unknown to the scholars. I've never seen them in any textbook."

Cindy shivered again and said, "I'd like to go upstairs now."

"Of course." Natalie replied, but she did not move away from the doorway. She beckoned to Cindy holding out her hands. Cindy turned and took her hands as Natalie drew her closer. Natalie brought her hands slowly up Cindy's arms and caressed the back of her neck finally drawing her close enough to kiss her fully on the lips. Lady Natalie caressed the girls lips with her own until she knew that Cindy was feeling the desire once more. Natalie said, "Remember your promise. There can be no turning back now"

Cindy followed her back upstairs to the lobby feeling tense and feverish. Cindy now knew what it meant to be hot. She was burning up with desire as if she had the flu or something. She was also terrified of her own feelings.

I was outside in courtyard looking for Cindy when I saw the younger woman from our dinner last night. She was wearing a simple gray uniform that said "Jan" over the breast pocket. I said hello, but she did not acknowledge my presence as she continued to work in the garden. I walked over to her and said hello again when she turned and whispered to me, "You should try to leave. The young lady too, but especially you."

"I can't leave. My car is broken down. Why should I try?"

"I can't talk about it. I've already said too much. I just wanted to warn you. Hotel California is a lovely place but it can be hard to leave."

"I have no idea what you are talking about"

"Never mind then." She whispered. The girl was strange. She was pretty yet plain with no makeup and no personality. I was as if the life had been sucked out of her. Her skin was so white that it looked like a prison pallor and she would only speak in a whisper.

I returned to the lobby to find Lady Natalie and Cindy talking about some kind of artwork. I told Cindy about the car trouble and her face turned ashen. She sucked in her breath and asked, "Are you sure it cannot be fixed?"

I told them that the part would be there tomorrow and Natalie commented that she was sure that we would enjoy another night at the Hotel California since it was such a lovely place. She excused herself as Cindy and I went to the dining room for breakfast.

Natalie summoned Howard, Brenda, Jan and the desk clerk to her sitting room while we breakfasted downstairs. She began the meeting by interrogating Howard.

"I'm aware that you did as I asked. Are you certain that there is no way that their car can run?"

"Absolutely none. I am certain."

"Is there any possibility that they suspect you?"

"I seriously doubt it. The young man was highly grateful that I offered to help."

"Excellent. Everything must go perfectly. There must be no mistakes. You should all be aware—the young woman is a virgin."

There was a stunned silence in the room. Brenda broke the silence by whispering, "It is a sign."

"Yes Brenda. I'm sure that it is just that. How did you find Robert last night?"

Brenda rolled her eyes. "He's certainly not a virgin that's for sure. He was like an untamed stallion—wild and virile."

"Did you tame him?"

"Not entirely. I did enjoy the sex though."

"Perhaps I shall handle the taming of Robert personally. Cindy has already assumed a submissive role toward me and worships me freely. Having her watch as I possess her fiancé would be an excellent way to further her bond of dedication."

Howard piped in, "There has never been a man who would not desire you more than any other my priestess. I am sure that Robert will be yours as fully as I am."

"I have never questioned your dedication Howard. I may reward you after this matter has been settled. Is there any slave you desire? If so please name her now and I will consider making her yours."

Howard leered at Jan and said, "I would be greatly pleased to have Jan."

Jan's face looked terrified. Howard had a reputation for being very hard on a slave girl. She had been serving as Natalie's personal assistant, traveling companion, and slave for several years. The thought of being Howard's filled her with revulsion and made her nauseas.

Natalie responded, "Jan has served me well and is very special to me. I'll consider providing her to you when this whole matter is concluded."

The meeting broke up with a final promise that there would be no mistakes.

Cindy and I breakfasted downstairs in the restaurant. The room was not nearly as crowded as it had been the night before and we had a table to ourselves. Our server was a young woman with the name Traci stitched on her waitress uniform. She had short brown hair, very slender hips, and the flat chest of a young girl. Traci looked as if she was not a day over fourteen years old, but of course I assumed she was older than that. I ordered a mountain of pancakes, but Cindy did not order any food. Cindy was withdrawn and seemed very nervous.

"What's the matter honey?" I inquired. "Are you upset because of the car?"

"No. Its this place. It's giving me the creeps. Well, maybe yes. I am very concerned that the car won't run. You said it was fine..."

"It was fine. I don't know why it broke, but shit happens. At least we have a nice place to stay while we wait to get it fixed."

"It may be nice, but it is very strange. Have you noticed that no other guests have arrived since we got here? Moreover, no one seems to leave either. Its like all these people are living here or something."

"Oh, I'm sure other guests have arrived and some people must have left."

Cindy continued in a whisper, "There is something else. Lady Natalie showed me some artwork. The murals are from a mystery cult that died out over a thousand years ago."

"That's wonderful Cindy! I had a feeling the two of you would hit it off!"

Cindy glared at me and responded, "Robert it is not wonderful. What it they didn't die out? What if the ancient cult is still around? I think this hotel may be their home, or one of their homes."

I laughed aloud. "Cindy. You have been reading too many of your old books. This is just an old railroad hotel in southern California! There is no cult around here."

Cindy was so angry with me that she did not speak for several minutes. I dove into the plate of pancakes that Traci had brought. Finally Cindy calmed down enough to respond.

"I really wish you would not insult me Robert. I was discussing a matter with you that you know little about. You have to admit that this hotel is really strange. For one thing they have very few guests and a lot of staff. I'll bet there are several staff members for every guest. How does this place make any money? "

I thought a moment and said, "Perhaps they make money by booking conventions or something. A lot of hotels stay empty except when they have a group or convention in town."

Now Cindy laughed uproariously. "Convention business? Out here in the middle of the desert? And you think my idea is absurd?"

Cindy laughed until tears streamed down her face. She continued to cry for a few moments after she stopped laughing. I knew that she was very upset about something and I sensed that it was something that we had not discussed.

"You are upset because of what happened between you and Natalie." I stated.

"Yes."

"You made love with her I assume. Was it so awful?"

"No. It was wonderful. She made me feel things that I did not know I could feel. Robert... I'm really not sure if I am ready to talk about this."

"I don't understand. If it was wonderful then why are you upset?"

"She made me promise things. I just want to leave this place."

We got up from the table and left a generous tip for Traci. Once more we strolled out into the courtyard and roamed the gardens of Hotel California. The grounds were extensive. There were many varieties of trees and rows of flowers along the garden paths. About a dozen workers could be seen tending to the grounds. Here in the desert watering and gardening must have taken almost all of their time. There was even a greenhouse toward the rear of the property. The center of the courtyard held a small telephone pole, but there were no wires attached to it. As we came closer to the center we noticed that the pole was centered in a four foot by four-foot stone foundation. There were ashes scattered around the stones.