Chapter 15

"Y'know, when I was a kid," Victoria said, "and that was longer ago than I'll ever admit to – before I met Ric and we migrated to Solar City – there were fairs with food courts and stuff..."

"Really?" Michael asked politely, talking around a much smaller bite than Victoria had in her mouth.

"Yep!" Victoria continued. "And I think that was the last time I ever had a Kraut Dog! Before today, I mean..."

"Well, this is still pretty new to me," Michael admitted. "Before the Great Migration ten years ago, we pretty much just ate roasted pigs, rabbits and deer. This whole idea of food prepared 'en masse' is becoming very popular. I think it's going to be a new industry."

"There are quite a few changes these days," Cherrill said. "Just like when the goddesses first arrived three hundred years ago, there was a major upheaval in the way things were decided – they pretty much just took over running the place. And now, we have a king and queen who insist that we govern ourselves, an advanced new species which I'm trying to become a part of, and wormholes all over the place providing air, water and access to the unlimited resources of Earth's distant past."

"Where do you get those numbers?" Michael laughed. "The Great Bard Geoffrey recorded his observations in The Coming of the Goddess of the Land firsthand, and he's not two hundred, yet! Miss Victoria, what year was it on Earth when you left?"

"Um, 2131, I think," Victoria replied. "Your seasons and years here have confused me so much that I'm not sure anymore what year it is now, or how long I've actually been here. You say we Earthers arrived ten years ago, so I think we're in the year 2141, now."

"Ten of our years is seventeen of yours," Cherrill replied. "I remember that from my studies."

"So this is 2148?" Victoria asked, raising her eyebrows. "God! I was born in 2096! I certainly don't feel ... Oh my!"

"Healthy food and the light gravity keep you young," Michael grinned. "I'm eighty-seven, and that's New Eden years!"

"But your mother is a goddess!" Cherrill exclaimed. "You'll live for a thousand years, at least!"

"I hope so," Michael jested, then noticing the dimming of the southern crystal sun, added, "But, it's getting dark. If we're going to attend at the Goddess' Temple, we should go now."

"What if your mother is there?" Victoria asked, actually hoping the Golden Goddess (and her reputedly bare pussy) would be available as Cherrill had mentioned earlier.

"What if she is?" Michael asked, not understanding the question.

"Well," Victoria sounded a little embarrassed, now. "I mean, there are going to be men there, and they'll be ... well, um, having sex with her ... with your mother! Doesn't that bother you?"

"Not to worry," Michael replied. "There will be enough men, and women as well, to go a ... Oh! I see what you're asking!" he laughed. "No, it doesn't bother me to see men having, as you put it, 'having sex' with my mother. They love and adore her as their goddess, and sex is simply the way to express that love and adoration. It's perfectly natural for a man to want to worship with her."

"Have you had sex ... I mean, worshipped... with her?" Victoria asked, her mind reeling with these groundbreaking hedonistic ideas.

"Would it bother you if I said 'yes'?" Michael asked, then he laughed when he saw the look of pure shock on the girl's face. "I haven't, if you must know. But I have worshipped with several of my aunts – her sisters ... They're goddesses, too, and worship, while not required, is encouraged."

"Ric and I are definitely moving here!" Victoria grinned as the three ascended the wide granite steps of the Goddess' Temple.

"Well," Cherrill interrupted, "You're actually moving to Lake View, first – your Phoenix training ... Remember?"

"Oh, yeah..." Victoria replied, wondering what would come of that. She kept thinking of Ric all alone in that distant lodge, wondering how he was occupying himself with her not there to keep him entertained.

Then they were being crowded toward the center of a large, domed room. The scent of freshly washed bodies was the strongest aroma, followed by the scent of something being roasted.

"They have food here?" Victoria asked, curious, but not very hungry.

"There is always a table prepared for nourishment," Michael replied in explanation. "Some worshippers stay far into the night."

"So ... where does all this 'worshipping' take place?" was the next question out of her mouth.

Michael rolled his eyes toward he ceiling. "Up there – on the upper floors. There are receiving rooms – audience chambers where the presiding goddess will conduct her services. Different goddesses prefer different chambers."

"How many goddesses are here tonight?" Cherrill asked, knowing Victoria would want to know – especially about one hot blonde, in particular.

Michael closed his eyes, seeming to concentrate for a moment, then opened them again. "Three. Princess Lisa is here, as well," he smiled. "This is unusual, because the princess doesn't normally accept male worshippers."

He closed his eyes again, communing with the goddesses waiting above. "The princess wishes to see you!"

"What?" Victoria asked, surprised. "Right now?"

Michael nodded.

"Both of us?" Cherrill asked, also surprised.

Another nod from Michael as he grinned at the two of them.

"Well," Cherrill said, nudging Victoria toward the ornate stone staircase that ascended one wall. "I guess we should go up, then."

Michael escorted the girls to the staircase, then hesitated as they started up.

"Aren't you coming?" Cherrill asked.

"I am instructed to be somewhere," Michael replied, as politely as possible. "But," he grinned, "I fully intend to seek you out later, my darling ladies." He bowed, very formally. "Until then."

"Okay," Victoria said, grinning at him. To Cherrill, she said, on their way up the wide staircase, "I feel like bloody royalty! – Invited to see the Princess? Of course, madam! Right this way! The Princess awaits!" Both girls laughed at that.

A few minutes later, they were thoroughly lost in the upper floors of the huge temple. "Where the hell are we?" Victoria lamented, then suddenly gasped as strange images flooded into her mind, "What's happening?"

"What?" Cherrill asked, not seeing anything unusual.

'The Protector of the Realm is down the hall to your right, waiting within the chambers of the second door.'

"Did you hear that?" Victoria gasped, nearly shaking with surprise and excitement.

"Hear what?" Cherrill asked, confused and a little annoyed at Victoria's unwarranted behavior.

"That voice!" Victoria explained. "It told me where the ... where we're supposed to go!"

"The Praetor spoke to you?" Cherrill asked, her turn to be astonished, now. "You must have asked it a question. It usually only responds to direct inquiries. And usually only to those with privileged access."

Victoria shrugged, not knowing how to answer.

"No matter," Cherrill said, returning Victoria's shrug, "It has evidently decided you're one of us, now!"

Cherrill followed Victoria, now, wondering why the Praetor hadn't included her in its little conversation. After all, she was the one who'd brought Victoria here, and it had been her idea that Victoria might make a good Phoenix. Although they were both guests in the Goddess' Temple, Cherrill considered that she was Victoria's host and guide, and definitely felt she'd been bypassed in her duties when the Praetor had addressed Victoria directly.

Victoria stopped in front of a large, wood-paneled door. As she raised her knuckles to knock, the door swung open, seemingly by itself, to reveal Lisa on a dark, red-satin bedspread, lying naked with one elbow supporting her upper half. Staring at Lisa as she entered the room, she realized Lisa looked like a great long cat, watching languidly as its dinner approached. She looked very capable – and dangerous!

"It is wise of you to be wary of me," Lisa greeted her with a slight smile.

As Cherrill followed Victoria into the room, two men suddenly appeared beside each of them, tossing a heavy, dark cloak over each girl's head and grabbing them tightly.

Victoria reacted the instant she detected movement out of the corner of her eye and managed to get turned around so that she was pummeling her attacker even as the cloak settled over her head. Then attacker and victim fell to the softly carpeted floor in a writhing, squealing heap.

Cherrill was thoroughly pinned by her attacker, and blinded by the heavy cloak over her head. After struggling for a few seconds, she realized her cause was hopeless, and went limp against her attacker, signaling that, for her, the fight was over.

In the meantime, Victoria's frightened yelps were turning into snarls of righteous rage as she discovered she was holding her own against this strange man who had obviously tried to kidnap her only seconds before. In a few more seconds, as she realized that her attacker was no longer fighting back, Victoria backed away so she could see everyone in the room, prepared to fight again, if necessary. Her eyes widened as she realized that the man holding Cherrill was none other than Michael, the son of the Golden Goddess!

"Well done," Lisa commented, gazing at Victoria as the girl stood shaking with righteous anger and perhaps a bit of fear.

"Not so well done for you, Cherrill," Lisa continued as the second man pulled the cloak off Cherrill's tousled head. "You allowed yourself to be overcome. You went off your guard and stopped paying attention to your surroundings."

"Kill her," Lisa quietly commanded to the man holding Cherrill.

"No! Wait!" Cherrill yelped as Michael drew his dagger. Now, Cherrill fought – jabbing Michael hard in the chest with her elbow and stomping on his left foot, causing him to lose his balance and topple backward. The second man, whom Victoria had fought to a standstill a moment ago grabbed Cherrill, his hands pinning her arms against her sides as he lifted the girl off the ground so that she had no leverage to hit or kick him. Michael quickly jumped to his feet, dagger in hand, and rushed toward Cherrill.

Terrified for her friend's safety, Victoria grabbed a vase and hurled it with an angry snarl toward the man who had made love to her and Cherrill only an hour before. The vase struck Michael's arm and knocked the knife out of his grasp. In the meantime, Cherrill pulled her legs up against her chest and kicked out as hard as she could, striking Michael in the chest with her feet and knocking him backward. The thrust also toppled the man holding Cherrill's arms and they both crashed to the floor.

Infuriated now, Cherrill rolled off the evil assassin and stood up, creating a ball of fire in each hand.

"Macario!" Cherrill snarled. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now!"

"You know who he is?" Victoria asked, surprised that Cherrill addressed her attacker by name.