Mistress of Siren Cove Ch. 16-18

Elysia and her mother oversaw but did not get directly involved in, the island's most important activity, neutralizing threats. However, they were directly involved in identifying threats. The pair spent every day exerting their powers to locate masculine energy surges that could mean death or destruction. The Mistress, with Elysia's help, made the final decision on whether to use the island's resources to act on a threat.

Direct involvement in off-island operations was Antoinette's primary task, although her advancing pregnancy prevented her from leaving the island. She was content to work in the operations office, directing and supervising sirens and other island people out in the field. As always, sirens were charged with seducing and controlling men, and other islanders did everything else.

After a couple of months of planning, work on Connor's lab began. It was not a large lab, but it was well-equipped and had space enough for building prototypes. Initially, it was Connor and two engineers who were already on the island. Plans were already in place to identify and recruit several climate scientists from off-island. Recruitment of this kind was a delicate activity, given that the island had to remain secret. However, the Palace had both men and women who were practiced in doing this.

Recruiting men was the easiest, though it was time-consuming. Several men off the island would be identified as having skills that the island needed. Ordinarily, they would be single men. Once identified, they would be entrapped and bound to a siren. While bound, the men could be questioned to determine their suitability. It was always a gamble, but the recruiters had a good idea of the personality types that would thrive on the island. When they made a mistake, the person's memory would have to be modified before allowing them to leave the island, taking a good amount of severance pay with them.

Women were more difficult since they could not be bound by the sirens. In addition, their position on the island would be much different than men, since women without power were sometimes looked down upon. The types of women that were suitable for coming to the island were those who were highly skilled and confident in their abilities, so that they would not be concerned that they were not sirens. In addition, they ordinarily did not come to the island with a mate, and men on the island made very poor mates. So, the women who came usually had to be comfortable living alone, or they had to want to take a woman as a mate. There were many sirens on the island who desired a smart, capable woman as a mate, so if a recruit wanted this it was usually available.

In Connor's case, he would meet with the recruits remotely once they had been vetted by Palace personnel. In this way, he added one man and two women to his lab. All were climate-science experts and came from academia. They knew of Connor Bechner and were thrilled with the idea of working with him, having a practically unlimited budget, on a beautiful tropical island.

Connor had complete access to his work and patents, from the lab in Switzerland, and he and his team would spend the next few years working to solve the problems in the technology while saving its primary benefit, the removal of climate-damaging greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Sometimes, while engaged in a particular line of research, he would spend long hours in the lab with his colleagues, and would at times sleep there, on a cot in his office. Most days he was back with Elysia and Lorelei at a reasonable hour.

As a Siren, Elysia felt the urge to pursue and lay with the men of the Palace. Connor knew this and did not object. This was what he had signed up for in becoming her mate on the island. But it worked both ways. The siren women could not entrap Connor, because he was immune, but that did not stop them from pursuing him. These women were by nature free with their bodies, and he would occasionally succumb to them. He would always tell Elysia, who was genuinely happy for him, as she would be for her husband, Andrew. It was the island way, and as a siren, it was her way.

Antoinette regularly slept with them, and Connor had learned to allow himself to come under the siren spell, which enhanced the pleasure of their lovemaking. Andrew would regularly visit them, and sometimes it was Andrew and Elysia, Andrew and Antoinette, or all three. Connor sometimes joined Andrew and Elysia, and Connor looked forward to these times because he had learned to allow himself to come under the siren spell, even though it had no power over him, and could share in the intense pleasure created by Andrew and Elysia.

Antoinette continued to enjoy the company of many men, even though she was big with the coming child. She made sure that her lovers were gentle with her. Part of their lovemaking included massaging and oiling her body and massaging her legs and feet. She made sure that for her men, this was as pleasurable as any part of their lying together. She finally gave birth to a baby girl she named Talia.

Around the end of Connor's first year, Elysia became pregnant with her second child. Connor had long wanted a child, and Elysia had begun craving a baby as well. Her mother was very happy because a baby girl would further ensure the survival of the line of Mistresses. Elysia had been afraid during her first pregnancy; afraid for the child, afraid she would be a bad mother, and afraid of the coming ordeal of giving birth. This time, as her body grew with the baby, she felt more and more uncomfortable, but she was not afraid. She even looked forward to giving birth because after that, she would hold her new baby girl.

She and Connor sometimes went out to the spot on the far end of the island where they had made love shortly after Connor came there. They went there several times a year. She was in her seventh month, but they made love again, and again lay naked under the sky. She was as happy as she believed she could be, and she could see that same happiness in the face of Connor.

Elysia gave birth to a girl, whom she named Nixie. She was a dark-eyed little siren girl and immediately became Lorelei's living doll. In the nursery, Lorelei helped Marina, the nanny, take care of the two babies, feeling herself very grown-up while helping to change their diapers, wash them, rock them when they fussed, and sometimes slept next to them.

Chapter 18: The Mother Goddess speaks

Elysia and her mother still held daily sessions devoted to reading the energies of the world. One day, they both sensed something very strange. It was evil energy, and of a kind they had never experienced. They spent the remainder of the day trying to figure out what they were feeling, but it was something completely foreign to both.

One of the powers of the Mistress, which Elysia would have only when she inherited that title, was the ability to speak with the Mistresses of the past. This power was used for receiving counsel on hard matters, which was especially useful for a new Mistress. These were not living humans they talked to, nor ghostly spirits. A woman would take counsel with the island itself. The island saved the thoughts and feelings of past Mistresses for just this purpose. Each Mistress performed a ritual bath, once every few weeks, in a clear pool beneath the Palace. Only the Mistress could enter the room where the pool resided. As the woman bathed, she emptied her mind, and allowed the water to receive her thoughts and memories, which were then absorbed by the surrounding stone basin of the pool. The individual personality of each Mistress was also held in the stone.

When seeking counsel, a woman, while bathing, could ask for the advice of a specific Mistress of the past or could ask for the counsel of all of them, even the most ancient ones. As she sat in the pool, Elysia's mother asked for the wisdom and counsel of all. Holding the image and feeling of the strange energy in her mind, she asked what it was. She waited patiently for an answer, allowing her mind to be open to the vast knowledge of this place.

After some time, words were spoken to her, although there was no sound. "Daughter of the island, the energy you bring to us is ancient and evil. It has not been felt in this world for a thousand years. It is the energy of the ancient cult of Karnos, and that cult was once the great foe of this island. Karnos, whom this cult worships, was the nemesis of the Mother Goddess. He loved war and destruction and was finally defeated and imprisoned by the Goddess two thousand years ago. After he was imprisoned, there rose up men who also loved war and destruction, and they tried to free him. That cult died out of the world a thousand years ago. If you feel this energy, then we fear it has arisen again. You should fear them, daughter."

"And what do those of us on this island have to fear from these men?"

"The cult of Karnos believed that if they destroyed this island, they would weaken the magic that held Karnos in his prison."

"Have they tried to destroy the island in the past?"

"Yes, daughter, many times they tried, but our power over men always defeated them. In the past, they tried to use men who were immune to our power as weapons against us. Because you are feeling the rise of their energy, they may be trying this again. Beware, therefore, of the man who lives among you now, who does not feel your power. This is all the counsel we can give you."

The voice was silent, and the Mistress left the pool. She went back to her study and thought for a long time. She saw two possibilities, both involving Connor Bechner, whose immunity was rare. Either he was working with the cult from within to harm the island, or he was the target of the cult, which might try to capture him and use him for their own ends. She did not think the former because he would have had to hide this from her, Elysia, and Miriam, all of whom would have been able to sense traitorous intentions.

She called for Elysia to come to her, and while she was waiting, she continued to gather her thoughts. Why would the cult arise now? How would they even know about the island? Or maybe they were not concerned with the island at all?

And what about the Mother Goddess? Is she no more? There were many rituals on the island performed in her name, but few true believers. The Mistress's own belief in the Mother Goddess was firm but not avid. Given the magics that gave the sirens their power, gave her special powers, hid the island, and allowed her to speak with the ancient ones, her faith in the Mother Goddess should be absolute. But it was the Mother Goddess of old who provided this magic. As Mother Goddess worship faded from the world, would the Mother Goddess herself leave this world as well? But the magic her people enjoyed still functioned. Would that not be a sign that she still watched over them?

Elysia knocked quietly, and the door automatically opened for her. This was another magic. The door knew Elysia was expected, so it opened for her. Had it been someone else, the door would have remained shut and it would have taken many strong men to force it open.

"Daughter, sit, I have much to tell you."

The Mistress explained the counsel she received at the pool and shared her own thoughts with the young woman.

"And the Mother Goddess? I have learned the rituals, studied the old scrolls and texts, and seen the magic of this island, but I can't make myself believe."

"I understand, child. We know so much about the world of today, so much that what we know crowds out what we don't know. Things must be proven before we allow ourselves to believe in them, and those things that cannot be proven simply do not exist."

"The Mother Goddess may be with us now, in this very room, but we cannot see or hear her."

"Maybe if we open our hearts, she will speak to us. I believe, daughter, or at least I want to believe, that the Mother Goddess is among us, and we have simply forgotten how to listen."

"Now, as I said, I do not believe Connor is a traitor. He could not have hidden such energy from us. If the ancients are correct, then the cultists will try to use him to get to us. He needs to be vigilant. I think a guard of sirens should be around him at all times until we are sure he is safe."

"Yes, mother. I'll call him now to warn him."

Elysia called his cellphone, but there was no answer. Then she called the lab. One of the scientists answered.

"This is Elysia, is Connor there?"

"No, he was unexpectedly called off the island to meet an old colleague. He is due back around 4 am."

Elysia called the airfield, and they confirmed that he had just taken off on the first plane of the evening.

"Contact the plane and have them turn around. He must return to the island. These are orders of the Mistress." She glanced at her mother as she said this. The Mistress nodded.

Ten minutes later, the airfield called back and said they could not reach the plane. Elysia knew where he was supposed to be and who he was supposed to meet. It was at a hotel on a neighboring island. She contacted both the airport and the hotel, asking to talk to Connor as soon as they saw him. Two hours later, the airport called to tell her that his plane had never arrived.

Elysia was stunned by this news, and the feeling in her was strong that something had happened to him. Either there was a crash, or he was taken. Her first thought was he was taken by the cultists. She did not know why, but she was sure of it. A great fear arose in her as well as overwhelming sorrow, as she imagined herself losing him. She ran to her room, lay on her bed, and wept. Antoinette came in to sit with her and wept with her as well. Her tears of sorrow, fear, and loneliness flowed for a long time.

"I love him, Annie. In my whole life, I have never loved anyone so much. I know he was taken, and part of me is with him, wherever he is." Then she stopped herself from crying, got up, and steeled herself for whatever was to come.

The next day there was a search for the missing plane in the waters and small islands on the route to the plane's destination. Neither Elysia nor her mother expected anything to be found. The two had combined their powers and searched for energies along that route and could not find a hint of a crashed plane.

Perhaps the plane was somehow forced off its route, or the pilot was dishonest. Their belief was that the plane had flown someplace else and taken Connor with it. To cap it off, the man Connor was supposed to meet never left his home in California.

They were sure Connor had been taken. The Mistress and her daughter combined their powers to feel the energy of the plane that took him and feel the people on the plane. They could feel threads of the energy of the cultists, so they probably paid off the pilot to fly Connor somewhere. They also felt Connor. But these were old and fading traces of energy. There was nothing near them now.

"Tonight, we will sit vigil," said the Mistress. "We will sit in the garden and open our minds and hearts to the Mother Goddess."

"Will she speak with us, tell us anything?"

"I do not know. In the past, after taking counsel with the old ones, I once sat, beseeching guidance from the Mother. This was when my sister took you from the island. I was very young then, becoming Mistress when my mother died in an accident. I sat many nights seeking comfort, praying for help to get you back, and praying for revenge. The Mother Goddess never appeared to me, as many of the Mistresses claimed she had for them. But one night as I waited, with tears in my eyes, I heard her speak to me, telling me that I would find you again. I did not know I would have to wait twenty years. I sometimes despaired as I waited, and came to believe you were truly gone, but I kept looking for you."

A small fire was kindled, and both women painted the signs of the Goddess on their faces, breasts, and wombs. They sat, naked, under the bright moon and waited. It was a cool night, but the fire provided some warmth. They had several questions needing answers, which they spoke aloud to the sky.

"Oh, Mother Goddess, where is Connor?"

"How do we get him back?"

"What are the cultists planning to do with him?"

"How can we protect the island?"

Over and over, they recited their questions together. The Mistress spoke firmly, while Elysia, when she spoke his name, said it with a sob.

After the night ended, they both slept until noon, went about their normal duties, and supervised the analysts and lore masters who were also searching for answers. Mother and daughter fasted all this time. The Mistress went to the pool for further guidance and the old ones told her to have faith.

"In my darkest time, when I faced these cultists, over a thousand years ago, I was yet seventeen and newly made Mistress. I fasted and sat waiting for days until I could barely remain upright, and finally she came to me. She stood shining before me and held me up as I was about to fall from exhaustion. She cradled me like a babe, and because I was weak with hunger, gave me her breast, and as I suckled, I heard her wisdom. She told me how to build special boats and sail out to meet the cultists with my women, and there in the middle of the sea, we caused many to go mad and slay themselves and their fellows. Have faith, she will come to you."

They sat side-by-side the second night, which was cooler. They held their questions in their hearts and opened themselves to the Mother.

Afterward, the Mistress again went into the pool, and her own dead mother spoke to her.

"Daughter, the Mother Goddess will come to you as she came to me while I lay dying. I prayed that she would grant you the strength, as young as you were, to bear the life and responsibilities of the Mistress. She told me she would give you the strength you would need when the time came for you to face your hardest challenge. She gave your daughter back to you, after forcing her to live apart from you for twenty years, which made your daughter strong, and able to help you now. This was her promise to me, to give you strength, and I died peacefully in the knowledge that you would have the support you needed. Trust in your daughter. Trust in your combined strength."

The next night they were both dizzy from fasting and exhaustion. Both had worked during the day trying to anticipate what form the attack would take. They sat in the garden, both of their bodies bright with the reflection of the moon, and the Mother Goddess came to them.

"I once again come to this island in your time of need. I have watched you for many years and I am proud of what you have done. You, daughter Elysia, never knew me, and did not have a chance to learn to believe in me, but your heart called out to me. You are truly a daughter of this island and deserve my help. You, daughter Mistress, who have always listened to the counsel of those who knew me, and have faithfully honored my name, though I have only once spoken to you. You also called to me with your heart, and I will help you. Ask your question."

"Oh, Mother Goddess, where is Connor?" asked Elysia.

"He has been taken by those who worship my great enemy, Karnos, the destroyer."

"What for? Do they want to use him to attack the island?" asked the Mistress.

"Yes, they wish to become as he is, so that my daughters are powerless against them. If they take this island and destroy its people, the bars of my enemy's prison will weaken, and break, and he will be loosed upon the world."

"How do we get Connor back and prevent them from using him?" asked Elysia.

"You must find him before they can become him. You must stop them, and time is short. Use the tools you know, and use your scientists. You have the knowledge you have acquired on this Earth and must use it to stop them. If they become like him, I may not be able to protect you, and all will be lost. They are far away, but you, my daughters, are strong. Be firm in your belief and I will make you stronger still. Each of you, take my hands."