From the Beginning: The Old World (23 page)

“Now I suggest that you rest up and save your energy. You will need your strength later, when the time comes. Are you ready Grace? Will you be truly prepared to fill your greatest calling on this earth and sacrifice yourself for the sake of humanity?” She stood up and left the place, entering back into the extra niche in the cave, carrying sleeping Jonathan with her. Her words echoed in my head like war drums…

* * *

The hours passed slowly. I leaned on the cave’s wall, my hands still bound, and I laid my head back to try and catch a little nap. My thoughts were too distraught for me to sleep but at the end the fatigue and exhaustion caught on and my eyes closed.

I didn’t know how long I had slept, but suddenly Cole’s voice sounded again, disturbing my sleep, awakening me from my nap. My heart started pounding in fear again.

“Nice! I see you managed to rest, very important,” he chuckled with contempt.

“You can stop the pretense Cole, it’s not like you really care,” I replied coldly.

“You are right—I don’t really care—and yet, my enjoyment will be doubled when you fight me with all your might and I break you and bring you down for all to see, and then—” He paused and looked deeply into my eyes— “That surprise I will leave for the ceremony.” He winked as if pretending to joke. “Girls! Take this woman and bath her! She has to be clean for the ceremony, and so do you,” he ordered the group of young women and only now I noticed the little bulges on their stomachs.

The girls, rushing to comply immediately with Cole’s orders, led me to another space in the cave, there a sight was revealed to me, that if I didn’t know what it was used for, I would call it “spectacular”: it was a covered space with a large basin inside, and to my astonishment the water was steaming! Around it, inside little grooves in the walls of the cave, there were many little oil candles, spreading a soft light and a pleasant aromatic scent. My eyes widened in awe.

“A bath for the madam?” Cole whispered behind me, his lust came through clearly in his voice as he watched his slaves undress me.

“You must be joking?!” I gave him a skeptic look. “How exactly do you, Cole, fit in with this romantic setting? This is hardly your style,” I commented cynically about the setting of the room, which was ready and designed all for one purpose only.

“Hmmm… Correct. This isn’t my style. But, it is theirs—” he hinted with his head at the group of women who had just finished undressing me, and with my hands still bound, they led me gently into the little pool. “You will soon see and understand everything!” His vicious smile was spread on his face again.

“What are you up to now?” I asked trembling. The warm water caressed my body, and the pleasantness that filled me was in contrast to what was causing me to tremble from within.

“Relax darling. It’s a shame you won’t enjoy your bath. In general, I suggest you make the most of the nice things you will go through until the high moment of the ceremony, because afterward you’ll have real hell waiting for you! Priestess!!” He called out loud to his black priestess that appeared in the opening after a moment, carrying a beautiful antique urn.

“Pour your oil into the water. I want her soft, obedient and submissive—Just as I like!” My eyes opened wide in terror when I realized it was the same numbing oil she had told me about earlier. She approached the pool and bent over to pour the gooey liquid into the hot water, her eyes pleading me to understand her and to play along. “This is the only way you will beat him,” I imagined her eyes telling me without her speaking.

The oil mixed with the water, turning them into milky white, and the scent of invigorating heavy musk twirled in the air, threatening to daze me.

One by one the women came closer, moving their dark arms in the milky water that made for a perfect contrast to their skin, mixing the water, twirling it around me. Their eyes veiled and looked glazed, and then they closed on me in a circle.

A dozen pairs of hands started moving on my body, caressing, kneading, and massaging. A dozen mouths started kissing and licking me from head to toe, igniting the wildest vibe I had ever felt, when the effect of the oil started drugging my body and my senses.

My head spun and my limbs became weak. Against my will, I gave in to Cole’s slaves’ sensual arms, while he was standing on the side, observing what was happening in a sadistic pleasure. A voice was screaming in my head to flee for my life, but my body could not oblige, and so I found myself dizzy and drugged, the vibe turned on with a force like none I’ve ever experienced. I was trapped in my paralyzed body that caved in, and there was nothing I could do about it!

Cole’s chuckling and gloating voice filled the cave. I tried to yell at him, at them, I tried to call out to the black priestess to save me—but my voice wouldn’t come out. Even my vocal cords were limp and mute. My tongue rolled in my mouth and my eyes twirled in their sockets. More and more hands were touching, massaging, tantalizing, continuing to rub my body with the oily water, making love to me as they were drugged themselves as shown on their numb faces. After a while, which seemed like eternity, I felt as if my body had reached a climax many times, yet I felt no satisfaction—they pulled me out of the intoxicating water, and as I was, naked, wet and dripping with oily juices, they lifted me onto a soft cloth gurney, and four men from Cole’s guards carried me out of the cave.

The sun had already set outside, and a silent wind was blowing on my bare skin, whispering the dark secret of the altar I was led to like a sacrificial lamb.

The men lay me on the alter with my legs spread towards the Y-shaped opening and my head towards the straight edge. My ankles were bound to the horns of the altar. My hands, which were still tied at the wrists were finally cut loose only to be bound again to the altar itself.

For these brief few moments when I wasn’t touched by the black women, I regained some of my consciousness and could move my head a little. My eyes that regained focus noticed dozens of people that gathered on the parameter of the crater that surrounded the altar. It seemed like they were keeping their distance—intrigued and excited on the one hand, but afraid to come too close and be exposed to Cole’s wrath on the other.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another totem pole, not far from me, and Violet was bound to it. For a minute, I thought I saw her trying to untie the ropes behind her back, but stopped the instance someone looked at her. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to break loose or I just hoped she was.

The place became silent as Cole and his black priestess came out of the cave and approached the alter. Following them, came out Cole’s dozen poor and drugged slaves, who circled the altar and stood around me.

The black priestess passed through them and poured more of the drugging oil on their hands as they resumed massaging my body until again my body sank into a daze and the vibe burned inside me.

“Today is a great day!” Cole opened his speech to his people, his subjects and slaves who had peeked on the scene with a growing curiosity. “This evening is the last of three moonless nights, and the last day of our tribe women’s ovulation and fertility cycles. The best methods and means in which to make sure that a woman becomes pregnant was studied over the years, and when would be the optimal time to conceive a male baby or a female, a slave!” he uttered the words in contempt and scornfully. “It turns out that the last ovulation day is the best possible day to conceive a male child!” Where did he get this information? I could only guess that the black priestess misled him into thinking this.

“That is why tonight I shall fertilize this woman’s womb with my seed, and you will bear witness to the creation of a new baby that will become my first heir, a male boy that will succeed me and lead the new world! This is not another low and inferior woman, this is Grace—the high priestess of the near island that is situated not far from here. She made her way to me, under the assumption she could overpower me, but what she didn’t know is that the prophecy foretold that should she carry my son—he would follow in my footsteps and lead the world according to my beliefs and the education I will give him. You will soon witness my power and my potency, and you shall know the might of your leader, and why you should never undermine the rule of the black bird!” His voice echoed in my ear in a sound that alternated strong and faint strengths, going up and down like an un-tuned radio. I understood his words well, but I had no strength to resist. Drugged and vibrating I watched, as if from a hallucination. Cole approached the altar and stood at the foot of the altar on which my legs were spread apart. Only when he came near, I noticed that he wore an improvised crown and a ridiculous royal cape. He took the cape off, revealing to all, his firm naked body and his engorged penis.

Warm and stinging tears of humiliation streamed from my eyes to my temples when I felt his hands moving on my thighs, his fingers invading me—and I was being raped without the ability to fight.

Where is the struggle he talked about? Where is my opportunity to fight him and give him what he deserves? I could hear him growl like an animal in heat, moaning with sadistic pleasure mocking me in contempt for managing to fool me and humiliate me with hardly any effort. My heart was tearing inside, but my cry wasn’t heard. I could feel him penetrating me, sliding into me without difficulty or a hint of resistance. Even more so when I felt my vibe powerfully reacting to him.

“I remind you to do it gently. Otherwise, your plan will go wrong!” I heard the voice of the black priestess from above, advising Cole of the right way to perform his task, and I felt the knife of betrayal being plunged into my heart.

I cried, yelled, called for help—but not a sound came out of my mouth. My voices were screaming in my head, deafening my ears from within. I was positive a terrible dissonant noise was accompanying the proceedings, but it was the vibe in me that screeched with every move made by Cole’s body, who penetrated me again and again. The pace grew faster, and the women’s hands did not leave my body, making sure my skin was kept numb and my senses blurred. The vibe became stronger and stronger, up to a boiling point, and I had hoped that when it happened—I would blow up and die as well.  

Cole was so ecstatic, to a point he could not help himself and increased the penetrating rhythm, ignoring his priestess’s warnings, moaning and growling at his perfect revenge.

But when he was about to climax and pour his seed into me—the vibe blew up, hitting him like lightning! Cole was thrown back in a thrust, hitting the ground with force.

The crater became silent again. The repulsing massaging hands stopped moving and left my body, pulling away in panic. As soon as the touch ceased— my senses started to reawaken.

Cole shook his startled head, shocked to see that he spilled his sperm on himself and on the ground. He tried to stand up and staggered towards me, still overwhelmed by the force of the knock.

“What have you done to me??? You whore!!” he screamed at me when his legs failed him again and again trying to stabilize his stride.

“I warned you not to haste!” The ridiculing voice of the black priestess was heard behind me again.

“I didn’t hurry, you fat stinky nigger!” he yelled at her, furious, as he turned and approached her.

I suddenly realized that she was “buying” me some recovery time, as my senses sharpened with each minute that had passed, and the blur in my head started to lift.

“There was something else there! Her body rejected me, threw me out as if there was an incomprehensible barrier there! I don’t understand— you told me she was ready! So what the hell went wrong?? Tell me you dirty black witch or your child will pay the price!!!” He reached and stood in front of her grabbing her throat in threat squeezing the answer out of her.

This time she did not lower her eyes, and did not hunch, but returned a defying glistening look and said without fear. “The high priestess is already pregnant!!! Her children will lead humanity and the new world with love and kindness. Her womb is closed to you, and she will never bear your son! Your seed will die with you!” she called out in might, but soon a gurgle was heard when a knife was pinned to her throat.

“Nothing is closed! Not even her womb! You will take out the fetus from her uterus and next month we will do the whole thing again—and this time, she will accept my seed!! Is that clear?!” he yelled at her in rage, shaking from his madness, pushing her in my direction to the spot where my legs were spread open. 

“You will take out her baby now—or you will watch your son lose his life!” he threatened her savagely, and she hesitated with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Now!!!” he urged her again, pushing the knife more into her throat until a trickle of blood streamed down her dark skin. The Black priestess extended her hands to me and closed her eyes, praying silently, pleading for my forgiveness for what she was about to do.

A fighting roar came from somewhere, and someone charged towards them, knocking the black priestess over, just before she could place her hands on me…

* * *

Chaos broke in the vicinity of the altar.

The young black girls scattered everywhere screaming. The agitated crowd ran for their lives when they saw the black priestess being knocked to the ground. Cole tripped too, brought down by the weight of the priestess, squashing him. A cry of pain came out when Cole pushed her off him trying to get up.

At the same time, someone cut Violet’s ropes and she leaped to me, releasing my legs from the restraints, acting as fast as she could considering she was bound and couldn’t move for many hours.

“Get up!!” the voice of our savior was heard, thundering at Cole in a thick Arabic accent. “Get up on legs and fight me! Fight real man not poor womans!” Chamid challenged him.

We had never heard Chamid’s voice before then, which is why Violet and I were so surprised that Violet stopped for a minute from untying me, and I lifted my head to see what’s going on.

Cole managed to free himself from under the black priestess, who was hardly moving. I was afraid for her life. He rolled her heavy body aside as if she was an insignificant sack of potatoes, and hurried to stand on his feet with his knife drawn in front of him.

“Do you really think you can beat me?” he asked in contempt, checking Chamid up and down, still overwhelmed by the sudden attack.

“You are not a man!” Chamid spoke quietly to Cole, primed and ready for every move Cole would make. “You snake. Bad snake. You poison make bad things for people and world, but I not let you hurt our womens!” He spoke bravely and with courage, and Violet and I exchanged looks of amazement. “You take my son, and now I bring him and womens back, but if you want to fight me, I kill you first then go back to our island.” He detailed his surprising plan to Cole very calmly.

“You? Kill me?” Cole stared at him for a moment, wearing the face of distrust, and then burst out laughing. “You kill me?” His wild and mocking laughter echoed loudly in the crater.

Chamid did not need much more than that. He charged at Cole with his bare hands, aiming at his throat in the intention of choking him. He pounced on Cole, knocking him to the ground and falling after him. Both of them let out a cry of pain. They wrestled on the ground for a few moments more, rolling on top of each other with Chamid’s hands on Cole’s throat, and just as Chamid was on top of Cole and it seems like he had the upper hand—Cole’s knife penetrated Chamid’s side. A surprised cry of pain came from Chamid, and another tormented cry when Cole stabbed him over and over again as if he was possessed.

“Chamid!!!” Violet shouted and leaned to him, grabbing his leg dragging and pulling him away from Cole, who had jumped to his feet and fled back, with Chamid’s blood smeared all over his body.

“You filthy Arab! Look what you did to me!!” His eyes blackened in madness as he was getting ready to charge Chamid and Violet. When he practically stood on top of them, raising his knife-holding hand—I raised my arms, my hands holding a big rock, and stroked his head as hard as I could.

“He is not an Arab—he is a human being!!” I screamed at him, possessed myself, and struck again.  At the first strike, he dropped the knife, after the second strike, his hands went limp and his knees shook and collapsed. After the third and fourth strikes, he dropped to the ground convulsing with his last twitches.

I closed my eyes and struck him one last time, stopping his seizures, making sure that this time I had finished my task.

Blood came flowing from his head, running rapidly on the ground creating a pool of blood that kept on growing.  I stood above him for a while, the rock still in my hands, waiting to see if showed any signs of life.

“Grace!!! He’s dead!!” Violet’s broken voice woke me from the shock I was in. The rock dropped from my hand and landed in the pool of blood. I leaned to Violet and Chamid, who was nestled in her arms. Violet’s face was covered in tears.

“Chamid is dead, Grace. Cole killed him,” she sniffed and pinned him to her with love.

“Chamid did not die in vain, Violet. Chamid sacrificed himself for us, and gave his life for the sake of his son and a better future for all of us.” I stood up again, covering my naked body with the cape I ripped off Cole’s dead body and called out loud: “Dear people! The black bird is dead!!!” My voice echoed in the crater, carried up into the dark skies and throughout the island. “From this day forward you shall know fear no more, and you will not be forced to live under violence, evil and tyranny like you knew for the past few months. All of that died together with this man. All of our past is now washed away, gone—erased and dead. Anyone failing to understand this has no place in the new world. I am calling you to free yourselves from the restraints of the past and of Cole’s rule, and to live like human beings again. There are survivors amongst you, and there are tribesmen who are native to this place. Live in peace with one another, learn to respect each other and my tribe and I will help you to rehabilitate and rebuild. Come!! Join me and the New World, for a better world. Together we shall bring humanity back to life, healthier, wiser, and as it should be. From today you are human beings—you are free!” I concluded my speech and kneeled down next to Violet and lifeless Chamid.

The pain weighed heavily on our shoulders. I could sense it resting on the entire crater and on the people of the black island as well, who kept silent with respect to our loss. We mourned in silence for Chamid’s passing for a while. Now and again we raised our teary eyes to look at one another. Eventually, Violet asked in a sobbing quiet voice, “how will we take him back? We need to bring Jonathan back too,” she reminded me of the initial reason we came here.

“He is probably asleep in the cave. The black priestess watched him. She was protecting me and did not betray me as I assumed incorrectly. When she felt my stomach she already knew I was pregnant, and she didn’t tell Cole. My vibe wouldn’t let him invade the center of my being,” I smiled in between the tears, feeling how the shame and humiliation I had gone through started to fade, when it became clear to me that indeed I had performed my duty and defeated evil. “Wait here, I’ll go get Jonathan,” I got up and turned to the cave. The young women were huddled together trembling and scared, looking at me in terror as if they were afraid I would want to hurt them or seek revenge. “Just bring me the babies,” I requested. Some of them nodded without a sound and ran inside, and moments later came out carrying Jonathan and the priestess’s black baby. I led the girls to Violet. They were still shook up and didn’t dare open their mouths. This is how scared they were from my power now.

“You will help us take the kids and the body to our boat,” I explained to them, talking gently. I spoke quietly, expressing my words as a request and not as an order, to show them my kindness and decency. One of the girls, named Ibisar, who had already learned our language answered me shivering, “If you go—who will be leader for us? If you go—who will help us? Our priestess is also dead. What we will do alone? Now you are the big priestess, and we will do what you want!” Tears streamed down her face when the turnover that had taken place in front of her and her friends’ eyes started to sink in.

“We will help you take him to the boat,” I heard a familiar voice, and one of the boys who had captured us that morning came towards us. “There is no need to go all the way to your boat, it must be quite far. There’s Cole’s boat, and there are bigger boats, the ones we came with to the island. He gave me a rundown of the possibilities.

“Thank you…?” I paused so he would say his name.

“Liam ma’am, my name is Liam,” he replied embarrassed.

“Liam, do you think you can be in charge of everything here until I come back to visit you again? For a real visit this time, not a holy war.” I smiled at him. “I am not sure I can take on this job on my own ma’am,” he looked down humbly.

“Liam, you don’t have to call me ma’am. I am Grace—nice to meet you.” I extended my hand for a handshake, and he extended his for a shy shake too. “Pick a few people that are able to assist you, and together gather the tribe members that escaped into the woods. Bring them back and restore their dignity, which was robbed from them. Let them show you the way. They were here before us and knew all about the coming of the flood. Don’t be afraid. They will not seek revenge. All they want is to resurrect the human race and the creation of the new world. They will teach you all you need to know about the customs of the ancient tribes and how they will pave your road to a better future. Together you can help each other and evolve to a new and wonderful level. I will come back as soon as I can, but first I need to bring back the little baby to his mother and bring this hero of a man to a proper and dignified burial.” I delegated authority while more people gathered around us, accepting my call for freedom, feeling the weight of tyranny being lifted.

We heard a faint moan, and the black priestess moved suddenly.

“She’s alive!” One of the girls shouted, and some of them bent down and started to hit her.

“Stop!! Stop it right now!” I called out to them. “What do you think you’re doing?” I approached and bent down to check on her status.

“She was his helper. She did horrible things for him!” said one of them. “And you didn’t cooperate with the oil and the drugs? What choice did she have that you didn’t?” I asked a trick question. “What would you have done if your children were held hostage?” I rebuked them for their actions.

“Grace…?” her faint whisper rose as she called my name. “Grace, help me,” she begged me. “Take me with you to your island and take my son too. Despite what you said, they will never forgive me, and kill me before you even reach your island. If I stay, the violence will resume, and all that you did will be for nothing,” she convinced me to take her with me, and I couldn’t refuse her. She was right.

“Help us take the priestess to the boat as well. She is injured and only on my island I can take proper care of her.” I asked Liam and his friends who had already put Chamid’s body on the stretcher I was carried to the altar on. Another stretcher was brought, and the heavy priestess was put on it. Before we turned to leave towards the beach, I addressed the island residents.

“I am reminding you that violence should no longer be tolerated in the world and on your island. Cole will not come back to abuse or humiliate any of you. No man deserves to live like this. Remember what I asked of you, and let the local tribesmen guide you. Do what you haven’t done in a long time—let your hearts guide you. I know that in this moment you all fear the unknown, but anything is better than Cole’s cruelty and tyranny. You can easily follow in his footsteps and what he instilled in you. But is that what you wish for yourselves? Always remember what he had done to you and do whatever you can to resist it.  Find the love in your hearts again and bestow it on one another without fear. Believe me, good days are upon you, and we shall all meet again and sit in a great big circle celebrating life and the birth of the new world! Now we have to leave, farewell and take care of yourselves!” I waved at everyone and to my surprise, many people came over to shake my hand. Others hugged me warmly, thanking me for my bravery and courage.

A long convoy escorted us to the beach. Everyone helped carry the heavy stretchers. They all wanted to contribute their share for creating a new and better society. We lay Chamid’s body gently in the boat and covered it with cloth. We lay the injured black priestess in the boat next to Chamid and handed her baby boy to her. She embraced him and breastfed him with much difficulty for the last time, as we started rowing away from the island. The people stood on shore for another long hour, waving at us, wishing us Godspeed, calling us to come back soon.

The stars were already glowing in the sky, shiny and twinkling more than ever, pointing to the nautical route directing us back to the Island of peace. Violet held Jonathan in her arms, and I rowed the boat slowly. When the priestess’s baby fell asleep, she went to great lengths and breastfed Jonathan too, who fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

She embraced both babies on her sides, and as she breathed heavily she whispered what I was most afraid of: “Grace, this is not over yet…”

* * *