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“I’ll speak to my Captain and see what we can do,” she told Commander Sylvan. “We don’t want anyone else to die, either.”
“Of course you don’t.” The Kindred Commander sighed and ran a hand though his spiky blond hair. “Well, do what you can and please get back to me. And in the meantime, I’ll send some protection for Mistress Mirabella.”
“Thank you, Commander. We’ll get back to you as soon as we know anything,” Torin told him.
The Kindred High Commander nodded.
“I’ll have the Mother Ship fold space for you so you can get back to Portex Three as soon as possible.”
Then the viewscreen went blank, leaving Sky to wonder how in the world they were going to manage to protect the Priestesses of the Mother of Serpents who certainly were not going to accept a lot of strange males into their sacred space.
TWENTY-EIGHT
SKY
“The Priestesses of Ahh-ohh are never going to let a lot of strange males into their Shrine,” Captain Thal’nx said flatly. “No way in the Underworld.”
“I didn’t think so, Captain.” Sky sighed and shook her head. “But High Commander Sylvan is eager to help.”
“Very eager,” Torin put in earnestly. “We don’t want to see anymore females get killed!”
“But who’s to say having a squadron of alien warriors would help?” her Captain asked. “We still don’t know how this killer gets to his victims. He seems to go through locked doors with ease! The only thing we do know is what he looks like and that he poisons his victims before he kills them.”
“But maybe that’s enough to catch him,” Sky said. “Look, Captain—what if Torin and I went to the Shrine? Isn’t the Festival of Fertility beginning right around now? I could be a pilgrim and Torin could be my spouse. That way we could watch from the shadows and nab this bastard when he comes in.”
“That’s a good idea!” Torin nodded. “Shouldn’t be hard to spot him—he’ll stand out in a crowd of Serpentine pilgrims.”
“So will the two of you,” Captain Thal’nx pointed out. “But…there are outsiders who worship the Mother of Serpents,” she went on, thoughtfully. “Many other humanoids who aren’t Serpentine come from Portex Two and Portex Four to worship at the Shrine during the festival.”
“Then it’s settled,” Sky said. “We should get going at once!”
“Not so fast.” Her Captain held up one hand in warning. “You’ll need to get the High Priestess’s permission. The rules about who may and may not visit the Shrine are very strict.”
“Can you call ahead for us?” Sky asked her. “Time is of the essence—the killer may decide to strike again at any time!”
“I’ll do my best for you,’ Captain Thal’nx promised. “The High Priestess is far above me, but I think she’ll listen to a Peace Keeper with a warning. Just be sure you ask to speak to her before you enter the Shrine.”
“We’ll go at once,” Sky said, nodding.
“May the Mother of Serpents go with you,” her Captain said formally. “And may you catch this bastard before he kills again.”
“From your lips to the Goddess’s ear,” Torin replied as Sky nodded.
They turned and left the Captain’s office but Sky wondered if they would be in time…and if the High Priestess would be willing to let them into the Shrine.
TWENTY-NINE
TORIN
“Well, it looks like we’ll be ‘role playing’ again,” Torin said dryly, as they climbed back aboard his ship. It was the fastest way to the Deep Desert, since taking the public transport tube that ran beneath the surface of the planet was a four-hour journey.
“It seems so,” Sky’lar remarked. “I hope it doesn’t bother you, but since this is the Festival of Fertility, you’re likely to have to see some Serpentine sex—not all of it to your liking.”
“Is that right?” Torin’s interest was piqued. “What do you mean by that, Darlin’?”
“Oh, it’s just that the Festival is the time when the Shrine replenishes itself,” Sky’lar explained as they both fastened themselves into their seats and he started the ship. “You see, each pilgrim is required to make a sexual sacrifice to the Mother of Serpents before her statue.”
“Go on,” Torin said, as he adjusted the controls and fed the coordinates into the ship’s Nav-com. “So they have to have sex in front of the Goddess’s statue? Meaning, a lot of males get ‘penetrated’ I guess?”
He’d been trying not to think about that ever since Sky’lar had proposed penetrating him, but the idea still gave him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.
But to his surprise, Sky’lar shook her head.
“Not necessarily. Many of the pilgrims who go to the Shrine are Serpentine females who have an egg to fertilize,” she said. “So they are the ones getting penetrated—since they’re having sex for procreation, rather than pleasure.”
“They are?” Torin asked. “Then what happens?”
“Well, as soon as their egg is fertilized, they go to the laying room and release it,” Sky explained. “The egg remains in the Shrine, incubating, and when it hatches, the Serpentine child stays there always. If it’s a female, she will become one of the new Priestesses. If it’s a male, he will become a Shrine guard or one of the many servants who help to run the Shrine.”
