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“That’s a fascinating device,” Sky’lar remarked. “It would be a handy thing to have.”
“These crystals can be purchased for a modest donation in our gift shop,” the acolyte told her. Many women take one home to help keep track of their cycles.”
“I’ll have to look into getting one,” Sky’lar said, looking thoughtful.
But what concerned Torin was the fact that the crystal had stayed yellow without even a hint of pink. Was he going to be back in this room later today hanging onto the wooden lattice while Sky’lar pounded him from behind?
Sky’lar seemed to have the same thought because she asked the acolyte another question.
“What about phalluses for penetration? I have my own but I left it back in our ship.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the acolyte told her reassuringly. “If it turns out the two of you are having sex for pleasure rather than procreation, you’ll be issued a brand new, never before used, double-ended phallus by the attending priestess. It dispenses its own lube, so you don’t have to worry about hurting your partner. It even has a joy buzzer for your clit,” she added, smiling brightly. “I assure you, they’re a pleasure to use.”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Sky’lar murmured, throwing Torin another look.
“I guess so, Darlin’,” Torin remarked, giving her the look right back. Was she daring him? Trying to see if he was scared?
Hell no, I’m not scared! he told himself. He might be a little nervous, but that was different. It was normal and natural to be a little on edge about having to perform a sexual act you’d never done before in front of a giant statue of an alien snake goddess with the woman you were beginning to have extremely strong feelings for. Right?
“Now that you have seen the Sacred Chamber, let’s go next door to the egg laying suite and then to the incubation area,” the priestess said. “Come, we’ll follow the observation deck through to the next room.”
She led them along the deck to the opposite side of the vast chamber where another pair of enormous stone doors rose to the vaulted ceiling. These also swung open silently when the Priestess barely brushed them with her fingertips.
Inside the egg laying chamber there was another ramp leading both up and down. They continued to stay on the observation level, which gave them a bird’s eye view of the room.
This room was only about half as large as the Sacred Chamber, which still made it a fairly huge cavern, Torin thought. Its stone floor was dotted with little colorful things that reminded him of the beanbag chairs he had sometimes seen humans use.
“What are those?” Sky’lar asked, pointing to the beanbag things.
“Oh—those are laying nests,” the acolyte explained. “A woman can kneel or squat over them to lay an egg and not fear that the shell will be hurt by the stone floor.”
Torin saw that Serpentine women were indeed squatting here and there over the “nests,” and pushing out the largest eggs he had ever seen. Each one of them looked to be the size of a newborn infant and their shells were mottled either green or purple.
“The green spotted eggs are male—the purple ones are female,” Neen’ya explained. “That’s how we know which ones to put into the grow-bath. Come, you’ll see.”
She led them along the observation deck again to another set of vast stone doors.
The third room was half as large as the second and it had rows and rows of tables filled with many purple spotted eggs. Over each egg, a pinkish-gold grow light was mounted, beaming down at full intensity. There was also what looked like a pond filled with gray-green water at the far end of the room, Torin saw. This was where the green-mottled eggs were. They floated in the murky liquid, bobbing peacefully as green steam rose all around them.
“That must be the grow-bath,” Sky’lar said, pointing to the green pond.
“Yes, indeed.” Neen’ya nodded proudly. “That’s where the male eggs are incubated. We do grow some very large males here, as I’m sure you saw if you met any of our guards.”
“We did, indeed,” Sky’lar murmured neutrally. “It’s good to know the Shrine is protected,” she added.
“Oh yes—well protected!” Neen’ya nodded earnestly. “Why, not a single person can get in or out of the Shrine without the guards knowing it.”
Torin hoped she was right…but he doubted it. Still, in all their tour they hadn’t yet seen the killer’s white face. Where was he? Had the guards really kept him out?
“And now, I think we have time for a quick look at The Book Which Writes Itself,” Neen’ya said, interrupting his thoughts. “Come—it is one of our most holy relics, given to us by The Great Mother Serpent herself!”
“We can’t wait to see it,” Sky’lar said politely.
