Chapter 11 - A Piece of Divinity (Emily)

[ - content warnings: none yet suggested - ]

 

A month goes by of this constant schedule. Five days of training in the blade and mind, then two days of spending time with Lillian, Katherine, and Angela. Rinse and repeat. Today was the first day of training after our most recent rest days, and Lillian had hinted that we’d be starting something new. Thus far we’d mostly been focused on fighting techniques, hypnosis lessons, and submission training.

 

On the martial arts side, Lillian had first tested our skill with each weapon she planned to train us in, then she began lessons targeted at addressing our weaknesses and capitalizing on our strengths. As Scouts, we needed to be able to move fast at a moment’s notice and take down enemies unseen. The bow and arrow were the Scout’s primary weapons, but they were backed up by a high competency with a sword of some sort, throwing knives, bolas, sometimes crossbows, and many other easy-to-conceal weapons. Later on, Lillian had said, we’d begin training in stealth and moving unseen.

 

On the hypnosis side of things, we spent the majority of the month experimenting with different types of hypnotic triggers - things that would affect us once the hypnotic session was over. Most of these triggers were aimed at getting us back into a deep state of trance quickly, though Lillian also experimented with some naughty ones during our casual sex time. She implanted a trigger that made us exponentially hornier the more it was used in a scene, as well as one that kept us from orgasming until our Mistress gave the word. These triggers excited us so goddess damn much that we began to experience pleasure more intense than any we’d felt before. 

 

And all that pleasure only made us drop deeper and deeper into ‘subspace’ for our Mistress. For us, submission was like a soothing steep in a warm bubble bath. We didn’t have to worry about a single thing in that state, it was a simple existence. And we felt incredibly refreshed after each hypnotic submissive session, though it was hard to tell if that was due to magical assistance from Lillian or Hekate, or just a natural part of loving submission. 

 

When we activated our locating spell after breakfast, we were surprised to find ourselves drawn to a vaguely familiar wing of the tavern. We came to a halt outside a massive set of double doors with a familiar set of sigils and reliefs carved into them. We raised our hand to knock, and the doors creaked inward seemingly of their own accord.  

 

Inside was the same room we’d gotten our first miracle in. Lillian stood in the third circle from the center, wearing a long flowing black dress. 

 

“Hello Emily, Amelia,” our Mistress called, “please come in, we have some important things to go over today.”

 

“Of course,” we answered back. We walked briskly into the room, again sensing little tingles as we passed through each concentric silver circle set into the ground. 

 

“Today, you’re going to connect with the divinity inside yourself,” Lillian announced, as we neared her and the center of the room. 

 

“The what now?” we asked together, as we entered the center circle.

 

Lillian smiled slightly, but her voice remained all business. "Hekate created your body, and that means she brought your own divine essence very close to Hers. Every living being has a spark of divinity inside them, and now yours is familiar with Hekate’s touch. That gives you a strong potential to form a connection to Her divinity. Many of us in the Order choose to connect on deeper and deeper levels with our Goddess.”

 

She paused for breath, then added, “Of course, no one is forcing you to realize this potential. This lesson is completely optional.”

 

We pursed our lips, thinking. 

 

I’m definitely all for seeing more of Hekate, Amelia said, she was super cool!

 

I’m uneasy, but I think I’ll follow your lead here, I replied.

 

I was mostly just still processing the theological implications of the apparent fact that every living being had a spark of divinity inside them. It was a hell of a thing to just casually mention.

 

“Okay,” we said, “what do we need to do?”

 

Lillian smiled wider this time. “That’s my girls,” she said, “all you need to do is relax.”

 

She spread her arms wide. “I’ve brought you to this place because here is where the veil between the realms is thinnest. You may call upon Hekate here, and the three of you will discuss a new contract.”

 

We considered this for a moment. “How do we call upon Her?” we asked.

 

“Calm yourselves, center your mind, and reach out to Her. She will answer.”

 

Nervously, we nodded. We closed our eyes, bowed our head, and looked inward. We imagined ourselves on the edge of a densely packed wood. There was a fork in the road before us, one side going deeper into the woods, the other continuing along the edge of the forest. We knew Hekate was the goddess of the crossroads, so it seemed appropriate that we summon her at one.

 

I imagined myself looking like our current red foxgirl body, while Amelia appeared beside me on the road as her smaller, arctic white foxgirl self. The both of us wore simple sundresses, which had become our favorite outfits as of late. Mine was a deep crimson with forest green vines woven across it, while Amelia’s was white with electric blue sunflowers growing on green stalks upon it.

 

We stared at each other across the dirt trail, then closed our eyes in unison. We concentrated, reaching out for our Goddess.

 

It was easier than I was expecting. We still vividly remembered our first meeting with Hekate, and being in this room again only reinforced that memory. We tried to recall the power that we had felt radiating from Her, the storm-like presence that had permeated our entire being.

 

“Hekate,” we whispered in unison, “we call for thee.”

 

And then we felt it. A tug in our heart, directing us to reach out with our minds towards the awe-inspiring presence of Her. 

 

She appeared before us, Her essence coalescing out of the deep woods to form a black woman dressed in a deep black cloak. The same overpowering divinity radiated from Her, and this time both Amelia and I did drop to our knees on the dirt path. My eyes were wide as I beheld my Goddess, and I blindly reached for Amelia’s hand just as she reached for mine. We fumbled our way into holding hands, and prostrated ourselves before Hekate.

 

When I risked a peek up I could see her looking between Amelia and I with a discerning eye. She carried a quietly crackling torch, but it was otherwise silent in this strange pocket realm within  our mind. 

 

“Why have you summoned me?” Hekate asked.

 

“Lillian told us we can connect to you on a deeper level,” Amelia said.

 

“And we want to do that, however we can,” I added.

 

The beautifully black woman nodded sagely. “I see, but Lillian left it to me to tell you the price of that connection.”

 

I glanced at my headmate, our eyes met for a brief second and I found compassion and love for me within hers. It settled my fears, and I squared my shoulders.

 

“What’s the price?” I asked quietly.

 

Hekate smiled. “Nothing so grim as you’re thinking. It’s less of a price and more of a consequence of you being so close to my divinity. You see, when we talk like this, you are essentially tuning your consciousness to my divine frequency. As you may have noticed, it can be uncomfortable to get close to the full strength of my divinity, so one technique that many people of the Order have been utilizing is accepting a small piece of my essence inside of themself, in their physical body, which gives them a direct line to my power without having to concentrate so hard on maintaining their connection to me.”

 

I looked over at Amelia, and found her staring at the Goddess with a question in her eyes. 

 

“How do we accept a piece of you into us?” she asked.

 

“And what the hell will that do to us?” I added skeptically.

 

There was a flash of purple fire in Hekate’s free hand, and suddenly she was holding a sizeable book with one of those blood-quills attached to it. 

 

“Here is the contract that we would sign to enshrine this pact. It’s got everything you’ll need to know before entering into this agreement. You can take as long as you want to read it through, time here moves much faster than it does where you came from,” the Goddess explained.

 

I glanced at Amelia, then stepped forward and accepted the book from Hekate. It was hefty, but I held it easily enough. I tucked it under my shoulder and brought it back to my headmate. 

 

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Hekate said, “Call for me when you’re ready to sign.”

 

Then She was gone.

 

My tail twitched anxiously as I beheld the empty air where She’d stood. The visual disappearance was one thing, but she’d taken her whole divine self with her apparently, because we found ourselves feeling acutely alone besides each other. It was like a whole thunderstorm just up and left in an instant. 

 

“Well,” Amelia said hesitantly, “I guess we better get started.”

---

“Goddess, this is a lot,” I said quietly.

 

It took us about two or three hours of subjective time to read through the book aloud to each other, going over each passage and clause and triple checking that we were both okay with it before moving on to the next one. This was a much more complicated contract than the others we’d signed, partially because apparently, once the fragment of Hekate integrated with our body properly, we’d likely gain the ability to communicate with it. From the sound of things, we were looking at gaining a divine headmate that was technically part of Hekate, but also very literally a part of us. This new consciousness would be separated from Her source and instead living beside our own divine spark. 

 

“Do you think we’re prepared to make this commitment?” Amelia asked.

 

I was frowning down at that section of the book-tract. “I mean, we’re already serving Her. This seems like inviting her inside our head and I’m not sure we want Her there twenty four seven?”

 

“Yeah,” Amelia agreed, “But it does say that this won’t be Hekate herself, it’ll be a new consciousness that’s an offshoot from Her and capable of acting on its own free will.”

 

I nodded. “That’s something I’ve been mulling over. We’re basically getting a new headmate that we’ve never met. Plus do you think this part of Her will want to be with us?”

 

“I sure hope so, this would be a cruel joke for them if not,” my mind mate said.

 

“Something to ask Hekate, then,” I decided.

 

“Do you think we’ll want them to be part of our system, or separate?” Amelia asked.

 

I scratched the top of my head between my ears. We’d read through a lengthy section about how our identity might change, though since we were plural it was less that Amelia and I were changing and more that we were gaining a new headmate. The contract basically said it was up to us to decide how to react to these changes, that everyone dealt with it differently. It even listed some examples of past Priestesses of Hekate who’d undergone this procedure and how they’d adapted to their new life with a shoulder-Hekate. Each of them had integrated Hekate within themselves in a different way. Some ended up being equal headmates, others experienced the piece of divinity within themselves as a thing worthy of their worship and devotion and so placed Hekate on a pedestal that She could not always maintain when confined to a mortal body. Still others merged with their piece of Hekate, becoming a new personality entirely.

 

“I think we’ll have to wait and see,” I said, “I’m okay with having them in the system if that’s what they want and they seem trustworthy, but it’ll be mostly their decision.”

 

“True,” Amelia agreed. She anxiously tapped her foot on the ground a couple times. “How much longer do you want to spend going over this?” she asked.

 

“Well, I feel like we’ve already discussed everything that needs to be discussed,” I admitted, “Do you have any other questions?”

 

“Nope,” she replied, “Though I have been meaning to tell you: you look super cute in that dress.”

 

I blushed from head to toe, my ears folding back in embarrassment. “Thank you!” I exclaimed, I gestured at her beautiful sundress, “You look so good too! That dress really goes with your fur.”

 

It was her turn to blush now, but she powered through. “Want to take ourselves on a date tonight?” she asked.

 

I smiled widely. “I would absolutely love that.”

 

“Seven at the cave spa it is,” she answered with a grin.

 

We spent a while longer flirting with each other, but at long last it was time to summon Hekate back.

 

Again we reached out together to the void beyond our mind, and followed the tug on our heartstrings towards the tell tale feelings of darkness and change that made up our Goddess.

 

“Hekate,” we whispered into the still autumny air, “we call for thee.”

 

Her answer was like a spotlight flashing on, blinding nearly all of our senses. One moment we were alone, and the next we were standing before a true Goddess. We’d braced ourselves first, so we didn’t crash to our knees this time, but it was a near thing.

 

“Hello,” She said, “I take it you’ve considered my terms?”

 

“Yes,” I answered, “and we have a question.”

 

“Ask away,” she said.

 

“Will the part of you who will exist inside of us actually want to be there?” Amelia asked from beside me. Her hands were balled into fists from anxiety, and her white tail swished back and forth nervously.

 

Hekate smiled slightly, whether at the question or at Amelia’s adorableness I didn’t know. “That’s an interesting philosophical question,” she answered, “the short answer is that they will be a new version of me, not a blank slate, and I generally love existing and very much love my current purpose in life. Therefore, so will they.”

 

Amelia seemed to consider this for a few moments. 

 

“Okay, that makes sense I guess. I think I agree to your terms, then,” my headmate said. She turned to look at me. “Emily, how do you feel?”

 

I had my arms crossed defensively, still trying desperately to decide if this was a good idea or not. My tail swished irately behind me, displaying my indecision for all to see. In the past I might have held on to this conundrum for days before I made a decision. 

 

But I didn’t need that kind of stress in my new life as Emily. 

 

After a few moments I felt myself begin to calm down. My tail stopped wagging quite so aggressively, and I felt my mind begin to clear a little bit. I decided I had to make a choice, and I already knew exactly which choice I wanted to make.

 

“I feel good,” I said after a moment’s hesitation. “I feel really good, and I think I have just one more question.”

 

Hekate nodded to me while Amelia smiled.

 

“Will there be any way for like, doctors or healers to detect the piece of you in us, like is there a physical object being put into us?”

 

The Goddess shook Her head. “There will be no way for mortals to detect your divinity,” She said, “however, other supernaturals will very likely be able to sense the piece of me inside you if they look closely.”

 

I considered that for a moment, then nodded.

 

“Alright,” I said, “I also agree to your terms.”

 

The bookish contract suddenly disappeared in a flash of purple flame from its place on the ground where we’d been reading it, only to reappear in Hekate’s hands a moment later, turned to the very last page with the line for our signatures. 

 

I realized I still had the quill clutched in my right hand, so I nervously stepped forward. 

[ - content warning: light pain, blood - ]

The prick of the knife-like quill was sharp but the pain was relatively brief. It stopped throbbing by the time I’d finished scrawling ‘EMILY’ in my own imaginary blood in cursive at the bottom of the page.

 

I handed the quill to Amelia as I stepped back from Hekate and the contract book. A moment later her crimson blood was sucked up the tip of the pen nib, igniting the multitude of runes all along the shaft of the feather-like quill, and she set about writing her name, also in all caps and in cursive, right above mine.

[ - end cw - ]

When Amelia was done, Hekate’s sigil blazed to life in a flash of silver light beside our names, and just like that the contract was signed. 

 

“Excellent,” Hekate said, “This will take a bit of time, but you should feel no pain or discomfort.”

 

And just like that, we were back in the ritual room, standing in the center circle in our physical body, while the outer circle blazed to life with silver light, and then the next circle in, and the next, and so on until it got too close and we had to shut our eyes against the light. 

 

Even with our eyes closed, silver light blazed through our awareness. We felt it concentrating on a spot near our heart, growing in intensity and sharpening in definition. It grew hotter and hotter, until I was sure we were going to have a heart attack or something, then I felt something change in our body, and everything went black.