Kali's Altar 22

The Duchess showered while I waited in the den with the twins. Not a word was spoken. The Duchess returned, her red hair dripping wet, she wore a grey sweat-suit. She grabbed her mink and looked at me, “How long does this process take?” Her question was answered by the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. We all got up and went out in the hall to see Roger.

He was a monstrosity. His head looked like a blood-caked thumb with teeth. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and stood motionless. Lavinia appeared at the top in her wheelchair. Her voice said, “Here’s your Roger. I want Clarence back as soon as The Great Sathanas is dead.”

The Duchess nodded her head, then she motioned for me to follow her, “Let’s go Clarence. The twins will transport Roger.”

I looked up at Lavinia as I walked out the door. I thought, “I love you.” Her voice replied, “This isn’t good-bye. I’ll be with you the whole time. Don’t worry about anything. There is much for you to learn from The Duchess.”

The twins put Roger in the trunk of an old beat up Cutlass. The Duchess led me to a black Lincoln Town Car with tinted windows. She threw her mink in the trunk and got in the drivers seat. I got in the passenger seat beside her. Anguish filled my heart. I didn’t want to leave Lavinia. I worried that I would never see her again.

When we got on the highway, The Duchess asked, “So how long have you been a member of that house?”

“I don’t know. A little over a week.”

“Ahhhh. That’s why you’re all fucked up. How do you like your new life?”

“It’s good.”

“Oh, will be speaking in ‘liar-ese’ during your time in my house?” She looked at me, her full lips grinned slightly.

“It’s been challenging.”

“I see. That’s a nice way of saying ‘it’s been fucked up’, right?” I turned my head and stared out the window. The sun was beginning to rise. The Duchess continued, “To be honest, I’m surprised you’re still among the living. You hang out with a pretty rough crowd.” I thought of The Duchess smearing blood all over her body and wondered how long I would remain ‘among the living’.

The Duchess continued, “What a lucky guy, huh? You get to spend all your time surrounded by women.”

“Yeah well, I haven’t felt all that ‘lucky’ recently. Can we please talk about something else?” The Duchess pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned the car off. All that could be heard was the sound of passing cars speeding by. She stared into my eyes, “No, we can’t talk about ‘something else‘. We’re going to finish this conversation.” She lit a cigarette and continued, “I want to know why you are loyal to the people who are hurting you so badly. Is it because they’re women? Are you one of those types that is willing to take any abuse a woman is willing to give, as long as she is giving you attention?”

“You know that the torture is used for a higher purpose…”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

I yelled out in frustration, “I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION!”

The Duchess smiled, turned the car back on and merged back into traffic. She said, “Finally, an honest answer.”

I asked, “Do you know the answer?”

She blew out smoke, “Actually, I do know the answer. I also know why you’re still alive. I mean ’why you’, right? You must wonder what makes you so special.”

“I don’t feel special when I locked in box. I don’t feel special when I’m being held down and forced to drink piss…”

“Yes you do. Otherwise you wouldn’t be willing to endure it.”

“NO I DO NOT!”

“So why then Clarence? Why go through all of that when you can just walk away.”

“You know that I can’t just walk away.”

“Yes, you can. If you weren’t there willingly, you would be dead.” I let her words sink in. She was right. There never was a point where I was being held against my will. I never tried to escape and I had several opportunities. The Duchess went on, “Do you want to know the answer to the question? I’ll tell you. You are definitely not willing to take abuse from any woman who shows you attention. You fit into your house like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. They need you and you need them. You were built for this.”

“Built for what? To be a crash test dummy? A human sacrifice?”

“I doubt you’ll be sacrifice; killed maybe, but not sacrificed. Did you hear the ‘They need you’ part? Why do you think you’re alive? Love? You are alive because you were chosen by the Goddess. That’s who you serve whether you realize it or not. That’s why they gave you a seat at their table. If Lavinia is a dagger in the Goddess’ hand, you are the stone She uses to sharpen that dagger. Do you understand the importance of that role? Look at it this way. If you are a sword designed by the Goddess, what does that say about the woman who wields that sword? Or, you can look at it another way. Brianna made a living making men kneel in front of her. You didn’t bow before Brianna, you tore her apart. Yet I could stop the car and make you kneel before me right there on the side of the road. I could even make you strip first. I could hop on the hood of my car, remove my shoes and have you lick my toes clean. And you would do it. Do have nay doubts about that?”

I remained silent.

The Duchess continued, “But let me fall out of the Goddess’ favor, and you would immediately end my existence. This isn’t about your love for Lavinia. That’s a small part of a big picture.”

“My loyalty is to Lavinia…”

“Your loyalty is to the Goddess and you go wherever she sends you. Now, she has sent you to me and I’m letting you know upfront that I intend to make full use of you. I am the dagger, you are the sharpening stone. This has nothing to do with our wants or desires. This is about the Will of the Goddess. Believe me, you’re not the only man I could get to kneel before me nude on the roadside. But you are one of the only one’s specifically designed to serve me. When I tell you to do something, you have no choice; you’ll do it. And you will do it no matter how repulsive, painful or frightening it is. I could tell you to shit in your hand and eat it. You would do it. Would you like to test that in order to find out if I’m bluffing?”

“No. I still don’t understand…”

“Yes you do. You just don’t like the truth. As long as my will is line with the Goddess’ Will, I own you just the same as Lavinia does. The moment my will is not in line with Her’s, you will try to destroy me. She designed you to be a blessing to the women who serve Her, and a curse to the ones that don’t. That’s an important part of the equation Clarence. As long as I am completely loyal and obedient to the Goddess, you will be completely loyal and obedient to me. I am the dagger, you are the stone.”

“So what does that mean for me?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you eat shit or suck toes. There is no reason for me to be cruel to you. You will have enough to deal with already. I don’t think you fully appreciate the position you’re in. You are the dividing line that separates the women who ‘are’ from those who ‘are not’. You can expect a future full of politics, manipulation and meetings with Matriarchs, along with all the would-bes and the wanna-bes.”

We pulled into the parking lot of large apartment complex. The Duchess parked in spot marked “Guest”. I saw the twins’ empty Cutlass parked a few spaces away. The Duchess got out of the car and walked toward the building. I followed right behind her. We entered, went up a flight of stairs and stopped in front of a door marked C109. One of the twins opened the door. When I entered the apartment I saw two men bound and gagged on the floor. A third man laid lifeless and limp at Roger’s feet. The bound looked familiar. I approached them to get a closer look. Then I recognized them, they were two of the menh from my dream. The one’s who slipped in Alexandria’s slider and raped her.

The Duchess asked, “What? Are these guys friends of yours?” I shook my head. She said, “That’s good. These guys are first degree fucking assholes. They kidnap women, gang-rape them, then take them to The Great Sathanas to be forced into prostitution.”

I nodded solemnly, “I know.”

“So what do you think Clarence? Should we just execute them here? Or should we take them with us and have little fun?”

I thought for a moment and wondered how many women those men had brought to The Great Sathanas. The image of a wall full of “Missing” posters came into my mind. I looked at The Duchess, “These two should definitely come with us.”