Jewel of Inanna (Perils of a Pagan Priestess Book 1)

by Hannah Desmond

  Chapter 21

  Of Pan, Diana and the Ladies of

  the Night

  Life in the French Quarter sped up to overdrive as Carnival approached. The crowds quadrupled as did the customers in Panthea’s Pantry. Because she had wonderful employers, Lilly was able to take off work a little early Wednesday afternoon to join her friends for her first Carnival Parade.

  She knocked on Gemma’s door and found Madeline, Gemma, Forest, and Owen sitting on the floor of the living room. She joined them as they passed a joint around their small circle. They were all in high spirits as they grabbed jackets and shawls and headed for Canal Street to wait for the parade.

  The colors, lights, textures and mythical themes of each float in the parade lit up Lilly’s entire being. The god Pan adorned one float, magic flute to his lips, head gently swaying as the float made its slow progress through the crowded street.

  The masked riders on the floats twirled strands of colorful beads and teased the roaring crowds. In the streets below the floats, arms waved trying to catch the beads flying overhead. Voices called out, “Throw me something, mister!”

  Dark men danced behind the floats. Oily flames dropped from the flambeaux they carried. The burning torches flickered wildly above their heads as they swayed to the music of the marching bands. Owen cupped his hands around Lilly’s ear and asked, “Do you want to get up on my shoulders, you can catch more beads.” Lilly nodded. Owen bent his six foot frame over so Lily could mount his shoulders. She let out a whoop as she took in the crowds and the line of floats parading up Canal Street.

  The Goddess, Diana her bow drawn, the crescent moon at her back, hunting dogs at her heels, stood, larger than life, on the next float. Her glossy paper-mache eyes reflected the light of the flambeaux. Lilly’s heart thumped in time with the music of the marching bands.

  The last float rolled past them at 11PM. The group of friends, weighed down with multi-colored strands of beads, left Canal Street in high spirits. They walked through the Quarter all the way to Frenchman Street to catch The Green Man Band’s debut at The Dream Palace. Arriving foot sore and thirsty, they grabbed a table ordered a pitcher of beer and sat back to enjoy the music.

  Roland had not seen them come in. He was absorbed in the music as his guitar rang out in crystal clarity. The opening chords to Dancing in the Street brought almost everyone to the dance floor. The band members floated in a sea of flashing purple as a fog machine filled the stage with billowing clouds of purple, green and gold. The Mardi Gras colored mist tumbled from the stage and swirled around the dancers. The music built as the strobe lights came on and Roland’s guitar notes reverberated through the fog. The music penetrated into Lilly’s core, but she was happy to sit back and let the music wash through her.

  Around 1:00 AM the band wrapped up the set with one of their original tunes. As the lights came up in the club, Lilly left her table of friends and walked towards the stage. She was half way through the crowded club when she saw a short blond girl jump up onto the stage and wrap her arms around Roland’s neck. She kissed him on the lips and from where Lilly was standing, he kissed her back. Lilly froze in place as Roland removed the girls arms from around his neck and gave her a pat on the butt. He turned away from her, unplugged his instrument and helped to clear the stage.

  Lilly kept her eyes on the blond girl standing by the side of the stage. After a few minutes the petite blond walked over to the heavy set guy seated on a stool by the front door. Putting her arms around the big guys neck, she wiggled up onto his lap. Within minutes the unlikely couple headed to the back of the Dream Palace and through a door marked employees only.

  Lilly walked up to the side of the stage and called to Roland. Hearing her, he put the thick black cords he was winding around his arm on top of a speaker and jumped down from the stage. He took her in his arms and kissed her, pulling back he looked at her and said, “How was the parade? Did you like it?”

  Lilly could’t respond. As much as she didn’t want to say it, the words flew out of her mouth, “Who was the blond who jumped up and kissed you?” Roland looked confused, “When?” “A few minutes ago. I was in the middle of the room and saw her jump up and kiss you.”

  Roland laughed and shook his head, “She was a working girl, Lilly, she wanted to sell me some loving tonight.”

  “What? A working girl?”

  “Yes, you know a prostitute.”

  “No. I’ve never seen a prostitute, I thought they would be easily recognizable.”

  “Well, Lilly, she must have forgotten her name tag tonight. I can assure you, she was selling it. I wasn’t interested.”

  Feeling foolish Lilly blushed. The memory of Renee’s jeering comment about Roland dipping his wick in the working girls on Bourbon Street, echoed in Lilly’a mind. A red haze filled her vision for a moment. The voices of her friends calling her name brought her back to herself. She looked at Roland, waiting for a sign he wanted her to stay. He was looking at Madeline, Gemma, Forest, and Owen smiling and waving.

  Forest gave a thumb’s up and said, “Good show!”

  Lilly lingered by the stage for a minute waiting for Roland to invite her to the bus, or ask to come to her apartment. “My friends are leaving, I better go.”

  Roland looked at the stage and said, “Yea, okay. Oh, by the way, tomorrow night I want you to come to a party with me. It’s a party and a drumming ritual. We are playing the early set here and heading to the party afterwards. Can you meet me here, around 10PM?”

  “I’d rather you come to Panthea’s and we go together from there, Lilly said.”

  “That would be a good idea, but the party is close to the Dream Palace. If you feel uncomfortable walking through the Quarter at night, I will come by and we can go from Panthea’s.”

  Lilly blushed, bit her bottom lip and she shook her head. “No, that’s not necessary. If the party is close by it makes sense for me to meet you here.”

  Roland nodded in agreement as Lilly ran to catch up with Madeline, Gemma and the guys as they headed out the door. “Hey,” Lilly called as she caught up with her friends. “Did ya’ll notice any prostitutes in the Dream Palace tonight?”

  Madeline’s guffaw was followed by Owen’s deep laugh. Forest walked beside Lilly and looked serious. “I don’t know if they are prostitutes on the side, but I did see a couple of strippers from Big Daddy’s in there. Maybe they make extra money turning tricks on their night off.”

  Gemma’s head swiveled around as she glared at Forest for a minute, “How do you know strippers from Big Daddy’s?” Forest looked sheepish, caught up with her, and put his arm around her waist.

  Madeline put her arm through Lilly’s, seeing her shiver. “Lilly, my sweet innocent friend, you are going to have to toughen up. When you are seeing a musician, you can expect the groupies are going to surround him, flirt with him and try to get into bed with him. This is the French Quarter, so you have to know the prostitutes are going to be offering their wares also.”

  Lilly gave half a laugh, “Is that what you call it, their wares?”

  Both girls giggled for a moment. Madeline put on her serious face and looked at Lilly, “If you are going to be his old lady, you have to learn to trust or you will drive yourself crazy. Remember, nothing repels a musician like a jealous old lady.”

  Lilly shrugged, “I’m not his old lady. I have no real claim on him or he on me. I have no reason to be jealous.”

  Madeline laughed, “You may keep telling yourself that sister, but I have seen the magick between you. The love vibes are alive and well.” Lilly smiled as they made their way home to Panthea’s.

  Chapter 22

  The Order of Interplanetary Adepts

  The Green Man Band finished their set around 10 the next evening. Roland stood on the sidewalk in front of the Dream Palace and looked around for Lilly. She hadn’t arrived so he waited as the rest of the band headed to the party. It was unlike her to be late. She was always so
eager to please and ready for new experiences. She had been upset after her run in with her ex-husband at Valentines. Maybe she decided it was too risky to walk down to Frenchman Street. He didn’t want her to get caught up in some godawful drama or get hurt. He paced a bit, berating himself for not going to Panthea’s and walking with her to the party. ‘You are a fool! You don’t make your lady walk alone to meet you, you go get her!’ There was nothing he could do, but hope things were cool.

  He had been pacing for a few minutes when he heard footsteps running toward him. He opened his arms to embraced Lilly as he saw her running up the sidewalk. “I’m sorry Roland. I was with Gemma, we were talking and I didn’t realize it was so late.”

  Roland held her close and kissed the top of her head. He reluctantly released her from his embrace, “It’s okay, I should have come to get you. I’m sorry for making you walk through The Quarter alone.”

  Lilly looked puzzled and out of breath. “How far is it to the party?”

  “A couple of blocks on the other side of Esplanade ave.. I have the address. He took a wadded piece of paper out of the pocket of his jeans and showed it to Lilly. Bhodi Sala Temple, 627 Rue Ursaline she read as he put his arm around her waist, pulled her close and began to walk.

  Within minutes they stood in front of an open set of ornate iron gates. The sound of music drew them into a huge courtyard. Tiny white lights draped the upstairs balcony overlooking the courtyard. Tiki Torches flamed in the courtyard and groups of candles flickered on tables grouped to one side. A large vat of punch and a tray of cookies stood in the center of a table.

  Lilly and Roland made their way through the festively attired guests to the refreshments. They drank deeply of the punch and grabbed a few cookies. Roland took Lilly’s hand and drew her up the stairs to the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

  They stood arm in arm watching the stream of people pour through the gates bedecked with Mardi Gras bead and multi-colored capes, their arms filled with drums and rattles. The drummers gathered together and a loose circle formed. Women, wearing white dresses with Mardi Gras beads draped around their necks, moved gracefully to the steady beat of the drums.

  Swirls of color caught Lilly’s eye as she watched the dancers move. An older woman with bright red hair hanging to her waist entered and stood at the center of the circle. Roland whispered in Lilly’s ear and pointed to the woman in the center of the circle, “Her name is Kumira and she is the guru or priestess of this group.

  Lilly nodded her head as Kumira lifted her arm, pointed her finger and drew a circle with a triangle in the center. Lilly recognized the cardinal cross from her studies. The circle of dancers added their voices to Kumira as they toned in one powerful voice, “OOOOO, EEEEE, AAAAHHH.” The sacred tones activated the cardinal cross and it burst into flames which hung in the air.

  Four cardinal crosses were drawn, each activated and flaming in the four directions. Kumira spoke in a powerful voice, “We are the interplanetary adepts, priests and priestesses of Atlantis. We are the old ones we are the new ones, come to reawaken the people from a dream, come to open the portal of energy waiting to flood the earth with love.” She pointed at the drummers and the mesmerizing beat of the drums worked its magic on those moving in the circle.

  The dancers undulated, whirling faster and faster. Roland grabbed Lilly’s hand and pulled her towards the stairs, “Lets go dance.”

  Joining the circle, Lilly looked towards the center. The woman with red hair had disappeared. In her place stood an ancient one, a man wearing the ornate robes of a high priest. Power emanated from the crystal atop the staff he leaned on. The old man was speaking, but Lilly was dancing near the drums and couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  As she danced, colors swirled and spun with her. She danced ecstatically, celebrating the return of her inner vision. Colorful energy spiraled, swirled and eddied around them. The circle was a vortex of color. Powerful cries of “OOOOO, EEEEE, AAAHHH,” rang out calling forth a gigantic winged serpent spiraling over the circle of dancers and drummers.

  The serpent was weaving its way through the circle, moving between the dancers, forming an intricate knot with its glowing light body. She heard someone exclaim, Quetzequatel, our protector, is with us. Feel his fiery energy!”

  The drums continued to beat out rhythms faster and faster, the crowd dancing and exclaiming “OOOOO, EEEEE AAAHHH.” Quetzequatel circled overhead, spinning faster and faster following the ecstatic beat of the drums. Lilly watched the snake transform into an explosion of brilliant colors sending streams of three dimensional patterns spiraling into the night.

  As the geometric figures split apart and coalesced, disappearing into infinity, Lilly looked for the old man in the center of the circle. The ancient high priest had disappeared. Kumira stood in the center, her mouth moving in some ecstatic chant as her arms swung, moving the energy above her.

  She pointed to the drummers and they stopped, putting her hands on the earth, all the participants followed as she intoned, “The energy of the drums, the energy of love, of fiery creation is within us, let us share it with the earth so we may continue to draw from her strength.” “OOOOO,EEEEEE,AAAHHH,” they all intoned.

  “Through all dimensions of time and space, we are here tonight to celebrate the truth of love. Love without fear, love unashamed, the creative energy of the universe as it manifests here tonight, as it has manifested for eons. We, the original Atlantean’s, The Order of Interplanetary Adepts, have returned to Earth to open the portal for a new paradigm to emerge. We are fearless, we are one, we are love, “OOOOO, EEEEE, AAAHHH!” The beat of the drums propelled the dancers into a coiling and uncoiling serpent sinuously moving through the courtyard.

  The drumming and dancing continued for hours. The horizon was tinged with the first gray light of dawn when, exhausted and hungry, Lilly and Roland joined a group headed for an all night Chinese Restaurant on Decatur Street. Thirty minutes later, Trey, Leon, Bart several of the drummers from the ritual and assorted girlfriends and boyfriends were sitting under paper lanterns passing crawfish fried rice, shrimp with lobster sauce and Kung Po chicken around the table. Lilly picked at her food. The ecstasy she had experienced earlier was slipping away. The swirling colors were disappearing.

  Roland spoke quietly in her ear, “Don’t like Chinese food?”

  She shook her head, “I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.”

  “It’s the acid,” he said in a matter of fact voice.

  “What acid?”

  “You know the punch? You drank two whole cups of it. It was electric punch.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t know until everything turned into psychedelic fractals,” he explained.

  Lilly sat back in her chair and yawned. “I have to be in the shop by noon tomorrow, I’ve got to go home.”

  Roland kissed her on the cheek squeezed her hand and said, “Okay baby, lets head back to Panthea’s.” They made a quick goodbye to their dinner companions and headed for the door.

  Expecting the sky to be pink and gold with the rising sun, Lilly was surprised to find a thick shroud of fog blocking the dawn light. She and Roland stepped onto the damp banquette slowly making their way towards Jackson Square.

  Ghostly figures appeared suddenly out of the fog, footsteps muffled as they passed in the dampness. Lilly saw floating forms and colors drift through the fog, transforming as they floated into her. Laughing nervously, she followed the tug of Roland’s hand. They turned a corner and continued through the pea soup fog. Roland held tight to her hand, and stopped abruptly, “Was I supposed to turn the corner back there?”

  “You turned a corner? What street is this?”

  A dark form approached through the fog. Roland stepped up to the form barely visible in the dense mist, “Oh, sir can you tell us which way to Jackson Square? We’ve gotten turned around in the fog.”

  A hand reached out of the swirling fog grabb
ed Lilly’s arm. “I don’t know where you’re going fella’ but this sweet thing is coming with me.” The man elbowed Roland in the face as his meaty hand pulled Lilly close and dragged her away through the fog.

  Bright red flashed behind Lilly’s eyes at the same moment she became aware of the tingling in her fingers. She concentrated on the feeling and invited it up her arm. As soon as she felt her entire arm tingle she sent a shocking spark of pain to her abductor. His body jerked and she took advantage of the moment to direct a powerful punch to his ample gut. Doubling over, he lost his grasp on her arm. She stumbled and fell onto the damp bricks of the banquette. She lay there for a moment before climbing to her feet as she saw the glowing form of Quetzequatel chasing the dark form into the opaque wall of fog. Laughter bubbled from her lips as she stood watching the glowing feathered snake fade into the mist. “Thank you!” She called.

  Following the sound of low moaning, she walked back through the fog to find Roland lying on his back. She knelt over and help him sit up. “I’m okay, he pushed me and I lost it for a minute when my head hit the bricks. “I may have a hell of a headache tomorrow, but I’m okay. Where did he go?|”

  “My tingling hands, a well placed punch and a little help from Quetzequatel scared him off.”

  With their arms around each other, they back tracked and found their way to the Square. A breeze blew in from the river tearing the fog into ribbons which floated away on the breeze. The glorious dawn light bathed their faces as Lilly placed the heavy key in the gate to Panthea’s apartments.

  Roland fell into a deep sleep when his head hit the pillow. Lilly lay in bed and closed her eyes. Her outer vision had cleared, but her inner vision tripped on, revealing psychedelic realms. Swirling colors filled her vision morphing into weird animals, faces and geometric shapes. The vision danced before her closed eyes and sleep would not come. She opened her eyes and saw her small apartment. She closed her eyes and let the psychedelic vision take her. The visions faded by 7AM and Lilly’s mind finally relaxed into the oblivion of deep sleep.