Changed Redux Pt. 04

Shaking her head, Mary pushed the thoughts aside, locked her car and started across the parking lot.

The Environmental Engineering firm that Mary worked for was located in a large, suburban commercial park with lots of winding private roadways, wide sidewalks and big grassy landscaped areas between the office buildings. Her own office was a squat, one story brick building with dark windows and brown trim that probably looked sharp and stylish when the place was built in 1978 but now looked severely dated.

She walked through the front entrance into the lobby which was at least a little more modern and pleasing to the eye, having been renovated only a few years ago when her company had moved in. The front desk was empty at the moment since Nora, the receptionist didn't start work till eight. Mary made her way past all the design and management office which was located up front and towards the back of the building where her office was located near the testing laboratory.

It was almost seven thirty as Mary rounded the corner and pushed open the door to the laboratory and the place was already busy. The big loading dock door was open and Reggie, one of the lab technicians, was offloading several five-gallon pails of something from a pickup truck parked outside. Another lab tech, Samantha, was going through a stack of boxes along the far wall and Anthony, another field engineer like Mary but not as senior and, in Mary's humble opinion, not as smart, was running a test on a soil sample at a workbench right near where Mary was standing. He looked up and nodded at her.

"Nice of you to finally join us." He said, looking back to his work.

Mary glanced over at him as she walked past on the way to her office. He was about her age and cute enough Mary thought, with a mop of curly brown hair and glasses. In fact, over the last couple years she had caught herself flirting, sometimes rather shamelessly, with him, trying to get him interested but he had never bitten. Now she realized, she had absolutely no interest in him at all. She slowed her steps and looked back at him, an odd feeling washing through her. Why was this feeling just coming up now? It had been several weeks since the ring had changed her and she had never had these thoughts before. Sure she knew that she used to like guys and now didn't but never before had the realization felt so... odd. She blinked several times trying to clear her head.

Anthony noticed her pause and looked up. "Something wrong Boss?"

Mary resisted the urge to shake her head. She may not know what these new, confused feelings might be but she certainly wasn't going to start discussing them with people at work. Instead she pointed at the glass bottle in his hand, "If you're working with chemicals, you need safety glasses on, you know that."

Rolling his eyes, Anthony muttered, "Yeah, I know, I know..." Putting down the bottle he went off in search of glasses.

Mary turned and headed into her office.

* * *

Just before lunch, Anthony knocked on the frame of the open door to her office, "Boss has something for you." He said with a slightly evil looking smile as he dropped a stack of papers on her desk.

Noting the look of his smile, she said cautiously, "Yeah?" as she picked up the papers. As soon as she realized what they were her mood immediately sank into her shoes. "Oh no..."

"Oh yeah." Anthony said with a bit of a laugh, "You get to interview the new summer Interns."

"Fuck," Mary muttered under her breath. "How did I end up with this?"

Anthony shrugged, "Jacob is heading out for the day for something and said he wants you to handle it." He turned to head back out into the lab, "You want to be his star engineer and run all the field operations, this is what goes with it I guess." He laughed again as he walked away.

"Son of a..." Mary muttered incompletely to herself as she flipped through the half dozen sheets of paper. All were on clean, unmarked regular white paper and showed no signs of being handled before so Mary figured the company President, Jacob Mires, probably just printed them off and then handed them off. No doubt off to play golf... again... Mary thought with bad grace.

When she had started with the company a few years ago Jacob had been heavily involved in running the company and seemed to care what happened to his employees. Lately, though, his interest had started to wane and he had largely handed the company over to his son, Justin, who was an incompetent buffoon in Mary's opinion. He was also a chauvinist and a spoiled loudmouth. Generally, Mary tried to avoid him but with Jacob bowing out more and more it was getting harder to avoid the son.

Jacob had been content to largely let Mary run the field operations and the laboratory for the most part with only minimal input from himself and a couple of the project managers on occasion. But the son was showing no such inclinations. He felt the need to interject his opinion on everything whether he knew what he was talking about or not. Mary also noted that he seemed to get a perverse sort of enjoyment in telling Mary, Samantha and the couple other female employees what to do.

Just thinking about him made Mary grind her teeth and she had to make a conscious effort to put him out of her mind for the moment. Taking a deep breath, she brought her attention back to the task at hand. Looking through the six attached sheets an idea occurred to her, maybe if she was lucky, one of them would be... flipping through quickly she saw only male names and sighed heavily. Well, so much for that idea. Figures.

At that moment, a meeting invitation popped up on her computer screen and she glanced over. "Summer Intern Interviews" the title read. Her boss must have just sent it as he was walking out the door. Opening it she saw she was the only invitee. Well, at least she didn't have to deal with the son. That was something. She also noticed that the first interview started in less than twenty minutes. Wonderful. Thanks for all the notice, she thought with more bad grace.

Four hours later Mary was irritable and disgusted with work in general and her boss in particular. Why in fucks sake had he dumped this job on her? There were four or five project managers up front that made a whole lot more money than her and could just as easily have done these interviews. She sighed and dropped the resume from the previous interview onto the pile, her notes scratched in red pen around the margins. In the bottom right corner was a big, bold "NO" with a circle around it. That last kid had seriously creeped her out with his arrogant, leering smile and his inability to keep his eyes off her chest. She wanted to write "PERVERT!" in big red letters right across the paper but decided better of it. Not really professional she told herself.

She looked over the last resume, Tony Charles. She snorted to herself. Great, a guy with two first names she thought with yet more bad grace. She looked to her appointments and saw this last one wasn't scheduled till six o'clock and muttered to herself. Not only did she have to conduct all the interviews, she also got to stay late as well. Awesome.

"Mistress?" a disembodied voice echoed through her thoughts.

Looking up to make sure no one was lurking outside her office door. Wouldn't do to have people catching her having a conversation with herself. ,

"I was just wondering if..." a pause, "if we might talk for a minute?"

Hearing the shy, almost pleading tone in Marcellene's usually firm voice, Mary felt a pang of guilt in her heart and she sighed. Ever since those dreams had started, Mary had become leery of the sorceress trapped in the ring. Was she really controlling her? Had she been making Mary dance to her tune right from the start? Or were these dreams really just dreams? Mary didn't know and that uncertainty was slowly eating away at any trust she had for the ancient spirit. She didn't like it but seemed helpless to stop the process. She kept trying not to think that way but every time she resolved to put the feelings aside she had another dream and the apprehension came storming back worse than before.

Getting up, she walked over and shut her office door before answering. "Of course, what is it?

"I was just wondering if... " there was a hesitation then, "if there was something wrong?"

The feeling of guilt got stronger, "No, nothing is wrong."

Another hesitation, then slowly, "Ok. I was just curious because you don't seem to wish to converse with me as much as you did previously." a pause, "I thought perhaps I had offended you in some way."

Mary sighed. She wasn't being fair. She couldn't keep the poor spirit isolated just because she was having troubling nightmares. But try as she might, the feeling of unease just wouldn't go away. The first few times when she had been awakened by the dreams soaked in sweat and, uh... other things, Marcellene had asked her what had happened and what was wrong. With images of the dream Marcellene controlling her still fresh in her thoughts, Mary had brushed the real Marcellene off with excuses but she supposed she couldn't keep doing that forever. Sooner or later this would have to be at discussed. Taking a breath she made a decision. "Marcellene, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course Mistress, anything."

Mary took the plunge, "Are you controlling me?"

There was a noise that Mary thought sounded almost like a startled inhalation of breath and for an instant she wondered how a bodiless spirit could even make such a noise but before she could dwell on it Marcellene said, "Controlling you? No Mistress. I would never do that to you. I couldn't! I... I am here to serve you. Why would you think that of me?"

Mary bit her lower lip, second thoughts bubbling up in her mind. Should she really discuss the dreams with Marcellene? What harm could come from it? If Marcellene was the source of the dreams then surely she already knew all about it. If she wasn't the source maybe she could help? What was the worst that could happen? It occurred to her at that moment that maybe she wasn't supposed to know she was being controlled? After all, most of her memories were being blocked somehow. She sighed heavily, too late now she decided. She had already broached the subject, time to plunge forward and let the chips fall as they may.

"I've been having dreams, nightmares I guess you could say." Mary wasn't sure that she could really count the dreams as true nightmares when she awoke from them every time with heat from a fantastic orgasm still coursing through her veins but the implications were at least disturbing so she was going with that, for now at least.

"Yes,I know. I can feel your reaction to the dreams when you awaken." a pause, "I have asked you about them but so far you have always declined to discuss them with me."

The slightly hurt tone in her voice was impossible to miss and Mary felt chagrined. "I know and I'm sorry but..." She took a breath, "The dream are... well, kind of disturbing. I don't really remember much of them but I do know that in the dreams I am being manipulated, controlled... by you.".

"I see." Marcellene said very softly. "And you think that these dreams are really me? That I would do this to you?"

Mary hesitated, feeling ashamed of herself for not trusting the sorceress enough to at least talk with her when the dreams first started. Now it seemed like she had been hiding it all from her, which of course was exactly what she had been doing. "I... I didn't know."

There was a long, pregnant pause then Marcellene said, her voice brittle, "I see."

At that instant, Mary felt a wash of emotion suddenly well up inside her. Tears flooded her eyes and her throat tightened. Sadness, hurt, confusion all swirled within her. What was happening? "Marcellene?"

There was a little choking sound then "Yes Mistress."

"What is happening? Are you... are you crying?" Mary asked past the inexplicable lump in her throat.

"I am sorry Mistress. It is..." she broke off and there was a pause before she continued a few moments later, her voice slightly more steady but still quavering noticeably. "...I am sorry Mistress. I should not have allowed my emotions to overcome me like that and touch you like they did. I will try to control myself better."

Mary wiped away one of the tears that were rolling down her cheek, feeling the ache of pain and loss in her chest just as if it had been her own. The feeling reminded her of the heartbreaking sorrow she had felt a few years ago when one of her long term boyfriends has unexpectedly dumped her. Feeling Marcellene's emotions like this was a new and decidedly uncomfortable experience for Mary. While the feeling was completely real, the fact that she had no real cause for the pain was disorienting to say the least. Up until now, it had always been Mary sending her feelings to Marcellene, not the other way around. To have this sudden feeling of pain and loss welling up inside her, imposed from somewhere... no, someone, else was strange. "Marcellene, are these feelings... are you this upset?"

"I am sorry Mistress. I will not question you anymore and I will strive to be in better control in the future. It is my place to serve, not to question."

"No, Marcellene, please, it's not that. I, I, I'm... I'm sorry," Mary stammered, "I didn't mean to upset you it's just that..." she broke off trying to collect her thoughts. "Marcellene, it's just that I don't understand what is happening to me. I can feel myself changing and I'm not entirely sure I like all the changes that are happening." She stood up and started pacing the room, her voice rising, "I mean look at what I did to Lucia. She was straight as an arrow, middle aged mother and I made her into a lesbian nymphomaniac." She turned as if addressing someone but there was only the empty office. More softly she said, "Was that right?" Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Mary whispered, "I don't know what is happening Marcellene, I feel like I'm losing myself and I'm... I'm scared."

Light flared in Mary's mind for an instant and then everything changed.

It took her a moment to realize where she was but when she did she sucked in a startled breath.

It was dusk and the sunlight was fading, around her, everything was shadowed in deepening darkness but even for that, the view was stunning. Far below her vantage point the vast, largely empty, plane of scrubby plants, rocks and dirt stretched off to the horizon in all directions. To her right, she could see a sprawling city of low, squat mud brick huts surrounding a hulking palace at its center. Hundreds, thousands of little points of flickering light were just beginning to flare into life as cooking fires, torches and lamps were lit to fend off the encroaching night. Turning she saw the familiar shapes of the two huge female statues that watched over the altar of the Ama-Arhus, the ancient Sumerian Goddess of Women.

Mary had been brought back to this place again, to a shadow of a time that existed over six thousand years ago, to a long forgotten temple of a Goddess who hadn't been worshiped on Earth in eons. She had been drawn into the ring again. Into Marcellene's prison.

Torches burned at the corners of the large, flat topped stone altar which occupied the space between the two huge statues. Upon the altar sat a woman dressed in ornate, flowing red and gold robes. Her shoulders were hunched and back was turned to Mary.

Marcellene. Sorceress to the Emperor, High Priestess of Ama-Arhus, Immortal prisoner to an ancient magic.

Cautiously, slowly, Mary took a step closer, then another. When she was at the altar she waited for Marcellene to say something but when she didn't, Mary finally said softly, "Marcellene?"

The woman jumped as if stung and tried to turn around but from her cross legged position and with her flowing robes about her the movement was hopelessly awkward and she fell sideways, sprawling out on the altar. Flailing a bit, she managed to push the hair out of her eyes and get herself more or less upright as she looked up and saw who was with her. When she did her eyes went wide with surprise. "Mistress." She breathed. "How...?"

"Hello, Marcellene." Mary said, feeling that the greeting was pretty lame under the circumstances. "I, uh, guess you wanted to talk to me?"

"What? No I... I mean, well, yes I'd love the chance to talk to you face to face again, but... " she hesitated, "I didn't bring you here."

Mary felt her eyebrows come together as she studied the woman. She still looked to be upset and in a state of at least partial shock. Her large, dark eyes were wide and wet with tears and she had wet trails running down her cheeks. Her full lips parted with her rapid breathing showing her perfect white teeth. For the briefest of instants Mary paused to wonder at how someone from so far in the past could have such perfect teeth but then chided herself for getting distracted by something so trivial.

"You didn't bring me here?"

"No Mistress. I would never do that without your request. It wouldn't be... proper." Marcellene said her face coloring a little in the torchlight.

"Then, how did I get here?" Mary asked. As she spoke she could only think of two real answers to that question.

The first answer was she had brought herself here and she was pretty sure she didn't do it. Actually, she wasn't really even sure if she could even if she wanted to.

The second choice was that the ring did it on its own.

Marcellene climbed down off the altar and belatedly bowed to Mary before speaking again. Mary was again reminded of this woman's, this spirit's, incredible, exotic beauty and grace. Her shapely body that was both hidden and accentuated by her ornate flowing robes, the dark hair with it's interwoven fine gold chains and medallions and of course her great beauty of face. Marcellene was as breathtaking a woman as Mary had ever seen. Before she could catch herself Mary whispered, "Dear Goddess Marcellene, you're beautiful."

Marcellene looked down to hide her reaction but not before Mary saw a hot bloom of color on the Sorceress' dusky cheeks. "Thank you, Mistress." She waited a moment and appeared to be collecting her thoughts or perhaps composing herself.

When, after a few seconds she looked up Marcellene was again the calm and dignified woman she remembered from their first meeting. Only the wetness on her cheeks betrayed her turmoil of a few minutes ago. Her voice once again smooth and composed, she addressed Mary's earlier question, "Truthfully, I do not know how you got here but I see four possibilities. You brought yourself here, perhaps by accident. My Goddess brought you here, though why I have no idea. The third is that the ring brought you here for its own purpose."

Mary hadn't even considered the possibility that the Goddess had brought her here. What possible interest could she be to an ancient Goddess? But the ring? She looked down at it's dull, silver finish with it's intricate but age worn engravings. She thought she could detect just the faintest hint of red glowing deep in the carved lines and curls but she wasn't sure.

The ring seemed suddenly heavier somehow. "Is the ring really that, well, self-aware? Can it do things like that? I know you said it has a mind of its own but I've always thought of it more like an animal, sort of acting mostly on instinct. Not really as a thinking, uh, well, person... thing... something." Mary finished awkwardly, feeling slightly foolish.

If Marcellene thought her ideas were foolish she didn't show it but said cautiously, "I think that in the beginning, the ring was as you say, acting mostly on instinct, as you say. Yes, instinct is probably a good way to describe it. It was a tool but it was a magical tool and it was created by accident and such things can have surprising results. But over the centuries, thinking back, I have begun to realize that perhaps the ring is changing. The power in the ring seems to becoming more... focused, somehow. I wouldn't go so far as to say it is becoming sentient, but I think it is slowly..." she bit her lip, thinking for a second before saying, "evolving."