48- Wharcorum Basta Rayhai- Step One: Installation

Sutures are a rather fascinating thing. A small razor-sharp hook with a long thread for a tail. No need for a cumbersome eye or an ability to thread it. Quayleigh, however, was not in a position to admire this novel invention. Instead, she was gazing up at the inverse face of the man she loved, while another, her scoundrel of a teacher, was kneeling between her open legs, preparing to install the sigil he had crafted earlier in the day.

The clicking of the forceps, a strange melodic string of metallic ticks, was a unique sound to the ear. Quayleigh couldn't remember having ever heard anything else quite like it, and it was the sound she had been waiting to hear. The preparations, to this point, had been uncomfortable and they were only going to get worse, but the wait itself, was over. Now, she could focus on counting down the minutes until the stitching came to an end.

"Hold her steady." Coles voice echoed passed her. "This is going to feel cold. I'm inserting the sigil now."

The chill of the cadaver flesh being spread out, flattened against her vaginal wall, was a minimal discomfort. Even as it lingered, it was tolerable, something she knew she would have to get used to for as long as it remained in place. It was more the thought of what it was, that rest within, that was problematic, as Cole hadn't been forthcoming with the details of how, when, or where he had obtained the skin, nor elaborated if it was even human, or from something else entirely. All she knew for certain was whatever it belonged to previously, was now deceased, and with a clean and sterile suture, clamped in the jaws of the curved hemostat, Cole was about to sew it into place.

"This shouldn't be intense, but do your best not to move," he reminded her, and then she felt him press the needle down, piercing swiftly through her inner wall.

Tears began to fill her eyes as she clutched against her shirt. Knuckles turned ghost white as sweat began to bead upon her brow. She could feel the pressure, the tug, the slip of the heavy nylon thread against her sensitive inner wall, but mostly, she felt the sensation of Cole's breath against her thighs and the radiating heat from his hands and arms.

The pain was sharp but brief, and even though those moments seemed to snap her back into reality, she would drift out again soon after until she no longer felt present or close to the sensations. Such was the nature of the drug she had ingested. Having now experienced the first of eight sutures, seven still to come, she was more thankful than appreciative for Cole's knowledge of medicinals and his willingness to provide them.

Once again, the unusual sound of rapid clicks swarmed to her ears, marking the end of the short reprieve. Tau tightened his grip as she took a deep breath and prepared, the sharp sting of metal being forced through flesh, the tug, and the lingering warmth, lead to the same visceral reactions as the first. By the end of the third suture she was drenched by sweat. By the fifth Tau was massaging her jaw, and before the sixth could begin, he forced Cole to pause long enough for him to pry her fingers free from her own shirt, removing his and rolling it up, providing her with something more substantial in which to grasp, in hopes she would break no more of her nails, having already snapped three, all on her right hand.

"Okay cher, last one," Cole relayed, and as with all the previous, the cycle began anew.

Pain, tug, slide, pressure, lingering heat, but alas, it was finally over. She had made it through.

"You did good, cher," Cole said as he set down the forceps and took a final look at her insides. "Everything went in as it should, but I'll have to make certain the sutures hold once we move you."

"Can I take this…"

"Oh yeah, go ahead, and rub at the back of her jaw to help ease the tension," Cole responded before Tau could finish his question. "I'm going to remove the leg splitter and speculum, but remember, the needles are still attached, so don't put your legs together."

The removal of the speculum brought some much-needed relief. Even as the feeling of pressure had subsided, the release of the device allowing her muscles to relax and contract, made her more comfortable and put her at some measure of ease. Cole kindly pulled the bottom of her shirt back down before unfastening the straps on her ankles and laying her legs down over the side of the bed.

"Take a few minutes to catch your breath while I go change my gloves and set up for the next part," he told her as he slid the bar back under her bed.

Whether she wanted it or not, she knew Cole was going to leave it there.

Meanwhile, Tau was masterfully dancing his fingers against her jaw until she began to breathe easier and relaxed enough to open her mouth, allowing Tau to remove the leather bit before returning to the gentle massage.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he rubbed the heel of his hands against the lower part of her cheeks in slow circular motions.

"Relieved that this part is over. Anxious to get the rest underway. Mostly though, I'm dreading how much this is going to hurt."

"What happens next?"

She softly smiled, her fingers quaking as she lifted her arm, reaching for his cheek. Heavy warm fingers clasped around hers and pressed them flat to his lips, kissing them with a tender warmth. Curling her fingers down, he kissed her knuckles as he leaned over her and then pressed them to his brow.

"Tell me," he whispered, lowering her hand back to her chest.

"Once I'm moved to the circle, Cole's going to paint me with goats' blood and then the stringing will begin. If you're willing, you can make it go faster by copying what he does."

"If it will help this end sooner, I will do whatever is asked of me."

"Good, because stringing be a time-consuming pain," Cole remarked as he moved back towards them.

"I don't want to hear any complaints coming from you," Quayleigh said as Cole helped her into a sitting position. "You're not the one with razor pointed hooks dangling between your legs about to be painted and strung up like a marionette."

"Ain't no complaints here, cher, just stating facts. I can walk you through the steps Tau, but it not be all that complicated. Think you can follow along?"

"Yes," Tau replied as he shifted up behind Quayleigh steadying her with a hand on the back, his other grasping firm to hers.

"Good. I'm glad you're confident, but don't be upset if I check your work. While there be plenty margin for error, I pride myself on the quality of my services. I can't allow even the most capable of my assistants to go without inspection."

"I understand."

"Well alright then. Everything's set. Let's get you moved."

Reaching down between her legs, Cole carefully gathered up the suture needles and held them up as he and Tau aided Quayleigh into a standing position. Every step seemed heavier than the previous, her legs felt like rubber and didn't seem to respond as they should, while the world around her began to spin and churn causing her to close her eyes and stop moving every few steps, just to avoid throwing up.

Those twelve steps from her bed to the center of the circle, to her, were the most inconceivably difficult steps of her life. The destination pathetically close felt a mile away, and regardless of reality, to her, several hours had passed when she finally arrived; a small, flat pillow awaiting her head as the men helped lower her to the floor. She had never welcomed the comfort of a foreign sheet over the synthetic fibers of her apartments old, beige, low-pile carpet before. But in that moment, she couldn't have been more relieved. Even as the distancing effects of the tea began to wear off, the dizzying one lingered, only fading as she closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose, slowly exhaling from her mouth.

"How you holding up?" Cole questioned as he placed his hand to the side of her neck.

"I'll be fine in a minute, now that I feel like I'm on solid ground again."

"When you're ready, I need you to sit up so we can get your shirt off. Once I'm finished with the markings, we'll start with the hooks. Tau, I'll have you work on her left side, while I do the right," he explained as he took his hand from her neck. "I'm just going to take quick look and make sure none of the stitches pulled lose."

Quayleigh nodded as she opened her eyes and watched Cole move and kneel down between her spread legs. Retrieving the cleaned speculum from the tray he had placed nearby, he carefully maneuvered the sutures threads to one side, before pressing it into place and forcing her open once more. Using a flashlight, his examine was thorough, testing each suture with a gentle pull.

"Good, everything's still in place. The sutures held and the sigil's lying flat. We can proceed if you're ready, cher?"

"Let's get this over with," she replied as he slid the speculum out and set it back onto the tray.

Sitting up, Tau and Cole helped her remove her shirt and laid her back down. Unlike Tau, Cole had never seen the extent of her scars before, and his reaction made her happy that she had found the courage to show Tau before now. Knowing he had seen them first, made it easier for her to let them be seen again, even though she had agreed to this ritual fully aware that there was no way around being naked before Cole.

"My word cher," Cole muttered causing her to turn away and grab a hold of Tau's hand. "When you told me all them years back about what happened, I never realized just how bad it was. It be no wonder you met Death that day."

"Yeah, but I'm oddly grateful for them," she remarked as Tau turned and looked at Cole.

"As am I. If not for these, I never would have met her."

"Scars tell a myriad of stories. These are one of survival, clandestine meetings, and love. What's not to be grateful for?"

"Still, do try and forget you ever saw me like this."

"Sure thing, cher. Once this all be over, none of this ever happened," he agreed as he picked up a thick paint brush and a bowl filled with blood. "This might tickle but try not to move. It may be blood, but no reason we can't make it look pretty, no?"

Of all the unpleasant aspects of this particular type of magic, from the invasive installation of the sigil, the need for sutures, and the upcoming threading, being the living canvas for a master artist was, by contrast, an incredibly relaxing experience, even as the medium was warm goat blood.

Starting on her pubic bone, Cole painted a circle over the location of where the sigil was hidden within, and from there thick, heavy lines arced to the insides of her thighs and down to her knees where he encircled her legs at the joint before continuing to her ankles. Around her ankles and down the inside of her foot, he painted a line, finishing with one across the base of her toes, before arcing back into a circle on her metatarsal. Each stroke was made in a single, fluid motion, a testament to his skill and the years of practice, Cole had dedicated to this line of work.

Returning to the top of the initial circle, he placed an inverted arc, hip to hip, with a small circle on each end that pointed up towards her chest. From those small circles, lines traced up to her ribs and arced towards her sternum following the nature curve along the bottom of her breasts. Starting one last time at the top of the initial circle he painted a line straight up through the center of her body, through the convergence at her sternum, between her collar bones, and up her neck, stopping just below her lower lip. From the point where all three lines converged, in a long, wide, arc, he painted out to her shoulders, swirling out and around the front of the joint, down to her elbow, where like at her knee, he went around the limb, encircling it, before continuing to her wrist. Encircling her wrists, he laid her hands flat, palm down, placing circles on each, and a final line across her knuckles before setting down the thick brush and grabbing one meant for finer details.

Where the center line stopped below her lip, he began again, painting a fine line to each of her cheeks, encircling them and following through to her temples, across her forehead, and down the length of her nose, a final stroke connecting the circles on her cheeks across its tip.

In each of the circles, he painted a copy of the whacorum básta rayhai sigil, before setting aside the brush and placing the bowl on the floor between her legs.

"That be the last of it, cher. Now, if you're ready, Tau and I, we begin the threading."