Nac O’te warriors stood in the shadows, watching her, scanning her -- judging her. She raised her arms above her head and focused on the music, letting the primal rhythm drive all thoughts from her mind. Drums pounded. Flutes trilled, evocative, yet sad. Her spirit longed for the Dawning, ached for the soul-deep awakening that would prove her worth and readiness.

The invasion had been insidious, their enemy both patient and sly. Without the Dawning her people were trapped in their solar trance, helpless and unaware, as more and more of the enemy found their way through the tear in the Veil. But so few were ever found worthy. With a desperate little gasp, she ran her hands down her sides and spun faster and faster. She had to be among the chosen. It was her destiny! She just knew it was.

Her toes touched a searing hot stone, bringing her wild spinning to an abrupt stop. She yelped and jumped back, panting, but determined still. Refocusing her mind, she twisted her hair into a long coil and piled it on top of her head, offering her exposed skin to the fire’s glow.

Consume me. Awaken me. I am ready. Take me!

Her nipples hardened and tension gathered between her thighs. She wiggled, accenting the tingle, absorbing the heat.

Shaking out her hair, Kylie lifted her face to the starry sky. The Nac O’te warriors began the ancient chant. Kylie echoed each syllable with the other women surrounding the fire. When the women reached the end of the first repetition, they shed their robes. Kylie shrugged out of her garment, then stood naked and still.

“Linro inet ict etar Dato,” Arabel called out from the darkness. Kylie knew her sister would be here. Arabel was Prime Nac O’te. She attended the Awakening ceremony every month. Still, it had been jarring to hear her voice in the midst of the sensual haze. May you awaken the Day. It was part challenge, part blessing.

Responding to the evocation, the women turned and faced the warriors. They raised their arms and repeated the chant, their voices ringing with conviction and determination. That’s where the formal structure ended. Some of the women boldly touched themselves, quickly and expertly bringing themselves to rather dramatic orgasms. Others surrounded themselves with “supporters”, friends or lovers who had willingly undergone the seven day purification required of participants in the Awakening ceremony.

Warm bodies pressed in around Kylie. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the chant. Her supporters were allowed to touch her with their hands and their mouths. If her mystic power surged in response to this ceremony, then the Nac O’te warriors would find her worthy and one might…

Concentrate! The rest was irrelevant if her power never surged.

Hands, so many hands stroked her, caressing her skin, squeezing her breasts and easing her legs apart. Heat washed over her flesh in a slow, tingling wave. The warriors could see all of her. She wasn’t tall and full-breasted like Arabel. Her figure was average, her tummy rounded. Opening her eyes just a bit, she snuck a look at the warriors hidden in the shadows. Why would any of them want to attempt the Dawning with her? Even if she could…

“Relax,” Olav whispered into her ear. “You’ve talked about nothing but your Awakening for the past two months. Some of those purification techniques were downright barbaric.” He chuckled. “You better make us proud.”

A smile bowed her lips and she closed her eyes again, leaning against Olav’s chest. Her friends cared about her and she trusted them. They were here to help her through this crucial testing. It didn’t matter that she’d grown up with these four men. She couldn’t let it matter. They’d touch her body, arouse her passion, and hopefully trigger her Awakening, launch her along a new life path, an exciting -- Olav’s chuckle interrupted her rambling thoughts.

He turned her head until their gazes locked in the moonlight. “If you want this as badly as you claim, you’re going to have to turn it off.”

“Turn what off?” she whispered.

“The part of your brain that overanalyzes everything. Feel our hands, feel our lips. This is about instinct and energy. Concentrate on the sensations awakening inside you. Block out tomorrow and yesterday. Live in this moment and surrender yourself to these feelings.”