12-1: Villagers Seek Help from Ki Ronggo
Kliyem returned once more, accompanied by dozens of villagers from the lower settlements.
They had come to beg Ki Ronggo Ireng’s aid — to search for their loved ones who had vanished upon the slopes of Mount Bromo, ever since the sacred Sekatenan Hormat Bumi ritual the year before.
All had been taken by unseen spirit forces, and none had ever found their way back home.
As he looked over the crowd — especially the shapely, full‑figured women among them — Ki Ronggo’s thoughts turned immediately to wicked delight.
Ki Ronggo: “Alas, Mount Bromo lies far beyond our reach, and it is guarded by a mystical barrier of immense strength — one not easily pierced even by those of great power.”
Kliyem: “My own son disappeared there, Elder… I beg you, do not turn us away.”
Sariti stepped forward, her voice trembling with grief.
Sariti: “And my daughter too… we have no one else to turn to but you.”
In all, twenty families had come forward to report their missing kin.
Ki Ronggo nodded gravely, his mind already weaving a scheme.
Ki Ronggo: “The ritual required to call upon lost spirits demands enormous spiritual energy — it cannot be performed for all at once.
I can only tend to two persons each day.”
Kliyem: “Is there truly no way to hasten it, Elder?”
Sariti, standing beside Kliyem, called out anxiously.
Sariti: “Must we wait so long?
Can it not be done for everyone in a single ceremony?”
Ki Ronggo shook his head solemnly.
Ki Ronggo: “It would drain my life‑force entirely, and risk summoning far darker things than we seek.
It must be done this way.”
The villagers murmured in understanding, trusting fully in his wisdom.
Ki Ronggo: “For today, let Kliyem and Sariti remain here.
We shall begin the first ritual this very evening.”
Ki Ronggo: “The rest of you may return to your homes — come back each day, two by two, and I shall help every family in turn.”
The others bowed gratefully and departed, leaving only Kliyem and Sariti behind to prepare for what he called “the sacred rite.”
In truth, it was nothing but a cunning trick.
Ki Ronggo’s gaze lingered hungrily upon Kliyem — a woman he had already shared intimate secrets with in past “healing ceremonies” — and upon Sariti’s soft, inviting form. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
His greatest desire now was to take them both completely.
Agung sat nearby, still coughing weakly, his body bearing the wounds inflicted by Queen Cempaka’s fierce strike.
Though his own passion often burned hot, his heart remained clear and upright; he truly wished to help these grieving people.
Before the villagers left, he spoke words of comfort and hope.
Agung: “Do not lose heart.
We shall do everything in our power to find your loved ones and bring them safely home.”
Meanwhile, Ki Ronggo’s eyes remained fixed upon Kliyem and Sariti, glinting with lustful intent.
He smiled and echoed Agung’s words, though his meaning was far different.
Ki Ronggo: “Yes indeed… together, we shall bring them back, one and all.”
Ki Ronggo gestured toward the inner chamber.
Ki Ronggo: “You two… follow me into the meditation hall.
There we shall begin the work.”
Kliyem and Sariti stepped inside, their hearts fluttering with a mix of hope and nervousness.
Ki Ronggo began to explain what he called “the sacred procedure,” his voice smooth and persuasive.
Ki Ronggo: “To reach the spirits of those lost, one must share a bond deeper than mere words.
It is only those bound by blood who may call them forth — but your own spiritual strength is too weak to bridge that distance alone.”
Kliyem frowned in confusion.
Kliyem: “Then how shall we manage it, Elder?
We have no power of our own to speak of.”
Sariti nodded quickly, echoing her doubt.
Sariti: “That is true… we are but simple folk, ignorant of such mysteries.”
Ki Ronggo smiled gently, yet his eyes held a wicked gleam.
My own body is a vessel filled with potent spiritual energy — it flows through my blood, my breath, my life‑giving essence… even the fluids my body produces hold power far beyond ordinary measure.”
Kliyem tilted her head, growing wary; she remembered all too well the last “healing rite” he had performed upon her, one that had left her feeling strange and heavy for days afterward.
Kliyem: “And how exactly shall this power pass from you into us?”
Ki Ronggo chuckled softly, his tone thick with hidden desire.
Ki Ronggo: “I must transfer my essence directly into your own bodies, so that our spirits become one.
Only then will you possess the strength to call out to those you seek.”
Sariti’s eyes went wide in shock, though Kliyem merely smiled in quiet understanding.
Sariti: “But Elder… how is such a thing done?”
Ki Ronggo stepped closer, his voice dropping to a warm, seductive murmur.
Ki Ronggo: “The most direct, most perfect way is through the union of our bodies.
When we join as one, my power flows into you like water into dry earth — filling you, strengthening you, opening the path to the spirit world.”
Sariti trembled, uncertainty warring with her longing for her child.
Kliyem, however, looked upon the Elder with a knowing, weary smile.
Sariti: “But is there no other way?
It feels… improper…”
Ki Ronggo shrugged gently.
Ki Ronggo: “The choice is entirely yours.
If you wish to leave your loved ones trapped forever in that mist‑shrouded realm, I shall not force you.”
Kliyem reached out and squeezed Sariti’s hand, speaking softly.
Kliyem: “If this is truly the only way… then let us do it.
We have nothing more precious than our children’s safety.”
Sariti pinched Kliyem’s arm in protest, but seeing her resolve and thinking of her missing daughter, she finally bowed her head in surrender.
Sariti: “Very well, Elder… for the sake of our families, we accept.
Let your sacred power enter us, and bring our loved ones back to us.”
In the shadows nearby, Bariyah, Cariyah, and Dariyah listened with muffled giggles — they knew full well what game their master played, and how easily these trusting women had fallen into his trap.
TO BE CONTINUED…