Ulrica counted the
chimes. When the fifth sounded, she
stared at the door of her suite. Her
muscles felt like taut wire cords.
Memories of the many times she’d contended with her sister roiled in her
thoughts. The only clear victory Ulrica
could remember was the day their aunt had chosen her to enter the temple. Even that day had been tainted.
Bodlesa
had craved the position as the Voice of Midra in Keltoi. Ulrica stroked the scar that ran from her
shoulder to the wrist. On the day she’d
left the megara for the temple, Bodlesa’s anger had changed to blind fury. One slash of her knife had nearly cost Ulrica
her life.
The door opened and
crashed against the wall. Bodlesa
stalked into the room. “I am here. Why have you chosen to raise the misbegotten
from her lowly place?”
“She is of our clan
and your get. Every year, the number of
girls suitable to serve Midra dwindle.
There is no other of our clan who is suitable. The temples of the other nomes are in
ruins. The priestesses hide. The priests of Midran clamp tighter bonds on
all women.”
“Norna isn’t
pure. Though her father was Keltoi, he
denied his clan to walk in Midran’s way.
I brought the girl to serve you as a drab.”
“Your own
daughter? If you do this, who will
become my heir?”
“Britha.”
Ulrica laughed. “Will Prasutus let her go? Though I don’t live in the megara, I know
what happens there. These days, she’s
his favorite bedmate. If he gets a son
from her, trouble will flare.”
“She has left the
nome but I can call her back.”
“There is another
reason she is unsuitable. Though she
wears our clan’s stripes, she’s not of pure lineage. Her grandfather was from Incal. Norna’s line is pure. I will have her.”
Bodlesa prowled the
room. Her braid switched like the tail
of an enraged firelion. “Prasutus wants
her. If she stays in the drab’s quarters
of the megara, he will have her. He
could even come here and take her.”
“If she were my
heir, he wouldn’t dare.”
“I caught her trying
to flee the nome. She wanted to go to the
Healwomen.”
Ulrica spat. “Those abominations. Once they served Midra, but they have turned
their faces from Her. They say they
serve the god and goddess the way all priestesses and priests once did.”
Bodlesa
laughed. “Do you fear them? The priests use them for their healing skills
and for the sons they birth.” She waved
her hand. “I have set a plan in
motion. Britha joins them to sow discord
in their ranks.”
Ulrica’s hands
fisted. “Have you trained your daughter
to do the same in the temple?”
Bodlesa
scowled. “Trained her? I have had nothing to do with the girl. I was but fourteen when I birthed her. That Healwoman Mabe gave the infant to a
drab. Norna has learned to labor like
the women who cook, scrub and grub in the earth. ’Tis said she has a way with beasts.”
“And she can
hate. Think carefully about your
choice. Have you no love for her?”
“I didn’t choose to
give her life. I was bedazzled by a
handsome face and a well-formed body.”
She moistened her lips. “’Twas a
challenge to tempt him. He was virile
and like a drug. To my regret, I bore
the fruit of his passion.”
Ulrica stared at the
wall. In that pairing, Bodlesa had been
the aggressor. Her lust for the Militos
subaltern had been the talk of the megara.
“And he refused to put his desire for the priesthood aside. For that reason, you deny her.”
“So does her
father.”
“Does he even know
he has a daughter?”
Bodlesa
laughed. “Why would I send the news to
him? Will you accept her as a drab? Otherwise, she dies.”
“I’ll ask Midra to
guide my decision. Once the evening meal
ends, I’ll go to the chapel and seek her guidance. Will you accept Her command?”
Bodlesa’s smile
failed to erase the ice in her eyes.
“Hers, not yours.”
Ulrica hid her own
smile. Her twin was a fool. If not Norna, I will have my heir.
The cup is
prepared. “Come to the chapel after the curfew bell.”
No comments:
Post a Comment