“This is a waste of time, they won’t see us and they have no
reason to help us,” Brandon scowled and cast an angry look at the entrance to
the temple. “This nonsense of threads and tapestry, you know it’s not real don’t
you? All foolishness from the time before.”
Penolina closed her
eyes, struggling to bring her emotions under control. They’d
already been through this argument, several times if the truth be told, yet
here they were again thanks to the words he’d heard time and again from their
uncle. “They will. They have to. It’s part of the old laws and since the
Raiders were thrown out of the system, the old laws are now adhered to once
more.” Old laws, they had both been born after the Raiders had taken control.
Now, with the Queen back in place on Chronos, the temples were open again, the
laws back in place and they had a place to take their problems. “Everything
changed when we regained control of our world. The Queen…”
“Is on Chronos.”
“Yes, but she brought back the old ways.” With a few minor tweaks
but they were still, according to many she’d spoken with, in the spirit of the
laws that had governed their world before the invasion. “Those laws give us a
chance to seek help, something he has no right to deny us.” Though he had tried
his best.
“It won’t help. He’ll have been here and spoken against us. I
mean, we’re kids and…”
“We won’t be soon, which is why we need to speak out now.”
Within two months she would be of age, and he would follow suit within fifteen
months. “Once we’re eighteen we have the right to see to our own holdings. The
temple is the only hope we have without going to the capitol and you know he’ll
never release enough money to allow us to travel that far.” She nodded at the
white stone building with its heavy black doors. “He wouldn’t think that we
know about this option. Why would he? It’s only recently that such information
has been taught in the schools again.” Schools they had been pulled from not
long after the Raiders had left. An attempt to keep them ignorant of the
changes that were occurring all around them?
What else could it have been?
The man was
intelligent, she’d never denied that, but his motives… she
shuddered at the thought.
“Fine, but when they laugh at us don’t expect me to take it
well, sister mine.” Brandon grumbled and ran a hand through his sandy hair. “It
will only be worse when we return home and Uncle Jacob is waiting for us.”
“They won’t laugh.” Please let me be right, please goddess let
your servants listen to us and aid us.
Was it a formal prayer? She didn’t know, that knowledge
had also been denied them. What little she’d been able to find out had been
through quick talks with older men and women and stolen knowledge from other
sources. Even the servants at home were wary about sharing information with
them, knowing if they were caught then they would be out of work.
It would have been,
she believed, different in the capitol. Here the families, and through them the
heads of families, held sway over the small communities. If you were let go
from service to a family, without a reference, the odds of finding decent work
without moving away from the area, were slim at best. It was a harsh, cruel way
of existing, one that Penolina had never agreed with.
She grasped her
brother’s
hand and smiled. He was taller than she was, and hadn’t yet reached his full
height, yet he would always be her little brother. “We can do this, have faith
in yourself, in us. We’re stronger together than he has ever been willing to
accept and that is to our advantage.”
He looked down at
their linked hands even as his shoulders slumped. “Let’s
get this over and done with.”
He didn’t
believe her, didn’t want to have faith in what they were about to do and she
knew why. If it didn’t work, if they were turned away or worse, reported to
their uncle, then their lives would become a living nightmare. He would
separate them as a means of punishment, keep them apart until they were adults,
but then what?
As adults he couldn’t
control them, not in the same way, unless they failed to grasp their power and
make use of it before he found a way to strip it from them. Any attempts that
Brandon had, quietly, made to find out more about the changes ahead of them,
had been met with subtle dismissals and changes in topic. She, of course, hadn’t
approached Jacob directly. Her careful probing questions from those who had
been in service with the family since before the invasion, had revealed just
how little the siblings had been taught about their rights.
It was one thing to
have rights and protections, it was another to know they existed so you could
actually use them - and Jacob had taken steps from the very beginning to
prevent them from learning about their family, the history of their holdings
and then the return of the old laws of inheritance.
He will have us signed into service
somewhere. Maybe the temple for me, and military service for Brandon? No, not
the temple, but a marriage I want nothing to do with? What will happen when I
fight such a marriage? Will he kill me or find another way to silence me? Could
he simply kill me off and be done with me?
No, he didn’t
have that power anymore. Not with the change in laws, but did he know that?
More importantly, did he accept it?
Yes, of course he
knew and refused to accept the change in laws. His true power rested in the
understanding that the siblings remained ignorant.
They paused at the
base of the steps. For years the white stone had been left untended, those in
service to the temple had kept to the shadows knowing that their lives were in
danger if they made themselves known. The stories of the invasion were still a
part of living memory for many, and she recalled more than one priest or
priestess dragged out of hiding to face punishment.
Death.
She shuddered at the
memory of the one execution she had been forced to witness. A middle-aged man
with wild hair and sorrow filled eyes. He’d screamed, oh by the
gods how he’d screamed. It hadn’t been a quick death, no such mercy had been
granted him and she, like all of the others commanded to stand through the
event, had heard every blow, each cry and the final announcement that life had
been extinguished.
How many others had
died in other communities and cities around the planet? Had the same horrible
fates befallen those of the Orders on the other four homeworlds? Chronos, she
knew from stories, had suffered terribly beneath the yoke of the Raiders. Gaea
and Thanatos had survived but it had not been an easy thing. Mars had fought,
every step of the way, but they were a warrior people born and raised. The
Raiders had controlled the system but Mars, out of all of them, had defied
them.
A small door, within
the left hand side of the large double doors, opened before they reached it and
a man in a white robe stepped out into view. The cowl covered his features in
shadows, his hands hidden within the sleeves but somehow she knew he was
looking at them, observing their approach in silent patience.
“We could turn away, no one would say a word about it.” Brandon
leaned in, his voice a low whisper.
“No, we’re going to do this.” She tightened her grasp on his
hand.
“But…”
“Welcome, enter and ask, we are here to help those who serve our
Lady of Fate. She of the spinning wheel, loom and shears.” The priest stepped
aside, lifting his right hand to bid them enter. “All are welcome here as long
as they enter in peace and respect our Lady.” His voice was calm, warm and
welcoming, not at all what she thought a priest would sound like.
He’s
a man, just like any other man.
Young, by the sound
of the voice, or at least not old. His face was still hidden by the cowl but
his hand lacked the wrinkles that might come with age, nor did she see any sign
of liver spots. Not that age mattered, but there was something about his voice
that pulled at her.
“Thank you,” she murmured and glanced back at her brother. “We’ll
be safe here, I promise you that. They won’t hurt us.” Let
him believe me. If he didn’t, she’d find a way to
calm him down, but if she was wrong about the situation, about how they would
be treated, then - well, she didn’t know what she would do.
“Your sister is right, young lord. You are most welcome here and
you will be safe among us.” The priest followed them into the temple, pulling
the door closed behind them.
Darkness consumed
them and her heart skipped a beat in the moment before a dozen soft lights
flickered into life ahead of them. She blinked adjusting to the change in
illumination, thankful for the gentle glow offered by the candles. Few places
used candles or lamps these days, why would they need to when power was so easy
to use. Yet the temple was old, predating the time of power lines. Now, of
course, technology kept most things hidden out of the way, but with buildings
like the temple would it be easy to lay the lines needed to bring the power
into the building?
“We use the older methods out of respect to those who built the
temple, though there are small modern lights offered in some of the offices.
Those are, of course, seldom used. We keep them only for visitors who would be
ill at ease with candles or oil lamps.”
She frowned at the
words, trying to think of who might have a problem with candles. Perhaps those
who were unable to move without assistance? The lack of light might make it
difficult to see where they could put their feet, or use their mobility
devices. She nibbled on the inside of her lip as they followed the priest
further into the temple.
“We are here for…”
“Wait, you will be able to explain once the senior priestess is
able to speak with you.” The man looked back over his shoulder, his smile warm
and genuine. “She may, of course, already know what the issue is and have
answers waiting for you.”
She swallowed hard
and looked away. Of course, she should have remembered that from the little she
had read about the temple.
“How could she know?” Brandon pressed.
“Because she is the priestess. Our Lady Fate may have shared
that information with her, it happens from time to time.” The priest shrugged. “I
am, I’m afraid, still in the middle stages of my training so it will be some
time before such information may be shared with me.”
May?
“Thank
you, we - we’ve not been well taught about the functions of the temple or the
way you serve.” Penolina admitted and squeezed her brother’s hand.
“That, sadly, is not uncommon, though we are working with the
schools once more and our doors are open to all who might seek answers.” The
priest stopped by a simple door and looked back at them. “Are you ready?”
Brandon tugged on
her hand. “We should leave.”
“No, we shouldn’t. He will know we have come here. If we leave
we place ourselves back in his grasp and you know he will have no mercy to show
us.” Brandon would be safer than she would be as their uncle had fallen under
the sway of the raiders. At least that was the impression she had gained in
meeting and talking with others of their age range in the past six months.
“He won’t hurt…” Brandon’s words trailed off. “He would - wouldn’t
he?”
“Yes.”
Brandon pulled his
hand free. “No, I don’t want to hear that, don’t want to believe it.”
It didn’t
matter what her brother wanted, the truth was undeniable. He’d been sheltered,
in many ways, but she hadn’t. Their uncle had embraced the Raider’s beliefs of
women being secondary, lesser and not worthy of succession, rights or even a
say in their own lives. That had been one of the reasons they had attacked the
temples. Women had equal power within the temples…
“She will see you now.” The Priest smiled and opened a heavy
wooden door.
“Thank you,” she couldn’t trust their uncle the way Brandon
wanted to.
“Penolina, you can’t be serious about this.”
She didn’t
stop, didn’t look back at him as she walked into the room.
“Pen!”
He’d
either follow her or he wouldn’t, it no longer mattered.
“Welcome,” a warm female voice greeted her. “Please, be seated.
I welcome all here, especially those who need answers.”
Penolina’s
gaze narrowed. The woman was small, slight, almost child like in size and
build. She stood in front of a large fireplace, with a merry blaze crackling
behind her. Her hands showed no sign of age, but were smooth and clear. Her
voice hinted at youth but the cowl hid her features. This was no woman who had
served for the years she assumed would be required in order to attain such a
rank. How could this be the priestess?
“Do not be fooled, child. I’m far older than I look,” she
gestured to the chairs. “You and your brother should sit, we will be a while, I
think.”
Her brother? She
glanced over her shoulder. Brandon stood awkwardly in the doorway, heat
flushing across his cheeks. Fine, at least he’d made up his mind.
Without a word she sat down, waiting for Brandon to follow suit and claim one
of the other chairs. He did so, but only after scuffing one foot on the floor
and slumping down into the chair near her.
“The Lady warned me that you would be coming and the matter is a
troubling one.” The Priestess stepped away from the fire and settled into a
large, well padded chair on the other side of the fire. “Penolina and Brandon
Usher, only children of Lord Fion Usher and Lady Helena Usher. Currently under
the care and guardianship of Jacob Usher, younger brother of Fion.”
Penolina gripped the
arms of the chair. “How did… did someone warn you that…”
“As I said, the Lady told me that you would come. She has
spoken, in length, of your problems and the turns that life has presented you,
just as she is aware of the plans your uncle has for you.” The woman pushed
back the cowl and met Penolina’s gaze. “You were brave to come here, knowing
that he has you followed, but the Lady blocked his spy this time and has kept
the man busy. That will allow us to speak without rushing, to explore the
options and prepare you for the choices ahead.”
Penolina closed her
eyes, trying to find a moment to bring her thoughts back into some form of
order. The woman knew too much and it only made sense if she did, indeed, have
a connection with the Goddess, but doubt clouded her mind. What if this was
nothing more than a game begun by their uncle? Had he reached out to the temple
in case the siblings sought assistance here? No, that wasn’t
the sort of thing she’d have expected from him yet he had proven to be
duplicitous in the past.
“You expect me to believe a deity told you all of this?” Brandon
exclaimed.
“No, I don’t expect you to believe, I simply refuse to pretend
that I learned this information any other way.” The priestess sighed.
Had she been faced
with such statements before? After the way things had changed during the
occupation it would make sense that people would question those serving the
Gods. “Please,
we do not mean to offend, Lady. There is much we have to learn that has been
hidden from us. The invasion tried to destroy our heritage and we were born and
raised after the invasion.”
“You are as new born babes in all of this.” The woman agreed. “I
take no offense at your words. I simply ask that you both listen with open
hearts before you make a decision.”
That they could both
do, though Penolina knew she would have to guide Brandon in this. Out of the
pair, he was the more hot headed, having been given far more leeway in his
behavior and choices. “We will try, Lady.”
“I ask for nothing more than that.” The woman nodded, a small
smile touching her lips. “Brandon, it will be harder on you in the days and
weeks to come. You will have to come to terms with the changes that the return
of the Queen has triggered. The rights of women have returned and there are
those who fight it, who wish to keep their ties with those of Ontour, but that
is not how we were before the invasion and not how we should be going forth.”
Brandon began a
protest but Penolina reached over, took his hand and squeezed.
“No, let him speak, child. He is entitled to his words just as
you are.” The priestess chided.
Brandon snorted. “This
is ridiculous. You can’t expect me to take you seriously.” He rose and paced
away from the chair. “Either our uncle has contacted you or someone working against
him. With your words about women having a voice, and how that goes against
everything he believes in, I’d say it was one of his rivals who has put you up
to this.” He stalked away to the door only to return again. “Yes, the stories
tell us that before the invasion things were different, but no one would have
believed the words of a mystic.”
“Then why were we forced to witness the execution of a Priest?”
Penolina struggled to keep her emotions under control. Didn’t he see what was
happening here?
“That was a means of controlling the people. Uncle Jacob
explained it to me. There had been attempts to overthrow the rightful rule of
the Ontourians and…”
“Are you listening to yourself?” She turned to face her brother,
taking a deep breath before she continued. “Rightful rule? It was either an
invasion or it was legal. It can’t be both, brother.”
He paled and shook
his head, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I’m
just - I’m too young to know everything that led up to the invasion, even Uncle
Jacob said that. He told me I’d understand soon enough.”
“And in the meantime you were to listen to him, let him lead the
family and keep me in line before I made the mistakes of my gender and believed
myself equal to men. Is that it?” Oh, she knew the words. She’d been hearing
variations of them for years now. “Things are much better here since they all
left. Even you have to see that. There’s more food. People have returned from
the camps - not all, because some died there.” Or had been executed but Jacob
had denied such things had happened.
“Very few died, only those too sick to save. Many left with the
Ontourians, seeking a better life away from the system. They saw the troubles
that would return when the Queen reclaimed her throne and…” he paused,
frowning. “There haven’t been that many problems, have there?”
Relief washed over
Penolina “No, dear one. There haven’t been. Those who supported the
invasion have been the only real cause of trouble.” Did he see it or had he
just stumbled over reasoning. “There’s so much that’s going on right now as our
world, our system struggles to regain its path. People died, went missing,
knowledge was denied to us as were the priests.” She nodded toward the
Priestess. “The lady here will have spent time hiding as so many of those sworn
to the temple did.”
“We fled but remained close where we could,” the woman
confirmed, her voice tired and sorrow filled. “Then there were the servants of
the temple. They were persecuted as well, hunted down as a means of tracking
the priesthood down. Their families were removed from their homes, used as a
means of pressurizing the servants and we lost so many of our number. Too many
to count yet as the numbers are still being gathered.”
Brandon paled and
sat down, the chair shifting as he dropped his weight into its confines. “I
didn’t know.”
“Few do.”
Silence claimed the
room, giving them time to think. Wood crackled in the fire and soft sounds
filtered past the walls but no one spoke.
“Your uncle wishes to keep your property, and thinks to use
Brandon as a means to form a new bond with the Ontourians. He’s of age to enter
their training program and he has the means to get him off world.” The woman
explained. “His plans for you, little sister, are far worse. He had thought to
wed you into a family that shared his leanings, but has found a means of
disposing of you. He pushes to have you committed into the hands of less than
ethical doctors, to have your mind stripped so he can continue to hold sway
over the family. This will leave your body intact, fit for breeding - which he
plans on using his own seed - but your mind reduced to that of a child so you
cannot speak against him.”
Horror sliced
through Penolina with a cold blade. Her stomach clenched, body tightened and
throat closed. She brought her hands up to her face, covering it as she
shuddered. No matter what she thought of her uncle, she’d
never once thought he would debate taking such cruel and evil steps. To be
stripped of her mind, of her ability to fight back, that was worse than any
prison she could think of. Death would be a kinder fate.
“How can such a thing be legal?” Brandon, his voice a ghost of
its normal youthful energy.
“It is not, but there are those who remain who have kept up some
of the practices encouraged by the Ontourians. Though such mind stripping was
rare even when they were here, it was used as a punishment or as a means of
controlling a family and the lands they laid claim to without killing off the
line and leaving it in chaos.” The priestess explained, her voice oddly calm. “This
doesn’t mean that you will meekly accept the fates he has planned out for
either of you.”
Penolina lowered her
hands, still shuddering as she blinked away shocked tears and met the steady
gaze of the older woman. “What can we do?”
“You have entered the temple, which places you under my
protection.”
“I knew it, this is just another way of taking what is ours.”
Brandon snapped and jumped out of the chair.
I swear, he does that once more and I’ll tie him down! She scowled at her brother. “Sit
down. You’re being foolish. The priestess would never do such a thing, nor
would we allow it.”
He frowned and
looked back and forth between his sister and the priestess. “Then
why bring it up?”
“Because you are safe here, and cannot be removed from the
temple by force. That, at least, is something we have managed to reestablish
since the departure of our unwanted guests.”
That was one way of
describing the Ontourians.
“So, we can stay here but what good will that do us?” Penolina
forced her voice to remain calm. She didn’t want to be trapped in the temple
though she would be safer here than she would be if they returned to their
Uncle’s house.
“You stay here until the authorities send someone, but you would
have to send a request for assistance to the capitol.”
Brandon groaned. “If
we had the ability to do that, we wouldn’t have come here. I don’t even know
whom to contact!”
“No, but I do and I have the means. The temple, like all
temples, has a communications room. We kept our equipment hidden during the
invasion but they were returned to the temples when the invaders fled.” The
priestess smiled. “Sometimes the power of the Lady comes not from foretelling
and the tweaking of threads, but by the placing of options before an open mind,
which I know your sister lays claim to. It is not all mystical words and
powerful predictions, but the offering of knowledge and help with the first
step.”
Communication. A
computer terminal, or something older, it didn’t matter as long as it
worked. For the first time true hope flowered and the weight of the walls their
uncle had built around them, began to ease. “It’s that simple? A call to an
office?”
“Simple yes, but it will also not be quick. It might take hours,
or even a day before…”
“Only a day?” She blinked and squeezed Brandon’s hand. “That’s
nothing, lady. Not after all we’ve been through.” A day, a single day within
the temple and then it would be over.
Brandon swallowed
hard and for the first time her younger brother let down the walls. Tears
slipped down his cheeks, though he scuffed them from his face. “It
will be over. We will be free…”
“Should you wish it.” The priestess bowed her head. “All I can
do is lay out the option, the choice to take it is always within your hands.”
A call, a message,
then at most a day of waiting within the walls of the temple and then they
would be free to choose their own path, to spin their own threads for the great
tapestry under the care of the Lady of Fate.
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