Priestesses of the Goddess Pt. 11

Leamus banked the fire just outside the small lean to that he had built that first rising here. It was basic, a couple of decent size tree limbs and some fronds from what the tablet called a coconut tree. The friggin' things were almost impossible to open but he almost had the knack of it now.

He looked over to where she lay sleeping on the frond bed he had made. Tomorrow would be their fourth rising here and in all that she had not moved, gave no signs of improvement, no spark of life. He bathed her forehead in the cool, salty water several times a day, pressed sips of the fresh water from the stream that ran through the center of their island home to her lips, but she barely drank any. He had tried to get her to take some of the sweet milk from the coconut earlier but doubted that any made it to her stomach.

What the frig was he going to do? This was what he tried to tell them. He was not ready for this, did not know how to care for her. If the Morian had listened to him, taken her with him and the High Priestess of the rock or even sent her with the Councilor and young priestess, then her sisters might have healed her as they did that morning. But was good was he to her. Twenty-five cycles...what the fuck experience did he have? Even the High Priestess of the air was two hundred cycles.

"Frig me," he cursed as he stood up and looked out across the waters as they glistened black and silver in the faint light of this planets solitary moon. The days were tolerably warm, though with only a single yellow star, this place was more than a bit cooler than Tavia. But its nights could actually be cold.

He slept beside her each evening. Held her in his arms...as a primary ought. But he was not. Not her primary. Not even a true primary at all. A novice. An acolyte still. He shook his head, perhaps he should have taken the other one up on her offer to indoctrinate him. But he had been in no hurry to fulfill his duties as her primary, was more than glad for the rituals that allowed them time to get to know her. He wondered for a moment what had become of the other priestesses, but he was sure that no matter what came that one was fine. She would have no trouble whoring herself to the Morians or anyone else.

But that was not his concern now. He had only one worry...her survival. And he was failing on that one too. He looked over at her once more in the soft light of the fire. What was he to do? If only her sisters were here. If they were back at the temple, perhaps the healing pools might restore her. He frowned as he stared at the waters, what had the man said. That the waters of this place were not as pure as Tavia's but they were passable. Was it possible that they might heal her? It was worth a chance was it not?

He walked over and knelt next to her. He could see the gentle rise and fall of her breasts, knew that she still breathed at least. That was something at least. But for how long, if he could not get her to eat or drink? He scooped her into his arms and tried to stand. The pain lanced through his thigh. It too was healing but slower than he would have liked. If the Morians followed how could he defend her properly when he was wounded? He shifted her weight and winced through the worst of the pain. This time he managed to make it to his feet with his burden.

It was slow going crossing the distance from their hut to the soft waves. He sucked in a deep breath at the intense sting of the salty water as it reached his thigh and flooded the wound. But he kept going. Kept wadding into the waters, they were actually warmer than he had thought they would be, warmer perhaps than the air itself this night.

When he reached chest high, the waters covered most of her naked body. He saw her nipples harden, felt the tighten in his own groin. "Friggin' ass shat," he cursed. The last thing he needed was his body reacting as her as it always did. It had been many cycles since the little boy had become a young man and his love and devotion for the woman, who saved him, took such a dark turn. He cursed it this evening as he had almost every one since then. It was wrong, so friggin' wrong for him to feel like this about her.

About her. He strained through the pale moonlight to see any sign of renewed life, of even the slightest rousing. But there was none. Her arms floated open at her side, her weight though lighter than it had been when he first took her into his arms, was still completely dead. Only the gentle rise and fall of her breasts and the impossibly hard tips that called to him in some perverse way gave any signs of life.

He shook his head, inhaled deeply. He was a complete ass shat. How could he still want her? She was gravely ill, her body though recovering slowly was still covered in bruises, her mind though was fractured, her spirit that had always been so strong was completely destroyed by the monsters.

The metal circle about her neck caught the light and glinted across the waters. He hated it. Hated this symbol of what they had done to her. He reached up, allowed her body to float on the soft waves as his hands sought it out, grabbed it between his two fists and pulled with all his might, trying to separate it. Perhaps if that was the problem, perhaps the collar as the man had called it was what was making her ill, continuing to sap her energy, her life force, the power of the goddess inside of her. But it did not budge, did not bend or give even the tiniest bit.

"Frig, frig, frig," he cursed to the universe. How could her goddess do this to her? Desert her like this? His heart hardened even more against the only deity that he knew. The loving and nurturing goddess seemed as callous and heartless as the Morian dark god of Fate, about which he had been reading on the tablet. It seemed that the two were a perfect match, uncaring of those mortals that served them, quick to use and discard their devotees.

What was the point? What was the point to any of it? He thought as he turned with her in his arms and headed back to the shore line. She had stood up to the Morians, perhaps bought precious time for her sisters and this was her reward. Cast off to some goddess forsaken chunk of rock in some far corner of the universe that no one had ever heard of.

Another curse rose upon his lips as he made his way across the white sand towards the fire. They were both naked. Her robes that marked her as a High Priestess had been stripped from her by the enemy. His trousers were bloodied and practically destroyed. And he had used his tunic as a blanket of sorts to keep her warm at night.

He sat close to the fire. Held her close as the gentle breeze off of the water turned almost cold. Perhaps this had not been such a good idea after all, he cursed. His hands ran up and down her arms, trying to warm her. But it was he who was getting heated. He shifted in the sand, trying to find a comfortable position. It only served to rubbing the soft curves of her bottom across his growing erection. "Frig," he cursed.

He felt the slightest of movements in his arms. He frowned. It was probably just his imagination, wishful thinking. He looked down her, seeking any sign of renewed life, but was disappointed once more. He shook his head as he gave into his darkest fear...what if she never recovered? What if she continued to waste away into nothingness?

"Goddess damn you," all he seemed to say anymore was one curse after the other. He smiled, it was a good thing she could not hear him. He remembered the nasty bitter jakar berries that she had fed him every time he used foul language as a boy.

He rose from the fire and carried her to the make-shift bed of leaves. He laid her down softly and drew his tunic about her. How had they come to this he thought as he did the same thing that he had every evening since that first, he bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Sweet evening, Rata," in her unconscious state, he dared to take liberties he would not have otherwise.

He climbed in behind and wrapped his arm about her waist, drawing her back into his embrace as he had every other evening. Sharing body heat with her was the worst form of torture he could imagine. Almost as bad as watching that ass shat, use her for the power he could glean as her primary. He brushed her deep red hair out of his face as he nuzzled in deeper.

"Friggin' ass shat, you are no better," he cursed as he tried to find some position that did not align his hard cock with the sweet crack of her round ass that seemed made just for the job of cradling it. He forced his mind from that line of thought and towards plans for revenge should he ever get the chance. But not even spilling the blue blood of his enemies could deflate his cock when he laid this close of her.

***

Rata's head throbbed. Her body ached. Her mouth was dry. She struggled to remember where she was, what had happened. But she could not. All she knew was the warmth of the hard body that cradled her so gently. But that did not seem right either. When was the last time that Tsu had held her as a primary ought? But she could not remember that either. It seemed that everything was fuzzy this evening.

And cold, so friggin' cold she thought and she pushed back, snuggled closer to him. Sought out his warmth. It was nice she thought as she felt the slight roughness of his unshaven face nuzzle against her cheek. Why had they not done this more often she wondered? Perhaps if they had then Larca would have never come between them. She frowned something was not right. Some memory, some important piece of the puzzle lay just out of her reach.

She was not going to think about it now though, she swore as she turned in his arms. And came face to face with him. "Frig," they both spat as they flew apart.

"You are awake," he said as he pulled back. She swallowed back the feeling of emptiness that welled up in her soul as he withdrew his arm from its resting place about her waist. She fought the urge to move closer to seek out his touch once more.

She shook her head, "Why is it so cold? What are you doing here?" She looked down at her naked body, covered only in his tunic. She shifted and felt the stiffness that was nothing like her bed. "Where are we? What happened?" she questioned with a frown.

***

"Where the frig are we?" Soji demanded moments after they materialized in a cold, dark cavern. Hundreds of the giants milled about the caves that seemed to stretch on endlessly.

"Commander," said a tall blond man that approached them.

Tam sat her down next to him, but kept his arm protectively about her shoulders. "Yes, Krut?"

The other man glanced at her, but was careful to keep his eyes down. "Is that her? It went well? Where are the others? The other priestesses?"

"I have sent them through the transporter to planets where they will be safe...for now," he explained as he turned and pulled her after him.

The man only nodded, "I see. What of protectors? I thought surely you would have need of some of our best men for that."

Tam shook his head, "No, the other High Priestesses seemed to have true mates already so that will not be necessary." Soji sensed the tension in both men rising.

"So it was another failure. A pointless mission to retrieve a single woman? How many of our number killed or discovered? Three? Ten? It is not like the Resistance is growing. Our following is shrinking every day, do you not see that Tam? Your people giving up hope. What is the point they whisper. Fate always has been and always shall be a cruel master. Greed and lust his only rewards. Do you not hear it? Can you not see it for yourself?" said the creature, its face contorted in anger.

Tam pushed her behind him before stepping forward, coming toe-to-toe with the other man. "You want to know what I see? Spies. Somewhere among this group is a spy. We are betrayed at every turn. Our missions are not going well not because Fate had deserted us, but because one of our own has turned upon us. Is feeding my brother information. Is that you, Krut? Are you my Judas? Just waiting to hand me over to him, take my woman."

The other man stepped back, shaking his head furiously. "No, cousin. It is not me. I will follow you to my death. You know that." He looked over at her and bowed, "I am sorry, High Priestess. My apologies for my behavior this day. Welcome to our humble home. I am his cousin, Krut, and until a moment ago his second in command of the resistance."

Tam growled and shook his head, "God damn you, you know you still are."

Krut smiled weakly, "I am sorry, cousin. It is merely that I hoped," he paused. "That we all hoped the prophesy would hold the key. That the women might be the turning point of this never ending battle."

Tam looked to her, studied her for a long moment, "They are. I have never been more certain of that fact, Krut. The priestesses, their goddess, they complete us, offer us salvation, fill that chasm that greed and lust never have. They are the more we seek. I know this."

"Then why? Why did you not bring the others here? Why not offer their gifts, this salvation to those that have proven themselves loyal to you? I do not understand," he said as he shook his head.

Soji stepped forward, "Because love does not work that way. My sisters' heart already belonged to others. You cannot just rip them away from that, expect them to just give themselves to your men as some reward." She choked on the words as she spoke them. Was that not what they had always done? Always been...nothing more than whores for the great goddess. Why should these men expect anything more? Why should she hope that Rata and Mya might find anything more? What was the point to any of it?

***

Tam could see the wheels of her mind turning, watched the play of emotions across her expressive face. She was slipping again, slipping through his fingers. Perhaps he should have not brought her to this place at all. Found another hiding place, abandoned the resistance and his duties to it. But seeking his own happiness was as greedy and lustful as anything his brother did.

No, this battle might not have gone as he expected but he had made the right choice. His gut told him that he was right. She did hold the key. The bound that they shared worth it, held the hope for saving his people from the never ending need for more. It was just that things were not as simple as that, they never were.

He played the words of the prophesy over in his mind as he had thousands of times before, 'Out of two shall come the one, whole, complete, lacking in nothing. Blessed by the dark god of Fate and the sweet goddess of Love shall it be born.'

He had to believe it, he had given up everything to follow those words. From the moment he had seen them written upon the ancient pyramid on that small planet, those words had sung inside his dark heart. Called to him. Haunted his dreams. Until he had sought out the resistance movement, abandoned all that he had been taught for something that he could not explain, not even now.

How could his cousin, how could any of them, understand? He was not sure that even he understood it, even as he held her in his arms. All he knew was that nothing had ever felt more right. Never had anything been more worthy of fighting for.

And it would be a fight. The biggest battle of his life perhaps. He could see that. She was closed off, shut down. But he would find some way inside, some way to scale the walls around her heart. He had no choice. His life depended upon it...and the fate of his people. Hers too likely.

But for now all he wanted was to get her alone. Hold her for just a bit. Rest and ready himself for the battle that was to come. Recover a bit from the one that he had just fought, from the hard decisions that he had faced, cleanse them both of the putrid stench of battle, greed and lust that hung like a second skin to them.

He held out his hand to his cousin, "We will talk more tomorrow. For now, will you do all that you can to stymie the rumors? Until I know more, understand things a bit better, study the prophesy just a bit more, dear cousin."

The other man chuckled as he nodded his head, "Of course, I shall have your back, cousin. As I always have."

Tam sighed. It was hard knowing that there was a traitor among your own people, never certain whom he could trust. But now with her here, it became even more so. He had this feeling, this doubt that even now he could not dismiss.

He shook his head and reached for her tiny hand, laced his fingers through hers and pulled her after him. "Come."

Whatever the future held they would meet it together of this much he was certain. Even as he watched her looking around for some escape. He chuckled, it would be fun teaching her of his religion. Lesson number one, there is no escape from that which the dark god of Fate decrees for you. As for lesson two, his head was full of options, most of which had her on her knees, bound and helpless.

Her collar caught the faint hint of light in the cave and twinkled, his cock rose inside his pants. And that single word echoed inside his mind just as the noise amplified off the cave walls around them. Mine. For all time.

***

Aved shook his head, the odd feeling was dissipating. He looked down at her. That serene smile remained plastered in place. She had never been more beautiful.

Another giant approached them and he pushed her behind him once more. The man held out his hand, "I am Marham," the name rang a bell in the Councilor's head. The machine must have left him addled somehow, but the memories were coming back quickly. He took the hand that was offered.

"I am Councilor Aved," he shook his head at the old habit. "I am Aved," he began again, remembering all that the previous evening had wrought. And the new rising that lay ahead. He smiled at her, glad that something remained of the world he had once known. And above all glad that she was safe.

A small woman stepped forward. She barely reached the giants thigh. Her skin was almost translucent, mapped with dark purple lines. But the most amazing part was the wings that sprang from her back. They were larger than she was by far, span two perhaps three fallon on either side. They seemed to flutter constantly, a light whir of music enveloped them.

"And I am Amarah," her voice was as melodic as the wings, seemed almost like lyrics to match their melody.

He reached out his hand towards her, but stopped when a low growl rumbled from the giant. He noticed then the metallic glimmer about her neck, recognized the collar and frowned.

"My mate and I welcome you both. Tam did not have time to send more than the briefest of messages so you will excuse our rudeness. We simply did not know what to expect," said the giant.

Aved nodded, "Yes, of course."

She pushed forward and extended her hand towards the other woman. He looked to the other man, uncertain if this gesture of friendship would be greeted with the same show of force. But it was not as the women clasped hands like old friends.

"I am Mya," she said. "Your wings, they are so beautiful," she whispered reverently.

The other woman smiled softly, "Thank you, goddess. I am humbled by your words of praise. Welcome, we have awaited your presence for so long," she said as she knelt before Mya.

Aved placed his hand at the small of her back. Her eyes were larger than usual as she turned to face him. Uncertainty written across it. He shook his head and smiled as shocked as she. But one thing he knew, whatever lay ahead in this new life, they would face it together. He had almost lost her once, he would not let anything take her from him now.

***

Mya stared into his beloved face, sought wisdom, some guidance as to how to manage this shocking turn of events. If she had never felt truly worthy to be a priestess, a High Priestess, then she certainly was not ready to be a goddess.