The Emperor and the Temple Ch. 14

Much has been written of the conference that took place at the Temple of the Goddess in those early summer days. The Council of the Republic entrusted High Priestess Ashala to negotiate on its behalf, perhaps understanding the esteem she held in the eyes of both King Alfard and Taneric, his Prince. Alfard, for his part, remained in Vosgir, trusting Taneric to manage the affairs of the North within the City walls. It was a role Tak relished, and for many hours he remained in secret conference with Ashala and Queen Zantina in the Temple Library. Occasionally they would call for a City administrator to be brought before them to answer questions, or a general of the City Guard, and at one point Fris was summoned to talk of his new weapons and their readiness. And finally, after three days, the following was decided:

Zantina would return to Casbur and defend the East, her forces supplemented by two thousand sons of the North under the command of Princess Kasmine. The City would send cannon and other new weapons to her as soon as they were available. The King's Guard and the Republic's single legion would combine, with Taneric at their head, to defend the City and the lands around it. Only a small militia would be maintained in the North as a final defence of those lands.

And, of course, it was at this time that all Temple boys were taken from their mistresses. The keeping of strong young men in the bedchambers of priestesses could not be justified in a time of war, when every able bodied male would be needed in the fight against the Emperor. Zantina alone took thirty seven of them; eastern boys stolen from villages in past years by Cargian slavers and, with the connivance of her father King Charton, sold in the markets of the City. The rest went to the Legion of the City, with the exception of Samon; spirited away by Peto and given to the King's Guard (well, Peto knew a good man when he saw one). There were tears in the Temple courtyard on the day of separation, for many priestesses had their favourites. And boys too.

"It is like separating husbands and wives," said Ashala to Taneric as they watched the men being led down the Temple steps by their new commanders. "I wonder how many will return."

"None, unless they wish it," replied Taneric. "Heroes of war cannot be returned to slavery, High Priestess."

Ashala sighed, "The Goddess must be served Tak. Perhaps many boys will wish to return to their mistresses. Or perhaps we will find suitable acolytes among the defeated army of the Emperor."

Tak laughed, thinking that she was joking.

"Why do you laugh Tak? A boy is a boy is a boy. He can be brought to the Goddess by love, or by the whip, or, more likely, through a mixture of both. I do not know what false deities the Emperor's people serve, but they cannot be any stranger to us than your Wodh."

"My Wodh," repeated Taneric, the words sounding strange on his tongue. Ashala turned to him and reached for his head with her hands, pulling him to her so that, with him stooping, their eyes were only inches apart.

"That's right Tak!" she almost hissed. "But you are still of the Goddess, are you not? You feel Her within you. I feel it too, when I look at you. Do not fight it Tak! Come to me when you feel doubt, or to Hanja, or to the Priestess of the Shrine! But do not turn your back on the true Goddess!"

She kissed him tenderly on the cheek before releasing him and turning to the Temple steps.

"Go see Hanja now!" she shouted. "She misses you."

****

That evening, Tak did indeed go into the Temple seeking Hanja, finding her in her chamber still clad in ceremonial Temple breastplate and baltea.

"You presided at a Ceremony of Giving?" he asked.

She nodded. "I fear, it will be the last for many men of the city before war comes. But Tak, I am angry with you! Why do you only come to me now, after so many moons?"

"Nikah____"

"Has left for his homeland, yes. But you should not have been a stranger to me while he was here."

"Nikah said much the same thing," replied Tak, sighing.

"Of course. He does not suffer from petty jealousy, and nor should you Tak. And as for me, there is room in my heart for the two of you....and in my bed also. It would not be the first time Tak."

He reddened.

"Ah, you remember. Happy days. All gone now."

Taneric noticed a portrait of two young men, propped up on Hanja's dresser, by the mirror.

"Your brothers?"

"Yes Tak. My mother, Lady Cillah, brought it for me when she came to the City with the boy Kamhet a few days ago. She knows how much I miss them."

"They ran from the cult of the Goddess in the south, did they not? Nikah told me so. They went east to find adventure."

Hanja sighed, "Yes, but I cannot hate them for it, although it was a great disgrace for my family at the time. My mother should have made better matches for them, and perhaps they would not have left. Javi she gave to a lady of the cult in Massela, a beautiful woman but sour as a Sunarian lemon. She felt a boy should be seen and not heard, and was far too fond of her whip for my liking. Artur went to a family friend who had long coveted him, a kind enough soul but old enough to be his mother. My brothers ran before either marriage ceremony could take place. I doubt I will see them again."

"The Goddess works in mysterious ways," said Taneric.

"Do not presume to lecture me on the Goddess Tak, you who have turned your back on Her!"

"I have not."

"What? Do you not worship in the church of Wodh in Vosgir? Do you not give yourself in submission to that heathen devil-woman; granddaughter of the Old Queen? To crawl before her is an abomination to the Goddess! Tak, I think I must have you leave my chamber - your presence here begins to disturb me and I do not wish to feel anger."

"You dislike Kasmine," said Tak. "You who just told me that jealousy is petty. And how would you know what passes between she and I?"

"She told me herself, Tak. Whispered it in my ear that day on the field before the gates of Vosgir. The day I took Nikah back. And she called me cruel, she who is forever tainted by the evil blood of her ancestors. That is why I struck her, Tak. And one day I will finish my dealings with her more fully."

"Shush Hanja! This is not like you. Kasmine saw only a haughty priestess applying a cruel wooden gag to a broken Temple boy. Her feelings were understandable."

"Haughty Tak? How dare you!"

"You have a confidence, Hanja, a presence that may be misinterpreted by those who do not know you as I do. I believe that one day you will come to love Kasmine as a sister, for she has only goodness in her heart. But let us not talk of these things. I came to you tonight in a spirit of love. I am still with the Goddess, Hanja. You must believe me! She has spoken to me in my dreams."

"Ha! Many are the boys who believe they have seen the Goddess in their dreams. Your night time fantasies do not interest me Tak."

"It is true. She took your form, Hanja. And also, she spoke lovingly of Kasmine. I remember every word that she said to me about her; 'Does she not love the hills? Does she not love the forests and the rivers? Does she not love the skies? And the animals? Does she not love you, Taneric, simply because she sees that you are good? You do not need to be within a Temple to bring yourself to me Taneric.'"

Hanja considered this for a moment and then said, "A starving man can survive on worms and berries, Tak, but a feast is more strengthening. Remove your garments and perform the Act of Greeting! Now Tak!"

He hesitated, shocked at her demand.

"Ah, I see," she scoffed. "You are a prince now and too good to crawl before a priestess. But you expect me to believe you are a boy within whom the Goddess lives, Tak? A boy in the chamber of a Priestess, fully clothed, talking to her as an equal. It is not appropriate Tak."

Slowly, he removed his clothing and went to her feet, kissing them, calling her 'Mistress' and promising his obedience.

"That is better," she said, more softly. "You were a pleasing Temple boy, Tak. My sisters still talk of you fondly. It is a shame that you were taken from us. I am reminded of the last night you served me here in this room, not long before you left. You wanted to lay hands upon my body and I was angered, and put in a mood to punish you, although I forgave you soon enough. But look! Your form is not perfect - you have become sloppy in the time since you left us. Spread your legs properly for me, strain to push your rump upwards for my pleasure. The Goddess is watching, Tak."

She bent down, reaching between his legs from behind, tickling and fondling until he became fully hardened for her.

"Good boy, Tak."

She left him in the greeting position and walked across the room, but he did not dare turn his head to look. When she returned, she crouched behind him.

"Everything that is about to happen will bring you closer to the Goddess, Tak. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress," he replied, his voice shaking as he became aware that she held a whip in her right hand; the ceremonial whip used at the Ceremony of Giving, brandished by a priestess standing over the worshippers, but rarely used. He felt a cold, metallic, slippery object being run up and down between the cheeks of his rump, from his tight, clenched bud to the point below, where his sack hung, exposed and vulnerable to Hanja's whim. The object felt pleasant as it moved, stimulating and arousing, but then she stopped it at his bud and applied a light pressure.

"Do you know what this is Tak?" she asked. 'In the City it is known as the apple of the Goddess. An owner might use it to penetrate her boy, violating him, reinforcing his obedience and submission. This one is plated in gold and has a jewelled handle which remains exposed, beautifying his rump for the pleasure of his mistress. Do not resist it Tak, I have made it slippery for you - I am a kind mistress, am I not? - welcome it into your body! For your mistress and for the Goddess!"

She pushed a little harder, but still he resisted, not by will but through an involuntary reflex against the intrusion. Finally, she put down the whip and slapped his sack hard with three fingers, and in the pain and shock his resistance gave way and the apple of the Goddess slipped inside him. He gasped and Hanja gave a little squeal of delight, clapping her hands and raising herself to stand behind him.

"Oh Tak, it does look pretty! Now, move to the couch Tak! Take the position of repentance!"

Still breathless from the blow to his sex, Taneric gasped and half turned his head to stare at Hanja in shock. It seemed clear now what she intended. For a moment he considered rising, dressing and leaving the Temple, but then he heard the voice of the Goddess - or was it Hanja's voice? - saying "Why do you not move? Has your Mistress not made her desire clear?"

Taneric crawled to the couch and took position on it, this time focussed on perfect form, desperately wanting to please the beautiful priestess behind him. She moved quickly to adjust the couch, restraining him with thick leather straps.

"Please Mistress, do not restrain me! I will remain still for you, I promise." he said as she tightened bands around his thighs.

"Oh Tak," she replied, kissing his brow. "I believe that you will try to obey me, but with these straps I can help you. Trust me Tak, it will be better this way. A boy's flesh is often weak even when his spirit is strong."

Hanja moved behind and away from the trembling boy, uncoiling the whip as she went. She raised her eyes to the painted ceiling of her chamber and stared at the representation of the Goddess in the garden at the beginning of time, feeding suf herb to the naked men kneeling around her. "Goddess, give me strength!" she whispered.

The first crack of the whip was an explosion of sound in the quiet room. Tak screamed and his whole body jerked, causing the couch to move inches across the floor. Hanja dropped the whip and ran to him, fussing over him, kissing him and pledging her love for him. She reached for his restraints and Tak, for a fleeting moment, thought he was going to be released. But instead she tightened each strap.

"We must keep you more still, my love. You almost tipped over my couch in your pain, you poor thing."

Hanja moved away from him again and applied a second stroke, and then a third before he could recover from the second, his bonds now preventing any movement. Tak screamed out, at first incoherently, but then, when able to form words, he begged his Mistress for mercy. Hanja walked to his head and raised it, cruelly this time, by the hair, "Do not call out to me Tak! Appeal to the Goddess, for I will only stop when I know She is with you and it is Her will."

And so he did, until, after the seventh stroke, Hanja threw down the whip and went to him again. She did so lovingly this time, kissing him, reassuring him, listening as he poured forth his love for her and for the Goddess. Finally, she put a finger to her lips to hush him and moved behind once again. And he feared that she meant to take up the whip again, to bring him yet closer to the Goddess, but instead she began to stimulate his sex until, to her whispers of encouragement, it filled her hand so that her thumb and first finger, when circling it, could not meet.

"Feel Her presence, Tak!" said Hanja as she began to move her hand up and down. She reached for his sack with the fingertips of her other hand, lightly caressing and tickling the skin. She watched the handle of the apple of the Goddess moving rhythmically as, in his arousal, he alternately clenched and relaxed around it.

"I will finish if you continue, Mistress!" shouted Tak with some urgency.

"Mmm hmm," she replied, but did not change what she was doing.

"I will not be punished?" he gasped.

Hanja chuckled, "No Tak, of course not. You are no longer a Temple boy. There is no reason for me to keep you fresh for later. Do as you will!"

A few moments later, he climaxed with a cry of "Goddess!" and when Hanja had wrung everything from him, she crawled onto him and held him, her front against his back, whispering in his ear, "Tak! Do you love your Mistress? Do you feel the Goddess?....Good boy Tak!"

****

Later, after Hanja had reclaimed the apple, released Tak from his bonds (he was unsteady on his feet at first) and had him dress, she ushered him from her room quickly. As he left, she reminded him to seek the Goddess only with a priestess.

"Do as you will with your heathen women Tak, but when you feel the call of the Goddess be sure to come to a priestess. Only then will you find the fulfilment you seek. Never kneel at the feet of a woman of Wodh!"

When he was gone, she turned to the chamber window and watched as High Priestess Ashala emerged from behind the long curtains. The two women embraced.

"Oh High Priestess," sighed Hanja. "I hate having to hurt boys."

"I know Hanja. But it is necessary with a certain kind of boy. A boy like Tak. One who seeks the divine feminine through submission to beauty, through pain and delight. You did well my dear. He is a boy who feels the Goddess and now you have taught him to seek Her only through the Temple and its priestesses."

"You fear Kasmine, Ashala?"

The High Priestess scoffed, "No, my dear. I fear Zantina! For, mark my words, one day they will be betrothed, their realms united, and she will have endless nights to lie with him, to understand him, to suborn him. Do not underestimate her wit Hanja!"

"Oh, High Priestess! Tak is not such a pushover."

"Says the girl who had him - a free man - on her couch and under the whip within an hour of his entering her chamber! But, wait! I am sorry Hanja. I did not mean to diminish what passed between you. And when it comes to Zantina, well, first there is an Emperor to defeat, else none of my worrying about her will mean a thing."

Hanja reached out again to hug the High Priestess, "You think always of the Goddess and of the Temple, Ashala. Do not worry! Tak will defeat the Emperor and bring the North and South and even Casbur in the East under Her divine rule. Praise be! Now, go find yourself a boy, Ashala, be pleasured this evening!"

"Alas, the Temple boys are all gone," sighed Ashala. "Although I will admit that watching you bring Tak to the Goddess has aroused me greatly. But nevertheless, I will spend the evening over Ruta's chess board."

She turned to leave but stopped just short of the door.

"Oh....and Hanja?"

"Yes, High Priestess."

"The apple of the Goddess?"

Hanja laughed, "A trinket. A toy I picked up in the market. A novelty for ladies of the City bored with their pets. I invented the name as I stood over Tak."

Ashala laughed too, for the first time in many days.

"Well, you were right about one thing," she said as she left the chamber. "It does beautify a boy's rump."