The Priestess and the Brat Bk. 02 Ch. 01

The man smiled and accepted the coins. He then called out to someone out of sight and, a few moments later, two large and burly, bare-chested men dressed only to their wastes with large swords hanging from their belts appeared and stood at either side of the tent opening. The Short man beckoned the priestess and her acolytes inside.

Within the black tent was another world completely. Outside, in the village, everything was drab and dusty and worn. Inside, everything was opulence and luxury. In the center of the tent was a large, elaborate rug, surrounded by cushions and pillows that were delicately embroidered in dozens of brightly colored threads and fringed with tassels. Oil lamps sat on low tables and several lounging couches lined the walls of the tent. To one side, a long wooden table whose legs bore strange and fearful carvings was set with a variety of fruits, cheeses and vegetables. Four large amphora, painted with scenes of the hunt and of ancient, long ago battles, stood to the side of the table. One contained fresh, cool water, while the others were filled with wine.

What caught the delighted eyes of the acolytes most of all, however, was a large stone bathing tub set off towards the far corner of the tent, partially surrounded by a tall, four panel screen painted in black lacquer with gold inlays. The acolytes were tired and weary from their travels and their bodies were ripe with stale sweat. Their hair was knotted and matted and their feet were dirty and swollen. The sight of the bathing tub brought more relief to their tattered souls than a hundred amphorae filled with the finest wines.

The priestess had foreseen this and already, several servant women, dressed head to toe in black garments, were busy preparing the water for the tired women. They each took their turn, disappearing behind the screen and then emerging, one by one, from the bath glowing with renewed radiance and a sense of purity that can only come from being truly cleansed.

Ligeia, newest of the acolytes, and therefore last among their ranks, waited patiently. When she saw the young, skinny Ameli emerge from behind the screen, a wave of relief washed over her. She slipped behind the screen where two of the servants were waiting. She had, herself, been a servant to a powerful woman and her initial reaction was one of panic. She was not to be waited upon! She could not accept their indulgences. In her mind, she was still a lowly slave and she might be whipped, or worse, for presuming to be attended to by another. She removed her outer black robe, but then froze in fear, clutching her filthy blue gown to her, refusing to undress.

The servant women spoke only Persian and so Ligeia could not explain to them why she recoiled from their assistance. They became agitated and urgent with her. Ligeia was their last charge of the day. All the women wanted was to finish this task and collect their coin so that they could return to their families, and this strange girl was making it harder. They started to become angry and raised their voices, insisting that she just hurry the heck up and stop fooling around. But the girl could not understand a word of it and, in her exhaustion and her fear, she was almost on the verge of tears.

Then, as if out of nowhere, the Priestess was standing there, staring at Ligeia, holding the girl's gaze with a quizzical expression. Ligeia stood still. After a moment, the priestess spoke a few words to the servants. Whatever she said, they calmed down instantly and went back to preparing the bath. Then the priestess spoke to Ligeia. "You are no longer a slave. But neither are these women. Would you deny them an honest wage? Just as you must serve the goddess without question, so too must these servants complete their job. The goddess wishes for you to be cleansed. Do not disobey her and do not dishonor these loyal servants." With that, the priestess turned and left.

Reluctantly, Ligeia undressed. The servants had emptied the tub and had filled it with fresh water. They added a strongly scented powder made from crushed leaves and a small vial of rose colored oil. Ligeia, now nude, lowered herself into the tub. The water was lukewarm, having been sitting in the sun for the early part of the day. Ligeia shivered slightly, but allowed herself to relax, eventually adjusting to the temperature.

The servants began to clean her with quick efficiency. When her body had been washed, one tended to her hair, cleaning away the grime of her long travels and then combing out her dark curls with an ivory comb. The other scrubbed her feet with a stone and then rubbed them down and, finally oiled them with a scented oil. A quick rinse, and she was done. There would be no lounging or luxuriating here. The women had Ligeia up and out of the tub and dried with a heavy wool cloth before she had time to protest. Yet, when they draped a fresh silken cloak over her and tied it at the waste, she realized that she suddenly felt better than she could ever remember feeling. She was refreshed and rejuvenated. The servants hustled her out from behind the screen and started cleaning up.

Ligeia emerged from behind the screen into the common area of the tent to find her fellow travelers lounging on the pillows around the rug in the center of the tent. She spotted an empty cushion near Laina, the Thracian, and quickly claimed it for her own. A new servant came to her side and offered her a small plate of grapes and a goblet of water. She accepted both with a grateful smile. The grapes were the first fresh food she'd eaten since they had left the port city with the caravan and they tasted like heaven itself. They were cool and sweet and juicy.

The priestess appeared in the center of the room, as if out of nowhere. Ligeia knew instinctively that she had always been somewhere in the tent but, as was her style, she was not seen until she wished to be seen. Ligeia had not seen the priestess among those in line to be bathed, and yet here she was, her robe an immaculate, gleaming white, her skin, what showed of it, was practically glowing, and she smelled of the sweetest perfume.

The priestess raised a hand in a small, almost imperceptible gesture. Immediately the hired servants withdrew from the tent entirely and a hush fell over the acolytes. A soothing music began to play softly in the air that seemed to come from someplace far away and yet from all around them. A calmness flowed out from the priestess, infecting the acolytes who, as if on cue, sat up and assumed a seated lotus position, all of their attention, Ligeia's included, concentrated on the priestess. The evening ritual worship of the goddess had been all but forgotten these last few weeks while they had traveled. Now, in this safe place, they had been cleansed in both body and soul and it was time to remind themselves of their purpose.

In a voice that was smooth, yet strong, the Priestess spoke...

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A note to my loyal readers: My apologies for taking so long to update this saga. First, the trials and tribulations of ordinary life have left me with little time for creative writing. Second, I am not as familiar with the histories involved in this part of the saga, and so I have had to do quite a bit more research than I did for Book I. In any event, I am back and I hope that you enjoy the continuing story.