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k_a_webbOrla wrapped an arm around her waist as she looked at the priest of Anubis who had led the winter solstice ritual. He wasn't a true priest, but one of the many fake priests who had no connection to his deity, and for that reason she didn't think he had the right to lead a ritual. Unfortunately there was nothing she could do about it. Artemis had told Orla, several times, that she needed to keep her head down and not draw attention to herself in order to keep herself safe. As the only person in her village who knew of the existance of North Square, and had some warning that change was coming soon, she had to be there for her people when they needed her.
The priest of Anubis was one of the leaders of a Tein-Igni movement that was said to have been created as a way of protecting their race from the Dorma supremacist movement. Orla understood their point of view. She didn't want to live under the thumb of the Dorma, and their image of Herne, but the Anubis movement was no better. They looked at the Dorma and the Uisdro as though they were less than the Tein-Igni, even though the Uisdro had been their trading partners for a very long time.
“Good morning, Orla,” a voice said from beside her, making her jump.
Shaking her head, Orla turned to look at Yannis. “Make some noise next time.”
He held out a mug. “Peace offering.” He smiled at her. “I didn't mean to startle you.”
Orla smiled back. “I know, Yannis.” She took the mug gratefully. “I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Priests, priestesses, and why I have to keep my mouth shut.” She sighed. “I don't like being in this position.”
“If I could have taken the burden for you I would, but you are the chosen one.”
Rolling her eyes, Orla sipped her soup. “I am not the chosen one.”
“How many true priests and priestesses are there?”
“There are currently ten deities and each has one priest and one priestess, so twenty, plus the priest and priestess of Hecate.”
“Do you know who they are?”
“Not yet, Yannis, but I will do before we have to leave for North Square. The more I know the more people I put in danger if someone finds out what I am.”
“Have people really died because they're a true priest or priestess?”
“Artemis tells me that they have, but I have no way of knowing for sure.” Orla looked at Yannis curiously. “Why are you asking so many questions?”
“My cousin, Logan, is one of the High Priests and I worry about him because I think he might be a true priest.”
Orla thought for a moment. She could remember Logan, but she hadn't seen him for a long time and din't know him at all well. “It's possible, but there's no way I can know. What makes you think he might be a true priest?”
“He's changed so much since he entered the Residence. I saw him last month, when he came back to visit Auntie, and I almost didn't recognise him. The only thing he still talked about in the same way was Anubis.”
“The Residence is said to be a poisonous environment for all the Highs. If he is a true priest, and he has been so badly affected by his situation, then he might not be a priest for much longer.” She looked at Yannis, feeling bad for what she was about to say. “We need to be very careful about the people who know what we are, so if he's a danger to the other true priests and priestesses, or Anubis feels uncomfortable having Logan as his priest, he might make the choice to walk away.”
“Is that likely?”
“Yannis...” Orla sipped her soup. “I don't know. It's not something I can know and it's a choice for Anubis.” She reached out and squeezed Yannis' shoulder. “Normally a deity won't turn their back on a person, even one of the fake priests, so I think it's unlikely, but at the same time we're in a situation that means we have to be especially careful.”
“Why did you tell me that you were the priestess of Artemis?”
“I trust you.” She smiled. “If I didn't then I would never have said anything to you because you could have put me in danger.”
“I still could.”
Orla looked at Yannis. Their eyes met and she found herself wondering whether he really would tell someone, maybe their town's priest of Anubis, that she was a priestess of Artemis. It wasn't something she believed her would do, but hearing him say those words, that he still could tell someone what she was, filled her with an inexplicable terror. She couldn't see any emotions in his eyes and that really didn't help.
“Why would you?” Orla was surprised how calm her voice was when she felt so scared. “We've been friends for a very long time.”
“We have, haven't we?” Yannis smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. “I guess the only reason I would tell anyone is if I felt it was better for the Tein-Igni to know who you are.”
“The Tein-Igni?”
“Our race is very important.”
“All the races are important.”
“They'll destroy us, Orla.”
Orla shook her head. “I really don't think that either the Uisdro or the Dorma could destroy us, Yannis, even if they wanted to, which is something I really doubt. I'm not saying that what they want is really any better, but using the word destruction is slightly over exagerating things.”
“We won't be the Tein-Ingi any longer, so is there really much difference between saying that they are out to destroy us and what they are actually going to do.”
© K A Jones 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
This entry was originally posted at http://kajones-writing.dreamwidth.org/43087.html. It currently has
comments.
The priest of Anubis was one of the leaders of a Tein-Igni movement that was said to have been created as a way of protecting their race from the Dorma supremacist movement. Orla understood their point of view. She didn't want to live under the thumb of the Dorma, and their image of Herne, but the Anubis movement was no better. They looked at the Dorma and the Uisdro as though they were less than the Tein-Igni, even though the Uisdro had been their trading partners for a very long time.
“Good morning, Orla,” a voice said from beside her, making her jump.
Shaking her head, Orla turned to look at Yannis. “Make some noise next time.”
He held out a mug. “Peace offering.” He smiled at her. “I didn't mean to startle you.”
Orla smiled back. “I know, Yannis.” She took the mug gratefully. “I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Priests, priestesses, and why I have to keep my mouth shut.” She sighed. “I don't like being in this position.”
“If I could have taken the burden for you I would, but you are the chosen one.”
Rolling her eyes, Orla sipped her soup. “I am not the chosen one.”
“How many true priests and priestesses are there?”
“There are currently ten deities and each has one priest and one priestess, so twenty, plus the priest and priestess of Hecate.”
“Do you know who they are?”
“Not yet, Yannis, but I will do before we have to leave for North Square. The more I know the more people I put in danger if someone finds out what I am.”
“Have people really died because they're a true priest or priestess?”
“Artemis tells me that they have, but I have no way of knowing for sure.” Orla looked at Yannis curiously. “Why are you asking so many questions?”
“My cousin, Logan, is one of the High Priests and I worry about him because I think he might be a true priest.”
Orla thought for a moment. She could remember Logan, but she hadn't seen him for a long time and din't know him at all well. “It's possible, but there's no way I can know. What makes you think he might be a true priest?”
“He's changed so much since he entered the Residence. I saw him last month, when he came back to visit Auntie, and I almost didn't recognise him. The only thing he still talked about in the same way was Anubis.”
“The Residence is said to be a poisonous environment for all the Highs. If he is a true priest, and he has been so badly affected by his situation, then he might not be a priest for much longer.” She looked at Yannis, feeling bad for what she was about to say. “We need to be very careful about the people who know what we are, so if he's a danger to the other true priests and priestesses, or Anubis feels uncomfortable having Logan as his priest, he might make the choice to walk away.”
“Is that likely?”
“Yannis...” Orla sipped her soup. “I don't know. It's not something I can know and it's a choice for Anubis.” She reached out and squeezed Yannis' shoulder. “Normally a deity won't turn their back on a person, even one of the fake priests, so I think it's unlikely, but at the same time we're in a situation that means we have to be especially careful.”
“Why did you tell me that you were the priestess of Artemis?”
“I trust you.” She smiled. “If I didn't then I would never have said anything to you because you could have put me in danger.”
“I still could.”
Orla looked at Yannis. Their eyes met and she found herself wondering whether he really would tell someone, maybe their town's priest of Anubis, that she was a priestess of Artemis. It wasn't something she believed her would do, but hearing him say those words, that he still could tell someone what she was, filled her with an inexplicable terror. She couldn't see any emotions in his eyes and that really didn't help.
“Why would you?” Orla was surprised how calm her voice was when she felt so scared. “We've been friends for a very long time.”
“We have, haven't we?” Yannis smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. “I guess the only reason I would tell anyone is if I felt it was better for the Tein-Igni to know who you are.”
“The Tein-Igni?”
“Our race is very important.”
“All the races are important.”
“They'll destroy us, Orla.”
Orla shook her head. “I really don't think that either the Uisdro or the Dorma could destroy us, Yannis, even if they wanted to, which is something I really doubt. I'm not saying that what they want is really any better, but using the word destruction is slightly over exagerating things.”
“We won't be the Tein-Ingi any longer, so is there really much difference between saying that they are out to destroy us and what they are actually going to do.”
© K A Jones 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
This entry was originally posted at http://kajones-writing.dreamwidth.org/43087.html. It currently has
