In a time before written history, a young
priest, SAYO, learned the fate of his people. Could he do anything to stop
it? He prayed he could, but the wheels of fate were in motion.
As an orphan, NOYA became a slave to the high
priestess, Dostra. The innocence of childhood was lost with only Sayo to
stand in the way of the terrible punishments of her mistress.
SAYO'S attraction to NOYA is a puzzlement,
for as a priest and son of the mangods, he is not to have the feelings of
mortal men. When he acts on his feelings, he seals NOYA'S fate and hastens
the demise of his people.
ISBN:
978-1-935048-46-6 1-935048-46-5
Word Count: 77,328
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EXCERPT
CHAPTER 1
The smoke of
many cooking fires filled the autumn air and lazily hung in a hazy cloud
over the village. Structures of various sizes denoted the status of the
villagers. A large round building stood at the center of all of the
dwellings, with about two dozen smaller homes around it. Away from all of
the activity, stood the home of the high priestess, Dostra. Different from
all the others, her house was built in a square, as dictated by the Man Gods
when they first established the village.
Sayo had lived
here all his life and coming home was comforting. The houses, made from
bark, were coated with a water proof substance that had been handed down
through the ages from the first settlers brought here by the Man Gods.
The cooking
fires browned the meat the women were preparing. Hanging above the meat on
cooking frames were pouches with vegetables to add to the meal. Sayo could
feel the juices of hunger begin to flow in his mouth. He would be honored to
eat at any one of the many cooking fires in the village this night.
“I cannot
believe your uncle allowed you to come hunting with us today, Sayo,” Tarros
said.
Sayo looked
across the long pole with the carcass of a deer suspended from it. “He was
not happy until I told him you wanted me to bless the hunt. I think he was
envious. No one has ever asked him to bless a hunt, not in all the turnings
of the seasons he has been high priest.”
“You forget,
Sayo, no one asked you to bless the hunt today. It matters not, because your
presence has brought us good luck. Look how many deer we killed. The women
will have enough meat for the feast and still be able to preserve much of it
for the cold phases of the moon when the hunting is poor. It would please me
if you shared the evening meal with my family.”
Sayo smiled.
His boyhood friend knew, all too well, the only way a priest survived was
from the generosity of the members of the community. Since the beginning of
time, the priests had been the descendants of the Man Gods. Once their time
with the people was finished, the One God would give them immortality. For
that reason they were not allowed to hunt or gather. At least that was how
Sayo’s Uncle Badro explained the reasoning behind the taboo. Badro said only
the gifts of the people could be eaten.
When Sayo
questioned Badro further, his uncle went on to tell him that the Gods were
all powerful. Hunting was not something they needed to be bothered with, as
when they became immortal, they had no need for food to survive. They were
nourished by the words and generosity of the One God.
“I would be
honored to share your table, my friend. It will be as when we were children
together.”
Sayo ached for
the time of childhood. With his thirteenth turning of the seasons, he left
the home of his mother to begin his study for the priesthood with his uncle,
Badro. Now, within one phase of the moon, the Man Gods would return and he
would take his uncle’s place in the sanctuary. Badro would join the Man
Gods, when they left, to be counted among their number, gaining immortality.
Sayo would be left alone to act as high priest and rule the spiritual lives
of the people.
For nearly one
turning of the seasons he worked, perfecting the craft, which would be his
life’s work. At the time of the planting, as well as the time of the
harvest, he watched the sacrifices. Soon he would be expected to bind the
hands and feet of either enemy or slave before cutting the beating heart
from their bodies and catching the blood as it poured from the wound.
Putting
thoughts of the more grandiose sacrifices from his mind, he concentrated on
the smaller ones he would have to perform. He immediately thought of the
sacrifice of virginity. It was the one thing he dreaded. In listening to the
storyteller, he knew that the practice of this sacrifice was something that
had been passed down through the generations. The Man Gods deemed it
necessary so the women would appreciate the gentle lovemaking of their
husbands. It didn’t matter. Sayo still questioned the need of it. Even more
so, he questioned Badro’s ability to do it so easily. It seemed as though he
enjoyed it more than he should. Sayo wondered if he would ever be so
detached, so unreceptive to the screams of the newly made women who withered
beneath him as he pierced their barrier of virginity with the stone penis
covering that had been brought with the first people by the Man Gods.
“I am pleased
you will be high priest when my betrothed is sacrifice.” Tarros’ words broke
into Sayo’s thoughts.
“Why would you
say such a thing?”
“Because I
love Mira very deeply. The thought of an ancient, like Badro taking her
virginity in front of my eyes, makes my stomach churn with distaste.”
“And your
stomach does not churn when you think of me doing the same thing?”
“No, because I
know you too well. Others, who have entered into their marriages under
Badro’s watchful eyes, tell me he enjoys what he does too much. He has no
compassion.”
Sayo silently
agreed. His uncle did enjoy taking the virginity of the frightened maidens,
enjoyed inflicting the pain necessary in the process. Perhaps Badro was
right, but a little sympathy would give him a better image among the people.
“Your
confidence gives me great honor.”
As they neared
the village, a loud wailing sounded in their ears. The flash of a fire
blazing to life caught their line of vision.
Sayo shook his
head sadly. “The end has come for Pitro and Cistra. Badro has been spending
much time in their dwelling, trying to cure the sickness, which consumed
them. None of his medicines or chants has helped.”
“It is said,
their sickness began when they did that which is forbidden, by going to the
place where the Gods brought their craft. They broke the law by not waiting
for the one turning of the seasons to pass before picking the berries which
grow there.”
“Badro says it
is true. I can understand their temptation. The field where the Man Gods
land their craft contains some of the best berries in the area. No wonder
they chose it for their landing place.”
They moved
closer to the funeral pyre. As usual, when Sayo saw the flames consuming the
bodies of the people, he ached. Looking away, he saw his uncle, a tether
clasped in his hand. On the other end of the rope, stood the daughter of the
people whose bodies were becoming blackened by the fire.
Moving closer,
Sayo could see tears in the girl’s brown eyes. His uncle’s hand caressed the
girl’s rounded buttocks and Sayo could see her cringe under his attentions.
Badro’s voice
boomed so that all could hear. “This child, will, from this day forward, be
a slave. When the evening meal is finished, the council will meet to decide
to whom she should be given.”
Sayo watched
Badro tie the tether attached to her wrists to a post, then place another
rope around her neck to make certain she would not be tempted to work
herself free. The girl, Noya by name, cried as her parent’s possessions,
along with her own belongings, added fuel to the fire.
Sayo
understood the necessity of having one who would soon become a slave
displayed for all the heads of the village households to examine. As a child
she was not looked upon in any way but as a playmate to the other children.
As a slave they needed to determine her worth to their families. What he
didn’t understand was why young and old alike took pleasure in tormenting
her with probing touches, pointed sticks and evil curses. Was Noya not the
same child who had been a respected member of the community only one journey
of the sun earlier?
As much as
Sayo disliked these practices, he knew better than to lend his voice in
opposition. Badro was the high priest and no one in the village, with the
exception of the high priestess had more power. Until Badro joined the Man
Gods and claimed his immortality, Sayo was little more than his uncle’s
apprentice.
Sayo wanted to
chase the children away, but the adults were now joining in the cruel game.
Looking to his friend, he saw a wicked smile cross Tarros’ face.
“Come, join in
the fun, Sayo,” he prompted. “When she is claimed as a slave, no man can
touch her until she becomes a woman. It is a shame. I for one would enjoy
feeling the delights hidden between her legs.”
“One journey
of the sun ago, she was but a playmate of Mira. Only moments ago, you spoke
of your love for her. How can you possibly consider coupling with anyone
else? Would you have even noticed this child if not for this thing which has
happened to her?”
“You talk
foolishness. As you say, she is but a child and because of her parent’s sin,
she was not promised. She has nothing to offer a man, no status, and no
bridal gifts, not even a father to make an alliance with. She deserves her
fate. There is nothing more for her than being a slave within our village.
To treat her as such is acceptable. In my father’s household, it is not
considered a sin to visit the house of pleasures when my mother is unable to
act as a wife.”
“It may not be
a sin, but does your father do such a thing? Has he ever coupled with any,
slave or free, during your mother’s confinement?”
“That is not
the issue. What my father does is his business. If he wanted to, it would be
accepted, as long as the woman was a slave. He could even use the slaves of
our household if he wanted to. Sometimes I think his devotion to my mother
is not normal.”
“I do not
agree with your thinking, and neither would Ustro, but I cannot get into
your mind and change your thoughts. You are still young. Perhaps when you
have married the joy of your heart you will see things in a different
light.”
Sayo turned
away when the young hunters abandoned their kill to take their turns with
Noya. Each ran his hands over her body, each touched the hidden crevice
between her legs. He knew the process was necessary for the men to determine
if she would be worth taking into their homes as a slave and not be able to
use her until the time of her third bleeding. As a bride, a man would take
her after her first bleeding. As a slave, the Gods deemed her unclean until
her third visit to the house of women.
Although Sayo
understood it, he did not approve. He hated seeing how the people treated
the slaves. It was not right. When he became high priest, he would find some
way to end this insanity. How could an innocent child be loved and accepted
one minute and a slave the next?
He turned away
in disgust, only to bump into his uncle. “Your presence is requested at the
council meeting this night, Sayo.”
“Why must we
be there? We are not like them. What business is it of ours? It does not
concern us.”
“Do not be a
fool. Everything in the village concerns us. Widows and orphans are
condemned to be slaves. It is the law of the Gods and we are of the Gods.
Your opinions mean nothing as long as the Gods command. It is our duty to
see those commands are obeyed.”
A few feet
away Noya screamed and cried as her tormentors became more physical,
crueler.
“Can you not
at least stop her torture?”
Badro gave him
a look of disappointment. “I will take her to the council house, but you
must remember who you are when the council convenes this night.”
Sayo nodded.
Behind him, the women of the village worked at butchering the day’s kill,
oblivious to the screams of the child who would soon be a slave. They were,
likewise oblivious to the crude remarks made by the men. The entire
situation seemed ridiculous to Sayo.
While he was
still deep in thought, Tarros came to his side. “Where are you going?”
“I need to be
alone and prepare myself for this night’s council meeting.”
“I do not see
why you feel the need to prepare. Come along, my mother will expect you at
our hearth. If you must prepare for the meeting, you cannot do so on an
empty stomach. Walk a while with me and we can talk about this.”
Against his
better judgment, Sayo followed his friend. To decline an invitation to the
home of the leader would do him no good. Badro and Ustro ruled the people
together. Soon it would be he, Sayo, who would be responsible for the
spiritual needs of the people. When the time came, Tarros would be the
leader and together they would make the laws that would rule the people. Now
was not the time to argue with the one man in the village who knew him best.
“After I
attend to my prayers, I will come to your mother’s hearth. Once I partake of
her good cooking, I will attend the meeting.”
“There is more
to your words than you say. You take your duties too seriously. I can tell
you do not approve of what must be done by the council. You cannot change
the world. Only the Gods have such powers.”
“You do not
understand. I am of the Gods. I do not think the laws wrong, I only want to
see them changed, so a child is not treated in the manner I saw Noya treated
this day. How would you feel if the child being tormented was your sister?
Would you not be enraged?”
“You ask
questions which are foolish. If I had a sister, she would never be put in
the position of being a slave. She would be the daughter of the leader and
have a status, unlike Noya.”
“Fate can
change our lives in the blink of an eye. If something were to have happened
to your father when you were but a child, your fate would have been much
different. The law would have made your mother and her children slaves. It
would have mattered not who you were. The law makes no distinction, even for
the family of the leader. Do not make the mistake of considering yourself
better than others in the village.”
Tarros did not
answer. Sayo knew he had shocked his friend by his bold words. Did he mean
them for Tarros, or for himself? More and more he questioned the traditions
of his people. More and more he doubted his own abilities.
