Azaria

by J. H. Hayes

  They gathered in the field to the northeast of the Temple, in front of the long shelter the Ta'araki resided in. Azaria guessed they must have been the last group to arrive, as there were hundreds of other Natu girls and men already there, setting up their tents, preparing food or just milling around. It was more people than Azaria had ever seen before and the sheer number awed her, even frightened her a little. Although the summer sun shone harshly, the encircling groves of cedar and oak helped moderate the temperature. The young women Azaria had journeyed with sat talking amongst themselves, waiting for Fahim to emerge.

  When the senior Ta'araki eventually came out, the girls quieted quickly, either out of respect, fear, genuine interest or some combination thereof. "Ladies, thank you for coming," Fahim addressed them.

  "Like we had a choice," Daneel snapped under her breath, inciting the surrounding girls to snicker. Fahim turned sharply to her, glaring as Daneel crescendoed through darker hues of red.

  Finally, as if satisfied she’d reached the deepest shade of fiery crimson possible, Fahim continued, "The significance of the work you will be performing during your tenure here cannot be understated. What we have achieved so far could not have been completed without those young women who've come before you and it would be impossible to continue without you. You should all be very proud of your mothers and grandmothers. Your daughters will enjoy that same pride in you." Fahim wasn't generally known for injecting much emotion into her speeches, but Azaria could feel a tingle crawl up her spine as she listened to the old woman. She clearly was capable of some amount of passion when addressing a subject she cared about.

  "Be assured the Ta'ar are taking note of your contributions. Some of you may be wondering why we expend so many resources building this stunning Temple. There are two fundamental reasons. One is to demonstrate our appreciation for all They have given. We express our dedication and devotion through the sacrifice ritual. The second, and no less important, is the excarnation ritual. The excarnation frees the soul to rise up and be accepted by the Watchers. You have all been taught that when your physical self fails, your existential self becomes trapped. The Great Birds, who are the Ta'ar's mediaries, cleanse the soul of the body allowing it to ascend and join Them."

  Azaria sat in rapt attention. She’d of course heard this all before, but rarely explained so well. It all made so much sense. And the Great Vulture circles above us at night, watching over us, searching for new souls for the Minions to cleanse. She’d never found it so captivating and began to feel a new appreciation for the work ahead. She looked forward to learning more during the tour of the complex.

  "Before we enter the Great Temple, are there any questions?" Fahim asked. Azaria wanted to know more, but disliked the idea of drawing attention to herself. When none of the other girls spoke either, Fahim continued, "Good. I'm pleased you all understand. Now, get up and follow me."

  They made their way up the gentle slope, following Fahim to the Temple structure where Azaria had witnessed the Kebar's grizzly execution. The outermost part of the structure was a surrounding, thick stone wall, built of small limestone bricks, each about the length of a man's forearm and the width and height roughly equal to the breadth of his fist. A duplicate wall stood inside it, about the same height as a man standing straight, about a pace and a half thick. Brick steps allowed the only entry to the heart of the Temple. Attached and perpendicular to the inner, ovalish wall were a series of massive, standing limestone slabs, each shaped somewhat like the upper part of the letter "T". The central segment of each slab was almost as deep as the wall and the overhanging segments extended out about the length of a man's foot, with one of these extensions directly above the wall and its opposite pointing toward the center of the structure. Each of the outer columns was once and a half again the height of the average Natu hunter, who on average was taller than the men who would shepherd their goats over the buried structure over 12,000 solar orbits later. Laid on top of these slabs were a series of cedar planks, forming a circular viewing platform that encircled two even more massive vertical slabs. It was on this circular platform that Azaria had seen Fahim and her father, along with several other Ta'araki, perform the sacrifice of the strange Kebar man almost a half-moon earlier. The two gigantic slabs that stood in parallel, forming the heart of the Temple, were just bigger versions of the slabs that supported the viewing platform. Each had a perfectly designed, rectangular, stone-cut footing around its base, providing extra support. More cedar planks lay atop these monstrous pillars, connecting them and forming the altar itself. The Kebar scout had drawn his last breath on these planks. More supporting boards lay across the oval structure, allowing the Ta'araki access to the raised sacrificial altar.

  Fahim led the young women to the top of the viewing platform and let a few briefly inspect the altar, before calling them back and sending several more out. The central part of the wood roof could not hold the weight of too many. "The subject of the ritual is laid atop this altar," Fahim explained, "whether it be a body for excarnation, or a beast for sacrifice." Or a Kebar for execution, Azaria thought. However she doubted anyone else here knew about that, besides Fahim and the other Ta'araki. Standing here so close to that same altar, she couldn't rid the gruesome images of that scene from her mind.

  "The attendant Ta'araki would stand about where you are now, Tahrini," Fahim continued, addressing one of the older girls Azaria wasn't very familiar with, but recognized as being from Fox Camp. "If you look up now, you'll find the Ta'ar's Minions are ready to perform their part." Azaria imitated the other young women and directed her gaze upward, finding that Fahim was correct, as scores of vultures and other carrion fowl circled above them. There were oooh's and aaah's from many of the girls. Azaria wondered if they were experiencing the same creepy tingling down their backs.

  "The Ta'ar's servants carry out their duty well," Fahim continued. "Whenever there are Natu present, the servants are ready to perform the cleansing, without fail. We are almost done here. Are there any questions?"

  One of the younger girls from Falcon Camp dared to be the first. "Ta'araki, I noticed there are carvings of different beasts on the pillars. What do these signify?" Azaria looked down into the uncovered gap in the planked ceiling at the pillars the girl was speaking of. Until then, she'd not thought to look down, but she realized the girl was right - there were magnificent carvings on some of the pillars, including the larger central ones.

  Fahim beamed at the young girl, "Very good, Aiyana! This is what I wanted to show you last. Let's all step down to the central floor and examine the pillars more closely. There are ladders to the sides. Feel free to get a good look and admire the craftsmanship. You may even touch them – gently! We are nearly as proud of these carvings as we are of the Great Temple itself."

  They climbed down to a red terrazzo floor and spread out to the different pillars. As her turn to climb down came, the deep red finish of the floor stunned Azaria, as she'd never seen anything like it. Nor had anyone else who hadn't already been inside the Great Temple - for it was a new invention, produced by mixing burnt, crushed limestone chips with clay, dying it with red ochre and finishing with heavy polishing. After admiring the new sight, her attention was drawn to a boar which adorned one of the main slabs. She marveled at the amount of detail, it looked exactly like a boar, facing downward on the thin side. Almost afraid to touch it, Azaria lightly ran her index finger along the length of its body, from the haunches to the snout. It wasn't quite perfectly smooth, just subtly rough. She could feel the natural, tiny indentations in the rock. To her it seemed the boar must have always lived there in the rock, and the carver merely chipped the extraneous pieces away.

  "Azaria, come here! Look at this spider!" Daneel called. She made her way through the crush of girls to where Daneel was inspecting the face of one of the support slabs. "Look Azaria! Isn't it amazing? I've never seen anything like this before! Have you?" As if the wonder of the relief overpowered her earlier embarrassment, Daneel asked Fahi
m directly, "Ta'araki! This spider is beautiful! What does it signify?"

  "I'm happy to see you’re finally showing some respect for our customs, Daneel," Fahim answered. Her response, though patronizing, had an element of satisfaction in it. "Can anyone tell us what the spider signifies? Let's see if any of the new girls know, before I call on one of you who’ve already had this tour."

  When no one chose to answer, Aiyana, the Falcon Camp girl who’d initially asked about the carvings, spoke, keeping her head down in what Azaria interpreted as natural shyness, "I think I know, Ta'araki."

  "Then go ahead, girl. Please tell us."

  "The spider signifies rainfall," she said. Azaria strained to listen. She could barely hear the small girl's soft voice.

  "That's correct, Aiyana. Excellent! And do you know why the spider is linked to rainfall?" Fahim asked.

  "Well, everyone knows spiders come out when it's going to rain."

  "Yes, that's true," Fahim said, pointing to the magnificent arachnid carving. Aiyana looked uncomfortable going any further, so Fahim addressed the group at large. "But what does that tell us about this spider here? Azaria, would you hazard a guess?"

  Azaria didn't expect to be put on the spot, and stumbled at first in trying to answer. "Uhh, the spider... Well... spiders can predict the rain... and our survival depends on rainfall to water our wheat fields and the other things we eat. Without it we would die. So the spider reminds the Ta’ar to send us rain?"

  "Very good, Azaria. How about the other carvings? Can anyone else guess what any of them mean? This lion for example, on this main slab."

  Fahim was visibly gratified when several hands went up. She called upon one of the younger girls from another camp who Azaria had never met.

  "The lion fears no other beast, not even humans. Could that lion represent the strength of the Natu? Or maybe our dominance over the other peoples?"

  Azaria thought Fahim was trying to mask her disappointment in the girl's answer, but felt she did a lousy job of it. "No, that is not correct. But it’s a good guess. Anyone else?"

  The rest of the girls must have read Fahim's face as well as Azaria did, because none of those who had their hands up earlier raised them again.

  "A little shy, are we?" Fahim asked coyly, "It's okay to be wrong." She seemed to recognize she scared the other girls from attempting an answer and finally explained. "The lion lives here, because it was commissioned by the Ta'araki of Lion Camp. Although every camp provides resources for the different elements of the Great Temple, Lion Camp was responsible for quarrying the rock, its shaping and for its transport and placement. Men from many of the camps participated of course, but Lion Camp was ultimately responsible for its success. When all of you are with the Ta'ar, and your daughters and granddaughters also, their children and grandchildren will know that Lion Camp contributed to our greatest achievement."

  Exclamations of understanding and appreciation for the wisdom of the Ta'araki were discernible from the group. Many were nodding their heads in comprehension. "Well then, I think we’ve seen enough. If I don't return you to Izyl soon for the next segment of your orientation, I fear she’ll be quite upset with me," Fahim said, her false humility not impressing many.

  The girls climbed back out of the Temple and started down the gentle slope, stopping when they met Izyl, who was waiting for them. "Okay girls. How was the tour?" Izyl asked. There were nods of approval and she continued, "Why don't you all sit down for a moment here and I'll explain what is expected of you this evening and in the morning." The young women did as they were told, and Izyl began the next phase of their introduction. She directed them to first set up their tents and then join the girls who'd already arrived in preparing the communal evening meal. Most of it Azaria had expected from the instructions her mother had given her.

  "Tomorrow after you’ve provided the workers their early meals and yourselves eaten, you will gather here. Specific assignments will be meted out then," Izyl instructed. "Now, hurry with your tents before the sun gets low."

  ---

  Azaria slept little the first night. As they’d planned moons ago, she shared her tent with Daneel, which was fine with Azaria, but doubly so for Daneel, as she had no idea how to set one up anyway. It wasn't a tent so much as a large sheet of stitched together leather scraps blanketed around a series of poles arranged in a cone shape and tied together at the top with sinew. The Ta'araki had learned generations ago that instead of making the workers and servants find and shape new poles from local downed branches when they arrived, it was easier to just save a large stock of thousands of used poles. At the end of the summer, they would wrap the poles in old, unsalvageable furs or leather and bury them deep in a permafrosted layer of earth to protect from the elements.

  The leather hung just above the ground, allowing cooler air to flow through, which helped keep the occupants comfortable during the brutally hot nights. It didn't allow for as much privacy as they were used to, but most were generally too tired to care as they laid their wary heads down at the end of the long trek. The same was true throughout their visit, as Temple duty was notoriously exhausting. Most of the newcomers found it was tougher than anything they'd ever experienced, worse than they were prepared for, worse even than their families had warned them of, which was something to say, considering older siblings loved to inform their younger brothers and sisters of just what lie in wait for them.

  Uncharacteristically, Azaria woke early the next morning, before the sun had risen, and went out to relieve herself. She saw Izyl talking with Fahim in hushed voices and tried to duck back into the tent before being seen, but was stopped by Fahim's call, "Azaria, you’re up early. Too excited to sleep? Well, there's no use in lying down again. We were just about to wake everyone. Why don't you get your tentmate and the two of you can start waking the rest of the girls?"

  Azaria winced. I would have held it had I known I’d end up being the one waking everyone. Daneel is just going to love this. But she did as instructed and woke her snoring friend, enlisting her help in waking the rest of the servant girls.

  "Really?" Daneel whined. "I haven't even woken yet and you're already volunteering us?" But Azaria knew her best friend wasn't really angry with her and only rolled her eyes in response.

  After helping prepare and set the food out for the men to indulge in, the large throng of girls helped themselves. After they’d finished, Fahim joined Izyl in addressing them. "Before we announce your assignments, divide yourselves into pairs," the Fox Camp Ta'araki instructed.

  Azaria knew they'd be pairing up and expected her and Daneel would work together. She turned and raised her eyebrows in expectation, "Shall we?"

  Daneel appeared apologetic. "Azaria, I wanted to. But Yumineh asked me already," she said, embarrassment in her voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what to say."

  "Oh, okay," Azaria answered, flustered when she couldn't hide her disappointment properly, wondering why Daneel hadn't just told Yumineh she was already partnering with her. "No it's fine," she said, trying to recover as she noticed Yumineh approaching. "I'll find someone else." She saw two of her closest Boar Camp friends, Ilaya and Aisika, standing together. Although they were known as "the twins", they were actually first cousins. But they looked so similar and were so famous for never separating that everyone who didn't know them well inevitably concluded they must be. No, they'll be partnering with each other, Azaria decided. Then she caught sight of another Boar Camp friend, apparently waiting for someone to ask. Smiling, she made her way over.

  “Malena, do you have a partner yet?” she asked.

  “No, not yet,” Malena responded. She was a slender girl, whose long, black hair flowed evenly down both sides of her very symmetrically structured face.

  “Great!” Azaria answered, wondering why she hadn’t thought of her earlier. Malena’s closest friend was Azul, a Boar Camp boy she’d recently promised to. And other than Yumineh, who she was cousins with, it wasn’t surprising she didn’t have another na
tural partner.

  "Azaria?" A creaking voice called. Cowering, she turned to find Fahim addressing her. "Why don't you pair with Aiyana? You don't have any objections do you, Aiyana?" Azaria looked to the short girl next to Fahim and saw an expression of utter surprise.

  "No... No, Ta'araki. Of course not," Aiyana answered, looking overwhelmed.

  "It's settled then," Fahim said, ending Azaria’s objection before she had a chance to make it.

  With the choice made for her, Azaria pushed through the mass of girls until she reached her new partner. She remembered her from the previous sun as the girl who'd known so much about the Temple. Aiyana was stouter than most girls her age and less than pretty. Her weak cheekbones were overpowered by red, puffy cheeks. Her eyes seemed permanently half-closed, but within them Azaria recognized an unusually curious, intelligent young woman. She stood smiling nervously as she waited for the taller Boar Camp girl to approach. Azaria flashed her best smile and was rewarded with a warm grin. She noticed Aiyana's shoulders relax, as if a burden had been removed. She didn't know Aiyana expected Azaria to reject Fahim's suggestion and ask for someone else - the type of reaction she'd experienced often.

  Before either of them had said a word, Azaria decided she already liked her new partner. She raised her arms, palms forward in the common expression of greeting and spoke first, "Hello Aiyana, I'm Azaria, daughter of Zephia of Boar Camp... Messenger of Boar Camp." It was the first occasion she'd had to add the new title. She discovered she liked it. "In the name of the Ta'ar, I greet you."