by Shannah Jay
Erlic moved closer to his mother. 'I can feel the evil at the door,' he said. 'Can't you?'
Katia nodded. 'Yes, but we mustn't flinch. Let's follow Lellia. We may be able to add our strength to hers.
We must keep out of sight, though.'
The two of them crept along the passage that led to the main entrance hallway in this maze of a house.
Katia drew in her breath sharply as she felt the first close touch of the darkness the man Shammaz radiated, then she called upon her Brother's help and moved forward steadily, courage flowing into her from somewhere.
'I came to see little Yeldo,' said Shammaz. 'How is the poor lad?'
'Very ill.'
'Speak up, woman! And stop trembling like a fool. This isn’t the Shrine.' He waited for a moment. 'Well, what are you waiting for? Take me to Yeldo.'
'His mother won't let anyone into the room. She's used herbs to put him to sleep and she doesn't want him disturbed.' Lellia's voice gathered a little strength and she spoke with mock indignation. 'Even me, his grandmother. She won't let me into the room, either.'
'She'll let me into the room. She wouldn’t dare gainsay me. Get out of my way.'
'Please, Shammaz, leave her be. Let her spend these last hours with him. I doubt he'll survive the day, but she needs to feel she's done everything she could.'
Shammaz frowned. 'Where's Dennil? Surely he isn't allowing a woman to tell men what to do in this household?'
'He had to go out to one of the farms. Trouble with one of the herders. I begged him to stay, but he said he could do nothing to help Yeldo. He told me to keep an eye on things here.'
Katia could sense that Lellia was gaining in confidence, as Shammaz seemed to accept her explanations.
'Shall I tell him you called, honoured brother? Do you want me to give him any messages?'
'Tell him to come and see me in the morning.' Shammaz grabbed Lellia's arm and pushed her against the wall. 'And tell him it's about time he brought you along to the shrine again to make sacrifice.'
She stood there rigidly, resisting the temptation to push him away. No use angering him. He’d struck her before for insolence, though she’d hidden her bruises from her husband, for fear of him lashing out at Shammaz, who now held great power in the town. 'We came. Dennil tried. He couldn't do it in public. Some men can't.' She still cringed at the memory of her humiliation in the Shrine. And the whipping had hurt. Dear Brother, how it had hurt! Dennil had been so angry that she’d had to hold back her screams, didn’t know how she’d managed that.
Her brother-in-law held her chin up so she had to stare him in the eyes. 'Dennil must try again. And this time, if he can't manage it with you, we'll find someone who can. You've escaped too easily so far, Lellia, because of your relationship to me.' He laughed as she began to tremble in his grasp. 'You're still a handsome woman, worthy of honouring our dread lord the Serpent. And your back bears no permanent scars yet. I should enjoy marking it myself.' He let the words hang in the air between himself and the trembling woman for a moment, then continued harshly, 'Tell Dennil that we're allowing no one to evade their duty from now on. And even if he can't make a proper sacrifice, he can offer up his pain, can't he? The whip shall caress his back most tenderly, even as I use you myself upon the black altar.'
He threw her away from him so roughly she stumbled and fell to her knees. He laughed as he turned away.
'Don't forget to tell him, Lellia. And be ready to attend the shrine tomorrow evening yourself. I shall definitely honour you with my own attentions if my dear brother fails again. There is no doubt about my manhood.' He strode from the house, leaving the door open behind him.
Shadows seemed to linger even after Shammaz had left, swirling round the corners of the hallway, then Erlic moved forward, hands raised, expression determined, and the shadows retreated before him. He turned to see his mother comforting a sobbing Lellia.
'Come quickly, my brothers,' he whispered, standing there at the open door, with his hands still raised.
'Come quickly! This is a crucial time for the Kindred.' A soft breeze swirled around him for a moment, like a healing benediction after the evil of Shammaz, then he nodded and closed the door.
Throughout the night, men slipped into Jeddiak town from the forests, gathering in a few safe houses.
Dennil returned home near dawn, and he wasn’t the only one to find that someone from the shrine had visited his domain to give warning that all were to participate in a Great Sacrifice to the Serpent the next day.
Every single man and woman, without exception. And all girls above ten years of age. Anger at this unnatural behaviour and fear for their young daughters brought more men to Dennil's side.
Lellia clung to her husband for a moment, sobbing with relief to see him return safely. 'I'm sorry. I'll be all right in a minute. I'm just so glad to see you.'
'What's the matter?'
'Shammaz came here.'
'What did he do?'
'He just came and - and he left a message for you. Your brother grows more evil every time I see him. It's as if he brings darkness with him now. The house felt unclean after he’d left.'
'It feels no different to me now.'
She managed a tremulous smile. 'We cleansed it. We prayed to our Brother, and the Sister danced for us, her son, too. It was wonderful to see them dancing and it made the house feel wholesome again. I'd forgotten how beautiful the ceremonies at the Meeting House used to be. I went to the temple once in Dyandrak. I've never forgotten it. How can people say the Sisterhood is anything but good? You can feel the goodness when you go into a temple or a meeting house. And the temple in Dyandrak might not be as big as the Great Temple in Tenebrak, but it was very beautiful. I used to be so proud of it, especially when one of my embroideries was accepted for use there.'
'I remember it, too,' he said softly, holding her close for a moment, 'and the way we danced together there.
Let us pray that we one day may dance like that again.' Then he put her from him. 'Now, my love, we have things to do.'
She realised that relief at his safe return was making her babble and tried to pull herself together. 'I daresay you'll want some food now you're back.'
'Yes. And I'll need food and a bed made ready for those who’ll be following me into town. I'll sit guard myself at the side gate tonight to let them in.'
'So - we are to fight.'
'Yes.'
'But you can't sit there all night. You're exhausted already. How will you manage tomorrow's work?'
'I'm the only one who knows the faces, Lellia. We don't want a spy getting in and finding out what we plan to do, now do we? You just do your part by looking after those whom I admit. I'll try to get a bit of sleep in the morning in the warehouse.' He smiled briefly as he added, 'Like the men there do sometimes.' Then his expression sobered. 'Tomorrow evening we'll all be fighting for our freedom, my dear one.'
She nodded, but her hand was still clutching his arm. 'What about Shammaz? How shall we keep him away?'
'We'll send him a message that little Yeldo died in the night. That'll keep him away, I should think, especially if they're in the middle of planning a Great Sacrifice at the shrine.'
She nodded and let go of him at last, turning away to get things ready, glad to have something useful to occupy herself with. When rebellion was brewing, your thoughts could create a snare of apprehensions that sapped your will.
Katia and Erlic had been whispering together. Now she stepped forward. 'Dennil, will you let Erlic sit with you at the gate?'
'Why?'
'Because he can sense the taint of the Serpent. He'll be able to check those who come, in case anyone has turned traitor.' She would have sat there herself, but Yeldo and Jenna needed her attention still, and Lellia would be grateful for her support indoors. Since Shammaz had visited them, Lellia seemed to have lost some of her will to resist evil.
Just before dawn, the side door of the house opened to reveal Quinna and Nim. Katia
broke off what she was saying in mid-sentence and rushed across to hug her friend and stroke Nim's head.
'These are the companions I told you about,' she said to Lellia, then turned to hug Quinna again, gasping as the swordswoman pounded her rather too vigorously on the back in return. 'How did you get here, Quinna?'
'I found a group of men in the woods planning a nice little rebellion against Those of the Serpent, so I joined in. Seemed like it might be fun. Nim had a bit of fun, too, before we came into town. She found a fellow spying on us and dragged him into our camp.' Quinna chuckled aloud at the memory. 'You should have heard him scream! Served the rrascal rright. Bon told me he's one of those who wield the whip most heavily in the Shrine. Well, he won't be wielding anything for some time.'
Katia frowned. 'You surely didn't kill him?'
Quinna shook her head, but when she spoke, her voice sounded regretful. 'Naw. Pity, but I know you wouldn't want him killed. And anyway, it's not so easy to kill a man in cold blood, even a rrogue like that. But his right arm got itself a bit broken in the fight, so he won't be able to hold a whip. Or a dagger. He deserves worse, I reckon, and so I told him when he started screaming.' She patted Nim absently. 'Who's a lovely little girl, then?' she cooed.
The 'little girl', who was nearly as tall as Quinna herself, and who could stretch out to an awesome length of muscle and power, yawned and sniffed the air, obviously hungry.
'There are only a couple of others to come now,' Quinna beamed around the room cheerfully, 'then we'll all be here. They're relying on some of the townsfolk to join us once we start the rebellion. Otherwise, we'll be heavily outnumbered.'
Lellia's face turned paler still. 'And if the townsfolk do nothing?'
'Then we'll be dying in a good cause,' Quinna said, still cheerfully. She turned to follow her nose and saw one of her companions from the woods gnawing on a large piece of meat. 'Er - is that food laid out for us?'
'If you need it.' Lellia realised that she had been so surprised to meet a woman warrior that she had neglected the rituals of hospitality. 'Welcome to our house, friend. Please eat your fill.'
'Well, me and Nim are just a bit hungry.' Quinna joined the men who were devouring great hunks of bread, cold meat and cheese, as well as platters of Lellia's famous fruit pastries.
'What if the townsfolk don't join us?' asked Lellia, hovering nearby, still unable to settle to anything, let alone sleep.
'Our Brother will provide,' said Katia, patting her arm. 'Believe me, he will. Why don't you go and sit with Yeldo for a while. I can manage here.'
Lellia hesitated, then nodded. 'Yes. If he wakes up, he'll be glad to see his grandma's face.'
Outside, near the side gate, Dennil had dozed off, leaving Erlic to keep watch for anyone approaching the domain.
Erlic sat staring into space, his eyes gleaming like silver crystals in the moonlight, his long elegant hands raised in a pleading gesture. 'Hurry!' he whispered. 'Hurry, my brothers!' He stiffened, stared down the alley and then touched Dennil's arm. 'The one who comes is of the Serpent,' he whispered.
'How in our Brother's name do you know that?'
'I can sense it.'
'Then I must kill him.'
Erlic couldn’t hide a shudder. 'No! Let me answer the gate instead of you. I'll pretend to be half-witted.'
Dennil looked at him. The lad was a strange one, that was for sure, but if he was the son of a Sister Healer, there could be no doubting him. 'Are you sure you can cope?'
Erlic shrugged. 'No, I'm not sure. But I can try. If I succeed, it’ll save us a lot of trouble, won't it? If we have to kill him, they may come looking for him before we're ready to deal with them.' He pushed Dennil back into the shadows and sat down in the gatekeeper's hut. 'Wait there and be ready to help if I can't convince him to leave.' When someone rattled the iron gate, he yawned loudly and stood up. 'No one allowed in.'
'Aren't they gathering here?' The man looked up and down the street as if afraid of pursuit.
'Who?' Erlic blinked and tried to look stupid. 'Who's gathering?'
'You know. Those who follow your master.'
'My master's in his bed.'
'Then why are you here? The gate's not usually attended at night. Your master locks his gates at night. Let me in, lad. I want to join them.'
'There's no one to join, sir. And I can't let anyone in without my master's say-so. I daren't.'
'You've let the others in. Get out of my way.' He tried to push past Erlic, but the lad stood his ground, and proved to be stronger than he looked.
'I haven't let anyone else in,' he insisted. 'I'm only on duty here in case the traders come early. It's not fair, either. Just because I'm the youngest, I get all the rotten jobs. I need my sleep just as much as the others do, but the gatekeeper said he'd beat me if he caught me sleeping. He said the traders were bringing some special trade goods with them this time an' we weren't to keep them waiting outside.'
'Traders!' The man stopped trying to push inside. 'With special trade goods? What did he mean by that?'
Erlic shook his head and yawned. 'I don't know. They never tell me anything.'
The man hesitated, then leaned forward to whisper, 'Would you like to earn yourself a few coins?'
Erlic nodded.
'Then come and let me know when the traders arrive. And if you can manage it, find out what these special goods are and tell me that, too.'
'An' you'll pay me coin, just for tellin' you that?'
'Yes. I said so, didn't I?'
'Where shall I find you?'
'At the shrine.'
Erlic hesitated. 'I've never been inside the shrine. My master won't let me. Says I'm too young.'
'When you come to me, I'll show you inside myself and let you take a woman on the black altar. Any woman you fancy. You're not too young to play your part.' He reached out to slap Erlic on the shoulder, but Erlic feigned a stumble, managing to avoid contact with his hand.
The man strode off along the street.
'You did well, lad,' said Dennil, stepping out of the shadows.
Erlic shuddered. 'It was hard to remain near such evil, but I'm learning to pretend with them. That man was like those who attacked us in Peneron - far gone in discord madness.' He raised his voice and it seemed as if he were addressing the sky. 'We must help in the fight against the Serpent. Even we cannot stand back now.'
Dennil frowned at him. The Sister might say the lad was all right, and he was certainly not the half-wit he had at first appeared, but there was something strange about him, all the same. Very strange.
* * *
Next evening, the whole town seemed filled with the scent of incense. Clouds of it billowed from the grounds of the shrine, and stands loaded with fat smoke-trailing incense sticks were there on every street corner.
Dennil growled in his throat as he and his wife walked through the town, he dressed in his gaudy best, Lellia covered from head to toe in dark garments. She hadn’t wanted to come with him this night, but Shammaz would have noticed if Dennil had turned up without her, noticed and sent the Servants of the Shrine to fetch her. So she was here. And not all Katia's encouragement had quelled the terror she felt roiling around inside her.
At the door of the shrine, Dennil stopped. He knew Lellia was standing as close to him as she dared in public, for comfort, and he found it hard to play his own part. The mere feel of this place sickened him.
Inside, a woman was screaming for mercy, but the sound of the whip didn’t stop. He’d have liked to put his arm round Lellia, to give her courage, but that’d have caused outrage among the Servants of the Shrine, several of whom were waiting in the doorway, noting down each arrival.
'Ah, Dennil!' A man clad in black and silver stepped forward from the shadows. 'You came. Shammaz said you would. How fares your little grandson tonight?'
'Dead. It surprised me he lasted so long.'
'Well, you always lose some, don't you? And at least Shammaz is there to carry on your family
line. Well?' A nasty smile creased his face. 'Aren't you going to come inside?'
Dennil swallowed. This was the part he had been dreading. 'I - '
Shammaz appeared in the doorway and the Servants moved back to allow him through. 'Someone told me you were here, brother.'
Dennil took a step backwards, as if afraid.
The smile on Shammaz's face was filled with malice, though his words were gentle enough. 'Come, elder brother. There's nothing to fear. The Serpent will welcome you into his arms tonight.'
'I couldn't manage it last time. I - I fear to be ridiculed.'
'You will either manage to make sacrifice, or you will offer up blood and pain instead. Either way, ridicule is the last thing you'll be thinking about.' He took a blood-stained whip from a stand near the door and shook out its thongs, caressing them with one fingertip as they fell into place.
Dennil didn’t move. Their plan required him to delay going inside, so that a line of men could build up behind him. 'Why are you insisting on this, Shammaz?' he asked in a low voice. 'Why can’t you leave folk to live in peace in their own way?' Dennil remembered his younger brother as an attractive, mischievous child, but there seemed nothing left of that playmate in this gaunt forbidding figure with the sunken burning eyes.
'We need to cleanse the land of those Sister-hags. For that, we need all the support we can get. Including yours, however unwillingly offered.' Shammaz started tapping the whip stock against his free hand. 'You aren't usually a coward, Dennil. Do you fear the pain?'
'Of course I do! Doesn't everyone?'
'Oh, no. Some of us welcome it. It's our link to our god. You'll learn to love it, too. Or to bear it meekly, at least. I’ve vowed to bring you to the Serpent - one way or another.'
Behind Dennil, Lellia whimpered.
Shammaz's expression grew vicious. 'Silence that woman of yours, if you value her life. Here, we teach women to save their cries for the altar, so that their fear rises straight up to our god. She shames our family by her timidity. If she can’t do her duty today, you must put her from you and take another wife.'