by Sahara Kelly
Enshilla was at least partially covered. A wrap skirt of sorts was slung around her hips and held in place with a heavily jeweled belt. She wore a heavy choker of similar design, and a large half-moon swung down between her ample breasts. Her nipples were quite dark, and Annie wondered if they had been hennaed.
Realizing that her mind must be functioning, if she could wonder about henna and nipples, Annie tried sitting up.
The room swam for a few seconds, but then righted itself.
Enshilla was at her side helping her. “Take it slowly, Annilin. You will be dizzy for a while. It is the effect of being sent here from the Goddess’ home. The last Noble One to arrive this way was very ill. You are lucky, or possibly stronger, being a woman.” Enshilla’s lips quirked at this statement, and Annie couldn’t resist the urge to smile back. It appeared as if feminism was universal, regardless of the time period.
“There have been others to arrive like me?”
“Just one. Our Shepherd. You will meet him at the Festival. But now we must get you on your feet and well again.”
Wanting to ask more questions, but knowing that Enshilla was right, Annie allowed herself to be helped to her feet and across the room. The tiles were warm beneath her bare skin, and the air comfortable. She knew she was lucky to be indoors, because she would have roasted outside in the hot sun.
The naked handmaidens scattered at her approach and revealed a beautiful bath, large and inlaid with exquisite tile work. There was a delicious scent coming from the water and soft linen cloths laid to the side. Obviously this had been prepared for her.
Mmm, thought Annie. It’s good to be a goddess.
There was easily room for ten people in the bath, which could have doubled for a small swimming pool. Annie noted an inflow pipe that permitted a trickle of water to continually replenish the tub, and putting her hands beneath it discovered it to be warm.
“It is warmed by the rays of our Sun God, Annilin,” said Enshilla, watching Annie’s movements and guessing her thoughts.
“Very clever,” smiled Annie.
Everybody got into the tub.
“Oh, I…um…well, isn’t this fun?”
Enshilla had dropped her skirt and jewelry and stepped into the bath with Annie and the other four women. “We will be honored to wash you, Noble Annilin,” she said, bringing the cloths closer.
“I…er, well, thank you,” said Annie, not sure what protocol demanded when naked in a tub with five women from four thousand years in the past. This wasn’t covered by any reference books she’d come across.
Hands covered in scented lather swept over her body, and it seemed as though there were a heck of a lot more than five people in the tub all of a sudden. Much attention was paid to Annie’s hair, with lots of oohing and aahing over its texture and color.
Annie barely avoided a face full of lather by dodging an over-enthusiastic handmaiden.
“If you will allow me, Annilin…” Enshilla grasped Annie’s thighs and pulled them apart.
“Whoa there, your Elegance, Ma’am, we don’t do that where I come from.” Annie slammed her legs shut tighter than a new pair of scissors.
“But Annilin, you are the representative of the Moon Goddess…”
“Yes. I got that bit. White hair, pale skin, the eye thing…” answered Annie, inching back and away from those eager hands.
“The Moon Goddess, Annilin…”
“I’m missing a few little details here, aren’t I?”
Enshilla sighed. “Annilin, your mistress must have bestowed forgetfulness upon you as you traveled to the temple.” She brushed a lock of her hair away from her shoulders and straightened herself in the water. “Now pay attention.”
Annie suddenly flashed back to elementary school. She hoped there wouldn’t be a quiz later.
“The Moon Goddess is a very important member of our Pantheon. She is worshipped for her beauty, and also her gifts to us, her humble children. She gives us darkness that we may rest from our labors…”
“She gives us the rhythm of our time that we may know when to reap and sow…” continued another maiden.
“She gives us the rhythm of our bodies that we may know when we are to bear our children…”
“She gives us the softness of her night that we may enjoy the pleasures of love under the light of her rays.”
“Aha, that’s the kicker, isn’t it?” said Annie, listening intently.
“Yes, indeed, Annilin. The Moon Goddess gives us all that is pleasurable about sharing our bodies with another.”
“Another…that would be a man, right?”
The maidens laughed merrily, and Enshilla smiled. “It is as you desire, Annilin. We have no boundaries or rules on pleasure. We take it as we find it or as the mood strikes us. Our gods encourage such happiness. Here, in this particular temple, we are all dedicated servants of the Moon Goddess, so we do not take our pleasures lightly. We wait until one of the many festivals, when our visitors are allowed to share their bodies with us and receive the blessings of the Goddess at the same time.”
Annie bit her lip. “So you are sort of like temple prosti…umm…” Oh hell. They were bathing her and being nice to her. The last thing she wanted to do was imply that they were hookers. She struggled to find the right words.
“You give yourselves to people who come to the temple?” Not a great improvement, but hopefully not too insulting.
“Sometimes, yes. We still get to choose with whom we share our bodies, however. It’s a great incentive for our citizenry to make sure they present themselves to the Goddess in the best way possible.”
Enshilla’s look of sly amusement made Annie laugh out loud.
No, these certainly weren’t temple hookers. These were very smart ladies. In fact, this could be fun.
Whoa! What was she thinking? Fun? Gang bangs on a sacrificial altar? There must be something in the water.
“What is that fragrance?” she asked, as a maiden gently shampooed her hair.
“It’s the Sacred Lotus, Honored One,” answered the girl, extending a hand full of lotion for Annie to touch.
“They are harvested under the light of the full moon, thus are held sacred to our Goddess,” added Enshilla.
“My, the Moon certainly gets her fair share of choice perks, doesn’t she?” muttered Annie, breathing in the fragile floral scent. It was something like lilac or lily of the valley, but with a richer undertone.
“Now, Annilin, if you will permit…” Strong hands grasped Annie’s thighs, and once again she involuntarily assumed the wishbone position. This time, there was no chance for argument, because she was held quite firmly in the water by several pairs of hands.
“Oh heavens,” she whispered, closing her eyes tight and knowing that a bright red blush was staining her pale skin.
* * * * *
He stood behind a thin curtain in the darkness of an inner room and watched the women as they bathed. He had no idea what had drawn him to the Temple of the Moon, other than a few vague rumors of a new Acolyte whose hair was white as the body of the Goddess she worshipped.
He saw soft hands spreading soapsuds gently around delicate breasts, and noted the stranger had a most attractive pair of pale pink nipples that tightened into nice pouty berries as they were caressed.
He saw her toss her wet hair back as her maidens rinsed her breasts and spread her thighs apart.
He moved nearer the curtain to watch what came next. His bare feet made no sound on the warm tile, and his long skirt swung noiselessly around his legs. He couldn’t stop his cock from pushing at the fabric, but ignored it, concentrating instead on the scene before him.
The women had now splayed the newcomer’s legs wide, and raised her so that her mound was shining from the water. And it was true—her hair was almost pure white. Even between her legs.
In contrast to her companions, who sported hairless flesh, this woman was a textural feast.
He heard a slight whimper as a pair of soapy
hands began to wash her soft folds.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked.
“Oh, yes indeed, Annilin,” came the response.
Annilin. A good choice of names for one so perfect. His cock got harder at the sight of her, moving slightly now beneath the hands of her women. One more step and he was almost behind the tub, only a sheer curtain and a carved screen separated them.
From here he could see her cunt clearly. He caught his breath, silently stifling the sound. He should not be here, and yet he could not leave.
She was all pink and white and glistening wet. Her shoulders were taut, and her eyes slitted as she allowed her maidens to cleanse and arouse her. Hands slid from hips down over thighs and back up again, soothing with fragrant lotion and exciting with little fingertip touches.
He swore he could see her clit begin to emerge from its hiding place as the women’s attentions became more specific.
Two maidens were now caressing each other, and the sexual tension in the room had definitely risen. Soft moans of pleasure were beginning to cover the sounds of the water lapping against the tiles, and the stranger was moving provocatively beneath the gentle hands that were arousing her.
“Join with us Annilin,” came the urgent request.
A strange smile spread over her lips and light glinted from violet eyes. She raised her hands and delicately fondled the breasts of the woman next to her. A happy sigh encouraged her to continue her actions.
“Oh mistress, your touch is magic,” crooned the maiden thus honored. She slid a hand down between her legs and touched herself, as Annilin continued to play with her nipples.
Enshilla moved closer between Annilin’s thighs, sliding her hands beneath and raising her out of the water.
His cock was near to exploding and it was the work of an instant for him to slide the fabric aside and grasp his swollen length.
As Enshilla’s mouth touched Annilin’s clit she cried out, and his hand moved firmly in a stroke he could not prevent.
He couldn’t tell if she was welcoming this pleasuring or trying to escape it, but she was writhing beneath Enshilla’s hands and lips. Her breasts were swollen, their nipples red now against the white of her flesh, and begging for the lips of her handmaidens who bravely suckled her when the mood struck them.
The water in the tub was becoming rough as hips swayed, fingers flickered, mouths sucked and bodies thrust in search of stimulation.
The two handmaidens screamed out their orgasm as their bodies clashed together, and the others soon followed, one by her own hand, one by Annilin’s. All that was left was Enshilla’s mouth, sucking, licking, soothing, then arousing all over again.
Annilin had given up all pretense of resistance, and was joyfully thrashing beneath the attentions of her skilled Priestess. Her hips thrust out of the water and with a mighty cry she came, her body spasming in the other woman’s hands.
Beautiful. Just beautiful. He could see her pink and turgid cunt twitch with her passion and could only imagine what his cock would feel like buried inside that heat. He could almost taste her nipples between his lips and, helpless before the onslaught of lust, he stroked himself to his own climax.
Shuddering, he came, catching his life’s essence in his clothing.
As the shivers died down, he was left with a handful of cum-covered silk and a major problem.
If just watching her orgasm could make him come like that, would he ever have enough nerve to kill her?
Chapter 3
The new acolyte, Annilin of the very white hair, rested her elbows on the window ledge and gazed out over the panorama before her.
The journalist and historian in her desperately tried to take mental “snapshots” of what she was seeing. Farmers brought grain past her window in wagons drawn by assorted beasts of burden, while their wives carried baskets of fruit, sometimes on their heads, other times on their backs.
Traders worked the passing crowds, calling out to attract attention to the freshest dates, the loveliest beads, the best fabric.
It was noisy, colorful and completely mesmerizing.
The human woman inside Annie savored the smells of roasting lamb, the feel of the warm breezes against her skin and the complete and utter lack of anything familiar. No phone lines, no airplanes humming above, no boom boxes…it was truly a different world.
She watched as a mother played a little game with a toddler while the baby on her hip gurgled and laughed. She noticed a couple strolling very close together, gazing into each other’s eyes as their hands absently stroked over soft skin.
She sighed.
Instead of relishing this she ought to be trying to figure out a way to return to her own time, but there was something very seductive about the culture and the people of Sumer.
She’d learned that Akkad was to the North, and the principal town of Ur was to the south. They were in a smaller town—Kushuk. It was small by virtue of the fact that it only had four ziggurats.
One was the Moon Goddess’s, of course. Annie thought of it as ”hers”. One was dedicated to the Sun God (very awe-inspiring, and definitely male), a third to the River Goddess, and the fourth to the Earth God. Annie liked looking at that one, it was kind of like a greenhouse crossed with a pyramid.
She’d been encouraged to ask questions, but not encouraged to go outside. It was terribly hot, but she did yearn to wander around.
Enshilla had been very useful, providing much information. She’d been strangely silent about the upcoming festival though, and Annie was starting to wonder what her silence meant.
As if her thoughts had conjured her up, Enshilla entered Annie’s room.
“Greetings, Annilin.” She smiled.
“Hi Enshilla. What’s up?”
Enshilla giggled at the strange terminology used by this Noble One.
“The sky is up, Annilin. My spirits are up. The birds are up…at least some of them are. And the people are ‘up’ as you would say. Tomorrow is our dedication festival.”
“Ah yes. Don’t you think it’s time you told me about it?”
Annie settled herself comfortably on the wide ledge, arranging her silk skirt around her. She’d become a little more used to being bare breasted, but it was still a strange feeling. The long skirt swished around her ankles and the cool breeze swished around her nipples. She shrugged and told herself to get over it.
Enshilla stepped over to the window and looked out, but her gaze was unfocused. It was as if she was looking for the right words.
“Tomorrow’s festival…” she began.
“Yes?”
“It’s very important.”
“OK. I can understand that.”
Enshilla sighed. “It will be the time when you dedicate yourself to the service of the Goddess.”
“Ah.” Annie sat still for a moment. “Just me?”
“Well, anyone who has applied for a position within the temples will be fulfilling the dedication ceremony to their god. This time around, here in our Moon Goddess’s home, it is just you.”
“All right. That makes sense. What do I have to do?”
Visions of long, elegant ceremonies, bowing, kneeling, and chanting ran through Annie’s mind.
“You have to give the Sun God your virginity.”
Annie froze. “Pardon me?”
“You have to give your virginity to the Sun God, as the Moon Goddess did before time began. This allows your fertile womb to become open to the seeds of life from the gods and the people, and will help bring good fortune and the blessings of the gods to us for another year.”
“Hooookay. I see a major problem here…”
Enshilla raised her brow.
“Um…how do I delicately say this? Enshilla, I am not a young girl. The moons have passed over my head many times…” She gave up trying to mathematically convert moon-passes into years.
“I suppose I’d better come clean. I am not a virgin.”
She sat back and waited for the explosion of
horror she felt was sure to come.
“So?” asked Enshilla, raising one brow.
“So, how can I offer some god something I don’t have left to give? It’s been gone since my high school prom, and unless your Sun God drives a Pontiac Firebird and likes to wrestle in the back seat, I don’t think he got it!”
Enshilla grinned and shook her head. “You speak so strangely, Annilin. But you are funny too.” The woman reached over and took Annie’s hands in both of hers.
“It is strictly symbolic, Annilin. Very few of our Priestesses and handmaidens come to us as virgins. We will take care of the matter for you, and show you how to present your ‘virginity’ to the God tomorrow.”
Annie drew her brows together. “I don’t understand.”
“Come, perhaps it is time for you to see the Dedication chamber. Then you will understand better.”
Rising, Enshilla took Annie’s arm and led her from her quarters and out into the Temple itself.
She was on the Sumerian version of the second floor, Annie realized, as she could see people coming and going in a large atrium like foyer below her. Enshilla ignored them and led Annie to another staircase that rose one more flight to a pair of massive wooden doors that must have risen a good twenty feet above them.
Annie was glad to see a small door cut into one of them, because she knew she’d never be able to open them by herself. She started silently humming “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum…”
Enshilla ushered her into the most enormous chamber Annie had ever seen. Dominating the space was a statue of the Moon Goddess. Made of some white, glittering stone, she was at least fifteen feet tall and was dressed in the appropriate Sumerian garb of low-slung skirt and bare breasts. Her hair was parted down the center of her head, and fell in long stone tresses down her back almost to her buttocks.
Her face had been most delicately ornamented, and her eyes glittered as they looked at Annie.
She drew in her breath, feeling for one second as though this woman was alive.
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” breathed Enshilla respectfully.
“I’ll say…” whispered Annie, awed by the sheer splendor and beauty of the Goddess.