FULL NOVELXO Disruption (Chapter 18)
Dunn:
My days are filled with routine.
I wake up. I eat. I get dressed. I go to the temple.
There I do the sacred wash, then don my priest robes before taking my spot in the first antechamber. And there I wait out my time: priestesses and worshipers come and go, metal clanging echoes as coins drop into the donation box. And I read my books, studying the prophets and academics that came before me. I make notes, connecting the dots between past revelations and present circumstances to try to come to an understanding of the goddess’ will.
It’s clear she is angry.
All of the books agree. And her punishment is for Pinn’s to live without their other half, forever.
But what was the error? How did we offend the deity? That is unclear.
It’s even less clear how to get back into her good graces.
But what has been clear to me, for a long time, is we cannot continue.
The clearest proof of her disapproval is the birth of only male children. Small towns have disappeared as Pinns have retreated to the cities to be nearer the temples, to worship the goddess properly, to escape the obvious slow dwindling of the population that is outside the city walls.
Why did we think she would approve if we subjugated women of another species? Would that not just anger the deity more?
I scribble fiercely in my notebook. I had always planned to publish my work someday. I prefer the written word to the backroom dealings that my uncle has forced upon me. In my mind, a book carefully considering the merits of the arguments in our religious texts would have convinced some important leaders of the immorality and irreligiosity of our current practices. But alas, the goddess has her own plans.
The soft taping of someone approaching and swishing of fabric does nothing to distract me from my work. After all, people have been coming and going for hours.
“Are we going to do anything about the women out front?”
It’s Aaron’s voice I hear and it forces me to look up from my work annoyed at his lack of clarity, “what women?”
“The women out front of the temple, did no one tell you?”
“Obviously” I mutter under my breath. Aaron has an annoying tendency to both know everything that is going on in the temple and become condescending to anyone who doesn’t.
I stand slowly leaving my notebook and pencil on the table; I will have to come back to this later after Aaron takes me to whatever annoying inconvenience he just has to show me. The fact that he is an up-and-coming junior priest is a statement about the quality of Pinns we get in the priesthood.
It only takes a few minutes for Aaron to lead me through the dark rooms of the temple to the front door which faces the central market square. Standing just outside of the temple’s large steel double doors, I briefly survey the square. It’s the early afternoon and it’s not market day so it is mostly empty except for the few people mulling about. Even the cafes on the left side of the square look oddly empty of patrons, having been boarded up for the cooler weather. And it is cold, far too cold to be standing out here in just robes.
I can see around ten women standing just in front of the stone staircase that leads to the temple entrance. They are not priestesses but chosen, and from their clothing, I would guess that they are the partners to wealthy Pinns. They face away from us and towards the market square, standing stoically, holding a few signs that I cannot read from my position.
“What should we do about them?” Aaron asks.
I shrug my shoulders, “Why should we do anything?”
“But-but they are protesting the temple!” Aaron far too loudly in outrage.
“Yes?”
“I’m sure they’ve been reading about the senate’s investigations in those pamphlets” Aaron spits. I try to maintain a neutral facial expression- Aaron is a faithful pamphlet reader. “They are scaring off worshipers”
I have to consider my actions carefully. What would come across as suspicious to the High Priest? What would best support our attempt to remove the High Priest?
It is at that moment that I notice a group of Senators walking across the empty market square. Lagging towards the back of the group is my uncle in his dull black suit and wild white hair. He has kept his distance these past few months, hoping that the High Priest and whoever else is against us will miss our connection. Thank the goddess, Senator Hertilz’s lead has kept the attention away from my uncle, and since many priests come from wealthy families, many priests have connections to politicians.
“Leave them there, we don’t need to cause a scene and draw attention to them” I reply to Aaron. It would be good if the passing senators took note of the chosen support for the priestesses.
“But what if they try to come into the temple?”
I look at the women who haven’t moved, “then ask them to go back to the square”
“But-“
“Aaron, we have enough problems to deal with, let’s not create enemies of those chosens' partners”
Aaron presses his lips together in disapproval but, by the goddess’ good grace, says nothing further.
Relived of having to say anything further, I turn back to the temple doors and step through back into the warmth. Now I can go back to my studies in my quiet room. Perhaps I will even tackle the academic Sasses, three of his volumes have lain on my desk for months. I divert from my path to the anterooms towards my office to grab them.
I am walking down one of the many torch-lit hallways when I feel someone grab my arm harshly.
“I need your help”
*****
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