Wysper - The Women's Quarters

Laying on the covers unconscious, Greywolf looks pale as death. "Is he going to die?"

The Ogri... Titan, I think his name is, looks at me and snorts. "Asena's son? His life is nailed to his spine as hard as hers is."

Of course it is; Greywolf is the son of a goddess, and I am being foolish. "What will we do now?"

"Sit tight and ride out the storm-" His bat-like ears swivel, hearing something, and a moment later the sound of pounding footsteps begins to echo from the hallway above. A Tartaros warrior appears in the doorway and Titan rumbles, "Argat, what news?"

"Madness and death." I am wearing only the wide cloth I used to dry myself off with, and looking my way, his eyes widen before he shakes himself and concentrates on the Ogri. "Amazonia's whipped the Bukharan's into a frenzy, and now they’re killing anyone associated with the Sasnayams or their gods.

“Prince Timur believes they're likely to sweep through the Temple District the moment his troops enter Bukhara, but he's got to establish a stronghold around the main gate in case their army counterattacks. He wants you ready to move from here at a moment's notice."

Standing beside me, Pigeon gasps. "Most of the priestesses are inside the Women's Quarters. The doors are not stout and neither are the locks."

My hand goes to my mouth. "But the eunuchs of the temples, they will be on guard."

"Many will have been given the night off to drink and make merry as best they can. There will be perhaps a half-dozen to defend the house, but no more."

The Ogri rumbles something low in a language I have never heard before, and Osiris' glowing blue image smiles. "Titan, I have not heard anyone curse in Babylonian for at least several hundred years. However, if you are thinking of rescuing the priestesses, I would reconsider. The temple guards will not listen to you or let you speak to any of priestesses, and if you force the door, you will have to kill them."

"Are you sure?"

Osiris' image shrugs. "Temple guards are the same everywhere, and eunuchs even more so. There is no possible way to enter peacefully."

"Yes, there is." Titan looks at me as I approach. "I know the... secret entrance... to the building."

"Can you tell me where it is?"

"It will not do you any good even if she did," Pigeon says. "Only a priestess can open the way, and besides, even if you entered, no one will listen to you. If you want to save anyone, Wysper has to go with you. I would go," old bitterness sharpening her voice, "but the fools would listen to me less than they would you."

I whirl around. "Is there clothing..."

"Men's clothing," Pigeon says, hurrying towards an ornamental knob sticking out of the dais and wrenching open a drawer. She pulls out a pair of dark brown trousers and a tunic. "With your short hair, anyone who sees you will think you are a boy."

I am not used to dressing myself, and Pigeon helps me put them on as Castor joins Titan. "I'll come with you as well. If the mob does catch up to us, you and I will have a better chance of scaring them off."

"Staying hidden is preferable," Titan says, "yet I see your point. Argat, will you hold this building until we return?"

"Don't be too long," Argat replies. "It's going to take some time to secure the area, but once the prince has his stronghold, he's going to want you there immediately."

Pigeon pulls the tunic down before cinching the trousers with a leather belt. "Take the servant's road that runs alongside the district's walls. The temples and outer buildings will shield you from view. There," Pigeon stepping back, "Wysper is ready."

The Ogri looks down at me and frowns. "If we need to run, can you keep up?"

I nod, as Pigeon says, "She will. When we traveled, the High Priest always made her walk the many leagues it took between the towns and cities we visited, as a way to keep her too thin for men to desire... not that it stopped all of them."

I lower my head in old shame, but Titan says, "Muzen's folly, and our fortune that Greywolf finds her the most beautiful woman in the world." Startled, I look up and he winks. "It was the freckles." My freckles? What is he talking about? Titan chuckles to himself as he unfolds a blanket and wraps Greywolf in it, then picks him up and carries him up the stairs, the rest of us following.

As we reach the hallway and start down it, Zanzabel says, "Are you planning to walk outside barefoot?"

"Wysper always does," Pigeon replies, "even in Tesiphon." Zanzabel glances at me and I nod, heading down the stone stairs after Titan to the bottom floor. The front room is a disaster, with the door off its hinges and on its side across the doorway, several men with crossbows crouched down behind it with their weapons out. The room has a coppery tang from the blood stains splattered on the walls and floor, but the bodies must have been dragged away, for the way to the kitchen is clear.

The half dozen warriors get out of the way as Titan sets Greywolf down gently onto the long wooden dining table. "Argat, keep him and the two women safe while we are gone."

"What if the prince sends word to move?"

"Delay if he sends word soon, yet if you feel it has been too long, get these three to safety. Act upon your own judgment."

Osiris' image has floated down with us, causing more than a few startled expressions as he settles next to Greywolf's head. "Titan, what if this ill-fated rescue attempt does take too long and the mob discovers you? What then?"

"Let me get straight to the heart of your question without bandying words," Titan replies in his voice like a mountain's. "Before I let the mob have Wysper, Castor and I will cut loose any other priestesses with us and get her to safety." I open my mouth to protest, but it dies unspoken as he gives me a dark look. "This is not up for debate."

I swallow. "Yes, Titan," I reply in a meek voice.

Castor bares his fangs in what might be a grin and goes outside, poking his head in a moment later. "We need to move now," he says in a serious voice. "The mob's here."

Titan motions with his hand. "Lead on, girl, but walk as fast as you can." I nod and slip past him through the open doorway.

Around us, the Temple District is chilly and dark, but to my left the main plaza is lit from the torches carried in at least a hundred hands, illuminating the base of the main pyramid as the mob strides past it towards the buildings where the priests of the different temples live. Several priests wearing the yellow robes of Yun-Kax run towards them, waving their arms and shouting as the mob reaches them. Their shouts become screams as dozens of hands pull them down.

I shudder in fear but keep moving, leading us along the side of the building towards the district's western wall as a man begins shrieking behind me. I glance over my shoulder.

One of the priests is running away with his robes on fire. The mob is chasing after him, with more moving into the plaza. Something is wrong with these people, though, for they are not walking but lurching like drunkards, or... "Are the dead following after the living?"

Castor gives me a gentle push to get me going. "You don't want to watch. The dead don't eat the living like some think, but they're not adverse to using their teeth to kill if they've got naught else." I nod and do my best to ignore the screams and shouts coming from the plaza behind us, the rising bile in my stomach burning my throat as we pass the building by and approach the wall, dark and foreboding. "Which way?" I motion left as he sniffs the air and looks towards the city. "I thought I smelled smoke. The old section's on fire."

There is a red glow coming from the western side of Bukhara, and more screams. I turn left and break into almost a jog, Titan merely lengthening his stride while Castor runs past us. The pyramid on our left shields us from view, and he runs to the edge and looks out towards the next plaza between more pyramids, waiting until we reach him before racing across to the next, smaller pyramid belonging another deity. The smaller pyramid is blocking my view of the priest's house, but there is shouting and the sound of axes on wood. "Best pick up the pace," Titan rumbles. I nod and begin to run.

Beyond the smaller pyramid is the rectangular building called the Women's Quarters, and I point straight at it as I stop at the pyramid's edge and catch my breath. The witchlight lantern set into the far corner illuminates the mosaic patterns on the walls, which fade as they reach the corner nearest to us where there is no light other than the moon, and the barred windows a level above the ground are all dark. Yet there is enough light to see the crumbling statue set into its niche only a stone's throw away, and I dart out across the space until I reach it.

The statue, worn by time and harsh winds, depicts a woman wearing a long, layered dress, her arms raised, and curling horns rising from the temples on either side of her head. Her bare feet stick out from the bottom hem of her dress. The other two are not even breathing hard as they join me, Titan rumbling, "The goddess Inanna, unless I am mistaken."

Perhaps it is the chilly air or my fear, but the mental fog shrouding my mind is lifting. "This was the sanctuary of her priestesses, before the Sasnayams conquered Bukhara." I drop to my knees in front of the statue. "They left this statue since it is the key to opening the secret passage, and tore down the rest." I press my forehead against the statue's bare feet and the toenails turn blue.

From inside the building comes a loud click, and a section of the wall to the left of the statue pops open. "Wysper," Titan rumbles as he swings the section of the wall further open, "tell the priestesses to hurry. When the blood of men is up, women are not safe." I nod, rising to my feet before slipping through the passage.

The passage becomes a little used hallway, dusty and cluttered with broken and unwanted objects, its witchlight lamp flickering with a weak flame. Yet the temple guards recognized the chime the mechanism makes when the passage is open, for the sound of pounding feet is getting closer. A massive eunuch with his scimitar in his hand turns the corner as I call out, "I am Blood-Wysper, not a thief."

The eunuch comes to a stop. "Wysper?"

I gasp. "Fat-boy? I thought you died in the attack."

He comes closer as a sour expression twists his face. "Everything is falling apart and she still calls me that. No, Muzen's secret entrance goes under this building, and he sent me here to let the head priestess know we were under attack. What are you doing here?"

"Trying to save as many priestesses as I can from the mob. Where is everyone?"

"Hedieh is leading them in prayer- Wait," he calls out as I slip past him and run down the hall, "where's Muzen?"

"Back in Tesiphon," I call back. "Warn your brothers that the mob will be coming here next." The hall splits off and I take the right hand way towards the worship room, while Fat-boy goes straight, muttering something about the poor condition of the doors. The stone arch straight ahead has the oil lamps lit on both sides, and my feet slide on the stone floor as I stop just inside the entrance.

The worship room is large and plain, with the twin statue of Yun-Kax on the raised dais facing several dozen priestesses on their knees in front of it, while the statues of the other deities in their pantheon watch with stone eyes from their niches. More oil lamps give off a strong light, their scent overwhelmed by the billowing clouds of incense rising from the small brass pots on either side of the statue. Hedieh, a fire mage with orange-red hair, and the chief priestess of the house, stands before the twin statue with her arms raised, invoking Yun-Kax's wrath against the invaders. The other priestesses on their thick prayer rugs chant back the responses.

Heads in the back of the room turn towards me as I take a moment to catch my breath. "Everyone, please listen," I call out. The chant breaks off and everyone's head turns as I motion with my arm towards the front of the building. "There is a mob sweeping through the Temple District with torches, killing all the priests they can find, and the dead have risen out of the charnel pits to join them." Hedieh has whirled around and is now stalking towards me as I wave my other arm towards the back. "We need to leave through the secret passage before they break down the doors."

"How dare you interrupt the sacred chant?" Hedieh is close enough for me to see her eyes have an orange glow, meaning she is calling up her inner power. She stops within striking distance and points to Myra and Thalia, who are in the last row of priestesses. "Get over there with your heathen sisters right now and pray for Yun-Kax to deliver us."

"Yun-Kax is not coming," I practically shriek at her. "Muzen has abandoned Bukhara."

Several women scream, the rest talking all at once as Hedieh's eyes widen, then narrow, as if she knows the truth about who Muzen truly is. "You lie. Muzen would never abandon us."

"That explosion you heard a while ago was Muzen activating his Gem of Return, which sent him back to Tesiphon."

"The blast was from another source. You will-"

"Stop arguing with me!" I want to shake her, yet do not dare. "I watched it happen. If anyone here wants to save themselves, they have to leave right now."

"No one is going anywhere." Hedieh stabs her finger at my face. "You are a priestess of Yun-Kax, and will do-"

"No longer." Hedieh breaks off in shock as I lift my chin, giving her a defiant smile. "I have freely given my maidenhead to the demigod Greywolf, son of the Wolf-mother goddess Asena, and have life-bonded-"

Her slap rocks me backwards, making my ears ring. "Blasphemer!" Before I can recover, she slaps the other side of my face and knocks me off my feet. Behind me, a clicking sound like claws on stone is getting louder as Hedieh grabs me by the front of my tunic. "I am going to take you to the Room of Punishment, strip off these clothes, and whip you until you scream for mercy before-"

"Leave Wysper alone!" Hedieh screams and stumbles backwards as Castor stalks into the room, the other priestesses screaming and clutching each other as he bares his fangs. Then he reaches down and helps me to my feet. "Are you alright?"

Anger burns inside me as hot as my cheeks. "I am now. Where is the mob?"

"Running across the plaza right towards us, with swords and axes in their hands. We have to leave now."

Ignoring Hedieh, I turn towards the others. "Myra, Thalia, and anyone else who wants to, follow us out the passage. The White Horde warriors will protect us."

"They will turn us into slaves," Myra wails.

"Better a slave than gang-raped and burned alive," the Daemo from the pool says as she joins us. "My race enjoys rough handling, but there are limits."

"My people respect priestesses," Castor growls, "and the Ogri with us most of all."

I beckon, and both Myra and Thalia join me, as do several others. The rest of the women begin to do the same, but stop as Hedieh turns with her right hand cupped. "The next priestess attempting to leave," a spinning ball of fire appearing in her hand, "shall feel my wrath. Yun-Kax rules this house, and I will not allow any of you-"

A crash like bodies slamming against locked doors echoes from the front of the building, then shouts, and the splintering sound of axes against wood. Priestesses begin screaming and clutching one another, the fire dying in Hedieh's hand as Castor pulls me back out into the hall. "We're leaving right now," he snarls at the others over his shoulder. "Live or die, it's your choice." He takes off running and I follow, the slender Daemo right beside me.

Fat-boy meets us at the hallway intersection. "Everyone needs to leave," he pants. "The doors will be down any moment, and there are not enough of us to hold them for long."

I stop as the others race past me. "Hedieh will not let them leave." Fat-boy rolls his eyes as I tug on his arm. "Come with us."

He shakes his head. "I will not abandon my post. Wysper, find that boy who kissed you and make a new life for yourself." He shakes me gently. "Find your way home to Britannia, if you can." I hug him without answering. He smells of sweat, onions, and the musky perfume the eunuchs all wear, and I am losing one of the only friends I have ever had. He hugs me back, but as he releases me, his eyes go wide. "Oh, that is not good." I glance over my shoulder.

Just inside the archway, a priestess is on fire, her hair and robes going up like a torch as she shrieks. Hedieh screams, "No one else leaves. I control this sacred place, and you will all do as I command."

Fat-boy pushes me into the arms of Castor, who is bouncing in frustration. "Keep Wysper safe," the eunuch says as more shouts and the ring of steel echoes down the hall. "I will draw them into this hall and hold them as long as I can." He and Castor nod to each other, warrior to warrior, then the wolfish man pulls me with him as Fat-boy moves into the hall and takes his position with his back to the stone arch.

The other priestesses have gone on except for the Daemo, and as she joins us running, remarks, "Hedieh keeps a knife in her robes she can use to chop off her hair, at need."

"What good would that do?" I pant.

"Hair is the place your body normally stores mana when the nodes are full, which is the reason they kept your hair so short."

Yet another thing no one ever told me. "What would happen if she chops it all off?"

We go through the passage back into the cold night as she answers, "Explode like a fire blast the moment she casts a spell."

The three of us join the others huddled together as Titan, at the far edge of the building, glances back. "This is it?"

"Not unless someone sticks a knife into that crazy chief priestess," Castor growls as he looks into the passage, "and they don't seem the type. Wysper, can you close this so we aren't accidentally discovered?"

"Just step on the statue's bare feet," the Daemo replies before I can. "The mechanism responds to pressure." Castor steps on the statue's feet; the toenails glow blue, and the wall closes up once more.

All of the priestesses stare in amazement. "Hedieh told us the mechanism only worked if we pressed our foreheads to the statue," Myra says.

The Daemo only smiles. "Of course she did. Good Ogri, is it safe to move yet?"

Titan peers around the corner. "Hold on... yes, the mob must have overwhelmed the guards, for they are all rushing inside." He waits a few more moments as a feeling of sadness wells up inside me, then motions with his hand. "Move quickly, before anyone notices." Castor leads the way at a lope and I race across the empty space between the building and the back of the small pyramid, glancing towards the plaza. The entire mob is gone, though screams and shouts are coming from deeper inside, and as I make it to the opposite side and turn around, Hedieh's voice rises above the rest. "Think you to defile this holy place? I shall see you burn!"

The upper windows glow faintly red a moment as men and women alike shriek in agony. I clap my hands over my ears to try blocking out the sound, and the other priestesses do the same except for the Daemo, who stops beside me. "Hedieh always did want to go out in a blaze of glory."

Too much has happened tonight, and I cannot stop the tears flowing down my cheeks as the screaming continues, my body racked with sobs at the terrible sounds. "Come on," she says, placing her slender arm around my waist and drawing me away, "it is time to begin your new life. My name is Sybil, by the way," she says as Titan and Castor get the others to follow after us, "and I am going to become your new best friend."