Tamat were. She bore a tray of fruit and the hot
herbal brew they called dhia, for Tamat’s midday meal. Reid
promptly forgot his cousin in the pleasure of looking at Janina. He
was so strongly attracted to her that he wondered how he could
avoid going to her and taking her into his arms. He controlled
himself only because he did not want to cause trouble for her. He
told himself for the thousandth time that she was sworn as a virgin
priestess, but it made no difference in how he felt.
* * * * *
While the personality of the High Priest
allowed for little warmth, the tentative friendship between Reid
and Osiyar grew stronger as Osiyar regularly defended Janina
against Sidra’s verbal attacks. Reid thought Osiyar saw Janina as a
combination of pupil and distant niece or cousin. This idea was not
at all unreasonable, since the population of Ruthlen was so small
that after six centuries everyone was related in some way to
everyone else.
Reid had several times answered Osiyar’s
questions about the way he had gained access to the sacred grove,
and about his initial meeting with Janina. He never mentioned that
they had almost made love, but one day Reid did speak of the
presence he had sensed in the grove.
“An entity with feelings and intelligence,”
Reid said, trying to describe an incident for which words were
inadequate.
“Definitely, something is there,” Osiyar
agreed. “As a man, I am not permitted to enter the grove, but Tamat
has told me of a presence we do not understand. Perhaps it is the
spirit of the grove itself, or it might be the essence of this
world.”
“Has anyone ever considered investigating
it?” Reid asked, intrigued. “There are simple, practical tests that
might be conducted, even by the lesser priestesses.”
“A sense of mystery is important to the
beauty of life,” Osiyar responded, shaking his head at Reid’s
suggestion. “It is not necessary to examine and record everything
that exists, and in the case of the sacred grove the attempt would
be well beyond the capability of even the most adept telepath. Like
the far reaches of the stars, or the depths of the sea, the
presence that exists in the sacred grove will remain an eternal
mystery to us, adding beauty and unexplainable joy to our ordinary
lives.”
“Like a lovely woman?” Reid asked, catching
sight of Sidra on her way to the temple with Janina. Osiyar
followed the direction of his glance.
“That is a more mundane mystery,” he said.
“But, like the greater mystery, it is best left unpenetrated.”
Reid stared at him, wondering if the usually
serious High Priest had just made a joke. Osiyar looked back at him
with a bland expression, and Reid dismissed the idea. But he
remained puzzled by the words.
“Accept it,” Osiyar said softly, his eyes
returning to Sidra. “Simply enjoy what is beyond explanation. It is
the way of Ruthlen. While you live here, make it your way,
too.”
With his own sight now upon Janina’s slim
figure, Reid’s only answer was a shrug. There was certainly no
explanation for what he felt about her. He thought perhaps Osiyar
was right, and wiser than Reid could admit.
* * * * *
The days drew on toward the time of the
double full moons, when Reid would be expected to mate with the
village women who chose him. With each day that passed, Janina’s
heart grew heavier. She understood Tamat’s deep sense of
frustration about the gradual decline in the village population and
her desperate hope that Reid would literally provide Ruthlen with
new life. She accepted Tamat’s reasoning, but still she could not
bear the thought of Reid lending himself to some other woman. She
had no right to think of him as her own, but she did.
When Reid talked with Tamat while she was in
attendance, she tried not to look directly at him, though it was
hard. She always wanted to look at him. Now that he was no longer
so foreign to her, she could see he was not ugly at all, only
different from the
herbal brew they called dhia, for Tamat’s midday meal. Reid
promptly forgot his cousin in the pleasure of looking at Janina. He
was so strongly attracted to her that he wondered how he could
avoid going to her and taking her into his arms. He controlled
himself only because he did not want to cause trouble for her. He
told himself for the thousandth time that she was sworn as a virgin
priestess, but it made no difference in how he felt.
* * * * *
While the personality of the High Priest
allowed for little warmth, the tentative friendship between Reid
and Osiyar grew stronger as Osiyar regularly defended Janina
against Sidra’s verbal attacks. Reid thought Osiyar saw Janina as a
combination of pupil and distant niece or cousin. This idea was not
at all unreasonable, since the population of Ruthlen was so small
that after six centuries everyone was related in some way to
everyone else.
Reid had several times answered Osiyar’s
questions about the way he had gained access to the sacred grove,
and about his initial meeting with Janina. He never mentioned that
they had almost made love, but one day Reid did speak of the
presence he had sensed in the grove.
“An entity with feelings and intelligence,”
Reid said, trying to describe an incident for which words were
inadequate.
“Definitely, something is there,” Osiyar
agreed. “As a man, I am not permitted to enter the grove, but Tamat
has told me of a presence we do not understand. Perhaps it is the
spirit of the grove itself, or it might be the essence of this
world.”
“Has anyone ever considered investigating
it?” Reid asked, intrigued. “There are simple, practical tests that
might be conducted, even by the lesser priestesses.”
“A sense of mystery is important to the
beauty of life,” Osiyar responded, shaking his head at Reid’s
suggestion. “It is not necessary to examine and record everything
that exists, and in the case of the sacred grove the attempt would
be well beyond the capability of even the most adept telepath. Like
the far reaches of the stars, or the depths of the sea, the
presence that exists in the sacred grove will remain an eternal
mystery to us, adding beauty and unexplainable joy to our ordinary
lives.”
“Like a lovely woman?” Reid asked, catching
sight of Sidra on her way to the temple with Janina. Osiyar
followed the direction of his glance.
“That is a more mundane mystery,” he said.
“But, like the greater mystery, it is best left unpenetrated.”
Reid stared at him, wondering if the usually
serious High Priest had just made a joke. Osiyar looked back at him
with a bland expression, and Reid dismissed the idea. But he
remained puzzled by the words.
“Accept it,” Osiyar said softly, his eyes
returning to Sidra. “Simply enjoy what is beyond explanation. It is
the way of Ruthlen. While you live here, make it your way,
too.”
With his own sight now upon Janina’s slim
figure, Reid’s only answer was a shrug. There was certainly no
explanation for what he felt about her. He thought perhaps Osiyar
was right, and wiser than Reid could admit.
* * * * *
The days drew on toward the time of the
double full moons, when Reid would be expected to mate with the
village women who chose him. With each day that passed, Janina’s
heart grew heavier. She understood Tamat’s deep sense of
frustration about the gradual decline in the village population and
her desperate hope that Reid would literally provide Ruthlen with
new life. She accepted Tamat’s reasoning, but still she could not
bear the thought of Reid lending himself to some other woman. She
had no right to think of him as her own, but she did.
When Reid talked with Tamat while she was in
attendance, she tried not to look directly at him, though it was
hard. She always wanted to look at him. Now that he was no longer
so foreign to her, she could see he was not ugly at all, only
different from the
Similar Books
