Odalisque by Fiona McIntosh Page A

means you’re taking your father’s death seriously and that you’re anything but a throne-hungry son. But let the palace see you around its halls and let the people know you are going about your duties stoically.’
    There was silence for a minute.
    ‘You’re right, as usual,’ Boaz said eventually. ‘I’ll make an effort.’
    ‘I’m proud of you. Let your mother know you are equal to the task, and that this is your throne.’
    ‘And not hers?’ Boaz finished, turning around to regard the dwarf.
    ‘I didn’t say that.’
    ‘You didn’t have to.’
    ‘I have no doubt that she can assist you immensely. But she can also undermine you.’ He changed the subject, his voice turning brigh. ‘So, what have you been thinking about all alone in this grand new chamber?’
    There was a silence and then Boaz sighed heavily. ‘I’ve been staring out to sea all evening watching Beloch and Ezram.’
    ‘Oh yes?’
    ‘Do you know, Pez, it’s the first time I’ve ever really paid attention to them. They’ve always been there so I suppose growing up I didn’t take much notice.’
    ‘I think most of the city folk suffer the same disease. One of Lazar’s great gripes is that none ofus appreciate the fine art all around us. Do you know their story?’
    ‘Of the giants? No, we’ve never been taught the old legends—they think it’s sacrilegious.’
    ‘Of course they would! The priests fear a return to the old ways of worshipping the Mother.’
    ‘You’ll have to explain that, Pez,’ the boy said, crossing his legs, knowing he was about to be told a story.
    ‘How about I pour some wine first?’ Pez poured two cups with watered sweet wine and waddled over to the window seat. The dwarf made himself comfortable and then cleared his throat.
    Boaz gave a small grin, his first in days, and raised his glass. ‘To a lighter heart,’ he said. The two of them drank.
    ‘Now, where to begin?’
    ‘Tell me about the priestesses,’ the young Zar suggested as he settled back into cushions.
    ‘All right. Centuries ago, Percheron followed the ways of the Great Goddess whom we know simply as Mother, and worshipped female deities. The temples were inhabited by holy women. They were silent places, which is why you’ll see so many of the sculptures in our temples with fingers to their lips.’
    ‘What does it mean?’
    ‘Silence represents the soundless womb that gave birth to the first gods. Some of the oldest writings teach that Silence was the mother to the Great Goddess herself.’
    ‘But now they’re noisy places. I don’t often enjoy a visit to the temple.’
    Pez nodded. ‘The priests changed everything. Now the temple is a gathering place. Prayer blends with socialising. Moneylenders, as you know, now set up their stalls outside the temples because these are places where lots of people meet.’
    ‘So temples were once quiet places of prayer and overseen by women?’
    ‘Yes, indeed. The holiest of our people were women. Lots of the symbols you see around you, Boaz, have female connotations.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘Over here.’ Pez pointed to a recurring motif on a painted frieze on one wall of the chamber. ‘You see this. What do we call it?’
    ‘Wait,’ Boaz said, screwing his eyes tight and concentrating. ‘It’s known as the universal life charm.’
    ‘Good, your scholars teach you well, even though they don’t explain much. Did they teach you that it’s also known as the Cross of Life and that it represents the union of the female and male?’ Boaz shook his head. ‘The oval shape on the top of the cross is female. The cross itself is male. And there’s more if you look for them.’ The dwarf paused and took a sip of wine. ‘Think of the decoration of the great feasting hall in the palace. What symbol comes to mind first?’
    ‘Er, the one which looks like a shell that you can hold to your ear and hear the sea in.’
    Pez smiled. ‘Right again. That shell is called a cowrie.’
    ‘I know