![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maculategiraffeCalvin sat at his new mistress' feet on a soft cushion, leaning against the warm wool of her robe-covered leg, and trying not to stare at everyone. At least he wasn't coughing any more; Mistress Alcyone had done something to him, as soon as she'd purchased him, that involved some mystic signs and a kiss to his kohl-smudged forehead and a short, rhyming chant in a language Calvin didn't know, and he was feeling better and healthier than he had in years.
Besides, it was warm in here, thanks to the huge roaring fireplaces set in the center of each of the four walls of the high-ceilinged room. Calvin was more than glad of their warmth, since he and Ben were still naked, though no longer chained-- and of the cushion, since the floor was of stone.
Ben sat on another cushion on the other side of Mistress Alcyone's feet, his bright, alert glance darting all over the room, taking everything and everyone in. Calvin was trying not to meet his gaze. He didn't want Ben to get him laughing with some comical expression or slant of the eyes, or start whispering to him, in the middle of this grave, mysterious gathering of black-robed woman, seated in a circle on hard, backless wooden benches, arguing.
Alcyone's hand caressed Calvin's neck, and he pressed his forehead, now wiped clean of kohl and fever-sweat, gratefully against her knee.
"Sisters," said the tall, gray-haired woman whose turn it now seemed to be to speak, "it would bring shame to our church and to our priesthood if we submit to the vulgar demands of a man who is nothing more than a-- a warlock."
There was a low, scandalized murmur at this, but the woman lifted her hand.
"I cannot and I will not sully the purity of my goddess," she said, louder, "by inducing into her order a man who does in no wise deserve the honor."
"But, Parthenope, the knighthood for men is entirely pro forma," said a younger, blond woman impatiently. "Knight of her order or no, this Theodore Gath is quite obviously a man-- he can't possibly touch the power of our goddess, much less wield it. It doesn't mean anything, except--"
"Doesn't mean anything?" the gray-haired woman-- Parthenope-- thundered. "The holy order of our goddess doesn't mean anything?"
Gath? Calvin didn't dare glance up at Ben; was the assembled priesthood seriously debating the merits of accepting Ted Gath, who was known throughout Aglaion to be the queen's concubine and the power behind her throne, into the order of Thelxinoe?
"Well," said the younger woman, unabashed, "it means we secure Gath's loyalty to our church. I wouldn't call that nothing, especially with his influence in the government."
"The government has no power over our goddess," said a thin, pale woman with large blue eyes, softly.
"True enough, Iphimedia," said the blonde civilly, "but even a goddess may find it expedient to have earthly allies."
"I will not accept the vulgar demands of the upstart Gath," said Parthenope flatly. "Not at any price."
"Not even if he should destroy us?" the blonde asked coldly.
There was another appalled murmur at that.
"Our goddess will not permit her church to fall," said Iphimedia, the blue-eyed one, with sudden steel in her soft voice. "Not for upholding her purity. How dare you suggest it, Euryale?"
"How do you know what our goddess will and will not permit?" Euryale demanded. "Unless we consult her oracle-- which could take weeks--"
"Or seek knowledge of her will through the super," suggested a voluptuous, black-eyed beauty who hadn't spoken until then.
The murmur of voices this time was approving. Calvin looked up into his mistress' face, frightened.
"It's all right, Calvin," Alcyone said softly. "No harm will come to you."
"I see no need to waste the boy's energy on this foolish question, Megaera," said Parthenope irritably, but she was quickly overruled by an increasingly loud murmur, and everyone was looking at Calvin, and before he knew it, he was standing up in the middle of the circle, Alcyone behind him, her solid warmth pressed firmly to his back, her arms threaded under his arms and locked tight across his chest.
"Don't be frightened," she said in his ear, as the women of the circle rose to their feet as well, and Parthenope, standing in front of him, lifted her arms high and closed her eyes; unintelligible words, half chant, half hum, fell from her lips as Alcyone continued speaking in Calvin's ear. "It will be no different from other times the goddess has taken you, except that I won't let you fall, and you'll be well tended afterwards. Try to see as much as you can, and don't be afraid to tell us everything, when you wake."
"Yes, Missus," Calvin whispered, as another voice spoke from behind him, high and pleading and in the same incomprehensible language; he thought it might be Iphimedia.
"Close your eyes," Alcyone commanded; Calvin obeyed, and then it happened.
When he came to, he was in Alcyone's warm, soft lap, his aching head pillowed on her shoulder.
"Don't be afraid, Calvin," Alcyone murmured, as he sat up rather wildly. "Tell us what you saw."
"I saw--" Already trembling at what he had to say, Calvin fixed his eyes on the ground, not daring to meet any of their eyes as he spoke. "This 'ere room-- all empty, and cold, and fires out-- and then there was-- men, moving things into it. Boxes, and that-- for storage, like. And then I saw-- I think it were the royal palace, and Ted-- I mean, Mister Gath. Couldn't 'ear what 'e said, but-- well, 'e were laughing."
There was a long silence, during which Alcyone folded Calvin back against her bosom and, rather absently, stroked his back.
"Well," said Euryale finally, and there was no triumph in her voice, just weariness, "that seems fairly clear, Parthenope. You knight Ted--we stand. Defy Ted-- we fall."
Besides, it was warm in here, thanks to the huge roaring fireplaces set in the center of each of the four walls of the high-ceilinged room. Calvin was more than glad of their warmth, since he and Ben were still naked, though no longer chained-- and of the cushion, since the floor was of stone.
Ben sat on another cushion on the other side of Mistress Alcyone's feet, his bright, alert glance darting all over the room, taking everything and everyone in. Calvin was trying not to meet his gaze. He didn't want Ben to get him laughing with some comical expression or slant of the eyes, or start whispering to him, in the middle of this grave, mysterious gathering of black-robed woman, seated in a circle on hard, backless wooden benches, arguing.
Alcyone's hand caressed Calvin's neck, and he pressed his forehead, now wiped clean of kohl and fever-sweat, gratefully against her knee.
"Sisters," said the tall, gray-haired woman whose turn it now seemed to be to speak, "it would bring shame to our church and to our priesthood if we submit to the vulgar demands of a man who is nothing more than a-- a warlock."
There was a low, scandalized murmur at this, but the woman lifted her hand.
"I cannot and I will not sully the purity of my goddess," she said, louder, "by inducing into her order a man who does in no wise deserve the honor."
"But, Parthenope, the knighthood for men is entirely pro forma," said a younger, blond woman impatiently. "Knight of her order or no, this Theodore Gath is quite obviously a man-- he can't possibly touch the power of our goddess, much less wield it. It doesn't mean anything, except--"
"Doesn't mean anything?" the gray-haired woman-- Parthenope-- thundered. "The holy order of our goddess doesn't mean anything?"
Gath? Calvin didn't dare glance up at Ben; was the assembled priesthood seriously debating the merits of accepting Ted Gath, who was known throughout Aglaion to be the queen's concubine and the power behind her throne, into the order of Thelxinoe?
"Well," said the younger woman, unabashed, "it means we secure Gath's loyalty to our church. I wouldn't call that nothing, especially with his influence in the government."
"The government has no power over our goddess," said a thin, pale woman with large blue eyes, softly.
"True enough, Iphimedia," said the blonde civilly, "but even a goddess may find it expedient to have earthly allies."
"I will not accept the vulgar demands of the upstart Gath," said Parthenope flatly. "Not at any price."
"Not even if he should destroy us?" the blonde asked coldly.
There was another appalled murmur at that.
"Our goddess will not permit her church to fall," said Iphimedia, the blue-eyed one, with sudden steel in her soft voice. "Not for upholding her purity. How dare you suggest it, Euryale?"
"How do you know what our goddess will and will not permit?" Euryale demanded. "Unless we consult her oracle-- which could take weeks--"
"Or seek knowledge of her will through the super," suggested a voluptuous, black-eyed beauty who hadn't spoken until then.
The murmur of voices this time was approving. Calvin looked up into his mistress' face, frightened.
"It's all right, Calvin," Alcyone said softly. "No harm will come to you."
"I see no need to waste the boy's energy on this foolish question, Megaera," said Parthenope irritably, but she was quickly overruled by an increasingly loud murmur, and everyone was looking at Calvin, and before he knew it, he was standing up in the middle of the circle, Alcyone behind him, her solid warmth pressed firmly to his back, her arms threaded under his arms and locked tight across his chest.
"Don't be frightened," she said in his ear, as the women of the circle rose to their feet as well, and Parthenope, standing in front of him, lifted her arms high and closed her eyes; unintelligible words, half chant, half hum, fell from her lips as Alcyone continued speaking in Calvin's ear. "It will be no different from other times the goddess has taken you, except that I won't let you fall, and you'll be well tended afterwards. Try to see as much as you can, and don't be afraid to tell us everything, when you wake."
"Yes, Missus," Calvin whispered, as another voice spoke from behind him, high and pleading and in the same incomprehensible language; he thought it might be Iphimedia.
"Close your eyes," Alcyone commanded; Calvin obeyed, and then it happened.
When he came to, he was in Alcyone's warm, soft lap, his aching head pillowed on her shoulder.
"Don't be afraid, Calvin," Alcyone murmured, as he sat up rather wildly. "Tell us what you saw."
"I saw--" Already trembling at what he had to say, Calvin fixed his eyes on the ground, not daring to meet any of their eyes as he spoke. "This 'ere room-- all empty, and cold, and fires out-- and then there was-- men, moving things into it. Boxes, and that-- for storage, like. And then I saw-- I think it were the royal palace, and Ted-- I mean, Mister Gath. Couldn't 'ear what 'e said, but-- well, 'e were laughing."
There was a long silence, during which Alcyone folded Calvin back against her bosom and, rather absently, stroked his back.
"Well," said Euryale finally, and there was no triumph in her voice, just weariness, "that seems fairly clear, Parthenope. You knight Ted--we stand. Defy Ted-- we fall."
