"In order to lead you need to learn how to serve."
"Isn't that handy," thought Simone as she laid out Lady Alva's morning tea and fruit.
"Yes Lady Alva," she said demurely. "But what if you don't want to lead?"
Lady Alva fixed her with an arched eyebrow. "Then it is even more important you learn how to serve."
She ate the fruit delicately, spearing each piece with a tiny copper fork with two twisted prongs. Simone stood a few steps away as instructed. She hated standing still and her leg still twinged, making it hard to keep her back straight. Simone let her mind wander, her eyes travelling over the strange artifacts in the Hearth Mother's chambers; squat stone sculptures with pregnant bellies and sagging breasts, rubbed against pottery shards and metal plates. A magnificent aquamarine, feathered headdress hung in the corner as if about to take flight. The room was slightly larger than the Snug and decorated in cornflower blue, white and yellow. Not what Simone had expected from Lady Alva.
"You'd do well to pay attention," said Lady Alva. "You never know which detail in any setting could save your life. This instrument for example." She speared a fuchsia cube of watermelon and paused to chew and swallow.
"It's from the world of Metta. If you eat with royalty you use your left hand, with commoners, your right. With someone who is neither one nor the other your status dictates which hand you use. Which hand would you use now?"
Simone swallowed nervously. She wasn't in the mood for guessing games. It was her first day out of the infirmary and she'd just remembered today was the day of Lady Brody's examination; an unknown test with a high level of points and privileges attached. Watching Lady Alva dining had also made her ravenously hungry but she couldn't leave until dismissed.
"Quickly child."
"Um, my left."
"Correct, as I significantly outrank you. Do not say 'um'. It's vulgar."
"Yes Lady Alva".
"Stand up straight dear."
"But I'm in pain!"
"That's even more reason to stand tall. It's easy to look good when there's nothing wrong. You have to learn to stay confident when the world is falling down around you."
Simone straightened.
"Much better."
"Lady Alva," she burst out. "Why do you all contradict each other? Lady Miriam says knowledge is the key, to what I don't know; Lady Hazel says to always focus on your inner beauty..."
Although her lips pursed Lady Alva heard her out. "It's good that you receive differing opinions. You need to learn to think for yourselves despite what some of my colleagues counsel. We all serve the Goddess and she speaks through us. That is what is important. Remember that one day if you're in a difficult position."
"Think for myself, stand up straight, look confident and listen to the Goddess?"
"Precisely. That will be all. Make sure you eat something on the way to class."
She dismissed her with the slightest wriggle of her elegant, manicured fingers.
In her head, Simone gritted her teeth but all she said was: "Yes Lady Alva".
I must be exhausted. That or they've started taming me, she thought, more than a little resentfully.
Simone bowed briefly but respectfully before she exited the hearth mother's chamber and moved to class as fast as her tender leg would allow. It had already started.
"No-one ever suspects these weapons." The woman's voice was sweet, her lips full. Mouth slightly parted she seemed to breathe the words like a promise. Every acolyte in the cave was intently focused on her as she peeled herself from a gold chaise longue and glided around an intricately carved, wooden alter.
Gaudy, thought Simone, searching for her clutch. She spotted them halfway down the chamber sitting on a scatter of shockingly pink and grey velvet cushions.
Crouching, even though it hurt her leg, she shimmied down to sit next to Nada.
"Lovely of you to join us Ms Simone," said the woman.
Her voice sounded like a river of hot chocolate, frothy, warm and slightly velvety on the tongue. Simone knew that voice. It was the witch she'd nicknamed Silky when she first tried to escape but her hair was no longer blonde, short and sharp but flowing and red, like blood.
Rats. "Excuse me, I was attending to Lady Alva."
"Make time dear, not excuses," she said, with a hard stare, "and if you're going to make excuses, try to sound sincere."
What a cow, Simone thought but didn't dare say it. She dipped her head so the evil priestess couldn't see her mutinous stare.
"Don't worry, you haven't missed much," whispered Nada, slipping a small parcel into her hand. "This is Lady Godiva, she's teaching us sorcery, spells and potions."
Simone choked back a laugh. "You're kidding," she muttered under her breathe. She could hear Bloduewedd's mental laughter echoing hers as she shared the joke.
Simone whispered back to Nada, "I thought Lady Michaela was taking this class?"
"I heard a rumour Lady Michaela has disappeared," whispered Alexia. "Lady Godiva is one of the Principal. We're..."
"Yes, yes, I know, lucky to have her," said Simone.
Due spontaneously caught her up on all the gossip from the past quarter, her mental whispers brushing Simone's mind.
Lady Godiva, if that really was her name, tossed her crimson, waist length hair gently, her hips swaying in rhythm to counteract the shift of weight. Perfume trailed the air behind her, hypnotising the class. Simone couldn't imagine the effect she must have on males should she ever encounter any. "Not likely here but if she did, she'd eat them up like an owl does field mice and spit out the bones".
She waited until the Lady's attention was distracted before exploring Nada's gift. It was a small selection of titbits from the morning meal, each individually wrapped in tender, fragrant leaves and tied with pretty cord. She squeezed Nada's hand in thanks and popped mouthfuls every time the Priestess' back was turned.
"First, the basic principles," she told them. "The face is a dancer's mask. It needs to be prepared to reflect the emotions of others without revealing what lies beneath the porcelain skin." As she spoke she beckoned Nada out of the neatly seated throng, giving Simone a sharp look as she did so. Simone stopped chewing just in time.
Lady Godiva seated Nada in front of the wooden altar. An assortment of potions and tubes, liquids and shimmering powders scattered its smooth amber surface.
Using a large silken brush and the even softer pads of her exquisite fingers the Priestess lightly laid a smooth canvas on the open palate that represented Nada's expectant face.
"Next, the flush of unsatiated desire," - here a glow of colour on her high cheekbones – "and the ripeness of lips unkissed," with a flourish of dusky rose.
Her rapid strokes hastened with no apparent hurry or rush. "The eyes need to trap the soul of the gazer with their light while the lashes quiver with the trembling of a delicate fern caught in a storm of emotion".
Give me a break, thought Simone.
Godiva spun Nada around on the elegant stool she was perched on. Simone gasped, along with the rest of the class. Nada had been transformed from a shy, gangly girl to a gamine temptress. Long black lashes fluttered around large, lavender eyes, made more noticeable by the subtle blends of colour on the lids. Rouged cheeks lent an air of fevered expectance to her dusky skin while her soft pouting lips accentuated her perfectly even white teeth and delicate chin.
"Wow, that's some makeup lesson," said Simone.
"You're such an idiot sometimes Simone," Alexia scolded. "Can't you see the magic that was imbued in the process? It's a ritual. Look closely."
Simone squinted at Nada again and could almost see diamond shaped, organic crystals of pale green on her face. Every time she blinked she lost the image and had to start over again.
"I think so," she said.
Admittedly, this was Simone's first lesson in magic. Brief as her stay in the infirmary was, she'd still missed a few key introductory lessons. Now that she was a bit more relaxed and fed, she took the time to look around. The room was gorgeous, if a bit over the top, like a boudoir of old.
The walls of the cave were wallpapered a black velvet damask, with abstract designs of pink, grey and gold to match the scattered cushions. For contrast, the polished black floor was covered with thick grey pelts that made you want to run your fingers through them. It was all lit by a pale fire dancing on a bed of stones Simone could imagine was rounded by centuries of rushing water.
Opposite the fire perched the alter, magically carved out of a single chunk of petrified wood, covered with a solidified ooze of golden amber that extended smoothly into a reflective mirror. Brightly jewelled dragonflies and butterflies were set into the amber, sacrificing themselves for eternal, preserved beauty.
"You can do anything with this power," the Priestess instructed, a pale green aura surrounding her. "Simple illusion, dissembling, escape. If you're good enough, you can lead someone willingly to their own demise." Here she smiled. Simone got a shiver down her spine while a part of her believed everything and anything the woman told her.
"Thank you Lady Godiva." A fluid, cool voice interjected, cold rain over Lady Godiva's honeyed tones. The girls turned to see Lady Alva reclined on yet another silken chaise longue in the corner of the cave. A large, iron claw-footed bath took pride of place next to it.
Does this woman have shares in an antique store or something, thought Simone, making sure she projected to Due. The sentient grew jasmine blossoms in response.
"Ah, you have arrived, welcome," said Lady Godiva, sounding anything but welcoming. Turning her attention back to the acolytes she said, "Lady Alva has some exciting news for you. Perfectly scintillating in fact." She lingered on the 's'. Somehow Simone doubted it. Anything the redhead thought exciting was bound to be downright dangerous.
Lady Alva briskly took over. She shifted to a regal, seated position: "As you all know from our recent announcement, the worlds intersect within three moons and caution needs to be taken."
Simone had no idea what she was on about. Clearly she'd missed more than just classroom politics while she was in the infirmary. Thanks for the update Due, she flashed, more than a little sarcastically.
"No initiate will leave the Sanctuary for any reason without the express permission of the Principal."
"Not that it would make any difference to us," said Simone in a low voice to the others.
Lady Alva paused, letting the suspense build up. "However, the Empress has decreed it is time for a Holy Pilgrimage during Samhain. This will remind followers in other worlds of the power and majesty of the Triple Goddess. One century will be chosen, in other words, twenty clutches chosen from across all years and sects. The chosen initiates will be selected based on their performance to date, and their diligence and aptitude over the next moon."
A low buzzing of excitement welled through the candy cave, like a sugar rush.
"Silence. Bear in mind though the performance of each individual is being heavily weighed, the entire clutch needs to be selected. Do not let each other down. Dismissed."
The initiates filed out quietly, erupting into bubbling chatter the second they were past the cave's threshold.
Simone had just put a toe over the dividing line when she heard a sweet, trilling voice. "Not so fast Ms Simone. You can assist me in clearing up. Penance for your tardiness."
Wearily she turned back. "See you lot later," she said to her clutch. "Please explain to Lady Brody why I'm late." She thought longingly of her comfortable hammock in the infirmary. It was turning out to be a mentally draining first day back.
"Yes Lady Godiva," she said.
"Take this broom, start sweeping." Simone wanted to swat her with it.
Instead of clearing up, the redheaded temptress perched on the stool next to the altar. "Your leg appears to have healed remarkably quickly."
Simone was so surprised she stopped sweeping. She wouldn't have thought the Principal even knew who she was although if Amira's story was true... I have to talk to Amira, thought Simone. She's the only one I trust.
"Appearances can be deceptive," Simone said, adding "Lady Godiva," at the last moment. The woman's name was ridiculous.
"Really. Are you saying it hasn't healed? Or did it perhaps not break in the first place?"
"I don't know," said Simone. "Ask Lady Miriam."
The Priestess' eyes narrowed.
"You'll find that life in the Sanctuary runs more smoothly with allies Ms Simone. It's never too early to start looking to your future. Many of the Guilds watch the Earth Years for potential candidates. You'd do well to stow that cheek. I could help you."
Another bewildering, nonsensical Sanctuary comment. Between the intersecting worlds and Guild allies Simone felt like she was more than a few steps behind. For the first time she wished Alexia was here to help her.
A voice chimed in, a voice full of cool authority.
"Lady Godiva, if I might have a word."
Both had forgotten about Lady Alva who had sat so still and quiet she seemed invisible. Simone could have sworn the redhead swallowed a sneer.
"Certainly Lady Alva."
A brief murmured discussion later and Simone was dismissed, sans punishment. She bent shallowly in a quick ritual bow and would have skipped out if her leg had allowed it. She hoped she wasn't too late for the next class. The boulders and obstacles tended to shift spontaneously and she was convinced they did it on purpose to stress her out more.
***
Simone followed the cryptic instructions on her crystal and slipped into a long, narrow chamber on level ten filled with initiates. She was in luck — for once the path was clear and Lady Brody hadn't arrived. The buzzing and general chatter died into an uneasy silence as they wondered where the Priestess was.
"A lot can happen in a heartbeat." A voice boomed out inside the gloomy chamber and bounced around the walls. "Cities fall, leaders die, the winds of change surge."
One of the Earth Years whimpered. The voice carried on relentlessly. "One moment of distraction, and your life can be over – a gift to the Goddess."
"The sacrifice," thought Simone, looking around for an escape route. The large metal door was shut. The clutch huddled closer. Others had assumed a defensive stance but the majority milled around uncertainly, unsure what to do next.
"Fortunately, as initiates of the Goddess she has no need of your life spark just yet." The owner of the commanding voice stepped out of rock at the furthest end of the chamber. Imposing, regal, powerful. Priestess Brody was all of these and more.
"She needs you to be a credit to her name. Look around. Are you prepared? Are you ready for whatever life throws at you?" The questions were rhetorical. Her stance said it all. Priestess Brody inspired hero worship. Simone straightened her spine, threw her shoulders back proudly and desperately tried to remember everything she had learned.
Voice magic, Due flashed to her. Alexia was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Right now you are weak. You are not worthy of the Goddess' love. You are too willing to be a victim." Simone noticed Nada nod in agreement; silent tears streamed down her face.
"I will teach you to fight. To use weapons. To use your bodies effectively."
Yeah yeah, thought Simone. She'd heard it before and all Lady Brody did was make them stand in a row, punching the air and yelling 'huh'.
"Your true training begins now." With that the Priestess flicked a hidden lever and the wall opened up behind them to reveal a sheltered valley far below. It was the first glimpse of the outside world Simone had seen since arriving and she jostled the other acolytes for a better look.
"Wow, this is awesome." The soft sunlight glinted off her short chocolate skullcap, turning it cinnamon. "I'd forgotten what the outside looked like. Can we get out from here?"
Alexia shook her head. "Does it look like you can?"
Simone poked her head out of the hole and was almost deafened by a thunderous roar. She crawled backwards rapidly, making the others laugh. She could hear Due's bubble in her head.
Very funny, she flashed back. When are you going to talk to the others?
Due just smiled.
"I don't understand why this world has so much water," said Nada, a tiny frown furrowing her beautiful face."It's falling from the sky, but only from one cloud!"
"Oh Nada, they're waterfalls," said Simone. "Haven't you seen a waterfall before?" She shook her head no. "Well, this is your chance."
Three voluminous waterfalls tumbled from the cliffs into a twilight ocean below. Scores of insects played in the rainbows arcing off the water, lollipops of colour Bloduewedd actively tried to entice into the cave. Now that the wall had opened up, they could see the cave in greater detail. It was entrancing, a lot better than the cavernous hall they'd trained in before.
The opening was large enough that some plant life had crept inside, resulting in a natural hothouse. Shimmers of light penetrated through the leaves and flowers at the entrance, dappling the open cave with shards of vibrant colour.
The priestess's voice rang out. "Discipline is key. Form your lines." Simone scrambled to obey, clumsily joining two lines of blue and white against each wall of the chamber. Priestess Brody slowly stalked the lines from the centre, carefully studying each individual acolyte, who stammered their name as her stern gaze met their eyes.
"This is your end of season assignment for physical. Do not fail. Run off the cliff, dive into the water below and assemble on the beach for training."
Simone did not like the sound of that. The last thing she wanted was to end up in the infirmary again. It was hard to escape if you were drugged up and broken.
Alexia sighed.
"What's the matter," said Simone. "Scared of a little height?" A mean part of her hoped it was the case. She was tired of Alexia being good at everything.
"No." Alexia sighed again and mumbled. "I told you, I don't like bright light or loud noises. It really hurts my eyes and ears. This cave is nice. It's a taste of fresh air and the plants and water mute the light and sound. Out there isn't. But I'll never make it to the coven if I can't even pass a simple Earth Year test."
Great. She'd forgotten about Alexia's cave dwelling genes. There was no way Simone was going to pull out now and look lame.
"Ok, let's go, before Brody horse whips us." Simone was only partially joking.
For a moment the two lines started to falter until Lady Brody barked once, "now". Scrambling to obey in their short, practical tunics, the initiates leapt off the cliff.
"Like lemmings," thought Simone as she was jostled out of the lead.
Alexia straightened and cocked an eyebrow at the others. "This is what we're here for," she said before diving gracefully off the ledge into the crisp blue ocean below. Due followed.
"And there goes the Lemming Queen, followed by her suitor."
Out loud Simone said "Come on Nada. Joli would love this, let's do her proud."
They may as well get it over with.
"Nada?"
She turned to look at Nada. She was shivering uncontrollably, eyes so wide it looked like her pupils had swallowed her milk white face.
"You are the last," Priestess Brody said matter-of-factly. "Why are you not obeying?"
"I can't. I'm scared." Nada wailed. She sat down firmly on the ground, where it was safe, and hugged her legs protectively towards her body. She looked like she was going to be sick.
"Fear is not logical," said the Priestess. "You control your every action, your every reaction. Every cell of your body is under your command. Command yourself; do not be commanded by the random forces around you."
"What if I get hurt?" Nada asked.
"Then you get hurt. And we have the power to heal you. But if you are in perfect control of and in harmony with yourself this is unlikely to happen," the Priestess replied. "But I leave you no choice – you will jump. How you do so is completely under your control."
"What if I drown?"
"That is unlikely." Priestess Brody said nothing further, just looked at her.
Simone's mind was gnawing at two facts, one, that if she jumped, she might be able to figure a way out of here and once she escaped Sanctuary, she could try to find her father and brother. Two, that if this didn't work, a sure fire way of getting off world was the Holy Pilgrimage. But the whole clutch had to achieve a pass and they were already one dolketian down. It was still worth a shot.
"Come on Nada. I just recovered from a broken leg, remember. If I can do it, so can you. We'll jump together. Hold my hand."
Nada sniffled, her shaky, delicate hand clasped Simone's.
Simone wasn't fond of heights but she'd never had an issue before. Teetering on the edge of the broad stone ledge, Nada's long fingers entwined in hers, she suddenly felt vertigo.
The room receded around her. All she could see was the patch of light she needed to step towards. Far below the heads of the other acolytes bobbed as they played in the waves. Some were already assembled on the beach as instructed. All eyes were upon her. The pressure was so great she couldn't breathe.
So she jumped, dragging a screaming Nada with her. Plummeting, her tunic fluttered around her like a blue and white jellyfish falling towards the water.