The Stone by the Stream (Part 18)

The priestess led Cynthia through the Temple’s main chamber. Though the room remained full as ever with the scent of incense, the acolyte’s words contributed more to her lightheadedness than the perfume did.

Had the acolyte been whistling in the dark on the path?

Why did the woman’s presence rattle her so?

Walking past the altar stained with blood, the priestess led Cynthia a loop around over to the left, where they approached the corner of the chamber lit by a pair of flickering torches. The bare floor moist as a window in the morning light, the priestess said, “I’m terribly sorry, Cynthia, but while we’d like to offer you a private cell, unfortunately there are none outside of the Chamber of Initiation. But don’t worry, we’ll have a bed set up for you in just a moment. Our morning prayers might interrupt your sleep, so best get straight to bed as soon as they set it up.”

“How long until morning prayers?”

“Oh, three, four hours. We’ve had a late night, haven’t we, Cynthia?”

Cynthia nodded, suddenly exhausted. As long as she’d been out walking on the path, she hadn’t thought about how late the hour was, but now her legs ached and her eyelids grew heavy.

The priestess offered Cynthia a polite goodnight and disappeared into the Chamber of Initiation, her footsteps echoing in the empty room. After several minutes, a pair of bleary-eyed and bedraggled Initiates entered the room, carrying a wad of sheets between them. With a resentful look at Cynthia and a handful of words uttered in a businesslike tone, they set the thin sheets on the floor in a rough rectangle. At least they took care to put the thickest of them on the bottom.

“Seems like they want me to become an Initiate pretty badly,” Cynthia said. She thought she could actually see the floor through the thin layer of fabric — which grew moist with a bloom of condensation seeping through.

“Badly enough that the priestess woke us up in the middle of the night to set this up for you,” the shorter of the Initiates said with a glare.

“Not that we mind in the least,” the other said with a stretched smile on her face. “It’s so exciting to see the Temple has a new oracle candidate. I’m sure you’ll be the one who makes it — and of course we’ll support you fully in the process.”

“Thank you so much,” Cynthia said.

The shorter of the Initiates tugged on the other’s arm and attempted to head back to the Chamber of Initiation, but Cynthia asked where she could get some water. The taller Initiate pointed her to the guests’ kitchen, which stood opposite the Temple courtyard. After a few more questions the shorter Initiate dragged the other back across the chamber and through the door to the Chamber of Initiation. After the boom of the door closing behind them, a loud silence came over the chamber.

Thirsty as she was, Cynthia headed for the guests’ kitchen to get a glass of water.

As soon as she walked out through the entranceway, an unseen voice said, “How are you enjoying the full hospitality of the Temple of the Huntress, Cynthia?”

Cynthia spun around. Sure enough, there stood the acolyte with her broom, sweeping as always.

“It’s wonderful,” Cynthia said. “Really wonderful.”

She made to head for the guests’ kitchen, but the acolyte lunged forward and blocked her path, acting as if she were innocently sweeping the floor in front of Cynthia.

“Come on,” she said. “You can tell me the truth.”

Cynthia sighed. “It’s not great. But I’m sure it’ll be better tomorrow. They just weren’t expecting to have me here tonight — didn’t have time to make arrangements, is all.”

“They practically have you sleeping on bare stone. Bare wet stone.”

“I’m sure they’ll have something better set up by tomorrow night.”

“Let’s hope so. Anyway, they’re intentionally turning the youngest of the Initiates against you — waking them up like that expressly to set up your bedding. We both know they could have done that before.”

“They didn’t know I’d be coming here with the priestess at this time of night!”

“Didn’t they?”

Cynthia crossed her arms. She wished the acolyte would leave her to her thoughts. She said, “Maybe you’re right. The priestess told me I’d be a welcome guest, though… so that must mean something? Anyway, I don’t have time to stand around going over this. Morning prayers start in just a few hours, so I need all the sleep I can — ”

“And do you honestly believe that’s an accident?”

Cynthia thought she felt an insect crawl across the back of her neck, but when she put a hand to it, there was nothing. Dark shadows loomed in the empty courtyard. Her imagination conjured up all sorts of creatures that could be lurking out there in the night.

She wanted to go home.

The acolyte went on, “Face it, Cynthia: they’re trying to break you. And if you keep lying to yourself about their motives they’re going to succeed.”

“No, no I don’t believe that. They want to help ensure I have the discipline to meet the Goddess without becoming possessed by her. You make them out to be a pack of monsters!”

The acolyte shrugged. “Well, what do I know? I just sweep the floors around here.”

Cynthia had had enough. “Who are you, anyway? Why are you always sweeping the floors out here? How do you know so much? And why were you out there whistling while I was walking with the priestess?”

The acolyte grinned. “That’s more like it. Let it all out.”

“Well?”

With a theatrical movement the acolyte leaned against her broomstick and tilted her head, her smile a gleaming crescent moon. “Allow me to introduce myself first, my child: my name is Sofia.”