Chapter 18 Messenger on the Isle of the Moon

Annia was working in the garden alone. Although she had been Novice now for nine moons, she was still only twelve years old, and tiny even for that age.

The Chosen One, Cybele, had instructed the Priestesses that she could be excused from the normal duties of an Initiate Priestess, and be allowed to continue in the tasks of Novice to the extent that did not contradict written law. The girl was most grateful for this concession, particularly the fact that she had not had to perform as Goddess in the Temple since the night that she was Initiated and Cybele was Chosen.

It had been a dangerously painful ordeal for her, and she had lost blood for four days after the ceremony. She was sure that if Cybele had been Chosen as leader before, she would have lifted hand for Annia to exempt her from even that most fundamental of rules - Initiation by Herm on the Crescent Moon after a Novice's first flux.

She did not mind that the others thought her weak and foolish to be so reluctant for the honour of the altar. She wished not to leave Temple life altogether for the independence of a villager, but would happily remain in the gardens as a Novice forever. This particular garden was her favourite. It was enclosed on all sides by a stone wall which caught and kept the sun's heat well into the evening. Fruit trees were trained against the wall, and the scent of the ripening peaches and apricots hung sweetly in the air. The flowering herbs hummed with bumbling bees and Annia sat on a path picking caterpillars off a comfrey leaf. Annia felt safe in this place.

Cybele's own cottage sat within the walled garden, and Annia imagined herself as sentinel for the Chosen One. If a fierce dragon tried to enter, Annia could cry an alarm, and Cybele would be given time to escape through the door which opened from her hut to directly out of the village. Of course, the fierce dragon may attack from the outside, but then Cybele would flee through this very garden, and Annia may be able to distract the beast while she made good her escape.

She also liked the feeling of being protector of Cybele's secrets. It was she who Cybele had trusted to bring Cabirius to her bed. Then it had been the Consort, Attis who slipped through this garden to spend hour upon hour closeted away with her. The others all thought the Chosen One and her Consort enemies, reluctant partners in the Great Marriage at each Full Moon. But Annia said nothing and smiled within herself when the other girls made such gossip, as she alone knew that the two made their own small marriage almost each afternoon.

Attis had changed much in the past moon, she observed. He had passed by her here in the garden for nearly a half-year without so much as a nod, and now suddenly he greeted her by name each day, and sometimes even stopped to ask her how she fared, and what she was doing. She thought how well he looked when his brow was not furrowed with intensity as it always had been. His smile was like a babe's, radiant and unaware. After a half-year of wondering what her leader saw in such a morose and brooding boy, Annia now saw how charming he could be.

She heard muffled conversation from within Cybele's hut, although she had seen none enter through the garden this day. It was only early morning now, the morning after the Harvester Moon, and most would be still abed with pounding crowns after too much honey mead at the feasting. Perhaps Attis had taken the chance to stay all night in his lover's arms, when none would have any mind for spying. As she pulled a weed from the bed beside her, she heard the door open behind. It was indeed Attis, as though he knew she had just given him thought.

'Annia. Would you be so kind as to come inside? The Chosen One and I are hoping for your assistance in an important matter.' She turned to him stunned, but he had already disappeared back inside, leaving the door ajar. She scrambled to her feet and wiped her mucky hands on her mulberry-dyed gown. Whatever could he have meant? As though the two most important people on the whole Isle could require the assistance of one small weak girl...

She stumbled on an uneven flag as she followed the path to the door, and almost sprawled to the ground, but caught her balance and dignity just in time. She had been inside the hut of the Chosen One on several occasions, when called to run small errands for her leader. The circular hut was small, and very ancient, but had been rebuilt recently when Cybele had needed a home. Its interior had every comfort, as was fitting for the Chosen One, and had a huge fireplace in the centre which was kept burning heartily all year, even in deepest Winter when firewood was a precious commodity. The bed did not encircle the entire hut as most, but then this was not communal quarters (apart from Cybele's private bedfellow), so there was no need for anything more than a person's length. The stone and peat stack which formed the bed was covered with a wool-filled mattress a full hand's height, and her blankets were of the thickest softest cloth ever woven on the Isle. There was a table large enough for five, and at least as many stools. She kept her robes in a large wooden chest, was decorated with brightly coloured patterns of the Goddess painted in blue woad, mulberry and green. There was even a gold-embossed crescent on the lid.

Attis sat on Cybele's bed as though it was his own, but the Chosen One herself sat at the table and indicated for Annia to join her. As the girl sat down, Cybele poured herself some wine from a glazed decanter into a plain stoneware mug. Annia had for some reason supposed that Cybele would drink only from a ceremonial chalice, such as the beautiful green glass one she used in the Temple. Annia had once heard that glass was made from molten beach sand, but believed it not. If that were true, with sand being so plentiful, why would a single drinking cup be worth a score of silver brooches?

'Why do you stare so at my cup? Thought you not that I would drink for thirst, like others?' Cybele asked her.

'I did not mean to stare, Most Holy Chosen One...'

Cybele smiled lightly. She would not laugh at the small sweet child. What was wrong with a few embellishments to her title if the girl wished to add them? 'We have a favour to ask of you, Annia.'

'To do anything for you would be no favour, Venerable One. We are all your servants as you are servant to the Goddess.'

'No, Annia. I do not wish to ask of you this task as a bound duty. It may cause some risk of danger to you, and so I ask you only as a friend who had long shared my confidence. Know you my name - my actual name, not a hundred titles? If so, answer me as thus.'

'I would gladly do you any favour, Most Holy Cybele.'

'It may be not pleasant for you...' she warned. A sudden fear filled Annia, and she turned to see Attis laying back casually on the bed of the Chosen One, his arms crossed behind his head. The thought must have been clear to Cybele, as she gave a broad smile. 'Oh, fear not of that. I keep Attis to myself outside the Temple.'

The girl blushed as dark as her mulberry gown and looked uncomfortably at the floor. Attis also gave a deep musical laugh, then stretched like a cat in the sun.

'I know you were no friend of Kelle when we shared a class, but how well did you know her?'

Annia brushed her thin light hair off her face, and answered: 'Not well. She would have taken no notice of a mouse such as I before the accident, and since then of course she takes notice of nothing.'

'Accident?'

Annia looked up and stared defiantly at Cybele. 'I have never believed what they said of our Teacher. Cabirius would never have done such a thing!'

'You mistake my query, Annia. I agree completely, but I have long thought him condemned by every other living creature on the Isle.'

'No. All of us who know him as Teacher believe that Kelle lied in pointing her finger to him. She was simply angry at him from class, so when another injured her, she sought to lay the blame on Cabirius.'

Cybele smiled at her. 'A theory I would dearly love to believe, Annia. But it has one flaw. Kelle has never even identified Cabirius as her assailant.'

Annia was surprised, and expressed as much. 'But... How could he then have been imprisoned? When it was so clearly unlike him, why would any have thought him the one?'

So the body of evidence against Cabirius had been embellished either deliberately before or naturally after the telling by those who had cast vote to imprison him, thought Cybele. 'There were some physical signs, but without word from Kelle, I myself still think him innocent.'

'Well, when will she be able to speak? For surely she would solve the injustice once and for all.'

'That is the mission we wish to entrust to you, Annia.'

'To me? She speaks to no-one, but she is least likely to speak to me. Your chances would be better with Feronia or Calliste. They were her friends, and visited her many times at first, although they gave up in despair after a moon of her senseless silence.'

'Attis and I have an idea on how she may be brought back to sense.'

'How? And why would you not try yourselves? I would be likely to ruin your plan.'

'We can trust no other, and we can act not ourselves without calling attention to our attempt,' Cybele explained.

'Then you suspect some ill intent by others?' the girl asked without surprise.

'You have chosen your spy well, Cybele,' Attis said from across the room. Annia smiled at the compliment. She was feeling easier and less in awe of these two with each heartbeat.

'What think you I should do to try make her speak?' she asked.

'We wish you to act as lure, to bring her to us without any other bearing witness. We would not harm her.'

'Your harming her would concern me not,' said the child with a hard disregard that belied her tender years.

'We wish her to speak, Annia, and I have no fear of her first utterance. It will be to defend Cabirius, of that I am sure.'

'I believe that also, Cybele. You may rely on me to bring her to you. This very day, if you think it time.'

'This matter has dragged far too long already, Annia. I wish it to end before I take my next breath, but failing that, then as soon as you will.'

'She lives still at the hut of the Healer ?'

'Yes. And bear you in mind that you may have to use some deception to even be allowed near her. As to how you can get her away, I shall have to leave you to judge the situation. It may take some several visits before Kelle trusts you enough to follow, and before Jenna will let you alone with her.'

'Will Jenna suspect my intent?'

'We can judge that not, you must discover for yourself. But she is certainly enemy to the Chosen One and Consort. We would not even be allowed to sit alone with Kelle, which is why we need your service.'

'If Jenna is your enemy, she is mine. I simply hope she knows not that fact, or else it may be equally impossible for me.'

'Well then, take extreme care and do your best. We can hope for no more, but look to your own protection at all times. If I could fly from my body like the Old Ones, I would do so to follow and protect you. If you return not by noon, we shall seek you out, and if Jenna or any other has caused you harm, we shall put aside all this subtlety and demand vengeance.'

The child leapt from her seat and crossed to the door. As she was about to leave, Attis spoke to her.

'Do I not get a farewell kiss, then, my sweet little Annia?' he asked. She poked her tongue out at him in response to his light tease, then turned on her heel and left.

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