"You’re going to be late for the service, and you know how that will upset your
father." Lydia leaned against the doorframe. "He’s already in a foul mood. He
tried everything to get out of attending the service, but there was nothing to be done
about it. The order went out from the highest levels and even his rank didn’t help
him."
Ria smiled and pulled the brush through her hair. "Well, I can’t say I blame him
for not wanting to go. Those things are deadly slow, and boring. But, if all he has to
attend is one service a year, then he’s got nothing to complain about."
"You know your father, he hates the services. He says that they’re a waste of
time. I mean, come on, it’s not as if the Triad will ever actually visit this enclave, is
it?"
"Maybe not, but we’re supposed to remember how grateful we all are that our
ancestors were saved from the great sky fires." The sky fires, the days of
destruction when nearly all of mankind had been wiped out except for a chosen handful.
Well, more than a handful. Twenty thousand, or so the stories said. Enough men and women
to slowly build the enclaves and bring humanity back to a sustainable level.
Did anyone actually believe that they’d been saved by a Triad of men? The same men who
had somehow managed to survive for over five hundred years? No, of course not, but no one
could deny that the current Triad held the ultimate power over the enclaves. A tenth of
all profits, be it in the form of food, clothing, technology, or anything else, was
surrendered without question to the Triad. Or rather to their representatives.
So, occasionally they took something else, or rather someone. That was a rare
occurrence and who would complain about becoming one of the Triad’s concubines? Surely
they deserved a little fun from time to time? Besides, the concubines would be well
treated. The Triad were rich, comfortable, they had everything they could ever want, so
it stood to reason that the women chosen were then kept as pampered pets.
Not a bad life, if you were one of those rare chosen females.
"The temple will be decorated," Lydia sighed. "All that gold and brown
material, can you imagine what it would look like made into a dress?"
"Expensive." Ria grinned.
"Very, but shit, everyone else would be jealous. The other women would tear their
hair out. We only put the best material in the temple, and then it goes to the Triad.
What do you think they do with it? It’s not as if they have many women in Temple
One."
"How do we know how many women they have, or don’t have? We only know how many
they claim from this Enclave." Ria set her brush down and looked back at her cousin.
"We only hear stories about the other Enclaves, stories that are filtered down
through the council members. Even my father doesn’t share any more with us than he
absolutely has to."
"He’s so tight lipped." Lydia slumped down into an overstuffed chair.
"You think they’d learn to lighten up a little."
"They’re all like that. All of the council members. They just want to keep all
of the information to themselves. They like the power it gives them."
She couldn’t argue with that. Her father was a prime example of how they liked the
power the knowledge gave them. How many times had she tried to get information out of the
man? More than she cared to count. It never worked.
He was a tight-lipped bastard, but she’d become used to it over the years.
"Ria, Lydia? I’m waiting."
She pushed back from her dressing table and eased a shawl around her shoulders. There,
she looked presentable. Among the rules she had to abide by were the rules of dress. Her
hair and shoulders had to be covered when outside of the house. It would be easy enough
to throw the shawl over her head before she stepped outside.
"You look good." Lydia smiled and slipped out ahead of her. "I’m
betting half the men in the temple will be watching you."
"And if he notices there’ll be hell to pay." She sighed and pulled the shawl
over her head. "You know what he’s like. It will be my fault even if I haven’t even
looked at the man in question."
"The woman is always to blame. We brought the sky fire down on us all,
remember?"
Yes, she knew the stories. It didn’t mean that she would believe it. How could a
woman be blamed for all of this? All of the destruction that had followed? No, it
couldn’t have been a woman’s fault.
No, this wasn’t the time to think about it.
****
"Stand still, child." Her father growled softly. "I’ll not have you
disgracing me now."
Disgrace? Is that what she was to him, a disgrace? Her jaw set but she managed to
lock her anger down. Losing control, lashing out at her father, especially in public,
would be a mistake. She knew that. She’d always known that. A woman’s place was to be
humble, in public, and accept the role that had been set-aside for her.
"It’s about time I found you a man, a good husband to keep you in line."
Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. "Father, I’m not ready to wed."
"You’re ready when I say you’re ready. You’re capable of having children and have
been for several years. This is a matter I will attend to before the new moon. I’ve
already left it too long and it’s beginning to show in your attitude."
Ria paled. Her attitude? It didn’t make sense. She hadn’t been throwing any attitude
at him. "I’m sorry, Father. I meant no harm."
"A dutiful daughter would have accepted my words without dissent. You have proven
that you’re far from dutiful."
Ria ducked her head and pulled her shawl a little further over her face. Heat colored
her cheeks. She wasn’t going to push things with him. It was the wrong time; the wrong
place and she didn’t want to cause a scene. It wouldn’t help her. He was a man. She was
a woman of his household and remained in his power at this time.
"Good, remember your place child. You’ll have to learn your husband’s rules for
you, but I’m certain that you will come to terms with the man I find for you." He
stood at the bottom of the steps that led into the temple and looked up at the open door.
"Now, come, we’re already late."
Late because he had chosen this time, and this place, to engage in a discussion that
she wanted nothing to do with. She couldn’t say that. Not publicly at least. She’d hold
her tongue for now at least. When she was home she could speak to Lydia about it. It
wasn’t much of a liberty but it was the only one she had.
Her father rested one hand, lightly, on her shoulder and guided her into the temple.
It didn’t matter that she didn’t want his touch, or to be here, today she would play the
dutiful daughter and submit to the rules that bound her.
Ria took her place and kept her gaze turned down. The last thing she needed was to
draw undue attention right now. Not with the mood her father was in.
"Gentle folk of the Enclave. We welcome you this day and hope you will heed the
words of the Triad." A voice at the front of the temple called out. A voice Ria
didn’t recognize. That wasn’t unusual. She had little in the way of dealings with the
men of the Enclave. The rules forbade it. She was only allowed to mingle with those men
who were family, unless she was in the company of her father.
Her father looked up at the man on the steps, and touched Ria’s arm, giving her
permission to also look.
What she saw took her breath away. A man. Well, the voice had told her that much.
But what a man. Stronger, taller than her father. Broad shoulders, long hair that
spilled down his back in a midnight wave and his eyes – by the Triad, what eyes they were.
Dark, piercing, without hope or mercy. She flinched and wanted to look away from him,
but couldn’t.
He held her. He held all of them. She knew that without even turning to look at the
others in the temple.
"You will be pleased to know that the Triad has bestowed their favor with the
Enclave. Those within these walls should rejoice. The payment this day will not be in
goods, or money, but in the form of one life. One soul who will this day leave the
enclave to serve the Triad in person. The Triad seeks a handmaiden."
Ria’s heart skipped a beat. A handmaiden? Lydia would be pleased to hear that, she
was of an age where she might be chosen. Ria, however, was safe. She was still too young
– or was she. Her father had said he would look for a husband for her, but the
declaration hadn’t been made in the temple. At least it hadn’t as far as Ria was aware.
She frowned for a moment and then found herself caught up in the man’s eyes.
"One female will be taken to represent your Enclave. She will be treated with the
utmost respect, but kept in her place, as a woman should be. As such only women of the
highest lines will be considered for this honor."
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