Instructing the Novice Read online

  “Oh, you mean like the Pyrnig fungus?” Anya asked. “No, madam—nothing like that. I heard you had some last night and I know how rich it can be—though the likes of me has only tasted it once or twice. So I brought you quantham eggs and yorn cakes with sour-berry jelly. I hope that’ll be to your liking.”

  Seeing as how she hadn’t actually had any dinner at all the night before, Lizabeth was pretty sure anything that wasn’t completely disgusting would be to her liking.

  “I’m sure it will be fine, thank you Anya,” she said smiling. “But you don’t have to call me madam—I’m just Lizabeth.”

  “Oh no—I couldn’t do that!” Anya’s eyes got wide. “I was told that as an undermaid, I must address all the Mistresses with respect—so I must!”

  “Very well then,” Lizabeth said, seeing she couldn’t dissuade her. “How are you settling in here?”

  “It’s hard work,” Anya said frankly. “But I don’t mind it a bit. I’d much rather be here working hard than relaxing back in the ripening tent, waiting for the shaman to decide I’m ready for cutting.”

  “Do they really…cut women between their legs?” Lizabeth still could hardly believe it.

  “Oh, yes madam!” Anya said earnestly. “They have to.”

  “Have to?” Lizabeth shook her head. “What do you mean? Why would they have to do something so barbaric and evil?”

  “Well, because of the prophesy of course,” Anya said matter-of-factly. Closing her eyes, she recited in a slow, steady voice:

  * * *

  “The Snow Queen must be fair of face

  Filled with Beauty, Age, and Grace.

  When she is cut and her Blood flows,

  The Gods will save us from the Snows.

  And if the males do Breed her Well

  Gods save us from the Frozen Hell.

  In her belly Plant a Seed

  The Gods will Give us All we Need.”

  * * *

  “And…the Friezens—your people—really believe all that?” Lizabeth asked. “Do you believe it?”

  “Yes, madam.” Anya hung her head, looking sad and ashamed. “What Brut said about me being selfish was true. I know I should have stayed and let them make me the Snow Queen for the good of the people.” She looked at Lizabeth appealingly. “But I just couldn’t stand to be cut! I tried to make up my mind to it but the more I thought of it, the more frightened I got until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to run!”

  “You did the right thing,” Lizabeth assured her. “And I promise you this— your not being, uh, sacrificed…” She winced at the word. “Won’t make any difference one way or another to your people. You can’t control the weather or the crop yield by hurting someone—that’s not how things work.”

  Anya looked at her, wide-eyed. “Do you not believe in the Gods, then, where you come from, madam?”

  Lizabeth wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that. She herself wasn’t a big believer in any kind of deity, although she knew most of the Kindred aboard the Mother Ship were devout.

  “We Kindred believe in the Goddess—the Mother of All Life,” Lone said, coming to sit across the table from Lizabeth. “We revere all things female.” His face grew dark. “No just or loving deity would order that a female be mutilated and raped just to appease them.”

  “A female god?” Anya shook her head, as though she found the concept difficult to grasp. “I know that places like this…” She motioned at the Tower around them… “Where women are the rulers do exist but I never thought of a female god.”

  “The Goddess is just and loving, though we cannot always understand her motives or the reasons behind things that happen to us.” Lone spoke quietly. “I believe she brought us to you just at the right moment to save you, Anya. She would abhor the practice of female defilement and mutilation.”

  “Mayhap you’re right.” Anya bobbed her head thoughtfully. “Though my brother still says I should go back.”

  “Your brother?” Lizabeth frowned. “Who’s that?”

  “Why, it’s Karx, madam,” Anya said. “He who is the Mistress Superior’s Novice. He says like Brut did that I’m being selfish and I ought to go back and be the Snow Queen after all. But Mistress Verlandah, she won’t let him make me,” she added quickly. “I heard her tell him that they needed your credit too bad and as long as you wouldn’t hear of me being sent back, I couldn’t be sent.” She looked at Lizabeth fearfully. “You won’t let me be sent back, will you, madam? That’s why I begged to bring your breakfast tray today—I wanted to ask you myself in case Karx talked to you later on.”

  “Of course not! You’re staying right here,” Lizabeth said firmly. She was shocked, both at the fact that Karx was Anya’s brother and that he would advocate sending his own sister back to torture, rape, and possible death. What a bastard!

  “Oh, thank you, madam!” Anya exclaimed gratefully. “Thank you a hundred, thousand times! I feel ever so much better now.”

  “My Lady will not allow you to be hurt or sent away,” Lone said quietly. “She is an advocate for justice—it is both her profession and her calling.” He smiled at Lizabeth as he spoke. “And she is very, very good at her work. If your life is in her hands, you have nothing to fear.”

  Anya looked at him wonderingly.

  “Karx said all you Kindred were female-worshipers,” she said wonderingly. “I didn’t really understand that before, but now I see it must be true. You don’t just bow and scrape and degrade yourself by licking her, uh, female bits just so you can stay out of the cold.” She blushed as she nodded at Lizabeth. “You truly care for her, don’t you?”

  “Very much.” Lone took Lizabeth’s hand and leaned down to press a soft, hot kiss to the backs of her fingers. “And pleasuring my Lady with my mouth is not a debasement—it is an honor.”

  Lizabeth began to feel her cheeks get warm.

  “Lone…” she murmured.

  “That’s not how my people see it at all,” Anya said frankly. “Karx won’t never be accepted back into our tribe again—even if he wanted to go back, he couldn’t. Because it’s known to us that up here a male has to lick and kiss female bits or he isn’t allowed to stay. The shaman says it’s the worse shame a male can suffer, being made lower than a female that is—and us lower than dirt. Begging your pardon, madam, and I hope I don’t offend you,” she added, looking at Lizabeth.

  “I’m not offended,” Lizabeth said quietly. “Just a little sad that your people feel that way. You’re not ‘lower than dirt’ because you’re female, Anya. Women have worth too—the same worth as men.”

  “Not in my tribe they don’t,” Anya said soberly. “We’re not fit for nothing but meeting a male’s needs and bearing children—and even then we’re considered worthless if the ones we bear are all female.”

  “Females are not worthless—nothing could be further from the truth!” Lone exclaimed, looking genuinely upset. “Someone ought to teach your tribe their true worth.”

  “Ah, but they wouldn’t listen to you, sir.” Anya shook her head dolefully. “Not when they know you’re a Novice and you lower yourself to serve a female with your tongue, as you do.”

  “We Kindred believe there is a bit of the Goddess in every female,” Lone said firmly. He looked at Lizabeth, his gray eyes filled with emotion and his voice dropped to a soft growl. “And that spark of divinity is well worth worshiping—with our tongues and in other ways as well. As I long to worship my Mistress.”

  “Lone…” Lizabeth murmured, feeling her heart start to pound. She knew he was just playing the part of her devoted Novice but did he have to play it so well?

  “Well sir, madam, I’d better go now and serve the others.” Anya bobbed a little bow to them. “Thank you again for saving me and not sending me back down the mountains to be the Snow Queen. I’ll be grateful all my days and if ever there’s something I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Thank you, Anya—that’s very kind. I’m glad you’re settli