Crown in the Stars (20 page)

“Don’t you dare mimic me while our visitors are here. Father would beat us both.” Demamah checked a seam in the pale linen, then said, “I’m glad you haven’t lost your spirit; you’ve been so gloomy these past few days.”

“I’m bored,” Shoshannah admitted, tying down the last stitch on the sleeve. “I want to go outside, but I don’t want to see Adoniyram and his mother. Or that Rab-Mawg.”

“I don’t think he would have hurt you—he was only trying to frighten you.”

“Well, he succeeded.”

Softly, Demamah said, “Father knows you tried to escape because of Rab-Mawg.”

Easing her wrist, which still ached from the sprain, Shoshannah said, “Thank you for telling him. Is he still angry with you?”

“Not as long as I tell him your every thought. Listen: Tonight I’ll tell him that you think our Queen of the Heavens is ridiculous. And that you are gloomy and bored and longing to see your Ma’khole. I’ll also tell him that you’ve threatened to mimic me while our company is
here, and I’ll complain about it just a little. That ought to satisfy him.”

“Good. I’ll hush now.”

They smiled together, like two schemers, and bent over their sewing again.

“You forgot to tell your father that I don’t want to see Rab-Mawg,” Shoshannah muttered to Demamah as they slowly followed Ra-Anan up the tower stairs the next day.

“I did tell him,” Demamah protested beneath her breath. “But he apparently wants to see how you and Rab-Mawg deal with each other now. Also, I’m sure Father believes he’s being generous, allowing you such freedom so soon after your escape. You must try to be grateful.”

“This isn’t freedom; this is punishment! I think I’ll be sick right on Rab-Mawg’s feet. That’s how I’ll deal with him.”

Demamah’s brown-black eyes became huge. “You wouldn’t.”

“I should, but I’ll control myself.” “See that you do.”

“Yes, elder sister,” Shoshannah teased. But her smile faded as she continued up the steps. Why was Ra-Anan determined to have her meet Rab-Mawg today? Couldn’t he see that the priest was dangerous? Perhaps treacherous—which made him worse than Perek, who was trailing behind them.

Shoshannah exhaled, trying to calm herself. Ra-Anan expected her to climb these stairs and enter the temple with reverence, or at least an appearance of dignity; he would punish her if she misbehaved.

Entering the golden temple, she immediately broke into a chilled sweat. This was truly a place her parents and the Ancient Ones would never want her to visit. It felt… godless. Furtively, she wiped her damp palms on her gown as Ra-Anan greeted Rab-Mawg and the three attendant-priests, who bowed, hands folded, properly dignified.

Ra-Anan nodded, saying, “You have a new student. My niece must learn the customs of our Great City, our habits and ceremonies concerning the tower, and the ways of our Shemesh. She must also learn the signs in the stars.” Emphasizing each word distinctly, Ra-Anan added, “You will overcome any objections you might have to her character… and her parentage.”

What about my objections?
Shoshannah wanted to scream.

But Rab-Mawg and his fellow priests all bowed courteously. Rab-Mawg smiled. “As you say, Master Ra-Anan.”

Like one bestowing a great favor upon them, Ra-Anan said, “She will study here, properly attended, for two mornings a week, while I am meeting with the craftsmen and the builders. I will take great interest in her progress. Also, she will learn of the stars on nights when it is convenient to everyone.”

Again Rab-Mawg agreed pleasantly. Shoshannah thought he looked falsely gracious. Perhaps he was planning to kill her after all. To her despair, Ra-Anan said, “I will return by midday. Demamah, stay with her. Perek, make her behave.”

Perek bowed deeply as Ra-Anan passed him on the way out of the temple. Then he glowered at Shoshannah, obviously watching for any excuse to punish her. She flinched. Demamah put a cold hand on Shoshannah’s
arm, seeming as upset as Shoshannah felt. Rab-Mawg, however, behaved serenely.

Inclining his head toward Shoshannah, he said, “Lady, this new responsibility is unexpected, but not unwelcome. You must question us if there is anything you don’t understand—that is your duty as our student. However, our sacred temple is
not
the place to conduct lessons. Please, come with us.”

Still courteous, Rab-Mawg led them to an unfinished brick-and-bitumen room behind the temple. Shoshannah coughed, almost pinching her nose at the acrid-sharp odor coming from a smoldering stone brazier on a brick stand. The room’s murky atmosphere wasn’t helped by the full, thickly draped curtains hiding them from the main temple and from another adjoining room. Did these priests hate fresh air?

As Shoshannah wiped her stinging eyes, Rab-Mawg spoke to the three attending priests. “Ghez-ar, Ebed, do we have any food to offer our guests? Awkawn, bring some clay and reeds to record her lessons for today.” To Demamah and Shoshannah, he murmured politely, “Please, sit and rest while you wait.”

Nauseated, Shoshannah knelt beside the silent Demamah on a fleece-padded mat. Awkawn returned swiftly, bearing a clay trough filled with soft, pliable clay. From his pale woolen belt, he produced several oddly carved reed sticks and offered one to Shoshannah. She accepted the reed and a bit of soft clay, but not the bread or meat or cup of beer provided by Ghez-ar and Ebed. Demamah, too, refused their offer of food—which the priests would rightfully interpret as mistrust.

Rab-Mawg smiled, watching Shoshannah closely. “You are still frightened as a result of your last visit here,
Lady, but you need not be. I was only testing you.”

“That knife didn’t feel like a test to me,” Shoshannah said, trying to keep her voice and her gaze steady.

“Then I apologize for upsetting you.”

Seated beside Rab-Mawg, the stick-thin Ebed turned to Shoshannah, sounding wholly rational, almost kind. “We—his fellow priests—understand how formidable Rab-Mawg might appear or behave, Lady. He
was
testing you, but he has no intention of harming you. Nor do we.”

I don’t believe you
, Shoshannah thought.
I am sure you’ll turn against me like a pack of predators the instant I anger you
.

Kneeling opposite her, Ghez-ar leaned forward, his eyes gleaming in the muted light. “We are pleased to talk with you, Lady. We’ve heard that you visit the Ancient Ones. And we remember your mother riding through the streets of the Great City when we were children. At the time, she terrified us.”

“But my mother isn’t a terrifying person,” Shoshannah said, bemused. “The children of our tribe love her—and she adores them. Why did you fear her?”

“We preferred to live,” Awkawn answered, his thin mouth twisting scornfully. “We were told, as boys, that her touch meant death.”

Cautious, knowing they were probably devoted to the memory of the Great-King Nimr-Rada, Shoshannah said, “That death order was not her idea, or her fault. She cried when she told me about it.”

“Yes, I heard that you objected to it your first day in the Great City,” Rab-Mawg said, his tone dismissing talk of the Lady Keren and the death order and changing the subject. “Let’s resolve one thing immediately: If you are to be our student, you must be convinced you are safe here.” He produced his knife from a fold in his sash and cut one
of the flat loaves of bread into slender, precise strips. He ate a bit and offered some to Ebed, Ghez-ar, and Awkawn. Then he motioned to Shoshannah and Demamah. “Please, acknowledge peace with us. No one except Adoniyram has eaten here. We would be honored if you would share our food.”

And furious if we don’t
, Shoshannah thought. Demamah took a bit of the bread. Sighing inwardly, Shoshannah copied her gesture and ate the bread. It was dry and throat-cloggingly coarse. Trying to soften it—and recklessly deciding that if they meant to kill her, she would die anyway—she accepted a sip of their beer. It was as strong as anything I’ma-Ritspah had ever brewed for Father Ashkenaz. It was worse than the bread. Her eyes watered again, and she heard Demamah sigh miserably beside her. She would have laughed if she hadn’t been so nervous. She coughed instead.

“Will you live, Lady?” Awkawn inquired, his sharp face mocking, as he stood to pass some food to the brooding Perek.

Shoshannah nodded, unable to speak. She was actually sharing food with these temple priests. And she was going to be their student. Even more amazing, they seemed almost normal. Had she been wrong about them?

“Now that we’ve settled our misunderstanding, we will begin with matters of trade,” Rab-Mawg announced, twisting a piece of clay from the trough. He kneaded the clay briefly, flattened it, then briskly wielded his reed marker. “First, the symbol for water—which is most important—is signified by wavy lines, such as these…”

He passed his marked clay to Shoshannah. Not knowing what else to do, she copied his symbol for water onto her own bit of clay. Finished, she glanced up and realized
that Rab-Mawg’s three attendant-priests looked disappointed. Obviously, they had expected to talk with her about her mother. Or about the Ancient Ones and the death of Nimr-Rada.

You will have to wait
, Shoshannah told them silently. Perhaps they could discuss these things during future lessons. But why did she need lessons at all, unless Ra-Anan expected her to remain in the Great City indefinitely?

“This represents a stalk of barley,” Rab-Mawg said, marking it down as soon as he received his clay from her again. “These—two lines crossing within a protective circle—are sheep. A bowl means food. And six lines, all intersected as the rays of the sun, signify the heavens. We create tokens bearing these symbols for various items that are used by traders when they promise to exchange goods that must be delivered…”

He droned on, and Shoshannah struggled to remain attentive.

I’m going to be here forever
.

While they descended the tower steps, Demamah whispered, “I am sorry for you—having to endure those lessons two mornings a week.”

“You won’t come with me?” Shoshannah paused, disappointed, resenting the marked clay “lesson” in her hand. “Mithqah would have accompanied me no matter what.”

“In adventures, perhaps. But not for lessons from Rab-Mawg. I’m sure your dear Mithqah would agree with me. Ormah can go with you. And Perek.”

“Oh, thank you,” Shoshannah grumbled, though she
forgave Demamah instantly. Pattering down the stairs again, she asked, “Are we obligated to those priests now that we’ve eaten their food?”

“Not if Father forbids it,” Demamah said. “Though he will regard them as obligated to protect you while you’re in the temple.”

I hope they regard themselves as obligated
, Shoshannah thought.