“Iam here, High Priestess,” she said in a low voice. “I am…am ready to make mysacrifice to the Goddess.”
“Verygood.” Betina gave her a cold look. “Attendants, bring forth the sacrificialimplements.”
Twolesser priestesses brought forward a small stone pedestal and set it beforeTrin. On it were a short, sharp knife, a heavy cleaver and a long silverneedle.
“Choose,”Betina told her. “What will you give to the Goddess to show your remorse?”
“I…”Trin’s mouth was suddenly dry, her heart pounding. Though she had been tryingto reconcile herself to the sacrifice all night, now that the moment was athand, she felt sick and faint.
I can do this, shethought and forced herself to take a step forward, closer to the instruments ofpain and sacrifice. I have to do this. I have to.
Herhand hovered over the three instruments, pausing first over the needle…then theknife…and at last settling on the cleaver.
A finger, shethought, hefting it in one sweaty palm. Mylittle finger on my left hand. It shouldn’t be too hard to chop off. The bladelooks really sharp…
“Stop!”The voice from the back of the cavernous sanctuary startled everyone—even thehigh priestess.
“Whodares interrupt the sacred Ceremony of Sacrifice?” She looked up, her blackeyes narrowing in anger.
“Onehas come who offers to take the Defiled One’s punishment.” It was a greaterpriestess speaking—one who was ranked only a step below Betina herself, Trinsaw. She wore the deep purple robe of her station and behind her came anotherhooded figure—a huge, silent shape cloaked in scarlet.
Allaround her Trin heard the priestesses whispering among themselves.
“Ascarlet robe—a scarlet robe!”
“Itcan’t be! They wouldn’t dare to bring one here—not here to the inner sanctum!”
“Itmust be—no other may wear the scarlet robe.”
“Buthere? Before the statue of theGoddess?”
Trinhad no idea what the scarlet robe symbolized but she could tell from the sizeof the figure and the sheer breath of the shoulders beneath the robe that itcould not be female. Not a female from any planet or species she knew, atleast.
“Renish,what is the meaning of this?” Betina demanded, addressing the greaterpriestess. “How dare you interrupt? How dare you bring a scarlet robed one intothe inner sanctum of the Goddess?”
“Icould not help it, Your Holiness.” The greater priestess shrugged. “He invokedthe Law of Transference, saying he wished to take the blame of the Defiled Oneupon himself.”
“He—shesaid he!” ran the whispers throughthe ranks of the wide-eyed lesser priestesses. “The greater priestess hasactually brought a male into theinner sanctum!”
Betina’seyes narrowed further, her nostrils flared and her lips became a thin red line.When she spoke, it was with barely controlled rage.
“Andwho is this male who knows so much aboutour laws?”
Theperson beneath the scarlet robe threw back his hood and Trin saw him clearly. Thrace.
“It’sme,” he said simply, looking at Trin. “It’s me, Trin—I came for you.”
Trinfelt as though her heart had somehow lodged itself in her throat and itwouldn’t go down no matter how hard she swallowed. Thrace…here in the temple…how couldit be? He was wearing his black leather pants and the red cloak but somethingelse caught her eye as well. The slave collar Lady Tam-tam had given them—theone with the silvery-blue gems in it—was still visible around his strongthroat. He had never taken it off.
“I…Itold you not to follow me,” she croaked.
Heshrugged, his broad shoulder rolling.
“Forgiveme for disobeying, Mistress, but I had to come.”
“Enoughspeech!” the high priestess declared. “Male, you say you wish to take theDefiled One’s shame upon yourself?”
“Ido,” Thracesaid firmly.
“Anddo you understand that the shame requires a sacrifice?”
“Iknow that too.” He nodded. “I am fully prepared to—”
“Wait!”Trin’s mother was suddenly pushing her way to the front of the crowd ofassembled priestesses. “Wait!” she cried again, her eyes flashing. “Are youactually allowing this? This male—heis the very one who…who defiled my daughter in the first place! He should notbe here no matter what law he invoked—he is male.”
Thrace took astep forward and looked at Trin’s mother.
“Iknow how your people feel about males,” he rumbled. “It’s not much differentfrom how my own people, the Havoc, feel about females. We take a vow when wereach maturity never to bond with a female—never to give our hearts and soulsand tie ourselves to one. But your daughter, Trin, overcame my reservations andmy determination not to bond. She did that with her bravery, her loyalty, and hercompassion. She could have let me die in the slave auction at the Flesh Bazaarbut she didn’t—she saved me. For that and for all that she is, I love her and Ibelong to her.” He touched his collar briefly. “I am hers and I would doanything for her.”
Trinfelt like weeping at his speech.
“Oh,Thrace,”she whispered thickly. “It’s too much…you shouldn’t have come. I…I don’tdeserve such devotion.”
“Yes,you do.” He looked at her fiercely. “And I’m here to prove it.”
“Disgusting,”Trin’s mother pronounced before stalking back to her place at the back of thesanctum. But the assembled lesser priestesses seemed to have been affected bythe big Havoc’s words. The soft murmurs Trin heard from them sounded almostsympathetic. Several of them had their hands pressed to their hearts and werelooking back and forth between herself and Thrace. Clearly they had neverheard such eloquent, impassioned speech from a male before—or even believed itto be possible.
“Enough!”Betina’s voice was steely. “Let us get on with this. You, male—as I wassaying—if you agree to take the Defiled One’s shame upon yourself, you mustoffer a sacrifice. Specifically an eye or an ear or a finger of your choosing.”
“I’maware,” Thracesaid softly, looking at Trin. “I am more than willing to make the sacrifice ifit will clear Trin of all blame and shame and enable her to live a normallife.”
“Anormal life, you say?” Betina gave aharsh caw of laughter. “There is no normal life for a Defiled One. Not aftereveryone knows she has been defiled.”
“Butwill a sacrifice on my part pay for her sin?” Thrace demanded. “Will you at leasttell her she’s forgiven and absolve her of guilt?”
Betina’svoice was grudging when she answered. “The rules of the Goddess do say that a willing sacrifice pays forthe defilement.”
“Good.”Thracelifted his chin. “Then do it. I’m ready.”
Trin,who had been unable to make her mouth work during this exchange, finally foundher voice.
“Thrace,”she whispered. “Thrace,no. You can’t do this for me—I won’tlet you.”
Helooked at her, his silver-blue eyes blazing.
“Anythingfor you, Mistress,” he murmured. “Anything—even this. Especially this. I cannot see you maimed when I can take the hurton myself instead.”
“Verywell,” Betina snapped. “Let us get on with the ceremony, then. Bind the male! Iwill not take the chance of such a huge animal going berserk at the crucialmoment.”
Trinwatched numbly as two of the lesser priestesses forced Thrace to his knees and cuffed hiswrists together in front of him. The big Havoc made not a murmur of protest andallowed himself to be shackled without comment, even when one of thepriestesses put a choke-chain around his throat, just above the collar, andheld it like a leash.
“Now,Defiled One…” Betina motioned at Trin. “Choose which part of your lover you will sacrifice and make itquick.”
“You…youwant me to…to…cut…” Trin couldn’t getthe words out. Suddenly the frost around her brain thawed and she realized thatthe high priestess must have had this in mind from the beginning. Why else wouldshe bind Thraceso that he was incapable of completing the ceremony himself?