struggled
to shake off the fire I’d stoked inside me. I rose from the bench when I heard
Tiro get off his zephyr and chastise the youngling who tended to his beast. I
feared seeing the master, knowing I was selected for him. I wondered if he knew
the goddess had chosen me.
“El!” He yelled for me as though I were a field’s
length away rather than a mere stick’s.
“Yes, master.”
“The keeper wants to see you in the silo,” he said.
“Hurry up!”
My whole body tingled when I heard Onine was there. Tal
was wrong, I knew it—I knew he hadn’t left. I hopped down from the cart
and ran up the slope with a speed that had my feet tripping on the stones of
the pathway through the golden brambles. I held the trim of my frock up so I
wouldn’t stumble and land face down before I reached the keeper.
The water pumps were stored in the slender tower at
the rear of the bathhouse. I’d only been inside the silo once when Minosh had
to speak to the sapient who tightened the valves. One of our tubs wasn’t
draining properly and we were expected to mend it ourselves. Minosh didn’t know
how to fix it at the time, so she asked the silo attendant to show her. When I
reached the door to the silo, I pulled the cord for that same attendant. When
he didn’t come, I pushed on the door. I thought Onine left it open for me since
it wasn’t locked. The tower was dark and quiet except for the whistling of the pipes.
I couldn’t see through the steam so I waited by the door where the eye’s light peeked
in through a crack.
“Keeper?” My voice sounded lost amidst the squealing
pipes. When he didn’t answer, I spoke his name into the darkness. “Onine?”
The pipes ceased screaming, as though on cue, and
that’s when I heard his tsk-tsk. “On a first name basis, are you?”
My knees locked. I felt like a firebug trapped in a
jar—frantic and caged, forced to glow. I knew how close he was when the
point of his stick stung my back. “Please don’t,” I said with nothing to lose. I
didn’t feel ashamed to beg for my salvation, willing to fight for my freedom,
my purity, my chastity.
“Do not speak,” the master said. “Your emotion is
repugnant.”
I tried to hide my fear but it came through in my
voice. I bit my bottom lip to keep from speaking again.
“Remove your frock.” I shook my head. “I am not
asking.” His voice was dull, all joviality having fled, and he stood so close
to me it sounded as if his mouth hovered at my ear.
“Don’t do this,” I whispered. “Please don’t do
this.”
“Do not speak, sapient.” I felt the slap of his
stick on the back of my thighs and I kneeled with the pain. “Stand up,” he
commanded.
I did and reached for the eyelets at the back of my
head to remove my veil.
“Not the veil, the frock.” He wanted to see my body.
“Show me what I have gained.”
The shame overwhelmed me but I obeyed and slowly pulled
at a sleeve. I tried to stall but he poked me with his stick and egged me on.
“No one is coming for you and I am impatient to see my prize, sapient.”
I freed my arm from one sleeve, baring it for my
master. My limbs shook so much it was difficult to slip off the other. Tiro
jabbed his stick into my lower back. “That’s it,” he said.
With both arms out of their sleeves, I reached up for
the pinafore overtop my frock and removed it and then pulled the frock down
slowly. I was bare beneath the veil that still covered my chest. My body was
nothing like a Venusian’s and I was horrified to show it. My hands dropped to
my sides and the entire frock slipped to the ground. I struggled to hold in my unwanted
tears. I didn’t know which was worse: the humiliation of being naked in front of
a Venusian or the anticipation of my immolation.
Blind as I was in the steam and darkness, I didn’t
know Tiro could see me. When I felt his stick on my stomach, and the veil rise,
I thought I’d die. I held my breath and closed my eyes. I saw Tal in the
to shake off the fire I’d stoked inside me. I rose from the bench when I heard
Tiro get off his zephyr and chastise the youngling who tended to his beast. I
feared seeing the master, knowing I was selected for him. I wondered if he knew
the goddess had chosen me.
“El!” He yelled for me as though I were a field’s
length away rather than a mere stick’s.
“Yes, master.”
“The keeper wants to see you in the silo,” he said.
“Hurry up!”
My whole body tingled when I heard Onine was there. Tal
was wrong, I knew it—I knew he hadn’t left. I hopped down from the cart
and ran up the slope with a speed that had my feet tripping on the stones of
the pathway through the golden brambles. I held the trim of my frock up so I
wouldn’t stumble and land face down before I reached the keeper.
The water pumps were stored in the slender tower at
the rear of the bathhouse. I’d only been inside the silo once when Minosh had
to speak to the sapient who tightened the valves. One of our tubs wasn’t
draining properly and we were expected to mend it ourselves. Minosh didn’t know
how to fix it at the time, so she asked the silo attendant to show her. When I
reached the door to the silo, I pulled the cord for that same attendant. When
he didn’t come, I pushed on the door. I thought Onine left it open for me since
it wasn’t locked. The tower was dark and quiet except for the whistling of the pipes.
I couldn’t see through the steam so I waited by the door where the eye’s light peeked
in through a crack.
“Keeper?” My voice sounded lost amidst the squealing
pipes. When he didn’t answer, I spoke his name into the darkness. “Onine?”
The pipes ceased screaming, as though on cue, and
that’s when I heard his tsk-tsk. “On a first name basis, are you?”
My knees locked. I felt like a firebug trapped in a
jar—frantic and caged, forced to glow. I knew how close he was when the
point of his stick stung my back. “Please don’t,” I said with nothing to lose. I
didn’t feel ashamed to beg for my salvation, willing to fight for my freedom,
my purity, my chastity.
“Do not speak,” the master said. “Your emotion is
repugnant.”
I tried to hide my fear but it came through in my
voice. I bit my bottom lip to keep from speaking again.
“Remove your frock.” I shook my head. “I am not
asking.” His voice was dull, all joviality having fled, and he stood so close
to me it sounded as if his mouth hovered at my ear.
“Don’t do this,” I whispered. “Please don’t do
this.”
“Do not speak, sapient.” I felt the slap of his
stick on the back of my thighs and I kneeled with the pain. “Stand up,” he
commanded.
I did and reached for the eyelets at the back of my
head to remove my veil.
“Not the veil, the frock.” He wanted to see my body.
“Show me what I have gained.”
The shame overwhelmed me but I obeyed and slowly pulled
at a sleeve. I tried to stall but he poked me with his stick and egged me on.
“No one is coming for you and I am impatient to see my prize, sapient.”
I freed my arm from one sleeve, baring it for my
master. My limbs shook so much it was difficult to slip off the other. Tiro
jabbed his stick into my lower back. “That’s it,” he said.
With both arms out of their sleeves, I reached up for
the pinafore overtop my frock and removed it and then pulled the frock down
slowly. I was bare beneath the veil that still covered my chest. My body was
nothing like a Venusian’s and I was horrified to show it. My hands dropped to
my sides and the entire frock slipped to the ground. I struggled to hold in my unwanted
tears. I didn’t know which was worse: the humiliation of being naked in front of
a Venusian or the anticipation of my immolation.
Blind as I was in the steam and darkness, I didn’t
know Tiro could see me. When I felt his stick on my stomach, and the veil rise,
I thought I’d die. I held my breath and closed my eyes. I saw Tal in the
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