clutching the pile of clothes. Should she lay them down and go to him?
âCome,â he now ordered, and she stumbled from behind the curtains, aware that every eye now tracked her progress as she made her way to Father Joshua's side. âLay the clothing down,â he said, and she did as she was told.
She felt so vulnerable in her plain linen gown, the bloody cross now dried and dark upon her chest. Father Joshua stepped up behind her, taking her by the shoulders to position her right before the figure of the Lamb. âKneel,â he said.
Her face heating and her stomach turning over, she knelt.
âSister Maryam, we welcome you to the Holy City, and call on you to obey the Lord's every whim. Each of us must carry out His plans with humility and grace.â He rested a hand upon her shoulder and she struggled not to tremble beneath his grip. âWill you, Sister Maryam, meek and lowly in heartâ¦â
The words were almost the same as Brother James had spokenin the chapel that morning: ââ¦be gentle and unresisting as our sweet Lamb, all the time surrendering your will to we Holy Fathers who have blessed you with our presence and worked with the Lord to save you from the Tribulation's wrath?â
She nodded, not daring to raise her focus from the floor. âI will.â
âAmen,â the crowd responded. Behind her, Father Joshua seemed to shift away, and she heard the pouring of liquid. He returned, passed a silver cup to her, and whispered hot breathy words into her ear. âDrink this right down, and don't stop until it's all gone.â
She raised the gleaming silver cup to her lips. The liquid inside smelt bitter and burned her throat as she forced it down. Once swallowed, it smouldered deep inside her gut.
The congregation broke into the familiar song. â When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?⦠â But Maryam's head started to fog, and she found it hard to follow the words. Something was not right. Somethingâ¦
âArise,â Father Joshua now said, and she wobbled as she tried to stand. The drink! Whatever it was made from, it muddied her thinking and stole her natural sense of balance. âAre you ready, Sister Maryam, to live out your fate?â
âI am,â she croaked, forcing her assent out through a thick sea fog. She risked glancing upward, trying to pick Rebekah's comforting face out in the crowd. But the faces swam before her and she could not focus as far back as the serversâ seats. Instead, she found herself staring straight into the stark blue eyes of Joseph. Quickly, she looked away.
âAs the Lord has gifted you this glorious new life, we strip away the memories of your past.â Father Joshua hooked bothhis hands into the collar of her gown and, before she could react, tore the garment right down her back and flung it off into the crowd. She stood naked, apart from her underwear, and her arms instinctively rose to hide her breasts. âLower your arms,â Father Joshua hissed, and she fought back sobs as she obeyed.
âAmen! Amen!â The crowd erupted. Maryam hunched before them, ashamed, closing her eyes as their applause built and swelled inside her head. How could Father Joshua treat her so? She longed to run, to flee the hot humiliation that swept over her in dizzy waves.
Just as she thought she could stand the disgrace no longer, someoneâa woman, from her gentlenessâcame and dressed her once again. Maryam steadfastly refused to open her eyes until the strange new clothing, the black and white uniform she had brought, was in place. Then her gaze fell straight on the smirking face of the young man in the front row, the one who had helped Joseph.
âNow, Sister Maryam, recite the Rules,â Father Joshua ordered.
Maryam struggled against the befuddling effects of the drink. The Rules? She knew them back to front, did she not? But the words would not form clearly in her
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