Chapter 5

Writer's Note: Yep. It's going. Here's the next chapter. It's a longer one, just a warning. If there's any fourth wall break-throughs please ignore them. I need words and they could be interesting. If you've read the Bartameous Trilogy then it's kind of like that. There are also no more contractions and "not" is kind of funny in some ways and I didn't bother to correct it in some cases.

“Elishama, it is time to wake up,” a voice cut through my nightmare of drowning. My hand found the pearly white throat above me that was whispering my true name. Nobody but Mentor and Na knew it, and Mentor was dead. Na would not tell. She was duty bound as Head to never tell.
“Sama, how do you know what I am called by those who I trust and love?” I asked. Then it came back to me. My fingers slipped from the strangle hold and she fell to the floor, coughing and retching.
“I really did agree to be a Sacrifice,” I said and she nodded and a string of muttered curses followed, “at least it made the damned birds go away.”
“I do not know of any birds, damned or otherwise, but I was sent in here to feed and bathe you. The Sacrifice will happen in a week and a halves time and you are to be well fed, bathed and rested for the night,” she told me, sitting me up for the fist time in a week.
“So, will I be committing incest in a week and a halves time?” I asked, and the rag stilled on my back.
“No, no you will not. Ri never told you his last name, did he? It was Reed.”
“So not only did I lose my Mentor, I lost my father. My father. This is too much. An orphan for twenty years of my life then I find out my mother is a Beloved and I lived in my father’s house for so many years of my life and he never told me.” I began to laugh silently, head thrown back in a parody of humor, with tears streaming down my face. Sama let me laugh and cry myself out, until I was gagging.
“As the leader of the Beloved, I am duty bound to instruct you on what is going to happen. The day of the sacrifice, we will all come in and eat and bathe with you. That night, at the feast you will sit among the Priests but the one who will perform his duty first will be on your right and will be in physical contact the entire feast. He will feed you many delicacies thought to be aphrodisiacs. After that he will take you to your new home hut, where you will be sacrificed. You do know what that entails, correct? I assume you do at twenty,” I nodded, “After that you will join us as a full member. As a woman who is extending the offering of all past and present Beloved, do you wish for the drug that let’s you escape your body and feel no pain, know no entry?”
“I do not,” I said strongly, “I will know and feel exactly what is going on. I have never allowed anything to befuddle my senses, even when getting stitches or a bone set. I will do this with the dignity and strength of my Warrior upbringing, and the only dignity I can give myself on that night.” Sama nodded, surprised.
“I believe you are the fist to refuse,” she said.
“I will not leave myself to avoid pain.”

“Come, women, let us usher another to be a Beloved,” called Sama to the others. They entered with simple yet sumptuous foods and teas, along with bathing tubs and pitchers of hot water. I would not be the only one visited tonight, and they needed to look and smell their best.
I joined the festivities stony faced. From everything I had heard the other Priests were a good lot, who truly believed in the cause. They were gentle and were good at pleasing the women as well as themselves. Das was not like that in the least. He enjoyed causing pain and leaving himself behind in a woman and on her. All understood my lack of joviality but were overjoyed at the fact they got to interact with the tribe again. I could not fault them.
Sometimes I wonder if it is all the sexual repression you have had to endure to make you write all these sex or rape scenes. Seriously, every freaking story.
Hey, shut up. There is nothing I can do about it and this is plausible. You know it is, otherwise I would not write it in.
Fine, I will give you that. It is just curious, though.
“It is time to go ladies,” called a Warrior who was to escort us. Sama walked up to me and gripped my shoulders.
“Are you sure that you do not wish for the drug?” she asked, and all heads turned to me in shock. I suppose Sama had not told them of my decision.
“I am sure of it. Let us proceed to our reward,” I told them and gestured to the door and the Warrior. I was supposed to exit last. They nodded and filed through the door.
When I stepped through the door I flinched — it was the fist time I had seen sun in weeks. A hand gripped my elbow and helped me step forward blindly. When my eyes adjusted I noticed it was Na. If anyone would have noticed my hesitation it would’ve been the birds and the hut again. She had saved me once again.
“It is time for the dancing,” announced Das, with whom I had spent a very uncomfortable feast with him pressed against me and feeding me my most hated foods. I was forced to eat off his fingers or end up back in the hut.
“Let us be merry,” declared the Priest to my left. It was traditionally the time the sacrifice was taken off and used. I felt the tug at my arm and heard the giggles and crude jokes of all those who watched us go. They were pleased it was me, and that their daughters were safe for another year. Betrothals could be made in that time, new pairs created so they were forever safe from the far reaching arms of God.

“Finally, finally I get to have you. You are mine, I get to take you,” he muttered, throwing me on to the bed. Hurriedly he started stripping down and that was when I noticed something that snapped my memory back to that night. He was one of those Priests who wore pieces of wood on his feet in order to give penance for his sins. It explained those weird tracks by the Orin and the fact that he reached Mentor before me or the Warriors. He couldn’t run fast with those blocks. He rarely walked anymore. My anger, seething at this moment around my plans burst forth. I icily stared him in his fevered eyes.
Wow, this is so anti climatic in so many ways. There should have been so much more build to this but nope. One paragraph, that is all you give it. Omg, you killed my father. I must now punish you.
Shut up. Maybe I can give it more justice in December.
And I icily stared him in his fevered eyes? How much more purple could that prose get? Seriously.
Okay, let’s just get back to the story, m ‘kay?
“You killed my father,” I accused. He stopped cold and his eyes narrowed.
Just saying, sounds like a line from Star Wars.
“Yes, I killed Ri, and now I am taking the last thing that was special to him. His daughter. Now strip,” I did not move, which was not nearly quickly enough for him. He leapt onto me, tearing at my robes. The training the Warriors had given to me came in handy. I brought my legs up between us and pushed him off, kicking at all the soft parts I could reach. I managed to connect with his gut and he curled around the point. Next, I yanked the garroting wire from its hiding place and pulled it tight around his throat, dragging him back to the bed and wrapping the wire around the posts. I quickly ripped strips from the blankets and tied the rest of him down and gagged him. I watched as he struggled like a fish on a line, pulling the wire tighter and tighter about his neck, blood soaking into the sheets. When he finally stopped, exhausted from lack of air and blood loss I stood and pulled out my knife that I had hidden so long ago. His eyes widened at the sight of it.
“Oh yes, you thought that I was helpless and lost, did you not? Truthfully I could have managed to subdue you without the weapons but this is so much more painful and long lasting for you. Anyways, I managed to sneak these weapons out under everyone’s noses and now I’m going to prove to you that some people are never prey. There are some people you can not break or control. Now I will leave the marks on your skin so everybody knows what you are,” I told his pale, shocked face, and then carved his hated name into the skin of his forehead — J-U-D-A-S.
“Now everyone can know you are a treacherous bastard who would sell the son, or daughter, of God for his own selfish pleasure. For one day the Orin may rise again to avenge their daughter. Your head, that is a gift from me, but what I am going to do next, is a gift from God and from the Beloved for all the pain you’ve caused women over these many, many years. It has not gone unnoticed, Judas,” I told him, and then cut his pants off his body. His member was shriveled and tucked as far up as possible. Das began to struggle again like a madman, attempting to break free before I cut him open.
SERIOUSLY!? What the fuck, dude? What the fuck.
I am writing a sort of vengeance in for all the women who have been raped. It makes sense.
“Now, now Das, the more you struggle the more likely it is for me to accidentally cut it off,” he fell deathly still instantly, “besides, you are obviously enjoying it. I mean, does not ‘no’ mean ‘yes’? Does not your struggling mean that you want it more? People, especially men, know that pain makes pleasure. That is what you told all those poor girls whose bodies only tried to keep her out of more pain.” I started cutting and he screamed as loudly as possible around his gag. It was not enough to alert anyone outside though. His back arched from the pain, the only possible writhing he could allow himself to do to keep me from “slipping”. I finished the last ring and stepped back, admiring my handiwork when I heard a hiss at the door. I turned and saw all the Beloved at the hut door, waiting for me. I turned back to Das, walked over and punched both his ears. His eyes rolled back into his head and he was out.
Now, I know that is a good way to knock some one out but it just writes awkwardly. I do not know how to fix that, but you need to find one. Obviously, since you are the writer here.
“You did not kill him, did you?” Sama asked me once we reached the woods beyond the village. I found out they had their own secret passageways, which was good as they all glowed in the dark with their white clothing and skin.
“No I did not,” I told them and saw a few looked crestfallen, “I know, it has been said that I am a murderer but I have never done it, and will avoid it at all costs. If you are worried about him harming you just tell him that as daughters of God and the Orin you are protected. Besides, he should not be able to get it up again around all the pain of the scars that will bind his member,” I said and smiled at them, “all of you have the strength to stop anyone who would try to hurt you. Do not ever hesitate to call on the Warriors either. They are there to protect you but can not if you do not say anything to them.”
“Speaking of Warriors, the Head sent this with us to give to you. She said to tell you there is long trip provisions and all the weaponry that you’ll need,” Sama undoubtedly repeated Na’s words to me, handing over the pack.
“Thank you for passing this on, and extend my gratitude to the Head. She is as much my friend as all of you are,” I told them.
“Run far and fast. I do not know how long we can keep this quiet. Bury those blood – stained clothes as deep as you can as well. Go with grace and courage. Do not worry about us; we know how to deal with men like Das, especially now that you have taken him down a few pegs. One last question, how did you know the things he had said and done to us? None of us told anybody outside of our group,” Sama asked, and I could see the question burning in the blushes on all of their faces.
“I had many sleepless nights, Beloved. The tribe did not like me or Ri so we would do most of our work in the dark, solitude and quiet of night. It is amazing how well sound travels across silence. I just wish I could have helped you sooner.” They all came up and kissed me goodbye. Sama was the last one. She reached up and kissed me the way a mother does, in the middle of the forehead right under the hairline. Over my internal jubilation I heard the gasps. All of the Beloved now knew the truth. It burned deep in my gut that just as I found my family I lost them, but I knew I must leave. My story must become legend. I turned and disappeared in the trees. Before the turned and left I called to them.
“No more should he be known as Priest, but only as Judas. He may keep his position but no longer have the power it grants him. May he live the rest of his live celibate and in true devotion to his God that he fears. When he dies, spread his ashes to the Orin and spread my story to the other Beloved and Warriors. May the always know who to protect.” With that I ran away from my home of twenty years.How wonderfully epic. And kind of a rip off from batman, do you think? She needs to become a legend. How sweet and freaking epic.