SWNOVELS Catching (Chapter 9)
Dunn:
I am on edge, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.
I have been standing in the square for nearly 20 minutes. It’s a nice square during the summer, with several tall lush trees, a pebble ground, a few benches, and a restaurant on one corner. Now the trees are bare and the people mulling about are sipping on hot drinks or smoking. It’s freezing cold even with my warm coat thrown over my thickest robes. It makes me think it will snow soon or at least freeze overnight.
I called a meeting this time, sending a letter to Hertliz and Barbin via a random errand boy- risky but I felt like I had to do it. In two days Maya gives her testimony as part of the hearings on the High Priest and we still don’t have a plan to protest her after her testimony.
She is already risking enough, I won’t let her testify without a plan for her safety.
“Master Priest”
I spin around. Luckily my co-conspirators listened to me and sent Senator Barbin’s secretary, Alex, instead of coming themselves. I just hope that my assumption that no one will recognize him is correct.
“Alex” I nod.
He looks relaxed and unconcerned as he strolls up to me. The goddess knows that is probably good since it draws less attention to us, but it makes me frown, this is not the time to let your guard down. He is wearing unusually casual day clothes for someone who works for a senator, but perhaps that is an attempt to throw people off?
“What is it you wanted to talk about, Master Priest?”
“Maya”
“The priestess? She’s not having second thoughts is she?”
I narrow my eyes at him. Is this really all they care about? Do they not recognize the risk she is taking? “No. I am concerned about her safety after her testimony”
Alex waves in the air as though he is swatting away the concern and I have to bite down to contain myself. “Don’t worry- she can come back to the Senator’s house to stay after her testimony”
He doesn’t understand the seriousness of the problem, “she is a priestess, Alex, she cannot simply stay at a house in the city. They will take her back- that is if a mob doesn’t get to her first”
“Sean did say something about sending her to some relative of theirs in another city, I didn’t catch where” He runs his hand through his thick brown hair styled in the messy style that is so popular among his age group- he is too young to be involved in such schemes.
This is what I was looking for, getting her away from here is best, “Find out the details and let me know. I want her out of here as soon as possible after her testimony”
It’s Alex’s turn to look uncomfortable, “It might be best if you don’t know the details, Master Priest, if they… you know… decide to interrogate you, you can’t give her up.” Alex then looks away from me to the far side of the square “Have you given any thought to yourself? You are living with her after all, they will ask questions”
He looks older and wiser at that moment, but I push away the concern. I’m not worried about myself, I know the risks of doing the goddess’ work. “The High Priest trusts me and I’ll pretend I know nothing. Besides, I need to stick around so that I can find more victims to testify”
Alex looks back at me interested, “how is that going by the way?”
I look down at the small stones near the hem of my robe, “Not well. Goddess knows I try, but the priestesses don’t trust me”
“We need more testimonies, soon, or this will all be for nothing”
I know, I know this, but this seems to be the sticking point in the plan. The priestesses won’t talk. Not only are they scared of the High Priest and I can’t blame them, but they don’t trust me. They don’t really know me-I’ve never let any of them get close, I never talked more than a few words to most of them preferring to keep my distance as if that keeps my hands free of the dirt of their exploitation.
I just hope I haven’t failed the goddess in my selfish desire to maintain distance. By avoiding her daughters I have put the cleaning of her house at risk.
“I realize-“
“Who is that?” Alex questions his voice rising unusually high.
I whip around. There standing next to a tree just a few meters away is Rachel. Her eyes wide in surprise of being caught, her plump lips slightly open, hugging her shawl to her body as if helps her disappear.
“Shit,” Alex said under his breathe.
I echo his thought in my head. How long was she listening? Alarms are going off in my head as I stare at her. I know I said I would do anything for the goddess’ mission and I knew it could come to killing someone if I had to. I just was hoping it wouldn’t come to that. I especially didn’t think it would be her- the woman I have been crushing on for the past however many months.
I feel dread in my soul at the thought, but I then push it away so I feel nothing but a numbness take over. It will do the goddess no good if I succumb to emotions now. In the end, I will look back on this as a regrettable stepping stone on the way to the goddess’ vision.
I take a deep breath, building up the courage to do what needs to be done.
“Go Alex, I will handle her”
*****
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