“The maids come and mind me every now and then,” the old priestess murmured. “And of course, the Ascending Priestess Superior comes to give me my medicine. They’re all good enough girls but they aren’t as sweet as you.”
“Maybe they’ll let me come back and see you again more often,” Elli said. She finished tidying the old woman’s hair and smiled as she put the brush back. “Do you want a sip of water?” She knew the Priestess Superior’s mouth got dry from the pain medication she was on.
“Bless you, child—yes, please!” the Priestess Superior whispered. “I’ve been laying here thinking how thirsty I am but I don’t have the strength to hold the glass.”
“They ought to be checking you more often!” Elli said indignantly, picking up the half-full glass of water with its glass straw. Carefully, she lifted the old lady’s head so that she could sip as much as she wanted and then laid her gently back down again.
“Much better.” The old Priestess Superior sighed contentedly. “Now I can let the medicine work and drift off to sleep.” She squeezed Elli’s hand. “Thank you, child. You’re a blessing to me and I call the blessings of the Goddess down on you.”
“Thank you, Priestess Superior.” Elli squeezed back very gently. She refused to add “Descending” to the old woman’s title. It was cruel enough that she was dying, forgotten and alone in this back bedchamber, without reminding her of her lost status.
“You take care now, child,” the old woman whispered, her eyes fluttering closed. “And don’t worry about what to do—the Goddess will guide you. She has promised me she will.”
“What?” Elli frowned. “Guide me where, Priestess Superior?”
But the old woman had finally sunk into sleep and Elli’s only answer was a gentle snore.
“Goodbye then,” Elli whispered, placing the withered hand gently back on the old woman’s chest. “I hope I see you again before…” She gulped back sudden tears. “Before the end,” she finally managed to get out in a choked voice. The Descending Priestess Superior reminded her so much of her own grandmother, that it was almost like losing her all over again.
Sniffing back her tears, she prepared to go back across the hall and wait for the Ascending Priestess Superior. She wondered what punishment awaited her and tried to swallow down the nervous lump in her throat.
But honestly, what else could they do that they hadn’t already done? She’d had a week of seclusion already where she was locked in her room all day and night with nothing to do but meditate, and now she was going to be scrubbing toilets all day. What could be worse than that?
“Nothing, I hope,” Elli muttered to herself in a low voice. She put her hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it when she heard voices in the hall outside.
“Hurry up, Beedra!” That was the brisk, cold, no-nonsense voice of the Ascending Priestess Superior talking to her assistant—a plump priestess who looked sad every time Elli saw her. Probably because she used to work for the Descending Priestess Superior, who was much nicer.
“Yes, Priestess Superior,” Beedra’s voice could be heard saying. She always sounded like she was out of breath, probably from keeping up with the tall, whip-thin head priestess.
“Now then—what’s on the agenda for today?” The Priestess Superior asked, right outside the door.
Elli held her breath, hoping she wouldn’t open the bedchamber door to check on the Descending Priestess Superior. But she needn’t have worried—the Ascending Priestess Superior seemed much too busy to bother with the dying old lady.
“You’re meant to have a sentencing session with that novice—the one who led the others astray and got them all to sneak out of their rooms and go to the humans’ Christmas party,” Beedra said quickly.
Elli clenched her fists in indignation. She had not been the leader of the gang! She hadn’t even suggested going to the party in the first place. It was Kylin who had been talking about how bright and exciting the party would be and then Lelki had said she wished she could see it and then somehow the three of them had started making plans but Elli certainly hadn’t suggested it. She—
“Well, she’s late!” The Ascending Priestess Superior’s voice cut into Elli’s frustrated thoughts. “Let’s wait in the office for her and move on to the second order of business in the meantime.”
The office door opened and closed and Elli breathed a sigh of relief. Now she could sneak out of the Descending Priestess Superior’s room and knock on the door of the office as though she was just coming in.
She did just that, closing the bedchamber door with excruciating care so as not to make a sound and coming to stand in front of the office door. But just as she was raising her hand to knock, she heard the Ascending Priestess Superior’s voice again, raised in anger and irritation this time.