Divine Evolution (2021 Watty Awards Shortlist)

CHAPTER TWENTY

That night, for the first time in two weeks, she didn't dream about Niko. However it was mostly because she couldn't sleep as nerves kept her awake. Whenever she started to drift, she'd jerk awake with an anxious start, worried about all the things that might go wrong tomorrow. When the temple priests came for her at first light, they found her sitting on the edge of her already made bed, hands folded in her lap, dressed and ready to go.

She followed them into the courtyard. Phaedra and Thalia were brought out in a similar fashion a few moments later. Both looked as awake as she did, each dressed in loose white shifts, their hair unbound from their customary braids. She noticed with some surprise that both Phaedra's and Thalia's hair flowed to their ankles. How had the women carried around so much weight on their heads? Her own hair only reached the middle of her back yet if she'd had the chance, she might have hacked it off completely.

High Priest Diocles and the chamberlain Theopelis were waiting for them in the courtyard. They looked over each woman and if Diocles's eyes lingered on her a moment too long, Cyann pretended not to notice it.

"The morning's offering to the god Apollo was found pleasing and events will proceed as normal," Lord Diocles murmured. Cyann frowned, knowing it meant they'd slaughtered yet another goat, looked at its intestines, and somehow decided today would be an auspicious day. She wasn't sure what bothered her more—the unnecessary animal cruelty, the wastefulness of potential food, or the sheer pointlessness of an offering to a deity who didn't exist. In her two weeks at the temple, she'd seen an endless parade of animals slaughtered in the name of worship and it still made no sense to her. But ritual slaughter was so ingrained into every aspect of the Hellenes' religious life, she wasn't certain how to stop it.

"Pilgrims are already waiting. Proceed to the spring," Diocles continued, waving them onward with a sweep of his arm.

This was the part Cyann had been dreading—bathing in the spring. It ran behind the temple and from it, they collected their drinking and washing water. Today, they would have to bathe in it, the act witnessed by all of the pilgrims. From her hair to her feet, everything would be washed. The pilgrims would follow with their own cleansing ritual afterward, though most only washed their hair. Or if the temple priests considered the pilgrims truly unclean, then just their hands.

And the worst part was she'd be completely naked during the whole process. Everyone would see her and there was nowhere to hide. Pilgrims came from all over to watch the Pythia be ritually cleansed and made fit to speak the words of Apollo. If she wanted to get out of it? Impossible. There was no way to avoid the public bathing—not if she wanted to continue in this role. And she had to; everything depended on the next few hours.

So the whole troop of them left the house and hiked barefoot up to the spring. A large crowd had already gathered, their quiet murmurs raising to the level of soft growl once she, Phaedra, and Thalia were spotted. Cyann felt herself tremble, overwhelmed by so many people watching her, all congregating around the footpath to the spring. And it seemed the more she dreaded it, the shorter the walk became until it seemed she was already standing on the edge of the ravine, the clear stream bubbling at her feet.

On either side of her was an older priestess—one of the many men and women who served at the temple of Apollo. With deft hands, they unfastened her shift before Cyann could protest. She'd known this was coming, had done her best to mentally ready herself, but she was still paralyzed with fear. Nudity may be commonplace in Hellas especially during their religious ceremonies, but nothing could have prepared her for this. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her body, but that for most of her life, she'd tried to stay hidden and out of sight. She was Wraithborn and a nonperson, purposely overlooked and ignored. And now... Now I'm truly on display for the all the world to see.