Goda's Slave (Lesbian, Dystopia, LGBT Fantasy)

Chapter 6: A Headless Snake

"Rem." Goda's voice was husky and low, and the edges of the word were swallowed by the wind. "Priestess Rem," she corrected herself.

The woman in the black robe had fixed her gaze on Goda, to the point that it made Kanna wonder if she had even noticed anyone else. "My dear Goda, don't act so tense," she said, still smiling. "I've already seen you twice today, and I haven't lashed out at you yet, have I?"

Goda did not reply. Her face was emotionless—but just behind her, Parama had cowered, his posture tense with enough panic for the both of them.

"Goda Brahm." The priestess drew closer. Her steps were so soft and deliberate that it made her seem like she was hovering more than walking. "The name tastes a bit strange to me after all this time. Then again, maybe it really hasn't been so long. You look exactly the same."

"It's been nine years."

"Has it? Then I've lost track. When you're in the presence of the Goddess, time falls away. There is only one eternal moment, and you're left without any thoughts of the past, so you forgive everything." Her eyes traced the whole of Goda's face. "Even the worst things."

Kanna jumped when the priestess finally moved, but the woman did not strike out, and she merely pushed onward after she caught Parama's gaze, as if she were expecting Kanna and Goda to make way for her. Kanna quickly shuffled to the side to avoid any touch.

Goda instead leaned in front of the young man. The movement was subtle, smooth, barely more than a shrug--but Goda's body was massive enough that even this blocked the path of the priestess.

"Ah, still the same Goda, I see," the woman murmured with a trace of unfriendly amusement. "Always the troublemaker, aren't we? Step aside and let me see the boy's beautiful face."

But before Goda could either give in or refuse, Parama emerged from behind her and sheepishly approached his master. Priestess Rem took the sides of his face in a pair of thickly-gloved hands, her stare as stern as it was parental in its intensity. It made Kanna twist with sympathetic discomfort; had she known nothing else about them, she could have easily assumed that she was witnessing a mother about to scold her son.

"My boy," the priestess told him, her gaze squarely meeting his, "have you brought shame to every one of your masters in this way, or is it simply that I have yet to deserve your respect? Why are you wandering alone in the middle of the night with two strange women?"

"They're not strangers, Mistress. I'm friends with Porter Goda."

A twitch came over the priestess's face. It was so brief that Kanna barely caught it. "Ah, is that so? Well then, playtime is over. You'll have dinner with us at the temple, and then you'll go to your cabin alone and turn in for the night. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

Parama fidgeted a little against her touch. "I was going to eat dinner with Porter Goda. We caught a snake."

"A snake?" Her eyes fell on the limp, scaly rope that hung around Goda's neck. "So I see. But a serpent is unclean for a temple worker to eat. You may not be a clergy member, but I encourage you to follow our standards nonetheless."

Goda rudely pressed a hand to the crown of Parama's head. Her fingers lay spread, just a hair's touch from where the tips of the priestess's gloves rested at the boy's temples.

"He helped me kill it," she said. "Are you going to deprive the boy of his fair share, Priestess?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. Her hands tightened against Parama's face, and because his skin was smooth and alive, the harsh leather gloves looked strange pressed to it. "You feed your slave, Goda, and I'll feed mine." Her smile had not faded.