Blood Ties

Chapter 5: Nadia

Nadia's sandalled feet flew along the cobblestoned path as she tore along the winding Milonan streets, through narrow alleys and between skinny townhouses that leaned and tilted against one another like old, drunken friends. Somewhere along the way, she had lost Ilyas and Jack. Or, perhaps they had simply fallen into the task of herding the rest of the priestesses away from the pyre. She pulled her clothing more tightly around herself as she felt the stone walls scrape and catch at the fabric, like even the buildings themselves were trying to trap her between them. Nadia shook off the sense of unease that clung to her as unshakably as her constant layers of clothing, finally making it to one of the temple's many secret entrances. She pushed open the wooden trapdoor, landing in a root cellar that was the source of their food and sometimes the storage place for the fuel they used to burn their sacrifices.

She pushed a sack of potatoes away from her body, carefully making her way through a tunnel that had been carved out through the bags of turnips, carrots, and yams. Clambering over the lumpy, misshapen linen sacks, she found a rope ladder that led up to a circular wooden panel with a handle on it. Nadia yanked open the door, climbing up the ladder, her fingers protected from the gritty fibres of the rope by her gloves. When she had pulled herself out of the cellar, she shut the trap door behind her and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily in short gasps. 

"Nadia Sancta," a matron said, hurrying over to her. One of the new women who had recently begun working there, with sharp green eyes and frizzy white hair half-hidden by a cloak. She wore an emerald pendant around her neck, the verdant stone gleaming in the wan sunlight that came through the circular skylight above them. "Hurry to the sanctuary. We are sending all the priestesses to there to stay safe."

She nodded, squeezing the woman's hands in her own. Her breathing slowed. "Thank you, Matron. I'll go there now."

"Hurry, child." The matron dropped her hands. "Ruin shall befall us soon enough."

Nadia ignored her premonition because to think too much of it might break her. Instead, she darted toward the sanctuary. It was in the centermost area of the temple, which had been built like a labyrinth. The sleeping rooms were on the uppermost floors, with windows because they had been built on the edges of the towers, with balconies to look down on the ritual rooms. Then, the sacrifices were carried out beneath the sleeping chambers. Underneath the courtyards for sacrifices, an intricate system of underground rooms had been built to hide secret weapons, treasure, and, of course, the priestesses in times of danger.

As she travelled in a literal downward spiral, she began to feel caged. Like she was a rabbit in the woods, hopping into a trap set out by greedy hunters. It was only when she reached the sanctuary and flung open its heavy wooden door that she realized the matron's last words had been eerily similar to the last line of her curse. Ruin shall befall us, it has been agreed. Nadia shoved on the heavy sanctuary door, the wood solid and firm against her shoulder as she turned the handle and made her way inside.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed throughout the sanctuary.

Carved sculptures of now-deceased matrons lined the walls; their pupil-less eyes made from white stone seemed to stare down at her. Each one of them was slightly smaller than life, which should have made them seem less threatening, but instead, the sight reminded her of a swarm of insects or rats--something small, but far from deadly. Her breath formed clouds in the chilly, underground room and the heat from the flickering sconces clouded the few small windows. She was suddenly grateful for the layers of clothing she always donned like armour.

At the centre of the sanctuary, a raised dais held an altar for sacrifices, with a golden censer on it. The dais was on the lowest level of the room; the statues were mounted on the walls like trophies, while steps of various heights grew gradually deeper as one neared the centre. Its design mimicked the rest of the temple, like a microcosm of the larger universe.

Usually, the steps would be filled with priestesses watching one of the matrons burn incense or the room would be filled with chanting voices as they recited a blessing. But today, no one was there. She stiffened, pulling her cloak more tightly around her body as a shudder ran down her spine. Why had she listened to that green-eyed matron with the ominous words? What kind of witch or sorceress had snuck into the temple to cause havoc? Yet, if she were a stranger, how did she know her name?

She wandered closer and closer to the altar as she pondered the questions, feeling drawn to it. Every priestess took oaths when they were bound to the temple. Every one of them swore to protect the temple to their dying breath, and those oaths could manifest themselves in manifold ways from the stories Nadia had heard. Each fibre of her body now was thrumming with that magic, with those promises. Something was wrong. Something was wrong... she had to do something. She had to fulfill her vow to the temple. But how?

Nadia touched the altar and the golden censer, breathing in the mingled scents of sage and mint and thyme. She picked up the censer. The altar was a simple circular table with a pole as a stand, covered in the ingredients for rituals: herbs, matchsticks, a candelabra. She lit one of the candles by instinct and recited a prayer. O stars, that I might have clarity and wisdom in this troubled sea, that the Northern star would light my path. A second candle lit up, though she had blown out the matchstick and candle only moments prior. She jumped back, stumbling a bit. What was happening?

Slowly, every candle on the candelabra lit up. Then, the altar sunk into the tiled floor, leaving only a hole in its place. She yelped in spite of herself, then sat down on a step, peering into the space that the altar table had left behind. It was a tunnel, and she could see the flickering lights of candles that had been on the candelabra. A staircase leading to the stars knew where. Had her prayers been answered? 

Standing up and snatching one of the sconces off the wall, she gathered her skirts with the other hand and slid into the tunnel. Her feet landed on solid stone steps with a thump and with the help of the candles and torch, she realized where she was. Gold and silver shown with iridescent sheens and lined the walls, glittering and gleaming. The other priestesses had spoken for many years of a vault that was hidden beneath the sanctuary, filled with vast arrays of priceless treasure. She was in the vault. Not trapped, but secure, perhaps.

Safe from what? What danger threatens me now, she wondered. Then, she heard pounding footsteps, like the sound of an army passing over, and realized what was happening. The pyre. The escape. The temple... Was an attack on Milona itself taking place? Her heart soared in her chest, restricting her airway as she struggled to breathe. What was happening to the only home she had ever known?

As Nadia tried not to panic, she realized that she had been wrong. No one was trying to trap her in the sanctuary. They had wanted to protect her from the dreadful fate that was about to open up and swallow her whole.