Winlay talks to Sister Margaret

Her hands trembled as she returned the items to the sack and crawled under Mika's bed to replace the bag as close to how it had been hidden as she could remember. Would Mika notice that the contents had been shifted? In her heart Winlay knew that that it was Mika who was climbing the garden walls and that this sack belonged to her. But who was Mika?

Washing her face in the earthenware bowl under the small window and brushing her long chestnut waves before twisting her hair into a tidy braid, Winlay tried to hide the evidence of her midday misadventures. She walked briskly from the dormitory through the central courtyard and into the gardens. Sister Margaret was not in her workshop, but a pudgy brother in work stained clothes and several missing teeth happily pointed and grunted in response when she asked where she was.

Winlay followed the indicated path to one of the glass covered buildings, and spotted Sister Margaret's spry figure approaching from the inside. The two women met at the door, and in spite of Winlay's best attempts to keep a neutral face, Margaret immediately took her by the arm and marched her back to the privacy of her workshop.

"I'm guessing my request for your help was denied." The gray-haired sister commented as soon as the door was closed firmly behind them. "Is the High Priest keeping you in the Holy Palace?"

"I don't know." Winlay's voice was small and careful, not at all like the confident initiate she had been yesterday when she met Sister Margaret. "I left before he decided."

"Perhaps you should tell me about it, Sister Winlay." Margaret sat next to Winlay and gave her a hug of encouragement. "I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is."

The opportunity to tell her side of the story was too tempting to resist and with only a few pauses Winlay was able to relate the entire ordeal - even the shock of seeing the High Priest of Xelta's penis and her firm belief that he had been stroking himself as the two had talked.

"I don't know what he's going to do!" Only as she ended her tale did her voice crack with emotion. "Oh Xelta help me, I can't go back to him. I just can't!" Sister Margaret started to say something, but Winlay wasn't done "What if he asks me to kiss his hand in obedience, the same hand that he used to ..." She couldn't even speak the words, but she didn't have to. Sister Margaret wrapped her in a great hug and held her as her tears flowed freely again.

"First things first Sister Winlay, let's find a way to keep you from being summoned again." She climbed to her feet with sudden resolve and moved purposefully to the apothecary on her wall. "You are not well Sister." She told Winlay, "You may remember I mentioned that to you yesterday, but now I can see clear signs of both fever and confusion." Winlay stared at the kind sister in confusion, and Margaret took sympathy on her. "Not yet, maybe, but as soon as you drink this mixture," she motioned to the flask that she was holding in her hand "you will have all those symptoms and more."

"But..." Winlay paused and tried again. "How will me being sick help anything?" She tried not to sound whiney, but Sister Margaret was making no sense at all.

"Well dear" replied Margaret with a smile, "If you are in my infirmary, then you can't be released to attend the High Priest." Winlay was starting to understand. "Also if you are suffering from a high fever, your sudden departure from Beldan's interview might be explained. Best of all, he'll like it because the reliability of any future testimony you might make can be questioned because of your confused state." Margaret returned to Winlay placing a flask on the table. "Drink this. Do it quickly, it tastes awful." Winlay hesitated unsure of what to do. Margaret sensed her hesitation and encouraged her gently.

"The next few days won't be pleasant for you my dear, but I guarantee you that anyone who examines you will find your condition to be alarming." Margaret placed her hand on Winlay's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Hopefully the High Priest's attention will be turned elsewhere during that time. If not perhaps the illness will have left some devastating side effects that will change the High Priest's intentions for you."

Winlay still hesitated. If she drank the potion her troubles might be over, but some other poor initiate would have to deal with the High Priest's lusts. What if it were the tall blonde she saw leaving before her? Or Mika? Oh Crews! Winlay had to warn Mika before she met with the Priest tomorrow. And what about the sack with the odd contents secreted under Mika's bed?