Nothing too bad to start.

“Do you mock me on purpose, or are you really that stupid!?” High Priest Beldan snarled as he turned his back on her to send away the red-nosed clerk. She might be able to pull out her knife and slit the bastard's throat right now, but it would be a risky attempt with no chance of escape because of the two Holy Palace guardsmen who stood unobtrusively in the wings of the great hall watching and waiting with trained vigilance. Like the Palace guardsmen, Mika was trained in patience so instead of risking a rash attack, she waited as an army of servants arrived to transform the large working table into a lavish mid-day feast.

“Please your Holiness, Sister Winlay and I meant no disrespect.” Pleaded Mika trying to sound as meek and innocent as possible as she knelt on the cool tile. “It is all just so overwhelming.” The High Priest seemed somewhat appeased by her apology and he turned to examine her as she knelt at his feet. Mika was glad that the situation called for humility so she did not have to see his beady eyes leering at her.

“It is clear to me that you and Sister Winlay suffer from the sin of pride.” Beldan pronounced and Mika almost laughed aloud when she heard this puffed up blowfish accusing Sister Winlay of all people of pride.

“No your Holiness...” Mika corrected herself nervously “Yes, your Holiness, perhaps we were not attentive enough to the will of the Church.” Nearly all of Beldan's servants had disappeared as quickly as they had arrived until only two servers remained, an elderly man with a bottle of wine and and a large muscular serving man remained by the table perhaps as Beldan's personal guard.

Beldan moved back around the table with a waddling gait that reminded Mika of a cross between a old-earth penguin and a great bear. Thankfully once Beldan moved from her sight she could relax slightly opening her knees slightly and adjusting the hem of her robes to allow quicker access to her hidden knife.

“Bring a large silver laver with warm soapy water and rags.” Beldan told one of his servants and Mika saw the heavyset man move away. He was not a guard after all, Mika revised her estimation of the heavily muscled servant. She waited impatiently while the older serving man opened a wine bottle, then saw the second man leaving so only the guards remained to protect the High Priest. As Mika was calculating her chances of completing her mission and escaping alive, she was more confidant than at any time since being admitted to the High Priest's audience that she'd be able to kill the High Priest, but Mika was not ready to throw her life away if she didn't have to.

“Girl! Come here where I can see you.” The fat pig gave Mika an invitation to move into striking range, she knelt at his feet knowing that he was appraising her in almost the exact same way that she had been thinking about him. Or perhaps the High Priest was more careful than she had hoped, even as he pretended to look over the obscene amount of food that had been set before him, Mika sensed him watching her out of the corner of his eye.

“Sister Mika, are you too prideful to serve your High Priest his lunch?” Beldan's high pitched tone grated on her nerves, but she rose obediently to her feet and stepped closer to her target. She tried to gush eagerly as she approached him, but her disgust at the man and his misuse of his position in the church made the words sound inanely fake.

“Your Holiness, it would be a great honor.” If Beldan noticed her insincere flattery he didn't seem to mind. “My lord, what is your pleasure?” She asked as she stared at the spread of food laid out on the table. It was no wonder the man weighted more than 150 kilos! The High Priest pointed to the some beef lumps in cream sauce, roasted mushrooms, and a stuffed chicken breast with a caramel sheen. As Mika filled Beldan's plate she saw a serving maid enter unobtrusively through a concealed door with laver of water he had ordered. That concealed door looked like her most likely escape route.

Beldan grunted in satisfaction when the serving girl deposited the large steaming bowl on the table and fled back to the safety of the kitchens. He watched the young girl as she made her retreat and then turned back to Mika and presented his fat hands to her to be washed. It took every gram of determination that she had to assume the deferential role of a timid daughter of the church as she washed his fat ring covered fingers with the rose-scented water. She even ended her service by kissing each of his fingers as she dried his hands with the expensive linens provided. Beldan was almost drooling by the time she was done and she wondered how this disgusting blob of sick lechery ever rose to power in the church.

“Very well done my child.” He told her resting his hand on her shoulder and groped the muscles under her robes as he almost panted. “Now show you humility to the Church by washing my feet as I eat.” Mika happily slipped out from the High Priest's hold, for all his fat, there was strength in the man's grip and she had best not forget it. Beldan's feet were covered with embroidered slippers that were thankfully easy to pull from his feet. As she washed his feet Mika wondered why she didn't pull free the knife and end it right now. Hidden as she was Mika knew with nearly 100% certainty that she could cut deep into his femoral artery but still she hesitated.

It wasn't only that she feared her capture, although that was certainly part of her ****, she found it more difficult than she had expected to take a life. Any life, even one as foul and twisted as Beldan's was worth more than she had realized when the elders had been training her. It wasn't as though they hadn't tried to warn her either, it was just as she listened to them talk she had not believed that she would ever have trouble ending the life of an evil person. Mika believed her teachers now; it was far harder than she ever thought it would be. Mika was still struggling with her need to act when she heard High Priest Beldan speaking to her from above.

“The Church now believes you and Sister Winlay acted without malice.” Beldan pompously informed her as if it were not he that had made up his mind. “As such each of you will need only submit to a brief chastisement and this matter will be dropped without any permanent effect on your service.” His great chair slid back on the floor and her golden chance to end the High Priest's reign of terror on initiates with it.

Sister Mika crawled from under the table and knelt at his side crying in her frustration at failing her training and all the other initiates like Winlay that would have to suffer for her lack of resolve. “Thank-you Lord Beldan. I humbly submit to any punishment The Church deems proper.” She should have sliced him open while she had the chance! Mika crawled from under the table resting her hands on her thighs as she knelt at the bastard's feet. If he'd just take his eyes off her for a second she'd still have time to reach for her blade and drive it into his belly, but Beldan's attention was completely on her now, his hand cupped her cheek and if she made even the slightest move that tipped off her intentions he could crush her skull against the table. She had really screwed up.

Beldan was speaking again and she stopped her self criticism long enough to catch most of what he was saying.

“... your failure was childlike in its innocence, thus the punishment I must administer shall be that of a father to his child.” Mika felt a tremor of revulsion pass through her as she imagined Beldan being any poor girl's father. If Beldan noticed her involuntary trembling he was not deterred from his planned course of action.

“Do you agree my child that a spanking would be appropriate?” Mika lowered her eyes from his for a second; perhaps this would be the chance she needed to get the fat bastard alone after all. “I will discipline you today and then deal with the pretty Sister Winlay tomorrow.” The evil gleam in the High Priest's eyes when he mentioned Winlay was all the motivation Mika needed. What did she have to loose?

Mika nodded in humbly in compliance wondering if he'd take her to his chambers, or spank her right here in the great church hall. Either way, this time she'd have to act. As soon as the fat pig lifted her skirts he'd couldn't possibly miss the hidden sheath strapped to her thigh.