The Priestess

by Amethyst Gray

  Néma and Messima disembarked at the wharf, carefully ensuring their footing before heading towards the elegant bridge of orichalcum alloy shining golden in the autumnal sunshine, its filigree patterns and dolphin rail end looking particularly bright today.

  At the plaza, the Temple of the Light pyramid looked resplendent over the White marble precinct. Its golden capstone with sun disk rose High above them. The bright white limestone facing rose above the plaza many metres into the air. Just below the capstone and engraved in it was the sacred invocation of the sun god Amun-Ra. It stood out with its bold painted letters in the original Atlantean text.

  Usually, Messima would leave Néma to do her chores or visit friends while she went directly to the main temple entrance, but today they stuck together and tagged along behind a group of tourists from the colonies.

  They were gasping at the quantities of rock incorporated into the temple structure. The companions followed just behind the group, only separating from it as they passed the side entry to the Priests’ Meeting chamber. There Messima dove in with Néma in tow. Checking that the coast was clear, she took off her backpack and her outer garments to reveal her priestly robes.

  “I will meet you back here in an hour or so. If I am late just pop back every few minutes until I come out.” Messima spoke softly and swiftly before hugging her concubine. “I love you.”

  Néma flushed in embarrassment. “I know. And I love you too. Good luck with your meeting.”

  Messima nodded, gave a quick wave and disappeared into the inner room.

  Inside the chamber, Arkan greeted Messima. “Greetings anointed one. I am chairing the meeting. We are not following normal formalities as these are not normal times. There are just thirteen of us, and not all of us are Keepers. The skulls have already chosen their guardians to take them into exile. The most widely recognised Keepers will have to stay behind to reassure the ruling council that nothing is awry.”

  “Greetings Arkan anointed Keeper. I understand.”

  “Let’s go into the skull chamber. Do you have The Waterman? “

  “Of course. He asked to be here.”

  “Then let’s make a start.” Arkan sounded grave.

  Messima placed The Waterman on the appropriate crystal plinth under the dome of the skull chamber.

  The quartz plinths of smooth, clear crystal contrasted with the roof and sides of the room with their many colours and structures. Yet despite the different types of crystals, the energy of the gems and the balance of the colours was truly spectacular and beautiful. It was a rainbow of crystals in energetic harmony that complemented the crystal skulls that it housed and formed part of the network of crystal stacks that powered the city.

  The Primary node of the pyramid and the city was a giant quartz crystal double point pointing up to the capstone of the pyramid and down to the skull chamber where it was directed at the plinth holding the master skull.

  The master skull spoke. “We are of one mind. The Waterman agrees with your summary of the facts Messima. The Annunaki or Watchers have charmed their way into a position of power over the Council. The throne will not act against the Council. Their power is diminished since the days of Poseidon. And if we act alone against The Watchers, we will further alienate the Council against us. We estimate that we have no more than three months before The Watchers have total control of the whole city and will move against us. We intend to replace ourselves with our replicas carefully. As I occupy the primary nodal position, I must remain until last since I can also mimic the actions and counsel of my siblings. Each of you assembled here are to be tasked with escaping with your skull and concealing it until the time is right to come out again in a new age of enlightenment. If The Watchers or their followers do intercept any of us, then the originating race may have to intervene directly. This would be unfortunate. Your skulls all have a separate plan of action in mind for you guardians. A cache of supplies will be sent to all of you nearer the time. You will be given enough wealth to book standard passage to your destinations for yourself and companion if you require to take them. However, we would caution against that unless your companion is proficient in mind blocking against the mind probes used by The Watchers. We will commence the deception one week from now, in ascending order of seniority. Messima and Arkan, you will be in the final wave as you are more likely to be missed. Are there any questions?”

  One of the trainee priests put up is hand and started to speak. “Can we return here after we have deposited our skull?”

  The Waterman answered him. “No. You must stay hidden at or near to your final destination, with no communication with anybody here. You will have to make a new life away from here. If necessary, you may need to make the ultimate sacrifice. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Though if you make it to the point chosen by your skull, you should be able to settle down with a native population. Your skull will teach you enough words that you can assimilate.”

  There were a few gasps around the chamber, but a lot of nodding at the end of it. The first two skulls were substituted by their guardian and placed in backpacks for their eventual onward journey. In effect, the last full council of the thirteen skulls had just taken place. Nobody could tell when, where or if there would ever be another one on the planet. Only time would tell.

  Messima took a long look around the chamber. So many memories during her years as a priestess. She packed The Waterman in the lead foil and put him in her backpack for the return journey.

  When she appeared outside and peered around, she found that Néma had just arrived and was inspecting a flask of wine that she had just purchased in the city. She immediately went up and hugged her companion.

  “What was that for?” she asked.

  “Oh, just for the time ahead. Nice wine. I think we may need that tonight.”

  “OK. Temple visit followed by wine the same evening. Strange times indeed.”

  Messima laughed and took Néma’s hand. It was time to go back to the wharf and get the ferry back home once more.

  XIII – Flight

  So it was that ten weeks after the council meeting in the great temple that Messima and Néma were packing for their journey into exile. Messima had spent many sessions teaching and testing Néma’s ability to hide her thoughts from the mind probes. Now she was adept.

  The Watchers suspected that something was going on as there were now citizen’s patrols with and without the presence of Watchers to stop and search people suspected of stirring up disorder. And often it was priests who were being monitored or harassed. Even here in Medina, Messima had been challenged by search teams. As she knew many of the people doing the patrols, she was able to talk her way out of the situations. So far, at least.

  The cover story was that Messima and Néma were going down to ‘Minor for the solstice celebrations. The passage was booked on the Nemesis with Captain Attlee once more. Néma thought that they were going there and had even knitted a pair of socks for both Joslin and Marnon. When her exuberant concubine showed Messima them, she smiled and congratulated her companion, but inside she felt sick to her stomach. The plan had changed.

  The Nemesis had taken on special high energy rations at its normal wharf. Those were destined to be unloaded with the two women at their final destination. Due to new travel restrictions, no unauthorised stops were permitted by ships throughout Atlantis, and all voyages had to be registered and scrutinized. The Nemesis with its regular trips to and from ‘Minor did not raise any suspicions. Not until now, anyway.

  The two women, dressed as artisans with warm cloaks and backpacks, were sat at the Medina pier a few minutes before the rendezvous. It had been a sad time to say goodbye to their tower and all of its memories.

  Messima had hugged each of her dolphin friends at the end of the final healing session two days previously. Néma knew that they might not be coming back anytime soon, but didn’t know that for sure. Only Messima and The Waterman knew the full plan.

  At the appointed time
the Nemesis appeared in view as the light was fading and veered over slowly to the wharf. The crew hastily lowered down a gangplank, and the two women ran up with their backpacks. As soon as they were aboard the cutter was underway again, veering back into the correct channel.

  “Hello, again, ladies. Next stop Peruvia, eh?” Captain Atlee divulged the final destination.

  “Peruvia? Don’t you mean ‘Minor?” Néma asked.

  “No, my sweet. The plan has changed. ‘Minor is swarming with The Watchers now. It is far too dangerous. We are going somewhere safer. Hopefully.”

  Néma scowled at Messima and stormed down to the cabin below. She was upset not to have been included in the final plan.

  Messima followed her. Néma slammed the door and locked it behind her. Messima tried the door and knocked on it to get a reply. “I am sorry, my love. I couldn’t take the risk of you knowing. I know you could stop mind probes, but if they had taken you into custody and drugged you who knows what they might have found out from you. It was for your safety too. But come out my darling, as I have a fantastic surprise for you. It’s shiny.”

  “Shiny? How shiny?”

  “Very.”

  Néma unlocked the door and came out. The tears had made her eyeliner run down her face. She wiped her cheeks and dried her tears.

  Messima got down on one knee and passed Néma a small box. “I have now officially left The Priesthood, so my vow not to marry is null and void. So, will you marry me?”

  “It’s beautiful.” Néma examined the ring that Messima had given to her. It was a thin gold band with a dolphin motif and emeralds together with amethyst gems set around it. Néma tried it on. It fitted perfectly. “Yes, I will marry you. But no more lies. Ever.”

  “I promise my darling. Shall we ask Captain Attlee to do us the honour?”

  “OK, then. But won’t your family be upset?”

  “I don’t think so. And we may well never see them again either. I hinted at that on my last meditation with Marnon. He suspects we have moved to plan ‘B’, I am sure.”

  Captain Atlee was only too willing to oblige. His teenage crush was never going to be his regardless. He took the simple service and watched as Messima produced a second matching ring for Néma to give to her. At the end, they stood kissing and holding hands for a full two minutes. Captain Attlee was blushing at the end of it.

  “Um, congratulations, ladies. We better get on with supper as I am expecting a swell later on as we beat across to the coast where you will be rendezvousing with your onward transport. Darry is a good guy, and I know that he has the skill to get you around the Cape to your destination.”

  Supper consisted of a delicious spider crab soup with crusty rolls and fresh grapes. Not quite a wedding feast, but indeed a tasty meal.

  The love birds retired to their cabin to enjoy their wedding night. The wind up on deck disguised most of their screams, though Bob did wink at the Captain during a lull in the storm when they heard some noises from below.

  The next morning the two women were looking a little tired when Captain Attlee brought down a plate of breakfast for them and knocked on their door. Messima had hastily put on her nightgown and collected the tray with a smile. “Thanks, Captain.”

  “That’s OK, Messima. We probably have two hours before we rendezvous with the Cutlass.”

  The women sat down and ate their breakfast together. Afterwards, they washed and dressed, ready for the transfer to the Cutlass.

  At around noon another ship came into sight. She was bigger than the Nemesis, but of a similar design. This was a colonial cutter with two separate crystal stacks and two wooden masts. Messima had never seen one herself as they tended to call at the northern ports on Atlantis. It was prepared for stack failure mid-voyage.

  The second ship was indeed the Cutlass, and the two crews signalled each other.

  After a few minutes of careful manoeuvring, the ships came together, and the men transferred the small items of cargo and the women’s luggage onto the Cutlass. Captain Darry briefly boarded the Nemesis to get his payment and to down a quick drink with his old friend Attlee. He greeted the ladies then hopped back to his ship before helping the two of them onto his boat. They thanked Attlee, then waved to him as he headed back to ‘Minor where he would be claiming a partial stack failure caused his late arrival.

  Captain Darry welcomed the couple aboard and showed them to their cabin. It was one of four this time, but the others appeared empty.

  “Well, ladies, we have a rough voyage ahead. The Cape is unlikely to be too forgiving, so you may need to sit tight for some of the time. The cabin has ship’s biscuits and wine in the store cupboard. I trust you can amuse yourselves for long periods below deck?”

  Messima and Néma turned to each other and sniggered, while Darry seemed puzzled.

  “OK. Supper is at five tonight. Then the next mealtime will depend upon the passage. We will get you over to your destination in about a week. It’s pretty bleak up there, but the coastal farmers are friendly enough. One or two of them even have Atlantean wives. You may be in luck.”

  Néma appeared a little annoyed at that comment, but Messima tried to calm things down. “Thanks, Captain. I guess we will see what occurs. But I don’t think we are in a hurry to settle down. We want to explore and maybe teach the locals a few things. We also want to visit the mountains while the weather is in our favour.”

  “As you wish. I can let you have our best chart of the area. Do you have a compass?”

  “Yes, I do. But the chart will be ideal. Thanks.”

  “My pleasure. You are Harmonie and Wenda I know, but who is who?”

  “I am Harmonie piped up Messima. Wenda and I go way back.”

  “Yes, we do.” Added Néma.

  “OK. If you need anything, I will be above deck. The galley is two doors down when it’s supper time. I am afraid it’s nothing special—pickled meat and biscuits. We don’t get many passengers. It’s mainly metals here. We pick up tin and bring in copper in exchange—occasional gold. I look forward to chatting later. See you then.”

  The companions practised their cover story and their new names. They also hid their wedding certificates just in case. By five o’clock they had it all straight, plus their matching ‘friendship’ rings.

  The Captain gave plenty of useful information on the area of Peruvia that the women were heading towards.

  After the meal, it was very rough for the next two days. The bucket got a fair amount of use by both women, and in quieter periods the lavatory too. The ships biscuits stayed untouched, though the wine did assist. They slept through the worst of it. It was too rough to be amorous, though staying hugging made them feel safer.

  The four quieter days they were able to go up on deck and enjoy different pickled meat dishes at mealtimes. The far offshore occasionally came into view to give them a sight of what we today know as Chile and southern Peru.

  On the seventh day, they were approaching land and their final destination, the fishing port of Callao as it is known today. There they could hire a guide or buy a donkey for their hike into the mountains. The Captain’s chart showed a trading route up into the hills, but it was several days hike away. With the lead foil off of The Waterman, he was able to advise on the best course of action. He suggested that they hire a guide to get to the first mountain town and buy a donkey plus provisions for the journey ahead.

  The ship berthed at the port and offloaded the companions on the coast of Peruvia. The Captain said his goodbyes and wished them the best of luck.

  At the market, The Waterman was able to telepathically tell Messima the words she needed to hire a guide and to buy a donkey too. A small collapsible yurt style tent was also purchased along with straw mats. At least the journey would be more comfortable.

  In reality, the nights may have been bearable, but the hike itself was arduous. The paths were often narrow, slippery or otherwise impassable. The guide helped them cut through one section of forest where a landsl
ide had wiped out the previous track. Thankfully large parts of the trek were well-trodden, and the first mountain settlement was reached after a week. They bid farewell to the guide and carried on towards the point chosen by The Waterman.

  After another gruelling week of travelling up and down mountain passes, they reached the fabled mountain.

  Here Messima left Néma with the donkey and climbed to the summit. The Waterman indicated a sunken cave to the edge of a screen wall near the summit. Messima jumped into it and was shocked to find a very decayed skeleton next to a ledge with a dark stain where a piece of leather had decomposed. It was presumably the skeleton of the shaman Apnu.

  “Here.” Said The Waterman. So Messima placed the crystal skull on the shelf, kissed it gently then wrapped it in the goatskin she had purchased at the mountain settlement under the skull’s orders.

  “Thank you, Messima. You have been a good Keeper. Now go and enjoy a good life down in a nearby valley. There is a matriarchal tribe that would require a healer and a carer such as you and Néma. I will stay awake long enough for you to learn their language and integrate with them. I have told the donkey the route. Now please cover this cave with the loose stones and rubble to hide me. One day, in another lifetime, we may meet again. Goodbye, Priestess.”

  Tears welled up in Messima’s eyes as she left the skull and covered him over with the loose stones and rocks. Soon enough, there was no trace of the cave.

  “Goodbye, my friend. Sleep well.”

  The Waterman was, of course, correct about the tribe. The two women were accepted into the group as healers and allowed to live together in a hut at the edge of the settlement. It wasn’t quite Atlantis, but it was now home.

  Some months after arriving there was a massively loud sound that came to them from the east. The ground shook for a few minutes before it settled down again. A violent storm waged for the next two days. Messima knew it was the destruction of Atlantis. She wept for her past life, then thanked Amun-Ra for their salvation.