by Jim Johnson
The older girl, Khebi, stirred a brush in a small limestone bowl, working up a thick gray lather of soap. She gestured to him to stand up, and he did, with the bowl of beer in one hand and his other hand left to scratch idly at whatever part of him needed scratching.
Khebi studied him from head to toe. "Will you be wanting a full shave tonight, Priest?"
Herikhet nodded as he drained the bowl and handed it, empty, to Iba, who took it and offered another one, this one filled with a dark amber liquid. He glanced at it then raised his hand in negation. "Have to pass on that one, my dear. I have to get some rest tonight before a lot of hard work tomorrow."
Iba glanced meaningfully at his half-erect manhood. "Does that mean you won't want company tonight?" She added a little half-bite to her lip for good measure.
He sighed. "I'm afraid not. I'd love to stay up and play, but I'll need all my strength tomorrow." He glanced at the two of them, and gestured toward their generous assets. "The two of you are real good at what you do and you'd wear this old man down to the nub if I wasn’t careful."
The girls traded a knowing look. Iba gave him one last smile and then left the room.
He sighed once more at the necessity of deferring his gratification, then focused on Khebi, who had the bowl of lathered soap in one hand and a straight razor in the other.
Khebi smirked. "Do I have your attention now?"
He glanced down at himself and blushed. "I daresay you do."
She giggled and then sat down in front of him and started to lather him up, from foot to knee, on up his thighs and to his groin. She started to work the blade on him carefully, gently removing all his hair. At one point she moved behind him to shave the backs of his legs and arms. As she shaved his back, someone behind him said, “Are you confident you’ll be unable to indulge this evening?”
He grinned without looking back. “Good evening, Madame Teteri.”
He heard her walk into the room. “I’ll take over, Khebi. Go on and tend to your other chores.”
He waited as they shifted positions and then he heard Khebi’s soft footfalls leave the room.
Teteri ran a soft hand along his back and resumed shaving him, taking her time to alternate rasps of the blade against his skin with soft kisses. He groaned low, determined to not succumb to her wiles.
At some point, she removed her thin linen dress and upped the stakes, tracing kisses along his body and brushing her warm body against his. Once she had finished carefully trimming his groin and belly, still mostly flat in spite of his regular consumption of good beer and good food, she ran a finger under his taint and glanced up at him.
He sighed deeply, then leaned down to take both her hands in his.
"Teteri, I'd love nothing more than to have you have your way with me tonight, but I really gotta get some sleep. That Ranger come in last night is in a bad way and I'm the only hope that man has of seeing another day."
She frowned prettily, but nodded her head and took up the razor and soap once more.
He spread his arms wide, giving her full access to the rest of his body. He chuckled at himself for the ridiculous picture he must present, arms and legs spread wide and his manhood pointing straightaway from his body.
Nothing she hadn’t seen before. He closed his eyes and thought of more mundane things as she lathered up his underarms and continued to shave him. She only occasionally brushed her naked body against his as she worked, adding another level of teasing and temptation to the evening, but not pressing the issue farther. She finished her work and rinsed him off before rubbing him thoroughly with a big fluffy towel.
He wrapped the towel around his body as something like a shield, and gently led her to the door of his room. "Right kind of you to take care of me tonight, Teteri. You're the damn best barber in this senet house and that's no lie."
She leaned over and nuzzled him on the neck. “Is that my only talent you think so highly of?
He snorted. “All that and more, you know that.” He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a passionate kiss. He held that moment, then forced himself to let her go. “I’m sore tempted to have my way with you tonight, but I really can’t. If I survive through tomorrow, though, look me up then.” He smiled. “I'll be full of fire and desire…"
She grinned and finished the popular ditty. "…and I'll lay with you until the dawning of the day." She batted her eyelashes. "How about a hot meal before bed, then, Heri? I’d welcome your company.”
His stomach made a little rumble in answer. “I think I can manage that much.” He reached out for her dress and handed it to her, then retrieved his kilt and donned it. He took her arm in his, and led her out of the room.
CHAPTER 10
“COME ON, PRETTY LADY. FOR YOUR sidelock, yes? Pretty hair ties?”
Ruia shrugged away the desperate man who waved a handful of baubles at her. “I said no, and I mean it. I don’t have any money to pay for them, anyway.”
He offered a listless swear and waved his hand at her again. “Away with you, then, ugly lady. Junal sell these tomorrow.” He closed his case of baubles and wandered away. Ruia sighed in exasperation and then worked her way through the small town toward the senet house.
She didn't really know why she was going back there since her fellow villagers were housed in that long tent. She could have stayed with them, or she could have gone to the temple and spent her evening with the Ranger and with her wounded friends.
Instead, she went to the senet house and its gorgeous tiled fountain in the center of the pillared hall, and the smells of its cooking. She realized that she felt out of place no matter where she went, and this place felt about as much as home as any other, now.
She wandered over to the pool and sat down on the blue and white tiled border surrounding the pool, and swirled her fingers inside the cool water. She made little ripples in the fountain that just barely touched the fragrant floating lotus blooms. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling tranquility starting to seep into her soul. After the harrowing days she'd had lately, this was an unexpected but welcome respite.
"Hey there, girlie. You're lookin' fine tonight." Hard steps on the tiled floor sounded harsh in her ears.
Her eyes snapped open and she found herself staring at one of the soldiers from the fort. He was tall, not as tall as the Ranger, but stockier. His greasy black hair was slicked over to one side in a soldier’s fashion.
She frowned up at him from her seat by the pool. "I'm sorry?"
He lifted the wineskin in his hands to his lips and took a big swig, belched, and leered at her with droplets of red wine trickling down his chin.
"You're a right pretty one, you are. I betcha you ain't been working here all that long." He leaned over and pinched her thigh through her thin dress. "Bet you're firm and fresh, just how I likes 'em. I like the sidelock too, even if you’re growing out of it."
She stared at him, injecting all the hardness she could muster in her soul into her gaze. He stared back with glassy eyes. She suspected he was well on the way to being drunk.
"I have no idea what you're talking about and no idea what you want. I suggest you find it elsewhere or you're going to regret it."
He made a little "o" with his mouth and breathed through it, sounding like a wheezing fish as he did so. "Hoo-hah, the little one has some spirit about her!" He yelled up toward the ceiling. "Hey Teteri! You've got a feisty one here!"
He reached out and grabbed her left bicep, and pulled her hard toward him. Her chest smashed up against him. Her pistol dug painfully into her chest and breasts. He smelled like bad wine, heavy garlic, and shit.
"C'mere, girl, and give me a little piece of you. My deben are stacked and shined."
She turned her head away from his stench and pushed herself off just far enough to bring her right foot up between his legs with as much strength as she could muster.
The effect was as satisfying as it was sudden. He made a huge whoofing sound of surprise, and paused there for
a moment, staring at her in silence. Then she saw the pain move in over his eyes and he clutched at his groin and slowly sagged to his knees, his butt, and then rolled over so that his forehead smacked into the lip of the pool.
He groaned loudly, moving his lips but unable to make any distinct words come out. Unsure of what else to do, Ruia backed off and ran up the stairs and down the carpeted hall toward what she thought of as her room.
The door at the end of the hall was open, and she rushed in and slammed the door shut behind her. Merow, who had been sleeping on her pillow, awoke with a start and sped up and out of the window in a black blur. She pressed her back against the door and heaved great breaths, laughing and sobbing at the same time.
She hoped that she didn't get into trouble. She'd kicked a boy like that once before, and the results hadn't been nearly as intense. She guessed she kicked harder now than she had when she had been a child.
Ruia caught her breath and then, not hearing anyone coming down the hallway after her, took a seat at the small vanity table. She stared into the nearby mirror, taking in her disheveled appearance and ratty-looking sidelock, and wondered what she was going to do about tomorrow.
It seemed as if few of the villagers were going to help her and the priest try to heal Tjety, and she had no idea if she and the priest and the priest's assistant, that snotty girl Usemi, would be enough to save him.
She moved over to the bed and flopped chest-first onto it, and grabbed one of the soft pillows and wrapped her arms around it. She buried her nose into it and smelled a light flowery scent that had been placed onto it at some point.
She wracked her brain looking for an answer until her stomach started to growl, then gave up when she realized all she was doing was spinning her head around and around like a dying fish flopping on the shore.
Merow jumped onto the small table next to the bed and trilled at her. She glanced at him. “Sorry for scaring you earlier. I didn’t know you liked to sleep in here.”
Merow sat and curled his tail around his paws, the white tip of it flicking slowly back and forth. She couldn’t help but reach out and pet him under the chin. He treated her to a slow purr in response.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do now, Merow.” She sighed as she sat back on the bed. “What I need is more information. I need to talk to that priest.”
She glanced outside the window and was surprised to see the sun had set and the moon had started its trek across the sky, bathing the town and the fort in a wan whitish glow.
She stood up and straightened her dress. She glanced at Merow. “Think we can find something to eat?” Merow stepped off the side table and back onto the pillow, and made a couple short circles before settling down. He looked at her with lazy eyes.
She snorted. “Fine. I’ll go look for something by myself.” She walked back out into the hall, hoping the cook might have some scraps she could beg for.
There were grunts and groans sounding from behind each of the doors, so she hurried down the hallway, uncomfortable with the feelings and thoughts those sounds sparked somewhere deep within her.
She went down the stairs and returned to the hall with the pool. That foul man she had kicked was nowhere to be seen. She hurried toward the dining and gaming area of the senet house, which was largely deserted. An older woman in a nice dress mopped the wooden floor near a pair of senet tables. A youngish soldier with a head bandage was slumped over one table, snoring quietly.
At another table, she was surprised to see Teteri leaned in close to the priest, Herikhet, who looked weary but happy to have a bowl of wine near his hands and a plate of fat olives in front of him.
They were engaged in quiet conversation, and every now and then Teteri reached over and rested her hand on his forearm. It was clear that the two were on familiar terms.
Ruia glanced around the clean room, taking in the more modest paintings and the clean stonework lining the base of the walls.
The cleaning lady glanced over toward her. "Workers are supposed to be…oh. I'm sorry." She hurried over to Ruia. "I thought you were one of ours." She pointed at her rheumy eyes. "My sight ain’t what it used to be."
"No offense taken. I was wondering if I could beg for some bread or water."
From the table beyond, Teteri and Herikhet had turned to look at her. Teteri said, "There will be no begging under my roof, Opal. Bring the girl a plate of food and a bowl of watered-down wine."
Opal nodded deferentially to Teteri and then hurried off. Teteri stretched out a hand toward Ruia and then gestured to the cushions on the floor next to the table she shared with Herikhet. "Come, Ruia. Please join us. The priest and I were just talking about you and your friends."
Ruia frowned a little at that, but willingly joined them. She nodded at Teteri as she reached the table. "You're very kind, Teteri. I thank you again for your hospitality."
Teteri waved off the compliment, and Ruia wasn't sure if it was because she was genuinely unconcerned, or if she was putting on a show for the priest.
"It's nothing at all, my dear. I have extra rooms and plenty of food to share. I'm happy to help, though I wish I could do more. I know that you have a lot of friends in that tent near the fort."
Ruia glanced at the bowl of olives. She could smell the oil from across the table. Her mouth watered. They were a rare delicacy in her village and here was a whole bowl of them, just sitting there.
Herikhet smiled and pushed the bowl toward her. "Go on, girl. Eat something."
She didn't have to be told twice. She reached out and plucked a dark green olive of the top of the pile and stuck it in her mouth. The salty sweetness of the oil coated her tongue and then she bit into the flesh of the olive and sighed at the sharp flavor mixed with the oil. Delicious.
She bit down harder but her teeth clacked against the pit in the center. She carefully worked the olive around in her mouth with her teeth and tongue, stripping off the flesh around the hard pit. She sucked the pit as she pulled it out of her mouth and placed it on the table in front of her.
She smiled in appreciation at Teteri. "We hardly ever get olives in the village. They're very good."
Teteri smiled and tore off a chunk of seedy bread and handed it to her. "They better be. They traveled a long way to get here. They came into town a couple months ago through that horrible trader, Pepi.” She spat his name. “I’m sure he charged me three times what he paid for them."
Herikhet chuckled into his bowl of wine. "How'd he get you to pay such a high price? You're usually too wily to pay anything more than double."
She slapped his arm playfully. "I don't know, Heri, I really don't."
Ruia's eyebrows rose at Teteri’s familiar name for the priest, but focused on filling her mouth with olives as fast as she could eat the flesh off the pits. She was ravenous and those olives were about the best things she had ever eaten.
Teteri said, "I've always had a soft spot for that man. I can't explain it. He just…has a way about him."
Herikhet snorted and placed his half-empty bowl on the table. "Haven't heard you say that too many times. Figured you had all us men figured out."
She leveled her gaze on him and fluttered her eyelashes at him. Ruia watched with wide eyes, clueless as to whatever they were playing at. She finished off the last olive. She glanced sadly into the bowl but then saw that there was a little pool of oil at the bottom. She used her heel of bread to sop that up and ate that as well. She thought about licking the bowl clean, but thought that might be pushing things too far.
Fortunately, Opal showed up with a platter of morsels and a bowl of thin red wine. She placed the platter onto the table and then glanced at Teteri.
"Will there be anything else, Madame?"
Teteri shook her head. "No, Opal. That will do. Thank you. Could you please make sure Ruia's room is ready for her?" She passed a look over Ruia's body. "I believe she'll be staying with us tonight. Please have a hot bath drawn for her first thing in the morning."
; Opal nodded again and then bowed before turning around and leaving the room.
Ruia glanced at Herikhet. “I thought priests weren’t supposed to visit senet houses.”
Herikhet snorted. “Even us old priests need to have a little bit of relaxation from time to time.”
“They do, indeed.” Teteri rested her hand on Herikhet's. "But, to business. Is there anything I can do to help you tomorrow?"
Herikhet scratched under his chin, which Ruia now noticed was clean-shaven save for that bushy mustache. In fact, the priest looked like he had just recently been shaved. Other than his mustache, she couldn't see a hint of hair anywhere on his body.
Herikhet stared into his wine bowl for a few heartbeats in silence, then glanced at Ruia. "That kind of depends on the villagers. Did you have a chance to talk to your friends?"
Ruia nodded as she dug into the cold roast duck on the platter. "I did. I left them arguing about what they want to do now that we've made it to the fort."
"I can imagine.” Teteri shook her head. “It must be hard knowing you don't have a home to go back to."
Herikhet shot her a look and Ruia stared at her, then dropped the roast duck, suddenly guilty to be eating so well when she didn't know what her friends were eating.
Ruia picked up a small towel off the platter and used it to wipe her fingers. "It is hard, and my friends don't know what to do. Some of them are appreciative of what Tjety did for us, but the rest are either afraid or not willing to help any more, feeling that they need to help themselves first." She focused on Herikhet. "I'm not sure any of them will be willing to help us tomorrow."
Herikhet turned his gaze toward Teteri. "Then I guess I might need your help after all, my dear."
Teteri focused on him. "How can I help?"
"Well," he drawled, "I can't ask you to help personally since you have this place to run, but if you have any lads or ladies you can spare, I could use their support."
