Early One Morning

by D. S.

  “May you travel safely and speedily to the Otherworld,” she murmured in Hebrew as she used her veil to carefully remove blood and spittle from his face. Tossing it toward Pontius’s feet, she took Yeshua’s head in her hands and added, “And remember me on the other side.”

  “I will forget you never.”

  Day of Jupiter – II

  When the sun rose, the tribunal was already lined up across the portico; Analenya to the prefect’s left and Julia to his right. After a bit of a wait, the guards had dragged in Yeshua, now clothed mockingly in a scarlet cape and crown of thorns. A second prisoner appeared behind him, one the guards called Barabbas. He was placed between the prefect and the Vestal, but not before he had cursed out the imperial priestess in colorful Aramaic.

  “How big of a moron are you?” Julia demanded. “Did you think I was too Roman to know your language?”

  “You’re not a priestess, you’re a fucking whore!” Barabbas spat. “The sun should be ashamed to shine upon you!”

  “We’re sorry, Domina!” A soldier came panting up and motioned to his buddies to haul the criminal away. “He’s usually an anarchist, not a misogynist!”

  “People of Jerusalem!” Pontius thundered suddenly. “I stand before you with two men, both of whom have reputations as enemies of the Empire. I will not repeat their crimes; for surely, you know to what I refer when I say ‘Barabbas’ and ‘Jesus of Nazareth’.

  “But I am feeling generous on this, the first day of your feast. Say his name and I will give one of these men his freedom.”

  “Barabbas!” several people shouted.

  “Barabbas?” Analenya repeated. “But why would you choose him? He starts riots and is a constant threat to your safety!”

  “We want Barabbas!”

  “Nice job pretending to defend Yeshua,” Julia muttered.

  “But what does Barabbas have that Jesus of Nazareth does not?” asked the prefect. “Surely, you want to free your king!”

  “We have no ruler but the Emperor Tiberius!”

  “Dominus Praefectus?” the Imperial Priestess put a hand on Pontius’s arm. “Dominus, listen!”

  He raised a hand for silence. Still, there was a soft cry toward the back of the courtyard.

  “Do you hear it?” Julia questioned. She focused her voice toward the back gate. “LOUDER!”

  “FREE JESUS!” The words were clearer now. “Free Jesus! He has done no wrong!”

  “Look, Dominus!” She pointed. “Is that the Nazarene’s mother?”

  He squinted. “How can you tell?”

  “What are you waiting for?” someone at the front of the crowd shouted. “Release Barabbas to us!”

  “Why?” asked Julia.

  “Why not?” Analenya countered.

  “Enough!” the prefect snapped. “Jacobus! Front and center!”

  Pontius conferred with his centurion for several minutes before gesturing him away.

  “Amnesty for Barabbas has been granted,” the prefect announced. “As for Jesus of Nazareth…”

  Three servants stepped forward with bowls of water and Julia’s breath caught in her throat.

  “I wash my hands of him and all that he stands for,” Pontius finished.

  “Goddess Isis, mother of us all…” Tears crept into her voice as she murmured her plea. “Forgive me for what I am about to do.”

  The Imperial Priestess plunged her hands into the bowl for a count of nine, then took the proffered towel.

  “Cleanse me this day of the blood of the rabbi and protect me from such travesties in the future.”

  No sooner had she finished her prayer than the prefect said,

  “Crucify him in the first hour of the afternoon.”

  Day of Jupiter – III

  Fingers lifted from Julia’s neck and a voice said, “If the Lady doesn’t wake soon, we’ll have to send to the prefect’s physician to figure out what he put into that draft.”

  “Whatever it takes,” replied a voice she was certain belonged to Livia. “I’ll not have a retired high priestess die on my watch!”

  “Why would you send to the prefect’s physician, anyway?” Julia’s eyes opened and quickly landed on Aurelia.

  “He dosed you with a sleeping draft,” the assistant healer explained as the current high priestess slipped out of the room. “He said you were up all night and had seen so much that he wanted to ensure you slept. You and the Chief Vestal were then sent back to your temples in litters with orders to leave you alone as long as possible.”

  Julia glanced around. “Why am I in Livia’s chamber?”

  “It is your chamber, My Lady.” The high priestess reappeared with the others in tow. “I refused to take residence until a full moon cycle had passed. Now that you have returned, you may take up the mantle of high priestess and I will return to my role as maiden.”

  “I’m afraid I’m no longer permitted to be a priestess.”

  Eight pairs of eyes widened and Julia thought she heard Sabrina and Claudia gasp.

  “Whatever the prefect did to you, it can be purified,” said Livia.

  Julia bit her lip. “But I think I enjoyed it!”

  Aliyah caught her gaze by Ziva catching her as she nearly keeled over.

  “As you have taught me, the law of the temple is not permitted to change without a unanimous vote,” Livia reminded her. “However, this time, I am exercising my autonomy as high priestess. It doesn’t matter if you had fifteen orgasms and enjoyed every second of it; I did not release you from your vows. Ergo, you were raped and will be purified with the proper rites and ceremonies.”

  “There’s more.”

  “Pregnancy doesn’t matter.”

  “It will,” Julia insisted. “Pontius Pilatus named me his Imperial Priestess. I am a slave in fact, if not in name. He will send for me in the third hour of the morning on the Day of Saturn.”

  “Marriage,” Aurelia murmured. When the other priestesses looked at her, she continued. “He intends to marry you, doesn’t he? I heard rumors, but until he returned you, I wasn’t certain.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Tatiana. “Roman law says he can raise the child to his knee and claim paternity. He has no need to marry her.”

  “Word in the marketplace says that Lady Claudia’s trip to Pompeii isn’t just a holiday,” the maiden explained. “It will take another few days for her retinue to reach the coast, but I have little doubt the prefect will send a message ahead to Herculaneum informing her of their divorce.”

  Day of Venus

  “My Lady, there is a woman in the courtyard who swears she will see only you,” announced Aliyah. “I told her that you were resting and that Lady Livia would be happy to see her, but she was adamant.”

  “I’ve rested enough,” Julia replied. “Send her in.”

  As soon as the priestess disappeared, Julia hopped out of bed, straightened the covers and fluffed the pillow. She had just finished stirring the brazier when Aliyah returned with a figure swathed in veils.

  “You may leave.”

  Aliyah hesitated, but the high priestess paid her no mind as she took a seat. When the girl left, Julia said,

  “What do you want of me?”

  “I want to apologize,” Maggie answered, peeling off her wraps. “What happened to our rabbi was no business of yours. You should not have been swept up in it.”

  “Pontius Pilatus only wanted me for my supposed connection to Josh that first day. After that—”

  Sabrina swept in with a tea tray, glowering at the high priestess.

  “You should be in bed, My Lady,” she said, filling a cup and passing it to Maggie.

  “I am tired, not bedridden,” Julia grumbled. “Allow me this, while I still have some freedoms left, hmm?”

  Sabrina shook her head, passed Julia the second cup and disappeared.

  “Goddess knows I’m already bought and paid for,” the high priestess added as she took a sip.

  “Am I missing something, Rabbi?�
��

  Julia’s eyes widened at Maggie’s use of the title, but the younger woman simply offered her a small smile.

  “The prefect’s house arrest didn’t last long. Soldiers came for me within a few hours, and when I say that Pilatus was ‘no longer interested in Josh’, I’m sure you know what I mean.”

  Maggie gasped and choked out her words. “He…violated…you?”

  “Perhaps you have heard that priestesses of faiths other than your own are expected to remain chaste,” Julia said after a moment. “This has been true in my order since before the time of Queen Nefertari.”

  “But even my people can be made clean in most situations! Even women who have recently had their moon blood—and they’re supposed to be the most impure of all!”

  “Livia offered to cleanse me. She said that even if I enjoyed every moment I spent with the prefect, she would use her power as high priestess to purify me and she would happily return to her previous role.”

  “But you refused her.”

  “I had no choice, Maggie,” Julia replied. “The prefect only allowed me to come back to the temple to say my goodbyes. The moment the guards come for me, I will be the Imperial Priestess of Judea, bound only to the wishes of Pontius Pilatus and the will of Rome.”

  “So you were complicit in the murder of our rabbi.”

  “I saw no reason to execute him,” the high priestess remonstrated. “The chief vestal…perhaps Josh ruined her image of the status quo. Pilatus may have been leaning toward exoneration—or more jail time, at the very least—but at heart, he was ambivalent.”

  “Then why was Josh killed?”

  “Your high priest was exceptionally…persuasive.” Julia emptied her cup and contemplated the pot. “Plus, I must admit; it is a little unnerving when the defendant tells the prosecution in no uncertain terms that no matter what we decide personally, we will still opt to crucify him.”

  Maggie was quiet for a moment. “How long had he known?”

  “I got the impression that it was quite a long time before that Day of Saturn.”

  The high priestess filled her cup and that of her guest before the latter spoke again.

  “I think he was in love with me.”

  “Would he have married you, had he lived?”

  “I don’t know,” Maggie admitted, taking a sip. “Sometimes, I thought he might, and others, I thought he was married to his ministry.”

  “What do you seek?” Julia asked at length.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You do not visit a Gentile priestess without intent, Mary Magdalene.”

  The younger woman sighed and put her cup down.

  “Sometimes I felt like an idiot, following him around. Most girls marry at fifteen or sixteen. When I was fifteen, I was doing my best to smarten myself up before tracking down the disciples. I spent my sixteenth birthday in camp.”

  She hesitated. “Now I’m twenty-three and in love with a man I can never have.”

  “If I thought you would take it, I would offer you a place in the temple.”

  “Aren’t I too old?”

  “You are never too old to enter into the service of the Goddess.” Julia smiled around her cup. “Just because there are some girls who are so eager to enter the temple that they come and act as little more than servants until the blossoming of their moon blood, doesn’t mean we would exclude a passionate woman like you.

  “But if it was marriage you wanted…maybe a dowry you lacked…I could arrange that, too.”

  “I should be thankful that I have the freedom to marry as I like,” Maggie said after a moment. “Once, I might have been worried about my age; but if you and the priestesses are willing to help me, just about any man may be willing to take me.”

  She bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Rabbi; I shouldn’t be talking of freedom. Do you suppose the prefect will marry you?”

  “I imagine he’ll have a soldier waiting to serve her with a divorce decree when she gets to Pompeii. As for me, I don’t know. Perhaps that was his intention in elevating me to Imperial Priestess—besides keeping me with him at all times, of course. Should I turn up pregnant in a few weeks…well, even better. At the prospect of a boy, he’ll be certain to marry me.”

  “If Josh were here, this wouldn’t be happening,” Maggie said with some certainty. “It doesn’t matter that you didn’t follow him…I know he would extend the courtesy of a fellow teacher and use whatever influence he had to ensure that you could continue to serve your goddess in peace.”

  She put her cup aside and rose. “I should go; but I thank you for your hospitality.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.” Julia got up to see her out. “You came here seeking solace, seeking answers, and I provided neither.”

  “You gave me reason to believe I was not a fool. When I was concerned that I had wasted my youth following a rebel, you reminded me that I was really following my heart. Now that I know I have the means to marry beyond whatever my parents can give me, I know I can find a good man; one whom I hope will support me in my efforts to spread Josh’s wisdom.” Maggie hugged the high priestess. “I hope you don’t think I’m too maudlin, but I would like to thank you for reminding me why I’m still alive.”

  Second Day of Saturn – I

  “Domina Julia, I am Mikel, the administrator while Dominus Pontius is in Hebron. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” To Julia’s surprise, Mikel took her hand in both of his and bowed deeply.

  “Is it true that I hold power as Flaminica Imperialis?”

  “Of course, Domina. Within reason.” He squeezed her hand and smiled. “Bear in mind, however, that the dominus might countermand what you order in his absence.”

  Julia gave him a false smile and cleverly wrenched her hand away. “Summon my staff to the second best guest chambers. I want to meet them immediately.”

  “The second best? But Domina, the dominus ordered us to prepare Domina Claudia’s chambers for you, in the event that you could not be persuaded to…ah…”

  “Sleep with him?” She shook her head. “That would be unseemly; just as it would be unseemly to use the chambers of the mistress of the domus when she is out.” They both knew that Claudia was “out” permanently, but neither saw any reason to broach the subject. “You will prepare me the second best chamber, as the workmen will be remodeling the best.

  “Which reminds me…summon the merchants who sell the finest rugs, furniture, clothing, jewelry…everything. I will not wear Claudia’s castoffs.”

  “Of course, Domina.” Mikel looked a little dazed and Julia did her best to hide her smile. Surely everyone thought that “imperial priestess” was a euphemism for “the prefect’s next wife” or simply “the imperial whore”, but until Pontius returned and changed the household’s mindset, Julia was intent on proving them wrong. Just as she was ready to give her next order, a familiar face arrived.

  “Domina Julia! How pleased I am to see you in Domus Pilatus!”

  “Good morning, Lucius,” the priestess replied with a great deal more warmth than earlier in the week. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “Our Dominus Praefectus assigned me to you; it is your pleasure I serve.”

  “Excellent.” She took his hand and glanced over her shoulder. “You’ll excuse us, Mikel…Lucius has expressed an interest in showing me to my chambers.”

  When they were well away from the administrator, Julia put her head down and murmured into Lucius’s ear.

  “I want to send a message. Several messages, in fact.”

  “To whom shall I send these missives, My Lady?” Lucius asked in perfect Aramaic.

  “The first message goes to every commanding officer in the province. No Jew is to be arrested or harmed unless they have committed an actual crime, such as trespassing or breaking curfew.”

  “Bold move, My Lady.”

  “The next is even bolder.” Julia looked around and nudged him into an alcove. “Send whomever you trust to Jesus of Nazareth�
�s apostles, including Mary Magdalene. Tell them to get out of Judea before the soldiers choose to disobey me. Or worse, the prefect returns to revoke my commands.”

  “I will send them in disguise, my Lady Priestess.”

  She nodded in agreement. “Those messengers should not look as if they have any connection to Domus Pilatus. If you can hire some of their fellow Jews to carry the messages, so much the better.”

  Second Day of Saturn – II

  Julia screamed so loud that half the household came running.

  “Domina! Domina, are you all right?” Mikel cried, careening into her chamber.

  “Oh, your beautiful hair!” Lucius slapped the nearest soldier. “Scoundrel!”

  “What is the meaning of this?” Mikel demanded. “Who gave you the authority to lay hands on the Flaminica Imperialis?”

  “The dominus praefectus ordered us to do it,” one of the soldiers said, rubbing his cheek. “He said, ‘don’t worry if she gets upset. The barber slave will fix it.’”

  “Then find the barber slave, stultus!” The injured man hurried out of the room and Mikel turned on his partner. “Why are you still standing here?”

  “I’m waiting for them.” He indicated a trio of slaves, who were hauling crates into the room. As the four of them watched, the slaves unpacked armor that was unusually identical to that of the prefect, save for sigils that indicated the wearer was a highly ranked tribune or some other officer. Everything was there—right down to the burgundy tunic and hobnailed boots.

  “You may go,” said a middle-aged man who barely came up to the priestess’s shoulder. As the soldiers and slaves filed out, the little man bowed.

  “Domina Julia, I am Jason. The dominus has told me that you will be riding out with him from time to time, but that he does not want to put you in danger due to your gender. He had this armor made for you and assigned me as your body servant. It will be my responsibility to teach you to put all of this on.”