Reign Of Fayala

Covet

Fayala  entered the inner sanctum and immediately reached out with her mind to priestess Tanarah. She had spent most of the day refreshing her core and felt strong and invigorated. She quickly located the priestess and was elated that Mira was there but felt a pang of guilt when she realized that meant Tanarah was gone.

     Mira psychically consoled her friend, "her consciousness was scarcely viable, I was with her when she moved on, there was no animosity and she was content with what was to happen."

Fayala stepped into one of the vestibules and quickly spotted the young priestess. She resisted the urge to scoop her up in her hands and hold her close for as far as anyone else knew she was still Tanarah.

        Upon seeing the Goddess enter all of the priestesses and servants flocked to her paying tribute to the miracle as she had healed and even given life back to one of their own. That she had been the cause of Tanarah's injury was all but forgotten.

Fayala carefully knelt in their midst and warmly accepted the adulations.  Physical contact with the Goddess was not generally permitted but the joy she felt as so many small bodies and hands pressed against her was welcomed under the circumstances. 

She in turn let her hands drift among them touching and grazing the worshippers. She giggled at their little caresses and kisses upon her fingers then opened her mind and communed in such a way that all were brought into the mind link, all shared in the happiness and joy of the moment.

        The priestess all still knew as Tanarah approached Fayala,  the Goddess placed her hand on the floor and Mira stepped into Fayala's open palm and knelt. Fayala's hands were warm and inviting, her majestic face  filled Mira's entire view. She remembered a time when she was a Miorpean, a giantess that towered above these diminutive humans, walking above the tiny beings and holding them in her hands.

"Are you really there my sister," Fayala telepathically queried.

   "Yes, Fayala, I am really here,"  Mira was experiencing a feeling of giddiness as she looked up at the immense and wondrous visage of Fayala. Then she felt the prickly sensation in her gut as she was effortlessly lifted up from the temple floor.

             Ohas watched with keen interest the interaction between her Goddess and Tanarah. She tried to avoid being suspicious but felt ill-at-ease having noticed actions and words that were not of Tanarah but  yet came from her body.  These were little things nobody else would even consider as an issue and yet there is the matter of that voice she inside her head, it came from the Goddess but was not hers. Now that same voice was coming from the mouth of Tanarah.

    "I missed you so much," cried Fayala pressing Mira's small body into her soft cheek.

"Sister," said Mira, "we must be more discreet for now. I think your head priestess already suspects something."

"Yes she is very clever that one," replied Fayala.

Suddenly Ohas clapped her hands together and shouted for everyone to get back to their duties.

"I think that includes me Sister," said Mira.

"I think it does," replied Fayala with a smile.

"I don't even know what my duties are," quipped Mira.

"Try acting like a human for starters," said a grinning Fayala.

          After Mira, aka Tanarah, was safely on the ground and had joined the other priestesses, Ohas approached Fayala with a noticeably uneasy look on her face.

"Is there something wrong my priestess?" Asked Fayala.

  "I do not know my Goddess," she replied. "Its Tanarah, she seems different since you healed her."  

Fayala thought for a moment, "well, she has been through a harrowing experience, I brought her back from the edge of death, give her time, I am sure Tanarah will be her old self soon enough."

Ohas looked intently at Fayala, "you would tell me the truth would you not, I believe in you Goddess, it is important that you never deceive me on matters such as this."

          Suddenly Fayala felt uncomfortable with the nature of the conversation. Yes, she was deceiving Ohas, she wanted to tell her the truth but it was not time yet and besides, Ohas was being a little too assertive at the moment. Feeling a need to demonstrate her authoritative role and remind Ohas of her place, Falaya slowly stood framing the minuscule priestess between her feet.

Ohas took several steps back and nervously looked up at Fayala who at sixty five feet of height now towered imposingly above her.

"I think you too have duties to perform, do you not Ohas," Fayala stated firmly.

Ohas, understanding the intent of the moment, slowly lowered her eyes and knelt, "Yes my Goddess, forgive me, I meant no disrespect," she replied icily.

            Fayala turned and without another word strode off leaving a disparaged Ohas in her wake. The priestess solemnly walked to where the servants and other priestesses were busy with the daily duties of cleaning garments and preparing food. It took her a moment to locate Tanarah who was standing off to the side talking with a servant. As Ohas approached her she saw Tanarah look her way, brake off her conversation and hurry down a hall and out of sight.

Ohas stepped around the corner to find Tanarah nowhere to be seen. Ohas turned back to the servant, "what were you and Tanarah talking about?"

"Well, she was asking about you," he said. "How long you had been here, what you did, how did we like you, your relationship with the Goddess, and oh, maybe it's just me but something is different about her."

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      Several days had passed since Tanarah had returned and while Ohas thought of herself to be  a tolerant and sympathetic person, the last few days had really tried her patience. Between the Goddesses sudden disaffection and Tanarah's meddling she was beginning to wonder where she stood with Fayala. She had decided it was time to have a talk with the Goddess and was searching for her throughout the temple when she heard the doors to the Goddesses private sanctuary opening.

Odd she thought the Goddess always checks out with me before going to her sanctuary. Ohas hurried her steps and just caught sight of Goddess Fayala as she turned to pull the heavy wood doors closed behind her. In her right hand was Tanarah, she was taking that girl into the sanctuary. In all the years Ohas had known her the Goddess had never taken her into her sanctuary. Ohas was crestfallen, she felt hurt and rejected by someone she had devoted her entire life too, someone she had loved more than anything in this world.
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           It was just getting dark and the shadows were fading when Fayala, with Mira sitting on her shoulder, entered the temple from her inner sanctuary. Fayala enquired with several servants about Ohas and was told that she had left the temple hours ago and did not tell anyone where she was going.

Fayala set Mira on the floor, " I shall have to talk with her , she should know the truth."

"The whole truth," added Mira telepathically.