They threw the young virgin down at the feet of the High Priest. Defiant, she sprang to her feet only to meet a soldier’s truncheon that knocked her again to the floor. Black dots and stars impaired her vision as she struggled to her hands and knees, her swaying head hanging as she regained her senses.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay down,\u201d a soldier hissed from behind.<\/p>\n
The High Priest of the Order of Moul, resplendent in a carnelian silk toga, stood before a throne on a circular dais three steps above the young girl. \u201cYou would do well to behave, young lady,\u201d he said, \u201cI’m told you’re a virgin.\u201d He looked over to one of the two guards behind her and said, \u201cShe’s been checked, right?\u201d The guard nodded.<\/p>\n
The priest looked down, a grim, tight lipped smile on his hawkish face. \u201cYes, you’d do well to behave,\u201d he said, \u201cI’m going to offer you a wonderful opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
She raised her head, seeing first his sandaled feet, the thongs looked like woven gold, then the red drape of his toga covering his skeletal frame, then the\u00a0severe narrow face on his hairless head wearing a ludicrous gold onion dome headpiece. She would have laughed but wasn’t really\u00a0feeling very funny at the moment. Indeed, she was fairly pissed off. She sat back on her knees, poker faced, and said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing to say? Don’t you want to know why you’ve been brought here? What’s your name?\u201d the priest asked.<\/p>\n
She glared at him, \u201cdrop dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile widened, progress\u2014she’s talking, he thought. \u201cWhat harm will it do to tell me your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
The guard prodded her with the butt end of his ceremonial lance. Answer!” he growled.<\/p>\n
Sullen, \u201cWyx.”<\/p>\n
The priest grinned, she noticed he had bad teeth. \u201cAh, Wyx,\u201d he said unctuously, \u201cwas that so hard?\u201d Dropping his hands, he gathered his toga and sat back into the ornate golden chair. \u201cYou’ve heard of the Gemini Virgins?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d she said, \u201ceverybody has. Those are the poor bitches you sacrifice to that god you worship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoul forgive you,\u201d the priest said, tipping his head slightly and touching his forehead with his thumb and index finger. \u201cThe Gemini are twins, my dear,\u201d he said, \u201cone twin is sacrificed to Moul and the other gets to serve our priests and bear our children, a great honor I might add. Female children automatically become Gemini, males become our priests. You probably know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would I want to have any part in your stupid religion?\u201d she snarled.<\/p>\n
A benign expression came over the priest. \u201cIt’s a good life. We take care of our own quite well. By keeping the Order ‘all in the family,’ so to speak, we’ve managed to maintain dominion over this world for more than a century.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHa! Good for you, eh?\u201d Wyx fairly spit the words at him. \u201cMeanwhile the rest of us pay your ‘tithe’ or starve, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, you have that wrong,\u201d said the priest, his eyes narrowing, \u201cour followers pay the tithe because they believe!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBelieve or starve, you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
The priest tried mightily to suppress a yawn, which he hid behind the back of his hand, and sighed, \u201cYou will<\/i> be a Gemini.\u201d He arched his brow and his nostrils flared slightly, \u201cWhat I need to know right now is which part you will play, a believer and lifetime servant of the Order, or the sacrifice to Moul. Choose!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny religion that forces you to believe on pain of death sucks,\u201d Wyx said, \u201cand can’t possibly be anything good. You suck, your church sucks, everything about you sucks!\u201d She spit at him right before the guard hit her with the club again.<\/p>\n
The High Priest of the Order of Moul casually waved, flexing his fingertips with a sweeping motion, \u201cTake her. You know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
They threw the young virgin down at the feet of the High Priest. Defiant, she sprang to her feet only to meet a soldier’s truncheon that knocked her again to the floor. Black dots and stars impaired her vision as she struggled to her hands and knees, her swaying head hanging as she regained her … Continue reading Gemini Virgins<\/span>