Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
FRID
The sun reached into the room long before I was ready to wake up.
I opened my eyes, staring at the glass jar that was placed by the bed.
The insects were nowhere to be seen. They probably preferred to sleep hidden in the thick leaves when the sun came out.
I rolled over, checking on Victor, who was sleeping on his side with his back toward me.
The thin sheet was bundled around his narrow waist. I sighed and moved my arm to shield my eyes.
It took us a bit to settle down in bed last night.
Especially after our big argument the day before.
I told him to sleep on the stone floor if he was not comfortable sharing a bed with me, but he, not so politely, declined.
For some reason, the fact that both of us were completely naked under the sheets put him on edge.
My own undergarments, at least what was left of them, were drying in the pool room.
I asked a servant girl if I could get new ones, and was told that the daughters of the goddess did not wear undergarments.
How was that possible? It wasn’t very hygienic.
A light knock sounded by the entrance and I carefully got up, wrapping a light blanket around my chest. Bare foot, I walked toward the flimsy curtain.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Your breakfast, sister. Mahin wants to see you,” the servant girl said.
“When?”
“You have ten minutes.”
That definitely did not seem like the treatment for guests. I glanced back at Victor and cleared my throat.
“I’ll be right out.”
I opened the thin screen that, in this place, was considered a door and picked up a tray.
Plates piled with pieces of flatbread cut in lengthy triangles, and a shallow container offered a variety of fruits and vegetables, with a separate earthen bowl placed inside filled with a thick dark brown paste.
I closed the partition, noticing that despite the unusual food, my stomach growled in anticipation.
While Victor was still sleeping, I devoured a good half of the plate, leaving most of the vegetables for him, washed up, and quickly dressed in my flying suit. My undergarments appeared completely dry and I was relieved that I would not have to put on my suit with damp underwear.
When I walked out of the room, the servant girl was still waiting in the hall and immediately took me to see Mahin.
We walked through the curved halls to an area with elongated, oddly shaped, rooms decorated with plants.
The air seemed even more moist in this place, and was filled with scents of fresh soil and blooms. The daughters grew their food in the caves, never having to leave the commune.
Along the walls, a current of moving water traveled from room to room, transporting nutrients from one garden bed to the next.
Most plants that we passed I had never even seen before.
Some of them had bright orange splatters on their leaves and seed pods that nearly touched the ground.
Others were dark green with sharp pointy sprouts.
But, among them were shrubs of fruits and vegetables I was more familiar with.
When the servant girl finally stopped, I pulled my gaze away from the plants, and looked up ahead to the tall, regal figure of the woman whose thick, dark hair fell freely past her shoulders.
I could see the silver strands that peeked through in the light of the hot sun.
Mahin slowly turned, a serene smile played on her lips.
At that moment, I realized that she was in command of the entire compound. I had a strong gut feeling that mine and Victor’s lives depended on the outcome of this specific moment. The unsettling sensation went through my body like the current of a chilly mountain river.
“I hope you feel more rested. The water that we use to grow our food, to drink, and even to bathe is infused with the powers of our beloved Goddess. It works miracles. Without its powers of giving and retaining life, this commune would never have survived.” Mahin explained.
“Thank you for taking us in.”
“Walk with me, please.” She moved along the green wall, extending her hand and lightly brushing the leaves.
“Did you know that women first introduced farming to this compound? The former priests had their gardens, but they didn’t produce enough to feed everybody.
They mostly relied on scavenging the surrounding buildings when we came here.
We want only to live, we only want to follow the teachings of our divine mother.
And we mean no harm to others. Crawlers on the surface, we know how to handle.
We’ve evolved enough to learn how to deal with them.
But what we didn’t expect, is that the biggest danger would come from the very ones who were nurtured by this water, fed by these gardens.
I don’t know how they managed to survive for so long out there, but I am sure they blame us for their misfortunes. ”
“Did you try to negotiate with them?” I asked.
“That’s not something I’m interested in.” She turned her head, giving me a long look.
Was there something I should know? Was she keeping something from me?
“Sure. When do you want me to start looking?”
“Tonight. Every day of abuse is one more day that forces them closer to the edge. The body can heal, but the damage done to a woman's mind can be irrevocable.” She stopped and looked at me, her lips pressed into a thin line.
I nodded. The woman’s energy was almost palpable. And I was suddenly aware that I might not be able to resist her influence.
“I’ll be ready,” I said.
Mahin nodded and proceeded following the path through the vertical gardens.