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Some thoughts from the author . . .

This material was included in the first draft of Dawn of Empire that I sent to my agent, who at that time still had not accepted me as a client.  Since that original manuscript was over 240,000 words long, he felt it was unpublishable at that size for a first time author.  He ‘suggested’ that I shorten the story by 25%, or down to around 180,000 words.  That was quite a shock to me, and I found myself facing yet one more major rewrite of the story.

In that painful process, several chapters relating to Trella were cut, material that helped explain her powerful mind.  Also, a major battle scene was excised, along with an entire sub-plot about the priests of Ishtar and Marduk.  (Several readers have questioned why there is little or no mention of priests or religious beliefs in Dawn of Empire.  Now you know).  The chapter that follows was/is one of the author’s favorites, and I really suffered letting it go.

Setting the scene for the following chapter . .

Trella has settled into her new existence as Eskkar’s slave and helper.  Working with Gatus and the other commanders, and with Annok-sur helping her at every turn, Trella is slowly pulling together all the pieces of the complicated logistics needed to build and defend Orak’s new wall.  Each day she wins more respect from the people, who see her as someone representing the common folk and giving them a voice of their own with the village’s rulers and growing force of soldiers.  As Eskkar’s authority increases, her role grows in importance as well, and soon she comes in contact with one of the priests of Ishtar.  For the first time, we see catch a glimpse into Trella’s use of power. 

Chapter 11 -  Priest of Ishtar

Three more weeks passed by so quickly that Trella could scarcely believe it.  With Annok-sur helping, she organized not only Eskkar’s new house, but much of the soldier’s activities as well.  The two women took charge of all the food, supplies, and equipment needed by the men. It took Trella only a few days to discover how much silver the previous Captain of the Guard had stolen from his men by purchasing poor quality food, and as little of that as possible. Honest bargaining with the farmers, as Eskkar’s representative, made sure that sufficient and wholesome food everything arrived regularly and at a reasonable price. 

With the food situation under control, Trella shifted her attention to the soldier’s equipment.  She spent an entire day with Eskkar and Gatus, going over the men’s weaponry and clothing, and learning everything about them.  They showed her the leather vests, caps, and wrist guards they wanted for the archers.  Since bowmen standing atop the wall would be exposed from the waist up, the leather armor would provide a great deal of protection.  While the vest would not stop an Alur Meriki arrow at close range, it would certainly save some lives.

Trella did the same with the weapons.  Gatus showed her the kind of short sword, spear, and axe that he wanted, demonstrated exactly how each would be used, and taught her how to judge the quality.  She noticed that Eskkar listened intently to Gatus.  The old soldier knew his weapons, and knew what he wanted.  He even explained to her the difference between a spear and a lance.

At the day’s end, Trella had knew all she needed to deal with merchants and traders.  Gatus would inspect and accept each weapon as it arrived, but the haggling over prices and delivery schedules would be off his shoulders.  By taking care of the soldier’s logistics, she allowed Eskkar allowed to concentrate wholly on the recruiting, training, and organizing of the men.  It would also give him more time to meet with Nicar, Corio, and the rest of the noble families. 

Trella soon realized that Annok-sur could manage many of these activities, so Trella looked for other opportunities to expand her influence. The first such that she found involved working with Nicar and Nestor on the housing problem.

By Nicar’s order, anyone leaving Orak forfeited their house and any belongings left behind.  This policy forced any villagers who thought of leaving to make a hard choice.  If the village survived and they returned, their homes would be gone, given to someone else.  There would be no easy return to their former life after the barbarians had moved on.  Or they could stay and fight.

Nevertheless, many left Orak, and those who remained clamored for even the humblest of the abandoned houses and huts.  Working with the nobles’ clerks, Trella inventoried each hut and home and recommended new owners, favoring those who could best help Orak.  She argued skillfully, forcing the clerks to abandon their plans of helping friends or those willing to pay.  Trella focused only on those who had the skills needed for the village’s defense. If they possessed those skills and were willing to stay and work, Trella would present their case.

Only once did she have to involve Eskkar.  The clerks wanted to give an empty home to a wine merchant, while Trella insisted that the dwelling be given to a family of five that included a father and two grown sons willing to fight.  Eskkar lost his temper and threatened to have the clerks run out of the village.  Trella had to plead with him not to go to Nicar.  After that, she had no more problems with the clerks.  Once they saw their chance for private gain vanish, they lost interest in the whole problem and let Trella do as she saw fit.

Trella’s reputation for fairness and honesty in allocating those dwellings earned her more friends and supporters in the village.  Everyone soon learned that she had stood up to the nobles, and that Eskkar had done the same.  After that, no one wanted to confront Eskkar or even Nicar over such an issue.  Just as important for Trella, the task gave her a chance to meet more of the villagers and deal with them directly.

This afternoon, Trella had inspected two houses vacated only that morning. One would be given to an experienced carpenter with a large family and several apprentices.  The other would go to two families of farmers, whose lands would be flooded when the barbarians came.  They would need a place to stay until they could return to their own farms. 

Trella and Annok-sur walked side-by-side on their way back to Eskkar’s residence.  They moved quickly through the narrow lanes, the ever-present guard two paces behind. Sunset would be on them in less than an hour, and plenty of work remained to be done in their new home.

They had only one more lane to cross when Trella heard a voice call out her name.  Trella turned to see Yasmakh, high priest of the temple of Ishtar, walking rapidly towards her, waving a hand in greeting.  She had not seen him since the day of Drigo’s death. When the priest approached, she bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, Honorable Yasmakh.  How may I help you?”

“Greetings to you, Trella, servant of Eskkar.”  Like most priests, Yasmakh carried extra fat on his body, the result of too many birds and small animals offered to his Goddess and very little exercise besides chanting in his temple.  Consequently, Yasmakh took a few seconds to catch his breath before he could speak again.  “I would like to talk with you for a few moments.”

“Certainly, Honorable Yasmakh.  What is it that concerns you?”

The priest looked at Annok-sur, firmly planted at Trella’s side, then at the guard, standing two steps behind her, the soldier’s hand resting on his sword hilt and a frown on his face.  The priest of Ishtar was not a very popular person in the village, especially among the soldiers, who much preferred to sacrifice to Marduk. Yasmakh licked his lips before continuing.  “I would speak with you privately, Trella.”  His eyes shifted for a moment.  “My temple is not far away.  Could you join me there for a few minutes?”

Trella thought hard, trying to guess what Yasmakh wanted. Some favor, no doubt, but what? “Of course, Honorable Yasmakh, I would be happy to speak with you.”  She followed Yasmakh down the lane a short distance before turning into another. This they followed nearly to its end, and found themselves close to the palisade.  Ishtar’s temple was little more than a large house, almost indistinguishable from that of any merchant, except for the life-sized representation of Ishtar carved and painted into the wall next to the door.

Trella stopped at the door and turned to Annok-sur and the guard. “Please wait here.  I will speak with Yasmakh in private.”

She let the priest go in first and left the door open as much to let the sun in as to make sure the guard could see her.  Two small windows set high in the eastern wall provided the only other light.  At the far end of the room stood the altar of Ishtar, covered by a bleached linen cloth embroidered with all the aspects of the Goddess.  A nearly life-size statue of the Goddess rested on the altar cloth, towering above the priest who bowed deeply before the carved image.  The statue, beautifully carved and painted, revealed Ishtar in her aspect as the Goddess of Love, standing naked, her hair sweeping down behind her and forming a cowl around her shoulders, while her hands offered up her breasts.

Trella bowed as well, then continued her inspection of the temple. She had never entered it before. Like its priest, there was something slightly distasteful about the place, some vague odor that lurked below the surface and made her want to return to the sunlight.  Still, Yasmakh and the Goddess had many followers, especially among the poor and lower classes.  Trella stood there, facing the altar until Yasmakh finished his brief orisons to Ishtar and turned toward his guest. 

“Trella,” he began, a broad smile on his face, “your master deserves our prayers and our thanks for all his work in preparing Orak to resist the barbarians.  Please give him my highest regards.”

“I will do so, Yasmakh.  He will be pleased to hear your kind words.”  The man had moved a few steps closer and now stood an arm’s length away. Trella’s nose told her the priest had not bathed in some time.  Even in the dim light she saw his eyes linger across her breasts.  Not that she was worried, not with the armed soldier less than a dozen steps away.  Instead, she smiled at him but kept her body straight and her head high.  “Is there anything else you wish me to tell him?”

He looked at her carefully, the lust already gone from his eyes, replaced by something even more urgent.  “Only that the Goddess smiles on him, Trella.  You will be sure to tell him that, won’t you?”  But he didn’t even wait for her to reply.  “And yourself, Trella, do you follow the teachings of Ishtar? The Goddess is very strong in the spirit world, and she has much power to help you… and your master, of course. There are a great many of her followers in Orak.”

The goddess Ishtar ruled over the heavens and the moon.  She had many other aspects as well, including powers of fertility and the mysteries of creation.  Travelers prayed to her for protection, and often offered small sacrifices before beginning their travels.  Many of the common people also gave reverence to Ishtar as she ruled over the daily rituals and customs of the village.  Ishtar also maintained order on earth and in the heavens, provided occasional prophecy, and guarded the records of life.

Still, her most favored aspect presided over the pleasures of sex. In the village of Carnax, where Trella had lived before being enslaved, these rituals had been little more than orgies organized by the priests.  Women would offer themselves at the temple, either to the priests or other worshippers.  Trella didn’t know to what extent the similar rituals occurred here, but she decided that she would find out.  Naturally Yasmakh would play a prominent role in any sex offerings at the temple.

These thoughts raced through Trella’s mind as she stood there, aware that the priest offered something but not exactly sure what it was and what would be the price.

“I was instructed in the mysteries of Ishtar and Marduk when I was a child,” she responded.  “But of late I have had little time to offer prayers to either of them.”  Nor any reason to do so, she didn’t bother to add; the gods had not saved her parents nor prevented her from being sold as a slave.

At the mention of Marduk, Yasmakh made a curious gesture with his left hand, warding off the insult caused by naming the false god inside the temple, even as a frown crossed his face.

Marduk was the other deity popular within the village and as many people prayed to him as to Ishtar.  Bel-Marduk was considered to be the god of all creation, who ruled over all the lesser gods.  He was often depicted with a scaly body and a serpent's head. 

The conflict between the two religions in Orak had gone on for many years and the nobles quietly encouraged the situation.  Two competing beliefs offered little threat to the nobles’ rule, and so Orak’s leaders made sure that neither cult grew too powerful.  And that was why the temple of Ishtar was only a quarter the size of the one in Carnax, though her old village had far less people in it than Orak.  In Carnax, the high priest of Ishtar had been as powerful as any of the nobles and just as wealthy.

For Yasmakh, the situation here would be intolerable.  For as long as anyone remembered, there had been two temples in Orak, and Ishtar’s priest must see no end to the problem.  Ah, that’s it, Trella guessed.  Yasmakh must have realized that Eskkar and his soldiers could change the balance of power among the nobles, creating an opportunity that might give the Temple of Ishtar a chance to emerge supreme in the village. 

“It is true that there are some that follow the false beliefs of Marduk, Trella.  But as everyone knows, their priest Eshardhon spends more time with his wine cup than his rituals.”  Yasmakh repeated the curious gesture he had made before once again.  “The false god Marduk will not provide the assistance that Ishtar can give you.  You yourself are still young, and you are only recently… brought here.  There may be many things about Marduk and Orak that you do not know.”

She considered his words.  Eshardhon, priest of Marduk, did spend much of his time in the alehouse. Apparently the ethics of his deity were easily satisfied.  But Eshardhon was certainly much more popular with the villagers than Yasmakh.  She remembered what her father had often said regarding those who drank too much wine – that they were unreliable and not to be trusted.  With a man like Yasmakh, there might be many ways to control him.

“Of course, you are right, Honored Yasmakh.  There is much that I need to learn, and I am sure that you could guide me.  I will convey your words to my master.”  Trella knew now what Yasmakh wanted, but he would have to make the offer himself.

“Trella… Mistress Trella,” he began, now using the courteous title for any woman in charge of a household, “my words are for you as much as for your master.  He is a soldier  and may have little time to deal with the day-to-day business of the village, a task that I can see you are much more interested in.”

So the priest had noticed her spending time with the villagers. She studied him carefully, choosing her words with care.  “My master devotes his days to working on the defenses of Orak and has little time either for prayers or to meet with the villagers.  That is why I visit with the people, to encourage them in their fight against the barbarians, and to keep up their spirits during hard days ahead.”

She paused for a moment, then went on a little more slowly. “Nevertheless, my master  might be very grateful to the Goddess Ishtar should she help him win the battle with the barbarians.  Perhaps the whole village would know who helped Orak in its hour of need. Perhaps a new temple, a much grander one, could be built to honor the Goddess.”

Yasmakh’s eyes grew wide at the idea.  “Ah, Mistress Trella, you are wise to see the help Ishtar can give you. She would be eager to help Orak, though it saddens her greatly that so many follow the false words of … lesser gods. A village should have only one main god so that the people are not confused by mistaken beliefs.  Don’t you agree?”

“Yes, I can see how that would trouble Her greatly, honored Yasmakh. I will offer prayers to Ishtar myself, asking that She provide assistance to my master in his struggle. The barbarians worship only imaginary gods.  Surely She will not permit them to overcome my master.”

“Ishtar has already given her blessing to our Honored Captain of the Guard.  That is the message I wanted to give.  Now I will make sure that all her followers know of her blessing on him.”  Yasmakh smiled now as they reached an understanding. “And on yourself, Mistress Trella.”

Trella didn’t want the man to move too quickly with his public blessings. Better to go carefully, as she had planned, slowly and quietly so that no one knew what was happening.  “The Goddess surely knows best, Yasmakh.  But perhaps some of the nobles would not like to hear of Her blessing on a soldier, no matter how worthy.  After all, my master depends on their support.”

It took Yasmakh only a few seconds to understand her meaning.  “Ah, of course, you are quite right. Everything now is so unsettled. Ishtar’s blessing is given, but not all need  know of it right now.”

“Yes, better to prepare the people for the words of the Goddess,” Trella said, annoyed with herself that she’d started to speak in the same manner as the priest.   “I am sure we will talk more about this later.  Now I must return to my master.” 

But the priest hadn’t quite finished yet.  “Mistress Trella… you… perhaps you will return to offer your prayers to Ishtar?  You may offer your prayers in private with the temple closed to all others.”

Alone with the Goddess.  And Yasmakh, of course. No doubt he would suggest she remove her garment, the better to be instructed in Ishtar’s rites. Trella resisted the urge to shiver in disgust as the man’s eyes traced her body’s outlines once again.  She looked at him but kept the smile on her face and her voice innocent.  “My master forbids me to go anywhere alone, Yasmakh. A soldier is with me at all times and my handmaiden as well.  But I may return to offer prayers with some of the villagers.”

She started to leave, then turned back to him.  “Honored Yasmakh, I almost forgot.  Would you offer some prayers to the Goddess for the shades of Drigo and his son?  Their deaths were so unfortunate.”

Yasmakh swallowed hard, but he understood her meaning.  “Yes, of course.  It was a great loss to the whole village.  I will offer prayers to the Goddess for their spirits.”  He smiled to her as she departed.

Outside, the bright sunlight made Trella’s eyes squint after the darkness of the temple.  Annok-sur waited, a frown on her face, facing the doorway, while the soldier kept a few curious bystanders at bay.

“I was about to come in after you,” Annok-sur declared quietly, a look of concern on her face.  “The priest is not to be trusted.”

Trella started walking, quickening her pace.  “He is a disgusting man, Annok-sur, and I feel unclean just from being in the same room with him.  But he has his wits about him, and he sees what the future will bring.”  She sighed.  “We will have to use him.  Do you believe in the gods, Annok-sur?”

 “Everyone knows there are many gods and demons, Trella, but I pray to none of them and not one of them has ever helped me or my husband.  Why do you ask?”

Trella smiled.  “There is much the priest Yasmakh can do for us, but I fear we will both have to come and worship at the feet of the Goddess so that she can explain the dreams she has sent us.” 

Annok-sur contemplated that thought for a moment.  “So, Ishtar is going to send us dreams, and the priest will interpret them for us.”  She laughed out loud at the idea.  “Well, why not?”  Annok-sur realized that Trella no longer headed back toward Eskkar’s house.  “Where are we going?” 

“To the river, to bathe.  I must wash the smell of that man and his temple from my body.”

Annok-sur put her arm around her for a moment.  “I will join you.  If I have to kneel at his feet…ugh.  I feel unclean already.”  They looked at each other, and both began to laugh.