Life and Times of a Priestess: Ch.3: New Life In Dalos (Part 6: Protection)

   So the rape would continue, but not for the moment.  Danella knew her sore and bloodied vagina would not be healed by tomorrow, but she did not like to think that far ahead.  It was a great relief that the abuse was to stop now.  Minutes before she would not have believed the attacks would ever stop.  It was enough to know that they would not die from this punishment, that their captors would protect them from the soldiers.  They would be fed at least.

 

 

Ch.3 : New Life In Dalos (Part 6: Protection)

 

    Sreela, whom he had fucked, now looked less than beautiful.  Her blonde hair was matted with sweat and semen.  She looked dirty.  She was sticky and bruised and blood had dribbled down between her legs.  She spoke to the tall man.  It was obvious by his expression that he had not at first recognised which one she was. Now he could see the results of the treatment which he himself had begun.  He looked shocked by the realisation of what his own activity had led to.

 

     She spoke weakly and at first he did not comprehend what she said.  Moving closer he laid his hand on her shoulder in sympathy.  "Please look after us.  We are nearly dying from weakness and hunger."

 

    Looking around her Danella realised that although they all looked weak and short of food it was not true to say that any of them were close to death.  As long as they were fed and allowed to sleep they would be well.  Some of them might require ointments to the damaged skin down below, indeed all of them might benefit from the ointments they had all learned to use in the past.  There were some in the dorm, but probably not sufficient for all of their needs.   Maybe more supplies could be found in the rest of the city.  They would all need to wash before ill health began to develop.

 

  "Yes, we look after you," he replied to her.  Now that he had accepted the changes the afternoon's abuse had wrought upon her Danella detected that he seemed inclined to  be particularly kind to Sreela.  "Is your water working?" he asked her.  There were taps in the kitchen and a water bath which could be filled with heated water.  In recent weeks the besieging army had attempted to cut the water supplies which flowed into the city.  These were from various sources and not all of them had been cut.  Some underground streams were still being tapped.  They had periodically put poisons and their own sewage into the river and other sources, so the besieged city had had to rely only on clean sources.  Some had become ill when water had not been tested before consumption.  The Priestesses' dorm had remained connected to the safe source of water but had been cut except for short periods each day.  They had been unwashed for days before, but now it became necessary.

 

    Food was brought - soldiers' rations - tins of meat and beans, which Danella had never seen before.  It was stored this way to preserve it, and prevent the contamination and drying which it would suffer if it was left to the open air.  With these tins an army could march hundreds of miles into enemy territory and take their own supplies, not having to worry about finding food in the conquered territories.  They knew that these tins would preserve the food inside until they were opened.  A simple invention, although it required factories to produce the tins and can them.  It was a sign of the superiority of the Vanmarians in matters of production and science which had enabled them to conquer large swathes of the Empire.  General Polad had hinted at this technical superiority during her meetings with him.  They ate well, for the first time in weeks, a meal of plenty to soothe the hardship and fear they had just endured.

 

    Some of the Priestesses had stumbled over to the water bath and the kitchen taps to clean themselves, but the water was cut off.  perhaps in the final bombardment water pipes had been cut, or the city commanders had cut the supply to preserve it and no one had yet reopened it.  The other alternative would be for the Priestesses to go to the public baths, although they doubted they would any more be in operation than their own water supply.  Another alternative would be to go to the river and bathe.  Sreela and some of the others explained this to the tall officer who had been left in charge of them by the commander, who had left them now.  He agreed to the idea.  They would take the Priestesses down to the river, those of them who felt strong enough to go after they had eaten.

 

    They were ready now to make the journey to the river.  The tall officer brought in more soldiers to escort them, probably some of the men who had already enjoyed the Priestesses earlier in the day.  Danella did not recognise them in particular.  It was evening now, but being summer there was light still in the sky.        

 

    Thirty two Priestesses, wearing again their Priestesses' robes over their tunics to cover their dirty and raw bodies, left the dorm surrounded by some eighteen guards, made their way down the road past scenes of destruction and pain, the tall officer at the front.  Three of their number remained behind, so weakened by their ordeal that they were now asleep.  It had been thought better to allow them to sleep while they could.  They would be able to bathe in the morning.

 

    The streets were deserted by the ordinary citizens.  They must all be in hiding from the conquerors, thought Danella.  This was the first time she had thought about the other inhabitants of the city since she had last been outside the dorm and witnessed the rough humour of the Prancirian cavalry and their effect on the citizens, who could only run away or indoors.  Some buildings were smashed and shattered or fire damaged by the bombardment, but many which were whole had their doorways battered in. This concerned some of the Priestesses, who talked amongst themselves now they had begun to recover.

 

     Danella found she was next to High Priestess Sreela.  They had always got on well and after the recent experiences of war there was a growing bond between them.

 

    "That looks like forced entry," Danella said.

 

    "Yes.  It would have happened to our door if we hadn't opened it.  I think they would search all the buildings.  Roger says that was why he and his men were called away before," Sreela looked meaningfully at Danella.  It was as if the continuous rape which had occurred after were too terrible to mention.  Events which human beings wish to forget are soon ignored by those involved in them, as if they do not wish to tarnish their own lives any more with bad memories.

 

  So Sreela had learned the tall officer's name.  Despite that he had abandoned them to what he had initiated, Danella sensed that Sreela must see him as a saviour.  Indeed Danella did not hold the first group of rapists responsible for everything which happened later.  They were only soldiers.  From what she had heard from General Polad, and her own reading, they were not given much opportunity for sexual behaviour in their own continent so it was unsurprising that they should take the opportunity to take sex in time of war from conquered peoples.  Men of the Empire would hardly have behaved the same way towards women of Vanmar because they knew there was no shortage of willing partners and of ceremonies to participate in at home in the Empire.  Roger's group had behaved with some restraint, but the later groups of soldiers had seemed unsupervised and unconcerned for their victims' well-being.

 

    "So they have been searching every house and building?" she asked.  Sreela nodded. 

 

"Where are all the people?"

 

    "Inside," Sreela answered.

 

    They came to a house occupied by soldiers.  Some of them sat on the doorstep drinking temple wine.  Inside there was noise and the sounds of laughter and conversation.  They had just passed when they heard a scream.  A woman screamed.  It was not play.  All of them felt the return of fear.

 

    "Roger," Sreela called.  "What is happening there?"  She felt confident enough to ask him.  He was only just in front.  "I do not know," he replied.  "It is not my responsibility."  It was not his duty to control every soldier in this conquered city.

 

    "Can you find out?  She may be harmed.  You have the authority."  Sreela asked him bravely.

 

    "I cannot take responsibility for everything which goes on  in this city.  We are fighting a war, you know that."

 

    "Please.  You are a good man, I can see that," she asked.

 

    "Alright, I will look, Sreela," he surrendered. "But I am not an important officer.  You saw that before, before I brought the commander.  I cannot solve everyone's problems." 

 

     He stopped the company and went to the door of the house.  Three of his men followed in support.  Sreela smiled at Danella.  "We seem to have some influence here!"

 

    "He likes you," said Danella, "And he hopes to have sex with you and others of us again.  We are important to him.  He wants to look after us."

 

    "I think you are right, but we had best be careful that we don't ask too much of him."

 

    The woman inside had screamed again, and maybe more than one.  Roger spoke to the soldiers on the step and they let him through.  He disappeared into the building.  Roger became angry, they could hear him shouting inside.  Other voices raised and became angry.  Soon he emerged.  The screams had stopped.  He spoke to some of his own soldiers and then directed the column forward.

 

    "What was happening in there?"  Sreela asked him.

 

    Roger looked as if he did not wish to answer and she feared he would be angry with her, but in a short while, when he had thought of the words, he spoke.  "It is better not to know.  I have warned them and I think they will not continue."

 

    "What were they doing?" she persisted.  "It sounded worse than what happened to us."

 

    "No more questions, please, Sreela," he said.  "They will probably be more careful.  I warned them if they continue I will bring the General."

 

    "Was that the General who you brought to us?"

 

    "Yes."

 

    "What is his name?"

 

    "General Ravelleon."

 

    "Is he the general in command of this city?" Sreela asked.

 

    "He is one of them.  There are three.  He is not the only leader.  He is my general."

 

    "He is a good man.  You have both saved us from terrible torture," she thanked him again.

 

    "He is a good general.  He does not approve of soldiers behaving without discipline," Roger said.

 

    "But he knows he cannot stop it," ventured Sreela.

 

    "Correct.  But he will intervene to restore a certain level of discipline."

 

    "Do your soldiers always behave this way when they conquer?"  Danella introduced herself into the conversation.  This Roger could be persuaded to talk.  They might find out useful things from him.  Danella thought he may care more for them if they developed a friendship with him.

 

    "Behave which way?" he asked as if he could not understand the language he spoke.  He seemed to understand everything Sreela said, but Danella sensed he was merely reluctant to admit that he had behaved wrongly.

 

    "We do not understand why you wish to conquer our lands and cities in the first place," she retorted.  "What harm have we done you?  Thousands are killed in the warfare, for no reason that we can see.  I will not say more.  When you conquer our city your soldiers act as if they know no control.  I saw your cavalry chasing our women and our soldiers as if they were wild animals in the street.  Then you came into our dormitory and took your pleasure from us without asking our permission.  I suppose we did not expect you to ask our permission when we are defeated, but you might have treated the defeated with more respect.  We are Priestesses, trained to a life of communal service, and accepting of our duties.  We would not have complained if you had asked."

 

     Danella wondered whether it was wise to continue with her complaints.  This man had saved them and they were all grateful.  Did he really deserve her criticism?  He was not the one who determined his country's policy or had lost the control of soldiers under his command.  It appeared he was listening and understanding, otherwise he would have stopped her talking.  She went on, "You should have allowed us to rest even while you used us, and to eat when we asked you for food.  Instead you left us when your general intervened, without protection or food.

 

    "The soldiers who followed were worse.  There were so many of them and they would not stop.  They cared nothing for us.  We would have become very weak if they had been allowed to continue.  Our treatment was dangerous.  Why do your soldiers behave like this?  Some of them take pleasure from frightening and threatening the defeated.  We saw our people running for their lives.  All of them seem to take pleasure from forcing themselves upon us."  She avoided using the word rape because she did not wish to anger him, although she was not sure he would know the word, little used as it was in her own language.  "It is as if they have never been allowed to commune, I mean to have women, and they can only find what they want from the defeated in time of war."

 

    To her surprise Roger laughed when he had thought about her words, which she had delivered slowly, trusting that he would understand them if she did so.  "That may be correct for some," he said wryly.  His response chilled her a little, but it was only repeating what she had heard from General Polad months before.  Perhaps it was a reason for understanding what had befallen them, but, while it might have been sufficient to excuse the activity of Roger and his own men, it did not excuse the brutality and inhumane behaviour of the soldiers who came after, nor was it a sufficient excuse to wage war.

 

    Sreela intervened now as they continued to walk through blasted and empty streets, houses sometimes occupied by the invaders or shuttered, probably harbouring Dalos's citizens.  Many of the doors they passed were smashed and hanging in pieces or dragged into the road, some buildings were ominously burned out and smoking from recent fires.  The priestesses feared the worst for their previous occupants as they passed.

 

    Sreela felt confident enough of Roger to touch his arm in a gesture of thanks, as she said, "War is terrible.  We do not know why you consider it necessary to fight.  But we are grateful that you and your General at least have treated us well.  We are Priestesses of the Goddess.  We are not strangers to sex, which we call worship, or to men.  That does not offend us even if you did not ask our permission.  But we do wish to be treated well and with some respect.  We are grateful to you that you saved us from those other soldiers."

 

    Roger smiled and accepted her gratitude, and touched her arm again, in a gesture that suggested care and sympathy but also empathy and desire.  It was obvious to Danella, as well as to Sreela, that this man was laying his claim upon her.