GABRIEL (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 4) (39 page)

At the top was an enclosed landing with two long tables—one empty, one covered with stacks of gold and silver serving pieces. On the other side of the landing, more stone steps went down in the opposite direction from the cookery. They set their burden down and went back for more while the other slaves began ladling the opium-laced drink into ornate gold and silver chalices studded with gemstones. After they brought up the last tureen, an older woman pointed out the row of peepholes in the wall that the slaves used to watch the meal's progress and note any hand signals from the nobles. She quietly demonstrated the different signals then suggested Shara and Gabriel watch until it was time to get the next course.

Shara and Gabriel stationed themselves at two adjacent peepholes but had to bend down to see through. Shara's gasp of wonder wasn't nearly as loud as Gabriel's expletive but they were both instantly warned to remain silent.

They had a perfect bird's-eye view of the central court of the temple. The landing and peepholes were placed just above the heads of the crowd of nobles.

The entire central court glowed so brightly, it seemed to be on fire. The floor, walls and enormous pillars were all covered with gleaming orichalcum. The ceiling and wall borders depicted elaborate scenes carved in ivory and alcoves around the chamber housed statues of gold.

But the masterpiece of metalwork was on a raised platform at the far end of the chamber. An immense statue of a bare-chested, bearded Poseidon stood in a chariot. In one hand he held his trident and the other controlled the reins to six prancing winged horses. At the base of the platform were a multitude of sea nymphs riding dolphins. The entire display appeared to be molded from the purest gold.

In front of the raised platform was a block of white marble the size of a large bed.

The sacrificial altar,
Gabriel told her.
And that rectangular opening in the center of the court is undoubtedly the fire pit Ester referred to.

Shara shivered with repulsion and turned her attention to the people. The men were all garbed in long, richly colored robes trimmed with gold and a golden braid encircled their heads as well. The woman who had shown them the peepholes had also explained that the nine princes wore deep blue, the lesser noblemen wore other colors that depicted their ranks and King Jupiter alone wore red. Based on that information, she was able to locate him.
Holy stars! He's the image of Hades.

But from Jarad's account, he's even more demented than his arsonist ancestor was.

Four soldiers dressed in white girdles and carrying spears stood around the king, looking as if they were prepared to fend off an attack due at any moment.

The women in the gathering wore lightweight gowns of shimmering pastel materials in a variety of styles. Their trimming and head braids were of silver.

The nobles were all scattered haphazardly throughout the court, standing, sitting on benches and steps, or sprawled on the floor, making service extremely difficult. Yet every noble soon received a chalice of cider and was slowly sipping the drugged beverage.

The entire meal took several hours to serve, with each course lasting longer than the previous one as more cider was consumed. The long day and manual labor in the poppy field began to extract their toll on Shara. She was tired and sunburned and had yet to come up with a way to obtain hair samples from the crowd below. Even if she were assigned to serving them tomorrow, as Leah had said she would be, any slave who touched a noble without permission had his or her throat cut the next instant. At least Gabriel had been able to give Beauty an eyeful for posterity.

When the last of the serving pieces were cleared, King Jupiter called for the entertainment to begin. Shara and Gabriel were watching a troupe of musicians and scantily clad girls enter the court when they were tapped on their shoulders by the older slave woman. She motioned for them to return to the cookery. Thinking their tasks were over for the night, Shara began to relax on the way down the stairs. But what awaited them brought the tension back in a rush.

The soldier who had been at the entrance door was speaking to a green-robed nobleman. "They are the ones I told you of," he declared the moment he caught sight of them.

The nobleman walked up to Gabriel and ordered, "Stand erect. Head up. Hood back." As Gabriel obeyed, the much shorter man circled him, measured the circumference of his upper arm then pounded on his back with his fist. "He doesn't seem diseased to me. But he is exceptionally large and strong. He should have been assigned to the monument, not women's work. Take him away and see that he is more properly used." He waved a hand at the soldier, who in turn used his spear to prod Gabriel toward the exit.

Gabriel!
Shara thought to him in a panic.

It's all right. I wanted to get a look at the monument anyway. Keep the channel open and don't do anything to call attention to yourself. I'll be back as soon as I'm able. Use your powers if you have to.
Their gazes locked for a heartbeat then Gabriel was given a shove out of the room.

"Now you," the nobleman said to Shara. "Remove your hood and look at me." He walked slowly around her but did not touch. "The soldier said you are a witch with very strong powers."

She breathed an inward sigh of relief that Ester's lie to Leah about the soldier ordering them to work there had not been uncovered. Meeting his gaze, she allowed him to see her pupils change shades.

"You may speak. Do you know the magic, as he said?"

From everything she had learned so far, she knew these people both respected and feared witchcraft. Her intuition told her to use that to her benefit. "Yes. I know some."

The nobleman squinted at her as if trying to discern whether he should believe her. "Come with me."

Shara followed him into a torch-lit corridor that led in a different direction than Gabriel had been taken. She watched the nobleman glance nervously around before telling her what was on his mind.

"Do you have a spell for... to improve a man's, uh... not that I have a problem, but some of the nobles have had difficulties..." He lowered his voice a bit more. "Their tools do not work as they once did."

As Shara realized he was speaking of maintaining an erection, she had to stop herself from saying her thoughts aloud. Considering the amount of narcotics consumed during dinner, it was no surprise to her that the men's sexual performance might be suffering. "I believe there is a spell that might help. I will need to think on it a moment." She paced up and down the corridor looking very thoughtful, while she racked her brain to come up with an impromptu plan that could bring her closer to her goal.

Shara. It's too great a risk. Don't do it.

She ignored Gabriel's warning, confident that he was incapable of physically stopping her.
If you don't like what I'm about to do, don't pay attention.

"I remember now," she told the nobleman. "But it will only work if the man who has the problem is a descendant of one of those who came to Atlantis with Poseidon. If that is so, I would need a hair from that man and the name of the ancestor."

"You will try this spell on me first, before I speak of it to anyone else. My sacred ancestor's name was Penelope." He plucked a hair from his head and handed it to her.

Holding his hair against her forehead, she made up what she imagined would look and sound like a spell. Closing her eyes, she spun around until she was dizzy. Then, swaying in place, she called out the first nonsensical incantation that came to mind.

"Mumbo, jumbo, gumbo. Rim, tim, kim. The power of the stallion's tool should go to him." She then stared at his loins, sent him a suggestion that he was highly aroused, then used her kinetic ability to make his "tool" rise beneath his robe.

The nobleman's eyes widened in shock and he lifted his garment to see for himself the magic she had wrought. But his expression swiftly turned to lust as he grabbed Shara and twisted her away from him. "Bend forward, witch. We will see just how well your spell works."

* * *

Shara's fears stabbed Gabriel just as he was being prodded onto a wide chariot drawn by four large black horses. The next instant he understood the cause. Heedless of any danger to himself, he whirled away from the soldier and took off at a run back toward the temple.

He felt the blow on the back of his head a moment before darkness descended.

Chapter 21

A searing pain shot through the back of Shara's head then went away, but she had no time to worry over it. The nobleman was now fully aroused and forcing Shara into an accommodating position as he bunched up the back of her robe.

"My lord, wait!" she exclaimed. Afraid that he might discover the tempometer belt and certain that physically resisting him could get her throat slit, she hurriedly said, "Please, you have not heard it all. This is only a temporary reaction to the spell. In order for it to be lasting, you must heed my instructions." She sent him a suggestion that his desire was ebbing and he released her. She stood up and shook her robe straight. "If you do as I say, you will be the most potent male in all of Atlantis."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Go on."

"Beginning now and for seven more suns, you must not drink any cider and you must not engage in any sexual activities whatsoever." If nothing else, perhaps she could give a few slaves a week's reprieve from this nobleman's attentions.

"And when the seventh sun sets, will I be able to perform as I did in my younger days?"

Shara smiled. "It will be better than your favorite memory." As he fantasized over the possibilities, she sent him another suggestion that would cause him to forget her and the spell upon awakening the seventh morning.

Satisfied that the sacrifice was worth the end result, he nodded and said, "There are others who require your assistance. Remain here."

Shara could not believe how nicely fate had smiled on her. With a little luck, the ones she was looking for would come to her without any risk on her part. As soon as the nobleman disappeared around a corner, she lifted her robe and opened the pouch tied to her belt. It was too dangerous to allow anyone to see something as sophisticated as her microputer, so she got out some static paper and a pencil and reluctantly put off testing any samples she might obtain until she was certain of privacy.

Minutes later, another nobleman in a green robe came down the corridor. This time she was careful to only give his male anatomy a little twitch instead of a full erection and she issued all the warnings before she began her
spell
. One after another, men came to her, wearing every color robe save two—dark blue and red. Either Jupiter and his princes did not need help or the lesser nobles decided to keep her spell a secret among themselves.

When a very long time passed without any more visitors, Shara returned to the cookery. The excitement of having been handed a way to get her samples had given her a much-needed charge of energy but it was rapidly fading again. To her relief, Leah was still on duty, so she didn't need to come up with any explanations.

"You may have a plate of food then take your rest."

Shara wasn't as hungry as she was tired but she had no idea when she might get the offer of nourishment again, so she ate. When she finished, Leah assigned another slave to show her to their quarters below the cookery.

"My name is Shara," she told the young girl. "I'm new to the temple."

"I am Odette. The work here is hard but we eat well and we are rarely beaten... unlike those assigned to the monument or the quarries."

Shara cringed at the thought that Gabriel might have to suffer abuse where he was being taken.
Gabriel?
When she received no answer, she first assumed he had blocked her out rather than find out what she had been up to. Then she realized his mind was at rest. She consoled herself with the logic that if he had been beaten, he wouldn't be peacefully sleeping.

It was cooler on the lower level but much darker, with only an occasional torchlight on the stone walls, and the stale, musty odor was suffocating.

Shara asked, "Do you know Rebekah—the girl who is to be sacrificed at the final ceremony?"

Odette frowned. "I know who you speak of. I tried to talk to her after they locked her in, but she only cries all the time."