Summoned

"You have been summoned by the High Priestess."

The High Priestess?

Nizsm thought to himself.

Why ever would she summon me?

The elderly manservant clad in a long, clay coloured robe clarified his statement. "You are being considered to occupy a position as personal attendant to High Priestess Anhzeta."

A look of surprise and confusion registered on Nizsm's face. "I did not place a formal request for such a position... I am but a slave of the Great Royal House of King Titumekhta, Benevolent Ruler of Uttrsht. Are you sure you have the right man?"

The servant looked Nizsm up and down. He was certain this one was the one Anhzeta had specified: tall and lean, with fair skin, glossy, wavy hair the colour of the syprius root, eyes the colour of sapphire, strong cheekbones and a square jaw, and a glyph denoting the sacred god Ityun on the inside of his left wrist. The servant grabbed Nizsm's wrist to ensure the mark was present on this young man. It was.

"Yes, I am certain you are the one she specified to collect." The servant stated.

Nizsm exhaled a sigh of disbelief. "Why am I being considered? And for what task?"

The servant took a moment to consider his words carefully. "Are you familiar with the Cult of Astrypha?" the servant asked in a hushed tone.

"Well, I've heard many a thing whispered about it, but I was never certain it actually existed." Nizsm admitted, searching his memory for the many sordid practices he had heard associated with the cult.

"My friend, believe me, it DOES exist. I can't say much more about it right now, but you would be tending to the High Priestess in a related capacity."

If the Cult of Astrypha was what Nizsm had heard it rumored to be, there was only one possible capacity in which he could be serving.

"Do you mean to say that... I am being summoned as a...

concubinus

?" Nizsm asked intently.

"Shhhhh," interrupted the servant. "Yes, in a manner of a speaking. You are being considered for this most prestigious position. And you must come with me quickly." The servant wanted to make haste. It was getting dark.

Nizsm could not make any sense of this. It seemed to go against everything he knew. How was it that he was being considered for something like this? How did the High Priestess even know of him? He knew - in fact, could not

forget

- that High Priestess Anhzeta had joined the King and Queen for a feast earlier in the month. Nizsm regularly provided musical accompaniment for the King and Queen and their guests following meal times, and was sometimes required to clear the tables if extra help was needed following a large feast. He specifically remembered that she had been sitting to the immediate right of the Queen, and that they were engaged in animated banter throughout the evening. He also could not purge from his mind how unbelievably exquisite Anhzeta was. It was the first time he had been in such close proximity to her, and the rumors of her beauty simply did not do her justice.

Anhzeta was by far the youngest Priestess that had been appointed in a long time, and was renowned throughout the kingdom for her breathtaking beauty. It was a common sentiment among the people that both her beauty and strong spiritual connection to the gods so pleased the gods that they smiled upon her and ended The Drought of The Barren Heavens for her and her people. Nizsm, like the others, knew that this was no mere coincidence, as The Drought of The Barren Heavens ended immediately after she had been appointed. She was a remarkable woman, and justly revered by many as an extension of the gods. As a Priestess, she could never marry, as it was believed that the gods had saved a place for her in the heavens, where, upon expiration, she would ascend and become a demigoddess for all eternity. As a result, Anhzeta would never fully embrace an earthly existence. She was thought to be an extension of the divine on earth: sacred, pure and above the trappings of mortals. Men would sacrifice their firstborn for one night with her.

If he were to be chosen as her concubinus, it would be the best thing that ever happened to him for a multitude of reasons. He did not consider himself worthy of being a concubinus to anyone - they were usually much more formidable and attractive men than he. He was not some shining example of male virility, no great "stallion" of the human race. He knew that historically, concubines and their ilk were very well taken care of and would want for nothing due to the sensitive nature of their loyal servitude. He had never felt true economic security at any point throughout his life, even though his most basic needs for food, clothing and shelter were being met by way of his servitude at the King's palace.

"This must be some sort of mistake... why would

I

be selected for this?" He asked.

"I cannot say for certain my friend, I suppose she must see some sort of potential in you. Quickly now, we must hurry. The High Priestess awaits." The servant pointed to the East. "Come, come."

Nizsm gathered himself, tightened the knot on the shoulder of his robe, and smoothed back his tousled hair. The servant smirked to himself and the two men set off on their way.

***

A short while later, upon arriving at the door to the High Priestess' private quarters - one of hundreds branching off of the main palace - the servant turned to Nizsm and instructed him to do something that seemed very strange.

"Remove your robe now," said the old man.

"What?" An alarmed Nizsm responded. "Are you serious?"

"Quite. You must do this before you enter. Hurry now."

Nizsm took a quick look around him. The dark, desolate, hallway showed no signs of movement. There was no one present save for the two men. Nizsm looked quizzically at the manservant, who returned his unspoken question with a nod. Nizsm reluctantly disrobed himself, and gave the old man his garment. He stood there stark naked, all of a sudden feeling very exposed.

The old man knocked on Anhzeta's door. He knocked twice quickly, waited for a pause, then did a triple knock of slower speed. Anhzeta recognized the code, and stated, "Enter." The old man opened the door.

Anhzeta stood in the center of the room, in a sheer white gown that left shockingly little to the imagination. Nizsm attempted not to stare at her nearly nude body. A large gold and amber necklace accentuated her ample cleavage, nipples fully erect in the center of her voluptuous, perfectly orb-shaped breasts, her backside deliciously clinging to the fabric of her gown, her nether-regions a dark shadow at the apex of her thighs. He quickly bent down at the knee and uttered, "Most divine Priestess, may the gods embrace you," as was the customary greeting to an individual of her stature.

Anhzeta did not immediately answer, nor did she relieve him of his kneeling position. She walked up to him, very, very slowly, and took her time in studying the young man from her view above him. After several moments passed, she flatly instructed, "Rise."

Nizsm rose to his feet and looked at the ground in front of him. She was inches away from him. Her scent was delicious and breathing it in made him feel slightly lightheaded.

She stared at his face for a few seconds, and then proceeded to walk in a painfully slow circle around his naked body. He felt vulnerable and unsure of himself. What was she looking at right now? Would she be disappointed with his slight build? At several points in the circle she made, Anhzeta slowed her pace and even completely stopped. She did this twice: once on his left side, and once at his back rear end. He had never felt so scrutinized and he again wondered by what criteria he was being evaluated, or if he measured up to her expectations.

Anhzeta came round to the front of his body again, completing her circle. Her face fixed on his, and he was tempted to make eye contact with her, but since she hadn't instructed him to, he refrained.

The High Priestess took a step back and flatly instructed, "You may leave." She turned on her heel and receded into an area of her quarters covered by a curtain at the back of the room. Nizsm stood dumbfounded for a moment, and then turned to the elderly man to his right, giving him a look of puzzlement.

The old man snapped, "Come on, get dressed." He threw Nizsm his robe. Niszm quickly dressed himself in a stupor. Once the two men were outside her door and had made their way down the hall, Nizsm asked, "What just happened?"

The old man winced. "She's reconsidered. I wouldn't think upon this night's events any further if I were you."

Nizsm couldn't help but feel dejection.

***

Chapter 2: The High Priestess calls the servant boy back for a more rigorous inspection, and puts him through his paces as a potential new sub for the ancient sex cult.