Even as High Priestess Amara knew what attending the King's court entailed, she still kept coming every time she was invited. She would be given the same seat at the far end of the hall and barely anybody would talk to her. And the almost naked dancers at the center of the hall would get far more attention than she ever did. But if she stopped coming, her temple would fall even lower in relevance.
While looking at the dancers shaking their fit bodies, Amara could not but feel a bit of twisted jealousy even if their human bodies did not compare to her elven shapes. And there were moments she thought of coming to the court wearing something that would show that her ample breasts were more than a handful even for an orc. But since she did not want to lower herself like these whores she kept using the blue hooded robe and veil of her order.
On top of having all of the attention, the whores on the stage were more likely to have bigger private manors than Amara. No matter how much she had tried to put aside from the temple's treasury, it would take years with the current rate of offerings before she could get anything that would compare to the other affluent members of the city. Her predecessor had truly been far too generous for her own or even the order's good that lived like fasting nuns.
"Ambassador, tell me, how does this performance compare to the fertility priestesses of your city?" King Urkok asked. The large orc king dressed only in a golden bull mask and loincloth that definitely did not cover that much of his armor-like green muscles. He had been engrossed for some time in a conversation with diplomats from other city-states. The more Amara had listened to it, the more sure she was he was looking to replace her order.
"Your Greatness, to my shame I have to admit, dancing isn't what they are most renowned for," an ambassador who wore a white toga voiced. "But very few things compare to the sexual purity ceremony of their very eager disciples."
"So I have heard," Urkok mused. When he spoke, even the other members of the orc-dominated noble warrior caste stayed silent like even momentarily offending the ruling king would end more than their careers.
"I heard your temple is drowning with pilgrims, poor priestesses," a slightly drunk orc noble grinned. "Too bad our local order mostly just makes sure the water flows and crop grows."
Amara jolted a bit but probably not from what the others in the hall might have thought. Even if she did not exactly want to turn her temple into a whorehouse there definitely would be some benefits in branching out. Especially if it was offering very special services to the most influential members of the city.
"I would like to remind you, when we last had a famine?" Urkok exclaimed. "Not in hundreds of years, I will not have you disrespect our most venerable temple."
"Thank you for your continued support," Amara voiced after most eyes turned to wait for a comment from her. But her tone rang as hollow as the words of support for the temple that almost had to beg on the streets to get by. And her focus was drifting to her new plan to change that.
There would definitely be many priestesses in Amara's order that would not exactly be jubilant over such a change but if she just used a few of them for such a service, nobody not involved would need to know or even partake if it was exposed. So the rest of the court event, the High Priestess was sunk deep into her thoughts about how to actually accomplish offering service that was better than common whores. And with her knowledge about spirits, she had more than one way to accomplish it.
** * **
Even after Amara returned back to her temple, she kept going through all the options she had without being able to agree on one. In these situations, she usually consulted with the other priestesses but at least for now, she had not been able to think of even one who would just go with any of her plans.
"But more importantly... just how special the service needs to be," Amara muttered while walking in a circle in her office. "And since I can't do it myself... some novice has to do it, and how many do I even need."
A knock came on Amara's door and she stopped to stare at it with her obsidian black eyes that contrasted with her almost pale silky skin. Her blue hood and veil showed only little of it but even that part refused to tan like her skin was resisting the scorching sun that burned the land around the life-giving rivers into a merciless desert.
"What is it?" Amara demanded as she recognized who it was just from the soft knock. A blue-robed priestess opened the door. Just her purple eyes showed sadness that Amara knew from experience did not belong to the slender woman but whoever had cried last on her shoulder.
"High Priestess, Nurik has come again. He suffers more than usual... so I was hoping you would look at him. Or if you let me take care of the tainted spirit if you are busy," Delfina voiced. Despite certain hesitation in her tone, it also demanded immediate action to help the one whose matter she had come to solve.
"I'm not busy at all... bring him here," Amara replied while getting an idea. "We should not let him suffer for longer than needed."
"Please be kind to him," Delfina pleaded. "He truly loves his wife and does not want to harm anybody."
"Of course, the longer you delay, the longer he gets to suffer," Amara shrugged. Delfina nodded and she rushed with fast steps along the corridor. It did not take long until she guided back a tall half-orc who had his muscular hands tied behind his back with red rope. He wore silky green pants and a tunic that showed some degree of wealth.
"I'm sorry to be here again, but nobody else can help me," Nurik said with a weak tone that did not match his sturdy body. He was as bulky and green as most orcs but he still towered above the two elves in blue robes.
"No need for apologies, that's why we are here," Amara said before instructing with a slight change in her tone. "Delfina, I won't be taking part in any ceremonies for the rest of the day as I will be healing him."
"High Priestess," Delfina whispered with a low tone to Amara. "I trust you only do what is right."
"I will, tell Isana she does not need to guard the vaults tonight, in fact, tell her she can just take a few days to relax," Amara replied with a slight shrug. "I will be conducting some experiments and do not want to be disturbed."
"She will be delighted, we were talking about going to..." Delfina said excitedly until she stopped herself. "Well... I better be going then, since you have to take care of this."
"Bye Delfina," Amara waved and the other priestess rushed out of the room.
"I hope I did not interrupt anything. I'm so sorry I keep bothering you with this," Nurik voiced like he was almost crying. But regardless of his words, his yellow eyes slid down Amara's robes to really absorb the fact her breasts held up the front of her robe like a perky shelf.
