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Deadly Taboos

Chapter 1

A rough and rocky road, actually little more than a trail for human feet and beasts of burden, ran the length of Enikip plateau from the foothills of Mount Taishamal to the western end of the plateau where it overlooked the confluence of the Imlakash and Zhunkapash valleys. The flattest part of the plateau was near the mid point on the northern side above the valley of the Zhunkapash, where the road passed through the town of Biltala. The town, a settlement of rough hewn stone buildings with thatched or wooden roofs, was the only one on the plateau and was the cultural center. Elsewhere were scattered individual small farms or the dwellings of shepherds.

The Hurrians of Enikip were descended from former inhabitants of the valleys on either side of the plateau, from whence they had been driven by the Kitanite invaders from the north, who now occupied the more fertile lowlands. Life in Biltala again approached its yearly peak of intensity, as people from all over the plateau gathered in a festive mood. All manner of Summer produce and many sheep, as well as a few cattle, were brought to market. But most important, Biltala was the plateau's religious center, and the time was drawing near to determine who would be the victim of the annual sacrifice.

Balch, the chief priest of Taishub, loved his god with fanatical passion. He fully shared the deity's contempt for women, believing his opinion of them confirmed at many points during his life. Five days before the day appointed for the sacrifice, he led five junior priests in a ceremonial train through the marketplace. His mood was both somber and joyous, because this was his favorite time of the year, when he could serve his god more fully than at any other time.

The priests following him intoned a chant of blessing and petition as he lofted a bronze censer of incense.

"Praise to thee, O Sovereign of the Storm.

The cloud is thy chariot,

the lightening thy spear.

Protect us still,

From the Kitanite hordes,

From the Kitanite hordes."

The chorus was repeated numerous times, with protection from another evil invoked on each repetition. A favorite of Balch was "female wiles."

As the priestly procession proceeded, Balch's saw Tamrin, now in her eighteenth Summer. Whenever he saw her, he felt disturbed by her attractiveness, because he considered female beauty an evil, a snare for young men set by the demon Khepat. He was also disturbed by a sense of familiarity in her features which he could not explain. He wondered if his disturbance might not be a warning from Taishub that she was guilty or would be guilty of some great sin. He felt that at any rate, because she troubled him, he should trouble her in turn. "Tamrin, I see you are selling your father's choice lambs and the fruits of his garden," he said, viewing with seeming admiration the four fleecelings roped into a small stall beside the marketplace wall.

"Yes, blessed one. Does your eye find pleasure in any of the lambs?"

"My eye is pleased with that which is sold, but I am not certain of the seller." His tone took on a more somber quality. "Taishub's spirit is upon me, and doth whisper that evil will be found in you. Purify your thoughts before him. As the time of the sacrifice approaches, beware of what evil might come upon you if his anger continues." The priest gazed at her with a baleful glare for a few more seconds, then moved on. His attendants, who had fallen silent in rapt attention when he stopped to speak, resumed their chant and followed.

Tamrin was mortified at the priest's sudden attention. She had feared his malediction before, as she had occasionally been aware of him staring at her. This had frightened but also puzzled her, for his expression, though characteristically contemptuous, had also been quizzical, as if attempting to resolve some problem or mystery. She still had enough faith in Taishub, if only mortal fear, to feel concern about a declaration of his displeasure. At the same time she held a contradictory disbelief that a holy god could be so hateful. She did not feel guilty for just being a female, because she knew that she intended no evil in her heart. She wondered who might have informed the priests that she had expressed doubt of the god to one or two of her friends. But she was a young woman and still concerned about the opinions of others, and considered it very unfair to to be singled out for chastisement. She knew that other girls eligible for the sacrifice had blasphemed Taishub, a capital offense.

After Balch and the priests left the marketplace, Tamrin felt gloomy, counting the minutes into long hours until she could return home. Within a few minutes the other people in her vicinity had returned to their own business, paying no further attention to her. But she felt as if the day was wasted now. She had no heart left for bargaining or selling, and expected that most would avoid her after the words of Balch. Her mind continuously returned to worrying why the priest had singled her out, and dread of the implications entailed in his attention. Could he rig it so that I will be selected for the sacrifice? she wondered. She was sitting on the ground, lost in thought, when she suddenly became aware of a subtle change in the continuous marketplace din. Looking up she saw two mounted figures moving among the stalls, upon whom the attention of all was riveted. Each wore rough leather breeches and softer shirts, also of leather, laced at the chest. Both also carried long swords in sheathes at their sides. One was slightly taller than his companion, and carried himself with an authoritative air, as one used to commanding men. His beard was roughly trimmed, while that of the other was completely shaggy. He was also more muscular, his hair a darker shade of brown, and his complexion darker. Their dress and manner readily identified them as Kitanites. They paused now and then to glance at some merchandise as they rode carefully among the stands and stalls, but indicated no interest in making purchases.

Then the taller one saw Tamrin. He halted, looking at her with a puzzled expression, and said something to his companion. Then he handed the other the reigns of his horse, dismounted, and walked rapidly toward her, upon which she stood and cringed back against the wall. He noticed her consternation and hesitated. "Fear not, I only wish to look at your lambs," he said softly in good but slightly accented Hurrian.

But he paid little attention to the lambs. "What is your name?" he asked.

"Tamrin." She relaxed some but still maintained a wary stance.

"Where have I seen you before?" he asked.

She found the question nearly as surprising as his initial approach. "Sir, I'm sure I've never seen you before," she said in a puzzled tone. She was painfully conscious of the scrutiny from her neighbors in the market which her conversation with the stranger was generating, but her father had taught her to be polite. "What is your name, sir?"

The man seemed to hesitate a moment as if in doubt as to what he should answer, then appeared to reach a decision. "Balik," he said, "but I still wonder where I know you from. Who is your family? Who is your father? Tell me of them."

She glanced around nervously but answered, "My father is all of my family. He is the shepherd Taia. We live away from Biltala." She glanced around again and Balik took note of her consternation. All the staring faces seemed to perturb him also, causing him to scowl momentarily.

He reached into the breast pocket of his shirt and withdrew a five-weight gold piece. "I suppose I have ruined your business for today. This should recompense you." He handed Tamrin the piece of gold without another word and strode off suddenly, before she had wit enough to thank him or refuse. The sudden movement startled the lambs, which bleated, bumped and pawed each other.

The Kitanite reclaimed his horse from his companion, who had watched the entire exchange looking lost and perplexed. They moved on to other business and vanished from Tamrin's view into the town.

After the Kitanites left the attention of Tamrin's neighbors continued to focus on her. "What does this Kitanite have to do with you, Tamrin? What do you know of this barbarian?" asked Zayiza, an old crone who had once hoped to marry Taia.

"What did he give you, and why are you consorting with our enemies?" asked another. They continued thus, interrupting one another and not waiting for her to reply.

Tamrin became exasperated. "Stop it!" she cried, "What he said to me and what he gave me is my own affair. But if you must know, he said he just wanted to look at my lambs."

"Tamrin," rejoined Zayiza, "I heard him say his name was Balik. This Balik may be a very wicked man. My son, who trades in Tereshnakom, told me that not many days ago the lord of the Kitanites was murdered by his son, a man named Balik."

"Perhaps he will come to your house at night, so that he can take you away and eat you," commented another, reflecting the belief of some Hurrians that the Kitanites were cannibalistic.

But Tamrin took no notice, resenting the hags' nosiness and wishing to spite them. "I only know that he was kinder than Hurrian men!" she said.

They all gasped or covered their ears. "Tamrin, to think that you could say such a thing after the warning of Balch! Beware, lest Taishub hear you and be angry!" warned Zayiza. The others grunted in agreement and then they all stalked off.

Tamrin was distraught, wondering what new evil the day might bring. But instead came a few minutes of welcome diversion in the form of her friend Maidu, who lived in Biltala. Tamrin, lost in thought, scarcely knew she was there until she sat down beside her and spoke. "Why such a long face?" she asked.

Tamrin looked at her and smiled. "It is good to see you, after a day like I've been having. First, Balch comes through and says that evil will be found in me, then a Kitanite stranger comes riding through, gets down from his horse, and wants to know where he has seen me before."

"Balch might say that to any young woman facing possible choice for the sacrifice. He delights to shame and frighten us. As to the Kitanite, he was then only a man, drawn to your beauty like any other," Maidu said.

"Ah... you are the pretty one, Maidu!"

"Not so. Men may glance at me a second time, but they are pulled to you like a moth to an open flame, Tamrin. My nose is too big. Akhip calls me 'sheep face.'"

"Are you content to be his betrothed, when he speaks to you so?"

"Yes, he is a good man, all things considered."

"Few men pay attention to me lately. Tokar keeps them scared off."

"You are the envy of all the girls. Everyone knows how strong Tokar is, the probably the mightiest swordsman of Enikip. Why don't you accept his suit of betrothal?"

Tamrin shuddered slightly. "I suppose that I should, as honor demands that I do soon, unless I can find a good reason not to. But he is so arrogant and demanding, and speaks to me so roughly sometimes."

"Your Kitanite visitor did not know about Tokar. Was he handsome?"

"At least so much as Tokar."

"He might not be impressed by Tokar."

"I almost wish that he could woo me, to take away some of Tokar's smugness!"

Maidu covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. "Tamrin! If Balch heard you say such a thing..."

"My father too. He thinks it is time I accepted Tokar's suit. But living through the next few days is sufficient to worry about now."

"Yes. I hope we both escape selection for the sacrifice," Maidu said.

"It will be the last time for you. I will have to face the ordeal again next year."

"Well, I came to look at the festive sights, but it is time for me to return home. Good bye Tamrin."

"Thanks for the company. It has cheered me up."

"You would have found something to cheer you up anyhow, because you are cheerful by nature."

"I try to be. Good bye, Maidu."

The remainder of the day passed uneventfully. As her usual cheerful disposition reasserted itself, she stopped worrying about the events of the day with partial success, but a vague anxiety continued to trouble her. She hoped that the next few days would pass quickly, so that she could be free of the threat of the sacrifice one more year. She also hoped that she would not see Tokar today. He had been pressing his suit of betrothal most annoyingly for several weeks, with nearly daily entreaties that sounded like demands.

While Tamrin and Maidu talked, Balch led his attendant priests to the shrine of Taishub outside Biltala on the northern side of the plateau. This was an open grassy space near the edge of a heavily forested canyon leading down into the Zhunkapash valley. Though called the shrine of Taishub, there was no temple, idol or other sacred accouterments; the only permanent fixture was the place of execution. The woods commenced abruptly where the ground began to slope downward, and not more than twenty feet from their edge was a circular area where bits of charred wood could be found scattered in the grass, for it was here that witches or others guilty of crimes against Taishub were burned. The priests would spend the rest of the day on this sacred spot in fasting and supplication to Taishub, praying that as always he reveal the one worthy of purging through the annual sacrifice.

Chapter 2

It was approximately 1750 B.C., and the priests of Taishub were essentially the temporal as well as spiritual government of the Hurrians of Enikip, though there was a nominal ruler in Biltala who bore the title of Governor. But this had not always been the case. Nearly three centuries earlier the Hurrian lands had consisted of a loose confederation of kingdoms under the titular authority of the high king in Karrumi. These lands were roughly bounded by the Zab river in the southeast, the upper Tigris in the southwest, the Kara river in the northwest and the region around Mount Ararat in the northeast of eastern Anatolia. Then the Kitanite invaders swept down from the far north, temporarily united under the warlord Kurizalgu the Great.

The Kitanites dispossessed the Hurrians entirely from their most northern lands, from which many of them fled to northern Mesopotamia and Syria. The fate of Karrumi was less drastic, as the Kitanites replaced the former ruling classes of the Hurrians with themselves. Eventually the Hurrians of the former kingdom of Hurruke, the capital of which was Karrumi, forgot their identity and learned the language of their masters, while adding to it many Hurrian words. This land covered an area around Lake Van and the upper Murat river. West and northwest of Lake Van was an area of partial Kitanite penetration, where they had driven the Hurrians out of the more desirable lowlands and into the plateau or mountainous areas between the valleys. Enikip was the most northerly of these isolated Hurrian enclaves, not far from present day Erzurum. Only in the southwest had one of the original Hurrian kingdoms survived, Erkish on the upper Tigris. Kurizalgu was assassinated as he was about to invade Erkish, and the Kitanite alliance soon fractured into numerous strife prone tribes.

The isolated western Hurrian communities were left to their own affairs except for occasional Kitanite raids for booty, slaves or adventure. But the Kitanite invasion caused a profound disruption and then restructuring of their culture. One change was a much greater emphasis on a sheep raising versus farming economy, as the Hurrians found themselves in the poorer highland areas. Another change was the development of the cult of Taishub, manifested in its most extreme form on Enikip plateau.

As chief priest of Taishub, Balch was a figure of awe and fear by virtue of his office. There was also an aura of mystery associated with his background, which was unusual for that time and area. He was the son of a wealthy merchant named Lapil, and as a child and youth he had traveled widely with his father in the fabled lands to the south, especially Assyria and Babylonia. Sometimes these excursions lasted over a year, so that he became knowledgeable in the languages and customs of the peoples among whom his father traded. When he was eighteen he had a falling out with Lapil and went to Babylon to seek his own fortune. He remained there two years, but forever after he would never talk about this episode of his life, other than to indicate that it inspired his decision to enter the priesthood of Taishub. This he did immediately after his return from Babylon, by serving two years as a novice under the wizard Tanuki, a famed priest of Paikip in Erkish. He then returned to Biltala, where he rose rapidly among the ranks of the priesthood until he became Chief Priest.

Balch had the demeanor of one who expects and receives the attention of an audience. He had a large head and penetrating green eyes, ever ready to flare in malediction against a suspected miscreant. His nose was bulbous, but not so prominent as to draw extraordinary attention. His pate was bald, but there was a fringe of grayish white hair all around the sides and back of his head. His hair had been flaming red when he was a youth, and his long, flowing beard was still tinted with a darker hint of red.

At no time was the power of the priests greater than the occasion of the annual sacrifice of a virgin to Taishub, which they ordered from beginning to end. As the third day before the sacrifice dawned suspense mounted among the girls eligible to be offered, whose number was a little over fifty. Soon after sunrise they were brought before the priests to be marked and placed in a guarded compound. To mark them, each was given a bracelet to be worn on the wrist until after the sacrifice was selected. Each bracelet had an identifying rune inscribed on a disk shaped portion in its center. No one removed the bracelet until commanded to do so, otherwise she would suffer a cruel death. Seldom did any girl try to escape before the selection was made, because there was no place to go other than the barren heights of Mount Taishamal or the Kitanite lowlands. Taishub was said to walk on the mountain, ready to blast any trespasser to the lowest hell, while an unknown but reputedly monstrous fate awaited any Hurrian girl captured by the Kitanites.

Tamrin awoke that morning to find her father shaking her. "Come my child, we must go to the priests," he said.

She knew it would be useless to protest, because her father feared Taishub and his priests like all men of Enikip, but she could not help but express her dismay. "Oh, father, how I dread these next three days!"

He was consternated. "Hush, or Taishub will hear you and be angry! Let us go now."

They hurried as quickly as his lameness would allow to the compound where the girls were to be held, an area enclosed by a throat high wooden fence near the shrine of Taishub. Soon after they arrived the first step in the process of selecting the sacrifice began. "Release the blessed lambs to be driven by Taishub's holy will!" commanded Balch.

A fearful din was raised by men shouting and discordantly playing all manner of musical instruments, and a few more than fifty nearly grown lambs were stampeded in terror, dispersed in all directions. For the rest of the morning anyone seeing one of these sheep was expected to drive it further. Each lamb had a medallion bound securely around its neck, with a symbol inscribed on it identical to that on the wrist bracelet of a girl waiting in the compound.

It was forbidden on pain of death that the girls speak to one another while they were in the compound. Tamrin saw Maidu, who had gone through the ordeal with her the previous year, the first for Tamrin. She nodded to Maidu with a faint smile, thinking, I pray that we both make it through this High Summer Day safely also. Maidu nodded in return, and Tamrin felt that she must be thinking the same thing.

About noon Balch issued another command. "Messenger of Taishub, go forth and bring us two blessed lambs!" A chosen warrior then rode off to follow any path he desired. He had instructions to return with the first two lambs bearing medallions that he found.

As the afternoon wore on, suspense mounted in the compound, for one of the lambs carried the rune of death. Even the most faithless girl prayed that the lamb with her sign would be swift and evade the warrior. For most of them the fear would be over soon after his return, at least until next Summer.

After three hours the warrior was seen returning with two bleating lambs strapped on his mount. Upon the command of the priest, the girls crowded to be near the head of the line to exit the compound. "No shoving now! You will pass by me in single file to freedom, except for the two whose bracelets may bear the token of doom," the priest said. At the gate each girl's rune was compared to those on the lambs' medallions.

Tamrin had been on the opposite side of the compound when the warrior returned, and so had to wait near the end of the line. After eleven girls passed to freedom, one whose name was Kalma was pulled aside and put under guard. Her face became ashen and she could not stop trembling. Then it seemed to Tamrin that the line filed slowly for an interminable time. Finally, as she was drawing near the gate, she prayed to no particular deity, "Oh please, let it not be me."

Her suspense was heightened as she remembered the words of Balch, "Evil will be found in you."

Her hand trembled as the priest seized it to compare her bracelet with the symbol on the neck of the remaining lamb. An icy shock of fear went through her, as the runes seemed to match. The priest gazed intently at the inscriptions for a moment to be certain. Then he traced with his finger a small spike on the side of the lamb's symbol that was missing from hers. "You are fortunate today." he said. Tamrin walked out of the compound. The air had never seemed sweeter, nor the sunshine more pleasant on her skin as she avoided selection for the sacrifice the second year. If she could escape it one more time, she would be free from the threat forever.

But then she heard the priest say to Maidu, who had been in line right behind her, "You are the other one."

"Go and inform the noble Balch that we have them both. Tell him that they are Maidu and Kalma," the priest instructed an underling. The girls in the remainder of the line breathed sighs of relief, mumbled prayers of thanksgiving, and walked out of the compound. But Tamrin felt her heart cramp in consternation and anger upon hearing that Maidu was still in danger. Why must this be? she wondered. This was her last time, then she would be free forever. I hope Kalma is the one finally selected, Maidu deserves so much more to be spared.

Maidu and Kalma were taken to a hut with two rooms in Biltala, there to spend the hours of anxiety until their fates were decided. The hut, bare except for sleeping cots, was under vigilant guard at all times to preclude escape. The prisoners could communicate through the walls, but they were not friends and had nothing to say to each other. When Kalma was fourteen, she had claimed to have been bewitched by an old spinster, and Maidu had made light of it. Now the salvation of one depended on the condemnation of the other. The girl not chosen for the sacrifice would enjoy a life of ease and never be forced, nor even permitted to do the slightest work her life long. Her only required service was now and then to drink a sip of her own blood in honor of Taishub in his role as the creator god who generated the primal causes of the Universe from himself.

All through the second day before the sacrifice the priests prayed that Taishub would look with favor on their offering. They performed many ceremonial chants and dances. It was the religious high point of the year, and they hoped to gain many blessings from the god's pleasure. They prayed for strength against the Kitanites and fertility for the crops and herds. They also prayed that Taishub would turn his anger from the Hurrian women, make them fertile but keep them humble and submissive.

Finally, the day before the sacrifice arrived. Maidu and Kalma were brought to the shrine of Taishub to hear their fates. The same two sheep which had borne the medallions for each of them were used for the final selection. For several days a wolf had been starved, and the previous day it had been placed in a pen next to the compound at the shrine of Taishub where the girls had awaited their selection, with the lambs penned next to it. The lambs were put in the compound and allowed to wander a few minutes. Then the ravenous wolf was released into the enclosure and permitted to attack and kill one of the lambs. The girl whose bracelet matched the medallion of the dead lamb would be sacrificed. Many Hurrians gathered around the enclosure to watch the killing and hear the victim's name. Although it was considered sinful, some placed wagers on the outcome.

Just as the wolf made its kill, warriors skewered it with arrows. A priest walked into the corral to fetch the medallion. He brought it to a low wooden dais upon which Balch stood. Balch took the medallion and examined it a moment, the faintest smile curling his lips. Then he spoke. "Hear, O Hurrians, the will of the great Taishub, God of the storm. He is just and his judgment is righteous. He sees into the hearts of all the people, and no sin or blasphemy is hidden from him. And now his hand has revealed the wicked one among us, that she may be purged and the people cleansed. The name of her chosen to die is Maidu."

There were cheers from the crowd and a few gasps. Maidu turned pale and trembled, but kept bravely silent. Balch looked around and thought, Tamrin is not here to hear her friend sentenced. Of course, she is probably tending Taia's flock. I wish it was her whom I sentenced, that would fit with what I told her in the marketplace. But there is always next year. I wish I could figure out this troubling sense of familiarity I feel when I see her.

Chapter 3

Tamrin, a beautiful young woman in her eighteenth year, was the only child of the Hurrian shepherd Taia. She spent her days mostly in tending her father's flock, as he was lame. Today was High Summer day, a day of festivities in Biltala, and the day of the annual sacrifice to Taishub. Tamrin did not yet know that her friend was to be sacrificed, and tried not to think about it so as to quell her anxiety, as she went about her her chores as a shepherdess. But one of the sheep had strayed, and Tamrin had spent most of the morning searching for it. Zigi is father's most foolish sheep, thought Tamrin, and I wish we could butcher her. She smiled. Her father loved that sheep, despite, or perhaps because of its foibles. Tamrin's search was taking her near the southern edge of Enikip plateau, when she heard voices coming from the other side of a brush thicket at the top of a small hill. She crouched and carefully crept up to the edge of the brush, to see without being seen. She lay on her stomach and peered at a crowd in a clearing at the edge of the plateau. They were near the top of a cliff which plunged into the Imlakash valley below, Kitanite territory. She recognized many in the assembly as villagers from Biltala. Near the front of the crowd and near the edge of the cliff stood Maidu. Two junior priests of Taishub held Maidu by the arms as another priest came forward to assist them.

The three priests forced the trembling girl to the edge of the precipice. They halted at the brink of the chasm and the chief priest, Balch, addressed the assembled Hurrians. "Behold the object of the Storm God's wrath." Then he turned to the Maidu and said, "Your condemnation is just. It has fallen your lot to be the vessel of Taishub's hate, for you are despicable to him. Now go to your doom so that he will be troubled no more, and the people may prosper." Balch lifted his right hand in signal, and two powerful warriors came forward and grasped Maidu from the priests' hands. The priests dipped their hands in a bowl of lamb's blood to purify themselves.

"Mercy," gasped Maidu, trying to shrink back, but the warriors dragged her inexorably to the edge. One final moment of struggle, and she was hurled to the boulders below. The onlookers were shaken by a single shriek which reverberated from the sides of the chasm. Two Kitanites who had been hunting in the forest below emerged into the open when they heard the scream. One of them shouted and shook his fist toward the crowd on the cliff top, after glancing at the girl's body dashed on the rocks. Then they faded back into the forest.

In her wonderment and shock at the scene, it had taken a few moments to register on Tamrin's mind that she was witnessing the annual sacrifice. But she suddenly realized her deadly peril and was filled with terror. For it was the highest taboo for a virgin to see the sacrifice, and she would be immediately put to death if caught. She turned in a crouch to leave, and her foot snapped a twig. Galvanized by fright, she began running as fast as she could, not looking back.

Dark storm clouds were moving rapidly west from the slopes of Mount Taishamal, as the Hurrians dispersed to return to their homes and flocks. Balch wondered if Taishub was pleased with the sacrifice, showing his approval by the darkness gathering about his divine mountain home. But he might also be angry, as the moods of the gods were sometimes hard to read. Before most of the Hurrians reached their homes, the storm broke. Black clouds boiled across the plateau from Mount Taishamal, veiling it for the rest of the afternoon. Rounds of thunder often shook the ground as a drenching rain drove shepherds and their sheep to the precarious shelter of trees and rocky places. Vivid lightening rent the sky.

Tamrin ran through the rain for perhaps half a mile, hoping to put a safe distance between herself and the forbidden scene she had witnessed. She began to slow, looking over her shoulder many times and seeing no pursuit. As she ran the rain streamed down her face, plastering her long black hair to her head and shoulders. The torrent also swept away tears, as she remembered the death of her friend, Maidu. She dodged around a small grove of trees and nearly collided with Tokar, her suitor. She forced a faint smile, not wanting him to suspect her distress.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" He asked, also panting heavily.

"One of father's sheep has strayed, and I was searching," she said.

"You are breathless, and I know you must have run long and fast, for you run well. I have also run long and fast, because I have rushed from witnessing the sacrifice, my duty as a warrior. As it was completed, I chanced to hear a twig snap and glance around to see a figure briefly beyond the brush, running. It was you, was it not? I glimpsed your unmistakable lovely hair."

Tamrin paled.

"It was you! But don't be afraid, I will keep your secret if you do what I say."

"And what do you want me to do?" Tamrin asked, though she guessed the answer.

"You must get Taia to approve and announce our betrothal forthwith!"

"You would force me to be your wife?"

"If I cannot possess you, no one will," Tokar said, looking grim.

"Then it seems I have little choice," Tamrin said, thinking desperately of a way to still delay finally giving her consent. At that moment there was a booming clap of thunder, and Tamrin glanced in the direction from which it came. When she looked back at Tokar, she saw that he was gazing intently at her breasts, to which her rain soaked dress was plastered. This was a simple knee length, short sleeved garment of off white wool. He suddenly reached out and grasped her left arm above the elbow.

"Lie with me, Tamrin!" he said.

She gasped. "You know it is forbidden, and that I must remain a virgin until the next High Summer Day, when I need no longer fear the yearly sacrifice."

"I do not care about that. Taishub chooses whom he will, and often it is only the priests who say she is a virgin. My loins ache with desire for you. Lie with me. You will enjoy it, too."

"I cannot. If it were found out, I would be stoned to death. Is your pleasure worth my life to you? Don't you care for me more than that?"

"No one need ever know. But if they did, I would intercede with the priests for you. You must lie with me now, or I will tell the priests that you saw the sacrifice."

"But by threatening to force me in this manner, you have also sinned. If I told this to the priests, you would be punished, and disgraced as a warrior." Tamrin believed that she had found a way to put him off, and perhaps escape from her predicament.

"No one need ever know," he repeated. "I will make things right with the priests. You must lie with me now!" He began to pull the right sleeve of her dress down from her shoulder.

"Not even you could sway the priests. Let go of my dress!" In rage and fear at the pending violation, she kicked him hard and swift on his left shin, causing him to yell in pain and rage. But he released her in his surprise, allowing her to run.

Tokar did not try to pursue her, but bellowed, "You will regret this. Wait until we are married. Then you will be my slave, and will have to do what I want!"

Tamrin's mind was a swirl of emotions as she made her way home. She concluded that Tokar still intended to force her to marry him by virtue of the threat he held over her like a club. The thought enflamed her mind with bitterness, for she knew now that she could never love him. She now found the thought of spinsterhood preferable to a union with him. But she realized that the lot of most Hurrian women was to wed and bear children to men they could not love because they worshipped Taishub, a god who hated women. At least she would be free one more year, since she could not be married as long as she was eligible to suffer Taishub's spite in the annual sacrifice. She had often been lonely or bitter in such thoughts, but otherwise satisfied to herd her lame father's flocks or tend their garden, as she delighted in being outdoors.

Chapter 4

Early the morning following the sacrifice, while they were cleaning the breakfast bowls and cups, there came a loud pounding on the door of the hut where Taia and Tamrin lived. Taia went to the door and opened it to find three of the governor's soldiers. "What is wanted?" he asked.

"We are here to arrest your daughter for blasphemy. Tokar accused her of witnessing the sacrifice, and we are ordered to take her promptly to the priests and governor for trial, " replied Akhip, the officer in charge.

Tamrin felt a shaft of fear. Tokar had decided to tell!

"What?" shouted Taia, and the soldier began to repeat himself. "I heard you, give me a moment alone with Tamrin."

"Our orders are to take her immediately," said Akhip.

"Orders be damned, you will wait!" roared Taia. He shut the door in the soldier's face. "Tamrin, we have little time. Tell me quickly what happened." Taia said.

Tamrin knew there was no point in lying to her father, and would have found it difficult under any circumstances. "Zigi got lost again, and I happened on the sacrifice looking for her. They killed Maidu." She repressed the sob which tried to well in her throat; it was also a crime to mourn a victim of the sacrifice. "I ran as soon as I realized what was happening, but Tokar saw me. He tried to force himself on me, threatening to report me if I did not submit. He must have done so anyhow out of spite."

"He was always an arrogant lout," Taia said. "Well, you must go and answer the charge. I will try to help if I can. Plead with Balch for Taishub's mercy. Do not plead for justice, because Balch will say that justice demands that you be punished."

Akhip pushed the door open and said loudly, "We can wait no longer. Tamrin must come now, or we will drag her, and smite you Taia, if we must!"

"I will go now," Tamrin said. They began walking to the shrine of Taishub, with Tamrin between two of the soldiers, Akhip leading, and Taia following, but falling ever farther behind as he limped along.

When they reached the shrine it was nearly midmorning. A pavilion had been set up to cover Balch, two attendant priests, and the Governor. These were seated on one side of a rough hewn table, facing outward to where the audience was required to stand in the open. The spot where those so condemned were burned was about fifty yards behind the pavilion, closed to view by its back.

Tamrin was led to stand before Balch and his court, her guards flanking either side of her. Tokar stood to the right, near the edge of the pavilion. Balch spoke. "It was reported to us by the noble warrior, Tokar, that Tamrin, daughter of the shepherd Taia, did spy on the execution of the High Summer Day sacrifice. When I learned of this I petitioned the governor to convene this court with all haste, because the charge against Tamrin represents a most dire affront to Taishub, one that would incur his wrath and thereby endanger the people. I do not doubt the veracity of Tokar, one of the finest young men of Biltala. I, too, suspected that someone intruded on the sacred rite, for I heard movement beyond the clearing. Nevertheless, it is permitted to Tamrin to answer in her defense, if she can. You may speak now, but do not try our patience with foolish denials or trifling feminine ploys."

"I plead that you call upon the mercy of Taishub, for I did not sin knowingly. I was looking for one of father's sheep who had strayed, and came upon the scene of sacrifice by mistake. As soon as I knew what was happening, I left quickly, not wishing to anger the god. But Tokar is not without sin. He threatened me with reporting that I had seen the sacrifice, in order to prevail on me to accept his suit, and then to violate me. When I refused, he tried to rape me. I resisted, as was my duty. Look at his right shin, there should be a fine bruise as evidence of this." This drew a few chuckles from the crowd, which was now about twenty-five and was swelling rapidly, as the news had traveled that Tamrin was to be tried for blasphemy.

"Tokar, what do you have to say to this?" asked Balch.

"It is true that she kicked me and left a bruise. Here it is," Tokar said, displaying his right shin. "But it did not happen as she said. She tried to seduce me, perhaps thereby to avoid her own punishment. When I resisted her enticings, she kicked me in her spite."

"Liar!" Tamrin gasped.

"Silence!" roared Balch. "Tamrin, you will speak only when spoken to, or I will have you flogged forthwith!"

Tokar continued, "I must admit that I was tempted to accept her offer to let her become my betrothed and overlook her sin. But my conscience as a warrior began to work upon me, and I sought the counsel of the noble Balch, explaining that I might have knowledge of a violation of the sacrifice. He impressed upon me my duty to the people to expose the evil one, so that Taishub's wrath might be turned from the people. I thank you, gracious Balch, for instructing me in my higher duty as a warrior."

Balch smiled and nodded. "I have heard enough. The court will now confer,to determine Tamrin's punishment."

Tamrin was left to stand through the long moments of dread, as Balch spoke with the other priests and the governor, too low for her to hear, other than snatches of "Obviously guilty," and "No punishment too great." Then Balch faced toward her.

"Tamrin, we cannot regard your plea for mercy. The danger to the people is too great, and the wrath of Taishub must be appeased. It is the highest abomination that you have committed before him. We accept the word of Tokar, a noble warrior, over yours, that of a lowly female and therefore already despicable in the eyes of Taishub. Since you violated the sacrifice, you made it worthless in the eyes of Taishub. Therefore, a new sacrifice is needed. According to our ancient laws and traditions, it is you who must be the new sacrifice, to atone in that even inadequate way for the great evil you have done. But your sacrifice must be the most painful and shameful that we can inflict for the sake of the people, to ameliorate the wrath of the Storm God. It is therefore your sentence to be brought to the place of execution here at the shrine of Taishub tomorrow at the rising of the sun. There you will be divested of all your garments, bound to a stake and burned, so that Taishub will see your shame and delight in your pain."

Chapter 5

Although Tamrin had anticipated her fate with near certainty from the beginning of the trial, to actually hear the sentence of death ripped her emotions like a hammering blow. In the past victims of the sacrifice had shown every variety of reaction upon learning their doom. Some had apparently taken leave of their senses soon or instantly, and found release in a world of babbling idiocy or trancelike stupor. Others raged hysterically, while some groveled and begged for mercy. A few managed to maintain the appearance of outward composure until the moment of death or even spit death in the face, laughingly defying it.

Tamrin remained silent, while Balch addressed the audience. At first her limbs shook uncontrollably, but even though she was terrified she resolved to give her tormentors no satisfaction through useless pleas for mercy, or outcries of fear or shame. She was determined to suffer in silence until the unbearable agony of living immolation drove away her will and turned her into a mindless creature shrieking for the release of death. She also resolved to show no shame when she was stripped naked prior to being bound to the stake.

Balch finished his speech. "Hurrians, return to your homes and purify yourselves before the Great Taishub. Tomorrow ye shall see how he destroys the wicked vessel of impurity who defiles his holy name. If ye are righteous before him on the day of his triumph, great blessings will accrue to you and your land. Your enemies will fall before you, and ye shall eat the goodness of the land. And Taishub will again be victorious over Kumarpi, Creator of Women!" His voice thundered with emotion and rapture, as he gave a parting injunction. "Now let no soul of you speak to Tamrin, for she is chosen in the place of Maidu to assuage the Storm God's wrath. Let her name be repeated after her sacrifice no more forever!"

The crowd began to disperse. Later through the day many brought gifts forward to set before Taishub's priests, as it was a most auspicious time to propitiate the deity. A holiday atmosphere returned to Biltala as news of the glorious new sacrifice spread, and many people came in from the surrounding countryside. The markets again remained open much later that evening to take advantage of the influx of prospective customers, many of whom brought wares for trade.

Even as the audience was dispersing, Taia arrived. Balch went over to him to admonish him not to speak to Tamrin; her fate was sealed, and there was nothing he could do. He dejectedly turned around to begin the arduous walk back home. Tamrin wished to call out to him, but refrained, knowing it could only shame and frustrate him. Just then she noticed Balik and his companion from the marketplace at the far side of the crowd, talking to one of the Hurrians. She had a desperate impulse to call out, "Sir, are you a Kitanite Lord? Can you help me?" but refrained, knowing it was futile and would only bring jeers from the Hurrians. Balik glanced her way, his face devoid of expression, and strode off with his companion.

Akhip and his two warriors conveyed Tamrin to a large wooden cage at the edge of a grassy area about two hundred yards outside the eastern gate of Biltala, hidden from the town by a stand of oak trees and brush. She was to be kept here for the night. She slowly stopped trembling while she walked, as the initial horror of hearing her sentence gave way to a trancelike numbness. She allowed herself to be led unresisting by the rope placed around her neck, moving as if in a hideous dream. The gawking onlookers and the brightness of the hot Summer day took on an air of unfamiliarity. She passed into her cage without complaint and remained barely cognizant of her surroundings for over an hour.

Toward evening her self awareness returned in full force with the gnawing of hunger pangs and thirst. She knew that she could not expect her captors to feed her, for one so condemned merited no such consideration or waste of food. Consciousness of her plight also increased with the awareness of bodily discomfort. The anticipated horror tore at her mind like a rough edged sword. They're going to burn me! her mind screamed. Terrible pictures of her flesh writhing and shriveling before the devouring flames threatened her sanity. She remembered the exquisite momentary pain from holding a burning twig too long. The frenzied flesh made one cast aside a very hot object in unthinking haste, and tomorrow her whole body would be subjected to this cruel torture.

The images boggled her mind and she struggled to thrust them out. But she could find no freedom from her thoughts through this the longest night of her life. Sleep deserted her as the tormenting anticipation allowed no rest. The fear of death by fire gripped her mind like an iron vise, yet she wished a hundred times that the hour of execution would arrive, to bring the feared but final release.

Tamrin did not remain alone all night with her tormented thoughts. Some time after midnight she heard someone approach her guards. "Halt! Who dares come near the cell of the condemned one?" One of them challenged.

"Fear not, Chasi. It is I, Tokar, come to say goodbye to my would be betrothed."

Chasi replied hesitantly, because Tokar was his friend, but also to be feared if crossed. "But you know it is forbidden to speak to the condemned of Taishub. What if Balch found out?"

"These twenty silver one-weight pieces say that he will never find out, if you, my dear friends, swear me a sacred oath in return for them that he won't. You can guard my back vigilantly while I speak to your prize."

The guards held a quick conference, and avarice spoke louder than duty. Both lifted their right hands. "We swear by Taishub never to reveal your presence this night. But go to, friend Tokar, make haste," Chasi said.

Tokar walked unsteadily over to Tamrin's cage, as he was inebriated, having spent the earlier hours at the boar's head tavern. She did not know why he should try to see her now, and with a bribe nonetheless. The hope that he might be contemplating some rescue plan came to her mind as a matter of course in her desperation, but as soon as he spoke the real reason was all too obvious.

"Tamrin, little bitch, I see that Taishub is giving you your due. Well, good! I hope to get a good place to watch 'em burn you in the morning."

In the past she had seen how Tokar became unusually abrasive after drinking, and now his drunken impulse drove him to make the last night of her life even more miserable. Still, she tried her last avenue of hope. "Tokar, please don't be so cruel. You know that I have done nothing to deserve to die. Why did you tell Balch those lies? But you could save me! Take me away from here and I will be yours forever! If not as your wife, then as your slave!"

But he replied, "Little fool! Why would I do this and become hated by Taishub and the people? You are not worth all that, let alone the risk. I will be glad to be rid of you, because after you spurned me I knew that you were not worthy of me all along. I am Tokar, mightiest swordsman of Enikip, and I can have my pick of any girl, though you are the most beautiful. But I'm glad Taishub revealed you for what you are, before I became burdened with you as a wife. I rejoice that they are going to burn you!"

His spite destroyed Tamrin's last spark of hope for aid from him. At the same time bitterness and hatred for her persecutors welled up like a passionate flood in her. "You are a beast! I hate you! I hate all men! I hate Taishub!"

Tokar was momentarily taken back at her vehemence, but then he yelped with rage. Too quick for her to avoid him, he reached into the cage with his left hand, seized a handful of her hair, and gave her face a resounding slap with the other hand that sent her staggering back to fall against the other side of the cage. She sat stunned for a moment, whimpering softly. Tokar doubled over with laughter and then walked back into the night singing a bawdy tune.

A wave of futile rage swept over Tamrin, temporarily excluding thoughts of her plight. How could I have ever let that jackal embrace or kiss me? Surely death is better than a life with him, she thought.

She used such thoughts in an attempt to resign herself to her fate. She did not actually fear death, only the pains of death. She felt no fear of punishment in an afterlife since the Hurrians of Enikip did not credit women with souls, and she had never given the idea more than brief attention. Even though she was young, life held little zest for her. She decided that after her ordeal was over she would actually be fortunate to have escaped the life of subjection and abuse which was a Hurrian woman's lot.

The rest of the night passed without incident, until the brightening dawn promised a consummation of Tamrin's nightmare. As the sun rose she saw Balch coming across the field toward her leading the other priests in a sacerdotal procession. They halted before her prison and Akhip entered again to place the rope around her neck. Then she was thrust out and made to walk behind the priests. With leaden feet and her heart pounding madly with dread, she followed quietly to the appointed place of doom.

The procession moved slowly and solemnly. The priests continually droned a somber hymn of praise to Taishub. Some of them bore bright banners emblazoned with magical symbology. The disk of the sun and moon were embroidered as grinning faces, and many of the constellations and bright stars were crudely represented. Others carried human and ram skulls atop polls. But the object carried with the greatest reverence was a four foot high image of obsidian. It had the torso of a man and a goat's head. This idol was the special symbol of Taishub.

As the procession continued, more people joined it and fell in at the end of the train. As they neared the shrine of Taishub where the pyre had been made ready the crowd fanned out in a semicircle, placing the sacrificial mound between themselves and the forested slope which descended from the plateau. The shrine was on a flattened ridge which jutted in a wide half circle at the edge of the plateau. The western half of the circle overlooked a large ravine leading down to the canyon floor below. About a hundred yards in the opposite direction a smaller depression curved down around the ridge to join another ravine about half a mile below. All trees had been cut away to the abrupt edge of the slope where they were so thick as to block the view of the land below. The Hurrians burned their victims dangerously close to the forest, but any wind so early in the morning tended to blow away from the valley and onto the plateau, due to the topography of the local area.

Tamrin gave her tormentors no satisfaction by showing terror other than by her trembling. She kept her eyes stoically ahead and maintained her silence. Many in the ogling crowd could not help but feel admiration for this beautiful girl who did not show the typical reactions of mortal dread. Balch found it merely frustrating. He relished the hysterical sobbing, the useless pleas for mercy which were customary. "Have you nothing to say, O spawn of evil?" He asked her hopefully. But he was answered only with glum silence. He might have gained some satisfaction if he had known that it took all of her will and courage to restrain the impulse to throw back her head and scream. She concentrated her thoughts on her fatigued body and her hunger to control her maddening terror.

Balch, ever fond of making speeches, gave his traditional sacrificial address. With great relish he piled abuse and vile epithets upon Tamrin and all females. Many years before his speeches before the sacrifice had expressed condescending pity for the victim and regret for the necessity of appeasing Taishub's wrath. But year by year his condemnation of all women became more explicit, until now they were virtually equated with some repugnant poisonous insect, only tolerated so that men could be born. He concluded by reminding his listeners of his prophecy in the marketplace. "Did I not tell this daughter of Kumarpi that evil would be found in her? I expect that the faith of some wavered when Maidu was chosen for the spoiled sacrifice. But now I am vindicated as the Prophet of Taishub. Another prophecy I give you now. Follow me in faith, and Taishub will vanquish our Kitanite oppressors. We will again prosper in the lands they stole from us. Taishub will this day begin to make the world as it should be, with Kitanites and women in their rightful cursed places!"

Many glances were exchanged by people in the audience, with expressions ranging from delight to disgust or incredulity. There ensued a low rumble of whispering and discussion until Balch held up his hand to command silence. He then pronounced, "Let the sacrifice begin!"

Three priests stepped forward and seized Tamrin. They roughly stripped the clothes from her body and bound her to the stake, tying her hands at the back of it and positioning her feet on a bundle of wood. The wood was strewn around the base of the stake in an eight foot radius with kindling at the fringes. As soon as they determined that she was securely bound, the priests withdrew and purified themselves by dipping their hands in lamb's blood.

Balch took a firebrand and ignited the kindling in front and on either side of Tamrin. She watched in horrified fascination as the flames began to grow around her, nibbling their way through the wood toward her.