Prompt# 296 - Sacred – Trial By Fire - Tekia - Original

[tekia.livejournal.com]

Title: Trial By Fire
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Sacred
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Summary: Gods don’t always want the rich and famous for their riturals.
“I can’t do this.”
Shobita looked up, startled. Her father had slumped into their small hut and dropped down into the nearest chair. She quickly stood from where she was kneeling before the hearth and rushed to his side, snagging a throw to toss over his shoulders.
“Father? What happened in the city?”
He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his face hidden by his hands. “It’s terrible.” His voice cracked, and she could feel his body shudder where her hand rested on his shoulder. She swallowed hard and jerked into motion.
She poured water from a pitcher and held the cup close enough to touch her father’s hand. He grabbed a hold of it without looking up. He didn’t drink, but cupped his hands around the clay. She knelt and tried to catch his gaze. “Father? Tell me?”
He finally looked up and met her gaze. “Sho-Sho, let us run away.” She could feel her eyes widen. She clasped her hands in her lap and waited for him to continue. He finally drank the water, some seeping out from the corners of his mouth. “The High Priest spoke to me and told me the future.”
She tilted her head to one side, her dark hair spilling over one shoulder. “You asked him for a blessing for our crops.”
He shook his head. “He didn’t tell me about the crops.”
Shobita stood and went back to the fire to stir the stew boiling away over the flames. Whatever the High Priest had told him had him shaken up. He needed time to calm down and gather his thoughts. She scooped up a bowl of stew and placed it before him on the table. She pressed a spoon into his hand, and he clutched it absently.
“Eat, Father. Relax. Forget his words and calm down.”
“I cannot forget his words! Words that slip over his lips are sacred! He speaks the truth.”
“What future does he speak of?”
“The gods are fallen upon us.”
Her hands trembled again and she clutched them together to still them. “Why does he tell you? A farmer? Why?”
He shook his head. “There’s more.”
She sank to the floor next to his chair and rested her hands on his knee. “More?”
“More.” He deliberately placed the spoon on the table next to the bowl of steaming food and covered her hands with his own. She had always admired his hands. Strong hands. Large hands. They had held her when she was a baby and then helped her stand when she fell. He worked with his hands out in their small allotment of land, and brought food into their house.
They were her safety net.
They were shaking.
“The gods are demanding offerings.”
Her eyes went wide and she felt a chill go through her body. “The High Priest told you because you?” She stopped when his eyes shot away from her face, tears spilling over and trailing down his cheeks. “Me? They want me?”
She threw herself to her feet and away from the table. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears. “Why me? What have I got that the royals and priests don’t?”
Her father stood and followed her step for step, his hands outstretched. “Sho-Sho, please, let us run away.”
Shobita turned away, facing the wall and pressed her hand to the hard surface. The gods had demanded her. No matter how far they ran, the gods would come for her. She leaned her head against the wall and steadied her breathing.
“No, Father. If the gods have requested me, I will go to them.” She turned to face him and forced a smile. “Do not worry, all will be well.” She reached out for him and let him gather him into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and blinked back tears.
All will be well. She had to believe it.