Chapter Two

... and Beginnings

The Cradle of Civilization, circa 3000 b.c.e.:

The old woman was still and cold. The small boy had pulled at her for what seemed like hours. She did not move, and he was hungry and thirsty. He crept out of the shadows and toddled into the hot, blistering sun of the midday, then crouched down in the street. He held out his hand as she had taught him and waited. Something would come along... something always did.

People passed by. They noticed him, but did not stop nor offer any food. He waited. His hand grew heavy and he was so very thirsty. He thought he would simply lie down in the street and sleep away his hunger. Insects buzzed about his head. The dust rose in little puffs about him, and he began to nod.

The daily temple procession noisily passed down the street. Eight guards, their weapons brandishing in the sunlight cleared the way. Four priests walked behind them, ringing their cymbals and chanting. Six slaves bearing a litter curtained with white linen, which fluttered slightly in the breeze, followed them.

"Halt!" The procession stopped suddenly and amidst the sudden confusion. As the slaves set the litter down as instructed, the priests gathered around, babbling and bowing. The guards took their positions about the litter, ready to swing into action if need be.

The boy lifted his head and saw her alight. The tall stern priestess of Nut stood in the dust of the street gazing at him. Her black hair hung heavy on her shoulders and she was clothed in white linen. Rings sparkled on her hands, and a great jeweled collar was about her neck. The priests gathered about her murmuring their concerns. "She should not be here... they should continue on... this was not a good idea." She waved them away distractedly and walked over to the boy.

He held up his hand to her. She gazed down at him, cocked her head to one side as if listening to something, and then crouched before him in the dust. She smiled and reached out to brush his dark hair out of his eyes. She gasped slightly. "This boy has my father's eyes!" She cupped his chin in her hand. "Who claims this child?" No one moved. No one spoke. No one dared to say a word. Behind her, one of the priests finally began babbling about the inappropriateness of her behavior. If she wished a child... there were several attached to the temple... he would be glad to provide her with whatever she desired. She waved him off, then picked the boy up... cradling him in her arms. She turned, walking back to the litter.

"Great Lady... this child is nothing... he is filthy. Do not lower yourself to handle him."

She laughed, "Filthy? ... I suppose, then, I shall have to bathe him!" She climbed once more into the litter giving directions for them to continue. Within the litter she turned all her attention to the small boy. "Ahh... my little one... are you hungry? ... Thirsty? Let us see... I have dates and honey cake and some cool clear water." She opened a basket and handed him a date. He started to bolt it down. "No, no little one ... slowly, slowly. That's right... And now some honey cake... just a bite. Here's the water... not too fast." The boy looked up at her and smiled.

Once they arrived at the great temple of Nut, she alighted from the litter carriing him through the temple complex and into her quarters. Still the priests buzzed about her, obviously at a loss to explain her strange behavior. Ignoring them, she entered her quarters and called to her slaves to prepare the bath.

The boy had never seen so much water in one place. Lotus flowers floated in the water of the stone cistern. One of the girls was ladling hot stones into the water to heat it. The water hissed as the stones were dropped in. The Lady set him on the edge of the bath and let her own clothes drop from her shoulders. Nude she entered the water, then turned and slowly eased the boy in. He was in awe of both the water and the pleasant heat. He leaned forward to sip. She laughed and told him "No, little one, not this water." Then she began to scrub him. Once satisfied that he was clean, she carried him out of the bath and one of the slaves approached with cotton cloth. The Lady wrapped the boy in the cloth then set him on her bed. She stood with her arms wide while her slaves dried her off, applied perfumed oils and re-dressed her. She dismissed the women to the far side of the room to their other duties and eased herself onto the bed, reclining on the cushions.

She smiled contentedly and brushed his damp hair out of his eyes once more. "What shall I do with you little one?" She laughed lightly. "... I suppose if I am going to keep you... I should give you a name... or, do you have a name, little one?"

The boy shook his head. The old woman had never called him anything he could remember.

The Lady smiled again. She looked over the food on a nearby platter, and carefully selecting a plump date, handed it to him. He nibbled on it as she had shown him earlier. She threw back her head and laughed heartily. "My... you are quite the little learner. I shall have to consider an appropriate name for you."

He pointed at her.

"What should you call me?" The Lady leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "These fools call me all manner of names... 'Great Lady... Priestess of Nut... Voice of the Goddess... The Lady of Living Water Who Brings Life to the Desert' or some such nonsense. You, however, may call me Aja... that is what my mother used to call me. It means ... first daughter."

He snuggled against her and began to doze. As he was falling asleep, he could hear her humming a tune, and stroking his hair. Just as he drifted off... he could hear her say once more, "Whatever shall I call you?"

Alone in the Lady's quarters the following day the boy became restless. He began to wander through the building, watching the comings and goings of the priests and the slaves and the servants. Guards stood at all the entrances. He found his way to the large audience hall.

She was there, sitting in a great stone chair, listening to questions asked by a horde of petitioners. He could hear her clipped and tired answers to their pleas. She began to rub her forehead and move her head strangely as though hearing voices that no one else could hear. He heard the murmurings of the assembly. "She hears the voices of the gods." At her left hand, a great stone crystal began to glow. Her answers began to sound like a raging storm; her voice rose as if in answer.

The boy backed away. Behind him he heard the sounds of other children. He made his way over to them. Several older boys, their heads shaven like the priests, were in a circle poking at something with a long stick. He joined them and saw two scorpions fighting each other in the midst of the boys. The largest boy poked at them again with the stick, shoving the scorpions toward the small newcomer with a wicked laugh.

Without warning, the storm was upon them! Aja flew like a whirlwind among them, kicking the scorpions away! Her voice roared like thunder... a scream of desperation and madness! She whirled upon the frightened older boys who began to scatter and flee. She grabbed the oldest one, slamming him against the wall, holding him off the ground by his neck so that his feet dangled helplessly!

Her green eyes blazed, the small boy thought they almost seemed to glow, "Would you know death you pathetic little man?" she directed at her struggling victim. "Do you not realize the fragility of life?"

Around her several priests gathered, murmuring soft phrases. She paid them no mind. The little boy took several steps toward her and then reached out tentatively to her. At his touch she turned to look down at him, still holding the larger boy. Gradually her eyes softened ... the blazing green fire he thought he saw within them faded. She looked back at her terrified victim and slowly relaxed her grip, allowing him to slide to the floor. One of the priests quickly shuffled the gasping boy away.

Aja knelt down before the small child. She gently stroked his cheek. No priest moved to intervene. If she killed this one, no one would care. But there was no more madness. Instead, the storm seemed to have passed. The small one appeared to have a calming effect on the Voice of the Goddess. Perhaps they should cease their objections to his remaining with her.

She smiled warmly, then gathered him into her arms and rose. "Did I frighten you?" she asked quietly. When he nodded she held him closely and murmured, "I will never hurt you... I promise." She slowly returned to the audience hall with him still in her arms. She climbed the dais to the chair, picked up the crystal, which began glowing once more. "Enough for today..." She tossed her head proudly at the assemblage and left. Those present began to bow deeply as The Lady and her child passed by. They felt they had been in the presence of the gods. They knew great magic when they saw it.

Once back in her quarters, Aja set him on her bed and then sat beside him. She handed the glowing crystal to him. He peered into it, seeing a body of water so large it seemed to dwarf the great bowl of the sky. But it did have an edge. On a spit of golden sand he thought he could make out three children dancing hand in hand in hand. 'Round and 'round they danced, twisting in and out in a complicated pattern. Above them, the sun blazed. Aja took back the crystal and smiled at him. She casually tossed it from hand to hand, then wrapped it in a cloth and placed it in the large chest beside the bed.

"You will need to stay in my quarters little one. There are those out there who would kill you. I have seen it. So... however shall you occupy yourself?"

She reached over to gather flowers from a pottery vessel. She shook the water off. "Have you ever made a flower chain?" She laughed, then showed his small hands how to accomplish the task. She directed him how to tie the knots in the stems so that the flowers all hung together. When they were all attached, she watched him connect the two ends. He gazed up at her proudly. "So what will you do with them little one?"

He thought for a moment and then placed the wreath on his own head. Aja laughed heartily, the shadows of the storm seemed finally gone. She hugged him. "So... you would decide your own destiny... a wise choice my little one... a wise choice." He laughed with her.

"You learn very quickly... perhaps that is who you are... the scholar ... the seeker of knowledge... Methos."

She appeared to have made a decision. She turned to the chest, opened it and pulled out a wax surface and a small stylus. She settled herself once more onto the bed beside him.

"You may be too small yet to learn this, but we can make a beginning." She marked on the wax with the stylus... the forms she drew were as nothing he had ever seen. When finished, she pointed at the first one and then at herself..."Aja, first daughter, guardian of small ones."

He nodded.

At the second one she pointed at him, "Methos, scholar... seeker of knowledge."

He grinned up at her.

At the third she said, "Water ... the cradle of life ... that which sustains."

Methos nodded once more, understanding. He pointed at the fourth one. Aja grinned, "Fire ... the force of destruction ... forbidden knowledge. See how it shares some form with the sign for Methos." His eyes widened, he did see it. Then he saw the similarities between the mark for Aja and the one for water. He pointed to them and then looked up at her.

"Yes, little Scholar, you do see it! ... Enough for today... except..." She quickly wrote two more symbols on the wax. "There are forty-five symbols. They may be written in any order. But these two must always be written last." He looked at her quizzically. But she only smiled as she smoothed them all from the wax. "We will begin the lessons, tomorrow."