Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“If you’ll come this way, we have an underground tunnel that leads from the Docking Cave to the Dome.”
“What kind of punishment are you talking about?” Sev asked, repeating Mia’s question since it was clear Jonash was ignoring her.
“Oh, you know…” Jonash waved one hand dismissively. “Usually just something mild for a minor infraction. Mostly such punishments happen in private but sometimes the husband feels like it’s necessary for others to bear witness to his wife’s shame. It’s all routine, really.”
A husband punishing a wife was just “routine?” Hot words rose in Mia’s mouth but she choked them down. If she started disagreeing with everything their new tour guide said, she and Sev would be kicked out of the PPP Dome before they even got to enter it. But damn—even her old sect back home didn’t demand that husbands physically punish their wives. This was bizarre.
She had no idea it was going to get worse later on—for now she just watched as Sev and Brother Jonash—who still seemed determined to ignore her existence—talked.
“Why is it necessary to have your docking area so far from the Dome itself?” Sev asked as the two men walked ahead, leaving Mia to follow after them. (She noticed that though Sev was pretending to ignore her like Brother Jonash was, he was still shortening his stride, making it possible for her to keep up without running.)
“Oh well—that’s just kind of an accident.” Brother Jonash laughed nervously. “You see, we were originally going to build the Dome here—near this spot, because of the natural cave for docking purposes. But then a better source of underground water was found some distance away. So…” He shrugged his bony shoulders. “We built the tunnel connecting the two instead. Come on—I’ll show you.”
He led the way to a large, sturdy wooden door bound in brass with an old-fashioned keyhole and lock. Fishing in the pocket of his plain black trousers, he pulled out a set of keys—one of which fit the keyhole. As he turned it in the lock, Sev frowned at him.
“Is this door kept locked all the time?”
“Oh yes—for safety reasons, you know,” Jonash said quickly. “Why, we wouldn’t want one of the little ones wandering down the tunnel and getting out through the Docking Cave! The temperature outside is almost always around freezing and the air is so thin they would asphyxiate in a standard minute! So myself and a few of the other Elders keep the keys to the entrance and the exit of the tunnel—it’s just safer that way.”
“I guess that’s why one of your titles is ‘key holder, huh?’” Mia asked. And when he didn’t answer, she added, “Is that right, Brother Jonash?”
Brother Jonash cleared his throat uncomfortably but since she was standing there staring at him, he appeared to feel he couldn’t ignore her anymore.
“Sister Mia,” he said, speaking stiffly. “We all want you and Brother Severith to be happy and comfortable here at the PPP Dome so let me explain one of our Rules of Conduct—the very first one, in fact.”
“Wait—you have Rules of Conduct?” Mia asked, but Brother Jonash went right on talking as though she hadn’t spoken.
“Rule number one,” he said. “A woman may not speak to a man who is not her husband unless she is addressed by him first and her husband gives her permission to speak.”
“Really? That’s really a rule here?” Mia couldn’t believe her ears.
“One you are currently breaking,” Brother Jonash snapped testily. “You should have asked your husband permission to speak to me!”
“Mia doesn’t need my permission to speak—that goes without saying,” Sev rumbled and there was a low note of warning in his deep voice that was unmistakable. Mia thought Brother Jonash turned a bit pale when he heard it.
“That’s not the way it works, I’m afraid,” he said tightly. “Your wife must ask permission of you to speak to another man—it’s the way things are done here at the PPP.”
Sev and Mia exchanged glances and she could read the question in her partner’s face. Do you really want to go on with this?
She gave a short, hard nod in answer. Of course the “Rules of Conduct” bullshit was irritating and misogynistic as hell—but it only made her want to expose the PPP even more.
Sev nodded back in return and the message was clear. All right—if you’re sure.
“Well then…I’m certain we’ll learn,” he said to Brother Jonash.
“You’ll have ample opportunity.” The other man looked relieved that the confrontation seemed to be over. “And of course, The Rules of Conduct are posted in every domicile. It’s recommended that every wife learn them by heart. Now, if you’ll just follow me, I’ll bring you to the Dome.”
He led them through the door they had unlocked and they found themselves in a long, echoing stone chamber.
The tunnel seemed to be at least a mile long—if not longer. It wound through walls of solid stone in various shades of black and gray. Bizarrely, it reminded Mia of an airport because there was a moving walkway they could step on to avoid traveling the whole distance on foot. There was even soft, instrumental music playing in the background, though Mia didn’t recognize any of the instruments being played. But it was jazzy and light—typical airport or elevator music. Sev and Brother Jonash stepped aboard the walkway and she followed, keeping behind them.