“Cats hide their weapons!” Jezlen called after him, a bit too loudly. People were starting to notice them and when Derk looked back he saw Jezlen and the cat staring each other down. Derk couldn’t help but laugh and wonder what that had been about. Jezlen was probably in the town to buy supplies like the rest of them. He wondered what kinds of items the elf would need. Probably something to shove in his pipe. Derk covered his mouth as he yawned, feeling slightly more alert after the weird conversation and the food. Maybe he’d make it to evening prayers.
Or maybe a nap was in order. A short one, out in the sun so he wouldn’t sleep too long. Since he wasn’t feeling completely exhausted he could probably wake himself up. If he fell asleep outside of someone’s store he was guaranteed to be roused at some point by either the shopkeeper or a guard. The watch bells would wake him up if nothing else. Derk found a lamp oil store and sat down against the building, folding his arms over his chest and pulling his cap over his eyes. The sounds of the rest of the city going about its business were strangely soothing and soon they all seemed to melt into one sound. His muscles relaxed and his head dropped to his chest.
He startled as something thumped down next to him and he fell to the side, catching himself with his hand. His eyes widened to see Sindra sitting next to him, smiling broadly at his reaction. “Is the church too quiet for you to sleep, Derk?” she asked.
“I wasn’t asleep,” he lied. His heart still thumped from the shock and the presence of the priestess wasn’t helping to slow it down. “And the church isn’t too quiet. I’m just more of a night person.” He shrugged. It wasn’t entirely a lie.
“It’s important to sleep,” she said. “How will the Goddess sort our minds if we do not dream?”
Derk wasn’t sure how to answer her question so he just nodded, looking at his hands. He thought about the things they had touched, the things they had held. Metal, blood, flesh, dirt, tears. He thought about how it felt to touch these things, how it made the rest of him feel. The pain, the exhilaration, the confusion, the pleasure and more. Emotions and ordeals revisited time and time again.
“It would be nice to be sorted out,” was all he said in response, managing a weary smile. Sindra put a hand on the side of his face. It was soft and warm. She probably felt the stubble of his beard. Before he knew what he was doing he had turned his face to kiss the palm of her hand. He was too tired to care if he was being foolish. He looked into her eyes and then at her mouth. She didn’t look shocked or repulsed. She looked like she was waiting and when he leaned in his head toward her she met him halfway.
They kissed, her hand stroking his cheek, and Derk wanted to sit in front of the store for the rest of the day, kissing the priestess. But she pulled away and looked to him, her dark eyes bright with excitement. He wondered what she thought she was doing by kissing him. For a breath Derk entertained the thought she kissed him because she had ulterior motives. Maybe she felt bad for him, tired and distressed as he was. He should care but at this exact moment, he didn’t. Derk pushed the thought away and leaned in again, kissing her.
“What’s this?” Derk heard Asa’s voice, breaking away from the priestess and looking up. There he stood, mouth wide open. Devra grinned and looked at Sindra, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “I didn’t know you liked men,” Asa said to Sindra, shifting his packages in his hands.
“I told you she did, Asa,” Devra said, slapping him on the arm.
“I must have forgotten,” Asa sighed. “These kinds of things, I’m always missing them.”
“I noticed,” Derk said, slightly disappointed to be interrupted but glad to see no one was acting negatively to what just happened, least of all Sindra. “The priestess, Kaela, was shining brightly for you yesterday and you were too busy chopping onions to notice.” Derk pushed himself up and took Sindra’s hands, helping her up as well.
“It’s one of Asa’s more endearing qualities,” Sindra said, putting her arm in Derk’s.
“If you say so,” Devra said, starting to walk down the street, the others following after her. “It has our mother sore. She’ll never get a grandchild if Asa isn’t noticing women.”
“I’ve already explained it to her,” Asa said, actually sounding slightly irritated. “I spent all those years in training, thank the Goddess, I want to give back for a year. Once I’ve made my gift of time I’ll build a house and plant some barley. It was she who prayed for me to get an opportunity in the first place.”
“What’s he talking about?” Derk asked. “Where did you train?”
“He’ll say nowhere but it isn’t true,” Devra interjected. “He trained at the armed combat school in Sedraholt, in the same class as the Baron’s son. A merchant paid for Asa to attend.” Devra’s face beamed, though Derk noticed Asa rolled his eyes.
“How’d you manage that?” Derk asked.
“I beat up his son,” Asa said simply, not seeing the reaction on Derk’s face. Devra shook her head and slowed her pace so she was walking alongside Derk and Sindra.
“He’s not telling it right,” she said, green eyes shining with pride. “Asa had gone into town with our pa for Spring Market. Asa used to be shy in the city and he’s always been big but never had the nastiness to use it on other people. He was getting picked on by some well-off brats. One of them said something insulting about our mam and he couldn’t let it go. Gave him a bloody nose, in front of all the children.
“When the father found out,” Devra continued. “He asked how old Asa was and knew my brother had held back. The merchant also knew his son was a fapper and so he had Asa become his study partner, in school and on the training field.”
“We’re friends now, before you ask” Asa said. “And his father helped fund this mission, since having the chalice back would be a boon.”
“And we are grateful to him,” Sindra said. She smiled at Derk and squeezed his arm. The excitement of kissing Sindra was still with him, making Derk feel lighter than he had before. Now that she had kissed him, the way she held onto his arm felt different, more intimate. He definitely enjoyed it. All the way back to the temple he couldn’t help but glance over at the beautiful priestess, feeling genuinely lucky. He had been himself and it had won her over. Could he hold on to her after the retrieval of the chalice? He’d try. Tomorrow they would head into the Freewild. Derk could endear Sindra to him more, he was sure of it.
CHAPTER 8
Temple of the Ever Burning Sun
They saw the temple from the road. They couldn’t not see it. The dying light of the sun glinted orange off the roof of the building. Two large fires burned outside indicating the entrance to the temple. The sound of a gong, low and reverberating through the hot air signaled someone in the temple had seen them as well, and the gelding snorted in response. Derk patted the beast on the neck. “I agree,” he said, watching as yellow-clad figures came out from the temple. The building itself looked yellow, but as they drew closer they saw the the facade was made up of many smaller pieces of yellow, orange and red material, arranged to form pictures. It looked more like a place to be entertained by women than a temple, as far as Derk was concerned.
To the right of the temple were rows of trees, and people clad in normal garments came out from among the rows, a crowd of people starting to form. “Hello!” Asa called, waving his arm as the oxen plodded toward the temple, pulling the cart behind them. Devra looked back at Derk from within the cart, relief on her face, closing the book she had been reading. Jezlen sat up in the back of the cart, yawning after his nap. He had adamantly refused to ride any horse and so he rode in the cart most of the time, with Sindra riding the other horse the temple in Bluemist provided. The party rode into the temple courtyard, the end of what The Temple of the Ever Burning Sun considered their land marked by a several wooden posts, each one of them topped with a large, yellow glass orb.
The first thing Derk noticed about the people was they seemed nervous. It could have been because they were outsiders from the Valley proper an
d therefore strangers, but Derk thought it was different, something deeper. Something felt wrong. The laypeople just seemed cautious but the men and women robed in yellows, browns and reds appeared antsy. Their smiles seemed forced. It wasn’t until one of the older of the clergy barked orders at them some came forward, offering to take the gelding and lead the cart to the stables for them. Something told Derk they should hold onto the horses and the cart. But he handed the reins of the gelding to the boy with the shaved head who approached him, his head bowed. Hardly prideful like the Sun, Derk thought.
A man emerged from within the temple, clad in sunny yellow robes and wearing a skullcap embroidered with gold thread. He must be the high priest, Derk thought. His beard was braided into two long braids and colored with an orange substance. He smiled warmly enough at Sindra and he held his hands out to the side and bowed to her in greeting. “Sister Sindra, we are glad you have made it to our humble community, and safely.”
“I am glad to finally meet you after many correspondences. The journey was safe enough, with the Goddess’ watch,” she said, slipping the last bit in. It seemed to make the high priest bristle. “Of course, I also have my friends to thank as well,” she added, looking back toward the three people of the Valley. “This is Asa and Devra, Jezlen,” she said, pointing as her nephew jumped out of cart with a thump. He didn’t look very impressed and didn’t have the sense to hide it. “And this is Derk,” she said, smiling at him. Derk stepped forward and bowed to the high priest, able to muster his courtesies while it seemed the others could not. Sindra looked at him thankfully as Asa and Devra followed suit, Jezlen hanging back with his arms crossed over his chest.
“This is a large party to come and retrieve one item.” One of the other priests finally stepped forward. His hair was cut short and he too wore a yellow skullcap, but it lacked the gold ornamentation the high priest’s bore. The stole he wore was white, the same color as the high priest. Derk thought he might be an important member of the clergy.
“The reports we received in your correspondences concerned the Church and we thought it better to err on the side of caution,” Sindra answered, keeping her voice level. “And the Goddess has blessed Her people enough Her church can send us all, with provisions for the trip here and back.” Derk watched as Sindra’s words made color rise in the high priest’s cheeks, though he managed to take the comment graciously. Derk saw the hard look the other priest gave Sindra and he felt his hand ball into a fist instinctively.
“Yes, well,” the high priest said, “We are most humbled to have you visit our holy temple and grateful you have come to receive the item as a token of goodwill, to foster camaraderie between our two holy establishments. I am sure you are weary from the road and hungry as well?” He smiled at the party, even at Jezlen who still insisted on hanging back. “We have been anticipating your arrival and we would consider it a blessing to have you share a meal with us. I will let Riyin take you to your quarters where you can wash and rest. Evening meal will be at two bells. And of course we hope you will join us at our sunset service.”
“It would be an honor,” Derk said before anyone else could say anything. “Taking part in one of your services would of course help to promote understanding between our two churches. We thank you for the privilege of being able to worship among you.” Derk knew a few things about diplomacy. Sindra obviously knew but was too close to her own church to not defend it at every turn. Asa and Devra could pull off polite, and Jezlen…he was still standing behind them. Derk gave the high priest a warm smile, which the older man returned, pleased with Derk’s words.
“You are most welcome,” the high priest answered, bowing his head in dismissal. “Brother Riyin, please show our guests where they will be staying. Dreya, please inform the cooks they will in fact be joining us for supper this evening.” A woman with many braids and brown robes bowed and ran off. “I hope you will find your accommodations comfortable after such a long journey.”
“I’m sure they’ll be more than suitable,” Sindra said, bowing.
“If you will excuse me, I must see to other matters,” the high priest said, excusing himself. Derk watched as he bowed to Sindra, though not as deeply, and walked away, several other priests following him into the temple.
“If you would follow me,” said the priest who had commented on the size of their party. He was Riyin, apparently. People scurried off as he walked, hands behind his back, to the left of the temple. Two large buildings made of stone stood the closest, each one with a large, yellow glass orb mounted at the top. Beyond the religious buildings Derk saw a stable and houses, several young children sneaking a peek at them from beyond the stables. All the girls had their hair done in multiple braids, tied at the end with ribbons while the boys had hair cut short, almost to the skin. One of the little girls obviously saw Sindra and Jezlen, her brown eyes growing as big as plates and she ran away, shouting something.
“This is where our unmarried priests stay,” Brother Riyin said, pushing past a yellow and red tapestry serving as a door. “We’ve set aside one of the shared rooms for your group. I trust you will find them comfortable. If you’re in need of anything, feel free to ask. We will eat in the communal kitchen, which is in the other building you saw,” he said, pointing in the general direction of another building. “Again, it is our honor to have you visit out humble temple.” He led them into a room rectangular in shape. Two beds were attached to opposite walls and Riyin turned and frowned at the group of them. “It seems as if we are short a bed. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go see what we can do about this.” The group shuffled out of the way to let the priest leave.
“I do not want to sleep here,” Jezlen said. At least he had waited for the priest to leave before being so rude. Derk sat on one of the beds, testing its strength by bouncing lightly in his seat. Sindra eyed him strangely and then smirked at him.
“Why not?” Asa asked. “The beds look comfortable enough. Why, are you afraid they’ll try to kill us in our sleep?”
“What?” Jezlen hissed, narrowing his eyes at the burly fighter. “Are you asking me if I am afraid of something?”
“No one is going to kill us in our sleep,” Devra insisted, stepping between the two of them. “Asa is just making a bad joke. It’s the only kind he can make,” she said, glaring at her brother. Derk stood up and looked around the room. The four beds were covered with light, yellow-gold blankets and there was a lamp in the motif of the sun sitting on the only other piece of furniture, a set of drawers. The drawers were all empty when he opened them. Sparse. The rooms were obviously for sleeping only.
“Jezlen, you must stay in the room,” Sindra insisted. “If you don’t, they may take it as a slight. Don’t you remember why we came? To befriend them?”
“That is not why I came,” the Forester said. Derk looked above the doorway and noticed the two metal arrows placed over the door, one across the other.
“It might not be a bad idea to have someone keep watch,” Derk said. He knew it wasn’t what Jezlen meant but he didn’t care. He would turn it into what he needed. Derk looked out of the window for some kind of training ground but saw nothing except the stables. Movement outside the window drew his attention and he stuck his tongue out at the two children who peeked in, the trio scurrying off across the dusty path. “Better too safe than not safe enough.”
“Do you think we have a reason to not trust them?” Sindra asked. Derk shrugged.
“No,” he lied. He knew something was happening, he just wasn’t sure what. “Forget I said anything,” he said with a wave of his hand. “It’s just an old habit. Jezlen, you will sleep in here. We’ll open a window if you can’t sleep indoors.” The look Jezlen gave him told him it was probably the issue. “Aren’t you all tired and hungry? I could use a wash and a nap before evening meal.”
The doors opened and a man and a woman brought in the belongings, their packs slung over their backs. The room was too crowded for a few moments as the packs were distributed but
they all received their personal belongings and the man and woman left without saying anything. Devra opened her pack straightaway to check on the contents and Derk pulled out a clean tunic and trousers, wondering where his socks were.
“I think I’m going to make sure the gifts we brought for their temple are taken care of,” Sindra said. She looked so cool in her light grey dress and robe, Derk felt less hot and sweaty just looking at her. Once he was clean he would see if she would go for a walk with him.
“I can use a clean up,” Asa said, slinging his clothes over his shoulder. Devra rummaged through her pack and pulled out another colorful skirt and tunic. Jezlen snorted before he went to his own things, pulling out a set of garments to change into.
The four of them walked out of the building, asking a priest carrying two chickens by their feet where the bathhouse was. He gestured past the stables with one of the chickens, the bird flapping its wings with displeasure and squawking. “Past the homes, make a right at the barn, you can’t miss it,” he said. They thanked him and continued on through the compound, waving occasionally at the people who stopped what they were doing to look at them.
It wasn’t so different from other small villages back in the Valley proper, Derk thought, nodding his head in greeting to a young woman weaving outside of her home. All the women wore their hair braided and all the men wore their hair very short, their beards long and forked. Their clothes favored the warm colors of the sun but otherwise, it was a village with a large temple compound within it. Old women stooped over their herb gardens, old men smoked pipes and eyed them warily. Their fields grew green and tall out on the eastern side of the village. He saw boys and men practicing their archery on the north side of the barn, arrows thudding into the targets.
The Valley of Ten Crescents Series (Box Set: Books 1-3) Page 27