Chapter 17 #5
Like the other members of his court, a half mask covered his face.
It seemed made of pure gold, the upper part ending in the shape of a crown with mounted precious gems. He was bare chest but for a massive, horizontal golden crescent-moon breast plate, which hung like a necklace.
A long, flowy white skirt embroidered with gold threads covered his lower body.
Swirling gold bracelets also hugged his upper arms, along with bracers clasped around his wrists.
His majestic midnight-blue—almost black—wings hung partially open behind him.
The echoes of our footsteps resounded loudly in the otherwise deafening silence. It almost felt like we were being led to our execution instead of a meeting with a powerful religious figure of an allied nation.
Gotia gestured for us to stop behind her, approximately five meters from the first step of the dais.
We complied, our gazes still locked on the Divine.
She then walked up the five steps to the platform, settling in what I had correctly guessed to be her seat.
As she did so, I shifted my vision to assess the Divine’s soul.
To my shock, he radiated with deep rage mixed with a strange softness.
His soul was angry. But it wasn’t aimed at us.
The instant thought that popped into my head was a wild animal rattling against its cage, fighting to regain its freedom.
I peered at the handful of Initiates who were already sitting on the sides of the room.
From them, I perceived clashing emotions.
Some seemed to share the same hatred towards us as Gotia did, but they were extremely few.
The others appeared wary and the rest hopeful.
However, the Divine troubled me the most. His soul felt familiar. But what the little voice at the back of my head tried to whisper made no sense.
Chamberlain Ralan, still standing in front of us, moved a few steps to the right and turned sideways.
“You’re standing in the presence of the great Divine, Taseus Orgos,” Ralan said loudly in a solemn tone. “Your Holiness, meet your guests, Gavin Aldriss, and his mate Lady Zharina Praghan.”
“Welcome to my chamber, Gavin Aldriss,” the Divine said, his voice a little raspy. “It is an honor to finally meet you.”
An emotion I couldn’t define seeped into his voice as he spoke those words. He sounded moved, almost sad.
“The honor is mine, your Holiness,” Gavin replied. “But why finally?”
“Because my jailors prevented me from doing so sooner,” he said, his voice hardening.
“Divine!” Ralan exclaimed, even as Gavin and I gasped.
“SILENCE!” Taseus shouted with an air of pure hatred for his Chamberlain, startling us further. “Meddle again, and you shall feel my wrath. You and your puppet master have caused enough harm.”
More confused than ever, I peered at the other attendees’ souls to find a greater shift in their responses to what just happened. This court was heavily divided between those who loved and hated him.
“As you can see, the Basilica is not the happy place my people try to portray,” the Divine said bitterly. “It is a den of snakes… or krilliks, like the Xelixians say.”
“Taseus!” Gotia said, jumping to her feet.
The Divine jerked his head to the left and bared his clenched teeth at his consort before fisting his left hand.
Gotia instantly cried out and pressed both hands to her chest, as if she was having a heart attack.
The crowd gasped, their shocked reactions implying they had never witnessed something like this before.
“Divine!” Gavin exclaimed, taking a step forward.
That seemed to snap him out of the murderous rage the priestess had stirred in him.
He opened his hand as one would to just drop something foul, and Gotia seemed instantly relieved.
Her knees wavering, she rested one hand on the recurved armrest of her stool for support before dropping herself into her seat.
“Peace, Gavin. As much as I would enjoy killing her, I won’t,” Taseus said in a conversational tone.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Gavin replied in a stern tone. “But this still seems like extreme behavior.”
Taseus snorted and shook his head in a way that expressed sadness. He was difficult to read with half his face hidden.
“Things are rarely what they seem. Approach, I would see you better.”
Still visibly troubled, Gavin complied. I didn’t need to read minds to know he also disliked the High Priestess. But his strong protective instincts couldn’t sit idle while a male harmed a female.
As soon as we reached the foot of the dais, Gavin stiffened, a disbelieving expression settling on his face. His nostrils flared, and he inhaled deeply. His jaw dropped as he stared in complete shock at the Divine.
Taseus smirked.
“Yes, Gavin,” he said almost dauntingly.
“That’s impossible!” Gavin whispered.
More confused than ever, I jerked my head between the two males, trying to understand what was going on.
“Is it, Gavin?” Taseus challenged. “What does your Braxian nose say?”
Gavin shook his head, clearly refusing to accept a reality that clashed with whatever he believed.
“Say it!” the Divine insisted, this time with a harsh tone.
“We’re of the same bloodline,” Gavin blurted out, shaken.
“Yes,” Taseus replied with a hint of triumph. “Tell me, how is Grace? How fares my trueborn daughter?”