Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
T he temple of Rhianough the Unwavering was not as impressive as I had anticipated.
It was built on an island at the intersection of her four streams, the taupe stone of its walls covered by so much moss and ivy that I could barely tell there was a structure behind all the foliage.
In fact, Imalfi and the others nearly walked on by, stopping only when Kason and I did.
One look at Kason told me the witch-hunter had felt it too—a heaviness in the air that indicated this was our destination.
None too soon. The dark circles beneath Kason’s eyes had etched themselves permanently into his skin, giving him the appearance of one of the masked tree-cats that liked to pilfer food from unsuspecting camps.
His shoulders drooped more with each day that passed on our pilgrimage, days that had grown shorter and shorter as the effectiveness of Tisin’s potion wore down to almost nothing.
I was thankful for my friends’ presence each evening.
Imalfi, Berkay, Herat, and Gemm had opted to stay with us for the remainder of our journey to the temple, and they had proved a much-needed distraction around the campfire as Kason fell into unrestful sleeps.
Imalfi squinted at the island. “This is it? You’re sure?”
“We’re sure.” Kason’s voice had lost some of its strength as well. It was like he was being drained away to nothing.
Gemm fiddled with his hair, a nervous tic. “I’d prefer to part ways here, if it’s all the same.”
Honestly, I didn’t blame him. I would have chosen to avoid the attention of the Unwavering as well, if I could have. “I understand.”
Imalfi held out her hand, and I grasped her forearm. “Be safe and well,” she recited seriously, the traditional parting words oddly formal coming from her.
“Be smart and wary,” I returned.
“Always.” She looked at Kason. “When you’re recovered, don’t forget what this one went through to get you here, yeah?”
“I won’t.”
Berkay grunted. “Better not.”
“Don’t forget us either.” Gemm gave a jaunty salute. “Not everyone who walks a different path is a bad soul.”
The four rogues stepped off the path into the woods.
“I never thought”—Kason frowned as they disappeared into thick foliage—“you were,” he finished, his voice soft. With a sigh, he gestured to the bridge that was nearly more greenery than stone. “Shall we?”
The weight of the overbearing presence only increased the closer we got to the temple.
It wasn’t comfortable, though it didn’t feel harmful either.
It reminded me of the one night I’d splurged at an upscale inn after a particularly successful job.
I’d paid more for the night than a full human likely would have, but the taste of luxury had been a balm after the stress of the heist. I’d never had a bigger bath, better food, or a cozier bed.
The bedcoverings had been heavy, to the point they felt almost suffocating…
until I relaxed under them. Then the weight had embraced me like a lover’s arms, holding me close as I drifted into sleep.
This wasn’t quite the same, but I suspected that if I were truly a worshipper of Rhianough’s, the goddess’s overbearing aura might be a comfort.
The interior of the temple was chilly. The air was redolent with the scent of greenery and the freshness of flowing water.
Tiny canals, no more than a handspan across, had been cut into the stone floor, emulating the streams that converged at the island.
In the center of the main room sat a circular stage, set a step above the rest of the stone floor.
Benches lined its edge, with an altar in the middle.
Atop the altar sat the crumbled remains of what may have been some type of flower.
The dead vegetation was so old and disintegrated that it was impossible to tell what it once was.
The room’s walls sported carvings, worn by time and covered by moss to the point that they were barely distinguishable from the rest of the rock.
Clearly, this ancient temple hadn’t been frequented regularly in some time. It was odd that there were no priestesses, no acolytes, no worshippers, wasn’t it?
I hesitated at the edge of the stage, but Kason had no such compunction. He stepped onto it and kneeled before the altar, head bowed, hands at rest on his thighs.
“Great Rhianough the Unwavering, I beg your forgiveness. I spoke mistaken words in haste, without awareness of my surroundings and your presence, and for that, I humbly apologize. I deserve to pay for my sin, but I would beg you to release me from the vow I did not intend to make.”
We hadn’t discussed what Kason would say for his supplication, but I wasn’t surprised he was going with the penitent sinner route. I stood back, my arms crossed, but my wrist turned so I could watch the half-formed mark on my skin. Kason repeated his plea once, twice, three times.
The goddess’s mark didn’t change.
Halfway through his fifth repetition, Kason keeled forward.
I dashed to his side and eased him into a more comfortable position. Kason’s eyes were overbright, his cheeks flushed, and his skin hot beneath my fingers. Unthinking, I brushed a lock of hair from Kason’s forehead as the larger man blinked at me.
“I don’t think this is going to work,” Kason said, his voice breaking halfway through the sentence.
“Horseshit. Of course it’s going to work.”
“Tisin warned us the Unwavering doesn’t suffer fools.”
“You’re many times a fool, but not because of a few random words in a random stream.” I lifted my gaze to glare at our surroundings. “Do I need to shout again, Rhianough?”
“Again?” Kason asked weakly.
I stood. “What fucking more do you want from him? He’s here. He’s begging for your forgiveness. Are you so petty as to ignore him? Rhianough!”
Kason grabbed my ankle, stopping me before I could step toward the center altar. “Mokido, don’t.”
I shook off his grip and reached the altar, sweeping the remnants of the last offering to the floor.
They were little more than dust at this point anyway.
“Did you ignore the last petitioner as well, you absolute bloody buggering shrew? No wonder you have no priestesses anymore. Nor anyone willing to spend an ounce of effort on paying their respects to you!”
Kason gasped softly. “Mokido, you’re risking?—”
Noiseless thunder stole the air from the room. I didn’t know if Kason finished what he was saying or not—not that it mattered, since I’d known how that phrase was going to end anyway. I was risking everything .
But I’d gotten the goddess’s attention, at least.
My head rang, and I could hear nothing, but my eyes worked just fine.
A petite woman sat on the bench next to Kason’s head.
Her features were delicate but harsh—sharp cheekbones, a hooked nose, a pointed chin, thin lips.
One of her legs was crossed over the other, a dainty, slipper-covered foot sneaking past the edge of her gray skirts.
Her bony hands were folded together on the crossed knee, and she regarded Kason’s form as though he were something to be studied, not a person to be shown compassion.
Her hair was the only truly odd thing about her.
A vibrant violet hue, it was pulled back into a severe bun, except for two tendrils that floated about her head as though a breeze touched them alone.
But then one of the tendrils hissed at me. Not hair at all, but snakes.
It didn’t take a scholar to realize I was looking at the goddess Rhianough.
“You have balls the size of the Maker’s, don’t you, boy?” Rhianough arched a brow at me. The fact that I could hear again outweighed any concern her words might have invoked.
No one had ever accused me of having more sense than spite.
Kason struggled to sit up. “Holy Rhianough, please don’t punish him. I’m the one who made the mistake?—”
Rhianough flicked her hand, and Kason collapsed back to the floor as though she’d kicked his supporting hand out from under him. I couldn’t help it. I took a step forward, anger making my movements hasty.
“He’s done nothing to you,” I growled.
“He disrespected me.” Rhianough gripped her raised knee again, her posture as casual as if she were a normal woman sitting in someone’s parlor, awaiting tea to be served.
I glared at the goddess. “I would argue that I’ve disrespected you more.
And whose fault is it that your holy spaces are no longer recognized?
” Her lips pinched, but I continued. We had the Unwavering’s attention now, and I refused to waste the opportunity.
“Not his. Not mine. And yet, you’re punishing Kason for this supposed transgression. ”
Rhianough’s snakes hissed. “There was a time when everyone knew what folly it was to speak careless words in my presence.” I had thought her eyes were a deep blue, but they flared with light, and I realized they matched the purple hue of her hair. “They feared my attention.”
“And what did that earn you?” I let my eyes travel around the temple, wordlessly making my point.
Rhianough’s snakes seemed to whisper in her ears.
Beneath my bravado, there was a sliver of fear, but I refused to show it.
Much like Kason had appeared bored and unmoved in the presence of my friends, I knew instinctively that I had to appear strong and unbending before the goddess.
She was not one to suffer fools and, I suspected, that went especially so for weak fools.
The snakes returned to weaving back and forth by Rhianough’s temples, and the full weight of her gaze landed on me. I swallowed.
“I will grant this man a reprieve from his commitment for three days, beginning at dawn. In those three days, you will travel to Connell Cross and attend to the village’s issue. If you are successful, I will release this man from his obligation.”
A quest. Of course. I barely refrained from rolling my eyes. “And if we’re not successful?”