Chapter 4 #2
Since she was out, she decided to head to the shrine after all.
On her and Ludwig’s way, they passed through a garden filled with verdant bushes, arches laden with flowering vines, and a few marble fountains.
The pathways, benches, and shaded spots were a place where worshippers and temple residents could sit in quiet meditation if they wished.
It reminded her of the garden back home, and a sudden wave of homesickness overtook her.
If she stopped to bask in a sunbeam, she might be transported back home.
But when Liane tried to close her eyes and do just that, the stillness and quiet felt too dissonant.
Priests and priestesses didn’t linger in gossiping circles the way courtiers did.
In fact, they seemed to move with single-minded purpose, as if they all had somewhere more important to be.
And the only other people in the garden were Midnight Guards standing before the entrances.
It left the entire palace, though full of people, feeling cold and lifeless.
She gave up and continued to the shrine.
The main shrine room, where they held ceremonies and sunrise services, was twice as big as the one back home.
It was a large circular room with a domed roof painted like the sky.
A few priests and worshippers were scattered about the pews, heads bowed in prayer.
None of them looked up as she entered. Liane slid into one of the pews near the back and sat down to gaze up at the statue of Cyra.
It was a massive gilt statue that loomed over the curved rows of pews.
In Cyra’s right hand, she clutched the Golden Blade.
The same sword that was embedded in Liane’s back.
Liane hadn’t come here to pray, not really, but she felt so overcome by the sight of Cyra’s golden glory that it felt wrong not to.
She knelt at Cyra’s feet and bowed her head.
Liane wasn’t someone who faith came easily to.
Oftentimes, she found excuses to skip sunrise rites and drifted off when the Vice Premier preached.
She didn’t have words to say in prayer, but she hoped Cyra understood her heart.
She had many questions for the goddess. Why choose me?
What do you plan on doing with me? But as she stared into the farseeing, impassive face of the goddess, no answers were forthcoming.
It seemed being the goddess’ chosen wasn’t as simple as the Avatheos had made it out to be.
Someone cleared their throat from behind her, and she turned around. Ludwig placed himself between her and the interloper, but he relaxed when he realized it was a veiled priestess wearing acolyte yellow.
“Forgive me for interrupting your worship. I went to your room in search of you, but your maid informed me that you were out.”
“And you are?”
“Sylvie, your grace. The Avatheos said I was to give you a tour of the temple.”
“Oh.” Liane looked at Ludwig, and he gave her a slight shrug. “I was eager to get out and stopped to pray.”
“I can wait until you finish your prayers.” Sylvie bowed to her and took a few steps back to allow her privacy.
Liane stared up at Cyra once more. She could be imagining it, but it felt like maybe this was a sign of the goddess. Liane took a few more minutes to wrap up her prayers and made a show of performing the nine-pointed star before rising up and smiling at her soon-to-be escort.
“Where shall we start?” Liane asked.
“Here, I suppose,” Sylvie said. Liane couldn’t see her face properly, but what she could see of it looked young.
“You’ll see on the ceiling a depiction of the judgment.
It shows that when we die and pass through the veil, the Nameless Goddess will judge our souls, and should there be a taint of corruption, we shall remain trapped and tortured for all eternity.
But if we live good and pure lives, then we shall ascend to the golden beyond to live with Cyra among the stars.
” She said this all in one breath, as if she were trying to say it as fast as possible before she forgot what she was supposed to say.
“I’m familiar with church dogma,” Liane said in a light, teasing tone. “I thought maybe you could show me the interesting parts of the temple. Maybe tell me a bit about yourself? How long have you been an acolyte?”
A blush was burning on Sylvie’s cheeks, and she turned away. “My life before was nothing; my life among her chosen is eternal,” she muttered. It sounded as if it were something she said by rote.
Liane reached out to touch the girl’s shoulder, but she flinched away from her. “Please, your divinity. I’m not worthy.”
Liane let her hand fall limply to her side. “You don’t have to call me your divinity. Liane is fine.”
“Your holiness, it is unseemly. You’re the goddess’ chosen.”
“And aren’t you? As one of her servants who’s dedicated her life to the church?”
“It wasn’t much of a choice. Either I came to the church, or I died of corruption when I was older—” She clapped her hand over her mouth as if she’d said too much.
Liane’s interests were piqued. “What’s that?”
“Nothing. Promise you won’t mention it to the Vice Premier? I wasn’t even supposed to be here, but I begged Klara, who would have done a better job of this than me, I’ve always wanted to see a real avatar. And well...”
A group of priests had entered the temple, and Sylvie turned her back toward them, her shoulders slumping. Liane, noticing her fear, moved the conversation along.
“Where’s the library? I heard there isn’t a grander one than the Library of Basilia.”
Sylvie latched onto the distraction and used it as a segue to get them out of the temple interior and into the hall.
Liane didn’t prod her further into her past, afraid of flustering the poor girl more.
She knew from the priests and priestesses back at home that they went into service as children.
Some had an aptitude for the mystic arts, reading auguries, healing, or other small hearth magics.
She’d never heard of an ultimatum being given.
Sylvie filled the silence by reciting her memorized script, mostly about the history of Neolyra and other religious dogma Liane had heard hundreds of times before.
“Of course that’s before, when the country was called Lyra,” Sylvie said, finishing a thought Liane had only been half paying attention to.
“Are you a historian? I never hear people refer to Lyra outside of my stuffy professors.”
Sylvie flushed again. “I haven’t taken my vows yet, and I may not pass my exams to become one. But being a scholar is my hope...”
“I’m fascinated by the time before the Corruption,” Liane confided.
“There’s not much in the way of information, as so much was lost in the chaos after.
But I heard there were rumors that the Library of Basilia had collected what fragments remain of the great library, which contained the world’s history on magic before the fall. ”
She sighed wistfully. “Yes! There are some in the archives. I’ve never been in there myself, but my mentor has shown me fragments!” Her tone shifted from shy to excited and animated as she waved her hands as she spoke. “And there are books by scholars who’ve studied them. I can show you a few.”
They continued their conversation as they toured the many shelves of the library and by the time Liane returned to her room, Ludwig’s arms were overladen with books on corruption, the formation of the empire, and the church’s history, which Liane planned to peruse.
If she was going to be the goddess’ chosen, she ought to know more about what that meant.