“Did you see any you were interested in?” Sara asked, her amber eyes pleading.
“I’m afraid none of them really stuck out,” Seth replied. “But there are a couple that seemed more appealing than the others,” he added in an attempt to not destroy Sara’s hopes.
“Really?” Sara asked enthusiastically. “Which ones?”
“There was the one with the teardrop above the entrance. That one felt the least uncomfortable. Then there was the one with the weird symbols and the eye. It was a little creepier, but it was kind of intriguing. Then after that one, I think I quite liked the temple with the big dragon statues at the entrance,” Seth told her honestly, letting his discomfort with the temples be known.
“I know the gods and worshipping isn’t anything you hold in high regard, Seth, but would you stop to take another look at those three for me?” Sara asked, still clinging to the hope that he might choose one and in doing so allow them to make plans to be joined.
“For you, my angel, I would do anything,” Seth answered earnestly.
Sara led Seth back the way they had come, a slight bounce in her step. Seth couldn’t help but notice the happiness mingled with hope in her eyes as they walked. He did not want to disappoint her so, as they walked, he again gazed upon every temple they passed. They stopped at the temple guarded by the immense stone dragons. Nothing on this temple made Seth feel awkward. The dragons did not stare at him with empty eyes. They did not menace him with bared teeth. The thing about this temple that Seth did not like was the fact that dragons were fairytale monsters used to frighten children into obeying their parent’s rules. Seth imagined if the temple was inhabited by people worshiping a god that was depicted by a dragon, then he must assume that their religion had a lot of strict rules the followers were frightened into following. As Seth reached these conclusions about the temple, he could not help but notice Sara watching his reaction. She seemed to recognize his decision before he could speak it, seeing something in his face he had not intended to show.
Sara pulled him down the road to their next stop, still holding her head high despite Seth’s obvious disdain of everything religious or cultist about these buildings. She still had a bounce in her step, though it had diminished greatly. Seth hated that he was making her unhappy, and could not stand to look upon her in his guilt. He instead chose to look to the temples they were passing. It was then that he noticed something he had missed previously. The temples were exactly the same as before, but as they walked away from the dragon temple and approached the next one, Seth noticed a structure nearly completely hidden between them.
It was nothing magnificent, it was not even large. No grand statues or carved scenes marked its entrance. Nothing wrapped its walls at all. The building between the two grand temples was as plain and bare as the road beneath his feet. Looking down to actually make the comparison, Seth realized he had stopped. Looking up from his feet he found Sara staring at him with a questioning look in her eyes. Smiling to reassure her he hadn’t forgotten how to walk, he gestured towards the small stone structure between the temples.
CHAPTER 114
Sara
Sara scrutinized the building hiding in the shadows of its neighbors. It was made of bare stone with a wooden door. The door had a word carved into its surface, but from this distance she could not make it out. Besides the door, no other detail marked the front of the building. Sara marveled at a sudden realization. She knew instantly that Seth would want to inspect the building further because, Sara felt, it was a lot like her. It was small and plain, it appeared all but forgotten by the people who once took care of it, and nothing about it was remarkable. Like her, the building was a lost cause. Seth seemed to like lost causes, after all he loved her. This in mind, Sara returned her gaze to the man she loved and smiled at him, already guessing his decision.
“You want to go take a look,” Sara stated more than asked.
“How did you guess?” Seth answered with a look of surprise.
“I think I know you well enough,” Sara replied honestly.
“Well then, let’s go have a look,” Seth smiled.
Seth led Sara to the door, their hands clinging tightly to one another. As they reached it, Seth paused to read the inscription upon it, but found he was unable. The characters of the word were alien to him. Written in a different time, perhaps in a different language, the word’s meaning was lost upon the two attempting to decipher it. Seth turned and looked deeply into Sara’s eyes. Though she wasn’t certain what he sought there, he apparently found it, and tearing his gaze away from her, he grasped the handle. With a loud sigh Seth pulled the door open and warm air rushed past them from within. The scent of jasmine and other various spicy scents tickled their nostrils as they stepped into a small room.
Letting the door close behind them, they examined the room they found themselves in. It was empty except for two torches that were held in iron bands fastened into the walls to either side of them. Ahead of them, the only structure within the room was a staircase. Stone stairs led down into the earth and ended at another lighted room below. Besides the fact that the room below was lit, no other detail could be ascertained from the top of the stairs. Without speaking Seth and Sara went down the stone staircase. They descended slowly towards the light, attempting to see what lay beyond. Reaching the foot of the stairs, they peered into this new room, blinking frequently as their eyes adjusted to the bright light. The air here was thick with incense, and Sara coughed lightly, trying to clear it from her throat.
The room was larger than Sara had expected. It was not elaborate, having no furniture or decorations. The walls hung bare except for more torches running its length on either side. The room too was bare except for stone pillars that stood at regular distances supporting the ceiling above them. Yup. This is the one Seth would like. Plain and bare. Sara couldn’t help herself but to smirk at her own thoughts.
CHAPTER 115
Seth
The place was dark, dank, and stunk of sweat and decay. Looking across Seth noticed one single statue standing at its far end, looking back at them. Seth noted a familiar feeling about the statue, and wanting a closer look, he began to cross the room towards it leading Sara by the hand. The back of the room was not as well lit as the entrance had been and so the statue was cast in shadow. Seth noticed that even as he was growing nearer, he could not see the statue clearly enough to discern its details. Something was odd about the way the torch light played across it, or rather around it. Still he wanted to look closer, as if drawn.
As they reached the halfway point across the room Seth thought he heard a foot scuff on the stone somewhere and slowed his pace to look around for its source. Spying nothing but the stone pillars, Seth decided he must have been mistaken and turned his head once again toward the statue. He stopped abruptly before colliding with his intended target. Regaining himself, Seth looked to the stone figure before him and gasped in realization. The stature before him was of a person he recognized. Not only did he recognize the stone features, but he remembered the voice that belonged to the stone woman before him. He remembered it because it had only been a handful of days since he had spoken to her in a dream.
Before Seth stood a stone statue of a woman bearing a stark resemblance to his mother. Where before the woman’s hair had been braided in tight rows to her head, now it hung loosely across her shoulders. The statue stood, a calm look upon its face, its eyes fixed on Seth, who returned its gaze. Seth could not believe his eyes. In fact, he closed them briefly, only to reopen them revealing the same face as before. Without thinking about what he was doing, Seth reached out to touch the statue, a strange compulsion guiding his hand. Pressing his fingertips against the cool stone figure, Seth heard a whisper. Removing his hand he turned to look at Sara to better hear her words, but Sara stood silently watching him with a curious and hopeful look upon her face. Thinking this odd, Seth returned his gaze to the statue in front of him. Again his hand rose as if of its own accord. Tou
ching the stone, again Seth could hear the whisper, only this time it was louder and more coherent. He closed his eyes to focus better upon the sound and found himself in a familiar stone room. The room was circular with no windows or doors, just as it had been in his dream. He turned in the room mentally, conscious that it was simply a vision in his mind. Finding nothing out of the ordinary he again tried to listen for the whisper. No whisper came. Instead, as if standing directly before him, he heard the woman’s voice from his dream a few nights before.
“Seek me out amongst the oldest buildings of Valdadore,” the disembodied voice said into the room created by Seth’s mind.
“I have,” Seth replied, not knowing what else to say.
“Go then. Call to me when you have need of me. Serve me and I shall reward you,” the voice said, almost as if it were a command.
The circular stone room vanished, taking with it the voice and leaving Seth within the darkness of his mind. Seth’s eyes fluttered open and he found himself shaking as if from cold. Sara had come to support him, wrapping her arms around him gingerly from behind. Seth twisted in her arms, attempting to turn to face her. Realizing his intentions, Sara loosened her grip upon him so letting him turn. Still in Sara’s embrace, Seth sought out her angelic face. Looking into her deep amber eyes, Seth smiled to reassure her. Sara released his waist, taking a step back to analyze him further. The shaking had ceased and Seth watched as Sara looked him over from head to toe.
“I’m OK, Sara,” Seth reassured her.
“What was that all about?” Sara asked with a concerned expression.
“I’m not sure I can’t explain it exactly, but I will try.” Seth tried to plan his explanation so that it would make the most sense.
Just as Seth began to speak, a movement from something behind Sara caught his attention. Leaning slightly to his side he peered over her head to see a man cloaked all in black just a few paces away from them. Instinctively Seth sidestepped Sara and brought himself between her and the man who was now approaching slowly. Seth placed his hand on the hilt of his sword in silent warning.
“No need for that, young master.” The man spoke with a thick accent, causing his words to sound akin to a hiss.
“Why do you sneak up on us then?” Seth demanded.
“It has been some time since we have had a visitor to the temple. I was trying to see if you were vandalizing the statue,” the man hissed again.
“We mean no harm to your temple, sir. In fact, we were just about to leave.” Seth added the last part as an afterthought.
The man again stepped forward towards them, as if to get a better look. He was staring intently into Seth’s face when he froze in place with a loud gasp. Then the man bowed low to the ground.
“Forgive me, sire, for I did not recognize you. Nor was I aware you would be arriving with a guest.” The man spoke quickly which made his hissing hard to interpret.
Seth was thoroughly confused at this point. Obviously the man was mistaken
“I am afraid you must have me mistaken for someone else,” Seth stated his thoughts.
“No sire, though you may not know it, I have been expecting you. The mistress showed you to me and told me to await your arrival. I should never forget your face she told me, and I have not. She also told me to give you something,” the man said quickly without stopping for a single breath.
“Who are you and what do you speak of?” Seth asked, demanding an answer.
“Forgive me, master, my name is Borrik. I am the last surviving follower of her holiness Ishanya.” The man motioned towards the statue behind Seth. “She showed me a vision of you in the very clothing you wear now. She told me you would come and she sent me to retrieve an ancient relic for you. I have it here with me now.” Borrik reached one of his hands deep inside his robe.
With his free hand, Borrik pulled back his cowl, revealing his withered face and greasy black hair. He was neither old nor young, but somewhere in between. Around his eyes were dark circles that made it appear as if he had not slept for many days. His face was nearly clean shaven except for a small patch of hair beneath his lower lip. His nose had a distinct knot in it where it had been broken long ago and had not mended properly. His eyes were charcoal gray, and his pupils abnormally large, as if unable to focus.
Borrik took another step towards Seth and pulled his hand from his heavy black robe. Within it lay a small book which he presented to Seth. The book looked to be nothing of great value. The black leather cover had a tear in it, and its edges were worn or missing altogether. The edges of the pages that were visible through the ruined cover were stained shades of yellow and brown. Seth did not reach to accept it.
“What is it?” Seth asked Borrik.
“It is a book, sire, a book penned in the hand of a powerful servant of Ishanya many generations ago. It is a catalogue of sorts of his many services to the mistress, a journal of his powers, of his creations. That is what the mistress told me though I am unable to read it for myself,” Borrik stated, reciting the words of his goddess.
“What of Ishanya? What is it she wants from me?” Seth demanded.
“This I know not, master. I know only that she told me you would seek her temple. She told me to get the book for you at any cost, and so I have. She says for me to serve you now, master, for you will soon do her will upon Thurr. That is what she told me, master. That and nothing more, I swear to you,” Borrik proclaimed with honesty.
Sara had come to stand beside Seth with a look of concern mixed with confusion. Seth took his eyes off Borrik only for a moment to meet her eyes. He could see she was afraid and he wished to ease her fear. Seth did not trust the gods. He felt what was near to loathing for them. But now it seemed a goddess had taken interest in him. This, Seth knew, could not be a good sign. Though Ashton had a goddess, one he loved and worshipped and which seemed to make him happy, servant to an unanswerable being seemed a lot like slavery to Seth. All this he contemplated before speaking again.
“Do you have a place we can sit and talk?” Seth asked Borrik, still refusing to accept the small book.
“Yes master. Past the statue there is a hall. Through the hall there is a room with a table and some chairs.” Borrik gestured towards the darkness.
“Will you take us there?” Seth asked, unwilling to enter a dark room first as it could be some sort of trap.
“Yes sire, I will do as you command.” Borrik again bowed low to the ground.
Borrik walked past Seth and Sara. Circling around the statue he continued into the darkness. Seth followed next, drawing his dagger from his belt, guiding Sara behind him. They traversed the short hall and stepped into a room where a single candle sputtered upon a table. Borrik plucked the candle up from where it sat and used its small flame to ignite several torches that clung to the walls of the room. As the light increased the room was revealed. There was a long table with a dozen chairs situated around it. There were two ways out of the room. The first was the hall they had entered through, the second was a wooden door across from the hallway that at this time remained closed. Deciding it was safe, Seth pulled out a chair and gestured for Sara to sit. She quickly sat in the chair he offered, obviously nervous, but wanting to learn what was going on. Seth, waiting for Borrik to seat himself before sitting beside Sara, returned the dagger to his belt before taking a seat. Organizing his thoughts, Seth looked at Sara before he began to speak.
“Many nights ago I had a dream. Only it was not like a dream, it seemed more real than even when I was awake. In the dream I was at first alone in a round room with no doors or windows. I could see plainly but there was no source of light. I searched for a way out but there was none to be found. Giving up my search, I turned around and before me stood a woman. I know now that the woman was Ishanya. She told me to seek her out in the oldest buildings in Valdadore. I did not know that she had meant a temple, and thinking it a dream, I had no intention of pursuing her wishes. When we came here to the temple, I recognized the statue, and whe
n I touched it I could hear her voice. She again spoke to me. This time she told me to leave. She told me to call upon her when I had need of her. She said that if I served her, she would reward me.” Seth told his tale looking always to Sara and waiting for her to respond.
“So the Goddess spoke to you in your dreams, and even though you did not intend to, you found the place she wanted you to come to?” Sara asked to confirm her understanding.
“Yes,” Seth stated simply.
“Then you touch the statue and she tells you to serve her and in return she will reward you. That must be when you started shaking,” Sara said to Seth.
“Yes, that’s right,” Seth answered.
“Then you, Mr. Borrik, say that the goddess sent you on an errand to fetch a book to give to Seth because the goddess told you that he would serve her. Now you bring the book to him, and tell him that you are to serve him instead of the goddess?” Sara queried.
“Almost m’lady,” Borrik hissed. “I serve the goddess by serving him.” He gestured towards Seth.
“What do you get in return?” Sara asked, knowing a piece of the puzzle was still missing.
“The mistress told me that in time my new master would be able to reward me with a great strength and lasting life,” Borrik answered quickly.
“May I see the book?” Seth asked.
“Yes, master, it is yours to protect now.” Borrik held the book out for Seth to take.
“Please call me Seth,” Seth replied taking the book from Borrik’s extended hand.
He carefully opened the cover to expose a badly stained but otherwise blank page. Flipping to the next page, he found it too was blank. Seth quickly sifted through the entire book letting the pages flip open, one after another. Each and every page was free of ink.
Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) Page 26
