Chapter Seventeen
Regi followed Nawrdown the corridor. Around the inner sanctum, niches lined the wall. Delicate netting barred each window into the sanctuary, not to prevent the sacred animals from escaping, but to protect fingers that might be too tempted to violate the sanctity of the space.
If the animals wished to leave, every temple had a wide exit that led straight to a wilderness area, and every temple was open to the sky.
But many Kowri brought offerings for the sacred animals of the god whose attention they sought, and too many would want to deliver the gifts directly to the animals. Given that the sacred animals in a cold weather temple were more likely to be venomous than not, Regi suspected that was the height of stupidity. Then again, Nawr assumed that Regi had surpassed that level of stupidity.
The hallway curved around, and more of the niches had dishes with grains for pebafri or ior. A few had tiny carved statues or glass flagons. However, Regi didn’t see any supplicants.
“I doubt you will survive,” Nawr said. No doubt the devotees had cleared the hall. Death would damage the temple donations.
“If I am wrong about being the chosen of Poque, I will die,” Regi said, which was not the same as agreeing. He did feel a small niggle of fear, though. The sanctuary of the cold weather temple was not a safe place, even if the animals were touched by the gods and unlikely to attack out of fear. Even well-fed, happy animals would kill if they felt their territory was invaded by one who should not be there. Most of these animals could kill easily.
Regi found it somewhat ironic that the pebafri of Gavd were some of the least dangerous of all the cold weather beasts. They could kill a Kowri, either with hooves or horns, but they were plant-eaters and would rather graze than murder intruders. Other creatures in that sanctuary were far more dangerous. “If I am wrong, keep in mind that the goddess has touched my colleagues on the Coalition ship. Please ensure they are returned to their own space unharmed,” Regi said.
“If you forgo this test, you will be alive to safeguard your crew.”
“If I forgo this test, my goddess has every right to express her frustration that I showed so little faith in her protection. Would you aggravate the Lady of wandering?”
Nawr huffed. “I would not aggravate any god, but I also would not assume that they showed an interest in my life.”
“You are an exalted; clearly they have shown some interest.”
“Perhaps, but most exalteds hold only a momentary interest to the gods. Perhaps you are right, and for some reason that we do not understand, the goddess chose to guide your feet onto this path. That does not imply that Poque will guide your steps any farther. I promise you that we will investigate anything on that ship which the goddess has touched, and if there is something she wishes for us to see, we shall see it. That does not require that you risk yourself.”
“My faith in my goddess requires it.”
“Frim might appear fragile as they fly overhead, but they are dangerous and formidable creatures that stand as tall as you. They can kill you.”
Nawr was persistent. In other circumstances, Regi might have been frustrated, but his need to defend his choice left him less room to worry. “If I am the chosen of Poque, they will see me as part of their flock. But your statement has answered one question that worried me. You have frim here.” Not every sacred animal attended the temple where its god or goddess was worshiped. Poque was a goddess who had been divorced from her people for many years. Even before he left, Regi knew that frim often eschewed the temples. Many whispered that Poque no longer touched the Kowri because the gods did not wish for them to explore.
Nawr pressed his lips together in an unhappy line, and the hairs along the edges of his mouth bristled.
“Have faith that a child of an exalted can recognize signs better than the average Kowri.” Minait had often kept her son at her side, even when he was at an age when most boys had been with their fathers. He never knew if she didn’t trust Pertin and Rel or if she hoped to bring him to the attention of her goddess.
“Faith is difficult when your story requires me to believe that the gods have turned their eyes outside the Empire for the first time in millennia.”
“Perhaps something is happening that requires us to look outside our borders. The boundary between Kowri space and Coalition lies between two arms of the galaxy in space that is largely empty. Perhaps there are mysteries out there which Poque hopes we will discover.”
“Beware of words, Regi a’Poque. Whether you are an exalted or not, the collective wisdom of thousands of exalted Kowri will not bow to the arrogance of one young exile.”
Perhaps it was the need to distract himself from the danger, but Regi made an uncharacteristic joke. “Thank you. It has been many years since I was called ‘young’. Some days I feel old.” He dressed his face with a cocky grin as he spotted the iron doors that marked the public entrance into the sanctuary.
The sun was angled so that in this part of the corridor, islands of light pooled around the barred windows. The smell of rotting meat suggested that either the devotees did not collect the offerings quickly enough or someone had brought carrion for the insects. Regi had spent years living in sterile Coalition ships that allowed neither animals or meat products, and the smell nauseated him.
Next to the sanctuary doors, two devotees stood with their hands on bladed weapons, although they had more modern weaponry tucked into their utility belts.
Nawr stepped forward. “This is one who would challenge. Let the fool through and contact the coroner.”
One of the devotees pulled open one side of the heavy doors while the other typed on his wrist communicator. Inside the sanctuary, the sun illuminated the top half of the wall above the massive doors. Trees grew on either side of the enormous park. A stream ran along the side of a narrow path, and a pair of fountains flanked the entrance.
On the opposite side of the sanctuary, Regi could see the open arch that led to the wilderness beyond. His eyes had grown used to short corridors and small rooms, so it appeared impossibly far away. This was home to edvidas and gibuks that could hide in the dirt. The water would have mevi that could poison him and ift that could crush him. If he walked through the trees, a single dop quill could leave him disabled for life, or the bite of a hefivio could cause his flesh to rot. His stomach churned.
“When do the frim usually return?” Regi asked. If there were no frim in the sanctuary, it would not serve him to enter now. Hopefully the touch of a god, of any god, would protect him against the sacred animals, but he could only prove that he was exalted if the sacred animals of his goddess recognized him and flocked to him.
The devotee glanced at Nawr before answering. “The frim have already returned from their hunt.”
Nawr appeared surprised, but Regi wasn't. “Are their nests on the right or left?”
