“There is no guarantee,” Yarim said, “but I have heard stories about her personally responding to prayersbefore.”
Wellion huffed. “Stories are just that, stories. I’ll believe it when I see it with my owneyes.”
As they continued toward the shrine, the streets gradually grew quieter and the buildings larger and not quite so crammed together. Yarim took a right, then led them through a park. It was a mostly flat, grassy area where children could play, but the temple sat in the center of a small grove, secluded from the outsideworld.
“This is beautiful,” Tariel murmured as they passed beneath the boughs of the trees. The temple was surrounded with bushes and flowers, even at this time of the year, and there were small benches here and there where one could sit outside and enjoy theatmosphere.
“This architecture is different than what I’ve seen so far in Salanis,” Tariel said, pointing to the imperial-style columns and lintel. “Is this what we can expect to see when we reach theEmpire?”
“Sort of,” Yarim said. “This is an older style of architecture, so you will see buildings like these as well as more modernstructures.”
They climbed the short row of steps to the shrine, then passed beneath the lintel and into the cool interior. Inside was a long hall illuminated by flickering torches, the floor decorated with a long green runner. The interior columns and walls had various nature reliefs carved into them, and Tariel took her time admiring them as they walked through thehall.
“Why is there no statue depicting the goddess?” she whispered as they approached the altar in the center of the room. A large, opaque orb was mounted on it, a rainbow of colors swirled onto its surface. “And why are there no priests orpriestesses?”
“The orb represents the goddess, who is synonymous with the world we live in,” Yarim explained. “It also represents the endless fertility of her womb, as she is the deity from which all life springs. As for the priests and priestesses, this shrine is not large enough to warrant more than one or two attendants, who likely only come here once or twice a day to tendit.”
Tariel nodded as she sank to her knees in front of the orb. “I will pray now,” she said, clasping her handstogether.
She looked up at the orb, and after a few seconds, her eyes glazed over, as if she was in atrance.
“Is that normal?” Wellion asked, frowning ather.
“As I said, this kind of thing has happened before,” Yarim said. He knelt next to Tariel on the floor, the runner providing a bit of cushion between his knees and the stone. “But if you’re worried, perhaps you should keep an eye out while wepray.”
Yarim clasped his hands as Tariel had done, and looked up at the orb. The swirling colors captivated him, making the rest of the world fade away as he sought a connection with the MotherGoddess.
Mother Goddess,he prayed silently,I kneel here now, and renew my devotion to you, as I have always done in the past. I humbly beg that you watch over us as we travel home to the motherland. I care nothing for the estates and title I have lost, only that we be allowed a safe return, and most of all, that Tariel beaccepted.
My son,a melodious voice echoed in his mind,you shall have all that you desire, and more. But first, you must overcome your selfishness, and open your heartwider.
Yarim nearly keeled over from shock. The Mother Goddess had never spoken to him before!Open my heart wider?he asked eagerly.What do youmean?
But the Mother Goddess did not answer, and Yarim already knew what she meant. She was speaking of Wellion, and his reluctance to welcome him into thefold.
Promising the Mother Goddess that he would do his best to obey her wishes, he climbed to his feet, then reached for Tariel. She beamed at him as he helped her to her feet, and Yarim was momentarily stunned—her entire body was surrounded by an ethereal glow, a beacon in thedarkness.
“Wow,” Wellion said, his eyes wide as he looked Tariel up and down. “I’m guessing the Mother Goddess reached out to youtoo?”
“She did,” Tariel said. “She did not speak to me directly, but I felt a wave of love and unconditional acceptance, similar to what I imagine a mother’s love for her child feels like.” She looked down at her hands. “I feel stronger, too, and more certain of my path. The goddess wants me to journey to theEmpire.”
“You said that you communed with the goddess as well,” Yarim said to Wellion. “What did she say toyou?”
“She did not speak in words,” Wellion said slowly. “But I felt my own magic strengthen a bit, and I got the impression that she was welcoming me, inviting me to come to the Empire. I feel as if I would find peace and acceptance there.” He shook his head, a bewildered look on his face. “It was the strangestthing.”
Yarim started to shake his head. How could a hardened criminal who did not even know how to read and write be welcomed in the Empire? But then he remembered his promise to the goddess, and shame washed over him. Was he already failing her, so soon after making theagreement?
“If you like, I can tell you a bit more about my country and our religion,” Yarim offered as they exited theshrine.
“I would like that,” Wellion said. “Verymuch.”
“As would I,” Tariel agreed. She took Yarim’s hand in hers as they exited the park and crossed the street. “Zolotais has told me some things, but I would love to know more from your perspective, especially since it has been more than a hundred years since she was lastthere.”
Tariel sent a pulse of affection down the bond as they spoke, and Yarim sent one back in return. Feeling far more relaxed than he had in the beginning, he began to tell them about the origin myth of the Mother Goddess, who was called Taranais here, though in the Empire they called her Taarat, which was her proper name. The Carlissians worshipped a pale reflection of her, mixed in with their own local gods to be consistent, but in the Empire, her influence was ten times morepowerful.
“So all living things are supposed to be Taarat’s children?” Wellion asked as they entered a busier section of the city. “And she rules over the land with a harem of malegods?”
“Zolis, Urquaat, and Hafnar,” Tariel said, nodding. “The gods of sun, wind, andwater.”
