“Please, come in. I will share with you what I know.”
Mariah released her breath and stepped forward, Matheo following closely on her heels.
She halted again when she crossed the threshold, getting her first true look inside the Sanctum of Rulene.
It was a true homage to the Goddess of the Day Sky. Sandstone pillars rose up from the floor, inlaid with carvings of a great city and the people—and animals—who filled it. The roof was made of glass, much like the palace throne room back in Verith, but instead of panels, it was somehow all a single smooth surface. A clear, unobstructed view of the sky; both during the day for the goddess to revel in her domain, and at night for her to seek comfort from her Consort.
It was likely a building that had never been intended to house the goddess herself; just a place to gather and worship. Which made the swaying figure of Rulene striding through its halls even more surreal, as if this place were truly a divine home.
Mariah wondered if Qhohena’s temple had ever felt that way, if the goddess had ever stepped foot in her own hallowed halls before giving her grace to Xara.
Matheo whistled. “Damn,” he swore softly. “This is impressive.”
Mariah nearly kneed him in the shin. “Language, Matheo. This is a holy place.”
“Since when have you cared?”
“This way,” Callamus interrupted, a trace of amusement coloring the rich timbre of his voice. “We’ll talk in Rulene’s private chamber, out of the main sanctum.”
Heat rose in Mariah’s cheeks. She shoved it down and fell into step beside the god. The floors underfoot were made of sandstone, but there was something else weaving through the red brick. Some sort of gem, the exact shade of sky blue as Rulene’s hair, poured into the floor like a river carving through the desert.
“What is that?” Mariah paused above one of the winding veins, using the toe of her boot to point it out to Callamus.
The god smiled wistfully. “The Kreah call it turquoise,” he said. “But I know it as sky stone. Before the First War, when we freely walked this earth, Rulene made it from a few drops of her blood that she melded with the earth. She once wished to create jewelry from it, but there wasn’t time for that. Not when Kol fell into his strength.”
Rulene’s form was disappearing into a hallway at the end of the sanctum. “Perhaps one day she’ll be able to.”
“Yes. Perhaps one day.”
Mariah tried to ignore the hint of longing and sadness in Callamus’s words. It was the kind of sadness that came from living a limitless life but knowing you were as trapped within it as mortals were to time.
They hurried after Rulene. The hallway she took was narrow and dark, but at the end was a beautiful set of doors crafted from rich red wood inlaid with more turquoise. Mariah didn’t miss the way Rulene’s fingers lingered wistfully over the stone before clicking open the lock.
The doors swung open, light flooding the dark hallway, and the soft melodies of a piano filled their ears.
“Not again with that damned piano,” Callamus muttered, stalking past his Consort.
Mariah stifled her laugh, even as her mind grappled with her shock. The more time she spent with these gods, these immortal beings, the more they simply felt likepeople.
If the first sanctum was crafted to mimic the beauty of the sky, then this one was to pay tribute to the changes of nature—the other side of Rulene’s domain. A large circular space opened before them, bright and shimmering with a kaleidoscope of colors. The ceiling, still glass, was frosted and tempered. Water droplets had been captured within their panes, scattering rainbows throughout the room.
Four wings peeled off from the main chamber, each dominated by a single color. There was a chilled, icy blue: winter, followed by a boisterous, flowery pink: spring. Summer was next, deep earthy green spreading around its entrance.
Last was a rich auburn, peppered with golds and fiery reds. Autumn. Mariah had been born in the fall. Something about that side of the room tugged her closer, like a gentle call from a long-forgotten home.
“Ah! There you all are! I was wondering where you went this morning.”
Mariah snapped away from the autumn wing. The piano had stopped playing, and a tall figure stood from the instrument in the center of the main sanctum.
“Priam, while you are more than welcome to stay with us while we remain in Desva, please refrain from intruding into our personal spaces.” Rulene’s tone was stern, as if her patience was already wearing thin.
Mariah again had to swallow her chuckle.
Priam smiled brightly. “But this is the communal space! You never said I had to remain in the winter wing while here.”
“Do not lie to me, Priam. I know you went looking for us in our rooms.”
Priam shrugged, unbothered. “It was too quiet. I was merely curious.” His pale silver eyes gleamed as they shifted to Mariah and Matheo. “And it looks like you brought guests!”
