Behind the decorative dark wood screen, the chapel seemed much smaller and cozy. The walls which had been the full width of the chapel, on the other side, were much narrower on this side and the celling was lower, not the full height of the chapel. Unlike on the other side the walls were simply unadorned whitewash, except where the fancy stone archways framed the doors. The air was thick with the smoke from the cloying incense which was burning in two large, and simple, dark stone platters.
At the far end of the chapel, almost filling the entire gap between the two walls, was a simple white stone altar covered with a deep green cloth runner with intricately decorated embroidery which looked a bit like prayer beads and the signet ring mixed in with some flowing geometric shapes.
Hanging high above the altar was a bright array of light globes shining directly down on the altar which cast vivid shadows especially over the glossy pitch black statues of the eleven gods and goddess in their niches. Off to one side of the altar was a simple, maybe even crude, wooden statue of a woman who was kneeling, using her prayer beads, and wearing a veil.
As I looked at the statue what I thought were signs of being crudely carved were in fact torn clothes as if someone had been beaten with sticks and feet. The veil itself, looked like someone had partly torn away it from the face and I noticed the familiar signs of a puffy black eye.
With that I took another look at the figure’s hand and noticed a small band of a ring.
‘That’s Saint Evaine.’ I said.
‘Yes, you have a keen eye.’ The priest of the chapel, Gannis, said, laughing. It still struck me as odd to see such a robust and ruddy thuggish face laugh so freely and openly. ‘Though maybe having a statue of another saint within the First Chapel dedicated to Saint Evaine would be sacrilegious.’
‘More sacrilegious than that statue?’ An-chau said. She was slightly older than Tan-bei and myself, being in her mid-twenties, and was the average height for a woman her age and had a slightly plump body which made her look motherly. She had the same round face and black hair as Tan-bei. But where Tan-bei had silky smooth black hair and a warm copper-fawn skin, An-chau had cool beige skin and frizzy black hair. She put her hands on her hips, looking like a young mother lecturing a child. Beneath her hands the robes she wore were the pale grey of lay members rather than the dark slate grey of ordained members. ‘Getting that statue carved earned you yet another censor. I’m not sure how much more trouble you can get into, even with you using your divine gifts as a shield, before they either ship you somewhere remote or excommunicates you.’
‘Yeah, maybe you’re right.’ Gannis said, waving off her scalding.
It seemed like the two of them were fast friends. And with the gentle looks they occasionally shared, I wasn ’t… Damn it, was I seeing romance everywhere now that Sara got her hooks in to me?
‘Ooh, Chau, it’s him is it?’ Tan-bei said from next to me, her small copper-fawn hand was engulfed in my giant pale pink hand. Maybe we had been holding hands for too long, but it felt natural and right for her small hand to be there. ‘You told me you liked someone older than you, but someone you’re not sure you should—’
‘Tan-Tan, quiet.’ An-chau said, a blush rising on her beige cheeks.
I couldn ’t tell but I was sure that Gannis’ cheeks were more flushed than their normal ruddy colour. Neither of them dared look at each other.
‘They’re so cute,’ Tan-bei said, looking up at me with those gorgeous eyes of hers, ‘almost like you and Sara before you—’
‘Enough.’ I said, sternly.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m also not. Because it means that I can have you.’ She said, her face still looking up at me. There was a look of determination on it. ‘You are the first man who, when they looked at me, did not see me either as an exotic creature to fuck and discard or as an unwanted foreigner, but as a person. Even the women were not much better. Once Helvis abandoned me, well… It was just you and Gomes. And Gomes… Flirting was fun, but, I couldn’t bring myself to get close to him.’
I brought her in for a hug. Wrapping my arms protectively around her frail body.
‘I know that when my studies are finished,’ Tan-bei muttered into my stomach, ‘I will likely be discarded by the Temple. They have little need of who they see as an impious slut such as myself. Then I will be truly alone in the world. That is why I want you, Berwyn. Why I want to marry you. I don’t want to be alone.’
She was normally so bright and cheerful, with her bright smile, and flirty manners. I knew she was no slut, she may have had fun flirting with others, but never once had I ever seen her take someone to bed. On the contrary, on more than one occasion me or Gomes had had to come and stop her from being forced to bed.
Why then did I feel so comfortable with her? Maybe I had seen something beneath that facade? Something that was all too familiar to me. Maybe that was why? Maybe that was why I wanted to be with her and was happy to marry her?
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We both were looking for someone, something, to ease our soul deep loneliness.
For me it was a loneliness that got deeper and more painful when I lost more of my companions from back on the Isle of Trees. Despite so many of us being killed or captured as those heroes did what they could to help the oppressed. My most wounding loss was that of my first love: the beautiful, tough, and strong Sirona, who sacrificed her freedom and life so I could live. After I lost her, I shut off my heart and bound myself to death.
Though I no longer had any desire to die, it had taken the work of both An-chau and Sara to finally break through the thick crust that had built up around my heart.
‘I will marry you.’ I said to An-chau, holding her tight to me, not wanting to let her go. Not wanting for her, or myself, to feel scared and alone once again.
‘Beautiful as it is,’ Gannis said, ‘in accordance with the rites of the Tree Folk, I would still like to cast lots before the vows are made. Would that be acceptable?’
I nodded.
‘Then our destination remains the same, to the reliquary of the patron saint of the lost, the forlorn, and of lovers and love.’
He led us to a door in one of the walls and opened it, beyond was a simple chamber with black and white tiled floor. There were a few chairs lined up against the wall, in one corner there were wooden crates stacked up high. A few were not in this pile, their lids open.
This chamber had another door which led to the outside. This door was bolted and barred. From the cobwebs in the doorframe, the faint signs of thick dust on the tiled floor and on the bar across the door, along with slight rust on the hinges it looked as if the door hadn ’t been opened in a long while.
Near where the crates were, there was a set of stone stairs with an ornate banister which was at odds with the simple roofing and black and white tiled flooring. The stairs led down through the tiled floor. We followed Gannis into a crypt carved from the bedrock. The tall walls had many niches carved into them. About half of them were filled with stone statue sarcophagi.
Gannis waited at the bottom his beefy right hand raised in the air glowing as if it were a light globe. Even with the light from his hand, the crypt felt gloomy and dark. The shadows of the sarcophagi hid the depths of their niche. And the thick musty air, added a depth to the gloomy pressure.
He gave a brief self-deprecating chuckle, ‘my divine talents are not a match for yours, Tan-bei, but Juron blessed me with being able to bring light to the darkness. Useful for reading the scriptures and other holy texts on the long winter evenings, for saving money on light globes, and for entertainment during the sermons.
‘Remember, Tan-bei there are those who not only respect your divine talents, but wish to see them put to good use. Three of them are here with you right now.’
I looked down at Tan-bei, there was a watery glint in her eyes and a glistening track running down her cheek.
Ignoring the quiet tears of Tan-bei, Gannis, carried on, ‘when I first came down here I noticed something strange. You see, in that corner they started to carve another niche,’ he pointed his glowing hand to illuminate a corner which had a roughly carved niche which had since been roughly bricked up.
With the light now focused the rest of the crypt fell into a deep darkness, one that rivalled the deep darkness I found myself in the depths of the Three Bridge this morning whilst helping Lucia.
‘Another good thing about being a disowned noble, was that sometimes they throw money at you, just to keep you sweet. Heck, the family of the so-called-martyr Yvana, even helped to construct a whole new nunnery for their beloved disgraced daughter.’
‘Yvana, was the name of the wife of the noble who loved Saint Evaine.’ An-chau said. ‘She gained martyr status a score of decades ago, just about the time when interest in Saint Evaine faded, mainly because nobles started getting worried that the temple was favouring the masses over them.’
‘And you call me out for saying things that could get me censored. As a lay member who hasn’t got a divine gift, you’d get even worse if the wrong people hear you say that.’ Gannis said, giving An-chau a cocky smile.
‘Oh well, I must be taking after my Chapel Master, maybe he should censor me. ’
‘I get it, you two want to hold each other tight,’ Tan-bei said. Her hand finding mine again and giving it a gentle squeeze. ‘I’m jealous that Sara…’
She trailed off. I didn ’t press the issue as to what she was jealous about. An-chau and Gannis refused to look at each other, and turned their backs on each other. Despite that, they had somehow managed to get physically closer to each other.
‘As I was saying,’ Gannis said, a somewhat stiff discomfort filling his square thuggish face. ‘I got some funds, and I kept them safe. It was not until after I was disowned, and sent here, I finally used the funds. And that was to purchase an illusion item.’
He reached into his other sleeve. The roughly bricked up niche disappeared, replaced by a hole deep dark even in the crypt's gloominess. From the light shining from Gannis ’ hands I caught the glint of something gleaming in the deep darkness.
‘I give you the reliquary of the original Chapel of Saint Evaine.’