The ten copper crows were laid in a neat row on the table before him. His mind was still confused about it all. Keirlan’s mind was rolling in an endless wheel while Gil tried to make sense of the boy’s words.
“I am performing my duties as a priest of the Nohkur.” Morstien said, refusing to say any more. “A simple rite to cleanse the land, that is all.”
“Yes, but you have to understand.” The old man leaned in. “We need to know exactly what these rites are!”
“I do not see why you knowing about them is important.”
A heavy sigh left the mouths of everyone at the table. Keirlan finally looked at the boy, remembering that his name was Morstein. Morstien?
“Morristan, you won’t be raising the dead… are you?”
“No. If there is undead, I must guide them back, as it is my responsibility.”
Gil clapped his hands, nodding his head. Finally, he had the answer to the question he had been asking the boy for the past five minutes.
“It is settled then. Keirlan, you will accompany Morstien in his duties and protect him from brigands or monsters. You will be paid 5 copper crows each day and those ten are your downpayment.” Gil shifted his focus onto Morstien. “And immediately report any signs of trouble.”
Keirlan could tell Gil wanted the boy to say he was not a necromancer. A necromancer would be another problem the town would have to live with. The old man didn’t want to deal with this stranger anymore and was content with what Morstien said. It was enough.
He extended a rugged hand towards the boy. He returned the gesture, shaking his hand for a brief moment before leaving the table. Several eyes were on him, but Gil’s deep cough warned them from trying anything under his watch.
He did not say goodbye to Lancell, who watched it all from his table while playing a game of cards and winning once again. Keirlan picked up the copper coins and got up to follow his employer.
They left the tavern and stepped into the streets obscured by mist. The boy stood still for a moment, looking around and taking in the surroundings. Keirlan looked around as well, watching out for shadows ready to bump into the boy while their hands grabbed a pouch full of coins.
Morstien broke the silence with a question. “Is there a church in this town?”
“A church? Yes, but…” Keirlan paused. “It’s not in the best shape.”
“... Take me to it.”
----------------------------------------
No lantern or torch adorned the crumbling building. The mist was thicker as if it obscured something that should not be. Yet even through the curtain of grey, Keirlan saw the collapsed roof and toppled pillars of the ancient temple. It had stood here for as long as he could remember, his lifetime not even a fraction of the building’s age.
Yet he felt like he stood a head taller than it. He was looking at a dead body, a shell that once housed divinity. Now, it is just a stone ruin waiting for the day it returns to dust. He wondered if people really worshipped their gods inside such structures in the days before the End of Ages.
“A temple of Huestisia.” Morstien said out loud. “A goddess of justice, protector of children...”
“You know all this?” He said, astonished at Morstien’s knowledge.
“No. I read it from this engraving.”
Keirlan looked down and saw the slab of stone. A pair of broken stone feet stood on top of the mossy slab, the rest of the statue had crumbled away or were broken down for their stone. Still, Keirlan wondered what the statue would’ve looked like if it still stood proud atop its stone base.
Morstien muttered something, then took a step into the thick mist. He followed, his feet making sure to stay on the stone path in front of him. They entered the church, pushing the half-destroyed door open. It let out a screeching noise as it moved, the metal of its hinges groaning at the strain. A few of the scant people inside turned their heads to see the source of the noise, but quickly returned to what they were doing.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
“Creepy.” Keirlan whispered.
“There is faith here, but no hand to receive and do wonders with it.” Morstien said, his eyes scanning the inside of the old temple for any signs of divinity.
Keirlan stared at the stone altar at the end of the room. Wax covered most of its surface yet people still placed candles on top of it. He wondered if he should place candles as well.
An old woman stood up, in her hands a single candlestick. She hobbled towards the altar of wax and stone, and with a soft groan knelt before it. Her gnarled hands placed the candle near the others at the altar’s base before pressing her palms on her forehead. Keirlan watched and listened to the old woman while she offered a prayer to an absent god.
“My dad used to say that there was a time when gods walked the world.” Keirlan said, trying his best to remember the old stories. “He was the last in our family to pray. Taught me nothing.”
Morstien smiled. He clasped his hands together and looked at him.
“Gods still walk the world, Keirlan.”
“... You’re not gonna tell me you are one of them, are you?”
Morstien laughed, then covered his mouth to not disturb the devotees who now stared daggers at the two of them.
“Who knows? I might be looking for a hero to save the world.” Morstien said with a smile.
Keirlan looked at the boy, the faintest glimmer of hope inside him wished for his words to be real. He shrugged, burying that childish dream once more.
His employer was a strange one, Keirlan thought. He watched him approach the altar, ignoring the praying woman and plucking an unlit candle from the floor behind the altar. Some stopped their hushed prayers, others gasped, but most paid no heed to the young boy who lit the candle to make an offering. Morstien did not place the candle on the altar, but at the feet of a statue Keirlan only just noticed. It was at the back of the room, obscured by overgrowth and dust but there, and Morstien knelt on one knee before it with two fingers between his eyes.
He was out of his element. Keirlan knew about praying, his father showed him how to do it when he was young. Do something with your hands, close your eyes, and say the magic words so that some higher being can grant you wishes. It was a silly thing he used to do as a child. No one answered him, or other people. Gods died a century ago and those who remained stay silent as the old stories go. So he didn't know why people still prayed to them, and why there were still cults out there who waited for the return of their particular god.
He shook his head. These thoughts would not leave his mouth around his employer. He didn't want to hurt the kid's feelings, but a part of him wanted to question the boy. To ask why he clung to his god. What makes it special? He looked up and saw the boy standing up; his prayers and show of devotion were now finished.
"Finished already?" Keirlan asked, his body already turning towards the door.
"Yes. Now, I need to find some lodging and get my items." Morstien said, walking towards the door and holding it open for Keirlan. "Let's meet tomorrow at the fountain?"
"Sure."
Keirlan gave him a courteous smile. It seems his work for today was finished, and Keirlan had money to buy a good meal at the tavern for two days or pay his rent. He was content with leaving the boy here. Morstien smiled, bowed his head, and left Keirlan where he stood. He had already disappeared into the mist when Keirlan thought about asking him where he was planning to stay for the next few days.
He was about to leave when he nearly bumped into someone exiting the temple. Keirlan muttered an apology, and the person gave him a slight smile from beneath her veil and left. She was quick, Keirlan didn't even know which direction she went by the time he reached the street. What's odd was he wasn't sure if he even noticed her inside the temple earlier. He shrugged. The town's getting strange visitors as of late.
----------------------------------------
Keirlan pushed the doors of the inn open, not caring if the innkeeper was at her usual spot behind the desk. He had resolved to pay Ars instead of spoiling himself with a filling meal during his walk. Ten copper crows would be enough to cover him for the five nights he hasn't paid yet. Keirlan looked around, finding the desk empty but hearing noises in the kitchen. He knocked on the door thrice, alerting Ars that someone was in her inn.
"Coming!" She yelled. "I'll be with you in a moment!"
"And bring a drink!" Keirlan said with a laugh. He heard Ars groan at him.
"Oh, it's just you. My one and only tenant!"
"Hey! I'm paying my rent for this week."
Ars popped her head out of the kitchen, shooting him a doubtful but happy look.
"You're done chopping down trees for today? Nice." She gave him a thumbs-up before dashing back into the kitchen.
"No, I got paid to guard some kid for the next few days. I'll get paid more tomorrow." He said, taking a seat at one of the many empty tables in the inn. "Anyway, what are you cooking back there?"
Keirlan didn't have to ask. He could smell the aroma of mushrooms and onions from where he sat. Ars hung up her apron near the door to the kitchen before bringing two cups filled with ale to their table.
"Soup. I put in the salted chicken I bought earlier in there. Should be nice."
"Oh... Shouldn't you be watching it?" Keirlan asked, looking inside the kitchen to see the pot hanging above a low flame. "Don't want it to get burnt now."
"Nah, it's fine. I can keep an eye on it from here." Ars said, her hands holding the cup of ale to her lips.
Keirlan placed the ten copper coins on the table. The innkeeper eyed it but didn't take it right away. Instead, she placed the cup on the table and leaned against the old wooden chair. The innkeeper sighed and shook her head at him.
"Pay me later. No business talk while I'm on break." The innkeeper winked at him. "Besides, it'd be rude of me to force an old friend to give up most of their money while they're hungry."
"That's... Thank you, Ars." He smiled at his friend, trying his best to show his sincerest gratitude.
Ars tilted her head at him, her hazel eyes staring deep into him while she twirled a strand of her dirty blonde hair around her finger. Keirlan smiled back at her, but he did not take back the coins he had placed on the table. He still remembered coming back to the town of Huesenmyth. He leaned back and looked up at the ceiling and the memories in his head. He let out a chuckle.
"Do you still remember when we ran into each other at the market?" Keirlan said, getting a giggle from Ars.
"Of course! I still can't believe you managed to get kicked out of Mina's and Harmel's inns! You know they warned me that you won't pay your rent."
"Ah, you should've listened to them. But still, I had to sleep on the streets cause of them, you know?" Keirlan laughed at the painful memory of getting kicked out of two inns and sleeping outside for a few months. Ars shook her head at him
"Poor you. But I'm happy that you made your way here." Ars smiled softly, which caught Keirlan off-guard. "Cause now I have a tenant!"
Ars smacked his back, causing him to spill some of the ale on his pants. She didn't notice the mess she made and Keirlan's slight disappointment. He shook his head at the innkeeper. The girl laughed, standing up from the table.
"Look, you can pay me when you— Oh! Hello!"
The doors creaked open and Ars waved at the figure standing at the door. Keirlan turned around, surprised that someone other than him would rent out a room at this inn.
"I'm looking for... lodging."
Morstien tilted his head at him. He stared back at the priest and the shovel he carried. There was a pause between them, broken by Ars coughing and asking a question.
"Do you two know each other?"