“You’re a very strange creature,” the high priest said, her face shrouded by her red robes as she continued to follow Derzina.

“And how’s that exactly?” Derzina asked, genuinely curious. There was no doubt in her mind as to which of them was the strange one and if the priest had the slightest understanding of herself, she should be able to see that. Unfortunately, she clearly couldn’t or she wouldn’t have said it.

“You don’t live to please any god; you’re just a lost soul wandering on your own. I don’t know how one could possibly endure an existence so bereft of meaning.”

With no destination in mind, Derzina continued down the street while she mused upon her past. “I did once, in a way. I once served a god as you do, though my service took a different form and my god was nothing like yours. She was kind and just, not a mad creature incapable of compassion like the abomination who rules this city.”

“Incapable of compassion? Why ever would you think such a thing? Mortisflor is the most loving creature imaginable.”

“Is that right?” Derzina asked, faintly amused at high priest’s ridiculous ardour. “She doesn’t seem to have much love or compassion for you or her other children.”

“Of course not,” the priest said, without the slightest hesitation or concern. “We are worthless. Only a fool would concern themselves with us.”

Mad as the priest clearly was, Derzina felt a little sorry for her. Even such a twisted creature didn’t deserve this pitiful existence. Their beliefs, and whatever influence the Great Rift exerted over them, cursed them with a more wretched fate than even the beasts who dwelt on the surface. At least they were free, twisted by corruption as they were.

“Then what about her is loving?” Derzina asked. “What is it she loves, if not her so called children?”

“Her kings of course, and the one true king they represent. They are the only beings worth of both her love and hate, the rest of us are beneath her notice.”

“How can she both love and hate them?” It seemed quite the contradiction.

“I could not possibly speak to her reasons, that is simply the way things are. Do you also occupy yourself wondering why water flows or light illuminates? Some things are beyond mortal comprehension, I should think a servant of the gods would know that.”

While there were certainly aspects of the world that gods understood and mortals never would, Derzina didn’t think feelings were among them. Ortesia and Atasimon’s feelings and the reasons behind them seemed plain enough to her. Or at least, as plain as those of a mortal. Though she could see how such things could be far more difficult to understand when it came to Mortisflor, given the goddess’ madness.

“As far as I’m concerned, Mortisflor ceased to be a true god a long time ago.” If Mortisflor’s recollection was accurate, more than a century had passed since her transformation. “She bears little resemblance to any I have met or heard of in all my years.”

“Mortisflor is the truest god there has ever been and ever can be,” the priest declared hotly. “You blaspheme against her at your own peril.”

“Do I? Would you truly harm a guest your god invited into her city? Or are you implying she will strike me down herself?” While incurring Mortisflor’s wrath would hardly be surprising, Derzina doubted it would be from anything so straightforward as speaking ill of her to one of her followers. She was unlikely to even notice it had occurred, given how little attention she paid to both her followers and her city.

“You’re right, I would never harm one of Mortisflor’s guests. I should never even consider such a thing.” The high priest hung her head. “Though there is nothing I can do to stop you, I still ask that you not speak ill of my god.”

Ashamed at having brought about the sadness in the priest’s voice, Derzina resolved to speak of Mortisflor with more respect. As little regard as she had for the goddess, this was still their city and nothing good could come of insulting them to her followers in this fashion. “My apologies, I should never have done so. Whatever my view of her, I can see that she means a lot to you and your people.”

“More than you can imagine.”

“What’s your name, anyway?” Derzina asked. She felt some small connection with the high priest and it was strange knowing only their title.

“I have no name, not anymore. I gave it up when I chose to serve her as one of her priests.”

“How did come to become one of her priests, anyway? Did she choose you?” If so, it would be a considerable deviation from the goddess’ usual disregard for her people.

“Yes, though not directly. The ceremony is not unlike the choosing you witnessed; would you like to see it?”

Recalling how horrific the choosing had been to witness, Derzina shook her head. “No, I would not.”

“Are you sure? We begin by flaying the skin from the kings, once Mortisflor has discarded them. It’s what each priest’s robes are made from. Then—”

“Enough, I don’t want to hear any more.” Being here was bad enough without having to dwell on the evils that were doubtless perpetrated all around her in this twisted place.

“Is there anything you would prefer to see? I wish to know more of you, who are so favoured by Mortisflor.”

“I don’t know, is there anything that doesn’t involve anyone getting hurt or killed?”

“That is a most difficult condition, are you sure about that?”

“Completely.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

They walked in silence for a while, the high priest muttering under her breath as she thought until finally, she formulated a response. “There is a large bathhouse reserved for the priesthood, which you may enjoy. To my shame, soaking in the water does bring me some measure of relief after a long day of working in Mortisflor’s name.”

“Very well, that sounds pleasant enough.” Or at least as pleasant as anything in this city. There was sure to be some distasteful elements to it, but surely a bathhouse couldn’t be all that bad. “How far away is it?”

“Not far, we should be there shortly.”

The high priest navigated the winding streets with ease and they reached a large stone building covered from wall-to-wall in garish red designs that Derzina couldn’t make heads or tails of.

“Are these supposed to mean anything?” she asked, looking up at them as they stood before the entrance.

“Not really, priests just paint whatever they feel like on here; they’re not usually very good.” She pointed to a narrow line of red that encircled the whole building. “That one’s mine. It’s supposed to be the King’s River.”

“I see.” The line did resemble a river, to the extent a simple line could. “Shall we go inside?”

The interior was similarly decorated and consisted of one large chamber with a single enormous stone bath spanning the length of it. A few priests were already present, each still wearing their robe. They bathed in the red-tinged water or sat beside it talking amongst each other. Several of them looked at Derzina as she entered, though none of them approached. It seemed they didn’t have the same interest in her that their high priest did.

Derzina stood near the entrance, uncertain, while the priest who’d brought her here exhibited no such hesitation as they walked over to the bath and submerged themselves to their shoulders.

“Is that water safe?” Derzina asked, moving over to the edge. The liquid smelled faintly of blood and she could feel its warmth from here.

“Perfectly,” the high priest said, with a contented sigh as she sunk deeper.

Despite the priest’s assurances, Derzina was far from convinced. “You’re sure it won’t cause me any harm?”

“Of course, it’s just water.”

“Why are you all still wearing your clothes? Isn’t this supposed to be a bath?”

“We can never remove our robes once we join the priesthood,” the priest said, sounding completely relaxed, “they become one with our body after we don them.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?” It seemed quite the unpleasant fate to submit to, though she supposed it was probably no worse than much of what went on within Merstaneon.

“It is what Mortisflor desires, my wishes are of no consequence.”

“Wait, does that mean you didn’t want it?” If so, that would the first sign that she was the least bit dissatisfied with her lot in life. The first sign that she had any true sense to her.

In lieu of replying, the high priest submerged her head for a few seconds before resurfacing. “My body, along with every other part of me, belong to Mortisflor.” She stood up in the bath facing Derzina. “Now, are you going to get in or not? I did not bring you here to appreciate the architecture.”

Though she still had her reservations, it had been a terribly long time since Derzina had taken a hot bath. She was taking off her clothes when she glanced at the other priests and stopped. The high priest was a woman, at least as far as she could tell with the robes, but she had no idea about the others. “Is there nowhere more private I can use?”

“Why? This is the finest bath in all the city.”

“I’m not comfortable disrobing in front of men, particularly those I don’t know from a foreign city.” She decided it was best she explain her reasoning without further back and forth. If her experiences here had taught here anything, it was that there was no sense expecting any level of common sense from the residents of Merstaneon.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. We priests are above petty carnal desires.” She tugged on Derzina’s clothing, who relented. It was silly to fear exposing her body; it was nothing next to all the other trials and tribulations she faced. Pulling off her shirt and breeches, Derzina climbed into the water beside the high priest who paid no attention to Derzina’s naked body except for her false leg formed of shadow.

“What happened to your leg?” the priest asked, amazed.

“I lost it in battle and Atasimon, the goddess within me, was kind enough to provide me with a replacement.” She didn’t know if it was permanent or not, but it had lasted well enough so far and she was afraid to ask if it was going to disappear.

“To carry the blessing of your god with you everywhere you go in such a manner is a great blessing indeed, even if the one you serve is beneath the contempt of Mortisflor. I can only hope that I too will be worthy of such favour one day.”

Enjoying the water, which seemed perfectly ordinary beyond the colour and smell, Derzina rubbed the accumulated grime from her body. “Would you serve another god in her place? If you had the option? The gods I’ve known would be happy to reward a follower as devoted as yourself for their service.”

The high priest closed her eyes, breathing in and out before replying. “I cannot be tempted to stray from Mortisflor’s grace, regardless of what false promises the others may offer. She is my life and the only one I shall ever follow.”

A fine little speech, though Derzina wasn’t sure she believed it. “What if you could have joined their service instead of Mortisflor’s then? Would you have changed your decision?” She wasn’t sure what she hoped to accomplish by speaking so to the high priest and it was unlikely to do much good, but it felt right to question the madness present within the city and the path that had led them to it.

“Enough, please; I have heard enough of this blasphemy for today. You cannot sway my devotion, best that you spare us both such fruitless words.”

Tiring of trying to change their mind, Derzina finished washing herself and dried herself with a towel offered to her by the high priest.

“Do you know any way I can contact Mortisflor?” Derzina asked, as she was putting her clothes back on.

“None, short of petitioning her at the palace. Something which she takes a very dim view of. I think she tortured the last person foolish enough to demand her attention for days.”

However poorly Mortisflor may treat her subjects, Derzina wasn’t one of them and she was fairly confident the goddess would be more willing to receive her. “Be that as it may, I still think it my best option. I have important business with her and I’ve lingered her long enough.”

“Disrespectful as you may be,” the priest said, leaving the bath to follow Derzina, “I would rather not see you dead. It would be a waste of a rather novel creature. You should simply wait until Mortisflor wishes to speak with you, that is the only sensible course.”

Laughable as the priest claiming to speak sense would ordinarily have been, there was some merit to what she was saying now. But it did nothing to alter Derzina’s resolve, her mind was made up. “While I thank you for your advice, I refuse to wait here any longer.” She was about to leave on her own, when she realised she had no idea how to get to the palace from here. “You have treated me with more kindness than I would have expected from anyone in your city; will you do me one last favour and return me to the palace?”

The high priest sighed. “I will, though I urge you to reconsider.”

After a short jaunt through the city, they reached the street where Derzina had emerged after being dismissed from the palace the first time. She strode forward and pounded on Mortisflor’s golden door. When no reply came even after more than a minute of waiting, she continued to strike the barrier before her until it finally opened and Mortisflor appeared. Contrary to Derzina’s expectations, there was nothing of anger in her manner. The goddess’ lazy grin and unfocused eyes spoke of another emotion entirely.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Mortisflor asked.

“I have seen enough of your city; it is time that you render me assistance.” There seemed little point in being polite with the mad goddess, it would make no difference either way.

Mortisflor shrugged and beckoned her inside. Following the goddess, Derzina left the stunned high priest out on the street.