40

Another bath, then a lazy afternoon spent sprawled on the large, comfortable bed in her private quarters did wonders to improve Lyra's mood. She was in a different world; of course there was going to be a different culture than what she was used to.

She shouldn't be reacting emotionally to things that didn't match her worldview. She should be keeping her thoughts to herself and keeping the peace whenever she could. No, she didn't like some of the undercurrents in this temple. But it wasn't her job to change things, was it? All she should be focused on was getting home.

The sun was starting to go down, the shadows of the temple's walls darkening the sheer curtains covering the windows that looked out into the courtyard, when someone knocked on her door. Lyra, who had been half asleep and beginning to wonder if she should go find someone to ask if anyone had ever shown up with a note from Erik and Milo, slipped out of bed and padded barefoot over to the door, which she pulled open.

She hadn't been sure who to expect, but wasn't surprised to see Oleander standing in the hall. She had a folded green tunic over one arm and wore an embarrassed smile on her face.

"There you are. I wanted to apologize; I didn't mean to upset you before. I'm just worried about you. I know you were asking about tunics earlier, so here; a gift to go along with my apology. This was Calen's before he devoted himself to Loreas. I already asked him, and he said it's fine if you take it. It's blessed to be waterproof and it has a hood, so it will be useful if you're still on the road once the rains start."

Lyra reached for the tunic, and the quality of the fabric was apparent as soon as she had it in her hands. The tunic she had taken from Towr's temple was by no means poorly made, but it was a functional piece of clothing. This... this felt like it was made out of silk. Cool and lightweight, yet surprisingly sturdy. It had the same design on the back as hers did; a colorful eye in the sky, gazing down at the land below. It didn't feel like it would be waterproof, but Lyra had seen enough by now to trust that it was. It was a peace offering, and she accepted it with good grace.

"I think I should apologize too," she admitted. "We do things differently where I come from, but that's no excuse for me getting so upset. You've been nothing but welcoming to me."

"Well, I'm glad we got that out of the way," the other woman said with a smile. "Are you ready to meet Loreas now? We've closed the doors to the public for the night, and things are beginning to wind down. I'll take you to her, if you're ready."

Despite Erik's warning, she knew she should probably at least greet the god. It seemed like a bad idea to piss off a supernatural being, and meeting her host was only good manners.

"I'm ready," she said. "Let me just grab my slippers."

Leaving the door open, she slipped back into the room and stored the new tunic in her backpack, then slid her feet into the soft slippers and rejoined Oleander at the door.

The temple was large enough to be maze-like, and it didn't help that everything was made out of the same white marble-like stone. All the hallways looked identical. As she followed Oleander, she became increasingly turned around until they reached a large room that was open to the courtyard, and she realized they had walked clear across to the other side of the building.

This room felt different than the others; a mini temple tucked into the center of the larger temple grounds. While open to the courtyard, sheer curtains much like the ones in her room except larger hung above the threshold. They were currently tied to the side, but could be drawn across the entrance to provide some privacy. In the center of the room was another white stone basin of water, this one with pale blue tiles lining the bottom. Beyond it was a sitting area with a plush rug woven out of burgundy and cream fabrics and huge overstuffed cushions for people to sit or recline on. An incense burner on a dais was letting out sweet-smelling smoke, and inlaid in gold on the back wall and the high ceiling was a utopian scene of people relaxing and playing games in an idyllic, hilly meadow with trees dotted here and there. The leaves of the trees were jade, the only bright shocks of color against the gold and white.

Lyra wondered if any of the old temples on Earth ever looked like this before time and neglect wore them down until they were nothing but historical curiosities.

"I'll wait in the hall," Oleander said. She bowed, not to Lyra, but to the empty room at large, then backed out, shutting the door that led to the hallway behind her.

Lyra glanced toward the larger entrance, the one that opened up to the courtyard, but while she could see a few people still playing a game with some sort of leather ball at the far end of the open space, no one was paying her any mind.

She was alone in here — or not. When she turned back around to survey the temple room, her eyes landed on a woman, or rather, a feminine figure, standing near the cushions. She jolted, still not used to gods appearing out of nowhere without so much as a whisper of sound.

Loreas reminded her of Towr, in a way. She was monochromatic as well, but where Towr had been a faceless grey figure with rippling robes, this god was the same white marble as the stone the temple was built out of, and she was nude — though it didn't matter, because while her form hinted at breasts and other human traits, they were the smooth, featureless traits of a doll.

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She had no hair, but unlike Towr, she did have a face; flawless lips, a nose, and pupil-less eyes, the color of a tropical ocean. They seemed to shift and ripple with light, as if the sun was shining through water from high above.

"You are the first wandering priestess who has stepped foot inside these walls in years. Be welcome here, newcomer. I am sure my followers have already asked you to stay, so I will not pressure you any further, but know that my doors are always welcome, if you wish to make a home here."

Her voice was musical and relaxing in a way Lyra couldn't quite explain. For the first time in weeks, she realized she had nothing to worry about. Yes, she was stranded in a world far from home, but... she had a plan, she had people to help her, and she would learn more tonight. Everything would be all right.

She bowed to the god, mirroring Oleander's movements from a minute before. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here. I couldn't have asked for a better place to recover from my journey."

"That is my purpose, child. You do not need to thank me. Come and sit. I only wished to meet you because your kind has become so rare. There was a time when my halls were overflowing with followers who wished to devote themselves with me. Now, they number so few that even my power has begun to wane. Tell me, where did you begin your journey? Have you met more of your kind on your way here?"

Lyra made her way over to the sitting area and sat cross-legged on one of the cushions, looking up at the god. A lazy swirl of breeze from outside blew the scent of the incense into her face. For a moment, she felt a jarring sense of disbelief that all of this was real. She was actually here, in a temple in another world, talking face to face with a god.

The feeling faded as quickly as it came, and she inhaled more of that sweet incense to reply. The words spilled out of her as easily as the water spilled over the edges of the basin in the center of the room, and she found herself telling the god all about Kiyokami and her journey with Kel along the road to the west.

"I'm traveling to Heliotheopoli to figure out why I was taken from my home," she explained. "Another god told me they sensed that the Great God had something to do with my… relocation, and I was advised to ask at the Temple of the Great God if I want to know why I'm here. But if you could tell me anything about it, I would be so grateful."

"I am sorry, but that is not within my lιən," Loreas replied calmly. "It is true, I can see the traces of the Great God on your soul, but already, they begin to fade. He has touched your soul, but he has not changed it, and you have received no blessing or curse from him. Beyond that, I cannot say. Tell me, have you met more of your kind on your journey here? Who was the youngest of them?"

"She was eight, I think," Lyra said. "Her name's Nira. I met her in Kyokami before I left. Other than her, I didn't see any other priests or priestesses until I was close to Ersgath and saw…" The words dyed on her tongue as she remembered Erik's warning and their desire not to tell the world what they were.

But what harm would it do to share that information with this god, really? She didn't have anything to worry about, and neither did they. Everything would be fine.

She opened her mouth to tell the god about Erik, Milo, and Luke, but the sound of voices in the hall broke whatever spell she was under, and all the anxiety and fear and worry that had been her constant companion for two weeks came rushing back. She stood up, shaken. Was the incense drugged, or had the god's influence given her that false sense of calm? She couldn't believe she had brought up Nira. What had she been thinking?

"I'm sorry," she stammered. "I have to go. I'm supposed to meet someone tonight and I don't want to be late." All true. She was pretty sure gods could tell when someone was lying. She bowed again, already backing toward the door. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here. Being able to take a bath again was wonderful, and the bed, the food, all of that is amazing too."

"You fear me," the god said, taking a silent step toward her. "I can sense the emotion in your soul. What happened? I did not mean to frighten you."

"It's not your fault," Lyra said, even though she didn't know if that was true or not. "I'm just an anxious person, I guess."

She gave the god a tight smile and bowed again for good measure, then opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Her heart was pounding too fast in her chest. All of her worries had vanished — only for a few minutes, but still, that wasn't normal.

Oleander and Annali were both standing in the hall and turned to look at her as she hurried out. Oleander's finely groomed eyebrows climbed up her forehead, but Annali was the one who stepped forward to talk to her first. She had a folded paper in her hand and held it out to Lyra.

"A messenger delivered this to the temple a short while ago with instructions to give it to you, unread. I went to your room, but you weren't there and it took me a while to find you, so I hope it isn't urgent."

"Thank you," Lyra said. "This must be what I was waiting for."

"Did everything go well?" Oleander asked. "You look a little worried, and I can't say that's something I see often when people finish communing with the god."

"I'm fine, I'm just worried about... something, that's all," Lyra said, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "Loreas was very kind. Thank you for taking me to meet her. I hate to ask, but could you show me how to get back to my room? Everything looks the same to me."

"Of course," Oleander said. "Right this way. I remember how confusing it was when I first came here. You get used to it after a while, but it does take some practice."

Annali joined them, chatting with Oleander as they walked. Lyra let herself fall a few steps behind so she could unfold the note and read the contents privately. It was a map, roughly drawn but serviceable, to an area that looked like it was maybe a mile or two to the northeast of town. The only words on it were, After dark. Come alone. Ominous, but after her experience speaking with the god just now, she understood their need for secrecy better.

She had only been here for a couple of weeks. She still didn't know everything the gods could do, and she couldn't let herself get too comfortable. The culture wasn't the only thing that was different here' the very laws of nature she was used to might not apply. She was still learning just how right Kel had been when she first explained her predicament to him and he responded by telling her nothing was impossible.

When gods were real, the very concept of impossible was nothing but a dream that humans came up with.