Page 131 of Grave Situation

He nods, and I can tell by the rapturous joy on his face that I’m probably not going to get coherent words out of him.

I look back at the building, and I have to admit, even weather-worn and with the stone crumbling, there’s something about it. It’s not trying to be ostentatious and pretentious like some of the newer temples. This isn’t a display of power or wealth—aside from the full-height doors and the stone carving of Wasianth’s face above the lintel, the building is quite plain. But it feels… comfortable. That’s an odd word, but it’s the one that pops into my head. It's almost homey, somehow.

The whole city, despite its desolate emptiness, has that same feeling. This must have been an incredible place when it was populated. Aside from the beauty of the view over the lake and the care taken with the architecture, this place has a sense of being magical, somehow. I’m completely aware of how ridiculous that sounds, since I’m a mage and I can say with complete assurance that noplacecan have magic. People have the ability to use kinetic energy and magic—Talent, we call it. Places, not so much. But something about this city is special. It’sempty, falling down, and lacking in any of the comforts I hold dear, but it feels more like home to me than anywhere other than the academy—including myactualhome where I grew up.

I might talk to Jaimin about this later. Could there be something in the water here, maybe? He tested it, so it’s safe to drink, but perhaps the mineral composition is similar to that at the City of Knowledge, and that’s what’s making me feel so comfortable. My senses are associating this place with home because the water is the same.

That theory probably won’t hold up to much scrutiny, so I’m going to move past it.

“Let’s go inside,” I suggest, taking Arimen’s elbow and leading him forward. I’m worried that if I don’t get us moving, he’ll be happy to stand here and stare for the rest of the afternoon. I’m also surprisingly hot in the sun—it’s a clear day, and the hills and buildings block any hint of breeze. Coryn thinks we might get something off the water toward evening, but after having hiked up the unmaintained roads to the top of the hill to see where Leicht was, I’m stripped down to my shirt and pants and missing the biting wind that’s been our constant companion on this journey.

I expected the tall doors might be sealed shut, or at least stuck after so many years. Nearly every other building we’ve seen has had open doors or nothing at all, the wood long since rotted away. The temple doors are closed and only a little worn. I guess being so deeply inset into the front of the building gave them some protection. Plus, as big as they are, they’d take a lot longer to decay.

But we’ve noticed signs of squatters and scavengers all over the city, so to me, the fact that the temple’s doors are closed means that they were somehow locked. Surely otherwise they’d be open like all the others? So I’m prepared to use a little magic, if necessary, to force them open. Arimen wants to communewith his god, and it seems only fair to give him this tiny favor, since he’s been trying hard to do his part.

“Are you sure we should go in?” he whispers as I put my free hand on the door.

“Yes. It’s a temple. We’re supposed to go inside them. That’s why they were built—to give us a central location to speak to the gods.” That was the reason originally, anyway, when the gods walked among us. It was much easier to find them and tell them about your problems if they weren’t just staying with random friends all the time. After they left the corporeal world, the temples became the place to find the priest and meditate to feel closer to the gods, or learn about them. The modern idea that temples should only be accessible to certain people or at certain times has been a topic of a great deal of debate at the academies.

Arimen doesn’t look convinced, but I give the door a firm shove to ascertain how much magic it’s goi?—

I stumble forward as the door easily swings open without even a creaky hinge. What the fuck? Arimen races to steady me, and when I’m finished cursing at the door, we turn in unison to peer into the temple.

Light floods in from behind us, but also from the long-shattered skylights high overhead. The whole interior is sunny, despite its size, and it takes me a moment to spot the cleverly positioned mirrors that bounce light around.

The interior is mostly bare, with only the fixtures and items that were too heavy and not valuable enough to transport remaining, but somehow it doesn’t feel empty. One wall has a stone relief of Wasianth, surrounded by stone benches. I can see tattered remnants of fabric on the benches, which I guess once were cushions for people to sit on.

My gaze goes to Wasianth’s face. Most of the modern depictions of the gods show them as being solemn, but the very old ones have more personality. The drawings and statuesfrom the time when the temples weren’t concerned about power are, in my opinion, truer to the natures of the gods, and this is a prime example. I’ve always thought Wasianth must be an easygoing kind of god, because in the stories he’s so laid-back, and the older artworks show him with an ever-present grin. The carving here is no exception—his lips are curved into a smirk, but even in stone, his eyes are kind, inviting everyone to be in on the joke.

“What are you smiling at?” Arimen asks, breaking into my thoughts, and I shake my head.

“Nothing. I—uh, this place is nicer than where we slept last night. Maybe we should stay here tonight.” Aside from the missing glass in the skylights, the roof seems to be intact, and the doors are a definite bonus.

“It feels good here, doesn’t it?” He wanders off toward Wasianth, leaving me to think about that. Itdoesfeel good here. Even more comfortable and homey than the rest of the city. Could this place be the source of it? Arimen said it was reputed to be Wasianth’s favorite place in the world—could there be some residual god-happiness here to make it seem so nice?

My god-obsessed young charge is sitting on one of the benches, gazing adoringly up at the stone relief, so I take the opportunity to wander around the temple and reach out to my Master.

“Talon,”he says in surprise.“Is everything well? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you today.”I reached out to him the night before to update him on our arrival in Caimae and let him know what the stone had said—which, other than that our new companion knows where we’re going, was nothing. It refused to answer any further questions on the topic. He was concerned about me after yesterday’s news, but I made it clear I wasn’t dealing with that right now. The best thing I can do for Drey and all of them is to complete my mission.

“We’re all fine,”I assure him.“Still waiting for a new friend to appear. Jaimin thinks he can sense them, but his ability doesn’t work well for tracking. Especially when the person is in good health.”

“I suppose that makes sense,”Master concedes, though he sounds as annoyed about it as I am.“What can they be waiting for, I wonder?”

I grimace.“I was thinking about that—what if they don’t know yet that they’re supposed to join us? They might know where to go next once they’re aware of the need to go there, but?—”

“But not have the necessary information yet,”Master finishes.“I wish the stone would be more forthcoming. It can be stubborn sometimes.”

I heroically refrain from pointing out that I’ve been saying that all along. As well as some other relevant things.

“Anyway, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. Arimen and I are in the temple.”I explain the feeling of homecoming I’ve been having and posit my theory that it might be due to Wasianth’s fondness for this place.“What do you think? I know the gods aren’t your area of expertise, but is that possible? A godly residue or stain of sort that would influence the emotions of others?”

He's silent for a long moment.“I suppose it would be possible,”he finally says slowly.“But—and I’m not certain of this. I’d want to consult with some colleagues—I think it would need to be deliberate. You said Arimen feels the same? What about the others?”

“I haven’t asked them,”I admit, sticking my head through a doorway into an empty room that looks like it might have been used for storage.“I have some time while Arimen is praying or whatever, and I thought I’d ask your opinion. It’s not really important.”

“I’m so glad you have time to think about unimportant things on this little jaunt.”That note of concern is back in his voice, but I’m ignoring it.

“Sarcasm isnotbecoming, Master. Besides, if I thought only about important things right now, I’d be a blubbering mess of nerves.”

---