Page 48 of Demon Bound

Gereg gave a signal to the other cultists, and half of them hurried downstairs. “Worry not, daughter of darkness. We arm ourselves just as heavily as the Paladins. I’ll post extra guards at the entrances.”

“Thank you.”

“You must be tired from running. Would you like to rest here? You may stay as long as you wish. Let me show you our temple, and I’ll take you to our sleeping quarters, if you like.”

“You’re too kind. We would appreciate that very much.”

Gereg went to the stairs, and Raiya and Azreth followed a careful distance behind her. Azreth bent down to murmur in Raiya’s ear.

“What is wrong with them?”

“What do you mean?”

He gave her a look.

She shrugged. She had a hard time arguing that they weren’t suspicious. “They’re a little strange I suppose, but who isn’t?They’ve done nothing to hurt us yet, which is more than can be said for a lot of people.”

Azreth made a quiet, discontented sound as he straightened.

Priestess Gereg gave them a tour of the temple. It was larger than Raiya had expected, and appeared to be new construction, which made sense, considering that the cult of Moratha had been rapidly growing recently. The building was all rich ebony wood with vaulted ceilings and dark stained-glass windows, and smelled of incense. The beauty of the place was somewhat marred by its eerie inhabitants, though. They wandered about the temple like ghosts, many of them wearing the corpse-like face paint that Priestess Gereg sported, and even the ones who didn’t wear the paint looked depressed or sickly. An unsettling chant could occasionally be heard throughout the building, though Raiya couldn’t tell where it originated from.

They all stared at Azreth when they passed. They gathered in doorways and on balconies to get a look at him. Many of them bowed deeply, while others seemed too awed to react. Raiya looked up at Azreth to see how he was taking all this, and he gave her a tense glance. He was no more comfortable here than he had been in the Roamer camp or the inn.

As they entered the main hall of the temple, Gereg turned to them. “We have long awaited this day.”

“What do you mean?” Raiya asked.

“For months now, there have been signs from the dark goddess that something is coming.”

“Signs?”

“Dreams. I dreamed of a great awakening in Uulantaava. I dreamed of an otherworldly force that would come to help us spread the dark goddess’s love far and wide. Now, it seems that this otherworldly force has finally arrived.” She smiled at Azreth.

“I see,” Raiya said. “And in your dreams, how was the… spreading of darkness accomplished, exactly?”

“I cannot say. But have faith. The dark goddess will reveal everything soon.”

“Ah. Of course.”

Gereg squinted up at Azreth. “Your companion doesn’t speak much, Acolyte Raiya.” Azreth frowned at Gereg.

“He is still new to the mortal plane. Our customs are unfamiliar to him, so he prefers to let me speak for him.”

“How wise of him.”

“Priestess Gereg, I hate to ask for more when you’ve already offered us so much, but there is something else we need help with. We’ve encountered more troubles than just the Paladins since Azreth arrived on our plane. Someone attempted to place a binding on him.”

Raiya nodded to Azreth, and he reluctantly raised his palm to show Gereg the runes. They looked better than they had earlier, but they were still rather raw and red, like recent wounds.

Gereg raised an eyebrow. “A nasty bit of spellcraft.”

“Can you help us undo it?”

She looked uncertain, and Raiya’s hopes fell. But then Gereg nodded. “Many of our number are mages. We will help you find a way to fix it, with the Goddess’s blessing. Worry not.”

Raiya breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

Gereg bowed to Azreth. “Please make yourself at home, beloved spawn of the dark goddess. We are eternally grateful to her for this gift. Praise Moratha.”

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