Page 40 of The Scarlet Star

An emerald carpet invited them inside. It stretched between two rows of pews lining a large room. Old books lay open across tables in a wide space to the left, surrounded by shelves jam-packed with bookstands, scrolls, and artifacts. The temple was dim; the windows looked like they hadn’t been washed in years.

Several young priestesses slept in the pews. Their limbs were flung in random directions, their emerald skirts hiked up carelessly to their knees. One snored, and another talked in her sleep.

Ryn bit her lips together. When El made the comment about ‘awakening the priestesses’ Ryn didn’t think he’d meant it literally.

Heva sighed. “So embarrassing,” she murmured.

She smacked the back of a pew, and four priestesses startled awake. The nearest one snorted, launched up to a sitting position, and shouted something indecipherable. She blinked the sleep from her eyes then glared at Heva. “You monster. I haven’t slept that well in weeks!” she said.

“Then go sleep in yourbed,” Heva articulated. “It’s not that difficult to find.”

The girl snorted and tried to lay back, but Heva grabbed her shoulder and rolled her off the pew. Ryn slapped a hand over her mouth as the girl tumbled to the floor. The other priestesses hid grins.

The girl leapt to her feet and sprang for Heva with her fingers out like claws. Ryn’s jaw dropped as Heva and the priestess went channelling into the pews across the row, punching, kicking, and shouting threats.

The other priestesses stretched and yawned. One rose and twirled down the aisle, her dress fanning out around her. When she spotted a cricket on the floor, she reached down to scoop it up, whispering sweet words to it as she carried it by Ryn and out the door of the temple.

Ryn could not believe her eyes. What was El thinking sending her here? These girls were freaks.

Heva finally rose from between the pews, wiping a bead of blood from her lip. The other girl’s foot shot up, catching her in the stomach and sending her staggering into the aisle. Heva’s face went taught, but she released an exasperated breath and marched to Ryn without retaliating. “Crazy priestess,” she muttered.

“I’m not crazy, you troll!” the girl shouted as she climbed to her feet. “Also, you look like a wild forest nymph with all those silver beads in your hair!”

Heva stopped walking, biting down hard on her lips.

Ryn tried not to grin as she took Heva’s arm. “Let’s find Geovani,” she said.

Heva nodded and headed around the pews toward a door with a nameplate that said in Adriel letters: OFFICE OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS. She knocked and opened it.

“Seeda is still exactly the same as I left her,” Heva remarked without missing a beat as she led Ryn inside.

A large news scroll was open, covering the top half of someone at a desk. The corner of the scroll flipped down, and Geovani’s white hair appeared, along with one peeking eye.

“Yes, well. Seeda is a lunatic most days,” Geovani agreed. She flicked the paper to fold it in half, then she placed it on her desk. “Why do you think I hide in here and pretend to read the news scrolls?” She flashed a smile at Ryn. “Welcome, Adassah.”

A loud crash lifted from the main room, and Geovani’s smile faltered. She released a sound in the back of her throat. “It’s like living in a menagerie. They’re all animals,” she muttered as she stood from her desk.

“So, lock Seeda in a cage.” Heva shrugged a shoulder.

Geovani snorted through a smirk and walked around to the door. “I imagine you’re here because you’ve chosen the First Temple as your charity, Adassah. Well done. Let’s get to work.”

Ryn raised a brow in surprise. Maybe the organizers had sent word ahead of time.

“We’ll start with a lesson,” Geovani preached as she led the way out of the office. She cleared her throat and launched into it before Ryn was ready. “Adriels were a devout people who once had a rich history of miracles, you know. But the miracles went dead for over a hundred years, and the Adriels were conquered by their enemies—the Weylins. After, we were held captive beneath the thumb of the Weylin royals and were no longer recognized as ‘people’ at all. Many of the original Adriels who survived the conquering did not conform to the CelestialDivinities religion of the Weylins, causing much persecution for our people.” Geovani pointed at a large mural on the wall of the wide room. A battle took place in one corner, and groups of people were tied up in the other. An old King with a white beard, dark eyes, and a frown stood above them all, holding a gold scepter.

“The Adriel history was forgotten after that, and the Adriel God wassupposedlysilent for nearly a hundred more years, making most scholars wonder if he’d ever really existed or if he was just a mythological character in old literature. Because of this, naturally, the Adriel people either went into hiding, changed their religion, or forgot who they were. Many Per-Siana dwelling Adriels eventually were swayed to rely on the Celestial Divinities, who spoke in wisdom through the Intelligentsia and guided the kingdom into prosperity.”

Heva made a face and shook her head.

“Celestial Divinities are the reason Per-Siana has not yet been dragged into the great war beyond its borders.” Geovani smiled. “At least, that’s how it’s taught in seminaries nowadays.” She flung a hand through the air. “Even the Priesthood are forced to read only Intelligentsia-approved books and historical accounts that have been warped and played with. It’s all a battle for control. If you keep pushing the same information down people’s throats long enough, they’ll start to believe it even if it’s a bunch of lies woven together.”

Geovani dragged a large book off a shelf and carried it to a table. Dust spat out when she dropped it, and Ryn coughed. “But here—” Geovani flipped the book open “—we have the real records. If the Intelligentsia ever found out, they’d burn this whole place to the ground.” She cackled a laugh. “But they think we’re a lazy, obsolete bunch, and not much of a threat.” Her smile faded. She cut a glance over to the pew area where some of the priestesses had dozed off again. “Unfortunately, they’re notwrong.” She spun to face Ryn and her smile returned. “But I’d like to become one. A threat.”

Ryn tapped her finger against her thigh. The first time she’d met Geovani, she thought the old woman was bizarre. But the white dragon had been an illusion. Geovani had been right about the harp too.

“How do we become a threat to the Intelligentsia? How do we fight gods?” Ryn asked.

“False gods,” Geovani corrected, then tapped the open book with her knuckle. “And to fight them, we must spend time in the presence of El to grow our light. Then we study.” After a second, she added, “Or, sometimes we sing.”

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