“Do you fear discovering the wrongness of your ways?” Ki’Amura asked with newfound confidence.
“No, but I’m not sure I’m willing to turn if no one shows up.” I confessed. “I’m not used to mortal men thinking they could call upon God and force him to answer.”
“You speak of your gods as though there were only one.” Ki’Amura noted.
“Well, there was only one on my world, and he only showed up to talk to prophets… and we haven’t had one of those that I know about in thousands of years… Cause, I don’t think even the Pope claims to talk to him.” I muttered.
“Strange.” Ki’Amura asserted.
“Anyways, I guess we go and see. If they show up, one of us will be proved wrong, and if they don’t… We’ll go from there.” I suggested.
“If they do not appear, I will know why.” Ki’Amura declared zealously.
I grabbed my weapons, and led her from the room.
“That was short.” Creadean noted as we walked into the sitting room in front of the entrance to our home.
“We aren’t done.” I corrected her, “We’ll be back… though I’m not sure how long it will take.”
“Where are you going?” Tavorwen demanded, rising.
“To the temple.” I told her. “And I think it will be better if we go alone.”
There was a mix of emotions from my matrons, but Tavorwen returned to her seat.
Outside, the stars were still clearly visible in the sky, without a hint of daybreak. Three moons lit the sky, the red moon, the blue moon and a more yellow moon that I hadn’t made note of before. The yellow moon was much larger in the sky, probably closer, and seemed to orbit more quite a bit more quickly than the others. I would guess it was the early hours of the morning, probably something like three in the morning.
The hanging streets of Ealphamir were mostly empty. Only what appeared to be patrols of battle maiden soldiers occasionally passed us as we walked to the temple. Each patrol initially moved as though to confront us, but then once they recognized me, they returned to their normal patrol.
My mental map of Ealphamir was getting better and better, and even in moonlight I was able to lead us to the temple with relative ease.
I was several steps in before I realized Ki’Amura had stopped outside the temple. When I turned she was standing outside the temple, staring into the depths of the temple. I couldn’t see anything but her silhouette in the darkness. I imagined this was quite the moment for her.
“Are you okay?” I gently prodded.
“… In El’Muth’Ran…” Ki’Amura whispered, “… there is a special chamber prepared in which the Queen may petition the Great Ya’av for her guidance… But you, you come to a common temple to speak to not one God, but an entire Host of the gods of our people.”
I looked deeper into the temple. There was light visible from this far out. In my previous visits there had been some lights around each of the statues representing one of the gods, and the alcoves where the two statues no longer stood.
“This is the only temple I know of.” I admitted.
Ki’Amura made a sign with her hands, keeping her last two fingers straight, but bending her first two fingers and interweaving them in a way I didn’t think my knuckles would let me, then she touched the bent fingers to her forehead.
“I am prepared.” She declared and walked into the temple, hustling like a kid walking into a haunted house they had to hype themselves up for, and they didn’t want their courage to run out.
We walked into the temple, and when we reached the main room, the dim light was enough to reveal each of the statues.
“I know these.” Ki’Amura noted, “Though… in El’Muth’Ran, all of the statues of the Goddesses have a slave sigil on their necks…”
“The lies our sister must tell.” A feminine voice echoed through the room.
Ki’Amura shook as though the ground under her feet were trembling and only kept her feet because I caught her.
Light began to fill the room, starting slowly to brighten, but it got brighter faster until like a flash it receded.
When the light settled, it might as well have been noon on a cloudless day in the room, despite the earliness of the hour. Thirteen enormous Elves stood radiantly around the room. Some sitting on the stone walls next to their statues, others leaning against their statues. One, dressed in furs and with an enormous bow on her back, floated next to her statue and for the first time I realized she had wings. I had thought them to be a cloak before, but magnificent wings with white feathers sprouted from her back, about where her shoulder blades would be. A quick look over the other gods revealed a second that had wings.
I realized the gods matched each of the Elven peoples. The two Goddesses with wings were probably Cloud Elves. One goddess with a full array of blades hanging in sheathes on her body, and one goddess holding what appeared to be a smithing hammer had the gray and tan skin of Mountain elves. Another Goddess and one of the male Gods had skin that was streaked with green and gray, and confused me until I noticed slits like gills on their necks and webbing that extended halfway up their fingers, making them Sea Elves. Finally I noticed two Goddesses that had the brown skin of the Wild Elves. Strangely though, only two Goddesses seemed to actually be Wood Elves, or High Elves, whichever you wanted to call them.
Of the three male gods present, only one seemed to actually be associated with one of the elven peoples. The other two males’ skin tone was off to be any of the races, and only really matched what I had seen on X’Thallion and the last remaining Goddess.
Ki’Amura dropped to her knees as she stared at the assembled gods.
“Sweet daughter of the Night Elves, glad are we at your return to us.” One of the Wood elven goddesses greeted her. Her voice had been the one to speak earlier. She had long dark brown hair with a touch of red, and a green dress. In one hand she held a transparent ball of some kind.
“Great Abarith,” Ki’Amura prostrated herself on the ground, “how have you escaped the bond placed upon you by X’Thallion upon his betrayal?”
“Sweet Amura,” The Goddess, Abarith, replied, “The only bonds which bind me to X’Thallion are the bonds of love, and the vows we have made to one another.” Her hand reached out and touched the sigil on Ki’Amura’s neck, “Such magics as this are far too weak to bind a goddess.”
“Can you break it? Can you set her free?” I asked hopefully.
“Would that it were so simple.” One of the unassociated male gods answered. “This magic is a mixture of both secular magic and magics divine. To break this magic, would require the hand of Yavoria, also known as Ya’av the Betrayer, and a great ritual performed either by our hands or a mortal of utmost power, in union. And so long as Yavoria persists in her rebellion, such cooperation is not possible.”
“Thank you, Talnir.” Abarith addressed the other God.
Talnir… Narusil had invoked his name before, and seeing him, I could guess why. He was clad in a sapphire blue robe, long and flowing, with a staff in his hands that seemed to be a series of stars bound in the form of a rod, with the light of each star bending around those next to them holding them in place. He must be a god of magic or something. His hair was a platinum blond, and fell well past his shoulders. His eyes were light enough blue to seem silver. His skin was that almost porcelain white.
“Dear little one, are you satisfied of our freedom?” The Sea Elf Goddess asked. “We could not allow such slander to stand against our beloved.”
“Yes, Great Cranatha.” Ki’Amura choked.
I sat back and marveled at how much simpler things would be on Earth if God would just descend down and talk to his children like this. It would resolve a lot of issues between christians, jews and muslims to be sure.
“Lucky you are to have been freed from the clutches of our dear deluded sister. She keeps us from you, and want though we are to aid your sisters and brothers of the night, ever she intervenes, as patron goddess of your people. And Golera, walks in shadow, refusing to raise her hand for or against Yavoria, leaving her children to suffer the will under her rule.” The Cloud Elf Goddess without the bow spoke. Her skin was a golden tan, and her long blond hair was done in braids, two that circled her head like a crown, and three more that hung down her back. She had a form-fitting shirt and pants laced tight to her legs. I realized she had spindles of threads of some kind on her belt, along with a pouch for needles, scissors and other sewing tools on her belt. A weaving goddess. “Fate itself, in its kindness, has brought you to Master Thomas.”
“Your strength wanes,” the other Wood Elf Goddess spoke. She was glad in dark leathers and white furs, oddly her feet were bare and her fingernails and toenails were well maintained but seemed almost sharp in their shortness, like claws. Her fair skin, honey brown hair, and light green eyes. She had a few small blades but was otherwise unarmed. “Do you have aught else to ask, ere we depart?”
“Great gods… If this is the truth… How can I help the rest of my people to know?” Ki’Amura’s voice was weak.
“Amura, words will not be able to pierce the veil your god has put over the eyes of her children. Only through your actions can your people be saved, and even then it is possible that Yavoria will drag her children to their destruction, Then will it fall to you to restore the lineage of the night.” One of the Wild Elf Goddesses replied. Her dark skin and dark brown hair were close in color. Her cloak, tunic and trousers were all a lighter brown, like the color of dry grass. A curved scimitar was her only weapon, though a totem, circular and wrapped in some green vine with the skull of a bird of prey suspended in the middle, hung from the opposite side of her belt.
“Your strength is spent, Amura.” Abarith declared. “So go, and do so with our blessing. Welcome home, Child of the night.”
And with that the light flared once again, fading into darkness once again, leaving us alone in tranquil silence.
The sound of a flood of running feet from the entrance broke the silence moments later. Half a dozen elven maidens, with robes pulled over their nightgowns, ran into the temple.
“What happened?” One asked in awed reverence. “You can feel the sacred energies…”
“Um…” I floundered. “We had some questions, and the Gods were kind enough to answer.”
You might as well have taken a two-by-four and slapped each of them across the face with it. They were gobsmacked.
“… You had QUESTIONS…. And the GODS were nice enough to answer?” One repeated, putting an emphasis on the words.
“Yep.” I stated simply.
“Master… I can’t move.” Ki’Amura admitted weakly.