Lord Of Dragons (Book 2) (12 page)

With renewed vigor, the man stood in attention, and his men did the same. "Follow me, young seekers. We will escort you to the gates of Rez'el, and tonight you will worship at the temple of the god of the earth, and drink of our sacred waters. The priests of our god will guide you and teach you his sacred name."

The squad of soldiers turned in formation, and marched down the docks past sailors and captains and men pushing carts towards vast warehouses set along the harbor. Sebine saw the curious eyes of the olive-skinned Malathians staring at her long, wavy hair. The few women in this part of town wore scarfs or covered their heads with silk hoods, and kept their hair tied in intricate knots. The taverns were filled with red-eyed sailors drinking beer and laughing, their longing gazes making Sebine feel uncomfortable.

But soon they left the lower town and reached a guard post, and the buildings inside were white-washed and the way lined with lavender and olive trees. Once past the low gate, she noticed a dramatic change from the port, and from the suspicious stares of the soldiers at the post, she realized that sailors were not allowed here. The squad leader had been unopposed as he marched them here, with the other soldiers granting him the respect of his station.
 

The path up towards the City of Rez'el was steep, and Sebine found herself huffing as sweat drenched her back from the exertion of the grueling march up the winding way. Where the land farther down the coast had been a tropical jungle, Rez'el was drier, but the moist air still nurtured the green, flowery landscape around them.

Finally they reached the white city walls, and Tael and Sebine waited while the squad leader conferred with the captain of the barracks. She felt nervous as the men appeared to argue, their bronzed hands gesturing and flourishing as if in a fight. Soon another, older man waddled over, a civilian in a copper colored robe edged with geometric patterns. He nodded his head, listening to the men talk, and after they finished, the old man furrowed up his brow in an expression of deep thought. He turned and studied Tael and only briefly glanced at Sebine.

To her concern, the squad leader and his men were dismissed, and Tael and Sebine were left alone to the inspection of the soldiers and the civilian, whom she guessed was likely a government official of some kind. The old man waddled over to them, his eyes studying the white stone square.

"It has been said that a man of foreign birth and his wife seeks entry into the Malathian Kingdom," said the old man, his eyes facing off towards the sea. "A supposed spiritual seeker with some knowledge of our beliefs and traditions. Was this understood correctly?" Still the old man refused to look at them.

"Yes, this is correct."

"I will always be addressed as
your wisdom,
is this clear?" The man's tone grew sharp and impatient.

"Yes, Your Wisdom. My apologies—"

"Now, since this request is a strange one, and this man and his wife are unknown to us, there must be a process of purification and examination before this man and his wife are allowed into our lands. Are my words understood?"

Tael bowed to the man. "Yes, Your Wisdom."

"Then the man will come with me, and the woman will follow another, as is our custom. This way." The old man turned and hobbled over to a side entrance along the gate, and the soldiers parted to let them through. Inside they followed a long stone corridor that wound around until they climbed several flights of stairs, pausing a few times as the old man wheezed and recovered from the exertion.

At the top of the stairs they found an expansive office of some kind, with a clerk sitting at a desk, scribbling away at a letter. He raised his head and stood in respect as the old man approached.

"Find Dorith. They are here for processing. Handle the details..." The old man wagged his head in disinterest, and turned and waddled away down a side passageway. The clerk motioned for them to sit on a wooden bench, and walking away, disappeared into another room.

"What is my name supposed to be?" Sebine said, and winked at Tael.

"How about Gulia? We'll be Geldrin and Gulia."

Sebine frowned at him as if displeased by the name, then shrugged as the door opened and the clerk returned to the room.

"You will follow me," the clerk said to Tael, and he motioned to a matronly woman in a heavy, white robe. Her black hair was tied up in a bun. "And your wife will follow Dorith. Don't be concerned, you will see each other when we are finished with our examinations. Come with me."

At Tael's concerned eyes, Sebine found herself suddenly afraid of being separated from him. But Dorith seized her arm and guided her down another hallway, and Tael was gone.

Chapter Fourteen

TAEL FOLLOWED THE clerk into an empty room with a sleek, metallic table and three wooden chairs. The small side window mounted high along the wall provided a few fragments of light to the otherwise dim room. The clerk motioned for Tael to sit, and he left the room and locked the door behind him. Tael waited for what seemed like an hour, alternating between sitting and pacing about the room, tempted to drag the chair over to the window to see what was outside. When the temptation was almost too much to bear, a door opened on the far side of the room, and two men entered and took a seat at the table.

The first man was young and had a shaved head and bore the manner of a priest. He was dressed in a gold silk robe and wore gold rings on each finger, and each was engraved with the likeness of a deity, or perhaps a demon or monster of some kind. The other man was also young but far more serious, and he wore similar copper-colored robes as the strange old man that had led them into the city. His black hair was cropped short, and he had an odd, precise manner about him.
 

The priest spoke first. "I am called Yaran, and I am a priest of the god of the earth, the giver of all blessings and life to our people."

"And I am known as Illan, an official of the Malathian Kingdom," said the other man, and he withdrew a vellum scroll and an ink and quill set. "We have a few questions before you are permitted to enter our lands."

Two hours later, after an intense examination, the men stood and nodded in seeming satisfaction. Tael hoped that his web of lies had held up to their scrutiny. The administrator still seemed a bit suspicious, but the priest's eyes beamed in a radiant look of sacred joy, and he took Tael's hand and led him through the door where the men had first entered.
 

"Come, come, we have much to discuss before we perform the purification ritual. It is rare to have one so devout visit us from the Kingdom of Valance. The high priestess will be most pleased to have you join us tonight." Tael was glad he'd spent so much time talking to the Malathian sailor. Without his knowledge of their beliefs and culture he would be doomed to ignorance and likely expulsed from their land.

The administrator insisted on taking Tael's sword before agreeing to grant him entry into the city. Tael bowed and asked him to keep his father's precious sword safe. The priest told him not to worry, that his sword would be waiting for him upon his departure from the city, and he flapped his hand in dismissal of Illan. The administrator remained behind in the room. It was clear that at least in Rez'el, the priests possessed the power.
 

"You are most kind, Priest Yaran, to allow us entry into your holy city." Tael touched two fingers to his forehead. "I am humbled and I can already feel the power of the earth god filling the soles of my feet."

The priest allowed a sly smile to creep over his face. "Tonight you will feel more of our god's power filling you, young supplicant. That is, if the high priestess finds you sufficiently devout. Though from your demeanor and appearance, I believe she will be
most
pleased."

Past a massive, copper gate guarded by two burly soldiers, the priest guided Tael outside into a stone courtyard flanked by orange trees. They walked around a square fountain with a statue of an elder sage spouting water from his mouth. Tael remembered the words of the Malathian on the ship, of their earth god who was also the god of fresh water and wisdom. Perhaps this statue was a figure of their god?
 

As they left the grove of citrus trees, Tael could see the facades of several stone buildings around them. The architecture was solemn and subdued, and Tael guessed they were all buildings of the government and civic institutions. Only a few people strode along the square. The central part possessed a twenty-foot statue of a scholarly woman in long, flowing robes. Her outstretched hand pointed east towards an enormous temple situated at the highest point of the city. The priest turned and walked towards the temple.

Tael was surprised to find the city relatively empty of people, save for the few citizens walking purposefully from building to building, often holding scrolls or satchels, and several times he spotted groups of servants carrying heavy loads. Their eyes were strangely indifferent and aloof. Far from the fanatics that he had heard rumors about, these citizens were calm and content, although excessively diligent in their work. Tael found himself suspicious of the obsessive orderliness of the city.

"I find it interesting that there are no idle citizens in Rez'el." Tael cast a curious look at the priest.

"Unlike other cities of the Malathian Kingdom, our people are very industrious. Our city thrives on commerce and trade with many of the great cities of the world. Our wines and olive oil are renowned, as are our copper goods and citrus crops. Our scholars produce many exhaustive works across a wide range of subjects, with the core purpose of selling books to universities and schools across the world. And you will discover that the reason behind our industriousness lies within the devoutness of our people to our god. It is he who provides us with our strength."

Tael gave the priest a look of reverent admiration, but felt wary at the man words. Something was strange about the city. It was just too quiet.
 

"Where are all the children?"

The priest seemed taken aback at Tael's question, but then quickly recovered and a smile spread over Yaran's face. "Are you and your wife expecting a child?"

"No, we are not yet blessed with the gift. Though we hope to someday soon."

"You must be diligent in your pursuit of fertility. Seeking matters of spirit is one thing, but the god of the earth demands diligence of the body most of all." A salacious smile spread over the priest's face. "You will discover and master the tenets of our faith if you are to join our Order."

Tael swallowed as he pictured Jesmia straddling him, her body writhing in a furious fit of pleasure, her hips grinding into his engorged erection. Diligence of this kind was the last thing he wanted to think about. Focusing on matters of the spirit kept him away from trouble...the kind of trouble he hoped to steer clear of while here in Rez'el. But he nodded at the priest, and they continued walking up the hill.

As they reached a flat clearing with an expansive view of the temple of the earth, Tael noticed an odd thing about the temple's architectural design. Where the other buildings in the city were quite conservative in their design, the vast temple complex was wild and artistic, flowing curves and twisting pillars, and tall, churning spires of marble. It was a marvel to behold, like gazing at a churning river, or watching the branches of a willow whipped by the wind, or perhaps, Tael thought, the designs were like dust devils ravaging the landscape.

The priest led Tael along a stone path that meandered through a tangled grove of lemon trees and wild shrubs, so unlike the organized gardens and carefully clipped shrubs and trees near the government buildings. The land was wild and unkempt here, and Tael had spied several rabbits and deer roaming the land, and even once a coyote. They finally reached a wooden shack with the stink of sulfurous steam bubbling out from the rear of the building.
 

They ducked inside the low entryway, and the priest removed his hemp sandals and asked Tael to take off his shoes and leave his pack here. Farther inside they entered a humid room filled with scents of olives and salt, and the priest disrobed and handed another priest his clothes. Tael did the same, following Yaran over to the corner of the room where they found buckets of steaming water.

"The god of the earth protects the water of the temple," the priest said, and he dumped the contents of the bucket over his head.

Tael followed the priest's lead, and enjoyed the feeling of the hot water coursing over his body, washing away the grime of many days at sea. He began to scrub his skin but the priest stopped him.

"Here you feel the first touch of the god of the earth, lightly first, a mere sprinkle over your body. It is best to relax and enjoy the sensation. The journey of truth is a process that must be savored and not rushed. Tell me, seeker, were your parents devotees of the Calathian Church?"

"No, they were students of science and nature, and questioned the dogma of the church." Tael felt a twinge of pain strike his heart at the memory of his mother and father. "They raised me away from the city, where I could play in nature and explore along the black sand of the southern coast. I observed the beauty and order found in nature, but also the chaos and destructive power."