*******
The eight crew-members of the Mingzhu, Liang in their midst, scrambled out of the boat and waded toward the shore. Two of them lagged behind to manhandle the boat up the sand. Heavy rain hammered down from a dark-clouded sky, but the sea was calm.
As she reached the shore, Liang paused to take in her surroundings.
The beach – an unusual pink colour, spread out in a wide crescent either side of her, rising in a gentle incline inland, topped by a barrier of dense green vegetation.
Liang wore a loose-fitting blue silk blouse over dark leggings. The rain plastered the thin material to her body, accentuating the gentle curve of her breasts. The hilts of the Storm Blades poked over her shoulders in their scabbards.
The crew-men wore oiled long-sleeved leather tops to protect themselves from the driving rain. Wide-brimmed hats covered their heads. Some balanced long wooden poles across their shoulders with empty water barrels attached to each end.
The Mingzhu was anchored at the mouth of the inlet.
Ships sailing from Chenghuan usually called at the Isle of Kandros, to take in water before the last leg of the journey to Petralis. The island housed the oldest known temple of Mithros. Liang had read of the gwai-loh god, and was keen to see the temple, which was supposed to house only women.
Captain Tao-Lin had wanted to wait for the heavy rain to abate before putting a boat ashore. But Liang was impatient. Amid some grumbling from the crew, the captain had ordered the men to board the boat.
Ignoring the dark looks cast in her direction, Liang followed the crew-men toward the line of vegetation. As they approached, she saw it was not quite as impenetrable as it appeared from a distance. A path hacked through it led inland.
The party made their way inland. Large trees with wide spade-shaped leaves towered either side of them. The undergrowth was thick and tangled. Large water-droplets bounced off hat-brims and leather tops, and splattered on Liang's head. The rich smell of moist earth filled their nostrils.
After a short trek, they reached a wide inland lake fed by a waterfall. The sailors unburdened themselves and began to ready the water barrels. One of them pointed out the direction of the temple.
Liang took the indicated path, and carried on inland.
A little while later, she stopped and gasped at the vista that unfolded before her.
The path ended abruptly, leading to a wide clearing paved with red blocks. A set of wide steps of the same red stone, rose high, leading to a massive monolith of a building. It was sheer black, with no visible windows.
Liang walked across the clearing, noting it was well-maintained. Swept clean of debris, none of the blocks were cracked, and there were no weeds pushing through the joints.
At the top of the steps, Liang realised the building wasn't carved from stone, but of a substance unknown to her. It was cool and smooth to the touch. Craning her neck upward, she saw large apertures ran along the top of the building.
Seeking a door, Liang moved along the top step, running her hand across the smooth surface of the building. She eventually found a door made of the same mysterious substance, and set with a large sunburst.
Liang pushed tentatively against the door, and was surprised when it swung open. She stepped into a large brightly lit hall. She was surprised to see that the walls were transparent and let in light from outside. How curious she thought, for she hadn't been able to see through the walls when she was outside.
Twelve young women dressed in red and gold sat on their haunches on the floor in a circle. All had their eyes closed, and held the hand of the person to the left. They were utterly still, and Liang knew they were deep in concentration.
Small groups of similarly clad women practised with swords, staves, and other weapons. Others practised empty-hand forms of combat, while others went through the flowing movements of set exercises similar to the White crane and Slumbering dragon.
Other women moved about on various duties. Liang was surprised no one approached her as she wandered around. A few met her eyes and smiled or inclined their heads, but none spoke to her.
Eventually, a tall older looking woman in a golden gown approached her. “Welcome child, I am Lucinia.” she said. “The High Priestess, Elphemina, has been expecting you. I will take you to her.”
Liang raised her eyebrows. She had only decided to visit this place a short time ago. But she followed the woman to a door at the far end of the hall.
Lucinia rapped on the door softly with her knuckles and listened for a moment before pushing it open. She ushered Liang in and shut it behind her.
As Liang stepped in, a woman sitting behind a desk stood up and beckoned her forward. Dressed in a long bright red gown girded by a golden sash at the waist, she was the tallest woman Laing had ever seen.
“Welcome child, I am Elphemina,” she said. Her soft melodious voice didn't disguise the hint of steel behind it.
Liang looked up into piercing golden eyes. The woman was startlingly beautiful with sculptured cheekbones and long lustrous golden hair hanging loose well past her shoulders.
The woman gestured Liang to sit in a high-backed chair before returning to her seat behind the desk. Liang shrugged off her twin scabbards, laid the Storm Blades on the floor, and sat.
“This is the oldest temple of the Sun god, Mithros, in the world,” the woman began. “Don't be misled by the bright colours and womanly gentleness you see. We observe the old ways here, and are not afraid to meet our enemies with fire and steel. We are far removed from the doddering old men in musty temples mumbling incantations to the Sun god for a better harvest for farmers.”
Liang offered no reply, for though she was aware of the Sun god, knew little of the history of the deity except for what she had read in a very old manuscript at the Jade Castle’s library. She studied her host. Elphemina’s flawless skin and erect posture suggested a young woman. But her eyes and manner suggested one much older.
Elphemina smiled. “Yes Liang, I am much older than I look, and the breadth of the knowledge I have been granted, would make the world’s oldest and wisest men seem like slow-witted children. And before you ask, no, I cannot read your mind, but the young are so easy to read. Your thoughts were plain to see on your face.”
“The woman outside...Lucinia said you had been expecting me,” Liang offered in a questioning tone.
“Yes,” Elphemina replied. “The Mysteries we study here allow us a better understanding of the past, how it affects the present, and the multiple of possible futures.”
Liang wrinkled her brow for Elphemina’s words didn't explain anything.
“We know what is transpiring in Petralis,” the Priestess continued “We know the Gualich are returning to the world, and their servants have already crossed the portal, bringing death and misery to many. We know of you, who you are, and your role in what's to come.”
Liang was startled. As far as she was concerned, she was going to Petralis solely to see the man she had discovered she loved, in the long years of his absence. Xiang Tse had told her of the Gualich, but as far as she was aware, they were merely a legendary evil, long lost in the mists of time.
Elphemina paused, fixing Liang with a stare. “You didn’t know of the return of the soul eaters, or your role in this?”
Liang shook her head. “I only know my ancestor Kyung-Su, helped defeat them a very long time ago.”
“Yes, and as her last living descendant, and bearer of the Storm Blades, you too are destined to face their evil. But not alone, for other descendants of the original heroes will stand with you…together with a wanderer…a man called Pagan.”
“Pagan?” Liang repeated, dumbstruck. “What has he to do with this?”
“You will find out more when you reach Petralis,” The High Priestess said. “But first, there is another more important matter.”
“What matter?”
“I know that your soul is troubled. The blades you carry are cursed with a powerful sp
ell that if not countered, will ultimately be the death of you.”
Liang's eyes widened in surprise. “How…?”
The High Priestess lifted a hand. “It matters not how I know of the spell on your swords. What matters is I can remove it.”
Liang considered the High Priestess's words. Meeting the gaze of those odd-coloured eyes, she wondered if she should trust the words of a stranger, albeit one who had offered her no harm, and could sense no malice in. She glanced down at the scabbarded swords at her feet, then up at Elphemina again, and her mind made up, recounted her encounter with Kyung-Su and the dark man.
The Priestess listened intently, before responding. “It is no wonder you are troubled, child. You never knew your father or mother. Your spirit is dragged to a dark place of lost souls where you meet your forebears, a thousand years distant. They are as close to a mother and father as you will ever know. Yet both are trapped in this dark place, with one desiring to possess your body.”
She shook her head. “It is a sad tale indeed, but one I can do nothing about. We are scarred by events in our lives, but must put such behind us, and prevail. You are strong, and will conquer these things that trouble you. But your swords are another matter. I can lift the spell Kyung-Su placed on them. Bring them to me.”
Liang reached down and picked up the swords. Rising to her feet, she walked up to Elphemina, and placed the sheathed weapons on the desk.
“Leave them with me,” the golden-haired High Priestess commanded. “The powerful magicks I am about to use are harmful to the uninitiated. Lucinia will return the swords to you. Feel free to look around the temple. I will not see you before you leave, but perhaps we will meet again.”
Elphemina rose, moved to the front of her desk, reached out and grasped Liang's hands. “Though you have a storm brewing inside you, you have a good soul. Mithros will watch over you, and evil will quake before your blades. Go now.”
The door opened and Lucinia appeared to show Liang out.
Wandering around the temple of the Sun god and observing the priestesses and initiates, Liang noticed the similarities with the Jade Castle – the austerity, certainty of purpose, and discipline.
She sat on a bench along a wall, a short distance from the initiates she had seen meditating earlier. Leaning back, she shut her eyes, and let her mind drift. She heard voices in her head and realized she had somehow linked with initiates and was now privy to their thought-conversation.
Xiang Tse had spoken about mages and priests who through meditation could leave their physical bodies and communicate through thoughts. Disconcerted by the voices, and a feeling of impoliteness for intruding, she opened her eyes and broke the link.
A short while later, she saw Lucinia approaching, the scabbarded swords in her hands. The priestess handed them to Liang with a brief smile, and escorted her toward the door. As the door swung open, Liang turned to Lucinia and bowed. “I thank the temple of Mithros for its hospitality. Please extend my gratitude to Elphemina for her help.”
Lucinia returned the bow.
As Liang moved into the open, the door swung shut behind her. She slid one of the swords from its scabbard and examined it. She couldn't see any discernible difference. But she had no reason to doubt Elphemina.
Somehow, the High Priestess had known the swords were cursed, and had offered to lift the spell. Liang knew with a certainty they were now free of any such taint.
The earlier rain had stopped, and judging by the position of the sun, she realised she had been in the temple for a surprisingly long time. She hurried down the steps and across the red-paved courtyard to the narrow path beyond.
Reaching the beach, she saw the sailors had left. Smiling wryly, she guessed she hadn't been too popular for insisting they put the boat out in the pouring rain. They hadn't been inclined to wait for her while she went exploring.
Men could be so petty and childish. With a shrug, Liang ran lightly down the beach into the sea, and with long languid strokes, began to swim toward the Mingzhu anchored in the distance.
Ausak Demon Bane
Father Durmast limped down the temple hall, checking the high windows were securely boarded up. His bad hips, knees and painful back had prevented him from attending the Feast of Mithros, but he had heard of the attacks and the talk of soul drinking demons. He took them seriously, for the temple archives spoke of the time of the Gualich in ages past, and how they had been vanquished.
That they were threatening the world once again was distressing and frightening. An old man with painful joints and limited mobility, he was in no condition to flee the city. He doubted he would have if he could. For the temple had an obligation to shelter those inhabitants of the city who like him, were unable to take the long arduous journey to safety.
Happy that the windows were secure, he moved to the rear of the building and down the stairs to the kitchens. He checked the barrels of water and shelves of food that included fresh and dried fruits, salt-cured meats and fish, and baked goods. He hoped there was enough to go around, and the fresh food wouldn't spoil. He had no idea how many people to expect.
He groaned as he struggled back up the stairs, leaning heavily on the rails. As he reached the top, he heard a loud banging on the door.
He sat heavily on a nearby bench and called out to his assistant. “Banous! Be a good lad and see who is at the door.” He watched the tall gangly young man run up. Three years ago, Durmast had found the young orphan burrowing through the temple’s waste, searching for food. He had taken him in, fed him and offered shelter.
Durmast had hoped Banous would go on to become a servant of Mithros, but the young man had shown no aptitude. However, he was a willing worker who cheerfully undertook any task given him. The other priests had fled, but Banous, with no friends or family, remained.
Hearing footsteps, Durmast looked up to see Tovral the baker. “I have nowhere to go,” the short fat man announced, smiling nervously. “Besides, I couldn't bear to leave my ovens.”
Durmast nodded sympathetically. “I understand how hard it is for a man to leave what he has worked for all his life.”
“I have a cartload of breads and other tidbits outside,” Tovral said. “Perhaps your assistant can help me unload them?”
Durmast called Banous over, and sat back, watching as both men carried stacks of food down the stairs into the kitchen. He closed his eyes and said a quiet prayer of gratitude to Mithros.