Page 43 of The Cerulean Sister
"The Temple of Divine Mothers is . . . separate. It’s where women live during their pregnancy if they are divine or have made a pilgrimage," I answer quickly, simplifying it as much as possible.
I glance back at Calliape. I am clearly missing something too. Her face is serious and it's not like her to probe me with questions like this so directly.
Allister’s snores suddenly break the odd tension. August clutches his chest like he forgot Allister was still in the room with us and scared himself.
Calliape sits back and takes a sip of liquor August poured for her that she hasn't touched until now.
"What is it?" I ask, and my guts do a little twist at how pale she looks.
"Sorry, Selene has spoken to me about that temple before."
I bristle at the mention of Selene. "What did she say?"
"On Frith, it has been said the elders of that temple manipulate the rate divine children are born. Selene said it was like a loophole."
My first instinct is to be defensive, to push back so hard on anything negative about the Estate, but what does Calliape have to gain from telling me this?
"I don’t see how that would be possible." I think for a minute, trying to still my thoughts. "Oh, you mean encouraging pregnancies, conception rituals."
"Conception rituals?" August's expression is a mix of intrigue and horror when he gawks at 99 to see if he heard the same thing.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to scare you or ruin the night."
"You're not ruining the night," August assures, placing a hand on Calliape’s chair's armrest. "Strange rumors come out of the Estate. Ferren knows that."
"I have heard the rumor," 99 says in a flat tone, like it is painful to confess.
"You have?" My neck snaps to him. "Why didn't you say anything before?"
His eyes soften. "I did not know she would be in that temple or her motivations. I only thought of you leaving."
"You're leaving?" Calliape asks in a stricken voice.
"No. I'm not leaving. 99?" I turn back to him, prompting him to elaborate.
"My predecessor spoke about that temple before I became the 99th. He said they looked into the rumors of elders intentionally letting mothers succumb to complications in birth so the child would be more likely to be divine. I was not intentionally keeping that from you. It was not relevant until now. Viathan investigated but found nothing."
"Oh, well then, just another rumor. Solves that," August slurs.
"Yes, and like I said, it was something that was spoken about on Frith. Selene may not have had all the information; she was in the Estate a long time ago." Calliape speaks so quickly, it sounds like all one word.
"Are you alright?"99 asks.
I answer him aloud, "Yes, I'm fine. It's just difficult to hear things about Cosima still, and something like that? I don't know. It doesn't seem plausible, but I don't know if that's the temple talking through me or my own instincts."
99 runs a sympathetic hand down my arm. "Would your sister reply to a correspondence from you, confirming she is in that temple?"
"I doubt it would even get to her."
"I would make sure it did," he vows, deadly serious.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't keep that from you." Calliape looks a little teary.
"No, no, Calliape. I know you didn't mean it to scare me. I've seen the elders and the mothers from that temple. They are well taken care of. I do not know much about childbirth, but I'm sure it's dangerous. Maybe that’s how the rumors started."
"And things could have been very different when Selene was an Estate priestess," she adds.
"That's true," I say and can't fault my friend for something Selene has told her. Calliape has been influenced by Selene and her beliefs as much as I have with Crixa.
