Page 13 of The Cerulean Sister
His brows lift so high they almost touch his hairline. "Would you prefer to read by candlelight?"
"Yes," both Calliape and I answer in unison, then smile.
"They hum," Calliape explains.
"I've never heard thishum. Do you hear the hum?" Allister asks the rest of the table.
99 nods.
"You can light all the candles you like, but this temple is wood and wood burns," Allister jokingly warns.
"I am not sure what I expected for a Viathan temple, but it is very beautiful," I compliment, looking up at the rafters and the ceiling painted in fresco between them.
He inhales deeply just like I see 99 do all the time and looks up to the mural as well. "I don't know much about the other temples here, but this one is probably a poor example of them. It was here before the village was. We do not have many records on it, but it was occupied by the priestess order for some time.Before . . . well . . . just before," he finishes with a laugh to cover the seriousness.
That word is all he needs to say for me to understand what he means.
BeforeFirst Son’s followers came to this village,beforehis wife and son left.
99 has spoken to me of those events very few times, of the day his mother and Oliver left, the message he received from him a few years later letting 99 know their mother had died. The end of it was to let 99 know he was staying on Cosima in the birthlands to continue to serve under First Son’s regime.
I feel a stabbing pain in my stomach for leading the pleasant meeting down this path, but from what 99 has told me, every topic, every corner leads here with Allister. It's ever present in his mind, and I know it is the reason 99 did not visit him often before Calliape and I came to Viathan.
"What happened to the priestesses who lived here?" Calliape's question is innocent, but I can feel my shoulders bristle.
"They left when First Son’s recruiters came through," Allister answers flippantly.
"They didn't help?" she asks with a shocked expression.
Allister shakes his head to answer.
The priestesses here were likely low ranking, their abilities minimal and they could have been sent to this Viathan outpost temple as punishment. But I don't interject or explain; I would risk of sounding like I am defending anyone who did not help against First Son. We are already down a path that makes me feel like I should have answers and because I am a priestess, I should apologize on their behalf.
"The recruiters came with a small army. There was little to be done . . . by anyone," 99 cuts in, halting my mental spiral.
He leans closer to me, pressing against my side like he can hear my overthinking emoting through our tether.
"No, I suppose not," Allister admits with sadness in his voice that is impossible to hide. He withdraws a bolt from his pocket, polishing it on his shirt hem, and gently smiles right at me, like he sees my distress. "I do not blame them, the priestesses."
I nod and smile, not sure of what to say.
"Have my son take you to a real Viathan temple." He winks.
"Well, I have tea brewing on the fire outside for everyone, unless any Viathans are offended by the real flames," Calliape snarks at Allister breaking his gentle smile in my direction.
"Sounds wonderful!" He claps his hands together.
"Ferren, will you join me?" she asks.
Calliape takes me on a quick tour of the rest of the temple on our way to collect the tea brewing outside. The back door is butted against a sparsely wooded area.
"Not quite your forest but it's beautiful," I tell her.
Whenever she allows me in her mind, there are always parts of her in different places. Like she is split down the middle at all times, often running through the forest or swimming while we are connected.
"The feeling here, it is so different too," she says, staring out into the trees.
"Too different. Even down to the floors and walls," I agree.
