Page 36 of Firstborn of the Sun
She forced her gaze to meet his, and her formidable will unravelled. Her eyes stung with tears, but she didn’t let them fall.
‘I can’t force you to see the value of your life. Do what you must,’ Baba-Ìtàn said coldly and turned away.
‘Tell me where he is. Tell me how to get into the temple and how to save him.’
He turned and raised his eyebrows at her. She wanted to recoil from him, but she stood upright. ‘He’s my friend, Bàbá, my best friend. I’m only doing what you taught me to do. To not be afraid to fight.’
‘To fight for what is right, not this. This is suicide!’
‘Not if you help. You know the temple. You know how we can get in and out without being caught. We’ll be even better prepared with your directions.’
Defeated, Baba-Ìtàn took the paper from her. And with his hands, he traced out a path for them. He told them what to expect at each entrance, where Alawani would most likely be, and how to avoid the temple maidens. They’d be the most dangerous people to encounter on this mission.
L’?r? thought she had finally won him over, and she formed a weak smile. He glared at her with eyes filled with both anger and emptiness before handing the paper over to her. ‘Your life is in your hands now.’
She knelt on the ground and placed her head on his feet. ‘? ?é, Baba.’
He removed his feet from her and turned to walk away,then stopped. Reluctantly, he asked, ‘Where will you go when it’s done?’
L’?r? looked away.
‘You don’t have a plan? Did I raise you to be so foolish?’ He looked to Kyà and back to L’?r?, his hands clenching and unclenching, unable to stay still.
L’?r? rose to her feet. ‘I thought we could leave,’ she said, tears streaming down her face. ‘We could all find somewhere quiet, hidden, far from here.’
‘Eh?’ Kyà shouted.
L’?r? looked at Kyà, her eyes pleading with him, sayingnot now, and hoping he’d understand.
Baba-Ìtàn glared at them, then ran his hand through his hair. ‘I told you! There’s nowhere to go. Nowhere in Oru is safe!’ Spittle built up in the corners of his mouth as he raged on, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’
L’?r? sobbed and reached for her father, but he slapped her hands off.
‘So when you stole from me and left the house today, it was to leave and never return?’
‘Ah, Bàbá, no. I’d have come back for you. I’d always come back for you.’
‘Don’t bother,’ Baba-Ìtàn said quietly and walked away from them, this time without turning back.
L’?r? didn’t know what to say. All she could do was weep as her father walked away from her with a broken heart.
Ohun tí Àgbàlagbà rí ní’jókò, ?m?dé ò lè ríi ní’dúró
What an elder sees while sitting down, a child can never see while standing up
13
The Sun Temple, Royal Island, Kingdom of Oru
L’?R?
The night was dark, and the moon cast shadows over the temple, which loomed over L’?r? like a monster with tendrils reaching for whoever dared to enter. It had six narrow, square towers scattered in a seemingly random pattern, but L’?r? knew better than to think the Holy Order did anything by mistake. The towers were connected by strengthened, thick walls made of bronze stone, and the entire collection of buildings was decorated with stylish windows displaying different sizes and designs of the sun’s image. There were only so many ways to depict the sun, and the temple seemed to have used all possible variations when carving the stones that held up its towers.
The Sun Temple grounds were eerily quiet, and the breeze seemed colder as they stepped through the vast golden gates and into the open courtyards. They passed by a few servants but no maidens. Not yet. L’?r? sighed in relief, every step a small victory. The temple had a few people roaming about, but no one paid them any attention. They kept their hoods up and heads down and approached the maze leading to the inner temple grounds.
‘Stop,’ a voice called out, and L’?r? felt every part of her body clench.
Beside her, she could feel Kyà slowly move a hand to his sword. This was it. They hadn’t even taken one step into the temple, and someone had caught them. L’?r? wrapped her hand around the handle of her blade and turned to see who the voice belonged to.
