ONE (Book 1 in the Amnesia Archives)

Chapter 3

The next morning was a very good one. It was probably one of the best mornings I'd ever had in my life. I couldn't fault it one bit.

Which was what I hoped I'd be saying. But reality was much cruller than I could've ever thought. Actually, that's another lie. I have a pretty wild imagination and I was very good at dreaming up some worst-case scenarios. I just hadn't expected one of the worst ones to come true.

I know that I grew up to be overly dramatic, which wasn't helped by my career as a storyteller, but this wasn't. I also happened to be very skilled at rambling and not getting to the point.

Which was what I was doing right now to the men who were circled around us. "See gentlepeople, that is our story and how we came to be in your stunning temple. I must also ask, who painted the portraits of the deities on the ceiling? Most impressive." I had already claimed one of the worshippers as someone easily seduced and charmed. I mainly addressed them as I talked in hopes of being more effective. I was bargaining for my life, along with my siblings'.

We had left the inn as soon as the sun rose, knowing it would take us a little while to get to the temple. What we hadn't expected was to be tackled as soon as we approached the doors. There had been men dressed as statues on either side of the large oak doors, ready to assault anyone unworthy or unusual who approached.

They'd brought us inside and locked the door. The very image of the inside was astonishing. I felt unclean just by being in the room. Everything was so clean and polished, the paintings on the domed ceiling. We'd quickly been tied up back-to-back with a thick rope, and our ankles were tied together so we really couldn't move. Granted, the knots were pretty loose, and I could already feel Aknon undoing some of them.

"Can we take that one's tongue out?" One of the men asked, pointing to me. He had a scowl on his face and a gruff voice, he seemed like a man too arrogant and proud for his own good, which I could relate to. "He's giving me a headache."

"They," I corrected. "They're giving you a headache." I gave a dazzling smile. I was far too used to correcting people about this, so it didn't really bother me at all, it just got very repetitive. I know that I looked very masculine.

My correction didn't go over well with the man as I soon found some rope wrapped around my head, stopping my lips from touching. I pouted like a little child, looking at him innocently.

"Sir, what are you going to do to us?" Sarphi spoke up for the first time in a while. I couldn't see her face, but I knew that tone of voice like I knew my own. She was probably pouting and looking up at them through her lashes. She was feigning innocence. She looked younger than Aknon and I, with a slight babyface. Her lips were probably quivering, and she might even be trembling slightly.

"Haven't decided yet," one of the men answered simply, but there was a twinge of some sort of reluctance in his voice. "Got to wait for the boss."

Sarphi whimpered and shrank back, her shoulder pressing more into my back. "Please don't hurt us, we just wanted to visit the deities." Which really wasn't a lie. "We wanted to learn more and show our devotion." And there was the lie. Aknon was the most religious out of us all, and he often referred to Odon, the god of knowledge, but otherwise we weren't at all worshipers.

"I doubt you know anything of deities girl," the man who asked to take my tongue out snapped at her. "You don't know the difference between Jora and Buruh."

Aknon snorted. "That is a terrible comment." He shifted in his position, straightening his back. "Both are feminine deities, and both feature some sort of romance. It just so happens that Jora is the deity of romantic and familial love, whilst Buruh is the deity of battle and purpose. If Jora didn't exist then there would be no reason for Buruh to either, as there would be no love to fight for."

The men around us were silent for a moment before the first one spoke up, "can we cut out their tongue too?"

"His," Aknon corrected.

There was a long moment of silence before the door by the altar opened. In wobbled a man with shoulder-length grey hair. He wore a large hat over his head, and he looked around ninety years old, if not older. He turned to face us and gasped. It wasn't the usual gasp of shock and disgust that my siblings and I were used to, but rather of shock, mixed with astonishment. He held out a hand, which wasn't holding a wooden walking stick, and pointed at the three of us with a long finger. His clothes looked tattered and torn, very unusual attire for a place such as this, but the men around us straightened their backs and showed the man respect.

"What are they doing tied up like that?" the man asked in a breathy and hoarse voice which sounded like he'd smoked for most of his years. "Untie them immediately!"

"But look at them," the first man exclaimed and gestured towards the three of us with an almost outraged expression. "Sir, they were coming to the temple." It was as though that was all the explanation he needed to give, as he stopped talking.

"And so, you brought them inside the temple and tied them up?" the old man snapped as he came over to us and bent down beside Sarphi. His long fingers began fiddling with the rope, pretending like we hadn't almost been able to escape. "Your purpose is to protect the temple from vandalizers and those unworthy of the deities. And even then, nothing gives you the right to judge people without talking to them." He gestured for us all to stand, which we did in a rather awkward fashion.

I moved so that I was standing between my siblings and took the rope from my mouth. "Exactly," I said in agreement to the old man. I simply wished to annoy the first man some more, talking at the first chance I got. "Sorry, but who're you?" I couldn't help my curiosity, which is a common occurrence for me.

The man looked at me, taken aback by my question. "My name is Genesis," he introduced himself in the same breathy voice. "I am the one in charge of this temple. I handle sacrifices and rituals, along with prayer sessions."

My siblings and I all nodded in unison. That made complete sense. These men were working for Genesis and taking care of the temple. I wondered how many times the temple had been vandalised for Genesis to hire someone to jump those who looked somewhat suspicious.

"But who are you three?" The man turned to us fully and rested on his wooden cane. His tone of voice made him sound like a philosophical wizard, His dark green eyes glinted like jade.

I cleared my throat. "My name is Acer, and these are my siblings Aknon and Sarphi." I moved to gesture to them as I spoke. "We came here looking for guidance." I straightened my spine and kept my tail still, trying to look respectable and serious, which I never usually succeeded in.

Genesis' eyes sparkled. "Ah, I see." He cleared his throat and dismissed his men with a wave of his hand. He then gathered the rope which we'd been tied with and began rolling it up. "I do not like to assume these things, but I take it that your guidance is to do with your peculiar appearance?" He set the rope down and sat in the cloth-covered chair in the middle of the room.

"Yes, that's fair to assume," Aknon commented with a sigh. "Do you know anything about it? Could there be a way of asking the deities for answers?"

"I cannot personally help you." Genesis waved a hand, motioning us to form a line in front of him. "The deities, however, might be able to. But it will come at a price."