A Priestess for the Blind God (Legends of Rahasia Book 1)

Chapter Eight

            Night falls upon the encampment, and the desert chill seeps into our bones. Before we can go off to our royal dinner though, we must offer a short prayer to the gods. Dragging what little we could salvage of our sabotaged belongings. We make makeshift bags from our former tents, dragging them behind us as we make our way over to the prayer area.

The shrines are said to have been there since before the wars, when the gods were at peace with one another, when the people of Rahasia believed all three gods were equal.

It was before Cato the Elder discovered that Kane the Blind was plotting to take over the empire, when Cato gouged out Kane's eyes and threw his crippled body to the earth. It is said that Aziz the Beloved weeps still for the two brothers fighting, but Cato keeps them for their glorious music, for the beauty that the androgynous Aziz offers the jewel of Rahasia. Cato, of course, offers military protection from the unknown, foreign lands of freezing snow and pale women.

And Kane? What does the banished god offer?

I turn now to Kane's altar, the cheap wax candles unlit. The priests probably look a little less miserable than they did this morning. They're probably eating as many sacrificial honey cakes as they can by spending the offering I bribed them with this morning.

One of the priests, the only one on-duty tonight, is doing just that. He's an older man, maybe as old as my father. He's obviously not as muscular as my father since the Diviners rely on their brains instead of their brawn. He has a shaved head and wears deep black robes that he's drowning in. His wrists are thin from lack of proper nourishment, and his eyes are wide and dark inside his head. He scrapes away at his honey cake with a dull knife, licking the crumbs off. Ryu and I turn to each other, wondering what to make of this.

"Come," Ryu tries dragging me away from the Blind God's altar. "I know after Alef today, you probably don't want to pray to Cato. That's fine. Let's go to Aziz instead. They always play nice music at Aziz's altar, and I have one hell of a singing voice myself."

I pull away from him. Glancing over to the well-lit altars of Cato and Aziz, I see how Ryu longs to join them. I see how Cato's altar is covered in the finest meats, wines, and cheeses. Gold coins litter the steps, enough for his worshippers to take a few if they find a need that's true. Aziz the Beloved's altar is draped with pretty sweets and fruit. A priest is strumming a delicate-ribbed, stringed instrument and humming to himself.

The Blind God's altar is cold and empty, a mad priest licking crumbs at its side.

"Go without me. I'll join you for dinner with Elio," I tell him. Ryu, glancing worriedly back, turns and makes his way toward the Beloved.

I get on my knees and start praying. I don't know why I chose this, to pray to the losing god. My Diviner weapon grows heavy, and I set it beside me while I pray. My beaten belongings lie limply on the steps, "bitch" written all over them. Ryu, despite his bastard's status and certain preferences, is still beautiful enough at the end of the day to grow comfortable. A beautiful person comes to rely on that beauty as a crutch, like a girl in my status might wield her sexuality as a weapon to snag a rich husband.

I do not wield weapons. I am one.

***

Hello my Champions!

I'm sorry. But "I do not wield weapons, I AM ONE." is my favorite line that I've ever written. Such flair. Such drama. Much monologue!

Love Sophia