One of the monks stepped forward. He eyed us, his gaze slowly moving from person to person. At Bran, he did a double take. And when he came to Chase, he frowned slightly. Then, in Melosealfôr, he said, “You are on our lands, in our territory. You indicate you come in peace. We honor your intent, as long as you hold it. Come, eat, and rest.”
There was nothing to do but accept. One just did not wander into the monastery and demand to be let loose to go after a diamond that was hidden on their land. To refuse food and drink, or at least their hospitality, would be a faux pas that could end in bloodshed.
“We are on your lands, in your territory. We come in peace. We hold our intent, and accept your generosity.” I turned to the others and translated what we had said.
“We can trust them?” Chase asked.
“We have no reason not to. Plus, this is their land. We can’t just go barging around without their permission and I’m not going to do anything to get us on their bad side. Besides, it’s lunch time, and a hot meal would be welcome.” Smiling, I turned back to the monk, who was watching us carefully.
He motioned for us to follow, and they turned and headed toward the temple. Right then, I knew we were right to follow protocol. If they were comfortable enough to turn their backs on us, they could easily defeat us. I wasn’t sure how much they knew, but by the looks they had given Smoky, Shade, and Bran, they understood exactly who they were allowing under their roof.
We crossed the barren courtyard and by the time we got to the temple doors, I was so weak-kneed that I could barely manage. I didn’t want to show any vulnerability but the truth was that I needed help if I wanted to make it any farther. I looked around, motioning to Smoky. He moved closer to my side and held out his arm. I wrapped my arm through his and he subtly brought a tendril of his hair up to wrap around my waist. While I was still walking, he was mostly supporting me.
Delilah, on the other hand, was doing fairly well. But Chase was still looking woozy and so Delilah scooted over to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. Shade merely smiled, and Chase looked extremely grateful.
As we entered the temple, a deep resonance echoed through me that almost knocked me out. It wasn’t a sound—not audible, but more an internal shifting, a pulsing of energetic waves that rolled through me. I caught my breath, so startled that without Smoky’s support, I would have been knocked to the ground. Behind me, Shade grunted too, as did Bran. Venus just let out a laugh and rubbed his hands together.
The temple was as ornate on the inside as it was sparse outside. Rich tapestries covered the walls, mandalas in brilliant blues and silvers, punctuated with red. The patterns on the woven rugs seemed to be moving, but when I looked again, they were still. Optical illusions, perhaps. Or maybe it was magic. By now, I wasn’t that sure of anything.
The benches were carved from blocks of stone that looked like they had been hewn directly out of the mountains. Glassy black spheres ornamented the walls, and flickering out of the dark orbs were etheric blue lights. But even from where I was standing, I could tell there was no heat. Weapons lined the walls—silver staves, wooden sticks, silver daggers, shuriken, and wickedly curved swords that were so ornate they looked like they should be in an art museum.
The hall we entered was long and wide, with the ceiling at least twenty feet high. At either end were large fireplaces, with massive fires crackling away. Doorways led to halls along the back of the chamber. In the center of the hall was a large statue, of a goddess that I didn’t recognize. She rose to the ceiling, and around her spiraled a long, curving staircase, leading to the second story. The stairs were narrow and steep. Running those several times a day would keep me in shape, I thought.
The monks passed by the staircase, leading us toward a hallway that was center against the back wall. The hall was narrow, but not long, and opened out into yet another chamber, this one containing a door against the back, a door to the right, and a long table, in the center of the room. Like the benches, it was carved from one giant piece of stone, each of its legs at least twelve inches square. It would take one hell of a disaster to move the table, let alone destroy it. It occurred to me that had this table been in the throne room at Elqaneve, Queen Asteria and our father might have survived if they had been able to duck beneath it.
The lead monk—or at least, he seemed to be the lead monk—motioned for us to take a seat at the table. The long benches were also carved in stone, but at least they were padded with a thick cushion. Still dizzy, I gratefully slipped onto the end of one of the benches and braced my elbows on the table, trying to shake off the altitude sickness.