2412 Strilaxis 20, Daleth

Xanthy groaned. Soft sheets pressed against her palms when she hauled herself up. Bare, gray-green walls blinked back at her as she rubbed the sleep off her eyes. What happened? Where was she this time?

Two wooden stools guarded the bed where she sat. A basin atop one of the stools was filled with water with an unmistakable greenish tinge. Xanthy scratched her head. So everything that happened in the cavern wasn't one long dream?

She grunted as she slid off the bed. A loose, wool tunic that reminded her of graspel fur fell to her knees. She frowned as she raised her arms and turned here and there to examine the furry sack covering her body. How in the Queen's name did she end up in this?

A door to her left gave a quiet whine and two people stepped inside the room. Xanthy rushed to the bed and propped herself back up. Keeping her eyes on the new people as they shut the door with a soft click. It's amazing how doors here functioned like how they did in Cardina.

They were dressed in the same wool, knee-length tunics but theirs were paired with tight, dark gray trousers. Bare feet slapped the smooth, gray floor as they approached the stool. Tiny, tinkling sounds ensued with every step they took. Xanthy squinted and found tiny bells sewed in a strip of cloth tied to their ankles.

A girl with bluish-silver hair tied up in an up-do peered down at the basin containing the greenish water. Lamplike, yellow irises reflected from the water's surface, accentuating a flat expression that was neither a scowl nor a smile. The girl picked the basin up.

"Uh, can you tell me where I am?" Xanthy asked. Her voice scratched against her dry throat and bounced against the walls.

A boy no older than Malin with dark blue hair and pale yellow eyes blinked at her as the girl set the basin against the stool again. Xanthy stared at the flower pin glinting on the boy's chest as it caught light whenever the boy moved. "You're in a room," the girl inclined her head at Xanthy like that answer explained everything.

Something barked and Xanthy leaned over her bed to see a creature with long ears, short snouts, and furry tails. It bounded around on four legs, its tongue lolling off its mouth as it panted. Xanthy narrowed her eyes again. Was that creature...transparent?

"Bramre, heel," the girl snapped at the creature. It whined before jumping into the air once. A flash of green later, it was as if there was nothing where the animal had just been. Shivers made the hairs on Xanthy's arms stand up. Was that a ghost animal?

Xanthy cleared her throat. The girl's face was still as she whirled to Xanthy. "Yes?"

"Can you elaborate more?" Xanthy circled a finger, gesturing vaguely at the air around them. "Where am I?"

"In the First of the Lower," the girl raised an eyebrow before glancing at the boy. The boy shrugged.

Xanthy drummed her fingers against each other. "And...that is?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "In the Temple of Souls in Adris Xena in Drodham, and finally, in Carleon."

Xanthy blinked. Oh, she made it to Drodham, after all.

A sigh tore Xanthy's attention from her sheets to the girl as the latter dipped her head. "In behalf of Reksha Ashryn and Precar Nesala, I welcome you to the Temple of Souls," the girl touched her chest as she drew up. "I am Serzhak Sorina and I will be your guide for the day."

Xanthy gaped. A what? Her brain whirred as it tried to process the slew of complicated words the girl just uttered. What's a Reksha Ashryn? Was it food?

"Oh, and I'm Alwin," the boy perked up, offering Xanthy a pale hand. "Nice to meet you."

Before Xanthy could take his hand, the girl slapped the boy upside the head. Xanthy recoiled.

"Lesson twelve—don't talk unless permitted to," Sorina crossed her arms. Her neutral expression edged closer to a frown. "Learn your place, Blax. Don't be uncouth like a damned pixie," the girl clicked her tongue

Xanthy winced. That must've hurt. "What's wrong with pixies?" Xanthy asked, keeping her eyes on Alwin who rubbed the back of his head. He didn't appear to be hurt.

Sorina wrinkled her nose. "Blasted creatures, they are," the girl turned back to the stool and moved to retrieve it yet again. "They think they are superior with their light magic," she shrugged. "Darkness is better than light, if you ask me."

Xanthy swallowed. So even fairies have some kind of prejudice against other fairies? What should she feel about that, even? She cleared her throat instead. "What's a blax?" she jerked her chin towards Alwin's direction. The boy seemed to find the floor interesting."Is that his name?"

Sorina flicked her eyes in his direction before dragging them back to meet Xanthy's. "It's his title."

Xanthy raised an eyebrow. "You have nobles here?"

The girl snorted as the corners of her mouth curled into an amused smile. "What rock have you been living under?" she turned away from the stool to gesture at Xanthy's face vaguely. Sorina held up four fingers. " 'Blax' is the title given to apprentices. 'Serzhak ' for full-fledged priestesses like me, 'Precar' for those a step higher than us, 'Reksha' for the High Priestess's advisers, and finally the High Priestess, herself."

Xanthy twisted her hair. Her tongue curled inside her mouth. That's a lot of words. It wasn't like she could pronounce all of them. She glanced at the girl again. "You're Serzhak Sorina, right?"

The girl nodded.

"Can I call you Sorina?" Xanthy blurted. It felt like shooting an arrow while blind. What was she even doing? She should show reverence for these people by using their title!

The girl blinked at Xanthy like she was contemplating whether to slap Xanthy or not. After a few seconds, Sorina sighed. "Do what you want," the priestess hefted the basin off the stool for real.

Sorina took a deep breath before facing Xanthy fully. "Precar Nesala will hear your complaint once we reach the Fifth of the Lower," the girl began turning to head for the door. "You can meet your companions after we resolve the issue with your soul."

Xanthy threw her legs off the bed. Her garb fell to her knees once her bare feet slapped the floor. Oh, that's cold. "Actually," she called to the priestess as she stretched her joints. "We're not here to speak to any of those weird names you just said. We have business with the High Priestess."

"You can't," Sorina paused halfway to the door before turning to Xanthy. "The Highest can't be bothered with things the Rekshais can fix. Now, we must be off."

Before Xanthy could add anything more, Sorina turned on her heels and marched off. Alwin snapped to attention and jogged to catch up to the serzhak. Xanthy pursed her lips but she moved to follow.

The door closed behind her as she stepped out of the room. Dozens of banshees dressed with the same uniform trotted past Xanthy, followed by either by their blaxis that Xanthy distinguished because of the flower pins glinting on their robes similar to Alwin, an undead animal, or a combination of both.

Shrill jingling filled the corridor as the traffic flowed. It reminded Xanthy of that time when she found herself inside a cult that worshipped the goddesses. Of course, it was a story for another time.

Sorina tore past the bare walls that had the shade of dried grass, pushing past Temple workers streaming opposite her. The water in the basin in her hands barely moved even though Sorina walked like she was being chased. Xanthy, with bare feet and generally no baggage, struggled to catch up. Wow, Sorina could walk.

Sorina and Alwin led Xanthy past ornate doors, occasional tapestries of nothing but swirls of color, and more Temple people either carrying basins similar to what Xanthy found in her room or straddling other things like tomes, sheafs of parchment, and sacks that looked heavy. Xanthy craned her neck and noticed that there were no windows and that light came from the ceiling itself, giving the whole corridor a greenish tinge.

Sorina cleared her throat, jarring Xanthy's attention back to the priestess. An ornate door stood in front of her, the flowers carved on it blinking back at her. "Your belongings are here," the priestess jerked her thumb at the door.

Xanthy nodded and opened the door. It was just like the one she left. On one side were her satchel, quiver, and bow. Relief flooded her system as she strode inside and straight through her things. Then, she noticed that the clothes she wore as she left Depandes was folded neatly beside her satchel. Wait. Did she enter the Temple of Souls naked?

A snort from the doorway made Xanthy turn to the priestess. Sorina looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Don't look too horrified," the girl smiled, showing off her crooked teeth. "We see things like that all the time. We're used to it."

Blood rushed to Xanthy's cheeks. "D-does that mean...?"

Sorina reached out and grasped the door's knob, bracing her other arm against the doorway. She scrunched up her nose again. "Best not to think about it," Sorina winked. "Find your things there and we will meet with Precar Nesala. Make haste."

The serzhak slammed the door to the room without answering Xanthy's question or confirming her theory. Xanthy sighed and shook her head. Whatever. Forget it. She swiped her clothes from the floor and dusted it, the cloth making thick, flapping noises as she did.

Within minutes, she had fitted herself with a long-sleeved tunic and dark, form-fitting trousers. Her boots that were several sizes too small were back on her feet. Ah. Home. The woolly tunic was discarded on the floor. Xanthy's lower lip stuck out. She's going to miss that soft, cozy feel on her skin.

Xanthy snatched her satchel from the floor and cuddled it like it was a long-lost flower child. Ah, she had avoided Nyxis's wrath by a narrow margin. She retrieved her bow and slung it across her torso. The satchel's handle followed it.

She walked towards the door just as she was locking her quiver around her waist. She knocked on it to let the priestess know that she was done. The door opened just as Xanthy was digging around her satchel for something to tie her hair with.

A choked gasp filtered out of the priestess' lips that made Xanthy pause. She turned to Sorina with a raised eyebrow. The serzhak shook her head and dipped her head once again. "Precar Nesala awaits."

Xanthy followed Sorina until they came in front of a strange doorway. Her eyebrows met in the middle. What was this? A curved beam framed a circular spot on the wall that had a darker shade than the rest of the wall it was attached to. Xanthy squinted and noticed the squiggly symbols etched along the curved beam's surface. Were those...the Keijula koset?

Sorina stepped forward and pressed her palm to a wall beside the strange doorway. The air turned colder when the symbols glowed in a faint, gray light. Before Xanthy could ask what's going on, the dark circle by the wall flared with light, its rays poking Xanthy's eyeballs, sending stinging pain into her mind.

From beside her, Sorina cursed, patting her chest and realizing something. Xanthy knitted her eyebrows. Were Temple people allowed to curse inside Temples? After a few minutes of trouser-patting and muttering, Sorina shook her head before producing a strange, metallic device from the pocket of her trousers. The priestess handed it to Xanthy.

Uh...

Xanthy's fingers stung when they closed around the device's cold metal exterior. She hissed, almost dropping it. What in the Queen's breeches was this?

A long, dark chain swayed from the device's head, dangling in the air beyond Xanthy's grip. Concentric circles decorated the device's face. A clear rectangle sprouting from a knob at the center of the device told Xanthy that this must be a dial of some sort. More squiggles of the Keijula koset waved at Xanthy.

It took a second for Xanthy to realize that the concentric circles could be rotated to get a certain combination of squiggles inside the rectangular bar. Wait, what was this device for?

"That's a soul port," Sorina's voice tore Xanthy's attention away from it. The light from the door had calmed down a bit so Xanthy saw the priestess gestured vaguely at the Temple. "You can use it for the time you're here in the Temple."

The priestess jerked her chin towards the wall. "This doorway here is a soul door," she pointed to the device in Xanthy's hands. "Both the soul port and this door are our usual transport inside the Temple."

"Is everything here called 'soul' something?" Xanthy slapped the soul port. How did this thing work?

"Don't slap the soul port!" Sorina put her arms out in caution. "If you break it, the Temple can punish you the way they see fit."

Bile rose to Xanthy's throat. Oh.

"So tell me about this Precar Nesala," Xanthy turned to Sorina. Let her forget the punishment portion, right? "Am I supposed to kneel or something when I meet them?"

Sorina snorted. "A deep bow is enough," she nodded to the door that still glowed in its muted light. "You can kneel if you want to look like a fool in front of the other Precaris. What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to activate this thing," Xanthy grunted as she turned the outer circle, making a fairy squiggle that looked like a hammer fit into the bar. She waved the soul port in the priestess's face. "Why wouldn't it work? Is it supposed to glow?"

Sorina massaged her temples. "You're doing it wrong," the serzhak reached out but Xanthy danced out of her reach causing the priestess to start sputtering curses. "Nothing works right just because you slapped it. Give me—"

Xanthy turned the inner circle and a squiggle that looked like a dancing figure chimed into the bar. She held it towards the soul door and watched as it absorbed some of the light.

Xanthy turned to the priestess. "How awesome is this?"

A horrified look was plastered on the priestess' face. The soul port began glowing a sickly shade of green that reminded Xanthy of dagrine vomit. "What did you do?" the priestess snapped, plucking the device from Xanthy's grip.

Oh, that couldn't be good. Xanthy waved her arms wildly. "Nothing, I—"

Their surroundings changed, eliciting a yelp from Xanthy. What...?

Strong gusts of wind swept past Xanthy, making her hair slap the side of her face. Xanthy sputtered as she pushed strands of hair off her eyes. Where were they? Did the floor just turn beige?

True enough, Xanthy and Sorina now stood on a wide courtyard rimmed with balustrades. Beyond the balustrade was a carpet of green that Xanthy only saw from being in the manwaris' sled. Fog and fluffy clouds met in a distant line on the horizon Black masses of what Xanthy guessed to be mountain peaks surrounded them. Where...

Xanthy turned and almost jumped back. Twelve statues of men and women carved from dappled blue and black rocks flanked a wide entrance that gave way to rows and rows of chairs and...was that Pidmena's statue at the far end? The rocks were carved with such skill that captured the swish of the robes, the intricate sculpts of the faces, and the neatness of more Keijula squiggles on rectangle slabs by the statues' feet.

"Sorina, isn't this amazing? Who knows the Temple could look more than gray walls?" Xanthy whirled to the priestess expecting the same kind of wonder on her face as what was currently swirling in Xanthy's gut.

Instead of a look of wonder, Sorina's face was a display of pure terror. She clawed at her hair. "Great Goddess! This is the Upper Floors!"

Xanthy nodded. Okay, and?

The priestess began pacing. "We have to get out of here," she cursed once again, rubbing her temples with her palms. "Precar Rodrick is going to kill me."

Xanthy blinked. "You have a precar named Rodrick?" she turned towards the wide entrance once again, eyeing the polished benches that gleamed with what light filtered from the fog around them. "What's with the Upper Floors?"

Sorina stopped pacing, stalking towards Xanthy, and grasped her shoulders. "Don't you understand?" Panic was evident from the priestess' voice as she shook Xanthy with each word. "This is the High Priestess's jurisdiction! Serzhakis aren't allowed here, especially guests with um...weird souls."

Xanthy knit her eyebrows, peering down at herself. There was nothing amiss. "You can see my soul?"

"I'm a Priestess, genius. It's what I do," Sorina snapped as she dragged Xanthy away from the veranda before passing her the soul port. "Bring us back to the Lower Floors."

"Why won't you do it yourself?" Xanthy narrowed her eyes as she extracted herself from the priestess's grasp.

Sorina sighed. A hand reached into her chest. "I forgot to bring my soul port," the priestess's glare hardened as she wagged a finger in Xanthy's face. "Now, change your settings and let's head back to Third of the Lower. Precar Nesala is waiting."

"Okay, fine," Xanthy shrugged and started tinkering with the circles without knowing what exactly she's doing. To her, the Keijula koset looked like cleret tails trying to dance.

"How did you even figure it out?" Sorina hissed from Xanthy's shoulder. The priestess's presence was heavy behind Xanthy. "The Upper Floors aren't even present in guests' soul ports."

"That's because I called her here, Serzhak," a new voice spoke from the far side of the courtyard.

The heavy presence disappeared from Xanthy's back. "Highest..." Xanthy heard the priestess gasp out.

"What?" Xanthy whirled and her eyes focused on a woman wearing a wool cloak clipped on top of a dress sporting wide sleeves and fitted bodice that hugged the woman's figure snugly. Her fingers forgot that it was tinkering with the soul port.

Dark yellow eyes bore at Xanthy's whole being, threatening to turn her knees into jelly. She was sure she took a step back as the woman came to where she and Sorina were.

Up close, the woman possessed an even flatter expression than Sorina as she assessed Xanthy. Silvery locks cascaded across the woman's back and seemed still despite the wind around them. Huh, Xanthy should learn this woman's secrets on how to achieve hair that wasn't stubborn. It's amazing how Xanthy had to crane her neck up just to meet the woman's eye.

Without a word, the woman turned to Sorina. From her sleeves, the woman produced a soul port which she handed to the gaping serzhak. "Y-your Highness," Sorina dipped her head at the woman before receiving the soul port from the woman's outstretched hand like it was made of versallis. The sound of dials turning filled the silence on the courtyard. In a flash, the priestess vanished, leaving Xanthy alone with the woman the serzhak called "highest".

Wait...did that mean—

"Priestesses leaving their apprentices is not proper conduct," the woman said with a sigh. "Come with me."

As if with some force taking hold of her legs, Xanthy surged forward as the woman turned and began walking towards the wide entrance. "Uh, about that," Xanthy blurted. Stop talking. Stop talking! She didn't stop talking. "I was the one who snapped us here. I forgot to grab Alwin."

The woman continued walking inside until she and Xanthy were inside the huge, domed room. Xanthy's gut swirled at the apparent wonder of the room with its rugs woven with designs of exotic flowers, wild animals, and stars, the candelabras whose braziers glowed not with lit candles but with blue fire, the ceiling painted with a scene depicting something Xanthy was not familiar with, and an altar that sported knives, goblets, and white flowers.

The woman whirled to Xanthy, driving her attention from the statue of Pidmena holding a real xamine flower. It looked creepier up close with its void black petals curling outwards like inviting arms. "Your friends will be here soon," the woman said with a quiet but commanding voice.

Xanthy nodded. Pidmena's statue leaned towards the altar in front of it as if offering Xanthy the blossom in her hands. A slight smile was carved with her lips. Hair that was cast in some kind of silver ore like the rest of the goddess' likeness fell in long, flowy locks down to her back. A bare shoulder peeked out of the goddess' robes that hugged her lithe figure and licked her bare feet. Even in the dimness of the room, it seemed like the goddess' eyes sparkled as if she and Xanthy were sharing a secret.

A flash of light drove Xanthy's attention away from the statue and into a spot in the room's doorway. Four columns of bright light blinked out of existence, depositing her friends along with four wide-eyed Serzhakis.

The woman promptly strode towards them and spread her hands. The sleeves of her dress curved dangled like curtains from her arms. "Serzhakis," the woman called in a modulated voice. "Thank you for escorting my guests. You may leave."

The serzhakis bowed like Sorina did and fiddled with their soul ports. In a flash, they all disappeared, leaving June, Reeca, Cyrdel and Ravalee idling on the veranda.

Xanthy pushed past the woman and dashed towards her friends. Thank the gods they're alive. She threw her arms around the first person she could grab. June's laugh in her ear was unmistakable.

"Look who's happy to see me," Xanthy felt June's arm snake around her waist. Her heart thundered in her ears as she pushed him away with her blood rushing to her head.

Xanthy looked at her boots and oh, how dirty they were. "Um... that wasn't—"

"We should move the bonding ceremonies for later," Reeca tramped past them with a smile that did its best to masquerade as a frown. "We have more pressing matters to attend to."

Xanthy nodded, a little too vigorously than she liked to admit. She turned to Cyrdel and Ravalee and hugged them too. "Hello to you too," Xanthy raised an eyebrow before stepping towards the varichria.

"Don't even try," Reeca hissed, putting her arms forward and taking a step back. "I might kill you."

Xanthy snorted. "Please," she rolled her eyes. "You'd die first."

The woman cleared her throat. Oops.

Reeca bowed as did the rest of her friends. Xanthy dipped her head like the rest of them. The woman nodded as they straightened. "Call me Ezril when we're alone," she said. "Otherwise, refer to me as the Highest."

"You're the High Priestess?" Cyrdel stepped forward.

"Yes," Ezril regarded the Alkaran prince with a side glance. Xanthy nodded. No wonder the serzhakis were panicking. "I summoned you here because of a number of things that we will talk about later.

"First things first," the High Priestess turned to Reeca who blinked. "Rikavien Torlin, you wish to speak to Phiaris?"

Reeca coughed as if she choked on her own saliva. "You know my mother?" The varichria rasped amid coughs.

Ezril nodded with a smile. "I know a thing or two. She's a co-monarch," she shrugged. Reeca hacked one last time before crossing her arms.

The High Priestess turned from the rest of them and began walking west. "Come with me," she said without looking back. Reeca stumbled after the High Priestess, hand resting on the sword sheathed by her hips. "The Doors to the Land of Wonders will be opened to those who seek it."

A soul door that Xanthy didn't even realize was there popped into her view. Dials were turned and the High Priestess and Reeca disappeared in a flash of light.

Cyrdel whistled against the silence that built up in the room after a few seconds. "What now?"

Carleon is governed by the Temple of Souls. The Temple acts as both the Palace and the religious center. The High Priestess acts as both its Queen and its head of religion. She is supported by a rank inside the Temple called a Reksha. This is a type of advisory court that doubles as a set of bodyguards. Rekshais are warriors as well as the High Priestess's right-hand people that have almost the same power as her.

Below the Rekshais is a priestal rank called Precar. These people are the heads of the different branches of service that the Temple has. There are the orphanage, the school, the hospital, the maintenance, the food, the service, and the security branches and each one has their own Precar.

Under the Precaris are the Serzhakis (sing. Serzhak). These people are the normal "priests" that do the jobs in their specified branches. There are quite an unwritten ranks for Serzhakis that depend on seniority in terms of years of service. Most senior Serzhakis get what they call Blax (pl. Blaxis) or apprentices. These are usually banshee children either from the orphanage or from the other cities wishing to serve in the Temple.