Divinity in Chains by Danielle Devon

Author:Danielle Devon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2008-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Eliyn knelt before the altar in the Temple of the Celeste, the Goddess of Light. Their world was divided by light and dark, some might have said good and evil, some might have even called it balance. From the sun that rose in the morning sky, to its glorious equal, the swollen silvery moon, down to the tawny skinned children of Kinra and the fair skinned children of Hadren, everything in perfect balance.

Eliyn had often wondered if they, the Kinrans and the demons, had not been cast from the same mold, for despite their differences there were a great many similarities. A sort of balance. With her head bowed and her eyes closed Eliyn repeated the prayer that served as a channel to the Goddess’s ear. “Goddess the Celeste, show me the path to rightfulness so that I may follow in the footsteps you have laid down for me. Bless me with the love you have pledged to me and forever shall I lay faithful beside you.”

Her ritual prayer recited, she then sought guidance for the troubles that plagued her. “Goddess the Celeste, bless our people during this time of unrest. Show them your light so that they may walk the rightful path. Guide Aramon in his quests and keep him safe in his dealings, for he is your child, your blessed one and his destiny should be great.”

She paused, her thoughts lingering on Aramon as the picture of his face formed from the darkness of her mind. “Grant him salvation from this misguided love of mine. Release him of the heart that binds him so that he may walk the rightful path you’ve laid for him.”

“You’ve forsaken your teachings?”

Eliyn’s eyes flew open and she cast a startled glance over her shoulder at the interruption. Bishop Elder stepped forward into the pale light streaming in from the stained windows above him. He was bathed in a wash of color, reds, blues and yellows falling over the white whiskers upon his face and making them glow like a pale rainbow. His thick, russet robe fell to his ankles and shushed softly as he neared her.

Eliyn gave one last silent prayer of redemption to the Celeste, and then rose to meet the bishop. “I’ve not forsaken my teaching, Bishop Elder.”

“You spoke of your love, a love for a man. Have you strayed from the Celeste? Given your heart to a man when it belongs solely to the Goddess who created you?”

An ache as deep as the Madro Sea fanned out through her chest, making it difficult to breath. In her heart, Eliyn knew she wasn’t the true vessel Bishop Elder wanted her to be. When she had first come to the divine house, Bishop Elder had found Eliyn lost in silent thought, staring up at the marble statue of the Goddess. Perhaps lacking in any real purpose of his own, Bishop Elder had sworn that the Celeste had brought Eliyn to him. He took her as his pupil and sought to impart all his divine wisdom upon her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.