Lord Of Dragons (Book 2) by John Forrester

Author:John Forrester
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Amber Muse
Published: 2014-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

TAEL AND SEBINE stumbled through the fallen trees and broken statues around the temple complex. He felt a chill creep up his spine as they stared in amazement at the still-standing temple of the earth. Whereas the buildings of the city were formed of stone and brick, all the temples were made of twisted wood and vine and mud, and other than broken patches of earth, were unaffected by the quake. After managing to find clothing to wear, Tael and Sebine had slept a few hours until the morning light woke them.

"It's a miracle the temple survived," Sebine said, and glanced back at the central part of the city. The buildings were still most intact, but a few had collapsed.

"I hope my sword isn't stuck underneath one of those ruined buildings." Tael didn't want to even think about how he was going to find Balensaar. But he had to try...

Sebine climbed the wooden steps leading into the main temple, and Tael followed after her until they entered the vast, candlelit chamber of the temple. It was filled with people kneeling and prostrated, praying to the earth god in low mumbling chants. At the far end of the chamber stood a woman wearing white robes administering blessings to the congregation.

"She must be the high priestess," Tael whispered to Sebine. "The priest said I was supposed to talk with her."

"For such a terrible loss of life, she doesn't look sad." Sebine squinted at the woman. "In fact, she looks gleeful."

It was true, the high priestess held a kind of maniacal expression of pure joy on her face, and the other priests around her bore a similar countenance. Tael's mind screamed a warning of danger, a warning that didn't exist the night before. Some of the priests had a look of bloodlust in their eyes.

"The god of the earth has spoken!" the high priestess shouted, and raised her hands high into the air. "He is displeased at your complacency and refusal to embody the seven tenets of the faith. I witnessed the tameness of the believers last night at the festival, and realized the truth in what I saw. You lack the god of the earth inside of you. Who will be our first true believer to allow full possession and sacrifice to our god? He demands sweet incense to sate his wrath."

The high priestess scanned the crowd until she discovered the trembling form of a young man around Tael's age. The boy started chanting and babbling words, his body twisting up and clenching as if overtaken by some immense fury. He started hitting himself, fists smashing his head and chest in a rabid frenzy, until the high priestess pointed at the boy and caused him to writhe and rage in renewed vigor. Streams of dark tendrils poured from the high priestess's fingers and filled the young man with a dark power.

He roared and howled like a night predator, and started attacking the others around him with fists and kicks and wild screams that raised the worshippers around him to action.

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