The Savior's Rise (The Windermere Tales Book 2) by Talli L. Morgan

Author:Talli L. Morgan [Morgan, Talli L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Talli L. Morgan Books
Published: 2022-03-01T06:00:00+00:00

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Three cups of tea, half a dozen tiny cakes, and one hour later, Taja and the others finished their tale. Taja tried to keep it simple as possible, but the story became increasingly complex with every added layer. Taja told his side, starting with his exile and ending with his return to Båthälla with Jekku. Jekku spoke about the stone and Ebris’s lies, and Lilya went into the whole ordeal with the Royal Sorcerers and what they tried to get her to do. Taja had left out all mentions of Saevel being in the picture at all, and he was relieved that Jekku and Lilya followed suit; this town seemed to be particularly reverent of the Peacebringer, and Taja didn’t want Saevel’s presence to distract from why they were here. Ritva, Mar, and Atlas listened intently and Taja watched the horror deepen in their eyes as the story went on.

It hit him, in the wake of recounting everything the three of them had been through, that what the people of Båthälla had experienced was neither normal nor acceptable. Taja had grown up blinded by Ebris’s deceit, and he hated that he’d ever believed a word of it. Now, with everything he knew, it seemed stupid that he’d ever thought Ebris was a kind, forgiving, benevolent god.

Thank the skies Ebris had sent him away from Båthälla to find Sawwia Setukkda.

Ritva finished the last of her tea, set the cup down on the table, then sat back and sighed. “Heavens, my friends. I hope you hear my sincerity when I say that I am deeply sorry you’ve all gone through this ordeal. To be betrayed by one’s gods… There’s hardly anything worse. You are told to be loyal and trust them, and they insist they will offer protection and comfort in return, but when that promise has ulterior motives, or when that trust gets stretched too thin, you end up at a crossroads.” Ritva brought her palms together, then apart. “In one direction, you forge your own path with no regard to what these mutinous gods want. But in the other direction, you continue to follow blindly. Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but it sounds like Båthälla has followed the path of blind faith in gods who no longer serve you.”

Taja nodded. “Blind faith, and a stubborn Temple Keeper who won’t let go of their loyalty.”

“I see.” Ritva drew her fingers through her silver hair. “Well, you can’t win over everyone. You will have those who resist, who do not wish to see your reasoning. But I can tell you with confidence that banishing our gods was the best decision this village has ever made. Instead we revere our beloved Peacebringer, who in their time was indeed a beacon of change and of hope. The Peacebringer showed us that just because something has always been does not mean it always must be. And no leader should have unchecked power over their people, especially not a god as selfish and malicious as Lord Ebris.

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