Chapter 21 The Temple in Torinth
Durem kept thinking that night about what they saw in the sky. Something about the comet made him recall the temple in Torinth that had begun proselytizing two years before. It was built by the followers of Balkir, the god of night. What struck Durem was the zeal of its priests in spreading their beliefs. And in a short time, they had attracted many worshippers.
Durem tried hard to recall what he had heard one of the priests of Balkir say. He remembered that it was near dusk when one day he happened to take a road that went right past the temple. There was a priest standing there. His skin was covered with markings of unfamiliar symbols. The priest kept saying something about a sign that would appear in the sky. And this would herald the coming of darkness.
This could not be mere coincidence, Durem thought. He will have to ask Misara about this temple.
The following morning, as they began their preparations for their journeys, Durem found Misara outside the house seated as she gazed into the sky. She appeared to be in prayer. He now wondered how she was doing.
Durem stood there in silence unsure of what to do as he kept on watching her pray. But Misara stirred as she appeared to have become aware of his presence. He felt a bit embarrassed at having disturbed her.
“Good morning cousin,” Misara said as she smiled at him warmly.
Durem returned the greeting. But he was unable to continue. He was thinking of how to ask her about the temple in Torinth.
“Is there a matter you wished to discuss?” Misara asked.
Moments passed before Durem spoke. “I wanted to tell you about this new temple in town,” Durem said. “I believe it is a temple of one of the new gods. And last night when we all saw the comet, I recalled one of their priests had said something a year ago about a sign in the sky.”
Misara’s smile slowly faded and her expression became serious. “What did you hear?” She asked.
“Their priest was proclaiming in the street that such a sign would mark the beginning of dark times,” Durem said.
“I believe he went on saying that people should turn to the new gods for mercy.” Misara appeared to be considering his words.
“This is the first I have heard of this,” Misara responded.
Durem noticed Kort was approaching. They were probably done packing the supplies they would need for their journey to Kestalon, Durem thought.
“We are just about done preparing for the long journey,” Kort said to them. “What’s this about a temple in Torinth?”
Durem recounted to Kort what he had told Misara.
“I have heard some people in Dormal speak of a new temple there where the priests were also said to be proclaiming an end of the world,” Kort said. “But many dismissed it as just the temple’s way of attracting more followers. Get people afraid and they will flock to prayer.”
“What temple was it?” Misara asked Kort. “I think it was a temple of Narfel, the god of knowledge,” Kort answered.
“Another temple of the new gods,” Durem said making an observation that the other two seemed to share.
Durem’s curiosity concerning these new temples grew. He wondered if there was a connection between the temple in Dormal and the one in their hometown. But these temples were dedicated to different gods, he thought. As he debated the issue in his mind, they heard Beret call out Misara’s name from outside the house.
Misara stood up from where she sat and hurried to where Beret was. Durem and Kort followed behind.
Durem saw Beret facing a man whom he recognized was a shop keeper in town. The shop keeper was holding a woman by her waist, her right arm was slung over his shoulders. The woman appeared ill, almost unconscious.
Misara gave Durem a questioning look and he understood.
“He’s one of the town shop keepers,” Durem said.
“What happened?” Misara asked the man. “Since last night, my wife became feverish soon after we saw the strange light in the sky,” the shop keeper replied. “I thought her fever would go down but it hasn’t. I was told there was a priest of the old gods here.”
“Let me have a look at her,” Misara told the man.
Durem motioned the shop keeper to bring his wife into the house. He pointed to a long wooden chair where the shop keeper gently laid his wife down.
Durem and the shopkeeper stepped back to allow Misara the chance to examine the woman.
As this was happening, Durem noticed Revik descending the stairs. Revik glanced at everyone but said nothing. He slowly approached Misara and the woman. Misara looked at Revik as she held up one of the arms of the sick woman. Revik’s eyes widened as he looked at what Misara was trying to show him.
Durem saw Misara and Revik’s eyes locking for a moment. The expressions on their faces were the same. Something seemed very wrong, Durem thought.
Revik looked at everyone around the room, while Misara’s gaze remained fixed on the woman. He then looked at the shopkeeper as he slowly approached him.
“She is dying,” Revik said.