A Dark and Starless Night

Chapter Three

Eve felt her chest tighten as Kassyka came into view. The temple was the largest of its kind in Zyrna, but not larger than the Zyrnan Pantheon. While Zyrnan's mostly worshiped their gods, with the number of Islan immigrants their religion had come with them. The temple was old and made from moonstone, a yellow-coloured stone that absorbed the sun's light during the day and let it shine at night. At this time of day, it would be empty, mainly only priestesses and devotees milling about.

While Eve hadn't been to service, she certainly hadn't started worshiping the Pantheon. She knew all the gods and goddesses, but she also knew the dual gods of the Pirate Islands – Jaskier and Yrena. It was diplomacy. Don didn't believe in any religion, but he made sure to learn them and respect them. It made it much easier to navigate trade with a foreign nation if you knew what deities to invoke.

She moved up the low stairway, trying not to stare at the devotees that weeded the shrubs surrounding the temple. Devotees – men and women who dedicated their lives to caring for the temples and keeping track of stars and ancestors – made her uncomfortable with their chattering and prying. It was almost as if being nosy was a prerequisite to become a devotee. The mouth of the temple was an opening – no doors, no secrets – showing the long walkway through a forest of pillars to the Pool of Stars. All temples had one, a shallow pool of water that had an equal-sized opening to the sky. The High Priestess would stand in the ankle-deep waters as she gave her sermon amongst the glowing stones.

"Excuse me," Eve asked of one of the devotees at the top of the stairway. "I was hoping to speak with the High Priestess."

The grey-haired woman with a weather-worn face smiled, wiping her hands on her skirt. "Alright, love. She should be in her chambers, to the right of the pool. Be sure to knock."

Eve thanked the woman and moved into the temple. It was a wonder how it could remain so cool in the day. She let out a sigh of relief, rubbing at the nape of her neck. Each step echoed off the towering ceiling as she strode to the pool. The water looked inviting, even in the cool building. There were doors on either side of the pool, and Eve headed to the right. The wooden door was carved with images of falling stars and constellations. The Nine was at the top and she ran her fingers along the six stars and the spaces in between. The door shifted forward and she felt her cheeks flush.

"Sorry," she sputtered, stepping back as the door creaked further open.

Behind it, the room was small and simple, at least what she could see of it. There was a wooden partition, pulled across most of the room. She imagined there was probably a bed and bathtub on the other side of that partition. On this side of the partition, a desk sat under a window with a chair behind and in front. The high priestess was nowhere to be seen, so Eve knocked firmly on the door.

"Yes?" a voice asked from behind the partition. The rustle of cloth and a black-haired head peered around the gap. She was young for a high priestess, with golden eyes and skin a shade darker than Eve's. "Can I help you?"

"Good morning," Eve said, hands clasped in front of herself. "I wanted to ask about Nadia. I heard that she was here the night before they believed she was... murdered?"

"Were you a friend of Nadia's?" the high priestess asked, stepping out from behind the partition fully. She was tall and lithe, the outline of her body visible through the sheer fabric of her gown.

"I don't know if I would be able to say that. We had only just met not long before it happened," Eve said. She'd been far from perfect, even as a child, but if her younger self could see her lying to a F in a temple... "I just... I know she had no blood relatives in Zyrna. I was hoping to find out what temple she attended. When they release her... her..."