The Six

Chapter Two- Spring

The first day of the second spring had arrived in God's land. Eboni sighed longingly as she looked out to the temple gardens from inside the library. Although the air was crisp, the days were getting warmer, something which her best friend and temple brother Bren was very happy about.

This year Bren had been assigned garden duty, which to her amusement meant that the fruit from the sacred tree in the middle of the temple grounds had started to make its way into the desserts. Eboni had been assigned to the library. Though she enjoyed reading immensely and would often be found in the library anyway, she often found herself staring longingly out of the windows watching the day go by.

Last year she had the job of setting out the cutlery for dinner, a small job, but one that reflected her status in the temple. Now she had turned 18, her status had allowed her a 'real job.'

She watched as High Priest Jon ran out into the middle of the garden, his rounded figure unaccustomed to running as he wiped the sweat from the midday suns from his brow. He looked around, spotting her at the window, giving her a jolly wave before spotting whatever- or whoever- he was looking for and running off again.

Eboni wouldn't like to guess at how old he was. When she was younger she had thought the High Priest and Priestess immortal- never seeming to age or grow ill. Now she knew that those where just her childhood fantasies. No one could live forever. She had been left on the steps of the temple during her first winter and would one day be left by the elders of the temple who had raised her.

Bren was the only other person around her age who was in the same position as her. For the past seven years, no one had joined the temple on their 18th birthday, as was the custom for those who worshiped their creator and wanted to devote their life to prayer on the land of creation. The High Priest and Priestess weren't worried about that though. There were over 300 Brothers and Sisters to pray and look after the temple, it was in safe hands.

Turning back to the library and the jobs at hand, Eboni felt herself smiling at the familiarity surrounding her. The library was one of the oldest buildings in the Temples estate. A large 30 seat dark wooden table sat in the middle of the large room with bookshelves lining the walls from the floor to the ceiling, each one crammed with texts and artefacts from across the world.

On the shelves nearest to the table were scrolls and texts from the age of creation, written when the mighty and wise Elementi first created Man and Woman on God's Land.

Near the doors were texts from Rolezal- Now ruled by King Gregor it was by far the most powerful and wealthy land in the world. Texts of Admari- the land of plenty, were on the back wall next to the scrolls of Cerina- the ancient land of mountains that had become its own country many years ago after a civil war.

Kime- a small island that had once belonged to Cerina, was a rich man's getaway. Free from politics and Kings it had made its reputation one of relaxation and harmony.

Em, Bluai, El, Enti, Graci and Miri were all small islands scattered across the ocean, governed by the High Priest and Priestess of God's land. God's land had also tried to claim the small islands off of Sher-woods, but lost them to the native people who protected their lands. They had been called the Lost Lands ever since.

The Barren Land, the North most country in the world- so named because no living creature can survive on it- had never been claimed by any country, the slab of rock wasn't a financial burden any land had wanted to take on, so it had been left to weather away. No scrolls or texts had ever been written about it, so its shelves were left empty.

The land that intrigued Eboni the most was the land of Tozaro, it interested her the most because it was the one land that no one knew much about.