Blood Inked

Chapter 6 (II) The Temples

Sing songs of Praises

Sing songs of worship

Tell of his greatness and wonder

Eloah

Our God, Our King.

Adria sighed as she entered the temple. She had really missed His presence. She could hear the choir practicing -singing His praises- and the priests praying and giving blessings. She could hear the laughter of the sheltered orphaned children and the widowed wives. There was always joy and laughter in His presence.

Single highhandedly she took a tour of the temple and stopped when she came into an empty room. All that was in it was a black jeweled staff laid on a cushion. As she approached it she had an overwhelming urge to hold it.

As she reached for it, a hand slapped hers away. "Do not touch that, it will kill you before you even grip it completely."

Adria turned to the person. It was a greyed man wearing the purple robes of a priest. "Only the sacred ones can touch it. It has laid there for almost a thousand years since the death of its last wielder."

"But it just looks like an ordinary stick." She said.

"Anything that holds the presence of Eloah is no longer ordinary, Princess" He said to her, "I was told that at the touch of its wielder a sword sharper than any metal shoots out." He led her out of the room and walked with her. "It is an honor to meet the last princess. I can sense great potential in you."

Adria scoffed,"Quite an interesting potential I must have." She forced a smile, "I am marked by Eloah as His Princess, yet I am not gifted; I have no grace, not even an affinity for anything."

"You must have something." The priest said.

"I thought so too!" Adria exclaimed, "Maybe my gift is to be the first ungifted princess. An ordinary useless Princess."

"Did you not hear me earlier?" the priest said sternly, "Anything- I say again, anything- that Elaoh rests on is no longer ordinary. There is potential within you."

They walked on in silence. "Is there anyway someone can achieve power, or have access to more power?" she asked

"There is," the Priest sighed, " but I do not encourage it. There is witchery, which you know Eloah frowns upon. It is having access to dark magic, the art of stealing power that does not belong to you. It involves making contracts with the dark Ones minions which is forbidden." He shook his head, "there is also inking, it is an ancient technique mostly used by graced ones. It requires a ritual and a sacrifice. Symbols of power are carved on the body using an object laced with power and that leaves a mark on you, so that you can draw power from it when it is needed, but it can also be used for destruction. If a symbol of death is carved on you, death will surely come for you. Inkings can go wrong, they usually do, the more powerful the inking, the more deadly it is. It can consume the Inker and the Inked. Some graced warriors are inked, a little here and there to be more powerful than their peers. Although, it is uncommon because graced ones rarely survive inkings."

"I don't even have any power to begin with." she whispered to herself.

The priest smiled at her, then gradually his expression changed to rage as he saw the tattoo on her neck. He reached and pulled down her collar to see it clearly. "Who has done this?"

Aware that he was staring at the Paliken mark on her neck, she answered truthfully, "It was done by Lord Iah of the Northern lands." A growl emanated from the priest, "but, he did it to save my life." She said hurriedly in his defense.