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[Author’s note: Each chapter of the book will be split up into two or more smaller ‘episodes’ that will be released weekly. Also, each chapter’s subtitle will be the name of the point-of-view character and which of their chapters we are on. ]
The acolyte Shavva cracked open an eye and checked again. Old Narmik, the overnight temple guard tasked with babysitting this group of slumbering acolytes, was still planted on his little stool just outside the doorway of the sleep hall.
Wait, did he just move?
From his prone position on his sleeping pallet, Shavva strained to watch Narmik for as long as he could without blinking, looking for even the slightest sign of movement. Nothing. Just the barest rise and fall of his purple and black Blaga tunic as he breathed.
Was he just sitting there? Narmik never just sat still.
But then, a raspy snort. Narmik had fallen asleep!
Not tonight of all nights!
Shavva frantically weighed his options. Should he try to just sneak out? Despite his current snoring, Narmik was a light sleeper. Merely sitting up from their sleep pallets was usually all it took to draw his instant attention and gruff rebuke. No, Shavva couldn’t risk Narmik waking up and finding his sleeping pallet empty, but he also knew he couldn’t just let the old guard sleep the night away. He needed Narmik awake, and busy, on the other side of the temple.
He reached towards the foot of his pallet where his sandals were perfectly arranged and grabbed one, intending to throw it across the room and make a noise, but then thought better of it. He’d be needing that later.
Without moving from his prone position on his pallet, Shavva stretched a hand to where he knew a nearby brother’s sandals were neatly lined up just within reach. He grabbed one of the nurkskin shoes and brought it to his chest. Ugh! This was Brother Stink’s sandal! His toes have had some kind of fungus on them for weeks. It was all Shavva could do not to gag. He had to get rid of this thing quickly.
Drawing Old Narmik’s attention was never a good idea, but his options were running out. Narmik’s heavy breathing was only getting deeper. He was likely settled in for the night unless Shavva did something, quickly. He gripped the sandal and targeted a dark corner at the far end of the dim room. It was now or never. He drew back his arm, but before he could launch it-
[COUGH!]
It was a boy several rows over, one several years younger than Shavva's twelve years. Brother Bug. It was just a light cough, but it was enough. Narmik was instantly alert. He grunted to his feet, then, drew his sword and quietly made his way into the darkened sleep chamber, giving his charges a quick inspection. The old man normally wouldn’t have made a fuss about just a cough, but he probably realized he’d fallen asleep and wasn’t taking any chances.
Shavva clamped his eyes shut and held his breath, saying a silent desperate prayer to Blagastus that Narmik didn’t turn his attention toward him and the reeking sandal still in his hand. He could hear Narmik’s boots scuff against the stone floor as he passed through the rows and rows of motionless boys. He knew at least some of the brothers were like him, awake, but pretending to sleep. Years of enduring grueling chores as punishment had trained them not to move a muscle until Morning Bell, no matter what unusual or interesting things were going on around them or how bad they had to pee.
Narmik’s footsteps grew louder. Shavva willed himself to breathe deeply, just like all the other acolytes around him who actually were asleep. He could feel Narmik’s presence come to a stop right next to him, hovering over him, his stale sweat filling the air. Shavva was certain his own thundering heartbeat was drowning out Narmik’s heavy breathing. Surely the guard had to notice the sandal Shavva was hugging to his chest!
The acolyte thought about just jumping up and confessing his transgressions right then and getting it over with. Even more when he felt a slight pressure at his chest. Narmik had poked the sandal with the tip of his sword. Every instinct screamed at Shavva to open his eyes, but he kept them clamped shut. Shavva felt the sandal gently slide across his chest as Old Narmik used his sword to deftly maneuver it. He heard it plop on the floor next to him, then dragged the short distance to be reunited with the sandal’s mate at the foot of Brother Stink's pallet. The acolyte kept waiting to be hauled to his feet and made an example in front of the other boys. But… Narmik just walked away. What had just happened? None of the other boys would ever believe him that Old Narmik had passed up on an opportunity to scream at one of them.
He heard Narmik make a general sweep of the room before finally retreating to the outer hall. There was some indistinct shuffling and Shavva could hear the faint clink of coins in a pouch, and then footsteps fading down the hallway. A few minutes later he allowed himself to crack open an eye. Narmik’s stool sat empty. He let out a soft sigh.
At last.
The acolyte knew that Narmik had gone to join the other night guards in a game of Ninescale. The gambling game looked pretty simple to Shavva, but Narmik always seemed to be grumbling about his losses. While he had to acknowledge the old man was skilled at guarding children, Shavva wasn’t surprised Narmik came back so often with an empty coin purse. The acolyte himself had never possessed two coins to rub together, much less any to wager in tossing the nine multi-colored ankro scales. He’d likely never have or even need money in his life. But he often dreamed of what he’d be able to do with money. Fine clothes, tables filled with roasted trinko, and dozens of servants to do HIS bidding. Who knows? Maybe tonight’s adventure would result in riches enough that he’d never have to come back to The Godhold.
But first, he had to get off his sleeping pallet.
Shavva waited an extra few seconds to make sure Narmik had indeed gone before finally sitting up and pulling his sandals onto his cold feet. He furtively glanced around to make sure none of the other boys was watching him then slid a hand under his pallet until he found the small parchment. He rolled it up without looking at it and shoved it under the belt of his purple tunic. If what was written on that scroll was true… He rose silently to his feet and began making his way to the hall door, stepping gingerly over and between the sleeping boys, his heart pounding. He was nearly to the outer row when a high-pitched whisper nearly froze his blood.
“Brother Mouth!"
Shavva spun and saw a young boy with a shaved head, just like his own, sitting up and looking at him groggily. Normally, Shavva would punch any acolyte who dared still call him that nickname. He was now Brother Fetch. Only acolytes who had proven themselves useful were allowed to have names. This boy had no real name yet, but they all called him Brother Pilk because he had an upturned nose like a wild pilk.
“Shhhh! You need to get back to bed. Narmik will have your hide if he sees you!”
“But where are you going?”
This wasn’t Shavva’s first escape from the hall. And not the first time a sleepy brother had spied him slinking out. Usually, his illicit excursions just took him through the maze of corridors and side passages of the massive Godhold temple when Narmik, or whichever guard was on duty that night, would go off to gamble. He’d spend hours exploring the ancient tower, secretly watching the cooks prepare the next day’s meals in the kitchens, or second-level acolytes studying The Illuminations of the Nine Gods in one of the many libraries. When no one was in a library, he’d sometimes pull out a scroll and read some of the sacred texts, even though he knew that knowledge was forbidden for someone at only first level. He’d often later astound his Luminants by having insights into truths no one his age should know. There were… many things he’d seen and heard he knew he shouldn’t know about. On the occasions he'd been spotted by adults, he'd usually managed to think quickly on his feet and convince them he was on a special errand. A few times his story didn't fool anyone, and he had the stripes on his arms to show for it. But when caught sneaking out by one of the other acolytes, his story was now second nature.
“Luminant Hagaba caught me being afraid again. He was very angry. You remember the teachings about fear, don’t you?”
The young boy nodded solemnly.
"Say it."
"~The faithful of Blagastus fear nothing but cowardice.~"
Shavva knew the punishment for cowardice, being sent to The Gates, was the most terrifying consequence imaginable to every acolyte or servant. The Gates were beneath the temple, far below even the catacombs, the only thing holding the raging One God at bay until the end of time. All knew that to stand next to the Gates meant you were putting yourself where the One God could see you and talk to you and try to corrupt you. If you stood TOO close, he’d grab you with his fur-covered hands and take over your body. This is what they were all taught, and the even more terrible legends that got passed among the acolytes only made the One God even more nightmare-inducing.
"I showed fear and now I must go stand secret guard at The Gates for several hours."
Brother Pilk let out a soft whimper. There it is.
“Oh no, brother. That was fear! You’re going to have to come with me!”
“No! No! I wasn’t afraid.” He could practically smell the boy’s terror.
“I don’t know, brother. I don’t want to have to tell Hagaba that you were afraid. Can you promise not to tell anyone you saw me tonight?”
Evoking the name of Luminant Hagaba was enough to terrify any acolyte, himself included. Of all their teachers, Hagaba was the most ancient, his robes seemed to barely hang on his skeletal form. Shavva knew the last thing anyone would ever do was voluntarily speak to Hagaba.
“YES, I promise, Brother Mouth!”
Shavva suppressed the anger swelling within him. This acolyte was just a stupid baby, and this was already taking too long.
“Good. Now get back to bed.”
The boy laid back down on his pallet and in the dim light Shavva spied the claw tattoo on the back of the boy’s bald head, marking him as a servant of Blagastus. He had one just like it, he assumed, but he’d never seen it. Every acolyte had a tattoo of their god. All of the boys in this hall were appointed to Blagastus, the fiercest of the Nine Gods, the raging predator, forever stalking the Veiled Lands.
~The claws of Blagastus, tearing asunder all obstacles in his path.~ The words came unbidden to his mind. The oldest words Shavva remembered.
He darted the rest of the way past the sleeping acolytes to the deserted hallway. Laying in a pile on the floor next to the stool was Narmik’s purple cloak. Normally a cloak would slow Shavva down on his explorations, but tonight was different. He picked up the thick garment and tossed it over his head and shoulders. He noted with some satisfaction that the hem of the cloak was now barely scraping the ground. He’d clearly grown a couple of inches since the last time he'd borrowed Narmik’s cloak. What was also clear was that the cloak hadn’t been washed since that last time as well. It reeked of Narmik’s stale body odor and that moldy smell nurkskin developed if it hadn’t been properly tanned before being woven into fabric.
He was getting a later start than he liked, but he figured he still had at least a few hours before the guards ended their Ninescale game. He once saw Narmik stumble back to his stool after a particularly profitable night, just a few minutes before Dawn Bell. Shavva begged Blagastus to bring the old temple guard constant success with the scales tonight. If the scroll proved to be a lie, Shavva would barely have enough time to make it back to his pallet before Narmik returned.
The nine separate acolyte sleeping quarters were deep within the rock of the cliffs that intersected the main tower of The Godhold. Normally, he'd just go up the three floors to the entrance level and then out through the Grand Pavilion or the servant's access, but even at this hour, those areas would be swarming with activity and unwanted attention. No, tonight, he was heading toward the outer ring of the tower, to a mostly abandoned section that had been in disrepair for as long as he’d been an acolyte. He had to be extremely careful because this area wasn’t ALWAYS abandoned. This was where he knew some guards sneaked women in and had their way with them. If they were there now, his mission would be over before it began.
~Blagastus, devour the unworthy.~ Do it tonight if you have to.