“Does Tyrman worship a God of Commerce?”

Emma had led Eric all around the city, showing him a brief glimpse of every district and area, save for the Royal Palace. This had taken almost the entire day, and the sun was now starting to duck out of sight behind the high walls around the city. Eric had been fascinated by all the different functions and services the city had offered. Some were enticing, others repulsing. Perhaps the largest shock of the day, at least for him, had been the temple of Bora Bora Ciayol, Emma’s descendant.

It wasn’t until he actually set foot into the temple that the sheer influence and power of the god was hammed into his brain. Emma had explained that his domains were dragons, family bonds, earthly pleasures, chaotic magic, and death. Each and every one of those facets was represented by an available ritual or service.

The sections for dragons and family bonds were rather simple, just a golden altar at which one could pray to Bora Bora. The section of the massive temple dedicated to Death looked like a funeral home, based on his memory of the one he visited during a school tour. The priests there spoke in soft, mournful voices that sent shivers down his spine. He quickly moved away, supremely uncomfortable with the entire experience.

The biggest surprise was Earthly Pleasures. It wasn’t until he actually took a closer look at this, the largest, section, that he realized just what it meant. It was like someone had combined a gourmet all-you-can-eat buffet with a brothel and gentleman’s club. It was placed in such a way that children visiting the family section couldn’t see, but it was still a mere eighty feet away. That couldn’t possibly be allowed, could it? Eric shook himself vigorously, tore his eyes away from a demonic-looking woman holding a barbed whip, and hurried after Emma.

“Don’t like that part of the temple, I take it?” Emma asked. When he shook his head hurriedly, she smiled. “I admit, it’s a bit extreme for the public temple. But people do enjoy it, both followers and others. Thanks to Bora Bora’s unique outlook on such pleasures, many people in the world have become more casual about it all. Many followers of Bora Bora are known to be quite promiscuous.”

“Are you?” The question came out of Eric faster than he could stop it. “Sorry, that was rude.”

“Not at all,” Emma said with a reassuring smile. “I’m not as avid as most, but I’m not chaste, either. I’ve had a few partners in my life, but I’m very selective.”

Eric breathed a hidden sigh of relief as she answered. His relief increased even further as they started making their way out. Emma had only taken a few minutes at the altar at the center to pray. It was a large statue, presumably of the god, on a huge golden foundation. In the god’s hand was a scythe. Even in statue form, the scythe seemed to emanate a cold, dreadful presence. Eric was quite glad to leave the building.

“Is there any prayers you wish to offer?” Emma asked him. “I gather that you’re not too involved with any gods, but it can be beneficial to pray to them, even if only as a request for something.”

“The gods just accept requests?” That didn’t tally with what he knew of gods, he thought. They were supposed to be high and mighty creatures that didn’t have a care for mortals. “For anything?”

“Well, not anything,” Emma said hesitantly. She frowned slightly, evidently framing her words carefully to avoid confusing him further. “If it’s within their power, and you have good standing with them, you can achieve a great deal. But there are rules, such as no asking for wealth, control over others, or for others to die.”

“But outside of that?”

“If you pay a tribute, depending on how much the god likes the tribute, they may grant you a boon. Boons are very useful. Depending on the god in question, they may help you in combat, business, or even everyday life. I knew a man once who prayed to the God of Life, and was healed of a deadly poison without a cure.”

“I see…” Eric didn’t know how to start but thought it would be worth a try. “Who do you recommend I pay tribute to?”

“That’s an interesting question,” Emma tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well, if you want aid in combat, then you should pray to Shigeru, Attos, Komag, Grimr, or even Bora Bora. All were known to be exceptional combatants, and have boons for fighting.”

“And if I weren’t interested in a combat-based boon?”

“Arcana could help you learn. In some cases, he can even give you knowledge outright. Minerva can help with luck, Atlas with fiscal success, and Milagre can heal you of any ailment. There are many more, but they are the main gods. A new one appears or dies every few years, so your options do change.”

She explained the whole process as if it were nothing more extravagant than explaining the different options on a menu. If Emma was like the rest of Ahya in this regard, then it was clear that gods paid a bigger role than any ever had on Earth. He thought silently for a few minutes, mulling it all over before making up his mind.

“Arcana,” he said slowly. “I think I’ll pay tribute to him.”

Emma looked at him in faint surprise, her mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown again. “Interesting choice. I would have expected you to say Shigeru or Atlas.”

Eric only shrugged. He knew nothing about Shigeru, whoever he was, and Atlas was the god of thieves, which didn’t interest him in the slightest. Grimr seemed to be the God of Nature, or at least nature-oriented, which could wait for later. Arcana was God of Knowledge, and Samuel Bragg served him. Eric wanted answers, or at least the ability to learn more about Ahya.

“Alright then,” Emma said, leading him away from Bora Bora’s temple. “Let’s you and I go visit Arcana’s only shrine, then. Luckily, you don’t need a tribute for Arcana.”

Eric waited until they were out of the Divine District before he asked. “Why is Arcana’s temple located elsewhere in the city?”

“Because the great majority of his followers all belong to a single organization,” Emma explained, quickening her pace as they rejoined the Queen’s Road. “They are the more serious students within the College.”

The Mage’s College, Eric thought. So far he’d only seen the exterior, a tall white marble wall that ringed the campus, with seven white towers that towered over even the palace. Emma had said that the Archmages of the College lived and worked in those towers. Time to get a closer look, he thought with a quiet laugh.

There were no guards posted at the entrance to the college, which Eric found odd. Surely a campus like this would have knowledge they wanted to keep safe or secret. But perhaps the school administrators were sufficient to guard the stores of knowledge, he thought. Or maybe they kept the really good stuff somewhere else.

They walked in through the entrance to the college, passing under three elaborate flags. The left hand was instantly recognizable as the flag of Tyrman, a crossed sword and staff, in red, on a field of black. In the middle was a dark blue flag, with an owl stitched out in golden thread. On the right was a dark gray, almost black flag, with a single unlidded eye. He knew that an owl typically designated wisdom, meaning that the center flag was for the College. An unlidded eye was almost always a symbol of truth or knowledge.

“The flag of Arcana,” Emma said, confirming Eric’s thought. “It is the only god officially worshipped by the Mage’s College.”

“Makes sense,” Eric replied. “They would be the organization that follows Arcana studiously.”

“That’s actually the Archivists,” Emma corrected him. “The college recognizes Arcana as their greatest sponsor, but it’s the Archivists who follow the god and serve as his actual priests. Samuel Bragg, who you met yesterday, is their High Priest.”

“He didn’t strike me as the priestly type,” Eric snorted. He hadn’t told Emma about his meeting with Samuel that morning, nor did he intend to. “But it tracks, I suppose. I assume the Archivists are based within the College, then? That’s why we have to come here to pay tribute to Arcana?”

“Indeed.”

They were heading for the largest of the buildings now, a four-storied marble building with tall windows and intricate decorative pillars along the front. It looked like a Greek Senate, Eric thought. Few people were moving about the open area at the moment, though he thought he could see glimpses of colored robes passing by the windows inside the buildings.

“Come on now,” Emma said, taking his hand and pulling him towards the building as he hesitated. “We should hurry, or we’ll be stampeded by the students when the bell rings.”