Kindly edited by @CollinHarrison4

"You push too hard," Kelton said to Rolic. The argument was growing tiring after so many days. Rolic had squirmed into it slowly as if he could pile disconnected assumptions one upon the other to prove his misguided theory.

"We are nearing the temple," Rolic said, adding a shrug as if it were an excuse. "I only desire you to consider the last-of-the-line. It would strengthen the tale and add fierceness to those who follow you."

"Consider?" Kelton chuckled. He took a small leap over a muddy rut in the road. It had rained the day prior, making for an uncomfortable night. "I have been pushed and pulled about by many things since I ended that Brother long ago. None have pushed as hard as you."

"The dream," Rolic said. A fact to be sure, but not one that Kelton would allow to be more than it was: an incessant morning ritual.

"Aye, it struggles as hard as you," Kelton agreed. Then he smiled, remembering Juno's way of caressing the dream away. "Though now it bends me more toward my love. I think Juno is jealous of it." He made sure Rolic saw his happiness. "Does it make me a demon to enjoy such a thing?"

"It is more than a tale; that is all I am saying," Rolic said.

"Or it is only a story," Kelton countered. They shifted to the other side of the road to avoid a portion that still held ankle-deep water. "My hair is red, not of fire - that alone matches as much as it does not. The idea that all will fail if I do not capture Serenity's heart is self-defeating. It was not for her that I returned. Juno is why I am here, not Serenity. Why do you fear Juno so?"

"It is not fear," Rolic said. "She has a strong mind and will die for you. If you were a merchant or farmer, there would be no better choice. But it is a queen you seek, and that requires a purity that Juno ..."

"Step careful," Kelton warned. He had been anticipating the discussion to deteriorate into Juno's past. Rolic had been tentative at first, but now he was grasping at feeble straws. "Your past is no better than hers, and you had a choice in it."

"Aye," Rolic said, surrendering with a sigh.

"I care not for what was," Kelton said. He indicated a clear path near the trees that would avoid an especially muddy portion of the road. "Nor will I get pulled further than I desire. Serenity is in my dreams, so I shall allow her to remain so she may find her part in the story, nothing more. It is as far as I am willing to go." He stopped and turned fully toward Rolic. "Juno is my heart. I fear what I would do if someone were to come between us."

Rolic stopped, then smiled. "You were less stubborn before you traveled across the sea."

"Me?" Kelton said, turning back to the road. "Mayhap, you should argue this with Juno."

"I fear a stone wall would be more giving," Rolic said. His voice quieted. "I am not in her favor these days."

"She does not trust you," Kelton said. "Though it was her words that convinced me to take this journey. Odd how she thinks you are trustworthy enough for this." He stopped again, this time without turning around. "You had words with her that I am not to ask about. She thought it best I travel unburdened by them. The true burden is not knowing them, yet my love asks me to trust. So I trust. That is the depth of my love, for curiosity gnaws hard at my patience. Tell me you were not false with her."

"Nay, I was not," Rolic said. "What is coming will prove it true enough. My sorrows for using her in this. I saw no other way."

"And you call me stubborn," Kelton said with a chuckle. They started moving again.

Traveling with Rolic was easier on the legs and ate less time than moving an army in secret. No trees to climb over or rocky cliffs to avoid. Two with the Knowing had no need to blunder through trees. Any threat could be sensed and avoided well before it neared. The lowered risk allowed them dry beds two nights ago in the village of Feller Crossing. It was a simple task to remain anonymous in the crowded tavern, one frequented by merchants who come and go along the crossed roads that gave the town its name. It was also something to look forward to on the return trip, seasoned beef instead of greasy game.

They rounded a bend in the road and followed it up a hill composed mostly of rock and a few scraggy trees. It presented a vista of the surrounding countryside, a view of the treetops that carpeted the land.

"It is higher than I remember," Kelton said.

"What?" Rolic said, puffing as he trudged to the apex of the hill. His age was showing.

Kelton pointed at the sky to the odd chunk of something that seemed to float there. "It is like a small moon or a dull star that has fallen close. I have never seen such a thing. It shines like a day moon." He turned to Rolic. "I thought the stars eternal."

Rolic examined the object, squinting. "Odd," he agreed. "I have seen the like before, though not as large. The last I saw had twin tails, fanning away like water off a ship. It is nothing to worry on."

"The last?" Kelton asked. "You have seen more than one like that?"

Rolic nodded. "It is the largest, though. I remember the first I saw. I had barely reached your count in winters and called it a sign." He chuckled. "A sign for the girl I fancied to allow me access to her charms. My deceit showed profit that day."

"I have talked to others," Kelton said. "None have seen such a thing. How is it you have seen more than one? Did you not share our sky in the past?"

"Another place," Rolic said as he started down the hill. "Another time. It is not a worry. It will leave as it arrived after floating across the sky."

"Some who have seen it say it is the Goddess," Kelton said.

"Wise," Rolic said as Kelton caught up to him. "It is a timely arrival, and you should make use of it. Many see things that are not connected and connect them. They can become adamant in their desires and steered as one does horses. Draw the line for them, and they will follow you to the ends of the world."

"It is Serenity who proclaims my divinity," Kelton said. "I will have no part in it."

"So she is beautiful and wise," Rolic said, a sly smile curling his lips as he resumed his coaxing.

"You are stubborn," Kelton said, shaking his head. Juno was his Goddess, and he needed no other.

Kelton stood with Rolic in the trees a few steps before grassland replaced the forest. In the middle of the field lay a large stone structure, its walls ten men high without openings of any sort save a wooden double door at its base. It was huge. Though not as tall, it was three or four times the breadth of King Victalica's palace. It had none of the stylings of that castle, nothing to appeal to the eye. It was a block of rock plopped on the land, almost ugly.

"No guards?" Kelton asked.

"You would assail that?" Rolic asked. "There is no need to keep a sharp eye with the many Knowing inside. Attackers would break themselves on the walls as the Brethren formed. It would be a slaughter." He indicated the open ground. "It is a killing field for bows from the roof. There is good reason the temples are avoided by most."

"I have read of sieges," Kelton said. "They can be starved out."

"Aye," Rolic agreed. "Knowledge of such things is hindered here, as you know, and the Knowing makes such tactics more difficult. They have supplies for winters, if need be. More than enough time to gather other Brethren. Do you think it hard for those with the Knowing to sneak past those without?" He shook his head. "It would take armies beyond what is here, and the promise precludes the gathering of allies."

Rolic's finger pointed to the left side of the structure. "A great portion of that side is open on the inside, home to trees and a pond - a tranquil place when the weather is right. It is fed by a stream that enters under the corner and leaves out the other side. It is well-guarded by iron grates. The other side hosts the stable entrance, with thick oak doors like what you see ahead."

"They do not venture out?" Kelton asked.

"At times," Rolic replied. "It is easier to pretend to be divine when the normality of life is hidden." He shrugged. "Not that we can be easily snuck upon, but there is a limit to the Knowing's reach - best to keep things hidden from sharp eyes."

"Gossamer said none enter, yet I can sense many beyond the walls. Soldiers?"

"Nay," Rolic said, his eyebrows raised. "Your Knowing is far better than most. The trees here are beyond the limit of all I know. Beyond mine as well."

"If not soldiers, who?" Kelton asked. The answer came to him before he finished asking it.

"The Chosen," Rolic said. His voice lowered to a level that bespoke shame. "Saved ones. It is what you must see." He dropped his pack and began removing the white robes.

"I can sense them; why must I see them?"

"To believe," Rolic replied cryptically. He held forth a robe. Kelton stood firm, the risk of it looming larger. Rolic sighed. "Trust me once more. If I am false, you can end me first. I will leave my blade here if you wish."

Kelton took the robe. "Keep your blade." Juno desired him to see, and that tipped the scale of his decision. Property, be they called cursed, Chosen, or saved ones, are slaves. In this, he and the Nagada were one. To him, seeing seemed an unnecessary risk since ending it was already his goal. Yet, Rolic and Juno thought it necessary. He would trust for a moment longer.

Rolic pulled a small jar from his pack and untied the leather cover that sealed it. "Bind your hair," he said, handing the strip of leather to Kelton. After it was tied, Rolic stood in front of Kelton and dipped his fingers in the jar. They came back coated with black goo. "The hood will cover most, but we must hide the red as best we can." He smiled. "My sorrows. It will take many baths to fade away."

"Will they not check closely?" Kelton asked as Rolic began to apply the goop.

"Nay," Rolic replied. He used his fingers to comb in the color above Kelton's forehead, staining the tips of his fingers dark as well. "My presence is what they will see. I am held in some regard, and that will be our true camouflage. We only need to hide the obvious."

"My scar," Kelton said, touching his cheek.

"It has faded well enough, and I can make it look more bruised than scarred. Keep the hood on and pull it close. Where we travel, it will be lamplit with shadows that hide details well enough."

"Have you no fear?" Kelton asked.

"Entering, nay," Rolic replied. "Leaving may be more problematic, but we are Unseen. We will likely be gone before many realize we were there. I trust your blades will carve out an exit if need be. Returning, well, that will no longer be an option. I will lose all regard after this day, and new protocols will be in place."

They emerged from the trees, two white robes following the road to the temple's doors. The feat of construction became more apparent as they neared. It was a formidable structure, well beyond the stone skill that existed in the rest of Aragonia. There was strong mortar between the stones, not a mixture of mud and straw as the rest of the land used.

"The road is well-used," Kelton said.

"Merchant wagons," Rolic said. "There are many who profit from the Brethren. They do not look highly on your return." He paused for a moment. "And of course, the Brethren travel to collect tithes, spread the Goddess' word and such."

"The Choosings," Kelton added.

"Aye."

"There were always soldiers," Kelton said.

"They are joined elsewhere," Rolic said. "Only the King and Hold Lords have entered a temple. Even merchants unload their wagons outside."

"It seems a prison of sorts."

"Aye," Rolic agreed, but added nothing else.

They arrived at the unguarded door, which still felt odd to Kelton. The Brethren relied heavily on the Knowing and deeply trusted that one of their own would not betray. A frightening thought to have so close to the door. Perhaps Rolic had not stepped to Kelton's side after all.

"Follow my lead," Rolic said and pounded the side of his fist on the oaken doors. They were thick and sturdy, the sound deep and resonant.

Kelton felt inside his robes and again tested his access to Spider's-bite. Rolic had rusted in the last winters, and, if he were false, he would fall before he could draw his blade. Another thought forced Kelton to look upward. His nerves were imagining bows above, but there were none. He forced himself to calm as he heard a latch slide and the door opened.

"Rolic?" a white-robed man said, then opened the door wide.

"Well met, Thorin," Rolic said with a nod and strode into the temple without hesitation. Kelton followed, ducking his head until he was out of the sunlight. The entry room was dim, lit only by a single sconce mounted high on the wall. When the door closed, it became difficult to see clearly - it took a moment for his eyes to adjust.

"I had heard you denied us," Thorin said. He was smiling as if Rolic's visit were a gift. "I can see the winters have been taking their toll." Thorin wore a mustache almost as long as Rolic's. The beads that entwined the sides were of gold, not the colored stone Rolic preferred.

"Magna'est has made a request of me," Rolic said. His head jerked, indicating Kelton. "Sent this fresh one to see me safe."

"I would have thought he'd send an army," Thorin said. He glanced briefly at Kelton, then returned his attention to Rolic. Kelton assumed that fresh ones, whatever they were, held little power in the Brethren.

"I did not desire to wait," Rolic said, then chuckled. "Hard enough to pull this one away from his entourage. This demon has him wary."

"Burning, I heard."

"Aye," Rolic said, his tone becoming serious. "It is why I am here. I find myself needed, and without a daughter."

"You will lead us?" Thorin asked. There was excitement in his voice. He held Rolic in high regard.

"It has been demanded of me," Rolic replied. "It would be selfish to strand my family, would it not?"

"Truly," Thorin said. "This is good news, good news indeed. Do you know Barl?"

"Aye."

"Good," Thorin said. "He is tasked with the teaching room and has become skilled." He pointed down the right hall. "You should not delay if your graying hair is any guide." Rolic laughed with Thorin as if he weren't just insulted.

Kelton grunted a half chuckle, not wanting to seem out of place. The teaching room interested him most. He suspected it was where the Knowing was acquired. Perhaps it is the secret promise and can be undone. It struck him odd he wasn't told, for he knew the subject well enough. If it could be undone, he would believe the words and could test it with ease. No, that could not be all. Juno would have told him if it were simple. There was something more, something to do with the daughter Rolic mentioned.

"Shall I see to this one?" Thorin asked, indicating Kelton.

"Aye," Rolic said and began to turn, then recanted. "Nay. He has proved his worth and will remain at my side." He waved Kelton to follow.

Kelton straightened and smiled as if the Goddess herself had complimented him. A good ruse, since Thorin patted his shoulder and said, "Protect him well." Kelton nodded as he followed Rolic.

The stone walls of the temple were suffocating. The timbered roof was low, and the halls tight. It was the lack of openings; no windows to let in the outside. It smelled stale as if the air had been there for winters beyond count. The lamps were sparse, a good twenty paces between them, adding to the oppressive dimness.

They passed many doors; some opened, exposing better-lit rooms. Rolic nodded to some of the occupants, many not wearing the white. Kelton assumed that a more lax atmosphere was assumed when there was no chance of exposure. The robes were no different than a soldier's uniform. It announced power, but meant nothing inside the group who projected that power.

In one room, a vast one, Kelton glimpsed a small girl. Timid, she moved quickly out of sight as they passed. Kelton was sure there were scars upon her skin. One deep along her cheek and others looked like burns on her arms. The teaching room took on a new meaning. Perhaps it was no different than the lesson he had suffered. But what would be the purpose? It would be simple for men to control the young Chosen without marring their skin. It was not like they could run from the Knowing. And why young ones? Women would be better servants in all ways if one were to believe the audacious talk of men. Perhaps they required teachings that took many winters. What of Juno and the other cursed - it made little sense to build two tiers of the same thing. Something he did not understand was happening. The world was broken, and here it may be shattered into insane pieces.

Rolic stopped at a door, second from the last, and knocked. He had to repeat it louder when no one answered. The door opened a crack, and frightened eyes appeared. Like the first girl Kelton had seen, her forehead was scarred. It was a crooked thing, traveling from an eyebrow and losing itself in auburn hair.

"Are you Barl's daughter?" Rolic asked. It was said with none of the compassion one would typically offer a young one.

"Aye," the girl answered. "He is not here." The door opened wider, and she pointed in the direction of the next door. The response surprised Kelton. There was some fear, yet a complete lack of respect in it. No honorific, as if none were required. A strange mix of tone from one so young.

Rolic turned away, and the door shut. The exchange seemed a functional one, yet unnecessary. Rolic appeared to know the destination before the girl directed him. Kelton felt it was done for his knowledge, though he could not fathom why.

They stopped by the final door, and Rolic turned to Kelton. His voice lowered to a whisper. "If you choose that I am not to leave here, I will understand. Do as you must." Before Kelton could respond, Rolic pushed open the door as if knocking wasn't even a thought.

The smell of the place attacked Kelton's nose; the scent of urine and death mixed with a wave of heat. Rolic entered through the thickness of it, ignoring what he obviously expected. Kelton cringed, tightened his throat, and followed. The door closed behind him.

"I am not to be..." A large man, shirtless and sweating, said as he turned. His eyes widened. "Rolic?"

Kelton's stomach lurched as his eyes were fouled more than his nose. A young one, a girl so small it reminded him of Rebecca, hung from the ceiling, her wrists shackled high above her head. Her naked body showed horrible marks; burns the length of fingers, cuts oozing blood. Her eyes were closed, and she moaned as if she wished life would end. Another, a woman shackled by her ankle, stood barefoot in a sickening puddle below the tortured girl, tending uncaringly to the wounds. The woman stopped with the intrusion and stepped backward. Her tattered dress was well stained with past horrors. The entire room was strewn with ugly implements; their use unknown yet their purpose undeniable.

"What hell is this?" Kelton said, without thinking. The man, Barl, he assumed, turned with some surprise at Kelton's words. He held an iron rod, its tip red from the brazier he had been stirring.