Chapter 395: The High Priestess

The wind howled at the top of Mt. Moon Fang, bringing about a cold chill that seeped into the bones of all the goblins standing at the top of the mountain’s stairs. Stryg and his companions stood waiting in front of the temple, hoping for entry, though the malice rising in the encroaching guards made such a hope seem less and less plausible.

Then as if walking out of a fairy tale the temple gates creaked open and a woman clad in white robes stepped outside. She walked with an elegant gait, head held high, eyes filled with calmly assured purpose.

The harsh winds quieted and only a soft breeze blew by, sending the woman’s robes fluttering behind her. A silver-ebon wreath sat on her dark hair like a shining crown in the setting sun.

The crowd of travelers waiting outside and the guards alike all suddenly stopped what they were doing and dropped to their knees in a deep bow.

The silver-ebon wreath was unmistakable, there was only one. Where the Guardian of the Sylvan was the protector of the people and feared by most, the Silver Mother was the high priestess of the tribes and admired by all.

Stryg watched in silent awe as Silver Mother herself walked towards them. The guards begged the high priestess for forgiveness, they had not meant to disturb her meditation, yet she wasn’t interested in their apologies, she wasn’t interested in them whatsoever. All her attention was on… First Mother?

“Auri!” the high priestess screamed giddily and rushed her with a bear hug. “Praise the Mother Moon, you’re finally back!”

Stryg watched flabbergasted as they embraced and the Silver Mother began to talk to her cordially, even stranger was how First Mother was being so cold towards her, and yet the Silver Mother wasn’t ordering her to be executed. It was almost as if they were friends.

The idea that his First Mother, the most rigid and stern goblin he knew had friends was odd, if not outright unbelievable.

Stryg didn’t want to disturb the revered Silver Mother, but the longer she spoke with First Mother the more his curiosity rose.

“Um, I don’t mean to interrupt,” Stryg asked meekly. “But how do you two know each other?”

The moment the words escaped his lips, regret filled his chest. Had he been too straightforward? Had he just disrespected the most revered of the Sylvan Mothers?

“Who are you—?” The Silver Mother glanced at him and did a double take. Her eyes widened to saucers and her jaw went slack. She began jumping up and down, giggling like a little girl and turned to Aurelia with a giant grin. “Auri, is this who I think it is?”

“Don’t,” Aurelia snapped.

“Oh, right, right. I got this,” she nodded while trying to suppress her giddiness. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and cleared her throat, “Ahem. Ah, yes. What was your question, young man?”

Stryg didn’t know what to make of her reaction but he hesitantly asked his question once more. “Uh, how do you know my tribe’s First Mother?”

“Oh, that’s easy, I’m Auri’s bestest friend in the whole wide world,” she grinned. “You can call me Auntie Vi!”

“Auntie Vi?” Stryg wrinkled his brow.

“What did I just say?” Aurelia growled at the Silver Mother.

“What? You and I are practically like sisters and you are his First Mother, right?” she shrugged.

“Not the point,” Aurelia glared at her.

“Fine.” She turned to Stryg and smiled wide, “My name is Virella, the Silver Mother of the Sylvan people and the High Priestess of the city of Evenfall. It is nice to formally meet you, Stryg.”

“Wait, you know my name?” he asked, surprised.

“Of course, I do,” Virella laughed. “I used to visit your village on many occasions, but my duties in the Celestial Shrine only continued to grow, and I’ve been too busy to visit ever since. The last time I saw you you could barely walk.” She stood on her tiptoes, reached up, and touched his forehead, “Clearly, you’ve grown a lot since.”

“Ah— thank you,” he blushed.

“Hehe. Now, I’m guessing since Auri can be such a hardass, she never told you anything about me, did she?” Virella glanced at Aurelia dubiously.

Aurelia crossed her arms and stayed silent.

“Oh, uh, no, I guess not. I’m sorry,” Stryg bowed his head.

“Don’t apologize, it's not your fault she never told you about her bestest friend ever. Auri has always been like that,” Virella sighed dramatically. “Welp! Then I’ll have to do it for her!”

“Actually, we are quite busy. We only came by to give our respects to the Mother Moon and be on our way,” Aurelia interrupted.

Virella clapped her hands together, “Great! Then I’ll be your personal guide within the temple. We can talk on the way. That includes those two outsiders too.”

Aurelia shook her head, “I know the temple quite well, we’ll be fine.”

“Nonsense, I insist!” Virella said.

“High priestess, are you certain of this?” the captain of the guards asked worriedly. “We don’t know these outsiders. We cannot guarantee your safety inside the temple if you’re with them.”

Virella’s expression suddenly grew cold. “Did I ask for your opinion, captain? No. No, I did not. Now go away before I toss you off the mountaintop.”

“R-Right away!” the captain bowed and scurried away with the rest of his men.

Stryg felt a pang of pity for the captain simply trying to do his job. But Stryg was beginning to understand why the high priestess was best friends with First Mother.

“Sorry about that, he was terribly rude.” Virella turned to Stryg with a warm smile, “Now, where were we? Ah, yes, a tour of the temple. Come, follow me.” And with that, she spun on her heel and walked back to the gates without even bothering to check if they were following.

“Can we trust her?” Tauri whispered.

“I dunno, but I kinda like her,” Plum said.

“You like the woman who just threatened to murder one of her guards?”Tauri raised an eyebrow.

Plum shrugged, “I mean, she only threatened him, I’ve seen other Sylvan do a lot worse.”

Aurelia groaned to herself. “Come on, you three. Knowing Virella she won’t stop pestering us until she’s had her way. Might as well get this over with as quickly as possible.”

Stryg and his companions followed Aurelia’s steps with a nod.

The temple was surrounded by imposing columns of white marble that stretched towards the sky. The entrance was flanked by a pair of towering statues of two goblin warriors, each with spears held high as if to ward off any intruders.

“Shoes off,” Virella said at the gates, then walked in.

Stryg slipped off his travel-worn boots without hesitation and stepped inside the temple eagerly.

Despite the cold weather outside, the polished stone floors were warm to the touch. The temple atrium was a wide open space with several long hallways leading towards unseen areas. Several priestesses walked through the atrium with quiet dignity and bowed to the high priestess, before heading off into one of the hallways.

Torchlight flickered across the walls, illuminating the scenes of epic battles from the era of Lunis. Stryg looked at the different battles with interest, imagining how they played out in his mind, but as he looked up he froze in wonder.

A painting of the ebon gods stretched across the ceiling. Each was painted in vivid colors, depicting the gods in their own realms of power.

The Guardian of the realm and goddess of war, Bellum stood proud, clad in golden armor, wielding her sword of black flames amidst the broken remains of a battlefield. Her eyes burned with golden light underneath her helm and her mouth was open in an eternal warcry. A horrid beast with sharp fangs and two heads lay dead underneath her feet.

The Traveler and god of stars, Stjerne walked in a serene landscape, his surroundings appearing to change from one step to another. Spring flowers in a winter storm, rain falling in a desert, and an ocean clashing with raging volcanoes. His skin was bare, save for the fur of a fallen beast wrapped around his waist. In his hand, he held a staff that shined with the inner light of the stars. A two-faced mask adorned his face, one half golden with a frown, the other ebon black with a smile.

The Mystery and god of the deep earth, Caligo sat hunched in the shadows of a deep cave, a mountain rising above him. He was naked, his arms wrapped around his shoulders as if trying to comfort himself. His skin was a myriad of earthen shades and his claws glinted like polished silver in the darkness. Like the other gods, his face was hidden. His features were covered in shadows, save for his eyes that glowed in a myriad of colors.

The Watcher and goddess of the moon, Lunae sat in the center, looking from above at the others. She was surrounded by her harbingers, the frost wolves. Her white hair flowed around her in long weaves that intertwined with another, one Stryg hadn’t seen before. His skin was silver like Lunae’s but where her hair was as pale as the moon, his was as dark as the night sky. The two held hands and smiled at one another. Their expressions were hidden behind masks but Stryg felt that they were smiling.

Virella quietly walked up behind Stryg. “Do you like it? Of course, you do. The illustration of the five ebon gods is one of our proudest displays. I hear it took the artists many years to get the colors just right.”

“Five gods? I thought there were only four…” Stryg said.

“Then your education is clearly lacking,” she patted his shoulder sympathetically.

“Who is he? The one with Lunae?”

“Ah, that is the Mother Moon’s twin brother, the Ebon Wolf, Solis,” Virella said with quiet reverence. “Lunae and Solis were the first of the ebon gods, the Moon and Sun, the Darkness and Light, the Dusk of the Realm.”

“Veronica's father, Lord Sientia, once told me that Hollow Shade tried to hide the existence of Solis; they claimed he was dead,” Plum said.

“Why would they do that?” Stryg asked.

“I don’t know,” Plum admitted.

“Neither do I,” Tauri said. “What I do know is that the Ebon Lords of old were the ones who first claimed that the sun god was dead. My father believed that it was a mockery of the valley tribes and their patron deity. Or perhaps a reminder of Hollow Shade’s power over Dusk Valley.”

“The Ebon Lords have always been greedy and deceitful beings. I wouldn’t believe anything they say,” Virella said disdainfully.

“They were monstrous tyrants, that's for certain,” Plum nodded in agreement.

“It is odd for a drow to say such a thing, but yes, you are right. You keep strange company, Stryg. I like it,” Virella grinned.

“I knew I liked her,” Plum whispered to Tauri.

“So, Stryg, what do you think of the Celestial Shrine so far, hm?” Virella asked.

Beautiful was the word that kept echoing in his mind, but it somehow felt inadequate. “I… I’m at a loss for words. I didn’t know our people could make something so… perfect.”

“The Sylvan did not build this temple, our Lunisian ancestors did,” Virella said softly. “Unfortunately, the harsh lives of our people in these lands have driven us into a position where most cannot spare time for loftier things such as art, but we have not forgotten what it means to live. What it feels to admire a piece of art and fall in love with the emotions painted with every stroke.”

“Enough with the sightseeing, let’s move along,” Aurelia said curtly.

“Very well, follow me,” Virella turned and headed down one of the many halls.

Stryg followed close behind her, eager to learn and see more of this place.

Virella noticed his enthusiasm and she smiled, “Auri and I had a very similar expression when we first came here.”

“Really?” Stryg glanced at First Mother who was following from a distance with an apathetic expression. It was hard to imagine her being amazed at anything, even now she only seemed eager to leave this place.

“Back then we shared a room at the Silver Hall Keep. We had to climb those endless steps up the mountain to reach the temple every single day,” Virella said.

“I… I didn’t know First Mother lived here,” Stryg said slowly. He was beginning to think he didn’t know his tribe’s matriarch well after all.

“Auri is a woman of very few words, believe me. As acolytes we were brought to the temple to be initiated in the trials of the Shrine Priestess. Auri was always so quiet, cold even. She didn’t care to talk to me, or anyone for that matter, she was just focused on the goal. I thought she was the most stuck-up girl I had ever met.”

“And you’re her best friend?” Stryg furrowed his brow.

Virella smiled reminiscently. “Did you know only the most talented and promising young women are chosen to train at the Celestial Shrine? Our training is extreme and taxing on the body. There is no room for failure. One day, while we were climbing the mountain’s steps I tripped and fell down, and I…I broke my ankle. I couldn’t climb the steps, even if I wanted to. Believe me, I tried, I really tried, but I knew in the end that I couldn’t make it.”

Virella sighed, “The other acolytes walked past me with disdain, some even taunted me, happy to have one less competitor. A few of them even looked at me with pity, that was the worst, I think. I tried to get up, I tried my best to push through the pain. I screamed in frustration and with tears in my eyes I climbed a few steps at a time, until I collapsed and couldn’t climb anymore.”

Virella’s expression turned bitter. “I thought it was over, I knew my chance at the Celestial Shrine was gone. All my work for the last decade, destroyed in a single moment of carelessness. And then Aurelia of the Blood Fang walked past me. My quiet and arrogant roommate that refused to talk with any of the other acolytes. Without a word, she picked me up, threw me on her shoulders, and began carrying me up the mountain. I asked her why, I told her to stop, that I was ruining her chances of succeeding, but she didn’t say anything, she just kept climbing, even when her breathing got rough, and her legs began to shake, she kept climbing.”

“When we finally reached the top, Aurelia asked me if I could stand. I said yes. She nodded, put me down, then walked away. I spent the rest of that day hobbling on one foot, but I managed to make it through the training and had a shaman tend to my injuries in the evening. Later, when I asked Auri why she helped me she simply said, ‘That’s what friends do.’”

Virella smiled, “I’ve had her back ever since and she’s had mine. If there is one person I will never abandon in this world, it’s Aurelia. It doesn’t matter if she likes to keep quiet or if she never talks about me. I will stand by Auri’s side, always. So, don’t worry too much about Sabina. Things will turn out alright.”

“Sabina?” Stryg stopped in his steps. “You mean Sabina the Mother Elect? Of the Sylvan tribunal? Why would I be worried about her?”

Virella’s smile fell. “Auri really never told you anything, did she?”