Shadow at the temple – Chapter 7

Thinking back on her previous escapades as of late, Eyren has to recognize she hasn’t had something quite as tasty as what she’s chewing on at the moment in a fair spell. The quality of this shoo-nea dwom em khri-yoo and its ingredients, not to mention the arakeshu they’re sipping from, is quite frankly insane to her. She can’t stop getting both of them down her gob, to the point where she somehow overlooks that she’s stopped just normally partaking of it, and one could be forgiven for judging that she’s gorging it down. Then again, how often is it that she’s being treated to this stratum of high-class experience?

In the depth of their meal, Eyren does variously note how Malkiz glances at her, and it isn’t until a few minutes in that she realizes her companion’s face is one of amusement. Swallowing the latest gulp, Eyren swigs down some wine and clears her throat.
“Uh…gotta apologize, I think”, she tells Malkiz in Goetejul. “I’m kinda…eating like an ixal right now.”

Thankfully, what she earns is a sweet giggle out of Malkiz.
“No need, shadi. I simply find your behavior quite endearing, as a matter of fact.”

Eyren sighs and shrugs her shoulders.
“Well, while I may have been taught combat techniques from the Rittmark, ‘table manners’ weren’t exactly included…
They were mainly warriors, and many of ’em mercs.”

“No need to fuss over this. I comprehend your struggle with it. I mainly assimilated these manners as an element of my involvement in the shadows.”

“Ah, reasonable.”

“But may I then presume you are not of noble birth?”

“Of…nob-…oh, no no! Hah, far from it. I was born on a farm. Barely even seen the interior of a mansion or castle.”

“Aha. The pieces sort of fit then.”

“’bout my eating habits, ya mean? Well…guess farmers don’t care overmuch, yeah.”

Malkiz snickers and shakes her head.
“That was not an insult, merely an observation. I was only the child of an artisan myself, not anyone of high origins.”

“Oh, right. What kind of crafter?”

“A carpenter. My father, that is. My mother was a hired guard.”

Eyren nods slightly and simultaneously goes at having a sip with a more benign demeanor.
“Well, when we’re sitting here talking about our pasts anyway, could I…ask something a little personal?”

“My answer would depend on the subject.”

“Of course. What I’m talking about is uh…”, she gestures at Malkiz’s left side. “I’ve noted you’re a bit…stiff by that arm.”

Blinking for a second, the spy’s exterior then softens and she bobs her head.
“Ahh, of course. Yes, I had wondered whether you would ask about it, and it is certainly acceptable.”

In that gesture, Malkiz thereby extends her dress to a degree and unveils the remainder of the left arm which was hidden underneath, where two thirds of it appear to be made out of metal. It does make to be of slightly higher quality, albeit is dented in places.
“Oh. That…erm, is that a prosthetic?”

“Indeed it is. Made out of brass. I lost much of my original arm many years prior, and had this one crafted in order to substitute for some of its functions.”

“It’s not from any kind of…war injury or whatnot, right?”

“Hah, no. That would be an exaggeration to allege. Truly, I have never been mired in any type of war, but there are other ways to get maimed in this world.”

“Yeah…yeah, I’m familiar with this.” Eyren elevates her left hand, showing how it sports merely three and a half fingers.

“Oh, yes. I did observe earlier that your hand appeared…damaged.”

“Mhm. It’s from a direwolf attack when I was younger. Heh, wasn’t really prepped for that it would tear into me like that. Could’ve probably chewed my whole arm off, or killed me…”

“Ah. A most…unfortunate event.” Even so, Malkiz doesn’t go into what she herself sustained.

Glimpsing sideways, Eyren equally marks how Karsift has been given a cut of food of his own to munch on, where he’s seated on another shelf than priorly, having some kind of bowl with what might be cut-up fish.
“Is this the reason you have him, then?”

“Karsift? Yes and no. I did not go out of my way to track an assistant animal per se. He and I met on a whim when he was more youthful than today, roughly four years before, I think. There were a couple of items I wished to attain inside someone’s office, and I had heard of corvids’ fascination with shining objects and their general sneaky attitudes. To tempt him, I fed him some snacks for several days to make him more relaxed in my presence, until I could aim his attention at my goal. After that, he and I…simply grew close on an incremental basis. We became inseparable.”

“Ooh, I see. So, you’ve kinda conditioned him, then?”

“Mm, only a tiny bit. On the whole, Karsift is just a clever bird.” As he hears his name spoken, the raven halfway diverges his inky eyes at them and bobbles his head several times, but it might be out of playfulness rather than agreement. “Is it not likewise with your raptor outside? As for how you met, I mean.”

“Ah, not quite. Razz was ditched as a chick by whoever birthed her, by the time we ran into one another. I just took pity on her and we’ve traveled together since then.”

“Oh, truly quite an unrelated story, then.”

“She and I also fight in battles together, and she has sorta taken on my ‘condition’ to a point, with the Woerdinn.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, she hasn’t been granted ‘powers’ per se, but she’s immune to the destructive transformation, and she seems to sense their presence same as me.”

“Hmm. Quite curious, I agree. I have never battled a Herdbrand, personally, therefore I cannot offer counterpoints.”

“Yeah, few have. I’m assuming you’re not in Dezasha for an identical purpose, though, right?”

“Heh. I was starting to wonder whether this would pique your interest or not. But you are right, I am not. To some extent, my goal is associated with…the Temple of the Shades of Creation.”

“Oh. For real?”

“Of course.”

“But…why?”

“Well, truthfully, it is one of the components in what I’m investigating for Ne Jesut.”

“Uh, is there anything suspicious with the Temple?”

Malkiz playfully shrugs her shoulders.
“There is always something suspicious about everyone, shadi Eyren.”

“…right.”

“How well are you informed of its structure?”

“Uh, the Temple itself? Not like, hugely. Their ‘main’ temple is in Tsabchuur, if I recall correctly?”, she says, bringing up the northeastern province, known for its stormy coastline. “During my travels, I’ve run into Tenkeepers pretty often everywhere, of course. And uh…guess there’s the ten Shades too.”

“All things which are accurate, even if a bit general. But it’s furthermore true to claim that the Grand Temple is situated in Tsabchuur, specifically in Vaarnetii by the coastline, the city struck by Teniyus’ rage.”

“That’s…the sea Shade, isn’t it?”

“It is, yes. Actually, now that we are on the topic, how well-versed are you in the Shades?”

Grumbling a little and scratching her cheek, Eyren peers down.
“…is this a lesson in religious knowledge?”

“Heh, no. I am no educator, but they are still helpful technicalities in order to fathom the affair I’m dealing with.”

“Okay, then…” Breathing in, Eyren leans back and crosses her arms. “Um, well, I know of Woerdinn, suffice it to say. The Shade of Fate was named after my home culture in Steorshlag.”

“Indeed. All the Shades are associated with one of the provinces each.”

“Mm. Teniyus was called that after Tsabchuur’s culture, right?”

“Right you are.”

“And then there’s Xibusein, the…sleep Shade too.”

Malkiz giggles softly and nods her head.
“Perhaps I should take over, so that you don’t have to sit here guessing, even if you were on target once more. Generally, the Shades are divided into three groups of three, each representing a comparative part of the continent’s beliefs and ideologies. The first trio consists of Genayaki, the Shade of Knowledge based in Saraspoyori culture; Dazenboj, the Shade of Prosperity named after Geb’nijki culture; and Chuar Qegio, the Shade of Passion from Vitaloñan culture”, she goes, mentioning the western, northwestern and southern provinces respectively. “This is followed by the second trio, with Bgatum, the Shade of Life’s Realm out of Ngoyameni culture; Xibusein, the Shade of Slumber’s Fields from Shaim Xilan culture; and Mannaze, the Shade of Death’s Domain naturally stemming from Ahterilonan culture.” The secondary provinces she refers to are the central, mid-western and eastern provinces. “The last trio we also passed by briefly. Amakko, the Shade of the Sky from Enaryunan culture; Renu’bal, the Shade of the Earth originating in Rhasgolmahan culture; and Teniyus, the Shade of the Sea which you’ll find in Tsabchuuran culture.” Here, she brought up the southwestern, mid-eastern and northeastern provinces.” And lastly, there is assuredly the one you know best – the Shade of Fate, Woerdinn, out of your own northern Steorshlagan culture.”

“Hmm, can’t say I remember all those names super well. But then again, we don’t call them quite the same. In the north, we refer to Death as ‘Helgiwon’ or ‘Hel’.”

“Ahh, yes, I know of that there are all manner of regional specifics, some which sprung from their own ideas of what gods and celestial spirits are. In Ngoyamen, one of the most well-known deities is Nzartwem, the god of fortune, who many people create household shrines to and sacrifice certain goods and other items in order to be blessed. And let’s not forget that Enaryun is perhaps the region which has been least hit by the Temple of the Shades, and they have their own faith which far exceeds the Temple.”

“Guess you’re on point. It is interesting how much the Temple is connected with the old Empire and their idea of ‘ten’ in everything. Ten Shades, ten provinces, and how a legion should preferably include ten thousand soldiers.”

“Inarguably, for this number has had a large impact on the continent, and Ahterilio was no different. At any rate, as for why we speak of Shades and the Temple, it related to what these Shades have supposedly conveyed upon the stars: soon, within no more than a year, there is likely to be an election held in Vaarnetii.”

Eyren raises an eyebrow.
“Election? Of what?”

“Of the next ‘Grand Custodian of the faith’, the leader of the Temple. A Grand Custodian is elected for life by those in the upper echelon of the Temple, the ‘Custodians of creation’. The current holder of this seat is an old fellow, a man in his 80s, and it is said he is ill too, which won’t make him endure for many more months.”

“O…kay. How does that tie into Dezasha? That’s halfway across the continent.”

“Heh, I will get to it. As you may be aware, besides the Grand Custodian and the Custodians of creation, the other two ranks in the Temple are the Shadewarders, leaders of city temples, and Tenkeepers, leaders of shrines and smaller temples in towns and villages. Although it is not constantly this simple and straightforward, generally, the Temple is divided into two major factions – the liberal one and the conservative one. The liberals focus on gaining the ‘favor’ of the Shades, by providing worship, enacting rituals and celebrations. For them, there are no repercussions in less piety, but rather they try to encourage people into believing in the good with the Shades of Creation.
For the conservatives, the concentration is on the fear of ‘disfavor’ from the Shades. A.k.a., if you do not adhere to the Temple’s edicts and rituals, you are defiling the Shades, where they can and will strike back at you. Disaster will follow.”

“Well…never knew the Temple had this kinda explicit setup, but I have met Tenkeepers that represent both sides, obviously.”

“As you should have, for this is by and large the two types you will find anywhere. If you zoom in on the conservatives, the one generally assumed to be in charge is a man known as Khaider ain Soleva, born in Vaarnetii, and currently one of the few Custodians of creation. He feels strongly that the Temple as a whole must revert to an old creed and live strictly by the tenets set by the nature of the Shades, as to not sully their innovation, the world we dwell in. But…this is just an outer.”

“You’re saying he has other ambitions?”

Malkiz snorts and folds her arms in a way.
“That’s the least of it. From what Ne Jesut has discovered, he is a power-hungry old codger, who works with several people of like mind across the continent, including the growingly famous Ennius Coladeus Bayezild, the man who pursued shadi Nivra.”

Eyren widens her eyes.
“The Sun Lord…”

“The one and the same. With the Empire’s demise, the Temple’s influence has slowly been ebbing away, something that can merely be prevented if the Empire is permitted to be reestablished. We trust that Khaider is seeking to aid Ennius’ rise to the throne of the continent.”

“So, it’s this conservative guy you’re checking on in Dezasha?”

“Of a sort. It speaks for itself that he is not present, nor does he keep a powerbase in this region, but you might have spotted the local cult somewhere?”

Eyren scratches her cheek in deliberation.
“Hmm. Guess I did notice a bunch of people gathered around a preacher or something when I disembarked.”

“Well done. If it’s the same man, this preacher is among those who I have collected intel on that may actually be funded by Khaider. The data we acquired in that warehouse points to that their cult leader – a man named Ozdemir who originates from Tsabchuur and was likely the preacher you spotted – has an office in another storage facility.”

“Huh, okay. And you’re going after him? What’s your ploy, then? Storm into that second storehouse?”

“Hardly. I am not a soldier, nor do I retain a full retinue of them, and since this cult is not exactly public, it would be strenuous without a proper detachment. This being said, I take it we could inadvertently recruit one, by enticing the North River guards directly at them.”

“Hmm. Could be kind of a can of worms to make that happen…”

“I suspect as much, not to mention that it will unavoidably spawn issues for these guards to deal with.”

“Huh. And you’d like me to lend a hand?”

“Very much so, as you are clearly a skilled and astute player. Don’t go thinking I’m completely unaware of your circumstances, however. I have heard it stated you are sometimes reluctant to…embroil yourself in certain matters of this ilk. So, what about this: you join me, and take payment from the guard force to assist them with solving the Herdbrand concern, while furthermore getting compensated better by me through Ne Jesut?”

The presentation is made with a blatant glimmer in Malkiz’s vision, one that tells Eyren that this lady knows precisely what she’s up to. This makes the knight sigh.
“…you’re making me sound like a real greedy bastard.”

“No offense intended.”

“Yeah, yeah…but alright then. I won’t turn down a job that pays double.”

“An exceedingly wise conclusion.”

“Are you gonna be there for the infiltration parts yourself?”

“That is the arrangement, yes, much as this lady Zarqui I am masquerading as right now will not. This ‘role’ of hers is merely a façade, to let her nurse a liaison with North River. I simply trade this dress for another outfit when I leave.”

“Ah yeah, I did keep track of how incredibly far off your earlier looks were from this one.”

“Heh. Well, stealthing through the shadows has ever been one of my foremost areas of expertise, whether physical or societal.”

Eyren nods her head with a crooked smile.
“Can see that, in both places. You blend in ridiculously well. Pretty enough to be a man or a woman.”

The two of them aren’t supremely apart at this occasion either, and this pronounced line stirs something in the spy, whose ears flicker amusedly. In seconds, Eyren senses how a foot brushes against hers under the table, and by her lap, Malkiz’s jaguar tail has begun curling around one leg.
“‘Pretty’, hmm?”

As if realizing how she phrased that and what she manifested of her own emotions, Eyren stutters.
“Uuuh…well…”

Tilting over the table, Malkiz rests her elbow atop it, to underpin her chin, emerald-greens flashing voraciously.
“In the end, perhaps lady Zarqui will have earned the great bonus of having tempted a brave and dashing knight as well, hmm?”

Not disagreeing with the physicality, Eyren yet has to clear her throat and she feels how several parts of her are warming up.
“…now you’re just playing with me.”

“Mmm. I do like playing”, Malkiz purrs.