I did something different that evening. I paid a visit to the temple of the One God. It sat on the highest hill on the other side of the river. The clouds had cleared enough to allow the sun to peek through, scattering its orange, pink, and red rays across the sky.
Gray granite blocks made up the temple, although at this time of day, the setting sun gave the place a pinkish appearance. The building was round and open. Granite steps circled a dome supported by eighteen large granite columns. Torches on the inside and outside of each column lit the place. In the middle of the building sat a round granite altar littered with offerings, fresh fruits, loaves of bread, coins of silver and gold. About a dozen people surrounded the altar, standing and praying, kneeling and praying. A priest in a white robe circled the altar, praying with people, talking to them. Occasionally, he would take something off the altar and give it to someone.
I felt more than a little conspicuous as I climbed the steps, accompanied by Bokham and six members of the queen's guard, as well as Vomeir and six of Patera's men, all armed and dressed in their various uniforms. I was still wearing the blue and green chiffon dress, but had added a black wool cloak with the cowl pulled up, hiding both the dress and my face.
"Wait here," I said, when we reached the columns. "I want to talk to the priest. Alone."
Bokham and Vomeir had their men fan out, until they had the building surrounded. I would've preferred to make this trip alone, but that was out of the question. A queen is rarely alone.
A couple of the people in the temple saw the soldiers surrounding the place and decided that it was time to leave. The others paid them no attention.
The wind was blowing hard on top of this hill, whipping through the open air temple, sending embers from the torches to the top of the granite dome. I placed a bag of gold on the round granite altar that sat in the middle of the temple, then knelt and said a prayer for Edgerton's spirit, asking the One God to grant him peace and to reunite him with the queen that he loved most.
Back home, I never paid much attention to religion. Probably because I was never sure which god you should pray to. We had a god of the sky, a god of the land, a god of the sea, a god of the underworld, a god of the spring, a god of the harvest. Miners prayed to the god of the underworld. Sailors prayed to the god of the sea. Farmers prayed to the god of the harvest. I was never quite sure who a queen or a princess should pray to. Here it was easier. You prayed to the One God. The maker of everything.
Eventually, the priest worked his way around to me. He was tall, with broad shoulders and salt and pepper hair cut short. Not as short as Bedonna wore her hair, but almost.
"You have questions," he said to me.
I stood and lowered the cowl on my cape. "You know who I am?"
"A better question would be: do you know who you are?"
That was another reason I never liked visiting priests and temples. They spoke in metaphors and answered your questions with more questions.
"I know who some people think I am."
"Who do they think you are?"
"They think I'm someone your prophets wrote about long ago. Someone called Destiny's Queen."
"Does the idea that you might be Destiny's Queen scare you?"
"I spent my childhood learning how to die. Death doesn't scare me, for I know I'll be judged on what was in my heart when I hurt, helped, or ignored those around me."
"That doesn't answer my question," the priest said.
"The writings of people who lived and died long before me don't scare me either. Nor do they interest me. Much."
"Then what does interest you, Your Majesty?"
"The individual your prophets wrote about. The one that serves the Prince of the Air."
A knowing smile crossed the priest's face. "The Dark King."
"What can you tell me about him?" We were walking now, circling the altar. The priest kept his hands tucked into the large sleeves of his white wool robe. I kept mine hidden beneath my cloak.
"He comes from the end of the world, from a land he once ruled. He does not rule a land in this part of the world, but manipulates those that do."
"Who is the Prince of the Air and why does the Dark King serve him?"
"The Prince of the Air is a higher being. He was created to serve the One God, but he wasn't happy being a servant and wished to become a god in his own right. He gave the Dark King certain powers. In return for those powers, the Dark King worships and serves him."
"What are those powers?"
"Among others, an unnaturally long life, as well as the ability to influence those around him."
"Do you believe the Dark King exists? That he's alive right now?"
"What I believe doesn't really matter.”
Talk about not answering a question. "What can you tell me about Destiny's Queen?"
"She comes from the doorstep of the land the Dark King once ruled. She springs from his seed."
"If she springs from his seed, wouldn't she be evil?"
"No one is born good or evil. We become good or evil through our choices and our actions."
"What does the Dark King want?"
"He wants what his master the Prince of the Air wants."
"What does the Prince of the Air want?"
"He wants to be a god, wants to be worshiped like the One God."
"And how does he accomplish that?"
"By having his servants conquer the world. Then they can force those they rule to worship their master, the Prince of the Air."
I thanked the priest for his time, pulled my cowl over my head, and turned to go.
"There's one more thing you should know," the priest said. I stopped and waited for him to continue. "Destiny's Queen possesses one power the Dark King does not."
"Which is?"
"She can move things with her mind."
"And you're telling me this because?"
"You must master this power if you are to defeat the Dark King."
"I possess no such power. Which means I can't be this Destiny's Queen your prophets spoke of."
The priest didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then he threw out another question. "Do you know what the word catlett means?"
"I thought it was a name."
"The word is from a language which fell out of use long before you were born. It means wind." The priest looked at me. "A catlett signaled the beginning of a new season. To be precise, it was a wind of change."
“So?”
“The prophets said the winds of change would usher in the arrival of Destiny's Queen."