Bromin took off his helmet and boots as he stepped into the temple foyer. He felt the cold marble floor through his wool socks as he made his way down the gold carpet toward the statue of Gitaro, the main diety of the Ellurian people.
Lighting candles near the base of the statue was Taril, a petite elvish woman with hair that was a mixture of blonde and gray, pointed ears, and soft elvish features. She was the temple priestess, and the number one spiritual advisor for the people of Vekkelmaril. "Gerart!" her pleasant, squeaky voice echoed through the empty temple. Bromin bowed and knelt before the priestess until he felt her cool thumb against his forehead. He then stood, looking into her gentle brown eyes. It would take a monster to lie to this woman, he mused. "The Hixa Vedek Approaches," she said to him with a smirk, giving him a friendly nudge, "And I still haven't recieved my gift. Do you want to be in favor with the gods or not?" She winked. "Uh.. I er..." Bromin stammered. He didn't think that he and Taril knew each other well enough to exchange Hixa Vedek presents. She let out a light, cheerful laugh. "Relax, Gerart. How are things?" Her face was suddenly serious. "How is the girl?" "She's well, considering what she went through," Bromin buried his hands in his coat pockets, "I feel responsible." "You feel guilty, you mean?" she perked one eyebrow. "Yes," Bromin bowed his head, "And for the other girls as well. I fear they're lost." Taril nodded. "Well you feel responsible because you are, in a way, responsible for the situation." She turned slightly and began to continue lighting the candles. "If you think there's something you should have done that you could have done, then my only adivice is for you to resolve this yourself. You owe it to your honor." Bromin swallowed hard. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. He wanted to hear "it's okay Gerart you did your best" but somehow this made more sense. He paused a moment as he watched her light the multicolored candles, each the size of his forearm. Their light flickered slightly and seemed to soothe him slightly. "Inela did mention something that I wanted to ask you about. She said a creature visited her while she was captive. A white liquid that moved on its own and she said that it spoke to her telepathicly." "A Bloor's shapeless," Taril stopped lighting the candles and gave Gerart her undivided attention, "I saw Dr. Bloor giving a lecture about these creatures while I was in Calabaro. They're related to the batazala. What did it say to her?" "It said that it was sending an angel to save her and that it wished it could set her free but it needed her to stay where she was." "Hmm," Taril rubbed her chin, "Well Dr. Bloor teaches at Mysthaven University. Maybe you should go down there and ask him about it." "Good," Bromin nodded, "I needed to go down there and talk with Mrs. Thoran, anyway. I guess I won't be in town for the Hixa Vedek. I'll miss the service, I'm sorry." Taril winked. "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Him," She gestured to the statue of the Sun Warrior above them. "But I'm sure he understands. Fi il Hixa Vedek, Gerart. May you find what you seek." "Fi il Hixa Vedek, Taril." Gerart turned and headed back to the foyer, the toes of his wool socks flopping against the golden carpet. -- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives & Other DMI Lists: http://www.dragonmyst.f2s.com/lists.php3
