Page 61 of A Queen’s Game (Aithyr Uprising #1)
Amryth pulled Marietta to an unoccupied bench. They sat among the worshippers, who remained quiet with their heads tilted to the ceiling. Marietta followed their gaze, finding a window high above splattered with rain and the gray clouds beyond it.
“Have you ever prayed at a temple?” Amryth asked, keeping her voice below a whisper. Though people filled the room, it remained silent besides the soft pattering of walking and the occasional sniffle.
“No,” she whispered. Many of her friends in Enomenos were followers of the gods, but she never bothered. She lived a fortunate enough life that there was never a need to seek them out.
“Relax your shoulders, place your feet firmly on the ground, and set your hands palm-side up on your thighs to accept the goddess.” Amryth took up the seated stance.
“When in position,” she whispered, “close your eyes and tilt your head toward the ceiling. Try to empty your mind. Reach out to the goddess, and she will help you.”
Marietta nodded again, settling herself onto the bench and following Amryth’s instructions. With her eyes closed, every breath became noticeable, every scuffle of feet, clearing of throats. All the sounds were louder than the silence she had experienced for days.
Keyain would be furious if he found out she had left.
She sighed, shaking her head as she sat on the uncomfortable bench, shifting from side to side.
After all the anticipation for the temple, now that she was there, anxiety squeezed her chest. It begged her to hurry, urging her to return to the suite.
Keyain’s wrath wasn’t something she wanted to experience.
When anger took him, he lost all rational thought.
He had smashed glasses, punched walls, ripped the curtains from the windows.
There were a handful of inns in Enomenos she couldn’t show her face at anymore because of him.
Would he take his wrath out on Amryth? Or would the King protect her since she was following the law, preventing one from being broken?
She lifted a lid to stare at Amryth, her stoic face calm as she sat with closed eyes.
She risked her position for Marietta—risked her livelihood so she could be here.
“Acknowledge that your mind is wandering,” she muttered. “Then dismiss the thoughts and try again. Think of nothing, of no one.”
Marietta closed her eye once more with a sigh. How could she think of nothing? There was always something on her mind.
Yet she tried, the effort fruitless. She’d clear her thoughts, focus on the dark of her lids, the breathing in her chest, but then thoughts crept in. Taking Amryth’s advice, she acknowledged her mind wandering, then brought it back to nothing.
The cycle continued, Marietta’s breath growing deep, the tension in her shoulders easing. At one point, there was nothing—no thoughts, no emotion. There were only her breaths, the black of her eyelids, and the presence of a goddess watching over her.
At some point, Marietta became aware of the nothingness, the sudden burst of thought startling her. Her eyes opened to the dimmed interior of the chapel, devoid of any person.
The lightness of her body surprised her.
The tension she’s held for weeks loosened as she rolled her neck.
Even the stone bench didn’t make her ass hurt, nor her legs stiff.
Gods, she felt alive. Not the over-the-top jumping for joy alive.
But functional. Each breath wasn’t a fight, each thought not racing.
Only then did Marietta realize the extent of her grief, of that suffocating emotion the robbed her of her senses. She took a deep breath and turned to look for Amryth.
“Welcome back!” A chipper voice startled her. Marietta clutched her chest as she found a tiny brown-skinned half-elven woman next to her, staring with large eyes. A thick black braid of smooth strands fell over her tunic in the cerulean blue of the temple.
“Who—” Marietta stopped herself as she heard yelling from down the hall towards the entrance.
“I’m Deania, a cleric to Therypon! I was making sure you’d finish praying to the goddess on your own,” she said, her voice high-pitched and sweet, almost childlike. “And look, you did it!”
Marietta furrowed her brows, a question resting at the tip of her tongue.
“LET ME IN NOW.” The bellowing of a voice carried down the hallway. Gods, was that Keyain?
“That why I’m sitting here!” Deania laughed. “I’m your last line of defense in case they couldn’t stop him from barging in.”
Gods, oh gods. Marietta jumped up from the bench, hurrying towards his yelling. She knew this could happen, that Keyain would find out she went to the temple. He’d be furious and take it out on whoever was near him.
“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?”
Keyain stood in the antechamber’s doorway, red-faced with bulging veins in his neck as the half-elven man she saw earlier held him back with one hand.
“You know the rules, lord. This is a holy place; we stand separate from the law,” the half-elf said with a modulated voice, even with Keyain snarling in his face.
The half-elven man stood as high as Keyain but didn’t possess the same bulk. Curly black hair hung from the top of his head, the sides a faded shave, and his skin a dark brown.
“Then you know that’s my wife in there, wrongfully taken from the palace,” he said with a growl, glancing over his shoulder at Amryth. She leaned against the far wall of the antechamber with her arms crossed, her face unamused.
“As I said,” the half-elf answered, “just let her finish. It shouldn’t be much longer now.”
“Do you understand how late it is?” Keyain yelled again, pushing him.
His effort had no effect as the half-elf stood his ground.
At his hip was a sword, one he didn’t reach for even as Keyain fought him.
“Look, I get it. You’re worried, it’s late, and your wife was missing.
But you have to see it from our point of view.
Marietta was a mess when she came in, and she chose to come here.
As an attendant to the goddess Therypon, I have a duty to ensure she gets the help—”
“Marietta had all the help she needs at the palace,” Keyain hissed, cutting him off before he could finish.
“That’s funny because Amryth said you allowed your wife to become a shell of a person in just a few months.
” The half-elf gave a speculative look. Keyain swung at him, but the man stopped Keyain’s fist with his hand.
“If you are getting any more violent tonight, we will remove you from the premise.”
“I dare you to try,” Keyain growled back.
Deania came to Marietta’s side. “No need. Look, Marietta finished!” She took Marietta’s hand and shook in the air like they were celebrating.
“Mar!” Keyain tried to push past the half-elf.
“Keyain, what’re you doing here?” Marietta said in a taut voice.
“Come on, let’s go. I told you that you didn’t need a cult’s help.” The word cult was spat from his mouth as he glared at the half-elven male.
“Buddy, look at her. Marietta is much better now than when she came in.” The half-elven man faced her, his jaw square and stubbled with scruff lining his full lips and wide nose. A tattoo curled up the side of his neck that Marietta couldn’t make out from that distance.
“She wanted to come. King Wyltam even gave his permission.” Amryth stepped forward, placing her hand on his shoulder.
He ground his jaw in frustration. “Mar, please.” Keyain made to shove past the half-elf again. “Move. I’m taking her home.”
“Marietta decides if she’s ready, lord.” The half-elf held him back, earning another snarl from Keyain.
“Is that another rule of your cult worshiping?” Keyain yelled in his face.
“No. That’s me making sure Marietta feels safe leaving with you. We’ve seen domestic disputes like this before.” He gave Marietta a concerned glance.
Keyain snarled again, attempting to shove past the half-elven man’s hold.
Deania grabbed Marietta’s arm and softly asked, “Are you comfortable going home with him tonight? It’s okay to say no.”
“I do… but things need to change, Keyain. I need my freedom—to not be locked in a room all day,” Marietta paused, trembling. “And I want to come back. I’m not fixed by any means, but I feel like I’m finally taking my first breath after months of suffocating.”
“We’ll see, Mar. Please, let’s just go home,” Keyain said, eyes wide with worry.
“Do you promise to let her come back?” Deania spoke this time. Her voice stayed sweet but firm when addressing Keyain.
“We’ll talk about it when we get home.”
“Say you promise now. It’s what she wants,” the half-elven man spoke, still keeping his calm tone.
Keyain glared at him, his eyes alight with anger like she hadn’t seen in a long time. “I promise,” he said through gritted teeth.
The half-elf and Keyain stood back as Marietta passed through into the antechamber door.
“Be safe, Lady Marietta. You will always find peace and safety at the temple of Therypon. We look forward to seeing you again.” The half-elf’s words felt true as he spoke.