Page 127 of The Chains You Defy

“Crann taca an bhais.”

“Call me Dion. The Right Hand of Death is such a mouthful.”

My stomach cramped at his sarcasm, and the sense of adventure faded away, leaving only anxiety in its wake. It didn’t go past me how Dion degenerated into an increasingly unhinged state, changing moods on the slightest whim, and not for the first time, I worried that there was something seriously wrong with him.

Even the earlier scene wasn’t that typical for him after all. Yes, he’d always been ethically impaired, in the absence of a better term, and his ego and he agreed on them being vastly superior to everyone, but his behavior was escalating. He was regressing into a purely impulse-driven condition, and my gut told me that this wasn’t normal. But I’d dwell on that later.

“Manners, princeling.”

Dion sent a glorious glower my way, and I forced my lips into a smile despite my worries. Everything tonight bordered on the surreal, and I only wanted to curl into a corner and laugh hysterically.

The priestess examined us wearily. “What rite are you claiming?”

Dion smiled at me, then turned his attention back to the ghostly priestess. “The Rite of Courting. I’m here for the First Act of Courtship.”

Since her face was veiled, I couldn’t read anything in her features, but she radiated tension. Her cutting tone confirmed my suspicions that she wasn’t thrilled and would likely put up a fight. “Are you then? Why should I allow this?”

Dion’s arm around me tightened to the point of discomfort. He was all over the place, and his biting words flew from his mouth like arrows as he took a step toward the female, hauling me with him. “And you’re the gatekeeper to the gods? Since when does a member of theclergy stand above the Triad, deciding for divinity whose endeavor is to be blessed and whose isn’t? Let us pass.”

“You’ve intruded on this holy place. I’m invoking divine laws.”

“Then study those fucking laws. Yes, you’re allowed to deny anyone admission, but where is it written that you have the authority to throw a person out who gained entry and is claiming a valid purpose?”

“That the priesthood has such power is self-explanatory.”

“There’s no written edict.”

The priestess fell silent before stepping out of the way. “You’re right. And in the end, the gods will punish you, not me.”

Great. Dion had made the local deaconry his enemy as well. He was collecting those cheaper by the dozen today.

Ignoring the priestess, he tugged me by my hand through the door that we’d been heading to earlier, then deeper into the temple, until we reached a set of stairs leading down.

My dress was a major hindrance, especially since Dion refused to free my arm, so climbing down without falling turned out to be more challenging than it seemed. When I took the last step, I sent a quick prayer of thanks to Immaru—almost a compulsion, given we were guests in her house—and after crossing a short corridor, we arrived in a small room.

“Oh.” My breath hitched as my brain digested that we stood in an exact copy of the crypt in Amalach, where Dion and I’d conducted our first rite together, the Rite of Binding.

“This is—”

“Like in Amalach, yes. All Grand Crypts were built to look alike.”

“Oh, is there a reason?”

“There’s an old legend existing, but if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to skip telling the tale for now. My theory is another one anyway.”

“Sure, I don’t mind. But what’s your assumption?”

“As far as experts are concerned, the first place of worship in Seascann served as a model for all the others. So, whoever decided to copy the original crypt must have intended that wherever worshipers went, they’d find the same essence. No matter how grand the temple around the inner sanctum is, the core stays the same, just like the hearts within our chests. It’s a pity all remaining Grand Crypts in Ivreia have been made inaccessible.”

“There are more of these in Ivreia?”

“Yes. After all, we have the same religion, don’t we? And the same hearts.”

“Do we?”

“Well, I’m no medic or healer, but from an observational standpoint—”

“Ugh, I get it. No need to go into details.” Refusing to ponder about when and why Dion had been studying real organs, I backtracked. “Then why have all the crypts been hidden away as well? It’s not that our kings abolished worship.”