Determined to take control of their fates, Arjen and Arien escape Derolina Castle at the age of sixteen after their cruel mother dies. They adopt new names and find a home in the city of Aramore, while the Emperor of Yuriana searches for his missing...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Adren knelt at the altar, his knees pressing into the pillow under him. The only sound in the room was the gentle trickle of a fountain in an alcove behind the altar. Light cascaded from the stained-glass windows to dapple the stone floor with color. A gentle glow emitted from the magic torches placed throughout the room.
He hadn't done this in quite some time. It was hard to dedicate time to the spirit when he was busy running an empire. He couldn't remember the last time he had prayed or visited a temple. Maybe when Elona had died. That was twenty years ago. He hadn't entered a temple since then, but only passed by the entrance on his way to visit her tomb, a yearly ritual he never missed.
Adren tried not to think about her. Every time he did, he grappled with guilt and failure. It never went away after all these years, try as he might to forgive himself. Elona would forgive him—not that she would think he had wronged her.
But today he didn't pray for forgiveness. Actually, he didn't pray at all, not with words. He knelt there on the silk pillow, one laid down by a priest when they discovered he was coming. They thought his prayers were somehow special, as if God would certainly listen to him out of all the people in the world.
But his prayers hit the ceiling and fell down. He could feel them as they tumbled to the floor in front of him.
The amount of penance he needed seemed like an ocean.
He stood. There was no feeling of accomplishment, but he ought to do this again when he returned to the capital. The imperial palace had a chapel, one he seldom used. Lloyd at least got some use out of it.
He walked out of the sanctuary and toward the front doors. Three guards dressed in plain clothes waited for him. His own hair had been dyed black to conceal his identity, although the temple staff knew him.
"Ah," said a gentle voice, "I had thought you might spend more time here." An elderly man dressed in priest's robes approached him. He had been careful not to address the emperor as "Your Majesty," but he bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for accommodating me on such short notice," said Adren. "There is no chapel where I am staying."
The priest smiled broadly. It was quite something to receive thanks from the emperor himself. "We are more than honored to have you here. You may come here any time."
Adren heard murmuring and saw two people standing near a fountain, a priestess and a young woman. The young woman appeared to be a commoner, judging by her clothes. The woman wasn't yet in her twenties by Adren's estimation. She was pretty with long, wavy brown hair, a round face, and large blue eyes. She spoke to the priestess, and the priestess handed something to her.
Movement caught Adren's eye and he glanced at a nearby pillar. There was nothing there.
The young woman thanked the priestess and hurried away. As she drew near the door where Adren watched, their gazes met for a few seconds. Her steps slowed. An emotion flashed across her face, of puzzlement, trepidation, or both.
