The Bone Queen

Chapter Three

     Rina sat across from Oria in the semi-circle they and the other clerics made around the altar against the far wall. Her legs were crossed underneath her to better hide the thick wool socks that now warmed her toes.

     Shortly after their conversation with Eli, the two women had to rush to make it to their first meditations of the day. The white marble floor caused an icy cold pain that bled through the fabric of her cloak and gown, cutting deep enough that she could feel herself begin to shiver. Ignoring the bite of the cold floor Rina forced herself to sit as still as possible before the Altar, the statue behind it commanding her focus with its grandeur.

     The statue was a likeness of the goddess the Temple served, known to the scholars under a variety of names, the most common of them being Ioerenia, The Forgotten Mother. Although the statue did not promote a very 'motherly' feeling.

      The image of the goddess was smelt in pure silver standing over the altar, facing the young soon-to-be clerics. Blue marble had been carved with impossible skill into a flowing robe around her metal figure, hiding her face from view, save for a stern frown that was set upon her lips. The robe was decorated with silver vines along it's edges, which were parted to show a full chest, accentuated by a small waist that gave into slender thighs peaking out from under the stone-carved garment. The rest of her legs and the stone train of her robe remained hidden behind the Altar. Her hands were laid upon the surface of the white and blue marble surface, the silver of her hands a beautiful contrast to the stone.

Behind her were two silver arches that seemed to sprout from the curve of the statue's skull. They extended upward, forming an empty space between them where a near perfect circle was formed. The tips curved inward where they reached sharp points, a mere breath from touching each other. Between them floated a clear, droplet shaped crystal that caught all light in the room and fractured it across the walls in splashes of blue and silver light.

     As the others seated around the room, including Oria, closed their eyes to draw upon the magic of the goddess, Rina sat silently, pretending to hold the same focus as her peers. She spent most of her days pretending to feel the power the others did. Rina didn't know whether to blame it on her lineage, which was unknown to her, or to blame it on her damned constant bad luck but... There was a reason the cold had such an effect on her body, though the others were entirely unbothered by it. A reason she did not possess the same effervescent and otherworldly glow as the others.

     Rina was not compatible with the magic offered by the goddess Ioerenia to those who serve within her Temple. The high clerics would call her "unblessed". Every time she attempted to access the cold stream of power that she felt crackling against her skin, it felt as though her mind and body were being attacked. When she told Arelan about her difficulties, he had said nothing except to tell no one - not even Oria - and had refused to mention it since.

     Since then Rina had become something of a master at faking magical powers. On mornings spent in meditation at the feet of their goddess, while the others were lost in her magic, she was focusing her energy within herself. At first, she would sit for the two hour meditation session and try her damndest to stay awake. Then one day as she was wandering the Grand Library, she found an old, dust covered scroll that detailed how to meditate using her own energy.

     It took her weeks of studying late at night and testing her ability during morning meditation before she finally managed ten measly minutes within her own mind. This was a trick she refrained from sharing with Arelen, as he was sure to scold her for it. But it wasn't long until Rina could go into her mind for hours at a time. It was how she managed to survive the mornings, and even rank as one of the highest scores for power ratings amongst her peers. It became more than just meditation for her, more than even an escape from her exhausting facade.