Shrine of the Faithful
Down the nighttime streets of Rhaz, Lumi walks along cobbles escorted by Rashid. Flickering flames atop the streetlamps cast a comforting glow onto the surroundings. Despite the peacefulness Lumi grapples with his nerves: this is his first time to make his way to the shrine in Rhaz, which Nina had described as a place for the Faithful to gather within the city limits. He wants to shake out his nerves, but he is unsure how to act in Rashid’s company. Rashid keeps a pace ahead of him. Lumi has the feeling Rashid has something he wants to say, but the man only opens and closes his mouth at intervals. Maybe he’s out of breath? Lumi wonders, noting Rashid’s limping gait.
They round a bend in the road and Rashid pauses beneath a reaching palm, with fronds illuminated by the lamplight, shivering with the coastal breeze. Lumi takes the moment to glance up at the stars glittering above the city. He had once been told that the Desert Cities is the only place where all the stars of Talmus could be seen with a keen eye. Rashid rocks back and forth on his heels, to where Lumi can hear the soles of his babouches tap softly on the tiles. The sound brings Lumi to look down at his own bare feet. Should I wear sandals? he worries, uncharacteristically concerned with how the other acolytes may treat him compared to those back at the temple. He raises his foot and grabs his ankle, appraising the bottom of his dirty foot.
“Lumi,” Rashid starts.
Lumi had been waiting for it, but the sound still catches him off-guard. He raises his gaze to meet Rashid’s. “Hmm?” He puts his foot back down to the street. Thus far, the two had spent little time together, outside of their first meeting during Khimi’s initial caravan expedition: Lumi had peppered him with questions about Khimi and about Rashid’s relationship to him. At that time, Lumi had been afraid he was too forward in showing his affections for Khimi, but Rashid had seemed understanding towards him at the time. Those interactions had left him now feeling hopeful they might get along well, which could only improve his standing with Khimi.
Rashid cracks a creaky smile at him. “Lad, y’ve got to ease off Khimi,” Rashid says, awkwardly crossing his arms. “The way things are proceeding with the Cerulean Star, he’s distracted enough as is.”
Lumi blinks slowly, regarding Rashid in a new light. “’Ease off’? Is Khimi okay?”
Rashid brushes his fingers through his beard. “Listen, kiddo. I think y’re great and I am glad to see Khimi care about ya like he does. Khimi has responsibilities to the Cerulean Star and every day I watch the lad mope about with concern for ya. That’s a problem, aye? Right now, y’re a distraction when he needs clearheadedness most. Do ya understand?”
Lumi’s face twists, his nose pinches with a snort. “Well, I think he should tell me himself what he wants. Khimi and I spent more time together at the temple than we do now when we share a room!”
Rashid clears his throat and brushes his fingers through his beard with a sage and thoughtful expression. “Perhaps ya ought think of it like that was leisure time with ya at the temple,” he offers. “Lord Zeybek is back to work now. There’ll be adjustments both of ya need to make. That takes time.”
Lumi grimaces and taps his foot hard against the cobblestone street. “Rashid, I haven’t asked him for anything. Don’t know what else I can do.”
Rashid looks panicked as passersby notice the sparks flying between them. “Lad, y’re in his head. I’m sure that’s nice for ya, but it might make him miserable if he can’t do a thing about it. I don’t think that’s what ye want.”
“I just want what he wants!” Lumi growls. “Why won’t he tell me himself? What does he want me to do?” he asks, pounding a fist against his own thigh. “I don’t see him, I don’t talk to him—should I stop existing?”
Rashid pushes his fingers in front of his lips in thought. “Lumi, this ain’t how I meant for it to sound,” he begins quietly. “Do ya think more hours at the shrine’d be too much? Khimi’s under too much pressure with everything recent. Ya could learn more about the Faith outside the temple, meet some other people, other acolytes. Khimi needs his head on righted until things settle down and this’d help.”
Lumi bites his lip and looks down at his feet. “Did Khimi even ask you to talk to me?” he questions, his fingertips pulling at the hem of his acolyte chiton. “Did he?!”
“No,” Rashid confesses with a sigh. “I say this out of concern for him, but he didn’t ask me to talk to ya. I had hoped we could have an adult conversation, but I can see y’re far too emotional for that. Just look at y’rself.”
Lumi pulls his hand back from his chiton, rusty streaks mark the fabric where his palm had just been. He broke the skin without realizing; blood drips from the small wounds on his palms. With a whine under his breath, he recites a hasty incantation. The small crescent shaped wounds on his palm recede in a flash of blue light. He turns back to Rashid in a whirl. “D-don’t put this on me! You forced me!” he bites back.
“Ah, forced ya. Like I could force ya to do anything.”
“I can make it to the shrine on my own. So leave!” Lumi says furiously and skirts past Rashid.
Rashid stops him with a tight grip around Lumi’s wrist. “Don’t ya start like that with me, boy!” he rumbles between his teeth. “Now listen to m—”
“Listen to you?!” Lumi shouts and yanks at his wrist. “Just let go! I don’t owe you anything.”
Rashid tightens his grip and holds Lumi still. “Y’re behaving like a child.”
“Just let go!” Lumi says, swinging at Rashid with sudden ferocity. His nails rake across Rashid’s face, four bloody lines left in their wake. “Leave me alone…” He pants, releasing a heavy breath.
With a pained and resolute look, Rashid releases Lumi’s wrist. “Ya mean a lot to him, Lumi. I want to help ya both.”
Lumi steps away from Rashid, nursing his wrist. “I can make it to the shrine on my own…” he whispers, already backpedaling. He turns and dashes away from the scene.
Rashid calls out to him from behind, “Come back!”
Lumi runs as fast as his feet can carry him across the cobblestone and into the darkness. Diners at a stall on the street stare at him as he runs past. The light from the lamps fades as he gets further from the sounds of the grand bazaar. He grasps at his chest, feeling his heart racing as he looks back over his shoulder. I should tell Khimi. I need to talk to Khimi. He turns back on his heels. Looking around, he does not recognize the buildings. Even during the short few times he had wandered outside the estate grounds, he had only walked the surrounding blocks before returning. I’m not lost. Get a grip. He groans and drops his face into his palms; his tail flicks behind him, frustration palpable.
“I’ll just find the damn shrine.”He shakes out his overwhelming emotions and looks up to the stars. The brightest star in the sky, his tribe called it ‘the big one’ or ‘the giant.’ He had never heard it described as ‘cerulean’ until he met Khimi. He sets eyes on the star and starts a path towards it through the darkening streets. From inside the wood-and-mudbrick homes, oil lamps cast dewy light over the cobbles as he passes. The sound of laughter causes him to stop and peer through one of the windows. A woman dressed in a linen shift sits on the ground with a chalice to her lips and a babe curled in her arms. Two young girls, across from her, spin tops upon the stone floor before quickly adding a third wooden one. The tops bash into one another and spin out of control, stopping on their side. The mother laughs once again, and the girls pick up the tops and prepare to spin them again.
Lumi huffs and turns his back on the window, only to stagger backwards into a woman standing behind him. Despite his superior sense of hearing, he had not heard the slender half-elven woman’s approach. She tucks a long strand of dark hair behind her pointed ear, grinning gently against soft cheeks and subtle freckles. She stammers, trying to find the words, before she lowers her head with a sigh.
Finally, she manages to say, “I’m Cecilia.” She adjusts the sleeve of her chiton over the sun-kissed skin of her shoulder. “You must be Lumi.”
With his back pressed against the wall, Lumi looks up and down the street. “H-how did you find me? W-who are you?” he asks, his tail rattling cautiously behind him.
Cecilia extends an open palm to Lumi. “We passed each other earlier… and I was curious because you’re wearing clothing traditional for novice acolytes… the clerical chiton.”
Lumi lets out a sigh and relaxes, pushing himself away from the wall. He takes Cecilia’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” he grumbles, attempting to muster his poise.
“Saint Nina told me that a new acolyte was going to be coming to the shrine,” Cecilia confesses softly. “And, well, you’re the only aslan I’ve ever seen around Rhaz.”
Lumi’s eyes grow wide and hopeful, two deep aqua pools. “Nina is here?”
“N-no, she… Saints can send messages over great distances,” Cecilia says softly.
“Oh. Right, of course,” Lumi whispers in a dejected tone. “This is the first time we’ve been away from each other since I met her. I guess I forgot. Sorry. It would’ve been nice to see a familiar face. Rhaz is…” He searches for the right word. “It feels very different.”
“She seems fond of you, Saint Nina,” Cecilia says with a gentle squeeze on his hand. “How about I show you to the shrine?”
***
When they reach the shrine together, Cecilia leads Lumi into a circular, open-faced pavilion. Beneath the arches and columns are five faceless statues, each represented with ambiguous but aesthetic features. In the circular patio’s center is a wheel of pearlescent stone: around the wheel are depicted twelve symbols, sat along the edge of a clean ring. Thick, lush greenery surrounds the covered veranda and the spaces between the white stone columns. Palms, ferns, and thick brush keep the shrine isolated from the murmur and pulse of the city around it.
The acolytes chant quietly in prayer and their hushed words thrum in the clearing. Others mingle under the covered walkways, even at this late hour, discussing in wine-laden murmurs. Lumi walks towards the center of the courtyard and looks up at the fading stars. It will only be a few more hours until the sun rises, and the realization sends a chill through Lumi’s thoughts. Rashid is going to tell Khimi. Rashid is going to tell him and Khimi is going to be upset and I’m—
Lumi’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat politely. When he looks towards the source of the sound, he sees that a number of the acolytes had approached him while he was lost in thought. Cecilia, at the head of the group, offers Lumi a soft-spoken welcome with her arms open in greeting. The group forms a huddle with him, starting introductions and cheery small talk. Lumi scratches his cheek with building anxiety, crowded by the acolytes and their good mood.
One of the acolytes with a softer voice pushes his way through the group. “Heavens,” he begins, scrubbing his fingers over his bald head. “It really is an aslan. I’ve seen tigre[1] and pantera[2] in Rhaz, but… never an aslan. I’ve only ever seen them south of Porat.”
“Shut it, Calix,” says a youthful boy with brilliant golden eyes, in accented speech Lumi can’t place. “Pay ‘em no mind, Lumi.”
Lumi rubs the back of his head nervously; his ears twitch as he chuckles at their exchange. “I didn’t take any offense! It’s not my first time getting that reaction.”
“We would like this to be a place where you don’t feel alone,” Cecilia adds and claps him on the back. “The shrine can be your second home while you’re in Rhaz,” she pauses briefly, tapping her finger on her chin. “On that topic, where is home for you?”
Lumi rubs one ankle against the other, faintly hoping they can’t see his embarrassed flush in the low light. “I’m staying with Khimi—uh, it’s somewhere south of here. I got lost in the bazaar,” he lies, looking down at his feet.
The golden-eyed youth sneers and crosses his arms. The pristine chiton hangs loosely over his thin frame. Lumi holds back a gasp when he notices braziers’ light reflecting from the golden irises, telltale sign of nocturnal sight.
The golden-eyed youth tilts down his head to meet Lumi’s eyes from beneath his fringe of silvery hair. “Y’dent ‘ave to tell us if y’dent wanta,” he starts, lifting Lumi’s chin with an outstretched finger, “but it must be summat special if y’re lyin’ about it, eh?” He
Lumi blushes deeper and turns his gaze to Cecilia. He stammers, remembering what the Temple of Life acolytes had said about the Zeybek family. “J-just a house! I’m very comfortable there, but it’s nothing like the temple.”
“Regardless,” Cecilia says abruptly, grabbing the golden-eyed boy’s wrist. “Please keep your hands to yourself, Javi.”
“Yes,” Calix adds, giving Javi a roll of his eyes. “Don’t admonish me when you act this foolish yourself.”
Lumi raises his palms in the air. “It’s okay. Really.”
“Then we can drop it,” Cecilia says, pushing herself beside Lumi. “Since this is a shrine of the Faithful, you should understand that not everyone here belongs to the Temple of Life.”
Lumi nods. “I understood that from what Ni—uh, from what Saint Nina told me.”
“Then, at your leisure, you might take time to study other Faiths that are present at the shrine. We have some acolytes who—”
“Can show ‘em ‘bout mi’self if ya wan’,” Javi offers, cutting into the and flashing his teeth.
Calix pushes himself to the front. “Rocks have more brains than you, Javi,” he scoffs. “Allow someone who has undergone years of study to teach you about the Faith.”
Cecilia sighs and places her hand on Lumi’s neck. “Please let’s not fight over him like schoolchildren. Lumi, you can ignore them and follow me, for now.”
Lumi rubs his eyes and follows her guiding hand to the wheel cast into the inner circle of the shrine. “I guess I am curious. No one ever really spoke of the other orders at the temple,” he confesses softly, glancing about at the other acolytes sitting around in small groups.
“When you’re at a central temple such as the Temple of Life, there is little reason to discuss other orders, not like at regional shrines,” Cecilia rambles, waving her hand to and fro while she walks. When they reach the wheel, she gestures in a circular motion to the façade. “The Wheel of Faith. And, starting at the top: this,” she pauses at the top-most disc along the Wheel of Faith, “is the solar domain.”
The sunburst sits in the center of the disc, expertly tiled with a crimson mosaic. The sun’s rays reach out, wanting to burst beyond the circle of the disc. As Cecilia begins to explain the meaning and symbology behind the strange sunburst, her words fall away until Lumi can scarcely recognize anything around a dull buzzing. The symbol pulses and glows to his eyes, radiating a luminous shimmer. He feels stuck, his eyes are glued, and voices, distant echoes, call his name.
“Lumi?”Cecilia calls, shaking his arm, and he realizes she had been calling to him repeatedly. “Are you still with us?”
Lumi shakes himself from his stupor. “Uhm, yeah… I’m just distracted. Can you repeat that last part?”
Calix sighs from behind them, hands clasped in prayer and forces air through his lips. “She said that there has not been a chosen from the solar domain in hundreds of years.”
“Temple’s up in Loria, ’ent, Cecilia? Familiar?” Javi coos, raising his brow at Cecilia.
Cecilia shrugs and shakes her head. “Not since I was a girl, no, but the Sun Temple is one of the wealthiest and of the most influential within the fourteen. Even without a sitting Saint of Flames, their standing is impressive.”
“Yes, Cecilia and I both could have been acolytes in Loria. Sadly, our calling was to the desert, though neither of us have yet found our destined order,” Calix says with a sigh of annoyance and a tap against his brooch. “We might have stayed in the capital and lived our lives comfortably, without a care in the wo—”
“What happened to the last chosen?” Lumi inquires without thinking, his eyes still focused on the sunburst mosaic.
“T’ent wanta know ‘bout other orders?” Javi cuts back with a quick motion around the wheel. “Still a lot t’learn o’ the Faith.”
Lumi looks around at the circular wheel on the ground and then back up to Cecilia. “Y-you’re right, of course. Maybe we could save the rest of the lesson for later? I think… I might need to start with something easy.”
“There is no rush. You can join the other acolytes during vespers[3]. The sun will be up soon, and we all eat together when everyone wakes for the day.” She pauses in thought, before continuing, “And, if you might like, you would be welcome to stay with us here. There is a communal living area close by the shrine.”
“I… I have a home,” Lumi beams momentarily before it slowly fades. His tail sweeps behind him, and he tilts his head with unspoken worry. “Thank you. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
[1] Tigre(TEE-greh): Beastkin with the traits of tigers.
[2] Pantera(pan-TEH-rah): Beastkin with the traits of panthers. Most often black panthers.
[3] Vespers: Evening prayers.