Takri bowed and left the room, breathing a sigh of relief as he pulled the door shut behind him. He hovered outside for a moment in case the king and priest’s continued conversation filtered out into the hallway. But the door was thick and the stone walls were thicker. Mahleck would not be so careless as to allow unwanted ears passing by hear his private counsel. There was no point in lingering at the entry to the monster’s chamber any longer.
Whatever information the scroll contained disturbed Mahleck on some level. As had the term strigoi-viu. Takri knew Mahleck was not a god as he claimed to be. If he was, he was unworthy of worship. Any god who would starve children was not a god worth serving. Perhaps the old tales were true, and he truly was a monster who fed on fear and blood.
The scraps from his dinner could feed the city.
Takri turned and walked down the hall towards his own chambers.
How can I eat from this monster’s table while others starve?
A self-satisfied smile spread across Baraz’s sharp features as Mahleck continued his examination of the scroll in silence before the fire. After months of reviewing heretical texts in the library, Baraz finally found something of value to bring before his God and King.
"Where did you say you found this?" asked Mahleck, not looking up from the scroll.
"In the temple library," answered Baraz. "This is the oldest original Adyllian writing I have come across. It references an Adyllian female's travels in the lands beyond the great desert. As you know, Adyll guarded its women and forbade..."
Mahleck held up his hand to silence the priest. "I can read, priest. Were you the finder? Or was it another?"
Baraz swallowed. "I have an Adyllian cataloguing the contents of the library. She is the one who found it."
"She?" Mahleck looked at the priest with disgust. "You have an Adyllian female working in the library sorting books?"
"Yes... I..." Baraz stammered as all sense of confidence left him. "The Heresiarch suggested a young woman who could read Adyllian script work sorting the books. I did not wish to contaminate any of our men with the heresies contained within the walls of the library."
"Did you not think to find an Adyllian male to serve in this capacity?" asked Mahleck.
"Those who can read were zealots of the highest order in the service of the demoness," said Baraz. "Such as your bride's bodyguards. I could not trust them..."
"Enough!" Mahleck rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Who else knows the contents of this scroll?"
"The Heresiarch," confessed Mahleck. "Only the bookmaker and the crone, who dismissed it as a story told to frighten children, nothing more."
"As it should be." Mahleck tossed the scroll into the fireplace. "And as it will remain. A story to frighten children."
"I have yet to find scrolls you tasked me with finding," said Baraz. "But this is a step closer. Perhaps the Queen did not burn them all."
"Perhaps," said Mahleck. "If the story was ever transcribed."
"If it was, I shall find it," said Baraz.
"You mean your bookmaker will find it," said Mahleck. "And hopefully give it to you?"
"She is very young and terrified of me," said Baraz. "She would not disobey me. If you saw her, you would understand. She is like a timid mouse who shakes in fear in my presence."
"Have you forgotten the tenets of the Locust, priest? That woman's purpose is to deceive man?" asked Mahleck.
"No, my God and King," said Baraz. "Forgive me."
"I am beginning to wonder if you are worthy of your new rank, Baraz," said Mahleck. "It is almost as though you cannot control what lies within the walls of your own temple. First the prostitute, now the bookmaker.”
“The prostitute?” asked Baraz.
“Yes, Baraz.” Mahleck’s voice dripped with condescension. “The temple prostitute you supped with less than a fortnight ago. She seduced the Lord Prince’s body as well as his heart and mind. How do you propose to keep this from happening in the future to any other impressionable young warrior in my service?"
"I shall forbid the women in the brothel from speaking," said Baraz. "They will no longer be able to cast their spells upon men as they once did. I will cut out the tongues of those who disobey."
"What of the whore Takri was so enamored of?" asked Mahleck. "Is she dead?"
"I... I assume so," said Baraz. "She was left on the street as you instructed. Surely she froze to death or the patrols killed her."
"But you do not know for certain," said Mahleck. "Do you? Did the Heresiarch come to you and inquire as to her whereabouts? She cares so much for the lives of her precious temple dwellers, surely she would ask if one went missing."
"She has not spoken of it," answered Baraz. "The death of one whore means nothing."
"The Heresiarch was called 'Holy Mother' before we liberated Adyll," said Mahleck. "Did you know that, Baraz?"
"Of course, it is common knowledge"
"Do you know why the word 'Mother’ is used to describe her?" Mahleck’s voice fell into a low growl. "Because mothers care for their children, they watch over them. And if one goes missing, they search for them until they find them. If she is not searching, then the girl is alive."
"Then I shall find her and kill her," said Baraz. "Or I could bring her to you to enjoy as a sacrifice."
"I vowed we would not kill any of her temple dwellers so long as she delivered us the city's surrender," said Mahleck. "And I keep my vows. We set her outside to allow the cold or the city to kill her. It appears they did not. As long as she remains in the temple and under the Heresiarch's protection, the whore lives. And if the whore lives, she can influence the Lord Prince."
"The Lord Prince will not seek her out," said Baraz. "You showed him what she is, nothing more than a common whore."
"The first woman a man lies with is hard to forget," said Mahleck. "Especially if you only taste her once. She has her claws in him. If he does not seek her out, she will seek him."
"If he will listen to a woman, he is not worthy of the title of Lord Prince," said Baraz. "Especially if he will listen to a fatherless whore."
"If he does, I will hold you responsible." Mahleck stood up from his chair. "Find a way to keep her hidden. Confine her if you must. Do not let her trouble my men again."
"Yes, my God and King."