Chapter Four: Power’s History

The next five days went by without much happening. It was evening when they made it to the outskirts of Jatin. Stopping on the hill outside the city, they looked out to the Temple. Vell was relieved to see that nothing appeared wrong from the outside, but she could feel that something wasn’t right. They both felt it.

The streets of Jatin were as crowded as usual. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as they had feared. Though, when they reached the ferry that would take them to the Island of the Spirits, the ferry man looked uneasy. Alander refused to tell them anything and they reluctantly boarded the ferry.

“This is truly making me nervous,” Vell said quietly to Senar as the ferry made its way to the Island.

He nodded. “Me too.” He was anxiously playing with his Ties.

She began fiddling with a fold in her skirt. The pale golden gown she was wearing was the one she had gotten when she was Blessed. Though it had been two years, the dress still fit her perfectly. The same was true of Senar’s midnight blue robe.

When they reached the other shore the High Brother and Sister were waiting for them the way they had each time before.

“We are so thankful to see you both,” Kalinisia told them.

“Yes,” Roelandi agreed. “We truly need your help again.”

“Please come with us,” Kali added.

Vell glanced at Senar. He looked back at her, concern clearly written on his face.

They followed Kali and Roel through the lower part of the Temple. When they reached an elegantly decorated door Roel opened it and led them in. The room was a highly decorated, very large, bedroom. The walls held intricate carvings of the Spirits. A golden-colored dressing screen with dark blue designs was in one corner. Another corner held a pale yellow sofa-type seat. Against one wall was a writing desk with a few books and papers on the top. Along another wall was a set of shelves filled with books. Against the far wall was a large midnight blue and pale gold colored bed with a draping canopy.

Senar and Vell were both in awe at the room’s beauty. Vell thought that she wouldn’t mind living in a room such as this.

“Very few ever enter this room,” Kali told them. “It belongs to the High Brother and Sister.”

“Why are we here?” Vell questioned.

“It is the best place for us to explain to you what is happening,” Roel replied.

“Please tell us,” Senar said.

Kali motioned to the sofa-seat. “Sit. This will take a while.”

They both sat down and waited nervously for them to begin. Kali and Roel sat down on the edge of the nearby bed.

“You both know that the High Brother and High Sister are married when they come to power,” Roel began, “but there’s more to it.”

“The High Brother and Sister choose their own successors without the other’s help,” Kali went on. “The successors almost never have a good relationship and sometimes they don’t even know each other.” She smiled slightly. “Roel and I could hardly tolerate each other before we were married.”

“The marriage of High Brother to High Sister is meant to balance out the ways of the Temple,” Roel explained. “The Spirits understand this and ensured that it would always work well. When the first pair of successors was married, the Spirits gave them a powerful gift. The Spirits themselves created the wedding rings with certain powers. They were bonded to the Brother and Sister, ensured that the wearers would be guarded against illness and injury, kept the High Sister from having children, and made sure that both High Brother and High Sister were deeply in love. Not only all of that, but it also gave them power over the other Brothers and Sisters. Never has a High Sister or Brother been doubted or disrespected. Those same rings have been passed down to each pair of successors when it is time for one of the High Ones to join the Spirits.”

Senar let out a breath. “That’s some power.”

Vell agreed. Yet, she wondered why they were telling them this.

“Yes,” Kali replied, “but there is a catch to all of this. There is one time of the year when the powers of the rings do not have an effect. That is the only day that the successors can be married so that the rings effect them instead of the current High Brother and Sister. It is the first day and night of July when this happens. The rings’ powers don’t effect the wearer even if there is not a wedding of the successors.”

“We still wear the rings,” Roel continued, “even during that day and night. Though, the rings aren’t bonded to us. We awoke yesterday, the second day of July, to find both rings missing. We’ve looked all through the Temple and if they were here they would have returned to us. They’ve been stolen, there is no doubt. Whoever did it has them locked away so that they cannot return magically. It’s also possible that the rings are too far away to come to us. Whatever the issue, it will not have good results here.”

Vell and Senar both stared at Roel and Kali. Vell had no idea what this meant, but she knew it wasn’t good. She suddenly remembered her dream from a week ago. Would the Temple fall apart?

“Vell, Senar,” Kali added, “those rings are what keep the balance in the Temple. Within a couple months Roel and I won’t be able to talk civilly with each other. The other Brothers and Sisters will start wondering if we can keep the Temple going. One of us will get ill. All this will lead to the end of the Temple. It will literally crumble into the sea.”

Roel took a deep breath. “We know that you two are capable of finding the rings and bringing them back. You have a stronger connection to the Spirits than any of us do. Please, will you help us?”

Both Senar and Vell looked at each other. Their look held an unspoken agreement.

“We’ll do our best,” Senar told Kali and Roel.

“Thank you,” Kali said.

“The rings would be worth a great deal of money,” Roel explained. “They are each solid diamond, nothing more - the High Brother’s is dark blue and the Sister’s is yellow. Because of their value, we suspect a sorcerer-thief. Whoever did it needed to use magic. Not even the most skilled thief could have stolen them without some kind of spell.”

“Therefore,” Kali explained, “the two of you will need to leave first thing in the morning for Algoma City. We’ll send you with a letter asking that you be trained in hand-to-hand combat at the castle.”

Vell looked at Senar. He appeared to be thinking the same thing; what had they gotten themselves into?