Chapter 4

Chapter

Four

C alliape links her arm in mine, escorting me up the stone path to her home, made completely of beautifully stained wood, with elaborate carvings around the entry and windows letting in the natural light. The lines of the architecture are familiar, but it lacks the coldness the temples in the Estate tend to have.

She guides us down the intact aisle with pews on either side, toward the still set altar, but it does not feel like a sacred worshiping place. Evidence of Calliape and her warmth is sprinkled around the room, small sections assigned to different tasks in the large, open area.

Toward the front, an older, broad-shouldered man stands high up on a ladder, smoothing wet plaster across a damaged portion of the ceiling.

This must be 99's father.

His face instantly changes when he looks down at us, the wrinkles around his eyes smiling before his mouth does. There is a resemblance between him and 99, but even up on the top rung, I can tell he holds himself differently. His tall frame and softer torso are inviting and nonthreatening compared to the brutal strength of 99's body.

"What do we have here!" he chuckles as he descends the ladder that seems a little too wobbly under him.

"Blessed evening," I greet nervously, shifting on my feet until I feel 99's hand on the small of my back, stilling me.

" Blessed evening to you too. Should I call you Priestess?"

"Ferren is fine."

"Good, I'm called Allister. Let me put my tools down so I can get a good look at you." He walks to a table on the far side with full hands, still beaming.

"Allister was just fixing a leaky spot in the ceiling. I mentioned it to him, but I had no idea he would be by today," Calliape explains again, this time using a teasing tone in Allister's direction.

"I am not surprised." 99 nods softly, his way of letting her know it's not her fault that Allister made sure he was here when we arrived.

"Come! Sit, sit," Allister calls out from a small dining table.

Calliape gives him a pointed look as he holds out a chair for her.

"Forgive an old man, Calliape. I know I am the guest."

"It's fine." She laughs.

I sit next to her, glancing back at the same moment Allister smacks 99's shoulder armor in a half hug.

Allister takes the opportunity and assumed privacy to whisper into his son's ear, "She's very beautiful."

99 nods in agreement.

I was expecting his father to be as brooding and quiet as him, but they seem to be opposites. Allister is friendly and personable, more like August.

" If you are uncomfortable, we can go," 99 says into my mind's eye.

"I am comfortable if you are."

"Well, I know how our Calliape is adjusting to Viathan, but tell me, Ferren, do you like living in the capital?"

99 snaps his head to Allister, as if he thinks the question is leading to us following the same path as Calliape in moving here.

"What? Just asking." Allister snorts and raises his palms innocently.

"It's very different from Cosima," I begin.

"Oh, I imagine so!"

"But I really like the library in the capital building. I spend most of my time there, as I did in the Estate."

"Speaking of, could you find another book for me?" Calliape asks.

"Of course, I should have brought one today. I'm sorry."

Calliape has had some strange requests for books in the Viathan library, prayer books used by the priestesses of old, more incantation than prayer. Unnecessary to someone like Calliape, who is naturally gifted, but she finds them interesting, I suppose.

"I've told her she can access any book in the archive through the village town hall," Allister says, leaning back in his chair with a creak.

"It's different and you know it," Calliape responds. "The type of books I am after do not have the same effects when read on a data pad."

"Ah yes, hold a leather-bound book and it practically reads the story to you," Allister teases.

"These types of books have to be read a certain way. Tell him, Ferren."

All three of them suddenly turn their attention to me.

I clear my throat and sit a little straighter in my chair. "There is power in reading a handwritten book, holding the pages, touching the words of the person that put them there. Their emotions are captured in the ink itself, holding that memory for as long as the book remains. If read any other way, on a data pad for example, the words would be just . . . strung together. You would not feel them as you are supposed to. But I would love to see your village's archive."

Allister pauses as I speak, watching and taking in each word, not thinking of his response, really listening. He waits just a moment after I am finished and smiles like he is pleased. "Anytime, Ferren, and my son tells me you are an expert, so I will default to you for the difference," he concedes, and I know he truly means it.

"See, I told you your Viathan machines can't do everything."

"Not this again! They are solar panels, for Mother's sake!" He playfully throws his hands up and then leans in closer to me like he is telling me a secret. "I've tried to convince Calliape to let me install them here."

"The answer will always be no," she says.

His brows lift so high they almost touch his hairline. "Would you prefer to read by candlelight?"

"Yes," both Calliape and I answer in unison, then smile.

"They hum," Calliape explains.

"I've never heard this hum . Do you hear the hum?" Allister asks the rest of the table.

99 nods.

"You can light all the candles you like, but this temple is wood and wood burns," Allister jokingly warns.

"I am not sure what I expected for a Viathan temple, but it is very beautiful," I compliment, looking up at the rafters and the ceiling painted in fresco between them.

He inhales deeply just like I see 99 do all the time and looks up to the mural as well. "I don't know much about the other temples here, but this one is probably a poor example of them. It was here before the village was. We do not have many records on it, but it was occupied by the priestess order for some time. Before . . . well . . . just before," he finishes with a laugh to cover the seriousness.

That word is all he needs to say for me to understand what he means.

Before First Son's followers came to this village, before his wife and son left.

99 has spoken to me of those events very few times, of the day his mother and Oliver left, the message he received from him a few years later letting 99 know their mother had died. The end of it was to let 99 know he was staying on Cosima in the birthlands to continue to serve under First Son's regime.

I feel a stabbing pain in my stomach for leading the pleasant meeting down this path, but from what 99 has told me, every topic, every corner leads here with Allister. It's ever present in his mind, and I know it is the reason 99 did not visit him often before Calliape and I came to Viathan.

"What happened to the priestesses who lived here?" Calliape's question is innocent, but I can feel my shoulders bristle.

"They left when First Son's recruiters came through," Allister answers flippantly.

"They didn't help?" she asks with a shocked expression.

Allister shakes his head to answer.

The priestesses here were likely low ranking, their abilities minimal and they could have been sent to this Viathan outpost temple as punishment. But I don't interject or explain; I would risk of sounding like I am defending anyone who did not help against First Son. We are already down a path that makes me feel like I should have answers and because I am a priestess, I should apologize on their behalf.

"The recruiters came with a small army. There was little to be done . . . by anyone," 99 cuts in, halting my mental spiral.

He leans closer to me, pressing against my side like he can hear my overthinking emoting through our tether.

"No, I suppose not," Allister admits with sadness in his voice that is impossible to hide. He withdraws a bolt from his pocket, polishing it on his shirt hem, and gently smiles right at me, like he sees my distress. "I do not blame them, the priestesses."

I nod and smile, not sure of what to say.

"Have my son take you to a real Viathan temple." He winks.

"Well, I have tea brewing on the fire outside for everyone, unless any Viathans are offended by the real flames," Calliape snarks at Allister breaking his gentle smile in my direction.

"Sounds wonderful!" He claps his hands together.

"Ferren, will you join me?" she asks.

Calliape takes me on a quick tour of the rest of the temple on our way to collect the tea brewing outside. The back door is butted against a sparsely wooded area.

"Not quite your forest but it's beautiful," I tell her.

Whenever she allows me in her mind, there are always parts of her in different places. Like she is split down the middle at all times, often running through the forest or swimming while we are connected.

"The feeling here, it is so different too," she says, staring out into the trees.

"Too different. Even down to the floors and walls," I agree.

She nods and squats near a small fire pit with a metal kettle suspended over it. "Anytime I think I have seen all the strangeness here, Allister will use a machine to complete the simplest of tasks. It is hard to constantly be reminded you are not home, even if you have no desire to be home at all."

"Sometimes I wake up in a panic that I am late for temple service." I offer her a thick kitchen mitten. "Then I panic all over again, knowing there is a Viathan version of a temple in the same building."

"Have you ever peeked inside?" She lifts the steaming lid and stirs.

"Sometimes, 99 will guide me down that corridor when I am not paying attention. He slows down when we pass, just in case. But no, I don't have any desire to go inside, and my reasoning changes daily," I confess.

"That is very sweet, but I don't blame you. Maybe it is better not to know how different the actual Viathan temples are." She stares out into the tree line, her version of an odd and different temple.

"I wish it were easier, that I could stop comparing and feeling out of place every time I look around." I wish I had the courage to tell her that I cannot remember the last time I prayed, how I have not had the thought to since we left Cosima.

Calliape would never judge me, but confessing it aloud has the same permanence as scribing it in ink. No longer a fleeting thought that floats away with distraction, it would be made real and I would have to face what that means.

"Yes, and I don't want to go back to Frith even if I miss the forest there. Being in this one helps, but then it suddenly doesn't and I can't step foot in it for days." She pulls at a sticky pink twig that grows out of the ground, twisting it like it is taunting her that even the grass is not hers.

"It seemed easier when it was just you, 99, August, and me. When we were on the ship, everything around us was scary, but it felt . . ." I have no words other than touching my chest. "I don't think of other places when we are all together."

She smiles and nods. "Frithians have a name for that. The home that journeys with you. I feel it too."

I don't know if she realizes how her words are striking. She has plucked them from my own thoughts and put her own heart brand on them. The only time I am truly at ease, when my body is not fearful, is when we are all together. Like I can take in a full breath of air and completely focus on the present.

"I want to feel settled here."

"It will just take some time, I think."

" Are you ever afraid the people we left behind will come and take us back?" I whisper into her mind's eye.

"Fear is not what I would call it. Unease maybe," she says aloud. "You are afraid the priestess order will make you return?"

"I know they cannot make me. The sanctuary law is binding, but there are other things the temple could try. Their manipulation seems to have no boundaries."

"Yes, but you know that now. You will see the signs this time. If they try to go through you, use the guilt they have manufactured in you, then we will all see and help you. And if guilt is something they have embedded in you, perhaps fear is too."

I reach for her hand, and she grasps mine without hesitation. "I know the capital building was not right for you. I just—I wish I could see you every day. I wish I could be a better friend to you, Calliape. You give me so much."

"The temple doesn't have to do much work when you speak like that." She gives my hand a friendly tug, jolting me as a reminder about what she just said about guilt.

I laugh but it is true. The tiny pink scar on her cheek is a reminder of that fact and the only physical evidence of our battle in the grand hall. I was not there for her when we first arrived, and she too, had to recover from the trauma we endured that last day in the Estate.

But August was. He stayed with her, refusing to take on any transporting job until she recovered. Without 99 and August, we both would be lost.

"If the last time we felt at ease was when we were all together, then I think we need to find a way to do that more. I don't foresee 99 or August having a problem with it," I say.

"No, I think not." She giggles and shakes her head, obviously thinking of August.

When we walk back into the temple, 99 is standing at the base of Allister's ladder, looking up at him working on the ceiling.

"It's there. It goes all the way through." 99 points.

"Bah, it's a tiny crack in the plaster." Allister continues to patch the discolored hairline fracture.

"That is a crack. There is the hole." 99's gloved finger trails to a section not too far from the now patched mural.

"If you want to use that fancy helmet of yours to get on the roof and patch it, be my guest. But all I see is a crack, and that's what I am fixing." Allister descends the ladder with a satisfied expression.

Both of them turn in unison and look over their shoulders as Calliape and I enter. I can't decide what is cuter, Allister's wrinkly eyes or the way he watches 99 gravitate toward me like he is truly happy for his son.

99 brushes his knuckles down my arm to capture my attention. "You alright?" he whispers.

"Yes, everything is fine. We were just talking about how hard it is to be apart, all of us. I can't ask Calliape to come see me anymore. Not when she clearly is doing better here," I say privately through our tether.

The clang of ceramic chimes behind us as she and Allister have a small conversation about the stiff hinges on the green-painted cupboards while gathering her mugs.

"If you are comfortable traveling, we can visit Calliape more often."

"Are you certain?" I glance at Allister, knowing it would mean we would run into him more and 99 would be faced with the sad memories that come up when they are together.

"I am used to him doing that, Ferren," 99 says, picking up on my hesitation.

"I know this is not how you wanted me to meet him, but I am glad he is here. It makes me feel closer to you."

He has no reply to that, just a flush of amber light spreading across my skin like he is happy too.

99 pours the tea as I join the others at the little table again, and even though Calliape has set out four mugs, he will not join us, so I know the cup he pours is for me. I take it from him, and he watches my lips as I sip the pleasantly warm liquid.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure," he says, low and just for my ears.

I have to breathe in deeply to keep myself focused on staying on a more pleasant note before we leave. But I can't help the flurry of thoughts and the echoes of my conversation with Calliape swimming around. 99 snags on the topic of being together, all four of us. I can feel my shoulders relax when he agrees and all but promises to follow through with that idea.

"August will be back in another day or so," 99 announces suddenly.

"Oh, that's wonderful news. Remind me to get new locks for my liquor cabinet," Allister quips while handing Calliape a steamy mug.

She takes it with pursed lips, her cheeks deepen in a flush, and she won't make eye contact with anyone again. She continues to be both secretive and obvious about whatever is between her and August. From the way they have always and continue to look at each other, I think it's only a matter of time.

"When he returns, Ferren and I will come and visit again," 99 says to Calliape.

I beam at his almost immediate solution to what would make us both feel better.

"Well, when he does, I want you all to gather for dinner at mine," Allister offers into his mug.

The three of us seem to pause in a suspended shock at the invitation.

"Would that be ok, Ferren? I would like to get to know you more, see who is putting up with my son," Allister asks with a smile.

"Dinner would be lovely." I know my eyes have saucered at the kindness in his voice.

"As long as you are cooking real food, none of the packaged things you gave me. Adding hot water and stirring is not cooking." Calliape adds.

Allister and her go back and forth about the weird Viathan foods available, and I try not to take a side.

99 runs the hand resting on the back of my chair down my hair. He sends me affection and amber light, making my cheeks heat at the sudden rush. When he holds my gaze like this, it's like he can't believe I am right in front of him and if he blinks, I will disappear.

My stomach still flips a little when he looks at me with such adoration, helmet on or not. And right now, it makes me think that even though he would have preferred Allister not to be here, he is truly pleased his father likes me.