Book 5: Outside

Amval

“In this life,” Halit intones with her hands raised, “pleasure and pain so often go hand in hand.”

My foot slips, and I have to throw my hands out for a gust of wind to catch it before I topple off the side of the temple. No one looks up. Why would they? Most of the palace has been in the temple at least once since the casket ostensibly containing my body was carted in and placed on the altar. Half of the rest of the world seems to have been invited, crowding into a space I never thought was small before.

I remember arriving at the palace for the first time in my life. Prayers of gratitude echoed from the temple’s open doors. I followed them, curious, and found the biggest room I’d ever seen up until that time. I’ve heard that, in other kingdoms, temples are often plain, silver-white spaces so the Goddess’s light can be the main decoration. In theory, that sounds beautiful, but then I saw the walls of our temple, covered in mosaics from floor