Inner chamber

Every other person was probably in their house, lighting up a fire at the fireplace, to give warmth. This was so unusual, even the cold itself was unusual because winter was still months away, and this was more than just a mare snowfall or mare blizzard, this was a cold freezing storm.

She could feel her nostrils water.

"I think I'm gonna have a fever," she whispered to herself, as she exhaled through her mouth.

The further she went, the more furious the wind blew, and the colder it became. She couldn't even hear herself again, due to the loud hiss and whistles of the wind.

Getting to the temple, the appearance of the extra-sized building, made her wonder if she had missed her way while coming and ventured into a strange place.

The temple building was all coated in ice. The borders of each window and door were lined with spikes of ice, pointing downwards. Even the trees in the surrounding had lined in their branches, pointy spikes of ice. It all looked like she was in some imaginary realm of ice, or like the description of the imaginary realm of the elves, she had read about in some historical scrolls. She proceeded to the back of the building, where the block chamber was. She tried to open the door, but it was stiff. She pushed and pushed, till it finally opened. Pieces of ice fell from the top border of the door. Entering the staircase, she witnessed the direct opposite of what she was expecting. She expected that inside the block chamber would be warmer than the outside since it was sealed tight. But getting inside, she was surprised to find it, even more, colder, and with a lower temperature than the one outside. The walls of the staircase were all layered with ice. As she attempted to take one step down, she almost slipped off her feet, because the steps were all covered in slippery ice. She caught herself and managed to push both hands against the walls, to prevent her from falling over. Gradually and carefully, she climbed down the stairs, one step at a time, to avoid crashing down.

Zelta heard the sound of the door when it was opened. She had been awake all along, but she wrapped herself with the blanket, and squatted down at the end of her bed, hugging her legs close to her chest. She saw it was Zain that had come.

"Zain," she muttered, with a shivering shaking voice.

"Zelta, how are you?" asked Zain, hearing Zelta's voice.

She peered closely through the door and saw Zelta where she squatted on her bed.

"Hopefully I'm still alive," was Zelta's shaky reply.

"What is the matter? You look pale and weak," asked Zain, she had observed the weakness in the tone and the appearance of Zelta.

"I have a fever," muttered Zelta.

"And you didn't tell me earlier? Don't worry, I'll get you some drugs, and you'll be fine," said Zain.

"What of you, how have you been?" asked Zelta.

"That reminds me, there's something that I have to tell you," said Zain.

Zelta managed to get down to her feet and come close to the door, where Zain stood.

"I'm all ears," she said.

"Zelta, right now, I'm in big trouble. De voe's men would be coming for me at any moment," said Zain.

"What trouble, why would they come looking for you?" asked Zelta.

"It all kind of happened just a few days ago, that I was studying at the temple library, and in the process, decided to have a little rest, waking back up, just to find out that I had slept till midnight, in the temple. I began to hear some voices from outside the temple, so I peered through the window and saw a group of men, attempting to perform some sacrifice, at the expense of a little girl they held," explained Zain.

"Human sacrifice?" interrupted Zelta.

"That was what it looked like. I tried to be quiet, to avoid their attention, but somehow I made a little noise which drew their attention, causing them to come searching for me," explained Zain.

"Let me guess, you knocked down one of those idols?" interrupted Zelta.

"Exactly that," replied Zain. They both laughed.

"You must've been so tensed," added Zelta.

"Scared to death, actually. Hopefully, I escaped the temple that night and later found out that those men were De voe and his followers. They kept on searching for me the following day, using the injury they caused me, as a lead," she narrated.

"They hurt you?" asked Zelta.

"They managed to cut me in the arm, with a sword, during the chase," explained Zain.

"Oh my... Let me see it," requested Zelta.

"It's gone, the wound healed before the next day, so they couldn't detect it was me, it was their only lead," said Zain.

"Wait, I don't get it," interrupted Zelta, "The wound healed up in just a night?"

"In a few seconds actually," replied Zain.

Zelta still wasn't cleared. The thought that she didn't get what Zain said.

Zain took out her dagger and removed one of her gloves. She wanted to cut herself so that Zelta can see her fast self-healing.

"What are you doing?" asked the already confused Zelta.

"Just watch closely," said Zain.

"Are you gonna cut yourself? Oh my god," muttered Zelta in shock, as Zain sliced deep through her palm with the dagger.

"Watch closely," said Zain, as she groaned in pain.

Zelta was still confused, she began to wonder if Zain may have loosed her mind because any sane person wouldn't do what she just did. Zelta as well watched closely, at Zain's blood-dropping palm. To her greatest surprise, she saw the cut close up before her very eyes. This was unbelievable. Her mouth was pursed open in astonishment. She even whipped her eyes to be sure she wasn't hallucinating again. It was unreal.

"Zain you have powers?" whispered Zelta in astonishment.

"No I don't, I'm not some freak," replied Zain curtly.

"No one said you're a freak. You have powers and you never told me?" asked Zelta.

"I don't have powers, and besides, I just began noticing it recently," said Zain.

"The powers?" asked Zelta.

"No... gosh, this healing thing. I've been studying many books, to see how I can cure myself, I think it's some kind of cellular disorder," said Zain.

"Do you hear yourself? If not for that power, you probably would have been dead by now, it saved your life, and you want it to go away?" said Zelta.

"Tell me, what else can you do, fly? Super strength that can get me out of here?" asked Zelta in anticipation.

"I can't fly Zelta, and I don't want to, if I do so, please will call me a monster, or a freak," said Zain.

"I don't think so," replied Zelta.

"Zelta I'm in trouble, I don't know what I'm going to tell them," said Zain.

"The wound is healed, is there any need to be worried?" asked Zelta.

"Somehow, they're suspecting me, they said they found out that I know some top-secret," said Zain.

"Did you... tell anyone about it?" asked Zelta.

"No one, no one else except the priest," answered Zain.

"Then it must be him, it's either he was forced, or he's one of them. These days, it's safer to trust no one," said Zelta.

"I need answers, it can't be Priest Benedict," said Zain, in an attempt to leave.

"Wait," called Zelta, "Be careful out there."

"I will," she replied shortly before she ascended the steps.

When Zain came out of the block chamber, she proceeded into the temple, through the main entrance. She wanted to meet the priest, to be sure if he was the one who told them that she knew their secret. As she walked straight passed the rows of seats, part of her was scared that he was among De voe's men, and he that he might sneak up on her, and attack her, but another part of her wasn't afraid. She had known the priest almost all her life, she even talk with him informally. The temple was so silent. Getting to the altar, she felt she had to pray, her life was at stake. She took off her hat, and gloves, and knelt before the enormous Idle that stood before the temple. The Idle was the image of one of the ancestors, who was remembered for some reason unknown to her. All she knew was that people prayed before it. Zain said a prayer of a few words, then she got back up to her foot, and went further.

"Priest Benedict, Priest Benedict!" called Zain, but there was no response.

She kept looking around, but she couldn't find him.

"Priest Benedict, it's me Zain," she said, but she didn't get any response.

This was unusual because the priest hardly ever left the temple. Zain went to the inner chamber and knocked on the door. There was no response. As she knocked, the door creaked open, there was no one inside.

"No one's here," she muttered.