The Vitalis Chronicles: Steps of Krakador Read Online Free Page A

to be the truth. Ever since an assassin posing as a candle bearer had attempted to murder their grandfather, no one was permitted inside the Temple during the King's prayers save the Preator and two of the King's bodyguard. She also knew that, as kindly and unassuming as these priests were, they were probably carrying blades of their own to watch the gates.
    “ I am aware.” She forced herself to stop, nerves clattering against her bones as she felt time slipping away. “I am his sister.” She produced the brooch from her pocket this time, hoping it would be enough to let her through. “I have to speak with him.”
    “ You may speak with him when his prayers are completed, my child.” The priest placed his hand on her arm in an attempt to guide her to a nearby bench. His touch was gentle but firm.
    “ You don't understand.” She tried to twist away but found his grip a vice. Desperation crept in at the edges of her tone. “I must see him, now!”
    “ Let her through.” The nonchalant command carried out of the pillared shadows. “She is his sister, after all. I doubt he would like to hear of having her detained.”
    “ Yes, Preator.” The priests backed away hesitantly at first, then vanished into the shadows. A tall man in white approached her from the doors to the Temple.
    Preator Motra Gildess had hardly aged a day since she had last seen him, though he hadn't gotten any younger either. His bearing was regal, as befitted the Preator of the Temple, and his long white robes were almost a simple sheet in comparison to the garments of those who surrounded him. The garb of the High Priest was to be simple, pure, and humble during his two years of service. This was Motra Gildess' third term as the Preator in Rain's lifetime, and he was by far her favorite.
    “ I must see–”
    “ Your brother, I know.” He smiled, the creases in his leathery face deepening with the expression. “He sent me to collect you.” He folded his hands inside his robes as he turned to lead her to the thick oaken doors.
    “ He sent you? How did he know I would be here?”
    “ Your brother has been suffering... visions,” the Preator spoke in a conspiratorial hush. “His illness brought on what many spoke of as hallucinations, which I fear is what he was indeed seeing at first, but they have transformed into something far more unsettling for him.”
    “ Which is what?” She asked as he pushed the massive door open to let her pass.
    “ The truth.” He stood there, waiting for her to enter the grand space beyond before he swung the door closed behind her. The Temple itself was awe-inspiring when the large panes of glass in the high dome above were left unobstructed. But now the tall pillars of granite and ornate altars around the edges were shrouded in darkness. Rendin had always preferred to pray in the dark. It provided fewer distractions, he said. A few torches were lit and left standing along the downward path that led towards the center of the Temple. Seeing no more likely direction to take, she followed their glow.
    The steps leading down into the auditorium came up faster than she remembered. The broad stair was transformed on either side into low seats where thousands could sit through one of the Preator's sermons. The rough seats were the same as they had been since the original amphitheater on the site had been carved from the stone. They descended steadily until they came to the center where a dais rose from a low platform.
    On it stood a simple altar, over which rested a thick sheet of red velvet. A solitary candle the size of a small log stood at its center, and just below that, her brother. Kneeling between his ever vigilant guardians, the King of the West remained motionless, at prayer.
    She worked her way down the steps, her thighs decrying every advance downwards, sore from the saddle and resistant to the motion. She ignored them as she found herself at the bottom, looking up at the man who had once been her best