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female perfection. Each statue rose from the floor to the ceiling. Yet it was not the statues that really caught Borrik or his companions off guard.
    Beyond what was once the sole room of worship within the temple lay a new, massive room. Row upon row of brand new, shiny pews lined the majority of the vast area, leaving only a walkway down the middle and a large stage with a dais at the far end. There was not a single space for another person to sit within the room. Every inch of every pew was loaded to capacity, and beyond that, more people stood behind the last row of pews listening intently with their ears straining to hear the words that came from a malformed woman upon the stage. Though Borrik, with his canine hearing could easily make out the woman’s words, he paid them little attention. He was much more concerned with what the woman wore.
    Though she was far from a beautiful creature, being a grotesque mix of orc and human, the woman showed little concern for her appearance. She wore a white linen skirt that clung very low to her hips, and beyond that the only other scrap of cloth covering her was a sling of sorts that wrapped over her shoulder and around her waist on the opposite side. One grayish blue breast was completely exposed, and from within the white sling a babe suckled upon her other breast, openly viewable by all those attending. But no one pointed, none accused, and none seemed offended or disgusted. All was peaceful and tranquil, even with easily six hundred people in attendance. Not a child screamed and dashed into the aisle to run around, disrupting the crowd. Not a single babe wailed for attention from their mother. No one spoke out of turn. No one so much as coughed or sneezed within the sacred temple of Ishanya. All was perfect, better even than Borrik himself could have ever imagined. All this from a novice priestess, the recipient of one of Seth’s so-called miracles. Borrik was overwhelmed, but even so he could not help but hear the words that were next to come from the priestess’s lips.
    “Please all rise from your seats and kneel as our goddess has seen it fit to bless us with a visit from her champion upon Thurr. Lord Seth, the Prince of Valdadore himself, has come to grace us with his blessing as promised by Ishanya,” the priestess cried before falling to her own knees.
    All in the room did as commanded. Rising from the pews they all turned to face the aisle before sinking to their knees to witness the passing of Seth, his bride and their inhuman guards. Borrik stepped into the lead immediately, his instincts taking over. Though this might have once been his church, and though it was now filled with hundreds of loyal worshippers, that did not mean one of them might not be a fanatical lunatic who might think that with Seth’s blood they could be made immortal or some other such nonsense. So with Borrik in the lead, and Seth and Sara following silently behind, the group was trailed closely by Captain Jonas who took up the position of rear guard. All eyes were upon the four as they traversed the seemingly endless expanse of this new chamber of worship to come and stand directly before the priestess herself.
    “Arise Sister Marina, and thank you for the very warm welcome,” Seth said, barely recalling the woman’s name. “If we could, is there some place still remaining that we could speak in private?”
    “Yes, your majesty.” Marina paused before speaking once again. “Would you say some words to the congregation first? Some have been waiting here more than ten hours to see you.”
    “I am no preacher. What is it you think I should say?” Seth asked in a whisper, feeling completely unprepared.
    “Tell them something inspiring, something that shows the power of our goddess,” the priestess suggested.
    Seth simply nodded in understanding. This was a small piece of the price he paid for his power and the original bargain struck between himself and the goddess Ishanya. Spread the