Chapter 17 Lies!
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Evie asked again, concern lacing her voice.
She watched as Levi held her head in confusion, her face drawn with uncertainty. Soon, she began to roam around the room in search of whatever it was she was looking for. She turned her wardrobe of priestly garments upside down and cleared the mirror table, but still couldn’t find it. To Evie’s amusement, Levi suddenly knelt and peeped under the bed, checking to see if what she sought had fallen there. Her long golden hair cascaded across the floor like sweet honey, mesmerizing Evie.
Levi remained seated on the floor for some time, tying a bracelet around her wrist. Her mother had given it to her, saying it would help stop nightmares, but she had never truly believed it and had kept it carelessly. How had she ended up in such a strange position? How could a dream feel so real—real enough to be confused with reality? Wasn’t that sorcery? A thought struck her, and she stood up immediately.
“Are women allowed in the inner court?”
“Of course not!” Evie panicked. “Why would you ask such a question? It is forbidden and would ignite the wrath of Elyon.”
“Has there ever been an exception?” Levi pressed.
“No!” Evie answered hastily, but then furrowed her brows as something surfaced in her memory. “I think… I think there is an exception. I must have read something like that in the Book of Knowledge, written long ago by a prophet called Enoch.”
“I’ve never heard of such a book,” Levi narrowed her eyes, hoping this wasn’t one of those moments when Evie treated everything like child’s play. She was the most unserious priestess Levi had ever come across.
“Yes! And that’s because I was only fortunate enough to set my eyes on it,” Evie brightened with excitement as she sat on the bed, ready to spill all she knew. She motioned for Levi to sit beside her, but... the pretty girl preferred standing, especially when her mind was unsettled.
“That book holds all the secrets of the universe,” Evie said. “It was written by the greatest and most powerful prophet who ever lived. It contains answers to every question! The words were formed by an angel and given to the prophet, who was instructed to write exactly what he heard—so mankind could know the truth and discover the power that lies within them.”
Levi listened attentively, but when Evie was done talking, she simply lifted the veil tied around her neck and covered her hair, disappointment etched across her face. “I’m going to the temple to carry out what I was assigned to do.”
Evie was taken aback by Levi’s nonchalant reply. She touched her lips, as if to be sure they had actually moved and that Levi had truly heard her. “Did you not hear anything I just said?”
“I heard you,” Levi replied. “Loud enough to know your words are full of lies.”
“Lies?” Evie scoffed. “You think I’m lying?”
“I don’t think so,” Levi sighed. “I know so! I knew it from the moment you said you had read the book. Whatever came out of your mouth after that was bound to be lies.”
Evie’s face burned with anger as she stood up abruptly. “How can you dismiss something without even trying to verify whether it’s true or not?”
“I don’t need to verify anything,” Levi said, walking toward the door. “It’s obvious you’re toying with me.”
“Don’t bother going to the temple,” Evie said, grabbing her arm.
“And why not?” Levi turned sharply, her brows furrowed.
“The high priest asked about you,” Evie said. “I told him you were on your monthly flow, as it is with every woman, and that it is against doctrine for you to step into the temple.”
Levi frowned, as if her suspicion of the girl had been confirmed. Although it was true that a woman on her monthly flow was forbidden from entering the temple, it was not something one should lie about. “As much as I would love to thank you for saving me from punishment, this should be the last time you use my name as an excuse to lie in the house of Elyon.”
Levi’s eyes softened as she gazed at Evie, and she sighed. The girl was only trying to help her. “If there’s nothing else that requires my attention, I’ll take my leave. My family must be waiting for me.” Levi said, walking toward the door.
“That’s not all!” Evie called out. “The high priest instructed that you are to feed the sacrificial beast before you go to your family.”
Levi halted in her tracks and turned sharply. “If this is another one of your lies, stop it. It’s not funny.”
“Why don’t you go ask the high priest yourself to confirm?” Evie smirked wickedly and left the room, banging the door behind her. She could tolerate anything and anyone but being called a liar was an insult to her very being. If Levi already saw her as one, then she would give her a reason to believe it.
...
Evie was the closest person Levi had within the temple—if closeness could even be named as such. They were not friends in any sense, Levi never considered her as one. Still, she knew Levi's sad story—everyone in the temple did...
"...Levi was found during a great war, when the Malakhians and the priests of Elyon fought against the Sumerians—a nearby kingdom that had threatened to bring an end to their old monarchy and rule over the Kingdom of Malakh.
During that time, the High Priest discovered a newborn baby floating on a river. The child was unique, possessing the most unnatural golden hair and eyes he had ever seen. He took the child, named her Levi, and brought her to a woman who had given birth only a few days earlier, instructing her to nurture the child and return her to the temple when the time was right. The woman accepted Levi, and she grew up as part of the family, showered with all the love they could give her.
At the age of twelve, Levi began her training as a servant of Elyon and was taught how to fight in order to protect the temple and the kingdom from external threats.
It was well known far and wide that no army on Earth could stand against the priests of Elyon—not even the royal army of Malakh, despite serving the same kingdom. The God of the Malakhians always fought alongside and only with his priests, appearing in the form of a thunderstorm or a pillar of fire striking down their enemies before a single foot could cross Malakh’s borders.
Among all the gods in the world, none was like Elyon—terrifying and all-powerful. So much so that when other kingdoms heard that the priests of Elyon were involved in a war, they would tremble and retreat immediately, waiting in dread until the conflict had passed..."