Chapter 53: We came here

Irin had been right, Koth thought as he studied what was left of the mural. The circles spread across it reminded him of the spell circles he used. What confused him was that they were worthless. Why had someone decorated the temple with them? If they had been active, they could have explained the way magic behaved in the temple. But now? Now they were just decorations.

"Look at this. It looks like it's the focus of the mural," Irin said. She was looking at the centre of the wall; there was a shape there that was hard to make out due to the passing of time. Koth looked at it; he could kind of make out the outline. It had a pointed base that curved up, making the bottom look like an amphora. On each side, there was a curling swirl, and on top was a circle.

"It almost looks like a person," he said. "The round thing is a head, the swirls are arms, and then a body," he explained. Irin hummed in agreement.

"I was thinking the same. The deity of the temple?"

"It would make sense. I have never seen that symbol before, do you know what god it represents?" he asked. Irin shook her head.

"Melir, are there any legends or stories about this place?" she asked. Melir looked excited to be asked a question for once.

"Not something that is about this temple, per se. There is a mention of it in a legend about the old warriors. The legend says that a long time ago we came from a place across the sea. Our ancestors were warriors that sailed the sea, looking for treasure to bring home. They happened upon this place; there were no people living here, but a harsh ice storm forced the warriors to seek shelter in the bay the town is now built in. As the storm subsided, they went out exploring, hoping to find a settlement to raid. What they found was unsettled land. The only sign of people was this temple. The legend says they happened upon it and thought they would find riches inside, but it had been abandoned a long time. Their shaman told them the magic of the god who resided inside the temple was still present, and hoping their long string of bad luck would end, they cleaned the temple and left an offering. Not long after, they found the river was full of fish and several bushes with nuts. They took it as a sign. Our ancestors stayed in the bay to pass the winter, and they never struggled to find food, and the bay protected them from the harsh storms. As spring arrived, they decided to settle. They laid the foundation for what is now the town, and they sent a small crew back to their home to bring over their families. Since that time, we don't go raiding, but the legacy lives on as all descendants from the original settlers train as warriors from the age of fifteen. Then, once a year, we send a group to walk across the land and gather food to remind us why we settled here," he told them. That explained the weapons and the way the people moved in the town, Koth thought.

"So it was here before your people settled here?" Irin asked. Melir nodded.

"But the first settlers still worshipped in this temple. Not the families that they brought over, but the first ones. And some of their children continued, even though they didn't know who the god was. Over time, there were fewer people who came here. I think they found it difficult to worship a nameless god," he told her. Koth saw her smile at the boy.

"I think you are right. It's harder to keep a relationship if you don't know the other one," she agreed. He watched her put her hand to the stone wall and then walk the entire room, still with her hand against the wall. "There is someone here; I can't just get the feeling for who or even what they are," she told them.

"Not a god? A ghost maybe?" Koth asked. She shook her head.

"Whoever they are, they are powerful. If not a god, then something like a god." Koth didn't know what to think of all of it. He took out a pen and some paper and sketched the circular pattern that was best preserved.

"How about we go back to the town and have a think and do some research?" he suggested.

"Good idea. I can do some scrying; see if Alesseja has some input," Irin said. She walked outside and picked some flowers and put them down on the altar. "Thank you for letting us visit and for not harming us," she said. As they walked outside, Koth took her hand. Something about the little temple had his protective feelings towards her bloom. Something about it had his instincts warn him that it wasn't something to take lightly.

"Melir, do you visit the temple often?" Koth asked.

"Maybe two times a month or so. I have a lot of chores to do, so I don't have time to go there more often," he told them.

"What do you do when you are there?" Irin asked.

"I don't know. Think. It's always peaceful there, and I can think about things I want to know, and no one asks me to do things," he said. Koth nodded; Melir had found a hideout where he could be alone with his thoughts. Koth understood the need. He had a tower of his own for that specific reason. They walked back to town, and Melir waved as he headed home, while Irin and Koth headed for the inn.

"He's a good kid," Irin said.

"He is. It's just a pity that Viturleiki doesn't see the value in him," Koth agreed.

"He would make an excellent apprentice to a magic wielder. I can feel that he has natural magic in him," she said.

"If his father allows it, I can ask some of my contacts if they would be willing to take him in. I'm sure we can find a good place for him, but it would mean that he needs to leave his family," Koth told her. She nodded.

"He is so young, but maybe it would be a good thing? We can talk to the chief and see what he says." Koth nodded. They came to the inn, and Irin walked up to the innkeeper's wife.

"Hi, Lerina. Do you have a big bowl I could use? About this big," Irin asked, showing with her hands the size she needed.

"Sure, I can have one brought to your room," Lerina said.

"Thank you, and some water as well if you can." They headed for their room, and it didn't take long until Irin got her bowl and water. She put the bowl on the floor and filled it with water. Koth watched as she sat down, cross-legged, at it and stared down into it. He let her work in peace and sat down at the table to study the sketch he had made of the spell circle that wasn't a spell circle. He used some charcoal and drew the circle on the table and tried to put a small amount of magic into it. The magic flowed into it, but nothing happened. It had no way to go; there were no instructions for what the magic should do. So it just stayed in the circle for a while and then dissipated. He frowned. Could it have been drawn by someone who had seen a spell circle but didn't understand it? Like when a child tries to draw a cow, and it looks like a spotted blob. He looked at Irin because he liked to look at her; it usually brought him peace and calmed his thoughts. This time, however, she looked so frustrated that his usual benefits of watching her didn't set in.

"What's wrong?" he asked.