Embrace the Light (Godstone Saga 5)

Okay, so his bodyguard had a good point. But what Caelan had meant was that he was going to focus on other things than his own surroundings for a moment. He didn’t tell that to Adrian. He just muttered a soft “Smartass” and closed his eyes.

Rather than speaking directly to the gods, Caelan dug through the layers of energy that flowed in and around him at all times. After nearly a lifetime of being in contact with at least one god, Caelan considered himself an expert at telling the various gods apart. While he might have described it as a tingle to Drayce, the sensation of power he got from each of the gods was different and distinct.

He might have spent the least amount of time with Caris, the Goddess of Fire, but her power was easy to identify—warm and unexpectedly comforting.

But there was a new one he’d been feeling since they’d arrived in Brightspire. The only word he could think to use to describe it was heavy. The power was heavy as if it carried a physical weight. It pressed down on everything, making the air thicker. Caelan felt tired simply walking along the street in this city. Why was the God of Wisdom’s power so exhausting?

All the same, he pushed aside the powers of the various gods now bonded to him and focused on the power pouring out of Lore. It was everywhere, permeating the air, the soil, and the very stone that comprised the buildings.

Yet, there was a stronger feeling of it here in the Temple of the God of Wisdom than there had been out on the street or even in Diogo’s flat. If the godstone had been located anywhere in the temple, he would have been able to sense it.

“It’s not here,” Caelan whispered.

“You’re sure?”

Caelan only had to deliver a look and Adrian was lifting his hands in retreat. “My bad. Stupid question,” his companion replied. “What’s next?”

That was at least a good question. A damn good one. What did they do next? Caelan would have easily bet money that the godstone for Lore was located in his shrine.

Anyone happen to know where the godstone is located? Caelan impulsively inquired of the gods in his mind. It didn’t hurt to ask. Sometimes they surprised him to the positive side of things.

This wasn’t one of those times. None of the gods spoke up, but there was a general feeling of awkwardness and discomfort. Fantastic. No one was interested in talking about Lore, which meant that bad things were likely waiting for him when he did meet up with the god.

“Why don’t we ask the docent?” Adrian suggested with a jerk of his head toward an older woman with her gray hair cut in a neat bob. She was dressed in a uniform of slacks and a button-down shirt made of yellow goldenrod. She greeted everyone as they approached the main center aisle of the temple, offering them a pamphlet with information about the god and the temple.

Caelan had taken one when they first entered and skimmed it, but it had provided nothing helpful in terms of the godstone.

With a nod, Caelan led the way across the temple to the older woman. He offered her a friendly smile. “Good morning. I was wondering if I could ask you about Lore,” he greeted, his voice remaining in hushed tones.

“Of course. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about the God of Wisdom,” the woman replied cheerfully in the same soft voice so as not to disturb the other visitors to the temple.

Caelan clung to his smile while he inwardly debated how best to phrase the question. In the end, he figured it was best to just dive straight in. “I was curious about the godstone for the God of Wisdom. Is it located here in the temple?”

The woman’s face immediately clouded over with confusion. Her mouth opened and closed again without her making a sound. She cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowing. “I’m sorry, but I think you might be a touch confused. There is only one godstone. It’s located in Stormbreak Point, Erya.”

“Yes, and that is the godstone for the Goddess of Life, who is the patron of Erya.” Caelan pushed on, feeling a little more at ease even if her answer wasn’t exactly helpful. It was the answer he would have expected to receive in Caspagir or even on the Isle of Stone. And apparently, the people of Ilon were also ignorant of the existence of the other godstones. He wanted to probe more to be sure. “I was thinking that since Lore is the Patron God of Ilon that there might also be a godstone for him as well here in the city.”

“Oh, I see your confusion.” The docent gave a pleasant chuckle around her sigh of relief. She pressed a hand to her chest and her shoulders relaxed. “I will admit that I have studied Godstone lore for no more than a decade and I am not an expert.” She smiled and leaned closer. “I’m sure the only real experts on the Godstone are the Erya royal family. But aside from them, it is widely believed that the Godstone is the receptacle of the powers of all the gods who ever existed, not just the power of the Goddess of Life. The lovely goddess Tula is the Patron Goddess of Erya simply because the country has achieved greatness and prosperity through its vast farmlands. It really has nothing to do with the Godstone.”

Yeah, that was sort of true.

Tula scoffed rather loudly in his mind. So much for the great wisdom of his people.

Caelan wanted to agree with her, but the only reason he knew half the things he did about the godstones was thanks to hours of conversations with the gods in his head. That was somewhat of an unfair advantage. And one he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy.

“Ahh, I hadn’t realized,” Caelan murmured, politely bowing his head to the woman. “Clearly it’s time for me to return to the libraries and start researching the godstone.”

The older woman beamed brightly at him. “That sounds like an excellent way to spend your time. Is there anything else that I can help you with?”

Caelan shook his head and thanked her again for her assistance. With Adrian on his heels, he led the way out of the temple for the God of Wisdom and into the early-morning sunlight.

As they descended the stairs to street level, Adrian released a frustrated sigh. “Well, that wasn’t helpful at all.”

“Maybe not as much as we’d hoped it would be, but it is reassuring that everyone doesn’t know about the godstone,” Caelan said softly. “I’d rather all the people of Ilon didn’t know of its existence.”

“Won’t that make it harder to get to? If it’s hidden away?”

Caelan turned his head to gaze over his shoulder at his companion. “This is my fifth one. Only the one in Stormbreak wasn’t hidden away.”