maybe he was able to speak inside the priests mind because he too was a cognivant. He made a mental note to ask the priest about it later if they had time.
“I see,” replied the old man. “No offense taken. I think that you three are of sufficient interest to bring the council together. If you will please follow me,” Rayall said, slowly turning and walking through the large double doors.
The three kept up with him easily as he slowly ambled through a huge temple. The ceiling was at least forty paces high and the walls were built of the same white stone. Rows of benches lined the floor along the aisle that led to a large altar. Light shone through expansive sky lights lining the ceiling. Behind the altar was a stone statue of Ulren reaching all the way to the ceiling. His muscular arms appeared to hold up the stone roof.
Jonas immediately understood the artists meaning. The High One was holding up the temple with his bare arms, symbolic of his strength in holding up all that is good. The walls were lined with statues of all the gods.
Jonas’s eyes were immediately drawn to a female warrior at his right. The statue was twenty paces high and she stood gracefully holding a long sword and shield. She wore no helm and the artist captured her beauty perfectly. Her chest plate was decorated with the very same symbol tattooed on his chest and embossed on his own armor. From the folds of her cloak to the waves of her hair, the statue was stunningly lifelike. The work was incredible and Jonas could hardly believe that a person could create something so beautiful.
They walked to the end of the aisle and the priest motioned for them to sit on a bench. “Please have a seat. I will assemble the council. Someone will come to summon you when they are ready.”
“Thank you, Rayall,” replied Taleen. The priest nodded his head and moved across the floor to a wood door on the far wall.
“This is amazing,” whispered Jonas as he gazed at the magnificent temple.
“It truly is. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” added Kiln.
“This is a temple to all the benevolent gods of Kraawn. My Kulam is very similar. All the followers of all the gods are welcome here. There is Helikon,” Taleen said, pointing to her left.
Jonas followed her finger to a statue of a powerful warrior wearing only a leather and metal skirt, accentuating his muscular chest and powerful arms. In his right hand he held a thick broad sword and in his left he held onto a shaft tipped with a long sharp blade. His face was bearded and long wavy hair hung down to his strong shoulders. He looks every bit the warrior’s god thought Jonas.
“This is Inis, the wife of Ulren,” Taleen continued as she pointed at another statue.
Jonas looked upon a beautiful lady wearing what looked like a thin cotton robe that clung to her perfect form. Her long hair was swept back from her face by an invisible breeze. In one hand the goddess held a bouquet of roses and in the other she held a basket of food.
The sun shone through the ceiling in such a way that it lit up each statue like a spotlight. The architecture was truly incredible, allowing the sun’s light to purposely highlight each figure.
“Inis is the goddess of beauty, passion, and kindness,” Taleen said as she continued her explanation of the gods.
Jonas took a few minutes to look at all the statues that lined the circular walls. For the first time he noticed that at the bottom of each one was a mini altar and they all had melted candles that covered the base of the statue.
“Taleen?” asked Jonas.
“Yes?”
“I spoke with an elf once, well she was a half-elf, but anyway, she said that elves do not believe in gods. How can they not believe in the gods when we have proof of their existence?”
“What proof do we have?” Taleen asked.
“Our magic of course,” Jonas replied, a little taken aback by her question.`
“Well, the elves do not believe in gods, but they do believe in what we call our gods,” she said.
“What do you mean?” he asked
“It’s a matter of perspective, Jonas,” Kiln interjected.
Taleen nodded her head in agreement. “Exactly. The elves believe that Ulren, Bandris, Shyann, and all the gods, including the Foresworn, are not really gods at all, but people who somehow achieved enough power