WIP by M Bae

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This god is Ramun-totkef, the Sun-who-is-Unseen, the Whisperer of Secrets. He is an ancient god of Aheba's people, and his temple of worship is where I eat and sleep (as of three days ago).

The temple is a walled structure built of baked red bricks and carved rocks, as most build-ings in Cafrum (this is the name of the city) are. It is an old building, almost as old as the city itself. It sits atop the northern hill and looks down upon the whole city, from the mar-kets to the docks. Its walls, no taller than a woman's height, are covered with thousands of engraved prayers that pilgrims have left.

Within the walls, the temple has two courtyards, a large one in the front and a small one in the back. In the centre is the House of Deity, a flat-roofed building supported by four col-umns on each side, painted with pale yellow and shades of purple. This is where the holy ones sleep. The slaves sleep just outside the temple walls, in their brick houses. I sleep in a small room built for me in the back courtyard; it is near Aheba's room where I can easily hear her should she call on me.

There are three priests in the temple. Holy Abutis is the oldest. He is the chief priest, but his old age makes him sleep most of the time, and thus Holy Yusiaf and Temekos, old but not as old as Abutis, govern the temple together. They often seek Aheba's guidance, and respect her always for the wisdom their god whispers in her ears. They are kind to me as well, though Holy Abutis always complains that I am no priest and should sleep outside the temple walls, with the slaves. But Aheba says she needs me to be her eyes, and tells Abutis that he should speak to the sun god himself of it in his dreams.

I tire of writing these things, since both I and the holy ones know them very well. But, should I lose this scroll by accident, these accounts might compel someone to return it to the temple. So says Adonis. I hope I do not lose it. If some fool takes it, he might burn it in ignorance. Even if it were fortunate enough to find its way back to the temple, what use would it serve if incomplete? Therefore I must return with it in person after we've visited the southern Magi, so that I will be there when Aheba is cured of her illness. How lost she would be without me as her eyes!

The prince and his charioteer visited the temple three days ago, when the moon was at the zenith. They drove the chariot straight to the temple's gate, and demanded to speak with Aheba. The slaves who were standing guard for the night were terrified (understandably so, since Knotos is the largest man I have ever seen, and of colossal muscles!) and came to wake me up. I went out to speak with the "monstrously massive" man, knowing better than to disturb Aheba's sleep.

He had dismounted the chariot by the time I was at the gate. The first thing I saw was the large Red Man the slaves spoke of, who was hobbling the horses' front legs together since there were no trees nearby to tether them to. Even with his back bent low and knee on the ground, he was slightly taller than me.