Which is what the whole side trip to Dine was all about in A Hand of Father.
Anyway, here's an rough taste of an unedited draft of the first chapter.
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Chill rains had settled over the city of Orrin after the Winter Solstice, and everyone who didn’t have to be out in the drizzles and downpours stayed close to their fireplaces and braziers. Those same storms had halted ship traffic in and out of our harbor, and the fierce waves made it too dangerous for the fishers to launch their smaller boats. That left repairs and crafts to occupy idle hands until the weather broke.
I found myself with four justices in residence where there had only been me at Orrin’s Temple of Balance last winter. Justice Erato and Brother Wolf Run, who currently rode circuit in the east side of the Duchy of Orrin, had come to my Temple to resupply in the late fall, but early and deep snows in the foothills forced them to retreat and spend the season here rather than Mountain Gate as they’d planned.
However, our visitors were not bored. The bonding of the city’s clergy over the difficulties of the last year had led to spending our free time together on the long, dark nights. Each Temple took turns hosting games, story telling, and music except on Rest Day. We’d gather after First Evening, and a competition of a different sort had broken out among our head cooks and chefs over the quality and variety of dishes served.
On this Sixth Day, we were gathered in the sanctuary of the Temple of Thief for a Mill tournament. Quite simply, wagering on games of skill and chance was His domain. Therefore, there was never any question that a great deal of betting would occur any time we assembled at Thief.
The spiced roasts of beef and venison filled the air of the Temple with a hearty aroma. Dried cranberries imported from the eastern side of the Northern Long Continent flavored the extravagantly expensive wheat bread. Turnips and potatoes were boiled and mashed together before butter, milk, and black pepper were added. Instead of Pana Valley wine, Thief’s cook served Kemet-style beer from an inn in Nastine. The yeasty drink complimented the meat and vegetables’ savory taste.
Since the Temple of Thief did not have an eternal flame before the statue of the god they represented, the architects compensated by building two large fireplaces on the northern and southern walls of their main sanctuary. Oil lamps with reflectors hung from the ceiling. Unfortunately, they all made a vast amount of heat, which meant I spent most of the night squinting against their uncomfortable pink glares. Only the obsidian statue of Thief Himself remained cool enough not to bother my odd eyesight.
My head of household Sivan watched Baby Kosumi so my junior justice Yanaba could attend the festivities. I rather suspected it was my assistant’s way of suggesting she and my chief warden make their relationship more permanent with a babe of their own.
The pleasant thing about Mill was everyone from Balance could play, too. Talbert made a point of creating game pieces of two different types of material so my sister justices could study the board by touch.
I was the odd one, a justice who had vision, though my perception was different from other sighted humans. I perceived differences due to relative heat exuded by the things, people, and animals around me. Therefore, I could actually see the game set and the pieces clearly.
“Your move, Anthea.” Sister Cedar Grove smirked at me from across our table.
That was the other thing I loved about our gatherings. We agreed to drop all titles for the duration of our entertainments. It was freeing not to have to worry about etiquette and status for a few candlemarks.
It also helped that none of us wore Temple robes to these gatherings. Cedar Grove wore a skirt and a loose tunic to keep her growing belly warm. I wore a velvet dress, also for warmth and not fashion. The garment had been made by an Orrin seamstress named Jaci. She wanted to gift it to me for saving her family from being eaten by two wechuges. I insisted on paying for the dress. In the end, we agreed I would pay for the material and thread, and Jaci could spend her free time as she wished.
“I am aware, thank you, Cedar Grove.” I growled as I stared at the board. Mill was less complicated than chess, but it still required a certain amount of strategy. It didn’t help that this was the last game. As the two finalists, Cedar Grove and I were tied at two games apiece. The winner would take the tournament and the prize gold.
As I said before, no games could be played at Thief without some gambling involved.
The staff of Thief paused in their removal empty dishes from the serving table and watched the game. The crowd of clergy pressed closer and murmured among themselves. Secondary betting among the clergy, staff, and wardens impinged on my awareness. I saw the trap Cedar Grove was about to spring. The question was finding a way out.
Or maybe I was looking at the problem from the wrong perspective. Maybe I needed to go around. I slid the copper peg into the hole.
Cedar Grove’s breath came out in a whoosh.
“Are you all right, my love?” Garbhan’s hand was on her shoulder.
She frowned at the board trying to figure out my plan. Both of her palms rubbed her swollen belly. “I would be if our daughter would stop kicking my lungs.”
“Do you concede?” I smirked at her.
She snorted. “To you? Never!” Still, the Thief priestess took her time, which set off another round of wagering among our peers. She took the space I’d expected, and I made my next move.
Her face fell. She had only two moves left. One where she would lose the match and one where she would tie. Cedar Grove had too much pride to deliberately lose.
So did I.
Pandemonium exploded as we inserted our last pegs into their squares. No one was expecting us to tie. The brothers and sisters of Thief were laughing as they took the gambling proceeds to dais at the foot of the statue of Thief in order to count them.
Cedar Grove and I stood and bowed to each other. I stretched my arms over my head, and arched my back to pull out the knots. Garbhan guided her over to the food table. He’d become rather overprotective of the priestess since he’d seeded her womb. I’m sure it was difficult not to form an attachment when bringing a new life into the world.
My thoughts dragged my attention to Luc, the High Brother of Light. He stood next to the seat of Thief Talbert, and they both grinned like fools. I realized why. After the Temple of Thief took its cut and the prize gold was split between Cedar Grove and me, the remaining coins were being divided between the two high brothers.
I stalked over to them. “What is going on here?”
“Collecting on our bets,” Luc said innocently.
“Y-you bet I would lose?” I’d never thought of myself as being that egotistic, but his judgement of my skill hurt.
He leaned on his left crutch and cupped my cheek. “I know you. And I knew you wouldn’t lose.”
Confusion rippled through me. “B-but—”
“Balance in all things, Anthea,” Talbert teased. “You of all people should know that.”
“You bet that we would tie?” I shook my head at their foolishness. Or wisdom, depending out one’s point of view. “You two are—”
“Brilliant?” Luc offered.
“Ingenious?” Talbert said.
“Pains in my backside,” I retorted.
Shi Hua’s screams interrupted our byplay. Jeremy cradled the Light priestess as she collapsed to the marble floor of the sanctuary.
I raced over, knelt next to Shi Hua, and tried to absorb her pain. Fire ripped through my belly as if sharp claws had gutted me. Breathe with me, Shi Hua. What’s wrong?
It took several moments for the young woman’s agony to recede. At first, I feared a complication from childbirth though she’d delivered little Chao nearly four weeks ago. But it wasn’t her pain I was feeling. It was someone else’s. Someone who couldn’t see her attacker. Someone who had either passed out or died from her injuries. But before she did, I felt the distinctive rasp of demon magic.
“Mei Wen!” Shi Hua gasped between her words and tears. “She tried to—tried to warn me. A demon army has invaded Chengzhou.”
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