Book 2 Chapter 13

“Take over the water temple?” Maria repeated slowly, not understanding.

“Yes, that is why god came here is it not? To reclaim the spirit of Water and its followers? It may take some time, but it should not prove to be too difficult.” Nerida said with a smile.

“Aren’t you the Holy Priestess here? Why do you want to help Tirr?” Claire asked suspiciously.

“It’s something that I already went over with god, but I’ve been waiting for him for some time. If would have been great if I knew where he was sleeping so I could head their direction.”

“She saw visions, memories of my previous apostle from the Shard here… “Tirr cut in, explaining for Nerida, “Like how your father connected with the fire shard but clearer.”

“The fire shard turned my father insane…” Claire added quickly, before turning back to Nerida, “Even if you saw some memories, why would you want to help Tirr? The shards only started being a thing a few years ago. You were already a priestess then, weren’t you? Why decide to throw everything away for someone you only saw memories of?”

“I’m not throwing anything away,” Nerida said happily.

“Aren’t you? You pretty much control the temple as the holy priestess. Why give that control to Tirr?”

“If I really controlled the Water Temple, then our task would be much simpler. No, at most the Holy Priestess is a figurehead. The true power of the Water Temple lies within the Water Conclave and the factions that control it. I have raised a decent amount of support with the help of my father, but most of my popularity comes from the common folk.”

“Still, you grew up in the temple, why would you want to help Tirr take it over.” Claire questioned seriously.

“Because I believe he is the only one that can save it.”

“What?” Even Tirr was surprised at the answer.

“Yes… The current water temple is like an apple that was left to rot… At one point it was a bastion of hope and safety for our people, but it slowly lost its purpose over the years.”

“I thought the water temple had a lot of power in Lutel?” Maria asked confused.

“It does, and that’s the problem.” Nerida sighed, “Over the years, more and more priests have forgotten that they exist to serve the people as hands of the Water Spirit. Instead, they feel that people existed to serve them. Their greed has grown to a level that was unthinkable in the past.”

“While it cannot be said that all the priests are like that, the current Water Temple has rotted at its core. Services that used to be offered freely to everyone are now instead only provided to the highest bidder. The wealthy pay to receive their blessings before anyone else while the common people are lucky if they get the chance to enter the temple that their hard work helped build. Even this temple, is a monument to how The Water Conclave has become the leech on the back of Lutel.”

“Even so that doesn’t mean it needs saving right? It’s still the strongest power in Lutel.” Claire said frowning.

That is the same mistake those priests make. In the end, they forget that the power of the Water Temple is built on the backs of the people. In all, there are about a thousand members of the water temple, spread out across the entire country. The Water Shard has indeed given us some more power, but if the might of the people were to turn on us, we would be swallowed without even putting up a fight.”

“Has it grown that bad?” Maria asked concerned, everything she had heard had said Lutel was obsessed with the water spirit. How bad must it be if the people were willing to turn against that?

“While no one would dare say it, the patience of the people has been slowly tested and strained. They have invested their blood, sweat, and tears into the temple for generations and have in turn been treated as if they were the servants. Though I’ve done what I can alongside my father, we’ve barely touched the surface of the resentment that’s built up over the years. It’s reached a point where things could turn to blood at any moment.”

“And you think Tirr can fix that?”

“Yes, because while the memories I saw were not completely clear. What was easily seen was the love my lord had for his people, and the love his people had for him. That is why I’ve been waiting for you.” Nerida said, giving Tirr a pleading look, “I’ll do whatever I can to help you, so please help me save my home….” She bowed her head towards Tirr who stood facing her awkwardly.

Tirr coughed “Obviously, any more fighting will just get more people killed,” Tirr said, nodding.

Nerida looked up at him with another bright smile causing him to blush. She looked towards Claire “Does that answer your questions for now?”

“Hmph, for now, I guess…” Claire said gruffly.

“Then how do you plan to help Tirr take over the water temple then?”

“As I said it will take some time…” Nerida answered clearly. “First of all, it’s important to spread your name throughout the Country. I have already started the process by spreading rumors about your church in Rasor. I think if you do some small healings here and there in the meantime it should help slowly spread the word and prepare us for our next steps.

“Can’t you just announce it directly? You said the people trust you.” Claire added brusquely

Nerida paused before answering, “Starting too strongly would draw eyes that I would rather avoid at the start.” I don’t want to expose my lord to any more danger than necessary. If we build a strong base first it will be harder for them to topple him later.”

“Okay so how do we start?” Tirr asked curiously.

“In the place best suited for the miracle of the Life Spirit…” Nerida said smiling.