Assigning Blame, Part I
“Master Indyur will be visiting today. She’s the head priest of Torpn’s temple. I expect you to be courteous to her.”
“Yes, Master Moudren.”
Sirshi didn’t recall meeting Master Indyur before. The priests from other temples often visited them. It was Master Moudren’s job to escort visiting priests around the temple, and host them while they stayed. It was another part of the job that sounded tedious to Sirshi.
“I know you won’t let me down. Still, Master Indyur can be a little difficult. If you need to excuse yourself during her visit, feel free.”
Sirshi had been present for many visiting priests, but Master Moudren had never given her permission to leave in the middle of one those visits. How “difficult” could a head priest be?
“What do you mean ‘difficult’?”
“I mean, she often tries my patience. If she’s difficult for me to handle… well, I don’t want you doing something you’ll regret later.”
Sirshi nodded, and reminded herself that this wasn’t the same as one of her parents telling her to stay in her room because she was too much of an embarrassment to be allowed around company. As far as most of her parents’ guests knew, Sirshi was the sickliest child in the court.
“I understand.”
“I’m glad we have that out of the way. Carry on.”
That afternoon, Master Indyur arrived. She strode into the temple, looking down her nose at everything. Her spotless robes glittered in the sunlight.
“Master Indyur,” Master Moudren said. “Welcome to our temple.”
“Master Moudren.” She looked at Sirshi. “Is this all? In Torpn, we have a welcoming party to greet important priests.”
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important.” Master Moudren motioned to Sirshi. “This is Apprentice Sirshi.”
Sirshi bowed. “It’s nice to meet you, Master Indyur.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Master Indyur turned her attention to the statue. “You still have that old thing? I thought you would’ve gotten rid of it years ago. It was a relic when I was an apprentice here.”
“That statue has been here for generations,” Master Moudren said. “It’s part of this temple’s history.”
Master Indyur approached the statue. She eyed it as if resisting the urge to sweep a finger over it to check for dust.
Sirshi took a deep breath. This woman was starting to get on her nerves.
Master Indyur turned her attention to the windows next. “When did you last have those replaced?”
“Last year. Our Lord High Artisan and his apprentice did it themselves.”
“Really? And they went with those windows? Could they not make nicer ones?”
Sirshi clenched and unclenched her hands in her robe.
“I’m sure they did what they thought was best.”
Unlike Sirshi, Master Moudren showed no signs of frustration. Her composure was calm and careful, her tone pleasant.
“Well.” Master Indyur returned her gaze to Master Moudren. “There’s no shame in being second best, I suppose.”
Keep breathing. She has to leave eventually.
“Quite.” Master Moudren used a tone Sirshi had never heard before. For a moment, her tone lost some of its pleasantness.
While this was going on, people milled about the chamber (“The chamber in Torpn is bigger, but I suppose we have to hold more people.”). Sirshi was so focused on keeping her temper that she didn’t notice when a few pairs of footsteps stopped next to her.
“What is that?”
Sirshi and Master Moudren turned around to find a pair of frightened girls.
“We didn’t mean to interrupt,” Aonva said, her voice shaking. “We were looking for Sirshi.”
Despite her trembling, Aonva didn’t avert her gaze. She and Roshil stood at attention and waited.
“Never mind what you were doing,” Master Indyur said, settling her sights on Roshil. “What are you doing here?”
“The Temple of the Rising Sun welcomes all people,” Master Moudren said, stepping directly between Master Indyur and the girls.
“That thing is hardly a person.”
“What did you say?” Sirshi screamed. “Her name is Apprentice Roshil, and she’s my friend! No one talks to her like that!”
Aonva shrank behind Roshil, whose eyes darted between Master Moudren and Master Indyur.
“How dare you talk to me that way!”
“Enough!” Master Moudren turned Aonva and Roshil. “I’m afraid now isn’t a good time. I’ll send Apprentice Sirshi to you when we’re finished.”
The girls nodded, then bowed. Without saying another word, they left the temple.
“If she ever stepped foot into the temple at Torpn—”
“We aren’t at Torpn, are we?” Master Moudren snapped, keeping her voice down. “I can accept that you think your temple is better than ours, but you clearly still have a lot to learn.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Not even His Majesty would ever speak to or of an apprentice of the court like that. Apprentice Roshil is welcome here any time. Her brother is a valued member of this temple, and Apprentice Sirshi, my apprentice, is her friend. Further, she has touched up every statue, every window, every chip in the floor of this temple. She has done an excellent job, and if you have complaints about her work, you are free to take it up with her master, Our Lord High Artisan. Do I make myself clear?”
For once, Master Indyur had nothing to say. She stood stalk still, eyeing Master Moudren.
“Do I make myself clear?” Master Moudren repeated.
“Yes.”
“Olmgra does not care how shiny the floors are. She does not care how big her statues are. If it doesn’t matter to her, then it doesn’t matter to us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with my apprentice.”
Sirshi froze. She’d liked it better when Master Moudren had been tearing into Master Indyur. Now, it was her turn.
“You’ve made it very clear,” Master Indyur said, “that not only do you not run a good temple, but your ability to teach an apprentice falls short as well.”
Master Moudren’s glare an Master Indyur hardened, but Master Indyur smirked.
“How many times has your apprentice had outbursts? Enough that you weren’t shocked by this one. No, I’d say this happens quite a lot. I will be bringing up these concerns with Our Lady Exalted Priest. Good day.”
Still smirking, Master Indyur turned and strode out of the temple.
Sirshi opened her mouth, but Master Moudren shot her a glare.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she said. “When I told you to excuse yourself, I meant it. I know you—” She cut herself off and took a breath. “Disputes between masters happen often. Even one questioning another’s ability to teach an apprentice. But you just screamed at another master of the court in front of a crowd. Again.”
When was the first— oh, right, Ekla. She doesn’t count.
Master Moudren led Sirshi to her office, then closed the door. Even Sirshi could see the worry on her face.
“What’s going to happen?” Sirshi asked.
“She’ll use these incidents to show that I shouldn’t be your master. Or possibly anyone’s master.”
Sirshi was horrified. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her hand.
“She can’t do that,” Sirshi said, barely holding back a scream.
“She can. But we can argue our case. I will prepare for a meeting with Our Lady Exalted Priest. With luck, I can stop this from going any further. But I’ll need you to talk to your friends. You’ll need people that can vouch for your character. It might not be much, but every little bit helps.”
Sirshi nodded. She wanted to scream, but was wise enough to know that now was a bad time.
“We’ll figure this out,” Master Moudren said. “For now, take some time off to relax. I’ll see you soon.”
Sirshi bowed to Master Moudren, then left the Temple of the Rising Sun. She couldn’t lose Master Moudren, could she? No, she couldn’t. If she did, it’d be all her fault.