Night lay deep, darkness like a sea fallen from the sky, silently drowning everything. Pinpricks of bonfire light kindled across the Lake Capital, like scattered islands in that sea, flickering with brief radiance. And the largest island in this dark ocean was naturally the towering, majestic Great Temple, and the Chief Minister's Palace hidden behind it.
At the top of the Chief Minister's Palace stood an ancient, unadorned hall, engraved with the vicissitudes of the past. Fish-oil candles burned among the murals of the gods. A faint, secluded fragrance drifted from the incense burner, like the swirl of undercurrents in the sea, and like the gentle touch of jellyfish. And under this silent soothing, a white-haired old man, withered as dry firewood, at last struggled to open his eyes from a slumber as deep as the sea.
"It's dark..."
The Elder gazed at the canopy overhead, his eyes filled with chaos and murk that would not dissolve. He stared blankly for a long while before a few traces of clarity slowly returned, and his gaze became deep once more.
"It's dark again..."
Shadow Guard Captain Chevali pursed his lips and stood behind the Elder's bed like a statue. In his arms he held the clay jar he seemed never to have put down, while a sharp copper axe hung at his waist. A few steps across from him stood the priest elder Uger, towel in hand, tears in his eyes.
The Elder slowly opened his mouth and tasted the honeyed water in it. He breathed out softly and asked in a faint voice, "Chevali, did I sleep for one day, or two?"
"The Elder, you slept for one day."
Chevali bent down and carefully helped the Elder sit up, leaning him against the thick cotton backrest.
"Earlier, Elder Uger fed