Tuesday was the day worshippers of the Eternal Blazing Sun most liked to attend Mass. Even during working hours that morning, Saint Roch Cathedral was crowded with believers. Its gold-leaf-covered walls and arches gleamed in the sunlight, while overlapping prayers echoed through the hall.
Charlotte followed the crowd into the cathedral. She had barely glanced at the familiar murals and stained-glass windows before a cleric who already knew her noticed her.
Under his guidance, she passed through an inconspicuous wooden door and descended the stone steps alone into the Inquisition beneath the cathedral.
As before, the ground-level entrance had neither guards nor a lock, as though any believer could slip inside after praying and encounter the other face of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun hidden beneath the cathedral.
On reflection, though, there seemed to be nothing wrong with this arrangement.
Most ordinary believers had heard rumors about the Inquisition. Even those who devoutly worshipped the Eternal Blazing Sun would keep their distance from a place responsible for interrogating heretics and guarding dangerous objects. As for cultists or anyone with sinister intentions, if they actually dared sneak inside, the Hall of Holy Radiance, where dangerous prisoners were held, would surely have special seats waiting for them.
Charlotte made these wry observations to herself as she continued down the corridor she had walked many times before.
Passing several offices, she encountered Jellen Burns, who had just returned from night duty by the Sona River.
The Light Pray-er had mud on his coat and trousers, and his cuffs showed signs of having been soaked. Apart from looking exhausted after a sleepless night, however, he seemed fine. Most likely, he had merely encountered a water wraith drifting down from upstream and fought a relatively easy battle.
Farther along, she saw the tall