The temple was a place of peace, serenity and calm. In the upper reaches of the great pyramid, in private chambers, tiny sanctums or the grand library, priestesses, acolytes and magi contemplated, meditated and rested.

  Which made it all the more strange that Aretuza found her personal quarters occupied.

  She had been returning from a night of study, contemplating the more complex questions the faithful had brought to her in recent days. Several hours had been devoted to a series of philosophical queries on the nature of life and their deity from a cadre of visiting scholars.

  Aretuza was draped in modest, flowing robes of green silk and golden thread, hanging loosely over her ample frame. Her slim, aquiline head was adorned with a long, elaborate headdress of bronze, gold and silk inlaid with glittering gemstones, hung from gentle ridges protruding from the back of her head. Her scales were a pleasing amaranth, her eyes emerald, and slim half-moons of the same green as her robes hung beneath her eyes.

  She had opened her door, a plain wooden thing leading into her sparsely decorated room. The chamber had no windows, and was lit only by a translucent orb that hung from the ceiling. With a snap of her fingers, it released a comforting yellow glow akin to a tiny sun.

  Against one wall sat a small, simple desk, and the opposite was occupied with storage: a chest of drawers, and a pair of trunks. Her bed was placed against the far wall; wide, low and lacking in ornamentation, and it was here she found the intruder.

  They were perched casually on the end of the bed, inspecting their clawed digits. Wider hips, slimmer shoulders and the general curve of their figure told her that it was likely a female. Shin-high, weather-worn leather boots, a curious outfit of leather and cloth adorned with numerous belts and pouches, and the slightest remnants of sand between their azure scales suggested they had come from outside the city. Yet, the utter lack of any markings, combined with the curious colour of her eyes frustratingly hid the most important piece of information Aretuza desired.

  Caste.

  One without caste or choosing to hide it was an oddity, and someone from another city breaking into the private quarters of a priestess of Aten was even more alarming.

  “You are not supposed to be here, madam,” she said sternly, carefully stifling a yawn in case the intruder took it as a sign of weakness. The fact she was here stood as testament to her ability; in a little way, that unnerved her.

  They flashed her a knowing smile, crossing her legs and putting her dirty boots on the sheets. “I wanted to ask you some questions,” she said.

  Aretuza’s brow furrowed. “The temple below is full of acolytes who I am sure can answer your queries, madam.”

  “I wish to speak with you specifically. A learned one, a scholar.”

  “I am certain there is one such as myself available below at this very moment. Even if this is about amending your castelessness, that still does not excuse your breaking into our private spaces and violating my privacy. Rituals can be performed to ordain you into the castes if you have found your faith.” The last sentence came out with more venom than Aretuza intended, and she dropped her head in embarrassment. This woman was not armed, she had caused no disturbance, it would be cruel of her to turn away the faithful. That was not Aten’s way.

  She took a breath, returning to a soft, matronly tone. “Please, explain in simple terms what brings you here, for I do not wish to have to call the guard.”

  The intruder placed her feet back on the floor once more, having left infuriating scuff marks on the otherwise pristine white sheets “Worry not, I have not come here to talk about the grand dilemma of my missing caste. Instead, I wish to ask you a series of…pertinent, philosophical questions about the priesthood’s place, in the utmost privacy. Where, as you have said, is more private than here?”

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  “And how did you get in here?” Aretuza could not avoid the question; an intruder unnoticed in the pyramid had never happened in all the forty years she had served the temple.

  “That is for me to know, and you to wonder. For now.” The intruder’s smile faded, her features hardening, “but will you do me the pleasure of hearing my questions?”

  Aretuza sighed. “I shall, but if you begin spouting heresies at me, I shall not tolerate it.”

  “Wonderful.” The intruder clasped her hands together. “Now, to begin, the declared goal of the faith of Aten, and its priest-caste, is the betterment of life for all Saszrukai, yes?”

  “A strange way of putting it, but you are correct. We wholeheartedly believe it is our duty to use our place to uplift the lives of all.” Aretuza recited, having given such confirmations many times, often to small children. Not much of a philosophical question, she thought.

  “And thus, is the incessant conflict between the noble houses not an obstruction to that end? Does it not prevent betterment?”

  Aretuza raised her eyebrows, pausing briefly before she answered. It was certainly something more pertinent, and an issue she had considered many times. “The physical conflict? Yes…The warring over land, prestige and honour that should be shared between the noble houses does most certainly. The priesthood has, and always will, condemn wars between faithful Saszrukai. We shall never support such things. It is for this reason that you will never see the arcane on the battlefields of the Kailai.”

  “Aside from among the legions of House Tetra,” the intruder quipped

  Aretuza nodded, wondering where the intruder was going with this line of questioning. “We have come to tacitly accept those breakers of the edicts in recent decades.” She smiled softly, and continued. “On the other hand, conflict of influence and currency is arguably imperative, and enforced by the will of Aten. The competition between nobles and guilds, when properly mediated by the priesthood, pushes us all to improve.”

  The intruder nodded, placing a hand on her chin. “Thus, you surely would be in support of an effort to end these physical conflicts, while maintaining economic competition?”

  “Logically, yes, that would be an ideal state, perhaps even Aten’s intended goal. However, in practice it is far more complex. The mechanism would be just as important as the outcome, it would doubtless be divisive among the priesthood, and raise ethical issues.”

  “Such as?”

  Aretuza paused briefly, pondering what this woman could stand to gain from such a pursuit. “The priesthood no longer has a mandate over physical affairs. Our domain is the spiritual, the supernatural, the magical. This initiative would need to come from the nobility, lest we overreach our lawful bounds.”

  “And would the priesthood support such nobles?”

  Aretuza sighed, shaking her head. It was wishful thinking. “It would undoubtedly be more complicated than that. We cannot openly support such a notion without it being unanimous among the entire caste, or taken up by a whole city. Even then…” she shrugged

  “Who would lead?” The trespasser finished for her, with a thoughtful nod.

  “Precisely. What noble could lead such a thing without universal condemnation of tyranny and power-lust? And what Priestess could rightfully begin to dictate how nobles should rule?”

  “An entrenched and respected noble acting only from necessity and backed by the priesthood could quench such ire.”

  “And thus, you reach the cycle,” Aretuza said with a decisive nod. This was where all such thought experiments had ended. “And before you continue,” she added, raising a hand “I am regrettably in no position to end it. I am a scholar, tutor, and healer, but I am not the high priestess. I simply lead in her absence as her foremost acolyte.”

  “She has been away for two seasons.”

  “Deliberations of this nature in Setara always require this length of time. She will return.” Aretuza paused, folding her hands behind her back. This intruder appeared interested in more than just experiments. “But she will not help you when she does.”

  The trespasser sighed, rising to her feet.

  That was an opportunity. “However, I would be remiss in my duties to not at least report observations of such a movement…for academic purposes.”

  A sly smile crept across the intruder’s face, mirrored by the priestess that stood before her.

  “And in the meantime, I’m sure we can continue our little…consultations. In a more formal setting,” The intruder said, as if Aretuza’s acceptance was guaranteed. “In your grand library, perhaps.”

  “That sounds delightful.”

  “Good, you will hear from my associates soon,” the intruder concluded, moving towards the door.

  “Your name, ma’am? Does a particular house have such lofty goals in mind?” Aretuza finally asked.

  The intruder paused, glancing over her shoulder “My name is Syla, and as you have no doubt noticed, I have no house.”