Day and night passed in a blur for the Holy Mother, isolated above the palace in her tower cell. Her fever dreams brought her frightening visions: King Pytr's severed head mocking her as rivulets of blood ran down the sanctuary stairs, filling the cracks between the cobblestones in the temple courtyard where a golden haired Irinya skipped and played among the dead.
Dasha awoke in a sweat on her straw mattress and threw back the thick woolen blankets which covered her. She did not remember when these niceties had been brought to her, or how long she slept. Pulling herself up into a sitting position caused burst of pain to shoot through her temples. She held her head in her hands for a moment waiting for the pain to subside. Outside, the sound of soldiers' metal shod boots rang on the cobblestones as they practiced marching in formation in the courtyard below. Each step sent red hot pain through the place where her eyes once were.
A few moments later she heard the door open and soft slippers among the straw on the floor. Instead of Mahleck's expected scent, the comforting smell of herbal tea and fresh bread wafted towards the old woman.
"Oh! Good, you are awake," slurred a young female voice. "I brought you some bread and tea."
"Who are you?" The old woman's voice cracked with suspicion. "What day is it?"
"My name is Ayn," said the girl, placing the cup of hot tea in the high priestess' hands and wrapping her fingers around it. "It is two days until Longest Night. Come, eat. The God King needs you strong enough to travel to the temple today."
"Ayn?" asked the Holy Mother. "What kind of name is Ayn? Where are your people from, child?"
"Far away from here," said Ayn. "I was taken to serve before I was old enough to remember."
The high priestess drank some of the tea and ate a few bites of bread before speaking again. "Who brought me blankets and bedding? Is it you I have to thank for that?"
"All is the God King's doing," said Ayn. "I am only a servant."
"You are lucky to be alive if that is the case," said the old woman. "Some say he eats young girl like you."
"I would never be one of his chosen, mistress," said the girl. "I am too ugly."
"Well, I have no sight," said the old woman. "Come here and let me feel your face, child."
The younger woman took the cup from her hand and put it to the side, and then placed the older woman's hands on her face allowing her to trace her features. Dasha could feel the girl's eyes and crooked nose above thick wet lips. Ayn's slack jaw seemed to recede into her neck under the old woman's fingers. She took her hands back and wiped the spittle on the bedclothes.
"There are more important things than beauty, child," said the old woman.
"I might be ugly, but I am strong," said the girl. "And I can see which is better than you."
Dasha let out a snort. "Indeed. You and I make a pair I think."
"Finish your food," said Ayn. "I will bring you new clothes. We are to go to the temple so you can meet with the high priest and the God King."
"You are coming with me?" asked the Holy Mother.
"Yes," said Ayn. "I am to be your new Eyes since you lost your old ones."
Dasha could hear the younger woman hurrying out the door as she finished the tea and bread. When Ayn returned, Dasha had regained enough strength to bathe and dress herself in the robes provided by her new Eyes. The girl was capable enough to serve as her guide, but the idea of a foreigner leading her through the sacred walls of the temple and lying by her side at night, much less listening to her every word angered Dasha. But she dare not refuse. If Mahleck wanted this slack jawed girl by her side, she would stay there.
"Ayn, these robes feel different," said Dasha.
"The God King instructed I was to dress you in black instead of red," said Ayn.
"Do you know why?" asked the Holy Mother.
"I do not ask questions of a God, Mistress," said Ayn. "I only obey."
Ayn assisted the Holy Mother with her boots before leading her out of the tower cell and down the stairs to the courtyard and into a waiting carriage. As soon as the old priestess heard the curtains drawn against the cold, the familiar scent of leather, wine, and blood hit her nostrils.
"Do you like my gifts, Heresiarch?"
"You are most generous, my God and King," said Dasha. "Ayn seems most capable."
"She is most capable," said Mahleck. "She came to us as a child, and what she lacks in beauty she makes up for in resilience. I believe she will be a great help to you as your new Eyes."
"I am most grateful for her as well as the new garments," said Dasha.
"Did Ayn tell you they are no longer red?" asked Mahleck. "Black is more suitable for someone of your rank."
"My rank?"
"You remain the Heresiarch, and that title will forever hold the stain of your past," said Mahleck. "But your loyalty and obedience have bought forgiveness in my eyes. No longer will you wear the color of blood like the stained women of the temple, but the color of my house. This will show your temple dwellers my blessing and protection. From this day forward you will dwell in private quarters within the temple. You will no longer need to sleep alongside the others in the cold. Ayn alone will serve you."
Dasha sat up straighter in her seat as the carriage jostled down the street to the temple. "And what is it you wish in return, my God and King?"
"Only your continued loyalty," said Mahleck. "The temple seems to be a breeding ground for rebellion and treachery. We cannot have another attempt on my high priest's life. In two days time, food will arrive from across the desert, enough to feed the people of Adyll until the first spring harvests. You will honor our agreement we made in the tower and speak truth to the people so they may know me as the God I am."
"I will honor our agreement," said the old woman. "When will you bring me my sons?"
"They will stand by your side as you address the people," said Mahleck. "And they will remain with you until the sun sets on the festivities of Longest Night. This I promise you."