Snippet #2431360

Kieran laughed at Elsie’s threat, delighted to see the sneer on the priestess’s lips. “Now, Elsie, your haggling skills are much to be desired,” he said.
Shyla huffed, but started her story, somewhat reluctantly. “I’m afraid that this whole incident is my fault. I placed my trust in the wrong man, and now the church could fall apart. I hope that doesn’t happen again.” This she directs at Kieran, who just rolls his eyes.
“This man is my twin brother, Shaine,” she continued. “As you probably know, there are very few men within the church, as men are corrupt by nature. But he was allowed in as a guard because of his attachment to me. I was in charge of guarding the Stone Goddess, but since it was in an underground vault it seemed like a boring job, so I handed it off to my brother. Which was a grave mistake. One day he just disappeared, the same day as the Goddess. At first we didn’t know how he got her out, it’s a big statue and no one had seen him with it. Then we discovered a hidden passageway that lead out to the coast where he undoubtedly boarded a ship and escaped.”
“So why us?” Kieran asked, taking advantage of the pause in her story.
For the first time, the priestess donned what could be passed for a kind smile. “As children, my brother and I were fascinated by Dievan Vogul’s adventures. We knew every tale from the land beyond the sea, and even play acted them together. Shaine always dreamed of going to Paedon. And you remember your grandfather’s tale of the monster in the volcanoe?”
“Of course,” Kieran said, “It was his favorite. He used to say how he spied this great red creature made of lava coming out of the volcanoe. It was like a human, but not quite. After studying it for a while, he found that this creature thought itself a god, and it’s power like none he had ever seen. Hogwash.”
Shyla nodded. “Yes, well whether it is true or not, my brother believes it. It was his favorite story. He talked about it all the time, and often wondered aloud what kind of power it could possess. That’s where I believe he has taken the Goddess, to sacrifice to this creature in hopes of gaining power. You must know something about your grandfather’s travels that will aid you.”
Kieran thought about the journals’ that had belonged to his grandfather that were still in the Captain’s Quarters. “I might,” he said mysteriously.
Suddenly, fear shone in the woman’s eyes. “There’s more. He has also kidnapped one of the orphan’s and taken her with him.”
“For an additional sacrifice?” Kieran pondered.
Shyla shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe he took her as leverage in case we found him. She’s the queen’s eight year old daughter. Mayley was given to us when she was a baby to hide her mother’s indiscretion. And since Rowena has become queen, we’ve been getting bribes and threats to keep the girl’s identity hidden and to keep her safe. That’s why we’re doubling the reward for you. To keep your mouth shut. If the queen finds out that her daughter is gone, the church is ruined. If we can’t get the Stone Goddess back, we’re ruined. I need you to get them both back safely.”
At the end of her story, Shyla looked hopefully at Kieran.
“For 200,000 gold? Why not! We’ll get pack up the ship tomorrow and set sail in the afternoon. As long as the crew is up for it.”
Their business done, Vishtor and Shyla left for the night.