By the time morning arrived Mune had nearly convinced himself it was all a dream.

If only.

Each time he played the scene over in his mind it became more and more unbelievable. Liot was one of the best students, why would he risk the wrath of the goddess and his superiors to consort with demons? More importantly /how/ had he managed to do so?

Perhaps the creature was already feasting on Liot's soul, if so then it was Mune's duty to try and save his fellow acolyte.

But the priest knew it's true name.

"Ennuel," Mune tasted the word, power shivering through his body at the intonation. Say it once, twice, thrice to summon the creature and again to banish it.

"Ennuel," he quivered with anticipation. Once more and the demon would be his to command. He could find out all his answers and more.

The temple sacrificed those who consorted with demons.

/Only if they catch me/ a nagging voice reminded. /Think of the power./

But he did not care for power. He would not summon the creature, best to forget its name.

No, best to find the closest disciple and confess all. Offer them the demons name. They'll exorcise the shadow-wraith and discover what Liot was up to.

Liot was the golden boy, perfection himself. They'd never believe Mune. Ever. Not even with proof, and if they did believe him then wasn't that worse? The bloodstains of one he'd once considered a friend on his hands. They'd sacrifice Liot for certain. It would be the only justice the goddess would accept.

He couldn't just let things lie though. He had to do something. He needed proof of Liot's wrongdoing, if not for the priests then for himself. Whatever treasure Liot had secreted away would surely redeem or damn him. But Mune was no thief. Well he'd have to try anyway if only to put his mind at ease.

He needed help, advice. There was only one place he could go - the Orb of the Moon.

They would surely excuse him from morning prayers for a matter of such importance.

He dressed quickly, sliding out of his room, weaving through the corridors to the heart of the temple grounds, wherein lay the shrine of the Orb of the Moon.

Almost there a figure strode towards him, tall, golden hair floating around his figure, dazzling smile. Liot leaving the shrine, his smile broadened to one of sweetness and light. Surely a mask. "Mune. The stars shine upon you."

"And the moon on you," Mune replied with the traditional greeting, the words ashes upon his tongue.

Hesitant blue eyes met moons, Liot's lips wavered slightly as if he was about to say something more.

Hatred burned within Mune. /Traitor,/ and with that though he strode right past straight into the shrine before his temper slipped out of control.

The cool stark white walls embraced him, he wallowed for a moment in the sense of peace, his breath shallowing, mind clearing almost instinctively. Empty as was to be expected at this time of day. All the better to commune with the spirit of the goddess and ask his questions.

Sunlight poured in from the roof, Mune sighed knowing the time of day could not be helped but wishing none the less that the light was the cool, softer glow of his patron goddess.

Slowly he padded up to the altar, reaching out with his mind to touch the spirit of the orb, a cry of welcome only to find nothing.

Mune scowled, never before had it refused to answer his call. Pushing aside the innate sense of wrongness he took that final step towards the orb, again he sent a mental caress towards the pale cool orb. It felt all wrong, alien... no it didn't feel at all.

Flat, dull, lifeless. What had once shone with the beauty of the now seemed nothing but an empty orb of plain glass. Hesitant fingertips reached out to touch that surface, fearing what it was that he would discover. Nothing. No shiver of expectation, no gentle kiss of power within his mind. Nothing.

This wasn't the Orb of the Moon. It couldn't be but if it wasn't why hadn't anyone noticed. It was utterly ridiculous to think he had spotted something the other priests had not.

Could the moon have finally spurned him? Why did she not answer his voice? He should wait until night. Try once again when it was a more forgiving time of day.

'They had no problems taking the gem.' Those words echoed within Mune's mind, the tones of liquid shadow.

Gem.

Orb.

NO!

Liot could not have stolen the most sacred artefact of their religion. The entire temple would crumble without the goddesses' advice. How could he even dream of such a thing?

But if not Liot then who else?

Liot consorted with demons. No, perhaps the demons had corrupted Liot. He wouldn't have went to them willingly. Perhaps he could still be redeemed.

It was not Mune's decision though. He should take his suspicions to their superiors and let the high priests deal with it.

What if he was wrong? Surely someone else would have noticed the orb was gone.

Perhaps the goddess had fulfilled his curse. Perhaps he had offended her somehow. By now he should be on his knees begging for her forgiveness.

If he reported Liot they would make the other priest pay in blood.

/Could I like with that blood on my hands? I need to be sure. I need to know what the orb was trade for./

His mind was resolved. He would have to break into Liot's room and turn thief. There was no other choice.

Mune feigned illness in order to skip the nightly Greeting of the Moon ceremony. The lies still lay bitter in his mouth as he crept towards Liot's room.

Stepping inside he pushed aside the sense of claustrophobia. So like his own and yet where he had the escape of a window, there was nowt but the tiniest of slits in the wall that let shivering breezes and even colder light in. No drop of personality touched those four walls, no sense of the vibrant young man who inhabited this place, who would undoubtedly live and die knowing no other way of life.

Mune paced over to the bed, picking up the dog-eared book that lay atop. Not even a table to place the book on. He flipped idly through the pages not sure what he'd find there. No clues, no item miraculously tumbling from the pages. He set the book down again and began to methodically strip search the bed, peeling back coarse sheets and searching within the bedding. Still nothing.

He dropped to the floor and peered beneath the bed. Dark, well of course it was. Stupid. It wasn't like the objects glow would guide him now was it? He scrambled underneath the bed, touch alone guiding him as he looked for anything out of place. Nothing. Nothing at all.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Probably just the cold. No. Something else. The wind rushed in to warn him. He scrambled out from beneath the bed just in time to see the door fly open.

"What are you doing here?" harsh tones from the rooms owner softening as he saw the intruder. "Mune?" surprise filled Liot's voice. "What are you doing?" the question repeated softer.

A thousand truths and lies flew through Mune's mind. He chose none of them, settling with the all too easy response of "nothing" as he stalked towards the door seeking escape. Liot remained firmly in place, blocking the exit, sapphire gaze still fixed on Mune.

"What were you doing?" he asked again quietly. "If you don't tell me then I'll have to report you to the high priests."

"Go on then, call them," Mune called his bluff.

"Mune?" Liot scraped a hand through golden hair stepping fully inside the room, closing the door behind him. "I won't," he admitted glancing downwards briefly. "Just explain why you were searching my room. Please."

"Can't you guess?"

"No," Liot's gaze shifted briefly to the bed then back to Mune.

/So that's where he's hidden it. But where? I already looked./

"Try using your imagination," Mune replied suddenly beginning to think this had been a bad idea. What if it hadn't been Liot he'd seen last night. But it must have been. The other priest was obviously just a good actor.

"Why were you searching my room? There's nothing here that's not in your room. You know we're not allowed to have any possessions. There's no money here. Mune," he sighed softly. "I'd have thought better of you."

"I know," Mune muttered those two words heavily laden with threats.

"Oh," Liot paused, trouble creasing his brow for a moment. "Know what?"

"I saw everything last night. I know what you're up to," the words just slipped out.

"What?" Liot's bottom lip trembled, he turned away then back to Mune again. "What did you see?" Terrified eyes sought out Mune's.

"You're a traitor. You betrayed the goddess."

"NO!" such conviction in that tone, "I'd never betray her. Never. Is that what they're saying? You didn't tell them did you? Are they coming?" Not the harsh words of a man plotting the downfall of the temple, the petrified voice of a boy in terrible trouble.

"Who? No I haven't told them, yet. They'll kill you for this," Mune sighed softly. "Why Liot, why? Why did you throw it all away? Was the power worth it? Was it worth betraying your brothers for?"

"It's not like that," Liot snapped, forcing back the anger. "Mune you've got to understand, it's not like that."

"Has the demon got some sort of hold on you then? Is that it? Is it blackmailing you? But you seemed to be the one in charge," Mune practically rambled. "Is it another demon. If we go to the High Priests for help they should be able to banish it. Purify your soul."

"They'll turn me into a mindless husk," Liot cried. "I can't let them. I can't let them know I know. I had to Mune, I had to speak to the creature. It's not what you'd think. They're not evil, they're part of our powers. I would have told someone but who do I trust? They'll kill me if they find out. I'm so glad it was you and not anyone else that found out."

"I'm going to have to tell them," Mune warned. "It will be a betrayal of the goddess if I don't."

"But that's it, they're not the goddess. They're hardly even serving her," Liot cried. "They're serving themselves."

"Blasphemer. What was it the demon gave to you?"

"You saw that?"

"Yes, I saw everything."

"He gave me hope," Liot whispered the last word. "Stay. Let me show you. Let me convince you."

Mune just nodded once.

Liot stalked over to the bed and slid underneath, pulling up one of the floorboards he pulled out a small object wrapped in the crimson rags of an old robe. Carefully he shifted back out and rose to his feet. Slowly he unwrapped it, bathing the room in the soft warm glow of sunlight.

It was night.

Trust shining bright within his eyes he handed the object to Mune.

Enthralled Mune gazed, turning it over and over in his hands. Smooth surface like no other metal he'd seen. Gold and yet not. It shone, it spoke of days, of warmth, of summer and laughter and... forgiveness. Beautiful as nothing else could possibly be. He desperately thrust the item back at Liot almost as if it burned.

"A key," he practically shrieked. "You sold the orb for a key."

"I didn't sell the orb," there was no room for negotiation in that tone. He paused briefly before continuing, "you know the orb's gone. I thought for a while I was going crazy, it's gone. It's really gone."

"Of course it's gone, you took it," Mune accused.

"No. Never," Liot replied. "I didn't take it. They did."

"Who?"

"The high priests."

"Liar. Why would they take the orb?"

"Because she started speaking to you? I don't know. I think it scared them when they realised she spoke with you and you're not like them. You possess the light of the moon as much as the dark of night. They're all darkness, or at least they're trying to keep the light to themselves as if sharing it will somehow weaken them. I don't know."

"That doesn't answer my question. Besides it doesn't make sense, we're all brothers of the moon."

"They're twisting her dreams. They want her light all to themselves. They'll pick maybe one of us to join their ranks, the rest of us," he shook his head sadly. "Why do you think there are so few priests? Do you really think after initiating us to their secrets they decide we're not worthy and let us go home."

"What else would they do?"

"They killed Raye," Liot murmured softly. "I watched as they killed him. They didn't know I saw. They said he could leave and then... and then they killed him. They did even worse," his face contorted with pain.

"He was a traitor," Mune muttered.

"Mune, you know Raye as well as I did. He was a dear sweet boy without a bad thought in his mind. His only crime was wanting to go home. He missed his family. The offered him as a blood sacrifice to the goddess. They... they could have just let him go but they wouldn't. He didn't know anything. He was no danger to them. They took the orb to stop you from finding out. The goddess is getting closer to you. It's terrifying them. I can see it in their eyes. They don't want you to find the truth."

"And what is the truth," Mune muttered, mind reeling from this news. He couldn't possibly believe Liot. It couldn't be true.

"That you're the only one the goddess speaks to. The silver boy, blessed by the night, with hair of moonlight and eyes like stars. Of all of us you're the only that can feel her presence without teachings, and they don't teach just any of us. They want to keep us all deaf and blind to her touch. Most of us don't feel anything at all."

"But you said you knew the orb was gone."

Liot glanced down then back at Mune. "Yes. I found a teacher willing to show me how to speak to her. I can barely hear her whispers. Just enough to know the orb was gone."

"You're lying. Why would they want to keep us blind?"

"You've been to the ceremonies Mine. You've felt her touch. Have you ever seen any of the others quite as moved? They just go through the motions. They don't feel her. I know, I didn't feel her either."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. I don't have the answers just a lot of questions." He held the key out again, "the darkling says the answers can be unlocked with this key. If you want to find out come with me Mune. Let me prove I'm right."

"You can't leave the temple."

"Why not? We shouldn't be prisoners here. We're priests of the goddess, we should be serving her wishes not those of the High Priests. It's not like we plan to tell the world what a nest of corruption lies here."

"We should follow her wishes. Her wishes are that we remain obedient to the High Priests."

"Do you know that for certain? Have you asked her? Ask her, find out. I'll call the darkling, he can explain."

"The darkling? Your pet demon?"

"He's not my pet. He's..."

"A demon and you'd rather trust his word over those of our High Priests."

"He's not evil. He's a servant of the goddess, they all are. That's why the High Priests won't let us speak with them. They're afraid of us learning the truth."

"I don't believe you."

"Mune," Liot sighed softly, patience wearing thin. "I don't have time to explain any further. I'm going, I need to discover what this key unlocks. I need to bring hope and truth back to the temple. If you report me then they'll kill me. We both know that. If you can't believe me then please let me go. Trust me," he paused thoughtful for a moment. "If you tell them what you know though it might be easier for them to be rid of you too. I might not be the only one that is punished. They could just as easily label you a traitor and silence your voice too."

"They wouldn't dream of it. They're not like that."

"Then why are you so scared of breaking the rules? Come with me, make sure I don't betray the temple. At least find out the purpose of the key, keep an eye on me. Let me have a chance to prove myself. If you report me you'll be wondering forever if I did not have a point."

"I can't."

Liot nodded, wrapping the key up once more. "Do me on favour Mune, for old friendships sake."

"What?"

"Ask the goddess what she would have you do."

Mune tilted his head backwards, glancing up at the tiny crack that served at the window. That precise moment in time the room was bathed in the cool glow of moonlight, her touch, her caress. The wind whispered softly, urging, pleading.

"I'll go with you. It doesn't mean I believe you."

"Thankyou. Just a chance, that's all I wanted."