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The damage to the outside of the building doesn’t look as bad in the low morning light, but I know as soon as the sun rises fully it will reveal the desolation. Parts of the main temple have caved in, so Chief Schappell recommended that we get hard hats if we plan on going inside. We hit the hardware store yesterday to buy hats, gloves, coveralls, and protective eyewear to keep ourselves safe while we explore the ruins.
We happily chose all white.
The front doors are damaged and leaning, having been closed as well as possible to keep others out, so we enter through the back door. The offices are relatively unscathed but as we move closer to the temple doors the damage increases. Scorch marks, water stains, and debris line the hallway and only get worse as we move toward the main temple. Like in the front of the building, the black temple doors are damaged and look as if they’re hanging on for dear life.
“Are you ready?” I ask him, concerned.
Cas smiles and pulls me to him, tilting up the brim of my hat to kiss me. “Let’s see what we’re left with.”
At his direction I move back so he can force one side of the door open without it falling on me. Once it’s open he holds his hand out and I happily take it, lifting my phone so we can use the flashlight to safely light our path. Faint morning light is filtering through the damaged ceiling and making it difficult to see the extent of the damage, but it’s obvious the temple is a total loss.
The walls are blackened and crumbling, the windows are all shattered, the benches are splintered and charred, and everything else in the back of the room is in ruin. I haven’t turned to look at the stage yet, almost afraid that once we acknowledge it Cas will realize he does regret what happened or resent me for putting him through all of this. The Reverant was a bastard, but he was still his father.
I’m psyching myself up to take a look when Cas’s harsh gasp makes me duck and cover my head, terrified the ceiling is about to cave in. His feet turn towards me and he releases a quick sound of surprise before roaring with laughter. Now that I know the sky isn’t falling I stand and watch him laugh with my hands on my hips and wait until he gets it out of his system.
“I’m sorry,” he wheezes, “I just turned around and you were gone. I thought you fell through the floor or something until I saw you huddled up. It was just a shock. Well, a second shock.”
I glare at him, but I’m too curious to be mad. “What was the first one?”
Without speaking, he simply points to the stage where the altar should stand. I brace myself with a deep breath and turn to follow his gaze. Like him, I gasp in surprise. While the majority of the room is dimly lit, a ray of sunlight has broken through a hole in the ceiling and falls directly on the altar, illuminating it and making it almost glow. We know the fire reached the stage, and especially the altar, because the Reverant was laying on it and was burned beyond recognition, but it's impossible to tell. The marble, standing tall and proud, looks untouched by fire and soot and is a testament to the Mother and her ability to shine through darkness.
I take a moment to give thanks to the Mother for getting us through this unscathed, sighing in relief when Cas wraps his arms around me from behind. All my life I have felt as if I was surrounded by a darkness that threatened to swallow me whole if I let it. It wasn’t until I found the Goddess that I realized the darkness was threatening me because I shined so bright, and the scene in front of me is the perfect representation of that feeling. A shining beacon that still stands strong, even when the world has literally been burned down around it.
We destroyed the false god’s temple, twisting its purpose and sacrificing that god’s chosen servant to honor another. We rid the Earth of a man who forced people to live a half life. If you can’t work to better yourself and celebrate your life and achievements, what is the point?
ALSO BY J.S. MERCIER
THE SECRETS DUET:
#1 - The Rooms We Hide
#2 - The Secrets They Keep
(Also available in a special edition duet with two bonus scenes!)
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