Chapter 87: The Lunar Temple

Sarah hurried to gather a simple traveling bag for Laurel. Chasel had given her very specific instructions about what was needed for the journey, so it was an easy task to complete. What worried her was that Laurel had barely said a word after Adolph found her, content to stare off into space for hours at a time without even glancing towards the door no matter what time of day it was.
She hadn’t even asked about Lily and the movements of the castle. Sarah had reported to Adolph Laurel’s state and he promptly had Lily take over as much of Laurel’s duties as she could to give Laurel time to collect herself.
Everything else was to be put on hold. Sarah agreed that Laurel was in no state to be working, but she didn’t know how to help her either. Sarah had tried to ask her, but Laurel had turned away from her, barely managing to say she didn’t want to talk about it before Sarah decided to leave her with her thoughts and focus on getting her things together.
Maybe Adolph had something planned that would help. They were mates. If anyone knew how best to help Laurel at this point, it had to be Adolph.
Laurel followed Sarah’s guidance and mounted Adolph’s horse in a bit of a daze. She wasn’t even sure she could recount what was happening other than the fact that they were leaving the castle and she felt more relieved the further away the castle seemed to her.
Adolph held her close and allowed her to remain quiet as they rode. Her mind was calm, almost empty like she was too tired to think about much of anything. It was concerning, but not as concerning as her panic had been.
They left the city following the hidden roads. It wasn’t until they were an hour out that Laurel spoke.
“Your Majesty?” Laurel whispered, a bit dazed.
“Yes?”
“Where are we going?”
He chuckled, “To the Lunar Temple.”
Laurel gasped and looked up at him. She had heard of the Lunar Temple; everyone had. It was the main temple of the moon goddess. People went there to say prayers, be blessed, and contract priestesses to perform marriage rites all over the kingdom. It was a rather spiritual journey for anyone to go to the Lunar Temple.
She had no idea that it had been so close to the castle, but in hindsight, it made perfect sense. How could anyone question the command of the Raymond family or the nobles who lived in the imperial city with the Lunar Temple practically in the castle’s backyard? It made sense that all the packs that surrounded the castle had such good reputations and standing. They probably went to the temple regularly.
“Why are we going there?”
“I couldn’t think of anywhere more peaceful… and safer for us to take a break… Even I don’t need to keep my guard up there.”
“Why?”
“The lands of the Lunar Temple are sacred to the moon goddess. It’s said no violence can be committed there. Not even hunting. We’ll pass into the lands soon. You’ll feel it.”
Laurel frowned and gasped as an indescribable sense of serenity engulfed her, pushing the fog from her mind and allowing her to relax. Adolph sighed into her ear and she felt him relax.
“Soon, we’ll pass the Valley of the Moon and reach the temple’s main grounds.”
She wondered what sort of place the Valley of the Moon was as the caravan continued. The trees gave way to a valley of lunar flowers in full bloom, radiant and sparkling like silver and starlight into the distance. Ahead, a proud white collection of buildings began to rise, softly glowing as if they had been built of moonlight.
“It’s beautiful,” Laurel gasped.
“It is,” he said as they reached the receiving area. He dismounted and helped Laurel down before taking her hand and leading her to the steps. Five women dressed in temple robes stood at the top of the steps. Each of them held bundles of white cloth and smiled as Adolph and Laurel approached.
“Welcome, Your Majesty to the Lunar Temple,” the priestess in the front said before turning to Laurel. “Welcome, Luna to the Lunar Temple.”
Laurel bowed her head, “Thank you for having us.”
“The white wolf is always welcome home.”
Laurel gasped and the woman offered her a stack of white cloth.
“You will find the visitor’s changing area down the hall to the left. Once you have changed, you will be shown your accommodations.”
“Thank you,” she said and glanced at Adolph.
He smiled, “You’ll get used to them knowing things about you.”
Laurel doubted that was the case but went down the corridor. The air felt warm and welcoming and as she changed out of her clothes and into the simple robe she’d been given, she felt her apprehension start to disappear. If Adolph could feel safe here, then she could as well.
The robe was soft and wrapped around her loosely except for the waist where she had to tie it. She smiled at the simple garment and almost wished she could always wear something so simple. Laura had spent hours upon hours being dressed and undressed due to complex corsets and gowns.
She walked back down the hall carrying her things and found Adolph waiting for her. He was barefoot, which struck her as odd, but she couldn’t linger on that as she took in the sight of him draped in temple robes. He looked like a king from an old history book.
He smiled at her and chuckled as his gaze dropped to her feet.
“Your shoes as well.”
Laurel ducked her head and bent to remove her shoes. He stopped her and kneeled beside her, keeping her steady as he removed her boots. It was a gallant gesture that made her heart quake.
“It will be a bit strange at first, walking around without shoes on, but you’ll get used to it.”
She chuckled, “It seems like I’ll be getting used to a lot of things.”
Adolph stood, carrying her boots and handing them and her clothes to a guard.
“We’ll be here for a week or so… You might even come to like it.”
“Being barefoot?”
Adolph nodded, “The first time I stayed in the temple, I refused to wear shoes for about a week after our return.”
She laughed, “What made you change your mind?”
“I stepped on glass.”
She winced, “Well, I think I’ll more likely want to bring temple robes into fashion than do away with shoes…”
Adolph chuckled, “I will gladly follow you in that cause.”
Adolph took her hand and led her forward, “We’ll take our blessings from the head priestess before entering the main part of the temple. Then have lunch if you’re up to it.”
Laurel nodded, “It sounds wonderful.”
The head priestess looked at them with glowing white eyes above her veil. They seemed kind and knowing as she lifted a staff that bloomed lunar flowers and waved it over them.
“So have come the sword and shield, defenders of the children of the moon goddess,” she said, her voice seemed to echo through Laurel’s heart and she heard the chiming of a bell and the sound of a lyre in the distance.
A wind blew through the hall filled with the scent of the lunar flower and for a few moments, she thought she was back in the moon goddess’ territory. She leaned into Adolph’s side with a little sigh of relaxation.
“This… was a fantastic idea.”

Eden kept a safe distance hiding among the trees and trailing behind the caravan escorting Adolph and Laurel somewhere no one was able to explain. He didn’t know how far out they would be going or how long they would be gone from his sources in the castle, but he had a few ideas regarding where they could be going.
Knowing where Adolph’s secret villas and country homes were had its uses, but they didn't seem packed for a long or far-off trip. Wherever they were going, they would reach their destination within a day.
A lover's retreat? A ripple of fury went through him and he let it pass through him and focused. Fury led to mistakes. Anger made haste and waste and potentially death.
He knew that. He'd seen it enough to know.
Eden felt the air heat and shimmer up ahead and stopped just before the burning became intense. There was nothing special about the area as far as he could tell, but Adolph, Laurel, and the caravan were riding forward as if the air didn't seem filled with fire.
He reached out towards the heat and drew back cautiously. He knew of nothing that could produce barriers like this save for witches. He scowled at it and turned back, headed back to the city. He needed more information about what was going on.
If such a barrier existed elsewhere, he needed to know. What was Delia doing that she didn’t know about this and hadn’t told him? Hopefully, she was at least making progress with dealing with Basil.
Otherwise, her usefulness was running out.