The Obsidian Temple by Kelley Grant

“Word was sent to me,” she admitted. “Kadar is protecting a girl whom the One is interested in. Raella said her mind is damaged in some way, so I did not think she fit.”
    â€œYou should send for him to bring her here,” Anchee said.
    Sari cocked her head to one side, listening. “It is not time yet,” she said. “There will be a gathering of the Guardians. She will come then. There is more that needs to happen.”
    â€œLike teaching our fellow Shuttle how to dance?” Anchee said with a laugh, gesturing to Sulis. “And giving our Loom the training she needs to provide the foundation for the weaving?”
    â€œWait,” Sulis said, glancing around. “Fellow Shuttle? We’re both Shuttles?”
    â€œAnd your grandmother,” Anchee said mildly. “We three will dance the most glorious dance.”
    â€œDance? We dance?” Sulis asked, confused.
    â€œIt is more like a sword dance, precise patterns that call up specific energy, than artistic dancing. You have already begun to learn the poses. But you can’t dance the energy if you’re standing way back there,” her grandmother said mildly. “You need to release your fear, or it will paralyze you.”
    Sulis shook her head and took another step forward, but then stopped, unnerved by that sense of presence in the statues.
    â€œWhy do they feel like that?” she asked. “Why can I feel Voras there, inside that statue? Does it really contain their souls?”
    Sari shook her head. “Not souls—­not exactly, as they don’t have souls. You might call it the essence of their magical being. After the deities took mortal form to fight one another, they turned against the One when she intervened. With the aid of hundreds of our kin, most of whom perished in the effort, she was able to trap them and turn them to stone. Their immortal beings escaped in a blast of magic that created this melted stone and scorched the land, creating the desert. But we were able to help the One hold on to their essence, weakening their magic so that they are forced to channel through the feli and can no longer take human form.”
    â€œWhy isn’t this in the scriptures I learned?” Sulis asked. “I learned the deities were thrown down and their autonomy torn from them by the One. Not that it was chained in the desert.”
    â€œThat is why this temple is hidden and well guarded,” Grandmother said. “Only initiates and those sworn as Guardians of the One are permitted access to the Obsidian Temple. If an initiate is deemed unworthy by the One, they will have no memory of this place.”
    â€œWhy don’t the deities send their Voices to steal the essence back?” Sulis asked.
    â€œThey will.” Anchee said. “They were weakened, chastened for centuries, during which we were able to bring protections to the desert and hide this area from them. Our warriors make it impossible for their followers to survive in the desert to find this place.”
    â€œThe deities have become unstable,” Grandmother added. “The One was not expecting that. Without this essence, they have become more human but less steady of mind as the decades pass. They are shells that long to be reunited with the core of their beings.”
    â€œI’ve never even heard of this prophecy,” Ava complained. “How can I ground anything if I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
    Sari smiled at the blond girl. “I think first what you need is breakfast. Then we can begin your training. I believe there is still plenty of time to ready ourselves. The One has waited centuries for all these souls to come together at the same time, in the right conditions. She can wait until after breakfast to give you your duties.”
    Anchee pushed himself to his feet. “I think we all need breakfast. Most of the acolytes should be in the dining hall, so we can