Chapter 16

Sno smiled bowed and exited the building. Finding himself with the Paladin and M'lar he turned and offered his arm. "This way you will find this is the priests private quarters. There is a long hallway with four rooms facing the hallway. Those are bedrooms, and then at the end of the hallway is a door that leads outside. It is for a more private entrance for the Priestess and her head priests whom you will accrue I am sure some day."

Morgan moved her along the hallway watching her look over the temple from the corner of his eye. " Next to that door is a short hallway that leads to a bathing chamber. I had it designed so that you would have running water, with a catch cistern, tub, sink, and toilet that empties into a sanitation area behind the gardens and into the wood area so that it can act as compost and fertilizer."

M'lar curbed her tendency to want to recoil as Morgan patted her hand gently and guided her into the door and down the hallway so she could look into the rooms. The first three rooms were comfortable and could easily fit double size beds, chairs tables and be made more cheery than what they appeared to be with cots and shackles on the wall.

M'lar averted her gaze from the rooms for now. "These seem to be large rooms and should be comfortable and could easily accommodate Kait, Rosemary and Gillian and myself." Morgan arched an eyebrow.

"You plan to bring your daughter here?"

She nodded, "Yes, I will put her between Kait and myself with connecting doors to her room." M'lar followed him down the hallway to the bathing chambers and nodded, the room was well appointed and the copper tub seemed to be comfortable and big enough for all of them to use. "So this is the private quarters?" Morgan knew she was dying to ask which had been Katon's bedroom and he smiled.

"She used this one here." Morgan pushed opened the door and stepped aside so M'lar could enter the room. M'lar stepped to the door and peered in noting a closet that held leather clothing of a revealing nature, whips chains and bonds. Turning her back and leaning to the outside wall she shivered. "Barbaric. How could she do such a thing."

Morgan chuckled, "Because her goddess required it and she enjoyed it. So, I broke her of the need to want to do torture to poor individuals by tickling her feet and making her laugh. I put laughter into hef life and that is why she was with Joe, she found what she thought was love with Joe."

M'lar was uncomfortable talking about Joe with Morgan so she changed the subject. "I see, well where are the priests cells?"

Morgan respected her need to avoid his taunting her about Joe and Katon and lead her back to the common area of the temple. They paused and noted that Korell was now bent before the alter praying. Moving as quietly as possibly to the door.

Opening the door, Morgan saw that Korell had lit the sconces on the wall. It allowed light for them to follow the elongated steps down into what could have been termed was a dungeon area. Stepping below M'lar noted that there was a huge long table, a stove, shelves with coverings, and a large cooler that sat at the end of the room.

The common area must have been used for dining and then the area seemed to be sectioned off into three sections with two long hallways opposite of each other that ran to the back of the temple.

"The Priests cells line the wall and the center of the room. In the center back to back and separated by a weight-baring wall are more cells or in this case it appears to be torture chambers that where designed and used for the purpose of whipping the followers or cutting them. The back hallway leads to a secret entrance where you can shelter horses or a carriage if you wish."

M'lar walked over and looked into the first cell and noted that it was comfortable in size and held a single cot, with a table, and two chairs in the cell area

M'lar nodded, "I can clean this up and work with it. Some lye soap, and some flowers and toilet bowel and pitcher of water for bathing at night."

Morgan chuckled, "You are obsessed with being clean, come, let me show you there is a bathing chambers down here that sits directly below your own bathing chambers upstairs. And the same applies here. There is a copper tub, toilet and sink with a closet for towels and linens for the beds."

M'lar frowned, "Is there a problem with wanting to feel and be clean?"

Morgan shook his head. "No, it is most scro or orcs do not worry about cleanliness."

M'lar pulled her hand away from his arm and crossed her arms under her breasts, "Well I suppose I am not most scro."

Morgan noted how she reacted to his acknowledging the other part of her nature and make up.

"No you most certainly are not, you are far more beautiful and appealing than most scro."

M'lar looked around and then back at Morgan. "Are you being facetious?"

Morgan laughed, "Hardly, I am merely making my observations and stating the truth."

M'lar stepped over to the kitchen and dining area of the temple and leaned to the table. "So how may cells do we have total down here?"

Morgan shrugged, "I would think there are eight down this hallway with four across the hallway on either side. Then there are the center rooms, which are obviously larger and appear to have been used for other than cells for sleep".

He mentally counted the cells that were habitable for sleeping. So I think total you are looking at twenty-four rooms down here."

As an after thought he said, "Oh and back along the rear hallway is a section that was used for entombing the Lovites that died while in service and residence here. So there are several tombs in the back area. I also believe Katon had said at one time they had also used the rear area of the garden as a burial site."

The thought of dead tortured souls lying at peace was a bit daunting for M'lar and that they were also buried in the rear of the lovely garden she had seen earlier was distracting. Morgan persisted with his smooth voice.

"So do you think you will be able to do something with this temple and put your god's request to use and make the common area into a library?"

M'lar nodded, "That is why I have Sno here, he is going to hire the help we need to divide the room into a class room, for teaching the basics for reading and writing and then there will be a dance and music area. I think we could make this a very happy and comfortable temple for the pursuit of my God's wishes."

Morgan smiled and this time his smile was not contrived it was sincere. His plans were coming together rather nicely "Good, well shall we check on the good paladin and then return to the inn?"

M'lar turned and started up the stairs and missed her placement of her foot and found herself tumbling backwards. Morgan was there to catch and sweep her up in his arms. The close proximity of being held by a man that she had hated and wanted gone from her life made her heart race and her face flush. He could feel the tension there between the two of them and it was palatable. "Careful my dear a nasty tumble like that down these stairs could have easily broken your neck."

M'lar looked down embarrassed and feeling unsettled stiffen her body in his hold, he carefully set her down allowing their bodies to be pressed together while setting her down.

He made sure their bodies were locked together in a far too intimate embrace. Looking deeply into her wide startled green eyes he smiled. "I never knew you to be clumsy, perhaps you should have your contractor check out these stairs."

She could not find her voice, and had tucked her chin and merely nodded her head. "Thank you I shall." She said softly as she found her voice and then glanced up at the amused look in his gaze and the smile that edged his lips.

"Now shall we?" Releasing her from his hold, he held her arm and guided her up the stairs to the common room of the temple. Entering the temple she smiled as she looked at Korell. He sat on the top step of the dais polishing his armor. "Korell have you eaten?"

Korell glanced up from the due diligence of polishing his armor and nodded to his backpack. "I have some hard tack there ma'am"

M'lar shook her head. "No that will not due Korell, I shall send you back a warm meal and want you to eat properly."

He nodded and smiled, "Thank you ma'am that will be very kind of you."

Morgan studied the young paladin and moved to the doorway. "Korell, do make sure you follow the priestess' request, I have it on good authority that she is the mothering kind and would more than likely nag you to do what she says so you do not waste her breath or good intentions."

Korell nodded and stood up to bow to Morgan. "As Milord wishes I shall do as she says as long as it does not interfere with my duties."

M'lar smiled, "Never would I stand in the way of your duties young man."

She turned and moved to Morgan who gathered her close to him and nodded to Korell. Then with a single thought he ~teleported~ them out of the temple and back to the Hoch. The two of them appeared in the center of the room.

Kait turned from the bar with a look of relief on her face and she smiled brightly. "I see the tour is over? Sno asked me to tell you he would be by later today after he got some measurements and if you would draw out what you had in mind he would get right on it."

M'lar stepped quickly away from Morgan. "I will have the books delivered to the temple for you M'lar and if there is anything else you might require, let me know. As much as I would enjoy spending time with two very beautiful women, I will bid you both good day!" With a single thought Morgan ~teleported~ from the room with a subtle pop.

As soon as he was gone, M'lar slumped into the nearest chair. "I swear that man exhausts me. I think I need a bath."

Kait frowned. "M'lar he is trying will you not try as well? I mean he gave you books, he is giving you the temple, and he is being very courteous considering . . . "

M'lar turned and looked at Kait and her voice dropped, "Considering most think I tried to get Rahvin to kill him?"

Kait frowned, "I did not say that. I was merely trying to point out that he was making an effort to mend fences and show no hard feelings no matter what he thought."

M'lar stood and moved to the kitchen and Kait knew that was her signal that she was trying to compose her temper before she lost it. Chewing on her bottom lip, Kait followed M'lar into the kitchen and sighed deeply as she watched M'lar do the dishes. "M'lar don't be cross. I just want there to be peace between the factions."

The simple act of moving the dishes through the sudsy water and then rinsing them was very therapeutic. For M'lar it was easier to wash the dishes than hit something or rant and rave. She was already feeling exhausted because Morgan. He was one of those individuals that you always felt you needed to be on your guard in order to survive any time with him.

"Kait, I want peace but I can't find peace as long as I know that Joe is dead and no one is being held accountable for his death. As for Morgan, I am grateful that he had tried to make amends and I have to wonder if its because of a guilty conscience that he is being so nice or is he just setting anther trap to try and suck me into it so that he can finish me off once and for all."

Kait leaned to the counter next to the sink and folded her arms over her chest. "I suppose we could just stay on our guard as long as he is around. But look at it this way M'lar we no longer have to live here or at the Silver Fiend. We can have a real home and I will be happy to make the curtains and other things that you need for the place. I will help with painting or whatever is needed, but there we will be a family and happy."

M'lar smiled and glanced at her sister, "Yes, we will be happy, and Gillian can have her own big girl room. She is very excited at the thought you know. "

Kait smiled and nodded, "Yes, the little missy will have her own room and her mother and devoted aunts watching out for her."

M'lar dried her hands and went to hug Kait, "So lets go decide how we want this temple to look and make it comfortable and erase all the bad memories that have haunted that place for far too long."

Kait was happy again and feeling that all was right with the world. Moving into the bar they looked up to see Shayla at the bar with her bottle of whiskey and a new elf sitting with her.

"Hello Shayla." M'lar greeted her with soft words as she looked from Shayla to the male half elf at her side. "Hello M'lar how are you this bright and wonderful day?"

Shayla could see that M'lar was dressed for the heat of the day and slid her glance at Darrin the man at her side to see if he was looking at M'lar with as much interest most males showed. "Don't answer that you look hot. So have you gone to the new temple, did you find all kinds of icky and nasty things in that temple?"

M'lar sighed and shook her head. "I saw horrible devices that were used for torture through out the building and plan to burn them."

Shayla shook her head, "Don't burn them let me send someone over to pick them up maybe I can sell them and make you some money for a percentage."

M'lar was interested, she knew that building materials and the construction was not going to be cheap and she had hidden back quiet a sum of money in the tips she had made so it should help somewhat but this idea of selling devices and items of pain that would bring her temple some cash flow was rather intriguing

"As long as I do not have to handle them, you can send over your people to collect them and they might want to bring a wagon, there are four rooms down in the lower level that is full of such things and I want them gone from the temple as soon as possible."

Shayla nodded, "Consider it done."

M'lar looked to Kait who had been studying the man at Shayla's side and had grown very quiet and withdrawn. The man was shifty looking and was trying very hard to get Shayla's attention. He glanced at Kait nodded and offered a superficial smile and then he looked at M'lar and found her somewhat repulsive by his actions.

Shayla laughed, "M'lar and Kait please make the acquaintance gof Darrin Somerset, he is new to the island and considering working for me. Darrin, my good and dear friends, M'lar and Kait both ladies and of nobility."

Hearing they were of noble birth immediately caught Darrin's attention. "A pleasure ladies. Very nice to meet you." M'lar's alarms were going off when it came to this man and she was pretty sure she did not like him.

Nodding politely to him, she turned to pull out some paper and, quill and ink and moved to the table by the now cold fireplace and sat down. Drawing on her memory of the temple she began to draw out her ideas of how the temple should look and what would be needed, allowing Shayla and Kait to have a polite conversation and ignoring the man at Shayla's side.

M'lar stood in the center of the temple and looked around at the new walls that had gone up to divide the library and the class room from the common area. She looked up and smiled as she noticed that Sno had promised to do what he said, he put in glass overhead so there could be light for reading and put light into the temple's common area.

It gave them a view of the night sky and the sun when it was overhead. There were over four skylights over the library area, five over the common area and another four over the classroom area. "However did you come up with this cheap way to make glass?"

M'lar had told him that she could not afford a lot for glass. Sno had assured her that he could make it by heating the sand and form it into nice large plates of glass. The whole temple was beginning to take on a whole new feel and even had a happy tone to the room.

Gone were the chains and whips the instruments of pain and punishment that had filled the temple. Now it was a home for the books Morgan had given her. The bookshelves were finished and now housed the books that had been donated. The smile on her face expressed how happy she was.

M'lar had made agreements with people she had fed and given shelter. The agreement had been if and when they got a book they would bring that to her as payment for their rent or food. So far she had gathered five additional books for the library adding to the books that Morgan had given her.

She looked pleased as she watched the bookshelves beginning to fill. She moved to the library area followed by Sno. She had not noticed the look of admiration on the young handsome human male's face following her around like a love struck puppy dog.

"Oh Sno you have given my dream to me! Look how wonderful this is. The reading tables and benches, the lights on the table, wherever did you find the perpetual light spell to enchant the globes?"

Sno flushed as she turned and hugged him and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. "It was something I learned to do when I first started practicing the weave."

M'lar sighed as she moved to the table nearest the door and ran her fingertips over the tables finished top. Looking around at the sheaves of paper the scrolls and the inkwells that now adorned the cube area. As soon as she had embraced Oghma she found the inkwells she had never ran out of ink.

They were always full and that the paper and scrolls were appearing for her use to use to teach. If it was needed for a purpose of spreading knowledge or needed to help dispel ignorance, there was an unlimited supply of the items needed. She was blessed and felt happy that her life had a purpose and direction.

She had found a large slate rock near the rocky table area of Foothills Park and had Sno extract it so she could put the slate in the classroom. Then she went on a hunt and there it was a whole are of compressed chalk that had been carved into sticks for writing on the slate board.

The whole area was starting to show signs of becoming a place of learning. When Sno had found her a clavichord and had it delivered to the music, classroom she had squealed in delight and he was once again the recipient of another kiss and hug.

He made it point to try and find those obscure pieces that she needed and would bring them to her just to see the delight in her eyes and the sound of happiness in her voice as she would laugh happily spin around, grab him and kiss him either on the cheek or lightly on the lips.

It was as if she were showing him how much she loved him. He never allowed his thoughts go past that of friendship with her for to do so would have broken his heart. He knew she belonged to the island. To try and capture the incomparable M'lar was like chasing a willow-wisp. He would not allow his heart to be taken so he satisfied himself with her friendship.

Moving back to the private quarters that would be her bedroom, Gillian's bedroom, Kait's and with the extra bedroom, she had been approached by Rosemary. The second name sake for her little girl.

Rosemary was also the King's sister in law and secretary. She had asked M'lar if she could move into the temple. M'lar and Kait readily welcomed her into their home and lives.

Rosemary was a long legged redhead that had strongly favored her sisters in looks. Considering she had been made by her father in a test tube and was one of the 1900 children that Maison Storm had made was if nothing remarkable.

It was a joke now being bandied about that M'lar had been competing with Maison for the amount of family she could claim on the island. With the number of sisters, brothers, and children she had adopted. Most of which were older than her she was known as the island's mother. She loved all those that claimed her friend and held them close to her heart.

The number of children and family was beginning to mount. M'lar stepped into Gillian's room and smiled, the room had a fresh coat of whitewash on the walls, the small bed centered the room and her dresses hung in her closet along with her little rompers.

M'lar moved to the bed that was covered with a soft pink bedspread and smiled, obviously this was Kait's contribution considering that everything Kait owned seemed to be in pink. Moving to Kait's room, she noted it was coming along nicely and that Rosemary's room was completed. The one room that she insisted would be the last to be completed was her own room. It was important to her that the other's had their rooms done before she allowed hers to be completed.

Walking out to the main area she could envision the completed project and her excitement began to mount. "How much longer do you suppose it will be Sno?"

He looked around and watched as his workmen came up from the lower level and nodded. "You room up here and then the rest of the cells down in the lower level for the under priests and those needing shelter that should give you easily 20 bedrooms. It should be by the end of the month, I did tell Rosemary she could move some things into her rom and Lady Kaitlin was told she could bring some of her things and you have already started bringing in things for Gillian's room."

From the open door way and from blow the distant sound of hammers making contact with wood. The soft sweet voice of Rosemary came from the doorway. "Which by the way I have started putting things in my room and thought since we have Korell here as our Temple Paladin, I shall move in this weekend and make myself at home if that is all right with you?"

M'lar nodded and smiled widely, "Of course it is ok with me. Kait I believe has also started setting up her bedroom."

M'lar moved to help Rosemary lighten her load along with Sno, grabbing one of the three large bags she had drug into the temple. "Here lets get you into your room. You will see I had a large comfy bed put in had the mattress re-ticked for you and Kait hung some curtains she made."

Rosemary chuckled softly, "Well looks like all that remains is to get you moved in and set up the temple for business.". Moving past the alter area through the right hand door and into a small hallway. M'lar carried the larger bag to the first bedroom. Setting the bag down on the large bed. Smiling she moved to open the closet door for Rosemary and then opened the window to allow in a soft breeze.

" The rear exit is in Kait's room and my room. Kait is next door to you. Gillian is next to Kait and I am on the end. I had Sno put in connecting doors between the bedrooms so that we can all go to each other's rooms. I put Gillian in the smaller room between Kait and myself but again there are connecting doors."

Rosemary walked around the room and looked delighted. "'M'lar you have out done yourself. This room is lovely and I love the white washed walls and Kait did a wonderful job matching the curtains to the bedspread. We are all going to be very happy here."

She watched as Sno dropped his bag on the bed and quietly disappeared leaving the two women alone. "Well you make yourself comfortable while I finish up my business with Sno, so please excuse me?"