Circumstellar by J.W. Lolite Read Free Book Online Page B

be some serious hell to pay. I leaned against a pine tree to catch my breath, enjoying the shade it provided. The only saving grace of this trip was the fact the temple was right beside the forest. The trees shielded me from the glare of the afternoon sun. Gathering the last of my strength, I made the last stretch to the top.
    I leaned over and let my body relax from the test I just put it through. Once my heart rate returned to near normal, I looked around. I’d never been to the temple before, so I had no idea what to expect. It looked like the whole top of the hill had been flattened to make room for the grounds. An expansive building centered at the far end of the grounds closest to the forest drew my immediate attention. It had a tall, sloped roof, and the whole thing appeared to be made of wood. Deep green lining added decoration around the edges of the roof. Almost a dozen other smaller buildings of similar style were scattered around. Stone walkways weaved around, cutting through deep grass and connecting all of the buildings. Off to the side of the buildings, a large dirt field sat. The whole place had a distinctively Asian feel to it, which was a definite oddity considering it had been built nearly a hundred years ago in the middle of the United States. A log cabin Chinatown. Impressed, I made my way to the central walkway and started towards the large building.
    “Girl.”
    I almost knocked myself over spinning towards the voice. Looking for the source, I saw a woman standing on the porch of one of the smaller buildings. Her dark brown eyes flashed with amusement as she blew smoke from a cigarette. She was an older woman, perhaps in her fifties. Her long black hair streaked with gray, and her tanned skin was starting to crease with wrinkles. Glancing at her frame, I noticed she was quite short. It looked like I had caught her at leisure time, for the only clothes she wore was a light green robe. I looked up at her face again and waved. She didn’t respond; her attention focused on two things.
    “You must be Ingrid Fairheit,” she said, her eyes piercing into mine.
    “That’s right. And who are you? Did you send me this?” I asked, holding up the envelope.
    “So many questions,” she commented, tapping her cigarette against a wooden beam. “So impatient. I’ll start with the first, and we can continue from there. My name is Meissa, and I am the master of the Orion Temple.”

Chapter 8
Sky Priestess
     
     
    “W hat the hell is the Orion Temple?”
    “You’re an impertinent one, aren’t you?” Meissa asked, a smirk forming on her ruby painted lips. “Reminds me of someone I know.”
    “Well?”
    “Yes?”
    “You said you’d answer my questions,” I huffed in annoyance. “So start answering!”
    She tilted her head, looking at me with half lidded eyes. Clucking her tongue, she then turned to walk into the door behind her.
    “Hey, wait!” I shouted. There was no way I was going to let her go without telling me anything. Especially after I hiked all the way up that damn hill. I dug my toes into the path prepared to run after her.
    “Aren’t you coming? I thought you wanted me to ‘start answering,’” she mocked, not even turning to look back at me. I glared at her back, wishing she would spontaneously combust. Wait. Tell me what I wanted to know and then combust. I seriously debated leaving then. I didn’t need her. I could find another all-knowing old hag to tell me about my attackers, or better yet, find out on my own. I just needed to find a lead or a clue or something somewhere . . . anywhere . . . that didn’t exist. Swallowing my pride, I started walking after her. The sooner I got this over with, the better.
    Coming into the building, I noticed it was some kind of living quarters. In the center of the room stood a large wooden table. It was beautifully crafted with animals carved into the legs: dogs, birds, snakes, large cats and such creatures from what I could make out from my