The morning sunlight streaming through the window woke me up to my misfortune. Once I opened my eyes and regained consciousness after being at the mercy of Morpheus, I realized that I was in a bed and not on the grass or under the shade of a tree, which was where I usually woke up, so I wasn't in the garden.
It took me a few seconds to fully orient myself. The high white stone ceiling, the golden linen curtains, the soft scent of incense floating in the air... I was in the main sanctuary of Kaeron. Themistios had offered it to me as a gesture of honor, and although I felt out of place sleeping within walls that should house prayers and not dreams, I ended up accepting. The priests had insisted so much—"the protective god must rest in his temple"—that it was easier to give in than to argue.
