Harvest of Dreams (The Gods' Dream Trilogy) by Debra Holland

pride in their appearance.
    The bearers stopped before the largest building in the town, square and blocky like Ontarem’s temple on Penutar, although about a fourth the size.
    Nabric descended from his chair first, strode over to her, and handed her out.
    Together, they walked up the broad steps to double doors made of smoothly burnished wood.
    Two priests, clad in the same short robes as her brother, flanked the entrance. They bowed. One was stocky with a broad face, and the other was thin and hooked nosed.
    Nabric stopped briefly to introduce the stocky one as Vaptor and the thin priest as Dorent and then pushed open the doors. They walked inside the temple, their footsteps echoing on the polished black floor.
    The room was empty, lacking the pektats for prisoners to lie on. But the statue of Ontarem was what drew her gaze. Unlike in Penutar where the image was made of the finest pale marble, this statue was as black as a starless night, although the God still had a red kilt wrapped around His hips.
    Pasinae had to blink to clear her gaze before she could see that the carved features looked familiar. Amazed, she glanced at Nabric.
    “I had the same reaction when I first came here. He’s made of obsidian.”
    “And He still communicates with you?”
    Nabric’s expression turned grim. “I’ve had scant communication with Ontarem for the last weeks. Just that you were coming, and I’m ordered to Penutar.” He turned and gripped her arms. “My power has increased. What has happened to our brother?”
    Despite her attempts at control, Pasinae’s eyes filled, as she related the story.
    “I knew, I knew,” Nabric murmured, his voice thick with grief. “But I didn’t want to believe. I saw him only last year, when he sailed out to help me set and spring the trap on Yadarius.” He pulled her into a long hug.
    Pasinae clung to her brother, giving herself a few minutes to be soft…vulnerable… weak . The thought of the last word made her straighten away from him. “Kokam is within us. We now share his power, and his presence makes us stronger. Thus he will always be part of the Trine.”
    He nodded and shot a glance at the statue before turning his attention back to her. “I don’t have long before the tide changes, and I must be on the ship. But first you need to know sister… Yadarius rattles His cage.”
    “So Ontarem has said. Our God’s power is depleted with His war with Arvintor. His vigilance on Yadarius has grown…lax.”
    Nabric shook his head. “I can’t believe there are more of Them . That Ontarem wouldn’t warn us about the other Deities.”
    “Well, don’t say so to Him,” she said dryly. “He struck me for it.”
    Her brother grimaced. “At least living here has given me freedom from His discipline.” He squared his shoulders. “Before, I would have loved to return home…be in His presence every day…be away from these uncouth seadogs. But now….”
    Pasinae didn’t respond. Nabric’s words edged close to blasphemy. She could understand the sentiment, but she wasn’t about to admit it. If Ontarem ever probed Nabric’s mind and discovered his feelings, she needed to remain blameless. “We must return Ontarem to His full power,” she said crisply. “That will bolster Him, and He will, in turn, be able to give us energy.” She gave Nabric an ironic smile. “One of the benefits about being Trine.”
    “You speak the truth. I have missed being filled with our God.”
    “As have I.” She changed the subject. “What do I do about Yadarius?”
    He frowned. “The crystals’ power grows weak. I’m afraid they’ll shatter and release the SeaGod. It’s time to replace them. Normally, that task took the strength of both Kokam and me. But now since we have our brother’s power within us, either of us can do the job alone. Since you’ll be controlling the crystal energy, I thought you should chose the replacements that would resonate best with you. I wish I could stay to help.