Chapter 66

Before I knew it,we were being swept in through the ornate doors of the temple,carried by the wave of students and lecturers who were all filing in.

The thick,heady scent of incense clotted in my nostrils even as I reached the doorsand when we entered the hallway,I found that the main part of the temple was hidden from view by a large drape made of black silk,dotted with flecks of silver and gold that reminded me of the shimmering stars above.

Stood on either side were a man and woman who held burning smudge sticks.Although there was no flame,the embers burned brightly giving off sweet-smelling smoke thatthey wafted over each student who stepped before them.I watched as they worked from the back of the head all the way down to the ground and then repeated in the same motions down the front of each body.

“What are they doing?”I whispered because it didn’t seem right to raise my voice in a place of worship.