Taora prayed to the goddess Honikalaea for a couple of hours, thanking her for saving her from the shipwreck several years ago and bringing her to the shores of Kahayjo for the umpteenth time. When she had finished, she noticed that the light of the day had dimmed considerably and went about lighting the torches around the temple, ready for when the other priestesses would return from the mountain top. There were several fountains and pools dotted around the temples. With the torches now lit, the light of their flames flickered off the water and cast fluttering images on to the walls. The only room Taora didn’t enter the secluded room at the very back of the temple for she was forbidden to. Only once she had taken her sacred vows and become a priestess of the Order of Askarnia would she be allowed she see what the mysterious room held. She did know that the room only had three walls. Where the forth should have been there was instead a long, sharp drop down to the sea below.

The entire temple was very quiet, with Taora being the only person currently there. She came to stand at the main entrance to the magnificent, ancient temple and learned gently against one of the marble columns. The beautiful young woman closed her eyes and listened to the lovely sounds of the singing birds, the lapping of the waves against the cliff and beach shore and the breeze causing the leaves of the trees to rustling against each other.

Taora greatly enjoyed the quiet solitude of the hidden world that was the island of Kahayjo. Here lay an entire paradise that only a handful of people would ever see - and she felt so honoured that the gods thought she was worthy of being one of those lucky individuals. Only by the divine will of the heavens were sailors ever able to reach the shores of Kahayjo. Though none of them had ever been able to find the temple when they had ventured inland for supplies. Furthermore no sailor could ever find the cornucopia of an island again. Taora loved the island dearly and would not see it or her precious temple exploited for its natural resources and riches. The greed of the outside world would not soil or spoil her magical world if she could do anything about it.

A sudden feeling erupted within the young woman’s chest, surprising her greatly. It wasn’t fear - anticipation maybe? Taora frowned, wondering what the sensation could mean. Where the gods trying to tell her that something was coming? Would it be good or bad? And what did she have to do with it? Not able to confide in her superiors at the temple, Taora went to pray to the Twins. The Twins were Mako and Jasni, the son and daughter of Honikalaea. Like their guardian mother, the Twins protected Kahayjo island. Mako patrolled the ivory beaches and cliffs in the form of a large jungle cat, while his sister Jasni flew overhead in form of a gull and circled the trio of mountains. Taora knew they would be the first ones to see anything or anyone approaching the island and therefore went straight to them for advise.