“WHAT?!” Timur roared at the priest who had been the bearer of bad news. “How could she have escaped?!”
The young priest lowered his eyes. “Methinks she had help, my lord.”
“What kind of help?” Timur seethed.
The young priest then kneeled before him, subjecting himself unto death. “Your highness… the woman didst not escape alone…” he stammered. “…we also cannot find… we cannot locate…”
“Spit it out!”
“…High Priest Abner…”
Timur stared in incredulity at the pitiful man for several seconds as he collected his thoughts. What the young priest had suggested was blasphemy. To suggest that Abner had any involvement in the disappearance of Lily was absurd.
“How dare you suggest such blasphemy!” he shrieked. “Abner is my most loyal subject!”
“Forgive me, my lord.” The priest bowed again, quaking in terror.
Timur’s mind flashed back to his argument with Abner the night earlier. He remembered how insistent Abner was in returning her to Earth, and then how quickly he had surrendered the argument. It was so clear now. Abner’s senile fear of disease meant he would stop at nothing to protect these people, even if it meant stabbing his closest friend in the back.
“No,” he muttered, “He wouldn’t dare!”
His anger mounted, and in a roar of inhuman rage, the entire room erupted in a flash of sickly green light. He bolted toward the archway leading into the next chamber, kicking aside the steaming pile of ash where only moments before the young priest knelt.
Seven other priests in the adjoining room cowered in terror when they saw Timur approaching. They were older and wiser, and had assigned their younger colleague to deliver Timur the unfortunate message. But they scattered like rabbits in the presence of a wolf and several screamed in terror.
“Halt!” Timur’s booming voice echoed through the courtyard.
Only four obeyed the command. They stood at attention, watching in horror as Timur raised an arm to draw power from one of the blazing suns and another arm toward their retreating comrades. From his outstretched arm, a beam of the emerald light shot from the knuckles of his closed fist. In three bright blasts, their fellow comrades had been incinerated.
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He then aimed toward the four who remained. “Do you dare defy me too?!”
They all shook their heads and spoke in unison. “No, Your Holiness.”
He stood motionless for several minutes, and then lowered his arms. He studied their trembling frames for a long minute.
“Go assemble the Creed,” he commanded.
“Yes, my lord.” they said in unison, continuing to stand at attention.
“I said go!” Timur shrieked.
They all jumped and scrambled in different directions. Timur rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance.
What a bunch of idiots.
***
The great chamber was filled to capacity with his most loyal subjects. Every creed member who had traveled with him from Earth were assembled closest to the altar, the hoods of their black cloaks drawn. Surrounding them, clothed similarly in black robes, were the Priests Timur had ‘anointed’ who had once been villagers from different parts of the Land of Enoch. The Priests were clearly terrified of the Creed members, evidenced by the wide gap between the two groups.
Timur climbed onto the Altar, capturing their attention.
“We have conquered every village in the surrounding lands, and have trampled the rebels under our feet,” he boasted as a murmur of approval swept through the room. “And yet, there still remains a threat to our kingdom. A man from Earth has come to challenge my position as your rightful King.”
The audience whispered to each other anxiously.
“I enslaved his female companion in order to lure him here to my Temple,” he continued. “My plans have been thwarted, however, by one of our own. Our High Priest has betrayed me, and has helped the woman escape.”
A roar of disapproval echoed through the chamber.
Timur scowled at them. “Several of your comrades met death by brimstone and ashes today. Dare any of you defy me as well?”
In unison, they chanted. “No, Your Holiness.”
The words echoed through the chamber. Timur felt a sense of pride as he Scanned the room.
“Prepare yourselves,” he advised, “for war will soon be upon us. I had expected the man to come to the Temple by now, but he has not. I fear he is gathering the rest of the rebels together to make war with us.”
There was a general hum of acknowledgement.
“If you find him, bring him to me alive. He has powers like unto mine, but he is a coward. Seize him and bring him to me.”
Their words echoed in unison again. “Yes Master.”
“Furthermore, I’ll take two with me to find High Priest Abner and the woman.”
His Creed members were eager to join him, so he selected his most loyal companions.
“Disperse!” he commanded to the rest. “ I empower you to kill anyone who gets in your way.”
They all bowed, and began to empty the chamber.
“Prepare the Beasts,” he spoke to his nine selected Creed members. “It’s time to go hunting.”
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