A meeting With the Grand Master

Amais busies himself working in the main medical bay where the acolytes and healers had moved Boaz. Though he was not over seeing the mysterious stranger he was glad to help the other healers over see the stubborn patient.

Boaz was having none of it, the large man protests the care. Moving aside the healers with his only arm and even threatening them. Amais steps in. Smacking him firmly across his head.

“Will you stop fussing?” Amais says, nearly laughing as he tries to clean and redress the bandages around Boaz’s stump.

“It’s embarrassing to receive care, healers are almost never around in the tower.” Boaz grumbles looking shyly away from the other man.

“Come now, you know I mean no harm.” Amais says, trying to grab hold of the man’s large arm.

Amais pats his shoulder, meaning to comfort him.

“Rest assured you are no longer within the tower, you are safe here. Safe with me.” Amais says pressing the cloth to the naked wound. “Let me help you.” he says softly.

Boaz hesitates, too many days and nights alone tending to his own wounds lest he show weakness, made him distrustful of letting anyone near his injuries. It almost appeared as if even Amais’ kind voice wouldn’t convince him.

The cleric is patient, waiting for an answer before proceeding.

“Fine.” Boaz replies, finally presenting his injuries toward Amais. The cleric shakes his head, taking the stained cloth and pressing it back into the bowl of water.

From around him Amais could hear the whispers of the other clerics, they stop their duties to bow as a conclave of masked figures approach.

“The conclave of elders?” Boaz asks, reminding Amais that he too was once a member of the temple.

“What could they want?” Amais asks continuing to tend to the wound at hand, Boaz grunts pointing a finger at the dark haired healer.

“They’re here for you.” He says. Amais brushes him off, moving the large finger out of his face with a gentle swipe of his hand.

“Me? It’s more likely they’re here for you, Century man.” He jokes.

“Century man?”

“Well you’re over a hundred aren’t you?”

Just as Boaz says, the conclave of straight robed white figures stop in front of Boaz’s cot. Amais bows deeply to show his respect.

He takes a moment to observe the figures standing at the foot of the bed.

Each member of the conclave has their face obscured by a golden animal mask. Their bodies are covered entirely by the spotless white robes they wear, hiding both their hands and feet.

“Most honored conclave, how may I assist?” Amais asks. The conclave whisper among themselves, their golden masks betraying no expression as they speak.

“His most esteemed gift, the grandmaster of Edain summons you Amais.” One of the conclave members speaks. Amais stares at all five, mouth agape as he tries to reel in his surprise.

“Did the grandmaster tell you why he wishes to see me?” he asks tentatively so he doesn’t upset his superiors.

“He did not. You must come at once.” One of the other members says, his voice sounds harsher than the last person who spoke. Amais nods, calling over one of the acolytes to take care of Boaz.

The gruff man nods to Amais who acknowledges it with a nod of his own. He hopes dearly that it wasn’t as Talien had said. That Anok hadn’t reported him to the grandmaster for insubordination. The older man would of course leave out much of the details and instead slander only Amais’ name.

Classic Anok.

Amais passes him as he’s led through the ancient halls of the temple, Anok pauses his berating of the younger acolytes to shoot an obvious smirk in Amais direction. The younger cleric mouths a foul curse, smirking back as the old man’s face shifts to the rage he had come to know.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Amais and the conclave end their walk at a large wooden double door lined with strips of gold. The room of his eminence the grandmaster of Edain. Amais gulps, never having seen this door before even in his youth.

The conclave parts for him, spreading to stand on either side of the door waiting for him to go in. Once Amais does not move the member from earlier gets irritated once again.

“Well get in boy!”

Amais glares.

“I was just displaying the virtue of patience, Didn’t know the conclave was so prone to haste.” He says with an innocent tone just loud enough for them to hear. The angry member glares through the mask as Amais pulls the door open and steps through it.

Inside he’s greeted with a velvet room covered in plush material, he looks up to see the high ceilings where a chandelier hangs from above, lit with a dozen small bulbs and artisanal candles. Stepping down the raised platform from the entrance he sees the large, velvet plush chair the grandmaster sits in.

Amais approaches cautiously, tracing the intricate murals that line the grandmaster’s room with his eyes. A small smile comes to his lips at the sight of the main mural depicting the holy one in all his glory.

“Amais.” The grandmaster calls, the cleric immediately bows, nearly throwing himself down in reverence to the leader of the temple.

No one knew how old the grand master was, but some whispered he was as old as the temple itself. Amais wonders if the esteemed leader knew of the rumors.

“Yes, your eminence?” Amais replies.

“Lift your head child.” the grandmaster says in a fatherly manner. “There’s no reason you should bow so low to me.”

Amais raises his head to stare at the lavishly clad man.

Head to toe, his eminence, the grandmaster is adorned with beautiful, white and gold silks. He sits cross legged on a pile of pillows beckoning Amais closer to him.

“You wanted to see me?” Amais asks moving closer to the opulent man sitting before him, something didn’t feel right about this but he persists.

“Anok came to speak to me about some troubling news, that you Amais want to embark on the same path as your master before you.”

Amais gulps. The grandmaster smiles, waving fingers adorned with golden rings in a dismissive manner.

“When Gaius disappeared it was a tragedy, but I suppose none of us felt it as deeply as you did.” the grandmaster says. Amais doesn’t reply, willing himself not to glare hard at the holy figure.

“That’s…right.” Amais says slowly.

The grandmaster nods, raising from his seated position and taking his dazzling figure with him. With a sweep of his robes, he stands before Amais with a question.

“Would you like to go and find him?” The grandmaster asks.

Amais’ head shoots up to stare at the man. Would he like to go and find Gaius? of course he would. What kind of question was that.?

A thousand percent yes!

“Of course your eminence.” Amais says raising as well. “I would do anything to find him.” The grandmaster nods. Stroking his short goatee in thought.

“Yes, yes I knew you would say as much. But Amais surely you must know from the tales of Boaz that the tower is not for the faint of heart.”

Amais’ eyes widen, not realizing the grandmaster knew of his talks with Boaz. He wants to ask but fears it would be seen as insubordination to question his eminence.

“I know nothing will stop you either.” The grandmaster says, turning to face Amais. He sighs deeply moving towards a wooden shelf to retrieve a leather bound book.

“This journal was written by another lucky soul who was able to escape the tower.” The grandmaster presents the book to Amais who accepts, cradling the tome with great care lest he damage the ancient pages.

“It will tell you how to find the tower as well as what to expect. Remember that all life is sacred under the eyes of the holy one, even demons.” The grandmaster says.

Amais nods.

“I know how much Gaius meant to you. He did not abandon you, young Amais.” his eminence says. Amais holds the journal tightly, trying not to clench his fist.

“Then why did he leave?” the words slip out before he thinks about who he’s addressing. Amais moves his gaze to the floor, not wanting to meet the eyes of the grandmaster.

“Sometimes we feel as though there is something we must do, a higher calling. I’m sure Gaius didn’t mean to hurt you, Amais. I knew him well. A good man, a kind man.” the grandmaster returns to his seated position.

“And sometimes that is all one needs to be.”

“Thank you, your eminence for your words of advice.” Amais says feeling numb.

“If you do plan to follow in his footsteps Amais, be careful you do not wind up like the souls in the tower, shedding their demon forms to become something else.” the grandmaster warns.

“I thought a demon was all you could become.”

The grandmaster shakes his head.

“You will see when you read the journal.” the grandmaster says, dodging the question. He waves the cleric off dismissing him from the chamber. Amais nods, bowing deeply again before leaving.

I’m going to do a lot of reading tonight, aren’t I? He thinks to himself.

Outside the conclave is waiting for him, they say nothing to him as he passes them by eager to return to his room. He climbs the spiral stairs and on the ledge waiting for him is…

Anok.