Chapter 15

The blue flags of the mage district snapped in the gusts of the afternoon breeze. A sole hooded figure stalked down the length of the deserted cobblestone street, pristine white boots falling soundlessly. They stopped at a boarded doorway, checking the surroundings for any signs of a tail. They were late already, constantly doubling back while taking the extended route to avoid the patrolling guards. A week ago, the council called for a curfew until the matter in the living district was resolved. Two days ago, they enacted a total lockdown of the settlement after they found sympathizers sneaking food into the Baron’s men.

Satisfied no one was watching, the figure reached out a single gloved hand and pressed its open palm to the sealed door. With a yellow glint of mana, the boards shimmered, revealing an unobstructed entryway. After they stepped through the illusion, it restored itself to match the surrounding business fronts.

“Ah, Alistair, finally. You’re late,” she said flatly. A woman in her mid-forties stepped out from a storeroom in the rear of the closed shop, wiping her hands on a dirty towel. The shopkeeper wore an ink-stained white shirt with a full-length dark leather apron, brown pants, and matching dark leather boots. She tossed the rag over her shoulder and crossed her arms, “What happened?”

He pulled back his hood, letting his long blond hair fall to his shoulders, “My apologies, Diana. You know how difficult it is to cross the districts since the lockdown. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but yesterday, the soldiers from the Capital arrived, and it’s only gotten worse. Are they all here?”

She scoffed, “Yeah, Sophie mentioned something about that. I’ve been too busy to care, though. There is still too much to be done, even with the frozen trade. No matter how bad the continent gets, everyone needs an enchanter.” Pulling the rag from her shoulder and stuffing it in her belt, she stepped over to a large, cluttered desk covered in various weapons and clothing and sat down, resuming her work. “They are all here and waiting for you to start. Take the cellar entrance, it’ll be faster. But leave your cloak on the table; it’s bloody hot down there. Oh! How are the boots?” She asked eagerly, and she turned to face him.

“Thank you, Diana. The boots are amazing. Any rogue would be envious of your craftsmanship. It’s eerie how quiet they are. Give my love to Sophie for me. Phelmus be with you both.”

She smiled triumphantly, “Damn right they would be,” letting out a laugh. “And I will, but you need to see her yourself soon. A girl her age needs more friends to keep her out of trouble. Be safe, Alistair.”

With a nod, he went into the back room and down a discrete staircase. Once he reached the bottom landing, he removed his cloak, obscuring his bright white and yellow robes, marking him as a church clergyman, and placed it on a small table in the corner of the room. He moved to the opposite side, pulled a book from a shelf, and pushed mana into the cover. After replacing the book, the bookcase began to fold and twist into itself, revealing a rough tunnel entrance behind it. He ignited his mage light and stepped through. Light from the room shifted as he cut off his control, letting the bookcase unfold and sealing the hole again.

Alistair thought back to his time at the church as he made his way down the tunnel. He had joined seven years ago when he turned eighteen because it was the only place where he could be trained as a mage and be respected for his faith. He disagreed with how some of the other worshipers of the darker gods handled themselves, but he wasn’t one to judge the will of the gods. Unfortunately, their drinking and thievery, “In the name of their gods,” left a stain on them; all that taint was hard to wash clean. This, unfortunately, gave them all the stigma of debauchery and theft regardless of how they practiced. ‘No matter. What the gods will, be so,’ he thought. He was honest, and so were the others, and that was all that mattered to him.

He reached the end of the path after fifteen minutes. He had passed through several wards on his way through the maze, some far more deadly than others, meant to stop and confuse anyone attempting to enter who wasn’t wanted. Alistair placed his hand on a dilapidated cart that sat against the wall of a seemingly random outcropping. It released a low ripple of mana and disappeared, revealing the exit. As soon as he stepped through, several voices immediately accosted him.

“Alistair! Thank Phelmus, you’re alright. We thought the worst.” A petite woman with long brown, wavy hair tied in a ponytail barreled into him, nearly toppling him over. He let out a small laugh.

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“I’m fine, Soph. But it would be best if you weren’t here. You should be helping your mom right now; this is too dangerous.” He gently pushed her backward by the shoulders and looked into her brown eyes, “Have you even told her you joined the church yet?”

Crossing her arms over her yellow robes, showing her station as an initiate, she took another step back, “I’m twenty. I don’t need to tell her anything; she has no say in what I do. I’m not a slave.”

He gave her a playful smile, “Tell her that.”

A wrinkled man draped in elegant white and yellow robes stepped forward to meet them. “Enough, you two. Flirt later. There is too little time to resolve this matter, and you are already late. We begin. Take a seat.”

Alistair bowed, “My apologies, Elder Thomas. Right away.”

They hurried around the small, round table and took their seats with the four others already there. As Elder Thomas moved to sit, the six men and women around the table stood out of respect.

He waved a hand, “Please, sit. This is no time for formality. Alistair, report what you’ve discovered.”

“Elder.” He nodded and stood, “as you all know, my job in the church is to monitor the presence of the gods in the settlement. If one attempts to make contact, I am to find the purpose and the message to help maintain the balance. Several days ago, prior to the incursion, I sensed a presence I had never felt before. It was far too powerful to be a simple contact, and the signature was completely unknown to me. After further investigation, I found it originated in the tunnels to the north. I entered the following day with a small team under the guise of spirit eradication. The team itself was a mix of multiple different churches, including three members of Heliox, God of healing for their protection spells and healing abilities, two of the shadows of Ilios, God of time, and one member of the berserker God, Tedes, to make up our healers and frontline fighters. The rear guard and mages comprised four members from the God twins, Shemir and Siphin, prized for water and lightning magic, and myself. They were skeptical about the odd makeup, but for all intents and purposes, the team believed it was a routine expedition.”

“Once the standard oaths were made, we used the portal system known only to high-ranking members of the Church. We teleported from the first checkpoint to the last, saving us a five-day trip, but that was when things turned odd. On our arrival, there was a huge mana spike that caused a partial collapse. Once we cleared enough of the debris to pass safely, there was no trace of the unknown god’s presence. We traveled a full day down the remainder of the ruins and found no one. There were tracks in, but none returned. The team encountered no resistance from Geists or otherwise, which is strange in itself, but the lack of the two who entered before us was the most unsettling.”

Elder Thomas leaned forward, “Two, you say? I was told there were two men who entered a few days before you that never returned. One was a newcomer noble that no one seems to know, but the other was Cassius Therwall, the cousin of the Hand of the Baron. The next day was when he took the Living District. Something has to tie this together,” He steepled his hands in thought.

“If I may, Elder?” Gwendolyn asked as she stood. She was a short, shapely woman of their inner circle. She wore the plain yellow and white robes of a priest, but she was far from it. In reality, she was one of the strongest mages in the church and the lead tactician under the Phelmus church. She had a sharp mind and a twisted sense of justice that no one wanted to cross. Gwendolyn slowly walked around the table as she spoke, “With your permission, I would like to see the area for myself to see if I can parse any more information. These events are too aligned to be coincidental and may be the key to whatever the Baron seeks. For those who do not know, we have an informant in the Baron’s crew who told us he endeavors to find an item and two siblings that he believes took said item from him. From what Alistair has said, this item may have originated from the ruins, and linking these events may be the key to stopping him. I would like to take a small team, maybe three or four others, and try to reach the sealed doorway.”

Everyone sighed.

Gwendolyn’s face flushed in frustration, “No, please listen. The sealed door is the key to this. I just need a small team to investigate...”

Elder Thomas cut her off, “That is enough, Gwendolyn. For years, you have been trying to breach that seal. Countless resources have been lost in your obsession with this doorway; don’t use this matter as another excuse to try again.”

“No, Elder, you listen,” this time it was her turn to cut him off, “this time is different, and you know it. Everything leads to this doorway. Hells, I have heard word that a woman broke another similar seal to the East in the mountains just a few months ago, so it is possible. I just need one last chance as part of this investigation. Please, Elder.”

Elder Thomas rubbed his bald, wrinkled head, and after a full minute, he finally conceded, “Fine. But this is your last chance, Gwendolyn, and I mean it. If you don’t find anything, you must swear to me that you will never pursue this topic again.”

“Absolutely, of course, Elder.”

Elder Thomas continued, “Good. Take Alistair and two others of your choosing from our sect that you trust completely and return in three days. We will convene upon your return, and you will report your findings. Hopefully, you find something to stop this monster.”

Gwendolyn beamed, “Yes, Elder. Thank you.” She turned to Sophie and smiled, “You ready for an adventure, girly?”