Fleon commenced his prayer and was instantly transported before Ioer. Her light was so bright that he bowed his head and took a knee. The Filary couldn’t look upon Ioer’s true form, no one could. He merely basked in the infinite brightness of her sitting atop her throne.

Her presence always filled him with joy. He loved her in every way possible.

He worshipped her as a God. She bestowed upon him her terrifying and holy might. She was a warrior at his side. She was his shield and his sword. She was power.

He worshipped her beauty. Ioer’s light shone so brightly no one had seen her form. Even still, Fleon knew that she was perfection. When he imagined her, when he dared to think of the day she might let him hold her, she was perfection. Elegant. Graceful. Lithe. Flawless.

He worshipped her as a mother. Ioer was the source of the Filary’s position in the Universe. Her Light provided for their entire race. They owed her everything. She was the nurturer, the provider, and even the source of their sustenance.

Ioer was the guiding light of his life. He would do anything for her. He was hers.

“My Goddess, thank you for answering my prayers.”

Ioer’s voice boomed throughout the chamber. “Surely Fleon of the Filary. You are my High Paladin.”

“My Goddess, I… I know I have no right to doubt your benevolence, but I have doubts about our last conversation. The one called Boyd continually brings shame upon our Foray. He is neither righteous nor…”

Ioer’s voice boomed, “You are correct Sir Fleon, you do not have the right to doubt my words. You are also correct about our new friend Sir Boyd. He is lost in this world. He has no one to guide him. He needs your help and your mercy.”

Fleon bowed his head to the ground. “My Goddess, I have been contacted by others who wish to join our Foray. Others who could replace Sir Boyd. If I were allowed to remove him from the Foray, or perhaps force his removal.” Ioer’s light dimmed ever so slightly, Fleon felt her warmth fade. He felt her love for him wane. He immediately regretted his words. “My Lady, I am so sorry, I did not mean to offend even slightly.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“While you Foray in the name of my daughter the Empress, you know as well as I that your Foray truly belongs to me. When you speak of slaying someone in your own Foray Sir Fleon, you speak of slaying a part of me. Is this your wish?.”

Fleon cowered. “No my Goddess. I would never.”

“You are the High Paladin of the Filary, correct?” Ioer asked.

“I serve at your behest my Goddess.”

“Then serve.”

Ashamed, Fleon began to weep. “Yes, my Goddess.”

“You may not slay the one they call Boyd. You must watch over him. We have use for him yet.”

“Yes, my Goddess.”

“Teach him respect for the Soul. Teach him to use the sword. Make him valuable. We cannot give up on him just yet.”

“Yes, my Goddess.”

“But Fleon… if he betrays us, you may not kill him, but you may do as you please.”

Fleon brushed the tears from his eyes. A smile crept onto his face.

“Thank you my Goddess.”

“You are dismissed.”

Fleon disappeared from the chamber.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This one was particularly sniveling. Many had served as High Paladin, but this one was amongst the worst. His skills at combat were remarkable for a meager creature, but his petulant whining irked It to Its core. It wished for his death but there was no suitable replacement, not yet.

The writhing mass flickered and the light in the chamber went back to zero. It struggled to find a comfortable position to wait. It was bound to its shackle. It could never leave this room. Simply operating Its basic functions required a level of Mana that was only available in once place. A place to which It was now chained. It wanted to leave. It wanted to move. It needed help.

The Foray system had worked for centuries, letting the Filary bring It small meals and snacks. To leave this prison, Ioer needed more. It needed a nearly infinite sustainable Mana source. It needed direct access to Zenith itself. Then it wouldn’t need the Filary, it wouldn’t need anything at all. It had been millennia since It held that sort of power, since It roamed the Universe doing anything It wanted. Since it bent and broke populations, forcing them to bask in adulation or die in agony.

It was patient.

It had waited millennia.

It could wait more.

Ioer was bound, but the binds were loosening, and things were falling into place.