Ardath, Empire of Ordia

“Paladin Miller, have a seat.” High Priest Yevon Styon gestured for Kartania Miller to sit down.

She did so despite still being armored.

The High Priest’s Office was a tornado of scrolls and books and notes. Half-empty shelves advertised that the other half of their contents were anywhere but their proper place, and what was in place had a coating of dust. In fact, dust hung in the air, lending an almost beam-like quality to the light streaming in from half-closed shutters behind the high priest’s desk.

The high priest himself wore large, loose robes of white and red. His pale brown hair hung down behind him, tied loosely somewhere near the tips. Lidded eyes watched Kartania, unnervingly distant. Despite his position, he sat low in his chair, his posture loose and slouching.

“You wanted to see me, High Priest Styon?” Kartania said like clockwork.

“I did!” Yevon clapped his hands, startling the paladin. She’d heard of his eccentricity, but had a very different image of what it entailed.

“Sorry for asking you to come in while you were passing through the city, but there are two things I wanted to talk to you about. One of them is very important—and actual good news as well. I’ve read your file and I think some good news is long overdue, if you don’t mind me saying.” Yevon smiled widely.

Kartania did mind, but she kept her emotions in check and chose to shrug. Normally, such a gesture of impudence in the presence of a High Priest would see her reprimanded, but she’d guessed right and Yevon didn’t seem to give a toss.

The strange high priest did, however, continue, “But before we get to that, we need to cover the first thing: Why would someone of your outstanding talent and skill decide to take a position as one of High Inquisitor Theodric Mordwell’s personal guard? And don’t tell me it’s because you have no holy magic—if what I’ve read and heard about your prowess with both a blade and ice magic are anything to go on, you could easily take a leadership position, or even hunt demons solo.”

Kartania, of course, had a response ready. My investigation won’t be thwarted so easily. “Theodric Mordwell is an invaluable asset in the fight against demonic incursion into the mortal plane of Varra,” she said with practiced ease. Despite her rehearsal, Kartania felt her bile rising at the praise she was heaping on the lying, wicked, murdering filth that was High Inquisitor Mordwell. “My talents are of great use to ensure he is able to maintain the full might of the Inquisition. I may also be deployed as a hidden advantage should the unexpected happen or great need arise.”

Yevon chuckled and clapped daintily. “Bravo. Well rehearsed.” Yevon sat up straight and leaned forward. “Is that the real reason?”

“Yes.”

Yevon frowned. “I get that I’m shady. People tell me that all the time. You’d think being a high priest would change that, but oh well. You can speak candidly here Paladin Miller. I’m no proponent of blind faith. And no one’s listening through these walls—I know you felt the wards when you entered.”

Kartania’s thoughts were thrown into disarray. She sat up straighter, tried to slip past Yevon’s gaze and failed, and weighed a difficult choice. If he believes me… She thought of how Mordwell had dismissed his guard when he took the Inquisition to the wild lands south of Linthel. Right now, she was still digging up evidence, but if she didn’t find enough on her own, then he’d be untouchable. She probably wouldn’t even find him down south.

Yevon meanwhile, patiently let Kartania think.

Then there was the matter of that demon Kartania met at Mordwell’s estate. Was she really what was left of her sister? Was she her sister? Did she know something—could she be an asset?

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If not, and if High Priest Styon didn’t believe her, she would lose her chance at Mordwell forever. And depending on how deep the corruption went, she could lose her life as well. The life Zach gave her.

Eventually, Kartania made up her mind. “Yes, Sir, that’s the truth.”

Yevon seemed surprised. He frowned, then sighed. “Oh well. That’s all I have to ask of you then, Paladin Miller. You can go now.”

Kartania nodded, stood up, and walked toward the door. Something about the High Priest’s reaction—his attitude—bothered her. She hesitated, then looked over her shoulder. Then it clicked into place.

“You know more than my file says,” Kartania stated—it wasn’t a question.

Yevon smiled and gestured to the chair again. “A good deal more. It shouldn’t surprise you that I have resources.”

“Then you know my family died in the Great Linthel Fire.” Kartania walked back across the office and sat back down.

Yevon nodded, still slouched in his chair.

“And you know… you know why I might want to be near Mordwell.” The moment the words left her mouth, anxiety slammed into Kartania like an avalanche. This is it. If I’m wrong here, I’ll die.

“I do,” Yevon answered anticlimactically. “Really, I commend your discipline. If I were in your position, I’d have already taken a shot at old Theo.”

Kartania stared at the high priest in disbelief. “You’re okay with the fact that I want to kill High Inquisitor Mordwell?”

Yevon chuckled, then smiled thinly. “Okay? I hoped that would be the case, Paladin Miller.”

He hoped… Kartania lost control of her anger.

“You knew!” The paladin shouted; decorum forgotten.

Yevon put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I knew, yes. You don’t need to shout.”

Kartania ground her teeth together and forced herself to keep silent. Quickly, she ran through her emotions and put them back in order. If Yevon had been a demon… Kartania didn’t pursue that line of thought. Such weakness would have killed her, as simply as that.

Instead, she forced herself to speak evenly, her next word ground out and harsh. “Why.”

Yevon raised an eyebrow and Kartania had to resist the urge to drive a gauntleted fist through his face.

“Why have you done nothing then, High Priest Styon?”

Yevon’s face turned serious. He leaned across the paper-strewn desk toward Kartania and said in an almost conspiratorial whisper, “There are two reasons. Hear out the second before you take a swing at me.”

Kartania recoiled and forced out the most difficult nod of her life. Her neck strained and she felt vertebrae pop as she bobbed her head.

“Great!” Yevon clapped his hands, retreating back to his side of the desk, still leaning forward on thin elbows. “First: Theodric Mordwell and his following haven’t messed with my business within the church directly, and to bring about such an accusation, even from a High Priest such as myself, would be a big ask.”

Kartania strained to keep herself from punching the high priest. Anger in the box, she thought, and calmed herself with a deep breath.

Yevon continued like he hadn’t noticed a thing. “Second reason is that I had this thought. This deeply scary thought: Who’s pulling Theo’s strings?”

Kartania froze, then blanched.

The High Priest kept going, “If he just wanted a bound demon for personal power, he could have done that already. I know Theo’s an ambitious man, but he’s no fool. To go to such lengths as creating a cult exclave in the south under the guise of a demonic incursion, well…” Yevon opened his palms and let the statement hang.

“There has to be more going on… by the gods,” Kartania finished, her heart racing.

“I prefer ‘by Dhias’ personally,” Yevon said with a shrug.

“What are you doing about this?” Kartania demanded.

“I’m looking into it, that’s what. Following the trail as closely as I can. I thought I had a lead up north, but it turned out I was entirely wrong.” Yevon sighed. “Not unusual, unfortunately. We’re all pretty ignorant if you really stop and think about how big the world is. Anyway, I’ve been looking into the Inquisition’s history. I tracked down some artifacts related to a man by the name of Vinzent Norten.”

“The leader of the old, corrupt inquisition that Mordwell claims to have killed,” Kartania answered like clockwork.

“Yep! You really are too-low ranking for your capabilities, Paladin Miller. Even if you’re doing it for a personal vendetta.”

“Did you find something or not?” Kartania snapped.

Yevon rubbed the back of his head. “Can’t take a… nevermind. Yeah, I’ve found something. Not much, but it led me to more and more things over these past few years. And recently, I think I’ve put it all together. There’s a sovereign demon pulling the strings. Thing is, I can’t work out if it’s Avarice or Envy.”

Kartania drew her lips into a thin line. “One of the six strongest demons. What’s your next step? Does it involve me? With all respect, High Priest Styon, I only care about Mordwell and the disgraced former inquisitor Finley.”

A wide smile split Yevon’s face. “And that’s the second thing I wanted to tell you, Paladin Miller.”

“What?” Kartania asked warily.

“You might not be involved beyond High Inquisitor Mordwell, Paladin Miller, but your sister is.”