The church was huge. Stone pillars decorated with gargoyles and other mythical beasts raised towards the sky and ended in huge black spires that seemed to touch the slate coloured clouds above, the stained glass windows once so vivid with colour are now dull but still showed an ancient story to anyone who wished to see it. Magnificent arches etched with intricate designs and symbols in the once smooth grey stone now stood weathered and cracked as they fought to keep mother nature from getting inside. Moss and vines climbed up the side of the arch as if trying to claim it. The front door of the church was a dark spruce with well oiled but rusted cast iron hinges and decoration broking up the ageing wood. There were two large ring handles within the mouth of a gargoyle, their expression gave off the idea that they were laughing at you, daring you to enter.

The whole place gave me the creeps. I suppressed a shudder as I stood beside Ragneth. I cranked my neck and looked up, the tops of the spires seemed to go on forever. The height was dizzying. It almost gave me vertigo or whatever the reverse of that was. I look over at Ragneth as I finish up my observation of the church. She was stood still, if it was not for the fact I watched her blink I’d have thought it was a statue. She was unreadable to me, it was impossible to even consider what was going on inside her head as she gave nothing away.

“So this is the church of The Order of Elemental Divinity?” I ask, I knew it was but I was just making polite conversation in the somewhat awkward silence. Ragneth just nodded. “And you’re sure we’re gonna find more stuff on magic here?” again just another nod. This was strange from her. She very rarely became silent like this. “How do you know that they’re gonna show us anything to do with Elowen? Magic is illegal, pretty sure churches aren’t exempt from that”

this seemed to garter a response from the older woman. “I’m the Queen’s personal mage. I can get a lot by just asking for it.” she shrugged before pushing open the door. It creaked as it opened, like a typical haunted house door. “And I know the priest.”

It took me a few seconds before it clicked about what she just said and I rush in behind her. She knew the priest? I never even knew she was religious. In all my years I cant remember her ever mentioning a priest before. I know she’s didn’t have to tell me anything, but I liked to think we were a pretty open family, especially when Mrs Garrett was around.

“Hang on!” I exclaim as I scurry to catch up to her, my footsteps echoing against the ancient stone tiles. “What do you mean you know the priest?” Ragneth just ignored me as she strode confidently down the aisle between the lines of empty pews. I took a moment to look around the building. The inside was just as drab and grey as the outside, but columns carved to hold the same intricate symbols and patterns as the arches outside, rose to meet the timber enforced ceiling. I had to crank my neck to see the top of the ceiling, magnificent looking chandeliers hung evenly spread across the whole building. They looked to have once held candles but now held rather unimpressive light bulbs instead. I could see the coloured wires hanging from some of them. The walls were decorated with flags and banners with the different elemental gods symbols as well as heavy looking chains that looked more at home in a dungeon than a church. Every so often a small imp face could be spotted amongst the rafters, carved into the stone.

Kneeling with his arms out to his sides at the alter on a small decorative pillow was a man who looked to be deep in prayer. I couldn’t make out the words he was saying but I could hear his mumbling. He was dressed in a simple pewter coloured suit, a strip of multicoloured cloth hung around his shoulders. Ragneth stood behind him, waiting for him to finish his prayer.

As the man came to the end of his prayer, he stood up slowly, groaning as he did so. “My apologise, my joints are not what they once were” he said before turning to face us. His face was old and lined. His hair thinning and white, swept over in a pathetic attempt to hide his balding. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of us and he struggled to keep calm. “R-Ragneth! My my, what are you doing here?” he took an involuntary half step backwards. Whatever happened between these two must have rattled him, making him nervous to be around the mage. Juicy!

“Hello Reverend.” Ragneth’s cold voice spoke out. Her eyes were narrowed slightly but her face was unreadable. She was giving nothing away. It was rather infuriating.

“What can I do you for? If it’s a sermon you’re after, I must tell you you just missed it. I’m not scheduled to do another until later.” he stated as flashed an awkward smile as he attempted to remain professional and courteous.

“We aren’t here for the sermon Reverend.” her voice never shifting from that cold tone. I wasn’t even the one in trouble and even I felt nervous. He must have done something really bad for Ragneth to act like this.

He nervously fiddled with the cuffs of his suit and dress shirt “Well what about confession. I believe it’s been a little over seven thousand six hundred and seventy days since your last confession Ragneth. You’re well due for one” He took another step back, bumping into the alter behind him. Knocking over a few unlit candles as the alter wobbled on the uneven slabbed floor. He let out a nervous chuckle as he quickly returned them to their original positions with trembling hands.

Seven thousand six hundred and seventy days was a very exact number. I did some quick mental maths. Dividing the number by three hundred and sixty five days got me… twenty one years?! I have so many questions!

Ragneth smirked as she stalked closer, the Reverend shrunk against the alter. “You’ve kept count, but not of my confession, Fabien. But of your own.” her eyes held malice, her gaze cold enough to freeze the Reverend in place. “it’s been thirty years since I confessed to you. It’s been twenty one since you sold me out to the Queen!” before I could even blink, she flicked her wrist and the Reverend flew over the top of the alter with a yelp, scattering candles and loose papers all over the floor in his wake. Fabien landed awkwardly, letting out a pained moan as he scuttled to get up and away from Ragneth. Another flick of her wrist and the chains that adorned the walls of the church came to life, flowing like ribbons on the wind, wrapping themselves around the wrists of the Reverend, stretching his arms out wide, they pulled him up to his knees as if he was praying once again. Ragneth let out a grunt and the very concrete the man was knelt on cracked beneath him, swallowing the ends of the chains before closing back around them. He was pinned in place, unable to move from his position even if he wanted to.

Fabien struggled against his bonds and I stood there opened mouthed in shock. Even from this distance I could see the fear and dread in his eyes. I had never seen her use magic like this in a public setting. It was a little intimidating but hella impressive.

“Please Ragneth! I-I didn’t know!” Fabien began to stutter out before Ragneth cut him off. Striding purposefully towards him. Her tone was level and confident.

“From the minute I met you Father, I always knew you were a pathetic weasel of a man, but being in the pocket of the Queen?” she tutted at him disapprovingly before crouching down to meet his eye. “I expected better from you. What was it she offered you? Money? Power?” her voice was almost business like. As if this was nothing more than a troublesome employee rather than a man trapped in chains.

He tried to utter a response but she waved it away as she stood up quickly and turned her back to him. He started pleading but it fell upon deaf ears as she continued on “I care not for the reason or for whatever lie you try and weave to me. You knew what would happen”

“The Queen said she would kill me if I didn’t tell her!” The reverend cried.

Ragneth calm exterior shattered like glass and she flew at the man grabbing him by his collar. Her change in mood was like flicking a switch. She roared in his face as he sobbed “Then you should have died!” she dropped his collar as if she was touching something filthy and disgusting. Snot and tears ran down his face as he begged for her to spare his life, to let him go and that he was sorry. She looked down at him with a rage I had never seen in her eyes. The air around her seemed to sizzle. I knew from my own experience that she was close to losing control, her magic bubbling away like a magma in a volcano, waiting for that moment to erupt from her. “As a member of the church you are sworn to an oath, to protect the secrets of your church members.” she sneered, her voice was cold, calm and unyielding but she was no longer shouting “But a few beers later and suddenly you’re the town gossip. Isn’t that right Reverend?”

The man just bawled harder. Ragneth slapped him, the sound reverberated off every wall, amplifying the sound of skin against skin. “Isn’t it!?” she bellowed as smoke started to flow from every pore on her body.

“Ma!” I called, a hint of concern in my voice. her head snapped to me and I could see her eyes were aglow with flame, she looked demonic, but the flames quickly faded when she spotted me. It was almost like she forgot I was there. She took a deep steadying breath in and closed her eyes as she let it out slowly, the smoke around her fading slowly as she wrestled her magic and emotions back under control.

Her voice was back to it’s professional coldness when she finally spoke over the top of the snivelling man. “I apologise Reverend. As you can tell, your treachery is a rather sensitive subject and I’ve been holding in my temper for over twenty years. You can’t blame me for being a little heated, if you’ll excuse my pun.” she cleared her throat and adjusted her sleeves of her shirt “Now, I actually came here for something completely unrelated to you, but I saw you and thought – why not kill two birds with one stone as they say”

The reverend seemed to almost cry harder as he slouched over in defeat. Ragneth looked at him with disgust, her lip turned up and her nose wrinkled. “enough crying, you ignoramus. I’m not going to kill you, although I should. I require the key to your records vault.”

The reverend took in great lungfuls of breath as he tried to speak through his tears “Y-you’re not going to kill me?” he asked hopefully

Ragneth’s eyes narrowed “Don’t make me change my mind, Fabien. The key.” she snarled

“Third drawer of my desk! O-on the right!” he stammered.

“Very good reverend. That’ll be all” Ragneth stated as she waved him away and gestured for me to follow her, leaving the old man chained to the floor as we took a door that led to his office. His office was just as monochrome as the main church. The only pop of colour was a white, cheap looking desk and black office chair that sat with it’s back to a slim window that overlooked an empty car park. The silence we were in felt awkward, and I knew the subject was a sore spot but I was too curious not to ask about it as Ragneth rooted around Fabien’s desk for the key.

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“Sooooo..” I clap my hands together as I rolled on the balls of my feet “that was… intense, to say the least. Wanna share with the class?” I question.

Ragneth sent me a look as she bent over the drawer Fabien had described before sighing and standing up, leaning against the desk with her feet and arms crossed.

“When I first came to this kingdom from my homeland, I found solace in the church here. I was raised a member of the Order in my home country so I confessed to Fabien my biggest secret. Trusting my faith and his oath to keep me safe and for almost ten years I thought I was. That was until the day I was captured by the Queen.”

Whoa! Was she actually going to tell me more about what happened on the day she was captured? How someone as powerful as her could fall to their knees at the feet of someone like the Queen? I was hanging on every word.

“When you’re captured by the ASF, it’s because you’ve been over powered by them in most cases. Those mages strong enough to be enlisted for Royal duty need to be kept in check in some way. All those strong mages in one place would be a recipe for disaster. So the Queen adopts a way to control each and every one of the mages she possesses. She learns your secrets or threatens your family. Blackmailing you into submission. My secret was my downfall and now, because of it, I’m forced to work for the Queen. All because of that spineless cretin, Fabien” she spat the last sentence out with venom.

I blink “What made you even wanna confess to something that big anyway? I mean this secret has to be flipping huge if the Queen is able to use it against you even after all these years.” I tilt my head and place my hands on my hips “I gotta admit if I were in your shoes, I’d have confessed it to something that couldn’t speak, like a pet rock or something. What’s a rock gonna do? Open it’s mouth and dob me in?” I scoff “I doubt it.”

Ragneth let out another sigh “Like you with your devotion to science, my devotion to my religion made it so that I did not think about the consequences. Perhaps one day I will tell you my secret, but not now. We have more important things to talk about and look into”

my face softened as I watched the guilt rage behind her downcast eyes “Ma, No secret of yours could make me think of you any less if that’s what you’re worried about.” I tried to lighten the mood with a little joke and I crack a smile “Listen, if you killed a guy, I’d be a little disappointed, Mum already did that four times” she gave a weak smile at me before replying.

“If only I could believe that falayha.” she returned to the drawer as I stood there more curious than I was before I had asked her. I just let her simmer in silence as she searched. Eventually she came upon a set of keys, all big and clunky. Holding them in her hand she ushered me towards a small door off to her right.

The door lead to a skinny uneven staircase that took us deep under the church. It was cold down here and I pulled my jumper closer around myself. Ragneth seemed too engrossed in her thoughts to even notice the drop in temperature. The bottom of the stairs opened up into a small chamber, housing a single door, a large amount of locks were attached to the door. It gave me the impression that there was something behind the door that shouldn’t be let out, which was ridiculous since all that was behind the door were the church’s records. But that didn’t stop my imagination running wild as I patiently waited and watched as Ragneth undid each lock, one by one with the set of keys she had. I blame the horror films I grew up on.

As the final lock fell to the floor with a clang, the door swung open on it’s own. A draft? Bad hinges perhaps?

I raise an eyebrow and send a confused look at Ragneth. The vault was nothing more than a broom cupboard. Albeit, a rather well stocked, studious broom cupboard. All three walls of the “vault” were lined with shelves and each shelf was stuffed to the brim with books, writings, painting and even small statues. The yellowing pages of loose papers were stacked to the ceiling, a dim light cast a dull glow over the material. The light gave off a slight buzzing sound.

“When you said vault, I was expecting a rather large and impressive chamber with a sort of je ne sais quoi. Not a..” I wave an arm in the direction of the cramped room “well, this. I suppose” I declared loudly. “Are we really going to find something to help me in there? I’ve seen sheds bigger than this” I huff.

“I have faith that there will be something here. You’ll just have to use good old fashioned detective skills to find it.” Ragneth began, before reaching in and grabbing a stack of papers and dropping them unceremoniously into my arms, the weight was surprising and I almost drop them all. “You’re looking for anything to do with Elowen and his magic or how he communicated with the Gods. Set aside any you think might fit what we’re looking for and we can go through them all at the end.”

My mouth opened in protest “Hang on, you want us to go through, what? Hundreds of years of files? Just for one or two obscure references? That’ll be like looking for a needle in a hay stack! Let alone the amount of hours it could take!”

Ragneth was already busy riffling through her stack of books she had grabbed for herself as she responded “Best get to it then, kid.”

I groan as I plop myself down on the cold stone fall, starting on the arduous task ahead of me.

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A few hours later and I had only gathered a few promising pages from my numerous stacks of paper and books I had been given. My back hurt, my arse was numb and I was starting to get pins and needles in my foot from the position I was sat in. Let alone the headache that was pounding behind my eyes. I threw my head back against the cold stone with a thud and a groan. This was hopeless!

“Ma, this is a fruitless endeavour I must have read hundreds of pages of religious drivel and I’ve only gathered like four pages that might contain something useful!” I cry, throwing my hands up in defeat. Even Ragneth was rubbing her face with her hands from her position on the floor, her pile no bigger than my own. “Perhaps you’re right marradole, maybe we should call it for today and just look at the ones we have. Come, let’s tidy away the rest and then make our way back upstairs.”

We slowly get to our feet, both groaning and moaning from the hard floor we were sat upon, Ragneth holding her back as I stomped my foot to get feeling back into it. I give my foot a little shake to try and get the blood flowing properly but in doing so I accidentally knock over a loose stack of papers. I swear.

“Language! -”

“Sorry”

I bend down and grumble under my breath as I scoop up the pages that littered the ground, when out of nowhere, I feel this pull towards a particular page. Shifting slowly though the almost endless documents as I frown. I come across a small, badly crumpled and slightly singed page that looked as if it had been ripped straight from the pages of a diary or journal. There was something about this page, that drew me to it, like a moth to a flame or a fly to a corpse. It was like it called to my soul to be found. A small unassuming piece of paper amongst a flood of documents. My body was on autopilot as I gripped the paper, my eyes scanning the text rapidly as I attempt to absorb everything on the page. My eyes widened as I read on.

Ragneth noticed my strange behaviour and a look of concern flashed across her face “Are you alright?”

“I think… I think I found something..” I look up at her once I finish reading, my hands trembling slightly “Do you remember when I used to have that reoccurring nightmare as a kid?” Ragneth nodded, her brow furrowed as she did so “You remember what I told you the monster looked like right? Like a shadow with a really wide mouth and huge sharp looking teeth, yeah?” she nodded again. I let out a shaky breath. “this page – it’s like a diary entry from Elowen. I’m not sure when from, but in it he describes that creature, but in his dream, they were the embodiment of the Gods. His dream was the same as mine, all those years ago, accept, when he was caught, it spoke to him. I don’t know what it says. The page cuts the words off, they must be on a separate page.”

Ragneth instantly went to digging through the cupboard, trying to unearth anything that looked like it might have once held the page I had in my hands. Seeing as the cupboard was only really big enough for one, I watched her fervently search. After a small while, she stopped, shaking her head in defeat “There is nothing in the vault, not that I could see anyway” she paused and a sour look came over her face and her eyes darkened. “I believe that we need to have another little chat with the Reverend. Bring the page.”

She hurried back up the tight stairs with me right on her heels. Eager to potentially have some answers about what the hell was going on with me. The mage stormed from the office, slamming the door against the wall, startling the old man who instantly raised himself from his slumped position. He instantly started begging her to release him. His begging was downed out by her powerful voice.

“Oh good, you’ve stopped crying, Fabien.” she snatched the page from my hands and held it up to the reverends face, her voice dripped with authority “Tell us everything you know about this diary, and I will entertain the idea of letting you out of your binds.”

Fabien’s eyes flickered back and forth over the paper, reading the sheet as fast as he could. “That’s.. That’s Saint Elowen’s diary. Or what’s left of it, for some reason, Elowen burnt his diary the day before his death back in the eighteen hundreds.”

“Why?” she enjoined. Her pale green eyes were aflame with intrigue but were narrowed as she looked down at the man.

“No-one knows! Some say he was driven mad by something he had seen, other’s say he was assassinated as part of some plot. His body was never found so his death was never confirmed. The last time anyone saw him was by the shore of the river. People think he drowned himself, ran away or was pushed into the river!” he rushed, the promise of freedom fuelling him as he stared up at her.

I jumped in with a question, his head swivelling to me “Do you know when he had this dream? Before or after his Sainthood?” I inquired.

His wet eyes glued themselves to mine as he spoke, probably hoping I was calmer and less sadistic than Ragneth. They silently implored me to release him. Like hell I would.

“B-before! That was the very start of his journey. His dreams were how he communicated with Calian and Morana!”

I tilted my head “The God of Life Calian and the Goddess of Death Mornana?” I question. He nodded aggressively. I remember a small amount of my RE lessons, enough to know that most consider Calian and Morana to be the rulers of the Elemental Gods. The top gods top dogs, if you will.

“What else do you know?” Ragneth chimed in “Do not lie to us. You wouldn’t like what would happen if you did” she snarled

“I wouldn’t! I swear!-” he began, tears stringing to his eyes.

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you Fabien” came her low growl in response. “What. Do. You. Know?”

“Elowen was known to have strange and powerful magic! Different from the other mages. He called himself the catalyst! Said his power came from the Gods above themselves and when he cured the famine people believed him! That’s why he was made a saint! That’s all I know, I swear!” he blubbered “please! Please let me go! I’m sorry about what I did!”

What did this mean? I had the same dreams as a child, except they never spoke to me. But would the creature have spoken to me if I had stayed asleep, locked in that nightmare? Would I have heard the same thing Elowen would have? Or would I have just been eaten like I had feared as a child? If I did have the same powers as Elowen, did it really mean I had powers from Gods? Were Gods actually real? My atheism seemed to start to crumble around me as I compared everything I had learn the past day or so. If Gods were real, maybe the others were also right? Maybe I was an Omen? If Gods were real, what’s stopping me from being what everyone feared me to be?

Ragneth’s face was etched in concentration, she was deep in thought while the reverend just begged and begged “enough” she mumbled, it was drowned out by Fabien’s pleas “Enough!” she roared, her voice echoed around the church like thunder. He instantly shut up. I couldn’t hold in my question any more, I had to know. Striding closer to Fabien, I stop directly in front of him, eliciting a look from Ragneth, but she remained silent. I put as much demand into my stare as I could. I needed to know the answer.

“Reverend. I was born during Ruinfall. All my life I had been called an Omen from the Gods. No matter the religion the people belonged to. Why? What makes me an omen?”

Fabien blinked, taken aback by my question but answered quickly “The storm. People say that it was the one time all the Gods acted together on something. Breella, the goddess of water, provided the rains that flooded the land. Hilbris, the god of air provided the wind that ripped roofs from buildings and trees from their roots. Phonius, the god of fire provided flames that spread even in the rain. Amorphious, the goddess of earth unleashed the mud slides that flattened whole areas and cracked the roads. Even the God of light, Sateus and Goddess of Shadow, Rayliv were there - the clouds that darkened the sky in the middle of the day and the lighting strikes that struck the city. Every God was involved.”

“I don’t understand. Elaborate” I command

“Every god came together that day. The Goddess of Death Morana was apparent and strong. But even Calian appeared – You were born. Every god was active that day, that can never be a good thing.”

All my life, I was called a bad omen, a harbinger of death. But if gods were real and every god was active that day...could that mean I could be the opposite? A good omen from the God of life? I had so much to think about and the headache I had pounding behind my eyes was spreading to my temples. I turn away from the man as I rubbed them. “That is all” I mumble.

“Is- is that it? Can I go free now?” Fabien questioned, his voice hopeful as his eyes flickered between us both. There was a breath of silence before Ragneth dropped the heavy set of keys at his feet and clicked her fingers, the chains falling away from his wrists and he dropped forward, catching himself just before he hit the floor. Wrapping an arm around me, she steered us towards the exit as she waved dismissively over her shoulder at him “Lock up the vault. There’s a good chap. Before I tell the Queen I caught you trying to access material on magic for your own personal gain”