With a new focus, Ezril rose and marched away, headed for his room.

He stood in mild annoyance beside the stables sometime later, his Sunders sheathed behind him, his bow strapped securely in place, and a quiver of arrows in dwindling supply hanging from his waist. After Ellenel had left him, he made his way to his room, retrieving a war vest and a cassock. On his way out of the room he’d run into Salem who’d asked him where he was going. His response had been simple.

“Out.”

Thinking back on it, he should have lied. Even though he hadn’t held the mental acumen for it at the time, it would have prevented certain problems. Problems he now faced.

“What are you doing, brother?” Darvi asked, cautious of Shade who stood beside him, chained to a building.

Ezril had made his way for Apparit, but thinking better of it, had chosen to go for the chained wolf. A wolf that now stood over six feet tall beside him, teeth set in a snarl against his brothers.

“You can’t take Shade out, Ezril,” Salem told him. “You’ll cause panic outside. It’s not sensible. At least take Apparit.”

Ezril shook his head. “The horse will not suffice.”

Takan remained silent, choosing to stand farther behind his brothers and away from Shade while pretending nothing important was happening. From what he could piece together, the advocate had seen him speaking with Ellenel, and sensing something was amiss, had simply followed to know what was happening. Somewhere along the line, he’d run into Darvi whom Salem had informed of a possible mayhem, who had in turn, made the frustrating decision of dragging Olufemi along.

Getting Olufemi to do anything should have been difficult. But Ezril had a feeling Darvi had met no challenge. Most likely, Darvi must have only had to mention his name and link it with some form of trouble for their brother to have followed.

“Just let him go,” Takan offered from behind them. “If he wants to get himself in trouble, I reckon it’s not our problem anymore.”

Darvi silenced him with a look before returning his attention to Ezril. “Whatever Priestess Ellenel said to you to cause this, I’m sure it has something to do with the priestess.” He was holding his palms out to him as if trying to calm him down. “But I don’t think this is the best decision to make. This is a matter of the church and if they need our help they will ask. And we will help. But storming into the convent, or some church, isn’t going to help anybody. Whatever the priestess has done or whatever will be done to her, you have to trust she’s in the hands of her people. Whatever they do to her, she will survive it. Whatever her punishment is, it will be harsh but not unjust.”

His brothers didn’t have a clue of what they were saying. Olufemi stood by them, but all the while, he simply watched and waited.

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“I’m sorry, brothers,” Ezril told them, “but I can’t leave this to the church.”

Takan sighed audibly. “Just let him go kill himself, for Truth sake.”

“No!” Darvi hissed.

Olufemi looked from him to his brothers and back. “I’m coming with you.”

“Like hell you are!” Darvi spat in the language of the priests their brother had employed, then turned on him. “I took a risk bringing you here because I thought it’d make him think more clearly, not so you could support his insanity. If you won’t help, then say nothing.”

Olufemi snarled at him but said nothing.

“He’s right, brother,” Ezril agreed. The use of vrail readily welcomed. “The seminary’s about to go to war, and whether they know it or not, they’ll need you for it. If this goes wrong, it would be best if they still have you.”

This time Darvi turned to him baffled. Then gestured at their brother. “How do you see the sense in that,” then at him, “but not the insanity in this?”

Shade strained against the chains and the building quaked behind it. His brothers stepped back in caution except Olufemi who simply looked at the building, then at the wolf.

“Do you really want to stand in my way, again?” Ezril asked Darvi, ignoring Shade, though he could feel the wolf’s impatience. “Do you really want to try and stop me?”

He could try and cut the chains holding Shade to the building but somehow he had the idea those were made of Asmidian ore. Titans did not simple walk away from such chains. There was a reason they were always held down with them.

Darvi took a step towards him.

But there was something his brother didn’t know. If anyone else knew it, it would be Olufemi, but he doubted even he knew it either.

He kept his eyes on Darvi when he spoke.

“Shade, it’s time to go.”

The building shook once more and the sound of metal filled the air as chains hit stone, ripped violently from the wall they were bound to in one tug. It could not compete in size, but an Atle wolf was not a Titan. Ezril could hear the mild commotion stirring within the cathedral, and it was only a matter of time before more priests arrived.

Shade stood beside him, legs spread, ready to attack. Its growl reverberating within Ezril as he knew it did his brothers. Standing over seven feet it easily towered them, teeth bared against them. Ezril was close enough to see its enamel gleaming with saliva. Around its neck hung a massive metal collar from which dangled five metal chains, each loop fat as his forearm, scraping the stone floor. Surprisingly, they had broken partway, the rest of it dangling from what little still held it to the near crumbling wall. It was quite a sturdy building, Ezril noted, and was glad for it. Pulling it down would’ve served to increase his punishment. Not that he was coming back anytime soon.

Perhaps not at all.

His brothers had stepped back, increasing the distance between them. This time Olufemi had seen the sense in the action because he too had moved.

Ezril was surprised to find he could still see Takan even if the priest was farther than he had been. Grabbing a handful of Shade’s fur, he pulled himself up, mounting the beast.

“Move, brothers,” he warned. “I won’t say it again.”

“No!” Darvi frowned. “I will stop you, brother.” The frown deepened as he drew his Sunders. Its polished black surface gleamed in the sunlight, its length designed in intricate hairline fractures as was that of their brothers. “Even if I have to slay the beast.”

Ezril retrieved his bow, nocked an arrow and spurred Shade forward. It would take more than two Sunders and a priest to stop them. But his conscience wouldn’t allow him risk his brother’s life. Agreeing he could find more arrows in time, he fired two at his brother in quick succession. And as Darvi struck both down, Shade bounded past him.

Ezril sat equestrian on its back.