Kara and Jessica got up in the morning after a restful sleep that the both of them were surprised that it happened. They didn't talk about it, and yet, they both knew that the other had slept much better than they normally did. They dressed and left the room and went to the living room and saw that the acolytes were already in attendance and were talking normally.
“How did that not wake us?” Jessica whispered the question to Kara.
“It's the blessing of the Goddess.” The head acolyte said. “When we gather, only those in close proximity can hear us.”
“That's what happened in the castle courtyard.” Steven said as he came into the living room. “I could clearly hear you until you huddled together, then nothing.”
“Yes, it lets us keep the things we want private and lets us share with only those that want to be close enough to us.” One of the other acolytes said.
“Where's Josh?” Jessica asked Steven.
“Still in bed, I guess.” Steven said and sat down at the dining room table. “Something smells good.”
“It's breakfast!” The head acolyte said. “Once the Sorcerer Priest arrives, I'll serve everyone.”
“He could stay in bed all damn day.” Steven said with disappointment.
“No, he can't.” The head acolyte said with a smile. “He knows that he needs to... good morning, Joshua!” She exclaimed and everyone turned to see a dishevelled Josh with a big goofy grin on his face and a very shy Evangeline held tightly to his arm.
“You lucky bastard!” Steven said and laughed. “Way to go!”
Evangeline's face flushed and burned a deep red as she ducked her head.
“You need to keep a civil tongue in your mouth.” Kara said to Steven, who only shrugged.
“I told them last night there was no need to be embarrassed.” The head acolyte said. “Quickly, now. Sit and eat, then we can distribute the verses.”
She left to go to the kitchen to get the food and Josh led Evangeline over to the table and they sat down. Kara and Jessica joined them, then several of the acolytes sat as well while the others stood behind them.
“There aren't enough chairs for everyone to sit at the table.” Josh said.
“We will all eat from the same table, so don't worry.” The head acolyte said. “We've done this several times already as practice.”
The head acolyte quickly served half a plate of food to the acolytes and full plates to Josh and the others. After a quick prayer to the Goddess Chaiya, they started to eat and a low flow of mana moved around the room. The acolytes that sat at the table finished their food and switched places with the others, then they sat down and ate. The mana increased and Josh automatically funnelled it through his hands. Everyone at the table felt the change in the atmosphere and the excitement of the acolytes was almost as palatable as the food they ate.
“Go and get the first stack.” The head acolyte whispered to one of the others that had eaten already and she ran to the living room and came back with the stack. She quickly gave them out to who was supposed to have them and they started a low mumbling chant. When everyone was finished eating, Josh and Evangeline moved to the living room and the acolytes followed them. Once there, the head acolyte gave him a small stack and he read them as well. He knew the proper cadence and tone to use for reciting them in time with the others, and his words became responses to what the acolytes were saying and asking for.
“That's kind of weird.” Steven whispered to Jessica as they stood in the doorway to the living room. “It's like a cult or something and they're indoctrinating him.”
“Are you listening to the chants at all?” Kara asked him and he shook his head. “Josh is actually accepting responsibility for the Acolytes of Light, pledging himself to their defense, and assuming all magical governance for their church as their Sorcerer Priest.”
“It's just a living room. They don't have a church.” Steven said.
“Not yet they don't.” Kara said and smiled as her hand touched her bag of holding. “But, they will.”
“You are not giving them all that money.” Steven said, adamantly. “That gold is for our expenses during the trip!”
“You saw what that child needed for food for the trip, knowing full well how long it will take. A few silver for meals. That's all for both ways, which means meals are going to be absurdly cheap.”
“Then divide the money up into shares and give me mine.” Steven said.
“The money is meant to benefit the group and not just one member.” Kara said. “Having a proper church will benefit us even more than staying here already has.”
“I don't see how.” Steven said. “I think having money in hand is more realistic.”
“I would instruct you to trust me; but, it's more important for you to trust in the Goddess Chaiya instead.” Kara said and turned towards the group of acolytes. “Look at them.”
Steven turned and looked at them, and their faces were joyous as they chanted praise and thanks to the Goddess. “Yeah, that's definitely a cult vibe going on.”
Jessica had stayed quiet until now. “Can't you see it, Steven? They're happy. Not just for themselves. For everyone. They know with us here, the manifestations of the Goddess's help they asked for and the Goddess offered to them, they are going to be believed from now on.”
“That is aptly put, Jessica.” Kara said and nodded. “Until now, they probably only had abstract feelings and instincts to guide them. With us as proof, they know for a fact that the Goddess heard them and wants them to succeed in spreading her word.”
“Is that what we are? Objects to be used?” Steven asked.
“We always were.” Jessica said, her face sad. “The circumstances are always different, and yet... we get used. Most times it's against our will. Sometimes it's because we were coerced. Other times it's because you know you don't have a choice.”
Steven looked at her and knew she must have gone through something really horrible. Kara reached out and touched Jessica's shoulder to give it a squeeze.
“We all consciously chose it this time. We knew we were coming here as emissaries for the Goddess. We might not have known what it would be like here; but, we did choose to come here to represent her.” Jessica said. “I think Kara's right. They need a proper church, and that money can probably give them a nice one.”
“By the looks of the town, that much gold will get them a really nice one.” Steven said with a huff, then he sighed. “Yeah, okay.” He looked at Kara. “As long as we get our own rooms, either inside or attached.”
“I'm sure that the head acolytes wouldn't want it any other way.” Kara said, confidently.
It took nearly twenty minutes for all the sheets the head acolyte and the others had prepared to be read. During some of the chants, Kara, Jessica, and Steven had been asked to join in and were given their own sheets to chant. When they were done, everyone had slight bonuses to their abilities for an entire week. It was thanks to Josh's ability to boost and redirect the mana expenditure and Jessica's archmage ability to increase the written word's power to twice its normal capability.
“Is that what all the extra books are for?” Steven asked her.
“I need reading material for the trip.” Jessica said. “After reading the books Aimee showed me, I just... I walked around the library and held my hand out.”
“It was amazing!” Aimee exclaimed. “The books she needed glowed green and I retrieved them. She read those and then she did it again. When we had to leave, she didn't even need to raise her hand and those ones glowed!” She motioned to the stacks by the door and then clasped her hands in front of her as if she was praying. “The books wanted to come with her!”
“With us.” Jessica said, and Aimee's mouth dropped open. “You're coming with us.”
“Wh-what?” Aimee looked at her, at the head acolyte, then back at her. “I... I can't just...”
“The Goddess chose you to help me, didn't she?” Jessica asked and all of the acolytes nodded. “Then it's only fair that I choose you as an apprentice. I'm not going to doubt the Goddess' choice.”
“But... but... the others...”
“We will be fine without you for our chants, especially if you are going to train to be a high level mage.” The head acolyte. “For a little while, anyway.”
“You... you really think... can I...” Aimee looked back and forth between Jessica and the head acolyte.
“You were reading the books while waiting for me.” Jessica said. “Did you understand them?”
“Yes.” Aimee said. “I don't have the mana or the capacity to channel mana, though. I can't even cast the lowest spell I read.”
Jessica chuckled. “That's because these are mid-range to high tier spells. You'll need to practice the basics first.”
“Oh.” Aimee said, concern on her face.
“Don't worry, I'll teach you what you need to know to get started.” Jessica said.
“How can you teach her?” Steven asked. “We only just arrived yesterday and we don't know what we can do yet!”
Jessica smiled. “After reading those books yesterday, it unlocked a bunch of other things. I can't say that they are memories, since they didn't happen to me; but, I know I've practised for years to get to this point.”
“That's crazy talk.” Steven said. “How could you have done that?”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
“It's a gift from the Goddess.” The head acolyte said. “She has adapted your bodies to function in your chosen roles. It's only fitting that your bodies would remember how to do the skills you have gained.”
There was a knock on the front door and the head acolyte went to it. She opened it and invited Gavell inside and they came over to the group.
“The carriage is waiting.” Gavell said. “It's stocked with supplies in case you can't find an inn when you stop. I've also included spare clothes for your group and feed for the horses.”
“What about our guide?” Kara asked.
“The child is reluctantly sitting in the spare seat beside the driver.” Gavell said with a smile.
“Then let's go everyone.” Kara said and they all followed her out of the house. In the street was a large ornate carriage with the castle crest on it. It was pulled by four horses and had a footman on the back and a driver in the front. “Don't you have something simpler?”
Gavell chuckled. “This is the fastest carriage and team of horses we could assemble.” He said. “They will get you to the border of the elves lands in two weeks, even with the stops on your itinerary to deal with problems.”
Kara nodded and Gavell stepped back and bowed to them.
“Safe journey and good luck.” Gavell said and quickly walked away.
“He is definitely not comfortable around us.” Steven said and climbed into the carriage.
Kara opened her bag of holding and took out the coin pouch Gavell had given her the day before, removed a handful of gold coins and put them in her pocket, then handed the still almost full pouch to the head acolyte.
“I can't hold onto this for you.” The head acolyte said and tried to hand it back. “You need it for the journey.”
“Actually, it's to help us on our journey. Having a church built for the Goddess Chaiya will help us a lot more than carrying gold around.” Kara said.
All of the acolytes and Josh stared at her in astonishment.
“We were tasked to help by the Goddess, so what better way to help in the beginning than to give her an official church for her followers to gather and pray in?” Kara asked. “Before you respond, besides Josh, the other emissaries already agreed that it was the best idea.”
“I... I don't know what to say.” The head acolyte said.
“Say that you'll pray to the Goddess and ask her what she wants it to look like.” Kara said, wisely. “I could tell you what her churches look like where I come from; but, we have different methods of building there and I don't think the design would work here.” She said. “Oh, and Steven requests that our rooms be either underneath or attached in some fashion.”
The head acolyte held the bag of gold tightly to her chest and nodded. “I'll pray to the Goddess as soon as you go.”
Kara nodded and climbed into the carriage.
“They didn't consult me about it; but, I agree. It's a fantastic idea.” Josh said with a smile. “I'll be back as soon as I can to help with the construction.”
The head acolyte smiled and touched his hand. “A Sorcerer Priest isn't meant to do physical labour.”
“I want to help build it, even if it's just holding things for others or painting.” Josh said, sincerely. “It's going to be the physical manifestation of our faith and I will have a hand in it.”
Evangeline leaned in and kissed his cheek. “We know you care a lot about us, even though you only just met us.” She said. “We've already changed all of our chants to include you.”
“You have?” Josh asked, surprised. “I didn't notice any hesitation from anyone this morning and it all felt so natural.”
“That's because of how easily you fit in.” The head acolyte said. “None of us ever imagined someone like you could exist, then you were suddenly presented to us by the Goddess.” She beamed a smile at him. “We asked for help... any help... and the odds that one of you would become a Sorcerer Priest...” She chuckled. “We have been truly blessed.”
“Blessed be the Goddess.” The acolytes chanted.
“Hurry, now. You're going to be late for Steven's training.” The head acolyte said and Josh nodded. He held a hand out to Jessica and she glanced at it for a moment, then took it. He helped her up into the carriage, then he did the same for Aimee. Her face had turned red at the offer of help and she took his hand with poise and climbed into the carriage as well. Josh climbed in after her and shut the door.
“Sorcerer Priest, aren't you forgetting something?” The head acolyte asked with a smile.
Josh opened the door and stepped back out. “I've got the chants and verses you gave me to repeat every morning, and the extra notes you said I should study.” He said. “What did I forget?”
The head acolyte put her hand behind her daughter's back and pushed her forward.
Evangeline gasped and looked at her mother. “I can't just...”
“He will need your help.” The head acolyte said. “I know you can guide him where he needs to go.”
“But...” Josh and Evangeline said at the same time.
“No arguing! Hurry!” The head acolyte said and pushed the both of them.
Josh helped Evangeline into the carriage and climbed in himself. The head acolyte handed her daughter a small stack of papers and she took them reverently.
“Driver! Your best speed when you reach the town limit!” The head acolyte said.
“Yes, ma'am.” The driver nodded with a smile.
“Ladies, if you would help me.” The head acolyte said to the remaining white robed women around her.
The other acolytes surrounded the carriage and chanted under their breath, as did Evangeline and Aimee. Josh felt the mana flow and immediately redirected it and boosted it, and he wasn't surprised that it felt like he had always done that for the acolytes. The carriage and horses glowed slightly green, and the driver was surprised when it didn't fade away.
“You have the blessing of Speed from the Goddess Chaiya.” The head acolyte said to him as the acolytes gathered around her again. “It will work until you stop to rest for the night.”
The driver gave her a huge smile. “Ma'am, I've already had the horses enchanted with Energize. We're not stopping for the night.”
“Then the Goddess has truly blessed you.” The head acolyte said and returned the huge smile. “Use it well.”
“I intend to.” The driver said and flicked the reins. “Hey-ahh!”
The women waved at the carriage as it took off at double its normal trotting speed. It reached the edge of the town a couple of minutes later, then the driver gave the horses another flick of the reins. He laughed as the carriage, which was already quite fast at full speed, doubled that and practically flew over the road. The kid that sat in the seat beside him had only screamed once and stayed quiet after that. The passengers inside had barely noticed any difference, since none of them had ridden in a carriage before and didn't know that they travelled at a ridiculous speed for horse drawn carriages.
*
I stopped running through the tree branches for a moment to dig out some food from my backpack, then kept running while I ate. I knew I didn't have much of a head start like I had before, since I had left Maylia with the other elves. As a guard, I had to assume that she had some way to remove shackles that a guard hadn't put on someone.
I should have asked her if she wanted to come with me. I mused to myself and ran. After a while, I came to a spot with a good portion of the trees missing. I thought about diverting and looked around at the size of the clearing, then sighed. If I go around the space and stay in the trees, I would lose all of the lead I have right now, assuming they don't bypass me and go through the clearing instead. If they did that, they would actually arrive at the other side ahead of me.
I stopped moving and crouched down on a large tree branch and thought about that.
If their goal is to catch up to me and they are rushing to try and do that before I get to the barrier around the elf lands, or even to catch me at that barrier, then trying to stay ahead of them isn't benefiting me. I thought and looked around. If I divert only slightly and intentionally go slow, then they should pass right by me and keep going. I smiled as I thought about them not being able to locate me anymore. They won't have a clue that I'm behind them!
I changed direction and moved off to the right and stayed high in the trees as I took my time and made sure I couldn't be seen from the clearing. Less than an hour later, I saw four large horses leave the edge of the forest and come to a stop. One of the horses had two people on it.
Smart. I thought. They only removed the leg shackle to make themselves mobile.
I stood still and watched them dismount and one of the elves ran around that edge of the forest and checked for something.
I bet she's looking for my tracks. I thought and smiled. Good luck finding what's not there!
In less than ten minutes, the arm shackles were off and they had mounted their horses again. I was surprised when the horses were covered in a green glow and they took off across the large clearing at a ridiculous speed. I watched them as they entered the trees on the other side and waited.
Now I really regret not asking for a horse. I thought with a chuckle and climbed down to the ground. I didn't think you could boost an animal like that.
I used Mana Presence Run and crossed the clearing and entered the trees on the other side. I did a few long jumps before I climbed up into a tree and ran across the branches again. The trees were just as accommodating on this side of the clearing and I had no trouble running along the large branches and jumping to the next tree in line. I followed both the green arrow in front of me and the four elves that were 'following' me.
I chuckled at that and slowed my pace to match that of the horses. Since they had to dodge around trees and underbrush, it was slightly slower than what they had travelled at across the open clearing. I made sure to keep them just outside my detection range, because I didn't want to give myself away in case one of them could sense it. Being detected would defeat the whole purpose of letting them pass me.
I can't wait to see their faces when they realize I'm behind them. I thought with amusement.
*
“I told you we should have stayed at the clearing to rest for a bit longer.” Maylia said as she got off her horse. It was exhausted and hadn't eaten all day. She tied it to a nesting tree and the horse grazed on the thick and plentiful grass at the base.
“We were so close to him I could taste it!” One of the guards said. “If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn he was watching us!”
“That would be a neat trick.” The commander said as she tied her horse to the other side of the nesting tree. “You didn't find any signs of him, either on the ground or in the trees.”
“There's no way we could have passed him, so his skill in Track Concealment must be expert at least.”
“Or he used a spell.” Maylia said.
“Ha! A male magic user? Are you insane?” One of the guards asked. She had tied her horse to a nesting tree about thirty feet away, as did the other guard. “Even if his mana pool is bigger than it should have been, he admitted he only just woke up and didn't know what planet he was on. How would he know any spells?”
“He healed the Protection Tree.” Maylia said.
“No, the healer did that.” The commander said. “The elders admitted he gave her the mana to sustain the spell for that long.”
“Even the princess was amazed that he could do that.” One of the guards said. “It's unimaginable that a man could be used as a familiar like that.”
“His body seemed exceptionally weak, even by normal standards.” The commander said. “Maybe that's why his mana pool is bigger than normal? As compensation?”
Maylia stayed quiet as they discussed the man. She sat down by the tree and closed her eyes and thought about him and everything she had seen him do. She ran everything through her mind and the more she thought about him, the more she realized that he could have caused so much death and destruction to the elves, and all he did was bargain for his freedom and left. Despite him breaking her ankle when they first met, she felt that he was genuinely sorry for causing her pain.
I don't care what they say about him being evil incarnate. Maylia thought. He's a good man.
Maylia's thoughts immediately went to their last encounter and what he had done. She successfully stopped herself from blushing at seeing him groping one of the guards and how much the guard had enjoyed it. She was surprised that none of them had talked about it afterwards, especially about the kiss. Her face flushed red, despite her efforts, as she thought about what that had felt like. Men weren't regarded as anything except necessary for the elf race's existence and were tolerated because of that.
Males as a general rule, were horrible fighters and had no mana to speak of. They wouldn't last a day in the forest if left unsupervised and unprotected. Sometimes there were exceptions, and those were usually reserved and shipped off to the capital and given to the royal family and their allies to ensure any potential heirs would have a better chance at becoming more powerful than they would be by having only one parent with those abilities.
Normally elves waited until their hundredth birthday before they started to think about having children. By that time, they had come into their full abilities and were sure of passing those traits on to their offspring. The man only became a factor after the decision had been made and then a meeting would be held where the available men were screened and surveyed, usually for the most reliable birthing rates, then those children were screened to see how they turned out.
It was a long and drawn out process to ensure the best results, then it would be arranged for the chosen man to live with the woman to service her until conception. Once that was achieved, the man was no longer needed and was sent back to where he lived. It was a system that had worked for thousands of years and every elf knew that it was the best way to ensure their continued existence and have the best possible offspring.
Maylia's thoughts hit almost exactly on why the princess wanted this particular man back. She wants to expand the royal family. She thought, only slightly surprised. Even though the princess herself isn't anywhere near a hundred years old, both of her sisters are. That thought made her slightly angry, and she wasn't sure why. He would be a great candidate for creating a new member of the royal family. She tried to reason to herself, except that she couldn't get the feeling of his lips out of her mind, or the fact that he had kissed her for so long and her one hundredth birthday was only a few years away.