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With our lantern light beginning to wane, we silently listened to Father Thomas’s crisp instructions, all of us taken aback by his terrifyingly bureaucratic duplicity. Even Relias had to ask for clarifications on several potentially useful doctrines that set the precedents for the ‘coup within a coup’ we would set in motion starting at daybreak. Nora took copious notes at the desk, writing faster and faster as the night wore on. Eventually, we were able to settle on a relatively simple strategy.
“It’s the dirtiest trick I’ve ever heard of,” Vernie murmured in awe at his conclusion. “I thought I was an expert… but you’ve put my novice antics to shame, Vicar!”
“It all falls within the bounds of church law,” he sniffed.
“And what of morality’s bounds?” Nora asked, the smirk evident even in her voice.
Father Thomas stood up and stretched. “That’s a whole different realm entirely, Lady Nora. Now, if you will all excuse me, it is quite late, and I will need all the rest I can obtain come the morrow.”
We soon also headed for our beds, though Relias insisted on walking me to my quarters.
“You seemed rather calm about my announcement about inviting the hybrids in,” I murmured as we made our way through the dim hallways. “You knew about the deeds?”
Relias coughed delicately. “I inquired about Vernie’s suspicious jaunt for jewelry earlier, and she eventually relayed the whole story. It was no surprise to me you would be so free with your possessions.” He paused guiltily. “I wasn’t meant to reveal that she had told me, but that seems moot now.” He rubbed his temples. “You… didn’t think I was going to confiscate them on behalf of the church or anything, did you?”
“No, no!” I objected, blushing slightly. “I just… had no idea how to bring it up exactly…”
“I am… making it difficult for us to communicate like we used to, aren’t I? I am sorry...”
“That’s not… Well… Communication is a two-way street. I’m probably making it just as hard.”
He offered a tired smile. “I am sorry we have grown apart these past few weeks. I miss our dance lessons…”
“Me too,” I replied, mostly out of guilt, as we turned up the last hallway to my quarters. “Oh. Wait… Breakfast…”
“If you’re hungry now, I’ll accompany you to the kitchen, but I believe it would be more of a late-night snack.”
I pointed to one of the doors we had just passed. “Ah, no. I was just going to slip a note under Mother Liora’s door about what I wanted for breakfast since I didn’t want to wake her. But then, I guess I should probably have you check it before…”
Orlathot wasn’t the only poison in Speranza, for sure.
“Dear One… Did you not know? After your disagreement with her, I moved her room. I thought it would be uncomfortable if you continued to run into her.”
“Oh… I guess that’s why I hadn’t seen her in a while…”
I thought she was just avoiding me.
Didn’t the girl in the kitchen say she wasn’t feeling well the other day?
Suspicion then figuratively slapped me across the face, and my aura burst forth, illuminating the entire hallway. “Exactly where did you move her to? And how strong are her amity powers?”
“I’m not sure. I had one of the temple’s servants…” His eyes widened in horrified enlightenment. “She is strong, but... she would never!”
No rest for the weary.
“I know you have a special relationship with her… but we’re obligated to investigate immediately!”
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“She didn’t even bother to clean up after herself,” Vernie sighed, carefully picking up Tetora’s discarded iron claws with gloved hands. “It was probably her first mass murder, and she didn’t plan far enough ahead.”
“She managed to escape the High Temple, though,” I grumbled, staring absently at the half-empty bottle of sweet-smelling poison on one of her bookshelves. “Isn’t the getaway the most important?”
“A note,” Captain Corwin said, holding a lantern over her abandoned desk. “Perhaps a confession?”
The four of us exchanged dubious glances before I volunteered to read it first. I won’t include its contents here because it was so hard to tell where one sentence ended and another began. The conjoined fragments were crammed at times, spiraling through every centimeter of whitespace available. They even ran up and around the sides, at one point cascading to the back of the parchment before heading back over.
In short, it was the ravings of a lunatic.
And as I had expected, it started off by blaming me for everything.
Relias had been imprisoned because of me.
He had rejected her ardent advances because of me.
She was ostracized after our quiet quarrel because of me.
She did manage to spread a bit of the blame at the end, damning the two murdered councilmen for calling for and enforcing Relias’s penitence over the years. I couldn’t quite understand her intense, rambling hatred of hybrids. However, a few lines suggested she blamed Tetora, and to a lesser extent, Aleph, for not coming to Relias’s rescue, which was ‘exactly what a bestial traitor to humanity would do.’
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“I forbade them to get involved with my sentencing,” Relias said mournfully. “I made that point quite clear to her... To think she would go to such extremes…”
“She’s obviously unwell,” I murmured, starting to shake from the idea of how close she had gotten to me at one point. “She killed so many people who had nothing to do with her vendetta…”
“A crossbow bolt!” Nora suddenly shrieked. “I found it wedged in the back of the drawer! Just like the one fired at Father Irijah, right?”
I glanced at it under the light, and while it was the same shape, I figured they were probably all practically mass-produced. “I mean, the one I saw was sort of half-burned, but yes, it appears similar.”
“Should we tell the others?” Vernie asked.
“Let them continue to sleep for now,” Relias replied heavily. “We can fill them in first thing in the morning.”
Captain Corwin shook his head. “I need to update my knights immediately. I am not convinced she left the city, and your safety is my priority.”
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Both Vernie and Nora insisted on staying in my quarters for the rest of the night, and I gave no protest. Rather than fight over the bed, we pulled all the linens to the floor and slept fitfully in a nest of blankets, never even bothering with pajamas.
The following day came too quickly, with the early summer sun shining so brilliantly that I took it as a complete mockery of all the terrible things that had happened. My only solace was that I had been too exhausted to remember my dreams. Relias stopped by with breakfast, assuring us several times that this morning’s bread was absolutely not poisoned.
“Alright, already,” Vernie moaned. “We get it! Now let's get ready.”
Our group gathered near the assembly hall before its core business hours, taking time to recap current events. Ultimately, we decided not to apprise the General Assembly that we knew who the assassin was. Given their penchant for dismissing and delaying action on contentious information, we concluded that they would still be an obstacle to our war preparations, and we couldn't afford distractions. Our coup would go on.
The General Assembly arrived later en masse, their loud voices silencing abruptly upon entry to the assembly floor. Two ornate, open caskets were on display, housing the remains of Councilman Pravum and Councilman Procul. Flowers of all shapes and sizes had been artfully arranged to provide some cover over death, but it was clear that the sense of ever-looming mortality dominated the room.
“I’d thought we’d get a lot more suspicious looks for hanging out here,” Nora whispered. “But they seem to be behaving themselves. I wonder if they’re worried about their own final judgment…”
“And how to delay it for as long as possible,” I murmured in reply. “They’ll have to stay on Captain Corwin’s good side if they want protection, even more so after today.”
After the clergy took their seats, Relias slowly strode to the center of the assembly floor, his face gaunt and drawn from grief. “Esteemed brothers, let us first start by bowing our heads and praying for the souls of Councilmen Pravum and Procul.”
Rather than comply with the rest of those gathered, I scanned the rows, looking for anyone acting suspiciously. A few had their eyes open but remained silent, their gazes fixed on the floor.
“Almighty and merciful Goddess Euphridia, we gather before you in this hour of mourning, our hearts burdened with the weight of loss. We commend into your eternal care the souls of Councilmen Pravum and Procul, who served this sacred city with unwavering devotion. Grant them, O Divine Light, safe passage to your celestial realm, where we ask for your mercy during their final judgment. May your scales of justice be weighed with compassion as you hold them to the bounds of your Eternal Covenant.”
As Relias continued on, several priests began to sway slightly, suggesting they had not been accustomed to standing in such a position for so long. A collective sigh was exhaled upon Relias’s eventual “Amen,” and the entire assembly hall was filled with the thuds of a multitude of men falling back thankfully into their seats.
Relias folded his hands in front of him. “With Vicar Thomas’s permission, I would declare today a Day of Mourning for our beloved brothers, asking us all to honor them in our own way.”
“Agreed, Holy Sage Relias,” the Vicar replied.
Relias nodded and stepped aside, a silent gesture inviting those gathered to descend to the assembly floor. “Therefore, I humbly ask the assembly to please feel free to take as much time as you need to pay your respects dutifully.”
I held my breath nervously as a general murmur filled the air. Father Derrick was the first to step forward, performing a perfunctory prayer at each casket before leaving, stopping only to insist he be escorted home by a member of the Silver. The other priests, watching his uninterrupted exodus, copied him. Several, however, were smart enough to add at least a few more seconds to their ritual before leaving to appear slightly more pious than him.
“They really wanted a holiday,” Vernie muttered.
“I can’t blame them,” I whispered back. “Most of them probably think they’re next on the execution list. Any excuse to go home where it’s safer.”
You’ve probably noticed by now that Relias never actually dismissed the active morning session. While he had told them to take their time during the day of mourning, he never declared it an official day of rest. Far be it from us, however, to stop those who wanted to leave the worksite. Eventually, the only priests left in the grand room were Father Irijah, Father Thomas, and Relias himself.
“We will next call upon the assembly to vote on the request to initiate Martial Law,” Relias announced to the empty upper decks.
Father Irijah coughed. “Motion to skip further discussions and move straight to a final vote.”
“Holy Sage Relias,” Father Thomas said warningly. “You do not have a quorum. Please either cite an applicable doctrine or cancel the vote.”
“Establishment of Clear and Present Danger, doctrine number seventy-four, subsection fourteen,” Relias intoned quietly. “In times of imminent threat to the sanctity of the Holy City, when the General Assembly cannot be fully convened or is incapacitated, the Holy Sage, in consultation with no fewer than two ordained priests of the Sanctum, may enact emergency measures, including but not limited to the declaration of Martial Law, to safeguard the faithful and the sacred grounds.”
You can’t convene the General Assembly if they’ve already left, now can you?
Father Thomas quirked an eyebrow. “You mean subsection fifteen?”
Relias blinked and shrugged apologetically. “Oh. Yes. Fifteen.”
The vicar nodded. “It applies. You may proceed with the vote.”
Relias suddenly grinned. “For expediency’s sake, I ask this be a public vote of all priests present. All in favor, raise your right arm.”
The three priests shot their arms skyward in unison.
“A unanimous vote,” Relias noted.
Gee, imagine that.
“The motion carries,” Father Thomas replied with a thin smile.
“Captain Lightbringer,” Relias addressed me, his eyes shining brightly. “I hereby place you in charge of the defense of Chairo and the implementation of Martial Law. You will coordinate with the Holy Knights, escort the pilgrims beyond our gates into the Periphery, secure the city, and ensure the safety of all citizens. Your authority in these matters is absolute, and your decisions will stand as law until such time as the threat of demonic invasion is fully neutralized. May the Goddess Euphridia guide your hand.”
Wait, me???
“Captain Corwin would be best suited to—”
“Act as a military advisor to the Chosen One,” Corwin finished with a mischievous wink. Without missing a beat, he then bowed. “And I humbly accept such an honor, Captain Lightbringer. Let’s get started on that list now, shall we?”
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