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The remainder of our first evening in the Holy City of Chairo was a whirlwind of uncalled-for celebration: a chaotic mix of unfamiliar faces congratulating me on my triumphant return and defeat of the demon Amos. Amidst this cacophony, I was bombarded with a flurry of shouted questions demanding to know where I had been, how I had come back, and what my next move would be. Thankfully, Aleph and Tetora, accompanied by our royal retainers, formed a barrier around me as we made our way toward the spiraling High Temple. We were met with a sea of eager hands reaching out to touch or grab at me, but my companions roughly pushed them aside. As we came ever closer to our destination, the air thickened with the aroma of burning incense and the sound of jubilant chants, which felt out of place, given the demeaning mental rebuke from His Holiness for my decision to merely banish Amos instead of sending him to Naught.
The nerve of him to claim he's never been more disappointed in me!
Relias, his staff aloft, led the way without a word. When he stood before the temple’s entrance, he gestured arrogantly for the doors to be opened and waited impatiently as the attendants complied.
“Is it… safe in there?” I whispered sideways to Nora, watching him tap his foot in irritation.
“The Reds seem to think so,” she replied slowly. “They didn’t find the assassin, though.”
“Maybe we should find another place to…” I turned back, seeing the overflowing throng of onlookers filling the forums behind us. “Oh…”
“Prince Mito and Father Irijah are already inside,” Nora explained. “Our soldiers are also performing routine sweeps. I think the arbalist is gone for good, but it’s nice to see someone taking something seriously around here, for once.”
“Yeah…”
As we passed through the entrance, the attendants quickly slammed the giant doors shut just behind us after yelling at those attempting to follow, making it clear they were not welcome inside. The temple was not exactly soundproof, but its thick walls dampened the constant shouts from outside into a low hum. Everything within was touched by gold, from the luxurious cathedral ceilings to the shimmering floors coated with golden flecks.
What a grandiose display of unnecessary opulence.
Relias cleared his throat loudly to get our… or maybe just my attention. “I have called for an emergency meeting of the General Assembly at sun’s rise. I expect it to continue throughout the greater part of the day. Aleph and Tetora, I would ask for you to accompany me.”
They shared a quick, somewhat quizzical glance, then nodded.
Relias’s expressionless gaze fell upon me. “The rest of you are tasked with keeping Captain Lightbringer out of trouble until further notice.”
Vernie laughed. “You’re kidding, right? That’s like asking us to stop the sun from…” she trailed off, suddenly aware of his sour mood. “Yeesh. Tough crowd…”
Relias scowled. “I am in no mood for… for…”
“Shenanigans,” Nora mumbled.
He nodded. “What Lady Nora has said. The situation in Chairo right now is dire; any missteps could lead to unimaginable consequences. I will do my best to figure out what has happened in my absence and how to restore order, but for me to do that, everyone here must cooperate. No one should be deciding anything on their own! Is that clear, Captain?”
Aleph cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Old friend… perhaps you should keep us routinely informed of your findings. I’m sure we want nothing more than to help you, even if our actions sometimes seem… unplanned.”
Relias let out a loud sigh and rubbed his temples. “I suppose that is a reasonable request. We will most likely break at the 9th hour. Let’s meet at that time tomorrow as a group.”
Nora kept glancing at me in concern, but I was smart enough to avoid locking eyes with her. Instead, I crossed my arms, refusing to look at anyone lest I started sniffling.
“Are you in agreement with this, Captain?” Aleph asked softly.
If I say no, then I’ll be considered the villain!
“That’s fine,” I said, ushering the last word past my clenched teeth.
“Dinner!” Tetora shouted abruptly. “I’m sure we all need to eat.”
There were a few half-hearted murmurs of agreement from the group.
“I shall pass on an evening meal this night,” Relias declined. “There is much I must do this eve, foremost of which is to pray to Euphridia for divine guidance.”
“Doesn’t mean the rest of us need to fast,” Vernie said with a disdainful sniff.
“Order someone to take the Holy Order’s order!” Nora said to Relias while jabbing me in the side. “Right?”
“…Uh-huh.”
“Okay, I know it was bad, but—”
“I’m not hungry,” I murmured. “I just want to go to bed.”
Nora pouted. “O-oh… well, maybe we can get room service, and—”
“By myself. Alone.” I wanted time and space to decompress and plan out my outlawed shenanigans. We wouldn’t be hanging out in Chairo forever, and there were quite a few things I needed to look into, with or without His Holiness’s approval.
“I’ve ordered two guards to keep watch over your private quarters,” Relias announced warningly as if he could read my mind. As every head turned to him, he added softer, “To protect you from those who would seek to use you, of course. Even in Chairo, there is no dearth of ne’er-do-wells.”
“Mngh.” It wasn’t a word, so it didn’t count as speaking.
A long, awkward silence ensued, only to be interrupted by frantic footsteps echoing throughout the main chamber. “Oh, Your Holiness! Welcome back!” a young woman cried out. “It is ever so good to see you again!”
I snapped my head around to see a young priestess, her blond hair flying, run clumsily out of a side hallway. She was garbed in white robes with blue and gold embellishments, and her hands held her garments about her waist so she didn’t trip over them.
Relias turned and bowed deeply. “Mother Liora..! Truly, I am blessed to be in your presence once again.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
She hugged him tightly as soon as he straightened up. “How could they have done such terrible things to you, after all you’ve done for them… Oh?”
As if the rest of us hadn’t existed before that moment, she looked back and forth with wide, awe-struck eyes. “Oh! Oh! You brought them all back with you in here… even…” Her gaze fell upon me, and a strange, almost disgusted look fell across her face, her nose wrinkling tightly.
“Mother Liora?” Relias questioned to get her attention once more.
She gasped in response, released him, and bowed several times. “Ah! Chosen One! Forgive me!”
“For what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
“For…” she looked between Relias and me several times, becoming more flustered. “I…”
What’s this now? Overly friendly with Relias… Unhappy to see me… It seems a new antagonist approaches…!
Relias stepped between us to cut off my questioning gaze. “Mother Liora… Would you show Captain Lightbringer to her room? She would like to retire for the evening.”
“Her… room? Now? I… I mean, of course!” she replied to Relias, her eyes looking down the hallway from which she came. “Um… please follow me!”
You’re just going to leave me alone with this stranger after all that offensive body language…
With my guard justifiably raised, I gave my companions a curt, dismissive nod and followed the priestess. I found it hard to keep up with her since she kept speeding up whenever I got close. We zig-zagged down a few halls, each seemingly more sinister, as I lost my ability to navigate back to the main entrance.
Where is she taking me, exactly?
Eventually, she stopped in the middle of one empty hallway, her back straightening. “Captain Lightbringer,” she called from ahead of me.
Was she… going to confront me so soon? Don’t these rivals usually escalate with petty, passive-aggressive digs first?
“What is it you want to say?”
She turned, her look of disgust once again apparent. “This is not the way to your room. I’ve deceived you. ”
My hand hovered at the hilt of Holy Celestia. “For what purpose?”
Was she an ally of Amos’s? Were there more demons here?!
“To talk to you alone. I know you’re exhausted and would seek the comfort of your bed, but there is… a lingering odor about you…”
Ah!
The sewers!
“It’s not my fault!” I gasped. “I was…”
“I know, I know!” she whispered loudly before pinching her nose and pointing to a set of large doors. “But the smell…! I simply cannot abide such odors in our temple. I beg of you, please take a bath!”
I’m sure you’ve picked up on this before, but sometimes, being the Chosen One reeks.
The bath was similar to the one in Castle Amantia, but like everything else in the temple, it was much more decadent. The washing stations were larger, and there was quite an assortment of soaps to choose from. The large soaking pool I sat in was continuously filled by water pouring out of a tilted vase held by a detailed statuette of a young woman seemingly unaware of her state of undress. Mother Liora had sent my clothes off for decontamination but had made it her mission to keep me company despite several assurances that I would be fine by myself. As my overall offensiveness decreased, she began to chatter more and more excitedly about a subject I didn’t want to discuss.
“I couldn’t believe it, Captain! One day, he was just… gone! No note, nothing! Relias just slipped away from the high tower without anyone seeing him! I always knew he was skilled… but to think that he managed to outwit all of the council’s spies…”
“Spies?” I couldn’t help but ask as I huddled in the deep end a little longer for good measure. I wonder if I could manage to slip away from here myself.
“Each of them has their own group,” she explained from the edge of the pool, her back turned to give me a minimal veil of privacy. “And they all kept a close eye on Relias ever since he returned without you… It was absolutely terrible; they watched his every move outside of his chambers. They weren’t even discreet about it. Standing in the open, staring in contempt as if he were a criminal. They inspected all his correspondence… even his food and drink!”
“Sounds awful…” I admitted, worried I might be headed for a similar treatment.
“They timed him, too. He was only allowed to be outside for half an hour a day. If he lingered in the gardens, they would ration his meals for the next week! I thought at the time that he had finally given up and that I should have done more for him…” She paused and let out a deep sigh before continuing. “I told him several times I would help him fight back, but he refused, saying he needed to be here for Euphridia’s and your return.”
“I see…”
“So when he disappeared… I thought all hope was lost. But lo, he comes back with the Chosen One and just… just… turns it all around on everyone!” She started to laugh. “Forgive me, I’m just so elated. Those crooks will finally get what’s coming to them!”
“Crooks…” I murmured. “Is that the general sentiment around here?”
“Mmm… well, not officially,” she admitted. “If anyone asks in public, the Council can do no wrong. But once you’re in closed quarters, it’s nothing but complaints. Of course, that’s what the General Assembly does… files complaints and grievances!”
Just because she spoke openly didn’t mean I trusted her. However, she seemed to have a perspective she was more than willing to share so I could humor her for a little while. “The General Assembly seemed to be backing Pravum and Procul during the trial though… at first, anyway.”
Mother Liora laughed humorlessly. “They were just there for the drama. Honestly, I don’t think they care about anyone other than themselves. As long as something bad happened to someone else and they had a chance to witness it, they couldn’t ask for more.”
“I think they’ll be in for a rude awakening tomorrow…” I mumbled, stifling a yawn.
“Yes… he seems much more confident now. Standing so tall… looking people in the eye… It gives me hope!”
As she continued to sing praises of Relias’s newfound confidence, I sunk deeper into the pool and tilted my head back, finding it hard to be happy for him. In some weird way, his progress mirrored what I had been working so hard on, yet our paths were in conflict with each other’s.
“… And I’m sure he owes much of it to you!” Mother Liora practically sang at one point.
“Huh?” I asked as I lifted my head from the water. “No… I don’t think I had anything to—”
“Of course you did! You’ve restored his Faith! Saving a brother of the cloth, banishing a servant of the Demon King… and you haven’t even been in the city for a day yet! I can’t wait to see what you do tomorrow!”
No day of rest for the hero…
She prattled on happily as I finished my bath, only stopping to fetch me a few simple robes that I could wear until my regular clothes were ready. After I was dressed, we double-backed through a few halls before coming to a guarded private wing. My room was at the end of it, with no other doors noticeable in the hallway. It was much larger but less cluttered than the chambers I had shared with Nora in Castle Amantia. Within it was a four-post bed with a canopy, a small writing desk, a few comfortable chairs for a small gathering, and a large, round table that looked like I could hold a tiny court around it. There were windows, but they were made of stained glass, with nary a way to open them.
He’s making it hard for me to go off on my own.
…I suppose I can admit I have a track record for doing that much.
“Is there anything else you need at the moment, Captain?” Mother Liora asked after lighting a few candles about the room.
I noted that my rucksack had made its way to the table without me. “No, not at this time. Thank you for talking with me… and the advice about the bath.”
She smiled somewhat airily and left after a graceful bow, though I heard her exchanging words with the guards for several minutes after I had closed the doors. I considered trying to use Amity to listen in, but I ultimately decided that I wasn’t sure I would want to hear it anyway. I pulled out a pen, an inkpot, and my new journal, turning a few pages past the kind inscriptions to an entirely blank page. I paused.
I haven’t read what Relias wrote. Maybe I should…
No.
Not now.
I can’t afford to lose my resolve!
With an ugly snort, I started my ‘Chairo to-do list.’ I wrote down the names of my other companions since I had private business with each one of them. I also added Prince Mito and Father Irijah as separate entries. Next was ‘Chairo’s Crystals.’ On the following free line, I added ‘Pravum’s desk.’ After a few moments of silence, I made a note to rendezvous with Captain Corwin, to have a girl’s day out with Nora as promised, and to visit the temporary protestor encampment outside of the city. At first, I felt the list was pretty comprehensive, but there were a few things that required Relias, whether I liked it or not. A bit irrationally, I turned through a few blank pages to hide my second list and wrote, "Have a crucial conversation with Relias - and don’t just apologize or let it slide!'
Then, I began to list everything I needed to do after we started talking normally again as if a miracle would occur.
> Hero manual.
>
> Welcome back celebration (with ballroom dancing)?
>
> The Faith of Euphridia
The last item on the list really was final. Once that shield was in my hands, I knew there would be no turning back.
But really, there wasn’t anywhere else to go at this point.
All I could do was move forward and evaluate all the other paths encountered along the way.
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