Chapter 4

Vaulting back up onto his mount, Marcus trotted it off back over the bridge.

A glance out along the course of the river confirmed just how ridiculous all the fortifications on the Theocracy side looked. The Paladin contingent looked equally overcautious, equipped for battle as they were. Upon seeing his safe return, however, many of the faces looking in Marcus’ direction went from alert for incoming enemies to somewhat guarded.

“Where is Captain Lorenzo?” A worried voice rose out from the middle of the column.

“Gone ahead to get our paperwork started,” Marcus replied, feeling somewhat guilty for not sharing their tension. “We should head on over: everyone has to go through customs.”

“…customs?” A large man at the head of the column spoke as if he was unfamiliar with the word.

“You heard me,” Marcus replied, “When is the last time that has happened, eh?”

The man frowned in thought, taking a moment before offering a response.

“Not since a few years ago,” he said, “when they were searching every cart and wagon for infiltrators during that one Elf scare. Never found whatever had the people all riled up, though.”

“Well, here it seems that they treat even Paladins the same as everyone else,” Marcus explained, “so we should get it over with as quietly and quickly as possible so we can proceed with our mission. The fellow at the office said something about merchants arriving behind us, too.”

A few of the Paladins twisted in their saddles to look up the slope behind them. Save for the morning activity of the small communities that could be spotted along the roads, nothing but orchards and vineyards could be seen all the way to the top of the valley.

“…merchants have been coming through here?” The large Paladin frowned dubiously.

“That is what the bridge sentries say,” Marcus nodded, “on both sides. A traffic disruption is hardly what we want as the first image that comes to mind when they think of the Paladin Orders, so we should be on our way. Do not secure the wagons too tightly: they will probably be looking through everything soon enough.”

After Marcus rode up and down ensuring that everything was in order, the column advanced onto the bridge. He spotted Alessia seated in one of the wagons, so he pulled in his mount beside her. She was dressed in a simple wool tunic, and her pants were stuffed into her boots. She looked nothing like the small armoured figure from before, instead appearing as a girl on the cusp of womanhood. Her legs swayed idly as the morning breeze played through the straight blonde hair that hung just below her jawline.

She gave him a recalcitrant look as he set his horse in pace with the wagon.

“Brother Marcus,” she said in accusatory tones, “I am thinking you have cheated me again.”

“Have I, now?”

“Yes. I went to change as you instructed, but none of the others have done so. When I put away my things, suddenly everyone wanted me to help with their baggage as well!”

“Well,” he cleared his throat, “we went over to check the other side after I spoke to you, so I have not mentioned it to the others yet. You are fully ordained now, so do not let the others treat you as a Squire. Everything you do for them from this point forward is duty to your fellow man as a Paladin, not the actions of an attendant.”

“These duties seem much the same so far, Brother Marcus,” Alessia grumbled.

“I suppose it is a matter of perspective,” he replied. “We are one in the faith and the one in our cause. Service to one is service to all – but it does not mean that you must accept being taken advantage of. Being of the age and appearance of a Squire, some may fall into familiar routines and treat you as such. Do not think badly of them.”

She peered at him suspiciously as he spoke. When he held his expression, she pressed him further.

“Then why start with me? This smells of the time when I was a new Squire.”

Despite himself, Marcus smiled at the distant memory.

“And just what did you do when you were a new Squire?” He asked.

“Chores,” she answered. “Histories. Learning the measures of the faith and training to be proficient in martial matters.”

“Oh, is that all?” He smiled sardonically.

Alessia frowned and faced forward as the wagon approached the crest of the bridge.

“I recall a young Squire convincing a dozen of her fellows to raid the Katze Plains when they learned their first Martial Arts,” Marcus said, and Alessia’s ears turned red. “By the time I caught up to them they were running wildly into the mist with weapons brandished over their heads, shouting invoking Alah Alaf’s name at the top of their lungs. My heart nearly jumped out of my throat.”

Several Paladins riding nearby exploded into laughter. Alessia stammered wordlessly at the embarrassing tale.

“I dispatched that Skeleton with ease,” Alessia managed defensively after a moment.

“Yes…and then I had to get rid of the other five hundred that came along,” Marcus retorted. “Ever since then, we had to manage your expectations by keeping the equipment under lock and key.”

“So this is what it is, then?” She frowned, “You are managing my expectations again?”

“Perhaps so,” he shrugged. “You are still young.”

“You are always saying this…”

Alessia pouted, making her look even more the girl that she was. Her toes tapped loudly against the toeboard of the wagon.

“Because it is true,” Marcus told her. “Understanding will come with age.”

“Pah, you make it sound like my taste will improve as I grow older. I am not a wheel of cheese.”

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“Not cheese, but people, too, change with time. Why do you think everyone else present is more than double your years?”

“Because the Grandmasters believe that I enjoy the smell of old cheese.”

“Hmph. Make your jabs if you wish, but it will do you well to heed my words,” Marcus raised his voice. “That goes for all of you old blocks of cheese as well. You have received your missives and heard Captain Lorenzo’s feelings on the matter, but I cannot stress enough our purpose here and the reasons that we were chosen. We enter now into a nation ruled by Undead and Demons; filled with heretics and infidels – but our purpose is not to wage war: it is to provide succour and serve the faithful who dwell within.

“We have been entrusted with this duty because our superiors believe we can focus on our mission and not spark incidents that lead to conflict. At home, there is war in the south and, as always, Demihumans encroach from both the east and the west. Katze sends its Undead against us every day. We do not need yet another enemy – one that will result in our nation being encircled and cut off from the northern trade. I am not one to be overly dramatic, but the future of the Theocracy will be very much influenced by our actions in this foreign land.”

The wagon slowed as their procession filtered in through the gate to be led to the customs area. Alessia wore a troubled expression on her face, lips turned down glumly. The feet that were kicking against the toeboards dangled listlessly. It was strange to see her without her usual zest for life.

“Are we really in trouble?” She asked in a small voice, “Altamura shows no sign of faltering, and the same supplies are delivered to the fortress every day without fail.”

“We are in no more trouble than we have always been since our gods walked amongst us,” he tried reassuring her, “but we did not survive in this savage world in our disadvantage by picking needless fights. Re-Estize and Baharuth have been squabbling over E-Rantel for years, yet the moment that this ‘Sorcerer King’ appears, their pompous nobles are cowed and even that ambitious Emperor has been brought to heel. Who wishes for an enemy like that without need or preparation?”

In response, the younger Paladin made a long, worried sound in her throat. The wagon rolled off the bridge and the two militia sentries directed the driver to where their vehicles would await inspection. They suspended their conversation and looked around at the buildings nearby until the wagon was parked in the large open area near the customs office. Alessia hopped off of her seat and waited for Marcus to dismount.

“My missive said that the Bishop had a special task for me,” she asked while looking down at her papers. “Do you know what it is?"

“Of that, I do not know,” Marcus answered as he searched his saddlebags for his own documents. “My own orders did not say anything about being summoned specifically, so what you are to do must be different from the rest of us – or at least myself. Since he has requested a capable young woman such as yourself, perhaps it is to serve as adjutant to a Priestess?”

"R-really?" Alessia took a few seconds to count out something on her fingers, “How many promotions is that? I would have to be bonking the Skeletons in Katze for at least a decade to qualify for such esteemed duties.”

“I thought that much would have been self-evident. Temple Guards are always seasoned veterans – they have not the experience to serve properly otherwise. If not for this assignment, you would be chasing Elder Liches and Skeletal Dragons around in Katze for as long as you say.”

“I thought for sure we would be doing this: cleaning up Undead where needed. They have a long border with Katze too. There is also their frontier along the upper reaches and the wildlands to the north. There exist many places where the people might need our assistance to keep the peace.”

Marcus thought about it for a moment. It seemed a reasonable assumption, given the fighting strength of their contingent. Each Paladin present was capable of destroying an Elder Lich on their own, so a group of them was perfectly suited for extended border patrols in problematic areas.

“I am thinking what I said before is actually the case,” he said, “but I suppose it is possible. We will be stopping at the temple here to see what we can learn. Ah, we should join the queue there, they are almost finished.”

Marcus straightened out the creases that had accumulated in his paperwork over his knee, and together they joined the remaining Paladins awaiting their turn. Lorenzo spotted them after speaking with a small group and came forward.

“Is something amiss?” Marcus asked.

“Not as such, no,” Lorenzo replied. “How mundane everything seems, however, could be considered so. It is no more than it looks, a customs inspection: one that you might see at any town or city. Even the villagers here are indifferent to our presence, though they are cordial enough.”

“You spoke with them?”

“Yes. There is no doubt that they are all our faithful, but they do not carry the same…disposition as those back home. It is as we discussed before, but it is strange to witness in person. I will go now to see this temple – perhaps it will be just as curious.”

The captain turned and walked off in the direction of the square, humming to himself. Lorenzo could be considered an eccentric in the Theocracy: he was always excited and happy to see and learn about new things, regardless of their origin.

“He said nothing of the Undead,” Alessia said after Lorenzo turned the corner.

“Perhaps there was nothing to say,” Marcus replied. “I do not sense any nearby, at any rate.”

Alessia continued to peer about suspiciously while they waited, but there was little to see but the finishing touches being applied to the construction going on around them. When their turn came, the customs officer verified their documentation and sent them on their way with no fuss or delay. They rejoined the others where their wagons were parked, and Lorenzo by then had returned. The three dozen Paladins gathered before him after putting their paperwork back into their bags.

“I just came back from the temple over in the square,” he said after they rejoined the group. “The good Priestess offered to shed some light on the happenings here, so we should take her up on the offer. The market is open as well, so if there is anything you need to purchase before we leave, feel free to do so on the way back. I see more than a few of you with hands on your sidearms so I will make things perfectly clear: aside from the administrative office, which we have no business visiting, there are no Undead in this village – actually, it is more like a town. There are no non-Humans here unless some merchant caravan brings them through, so you can stop looking around for things to hit. At this rate, the townspeople will see us as a danger to them.”

Several hands fell off of their hips, but even after their captain’s admonition, a few remained ready to draw their weapons. Lorenzo didn’t bother waiting and turned to lead the group deeper into the town on foot. The central square, which was only partially occupied, was wide enough to host a large market. Several of the major services around the plaza could be seen open and active. The temple dominated the square from where it stood on the southern side.

Having so many newly built structures around them gave one an odd feeling, as it was unlike that of a cosy settlement that had been lived in for generations. The temple was no different. Fashioned entirely from white limestone, Marcus wondered how much it had cost to build. The design was vaguely reminiscent of the more recently built temples in the Theocracy, with a few notable differences.

“Is something off about this temple?” Alessia muttered from beside him, “There must be…but I cannot tell, exactly.”

“The exterior is lacking embellishment,” a nearby Paladin pointed out. “There are no sculptures or tracery – even the windows are plain. The temple is made to serve many, but makes no statements with what can be seen outside.”

“Ah, I see this now,” Alessia nodded. “It is very humble despite being so large. Maybe they are not quite finished yet?”

Marcus thought that this was probably not the case. The exterior was devoid of any scaffolding that suggested more work was due.

The group ascended the pavise and made their way into the vestibule, performing ritual gestures as they entered. Within, the appearance of the temple sharply contrasted with its exterior. Beyond the wealth that it must have taken to build, it seemed that the interior was designed to make up for what was lacking outside. Even the cathedral of a small city in the Theocracy might have been put to shame.

The other Paladins looked up and around themselves in astonishment – they were probably all thinking along similar lines. The main chamber of the temple was spectacular. Behind curtains of light cast down from the windows along the eastern wall, a Priestess in immaculate and well-tailored vestments stood before the sept. Beyond her, the morning sun was starting to filter into the chapel. By midday, Marcus thought that the entire interior would be ablaze in glorious display.

The Paladins arranged themselves in an orderly column in the ample space between the aisles and genuflected before her.

“Priestess,” Lorenzo’s voice rose from where he knelt in the front, “on behalf of my contingent and our brethren in the south, I greet you in the name of The Six.”

The Priestess raised her hand, bestowing upon them a warm and beneficent smile.

“Blessings of the Six be upon you, valorous warriors of the faith.”