The Second Coming
Chapter 11

The two men rideat a good pace up an incline, mountains around them. Eventually they reach the top of the trail,and the young man stares in awe at the sights that greet him. “You didn’t say how beautiful it was up here,Kiran. I can see for miles.”

The othergrunts, a small smile appearing on his face. “The purpose of our journey is not for sight-seeing, William.”

William looksdown on the grassy plains ahead, the first time for days he has not seenmountains to the east. “We must beclose to our destination; you said it was east of the mountains.”

“What you seeahead of us is the nation of Areza, the true home of our order; a place whereRevan does not dominate, and those who wish to think for themselves are allowedto without persecution.” Kiran’s voice has a bitter edge to it.

William frowns,involuntarily slowing his horse to a trot. “But Revan stands for nothing butgoodness, does He not? Of course, thePriestesses wish everyone to follow, but I’m not sure that persecution is afair description of how it works.”

Kiran pulls hismount to a halt, staring back at William. “You have no idea what it is really like! Our order has been all but destroyed becauseof them! They deliberately sought us out and are taking whatever steps necessaryto stop the bloodline!”

William drawsback, alarmed by the sudden outburst. “Ido not understand why that would be. What has the Order done to deserve such treatment?”

“Our ideologyand theirs are completely different. Werely on instinct, using power through feeling and emotion. Their doctrine forces them to be calm,reflective, and above all to ensure what they do is right. They are afraid of us, because in theirhearts they know they are inferior, and they cannot win if they allow us toco-exist with them.”

“But why doessomeone have to win?”

Kiransmiles. “That is their problem, myfriend. Frankly, they are terrified thateverything they stand for will be lost should we gain the upper hand. We, on the other hand, do not take them intoaccount when we take action.” His smile turns more sinister. “I think that is what troubles them themost.”

William moveshis mount forward, and Kiran follows suit.

“I must know;why did my father fail?”

The older man’sface is a mask. “He wasn’t strong enoughto take on what was required, William. At the vital moment, he failed himself and the Order. His only salvation was that you were alreadyin motion.”

William looksworried. “Did he have to make thisjourney too?”

“Yes. Only he did not return.”

*

Olbane Jonson murmured apleasant greeting, turned over in the bed, and reached out to embrace thewonderful young woman that he believed was beside him. He and Francine had enjoyed a fine evening,where they had shared stories of their respective families, and compared Susanonand Surian, and debated various political issues. They had also enjoyed a large quantity ofwine, and neither of them had any inhibitions left when Olbane kissed hergoodnight. One thing led to another andthey had hurriedly paid the innkeeper for a room to spend the night.

Unfortunately for Olbane, Francine was not beside him, and when heopened his eyes and his vision cleared it became obvious she was not in theroom either. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and yawned, then rubbed his temple totry and alleviate the banging that was undoubtedly caused by the wine. Perhaps Francine was down in the tavern, orhad to leave early that morning.

Olbane swung his legs out of the bed and rose gingerly. He picked his clothes up from the heap allover the floor, dressed, and instinctively tapped his breast pocked as he puton his tunic. When he walked over to atable near a window, Olbane found a note.

My uncle canhelp you with your problem. People likethese need to be taught a lesson. Cometo the address below and I will make sure he will see you.

You werewonderful.

F.

Olbane cast his mind back to the previous evening and realised he hadshared more than he intended. He hadrelaxed so much in Francine’s company and told her about the slavers, and his personalcrusade to expose Black. Olbane wasrelieved to recall he hadn’t told Francine about the papers, but he wondered ifhe could trust her: it wouldn’t have been the first time that a pretty girl hadbeen used to soften up a target. Was itcoincidence that he had seen her in the senator’s offices, or had she somehowknown who he was and followed him there? Olbane studied the address at the bottom of the note: he believed it wasin the same district, but then if Francine’s uncle was who she said he was,that would have made sense. Olbanetucked the note in his breast pocket and decided to discuss Francine with theothers over breakfast.

Olbane had clearly slept longer than he intended, because even Lia hadmade it to breakfast before him. Michaelwas also there, sat opposite her but not engaging in conversation; it appearedwhat had happened the day before had not been resolved. Olbane took a seat next to Michael and caughtthe attention of the serving girl; he needed a hot drink before he could contemplatewhat to eat.

Michael turned in his direction and raised an eyebrow. “What happened to you last night? From what I can see your bed was not sleptin.” At the sound, Lia seemed to be jolted from her own thoughts and alsolooked at him, with a questioning look on her face.

“I stayed in another room last night. I thought you might want to be alone, Michael.” It was only a white lie.

Michael snorted. “So it wasnothing to do with that raven headed girl you were talking to?” A smile appeared on Lia’s face as Olbanesquirmed.

“Possibly, but I do not see what business that is of yours, my friend.”

Michael’s face turned into a wide grin and he clapped Olbane on theback, which made his head bang even louder. “That is true, but I must admit she was a beauty. Is she still upstairs?”

Olbane shook his head. “She hadduties to do for the day, so I think she left early.”

“You think? Well, ifyou’d rather sleep than pay attention to someone like that, it’s no wonder sheleft.” Michael’s grin grew wider.

Feeling rather sheepish, Olbane brought out the note. “Well, she left a note, so it couldn’t havebeen too bad. In fact, she knows someonewho might be able to help with why we came here in the first place.”

Lia looked surprised. “Well, hercharms must have been special if you were willing to tell her about that. How can she help?”

“She said her uncle is an advisor to a number of people in highpositions, and he might be able to use his influence to get me an audience.”Olbane admitted to himself it did sound an attractive option.

Michael, however, didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure about this? You seemed pretty paranoid about tellinganyone before last night.”

Lia looked more interested. “Well, it’s not like you have anything better to do today, or tomorrowfor that matter. Michael told me thatyou didn’t manage to see the senator.”

Olbane was surprised Michael even remembered that conversation. “That is true, but if it is some kind oftrap, I know I would wish I’d waited.”

Lia looked sceptical. “Why wouldit be a trap? If somehow Black hasfollowed you here, wouldn’t he just send some men to get you like he did inCrossmoor?” She grinned slyly. “You are quite charming, Olbane. Perhaps this girl genuinely wants to helpyou?” The grin became a laugh. “And you somehow managed to avoid nearlykilling her first!”

Olbane blushed. “Alright, pointtaken.” The serving girl arrived withsome coffee for Olbane, and he ordered some bacon for his breakfast. He tentatively sipped his coffee. “Lia, have youseen Carly this morning?”

The blonde shook her head. “No; she didn’t come back last night. My guess is that the temple accepted her backand she ended up staying there. Theyaren’t exactly strong in the freedom department, particularly for acolytes. I thought I’d go by there this morning and seehow she is; assuming they’ll let me see her of course.”

Olbane nodded. “Will you comeand meet Francine with me first? Ifthere is something going on, I’d rather have my friends with me.”

Michael grunted. “Of course;there’s no way I’m letting you go without me.”

Lia grinned again. “Francine? Well, anyone named after the Goddess of Luck has got to be worth therisk, hasn’t she?”

*

A short while later Olbane, Michael and Lia walked through thecommercial district, and were following directions given to them by theinnkeeper. Both Olbane and Michaelcarried their swords, on Michael’s insistence. Lia silently wondered if that was a mistake; if Francine’s uncle was ina position of power, he might not take too kindly to armed men entering hishome. Still, she was at least happy theywere doing something. Since her recentexperience Lia found it more and more difficult to sit around doing nothing.

The address led them to a rather grand looking street containing anumber of large houses. Whoever livedthere had money, and lots of it, and wasn’t afraid to flaunt the fact. There were also overt displays of power in adifferent sense. Almost all of thehouses had some kind of security, whether that was large metal gates or evenarmed guards standing outside. The threewalked along the street before Olbane stopped outside a house that would beconsidered large in most circumstances, but was only small compared to the otherson the street. There was a gate, but noguards. Olbane opened it, strodethrough, grasped the heavy metal knocker on the large ornate door and banged ittwice. Moments later a well-dressed,elderly man opened the door. “Yes?”

Olbane cleared his throat. “Iwas asked to come here by Lady Francine.” Lia resisted the urge to snort; Francine, in her opinion, was no lady.

“Could you give me your name, sir?”

“Olbane Jonson. Hopefully she isexpecting me.”

The old man nodded. “That sheis, young sir. “ He looked down and critically surveyed Lia and Michael. “Andwho are your companions?”

“Lia Essmoor, and Michael Eustace, my good friends; I was hoping theycould accompany me.”

The old man bowed respectfully. “As you wish, sir. Please followme to the reception room and I will inform Mistress Francine that you havearrived.”

They were led through a large and exquisitely decorated entrance hallto a door which opened into a room which Lia surmised was kept for visitors’use. Michael sat down on a large chairand whistled. “Well Olbane, this Francineof yours certainly has gold, and gold aplenty I think. You really must have made an impression lastnight.”

Olbane remained standing, and said nothing. Lia took a seat next to Michael and her eyesscoured the room, and she admired the ornaments and furnishings. It was probably ten minutes before the oldman reappeared. “Mistress Francine willsee you now, sir. Please follow me.” WhenLia and Michael rose from their seats, the man shook his head. “She has requested the company of Master Jonson only, I am afraid.”

Michael opened his mouth to object, but Olbane raised a hand. “I will be fine, Michael.”

The old man smiled. “I willbring you some refreshments, Master Eustace and Mistress Essmoor.”

*

Carly woke, after the best nights’ sleep she had had in months, andopened her eyes. The medium size room,although larger, was in many ways similar to her own room back in the temple inCrossmoor, and for a few moments she thought she was getting up for another dayof study and acolyte duties. When shesaw the robes of a Priestess neatly hung up across the room, however, sherealised where she was. Once again tearsof joy rolled down her cheeks, and she immediately dropped out of bed, sank toher knees, and ran through her morning prayers with even more passion than sheusually did. It was only when shefinished two hours later that she realised that afternoon prayers wouldhave been more appropriate. She hadneeded the sleep more than she realised, and suddenly felt a little guilty: aPriestess didn’t sleep for half the day.

Carly quickly dressed, left her room and headed for the desk in thelobby. She wanted to speak to Therezabut realised she didn’t know where her friend was staying in the temple, orwhat it was she had planned while she was in Surian. If she had left the temple, the acolytes atthe desk would know. Minutes later shewas standing in front of the desk. “Goodafternoon, Priestess.” The two acolytesalmost said it in unison. Carly did notflinch, but did feel her cheeks colour slightly at the attention.

“Good afternoon, acolytes. I waswondering, has Priestess Thereza left the temple today?”

The eldest of the two girls nodded. “Yes, Priestess. She left thismorning; I believe she was only passing through Surian.”

Carly didn’t stop to wonder why Thereza hadn’t said goodbye; thatwasn’t the way with Priestesses of Revan. Carly bowed her head gently. “Thank you. If anyone wishes toknow my whereabouts, I will be in the Commercial District on personalbusiness. May Revan keep you both.”

The acolyte nodded and both of them bowed deeply. “Thank you, Priestess.”

Carly had already decided that she would travel back to Crossmoor thefollowing day, but in the meantime, she would be able to say goodbye to herfriends and tell them her good news. Asshe walked, a rather odd looking construction caught her eye: it was arelatively flat building that was round in shape and seemed almostfamiliar. When she moved closer, shenoted it had very ornate ancient runes on the doorway. Instantly she knew she had seen it before,and when she had seen it. It was inFrodsby, the village they stopped in after being reunited with Lia, and it wasduring a vision while she was within ThePeace. Carlytried to read the runes, but they were not in any language that she had beentaught or studied. Carly felt compelledto enter the building and she tried the door, which was unlocked. Inside was one room, which like the structureitself was circular. It was gloomy,apart from candles that were apparently indiscriminately placed on the varioustables and other pieces of furniture. Carly took a few steps forward and allowed the door to close behindher. On closer inspection the buildingappeared to be a library, with bookcases everywhere and piles of books on thefurniture. There was also a number ofornaments, such as busts of people long dead, and stuffed animals mounted onthe walls.

Carly couldn’t stand the eerie silence any longer. “Hello? Is there anyone here?”

There was no reply. Carly wonderedwhy on Eureza she had seen the place in her vision. Wasshe supposed to replace something there? Was it part of her Test? No,Thereza was certain that her Test was over. If she was supposed to be there,it was for a different reason: each vision she had seen was significant. She saw an empty chair towards the other sideof the room, and decided to sit upon it and meditate. Moments later, she had controlled herbreathing and felt The Peace take her. Carly tried to focus on her surroundings and recall the vision she hadhad in Frodsby. That time, however,nothing happened, and when her senses came back to the room, she realised shehad only been meditating for minutes. Carly put her hand on a nearby table to help herself to her feet, buther hand slipped on something and she fell to the floor, taking the variousbooks and papers on the table with her. Feeling decidedly ungraceful and not like a Priestess at all, Carlypicked up the papers and the books and placed them back onto the table. It was only when she looked again at thecontents of the table that she stopped. One particular text stood out, almost if it was illuminated: The Prophecies of the Dragon. Carly picked up the old and tattered book andsat back down. She then blew dust offthe cover, which was dark coloured and bland, except for the words, which werewhite. She took a deep breath, openedthe cover, and found the first page with text on: it was written in the commontongue, but the writing was very ornate, almost foreign in style.

Hereinlies the prophecies of the Dragon.

TheDragon Order will ultimately overcome all.

He will be lordover everything.

The rest of the page was blank. Carly turned to the next page.

He will come tobring balance to all things.

Fortoo long they have controlled The Power.

Thosewith The Blood will address that disparity.

The rest of that page did have more text, although most of it wasramblings about whoever They were, and why they must not be allowed to controlthe power. It appeared that whoever hadwritten the text had copied parts from the so-called prophecies and added theirown commentary. Carly skimmed over thenext twenty or so pages, which was mostly a chronology of the early movementsof the Dragon Order and their struggle to survive under the oppression of the church of Revan. Carly couldn’t help but snort as she read the ramblings; why wouldanyone in the church persecute a minority group?

Thosewith The Blood will grow in power and numbers.

Manywithout The Blood will follow.

Thosewithout The Blood will pay the ultimate sacrifice.

The next part of the book was devoted to the Order growing, mostly inAreza. The commentary became more andmore angry, and it appeared at one stage that the Dragon Order contained scoresof men and women who could use the power, through their blood. Carly wondered if the Order was supported bya god, such as Revan, or if they had found some other way to channelpower. As far as Carly knew, none of theother Gods had followers that could wield such power, although she admitted toherself she had never given it much thought.

Onewill rise to lead the Order against His enemy.

Agreat battle will ensue.

TheFirst Coming will not be the last of the Order.

The commentary became irrational and the writing erratic, whichbetrayed the emotion of the author. Whatwas legible was very disturbing. Thetext wrote of hundreds of followers of the Dragon Order, those what could notwield the power, who willingly gave up their lives to enable those who couldwield the power to do so. There wasn’tenough detail to explain exactly how the process worked, and Carly admitted toherself she did not understand how a person would need another being’s life todraw on power. The commentary culminatedin a very brief description of a great battle, where the First Coming was defeated by the evil church of Revan. She turned the page once more and found thenext page was covered in what Carly surmised was dried blood, which obscuredthe majority of the text; she turned to the next page but found only blankpaper. Turning back to the lastbloodstained page, Carly strained her eyes and attempted to read the text. After a few moments, she managed to ascertainthree words:

TheSecond Coming

There were more words after ‘Coming’, but despite her best efforts shecould not read them. Carly wished shewere with Elspeth back in Crossmoor; she was sure the elderly Priestess wouldknow a trick or two.

“Why don’t you ask for a little divine help, Priestess?”

The words made Carly literally jump from the seat, and her eyes dartedaround the dark room. “Who is there?”

An old man came into view, and he hobbled closer to Carly. He was dressed in ankle-length grey robes andhad long white hair. “Forgive me,Priestess, I did not mean to startle you. I am the curator of this place.”

Carly stayed back. “I thoughtthis place was abandoned.”

The old man chuckled. “Abandoned? No! It is true this place appears abandoned, but I can assure you that is not the case. I look after these rather rare items onbehalf of the temple. These works arenot held in the temple because most are not that important.” He looked down atthe text Carly had in her hand and smiled. “On the other hand, some are important, and are best kept out of the hands ofthose who do not need to know about them.”

Carly resisted the urge to snort. “Well, the security within this place leaves a little to bedesired. I walked in completelyunmolested.”

The old man chuckled again. “Notso, Priestess. Do you remember the runeson the door?”

Carly nodded. “I couldn’t decipher them at all.”

The old man grunted. “There arefew that can.” Carly looked confused, but the old man waved a hand andcontinued. “Those runes protect thisplace from unwanted guests. Only thosepermitted to enter can do so, and those that see the building and wonder whatlies within have a tendency to forget they did.”

“Presumably because I am a Priestess, I was permitted to enter?” Itsounded simple enough.

The old man smiled once more. “To a degree, yes. However, somesay that the runes are from Him directly, and only those that He wishes to entercan do so.” He chuckled again. “However,as not many members of the church are aware of this place, that has beendifficult to prove over the years.”

Carly sat down again, and considered the situation. If she took everything into account,including her vision, what the old man said was plausible. “What was it you said about asking for help?”

The old man turned and walked, towards the door. “What I said was, you should ask for divinehelp.” He winked at her and closed the door behind him.

It was a few moments before Carly realised what he was referring to:Revan’s Grace; something she had not given any thought to since Therezaconfirmed she was a Priestess. Carly ranher fingers down the seam on her robe, and felt the undulations of the ornatedesign that marked it as a Priestesses’ garment. Because she had not been able to connect with Revan during her long time as an acolyte, Carly’s only experienceusing Revan’s Grace had been those two acts of instinctive self defence. That time, however, she was a Priestess, atone with Revan. Carly closed her eyes,whispered a prayer of strength and courage and focused her will on the page infront of her. Moments later, she openedher eyes.

TheSecond Coming will be a long time after the First.

Theline that cannot be broken will provide The Blood.

Theline that must wait will ensure balance is restored.

No more of the page became visible. Carly read and re-read the passage, but could replace no particular meaningin the words. She wondered why she hadcome there, and whether she was meant to read the book, but could replace noparticular meaning in that either. Sheglanced back at the page, and noticed that the rest of the passage was coveredin blood once more. Despite herfrustration at her lack of understanding of why she was there, Carly felt purejoy and a feeling of exhilaration washed over her. She had asked to connect with Revan, and He had answered.

*

Olbane was led into a drawing room, where Francine was sat waiting forhim. She had chosen a simple dress butstill looked beautiful. She rose when heentered, and had a smile on her face. “You may leave us now, Ganner.”

The old man bowed. “As you wish,mistress Francine. I need to attend tomaster Jonson’s companions.” Thesmile disappeared from her face.

Olbane took her hand and kissed it. “I travelled to Surian with somefriends, and they came along this morning to keep me company. You need not be concerned; they are goodfolk.” Olbane smiled. “Why did you leavein silence this morning? You should havewoken me.”

She appeared to relax, then grinned and kissed him on the cheek. “I would never have got back here if I haddone that, Olbane. And besides, you weresleeping like a baby.”

Olbane grinned back. “That wastrue; it was mid-morning when I woke.”

Francine sat down and smiled. “Then I made the right decision, didn’t I?”

Olbane took a seat opposite her. “Thanks for inviting me here today; your offer of help couldn’t havecome at a better time.”

She picked up a cup of coffee and sipped from it. “My uncle takes a healthy interest in a lotof subjects, and has a lot of people he advises and helps. When I saw you in Senator Hiron’s offices andtalked to you last night, I knew you were a man of conviction. I suspected you were in trouble and neededhelp.” She gestured to the cups and coffee pot on the table in front ofher. “Please, help yourself.”

Olbane took a cup and poured himself a coffee, which was exquisite, andsomething his father could not afford to trade. “Is your uncle here?”

She nodded.

Olbane instinctively patted his breast pocket, then Francine picked upa small bell from the table and rang it. “Ganner will inform my uncle we are ready for him.”

Moments later the door opened. Atall, thin man in his fifties thanked Ganner and entered the room. He was dressed in fine clothing and wascarrying a large pile of papers. Olbanerose from his seat and held out his hand. “Olbane Jonson.”

The older man put down his pile of papers on a nearby table andaccepted the greeting. “RogenFlaun. It appears we have something incommon; please, sit down.”

Olbane did so and Flaun took a seat next to Francine. “I expect myniece has told you a little of what I do. I advise a number of politicians and wealthy merchants. A debt from a long time ago has been calledin that means our paths must cross.”

Olbane looked confused, so Flaun continued. “I believe you have something that belongs tomy old acquaintance.” Francine glancedat her uncle, with a shocked expression on her face.

Olbane finally found his voice. “I do not understand. I thought I was here for you to help me? Francine said…”

“Francine did as she was told!” Flaun snapped, and Francine cringedalmost as if his words were a physical blow. “She is no concern of yours any more, and neither are those papers youcarry.”

Olbane stood up and his eyes levelled on Francine. “You knew about this? Were you looking for me yesterday on purpose?”

She shook her head vigorously. “I thought we could help you!”

Flaun glared at her. “Did youhonestly think I would send you to help a complete stranger? I gave you more credit than that, Francine!”

Olbane’s voice rose to a shout. “What about those who areenslaved? Don’t you want to help them?”

Flaun, who had remained seated, lowered his voice. “I understand howyou feel, my young friend, but I must have those papers. You will have to replace another way to fightyour battle.”

Olbane was close to a rage. “Iwill see to it that Terence Black faces justice, and I need these papers.” Hemoved towards the door. “I am leavingnow.”

Olbane opened the door and was faced with three burly armed men, whopushed him back into the room. Flaunremained seated. “Make sure his friends don’t interfere, and take Francine awayfrom here.” One of the men nodded, took Francine by the arm and almost draggedher out of the chair. Both of them leftthe room, and the guard closed the door behind them. Francine did not look at Olbane as she left,but tears were running down her face.

Flaun looked Olbane in the eye. “Master Jonson, you can hand over thepapers and leave peacefully, or we can take them from you. It is up to you.”

*

The room had been very quiet silent since Olbane had left; Lia hadtried to start conversation but Michael was not interested. Suddenly they heardshouting and Michael was on his feet immediately. “What is happening in there?”

“It sounds like Olbane is quite excited, which most probably meansslavery is being discussed.” Suddenly the shouting stopped. “Should we go and check everything is okay?”Lia got up and moved towards the door.

Michael quickly moved in front of her. “I don’t want to offend our hosts, but I agree. Let’s see what is happening.” Michael opened the door and saw the backs ofan armed guard and a girl. “I believeOlbane is no longer with his lady friend. She appears to have been taken to another room.”

Lia shrugged. “Well that doesn’tmean anything. If this family istraditional, then she won’t be part of much anyway.” Lia had a rather disgusted expression on herface.

Michael nodded. “Somehow Ididn’t think you’d fit in that well around here.”

Lia grinned. “Was that a hint ofhumour, Michael?”

Michael started to smile but the sounds of swords clashing stoppedhim. “Olbane!” Michael drew his blade, moved through thedoorway, and turned in the direction of the fighting, with Lia immediatelybehind him. They had ran no more thantwenty yards before Michael was forced to stop and defend himself as two armedguards came round a corner.

Michael frantically blocked both attackers while Lia ran back in thedirection they had come. “Run, Michael!”

Michael lunged forward recklessly, and forced both guards back, but oneof them caught him on his left arm, which forced a yelp of pain. Despite his injury Michael turned andfollowed Lia. Lia’s instincts told herto run to the front of the house and out through the main door, but shecouldn’t leave Olbane on his own. Theyquickly reached the door to the room they had just left, with the front door ofthe house tantalisingly ahead of them. Lia hesitated, but Michael opened the door and pushed her inside theroom, and closed the door behind them. He then hurriedly placed a chair beneath the door handle. Moments later there was banging as the guardstried to gain entrance. “That chair won’t hold them for long!” Michael’s voicewas desperate, and there was blood running onto the carpet from the wound inhis arm. They heard shouting from behindthe door, and it appeared more men had joined the others.

“What do we do!” Lia’s voice was frantic.

Michael was piling other pieces of furniture against the door. “I do not know. I think Olbane is on the other side of thehouse.”

Lia looked towards the door. “Doyou think they will kill us?”

“I’m not sure, but I am not willing to replace out. There are too many of them, Lia. We cannot help Olbane if we are dead.”

Lia nodded sadly. Michael movedover to the window, picked up a table and broke the pane, then cleared away thelarge pieces of glass. His attentionturned to the door, which was moving more and more as the men outside usedtheir bodies as a battering ram. “Go! I will be right behind you!”

Lia hesitated, but then ran towards the window. She was halfway out when the makeshiftbarricade collapsed and the door burst off its hinges. Michael took three steps back as four guardsentered the room. He turned towardsLia. “What are you waiting for? Go!” Lia sprang out of the window and started running. After only a few steps, she turned to see theguards suddenly rush Michael, who deflected the first attack, but took a swordin the side. He cried out, staggeredback, then charged forward and slashed at one of the guard’s arms, which disarmedhim. Unfortunately a third bladeappeared, and stabbed Michael in the stomach. He screamed, and his sword dropped to the carpet. Moments later he collapsed to the floor.

“No!” Lia’s scream pierced thebrief silence.

“Get her! She cannot be allowedto leave!” One of the guards ran towards the window while the other three leftthe room.

Lia stood still, almost in a trance, and the only thing she could hearwas her own heartbeat. Michael was lyingin the room, mortally wounded. She hadstood helplessly as he gave his life to save her.

Suddenly there was a voice behind Lia. “I am so sorry; I did not mean for anyone to get hurt.”

Lia whirled around and was faced with a dark haired girl of a similarage.

One of the guards shouted. “Mistress Francine! Get away from her!”

Lia spoke. “You!”

Francine’s eyes grew wide and she tried to take a step back. Lia, however, was quicker, and grasped herwrist.

Francine’s face was panic-stricken. “Let me go!”

A voice came from behind Lia. “Unhand Mistress Francine, now!” Sheturned and saw a guard, whose sword was pointed in her direction: a swordcovered in Michael’s blood.

“Murderer!” Lia pointed her free hand at the guard andFrancine screamed. Within a moment theguard was engulfed in flames; he started screaming, fell to the ground androlled around on the grass. Lia whirledaround and gestured at the other three guards, who were running at her withtheir blades drawn. A moment later theywere incinerated as a huge ball of flame tore through them. Francine was screaming, but Lia ignored her,and focused on the shouting she heard close to the door of the house. Within moments the front of the building wasin flames and scream could be heard from within. An inferno raged, and Lia’s other handsuddenly felt hot. She shook her handand a large amount of ash dropped to the grass and landed on a pile that wasalready there. With one last look at thehouse, Lia walked towards the gate, opened it and moved into the streetoutside. There was a crowd of people startingto gather as the flames became visible, but she wasn’t interested in them. All she could see was Michael, lying in hisown blood.

*

That evening, Carly sat at a table in TheNoble Senator, where she had waitedfor her friends since before sunset. Shehad checked hers and Lia’s room, but there was no sign anyone had been theresince that morning. The innkeeper or theserving staff had not seen Lia, Michael or Olbane either. Carly sighed, finished her spiced juice andwent back upstairs to their room, where she left Lia a note:

DearestLia,

Ihave some good news for you – I have been accepted back into the church. Better still, while I was there I was told Ihave become a Priestess!

Iam sorry we missed each other, and that I did not return to the innyesterday. I am required to return toCrossmoor to start the next chapter of my life, and I hope while you are herethat you finish Olbane’s business and return home, where we can be reunited.

Takecare of yourself and may Revan always watch over you.

Yourdear friend,

Carly.

Thereza was right; Carly’s place was with the church. She was sure that between them her friendscould help Olbane and ensure justice was served. Carly then wrote another note:

DearOlbane,

SinceI left for the temple two days ago much has changed for me. When I arrived there I met an old friend, whotold me that I am a Priestess and that it is likely recent events were my Test. Needless to say I am delighted, but now I ama Priestess I must focus on my responsibilities and return to Crossmoor. I hope you will understand this, and knowthat if I can ever help you, you only need ask. Your kind words and unbreakable faith in me has been very important overthese difficult days, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Pleasetake care of yourself and may Revan bless you and watch over you. If you are passing through Crossmoor on yourreturn to Susanon, please come by the temple.

Carly.

Carly folded the note and slid it under the door of Olbane andMichael’s room. She found itsurprisingly difficult to write the note to Olbane, which caused her toconsider her feelings for the young man. He was gallant, handsome, and honourable, but above all else he had agood and strong heart, a quality not often found outside of the church. Carly smiled and shrugged; a crush perhaps,but there was nothing more substantial for her to be concerned about, andcertainly nothing for a Priestess to give a second thought to. After she collected her personal possessionsfrom hers and Lia’s room, Carly closed the door behind her and left The Noble Senator. She wouldspend her last night in Surian back at the temple.

*

It was well after dusk in Surian, and Lia wandered aimlessly, half in atrance. After the fire at the house, shehad started walking and had not stopped. Had she been more alert she would have noticed that her feet were achingand that her clothes, hands and face were filthy, covered with ash and dust. On her way out of the commercial district afew kind souls had come to her, concerned that a young woman was wandering thestreets in such a condition, but as soon as they got close to her they took aninvoluntary step backwards, made their apologies and left. Lia’s mind was full of images: Michaelfighting and then falling, a burst of fire, followed by screaming and thennothing but the crackling of the flames. Lia turned a corner and bumped into a man, who was with two others.

“Watch it, missy!” His accent was foreign.

Lia ignored him and carried on walking.

“I was talking to you!” A hand grabbed Lia on the shoulder and turnedher around.

“Leave me alone.” Lia’s voice was flat, almost emotionless.

One of the other men hissed. “Let’s do as she says! She looks unstable!”

The first man shook his head. “Underneath that dirt I suspect this one is quite a catch. I am sure she would make us a fair sum. There are three of us, and she is but one.”

“You slavers disgust me.”

The three men turned and looked at a tall man, who had appeared behindthe others. “The girl is with me. You should listen to your friend; she is very unstable.” The voice was calm but assertive.

The first man didn’t look convinced, but shrugged. “As you wish, countryman; if we had known shewas already taken, we would not have suggested anything.” The three hurried off into the night.

Suddenly Lia was next to the tall man, with tears running down hercheeks, which made the dirt run. “Whatis happening to me!”

He put an arm around her slender shoulders, and drew her close. “My dear, all will become clear in time. Let us replace a place to stay for the night,where you can rest. Tomorrow we willtalk.”