Chapter 2
by: Mike Smith
Each window Burgund passed made him wince. The morning light took an unusual long time to creep over the hills, but the first beam seemed to intentionally wait to strike him in the eyes when he needed to walk down the long hall on the eastern side of the keep. It almost made him dread getting up that morning, but he had enough on his mind to eventually drown out the pain in his eyes.
Every step he took echoed through the hall, reverberating off the thick stone walls. Burgund even tried to step lightly, but to no avail. It was almost as if the castle was built that way. The halls made everyone contemplate every step they took and forced them to remember where they were going. Burgund didn't want to remember. It all appeared as if it were an awful dream he could not awaken from. The first time he walked through those halls years ago he did not have that feeling. He was excited to see Lionel Castle in its entire splendor, and he enjoyed every step he made through the large structure. Now, he regretted each step, and he wished that he never came. As he neared the large doors that enclosed his destination, his steps grew louder as the echoes met in an almost harmonious fashion. Burgund could not imagine what it would sound like if many people were traveling the halls at once. The sound would most likely be deafening.
As Burgund rounded the final corner, the giant, ornate doors were straight in front of him. On each side of the doors was a soldier, standing tall and still as Burgund approached them. They were heavily clad in finely made, full plate armor, with a spear in their right hand and a large shield in their left. The shields each of them held were very colorful, picturing something else other than the normal purple and red crest of the Church. It wasn't until Burgund got closer that he could see the shields in all of their detail. Each shield pictured a full painting, and after careful examination, Burgund saw that they both represented a different deed done by Saint Ajora. The style was incredible, and Burgund could not even begin to fathom the time it took to etch each scene into the metal of the guards' shields.
As Burgund took his final steps towards the great doors, one of the guards began to speak. "Welcome to the Chapel of Saint Ajora's Destiny. The other Cardinals and Bishops have convened inside. Please enter."
The second guard moved from his absolute still position towards the great doors and pulled on the handle of the rightmost door of the set. It seemed to take a great bit of effort to finally dislodge the door from its resting place, but once it began to move the guard seemed to have an easier time with it. The creaking sound filled the hallway and was almost as deafening as Burgund imagined it would be as the sound waves bounced off the stone around him. Once the door opened, the guard returned to his post and stood at attention.
Once Burgund entered the Chapel, he once again was amazed. He had never seen the inner sanctum of the keep of Lionel Castle, and the sight was enough to bring a tear to the eye of even the hardest of non-believers. Towards the back of the Chapel was a large set of stair that processed up towards the center of a giant stain glass window picturing Saint Ajora with his arms outstretched. The stairs got so close to the window that someone could reach out and touch the chest of the pictured Ajora. Candles lit the entire length of the stairs, and as Burgund walked down the fine red carpet that proceeded towards the area where the other Cardinals and Bishops were sitting, he could not stop marveling at the beauty of the room.
The Bishops and the Cardinals were all talking amongst themselves in hushed voices as Burgund approached the semi circular arrangement of tables. At the center of the semi circle sat High Priest Heartus XIV, the highest advocate of God on Earth, on an obviously higher, more ornate throne than the rest of the participants of the meeting. Once Burgund reached the High Priest, he knelt down as the High Priest brought the tip of his staff towards Burgund's mouth. Burgund stared at the staff for a moment and said a prayer to himself before kissing the staff and greeting Heartus. Without saying a word, Burgund rose and bowed his head.
The High Priest addressed Burgund. "Bishop Burgund de Charlier, I welcome you to the Chapel of Saint Ajora's Destiny. Peace be with you."
"And also with you, your eminence."
Burgund kept his head bowed as the High Priest continued. Heartus took his left hand and pointed his fingers towards the ceiling, moving his hand towards the center of his body. "May God give you his blessings now and forever."
Burgund raised his head and made the same motion with his hand. "I will praise him now and at the hour of my death."
The High Priest lowered his hand, and shortly afterwards Burgund did the same after the High Priest finished his motion. The High Priest waved his hand towards the only empty seat to his left and addressed Burgund in a less formal fashion. "Please, take your seat. It is always a pleasure to see you Burgund. Your young face gives me great joy."
"And it always honors me to be in your presence." Burgund gave a quick nod to the High Priest and moved to his seat. Although he was so uncomfortable being in the presence of virtually all of the highest ranking men in the Church, he felt a little more at ease when he noticed that Chort was sitting on the left side of the empty seat. Circling the edge of the semicircular table, he reached his destination and sat down cautiously, being sure to observe all of the proper Church etiquette that he had virtually forgotten from his early priesthood. Chort smiled as Burgund took more than a few moments to make sure he sat correctly.
Chort spoke to Burgund over the murmur of the other Bishops. "Loosen up, Burgund, before you break your own back from tension."
Burgund felt a little bead of sweat roll off of his forehead. "That is easy for you to say, old man. You've done this a hundred times before. I've never been to such an official meeting in my entire life." Burgund wiped his brow with his sleeve. "And besides, I couldn't sleep well last night."
"Did those golden flags scare you?"
"Maybe," Burgund tried to keep his cool in the presence of the other bishops, "but it was more because of other reasons."
"And what reasons would those be? Is something on your mind?"
Burgund scowled slightly and looked towards the door as he arranged his cassock underneath him. "I would rather not discuss it."
"Very well, then. But if the Havadman flags were at the source of your worries, fear not. God always provides."
Burgund tried to make his smile look heartfelt, covering up his sarcasm. "I am sure he will, just as he always does. I just hope he provides for us all."
Chort furrowed his brow and clasped his left hand around Burgund's shoulder. "Faith, Burgund, faith."
After Chort released his grip, one of the guards opened one half of the large doors and entered in his full glory, holding the brightly decorated shield in front of him as he walked towards the center of the semicircle. Once he reached the spot where Burgund greeted the High Priest, he knelt down and awaited the High Priest's blessing.
"The honored guests of Lionel have arrived and await your approval of entry."
Heartus nodded at the guard. "God's doors are always open to those who wish to enter with words to speak."
The guard quickly stood up and did an about face, marching back to the doors he came in through. He closed the door behind him, and for what seemed like ages, nothing happened. Burgund began sweating even more.
"What's going on?" Burgund tried to keep his voice down to not disturb the quiet that now hushed all of the occupants in the room.
Chort leaned over to speak softly in Burgund's ear. "The Guards of the Chapel are briefing the visitors on where they are entering. Not anyone can just enter here without showing respect."
In a slow creaking fashion, the doors swung open, each being pushed by one of the guards. Before the mammoth doors were opened completely, two men began walking through. The one was ornately garbed in fine linens. Decorations flowed up the sides of his robes and along his sleeves, and the interlocked triangles of Havadmas adorned many locations along his garments. The second man seemed to be the complete antithesis of the first. His robe was a dark scarlet color, but it had no decorations on any part of it. A large hood covered his head, and it was too dark and hung too low to see into it and look at the man's face. They both slowly walked into the room, and once they reached their place in front of the High Priest, they simply stood and waited. A small murmur arose as they did not pay proper respect to the High Priest.
Heartus nodded slightly, showing a sign that he was willing to overlook the lack in the traditional gesture of respect. "I welcome you to the Chapel of St. Ajora's Destiny, gentlemen. Please, state your business, so we may know why you have asked for this meeting."
The scarlet robed man simply stood silent and still as the ornately dressed man spoke. "I am Malachi Dronqui, high diplomat of the Havadman Empire. I have come here to negotiate with you."
This brought a smile to Heartus and many of the higher Cardinals' faces. The High Priest raised his hand to quiet the murmuring priests. "Have you come to ask for the forgiveness of the Glabados Church? Have you come to takes steps to reverse your excommunication?" Heartus seemed to speak in a surprised yet eager tone.
Malachi gave a half smirk at the High Priest's comment. "I have come here to negotiate something quite different, your eminence." Malachi placed his hands behind his back and spoke with a deeper, more authoritative voice as he continued. "Emperor Amacha Kanhar has issued this decree to the leaders of the Glabados Church. The Glabados Church will be unharmed in all kingdoms from this point forward and the territory of the Church, Lionel, will be free from invasion if the High Priest accepts Emperor Amacha Kanhar's rule and claims his legitimacy to the throne of the world."
This statement caused an uproar within the chapel. Burgund looked around, not knowing how to react himself, as the Cardinals and Bishops stood up and shouted at the emissaries and spoke to each other in harsh, loud tones. Malachi continued to speak even as the men around him shouted and pointed at him. Burgund squinted to make out Malachi's features. The man did not seem to be bothered at all by anything that was going on around him. As Burgund was trying to piece together what was going on, a sunbeam entered the room from a small window. The beam cut through the center of the room, intersecting the distance between the two Havadman diplomats. As Burgund followed the beam, he saw a small, almost unnoticeable flash of light arise from the robe of the hooded man. It took a moment for the flash to register in Burgund's brain.
Burgund rose to his feet and tried to shout over the clatter. "He has a blade!" Most of the room didn't hear him, and as Chort spun his head around to see what Burgund was pointing at, the scarlet robed man had already pulled the knife out, and in a flash of color, hurled it directly at the High Priest. The knife streamed through the air effortlessly, and much to the surprise of Burgund's widened eyes, the knife stuck blade down into the wood of the table directly in front of the High Priest. The room went silent as the guards rushed towards the two men.
Heartus, visibly shaken, motioned the guards to stop. "If he wanted to kill me he could have." His voice echoed off the walls in the now silent room. After telling the other Cardinals and Bishops to take their seats again, Heartus arose slowly from his chair and addressed the two ambassadors. "You two men have come here to negotiate our surrender. That will never happen. You have not even reached our borders, and our followers will not bow down to you or your evil Gods. This is preposterous, and your presence is no longer welcome here. And if you decide to attack me like this again, you will be dead where you stand."
Malachi's initial grimace returned. "We used to believe in the same God, your eminence." Malachi reached into his pocket, and as the guards leveled their spears at him, he pulled out a coin. "Now, let me make a contribution to your growing God."
Malachi placed the coin above his thumb and flicked it into the sky. As the coin rotated in midair, the light glistened off of the spinning piece of gil, and after it slowly made it's decent, it landed in front of Heartus directly beside his knife. The sound the gil made as it hit the table filled the room and reverberated off of every wall. It was deafening to Burgund ears, and he almost cringed at the sound.
"You will get no mercy at the hands of our soldiers, High Priest. You now have the blood of all of your followers on your hands."
Heartus frowned at the two men. "And you, demons of hell, will get no mercy when you are judged by God." Heartus sat back down and looked towards the two guards, who still had their spears leveled at the emiisaries. "Please escort these men out of this holy place, and make sure they leave as quickly as they came."
Malachi turned towards the guards in defiance, but the scarlet clad man stood for a moment. He slowly approached Heartus from his original position at the center of the men he came to meet, the same position he hadn't moved from since they arrived. With each step, Burgund felt inclined to throw himself in front of the High Priest, but he couldn't move. He simply stood their and watched as the man stepped silently up the small stairs to the center of the semi circle of tables. Once he reached Heartus, he slowly put his hand around the grip of the knife and pulled it out of the table as gradually as possible. Burgund could hear the wood creak as he inched the blade out with slowly timed precision. Once the blade was released from the wood's grasp, he turned around to follow Malachi.
The man stepped as silently as he did before, but he lifted his head towards Burgund as he passed the ray of light that alerted the bishop to his hidden knife. As the light flashed over his face, Burgund could make out small details for the instant that the sunbeam passed over the man's hood. But he didn't see what he expected. All that Burgund could make out was that he had no face. It was just a mask. He couldn't make out the fine minutiae of the mask, but the haunting image of painted blood flowing from the mask's eyes made Burgund shiver.
Once the two men left the room, the other Cardinals and Bishops rose again with a clatter. Burgund simply remained seated, quietly panning the room from side to side trying to compose himself as he watched. He looked at the T-shaped symbol of Saint Ajora at the back of the chapel to try and concentrate for a moment and gather his thoughts. As hard as he tried, all that Burgund could see in his mind was the mask with the bleeding eyes.