Tales of Harmonia
Secret Passages
"What? You've got to be kidding me," Aidan blurted, incredulous at the proposition his captor had just made. "I just risked my life trying to save the Pope, and you expect me to help you capture him?"
The woman nodded her head very simply, as though explaining a fact of life. "Yes. That's exactly what I expect you to do."
Aidan let out a short, strained laugh; his lungs still had not fully recovered from the beating he had taken at this woman's hands earlier. "I have just got to hear the explanation for that."
The assassin moved toward the door. Her arms were still crossed, accentuating the look of sheer confidence on her face, as though she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Aidan would come around to her point of view. "What's your name, boy?" The question took Aidan aback, and he almost thought he couldn't remember the answer.
"Aidan… Aidan Wolfe."
"Aidan. You wanted to hear my explanation? Then come to the meeting room. Up the stairs, first door on your left. Whenever you're ready, now…" And then she was gone. The echoes of her footsteps on the stony walls were the only sound to be heard as Aidan sorted out the jumble of feelings in his mind.
His deepest instincts told him not to trust this woman under any circumstances. She was trying to kidnap the Pope, the spiritual leader of the entire world, the most powerful man on the planet. She had – Aidan grimaced at the thought – possibly killed god knows how many of Aidan's friends in the Village Guard. But by that same token, she could have killed him, and yet spared his life. Furthermore, she would probably kill him if he refused to comply with her demands. Besides… I really want to know what she means about the Pope…
Fighting off the pain shooting through his body, Aidan struggled to his feet. He realized that he had been stripped of his shirt, and there were several lacerations on his skin that had been treated by healing arts. Aidan couldn't remember where the wounds had come from, however; his upper body had been protected by his chain mail armor during the fight, and the woman wasn't using a weapon capable of cutting the skin. Maybe those energy bursts from her last attack… what was that, anyway?
The boy dragged his tired, battered legs across the stony floor. He could feel the coldness of the stone, but it barely registered next to the pain, mingled with his confusion. He was clearly caught up in something far bigger than himself or Malachite, or even the Pope's pilgrimage. He didn't know who these people were, but he was determined to find out what they wanted with the Pope, and more to the point, what they wanted with him.
Just getting up the stairs was something of a trial, but by now Aidan's brain was already working feverishly to numb the pain in whatever limited ways it had available, so he was able to move a little more comfortably. Pressing a hand against the wall of the staircase for support, he clambered up the dark, grey steps lit only sparsely by torchlight. When he finally reached the top, he immediately saw the small oaken door on his left. It was unlocked, so he let himself in with only a quick second thought: Should I trust her?
The room he entered was rather plain. It was smaller than the room he had been sleeping in, but decorated in much the same fashion, with tapestries hanging from the walls. Now that Aidan was feeling a little more lucid, he recognized the symbol on these tapestries: an angel, descending from Asgard, holding a flower in one hand and a blade in the other. This was the symbol of the Church of Martel. This building must be owned by the church… where the hell are we?
The female assassin was seated at the end of a quaint wooden table in the very center of the room. Four others were seated at the table, two on her left and two on her right, and there was a vacant seat on the opposite end which appeared reserved for Aidan. As soon as he had opened the door, the woman acknowledged him with a curt nod and motioned toward the empty seat. He reluctantly accepted and sat down, glancing at the rest of the group.
On the woman's right sat the familiar, hulking mass who had been watching over him while he slept. He had a bushy brown beard and moustache, and was remarkably muscular. He wasn't wearing much by way of armor: just some leather straps across his broad chest, and a pair of leather pants and boots. Aidan thought he could just see the glimmer of a steel ax hanging from the man's waist.
Across from this barbarian sat a chipper young girl. Her auburn hair was cut short, and danced playfully around her delicate features. She wore a French beret, and what Aidan could only describe as some sort of school uniform, comprised of a silken blouse and a plaid kilt around her waist. She was smiling at him rather warmly as he entered, and he immediately felt that he liked her more than any of the others.
On the girl's left was an older gentleman with a long, snowy beard hanging down from his chin and ending somewhere beneath the depths of the table. He was wearing a robe of a strange design that Aidan had never seen before. It appeared to be fashioned out of a rare type of cloth, and the patterns weaved into it, he guessed, were elven. This man's face was also kind, but weary with the trials of a long life.
On Aidan's left was a tall, slim, handsome man with straight black hair which fell almost to his waist, and quiet eyes. He exuded an overwhelming air of complete calm, with his head held high and his hands folded politely on the table. He was clad in violet-and-silver mail, down which his long hair fell effortlessly. As he was closest to Aidan, the boy could see a long katana sheathed on his waist.
Seeing that Aidan had finished examining her comrades, the female assassin finally addressed him. She commanded his attention with a wave of her hand, and spoke. "Welcome, Aidan Wolfe. I am Juna Cartwright, leader of this organization."
"What organization is that?" Aidan demanded, staring her down. She hestitated for a moment, apparently trying to consider the best way of telling him. This only made the boy more nervous. Who are they that their own leader is worried about telling me?
"We are… Zephyr," she said after her silence, regaining her composure to examine the boy's reaction. Aidan's eyes shot wide open as soon as the name passed her lips. "I see you've heard of us."
"Zephyr? The vigilante group plotting the destruction of the Church of Martel and its Holy Council of Priests?"
The young girl laughed, a bright, bubbly laugh that somehow immediately quelled Aidan's worries and made him feel like the group's true nature didn't really matter. "'Destruction of the Church of Martel and its Holy Council of Priests!'" She burst into laughter a second time. "I see the rumours have gotten even stronger since we last heard them, Juna!"
The tall, handsome man nodded his head and spoke calmly. "You speak truly. The last I heard, we were only plotting to kill the Pope and elect one of our own in his place. Now we hate the entire council."
Juna was not at all amused. She merely nodded her head and kept her gaze fixed on Aidan. "You have been poisoned by the Pope's propaganda. I don't blame you; you aren't the only one." She could see that Aidan was visibly confused by her words. Juna heaved a sigh and continued her explanation. "Zephyr in no way plots against the church. In fact, we were an organization created by the Church of Martel over a hundred years ago to protect its Pope and Council of Priests."
Aidan's heart skipped a beat. What? he thought. Not possible! This pagan organization was created by the church to protect it!
"You're lying," he said after finding the words. "You tried to kill—"
"—We weren't trying to kill him," Juna interrupted, rolling her eyes.
"Fine, you tried to kidnap the Pope, and yet you tell me your organization exists to protect the Church of Martel?" Aidan said incredulously. Juna merely nodded her head.
"Yes," she stated matter-of-factly, "that is exactly what we exist to do. But before I give you that promised explanation, I believe it would be rude to not first introduce my companions."
First, she gestured towards the gruff man on her right. "You have already met Bartheo Walters." Bartheo made no acknowledgement at all, but merely huffed under his breath. Juna did not seem to notice this, and indicated the girl sitting on her left. "This is Audrey Lightfoot." The polite girl smiled and nodded her head in Aidan's direction; he was a little stunned by her kindness compared to the others, but smiled and nodded back. Juna did not pause, and indicated the tall man sitting on Aidan's left. "This handsome gentleman is Raven. Just Raven, as he calls himself," she noted with a hint of a giggle hidden under her breath. Raven closed his eyes and nodded brusquely but did not turn to Aidan. Meanwhile, Juna gestured importantly towards the older man on Aidan's right. "And… I think my fourth companion needs no introduction."
Aidan looked at the man closely. He screwed up his face in thought, trying to picture him from a poster or magazine somewhere, but he could not. The boy looked back at Juna and shrugged his shoulders obliviously. "He a wizard or somethin'? Kinda looks like one." The woman was, for the first time in the evening, truly and visible stunned. Audrey mirrored her emotion.
"You… you don't recognize Genis?"
Aidan's eyes flickered, and he immediately turned back to the old man. "No… no freaking way."
Juna nodded her head with something of a laugh. "Yes 'freaking' way. The man sitting on your right is what you might call a living legend…. Genis Sage, companion of the hero Lloyd, who gave life to Yggdrasill, the Tree of Life."
Her words hung in an awkward silence for what seemed like hours as Aidan could only stare in awe at the old elf. Several times he tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Then… the legends were…true! Lloyd… Genis… the Last Chosen… the false angels of Cruxis…
Genis nodded his wrinkly head as though he could read everything Aidan was thinking. "Yes, yes, it's all true," he said with a kindly chuckle. "But I'm not surprised few people believe it any more."
"But… but…" Aidan struggled to find the words. "It's been –"
"—one thousand years," Genis finished the sentence. "Very few people now alive remember the events as they truly happened. Even the oldest elves were but newborns when Lloyd forged the Eternal Sword anew and rejoined the two worlds…"
"Then, are any of the others still alive?" Aidan asked. "I mean… I thought it was just a legend… a story they told us in school… but you're…"
Genis shook his head, and bowed his head reverently. "No, no. None of them are left. My elder sister, Raine, passed before me several years ago. The rest of our group was human, and they variously met their ends hundreds of years ago." Aidan could swear he saw the glimmer of a tear fall from Genis' face and melt into his snowy beard.
"But… what about Kratos Aurion? He was an angel of Cruxis, wasn't he? Surely he must still be alive…"
Genis chuckled a little and shrugged. "Kratos always was an enigma to me. And of course, as you know, the legends say – and very truly so – that Kratos left with the deserted planet of Derris-Kharlan to atone for his sins as the surviving member of Cruxis. I cannot say whether he is still alive, or even where in the universe Derris-Kharlan is."
"In any event," Raven interrupted, speaking for the first time; his voice was deep and melodious. "You surely know that Genis was a great asset to the Church of Martel, as were all the Nine Heroes. They exposed Cruxis' misdeeds and destroyed their leader, saving the world from mana deprivation caused by the drifting away of Derris-Kharlan. In doing so, they allowed the church to right itself after being led astray by Cruxis. They caused the World Tree, Yggdrasill, to be reborn when its seed had already perished. Surely you cannot believe that Genis would ally himself with an organization bent on the… how did you put it?... 'destruction of the Church of Martel and its Holy Council of Priests?'"
Aidan didn't want to admit it, but Raven was right. Genis was one of the legendary Nine Heroes of the old world… four lived in the dying world of Sylvarant, four in the thriving world of Tethe'alla, and one on Derris-Kharlan as one of Cruxis' Four Seraphim. Together they saved the world from Yggdrasill's twisted designs. Genis would never try to dismantle everything they worked so hard to achieve, not even a thousand years later.
"Alright," he said after a few moments of silence to allow everything to seep in, "you do have a good point. But why were you trying to kidnap the Pope, then?"
"Because Pontifex Nigellus XVII has gone astray," Genis said mournfully. Aidan was visibly shocked.
"It is the usual side-effect of holding absolute power… corruption comes all too easily," Juna explained. Audrey nodded her head in agreement.
"Our spies within the church tell us that the Pope has scheduled private meetings which nobody, not even his trusted Papal Trinity, is privy to," she explained. "Furthermore, a group known as the Hand of Beatrix has recently been growing in power throughout the land. We don't know much about them. They seem to be a group of bandits, stealing obscure, ancient artifacts from churches and museums and such. However, the church has done nothing whatsoever to stop them, and we haven't a clue why."
Juna nodded her head at Audrey's succinct explanation. "Recently the Hand of Beatrix has become increasingly aggressive in its tactics. Two weeks ago, a village on the eastern continent was attacked, and burned right to the ground. We suspect it was all because of a single artifact housed in its chapel."
Aidan frowned and looked thoughtful. "Two weeks ago… but that was when…"
"When the Pope began his pilgrimage," Raven interrupted with a curt nod.
"Exactly," Juna said. "It's bad enough that the Pope hasn't done anything to stop the Hand of Beatrix, but what's worse is that he actually left the capital in New Meltokio at the same time that they began employing more aggressive tactics. And for what? To spread the teachings of Martel? To tell people to 'be wary' of those who would attack the church? The Papal Army is easily strong enough to crush any military force on the planet, and yet he chooses to do absolutely nothing."
Aidan had to admit that it sounded a bit weird. The Pope and the Council of Priests all had a duty to use their power for the betterment of Aselia, to protect its people from aggression. They had exerted their strength to crush smaller uprisings in the past, and yet now they did nothing. It was a fairly totalitarian method of rule, but (usually) without the attached corruption, and it kept the peace in general. After a while, Aidan said warily, "So… you think… the Pope is in league with this Hand of Beatrix group?" Hand of Beatrix…that sounds familiar. Where do I know it from?
Audrey nodded quickly with an uneasy expression on her face. "It seems the most likely explanation. Not only has the Hand of Beatrix gone unopposed, it has actually become more powerful and aggressive lately. We think that the Pope is allowing the group to gain strength in return for their cooperation."
"Cooperation?" Aidan asked. Audrey nodded her head.
"The Hand has no use for the artifacts they're stealing. They couldn't sell them. The church is such a powerful influence that anyone caught with a stolen artifact would be hanged immediately. No merchant would even consider buying them. Even in the black market, buyers as risky as that are few and far between. The items are like hot potatoes, you might say."
"But you said some of the artifacts were stolen from churches… those are already under the influence of the Church of Martel," Aidan observed correctly. "And anyway, if it is the will of the church to have a certain artifact, can't they just take it themselves? Nobody would resist. Why get a shady organization to help them do it?"
Juna nodded her head uneasily. "That's what we've been trying to figure out, to no avail. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to locate a single stolen artifact. Our spies in the capital haven't seen a single one. Either the Pope is hiding them really well in the cathedral, or they're not there at all. We really don't know."
"And, let me guess," Aidan said. "That's where I come in?"
Juna chuckled quietly and nodded her head. "Yes. That's where you come in."
Aidan shook his head and laughed. "But you still haven't explained why you want me. I mean, you look like you're all pretty capable… you've got one of the Nine Heroes, for Martel's sake."
Raven shook his head. His long, black hair swayed from side to side as he spoke. "And do you not think that every one of us is wanted by the church right now? The Pope had us excommunicated as soon as he started his reign, without provocation. That was when we began our investigations."
Realization dawned on Aidan like a light bulb flickering to life. "And I'm an unknown. They won't recognize me. They won't suspect me of working for you." The entire congregation nodded their heads, including the stony Bartheo. "Sorry, but I really don't feel like breaking in to the Glass Cathedral and attempting to kidnap the Pope from under the noses of the Papal Knights."
Juna laughed with amusement and shook her head. "No, no! We don't intend you to kidnap the Pope on your own! Goodness, no!" She laughed again. "You'd be killed before you even entered his chambers, by the Papal Trinity if not by the Papal Knights themselves." Aidan stared at her, either completely confused or just expecting further explanation. It was Audrey that laid out the plan.
"The Glass Cathedral is hundreds of years old," the young girl explained, "and countless priests and Popes have used uncharted secret tunnels to escape persecution. Pontifex Marcus III escaped unexplainably with his life during the horrible Gautrek Uprising two-hundred and thirty years ago, for example. Because no blueprints exist of the Cathedral's layout for safety reasons, we'll need you to focus on finding one – just one – that will allow us to reach the Papal Chambers and capture our target. Once you have verified a secure route, you will rendezvous with us and we will carry out the rest of the mission."
Aidan held out his hands in protest. "Woah, woah, woah. Why do I have to do this? You said you have spies in the capital! Why can't you have one of them scout out secret tunnels or whatever?"
Juna folded her hands on the table in front of her and looked directly at Aidan. "Our espionage network is highly stretched as it is. We can't have too many operatives in New Meltokio at one time. The saying 'safety in numbers' doesn't apply to espionage, Aidan. The agents we have are highly suspect as it is, and we've had to pull out many of them because they've become dangerously close to being found out by the Papal Knights. We can't risk their identities when we're so close."
"So you'll risk an innocent bystander instead," Aidan said, clearly annoyed. Juna sighed and looked away.
"It isn't that. We do trust you" – Bartheo scoffed at Juna's words, but she pretended not to hear him – "and we know you're right for the job. You don't have to do anything particularly dangerous. We aren't asking you to pretend to be a priest or monk or Papal Knight. We'll just plant you in New Meltokio as a tourist. The main hall of the Glass Cathedral is used for masses, but the building itself is quite massive, and tours are held all the time for interested onlookers. You can use that as a starting point. We can't risk using our other agents, because if any of the knights or priests recognized him, the results might be disastrous."
"And what makes you think I'll just go along with this? You did kidnap me, after all."
Genis let out a quiet laugh and pointed a finger accusingly at Aidan. "You can't fool me. I can tell that even now you want to know whether we're telling the truth about all this, and what's really going on with the Pope." Aidan was at a loss for words, and this caused Juna to smile successfully. This is what she had been banking on: Aidan's cooperation due to his own curiosity. Any other organization probably would just kidnap one of his family members and hold them ransom, but Zephyr wasn't about that sort of thing.
After several moments of internal struggling, Aidan couldn't think of a reason to refuse. Well, actually, he could thing of tons of reasons to refuse, but he couldn't honestly do it. He simply had to know the truth. Sure, he didn't care much for religion class in school, but he was a (fairly) faithful follower of the Church of Martel, and a scandal of this level was simply too big to ignore. How could he go home to the quiet village of Malachite after this?
"…All right," he said after a long, awkward silence. "I'll do it." There was a subdued feeling of general merriment from the rest of the group, mingled with their satisfaction, as though they knew he would come to their point of view all along.
"Excellent. You begin immediately. The next tour starts in two hours," Juna announced without hesitation.
Aidan looked shocked. "What? Two hours? But New Meltokio is a good day's journey from here—"
Audrey let out a quick giggle. "We're not in Malachite anymore, silly! We're in an underground compound that the church used to use in times of war. That's why all those tapestries have the symbol of the Church of Martel on them." The girl waved her hand at the four tapestries, one on each wall of the room. Aidan remembered them and nodded in realization. "We're really only about an hour away. Better get moving!"
The boy barely had time to think as he was ushered out of the room by the excited Audrey and the satisfied Juna.
---
Aidan had to admit, he felt very out of place.
He was standing in the entrance hall of the Glass Cathedral, surrounded by a gaggle of gawping tourists armed with guide books and khaki shorts. A pleasant looking young woman stood at the front of the crowd, attempting to catch their attention. "Welcome, everyone!" she announced in a sweet voice. The group hushed instantly and turned to her. "As you can see, we're currently standing in the main hall of the Glass Cathedral."
The tour guide motioned towards the walls, which were painfully unique in their design. The Glass Cathedral got its name because it was, in fact, crafted from a glass-like material on its outer surface, giving it an almost crystalline appearance. The inner rooms of the cathedral were hidden behind normal, stone walls, of course, but it was still a beautiful sight to behold, especially when the sunlight came dancing through the walls, casting electrifying patterns on the floor.
The slim woman was standing on the top of a marble staircase, behind which she explained was the audience chamber in which the Pope met with his people and made the general decisions affecting the land. Aidan paid close attention to her words, trying to pick out any hint that might help him in his quest, but she easily darted around everything he needed to know. All he could gather was that the Pope's private chambers were entirely separate from the audience chamber, and that they might pass by the private chambers if there was enough time. That didn't particularly help Aidan, though, because he needed a secret way into the Pope's room, not the front door.
The group was now being led down a corridor along the edge of the building, and Aidan was listening only half-heartedly to the tour guide's mechanical speech. He suspected that she wouldn't actually mention any of the hidden passages at all, except perhaps in vague conjecture. Therefore, his eyes were locked on the stony walls to his right and the various statues, busts, and artifacts that lay alongside it. Unfortunately, as they were still in the outer perimeter of the building, Aidan could not break away from the group: anyone on the other side of the glass wall could see him poking around the nooks and crannies of the castle, and no doubt the devout citizens of New Meltokio would call the guards on him.
Thankfully, the outer hallway passed by without incident, and the tour guide soon led them down a branching hall, away from the glass wall between them and the outside. This put Aidan on double alertness, because he knew he had to duck behind a statue or into another room or hallway and let the group get further along so he would have time to explore. His prayers were answered in the form of a rather grandiose statue of the previous Pope, Pontifex Nigellus XVI. The man was rather rotund, with a jolly belly protruding out of him and blocking a good third of the hallway (of course, the statue itself was somewhat bigger than life-size). After the guide had finished explaining that this particular Pope was famous for his unwavering strictness on the advances of magitechnology, the group moved on; Aidan pretended to be examining the plaque at the base of the statue interestedly, and when he was certain that nobody was looking, he ducked around to the side of the statue and waited until he could no longer hear the woman's practiced explanations anymore.
"Finally," he whispered to himself, peeking his head out and sweeping the hallway with his eyes. "Time to find this hidden tunnel and get the hell out of here."
As he continued his search, Aidan reminded himself that any hidden passageways would be well hidden, but not completely obscure: they had to be marked in some way so that the priests and Pope would be able to find them and make use of them. Of course, they still had to be obscure enough that nosy tourists – like him – would not find them easily. But somehow Aidan suspected that no tourists before him had really had the same determination to find a secret passage before.
It wasn't before Aidan passed by a bust of Pontifex Gregorius X's wife that he had a flash of insight. He bent over and examined the plaque, and thought back to a history lesson he had sat through not long ago.
---
The history professor, a tall man in his late thirties with black hair and a short goatee, had just finished writing down his notes on the blackboard, and the class was fervently copying them down as he spoke. "Class, today we're going to discuss Pontifex Gregorius X, who reigned from AC 900 to AC 910," he explained. A few of the students looked up after having finished their writing. "This was an unusually short reign for a Pope. Does anyone know why?"
A dirty-blonde haired girl with glasses raised her hand immediately. "Pontifex Gregorius' wife killed him during the night." She had spoken out of turn, but the professor didn't seem to mind; he chuckled and nodded his head.
"That's correct. His wife, Amelia, stabbed him in the chest while he was asleep," the man elaborated. "Unfortunately, nobody knows why, but there are many speculations. Who can name one?"
A boy in the front of the class raised his hand, and spoke when the professor gestured towards him. "I heard that the Pope disapproved of his wife sneaking around the Glass Cathedral and looking for the hidden passageways that are rumoured to exist there. He was constantly trying to stop her from nosing around, because he felt that it reflected badly on him."
The teacher nodded his head. "That is one idea. We know that the Pope's wife was a very vain and arrogant woman. Some experts believe she resented the way her husband constantly kept her out of the spotlight, and killed him for it. However, she was never seen after that night: only her dagger, with her fingerprints on it, was found at the scene, buried in the Pope's chest. The door to the Papal chambers is always guarded by two Papal Knights, and after hours not even the Pope himself is allowed to leave. How is it that she managed to escape?"
The boy answered again. "Maybe she actually managed to find one of those secret passages?"
The professor smiled and nodded again. "The most likely explanation. In fact, some believe that Amelia found many passages in the cathedral, and marked them with various artifacts so that she could locate them later. This makes sense, considering that she often vanished from the cathedral without a trace for hours or even days at a time, and considering that we know she had a big hand in redecorating the building during her husband's reign. Many of those artifacts may remain in the palace to this very day."
---
Aidan snapped back to reality and looked down at the bust again. Amelia Erif was a sinister looking woman, there was no doubting that; even her bust had the glare of a woman with vicious cogs turning in her mind. The plaque beneath her told about how she murdered her husband in cold blood and then mysteriously escaped the palace. But, wait… that doesn't make any sense, Aidan thought. Why would they make a bust of her after she was wanted by the entire church? For one thing, she was never seen again, so they wouldn't have had a model for the bust. He paced back and forth, considering this. Yes, the bust had to have been made before she left the palace. And considering her affinity for secret passages…
The boy examined the bust more closely. He could just feel that there was something odd about it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something about the eyes, the eyes…He paced back and forth, his eyes locked on hers. Then, suddenly, it came to him. The edges of the left eye were more worn than the right! A casual onlooker might just think of it as a sculptor's mistake, or the result of years of nearly a century of wear and tear, or they might simply overlook it altogether. Aidan, however, knew there was something important there. He reached forward tentatively and pressed the eye with his thumb.
Suddenly, a low rumbling could be heard, and Aidan panicked, thinking that somebody would hear him for sure and come running. Thankfully, nobody appeared at either end of the long hallway before the wall behind the wife's bust slid upwards, revealing a dark, dusty passageway. Cobwebs hung in every nook, and the torches that lined the walls at sparse intervals were not lit, and looked like they wouldn't work anymore. Although it was true that not every passageway in the cathedral led to the Pope's chambers, it was very likely that this one did. Aidan just had a huge feeling that this was the same passage Pope Gregorius' wife had used to escape the cathedral after murdering him.
His hollow footsteps echoed on the dusty walls as Aidan walked for what seemed like hours. The length of this passage – sure to be a direct route to the Pope's room, as opposed to the usual route – made him appreciate just how gigantic the Glass Cathedral was. As he moved on, he gradually became less and less careful; for that reason, he was completely taken off guard when he saw a man standing at the opposite end of the tunnel, holding a door open just a crack, and apparently eavesdropping on something. That wasn't the worst of it, though: Aidan recognized the man as Arthur Theo, Providence of the Papal Trinity.
Aidan didn't know what to do. The tunnel was perfectly straight, so he had nowhere to hide. If he stood there, the man would undoubtedly turn around and see him. As a member of the Papal Trinity, the Pontifex's most trusted generals, Arthur could easily have him put in prison and executed without a second thought. However, Aidan couldn't really run the other way, either: he would be heard in an instant, and hunted down like a dog before he could possibly escape the cathedral.
The thought that had not occurred to Aidan was what Arthur was doing eavesdropping in a secret passage that few people were supposed to know existed. Also, if Aidan's suspicions were correct, this tunnel ended up in the Pope's chambers, and thus Arthur was spying on Pontifex Nigellus XVII.
Before Aidan could even consider this, though, the young man turned around suddenly, a look of shock on his face.
Aidan suspected that the Providence of the Papal Trinity had heard his heartbeat; it certainly felt like it was loud enough to wake the dead. In any event, Aidan froze in place. He knew the game was up. Juna had told him that his mission wasn't particularly dangerous, and yet he was now face-to-face with a person whose power and influence were second only to the Pontifex himself. This was, admittedly, one of the most dangerous positions he could find himself in.
Summoning what little strength he could, Aidan managed to stumble backwards, more sliding his feet along the stony floor than actually walking. Arthur moved forward, his long, golden hair shimmering in the faint light given off by the cracked door at the end of the tunnel. He seemed to be extending his hands. Could he have been trying to calm Aidan down? No, Aidan thought frantically. He's going to cast a spell… he probably has all kinds of powerful magic… this is it! And then, he broke into a run.
He hadn't even moved three feet before he heard Arthur calling out to him. "Please, stop!" Yeah, right, Aidan thought. Want an easier target, do you? "Please! I'm not going to hurt you or turn you in to the guards!" Aidan suspected that the man was lying, even though he was a bishop of the Church of Martel. His voice sounded sincere, but…
Aidan stopped, not fully knowing why. Perhaps he realized that running was futile anyway; if Arthur wanted to, he could easily call the Papal Knights and have him arrested. So, Aidan reasoned, he might as well listen to what the bishop had to say. Arthur finally closed the gap between them, and to Aidan's delight, he made no attempt to attack.
"Thank you," the man said quietly. Now that he was up close, Aidan could really see his features. He was a slender young man, in his twenties. His blue eyes were unusually bright for someone as burdened as he, and they accented his vividly blonde hair very well. He wore simple, but elegant white robes, on which the only marking was a symbol of the church (the same angel as on the tapestries in the Zephyr base) on the robe's right shoulder. "Now… what are you doing in here?"
Aidan swallowed hard. If he were to tell the truth, he would have to admit looking for a secret passage so that Zephyr could use it to kidnap the Pope. There was no way in hell Arthur would allow him to leave the castle after saying something like that. But could Aidan really lie? Would it work? Surely a member of the Papal Trinity was far too wise to be taken by such a trick. Aidan decided he would tell the truth, but a 'director's cut' version, if you will.
"I… heard rumours that the Pope is involved in shady dealings," he explained carefully, trying to make himself sound as innocent as possible. "I thought that if I could find a passage to his chambers, I could figure out whether the rumours really were true."
Arthur was silent for a long moment, and looked to be considering the validity of Aidan's claim. He had a kind face, but that only masked his real power and influence in Aselia. "I see. I have many reasons to disbelieve you, but… I am here for that same reason."
Aidan was shocked. "Really?" he blurted. "You suspect the Pope of—"
"Consorting with the Hand of Beatrix? I don't know. But he has been acting oddly lately, and I wanted to find out why."
Aidan still didn't even consider risking Zephyr's secrecy by mentioning them to Arthur now. He would simply continue pretending to be a loner in his endeavour. "So… you were listening to him, just now?"
Arthur shook his head slowly. "I was hoping to, but he wasn't there. I don't know where he is. I know he isn't in the audience chamber… and usually when he has his private meetings, he holds them in his room. But now, he doesn't seem to be anywhere in the cathedral." The bishop sighed and brushed a few strands of golden hair from his face. "He should be here…" he muttered to himself. "The Papal Knights would never let him out of the cathedral after the attack in Malachite…"
Aidan had to agree. If the Pope wasn't safe in a tiny, quiet little village like Malachite, how could he possibly be safe in a large city brimming with political opponents like New Meltokio? The Papal Knights certainly had the ability – and the authority – to stop him from leaving the cathedral if they wanted to, so why would they let him escape now? Did he also use a secret passage? And if he did – why? To meet with more members of the Hand of Beatrix? There didn't seem to be any other reason why the Pope would sneak out of the Glass Cathedral without telling anyone.
"Do you really want to know what's going on with the Pope?" Aidan asked suddenly, snapping Arthur out of his reverie. The bishop nodded solemnly. "Then you have to make me a promise. Anything that happens between now and the time we part ways will not be spoken to anyone."
Arthur looked shocked, and considered this for a while, but eventually nodded his head.
"Good. Then follow me."
Aidan quickly and carefully led the bishop back the way he had come. Arthur closed the secret passage by running a finger along the lips of the bust of the Pope's wife. The pair then exited the cathedral. Since Arthur was a general of the Papal Trinity, none of the knights asked any questions; they simply nodded their heads and gave muffled words of acknowledgement as he passed by them. Aidan was as silent as the grave during their entire journey, and Arthur followed suit. It was only when they passed through the city gates and into the wilderness outside, approaching a caravan tended by hooded strangers, that Arthur stopped and asked, "Where are we going?"
Aidan turned his head. "I hope I'm doing the right thing, but… we're going to see Zephyr."