by N. M. Howell
“Let me guess... that bloodline is ours?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Super.”
“Whoever is left of our line must be protected at all costs.”
“The whole blood traitor thing makes sense now. Looks like we have another battle on our hands. Fortunately, you and I have been studying the grimoires for months.”
“And learned a considerable amount.”
“So, there’s the Beautiful Dead, the Battalion, and a host of other smaller threats, and we have no idea where any of them are or what they’re planning. It’s going to be a long year.”
A messenger came running from the caves. He bowed and handed the letter to Saeryn. After reading it, Saeryn looked at Andie solemnly.
“It’s another warning from your Professor Marcus,” she said. “They’re still finding bombs, though thankfully no more have gone off. He’s also warning us that the city has been getting a lot of rather serious threats from eastern Noelle.”
“Well, we always knew we had our work cut out for us,” Andie said, gripping her armor tighter. “We’ll deal with them as they come. Right now, we need to get ready to fly to Arvall. If we leave by dusk we can make it to the ceremony.”
Chapter Two
Andie, Saeryn, and Lymir stood with the rest of the faculty and staff of the University. The day had finally come to reopen the institution under its new mission.
Lymir stepped forward and began his speech, but Andie was too busy to listen. She and the other high members of the University had received an onslaught of angry, vengeful letters in the preceding days. Some had been mere reminders of how eastern Noelle felt, but others had been too evil to ignore. Precautions, both tactical and magical, had been taken to make sure that nothing happened on the first day. The police force of Arvall were also called to help keep the peace. Still, just that morning Andie received a letter demanding they close the school or risk being attacked. The letter threatened that the dragonborn and dragons would be eradicated for good. It was signed by the battalion.
Andie knew that wherever he was, Ashur was plotting his revenge. Saeryn thought it best not to tell the people about the letters. The other members agreed. They all believed it was high time they opened the University and set the world back on the right track. Enjoying the era of the Great Peace was just as important as protecting it.
“…which is what we’ve always wanted,” Lymir said. “Finally, the citizens of the world have begun to welcome the dragonborn to live among them and to teach them. I believe the coming days will be the best the world has ever known. While it would be foolish to assume that we can change every heart, I know we can still make this world the place it always should have been and that starts today, with reopening of the University. Once a stark symbol of oppression and murder, this institution will now be dedicated to helping any and all who walk through its doors. We will educate…”
Andie couldn’t leave her place on the podium, but she focused all of her attention on surveying the crowd and the area. She was almost certain this was a mistake; they’d risked all these lives and the reopening of the University just so they could show that they were strong. She wondered if that strength would be enough once the bombs began. But before she knew it the audience was clapping, Lymir was done, and the ribbon was cut. The ceremony was complete and confetti and balloons rained down.
Andie turned to Saeryn, who looked just as concerned as she was, and then motioned for them to leave. They smiled and waved to the crowd before hurrying off. Everyone else headed to the front doors to see the University. Oren found his way out of the crowd and over to them, with Lymir close on his heels.
“I can see you were just as anxious as I,” Saeryn said to Andie. “I seriously doubted our decision.”
“Yeah,” Andie responded. “I was sure something awful was going to happen. And I still don’t feel comfortable enough to feel safe.”
“I have been extremely watchful all morning,” Oren said. “I haven’t been able to relax for a fortnight and today I seem more suspicious than ever. I don’t care to have so many enemies about and to not know where they are or what they want to do.”
“I think we’re all a little anxious today,” Lymir said. “And for good reasons. At least with the University we knew exactly who the enemy was, where they were located, and what they were capable of. We still don’t understand the full extent of the battalion’s armor or of how the Dead have adapted in the last centuries. And we’ve received threats from at least two hundred other smaller groups.”
“Two hundred?” Saeryn asked.
“The danger is far from over. I still believe Arvall City and the Hot Salts are safe, but for how long? I think it might be best if we sent a party to investigate.”
“I would second that,” said Oren. “It’s time we became more proactive. Our enemies won’t dare to show their faces yet, but the more we let them get away with, the more they will attempt. I could lead a party out now.”
“I’ll go with you,” Andie said. “And we can get a couple more dragonborn to fly with us. Saeryn and Lymir could get the Arvall police to increase patrols, at least for tonight. We could leave now and fly north. That seems to be where most of the letters are coming from and the field burnings are in the northern tracts of the String Fields.”
“Be careful, princess,” said Saeryn.
Saeryn and Lymir turned to search for the police, and Andie and Oren made their way to Oren’s dragon. Andie still found herself disappointed that there was not a dragon for her yet, but she had been told to give it more time. She and Oren mounted the dragon and Oren signaled three nearby dragonborn. They all took off. Andie looked back and just before the people were too small to make out anymore, she saw him. Raesh.
They flew north to Taline. They landed at the edge of the city and go on foot. Since the Chancellor and his men were stopped, Taline had finally experienced peace and been allowed the chance to get back on its feet. The city thrived with Stefan’s leadership. Andie and Oren met with him to see what news he has.
“We’ve received some rather cruel sounding missives, but nothing like what you’re getting in Arvall,” Stefan said. “Honestly, things are quiet here. Without the bombings and destruction that Mharú subjected us to, the city was finally able to rest and come together. We have taken precautions, though. We’ve strengthened security along Gordric’s Pain and set up watchtowers along the silver cliffs. We conduct weekly patrols as far south as Michaelson and as far North as the Church of Stone and Sea. We’ve tried our best to catch whoever is burning the messages into the String Fields, but they continue to elude us. If you’re looking for my opinion on the matter, I agree with you. Whoever your enemies are, they lie to the north. I would suggest you visit the Church. I don’t often go on patrols myself, but I happened to go on the last round. I wasn’t at all satisfied with their behavior. The Church has always been... odd, but this was something else entirely. You could do worse than to investigate there.”
They left Taline and flew all night and all morning until they reached the Church at dawn. Andie had heard many stories of the Church, but nothing could have prepared her for it. The Church of Stone and Sea was exactly what its name described. A sacred house of worship built from the red sand of the very beach on which it stood. Its foundation was made from the last of Noelle’s Voldredarian stone—a material as hard as steel, more valuable than gold, and enchanted to sing persuasive hymns to all passersby. Many who stay too long around the Church never leave. The red sand made the Church one of the most beautiful buildings Andie had ever seen, perhaps the only structure that ever rivaled the dragonborn caves. But what was most impressive about this building was not its vermillion walls or even the songs of its stones. It was the sheer size of the structure. The Church was the largest manmade structure in history. It stood at over two hundred meters tall and was more than twenty kilometers long and as many wide. It took over a thousand years to build. Andie was speechless.
; “I never knew men could make such things,” Oren said.
“You and me both,” Andie said, craning her neck. “You never came here before?”
“No. The Church was already completed by the time I grew of age, but the dragonborn have always stayed away from this place. One hears stories of terrible things. Our people believe this place isn’t enchanted, but cursed.”
“But it’s a church. Right?”
“No, it is much more than that. Inside those walls is an entire culture. They are an entirely different race, completely self-sustaining. Many people who go in never see the light of day again. No one knows what happens to them. And the priests, if they can be called that, are said to be the most dangerous of all, hardly the holy men you might anticipate.”
“What’s so dangerous about them?”
“I’ve only heard stories and perhaps none of them were true, but be on guard here, princess. We don’t know anything about these people. Can you hear it? The hymn?”
Andie turned her ear to the Church and focused; not only did she hear the hymn, she realized she had been hearing it since she landed. In fact, she even knew the words. The Church had been singing to her ever since she came into its range. Suddenly, she knew exactly what the Church wanted and what part she could play. What part she should play. Before she could hear anymore, Andie cast a spell to block the hymn. Instantly, she felt her autonomy and her own mind return.
Andie and the others walked toward the Church, entering its unbelievably massive shadow. The Church was the most beautiful and dazzling building she had ever seen, but without its hypnotic hymn in her ears, Andie was able to think clearly and stay focused. As they came to the gargantuan front doors, they opened without warning. It was a triple door. The two side doors swung slowly inward and the middle door swung inward and up. Oren and the others hesitated for a moment, but Andie beckoned them forward.
“It’s unsettling, I know,” she said. “But somebody seems to be expecting us. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about that.”
They entered and found themselves inside a cavernous foyer, totally alone. Once they cleared the path of the doors, the triple doors close behind them, completely soundless. Andie and Oren shared a look. Andie looked around and if it hadn’t been for the knots in her stomach she might have been floored by the total, genius beauty of the place. The fixtures and furniture were expertly crafted in red and gold, gothic style, with the posts and points so sharp they could be daggers. Now that she was closer to the red sand walls, Andie could see that they were also reflective. She could see herself looking back. Right before her eyes, a line appeared in the wall.
The line, at first, looked like a split, but then it grew and began to separate the wall. As the split grew, the sand lost its fixed state and began to spill, but did so in a predesigned pattern, falling to the floor and running into two neat piles on either side of the new opening in the wall. Soon after, a perfect rectangular opening had appeared and six men moved toward Andie and her friends. The men were clad in translucent robes so that you can see their bodies beneath, but couldn’t make out details. It unnerved Andie. The men’s faces, however, were covered with the same red sand as the walls, leaving only a space for their mouths. Andie was incredibly tempted to ask them if they could see. Her curiosity was quickly replaced by a mix of wonder and dread as the men came to a stop just in front of her, forming a perfect line, side-by-side.
“Welcome...”
“Travelers...”
“To...”
“This...”
“Our...”
“Church.”
Each man spoke one word and allowed the next to continue. Of all the things Andie had seen in the Church so far, this was by far the eeriest. For a moment neither she nor Oren could speak.
“And we thank you for your welcome,” Oren finally said. “Might I be right in assuming you are the famous priests of the Church?”
“We...”
“Are...”
“But...”
“Six...”
“Of...”
“Them.”
“I see. We ask your forgiveness for our intrusion here, but we are of the dragonborn people recently brought to your world from another time. What we seek is knowledge of our enemies, who seem to increase by the day. We have received a series of threats and—”
“Do...”
“You...”
“Charge...”
“Us...”
“With...”
“Machinations?”
“Certainly not. We’re only here to inquire if you have heard anything that might help us gauge where our enemies are or what they might be up to. Many of the letters we’ve received seem to have come from your region. We accuse you of nothing, but we have heard of the admirable watch you keep over this region and its movements. Have you heard anything that might be of assistance to us?”
Oren waited for an answer, but the men simply stood there, facing straight ahead without moving or making a sound. Andie got the distinct impression that they were doing something deliberate that she and her friends couldn’t see.
“Wise priests,” Oren began again. “My comrades and I mean you no harm, nor do we wish to interfere with the workings of your Church. We ask nothing of you but information. Here with me today is someone very important to our people. This is Andie Rogers—”
“Don’t...”
“Lie.”
“It...”
“Surely...”
“Cannot...”
“Be.”
“It is,” Andie said. “My name is Andie Rogers, princess of the dragonborn. I wouldn’t have come here if this weren’t something critical to the survival of my people.”
“Please...”
“Follow...”
“Us...”
“Most...”
“Revered...”
“Princess.”
The priests turned and began to walk back by the way they came. Andie followed without hesitation, hoping the sooner she found out what they knew the sooner she can leave this place. Oren and the four dragonborn warriors that accompanied them followed. The priests led them deep into the Church, through more hidden doors that spilled open and rooms massive and brilliant. So far, they’d seen no other people besides the priests, but soon they came to a room that must have been at least a kilometer wide. The room was filled with wonderful, warm smells and Andie realized that the entire room was a kitchen and the thousands of people there were all cooking. Her eyes wandered over the dishes and she saw foods she could neither describe nor comprehend.
“What is that?” Andie asked, pointing to a peculiar looking dish.
“Our...”
“Specialty.”
“A...”
“Serving...”
“Of...”
“Cloud.”
Andie took a closer look and, sure enough, the dish was translucent and waving sedately. Yet it wasn’t just a piece of cloud. They’d done something to it. Andie shuddered and turned. She noticed the cooks’ faces were covered with the same red sand as the priests’.
“How do they see?” she asked.
“Our...”
“God...”
“Shows...”
“Us...”
“The...”
“Way.”
Andie looked at Oren, who already had his hand on his sword. The priests hadn’t done or said anything untoward, yet Andie felt something off about them. Something sinister. Andie had learned to trust her instincts and just then they were telling her to prepare for an unpleasant surprise.
The priests led them out of the kitchen and into a room considerably smaller than the others. The priests abruptly stopped and turned toward Andie, who nearly drew her sword she was so startled. She took a quick glance around the room, but there was nothing to see. It was completely empty. For a moment, the priests just stood there, their translucent robes billowing around them, which was odd because there was no wind.
“What...”
“Did...”
“You...”
“Expect...”
“To...”
“Find?”
“Nothing,” Andie said, stepping back in response to their tone. “We told you all we want is information. We know nothing about you and your Church.”
“That...”
“Much...”
“Is...”
“Clear...”
“Little...”
“Princess.”
Andie realized that something was different about the room, something beautiful. It was the hymn. Her spell wasn’t working there. She could hear the hymn and it was louder, more persuasive. It was hypnotizing.
“If there’s something you want to say then speak up,” she said, finding her courage. “We’re not here to fight, but it seems you want to provoke us. I suggest you start talking or show us the way out, but if you continue like this I can guarantee you won’t like how it ends.”
“Finally.”
“The...”
“Future...”
“Queen...”
“We...”
“Seek.”
Andie was about to ask them what that meant when the men began to levitate. As if that wasn’t troubling enough, the men began to merge. All six into one body. And still the hymn flowed into her ears. As she looked at her fellow dragonborn, she could tell the song was getting to them, too.
Chapter Three
“At the Church of Stone and Sea we seek one thing and one thing only: the unity of all people.” The new entity spoke with the voices of all six, its voice hollow and layered and echoed throughout the surrounding space. “All people believing as we do. All people united under our banner. All people wearing the red sand. We felt your power from afar, Andie Rogers. The very walls here desire you. Only you can realize the dream that we have dreamt for centuries. Too long have we subsisted on merely taking the chance passersby who get caught in our hymn. We want the world, which you can deliver. You ask if we know of your enemies and the answer is yes. We have been in contact with all groups that wish you ill. No one passes through our region without our knowledge. We have made promises to each, but we wish to deny them. We wish you to be our ally and spread the seeds of the Church across the lands. Imagine: one people, one mind, one goal, one Church.”
