The Twisted Gate

by Matt Glicksman

  Mashira placed her hands on the arms of her seat. "Warn him? Who's we?"

  Eriph glanced at Feranis, but this time the archdon kept his sights fixed on the Council. "The founders."

  The Prima's knuckles turned white as she gripped the throne. She straightened her back, and her nostrils flared. "Excuse me?"

  Millan shuddered at the change in her tone, but Eriph's voice remained relaxed. "The founders, Your Luminescence."

  "As in the Death Gods?"

  "That's correct."

  "And when exactly did you receive this information?" Mashira asked.

  "A few days ago. Before I left Alovajj."

  The Death Gods were a group of citizens from various guilds who were exiled from the kingdom for controversial reasons. They now resided south of the border in Alovajj. The mention of this city sent the advisors into a frenzy.

  The Prima lifted her hands to quiet the Council. "Alovajj. You went to Alovajj? Without our permission?"

  "Yes, I know how it sounds, but—"

  Mashira sprang to her feet. "How it sounds? Don Eriph, you are on the verge of Ascension. And now, you have disregarded one of the most important rules of our guild."

  "Yes, but that rule was put in place to—"

  Mashira spoke over his protest. "No priest—don or archdon—is allowed to travel to Alovajj without express permission granted by the Council. This rule has been strictly enforced for three years now. Were you not aware of this?"

  "If you could just listen to—"

  "Were you or were you not aware of this? Answer me!" the Prima insisted.

  Eriph grumbled, "Yes, I was aware of it."

  "Then you know the penalty for it."

  "Do what you must, but please, just hear me out. They know things that can change this war. They can help. They have information we can use."

  "Oh, I'm well aware of that," the Prima said sternly. "There's a reason why they were exiled. This information you're referring to is dangerous. Pursuing it is what caused the incident at Deimor Outpost, the same incident, need I remind you, that is exactly why we enforce this rule with no exception. What possible reason could you have to go to Alovajj?"

  "I went for my specialty training, to train with Founder Brahawee."

  Mashira closed her eyes and lowered herself back into her seat. Millan looked around, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. The young priest knew the Death Gods had been exiled not long after the Assault on Light's Haven, but Don Skully never explained the details to him.

  "Don Eriph," Advisor Ayristark said. "When you consulted with me about whom to choose for your specialty training, did you not ask whether the founders were eligible?"

  "Yes, but—"

  "And do you remember my answer?"

  Eriph broke eye contact with the Council. "You told me that it would not only be disrespectful to choose a founder over an archdon, but it would also be viewed as treasonous."

  Ayristark curled his lip. "You didn't heed my words at all. You spit on them and treated them like chaff."

  "You must believe me when I tell you my decision was not out of disrespect but out of concern for our guild. Are we really supposed to turn a blind eye to the progress the Death Gods have made? Founder Brahawee was an archdon in Candelux and is the foremost expert on defensive conduit blessings. I was hoping to bring new ideas, abilities, and information back to our guild."

  "I knew the shield reminded me of something," the Prima said with disdain. "Unfortunately, the only thing you've brought is shame upon yourself. We adhere to the rules of this guild for a specific reason. We must protect the people in this kingdom, and we must preserve order. Yes, there was a time when diplomacy was an option with the Death Gods, but after the attack on Deimor Outpost, we have no need to fraternize with them."

  Eriph shook his head. "You're not listening to what I'm trying to say. We need them now."

  "For centuries, we've survived without their help," Mashira said. "This is no different. I'll give my advisors the opportunity to defend your actions, otherwise I'm left with no choice but to exclude you."

  "There's always a choice."

  "If you think I'm pleased with this, you're sorely mistaken. But what would you have me do? Exclusion is the penalty for breaking this rule. If I show you leniency, what prevents the next priest from traveling to Alovajj without permission? What is the point of having rules if they can be broken with no consequence? Advisors?"

  "The Death Gods are the worst of the worst. How could you believe they had anything good to offer?" Cole scolded. "If you side with them, then you are not one of us."

  Razza Merona offered her opinion next. "Personal feelings for the Death Gods aside, I agree with Prima Mashira. We have rules in place to keep everyone safe. You knew that travel to Alovajj was banned, and yet you went anyway. How could anyone condone that?"

  Deidok leaned forward. "There may come a time when the bond between Candelux and the Death Gods is reforged and the rule is done away with, but now is not that time."

  Ayristark scowled. "You chose a founder over one of us."

  Millan was dumbfounded as Eriph made no attempt to contest the Council's comments. The Nesinu priest was about to witness an expulsion from the guild.

  "Don Eriph." The Prima addressed him officially. "For blatant disregard of the guild's policy with respect to Alovajj and the Death Gods, I, Prima Mashira, witnessed by the Council and all others present, hereby exclude you from Candelux and strip you of your title and all privileges."

  "You're making a mistake," Eriph cautioned. "At the very least, listen to the warning. They've given me information on the Brotherhood as well."

  "The Death Gods are renowned for their deceit. Any message you have from them will only hinder our activities. This leaves me with a heavy heart, but as of this moment, you're no longer a priest of Candelux. That means these affairs are no longer your concern. Archdon Feranis, are there any other matters we need to discuss?"

  "Only our plan to travel to Nesinu tomorrow."

  "Right, the twisted gate. I support that course of action. I trust in your abilities, and I know the priests will be safe with you. Even the Seductress wouldn't be foolish enough to attack in daylight. Are there any who are opposed?"

  Advisor Ayristark raised his index finger. "Not opposed, but I advise exercising extra caution in your travels."

  "Absolutely," the Nolka archdon said.

  "Excellent. If there's nothing further to discuss, then this meeting is adjourned," Mashira said. "I will be expecting your report tomorrow evening. May the angels give us strength and guide us. May the angels watch over you."

  Only Feranis and Millan replied. "And you as well."

  Chapter 9

  The Substitute

  "Don Millan, please wake up. You're going to be late."

  Three knocks came in quick succession.

  Half awake, the Nesinu priest rolled over. "Hmm?"

  "Don Millan, I was sent to get you. Are you up?"

  "Yes…yes. Just a moment." Millan kept his eyes closed and before long he was fast asleep. Loud pounding on the door jarred him awake.

  "I'm up!" He forced himself out of bed. The Nesinu priest yawned to the point his jaw nearly popped out of place. His robe hung from a nearby chair, but he lacked the motivation to move toward it.

  "Don Millan?" The female voice was persistent.

  "Yes, I'm awake. I am. Just let me get dressed." The young priest shuffled his feet and pulled the robe over his normal clothes. Then, he flipped the black scarf over his head and around his shoulders. He checked the area one last time to see if he had forgotten anything before he opened the door.

  "Good morning."

  "Good morning, Don Millan. My name is Benedoli."

  He recognized her by her red hair, but he hadn't been close enough before to see her lovely freckled face. "Yes, I know. I saw you last night."

  The squire scrunched her forehead.

  Millan felt his heart skip a beat. "
At the, um…the…the dinner. In the dining hall. When Don Yatiga called on you."

  Benedoli studied his face. "Are you all right?"

  Millan suppressed a yawn and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Yes, I just had some difficulty falling asleep last night. Why? Is something the matter?"

  "Archdon Feranis said you'd be teaching the senior squire class in Don Yatiga's absence."

  "He did?" Millan gasped. "He did! Of course. Am I late?"

  "Not yet. Follow me, please."

  Millan shut the door to his room and strolled down the corridor after her. As they descended the steps outside the rectory, the clock tower rang out seven times.

  The squire peeked over her shoulder. "Seven strikes. Now we're late."

  "Not the best start, I suppose."

  "I think given the circumstances, a few minutes won't hurt."

  "So, you have your classes outside the rectory?" Millan asked as they journeyed toward the city center.

  "Yes, the rectory is for offices, dining, and living. Our city has a large school that is shared by the guilds and sects for training. We reserve a few rooms for our squire classes."

  Millan suddenly realized he had no curriculum prepared. "So, what should I teach the class?"

  "I don't know. Whatever you like, I suppose. Whatever you want to teach us."

  As they meandered through the crowd, Millan reminisced about what he enjoyed most from his time as a squire. The truth was that he relished everything Don Skully had taught him, from history lessons to blessings. As the pair passed by the fountain, Millan slowed his pace. For an instant, he saw Reaper standing atop the angel statue. The so-called execution had all been a distraction so the Seductress, one of the most vile creatures known in the kingdom, could recover a new demon of unknown power and significance.

  "Don Millan, over here."

  The Nesinu priest discovered he had lost his guide, but it didn't take long to spot her by one of the side streets.

  Benedoli waved at him.

  Millan jogged up to her. "My apologies."

  "No worries. We're already late as it is."

  Their destination wasn't much farther up the path. Though the school was large like the Candelux rectory, the exterior was plain and matched the architecture of the surrounding buildings, making it relatively inconspicuous. Benedoli escorted Millan through the school until they arrived at the squire classroom. When the door opened, there was a hush, and the squires stood in respect. Millan's guide weaved between her classmates and took her place among them.

  The Nesinu priest pushed the door shut before making his way to the front of the class. "Good morning."

  "Good morning, Don," the students answered in unison.

  Millan took a deep breath. His heart was pounding. "Please be seated. My name is Don Millan. As some of you may know, Don Yatiga has been missing since last night, so Archdon Feranis has asked me to teach your class this morning."

  The class watched him in silence.

  "So…um…well, I'm not exactly sure what Don Yatiga was teaching you all. Maybe we can start there. Who can tell me what you were learning?"

  A girl with dark hair sitting next to Benedoli raised her hand. "Don Yatiga was going to administer a test today about the Assault on Light's Haven."

  Groans came from the other students as the girl quietly defended herself to nearby classmates.

  "Hey now, that's enough," Millan said. "Everyone, please calm down."

  The class fell silent again as the young girl crossed her arms in front of her chest.

  "Look. I'm not your teacher, so I won't be giving any test. How about we just talk about the Assault a little, huh? We'll see how well you would've done if there were a test. You know, when I was a squire, the Assault was the most interesting history lesson for me because I was alive when it happened. In fact, I'm sure most of you were too. Who can tell me when the Assault on Light's Haven happened?" Millan pointed to a squire near the back.

  "About sixteen years ago."

  "That's right. And what other event, unrelated to the Assault, coincided with that day?" Millan gestured to a student who was timidly holding up his hand.

  "Prima Mashira's Illumination ceremony."

  "Correct," Millan said. "Some believe the demon attack was intentionally scheduled for that day so the Prima wouldn't have any time to learn how to wield her new power. But as we all know, the Assault failed. Right? Light's Haven is safe and sound. Who can tell me the two major incidents that contributed to our victory? Benedoli?"

  The class laughed. Hers was the only name he knew. Millan blushed but hid his embarrassment by bringing his hand to his mouth and pretending to yawn.

  Benedoli rolled her eyes. "Our victory was thanks in a large part to Shinigami's betrayal of the Brotherhood and the surfacing of the demon lord."

  "Thank you. Now someone else. Tell me about Shinigami."

  The dark-haired girl next to Benedoli bit her thumbnail between her smiling lips before she finally raised her other hand. Before Millan had the chance to acknowledge her, she spoke. "Shinigami was the leader of the Brotherhood of Prevarra. It's estimated that he held the rank of Grand Overseer for over twenty-five years. There's no record of him having any family. No one knows where he came from. And before the Assault, no one outside the Brotherhood even knew what he looked like or where he lived. When the demons attacked, he surrendered himself to the royal watchers and gave up the demons' positions."

  "And which—"

  "Don Millan," one of the squires interrupted.

  "Uh, yes?"

  "Why would he do that?"

  "I'm sorry?"

  "Shinigami. He comes out of nowhere and leads the Brotherhood for a quarter of a century, helping the demons. He's the greatest human enemy in the kingdom. And then, on the day the demons come together to form one giant army, ready to lay waste to Light's Haven, he switches sides? Why?"

  "Well, that's an interesting question. I suppose the person who could answer that best would be Shinigami himself. But since he's not here, what do you all think?"

  "Change of heart!" someone called out, trying to stay anonymous.

  Another squire scoffed. "Nobody just has a change of heart after twenty-five years."

  "Well, then what do you suggest?" Millan asked.

  "I think he and Verago had an agreement, and the Devil backstabbed him."

  "What?" another student challenged.

  "Sure. Once Verago saw his army on the verge of victory, he cut his ties with Shinigami, who in turn betrayed Verago in an act of desperation to save his own hide."

  "That's ridiculous. Verago isn't an idiot. He wouldn't cast aside his most powerful ally until the Talisman was good and destroyed."

  Millan was content to lean against the wall as the students argued among themselves. It seemed like the easiest way to fill the hour gap until he could leave for Nesinu with the other dons and Archdon Feranis. Letting his mind wander, the priest imagined riding into his hometown and finding Don Skully, mildly injured. He would run to his rescue and heal the old man's wounds. His daydream vanished as the class became unruly without his mediating. Millan reluctantly rejoined the conversation. "All right, let's calm down."

  One squire pointed at his classmate. "Yeah, you would know. Your uncle is the overseer in Memorial City."

  "Whoa! Whoa! Hey! Sit down," Millan commanded. "Heh, can't leave you guys alone at all, huh?"

  "Targan started it. Said I was related to a Death God."

  Targan defended his accusation. "Well, you are cousins with Founder Drevarius, aren't you?"

  "I told you. He's a distant cousin. He's not even regarded as a member of our family."

  "That's enough," Millan scolded. "Many people are related to Death Gods. Who cares? We're off topic. Where were we now?"

  Benedoli helped him get back on track. "How Shinigami helped us stop the demons at the Assault."

  "Right, thank you. That's enough about him, though. Let's discuss the demon lord. Who can te
ll me what happened there? How about you?" Millan motioned to a squire that hadn't spoken yet.

  "There was a large earthquake that shook the city, and for the first time in history, a twisted gate appeared. It looked like an oversize fray pod, large enough to be seen from the city walls. The bloodseekers said the demon that emerged had the strongest aura they had ever felt."

  "That's right. And bloodseekers are considered the best energy detectors in the kingdom."

  "Even better than the Prima?" Benedoli asked.

  Millan shrugged. "Well, maybe not all of them, but I'm pretty sure the champion bloodseekers are. They're the elite after all."

  "My uncle's a Champion of the Light," Targan bragged.

  "Oh, shut up, Targan," the squire said over the groans of the class. "He's just a guardian."

  "Guardians are equally important!" he shot back.

  Millan intervened. "Come on, everyone. This is Candelux, not the Paladin Order. There's no need to start a debate about which type of paladin is better than the other. Let them sort that out."

  "But it's so obvious. Bloodseekers can hunt down demons and they're clearly the best physical fighters. All a guardian is good for is holding up a shield."

  "Oh?" Targan said. "Is that why the guild master is a guardian?"

  Millan held up his hands. "Angels help me. You guys really like to argue, don't you? But we're way off track here. This is a conversation about the Assault on Light's Haven. Now, I believe someone was going to tell me what happened after the demon lord came out of the twisted gate."

  "The purge happened," one of the students answered. "It wiped out all the fray in the area, a bunch of lesser iymed, and even the Marksman."

  "And were there any human casualties because of it?" Millan asked.

  "No, the demon lord surfaced too far from the city."

  "And who knows why the demon purged?"

  The dark-haired girl proudly explained, "The demon lord is a class more powerful than the greater iymed, but its power comes at a price. The agony it's forced to suffer through is so unbearable that it's impossible for a demon lord to walk the Surface."

  Millan contemplated Eriph's words from the night before. Maybe it wasn't impossible for a demon lord to exist on the Surface, but there was no point confusing the squires. "Correct. And ultimately, what was the fate of the demon lord?"