Crisis of Faith by Benjamin Medrano (z-lib.org)

by Unknown

  “My apologies for the delay, we were at the academy when we received word,” Nadis said, nodding to the others, then looked at the prisoner, her eyes narrowing slightly. “So this is the man who led the attackers?”

  “That’s right. From what was said, he’s the one who threw the fireball at me, and injured Ollie,” Elissa confirmed evenly, glancing at Ollie as she added, “Are you sure you’re fine being here, for that matter?”

  “Of course I am. I’d rather look the man who almost killed me in the eyes and decide what I think than hide from it,” Ollie said, his gaze unwavering as he stared at Feldan. Tyria could sense the truth of his words, and slowly she smiled more, pleased with the young man. Few people could truly reserve judgment for one another, and she doubted that Elissa and Nadis would ever get along on a personal level. On the other hand, Ollie would make an excellent high priest one day, Tyria thought. That was one of the opportunities that needed to be opened in Medaea’s church, in fact.

  “I… see. That’s generous of you,” Nadis said, looking more than a little taken aback by how calm the two clergy were, but she focused instead on the prisoner, who was separated from their chairs by prison bars. “Now, then. What is all of this?”

  Albert cleared his throat and explained. “As I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Albert Windgale, the head of the local branch of the Western Adventurer’s Guild, Archpriestess. As an alchemist, I was called upon to help interrogate the prisoners, and I learned early on that they were rendered immune to all of the common elixirs for compelling truthful speech. That’s unfortunately common among secret agents, so I wasn’t able to do much. However, they aren’t immune to most of the simple truth elixirs, so when Feldan decided he was willing to talk, I was called in to ensure he was speaking the truth.”

  “Not that you were damned well needed. I was willing to talk, so would you get out of my face?” Feldan demanded, his words clipped short as he wrinkled his nose in distaste. “You smell terrible.”

  “Ah,” Nadis said, nodding and smoothing her dress as she took a seat. “That would explain it.”

  “Additionally, I can tell you that Feldan isn’t native to this continent, either. While it’s faint, I detect the accent of one of the natives of the Great Labyrinth to his speech,” Albert added, looking down at the man with a slight smile. “I hadn’t expected him to be from there, considering how far away we are.”

  Tyria tilted her head slightly in interest at that, since it was new information to her. She did know that the city around the Great Labyrinth was rather far to their east across the ocean, after all. She didn’t know what the northern continent was named these days, as there was a good deal to re-learn about the world.

  “I’m afraid that we already realized that the attackers were foreigners, Albert. Unlike you, we’re well aware how few non-dawn or dusk elves follow Tyria, so seeing the attackers was rather… telling,” Diamond said, her voice calm, and a smile flickering across her face. “Would you please let Feldan speak? I’d like to get this over with, if possible.”

  “As you wish, Lady Diamond. I’m just glad the jail is at the base of the city,” Albert said, glancing at Feldan as he took a couple of steps back.

  “Unfortunately,” Tyria heard Desa mutter under her breath.

  “Fine, fine… so, I’m Feldan Soarlik. Yes, I attacked the caravan, and I don’t regret it, either,” Feldan said, spitting on the floor as he looked around the room and scowled. “Now that that’s out of the way, just execute me and be done with it.”

  “Why?” Elissa asked calmly.

  “Why what? Isn’t that what you do with prisoners?” Feldan retorted angrily.

  “Don’t give me that. We both know you’re just being difficult; you wouldn’t have called us all here for this,” Elissa replied politely, looking at him closely. “You’re a powerful man, even I can tell that. Why did you attack me? You aren’t a zealot of Medaea, you don’t have the attitude of an assassin or mercenary… no, you’re something else. So I have to ask why.”

  “Ha! And why should I tell you?” Feldan asked, his voice almost taunting as he looked around the room. “I could just have been trying to waste your time.”

  “I suspect because you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in prison cells, and neither do your people. Maybe you had a message to send, but I’m not sure,” Desa said, looking at the man pointedly. “Besides, you were under the effects of the elixir when you told us you were ready to talk to everyone, so spit it out already.”

  For a minute Feldan didn’t speak, instead looking around the room angrily. He didn’t look at Tyria, of course, his gaze passing right over her, but he obviously wasn’t a happy man. Instead he took a breath like he was about to yell at Desa, then let it pass.

  “Yes, I did that, didn’t I? Damn, I would’ve rather yanked your chain more, like I am now,” Feldan said at last. He looked at them for a moment, then continued. “We’re followers of Baldwin, if you absolutely have to know, and we were trying to sow chaos between your two little factions.”

  “What? Baldwin? Isn’t he the Forge God?” Desa asked, blinking in confusion as she looked around the room. “Why would his followers be interfering here?”

  For a moment the room was quiet, no one seeming to want to speak.

  “Ah… Baldwin and Medaea had an… unfortunate relationship, from what legends have to say,” Diamond began, her tone slightly delicate.

  “What she means is that they were enemies,” Feldan interrupted impatiently. “She took his eye and a hand during the Godsrage, and he was forced to create a new hand from metal to make do. When we heard about what happened here, we thought it only fair to create a little chaos, though…”

  Feldan’s voice trailed off as his gaze settled on Tyria as she let the concealment lapse, also drawing the attention Albert and the guards. It took a moment more for the others to react and turn to face her, which she understood. Her gaze was fixed on Feldan’s, though.

  “What you claim is interesting, since I have no recollection of those events,” Tyria said, prompting the man to color briefly, but she clarified as she continued speaking. “I’m not saying we didn’t fight. I remember battling Baldwin during the Godsrage and our battle did immense damage to our surroundings, as I could barely scratch him, and he couldn’t prevent me from healing myself. The part that surprises me is that I also remember us calling a truce, just after what I suspect was the world tree’s destruction. My memories end there, so I do not know what happened afterward… but I find it very difficult to believe myself capable of taking his eye or hand.”

  “You… you can’t be…” Feldan began haltingly, swallowing several times as he stared at her in mingled fascination and horror.

  “My Lady,” Elissa said, standing and gracefully curtseying.

  Almost as if prompted by her words, the others quickly stood and bowed or curtseyed, though Albert’s was relatively shallow, as was those of Nadis’s guards. Tyria resisted the urge to sigh, waving them down.

  “Go ahead and take your seats. I’ve been keeping an eye on how the conference has progressed, but also have been endeavoring not to interfere as long as it is going well. This, however, is slightly more curious to me, as I’ve wondered about the gaps in my memories, particularly how fragmented things are immediately before my slumber,” Tyria said, shaking her head slowly. “I know why I slept. However, these… issues aren’t the fault of Irethiel or Ulvian Sorvos, as much as I might wish to blame them. No… and more curious is that Feldan isn’t entirely certain that his decision to cause trouble was his own idea.”

  “How do you know that?” Feldan demanded, his scowl fading to be replaced by shock.

  “I can sense the truth of things, and it was obvious,” Tyria said simply, letting her gaze play across the others as she considered, then added, “As to Baldwin, I should stress that we were not truly enemies, even if we were opponents in the Godsrage. There was no significant bad blood between us, but we each had different al
lies. That was what set us in conflict, I’m afraid.”

  “I… think I understand, Your Eminence,” Diamond murmured, nodding slightly, then turned back toward Feldan as she arched an eyebrow, then spoke. “So why is it that you’re unsure that it was your own idea? I trust Tyria’s ability to sense the truth, so I believe it’s worth asking.”

  Feldan’s jaw tightened slightly, and for a moment the man was silent, staring at Tyria with mingled anger and fear in his eyes. She could practically see him trying to decide what to do or say, but Tyria wasn’t about to do anything to force him to speak.

  “The moment I cast my spell to attack, I wondered what in all the hells I was doing,” Feldan said at last, his tone grating. “I don’t know about anyone else, but that is a jarring moment to have second thoughts. If it’d been a little later, sure, but then? It’s odd. Worse, I shouldn’t have called for an attack on the caravan to begin with. There were twice as many guards as I counted on, and I’m not so much of an idiot that I’d expect to beat them with only thirty people. It doesn’t make sense the more I think about it, which makes me think I was being manipulated. By who or what, I don’t know, but if I was, they left just after I attacked.”

  “That is interesting. And even if you’d informed us immediately, my own use of mental control likely destroyed any clues that were left behind,” Elissa said, frowning a little. “I’m not going to apologize for it, as it reduced the number of injured and dead, but it makes this more complicated.”

  “Assuming it’s true,” Desa said bluntly.

  “The elixir is still working,” Feldan spat out, glaring at Desa angrily.

  “Yes, it is. However, enough strange things have happened in the last year that I refuse to take everything at face value. I think you’re telling the truth. Whether or not you’re right is an entirely different subject,” Desa replied calmly, looking directly back at him. “Oh, I’m sure that Tyria knows more than she’s telling us, likely because the arcane rules of the gods require it, but that isn’t information I have. What I know for certain is that you attacked one of Her Majesty’s guests in Everium’s territory, and banditry is punishable by imprisonment or death. As we do not have evidence you were acting of your own free will, you’ll be kept imprisoned for now.”

  “Fine,” Feldan replied, scowling back at her. “Will your investigators at least quit badgering me about why we did it?”

  Desa inclined her head slightly, smiling as she said. “Yes, unless they have something they need clarified. Even if you didn’t act of your own volition, I somehow doubt all of your people were controlled as well. In any case…”

  “I believe it is time for me to go. I’ve not met with any other deities since I woke, and I believe that it’s time for that to change,” Tyria interjected, nodding to those in the room graciously as she added, “Please keep up the good work. I’m afraid the skies are cloudy, however, so watch for danger.”

  Before they could say anything more, Tyria concealed herself and left the room, mentally shifting slightly out of phase with the world again so she could move through the walls. Extending her wings, she took flight in an instant, shooting upward into a sky that was lit by the colors created by the setting sun.

  As she ascended, Tyria considered, a tiny part of her growing a little reluctant as she thought about the consequences of speaking to other deities. She’d been gone for so long that even those she’d thought of as allies might not look on her favorably, and yet… yet it was time and past for her to make contact with them.

  “Zenith,” Tyria murmured, mentally reaching out for her angel, and an instant later she felt her magic link to the mind of the woman.

  “Yes, my goddess?” Zenith asked eagerly, her mental voice echoing in Tyria’s head. “How may I serve you?”

  “I would like you to seek an audience with Baldwin. I wish to meet with him as soon as is reasonable,” Tyria told her, closing her eyes and waiting.

  For a moment Zenith was silent, then she spoke softly. “If that is your will, it shall be done, but… you fought him during the war, my lady.”

  “I know. However, he’s the one who can explain things, and I need to speak with him. Please take him the message,” Tyria said, letting out her breath unhappily, then opened her eyes to look to the west.

  “As you wish, my goddess,” Zenith agreed, not arguing further. Almost regretfully Tyria cut off the link, staring at the sky.

  The sunlight was beautiful on the mountains, particularly with the way the colors radiated across the sky. Tyria simply hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.

  Chapter 20

  “Hello, Lily!” The warm, pleasant voice should have been comforting. Instead it sent a chill down Lily’s spine, and she spun around, brandishing her shears like they were a dagger.

  Behind her was a succubus, one with an over-exaggerated figure, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous face only marred slightly by the crimson eyes with their vertical slit pupils, and who was grinning widely. Unlike the last time she’d seen the succubus, the woman was wearing what might almost be considered normal clothing, but even that set Lily’s nerves on edge.

  “W-what are you doing here, Wenris?” Lily demanded, taking a couple of steps back until she bumped into a tree that she’d forgotten was there in her shock. “I thought you went back to the hells!”

  “I did! There were a few rebellions to stamp out, and you wouldn’t believe the mess that had been made of the palace, so it took a while to get everything in order. At least the palace here was uninhabited before you took up residence,” Wenris replied, her eyes glittering with mirth as she looked down at the shears in Lily’s hands. “Do you really need those? I’m not going to attack you. Though if your panther attacks me, I will defend myself.”

  Lily belatedly noticed that Kitten was silently preparing to pounce on Wenris from the bushes behind the woman, all the play gone from the feline’s eyes. Instead Kitten looked like the predator she was… but Lily knew that would be a terrible idea, from everything she’d heard about Wenris.

  “Kitten, stop,” Lily said, her heart pounding loudly in her chest, and she swallowed hard as Kitten gave her a confused look, then slowly settled back on her haunches, obviously ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Then Lily took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from trembling as she spoke. “What… what are you doing here? What do you want from me?”

  “Want from you? Oh, Lily… while I’d adore it if you chose to become one of my followers, I truly don’t think you have the constitution for that. No, you’re a pretty young elf, and innocent enough that your soul is tempting… but not worth me coming in person for you. Besides which, Sistina would be annoyed if I tried, and that isn’t worth it at all. No, I’m not here for you at all,” Wenris replied, laughing and grinning as she reached out to pat Lily’s cheek gently, her grin widening still more. “No, I came over to say hello! I’m going to be meeting Diane and Torkal here a little bit later, and I wanted to assure you that I remembered your instructions from earlier this year. I won’t be doing the sort of things succubi are notorious for in your garden.”

  “Err…” Lily murmured, caught off guard and confused.

  “I’ll behave,” Wenris said, taking a couple of careful steps forward, bypassing Lily’s shears effortlessly, then whispered in Lily’s ear, her voice heady with unspoken desire. “I promise.”

  Lily managed to retain control for all of an instant, mostly until Wenris leaned back and she saw an avenue of escape. Then her control broke, and she ran for safety, her face and ears burning with embarrassment. Behind her, Wenris’s laughter echoed through the garden, only heightening her embarrassment.

  Wenris laughed as Lily fled, amazed despite everything at the speed of the young elf. The succubus was fairly certain that if Lily was in a footrace with adventurers, she’d leave the majority of them in her dust. Either way, Wenris did enjoy letting the young woman’s embarrassment get her out of the way.

  Looking back at the panther, Wenris rai
sed an eyebrow at the feline, asking, “Are you going to join your mistress? Or would you rather play with me? I’m afraid I play rough, though.”

  The panther looked at Wenris for a moment, obviously not impressed at all, then raised a paw so it could calmly lick it and rub behind an ear. With that done, the panther slowly got up, stretched, and ambled off after Lily, as if making a point of the fact that it wasn’t following Wenris’s directions. That caused another burble of laughter to escape Wenris, and she looked around the garden now that she had a moment to herself.

  It truly was a lovely place, she had to admit, and while she’d seen some gardens that were more beautiful, only a couple of them were in the mortal world, and none of those had been created in less than a few months. In fact, most of them had been carefully cultivated by empires over the course of decades.

  “An ideal neutral ground, I think,” Wenris murmured, idly circling the garden and reaching out to touch a few of the plants. The magic infused into them was incredible, and she had to wonder what most magi would think of the gardens. They’d probably try to ransack them for magical components for enchanting, most likely… but she suspected that wouldn’t happen for a long, long time.

  The succubus ignored the elf who poked his head into the garden, then saw her and rapidly retreated. If she remembered right, he was the beloved of Lily, and he wasn’t particularly attractive to her. No, instead she looked through the garden and finally decided to take a nice position in a gazebo near a pond. It mirrored the location where she and Diane had first met rather nicely, in her opinion, and while it was cool, that could be easily changed.

  Wenris cast a spell casually, delighting in how much larger her reserves of mana were, as well as the increased potency of her spells. She still had to speak the words of the spells, but she was almost on the verge of being able to form the gestures purely mentally, and that would have been unimaginable a year before.