“Think about it, Caspar,” Aerin said, intertwining her fingers in mine. I instinctively pulled my hand away. She raised her hand to my cheek instead. I cringed. “If the elven legions are preparing an assault and you represent the greatest threat to thwart their intentions, wouldn’t it make sense to attempt to remove you from the picture?”
I snorted. “Just be thankful I used water rather than fire to break through that door.”
Aerin smiled. “You’re more like the drow than you know. You are at heart a peaceful man. Even with a more destructive power at your disposal, you chose water.”
I stomped my feet. “I think they might need to call a water remediation company.”
“Not necessarily,” Aerin said. “This water didn’t come out of nowhere. You drew it from the air.”
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s always humid in St. Louis.”
“You can draw it out of the carpets, too.”
I shook my head. “How do I… Even if I could, I’m in no frame of mind.”
Aerin grabbed my hand and pulled. “Come with me.”
I followed Aerin into a small room behind the stage, where I imagine the preacher used to stand when this was still a church. She closed the door behind us.
The room was filled with couches in oranges and greens. They looked like they’d been made in the seventies, probably donations to the church that used to be here. And to think, perfectly good couches just left behind?
Yeah. No one would want these monstrosities.
“Sit down, Caspar,” Aerin said.
I sat on one of the couches. I sank in a good two feet the second my butt hit the cushion. I grunted. These couches were ugly and uncomfortable.
Aerin opened what looked like an old chest and retrieved a folded cloth.
It was an ornate blanket, similar to the material used for Aerin’s dresses.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I have water and fire now. It’s like an internal heating and cooling system.”
“I’m not retrieving the blanket to make you comfortable, Caspar,” Aerin said. “At least not exactly…”
Then Aerin shook it and dropped it.
Layla stood there with her bow in her hand, smiling at me.
I tried to leap off the couch, but I was sunk too low and clumsily fell back into it.
Layla laughed, walked over, and took my hand, helping me up.
I hugged her. I clung to her like my life depended on it. In a way, it did. When I thought she was gone, it felt like a part of me was missing.
“I don’t understand!” I said.
“Aerin saved me,” Layla said.
I cocked my head. “Aerin? But why?”
“Someone in our midst is trying to kill you, Caspar. I don’t know who, but I’ve been tracking him since we arrived in St. Louis.”
“Was he trying to kill you, Layla? Before he confronted me in the church?”
Layla said, “I don’t know. He was coming after me, but Aerin showed up, like, out of the blue. I’ll tell you what; she knows how to handle a sword.”
I shook my head. “And she just took you?”
“She used this enchanted rug,” Layla said. “She threw it over me. I thought she was trying to kidnap me.”
Aerin rolled her eyes. “Your girlfriend had this distorted idea that I was in league with her father.”
I bit my lip. “Yeah.”
“But whoever the assassin was, I think he was trying to do exactly that.”
I shook my head. “So you took her and left me to fend for myself against the assassin? That asshole could have killed me!”
“I know you have fairy magic, Caspar,” Aerin said. “You had a way to escape. She didn’t, and the assassin was going to get to her before she’d have a chance to come to you. I had to intervene, and I trusted that given what we’ve seen from you so far, you’d be able to handle a single assassin.”
I snorted. “I ported him to the top of the St. Louis Arch.”
Layla laughed. “You what?”
“It had to be something I could visualize,” I said. “I’ve seen that thing so many times.”
Aerin interjected, “He’ll have no problem escaping that; he has magic. But it wasn’t a bad move. He’ll have to regroup before he comes after you again.”
“Wait,” I said. “How did you know I have fairy magic?”
“The same reason I could sense you wielded spirit magic. We, the drow, are sensitive to all kinds of magic.”
“Then you know what the assassin is using?” I asked. “Because Ensley, the fairy who has been helping me, didn’t have a clue.”
“He wouldn’t,” Aerin said. “Because the magic the assassin is wielding? It’s not of this world.”
“Is it from another place, like New Albion?” I asked.
“It’s not from the physical world at all,” Aerin said. “You believe in angels and demons, do you not?”
I snorted. “You’re talking about infernal and angelic magic?”
Aerin nodded. “I don’t know who this assassin is. I fought him off, but he’s concealed his identity. But whoever he is, he’s dealing with a dangerous power.”
“Do you think he was sent by my father?” Layla asked.
“I cannot say,” Aerin said.
“How in the world do we deal with someone who has demonic power?”
Aerin cocked her head. “You’re a minister, are you not? Isn’t this your wheelhouse?”
I snorted. “I’ve never exorcised a demon. We don’t do that sort of thing, or not routinely, anyway. We aren’t trained for it.”
“I see,” Aerin said. “But if you were to exorcise a demon, how would you pull it off?”
“By the power of the Holy Spirit, I imagine.”
Aerin nodded. “We must proceed through the trials. You must embrace aether.”
“My spirit won’t be enough?” I asked.
“Humans can cast out angelic power,” Aerin said. “The power of demons and that of angels is the same. They are not essentially different; only their loyalties differ. But for a human to command an angel or a demon requires a lot of focus. Typically, those humans who have done it have had to use rituals. And it usually takes more than one person and might take several attempts spanning days, if not weeks.”
“If I subdue aether, if I can wield the element itself…”
“Then you’ll stand a chance,” Aerin said. “I don’t know how this assassin acquired the ability. But you can be certain he will make another attempt on your life before you subdue aether in the final trial.”
I shook my head. “I still don’t understand why you saved Layla. I thought you were trying to steal me from her.”
Aerin smiled. “I am not petty, Caspar, and it’s clear you love her. If something happened to her, what shape would you be in to face the legions? I still believe we are destined to be together, but like I’ve told you many times, the drow are patient. I would rather your relationship run its course and we come together at the proper time than force the prophecy into fulfillment.”
I nodded. “Thanks. I think.”
“I have news for you, Aerin. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all you’ve done, but I think you have the prophecy wrong. I’m not letting my man go anytime soon.”
Aerin smiled and nodded. “Only time will tell which of us is correct.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
We still had trials to complete. Earth. Then, air. Finally, aether.
I didn’t expect to be here now, ready to complete the next trial. I’d barely had a chance to practice using fire.
And I didn’t have my mustache.
Well, I’d tackle the rest of the trials, one after the next, as myself, Caspar Cruciger, reverend or not. If the church condemned me as a witch or a cultist, or heaven forbid, a heretic, so be it. I could live without my career.
I couldn’t live if I was killed.
I know. In addition to being Captain Pee Pants, I was Captain Obvious as well.
&
nbsp; But I also couldn’t live if the assassin managed to abduct Layla.
My life with Layla was more important than my job.
Maybe no one would know. Or maybe they would. At this point, I wasn’t going to worry about the risk. Come what may, I had to face these trials as soon as possible.
What was the worst that the church could do to me?
Fire me?
Not the way they used to.
It had been a few hundred years since the church burned their heretics.
Even if they tried, fire and I were, like, best buds now, and I still had water at my disposal. You know, just in case.
The church didn’t fire heretics the same way anymore. Now, the worst they’d do was defrock me, strip me of my ordination. Kick me out of the denomination.
The church couldn’t hurt me. It wasn’t my job, being a minister. It was just something I did. It wasn’t who I was. I don’t know if I would have felt that way a few months ago. I used to think that if the powers that be ever blackballed me, it would be the end of life as I knew it. I’d be left wandering through the world like a ghost without a purpose.
But I had been suspended from the ministry before. I still woke up the next day. The world still turned. My heart continued to beat. By the time I came back to the church, Layla and I were together. I’d started to find purpose in other things.
I’d learned that I could adapt. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. That’s the first part of the serenity prayer in AA, but that’s not all of it. There’s also the bit about asking God for the courage to change the things we have the power to change. Experience had given me enough wisdom when it came to the bullshit in my denomination to know the difference. I wasn’t going to change the denomination, but I could still, minister or not, make a difference in people’s lives. And I could change myself.
Maybe no one would see the video. Maybe they wouldn’t recognize me. How many people were watching these trials, anyway?
I didn’t have to ask.
“So, Casp,” Jag said as I walked back into the entryway. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Sorry about that earlier. I thought at the time that someone abducted Layla.”
“I get it,” Jag said. “If someone ever took Layla from me…”
I raised my eyebrow. “Jag, seriously? You’re still fantasizing about my girl?”
Jag shrugged. “I fantasize about a lot of women. Probably almost as many as fantasize about me.”
I snorted. “Right.”
“So,” Jag said, “I hate to complicate things further, but the first two trials were streamed, right?”
I nodded. “To the rest of the Elf Gate Cult.”
“Yes,” Jag said. “But someone didn’t click the private stream box.”
I cocked my head. “How many people are watching these videos?”
“Well,” Jag said. “The last I checked, the last two nights had more than a million views.”
“A million?” I asked. “Combined between both of them?”
“A million each.” Jag refreshed his phone. “Closer to two million now.”
“Well, shit,” I said.
“I’m sorry,” Jag said. “I have a mask in my bag that you can wear.”
“A mask?” I asked.
Jag grabbed a duffel bag from the corner. He unzipped it and pulled out what looked like a Donald Trump mask.
“Seriously?” I asked. “Trump?”
“Make our cult great again, Caspar.”
“Why do you even have that?” I asked. “No, the better question is, why do you have it with you?”
“Because I was waiting for the opportunity to tell that joke, but now it’s spoiled. I guess I don’t need the mask anymore. It’s yours if you’d like.”
“Two million people?” I asked.
Jag nodded. “Probably more. The views are pouring in by the minute.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going to wear a mask.”
“I get it,” Jag said. “Trump is controversial. And you need to unite…”
“It’s not that,” I said. “Has nothing to do with the former President. It has to do with me. I can’t wear a mask anymore. I can’t find balance, the balance I need to subdue the rest of the elements, if I’m living two different lives. I’m doing this tonight as myself, come what may.”
Aerin knew what had happened. She’d saved Layla. She knew we’d have to finish the trials sooner rather than later. This was why Jag and a few of the other cultists had gathered. The door swung open. Now Fred was here, too.
“Oh, good,” I said. “The supreme leader has arrived. Now it’s official. We can get started.”
Layla backhanded my shoulder. “Be nice, Caspar.”
I nodded at Fred. “Glad you could make it.”
Fred nodded back, then fixed his eyes on Layla. “Glad to see you’re safe. I was worried when I heard.”
I grunted. Bite your tongue, Caspar.
Layla just smiled at Fred. “I just wish we knew who it was.”
Fred nodded. “I’m sure he’ll reveal himself again. But right now, we need to get the trials underway.”
The place felt different without so many people, more like it was for the first trial. There were a fair number of cultists, but not the intimidating crowd that had gathered the night before. This was unscheduled. All those Washington politicians would be disappointed. Oh, well. Screw ‘em.
They were going to live stream it, anyway. They could have fixed it. They could have made this one private, but I was done hiding. I was sick of pretending for the sake of the church. I was who I was. What was happening was happening.
If I had learned anything in AA, it was that I couldn’t leave things about me hidden in the dark anymore. I couldn’t manage a double life.
After these trials, I’d either be dead, or the world would know who I was. Probably even my congregation. The archbishop, too.
They’d either accept me—the real me, all of me, including my identity as the chosen one of the elven prophecy—or they wouldn’t. Simple as that.
I could live with the consequences, but I couldn’t live with the lies. I couldn’t stay sober while putting on a façade every time I stepped into the church to preach.
They’d probably excommunicate me. Again.
But this was my truth. My faith had not changed. Sure, it had been challenged. Everything I’d faced had raised more than a few doubts. But I was the same person I’d always been. The only difference now was that I knew who I was, and I wasn’t going to hide it.
Not anymore. Not ever again.
I stepped into the stone circle to face the element of earth. I remembered what Aerin had said before: fire could char the earth. I brought the power of fire to the center of my consciousness, and the familiar burn spread through my chest. I was ready.
Aerin stepped into view, again flanked by the two drow. This time, each of them held an orb.
“Due to unexpected circumstances,” Aerin said. “Our hero will face the remaining three trials in succession. Should he prevail over them all, we will all know today that he is indeed the chosen one predicted by the ancients.
“First, our hero will encounter the element of earth, then air and aether one after the next, with a brief moment for our candidate to rest between trials.
“Earth, like the other elements, is a source of life. Together with fire and water, earth provides food to nourish the body. But like the others, earth can be devastating. Quakes, as often as flood or fire, can and have demolished civilizations. Should our hero prevail, he will subdue a power that both gives and takes life.”
Aerin dropped the orb, swirling with green energy, to the floor.
Then another shattered.
The drow holding the orb of air froze in shock. A blade like the Blade of Echoes protruded from in his chest as two elementals–one of earth, the other of air, formed into massive monstrosities in front of me.
“No!” Aerin shouted.
>
Then the final orb shattered, broken in the hands of the third drow, who likewise had a blade in his chest as he fell to his knees. A translucent elemental, aether, formed beside the other two.
Aerin unsheathed her sword and charged after the one who’d thrown the blades.
I turned.
It was Fred! He was the assassin! How in hell…
Layla sprang to her feet, her bow in her hands, and fired an arrow at him.
He pulled another blade that resembled the Blade of Echoes from his belt and swiped her arrow out of the air.
Aerin brought her blade down toward him, but Fred parried before raising his fist in the air.
“Long live the king! All hail Brightborn, Emperor of Earth!” With a cloud of purple magic around him, he disappeared before her blade could hit its mark.
I turned back around.
The three elementals were approaching my position.
“Fuck!” I shouted. How the hell was I going to take down three at once?
“Remember the order!” Aerin shouted.
“Roshambo,” Layla added.
I nodded. Three threats, but I could only subdue them in the proper sequence. I had to start with earth.
And I had to do it before the others did whatever the hell they were going to do. If the water elemental could suck out all the water out of my body, could earth crush my flesh? Could the air elemental take my breath away? Lord only knew what aether could do. Separate my spirit, my soul, from my body, perhaps?
I wasn’t about to chance any of the three.
I unleashed a torrent of flames on the earth elemental. Of all the relationships between elements, this was the one I was the least certain of. Fire was to earth as paper was to rock. The rules of the game said it was supposed to prevail, but it didn’t make a damn bit of sense.
Sure, fire could char the ground, but throwing dirt on fire will put it out much the same way water would.
It was going to take a hell of a lot of fire to bring earth down.
Thankfully, I didn’t think I could produce anything less than maximum power anyway.
I threw my fist forward, pushing the burning sensation from my chest through it.
Once the fire magic hit the air, it was a lot hotter than it was inside me. Must’ve been because it hit oxygen.
Three Dogma Night (The Elven Prophecy Book 3) Page 14