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One Month before the Time of Meeting
- More than five months after the Explorer’s departure from Lubec in the Hansic Alliance…
- More than five months after Cain announced that a Teivan, Jehorom Galaddi, might be the Savior of Order…
- Almost five months after Cain, Quinn, Kahanne Arlyne Corbonne, Captain Duncan Milius, and every Circle Member experienced the Dark Champion’s visions of destruction…
- Fourteen weeks since Kahanne Arlyne Corbonne’s return to the Republic of Ghault from Khadash…
- Almost fourteen weeks after Captain Duncan Milius’ promotion to marshal and his reassignment to Valandov Province in the Federated States…
Herald
The middle of the second month of summer was a time of feasting and thanksgiving, for this was when, according to the Codices, the Spirits first made themselves known to the people of Halcyon at the end of the Golden Age. This was a time of pilgrimage to the Temple of Assize, which lay deep inside Ghaultian territory. Security was a serious concern, and the Republic’s militia was out in force to keep the peace and ensure that no one wandered into restricted areas. There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, and the security officials kept a meticulous watch over every one of them. Suspected spies were detained and possibly jailed, though most of the time they were brought to the nearest border crossing and forced to leave.
The religious establishment was always displeased with such policies. It maintained that most of those being detained were innocent, and indeed, they were. It was a poorly kept secret that the militia had a quota of people who needed to be ejected from the country. This way, they could keep the number of unwanted visitors to a minimum. Unfortunately, this contradicted the Kahanne’s belief that the Temple of Assize should be accessible to everyone. Years earlier, when the Republic of Ghault sealed itself behind its extensive border wall, one of the concessions the Padishah made to the Commonwealth was to allow safe passage for a certain number of pilgrims each year. Therefore, unless the people of Halcyon elected to have the Temple moved out of Ghault (which was impossible since it was built on the very spot where the Spirits first made themselves known), the religious leadership had to yield to the political leadership.
“What will you tell the people today?”
Arlyne glanced at her companion: Yair, High Cleric of Samlah, a longtime friend and confidante. Yair had been one of her key sponsors in her bid to achieve the position of Kahanne. Arlyne smiled for a moment and looked away. “I have not yet decided.”
“Not decided?” Yair leaned forward in her seat and rested an arm on the table in front of her. “You are about to lead a festival service!”
The two women were sitting in an antechamber off to the side of Assize’s main cathedral, waiting for their cues to enter. The muffled sound of thousands of hushed voices reached them through the closed door.
“There are the words that I write and there are the words in my heart. They are not always the same thing.”
“You are still troubled by the event in Gavvul.”
Arlyne nodded. She had been in constant contact throughout all of spring and the first half of summer with her own people and with the Circle, and after all that time no one had come up with an explanation for what had transpired that day nearly four months ago. Arlyne still shivered when she reflected on it. She had been leading Communion in the local temple to the Forum in Gavvul, a small town in Khadash, when the Dark Champion invaded her thoughts with images of death and destruction.
“I have meditated at great length on it,” she responded. “I have consulted with the heads of our Spiritual orders, as you well know. I have discussed the matter at length with the Circle.”
Yair regarded her Kahanne curiously. “The Circle? I was unaware of this.”
“I have my contacts.” Arlyne sat down opposite the High Cleric. “The Circle calls it a ‘mentallic surge’.”
“Do they?”
The Kahanne paused for a moment, her expression saddened. “The phenomenon was experienced by every mentallic on Halcyon, from first-levels to tenth-levels. It manifested for everyone at exactly the same moment as a vivid dream. The common features of these visions involved the destruction of the people and objects the individual held most dear. The feelings of horror and terror were palatable.”
Yair’s chair creaked under her weight as she leaned back. Arlyne had never spoken about what she saw that day.
The Kahanne continued. “What is most disturbing is that until now, it was assumed that only high-level Members were capable of capturing that kind of visual, olfactory and sensory detail. The fact that the every Member received it suggests that we are dealing with a phenomenon so powerful that it has not been found on Halcyon since the time of the Elders.”
“But you are not a Circle Member. How is it that such a thing could affect you?”
Arlyne hesitated for a moment as she considered how to respond. She shrugged. “I am the Kahanne. It is only logical that I should be a target for any attack.”
“Then the Circle agrees with us that the Dark Champion was responsible.”
The Kahanne nodded solemnly.
“What does the Circle intend to do now?”
Arlyne folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. “We have spent the last four months waiting for something to happen. The Circle expects some sort of attack against the continent, though they refuse to comment on precisely where that attack will come from or in what form. I am convinced it is somehow connected to the Explorer’s departure from Rugen in the early spring, but I have no proof for this suspicion since no Circle Member will respond to my speculation. But, like the Circle and the Ghaultian dukes, we have informers of our own. We are aware of the Inner Membership’s visit with Governor William Lessander the day the Explorer set out more than five months ago.”
Yair smiled. She remembered reading the same report.
Arlyne continued. “So, was the mentallic surge a premonition — a message sent by the Dark Champion to instill a sense of fear?”
“If fear was the goal, why didn’t the Enemy chose a form of communication that the general public could hear?”
“Indeed.” Arlyne breathed deeply. “If mentallics were its sole targets, they obviously pose the most dangerous threat to the Champion. Therefore, the Champion is undaunted by any civilian institution or army, even the Praetorship. It also suggests that the Savior of Order must be a Circle Member.”
The Kahanne rose and gestured to the closed door. “So now you see: there are the words I have written for today’s festivities, and there are the words in my heart I know I must speak.”
Arlyne sighed heavily and tried to clear her mind. She hadn’t slept well since the mentallic surge violated her all those weeks ago. She was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate, especially on occasions like this.
I must be strong, she told herself. We must all be strong.
There was a window in the antechamber and she peered outside. From here, she could see much of the sprawling complex that was Assize. Her quarters, and those of the clerics and acolytes who lived here permanently, were located in a wing that abutted the great Temple. She could see one of the long walls of the towering structure — an architectural marvel. Massive stained-glass windows were set into recesses every two meters, and between them arched buttresses stretched to the ground to help distribute the weight of the domed roof. The Temple was built between the cracked remnants of two gigantic spires. Their precision and smoothness testified to the lost technology of the Golden Age. Far in the distance, Arlyne made out the clerical seminary and three more broken spires. The foundations of every building in Assize incorporated remains from the Golden City of Halcyon.
The enormous square between the seminary and the Temple was filled with pilgrims who were here to celebrate the Epiphany. The worshippers were ready.
“It is time for me to take my place.”
Yair stood up and brushed past her Kahanne. As she opened the door, the low rumble of thousands of quiet conversations filled the antechamber. Arlyne peeked past her. The cathedral in the Temple of Assize was completely full. Thousands more were gathered outside to hear the Kahanne’s words through the mouths of her speakers. The cathedral was the largest building of its kind in Halcyon. Two gigantic pillars marked its entrance. The vaulted ceiling was eight stories high and was buttressed by an array of tall, thin columns with wide arches spanning the distance between them. The ceiling was beautifully decorated with icons depicting the twelve Spirits wearing the colors of their respective orders, each standing in the midst of its associated symbol. Sunlight filtering in from the entrance, the skylights and the stained-glass windows that adorned the walls cast the immense chamber in a bright, warm hue. This day, the sky was cloudless.
The altar at the far end from the entrance was located on top of a raised portion of the floor. An orchestra pit was positioned next to this. It was filled with musicians from every corner of the continent, even the Federate — Kennedor Province was the only part of that country which still openly supported the Forum.
“I look forward to hearing your words, Holy One.”
Yair slipped out, leaving Arlyne alone with her thoughts.
The worshippers grew silent as the string section began to play a slow yet pleasant tune. It was a fugal arrangement that began with a four-bar refrain. Each time it repeated, a new section chimed in with a variation on the original theme. Soon the horns and woodwinds had joined in with the strings to produce an oratorio that was as complex as it was enchanting. The members of the congregation were captivated as they allowed the music’s eloquence to flow through them. It was soothing and inspiring all at once.
The Kahanne used this as a backdrop for her entrance. Striding in from the antechamber, she slowly ascended the steps to the altar. She was accompanied by a number of her closest acolytes as well as three of the twelve high clerics — the rest were running services in their own dioceses. She exchanged a quick glance with Yair before continuing.
Arlyne wore a long gray robe with voluminous sleeves. Her head was freshly shaved for the occasion. She stood alone in front of the altar and waited as the echo of the oratorio’s last refrain faded away. Soon there was nothing but silence in the cathedral. She took a short moment to scan the crowd. She was always amazed at the overwhelming number of people the Temple could accommodate. She nodded her head slightly — a cue for the conductor. He raised his baton and motioned for the orchestra to begin. This was the signal for the congregation to rise. The orchestra played a two-bar introduction to a familiar festival hymn. At the beginning of the third bar, the congregation chimed in.
Let all exalt the One Most High, to whom our praise is due.
Creation is His testament, humanity His glory.
In one day, He made heaven, on that day He made earth.
From nothingness, He fashioned them, to nothingness they return.
He left His Spirits as guides through our travails:
Our Father, our King, who made us in His image.
Our Father our King, who gave us knowledge of good and evil.
Our Father our King, who fashions Order from Chaos.
Our Father our King, who set us apart from the creatures of the earth.
Let all exalt the One Most High, to whom our praise is due.
The string section played on a higher key to allow the congregation to participate in a choral harmony of sorts. The swelling voices and their symphonic accompaniment created a sound that could not be heard anywhere else on the continent. It was a thunderous tumult of devotion that was part of a religious tradition that had shaped civilization on Halcyon for nearly eight hundred years.
Soon the orchestra brought the hymn to a dramatic close and the congregation sat back down. Although the opening prayer was finished, its echo hung in the air for a few more minutes. Arlyne waited for the sound of shuffling feet to disappear before beginning. Her voice carried solidly to the back of the cathedral.
“We give thanks to the One Most High for fashioning the universe and making us who we are. We give thanks to the One Most High for creating the Forum and the Spirits to watch over us and care for us. May their fortune favor us through the impending hour of Chaos, and may they take notice of this day’s Communion.”
“Amen.” The congregation’s response reverberated loudly. Arlyne turned away to light the first of twelve braziers that was positioned behind her. As she did so, the room darkened as the bright sky became shrouded under a cloak of black storm clouds. There were a few whispers from the crowd as people wondered how a storm front could move in so quickly.
An incredible peal of thunder caused everything to shake. The thousands of pilgrims who stood outside grew frightened and panicky, all the while staring fearfully at the Spirits-cursed change in weather. This sparked some surprised murmurs from the congregation that now sat nervously inside the Temple. Arlyne shot a glance back at the assemblage and the whispers immediately stopped. She was about to admonish the crowd — the first time she or any of her predecessors ever had to do such a thing — when her attention was drawn to the main entrance to the cathedral.
A powerful wind blasted through the ranks of scared pilgrims and into the Temple of Assize, throwing some people into the seats in front of them. Great fingers of pink lightning burst from one cloud to another directly over the temple roof, occasionally reaching down to strike the building. The unnatural lightning was visible through the Temple’s skylights, and the phenomenon caused the panic from the pilgrims outside to spread quickly inside. One bolt struck glass and a skylight shattered, sending razor-sharp fragments raining down on dozens of people. They tried to scramble out of the way but they only succeeded in adding more confusion to the fray.
The powerful gales continued to blow inside and they seemed to be aimed directly at Arlyne. Terrified worshippers looked on with trepidation as their Kahanne was pinned to the altar by the wind. It quickly became so dark in the cathedral that no one could see clearly between the strobe-like bursts of pink lightning. Suddenly, two sconces latched to the wall just above the altar lit themselves. The lightning stopped abruptly so that the only light in the chamber emanated from the pair of torches. Yelps of pain and sobs were heard from every part of the cathedral, while clerics and acolytes tried to calm people’s nerves. The wind died down and Arlyne could move again. She stood in front of the torches that had lit themselves and called for attention.
Most people did as she asked but they didn’t focus on their Kahanne. They looked on in shock as the tongues of flame from the torches grew to enormous lengths, stretching into the vastness of the sanctum. The crowd was ominously silent. Arlyne was transfixed by the winding strands of fire. Slowly twisting, turning, and intertwining, the tongues of flame formed the fiery shape of a gigantic serpent’s head. Casting the entire cathedral in a bright orange glow, it hung suspended in the air above the congregation. Its jaw moved, and a throaty hiss was heard throughout the surrounding countryside.
“Hear me now, mortal denizens of Halcyon! Hearken to the voice of the Champion of Chaos — the Triad is now at hand. Let the bones be tossed so the One may rule eternally.”
Wrenching her gaze from the fiery head, Arlyne looked behind it to the Cathedral’s main entrance. She stared uncomprehending at a massive shape framed in the doorway. It was silhouetted by the lightning flashing behind it, and it was impossible to make out any features other than its head, limbs, and hulking body. Its mass filled the entire entrance.
With a sudden blinding flash, the flames dissipated and the hulking body in the entrance vanished. The storm outside dispersed as quickly as it had come, leaving only black scorch marks and thousands of hysterical citizens as proof that anything had happened at all. The sun emerged to shine as brightly as before, lighting up the Temple’s interior with warmth and beauty. A stunned Kahanne dropped to her knees before the altar, her body trembling.
After a few moments, Arlyne had calmed herself enough to look up at the terrified faces of the high clerics and her acolytes. Ignoring them, she squeezed her eyes tightly together and focused her mind on one single thought. She knew that those watching her would think that she was attempting to Commune. Perhaps this was best, for instead of contacting the Spirits Arlyne had a more mundane concern. In a powerful burst they could not ignore, the Kahanne of Assize sent a message to the Circle’s Inner Membership.
The Dark Champion is on its way. The Time of Meeting is upon us.
Opening her eyes, Arlyne rose to her feet. Ignoring the terrorized civilians in the Temple, she looked with resolve at the clerics and acolytes around her.
“Prepare my transport and gather the necessary supplies. I must depart for Valor’s Keep. Now.”
Stay tuned for the next chapter…
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