Chapter 292: Divine Communion (1/2)
Alaine watched the enigmatic figure slip through the door to her office and vanish into the corridor. She paused for another minute to ensure that he was really gone before walking over to her desk and pulling out the amulet she kept there. Only once she felt it's reassuring weight in her hand did she begin to feel calm.
The amulet was composed of a ruby carved in the shape of a triumphant sun disc. The gemstone glimmered with a barely perceptible light, which was known to grow stronger when exposed to natural light.
The Sun's Heart, as it was called, was a powerful artifact, supposedly granted to the church by Aminatrea herself at the dawn of the Third Age. It harnessed the strongest Fire Magic known to mortals, and could lay waste to entire cities if used to its full potential. Of course, such power came with a cost, and each activation of the amulet would drain the user's life in proportion to the effect desired.
Nevertheless, by sacrificing a few years of lifespan she could have easily disposed of the intruder if he'd proved hostile. At least, she could have if she'd been given the opportunity. Unfortunately, the Dragonknight's follower was not only skilled, but well informed.
[I will need to review our security measures. That man was probably using some sort of stealth ability, but was nevertheless able to bypass the sensors on our external entrance. Unless he came in through teleportation, which I doubt since only the Headmaster of the University could transport another person through our wards, this means there is a flaw in our defenses.]
She paused to consider this new idea. [It is said that Emmanuel and the Hero of Almir have a close relationship...but, no, I don't think he would risk a confrontation with us, at least so directly. It would be much more his style to use this information to pressure us in a more roundabout fashion. That he was willing to let us off with mere reparations suggests that the intruder might have genuinely been representing the Dragonknight, and that he does not want a conflict. If that is the case...]
Alaine left her office and walked over to her receptionist, a small and slightly nervous man named James, who was prone to fits of stuttering when he was agitated. Despite his flaws, he was among the most competent of organizers and administrators, and his efforts in managing the affairs of the order saved her a great deal of time and hassle, allowing her to attend to more important matters.
”James.” She intoned once she was at the man's elbow. He was still focused on the task in front of him, an expense report from the looks of it, and had evidently not noticed her arrival.
”AH! Y-Your Holiness! Y-you su-sur-surprised m-me.” Her receptionist stuttered.
”Indeed. In any event, call the council together for an emergency meeting. There are some issues to discuss. Additionally, send word to Captain Kendrick. Have him place High Priest Ulan and Minister Varus under guard until I tell him otherwise.”
”G-guard? A-are y-you s-s-sure, Your Holiness?”
”Yes. Make it quick. We do not want things getting any more out of hand than they already have.” She shot back before returning to her office.
As she was sitting down, she noticed that she was still clutching the Sun's Heart. Putting it down on the surface of her desk, she was disturbed to notice a slight tremor in her arm that spoke to more than just the gravity of the situation. Alaine glanced around the room, for the first time not feeling completely at ease in the simple chamber. Needing to calm her heart, she closed her eyes in prayer.
[My goddess, I pray to thee. Though I know this is all part of Destiny, the great plan that you and the other Creators have laid out for us, I confess a lack of understanding. Why is it that you have seen fit to bestow the Hero of Almir with such power? What is it that you wish to see him accomplish? What do you want your faithful to do, now that he has become a force to be reckoned with? I pray that you will bestow upon me the wisdom to see the correct path, and the will to follow through on it.]
For a few moments, she waited, and was rewarded for her patience when her skin began to warm, as if exposed to the midday sun. After a few seconds, the sensation was gone, and with it any trace of her unease.
Mind clear, she opened her eyes and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper from her desk. She would need to draft a few documents before meeting the council. Thankfully, long years of practice had made her quite skilled at it.
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Aminatrea sneezed, something that was quite unusual for her considering that she had no need to breathe. Her current circumstances, however, made it inevitable.
”Ugh. Do we need to use real flour for this? It's getting everywhere.” She asked Kulina, the Ascended goddess who bore the aspects of Hearth, Home, and Family. The plump and cheerful woman was the closest thing Aminatrea had to a friend.
”Now, now, dear. You complain about that every time, If you want to be good at baking, you will need to get messy from time to time. It's all part of the process. Besides, it tastes a lot better when you make it from scratch, rather than creating it with divine power.”
”If you say so.” The Sun goddess replied, unconvinced. In her personal opinion, Kulina's sweets were equally delicious when made in either way, so all this mess was completely unnecessary. That being said, she didn't want to risk offending her friend. The last time they got into an argument she'd spent nearly a century deprived of Kulina's delicious concoctions, and the resulting withdrawal symptoms had been extremely unpleasant, psychosomatic though they might have been.
”I do say so,” Kulina commented brightly, ”and I think the cake should be just about done, we can swap it out for your biscuits now.”
Aminatrea looked down at the misshapen lumps that were the products of her last half-hour of effort, and tried not to feel too down about it. Despite her friend's instructions and the whole divinity thing, which should have made a difference in her opinion, she'd never really gotten the hang of baking.