Bladeshire 6
By David C. Daoust
The Church of the Graven Tesserae spread from the Tetrarchy of Keirkanland (the Northern Kingdoms), all the way to the Duchy of Llewelynn. Each chapel, temple, and cathedral– an embassy to the Chambers of Light. Envoys of the Light’s Reach– The Church recognized only one God overall, yet the clergy, itself, is split into separate orders.
The upper echelon is known as the ‘Order of the Dawn.’ High Priests; Unlikely that any but noble blood fill their ranks. They preach the ‘Divine Right of Kings’– vaunted the crowns’ importance overall. Sing, from their golden cathedrals, that the nobility had ascended not just as example, but to prove what such an individual may achieve with such fortune. ‘Whoa be it to those that prove undeserving.’ The Dawn can make or break entire kingdoms.
The commoner’s sect is the ‘Order of the Sword.’ Freemen and serfs alike. This was the order of the Parish Priests, those that preached to the everyday workers of the land. They taught that the one God brought, not the peace, but the ‘sword.’ The separation. Sermons often pressed forgiveness of others, especially the rich; often came off as, ‘Allow the rich to be rich, for the poor can feed the poor’ without it ever actually being said.
This left the ‘Order of the Fox,’ the sect of the Land and the Night Sky. Scoundrels to the Dawn and Sword. Heroes and vagabonds, they worship the One God as a trickster that seized the Chambers of Light, all to free mortals from the divine pantheons of old and protect them from their machinations. In his wake, built the Church as a placeholder to stand against any that may try to retake it. This Order believes in the agency of Mortals. Light as a tool, that has nothing to do with any deity. ‘Good is a tool to be used, not a behavior to be rewarded.’
These orders rarely saw eye to eye, yet both, the Dawn and Sword, made up the monks that filled the shires’ Abbeys. Including that of Bladeshire Abbey. Such monks believe the one God, overall, is Love. An order of quiet mystery, known as the Namekeepers. To the surrounding world they held extensive lists of heroes and saints– and all their deeds of gallantry. In truth, many were second born nobles protected by the church. Their lives held in stasis, spent their days working and praying.
Yet when the Priest of the Night Sky came to their door, these pious men allowed the scoundrel to not only stay— but to raise a child among them. An unheard-of allowance.
Years later, this child found himself in the clutches of a being of evil, it pressed ill will upon him.
The wicked glowing hand reached for Khadory’s forehead.
Unexpectedly, something lashed out.
A pure white light exploded from Khadory– knocked the possessed girl’s body away.
A shadowy blot was left behind, engulphed by the light. As soon as the shadow-form was completely separated, the girl froze. Still falling to the ground, yet at an extremely slow pace.
Chantilles was now trapped within the same time bubble as Khadory.
“No, no! Damn it! How can this be!” The expelled shadow screeched in frustration; the writhing being seemed to pull and separate in the light— it fought!
Abruptly, with a final, ear-rending scream, it lost the battle and dissipated to nothingness.
Silence.
Time ticked by… left Khadory with naught but his thoughts. He had no idea why what just transpired, had just transpired. His mind raced. All his instincts were to discuss the events with any and all that may listen. Yet, thanks to the spell that held him, all he could do was run it through his mind.
Surely the girl was possessed. Some sort of vile demon, unholy witch– maybe something far worse. Whatever it was, it had seized control of the young girl’s mind and body. Its intent to mess with Khadory’s memories, thwarted by the Light. He could only wonder how and why. What could come next? An endless array of questions, unasked, unanswered… the magic held him in frustration.
There was no way to know how long they would be locked in this spell. Neither could move, not so much as shift their eyes. Nor was there a way to gauge the girl’s reaction, nor know her thoughts. Chantilles may have been aware of the possession. Or possibly, awoke in this strange place, just to find herself frozen. A nightmare that would not end. Khadory could only wonder, worry for her sanity. If he could explain to her what was going on, he would.
The two had to wait it out. Wait for the snail’s spell to diminish, run its course. Then they would be free.
The problem— the massive boar that just trudged from the brush. Luckily, it had not yet noticed them. It foraged among the foliage.
They could be attacked at any moment!
Khadory’s heart raced with the idea. Which made no sense. If he was trapped in a temporal field, his heart should also beat at a slower pace… but by that logic then so should his brain, his thoughts even. He surely was not suffocating, yet his lungs did not move… none of it made sense. He supposed magic rarely did. He started to fear that there may be truth in what he had heard, that one may starve to death in such a trap. Which only made him question more- How much time could remain until the spell broke? Did the snail strengthen the spell when the possessed Chantilles snatched it up? Forced its will upon it. There could be layers of the spell to wait out.
The oddly crouching Khadory’s endless worries snapped back to the start once the boar noticed the two children– snorted and charged directly at them!
Khadory had dreamt of this day, taking down a boar had captured his imagination long ago. He had gone over it in his mind, since his youth. Of course, the fantasy had involved being armed with a spear and the ability to move about freely!
As the furious boar charged in– it plunged into molasses! The animal found itself trapped as well, sealed in place.
Khadory, with all his worries, barely had the chance to wonder how that might work. Apparently, the temporal dome could still capture new threats.
Yet now there were new questions! Would the creature’s charge continue with the same momentum when the spell broke? Or would they all just tumble free of the mess? And, either way, what kind of defense could the boy come up with against such a massive threat?
He could only wait, and wonder.