Chapter 82 - Hestia's Star (Patreon)

The temple loomed before them, grey stone against a grey sky. A pathway led down the side, away from the town square and to a garden around the back where Hump could see Fishers Lake.

“Are you sure about this?” Bud asked. “Albry has made it clear that he views you as the enemy. I can’t imagine he’ll cooperate.”

“I see no choice anymore,” Vivienne said. “I can accept his refusal of my help, I can deal with him spreading rumours, but what I cannot accept is the unfair imprisonment of a woman of this town. Particularly when Elowen may hold the information we need.”

“It’s the only way,” Hump added. “If Skander is right and they truly found an artefact out in Fishers Lake, it’s not something we can ignore. We need to know what it is, and what these visions of Albry’s truly are.”

“What if he really is just Chosen?” Bud asked.

“Then we’ll apologise,” Vivienne said.

“Can you prove it either way?” Celaine asked.

“I’ll know,” Vivienne said certainly. “There are some things that a person can’t hide, though often, it’s only when they’re put under pressure that it really shines through. My mind is made up. Are you all ready?”

Hump, Celaine, and Dylan nodded, but Bud looked hesitant.

Bud’s face was full of doubt, his eyes fixed on the temple doors. “This is a temple of the Pantheon…”

“You’re welcome to stay outside,” Vivienne said.

Dylan clasped his shoulder. “We’ll do this right. Albry is sick. Hump may not have been able to detect any soul damage, but a wound like that does not heal quickly. At least, not without help. This has to happen, for Albry’s sake as much as the rest of us.”

Bud sighed but gave a reluctant nod. “Very well. I’ll trust your judgement on this, Wizard Vivienne.”

She led the way through the doors, the five of them entering the sanctuary quietly. Inside, it was packed full of clergy and townsfolk, many with their heads bowed in prayer. Hump could feel the fear in the room after only a moment, and he couldn’t blame them. News of what happened in Lakewood would put just about anyone on edge. The attacks were getting worse, and they were no longer confined to the nights around the new moon.

Albry stood before the altar at the head of the sanctuary, leading the gathering in prayer. He made no indication that he’d noticed them, and Vivienne seemed content to let the tension simmer. So they waited at the edge of the hall until he was finished.

Hump’s eyes were drawn to the item on the altar, something that hadn’t been there on their previous visits. It was a clear crystal in the shape of a twelve-point star, each point tipped with pure black stone. A trail of silver liquid shone inside, slowly swirling through the central section of the crystalline structure, somehow suspended within. It was unlike anything he had ever seen.

“So much for it just being a trinket,” Hump whispered. “I didn’t expect him to just leave it out on display.”

“Who would dare to take it from a High Priest,” Vivienne said.

“Any idea what it is?” Hump asked.

“No.” Vivienne frowned. “And that worries me. I sense no essence from it.”

“Do we take it?” Dylan asked.

Vivienne glanced at him and frowned. “You’ve been spending too much time with Hump.”

Hump rolled his eyes. “Brilliant. Thanks. Is that a ‘no’ then?”

“No good will come of antagonising Albry,” Vivienne said. “In the end, the people of Fishers Lake respect their High Priest. We need them on our side if we are to be of any help, and that goes for Albry too.”

Albry finished his sermon and addressed the gathering. “I appreciate you all joining me here on this dark day. Unfortunately, I must ask you to return to your homes and families.” He looked up, his gaze settling on Vivienne, a thin smile on his face. “It appears I have… visitors.”

The crowd shuffled as they turned to look at them, the room filling with whispers. Hump couldn’t help but feel as if there was suspicion in their eyes, and he fought not to scowl back at them. He wondered what nonsense Albry had filled their ears with this time. As they were leaving, Albry took the arm of a tall priest who Hump recognised from the group that had been at the lighthouse on the night they had first met Vivienne. Albry whispered something to the man who gave a quick nod before separating from the rest of the clergy. He strode past them, leaving through the temple doors with the rest of the crowd.

“Randall and the rest of his party will be here soon I imagine,” Hump said, watching him leave.

Vivienne hummed her agreement.

Only when the sanctuary was completely empty did Albry address them, all civility lost from his tone. “I must admit, the level of your arrogance surprises me, witch. I thought even you would know to respect this sacred ground.”

“I do respect it,” Vivienne said. “I am not here to fight or to argue, I am here to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Albry said. “I knew you were trouble from the moment I arrived at Fishers Lake. There is nothing you can say to me to change that.”

“Come now, Albry. I know we’ve had our disagreements, but we both want what’s best for Fishers Lake. I believe that deep down you know I mean the people of this town no harm, just as I believe you are doing what you think is right. Now is the time for us to work together.”

“What I think?” Albry scoffed. “What could you possibly know? You are a heretic. A blasphemer. Lady Hestia herself whispers in my ear, what could you possibly offer me that I do not already have?” he laughed. “Gods, could your arrogance be more blinding? Your very existence is a stain on the world, yet you dare to speak to me of what is right. I am Hestia’s Chosen! You are nothing, yet you patronise me like a fool.”

Vivienne let out an impatient sigh. ““I’m not patronising you. The attack at Lakewood has revealed much. We are up against a force greater than we know, and I fear that it is beyond either of us to handle alone. If we don’t find a way to help each other, many more will die.”

Albry turned his back to them, a look of disgust on his face. He gazed up at the stained-glass window that overlooked the altar, lifted his chin, and basked in the wavy blue light that shone through. “There is nothing you can give me that Lady Hestia cannot. There is no discussion to be had. Leave now, and do not return.”

The temple doors burst open, and Madeleine barged into the sanctuary, shield in hand, Randall and the rest of the party following. Skander brought up the rear, sauntering in casually as if he didn’t care what happened one way or another.

“What is going on here?” Randall roared. “How dare you harass High Priest Albry.”

“We came here to talk,” Bud insisted. “We need to find a way to work together. To help each other help the people of Fishers Lake. It’s time we got along.”

“No, Robert. As you can see, I have all the help I need.” Albry turned back to face them and smiled. “Chosen of the gods, not some petty witch.” He gestured at the object on the altar. “And Hestia’s Star. Now that it has been returned to the temple, the town will be safe, I assure you. Perhaps when all this is over the two of us can find an opportunity to speak, but for now you have decided to stand with the witch. This discussion is over. I want you all to leave.”

“No, Albry,” Vivienne said. “We have yet to come to the main point of topic. Why have you confined Priestess Elowen to her chambers? Why have you turned against one of your own?”

“Because she’s a heretic,” Albry snapped. “Because Hestia told me of her betrayal. It was not I that turned against her.” He scoffed. “It is no wonder you wish to speak to her now, from one heretic to another.”

“We discovered a formation in the den of the monsters that attacked Lakewood,” Dylan said. “Priestess Elowen may be key to finding out where these creatures are coming from. You must let us speak to her.”

Albry took a deep breath and exhaled. “The answer is no, Dylan. You are lost, my boy. More lost than any here, but it is not too late for you to see light. Trust in Hestia’s guidance and forget the words of this witch.”

“Where did you find that artefact?” Vivienne asked pointedly.

“It is no business of yours,” Albry growled, waving her away. “Hestia shows me the path, and I merely follow. Or do you still doubt that I am Chosen?”

“You have refused to reveal your Brilliance and claim that Hestia herself is speaking to you,” Vivienne said. “As you so often state, you are a high priest. You know as well as anyone how rarely gods speak to mortals, yet you just happen to hear one after suffering an injury to your soul. Yes, I doubt you. You should doubt yourself upon hearing the facts.”

Randall interjected. “Priest Albry has more than proven he can be trusted. It was only because of his guidance that we were able to find Hestia’s Star, believe me.”

“It’s not enough,” Vivienne said. “A priestess is now imprisoned and an unknown artefact from only the gods know where has been brought back to town. It is time to show us the truth, Albry. This cannot continue.”

“You are in my town,” Albry said. “In my temple. I will not expose myself to you. I do not trust any of you in the slightest, let alone enough to bring my soul to bare. Do you take me for an idiot?”

“Not an idiot,” Vivienne said. “You’re sick, injured, but still within my abilities to help. If truly you are Chosen, then you must prove it now. You cannot expect us to operate solely on blind faith with so much at stake. Nor will this artefact be of any use without proper research and understanding.”

Albry laughed. “And so your true motivation reveals itself. You want the star. Well, you cannot have it. It belongs to the temple.”

“All I want is for Fishers Lake to be safe,” Vivienne said. “I want to stop these attacks before the threat worsens further. For that, we need the help of Priestess Elowen, and we need to work together. We have part of a plan already in place, but we can’t keep standing in each other’s way.”

Madeleine whispered something in Randall’s ear that brought a frown to the young lord’s face.

“What plan?” Randall asked after a few moments of consideration.

“Do not be fooled by them,” Albry warned.

“With all due respect, High Priest, it would be foolish to ignore them,” Randall snapped back, cutting Albry off. “Now what’s the plan?”

“These spirits are coming into our world from another,” Hump explained. “The formation we found by Lakewood indicates that a summoner or group of summoners is likely involved. We need to find a way to stop it happening again. To do that, we intend to follow one of the spirits back to its source. If we’re right, it will lead us straight back to its summoner.”

“How do you know the attack in Lakewood was related?” Madeleine asked.

“They were present in the monster den,” Hump said.

“You can go there and see the formation yourself,” Bud said. “The larger monsters we fought should still be there.”

Randall frowned, appearing somewhat convinced.

“It is irrelevant,” Albry said. “It is in Hestia that we trust. This is a fool’s errand. You will not have our artefact, and you will not impede on the sanctuary any longer. Begone. All of you, begone!”

Vivienne’s face darkened. Hump felt essence stir as she silently cast a spell. “I wanted to settle this peacefully,” her voice resonated, empowered by essence, shimmering like mist on her breath. “I can see you are too far gone for that. I apologise for this, but you leave my no choice. I must see what has truly happened to you.”

“You are in my house, witch,” Albry shouted. “You hold no power here. I will not listen to your words of trickery. Leave now. You are not welcome.”

A torrent of essence swept through the sanctuary as Vivienne brought her aura to bear. It was unlike their training, nor even the moment when Hump had first been subjected to her power. This was the real deal. Essence streamed from her in great streams, but it didn’t dissipate. It gathered around her, condensing to form a mist of white and blue essence that cloaked her in power, looming over her as if her body were merely a puppet and this was her true form.

Soul manifestation.

All at once, her power surged forward. The pews scraped across the sanctuary floor, the temple doors flew open, and Vivienne’s power encompassed Albry.

Hump felt a chill down his spine. The air shivered against his skin. At the temple doors, Skander dodged back in an explosion of shadow while Madeleine took up position before Randall. She braced her kite shield against the ground. “Bastion,” she uttered, and red essence expanded around it, her blessing forming a barrier that encompassed the entire party now gathered behind it.

Albry held his ground at the altar, sweat beading on his brow, but the man did not falter. “I am a Chosen of Hestia, and you are in her temple. I will not bow before heresy.”

Suddenly, Hump felt a change in the priest. The air churned—no, essence churned. It made his skin prickle, fighting back against Vivienne, shining from him in faint streams of blue and silver light. It coated him like a whirlpool, silver light intermingled like white water on a wave. His eyes shone, one blue, the other silver.

“I am a Chosen of Hestia.” His voice resonated with power. “How much more proof do you need?”