Jade glanced around at the captive audience. She was sure they’d heard this story a lot if they told it every week, but it was rather fascinating. The man’s tone was compelling, drawing people into the story. She’d been totally engrossed until he took a moment to let them ponder the darkness. The mural depicted it frighteningly well, and it seemed to embody the full despair of the world.
The man continued, “Yet, that was not the end. Our Heavenly Mother took pity on her faithful children and blessed them with knowledge. She gave them the ability to see their strengths and weaknesses. She convinced Father Earth that not all of his children should be cast out, and together, they blessed their children with the strength to resist the tides of darkness. Thus began the Age of Magic. Light spread once again across the kingdoms as safe havens were established by those blessed by Father Earth and Heavenly Mother.”
He paused dramatically, then went on, “Kingdoms grew under the guidance of the blessed, and our mages led the way forward, but there were yet dark times ahead. The dark creatures grew crafty, and they began to steal the blessed for their evil ways. Having gleaned magic from the darkness, they once again began to encroach upon the light. The people cried to the heavens for help, and our parents took pity on us once more. From other worlds, they called the first travelers, brave warriors who united the people! They helped lead the armies of men with their new knowledge! With their help, the kingdoms once again became a haven of peace and prosperity.”
His voice was filled with almost maniacal devotion as he shouted, “And Heavenly Mother and Father Earth have continued to bless us with travelers whenever the kingdoms face great threats! Hand in hand, they lead and guide us forward! The heroes of the kingdom and our faithful rulers serve us and keep us safe! Even now, the threat has been growing outside our walls, but the heavens have heard our cries! A new traveler has arrived to bring salvation and a new era of peace and prosperity! We are not forgotten, for our parents look upon us still! Praise Father Earth and Heavenly Mother, for they have provided!”
“Praise be to Father Earth and Heavenly Mother!” The congregation shot to their feet and echoed his shout, and Jade belatedly followed them to her feet, trying not to stand out.
Dazed, she muttered, “Oh. Shit.”
Chapter Thirty-Six – Path
It seemed that this was the end of the little meeting, whatever it was, thankfully. The audience broke into little clumps of enthusiastic people who chattered excitedly about what the new traveler would be like. Jade watched them in a daze as most of them broke off to give some kind of offering, be it money to the front or something for one of the altars. She followed them to leave the pews, listening to their conversations as she tried to process everything she’d just heard.
“Oooh, he was good! I got the chills! I wonder what the new traveler is like?”
“Obviously, it’s a brave warrior like the others!”
“Yeah, they’re going to help us get rid of the dark ones!”
Jade shuddered, silently trying to get out of there as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself. She hadn’t gotten around to reading about the other travelers yet, but it seemed like that was exactly what she was going to be doing for the rest of the afternoon. People expected her to be a hero. Her?
As she passed through the church doors and out into the sunlight, she heaved a silent sigh of relief as she squinted at the blinding light. Wandering towards the library, she tried to think if anyone had mentioned the fact that they expected her to save them. That would be a big fat no. So much for being able to be a peaceful merchant!
Then again, in the last day, hadn’t that been what she was doing? She had found—or been found by, really—two monsters which were apparently a huge threat. She’d formulated a plan that would hopefully change the death rate among mages here, which was probably a huge help since mages didn’t seem to be all that common. Was that not a step in the direction of saving them?
Feeling a headache coming on, she stepped into the darker corridors of the library with a sigh. She reached the front desk, finding Eric himself there. A little startled, she managed a small smile for him. “Oh, hey Eric.”
“Jade, you’re here!” He glanced behind her, seeming curious that there was no one with her and that she didn’t seem to be her bubbly self. “Did something happen at the gate?”
She nodded slowly, deciding to use that as her excuse. “Yeah, I found a doppelganger among the men with my new mana sense.”
Eric looked a little alarmed as he asked, “Did you get hurt?”
She shook her head. “No, not me. Count Ammon did though. He’s fine now, just needs a little rest. Oh, right. Countess Marcelle might send someone to look for me if they can’t figure out the light magic I recommended.” Eric looked bewildered, and she smiled. “It’s going to be a mesmer trap, hopefully.” He nodded as if he understood, and she could tell he was going to ask for more information later from someone else.
Thinking of the last comment she’d processed in the church, she asked, “I heard someone mention some dark ones. What are they?”
He looked a little wary now, and she met his hazel eyes with curiosity. If she was supposed to fight something, she wanted to know what they were asking her to get herself into. He seemed to be debating how much to tell her, then he sighed and seemed to come to a decision. “The dark ones are the fallen, the first beings that were turned to monsters. They’re the supreme rulers among monsters. They’re extremely powerful, for they have lived many centuries in the dark. We don’t have much more information, given that most people who’ve seen them are dead. Whenever the fallen come to the battlefield, not much is left behind. Nations fall, and monsters take over. They’re said to be beautiful beyond compare, with feathered black wings coming out of their backs.”
Jade took a moment to consider. Why did it suddenly sound like they were describing Lucifer, fallen son of the morning, an angel? If they had wings, did that mean that humans here were originally born with wings too? Whatever. That wasn’t the point. She asked quietly, “Do they come to the battlefield often?”
Eric frowned, then answered. “No, not often. Thankfully, Caoi has never had a fallen come here, but around thirty years ago, a kingdom to the west, Tareim, was destroyed. They say a dark one led the armies of monsters that did it.”
She nodded pensively, then smiled at Eric. “Thanks for telling me all that. I was just a bit curious when I heard the term because it didn’t sound like they were talking about the mesmer.” She had learned to lie way too smoothly because Eric was now smiling back at her like she hadn’t just asked some really important questions.
“No problem. Are you spending the afternoon reading today?”
Nodding, she said, “Yeah, I figured it’s my last day to get some reading in, since classes start tomorrow.”
“Oh right! I almost forgot again!” Digging around in his pockets, he finally pulled out another little metal card. She wasn’t quite sure what it was made of, but if she had to guess, it was silver inlaid with a copper crest. It was thicker than her library card, and as Eric handed it to her, she inspected it more closely. “This is your school pass. I kept forgetting to give it to you!” He smiled charmingly, seemingly a little embarrassed that it had slipped his mind so many times.
She studied the roaring dragon crest. The dragon had wings spread as it was perched atop a mountain, fire coming out of its mouth. At the base of the mountain were a book, sword, and a shield. The detail was extraordinary, and she smiled at Eric as she asked, “Your work?”