Holy Opposites 54

Chapter Thirty-Two:


	Axio felt himself drifting fitfully through sleep that night.  Cavria’s gentle words had helped, but he was still terrified, and it robbed him of his calm.  He had prayed his heart out before retiring, too.

	Before the sun rose, however, he felt the same unearthly sensation he had felt many times before.  Relief washed through his dreaming mind as Ryaire extended her power to him and enveloped him in her endless might.

	When his vision cleared, he was sitting on the edge of forest in the Arbor, looking out over the vast ring of moss and grass that surrounded the rim of the pit.  He was clad in soft white clothes, shoeless, and unarmed.

	He knew from experience that he would only be spoken to when he needed to be, so he sat and waited for Ryaire’s presence.

	Soon, a diffuse glow approached him from behind.  He turned and did not rise.  “Your Ladyship,” he said, shifting into a kneeling pose.

	“Hello, Axio,” Ryaire said.  She ran a hand over his chin, and he shivered at the sense of absolute power that ran through him from her light touch.  He let her pull his head up, and his heart ached when he saw the hurt on her face.  “My dear boy, I hear something horrible has happened to your sister.”

	“Yes,” Axio said.  He clenched a hand in helpless rage, even as his patroness forced him to meet her eyes.  “What can we do?”

	“Triera’s alive, I can tell you that,” Ryaire said.  “Your man Embersson has finished his co-ordination of the magic to find the way into the Baneite stronghold.”

	“He has?”

	“He’s delivered it to the Watch, who gave it to Solen.  I must say,” she mused, releasing his chin and bidding him to rise with a finger, “that Embersson has impressed me.  Rediscovering his conscience has made him a better, stronger man.  He will earn his forgiveness soon, I suspect.”

	“Well, that’s good,” Axio said, but his mind was already moving on to other topics.  They had to plan their attack; they had to assemble their allies…

	“Straight to business,” Ryaire observed with a sad little smile.  “Well, then.  I know you’re terrified, my Chosen, but don’t be.  Triera’s fate is not yet set in stone.  You may work your way to her in time yet.”

	“I hope so,” Axio said.  Even in this idyllic heaven, fear clutched at his heart.  “Can I do anything else?  Have I forgotten anything?”

	Ryaire shook her head.  “No, Axio, you’ve forgotten nothing.  All there is left is action.”

	“Except we don’t know the password for the portal,” Axio pointed out.  “We don’t know how to find the temple yet!”

	His demigoddess great-grandmother raised one finger.  “Ah, but you have taken a prisoner who does.”

	“The fat cleric who used stone shape,” Axio realized at once.

	“His name is Bastienne Toller, and he was the leader of this raid,” Ryaire explained.

	Axio stiffened.  “Toller!  I know that name!  He led the satellite temple we raided!” he exclaimed.

	“Precisely.  Something is blocking or controlling him, somehow,” Ryaire said.  “I do not know what, but it does not stem from the Weave.”

	The Weave and its shadowed counterpart were the fundamental underpinnings of the entire realm of magic.  Using magic without a connection to one or the other was impossible.

	“Psionics?” Axio asked.

	“Possibly.  It would not be without precedent.”  Ryaire beckoned him into the woods, and he followed.  The sounds of the great grass circle faded into the noise of the faint, whispering leaves of the forest beyond.  “My Chosen, you are nearing a turning point in your development as an extension of my Church,” Ryaire said.  “You may notice soon that you will develop some new angelic traits at random, in fact.”  She turned to face him again.  “Never fear it, my son,” she said gently.  “Embrace it.  Let it make you stronger.”

	“I don’t do well with uncertainty, your Ladyship,” Axio said ruefully.  “Can you tell me what will happen?”

	“Sadly not.  It should not be a great inconvenience, you should simply be aware.”  She gestured to a distant wall of mist, and Axio saw the archway out of the Arbor into the greater House of the Triad.  “Now, Axio, it’s time for you to awaken.  I hope I have managed to help you prepare for this trial.  In the morning, make your way to the unfinished Temple of the Dark Dancer.  Your Eilistraeean allies will be waiting there.”

	Axio bowed again.  “Yes, my Lady.  And Toller?”

	“Tell Solen,” Ryaire said.  “He will know what to do.”  She gave him a light hug, and he awoke.


	Axio stared at the ceiling.  He heard a faint noise beside him as Cavria awoke, yawning.  “Morning, Axio,” she mumbled.

	“Good morning.”

	She blinked through sleep-muddled eyes and straightened her hair with her hands.  “Did you finally get some real sleep?”

	“Yes.  Ryaire spoke to me,” Axio said.  He rose and pulled on a clean tunic.  “I need to speak to the Grand Cleric, immediately.  Go get your gear and weapons on; we don’t have time to waste.”


	Solen stood outside the little supply room.  Toller sat tied to the chair inside, blindfolded, with earplugs in.  “I find it distressing how often we have been forced to use this room as an interrogation chamber,” the ancient cleric said sadly.

	“Agreed,” Axio said.  “But Lady Ryaire said you may know how to get the information from our man here.”

	Solen nodded.  “I can, yes.  He knows the password?”

	“He does.”

	Solen pushed the door open.  “Leave him to me.”  He let the door shut and stood before the Baneite.  He pulled the blindfold and earplugs off and stepped back.  Toller looked blearily up at him.

	“I understand you know the passwords to the temple’s portals,” Solen said bluntly.  “Reveal them to me.”

	“Blow me,” Toller sneered.

	“Among my spells I have prepared for the day, I have heal, speak with dead, and zone of truth,” Solen said.  He pressed a finger to the other man’s head.  “Which will you need used on you?”

	Toller laughed a sickly, mad laugh.  “You’re not going to torture me, old man.”

	“No, that is beneath me,” Solen said.  “I shall simply kill you, and allow your own fear of your fate motivate your soul’s honesty.”


	Toller’s fractured mind whirled.  Whatever psychic blocks Vorthane had put in him would keep him from being forced by magic to reveal the passwords, but did that protection extend into death?  He didn’t know.  He needed to stall.  “I don’t believe you.”

	The half-Celestial grabbed his head.  Toller yowled as a blast of divine fire impacted his forehead and sent him sprawling, still tied to the chair.  “That is immaterial,” the old man – the Grand Cleric himself, maybe? – said coldly.  Toller saw him withdraw a small silver knife from his pocket.  “Burn in hell,” he said, and Toller felt the cold of the knife against his neck.

	“W-wait!” Toller managed.  “Don’t do it!”

	“Do you mean to repent?” Solen asked.

	“What?  No!”

	“Do you mean to defect?”

	“No!”

	“Do you mean to tell me the password?”

	“No…”

	Solen sighed.  He would have to ask for absolution for this, he was sure, but he cared about Triera more than himself.  He cast Geas.

	Toller struggled, but his mind was already damaged enough by Vorthane’s torture that he couldn’t resist.  “I command you to speak,” Solen said.  “Reveal to me the portal password to enter your temple.”

	Toller’s heart leaped.  That command was just loosely phrased enough to let him get away with deception.  “Malsker,” he said.

	“Was that so hard?” Solen asked curtly.  “Stay where you are.”


	Axio stood impatiently outside the storeroom.  He could feel the calm and patience Ryaire had given him slipping away.  The scuffle inside had subsided.  He was contemplating going in when the door swung open.  Solen stepped out and shut the door behind him.  “The password is ‘Malsker,’ Axio,” Solen said.  “I had to use Geas to get the knowledge, but it should work.”

	Axio hugged the old cleric.  “Thank you, Grandfather.  Shall we turn Toller over to the Watch now?”

	“We shall.  Let them decide his fate.  In the meantime, you have work to do.  Keep our family safe, Axio,” Solen said gravely.  “I shall do my best to prepare the Temple, should the worst come to pass.”


	Axio and Cavria moved through the city as fast as they dared.  The two of them were loaded up with all their armor and weapons.  They had the password; all they needed now was the rest of their party.

	They arrived at the construction site to see Luanea sitting outside the curtained room in her spring cloak and formalwear, eating breakfast.  Her eyes went wide when she saw the two armored Ryairans charge up.  “Axio!  Cavria!” she said, rising to her feet and setting aside her tea.  “You’re alright!  We heard the worst about yesterday!”

	Axio came to a halt when he reached his friend.  “I imagine you did, Luanea, but I’m afraid there’s no time to chat,” he said.  “We have the password for the portal, and we know where the temple’s access is.”

	Luanea started moving towards the curtained room at once.  “I’ll get the others.  Where do we meet you?”

	“At the Temple, as soon as you can.”  Axio breathed deeply.  “Okay.  Back home, let’s get ready ourselves.”

	Cavria looked around doubtfully.  The six of them would be heavily outnumbered.  “Shouldn’t we bring a Watch team?” she asked, as the two of them walked briskly back towards their home temple.

	“We could, but we need to be sure the city itself is safe while we’re gone,” Axio said.  “We have no idea how many people they have left.”


	The five divine warriors met up outside the Temple.  Kyria and Luanea both gasped when they saw the damage to the temple.  “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Kyria said.  She sniffled and hugged both Ryairans.  “This is awful!”

	“Yeah,” Cavria said heavily.  “We lost a monk, and many children.”  Kyria wiped tears away.

	“We’ll get your sister back,” Doshellas said quietly.  Axio heard steel behind his voice.  This wasn’t honestly so different from what his slavemaster had done in the tunnels of the Underdark – raiding surfacers and abducting their children.  “I swear it.”

	Solen pressed an armful of potions on them.  “Suivi is waiting for you at the portal.  He does not know the interior of the temple, but he does wish to help you in battle, as you agreed.”

	“That’s something,” Axio said.  He embraced his grandfather with a heavy heart.  “We’ll be back soon,” he promised.

	“Ryaire guide you,” Solen said gravely.  “We will keep the home fires burning.”