Chapter 28 #3
“I am your queen, and it is my will you enthusiastically obey.”
Aurora felt a wave of divine energy pour over the temple, and suddenly all the noise within ceased.
The paladins and soldiers lowered their weapons, the priestesses ceased their cries, the clerics their whispers.
Over a hundred and fifty heeded her call.
Their queen had spoken. It was their place to obey.
Something small screamed in the back of Aurora’s mind, but it was easy to ignore.
“You really are the most foolish of your incarnations, Aurora,” Orithyia chuckled as she finished descending the stairs.
Her cane clicked along the black tiles of the temple floors, clerics and soldiers alike moving aside and bowing with reverence.
When Orithyia reached her, Aurora got to her knees, as was only proper.
“Thankfully, I know just how to put you to good use. As for your soldiers, though…hmm.”
Just then, a paladin of Knowledge raced into the temple. How dare he interrupt the queen in her temple?
“Your Holiness, monstrosities are emerging all over Altanus. Your orders?”
“Let Altanus burn,” Orithyia replied, unconcerned. It hurt, but that was her right. The city lived or died by her orders. “Or rather… As your queen, I order the soldiers to go fight the monstrosities plaguing the city.”
Relief flooded Aurora. Many would perish, but some may survive thanks to the sacrifices of the soldiers. Her contingent of over two score of soldiers raced into the city.
“It’s time you made up for the headaches you’ve caused me. You’re a monarch now, aren’t you? Then you may even survive it,” Orithyia hummed. “Even if you don’t, your corpse will make excellent bait for your foolish husband. It always does.”
If she could be of service to the queen in her hour of need, was there any greater honour?
“I won’t disappoint you,” Aurora replied.
“I know you won’t. You there, bring the cuff and the stone. And you”—she snapped her fingers at a gaggle of adoring acolytes—“bring chairs and refreshments.”
The chairs came first, but the refreshments were held up by the arrival of nine paladins of Passion.
“Orithyia, you stand accused of heresy! Come peacefully, and we will spare your life.”
Aurora stood, ready to defend her queen’s honour, but of course Orithyia was prepared.
“The real heretic is High Priestess Myrina. Go, capture her and bring her here to face the charges.”
More divine magic, stronger than before, pressed on Aurora as if it weighted down the very air. How dare a heretic claim the title of high priestess?! Aurora prayed Orithyia would depose Myrina.
“At once, Your Holiness,” they answered, bowing before they raced back across the triangular plaza to the temple of Passion to apprehend the vile heretic Myrina.
“Did you know, Oracle, when you stormed into my chambers and declared you would change the future, it took all my considerable willpower not to die of laughter,” Orithyia snorted.
“As if anyone could alter Fate rather than carry it out. The only thing I can’t quite parse is how to turn that mindless puppet of Batea’s into the Drakon you know. ”
Her queen needed answers. Aurora began sweating. She had to serve her queen, to help in any way she could.
“Drakon knows about my relationship with Theron. So well in fact, he has said the same things to me that Theron has, as if in mockery of our intimate moments.”
“Has he now?” Orithyia mused.
Before she could offer more, the priestess returned with two objects. A seeing stone and a cuff with inverted spikes. Bile rose in Aurora’s throat.
“Now, Aurora, you will serve your queen. Your incarnations have consistently proven vexatious to my goddess. It is time you give me the advantage I seek. Show me the deaths of all of your incarnations from the next cycle of chaos until the one you fled.”
“As you command,” Aurora replied shakily.
Courage. She could do this. Just the other day she’d seen her past incarnations as they became queen of Aureum stretching back to the days before myth and legend.
Before even the first great sundering. Queen of Aureum…
Something inside her balked. Aurora was a queen, wasn’t she?
Then why was she…? No, Orithyia had given her an important task.
She could not shame herself by refusing.
The priestess fastened the cuff on one arm and placed the stone in Aurora’s free hand.
“Now, show me what is to come,” Orithyia ordered.
The spikes sank into her flesh and dragged her magic to the surface. Aurora called on the power of Aureum to direct the vision. She had to search for what her queen wished to see. Death. Her deaths. She must be brave.
The magic tugged at her, and Aurora surrendered.
She opened her eyes to a battlefield. Monstrosities were emerging from every scorched rock and smoking tree stump, devouring paladins whole and leaving others torn in half.
But she couldn’t spare her pity for them, no matter how her heart ached, no matter the tears coursing down her cheeks.
She’d already lost so many. She would do anything to save those who remained.
Drakon slithered through the skies, shouting obscenities at her, accusing her of vile, unspeakable crimes. He dove, jaws gaping, teeth flashing in the light, ready to rip her to shreds.
“Now!” cried the avatar, her bow blazing with divine magic.
Aurora raised her hands high and unleashed her magic. It poured out of her. She’d received so little training, but it had to be enough. It latched onto Drakon, stopping him.
She’d done it.