Chapter 4
Eldric
T hey were up before the sun, walking down the narrow and winding streets to the temple in sleepy morning silence. Lorali had been right—the couch was more comfortable than he thought it’d be. It still didn’t help him sleep more than an hour throughout the night. His body was too wired, mind running too fast as he stared at the dark wood ceiling beams wondering just what he had agreed to. His soon-to-be wife was in no better shape, dark circles beneath her eyes as she folded a colorful piece of fabric and tucked it into her satchel.
“Not getting cold feet, are we?” he asked, tone light as he tried to find some sense of normalcy in their very abnormal day. She glared at him, pouring her brew into a mug that she held onto throughout their journey. Curling into the crisp morning air, the steam from the mug mingled with her breath. If he hadn't provoked her so early, maybe she would have extended the offer of a cup to him too.
The temple’s high spires towered over them in the darkness, shadows thrown high from the flickering street lanterns. His pace slowed, feet rooting him within the looming darkness. A shiver that had nothing to do with the morning chill crawled along his spine. After a few steps, Lorali stopped—hesitating before the door as she turned back to find him rooted in place. Despite her fatigue, her eyes were sharp. Studying the stiffness in his stance, the hesitation in his glance. Reading him as if he were a book.
“Ever been to the Order’s temple?” she asked, speaking for the first time since they left the cottage. Her voice was soothing, a balm against his nerves. He tried his best to shake the tension from his shoulders as he followed her through the unfamiliar side entrance.
“Once,” he breathed, “long ago.”
“It’s not as scary on the inside, promise,” she said with a small smile before devouring the last of her drink and setting her mug on a nearby windowsill. And to her, perhaps it wasn’t. She seemed genuine—good even. In the half a day he’d known her, he’d felt at ease despite their strange situation. She’d welcomed him into her home and showed him kindness with no expectation of it in return. He wondered if she would think so highly of the Order if she knew what secrets lurked within it. It twisted something in his gut to think that she could know, and still choose to be a follower.
He was thankful that his guide was not the chatty sort. It gave him time to observe as they navigated through the warren that was the temple, memorizing the twists and turns as they went. He watched how her steps quickened as they neared the center. They entered the massive room filled with empty pews and soaring stained glass through a side door. He couldn’t help the way his footsteps stopped as his eyes followed the walls up, up, and up— until they reached the high domed ceiling capped in pure glass, letting the fading stars shine through. It was as marvelous as he remembered.
“My, my, my—I can’t believe the day has come where I see my little Lorali married. And through a gallows bond, no less,” a male voice called playfully.
Eldric flinched, unable to identify where the voice was coming from. Lorali’s steps did not falter as she gave an exasperated sigh.
“I’m not your ‘little’ anything, Heinrich. Stop being nosey—your presence isn’t required.”
“Someone hasn’t had their morning brew,” Heinrich chuckled as he popped up from a pew he had been laying on. “And oh, how you are wrong, Lor. My presence is absolutely required. Who would give you away to this... upstanding citizen, if not I?”
“I am not something to be given away, Heinrich.” Lorali bristled, mild annoyance flickering across her face as she crossed her arms. “It may be a tradition, but it is not required by any means.”
Heinrich’s cheerful voice turned serious as he leaned over the pew when they neared. His dark skin stood out against the light wood even in the flickering lowlight of freshly lit candles. The man’s grey eyes, so similar to Lorali’s, glanced at him.
“Trust me, you want me here. You’re all anyone has been talking about since that guard barged in with his commander yesterday. You proposed a gallows marriage to one of the most wanted men in the city, then proceeded to inform the archcleric by phoenix letter rather than, oh I don’t know, telling us in person?” Heinrich groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “The city council is furious; the guard is saying he paid you to do this. Bribery, Lor. That’s an excommunicable and executable offense.”
Lorali stopped at the pew before him, her shoulders drawn back and chin held high. “I did not accept any bribe. ”
“Hello, upstanding citizen here,” Eldric said with a small wave. “Can confirm that she, in fact, wasn’t bribed. Not by me anyway.”
“Not helping,” she shot back without missing a beat.
“What on this lighted earth were you thinking to pull such an ancient trick, Lor? I mean, he is a looker, but his reputation is less than desirable.” Heinrich’s eyes slowly traveled from Eldric’s dirty boots all the way up to his messy curls.
“Bite me,” Eldric grumbled, shifting from foot to foot beneath the man’s gaze as he stood beside Lorali with crossed arms.
“Don’t tempt him,” Lorali warned.
Heinrich chuckled at that, a smirk showing that maybe, just maybe, he might.
“Sage had to assure the council that they would personally oversee your binding and that you would be kept close to the Order throughout your bonded year.”
Lorali bit her lip, closing her eyes as she took a steadying breath through her nose. “Shit.”
“Yeah, shit indeed. Sage was already not happy about you communing with other deities.”
“It’s been years; you’d think they’d be over it by now,” she grumbled .
“Not when their protégée high cleric foiled their plans to make her the next archcleric. That’s why you’ve been on gallows duty ever since. They’re hoping you’ll give it up.”
Eldric coughed with surprise. “Archcleric?”
“Don’t ask, Lorecaster,” Lorali snapped.
“You’re full of surprises, Lor .” The nickname rolled off the rogue’s tongue with ease as he grinned.
“Oh yes, your wife-to-be is quite the accomplished cleric for one so young,” Heinrich said wistfully, standing as the door opened. “Look alive, you two,” he continued with a nod to the back of the nave. Through the door, the sun was just beginning to crest over the hill, painting the sky in swathing shades of orange.
Fulke’s gangly silhouette was accompanied by someone much taller and much broader. A mountain of a man with the city’s crest embroidered over his heart—a symbol of his unwavering loyalty to law and order.
“Commander Sorin,” Eldric greeted tightly, standing straighter as the Commander of the Atheran Guard neared. As if it would make him feel any more at ease in his presence. He only spared Fulke a withering glance. The guard sneered but said nothing in the presence of his superior.
“Eldric,” he replied with a curt nod .
“A pleasure to see you again, sir,” Lorali said with her hand outstretched in greeting. Commander Sorin’s hand enveloped her own, dwarfing her already petite hand into obscurity within his black-gloved clasp.
“Likewise...” the commander started but struggled to remember a name.
“Lorali,” she supplied with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of her head. “It’s been a while—we met back when you were still a captain.”
“Ah, right,” the commander nodded in agreement, reticent and wearing his usual stern expression.
“Sage will be here shortly, Commander,” Heinrich said, stepping in and guiding Commander Sorin and Fulke away from the pair with ease. “They’re cleansing to allow proper communion with the gods. Allow me to bless you in the meantime before the nuptials.”
As quickly as they entered, they were corralled away.
“Sorin’s awful with names, don’t take it personally,” Eldric whispered, his hand touching her shoulder as he leaned in, nodding toward Heinrich who was praying over the guards. “Do we have to do that?”
“No, Heinrich just likes to show off,” Lorali said with a snort.
“So… Archcleric?” Eldric pestered.
“That’s—” she shook her head with a scoff. “You know what? No. If you get to have secrets from me, I get to keep mine from you.”
“Yes, miss former-next-archcleric,” he teased with a chuckle. He was surprised when Lorali grabbed his wrist and squeezed it tight, pulling him in close enough that their noses nearly touched.
“Do not breathe a word of that to anyone. Heinrich shouldn’t know, let alone be telling anyone. Especially outside the faith,” she whispered, deathly calm. Her clear grey eyes bore into his own and he couldn’t help the tilt to his head as he leaned in.
“Well, I am your husband-to-be,” Eldric crooned into her ear. “My lips are sealed.”
He couldn't help but notice the way her jaw tensed and her ears blushed a delicate shade of pink beneath his whispers. Their little game of banter from the previous night had brought him joy, and he was sure that over the next year they would find new ways to tease each other. Delight filled him at the thought, a lazy grin spreading as he gazed down at her defiant stare.
A throat clearing caught their attention and they sprung apart in an instant, as if they were conspirators caught by surprise .
“High Cleric Wynmar,” called a mild voice from the pulpit. “It has been an age.”
“Archcleric Sage,” Lorali said, bowing deeply. Heinrich and the guards did the same. Eldric stood firm, not bowing until Lorali yanked him down with her.
“May the goddess shine upon you,” she and Heinrich intoned in near unison.
“And upon you,” replied the archcleric. Lorali allowed Eldric to rise with her. Sage stood before them, flowing robes obscuring their form. Eldric recognized that ageless face, neither feminine nor masculine, that just was. Long silver hair framed grey eyes that glimmered with hidden knowledge, ears that ended in a short point sticking out. It made every hair on his body stand on edge, skin prickling as they spoke.
“I see your propensity for commotion has not changed.” Sage smiled down at them and though it was not kind, it held no malice either.
“I strive to live my life by Ostara’s guiding light as her humble servant,” Lorali replied, her hand still on his wrist. He wondered if she could feel his quickening pulse beneath her fingertips.
Sage’s smile grew taut as they nodded, clasping their hands together—the sound echoing loudly off the stone and colored glass inlaid within it .
“Let us move forward with the binding. I’m sure we all have plenty else to do with this day.”
Lorali nodded, pulling that colorful piece of fabric from home out of her satchel before stepping forward, her hand still on Eldric’s wrist. He was tired of being dragged along by the wrist as if he were a child and slid his hand into hers as she pulled him toward the pulpit. Whether because she didn’t care or didn’t notice, Lorali didn't fight him. The soft morning glow of first light began filtering in from above, that time between night and day hanging in a delicate balance as they stood before the archcleric.
“Which god did you petition for his rite?” Sage inquired, taking the fabric. Their gaze never left Lorali’s and never acknowledged Eldric’s existence. She hesitated, the god’s name hanging on her lips as if she were afraid to speak it in the archcleric’s presence.
“Athanasios,” Eldric supplied in her stead.
Lorali’s fingers twitched against Eldric’s, her grip tightening around his beneath the weight of Sage’s disapproving gaze.
“Of course.” That false smile dipped downward, pure distaste spreading across their features. “This is why you shouldn’t be communing with other gods, Lorali. They put you into unsavory situations that the Mother of Stars would never dare. Heinrich, the salts—we must keep this contained. We don’t want the god of chaos desecrating Ostara’s temple.”
Lorali’s eyes were downcast, mouth set into a firm line as Sage stepped away and her friend took a pitcher from a low cabinet, beginning to pour a thick salt line. It followed the outline of the skylight, encircling and separating them from others within the room.
“You’ll feel him this time,” she whispered to Eldric as she pushed her sleeves back and unbandaged her palm, revealing her wound that matched his own. He followed her movements, wordlessly revealing the pink and scabbed-over gash as she unsheathed her dagger. “It will be as cold as death, but I am with you. Always. You are safe with me, just don’t let go.”
Without warning, she reopened their freshly healed wounds with an archer’s precision, blood flowing between their joined hands. The archcleric took the length of fabric, wrapping it around their hands with expert precision and taking extra care not to soil their pristine clothes. Maroon began to seep through the fabric binding them together.
“Begin,” was all Sage said as they looked down at Lorali and Eldric.
Lorali took that steadying breath of hers, the one he’d noticed she took when she was preparing herself, as she began her petition to the god of shadows once more. Eldric stiffened as his vision faded to nothingness; he only saw Lorali burning brighter than flame before him, their joined hands remaining warm as the rest of his blood ran cold and dark.
Lord Athanasios , Lorali spoke, voice resounding within his mind. Within his very soul.
The nothingness took form and moved, sitting upon a dark throne painted in varying shades of darkness before them.
No honeyed words for me this time, little star? the old god drawled.
You said there was no need for platitudes.
Eldric stilled at her brazen words. Was that how one was supposed to speak to a god? The ruler of chaos itself? Considering the circumstances, he determined that it would be in his best interest to keep his lips sealed and leave the talking to Lorali. The last thing he wanted was to anger the god who had decided, for one reason or another, to have his life spared.
That I did. The god’s voice seemed to curl into a smile, bemused at the pair before him as his head rested against his knuckles. To Eldric’s utter shock he seemed pleased. He didn’t know how she could stand there beneath the overwhelming pressure of death and even think. But she did, her hand tight around his own.
I did as you asked.
In the most interesting of ways, it seems.
The shadows turned toward Eldric and he felt pure terror overtake him beneath the god’s gaze. It took everything within him not to tremble. Lorali squeezed her hand around his, a reassurance. As if knowing what he felt and reminding him she was there. She had promised him he was safe within her light.
Luck must have been on your side when you beseeched me, child. Any other god would have left you to the noose. You can call it a benefit of my sunny disposition , if you will.
Lorali stiffened at the familiar words. Eldric swallowed, that feeling of biting rope against his skin and the fear of impending darkness still fresh within his mind. He feared it could turn into reality at any moment the god pleased.
Thank you , he said with lips pressed tightly together.
I am not the one deserving of thanks, boy. That would be owed to your guiding star. The darkness nodded to Lorali. But we have little time to waste, as I grow tired of your archcleric’s attempts to interfere. Face each other so we may begin the ceremony.
While the god drew nearer, they complied with the command. Eldric's other hand found hers, the feel of her palm against his own providing a sense of reassurance. She had promised that he would be safe. He repeated the thought to himself over and over again—those eyes full of confidence and hope had not betrayed him yet. Something within him believed they wouldn’t. A cold hand settled upon their shoulders, the god's voice resonating in a forgotten tongue that sent cold flame into his very bones.
He clenched his teeth, eyes slamming shut. Only able to feel the onslaught of pain berating his senses. The god’s touch drew a scream from him, his flesh burning with the brightest pain he had ever known, stealing every bit of heat from his body. Lorali’s grip on him tightened with a whimper. Her nails biting into his skin were nothing compared to that scorching pain. It crept through his arm toward their bloody palms; toward the only piece of warmth that still existed within him. He feared it might go out, taking him and her under with it. That he had postponed his death, but only so long. But the warmth did not sputter or waver beneath the god’s magic, holding steady as a flame between them.
As the god stepped back, it left Eldric gasping, eyes flying open—the lack of sensation as painful as the onslaught he had just experienced. He blinked at Lorali’s tearstained face, following her gaze to their joined hands now inked with the same winding black design. His gaze followed the pattern from the thick black band on her third finger swirling up her arm until it was hidden beneath her sleeve, matching his own.
Now that you are bound, you must not be far from each other. Your lives are interwoven; what happens to one happens to both, including death. Do not let it happen, boy . The god’s voice was almost accusatory, as if he knew that between the two, Eldric would be the most likely cause.
Understood , was all he could manage.
Seal your bond, then, and be off. I will see you soon, little star. Remember who your light burns for. It will guide the way for you both.
Thank you for your wisdom, Lord Athanasios. Lorali’s voice was strained and hollow as she bowed her head to the god.
Eldric looked down at her, confused. Seal their bond? What could that possibly—
He did not have to wonder any longer as Lorali’s hand that was not tethering them to their world reached forward and grasped his collar, pulling his lips down into an earth-shattering kiss.