Chapter Title Meme: "Revelation & Apotheosis"
The Inquisitor strode with confidence, but diminished grace into the presence of the Council of Elders. Her leg had been snapped at two points the previous day, and though her personal healer could have healed her to full fitness, Gisela, as usual, had her bones mended until they were functioning again, then relied on the innate healing the infernal blood coursing through her veins gave her. Other people could use her healer more urgently.
The Council of Elders were the de facto rulers of the theocracy of Orthos Magnas, leaders of the High Church. Their chamber was grand, imposing. Opulence was no crime when done to glorify the divine, and the buildingโs high arches and gold inlays over marble spoke to the glorious nature of the church and the gods it was built in reverence for.
The Council of Elders was formed by four cardinals, one for each region of the kingdom and their respective element, and two archdeacons, the Archdeacon of Light and the Archdeacon of Darkness. It was the job of the Archdeacon of Light to guide the council, and act as the leader of sorts in this democracy. The Archdeacon of Darkness was tasked with ritual contrarianism, they were to check for and explore any and all flaws in any course of action.ย
In theory, it led to one of the soundest forms of governance known to sentient creatures, with the direction and drive of a dictatorship, the myriad of opinions of a republic, and the dialogue and discussion of a democracy. In practiceโฆ machinations by one of the older houses of the kingdom, the Royce family, had led to two twins, Abernathy and Deirdre, to take the positions of Archdeacons.The rest of the council were sheep, left with wolves.
โWe must congratulate you on your success, Inquisitor Hayen,โ Archdeacon Abernathyโs voice boomed,ย โyour hunts are becoming legendary within even the Inquisition. Iโd imagine if any of those in this century are to be canonized, it will likely be you.โ His words were hollow, they did not acknowledge the degree of power she now wielded or her own political clout within the High Church. He hadnโt even used her proper title.
โBunda guides me, Orthos watches over me, and Turail grants me grace in battle,โ Gisela stated with false meekness,ย โit is not by my own strength that I accomplish these works.โ It was by the strength of those that fought besides her. Abernathy spoke as though Gisela had single-handedly taken down the Adult Wyrm and broken a leg in the process. She had merely been part of a team, a team which was bereaved of several members.
โIt is well and good that youโฆ remember your place, Inquisitor,โ Abernathy said in his cloyingly father-like tone of voice. The threat was obvious. Abernathy and Deirdre were obvious, heavy-handed in their moves and maneuvers. Wolves they were, but more by virtue of being born to wolves than anything else. Their lives had been plotted for them, and the challenges placed accordingly to guide them in this path.ย
Even now, they enacted the will of others, likely thinking they were being independent and boldly plotting their own course. But enough pointless drivel and shallow congratulations. This meeting had a purpose.
โI was called to report on the rumors of there being a godspark forming in the populace in RoanโKulum,โ Gisela began,ย โafter specialized scans and research into the phenomena, weโve concluded a mortal is indeed close to possible ascension.โ
โThis is troubling,โ Deirdre stated.ย โAre you sure that this is the case?โ Thank you for stating the obvious and then asking a simple question. The twins did not actually fulfill the roles they had been given, rather acting as a single-minded pair that ruled the council with absolute power.
โYes, I am certain.โ Gisela stated evenly.
โDispose of thisโฆ. nascent deity. Our pantheon is crowded enough as it is, domains are beginning to overlap.โ Gisela nodded and bowed.
โYour graces,โ she stated. Deirdre had hardly spoken, instead focusing on reading Giselaโs body language and tone. She was a skilled reader, that much was certain, but Gisela was an even greater writer. The Four Elders had not spoken at all.
โDismissed.โ Two wolves, and four sheep. Two untestedย wolves. Their wits were as dull as their fangs, as sluggish as their flabby muscles. They hadnโt realized that Gisela had the rank and the clearance to deal with the Churchโs closest held secret. But she was the last person they should have ever allowed to know the location of a godspark.
It was time for the wolves to meet the wolfhound.
