This was different. A white void suffused his mind, leaving him little besides his identity. It was impossible to tell how long he had been like that, but slowly he became aware of a changing landscape. Shadows had begun to appear in the blank space he inhabited. The world began to filter back into consciousness, and
his eyes opened.
Above him the illusory dragon had resumed its ceaseless flight, and had returned to its customary appearance as well. He sat up carefully, but found himself uninjured and unguarded. He had been laid on a blanket, still in the main chamber of the temple, but at least in a corner instead of the main thoroughfare. Val was still unconscious on another blanket beside him; a few yards away Garius was sprawled on a blanket of his own. Mary knelt beside him, looking a bit pale, but otherwise alright; Trace was nowhere to be seen, and there wasn't another blanket. She looked up suddenly as Hethir moved to stand, "you're alright!"
"Yes, seemingly... though I hadn't really counted on trying to match power with a bishop in his own temple, or against an avatar of a deity for that matter."
Mary's eyes opened wider, "you put up that shield around us? I thought for certain we should have been dead when the bishop called that firestorm, I wasn't paying enough attention. Of course, even if I had been, I wouldn't have been able to match his power for magic, not here."
We will end this conversation now... and until we are again safely on my ship and out of port, refrain from mentioning my... defenses. I'd rather the good clergy not have more reasons to want to lock me away or execute me.
Mary's face scrunched in an uncomfortable fashion for a moment as Hethir's voice echoed in her mind, but she recovered smoothly. "I don't think you have to worry about that too much... Whatever your personal feelings about him, Trace did swear to defend you, and he doesn't take his oaths lightly."
"Yes, well I don't see him here, and unless I'm greatly mistaken, I don't think the avatar of Lumis thought well of him threatening his clergy."
Mary smirked and pointed past Hethir towards the center of the room, "yes... I do believe so. You ARE mistaken."
Hethir turned to look, and felt his eyes widen. Trace stood before a gathering of several dozen clerics on their knees in penitent posture while he... preached at them. His sword and shield were sheathed again, but on the backs of his hands were glittering runes that hadn't been there before. Shocking Hethir even more, Bishop Thule--former as it now seemed--stood behind him in chains, and appearing quite upset and impotent about it.
"How in..."
"He has told me a bit about it before... The knights were empowered by Lumis to counteract the powers of the clerics. They are immune to any of their magic unless the knight specifically permits it, and they hold the power of Sanction as Trace calls it. When invoked, the knights can strip a cleric of all their powers."
Hethir turned back to stare at Mary, "I've met knights before, they do not possess any such power, in fact I've never seen them have any power at all!"
"Trace does... you saw it earlier. He simply willed it and the Bishop's spell poured right off him. I recovered a few minutes after... that... and it seems that the church has forgotten the true initiations for knights over the years."
"Wait..." Hethir frowned, "over the years? Trace is a lot younger than I am, and there is no way that the church could have 'lost' something like that in a few decades."
Mary shook her head, "Garius and I both promised not to talk about it, but I suspect that wouldn't stop you anyway. Trace was... trapped, in the battle that was fought here before the founding of Astoria. Spells gone awry held him in stasis on the astral plane. We found him there completely by accident, I don't even know how I did it, I just opened a portal and there he was. He is a true Knight of Lumis, the 'knights' they have now are just soldiers, he has been with us less than a year, and I think that has only now begun to sink in."
Hethir's face was still as he absorbed what she had told him. It explained a great deal about the man, including why he didn't act like every other knight he had met.
"And the avatar? What do you think Lumis did just there?"
"Empowered him further. In addition to Sanction--which he still possessed--Trace says he has been given the authority to empower and initiate Knights, something he says only Knight-Captains used to have."
"So our knight got a promotion, great, think the stick up his ass got bigger or smaller?"
Mary smirked again, "hard to say really, though I think he intends to appoint more captains to re-train the existing knights. I hadn't finished yet though. Lumis also seems to have improved Trace's barrier to magic. I told you that he is immune to the spells of Lumis' clerics... now it looks like he might be immune to anything he doesn't want to feel."
"That..." Hethir gaped, "That's insane! What could possibly... oh... right... deity... hells that means Lumis just all but declared Trace an avatar."
"So it would seem."
Hethir looked back at the growing crowd of clerics around Trace, "I think I may need to hire myself a new sword-arm, I doubt that one will be interested in sailing around the world with us."
"Oh I don't know about that..." Mary's voice was grim, "he seems to have had a short discussion with the Archbishop, and he didn't come out of it looking pleased. The Archbishop wished to see you once we were all awake."
"Oh good, at least I get what I came for... hopefully he won't be too upset."
"Don't count on it, the name 'D' must have struck a nerve, because the entire temple is on alert, and you seem to be suspect number one."
Hethir looked across the wide chamber to see a tall figure in scarlet robes walking briskly towards them and sighed. "Wish me luck... I think we'll need it."
"Aye, I think we will..."
"Yes, seemingly... though I hadn't really counted on trying to match power with a bishop in his own temple, or against an avatar of a deity for that matter."
Mary's eyes opened wider, "you put up that shield around us? I thought for certain we should have been dead when the bishop called that firestorm, I wasn't paying enough attention. Of course, even if I had been, I wouldn't have been able to match his power for magic, not here."
We will end this conversation now... and until we are again safely on my ship and out of port, refrain from mentioning my... defenses. I'd rather the good clergy not have more reasons to want to lock me away or execute me.
Mary's face scrunched in an uncomfortable fashion for a moment as Hethir's voice echoed in her mind, but she recovered smoothly. "I don't think you have to worry about that too much... Whatever your personal feelings about him, Trace did swear to defend you, and he doesn't take his oaths lightly."
"Yes, well I don't see him here, and unless I'm greatly mistaken, I don't think the avatar of Lumis thought well of him threatening his clergy."
Mary smirked and pointed past Hethir towards the center of the room, "yes... I do believe so. You ARE mistaken."
Hethir turned to look, and felt his eyes widen. Trace stood before a gathering of several dozen clerics on their knees in penitent posture while he... preached at them. His sword and shield were sheathed again, but on the backs of his hands were glittering runes that hadn't been there before. Shocking Hethir even more, Bishop Thule--former as it now seemed--stood behind him in chains, and appearing quite upset and impotent about it.
"How in..."
"He has told me a bit about it before... The knights were empowered by Lumis to counteract the powers of the clerics. They are immune to any of their magic unless the knight specifically permits it, and they hold the power of Sanction as Trace calls it. When invoked, the knights can strip a cleric of all their powers."
Hethir turned back to stare at Mary, "I've met knights before, they do not possess any such power, in fact I've never seen them have any power at all!"
"Trace does... you saw it earlier. He simply willed it and the Bishop's spell poured right off him. I recovered a few minutes after... that... and it seems that the church has forgotten the true initiations for knights over the years."
"Wait..." Hethir frowned, "over the years? Trace is a lot younger than I am, and there is no way that the church could have 'lost' something like that in a few decades."
Mary shook her head, "Garius and I both promised not to talk about it, but I suspect that wouldn't stop you anyway. Trace was... trapped, in the battle that was fought here before the founding of Astoria. Spells gone awry held him in stasis on the astral plane. We found him there completely by accident, I don't even know how I did it, I just opened a portal and there he was. He is a true Knight of Lumis, the 'knights' they have now are just soldiers, he has been with us less than a year, and I think that has only now begun to sink in."
Hethir's face was still as he absorbed what she had told him. It explained a great deal about the man, including why he didn't act like every other knight he had met.
"And the avatar? What do you think Lumis did just there?"
"Empowered him further. In addition to Sanction--which he still possessed--Trace says he has been given the authority to empower and initiate Knights, something he says only Knight-Captains used to have."
"So our knight got a promotion, great, think the stick up his ass got bigger or smaller?"
Mary smirked again, "hard to say really, though I think he intends to appoint more captains to re-train the existing knights. I hadn't finished yet though. Lumis also seems to have improved Trace's barrier to magic. I told you that he is immune to the spells of Lumis' clerics... now it looks like he might be immune to anything he doesn't want to feel."
"That..." Hethir gaped, "That's insane! What could possibly... oh... right... deity... hells that means Lumis just all but declared Trace an avatar."
"So it would seem."
Hethir looked back at the growing crowd of clerics around Trace, "I think I may need to hire myself a new sword-arm, I doubt that one will be interested in sailing around the world with us."
"Oh I don't know about that..." Mary's voice was grim, "he seems to have had a short discussion with the Archbishop, and he didn't come out of it looking pleased. The Archbishop wished to see you once we were all awake."
"Oh good, at least I get what I came for... hopefully he won't be too upset."
"Don't count on it, the name 'D' must have struck a nerve, because the entire temple is on alert, and you seem to be suspect number one."
Hethir looked across the wide chamber to see a tall figure in scarlet robes walking briskly towards them and sighed. "Wish me luck... I think we'll need it."
"Aye, I think we will..."
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