Page 21

Chapter 21

Danai

I sat in my high-backed throne on the dais of the ceremonial chamber of the Children’s Temple. Braziers blazed throughout the chamber, their magical flame snapping soundlessly in the cavernous hall. The marble statue of Irina had been returned from its perch above the Temple’s retracted roof and now rested in its original position, towering over the most sacred room in the building.

A dozen men in silky brown robes kneeled before me with their heads bowed.

Prophecies fell out of favor centuries ago when most religions were discarded in favor of loyalty to the earthly Crown, yet there were always pockets of people who yearned for communion within the unknowable, people who craved mystery and mysticism.

Neither truly answered their longing or questions.

Where men of learning saw veins in a leaf bearing water and nutrients, believers witnessed the flow of their deity’s lifeforce. In those men and women, in their open minds yearning to receive unfathomable truths, I knew my seed would bear fruit.

The Priests now crouched before my throne had spent the past month poring over ancient texts I had supposedly found deep in the mountains on the eastern border—at least that’s what I told the blind, robed fools.

At first, they had doubted the faded words on the yellowed parchment represented more than the writings—ravings, really—of a deranged mountain hermit, but I urged them to dig deeper, to discern every meaning. I ordered them to find whether these documents held valuable truths or would be kindling for my hearth.

Buried within that holy script—just deeply enough to require some effort to uncover it—a prophecy foretold of the return of the One. The Priest who discovered the foretelling thought it odd. The text predicted the return of a false prophet would precede the true One.

I openly mocked them.

I tested and pressed when one or more would assert some divine meaning. I forced them to defend their positions, and in doing so, to commit to their arguments.

Their resistance transformed views into tenets of a new faith.

The change in their work—and in their eyes as they watched me—was remarkable.

Their belief was palpable.

I could barely contain myself.

How was it possible for prophecy to be so clear, so direct?

Everything fit perfectly with the timeline of events occurring over the past year. It was almost as though I had written them myself—which, of course, I had.

It had taken weeks to mix ink in just the right proportions to saturate the page as was the custom centuries before. I struggled to perfect the spell that would age the parchment well enough to fool even the sharpest scholars, but I’d done it.

Now all I needed were followers willing to buy what I was selling.

I looked no further than Irina’s Children, the group I helped establish nearly ten centuries earlier. Their sole purpose had been to unravel the mysteries of the golden text on her monolith and carry out those instructions to bring about her return.

After Irina’s failure, the Children were lost and adrift.

They had labored a thousand years to return Irina, and she had failed them.

It was a simple thing to turn their blind adoration for her toward a new scion of faith.

But I couldn’t proclaim myself.

Rather, I needed them to discover the prophecy and, through their faith, call me to serve as their master. It had to be their discovery and their divine providence.

In the end, the morsels I buried in my holy texts worked better than I ever imagined. I was prepared to send them on quests, force them into trials, induce them with intoxicants that would produce visions and prophecies of their own—all magically controlled, of course—but none of that had been necessary. These men and women were devoid of purpose and clung to the first life raft to drift by.

I couldn’t have been more pleased.

“Rise, my Children,” I said. “It is time the people learned the tenets of our faith. You, my most trusted disciples, will carry word of my return to every city, town, and village throughout the Kingdom. You will feed and clothe those in need, teach those who cannot read, and minister to the sick and dying as if they were your own kin.

“But remember this, the return of the One is a foretelling. The time for the people to learn of my return will come, but it is not today. You must build anticipation and hope in the hearts of our people first. Fan the flames of faith and build their belief, stone by precious stone. Only then will the path be laid for my return.”

“By your command, Excellency,” the figures intoned in unison.

The one on the end dropped to a knee. “Excellency, what if the people resist your words? What if they refuse our call?”

I smiled down at the sheep before me.

“My Child, you will help them follow our path through benevolence and compassion. From this day forth, you are no longer Children, but Priests of the One. You are my voices on the wind, whispering of my return to our people. Do not trouble yourself with those who fail to believe. Others among our Order will follow to help those reluctant souls see our Light.”

“And what of the new Queen, Excellency? How should we speak of her to the people?”

“Hear my words,” I said in a formal tone, as if issuing an edict. “Today, there is the State, and the Faith. Soon, the State and the Faith will be one. We welcome the Queen into her new role as the leader of mortal men and invite her to hear our words and subjugate herself to our spiritual guidance.”

“Yes, Excellency,” the man replied.

“Now go. Our brother, the Voice, attends to the new Queen in the capital. Hold to the faith, and know you bring peace and prosperity to our people.”

The ten Priests bowed one last time.

“By your command, Excellency.”

When the last of my disciples vanished through the doors, a tall man strode out from behind one of the massive marble columns clutching a mask in his right hand, an odd mix of a bear with feathers in place of ears. I was striding down the steps of the dais when Bear approached and bowed.

“Excellency, I have chosen five. They await your command.”

“Five will do nicely.” I steepled my fingers and grinned at the man. “You have done well, Priest . Bring them to me.”