A Dragon's Tale Ch. 43

"Thank you Fiona, you may go." He said curtly, but not unkindly.

Fiona bowed slightly and then left, closing the door behind her. She could still be seen through the window, and it looked like she was waiting there.

Lord Delmar was still writing, so Sarah just stood there not knowing what to do. For want of anything else, she looked around the room. It was almost entirely utilitarian, save for one painting. Everything about it except for that painting looked like the abode of someone who had no personal life and lived for his work. There were books and papers everywhere, but it was all neat and orderly.

There was a clock in one corner of the room, and its slow, rhythmic ticking provided one of the only two sounds in the room. The other sound was the scratching of Lord Delmar's quill on the paper. Being that those were the only two sounds, they stood out to her ears like they were deafeningly loud.

It was surreal.

For want of anything else to do, Sarah looked at the large painting of a woman who closely resembled Rachel. She had the same color hair, though it was red all the way to the tips unlike Ethan's wife. She had the same blue eyes, and their faces were very similar too, though the woman in the portrait was a little older than Rachel.

"My late wife." Lord Delmar said, still writing and not looking up.

"She's beautiful." The innkeeper's daughter replied.

"She was." He saidalmost entirely without emotion. However, Sarah got the distinct impression that there was in fact a deep well of emotion there, but he was hiding it well. She recognized it in the tone, having also concealed her emotions when others had asked her about her mother.

"I'm sorry that she..." Sarah started to say then stopped, realizing that might be a touchy subject.

Lord Delmar stopped writing.

He didn't look at her, but also didn't move for several seconds. Finally, he struck the extra ink off his quill, put it in its holder, and capped the bottle of ink. He looked up at her for several seconds, scrutinizing her.

"Have a seat." He said, indicating a chair opposite him on the other side of the desk.

She sat down and he looked into her eyes long enough that it became uncomfortable and then she looked down.

Still he didn't speak.

The uncomfortable silence hovered in the air for at least a minute before he broke it. "Lady Ekthros insists that you helped her greatly, but was not entirely forthcoming when I asked how the two of you came to be imprisoned together." He paused. "She would have told me if I had pushed of course, but I understand she's had an ordeal. Tell me, how did you come to be imprisoned with her?"

Sarah bit her lip and started intently examining the floor. "Um, she uh..." She swallowed hard, then took a deep breath. "They weren't after her; they were after me."

"Why?"

She glanced up at him, but he was looking at her impassively. His expression was unreadable and she had no idea what he was thinking.

She returned her gaze to her shoes. "Um, because I..." She could feel her eyes getting watery and blinked a few times. "Because Eth-- because the false prophet came to my father's inn, and Lord Farbrotten came a few days later and left a few soldiers to watch the inn in case he returned. They were going to hurt my father and I... I..."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"You... what?"

"Please don't kill me." She whispered, still not looking up.

"What crime did you commit that I might order your execution?" He asked, his tone still impassive.

"I um... I killed them." She finally managed to get out, then added hastily. "But they were going to hurt my father."

"You killed two Ivernian soldiers? How."

Sarah subconsciously started wringing her hands in her lap.

"Oh, you arethat innkeeper's daughter." Lord Delmar said after a moment.

She nodded.

"Knowing Lady Ekthros, that would indeed explain it." He made a thoughtful sound, then picked up his quill, glanced at her for a moment, then returned his attention to whatever it was that he had been writing.

"You may go." He said after several seconds.

She froze.

Lord Delmar uncapped the ink bottle, dipped his quill into the ink, and then resumed writing. He paid her no attention at all. The scratching of the quill on the paper -- so mundane in almost any other context -- now almost felt deafeningly loud since it was the only sound in the room aside from the faint ticking of a clock. She sat in the chair for almost a minute, not quite believing this strange turn of events. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but it hadn't been this.

Finally, she slowly stood, hoping he wasn't about to change his mind.

He just kept on writing.

Occasionally he would pause for a moment, but he would then return to writing. He paid her no mind, and the only sound in the room was the faint ticking of a clock and the scratching of the quill on the paper.

It was surreal.

She had made it to the door and had her hand on the knob when she stopped. She looked back at him; he was still writing away and ignoring her completely.

"Um, Lord Delmar?" She said tentatively.

He stopped writing, struck the ink out of his quill, put it in its holder, and capped the bottle of ink before looking at her. "Yes?"

"You... You're not going to... um..." She bit her lip.

"I had my men make a thorough investigation of your case many years ago when it first came to my attention." He replied. "You and your father went to many of Illuminar's temples and visited every exorcist his finances would allow. They all said that you were heartbroken about your condition and that you begged them to help you."

He steepled his hands and leaned forward. "I have no tolerance for necromancers or those who consort with the powers of darkness, but this is not you. You didn't seek them out, but rather had their taint forced upon you. Then you tried everything in your power to be rid of their influence. That makes you a victim, not a criminal. We do not punish victims in Narlotten, only criminals."

"Oh." She looked at him, not sure what to say.

"Do you have something further to say?" He asked curtly, though not unkindly.

She shook her head.

"Then you may go." He returned his attention to his desk, uncapping his ink bottle, inking his quill, and beginning to write again. It didn't seem like he was being rude or standoffish either; he merely looked very busy and intent on his work.

Sarah opened the door and slipped out to find Fiona waiting for her.

"You see, there's nothing to be worrying about." The copper haired woman said with a grin.

Sarah nodded sheepishly.

"Then maybe you'll be listening to me more next time." She teased with a smile.

"Thank you." The innkeeper's daughter said.

"Now, I should confess." Fiona said. "I might have been listening to the conversation you were having at the door. Lord Delmar doesn't want to be alone in a room with a woman in case of a scandal, so that's why his office is having the glass windows, so someone can be watching. Well, I was watching and couldn't help but overhear, and I hope ya can forgive me for that."

"Oh. Uh, okay." She smiled.

"Good." The copper haired woman replied. "Now, do you have anything to be doing, or are ya free?"

"I don't think I have anything to do." Sarah replied.

"Then would you be wanting to come on deck for some fresh air?"

"You're not worried about my... my problem?"

Fiona shook her head. "If the Lord Delmar is saying you're not a threat, then that's good enough for me."

Sarah cocked her head to one side. "You really trust him."

The copper haired woman nodded. "Aye, anyone who has known him for a long time is trusting him. He's been good to me, and not just me."

Sarah nodded, not sure what exactly to make of this but glad all the same. "I guess it makes sense that Lady Ekthros would work for such a good lord."

Fiona made a face at the mention of the lady's name, and it wasn't a good face. She quickly tried to cover and change her expression, but she wasn't very good at it. Sarah got the impression that she was someone who wore her heart on her sleeve and wasn't afraid to share her opinion.

"Is something wrong with Lady Ekthros?" Sarah asked.

"I be trusting the Lord Delmar on almost everything, but that lady is..." She shook her head. "Anyway, would ya be wanting to come walk the deck for some fresh air? My baby is down for a nap so I'm having some free time."

"I would like that." Sarah replied with a smile.

* * *

Ethan glanced over at Kendra, who was still talking to Rachel. He wanted to say something, but she was clearly trying to avoid him and he didn't think now was a good time.

"It's about to start master." Taloni said excitedly from right next to him.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"Look at the glass master." She pointed to a piece of what looked like frosted glass that was hanging from the ceiling. It was white-ish and was hanging some distance from a window in the wall. He could see the rays from the sun on the ceiling, slowly descending through the window in the wall and about to hit frosted glass.

Moments later, the light hit the frosted glass, and it became quite bright. Almost instantly, the people in the packed room quieted down. The Luminar they'd met the previous day stood and walked to the lectern.

He cleared his throat, then began to read. "And it shall come about, says Illuminar, that if you build a house in which to assemble to honor my name, that you shall open the assembly with these words."

All the people said the next words in unison. "Illuminar is God, who made the heavens and all their host, the world and all it contains. He does not dwell in houses made with human hands, but it is His delight to dwell with His people. Therefore, wherever we shall assemble to honor the name of Illuminar, He shall be in our midst."

The Luminar said. "And all Illuminar's people said:"

"Blessed be He." The congregation responded.

"Amen." The Luminar said. "Let us sing the 34th psalm."

Everyone clearly knew it by heart and sang it with enthusiasm, including his wives. Taloni especially was singing with a huge smile on her face and she looked so incredibly content.

Ethan noticed that off to one side of the central open area was a young man wearing what looked like a 'light' version of a Luminar's robes. While the Luminar's robes were long-sleeved and came down to his ankles, the young man's were much shorter and Ethan could see both the lower half of his pants and all of his sleeves. Both were white and both had a seven-pointed star in yellow fabric on the front though. He guessed that the younger man might be an apprentice Luminar but wasn't sure.

He almost asked his wives, but they were all singing.

Selene looked at him with an awkward smile, which he returned.

The service continued and it reminded Ethan a bit of a Catholic mass for the first half. They sang a few songs, then the Luminar read a few passages from the Book of Light. That's when he saw something that he'd never seen in any religious service before.

Real audience participation.

About halfway through, the Luminar asked if anyone had something to share. Several men came forward one-at-a-time and shared just a minute or two on what they believed that Illuminar was doing in their lives. It was strange, but also kind of neat that the people in the pews weren't just watching.

Afterwards, the Luminar stood up.

*This is the Homily master.* Taloni said, her wings fluttering and huge smile on her face as she leaned forward so she was sitting on the edge of the pew.

He grinned at her enthusiasm, then turned to pay attention. On the rare occasion he found himself in a church, he ordinarily tuned sermons out. He decided to give this one a fair shake though. The Luminar went up to the lectern, still without a single hair out of place on his head. His short, thick sideburns might've been trimmed with a slide rule they were so precise.

"Last week we looked at the holiness of Illuminar, this week we'll look at the opposite side of the copper; the depravity of man."

*Uh oh.* Selene thought directly to him, but interestingly not to the group chat.

*Yeah, this could get interesting.* He agreed.

Taloni shifted a bit in her seat next to him.

"The Book of light teaches us that no man is righteous." The Luminar began. "But it's more than that. One need only look at the world around us to see that not only is man not righteous, but he is altogether wicked with nothing to redeem him."

Ethan glanced at his wives, all of whom had a slight frown on their face, especially Taloni.

"Now, to avoid this great and glorious truth, some will seek to twist the Book of Light." The Luminar continued. "For it says: 'But if a wicked man turns from all his sins, and observes my commandments, and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live and not die. All his sins which he has committed will no longer be remembered against him."

Ethan glanced at Kendra, remembering how she had recounted that Gabriella had recited this exact passage to her not long before she had apologized to him. For the first time that morning, the dragon huntress had a look of relief on her face and seemed a bit calmer.

"But they forget the following verse." The Luminar looked at the congregation. "It goes like this: But if a righteous man turns away from righteousness and practices wickedness, all of his righteous deeds will no longer be remembered because of the wickedness he practices and the sins he pursues; for them he will surely die."

The Luminar looked up. "One sin." He let that hang in the air. "It only takes one tiny little accidental sin for your righteous deeds to no longer be remembered by Illuminar."

*I'll take crimes against good interpretation for $500 Alex.* Selene thought to Ethan.

At almost the say time, Rachel glanced at him and thought to everyone. *I've never heard that verse applied that way before.*

*Yeah.* Alana frowned. *I always thought it was about actually pursuing evil on purpose, not messing up accidentally.*

Ethan looked at Kendra, and the relived look on her face was gone. She had slumped in her seat a little and was looking somewhat intently at the floor. The almost guilty expression had returned to her face too.

Next to him, Taloni frowned and sat back a bit from the edge of the pew. Her lips were pursed and she was flexing her delicate fingers. She was also breathing rather loudly and only through her nose, given that her mouth was clamped tightly shut.

"This is the great truth that most don't understand about mankind's utter depravity." The Luminar continued. "Nothing we can do can please Illuminar if it is followed by even a single sin."

*I've never heard a Luminar teach like this before, and I've heard homilies all over the Ten Kingdoms.* Rachel frowned.

*Yeah, this doesn't sound right to me.* Beth agreed. *I've read the whole Book of Light and attended services every week of my life until I got married; this doesn't sound right.*

*You're not the only one who thinks so.* Alana replied.

Ethan's wives nodded in agreement while he was remembering his conversation with Illuminar. This didn't sound like Him at all. Taloni sat back in the pew and crossed her arms over her chest. An errant strand of hair ended up in her face and she puffed it out of the way like it had done her a great personal wrong.

Kendra looked miserable.

Ethan felt a small growl escape his throat before he realized it, and he got strange looks from the people nearby.

The Luminar continued. "In fact, our wickedness is so great that if we evenintend to sin while committing a righteous deed, the worth of the righteous deed is nullified because of the intent to sin. Even if a wicked man rescues orphans and gives alms to the poor, this is detestable in Illuminar's sight because of the evil in the man's heart. Yes, even almsgiving can be detestable to Illuminar if done by a wicked man. That is how evil we are; evil enough to make even righteous deeds wicked."

Taloni's wings buzzed.

Nut fluttered.

Buzzed.

It sounded almost like a wasp or bee, only with an angrier edge to it. The sound was rather loud too, considering that they were up against the pew and vibrated against it. The normally happy Fey muttered something under her breath in a language that Ethan didn't understand.

*Taloni!* Alana thought to the group chat with shock on her face. *Language.*

The Fey teen gave the wood elf an apologetic grimace, then returned to glaring at the Luminar like Ethan had never seen her glare at anyone.

Ever.

Frankly, her gaze had been less withering when Lady Ekthros was in view.

Ethan looked at Kendra, and could see her face had gone completely stoic, like a mask had slid into place. The look in her eyes was unmistakable though.

*Alana.* He thought directly to her. *How big of a scene will it make if we leave right now?*

*Big, why?*

*Kendra.* He replied, then nodded his head towards his newest wife.

The wood elf glanced at the dragon huntress then looked back at him with a slight grimace. *Might be worth it though.*

He hesitated, not sure if they should leave right now. If it got much worse though...

"The Book of Light says that our sins are as odious to Illuminar as our manure is to us." The Luminar looked up. "And I would say worth even less than manure, because at least manure can be used as fertilizer. Consider that for a moment; our sins are ours, meaning they are a part of us. Whenever we sin -- and we can never fully stop -- we are worth less than manure in Illuminar's eyes."

Kendra looked heartbroken.

*Okay ladies, it's time--* Ethan started to think to the group chat, intending to leave at that very moment. This asinine 'teaching' was worth less than manure and he didn't like how it was affecting his newest wife, so he didn't care if leaving made a scene.

Taloni beat him to it.

Making a scene that is.

She jumped up onto the pew -- all five foot two inches of her -- and shouted at the top of her incredibly loud set of pipes. "THAT'S NOT TRUE YOU LIAR!"

The whole room froze.

"THAT'S ALL A LIE, YOU--" She finished her sentence with a few words in a language that Ethan didn't recognize, probably the Fey tongue, but he could guess the gist.

Alana sucked in her breath and then her jaw dropped at the normally sweet Fey's words, and that's when he remembered that his first wife also spoke Fey. Two other women -- a mother and daughter by the looks of them -- nearby apparently could too because they audibly gasped at Taloni's words.

The Luminar's eyes widened, but then he frowned. "Sit down young lady; you haven't studied the Book of Light and thus don't understand--"

"I understand enough!" Taloni snapped, her face red and hands balled up into fists. "You are blaspheming Illuminar's name! How DARE you!"

*Taloni, you aren't wrong, but calm down.* Ethan thought to everyone.

*No!* She telepathically snapped at him, but didn't even look at him and instead was continuing to stare daggers at the Luminar. "You know that the Book of Light says Illuminar's lovingkindness lasts throughout all generations, and that it says he'll forgive all who repent, how could you make Him out to be such a monster!"

"Guards, please remove her;gently." The luminar heavily stressed the final word.

Ethan looked towards the entrance, in the direction that the luminar had looked. Sure enough, there were two men who looked like they were supposed to be guards. They were wearing swords and what looked like thick linen jackets with metal chains sewn onto it in a grid, probably to defeat sword cuts. The two of them looked at each other, then started forward.

At this, Ethan hopped onto the pew and let his hand rest on his war sword. "Touch her, and you'll never touch anything again." He growled.