vanished and sparks flew off my armor as I skidded along the pavement.
When I came to a halt between Emily and the group of humans, I quickly rose to my feet, hoping that no one had paid any attention to me.
I told you so, Codex whispered with a hint of smugness in her voice.
Shh ... It probably looked natural. No one will think much about it as long as we pretend like we meant to do it.
We?
I coughed and turned to Emily. The crowd fell silent, and the humans all lowered their weapons. Happy that no one was trying to hurt each other, I smiled and offered her one of the vegetable sticks. "Do you want one?"
Emily looked at my hand with confusion in her eyes. "What?"
I gazed down at my hands and found them empty. Wait, what? With panic creeping in, I glanced back at the shop and found the sticks lying on the ground, being devoured by a pack of stray dogs, wagging their tails vigorously. Despair overwhelmed me, and I collapsed to my knees, my wings sagging in disbelief. No. How? All that effort wasted.
Narius, you are forgetting the fact that she has two boots.
My wings perked, and I eyed Emily's remaining muck covered boot. “Excellent.”
Emily cried out and took a step back.
But before she could get away, I grabbed her leg and lowered my head.
“Narius! Stop! You're making this worse!” she screamed as she tried to tug her foot away. "I'm sorry! I'll give you more money! Stop!"
Trying not to think about why she would change her tune, I studied the mud-covered boot. My stomach twisted, but I knew I had to be strong and endure through it once more to taste the human delicacy.
I lowered my head and, just as my tongue was about to touch the shoe, a squeaky voice that carried a hint of authority shouted, “In the name of Lord Arudi. Stop immediately!”
I turned my head and saw a tubby figure push his way through the crowd. After a brief moment of struggle the man finally made his way past the humans and stepped in front of me. He was different than the rest of the crowed. Aside from his figure, he wore a white robe that was trimmed in gold to indicate his position as a High Priest of Lord Arudi.
Our eyes met and the High priest knelt before me, his spotlessly-clean white robe spreading across the pavement. “Your Holiness. I am the High priest Varian. Welcome to Arehan.”
Narius
With the sun going to sleep, the light from the windows dimmed with every step I took through the temple. Everywhere I looked, statues of Arudi's flock lined the hall. Some held swords, while others held brooms, hoes, or deck brushes. The High Priest of order didn’t smell right. He reeked of the rotten books that symbolized corruption. Still, he was the favored servant of Arudi, and with Emily spirited away somewhere, I feared I might accidentally offend him and kept the thought to myself.
“Your Holiness, what brings you to our humble mining town?” Varian asked.
“I am here to find a page of the missing Grimoire.”
Varian paused for a moment before speaking. “Well, Your Holiness, we just happen to have one right here.”
“You do?” I stopped. “Can I have it? It is my duty to purify all the pages under Lord Halfaya's will.”
The priest maintained his pace, forcing me to catch up to him. “Despite my deepest respect for Lord Halfaya and his flock, I must refuse.”
“What? Why?”
“As our Lord Arudi once said, ‘There must be balance in everything to keep the peace.’ I believe we need to come to an arrangement that will benefit both parties involved. And I am sure an angel of Lord Halfaya would not stoop to rob a man.”
"But I have nothing to give you. Except for..." I folded my arms and hugged myself. Is this what Mother warned me about? Is he going to throw me to women and let them ravish me?
No, you dummy, Codex replied, I think the order-obsessed pudgy wants something different.
The priest glanced at me before speaking again. “You see, your Holiness, our town's very first
When I came to a halt between Emily and the group of humans, I quickly rose to my feet, hoping that no one had paid any attention to me.
I told you so, Codex whispered with a hint of smugness in her voice.
Shh ... It probably looked natural. No one will think much about it as long as we pretend like we meant to do it.
We?
I coughed and turned to Emily. The crowd fell silent, and the humans all lowered their weapons. Happy that no one was trying to hurt each other, I smiled and offered her one of the vegetable sticks. "Do you want one?"
Emily looked at my hand with confusion in her eyes. "What?"
I gazed down at my hands and found them empty. Wait, what? With panic creeping in, I glanced back at the shop and found the sticks lying on the ground, being devoured by a pack of stray dogs, wagging their tails vigorously. Despair overwhelmed me, and I collapsed to my knees, my wings sagging in disbelief. No. How? All that effort wasted.
Narius, you are forgetting the fact that she has two boots.
My wings perked, and I eyed Emily's remaining muck covered boot. “Excellent.”
Emily cried out and took a step back.
But before she could get away, I grabbed her leg and lowered my head.
“Narius! Stop! You're making this worse!” she screamed as she tried to tug her foot away. "I'm sorry! I'll give you more money! Stop!"
Trying not to think about why she would change her tune, I studied the mud-covered boot. My stomach twisted, but I knew I had to be strong and endure through it once more to taste the human delicacy.
I lowered my head and, just as my tongue was about to touch the shoe, a squeaky voice that carried a hint of authority shouted, “In the name of Lord Arudi. Stop immediately!”
I turned my head and saw a tubby figure push his way through the crowd. After a brief moment of struggle the man finally made his way past the humans and stepped in front of me. He was different than the rest of the crowed. Aside from his figure, he wore a white robe that was trimmed in gold to indicate his position as a High Priest of Lord Arudi.
Our eyes met and the High priest knelt before me, his spotlessly-clean white robe spreading across the pavement. “Your Holiness. I am the High priest Varian. Welcome to Arehan.”
Narius
With the sun going to sleep, the light from the windows dimmed with every step I took through the temple. Everywhere I looked, statues of Arudi's flock lined the hall. Some held swords, while others held brooms, hoes, or deck brushes. The High Priest of order didn’t smell right. He reeked of the rotten books that symbolized corruption. Still, he was the favored servant of Arudi, and with Emily spirited away somewhere, I feared I might accidentally offend him and kept the thought to myself.
“Your Holiness, what brings you to our humble mining town?” Varian asked.
“I am here to find a page of the missing Grimoire.”
Varian paused for a moment before speaking. “Well, Your Holiness, we just happen to have one right here.”
“You do?” I stopped. “Can I have it? It is my duty to purify all the pages under Lord Halfaya's will.”
The priest maintained his pace, forcing me to catch up to him. “Despite my deepest respect for Lord Halfaya and his flock, I must refuse.”
“What? Why?”
“As our Lord Arudi once said, ‘There must be balance in everything to keep the peace.’ I believe we need to come to an arrangement that will benefit both parties involved. And I am sure an angel of Lord Halfaya would not stoop to rob a man.”
"But I have nothing to give you. Except for..." I folded my arms and hugged myself. Is this what Mother warned me about? Is he going to throw me to women and let them ravish me?
No, you dummy, Codex replied, I think the order-obsessed pudgy wants something different.
The priest glanced at me before speaking again. “You see, your Holiness, our town's very first
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