gold mine ran dry a decade ago, and we were only saved from an economic collapse by establishing a second mine in the withered forest abandoned by the elves.”
I bobbed my head, trying to understand why a priest would refuse to aid me. Do humans only help the angels from the flock they worship? Or do you think the corruption has influenced his—
“And, well … let’s just say that our current mine will not last the month, and we had no luck finding another site rich in minerals. Now, I’m responsible for the people living here, whether they follow the teachings of Lord Halfaya, Lord Arudi, or Lady Tristina. And it would be a shame to see all these hard-working people lose their jobs and go hungry.”
I nodded. “That sounds terrible.”
“Indeed. So, all I require to address this little problem is to turn our town into a holy city. Then we will be able to generate revenue by providing services to the holy devotees making a pilgrimage here.”
“How?”
“Why, by having you stay here.”
I tilted my head. “Me?”
He’s trying to use you as a tourist trap, you nitwit. He’s going to make you heal humans and spurt out words of wisdom.
The task seemed promising and certainly worth my time, but I shook my head. “I have to look for the Grimoire.”
Varian stopped and gestured to a large double door. “Do not worry about that, Your Holiness. If you accept my offer, I will use my considerable influence on the other churches to search out and retrieve all of the pages for you. You will not have to lift a finger.”
“But what about Emily?” Noticing the frown on the priest, I added, “I owe her a lot of coins.”
The High Priest squinted his left eye while arching his right eyebrow. “The magician? I see. She will be taken care of. You will no longer have to worry about her.”
I sighed and my shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you. If I can ask for a favor... can I have something to eat?”
Varian opened the door for me. “Of course, right after your bath. Afterwards, I shall order a special pie to be delivered to your room.”
Emily
Despite the open window and proper ventilation for the fireplace, the smell of burning logs filled the room.
I bit my lip, trying not to show my annoyance at being forced to wait for an hour then being stuck in this furnace of a room. "Just call me 'Emily,'" I said as Varian buried his nose into his paperwork and scribbled away. Meanwhile, the heat from the ridiculously-large fireplace nibbled at my back. Unable to take it anymore, I escaped to the cool embrace of air near the open window.
Below me, people celebrated in the town square, their laughter echoing all the way up to the tower. Though the sun had just disappeared, caskets filled with fireworks were already paraded and set up throughout the mining town for the celebration of the summer solstice. Everywhere, children dashed through the streets with sparkling sticks in hand while dogs circled around the food carts, gobbling anything dropped to the ground by messy eaters.
For a man who believed in the value of order, the room was an absolute mess. Every piece of furniture was out of place, and several racks that lined the wall were filled with swords thrown in without a care for organization. Nothing seemed clean, and I returned my attention to the High Priest, sitting comfortably in his throne-like chair behind a well-oiled maple desk stacked with a mountain of paperwork and littered with wine bottles.
"I apologize for summoning you up here," Varian finally said, eyes fixated on his parchment.
"It's all right. I'm just glad that you sent Narius to take a bath. He’s been smelling a little sweaty the last few days. Thank you."
"No, no. I am the one who should be thanking you for taking care of His Holiness, Miss Bryant. Now, I hear His Holiness has a debt.”
I flinched. How much did he blab? “He did a few things that cost me money. A lot of money."
“Then once I get the
I bobbed my head, trying to understand why a priest would refuse to aid me. Do humans only help the angels from the flock they worship? Or do you think the corruption has influenced his—
“And, well … let’s just say that our current mine will not last the month, and we had no luck finding another site rich in minerals. Now, I’m responsible for the people living here, whether they follow the teachings of Lord Halfaya, Lord Arudi, or Lady Tristina. And it would be a shame to see all these hard-working people lose their jobs and go hungry.”
I nodded. “That sounds terrible.”
“Indeed. So, all I require to address this little problem is to turn our town into a holy city. Then we will be able to generate revenue by providing services to the holy devotees making a pilgrimage here.”
“How?”
“Why, by having you stay here.”
I tilted my head. “Me?”
He’s trying to use you as a tourist trap, you nitwit. He’s going to make you heal humans and spurt out words of wisdom.
The task seemed promising and certainly worth my time, but I shook my head. “I have to look for the Grimoire.”
Varian stopped and gestured to a large double door. “Do not worry about that, Your Holiness. If you accept my offer, I will use my considerable influence on the other churches to search out and retrieve all of the pages for you. You will not have to lift a finger.”
“But what about Emily?” Noticing the frown on the priest, I added, “I owe her a lot of coins.”
The High Priest squinted his left eye while arching his right eyebrow. “The magician? I see. She will be taken care of. You will no longer have to worry about her.”
I sighed and my shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you. If I can ask for a favor... can I have something to eat?”
Varian opened the door for me. “Of course, right after your bath. Afterwards, I shall order a special pie to be delivered to your room.”
Emily
Despite the open window and proper ventilation for the fireplace, the smell of burning logs filled the room.
I bit my lip, trying not to show my annoyance at being forced to wait for an hour then being stuck in this furnace of a room. "Just call me 'Emily,'" I said as Varian buried his nose into his paperwork and scribbled away. Meanwhile, the heat from the ridiculously-large fireplace nibbled at my back. Unable to take it anymore, I escaped to the cool embrace of air near the open window.
Below me, people celebrated in the town square, their laughter echoing all the way up to the tower. Though the sun had just disappeared, caskets filled with fireworks were already paraded and set up throughout the mining town for the celebration of the summer solstice. Everywhere, children dashed through the streets with sparkling sticks in hand while dogs circled around the food carts, gobbling anything dropped to the ground by messy eaters.
For a man who believed in the value of order, the room was an absolute mess. Every piece of furniture was out of place, and several racks that lined the wall were filled with swords thrown in without a care for organization. Nothing seemed clean, and I returned my attention to the High Priest, sitting comfortably in his throne-like chair behind a well-oiled maple desk stacked with a mountain of paperwork and littered with wine bottles.
"I apologize for summoning you up here," Varian finally said, eyes fixated on his parchment.
"It's all right. I'm just glad that you sent Narius to take a bath. He’s been smelling a little sweaty the last few days. Thank you."
"No, no. I am the one who should be thanking you for taking care of His Holiness, Miss Bryant. Now, I hear His Holiness has a debt.”
I flinched. How much did he blab? “He did a few things that cost me money. A lot of money."
“Then once I get the
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