Savage Messiah

CHAPTER XXIII

As she walked down the halls of the redoubt, the young acolyte still found herself stunned by its beauty. Even as First Sister Adrian's assistant, she might take years to learn to navigate these multicolored hallways. In fact, she was having difficulty finding her way back to her own quarters. The hour was late, and her usual walk before retiring had turned into something more than she had imagined.

Early in her walk she had come upon Sister Adrian, and the First Sister had revealed some of what had transpired in the meeting of the Conclave. The two had chatted a while and then, after agreeing to make their morning rounds among the wounded together, they had said good night and gone their separate ways.

Now she guessed at which direction to take at yet another intersection guarded by Minion warriors. She chose rightward-and realized that she had guessed correctly. She recognized where she was. Her quarters were two doors down and on the left.

When she reached her door, she called upon the craft. Almost immediately she heard the lock turn over once, then twice more. She grasped the gold handle, gave it a turn, and let herself in.

Her sumptuous quarters still awed her. During her travels as an acolyte, she had never stayed anywhere as elegant as this. The flames in the fireplace still danced merrily, highlighting the ceiling and walls. A scented candle burned on the table by her bed.

She removed her red robe and dropped it onto an overstuffed chair. Dressed only in her silk undergarments, she slipped between the satin sheets of her bed. Life would be good here, she thought.

Lying back in the sheets, she decided to view again the amazing anomaly she had acquired just before the Jin'Sai and his wizards had defeated Wulfgar that night atop the roof of the palace.

Raising her right wrist, she called upon the craft. In response a small incision appeared in her skin. As it did, a single drop of her blood left the wound and came to hover in the air. The incision closed again. As expected, her blood signature formed from the freshly liberated droplet.

Her blood signature appeared proper in every respect. It was clearly right-leaning, illustrating her tendency to practice only the Vigors. It was also free of Forestallments-yet another condition the wizards had insisted upon before granting her membership in the Acolytes of the Redoubt.

Then she narrowed her eyes, and her blood signature began to twist and turn upon itself. As it did, it came to reveal something quite different from what the wizards had seen when they examined it. It now clearly leaned to the left, and dozens of Forestallments branched away from the main body of the signature. With a smile of satisfaction, she caused it to vanish.

Leaning over to one side of the bed, she blew out the candle. In the dying firelight, she committed to memory what she had just learned from Sister Adrian.

Bratach would be pleased.

PART 2 DECEIT