Chapter Eighteen
Priestess

They all hated to admit the fact that their journey had immediately gone for the worst the moment Dante stepped foot into their camp, but there really wasn’t anything they could do about it.  Like with the situation with Buttercup, they couldn’t very well just leave him, and his destiny became intermingled with theirs for a short period of time.  On more than one occasion, they all felt like giving up and just letting Clover do whatever the hell she wanted to him, but she seemed as reluctant as the others to actually harm him before they could deliver him to her tribe.  That seemed like a much worse punishment than what she could deliver, but the problem was that it was going to take a very long time before they got back.  Buttercup figured even Clover was starting to wonder if she should just dump him on the next Warrior Elf tribe she saw, hoping that the fact that she was bringing a Dark Elf would allow her to enter into their village without them attacking and punishing her.  Because they would know that she had suffered enough already.

Buttercup had read about Dark Elves before, although none of her books went into great detail about them.  They were a race corrupted by the Diabolus Dei early on, although the Alterians claim that it was a mistake.  He had just wanted to help his sister with the task of creating elves, but she didn’t want his help, and their argument created the Dark Elves.  He left her alone after that, and concentrated on not making the same mistake when he created humans.  After all, he had never created a humanoid race before, and he hadn’t realized how difficult the task actually was.  It was the main reason the Dark Elves worshiped the Diabolus Dei, she figured, because he had more of a hand in creating them than the Angelus Dei had, although it was something that apparently Dante hadn’t really thought about. 

But it was also the reason for their arrogance.  They were, after all, the first race of elves created, which sort of gave them the older siblings complex.  They were first, and so they were the best.  Either Dante was that much of an idiot and a sheep that he just followed with the social norm and never questioned it, or the reason for their arrogance was lost over the generations, and they all sounded idiotic now.  Buttercup wouldn’t put it past the race for the latter.  They might have been first, but that didn’t necessarily mean they were better.  incomplete was more like it, since the Angelus Dei took another few generations to actually create the elf races that were around today.  Some books even claimed that humans were superior to the Dark Elves, but Buttercup wasn’t exactly sure about that.  After all, they were still elves.

Traveling quickly became a dreaded routine they had to face every morning.  The only times Dante was allowed to have gag off was when they ate, but he made the most of his time.  He would lament about the fact that the world was ending, and the Dark Elves were going to inherit the land, and they were all doomed.  Buttercup couldn’t recall any book that claimed that the Diabolus Dei wanted to destroy the world, not even in the book that Robert had lent her.  She was surprised how very different the Lumentian legends were from the Alterian ones, even from the very beginning, since Lumentians basically adopted the religion after migrating to what would later become the Five Kingdoms.  They had a different belief back then, something formless as though they didn’t know where they came from.  So she would think that the beginning of the religion would at least be the same.  According to the Lumentians, the Diabolus Dei was the master of all evil, who wanted to spread chaos across the land, but kept in check by his sister.  According to the Alterians, the Diabolus Dei wanted to really just be left alone.

That was mostly just an explanation as to why the early pilgrims would seek the Diabolus Dei out in caves.  The Lumentians believed it was because his sister trapped him there, to make sure he didn’t do any harm.  The Alterians believed it was so he’d be harder to find.  Anyone would could was worthy of his time and effort.  Buttercup really had no idea why the Lumentians were so insistent that one of the gods had to be evil.  Why couldn’t they all be good in some way?

It was so strange that the elves would adopt the Lumentian way of thinking.  In fact, it was so odd that the Alterians were the only ones who kept the true religion, and yet, they were the ones shunned in the Five Kingdoms.  Yes, their religion was old and outdated, but it was the basis for that the Lumentians and the other races passed for the creation story, so it wasn’t like the worshiped different gods.  And yet, those who did worship different gods were treated better than the Alterians.  It wasn’t like they got many foreigners within the Five Kingdoms, but she knew that it happened from time to time, and they were never persecuted or kicked out, so she was just lead to believe they were treated more fairly than the Alterians ever were.

It was almost bliss when they were actually traveling, since Dante was bound and gagged, but the problem was that he was still there, and he apparently didn’t like to be ignored.  Whenever it seemed like any of the others had forgotten he was there, he would start making a fuss to the point there they had to pay attention to him.  “It’s like babysitting a child,” Odessa would mutter under her breath whenever he did this.  “Oh, does baby need attention?  Does baby need his diaper changed?”

Dante would just glare at her, like he was annoyed.  Buttercup, Robert, and Clover would just attempt to ignore him, until Clover would finally give up and explode on him.  He acted like he was frightened of her, but Buttercup had seen the delight in his face that he had broken her demeanor, and she endeavored not to give him that pleasure herself.  Robert seemed to be of the same mind.  “Well, I do have to say one thing about him,” he commented as they were getting close to a new village.  “He does his god proud.  He certainly does spread chaos around wherever he goes.”

Dante muttered something that sounded like, “Thank you,” from behind the cloth, but Buttercup knew it wasn’t meant to be a compliment.

Buttercup started to really enjoy the breaks she and Robert received at the villages, even if people were still treating her like the plague.  But it was preferable than what Clover and Odessa had to put up with.  Clover, of course, had to stay with Dante in order to ensure he didn’t escape and do harm to someone else, but Buttercup tried to switch placed with Odessa a few times, just to make it fair.  She always looked like she was about to agree, but then she’d look at Robert and grin devilishly before refusing.  Buttercup was expecting her to break anytime soon, needing to get away from the Dark Elf and his rantings for awhile.

They didn’t really learn anything new in the villages, except that more and more people were starting to blame the Diabolus Dei, as though that had made way more sense than the Alterians or even the prince.  While she was glad that no one was blaming her people or imagining them having an ability that was impossible for any mortal, she didn’t like how readily the people were to blame the Diabolus for kidnapping his own sister.  It was completely farfetched, but she doubted anyone would listen to her about it.  She was, after all, an evil Alterian, and she could tell even Robert was starting to believe the lie after hearing it so often. 

“It’s a rumor,” she insisted.  “Just like the rumor you were to blame.  We both know that wasn’t true.  Nor was the one about the Alterians.  So why would this one be more true?  We don’t know what happened.  Its all speculation now.”

“You’re surprisingly defensive of the brother for someone whose family protects the sister.”

She felt her cheeks heat up, although she wasn’t about to get into the real reason she didn’t like the idea.  They were probably going to find out soon enough, anyway, if their plan continued on the right path.

Buttercup wasn’t entirely too sure how they managed it, although it most likely had to do with the routine they were forced to follow, but sooner than she expected, they were coming up to the last village in Lumentis before heading into Alter.  She knew it wasn’t the same village on the opposite side of the border from Gracia, mostly because they needed to head in a southernly direction in order to reach the closest Diabolus Dei Temple to Lumentis.  Still, it was strange to think she was so close to home now.  In a few short days, she would no longer be the outsider, but rather have to talk the guards into allowing the Lumentians in.

The village was so different from any of the other villages in Lumentis.  For starters, Alterians were actually roaming around freely, although one could still feel the tension in the air.  Buttercup was rather surprised at the number, since she knew that not many traveled across the border in Gracia to the neighboring village.  They were obviously there to trade, which the Lumentians grudgingly complied with.  After all, money was money, and goods were goods.  And the Alterians looked like they wanted to be there even less than the Lumentians wanted them there.

Still, it was a nice change of pace not having the people specifically stare at her, and for them not to bat an eye at an Alterian traveling with a Lumentian.  “I can’t believe we’re actually this close to the Alterian border,” Robert commented that night.  It was still hard to get lodging, since most Alterians just went home after trading, and the Lumentians here were a lot more distrusting of Alterians than most villages.  Robert eventually found one that would take her in for a little extra coin.  “It’s not something I ever expected to do in my lifetime.”

“You’re a prince, though.  I thought it was a prince’s job to travel to the different kingdoms from time to time.”

“It is.  I’ve been to Silverstine, to Tara Nora, and even once up to Collis to inspect one of the temples.  But Alter has always been off limits to any Lumentian royal, so I’ll be the first in, well, several generations.  Since the last war, I think.  I’m making history, and no one will know about it until later.  If then.”

“This is going to be interesting, since I think Lumentians are less welcome in Alter than Alterians are in Lumentis.  You might have to watch your back.”

“That all depends on how far in the temple is.  We don’t plan on spending long in Alter for that very reason.”

“I suppose that makes sense.  The temple I’m thinking off isn’t that far away, thankfully.  And hopefully, you’ll get all your answers there.  Including being laughed at for even thinking the Diabolus Dei had anything to do with his sister’s kidnapping.”

“You know, I always thought it was funny how Alterians insist that the Diabolus Dei isn’t evil, and yet, you’ve adopted the Devil God as his name as well.  If he isn’t evil, then why refer to him as a devil?”

A retort was on her lips, but quickly died as the words sunk in.  It wasn’t something she had ever considered before.  He was just…the Diabolus Dei, and she never really thought about the meaning before.  Yes, the Angelus Dei was the angel goddess, but the Diabolus Dei was nothing more than his title.  “I…I don’t know.  Maybe it’s because his name is so lost that we just picked up on the name the Lumentians used just for a lack of anything better.  I really just don’t know.  I wasn’t exactly alive when the shift came about, you know?”

“True enough.  It was something I just realized.  I suppose Daemonium Dei would have made more sense, since demons aren’t necessarily evil, but that’s a bit more of a mouthful, isn’t it?”

“Just a bit,” she said, grinning slightly.  Still, it bothered her a little.  Why hadn’t her people given him a different title?  Sure, he was supposed to be the opposite of his sister, and she was the Angelus Dei.  But if they were calling their parents the mother goddess and the father god, then why weren’t they the Frater Dei and the Sororem Dei?  Or even, why hadn’t they been given their element names?  Maybe there was something that Buttercup didn’t know, and the Lumentians were right this entire time!

But the Lumentians weren’t right about anything, so it was just likely that her ancestors simply adopted it because it was easier to say, and then it just became tradition.

“So how exactly are we going to get across?” Odessa asked the next day as they were staring down the border.  A large wall separated Lumentis from Alter, and two Lumentian guards stood on either side.  Normally, one would think that, since they were Lumentian, they would allow Lumentian to cross easily.  But Buttercup knew that they were told not to allow anyone to cross, Alter or Lumentian, unless their business was the trade with their sister village.  Entering into Alter for a quest wasn’t going to fly, and she had already mentioned that to the group.

Buttercup pondered that.  There wasn’t really any want for Alterians to sneak into Lumentis, and she figured the same thing for Lumentians.  So there was no secret passage though the wall.  “We’ll have to climb,” she concluded after a moment.

Clover glanced at the wall.  “Climb?” she asked, glancing at Robert.  It wasn’t like the wall was all that high.  “I suppose that’s doable.  But what’ll Tiana do about it?”

“Tiana is a magical unicorn who’ll find her own way across,” Tiana pointed out.  “Walls and borders hold no meaning to us.  But my magic would not allow me to carry you across.”

“Damn.  I was going to see if you’d bring Dante with you so we wouldn’t have to deal with his ass,” Clover cursed.

“I wouldn’t have anyway,” Tiana said stubbornly.

Clover was the only one actually able to scale the wall with ease, leaping from the trees until she reached the top.  From there, Buttercup was giving a boost from Robert to Clover’s waiting hands, where she was pulled to the top.  Dante was handed up next, although it was a bit difficult since he was bond and not making it very easy, but between the four of them, he was shoved up the wall.  Robert actually went next, Odessa somehow being able to handle his weight, and since she was agile enough, she clumsily scaled the trees as well, leaping in Clover’s arms.

From there, it was just a matter of getting off the top.  Clover didn’t wait any time shoving Dante down, not caring if he was injured in the process.  They then descended in order, Clover taking the leap and catching Buttercup and Odessa before Robert kind of fell down himself.  Tiana was waiting for them on the other side.

“That wasn’t so hard,” Clover said.  “At least now we’ve gotten Buttercup home.  If she wanted, she could just decide to forgo the rest of this quest, and return to her family.”

She had never considered that, even if it were true.  She had more than enough reason now to just go home and let the others handle it.  It was close to three months she’d been gone now, and her family probably didn’t hold out much hope that she was alive anymore.  She could go home and reassure them.

But she was still needed for this quest to work.  The only way they were going to be able to enter into that temple was if she was with them, and the way Robert was sort of giving her a pleading look, even if he might not realize it, sort of sealed it for her.  “I wouldn’t do that,” she told them.  “Not if you still want me here.”

“Of course we still want you here, mate!” Odessa said, slapping her on the back.  “But we wouldn’t blame you one bit of you wanted to go and see your family.  How long has it been since you’ve last seen them?  And now you’re back home, where you can see them.”

“It’d still take about two weeks for me to get back home,” she pointed out.  “And that’s by horse.  The Temple is at least three days from here.  You’d be done with this potion before I even saw home.”

They didn’t question how she knew the distance, although she figured she was probably closer than two weeks.  It was two weeks from Gracia to the temple, actually, but it was close enough.  Two or three days wasn’t going to make a difference.  At least they didn’t have to worry about heading into a village from this point, where they’d have the most trouble.  Border villages were one thing, but regular villages were going to be something else entirely.

Despite the fact that there wasn’t that much difference, Alter had a different feel that Lumentis had.  It seemed even the Lumentians could feel it, since they seemed more tense and on edge than normal.  Alter had a wilder feel, untamed even after generations of occupation.  The Alterians weren’t really looking to concur their land like the Lumentians were, but rather to coexist with it.  The forests were strictly fairy territory, and dragons still guarded the same caves they had been for centuries.  Even the fresh water mermaids could still be found in their lakes, frolicking about.  Buttercup had never seen any of it, but she had heard about it, and both set of grandparents have claimed to have seen at least the fairies and the mermaids.  No one’s seen the dragons, but they knew they’re there, since the few that have seen them have never returned home.

Now the forests seemed teeming with hostility, since the fairies were rampaging just as much in Alter as in Lumentis.  Buttercup even got her first look at a fairy, a tiny little thing that could fit in the palm of her hand, hair as red as fire, and wings that seemed to be made of gossamer.  She had shot from the forest unexpectedly, buzzing right in front of her, and startling the holy hell out of her.  But the fairy actually didn’t seem that hostile, since she righted herself and flew right back in without giving the larger people any mind.

Alter seemed to also affect Dante, since he was quieter, but Buttercup could sense that he was brooding.  He was just biding his time until he was proven correct, and the humans had no choice to let him go so he could rule over them.  Or something to that effect.  Buttercup couldn’t even begin to imagine what went though that twisted mind of his, but she was glad he had other things on his mind at the moment, so he couldn’t complain when they were ignoring him.

Just as she predicted, after three days walking from the wall, the forests thinned out, revealing a large stone building that rivaled any castle in any of the Five Kingdoms.  Most Temples were like that, Buttercup understood, so that they could house as many people as possible for worship.  Right now, it seemed rather empty, as there were no rituals occurring, and it was only occupied by the priestesses.  The Lumentians looked at Buttercup questioningly as they approached, since there were but a few priestesses roaming the grounds, but on the other side of the Temple.  But Buttercup walked with purpose, already quite familiar with this particular Temple.  She had visited it almost as much as she had the Angelus Dei Temple outside of Gracia.

“I thought you worshiped the Angelus Dei,” Robert commented.  “You seem to know this Temple fairly well.”

“Um, yes, well,” she said.  “Um, all our Temples are built similarly, so that this one shouldn’t be any different than the one I usually go to.”

He didn’t seem to quite believe her, and probably thought he caught her in a lie.  It would make sense for her to lie if she did worship the Diabolus Dei, since he would have never trusted her then.  But she wasn’t lying, at least not about who she worshiped.

They weren’t approached by any of the priestesses until they had almost crossed the front door.  “Halt, child,” a woman said, appearing out of the shadows, her robes suggesting that she was one of the higher ranking officials.  “Today is not a worship day.  What is your business with this temple?  And why do you bring a Lumentian?”

“I come seeking answers,” she stated.  “I thought any could enter into the Temple even if it’s not a worship day, so long as they seek council from the gods.”

The priestess shook her head, her orange hair shifting elegantly over her shoulders.  Robert, Clover, and Odessa were staring at her, since they had never seen anyone outside of Buttercup with that hair color.  Hers, though, was straight and silky, something Buttercup would never be able to accomplish with her own hair, no matter how hard she tried.  “That is no longer the case, child.  Not since the Angelus Dei disappeared.  Now we much guard the Temples and ensure no Lumentian comes to blame the Diabolus Dei and destroy our temple.”

Robert took that as his cue. “We’re not here to blame your god.  We’re here to seek answers we can’t receive in Lumentis.  We’re looking for the cause of her disappearance, not to blame the Diabolus Dei.”

“I’m sorry, child, but you’ll have to find your answers somewhere else.”

Buttercup was about to argue, because she had never heard of any Temple closing itself off to the people that needed it, except the Angelus Dei Temples.  But they had good cause, since their goddess was no longer around to accept prayers anyway.  But a figure was crossing the foyer at that moment, and happened to glance to see what the commotion was.  She paused upon seeing the party, and immediately started to walk in their direction.  Buttercup relaxed a little at seeing her, but the others stiffened, thinking someone else was coming to kick them out.  And this one happened to be the head priestess of the temple.  “Lorelei, what’s the problem?”

“These children wish to seek council with the Diabolus Dei,” Lorelie stated.  Buttercup remembered her now.  She always thought she had an odd, Lumentian sounding name.  “I was refusing them entry, Mother Magnolia.”

“Why in the world would you do that?  Surely you remember my granddaughter, Buttercup, don’t you, Lorelei?”

Lorelei turned a little pink.  “Oh yes, naturally.  A thousand pardons, Mother Magnolia.”

“I think you should leave this matter to her, Sister Lorelei,” Buttercups’ grandmother said hotly.  The others were just staring at her now as Lorelei bowed to her and hurried on her way before she could get into more trouble.

“Grandmother?” Robert demanded to know a little rudely.  “It would have been nice if you had mentioned you had a grandmother who was a Diabolus Dei priestess!  Now I know you don’t actually worship the Angelus Dei!”

“She wasn’t lying,” her grandmother said as she ushered them into the Temple, not even bothering to ask about the others.  “Her village does in fact worship the Angelus Dei.  Might I ask where you’ve been Buttercup?  Your father is beside himself in worry.  He keeps contacting me to see if I’ve heard anything from you, thinking maybe you’ve run away because no one wanted to listen to you.”

Buttercup blushed.  “I didn’t run away.  A group of Lumentians snuck into Alter and kidnapped me with the idea of handing me over to the Acerbus temple as a sacrifice.  They were claiming that I was the Angelus Dei in human form.  Robert and Clover rescued me, and they’re on a quest to find out what happened to her, so I…sort of joined them. Odessa came later.”

Her grandmother nodded, not really surprised at this story.  “We’ve heard rumors about Lumentians attempting to kidnap young girls they claim to look like the Angelus Dei.  We’ve set up precautions against it now.  I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that, but I told you that you shouldn’t emulate the hairstyle of a goddess.  It only gets you into trouble in the end.”

“But I like it,” she muttered.

“In any case, I thank you for your assistance in rescuing my granddaughter, and so long as you’re here sorely for information, then you are more than welcome in my Temple for it.”

“I have a question,” Clover stated.  “How is your grandmother a Diabolus Dei priestess?”

Her grandmother chuckled.  “Well, it’s quite simple; her father is my son.  That’s how these things work, after all.”

“Personally, I would love to know the story behind it, and why she’s not a priestess herself, if this is the case,” Robert admitted.  Buttercup could tell he was just trying to figure out if she was lying or not.

“She should be, actually, but her father and I both decided against it in the end.  You see, her family is a bit of a rare family, as her father is the son of a Diabolus Priestess and an Angelus Dei priest.”

“How the hell does that work?” Odessa asked, a little more forward than she should have.

Her grandmother chuckled again.  “Priests and priestesses are forbidden to marry, but not to procreate.  In fact, it’s encouraged.  The priestesses usually just find some unsuspecting young man to procreate with, whereas the priests actually use a special class of woman who basically volunteer for the job.  Because, you see, if the child ends up the gender you don’t want, their other parent had to take care of it.  In any case, her grandfather and I saw a way to mutually benefit each other – we would have a child together, and whichever gender it was got to keep it.  Quite obviously, it was a son, so he went to his father.

“From what I understand, the priests weren’t so understanding, and he was ordered out of the Temple.  From there, he started a new life for our son, even going so far as to marry and have more children.  But the main reason we had decided to go through with this in the first place was because we had, well, fallen in love with each other, so he allowed me to remain in our son’s life, which I was surprised his wife was okay with.  She raised him, but she wasn’t about to allow him never to know his real mother.

“We were all rather surprised when Buttercup was born and she actually possessed the priestess abilities.  He was still carrying the genes, after all.  We had considered bringing her to the Temple, like I said, but I wanted my granddaughter to grow up to be a normal girl, with a normal life, so I opted to allow her to be raised by her mother.  I’m still her grandmother, however, so she still visits me from time to time.  But her loyalty lays with the Angelus Dei, if that’s what you’re questioning.”

“Wait, priestess abilities?” Robert asked, looking a little confused.

Her grandmother chuckled once more.  “It was a gift given to the first women who devoted their lives to our god.  Not all priestesses have the abilities, but those descended from the first do.  That’s why we search out women with orange hair, because that’s a clear sign that they have the gifts.”

“What gifts?” Clover asked, glancing at Buttercup.

Buttercup sighed, since this wasn’t something she had ever wanted them to know she could do.  She reached back and pulled out an arrow and held it in front of her.  It used to be that she had to say the spell in order to focus her mind, but over the years, she had learned to control it with just a mere thought.  The other three members of her party jumped as the tip suddenly burst into flames.

“You’re…you’re a Fire Mage?” Odessa breathed.  “And you never mentioned that?  That…that’s incredible!”

“It is?” she asked.  “It’s a gift from the Diabolus Dei, though.”

She waved her off.  “So are the dragons, and you see how respected Dragon Tamers are.  Any gift from the gods is a good gift, no matter who it’s given by.  None of the others gods have gifted humans in this way, after all.”

Buttercup glanced at Robert to get conformation that he was okay with this, but he still looked utterly shocked.  “Yes, it would have been great to know this.  I wouldn’t have spent as much time as I have been starting the camp fire!  I could have just have had you do it!” Clover declared.

“You’re fine with it as well?”

“Of course.  It’s called a gift for a reason, Buttercup.  View it as such.”

“I’ve always been considered an outsider because of it.  Those with the gift are always priestesses,” she admitted.  Robert still hadn’t said anything.

“And you never wanted to be a priestess, so we didn’t press the issue,” her grandmother said.  “We never do.  We ask those with the gift to join us, and it’s just that usually, they’re for it, because it’s a way for them to control their gift.  And because they had done something to outcast themselves.  Buttercup has remarkable control over her gift, and she was never outcasted because of it.  Her reason for being an outcast is because her father thought it would be wise to educate her.”

That seemed to snap Robert out of it.  “I don’t see anything wrong with that,” he said defensively.

Her grandmother glanced at her with a speculative look.  She had a feeling he was going to be watched like a hawk now.  “You’re one of the rare ones, then.  But I agree; there is nothing wrong with an educated woman.  We teach our priestesses to read and write as soon as they enter into the temple.”

“A foolish idea,” Dante said, having somehow shoved aside his gag.

Her grandmother glanced at him.  “You managed to capture a Dark Elf, I see.  Impressive.  Your kind is not welcome here, Elf.”

“My kind shall rule over yours with the coming darkness.  He will come to rescue me now that I have entered into his domain, and you shall all pay for treating his follower thusly.  You shall rue the day you captured me!”

“You are mistaken, Elf.  Darkness shall not come from the Dei.  Chaos is upon us, but none shall rule over it.  The Dei might delight in chaos, but he does not delight in his creations destroying each other.  If he comes, he shall put a stop to it.  It certainly won’t come to the aid of one who uses his name in vain such as yourself.”

“I shall call him forth and he shall smite you!”

“Good luck with that,” her grandmother muttered under her breath.

“That is a thought,” Robert said.  “How does one go about summoning a god?  I’m sure the priestess and priests have methods of doing so.”

She bit her lip.  “Naturally, there is.  It’s a complicated ceremony, unfortunately.  And the one performing it must be the one who needs to seek his audience.  It cannot be done by anyone else.  He tended to get mad when that happens, so we decided to stop the practice.  It made it a little hard for the peasants to summon him, but it’s a ceremony that’s easy to learn.”

“I’ll do it, then,” Buttercup said.  “If it’s something the priestesses usually perform, than I’m sure it’s something I can perform easily.”

“I’ll help,” Robert said hastily.  “If she needs any help, that is.”

Her grandmother bowed.  “It can only be the two of you, then.  He won’t answer questions from too many people.  He only allows the other priestess in the room when the ritual occurs, because he knows they won’t ask him a million questions.  They’re too busy prostrating themselves, our text says.”

“Humble, isn’t he?” Robert asked dryly.

“This way, then,” she said, looking a little unsure.  Buttercup didn’t really understand the look, but she followed anyway, a little eager to see what Robert really thought about her gift.  It seemed to frighten him, but she supposed that made sense.  After all, she could create fire with a mere thought.  That was worrisome to the average person, and she could tell he was still questioning her loyalty to the Angelus Dei, and whether or not she was lying to him.

And what she was about to do was most likely going to cause him to question it more, despite the fact that he had to know that she was merely doing this for the good of the quest, and to get some answers of her own.

Chapter Seventeen

Angelus Dei Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen