The hard heels of his expensive leather shoes clicked loudly as they struck the dark stonework of the complex floor, the sound barely audible over the din of the other Brothers and Sisters hurrying through the low-lit corridors of the underground complex. Holding the satchel slung over his shoulder tight, he moved through them with a purpose they instinctively recognized and parted for him like a shark among a school of fish.
There was a roaring of whispered tones in the throng, some in hushed conversations, others chanting softly in groups headed to various ceremonies of sacrifice. Dust ignored them completely, paying them the attention they deserved, as he made his way to the sacred lower levels where adepts and low priests were forbidden.
He had been summoned by the Divine herself to deliver the precious items in his charge. Over his decades among the true believers, he had plotted and schemed his way into high position, as all currently on the Red Council had done before him, but this was going to be the first time he would see the face of the Divine himself. A clear sign, he thought, that his current machinations to supplant his target on the Council were blessed and would succeed.
He straightened his hood as he approached the two massive, red-cloaked guardians who barred the entrance to the winding staircase leading to the Divine's sanctum. They grimaced at him with tall halberds crossed, the sharp edges stained and left uncleaned as a clear signal of past and potential future use.
"Halt. None may enter," rumbled a not-quite-human voice from beneath the red iron chain link veil covering the guardian's hooded face.
"I am Brother Dust. I have been summoned," he snorted derisively. "You will allow me to pass." In unison, their heads turned slightly towards the entrance as if listening; then, they returned their gaze to him.
"Proceed," said the guardian as they uncrossed their weapons. Dust walked past and descended the narrow and unlit spiral staircase, its steps worn smooth by the passage of countless feet.
The stairs descended deep into the bones of the bedrock, and Dust had to feel his way carefully as he went. The darkness was absolute, and no amount of adjustment of his eyes could pick up any light for most of the way down. After several long minutes, he detected a faint green glow that grew steadily until he reached the bottom.
The narrow stairs opened into a small empty chamber, devoid of decoration, lit only by a single wrought iron lamp of ancient design affixed to the left wall. The illumination was produced by a crystalline rod running through the center, from top to bottom, with an odd green lightning that danced inside.
Dust stepped into the center of the small room and stood patiently in front of an ornate stone door, which had no apparent nob, handle, or latch. As he waited patiently before it, he silently appraised the iconography.
It was intricately carved with hundreds of figures either kneeling or prostrating around a radiating starburst, surrounded by what looked to be the broken bodies of their defeated foes. Every face was shown as a twisted mask of pain and terror. 'Appropriate,' he thought to himself. Although this carving was ancient beyond the count of years, it still reflected the truth of the universe: there was only the Divine, the devout few who worshiped her, and those who were only meant to be devoured or destroyed.
After a moment, the door swung silently inward, and Dust stepped through.
Despite the tall, vaulted cathedral ceiling of the Divine's sanctum, the air was oppressive, causing Dust to become conscious of his breath as though his lungs needed to work harder in this space.
Intricately carved alcoves lined the walls in an unfamiliar style that simultaneously was and wasn't proportionally accurate; the carved figures seemed to defy dimensionality, appearing flat and static, then, in a blink of an eye, seemed to bulge from the stone and move. The alcoves depicted alternating scenes of conquest of worlds and huddled masses bent over prostrate in worship, vast destruction of unimaginable scale, counterbalanced by absolute submission.
At the head of the long, cathedral-like space were steps leading up to a large throne of rough hewn stone upon a dias. Heavy green curtains hung behind it and to the sides, framing the large seat and focusing the eye upon its occupant.
A great statue of a woman, large and in proportion with the massive stone throne, sat upon it, dotted with gold and jewels too numerous and dazzling to count. Magnificent gemstone rings and hooped bangles adorned the numerous well-shaped arms and long, luscious legs and toes. A magnificently opulent golden headdress crowned the statue, but the feature that most struck Dust was the statue's eyes. He felt laid bare, pierced to the core, naked before it, the twisted, harsh expression of its beautiful face emanated judgment and contempt, as if all before her were unworthy.
Two groups of hooded priests kneeled to either side of the dais, praying silently at the feet of the statue, leaving an aisle directly through their midst in the center.
"Approach, Child," Boomed a powerful feminine voice, seeming to come from every direction. Dust's heart quaked, feeling the raw power emanating from the altar, but he strode forward confidently, his pride not allowing him to show it outwardly.
Entering the circle of priests at the foot of the dias, he knelt, bowing his head, resting his elbow on one knee. He retrieved an ornately engraved box covered in fine golden filigree from his satchel. He unlatched the small golden hook on the lid, flipping it open, exposing two acorn-sized chunks of a broken green crystal, then held up the box on open palms over his bowed head in offering.
One of the thirty-odd priests stood, gently took the box from Dust's hands, and placed it reverently on a small altar in front of the dais.
"Divine, I have humbly performed the task set before me and retrieved the precious fragment you provided to your priestess, Sister Flair," Dust said with as much solemnity as he could muster, "along with the one you tasked her to find."
There was a moment of silence as Dust knelt, waiting to see if his offering was sufficient to earn further dialogue with the Divine. He didn't have to wait long. "You have done well, Child. I am pleased," boomed the omnipresent voice. "And I sense there is more you wish to reveal."
Silently pleased he had managed to pique her curiosity, he replied. "Yes Divine, there is. I have witnessed first hand the return of the ancient enemy, the Silver One. She has begun reconstituting her strength and gathering followers."
"Of this, I am aware," she said, her voice thick with derision.
"Of Course, Divine. That was your priestess' mission, to test the Silver One's strength and set a wolf among her sheep." Dust paused for dramatic effect, trying to gauge how the unfathomable presence before him felt about him discovering her priestess's secret mission. He wasn't sure how to interpret her silence, so he continued. "I wish to inform you that the Bloom has made first contact, indicating it is becoming stronger."
"You believe yourself clever, Child," she chided. "Just one of your many machinations coming to fruition, revealed to me as a means to curry favor; in hopes, perhaps, that I would bless your campaign to unseat a certain member of the Red Council and install yourself?"
He blanched slightly at the revelation of her knowledge of his plans. The care with which he had been positioning himself and arranging the pieces on the board for his impending coup had been impeccable. Though he shouldn't have been, he was surprised at the casualness with which she mentioned it; she was, after all, Divine and powerful beyond measure.
"You need not worry that I will disturb the scheme you have laid out," she said with a slightly condescending tone. "The weak must be culled, and if your target on the council no longer has the whits to see your attack upon his postion he no longer deserves it. This is how I've kept my flock strong over so many millennia, the weak are devoured and the strong take their place."
"By your grace, Divine," Dust said, much relieved. Time to reveal his ace. "The other matter, Divine." He reached into his satchel for the other item he had brought with him and offered it in the same manner as the box.
"During her escape, Divine, the Silver One sacrificed a part of herself to save her minions. This is what I was able to recover." Dust felt a wave of satisfaction sweep over him, emanating from behind the stone statue's curtains.
"You have done well, Child. I am pleased." Dust looked to the priest standing next to the altar before the dais. His hooded head nodded towards the altar, indicating that he should approach. Dust rose to his feet, and with his head still bowed, he placed the transparent container full of silver snow, swirling as he moved it, onto the altar next to the box containing the shards. He backed away and knelt once more.
"With the body of the enemy, we have the key to enslave them once and for all," said the Divine, her voice loud in the chamber, echoing through the cathedral with certainty.
****
The Nestia cut through the cloud cover at supersonic speeds, popping neat holes through its centers, causing it to lose its fluffy cohesion and disperse. The three pods and shuttle trailed close behind but spread out for maximum sensor coverage to scan for survivors as they headed for the first location. In their wake, they dropped steady streams of emergency information sheets as they streaked by.
"We're five minutes out; all pilots, match our speed as we slow for approach," June called to the others in the pods.
"Roger," Will acknowledged, followed by a "Ten-four," from Ben and an "Affirmative," from Artona. The Nestia and the pods slowed to a more leisurely pace as they made their final approach to the intended first aid location in the small city of Spearden.
"June, we're going to going to peel off and start our search grids while all of you find a spot to setup," Will said over the open channel between all craft.
"Understood. Good luck, everyone. Let's find and help those people out there," June said with earnest hope.
"We're off as well," Thea called over the open comm channel. "According to the city planning map provided by the AAN home office, the water treatment and power plant are co-located in the industrial park on the edge of town, a couple of minutes from here, as the crow flies."
