“I take it she’s already been initiated in your ways of The Path,” Wex grins sardonically.
“If her bow was not an exaggeration,” Shu-Jin shrugs, “she claims a level of proficiency just short of an instructor. Her bow was delivered correctly, with exact nuances. She recognized my bow, interpreted it correctly, and greeted me with the correct title of Shifu, so I have no reason to doubt it. My attack was designed to drive her back, but all she did was deflect. These things would all seem to agree with each other, making it more believable for one so young. I only stopped because I could tell she was tiring.”
“I may need to make a visit to the infirmary myself and have someone look at my ribs,” Wex complains, “I wasn’t expecting that move. Even with just a wooden weapon and all that padding, it hurt. I think she hit harder than she meant to, but not as hard as she’s able to. I also believe her when she says she could peel someone right out of their armor. If she were to use the spike end of a warhammer with a blow like that, it would punch right through most plate.”
“We’ll have to wait and see about her archery skills,” Branaulf shrugs, “but she stated that she’s quite proficient, and given her performance otherwise, I see no reason to doubt her. Parth and I got to sit back and observe her while she was sparring with the rest of you. She’s respectful of you as opponents but not intimidated by any of you in the least. Wex and Yanthus are larger and have more reach, which alone intimidates some who are less skilled. I have a feeling that she’s seen a good bit of combat. She doesn’t flinch or duck. I also gather from that earlier demonstration that she was planning to defend her friends; had it been needed, and you didn’t quite believe her. Since you didn’t believe her, she offered to demonstrate.”
“And now we’re back to ball gowns,” Yanthus chuckles, “I can’t imagine trying to do what she was proposing, wearing all those layers of clothing. She’s smart to realize that it’s going to slow her down, and this might mean she won’t be able to insert herself and her steel between the would-be attackers and her friends.”
Scrubbing his face with his hand, Ember recounts his breakfast conversation with Nia. Shu-Jin chuckles, “None of you seem to have noticed that she put on the helm before you all got into position. She demonstrated far more than just how she was planning to defend her friends and did it so subtly that none of you even noticed it.” The group falls silent for a moment, contemplating this.
“I know you were worried that the Goddess brought you a dilettante,” Yanthus shrugs, “but she’s far more than that. I can’t wait to see what she’s like when she’s in better shape.”
“We’ll have to work her slowly,” Wex shrugs, “I doubt any of us, or even all of us, together can stop her completely, so our task will be to slow her down until she recovers.”
“She’s been recovering faster than anyone predicted,” Ember sighs, “Just not as fast as she would like.”
“What can you tell us about her?” Shu-Jin asks.
Holding up a hand, Ember prays, “Mighty Morrighu. The temple weapons masters are asking about the girl. Should I tell them everything? Or try to limit what I divulge to what I think is relevant? If I tell them everything, they may be of more help to her. If I limit what they know of her, it is less likely anyone else will find out who she is. I am unsure of the correct path and come seeking your guidance in this matter. They are all sworn to your service.”
“They are all sworn to me, so I know something of what is in their hearts and minds,” the Goddess replies, “They are intrigued by my daughter, some in more ways than one. I cannot fault them for that, since even gods seem to fall under her sway. They wish to help her, and I think she needs their help. She carries a heavy burden of grief. Everything she’s ever known has been swept away by that asshat. We are all that she has left. It pleases me to no end that she thinks enough of her new friends that she would risk herself, even with her current limitations, to defend them. She has begun to create new bonds that will help to bind her to life. I will leave it to you to decide what to tell them. Do you trust them with the safety of the girl and everyone else in the temple? Ultimately, those are the stakes. We have hidden her identity to shield not only her, but the rest of the temple from the wrath of those she has angered. I would rather not have to come in my full fury to defend my daughter and my Temple from Elphame or Tanis or perhaps even both of them together. Although if it were to come to that, I would likely not arrive alone. She has found favor with many of the other gods as well, some outside our pantheon even.”
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“In that case,” Ember replies, “I would like to tell them. We have all suffered grief and loss. Some are far from home. One has lost a family. If they know her full story, they may be able to help her with more than just her physical recovery.”
“Then let it be done with my blessing,” the Goddess says before withdrawing.
“I had to get permission from the Goddess,” Ember explains, “to tell you what I can. Let’s go get some breakfast ourselves, and we can meet out in the gardens to eat, and I can tell you everything I know.” A short time later, carrying trays laden with their breakfast, they convene in a gazebo in the gardens. It’s far enough from the wall that no one standing on it will be able to overhear, and far enough from the paths and benches that there’s no reason for anyone to linger.
Once they’re all assembled, Yanthus looks at him and says, “Well… Out with it, man. We’re all dying of curiosity.”
Ember takes a big drink of tea and swirls it in his mouth for a moment while he considers where to begin. “First, I have to have your promise that what I tell you will not be repeated to anyone. And when I say anyone, I mean anyone not currently at this table or Gethin. Clear?” One by one, they all promise, so Ember continues, “The only other one who knows who she really is would be Gethin. They’re from the same place, and Gethin knew her family. He knew who she was before any of the rest of us did. There are numerous rumors and speculations about her. I’ve let it run rampant since none of it is anywhere near as fantastical as the actual truth. It all helps obscure her identity, and that helps protect the Temple and protect her.”
“Your statements only make us more curious,” Shu-Jin replies, “Not less so. The rumors about her are… almost comical. Yet I fail to see how hiding any of this provides protection.”
Sighing, Ember dives into Emlyn’s story. “Since they found themselves beset by constant border wars, they developed into a culture that strove to create the strongest, most skilled combatants. I don’t know if she’s realized it or not, but their social structure was breeding them for this. The Goddess refers to the mad god as ‘the asshat,’ so I think I’ll follow her example. The Goddess thinks that the asshat structured them this way to breed humans with more powerful souls. He wanted them to be powerful so that he could eventually consume them to increase his power. It seems their harvest god was interested in harvesting a bit more than just wheat and barley. Either the attack by Elphame and Tanis forced his hand, or her people, these Cymry, hit some tipping point, so the asshat started trying to harvest them all. He initiated this process by dispatching his temple minions, including the paladins, to “cleanse” the population, starting with the magic users. He wanted to consume their magic along with their soul.”
“Gods above,” Wex grimaces, “Paladins used as assassins. It’s a wonder they all didn’t go as mad as their god. That’s such a fundamental violation of… of… of everything a paladin is. I take it that she was one of these…”
Nodding, Ember continues, “Once they realized what was happening, the Temple split – a full schism which quickly developed into an internal war. The asshat’s rant about that internal war is what gave the Renunciates their opening to free themselves from their oaths to him. Once he realized that a few of them were successful, he seemed to have accelerated his… harvesting. Not only is she grappling with survivor’s guilt for being the only one of her companions to survive and the only one of her family to survive, but she also feels responsible for the destruction of her entire people. It took Lugh and her people telling her that it wasn’t true for her to let go of any of that.”
“So, she’s the last of the Renunciates,” Branaulf muses, “That means…”
“Now I see why you say that hiding her identity protects all of us,” Shu-Jin nods, “I would not care to face Tanis or Elphame or any other god that the… asshat might have been in league with.”
“What’s this about Lugh?” Parth says around a mouthful of food.
“During her first trip through the Hall of Judgement, she seems to have made quite an impression on Lugh,” Ember sighs, “When she said she was feeling responsible for the destruction of the Cymry, our Goddess asked Lugh if he would render his judgement on the issue and he agreed, since the Cymry were streaming through his Hall. Both Lugh and her people told her that it wasn’t her responsibility, and as long as she lives, they have hope.”
“What do you mean by ‘first trip’ to the Hall of Judgement? Was she resurrected before all this?” Amon says this, and the others nod, so Ember explains in more detail.
Parth shakes his head, “I see why you call the truth more fantastical than the rumors. This bit about the Goddess calling this girl her daughter. I don’t know that she’s ever done that.”
“You could shout this story from the rooftops,” Yanthus shrugs, “and no one would believe it.”
“Except if you were to do that,” Ember cautions, “and the wrong ears heard it, they would believe it, because they’d already know the truth of it. If that were to happen, the Goddess alone knows what might come here looking for her. I’ve decided to err on the side of caution. Like Shu-Jin, I’d rather not have to face down Tanis or Elphame, so keep all of this to yourselves. We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to keep any mention of her out of all the records. I have had a couple of the priests who were involved in her catechisms stir the pot with false information. Things are sufficiently muddied at this point that I don’t think anyone could sort out the truth of it. Even if they’re looking for a Cymry girl, I don’t think that, unless they were Cymry themselves, they would know Nia is the one that they’re looking for, and then only if they knew her personally or got a good look at her tattoo. Now that she’s been convinced to keep it covered, she should be safe enough, and if she’s safe enough, so are the rest of us.”