Cult of the Lamb : Rise of the Black Crown

Chapter 15: Unstable

The three arrived in Nykka's Domain before noon. Mir̃alai led the way along the winding path that cut through the thick, carefully designed jungle. Bungalows lined the edge of the jungle on the beachfront, and an impressive number of Followers dressed in pure white robes chatted amongst themselves as they went about their duties. Mir̃alai looked around, hoping to see Nykka. Instead, her eyes fell upon the Bishop's Faith Enforcer, Bharadei. The white wolf seemed to notice them entering because she waved the three over happily.

"Greetings, Bharadei." Aym said with a small bow. She smiled brightly at them, the friendly expression in stark contrast to her heavily scarred face, eye patch, and torn ear. She looked at Baal and frowned.

"What happened to you?"

"Ah, it is nothing to fret over." Baal said, feeling his swollen cheekbone.

"It is why we're here actually. Is Nykka in?" Mir̃alai asked.

"Oh, yes. She is inside her temple." She motioned to the massive, glittering tower at the edge of the beach. The magnificent temple was carved out of white marble blocks, the windows framed in gold. The wolf touched Baal's cheek tentatively with a nod. "I'm sure she can fix this." She turned to lead them along the beach to the temple.

"Things have changed since I was last here. Is her throne inside the temple now?"

"Yes. Narinder's Domain has become even more grand than my Mistress'. He has a whole forest now, dozens of Followers. And he has a cathedral." The wolf commented, rolling her eyes at the last bit of information.

"A cathedral?" Mir̃alai raised a brow and glanced at Aym. He did not respond to the comment, and rather behaved as if he hadn't heard it at all.

"Oh, yes." Bharadei confirmed. "Don't mind these two, they aren't allowed to talk about it. I am under no such order." She smirked. "You may ask me anything regarding Narinder. I visit his Domain often with my Mistress."

"Thank you. He is so close to my home, it is worrisome that I am blind to his growing power."

"He has become quite formidable." Bharadei sighed, "If I am to be honest with you, Mir̃a... It scares me a bit too." She glanced around, then continued in a low voice. "Mistress can't control his emotions anymore, he figured out a way to resist her. She was startled when she first realized it."

"But she can still feel them, right? She'll know if he's about to do something terrible?"

"I'm afraid not... He seems to have closed his heart off from her entirely. He claims it does not matter because she can trust him. Well, I think blind trust in a being such as him is inadvisable at best, but my Mistress is in love." She sighed in defeat. "There is no way to convince her otherwise. Believe me, I have tried."

"That does not ease my worries..."

"I'm sorry, Mir̃a. I wish I had better news for you. On the bright side, he is still holding to his word even though Mistress has no control over him. That is a good sign." She pushed open the white temple doors and let the three inside. Nykka was sitting on her throne in the pulpit. She had her white Doctrine in her hands, and she scribbled into it with an odd sort of ferocity. Her head popped up at the sound of the doors closing, her book and quill disappeared from her hands.

"Hello, Mir̃alai! To what do I owe the honor?" She asked, standing with a big smile that did not match her tired eyes.

"Aym and Baal need healing, if that's alright."

"Of course, of course." She waved a hand, and walked towards them. The white cat had grown quite tall, little Mir̃alai had to look up at her as she drew near. She leaned to examine both twins, each hand grasping their chins. "Hm, odd injuries for guards... What happened?" She asked as her hands began to glow.