The Jewel of Orlegon

Chapter 12: The concealed goddess

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, leaving Alteria's question hanging in the confined air of the room. Finally, the old Enartian cast a quick glance towards the window he had scrutinized earlier before answering in a grave voice.

"What I'm about to tell you should never be mentioned to anyone outside our order, is that clear?"

Instinctively, the young woman leaned in towards the selven, expecting him to continue in a hushed voice. However, he didn't seem to find it necessary and continued in his usual stern tone.

"There is a very ancient cult, banned from Orlegon for generations," Ieza explained, "that venerates not one, but two creator goddesses. Two opposing goddesses, light and darkness, order and chaos, life and death, Enartia and Silfurie."

Alteria held her breath, hanging on to the old man's words. The mention of this forbidden cult reminded her of Nimeo's volcanic temple and the abandoned statue there that revered duality. For a moment, she wondered if the monument could be a forgotten relic of this ancient religion. She found herself absentmindedly toying with the pendant that Skeir and Werem had given her, her thoughts drifting back to her native island.

"Nowadays, only a renegade group remains of this cult, with its main ideology being opposition to the established order, to what they call Enartia's dictatorship," Ieza continued, his tone serious. "Their members come from all walks of life and have many sympathizers among the empire's forgotten. However, the most dangerous are those among us who defect, or worse, those who never answer the Call. They call themselves the Silfurians, in opposition to us Enartians."

"Is that what Nanthamo was talking about just now?"

"Exactly."

"And they're pursuing us."

"It's mostly us pursuing them," Ieza corrected. "Contrary to what our companion's words might imply, the Silfurians aren't so arrogant as to act in plain sight. They much prefer to operate in secrecy, using corruption and influence peddling as their favorite tools."

"And I assume they also don't expose their nature to everyone's view," Alteria ventured in a neutral voice.

"Indeed."

Silence fell once again between them. Outside, twilight bathed the city in shades of gold and mauve, casting a flattering light over the dirty alleyways and moss-covered rooftops, making the place appear in a much more pleasant manner.

"But..." Alteria resumed, gazing at the building's opposite wall bathed in light. "Nanthamo seemed to imply that the Silfurians had caused the death of some among you, yet the Order welcomes those who defect. That seems unfair to me."

"You'll learn that it's best to refrain from passing hasty judgments on complex situations. Any loss of life is unjust, especially if premature, but many of Silfurie's followers can attribute such loss. It's easy to think that the others are just monsters, but for those whom the Empire disappoints, we are the puppets of a heartless empress protecting a corrupt system."

The young woman didn't respond, taking the time to reflect. For a moment, she wondered what her reaction would have been if the Call had never happened on Nimeo and if someone else had come instead to offer her a chance to leave the island and fight against the established order for a better future. Would she have accepted? And if so, how long would a nimean with no information about the Empire's politics take to realize she had joined the wrong side? Lost in her thoughts, she only realized that night had fallen when Nanthamo reentered the room, equipped with a small lamp whose flame cast dancing shadows on the bare walls.

"The innkeeper is starting to serve dinner," the young man announced, addressing Ieza. "I thought you'd want us to dine as early as possible so we can leave at dawn tomorrow."