The Matriarch's Daughter

Chapter Eight: Caught Off Guard

Thepa continued to ride her cloud of euphoria well into the week, savoring every moment with Claudia and Rory. It felt like they were schoolgirls again, working hard through the day just so they could stay up late, laughing and talking until the small hours of the night. There, she relished every joke, every shared secret, every moment of camaraderie. When morning came all too soon, they'd do it again, burning the candle at both ends.

Save for the missing Einkidi, the week was perfect. It was everything she wanted, and she was sure it would only get better. As it finally drew to a close, her primary duties as captain of the Goldale Guard ended, and her focus shifted to leading Sainta's first elite team. When the morning of the day finally arrived, she all but thrust her command to Lieutenant Aldermoon, eager for the next part of her journey.

Now free, she left the barracks to find Rory exactly where Rory had busied herself while Thepa was busy working, on the lowest level of Goldale. In no time, Thepa allowed her hooves to clack down the stone steps of the spire, wished a young family hello, and then found herself once more in the kaleidoscope of unpleasant sights, jarring sounds, and pungent odors. There, in the center of it all, was Rory, standing on a box, preaching a homily to a captivated crowd.

"Love has no equal. Its patience endures longer than the stars. Its understanding surpasses the oceans, embracing every flaw with smothering grace. Its compassion knows no bounds, reaching out to heal even the gravest of wounds.

"Without love, even the greatest feats of power are hollow. Wizards can move mountains, but without love, they are merely slaves to their magic. Druids can tame the wild, but without love, they reduce their dominance to indentured servitude."

"Save my baby!" cried a voice from the crowd.

"No, fix my leg!" shouted another.

If Rory heard the pleas, she ignored them. Instead, she continued, teetering on the edge of a cabbage box, balanced by the pack on her back. If her sister wasn't careful, Thepa thought she might tip the whole thing over. How she managed it now was a mystery.

"Chandeidra is love. Many mistakenly believe love is just an emotion, a fleeting balance in the mind designed to stir up trouble in the body. They mistake lust for love, but that is only a desire of the flesh. Love," Rory continued, locking eyes with Thepa, "is more than carnal feelings. It is a force, driven by divine providence, that demands recognition and compels commitment. It calls us to act selflessly, to place the needs of others above our own, even when it demands great personal sacrifice. Those who live by her love do so because they know what others do not. Love is not about..."

"Us," Thepa said, completing her sister's thought. Personally, she found the whole thing to be nonsense, drivel designed to keep the masses in line, but she respected the depth of conviction with which Rory spoke of her deity. Over time, she had come to see that Rory was devoted to the doctrine, never wavering in her belief.

Her sister lived and breathed Chandeidra as naturally as she lived and breathed life itself. Thepa had heard Rory's teachings a million times over, to the point she could recite much of it in her sleep. Even now, she found herself whispering the familiar words amongst the crowd. "It's about giving the lost a chance to find clemency and grace."

Rory smiled, a smile Thepa knew was just for her, continuing, "As long as others still live in her promises, I will do what I can, even if it means giving my own life."

"You mustn't, Madam Priestess," came a despairing cry.

"Chandeidra save you from your enemies!" came another.

"But don't you see," Rory said, finally tearing her gaze away from Thepa. "She already has. Even if I give my life, my future is secure."

As if to illustrate her point, Rory leaped off the cabbage box, and the crowd parted to let her through. She stopped before a battered woman, a Youngling of the Stars barely above twenty completions, holding a swaddled bundle. A hush overtook the crowd. Ripples flickered off her fingers, weaving the magic into a small blue ball. As the spell neared completion, Rory brought her hands closer to the baby and then forced the light inside with a gentle push.