The Shield Bearer

Chapter 4

"The temple? Me, join the temple?" The words came out before she could contain them. She had wanted to become a Shield Bearer, since she was little. She could remember struggling to pick up her dad's shield, when it was taller than she was. Both of her parents had tried to steer her away from this difficult path. Her mother, would have loved it, if Rene had decided to join her in the ranks of the Priestesses of Astra, as Rene's younger sister had. But that was not where her passion lie.

Elric snorted as he tried to hold back a chuckle at her response. But Adam did not flinch, his eyes began to glow slightly, with the same warm light, Rene had seen, when Astra had appeared to her. He had been touched by her too...."This is serious. You must carry this decision with you, for the rest of your life. Is it your calling, to join the temple? Or will you carry her blessings to the battlefield?"

'You will inspire on the battlefield' Astra's words echoed through her mind. It almost felt like a distant dream now, but in her heart, she knew that it had been real. "My calling is not in the temple. James will satisfy that need. I will inspire on the battlefield." As she spoke those words, that wonderful warmth filled her again, and then settled into her core.

Adam nodded and released Rene from his gaze. "Very well. I will begin your training, once we set out with the others."

Rene hesitated for a moment. She wasn't quite clear on what training, he meant. But after an awkward pause, she asked, "What will you be training me in?"

At this, the serious expression on Adam's face softened. He smiled slightly as he reached his hand outward and turned it palm side up. In the center of his hand a soft white light appeared, hovering. "I will be training you in the use of your talent."

Gregory, who had been quietly standing beside Rene, gasped softly at the light in Adam's hand. "Are you a priest?" He was definitely not shy.

Adam shrugged his shoulders and allowed the light to vanish from his hand. His hand returned to the hilt of his longsword. "I could have been, just as Rene could. I discovered my talent when I was but a child. I was taken to the temple, by my parents, who were thrilled at the possibility that I was blessed by Astra. The temple took me in and taught me much. But I was not happy within the confines of the temple. I longed to go out and make a difference. The temple was where people came, when all else failed them. I wanted to help them, before things got that bad."

He sighed as he recalled his past. "I hated healing the injured, when I could be out there preventing those injuries. I questioned the other priests about these things, but they simply told me that I could do the most good, in the temple. Unable to find resolve with my peers, I made an open prayer to Astra and she appeared to me. Her message, inspired me to pursue the path of Shield Bearer."

Adam looked at Rene, again. "My choice angered many within the temple. They considered it a waste of my abilities. Those of us with 'the talent' are very rare and the temples and mage colleges covet us, hoping to hang their standards upon our shoulders. You, Rene, will likely find yourself the center of much controversy, by tomorrow morning. Word of your abilities has already reached the Arch Bishop, I am sure."

Rene understood all that he was saying, except for one thing, the mage colleges. "Why would the mage colleges covet people with our abilities? I can understand why the temples would want us, but not the mages."

Adam frowned a bit at this question. "It is because...despite what you may be told by either group, I have come to understand that magic and miracles come from the same source. I will explain this more, during your training."

Rene thought on this. Magic and miracles come from the same source? On an intuitive level, this did make sense. But she had been told all of her life that miracles came from the gods. This didn't really stack up now, especially as she recalled what Astra said. 'I did not save him. You did.'