Black Crystal Part 1 - The Origin

Chapter Eight ~ The Discussion

November 2nd, 1809.

Rogue Mountains; Grants Pass, Oregon Province.

The Bishop allowed for Garen and Peter to get some sleep that night before they were to discuss anything in regards to what happened to them the night before. For Garen, though, that was not an easy night of sleep. He couldn't stop worrying about Lenora. All night, he felt extremely protective over her, wondering if there was another one hiding in the shadows somewhere. By the time morning came, he'd only gotten a couple hours of sleep before the morning bell rang. His eyes opened and he groggily groaned as he got up. That was one redeeming factor in living in a church, and it was that the beds were comfortable, at least.

Garen finally got out of bed and yawned as he stumbled towards the door to the sleeping quarters he and Peter had stayed in. It looked as if Peter was already awake. "Of course," Garen scoffed. He opened the door to the hallway and walked outside. Lenora was asleep in the room right next to theirs. He almost wanted to check in on her, but he didn't want to be some creep watching her while she slept, so he decided not to do so.

"Good morning, Garen," Lucius said, greeting Garen at the door. "I certainly hope you slept well."

"Oh, I slept totally well," Garen scoffed sarcastically. "Worrying about demons and the Princess? Yes, Lucius, I slept like a rock." Lucius sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You know, I can practically feel your sarcasm from a mile away, Garen, and I don't appreciate it."

"Well, I don't appreciate being attacked by a demon at random."

"Never going to let that go, huh...?" Lucius laughed. "I'm simply joking, Garen."

"You?" Garen scoffed. "Mr. Uppity Churchman? Why, I'm absolutely baffled by this finding!"

"Yes, yes, go ahead, say all the jokes you want." Lucius looked down at Garen. "But the Bishop does want to talk to you and Peter about the events that took place last night. We're going to have to start making protective precautions, especially if those things are making their way into the village."

"I certainly hope that's what he wants to do..." Garen looked back at the room Lenora slept in. "I don't want to see anything happen to her." Lucius didn't respond, but it was understandable. What was there to say that won't already be said in their discussion with the Bishop?

After a bit of walking, Garen and Lucius approached the entrance to the chapel, where they heard Peter's voice and the Bishop's in conversation. Lucius knocked on the door and opened it a bit, peering into the chapel. "Sir," he said to the Bishop, "Garen's awake if you'd like for him to join in the conversation."

"But of course," the Bishop replied. "Come in, both of you." Lucius opened the door for Garen and let him in first. The Bishop gestured for him to sit next to Peter. Lucius closed the door behind himself and sat beside the Bishop while the Bishop cleared his throat. "There's no use in sugarcoating what happened last night," he began, "so let's get right to it. Lucius, you already discussed the matter with the Princess when you took her to the place she'd be sleeping, right?"

"Yes sir," said Lucius. "Princess Lenora informed me that something strange happened in the Capitol, though I think it would be best if we had her tell us herself. Well, when she's awake, that is." The Bishop nodded and looked at the two boys before Peter spoke.

"What was that thing?" he asked. "That looked just like the demon Lucius saw the night before last!"

"It indeed was a demon." The Bishop closed his eyes and bowed his head as if he were praying for a brief moment before he looked back up at the boys and spoke more. "A foul creature from the depths of Hell. Mortal humans have the capability to summon them, but it is rare for them to show up in their true forms. Most of the time, they show up as people their summoners recognize; family, friends, loved ones, old enemies, et cetera. But... the three demons we've seen in the past two nights were both in their true forms: shapeless, four-legged creatures with bodies of black smoke and blood red eyes."

Garen and Peter were terrified now, seeing the Bishop tremble slightly at the thought of the demons. But finally, Garen spoke up. "Yet you dispelled it with ease," he said. "Both of you did."

"I wouldn't say we did it with ease," said Lucius. "It was a stubborn one that took multiple blows to dispel. They're easier to take care of in human form, but... perhaps they are starting to understand that they're strongest in their true forms."

"Their true forms are terrifying," Peter sighed, looking down at the ground as he shook his head. "So... were they really after the Princess?" The Bishop nodded his head.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true." He looked over at the wooden cross that stood at the back of the chapel's altar. "I have this unfortunate feeling that we're in for something a lot larger than a simple escort job when it comes to Princess Lenora." An uneasy feeling filled the chapel when the Bishop went silent shortly after those words. Even Lucius seemed to move around in his seat with anxiousness. The Bishop stood up and had a stern expression, one that neither Garen nor Peter had ever seen on his face. "We've got a battle ahead, my boys, and we can't wait for a letter from the King and Queen."

"What about Anne?" asked Peter. "Shouldn't we let her know?"

"We've got to leave her out of it," said the Bishop. "Have her take care of the other children in our absence."

"Um, sir?" Lucius looked at the Bishop with confusion. "Did you say, 'in our absence'? Does this mean you're coming with us?"

"But of course." The Bishop smiled. "I may be old, but I still have some fight left in me. There's no way I'd let you three tackle this alone. Lucius, we'll have to arm them accordingly, same with the Princess. Silver daggers, silver-tipped arrows, all the purified weapons in the armory."