ANGEL OF JUSTICE (2014 revised)

Chapter Seventy Two - Death Goddess Summons

Death Goddess Summons

Delnor looked up as another soul presence arrived in her chambers. She pushed back the large hood of her black robe to reveal a face of extraordinary beauty framed by long white hair. The small emerald dragon lying beside her dais also lifted its head to gaze at the newcomer. Seeing no threat to its mistress, it closed it large golden orbs and yawned before lowering its head back on the ground.

There was no warmth in Delnor's voice as she regarded the soul before her. "Ah the great Cardinian High Priest has finally answered his death summons. I told you that you could not last for long with that fragile old heart you refused to have mended."

"I do not come willingly goddess I can assure you." Thomas stated meeting the defiance of her ice blue eyes. "I only offered my life for the bargain we struck. You have fulfilled your part and now I am here to fulfil mine."

"Not many come here willingly old man. But you are a rare one, just like your young Prince. Not many would offer their lives in exchange for another." Delnor sighed with exaggerated boredom. "But then you are Cardinian aren't you? The high moral code of sacrifice for the greater good of the kingdom, you know that does get rather tiresome to hear. But I suppose there would probably be no Field of Honours if not for the majority of Cardinians that grace it. They had to go somewhere now didn't they?"

"I only did what was necessary to ensure the survival of our heir. Evil took his life as it did his parents and there was no guarantee that justice would be dealt as it should have been. In the void there was even more chance he would have met with foul play while you watched on with amusement."

"You may yet regret your unnecessary sacrifice old man. You are about to cross over at the most inopportune timing, when your Prince and you kingdom needs you the most. And you know that these actions of yours now leave no one to initiate the proceedings of the Gathering. A most unfortunate occurrence I must say when all those other priests you thought were capable of filling your shoes, can not manage without you." Delnor smiled as she watched the pain of truth crossed Thomas's face.

"We all make mistakes goddess but I do not regret my actions. There was no other way to ensure that Prince Darric got his chance to fulfil his destiny. A destiny which I believe you had a part in keeping from him in the first place by allowing those who serve the Destroyer to go about their doings."

"I have mentioned it before; it is not the Destroyer everyone should fear for he is still trapped in his brother's ward. You too know that it is those who blindly follow that are more deadly at present. Once Arbinn is free however, then you all should quiver for existence will be brief and my penance here will be done. You are only lucky that your Prince managed to surprise even me by swallowing his pride in order to win through the tests I put before him. Had he of failed, even your sacrifice would not have been enough to grant him the chance to continue his life. Although I must say I was impressed by his sudden turn around and the heroics he displayed in the void. It is something I do not have the pleasure of seeing often."

"I think you simply enjoy watching the suffering of others."

Delnor laughed, the soft timbre echoed off the walls of ice. "You have no idea mortal. Perhaps after you spent a few thousand years judging the pettiness of human greed you may come to understand that the only pleasure I have is to make each soul find its strengths and improve for their next chance on the wheel of life or suffer an eternal death trying. If they could do that in life, not only would I miss out on my fun but the mortal worlds I have presided over would become so much better." Delnor stated as she twirled a length of white hair around her fingers.

Thomas lowered his head and felt a wave of sorrow wash over him. "You care not for much in the way of justice I know that for certain."

"But then that would make me redundant and where would the fun be for me in that? I would have to sit in some boring crystal palace on a world of ice waiting out the millenniums before we went off to create another petty lot of humans in some other galaxy until we got it right."