Song of the White Nightingale

Chapter V | The High Priest

The room was dark. Not just because of the absence of light, but the walls, bedding, and furniture were colored black. Even the windows seemed to have a dark tint to them, and they only let a faint stream of light pass through. Only the rugged and scraped man in his bed offered a color unfamiliar to the rest of the room. His skin was pale, almost yellow. His fingernails and teeth matched in hue. His hair was a dark black, yet his green eyes seemed to glow through his closed eyelids.

A knock at the door awoke him from his sleep.

"Talon? You asked for me?" said a very short man. He had the size and face of a four-year-old child, but his eyes were aged. He stood in the doorway, and was surprised when he saw the door was not closed when he arrived to the room.

The man in the bed rolled over. "Ah, Bali. Is Eve there with you?" he slowly asked the small man.

"I'm here, your holiness," a dark-haired woman said approaching from behind Bali. Her voice sounded more like a hissing snake than it did a woman.

"Great. I'm glad you both came," Talon said as he began to sit up in his bed.

Bali walked towards him, saying "You really should stay resting, sir. Your body is not ready."

Talon swiped his hand away. "My body is ready when I say it's ready! To hell with those bloody mages. I'm the goddamned High Priest, I can do whatever the hell I want!"

Unfortunately his body was not as strong as his spirit, and he collapsed to the ground the second he stood up. Bali was unable to catch him, and knelt beside him.

"High Priest Talon, you have the most powerful mages in the world. You should trust them," he said.

Eve walked in the room, standing above Talon. "Want me to help you up?" She offered almost sarcastically.

Talon gave her a fiery look. "No. Just get me my robes. It's time I spoke to the people," he responded. Eve bowed her head and obeyed her orders.

"Sir, are sure you're ready? You don't want the people seeing you while you're still weak," Bali said, helping him to his feet.

"And they won't. They will not know my strength because of my speedy recovery, but because of my endurance through the pain. They will see that I need no recovery. I am Talon, the High Priest of the Collective and Chancellor of Vinland. I am unmatched!" Talon raised his hands outward, before falling over again. This time Bali caught him.

"I know the power that you possess, but there is no one who can go without rest," Bali assured him.

"Fine. Maybe I'll stay for a few more minutes. But after that, I will speak to my people!" Talon said.

Eve rolled her eyes. "So do you want your robes or not?"

Talon eyed her again. "Don't you give me that tone, or I'll throw you right back into that pit I pulled you out of," he said sternly. Eve was so quiet one could not hear her breathe.

"Sir! Sir! I have an urgent message report!" said an average-sized, slender man who suddenly appeared at the door. He was panting heavily.

"Well god damn what is it?" Talon asked.

"The readings have spiked again. We believe at least two more Unionizers have echoed to our world," the man responded.

Bali and Eve looked at Talon, and he let out a wide grin. Looking back at them, he said, "You two, I want you two on this. See to it that they never find any other Unionizers, and that no one else knows about them. I want their heads," he ordered.

"Yes sir," they responded in unison. But Bali asked, "sir, who would you like to look after you?"

"Just send in another Saint. Gi or Kado will do. Now go!" he said.

Bali and Eve bowed and walked off. The messenger remained standing in the doorway, like a sitting duck.

Talon looked at him. "Well shut the door, will you?" he shouted as he crawled back into his bed.

"Uh, yes sir," he nervously shut the door behind him before heading back to his station.

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Stay tuned for Chapter VI: A New World

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Image source: cgtrader, "Dark Bedroom" by charly-1