Chapter 486 - Princes and Priests

Small announcement incase anyone is interested. The hardback edition for HW1 is now available on amazon. Other than that, hope you like the chapter!

Silence gripped the skyport following the words of Prince Marcoff. His demand lingered in the air, heavy with the weight of his intent. It sounded like an innocent enough request to speak, though there was something about him that didn’t sit right with Hump. An undercurrent to his tone that even in another language came through. His words may have been amicable, but that and the smirk on his lips betrayed otherwise.

“Should I do the talking?” Hump asked.

“You’re not very good at playing nice with nobles,” Dylan said. “This seems like a job for Bud.”

“I don’t mind,” Bud said quietly. “It seems like a reasonable request. We aren’t from this land. I can understand his caution.”

Hump clapped the knight on the back, plate armour ringing. “Go for it.”

“Any thoughts on what I should say?”

Hump shrugged. “We mean no harm and are here by accident. And that we’ve been instructed to seek out the High Priest of Loften. There’s not much else to it.”

Prince Marcoff called again.

“Will you not speak?” Acalin translated. “I do not wish to resort to force, but for the protection of my people, I will.”

From the ship’s upper deck, Captain Hadbur emerged, striding confidently toward the edge. His long hair was tied back and braided, his sabre at his hip, and all the artifacts and jewels across his body on full display. He wore a smile as he came to face the prince, surveying the assembled force with indifference before giving an over-emphasised bow to the prince.

As the captain spoke, Acalin continued to translate.

“It is an honour to receive such a welcome home, Prince Marcoff. And you have called in even the Rune Guard to greet me along with all these lovely people.” He gestured at the upper levels stacked full of altari watching them. “Never have I felt more pleased to be home.”

“Captain Hadbur, I thank you for bringing our new guests to Urandel with such speed,” Prince Marcoff said. “Now please, I implore you, bring them out. I understand that they have some lavish tales to tell, but it is for myself and my mother to make the decision of what will be done with them.”

“Now’s your moment,” Hump said to Bud.

“We are here, Prince Marcoff,” Bud said. “Forgive my inability to speak your language. I hope that this will suffice. My name is Robert of Blackthorne, and with me are my companions, Wizard Humphrey, Emilia Rike, Celaine of Drakalyn, and Dylan, Chosen of Krioc. As you have so rightly pointed out, we are from another world. I would also like to point out that we it was an accident that brought us here, and we mean no harm.”

There was excitement amongst the crowd at the use of the Holy Tongue.

Prince Marcoff held up a hand, silencing the crowd. A smile formed on his face, but it didn’t touch his eyes. “Welcome, Robert, and your company,” he said in perfect Alveronian. “Only in stories have I heard of visitors from other worlds, and I cannot think of one as grand as what I have heard of you. So I must ask, why do you not reveal your true faces to us? I see the magic twisting your appearances—the falsehoods you bring before me and my people. It is dishonest.” He gestured casually to one of his people—a woman with braided hair filled with spell stones. “Dispel their magic.”

“Of course, Prince,” the woman said in altari.

The woman channelled power into a bracelet on her wrist—interlocking links of gold that ran all the way up her forearm, filled with various coloured essence stones. He felt her essence rise, filled with intent and the will to break his arrays.  Her soul manifested through her artifact, similar to how Captain Hadbur had fought, only she lacked his strength.

Briefly, Hump considered letting her, but something the prince had said resonated with his own thoughts. This would decide their relationship moving forward, and there was no advantage in being in a position of weakness. Not if they were to be taken seriously. They were trapped on another world, on a quest for an exiled god of their pantheon that may or may not prove to be an enemy, and simply put, the people of this world lacked power.

If they were to make it home quickly, that needed to be made clear.

As the woman’s magic washed over them, Hump braced his will and imbued more essence into the necklaces he’d given to his party members to maintain the illusions. As her will descended, his own fought back. A year ago, she would have been a threat, but now her will was weak and unfocused. It bounced off him with ease.

Her face lit up with surprise as she staggered back, her artifact losing its light, essence fading from it so suddenly and sharply Hump knew she must have received backlash.

The prince snapped at her in altari and she responded quickly.

“If you wish to see the real us, asking is enough,” Hump called out to the prince. “Attempting to do so by force is as unnecessary as it is rude.” Hump made a show of empowering his staff, essence flaring in the runes and lighting up the focus. “Dispel Illusion.”

He said the words as if they were a spell, making a point of dismissing the spells cast over his party himself, even though it only required a thought and application of will in practice. With it, their guises fell, revealing their human forms.

Gasps and shouts of shock and excitement filled the many levels of the port.

The prince turned back to them doing a bad job of hiding his own surprise and irritation. Then he shouted a single word in altari, the sound echoing through the port.

Footsteps sounded as the army and Rune Guard adjusted their positions, raising their weapons toward them. Those that had been flying in on the flanks came closer, pincering them with small sky vessels and individuals with flight artifacts, some of which were close enough to touch the rails nearby.

Hump held his staff tightly, a spell ready on his lips if he needed to activate his defences and buy them some time. Nishari snarled at his side, eyeing one of the Rune Guard that had come closest.

“How dare you resist my orders,” Prince Marcoff said. “How dare you dictate what I can do! You are guests in my kingdom—my city—and you would do well to remember that.”

“I took defensive measures,” Hump said. “We didn’t come here to cause problems, but you have attacked us in a corner. You’re lucky all I did was defensive.”

Captain Hadbur cut in, his tone cheerful but he spoke in altari. The two men entered a heated exchange.

“Was that appropriate?” Hump asked his party. “I didn’t want us to seem like pushovers.”

“It was,” Celaine said. “I don’t like the prince’s eyes.”

“Makes leaving the talking to me seem pretty pointless though,” Bud said.

Emilia gripped his arm. “It was a nice introduction.”

“Thanks,” Bud said dryly. “Acalin, what are they saying?”

“Captain Hadbur is negotiating on your behalf,” Acalin said. “He tells the prince of your quest to speak with the High Priest on orders of Loften. Prince Marcoff speaks of Priest Ukbar’s message, who says that you have fooled the captain and my own party.”

“So it was that priest who got us into this mess,” Bud said.

The prince’s mouth was curled in disdain, about to speak, only to stop as a stir swept through the port. A ripple passed through the crowd—murmurs at first, then silence. Heads turned upward. Even the Rune Guard stilled, eyes lifting to the sky. Far above, a figure descended, haloed in radiant gold light, slow and solemn as if Loften himself descended on the city. Only, the aura lacked such power. There was divinity in there, but it was weaker than many Chosen Hump had met, perhaps at the sixth circle, but no higher.

Still, civilian’s fell to their knees. The man’s presence was undeniable. Every thread of essence around him bent in his wake like grass before a storm. His robes trailed with threads of sunlight, pure white streaked with gold and sapphire. His robes controlled his descent, intentionally unhurried as he approached the height of the prince. The altari was tall, statuesque, with skin like coal, and long hair and a braided beard flowing in strands of silver.

“Jerard,” Prince Marcoff said, his voice tight with restrained irritation. “Why have you come?”

Hump looked to Acalin, but the man’s mouth was slightly agape, lost in awe. Even Captain Hadbur, so full of bravado a moment ago, stood in respectful silence.

“I take it that’s the high priest,” Hump said.

“That’s him,” Mel said. “High Priest Jerard. He is the one you need to speak with.”

The radiant figure landed gently upon the stone dock, golden sandals touching down without a sound. He carried a staff of woven metal and crystal, topped with a blazing rune shaped like a sunburst. At his side stood a young altari, her golden hair braided in elegent coils, and adorned in elegant silks of vibrant reds and whites. She held her chin high, her eyes calm as she took in the scene before her gaze settled on Hump and his party. Only then did her eyes widen briefly.

“I am here at the command of the Maker,” High Priest Jerard said in Alveronian, voice echoing through the port, resonant with essence. “The outerworlders are to be welcomed into our city.” His gaze shifted to Marcoff. “They are not to be detained, nor insulted, nor bound by command. They are to be given aid.”

Prince Marcoff did not immediately respond. His jaw tightened as his eyes flicked between the priest and the princess beside him. He masked his anger behind a shallow smile. “The Maker has not involved himself in our affairs for many years. Now you say that this matter requires his attention.”

“The Maker sees what we do not,” Jerard said evenly. “He has spoken, and his edict is clear. Soldiers of Urandel, stand down.”

There was no hesitation from the Rune Guard, backing away from the Crown of the Winds and lowering their weapons. Behind them, the rest of the soldiers seemed a little unsure at the High Priest’s conflicting orders but soon followed suit. The tension didn’t vanish, but it eased slightly. Around the port, civilians slowly rose to their feet.

The prince’s smirk twitched as he took in the sight of his men obeying another’s orders. Hump wondered where the man stood in the hierarchy of this city. At the very least, it was clear the High Priest was above him, but did that go for the rest of the royal family as well?

“If the Maker has decreed it, then of course we will obey,” the prince said. He floated closer to the ship, coming face to face with Bud at the front of Hump and his party. “But I must insist that the outerworlders be hosted in the palace as our guests,” he continued, his voice lowered. “They are still unknowns, and I would not have them freely roam around our city. Is that acceptable, High Priest Jerard?”

“A reasonable request,” the High Priest said. “What say you, outerworlders?”

Bud gave a nod of his head. “We humbly accept. Your hospitality would be most appreciated.”

Hump stepped forward. “High Priest Jerard, before anything, we came here to speak with you. Would now be convenient?”

“The temple is prepared to receive you, Wizard Humphrey. Prince Marcoff, if you would join us, I believe a palace representative would be beneficial.”

Prince Marcoff stared down at Hump, brow furrowed. “Yes. I will attend.”

From the anger in the prince’s eyes, Hump immediately realised he’d made a mistake by ignoring him in favour of the High Priest. The man didn’t watch them with curiosity now, but as possessions he intended to claim. It was in that gaze Hump realised why the prince was here. They were something new—something powerful—and he wanted to control them.