The Heavenly Host

Saint Hilda made a small grimace. “Well, you see, that’s the thing. We — or rather, I — am concerned that we might not get a full and accurate accounting.” Danyel looked shocked, and Hilda patted his arm. “No, not like that. I fully trust our people on the ground. It’s just that when saints and archons appear, people sort of, well... misremember things, or sometimes just go numb and can’t remember anything. Further, I need to investigate outside the Rod. I need to go into Freehold and investigate what led to this incident and gather information about this demon and the plots surrounding it.”

Danyel looked at his patron saint, trying to understand. “You mean like a secret inquisition?”

The saint moved her head from shoulder to shoulder, thinking. “Yes, I suppose that’s a good way of phrasing it. A secret inquisition. I don’t want the identity of the questioner influencing the answers she receives.”

“So you aren’t going to tell people who you are?”

“Exactly!” Hilda beamed at Danyel, again making him feel warm and relaxed, even though intellectually he knew he should be freaking out.

“So how can I help you, Your Holiness?” Danyel asked, shaking his head. “I’m but a simple Rod member.”

The saint smiled. “My dear, you are no simple Rod member. You are a loyal devotee of mine. Not only were you a witness to these events, you were a participant. And...”

“And?” Danyel asked when she paused.

“I need you to get us a couple of horses from the Rod’s quartermaster along with tack, and then for you to pose as my squire — my man-at-arms if you will — while I pretend to be a resident of Freehold returning from an alvaren wedding.”

Danyel blinked in shock at this completely unexpected request.

∼

“Very interesting, Madam Councilor,” Elrose said to Trevin D’Vils in her guest parlor as a knock came on the door. He and Maelen were continuing their discussions with her from last night.

“My, this is a busy morning!” Trevin exclaimed from the divan, upon which she was sitting upright and sipping a cup of tea. She set the cup back in its saucer and nodded to one of her serving boys to answer the door. “I beg your pardon for the interruption.” She nodded to her two guests, Elrose and Maelen.

The boy opened the door to reveal Damien as her newest visitor. “Master Damien!” Trevin greeted her fellow councilor and gestured for him to come in. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”

“I beg your pardon, Councilor, but at the request of our Archimage, I’ve come seeking one of your visitors: the good seer, Maelen.” Damien gestured to the seer.

Trevin shook her head in surprise. “And what does Gandros want with the good seer?” Maelen and Elrose both looked curiously at Damien.

Damien coughed slightly and glanced to make sure the servant had closed the door. “Well, it’s more like where he’d like our visitor to be.”

Trevin raised her right eyebrow in question, motioning for the inquisitor to continue.

“Well” — he looked back and forth between Elrose and Maelen — “as you are aware, we have an army still sitting outside the walls.”

“And an air fleet as well,” Trevin observed.

Damien smiled grimly and nodded. “And both are looking for Maelen, Gastropé, Edwyrd, Rupert and Jen.”

“Aaahh,” said Trevin with a nod, understanding.

“So,” Maelen said, smiling, “I’m guessing we are being invited to leave?”

Damien shrugged, slightly uncomfortable. “I’m afraid so. However, obviously, I will unofficially assist in your departure.”

“And where do you, or rather Gandros, want them to go?” Elrose asked.

“We haven’t figured that out yet, but we do know the Rod and the Oorstemothians will want to try and verify that you all departed with the demons,” Damien said. “Yes, the whole thing is going to look awkward, but if you are all verifiably gone, they won’t have much choice but to leave.”

“I think you underestimate the logic of the Oorstemothians,” Maelen stated drily.

“And the fervor of the Rod,” Elrose added.

“Actually,” Trevin interrupted, “my colleagues here and I have been discussing an idea that may help with this situation.” Maelen and Elrose chuckled; Damien looked at her, puzzled.

“The three of us were just discussing the option of visiting some of Bastet’s old temples to see if we can: one, pick up any residue of recent activity and two, try and use these once holy sites to see if we can scry her current activities. If she has been in Astlan recently, as we are starting to suspect, we should get some sympathetic residual emanations from the shrine and any artifacts left in it, and they could provide us a link to her that we can follow. We had thus been discussing mounting an expedition to investigate. We could easily bring your friends along with us,” she said, gesturing to Maelen.

Damien shook his head. “An expedition?”