Golden Chains 03

The gate lifted in rattling. It was thick and cracked, and the walls rugged. The very place old, quiet, and secret enough. Falconeye used a hand to adjust the mask on his face, which wooden, black, carved a falcon head. He wended in the hidden sanctum, leaving a long and thin shadow on the rocks.

The sanctum was small, grim and sombre. An obsidian table crammed here and seven obsidian chairs lined up it. Three bronze sconces and scented candles offered glimmers and vague whiff of smoke rambling in the solemn air. There was not any shrines or altars, and statues or murals no more, any one of them a proof of the deception of the Fake One, but nonsense to a real god at all.

Six figures sat on chairs, melting themselves a part of shadows. Falconeye knew their attire that was as same as himself, the black robe from head to heel, wearing a wooden mask on face with different carvings. They are my brothers, Falconeye grinned under his musk, he knew why them assembling, they were here waiting for a trial to him.

"My lords," Falconeye went to set on his chair directly, and he said, "she has returned, at last." He announced in an intense tone.

"You have failed, Lord Falconeye," said a man wearing a mask of a bullhead, an obvious fury on his words, "It's apparent as the sun's return."

Falconeye tilted head slightly, and he knew this man in years. Lord Bullrage, as the mask on his face, he was a peevish man and always a vanguard of something provocation.

"That means the Fake One has won a turn." Croaked a man with a jackal head, his words obtained a gust of murmuring from other brothers. Lord Jackalsmile, Falconeye sneered in his mind, you are always a mean disturber at all.

"We are mistaken, my lords." Said an alligator-head man, that was Lord Alligatorback, Falconeye knew he would play a wise man again. "We failed a battle against the Fake One and lost the relic. The Long Dark was not an intention of us at all, it made a lot of damage which was unnecessary, and that mustn't occur all over again. We must correct our way ensuring everything on the right path of our true lord. "

"But the mistake has forged, people died as somebody's folly. And the relic, we all understand how important and powerful it is. I doubt whether the next plan might work without the relic. My Lords, I suggest summoning a justice before the next plan." Shouted a lion-head man. Yes, yes, Falconeye stared at Lord Lionclaw with his narrowed eyes under his mask. It's an old trick of yours, huh? Falconeye snorted beneath his cover, eliminating an enemy as an opportunity with beautiful words, that's your style.

Falconeye noticed his brothers exchanged in murmuring as Lord Lionclaw's words. He knew someone would stop them and play the judge. All the sorts of this stupid game had been playing over and over, and Falconeye had loathed it already.

As he expected, a man wearing a mask of heron head patted against the table. "My lords, and my brothers," Falconeye saw Lord Heronneck broke the murmurs, "we all realise our small assembly exists as a higher purpose," he said in a hushed voice, "overthrew the Fake One and brought back the True Lord for humankind. Sacrifices would be necessary on our path, but this time the cost was too high. Million people died in the Long Dark, my lords, million people. And worse many people died as thinking it was a trial or punishment or any else drivel from the Fake One, that wasted all our attempt." Lord Heronneck turned his long and thin mask to Falconeye, "And the loss of the relic, the Eye of All-Vision, unfortunately, it was a key, and its ancient power seems the only weapon against the Fake One. I have to say that was too rash offering the Eye, we risked too much and achieved none that sensed your plan, what do you say, Lord Falconeye? "

The time had come. Falconeye knew his next words would decide his life of death. He stood up from the chair, glancing across masks of his brothers one by one. "My lords, and my brothers," he said in a soft voice, "I made a great mistake, as you said. Million people died as my fault. I confess that I wish the embrace of death as if it takes back the life of deads. Sacrifice has made, my lords, and we all know their spirits are standing with our true lord now as any martyr who falls from the Fake One's blade. They all know the truth now. And the relic, we all know it how important for us. " And every one of you agreed on the risk once. "Lossing the Eye is indeed a blunder, but it wasn't unaffordable. My lords, my brothers, through this attempt, we have reached the wheel and confirmed how it works. It was us who have revealed the mask of the Fake One. It was us who have known his weakness. It was us who have realised which is the source of his power. The woman in the wheel, the ancient demon according to the Tome of Truth, she is the real source of operating the days and nights and the seasons. It was she who caused the Long Dark. It was she killed million people, despite the return of she brings back the sun, we shall see what disasters she would carry on." He paused a while, narrowed his eyes staring at his brothers' exchange, he knew they were hooked.

"We haven't failed, my lords. The demon had run away from the Fake One's hands, what a punch to him that made him lost the power controlling the days and nights and seasons. I'd prefer to call it a victory. My brothers, people will doubt his power and suspect his divinity, that was our chance to take people back to the truth. " He heeded someone nodded his head, who had never spoken, he knew it worked. "The Eye might be a powerful weapon, my lords. But we have a better choice." He went on, "The woman is the key, the ancient demon. Finding her, we chop off the source of his power, and we shall make a much more powerful weapon!"

"But how do we find this demon, Lord Falconeye, if the tome said so, she might be any woman across the entire world. We can't afford the risk, and we don't have enough time if the next disaster truly on the way." Said Lord Heronneck and other brothers murmured.

Falconeye smiled under his mask. It was the time ending this all. "My lords, and my brothers, I am telling you a message from my spies, or somebody of you have heeded the same information. The Fake One is moving himself to All-Mothas, a small and remote town over the Flame Coat. His head priests had mustered, his galleys had stuffed, and his coin chests had transported, tell me, my lords, why does he make to a little place with such preparation? "

"That means he has known where she is." Said Lord Lionclaw.

Falconeye nodded his head, no more speaking. He knew this turn he had won.

Everyone turned his head to the same direction, where sat a man who had never spoken. This man wearing a mask of a crowned king, its crown was high, and its beard long as a stick and its eyes were two shadow pools. Lord Majesty, who was in charge of the small assembly.

"Well done, Lord Falconeye." He said in a hissed voice, and leaking shadows seemed to tangle his body as living things. "The world shall bear three trials before the overthrew of the Fake One, according to the Tome of Truth. The first one has come true, and the second one is on its way. We shall mourn for the sacrifices, but any sacrifice is a part of the true lord's return. The ancient demon is the source of the calamities, the tome told us so. And she is truly a key. Finding her, we shall have the key to overthrew the Fake One. She would lead us to the last battle."

"Go forward to find her, Lord Falconeye. And go forward to prepare yourself, our lords and our brothers. The true lord shall see what we do, and the true lord shall know who we are."

"We shall see, Lord Falconeye."