Dark Whispers, Chapter 2

 Scores of paladins knelt around her.

"Blessed be the Truthbringer, Mithaniel Marr," the Holy Crusader said as she knelt on the dais in the center of the Cathedral of the Truthbringer, the largest chapel dedicated to the god of Justice.

"Blessed be the Truthbringer, Mithaniel Marr," scores of paladins kneeling in the chapel responded, their voices echoing off the high ceilings of the Cathedral, a massive church with a central dome and four minarets facing North, East, South, and West, and an enormous plaza outside.

Angelaya knelt in the middle of the circle, surrounded by them all.

"Let the holy records of Mithaniel Marr record a miracle that happened upon last eve," the Crusader said, turning to her. "By offering her life for the others affected by the unholy curse of death, by offering to save their souls before death, the Truthbringer smiled upon her valor and sacrifice. A miracle was then performed, and our sister Angeleya was purified and given a sanctified state of the Crusader."

Angelaya looked around at all the other Paladins. Some were elves, some were human. There were even a few dwarves and halflings among them.

"Angeleya, you are a templar of the Truthbringer. You will be granted the power to heal the sick and wounded in his name. Your powers of detecting evil will become stronger, and the light of Mithaniel Marr will shine upon you. Moreover, you are given the title Crusader. Those guilty of the crimes you reported to Lord Marr are hereby marked for death. Should you kill them with your hammer, the body shall never be able to be resurrected, nor the soul returned to life. Let them know the price they pay. Marr be blessed."

The room repeated the prayer.

"Let them know justice." Tears fell from her eyes. "By my hammer's wrath."

Alustrae sat in the audience next to the High Mage of the Mage's Guild, Jingzangzin. The dark-skinned man with the graying afro and handlebar mustache reclined in the upper pew and moved his eyes to hers. He wore a black silk robe with gold trim and the insignia of a mage. A large spellbook lay on the bench next to him, and a staff with a ruby at its tip rested against the pew in front of him.

He was one of the most powerful mages in the world.

"Last night was bullshit," he sighed. "A death curse that could have spread to the city was a warning of their power. And wiring up that poor girl's body like some death totem."

Alustrae's face tightened, and she nodded. "And we have no idea where or who they are."

"The magi have destroyed the coffin," he said, coldly. "If her soul was tied to it, there is no coming back now. Dead is dead."

"Already?" Alustrae blinked. "We are only-"

"You are off the case," he said. "And so is your team."

Alustrae frowned, biting the inside of her mouth. "What? Who-"

"The Queen herself," Jingzangzin replied. "The Queen has placed someone else in charge."

"Who?"

"A Captain Varlikh," Jingzangzin said.

Alustrae shook her head and raised her voice. "He's a fucking killer. Assassin's League. And I use the term loosely. What is he going to do, murder everyone in the bar?"

"We have been getting reports of a cult with the same tattoo and heraldry offloading cargoes in cities worldwide," Jang said. "It looks like this group is planning a major terrorist attack or a mass casualty incident. The plague-curse they unleashed in the bar, too, could have killed thousands or more. The Queen has signed an Edict of Death for them all due to the nature of this threat."

He paused. "Varlikh and his men are following up on the reports and rumors. The first kills will happen in the next 24 hours. We have leads from the rumors that were spread."

She closed her eyes and sighed. She did not like Captain Varlikh or the Assassin's League. They were more like the mafia, and Varlikh was known for his cruelty. She could not believe the Queen would put him in charge of anything.

She stared at the cathedral ceiling. "And if my group comes into contact with any of them?"

"No warning needs to be given," Jang said, coldly. "And I don't care what venue you are in or what rules they think they have. The Queen has already signed their death warrants, so if they are found, kill them. The Queen's Edict is law and is to be upheld, even in places that will yap their traps about being warded so far up the ass nobody gets hurt. It isn't true. No venue has the power of a god. It is all lies by addled minds and inflated senses of importance. No ward can stop you from choking out a murderer and sticking a blade through their heart. A mage in a ward is an easy target for a group of knights, especially with mages needing time to cast spells that won't work."

Alustrae nodded. "It will be done."

"And if the venue owners protect the cultists," he said, "Let Varlikh know."

She would warn her team to kill cult members on sight. She did not like it, but she would follow orders.

"There is a price to pay for ignoring our authority," he said. "I am not being treated like that again. Nor are you. The matter is in the hands of killers now."

"Killers, you are asking us to be," she said.

Killers you already are," he said as he walked away.