“Let me address why you’re here,” he finally said as servants cleared the dishes away. “I don’t think I need to tell any of you that the High Priestess is a very respectable position.”

  “Of course, your Eminence,” Phia said. “I have great respect for the High Priestess.” Looking at her friends, she said, “The High Priestess is directly above the Sisters of Feron in the holy hierarchy.”

  “Your friends may not know,” Cardinal Waldemarr continued, “the High Priestess enjoys many privileges not available to most people: a very high salary; freedom from taxation; the right to vote in elections.”

  Brune raised his eyebrows. The right to vote? This spoke to the prestige of the High Priestess. Voting was a privilege reserved for less than one-fifth of the population of Erwynd. If you could vote, you were an aristocrat.

  “I believe the High Priestess wears the same robes as the priestesses of Feron, doesn’t she?” Endellion said, giving Brune a sideling look. “The Virgin’s Robes, as they’re called.”

  The Cardinal’s brow furrowed. The question almost seemed to confuse him. “She does wear a white robe to symbolize purity, but it’s… inlaid with purple.”

  Brune looked at Endellion with a grim smirk. He saw what she was doing. Trying to sell him on Phia becoming High Priestess. She knew he’d like the idea of Phia remaining a cloistered maiden forever, so she deliberately brought up the Virgin’s Robes.

  There had to be money in it for Endellion, otherwise she wouldn’t have arranged this in the first place. That must have been why she went along with rescuing Phia from Vladnoch, too; she probably figured they’d get more money from some other buyer.

  I should have known it wasn’t out of the goodness of her heart.

  Still, it might be a good life for Phia. She could return to her studies. Devote herself to Feron... and Sol. She’d be wealthy and respected.

  But there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered.

  After a few minutes, Cardinal Waldemarr took them down more long hallways with lewd statues, until they came to an oak-paneled door.

  “This is my office. Please, come in. We can chat more.”

  Getting down to business now, are we? Brune thought.

  The room had an enormous fireplace, leather armchairs, a packed bookshelf, and a desk crowded with scrolls.

  “Please find a seat.”

  The Cardinal gestured to the guard, who stood beside the door. “You can wait outside, Ethlerod. Thank you.”

  “Sir.” He bowed and shut the door behind him.

  Brune was about to take a chair when a painting above the fireplace caught his eye. He did a double-take.

  “What the…”

  The painting showed a beautiful girl being taken from behind. Her skirt was hiked up and her blouse nearly torn off. A young man with bright blonde locks cupped one of her breasts as he mounted her. His other hand pulled her black hair.

  Three nymphs watched voyeuristically from the trees, and it looked as if they were about to join in.

  Cardinal Waldemarr chuckled at Brune’s reaction. “This painting shows part of the story of how the Temple of Sol was founded. The girl is... Well, why don’t we let Phia explain it? I know she’s well educated on our history and lore.”

  Everyone looked at Phia. “It shows Theodosha,” she said reluctantly.

  “The same girl in the statue,” Lilly said, surveying the painting with wide eyes.

  “Yeah.”

  “So, what’s the story?”

  Phia gave Lilly a betrayed look. She rolled her eyes and began telling the story—shyly at first, but she quickly warmed to the tale.

  “Theodosha was a simple country girl, and remarkably beautiful. One day, she went into the forest to look for flowers. Three nymphs saw her walking among the trees. Enraptured, they approached her and praised her beauty.

  “Theodosha was very flattered, for the nymphs themselves were as beautiful as goddesses. They walked alongside her for a long time, helping her pick flowers.

  “Eventually, they asked her to sit with them and rest. And so Theodosha sat under a tree with the wicked nymphs. They put their arms around her slender waist and told her how beautiful she was. When they started touching her bosom and her legs, she did not push their hands away. When they began to kiss her, she let them.

  “But the flame of desire burned hot in the nymphs. They tore apart Theodosha’s blouse and yanked up her skirt, frightening her with their passion.

  “She pushed the nymphs away and ran into a sunny meadow. Now it happened that Sol was flying over the meadow at that very moment. He saw Theodosha’s youthful face, her heavy breasts, her disheveled dress.

  “Overcome with passion, the god flew down into the field and appeared before Theodosha; a tall, aristocratic youth with the glory of the sun in his golden hair.

  “She pleaded with him to respect her virginity, for she was devoted to Feron. But her words fell on indifferent ears. Sol threw his arms about her and ravished her.

  “Watching from the trees, the lascivious nymphs crept into the field. On soft feet, they walked up to the lovers and caressed them. Enjoying their attention, Sol allowed the nymphs to pleasure himself and Theodosha.

  “The god ravished Theodosha over and over, from noon until sundown. When his appetites were finally sated, he took pity on the girl and made her his wife and priestess.”

  “An excellent summary,” Cardinal Waldemarr said.

  Phia’s brows squished together and her ears pointed down. She was clearly angry at herself for getting so into it. It probably felt like she’d been led to perform an indecent act in front of everyone.

  As for Brune, he’d become increasingly peevish as Phia told the tale. By the time she’d finished, he was scowling at the Cardinal and clenching his teeth. Questions swirled in his mind.

  But before he could ask any of them—A knock at the door.

  “Pardon me, Your Eminence.” A ruddy-faced plump woman of about 35 entered the room and curtsied. “Come to see if the young lady is ready.”

  “Thank you, Inga.” The Cardinal clasped his arms behind his back and smiled at Phia. “I thought you might like to see the High Priestess’s living quarters and learn more about her day-to-day duties.”

  Phia’s frown disappeared. She played with her dress nervously. “Yes, that would be... that would be fascinating. Your Eminence.” She hastily curtsied.

  Brune let out a sigh of displeasure. “Do you mean the High Priestess lives here in the palace?”

  Endellion avoided his questioning eyes. The Cardinal glanced at him and looked away as Inga addressed Phia: “Alright, Miss Callidora. Come this way, please. I’ll be showing you around.”

  Phia turned and took Lilly by the hands. “Can I bring my friend?”

  Inga pursed her lips. “I’m afraid not. I don’t think—”

  “That’s alright, Inga,” the Cardinal said. “She can go along, too. At least, to the authorized areas.”

  Lilly left her cittern in the cardinal’s office and accompanied Phia, leaving Brune and Endellion alone with Cardinal Waldemarr. The three of them sat in chairs around the fireplace.

  “To answer your question, Mr. Hargish. Yes, the High Priestess lives here in the Cardinal’s Palace, along with a dozen other clergy members and officials. Not to mention dozens of servants and guardsmen.”

  Brune gestured above the fireplace, making a sour face at the painting. “That story. I thought the High Priestess was a virgin.”

  Cardinal Waldemarr pressed his fingers together thoughtfully. “I didn’t say that, precisely. I said she wears a white robe to symbolize purity, but the white is inlaid with purple—to represent her union with Sol.”

  “Her union with Sol? What does that mean? Cut the bullshit, Cardinal.”

  “It’s not bullshit, Mr. Hargish. The High Priestess enters into matrimony with Sol.” The Cardinal looked at the lewd painting with zealous eyes. “She is inducted into the office the same way Theodosha was inducted, so long ago.”

  Brune gripped the armrest of his chair. “What? You mean…”

  “Yes, Mr. Hargish. The god himself will descend from the heavens and copulate with Phia. He will not impregnate her unless he chooses to—And that only happened once, long ago. But either way, she continues to wear the white robes of virginity because she remains pure; for who can call divine copulation impure?”

  Brune winced in disgust. “This is fucking loopy.”

  Endellion said, “So what? You don’t believe in it, do you? It’s just symbolic.”

  Brune shifted in his seat. Even if it was only symbolic, he still didn’t like it.

  “You can think of it that way if you choose,” Cardinal Waldemarr said. “However… there is one other thing. The High Priestess also enters an earthly marriage… with the Cardinal.”

  Endellion let out a little gasp of surprise.

  Brune stood up. “That’s enough of this. Where’s Phia? You can forget the whole thing.”

  Waldemarr remained perfectly composed. “Please understand, Mr. Hargish; the Cardinal is an earthly delegate of Sol. In the marriage bed, he channels the power of the god—which means Phia will really be in coitus with Sol, not me!”

  Brune recoiled. “Enough! Fuck’s sake. I don’t want to hear any more. I’m done with this.”

  “Sit down, Hargish,” Endellion said. “You’re overreacting. What does it matter? She marries a god or she marries a cardinal. Either way, we’re putting her at the pinnacle of society.”

  Brune begrudgingly sat down, glaring at the elf. “Why didn’t you tell me you were planning all this?”

  “I wasn’t exactly planning it. My friend just told me Cardinal Waldemarr had offered Vladnoch a fantastic amount of money for Phia—”

  “And he refused,” the Cardinal said. “Yes, Phia caused a sensation a few months ago after that fellow Fragan debuted her at a dinner party.

  “When I learned she was a pious girl brought up in the Temple of Feron, I knew I must have her as my High Priestess.” Cardinal Waldemarr looked at the painting, his voice trembling. “The High Priestess must be both pious and alluring. This pleases Sol.”

  Brune’s nostrils flared as his lip curled back.

  “Where else would you have her go, Hargish?” Endellion said. “Would you take her yourself? Would you deny her this life of privilege and luxury?”

  “You will, of course, be compensated appropriately,” Cardinal Waldemarr said.

  “He’s paying us three times what the guild would have paid, Hargish.”

  Brune dragged a hand over his eyes. He felt sick. “Does Phia know this involves being married?”

  “Inga will be explaining these matters to her as we speak,” the Cardinal said.

  A moment later, Brune heard a faint scream coming from some distant part of the palace. The voice kept shrieking, growing louder as it got closer until it echoed through the hallway outside the office:

  “Lord Brune! Lord Brune!”

  Brune stood up. “Lilly!”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THE GUARD, ETHLEROD, stood in the doorway as Lilly hovered behind him. “It’s the fairy, Your Eminence. Don’t know what the fuss is about.”

  “Lord Brune!” Lilly said, shooting over Ethlerod’s head and diving through the air.

  Ethlerod started and swung his arm as Lilly somersaulted in the air and landed in front of Brune.

  “Better watch out who you swing at,” Brune growled, glaring at Ethlerod.

  “And you’d better calm down,” the guardsman said, hand on his sword hilt.

  Lilly tugged at Brune’s hand. “Lord Brune, I have to talk to you.”

  “What’s happened?” Brune said. “Where’s Phia?”

  “I’m sure all this fuss is quite unnecessary,” the Cardinal said, standing up.

  “She took Phia into the tower,” Lilly said.

  Brune turned to the cardinal with murder in his eye.

  Ethlerod stepped forward. “Do not move any closer to the Cardinal!”

  Cardinal Waldemarr raised a hand. “It’s alright. Everyone calm down, please.” He smoothed out his robes, brushing a bit of lint away. “I told you Inga would be showing Phia around, Mr. Hargish.”

  Lilly tugged Brune’s hand again, and he allowed her to pull him to the other side of the room, where she whispered in his ear.

  Brune looked at Cardinal Waldemarr. “What happened to the last High Priestess?”

  The Cardinal’s eyes turned cold. “There was an accident… She passed away.”

  “She jumped off the top floor,” Lilly said.

  “And you weren’t going to tell me this, Cardinal?” Brune said.

  “It is incidental. Her mind was unsound.”

  Lilly held Brune’s wrist, peeking around his arm. “Her mind was unsound because she could hardly ever leave the top floor of the tower! She wasn’t even allowed to see her family and friends.”

  Cardinal Waldemarr narrowed his eyes at Lilly. “How do you know these details?”

  Ethlerod took two steps forward, but Lilly flew into the air and hovered at eye level with him. “Please don’t come any closer, Sir,” she said.

  “Back off,” Brune said through his teeth.

  “Ethlerod, please be calm,” Cardinal Waldemarr said. “Everyone relax. I will be happy to explain everything, Mr. Hargish. I was just a little taken aback by how much your friend was able to find out. But she is a fairy, after all.”

  Lilly pouted at the cardinal as she floated back to the ground.

  “Now, Mr. Hargish. What would you like to know?”

  “I’d like you to take me to Phia now.”

  “I can’t bring you to the Tower, Mr. Hargish. Not just anyone is allowed there—especially the fourth level.”

  “Phia is on the fourth level now?”

  “Correct.”

  Brune looked out the window. Darkness had fallen, and the rain was beating down. He wished they hadn’t gotten roped into spending the night there. But right now, he just needed to get Phia back into his protection.

  “In that case, bring her back here; that’s enough discussion for one day. And frankly, I don’t like the way this is going.”

  Endellion stood up. “Hargish, slow down.”

  “What do you mean, slow down?”

  The cardinal clasped his hands together. “I said earlier, Mr. Hargish, we were hoping to proceed with the appointment as soon as possible. I hope you understand.”

  Heat was rising in Brune’s throat. All his muscles became tense. “What are you talking about, Cardinal? I thought you said you were only considering Phia for this position.”

  “I’m quite satisfied she is suitable.”

  Brune squeezed his fists. “I bet you are.”

  “Hargish.” Endellion walked over and put her hand on his arm. “Don’t be impetuous. Think about what an opportunity this is for Phia.”

  Brune looked into her cold eyes. “What about the suicide? You knew about it, didn’t you?”

  “Hargish, the last High Priestess was weak. Phia is strong. This will be good for her.”

  Brune pushed the elf’s hand away. “This isn’t about Phia. It’s about the money. She could kill herself, too, and you wouldn’t even care. You don’t have a heart.”

  A hateful look came over Endellion’s face.

  “Mr. Hargish,” Cardinal Waldemarr said. “Does this mean I can not convince you to give away Phia’s hand tonight?”

  Brune scoffed. “Absolutely not.”

  “Very well.”

  Behind him, Brune heard Ethlerod say to Lilly, “Hey, Miss! Look here.” Spinning around, he saw Lilly turn. Ethlerod held an atomizer bottle to her face.

  Before she knew what was happening, Ethlerod sprayed a cloud of mist into Lilly’s face. She screamed and threw her hands over her eyes.

  Almost in the same instant, a tremendous jolt of electricity zapped Brune from behind. He fell to his hands and knees, completely unprepared for the ugly, raw feeling of high voltage electricity surging through his body.

  When the attack had passed, he pressed his shaking hands against the floor and gasped for breath.

  Gonna kill that fucking cardinal…

  Wait…

  No…

  A sickening realization crept inside him. It wasn’t the cardinal. Endellion’s boots stepped in front of his eyes. He followed them up to her strong thighs, her skimpy armored panties, her taut stomach.

  It must have taken a lot out of her. But she knew how powerful Brune was, so she had a good idea of how much power it would take to knock him down with a cheap shot from behind.

  Something was in Endellion’s hands. His eyes focused on the atomizer bottle just as Endellion sprayed it three times in his face.

  “Fucking bitch!” he rasped.

  An acrid taste burned his throat as he frantically rubbed the moisture from his face. He tried to stand up, but his legs gave out. He fell onto his butt. The room was spinning.

  And then he heard laughter.

  Lilly’s laughter.

  The fairy was tittering like an idiot. Apparently, she found it hilarious that Brune had fallen on his ass. And now that she saw his perplexed face, she laughed even harder, putting a hand on her belly and staggering like a drunk.

  “I’m sorry it turned out this way, Mr. Hargish,” Cardinal Waldemarr said. “We would have preferred to do things above board. But the ceremony must take place tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” Brune stammered, squinting at the Cardinal. Something about the man’s face suddenly seemed ludicrous—maybe because it was so calm and serious.

  Brune laughed inappropriately.

  “Yes, Mr. Hargish, tomorrow,” the Cardinal continued. “It’s been five months already since the last High Priestess left us. We cannot keep Sol waiting anymore. At high noon tomorrow, the god will descend… and initiate Phia into the office.”

  “Like hell he will,” Brune said, pushing his fists onto the stone floor.

  “Try something, and I’ll cut your throat,” Ethlerod said, gripping his sword-hilt.

  “Wait!” Lilly said, holding her hands up and tottering. “I want to say something.”