Damn, Grast’s laughter was infectious. It was good to have another guy around again. Neither Elyse nor Rami looked particularly amused, though, despite my joining in.
“Tell her!” insisted Elyse. “Tell her the truth, that I haven’t seen it! I don’t know how… how big it is.” She shook her head in a sudden shaky burst. “And, for the love of the one and only God, I’m not interested in finding out!”
“Ladies,” I said, sliding over to the back seat, positioning myself between the two of them, and slipping an arm around each woman’s shoulder in one fluid movement, “if you wanted to know how big it was, all you had to do was ask. I’d be happy to show either of you its magnificent stature, any time.”
Rami’s eyes sparkled with eager delight as she eyed me up and down— down, especially.
Elyse simply huffed. But out of the corner of my eye, I could see she was fighting back a shy smile.
“When we have less pressing issues on our plates,” I added, after having rubbed their shoulders and giving them a brazen once-over from my new point of view. “Patience, ladies, patience. Now, speaking of those pressing issues, we’ll be getting to Bishop Nabu’s cathedral in two hours or so.” I lowered my voice. “Hopefully, Grast won’t be too drunk to stand up straight by that time—”
“I’ll be fine, I’ll be jus’ fine,” slurred Grast. “Of all people, shouldn’t I, a wine merchant, know how alcohol affects his body better than anyone else? But, yes, no more brandy for me… at least not until I’ve gotten you lot inside the cathedral and you’ve put Nabu’s head on a spike. Then, we’ll all drink to our victory over the oppressor and such.”
“Indeed, we will, my friend.” I reached forward to give Grast’s shoulder an appreciative squeeze. “But before we plan the celebration, we’re going to have to actually achieve the victory. So, tell me, Elyse: beyond those few hundred Church of Light guards and soldiers who will be hanging around, who else are we likely to run into on our way to gut that fat pig Nabu? I assume he has some sort of bodyguards around him. A man as hated as him would surely be at least a little paranoid about his personal safety.”
The deep blush had vanished from Elyse’s face, and now, she wore a serious expression again. “He has a core of very powerful bodyguards around him: the Resplendent Crusaders.”
“Who are these Resplendent Crusaders?” asked Rami. “I’ve never heard of them.”
“They are some of the Church of Light’s most formidable warriors,” answered Elyse gravely. “They are zealots, completely dedicated with every ounce of their minds, hearts, and souls, to protecting Church authorities. They train fanatically with their weapons and are tremendously skilled fighters. They know no fear and will not hesitate to die to protect their charge, who in this case is Bishop Nabu.”
“What weapons do these Resplendent Crusaders generally use?” I asked.
“Each Resplendent Crusader is armed with a longsword, a mace, and a tower shield. Their tower shields are particularly deadly, as they are enhanced with spikes and blades. They use them offensively as well as defensively.”
“It’s gonna be an interesting fight, that’s for sure. It sounds like the Resplendent Crusaders will be a definite step up from the Church of Light thugs and Rollar’s vagabond goons. What do you think, Rami? Are you ready to take them on?”
“An enjarta fears no warrior, no matter what training they have had or what weapons they wield,” replied Rami. I could almost taste the contempt she felt for the Church of Light’s elite knights. Good. I needed fearless fighters by my side.
“How about you, Elyse? Will you fight against your Church’s most impressive warriors?”
“I told you before,” she said with calm confidence, “I’m more powerful than you imagine. These men freely work for Nabu. They could have returned to the Luminescent Spires and informed the hierarchy of Nabu’s wickedness. They chose to stay with him. Thus, they are heretics who must be purged.”
“Okay, good to hear, good to hear. Now, before we go into battle and start kicking ass, I’ve got a little favor to ask both of you.”
“Anything,” said Rami, almost too quickly and eagerly.
“That depends on what sort of favor it is,” said Elyse warily.
I pulled out the two gold coins Isu had transformed and handed one to each woman. They examined the coins carefully in their hands. Elyse was the first to speak.
“This hideous demon head on the coin,” she said, “it’s the same as the one you have on the pommel of your dagger.”
“It’s Isu,” said Rami, before I could say anything. Well, the subject needed to be broached at some point. What better time than now, after Elyse and Rami had just been arguing over the size of my dick?
“Isu?” asked Elyse.
Again, before I could say anything, Rami piped up.
“The Goddess of Death, one of your so-called ‘dead gods.’ But I suspect that, like Xayon, the God of Wind, she is very much alive, even though her powers are probably greatly diminished.”
Elyse shot a searing, accusatory glare at me. “Isu… the Goddess of Death?” she spluttered. “You’ve given me an item with the image of the Goddess of Death? And you fight with a dagger with the image on it! When exactly were you planning on telling me about this, Vance? I serve the Lord of Light, and him alone!”
“She’s not evil,” I protested. “She’s just… misunderstood. Death is part of the world, part of life, even, just as much as light is. It’s something that has to be contended with. And Isu rules over the realms of death.”
“What should I do with the coin?” asked Rami. “I have no qualms about serving the Goddess of Death. In the lore of ancient Yeng, she is regarded as a wise and fair figure, if a dark one, who can
