The five of them gathered in the room just above the reception area. It was actually pretty comfortable; with a couple of armchairs, plenty of benches, a wide table, and a false balcony overlooking the square.

  It reminded Larkin of the sort of function room that could be rented out for book groupings and things like that. He had no idea if such a thing existed in Systemia.

  Sort of doubt it, he thought with an errant inward grin that didn’t last long.

  Certainly none of those other present - Cezar, Jorg, Jasset, and Gascon - were showing any signs of frivolity.

  “I received word from Father Maguire a short while ago.” Cezar opened proceedings with. “Apparently the temples have been sending the same message across Girant.”

  Larkin frowned at that, until his Skill activated and he somehow knew that one of the secondary benefits of the temples was that the senior priests there could hear from the Six directly.

  A good way to pass on information. He thought. Especially in a world without telephones.

  “The royal palace in Haugar was attacked eight days ago.” Cezar continued, snapping his attention back to her. “By an army of monsters. Who were led, apparently controlled, by what is reported as… Demons.”

  Jorg gave a noncommittal grunt at that, while Larkin just listened silently. But the other two present immediately spoke up at that.

  “Demons?” Jasset asked, at the same time as Gascon spoke.

  “Over a week ago? How are we only hearing about it now?”

  Both fell silent under Cezar’s steely gaze.

  “I’ll answer your question in a moment, Jasset.” She said. “As for the reason for the delay, the King requested a Censure on all news about the attack. It was accepted as necessary by the Temples. High Priest Graid carried it out.”

  The Branch Head spoke the words with the grimness of a doctor diagnosing a terminal disease. Larkin glanced covertly around to see if anyone was as confused by that as he was.

  And fortunately at least one person was.

  “What’s a censure?” Jasset asked.

  It was Jorg who answered.

  “The Censure is the term that Girant calls it.” He growled. “But pretty much every state has the capacity. Or rather, the temples do.”

  “It’s a divine ritual that calls on the Six to prevent people from speaking about a particular thing with those that don’t already know of it.” The Dwarf gave a shrug. “Given the number of people that must have been present at the attack it was quite the undertaking.”

  “Even though it was obviously temporary it’s still pretty damn impressive.” Jorg continued. “It sounds like Ryger really has Prisalt’s favour.”

  Larkin ignored that last, confusing, part as he found himself blanching at the implications of that information. A spell or ritual that could bind a group of people like that seemed… well, as fantastical as a second invisible arrow-thing hitting a target a couple of seconds after the actual arrow.

  And there's no way that it could be abused by the powerful, he thought sarcastically.

  Instead it was a different part of the story that he focused on.

  “Why was the palace attacked?” He asked.

  Cezar gave him a small nod as she used his question to steer the conversation back to what she’d been originally saying.

  “That, in itself, is worth discussing.” She said, looking around the group. “The day before the attack, the king announced the arrival of a new set of Chosen.”

  There was a brief pause, during which Larkin saw Jorg tilt his head in some apparent thought. But then identical sounds of surprise from both Gascon and Jasset.

  “That fairytale?” The secretary asked, voice incredulous, just as Jasset exclaimed. “So they’re real!”

  The girl’s voice rose to a near squeal at the end, though she seemed entirely un-embarrassed by that fact.

  “The message that I had from the temple admitted that there was quite a lot of debate about that question. While High Priest Graid officially supported the king’s proclamation from the start many, including Prince Otto apparently, were apparently more sceptical.”

  Cezar’s lips curled cynically.

  “Of course, because of the Crown Prince’s position, Chancellor Vorayn was vocal in supporting the idea.” She snorted.

  “But any doubts vanished following the attack.” She added. “Especially as these Demons were apparently able to work alongside packs of Monsters.”

  Cezar glanced at Jasset.

  “The Demons were described as a grey-skinned species with horns and red eyes.” She explained. “I’ve never heard of anything like them before. It was Sir Horace that announced that they were Demons, apparently.”

  That got a soft grunt from Jorg.

  “So he’s still around.” He muttered to himself.

  The Dwarf did not sound happy. Cezar glanced in his direction but didn’t respond to his words.

  “Could they not just be monsters themselves?” Jasset asked, sounding uncertain.

  But Cezar shook her head.

  “The message was very clear on that part.” She told the Scout. “These Demons were apparently clad in armour that was clearly manufactured, wielded weapons and spoke to each other in their own language. And apparently at least some of them spoke Calilean, as well.”

  “Worse though, was that some of them seemed to be Classbearers. And they were all decked out with enchanted items of all sorts.”

  “This group of Demons and monsters tried to kill both the royal family and these Chosen.” Cezar continued. “Though the report said that the five Chosen demonstrated amazing powers; different from what anyone else has seen before.”

  “And hundreds of witnesses have attested that these Demons claimed that they were acting under orders from the Infernal Prince.”

  Larkin’s gaze was flickering around the faces of the others as much as Cezar’s, largely as he wasn’t sure how he should be reacting to this story. Which was why he caught Jorg’s eyes narrowing, even as Gascon and Jasset both jolted.

  “The Infernal Prince!” Jasset cried

  “By the Six!” Gascon stuttered, voice fearful.

  The two matched gazes for a moment before simultaneously spinning back to Cezar.

  “The temple has told me that Guildmaster Rosalie has written to all the branches of the Guild in the kingdom.” The Ranger announced. “We should be getting the actual message soon. Apparently she will admit that the idea of the Dark Rising being true seems far-fetched but that the force that attacked Haugar was very real. And very dangerous.”

  Cezar paused, then added.

  “The Guild has committed to supporting the Crown in responding to this aggression.”

  Gascon and Jasset seemed lost for words, while Larkin didn’t have much of anything meaningful to add. But there was a response to that from Jorg.

  “What support has Rosalie promised?” The Dwarf gruffly asked.

  Cezar had a small frown on her face as she responded to the Shieldbearer.

  “Volunteers are required from each branch that will join a contingent of the Royal Army on its march.”

  Jasset frowned as she spoke up.

  “Where will they be going?”

  The Branch Head gave a small sigh.

  “To where it is said the Infernal Prince has made his stronghold.” She told them. “Within the former lands of Califray. King Harg has given permission for them to do so.”

  At those words all three of the others started talking. Larkin only frowned to himself as he tried to make sense of all of this.

  “Once Guildmaster Rosalie’s message arrives I will let you all read it.” Cezar said, cutting off the others. “At least the non-sensitive parts. And then you should take some time to think about all this.”

  That last was clearly too late for Jasset. The girl was literally bouncing on her toes in excitement.

  “I’ll do it!” She said cheerfully. “I’ll join this company!”

  She got a very patient look from Cezar in response.

  “No. You will not.” The Ranger said, before she gave a small smile. “I alone will represent the Gavlim branch.”

  Jasset pouted at that, but Larkin saw a conflicting range of emotions cross Jorg’s face. As well as the very pointed way that Cezar didn’t look at him, and the way that Gascon did.

  Some history there. He thought, but quickly dismissed it as none of his business. The Dwarf had already revealed that he had some past with the current Guildmaster.

  The meeting broke up soon after and Larkin was feeling thoroughly like he was missing a lot of information as he tramped downstairs.

  So he headed straight over to the temple.

  “Yes, it’s quite the news.” Lyzkel confirmed a short time later as they say in the Priestess’ office.

  The Avorean had rescued Larkin from the good natured lack of helpfulness that he’d faced from Jillian. Leaving the older woman still muttering about ‘rude children’ being let into the temple, the Priestess had taken Larkin to a large room that seemed bigger than should be able to fit into the tower in the centre of the temple. It was complete with a couple of delightfully soft armchairs spaced around a fireplace.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  After serving Larkin a kind of hot drink that reminded him of a damp licorice tea, the Priestess had sat down to listen to his story. Though before he began she raised a hand and made a waving motion.

  A soft buzzing sound suddenly sprang into life. It was hard to say exactly where it came from.

  “To prevent eavesdroppers.” The Priestess told him, her voice easily sounding over the droning.

  She then listened in silence as he relayed what had happened.

  “Father Maguire passed the message onto me, as well.” Lyzkel told him when he was done. “A shame that the people of Gavlim weren’t able to properly celebrate the return of the guard before more bad news arrives.”

  She raised a hand in his direction.

  “I imagine that you have some questions.”

  Larkin snorted - where to start? Though then a thought came to him.

  “Didn’t you get the message directly?” He asked. “It came from the Six, right?”

  He wasn’t really clear with how this divine communication worked - and his Skill seemed frustratingly unhelpful in giving any details.

  Lyzkel gave a rueful smile.

  “The Six don’t convey messages as a single collective.” She told him. “Instead, each of them pass their messages onto their followers, if they so choose. And it appears that Prisalt has taken upon himself the task of coordinating the spread of this information.”

  The Priestess made a soft coughing noise.

  “The God of Judgement has been taking a lead in many areas over the last decade.”

  She shook her head. “Just as well that all of the Six are represented here.” She added. “The smaller temples likely still haven’t heard the news.”

  Larkin waited a moment, but the Avorean didn’t seem like she wanted to share anymore secrets.

  I guess she told me more than she needed to. He thought, Maybe this was some sort of secret within the temple?

  Best not to ask, he decided.

  “Who is the Infernal Prince?” He asked, instead. “And what does he have to do with Demons, the Dark Rising, and Califray?”

  The Avorean gave a feathering smile as she took a sip from her cup.

  “A few questions.” She murmured.

  But her amusement proved short-lived.

  “The Infernal Prince is a persistent story throughout Systemia.”

  She paused for a moment, then glanced up at him.

  “You will, perhaps, have heard some mention of the Arrival?” She asked.

  Larkin thought about that and then nodded slowly.

  “Sure, though I think I’ve only actually heard about it from you.” He told the Priestess.

  Who snorted in reply.

  “About one hundred and seventy years ago, the ancestors of all the species of Systemia appeared here.” She told him. “They appeared in groups both small and large, and no one had any idea what had happened. But a few among them had Classes.”

  “That was the First Generation.” Lyzkel said. “And we needn’t go into any details of that little episode. The point is that this was called the Arrival.”

  Larkin nodded - it all made sense, and that irritating sensation that he got from his Skill agreed with what he had just heard.

  “And the Six appeared twenty years after the Arrival?” He half asked, half repeated from what his Skill was telling him.

  The Avorean nodded.

  “Indeed.” She said. “And, along with other things, they came with some explanation of what had happened.”

  “The Six told the various people across Systemia that their old worlds had been destroyed. That they had worked frantically to create the portals to bring the people into this new world to ensure their species’ continued survival.”

  Larkin frowned at that; he remembered an objection to that when Lyzkel had last mentioned it. But even as he was opening his mouth, Lyzkel was chuckling. A dark sound with no amusement contained within it.

  “But, as you can attest to, life on Earth was not destroyed.” She told him. “And Humans continue to thrive…”

  The Priestess ruffled her feathers, before leaning closer.

  “Best keep quiet about that.” She told him. “The Six are almost universally worshiped across Systemia. You would not make many friends by calling them liars.”

  She leaned back as Larkin absorbed that.

  “Anyway, the Infernal Prince is the bugbear that the Six said was behind the destruction of their worlds.” She continued, speaking as though her warning to Larkin had never happened.

  “And they stated that there was always the risk of the Infernal Prince finding a way into Systemia, and bringing about a Dark Rising with his horde of Demons. Finishing off his extinction of the various species.”

  Larkin tried his drink in the silence that followed. He found it very much was not to his taste and he hurriedly set his cup back down, wishing he had some water to wash out the bitter taste.

  “You didn’t mention Califray.” He pointed out.

  The Priestess shrugged.

  “It doesn’t have any bearing in the story of the Infernal Prince.” She told him. “I already told you its sad fate. King Harg forbade anyone from entering it after its destruction. I imagine that it simply serves as a conveniently empty place for the Infernal Prince to gather his forces.”

  “Especially if he can control monsters, as appears to be the case.”

  With a shake of her head, Lyzkel moved on.

  “You said that Cezar mentioned that there were doubts about the story of the Infernal Prince.” She added. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Even those who believe the story will not take readily to the idea that the days of the Dark Rising are actually upon us.”

  “And the nest of vipers in the court are focused on the succession question. It takes a lot to distract them from their petty intrigues.”

  Larkin hesitated before speaking.

  “But the attack certainly happened, so…”

  The Priestess gave a reluctant nod.

  “That does rather give credence to the idea that there’s a threat to the kingdom.” She conceded dryly. “And Systemia as a whole.”

  “But it’s the Chosen that I’m mostly interested in.” She added, giving him a pointed look. “And I imagine you might want to hear this too.”

  Larkin shifted in his seat, wishing he had a drink he actually liked so he could hide his face.

  “What about them?” He asked.

  “They made quite an impression.” She told him,

  Larkin snorted as he remembered both the slaughter that they’d made of the monsters that Soas had summoned to Earth, and then the monsters that had attacked them in Systemia.

  “I’m sure they did.” He muttered. “They seemed good at killing.”

  The Priestess crooked a smile in acknowledgement.

  “Their contribution to the defence of the palace was certainly noted.” She said. “As were the healing powers that one of them displayed - apparently they were quite miraculous.”

  “But it was their conduct before the attack that I’m referring to.”

  Larkin frowned, waiting for the Priestess to elaborate.

  “It was noted that they spoke perfect Calilean, even though the manners they displayed were atrocious.” The Avorean made an amused noise. “Most of what I’ve heard is just the usual snobbish remarks made when an outsider coughs into the wrong hand, or something absurd like that. But there were apparently a few instances that were more noteworthy.”

  “One of the Chosen threatened to assault a certain lady of the court, one apparently continually referred to ‘Human rights’, and another called the king a tyrant - ‘an enemy of the people’ is apparently what she said.”

  Lyzkel laughed at that while Larkin tried to work out which of the five kids would have done that. His money was certainly on Patricia threatening somebody, but none of the others had shown any particular political leanings that he could remember.

  Alexis is the most likely candidate. He finally thought. An intrepid reporter probably couldn't resist seeing everything that’s wrong with a medieval monarchy.

  “Apparently, Sir Horace had to smooth many a ruffled feather.” Lyzkel continued. “But what was certainly very clear was that none of the five were from Girant. Most suspected that they weren’t even from Pendera.”

  The Priestess stared at Larkin over the rim of her cup.

  “Some have even suggested that they might not come from this world at all.”

  He grimaced at that, remembering Lyzkel’s warnings.

  “How popular is that idea?” He asked, feeling a spike of dread.

  But the Priestess gave a dismissive shake of the head.

  “Quite fringe, I’ve been told.” She told him. “Though the legend of the Chosen of Ariand may encourage thinking in that direction.”

  Larkin pursed his lips.

  “What is that story exactly?” He asked.

  He recalled how shocked Gascon and Jasset had been at hearing that. Much as he’d have reacted if someone had told him that King Arthur and his court in Camelot had appeared back home.

  Lyzkel gave that some thought.

  “Another tale from the past.” She said. “Though not quite as old.”

  “Over in the eastern half of Pendera there used to exist a large empire. It dominated its neighbours even more than Girant does here in the west. It was called the Dhavian Empire.”

  The Priestess sipped at her cup, eyes going a little distant.

  “It rapidly expanded even after the death of its founder. But then, after the death of the third emperor it fell into a civil war. A bloody and protracted business.”

  “The region was plagued by a number of ills at that time: invasions from Orcs and Ogres, recurring bouts of disease, and harvest failures that led to hardship and famine. All of which was certainly not helped by the armed bands of the various aristocratic houses fighting each other.”

  “In the end, the civil war led to the breakup of the empire. Leading to the creation of the current states there: the Vinta Republic, the Iron Reach, the mercantile city states of the Barbon, as well as the wretched lands of the Runic Kingdom.”

  The Priestess glanced up at Larkin and chuckled.

  “I’m jumping around in the chronology because what the central story of these Chosen focuses on changes from teller to teller.”

  “Ariand was - and still is - a small town in what is now Vinta. And just over a century ago it was the site of a three-way battle between the locals and some allies on one side against the armies of one of the feuding Dhavian princes on the other, with an invading army of Orcs thrown into the mix for good measure.”.

  “It was following the unexpected outcome of the battle that the stories of the Chosen began to spread.”

  The Avorean smiled, grimly.

  “Now, see if this sounds familiar.”

  Lyzkel started tapping points off against the table.

  “A group of strangers apparently arrived in Ariand a few days before the two attacking armies. They were garbed strangely and seemed unfamiliar with local customs despite speaking the language fluently. In the battle that occurred they displayed great powers despite all appearing to be very young.”

  The Priestess paused for a moment, then continued.

  “And they apparently spread radical ideas about how the people should rule themselves. Ideas that would lead to the overthrow of the Dhavian princes and the collapse of their empire. And which would, as ideas tend to, spread throughout civilisation.”

  “The words of these Chosen apparently ended up travelling across to Avasca, where they would become the rallying cry for all sorts of revolutions and rebellions.”

  The Priestess glanced over at Larkin, without saying another word.

  But she didn’t have to, as the implications seemed pretty clear. It apparently wasn’t the first time that offworlders had been brought into Systemia.

  Even ignoring this whole Arrival thing, he thought.

  “To be perfectly honest, I am sceptical that this figure that calls himself the Infernal Prince is quite as temple doctrine would have it.” Lyzkel said after a pause. “But many believe in it wholeheartedly. And certainly there’s a threat to Girant.”

  “But for many of the Girantese Court, it will be the Chosen that are the real threat.”

  Larkin blinked and then his eyes widened in understanding.

  “The last time Chosen appeared, they brought about the collapse of an empire.” Lyzkel said.

  And he nodded as he followed that thought.

  “And I’m guessing some people might be feeling threatened right now?”

  The Priestess nodded.

  “This kingdom is a backwater, I’ve already told you that.” She said. “But that doesn’t mean that people aren’t aware of the changes happening throughout the world.”

  “Right now the traditionalists are firmly in charge. But Girant has its fair share of, radicals, republicans, and others lying around.”

  “This kingdom is firmly stuck in the past, and these Chosen have arrived just in time to release it.”

  Lyzkel gave Larkin a grim look.

  “And some people will do anything to stop that.”