Faith United

[Breaker]

The congregation at the temple to Y’edda consisted mostly of humans, although occasional elves and half-breeds dotted the crowd. Perhaps sixty in number, they wore simple cotton robes, shirts and trousers, all in pale shades of grey. Idols and paintings looked down on them, all depicting the sky goddess they worshiped. Y’edda was always represented as a woman, sometimes wearing a cloak of feathers, other times with almost angelic wings sprouting from her shoulders. Oil lanterns set in wall sconces illuminated the vast chamber, casting deep shadows behind its oaken pews.

“And the rain fell, and the farmer’s crop did flourish,” the pastor was saying as I moved through the large double doors, “for Y’edda rewarded his righteousness in refusing aid. As we all know-”

“Y’edda is a mighty deity,” I interrupted in a voice that echoed across the vaulted stone chamber, “but Am’aleh is the goddess of the sea, and every drop of water that flows across Althanas comes from her. It is she who nourished the farmer’s crops, and to her we owe our highest allegiance.”

A chorus of gasps and mutters ran through the congregation as they shifted in their seats to face me. The pastor cleared his throat.

“You have no right to make such insinuations, sir,” he said, “especially in this place. The story of the righteous farmer is well known-”

“And credit for the miracle was falsely attributed to Y’edda.” I paced slowly down the aisle between the pews, my hands raised to show I meant no harm. My boots made soft pinging noises on the polished stone floor.

“Do not cast such aspersions on Y’edda!” The pastor exclaimed, and the buzz of the crowd became an angry rumble, like the sound of a kicked beehive.

“I do not mean to demean the sky goddess, whose powers I admire and respect,” I said, “only to state fact. Am’aleh is leader among the Thayne, and I shall be leader among her followers.”

“Sacrilege!” A man cried, standing in the middle of the crowd.

“Heretic!” Chimed a wild-haired woman, throwing her shoe in my general direction.

I smiled and stepped up onto the dais next to the pastor’s podium. The middle-aged man looked nervously at me through horn rimmed spectacles.

“I mean you no ill will,” I assured him, “in fact, I offer protection.”

“Protection from what?” The pastor demanded.

“Is it not true that this temple was desecrated only two weeks ago?”

“Aye,” came the answer, “those very doors you came through were bashed from their hinges, and slander was painted across the pews. Many of us toiled for hours to remove the damage. The door was only just replaced.”

“I have heard tell of other such incidents, in other temples to Thaynes across the country.” I scowled. “Respect for the faith is not the same as it once was. Fear of reprisal is non-existent. I propose we change that.”

The murmurs among the crowd became like the rumbling before a quake. The pastor raised his hands and eventually silence returned to the great hall.

“What is your proposal?” He asked, “And make it quick! I suspect I need not remind you, you are interrupting a sermon.”

“I propose we form a militia under my leadership - the Faith United. We will serve many purposes, but foremost among them will be the protection of all temples to all Thaynes, and the people who freely choose to worship them.”

The conversation in the crowd seemed mixed, but the pastor tightened the waistcord of his robe and frowned.

“You interrupt my sermon,” he stormed, “you insult our goddess, and now you dare to ask us to follow under your banner? A militia? How mad are you?”

“Madly in love with my lady, Am’aleh,” I smiled and spread my hands. “If my proposal is such an intrusion then I suggest you forcibly remove me. I will offer no resistance. But if I cannot be removed, let it be a sign from Y'edda that my plan is indeed a sound one.”

For a long moment, no one moved. I’m sure they knew who I was. The Y-shaped scars on my cheeks, my lithe muscular frame, and the flowing way I moved betrayed my identity to many Coronians. None were eager to lay a hand on the Granite Phanom, a prizefighter fabled across many lands. But my calm demeanor and promise of non violence swayed the pastor.

“Oh, very well then!” He cried, “Henry, Geoffrey, and you four over there!” He waved at a group of brawny men with beards and heavy coats that named them lumberjacks. “Take this pretender outside where he belongs.”

As the powerful woodsmen approached I activated one of the enchantments in my boots. Their soles adhered to the dais, which was carved from the same stone as the immovable floor. I crossed my arms and tensed every muscle in my body, steely sinew standing out beneath my black clothing.

The first two lumberjacks took a leg each, and the third wrapped his arms around my torso. They tugged as one, but I didn’t move an inch. The man on my upper body muttered curses and signaled to his remaining friends. Like a well-oiled Alerian lifter they all found space to grip me and heaved with considerable collective might.

I had to strain my muscles, but I stayed absolutely still.

Eventually the woodsmen broke away, panting and wide-eyed. Surprised murmurs echoed from the crowd. The pastor look as though Y’edda herself had waltzed through the doors, wearing a naught but a sheer nightdress.

“Now will you listen?” I asked, spreading my arms wide. “Individually, our churches are vulnerable to all who scorn our faith. United, we stand strong. United, we are invulnerable! Who will follow the Faith United?”

My thunderous voice echoed off the vaulted ceilings and then died in the far corners of the building. If a single thread had dropped, its impact might have been heard in the silence.

“I will fight for the Faith United,” one of the lumberjacks said at last. “I should like to crush those who desecrated our temple.”

“I will fight as well,” chimed in his comrades, and suddenly men and women throughout the pews were standing, voicing their desire to participate. The pastor looked shaken and uncomfortable, but did not attempt to dissuade his flock.

In my mind’s eye, I ticked the temple off a long list. Only several dozen more to go.