Free Web NovelChapter 55: Saga 55: The Weight of a Crown
Morning in the Holy Capital arrived with the ringing of bells across every district, and Kael found himself summoned, along with Sylvia, to a formal briefing in the Cardinal’s private council chamber before he’d even finished his first cup of tea.
"Sit," the Cardinal instructed, gesturing to two chairs positioned across from a long table already scattered with reports and correspondence. "There are things you should understand about our current situation before you commit to anything further."
Kael and Sylvia settled in as instructed, and the Cardinal began without preamble.
"The Church of Songrel is bound to the Kingdom of Reinburg through the Sunlight Accord, a treaty over two centuries old, guaranteeing mutual protection and shared intelligence between our nations. When Umbra Black attempted to assassinate your king, it wasn’t merely an attack on Reinburg. It was, by treaty definition, an attack on Songrel itself."
"So the Church considers itself already at war with them," Sylvia said.
"Quietly, yes. Publicly, we cannot afford to appear weak or reactionary. Songrel’s authority rests heavily on the perception of divine stability. An open conflict, especially one where our own Saintess becomes a visible target, risks unraveling faith the Church has spent centuries building."
Kael frowned. "So you’d rather keep this quiet, even if it puts Ari in more danger?"
The Cardinal’s expression tightened. "I would rather protect her through means that don’t cause a kingdom-wide panic, yes. There’s a difference."
"Is there?" Kael pressed, unable to fully hide his skepticism.
"There is, and I’d ask you trust that difference exists even if you don’t yet understand it fully." The Cardinal slid a folder across the table toward them. "This contains everything we’ve gathered on Umbra Black so far. Their methods, suspected leadership structure, prior incidents attributed to them across the past decade. I’d ask that you review it thoroughly before forming further opinions on how this Church chooses to protect its own."
Sylvia opened the folder, scanning the contents with practiced efficiency. "This is considerably more organized than a simple fringe group. Coordinated strikes across multiple kingdoms, always avoiding direct confrontation, always leaving minimal evidence."
"Precisely why they’ve operated in the shadows so long without meaningful opposition." The Cardinal’s expression darkened further. "Whoever leads them understands patience in a way few organizations manage. We suspect they’ve been building toward something considerably larger than isolated assassinations for years now."
"And you think targeting Ari fits into that larger pattern," Kael said.
"I fear it does, yes." The Cardinal’s composure cracked, just slightly, revealing genuine worry beneath the practiced authority. "She is young for her position, and some within Umbra Black may believe her inexperience makes her vulnerable, an easier target than a more established Saintess might present."
’They have no idea what she’s actually like underneath that composure,’ Kael thought, suppressing the urge to smile at the memory of Ari’s enthusiastic interrogation the night before.
[Focus, Kael. This is serious.]
’I know. Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the irony.’
"We’ll help however we can," Sylvia said, closing the folder. "Though I’d ask for full transparency going forward. If we’re protecting her, we need to know everything you know, not a filtered version designed to preserve the Church’s public image."
The Cardinal studied them both for a long moment, some internal calculation playing out behind her sharp eyes. "Very well. Full transparency, on the condition that whatever you learn stays within this room and Azure Blake’s immediate circle. Songrel cannot afford leaks, not with stakes this high."
"Agreed," Kael said.
As the meeting continued, working through the details of Umbra Black’s suspected operations, Kael found himself increasingly certain that this unplanned detour was about to demand considerably more from Azure Blake than a simple protective escort.
"There’s something else you should understand," the Cardinal said, once the initial review had concluded and the folder’s contents lay scattered across the table between them. "The Sunlight Accord was never simply a treaty of convenience. It was forged in the aftermath of a war so devastating that the founding signatories agreed never to speak its true cause publicly, only its resolution."
"What kind of war?" Sylvia asked.
"One involving forces neither kingdom fully understood at the time, forces this Church has spent two centuries quietly monitoring ever since." The Cardinal’s expression grew distant, weighed down by history clearly older than her own tenure. "I won’t pretend to know everything myself. Much of that knowledge remains sealed within the Saintess bloodline specifically, passed down through ritual rather than written record."
"You think Umbra Black wants access to that knowledge," Kael said, following the implication.
"I think it’s one possibility among several, yes. Ariandel carries authority this Church itself doesn’t fully comprehend. If Umbra Black understands more about that authority than we do, their motivations become considerably clearer, and considerably more dangerous."
The weight of that revelation settled over the room, another layer added to an already complicated situation neither Kael nor Sylvia had anticipated when they’d left Renodin only days before.
"We’ll need everything you have on that bloodline history," Sylvia said finally. "If we’re protecting her properly, we can’t afford blind spots this significant."
The Cardinal hesitated, some old instinct toward secrecy warring visibly with practical necessity, before finally nodding. "Very well. I’ll arrange access to the sealed archives. Though I suspect what you’ll find raises more questions than it answers."
"That seems to be the pattern lately," Kael muttered, earning a tired, knowing look from Sylvia.
As they rose to leave, the Cardinal called out one final warning. "Whatever you learn in those archives, remember this—the Saintess bloodline’s true nature has been kept sealed for good reason. Some knowledge, once uncovered, cannot be quietly returned to its box."
"We’ll be careful," Sylvia promised.
"See that you are. I’d rather not add ’reckless foreign hunters unleashing ancient secrets’ to the considerable list of problems this Church already faces."
Kael couldn’t quite argue with that particular concern, given Azure Blake’s track record of accidentally uncovering ancient world-ending secrets so far.
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End of Chapter—
