The Order of Elysia

Chapter 2- Expositions

By the time they had finally climbed the steep path, Lilly couldn’t help but marvel. The Temple Isle now stretched out before her, filling her entire view. She saw the houses in the distance and at the heart of it all, the great Temple of Elysia. It was breathtakingly beautiful; the ring of vegetation surrounding the town, the beautiful architecture with white roofs crowning the buildings and the Temple’s reflections of the sun, that speckled the sky like stars in broad daylight. Lilly did not fight the excitement she felt in that moment. She wasn’t ashamed of being stunned by something as intriguing, even if she wasn’t there by free will.

The Initiates did not get the chance to rest, the chance to gain some much-needed sleep, but instead were led to the center of the island right away. The sea had been rough and stormy for the two days leading up to their arrival and the ship had rocked so violently for hours on end that even most of those who hadn’t been seasick at first, struggled to keep their food down, not to mention getting any sleep. Luckily, Lilly was spared that fate, but she was still tired from the journey that had lasted almost 20 days for her. Most of the Initiates were in their early twenties until late thirties, but a few of them stood out, appearing significantly older or younger than the rest. One of the applicants even looked as though he hadn’t reached his eighteenth summer yet.

They now all stood on the Plaza, which felt like a large outdoor vestibule, that lay quietly right in front of the impressively large temple gates, which were built out of bright and shiny ivory. Delicate, beautifully carved ornaments adorned the roughly five-meter-high facade of the entrance, but the focus of the approximately one hundred candidates was not on the magnificent building, with its warm, inviting appeal. No, all one hundred pairs of eyes followed the hurried steps of the unusually short man who rushed out of the Temple and scurried down the massive stone steps leading to the Plaza. It almost seemed as if his legs were so short that he feared to stumble over them if he didn’t break into a run, until he came to a halt when only a few steps remained towards the cobbled street.

He was small, but not dwarfed and Lilly wondered if he might not have had enough to eat as a child. His hair was grey and curly, reaching down to his shoulders, but beneath the white, one could still see that it must once have been the color of chestnuts. His nose was somewhat large and he wore a silver, ground-long robe with intricate embroidery resembling some glyphs Lilly had seen in books.

Though his face was unfamiliar, his silver robes gave him away, as only the Ascendants wore such robes, those rare few who had transcended the lower ranks of the Order and now shaped its laws and its rituals. He was the High Sovereign himself, the supreme leader of the Order and its most exalted figure, but he was more than that. He was the Seer of Light, the living oracle, said to be gifted with visions from beyond the Veil.

The Order was well known amongst the inhabitants of the continent, but it wasn’t the only one in the Realm. Different orders prayed to different gods, vowed to different causes and had different structures and conventions. Nevertheless, the Order of Elysia rose at the top of the ranks when it came to prominence, as it was amongst the largest and everyone knew that it was indirectly controlled by the Emperor-King’s Council, even though the High Sovereign was the immediate head of the Order’s business, but ultimately, the Sovereign in return, held a seat in the Council himself.

The High Sovereign cleared his throat and now even the last few heads that hadn’t already been facing him turned toward him. He began to speak and to Lilly’s great surprise, the man’s voice did neither match the hastiness of his steps nor his small stature. His voice was deep and calming- serious, yet somehow gentle; composed, yet warning. He didn’t sound mean or authoritarian, but the certainty in his tone stirred something in Lilly that bordered on reverence. At the same time, the man had something soothing about him, as he spoke:

"Good morning Initiates and welcome to our sacred Isle. I am glad, to see so many new faces here, eager to serve the sun goddess and eager to sacrifice their lives to the sun, the light and to hope. Today it will be decided if you are worthy of a place in our rows, but it is not us humans who will test you, as it will be Elysia herself who will probe your bodies and your minds, since she is a goddess who accepts nothing less, but great potential. The divine does not appreciate the fainthearted and she does not approve of cowardness, idleness or vagabonds. Within the Order, we serve Elysia and Solendris. We dedicate our lives to them with honour and integrity, but also with hardness and determination when the situation demands it. The life you have chosen for yourself is not going to be an easy one, but with the oath you speak, you will agree to protect the Order's interest at all costs. You have chosen to serve with humbleness and persistence and all you have been pre-selected by us mere mortals to take part in the Order’s trial, but today the true selection will take place. Some of you might not survive the initiation, others might try to run when they realize that this place demands true dedication and some might be eliminated by the divine herself, but the souls of those will not be lost, as they will still serve in death.”

Lilly shivered at his words- how could the Sovereign speak about the potential deaths of the Initiates, with such calmness and indifference in his tone? She looked at the watching faces of the active Order members, who were watching the speech, but no one seemed to be shocked or taken a back, not a single flinch. It was normality for them.

"If you succeed in the trial, you will speak your vowel and proceed to be a Disciple until your rank is elevated, you die or you are released from your service. Your training will begin on the day after the trials and will continue from that day on until the day you are no longer a member of the Order.

As Disciples, you will be subordinated to the Wardens of the Dominions and are to obey, whenever they give you orders. I will now give the word to one of those Wardens. You will have the honour to train with him if you are selected, so best remember his name. I now give the word to Warden Aurin Thorndale.”

Drumrolls echoed across the plaza as the High Sovereign’s speech came to an end. He bowed briefly to the watching crowd and gestured with his left hand to a man now standing behind him. Lilly had been so absorbed in the leader’s words that she hadn’t noticed a group of people had exited the Temple and now stood behind the High Sovereign.

Lilly studied the Warden with interest. He was an exceptionally attractive man - tall, muscular and broad-shouldered. On his shoulders sat a face that looked as if it had been carved from stone. His dark brown hair that reached just over his ears, was slightly wavy and appeared a bit untamed. Lilly wasn’t close enough to the stairs to make out the color of his eyes, but she could see the tension in his sharply defined jaw as his gaze briefly swept over the candidates.

He was in his late twenties and wore dark brown leather armor- not the kind of heavy plating meant for the battlefield, but a lighter version that still allowed his natural physique to push itself through. His expression was serious and Lilly couldn’t help but wonder with a smirk whether more men in the Order were as sexy as he was. At the glance of his muscular neck, Lilly caught a faint shimmer, but it wasn’t jewelry. No, it was the edge of a glowing glyph, partially visible beneath the collar of his dark shirt. She couldn’t make out what the glyph depicted; not only was she too far away, but only a fragment of the symbol was exposed.

"Candidates, given the fact that some of you are about to face your worst nightmare, I will not waste time with pleasantries. We will call your names in alphabetical order to ensure that everyone who is supposed to be here has indeed arrived. When your name is called, step forward and proceed to Warden Chesterlain. She will hand you a preparation concocted by the White Hands for your initiation trial. Drink everything. You will then enter the Chamber of Gods, where your task will be to prove yourself to the divine- demonstrating your instinct for survival and the strength of your will. You will succeed, if you manage to exit the chamber within the next 6 hours.”

Lilly shuddered at the cold and commanding tone of the Warden’s voice. His words sounded less like an explanation and more like an order and the thought that some of them were about to face their worst nightmares did nothing to quiet down the uneasiness that had begun to settle in her stomach.

Her gaze drifted briefly toward Warden Chesterlain, who was silently listening to Warden Thorndale’s words. Lilly couldn’t help but notice a certain reverence in the woman’s eyes as she watched him- or was it intimidation?

Warden Chesterlain was a woman in her fifties, of average height and a round figure. Her grey-streaked hair was tied back in a low bun and she wore a blue tunic crossed with numerous leather straps that wrapped around her torso. Attached to them were dozens of small pouches and satchels. Lilly assumed she was a healer, as those skilled in medicine often wore garments adorned with many pockets for collecting herbs and storing remedies.

Lilly had barely any time to process what the handsome man had dryly announced, as the events since disembarking the ship had been unfolding far too quickly. She hadn’t had the chance to come to terms with the fact that this day could very well be her last. She didn’t want to die- not like this. She could have given up any time in that godforsaken dungeon, during the torture, she could have simply claimed that she had known of her father's plans- that she too was an enemy of the Empire and yet, that small spark of hope in her mind had always kept her from surrendering to such a dreadful fate.

No, even though part of her had come close to complete resignation so many times over the past months, something deep inside her knew that her time had not yet come. That she wanted to survive. Before she knew it, Lilly heard Warden Thorndale begin to read the names from a small leather-bound booklet he held in his hands.

"Alaric Addins."

People looked around, waiting to take a glance at the person carrying that name, eager to spot them first. A blonde-haired man with a round face and a chubby figure stumbled free from the crowd. He looked sweaty and very nervous. He squeaked out a "Here.” and hurried towards Warden Chesterlain, who had in the meantime pulled a table with wheels out of the Temple, carrying several stacks of wooden bowls as well as a copper cauldron that emitted clouds of steam into the air around it.

With a large ladle, Warden Chesterlain drew a portion of a milky-white extract from the cauldron and poured it into one of the small wooden bowls. Without a word, she handed it to Alaric and already proceeded to fill the next bowl. Alaric hesitated for a moment, drew a deep breath and brought the bowl to his lips.

Lilly watched intensely, expecting him to grimace at the taste, but instead, his features softened. As though a boost of confidence had surged through him, Alaric straightened, rolled back his shoulders and marched through the temple gates.

"Melody Ayrelle."

Lilly froze the second her name was called. She had always taken secret joy in being called first because of her last name, but now, she felt anything but ready for what awaited her. She was paralyzed.

"Melody Ayrelle." Warden Thorndale repeated impatiently, his voice sharp with disdain. It seemed the Order did not look kindly on candidates who didn’t jump at command, still, Lilly stood rooted in place. Her body resisted the call to reveal itself. She wasn’t ready. What if she didn’t step forward or refused to take part in the initiation? Would they send her home? Would they think she’d fallen overboard on the journey and stop looking for her if she hid?

"Ayrelle-”; the Warden grumbled now, his voice laced with loathing, "step forward- or are you as much of a coward as your father was?”

Lilly flinched. The venom in his tone left no doubt: it was no accident that he had exposed her background in front of all the other Initiates. He clearly disliked her and wanted everyone else to know who she was, so they could make her life a living hell. She spun around to study the people around her, tried to read their faces, tried to determine if the Warden’s words had stirred any emotions in them.

She had feared the word of her father’s betrayal had spread far- but she hadn’t expected it to follow her here, at least not in the way it just did. After all, her father had been a Baron and high treason among the nobility was the kind of scandal the Empire's rumour mills devoured eagerly. People loved stories about conspiracy and disgrace, she had been naive to have hoped to stay incognito when it came to fellow Order members. She looked at the Sovereign who was watching the whole scene, he didn’t look pleased with the Warden, but he didn’t intervene. Just as Thorndale was about to raise his voice again, Lilly forced herself to take a few steps forward towards the Temple.

Now that the other Initiates had realized it was her the Warden had called, many of their expressions began to shift. Wherever Lilly looked, faces twisted in disgust, anger, disappointment and even hatred. The wave of judgment hit her like a war-chariot, crashing into her without mercy.

As she tried to make her way through the dense crowd, no one stepped aside and Lilly could’ve sworn she heard someone mutter, "I hope you die.” as she squeezed past them. Shoulders bumped her and elbows dug into her ribs. She was jostled like a doll, stumbling and nearly meeting the pale limestone of the courtyard face-first.

Hunched over, arms raised in a feeble shield, she passed the three Initiates she had spoken to shortly before the ship's arrival- those who had told her about the initiation trial. The sympathetic light that had once shimmered in the blonde woman’s eyes was gone, replaced by a look of disdain.

Was that her fate? To die today or be trapped on an island among people who loathed her for something she hadn’t done?

She climbed the stairs with shaky steps and made her way straight toward the Wardens. Her gaze was inevitably drawn to Thorndale; the man who had just exposed her out of sheer spitefulness. Now that she was closer, she realized just how tall he truly was- easily a head taller than most, perhaps 1,95. There was something profoundly unapproachable about him. He watched her intently, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes narrowed with unmasked distaste. That squinted stare pierced straight through her. He didn’t bother hiding his contempt, it was plain in every inch of him.

As Lilly slowly ascended the stone steps, she could feel every eye fixed on her back. The other Wardens, too, observed her closely, their gazes sharp and unreadable. When she finally reached Warden Chesterlain, the woman handed her one of the bowls in silence.

The scent of the white liquid was intoxicating and its consistency was thick like syrup. It smelled sweet and fermented, like ripe fruits left rotting in the sun. Something in the scent felt familiar to Lilly, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was, at first. She placed the small, wooden bowl onto her mouth and gulped down the whole drink, just like they had ordered them to do, since she knew deep in her heart, that there was no point in trying to bunk.

As soon as the viscous liquid touched her lips, the realization struck Lilly like a bolt of lightning in a summer storm. It was warm and tasted almost flowery, the honey overshadowing most other tastes that were hidden in the tincture, but not all tastes were suppressed. That aroma- it was the one of Brugmansia- angel’s trumpets, a decorative shrub which Lilly had once planted back home in her garden in Fortress Alenhold. The plant was characterized by its enormous, white blossoms that hung lushly from the bush’s branches like rainfall. It was beautiful, but also highly poisonous and it was certainly not meant for human consumption. A shiver ran down Lilly’s spine. It was too late, she had already swallowed every last drop of the extract and now she could only hope her weakened body wouldn’t finally give up and abandon her. Not after everything she had endured.