Where Ashes and Oaths Collide

Chapter 52: The Cathedral

The wooden stairs creaked under Lady Escuridade’s boots as she ascended to the watchtower’s platform. The morning sun cast long shadows across the stone walls, and she could hear the distant sounds of their army forming ranks below. Amelia stood near the railing; spyglass pressed to her eye as she scanned the city and the surrounding landscape. “Morning,” Amelia said without turning, her voice carrying a note of nervous energy, not just because of the upcoming battle, but also because she did not know whether she should trust Lady Escuridade or not. “The view from up here is incredible. I can see all the way to Cidade dos escravos’s walls.”

She lowered the spyglass and turned to face Lady Escuridade, her expression shifting from curiosity to concern as she noticed her grim demeanour. “Is everything okay? You look like you have something important to say.” Lady Escuridade moved closer, her tattered robes swirling around her ankles. “Amelia,” she began choosing her words carefully. “Mestre Escuro wanted me to speak with you. There are boundary spells around the city. Spells we can’t undo, but there is someone who can.” He purple eyes scanned Amelia’s face, searching for any sign of hesitation or fear. “Below the cathedral…” she gestured toward the distant church spites visible on the horizon.

“Mestre Escuro thinks you can slip inside through the dungeon entrance beneath the cathedral. No guards, no traps– an easy way in for someone who is not… like us.” Lady Escuridade’s voice grew more intense as she spoke. “The Cathedral?” Amelia echoed. “What is in the dungeon?” Lady Escuridade’s expression darkened at the mention of the dungeons, her hands clenching into fists at her side. “Corrompido,” she said flatly her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. They have been down there for years– tortured, starved, broken.” She paced across the watch tower platform, the tattered hem of her robe catching on the rough stone floor.

“The Santos Order does not just kill us anymore– they turn us into weapons against our own kind. They use out darkest fears and deepest traumas to create monsters.” Her purple eyes burned with a cold fury as she turned back to face Amelia. “You– you want me to release them?” Amelia asks hesitantly. Lady Escuridade’s expression softened slightly at her hesitant question, a flicker of something almost like respect crossing her features. Amelia’s instinct was not to run or refuse– it was to ask what was expected of her. “Yes,” Escuridade answered firmly, stepping closer until she stood just a few feet from where Amelia held the spyglass. “We need those Corrompido freed. The combined manpower will turn the tide of this battle before it even begins. And among the captives is man called, Supervivente. He can take down the boundary spells around the city.”

Lady Escuridade’s hands moved in sharp, precise gestures as she explained the plan. “The dungeon entrance is through a hidden passage behind the main alter. Once you are inside, find the central cellblock– the one with iron bars instead of stone walls. What is where they will be keeping the most powerful prisoners.” Her purple eyes searched Amelia’s face intently. “This will help Luz,” Amelia said more to herself than to Escuridade. “What do I do after I have released them?” Escuridade’s head snapped up at the mention of Luz, her expression shifting from tactical briefing to something more personal. Amelia’s motivation was clear– she wanted to prove herself to Luz who saw her as fragile glass and she wants to help him in his battle.

“After you release them,” Escuridade said, her voice taking on a sharper edge. “You get out. Immediately. Do not wait for us, do not try fighting your way back through the main assault– just run.” She grabbed Amelia’s shoulders, her grip surprisingly strong despite her gaunt frame. “Your mission is to open that door and let our people out. Their escape will create a distraction and Supervivente will know what he has to do.” Her purple eyes bored into the human girl’s face. “Your life is still important, Amelia. Luz would never forgive himself if you died down there.” Amelia nodded with determination and looked toward the city. “But how will I get there?” she asked.

Escuridade’s expression brightened as she said with a rare smile, “That is where I come in. I can teleport you directly to the cathedral’s rooftop. From there, you can descend through one of the upper windows– much safer than trying to cross open ground.” She moved to the centre of the watch tower platform, her movements becoming more fluid and purposeful. “Put this on,” Escuridade said, handing Amelia a worn blue cloak. Amelia puts it on over her midnight robe. Escuridade began gathering arcane energy around her, the tattered fabric of her robe absorbing the morning light as she moved. “Stand close,” she instructed Amelia, her voice taking on a deeper resonance. “The transfer will be quick but disorienting. Hold your breath and do not fight it.”

The air around them grew heavy with crackling energy, and spectral lights danced between Escuridade’s outstretched hands. Amelia obeyed, stepping closer to stand beside Escuridade, her breath hitching as she felt the arcane energy pulsing around them, her hands clutching the fabric of the worn cloak instinctively. “Ready?” Escuridade asked, her purple eyes glowing brighter with concentrated power. Without waiting for a verbal response, she closed her eyes and began chanting in a language that sounded ancient and forbidden. The world around them blurred into a swirling vortex of darkness and light. Amelia’s stomach lurched as if she were falling from a great height, but there was no ground to crash into– only the sensation of being pulled apart and reassembled in an instant.

When the sensation subsided, Amelia was no longer on the solid stone of the watch tower but standing on the slick tiles of a cathedral roof. Wind whipped at her face from all directions carrying the distant sounds of battle preparations from below. She looked around disoriented at the city and then she carefully made her way to the window, which was open, luckily. Inside the grand cathedral there were several priests and wealthy people taking refuge within.