Aria skipped happily beside the bishop, clutching her little pouch of sweets. Few things in the world were as exciting as candy she didn't have to share. It never even registered to the girl to question how the bishop knew here favorite candy. All she knew was that he had gone out of his way for her. And that was enough.
She spun and hugged the man, catching him off guard.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Mr. Sebastian!"
The man smiled baring his teeth. He stepped back and placed his hand over his heart and bowed deeply to the girl.
"No need to thank me darling. Enjoy to your hearts delight,"
The blush on Aria's cheeks lingered, no matter how she tried to rub it away. She quickly turned away and dug her hands into the pouch to grab a few pieces of candy. The candy exploded with flavor and fizzed when it entered the girl's mouth. Her mouth watered with delight and her cheeks flared even more. She let the candy melt a little before crunching the rest into fine dust.
As Aria skipped in front of them, Kopika, walking beside the Sebastian, began to speak.
"You seem to favor her."
The words danced off her tongue, but the venom in them was not missed by the bishop.
"Whatever do you mean?"
The lady's head did not turn in his direction, but he felt her eyes on him. Judging. Prosecuting.
"Just make sure your obsession doesn't impede on my goals."
The bishop allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips.
"No need to worry, young Kopika. I still remember our promise."
Sebastian felt her eyes leave him. Neither of them spoke. For a moment, all that could be heard was the happy humming from Aria as she enjoyed her treat.
"Those two girls," Kopika suddenly spoke, "What happened to them?"
The bishop looked at the woman with a questioning look.
"Madeline and Sophia? What do you want to know?"
She remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"They both looked so sad. Sophia tries to hide it, but I can sense the deep sorrow in her soul and sense of ambition. Madeline is the same, but there is something else there. A fierce flame of anger and hatred. I want to know what could have caused such strong feelings in them."
The man thought for a moment and took a deep breath.
"The two are childhood friends from a village from beyond the mountains. Their home was raided and burned by slavers. Some of the families, including theirs, managed to escape and were trying to make it to Cael but were eventually caught. Their fathers and all the men were slaughtered. The women and children were chained but the two of them managed to escape. They ran and found their way here."
Kopika's mask tilted, expression unreadable. She then took a deep breath.
"Noticing parallels I see," said the bishop.
Suddenly, her head snapped toward him.
"Sorry," Sebastian said, raising his hands in defense, "I meant nothing by it."
She then looked down, like she was reflecting on something.
"Madeline. I wish to speak with her."
Surprise flickered across his face.
"Oh, seems you have found a kindred spirit."
She scoffed at the notion.
"I simply see an opportunity to uphold my end of our deal. Nothing more, nothing less."
Sebastian looked forward with a mocking expression.
"Of course. Nothing more, nothing less."
Soon, the sun made itself known shining through the windows as they entered the chapel. Children's laughter could be heard from outside the church. But one distinct voice caught the attention of the young girl.
"Mary!" Aria exclaimed.
She ran towards the door to join the other kids, but before leaving, she quickly turned around with a smile worth a thousand suns.
"Thank you, Mr. Sebastian!"
A smaller smile crept on the man's lips as he waved her off.
"A star that young lady is. She'll be quite the woman when she grows," he praised.
Kopika didn't show any signs of hearing what the man said. She simply continued to walk towards the door. Noticing the bishop wasn't following, she turned to him. He could feel the displeasure emanating from her.
"Please Bishop, you've delayed us enough."
He slowly took a breath and sighed.
"Yes, it would seem so. Let us make haste."
Together, they walked through the door revealing the sight of children playing in the street and their parents watching with pride. The glee on their faces, the worries of the world flowing off them with their sweat.
The bishop just stared at the sight, but his eyes were focused on Aria. She was playing with another girl her age. The two and many other kids danced around each other as the sound of drums boomed.
"Bishop," Kopika said sternly.
He didn't acknowledge her immediately. He remained still for a few moments before turning and moving with the woman.
The pair walked silently for about half an hour until they reached another church. They walked around to the back and before entering the backdoor, Kopika took a paper out of her pocket and quickly drew a symbol on it. She then placed the paper on the ground and drew blood from her hand with a sharp nail on her other finger.
Sebastian couldn't see it, but an invisible field formed over the church. Sebastian then opened the door, revealing a narrow, wooden stairway going deep into the ground. He allowed Kopika to walk in first before entering and closing the door behind him.
Opening the palm of her hand, she allowed an orange flame to dance, brightening their way. They walked down until they reached flat ground. As they continued to walk, vibrations could be felt under their feet on the wooden floor. Soon, the source of the vibrations could be heard. A room holding a mass of people whispering prayers to their god.
The low whispers got louder and louder until it became a low chant.
Sebastian and Kopika braced themselves for what they were about to see.
The dark room glowed with the light from torches all around. Kneeling figures bowed toward a statue on a raised platform—stone carved in the shape of a flawless man, beautiful beyond mortal measure, one hand outstretched as though to cradle a gift.
And something was in the hand.
A small, wet mass dripping a dark red viscous liquid.
A human heart.
A naked girl lay dead at the foot of the platform of the statue with a bleeding hole in her left breast. Her eyes were wide with shock and marks on her cheeks where tears once flowed. They stared at Sebastian making his stomach turn.
She couldn't have been older than twenty years.
Behind the corpse was a bare, bald man kneeling with his blood covered hands clenched together, head looking at the ceiling and a crazed expression on his face. His prayers, once muffled by the others, roared with each drop of blood.
"PRAISE TO THE LORD WHO BLESSES THIS CURSED WOMAN'S SOUL! PRAISE TO THE LORD WHO PURIFIES THIS WOMAN'S BLACKENED HEART! PRAISE HIM! PRAISE HIM!"
All the people echo the man's cries, but Sebastian and Kopika remained silent in the back of the room. Sebastian did his best to hide his expression. Kopika was not so subtle.
"Fucking pig," she spat quietly.
She clenched her fists and flames were about to spark until Sebastian gently touched her shoulder. She looked at him to protest but the veins popping on his head made her stop.
The man then turned, rolls of flesh quivering as he spread his arms in grotesque welcome. His smile was full of rotted teeth, his gaze cloying as a caress.
"Kopika. Sebastian. How good of you to finally join us."