The towering vaulted ceilings of the Grand Basilica were choked with the heavy, sweet scent of burning myrrh and beeswax.
Sunlight filtered weakly through the tall stained-glass windows, casting long, blood-red beams across the polished white marble floor.
Suddenly, the massive brass doors of the high altar room burst open with a deafening reverberation.
A young priest, his formal white robes stained with road dust and sweat, stumbled into the sanctuary. His breath came in ragged, terrified wheezes as he threw himself down onto his knees, his forehead slamming against the cold stone floor before the grand altar.
"Your Grace! Divine Father!" the priest cried out, his voice cracking with unadulterated panic. "The frontier! The outer provinces—!"
Matthias, the Archbishop of the Holy See, froze. He stood before the towering marble statue of the Goddess, his hands mid-air over a golden censer. Slowly, the cleric turned, his golden-trimmed ivory robes rustling against the flagstones.
