The rest of the Jellybeans left Mistress Astrid’s room leaving Aliya alone with her. Aliya was taking a few deep breathes while Astrin stared inquisitively at the gnome.

“I saw you have a stable,” whispered Aliya. Her bark-toned fingers were twitching nervously. “Do you have a horse my size?”

“Yes, we keep some strong ponies for our shorter members like dwarves,” replied the leader of the Erend Hunt. “Can I ask why you need one?”

“It’s for personal reasons,” snapped the gnomish cleric. “Are you going to lend my one or not?”

“I’ll rent you one. It’s 50 gold pieces for a deposit and 45 will be returned to you upon the save return of the steed. At that time you will also be required to pay 5 gold per day you were gone. Are these conditions acceptable?”

“Yes,” agreed Aliya while smiling sheepishly.

Astrin sighed and took out some parchment, ink, a quill, matches, wax, a seal, and a vial of sky-blue powder. The cleric watched as the strong woman swiftly wrote up a contract. After she was done writing, she lit a couple of matches and held the wax over the flame.

Watching the wax melt and drip onto the paper had a very calming effect on the cleric. It reminded her of when she would watch her surrogate father write and seal documents for the church. Even though he was the only human in a town full of gnomes, his work was seen as the most prodigious within Hillfar.

Astrin pressed the Hunt’s seal into the hot wax. She then sprinkled the powder over the contract before it placing her thumb on the bottom of the paper.

The woman stood up from her desk and stood in front of the gnome. “Read the contract and then press your thumb next to the X at the bottom.”

Everything was exactly as Astrin has said except for a 30-day clause at the bottom that stated if no contact had been made within that time, that the Hunt would seek them out for fleeing from the contract and when they were found, they would be forced to pay the outstanding fee and an additional sum of 200 gold pieces plus the horse would be confiscated.

The terms were acceptable and since Aliya knew she’d be back within a week she had no fear of the extra clause. She placed her thumb next to the X and watched the parchment flash with a sky-blue tone before setting into its normal state.

“Can I also trouble you for some parchment?” Aliya was now a lot calmer as she handed Astrin 50 gold pieces. “I need to leave Kira a letter so she won’t worry about me.”

The Mistress of the Hunt went to her bookshelves and grab the stepladder from nearby. She placed it in front of her desk. “Make it quick,” she demanded.

A giant smile formed on the cleric’s face as she practically skipped to the desk. Aliya quickly scribbled a letter for Kira before hurrying out the door.

Once in the hallway, Aliya stared at the door that went into the barracks. She wanted to stay with her best friend with all her heart or even invite her to come along with her but she couldn’t. Kira was not a woman of faith and as such, could hurt Aliya’s current state with her gods. She felt as if they were abandoning her and they meant more to her than anything on this planet.

With a heavy heart, the cleric entered the room. Kira, Gene, and Fern were fast asleep while Meowlynn and Ciylia were in mediation. Aliya crept to Kira’s bed and placed the letter on top of her equipment.

The gnome stared at her sleeping halfling friend before quietly exiting the room. The two elves had seen her come and go but they were lazy and Aliya doubted they would wake anyone up because she was acting strangely.

After she was halfway down the hallway, Ayila started sprinting. She dashed through the main doors that were already open and veered left. Following the perimeter of the building, lead her to the stables. There was a young man brushing a pony when she arrived.

“Hello,” the gnome said. “I’m here to get a pony.”

“I know,” grinned the man. “I was preparing her for you. I’ll load her up with rations for her as well so you don’t need to worry too much about finding her food. As for water, I can only offer some large water-skins and a small basin so the horse can drink from it.”

“Thank you very much. I’m sorry for all this extra effort you have to go through for me.” The cleric felt bad but knew it was best for the horse.

The equine caretaker waved his hand at her, “It’s no trouble at all. It comes included in your fee. Just please take care of her. She is a fantastic pony.”

“I will,” replied Aliya. She then watched as the young man finished grooming the proud pony. He double-checked the horseshoes before grabbing the saddle.

The man secured the saddle and then went to get two small wicker baskets filled with oats. They were strapped on either side of the pony, by its flank. Finally, he tied the water-skins next to the oats and gave Aliya the basin to tie to her bag.

“Have a safe trip,” smiled the stable hand. Aliya waved at him before taking off on the horse. She left through the southern gate and then went directly west.

Shield’s black tower loomed slightly north of her but it was less menacing since its owner was deceased. This fact didn’t calm, the cleric’s growing rage. A scream was growing in the pit of her stomach and was rising to her throat.

After a few hours or traveling west, she maneuvered the pony to start going north. Her village was still a couple of days ride to the north-east, past the foothills of nameless mountains north of Erend, in a small forest close to there. The scream had climbed its way to the back of her mouth.

Exhaustion started to set in a few hours later. Aliya dismounted the pony and set up a tiny lean-to shelter against a tree. She fed the horse some oats, gave it water to drink, and tied it to a tree next to her shelter.

It was midday but the night fighting werewolves, almost getting killed in a fire accident, riding this far without sleep, and setting up a shelter had taken its toll. She crawled into to her lean-to and let out the scream she had nearly choked on.

It was all Shield’s fault! His cursed necklace had corrupted her connection with her gods. It was silently poisoning her mind with doubt. Rolivish said that the dark artifact needed to be cleansed so she was going to take it to her own church. Hopefully, this would restore her faith and help rebuild her fading relationship with her seven gods.

Tears soaked the ground beneath her as she collapsed from spending that last of her energy. Aliya curled into a ball and sobbed to herself until her eyelids became too heavy to keep open. Emptiness consumed the gnome as she fell into a long-awaited sleep.

Waves pulled Aliya’s head under the surface. Even though she knew it was a nightmare, she couldn’t wake up. The gnome swam with all her might to break out of her watery prison. Air filled her lungs giving a reward to her efforts.

The water yanked at her legs. It felt as if she was being sucked in by a whirlpool. The cleric struggled with every fiber of her being. Suddenly, a giant wave appeared. The closer it came to her the more it appeared like a black wing spreading open. It curled over her and then dropped on top of her, thrusting her beneath the surface once more.

She cried out for her gods, Kira, Gene, or any of the other Jellybeans. Aliya begged for someone to rescue her. All that answered back was a void of infinite darkness, greeting her with each passing moment as she sunk deeper and deeper into the water’s depths.

Even though she couldn’t feel her gods, the cleric clutched her holy symbol. It felt wrong because of the cursed artifact attached it her prized possession but the act still gave her comfort. If she was going to die in her dream, Aliya wanted to do it with as much grace as possible.

Warmth filled her body. Two sets of hands tugged on her but her body didn’t move yet air filled her lungs once more. She opened her eyes and saw she was standing on top of Shield’s tower.

Before her stood an angelic elvish woman. She was tall with long white hair. This time her hair was pure white like snowflakes falling to the Earth instead of a darker white like Fern’s hair. Tyora, the Goddess of Life, stared at the gnome with her violet eyes and was smiling warmly. Aliya resisted the urge to bury herself in the goddess’s regal purple dress and stroke its red trimmings that reminded her of veins.

To the right of Aliya’s beloved goddess was a man. He was a halfling with bright red hair and piercing blue eyes. The cleric thought the man could see into her soul. He wore simple white robes with what looked like a carrying case for an alchemist’s kit hanging loosely in his right hand.

This man was Kyron, the God of Health, a mortal who ascended to godhood by curing many rare and previously incurable diseases. He also became the main figure for the Holy Seven, a group of lesser gods who unified to create their own religion. Kyron earned this role because of his work as a mortal and his vast understanding of them.

Aliya immediately kowtowed in front of them. She felt unworthy of being in the presence of one of her gods let alone two of them at the same time.

A gentle hand lifted the cleric’s head up. Tyora, the Goddess of Life, was crouched down in front of Aliya. “Lift your head, child,” her voice sounded like a choir of the most talented bards. “You are doing great work and we are always watching you. Once you return home, you’ll feel strong again. Don’t lose faith!”

The goddess leaned in a gave Aliya a kiss on the forehead, “Kyron wishes to speak to you, my child. I’m sure you will find comfort in his words.” Tyora stood up and gently and gracefully backed away. Her movement felt like that of a seasoned dancer. Tears of joy poured silently from the cleric’s eyes.

Kyron, the God of Health, approached Ayila. He stretched down his arm and extended it towards the gnome. Ayila stared at the hand in front of confused. “Take my hand, young one. Let us go somewhere more suitable. We have much to talk about.”

Aliya took the god’s hand and was filled with a cocktail of emotions. A sense of unity as both her and Kyron shared the same goal. Love beyond the comprehension of words. Warmth like a fever burning away the sickness of doubt. Pride because her gods chose to visit her. Her faith felt so strong that it threatened to explode out of her.

The holy group walked into the forest for a little while until they came across a tree stump with three flat rocks around it. Kyron, the God of Health, gestured for everyone to sit down around the stump. Aliya sat on one of the rocks and it was impossibly smooth making it a comfy place to rest. The stump itself was cleanly cut and felt perfectly smooth.

The god set his case on the impromptu table and opened it up. The case looked empty but he stuck his arm into it anyways and produced three teacups and a teapot along with a bag of various tea leaves. Finally, he produced a pot and device to let it hang over a fire.

Kyron then put his hand on the pot and it filled with water. He then created a fire pit and hung the pot of it. Tyora produced a simple flame to get the fire going. All Aliya could do was stare with fascination as she watched her gods.

“So, Aliya,” the firm but soft voice of Kyron cause her eyes to almost water again. “It seems like you have stumbled on a troubling artifact. It is the symbol of another god. A forgotten god.”

“Sadly,” sighed Tyora. “There is nothing we can do about your current situation. Lesser gods are forbidden from interfering with the work of greater gods or releasing information pertaining to their plans or else we would have already removed the cursed item from you.”

“What we can do is offer a small amount of guidance and relief,” smiled the redheaded god. “One such tidbit is that you are on the right track. You must go to your church for further guidance.”

The water in the pot began whistling. Tyora placed the herbal blend into the teapot while Kyron grabbed the pot and poured the boiling water into the teapot.

“We can offer you two more nuggets of knowledge,” said Aliya’s God of Health. “The next one is that after you return to your companions, you need to begin prioritizing Baron, God of Wisdom, in your prayers as he will help guide you on your journey.”

“We know that it will be tough to change your focus as Baron has different and more strict ways to pray to him,” groaned the Goddess of Life. “But it’s only temporary, we want you to succeed.”

The goddess gingerly lifted up the simple glass teapot and poured tea for everyone. Ayila sipped the tea and was reminded of the tea her mother would make. More tears streamed down the gnome’s face, she felt her gods deserved to be major gods instead of having their minor deity status.

“Finally,” said Kyron. “You must know that what you are doing will allow you to achieve your dreams. The act of going to your church will grant you time to learn. No matter how difficult the road ahead seems or unfair, just know that this extra time you are giving yourself and your companions will lead to the eradication of the plague that killed your family.”

Aliya almost dropped her cup at his words. Her mind was swirling with millions of questions but a deep calm washed over her. She was destined to save more people because she followed her heart. She would get vengeance against a plague, a task that was deemed impossible.

“Now please enjoy tea with us,” grinned Tyora. “After the pot is gone you will wake up so savour it.”

Ayila‘s sips became smaller but the flavour was still pleasant and fruity. The woman’s heart filled with a stronger determination and faith than she ever thought was possible.