The next morning we finally saw Jane again. She joined us for breakfast without a word. From her expressions, I felt she was not very happy with the results of her visit to the Cathedral. I had to tell Alex telepathically to stop glaring at the Paladin.

After breakfast, we sat together in the living room. Jane took a moment to look through some papers before looking up.

“Alright, everyone. I’ve got a few things before we can proceed to meet the Clerics. First of all, only Fio and Alexandra will be allowed inside the Inner Halls. The Clerics will then judge if the Knights’ demand to bring you to the Crimson Heart is valid. For the others, feel free to explore the Outer Halls. There are many places where you can study the history of the human plains and the Crimson Church. If you have the coin, you’ll be able to access one of the Alcoves and the node within. Any questions?”

“Will I be prevented from serving my Mistress?”, Hera asked.

“Sadly, yes. I asked them to let a servant join but they forbade it.”

“How much are those… Alcoves?”, I asked.

“Fifteen gold an hour. If you want access for a longer time you can get a discount but no more than thirty per cent.”

“That’s a lot.”

“You aren’t citizens of the Cathedral. That would reduce the price to silvers.”

I blinked.

“Or members of the Church which gain access until they reach minor enrichment for free.”

I blinked twice.

“Anything else? No? Okay. Fio, I’ll be honest, I don’t know what’s going to happen. The Clerics were unwilling to decide on anything before meeting you. I’m… not a normal Paladin Commander. I reached my position without a single touch of thaumaturgy. They don’t trust me on such matters, for good reason. But, by the nature of my vows, I will be on your side, no matter what happens. If you get attacked, I will fight the Church. And they know that. They might attack you to get rid of me. I don’t know. I’m not capable enough to read the intentions of others like that. But I know there has been some grumbling about my rise in position from the old guard.

“What I want to say is: Be careful. You too, Alex. I know both of you can handle yourselves but… just in case.”

Alex had visibly relaxed over the course of Jane’s explanation. I could see the readiness for violence in her lax posture. Her legs were slightly angled to the floor, spread apart at the knees. Her left hand gripped the edge of her armrest while her right was trained lazily in front, ready to turn into a magical cannon at a moment’s notice. And yet, her back was slouched and her face dominated by a soft grin. She looked almost manic.

“I told you”, she sent to me, “There’s going to be some shit going down. Why else would they take so long?”

“You did not tell me. In fact, I distinctly remember talking about how trusting everyone was.”

“Well, I’m ready for anything.”

I flexed my will. When I returned to the present, my body turned to thaumium and glass, I clanged my tongue.

“I am, too.”

Jane nodded.

“I don’t believe we will have any problems but it never hurts to be prepared. I’ll go with you through the layout of where I believe you will be received. We leave in two hours.”

It had honestly been too much for me. The way Alex and Jane started to talk about plan A, then plan B and C. I found I barely even cared. I would deal with the problem when we got to it. Catori made some funny comments, at least. I half wanted to find a body for her to come with us but there was too little time.

By the time we were making our way to the Cathedral proper, the ‘Corpus Saxi’ as they called the main building, I was thoroughly annoyed. Circe was running her fingers down my wings and I barely even cared.

Alex was looking around with a stern face, glaring at any passers-by who dared to stare. I was getting more and more uncomfortable. Even telling her to tone it down only helped a little. The mood ran through the whole group and our trip was eerily silent.

“Hey, Circe”, I began, “Want to try absorbing some vis from one of those Alcoves?”

She smiled.

“That would be great but it’s soo expensive.”

“I know, right? There are so many nodes out there…”

“I think I’ll just see if I can get on one of those bridges.”

She indicated the connections between the two halves of the building.

“That reminds me, why is the Cathedral separated like that?”

Jane turned to me.

“You’ll likely see that today if everything goes well.”

I scoffed.

“Let’s try to figure it out!”, Circe said.

“Good idea. What do you think?”

“Uhm… They might need to the big gap for some thaumaturgic thingamajig.”

“Makes sense. Maybe it’s more mundane? Like for getting air into the building?”

“Oooh! Okay, okay. How about this? They want to split the world in half and control both sides.”

I blinked.

“Not the most idiotic thing I heard today… A little unlikely, though.”

We kept going, our guesses continuously growing wilder. I heard Jane groan a few times when we got especially stupid with our ideas. At least it helped ease the tension. Even Alex relaxed a little.

The cart continued towards the massive building. The familiar yellow limestone made up a lot of it interspersed with marble and slate for some variation in colour. Between spires and windows, the walls were decorated with fractals and geometric patterns in all colours. They usually seemed to match a specific aspect. There were lightning strikes and rain clouds for tempestas, trees for herba, flams for ignis, confusing swirls for alienis and many other images.

All that stretched across the two bodies of the Cathedral that were each 500 metres tall at the gap and tapered off to a dozen at most near the tips. The sides curved downwards as well in steps giving open space for thaumaturges or visitors to catch some fresh air. Even modern Earth construction would have difficulties creating such an architectural marvel.

The two bodies were connected by countless bridges. With the vertical walls standing opposite, it made sense to have the stabilizers but other than something thaumaturgical or possibly theological, I could not see any reason for the split. I could clearly see people moving in between so it was not like there were two ‘factions’ or one building for the rich and one for the poor. In fact, we ended up moving into the gap and I spotted several smaller doors leading out into the street in between. The centres of the two facing walls had one huge gate each. Once fully opened, the doors might even touch.

We ended up leaving our cart soon after entering the gap, a servant taking the horses into the building. I could hear the whinnies of more animals for the few moments the door stood open.

“They have a barn in here?”, Circe asked.

“Thaumaturgy needs a lot of ingredients”, Jane said, “Bringing those to the Cathedral makes it worthwhile to host animals locally.”

Soon, we reached the main gates. Jane, in her full Paladin armour, set her hand on the seam of the door to our right. I sensed a small trickle of vis leaving her before she winced. When she pulled back her hand, a drop of blood dripped from her finger. More energy rushed through the gate, inscriptions lighting up in a soft glow, barely perceptible even in the dusk of the gap. Then the gate opened. A groan of stone on stone accompanied the movement.

Jane stood back with the rest of us. A few onlookers gaped at the sight of the main gate operating. The Paladin gave us one last glance before standing at attention. From inside the building soft light filtered into the dusky road. I saw green, yellow, red, white, and blue as well as a gap of darkness. The colours exuded from glimmering stones and crystals in the sides of the gate as well as the depth of the room behind. I momentarily glanced at the crowd waiting for us, at least two dozen people in flowing robes, before my mind ground to a halt.

The building was not a stack of layered rooms. At least here, in the centre. It was one big hall. 500 metres tall and nearly 200 wide extending all the way to the back. There was not a single window, everything lit with vis lanterns of all aspects. I barely spotted the carvings on the far wall and ceiling showing the aspects and their combinations in one of the most complicated and gorgeous mandalas I had ever seen. Not just colours but the same patterns dotting the outside of the Cathedral were woven into a tapestry of insane proportions.

But, most importantly, it was quiet. Deathly quiet, someone with more superstitions might say. Not a single sound left the room. Nobody moved inside it. Even the group standing to receive us made not a single noise.

I looked them over. They were dressed in the same red and gold as the Crimson Knights, two of those even standing ready to the sides. These people though wore them on wide robes instead of armour and cloaks. Gold and black masks covered their faces. The familiar cross of the Crimson Church was displayed prominently on their chests and I realized it was the first time I had seen it since entering their lands. Somehow, that made it feel more important.

One man stepped outside and spread his hands. I was guessing he was a man beneath his robes and mask but his voice soon confirmed it.

“Welcome, guests. Thank you for bringing them, Eternity. Please bring them in.”

He gave a signal to the Knights which joined those of us who had to stay behind. Circe waved as we entered the Cathedral proper. Stepping into the room made me realize they had a ward against sound cast around it. All noise from outside disappeared and new sounds reached my ears. The gate closed behind us, the others already moving back to the Outer Halls.

“Now”, the same Cleric said, “If you would follow me? We have prepared some refreshments.”

I shared a glance with Alex. Then I took in the crowd of Clerics. I decided against trying to [Identify] the top of the human people who were most likely specialized in magic Classes. Still, I saw many of them fidgeting. I could not tell if they were nervous or excited. Maybe it was both.

Slowly, we were led deeper into the grand hall. Vis flowed all around us in what I found to be wards. Knights lined the walls and a few doors led away into areas that were included in the magical defences. About 100 metres down the room, we were made to enter one of them. Now, it was time to see what the Crimson Church truly was about. And what they wanted with us.