<~> Chapter 163My party and I walked up to the castle. It looked just as busy as ever but I could tell morale was low after Jasper's death, you could tell by the way everyone looked. The guard at the gate reized us and waved my party off to the side.

  "Lilith and pany, Head Priest Nathaniel has been expeg you today. Asher here will take you to one of the meeting rooms." He waved a young man over, he appeared to be a squire if I had to guess. I gave my thanks and followed the young man through the halls. Things were somber as we walked through the castle, it seems Jasper retty well loved at least among the guards based on how everyone was ag.

  The young squire hadn't spoken at all until we reached one of the doors. "Nathaniel will e to meet with you as soon as he is avaible. Please wait here until then."

  We ehe meeting room, in the ter was a rge regur table with six chairs oher side. Torien had a grima her face as soon as we entered. She looked around the room with a furrowed brow before followio sit down.

  "Is something wrong Torien?" I asked.

  She was silent for a moment before replying, "This was one of the rooms I had to clear out. There were several... former maids here."

  I sighed. "I uand. I wouldn't want to visit the servants' quarters agaiher. It's too... sad."

  We sat there quietly for about half a bell, the atmosphere of the guards bined with our memories of the castle made it hard to feel like talking about much more. It was a relief when Nathaniel finally opehe door and led in an old-looking man with a maid following behind pushing a tea cart. We all got to our feet as the three of them shuffled into the room and took their pces across from us at the table. The maid poured everyone a cup of tea ahe kettle oable before quietly leaving.

  Nathaniel nodded. "Lilith and party, this is one of my friends, Reid. He worked with the Tamin church for a while before verting to the teags of Morkinnen. He's one of the few people who shed some light on the questions you were curious about and also be willing to tell you. Before that I'd like to talk about Matilda, I'm sure you're curious after disc her brother ierday's raid."

  "I am. Were the two allowed to see each other?"

  "I let them meet yesterday," Nathaniel replied. "After some discussions, the city has decided to free all of the prisoners regardless of whether or not they were previously sves, including her brother Finn. His colr has already been removed and because of his sister's circumstances, we're going to allow him to stay in the castle with his sister. Unfortunately, that means he'll also be held as a prisoner for the time being but the two of them insisted on it regardless. Because of the situation with Sera Faelyn Morrister, we're keeping the two of them locked in one of the upper-floor rooms rather than the dungeon. Not that the dungeon is sidered secure after everything that's happened. Finding an unaffiliated beastfolk in there didn't inspire fide since you vouched for him I'm respeg Jasper's wishes and leaving that be."

  Nathaook a moment to drink some of his tea before tinuing. "We haven't released any of the sves w directly for the cult, such as that blond dog beastfolk Matilda pointed out. We will still o question them for a while and their freedom depends on how ied in the cult they are themselves. No one wants to release people who would just attack the city again."

  "Uandable," I agreed.

  "How is that woman who lost a lot of blood during the raid?" Bel asked. "Has she been seen by healers sireated her?"

  "Ah, vice-captain Scarlett. She's woken up and has already been informed of Captain Jasper's death. She's rec, so for the time beirand still has and of the city guard. Physically she's in good shape now, she received some additional attention from healers that handle blood loss but... she's not in a good pce mentally."

  "Trauma?" Bel asked.

  Nathaniel snorted. "In a sense. She's pissed and with no oo take her anger out ht now. She left the castle this m and hasn't said if she'll be back. I'm praying she'll e back soon because losing Jasper was already a huge blow. Sure he was strong and capable but his real strength was his affability, he'd mao keep all of the guilds and merts happy even through this disaster. The only reason we've done as well as we have is because so many people respected him and were willing to work with us. Handling the food shes alone wouldn't have been possible without him."

  "Isn't that desertion?" Silva asked.

  Nathaniel shook his head. "This is a city guard, not a standing army. Though I could see how you could fuse the two. Bertrand could choose to have her fired for leaving her post but what good would that do? No, it's better if we just sider this part of her recovery. We'll decide what to do with her if she doesn't e ba a reasonable amount of time ter." He cleared his throat. "Sorry, we seem to be getting a bit off-topic, five me. That's all I wao inform you abarding Matilda, let's switch topics to what I promised iurn for the journal and witness you delivered me."

  I nodded and looked at the other man who hadn't spoken this eime. " you tell me anything about the 'Order of Lilith?' I want to know why there's a cult going around with the same name as me."

  Reid nodded. "I talk about that a little yes, though the way you frame it is actually a little bit odd to me. May I ask where you heard that name?"

  I raised an eyebrow. "I was questioned by a Tamin Padin in a [Zone of Truth] about it. She seemed to suspect I was reted to this cult."

  "A simple case of mistakey I presume. You see, the 'Order of Lilith' actually retes to a prophecy rather than an active cult, at least at the time I was still a priest of the Tamin church about thirty years ago. If you were the figure in this prophecy I assume things would be more apparent and you surely wouldn't be an active [Demon Hunter]"

  "What you tell me about this prophecy?"

  "Unfortuhe prophecy is rather old so a perfect transtion is impossible. At the time I was there, there was a lot of debate over the meaning of several parts and how... metaphorical things were. I'll rete everything I tell you about it, it informs a lot of the church's prejudices."

  The old man took a sip of his tea and smacked his lips. "The prophecy tells of a woman who is born a demon with twisted horns. This demon has the power to corrupt and twist souls to her be. She surrounds herself with a harem of female beastfolk sve-wives and uses their bined power to corrupt people further, quickly raising an army of the weak and downtrodden by sharing her power with them. This army is said to be fiercely loyal to her for she helped them at their lowest point, an army made up almost entirely of beastfolk prostitutes and former sves. I've been using the word 'corrupt' a lot but that meaning was still ofteed at the time I was with the Tamin church. The only sure thing was that there should be some kind of physical transformation that occurs in addition to the increased strength. The part is even less uood, which is rather unfortunate because I believe it is what focuses a lot of the Tamin church's most disagreeable behaviors."

  My neck was tense and my teeth were ched. From the outside, this might not appear to line up with eople know about me but if you knew my history, it describes me to a T.

  "This army the 'Lilith' in the prophecy raises bees a secret order that quietly spreads across the 'nd,' another ambiguous transtion, and 'sparks' several rebellions that attempt to overthrow the aristocracy. The prophecy isn't clear on whibsp;aristocrad if this part was successful or nardless this event bees so destabilizing that 'gods desd to the earth to quell the mortal's strife.' That statement on its own would be frightening enough but the st bit is what really motivates the Tamin church. 'These wars of men bee the wars of gods. None of which are spared from the hands of ge and the pantheon is born anew from the ashes of the old, the prelude a mere warning of what is to e.' That prelude is usually interpreted to mean the first war of the gods, meaning that this prophecy is essentially an apocalypse sario. Throughout the eime I served the Tamin church I never learned if they even follow an actual god at all. After spending so muy life with that church I eventually came to the clusion that the Tamin churly exists because of an aablet they found, and not because they truly worship any gods that direct them."

  He sighed and took another sip of tea. "I, like many others that corrupted church targets, was weak and vulnerable when they found me. I was quick to join their church just to have something to eat and a pce to stay. It shames me to say that I was once a devout priest of their twisted religion. The more I learned about this supposed tablet though the more I became vi was pletely trived to protect kings and queens and their power. This prophecy doesn't speak of any timeframe, any triggeri other than a specific demon ing to exist, and only names what kind of people tet. Beastfolk, prostitutes, sves, and 'women who lie with women' as the Tamin church says. It gives its members moral zealous justification to harass people and protebsp;all aristocracies because any of them could be the ohat triggers a supposed armageddon. Perhaps if the Tamin church would stop stoking flict with the beastfolk, or support the abolition of svery like some of the other churches, this armageddon would cease to be a threat. But no, it simultaneously teaches its followers that they're trying to stop the end of the world while also setting the stage for the prophecy to be fulfilled if it even is real."

  I was pletely frozen, caught entirely ft-footed. If the prophecy was true then we were right before things got really bad. The old man must have seen my rea because he spoke the words mently.

  "Don't worry miss. You've just happeo get unlucky by tally matg a few of the church's targets, not unlikely sidering how long the Tamin church has existed. Lilith isn't a on name in this part of the world to be sure but your variety of sheep-kin isn't well known here either. The fact that you are a titled [Demon Hunter] proves that you're not their prophesized 'Lilith' though. I wouldn't take that as a guarahey won't bother you but it's hard tue you're the one in the prophecy when you are proven not to be a demon by a Morkinnen priest's [Zone of Truth] and are well known for killing demons. There is no she of guards in this very castle who personally watched you killing many demons just a few days ago. The only thing the Tamin church seems to hate beyond anything else are demons so that should help you stay out of their crossfire."

  "Right," I hoarsely replied. I could feel the fusion, , and disbelief through the bond. I wasn't the only one of us caught off guard here. I rubbed my face. "I'm sorry, this news is... a lot. This pletely puts into perspective my dealings with them. I'll have to be even more careful around them than I have been."

  The priest nodded. "That would be prudent. I know better than most that their entire church is made up of overzealous nutcases. Don't let yuard dowhem. This is also distasteful to say... but I would sider going under a false name when dealing with them. Just the name alone may be enough for many of them to attack you."

  I sighed. "I believe their higher-ups already know my he person who told me of the 'Order of Lilith' in the first ply did so because I had given her my name. She probably wrote down my description and circuted it before I even finished leavient."

  "It's up to you but I would still reend using an alias, even if that alias is quickly discovered. If nothing else the rank and file will be less likely to attack you."

  "Fair enough. Thank you for your time." I o him. "Thank you as well, Nathaniel. I don't io stay in town much longer, I still o go to the capital to get cartography training. Only a few days at most."

  The former Tamin priest frow that. "Be careful when you're in the capital dear, tensions are rather high right now after Baron Morrister's death. Many nobles are on their guard right now, despite him disagreeing with most of them on many policies, the death of a noble aluts the rest of them on edge. I would avoid their attention if possible, there's no doubt that many would try to recruit a talented demon hunter into their political games."

  "I'll take the advice to heart. Thank you for your time and thank you for setting this meeting up, Nathaniel, it's been... enlightening."

  My group stood up ahe room then the castle.

  I wasn't able to quiet my swirling thoughts on the way back to the brothel.

  Saine

  Hello! Huge revetions this chapter! Things are going to get a bit more plicated as we go on, it seems Lilith has already set things in motioween the fallout of the raid and the revealed prophecy, a lot happehis chapter. I had been pnning this for a long time so it's great to finally get to post it publicly for non-patrons and see how people feel about it. I hope it was a fun reveal! Thanks for reading and see ya ime!

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