The Record of the Saints Caliber (92 page)

“Saint Nuriel,” he said in his powerful, baritone voice. “I heard you were in town. Didn’t expect to see you in my neck of the woods.”

Nuriel bowed. She looked him in the eyes. “I need to speak with you.” She glanced at the kneeling sentries. “Privately.”

Erygion nodded his head. “Let her pass.”

The sentries stood up with a clap of their armor and stepped aside.

Nuriel walked past them and entered into the first floor of Erygion’s tower. It was a massive, circular room lined with tall, narrow stained glass windows of various Saints. Occupying the entire center of the chamber was a fifty-foot tall statue of Aeoria’s four-pointed star, cast in pure star-metal. The circular base of the statue was lined with a gridwork of silver stellaglyphs and Nuriel wondered if it might contain all of the Saints Caliber, both past and present. Erygion extended his hand, and using his Caliber alone, slowly made the giant doors swing closed behind them with a thunderous boom.

Nuriel looked at Erygion. “We need to talk.”

Erygion eyed her for a moment. “Come with me.”

Across the chamber was an arched entryway that led to a flight of wide, ivory steps that spiraled upward to the tower’s peak. Around every twist was a giant stained glass window depicting some Saint. Through some of the lighter-toned glass Nuriel caught fleeting glimpses of empty sky or the sun. As they climbed ever higher she could see pieces of Sanctuary far below, the buildings like small blocks, neatly arranged upon a grid of star-metal streets. They passed at least a hundred of these stained glass windows, and Nuriel wondered if there was no end to this tower.

At last they came upon a set of star-metal doors. Erygion flared his Caliber and flicked his hand and the black doors swung open to reveal a magnificent, circular chamber of glass. As Nuriel stepped out onto the polished, ivory floor, a sensation of dizziness overcame her. All the walls and the domed ceiling were made of glass—no, they were made of crystal, Nuriel realized—and she felt as if she were standing in the open, blue sky that surrounded them. She even swore she could feel the cold winds upon her. Above her, through the ceiling, nothing but azure; all around her, nothing but azure. Cautiously, she approached the wall and looked out. Nothing but sky all around, and far below, obscuring the city and palace beneath them, were clouds that swirled and moved. Nuriel felt slightly unsteady on her feet and took a step back from the windows. Across the chamber there was a stone wall and another set of star-metal doors.

“Quite the view, isn’t it?” said Erygion. “At night there is nothing but blackness, and you feel as if you can reach up and touch the very moon.”

Nuriel nodded. She turned to face Erygion. She tucked her hair behind her ear and was about to speak when Erygion cut her off.

“Why’d you come back, Nuriel? Why didn’t you stay in Duroton with Isley?”

Nuriel looked Erygion in the eyes. “I am a Saint. I am loyal to Sanctuary. I swore an oath. As did you.”

Erygion’s gaze never faltered. “It is an oath I uphold to this day.”

“By betraying Holy Father?” said Nuriel sharply. “By plotting and scheming with Celacia? By serving her will?”

“Aeoria’s Guard serve only Aeoria.” said Erygion. “Never forget that.”

“You told me that before. Seems to me you’re serving Celacia.” said Nuriel.

“May I tell you something?”

“No.” said Nuriel. “I don’t want to know anything else from you.” She stepped into Erygion’s space and grabbed his hand and placed something into it.

Erygion eyed her suspiciously and then opened his hand. It was Nuriel’s Sanguinastrum. He looked back at her with some disbelief. “Most Saints Caliber would do just about anything to get their hands on their own Sanguinastrum, and you’re giving yours back to me?”

Nuriel fixed him with her eyes. “I’m loyal to Holy Father. I have no need for that.”

Erygion shook his head slowly. “Why, Nuriel? Why give this up? Why come back here?”

“I want to be a Saints Caliber, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.” said Nuriel bitterly. “I wanted
nothing
to do with Duroton. I wanted
nothing
to do with that dragon skull. I wanted
nothing
to do with Celacia. I
never
wanted anything to do with
any
of that. And, truth be told, I want nothing more to do with you, either.”

“And yet here you are.” said Erygion.

Nuriel fixed him with her stare and exhaled through her nose. She braced herself for the bitter taste of her own words. “I have a proposition.”

Erygion looked at the Sanguinastrum in his hand. He looked back at her, shaking his head. He crossed his arms over his giant chest. “What proposition.”

“When I helped you lift that dragon skull out of the lava, I touched you and our Calibers combined.” said Nuriel. “Can that be done from a distance?”

Erygion’s eyebrow raised.

“Projecting Caliber is your specialty” said Nuriel. “Few can do it as well as you.”

“And fewer still can use their own Caliber to bolster another’s.” said Erygion. “But you did.”

Nuriel kept her eyes fixed on Erygion. “Tell me if it can be done from a distance.”

“Is that a question or a demand?” asked Erygion.

Nuriel wasn’t amused.

Erygion’s sapphire eyes regarded her steadily for a moment. He took off his helmet, letting his long, crystal-blue hair fall over his shoulders. He exhaled loudly as he nodded his head. “I’ve done it once or twice before.” he said. “I’ve helped to build many of these newer buildings here in Sanctuary. Saint Akriel is almost as powerful as I am when it comes to lifting with Caliber strength. Me and him have combined efforts to lift some of the slabs and pillars that make up these buildings.”

“Teach me how.” said Nuriel.

Erygion walked over to one of the crystal walls and stood before it, looking out into sky, gently rolling Nuriel’s Sanguinastrum between his fingers. “I already know they’ve given Karinael her Call to Guard. As keeper of the Sanguinastrums, I have to know about all new Calls to Guard. In two weeks, she’ll be undergoing the ceremony and her Sanguinastrum will be made and she’ll be bonded to Star-Armor. I hear she’s getting Saint Sariel’s old armor. She died in Penatallia four months ago. Report was that somebody sniped her. She took a bolt to the head.”

Nuriel knew of Saint Sariel. Saint Sariel of the Sands. She always carried a minute glass with her. She had been made a Saints Caliber about a decade ago. Nuriel heard that she was rather unhinged. She’d always give herself until the sands of her minute glass ran out to finish a fight. The stories were that she said if she didn’t win before the time ran out, she’d perform
Se Evicero
, a forbidden form of suicide where a Saint uses his own weapon to disembowel himself. Nuriel was partly glad to hear she at least hadn’t died by her own hand.

Erygion turned away from the window to face Nuriel again. “You’re planning to help her withstand the armor.”

Nuriel didn’t say anything.

“That’s forbidden.” said Erygion.

“No it’s not.” said Nuriel. “I’ve never heard it said that it cannot be done.”

“I think it’s silently implied that a Saint must withstand the Star-Armor on their own.”

Nuriel eyed the hand Erygion held her Sanguinastrum in. “It’s forbidden to give those out.”

Erygion looked at the fist he gripped it in and then returned his gaze to Nuriel. “I heard Saint Ovid of the Nine Days was to apprentice Karinael. Has that changed?”

Nuriel stepped over to Erygion. “Holy Father granted me Eremiticy, and I gave it up to apprentice her.”

Erygion handed the Sanguinastrum back to Nuriel. “This is better than Eremiticy. Take it back.”

Nuriel’s eyes narrowed. “No.” She shoved his hand away. “Teach me how to save Karinael.”

“So is that your proposition?” asked Erygion. “I show you how to bolster her Caliber from a distance, and you’re going to keep quiet about the Sanguinastrums?”

“Something like that.” said Nuriel. “You teach me, and you buy my silence regarding the past. I’ll forget everything. I’ll forget I ever saw you in the volcanic pit. I’ll forget I ever saw you with Celacia. I’ll forget you ever gave her all our Sanguinastrums and I’ll forget that you were a traitor to Sanctuary.”

“That I
was
a traitor?” Erygion raised his eyebrow and gave Nuriel a wicked little smile.

“Yes.” said Nuriel. “That you
were
a traitor. Make no mistake, if I find out that you betray Sanctuary in the future, or that you are helping Celacia or Duroton or doing anything else you’re not supposed to be doing, our swords will meet.”

“And what if I tell you I have no plans to stop what I am doing?” asked Erygion. “What if I tell you that I plan to make sure the gears that have been put into motion, stay in motion?”

“Then never involve me.” said Nuriel. “Never let me find out. Do we have a deal?”

Erygion regarded Nuriel steadily for a moment. “You have the most remarkable ability to lie to yourself, you know that?”

Nuriel’s voice held an undertone of threat as she spoke, “Do we have a deal?”

“You’re pretty bold to speak like that to the one who holds your Sanguinastrum in their hand.” said Erygion.

“Do we have a deal?” growled Nuriel.

Erygion puffed out through his nose. He looked down at Nuriel with something like distaste. “You really have no idea, do you?”

Nuriel’s eyes narrowed. “About what?”

“Anything.” said Erygion. He turned his back to her. “Tell me, how many stars are left?”

“I don’t know.” said Nuriel. “A few dozen.”

Nuriel saw his head nod slightly. “A few dozen.” he said. “They say we have ten, maybe twenty years left. That’s it.” He turned back to face Nuriel. “Would you see the Goddess awakened?”

“Of course.” said Nuriel. “I’m a Saint.”

“If you thought you had a chance to do that, but it required betraying Sanctuary, wouldn’t you take it?”

“Never.”
said Nuriel.

“That’s where me and you differ.” said Erygion.

“We both swore oaths to Sanctuary.” said Nuriel.

“No,” said Erygion. “Above all, we swore our oaths to the
Goddess
.”

Nuriel shook her head. “I’ll never betray Sanctuary. If the Goddess is to be awakened, it won’t be because we betrayed Holy Father. Sanctuary is ours.
This
is our world. Out there, that world, that belongs to the people, not us. It’s their will and their own actions that have made it what it is. I won’t betray Admael over a world that those people out there made for themselves. Like Holy Father told me, all we can do as Saints is fulfill their will. If the Age of Destruction falls upon this earth, it won’t be by our hands. We are only keepers of this world and the will of the people. But Sanctuary is ours and we have to stick together. No matter what happens out there in that world, we need to have Sanctuary to come back to.”

“Is that what you really believe?” asked Erygion. “Do you really believe we stand apart from what that world out there is? Do you really believe we had no part in it?”

“Yes.”

Erygion huffed a disgusted laugh. “Let me show you something.”

He led her across the chamber to the other set of star-metal doors. He pushed them opened and they entered into an ivory chamber that was well lit by gaslamps upon all the pillars. Before them were shelves carved right out of the ivory stone. Lining them were small, crystalline orbs filled with blood. Sanguinastrums. There were hundreds of them. Here and there Nuriel couldn’t help but notice some where black. Many spots were missing orbs. At the center of the room was an ivory table, and set upon it in a neat row were a number of heavy tomes that appeared to be bound in star-metal.

“This is the Hall of Saints.” said Erygion, sweeping his hand around. “These Sanguinastrums represent all the current Saints Caliber, or any Saint given Star-Armor. As you can see, there are a couple black ones this morning.” He walked over to the table and picked up the first of the books bound in star-metal. He flipped some pages. “These books record the names and stellaglyphs of every Saint who is or ever was. This is the first of them, and its record began with Saint Yezriel the Standard Bearer who came twice before me, first of the Standard Bearers after the fall of Aeoria.” He set it down and walked down the length of the table and picked up the last book. He handed it to Nuriel.

She took it and looked at Erygion.

“Look at the end.” he said.

Hesitantly, Nuriel opened the book. She flipped through some of the pages, her eyes scanning numerous stellaglyphs. She turned to the end. She saw her own stellaglyph, as well as those of the others who received their Call to Guard with her. There were a few others after that as well, and then the last few pages were all blank.

“That is the last book. Those are the last few blank pages. We’re at the end of our time.” said Erygion. “When I record the last of the Saints Caliber, if the Goddess has not awakened, it will be as the legends say. A new age of destruction will be visited upon this world. It will all belong to Apollyon.”