"… and then we left the Savan. Third-Vision wanted me to tell you that she loved you all very dearly."
"NOOO! It's not FAIR!" Pouncer wailed, stamping her foot. Moon-Brow kept her fingers clenched around a silver pendant, her hands shaking too much to sign, while Shade's face was hidden beneath the fabric of her cowl.
Enos drooped and climbed into his father's lap, while Pouncer let out a final wail and ran off towards her room, slamming the door loudly enough to rattle the house.
Eclipse stroked his kitten's head. "She knew death was coming, and accepted it. I would have gladly died to save her, but there was nothing I could do. My only comfort is that she had finally found peace in herself before the end came. I am sorry to have been the one to bring this news to you." He bows his head, letting his tears flow freely. "The Nagai have put her body on display, but it is my hope that she has enough allies with the Jingai that they will be able to recover her and we can give her a proper burial and funeral. Keep her in your prayers, and remember that she loved us all."
Shade was the first to leave, silently walking to the roof while Eclipse gave Enos to Moon-Brow and let the two find comfort in each other. The Knight could hear his daughter's sobs upstairs and quietly climbed upwards to be with her.
The house would grieve for a time, each member in its own way.
"Ooo … I must say, this is the most extensive collection of flattened fauna I have ever seen!" says a foppish fox. He is stooped over a jaguar girl cub who eagerly flips through the pages of a tome that detail various bugs of Sinai. The entries have a space for keeping a "sample" of the bug (on both sides of the two-page spread).
A younger boy cub tugs on the fox's tail. "Twi-bangle!" the cub proudly announces as soon as he get's the fox's attention. From his hands dangle a necklace with beads in various geometric shapes.
"Why yes, that is a triangle," says the fox, rubbing his chin in a contemplative gesture. "In fact, now that you mention it … " He turns to look at the book, and points at the smear on the page that used to be a grommet-worm. "Why, that looks like a triangle, too!"
Pouncer peers at the smear, turning her head to one side, regarding it dubiously. Enos, however, squeals happily. "DAZZA TWI-BANGLE!" he announces, rattling his bead necklace.
The fox nods approvingly. "You know, you're a couple of gifted young cubs, given how enthusiastic you are about your education … " He pulls his lute from around his back, and strums it, bouncing up and down. "… but with a little bit of creativity from deep down inside … you'll find that your interests do sometimes coincide!"
Pouncer claps her hands. "Sing us a song!" she squeals, and is joined by an enthusiastic "YEAH!" from Enos.
"Very well then," says the fox, strumming on his lute and bouncing on the floor, kicking out one foot, then the other, causing his tail and the large floppy feather on his large floppy hat to bounce as well. "Let's sing the Square Bug Song! It goes like this… "
"You both are very different, but just a little the same,"
"You both are very smart, and you like to play fun games!"
"One of you likes bugs, the other all kinds of shapes,"
… The fox eyes a creepy crawler making its way across the floor…
"So put them together – Squish a bug, look how it scrapes!" *STOMP*
Both of the cubs are now on their feet, bouncing and jigging around, and stomping, as the fox grabs a jar of bugs and deftly tosses a few onto the floor.
"Big bugs, little bugs, any bug will do!"
"Just see how they look when you stomp them into goo!"
"Learning is fun, we just need a little hand,"
"So stomp those bugs, then take a look, you'll see it's really grand!"
"See those little millipedes? Their legs are all a tangle – "
"Why the way they're smeared out on the floor, they look like a – "
Enos and Pouncer shout, "TRI-ANGLE!"
"Ooo, there goes a scuttler-scoot – Oh good! You stomped him there,"
"Now just take a closer look, and you'll see we have a – "
"SQUARE!"
"Oh you're having fun I see! I think I saw you smirk-le!"
"Oh, there's a big fat beetle, if you're fast, you'll get a – "
"CIRCLE!"
"Let's try for something harder and expand the lexicon,"
"That six-sided smear right by your foot is called a – "
"HEX-A-GON!"
"So you see with a little work, you can learn it all much better,"
"Just try to take what you both like, and put it all together!"
"We've learned a bit about shapes and bugs, and there's still a whole lot more… "
"But Moon-Brow's giving me the evil eye, so let's clean up the floor!"
Much later, now that Moon-Brow has been appeased by cleaning up the floor and catching all of the bugs (well, most of them, anyway), the foppish fox collapses in a corner, sneaking a nap … but soon enough, the two spotted cubs find him. "Oof!" cries the fox, as the two cubs pounce on him.
"Another song!" squeals Pouncer. "YEAH!" agrees Enos.
The fox whines at the distraction from one of his favorite pastimes – napping – but he never can pass up the invitation to sing another song … especially not with so appreciative an audience. (Plus, if they don't like his music, they can't cause significant bodily harm to him!) "Well … oh … I suppose I could make something up."
"You're good at songs!" says Pouncer. Enos nods enthusiastically. "Lips!" he squeals, pointing at the lute.
The fox looks at Enos oddly, trying to parse this comment, and then he looks at the shape of the main body of his lute. "Ohhh! Shapes again! Yes, this is an ellipse. Or an oval."
"OBAL!" agrees Enos, grinning widely.
The fox strums a chord on his lute, dropping into sing-song, "And now I shall sing you another song, and you needn't even groval!"
Pouncer giggles at the fox's abuse of the word "grovel", then says, "You can rhyme anything!" She looks contemplative. "Can you rhyme 'GISH'?"
"Oh, that's easy!" sings the fox, "I'd be glad to grant your wish!"
Enos makes a giggle, and then he calls out, "ROUND!"
The fox rolls his eyes and smirks, "Oh that word has such a lovely sound!"
Pouncer points at her brother, and asks of the fop-fox, "Enos?"
The fox sighs and sings again, "Have you heard of the King of Minos?"
Enos points at his sister, and loudly calls out, "Pouncer!"
The fox just grins and says to him, "She's a happy bouncer!"
Pouncer looks quite thoughtful, and asks of him, "Eclipse?"
"A mighty warrior, strong and true, who's sunk a dozen ships!"
Enos waves his paw and bawls out, "Moon-Bwow!"
"Oh look at the time, is it time for lunch? I say it's almost noon now!"
Pouncer gets a mischievous look, grabs a fruit and says, "Orange!"
The fox looks quite desperate, then points and says, "There goes a borange!"
*SPRANG*
Pouncer crosses her arms. "That is not a borange, it's a yellow-speckled crawler."
The fox whines and thinks a bit, using one paw to fuss with his collar.
Pouncer gives the fox a dubious glance. "Well?" she asks, then sits on down.
The fox says, "Well, that's what I named it now," and gives Pouncer a pleading frown.
"You see his name is Borange now, he's quite a remarkable bug,"
*GISH*
"Oh, I wish you hadn't done that, Pouncer, for now he's one with the rug!"
The fox sighs, pausing in his playing. "An ode," he says, as the music stops, "to Borange. May he rest in pieces." The fox puts his hand over his heart and sighs, looking to be in mourning.
Enos and Pouncer stand to Temple Scout attention, putting their paws over their hearts as well. Enos sticks a kazoo in his mouth and blows it.
"Oh Borange, how we shall miss you,"
"You were such a little fellow,"
"Now we'll wipe you up with tissue,"
"So the rug won't stain all yellow."
"You were such a cuddly guy,"
"So big and round and fat,"
"But surely that is the reason why,"
"She gished you – You make a nice splat!"
Enos bounces up and down, playing his kazoo, while Pouncer applauds.
The fox looks scandalized.
"Such merriment! Show a little respect for our dear departed friend!"
"Oh … ahem … here, I'll wipe him up before Moon-Brow comes by again… "
Eclipse opened the door to a specially prepared room. The windows were fashioned of horn, allowing light in but giving the room perfect privacy for the occupant. It had its own bath and plumbing and a comfortable looking bed, but not much else in the way of furnishings beyond that. For the person that the room was intended for, it didn't need very much more.
Shade quietly entered, her cowled head tilting this way and that to inspect everything.
"This is your sanctuary now. This whole building is ours and you will have all the privacy you wish. You may walk around here without your helm or robes if you desire. The only rule is that we are family here. Pouncer and Enos are your niece and nephew; Moon-Brow is your sister. Master Nicodemus comes in from time to time, but he prefers to stay at the Shoppe and understands our need for privacy. He will never arrive unannounced. Testament-Blaze also understands our need for privacy, but I believe that a priest is exempt in regards to the rules for not showing our faces."
The Savanite Lancer put her fingers to her cowl and nodded, although it remained over her face.
"You may stay here as long as you like. I only ask that in return you keep watch over my daughter. Protect her from any spirit magic you sense in this house. You'll like her, Shade. Pouncer is amazingly easy to love." Eclipse raked his talons across his bare neck, his own helm and cowl absent while in his house.
Shade simply nodded again and seated herself upon the bed.
The Vartan bowed. "The children will be getting home from school soon, and I always try to be there to greet them. I'll give you some time to get settled in." He paused at the door. "Thank you for coming to Third-Vision's funeral with us. I knew that the Jingai would come through, and she did truly love you. I know that you loved her as well."
The cheetah sat unmoving as Eclipse quietly exited the room.
The Violet Lancer leapt to the side as the serpent lunged at him. His armor and helm had been shattered in many places and both Shade and Vague were nowhere to be found. Silhouette was fighting for her life against a winged lizard that spat venom and could not be of any help in this battle.
Eclipse saw the gleam of ivory as the mouth of the massive snake careened past his face, snapping shut on the spot of air that he had occupied just a few moments before. The image suddenly was tinted by a starburst of pain and red as his face was slashed by one of the dripping fangs; his eye burned like fire.
The Knight's sword flashed outwards, catching the giant Naga cleanly under the chin. His swing was fueled by desperation and adrenaline as the burning sensation spread across his face – in one quick motion he removed the snake's head.
He clutched his face where the tooth of the serpent had struck him and as the body of the dead creature thrashed about, he took a hesitant glance at his reflection in his sword.
Thank the Star, his eye was unharmed. Had the blow been a millimeter closer, then he would have been blinded, but the only pain in his eye was caused by his own blood seeping into it.
"Eclipse! Could use some help here!" squawked Silhouette, fluttering out of the way as the winged lizard snapped at her.
The Knight hastily bandaged his face and took to the air…
"We're sorry, Master Eclipse, but there was nothing we could do to help him. We noticed that he had not touched the breakfast we had set out for him that morning and went to check on him. He probably died early in the morning while he was asleep. When we first saw him, we thought that he might have still been asleep. He looked so peaceful… "
Eclipse nodded quietly, both cubs clinging to him tightly and sobbing. "Master knew that the end was near. Go look in the bottom drawer of his dresser and take the papers and coins from there. Follow the instructions. And get a ship to Paradys ready. Nicodemus will find his rest there."
The red-feathered Vartan nodded. "Anything else, Master Eclipse?"
"The priest, Testament-Blaze. Tell him the news and ask him to perform last rites."
The Vartan assistant nodded and hastily exited downstairs, leaving Eclipse alone to comfort his children over the loss of another one they loved.
Eclipse sat quietly in the Sanctuary of Roses, gently stroking a blue rose with his gloved fingertip while Pouncer leaned against his side.
"I like this place better than the Sanctuary of Shadows, Papa. It's pretty and it smells nice."
The Knight nodded. He was clad only in the robes of his station, and here in the sanctuary he was able to show his face. "I know. We will still be sleeping in my sanctuary, but I felt you needed to see some proof that not all the knights were dark and ugly."
"I never thought that you were ugly, Papa!" Pouncer paused to sniff at the rose that her father was stroking so gently. "Why did you want to come here?"
"To remember the friends I've lost. The Champion of Roses was the person who inspired me to become a knight. I miss her greatly." He puts a hand on Pouncer's head. "And also if I am to pray that Vague gets better, I wished to do it in someplace that had life around it, instead of in the darkness of the Sanctuary of Shadows."
"Is Vague going to die too?" The cub wrapped her arms around her father's hand.
Eclipse glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know. The dart that struck him was poisoned, and the rest of his wounds have become infected. He will either live or die tonight. Either way, I wished to be here with him, even if I cannot stay by his side while the life mages do their work."
"Why does the Star let people die, Papa?"
The Vartan winced. He had been waiting for this question and knew it was going to come at some point in his life. He kissed the cub's head and then pulled her up on his knee. "Because the Star gave people the ability to make decisions for themselves. They can choose to be good or bad. For Vague, the Star gave him the choice of trying to protect the good. When he made his decision to become a knight, he accepted the fact that he might end up dying for that decision. I did too. Being good does not mean that you will automatically die, but it means that the Star might call upon you to help fight against the evil. Whenever there is a fight, there is always the chance of somebody getting hurt."
Pouncer nodded, her ears drooping. She gently reached up and rubbed a small silver pendant worn around her neck in the shape of a stylized Star.
"If it makes you feel any better… let me tell you what I believe. I believe that the Star only lets good people die who are ready to die. I know you still miss Jezebel… but when I said goodbye to her, she told me that she had found peace in her life. Deep down she was truly happy, more happy than she had ever been in her life. And even though she is gone she still does good. All the Savanites are free in Rephidim and they are no longer looked upon as slaves." He hugged the cub. "Sometimes the Star calls us home, either because we've done the work needed of us and it is time to rest in Paradise, or because it is time for the people in our care to grow without us. But when it does, it also gives the people left behind enough love to carry on with their lives. I know that if I did not have you two cubs, I never would have been able to stop grieving for Master Nicodemus and continue to live like the Star wants me to."
The cub sighed. "Will you die?"
Eclipse kissed Pouncer's head again. "I don't know, but the Star has called for me to stay alive this long. I still have my purpose and people who need me. I'll die someday, but hopefully I'll die like Master Nicodemus when I'm old and happy. He was over eighty years old, you know."
"And me?"
"You still need time to find out what the Star has planned for you, and you already have the special job of keeping your brother safe." The Vartan put a finger on the cub's chin and raised her face to look at him. "Shinyfur, don't think of death while you're alive. Accept it as a part of life, but don't let it rule your life. While we're alive, we can sing and dance and love and eat waffles and catch butterflies and paint pictures and all sorts of things. Do you understand?"
Pouncer nodded. "I think so. Its okay to be sad sometimes, but I shouldn't be sad all the time?"
Eclipse smiled. "Exactly. The Star wants us all to be happy and it loves us all very much. When you're sad then you need to just let yourself be loved and let yourself feel the Star's love. You'll learn to get strength from that. You'll still feel sad, but you won't be so sad that you can't still love people or like flowers and butterflies and things like that."
The cub grinned a little. "I'll try to be happy, Daddy. When I'm sad, I'll think about what you said."
A rosebush rustled as one of the Magenta Lancers walked towards the pair. It was Blossom who gave the Vartan a quick salute. "Sir Eclipse, I have just come from the infirmary. Vague's fever has broken and the mages were able to purge most of the infection from his body. He is asking to see you."
Eclipse pulled himself to his feet. "Is he going to be all right?"
"He will suffer scars, and will be bedridden for the next week, but he should be fine."
Pouncer wrapped herself around her father's leg. "I think I really do understand now, Papa."
The Knight smiled, pulled his cowl over his face, and then made his way to the infirmary.
To Mrs. Danae Sapphire of the Temple Scouts:
It has taken me a great deal of time to organize this, but I have finally managed to gather a priest and enough followers of the Star to merit holding weekly services in my residence in the Scholar's Quarter. There are a little more than ten of us now, but our numbers grow meeting by meeting.
The Star Temple was taken down, and all efforts to resurrect a new one have been hindered, so please keep in mind the fact that this is not a formal church. We are simply meeting at my house once a week to talk about the teachings of the Star. The priest is a Savanite, but we have several translators who will speak his signs should you not be able to understand them. We will also be happy to loan you a copy of the Star's Holy Book should you be lacking in one as well.
This is not an act of the Rephidim Temple or the Knights Templar. It is the act of a man who wishes to explore his belief in his own home with his friends and his family.
I know that this action will be frowned upon by some of the people in the Temple, and although I would never think of the practice of hiding my beliefs, at the same time I cannot make a big issue of the matter either. My house is no temple or church, and therefore the only thing that may be a threat to people are those inside.
That said, I would be honored if you and your family would join us for our weekly meetings. We listen to the lessons of Testament-Blaze, occasionally sing, and then when we are done we have lunch and get to know one another.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Eclipse
Eclipse felt the rotten fruit splatter against one of his armored wings as he marched through Little Babel on his patrol. The clamouring Eeees were particularly vicious today, perhaps because the third anniversary of the bombing of Babel was close at hand.
"Huffy arrogant monster! Get out of here!" squeaked a grub merchant, hurling a handful of slop from his insects' pens at the Lancer.
The Vartan Lancer quietly continued on his way, his eyes hidden behind his helm as he felt something soft strike his shoulder. The Lancer was grateful that his helmet could filter the air.
More of the Eeees grew bolder and began flinging rotten bits of their wares or colorful insults at the Knight as he walked through the market. "So how many Naga eggs have you crushed under those shiny hooves of yours?" "Murderer! You gave the Temple that bomb and I lost my whole family!" "What's next… you going to help those poodles in Gallis take the land away from the Sylvanians? I bet there's lots of helpless peasants there for you to butcher!" "You call yourselves Templars… but you don't even have to answer to the Temple!" "Useless warriors! Can't even keep your own men alive, how can we expect you to do us any good?"
A ripe cluster of pala-fruit rolled in front of the Lancer's hooves and he stooped to pick it up. He knew that it had been weakly thrown and the aim was off. A glance over his left shoulder gave away the culprit. An elderly Eeee froze as his helmet twisted to face her.
Eclipse closed the gap between his spot in the road and the Eee's booth in a few steps, a hush settled on Little Babel as every ear and eye was now perked towards him. The Lancer extended his arm out…
"Ten shekels says he takes the hag down in one blow!" "I'm in!" "I bet twenty!" "Go blackie, go! Teach her a lesson!" The hoots and jeers from the Eeee had changed dramatically as the crowd discovered a new target.
The Lancer dropped the fruit in front of the graying Eeee and then took a step back, holding his arms out and presenting himself as a target for the next throw.
The Eeee hesitantly took the fruit and clutched it tightly, her hands trembling for a moment before she dipped her head and nodded. The throw never came.
A collective groan and a few halfhearted gobbets of filth hurled at Eclipse's back as he turned away and continued on his patrol.
"We welcome you to the Order of Champions, Sister Diamond. May you carry on the legacy of your fallen predecessor and her fallen Lancers."
Golgotha seemed much bigger to Eclipse now that there were less people inhabiting it. The Gold Lance, the Crimson Lance, the Diamond Lance, the Cobalt Lance, all gone. Easily two thirds of the order had been swallowed up by the war, and there were fewer and fewer people to fill the gaps.
The Violet Lance had not escaped unscathed. Vague carried a scar for almost every one of his stripes. Shade's magical weakness had grown worse and she could no longer do more than cast wards to protect her brothers… and today the Violet Lance was losing a member.
Eclipse saluted the new Champion of Diamonds, formerly his sister Silhouette. She had earned the title, and although he was saddened to see his own Lance shrink in size, he was proud to see his sister go to such an honorable station.
But something else was stirring in him as well… There were very few representatives of the Temple at this gathering, and new warriors from the Rephidim Guard were being encouraged to seek the Elite Temple Guard instead of joining Golgotha. So many men had died, and the Temple only turned its collective head.
The Knights Templar were slowly dying out, and Eclipse couldn't understand why the very thing he strove to fight for and protect was turning its back on him.
Eclipse awoke to the sound of his daughter's sobs and stumbled his way into her bedroom. Almost four years since he defeated the Avatar in Rephidim, and the dreams hadn't stopped. He knelt at Pouncer's bedside and hugged the girl, comforting her until she calmed down.
"I saw her again, Papa. She was saying mean things about you. She scared me."
The Vartan carefully lit one of the gas lanterns in the room. "What did she tell you this time?"
Pouncer hugged a pillow to her chest. "She said that you killed Nanna and you don't love me… because if you did, you wouldn't do things that make the other kids at school make fun of me and Enos. She said that if I ran away from you, that I could see Nanna and Uncle Nicky again." She broke down into sobs, unconciously flinching at her father's touch.
"You know that's not true, Shinyfur," Eclipse scrawked quietly. "If I could have died to save Nanna, I would have in an instant and without any regrets… and we follow the Star because it is right; the other students tease you about it because they don't understand. I love you so much, Shinyfur. I loved you the moment I saw you and I love you a thousand times greater now." The Vartan placed a hand on the kitten's leg as he sat beside her on the bed. "And you know that the dead can't come back. Mages can resurrect a body and make it act like a living person, but the soul is gone. Once a soul leaves a body then that body is dead, forever. It's what the Star teaches."
The jaguar nodded, tears streamng from her eyes. "Why can't you hire a dream mage and make the dreams go away?"
The Vartan hung his head. "The mages are hard to get to these days, and the ones that are here in Rephidim are either afraid to cast magic because they might catch the sleeping sickness, charge enough to buy a house, or aren't real mages at all." He sighed. "I don't think that even a dream mage could take away your dreams… "
Pouncer's expression grew quizzical.
"You're old enough now, Shinyfur. I think it's time I explained to you why you're having these dreams and who this person is you're dreaming about… "
"I don't care if your school is the best Rephidim can offer my children. I refuse for my children to feel ridiculed because they worship the Star like their father does. And I will not stand by while you force your belief in millions-of-years-old dead corpses upon them. I will seek a tutor."
The Jupani sniffed disdainfully at the robed Lancer. "We know that your children are distraught that we chose to let Mrs. Sapphire go, but her curriculum was inappropriate for the beliefs that we wish to express in regards to what the Temple represents… "
Eclipse resisted the urge to storm out of the room right there. "I would like to have my childrens' study records given to me right now. My decision is final."
"Very well, Lancer Eclipse. It is your children who will suffer for a lack of an education, and you are the one they will blame. Wait here a moment and I'll go fetch their folders."
"And Enos has trouble with his writing sometimes, but Pouncer will help him with that. You should probably teach them in one of the other rooms of the house, so they won't be too comfortable with being at home and will focus on work. If you need desks and supplies, let me know and I will provide all that I can," Eclipse scrawked.
Testament-Blaze bowed and nodded. "I will instruct your children as though they were my own."
Eclipse lay stretched out on the floor of his father's cabin – formerly Shokar's cabin. His Temple robes, his armor and every strip that marked him as a knight were left neatly stacked and folded on the porch. He was clothed only in a pair of pants lent to him by the older Vartan. Gray feathers streaked the edges of his beak, and his left eye still bore the mark of the serpent's attack in the form of a slash where the poison had caused the feathers over the wound to grow out white instead of black. His right ear was notched neatly in half by a lucky swing from an Eeee's sword.
Herbir poured his son a drink from a faceted glass bottle. "Here. It's not alcoholic, in case your Templar vow has something against it."
"Thank you," Eclipse scrawked, pulling himself back up.
The two sat in silence for several minutes until the Lancer finally spoke up. "I've been asked to be the next Champion of Shadows."
"My congratulations," Herbir scrawked dryly.
"I am thinking of turning the offer down." Eclipse set his cup down at his hooved feet, its contents untouched.
The older Vartan raised an eyeridge.
"I am very much torn. The Temple has turned its back upon the knights and are slowly letting us die out, despite all we've done to protect the Temple and protect Rephidim… " Eclipse sighed. "I was granted this vacation to think about the offer and decide."
Herbir snorted, burying his beak in his mug. "Sounding more like your old man every day. How old are you now?"
"I'm turning forty in another couple of holidays."
"And I'm almost sixty now." The elder Vartan nodded. "You don't want to hear my opinion about what I think you should do… but I will say that the people here don't seem to like me as much as they loved you. You could always come back here, you know."
Eclipse traced a talon across the lip of the mug. The skin on his bare arm held several scars and wounds from his countless battles. "There are so many people who dislike the Temple, don't trust the Temple, fear the Temple… and it's because there are corrupt people within it. People with their own agendas, people who only care about what exists in their own little stations and care nothing else for the rest of Rephidim."
Herbir opened his beak to say something in response, but was cut off by a handwave from his son.
"There's more though. What if all of the good and moral people left the Temple? We would be abandoning Rephidim to the corrupt. Even though they bite at us, we keep them at bay because we remain. I wonder what would be the greater act of evil… leaving Rephidim and the Knights to the corruption and abandoning them all, or staying and serving something that cares nothing for us?"
The older Vartan shook his head. "To choose between being treated like dirt, or having your identity and your life back? Such a decision!"
Eclipse balled his hand into a fist. "To choose between the vow I took to protect my family and my country at all costs, or breaking that vow… thus showing that it and my country really meant nothing to me."
Herbir took a deep swig from his mug and spat on the floor. "There's a loose shingle on the roof. It'll rattle all night and keep us awake unless I hammer it down. I'll be back in a little bit; keep the stove going." He grabbed his tool belt and marched outside. Eclipse noticed that his hammer was still lying on the floor.
The Lancer let his head drop. It would be a difficult decision, but he knew ultimately what he would do.
"You wish to what?"
"Secede from Rephidim. Let us go. You are strangling us."
Melchizedek sat down in his chair, eyeing the armored Vartan over the tips of his folded fingers. "This is not a decision for me alone to make, and I doubt that most of the powers that be would approve of us simply setting the most powerful army Rephidim has known free to do whatever it wishes."
The Champion of Shadows paced in front of the Arch Inquisitor's desk. "Then allow us to go someplace else. The Knights will always be there whenever Rephidim calls, but we are being killed off and you know it."
"And where would you go, Sir Shadows?"
"Fetiss. It was originally claimed by the Lancer Thorn before she was murdered. If not there, then maybe Chronotopia, or any place that would take us. I would even suggest Paradys, although I would prefer to know how the inhabitants felt first."
The Arch-Inquisitor's eyes flicked downwards. "We will need time to discuss this, to plan. You will probably not see results as timely as you hope. My hands are quite tied in this matter."
"And my hands are being cut off!" Shadow pounded his fist on the desk to punctuate his point and then promptly drew back, cowed by the glare of the unicorn's eyes. "I'm sorry. But I have lost so many comrades… and it seems as though the Temple does not care. You know this isn't right! We have earned a better reward than this, and you know it."
Melchizedek's gaze did not waver. "People distrust that which they have no control over, Sir Shadow."
"Is that why they also seek to crush the Star? Because they cannot control that as well?"
The unicorn frowned even deeper. "I have told you all I can, and I shall do all I can. We have nothing more to discuss. Good day."
The Champion looked at the Aeonian for a long quiet moment and then snapped off a quick salute and exited out through the cycling door.
