No Solace (The Flames of Retribution - Book 1)

Chapter Two - The Church of St. Perron Renaud

The church of St. Perron Renaud stood about a mile from the center of Sanfelton City where the Imperial Library was located inside the Sanfelton Academy. It was a large, cathedral style church made of gray granite. Large blind arcades decorated the left and right exterior walls and were inset with stained glass that depicted moments in the life of St. Perron. The facade of the church was dominated by an ornate rose window and gilded pilasters. The church and its two bell towers were topped with steep, gabled roofs that shot dagger-like spires to the sky.

Despite its gilt and glamor, it was the least impressive of the churches in the empire, and thus it was my favorite. I never felt like Faluel, the one god of the empire, was impressed by the shinier churches full of gold that could be feeding the bellies of the poor. It was also the closest to my home in the Lows, an area of Sanfelton City that consisted of rickety houses, narrow markets, and dirty streets. My home was in the cleaner area of the Lows, but it was a struggle to keep our place from falling into blight.

Every year, on the first day of Saint Atrize's festival, I lit a candle to my mother who died when I was five. And every year, I found my father was already there, lighting candles not only for Mama, but also for other departed friends.

The smell of old incense and wood wafted towards me as I closed the door. With soft feet, I approached my father, wanting to keep the surprise a little longer.

I threw an arm around his body, startling him. "You beat me yet again."

My father turned with a cry and crushed me to his chest. "Is it really you? It has been months this time!"

I touched my father's still handsome face. At fifty-five, he'd aged beyond his years, but you could still see the square jaw underneath his brown stubble. He was taller than me by about a few inches, which made him smaller than an average Senfeltonian man, but his bowed shoulders took away an inch. His careworn brow was marred with wrinkles and brackets of sorrow bordered his lips.

I tried to smooth away those brackets as he squeezed me harder. "You know I would never miss lighting a candle for Mama. But, Papa, if you keep squeezing me, it may be my last time."

He released me from his powerful embrace. "Ah, I apologize, Solace. I was just so overjoyed, and I am sure the joy of Mama also filled me." He fished a candle from his satchel and handed it to me with a trembling hand. "Here, for you."

I took the candle from his hand and thought of Mama. Neither Mama nor Papa was gifted with aptitudes, but I was proud of them both. Papa was an amazing architect, and Mama had been a renowned painter that even the nobles cherished.

I clutched the candle in my hand as guilty thoughts filled me regarding the woman I thought of as my second mother, Gladys Brightgarden. "Faluel forgive me for profiting from tragedy. I would never seek my fortune this way. My Head Librarian is dead, and it is possible that with Governor Path's help, I will have her position. "

He grabbed my hands and cried, "Gladys is dead?"

It became more real when he said it. My bottom lip slipped between my teeth, and I bit it. I nodded in wordless affirmation.

"A candle for her as well, then."

"Yes." The word trembled in the air, then I cleared my throat. As I recovered my composure, I let him know the other possibility this news brought. "Sanfelton Academy is within my reach - the Head is allowed to attend on scholarship."

As a mere librarian, it had only been a dream. Librarians didn't get their positions from school. They were placed there once they had their aptitudes measured. All my schooling ended when I turned thirteen. To attend school beyond that age took money we didn't have, or the aptitude of a mage, which I didn't want.