Daye (complete)

The Priestess

    "WHO could it possibly be?" Petrouli mumbled.

"Who else could the dark want to control?" Luca wondered.

"There's no one else in the royal family," Orlan muttered.

"But what about the lost princess?" Decide questioned.

Orlan turned to her, surprised. "But- you're not my real sister, are you? And you don't seem possessed in the slightest."

Decide gently touched the red marking on her cheek. "What if I'm not possessed by the darkness- but it's merely sealed inside me?"

"How could it possibly control others like that?" Arren asked.

"It doesn't make much sense," Petrouli added. "But when things are sealed... it is possible for them to break through every now and then when emotions are strong. Like- in the Assassin's Guild dungeons."

"And you think that was the first sign?" Decide said quietly.

Petrouli nodded. "It's very possible. But it doesn't work out completely- the prince and the king were possessed way before you even came to Cyule."

"And I've had this mark ever since I was born," Decide added. "I was born in Cyule, was I not?"

Silence permeated the room.

"Well, there's only one way to test if you're possessed by something dark." Arren started. "And that is to touch something made of pure silver."

"Your sword," Petrouli noticed, "and your necklace! They're both made of silver!"

Decide nodded slowly, then gripped her necklace tightly. "You're right. It causes me no pain. And it's pure silver. Only creatures of the dark are pained by the material- they burn if they touch it."

Something sparked in her memory- of the night of the ball. Someone had touched her pendant- then recoiled, seemingly in pain.

"The High Priestess," Decide realized.

"What?" Orlan sputtered, giving her an outraged look. "What's her eminence have to do with this?" then his face softened. "Oh- do you think she could help us find the source of the darkness?"

"Orlan," Luca said quietly. "I think Decide means to say that the priestess is... the source of the darkness."

Orlan's eyes widened in fear and sudden realization. "You- you- no! It can't be! She's the spokesperson of the gods! Her power is too great! She could never have been possessed!"

"But she's the perfect person to possess." Arren reasoned. "No one would suspect her- she's the all powerful priestess. And- whoever possesses her also gains access to her incredible powers. They could do whatever."

The crown prince-turned-king slumped. "But... but..."

Decide smiled cruelly. "Even if she's not the source, I'm still going to stab her." she twirled her knife in her hand.

Luca just raised an eyebrow at her.

    Orlan led them through the silent castle, to the central tower where the priestess' rooms were. They saw no one, oddly enough. Perhaps the inhabitants of the castle were cowering in its depths, hiding from the monstrous being that threatened the city.

They quickly started up the winding tower staircase, their footsteps echoing on the stone. Every couple steps where a window was placed they could see out into the city, where thick clouds of smoke rose from the houses, and huge craters patterned the landscape. Above all the dark monster towered, almost completely obscuring the sun.