Trident

Faith

“Oh, dear God above, she has the eyes and the hair…” the High Bishop suddenly realizes. “Why didn’t anyone tell me she has the eyes and the hair!” The High Bishop stands up straight to his full height, and takes an unintentional, clearly terrified step back.

The whole court takes another frightened step back away from Storm. Including her guards. This pleases Storm immensely.

“What do you mean, the eyes and the hair?” the King asks, confused. “What difference do her hair and eyes make?”

“A very big difference indeed, Your Majesty…” the High Bishop begins. “You see… The Trident eats up anyone who touches it. No normal person can handle that much… what is it… Power? Energy? Information, perhaps? It destroys its carrier quickly. Wears them out within two weeks. But every now and then a child is born with silver eyes and black curls, and if that child gets to touch the Trident, it’s a whole different situation entirely!”

“Different how?” the King demands.

“I should’ve been informed of such a child at birth… We've grown too lax. It’s been so long since this last happened… Centuries, in fact, but we still should’ve kept a watch…”

“What is the Trident?!” the king barks. “Explain it. Now!”

“Your Majesty, I…” the High Bishop starts, pauses to look hesitantly at Storm, who nods her head more regal than the King himself, granting the High Bishop permission to speak of the Trident in the presence of the Trident.

The king does not miss seeing this, and cannot help but feel slighted in his own court. Yet his desire to learn more about the Trident overweighs his affront. For the moment, at least. He must know what they are all facing.

“I feel I must begin the story of the Trident from a very long time ago, Your Majesty. From before the time our people settled upon this world, even,” the High Bishop begins again. “I must ask the King and court to kindly have patience, and have faith that both my words and my behavior so far today will come to make sense in due course of time.”

“Go on,” says the King, feeling most magnanimous, though anything but truly patient. He simply acknowledges the fact there is no way to make the High Bishop get to the point of the story any faster than he will.

“As everyone knows, we, our people, our customs, our traditions, our beliefs, our religion, indeed, our very faith, were all born in a different world and brought here by our ancestors…”