{"sf1_id":618189,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Guns of Legend: Chapter Twelve","author":"ThisAdamGuy","words":3621,"posted_at":"2013-11-25T23:13:00.000Z","tags":["Cowboys","Fantasy","Guns","Indians","Magic","Shotguns","Western","pistols","rifles"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/618189-guns-of-legend-chapter-twelve","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/618189","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=618189\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\nChapter Twelve\n \nThe first view Adlis got of the\nchurch was through the window of the carriage as they raced across the desert. She almost had to lean her head out the\nwindow to see it, but her curiosity managed to overpower her fear. Churches of Embin were by no means rare in\nTassendile, there was even one in the city she'd grown up in, but the priests\nand their followers prided themselves in making each one different. Sometimes they fit a theme the town had,\nother times they were constructed according the architect's whim. The only thing they all had in common was\nthat they were all a sight to behold.\nAdlis sucked in her breath in awe\nas the church became visible on the horizon.\nShe had known it would be extravagant, but she was unprepared for the\nmassive structure that loomed above her now.\nThree stories tall, it stretched long and thin, wrapping around the town\nin a half-circle. The steeple, located\nat the center of the curve, at least doubled the building's height. It wasn't the shape or the size off the\nchurch that impressed her, though- it was what it was made out of. The walls were almost blindingly white in the\nbright desert sun, reflecting the light enough to be seen from over a mile\naway.\nMarble,\nAdlis thought in amazement. The walls are made entirely of marble!\nThe priest, she noticed, was\nregarding her awe with smug a smug expression, quickly reminding the young zik\nthat she was still very much in danger.\nZa sat by her side, still quivering with terror. Kilo was sat at the far end of the seat,\nglowering wordlessly at the priest and his acolytes. The kashni did not seem to mind- he was\nfocused entirely on Adlis.\n\"When we stop,\" he said at last,\n\"you will be the first one out of the carriage.\nDo not try to run, I will have my gun trained on you at all times.\" His eyes narrowed dangerously, \"You will find\nthat my aim is deadly accurate.\"\n\"Yes, sir,\" Adlis agreed with a\nquick bob of her head. If she wanted to\nget through this, she had to convince the priest that she was not his enemy,\nwhich meant that getting him angry was the last thing she should do.\n\"You will be taken to the altar,\"\nhe continued. \"I will summon my\nbrothers, and you will be put on trial.\"\n\"It's not her fault!\" Za blurted\nout, leaning towards the priest in desperation.\n\"She was cursed!\"\n\"Whether or not that is true will\nbe decided therein,\" the priest concluded.\n\"As for you two,\" he motioned towards Za and Kilo, \"should you behave\npeacefully, no harm will come to you.\nYou will be escorted to rooms with beds, and you will remain there until\nthe hearing is over. Afterwards, you\nwill be free to leave, with or without the zik.\"\n\"But...\" Za argued, but Adlis cut him\noff.\n\"No, Za,\" she said, trying to sound\nas brave as she could. \"Don't argue with\nhim. Just do as he says.\"\n\"But it's not your fault!\" the\nsimmk said again.\n\"I know,\" she agreed. \"And these are intelligent men,\" she shot the\npriest a quick glance, hoping her compliment would not be brushed off. \"I believe they'll understand the truth once\nI've told it to them.\"\nBefore anymore could be said, the\ncarriage came to a halt and the door was opened from the outside by yet another\nacolyte, a toola this time.\n\"After you,\" the priest said,\nmotioning towards the door with his gun.\nNodding solemnly, Adlis stood and exited\nthe carriage. The moment she set foot on\nthe ground, she heard a cacophony of voices break out. The area around the church was filled with\npriests and acolytes, and, she quickly realized, her ears were still white with\nfear. She tried desperately to get her\nemotions under control, but failed. She\ninstinctively shrank back, almost able to feel the hard glares all around\nher. Even as she stood there, her ears\ndarkened to an embarrassed shade of red, eliciting even more mutters.\n\"Move,\" the kashni commanded her\nfrom behind, and she forced herself to begin walking. She had no idea where she was supposed to go,\nbut she hoped that the priest wouldn't see her wandering as an attempt to\nescape.\n\"This way,\" he corrected her, and\nshe turned to see him pointing towards a door.\nIt wasn't the main door, which stood large and impressive at the front\nof the church, but a small, out of the way door in the far wall. She nodded quickly and went through it.\nThe hallway was narrow and had a\nlow ceiling, but it was just as ornately decorated as the outside of the\nbuilding. The walls were a dark, bloody\nred, and the floor was made of polished wood.\nCandles had been placed at regular intervals down the hallway to make up\nfor the lack of windows, and paintings of famous priests and prophets long past\nlined the walls.\nSuddenly, as the door slammed shut\nbehind her, Adlis felt alone. Completely\nand utterly alone. Za, the one constant\ncompanion she'd had over this entire journey, had been left outside. He may not have been the most useful friend\nto have, but at least he was a friend. Now\nthat she was inside the church with only this angry priest for company, she\nfound herself longing for anything else.\nEven Kilo's coldhearted hostility would have been welcome.\nAs they moved down the hallway,\nanother acolyte came running to them from the other side.\n\"Father Richard!\" he said quickly.\n\"What is it, Brother Curla?\" the\npriest demanded. \"I'm busy.\"\n\"I just wanted to tell you that a\nzik was found in the desert last night, injured and close to death. A passerby found him and brought him here.\"\nFather Richard arched the scales\nabove his eye, \"And is he in good condition?\"\n\"He is recovering, Father,\" the\nacolyte said.\n\"Good. Then care for his needs until he is ready to\ndepart,\" he said, turning to leave. \"Do\nnot disturb me again, I have very pressing issues to address.\"\nBowing in respect, the acolyte\nhurried away. Before Father Richard\ncould lead Adlis away, though, a door further down the hallway opened, and a\nzik stepped out. He was wearing a long\nblack coat that matched the shade of his fur, and his spurs jangled with every\nstep. He eyed Adlis and the priest\ncoldly as he approached them, and Adlis could not help but notice the rifle\nslung over his back.\n\"Are you the zik that was brought\nhere last night?\" Father Richard asked.\n\"No,\" the zik answered. \"I'm the one who brought him here.\"\nFather Richard bobbed his head, \"My\nthanks to you, friend. But it is\ncustomary for one to remove their hat in the house of Embin.\"\nThe zik's eyes narrowed\ndangerously, and Adlis was shocked to see the kashni take a step\nbackwards. Her ears blanched even\nfurther. Something about this zik was\nnaturally frightening, but she couldn't tell what. Finally, he began to walk again, leaving\nAdlis and Father Richard alone, his hat still placed firmly on his head.\nClearing his throat nervously,\nFather Richard moved a couple of steps ahead of Adlis, still aiming his gun at\nher, and opened another door. This door\nled to a room large enough to hold at least fifty people. Benches had been set up for that exact\npurpose, and at the far end of the room was an elevated platform. Adlis allowed herself to be ushered inside,\nand the kashni sat her down on one of the pews at the front of the room.\n\"Remain here,\" he ordered her,\nheading towards a side door. \"If you try\nto escape, you'll only make things worse for yourself.\"\nBefore she could respond, he went\nthrough the door, slamming it behind him.\nHe needn't have worried about Adlis trying to run. Fear rooted her feet to the floor and her\nbackside to the bench. She squirmed\nanxiously in her seat, wishing the priest would hurry up. He'd only been gone a couple of minutes, but\nit felt like an eternity.\nFinally, the door swung open again,\nand the priest returned, followed by three more priests, all wearing the same\ndark blue robes. In total, there were\ntwo kashnis, a zik, and a fuaro. Behind\nthem scuttled a toola, holding a stack of parchment and a pen. The priests ascended to the platform and\nstood in a row, all staring at Adlis while the toola sat down at a small desk,\nready to take notes.\n\"You now stand trial in the Court\nof the Lord Embin,\" Father Richard declared, his voice swelling with\nself-importance. \"State your name.\"\n\"My name is Adlis,\" the young zik\nanswered, her voice small and weak with fear.\n\"Adlis, you have been charged with\nthe crime of magic,\" the zik priest said.\n\"Father Richard has accused you of enchanting your ears to change color according\nto your emotions.\"\n\"The evidence,\" the second kashni spoke\nup, \"can be clearly seen.\"\nAdlis felt her ears flush red with\nembarrassment.\n\"Adlis,\" Father Richard said, \"are\nyou aware of what the Touchless Law states?\"\n\"That magic must never touch a\nliving body,\" Adlis recited. \"It must\nonly be used through lifeless, inanimate objects.\"\nThe zik eyed her severely, \"The\nchurch of Embin does not approve the use of any magic, yet we begrudgingly\nallow the lawful use of it. You have\nbroken the law, which places you at our mercy.\nIt is obvious that magic has touched you. Your ears give it away. Have you anything to say in your defense?\"\n\"Yes!\" Adlis said, trying to keep\nher voice calm. \"I didn't do this to\nmyself. It was a Cursecaster!\"\nFather Richard glanced at his\nfellow priests, and then turned back to face her, \"Very well, explain how this\nhappened.\"\nAnd so, for the third time in three\ndays, Adlis found herself telling her story.\nShe left out the details about her fiancé and seeking out Kulgan, but\nmade sure to emphasize the part about being struck with the cursed bead. However, when she finished, Father Richard\nlet out a derisive grunt.\n\"Child,\" he growled, \"do you take\nus for fools?\"\n\"I...\" Adlis stuttered, taken aback\nby his reaction.\n\"Did you actually expect us to\nbelieve such a tale?\" the zik added.\n\"There is as much truth to be found in that story as there is water in a\nrock!\"\n\"I believe her,\" the fuaro spoke up\nfor the first time. All eyes turned on\nhim. Adlis felt a small measure of\nrelief when she saw him wearing a kindly smile.\nThe zik sneered at his fellow\npriest, \"Brother Dunma, you would believe a fuaro if they told you they were a\nkashni!\"\nBrother Dunma shrugged indifferently,\n\"Regardless, Brother Kekata, I believe she is telling the truth.\"\nIt was a small victory, but Adlis\ncould feel her ears turn a dark, rich brown as relief poured through her. She knew it was foolish to allow herself to\nfeel as such now, as only one of the four priests had taken her side, but she\ncouldn't help it. Perhaps Brother Dunma\nwould be able to change the others' minds.\nFather Richard's eyes narrowed at\nthe fuaro, \"I think you are stalling, Brother Dunma, and I do not appreciate\nit. I wish to end this trial quickly!\"\nAgain, Brother Dunma shrugged, \"It\ndoes not matter what you want, Father Richard.\nI have spoken my view on the matter, and I refuse to back down on\nit. Unless you want to resign your own\naccusations, a short trial is simply not possible.\"\nFather Richard bared his teeth\nangrily, \"I will not back down!\"\n\"Then we will meet in private and\ndiscuss the matter away from prying ears.\" Brother Dunma said coolly. He shot an encouraging glance at Adlis, \"And\nuntil we have done so, no sentence may be passed upon this young lady.\"\nFather Richard and the other\npriests glowered at Brother Dunma, but did not argue.\n\"Take her away!\" the second kashni\nordered. \"We will send for her when we\nare ready to pass judgment!\"\nWordlessly, a pair of acolytes\nrushed in. These ones were burlier than\nthe others, she noticed as they each took one of her shoulders and led her back\ninto the hallway. They were surprisingly\ngentle with her as they went, guiding her past door after door, causing her to\nwonder if most of the residents took after Father Richard and Brother Kekata,\nor Brother Dunma. She desperately hoped\nit was the latter.\n\"LET ME OUT!\" a voice thundered\nfrom up ahead, startling Adlis out of her thoughts.\nShe could hear one of the doors\nbeing beaten hard enough to rattle its hinges, but it did not give way.\n\"I WANT MY PENDANT!\" The voice\nsounded pitifully desperate and needy- and somewhat familiar.\n\"He's been doing that all morning,\"\none of the acolytes said.\n\"He's in pretty bad shape,\" said\nthe other. \"He'll hurt himself even more\nif he keeps it up.\n\"I'm sorry,\" Adlis said, hoping\nthey wouldn't take offense to her speaking to them, \"but who's in there?\"\n\"A zik someone found out in the\ndesert,\" the first acolyte answered. \"If\nyou ask me, he's probably a Twister.\"\n\"That would explain why he's crying\nfor his pendant,\" the second one agreed.\n\"If he is, then he'll be the next\none on trial.\"\nA Twister, Adlis thought? Could it Kulgan? What were the odds that the bounty hunter had\nbeen taken to the exact same church she had?\n\"PLEASE!\" Whoever was on the other\nside of the door screamed, sounding very unlike Kulgan. \"I'LL DO ANYTHING!\"\nThe door they were walking past\ngave a loud bang, making Adlis jump, but it remained closed.\n\"Don't worry,\" one of the acolytes\nsaid. \"He's not getting out of there any\ntime soon.\"\nThey selected a room further down\nthe hallway, where the other resident's shouts were barely audible.\n\"You'll stay in here,\" her escort\ntold her, opening the door. \"One of us\nwill be out here, so just knock if you need anything.\"\nAdlis hesitated before going in,\n\"Do you usually treat your captives like guests?\"\nThe acolyte avoided her gaze.\n\"Not all of us are like Richard and\nKekata,\" he said sheepishly. \"Even\nthough they tell us we should be.\"\nAdlis nodded, \"Thank you. I appreciate it.\"\nShe went into her room, and the\ndoor was closed behind her. The room was\nsurprisingly homely, with a bed, a washbasin, and even a mirror. She went up to the mirror, and was startled\nby what she saw looking back at her. Her\nfur was filthy and matted together, and her dress was a far cry from the\nbeautiful garment she had left her home in.\nNow it was in tatters, and had several stains in it. Adlis looked, she concluded, very\nunladylike. She considered filling the\nwashbasin with water and cleaning herself off, but thought better of it. There was no telling when one of the priests\nwould come barging through the door. If\nthe thought of Kulgan looking for her tail was embarrassing, it would be\nnothing compared to being caught bathing.\nBesides, the bed looked far more inviting at the moment. Crossing the room swiftly, she collapsed into\nit, dress and all, and was soon asleep.\n \n\u003c\u003e\u003c\u003e\u003c\u003e\u003c\u003e\u003c\u003e \n \nAdlis had no idea how long she'd\nbeen asleep when a sharp rapping came at her door. She sat upright, heart pounding. If she were being disturbed, that surely\nmeant the priests were done discussing her fate.\nShe stood up slowly, her legs\nfeeling like they would collapse underneath her out of fear, and she crossed\nthe room to the door.\n\"Yes?\" she asked tentatively.\n\"Madame, are you decent?\" a voice\non the other end asked.\n\"Yes,\" she answered, though she\nwasn't quite sure she would really be decent until she had a good wash.\nThe door swung open, and Brother\nDunma stood on the other end, flanked by the two kind acolytes from\nearlier. His gentle smile was gone,\nreplaced with worry lines.\n\"I take it you and the others have\ndecided what will happen to me?\" she asked, trying to keep the quiver out of\nher voice.\n\"They have,\" Brother Dunma\nsaid. \"They will be down shortly to take\nyou away.\"\nAdlis' heart sank into her\nstomach. So, they had ordered her to be\nexecuted after all...\n\"We must make haste if we want to\nget you away before they show up,\" Brother Dunma said. \"Come with me.\"\nWith that, he turned and bustled\naway. Adlis stared at him, watching him\ngo, unable to comprehend this new turn of events. After a few steps, he realized she was not\nbehind him and returned to the door.\n\"Madame,\" he said again, \"we do not\nhave much time. Please, hurry!\"\n\"You're letting me go?\" she asked,\nstunned.\nDunma nodded, \"I may love my\nbrothers, but I fear they have become too... enthusiastic about their duties of\neliminating magic users. I do not\nbelieve you cast that spell on your ears yourself, and I think it would be\nwrong to allow you to be executed because of it.\"\n\"But...\" Adlis stuttered, \"Won't you\nget in trouble?\"\nBrother Dunma pointed to the two\nacolytes behind him, \"Differ and Liew will continue to stand guard outside your\ndoor. When Richard and the others come\nto retrieve you, they will pretend to have no idea where you've gone. It will be as if you've magicked yourself\naway!\"\nAdlis slowly nodded. The plan made sense, but...\n\"What about my friends?\" she\nasked. \"The simmk and the fuaro?\"\nDunma hesitated, and then nodded,\n\"I will let them know what has happened after you've left. I'll tell them where to find you.\"\nAdlis nodded again, and this time\nshe followed when Dunma turned to lead her away. He led her back up the hallway she'd come\nthrough before, walking as fast as he could.\nAdlis jumped at every noise, convinced it was Richard or Kekata coming\nto get her. She was so frightened that\nshe'd completely forgotten about the zik down the hallway.\n\"LET ME OUT! PLEASE!\" the voice screamed at them, beating\non the doorway with renewed vigor. \"I\nNEED MY PENDANT!\"\nAdlis froze where she stood. Dunma turned and urgently motioned for her to\ncontinue following him. She hesitated,\nand then leaned in closer to the door.\n\"Kulgan?\" she asked softly, hoping\nher voice would carry through the wood.\n\"Is that you?\"\nFor a few moments, there was\nsilence. Then, a voice crept through the\ndoor, much quieter than it had been before.\n\"Who's that?\" it asked weakly. \"You know me?\"\n\"It's me, Adlis!\" she\nanswered. \"I tried to hire you back in\nEverdry!\"\n\"Everdry?\" the voice echoed, as if\ntrying to recall what such a word might mean.\n\"You mean the pretty girl without a tail?\"\nAdlis gasped and stood up straight\nin indignation. Even now, he was\nthinking about her tail?\n\"No, wait,\" he said, correcting\nhimself. \"That was your friend.\"\nAdlis felt herself relax a bit at\nthis.\n\"What are you doing here?\" he\nasked, finally.\n\"The priests caught me out in the\ndesert,\" she answered. \"They brought me\nhere to put me on trial.\"\nAgain, there was silence for a few\nmoments, and then Kulgan spoke again, desperately hopeful, \"Do you have my\npendant?\"\n\"No,\" she answered, \"I'm sorry.\"\n\"GIVE ME MY PENDANT!\" the zik\nroared in fury, making Adlis stumble backwards in fright. He began beating on the door once again,\nthough it still showed no signs of giving in.\n\"GIVE IT TO ME! I WANT IT! I NEED IT!\"\n\"We have to go!\" Brother Dunma\nhissed, grabbing Adlis by her arm.\n\"Now!\"\n\"But he's my friend!\" she\nprotested. \"I can't just leave him\nhere.\"\n\"I'm afraid it's more than my life\nis worth to help a Twister escape,\" he argued.\n\"Now come, he's going to attract too much attention.\"\nReluctantly, Adlis allowed the old\nFuaro to lead her away. All the way down\nthe hall, Kulgan's pitiful cries echoed in her ears. Whatever had happened to him while they were\napart, he was obviously no longer the cool, coldhearted bounty hunter she'd met\nin Everdry.\nBrother Dunma took Adlis down a\nhallway she hadn't been in before, which led them to a door. He opened it, pushing her out of the church\nand into the desert night once again.\n\"Everyone else is busy inside the\nchurch,\" he explained in a hurry, \"so nobody should see you leave. Get out of town as quickly as you can without\nattracting unwanted attention. Do you\nsee that bluff in the distance?\" She\nturned and noted its location. It looked\nlike it was roughly a mile out of town.\n\"I have a friend who lives in a\ncabin at its base,\" the fuaro continued.\n\"Go there, and tell him I sent you.\nHe'll let you hide there until your friends come to find you.\"\nAdlis nodded her understanding, and\nthen turned to face the old priest again.\n\"Thank you,\" she said. \"From the bottom of my heart, thank you for\ndoing this for me. I wish I could repay\nyou.\"\nA hint of the smile he'd worn\nearlier reappeared on his face, \"No thanks are needed, Madame. I am only doing what I believe Embin would\nwant.\"\n\"Thank you,\" she said again as she\nturned to leave, wondering just how she could possibly express the gratitude\nshe felt. And then she ran, leaving\nBrother Dunma and the church of Embin behind."}