I wrote this short story as a final paper for my English class last year. My teacher really seemed to like it: I got a 100. I wanted to see if other people liked it, as well. Also, I've thought about expanding it, and making this its own full story. The characters were interesting to write, and I'd love to develop them more... but only if people would like to see more of them. Also, forgive me if there are any errors. There's only so much a person can catch. ^^'

Double-Dealing

Today is a big day. The new High Priestess has been inducted. It’s amazing, to have one as young as she is. Eighteen years old, and so dedicated to the church and her country! It will be nice to run the country with someone like her…someone with a young mind to manipulate. Yes, the new High Priestess will be a great addition to my kingdom…our kingdom.

***

All that could be heard from outside the new High Priestess’ window was the noise rising from the crowd of people that had gathered to greet her. Arms wove, mouths cheered, and bright eyes stared. They all adored their new High Priestess, their savior. And they all expected to see a divine figure standing there, accepting their praises. Instead, all they saw was a mask of deceit; a killer was hidden inside that sweet, innocent, alluring face that had a smile that could make anyone melt, and those bright blue eyes. And none of the people in that large crowd knew her secret, which is exactly how she planned it.

The High Priestess smiled her wide, innocent smile, as she wove to greet her adoring public. Her bright blue eyes wavered as she thought back to her mission. Get in, find your target, and get out. Those words, the words that her master had told her day in and day out, almost haunted her. She had gone through weeks of training to become the High Priestess… and she had loved it. Before that, she had learned to be a regular priestess… she loved that too. But the training she had learned in her years before that, training as an assassin, was what she was supposed to do with the rest of her life. She wasn’t really meant to be the High Priestess of Atia. And she was kind of ashamed of how she became the High Priestess.

A tentative knock on the door to her room startled the High Priestess out of her train of thought. “Yes?” She asked politely, as was expected of the High Priestess.

The door was lightly pushed open, and a blonde haired woman poked her head through the cracked door. “High Priestess,” she said shyly, “I’m here to escort you to see His Highness. He has wished to have your presence in his dining hall, so that he may hold a grand feast in your honor. The High Priest will be there, also, to congratulate you on your position.”

The High Priestess nodded her head ever so slightly. “Will His Majesty will give me a moment to prepare?” She requested.

The blonde smiled and gave her approval. She closed the door to the Priestess’ room to allow her to prepare. The High Priestess meandered along her room, searching for what she needed. She hadn’t expected the King to extend his warm welcomes on her very first day. It kind of startled her; but she wouldn’t fail.

She changed out of her ceremonial robes into something formal, something that would impress the King: a flowing blue Priestess’ robe, with a wide white tie-belt around the waist. She wanted to look formal enough for the King, with the modesty that a High Priestess was to exude, without looking like she was trying too hard. The sleeves of the robe were long enough to hide her entire arm, and then some. The ends of the sleeves flowed elegantly to the floor. She had her long ebony hair pulled back at the base of her neck, then tied up in a neat, simple bun. The High Priestess smiled to herself, thinking about what she would do when she met the King for the first time.

The High Priestess then wandered over to the bags she had carried in to accommodate herself to her new room. She took a small vial out of one of the bags, inspected it, and smiled and nodded to herself while she hid it inside the folds of her belt. She hadn’t been planning on taking any action tonight, but if the opportunity presented itself, she would take it.

She pushed open the door and jumped slightly when she saw the blonde woman still standing there. The blonde woman perked up and smiled brightly. “If you would follow me, High Priestess…”

The High Priestess smiled and hid her hands inside of her sleeves, formally. “You may call me by my name… It’s Azriel.”

The blonde woman peered back shyly. “O-Okay, Azriel… My name is Amaya.”

Azriel smiled her innocent smile again, making her bright blue eyes crinkle ever so slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amaya.”

Amaya led the way through the church to the castle, making idle conversation. She had been so excited to meet the new High Priestess. When they reached the door that led to the castle, Amaya turned around to look at the Azriel. “This is where I have to leave you, unfortunately. I am not personally invited to the castle for your feast.”

The raven haired woman frowned slightly. “That is a shame,” she said, “because I was looking forward to having someone interesting at the feast to talk to. I won’t know anybody there.”

The blonde’s face grew bright. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that! The King has appointed me as your assistant. The only reason I’m not invited to the feast is because I have to finish cleaning up your room. You came earlier than expected. Besides, the High Priest has been very interested in meeting you.” She beamed.

Azriel could only laugh quietly. “I’m sorry about coming early. I was called into training when the previous High Priestess was…when she died. I finished my High Priestess training early,” She said quietly, while glancing at the door that led to the castle.
“I’m sure that having you as my assistant will be a pleasant experience for both of us.” Unless she had to kill her, of course. Azriel began hoping that Amaya wasn’t hired by the King to spy on her. She was told to look out for those sneaky enough to get to where she was. But, she began to get a little disappointed. Azriel wanted at least one companion during her mission that she could trust.

Azriel pushed open the door into the castle and was surprised to find that it only led to a dark corridor. She wandered through, memorizing every crack and dent in the floors and walls. She wanted to familiarize herself with everything inside the castle as quickly as possible, in case she ever needed to make a quick escape. When she came to another door, she took a deep breath and pushed it open.

This door led to the entrance hall of the castle. Azriel glanced around at all of the glamorous tapestries and carpets that the king had bought to decorate his hall with. The tapestries were lined with a rich gold color, and the carpets were a deep hue of royal purple. She was disgusted with everything she saw. Nevertheless, Azriel continued on, with her hands still hidden inside her sleeves, until she saw a maid in the hall. “Excuse me, miss?” She said quietly.

The maid quickly turned on her heels and smiled widely. “Oh, High Priestess! If you’ll follow me I can lead you to the banquet hall. They’re all waiting for you!”

Azriel gave a fake embarrassed smile. “I may have gotten lost. His Majesty must excuse me for being new.”

The maid could only laugh. “Don’t worry; I’ve gotten lost before too. You’ll soon learn your way around the castle.” She made a motion with her hands, a signal for the High Priestess to follow her, and started walking through another door.

Azriel followed after her, trying to lengthen her stride to keep up with the other woman. The maid sure could move quickly! She had to follow the maid through numerous halls, all decorated with rich statues, paintings, or tapestries. It upset her, finally seeing where all of her people’s money had been going. The King was living in extreme luxury, while his kingdom and its people were falling to pieces.

When the two women finally made it to the banquet hall, everyone turned to look at them. The maid curtsied, becoming embarrassed, then turned on her heels and went out of the room. Azriel stood in the archway awkwardly, until the King stretched out his jewel-covered hands in welcome. She gave a little curtsey, keeping her arms safely hidden in her sleeves, then glided into the banquet hall.

The King grinned wide, showing his marvelously white teeth. “Welcome, High Priestess Azriel Demona!” The small crowd, filled with men and women of all ages (all highly decorated with rich jewels and clothing), seated at the table cheered. “These are only some my lords and ladies. We all wished that would come join us for a feast in your honor.” He motioned to the young man standing next to him. The young man was probably only two years older than Azriel, who was eighteen, and had dirty blonde hair with the biggest and most alluring green eyes she had ever seen. “This is the High Priest of our Church of Megara, Tobias Levin. You will be working very closely with him in the church and castle.”

Tobias, the High Priest, gave a slight nod before walking over to greet Azriel himself. He held out his hand politely for a handshake. Azriel glanced at it, appearing nervous, before taking his hand in a handshake. The High Priest smiled. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the new High Priestess.”

Azriel’s cheeks started to turn a light shade of red. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, High Priest. I look forward to working with you.” She stared right into his beautiful green eyes as she spoke, worrying that she would melt if she kept staring at them for much longer. She also wondered if they held any knowledge of the deception that was occurring in his own church.

Tobias let go of Azriel’s hand, and led her to one of the chairs that was beside the King’s. He pulled out her seat, as was expected, then went to go sit at his own chair next to the King. Azriel snuck a glance over at the King’s wine glass – it was already half empty, and the feast hadn’t even begun. She was disgusted.

Soon, the maids started bringing out the first courses, which consisted of cuts of lamb with a crisp, green salad. Before everyone started eating, the King stood and held his wine glass up for a toast. Nobody in the room except for Azriel seemed to notice that it was almost empty. “I propose a toast to the new High Priestess! We look forward to her services in the church and country.”

“Here here!” The lords and ladies yelled. Once everyone toasted, the feast began. Azriel watched everyone very carefully as they ate, trying to read into the meanings of their words, reading into their body language and facials expressions, even reading into exactly how they ate their food. She wanted to know who she could trust, and who she should watch out for.

She was startled out of her concentration when the King whispered in her ear. “Excuse me?” she asked quietly, having not heard him.

“I said, would you like to come up to my bedchambers after the feast? I would like to, uh, personally congratulate you on your new position.”

Azriel grimaced in her mind, but gave a fake embarrassed smile. “Your Majesty, that wouldn’t be very proper. You know the High Priestess is not allowed to have those special relations,” she whispered back to him.

The King reached a hand under the table to touch her leg. “I believe you could make one tiny exception for me?”

The High Priestess quickly pulled her leg away from his grip and stared at her plate. “I’m sorry, your Majesty, but that would be very inappropriate. And I very much don’t find you attractive.” She whispered harshly.

The King pulled his hand away and clenched it into a fist. He looked away and started talking calmly to one of his lords that sat nearby. The High Priest, on the other hand, leaned back in his chair and peered at Azriel. “Pst.” He whispered.

She ignored him.

“Pst!” He whispered again.

Azriel rolled her eyes slightly, then leaned back in her chair to look at him. “What?” She said quietly.

“What was that all about?”

She had to look away from Tobias’ curious gaze. His green eyes were marvelously bright, and she didn’t want to jeopardize anything by being tempted to fall for him because of them. “It was nothing. His Majesty just wished to congratulate me again.” She lied.

Tobias sighed and continued with his meal. Azriel, the King, and Tobias all ate quietly, each remaining silent out of curiosity of what had been said. When the feast was over, everyone in the banquet hall bowed or curtsied politely before leaving the three leaders of the country alone. Azriel bowed her head, hiding her hands in her sleeves once again. “It was a pleasure meeting you both,” she said quietly, “but I must go back to my bedchambers.” She glanced at the King while she said it. “I have to get ready for my very first sermon tomorrow.”

Tobias raised his hand. “I can take you back to the church; my bedchambers are near yours.”

Her face tightened slightly into a fake smile. More temptation. “Okay… We will walk together then.” She took her hands out of her sleeves to wave happily to the King. “I hope to see you at my sermon tomorrow, your Highness.”

The King hesitated for a moment. It was known throughout the kingdom that he wasn’t very religious, and never attended any church functions, even though the Church of Megara was the second highest in official rule of the country (Megara was the Goddess that had created the earth; she also created the royal bloodline, appointed the High Priests and Priestesses, and watched over the kingdom from the skies). The King gave yet another of his marvelous teeth-baring smiles. “For you, I will make it to your sermon.”

Azriel’s lips curved in a devious smile. “I thank you, your Majesty. You will not be disappointed.”

Azriel walked next to Tobias through the church quietly, deep in her thoughts. First of all, she didn’t want to look at him and his beautiful green eyes. Second of all, she had to plan out what she would do tomorrow. After her sermon tomorrow, she would- “the King…”

She shook her thoughts away. “Excuse me?”

Tobias glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “I said, you are certainly brave for disrespecting the King.”

The High Priestess held her head high, crossing her arms elegantly in front of herself. “I do not believe that I was disrespecting him. I was just merely inviting him to my first sermon… even though I know he isn’t religious.”

The High Priest shook his head sadly. “The King scolded me for it. He said I should have met you sooner so I could have warned you about his lack of faith.”

“The King should have the decency to congratulate me by appearing at my first sermon,” She said angrily.

Tobias took a few steps ahead of her, then stooped and turned around to look at her. “You, with all of the rest of our people, know that the King has no decency. All of us would rather he died.”

Azriel smiled wickedly. “You don’t know the half of it, High Priest.” The High Priest knew nothing about her group of assassins. Nothing. Nobody but the people involved in the group knew anything. Whenever someone wanted someone else dead and the group got wind of it, which they always did because they had eyes in the shadows and ears in the wind, they took care of it. Spending their time training, learning stealth…that was what they did until their time came.

The High Priestess shifted her gaze toward Tobias’ eyes, which were shining in the dull candle light from the wall, and rested her hand against the cold corridor wall in front of the door that led to her bedchambers. “What about you? Are you one of the people that want the King dead?” She turned to look at her door when it opened. The blonde woman, Amaya, was peering out of the doorway, her curiosity about the voices getting the better of her.

Tobias stared at the ground, ignoring the young priestess. “I have no comment for that. “

Azriel clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth as she walked inside her door, with Amaya blushing and backing out of the way. “Shame on you, High Priest. Wanting the King dead.”

Early the next morning, Azriel watched from her podium as faithful followers filed into the church. She hid her hands inside the sleeves of her long robe again. Her robe today was the traditional Church white robe, with a wide purple, blue and green belt that had strips coming off of it to hang with the length of the robe. This time she was playing with a small dagger she had hidden inside her sleeves. She would be ready for when the King showed up.

It was time for the High Priestess to start her sermon, but the King still hadn’t shown up. And she found it weird that Tobias, the High Priest, had not been there either. She sighed deeply and took her hands out of her sleeves, carefully leaving the dagger safe. “It is a proud moment to have all of you here today for my very first sermon. The Goddess will be very pleased--”

“High Priestess!” Someone yelled, interrupting Azriel’s speech. In ran a little messenger boy, no more than twelve, from the castle. “High Priestess, I hate to disrupt your first sermon, but the King has fallen ill! He’s requested your presence immediately…”

Azriel couldn’t help but looked as shocked as everyone else in the room. “E-excuse me? The King is dying?”

The boy shook his head. “He is only ill… but his doctor has said it could be fatal.”

The High Priestess shook her head as well. “That is… unbelievable.” Unless she could get to the King and kill him before the illness did, she was no longer needed… She had to go. “Excuse me, everyone. I must go see the King.”

Her faithful followers all cheered at her sympathy. They all disapproved of the King, but were willing to put up with him for the Church and their saviors.

Azriel stepped off her preaching pedestal and hurried over to where the messenger was standing. She hid her hands inside her sleeve again, trying to look as formal as possible, as the messenger boy led her back to the castle.

She fumbled with the dagger inside her sleeves as she walked towards the King’s bedchambers; she wasn’t ready to assassinate the King just yet. She had already had it planned out- she would get to know him, find out his strengths and his weaknesses, find out his sense of morals (if he had any), find out the reasons behind his lack of faith, then find some easy way to kill him without it being obvious. But she decided that this could work just as well. If it were possible, she would grab her vial of poison and just slip it into the King’s drink. Everyone would think that his death was caused by the illness, not some mastermind group of assassins. She didn’t want anyone to know her secret. Not yet.

She hurried after the messenger boy, who had just gone into the King’s bedchamber. When she entered the room she stopped dead in her tracks, horrified. The King was lying in his bed, looking as pale as the moon, with his hands curled up and shriveled behind his head. Azriel covered her mouth with her hands. “Your Majesty!” she exclaimed.

The King looked up, his eyes clouded over. “High Priestess?” he questioned, looking around the room for her. He reached out with a crippled hand toward the High Priest, who stepped away.

The only woman in the room was Azriel. She nodded, not that the King could see, and stepped forward cautiously. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to get close enough to him to kill him without getting ill herself. “Your Majesty, I’m at the door. I’m extremely sorry you’ve fallen ill… It must be the Goddess’ will.”

“Don’t preach to me, woman,” The King hissed, “everyone knows I’m not religious.”

Azriel bowed her head. “I’m sorry, your Majesty, but I believe that may be the reason. You’ve been shirking your responsibilities as the true King, spending your people’s money on yourself instead of the country. The Church has become their last salvation, and there’s almost nothing we can do besides preach to them and try to help them through your barbaric rule. In all honesty, your Highness, you make me sick!”

The King fell completely silent, as did the rest of the room. Azriel huffed in annoyance. Then, Tobias spoke up. “The High Priestess is right, your Highness. You’re a disgrace as a King.”

Azriel’s lips curved up triumphantly. “You don’t deserve to continue being King, your Highness.”

The King glared right at her. “How dare you say that? I’m the rightful King of this country!”

Following up Azriel’s idea, Tobias said, “No, you’re not. The rightful King would honor his people, and their lives, instead of taking advantage of them.”

The High Priestess lifted her head higher. “High Priest, we should just leave.” She said, and turned to walk out of the door. She held her hands in her sleeves, nervously playing with the dagger. It certainly looked like the King was going to die within a few days’ time. What would she do?

She walked down the corridor, pondering what would happen when the King did die. It would be as if her mission was over… even if she wasn’t the one who had killed him. But then, what would happen to her? She’d probably go back to the group, and…

“High Priestess! High Priestess!” Tobias yelled, running to catch up to her. “Do you think you’ll be able to finish your sermon?”

Azriel sighed and hung her head. “I’m not sure I can,” she said. She peered back up at the High Priest, making her blue eyes shine alluringly at him. “High Priest… do you think you could for me?”

Tobias began blushing and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Oh, um… sure. Anything for a member of the church,” he blurted out. He wasn’t used to anybody looking at him like that. It was kind of exciting.

She began smiling and touched a hand to his cheek warmly. “Thank you very much.”

He could only blush a deeper shade of red and move away from her hand. It was icy cold, but made his skin burn. “It’s not a problem, High Priestess,” he said and walked off in a hurry. Azriel tilted her head curiously, wondering what she did, until she realized she had touched him. She chastised herself for doing such a thing, and burst into her room.

Later that day, Azriel started pacing around her bedchambers while Amaya watched nervously. “Is something bothering you, High Priestess?” she questioned.

The High Priestess groaned and fell to her bed. “I don’t know what to do…”

Amaya started playing nervously with a strand of her blonde hair as she walked closer to the High Priestess’ bed. “Um, excuse me… You don’t know what to do about what?”

The raven haired woman huffed and covered her eyes with her arm. “It’s none of your concern, Amaya… but thank you for asking.”

The blonde smiled and pushed the strand of hair she had been playing with behind her ear. “I only want to help you, High Priestess,” she said timidly. She wanted to appear timid and safe. She rested her hand on her belt loosely.

“That’s an endearing thought, Amaya, but I don’t believe you could help with this. Nobody can.”

“If it’s about the King,” Amaya offered, “you shouldn’t worry. His cousin will take the throne, since he was stupid and didn’t have any sons.” She sauntered closer to the other woman, pulling a knife from behind her belt, and began whispering. “We all wanted him dead anyway. His illness is a blessing.”

Azriel tried to smile, still covering her eyes. “Thanks for the comfort, Amaya. I’m glad I have a friend in here.”

The blonde froze in confusion and dropped her knife. She couldn’t… no, wouldn’t, kill someone who referred to her as a friend. She then bent down and picked up her knife before the High Priestess could notice anything was wrong, and stuffed it back into hiding in her belt.

Azriel sat up on her bed and looked at Amaya. “I heard that. For being an assassin, you’re not very sneaky…”

Amaya gasped and covered her face. “I-I’m not…” she sighed, giving up the disguise. “When our group heard the King had fallen ill, we knew that your mission couldn’t be completed. No one is allowed to get any closer to the King except for his royal doctor, which means even you, the High Priestess, can’t go near him. You can’t carry out your mission, which means you are no longer useful to use.”

The High Priestess frowned and stood up, pacing once again. “You must be from a different sect?” she questioned and turned to look at Amaya. Amaya nodded and Azriel continued, “I figured as much… I’ve never seen you in any training sect I’ve been to.”

The blonde smiled and held herself high. “I’ve been training for five years. The group sent me here ahead of you to get in good with the church, then watch you when you got to your position.”

Azriel’s lips curved. “I’ve been training since I was five,” she said quietly, and in an instant she was behind Amaya, holding her own knife at her throat. Amaya gasped in amazement at how quick it had happened, at how Azriel had been able to steal the knife in her belt and hold it at her throat. Amaya raised her hands to Azriel’s arm, but Azriel wouldn’t move. “I’m sorry I have to do this, Amaya… I really did think of you as a friend.”

Amaya’s eyes went wide, and then she saw nothing.

Azriel frowned as she walked into the Church’s dining hall. She really didn’t want to do that to Amaya (and she now knew that wasn’t her real name, but an alias), but it had to be done for her safety’s sake. It was either kill...Or be killed. And she loved her new ‘job’ as the High Priestess.

When she sat down at a lonely table in the corner, and rested her head on her palm, she closed her eyes to think. She didn’t want to give up being the High Priestess, but she didn’t want to give up being an assassin, either. She loved doing both things, which was awkward in a sense. Either way, it was lose-lose any way she looked at it.

“Excuse me, High Priestess?” She heard. She looked up to see Tobias sitting across from her, his green eyes only half as bright as they were before. “Do you know where Amaya went?”

Azriel froze for only a split second then shook her head. “I have no idea. She said something about going into town for something?”

Tobias nodded and glanced to both sides, to make sure no one was listening, then leaned forward and whispered, “I know she’s not in town. No one has seen her since this morning, when she went to visit your bedchambers. We in the church think it was the King’s doing. You dishonored and disrespected him, and he wanted to take you out… but his person got Amaya instead.”

The raven haired woman faked a gasp. “No!” She squeaked out. It was better for them to think that the King was behind it anyway, because when the King died no one would be able to deny and disprove that that wasn’t what had happened to Amaya.

The High Priest sighed sadly. “She was a joy to have in the church. She will be truly missed.”

Azriel frowned and took Tobias’ hand and held it gently. “I’m deeply sorry for the loss. Tonight, should we hold a memorial in her honor?”

Tobias shook his head lightly. “No, we don’t want to drag more attention to this until we’re completely sure that that is what happened.”

“But how could you figure out that’s what happened when the King is dying? No one can get near him besides his doctor.”

The High Priest tapped a finger to his chin, thinking. Once he realized his other hand was still being held onto by Azriel, he quickly pulled it away and blushed. “I’m sorry, High Priestess… I should go. I have a sermon to prepare for.”

Azriel smiled and blushed. “I could help you prepare?” she asked.

“That would be very nice of you, High Priestess…. Thank you.” Tobias smiled.

After the sermon had ended, Tobias escorted Azriel back to her bedchambers for the night. They walked quietly in the church corridors, each of them lost in their own thoughts. When they finally reached the door to Azriel’s bedchambers, Tobias turned to look at her and said, “It’s been a pleasure working with you tonight, High Priestess. I’m glad you decided to help with my sermon.”

Azriel laughed quietly. “It was the least I could do, since I had to ask you to finish mine earlier. And it certainly was a pleasure working with you too, High Priest; but you can call me Azriel. We will be working close together in the future, as the King said, and I’d like to disregard a certain level of formality. So, Tobias, will you call me by name?”

Tobias started glancing away while rubbing his arm nervously. “I can try. I’ve been raised to follow that formality all my life. I can’t just give it up that easily, High Priestess.”

The High Priestess nodded and started to push open her doorway saying, “Well, I can wait, High Priest.”

A few days later, the two officials of the church buried the King in the royal cemetery. During the time between learning of the King’s illness and his burial, several attempts had been made on Azriel’s life. Whether it was by poison or dagger or even hexes, it was thwarted. The High Priestess was still standing.

However, after the burial, Azriel came up with a splendid idea to avoid her death. The trick is that she wouldn’t avoid it at all…she would invite it.

“Tobias, I need you to get everyone who isn’t corrupted out of the church and castle.” Azriel said eagerly when she met with the High Priest.

Tobias rubbed the back of his neck. “Do I want to know why you’re asking this of me, Azriel?” He had gotten more comfortable calling her by name.

Azriel shook her head. “No, no, you don’t, but I just want to get everyone out of the church for a little while… Have everyone safely, and calmly, evacuated for me in about… three hours?”

The High Priest sighed. “Yes, I will.”

The High Priestess’s lips curved in a smile. “Thank you, Tobias!”

Azriel had changed out of her robes and into something that let her move more easily. After everyone was safely out of the church and castle, she started lying little lines of oil that she had collected all through the corridors.

Earlier that day Azriel had gone to her group’s building, during their known training hours, and left them a note that said: “If you want to kill me as badly as I know you want to, come to the church tonight. I’ll be waiting.”

She watched the church entrance from her bedchamber window, and one by one the members started filing in to look for her. She couldn’t help but grin- they were coming to their own demise!

She disappeared down the stairwell to greet her ‘guests’ in the hall. When she got there she held a candle in one hand and raised it to show her face. “Welcome, brothers and sisters. I’m sure you’ve missed me dearly.”

They all snarled at her. “You couldn’t complete your mission!” One yelled. “You’re worthless! We can’t risk you spreading our secret!”

Azriel clicked her tongue to make them quiet. “Do you honestly think I would risk our organization like that? You should know me better… After all, it is the group that raised me.”

She raised the candle a tiny bit higher to see everyone’s faces. She recognized maybe half of them and felt a twinge of sadness in her heart. It was definitely going to hurt to do this. Throwing the candle down, Azriel screamed, “You should have known me better!!” and disappeared into another corridor as the main hall erupted in flames.

“She went this way!” she heard in the distance behind her, and kept going. After running through the door that led to the castle, she knocked down the block of wood she had set up earlier to block the door. She was also sneaky enough to have another candle ready and waiting for when she got here. She set the block of wood on fire and stripped out of her clothes. She left a strip in the fire to get burned then left the others under the wood. Hidden behind a tapestry was another set of clothing for her. She hurried into them, then continued running out of the building to safety.

From a safe distance, she watched as her beloved church and hated castle burned together. The two things that had brought together her fate were being burned together, along with all the people that deserved it.

***

Days later, everyone was mourning the death of their beloved High Priestess, who had not been able to get out of the burning church. However, a new trainee stepped up and offered to take over, and rebuild the church, the castle, and the country. She had the bright blue eyes that their previous High Priestess did, and she had an innocent smile. The only thing different was her attitude, and her hair color. It was a deep red in hue, and shone in the sunlight. Only the High Priest knew who she really was.

She pulled him aside one day while they were watching the church be rebuilt. “Pst. Tobias. My real name isn’t Azriel Demona. It’s Kaliya Leshin. I hope you can forgive me for what I’ve done…”

The High Priest smiled. “As long as I can look forward to rebuilding a better country with you… I’ll forgive you, Kaliya.”

Kaliya, the new High Priestess once again, smiled triumphantly and took hold of his hand. “Yes, Tobias. A new country is just what we need.”