“Don’t worry, Emma.” Cira slammed the door to her pantry closed with lively gusto and let out a disturbing chuckle, “I make the best strom-stromboli this side of the Boreal.”

  The girl nervously checked her pocket watch.

  ___

  “We’re almost there, Captain.” Gratos flew up to my side, leaving behind a brilliant trail of golden sparkles. “But it’s too quiet. I’ll take point.”

  There was no way these witches would let us approach so easily. We weren’t exactly taking a stealth approach here. While Gratos’ flight sorcery was the most glorious, our expanded crew of twenty paladins blazed a shining streak of holy mana through the sky.

  “Oliver, Ike. Raise a healing domain and follow Gratos. Marko and Johns, get some arrows ready,” We had practiced combat strategies plenty in Paradise, but this was the real deal. I could see some of the newbies starting to grow nervous, so they were mainly on defense and support. “Skipper, make sure to—”

  “Captain, I sense a disturbance in the holy field!” The air popped as a jagged pillar of stone burst through the canopy.

  “Hyah!” Gratos exploded in light and jumped in front of me with a shining fist and the stone shattered into a million pieces, pelting our barriers as the rubble dispersed in a dazzling display. “It’ll take more than that to—guh!”

  A branch snapped below and I watched a solid spear of polished stone appear through my first mate’s shoulder.

  “Gratos, no!” I lunged toward him and he threw me back with a wave of his holy hand just in time to watch another spear shoot straight through the space my skull would have ended up. “Huh…”

  I didn’t even have time to process my near-death as the sun glinted off a spot in the trees. With a desperate shout I unsheathed my holy blade and thrust it up in front of me. With a shing, the back of my sword slammed into my forehead, “Shit!”

  Warmth spread over my left arm and I watched the revolver I tried to draw plummet into the trees. There was a deep gash just below my shoulder and my arm hung limp.

  “Run awayyyy!” A new recruit from the back shouted.

  “The witches will kill us!” Discord grew and half of them dispersed. Before I could get a word out, multiple cried out and descended with a spear through their chest.

  “Hold it together, you cowards!” Gratos’ firm voice carried through the sky and a loud snap echoed. He ripped the two halves of the spear out of his chest and threw them to the side, pressing a heavy fist against the wound as it rapidly healed. “Form the phalanx if you want to live!”

  None who initially ran lived to hear the end of that sentence, but the rest of us tightened up. We were down to fourteen paladins in the blink of an eye. That initial attack with the haphazard chunk of stone completely threw us off guard and we paid the price.

  No, this is my fault. Their blood is on my hands. Dammit, I knew they weren’t ready, but I never realized I wasn’t.

  I watched a dark streak flash in front of my face before shattering to pieces, “Shores, get your shit together!” Gratos saved me again.

  “…and in her name, may this wall never crumble until our devotion falters. Blessed Shield of the Lamb’s Favor!” My paladins finished their incantation as a volley fell on our concentrated ranks. Every other spear glinted off with a horrifying screech as the rest found themselves half-lodged in the barrier.

  My sword blazed with holy light but wherever this witch was, she was beyond my reach. I had another gun in my coat, but I lacked a target. The spears came from all across the forest. Io swore none of the High Coven were here, but our opponent was quickly overwhelming us. The barrier would only hold out for so long.

  “I need to get down there, Captain.” Gratos was resolute, but I saw a rare fear in his eyes. Just from this quick taste of the witch’s powers, he wasn’t sure he could take her. Gratos was a powerful member of the crew I couldn’t afford to lose, but more than that, he was my dear friend.

  Stolen story; please report.

  He’ll die if he goes down there. I can feel it… This witch has hardly even shown us her powers. All of us put together probably don’t stand a chance in a straight fight… But Io swore this was within our abilities. That means I’m going about this all wrong.

  The volley of spears was constant now, but the new recruits had begun to face their fears and add their mana to the effort. Marko started pushing each spear that stuck away and the crew worked together to seal the holes. I couldn’t be more proud, but the ship was still sinking.

  “I-I’m scared, Cap’n.” Bellamy was a good lad, and the youngest of my crew. Most cities would hardly consider him an adult, and he probably wouldn’t even be here if he didn’t think he could impress our Lady Saint. “I don’t want to die, Cap’n.”

  These people put their faith in not only me, but our Saintess. I couldn’t help the runners, but I will get everyone else home. C’mon, Shores, you’re better than this. What would Cira do right now?

  “Captain.” Gratos looked me dead in the eyes, “Give me the order. We’re running out of time. You need to choose.”

  The fact he was waiting for me to come up with something instead of jumping straight into battle was as bad a sign as could be. But then inspiration struck.

  “That’s it…” We are the Saint’s hands. Agents of her will. She would not rely on faith for something as serious as this, no. She would demand power at worst and choose her own fate at best. If I can’t at least manage something in between, I have no right to call myself Reverend. “In the name of the Saint, our lost lamb and guiding light. Holy passage be my right.”

  The trepidation fell from Gratos’ face and I watched the recruits hang on my word with newfound hope. I couldn’t let them down. If Cira could invent prayers like she were pulling them from a hat, I could too in her name.

  “Let those who seek to challenge her grace bear witness to our glory. Champions of Righteous Descent, Engage.”

  Our egg of a barrier plummeted through the canopy splintering any wood in its bath before slamming into the ground. My men all shouted out on impact then stared at me in shock, but my eyes were glued on another.

  Hazel hair and bright eyes like polished stone, she was easily in the top ten most beautiful women I had ever seen, our Saintess being number one, of course.

  Shimmering robes like opal glistened in the sun from the clearing we made and her eyes went wide while the dust settled.

  “Y-you filthy pirates! I’ll be damned if I let you go any further!” Her words were sharp, but there were fourteen of us a stone’s throw away. A handful of spears hovered above her. but she knew they couldn’t reach us before we reached her. I could see it in her eyes.

  “Dispel your mana and we won’t hurt you.” I jeered, but I knew this wasn’t over.

  As if on cue, jagged shards of smooth stone rose from the ground and pelted our barrier. Each shot took chunks out and she wasted no time in throwing spears through the tears. I instinctively slashed at her with my sword and a wave of holy light tore through the forest, forming a deep rut. But she was already gone.

  “Not so fast!” Gratos left the barrier in a flash, fist drawn. “Hahh!”

  A barrier shattered as he followed through, and the witch spun to the ground before catching herself on a wave of amorphous rock. She twirled back to her feet and a staff rose from the dirt.

  “Earth Needle!” She shouted a single incantation, but thousands of stone needles poked through our barrier from the ground. Our main healers and some of the recruits cried out as their ankles were impaled. I barely avoided the same fate by jumping on reflex, but she dealt us a serious blow. They could no longer focus on the barrier, and it started to fade.

  “Disperse.” I gave a final call to the barrier since it was useless anyway. A golden burst pushed branches out of the way and rustled leaves as the witch stumbled back. “Now!”

  Gratos was in her face with both fists above his head and swung down like a hammer. The witch crashed into the ground and a cloud of dirt rose. Suddenly the air felt heavy and holy light overtook the clearing.

  “No, stop!” I shouted, lunging toward Gratos, “Remember our orders!”

  They were given by Io, but I was confident the Saint would appreciate our efforts in preserving even the most degenerate of life. Gratos’ fist stopped inches from the unconscious witch’s face. Blood poured over her body and I wrapped my hand around Gratos’ arm.

  “That’s enough… We won.” He was shaking. Nearly blinded by rage if it weren’t for the Saint’s light. We all felt the same rage, but I knew he would regret if we stained Cira’s hands with this blood.

  His heavy breath filled the clearing. Our barrier dissolved as the recruits all fell to their knees panting. Bellamy put a hand on his friend’s shoulder with unfounded relief in his eyes. I let them revel in this moment of victory, but the first witch was always the easiest. This struggle did not bode well for our assault.

  After a brief chance to catch our breath, we left the witch in the woods and flew back up above the canopy. The temple was in sight now. We would finally free this holy site from Earth Vein’s evil clutches. Even if we encountered a stronger foe, I had to hold faith.

  Landing on the steps was cathartic as it was terrifying. I was exhausted enough to let Dad carry me by the time I reached the top as a child, but now I had to move forward despite the wounds and weary muscles. My aura was over half empty from just the first encounter and my clothes were drenched in sweat.

  Gratos pushed open the gate and a lone witch stood before us. She appeared as a young woman but her hair was a sleek gray, and countless white crystals surrounded her ready to pierce us like daggers. Her very presence crushed my domain into a holy marble.