“I hope you both realise that you don’t need to do everything yourselves?” Despite the good humour in Alexi’s voice there was still a streak of bitterness that was barely noticeable through it.

  Viconia was beaming from her position on the floor, stretching her legs out and grimacing as I tried my best to treat the strange stigmata that had afflicted her feet. The blister like burns were superficial, but painful and even with her usual tolerances to pain every movement or wave of magicka I channelled left her growling. “If you want something done right…” She muttered around a scowl, directing daggers through her eyes at me as I lifted a leg as carefully as I could and lightly ran my fingers over the wounds.

  My magicka was helping immensely but it would be some time before she would be free of the strange burns that wearing the boots had afflicted. I did manage to half her feet enough that she was able to go through the slightly laborious process of carefully pulling on her socks and wearing her proper boots again. As she continued her softly spoken curses and annoyed utterances at how her socks were now slightly bloodstained it gave me the first proper opportunity to look at the Mace up close.

  The vision of the floating islands ensured that no one could get a close look at the Mace’s grandeur but now that it had been recovered its finery was revealed to all. There was absolutely no doubt that it was an artefact of the God of smiths and craftsmen, and there was also no doubting the fact that there had been no finer item forged or made in all of creation. Rather than appearing forged, it was so finely made that it appeared grown from a single piece of purest metal. The entire length of the haft was made of a mithril like metal that shone like the dawn sun rising over a still water of lake and the grip was fashioned as though winding ropes of the purest silver streaked with the faint darkness of ebony. Even in the few torches and lanterns in the tomb, it somehow radiated light as though it was absorbing it and expelling it tenfold. The tiniest movements of the head and eyes while looking upon it made the swirling shapes and patterns flow like water and left the impression of a steam rolling across the eons smoothed stones in its bed.

  For several moments I reached out, my fingers hovering over the naked haft of the weapon while Viconia slowly and carefully put her boots on and until I built up enough courage to grasp it. Until the very moment that my fingers touched the cool metal I could scarcely believe that we had no successfully retrieved another relic. A total of five of them were now within the possession of the Knights of the Nine, both original and new and I took the utmost care to move the Mace from where it sat.

  At first, I felt confident in picking up the relic as the other items such as the boots and the helm had not been an issue and I had been able to hold them without any negative effects. Although I was wary after seeing how the boots had burned Viconia it didn’t stop me from picking it up.

  At first the metal was cool and almost welcoming but it quickly changed for every second that I held onto it. I was mostly expecting something of the like but within seconds the metal had seemed to become superheated as though I had plucked it from the heart of a forge. To those watching with some trepidation they watched me drop the haft of the weapon back down, rubbing at my hand and being left uncomfortably reminded of the effects of silver on my cursed body.

  “You can’t wield it either.” Alexi said flatly. “At least there’s something that you and Viconia can’t do.”

  “I don’t think that many people will be able to, which is why we need to find Pelinal’s heir.” With a few quick movements I unclasped my cloak from around my shoulders before wrapping the mace up as best I could until it was as swaddled as a newborn.

  “What now Commander?” Said one of the new Knights of the Nine and I could feel all eyes upon me. The room was deathly quiet and everyone was almost too shocked to truly react but there was a sense of anticipation in the air. Everyone present; the Knights of Iron, the four Knights of the Nin and Carodus, Thedret, Alexi and Viconia were all watching me carefully as I finished wrapping the Mace up and picking it up.

  “We need to get the Mace out of here and safely to the Stallion Lodge.” As I tucked the Mace into my arms I breathed out a sigh of relief at how it either couldn’t burn me through the multiple layers or didn’t unless someone attempted to wield it as a weapon.

  “I doubt the priests are going to simply let you all walk out of here with the Mace Sir.” Carodus said simply, immediately reaching the same conclusion that I had despite his relative lack of experience in the regard. When I had retrieved the boots the Priesthood of Kynareth had attempted to claim possession over the boots and I somehow doubted that the followers of Zenithar in the heart of one of the largest and wealthiest cities in Cyrodiil were going to be as open to the idea as their kin.

  “I know. That’s why we’re going to need everyone we can to help escort us out of the city.” My eyes glanced about the room as Viconia and I rose to our feet. She was still looking in pain but it was quickly being concealed with her usual disdain for all concerns of the flesh. She didn’t bat a single eyelash though at how I handed the wrapped-up mace to her as my mind swirled with a torrent of thoughts and plans.

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  “Surely we can just sneak this out of here?” She said as she took it from my hands and I shook my head sadly.

  “Even if we managed to get out of the cathedral without anyone getting suspicious, people need to know that another Relic has been recovered.” Another thought occurred to me and to her amusement I quickly knelt before the tomb, relaxing and asking for Zenithar to test my resolve. It didn’t appear to surprise anyone that nothing happened and my eyes opened instantly to the tomb instead of the not-quite-vision of the floating islands. “And it also appears that the test is truly completed.”

  “Didn’t you trust me Kaius?” Viconia’s voice was sickly sweet in her amusement but I could tell that she was as deadly serious about the situation as I was.

  “I like being thorough.” Turning and taking note of the individuals within the Tomb I did a quick count and drew up some plans in my mind. “We’re all on escort detail. Viconia will carry the Mace and we will show it to the people in the cathedral but at the first available opportunity we get it out of here and to the Lodge. Do not let anyone lay more than their eyes on it.”

  “What about the priests?” The amusement was evident in Carodus’ face but I nodded with a savage grin forming on my own.

  “Especially the priests. The only person that this Relic leaves with is Madame DeVir and I will expect us all to defend it if needed.”

  The two Knights of Iron looked between themselves and came to some unspoken agreement before one opened his mouth to speak. “You can count on us as well Sir Desin.”

  “My thanks to you.” Turning to one of the Knights directly under my command I gestured to him and the halls beyond that lead back to the cathedral. “Did anyone else from our Order come with you?”

  “Three other Knights and a squad of Men-at-arms.” He said and I tried my very best to hide my increasing anxiety from him and the others .

  “Good. You go ahead and ensure that they are waiting at the top of the stairs when we arrive. I suspect that we will need every able body we can manage.”

  As his metallic jingle disappeared into the halls our impromptu group was readying ourselves both physically and mentally. No one was truly expecting a fight beyond some strongly worded arguments from the priest but with a relic of Pelinal in our care I doubted that any of us were taking any chances. With the Knight rushing off to prepare the others under my command we formed ourselves into a rough block surrounding Viconia and the Mace and I was soon struggling to continue hiding my nervousness than the situation we were in.

  By the time that we managed to leave the catacombs and reach the top of the stairs we not only found a small group of Knights and Men-at-arms waiting for us but a growing number of curious worshippers and a gaggle of priests who were not too pleased with the intrusion. While there was no outright ban on weapons within houses of worship and Knights and other nobility were allowed to openly carry their arms, the sudden appearance of over a dozen fully armoured warriors marching their way inside was a different matter. What was even more galling to the men and women of the cloth was the fact that the handful of Knights and accompanying Men-at-arms under my command had completely ignored their protests, marching purposefully to the top of the stairs and blocking access to everyone until we arrived.

  Being surrounded by a small number of armed men and women was as comforting as it should be and while they were not the equivalent to a similar group of Legionaries, they were still formidable soldiers. Sir Ramauld had not let just anyone from the Order of the White Stallion to change their Heraldry and the knights and footsoldiers of the new Order of the Nine were some of his most experienced. Without the order to do so they had for all intents locked shields together as we reached the top and found ourselves the centre of numerous shouted questions and prying gazes.

  All fell momentarily silent as they saw what was wrapped in Viconia’s arms as she had carefully unwrapped a portion of the flanged head of the mace to make it obvious what we had done. Several of the priests looked alternatively in shock or apoplectic that the Mace had been retrieved, and as Carodus had mentioned in passing as we climbed the stairs it was almost too much to believe for some of the clergy that a female dark elf had been the one to claim the Mace.

  The surge of the faithful and curious left me reeling and remembering a portion of the battle of Kvatch where a horde of minor daedra had rushed the cohort I was fighting with. Several of the Men-at-arms grunted and dug their heels in as those wishing to lay eyes upon a relic of the Divines pressed in closer but there was no anger, rage or hate within any faces I could see. Many were openly weeping, crying out praise and benedictions and somehow unsurprising the only hostility we were receiving was from the members in the robes and monk habits, especially after I politely but firmly announced that the Mace would not be delivered into the care of the Church.

  Cheers mixed in with cries of joy and the sound of clapping echoed throughout the room and for the first minutes we could’ve move at all. It was only when the enormous form of Falid appeared, striding through the press as though the people were merely stalks of wheat that we were able to begin shuffling our way towards the doors. The priests continued to mob us in their own way, demanding to speak to me, ordering me to hand the mace over and to stop attempting to leave the Cathedral with the Mace all at the same time.

  We were barely half way through the door when I felt my stomach drop as though I had fallen off a cliff and for a moment I thought it was simply my body and mind reacting to the stress. The cathedral’s Bishop had managed to wriggle his way through the impromptu shieldwall of the Men-at-arms and was, and in no particular order listing the reasons why what we were doing was blasphemy, heretical and would result in the disbandment of the Knights of the White Stallion. If it wasn’t for the strange queasy expression on his face and that of a handful of others I could see, I would have thought that the flip-flop of my guts was only something that I alone was experiencing. Instead I was growing more concerned by the second at the similar reactions of those surrounding me.