The inside of the sequestered Freak church practically groaned with age. To the two teen-aged visitors, it felt like it was older than the world. Unfortunately, the long years had not been as kind to this building as they were to the Mucatedra over the high barrier. The inner hall was lined with buffed but clearly deteriorating pews. Scaffolding on the right hand side went unnoticed by the few congregation members still milling around.
At the front, under a plain window through which the morning sun shone was a crucifix. Less than half of Talon’s height, the dilapidated woodwork was surprisingly fitting. A plainly dressed man approached them from a bare-bones lectern that headed the rows of pews.
‘I shouldn’t feel the need to apologise for the state of this building,’ he said, a warm half-smile growing on his face. ‘I’m Father Adiestre. Pleasure to see some new faces around here.’
Talon and Leyh shook hands with Father Adiestre and he waved to them to sit down. The trader appeared amused and Talon felt awkward. The last time he had spoken to a preacher was... it was very long ago, if he didn’t count the Honch.
‘I guess we’d like to ask about...’ the youth said. He looked at Leyh and she nodded. Not very helpful. ‘I’ve got a friend, an acquaintance really, he told me he was a Keeper. And, well, my family have always been Freaks.’
‘Aha,’ Adiestre said. ‘I sense you aren’t very comfortable, um -?’
‘Talon,’ the youth said. ‘And this is Leyh.’
‘Well, Talon, would it help if I put this on?’
The man seemed to produce a large hat out of nowhere. It looked somewhat like a grey and white variation on that of the Keepers. He placed it lopsided on his head and opened his eyes wide. Talon had to fight down a laugh.
‘I don’t use it that often but it’s still part of the tradition,’ said Adiestre. Leyh huffed loudly and covered her mouth, looking bashful.
‘Besides breaking the ice,’ the preacher said, placing the hat on his knees, ‘what I like to do is show people how similar we are.’
‘Huh?’
Adiestre stood up and gestured widely. ‘When it comes down to it, Freaks and the Kept Sect share the same faith. Religion is somewhat more complex...’
Reflexively, Leyh and Talon looked past him at the otherworldly symbol.
‘The Keepers may have a lot more dogma when it comes to the Quandomen,’ Adiestre continued, ‘but that’s just the dressings, like the shape of a church.’
Talon raised a hand, feeling a bit foolish for doing so. ‘Dogma?’
The preacher realised that he hadn't properly explained himself. ‘Think of it this way: the Pharaohs, Nebuchadnezzar, Caesar, Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, Macer Argtyde... countless more diasporas, wars and struggles – when the Quandomen came, it followed the same pattern. They were a test.’
Father Adiestre paused and Talon tried to place the ancient names, realising that he didn’t know half of them. The preacher sat back down. ‘Now we’ve made a pretty easy life for ourselves out here, over the centuries. We’ve even made contact with the tirans and the guernas. But the Keepers fear and revere the Quandomen as the hand of God. Freaks simply accept that everything happens for a reason.’
‘Okay,’ Leyh spoke up. ‘So whether we concern ourselves with the past or not, the Keepers would be concerned if the Quandomen were going to return?’
At the back the church, half a dozen parishioners had started to file in.
‘Oh yes,’ the preacher suddenly became very serious. ‘If that were to happen, a lot of people would find their lives getting much more interesting. If the Keepers’ signs have any factual basis, we’d also have to find ‘the brothers’ just to stop another exile.’ Adiestre brightened slightly. ‘But there’s no reason to be afraid. After all, what’s the end of the world?’
Before Talon could ask what the preacher meant, there was a thumping noise behind them.
‘Excuse me,’ a voice said. ‘Excuse me, I’m looking for –’
The southerner they had met at the Overarchy dome forced her way to the front of the aisle, appearing very flustered. Her hair had bounced up into a bushy tangle.
‘Nairé?’ Leyh said. She and Talon approached. ‘What’s the matter?’
The woman stood straight and brushed back an errant strand of hair.
‘I need your help. Irena’s missing.’
***
Father Adiestre showed the group into the building’s woefully meagre kitchen while a layperson began the day’s reading.
‘Take a seat,’ he said to Nairé. ‘One step at a time.’
They all gathered around the table while the preacher started to pour hot water into a stout pot. Ogard appeared at the kitchen's entrance, crouched under the doorway and looked about nervously. Talon was happy to see him.
‘Don’t worry, I knew you were here, trader,’ said Adiestre. ‘There’s tea enough for everyone.’
Leyh nodded at the big man. ‘Oge isn’t accustomed to speaking with preachers.’
Talon resisted the urge to point out that he hadn't heard Ogard speak at all since they had met. ‘What happened?’ he asked Nairé.
‘Oh, I don’t know, I don’t know...’ she said pitifully. ‘I mean, I guess she got the idea when we were talking about bad dreams.’
The only noise was that of Ogard trying to fit onto one of the kitchen’s stools.
‘Don’t just sit around,’ Nairé said. An involuntary shiver ran through the woman’s body. ‘She was having nightmares about lake monsters, so I told her about the old country, how I ran away from home...’
‘This can’t be a coincidence,’ said Talon. He was suddenly very aware of Father Adiestre’s presence, as the man brought over a tray with the cups of tea. He thought about Ferran’s warning - anyone could be an agent of the puppetheads. Then again, could a puppethead lead a congregation, however small, and still be convincing?
‘This wouldn’t have to do with your Keeper friend, would it?’ the preacher asked. He sat down between Talon and the traders. The youth could see that Ogard was actively avoiding Father Adiestre’s eyes while Nairé continued.
‘She overheard the Captain speaking with one of his men after the expedition. I don’t know about the Keepers, but Irena said that the Captain was her grandfather.’
‘If you don’t mind me asking,’ Adiestre said, ‘who is Irena?’
‘She’s the daughter of Lord de Postrem’s nephew,’ Nairé said. ‘I couldn’t just lock her up, besides, I think I was curious too.’
‘Wait, wait wait wait, wait.’ Leyh put both hands flat on the table. ‘Back up a bit. What expedition? And is it really our problem who the girl is related to?’
Nairé took a long sip of the tea and looked at the trader. ‘Lord de Postrem and the Captain were looking for Quandu artifacts in the south. With me on their team, they got lucky.’
‘How?’
‘We found a cache. It was filled to the brim with plunder and devices.’ The woman sighed. ‘But it doesn’t make any difference now.’
Father Adiestre was by far the most taken aback by the strange discussion, but he recovered enough to put on a happy face. ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure that Talon and Leyh will help you find Miss Irena.’
‘You bet we will,’ Talon said. ‘We owe you, after you spoke to Captain Gelba for us. We just have to go next door to get Ferran and the Honch.’
Now it was Nairé’s turn to avoid the others’ eyes.
‘Og- og- Ogard and I,’ she said. ‘After I found him, we went straight to the Mucatedra.’
The big man nodded in affirmation, a stern expression on his face.
‘I’m sorry Talon, but your friends have already left for Yerz. They said that there was an altercation and they set off immediately.’
‘What do you mean, altercation? Are they alright?’
‘The man who addressed us, or at least, I think he was a man behind the mask – he said that there had been an attack of some kind. They fought it off and left as fast as they could.’
‘Dammit,’ Talon muttered. ‘I knew we were having it too easy. Did they say if they were Dirty Fighters?’
‘We weren’t told,’ Nairé said. ‘The Keepers were anxious to start the service and Ogard suggested we come here.’
Father Adiestre stood up and gathered the empty cups.
‘I can see that this is going to get complicated,’ he said. ‘I’ll be praying for you and Miss Irena that this horrible business is over soon. As for today,’ he winked at Talon, ‘we’ll have to take a rain check.’
The preacher left to deliver the sermon and the other four headed out the back door.
‘So where do we start looking?’ Talon said as they walked the main boulevard back to the bridge.
‘Last night she went up to the Captain’s private study,’ said Nairé. ‘I’m going to have to tell him that. Hopefully he’ll know why she’d want to run away.’
‘Sounds tricky,’ Leyh said. ‘Especially if none of us are supposed to know he’s her grandfather.’
Talon didn’t add anything, but the corners of his lips turned up slightly. The day had just become very interesting.
