Ademar gaped at the castle, unable to contain his surprise. The Fifth Sanctum was real. He could almost reach out and touch it. Since he was a boy, he'd heard whispers of this place. It was the birthplace of the human god, Solnar. It was a place of myth and legend, not an actual castle hiding in the Ciera Desert.
He turned to Frensia. "Are you sure—"
"Yes. It is the Fifth Sanctum. I've been studying it for many years in the library. An umgar needs something to do in their spare time, after all. I always found the human religion fascinating. It made for light reading." Frensia pointed to Ademar's pack. "Can I have the book you stole?"
Ademar pulled the book from the bottom of his bag. Luckily, the cinch had stayed tight during the journey. There was only a thin coating of sand on his belongings. He shook the book out as he handed it to Frensia.
"The human and orc religions are very different," Frensia said. "You worship different gods with different legends. But what if there were a string connecting the two? Something you didn't know before today?" Frensia flipped to the chapter on the second relic and tapped on the drawing. "This speaks of 'uniting the two.' I think that is what the phrase refers to. And within these walls, we will find out. Follow me. We shouldn't dally."
Frensia started toward the castle.
Ademar grabbed Tace's elbow and pulled her to the side. "I don't know if this is wise. We just met Frensia. What if they don't know what they're doing. What if we're walking into a trap?"
"A trap?" Tace said. "Why bring us all the way into the desert to kill us? Why not do it before? There have certainly been plenty of opportunities. The damn snake could have swallowed us without a second thought."
"But the Fifth Sanctum…" Ademar trailed off as Brax walked past them. The other man should be just as concerned as he was, but it appeared he'd made up his mind to forge ahead. "It's not a place for mortals to traverse," Ademar said to Tace. "It's for the gods alone."
"Ademar, I know you're nervous about this. I didn't particularly like stealing a staff from a statue representing a wise old orc from the time of my god. But that staff saved our lives. It trapped the xarlug in its gem using magic I can't even begin to understand. If I hadn't taken it, we'd all be dead now. This place, this sanctum, gives us another chance to help the orcs."
Ademar looked up at the castle again. Hundreds of windows, many lit by torches, were carved into its stone walls. If the legends were true, if Solnar really did live in the Fifth Sanctum and rule the humans' lives…
"This is more than normal fear." Tace grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. "I know you don't worship your god as you have been directed to by your people. I've never seen you kneel at the sun. I've never heard you say so much as a prayer. Are you more worried about what lies inside, or how you might be judged when you face it?"
Ademar had spent his life studying his religion, much of it under Hugh. But Hugh hadn't followed the old ways. He had taught love and tolerance toward other races. He'd wanted to learn about the origins of their religion, not just blindly follow the edicts passed down over generations. And Ademar had joined Hugh in this quest, only to find that as he dug deeper, he lost his awe for the simplistic explanations he'd been given as a younger man.
Ademar swallowed hard and moved forward with Tace. They caught up with Brax and Frensia as they crossed a great drawbridge. It spanned a bramble-filled moat with thorns larger than Ademar's head.
"So, tell me, what is your religion like?" Brax ask Frensia.
"The umgar have no religion." Frensia flipped through the book while walking.
"If the umgar have no religion, then why are we here? Why would you even bother with a human god's mythology?" Brax pressed.
It was a good question. Ademar wondered as well.
Frensia stopped in their tracks, calmly closing the book. "Do you see the castle ahead?"
"Yes," Brax said.
"And what is supposed to be hidden in the Ciera Desert?"
"The Fifth Sanctum," Brax said with a roll of his eyes.
"What do you presume is ahead?"
"The Fifth Sanctum. So you admit the human religion is real!"
"No," Frensia said. "I can admit that the Fifth Sanctum exists. I'm even willing to bet Solnar existed a long time ago. But I don't subscribe to the theory that humans must worship something from their past simply because they don't understand it within the context of its original existence."
"You're saying religion is like orcs in later generations worshipping Tace because she defeated the xarlug, when, really, she's a normal orc." Brax looked pleased with himself.
"Shut up." Tace didn't appreciate the analogy.
"Yes, it would be exactly like that," Frensia said. "Now, can we continue?"
"We're just going to walk up to the front door and knock?" Ademar asked, anxiety flittering in his chest.
"I think that's a perfectly fine way to get a god's attention," Frensia said. "It's what people do when they come to my door."
"You're not a god," Brax said.
Frensia shrugged. "You never know. If the role I play in this little adventure exceeds my expectations, I could be someday."
Ademar couldn't help but chuckle. Frensia's lack of emotion in declaring themselves to be a future god was beyond amusing. It took some of the edge off his worry. But when he looked up at the soaring spires of the castle again, he swallowed hard. No, his concern hadn't eased.
He simply couldn't conceive of a way in which this would end well. There was a reason no one ever returned from the Ciera Desert: their god didn't take kindly to humans trespassing on his land. He had promised to vanquish anyone who dared to look upon the glory of his face. Humans did not take this lightly.
In recent years, as Ademar delved into the orc faith, he had wondered how one god could rule the humans while another could rule the orcs. Did the gods own the very land they dwelled on? Did every race spring forth from their own god's bosom? It was too much to wrap his mind around, so he'd focused on the things he could understand.
Perhaps that had been unwise, given his current circumstances.
Frensia strode right up to the gate. They formed a fist with their free hand and knocked solidly on the wooden door.
Ademar waited, his heart pounding louder and harder than it ever had.
Brax's forehead shone with perspiration. "No one's there. I think we should go."
So Ademar wasn't the only one who was nervous. He looked to Tace, who stood with her arms crossed over her chest and a hip cocked to the side. She did not appear impressed.
"Oh, for Drothu's sake." Tace stalked past Ademar and Brax, nudged Frensia aside, and rammed her elbow into the door. The hinge broke and the door creaked open, a small light shining from within. "I say we just go on in. There's a light on. Someone's home." Without waiting for agreement, she walked through the doorway, leaving the other three stunned outside.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Frensia followed Tace.
Brax looked at Ademar. "Are we going to die?"
"Probably," Ademar said without irony. "Let's go."