From the Chronicles of Rud, the words of Subanti, the 146th chronicler of the Temple of Rud.

After Thalva the High Priest had confined the Ayirapisasu in the Imperial Palace by the power of Rud, he commanded that a tent be erected by the side of the Palace. It was to be as large and grand as possible, fit for the Emperor himself.

The tenters worked tirelessly and before long a majestic tent stood ready. It was a square tent, each side measuring a hundred steps. The skill of the tenters was such that the tent stood without any pillars within, except for a single central pillar, which rose far above the tent, a flagpole sixty feet high. The roof of the tent was a full twenty-five feet off the ground.

The floor was covered with layers of carpets, each progressively finer, and when the final carpet was laid, the floor could not be differentiated from that of the imperial bedchamber. Within, a square enclosure, seventy feet to a side was erected in the centre. This was the heart of the tent, and was luxuriously furnished.

In a corner was a big bed, in an area curtained off as a bedchamber. There was a wash area near it, with water in basins and an ingenious system of getting the water out without spilling on to the carpet. In the open area stood a long table with an ornate chair at its head and stools along the sides.

Serving staff and tenters hurried here and there, barefoot lest they should dirty any part of the tent or its furnishings. Finally, when the tent was finished, Thalva ordered everybody out, and tied closed the cloth doors. Then he sat in front of the door on his meditation platform and waited.

With him waited Ainura of the Sword, Willa of the Bow and Kodia Mara, Marshals all three of the Palace Guard and Lord Gaiba. I, by virtue of my position as chronicler, was commanded by Thalva to remain close to him at all times so that I may write of all the wondrous happenings.

As we waited, I looked around me and could see the other priests hard at work. They had conjured up magical fires in circular altars fashioned from the mud. They chanted as they stood or sat near the fires, and the junior priests kept feeding the fires with various ceremonial ingredients. The chants of the priests grew more and more insistent.

As the chants rose to a crescendo, the loud and clear voice of Thalvi, daughter of Thalva, Head of the Temple Guard and the youngest Senior Priestess ever in the service of Rud, rose above them all with a shouted command. "Now, by the power of Rud and the virtue of our combined penances, death to the creatures of the dark!"

As she said this, the priests tossed the contents of a small pouch into their fires, and from the fires rose shining columns of solid fire. They shot up halfway to the sky before the priests brought them down with their raised staves. Each then priest pointed his staff at the cloth-covered frames before him, and the fiery column dived into them, passing through them without causing them any harm.

From within the Palace rose hideous cries of pain and death, as the creatures of the dark shrivelled and died before the power of the priests of Rud. The fiery columns sought out and burnt to a cinder every one of the creatures of the dark, and at last converged on the Ayirapisasu.

We could hear the terrible cries of the Ayirapisasu clearly. Even its cries of pain struck fear into the heart of men. The Ayirapisasu held out for a full hour before dying with a cry so terrible and fearsome that I cowered within my robe, and hid my head in fright in my cowl.

Thalva put his hand on my shoulder, calming me with his deep and inspiring voice. "Do not fear it. That is its strength. Its only strength."

The death throes of the Ayirapisasu shook even the Marshals, hardened warriors that they were. But Thalva's presence seemed to hold every one of us steady, like a rock in a swift-flowing river in the faraway mountains.

And then, suddenly, the sound ceased, and the Ayirapisasu was no more.

Ainura, Willa and Kodia were on their feet and running in a trice. I could see they were headed straight for the Palace Doors.

Thalva's commanded them to stop in a voice so commanding and authoritative that the three, as used as they were to commanding others, obeyed without question. Thalva called them back, and explained to them that they could not enter the Palace and hope to leave it alive. The magic of the dark creatures was still powerful, though the creatures themselves were dead and gone.

The three asked in unison what was to become of the Emperor and the Imperial family, and who would bring them out.

In answer, Thalva turned around, ascended his meditation platform and sat down facing the door.

"The Saviour will be here to do that," he said, and resumed his posture of meditation.
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