Sredni's Blessing

Felicity had not seen the church in months and as she walked up to the doors, she could feel her holy symbol bouncing against her chest with every step. As she opened the doors taking her first few steps into the building, the evocative smell of incense, rose and poppy, filled her head.
She knelt down between two rows of wooden pews that were old and worn with years of use. Their once rich, black colour now dampened to a grey that did not match the memories Felicity had of sitting on them, swinging her legs that did not yet reach the floor amongst her fellow Oblates.
Felicity held her hands together in prayer as she looked up at the stained-glass window. She admired the pointed teeth in white against the red and black background which sat above the marble statue of Sredni himself. His hands outstretched towards the room, begging all who came to worship for their sacrifice. Felicity tried always to pray at this time when she was in the capital. She delighted in the sun hitting the glass just right, as it did now, and glorious red light filled the room forming a halo around the statue. It filled her heart with love and devotion to see her God like this, though she dared not show it. Hunters were supposed to be a weapon for Sredni and she had been carefully honed since she was a child for a greater purpose. Weapons did not feel emotion. It was always at times of prayer, however, that the remaining human part of her fought to be noticed.

***

Genevieve pulled her up the stairs, signalling with a finger to her lips to be quiet. Don’t get caught, that was paramount they both knew. They stepped into the church together and the smell of incense, rose and poppy hit Felicity, making her almost giddy with excitement. Felicity could hardly see the other girl in the red-tinted light of the moon that shined through the stained-glass window. Genevieve pressed her hand harder into Felicity’s and pulled her to the front of the room where the Elder would preach for the flock to hear, right in front of the statue of Sredni. Felicity looked towards the statue and felt guilt pulse through her. She loved Him with her soul but as Genevieve took both of Felicity’s hands in hers, tangling their fingers together so tight that she could not let go, she loved Genevieve with her heart. Felicity could feel her palms starting to sweat and heat rising in her cheeks. Even just being found here could end terribly for them both, but Genevieve pulled her closer anyway and pressed her lips against Felicity's. She felt she would begin to melt from the kiss when Genevieve pulled away suddenly.

***

Felicity exhaled to clear her head and placed her hands together. She tried to become lost in her prayers as the words tumbled in a whisper from her lips.
Once she was done, she looked up again to the statue, hoping the guilt would have eased. She sighed and started to get to her feet when a delicate, musical voice carried itself across the room making her jump.
“Hunter Felicity.”
Her heart raced as she stumbled to get up and turned to bow. She looked up from her submissive position and her eyes settled on the source of the voice.
“Acolyte Genevieve,” Felicity said, feeling her cheeks warm with embarrassment as she straightened herself out. Genevieve stopped and placed a hand on her hip in disapproval. Her heavy cloak shifted to reveal a tangle of long, black fabrics. Underneath the many layers, Felicity could see that Genevieve was heavy with child. A pang of longing spread through her own stomach and Felicity looked down, turning her gaze away from the other woman’s face. “Sacrist Genevieve, then? I apologise.”
Genevieve laughed softly at her. It was playful, without malice, but Felicity could not bring herself to look up. Genevieve stepped forward and took Felicity's hand in hers.
“I’m only playing,” Genevieve said.
Felicity looked up, shocked from the touch, unable to stop a smile forcing itself across her face in response to Genevieve’s own. Her eyes, green and gold, wrinkled at the corners the same way they had when she was young. Genevieve’s other hand ran across Felicity’s face, she brushed back Felicity’s white flecked hair.
“You look so old, Flick,” she teased, but Felicity saw a sadness in her face. Felicity's mouth felt dry, her tongue suddenly heavy.
“It’s…” she swallowed hard, chasing the right words, “good to see you too.” Felicity put her hand on top of Genevieve’s lingering one, feeling the warmth pressing against her skin. Felicity wanted to pull away, this was wrong. Instead, she felt herself lean in as her gaze turned towards the stomach of the other woman. “Sredni’s blessing,” she said, forcing herself to look back up at Genevieve’s face. “Who...” she tried to ask but the words stuck in her throat. Genevieve answered before she could try again.
“Elder Ambrose,” Genevieve said as she put her hands instinctively onto her stomach.
“Oh.” She remembered Ambrose from the days of her Acolyte training, he had always been a grotesque mixture of ambition and cowardice. Felicity knew he was destined to be an Elder even then and would never have made it as a Hunter. He was not strong like they were, he would never be able to see past his own personal gain and serve the Beautiful like they could, as Felicity was, and as Genevieve soon would. The thought of him and Genevieve together made Felicity tense as anger bubbled inside her. Genevieve took her hand again and rested her forehead against Felicity’s. Felicity relaxed into her.

***

Genevieve’s eyes had grown wide and now Felicity could hear it too, footsteps clacking against stone echoing towards them. Getting closer. Genevieve started to breathe audibly. They had not planned an escape, no one came into the church at this hour. Felicity grabbed tightly to the other girl’s hand. She listened, trying to gauge where the footsteps were coming from. She was almost certain they were in the hidden passages they themselves had just come through. She started towards the doors of the church. As Felicity reached them their momentum suddenly halted as Genevieve resisted. Felicity looked back desperately and hoped it would be enough to convey the message. Trust me as I trusted you. Genevieve stared back. Felicity knew what was going through her mind. It was going through hers too. They had done something against Him and that meant they should be caught. Without punishment for their wrongdoings, they could not be honed into a sharp enough weapon. Then Genevieve nodded. Felicity opened the church doors and they escaped into the moonlit night, running breathlessly towards their quarters.

***

“I’ve missed you,” Genevieve’s voice was barely a whisper but Felicity felt the warmth of the words brush against her face. Genevieve’s fingers cupped Felicity’s face and tilted her towards her own. Felicity’s eyes flashed towards the Sredni statue as she felt it staring down at her. She pulled herself away from Genevieve in one violent movement, knocking the wooden pew backwards as her legs ricocheted against it. She caught herself with one hand on the pew as a deafening scraping noise echoed against the stone.
The heavy doors of the church opened and they both looked towards them. Genevieve’s hands dropped back under her cloak and she took a step away from Felicity. She bowed her head. Felicity stood to attention as the man walked towards them. He was wearing robes and from his chest gleamed a symbol of the Order; but where Felicity’s was dull iron, his was silver. He raised an eyebrow at them both and then smiled.
“Sacrist, shouldn’t you be with the others.” It wasn’t a question, Felicity knew, despite the light tone in which he spoke. Genevieve raised her bowed head and stumbled over an apology before walking past the man. “May The Beautiful be with you,” he said watching her walk past. She returned the farewell and gave another bow, catching Felicity’s eyes as she stood up. Trust me as I trusted you. Felicity turned away from her and Genevieve left, closing the church doors behind herself.
Felicity’s attention was now focused solely on the man before her. She ensured her face was blank before speaking.
“Elder Ambrose, I apologise. I was praying and time must have gotten away from me.” He looked her up and down before dismissing her completely, seemingly uninterested in what she was saying.
“Let us not dwell on it. I was with the Warden Protector longer than anticipated or I would have been here to ensure Sacrist Genevieve had gotten to her lessons on time. She was asking for you, you know?” He paused pointedly, watching for a reaction that did not come. “It seems your next hunt has come in.”
Felicity did not move. She was unsure of how to react. She had only just returned from her last hunt. She could feel that Ambrose was studying her, looking for any sign of a slip-up.
“It appears you have proven yourself useful enough to the Warden Protector,” he said, his voice sardonic. “Are you ready to serve Sredni by yourself?” That smile again which meant that the wheels were turning behind his eyes.
She felt the statue’s eyes on her still, but now instead of guilt, her heart was filled with love and reassurance.
 “Yes,” she said, barely concealing her excitement.
“Sredni’s blessing be upon you then,” he replied bowing his head. Felicity clutched her holy symbol as the memories of the kiss were consumed by the promise of the hunt.
“Sredni’s blessing.”

Year 2 (early 2020) | Creative writing class | 1625 words.
Prompt: Write a story about love and memory.
This is not strictly part of the Theas universe, but rather a story about my D&D character from a friend's campaign, Monulthar. I would take any excuse to write about my D&D character’s angst (I still do). This was originally part of a longer piece and was edited down to fit the word count for assessment.
Sredni Vashtar is a god inspired by the short story of the same name by Saki.