By Schism Rent Asunder Read Online Free PDF Page B

Even faith had to have its limits. Especially when Staynair’s right to the crown and cassock which he wore, the throne in which he sat, had not been confirmed by the Church’s Council of Vicars. Nor was there even the most remote hope that the vicars ever would confirm him in his new office.
    Which, of course, explained the tension which gripped the rest of the cathedral.
    Then, finally, Staynair spoke.
    â€œMy children,” his powerful, magnificently trained voice carried easily, helped by the cathedral’s total, waiting silence, “we are well aware of how anxious, how worried and even frightened, many of you must be by the unprecedented wave of change which has swept through Charis in the last few months.”
    Something which not even Captain Athrawes’ hearing could have quite called a sound swept through the listening parishioners as the archbishop’s words recalled the invasion attempt which had cost them the life of a king. And as his use of the ecclesiastical “we” emphasized that he truly was speaking ex cathedra, formally proclaiming the official, legal, and binding doctrine and policy of his archbishopric.
    â€œChange is something which must be approached cautiously,” Staynair continued, “and change, solely for the sake of change, must be avoided. Yet even Mother Church’s Office of Inquisition has recognized in the past that there are times when change cannot be avoided. Grand Vicar Tomhys’ writ of instruction, On Obedience and Faith , established almost five centuries ago that there are times when attempts to deny, or evade, the consequences of necessary change become in themselves sin.
    â€œThis is such a time.”
    The stillness when he paused was absolute. What had been a state of tension had become a breathless, totally concentrated focus on Archbishop Maikel. One or two heads twitched, as if their owners were tempted to look up at the royal box, instead of at the archbishop, but no one did. Captain Athrawes suspected that it would have been physically impossible for anyone to actually look away from Staynair at this moment.
    â€œMy children,” the archbishop shook his head gently, his smile sad, “we fully realize that many of you are concerned, possibly even angered, by the vestments we wear, the priestly office to which we have been summoned. We cannot find it in our hearts to blame any of you for that. Nonetheless, we believe what is transpiring in Charis today is the will of God. That God Himself has called us to this office. Not because of any special ability, eloquence, or grace which we might, as any mortal, possess, but because it is His will and intent to put His house here on Safehold, and in the hearts of His children— our hearts—into order.
    â€œThis is a day of great grief and sorrow for all of us, but it must also be a day of renewal and rebirth. A day in which we—all of us, every man and woman among us—reaffirm that which is true and just and good and reclaim those things from those who would profane them. We must do that without succumbing to the temptations of power, without listening to the voice of self-interest, or tainting ourselves with hatred or a lust for revenge. We must act calmly, deliberately, with due respect and reverence for the offices and institutions of Mother Church. But, above all, we must act .”
    Every member of his audience hung upon the archbishop’s every word, yet Captain Athrawes saw no lessening of their tension, no relief, despite Staynair’s calm, rational, almost soothing tones.
    â€œMy children, we have, with King Cayleb’s permission, approval, and support, brought before you today the text of our first official message to the Grand Vicar and to the Council of Vicars. We would not have it appear that we have hidden in the shadows, concealed from you any aspect of what we do here, and why. You are God’s children. You have the right to know what