The Record of the Saints Caliber Read Online Free PDF

her Saintly duties that had been making her sick, but she had to dash that idea quickly from her mind.
    “We shouldn’t be here.” said Nuriel softly as they approached the end of the long cavern where a handful of Jerusan knights in shabby armor stood sentry. Her voice was indignant, testing what was appropriate for an apprentice.
    Saint Isley stopped and turned around to look at Nuriel. His face was soft with understanding and his eyes smiled along with his face. He looked at her with those tender, chrome eyes of his, and Nuriel couldn’t help but see something of Holy Father Admael in his features. She wondered if that was the reason she was so easily swayed by him. Even now Nuriel found herself wishing she could see Holy Father one last time. Meeting him at her Call to Guard Ceremony had been too brief and it left her craving more of his warmth and love.
    “There are certain things you do not yet know, Nuriel.” Nuriel always found Isley’s voice to hold a calm, soothing, tranquility to it. He moved close to her and took her arm in his hand. “I know you do not trust Celacia, and I know you do not like the idea of betraying Sanctuary, but there are certain things in motion right now that will bear fruit for the sleeping goddess. You must trust me on this, Nuriel.”
    Nuriel sniffled and tucked her golden hair behind her ear. She looked down upon his black star-metal gauntlet that rested on her arm. Every Saint had a unique star symbol, a stellaglyph. This stellaglyph was tattooed upon the back of their necks and painted upon their gauntlets. Upon Isley’s was the familiar dual stars of his stellaglyph, painted in red.
    He was known as Saint Isley the Wolf for the very reasons that Nuriel both admired and feared him. He had told her once that he thought his dual stars represented himself and his beliefs; both apart, yet inseparable. He said his beliefs stood apart from him because there were unknown truths—knowledge that needed to be pursued—and once obtained could forge and change his beliefs.
    Of course, no Saint really knew what their stellaglyph meant, other than it was the name of their star; unpronounceable, symbolized in the runes that only Oracles could decipher. However, Nuriel thought that Isley was the Wolf because he would relentlessly hunt the truths that he so desperately sought. And like a wolf Isley could set himself upon a path and put all his intention upon it, all his devotion and faith into it, and track it down to the very ends of the earth.
    It scared Nuriel that he, like most Saints, never questioned anything; never considered his actions to be constructive or destructive. Back at Sanctuary it was one of the things Nuriel often struggled with; the notion that she was to devote herself entirely to the will of the Sleeping Goddess, but to never consider her actions good or evil. Saints were supposed to be the very will of the Goddess Aeoria, and all things they did were righteous in their course.
    Again the unbidden memory of the burning woman and her children flashed in Nuriel’s mind and she lowered her gaze from Isley’s. Had that been the righteous will of the Goddess?
    Isley stepped into her and held her close to his side. He pointed to the sentries who stood at the end of the rocky cavern. Like all Jerusan knights, their armor was old and mismatched, pocked and dull despite having been polished. “Those soldiers are risking a lot to be here, Nuriel.” said Isley. “Back in Jerusa, they had it all. They were fed, they had weapons, they had nice homes and their families were well provided for. They gave it all up to come here with us, to align themselves with Celacia.”
    Nuriel didn’t like that last part, about aligning themselves with Celacia. She had never agreed to align herself with that woman. Above all things, Nuriel had given herself to Sanctuary and Holy Father. She hadn’t liked her duties in Jerusa, but at least she had been fulfilling her oath to Sanctuary by being