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The Steel Orb
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The next thing I remember was retching, on the workbench. Fortress and a priest were standing over me, although I did not notice them at the time. All I could notice for the time being was an overpowering stench. I wanted to keep retching forever. My spirit was sapped.
"That was not a Guardian," the priest said. "You have listened to a Destroyer."
"If you meet that presence again, make the Sign of the Cross and say, 'Lord, have mercy.'"
I looked at him weakly. "What can I do? I thought I had repented."
"You have repented, and you need to repent again. Pray and fast this week, then make your confession, and come to the Table. Don't go anywhere near that shimmer, no matter how attractive it is. Run, and invoke the Holy Name. And talk with Fortress and me. And if you fall again, repent again. The saints are all praying for you."
I tried to take it in. His words stung me--not because of what he said, but because of why it would be appropriate to say them.
He reverenced me, bowing low. I felt something in his reverence.
(Search & Sitemap)
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Longer Fiction >
The Steel Orb
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