Mat wandered around for an hour, trying to catch a glimpse of the High Priest or one of his devotees.

The whole plaza was covered in tables for guests, almost all of them full, with multiple stages for entertainers and performers placed around.

Each king had its own pavilion with a banner flying above it. Mat walked inconspicuously around, with a new bottle of spirit in his hand, peaking around, but ignoring anyone who tried to talk to him.

When it became clear that the High Priest was not sitting anywhere, he quietly stepped out of the crowd to think.

He must be here. Would have bet all I had that he would want to be on the biggest of the stages there, Mat thought looking at the biggest stage in the middle of the plaza where a dozen of trumpet players were playing jovial tunes.

But… maybe the biggest of the stage is not here on the plaza itself. Mat looked at the castle and the King’s balcony that was overlooking it.

I bet I know where you are. Just how do I get there?

I doubt he used a front entrance. So, what do I do? There are probably guards at the front. Do I look for a secret entrance and how long would that take me? Or… do I go and hustle through the front?

While he debated it, he saw the door to the balcony open and a dark figure holding a long staff come out.

"No," Mat muttered to himself as he saw the figure lift the staff up, a small bolt of bluish light going up in the sky where it grew in strength, becoming brighter and brighter as it started to come down, landing in a light bliss that blinded everyone right on top of the main stage. The explosion was instantaneous and probably the loudest thing that people there ever heard.

Mat did not stand to watch as the whole stage with people on it became engulfed in the explosion that vaporized and turned to dust even the planks of wood that held the stage up. He ran for the front gate, passing like a shadow between the guards who were all part of the suddenly frozen scene of silence and disbelief.

"You ungrateful bastards," the loud voice of the High Priest suddenly broke the silence. "I could have given you everything! The Star of Bardan. There you can see it with your own eyes! The power of it!! You faithless mass!! Succumb to its power! Succumb to my lord of Light before it's not too late!! Get off your wicked ways and praise the Lord!!! Knee down and pray for forgiveness before my wrath is brought upon your heads, you sorry infidels!!"

The part of the castle, Mat entered seemed to be deserted. As he tried to find his way, another blue light lighted the night, and now shriek of horror could be heard from outside, a second of it, before another explosion hit the square.

A moment later, the mad voice of the High Priest raised above everyone else's. “All the Sevens! I’ll have all the Sevens come to stand below me! You ignorant warms! Everyone, bow to me, everyone better kneel and bow, submiss yourself to me, or I’ll let the Star of Bardan shine you all to dust!1 I’m your god now!!”

Follow the blood, Mat told himself seeing a trail of blood suddenly on the stairs.

He heard the clinking sound of the smashing of the swords even before he ran the last flight of stairs to see it.

When he got two floors up, he found the Elvish Lord busy fighting three of the priest warriors at the same time.

Of course he would be here. So focused on the High Priest I completely forgot about him.

Mat thought if he should give him a hand.

"Go and worry about the High Priest," Lord Eisen yelled as he saw Mat's indecision, then moved so fast behind one priest, moving out of his strike, going behind him, and with a sudden jerk of the hand, knocking the helmet of the priest off his head.

The special helmet did not even bounce off the ground when Eisen pierced with his glittering blade his wide-open mouth straight through.

The other two priests twitched and pulled back, suddenly nervous and insecure.

“Go on! Not much time!” Eisen urged him, and Mat ran upstairs.

On the last floor, Mat stepped over the headless dead body of a knight, the dead eyes of Martiuns, Captain of King’s Guard, staring in oblivion a few feet away.

He entered the chamber that should lead him to the balcony, but it was the wrong one.

Except, on the floor, Mat saw Helen. Another priest lay dead with his throat cut next to her. He did not need to think what to do. She was out, the red cut on her forehead and a thin trickle of blood welled out and ran down her cheek. He felt her pulse, and it was weak, but still there.

She might have a head concussion. Might have her brain swallow up.

He took the nano-h-cell booster from his pocket and spread it directly on the open wound, making sure that all of it got soaked in. It seemed to be a very potent dosage, not like one Helen gave him or he had himself. It started to work almost on the contact, the white bubbling liquid stopping the bleeding almost immediately, healing her skin in a few seconds as if nothing had happened. He hoped it did the same to the inside of her head.

He sighed and got up, picking his old broken sword that lay by Helen's hand. He had no more time to waste.

“None of you have given me respect! Well, now I’m your god! And I am done with you! Tired of your insults!! You will burn! Burn all of you! So those that come after you will know, will know the wrath of God is not to be played with!"

Mat entered the next room to see the High Priest standing outside on the balcony, one of his warriors standing to guard his back, blocking Mat.

They slowly started to measure each other.

The crowd underneath screamed, begged for mercy, kneeling down, their eyes up to plea with the High Priest, then suddenly fell silent, the blue light growing up in the sky, revealing a shape of the starship that started to hover down above the city. It was an offensive-oriented warbird, big enough to block all the signs of stars above. Its enormous torrent gun bays opened up and six deadly weapons came out.

“You will give me what I ask! I will not be denied! I have enough power to destroy your city, your whole damn planet!!”

The High Priest laughed, his eyes popping out full of evil craziness. "You will learn to fear me and serve me!!"

Mat looked at the warrior priest and his boss behind, one holding a sword that could cut him in two, the other raising his staff above his head, directing a green laser light that beamed up, up through the night sky all the way to the starship.

“It’s a Holy Spirit himself!” a woman yelled on the plaza, and people joined her yelling in horror, pleading for their lives.

“I give you the Star Traveler of Bardan! In its glory!” the High Priest yelled above it all, quieting them all down. Then he moved the staff just a bit, directing the green light to the King’s Main Gate.

Instantly, the explosions followed, the city shook, stones turned to dust, people perished.

Mat used the distraction to run into a seven-foot-tall statue of some late king, knocking it down on top of the armored Priest who extended his hand to hold it from smashing on top of his head. The space he created was enough for Mat to sneak through and plunge his sword through his unprotected armpit all the way through his heart.

As the city quivered, Mat moved fast and jumped on the High Priest, grabbing his staff with one hand, flipping him around over his back, making him fly through the air and sending his helpless body against the far side wall of the balcony.

No time to lose, Mat pressed the handle of his sword to release the blue, yellow, and red stones that were kept inside. He then opened up the handle in the middle of the staff and placed those diamonds inside, shut the handle up, turned it around, and activated it. He pointed it to the spaceship still floating a few miles above the city and fired it. The red flame burst out of staff end, and a continuous beam of energy lighted the night air, landing on the armor of the starship, engulfing it all, causing it to vibrate uncontrollably.

Mat closed his eyes and even put a free hand over them as a moment later the loudest explosion of the night broke all the windows. The starship burned in broken fragments, still exploding as its parts started to rain down and destroy the walled City of Lan.

“Well done,” the High Priest said, still banged up against the wall and unable to get up, but a proud smile on his wicked face. “I knew you had it in you. I knew it all along.”

“What have you done?” Helen screamed from behind, and before Mat had a chance to turn around and say anything, she smacked his head with a baton, sending him to the land of no dreams.