Published at 31st of May 2026 6:42 am

Chapter 154: Name of the father

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I need to know if I can rely on you, Similce, I say, trying to be as menacing as possible as I stare up at her.

She plasters an unconcerned smile, as if Im being ridiculous for even asking. Of course, Daddy. You know Ill be your good little girl.

Dont call me that, I say, wincing at her absurdly upbeat tone.

Whatever you say, pappa. She says, stepping subtly towards me. Position her body in an overly familiar manner.

Shes testing boundaries. I dont think that her strategy is to gain control just by a straightforward consequence of whatever this is. Rather, she knows that this cloying, honey-like attitude makes me uncomfortable and is assessing what Ill do when she persists. Shes pushing me here to figure out what the consequences will be for pushing me elsewhere.

I really dont know what to do. Tallow has clearly added a sexual element to his cult, which was absent in my old one. But I dont know how pervasive it was, or how much my new flock will expect me to continue in the new tradition. Either way, I have no interest in it. In fact, I find the notion of doing so with the lower members disgusting. As for Similce? Still disgusting, but also disquieting. No interest whatsoever.

But that leaves me in a quandary. I could just let her continue, but wouldnt that undermine my authority? I cant let things fall apart. But if I react too strongly, say, stab her in the stomach and continue the conversation after she has healed, then it would build resentment from her, and shes the one I need to rely on most.

I wish I had studied the section in my Biblio about handling ones cult more carefully now. I never thought I would need it. I suppose I just need to find a middle road.

I regard her icily. How many sacrifices have you made, Similce?

She forcibly ignores my tone to continue with her own. Oh, dozens, Pappa.

Enough to be considered fully willing if sacrificed yourself?

Her mouth hangs open as she thinks of a response. I suppose so, pappa. But you wouldnt do that, would you, pa

But youre also a mage. How many peasant souls are you worth? At least thirty, yes? Any other hidden factors I should know about?

She goes silent, both in voice and her overly fawning posture. Theres clearly something she has in mind, but I continue without forcing it out of her.

The way I see it, Similce, is that you know youre useful to me, and that grants you a certain amount of, lets say, currency to act out. I dont see the use of spending it all on tests, do you? She shakes her head silently. Good. Now, the term is patriarch.

She straightens her posture and nods her head deferentially. Yes, patriarch.

Theres a moment of silence as we stare at each other, waiting for some indication of I dont know what. I really didnt want to do that. I dont even like the title. Its weird. But what other title is there? Do I even need one? Well, yes. I need something to be referred to as, especially since I dont want them using a name. Something that grants a sense of authority is better than something bland like leader Maybe hierarch? I wonder how mad the Sun Gods temple would be if they found out I coopted their title? Itd almost be worth it just for that I dont have much time to come up with something better. In fact, now might be my last chance.

Actually, I think I prefer Hierarch.

She raises an eyebrow. Thats not a title from the Bibilo.

Neither is daddy. Its done. Lets move on to what actually matters.

And that is Hierarch?

I bite my cheek, suddenly hesitant. What I need to know is if she can be my lieu-tenant. But can I really trust any assurances she makes? Lets ask her something else first, and maybe that will position us better.

Suddenly and with weight, I say, How did Tallow know I was a noble?

She scoffs. Thats what you want to know? Obviously, I told him.

I shake my head, forcing a light smile. Thats not what I mean. How did you know? What do you know about me?

She freezes, sensing a trap, but not what exactly. What do you mean? she refuses to answer.

I sigh, deciding to step back a bit, physically and metaphorically. I mean, the old patriarch did something to my mind. Made it painful to reach back to those memories, and without use, they faded. But you seem to know things about me that I myself didnt, such as being a noble. So, what else do you know?

She shrugs, seemingly relieved for some reason. Almost amused. Why would you even want to know? So you can go back to a loving family with open arms? she scoffs. Whoever you were before is dead. You are who you are now.

I nod. Youre probably right. Still, it could be useful. So tell me.

She glances about, biting her lip before finally shrugging. I dont know much, but I can guess. I don't remember precisely where this happened, we moved a lot back then, but one night old daddy came back with some kid in noble clothes. We asked if you were a sacrifice, but he said not yet. That he was turning you into something special. Thats all I know.

Special?

His exact word. He didnt specify, but I assume he wanted to groom you into a better sacrifice.

And yet I turn away, glower. I always thought of you as being closer to me than the rest of them. Nicer. Would you have stood by when it happened?

She raises an eyebrow. You say that after forcing one of us to sacrifice our own? After forcing me to hunt down a stray?

Im taken aback by her sudden accusing tone. Are you really saying that the buffoon would be missed?

Not by me, but he was family. I know that word doesnt mean anything to you, but a lot of us still cling to it.

I scoff. Its a delusion. Purposefully cultivated to exploit you.

Maybe, but its a delusion we like. Thats useful to us, not just the one exploiting. Id advise that you dont purposefully set out to destroy it, just because you bought into it too fully.

I hesitate at her accusation. Did that sense of family really mean as much to me back then as it seems to these people? I dont know. I didnt have a past, so there was no void that it was filling. But I think I also didnt doubt that I belonged with them. I didnt question their narrative of us all being in it together. Together... is she saying she genuinely felt that too? And yet

You still havent answered my question about letting the patriarch sacrifice me. Did you know thats what he intended when you got close to me?

She shrugs. I wouldnt call it getting close to you. More letting you get close to me but no. I only put together his intention after I met Tallow and read that detail about being considered willing in his copy. He didnt even realize it was new information for me.

Odd that the old patriarch knew even though it wasnt in his more complete copy either again, though, you havent said what you would have done.

She throws her hands in the air in a show of exasperation. How am I supposed to know?! Yeah, I probably wouldnt have opposed your sacrifice. Is that what you want to hear? I mean, sure, if he had just said one day, gather round, today were offering brother Malz, then I would have protested. But he wasnt dumb. Im sure he would have found a reason to convince us to go along with it. Because you might have been family, but he was daddy, and that makes him the most family of all.

She gives me a meaningful look that says now I have to be the most family of all. A look that once again questions my decision to distance myself from that aspect of my new role. I dont respond to it, so she presses.

Why did you make Sylvie sacrifice him?

I shrug, He was a buffoon who needed to die, and our whole thing is that its better to use him than let him go to waste. Besides, its not like italtered his destination.

But why make her instead of doing it yourself?

I scrunch my face up in confusion. Isnt it obvious? If I did that, I wouldnt be the hierarch, but a ravenous wolf suddenly in their midst. Besides, by making her follow my order, it makes her complicit in my act. It, um it sets a precedent, I guess.

You guess? And youre certain it wasnt to destroy the notion of family that you now despise?

Im once again taken aback by the accusation, letting my mouth hang open as I process it, then shake my head. The concept isnt as strongly in my mind as yours. My only concern was how to not destroy the little sense of authority I have from Anar appointing me as leader.

From you saying that Anar appointed you as leader. She counters forcefully. Perhaps a little too forcefully, as it betrays an anxiety.

You doubt it? I ask, injecting amusement to the tone to project confidence. You saw Tallow sacrifice me. What other explanation could there be besides Anar sending me back? I suppose Tallow could have just catastrophically screwed up the ritual, but it is a rather simple one, with more leeway than most for personal calligraphy styles. One that he has no doubt performed without issue dozens of times. So how else could I have won?

I dont know She looks down, clearly embarrassed at having no alternate explanation. But even if Anar sent you back, that doesnt mean he told you to take over the cult.

I shrug. Except, if he didnt, then it would be simpler just to kill you all. Besides the tastiness of the sacrifice, youre really more liabilities than assets at this point.

Assets to what end? She asks, bewildered, but I just shrug, unwilling to inform her that I had and am still fighting for Caethlon. Would she laugh if I did? Listen, Malz, I dont know what life was like on your own, but it was miserable for me. We were both lucky to last as long as we did. An Anar cultist without a cult to fall back on is vulnerable. Everyone makes mistakes, and when they do, they need people who will help them no matter what. The only people who we can trust to do that for us are other cultists. Everyone else treats us with suspicion.

Perhaps you should be like everyone else then, I snap at her lecturing tone. Did it occur to you after you deduced the fate our old patriarch had in mind for me that he might have been doing the same for you? Grooming everyone in his cult to be the best sacrifice they could be? You said it yourself, he would have come up with a perfectly reasonable explanation for why I had to die. Maybe the only reason he didnt do it was because I never messed up enough to form a plausible excuse. Will never mess up enough.

I dont need you, Similce, and I dont need this cult. But if Anar wants me to grow you, I will. But for that, I need a proxy to run things, because I simply do not have the time to run the day to day happenings. Will you be that proxy, or do I need to find the second best candidate?

She hesitates. How much of a proxy? How often will you be around?

I shrug. Once a week, maybe twice.

She shakes her head. They wont like that. A distant father can be worse than no father at all.

Well, good thing Im calling myself Hierarch and not patriarch then, isnt it?

She presses. Except, these are the sort of people who need a father, and if you wont be it, then theyll look elsewhere.

I scoff. One of them is old enough to have grandchildren.

That may be, but what I say remains true. If you leave things to our own devices, you will lose your authority over them.

Seeing to that not happening will be your job.

She shakes her head again. I cant. It would be a contradiction. The more I try to force them to stay in line, the more authority will leach off you and into me. You need to be here to operate things yourself.

Well, I cant. I have other things. Things that Id rather risk Anars wrath by killing all of them than lose. Youre just an incidental part of my life. I cant be this father you claim they need. So, Ill be a hierarch. After all, a hierarchs authority only grows with distance.

I think you have a skewed view of things there, little Malz. But fine. You refuse to see reason. Fine. Ill do things your way. Ill try. Because when I fail, well, it wont be me who suffers.

I consider saying that Ill make her suffer too if things go wrong, but I cant bring myself to believe it, not even enough to lie. So I just say, Good. Its settled then I guess I'd better take a look at everything then.

She plasters an obviously fake smile and makes a mockingly inviting motion. Why, of course, Hierarch. Right this way.

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