Chapter 1

Sister Faith Andrews woke and rolled over onto her right side. She picked up the clock and glared through sleep impaired eyes at the clock face. Unable to make out any of the numbers Sister Andres tried to rub the sleep from her eyes and glared again at the clock face. Slowly it came into focus and she swore quietly under her breath. Her alarm hadn't gone off and now she would be late for early morning start in the Archives.

Sitting bolt upright in her bed Sister Andrews swore quietly under breath again and then promising to do some kind of penance later. She then got out of bed and splashed some water over her face from the sink. Sister Andrews tried to shake the sleep out of her head. Her night had been interrupted with strange dreams of demon like creatures whose appearance slipped from her sight whenever she tried to look directly at them. And then razor like claws slashed at her and grabbed at her robes. Each time she slipped off into sleep the same visions came to her.

As she washed and dressed Sister Andrews pondered the meaning of these dreams. During her time in the seminary her teachers had often mentioned about the revelatory or precognitive capability of dreams. She had even tested quite highly for recognitive abilities but had never had really experienced anything outside of the tests. She pulled a fresh clean veil out of one of the draws and secured it in place, the bronze trim indicating her rank. She then pulled on a pair of gloves and hurried out of her rooms.

Most of the Sisters who worked in the Archives were housed in small rooms occupying the top three or four levels of the Archive buildings. The Archives themselves were located underground and started several stories below ground. Sister Andrews stood in the hallway outside of her rooms and watched the crowds of robed and veiled Sisters milling from place to place. She wondered whether he friend Sister Constance Kaur had already made into the Archives. For the first time in months there had been scheduled on the same shift.

"Faith, Sister Andrews," the woman's voice corrected itself with to call her by more formal name. "Sister Andrews," the voice called out again and Sister Andrews glared over at the figure not immediately recognising the owner. Eventually from the colour of her robes and the patterns of the trim on her veil, Sister Andrews eventually recognised the woman as Sister Edith Raynsford, an older and vastly more experienced archivist.

"Good morning Sister Raynsford," Sister Andrews said formally when she had crossed the hallway to where the other woman was standing, There was a slight dimness in Sister Raynsford's eyes. "What's wrong?" Sister Andrews said laying a hand on Sister Raynsford's arm.

"You haven't heard, have you?" The older woman said, her voice faltered for a moment. "Its Sister Kaur," barely able to control her emotions. Without waiting for another word Sister Andrews turned and all but ran in the direction of Sister Kaur's rooms. When she got there was still something of crowd gathered outside of the rooms entrance. Sister Andrews forgot all formality and decorum as she pushed herself through the crowd. By the look of the trim on their veil's and robes there were a couple of lowish ranked Priestess' standing on either side of the door.

Sister Andrews tried to push her way into Sister Kaur's rooms, but was prevented from doing so by the two priestesses guarding the door. Sister Andrews struggled and tried to force her way in, but the two women tightened their grip around on her arms and pushed her back away from the door. She tried to force her way through again and again was repelled with greater force the previous time. She looked at the eyes of the two women who now held her by her upper arms and she could see the determined look in their eyes.

At that point Sister Andrews relaxed her body and indicated to the two women that she wouldn't struggle again and as they loosened her grip, Sister Andrews step backwards in a non-threatening manner. Her eyes scanned over the crowd looking for either someone familiar or in authority. When she couldn't see anyone Sister Andrews'' mind raced over the various possibilities and tears started to run down her cheeks as the realisation of what must've have happened formed in her mind.

"You should see Priestess Murray," Sister Raynsford appearing behind Sister Andrews as if from nowhere and referring to the Priestess in charge of the Archives. Sister Andrews nodded and made off toward the head archivists office. She weaved in and out of the crowds as she went.

***

Sister Andrews burst into Priestess Murray's office and stopped dead in her tracks a foot or so inside when she saw a woman she didn't recognise behind what normally would have been Priestess Murray's desk. A figure caught her attention out of the corner of her eye to her left side. This woman did look like Priestess Murray and her gaze was then drawn back to the unknown woman. From the trim of her veil and colour of her robes she was clearly at least a high ranking Priestess if not a High Priestess.

"Good morning my child," the strange woman said in a very soft non-threatening voice. "We've almost been expecting you my child," she added almost as she sat down nonchalantly and without an apparent care for how Priestess Murray may feel about someone taking her place. Priestess Murray then took this as her cue to sit down and she took her new place on a seat in the corner of the room. Sister Andrews took a few tentative steps forward so that she stood a step or so in front of the desk.

"Now my child, I understand that Sister Kaur was your friend," the woman looked over at Priestess Murray for confirmation and who gave it in the form of an affirmative no. "And I suppose someone should have come to get you immediately," she continued making Sister Andrews even more concerned at what had happened.

"Why, what's happened?" Sister Andrews said as her gaze darted between the two older women.

"I really do think you should take a seat my child," the woman indicated a chair standing in front of the desk and hesitantly Sister Andrews sat down bracing herself for the worst possible news. "Unfortunately my child, Sister Kaur was found dead this morning," the woman said in such a matter-of-fact way that it almost failed to resonate with Siter Andrews.

"What? How? Who?" Was all she could managed to utter, or at least that what it sounded like in her ears.

"Someone popped into see her first thing this morning and it would appear she hanged herself sometime in the night," the woman continued.

"But who would do such a thing?" Sister Andrews couldn't even contemplate that her friend, who had loved life so much, would even consider taking her own life.

"No my child, you don't seem to understand," she added sounding even more condescending. "The best we can is that Sister Kaur killed herself," she leant forward for added emphasise and Priestess Murray nodded when Sister Andrews looked at her for confirmation. "But we do need to ask you a few question, my child," she said.

"Erm, who are you?" Sister Andrews asked more bluntly that she had intended.

"Oh, I'm sorry my child," the woman replied, only now realising that she had neither been introduced nor had she introduced herself. "I am High Priestess Grace Longton and a couple of years ago Mother Superior Cleave asked me to take overall reasonability for the welfare of members of the Faith," High Priestess Longton said and Sister Andrews couldn't help but let her jaw drop in surprise. Obviously she had heard of the High Priestess, who was effectively known as the Mother Superior's deputy, Sister Andrews had never imagined she would even have met her in passing. Let alone be sat her opposite her being questioned by the High Priestess.

"A few days ago Sister Kaur removed a file from the archives?" The High Priestess asked taking on a different, somehow more series tone of voice.

"What? What file?" Sister Andrews asked sounding as confused as she felt.

"You know the other day when Sister Kaur had that accident and pulled down a number of file folders?" Priestess Murray prompted Sister Andrews in the hope of jogging her memory.

"Oh yeah, she said she'd found something and wanted to talk to me about it," Sister Andrews remembered helping her friend to pick number of file folders and trying to make sure all of the contents had been put back in the correct place. But Sister Kaur had spent several minutes reading a particular file and Sister Andrews distinctly remembered her friend looking even more confused than she felt now.

"Yes, child, it seems that Sister Kaur removed a file from the Archives without authorisation," the High Priestess continued, pushing to get an answer from Sister Andrews.

"But I don't think that she ever mentioned what was in the file," Sister Andrews held back how shocked Sister Kaur had been when she had opened the file in question. Even though her friend had not really mentioned what it was she had seen, but it must have been pretty bad judging by the looking Sister Andrews remembered seeing on her friend's face. She then tried hard to recall where in the archives they had been working at the time.

"Child, even people like yourself who work diligently in keeping our magnificent and majestic Archive in order don't realise some of the secrets held in there could have profound consequences if their contents were made public," High Priestess Longton's tone left Sister Andrews in no doubt of the seriousness of what must have been in that file. Sister Andrews tried to compose herself down and somehow to think clearly despite the shocking news.

"Your Excellency," she began by using the most formal way of addressing someone of the High Priestess' rank, "I regret to inform you that Sister Kaur did not tell me the contents of the file you are talking about." It took all of her composure to say that so calmly, while her heart seemed to be beating a thousand beats per minute. "But if I remember where it was filed then Priestess Murray will be the first person to know," she added with as little emotion as possible.

"That is all we ask, child," High Priestess Longton said exchanging looks with the other woman. "Know I am sure that you have a to processes and I am sure we can spare you from the Archives for a couple of days," she added with Priestess Murray's approval and who added Sister Andrews could take a few days to recover.