Chapter 11 : Debate

A requisitioned pistol and a short flight later, Helena and Alexis were standing at the place they’d been ambushed.  The churned earth and small blood splatters were the only sign of the battle, something that would probably confuse the local guards, but wouldn’t stop traffic.  Helena made a mental note to tell the authorities what had happened, so rumors of giant wolves murdering travelers wouldn’t take off.

For now she had other things to focus on.  She pulled out the bloody bandage, and a vial of quicksilver.  “And now to hunt.”

“I must ask, how did she avoid your notice before?” Alexis asked.  “It sounds like protecting oneself from magic is difficult, even for mages.”

Helena grimaced.  “Truesilver equipment.  Swords don’t usually deflect curses.  My guess is she has a lining of silver thread in her cloak as well.  However that will only defend against passive detection. She won’t be able to avoid this.”

With a deep breath Helena pricked her own finger and let a drop of her own blood mix into the crimson stain.  She then let a bit of quicksilver fall into the mixture. “Pursue,” she whispered to the living blood. And it answered with a warm glow in her center.

She looked down at the ground and her eyes felt the path that the woman had fled.  Each drop of dried blood glowed through the surroundings. It was faint, even fainter than she’d expected.  But the woman’s cloak couldn’t hide it all.

“Alright.”  Helena rubbed her eyes.  “Follow me closely and keep a look out.  We don’t know where this trail will lead.  If we run across anything dangerous, grab on and we’ll get out of there immediately.  This is reconnaissance.”

“I understand,” Alexis said.

Helena began to follow the path of blood.  “Let’s begin then.”

They walked slowly and carefully, eyes out for another ambush.  The blood trail led across the farmlands and around several obstacles.  It took them a half hour to follow the trail into a forest, then to a stream.

Alexis looked at the fast running waters.  “It seems she was expecting trackers. Will this stop your spell?”

“No.”  Helena took another deep breath.  “It makes it harder, but I can ask the river where the blood fell.  It is fortunate we started today though. A stream like this will wash away my curse by tomorrow.”

She poured more power into the spell and followed the curse’s scent upstream.  The woman had followed the stream for a while, before leaving at a rocky shore, then making an abrupt turn.  Helena raised an eyebrow as they began working back towards town. “Hm?”

“Perhaps she is one of the villagers?” Alexis mused.

“We’ll see,” Helena said as they continued on.  The trail was stronger now, and the forest quickly fell behind them, so Helena increased her pace.

Another quarter hour later the truth became evident, and Helena sighed. “Wonderful.”

“What?  Did you lose it?” Alexis asked with wide eyes.

“No, but we will,”  Helena pointed to the church standing before them.  “Because I’m guessing she was healed.”

Alexis gazed at the building.  “Oh.” She shook her head and frowned.  “Well, that shouldn’t be a problem. We must simply ask the priest about the woman!”

“You think it will be that easy?” Helena said with a sidelong glance.

“I do.”  Alexis frowned at her.  “A church must give aid and succor to all, but the priest will be horrified when he learns the actions of the person he treated.  Surely he will give us the information we need!”

Helena shook her head, but kept walking forward.  “Let’s hope you’re right.”

This time Helena didn’t wait for Alexis to open the door before stepping inside.  She was here on a mission. Pain washed over her again, but it was met by her own faith.  It still felt like someone had dumped a pool of ice on her, and she swore there was a hiss as she tromped into the foyer.

Fortunately Alexis didn’t notice her poor reaction to the sanctified area.  The noblewoman walked past her calling out, “Excuse me. Are you in Father?”

A moment passed, then the priest stepped out of the back room.  “I am here, Miss. Is something wrong?”

Alexis bowed her head and stepped forward.  “There is Father. A great wrong. I spoke to you of my troubles before so I need not repeat them.  However we have found that the woman responsible for those ills came to this very church for aid!” Alexis bowed again.  “I would ask you to please tell us what you know of the masked woman who seeks my father’s life!”

The priest’s face darkened, and Helena sighed internally.  “Would this be the woman suffering from a witch’s hellish curse?  One that caused her to bleed incessantly until healed with the power of the Lord?”

“Uh,” Alexis recoiled from the harshness in the man’s words.  “That is possible. She was struck by magic in the battle.”

The priest shook his head.  “And now you ask me to give her up, while the witch responsible for such dark magic stands right behind you?”  The priest stood taller. “You know I cannot do such a thing! I will not turn over even the vilest criminal to a daughter of Satan!”

Alexis looked shocked.  “But-! That’s not what we are…  I merely seek to defend my father from the vile curse that woman has brought upon me!”

The man sighed.  “Child, I understand your worries.  The crisis you must be going through.”  His face turned stern. “Which is why you should abandon the witch behind you and trust in God.  Through His will you can free yourself from dark magic. Just have faith.”

“But…” Helena saw Alexis wavering, confused.  Her duty to her father and the commandments of her deity had honestly been in conflict for a while.  But now that a priest was forcing her to confront them, the young woman was troubled.

Normally Helena would take her time with the debate, but right now they had a problem to solve, and Alexis didn’t need a crisis of faith to play out in full.  She stepped forward to confront the priest. “All it takes is faith is it?”

“That’s right witch,” the man said, pulling out a crucifix.  Alexis stepped aside as the priest moved to meet her challenge.  “Faith in the Lord can overcome anything.”

“Then why don’t we see who’s faith is stronger,” Helena said fixing the man with a hard glare.  “You should be able to drive me right out of this church, no?”

She saw sweat start to form on the man’s brow.  But he didn’t back down. “So be it. In the name of the true God I cast you from this place witch!”

A heavy weight slammed into Helena, as if she was standing face to face with a hurricane.  But as pressure burst forth from the priest’s will, strength welled up within her. She was an Aoede!  She was blessed. And she had power of her own. The priest’s strength was a rush of wind, but she was unmoved, like a mountain.

The priest began to sweat more as he realized nothing was happening.  His faith and the power behind it began to weaken. He might have been able to hurt her if the congregation was here.  The wards at the doors affected her so badly because everyone believed that a witch would be burned setting foot in the church.  But one man, alone, had much less strength than a leader at the front of a community.

She took a step forward towards the man, and he stepped back.  The power increased for a moment, but died away quickly. The priest’s hand was trembling now, and Helena decided to end the matter.

“It’s harder to keep faith when you’re the one being tested, isn’t it?” Helena said quietly.  She fought to keep her voice calm, even and fair. She didn’t want to hurt him more than she needed to.  “You are fairly strong for a simple priest. But you can’t help but doubt. It’s hard to believe in a deity that never talks to you.  I can’t help but believe in my great grandmother’s grandmother.”

She pointed to where Alexis was still standing frozen in shock.  “And with that level of faith, you’ll never get rid of that curse.  A curse that murders everyone who walks near in its desperate attempt to claim the life of a single man.”  Helena paused as a thought struck her. “It’s probably working right now. Trying to get you to kill yourself, either by attacking me or suicide.”

The man’s eyes widened.  “Y-you… you will not trick me!”

“I don’t need to trick you,” Helena said.  “It’s the truth. The question is, what will you do?”  She indicated Alexis. “Will you help her find the woman that cursed her?  Or will you do nothing and leave her to rely on me even more?”

Helena stepped back and waited.  The priest stood quivering for a moment, then slowly lowered the crucifix and slumped in shame.

After a long awkward silence the defeated man turned to Alexis.  “If I tell you what I know, will you swear to take her alive and listen to her story?”

Alexis started at the sudden request.  “Ah! Well… I swear, with God as my witness.”  She looked at the floor.

The priest nodded.  “She never told me her name, but I know she was from Selzen, before the disaster.  There was an old monastery halfway between here and the village. It was abandoned years ago, but it is still inhabitable.  I am not certain she lives there, but it seems the most likely place.” He began walking towards the altar. “I wish I could explain more, but I have harmed the clergy enough today.  I shall not betray the trust of confession as well.”

“Thank you,” Alexis said with a bow.

Helena turned away.  “As a suggestion, the next time you wish to get rid of a witch try a crossbow instead of a crucifix.  A deadly weapon does wonders for focusing one’s conviction. And fostering doubt in your foes.” She quickly walked away.  She wanted to be out of this building quickly.

The doors flew open as if the sanctuary was kicking her out.  And that was fine with Helena. She didn’t want to be there anymore.  She shook her head to try to clear the gathering memories, but it failed.

The creak of the church doors as they opened again signified Alexis’ arrival.  Helena turned to see the shocked woman hesitantly step into the daylight. Mentally she swore at herself.  The priest wasn’t the only one having a crisis of faith.

Alexis looked over and opened her mouth, then shut it.  Reasonable, given that the woman probably didn’t know what to ask.  How could a simple noblewoman figure that out? Helena barely understood matters herself.

Helena sighed.  Best to start at the beginning.  “Yes. I really am a descendant of Hecate.  It’s not as impressive as it sounds. Given how terrible Zeus is at keeping it in his pants everyone’s at least part god at this point.  However my family is a little closer than most.”

She turned to Alexis.  “Thus why your God and I don’t get along well.  Well that and ‘suffer not a witch to live.’ A very powerful priest could drive me out, though he could strike me with lightning just as easily.  And I could do the same, though around my home lightning is the preferred method.”

“So…” Alexis paused, still searching for words.

Helena shrugged.  “So why don’t I care about your religion?  Because I know mine is terrible.” She sighed.  “My goddess has protected me, and granted me power.  But when the Moirai decided I should become some hero’s toy, it wasn’t her that stopped Eros, but a charm from a friend.”  She unconsciously reached for the bell in her pouch. “She helped me afterwards. And… well… it’s hard to stay mad at family.  But who am I to tell people their gods are messed up? Because mine are miserable.”

Alexis slowly shook her head.  After a long silence the woman said, “I think we just don’t understand things the same way.”  She looked up. “But I believe I can trust you none the less.”

“Thank you,” Helena replied quietly.

“Do you think we might have time to sit down and let me sort this out?” Alexis said wringing her hands.  “I am not quite ready for a battle at the moment.”

Helena rubbed her forehead.  “Well we do need to-”

Her thoughts were cut off by the feeling of two magicians arriving in her domain.  One a blazing powerhouse, the other a dark void. She shivered at the odd sensation.  “They’re early…” She shook her head. “I guess we should head back to the cottage. We’ll handle the searching later.”

She held out her hand to Alexis.  The noblewoman hesitated, then took it with her good hand.  “Why do we need to return right now?”

“Because our guests are here.”

Alexis blinked.  “Guests?”

Helena raised an eyebrow.  “After the last fight did you think I would attack her alone?  Even the Spartans aren’t that foolish.” She slowly rose into the sky.  “If you have trouble solo, bring in some friends.”

—-

Helena noted with both amusement and annoyance that the door to the house was open and the smell of coffee was drifting out.  She stepped in and found Lyudmila sitting at the table with a mug of the horrible beverage in front of her. She gave her friend a frown.  “I see you made yourself at home already.” At least her friend had smothered the poisonous brew in cream.

“Given how you likely acquired the place it seemed only fair,” Lyudmila replied.  She nodded to Alexis as the noblewoman walked in. “Hello again.”

“This is a common occurrence?” Alexis muttered darkly.

Lyudmila raised an eyebrow at the noblewoman’s tone.  “Something happen?”

Helena sighed.  “I got in a debate with a priest.”

“Ah,” Lyudmila grimaced.  “That’s… never fun.” She looked up at Alexis.  “There’s no real way to say ‘no we aren’t devils trying to tempt you to reject Jesus’ without sounding like we’re lying.  I hope we disprove it with our actions.”

The whirring of mechanical wings announced Kseniya’s arrival, along with her constructs.  “Perhaps we should start with healing that cut.” The green haired woman slid next to Alexis with quiet grace.  “May I?” she asked as she indicated the bandage.

Alexis nodded.  “Please.”

The noblewoman winced as Kseniya pulled off the bandage.  “Hm… Seems to be doing well.” Helena looked over her friend’s shoulder and silently agreed.  There was only a little inflammation and no bleeding. Kseniya nodded. “I should be able to fix this, even without direct healing.  Let me see…”

Kseniya pulled out a small jar and opened it revealing a balm that smelled of lilac.  With careful movements she rubbed it over the wound, then snipped off the sutures and rubbed in the balm again.  With each pass of the woman’s fingers the cut grew smaller and smaller, until it finally faded away. Helena did her best to see what the other witch’s spell was doing, but northern herbalism wasn’t her forte.

“There,” Kseniya said with a smile.  “How does your arm feel?”

Alexis flexed her right arm then stretched it and smiled broadly.  “It feels just fine. Thank you very much.” Her grin turned more wry.  “I’ll try to keep it that way.”

“So,” Lyudmila said as she set down her cup.  “Who is this crazy swordswoman that’s apparently good enough to get Helena to ask for help?”

“I have no idea,” Helena replied.  “But she’s using purified silver weapons and has at least one magical artifact.”  She sighed. “If this was just a fight I’d be fine, but we need to capture her alive.  Especially now that we’ve sworn to do so.” Alexis nodded with mixed concern and happiness.

Lyudmila sighed.  “Well that explains why you didn’t just blow up the problem.  So what’s in it for us?” she asked.

“This,” Helena said as she tossed an angel stone to her friend.

She handed another one to Kseniya as Lyudmila stared at the rock then grew wide eyed.  “Where did you get this?” she asked as she turned the crystal over in her hands.

Helena smirked.  “The previous owner left it behind.”  She enjoyed the look of shock on her friend’s face.

“You shouldn’t be stealing,” Kseniya said with a grin as she looked over her own stone.

“I believe it more qualified as banditry,” Alexis sighed.  “Though I suppose if the original owner had been hung for her crimes it would have went to my father anyway.”

Lyudmila shook her head as she pocketed the magic stone.  “Seriously Helena, what is it with you and starting grudges?”

“People attack me and I kill them, and you complain about me being bloodthirsty.  People attack me and I let them live and you complain about me starting grudges.” Helena looked to the sky in exasperation.  “What am I supposed to do?”

“Diplomacy?” Kseniya asked with a grin.

Helena folded her arms in mock offense.  “People hire me when diplomacy has failed.”

Alexis sighed, then nodded.  “It is a fair point. If had been properly considering etiquette I would have probably hired a diplomat.  I can only blame myself.” She looked at Helena. “However I notice you became vastly more willing to use force when we arrived.”

Lyudmila shook her head.  “Helena gets more violent the further away she is from a city.  I’m developing a treatise as to why, but I think it’s due to a lack of buildings making her feel threatened.”

Helena flopped into a chair.  “As much as I love the banter, there is something we should be doing.  We’ve got a fair idea where the person responsible for this curse is hiding, but we need to confirm that.  And she’s protected from direct scrying with her silver cape.”

“Ah.” Kseniya waved her hand and the flock of mechanical birds started orbiting her.  “So you want me to look?”

“Yes please.”  Helena pointed in the direction they’d just flown from.  “You’re looking for a monastery halfway between the village there and a mercenary camp up the river from it.  It will probably be heavily overgrown.”

Kseniya frowned briefly.  “No map? Well I suppose I can figure it out.”  She flicked her fingers again and the clockwork familiars sped out of the windows on their search.  The young witch slipped into a chair and closed her eyes for a moment. “I’ve sent them out to find something like a monastery in the area.”

“You can see through their eyes?” Alexis asked in surprise.  “I thought they were simple toys.”

“I can scry on them,” Kseniya said.  “I could look through their eyes but it would be very hard, and not as good as scrying.”

Lyudmila began rummaging around in her bag.  “I suppose when we do find this place you’ll want me to draw a map?”

“I could do it,” Helena offered.  “But you’d just complain about it.”

Lyudmila grimaced.  “The curse of being the only draftsman.”

The four women waited as Kseniya continued her magical search.  Helena brewed a pot of tea while Alexis joined Lyudmila in grabbing a mug of of the adulterated coffee.

It was about an hour later when Kseniya sat upright.  “I think I found it.” The young witch waved her hands, and a soap bubble like illusion appeared over the table, showing a literal bird’s eye view of the forest.  Helena peered to try to find where the monastery was in the sea of green.

“There!” Alexis pointed.

Helena had to twist a little to see what had caught her eye, but she quickly saw the grey of stone.  “Good work Kseniya. Can you get us closer?”

“Yes.  I’ll move slowly so Lyudmila can map it.”  Kseniya’s fingers twitched as she commanded the bird figurine to flutter down to the tree level, then dart back and forth between trees like a real bird would.

As she closed in on the monastery Helena mentally catalogued the place.  There were 4 buildings still intact, one storage room, a chapel and two living quarters.  It also had a graveyard. The buildings were small, but the low remains of the cloister walls encompassed a fairly large area.

“Where should I go?” Kseniya asked as their spy flittered to the top of the chapel.

Helena considered matters.  “The chapel would be better as a base, but if she’s friends with a priest maybe the warehouse?”

“Warehouse,” Lyudmila said.

“Okay.  Good thing there’s some holes in the walls,” Kseniya said.  She had her bird flutter into the thatching of the roof, then hop down to a crack in the wall.

As the little clockwork bird entered the building the scrying image shifted to the inside.  Lyudmila whistled as what could only be considered an armory popped into view. Helena shook her head as she looked over a full rack of weapons and arrows.  Most seemed simple, but there was a rifle and two pistols. And of course there were several training dummies and targets.

“I think we’re in the right area,” Helena remarked.

“Oh good,” Kseniya said.  “Should I see if I can get a better view?”

Helena nodded.  “Be careful though.  She’s flighty.”

“I know flighty,” Kseniya replied with a grin.  Her bird servitor gently hopped forward a bit more revealing another chunk of the warehouse.

Alexis gasped as their quarry appeared.  Helena narrowed her eyes as she studied the woman.  It was easier to get details now that she wasn’t fighting for her life.  The woman had short cropped light brown hair, and a solid build that came from constant training.  Guessing from the weapon racks the woman was taller than Helena, but shorter than Alexis.

Right now their foe seemed to be holding her own strategy meeting.  The woman was peering down at a map, marking points with large pins.  Helena strained her eyes trying to see what the woman was marking. Escape routes?  Caches? Ambush points? It was too difficult to tell.

“Can you get closer?” Helena asked.

“I don’t know,” Kseniya said.  “She might notice if a bird just flies in.  Let’s see…”

Kseniya started sending the bird hopping forward, when a blue flame filled the scrying vision. Everyone jumped in their chairs, and Kseniya’s bird scrambled madly out of the building and into the open sky.  As the clockwork creature flew away Kseniya waved her hand, dismissing the spell.

Helena rubbed her forehead.  “A kobold. I should have known.  All that silver had to come from somewhere.”

“Where there’s one there bound to be more,” Lyudmila sighed.  “Do you think they know we were spying on them?”

“Maybe,” Kseniya said.  “But I don’t think so. They didn’t destroy the figurine, and I did my best to make it fly like a normal bird when startled.”

“I did have to look quite closely to see they were clockwork birds myself,” Alexis said.  “Best to act as if we weren’t discovered. If the enemy is paranoid enough to flee, we’ll never get there in time.  If she’s merely cautious, the one day break will put her off balance.”

Helena nodded.  “It seems your battle tactics and mine match.”   She stood. “And we can use that time to determine how to deal with kobolds.”

“Right.”  Lyudmila waved her hand and a miniature illusion of the forest monastery appeared.  “Then let’s begin our planning.”