Where magic is hiding

Kseniya ran straight towards the dragon.  They’d known from the beginning that Nedvarious would summon it, and she’d volunteered to try to stop the beast.

As she got closer she leaped, flying in between the dragon’s coils.  It twisted up in confusion and she blasted its wings with ice. The missiles boiled off into steam, but the beast cried in rage and turned to pursue her.

Kseniya flew as fast as she could, up and away from the town.  These dragons were beautiful creatures, but ruinous. An errant breath could level entire blocks.  Not to mention the damage her own magic might cause. She didn’t stop fleeing until the clouds were almost level with her.

The dragon was twisting and thrashing through the sky after her, wings beating furiously against the air.  Unlike Kseniya it was bound by gravity, and her sharp ascent strained its might. It belched and spewed flame as it pursued, but she was out of range.

Kseniya nodded then spread her arms wide.  She splayed her fingers, each one reaching out, finding the magic that was part of her soul.  The connections came to her swiftly, years of practice making the move as simple as picking up a book.  As the dragon advanced, she closed her hands, summoning her little birds to her side.

The dragon ignored the arrival of the tiny metal birds.  The small creatures were beneath its notice, and they flew as if they were real.  Kseniya took the time to arrange the ten groups as she desired, her fingers twitching.

The dragon bellowed a challenge again, and this time Kseniya could feel the heat from its flame.  It was time to act. She rose further, then with a flick of her fingers sent magic flowing into her constructs.

The birds turned towards the dragon, each spitting a bolt of energy.  Missiles of fire, ice, and lightning seared through the air. The dragon screamed as dozens of the bolts hit home.  But none of them had broken through the beast’s hide. This fight would take a while.

She leaped forward as the dragon breathed fire again.  The beast must have realize she was the source of the attacks, and it was determined to destroy her.

A blur of crimson flashed in her vision and Kseniya flipped to dodge the tail slap.  Apparently this dragon was very aggressive. But its attack left it off balance. Kseniya sent her bird constructs to orbiting it, and unleashed another storm of bullets.

The dragon shrieked and began to push itself further into the sky.  Kseniya allowed her constructs to orbit below while she attempted to keep the height advantage.

A massive gout of flame cut her off and forced her to drop down.  The dragon roared in approval at its successful ploy, then reared back to begin a dive.  Kseniya triggered another bullet storm but the beast pressed on.

Kseniya juked right then dashed left as the beast charged.  She heard a massive crunch as the beast’s teeth missed her by inches.  Then pain tore through her back.

She was falling.

She shook her head and recovered her balance.  She must have been hit by one of the beast’s wings.  Her back would be bruised for sure.

The dragon circled for a dive, but this time her constructs were properly placed.  She moved the cluster together and fired another barrage, then another. The storm of magical energy washed over the beast’s face, and it howled.  It tried to force through, but a third barrage forced it to turn aside.

As the dragon broke off and began to circle, Kseniya took time to prepare.  She summoned a magical platform in the air beneath her so she could plant herself properly, then began to focus on her protection from fire.  She’d put up advanced wards this morning, but she’d need to use more power to survive the fires of a dragon.

The dragon finished its turn, and began another dive.  Kseniya scattered her birds and waited. Flames seethed out of the dragon’s mouth, and slammed into her defenses.  The heat was like standing in a smithy, and she could feel her wards slowly fading.

Kseniya crouched down on her platform, focusing.  The flames kept coming, melting her shields one by one.  She felt her skin starting to burn, but she forced herself to keep gathering strength.  She’d have one shot at this.

Her second to last shield broke.  She had to act. With all the strength she could muster she leaped into the sky.  Magic flowed through her body, amplifying its power far beyond its limits. To the poor dragon it must have seemed like she’d just appeared next to him.

With a sharp exhalation she channeled her power from her legs into her right glove and swung her fist right above the beast’s eye.

The dragon’s head was flung backwards.  It tumbled down through the air as Kseniya flexed her aching hand.  Finally the beast recovered, hovered for a second as it regained its balance.

That was what she’d been waiting for.  She pulled up one leg, then concentrated the strength into her foot and shoe as she dove down.

Kseniya’s kick slammed into the dragon’s wound.  There was a crunch, and she felt the beast’s skull fracture.  The mighty dragon’s eyes rolled back, then shut. Its body dulled as it tumbled from the sky.

She took a slow deep breath as she watched the beast fall.  That had been harder than she’d anticipated. She’d expected it to have some sort of elemental weakness, but apparently it had been strengthened against magic at the cost of its physical defenses.  It was a good plan against other magicians, but Kseniya’s talent allowed her to strengthen her body to almost Herculean levels. Literally, if Helena was to be believed.

Speaking of which, Kseniya needed to return to the mansion.  Most likely Helena and Lyudmila would be done by the time she returned.  But if not, they’d need her help.

————

Nedvarious pulled out his own angel stone.  “Then we shall duel, child of Hecate. I am Nedvarious, Alchemist of Babylon.  Rejoice for you shall see the mysteries of the ancients as you die.”

Helena nodded grimly.  Mages had long ago learned that using their full power tended to damage reality.  Violent battles like this were still lawless affairs, but by accepting her challenge Nedvarious had agreed to avoid things like opening rifts to hell.  This would be civilized murder.

Unfortunately a formal duel meant she had to let him alter the battlefield before the duel began.  Helena felt space-time warp around around her as her foe used his power to expand the battlefield. An interesting choice, since it would keep Helena’s friends from helping her, but also allow her to unleash her spells without destroying the whole building.

She relaxed a bit, then let her mind fall into the spell that was forming around her.  She was forbidden from trying to fight her foes spell, but with the magical focus in her hand she could empower it.

As the room expanded outward, Helena released the limitations to allow it to expand upward as well.  Soon the ballroom was a massive arena. Her stone shattered as space stopped expanding, and Helena hopped into the sky.

Nedvarious tossed his own spent focus away.  “You really are a battle mage. But that won’t save you or your friends.”  He pulled a handful of clay figurines from his pouch and threw them down. Where each landed a monster sprung up; winged lions with the heads of men, and warriors made of polished bronze.

Helena pulled out a card inlaid with silver and gold runes.  “Scylla and Charybdis,” she intoned.

She felt power rush out of her into the preconstructed spell, and pulled back.  As the summoned creatures rushed forward, a whirlpool suddenly formed between them and Helena.  The unnatural waters flowed out of thin air, and spun into a darkness beyond the floor. Nedvarious’ creatures moved to avoid the obstacle, but tendrils of lightning lashed out suddenly at those who tried to pass, knocking them to the ground.

Helena pulled out a wand and let her magic recharge as her spell stymied the summoned army.  Using that card was a great expense, but she’d seized the initiative.

She raised her hand and summoned an orb of fire.  Now it was time to press her advantage.

————–

Lyudmila cursed as Nedvarious started expanding the audience hall.  It looked like Helena was going to get the private duel she wanted. Which meant Lyudmila would have to babysit everyone else instead of keeping an eye on her friend.

She forced that from her mind.  The first person you had to look after in a fight was yourself.  Dead people can’t save lives.

With a series of alchemical equations and a Nordic rune, she summoned a wall of clay to seal the door they’d entered.  No reason to start a fight on two fronts.

Alexis’ brother, Philipp if she recalled right, stepped forwards towards the soldiers who were walking in.  “Guards, please stay your hands. My father has been…” His face fell with grief.

As he faltered Alexis stepped forward.  Her own eyes had tears, but she kept her voice steady.  “Our father has been betrayed. Please let us stop the villain responsible.”

The guards hesitated a moment, but a man wearing a rank insignia stepped forward.  “I’m sorry my lady, but you are banished, and you broke in here with dangerous witches and what looks to be an assassin.  We’ll do our best to determine the truth, but right now we must ask you to surrender to us.”

Lyudmila stepped between the guards and the rest of her group.  “You idiots,” she snarled, letting her voice carry. “Use your brains!”

She pointed her finger at Philipp.  “What is more likely? We busted in here, somehow stole your lord’s son away and then charmed him while your court wizard was present?  Or that said mage is actually a huge asshole who stabbed you all in the back and Lord Philipp here isn’t falling for the man’s lies?”

Several men shook their heads.  “That makes sense.” “If they were that powerful Nedvarious would be retreating with our lord.”  “I never did trust the wizard…”

Unfortunately the leader didn’t seem impressed.  “We’ll investigate after you put down your weapons.”

“You mean after your wizard kills us all and wipes your memories?” Lyudmila asked sweetly.  “Good job captain. Really thinking ahead there. Why not let the big girls handle this?”

“That’s enough,” the leader said.  “Men! Get rid of that witch!”

Lyudmila smiled in satisfaction as the man next to him punched him in the face.  “You idiot! We can’t trust the truth to come out if the court wizard is against us!  I won’t let you condemn our lord with your stubbornness!”

The leader jumped up and backhanded the man with his shield.  “You insubordinate fool! I’ll-”

“For the Pfalzgraf!” another man cried as he tackled the boss from behind.

Lyudmila sighed and shook her head.  “Remember not to use lethal force! The wizard might be enchanting them.  Bruises and egos can heal!” As a melee broke out, she turned back to where the rest of her party was standing open mouthed.  “Well, we don’t need to worry about them.”

“I’m not sure to be amazed or worried that you could convince so many of our soldiers with simple logic,” Philipp said.

“What?”  Lyudmila blinked.  “Simple logic? I used the rusalka’s voice I own to charm them.  You always use enchantment spells.” Everyone stared at her, even the kobolds so she shrugged and explained further.  “No one listens to logic. Especially not in a fight.”

Lyudmila turned back towards Helena’s fight.  It seemed she was doing well, but there were constructs running at their group.  Men made of bronze and clay. Lyudmila frowned. “Looks like-”

A black streak moved through the air, slicing down the first bronze man.  Grete hopped back from her kill, then raised a silver whistle to her lips and blew.  Lyudmila didn’t hear a sound, but a horse-sized dog and a wagon-sized dog appeared next to the woman.

The two canines bowled over the front ranks of the constructs.  Meanwhile Grete dashed around the flanks, her silver blade slicing down any foes that dared move forward.  Lyudmila was impressed.

However the next wave had archers among the ranks.  Lyudmila raised her wand to strike one down. But before she could cast her spell a stream of rocks and small picks slammed into the creature.  She looked over to see the kobolds had assumed their humanoid forms and were providing fire support.

“It looks like this situation is handled,” Lyudmila said.  She was impressed. No wonder the woman had given Helena fits.

“Can we go help Helena?” Alexis asked as the woman moved beside her.

Lyudmila grimaced.  “Not without breaking the spell I have on your guards.  Besides, if that bastard decides to send something other than fodder at us, Grete will be in a world of hurt.  Her silver cloak doesn’t offer much protection from shrapnel.”

She turned to the two siblings and put her hand on Alexis’ shoulder.  Summoning a rune of protection to her mind was easy, and while the siblings’ odd link made the surrounding calculations difficult, it was still easy to expand it.  Soon a glowing shield appeared next to Philipp, floating between him and the melee.

“No offense Alexis, but your brother’s better with the sword I would guess,” Lyudmila said.  “Philipp was it? You should join the fight against the constructs. With this shield you should be safe, and Nedvarious won’t be able to use area-affecting spells there.”

The young man nodded.  “My thanks. My sword skills might not be up to your other companion’s, but I will defend our family’s honor.”  He drew his blade and carefully moved to enter the fight.

“What should I do?” Alexis asked.

“Stay near me and shoot anything that looks at us,” Lyudmila replied.  “That defensive spell is only strong because I have ‘direct contact’ with him.”

“An ill wind that blows no one good, eh?”  Alexis said as she drew a pistol. “Very well.  Let us do our best.”

Lyudmila nodded and glanced to where Helena was battling.  “It’s up to you now. Please don’t do anything stupid, Helena.”

————

Helena strafed around her foe, firing bullets from her wand and curses from her left hand.  Nedvarious countered by deflecting the bolts while dispelling her curses. Occasionally he’d send one of his summons at her, but he had a hard time targeting.

They’d both drawn heavily on their reserves throwing out powerful spells at the start.  This back and forth was the usual opening salvo between true mages. The ritual of attack and maneuver that weeded out the weak.  And Helena held the advantage.

She didn’t want the advantage though, she wanted to win.  She stopped her curses and instead concentrated on a more standard attack spell.  “Flames of the eternal forge, come to my call and seek out my foes.” She traced Hephestus’ rune.

The air exploded in fire as the rune exploded into sparks.  The flames grew as they arced towards Nedvarious, like shooting stars caught by the pull of the earth.  There was no way his wards could block that.

The wizard raised his staff to the air.  “Frozen void beyond creation, come forth!”  Cuneiform letters appeared around him, and the flames dimmed then vanished in the cold nothingness.

As the spells faded out Helena caught a glimpse of a complex Hebrew rune glowing on the ground.  Nedvarious must have been tracing it with his foot during the fight. She needed to stop that.

She flung out a hand and unleashed raw magical power.  Unfocused, but the strongest attack she could get out fast.

The hall resounded with cracks as the floorboards surged upwards in a wave.  They formed into massive hand, catching the blast. Helena swore as she saw there was only a faint mark on the palm.

“Well.  Things were just too easy, weren’t they,” Helena muttered to herself as the rest of the golem ripped free of the floor.

The golem advanced and Helena retreated away from the creature’s reach.  “Miserable piece of wood,” she cursed and threw a dark bolt of slime at it.  The creature raised its hand again, but this time her bullet-wrapped curse warped and rotted the wood beneath.

In a surprisingly human gesture the golem wrung its injured hand out.  Splinters and slimy rot splattered on the floor, and Helena could see the creature was regenerating.  Wonderful.

A flash of metal to her side drew her attention back to Nedvarious.  Two quicksilver orbs were hovering next to him, and Helena immediately juked to her left.  Streams of quintessence started spewing from the orbs like machine gun bullets.

Helena continued a steady side strafing action as she pondered her next move.  Unlike machine guns these magical sentries were perfectly accurate, which meant so long as she kept moving at a steady pace they’d be no threat.  Still she’d lost the advantage. How to regain it?

As Nedvarious started an alchemical mixture it came to her.  She sped up to get a clear shot past the golem. “Let’s see how you handle rotting away,” she snarled at her foe before throwing another bolt of slime.

“I appreciate you telling me what your curse was going to do,” he replied as he waved his staff to counter it.  Helena smirked at his expression when absolutely nothing happened.

The curse hit the floor beneath the man, disintegrating the wood.  Nedvarious cursed and dropped his potion as he stumbled away. Helena helped him along by catching the wind in her cupped hand and flinging it.  The gust shattered his orbs and sent him flying.

Helena raised her wand to the sky to summon lightning.  A flicker of the golem’s giant fist caused her to duck, ending the spell early.  Still motes of electricity surged forth at her whims.

Nedvarious moaned as the surge hit him, the crackling white energy chewing through the green of his wards.  Helena doubted it did much damage, but she’d broken his defenses. She sneered at the treacherous alchemist and unleashed a curse bullet filled with her rage.  The black orb seemed to glide through the air like a balloon, relentless and deadly.

Nedvarious didn’t even try to get up.  He fished out two clay figures and threw them down.  Another set of lion-bodied lamassu popped into reality.  One appeared right in front of Helena’s curse, screaming in shock as the black orb sank into its body and ended its life.

That left one more lamassu.  Helena switched to a less esoteric attack, pulling out a bottle of arsenic and shaping the poison into a dart.  The human face contorted in pain as its leonine body collapsed.

Heavy steps told her the damned golem was approaching again.  Instead of trying to get off another attack she simply zipped around it, letting herself run an extra dozen yards before looking for her real target.

Her foe had gained his feet.  While his robes had a few singe marks he stood tall, staff raised to the sky.  Letters in cuneiform surrounded him and he proclaimed, “Denizens of Irkallu, I command you by ancient contract!  Rise up and drag down the one who opposes me!”

Helena’s eyes narrowed.  It seemed he was summoning the dead to take her.  Foolish.

She set fire to a few grains of wheat in supplication.  “Persephone, Queen of the Underworld and Hades, King of the Dead.  I Helena, kin of Hecate, ask that you defend me from those my foe stole from you.”  A chill went through her body as the vengeful goddess answered her request.

Screams filled the air as pale white hands burst from the ground.  Some looked untouched by death, while others were rotten, and several were simply skeletons of ethereal goo.  The dead pulled themselves up, wailing in torment from being forced from their realm. They thrashed around the air, ripping at their incorporeal forms in despair and longing.

But none dared attack Helena.  Those that looked in her direction cried out and turned away.  She stood as an eye of calm in a storm of the damned, untouched.

Then a giant fist swept through the ghosts.  She yelped and threw herself to the ground, than half crawled half flew away as the monster slammed its foot down.

“I’m getting real tired of you,” she snarled at the golem.  This was the third time the creature had turned the tide. She needed to eliminate it.

As the ghosts faded away Helena began forming a more complex spell.  She pulled a locust, a mushroom and some dust from her pouch and began concentrating.  This was something new. Fragments of knowledge and half formed ritual bound by will. As close to True Magic as she dared.

“As rock turns to sand and man turns to dust, you shall turn to soil,” she intoned.  She concentrated on what she wanted, banishing all doubt. This had to work, so she would MAKE it work.  “A thousand lives shall consume you. The ravages of the ages take you. Nightmare Plague!”

Magic burnt through her body, leaving her sweating and sore.  The pain sent her to her knees, but she forced herself to watch.  Had it had worked?

The buzzing started.  Low at first, then quickly rising to a deafening crescendo.

It was everything she envisioned.  A massive white swarm of termites flew in, appearing from just out of sight, churning and roiling.  The ball moved to engulf the wood golem, covering the creature from head to toe. And then they began to nest.

The golem kept ponderously moving forward, perhaps trusting in its regeneration, but these were no ordinary termites.  These termites were larger, stronger, and most importantly, they bred millions of times faster. Tens of thousands becoming hundreds of thousands.

The first two steps were normal.  The third let loose a creak loud enough to cut through the noise of the swarm.  Then with the fourth step its leg splintered and collapsed. It reached out a hand, just in time for a finger to fall off.  And then the swarm finished eating through the rune on its forehead and it fell still.

Helena gasped for air as the creature sank down dormant.  She felt relief as her termite swarm vanished as well. The spell she’d created was dangerous, but a matter of necessity.  Now to recover and-

Chains burst forth from the ground and latched on to Helena’s arms and legs.  “Wha-!” She tried to jump into the air, but more chains followed the first, wrapping around her and pulling her to the ground.  She felt her connection to the magic outside her body grow distant, as the chains captured her spirit as well as her body.

“Damn it!”  Helena tugged at the chains with all her might, but they wouldn’t give.  She tried a dispel charm but she didn’t have enough magic left after her last spell.

“And so it ends.”  Nedvarious slowly approached her, his staff glowing blue as he maintained the bindings.  “You did well for your age, but battle magic alone won’t carry the day against a true master.”

Helena glared at the man as she waited for her strength to return.  She wasn’t going to give up yet. “You only won because this was your domain.”

“Perhaps.  I personally feel that merely removed the attacker’s advantage,” he replied.  He frowned as he looked around. “You’ve still done far too well. I doubt I can defeat both your accomplices.  I’ll have to retreat and retake this place later.” He looked over at her. “But first I’ll kill you for ruining this land.  Why didn’t you leave well enough alone?!”

“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t let you rule as puppet king,” Helena sneered.  “Tell me, how long were you going to let the Pfalzgraf linger? Twenty years?  Fifty? One hundred? Were you going to start offing people when they questioned the miracle?”  She gathered her power to her left hand. She didn’t know what she was going to do yet, but she knew she would only get one shot.

The mage’s face twisted in rage.  “Puppet king! You still spout that lie?  I did all this for him! So that he could rule!  Not for myself. For him and his people!”

“Which is why you destroyed one of his villages,” Helena said.  “And of course why you’re going to wipe his memories of this little event.  Tell me, why didn’t you tell him about your little undead lord plan? Did you ask him when you set up that link between his kids too?  Or was that just a choice you made for his own good?”

Helena’s rage boiled over as she glared at the mage.  “You can dress it up in altruism and friendship all you want!  But the truth is you haven’t taken over because he’s already doing what you want!  You cry about how he’s the best lord around and how he makes great decisions, but you seem to be perfectly happy to rule in secret when you disagree!”

Nedvarious flinched back as she screamed, “You’re a pathetic wretch of a wizard, and I swear you’ll watch all your painfully crafted lies and plots vanish today!”  As her anger rushed forth she concentrated it all into her left hand. Reality wept miasma as she summoned her curse to life.

The oozing hatred dripped to the floor and gathered as a black snake, slithering its way towards her foe.  Nedvarious glanced at it, then shook his head. “Impressive that you could cast, but with that binding your curse will never gather the ill fortune it needs to succeed.  A fitting end I suppose.” He raised his foot and crushed the snake underfoot, the mystical bullet evaporating into smoke. “And now for you ‘Curse Gunner’-”

The smoke swirled up his leg and he gasped.  The air twisted as the snake reformed, now twice the length of a man.  It stared into the magician’s eyes, hissing in victory as it tightened around him.  Then with a pop the spell vanished.

There was a ripple through reality.  And then everything returned to normal.  The chains, her wards, and the twisted space they’d been fighting in had vanished as if they were never there.  The only remnants of the battle were some pools of liquid and a head sized hole where the golem had burst free.

Then a pistol cracked.  And another. Nedvarious stumbled forward, slowly sinking to his knees as blood flowed out the bullet holes.  “Im… possible.” Helena looked up to see Alexis and Grete both lowering their guns. It seemed everyone had gained their vengeance.

Helena looked at where the fallen wizard was still staring at his wounds in shock.  “I told you to curse your bad fortune.” She closed her eyes for one final spell.

“Wait.”

Everyone turned to the desk.  Pfalzgraf Holdst Von Strausfen, the lord who had been secretly kept animated all these years, slowly stood.  The man’s frame seemed to be shrinking, and his hair was turning from silver grey to stringy white. It was apparent that he didn’t have long on this earth.

“My old friend,” Holdst said weakly.  “I understand you must have been mad with grief.  And after you’ve committed yourself to a path it is hard to break from it.  But you know this was wrong. My son is still young, yes. But every ruler is a young ruler once.”

Nedvarious’ face fell, then his eyes seemed to clear.  “You… are right. I’m sorry. Forgive me… Lord.”

The court mage of Strausfen slowly sank to the ground and breathed his last.

Pfalzgraf Holdst fell back into his chair, becoming ever paler.  His cheeks sank as the grip of death grew tighter. “My children…”

“Father!”  The two cried out as one, then rushed to the desk.  Philipp reached for his father’s hand, while Alexis seemed to check for his pulse.  The noblewoman looked over to Helena. “Can you-?”

“Keep him alive as undead?” Helena asked sharply.  “Yes, but I won’t. Do anything else? No, that’s beyond even my power.”  She shook her head and looked away. “You’ve got a chance to say your goodbyes.  Take it.”

Hardening her heart, Helena focused on rebuilding the wards her own curse had dispelled.  She hated intruding on others’ sorrow. Especially when she could do little to help. This gave her something to do.

Two sets of footsteps announced the arrival of her friends.  “That was damn close Helena,” Lyudmila muttered. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“That golem was tougher than I expected,” Helena admitted.  “I should have thought of a better way to handle it.”

“It ended well at least,” Kseniya said.  “As well as could be expected that is.”

Lyudmila looked over to where Alexis and her brother were saying their goodbyes.  “I’m not pleased with that either. You just cast two ridiculously chancy spells. Taking over that wizard’s undeath charm right after your fight was dangerous.”

Helena sighed and sat down.  “I’m good with necromancy. Besides, this was enough of a tragedy.”  She stared at the ceiling. “All that work and I didn’t even stop the damn curse.”

The slow drain of magic from her undeath spell became stronger and stronger as the call of Hades echoed louder.  She begged the death gods a few seconds more for Alexis’ sake. An apology for her failure.

She felt her friends’ hands fall on her shoulders, and she grudgingly nodded.  “Yeah.” She closed her eyes, then released the spell that held Pfalzgraf Holdst Von Strausfen to this world.

As Alexis began to wail Helena stood.  “Well I’ll clean up here. You go loot the lab or something.”

“Nonsense.  I’m not going to leave you to care for the bereaved.  It would be a nightmare for everyone,” Lyudmila muttered.

“She means to say we’re with you until the end,” Kseniya said with a smile.

Helena managed a weak grin.  “Thanks.”

Helena looked over the small rocky outcropping Alexis had led them to.  “I’m surprised that the castle actually has a secret entrance. I would have figured that affectation was for the more fantastic realms.”

“Any castle the Kaiser might stay at needs a secret exit,” Alexis replied.  The noblewoman had added a buff coat to her ensemble and added two full sized pistols to her collection.  “But any exit is obviously also an entrance. Only the Kaiser himself has the key to it.”

Grete tugged at her silver lined cloak nervously, her right hand never leaving her sword hilt.  “So how are we to get in? I doubt you made a copy of that key.”

Alexis looked at Helena.  “I imagined a spell to open a lock would be simple.”

Helena smiled as she pulled out her lock picks.  “Simple, but unnecessary.” Finally she’d get to use them.

“Simple solution,” the kobold said.  “We approve.” The ten smaller blue flame spirits that had joined him seemed to bob in agreement.

“Why learn to pick locks?” Grete asked with a frown.

Helena shrugged.  “It’s fun.”

“I prefer pickpocketing,” Kseniya said with a smile.  The young witch stretched, then pulled on a pair of white leather gloves.  “We should finish our own preparations though. At least if you want Lyudmila and me to be a surprise.”

Helena nodded.  “Right.” Helena walked over to her friends, then placed her left hand in between them.  Lyudmila placed her right hand on Helena’s then Kseniya placed her hand on her sister’s. Helena took a deep breath, then let her mind open up.

Normally when combining efforts with other magicians, one person had to set themselves up as a focus.  Kseniya’s ability made her a natural beacon for other mages. Helena’s power easily flowed towards Kseniya, and from there back into herself.

Her mind seemed to move out of her body, allowing her to look down upon the three witches as a spectator.  Looking around she saw pale forms of Lyudmila and Kseniya’s consciousness as well. It seemed they were ready.

She reached out and with her hand summoned a magical circle.  It didn’t have any great purpose, only to exist and radiate her particular brand of magic.

Lyudmila moved next, carefully drawing her own runes and equations inside the circle.  As she finished each section the symbols twisted and shifted, becoming more understandable to Helena’s mind.  Masking Lyudmila’s magic with her own.

Kseniya’s magic wasn’t as orderly as her sister’s.  It felt more like a light rainstorm, drips of power forming an intricate pattern out of randomness.  One that could turn into a downpour or clear away into a rainbow at any moment. Helena’s circle rippled in tune with Kseniya’s magic, concealing that too under its power.

Helena forced herself back to reality, and opened her eyes.  Her friends seemed a little dazed, but that was expected given they’d subordinated their auras to her.  “There. Now he’ll only see me.”

“Though he’ll still see you’re ready for battle,” Kseniya said.

“Right.  But that’s not too different then how I am usually,”  Helena said walking towards the rock Alexis claimed hid the keyhole for the secret passage.

A brief inspection showed the crack of the hidden doorway, though Helena did have to give the makers some credit for not making it a straight line.  She traced along the crack checking both sides for a lock. The right side held nothing, but the left side had another crack outside the door. Looking in, Helena’s enhanced vision saw the gleam of the metal tumblers and she knew she’d found the right spot.

After that it was fairly simple.  Locksmithing in this realm focused more on hiding the keyhole, as no one had found a way to make an unpickable lock.  This one was fairly middle of the road, meaning Helena had to spend a full minute working the tumblers.

A solid click informed Helena of her success, and the door opened just a few centimeters.  It took some work to finish opening it, but soon a passage leading into darkness appeared before them.  It was barely her height, but it was four feet wide and the walls had been smoothed a little.

Helena put her lockpicks away.  “Alright. Everyone ready?”

Alexis checked herself one more time.  “I suppose so.”

Grete drew her sword.  “I have been ready for this for years.”

“Prepared,” the kobold leader said.

Lyudmila and Kseniya just nodded in tandem.

Helena strode in.  “Then let’s go.”

Alexis grabbed a torch from a barrel just inside the passage.  “This should lead to the quarters for a visiting chancellor. From there it should be just a simple run up the servant’s stairs to the ball floor where my father holds court.  He’s sure to be there this time of day as well, even if there are no petitioners.”

The shuffling march through the secret passage stretched on for what seemed like forever, but Helena knew that was just her nervousness.  Eventually the tunnel opened up into a cellar area.

Alexis moved to the ladder and climbed up to the top before tossing her torch down to Helena.  Helena snuffed the light in some sand. The kobolds were giving enough brightness as it was. Alexis fumbled around a bit with the hidden trap door, then pushed it open.

Helena waited until the noblewoman scrambled out before flying up out of the passage.  The room she entered was well furnished, but obviously not in use. That was good. It was less likely a maid would wander in here.  “How far to the stairs up?”

“Just around the corner,” Alexis replied as Lyudmila flew up.  “Left then left again. After the stairs go straight.”

The group waited until Grete had pulled herself out of the passage, then Helena moved to the doorway.  “Okay. Remember no one here has any reason to trust anyone other than Alexis, and she’s technically banished, so don’t explain.  Just sleep them or walk by and say sorry.”

“I know how to break and enter,” Lyudmila replied.

Helena spared her friend a glare before opening the door and striding out.

Of course she nearly walked straight into a servant.  The woman gasped and staggered back, trying to keep the laundry she was carrying from falling, “Who-”

“Stupid curse,” Helena hissed as she splashed a potion in the woman’s face.  The maid blinked then slumped to the ground asleep. Helena pressed on, leaving the woman to rest.

The stairway actually was close, and Helena flew up it.  There was no point in stealth. Fortunately the hallway above was deserted.  Helena strode forward, and kicked open the door.

The room where Pfalzgraf Holdst Von Strausfen held court was fairly impressive.  Obviously it was meant for the Kaiser when he stayed here. The Pfalzgraf, in a show of some humility, left the royal seat unoccupied, and was sitting to the side behind a large desk.  The elderly man was tall, old muscles run down by age but not allowed to go to fat. His blue eyes were wide in surprise.

Two guards stood behind him, while a young blond man in a purple outfit that matched Alexis’ was standing to his right.  And of course, Nedvarious, the bearded magician that was the source of all this trouble stood before the desk.

Pfalzgraf Holdst recovered surprisingly quickly, given the situation.  He stood and fixed the group with his gaze. “Alexis?! What is the meaning of this?  What is going on?”

As if on cue Grete rushed forward.  “Vengeance for Selzen,” she cried.

Helena had been expecting this, but it was still irritating.  She took some solace in the fact that Grete moved towards the wizard instead of the count.

In the end the results would have been the same.  Nedvarious pulled out a small parchment and snapped out an word of power.  Lightning tore through the air. Grete parried it, but the raw power forced her back.

“Sister?  Are you mad?” the younger man asked in shock.

Nedvarious raised his staff into a guard position.  “I fear that she has been misled by these evil witches.  Possibly by the curse as well. I shall do my best to dispel their foul enchantment, but there shall be a battle first.”

“Their foul enchantment?” Alexis yelled.  “What about your foul enchantments? Enslaving our local spirits and placing death spells on your secret workers.  And of course working to replace my father with an imposter!”

Nedvarious raised an eyebrow then looked at Helena.  “So is that the lie you fed her? A simulacrum? Oh and of course her ‘real father’ is ‘hidden away,’ so you can present our noble lord to her after adding a few memories.”  The magician shook his head heavily. “How shameful. I thought better of you from our meeting but I see I was wrong.”

“That’s my line,” Helena replied.

Pfalzgraf Holdst frowned.  “My daughter, it seems you have been deceived.  I am no imposter, though I can see no easy way to prove this.”  He looked at Nedvarious. “Is there some spell you can use to show my daughter the truth?”

The magician smiled slowly and pointed at Helena.  “Why don’t you try witch? The spell to get rid of a simulacrum is simple, and harmless to a human.  Prove your words, Helena Aoede.”

Helena closed her eyes as hope drained from her.  She heard Lyudmila hissing in annoyance and Kseniya shifting nervously behind her.  If Nedvarious was willing to let her cast that spell, there was no way the Pfalzgraf was actually a simulacrum.

Still she couldn’t avoid the truth forever.  She opened her eyes and glared at the mage. “Very well.  I’ll call your bluff.”

She held her right hand up in the air and began summoning power to it.  “Purest rain, untainted by the touch of man, I call upon you to purify the false creations of magic.”  Her hand began to shine with a blue light as the cleansing power flowed into it.

A flick of her left wrist and a snap of her fingers sent her true spell zipping along the hall.  With everyone watching the power in her right hand, they only had time to gasp before the tiny curse bullet struck Pfalzgraf Holdst in the shoulder.

Helena let the magic in her hand fade away as the room turned towards her.  “What did you do Helena?” Alexis all but sobbed. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, Alexis.” Helena said.  “I wanted it to be a simulacrum, because the other possibility was much worse.”

She looked at Nedvarious.  “That spell was a curse. A small one that would make a living person sneeze.  But it had no effect. Because Pfalzgraf Holdst von Strausfen died of his wounds after that battle five years ago.”

Nedvarious’ frown grew deeper and deeper as Helena continued.  “I should have realized it that first night, but that hedge witch’s incompetence threw me off the trail.  If you had developed such a perfect defense against curses, why create such a complex and confusing spell to defend the Pfalzgraf’s heir?  It makes no sense. But you didn’t need to actually develop a ward against curses did you? Pfalzgraf von Strausfen can’t be cursed, because he is dead.”

“Dead?!” The Pfalzgraf slammed his hand into the table.  “What new nonse-”

Nedvarious waved his hand, and the man’s eyes went blank as he slumped back into the chair.  “I guess I didn’t overestimate you,” he said with a long sigh. “Perhaps even the reverse.”

“Not going to keep up the game?” Helena asked.

“He can’t,” Lyudmila said quietly.  “Not when a vial of holy water can blow his cover.  And you can be sure a man in as important a position as the Pfalzgraf would need to publicly disprove your accusation Helena, no matter how ludicrous it might sound.”

“Except no one is going to remember your accusation,” Nedvarious said, pointing his staff at where the guards and Alexis’ brother were standing shocked.  The two guardsmen collapsed immediately. But Alexis was the one staggered from the sleep spell. The charm that Helena had given her flared, and Alexis regained her footing.

Helena shook her head.  “That stupid binding of yours is finally getting in your way I see.”

“It may have been a mistake,” he admitted.

She heard Kseniya mutter a quick spell and then suddenly Alexis’s brother was standing in their midst.  “Sorry, I just thought you might be safer here.”

Grete shook her head.  “Such madness. Such stupidity.  I was fooled…”

“My father…”  Alexis roused herself and managed a shaky step forward.  “Why? Why do this to us? To steal my father’s power?”

Nedvarious’ frown dissipated into sorrow.  “Power? This wasn’t for power. Alexis. Philipp.  Please understand, I did this because this land needs your father.”

The magician’s face turned to anger.  “He was the greatest man to rule these lands for centuries.  Perhaps one of the greatest nobles in all the Empire! A man who worked hard for his people.  Who always fought for righteousness rather than petty ends. Holdst was my friend! I couldn’t accept it.  I will not accept it! His reign will not be cut short by the stray arrow of a paid mercenary dog!”

Grete readied her sword.  “So you burnt my village down and enslaved the kobolds to keep him in undeath?”

“An unfortunate but necessary sacrifice.  I’m sorry it came to this, but I will not let these witches kill your father.”  He slammed his staff into the ground and a mighty roar echoed from outside. “I promise it will all be better after I destroy them and wipe your memories of these horrible events.”

Alexis wiped tears from her eyes.  “This is not what father wanted!”

Her brother nodded grimly.  “The job of nobility is to serve the people.  This madness is a betrayal of all we stand for!”

“You’ll understand later,” the magician said quietly.

Helena strode forward, palming the angel stone she’d taken from the hedge witch.  “I’m afraid for you there is no later.”

Kseniya walked towards the windows.  “If you surrender you might still be able to ask them for forgiveness.”

Lyudmila leaned back against the wall.  “And if not, we’ll be happy to blast your twisted dreams to ashes.”

“Really?”  Nedvarious shook his head.  “I can sense your friends are as formidable as yourself.  But you are all still young. And this is both my domain, and my workshop.  I am the equal of ten magicians here.”

Talons the size of a man tore through the wall, leaving a massive hole.  A blood red eye peered through it, as the dragon outside roared in hatred.  Seconds later a side door behind the desk opened up and guards started pouring through.

Nedvarious slammed his staff into the ground again.  “In the name of Pfalzgraf Holdst Von Strausfen, eliminate those brides of Satan, and rescue his heirs!”

Helena held her hands out before her, palms up.  “Traitor magician Nedvarious, I am Helena Aoede, known as the Curse Gunner.  Lament the miserable fate that caused you to draw my wrath!”

The walk to the ruined town was one of the most awkward things Helena had been part of.  Alexis and Grete were exchanging glares that were one step short of violating their oaths.  Helena herself had a death spell in the back of her mind, and she’d bet everything she owned Lyudmila had an ace up her sleeve.

Fortunately they managed to get to the tree line outside the fort without any explosions, verbal or physical.  Helena carefully looked out over the cleared area, noting the patrols were back to marching around the old village.  “Hrm. We’ll need to get one of them closer.”

“Do you need me to handle this as well?” Lyudmila asked.

“It’d be best if you did the questioning part,” Helena said, “but grabbing someone should be easy.  Kseniya could you put up a barrier against siren song?”

Kseniya closed her eyes.  “It’s not something I practice regularly. But against imitation siren song I should be fine.”  The young witch drew a small circle in the air then scribed three runes in it. A faint hum sprung up around the working.  “There. You should have seventeen feet of protection. I don’t know if you’ll be able to cast the spell from within the field though.”

“Probably not.  Fortunately I have my own protection.”  Helena stepped out of the circle, then pulled out a small seashell.  One that she’d collected from the beach on the island of the Sirens. She appreciated her grandmother’s summer trips more often these days.

She took a deep breath, then softly blew across the seashell’s opening.  The shell quivered and hummed as she breathed life back into its memories.  A faint song, but one as sweet as honey began to sound from the shell. Helena couldn’t quite make out the words, but she knew she wanted to hear more…

A bell clattered in her mind and her mind snapped back to the present.  Once again she thanked the artifact that defended her. Now that her mind was clear she could grab hold of the sound, twist it and manipulate it.  It wasn’t as powerful as the real Sirens’ chorus, but it was much more malleable.

Helena looked out over the patrols for a good target.  The closest one walking into the woods would be noticed by the man behind him.  But the second man wouldn’t be unless the first one turned around. An easy catch.

With a breath she sent the song riding along the winds to the man.

Her target jolted as the song hit him.  At first he stood there, searching for the source of the music.  Then as the faint singing reached his mind, he smiled and began to walk forward, heedless of the danger of the forest.

If this had been pure siren’s song the man would have dashed to the tree line, alerting everyone.  But the faint song coming from the shell simply drew the man in at a pleasant walk. He even had the presence of mind to nod to his comrade before continuing on.

Helena started moving back as the man approached, carefully stepping around Ksenya’s circle of protection.  The man followed her movements, correcting course each step without noticing the difference.

Finally he stepped into the woods.  Helena motioned to the others, but kept on concentrating on her spell.  Alexis started, then drew her pistol. Grete hesitantly drew her sword, while Lyudmila produced a wand.

The man stepped into the circle then gaped in shock as the fog from his mind lifted.  His shock switched to terror as he realized his situation. “Wha- What witchcraft is this?!”

“Pretty good witchcraft, if I say so myself,” Helena replied with a smile.  She did enjoy showing off. “Now, if you’d be so kind, we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“I-” The man hesitantly placed his hands behind his head.  “Alright! I’ll tell you anything. But I’m just a hired sword.”

Alexis stepped forward.  “Then who hired you?”

The man opened his mouth, then his eyes began to bulge.  Helena caught the stench of rotting meat a second before his eyes exploded.

Helena leaped back while Alexis screamed.  The man gurgled and thrashed, choking on his own blood.  He clawed at his throat in manic panic. Kseniya rushed forwards to heal him, but the damage had been done.  He was sure to suffocate even if his wounds were closed.

However there was something that Helena could do.  She threw up her hand, mixing magic and prayer. “Mighty Hecate!  I beg you, bind this spell until I see fit to release it to the darkness!”

The oily black smoke escaping from the dying man’s throat was caught in chains of starlit darkness.  Helena felt resistance, but it was a simple death spell, not a curse, and the creator hadn’t expected anyone to bind it.

“What was that?!” Grete exclaimed.  The swordswoman had taken up a guard position between the man and the kobold that had accompanied them.  “Did you cast a spell to silence him?!”

Lyudmila shook her head and took a breath to steady herself.  “We didn’t. But someone else did. It seems the owner of this mine didn’t want people asking questions.”  She looked over at Helena. “You want me to figure out what it was supposed to do?”

“Only if it’s safe,” Helena said with a grimace.

Kseniya closed the man’s shattered eyelids, while Lyudmila and Helena moved to study the captured spell.  Lyudmila poked at Helena’s trap. “You’ll need to dispel that before I can try to taste the magic.”

“It’ll disperse when I do,” Helena said.  “You’ll have to be fast.”

“I can do fast,” Lyudmila said, stretching her palm.  “And the fact that it’s disintegrating will protect me from harm.”

“Alright,” Helena nodded.  “On three then. One. Two.  Three!”

Helena released the divine spell just as Lyudmila snapped her hand forward.  There was a puff of smoke as her friend grasped at the spell.

Lyudmila sniffed in thought.  “I see. A simple spell. One that would kill the victim if he tried to answer a question to ‘the family of Pfalzgraf Holdst Von Strausfen or one in their service’.”

Helena looked at the body.  “So someone doesn’t want the Pfalzgraf knowing what’s going on here, and is willing to kill everyone to make sure they don’t talk.”

“How horrible!” Alexis said.  “But we still don’t know who did it!”

“Or at whose bequest,” Grete muttered.

“I think we have a solid guess,” Helena said.  “What magician would care about the lord of the land but not other wizards finding out they were active here?”  She turned to Lyudmila. “The magic was alchemical in nature right? And contained Byzantine and Babylonian themes?”

Lyudmila slowly nodded.  “Indeed. I take it that matches the local mage?”

“Go poke around the manor and you’ll notice it really fast.  He doesn’t bother to hide his signature craft,” Helena replied with a sigh.  “And here I thought he was a pleasant wizard.”

Alexis seemed to shrink.  “So we were betrayed. Why?  Why would he turn against us like this?  Is the mine worth so much to him? He could have asked!”

Kseniya stood next to the noblewoman and patted her shoulder.  Lyudmila shook her head. “I suppose you’ll get to ask him soon.  Though there’s a bit of a problem.”

“The fact that you’ll be facing a wizard in his own domain?  Along with the local lord’s men?” Grete replied with a sardonic smirk.  “A small problem isn’t it? Otherwise I’d have handled it myself.”

Lyudmila looked at the woman with a frown.  “That and the fact that this wonderfully easy trail of evidence has probably been set up by your curse.  Probably so we can get into a fight near Pfalzgraf von Stausfen and get him killed in the crossfire.”

“What!?”  Alexis wheeled on the magician.  “You mean this is all falsehood?!”

“No,” Lyudmila shook her head.  “Why lie when the truth is more damaging?  But think on what’s happened. You’ve been traipsing all around this land.  How many close calls have you had? How many people have been in mortal danger around you?  Well ignoring those that Helena went after. Do you think the curse just left?” Lyudmila looked over at Grete again. “Tell me, has your hatred gone away?”

The swordswoman hesitated then shook her head.  “No.”

Lyudmila looked at Helena.  “You’re the best here with curses.  What do you think a subtle deadly curse would be doing here?  I’m surprised you didn’t see this earlier.”

Helena swore at her own stupidity.  Lyudmila was right. She’d just assumed the people who’d gotten hurt around her were part of the curse, and perhaps they were, but compared to the vicious and random attacks when it was in the Immigrant Realms this was nothing.

She turned away and closed her eyes.  She’d been foolish. All this time spent chasing after clues one after the other, without spending any time to think about the big picture.  That was a huge mistake.

Helena began to pace.  She had to look at the facts again.  The Pfalzgraf couldn’t be targeted by magic.  So Grete had called down a curse on his eldest son.  But because of Nedvarious’ spellcraft it had instead targeted Alexis.

On the other side, the same magician had slaughtered an entire village for a magical reagent.  Admittedly it was a very expensive magical reagent. And he had made sure that the men working the mine wouldn’t give away that secret to his nominal master.

There was one big question there.  Why go through all that trouble? When a simple word would give him access to everything for free?

Helena froze.  No. There were two big questions.  Two things that made no sense.

She slowly turned to Alexis.  “Alexis. You said your father was grievously injured five years ago.  When was Selzen destroyed?”

“Four years ago,” Grete said glaring at her.

“You don’t think they are connected?” Alexis asked.

Helena bit her lip.  “I’m… uncertain. I want to test something first.”

“So where are we going now?” Alexis asked.

“We’re going back to the cottage.  I’ll need it to be dark for this.” She looked away from the rest of them.  “And I should do it by myself. The spell is best done alone.”

Lyudmila looked at her.  “What is it Helena?”

“Just a thought.  A possibility. I want to confirm it before I say it,” Helena replied.

She shook her head then threw two pennies on the dead mercenary for the ferryman.  “We should head back for now. We have some plans to make. Attacking a wizard in his domain will be difficult.  Especially since we don’t want any accidents to happen.”

——

The night was cold, with a stiff wind that shook the pine branches.  But the chill in Helena’s heart was deeper. She was afraid no matter what she found out here she wouldn’t like the answer.

But she was a witch.  She had to know.

The crescent moon had risen above the tree line and was shining on the deserted crossroads Helena had picked for her spell.  It was time to act.

She reached into her pouch, following the distant call of her home, and after several minutes pulled out a single white chrysanthemum blossom.  In this realm, the flower would resonate well with the spell she was going to cast. She then pulled out her knife and sketched several symbols into the dirt of the crossroads.  A prayer to Hades and Persephone to borrow one of their servants for a while. A prayer of thankfulness for her power to Hecate. And symbols of summoning and control.

When those were done she stepped back, pricked her finger with the knife and let the blood fall onto the pure white flower.  She looked to the moon and said, “You who knows only grief in death, attend me, so that we may each perhaps find some peace.”

The wind threatened to knock the bloom from her hand for a second, then fell dead still.  Silence reigned for a long moment.

A faint sniffle sliced through the quiet.  Then like water rushing over a dam, a wail rang out through the crossroads.  Helena forced herself to stand strong as a wispy figure appeared, wearing ruined chain and carrying a shattered spear.  His eyes were ringed and sullen beneath the chain coif, and tears rained down his face to drip onto the ground. He opened his mouth and his words flowed through the air like a wave of frost.  “Who calls this wretched one? Do you seek to revel in my misfortune? Or do you come to grieve alongside me, for the fate you know you cannot change?”

Helena steadied herself then looked the man in the eyes.  “I Helena Aoede have summoned you. I seek to break the dark fate you foretold.”

The man buried his face in his hands.  “How can you stop the tragedy? You are its author!  Though others have rotted the tree, you will be the one to make it fall.”

“Then when did the tragedy start?” Helena asked.

The ghost wiped his eyes.  “When the flowers of the west were cut, the servant replaced the master.  From that tragedy comes all others.”

Helena felt her throat tighten.  “I see. Thank you. You may leave or stay as you wish.”

“I wish to change things, but that is impossible for a failure like me,” the ghost sighed.  The wind seemed to echo his mournful gasp.

And then the spirit was gone.

Helena stood there for a long time, piecing together the clues in her mind, then she pulled out five coins with shaking hands and tossed them onto the ground.

Staring down at the bleak fortune before her, she shook her head.  “I should have known. Fortune telling never helps. Never.”

Helena gathered the coins, then flew back towards the cottage she’d claimed as her own.

——-

She’d had some time to collect herself before she landed at home.  Which was probably the only reason why she managed to notice the faint magical presence standing outside.  She turned to the invisible spirit. “Hello Shizuka. I didn’t expect you to come.”

The air seemed to blur, then a white haired woman in a pale kimono appeared.  Her hair was short, like a child’s, but she stood about as tall as Helena. “I’m Kseniya’s familiar.  I’ll always follow her.” The spirit frowned. “And I can tell she needs me here. I feel ill fortune in this house.  And not just the curse.”

“Yeah.”  Helena closed her eyes.  “I think it’ll be fine in the end though,” she lied.

Shizuka gave her a close look, then sighed.  “Well, I’ll be here anyway.” She blurred a bit, then returned to sight with a frown.  “How did you sense me?”

“This is my domain,” Helena pointed out.  “And you’re not a normal zashiki warashi anymore.  For one thing you’re too old.”

The spirit nodded solemnly.  “I suppose that’s true. Spirits like us can’t bind ourselves to a mage without changing.”  A shy smile flitted across her face. “But I’m fine with that.”

Helena blinked and the spirit was gone.  Back to invisibility. “Well, you still have all the other traits,” Helena replied quietly.  At least something was still working right in the universe.

She walked into the house only to be met with four pairs of eyes and a floating fireball.  “You all didn’t need to stay up for me,” she said.

“Ha,” Lyudmila snapped.  “After you were being all cryptic and zoning out during the strategy meeting?  All of us are curious. What could possibly make Helena not interested in blowing things up?”

Helena glared at her friend, then sighed before turning to where Alexis was sitting on the other side of the room.  “I think I might know what’s going on. It’s… possible that your father has been supplanted by a simulacrum.”

“What?” Alexis’ eyes grew wide.  “Like a doppelganger? But he seems the same as always!”

“One would think someone might notice,” Grete said coldly.

Helena sighed and took a seat.  “It’s only a possibility. But it fits what I’ve learned so far.  Simulacrums can act exactly like the person they are based on, so long as the original is still alive.  On the other hand doing so would require blood freely given, and a constant supply of expensive magical reagents.”  Helena rubbed her eyes. “Someone acting as a healer to a man injured in battle would easily be able to get blood, and as for expensive magical reagents…”

“God in heaven!” Grete’s mouth fell open.  “But… that’s…” The swordswoman fell into deep thought.

The kobold flame swirled in agitation.  “To abuse our silver. Great anger.”

“Is there a way to banish such a creature?” Alexis asked.  “If we can dispel that monstrosity and free my father the guards will rally to our cause!”

“Maybe,” Helena said.  “It depends on if Nedvarious blocks our spells.  If he does though we’ll know my guess is correct and we can fight in the castle without worrying about hurting your father.”

“And if you’re wrong?” Lyudmila asked softly.

Helena sighed and closed her eyes again.  “Then we retreat outside like you planned and fight in the courtyard.  We can’t let Nedvarious build up his defenses more than he already has.  An alchemist on their home ground is dangerous enough.”

Silence fell again as everyone become lost in their own thoughts.

Finally the kobold moved towards the door.  “I must summon kin. We meet you there.” The blue light flickered out.

Kseniya sighed and stood.  “We should get some rest. Especially you humans.”

Grete gave the young witch a sharp look at that, but Alexis nodded.  “Very well.” The noblewoman stood and followed the youngest witch to the guest room.

After a pause Grete stood as well.  “I think it best for everyone if I sleep outside.  I’ve done so before.”

“There’s an empty woodshed if you don’t want to freeze,” Helena said.  The swordswoman left without a reply, letting the door slam behind her.

Lyudmila stood and moved to Helena’s side, laying her hand on top of Helena’s.  “It’s not like you to only tell us half the story,” she said quietly.

Helena closed her eyes again and leaned back in her chair.  “I don’t want to be right.”

Her friend sighed and squeezed her hand.  “Well, I always enjoy needling you when you’re wrong so let’s hope for the best.”

Helena managed a smile.  “Yeah.”

They sat together as the trees rustled outside, awaiting the morrow.

Helena pulled whatever scraps of stealth she could muster over herself as she moved through the forest.  A light rain was making everything cold and miserable, but they were getting close to their quarry.  She could see the ruined low walls through the trees.

The plan had been very simple.  Approach the monastery from three directions, move in as one, and capture the target.  Unfortunately there had been one problem; Alexis had insisted on coming along.

Helena had tried to get her to stay away.  Alexis was the only one of them who couldn’t fly, and she could be killed by a single stray arrow or brick.  But the woman had been insistent, and Lyudmila and Kseniya had both agreed. They were certain the curse would strike if she wasn’t nearby.

Which meant Helena had to guard someone.  This was going to be trouble.

Still, there was no time to worry about that right now.  Helena moved to the tree closest to the hole she’d picked as an entry point, then pulled out the pocket watch Lyudmila had let her borrow.  They had two minutes and eight seconds. Less than Helena had hoped, but still good.

Helena closed the watch and began her preparations.  First she stretched, letting magic well up from within her and push out the stiffness.  Then she reinforced that power, flooding her body with strength, speed, and most importantly quickening her mind.  Her eyes flitted around, from the squirrels moving between the trees to the birds watching from above.

The stimulation was starting to get overwhelming so she made a mental wall inside her mind to block off the less important information.  She still felt jittery, but that would be a help in the fight ahead. She took another second to let the power within her bleed out and strengthen her personal wards.

She felt Kseniya and Lyudmila complete their own preparations a second after she finished.  Taking that as her symbol, she hopped up and flew low to the ground through the hole, Alexis dashing behind.

A massive roar resounded through the area as she zipped through the broken wall.  Helena grimaced as she saw a dog as big as a house facing off against Kseniya. Behind the mastiff was the woman they were hunting, already trying to flee.

Helena fired seven homing shots at the woman, abandoning attached curses for rate of fire.  She started summoning lighting next, not waiting for a hit.

A number of blue flames exploded around her, shrill voices screaming curses.  Alexis’ pistol echoed through the monastery as Helena leaped backwards. One of the kobold spirits flickered and vanished, but the rest transformed into their hunched humanoid forms.  A volley of blue flame and picks flew towards her.

Helena held her breath to avoid the deadly fumes.  She crafted a set of runic circles in her mind, blazing brightly.  With the snap of her fingers the vision flared into reality, and a freezing beam swept across the kobolds.  Angry wails rose as the kobolds either fled or were blasted to the ground.

She palmed a card to fire out a stream of homing bullets while she took stock of the fight.  Alexis was behind a wall reloading her pistol, so Helena didn’t have to worry about her. Kseniya was battling two dogs now, but her birds were holding them off.

And there was no sign of their target.  Helena swore and rushed forward. If the woman escaped again they’d be in serious trouble.

Helena skimmed past the church, firing another spread of frost bolts behind her to keep any kobolds on their toes.  She passed the chapel and started to climb into the air, when a whistle to her side caused her to turn.

She had just enough time to see the arrow as it sliced right through her outer wards and exploded.

The world spun then abruptly stopped in a burst of agony.  She found herself on the ground, aching. Helena ignored the pain and forced herself to her feet, holding up a barrier while her vision cleared.

Their quarry had hopped another wall and was running towards the forest.   Helena hissed and forced herself back to the air. She needed to catch the woman before she got to the woods!  There was no way they could track the woman if she escaped.

But the distance was too far.  She’d lost too much time. Helena felt despair well in her heart as the woman reached the tree line.

And then a net dropped out of the canopy.  The woman hit it at a full sprint, falling entangled in the mesh.  A second later ten mystical spikes slammed down at the edges of the net pinning it to the ground.

Lyudmila floated down out of the trees with a self satisfied grin.  “So how did just blasting everything work out for you?”

“It succeeded in driving her to my sarcastic friend who’s good with traps,” Helena replied dryly.  Lyudmila conceded the point with a shrug. “Where did you get the net though?”

“I keep one in storage.  It’s very useful,” Lyudmila said.  “You should consider one too.”

“Filthy dogs!” the trapped woman screamed as she struggled.  “I swear you’ll pay for this!”

Helena glared at the woman.  “You should save your breath and start thinking of an explanation that will convince my employer not to kill you.  Try to convince me too. I’m not really pleased with what your curse has done.”

She rapidly strode away, ignoring whatever muffled protests the woman gave.  Helena had to check to make sure Alexis was okay. Especially since she’d run off leaving the woman alone.  Not her best guard work.

As she rounded the chapel she saw both Alexis and Kseniya.  Kseniya seemed to have banished the dogs she had been fighting, while Alexis had both her pistols ready.  The kobolds were gone.

Helena waved to her friends.  “Lyudmila finished the job.”

“Ah!  That is great news.  I admit, I was a little worried when I saw the explosion knock you down,” Alexis said.

Kseniya smiled.  “It would take more than one explosion to hurt Helena.”  Her expression grew more serious. “Are we sure the woman is secure?  She seems to have a lot of artifacts and allies.”

“Lyudmila caught her in what looks to be a sardine net,” Helena replied.  “At this point there are only the kobolds, and they won’t attack where their arsenic fumes would hit their friend.”

“Big sister was always the practical one,” Kseniya said.

Alexis strode forward.  “Now. Let us see if we can get some answers.”  The woman’s eyes hardened. “For I have many questions.”

The trio walked over to where Lyudmila had their prisoner, Helena and Kseniya letting Alexis take the lead.  The woman stiffened as she saw Alexis; then she tore at the net, drawing blood on the unyielding mesh. “You!  Has your family not caused me enough grief? Why does God let you live in luxury despite your crimes?!”

Alexis peered at the woman.  “I do not know you. And I do not know what madness made you hate my family so much that you would kill indiscriminately just to bring us harm.  But I find it very hard to care.” Alexis pulled the hammer back on her pistol. “I am tempted to bring justice right now. Still, I swore before God I would listen to your story.  Explain the reason for your hate.”

The woman didn’t seem to care she was seconds away from being shot.  “You ask me why? You claim you don’t know? Then let me tell you! I am the vengeance of Selzen!  The village your father and his pet wizard murdered! My family, my friends, my love! All burned alive so your father could mine the earth beneath their ashes!”  She twisted at the mesh and spat on the ground.

Alexis rocked back.  “What… what nonsense!  Selzen was destroyed during a raid from outside the county.  It is true magic was involved, but how could you pin it on my father?”

“I was there,” the woman hissed.  “I saw. Raid? There was no raid.  Just a passing mercenary band, looking for work to the south.  I saw the dragon come. The dragon that lives in your castle. I saw it burn everything.  Soldier and townsman. Man, woman, and child.” The woman glared up at Alexis, hateful curses swelling around her.  “I only survived because I fell into a sinkhole and the kobolds took pity on me.

“From there I saw your father’s men bury the dead and scatter the ashes.  I saw them come back in the dead of night and set up a mine. I saw your pet magician enslave my kobold saviors with his dark spells to find the silver he so desired.”

The woman’s face fell.  “I thought once to use that silver to get my revenge.  But a wizard’s stronghold is too much for a mortal.” She closed her eyes, but her hands tightened on the net.  “All I have is my hate. But my hate cannot be stopped. I swear even if you kill me here, it will live on.”

Silence fell as the woman finished her story.  Helena slowly shook her head. The woman believed what she said.  Believed it so much it hurt. Things had gotten a lot more complicated.

Alexis was the one to break the silence.  “You fool,” she snapped. “You claim those are my father’s men?  I’ve never seen those mercenaries in my life.” She raised her pistol.  “Enough of this madness. I will-”

“Stop,” Helena said softly, putting her hand on Alexis’ arm.  “Reality isn’t always what people think it is. But that goes for all of us.  Let’s look for the truth.” Helena looked down at the woman. “You saw the dragon?  What did it look like?”

The woman’s eyes grew distant.  “It had scales like dried blood.  That ugly brown and red. It was long, and twisted, like a serpent.  And its wings made no sense for its body.”

Kseniya’s eyes opened wide.  “Did it glow as if it was burning inside?”

“Yes,” the woman replied.  “Like the fires of hell were with it.”

Alexis hesitated, but shook her head.  “So what?! It looks like the dragon Nedvarious commands.  Dragons are not unique creatures!”

Lyudmila winced.  “Yes, but it must have been under a magician’s control.  That’s a dragon of wrath. More a devil or force of nature then a magical beast.  They don’t just burn part of the countryside, they destroy until they are slain in turn.  Magicians like them because they’re easy to bind.”

Alexis looked at them in shock.  “What is this?! You cannot possibly believe this woman’s slander?”  She glared at Helena. “My father is not a murderer! He would never destroy his own people!”

“I believe you,” Helena replied.  “He found a silver mine. So what?  He’s already got silver mines. But this mine doesn’t have ordinary silver.  As our friendly captive here has shown us time and time again this is purified silver.”  Helena looked Alexis straight in the eye. “And true silver is worth more than five times its weight in gold to a magician.  Especially to an alchemist. Like your court mage.”

“But my father would not allow it,” Alexis exclaimed.

Helena sighed.  “Your father would never know.  We’ve only been together a little while Alexis, but you’ve seen some of my power.  How easy would it for me to keep something secret from you?”

Alexis gasped, then slowly lowered the pistol to her side.  “You mean to say… Nedvarious has betrayed us?”

“It has to be him,” Lyudmila said.  “There’s no way he could have missed a dragon being summoned so close to his domain.”

Kseniya nodded slowly.  “And the silver has to be transported via magic if no one else saw it.  Silver shipments are heavy.”

“But he’s always stood by my father,” Alexis shook her head.  “Why should I trust the words of a madwoman over my father’s closest advisor?”

“Well, we can get some confirmation to that rather quickly.”  Helena pointed to where the town of Selzen once lay. “We go there, grab one of those mercenaries and pump them for all the information we can.”  Helena looked down at their captive. “However, before we can do that we need to deal with another problem.”

The woman simply glared at them.  “I don’t care what excuses you make up.  Your father murdered my village. I won’t rest until all that he holds dear is gone!”

Helena shrugged and her eyes narrowed.  “Alright. I guess that means you can shoot her, Alexis.”

“Helena!”  Kseniya glared at her.  Lyudmila and Alexis were frowning but less judgmental.  Helena sighed and rolled her eyes for effect. To be honest she wasn’t invested in the idea of killing the woman.  But it was the smartest option by far.  The curse would strengthen, but it was better then having a well armed killer about.

Alexis shook her head.  “If Nedvarious is a traitor, then my family owes this woman a great debt for the troubles our subject has caused her.”  She looked down at the prisoner with cold eyes. “However, given I cannot trust you when unbound, it sounds like Helena’s option is the only option available.  Unless, of course, you are willing to swear on your immortal soul to leave my family out of your vengeance and dispel your curse upon me.”

“I will swear no such thing,” the woman snarled.  “You can lie to yourself to assuage your father’s guilt, but I will not be fooled!”

Helena was about to respond when she felt a presence behind her.  She whirled around to find the blue flame of a kobold a distance off.  The blue spirit bobbed up and down before speaking in a strange echoey voice.  “I would hear. Why ruler is innocent?”

“What?”  Their prisoner clawed at the ground.  “Why are you listening to these witch’s lies?”

“Understand hate,” the flame replied.  “But friend’s freedom more. Revenge less.  Listen to witch. Explain.”

Helena nodded.  “I should have realized.  You did not help this woman just out of friendship.  You are being exploited here too. That’s why you’d give up your silver.”

The flame bobbed up and down.  “Silver precious. Lives more precious.”

“Let me make a guess then,” Lyudmila said.  “Humans tried to mine the silver before, but you drove them out.”  She began to pace. “It would be simple. Since only you kobolds can find the purified silver, the poor returns on the mine combined with the danger would convince any peasant miners to give up easily.”

“This is truth,” the kobold replied.

Helena realized where Lyudmila was going.  “But a Pfalzgraf wouldn’t care. They could simply order people to mine.  With Nedvarious enslaving the kobolds, the accidents would become rarer. Sure the locals would be unhappy, but that’s hardly a reason to stop mining silver.  And with his other mines he could conceal how small the profits are from this one, while still gathering all the true silver he wanted.”

“Exactly,” Lyudmila said.  “The lord of a land has a million different tricks to keep his actions secret.  Especially with a powerful wizard on his side. Tricks that don’t involve murdering his workforce and turning part of his lands into cursed ground.  There’s only one reason to go through the effort of driving everyone else away from the mine.”

Alexis started.  “To hide matters from my father himself.”

“This sounds of truth,” the kobold slowly said.

“What?”  Their captive looked at the flame with tears in her eyes.  “You can’t believe them! You can’t abandon me too!”

“Calm,” the kobold said.  “Anger blinding. We will protect.  But they sound of truth.”

Helena looked at the spirit with a raised eyebrow.  “So you will take responsibility for her?”

“They will do no such thing,” the woman screamed.

“Please.”  The blue flame moved forward, bobbing before their captive.  “Please help. Free others. We protect. We seek truth. Our promise.”

The woman stared at the ground, thinking over her options.  Helena felt a bit of pity. She had to be reeling from the shock of being captured, the confusion of having her worldview torn into, and the shame of having to ask her foes for help.  The kobolds must have a strong connection to the woman, for her to even consider making a bargain with the people who she hated so much.

Finally the woman closed her eyes and relaxed.  “Alright.” She swallowed, then said, “I Grete Klisch, swear on my soul that I will not harm Pfalzgraf Holdst Von Strausfen or his family, until after the truth of the destruction of Salzen is known.”

“Until a full day has passed since the truth is known,” said Helena.

Grete shot her a dirty look, but nodded.  “Until a full day after. On my life and soul.”

Alexis hesitated then nodded.  “Before God, I swear that I shall grant you reprieve from any judgment until that time, on my immortal soul.”

Helena nodded and held up her hand.  Since Alexis had sworn as well this would be easier.  “I ask Hecate to witness and enforce this oath.”

She doubted the two humans noticed, but Helena felt the light touch of her goddess on the oath.  Lyudmila and Kseniya lightly nodded their approval. Given how quickly people were willing to violate oaths, it was best to get some magical assistance.

The kobold’s flame moved to join the circle.  “Oaths made. Free ally.”

“Right.”  Lyudmila dispelled the spikes and began helping Grete out of the net.  “I guess we’re going to be walking to Selzen then.”

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.”

Alexis had complained about the flight back, but in the morning the noblewoman had acquiesced to flying to Staumuhle.  Which was good because the only other way to reach the city was by horseback, and Helena didn’t have the faintest clue how to ride.

The city of Staumuhle was fairly large, with a solid stone church and an inn of its own in addition to a wide assortment of houses and farms.  Helena landed just outside of town. “I’m surprised there’s a village this size so close to your castle. I would have thought the larger towns would be spread out more.”

“It is a full day’s journey by wagon from here to Strausfen town,” Alexis said.  “Every merchant who comes to or from the south will stop here for the night.” She rolled her shoulders.

Helena nodded in understanding.  “Very well. And you say it’s likely our target will be near here.  So now, what do we know of her?” She turned to Alexis. “She’s likely rich.  Weapons are not cheap, and true black dye is even more expensive.”

“Her wealth may be tied to her ability to summon giant magical dogs,” Alexis offered.  “I believe that would greatly help in acquiring coin.”

“The important thing is she’s likely staying in high status,” Helena said.  “Or at least relative comfort.”

Alexis raised an eyebrow.  “What makes you certain of that?”

“The benefit of a mask is the ability to hide your face right?” Helena said.  “I would think a rich person would enjoy their station when they could, and leave the masked raiding until later.”

“I think you don’t understand how difficult it is to wander out each evening unnoticed when you have servants,” Alexis replied.  “A simple hamlet is far easier to slip in and out of.”

Helena frowned.  “I see.” She began walking towards the village. “So what then?  I could try a search spell but it would be… flashy. And if she didn’t leave her weapons out in the open I might not find anything.”

They mused on the issue as they walked in silence.  It was troublesome. Helena was not really an investigative type of witch.  She usually did interrogations.

It was Alexis who broke the silence.  “Perhaps we could find something to use as bait?  She seemed to be harassing those mercenaries. We could sneak in and find out what those troops possess, then we would be able to lure the woman into a trap!”

“A good idea, but I’m not sure if it would work,” Helena replied.  “I’m not good at stealth spells. If it were a city I might be able to sneak in.  But an armed camp is beyond me.”

“No good at sneaking?”  Alexis looked at her. “But aren’t stealth and trickery the key elements of witchcraft?”

Helena shrugged.  “Trickery is, but stealth less so.  Sneaking around with magic suggests if people find me I’ll be in trouble.  I prefer situations where if people find me, they’ll be in trouble.” Helena stopped by the low stone wall that seemed to delineate the town and the surrounding farms.  “The only thing we know she’d be after is you.”

“Me?”  Alexis looked around to make sure no one overheard her.  “Why me?”

“Because you’re the one the curse is attached to.  She needs you to get near your father so that curse can kill him.”  Helena folded her arms. “Which means she needs you alive and under her control instead of wandering the countryside.”

Alexis nodded slowly.  “I see. Then let us use the bait we have.”  Her eyes hardened. “I am tired of these games.  Let us confront each other.”

“Are you sure?”  Helena liked the plan, but it would be dangerous for Alexis.

“Certain,” the noblewoman replied.  The fire within her seemed to lower a bit.  “However I would like to visit the church first.  I believe it would be good to seek confession and communion.”

Helena shrugged.  “It’s your god. If you need to make an offering, please do.”  She wasn’t sure it would help her, but it might make Alexis feel better.

“It’s not an offering, but…”  Alexis grimaced and began heading towards the church.  “Well, either way, I should do it.”

They went back to walking in silence.  Thinking of gods, Helena had asked many favors of Hecate this trip, and had a great deal of luck with magic.  The fact that the curse wasn’t rampaging now that it was close to its target was almost certainly divine intervention.  She resolved to make a sacrifice on her return.

As they approached the stone church Helena’s thoughts turned more to avoiding the impending awkwardness.  She looked around to see if there were any nice windows she could look through to keep an eye on Alexis, but there didn’t seem to be any.  The doors grew ever closer, and Helena realized there was no way around it. She’d have to enter the church.

She hoped the priest was unfaithful.

Alexis opened the door.  “Please excuse us,” she said before walking in.  Helena clenched her teeth and followed.

It was like walking into a hailstorm of needles.  Pain flashed over her, trying to drive her back. The owner of this building knew she was a priestess of another deity, and it did not like that.  Helena forced herself to push forward past the entryway.

The pain stopped and she gasped in relief.  The consecration wasn’t that strong. Alexis looked over at her.  “Something wrong?”

“No I’m fine,” she lied.  “You should talk to the priest.  I’ll stay in the back.”

Helena lingered in the foyer, while Alexis walked up to where the priest was tending the candles.  The man spoke to Alexis for a bit before giving Helena a harsh look. Fortunately he decided not to make a big scene and led Alexis to the confession booths.  Helena allowed her attention to wander over the rest of the church, looking for any possible threats.

This church seemed pleasantly dull.  She hadn’t been in many, but they were uniform in their low wood pews and abundance of candles.  It was claustrophobic compared to her home’s more open air temples, but that wasn’t Helena’s problem.

It was several long minutes before Alexis left the confession booth and walked back to her.  “My thanks for waiting.”

“No problem,” Helena replied.  “Let’s be on our way.” She turned and quickly stepped out the doors, the fresh air outside reinvigorating her.  Alexis followed more slowly, blinking as the sun hit her eyes.

“Now we have some loud complaining to do,” Helena stated.  “If we want to make you a target we need to let everyone know you’re here.  So we’ll go to where it’s acceptable to whine in public. The tavern.”

“Very well.”  Alexis coughed.  “But I think it would best if we stuck to drinking beer.”

Helena grimaced.  “Why? The stuff is fairly foul.  Even when brewed well.”

“Because if you pour water into a good German wine, you’ll start a fight,” Alexis stated.  “I would prefer to avoid you turning half the men in this town to frogs because of a disagreement over drinking.”

“Fine,” Helena sighed.  Barbarian customs everywhere.

———-

To her pleasure Helena had discovered the cider at the tavern was passably good.  She’d been nursing that for several hours. Alexis on the other hand had proven her constitution by polishing off over a dozen beers.  Helena had cheated a little by turning the fifth and eleventh into alcohol remedies, but the fact that she’d had to wait so long was pretty impressive.

Whether or not they were getting any rumors going was anyone’s guess.  People had to have heard Alexis’ complaints, but no one had dared comment.  In fact everyone had scooted a little further away.

Alexis waved over a serving girl.  “It is getting late. What does the cook have for dinner?”

“Ah, tonight’s dinner is fish stew, my lady.” the woman said, unconsciously glancing to the beer mug that had been emptied yet again.

“Bring two, and drinks and bread as well,” Alexis said tossing down some silver coins.

The woman nodded quickly.  “As you will, my lady.”

As the server scurried off, Alexis glared at Helena.  “We must talk about important matters. Like our future plans.  I am tired of being left guessing.”

Helena grimaced.  “People can hear, you know.”

“Can you not fix that?” Alexis asked sharply.

Helena frowned.  That was a good question.  “It’s hard since I can’t cast a spell on you.  But I suppose there is a way.” She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small bell.

It radiated disgust at her, but it didn’t object to the plan so she imbued her spell into it.  “I want this back as soon as you’re done,” she said handing it to Alexis.

The noblewoman took it.  “Very well, but what-” Alexis paused as she realized the sound of her words didn’t match what she heard in her head.

“You can now speak and understand Japanese. So unless someone in this village is a master of far eastern languages we should be fine.”  Helena sipped her cider. “What do you want to cover?”

“The plan,” Alexis said.  “We are using me as bait in an ambush, but I still have no idea how this ambush will work.  Our prey knows you’re a witch, and she knows I am armed. What keeps her from just shooting one of us with her bow?”

Helena nodded.  “She can’t shoot you because that would be the end of everything.  Your death destroys the curse.” Helena shrugged. “As for shooting me, I’m prepared.  I pissed off the god of archery. Occasional arrows are expected.”

“I hope your skill matches your confidence,” Alexis said.  “For your sake as well as mine. You do remember she seems to have magic of her own?”

Helena winced.  “Yes. I’ve worked up some counter measures.”  She fell silent for a moment as the serving woman returned with their meals.  “The dogs should be less of a problem, if nothing else.”

Alexis dipped some bread into her own soup.  “I don’t suppose you could give me a bullet that would affect those dogs?”

“No,” Helena said.  “Hurting dogs isn’t something I’m supposed to do.  What I can offer you is an enchantment that will allow you to shoot the woman without killing her.  It would be better if we took her alive.”

“If you insist,” Alexis replied.  “So how will we handle the ambush?  They will be able to choose the time of attack.”

Helena nodded.  “Hecate is a goddess of crossroads.  We’ll wander the streets at the edge of town, traveling quickly and lingering at them.  I should be able to get a feel for anyone trying to ambush us there.” She took a bite of the stew and found it far too salty and spicy for her tastes.  At least it was warm.

Alexis looked at her for a few long moments.  “If I might make a suggestion, when the ambush is near, please give me a signal.  I feel I might know how to choose a defensive ground better than you.”

“Well…”  Helena frowned.  “I suppose you might.”  She looked at the tankard Alexis was holding.  “Though if you want to be making decisions, you might want to cut yourself off there.  I can only burn so much magic curing your drunkenness. Especially since I’m using alchemy runes.”

Alexis blinked, then had the presence of mind to blush.  “My apologies. I suppose I might have indulged a little bit more than I should have.”  The woman handed back the bell. “Hopefully we’ll be back in my father’s castle soon,” she said in German.

“Hopefully,” Helena replied.

———-

The air was cold as they walked through the poorly lit streets of Staumuhle.  Helena’s mood was decidedly vicious as the rough wool cloak she’d had to buy itched against her skin.  She could have set up a ward against cold, but keeping it working would take some of her concentration, and she wanted all of her wits about her for the fight ahead.  Capturing someone was often complicated.

Or at least, she would need her wits if their prey ever approached.  They’d wandered the city twice over, and she hadn’t sensed any threats at all.  “Damn. I suppose I was getting overconfident.”

Alexis sighed, but nodded.  “It did seem a little farfetched that our plans would work perfectly with but a single day of preparation.”

Helena rubbed her forehead.  She’d gotten hasty.  That was a bad habit in her field of work. On the other hand, giving up now would be foolish.  The chance of their prey falling into their hands on the first day was slim, but missing a chance because it was unlikely would be just as stupid.

“Let’s wander to the north.  If nothing happens in an hour we’ll fly back,”  Helena said.

“Very well,” Alexis replied.  “This way then.”

The two trudged slowly to the north of the city, past the church, and graveyard.  Finally they arrived at the last crossroads out of town, the four way crossing marked with a faded signpost.  Helena concentrated for a moment, and found nothing. “Next,” she sighed.

They walked out of the city, heading through cleared land.  The houses here were dark, the inhabitants resting for the night.  Only the occasional fruit tree and stone fence broke up the monotony of the fields.

Helena’s only warning was a slight whistling before the arrow struck her magic shield and punched through.  The defensive barrier violently exploded, while Helena stumbled back. Arrow fragments flew through the air.

The night turned into chaos.  Helena saw Alexis draw her gun.  Then a dog as big as a house appeared before them, growling.  A second arrow came flying towards Helena, and she quickly pointed and blasted it to ash.

Not stopping, Helena reached into her belt and pulled out a small carved wooden globe she’d prepared.  As Helena threw it into the air it began to whistle. The high pitched scream grew shriller and shriller as the orb flew into the air, spinning like a wheel.  As it reached a pitch so high Helena’s ears could no longer hear it, the giant dog’s growl turned into a whimper and it buried its head under its paws.

Helena’s rush of elation was quickly killed as she heard Alexis cry out in shock.  The woman’s gun went off, but there was no answering scream.

She turned to see Alexis retreating, her pistol on the ground.  The masked woman was approaching, wielding a thin sword already colored with blood.  From the way Alexis was holding her right arm close the assailant had already cut her.  How deep Helena couldn’t see.

The sight made Helena angry.  Furious. She wanted to hurt their attacker.  Make the woman scream and bleed.

Helena fought that rage down, tapping only the dying embers of it.  She flung her left hand forward and bound the curse into three bullets.

The masked woman was already leaping away as the missiles flew.  Her blade flashed in the moonlight, and somehow struck away two of the shots, leaving sizzling scars on the ground.  But Helena felt the third strike true.

She dashed forward to press the advantage, summoning a blast of lightning.  The swordswoman leaped out of the way and blew a silver whistle. Helena couldn’t hear any sound, but the whimpering dog vanished, and another dog the size of a pony appeared.

With a mighty leap her target hopped onto the dog and raced into the night.  Alexis threw her knife clumsily and Helena summoned a quick curse bullet, but both missed.  The dog’s zig zagging path kept them safe until they hopped a stone wall.

Helena was breathing heavily.  The mystical bullroarer dropped to the earth with a thud.  And Alexis began swearing as she gripped her right arm.

“Well, it seems her magic is better than expected,” Helena said.  She turned to Alexis, “Let’s see to that wound.”

Alexis hissed in frustration.  “We have no time! She’s getting away!”

“She’s gotten away,” Helena said.  “Chasing after her will only lead us into another ambush.”  She held up a hand to stop Alexis’ outburst. “We have her blood.  We can track her.” She pointed at the dark splotches on the road where her curse had struck.  “She’ll have trouble with that wound as well. It won’t heal for a week.”

The noblewoman seemed like she was going to argue for a moment, then she winced and nodded.  “You’re right. I shouldn’t let my own wound fester. Can you heal it?”

“It will be hard due to that spell on you.  Let me see it,” Helena said as she stepped forward.  Alexis gnawed on her lip a bit, then took her hand away with a hiss of protest.

The cut was long and heavy and it bled freely.  Enough to make fighting with a weapon difficult, if not impossible.  “Damn,” Helena muttered as she put her own hands over the cut. “Alright.  Let’s stop your bleeding first.”

She closed her eyes and focused her power through her right hand, instead of her left.  Direct magic would not work, but perhaps the will of the gods could help. She prayed to Hecate for assistance, to heal her benefactor.  As expected her goddess only granted a little aid. Alexis served another pantheon. But the blasphemies the countess was muttering from the pain might have helped their cause.  The bleeding slowed, and the wound shrank a bit as Hecate’s divine will poured in. Perhaps most importantly, the fibers in the wound were driven out, leaving it clean.

Helena quickly reached into her pouch for bandages and a needle and thread.  Then she pulled out some poppies and crushed them, sending their essence over the entire area.  Alexis gasped in relief as the pain lessened, and Helena went to work suturing up the wound. It was simple work, and Alexis held herself still, so Helena finished quickly.  She then wrapped the wound tightly. “There. That will do for now.”

“My arm still feels weak,” Alexis complained.

“And it will for a while,” Helena replied.  “Part of that is the anesthetic, but the muscle and nerves were both cut.  They’ll heal, but it will take time. Or until we get to a better healer. I’ve got a lot of experience with diseases, but not that much in handling injuries.  And I can’t cast my best spells on you because they’d end up targeting your brother.”

Alexis gripped her arm but nodded.  “I suppose I can’t be choosy. Thank you.”

“Now to secure our winnings.”  Helena walked to the splotch of blood and carefully let it soak into the bandage, getting a nice red splotch on the white cotton.

“So,” Alexis looked at the blood.  “This will allow us to track her. But now that she knows our tricks will it allow us to beat her?”

Helena sighed.  “I don’t know.” She slowly smiled.  “Which is why I’m going to cheat.”

——–

They’d flown home at a much slower pace, Helena carrying Alexis by the waist rather than the arm.  When they’d gotten back the noblewoman had passed out like a light, which was for the best. Helena had just taken the time to make her own preparations for the morrow, then went to sleep herself.

She’d awakened the next morning to the sounds of pots and pans clattering.  Stepping outside she saw Alexis gripping her injured arm and staring down at the fallen cooking utensils in disgust.  “I’ll take care of breakfast,” Helena said as she stepped towards the cupboards.

Alexis seemed displeased but she relinquished her position.  “Sorry. I guess you should.” She rubbed her arm then sat down.  “I don’t suppose you have anything that would make this heal faster?”

“I do, but it involves leaving you bedridden for two days, so we should skip it,” Helena replied.  “I suggest a meat heavy diet and deep breathing to increase the sanguine humors.”

“Does that actually work?” Alexis asked.

Helena pulled out several sausages.  “My suggestion does. You need to replace the lost blood and meat helps with that.  The humors I stopped trying to figure out a while ago. I don’t think anyone understands that nonsense.  But it helps the townspeople feel they’re getting better treatment.”

Alexis grimaced.  “I see. I suppose asking a fairy to help would be out of the question?”

“That spell linking you and your brother would be hard to get around, even for a noble fairy,” Helena replied.  “For today it’d be best if you just took it easy. We’re going to try to avoid a fight.”

“What?”  Alexis rose then flinched and sat down.  “We should work to press our advantage!”

“We don’t have an advantage,” Helena responded.  “We have some blood that will allow us to track her.  She still knows the terrain and our abilities better. Today we gather information.  Then we’ll strike.”

Alexis took a deep breath.  “Won’t she be marshalling her assets as well?  I doubt she intends to merely sit around and bleed.”

Helena nodded slowly.  “You’re right. My plan hinges on me being able to get resources faster.”  She looked at Alexis. “If I’m wrong we can reconsider.”

“Very well.  I cannot argue with that,”  Alexis glared at the sausage Helena put before her.  “But there is one thing I wish to do before we begin this expedition.”

“What would that be?” Helena asked.

Alexis sniffed.  “I want another pistol.  I am tired of constantly being useless after a single shot.”

Helena shrugged.  She didn’t see how it would improve anything, but if it made Alexis feel better….  “Fine. Enchanting another bullet to wound instead of kill is easy.” She dropped another sausage onto the woman’s plate.  “But first eat. Even if we find a magical way to heal that wound, you’ll need the blood.”

“Have you ever considered the Hippocratic oath?  It might improve your bedside manner,” Alexis muttered.

“It starts with ‘First do no harm,'” Helena replied.  “It would be hard to take anything after that seriously.”

Alexis sighed.  “Foolish of me.”  She shook her head.  “Well, at least with magic the trail won’t get cold.  I’ll do my best to remain calm.”

Helena nodded and turned back to the pan.  She understood Alexis’ annoyance. Honestly part of her still wanted to rush ahead.  But that would be foolishness. She’d gotten as far as she could with luck.

She pulled out the bloody cloth she’d gotten last night.  Now she’d show that woman what a witch of Thebes could do.

The cottage turned out to be fairly cramped, which wasn’t surprising given the owner’s level of power.  She’d probably been more of a midwife then a witch, and Helena hoped for everyone’s sake Margarete stuck to that profession instead of trying to peddle magic.

Sadly that was unlikely.  Witches were egotistical. Helena was guilty of that herself.

Alexis had gone to bed early, tired after all the strange revelations.  Helena had stayed up a little longer putting up magical sensors that weren’t completely useless, and making sure that there were no unpleasant surprises.  She’d also locked the door and barred it just in case there was a spare key about.

She had no idea if her precautions were useful, but she woke up in the morning still alive and with the house undisturbed so she called that a victory.

Unfortunately her search of the pantry did not go as well.  There was a painful lack of olive oil, and far too much sausage.  Still food was food in the end.

Alexis rose not too long after she’d started cooking breakfast.  “I’m surprised someone from the Hellenic Realms knows their way around a German kitchen so well,” she said as she sat down.

“Food is actually the one thing that passes through realms,” Helena replied.  “It never turns out the same, but even the most isolated villager has taken foods and cooking techniques from another realm.”

“Really?” Alexis said.  “Don’t the gods of your realm keep out foreign influences?”

Helena laughed.  “They can keep out Roman legions, but they would never try to stop spices from slipping in.  And they allowed that nasty Turkish coffee as well.” Helena flipped the sausages. “And I mean Turkish.  The Persian empire that threatened Athens was long dissolved when coffee was first brewed in Europe.”

“Alas,” Alexis said with a grin.  “I guess I’ll never taste the cuisine that Socrates and Plato once dined upon.”

“And you aren’t missing much,” Helena replied.  “There’s a good reason most of the gods didn’t protest.”

As they dined Helena looked over the gems Margarete had left behind at her order.  At first glance they looked like simple quartz with silver veins, but as she moved them, a shining point in the center glowed.

“What are they?” Alexis asked.  “The way you spoke made them seem valuable.”

“These are angel stones.  At least that’s how I’ve heard them called,” Helena said.

Alexis stared at them.  “Angel stones? I suppose they are pretty, but they hardly seem holy.  Just silver and quartz with an odd look.”

“It’s not normal silver.” Helena said.  “This silver was purified by the flames of the underworld.  It is incredibly receptive to magic for good or ill. Most silver weapons are made from this type, because it’s easier to enchant it to hold an edge.  It can also be tempered to block magic. It’s very rare.”

Helena placed the stone down next to the other three.  “Angel stones are an even rarer formation. That glowing bit in the center is silver fulminate.”  Alexis recoiled and Helena smiled. “Yes, fairly dangerous. But the quartz is infused with magic from the silver seeping into it.  The stones are stable, and are superb catalysts for alchemy and other magic. I’m surprised there are three in this land, much less all in the hands of a hedge witch.”

“We do have a silver mine,” Alexis said.

“Can’t be that one, otherwise you’d be buried under wizards trying to loot the stuff,” Helena said.  “These three stones are worth ten times what you’re paying me, though I doubt I’d find anyone willing to pay cash for them.”  Helena sighed, then brightened up. “Which means I should keep them!”

Alexis shook her head and smiled.  “Well I am glad you are making some profit here.”  Her face turned serious. “But I fear we ended up with more questions than answers.”

“True,” Helena said.  “But they’re good questions.”  She raised two fingers. “Why did a spell that was supposed to hit your brother target you?  And is your father actually protected from curses, or was Margarete just incompetent beyond words?”

Alexis nodded.  “And we know the person seeking my father’s death is a woman.  Who is she?”

“A woman who hates your father a great deal.  We should ask why,” Helena said. She did not go over the simple reasons why a woman might hate a man deeply.  Alexis probably wouldn’t like those suggestions.

“So which questions do we answer first?” Alexis asked.  “There are a great number.”

Helena nodded.  “There are, but since two are easy to answer we should try them first.”  She stood. “I can test how hard it is to find your father magically, and how someone might target you instead of your brother.  Finding people and learning why they did things is harder.”

“Very well then,” Alexis said.  “Let us learn what we can, and act from there.”

Helena pulled out a mirror from her pouch, again thanking Hecate for whoever had made glass so easy to get.  She then looked into the mirror, reaching out towards where the Count of this land was.

After peering into the mirror and getting nothing but her own reflection she put it away.  “How strange.” She preempted Alexis’ question. “I did not expect the spell to work, but I can’t even feel I’m being blocked.  It’s as if the person I’m searching for doesn’t exist at all. I didn’t expect your court wizard to be so good at deflecting magic.  I could break through it with more powerful spell, but it explains why the curse couldn’t target him directly.”

“It is good to hear my father is so well protected,” Alexis replied.  “So what next?”

“Now we test why you have a curse that should be on your brother.”  Helena whispered a very weak curse and tossed it at Alexis.

The woman flinched at the sudden spell, but then simply blinked at Helena.  “Should something have happened?” Alexis asked.

“You should have gotten a chill.”  Helena said. She focused on the other woman, searching for a sign of her magic.  There was the luck charm, but nothing else. “Hrm. You felt nothing?”

Alexis shook her head.  “Nothing at all.”

“Then I guess I should apologize to your brother when I meet him,” Helena said.  “An odd effect.”

“My brother, but-”  Alexis gasped in surprise.  “You mean magic affecting one instead affects the other?  How can that happen?”

Helena’s reply was interrupted by an odd feeling, like someone was poking her.  It reminded her why she never really bothered with setting up a domain herself. She sighed then stood.  Turning to Alexis she said, “It’s possibly a natural effect, though that usually only occurs with twins. More likely it was done by your court wizard.  And given he’s heading over to the front gate now, we should be able to ask him shortly.”

Alexis blinked at her.  “How do you know?”

Helena unlocked the door.  “One of the benefits of owning a domain, though I use the term loosely.”  She opened the door as Nedvarious walked up to the porch. “Hello. Welcome to my new house.  And if I may ask a very important question, how can you stand owning a domain?”

“Now you know why we mages dislike each other, youngster,” Nedvarious replied.  He bowed to Alexis before walking in. “Though I imagine you start feuds over more important things.  You do realize that witch will be after you? And for all her faults she is subtle. She managed to escape before I could track her down.”

“I’m aware and have taken precautions,” Helena said.  “More importantly I believe Alexis has some questions for you.”

“Indeed?”  He stroked his beard.  “Well, I shall try to answer what I can.  Since I am doomed to be the bearer of bad news otherwise.”

Alexis looked at Nedvarious and took a deep breath.  “Did you create the magical link between me and Philipp?”

Nedvarious winced.  “Yes. I did. Without your father’s permission I shall admit.”

“Why?” Alexis snapped.

“Partially for the reason you’re thinking of,” he admitted quietly.  Helena snorted. As usual male heirs were worth sacrificing female children in the twisted world of politics.  The world didn’t change much.

“However,” the man continued, “the primary reason was to make it easier to defend you from your enemies.”  Nedvarious pointed towards the north. “Your father’s strongest rivals disdain magic, and prefer direct attacks.  And as your hired witch stated before I am a conjurer and alchemist. Not a master of wards and defenses. Your father is well defended, but I cannot similarly protect you two.  If someone made an attempt on your life while I was across the room next to your brother I would find myself powerless.”

Alexis nodded slowly.  “Unless you could cast magic upon me while beside him.”  She narrowed her eyes. “But what if you needed to defend one of us while we were next to you?”

“A simple summoned creature to take the blow would suffice,” the wizard replied.  “Defending those near me is far easier for a man of my talents.”

“I cannot say I like your acting without my father’s acceptance,” Alexis said sharply.  “But that is a matter between you and him now. Your reasoning, I understand at least.”

Nedvarious bowed his head.  “I had hoped it would never come up.  I am sorry it did in such a poor fashion.”  He grimaced and stroked at his beard again.

“So what’s the rest of the bad new you have for us?” Helena asked.

The wizard frowned and glared at her.  “You’re far too good for your age you know.”  He sighed then turned to Alexis again. “The grieving watchman has appeared in town again.  You know what this portends.”

“The bender geist?” Alexis said in horror.  “He has appeared!? In the town itself?!”

Helena looked between the two.  “Repentant spirit?” she asked.

Alexis began nervously running her hands through her hair.  “It is an old spirit. The soul of a watchman who fell asleep at his post the night of a raid.  It is said he appears before great tragedies weeping for the lives he will not be able to save.”  She shivered. “The last time the watchman appeared was before the battle that nearly claimed my father’s life.”

“A bad omen,” Helena said thinking on the matter.  “But if it knows the future perhaps I can ask it some questions.”

“That will not be possible, for I have banished it back to the nether.  For now at least,” Nedvarious replied. “We can’t have the county in a panic.”

Helena was disappointed but nodded.  “Fair enough. Now I believe we have two more questions.  First, do you know of a masked woman in the area that’s causing trouble?”

Nedvarious grimaced.  “The count did speak to me of such a person.  There is a lady bandit who wears a mask black as soot.  She has been harassing our tax collectors around the village of Staumuhle.  We’ve dispatched some more guards to the area, but she seems skilled at avoiding them.”

“I suggest even more guards then, because the person who bought the curse is a masked woman with a grudge against the county, and there probably aren’t two of those wandering about,” Helena said.

“I will suggest that to the count.”  He looked at them. “I take it you will be going there to investigate as well?”

Alexis nodded a second before Helena.  “Yes,” the noblewoman said. “If there is enough danger for the grieving watchman to appear then I must act.”

“We will leave right after you answer one last question,” Helena said.  She pulled out one of the angel stones. “You wouldn’t happen to know where this might be from?”

The wizard leaped to his feet at the sight of the magical artifact.  “Where did you find that?!”

“Your hedge witch had three,” Helena replied.  “A rather extravagant haul for such a mediocre woman.”

Nedvarious glared at the rocks for a long time, fear and anger burning in his eyes.  Finally he sighed. “I have no idea where they are from. But it seems we know how our villain convinced Margarete to betray the Count.”

“So the silver here is normal?” Helena asked.

“Some has been purified,” he admitted.  “But it is rare and difficult to mine. The kobolds guard it jealously, and only their blue flames can reveal the metal to a mortal.  I occasionally go down myself, but only when my alchemy experiments need it. It is a costly endeavor for little reward.”

Helena frowned.  “And not possible for a visiting mage.”  Her eyes narrowed as she considered the possibilities.  “Then I guess our course is clear.”

Alexis nodded and set her jaw.  “We must head to Staumuhle and begin searching for the woman trying to kill my father.”

“Then I wish you luck.  And I suggest you stay on the roads.  There are more bandits than the one you are hunting, especially around the old hamlet of Selzen.”  The wizard stroked his beard again and turned to Alexis. “Did you have anything you wished me to convey to your father my Lady?”

“Yes actually.”  Alexis fished a note out of her pocket.  “It would be good if you could deliver this to my father.”

Nedvarious nodded as he took the note.  “With all swiftness.” He looked then at Helena.  “Will you be leaving this domain open then?”

Helena shrugged.  “After I’m done yes.  For now I’ll use it as a base.  Staying at an inn would be troublesome, so I’ll just travel to and from here.”

“Well then.  Then I shall bid you both good day.  If I learn more I will send word, either by myself or with a summoned creature.”  The old wizard bowed his head.

“Good luck,” Helena said as she opened the door to see him out.

“To you two as well,” he replied as he walked out, his staff clacking on the walkway stones.

Helena closed the door and turned to Alexis.  “So, if I may ask, what happened at the ‘old hamlet of Selzen’?”

Alexis looked surprised.  “Hm? Why do you ask?”

“Because villages with dangerous reputations usually get them for a reason,” Helena said.  “And it’s becoming fairly obvious that your problems are coming from someone inside the county, not outside.  Someone close to the capital.” Helena shrugged. “When I hear about a dangerous hamlet near the village, I get suspicious.”

“Hmm, well I suppose the story is somewhat strange,” Alexis admitted.  “We don’t actually know all the details. There was a raiding force from Pfalzgraf von Hessel slipping towards the castle, but one of our scouts saw them and escaped to warn my father.  He sent a detachment to meet them in battle while mustering the manor’s defenses, and they met in battle at the hilltop town of Selzen.”

Alexis shook her head.  “We do not know what happened next.  Even Nedvarious only can guess. He said that the fighting must have woken some dark spirit or force of nature, because the land was blasted away.  The soldiers were slain by some terrible force, and the villagers swept away in a mighty fire. No one survived. We sent a detachment to bury the bodies, but the village was gone.  Given the place was cursed we simply left the ruins there.”

Helena leaned back.  “How far was the village?”

“Half a day’s walk.  It lies over the hills from us,” Alexis said.  “The road into town came from Staumuhle, since it was easier to travel that way.”

She considered her options.  If she was a normal investigator she should head to Staumuhle next and search for the masked woman.  But Helena wasn’t a real investigator, and the problem she was trying to solve wasn’t a normal crime.

“Right,” Helena said.  “We’ll prepare here until lunch and then set off for Selzen in the afternoon.”

“What?”  Alexis folded her arms.  “Why Selzen, and why in the afternoon?”

Helena sat down and reached into her pouch for some special paper.  “We’re going to Selzen because when looking into magical problems you should always look into local magical anomalies.”  She began inscribing an attack spell on the paper. “And we’re going in the afternoon because I want to arrive there at night.”

Alexis began rubbing her forehead.  “But why are we traveling to a cursed ground at night?  When the power of darkness is at its height?”

“Because I wield the power of darkness as well,” Helena said as she traced the runes of her spell carefully.  “If it is dark magic I will face it when it is active instead of hiding. And if it’s something more mundanely sinister, they will face me at the height of my power.”

“Of course,” Alexis sighed.  “I’m beginning to see why your friend called you bloodthirsty.”

Helena frowned.  “She’s still exaggerating.  There are far worse witches out there.”  She shook her head at the unfairness of it all, before adding another power rune to the spell.  She wanted to be able to blast through a brick wall with this one.

————

The walk up the mountain had taken longer then Helena had expected.  The sun had sunk below the mountains before they made it to the top of the pass.  The shadows were deep, and the moon could give them no help. Only the spell Helena had placed on the dimmed lanterns they carried allowed them to see any detail.

However, the small fort that stood on the fire blackened lands required no spell to see.  It wasn’t much of a structure, mostly tents with a palisade and archery towers. However there were at least sixty people there, and they had set up a killing field with torches and patrols.

“What are those men doing here?” Alexis hissed quietly as she looked over the encampment.  “These are not my father’s men! They are mercenaries!”

“And they seem to have been set up for a long time,” Helena replied.  “I wonder why?”

Alexis shook her head.  “I wonder how! There is a large band here, but they have no farms.  No herds. They would have to be trading or raiding. But a raid to support a band of this size would destroy a village.  And trading would have drawn the attention of my father’s men. It is impossible!”

“That’s a good point.  I hadn’t considered that,” Helena mused as she looked over the camp.  “They’ve got only small stores, so they’ll have to be resupplied often.  Would it be possible to sneak supplies here?”

“Difficult, but it might be possible,” Alexis said.  “My father’s men are mostly patrolling the borders. But it would take a great deal of effort and money.  As well as many bribes.”

Helena nodded slowly.  “True. And that only lasts so long.  Many things said under a rose surface with only a few cups of wine.”  She pointed at the men patrolling. “And for the final question, what or who are they defending themselves from?  Wouldn’t they be safer within the walls?”

“I am less certain there,” Alexis said.  She frowned and looked around. “I would guess they are worried about raiders, but there is nothing here except- ah!”  Alexis pointed to a wooden shack at the corner of the camp. “The gunpowder. Look at the way the guards are scattered.”  The woman pointed at the patrols, but Helena couldn’t see any significance. “They are heavier on that side. They must fear sabotage of the powder.”

“I imagine that would cause a big explosion,” Helena admitted.  She was mildly tempted to determine how big, but that would require experimentation.  “Hm. Which then makes me wonder who is threatening them?”

Alexis looked at Helena.  “Well my father would be very annoyed to find a group of armed men just taking some of his lands.”

“Yes, but your father probably doesn’t make raids on gunpowder,” Helena said.  “Now admittedly I don’t know any military strategy. But usually the ruler of a land musters their whole army and demands thugs like this surrender before blowing up chunks of the countryside with his enemy’s stores.”

“It depends on the threat, but yes, my father would likely demand their fealty before their lives,” Alexis said.  The woman frowned in puzzlement. “Then who are they afraid of?”

Helena brushed off a rock and sat down.  “Perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to find out.”

Alexis looked at her.  “That seems like a rather farfetched assumption, no?  How likely is it they would be attacked tonight despite their defenses?”

“Pretty good,” Helena replied, “since there’s something creeping through the forest right over there.”  Helena pointed to the clearing opposite where the strongest defenses were. A large shadow was slinking through the edge of the clearing, using the lights as a shield from the guards.

Alexis fell silent and moved to another rock to watch the figure.  Without the advantage of their viewing position the shadow would have been totally invisible.  Even with the magical aids, they often lost sight of the person and had to ask the other to point the figure out again.

As they watched over the valley the sun finally set, and the men in the camp began passing out meals.  Alexis sniffed. “Those mercenaries are fools.” Helena wasn’t sure if the statement was due to hindsight or because they’d broken some kind of military rule.  But the effects were soon obvious.

The shadowy figure broke from the tree line and began dashing towards the camp.  Alexis gasped and Helena’s eyes narrowed as she saw the figure was wearing a black mask, and was feminine in build.  The woman had a variety of weapons, but she carried a bow and arrow in her hands, and as soon as she passed the first ring of torches she let fly.

The mercenaries’ first warning was one of their guards taking an arrow to the chest and falling from his watchtower.  As the men began screaming and jumping to arms the masked woman made another shot. This one flew high, striking a man in the neck.  He simply folded to the ground.

As the soldiers milled around in confusion, the woman turned and ran back into the woods.  Helena hopped to her feet and reached for Alexis’ hand. “Now’s our chance. We should follow her.”

“How?” Alexis hissed.  “We’re up here.”

“Magic,” Helena muttered.  “Now grab on. We’ll lose her if we aren’t fast.”

Alexis grabbed her hand, and Helena leapt to the air, using the connection to grant Alexis the power of flight as well.  “Whoa!” Alexis cried as gravity lost its grip.

Helena began to fly down the mountainside, zipping between the trees.  Bushes and branches shattered against her defenses, but she passed through the splinters.

When they’d cut ahead Helena broke into open skies.  From here she could peer down into the forest.

Alexis gripped her hand and jerked at her arm.  Helena growled and looked over to the noblewoman only to see she was pointing at a faint shadow flickering through the trees.  Helena made a note to praise the woman for her steadfastness.

The shadow was zig zagging through the forests to defy pursuit, despite the fact that the mercenaries weren’t chasing.  However there was one clearing in the woman’s way that she couldn’t avoid. Helena swooped over it then landed just as the woman broke out of cover.

The shadowy woman froze as Helena and Alexis dropped from the sky in front of her.  The figure was tall, closer to six feet than five, and her leather breeches and coat suggested a well-toned figure.  Her mask covered her head front and back, though there seemed to be red lines etched over her forehead. Helena noted two pistols, a sword, the bow she’d used and several other assorted weapons in addition to a few pouches on the woman’s person.  Apparently she shared Helena’s views on diplomacy. Helena returned the favor by drawing the spell slip she’d prepared. “Excuse me. We’d like to have a little chat.”

Their quarry replied by diving to the side and pulling out a pistol.  Helena frowned as the gun roared and the shot bounced off her shield. She shifted her aim, while Alexis drew her own pistol.

Alexis gave the next ultimatum.  “Surrender knave and lift this curse from me, or die as a traitor and vagabond!”

The shadowy woman slowly rose, then leaped into the air.  Helena swore loudly and poured power into her spell as Alexis’ pistol went off.

Time seemed to freeze as a dog with eyes the size of saucers appeared before her.  It seemed to be a Molossus, or perhaps one of the breeds that had followed the guard dogs of her home, but it was massive, bigger than a cow.

The bullet Alexis fired struck the hound and flattened against its skin without leaving a mark.  It lowered its head and growled, a terrifying rumble louder than the factory machines of the Immigrant Realm.

Then Helena’s spell triggered.  A blast of light two feet across slammed into it and bowled it over.  The beast rolled across the clearing whimpering, before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

The beast downed, Helena reached for another spell to use.  But when she looked up, the woman was already gone.

Alexis lowered her pistol with shaky hands.  “What devilry was that?”

“I was hoping you’d tell me,” Helena muttered.  “It looked like one of your realm’s stories. Not a standard magic.”

“I’ve read a story about such creatures, but it focused more on bags of money then defeating hunters,” Alexis said.  “Though I suppose at the end they were used for ill means.” She began reloading. “I hope they are not as in the stories.  Fighting a dog with eyes the size of towers would be distressing.”

Helena winced.  “That would be a problem.  Even if I am good with dogs.”

She walked forward to where their prey had been, carefully searching at the ground for clues.  She saw the grass that the woman had slammed flat in her first dodge. But there were neither footprints, nor any conveniently dropped possessions around the area.  Helena looked around for anything she could learn, but it seemed her luck had run out. There was nothing to find.

After ten minutes she sighed.  “Damned. And there went our best source of information.”

“Can we track her?” Alexis asked.

“Not unless you can,” Helena replied.  “I’m a witch, not a hunter.”

“What about your fairy friends?” Alexis said.  “Surely they can track a single woman.”

Helena shook her head sharply.  “We can’t afford them. The animals would demand food we don’t have, and the wild hunt is…”  Alexis flinched at the name. “Yeah. Lyudmila told me not to summon them ever, and given her stories I’m going to trust her.”

Alexis finished loading her pistol and looked around.  “Well it is likely she resides near here. Perhaps you could use magic to search?”

Helena considered the matter.  “How do you know she lives near here?”

“She had no supplies,” Alexis said.  “Neither food nor water. True with her skill with the bow she could hunt, but depending on birds and rabbits for food every day would be exhausting and slow her down.  If nothing else she has a cache near here.”

“I’ll take your word for it.  Which means we should start looking tomorrow,” Helena said.

“Why tomorrow?  Is she not closer now?” Alexis asked.

Helena nodded.  “Yes, but she’s on guard now.  Best to act when we might be able to gain surprise.”  She reached out her hand. “Besides. We’ll be rested and better ready to face giant dogs if she has more up her sleeve.”

Alexis hesitated then sighed and nodded.  “Very well.” She looked at Helena’s hand.  “What now?”

“Now we fly back,” Helena said.  “No time to walk.”

Alexis hesitated and grimaced before taking Helena’s hand again.  “Fine, but please try to fly at a more reasonable pace.”

“Hm?  I thought you did fairly well for a first time flier.  But no worry. It’ll be a smoother ride I promise,” Helena said.

Smoother but significantly faster she mentally added before leaping into the air.

Helena carefully looked over both the town and the castle as they approached.  The village itself had a low wall, nothing to stop a determined force, but enough to give defenders an advantage.  Over time the village had spilled outside of the wall, and apparently no one had thought another wall would be needed.  The houses were solid buildings, with large streets between them. It seemed this land was rich.

The manor castle was removed from the village proper, with a wall of its own.  The building though was at least five stories, with a taller guard tower atop. Helena figured it could hold over one hundred people easily, though it almost certainly was not designed for that.

More interestingly Helena could tell, even at this distance, that a mage had claimed it as his domain.  There was strong magic in that building. She sensed at least two workshops, several artifacts, and a guardian beast that was the equal of any chimera of her own realm.  Alexis had not been bragging about her court mage’s power. Helena’s fingers itched at the knowledge that must be hidden away.

She forced herself to focus more on the political and physical realities then the magical ones.  “I always wondered, how can such a small family live in such a huge house?”

“Well,” Alexis said, “honestly the east wing is mostly empty.  It is meant to house the court should the Kaiser or Prince ever come here.  We keep it running while the king is away as part of our duties.”

“Ah,” Helena nodded.  “That makes far more sense to me now.”

The outer gates of the curtain wall were open but guarded as Helena and Alexis approached.  The sun had not fully set, which meant the guards were alert, but couldn’t see who was approaching clearly.  “Who goes there?” the leftmost guard asked as they approached.

“Lady Alexis von Strausfen, daughter of Pfalzgraf Holdst von Strausfen.  I have returned from my journey to find magical aid,” Alexis replied. “Please take word to my father that I am back.”

The guards snapped to attention at that.  “Ah, my lady. We will send word immediately!”  The two men looked at each other, then the one on the right ran towards the manor, while the one on the left moved to fill the entryway.  “Heinrich will get Nedvarious right away, my lady. Sadly given the circumstances, I must ask you to please wait here.”

Alexis smiled disarmingly at the man.  “I understand. You must determine if it is really me after all.”

“Problem with shape shifters?” Helena asked as they waited.

“Small, but once is enough,” Alexis replied.  “And given what we have learned, I am more forgiving of any inconvenience that keeps my father safe.”

Helena nodded.  Doppelgangers were far more likely to want to murder the local lord then the local cobbler.  And the beasts loved this part of the Black Forest.

They did not have to wait long before the guard returned, with a man that could only be the court wizard.  While he was not exactly thin, and his beard and hair were both short and neatly trimmed, the ostentatious yellow robes littered with red zodiac symbols and Babylonian runes were something only a magician or a charlatan would wear.

And Helena could tell the man wasn’t a charlatan.  Protective wards and innate spells swirled around him like a small dust devil.  She could feel them poking and prodding at her own defensive spells, challenging the unfamiliar magic in their domain.  She couldn’t help but peer at the magic, trying to analyze and compare their spells, and she saw the man’s eyes harden and do the same to her.

However the man’s stony gaze disappeared into a merry bluster as he turned away from her and towards her companion.  “Lady Alexis! I am glad to see you safe and sound. Your father and brother were nearly sick with grief when you fled out into the night, and my words that you were safe were all that seemed to calm them.”

“Yes.”  Alexis blushed and bit her lip as she looked down at the ground.  “I may have acted somewhat rashly, running off without consulting anyone.”  She looked up. “But I was afraid for my father’s life. Apparently someone seeking his death has placed a curse on me.”

“So I found out my lady,” Nedvarious replied.  “And I imagine that’s why you hired this witch,” he said turning his gaze to Helena.  “Though I am somewhat confused why a battle mage agreed to help you.”

Helena smiled.  “Oh, curses and necromancy are my specialties.  Battle magic is just a hobby. But I’m honored that an alchemist of your stature considers me worthy of the title.”

He gave her another appraising look, this time focusing on her clothing.  “A child of Hecate?” he asked in Greek.

“Helena Aoede, the Curse Gunner,” she replied.

He switched back to German.  “And I am Nedvarious, Alchemist of Babylon.  I thank you for helping our lady.” He gave a slight nod of respect, which Helena returned.  Nedvarious’ frown deepened. “I fear I may have to ask you to continue helping her.”

Alexis looked between the two of them.  “Would it not be better to combine your efforts?  Or is that against some magical rule?”

“It is not against any rules, so much as against common sense,” Nedvarious said with a deep sigh.  He turned to her with a sad expression. “Please, you must understand Alexis. We cannot let you enter the manor.”

“What?” Alexis gaped at the man.  “But…”

He shook his head.  “Think on it,my Lady.  The curse’s goal is to kill your father, and it is both subtle and vicious.  If you are away from him, he is safe, but if you are near… even my magic might not be enough to stop the curse from striking.”  His expression grew hard again. “For the good of your father you must not come near him until the curse is gone.”

Alexis stood there, jaw quivering as she learned she had been banished from her own home.  Helena felt a sharp pang in her own heart at the sight. But Nedvarious was right. Every second Alexis was near her father was a chance for a disaster to occur.

Finally the young woman wiped her eyes and nose and turned towards the wizard.  “M- May I at least send him letters?”

Nedvarious nodded.  “Of course. And he wished to give you a letter as well.”  The wizard held out a rolled up scroll sealed with red wax.

Alexis reached up to take it with a shaky hand, then walked to one of the torches to read it.  Everyone stepped away to give the woman some privacy.

Helena forced herself to turn to the wizard.  “Nedvarious was it? I have some information you might find useful.  And you know some things I need. How about an exchange?”

“About the curse I imagine,” Nedvarious gave her a sidelong look.  “What have you managed to learn?”

“I’ve confirmed it’s targeted at the king, and that it was cast on behalf of another,” Helena said.  “I’m also fairly certain the caster is incompetent, which is unfortunately working against determining who the true source of the curse is.”

The wizard narrowed his eyes as he considered her words.  “I see. Which means we have a non-magical agitator to worry about as well.  Troublesome.” Helena nodded. The number of magicians killed by a lucky human with no magical skill was overstated, but still too large for any smart witch to ignore.  And since she was trying to protect another magicless human, things could get much worse.

Nedvarious sighed.  “So what do you need to know in return?”

“I need to know where your local witch lives,” Helena said.  She waved her hands at the castle manor. “Anyone who spends that much effort setting up a domain keeps track of the local spellcasters.  Even if she’s a hedge wizard in hiding you should know where she is.”

“Why do you want to know?” Nedvarious asked.

Helena shrugged.  “She seems like the person to question both about magic and about the opinions of the populace.”

The wizard narrowed her eyes at her.  He probably could tell she was lying, but in the end he decided he didn’t care what bad fortune he gave to his local competitor.  “She lives east of the town, down a trail that you can’t find unless you carry gold in your hand.” He sniffed. “Hardly the strongest of protections, but she does need customers.”

Helena nodded.  “Thank you.” She then took a step away, which the wizard reciprocated, then checked Alexis.

She immediately turned away in embarrassment.  The young woman was crying as she read the note, clenching it hard enough to crumple the parchment.  As a witch Helena had often seen the tears of grief, pain or rage that society demanded people hide away, but it still felt like a horrible intrusion.

Helena did not look up until she heard Alexis blow her nose.  The noblewoman was cleaning her face with a tissue, wearing a mask of strength to hide her disappointment.  “Thank you for giving me this letter, Nedvarious. Please give my father my love, and tell him I shall write as soon as possible.”  Alexis turned to Helena. “My father has offered us grounds at one of the hunting lodges. We can continue our investigations from there, and he has ordered the citizens to give us whatever assistance they can.  However, we are not to enter the city or castle, unless we may immediately resolve the matter by doing so.”

Helena nodded.  “I understand. Irksome but acceptable.”  She looked over at the wizard and the guards.  “I believe we should be on our way then. I have little fear of the dark, but it doesn’t make traveling in it any more fun.  Good day to you all.”

The guards bowed.  “Safe travels miss.  And please, if there is anything we can do to help you Lady Alexis call upon us.  We owe your father greatly for his just rule. No man of the castle would balk at offering you whatever you ask.”

Alexis managed a weak smile.  “My thanks. I shall remember this.”  She turned to Helena. “Shall I lead the way?”

“Which direction is it?” Helena asked.

“To the South and East,” Alexis remarked.  “It is along a trail, so we should not need horses.”

“Then let us be off,” Helena said, pausing a moment to summon an orb of light and have it float before her like a lantern.

Alexis’ steps were slow as they walked away from the castle, her eyes fixed upon the road before them.  Helena walked silently beside her. She had once followed this same path, the path away from home, into exile.

As they plodded along, Alexis’ mask began to slip and crack.  Not into tears again, but a sullen, disappointed and questioning silence.  Helena knew this part too, when the mind screamed at the injustice of it all, and began to question the worth of those forced to send you away, and yourself.

However none of those thoughts were healthy.  Helena decided to step in. “So, do you want to talk about it?”

Alexis started in surprise then glared at her briefly.  “I was not entirely sure there was something to talk about.”

“No?”  Helena raised an eyebrow.  “Not many people get dictatorial use of the military and a personal note while being banished.”

“That’s-!” Alexis’ glare returned full force, then the woman sighed and looked down again.  “No. You’re right. I shouldn’t linger on this should I?”

Helena shrugged.  “I don’t know about shouldn’t, but worrying about your father’s feelings isn’t the best idea.”  Helena began looking through her pouch. “The important thing is getting rid of this curse. Your father must trust that you can handle it.”

“You’re right.”  Alexis nodded slowly.  “Since he can’t do it himself, it is in my hands.  Well our hands.” She grinned weakly. “I am well aware who the leader of this search is.”

Helena chuckled.  “I don’t know much about nobility, but I do know one of the biggest differences between a good noble and a bad noble is figuring out who to hire for the job.  You’ll never be able to do everything yourself.”

Alexis raised an eyebrow.  “Oh? Not even with magic?”

“With magic you might be able to do everything eventually,” Helena said.  “But there’s still not enough time to handle it all on your own.” She looked over at Alexis.  “Besides, unless you’re thinking of becoming a witch, you’re going to have to hire a wizard anyway for such matters.  And magicians have their own agendas.”

“A fair point,” Alexis said.  She looked at Helena’s bag. “What are you looking for by the way?”

“A piece of gold,” Helena said.  Finally she found the small nugget.  “There!”

Alexis frowned.  “What for?”

Helena smiled as a path appeared in the distance.  “Because we’re going to go interrogate your local witch.”

—

Helena was impressed at how quickly Alexis had recovered from her early disappointment.  Currently the woman was yelling at Helena’s plan. “Are you seriously suggesting we burst into a woman’s home in the dead of night and interrogate her for clues?  Why? And why now? Shouldn’t we at least wait until morning?”

“We need to interrogate her because she’s the prime suspect for curses,” Helena said.  “Which means she’ll know the person who hired her. And we’re doing it now because if she’s got any sense at all she’ll run for the hills as soon as she notices we’re here.”

Alexis swore as she tripped on a root.  “How would she know that though? We’ll have only been here a day.”

“And everyone in the city will know you’re back before the church bell rings at dawn,” Helena replied.

“How so?” Alexis asked.  “Only my father’s guards and Nedvarious even know we are here.  And they would not sell that information to any spy.”

Helena nodded.  “Perhaps not. But they don’t need to.  They’ll go home and tell all their family about the brave Lady’s return, and the strange witch she brought with her.  And how sad it must be for a father and daughter to have to stay apart, and like that…” Helena snapped her fingers.  “Everyone knows.”

Alexis stared at her for a bit, then grew thoughtful.  “But… why us then? My father’s men could just as easily inspect the place.”

“They probably could,” Helena sighed.  “Still, confronting a witch in her home is dangerous.  Especially for someone with no magic. Your wizard could handle it, but your guards might have a hard day.”

“And why wouldn’t Nedvarious be best suited to handle this?”  Alexis frowned. “Actually why did he not do it himself?”

Helena swirled her hand around to indicate the forest.  “A magician who wants to advertise their presence sets up a domain.  This chunk of forest is a domain, and your manor has been claimed as the property of your court wizard.  Magically anyway.” Alexis’ frown deepened as Helena continued. “While a domain has many benefits, it also has weaknesses.  One is that anyone can tell if you leave it. The moment your wizard left the castle she’d probably run.”

“While we can walk in unopposed.”  Alexis sighed. “But it still seems wrong.”

“We’ll just be asking questions to start,” Helena lied.  “Now rest a moment. I need to be careful here.”

Helena focused for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to perceiving magic.  It wasn’t as good as using all her senses, but the eyes were best for seeing traps and snares.

What she saw was almost disappointing.  The forest was covered in a mesh of magical lines, but most of those were devoted to the pathetic glamors designed to make the forest look dangerous, and to hide the path from people.  The alarms began more than three fourths of the way into the forest, and they were simply magical tripwires designed to trigger when humans or magical creatures approached. Helena pulled out a bit of fur from her pouch and used it to put up a spell that told the alarms that they were simply  deer.

That done she moved closer to one of the threads of power and touched it lightly.  It tingled with a mix of hedge magic, half constructed Kabbalism and Celtic ritual.  A hodgepodge of stolen magic.

A very familiar hodgepodge.  She didn’t need Lyudmila’s skill to tell these wards used the same magical style as the curse.  “What an idiot,” Helena said as she shook her head. “Alright, let’s go.”

Helena strode quickly up the path, Alexis fretting as she followed behind.  The noblewoman’s concern seemed to increase when they reached the end of the path to find a simple cottage with a perfectly ordinary looking herb garden.  “Are you sure this is the correct place?” Alexis asked.

“Yes.”  Helena sniffed.  “And I suppose I shouldn’t be too condescending towards her.  Her fear charm is fairly subtle. If totally ineffective against other magical beings.”  She looked over at Alexis. “By the way, when things go wrong please don’t pull your pistol.  Even without the curse, older guns tend to misfire often when magicians start throwing power about.”

“What?!” Alexis yelped.

While Alexis was recovering Helena flipped the latch on the gate and pushed it open, then grabbed her lock picks out of her pouch as she approached the door.  Unfortunately the front door wasn’t even locked. “I’m never going to use these things,” she muttered before turning the handle and throwing the door open.

It slammed into a chair sending it toppling.  The inside of the cottage was more traditionally witchy, with screens, curtains and a good cauldron bubbling.  The scene was rather diminished by the shocked middle aged woman who had been washing dinner plates. “Hello there!” Helena said as she strode into the cottage.

The other witch had the presence of mind to drop the plate she was watching and grab a wand.  “Who are you?” she demanded as she pointed the wand at Helena. “And what are you doing here?”

“I’m Helena Aoede,” Helena said.  “And as for why I’m here, I imagine that should be obvious.”  She pointed to where Alexis was standing open mouthed. Helena walked over to a chair next to the table and flopped down into it.  “So now that we’ve introduced ourselves, why don’t you give me your name and start describing any curses you cast recently?”

The other witch blanched at the sight of the young noblewoman, then turned and hissed a furious command to her wand.  A scintillating blue bolt flew from it which Helena carelessly batted away. The strike hit a teacup which transformed into a slug.  The elder witch slowly lowered her wand as she looked over the mess. “Your name?” Helena asked again.

“Margarete, that’s all you’ll be getting from me hagkin,” the woman spat.  The insult would have probably sent Lyudmila into a hissing rage, but Helena couldn’t help but find the barb mildly amusing.  Margarete looked over at Alexis. “And as for curses, I don’t know why I should be caring about that woman. My curses have no connection to her.”

“Please, don’t insult me.  You know I’m a more powerful magician then you,” Helena said calmly.  “More importantly you have to know anyone who can see your curse on Alexis there is just as capable of linking the magic to you.”

Margarete snorted.  “Maybe you ain’t as good a magician as you think little girl.  You and that pompous man up in his little castle. Did he hire you to handle matters for him?  And when you failed you decided to trouble me?”

Alexis’ shock disappeared behind a cold glare.  “So you are responsible for trying to kill my father?”

The witch staggered back from the accusation.  “What? No, no! I would never try to hurt your father my Lady.  I’ve never cast a curse on him. Wouldn’t do it. Not in a million years.”

Helena nodded.  “I see. So you can’t curse him for some reason.  Which is why you cursed Alexis instead.” Margarete opened her mouth and Helena sighed.  “Please stop lying. It will only draw out matters unpleasantly.”

Margarete flinched again.  “I swear my Lady, this witch is playing you for a fool and-”  The woman’s protests were cut off as she lowered the wand again, this time grabbing on to a crystal on the counter.  Helena ducked the bolt the woman shot at her, and a chunk of the wall behind her burst into plaster shards.

As the other witch began chanting a longer spell, Helena swept her right arm over her head.  Then as Margarete shied away, Helena focused her energy into her left hand and snapped out “Persephone’s Temptation.”  An orb of lightning seared through the air towards the other witch. Margarete tried to leap aside, but the orb exploded into three smaller pieces that shattered the woman’s simple wooden wand.  Margarete screamed and clutched her hand in pain.

Helena steepled her hands.  “Let’s cut to the chase. Answer our questions truthfully and completely and we’ll let you live.  I’ll even force Alexis here to give you a two day head start.”

Alexis folded her arms.  “I suppose I could acquiesce to that.  But only if the answers come swiftly.”

Margarete stood there, shaking in rage and fear as Helena and Alexis stared at her.  Then she slumped. “Fine then,” the woman spat. “Ask away. Though you’ll get little from me, and glad I am of it!”

“Who hired you?” Helena asked.

“I do not know,” Margarete sneered.  “She wore a mask, and had items or spells to hide herself from my divinations.  I only know it was a woman, and a woman filled with more spite than any I had ever seen.”

Helena nodded grimly.  Apparently their quarry was clever.

“And her accent?”  Alexis asked.

The other witch grimaced.  “She was from nearby. Not the village mind, or I would know of her, but nearby for sure.”

“So then, since we can’t find her, why don’t you tell us what she hired you to do?” Helena said calmly.

Margarete glared at her for a while, then swallowed and said, “She asked for a death curse on Holdst von Strausfen.  The strongest and most clever I could make.” The witch closed her eyes. “But that damned puffed up dog the count owns has his owner protected with more wards than any man has a right to.  I had his blood, and he still could not be found, not by any spell.”

“We’ll be taking that blood by the way,” Helena said quickly.

The other witch laughed.  “I burned it all when I was done.  You’ll not find a trace here.” Helena nodded.  That made things easier in the long term.

“Continue your story,” Alexis commanded.

Margarete bit her lip, but eventually faltered under their stares.  “After I failed I looked for another way of handling matters. After all, just because you cannot target a man, doesn’t mean you cannot kill him.  A rock summoned above someone’s head strikes just as hard as a bolt of magic. In this case it was easy. I cursed his son.” She sneered, “And since it’s not my hatred, you can’t even kill me to be rid of it.”

“You incompetent fool,” Helena said.  “You managed to miss with a curse that strong?  Can’t you see your own magic?!” She pointed at Alexis.  “Your curse is there!”

“And all the stranger for it,” Margarete sneered.  “Well tis not my business at all why one child is cursed and not the other.  Take it up with your master mage if you want. All I know is my curse was cast upon the eldest son.”

Alexis looked at Helena while she mused on the matter.  It was possible the witch was lying to her, but given the sheer smugness in the woman’s expression, it seemed unlikely.  Of course she could test matters, but taking her eyes off Margarete right now would be foolish.

In the end Helena decided to end matters.  “Thank you for your time, Margarete. You can leave as soon as you turn over the domain.”  She pointed at the stone that the woman was about to stuff into her purse. “Leave that though.  And any stones like it you have. I suggest bacon for a large trip, and any preserves you have. A county can get pretty big, and you’ve got a ways to run.”

Margarete let out a thin wail of frustration, but put down the stone.  “Fine. The place is yours. May it serve you as well as it served me.”

Helena’s eyes narrowed as the wispy black curse from Margarete’s words slinked out and crept towards her.  She reached out and crushed it with her left hand before flicking the slimy mess of bad luck to the ground with all her contempt.  “I admit to underestimating your skill, but not by much. You might be subtle, but that’s all you have going for you. I suggest you find a different line of work, or you’ll find your plans constantly falling apart when you feel closest to triumph.”

The other woman simply fumed at her before stepping behind a curtain.  Alexis moved inside carefully, but Helena simply waited. A few minutes later Margarete came out with a full pack, throwing down two fist sized stones before rummaging through her pantry stowing away some slabs of bacon.

Helena stood as the woman stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her.  As the pans on the wall slowly finished rattling, Helena felt the presence of the domain around her weaken.  “Well, that’s that.”

Alexis looked around.  “Is this safe?” She sighed.  “I admit I feel bad kicking an old woman out of her home and sending her into exile to start.  But taking up residence in her place seems even more questionable. On top of that she is a witch.”

“Yes, it would be dangerous if you were a normal person.  But I’m also a witch. And she gave me the place.” Helena closed her eyes.  “Which means I can do this.”

Helena opened up to the land around her.  Normally a mage focused their magic into a spell instead of just letting the power run wild, but here the land had been crafted and cultivated so that power flowed in the correct ways already.  All Helena had to do was make it hers.

And that was easy.  The other witch’s magic had already begun to fade away, fleeing just like its owner.  Helena’s overflowing power blasted the lingering scraps to dust.

Helena’s eyes opened.  Her surroundings felt familiar, though she barely knew the layout of the place.  The house and the forest were hers now.

Alexis seemed to feel the change.  Understandable since the fear spells no longer targeted the woman.  “Did you do something, Helena?”

“I made this place my domain.  Temporarily,” Helena replied. She stood and walked to the cupboard with the bowls.  “That’s why I demanded she give us the house and everything in it. Stealing from a magician is difficult.  Possible of course. Some mages make a career out of it. But very dangerous.” Helena took the bowls over to the cauldron and sniffed the contents.  “Ah, vegetable soup. Excellent.”

“So why did she give in so easily?”  Alexis asked.

Helena filled the bowls.  “Well first, we could kill her.  That’s a big reason. Second, she was planning on running anyway.”  Helena looked at Alexis. “She did curse the lord of the land. A lord with a powerful magician as a retainer.  She had that bag packed and ready to go as soon as trouble showed up.” Helena placed the bowls down. “Finally, I imagine she gave in to protect herself.  If she gives up ownership of everything here I can’t use it to target her with any spells. Owning something is a weakness as well as a strength, where magic is concerned.  That’s why I’m going to give up the place when we’re done. Too dangerous if I’m not living here.”

Alexis nodded slowly.  “That all makes a good amount of sense.”  She looked at the stew bowl. “Are we really stealing her dinner?”

“It’s mine now,” Helena said.  “Though you could eat the rations instead if you wish.”

The noblewoman stared at the bowl for a bit before sighing and digging in.  “I’ll call it right of quartering.”

Helena simply began eating.  Whatever made the woman feel better.

The day seemed to fly by in a haze of sharp teasing, pleasant reading, chatting about spellcraft, and other pleasantries Helena hadn’t enjoyed in far too long.  Dinner had been excellent as well, though Kseniya bringing up her childhood in front of Alexis had given her reason to grimace a few times. And everyone, including Alexis, made fun of her for drinking wine with water like a civilized person.  Still it was fun. And fun was something Helena could always use more of.

The morning was lively too, with Lyudmila taking over breakfast.  Helena thought the western dishes were a little too heavy for the first meal of the day.  But it was something she’d have to get used to when she was working in the Black Forest.

Everyone seemed in good spirits.  To her surprise even Shizuka had appeared briefly to grab some milk and porridge, thought the shy spirit vanished almost immediately when Alexis greeted her.  Some old habits were impossible to break.

Still all good things had to end.  And Helena was on a tight schedule.  So as she cleaned the last plate, she called out to Lyudmila.  “The fairy gate is best opened at noon, right?”

Lyudmila nodded slowly.  “Yes. You’ll want a guide too, and that I’m afraid will cost you.  You know how the fey are about payment. Especially the ones near here.”

Helena nodded.  “Yeah. We’ll be getting an influx of cash soon anyway when we get to Alexis’ county.”  She wiped the dish dry then placed it on the stack. “How much will we need?”

“A full sheep, so five rubles,” Lyudmila said.  “You’ll want to go with a wolf after all.”

“We are traveling the fairy roads in the company of a wolf?” Alexis asked with a shiver.  “That seems unsafe….”

Kseniya smiled.  “Here in the north, we understand that wolves are dogs who are man’s equal.  If you treat a wolf fairly, he will treat you fairly in return.”

“And I am used to walking the fairy realms,” Helena said.  “I just want a guide so we can get to where we’re going in less than a month.”

Alexis took it with her usual mix of good humor and apprehension.  “I shall trust your knowledge on matters.” She rifled through her wallet and handed over the gold.  “I hope that since I am a traveler as well, my money shall suffice for the gift.”

“Yes.  It should do better because you are the one going home,” Lyudmila said as she pocketed the coins.

“Anything else we should know?” Helena asked.  “You’re more in tune with the local fey then I would be.”

Lyudmila looked over to her sister, who nodded.  “The court is elsewhere right now, and Baba Yaga is tormenting some hero further into the Rus lands, so there’s no major players.  It’s just the local spirits and renegades. For good and ill.”

“Mostly smooth sailing then,” Helena said.  “I’ll keep some quick attack spells ready for whatever’s inevitably dumb enough to mess with me and our guide.”

“That should handle matters,” Lyudmila said.  “And if not…” she pulled out a pouch and handed it to Alexis.  “These should do the trick.”

Alexis frowned and opened the bag.  She reached in, then her eyes opened wide as she pulled out a bullet.  “Cold iron? This would indeed do the job, though I dread what it would do to my pistol.”

“Better than being elf shot,” Lyudmila said.  “But it’s not true cold iron. Just a magical replica.  You won’t kill them, just stun them. And it should damage your pistol less.”

“I’ll prepare one then,” Alexis said.  “My thanks.”

“Think nothing of it,” Lyudmila said.

As Alexis stepped outside to load her pistol Helena looked over her own preparations.  She spent some time boosting her personal wards against injury and ill fortune, then checked her spellcards.  The ornate miniature scrolls each held a powerful magical attack. Unfortunately the spell could only follow a set pattern, but it still allowed for a powerful attack to be keyed to a single word.  She probably wouldn’t need it, unless she was attacked by a master magician or a lost troll, but being able to level a building at a moment’s notice helped Helena feel calm.

A few hours later the sun was approaching its zenith.  Kseniya had brought out the sheep and turned it over to Alexis, who had in turn handed it over to Helena.  Helena took the sacrifice to the edge of the clearing, whispered a spell to stun the creature then slit the beast’s throat.

She let the body fall to the ground and stepped away, working through the ritual of calling.  Unlike the summoning she’d used on the fairy, this spell was more unrefined. Instead of using the essence of a name she asked for a friend for her travels.  And instead of setting up a portal to grab someone right then and there, she sent the request out on the wind with the smell of blood. The forest would answer as it wished.

Fortunately she did not have to wait long.  Barely five minutes had passed when a grey-brown wolf cautiously padded out of the shadows.  The canine moved to sniff the corpse, but politely sat down and addressed them. “Well met children of the oath.  You have an offer for me?”

“I seek a guide through Faerie,” Helena said.  “From here to the Germanic lands with one human accompanying us.  I offer you food, and aid along the way there.” Lyudmila coughed, and Helena sighed.  “As well as any bargain you wish to make with my friends.”

The wolf panted happily.  “I have no need of magic, but a meal and a story to tell is a fine tribute for a day’s walk.  Especially with one who is friend to my people twice over. Tell me why you walk the realms as we travel, and I will accept your offer.”

“Accepted,” Helena said.  “It is before noon, so please feel free to enjoy your meal.  We’ll have our own lunch as well.”

The wolf tore off a bite and swallowed it before panting in laughter again.  “It seems your stomachs are as tough as your reputations. Well I’ll keep the bone crunching down anyway.”

“Our thanks,” Helena replied with a grin.  She turned to her friends. “Might as well eat here rather than while walking in Fairie.  It’s safer that way.”

“Nothing will complain about you eating a friend if you have lunch here,” Kseniya agreed.

Alexis was still giving the wolf a wary look.  “Are you sure the wolves here are safe? And that he won’t change his mind when we get to my county?”

“Certain,” Lyudmila said.  “Wolves are very loyal.”

“And he was guided to us by Hecate,” Helena added.  “Who reigns over dogs and wolves. Even the wolves of your realm will respect that connection.”

Alexis slowly nodded at that.  “I suppose that is fair.” Helena wondered if Alexis had accepted that wolves might have interests outside their stomach, or if she’d just reinterpreted Helena’s words to mean magic was protecting them.  But either way it seemed the noblewoman was mollified.

Kseniya showed the other reason to eat here as opposed to on the road when she brought out some wine, and the four enjoyed a light luncheon of bread and cheese, with only the occasional crunch of bone to remind them of their guide’s presence.

They finished up about two minutes before noon, giving Helena plenty of time to secure her pack.  The wolf was done as well, the sheep reduced to only scraps of blood and bones. Helena idly wondered how the fey animal managed to eat an entire sheep in one setting, but there was probably no good answer.  From what Lyudmila had told her, the wolves here could eat an entire horse, and frequently did so. At least they didn’t complain about the portion size. She walked up and bowed to the wolf. “Are you ready to travel?”

“I am indeed.  And we should get going soon.”  The wolf scratched at its ear. “The realm may grant some leeway but leaving at the sun’s zenith is best.”

“Then we should be off.”  Alexis said hoisting her own bag.  She turned and bowed to Kseniya and Lyudmila.  “Thank you for your hospitality. I had a wonderful time.  If you are ever in Strausfen County I will happily return the favor.”

Kseniya smiled.  “It was nice meeting you.”

“Indeed.  And we’ll take you up on that offer if we ever do stop by,” Lyudmila said.  The witch then turned to Helena. “I’ll see you later Helena. Take care of yourself.  Please.”

Helena nodded.  “I will. And I’ll take care of anyone who tries to stop me as well.”  She shrugged at Lyudmila’s sigh. Given the situation, violence was inevitable at some point.

Kseniya shook her head as she waved goodbye.  “Don’t forget, we’re willing to help if you need it.”

“I won’t,” Helena replied sincerely.  “And don’t hesitate to call on me either.”

She turned to her guide.  “Well then sir wolf. Should I open the gate?”

The wolf wagged its tail and shook its head.  “No, no. I can do it in a place like this. And it will make guiding you easier.  Just stay close.”

Helena nodded, then waved Alexis forward.  “You should go second. I’ll take up the rear.”

“I suppose that is the smartest plan,” Alexis replied hesitantly.  The woman took a breath, then moved between Helena and the wolf. “Shall we go then?”

“Yes.  Remember, stay close.  The transition is the hardest part.  Except for all the others.” the wolf said.  With a flick of his tail he turned and walked into the forest.

Alexis and Helena strode quickly behind the wolf.  At first they seemed to simply be taking a walk in the forest, but as each stride past things… shifted.  The wind became a little more refreshing, the plants became a little healthier and taller, colors seemed to brighten, and the sun seemed both brighter and softer.  And of course Helena saw the biggest difference. Magic was becoming the same as reality.

The changeover was as sudden as a lightning strike.  With a single step, they were there. A meadow of Fairie stood before them, a single path heading forward.

The wolf’s ears twitched and he panted a laugh at them.  “There we are. Right into Fairie as easily as I said it would be.”

Alexis looked around with wonder and apprehension.  “Amazing. I thought your friend’s house looked like something from a storybook, but this….  This beats that in every measure.”

Helena and the wolf let Alexis gawk in wonderment for a bit.  It wasn’t every day a magician got into Fairie, much less a normal human.  However soon the wonderment faded and the reality set in. Alexis frowned and looked down the path.  “So, I take it we must stick to the path?”

“No,” Helena said.  “We’ll be going directly there.”  She ignored Alexis’ stunned surprise and looked at the wolf.  “Do you know which way from here?”

“Oh yes,” the wolf said as he scratched an itch.  “I just wanted you to be the one to tell her we’re taking the quick route.  I don’t think she trusts me. Though given my cousins in her lands, I can’t blame her much.”

Alexis finally recovered.  “Off the path?! But, the stories always say never to leave the path!  You get lost forever. Or run into horrible monsters like trolls, or basilisks, or-”

“Us,” Helena said.  “I imagine running into a witch, a wolf, and a noblewoman with enchanted bullets would end many a tale.  If I just wanted to walk down a path I wouldn’t have needed a guide.”

The wolf chuckled.  “Think on it, miss. If leaving the path was deadly to us fae creatures, how would there be any monsters off the path?  All but the kindest of us like a good hunt now and then.”

Alexis hesitated.  “Have you ever hunted someone who left the path, sir wolf?”

“I have.”  The wolf yawned, causing Alexis to shiver a bit.  The wolf wagged its tail as it continued. “A haughty nobleman, his cruel retainers, and the beggar they pursued all fled into the woods that night.  But! That is a tale for later. After all, you owe me your story first.” The wolf stood and faced south. “And we can chat as we walk, for the walk will be long, and I imagine you wish to arrive with the sundown, not at midnight.”

“Yes, that would be best,” Helena said, falling in behind the wolf.  “Do we need to hurry?”

“No, but we should not tarry long either,” the wolf said as he began walking.  “Come friends. The lands we travel through should be pleasant. And our tales should fill most of it.  Let us start with the tale of how you came here.”

Helena stepped out into the meadow and beckoned Alexis forward.  The noblewoman eyed the edge of the path warily, but took a deep breath and forced herself to begin walking as well.  Helena nodded in approval and let the woman press ahead of her. As they moved she said, “This is your tale Alexis, so why don’t you start at the beginning?”

Alexis nodded stiffly, but her voice did waver as she began her tale.  “I am Alexis von Strausfen daughter of Holdst von Strausfen. We had been living in peace for several years when I first noticed I had been suffering a string of bad luck….”

The trio walked for about an hour through the woods of Faerie, Alexis explaining what had happened, and Helena adding in bits and pieces as she went.  The wolf was a patient listener, asking occasional questions to break up the story into more manageable chunks.

“And so Helena called upon you to guide us back to the source of the trouble,” Alexis finished.

The wolf yawned and yipped happily.  “It sounds like quite the story. I’m happy to be part of it.  You’ll have to tell me how it ends.”

“I shall attempt to tell you, though I think Helena may be the one delivering the message,” Alexis said.

“Probably,” Helena said dryly.  She looked to the wolf. “Now you had a story to tell us I think?”

Alexis grimaced, while the wolf nodded its head.  “I do, but it may have to wait a bit.” The wolf stopped.  “We are approaching the more dangerous part of the trip.”

Helena looked around.  The forest seemed just as green, but she noticed the light had faded.  And not just because of the sun setting. “Does something dangerous live here?”

“Not that I know of.  But we should be cautious anyway,” the wolf replied.  “Move quietly and keep an eye out.”

Alexis nodded and palmed her pistol, while Helena grimaced.  There was always something when you wandered through Fairie.  At least this trip would only involve one attack.

The trio moved quietly through the darker forest.  Now that she was paying attention Helena noticed the moss on the trees, and the scattered rocks that broke the landscape.  They avoided the thicker brush completely, and the little creeks they’d hopped along the way turned from minor interruptions to possible ambush spots.

It was almost a relief when the wolf stopped and growled.  “I smell blood. Fresh blood.” The creature’s eyes narrowed.  “And cold iron.”

Helena groaned.  “Only two people carry cold iron in the fae realms.  Humans and-”

Three creatures burst out of the underbrush with a heavy clanking, one in front, two behind surrounding them.  They were four feet tall and looked like twisted little men, each wearing iron boots and carrying an iron pike.  But their most obvious feature was their crimson caps, dripping wet with blood. “Aye, you’re in a right pickle now,” the one that had moved to block their way cackled.  “We’ll be taking some of that blood.”

“Redcaps,” Helena finished.

Alexis gasped, but leveled her pistol at the closest foe.  The woman’s hands were shaking, but she was doing her best to get a solid shot.  Their wolf guide hunkered down and growled, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

Helena just sighed and put her hands on her hips as she dragged her toe through the dirt.  She glared at the closest redcap. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

The redcap closest to her blinked, then took a step back.  “Fucking Hell! It’s the damned Curse Gunner!”

Helena resisted the urge to smirk as the three redcaps and Alexis all turned to stare at her.  “That is indeed my title,” Helena said.

“What of it!?”  The redcap near Alexis spat.  “You might be known, but we know your geas as well.  Ye canna kill us. And that means we can kill you afore ye hex us!”

“Maybe if you had any semblance of stealth,” Helena sneered.  “But it’s too late now.” She snapped her fingers and the line she had drawn turned into a circular barrier around her and her friends.  “I’m afraid your plan is ruined.”

The redcaps all swore in frustration, while Alexis relaxed and the wolf began its panting laugh again.  The one who had challenged her before slammed his pike against the barrier futily. “We canna get in, but you canna get out!  We’ll have ourselves a merry siege.”

“We could do that,” Helena said.  “Or I could turn you all into lizards.  But since I like sticking to both the spirit and the letter of my oaths when I can, I’ll pick the most amusing option.”  She turned to Alexis. “Would you mind reciting some scripture? Psalms are a good choice.”

Alexis blinked in confusion, but nodded.  “I can hardly refuse a request for prayer given we are safe in the Lord’s care.”  She bowed her head and began reciting, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want….”

The redcaps began wailing and moaning as Alexis prayed.  “Fuck, not this shit again!” “Ack! That was a molar!” “Bugger this!  I’m out before I run out of teeth!”

The evil fairies scattered to the winds as fast as they had come, leaving behind six teeth on the forest floor.  “Thank you Alexis,” Helena said as she dispelled the circle.

Alexis nodded, then hid her pistol.  “Had I known they were weak against the word of the Lord, I would have been much less afraid.  How did that come about?”

“They are blasphemous spirits,” the wolf said.  “But don’t get too careless miss. They usually replace the teeth they lost with their victims’.  Try knocking their hats off instead.”

The fear returned slightly to Alexis’ eyes.  “I shall heed that advice.” The woman turned to Helena.  “And now I must ask you, how did you come to be so well known amongst the Fey?  There are few in your realm. Nedvarious said that the older dryads and naiads guard the Greek realms jealously.”

The wolf spoke up before Helena could reply.  “You did not know? Helena the Curse Gunner is one of only three non-Gaelic magicians to swear a geas in the last century.   And even more boldly, she swore to never kill one of the Fair Folk. She and her friends are famous in our realm.”

Alexis looked at her in awe.  “You never told me this tale. And the others?  Are they the sisters we stayed with?”

Helena tried to wave the adulation away.  “Yes, that’s us. And it’s honestly not that big an oath.  As I said when I swore it, any citizen of Thebes who couldn’t find a loophole in that geas would shame their city.”

The wolf laughed.  “True. That is where she got her reputation you see.  Several of our more disreputable kin decided that since she couldn’t kill them, she’d make an easy target.  She showed them that death is not the worst fate that a witch can deal out.”

Alexis looked between the two and shook her head.  “That sounds like a tale in itself.”

“Not really,” Helena said.  “They showed up, made some demands, and I gave them piles with a promise to work my way up if they didn’t apologize immediately.  They did.” She frowned. “As for the geas itself… that is a story, but I am forbidden from telling it.” She wouldn’t break that trust.  Ever.

The two seemed mildly disappointed at her proclamation, but let the matter lie.  The wolf scratched behind his ear, then turned back to where they were headed before being ambushed.  “Well, in that case I shall tell my story. It goes back many years, when I was a young wolf, just barely more than a pup.  We had gathered in a pack for the feasting times, and the hunting had been good. We were considering a new hunt when my sister told us of a party of humans she had seen that had wandered into our realm…”

They walked on as the wolf told his story.  Apparently a rather vicious boyar had decided to hunt the beggars in his domain.  He was chasing a young man, when the whole group had accidentally strayed into the fae realms.  The beggar ran off the path, and the boyar and his men followed. The wolves, amused by such interesting prey, and spurred on by the irony hunted the hunters one by one, until at last only the beggar and the boyar were left.  In the end their guide pulled the boyar from his horse, before letting the hunted man and the boyar’s horse get back to the path and flee into the Black Forest again.

“The young man fled from us as fast as his new horse would carry him.  And that is the last time me and my pack saw the man. But the ravens came and told us that the boy fled many miles to the next town, whose leader had died of plague.  And seeing his fine steed they took him as their new lord, because who but a noble would have such a good horse?” The wolf growled a chuckle. “And the man ruled wisely and well, since unlike his predecessor, he knew how to farm, and cared about the people.  And he never turned a beggar away without at least a bite to eat.”

Alexis clapped at the end of the tale.  “An excellent story, and if I may say so, a very just one as well.”  Helena had noticed Alexis’ wariness towards their guide subsiding along the way, and apparently his similar moral outlook had thawed the rest of her fears.  “A fitting end for a black hearted man, and a fair break for his poor victim.”

“That justice was done makes the hunt sweeter to those like my pack,” the wolf said with pride.  “Though I am a bit surprised you are so happy to hear of a noble being brought low. Most nobles I have met find sudden reversals of fortune worrisome.”

“While I admit I would not want a sudden change in my family’s fortunes, I believe the world would be a better place if nobles faced more justice in this world than the next,” Alexis said with a sigh.  “I am not so naive to think that our wars and manipulations are always righteous or even reasonable.”

Helena raised an eyebrow.  “While I don’t want to curb your idealism too much, justice is not as open and shut as you might think it is.”

Alexis looked quizzically at her.  “How so? Is it not just bringing God’s truth to earth?”

“I grew up with different gods then you,” Helena said simply.

“Maybe you should switch?” Alexis said.  Helena sniffed in response.

The wolf coughed.  “As interesting as this debate might be, I fear we have another matter to address.  Our journey is coming to an end.”

“Eh?”  Alexis and Helena looked around.  Sure enough the forest’s colors were becoming more subdued, the trees looking more flawed, and the calling insects were more erratic.

A few more steps and suddenly they were no longer in Fairie.  A wide dirt road stood before them, and in the distance there was a sizable village, a small but well-tended manor sitting on its edge.

Alexis clasped her hands together and smiled.  “Strausfen town. I’m home.”

Helena bowed to their guide.  “Thank you for leading us. I’ll do my best to make sure you learn the rest of our tale.”

Alexis remembered their guide as well and curtsied to the wolf.  “Indeed, you have my thanks. I’m certain you have no need of my blessings to hunt these lands, but you have it none the less.”

The wolf’s tail thumped heavily against the ground.  “It was my pleasure. And while I would hunt no matter what, your blessing is appreciated.  May you two find good hunting as well.” The wolf stood and shook itself off, then faded back into the darkening forest.

“Ah,” Alexis gasped.  “I never apologized to him for doubting his sincerity.”

“It’s fine,” Helena said.  “Wolves like it when people find them threatening.  They’re predators after all, no matter how civil.” Somewhat like magicians in that regard, though for different reasons.

Helena looked around the forest.  “Now, let’s get you home so we can start hunting ourselves.”

Helena was jittery, like she’d drank a gallon of tea.

They’d set up the Samuels family in the nearby square, and despite Starry’s chatter they’d all fallen asleep at some point.  Even Alexis, who had been impressed with the sprite’s willingness to openly chat with humans collapsed on one of the chairs they’d brought out.

Once all of them were sleeping Helena had called upon her magic to help keep alert and awake, then started as much repair work as she could.  She wasn’t great at healing or construction, so the damaged furniture was hopeless, but cleaning the smoke smell and soot out of the house was simple.

After that was done she walked back up to her room and began packing.  First she stuffed all of Alexis’ belongings into the woman’s suitcase, then she started packing her own bags.  Her ability to summon her possessions would still work between realms, but it would take longer. So she wanted any item she needed quickly on hand.

Fortunately she’d designed a traveling kit a long time ago.  It contained her favorite spell components, a wand, a knife and two of her most useful tomes.  Afterwards she put together another package with her ofuda slips, writing materials and a few more books.

Her supplies gathered she set her room in order, casting a spell to water her plants, smothering her own fire, and then latching her windows shut.  That done she went outside to wait.

Starry Breeze awoke just before dawn, ready to chatter about anything and everything.  Fortunately Helena had some experience dealing with the exuberance of lesser fairies. She managed to keep Starry entertained while still getting in some reading until the others began to rise.

Shanon and Moses woke up first, a good sign.  Helena roused James and Prudence Samuels to explain the situation to their children.  The twins were obviously a little shaken to learn how close to death they’d been, but their spirits lifted when Starry butted in and bragged about saving them.  And they seemed to recover fully when they learned the price they had to pay for their rescue was a few games of hide and seek. Soon the three were joined by other neighborhood kids, and the group was learning the difficulties in tracking a creature that could turn invisible and fly at will.

Helena was pleased at how well matters had turned out.

She was going over the teleportation spell one more time when Alexis stirred and slowly awoke.  The noblewoman blinked several times, then groaned as she shifted in the chair she’d fallen asleep in.  “What time is it?”

That was a good question.  Helena looked at the angle of the shadows.  “About nine.” She closed the book and put it away.  “I packed your bag for you, I hope you don’t mind.”

“So we really are leaving then?” Alexis asked.

“Yes,” Helena replied.  “I meant what I said last night.  Besides, it’s safer for everyone.”

Alexis nodded.  “Yes.” She stood.  “When will we be leaving then?”

“Whenever Starry tires,” Helena said.  “She’ll need to get out of the smog, so I’ll be taking her with us.”

“I see.  I’ll get my pack then,” Alexis said.

As the noblewoman stood, Mr Samuels walked up, Prudence silently following.  “You aren’t still thinking this is your fault, are you?”

Alexis bowed.  “I’m sorry, but it was my fault.  I don’t know why, but the curse I carry struck out at you.  I can’t let your family stay in danger.”

“Now you can’t believe that.  Sure it’s strange that a possum happened to fall into the chimney just far enough to start that fire, but there’s no way that could have hurt you.  It’s just bad luck,” James said.

Helena flinched, but forced herself to speak.  “I’m afraid it was the curse. You see, it knows by hurting you we would be driven to move closer to its true target.”

Mr Samuels looked both frightened and worried at that, but Prudence stepped forward.  “I’ll say it plain, I’d feel safer with that curse elsewhere. But you sure you want to give it a victory?  Once you run from your home, you’ll have a hell of a time getting it back.”

Alexis smiled ruefully.  “In that case we should hurry back all the faster.  I let this curse drive me from my family once. I will not let it hound me across the realms again.”

“Besides, I’m not running from it.  I’m running towards it,” Helena said, glaring down at the ground.

Prudence nodded.  “Then I wish you both luck.  And the blessings of God for you countess.”  She sniffed. “I’d offer you prayers as well Helena but…”

“Thanks all the same,” Helena said with a smile.

As Alexis started walking towards the apartments Sharon caught sight of her.  “Hey! Ms. Countess! You said you were going to play with us!”

“Oh!  Another person sounds fun!” Starry said before doing a somersault and losing her glasses.

Alexis curtsied, “Ah, I shall join you in a moment.  I need to grab something from upstairs.”

“Kay!  Don’t forget!” Sharon said before returning to the scrum of children.

Helena chuckled at Alexis’ expression.  “Don’t worry. Today’s just the dimensional shift.  Tomorrow we’ll have a lot of walking though so don’t pull any muscles.”

“You don’t need to tell me that,” Alexis replied haughtily as she walked towards the stairs.  Helena smiled and returned to her books. It was good to see Alexis’ spirits returning.

—

Helena noted that Alexis had the presence of mind to choose a more subdued traveling dress, which was a good thing, because the children’s antics had added a solid layer of dust to it.  Still the ‘boundless energy’ of youth petered out sometime around noon, when the yearning for lunch kicked in.

“Aw, do you really have to leave?” Moses asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Alexis replied.

Starry nodded weakly.  “Yeah. I’m tired. Your city’s kinda dirty.”

Sharon pouted.  “But today’s our day off.  I wanted to play more later.”

“Now Sharon, they’ve got an important task they have to see through,” James said.  The man smiled at them all. “You all take care though. You’re welcome back whenever you’d like to drop by.”

“My thanks,” Alexis replied.

“Sure!” Starry chirped.

Mr Samuels turned towards Helena.  “And of course we’ll keep your room Helena.  We’ll let next month’s rent slide for a bit if you need that too.”

“Hopefully this won’t take that long,” Helena said.  “But I appreciate the offer.” She stepped into the center of the small square and opened her grimoire.  “In any case, we should be going. We’re in sync with the Black Forest right now, which means I can perform a teleport without a full circle.”

Alexis and Starry moved to stand near her as the two kids waved.  “Goodbye!” “Come back soon!” The fairy waved back. “Sure thing!  Uh, just do something about the air here, ‘kay?”

“Alright.  I’m opening up the portal.”  Helena waved goodbye, then allowed her mind to sink into itself again.  She stared at the sigil on the page, letting the minor details fill the pattern she’d memorized years ago.  The symbols grew brighter and brighter until they blazed white, and Helena picked the circle up and threw it on the ground beneath them.

Then they were moving, passing through the glimmering space between realms.  There weren’t actually stars here, but it was her way of understanding the incomprehensible weirdness of dimensional travel.  In reality they weren’t anywhere at all, but falling through space seemed far more reasonable than the truth, so Helena created the illusion of both.

Fortunately the trip was short.  Just a few moments later they crashed back into reality, Starry and Alexis staggering from the illusionary force Helena had created.  Helena just ignored the feeling, now that it was unneeded. It probably made her look more impressive and mysterious, which was a nice bonus.

The area they’d dropped into was vastly different from the city streets of the Immigrant Realm.  Massive trees, pines and spruce and birch, created a canopy of green above and around them. And before them stood a house that was straight out of a storybook.  The paint was clean and perfect white, the shutters and eves lightly covered in beautiful flowering vines, the roof dusted with the perfect amount of moss, and a lazy stream wandered past it just close enough to have a small waterwheel going.  Birds flittered about chirping their songs while the usual pests were nowhere to be seen.

It was as fantastic as a painting, and the only way it could scream ‘witch’ any louder was if it had been made of gingerbread.

“Where are we?” asked Alexis.

Starry looked at her.  “Uh, the Black Forest obviously?”  The fairy looked around. “Wow the air here is soooo much better than over there.  I mean I like playing and all but man did it stink.”

“Specifically we’re in the Slavic area of the Black Forest,” Helena said in German.  “You can also switch to your home tongue.”

“You speak German?” Alexis asked.

Helena shook her head.  “No, but a good translation spell will work.”  She shrugged. “Anyway, I have friends here, so it’s easy for me to teleport to the area.  We’ll use magic to travel to your home realm tomorrow.”

“Friends?”  Alexis looked over.  “Fellow witches I suppose?”

Helena looked at the house and shook her head.  “Yeah. They’re kind of flashy in some ways.”

Starry started flitting about.  “Oh! This is where the other geased kids live?  That’s cool!”

“Yes.  And I imagine they’ll be showing up right about-” the door creaked open as Helena finished, “-now.  Hello Lyudmila.”

Lyudmila looked almost the same as she had the last time Helena visited.  She still had a tall lanky figure, and a preference for brown dresses with white long sleeved shirts.  The only change was she’d had apparently taken to wearing a thin gold circlet in her wavy dark green hair.  Helena wondered if it was because Lyudmila had gotten tired of being mistaken for a clockmaker, or if she’d just decided she wanted some accessories.

After a moment looking over the trio, Lyudmila sighed and leaned against the doorway.  “You know, normally people send a message before they drop by Helena.”

“Sorry,” Helena said. “It was something of a last minute decision.  I didn’t realize we were going to be dropping by until after midnight.”

Lyudmila began to rub her forehead.  “Don’t tell me someone is trying to kill you again.  If you managed to get chased out of the Immigrant Realm…”

“More I’m going to be killing someone,” Helena replied sweetly.  “I’ll give you the full story when Kseniya’s around too. In any case, we’ll only be staying for the night.  We’ll leave for the Germanic areas at noon tomorrow.”

“Oh good.  We’ll be out of the blast radius,” Lyudmila smiled as Helena scowled.  “I bid you welcome. I am Lyudmila Doroshenko, and this is the home of me and my sister, Kseniya.  Who are your guests, Helena?”

Helena gestured to Alexis.  “This is Lady Alexis von Strausfen.  She’s my current employer. I’m helping her get rid of a rather troublesome curse.”  She pointed to the fairy as Alexis bowed. “This is Starry Breeze. I summoned her to help, then brought her here because the Immigrant Realm’s a little dangerous for a nature spirit like her.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Lyudmila said.  “I’m glad to see someone’s helping out Helena’s questionable finances, and it’s always nice to meet a member of the fair folk.”  Helena’s frown deepened as Alexis smiled.

Starry just bowed.  “It’s nice to meet you too!  It’s not every day we run into friends of us lesser fairies.”  The little winged girl yawned. “I’d like to play some more, but I’m a little tired.”  She turned to Helena. “Anyway thanks for the ride here, but I should get some rest and recover from all that.  I’ll see you later!” And then the spirit was gone.

“My.  Sprites are somewhat hasty,” Alexis said.

“You get used to it,” Helena replied.

Lyudmila nodded.  “At least they’re easily amused.”  The woman pushed herself off the doorframe and beckoned them in.  “Anyways come inside. I’m sure you’ve got quite the story to tell, and Kseniya would hate it if we left her out.”

The inside of the house wasn’t perfect like the outside.  Two magicians living in a house meant rooms filled with books and scattered experiment materials.  The sisters did clean often, but the natural chaos that came from long nights of study built up quickly.  The only storybook feature here was the flittering birds that zipped here and there within the house. Alexis blinked then gasped as a hummingbird paused to inspect her.  “They’re machines!”

“Yes.  I build clockwork devices,” Lyudmila said.  “Mostly for recreation. Modern anatomy textbooks are so much more useful than trying to figure it all out myself via constructs.”

“But to bring them to life and control them…” Alexis looked at the clockwork menagerie.  “That is an impressive feat!”

Lyudmila shook her head.  “I just make the creatures.  I don’t animate them.”

“That’s me,” a soft voice said from down the hall.

Helena looked over to see her other friend, Kseniya.  Kseniya had stayed at a more reasonable height than her sister, though she was still taller than Helena.  The young woman had changed styles, from her old black and white garb to short sleeved pastel dresses. But she’d kept her witch hat and the flower wreath she’d dropped on it.  Her hair was a lighter green than her sister’s, and the clockwork birds that occasionally flitted down to her shoulder or hands made her look more like a deranged nature spirit then a witch.

“Your new look suits you,” Helena said.  “So how many constructs can you control?”

“Fifty seven,” Kseniya said.  “I’m thinking of stopping at seventy.  I don’t want my power increasing too much.”  The young woman smiled at Alexis. “Ah, but forgive us for rambling.  I’m Kseniya Doroshenko. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to tell us, so I prepared some tea and cookies.  We can sit in the living room and chat.” Alexis nodded and then followed Kseniya into the room, her eyes looking all over at the wonders of the house.

Soon they were all sitting around the cluttered living room table.  Further introductions were given, then Helena let Alexis explain her story up until she arrived in the Immigrant Realm, before explaining what had happened with the curse after.  Lyudmila offered a few questions, while Kseniya offered sympathy at the more violent parts of the story. Finally Helena reached the end. “So I decided it would be better to track the magic to its source and stop the curse with the one who created it.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Lyudmila asked with raised eyebrows.  “The best you could do is find the magician who cast the spell. Which won’t help you if it was done for money using someone else’s hatred.  And even that will rely on luck.”

Helena shrugged.  “I have my ways. Once I find the caster I should be able to figure out something.”

Lyudmila groaned.  “Don’t tell me you’re going to start another feud?  Don’t you already have someone after your head?”

“I’m not too worried about that,” Helena said.  “Though that’s the other reason I dropped by. I wanted to confirm a suspicion I had.”

To her surprise Alexis spoke up.  “Ah, you’ve discovered something else about the curse?”

She nodded.  “I haven’t confirmed it yet, but after yesterday I think I can assume that this spell was a curse for hire.”

Lyudmila looked quizzical, but Kseniya slowly nodded.  “Ah. That’s reasonable.” The younger magician sipped her tea.  “Think about it sister. If you had some hatred strong enough to create a curse this active, what could keep you from just dropping it on the target?”

“Of course.”  Lyudmila nodded.  “When a witch casts a curse they can use their hatred to boost their own magical power, in addition to the power of the curse.”  She leaned back in her chair. “And this curse makes Helena’s curses seem kind and polite. That means there’s a lot of hatred involved.”

“I’m not that bad,” Helena muttered.

Lyudmila looked at her.  “You gave someone leprosy once.”

Helena sipped her tea.  “In my defense, they deserved it.”

Alexis coughed nervously.  “What exactly is this about using someone else’s hatred to power a curse?  Wouldn’t a witch’s own magic be enough?”

Helena found everyone in the room turning to her, so she sighed and began to explain.  “A curse is always formed around hatred. That’s the core of any curse, magical or common.  Still hating someone is easy. Think back to the last time someone inconvenienced you when you were already annoyed.  Think on that flash of rage, the spark of hatred that encouraged you to lash out unreasonably. You suppressed it of course, but if you let it free, fed it magic…”  Helena shrugged. “Instant curse.

“Of course, that level of hatred is harder to get if you’re casting a spell just for someone else’s coin.”  Helena sipped her tea again. “If you’re making the local philanderer impotent for the crime of infidelity at the bequest of a spurned lady?  Well maybe you could call on your general disdain for such people. Weaving a death curse on a murderer at the bequest of a bereaved loved one?  The witch could find that level of hatred from her sense of justice or sympathy with the victim’s plight.

“But a curse that strikes indiscriminately?  One that kills everything near it just to sate its rage at one person?  That level of hate is something else.” Helena frowned. “There’s no amount of coin or sympathy that will bring that hatred to life from a sane person.  Which means to form the curse you would have to call upon the hatred of the person requesting it.”

Helena shook her head thoughtfully.  “Honestly some witches use the hatred of their patrons no matter what the circumstances.  They find it strange to hate for money.”

“And you?” Alexis asked softly.

“If I can’t hate a person enough to curse them myself, I’m not going to do it,” Helena replied.  She shook off the introspection. “In any case, as Lyudmila said, hatred can fuel the power of a curse.”  She pointed to Alexis. “And while the curse on you is persistent, cunning and vicious, it’s also weak. Otherwise there would be corpses in its wake, rather than just close calls.  Which means the curse was cast by a weak magician, for someone who really hates their target.”

Lyudmila drained her own cup and stood.  “Well, we’ve got a theory. Let’s test it.”  The mechanical birds scattered to the other side of the room and took roost, as Lyudmila flexed her wrist.  “This should be completely safe for you Lady von Strausfen. Kseniya could you keep the room balanced?”

“Of course sister,” Kseniya said.

Alexis shifted uncomfortably.  “What are you going to do?” she asked nervously.

“I have the ability to consume magic.  Even magic in spells, unlike other magicians,” Lyudmila said.  “I’ll taste a bit of the magic of your curse, and from that I can learn how it was built.  You’ll be fine, since you aren’t a magical creature.”

Alexis gave Helena a look, and Helena nodded.  The noblewoman relaxed slightly then composed herself.  “Well then, I leave myself in your care.” Alexis sat up straight and closed her eyes.

Lyudmila nodded.  “Right. This should only take a moment.”  The woman raised her arm and stepped forward, placing her hand over the noblewoman’s heart.

As she did the light in the room seemed to shift.  Lyudmila’s hand glowed black, and the side of the room she and Alexis were on grew dim and cold.  However as the darkness emanated from Lyudmila, Kseniya started to glow as well. It wasn’t a light per se, but things seemed brighter, and there was the warmth of a smile on her side of the room.

The two held that position for about a ten count, before Lyudmila lowered her hand and the lights seemed to return to normal.  “Well, that’s an odd spell. But I can tell it is a death curse. And it’s aimed at Holdst von Strausfen.” Lyudmila considered things for a moment.  “And it’s pure hedge magic. Honestly I’m kind of insulted that someone from our realm used such a spell. It’s just a vehicle for someone else’s hate.  The only reason it’s cunning at all is because of the curse’s parent.”

“So the target was my father,” Alexis said grimly.

“So it seems,” Kseniya said.

Alexis frowned at the ground for a bit before looking up at Lyudmila.  “Forgive me if I am interpreting your ability wrong Miss Doroshenko. But if you can consume magic, can you consume this curse?”

Helena winced.  “It’s not that easy.”

“No,” Lyudmila said.  The witch shook her head.  “I can’t.” She walked back to her seat and flopped down.  “Understand, this is both a power, and a weakness. The more magic I eat, the more I need to eat.  If I increased my power to handle something like that curse, I’d consume all the magic in this house within the week.”  She sighed. “The only reason I don’t have to live as a wandering magician is because of my sister’s power.”

Kseniya smiled.  “I create magic rather than consume it.”

“Which is also dangerous,” Helena said quietly.  “As any story about an apprentice losing control of their magic should attest to.  At low levels they balance out.”

“I see.”  Alexis bowed her head to the two sisters.  “I apologize for asking something so dangerous of you.”  The noblewoman looked at Helena. “So if I may ask, do you have a special power?”

Helena started.  “Uh, well-”

“Helena’s power is to be a force for destruction,” Lyudmila said with a smirk.

Kseniya chuckled as Helena growled.  “It’s actually the power to create ill fortune.  Curses act by using hatred to attract bad luck. Helena can create ill fortune on her own, meaning her curses are always as potent as possible.”

“She can literally make the universe less lucky,” Lyudmila added.  “Though as she constantly reminds us, the universe had it coming.”

Helena folded her arms in frustration as Kseniya and Alexis laughed.  “Are you finished casting aspersions against my character, or should I start dredging up barbs to return with?”

“Aren’t you a little out of the loop for those kinds of threats, Helena?” Lyudmila said with a smile.

Helena narrowed her eyes, then smirked back.  “So how’s business going, Kseniya?”

Lyudmila’s smile vanished as Kseniya giggled.  “Terrible! We had three customers this month, which covered about half of our food expenses.  The rest we made up for in toy sales.”

“Ah you sell some of those clockwork creations?”  Alexis clasped her hands. “They are wondrous. I could see how you could make a small fortune with that.”

Helena smirked as Lyudmila fumed.  “What was that about me being out of the loop?”

“Getting help from my sister is cheating,” Lyudmila muttered.  Kseniya just smiled wider. Helena had learned neither sister could fail to take advantage of the opportunity to tease their sibling.

“It seems you are close friends,” Alexis said.

“We have to be.  It’s the only logical reason why Helena’s still alive,” Lyudmila said.

Helena sniffed.  “You keep calling me the witch of destruction and then claim you’ll win a fight against me?  That’s some arrogance.”

“Very close friends,” Kseniya whispered to Alexis.  The noble nodded sagely, and a giggle rang out from behind the witch.

Alexis blinked.  “Is… someone there?”

Kseniya looked at Alexis quizzically then realized what the noblewoman meant.  “Ah, you must have heard our house spirit.”

“That didn’t sound like a domovoi,” Alexis said.

“Shizuka is a zashiki warashi,” Kseniya said.  “We became friends in the lands of illusion, and she followed us to our new home.”  The young magician smiled brightly. “She’s a dear friend, and my familiar spirit.”

Alexis seemed impressed.  “An amazing meeting. I would be interested in hearing stories of your travels to the orient.  Helena is sadly tight lipped on such matters, doling out her stories rather piecemeal.”

Kseniya nodded.  “I would be happy to, though I should start dinner if it is to be done.  If you’re willing to listen in, I can tell you some of the tales.”

“Would it not be better to listen from the kitchen?  I’m no stranger to an oven,” Alexis said. “My father did not want his children growing up knowing only the names of their relatives.”  She held up her hand to catch Kseniya’s refusal. “And I should pay you back for giving me hospitality on such short notice.”

“Very well then,” Kseniya said with a nod.  She turned to Helena and Lyudmila. “Have fun chatting you two.  And if you do get in a fight, please take it outside.”

Lyudmila rolled her eyes while Helena sighed.  “I need all my power for the trip tomorrow, so I can’t have a fun duel anyway.”  Kseniya chuckled then led Alexis into the kitchen.

Helena stretched and relaxed in the chair as her patron exited.  She’d done everything she could for today, and now she could get down to the serious business of taking a break.  Lyudmila seemed to relax as well, and for a moment Helena could pretend that they were just having a visit like they used to right after Lyudmila and Kseniya had moved into the cottage.

“Hey, Helena.”

Helena looked over to see her friend staring down at the living room table, her hands steepled together.  “What is it?”

Lyudmila looked over at her.  “Apollo has probably stopped looking for you.  Why not move in with us? I know you consider our realm to be a frozen wasteland, but the Immigrant Realm is just as cold, and you’ve got no one there to watch your back.  At least no one with magic skills.”

Helena was surprised.  Her friend had made that offer long ago, but had regretfully retracted it when she’d told them that helping her meant fighting a fully powered god.  To hear Lyudmila offer again was… touching.

Still she shook her head.  “You know it’s not as simple as that Lyudmila.  Apollo might not be hunting for me. But there are plenty of people who would sell me out in a heartbeat to get on Apollo’s good side.”  Helena sighed and leaned back in the chair. “All me staying here would do would be to put you in danger. In the Immigrant Realm I’m protected by the law.  Here I’m only safe until someone realizes I’m a ticket to wealth.”

Helena sighed, then smiled at Lyudmila.  “Thanks though. And I’m sorry. I should visit more often, now that I’m not in immediate danger.”

Lyudmila’s frown did not dissipate.  “You need powerful friends. You may think I’m hesitant, but you know you’re reckless.”  Lyudmila raised a finger as Helena started to protest. “If you weren’t reckless you wouldn’t be on the run right now!”  She sighed. “But you aren’t going to stop. That’s one of the things that makes you… you, Helena.” Lyudmila shook her head.  “You were always thinking about how to battle, even when we were kids.

“Still, you can’t win every fight on your own.”  Lyudmila looked over at her. “Yeah it’s dangerous to stay here, but you look for danger.  Why not do it with friends?”

Helena sighed and closed her eyes.  “Because I don’t want you to get hurt.”  She felt Lyudmila’s glare boring into her, and she squirmed under the pressure.  Her friend was good at hitting her insecurities.

In the end all she could do was look away.  “I’ve got some friends who I can count on. And I’m trying to make more.”  She managed to bring her gaze back towards Lyudmila. “And the Immigrant Realm is easy to get to.  If I ever have a big problem, I promise I’ll ask for help.”

Lyudmila glared at her a bit longer, then slumped back in her chair, annoyed.  “I suppose that’s the best I’m going to get,” she said. “But you better keep that promise, or I swear I’ll break out some of your necromantic spells and yell at you when you’re dead.”

“Noted,” Helena said with a weak smile.  She managed to look Lyudmila in the eye. “You make sure to call me as well if you need some more firepower.  I know you and your sister are skilled, but there’s got to be something out there that can challenge you.”

“I’m not the one who thinks kicking in the door and shooting everyone who talks back is a valid strategy,” Lyudmila said.  “Just because someone’s a hedge witch doesn’t mean they don’t know a few tricks. We were taught by a hedge witch remember?”

“Hmph.”  Helena shrugged.  “Exceptions are obvious.  Just look before you blast.”

Lyudmila sighed.  “Why do I bother?”  She placed her hand over Helena’s.  “Please, try to be careful.”

Helena intertwined their fingers.  “I will. I promise.”

Lyudmila stared at her for a while, before finally relaxing.  “I’ll take what I can get. Anyway do you need anything from me right now?”

“A few charms against danger would be nice.  I’ve been slapping those wards on Alexis for a few days now, but I think it’s learning how to outwit my magic.”  Helena frowned. “Having some of yours will let me buy time fast if I need to.”

“Alright, let me get my paper,” Lyudmila said giving Helena’s hand a squeeze before releasing it.  “Hopefully you can get through this with only a little destruction.”

“From your lips to Nike’s ears,” Helena muttered.