Ivy paced in a circle for the thousandth time in forty-eight hours. The smell of the stable she was staying in was starting to seep into her clothes. Why she had been hiding for two days among horses and their excrement, she couldn’t be too sure. All she knew was that she was too much of a coward to face any of her problems.

She couldn’t handle Rose yelling at her anymore, and she had no idea how to get in between the two men she had mixed herself up with. There was no way she could let the governor die. The Bloody Prince would soon realize she had failed his “last job.” Ivy had been way too proficient up until now for him to think otherwise. He wouldn't stay idle for much longer. Did his reach extend to the palace without her?

She could go talk to either man and probably fix the situation. A conversation with both would be best. But…she felt…off. Like everything she had done or might do was wrong. How could she face the noble boy after seeing the recognition in his eyes? Why did it have to be him and why had he remembered her? She was nothing back then. A little bump in the streets. His knowing made it so much worse.

But that wasn’t all, either. Inexplicably, she found herself getting angry over the whole situation. Not at herself or the Bloody Prince, but at the governor. That pretty blonde in his bed. Who was she? He had defended her like she was precious to him. Dark thoughts crept inside her mind that she didn't want to acknowledge.

No. No, no, no. She slapped herself while continuing to circuit the stables. A horse neighed at her as if letting her know how crazy she was. A second animal responded, agreeing. Apparently Ivy could speak horse now, interpreting their language. She didn’t need the horses telling her how much she had lost it.

She could fix her head later, though. Her current situation needed immediate action. The most obvious thing to do was to go to the Bloody Prince. Yet that made her question herself even more. The easiest solution—a method she had employed many times already—bothered her more than it should.

Over the years she had grown closer to Bloody Prince Armond. There was something there. If not friendship, then an understanding. She didn’t want to kill the man, but she couldn't find the words to speak to him either.

“Hello, prince, please stop your plans. I want this cute guy to stay alive. He was nice to me.”

Ivy tested her plea, and a horse answered in response.

“Stupid girl, I’ll kill you both now,” she translated for mister horse, playing the part of the Bloody Prince.

Yeah, that would go over real well. Come back as a failure and ask for a favor. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to reward incompetence.

She made one more circle around the stable before plopping down onto a square of hay. There was still time. Prince Armond wouldn’t move until he was sure she had failed. In the past, she had taken as long as five days to complete a job. She could find a way to smooth it over.

Ivy turned to the witch world for answers, and let her power take her. The barn morphed into a new world, her surroundings bending into crooked imitations of their former selves. While the interior of the stable was already pretty drab, it also faded into monochrome.

A thousand winding pathways opened up, directing her forward. Did the witch world know her plight? Did whatever lie at the end of one of the many passages hold the answers? She traced its length with her eyes, jumping when she saw where it led. Picking another, she did the same, only to find an identical destination. Again and again she searched her options, but they all led to the same place. There, waiting for her with its unfaltering smile and dead eyes, the demon of Atrican watched her agonize over her power telling her to meet it.

No. Not this. Not now. Her power too? Why did everything point to the demon? She had nothing left in her to resist it. She had no one to talk to about it. No one she dared to show her face to. Her dagger was gone, left in the hands of the governor, and now even her power had betrayed her to the demon. What reason was there left to fight it? The integrity of her soul? Ivy laughed, and the horses joined in. That had long since been broken.

Fine. If the demon could show her a way forward, if the witch world thought it could help her, she would give in. The witch world had not failed her yet. Besides, what more could the demon do to her that she hadn't already done to herself?

It didn’t mean she was in a rush, though. She could pretend to be a normal person for now. Dispelling her power gave the horses a scare, and she smiled at them when the stable came back into view.

“Don’t worry guys, it’s just me,” she said, and then got up from her seat of hay. She missed Mister Couch dearly, and everything else about her renewed life since returning to the city. Would the demon allow her to reclaim it?

She’d find out soon enough. With slow, but purposeful steps forward, she left the stable she had barely set foot out of the last two days. Beyond the two massive double doors sat a wide open garden space with a path for the horses that led around a great manor. Probably a duke’s estate based on the size of it.

She hadn’t even left the nobles' district since fleeing the palace. They had so much room here, and her hiding place had served her well. Only once had someone come to take a horse out. Similarly, when she left the stable, the yard was empty. No one so much as looked at her as she left the grounds out onto the street.

Like everything else about where the nobles lived, the road was grand and much larger than necessary. Ivy didn’t even remember where she had run off to after rushing from the governor’s room, simply stealing food from the manor where she had parked herself. So now, looking out at the pristine cobble street and mansions that flanked it, she took a moment to orient herself.

The sun rested high in the sky, and several carriages rattled on by. Ivy couldn’t tell one manor from the next, but all the carriages were headed in the same direction. Maybe it was one of the church’s worship days. She could find the cathedral in an instant if she entered the witch world, but she didn’t want to confront the demon any sooner than was necessary. It’s smug face could wait for her.

She followed in the carriages’ wake, their trajectory eventually leading her to where she wanted to go. Her guess had been correct, and groups of nobles were exiting their vehicles dressed in finery. They approached the cathedral’s front steps through open gates packed with people. On each side stood a pair of paladins, neither ushering nor greeting their guests.

Ivy stared at the almost statue-people clad in shining full plate armor. This group wore their helmets unlike the others she had encountered at the smithy, which only added to the effect. They were full coverage great helms allowing only a slit for each eye.

She skittered off to one side of the gate, and hid behind a tall, four-person carriage. Her hands were shaking, and she pressed them against the door of the carriage. Was she really about to do this? Rose had once told her to never go poking around the cathedral. It felt like decades ago when the Bloody Prince had asked to search for the demon’s heart. How about a whole demon?

She took a deep breath and pushed off of her temporary support. She had zero inclination to pass under the paladin’s unflinching gaze, but she had less motivation to utilize her power. It was probably one of the dumbest things she had ever done, but she stepped around the carriage into view of the gate. This demon better be worth it.

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Of course, the paladins did not move or notice her at all, but still she had to steady her breathing with each step forward. A couple of nobles gave her a questioning look, and she smiled at them.

“Just came back from riding,” she said a tight smile on her face, “but couldn’t miss the cathedral’s service. Ole Midnight threw me in the dirt.”

Ivy tried to explain her shabby appearance, but they just sneered at her and kept moving. Passing through the gilded gate, she kept her eyes forward, not sparing the church’s warriors a glance. No sword came to cut her down, and no shouts of “witch!” reached her ears. Crossing through didn't allow her to breathe any easier. If anything, her urge to run away as fast as possible only grew as she made her way further in.

She kept moving, entering the grand courtyard within. A trio of fountains sat in a triangular shape just ahead, each topped with a massive fifteen foot stone carving of a paladin in his armor, sword drawn and pointing to the sky. Impressive artwork, but not nearly as imposing as one of the “holy” warriors in the flesh.

Winding around the fountains, the train of nobles and Ivy came up to the face of the cathedral proper. Like every other church, its symbol was present high above below a steepled roof. Unlike those she had seen before, though, this symbol both caught and absorbed the noon sun just like Ivy’s dagger. It was the largest display of the strange metal she had ever seen.

Finally, she made it inside, and took a seat in a pew. The main worship hall was lined with the bench-like seating. At the very back a raised section ascended up to a large altar where a man in purple robes stood waiting for everyone to file in. Around his neck hung a very familiar pendant. Ivy had held one very similar.

To either side of her stood another half dozen paladins, lining the hall at even intervals. They stared straight ahead through their faceless helmets, each a blank mask.

Other nobles filled in around her, giving her a good two-person gap between her and them. Perfect. She definitely wanted to stand out surrounded by warriors trained to kill her. Something was clearly wrong with her head. This was the worst plan she had ever come up with. It wasn't even a plan. It was suicide.

Eventually, all the nobles made their way in, and the archbishop began speaking. Funnily enough his droning voice actually calmed her. He talked about how the one God loved the noble class the most, how the church was winning on the frontier of the demonic borderlands thanks to the nobles' financial support, and how the church would protect their immortal souls.

Ivy kept yawning through it all, almost forgetting about the paladins on all sides of her. After some time it ended, and the nobles started to get to their feet, heading not for the exit, but towards the archbishop. If she was going to try and take a look around, now would be the only chance.

She joined her “fellow” nobles in their march toward the altar, blending in with the crowd. It wasn’t hard at all. With her height, she disappeared behind the masses gathering to…she wasn’t sure really. The archbishop was touching people, and everyone was chatting animatedly with one another. The head of the church looked like a lord amongst peasants, offering his charity to them. Whatever. It didn’t really matter.

Once she was close enough to the front of the room, she wiggled between a pair of men and darted into a hallway branching off from the main room. She was pretty sure no one noticed, but she crouched behind a large potted plant in the hall, waiting. Her power was at the tip of her finger, just in case.

No one pursued her, though, and she peeked around the oversized vase, watching for a few more minutes. The hallway remained empty the whole time. Chatter still echoed down from the main hall, so she was probably safe for a bit.

After a few more long breaths, she moved from her spot, tiptoeing down the corridor. There were several solid looking wood plank doors set into arches as she moved along, but she ignored them all. At this point all she had to do was enter the witch world and she could locate the demon in an instant, but still she hesitated.

At the end of the hall a set of stairs led further in, and she figured if the church was holding a demon, it’d probably be in a dungeon somewhere. She quickened her pace until she heard a creak from behind her, and called on her power instinctually. The witch world obscured her from whomever entered the hallway, but Ivy couldn't be bothered with that.

At the center of her field of vision sat a being that should not exist, within a broken world that she should not inhabit. This close to the demon, not only its face, but all of its sickening body became visible. Ivy had no words.

For years its two bottomless eyes had haunted her anytime she had used her power. She had gotten accustomed to it over time, but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw now.

Not only did the demon have more than two eyes—many more—but up close they pierced through her, seeing every fiber of who she was or might be. Countless twitching pits of darkness covered its spindly, tentacle ridden body, and every single one had a spike of black metal driven through its center. The demon squirmed against its bonds, thrashing and writhing wildly, but still its smile engulfed its entire face.

Ivy fell to her knees, nearly breaking into tears just at the sight of the thing. It shouldn’t exist. Why was it here? It...oh god. It wanted her. It needed her to be free. She could feel its desires flow into her. Please, no. Please, just—

A searing pain lanced through her head and she cried out, but it only got worse. A foreign presence invaded her thoughts.

L̼̮̮̹͇̩̙͛ͦ͛̊l͓͓̪̲͔͖ͭͅ’͔͖͛͊͑ͣ̏̈q͌͆̈́ȋ̻͇̟̜̄̋̋̎ͨ̔x͍͙͓̣̱̜̉͗ͅl̰̦͒̈́̓̂̚̚l̟͓̝̏̋ͯi̪͍̲͙̣̍̔n̦̉̈̍́ͫ͋,̗̘̜̪͕̙́ͣ̿̓̍̾̔ ̤̮̗̤̞͛̆t̬lͭͬ̈o̰͍ͩ̉m̦̟̬͈͍̤̒̈́̈́͋ͮͅ ̻̪̚v̙̹̼͕̗̐ͮ̈́́e͛̽͋ͪ͆ͣ̄r̞̥̮͕̈́ṡ͙̬̰̎̒h̔͌͛̒̔̽ ̰ͭ͆̔ͤ̌ͅmͤ͋ͭͦa̜̮͎̝͍͈͌h̖̟͚̬͔̫̳ͫ̆̎ͪ͆̚g͔̀͌̄͒ͣ͋̽ ͕ͥ̃̓̓͐͊ͅͅf̑h̼̬̮̩̯ͨͭ̍t͍̙̲l̰ͥ̎ȫ̎̓͊ͧ̓p̪̜͕͚̩͐ͧ̈́̄̈́̽̈́s͎͙͎̯̰̟ͩ͛ͣn̲͔͚o̍̈̂ͮ̈́k̥̖͎ͪ͗ͩ̔̓.͈̯͓̬

Every twisted, cursed syllable shot another bolt of lightning from her forehead to the back of her neck and down her spine. Yet somehow, her mind converted the message into the common tongue automatically. Or, half of it at least.

Look what they've done to me, Ll'qixllin.

Why she couldn't understand just one word, she had no clue. Before she could make sense of anything, the pain came again, more intense.

N̖͈̟̤̜̹̑̋̑j͔ͩͫͣ́̇̿̿l͍̦̰͙̦ͤͪ̇i͓̯̐̈́̌̈́̊͑ͤͅshͫ͂̎̌̉̊̈,͕̦̠̹͙͖͎ ̝̜̺̤̝͓͗ͩL̝̖͗̀̐l̾'̭̟͉̲͔͎q͉̺̗͛͛i͈͚̹͖̥͌̋ͬ̐x̺̭̺̝̖̅̎l͙̻̟̥͓͍̩ͬ̈͐̅̉l͈̰͕͎̬ȋ̞̫̗͙̲͓̪̊n̰̘̙̼̎̄͐͗

Ll’qixllin, come.

The pain in her head was so strong, she thought back to her first awakening. She had no idea how loud or how long she had screamed. The entire church was probably all around her, but she could only see the demon.

“No,” she blubbered out, “I can’t.” The demon shifted its amorphous body, but before it could assault her mind again, she crawled along a blurred line of the witch world, struggling to put as much distance as possible between it and her.

Vaguely she heard the shouts of men and women around her and the clank of armored boots on stone, but she just kept crawling. After a few minutes she could stand again, and wobbled onward still. After some time, she collapsed, more from mental strain than anything else. After the encounter with the demon, she could not hold her grip on the witch world for long.

When she let go of her power, she found herself on her back, hard ridges digging into her skin. She turned her head and saw the street far below her. Ah, a rooftop, then. Below her, the gates of the cathedral were right next door. The four paladins guarding the gate were active now, their backs to her with swords drawn. She could just barely make out their conversation.

“You felt it too?”

“Yes.”

“Then Arterion did not err in his perception.”

“It is so.”

“There is a witch in Atrican.”

“I will inform the archbishop. Prepare the others.”

“We do not have enough to cover a city this large.”

“Irrelevant. We will begin here.”

One of the paladins marched off in the direction of the cathedral, leaving Ivy frozen up above them.

Oh, fuck. What had she done? She kept laying against the hard shingles of the roof, planning out her next move. It wasn’t so bad, really. It wasn’t like they could actually catch her. And they were looking for her amongst the nobles. Rose would be fine for now. The palace and their home was probably safe from church influence for now.

Still, she’d have to tell her something. Obviously. Ugh. She was going to kill Ivy. A realization swept through Ivy. She recalled a very early lesson Rose had given her about the church that she had hardly listened to.

"Never use your power near a paladin,” she had said, "they will know."

She needed her dagger back. With the paladins on alert and the Bloody Prince inevitably sending more assassins for the governor, she couldn’t be without it any longer. Not to mention the demon. She'd try her best to purge the encounter from her memory and never look back. For now, she’d just have to be the governor’s secret bodyguard, all the while evading the paladins’ senses.

She let out a bitter chuckle. Was there a witch out there that could rewind the last week or so? Ivy stayed atop the roof watching the sun move across the sky, contemplating how bad she had screwed up.

“She’s really going to kill me,” she thought aloud, “the paladins won’t need to worry.”