CHAPTER 62

The Garrison was an obdurate block of hexagonal stone that had been dyed a garish oxblood and stood as an unbreakable bastion that trained and quartered the paladins of the Anglish Empire. The fortress was like a miniature city inside Darnell in much the same way as the Alstroemeria, though this city was wholly dedicated to the arts of war. The gate was guarded by double portcullis and rows of statues depicting the heroes of the Golden Lady's Empire, and outside were relief sculptures of the Ever Victorious Army marching against hordes of blasphemers and heretics.

Katarina passed through the gate not paying attention to anything but worries from her interrogation at the hands of Alayne. How much had she revealed? Alayne was extremely good at playing things close to the chest.

She paused, and turned her horse as she cleared the last row of statues. On the left side was an eight-foot tall sculpture of her former master, "The Wolf of Alastor, Lord Donald of House Christensen, Justicar Witch Hunter." she read quietly from the plaque at his feet. The likeness was so real it brought fierce tears to her eyes. She drew her gun and held it against her heart and bowed in her saddle to him.

"Rest easy, Master. You are not forgotten." She whispered, and turned her horse.

Just past the front gate of the Garrison was a plinth that displayed a basic map of the internal structure. The map had been inverted, so as to trick the unwary or the intruder. After fixing the location of the training yards firmly in her mind, she set off. She would spend a little time on the range with her gun and ammunition and make sure it was in good working order, and then she would devote some more time to unlocking the mystery of how much Alayne knew.

A fresh-faced young man intercepted her on arriving at the training yards.

"Take your horse, My Lady?" he asked respectfully. She raised a curious eyebrow at this, but smiled at him and nodded her thanks, dismounting gracefully. The way the young man had studiously averted his eyes led her to believe he'd checked her out as she dismounted. Strangely, it was less an intrusion than the odious pastor in Aston.

"Brush her down, would you?" She asked, and he nodded. "As you wish."

The main yard was filled with groups of warriors sparring with training swords, thrusting at dummies with lances, hurling javelins, or firing bows and crossbows. A secondary yard was filled with spectators, and Katarina frowned at this. Why were they standing around? They were certainly lucky indeed; if Nadette caught them standing around watching a fight in the yard, she would make their lives miserable.

So thinking, she blinked a few times at the sight of Nadette herself in the yard, sparring with a young woman.

"No wonder you all stopped to have a look." Katarina remarked, and placed her hand on a warrior's arm to catch his attention.

"Who is she fighting?" She asked, and the man glanced at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"You don't know?" He asked incredulously. She shook her head. "I just got here." She replied, and he nodded.

"Some foreign girl from Urdistan. They've been going at it now for almost an hour."

Katarina's eyes opened wide at that. The only girl she knew from Urdistan was Elizabeth. Why was she here in the Garrison? Wasn't she supposed to be protecting the crate? Wasn't she supposed to be on her way to Einsamkeit? Further, how is it that scrawny girl could keep Nadette at bay? Nadette was an unstoppable avalanche.

"For an hour?" She voiced her skepticism. He nodded. "Yesterday it was a bit longer. They've been going at it now every day for several days, now."

Katarina nodded slowly as she edged herself through the crowd; one redheaded young woman opening a space for her to slip through at one point, so that Katarina found herself at the front.

Katarina was overwhelmed with confusion and a growing headache. Elizabeth was sparring with Nadette. Elizabeth should have been keeping the crate safe before the boat journeyed to Einsamkeit.

Katarina watched as they circled, Nadette's sword weaving in front of her while Elizabeth seemed to be favoring her right leg.

Elizabeth was right handed, so her right leg was important for her stance. Based on Nadette's posture, Katarina ran out several possible moves Nadette could take to overwhelm Elizabeth, including two that incorporated her signature headbutt. She didn't bother thinking about what Elizabeth could do to overwhelm Nadette, the woman was a boulder. You didn't overwhelm a boulder, you got the fuck out of the way.

The two traded a couple of blows, and Katarina saw it coming; Nadette lashed out with her off-hand, grabbing the collar of Elizabeth's breastplate, and slammed her head like a meteor into Elizabeth's. Nadette drew back to finish her off, and Elizabeth rocked back up onto her right foot, knocked Nadette's sword out of the way, and slammed her own head into Nadette's.

The crowd gasped as one in shock, but Nadette was already moving, stepping into Elizabeth's guard, hooking her foot deftly around Elizabeth's and flipping the young paladin on her back. Nadette grinned down at her and laid her blade against Elizabeth's throat.

Elizabeth nodded, and Nadette helped her up. The moment she did that, the crowd began to disperse.

"Nadette." Katarina called, and the old campaigner turned, anger in her eyes. "That's 'Instructor Nadette' to you, trainee-" She began, but halted at the sight of Katarina.

"Now this isn't something I expected to see." Nadette decided. "It was always more than difficult to get you back to Darnell."

Katarina nodded, and clasped arms with the older woman.

"I see you ran into my friend." Katarina began with a nod at Elizabeth. Nadette nodded and snuffled, wiping blood from her nose.

"Indeed. She fights well. Don't tell her that, or it'd go to her head." Nadette rasped. "And you? Why has Katarina Pavlenko, Witch Hunter, come to Darnell?"

"I need to get my Writ and Warrant updated. There's also a few questions I need answers to." She replied. "But I'm here in the garrison because I need to spend some time with my gun on the range. Also resupply my stocks of powder and primer."

Nadette nodded. "Certainly." She eyed Katarina, and stepped a little closer and lowered her voice. "Have you given thought at all to sponsoring Elizabeth?" She asked quietly. "She's definitely the skills for a more than adequate paladin."

Katarina shook her head. "Hadn't occurred to me at all." She replied. "But it's a good idea. I'll pray on it."

Nadette nodded. "Frankly, I would do it myself, if I could get away with it." She whispered conspiratorially. Katarina drew back in shock. "That is no faint praise." Katarina agreed.

Nadette sneered at her. "Bah. Get your ass to the range, Witch Hunter." She growled, and stalked off towards the rain baths.

Katarina saluted fist to heart, and gestured at Elizabeth, who marched over to her hotly.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Elizabeth hissed at her angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Katarina replied. "More to the point, what the fuck are you doing here?"

"You told me to watch the crate and then to head on to Begierde. That was the plan."

Katarina nodded to show her agreement. "So why are you here?" She asked pointedly.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Just about the time you disembarked, our ship was sequestered. We haven't been able to get anywhere. I overheard the guards talking; they wanted to know anything and everything that you had done before getting off the boat."

"What are you talking about?" Katarina repeated. "They shouldn't have sequestered the boat unless..." She trailed off.

"Unless they knew you came by ship." Elizabeth finished hotly. She threw her hands up in anger.

"I've been cooped up in the ship's hold for four fucking days while you do... what?" Elizabeth complained.

"That's my question." Katarina asked dangerously. "You left the crate unprotected so you could frolic about the city, was it?" She argued with the paladin.

Elizabeth took a sudden step backwards, but then thrust her chin out impudently.

"I'm going to present myself to the High Court tomorrow. That should free you up for leaving. I'll collect the crate from you beforehand, though." She decided.

Elizabeth nodded uncertainly, and Katarina let out a breath. "It shouldn't take long for me to do what must be done. Be ready."

Elizabeth nodded. "I will. Thank you."

Katarina nodded at that, and then gestured. "I'm going to the gun range."

At the gun range, Katarina was relieved to discover her gun was in fine working condition, though the gunpriest made several indirect suggestions that she move to a more modern firearm. Her gun was past the edge of obsolescence. Nobody used ball anymore, as shaped ammunition was far more accurate and reliable. She was loathe to give up the Eagle's Talon, though. It had been her master's gun before her, and she wanted to carry it as long as she could.

The gunpriest advised that there was a Shaper gunsmith at the Collegiate Ordinatus, the College of Firearms that had a large selection of more advanced firearms and urged her to look them over. Katarina nodded and made vague assurances before departing.

The Church kept the few manufacturers of guns a closely guarded secret. Not only to make sure that all guns came from the Church, but to ensure that they did not fall into any undeserving hands.

Firearms were originally a Witch Hunter invention, and it was only after the integration of the Witch Hunter organization into the Holy Church that production bloomed. Still, the only standing Anglish force that were allowed firearms were the Witch Hunters. Powerful church officials and generals would occasionally receive non-functional models as military awards, but these were purely decorative in nature.

The Collegiate Ordinatus, the College of Firearms was a secured facility. Guards that patrolled the hallways carried their weapons unsheathed, and stopped anyone that didn't belong. Katarina carried her Writ and Warrant in her hand as she strode across the grounds and presented it at each checkpoint. Anyone not a Witch Hunter or their visit explicitly cleared in advance would find themselves spitted on the business end of a sword.

While the Grand Cathedral and all of the subordinate structures were in the ornate gothic design with vaulted arches and lancet windows, the Collegiate Ordinatus was squat and squared, with hard right angles and utilitarian dress. In short, it was a fortress. The only decoration were walls were covered in mosaics of historic Witch Hunters riding to battle against blasphemous legions.

In her quests across the continent of Rothgar, she'd found an ancient Witch Hunter fortress with a great deal of ancient lore. In ancient days, Katarina knew, they rode to war with heavy crossbows that launched not bolts, but mammoth stakes of silver and blackwood, carved over with potent runes that tore apart spellcasters.

Much of the College was a warehouse of materials used in the making and testing of the weapons that Witch Hunters used in their struggles, but there were several rooms that Witch Hunters were given access to; much like a shop, they offered lethal wares to their sole patrons.

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The room was wide, expansive, and well-lit. Racks of guns in various styles lined the walls, and the air was redolent of oils and gunpowder. Katarina couldn't identify all the types of guns she saw, there were too many variations. Something surged in her, and for a single frightful moment she feared that Glory would again try to break free, but instead it was simple excitement, the joy of finding a store that had everything she could possibly dream of.

A young man in black-spotted gray robes approached her, and a voice from the choir inside Katarina whispered conspiratorially, "He's not who we need, but he'll lead us to the one we do."

"Greetings, Lady Witch Hunter." He said, crossing his arms over his chest and bowing.

"I'm looking for an upgrade to my pistol." Katarina began without preamble. She drew her pistol and handed it over. He handled it delicately, with a grimace of distaste, as if Katarina had instead handed him a week-dead animal corpse.

"What... is this?" he asked distastefully.

"It's the Eagle's Talon." Katarina replied simply. "It uses paper cartridges and ball."

"...ball." He repeated, still grimacing.

"I didn't come here for you to render an opinion on my current gun." Katarina remarked testily, and took the pistol back. "I came here to replace it."

He wiped his hands on his robe and nodded. "Very well." He pointed to a row of guns. "Those are scatterguns. They use a similar paper cartridge. The round is of course larger and the gun is heavier. Would that suit you?"

Katarina shook her head. "I prefer a pistol. This one there fires three rounds, and I've grown accustomed to it." She shrugged. "My entire combat style revolves around a sword and pistol combination."

He grimaced again, and led her to a display of various revolvers.

"We tried the revolving barrel for a while, and it seemed to work, but there were all sorts of complications with the action. Many complaints in the field of jamming, or dirt, or the like." He gestured at Katarina's gun, and she handed it over. Again handling it with the disgust of being handed something revolting, he pointed out the seals embossed and etched into the gun. "Wards against jamming and dirt." He said with a twist to his mouth. He handed Katarina's gun back, and once more wiped his hands on his robe. Katarina's opinion of him was rapidly lowering and he was utterly oblivious to the doom he was writing himself.

"We came up with a different idea, and it's seemed to work out so far. Only part of the barrels revolve." He reached into a display case and withdrew another gun, similar to Katarina's.

"The cylinder holds six cartridges, and the cylinder cycles itself. pull the trigger, the gun fires, the cylinder revolves and resets the trigger." He smiled. "One of our favorite designs."

Six. Six shots. A mind-numbing number. Katarina hefted it, and frowned. The balance was wrong. She wouldn't be able to use her sword with it.

"I don't think this will be a good fit for me. Let's see another."

He rolled his eyes, but nodded, and handed her another gun.

"Are you familiar with the new ammunition style?" He asked, and strode to another shelf. He pulled out a long box and slid the cover open.

"Brass cartridges. Look." He pointed to the cartridge. "Fire rune. Each cartridge has one scribed on it. It's really the only magical component, aside from any enchantments you place on the gun itself. You pull the trigger, the pin strikes the rune, and the gun fires. The round is smaller, but because of the magical potency, the damage is roughly equivalent."

Katarina shook her head. "This won't work." She advised, and held her hand out for the bullet. He frowned, but handed it over. She closed her fist around it, and then opened it again. "See?"

He goggled at the bullet. "Broken. It's broken. How did you do that?" He muttered with baffled wonder.

"If I am shrouded in my anti-magic barrier, it won't work." She advised, and he gaped at her. "I confess, we had not considered that, in the design."

"Likely because most Witch Hunters don't survive long enough to develop their anti-magic barriers." Katarina mused. He shrugged indifferently at this. He was a gunsmith, not a Witch Hunter.

Katarina picked up another one of the bullets. it was a strange feeling- a metal cartridge?

"The ball isn't round?" She asked. He nodded. "A shaped round tends to be more accurate." He waddled over to a long metal rod. "Peer down the barrel." he handed it to Katarina, who held it up and peered into it. The barrel was grooved with a spiral.

"My gun has been getting those." She remarked.

"I imagine so. We've found with a shaped round and the grooves, accuracy is improved tenfold. Imagine hitting someone right between the eyes from a hundred yards." He chuckled throatily. "Our new rifles can do that easily."

Katarina rolled her eyes. "I use a pistol." She repeated, and he frowned at her.

"Lady Witch Hunter, I'm certain you'll be able to attain a greater chance of success if you use a rifle. Comparatively speaking, a rifle outperforms a pistol in every possible way."

Katarina snorted. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Do you have a gun that uses ammunition that doesn't rely on magic?" She encouraged. He masked his irritation.

"...I'm afraid not." He began, but brightened. "Perhaps the Master Shaper could help." He offered encouragingly. She recognized that tone. He didn't want to break the bad news to her.

Katarina glanced to the side at a movement, and spotted a man that was roughly half again her height with skin the color and sheen of polished onyx. One of the enigmatic Shapers, the only non-human race that was respected by the Empire, barring the Yamato. Shapers tended to be seven to eight feet tall, hairless, with blank, pupilless eyes, with glossy black and rock-hard skin. Remembering her manners, she removed her gloves and tucked them behind her belt. She crossed her hands over her chest and bowed.

"Master Shaper." She greeted. It'd been ten years since she'd seen him last. He didn't appear to have aged a day.

He glanced at her, and bowed back. "Lady Witch Hunter." He returned the greeting. He strode over, towering over everything. "A pleasure, I'm sure." he greeted warmly. "What sort of business brings you here?"

Katarina smiled up at him. "I've been using this gun for the past ten years." She began, handing over the Eagle's Talon. "The acolyte here seems to think that there are no pistols that use non-magical ammunition. Can you help?"

He frowned. "Non-magical?" He asked, giving her a puzzled look.

She nodded. "I generate an anti-magic barrier." She selected a bullet, wrapped it in her fist for a moment, and passed it to the dwarf. His eyes opened wide and his mouth dropped open.

"It's broken." he muttered amazedly, eyeing the bullet. "Just like that." His gaze sharpened.

"Ten years?" He asked, and then his eyes widened. "My mistake. Madam Justicar Witch Hunter." he corrected himself, then crossed his arms over his chest and bowed deeper than before.

He tucked the useless round into his belt, and glanced at her gun.

"This is the Eagle's Talon." He remarked. "I know this gun."

"Of course you do." Katarina replied. "You're the one that taught me the Rites of Bonding with this gun." She reminded him, and he nodded. "Indeed I was. But I was referring to the fact that I made this gun."

Katarina's eyebrows rose. "You did?" he nodded. "I made this for a Witch Hunter..." He trailed off, and then came back to himself. "Maybe thirty or forty years ago."

Katarina nodded. "Lord Donald Christenson." She replied, and he snapped his finger and pointed at her. "That's the one!" He barked. "Oh, he was a pert one. Swaggering this way and that."

Katarina chuckled. "He was my Master." She replied, and he laughed.

"I can see the resemblance."

Katarina burst into laughter at that, and they shared the moment.

"We do have some options, even if you can't use magical ammunition." he encouraged. "We have some scatterguns and rifles that don't use magical ammunition. For a Justicar Witch Hunter, for someone that put up with that irascible man, I'm certain I have something that will suit you." He offered, and strode off, gesturing for them to follow.

Katarina gave a little wave with her fingers at the acolyte, and followed after the Shaper.

"All of our pistols have barrel-grooves and shaped rounds. We've found it's the better design. Though with the pistols we've taken to jacketing the lead with brass." He smiled happily. "That was a major breakthrough for us. Barrels become useless after a while because lead loads tend to leave deposits, and the rites of cleaning don't always remove them. We tried a jacketed round and the problem cleared right up."

He carefully set a number of revolvers of differing sizes on the counter between them. "What do you think?"

"I think I want you to make me a custom weapon." Katarina urged the Shaper, who gave her an ostentatious eyeroll in response.

"You won't be getting that, Witch Hunter." He replied, "Justicar or no. What you see is what you get. We have standards to follow."

Katarina shook her head. "I think when you see the materials I've brought, you'll disagree." She urged, and indicated her pack.

The giant gave her a smirk. "What, you think to bribe me?" He asked. "Can't be done. I've got more important things that need doing. We follow specific practices and standards."

Katarina chuckled, and unbuckled the flap that held her pack closed and withdrew a small flat bundle of soft leather. Laying it on the counter, she opened the flaps to show the Shaper what she'd brought. His sharp intake of breath made the trip worth it.

"By the hammer, is that-" He breathed, and Katarina nodded.

"In Montesilvano there's an old Witch Hunter holdfast. I found plans for an ancient Witch Hunter weapon, and these materials in a workshop. Seems they'd planned to build it, but never got beyond the planning stage." She said by way of explanation.

"The Hunter's Overlook." He murmured. "I remember when we were forced to leave." He shook his head. "A terrible loss."

Katarina was taken aback for a moment, and then remembered the Shaper's lifespan. If he had been part of the original Witch Hunter order, he would remember the final evacuation of the Witch Hunter holdfasts in accordance with the treaties with the Empire.

"I was there." She repeated, and lowered her voice. "I put them to rest." She whispered, and closed her eyes. "What happened there was a tragedy."

The giant closed his eyes, and his gigantic hands formed themselves into fists. "It was so long ago, and yet the pain is still fresh." He mourned. She nodded. "I don't see your partner. Has she returned to your lands?" She offered a change in subject. He nodded and seemed to brighten. "Indeed. We don't much like to be apart from our homeland, so we often find ourselves making whatever excuse to return." He shook his head as if to clear it.

"The weapon?" He asked curiously, eyes glued to the ingots.

"Obsolete." Katarina replied dismissively. "We don't use stakethrowers anymore. But these materials are still useful." She urged. "I want a gun made from these."

"I wouldn't say 'obsolete' so lightly, Justicar." He warned. "A stake can penetrate any magic and creates a disjunction within the mage themself. Burns the ability right out of them." He advised with a snap of his thick fingers for emphasis. "The bullets of today can't do as much." He paused and nodded in agreement, though. "Stakethrowers were slow and unwieldy, I agree that far. But a stake needed only to touch a mage before blasting his ability out of him. You can sometimes empty an entire gun's worth of bullets into a mage and they might not even feel it until blood loss catches up to them." He explained and spread his hands. "It's a trade-off."

Katarina bowed her head respectfully. "I stand corrected, then."

He gently touched one of the creamy ingots with a fingertip. "I have never seen so much of it." He breathed reverentially.

"Can you do it?" She asked, and his gaze flicked to her, and he clamped his lips shut.

"Can I do it?" He asked, and he glanced at the mithril ingots. "I-" He began, and tore his eyes away. "I-" He began, and then licked his lips. "You-" He tried again. Spread out in front of him were the materials she offered: mithral ingots, cylindrical sections of ivory, several prepared blackwood-and-silver stakes, a large block of steel that was covered in lines and whorls like wood grain, and a slag lump of strange green metal she'd fished out of a river in Montesilvano.

Katarina waited patiently.

"I can." He finally allowed. "Within reason." He added sharply. "I have several prototypes that will be perfect for such an undertaking. It will have to be built along existing calibers, however."

She nodded at this and turned her mind inward, listening to the choir of saints, singing the praises of the Golden Lady.

He returned with several leather folders and spread them across the countertop. "Choose. What will it be? 'Foe-hammer'? 'Last Words'? 'Storm Falcon'? 'Argent Wrath'?" He asked, pointing each out in turn.

Katarina smiled. "I want Serenity."

His eyes widened at that. "That..." He began reluctantly, "Serenity is only on the drawing boards, My Lady. It hasn't even been prototyped." His eyes narrowed at her. "How did you even know of its existence?"

Katarina shook her head at that. "I want Serenity." She repeated stubbornly.

"So shall it be." He finally agreed. "Serenity." He offered his hand, and Katarina took it.

Katarina nodded. "Thank you, Master Shaper." She agreed gratefully.

"It'll take at least a month to forge and test a prototype." He warned, and her eyes widened at this indifferent proclamation.

"What, you think I could wave my hand and hand one over?" He challenged. "It will take at least a week to test the forge to see if we can even heat this to a workable state!" He gave her a roguish grin. "Not counting the tools needed for such a venture." he paused, and then added, "But, by the Goddess, when we are finished you will have a gun that will shake the world with its thunder."

Katarina smiled at that. Simurgh would be delighted to hear that.

"Serenity is a prototype design, but, as I said, it works on existing calibers. The cylinder is longer than most-" he laid a bullet on the counter between them. Katarina frowned at it thoughtfully. She'd never seen a bullet with a sharpened tip.

"I don't recognize the like." She murmured.

"Probably not." He replied. "This is a newer-style rifle cartridge. With one of these, you could shoot a fully armored knight... standing behind a fully armored destrier."

Katarina's eyes widened at this proclamation. "And you want to put this in a pistol?" She asked, and he nodded. "Something similar, I think. Sometimes you have to run before you can walk." He replied ambiguously. She nodded, and the giant picked up the half-dozen stakes from her bundle. Each was almost as long as her arm from elbow to wrist, made of some fine-grained wood that was black as pitch. Carved through its dense fibers and filled with silver were jagged whorls and strange curves. He selected two, and handed them to the Witch Hunter. "They're useful. Keep them handy." He advised. After a moment, Katarina nodded.

"I need your knowledge, Shaper." Katarina leaned forward.

"For what?" He asked suspiciously.

"I need to know how to construct a Tome of Power." She offered. She shrugged off her coat, and unbuttoned her cuffs and suhed her sleeves back to show her markings. "I..." She paused. How could she explain it? "I... did something impulsively. I performed the ritual in the Overlook. Even after three hundred years, the marks persisted. I thought I needed to-" She broke off. "I didn't actually need to. I've taken too much into myself." She explained, then tapped her chest just below her throat. "From neck to ankle. I need a Tome of Power, so that I can pass this on to the other Witch Hunters that come after. There's so much we've lost, so much we stand to gain-" She realized she was starting to babble and cut herself off.

The Shaper shook his head in amazement. "You're right. You shouldn't have taken so much upon yourself. But you did well. I'll construct for you a Tome of Power."

Katarina sighed with relief. That was one burden off her chest. "Thank you." She finished gratefully. "Thank you."