Audra took a deep breath in the gloom of her bedroom. Kneeling, she peered under the bed with a partially lit lantern that cast light and shadows on the wall. She extended her hand into the darkness beneath the mattress, until she found what she was searching for - an old leather-bound book. Pulling it out, she noticed that it appeared smaller than it had years before, yet it felt unusually heavy for its size. An eerie aura surrounded it, like a cloud of darkness poisoning the air. She sat cross-legged and opened it.

Resting between the yellow pages was an oak leaf, inscribed with an archaic, almost incomprehensible language. It read "spell to reverse your agony to your adversary." In the center, an intricate drawing depicted a circle with twelve angles drawn around it, and small octagons surrounding its points. Months ago, she had written the letters S-I-W-E-L-A-C on the page with all her heart's intention. Despite this, she had never heard of the count suffering even a simple headache, and according to rumor, he enjoyed excellent health for his eighty-something years.

While things had taken a fatal turn for Audra's family.

She sighed. Was it worth wasting time on that useless book? It wasn't real magic, merely a publicity hoax for resentful people like her aunt, Antonie. Audra slammed the book shut and kicked it beneath the bed. She jumped up and hurried into the hall, where her brother Kaunas's groans echoed behind the walls. Audra sighed again and rolled her eyes.

"What happened?" Audra entered her brother's room. He lay on the bed, his torso wrapped tightly like a mummy, blood staining the yellow bandages. His face was marked with the magic circles she had drawn, hoping to heal him. Kaunas had red hair, greasy as though someone had washed a hen over his head, tangled messily.

"Woman, I'm starving! How much longer will it take?"

Audra cleared her throat. "Well, if you want to eat now, what will we do next week when we have nothing left? Kaunas, we may have eaten today, but if you continue like this, there will be nothing left by Friday if you eat two servings per day."

"Do you want me to starve?" Kaunas spoke as if being strangled. "Well, find more food. If you're so obsessed with magic, make it spring forth from the earth."

"Enough already!" Audra jumped up. "If you keep behaving like this, I'll consider letting you starve. I hate to say it, Brother, but this is too much. I take care of you, clean up after you, and feed you, yet you still complain."

She stared at him, choosing her words carefully.

She didn't want to say it - she shouldn't say it. He was her brother, and she owed him her love and respect. But lately, her patience was wearing thin. Sometimes, she entertained the thought that if it had been him who died instead of Father, things might be better. But she always managed to suppress that thought.

He glared back at her.

"And how can I help you, genius? You have the field to yourself, if it's worth anything with all the ashes and roots. If you want to learn magic, why not learn to float and zap your poor cow, Karva, so you can milk her forever? I don't know if I'm lucky to stay alive or if I'd be better off dead. At least then I wouldn't be in pain."

Audra fixed her gaze on Kaunas as if pointing an arrow at him. "Enough, Kaunas!" She held up her arm. "Rest a couple of weeks, and I assure you that by then you'll be fine. Just be patient."

But Audra remembered that in a week, there would be no more vegetables left, even if they ate a potato a day. In an instant, all the strength she had left to hide her emotions vanished.

She jumped up and screamed. Audra hid her face and wept.

"Give me wine at least!" Kaunas protested. "It numbs the pain."

"No more wine!" Audra shouted. "You drink too much! From now on, light beer is all you'll get."

"You don't know what it's like to have your leg cut off! Or to have three horses trample your body!"

"Kaunas, we can still keep the wine that's left and sell it."

"Don't even think about it, Audra. Also, who would buy from us now? We deserved it, Audra. Everything! We acted like fools from the start. And now there's nothing we can do."

"No, no. It's not Father's fault." Audra raised her voice. "It's Siwelzac. Any decent person would have forgiven the debt or at least reached an agreement. That bastard hates us! He wanted to make us suffer, and he's succeeding. So, stop blaming yourself!"

"And now we're helpless."

Audra sighed and stared at the floor. "Maybe you're right. But I don't want to die, Kaunas, without seeing him pay."

"Who?"

"Siwelzac."

"Audra." Kaunas's voice was sharp. "If the clan dies out, it's our fault for never having children. If you had married well, surely we would have built our wealth. There would be someone else in the family. There would be more family!"

"Don't bring it up, Kaunas. It's for your own good." Audra looked at Kaunas and jumped to her feet. She stepped forward, clenching her fists. "Enough. You stop it!" she shouted, anger and tension flooding her face.

Audra took a deep breath; anger boiled within her, but she focused on the fact that he was her brother, and that he was also having a hard time. Finally, she lowered her arms with a long sigh. "Kaunas," Audra said. "I'm going to find Aunt Talia."

Kaunas took a deep breath. "What are you planning to do? Do you want to work with her? Are you going to leave me here alone?"

"Kaunas, I'm going to ask for her help. I already told you."

"Don't leave me alone, Audra... No. Do you want them to come back, find me lying here, and take my other leg?"

"Kaunas, we still have three months.""And they will come to spy on us, harass us, and worse. No, no, if you have any love for the family, don't even think about leaving me."

"Can Kaunas Rodolphus make sense, just once in a lifetime?" Audra raised her voice, reminding herself of her deceased mother. "You want to eat well, but you don't want your sister to leave the castle to find you food? Do you want to eat the walls?"

"I want to say yes, but don't leave me alone to rot just for a job. They could come and harm me at any time!"

Audra sighed in disgust. "I'm leaving early tomorrow morning. I won't waste any more time." She turned her back and closed the door behind her.

"Don't forget to bring me wine," Kaunas's voice echoed through the walls.

***

The next morning, Audra chugged a jar of milk and set out on her journey to the walled city of Vilnas. The sun peeked over the plains as she tied a bag to her back, her feet aching and calloused, her stomach growling, and her muscles weakened by hunger. Nonetheless, she was relieved to leave the miserable castle and the scorched field behind. A cool autumn wind brushed against her, and the leaves were already a fiery red. After a few kilometers of plains and trees, she spotted the city of Vilnas with its tall, pointed towers and amber walls.

The city gates remained open, and people and carts flowed like a river, coming and going, carrying goats, chickens, and bags filled with who knows what. She hadn't seen anyone other than Kaunas in a while, and the idea made her nervous.

As soon as she passed through the gates, the strong smell of feces, urine, and rot invaded her nostrils. The main street stretched ahead, with balconies and arches on either side, buildings once beautiful now worn down by time and overshadowed by trinket sales.

The path led her to a wide square adorned with the statue of a long-forgotten king, overlooking a plan with an octagonal shape, from which diagonal streets emerged. She looked from side to side, taking in the sight. There were stairs leading to increasingly higher neighborhoods and villages, a pilgrimage door to one side, the place of temples and devotees, and the streets of debauchery and vice on the other.

Now, she had to find Aunt Talia. All she knew was that she brewed beer and lived near a famous sorceress. The latter she had learned about as a child, listening to her aunts' conversations. But she didn't know if the sorceress was still living there. She turned to ask but was distracted by the curious looks from the people passing by, some pointing and whispering.

She walked into the square, wanting to avoid attention, but the murmurs grew heavier and more inquisitive. Among the crowd, someone said "Varunas," and she wished the earth could swallow her alive. She picked up her pace, but the murmurs behind her became overwhelming, until a woman's rough voice cried out, "Stop right there, you swindler!"

Audra turned and saw a woman with matted blond hair, holding a blond baby and pointing at her with scorn. Audra blinked and took a step back. "Who? Me?" she asked, swallowing.

"She's the swindler from the old Varunas fold," the woman told the bystanders. "The one the count was talking about! Look at her, she has one blue eye and one green! It's her!"

"Get out of here!" yelled a butcher with a knife in his hand and blood on his apron.

"Out! We've heard what you did, and it's dishonorable!" shouted a scrawny boy with dark hair and a horse-shaped amulet, almost pushing Audra to the floor.

"Me? Why?" Audra said, staggered. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

Dozens of eyes fixed upon her, and she felt trapped like a cornered rat.

"People like you should be hanged," a voice said.

The crowd closed in like crows around a corpse. Audra stepped back and felt her back hit the stone wall.

"Let's kick her out! Let's teach her a lesson," said the unfriendly mother.

"You scum! We don't want people like you around," shouted an obese man.

"What do they say I've done?" Audra asked, her voice defiant.

"You know what you did! Dirty business against Count Siwelzac, scamming him and causing the last recession in the kingdom. You, disgusting scum of the earth!"

"Don't you see?" the butcher pointed to a crooked carving on the wall. It read "Varunais ar treitors," accompanied by a drawing of a boot kicking a deer. Audra blinked in surprise.

"Yes," shouted a man with a hat. "We saw it at the theater! We saw how your father cheated the honorable Count Siwelzac, stole his money and the banker's money, bought a farm, and wasted it all on blackjack and hookers!"

"At the theater?" Audra raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yes, in the last play by the Siwelzac Theater Company!"

"Theater? It's all a lie! The count is the swindler! He ruined our family...!"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Audra felt something wet stick to her face and instinctively touched it. When she realized she had been spat on, her stomach turned. She grimaced and wiped it off with her sleeves.

The mother stepped forward and slapped Audra on the head."The count is a hero!" she exclaimed, revealing her rotten teeth. "He has given us everything we have! And your family took our hard earned savings and destroyed the economy! Old Varunas built his castle with our hard work!"

Audra looked around, seeking mercy and understanding.

"He's the liar!" Audra cried, but her pleas were drowned out by murmurs. Suddenly, a rock brushed against her cheek and fell to the ground, heavy and painful. Was it the scrawny boy or the woman? Another rock followed, and she covered her face with her forearms. She stumbled backward, falling on her back.

"You've got to teach her a lesson!" the scrawny guy shouted, and Audra crawled backward against the wall. Another rock hit her head, and she took her hands and shielded the blow, her hair tangled in her fingers, gnashing her teeth and groaning. Her blood boiled. She grabbed the rock and pointed it at the scrawny boy. She threw it with all her strength but accidentally hit a long-necked woman dressed in fine clothes who was passing by.

"Who do you think you are?" the woman grunted with a horrified look. Beside her stood a man, surely her husband, dressed in silk, with a sword adorned with gold hanging from his belt. His expression mirrored the woman's.

"I'm sorry," Audra muttered. She dodged another rock and pushed her way through the crowd.

"Hey you!" the lanky boy's voice followed her. "How dare you do that to her? She did nothing to you!"

"You cannot hide!" Audra heard behind her as her heart raced in sync with her steps.

She had to leave the city. Or maybe not, she couldn't leave with nothing, she had to find her aunt and, above all, get out of there unharmed. Suddenly, she spotted a monk in a white robe and golden cloak moving through the crowd. She ran and pushed a couple of people until she ran into the monk and grabbed his arm. The man looked at her with wide eyes; he was so thin that it seemed the wind could blow him away. He had a pale beard and jade green eyes.

"What's wrong, my daughter?" the man asked, stunned.

"Help me, please! They want to stone me!" Audra said, trying to catch her breath.

The man raised his head as Audra watched two ragged boys with stones and half-broken bricks following behind him.

"There they are," she said.

"Stop right there!" The monk spread his arms wide. Audra leaned behind him, gasping for breath as if she were about to drown. "That's not the way to behave if you don't want to incur the wrath of the gods. Step aside and leave that poor woman alone."

"The problem is when they let people like her in! They're parasites!" the scrawny boy shouted. "You don't even know who she is! If you knew who she is and what she did, you would throw her out of the city."

"I don't care who she is, I only care about who you are."

"And you should care," one of the scrawny boy's friends said. "Look at yourself, you're skinnier than a nail."

"It's over. Go back to your own."

"She is the worst kind of swindler!" the scrawny boy cried, "and she threw a rock at an innocent woman! We would leave her alone if it weren't for that."

"It was an accident! The stone was meant for you!" Audra shouted. "And you started this!"

"Well, she's not going to scam anyone, she's going to pray at the temple," said the monk.

"Yes," said Audra. "I just came to pray."

"For once, leave her alone." The monk lowered his arms.

Audra's pursuers grimaced, snarled, and turned their backs, leaving without quenching their thirst for blood. Audra sat up and looked at the monk.

"Thank you, good monk. Now, I must go."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm looking for my aunt. I'm from the outskirts..."

"I think I know who you are. You're from that old family that owned the vineyards, right?"

"Yes, it's me."

"So you're a Varunas. I am Silas. If I were you, I would come to the sanctuary with me for a few hours, maybe change your clothes, and leave later, to evade those who are chasing you."

"To the sanctuary? I'm not going there."

"Why not?"

"I don't get along with the gods."

"Come, you'll be fine," he said. Audra nodded and sighed, defeated, following the monk through the zigzag streets of the city, through the Pilgrimage Gate.

The pyramid-shaped temple became clearer; pristine, made of pure marble, like a crystalline mountain. Two cherubs with axes in hand and long wings guarded the entrance. She followed the monk inside, and as soon as she crossed the threshold, she lowered her head, as childhood memories flooded her along with the smell of incense.

"Put this on." The monk offered her his scarf, and she stared at him, confused.

"Cover yourself when entering the temple."

"What?" Audra raised an eyebrow.

"It's just a tradition. Please."

Audra shrugged, wrapped the scarf around her head and followed him. Obelisks stood at the sides, and a circular channel bordered a pyramid of shiny marble. The carven of the Young God stood amid the walls, with his hair falling to his bare, muscular chest, his eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the world around him, with crossed legs and the pristine face of an innocent youth.

It was hypnotic. She would give anything to be like him, to sit motionless in the middle of his temple, unaffected even if the world around her burned.

Why did these things happen to her? What did she have to do to defeat Siwelzac and fulfill her promise? How would she deliver justice?

How can I? She asked.

There was no way answer. After all, she was talking to a statue.

Something caught her attention at the foot of the statue. Apples, strawberries, and peaches were piled up, alongside potatoes, onions, and radishes. On the other side, chickens with broken necks hung upaide down. Death filled their eyes. So, these were the offerings? She ignored the chicken, then gazed longingly at the apples and peaches. A statue had all that food and she had nothing.

"You can stay until dusk, before it's too late," the monk said, to which Audra smiled but glanced again at the offerings. "It's almost time for libations, I'm going to pray a little, you can sit and rest if you want."

"Thank you." Audra bowed her head as Silas climbed the temple stairs to a room where a red altar fire burned. She sat in front of the statue, on a yellow cushion, looking into its eyes.

The potatoes looked appetizing. Yes, perhaps it was a sign from the gods. She could take them for a good cause. Or would the gods be angry with her?

Thank you, Audra thought to herself as she reached out her hand, but she heard the sound of bare feet behind her and quickly pulled it back as if she had touched a hot iron. She looked up and saw four men dressed in orange robes, so thin that their ribs were visible beneath their clothes, with beards that reached their knees.

"Gentlemen," Audra bowed her head and looked down.

"Welcome to this sanctuary," said the one in the center, with shoulder-length hair and a golden collar ending in a trident. It jingled as he moved. She recognized the emblems. He was the high priest. He held a plain clay pot in both hands.

"Vir Silas informed us of your presence. We hope you are comfortable."

"Y-yes. I had a problem in the city, and he was helping me." Audra stretched out both hands to receive the vessel. It smelled of tea with honey and lemon. She drew it close, took a sip, and soon felt her strength returning.

Now, please leave me alone. I must take these potatoes with me.

But the monks stared at her like statues frozen in time. Her eyes darted from side to side.

"Is something wrong?" the high priest asked.

Audra sighed, her gaze falling to the marble floor. She felt empty, as if something was pressing her soul into the ground. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"What troubles you?" the high priest inquired.

"I don't understand how so many terrible things can happen to a family without them doing anything wrong. I don't understand why the gods would allow innocent people to suffer at the hands of evil men. Do you have an explanation?"

"Child." The priest drew closer, running his hand through Audra's hair. "In life, there is good and evil, pleasure and pain, agony and joy. One cannot exist without the other."

"But... my life has no joy. I have nothing. I've lost everything."

"We have nothing but these clothes," another ascetic, tall and young with black hair pulled back in a ponytail, spoke up.

"But you have a family," Audra said.

"We left them behind," the young man said. "We left everything."

"But at least they have a roof over their heads and food to eat."

"Don't you have a place to live?"

"I'm afraid I will lose it. I don't want to be a serf. I have nothing but my brother! And soon we will not have anything to eat. I don't have anything! But what can I do to save my life? I need ... I need to fix things. And see justice. No, do justice."

"Let it go," said another old man, with long, curly hair and dark skin. "Tomorrow will bring what you need. The sun rises after every night."

She held her hand over her nose.

"They have taken my family. They have taken it away... Everything I had! Tell me. Can the god of this temple do justice? Will that evil man pay for his crimes?"

"I trust in him." The high priest smiled sincerely. "The gods are fair. And life is made up of a balance of facts. When a man does wrong, that evil returns. When a man wishes badly, that evil returns too."

"Why do you not follow us, daughter?" The curly-haired monk gave her a sweet look. "Leave that world of suffering. With us, you can find new light. Some of us got to this point because we lost our way, but sometimes you need to fall to renew yourself, so you can start your life one more time. You can learn and live in this temple in the order of nuns."

"No... I cannot," Audra said. "I have to take care of my brother. We have to do a lot for the honor of our family. I must... Pay debts and make my family free and recover their honor."

One thing she could be sure of was that waiting was not the answer for her. It would not bring peace to her soul.

"Let it heal! And follow us for the redemption of your soul."

"Don't you understand?" She said. Something horrible happened to my family, and the one who did it is still out there, living like a king; he is respected and loved, while we are treated like cockroaches. I'm sorry, but you would never understand."

What made her soul burn the most was the desire to see justice, to know that Count Siwelzac would get payback, that he could feel the same pain. She looked the priest in the eye. "Do you have any proof that their god does justice? Can you help me?"

The priests looked at each other.

"Girl." The high priest looked into her eyes. "I see it in you. I know what you are feeling. I know it with every fiber of my heart. You want someone's world to burn in flames. What if I tell you that it will not take your soul on the right path? A wise word is to know that hate does not consume you. Let go, and start again."

What did he know about hate? All that emotion was placed in a very dark place. She, herself, could not put out that fire. On behalf of her family, on behalf of Kaunas, of her mother, of her father's name, it could not stay that way.

"Thank you for everything." She bowed her head. She bid farewell to the monks and ventured out as the sun filtered through the plains. She traversed the dilapidated stone streets, knowing that her aunt's former residence had once stood there. With a scarf shrouding her face and concealing her unkempt hair, she aimed to evade any unsavory characters.

Approaching a brewess with a pointed cap and a crooked nose, Audra inquired, "Do you know Talia? She resides in the north wing." The woman continued stirring her cauldron by the window before gesturing towards a busy street in the intricate maze of paths and stairs.

"I don't know any Talia, but that is where the north wing lies," she responded curtly, her gaze returning to the cauldron. Audra lowered her head and continued her journey along increasingly somber routes, now enveloped in silence.

Suddenly, in an alley, she caught sight of a burly man with a thick beard who raucously brandished a vibrant bottle. Picking up her pace, Audra hoped to outrun him, but he stopped and followed her with his eyes.

"Where are you going? Come with me, my dear!" he exclaimed, lunging towards her. She sprinted up the street as the man stumbled. Pushing through nearly deserted streets, she maneuvered through a few blocks until her lungs ached for air. Finally, unable to continue, she halted to catch her breath, feeling as if she had been rescued from drowning. She surveyed her surroundings and realized she was disoriented - she had no idea where to go. It was too late to return home, and Kaunas would undoubtedly be famished.

However, she had forgotten the way back.

Abruptly, she heard footsteps trailing behind her and swiftly turned. A lamp lighter proceeded to ignite a nearby street lamp, casting its feeble glow onto the darkening street.

"Hey, you there," he called out. "It seems you're lost. Are you searching for someone?"

Audra gasped, timidly meeting his gaze. "Um...I'm looking for my aunt's house."

"And who might your aunt be?"

"Her name is Talia."

"Talia what?"

"Talia...um, from..."

"There are many Talias in these parts. What's her last name?"

"It starts with an M."

"A Talia with a last name beginning with M. Has it been a long time since you last saw her?"

"No, but I know she brews beer in the north wing."

"There are numerous breweries and countless individuals with that name. Do you know the name of the neighborhood where she lives?"

Audra shook her head, causing the lamp lighter to sigh.

"Well, I cannot help you, lass, but be cautious in these parts. You never know the kind of people you might find, especially at this hour. I suggest you go back and try tomorrow morning."

Audra nodded.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," she replied.

Traveling through the Ladania late at night was neither safe nor easy, but the agony in her feet became unbearable. She opted to sit in the middle of the street for a couple of hours, possibly even doze off, desperately hoping to avoid danger. Suddenly, she heard murmurs across the street and quickened her pace. She noticed a light in one corner. On the other side of the clean street, there was a wooden sign with a frothy beer carved on top. It read The Cheerful Horse. Outside, lanterns lined with fur hung on the side of the door, and inside, the atmosphere was bright and cheerful. Fiddle music filled the air, and scruffy men stood on the sidewalk, each holding a tin beer glass, while waitresses with long curls welcomed those who entered.

Audra smiled and hurried toward the pub, but just as she crossed the alley, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

A rough voice startled her. "Where do you think you're going?"

Audra turned around in surprise, but her arm was firmly grasped as she was pulled into the alley, leaving behind the warm glow of the lantern light. She looked up and saw the silhouettes of three men.

"Wait." One of the men forcefully removed her scarf. Audra's hair fell loose as she took a step back.

"Give it back!" she cried out, attempting to retrieve the scarf from the rascal. Her efforts were in vain.

"Help...!" she shouted, but another man covered her mouth with his sweaty hand, holding her tightly.

"Wait, I say!" exclaimed one of them. "Look, it's that girl! That Varunas wench! Look at her eyes! One is blue and the other is green! Quite an oddity, isn't she?"

"Well, well," his companions chimed in, applauding. "Oh boy, she must be loaded."

"Yes, and don't forget the rumors. You know the stories! She's an easy girl."

"She's easy!" laughed the other two.

"Wait, just wait a second... What if we demand a ransom?"

Audra writhed her body in an attempt to break free. She struggled to open her mouth to scream, even bite at her captor, all to no avail, but one of the men, seemingly the leader, looked at her as if he had stumbled upon a fortune and the gods knew what else.