Eva rushed Anne through the hallways of the cathedral, away from the pandemonium, her grip so tight on Anne’s arm that it was slightly painful.

“Eva,” said Anne, as she was dragged along. “Eva! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to— My hood just fell down, and I— Don’t we have to deal with this? We can’t just run away!”

Agis was hurrying behind them, his bow at the ready. “Running away is exactly what we need to do!” he said. “We need to get out of the this human city now before the mobs come. I can bring you to Father’s palace in the Sacred Forest or—”

Agis bumped into Anne’s back, because Eva had abruptly brought their group to a halt in front of Anne’s chambers.

“Eva?” said Anne.

Eva looked back at Anne with a reassuring smile, letting go of Anne’s arm. “Don’t worry,” said Eva. “We’re not running away it’s just… a strategic retreat. You have nothing to apologize for. You played your role perfectly.”

Eva placed a hand on Anne’s cheek. “Now you just need to stay here and lay low for a while,” she said. “I’ll take care of everything else. Just wait here.”

“Wait here!?” said Agis. “But we’re vulnerable here. We need to escape right now before they can—”

“Agis!” snapped Eva. “Stay here and keep Anne safe, okay? You’re the only one I can trust to do this. But you need to stay here.”

Agis grumbled under his breath, but lowered his bow. Eva hurried away. Anne, at a loss for what else to do, went in her room and flopped down on her bed. Agis followed in behind her, closing the door, and glancing around nervously like he was expecting an attack at any moment.

I’m not gonna get in actual trouble, right? She thought. I mean, the church officials all knew I was an elf anyway, so it’s not like I’ll get fired from my job. I guess maybe the Emperor could have me arrested for sedition or something… elves are currently considered an enemy of the state or whatever.

There was a knock at the door, and Anne got up to answer.

“Wait, you don’t know who it could be!” said Agis. “You should let me—”

Anne, who was too exhausted by recent events to really bother thinking anything through that far, ignored him and opened the door.

It was Sister Betty and Sister Marietta escorting the alchemist, Edrea Baines, who was clutching a rucksack in her arms and shaking like a leaf.

“We brought your guest,” said Sister Betty. “Remember, you had us save a seat for her and told us we should bring her to see you after the miracle?”

“Oh… oh yeah,” said Anne, who had forgotten all about it.

“It was a bit chaotic,” said Marietta. “But we managed to sneak out a side entrance before the brawling really got started.”

“Brawling!?” said Anne.

“Well… your announcement did shock some people,” said Betty.

“I’m so sorry!” said Edrea Baines, throwing herself on the floor and clutching at Anne’s ankles. “Please can you forgive me!”

Anne glanced down at Edrea, and then up at the acolytes.

“We’ll go see if they need any more help with crowd control,” said Betty.

The acolytes both curtsied and took their leave.

“I didn’t know!” said Edrea Baines, her voice pleading. “I didn’t know you were an elf! I swear! I didn’t know the Goddess was a… Oh, Goddess, what have I tried to do!?”

Anne knelt down to place her hands on Edrea’s shoulders, steadying her, and looking her in the eye. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” said Anne. “Just tell me what you’re talking about.”

“When you first came by my shop,” said Edrea, wiping tears from her eyes. “I felt so guilty but I thought… I thought I was too deep in it now. It was too late to get out. But then you gave that speech today, on how it’s never too late to change, and then… you’re an elf and I… Consequences be damned, I just can’t do it.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Do what?” said Anne. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Edrea dug through her rucksack and pulled out what looked like several small tree branches, with the bark still on and everything.

“Just before the Summer Ball I was sent these wood samples… from the Sacred Forest. I was hired by the Emperor to find an alchemical means to circumvent the natural magic of the trees…” said Edrea. “To make the Sacred Forest vulnerable to fire.”

Agis gasped. “You foul beast!” he said, aiming his bow at Edrea. “You should pay for—”

Anne reached up and gently pushed the bow aside.

“My shop has been struggling for years,” said Edrea. “I was one of the best alchemical researchers in the Imperial University once, and my services were always in demand. But as I got older, the world moved on… I was going to lose everything. But the Emperor’s agent offered so much money, I…”

“It’s okay,” said Anne, placing a hand on Edrea’s shoulder. “I get it. You must’ve been in a difficult position.”

“Saintess…” said Edrea, tears forming in her eyes again. “Thank you. I feel as though I’ve finally done the right thing. Although surely the Emperor will have me killed for my betrayal.”

“We’ll find a way to protect you,” said Anne, although she had no idea how. “But first things first. Did you do it? Did you find the way to make the trees vulnerable?”

Edrea shook her head. “No… but I was close. Very close. And I left my notes back in my shop. If the Emperor were to find my research…”

“Not to worry,” said Lady Corvina, suddenly standing in the open doorway. “I’ve already sent agents to your shop. When they’ve finished, there will be no remaining evidence of your research.”

Edrea shrieked, and started clinging to Anne’s sleeve. “Saintess, Saintess, will you please say a blessing for me before I die? So that I at least may rest at the side of the Goddess?”

“I’m not here to kill you,” said Corvina, bending down to offer Edrea her hand. “I’m here to help you.”

----------------------------------------

Grand Duke Marshal was still up in the belfry, watching the chaos unfold below him.

As far as riots went, it was relatively minor. The ones who got the worst of it were actually the nobles inside the chapel, and a few of the commoners who were gathered most closely around the entrance. Everyone was shouting and panicking in all directions in a frenzied rush to try to escape the area, or get to the church officials to demand answers, or just to take a swing at anyone nearby before they had a chance to do it first.

But the royal guard and the Duke’s own forces were able to start get things back under control fairly quickly. And the crowds further out, the commoners gathered in the square, had been too far away to even hear the shocking news.

You could almost watch in real time as the news made its way out, causing ripples in the crowd as if the shocking revelation was a dropped stone in a pond.

The guards were no doubt instructing everyone to disperse and return to their homes, but the Duke wondered vaguely if they would really listen. Or if they’d just retreat a few streets away to have their shouting matches there.

The Duke sighed. This was going to be a pain in the ass to deal with. It was bad enough he’d had to throw himself at that ugly woman, pretending to act like a love-struck fool, but now he’d ended up with a genuine religious schism on his hands.

He would have to tell Corvina to do something about it.

Sensing a presence, the Duke turned, prepared to slip back into character, but it was only the cleric. She was hanging back against the far wall, obscured partially by shadow.

“Oh, it’s you,” said the Duke. “So much for your remarkable plan, eh? Perhaps if you had informed me better about what kind of man she likes, things would have gone better. What’s our next move then?”

“Next move? There is no next move,” said Eva. “This alliance is over.”

The Duke’s expression darkened. “And what will become of your little rebellion without my armies?”

“We will find other armies,” said Eva.

“And what if I turn my attention to uncovering and crushing every agent you have in this city?”

“You’re welcome to try,” said Eva.

The Duke scoffed, folding his arms. “I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Doesn’t this alliance benefit us both?”

“I told you, you had to get Anne to like you, or the deal was off,” said Eva.

“I can still get her to like me,” said the Duke. “I was merely laying the groundwork today. If I can meet with her again, I can—”

“Did you think I wasn’t watching?” asked Eva. “Did you think I didn’t see you threaten her? You forced me to pull her out of there early.”

“Oh, that,” said the Duke dismissively. “You're overreacting. That was hardly a threat, it was merely—”

"It was a step too far," said Eva. "Anne’s safety and happiness come first over everything. It’s over.”

The Duke’s eyes narrowed. “If you think you can fuck with me, then you’ve underestimated my power,” he growled.

“No,” said Eva. “You’ve underestimated mine.”

The light in the belfry dimmed, as if being passed through a dark curtain. The windows still showed a clear afternoon sky but it was like the sun was suddenly much further away. The sounds of the crowd below had also been muffled. The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, and before he could gather his wits, the Duke had fallen to his knees.

The shadows around Eva had deepened and come alive, forming strange shapes, creeping forward, reaching towards the Duke.

The Duke tried to scream, but found he couldn’t breath.

Eva approached, the shadows stretching behind and alongside her, until the small-statured woman stood towering above the Grand Duke.

“For now, your death would cause more trouble than it’s worth,” said Eva. “So I’ll let you leave this place alive. But if you ever approach me or the Saintess again, I won’t be so generous. For now, be a good boy and go back to your little palace and play with your little army, and pray that you’ll be spared when the guillotines arrive.”

Eva vanished, leaving Duke Marshal retching and sputtering on the ground.