During the brief summer heat, cadets were given a little more time off. The Prioress used to say that children should be allowed to behave like such, and teachers always gave in to her insistence. Thus, in summer, for three days a week, the aspiring Inquisitors and Knights had the afternoon off. The previous years, Nene had spent most of that time reading adventure and romantic stories, and had been scolded by Mother Superior. “Pleasure is a gift from God to make our lives more tolerable,” she had told her. “But too much pleasure is the Evil One’s gall. It weakens people, it makes them complacent." Confused by those words, she wasn't sure what she was going to do with all that free time next summer. Most of the cadets spent their afternoons playing games with a ball, but Nene wasn't interested. After all, Mother had advised her to read fewer novels but hadn't completely forbidden it. Furthermore, unfortunate circumstances had given her something else to do.
Elora had never come back to classes or training since the incident. The adults had explained that stealing holy water was like swearing loyalty to the Evil One. Elora had regretted her actions, but she hadn't been able to provide a coherent explanation as to why she had done it. So the teachers, out of pity, had locked her up. If they hadn't, they would have had to hand her over to the Knights. According to the Prioress, it would have been a far worse fate.
Nene had asked permission to see her. She had insisted so many times that in the end, Mother Superior had given in. The Abbess wasn't happy to have locked her away, so she gave Nene the unofficial task of educating Elora on the principles of the Church. “To get her back on the right path,” she had said. So Nene, as soon as she had the chance, would pick up a book she was reading and go to the basement. The monastery had a small underground area, which was mostly used as a wine cellar by the adults. The spiral staircase in bare stone led to a cave carved into the rock. Just beyond the wine bottle racks, four cells, arranged in a semi-circle, were usually employed for disciplinary matters. They had never housed a real prisoner, until that moment.
Elora was kneeling most of the time in her cell. Mother had allowed her to take some of her things with her. They were keeping her locked up for her own good, so she didn't miss comforts, meals, and they even allowed her visits from Nene. The teachers were very disappointed that their Saint was forced to stay in that cell for life. The birth and discovery of a Saint was a unique event, just four had been documented in the course of a thousand years of history, except for her.
Nene approached the steel bars. Elora was absorbed in prayer, as she almost always was. She used to pray a lot, but since being locked up, she did it even more, perhaps for lack of anything else to keep herself busy with. She was albino, so even in the past, she never spent the summer playing with others. The cadets had been told that hers was a birth condition that made her extremely sensitive to sunlight. In the past, it was believed to be a sign of the Evil One, but the scholars had consulted the Archangel, who explained that instead, those people with pale white skin and pink eyes were part of the divine design, and to treat them as their equals. As a result, Elora had never been out much. She used to spend her free time in the library. On those occasions, she and Nene had grown closer.
«Elora?»
The Saint opened her eyes, those large and bizarre soft pink eyes, which gave her an ethereal look, together with her pale skin and white hair, in stark contrast to the long dark dress of the Inquisition cadets. She smiled at her kindly. Nene remembered how she was intimidated by her appearance when they first met. The adults, on the contrary, seemed to adore her. The Prioress said that her appearance was a gift from the Archangel. Nene had not met the Emissary yet, but in the sacred icons, He was depicted with very long white hair, just like Elora's.
«Good morning», she greeted her.
Her voice was thin and high-pitched. She stood up and approached the bars. She was short, thus looking younger than her age. The cadets were all orphans, and their pasts were forgotten, "to look forward," the teachers said, but Elora's was easy to speculate. Her parents were said to have abandoned her due to her unusual appearance and failing health. Nene, for her part, felt ashamed about how she had thought poorly of her because of her albinism. In the library, she had met a kind, intelligent person. By then Elora, in her eyes, looked like a fairytale princess.
«I brought you “The Deeds of Eliseo the Lightbringer”», Nene said, handing her the book. «Do you really want to read this?»
With a grimace, she let her know that she hadn't appreciated that reading. Elora laughed. She walked over to the bars and grabbed the book.
«I like ancient History»
«Really? Since when? You usually read folk and minstrel’s tales»
«I'm doing some research»
Elora leaned against the bars and waved to her. Nene got close, so close that she could hear the Saint, even though she was whispering.
«Nene… Will you stay with me?»
«Of course, I won't leave you alone. You’ll see, Mother will forgive you»
She smiled, a melancholic smile. Her pink eyes were filled with tears.
«She has already forgiven me. But she said that if she releases me, the Knights will come for me. They are afraid of me, they fear that Arianna's story will repeat»
«But… she was a heretic. You… you just… made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes!»
Elora shook her head. She reached over the bars and caressed her cheeks. Her hands were cold.
«You're too kind for this place, Nene», she told her. «That's why I want you with me. Will you come with me?»
«Where? Where are you going? How? You are…»
«I'm in a cage, it's true. But do you remember the story of the martyr Ifeo? When the heretics bound him to sacrifice him to the Evil One, what did he say to them?»
«I don't remember the exact words», she admitted. «He told them that even with his body bound, his soul was free»
«That's right, and after he was sacrificed, his soul still returned to God, such was his faith»
Afraid of the answer, Nene began to tremble. She felt like crying and asked:
«What are you going to do?»
«Sht, don't worry, don't cry», Elora consoled her. «I want to escape. And I will use my soul to do so»
«How? How is this possible?»
The little girl in the cell looked around warily. When positive that no one was listening, she kept talking.
«I have a friend who will help me… An Angel»
«An… angel?»
Nene's head started to spin. Elora was saying weird things once again. What was an angel? There was only one Archangel, and He resided in the Conclave.
«Yes. An Angel. It talks to me in my sleep, or when I'm alone. It says It will help me be free. Will you come with me, Nene?»
She shivered. She remembered lessons about the arts of deception used by the servants of the Evil One, and by it. Elora was known to have an uncommon sensitivity, was the Evil One trying to take advantage of it?
«What are you talking about? Elora… That's not an angel! The Evil One is tempting you!»
«What’s the difference?»
Nene couldn't believe her ears. Elora's expression was extremely serious. She didn't look damned or out of her mind. She firmly believed that her friend, the Evil One, would help her.
«You can't! Even if it gets you out of here, you’ll be damned. You would lose your soul forever! Please don't! You are my only friend!»
Elora caressed her again but shook her head.
«I won't lose my soul, trust me. And I don't want to leave you… But I can’t stay here either. Adults wouldn't understand, they'll think I'm a heretic. Some already do»
Nene got away in disbelief. Had Elora gone insane? She should have told Mother… But by doing so, Elora would have been punished.
«Nene»
Her friend looked at her in pain. She looked like she was about to cry. She reached out for her hand and pleaded.
«Don't leave me! I'm not a monster!»
«But... but you can't... You can't welcome the Evil One...»
«It promised me freedom!», she snapped. «It said that with my skills I could live like a queen. I would have a comfortable bed, pillows, meat for dinner, nice clothes…»
Elora dropped to her knees and began to sob. Nene held back the urge to help her, as she was no longer sure who that was. A Saint… Or a witch? She remembered the texts and sermons from the teachers about how the Evil One tempted people with lustful promises. She felt sorry for Elora, unable to resist. She didn't want to report her, though. How much more would she have to suffer? But if she hadn't, what would happen to Elora’s soul?
She ran away, terrified. Behind her, Elora called her name over and over, begging her to come back. She kept running until she could no longer hear her. She did not say a word of what had happened to anyone but never returned to the dungeon. A few weeks later, she was summoned to Mother’s office. There, a Knight of the Church questioned her about Elora. She omitted to tell of her last visit to the prisoner, so he left empty-handed. On that occasion, the Prioress had ordered her never to see Elora again. Access to the basement was forbidden to everyone. Only Mother could. Occasionally she was seen going down there with food, but she never stopped longer than absolutely necessary. Elora was never heard of ever again.
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“A comfortable bed, pillows, meat for dinner, nice clothes”
Those words rang in Nene's head. Because of those words, she had lost the only friend she had ever had. The Evil One had taken her, and she wasn’t eager to end up the same way. That bloody Adanara… She wasn't sure what she was doing to her, but she felt the Evil One tempting her. Thoughts that didn't belong to her crept into her mind, a desire for knowledge, for pleasure, for lust… All the lowest human instincts stirred up at the same time, causing her an uncontrollable craving, the need to satisfy them.
She shouted.
The cold steel gloves Nila wore were pressing against her head, holding her in place. Her blood boiled, rejecting the Evil One's power, while her mind and body were welcoming it instead. How to blame them? She had never felt such ecstasy. It would have been so nice to experience it forever. Elora had felt that presence for how long? How long had she resisted its call? She admired her fortitude, realizing that she, who had dared to feel superior to her in the past, was about to collapse after just a few moments. She was shaken by strong tremors. Her teeth chattered loudly. She began to sweat profusely, cried, and was shaken by a strong pain in her belly.
«What's going on?», Argor asked terrified.
«I-I don't know!», Nila replied. «Ada, do something!»
The witch watched, her face pale, her gaze lost. Nene started to growl. Her anger overcame any other sensation. Her muscles were tense, ready to snap. If she hadn't been completely immobilized, she would have jumped on her, she would have killed that bitch! Even if she had to slit her throat with her bare teeth! It was a brilliant idea! She had to break those ropes, free herself from Nila's grip, and slaughter the foul witch! All she needed was a certain amount of superhuman strength.
If only SOMEONE could have given it to her.
The Evil One whispered to her soul. It could be arranged. It could give her the strength to destroy Adanara. And if her soul was to be damned, her body purged, why go down alone? Why not make the monster pay for it first? She began to laugh hysterically. She finally understood Elora, now that, like her, she had nothing left to lose. If she was to give in to the Evil One, she wanted at least to get something out of it. To destroy her, crush her skull, tear her to shreds and scatter her remains around the village as a warning! How could she refuse such a compromise?
“We have a deal. Come, then”
Her blood boiled again. The Evil One crept into her soul, but the blessing that protected her would not allow it. Soon lust gave way to such a deep pain that Nene had to grit her teeth so hard that she heard them creak. She felt like thousands of insects were crawling under her skin, millions of tiny eyelashes were tickling her insides. She tried to fidget, but she was still immobilized. She had to scratch, everywhere, and quickly! She tried to bang her head on the table, but Nila didn’t allow her.
«Ada! What do we do? Ada!»
The witch opened her mouth but no word came out. She looked panicked. Incompetent moron! Not only was she making her suffer, she didn't even have a clue what was going on! She would have torn her apart, with or without the Evil One's help!
The itch, however, began to subside. The thoughts that didn't belong to her disappeared. She felt weak. She squinted her eyes, exhausted, and began to drift in and out of consciousness. Sometimes she heard voices, perceived that she was being moved, sometimes nothing at all.
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How much time had passed? She managed to focus on Nila's face, which hovered over her, looking apprehensive. She was wetting her neck and forehead with a damp cloth, and her eyes were red from crying. Seeing her come to her senses, though, she smiled.
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«Nene? Nene… Y-you're…»
“I'm still alive”, she thought. She moved her head slightly, realizing that she was lying on a blanket, still tied up. She looked up at her captor.
«What have you done to me?», her voice was parched.
«I-I'm sorry!», the woman said. «I'm so s-sorry. But… It worked! Thanks to you!»
Confused by those words, Nene tried to look around. She was still quite confused, but she woke up from her torpor as soon as she saw Gil. The child was sitting in his father's arms, at the table where he had been tied up until recently, and was greedily devouring some bread. He had been damned for many days, how could he be so tame and healthy? A little further on, Argor looked enthusiastic. He was speaking loudly and celebrating. He hugged Adanara with such fervour that he lifted her off the ground. She protested, yet they both laughed, looking elated.
«What sorcery was that?»
Somebody knocked on the door. When Adanara rushed to open it, Nene immediately recognized the voice of the figure who hesitated to enter.
«Adanara», Cosco said. «I thought about what you told me. By the friendship between me and your father, I came to…»
The priest peered inside. His gaze found Nene, tied to the ground, battered, and the words died in his mouth. He entered like a fury and immediately approached her.
«What have you done?!», he snapped. «I hope you have a good explanation for all of this! And you, Ostiir… What the heck happened in your house? Nila?»
The herbalist bowed her head. That coven of blasphemers, for some reason, seemed afraid of the reproaches of the priest, who, to be fair, was having a relatively mild reaction, given the scenario that was looming before him. Nene recovered a shred of hope: perhaps Cosco could save her, and put an end to that blasphemy.
«F-Father Cosco, we…»
«Let me explain, Father», Adanara said. «I promised you»
«Do you think you can justify… whatever you did in here? Why did you attack the Inquisitor?»
«She was about to screw everything up!», Argor said.
Cosco glared at him. The giant man lowered his head and took a step back. Adanara, on the other hand, with eyes shining with enthusiasm, pointed to little Gil, who was following the discussion, confused.
«Father, we saved him! He is no longer damned… and he is alive!»
«What?! So… was he the damned we were looking for?»
«Yes, Father», Ostiir admitted. «Forgive me if I hid it from you...»
«Forgive you?! You should ask him for forgiveness! His soul risks eternal damnation! Free the Inquisitor and let her do her job!»
The carpenter pulled his son close to him, making his intentions clear.
«Never! He’s all I have left. He has to live!»
«Calm down!», Adanara yelled. «Please, Father, I can explain»
The priest took a deep breath. He wasn't intimidated at all. On the contrary, it was the heretics who were in awe of him.
«Go ahead, explain»
Adanara smiled. She positioned herself in front of him theatrically and showed him the sphere stained with dry blood.
«Our father invented a ritual to heal the damned, and I… We managed to perform it!»
Nene was appalled at that crazy statement, as was Cosco, who shook his head.
«My dear, what are you talking about?»
«See it for yourself. Put the cross on Gil»
The priest gave her a reproachful look but did as he was asked. The child, upon contact with the cross, had no violent reaction typical of the damned.
«He’s clean… But how do I know he hasn't always been?»
«Why should we lie to you?», Ostiir objected.
«Ask the Inquisitor if you don't believe me»
Nene cursed Adanara. Not even under torture she would have vouched for her. Though she knew it, she knew Gil was damned until moments before, yet he no longer reacted to the cross. There was some truth to Adanara's sorcery.
«Okay, okay», the priest said. «Let's say I believe you up to now…»
«Unfortunately, the cure devised by our father is not without flaws», the witch explained. She exchanged a glance with her sister, before adding: «It requires a sacrifice»
«What kind of sacrifice? Good God, what have you gotten yourself into?»
«The experiment uses the crystal ball as a catalyst, a link, between two bodies. We cannot annihilate the power of the Evil One, but we can deceive it, transferring it to another person»
She listened in disbelief. Two souls were being damned to save a single body. Was that what had happened to her? She had felt the Evil One toying with her soul. Was she damned? Impossible! Yet she must have been, if only for a short time. Her eyes filled with tears: what would become of her soul?
«Why would Eidelhan do such a thing, why…»
The truth seemed to overwhelm him. He stared into space for a moment, then turned to Adanara, holding the cross high.
«Please don't do that», she said. «It still gives me migraines»
The priest, visibly shocked, pointed a finger at her.
«Have you been damned? How did it happen? Oh, poor girl…»
«I'm fine, now. Thanks to Dad…»
Nila covered her mouth. Adanara bowed her head and Cosco stared at them in silence.
«Eidelhan… you fool…»
«Our father sacrificed himself to save my life», the witch finally said. «And Ostiir was about to do the same, for his son»
«It’s true, Father. I was desperate, I couldn't lose him too! When we came to church, he touched the holy water and began to bleed. God forgive me, that's when I decided that I would protect him, that the Church would not take him away from me!»
«I'm sorry I robbed you», Adanara apologized. «I planned to transfer the damnation, from Gil to his father, and then…»
«Yes, well, then…». Argor added, running a finger along his throat.
«Ostiir…»
«I told you, Father, I was desperate! I asked master Ezio for help, but he chased me away. But Nila… She said she could help»
«What about the Inquisitor? What have you done to her?»
Adanara had been bold and enthusiastic in her exposition thus far. For reasons Nene couldn't understand, she was uncovering her heinous crime in front of none other than a Church priest. Perhaps she had finally realized that the forgiveness she was seeking would never come.
«Well... as you can see, Ostiir is still alive»
Cosco brought the cross closer to the carpenter, who didn't react. After that, with trembling hands and shocked eyes, he brought the cross closer to Nene. Nothing happened.
«I… don't understand…»
«T-this is a guess». Nila intervened. «We believe… that the b-blessing that protects Inquisitors s-shields them from damnation, no matter how it happens t-to them»
«Did you… use her… as a sacrifice?»
Nene took in as much breath as she could. It was her last chance to take down that group of heretics with her.
«Father, run away!», she screamed. «Get them all purged!»
«Shut up, murderer!», Adanara yelled.
The witch tried to cover her mouth with a hand, but she bit her. The woman moaned and walked away, intimidated.
«The child will be forever damned! A witch is on the loose in the Principality! If you don't surrender, the entire village will pay. The Knights are coming, and they'll find a culprit, or make up one! It will be your fault when they kill everyone!»
«The Knights?»
Her words threw panic in the coven. Ostiir hugged his son, Adanara, her face pale, sat down beside them.
«Father… Are the Knights coming?», she asked.
Cosco sighed. He seemed to know the witch very well. After all, he and her father had been long friends.
«The night you stole the stoup, the Inquisitor instructed me to write a letter to the Citadel, requesting the Knights to intervene…»
«What now? What… what do we do?», Argor stammered. «Those guys are the worst, they will burn the village down!»
«Calm down», the priest said. «I… didn't write any letter»
«What?! Are you out of your mind?!», Nene yelled.
«I am the priest of Dena, my job is to protect my community, Inquisitor. I'm your ally, but the Knights... I was hoping you'd be able to find the damned by yourself, that you'd solve everything»
Adanara ran to the priest and grabbed his hands. Argor did the same, he even knelt before him.
«Thank you, Father, thank you…»
«I didn't do it for your sake, you fools! I don't want to see my village burned down!»
«Father, don't you understand? We want to help… we can save lives. This experiment can heal the damned, we will no longer need the Inquisition, no more purges!»
«You are trading temporary relief for eternal damnation!», Nene shouted. «Monsters! What did you do to that child? And… and to me…»
She was about to cry again. The Knights weren't coming, she was helpless, and Cosco seemed to have other priorities. She observed the priest, who was caressing his face thoughtfully. Finally, he gave in.
«What do you want me to do?»
«No! Father, No! Not you too!»
Argor prostrated at the priest’s feet. Adanara looked at her followers one by one, smiling.
«We need you to cover us»
Cosco nodded. He looked at Nene, who by then had despaired. If even a man of the Church was an accomplice to that madness, what was she supposed to believe in? She could no longer figure a way out. She began to pray, invoking forgiveness.
«What am I supposed to do, tho? If the Inquisitor does not return to the Citadel, they will send Knights to look for her. If she comes back, she will send them here herself»
«I'm sure there is something you can do, Father», the witch insisted. «The whole village counts on you»
«Don't you see how serious the situation is?! If only you hadn't… If only you had come to me from the beginning…»
«Don't scold her, Father, it's my fault», Ostiir intervened. «I... I was afraid you wouldn't help me. Forgive me»
«Of course I wouldn't have helped you! Because of you, we're all in trouble!»
Silence fell. Nene's presence alone had ruined Adanara's plan. They were looking for a non-existent way out, such was the power of the Church. Nila stood up and addressed the priest.
«Tell them the truth»
Everybody looked at her perplexed. Adanara approached her and caressed her face.
«Are you okay?»
«L-listen to me. If Father Cosco told the truth… Or r-rather, some truth, we could get away with it»
«Explain yourself, my dear, ‘cause I don't understand anything anymore...», the priest complained.
«You will write a report to the I-Inquisition. You will tell them that Gil was p-possessed, that Ostiir hid him, that Ada and I protected them… And t-that Nene discovered us»
«They would leave me and the village be», the innkeeper realized. «But what about you?»
«Exactly, t-that's exactly the point. We will flee. You will s-say that we fled and that Nene is hunting us down»
Nila didn't seem to have convinced the others. It was Cosco who voiced their doubts.
«So you'll disappear… And I am supposed to tell that the Inquisitor is chasing you?»
«Exactly! They'll t-think there's a damned and a couple of w-witches around, and they'll come after us. But we will be far away. The village would be safe»
«What will you do when they find you? Darling, maybe you don't know how many resources the Church has…»
«They won't find us. We will flee beyond the b-borders»
Silence fell again. To flee beyond the borders was suicide. The world out there was filled with worshippers of the Evil One. Who knows, maybe they would have been welcomed among their own kind... Nene, deprived of all hope, could only think about her safety, like an animal in a cage. She didn't have a single ally in that hut, probably in the whole village. She thought about buying time, praying that an opportunity to escape would present itself.
«Will it work?», Ostiir asked.
«It could», Cosco admitted. «If they send Inquisitors after you, they'll ask a lot of questions but… Still better than the Knights»
«I can handle an interrogation», Argor said. «Better than watching the village burn»
«Still, what about the Inquisitor? Nila, what are you going to do with her?»
The herbalist did not answer. It was Adanara who spoke.
«Father, I'm afraid we have no choice…»
Nene broke into a cold sweat. Her time had come. They couldn't let her live.
«Absolutely not!», Cosco objected. «When the other agents arrive, they will find traces of her passage. If you kill her here, they could find out everything»
«Then we'll do it once we're far away», Ostiir said.
«You gave up all that is sacred to protect your son’s life, but you are quick to talk of murder!», the priest scolded him. «I’ll pretend I haven't seen this… heresy, this evil rite, out of compassion for you, but I won’t tolerate talking about a young girl as if she were expendable!»
«I-I agree with him», Nila added.
«Look at her, she's little more than a child, scared and alone. She didn't ask to be here»
«Okay, we get it!», Argor grumbled. «So what do we do?»
«W-we'll take her away. With us»
Nila looked pleadingly at her sister, who frowned. They seemed to be very close, but with very different views.
«Adanara», the priest said. «I agree to cover for you, but I want you to promise you won't hurt her»
The witch thought for a moment. Finally, she smiled.
«Okay, Father. I don't know what we would have done without you»
«Spare the pleasantries, you've given me quite a headache»
«So… we say goodbye?»
Argor embraced Nila, then Ostiir. He curled little Gil's hair. Meanwhile, Adanara and Cosco exchanged a hug. The priest was about to cry, like an old uncle saying goodbye to his beloved niece.
«As soon as I find you, you leave again…», he sobbed.
«I'm sorry… I'll make you proud. I promise»
«You’d better make your father proud. I don't know what awaits you out there, but… The Evil One is on the loose, beyond the borders. Be careful. I will pray that you will return one day, and free us from the plague of damnation»
«I… will try», the witch said, close to tears. «Nila and I will»
Nene began to ponder: the journey could be her chance to escape. They couldn't carry her by hand, or they would be extremely slow. They had to untie her, at least her legs. She was alone against four, including Ostiir and Gil, but none of them had martial training. Also, while it was her duty to purge them, her priority was to escape. If she had succeeded, then she could have gone back at them with reinforcements in the future.
«I'll wait a few days», Cosco said as he went for the door. «I can't do more, or they might suspect me, and the village as a result»
«In the meantime, I'll clear the brat's room of her stuff»
«Thank you Father, thank you Argor», Ostiir said.
The two men left the hut. Nene cursed them, especially Cosco. A priest was supposed to be a bulwark against the Evil One, the first protector of his people. Though she shared his concern about what the Knights might do to the villagers of Dena, his conduct was inexcusable.
«Help me get her up», Adanara ordered. «Let’s throw her into the wagon»
«A-alright… Sorry, Nene»
The sisters grabbed her by the ankles and shoulders, lifting her off the ground. They had spoken of a wagon… Did they have a chariot? Her escape plan had just been ruined. She needed a new one, and quickly. Could she try to make Nila come to her senses? Or maybe young Gil.
Ostiir led them out of the hut, holding a lantern. The very first light of dawn was visible in the distance, the sky was turning orange, and Nene could do nothing but observe, immobilized as she was, without strength or hope left. They went around the hut, where a crude wagon was waiting for them. The sisters left her inside it, in the dark. She heard them arguing outside. Nila came in and sat down next to her. The light from the lantern told her that Ostiir was moving to the front. There were some noises, then they were off. The jolts hurt Nene's exhausted body. She moaned.
«Oh no… I-I'll help you»
Nila rummaged through the junk piled up back there. She took out a blanket, spread it on the floor, and moved her on top of it.
«Get it over», she whimpered. «I’m done…»
«D-don't worry, you heard before, did you? Cosco said… A-Ada promised we won't hurt you»
She closed her eyes and cried. She was wasting her breath, there was no reasoning with heretics. She knew full well, but she had hoped that Nila, the kind and caring person she thought she had known during her brief stay in Dena, would have saved her. Yet there she was, accomplice of a witch, who in a life or death situation handed her a blanket, to get rid of her guilt.
«Nila, catch!», Adanara shouted from the chariot.
Something landed on the back of the wagon with a muffled thud. The young woman picked it up.
«Is this n-necessary?»
«It is!»
She pulled a hood over her head. Nene started screaming at the top of her lungs until she had no more strength. She heard Adanara shout and Nila arguing with her, then silence, except for the sound of the chariot wheels, and her hot, heavy breathing trapped inside the hood. She had no idea where they were headed, or what would become of her.