A small crowd had gathered inside the Cloud Folk's sanctuary. Nene and Adanara waited for Kora to come down the ladder. When the Warden’s feet touched the ground, everybody hushed instantly. Goro stepped forward but didn't say a word. He didn't seem to dare open his mouth. Kora glared at him, looking annoyed, then sighed.
«What is it?», she asked.
«Warden, we have come to beg you to desist from such a task»
«You waste your time, then. Step aside»
«We think that freeing Warden Moka is too dangerous, for all of us, especially for you. Also, if you were to die, we will be left without a Warden»
«You will have Tera. Happy now?», she said through gritted teeth.
The hunter stepped closer and whispered.
«Kora, please don't go...»
«What are you worried about? My disciple will return from his initiation. You will be fine»
«That's not what I meant, you know it»
«Would you prefer to leave Moka in his current state? Would you like us to surrender to the invaders?»
«No. But if you are the price to pay for victory, then it's not worth it»
Kora's aggressive tone faded. She hesitated for a moment. Nene hid behind Nila. That dispute wasn't about them, it was about the Cloud Folk, and the air was becoming tense and full of other emotions unclear to outsiders.
«I have made my decision. I'm not suicidal. I believe there is a real possibility of success, and I have prepared in case things take a turn for the worse»
Goro grabbed her shoulders and yanked her violently. The people behind him held their breath at what looked to be a terrible outrage. Kora punched him in the chest but was ignored by the much larger man.
«Why do you refuse to understand that there are people who care about you?!»
«It’s about my family! Let's hear it, what would you do if you were me?!»
The hunter stopped shaking her. He stood looking at her, lost, and finally let her go.
«I don't know», he admitted.
«Are you going to blame me for having priorities? Go ahead! We welcomed you to the sanctuary when you needed it, don't meddle in our affairs!»
«Then allow us to go with you!», another man said.
«You wouldn't be of any help. Don’t you dare follow me!»
«What about these humans, then?»
«Yeah, nice helpers you’ve got!»
Kora slammed her spear into the ground, enforcing silence. The discussion was getting heated up. Those people were not enthusiastic about the Warden's guests, much less that such unwanted foreigners were being allowed around her in their stead.
«I forbid you from defaming humans as a kind. The invaders are our enemy. Moka will drive them from our land, once I have freed him, from his prison and from the one who whispers»
«What will we do without our Warden?»
She hesitated at the realisation that her people were already giving her up for dead. Nobody believed in her success, and rightfully so. They shouted and pleaded, some were enraged, and then they began to argue among themselves. The Warden got nervous, about to explode. She closed her eyes for a moment, commanding silence yet again. Kora grabbed her crown and raised it in the air, as if about to throw it to the ground. Her gesture caught everyone's attention and caused panic.
«No!»
«Don't do it!»
«If I have to give up my role as a Warden for my family’s sake, I will!», she threatened. «You can't stop me!»
«No, please!»
«We need a Warden!»
«You will have one regardless! If neither Moka nor I have returned by today, then Tera will be your Warden. Goro, come closer»
The hunter, heartbroken, obeyed. He walked in front of Kora, looking defeated. He couldn’t make his voice heard as a member of the village or as a friend. He was helpless and aware of being so. The Warden handed him her crown with a solemn gesture.
«Give it to Tera when he returns»
A spark flickered in the man's eyes. He grabbed the crown with scorn and slammed it into Kora's head.
«You give it to him!»
«Goro, I'm asking you to…»
«No, shut up! Go, do what you have to, then bring that bloody crown back here»
«Doesn’t sound like the best course of action»
«Oh, my… how moronic can you be?! Now go, before I tie you up!»
The Warden finally turned to Adanara and Nene, who were waiting fearfully in a corner with their companions. She sighed and nodded at them.
«Come», she said.
The witch gave a glance to Nila and Oto before going. Nene, on the other hand, hesitated. Oto took the opportunity to step in front of her, finally speaking after having ignored her since the previous evening.
«Good luck», he briefly said.
The boy ran to the ladder and quickly climbed to the upper floor. Nila hugged her tightly, almost taking her breath away. She returned the gesture. She tried not to succumb to her emotions again, fighting back the thought that that could have been the last time she saw her.
«You’re going to make me want to stay», she said.
«D-don't think about it. Now, go»
Nila pushed her towards Kora. It was difficult to take her eyes off her, not even Adanara's annoyed complaints managed to distract her. She dragged herself towards the elevator where the Warden was waiting only for her. The crowd watched in silence, helpless in the face of Kora's will. Many of them did not agree with her decision, yet, perhaps in the hope that her plan would bear fruit, perhaps out of simple reverence for her authority, no one other than Goro had raised a finger to stop her.
They went down with the mechanical elevator. The confused and distraught faces of the Cloud Folk disappeared as the contraption lowered. The village below was unusually silent, only the blowing of the wind and the bleating of some goats coming from the pastures could be heard. The platforms were packed with people leaning against the safety fences. The entirety of Tuatha had gathered to watch their shaman go towards almost certain death. Kora was abandoning her people, who watched in silence in return. As the trio walked along the bridges, heading towards the hut where the flying boat was awaiting, Nene felt hundreds of eyes focused on her, full of suspicion and anger, exactly like the day she and the others arrived.
«Hey», she said, trying to get Adanara's attention.
«Shut up, I'm thinking», she replied.
«What do you think we should…»
«Sht! Leave it to me»
She couldn’t understand Adanara's behaviour. Was she being naive? Had she missed something? Were they in an even worse situation than she thought? She desperately wanted to voice her doubts, but Adanara was speaking as if she were one step ahead of her. Nene continued walking after Kora, her heart pounding.
The Warden entered the hut that hid the very deep chasm that ran along the entire trunk of the tree. She jumped aboard the platform, left propped up on some sturdy beams, and sat down in the centre.
«Now I will raise the elevator. Remove the beams, then jump on here», she explained.
In an instant, the wooden platform began to float, rising a few centimetres, just enough so that it didn't weigh on the supports. Nene ran to the opposite side of the chasm and grabbed the end of a beam. Adanara did the same, counted to three, and in unison, they pulled out the first one. They repeated the process and piled the beams in one corner. Kora lowered the platform below the edge of the chasm and invited them to step on it. Adanara patted Nene on the back: she had no intention of going first. Nene thought of fighting back, but the feeling of danger was stronger. She was sure that Adanara was up to something and, unfortunately, trusting her was her best option. Given the discussion she had witnessed earlier, she was starting to wonder if Kora was trustworthy…
She jumped down. When she landed on the platform it hardly wobbled, contrary to her expectations. Nene breathed a sigh of relief, sat down and grabbed one of the handles. Adanara followed her an instant later with a thud. After making sure they were safe, Kora began the descent. They spent several minutes in the dark and silence. Nene tried to make eye contact with Adanara many times, but she purposely avoided her, even turning her back to her. She was completely lost in her thoughts, and Nene seethed at the thought of not being of any help. The more she thought about the situation, the less she could understand it. Was she supposed to be suspicious of Kora, Adanara, or both? Was there a danger beyond the obvious one, or had she completely misread what was happening?
After a while, they finally reached the base of the tree. After spending days on the summit, the air down there felt extremely humid. A slight migraine hit Nene, along with a feeling of dizziness. When the platform hit the ground, she hesitated to stand up.
«Are you feeling unwell?», Kora asked.
«My head is spinning», she replied.
«It can happen when you go down quickly. I’m sorry. Rest a little»
She and Adanara did as they were told. The witch continued to watch Kora, clearly uncomfortable. Her uneasiness extended to Nene, so much so that she jumped to her feet, ignoring the nausea. The Warden took it as a sign that they were ready to leave and headed out. Nene followed her, her heavy footsteps echoing in the empty space that was that cavity at the base of the large tree. However she couldn’t hear Adanara's, so she turned around. Kora did the same. The witch was still sitting on the platform, staring at them.
«What's the matter?», the Warden asked.
Adanara opened her mouth but hesitated to speak. She waited a moment longer, still lost in thoughts, and finally said:
«Master, tell me something first»
Her nervous tone caught Kora's attention. She took a few steps towards her.
«What?»
«How will the people upstairs get down without you operating this thing?»
«They will find a way»
Nene began to understand: Kora was no longer responding to reason. They were in extreme danger, especially if accompanied by a totally irrational individual. She approached the two, wondering whether or not it was wise to intervene in their discussion.
«Only you can do that, am I right? Tera can't fly this boat»
«Correct. Moka was once responsible for transporting people from here to the sanctuary. With his return everything will be sorted out»
«What will your people do if we fail?»
«They have everything they need up there. Moka built houses, fields, even pastures for them. Everything they have they owe to Moka. Moka saved them when the invaders first came»
«I didn't agree to help you so that you could imprison all your people and my sister at the top of a tree»
«What do you think I should do? Transport everyone to the ground? It would take days, and sooner or later they would be found and exterminated by the invaders»
«Perhaps we could… wait for Warden Tera to return first?», Nene proposed.
Kora glared at her, furious. There was something extremely worrying in her eyes: contempt, distrust, emotions that she had never shown towards them until then. On the contrary, she had welcomed them and helped them despite the prejudices of her people. However, something was changing.
«Are you going to back out just now?»
«Frankly, yes», Adanara answered.. «Without us you cannot heal your beloved Moka»
«Without you…», the Warden sneered. «I don't think you are that necessary, in your ritual»
Kora looked at Nene. Her interpretation was correct. Nene was, in fact, the only fundamental piece in Adanara’s procedure, or rather, almost irreplaceable, as Inquisitors were not common outside of the Principality. She suddenly felt threatened and ran to Adanara’s side.
«We want to help you but… You should reconsider your methods. You are putting all the village at risk»
«They already are!», she blurted out. «I will go to the cave and free Moka, with or without you...»
«To do what?»
«If you don't want the entire region to be devastated by an out-of-control ascended, you will have to come with me!»
That said, Kora gripped the spear with both hands. She was about to turn it towards them when instinct took over Nene. She unsheathed her sword and pointed it in the Warden’s direction. Adanara jumped up and took cover behind her. Luckily there was a few metres of distance between them and Kora, which gave them hope that they could still resolve the issue without a fight. Nene had no idea what Kora's martial skills might be and wasn’t eager to find out. Facing a shaman with mysterious powers didn't seem like a good idea.
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«Have you really not thought about what your people will do if you die? Such a disappointment», Adanara insisted.
«I've definitely thought about it, believe me. This is none of your concern»
«It is, tho», Nene said. «Oto and Nila are up there»
«Do you care so little about your people? Aren't you their guide, their leader or something?»
«I don't give a crap about them!»
Kora bared her teeth. Her eyes were clouded with tears as she pointed her spear towards them.
«Moka gave everything to save them, they should be grateful! But they only know how to think about themselves! They have settled in the sanctuary, they have imposed this crown on me, they live blindly entrusting everything to me like cubs to their mother!»
«They rely on you because you should be the wisest, and powerful enough to protect them»
«I don't want any of this!»
The Warden was shaken by sobs. Her authoritative facade collapsed, her hands shook. It was the best time to attack and disarm her, but it was still risky. Even without a weapon, she was extremely dangerous, given her physique and magic.
«When Moka was there everything was fine. We lived at the sanctuary, just the three of us. He… he used to take care of the important matters. The visitors came to meet the ascended, not me. I'm still too young for this! I don't even have wings...»
«Master, I'm really sorry. Please, lower your weapon. We don't have to fight»
Kora listened to Adanara. She threw her weapon to the ground and curled into a ball. The witch approached and bent over her, caressing her back.
«When Moka was there, I felt safe», the Warden whined.
«Maybe it's not the same thing, but... I miss my father and mother, you know? Everyday. If it weren't for Nila... I mean, I would do anything for her»
«And I will do anything for Moka. Please help me. Please»
Nene sheathed her sword and approached as well. The surprise of discovering that side of Kora didn’t bother her that much. Instead, she was amazed at how Adanara was handling the situation. She had never had the impression that the witch was capable of being empathetic or sensitive, and yet, once again, she had to admit that she had misjudged her.
«Master, we can't trust you with our lives, not like this. It's gonna be dangerous there. I'm sorry, but you can't be this reckless»
«Goro thinks I want to die», Kora complained, still sobbing. «I don't want to die! I want to live, I want to bring Moka home, I want to go back to my life»
«I'm happy to hear you say that»
«We can do it, but it's important that you stay focused», Nene added.
The Warden remained bent over for a few more moments. She then wiped away her tears and finally raised her head.
«I'm sorry», she said.
«I think you owe Goro an apology too», Adanara teased her. «Must be tough being your friend. You’re a pain in the ass»
Kora smiled. She got back to her feet, still shocked, but carrying less of a burden. Her role did not allow her to show her feelings to anyone, especially those of resentment against her own kind. She picked up the spear and turned to Nene.
«Forgive me»
«Don't ever do that again», she grumbled.
«Yeah. I was really worried for a moment, master»
«I... I meant what I said. I would do anything to heal Moka. But you're right, it won't help anyone to throw myself into danger without a clear mind. Also, I’ve been ungrateful. I beg you, lend me your magic»
Adanara nodded to Nene, passing the buck to her once again. She took a breath, still shaken by the previous moment of tension that had almost resulted in a fight.
«We can go as soon as you're ready»
Kora smiled. Her face twisted into a grimace again, she was close to tears. She took off her crown and looked at it wistfully.
«I was never worthy of this. I never wanted it»
«You suck as a Warden»
Nene froze at Adanara's biting comment, but not the Warden. Contrary to her expectations, Kora laughed and put the crown back on her head.
«Indeed. Moka was far better. He taught me everything I know. He…», she sighed. «We Tuatha need him. I need him. The role of a Warden is to be a spiritual guide, but he was much more…»
«Now, now, you're giving yourself too little credit»
«That's fine. I… followed in his footsteps because I hoped one day to teach others, to share my knowledge about spirits. I never wanted to be a chief»
«Then let's go and free your master»
Kora nodded. She put a hand on Nene's shoulder. For some reason, the fact that they almost came to arms seemed to have earned her renewed respect from her. Yet another oddity of the Cloud Folk, or perhaps only of their Warden. Kora did the same with Adanara and smiled at her.
«Thank you. Now let's get going. The lake is nearby. The invaders have never ventured down here, but let’s not let our guard down»
«Um... Do we really have to go through the lake?», Nene asked.
«It is the closest and safest entrance to the prison»
Without waiting for further objections, Kora headed outside. She had recovered her proud demeanour, almost as if nothing had happened. Adanara and Nene hurried after her.
It felt good to walk on land again. Being hundreds of metres above the ground had been unnerving for Nene. Although the world looked smaller from down there, it was certainly more familiar. They waded the stream that caressed the roots of the large tree and followed the current backwards. Kora was explaining that that water came from the pond where the two spirits, Rune and Shilfi, lived, when her attention was caught by something in the bushes. The entire stream was surrounded by thick brambles, small shrubs and tall grass, which made visibility terrible. If it hadn't been for the sound of running water, it would have even been difficult to locate the stream itself, yet Kora moved like a bloodhound towards its target, whatever it was.
«Oh no…»
«What's going on?» Nene asked.
She signalled them to come closer. She pushed aside some tufts of grass, revealing the corpse of a small animal covered in brown fur. A fox was lying on the ground, on its side, with its mouth wide open.
«What?», Adanara said. «It’s just a dead fox»
«This animal is young», Kora explained, as she moved the little body to analyse it better. «It’s not injured or ill. It was the invaders»
«The Lightbringers? How?»
«They poison the water. Their venom began to run deep within the streams. We don't have much time left. They will kill the entire forest just to chase us away»
«Are you sure it was them?»
«No», she admitted. «But we shouldn't risk it. We can't dive into the lake anymore. There is another path»
«We entered by slipping under a large boulder», the witch said.
«Exactly. This way»
They crossed the thick and unusual vegetation that grew between the roots of the gigantic tree, which emerged from the ground, tracing enormous arcs and then diving back into the soil like monstrous snakes. Kora moved forward quickly, ignoring branches and brambles. No scratches appeared on her skin, unlike on Nene and Adanara’s, who stumbled with every step, inevitably slowing her down. The Warden soon noticed their clumsiness and used her spear to clear a path through the undergrowth. After a few minutes of walking, the environment became more familiar, no longer made of immense roots but of common rows of trees. Brown autumn foliage covered the ground. Their footsteps produced sounds of snapped twigs and dragged leaves. The air was quite cold and birdsongs occasionally popped out from the tops of the trees. The entire forest was preparing for the impending winter, which turned it silent and rather sinister.
Kora's ears suddenly perked up, almost vertical, and she stopped. Nene imitated her and Adanara did the same. By straining her hearing Nene realised that voices were coming from the direction in which they were walking, and they could only belong to the Lightbringers. Kora motioned them to follow her. They crouched among the bushes and advanced very slowly. The wind was blowing in their direction, luckily enough, which allowed them to get close without being detected, enough to see the Lightbringers Knights and distinguish their voices. Four knights were gathered around a boulder. A couple of them were sitting on the rock, the third was standing and drinking from a canteen while the fourth was stretching: a scouting patrol.
«They're armed to the teeth», Nene whispered. «We must avoid conflict»
Adanara nodded, but not Kora, who stared at them like a predator at its prey. Fearing that she was about to act impulsively, Nene touched her shoulder, but she ignored her. Her ears were still perked, listening to what those four were saying.
«Can we go back now?», one of them grumbled.
«No, if we return too soon the captain will figure out that we’re slacking»
«We might get an accolade if we bring him something»
«How so? Let's hear it»
The knight who was stretching stopped, stood in front of his companions and cleared his throat.
«Look, we tried, but the tracks end here. Let's go back, it's dangerous out in the woods»
«The captain won't be happy...»
«The Evil One have him! Do you want to get us killed because of the General's delusions?!»
A knight jumped up and came face to face with him.
«You're a coward! We finally have a lead, a sign that the Church still exists, that we are not alone, and you would let it slip away? Just like that?»
Nene shivered: those men were looking for her. Their General had not hidden his interest at all, being convinced that she could be the key to reopening contacts between the Church and their Regiment. Unaware of how wrong he was, he had mobilised his men to follow her. In the eyes of the Lightbringers, the Inquisition must have been a sort of ancient legend, perhaps a story from when they still served under the Church, before their ancestors had settled in a hostile land, attracted and deceived by Saint Arianna. The hope of going back to those fabled times was enough for some of them to enter unknown territory, to risk attacks from the Cloud Folk, just to track her down.
«I just don’t want to die out here, is that too much to ask for?»
«How far could that little girl have gone?», another one asked. «What if the savages have already killed her?»
«I will never understand why the General let her go»
«Because the General knows how to show respect to a superior! Unlike you!»
«So tell me, where did you pour your poison?»
A fifth voice caught everyone off guard. The knights stood to attention. Nene looked in disbelief at Kora, who had run out into the open right under her nose, not even giving her time to try to hold her back. Adanara cursed and dove deeper into the bushes. She rummaged around until she found a large rock and picked it up. Her improvised weapon would have been of little use in case of a fight. What was Kora thinking?!
«Shit! To arms!»
«Tuatha!»
«The crown! It has the crown! The shaman!»
«Where are the others? Come out, you cowards!»
The four men picked up their maces and swords and gathered in a circle. Contrary to their expectations, they were not surrounded by a group of Cloud Folk hunters, but their ignorance may have worked in favour of Kora. Nene ordered Adanara to remain hidden. Their presence could have easily escalated the situation, and she felt like it was best to let Kora handle it.
«Tell me where you poisoned the water, and your life will be spared», the Warden threatened them.
«What did you do to the Inquisitor? Speak!», one replied.
Kora caressed her face and licked her fingertips, a truly unexpected and weird gesture, especially on her part, which seemed to deeply disgust the knights. They looked at her in dismay, their courage increasingly wavering.
«I ate it»
«Did she... eat her...?»
«Oh my God…»
«Monster! You have no idea what you did! The Church will make you pay!»
Kora growled, a sound that had nothing human about it. The sound modulated until it became a hiss. One of the four knights screamed and ran away at breakneck speed.
«Wait! Come back!»
«Forget it! We have to…»
A whistle blew through the air. The man could not finish the sentence. Kora's spear flew in his direction and lodged in his face. His lifeless body fell to the ground.
Nene winced. What was wrong with Kora?! She had hoped she would have simply scared them away. While she stood there observing what had become a massacre, the two surviving knights charged against the disarmed Warden.
Adanara emerged from her hiding spot, holding the stone she had picked up earlier above her head. She threw it at one of the knights, who avoided it by ducking.
«Shit! There are more!»
«I saw that woman at the camp. What’s going on? Hey!»
Kora took advantage of their distraction to jump at one of the two. She threw him to the ground, trying to land punches and scratches between the gaps of his armour. His partner helped him, made a wide movement with his arm and hit Kora full in the face with his mace. The Warden groaned and tumbled to the ground, but instantly rose. That blow would have knocked out or straight up killed a normal person, but Kora just got a few scratches and a bloody mouth out of it.
«We need help! Hello?», Adanara called.
Nene sighed. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. Was she about to attack the Knights of the Church, if they could be called such? Was she going to violate her oath to never hurt the innocents? The entire scenario was a waking nightmare and her mind was unable to process it. She let herself be guided by instinct, which told her to help her companions. She drew her sword and ran to the witch's side.
Kora spat out some blood and walked around the knights, who, confused and frightened, stood watching as she retrieved her spear from their comrade's shattered skull with a shivering, visceral sound. One of them stared at Nene in disbelief.
«The Inquisitor…»
«What? Is she alive?»
«What's happening?»
«You should leave», she said. «Forget about chasing me»
«No way!»
The man looked at his fallen comrade. One of them was dead, another had run for the hills. Asking them to go home as if nothing had happened was truly foolish, yet Nene hoped they would listen to her. As much as her priority was to escape their General, there was something immediate that worried her more: Kora's face was a mask of blood, her composure, her grace were just a memory. What they had in front of them was a heretical shaman from the horror stories that were so popular among cadets of the Inquisition. A frenzied, blood-crazed witch, whose body did not suffer pain like that of other mortal beings. Nene searched for the hilt of her silver dagger. It would have been wise to purge the shaman immediately, yet she hesitated. She had already hesitated in the past, out of doubt, out of caution, but in that moment it was different: she was afraid.
A noise, a rustling in the distance, attracted the Warden’s attention. She turned around and let out a deep growl. Her voice had become hoarse, dark, as if not belonging to that world, just like her movements, once elegant, even haughty, then feral, spasmodic. She threw her spear in the direction of the noise and dropped to all fours.
«FOUND YOU!», she roared.
The screams of the knight who had fled shortly before and who, perhaps struck by remorse, had returned to help his companions, echoed in the forest. Kora galloped in the direction of his voice, which became increasingly sharp and terrified.
«Inquisitor!», one of the knights shouted. «Purge the monster! We can assist you!»
«Inquisitor, please!»
Nene stood still, unable to act in the face of that unexpected display of ferocity. She looked around for Adanara, but the woman was as shocked as she was, pale, even trembling. The knights did not dare move without her command, so they just listened. The shrill screams became gasps, a breathy voice struggling to survive. Then a hiss, a thud and finally silence.
«Witches…»
«Let's go! We have to go!», shouted the other man.
«No! Revenge! For our comrades! For the Saint!»
With a battlecry, the knight charged towards them. Adanara threw him a stone, which hit him in the shoulder, but the man ignored the pain and continued to run, his arm outstretched, his hand firm around his mace’s hilt. A blow to the chest or head from him would have been deadly.
Nene took a long step forward. She had to hurt him, to disarm him. Luckily for her, even though her opponent was wearing a steel breastplate, his arms and legs were exposed. She prayed to God to help her, before focusing solely on her movements.
The man, blinded by anger, stretched out his arm as much as he could, looking to hit with as much strength and weight as possible. His movements were awkward, his breathing laboured. Nene leaned forward at the last moment. She felt the knight's powerful blow displace the air above her, missing her skull by an inch, grazing her hair. As she ducked, she slashed diagonally at the man's shins. He shouted.
The knight's weight overwhelmed her as he tumbled onto her. For a moment she lost her sense of direction, but she regained it when the man, flailing like a wounded animal, punched her in the stomach. He was on top of her, his face a mask of pain, his gaze devoid of any light of reason, growling and shouting like a wild beast.
«Die, witch! Die!»
Adanara lunged at the man and grabbed him by the hair. He began to struggle, giving Nene the freedom to move.
She acted instinctively. She half-sworded her blade and pointed it at the knight's throat.
«Stop! Surrender!»
The man listened to her. He stopped fidgeting, he stopped struggling. His cries died out. Nene breathed a sigh of relief.
Until she felt something hot on her hands.
Thick dark blood ran down her blade, down her arms. The knight collapsed on top of her again, lifeless. Over his shoulder, she saw the shocked face of Adanara and not far away the last surviving knight, paralyzed by fear.
What had she done? She hadn't killed him. An Inquisitor does not kill the innocents. Their sacred blades serve the Church and the Archangel, to purge the world of the damned and the Evil One.
«Nene?», Adanara called.
She didn't answer. She didn't care. She didn't care about Kora, the dragon, or their journey. She had violated her oath. She had abandoned her faith yet again, she had killed a person. She had taken an innocent life.
Not even the groans of the last knight managed to shake her out of her disbelief. Not even Adanara's terrified screams, the bestial sounds that echoed through the emptiness of the forest, the crashes and crunches.
«Master, stop! Stop… Let him be…», the witch begged.
Nene didn't move a muscle. The blood on her hands got cold, the weight of her victim suffocated her, compressing her chest so much that she could no longer breathe. The knight's embrace was dragging her underground with him, where she deserved to lie.
She was an Inquisitor with no faith left.