A deafening roar anticipated the arrival of the object that barely missed them, as fast as a swooping hawk. A crash shook the earth. Dolano screamed in fear and so did Nila. A cloud of dust enveloped them. The dirt road on the edge of Kumhar, within the woods, disappeared for a few moments, shrouded in the fog generated by the impact. Unlike the others who, more or less, were frightened by the event, Oto happily trotted towards the danger.
«Watch out!», Adanara shouted, taking refuge behind Nene. «A starfall! It could burn you alive!»
«I thought it to be just a folktale», Emeria commented, drawing her sword. «Dolano, to me!»
As they tried to figure out what had just happened, whether to prepare to defend themselves or what else to do, the dust began to clear. Oto ignored the warnings and continued walking towards the epicentre of the explosion.
«Oooooooooto!», a mellifluous voice chirped.
«I'm home!», he replied.
Jiriel emerged from the fog, her light almost dazzling despite it being broad daylight. Oto ran towards her and jumped to her neck. She hugged him, lifting him off the ground, under everyone's incredulous gaze.
«What… who…», Emeria stammered.
«Forgive me for not telling you about her, captain», Nene explained. «But, um… I doubted you would ever believe me»
«Captain, what is that?!»
«You g-gave us a heart attack!» Nila protested.
The angel ran towards them. She remembered to put Oto on the ground only halfway, then she threw herself at Nene and strangled her too.
«You are all back in one piece! Did you bring me a present?»
«I did not, my Lady», Nene said with what little breath she could muster. «Forgive me»
«Ah, it doesn't matter. I can't wait to hear your stories. Who are these? Ada, are you okay? You look pale. Do you feed her enough, Nila?»
«I told you a thousand times not to call me that!»
Emeria and Dolano watched in disbelief. Noticing their confusion, Nene kicked until Jiriele put her down, and thought it best to introduce her.
«Captain, this is…»
«I'm Jiriel. They call me Jiri. I know, it's really cute. A friend of mine once said that…»
«Jiriel?», Dolano repeated slowly.
«You are… I mean, wings and… everything», Emeria stammered. «Are you… an angel?»
«Huh? Oh, yeah», she snorted amused. «Obviously. You silly»
Jiriel knocked her head repeatedly as if it were foolish to ask. Behind her was the crash site, where two holes marked the dirt road. Her feet, however, were immaculate, not even a trace of dust on her, unlike the rest of those present.
Emeria knelt and gestured for her subordinate to do the same. Jiriel looked at them curiously, then burst out laughing.
«More Nenes have arrived! Haha! Where did you find them?»
«Mydame, I am captain Emeria, of the Third Lightbringer Regiment, and this is Dolano, a knight under my command. The Inquisitor helped us in a moment of hardship and led us to safety in this village»
«They also speaks like a Nene. I thought there were no other Church weirdos down here. Wait a sec…»
The angel stood in front of Emeria, who bowed her head even further. The Emissary suddenly became stiff.
«Did the Church send you?»
«No, Mydame. We... we, well...»
«You know», Nene interjected. «Long ago some members of the Church moved east. They are their descendants. They do not respond to the Church in any way»
«But we still cherish our traditions!», the captain hastily added.
«Oh, I remember now. I think it happened when that girl ran from the Principality. Poor thing... That explains why I don't see Oroel's gift within you»
Emeria gulped loudly and Dolano breathed a sigh of relief: their Regiment was considered heretical by the Church. Jiriel couldn't have cared less, but they didn’t know that.
«Well, welcome to Kumhar. You absolutely must tell me your story!»
«First we rest!» Adanara blurted out. «It was an awful slog»
«Yes, I-I want to take a bath», Nila added.
«Oh, come on, it can wait», Jiriel insisted. «What about me? I waited for days! I was sooo bored»
«How did you know we were coming?» Oto asked.
She pointed a finger at Nene and another at Adanara and smiled.
«Their souls are like lighthouses at night to me. Or maybe like... the smell of cheese in the wind?»
«The lighthouse metaphor was fine», Adanara replied.
«My Lady, I have to take these people to the mayor. And to the stables where they can leave their horses»
«Ugh…»
«I'll play with you, in the meantime», Oto offered.
«My beloved! My joy!»
The Emissary hopped in the boy's direction. Her movements were weightless in a way that didn't seem possible for someone so big and tall, but she wasn't just anyone.
«Oto, can I entrust you with my luggage?», Nene asked.
«Give it here», Jiriel replied, snatching it from her hand. «Hurry up, we'll be waiting for you at home»
«My Lady, you… shouldn't…»
Jiriel stuck out her tongue and held her heavy bag by the shoulder strap with a single pinky finger as if to mock her. She then took Oto by the arm and they walked towards the village.
Nene sighed. The Emissary was a force of nature, it was often exhausting even to talk to her.
«We should go as well», she suggested.
The two knights, still taken aback, followed her, leading their horses. Nila and Adanara also took their leave, with the promise of meeting again the next day.
«Inquisitor, what did we just see?», Dolano asked.
«The Emissary of God», she replied.
«Wait a moment... Is that the Archangel? I thought He was in the Principality»
«No, you’re right, well... I don't know how to explain it. She is certainly not the Archangel of the Church, but she serves God in the same way. I believe»
«I'm confused», Emeria admitted. «How should we behave in her presence?»
«Truth be told, I don't think she cares», she sighed.
They arrived at the stables. Nene took the opportunity to visit Oo. The horse pawed joyfully, seeing her. She caressed him for a few moments but decided that she would return to play with him at another time. Seeing him healthy and fit reassured her. Although she had had other things on her mind during the trip, entrusting him to Jiriel had worried her from time to time.
She vouched for her two companions to the groom, who agreed to look after their animals in exchange for her promise to reward him, someday. She had no idea how, but she vowed to not betray that man's kindness. In the best-case scenario, the two knights would have settled down soon and paid off the debt on their own. At worst, she could have found herself working at the stables for a while.
Nene suggested to Emeria and Dolano to leave their weapons and armour there. The captain protested but was finally convinced to comply, to avoid misunderstandings with the city guard, who would have become nervous seeing two armed foreigners enter the town. She led the way beyond the gates of Kumhar. Entering the wide central street gave her a shiver of joy: she was finally home. She was safe, no more unknown forests, strange Cloud Folk shamans, no more bizarre creatures. The tiredness of the journey and numerous sleepless nights finally caught up to her, and she began to drag her feet.
«Are you feeling well?», Emeria asked.
«I'm just tired...»
«Where are we headed?»
«To the mayor's manor. He takes care of everything around here»
«What should we tell him?»
«The truth, I guess»
«Are you serious? Do you think he will welcome two displaced strangers from a faraway land?»
«Well, I live here now. These people are very welcoming»
The two knights curiously observed local life. Emeria spoke of how in the past their land had also been a vibrant place of life, where people could wander the streets freely, with few worries beyond their own chores. The ever-increasing number of the damned and other servants of the Evil One had destroyed that peace, forcing them to try to move elsewhere. Dolano regained some peace of mind and began to converse more coherently. Perhaps staying in Kumhar would have helped him recover from the trauma he had suffered.
They arrived in front of the mayor's palace. Nene identified herself to the two guards stationed there and explained that those with her were refugees who needed help. The guards asked several questions, but finally one of them entered the palace to look for Sonhir.
«Inquisitor, you have done much for us», Emeria said. «Thank you. I think we can take care of ourselves from here»
«Don't you want me to come with you?»
«I believe the angel commanded you to hurry and return»
«Yes, but... don't worry, she's not strict at all»
«I insist. You look very tired», the captain's tone became softer. «Go home, rest»
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
«Goodbye, Inquisitor», Dolano greeted. «God bless you»
Nene gave in to their insistence. In truth, she couldn't wait to sleep. The idea of still having to cross the entire city and then climb the hill made her wish to be hosted at the tavern by Nila and Adanara. She wished the two knights good luck and set off, her head heavy and her legs limp.
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«Welcome back!»
Jiriel welcomed her into the house by spreading her arms and running towards her. Nene noticed that the furniture had been rearranged: the armchairs were now on the sides of the fireplace instead of in front, and made space for the table which was moved to the centre of the room and surrounded by eight chairs. Pots had been fixed to the walls using metal supports, from which small green shoots emerged.
«My Lady, you have redecorated», she observed.
The angel hugged her ferociously. Nene relaxed into the magical warmth she exuded, even a little too much. She was practically clinging to the Emissary, such was her exhaustion.
«Yes, I made room for guests», she explained.
«Which guests?»
«Now that you and Ada are friends, we'll have guests»
«Me and… what…?»
Jiriel laughed and stared at her, biting both her lips. She seemed to have found a new source of enjoyment in teasing her.
«I thought it would happen, eventually. Come on, don't play dumb», she insisted.
«Did you figure? Can you foresee the future?»
«What are you talking about?! Not even Yave can predict the future!»
Jiriel danced across the room, proudly showing her her new seedlings. Nene forced herself to feign interest, even though she was falling asleep.
«These can be used to flavour food. I packed a lot, it’s so tasty!»
«My Lady, that's great, but I…»
«Uhm, don't take it as an insult, Nene. You need a bath. Come on, upstairs, I've filled the tub»
«The tub?»
«Oto never wants to wash because he says the water in the stream is cold, so I got a tub! I just heated the water»
«How did you manage? No, forget it, silly question...»
The angel mimed dipping a finger into the water, complete with sizzling sound effects. She grabbed Nene's arm and dragged her towards the stairs.
«Come on, quick. Oto is already inside»
«Huh?! Wait!»
She struggled, to the extreme disappointment of the Emissary, who gave her a worried look.
«Are you afraid of water?», she asked.
«No! I mean, yes, but not... My Lady, I don't want to bathe with Oto!»
«Huh? The water will get cold»
«Can't you heat it up again?» she asked, repeating the gesture with her finger.
«Actually… I thought you and Oto got along well»
«We get along just fine!»
«Oh… Oh! I get it! It's about that nudity thing, right? Humans are weird. All other mortals I know don't care at all»
«You're wearing clothes too», she pointed out.
«Well, you know... When I first came here, everyone was afraid of me because of my armour. But when I took it off they still looked at me funny, until Oto gave me this»
She fluttered her pink dress and continued to do so for some time, amused by the folds of the fabric. After a few moments she looked back at Nene and cleared her throat.
«It was his mother's. I got it fixed. From that seamstress...», she gritted her teeth.
«My Lady, please, I would just like to get some sleep. You will tell me about your love rival later»
«Oh, you bet I will!»
Nene sank into an armchair. Every single muscle hurt, especially her feet. She took off her boots, causing a pang in the sole of one of them. She gently removed the sock and examined herself, noticing that there was something painful down there. She would have asked Nila for treatment the next day.
«Ouch», she complained.
«What's wrong?» Jiriel asked.
«Maybe a blister. Nothing to worry about»
«Oh, poor thing. Let me see»
The Emissary knelt in front of her and grabbed her ankle. She examined her foot with a serious look. Nene felt very uncomfortable since she was supposed to be the one serving the angel.
«My Lady! What are you doing?!»
«Shh, let me take a look»
«But… You are my Mistress!»
Jiriel frowned. Her statement seemed to bother her a lot, to the point that her gestures became much rougher, almost to the point of hurting her.
«I never considered you my servant», she grumbled.
«What?! But… our pact…»
«You got it wrong! I'm not backing on my word», the angel said. «For me you are... uhm, what would be the right term?»
«Ah!», Nene complained, as she touched her wound.
«A family member, I guess. So be a good girl and let me help you»
The angel grabbed her big toe and squeezed lightly. From that point, Nene's entire body was gradually shaken by a thrill of pleasure. Her muscles relaxed and her body temperature suddenly rose. She closed her eyes and began to tremble slightly.
«Oh, no, you've got a fever. You were really beaten up. Still, the blister’s healed. You should get some sleep»
«I’m healed?!»
«Yes. I just said it. Rest, okay?»
Jiriel caressed her cheek. Nene's eyelids grew heavy, her vision blurred. She felt as if she was melting, sinking into the armchair. She heard the Emissary humming a tune she couldn’t recognise, while her senses abandoned her, and with them every form of suffering or worry.
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Nene was enveloped in a delicious scent. She recognized the inside of the Emissary's house, and the lit fireplace. She had fallen asleep in the armchair until dusk. In front of her, Oto was cooking something in a kettle placed above the hearth. She felt dizzy, heavy-headed and confused. However, the pain in her foot was gone. Instinctively, she checked the hand where she had been pierced: the wound had healed beautifully, the only trace remaining was a slightly lighter mark on her skin.
«Hey there», Oto greeted her.
«Hi», she yawned. «Ugh, I slept all day»
«You've been asleep for more than a day», he corrected her.
«Huh? Is it tomorrow already?»
«Yeah… I guess»
She looked around, bewildered. Had she really slept for a whole day and a half? The heaviness of her limbs and her sweaty face seemed to suggest so. She ran a hand over her forehead, finding it unexpectedly cool.
«The Emissary said I had a fever...», she muttered.
«Yes, Jiriel spent the whole night sponging you. She used to do it with me too, when I was little and I got sick. How are you now?»
«Good. I feel good»
She stood up. All in all she felt in good shape. She stretched heartily, then looked around for the Emissary.
«Where is she?», she asked.
«To Adanara and Nila’s place»
«Huh? What does that mean?»
«Jiriel invited them for dinner»
Nene looked at the pot and remembered the conversation she had with the angel the day before, about the new arrangement of the furniture. A part of her wondered if it was appropriate for a witch to enter the home of a servant of God, but it was quickly silenced by a more pressing matter: she sneezed at herself and was horrified to find out that she smelled terribly.
«I should have taken a bath», she whimpered.
«Jiriel heated some water for you before leaving. She brought a tub to my room. You can use it if you want»
«For real?!»
«Yup. She also said to use soap. Grandpa said that soap is bad because it takes away the peel that protects us from the cold. Who do you think is right?»
Nene ignored Oto's question, too busy planning her moves. She had no idea how much time she had left before the Emissary returned. Her throat was hoarse, her smell was bad and she urgently needed to pee. She had to hurry!
«My clothes stink too!», she realised.
«I can lend you mine»
«They're too big for me!»
She and Oto were about the same height, but the boy was definitely bulkier than her. Panic took over. She began walking in circles around the room, unsure what to do. She would have felt extremely ashamed to welcome Nila in that state.
«What do I do? What do I do? Oto, help me!»
«Okay, but…. I don't know what you need»
«I need… Um…»
She hesitated. She was about to express her feelings openly, something that scared her deeply, even though she was talking to Oto. She thought about how to explain without revealing too much, although it was obvious by then.
«I want… To be presentable, since we have guests», she lied.
«You wanna look cute to Nila?», Oto asked.
Nene felt the urge to punch that innocent, childish man that with total nonchalance was causing her the worst embarrassment of her life. She wished to bury her face underground, cower herself and disappear. She did none of these things, and just stared at him with burning cheeks.
«There should be some of mom’s clothes in Jiriel's trunk». Oto added. «You can take those if you want»
«Really?»
«Yes. Mom was small, just like you»
She pouted. Oto didn't seem to understand why, and pointed to the door that led to the cellar.She picked up one of the candles that were left on the table, lit it at the hearth and ran downstairs.
Chaos reigned in the Emissary's rooms. That cellar looked like an abandoned warehouse, full of junk, toys and bizarre objects whose only value was the one perceived by Jiriel. Nene advanced cautiously out of fear of tripping over one of the numerous rugs that lay thrown around, or of trampling on and breaking one of the precious miniatures of her Lady’s. She rummaged through the trunk and tried to discern by the dim candlelight the clothes stored there. She found one that seemed suitable in size and finely made, and decided to go back upstairs to look at it better in the light of the waning sun. Oto was transferring the pot next to the table, onto a metal support standing on the floor, when he saw her coming and smiled.
«Did you find anything?»
They admired the dress she had chosen. Nene immediately regretted her decision: she had picked out something that was far too elegant for her and too precious-looking to reasonably ask to borrow. It was a complete dress, made of thick dark blue fabric and finished with white cloth hems. Her practical spirit was horrified at the sight of the skirt, her modest one at the sight of the neckline, but Oto seemed to have the opposite opinion.
«How beautiful. You’ll need a shirt to wear underneath. You can take one of mine’s»
«What? No, I… I could never…»
«Why not?»
«Because…. It’s your mother's, isn’t it? I can't»
«That's fine. You can have it»
«But…!»
Nene blushed. She remembered Elora, the moments spent combing her hair. She remembered Liaria and her silly talks about how to seduce boys. She had been taught not to care about that matter, to worry about the salvation of the soul and nothing more. Yet, for some reason, everyone around her seemed to be somewhat into mundane, superfluous things, and they seemed much happier than her in doing so.
«Won't it be too flashy?», she asked.
«I don't know. Do you like it?»
«Maybe, I… I don't think it would suit me», she admitted.
«Just try. We'll know by Nila’s reaction»
«Oto, Nila and I, we don't…»
She met the boy's gaze, who was genuinely amused and excited. Seeing him like this, she lost the will to protest any further. The faintest of optimisms made its way through her worries, silencing them for a moment.
«Okay. I'll try», she sighed.
She went upstairs. Her bare feet clattered on the polished wood. The candlelight cast flickering shadows and the dress under her arm smelled of wildflowers. Thankfully, the Emissary had the foresight to keep her trunk scented, or she would have ended up simply exchanging the smell of sweat with that of moths. She entered Oto's room. It was very humid and hot. In the corner to her left, not far from the bed, there was a circular cast iron tub. It must have weighed a lot, which made her smile as she imagined Jiriel carrying it up there as if it were nothing, unaware of her superhuman strength. She skimmed the surface of the water: it was still warm.
Her last “bath” had been under decidedly less pleasant circumstances. The memory sent a shiver down her spine. She felt uncomfortable, vulnerable, and checked several times to make sure she had closed the door. She searched through Oto's closet and found a cloth and a shirt that seemed to fit her, and even some dark tights. Her non-existent sense of aesthetics suggested that she was probably doing something wrong, but she silenced that annoying little voice to avoid getting even more agitated. She took a breath, undressed, and, after much hesitation, dived in the water.
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The voices from downstairs suggested that the Emissary had returned. Nene had relaxed a little too much in the tub. She would have died of embarrassment if anyone had seen her, but in truth, she had played with water a bit and had lost all sense of time, like a child. If word had gotten around, Adanara would have laughed at her for days.
She stood up, waited for most of the water to drip off her, then got out of the tub. Her wet feet landed on the floor with a flaccid sound. She picked up the cloth she had left on Oto's bed and began to dry her hair and body. The muffled chatter coming from below made her anxious, not only because of her doubts about her clothes, her insecurities about her appearance, but also because she felt pressed to join the conversation. Trembling, she began to dress while she was still damp, and struggled to get the tights on. Luckily they fit her. She continued to rub her hair in a desperate attempt to dry it, but got a black mess covering her face in return. She hadn't cut it since she had left the monastery on her first mission as Inquisitor, and by then it had grown almost to her waist.
She looked at herself in the water, but couldn't see much, thanks to the darkness that enveloped the house. She brought the candle closer to the surface and was horrified at the chaos that reigned above her head. She tried to fix it to the best of her ability, while part of her screamed and wanted to collapse on the floor and cry. She didn't panic, however, and kept going until she got a half decent result. Finally she put on the dress, which fit her like a glove, yet another stroke of luck at a critical moment. The fabric was soft and smelled good, but the folds and hems refused to stick to her body. She struggled for a long time with the dress, trying to make it fit in a way that seemed appropriate, based solely on her imagination and on the vague memories of the noblewomens she had glimpsed during her childhood, during the occasions when Mother Superior had sent the cadets to do chores for the wealthy people of the Capital.
Were shoes needed? Probably, but there was no point in wondering, since she didn't have any. Had she done something wrong? Undoubtedly, but what was the solution? To ask Oto for help, she had to get out, and if she had gotten out she would have been seen.
A laugh came from downstairs. It was Nila's. The sound made her melt. Her fears persisted, on the contrary, they multiplied, but the desire to participate became stronger than any other thought. She took a breath, checked herself for the twelfth time, opened the door and went down the stairs.