Elora's screams and crying could be heard throughout the dormitory. The master inquisitors had taken her upstairs to the Prioress’ office on purpose, so that everyone could hear her receiving her punishment. Most of the cadets were reciting their evening prayers in an attempt to ignore what was happening, with little success.
Nene felt like crying. Sister Elora was her age, yet despite being just nine, she was very mature, acting almost like an adult. She often comforted the others when they felt alone at night, acting like a surrogate mother to all of them. She was the Prioress’ pupil, who occasionally gave her cookies, which she shared with the whole dormitory. What had happened to her? Why were the adults punishing her as they would punish the worst of criminals? Nene covered her head with her pillow, but it was useless. Elora's heartbreaking screams resounded in the dormitory. There was nothing but the mats on which the cadets slept in there, which caused the echo to reverberate between the walls, and gave those chilling sounds an almost ghostly connotation.
It was night, and as a rule, they would soon have to turn off the lights. Most of the cadets kept a candle beside their pallets as long as they were busy with their prayers, but one candle was heading towards her instead. Nene didn't feel like praying that night. She hoped that no one had noticed, that no one was about to snitch. For such a thing normally she would have gotten at most a reprimand from the teachers, but the cries made her imagination gallop, fearing the most horrible things. Her mood did not improve when the candle and the person carrying it were close enough for her to recognise their face: Liaria.
«Hey, Nene. Hey!», she called her.
She hesitated to answer. Everyone hated Liaria. She was two years younger than her, she was a pest and often played tricks on the other cadets, always getting away with it somehow. On top of that, she often argued with the masters, questioning the teachings and methods of the Inquisition, to the point that she was said to have attracted the attention of the Knights of the Church. There was little doubt that when she would have grown up, she would join that group of violent fanatics feared by everyone.
Since she couldn’t get an answer, Liaria snatched the pillow from her hand and looked into the eyes. Nene noticed that she was also scared.
«What do you want?», she whimpered.
A cry made them both look up. How long would they keep going?
«You and Elora are friends, right?» Liaria asked.
Nene hesitated. She had been taught that cadets were to watch each other's backs against the Evil One, but that human feelings stood in the way of their battle against it. So would it have been wrong to have friends?
«Leave me alone», she replied.
«I know what she did»
A perverse grin grew on Liaria's face, in stark contrast to her innocent doll-like appearance, rounded face and blond curls. Did the situation amuse her? Elora was everyone's most beloved, cadets and adults alike. Despite her failing health, which normally would have precluded her training as an Inquisitor, she was said to have a profound sensitivity for the souls of the damned. People like her were extremely rare and were even revered. They were called Saints, and they were a very powerful tool for the Inquisition, as their ability to detect agents of the Evil One was unmatched. She was also the only one who, once her training was over, would have been allowed, or rather forced, to work in a team. She needed someone to make up for her physical deficiencies. All the cadets hoped to one day be assigned to her escort, and Nene was no exception.
All but Liaria, who instead often mocked Elora’s kind attitude, and got even more kindness in return, which was infuriating.
«Elora wouldn't do anything wrong», Nene protested.
«She did»
«I don’t believe you! I bet you lied to Mother Superior, and now they're taking it out on her!»
Nene was about to give in to impulses and hit Liaria when she assumed an extremely serious expression.
«I didn't do anything. One of the older boys told me he'd seen it all. The Abbess herself caught her red-handed»
«What?»
«Yes. He says she was furious. Elora was talking nonsense as usual, and the Prioress got angry»
Elora's peculiar sensitivity was often a source of trouble: more than once she was found sleepwalking around the monastery. Furthermore, whenever an Inquisitor was initiated, and as a result the Archangel bestowed His blessing upon them, Elora would fall into a kind of catatonic state, repeating exactly the same words as the Emissary. Usually, however, the adults did not punish her for it. On the contrary, they had been very clear about how all fellow cadets should have assisted her. It was well known to everyone that Elora's quirks were a gift.
«Elora is a Saint,» she insisted.
«Yes, but she's not above the rules. And what's the worst thing to do, Nene?»
«I… I don't know… Dancing with the Evil One? Elora would never do that!»
«Okay, maybe not that serious... But it's veeery serious. She won't get away with it, no matter how much she cries or if she says she heard the Archangel's voice ordering her to do it...»
«What did she do? Tell me!»
Attracted by their bickering, some cadets had approached curiously. Liaria paused theatrically, brought the candle close to her face, and with shining eyes, she declared:
«She stole holy water from the church»
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Nene was dumbfounded. She looked around for Nila, who seemed equally disturbed by Father Cosco's statement.
Someone had stolen the holy water in Dena's church. Nene had learned in a horrific way how serious that crime was. Holy water was the product of a rite made exclusively by the priests of the Church, who, after taking their vows, received a unique blessing from the Archangel. A priest could draw on the power of the Emissary at any distance to bless the water and the land on which churches were built. The blessed earth and water had virtually been touched by the Archangel Himself and were the object of adoration. To damage them was to challenge the Archangel. Such a blasphemous act was considered a declaration of alliance with the Evil One and was often punished with life-long imprisonment.
It was Argor, with his naive lack of tact, who broke the tension that had arisen.
«They stole the holy water? Can't you prepare some more?»
Cosco sighed. It was the duty of a priest to teach their community, that manifestation of ignorance sounded like a tremendous personal failure.
«That's not the point, Argor. The thief… is most likely a servant of the Evil One»
«Did you see them?», Nene asked.
«Unfortunately, no. I was getting ready for bed and I heard noises coming from downstairs. I went down thinking it was someone who had been working until late and therefore missed the mass. It happens quite often. But when I arrived, there was no one, and the stoup had disappeared»
«The whole stoup?»
«Exactly»
Nene began to think. In all likelihood, the thief was the damned themself. She couldn't explain why they would steal a sacred object that would have charred them at the mere touch. She needed to examine the church for clues.
«Father, it might be the fugitive’s doing. If they’ve entered the church I could sense it»
«Can you… j-just sense it?», Nila asked in dismay.
«Yes, it's one of the gifts that the Archangel grants to us Inquisitors. At the Citadel we are trained to recognize them using objects that belonged to damned people. Provided they touched something in the church, I should be able to track them down»
«They must have touched something», Cosco deduced. «At least the front door knob»
«Exactly. I will come to the church and…»
She was about to leap to her feet when Nila rested her hands gently on her shoulders. She held her, softly but firmly. It was only then that Nene remembered her condition.
«You should stay put for now» the herbalist said.
«Yes, but…»
She assessed the situation: it was late at night and it would have been difficult to search around in the dark. She didn’t like the idea of wasting any more time, since no matter the reason behind the theft, the Evil One was acting while she was resting. Unfortunately, though, she had no clue about who the culprit was. In the worst-case scenario, acting rashly and blowing her cover to find the thief might have given the damned a chance to escape. Was that the thief's plan? She shuddered at the idea that someone was conspiring against the Church, assisting a damned. Still, she had to keep that possibility in mind.
«Father, I will come to you in the morning, with sunlight, to investigate the matter»
«Be blessed. In the meantime, I will close the church. I'll have to skip morning mass, and people will ask questions, but I can't risk someone coming into contact with… A cursed object or God knows what blasphemy has sneaked onto sacred ground»
«I have to ask you: is the ground under the church actually sacred? Are you positive?»
«Absolutely. My predecessors blessed it before my very eyes, therefore…»
The priest's eyes widened as he realized the implications of his statement. He started breathing heavily, such was his fear.
«If the soil is sacred», elaborated Nene. «Just any damned shouldn't be able to step on it. They would be seized by unspeakable pain and consumed by the power of the Archangel»
«My God… what is it then, Inquisitor?»
«Unfortunately, I have no idea. I've read many texts about it, but it's just conjecture»
«Wait, wait a second…», the innkeeper interjected. «You want me to believe… What? That there’s a monster wandering around?»
Nila covered her mouth. Nene grabbed her hand hoping to reassure her.
«I don't know what to believe», she admitted. «You mustn't tell anyone about it. I will draw my conclusions once I have inspected the church»
«But… Y-you shouldn't be walking…», the herbalist insisted.
«I'll get you a crutch if you need to», Cosco almost shouted. «I'm counting on you, Inquisitor»
«Okay. Keep people away from the church like you said. I'll wait for you here tomorrow morning»
Argor muttered something unintelligible before walking away. The priest followed shortly after. Nene spent several minutes reassuring Nila about her health, with little success. She shared her concern, and was not thrilled at the prospect of venturing out into the village with her leg injured, yet she was only going to inspect the church. It was no big deal.
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Finally, she was left alone in her room. She had to think, imagine possible scenarios and recall the manuals studied during training. There was no precise protocol for what was happening in Dena, and it was no secret that the Church was sadly terribly ignorant about the power of the forces of the Evil One. Many theories were mostly based on conjecture and intuition, which is why the Inquisitors were allowed freedom in how to handle every scenario. She wanted to solve hers by trying to avoid any collateral damage. She wanted to try everything she could before asking the Knights for assistance.
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The next morning, the pain was gone. Before getting out of bed, Nene touched her ankle and felt nothing. She removed the bandages and saw no swelling. Nila had worried too much. Perhaps the sense of guilt had led her to exaggerate things a bit. She dressed up and took a few steps around the room, to make sure she could walk without hindrance. She then went downstairs. The inn was filled with chatting. Unexpectedly, there were customers. Some people, fishermen, judging by the smell, were drinking around a large table in a corner. Of course, her presence immediately attracted their attention, even though she was wearing commoner’s clothes. Suddenly silence fell.
«Nene, there you are»
Father Cosco addressed her in an extremely informal manner. He was sitting at the counter, opposite Argor, and was playing the role of the uncle. He was carrying a crutch, as promised. Fishermen looking at her made her feel quite uncomfortable, so she approached him.
«Uncle, I'm good. Look, I can walk just fine»
«Oh, great. Shall we go then?»
The innkeeper looked at them both and nodded. They walked off together. Nene was still feeling those eyes behind her, and she remembered to breathe only once she left the inn.
«It would be prudent to continue our play throughout the day», the priest whispered. «People start talking about my niece. Rumors spread quickly, folks are suspicious»
She sighed. Playing the niece was exhausting. However, it was the perfect opportunity to sell her cover to the villagers. They walked along the path that led to the square. It was mid-morning and there was less traffic than the previous day. The fishermen, as she had seen, had already finished their day's work, and the craftsmen were minding their businesses. The blacksmith she'd watched the day before was fumbling with some pliers, while a florist was shouting at anyone who came within range, including the two of them.
«Father Cosco, good morning! Buy something!»
«Good morning. Not today, I'll come shopping on solstice eve»
«I see... Wouldn't you buy a gift for your favourite niece?»
Nene felt her blood run cold. Being called out meant having to play along, and she didn't want to.
«Today we’re studying together», the priest said. «Maybe I’ll think about it if she behaves»
She pretended to be happy about it. Was around there considered a prize for studying, to get some flowers? Her best option was to support Cosco in whatever he said.
«Be blessed, Father!»
Nene could have sworn she had heard the florist curse them. They quickened their pace towards the church, whose unusually tall belfry towered over the village. The facade of the church, seen up close, was quite impressive considering the modest village in which it was located. The building was simple enough, with smooth, bare stone walls and a sloping tiled roof. It didn't have a rose window or the artistic details usually carved everywhere, depicting the Archangel or some Saint of the past. However, it was richly frescoed, with images that Nene was unable to recognize. The colours were fading, a sign that those drawings weren't recently made, yet they still left her fascinated and intrigued.
«What are these images?», she asked.
«You see, my predecessor wanted an unconventional church, one where the locals would feel more comfortable»
Nene frowned. It wasn't explicitly forbidden, and there was nothing wrong with wanting to entice people to go to church, but the things depicted in the frescoes were certainly not the Archangel, who was usually represented wrapped in His light, barely visible. Instead, those humanoid figures were perfectly distinguishable. Something about their looks made her blood boil.
«Do they have a meaning?»
«You should ask Master Ezio. The job was commissioned to him when he was young. I think it's based on some ancient fairy tales»
The figures in the fresco were most likely belonging to myths from outside the Principality. It was borderline blasphemy to immortalize them on a church’s wall. She could not be sure, but it was very likely that these hominids with unusual features were some fantasies of worshippers of the Evil One. She forced herself not to think about it for the moment. They walked through the big, heavy, rough door that led into the church. Nene's stomach immediately tightened, and she stopped to investigate the entrance. She touched the handle and got an unpleasant sensation, but different from the one she had experienced a few days earlier, during the purge.
«Have you found anything yet?»
«I want to check around again, but yes, I think you were right…»
«A servant of the Evil One, in my church…»
Cosco turned pale. He ran up to the altar, at the back of which a small door led to his lodgings. Nene took the opportunity to look around. The church inside was as simple as the outside, a dozen benches were arranged in two rows. A modest enclosed wooden altar dominated the room. It was quite cold there and smelled faintly of mildew. In a corner, she spotted a pedestal on which the basin of holy water used to be. She proceeded as she had been taught, brushing her hands against the object looking for sensations, but felt nothing. Had the thief touched nought but the basin? Whoever it was, they knew exactly what they wanted and where to find it: they were familiar with the church.
The priest came back carrying an old book, bound in dark leather and pretty worn.
«What are you up to?» Nene asked.
«I already told you this ground is sacred. I'm trying to figure out which... creature can violate the land blessed by the Archangel»
«A bestiary?»
«Precisely… Maybe you have better knowledge about such things?»
Nene avoided making rude comments. Bestiaries were ancient and crude attempts by the Church to catalogue the servants of the Evil One. They weren't completely unfounded, but they were of little practical use. Over time they had mostly become simple escapism material, much appreciated by young nobles looking for some macabre tale to distract them from their all too tedious life. Furthermore, it was more likely that Cosco was wrong, that his predecessor had not blessed the soil properly. It was a wild guess, but it was better than believing that there was an entity capable of ignoring the Archangel's power.
«Did you notice anything else last night? Something missing, something out of place?»
«There were wet footprints on the floor, but they are now gone»
«How is that possible?»
«Oh forgive me but... I was shocked and I didn't think to look at them better... But I'm sure they were from someone’s feet»
«Feet? You mean… bare feet?»
«Yes. Bizarre indeed»
Nene rushed to the door and grabbed the handle. The uncomfortable feeling returned. She tried hard to remember: although the bestiaries were not accurate, the Inquisitors were trained to recognize traces of different origins. The Citadel kept objects of various kinds that were believed to have belonged to the damned and servants of the Evil One, and the cadets spent whole days handling them, perceiving their wickedness. The discipline was not very accurate, and some masters even considered it silly, however the sensitivity acquired with those exercises was greatly amplified once the Archangel's blessing was received. Nene tried to associate what she was feeling to one of those objects, although she had already formulated a hypothesis. She remembered an old deer jawbone, an object said to have been recovered by the Knights nearly a century earlier, when they had vanquished a coven of witches worshipping the Evil One in the western regions. The popular imagination had it that witches lived naked in the middle of the forest, which would make sense of the footprints discovered in the church.
She inhaled deeply. Her theory was shocking. She took a moment of recollection before turning to Cosco, who followed her everywhere like a page.
«It is but a conjecture…»
«Please tell me!»
The priest was understandably nervous. She hoped he wouldn’t faint at her declaration.
«I suspect… we’re dealing with a witch»
The pastor became even paler. He dragged himself to a bench, sat down, and rested his head over his hands. Nene sat beside him.
Little had been documented about witches. She wasn't even sure they were real. The only testimonies dated back over a hundred years earlier, and some thought that they were lies conceived by the Knights, to cover up some of their raids or criminal acts. They were said to be servants of the Evil One of the worst kind, people who volunteered to serve it, even worse, they even begged it to corrupt their souls. It was said that in exchange for their devotion they received unspeakable, blasphemous powers, such as the ability to change shape and charm people, and that, unlike the more common damned, they retained a portion of their rationality. However, it was not enough to explain how a witch could have violated a sacred ground, but it was certainly a more realistic hypothesis. Little was known about these hags, while instead it was very well documented that a damned could never enter a church.
«Inquisitor…»
«Wait, let me think»
Could the witch have servants with a clean soul? It wouldn't have explained the presence of the footprints and the horrid feeling Nene felt as she touched the church door. She was in such disbelief: that case was already beyond her abilities and experience, and had just become even more complex.
«You should write a letter to the Citadel», she said. «It’s pretty far away from here, better hurry»
Nene shivered. She was not enthusiastic about the idea, but unfortunately, she had no other choice. The matter was too big for her alone to handle. If her guesses were true, it was too much for any Inquisitor. It was a job for the Knights.
«Mention my name and my theory. Write that I recognised traces of Ormel's bone. Also, add that the animals in the area are behaving unusually and that someone is protecting a damned»
«Of course… Wait a minute… Someone is…»
«I am more and more convinced of it, Father. I hope I'm wrong, but at least it seems obvious that the witch and our damned are in cahoots»
«Oh dear… Oh, merciful God…»
«I will return to the inn. We have to keep a low profile until the Knights arrive. Resume your activities as if nothing had happened. Don't mention it to anyone»
She took her leave. Nene was in a hurry to get back to the inn and retrieve her weapons. It was important to remain inconspicuous, but she was equally concerned for her safety. Furthermore, if the damned or the witch were to unleash against the village, she had to try to protect them. Her will waver at the mere thought of facing a witch, a mysterious and unknown entity. At the cadet's dormitory, sister Liaria used to tell terrible stories she read in the volumes of the library. Those absurd horror tales came back to haunt her, the irrational doubt that they could be true consumed her. Would she end up devoured by crows like the Lightbringer Knight in Saint Arianna's cycle?
She left the village square, among the houses that blended into the bush. Along the dirt road, she thought she recognized someone. Nila was in front of a house with a man. She approached to tell her of her speedy recovery and to say thanks. The herbalist was walking beside a middle-aged man, shorter than her, but stocky, with a shaggy dark beard and a scruffy appearance. He had heavy eyebags and a generally unhealthy appearance.
«Nila!», she called.
The woman jolted hearing her name. She turned and gave her a sheepish smile.
«Hi, Nene…»
She almost ran to her. She probably would have, if not for that man's curious gaze.
«My ankle is fine today. Look. All thanks to you»
Nila nervously looked first at her, then at her companion. Hadn't she gotten used to the little story about the priest's niece yet? Nene tried to bail her out.
«I’m Nene. I'm Master Ezio's newest apprentice»
The man's face lit up and he smiled radiantly. He seemed friendly. His voice was very deep and hoarse.
«Father Cosco's niece? Everybody’s talking about you around town. Are you liking it here?»
She nodded. Finally, Nila seemed to relax and the conversation took on a trivial tone.
«My name is Ostiir,» the man said. «I’m a carpenter. If you decide to settle here, you will need furniture»
«Maybe… At the moment I'm staying at the inn»
«Nene», Nila interjected. «I-I'm taking care of Ostiir. He has a fever and I… I-I didn't bring the necessary stuff with me»
«Oh, sure. I’m sorry. Are you taking him to Mastro Ezio’s?»
Nila looked around for a moment before answering, as if she were lost. Yet she knew perfectly well in which direction her master's house was.
«No. W-we're going to my house… Master is very indisposed today, and he's b-behaving weirdly. Could you go and check on him? I hope he's fine»
«Okay. I'll go right away»
She waved to the duo as they walked away in the opposite direction from her, away from downtown. Once alone, she clicked her tongue, annoyed: she had no intention of going to the old herbalist’s hut, when there was potentially a witch on the loose. Since arriving in Dena, distractions and wastes of time were pursuing her. It was then that her gaze fell on the house from which those two had come, presumably Ostiir's home. At first sight, it looked like all the others, a simple cottage with a stone base, log and beam walls, and a sloping thatched roof. However, every single opening in the house was rigorously closed, with dark wooden doors. She looked around and noticed how all the other houses barely had a door. Perhaps Ostiir was simply paranoid, perhaps he was hiding something. Furthermore…
She took a breath. The thought alone caused her to feel unwell. She gathered courage as she had to consider every option, since she potentially was dealing with a witch.
…
Furthermore, most of the events that had slowed her down on her mission since arriving in Dena were connected to Nila in some way.
She hadn't perceived the Evil One's power either in her or the carpenter, but she was seriously considering that there was someone in the village who was protecting the damned. It was complete madness, against all teaching and the most basic common sense. Yet she had to settle the matter before the Knights arrived. If she had succeeded, she could have saved the residents of Dena from a terrible fate. The Knights were all but subtle and they would have ransacked every house, captured and interrogated anyone. In the worst cases, they even resorted to torture and had the authorization to burn to the ground any place of worship of the Evil One, or presumed to be such, as well as to execute both the damned and potential heretics on the spot. The Inquisition did not share their methods, but it was sadly clear that, in extreme situations, their intervention was necessary.
She would wait until noon when the villagers would gather in the church for mass. Since Father Cosco had skipped it that morning, the streets were likely to be deserted. She could have used that time to inspect Ostiir's house. If she could sneak inside and find out anything, she would report it to the Knights and perhaps convince them that her intervention was enough.
Perhaps there was a chance to exonerate Nila and vouch for her.