Chapter 28: Chapter Eleven: The Testament of the Lovely Sister Marionette

Leaving the village behind, I felt remiss. Surely there was more aid that we could lend them, and yet we were on a time table, Kanon was several days away still, we needed to move on. this time Ban rode with Achak and I, while the Inquisitors still had their own wagon. I had many questions for the commander, and he had many answers. My mind whirled like a sandstorm, so many things I had believed were now put into question. Could history truly have been rewritten? Have I been deceived? What purpose would there be in hiding the truth? These were the questions that weighed heaviest on me during our ride.

We came to a halt late in the day. My eyes were heavy, dark blue circles surrounding them. I eagerly stepped off the wagon, pain shooting through my shoulders and lower back as I stretched myself out. 

“Do they truly intend for you to make the whole trip in such a manner?” Rafa asked .

“It is required for us to remain inconspicuous,” I answered my familiar.

“A nun, inquisitors, a knight and a bounty hunter are hardly what I would call inconspicuous.” 

“All the more reason to not draw further attention,” I retorted, “stay quiet, lest the Inquisitor find us speaking.”

“You worry too much, you know only a witch can hear a familiares voice.” 

“And anyone can hear my voice,” I said sharply, “speaking to myself like a madwoman.”

“A madwoman with the velvet voice of an angel,” Ban snuck up on me, causing my body to jolt.

“Commander Ada, how long have you been listening to me?” I spun around, trying to retain my composure.

“Oh don’t worry dear Sister, I have more important things to worry my mind over, than a nun speaking with her familiar,” he reassured me, “if you must, just pretend you are speaking with me.” 

“I appreciate the gesture, though I can’t help but to believe you have ulterior motives,” I refused him.

“My only motive is to bring myself close to your beauty, and admire the work of the goddess,” he said, making my stomach churn.

“Perhaps you should take the man up on his offer, love,” Rafa insisted.

“I am not entirely comfortable with this method, though for the sake of Rafa I will take you up on your offer as needed.”

“Excellent, I am happy to be of help,” he winked, “So this Rafa, is she as stunning as you?”

“You flirt with anything with a skirt, don’t you?” Rafa asked, nearly forgetting he could not hear her.

“I have only seen her a few times in my life,” I admitted, “though I would say she has a handsome face.”

“Handsome?” Rafa objected, “I am the very picture of elegance and femininity!”

“Handsome, so you would say she is masculine?” he inquired further.

“No, not masculine so to say,” I shook my head, “though she is strong,” I thought back to the first time Rafa had left her carta. 

A whirlwind of sand and ash tore through the city as a heavy dark body loomed over my small weak body. I laid upon the ground, my stomach growing warm as the blood from an open wound drenched my shirt. The beast of the Malice encroached on me, its gaping mouth gaping with a monstrous grin. It’s empty black eyes set upon me with a ravenous leer, surely this would be my final sight. Its massive limbs swayed beneath its body as it approached, scraping against the floor as it came closer. Death was imminent, and preferred to what I knew was to come, for its dark embrace would mean an end of suffering. It was then I remembered the small card I had in my pocket, made of a strange fiber. My bloody fingers grasped it, hearing a voice call to me, and I called back.

Suddenly a light shone before me with a crack of thunder, and the Malefic being was torn in twain, its body disappearing as another creature took its place in front of me. The stranger was a tower before my own small body. Her eyes sparked with a vibrant blue crackle, they looked at me with a fierce penetrating gaze. She knelt on one knee and wrapped her strong arms tightly around me, a tingling filling my broken body. “I am here for you, sweet girl, speak thy name to me and a contract we will form,” the woman spoke with a voice that shook like thunder, yet soothed like refreshing rain. 

“Marionette,” my voice squeaked.

“Then dear Marionette, speak my name, and we shall form an eternal bond,” she whispered into my ear.

“I...I don’t know your name,” I said, my voice growing fainter.

“Look upon me, and If you truly desire to be my love, then you will know my name,” the woman said, her thunderous voice softly ringing.

I observed the woman’s face, it was narrow and long, her cheeks sharp, her lips a shimmering blue. First, I found the woman to be scary, but quickly I began to see a lightness in her. Though mighty, she carried herself with a calm openness, one that I embraced. “Rafa,” I spoke and could feel a weight on my chest lift, and a gentle burn over my injured belly. 

As more Malefic began to surround us, the mighty Rafa rose and turned to face them. Her eyes lit up, and she called a torrent of lightning down, eradicating the monsters.

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Ban cleared his throat, as I stared blankly into the distance, “Dear sister, are you with us?”

I blinked and nodded, “Sorry, I was lost in thought,” I smiled slightly, “I supposed you would say, she is like lightning.”

***

As night came we broke for camp, a small fire built in the middle of a sort of circle made by the four waggons. Ban tended to the cooking, it was just a simple bone broth, but he bragged that it was “gourmet” which is to say he added his own special salts and dried herbs he packed in a small pouch. He sang, off tune, an unfamiliar hymn, while stirring the pot. 

“Must you rape our ears with that horrid singing?” Achak groaned.

“In all I do, I sing praises of the Goddess,” he replied, before returning to his song. I  tried to ignore him, but his voice carried over the crackling of the fire. No ambient sounds filled the air, not a single animal scurried by, nor insects buzzed. For that, a very small part of me was thankful for the commander’s raucous tune, drowning the uncanny silence of the outer wastes.

“Soups on~” He broke his song to declare, before portioning the broth in tin cups. He handed out the food to each of the people present, giving mine last, “I made yours special,” he winked.

“What sort of drug have you intended for me?” I eyed him suspiciously.

“You wound me, no drug, only my love and an extra dash of savory grass,” he said a bit sullenly.

Receiving the cup, I cautiously sipped. It had an earthy flavor, salty with a slight minty aftertaste. A tingling sensation filled my mouth with a savory salivation, an effect of the grass I assumed. Broth was the standard meal for us Nuns in the abbey, alongside hardtack it was a staple of our diet, but never had I been served broth that had tasted as good as that. The additional seasonings had made the simple meal almost luxurious, truly gourmet.. It did not compare to the sandwich that Cindy had prepared, but it was easily the second best thing I had tasted since I became a witch, third if I counted the taste of Rafa’s kiss.

I tried to savor the soup, but instead found myself gulping it down, burning just slightly, but not enough to stop me. Ban, the ever odd man that he was, stared with a satisfied gleam the whole time.

“Oh, there’s one cup left?” Judeka noted. Looking around, It had seemed that the grand Inquisitor was not present.

“Hmm, it would appear that Seta has not eaten,” Ban stated, “some one should fetch her, a woman needs her nourishment after all, even inquisitors.”

Unexpectedly, even to myself, especially to myself...I stood up, and began to walk out of the encampment. 

“Sister Marionette, are you sure, I could always get her?” Ban offered.

“No, I will find her,” I refused him, “you would be useless if a Malefic were behind her disappearance.”

“Ouch, it hurts to hear, though admittedly it is true,” he sighed, “do be safe though lovely sister.”

I clicked my tongue, and began to search. It was not hard to find footprints in the coarse sands, luckily they had not blown away by a gust of wind yet. Though the Malefic was certainly a plausible reason for concern, it was not my true motive, because I didn’t have one. I didn’t know why, but I felt like I must go alone. The small impressions left by the inquisitor’s boots lead me to a boulder perched atop a hill of sand. Carefully I peered around it, and was caught off guard by what lies beyond it. 

Sitting atop the wreckage of ruins of some lost village, the Inquisitor looked off at the night sky, her beautiful violet hair blowing in the gentle breeze. There she was, her back to me, her helmet cast to the ground beside her. Shaking, my breath grew erratic, as I lowered my hand to the gun holstered to my leg. The handle grip felt wrong in my hand as I clutched it tightly, the holsters guard resisting me as I unclasped it. I moved slowly, drawing it from its place on my calf, and held it against my side. The pistol was heavy in my hand, heavier than it ever felt before. Painfully, my heart pounded in my chest like the force of a mighty earthquake. Every breath hurt my heaving chest, though I tried to control my breathing, calm my nerves. I stood there paralyzed when Seta turned her face to me. Her crystal blue eyes bore a deep sorrow, as her lips stretched in a thin sweet smile. She brushed a lock of her long flowing hair from her heart shaped face. Surely she saw me, gun drawn, face locked in a bewildered glare, yet still she smiled. A small tear had rolled down her dark earthy cheek, and was caught at the end of her lips. Seta stood from the rock, and approached, her movements graceful, non threatening. She pulled the big gaudy gloves from her hand, and reached out to touch me. The bare skin of her fingers brushed my own, I thought to recoil, but remained motionless instead. The gun fell from my hand, or I should say I discarded it, while my eyes stayed transfixed on the inquisitor’s.

Seta leaned in, and kissed my cheek, whispering as she withdrew, “calm yourself sister, and know you are not in the presence of your enemy.” 

My body still not obeying me, quivered, as tears streamed down my face.

“You have been holding on for too long, it is time you allow yourself to heal,” she said, as she pulled me into her embrace, “we have lost so many, but we still have each other.” 

I cried, as the Inquisitor held me in a motherly embrace.

***

Morning came, and I opened my eyes to find I had somehow ended up back in the wagon, though I could not remember when it had happened. The last thing I remembered was the tender embrace of another, though at that time I could not remember who. Before I had the chance to ponder, the hulking bounty hunter lumbered into the wagon and took his seat. 

“Mornin’ sister,” he feigned tipping an imaginary hat. 

I bobbed my head slightly, “Good morning, sir hunter,” I felt a tinge of disappointment when he walked in, though I was unsure why.

“Good morning love,” Rafa said, to which I lightly patted her carta. In just a matter of minutes, the wagons were off again, about ten hours remained before we would arrive at our destination. 

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