Carmine

I watched Five, but he avoided eye contact. At least he kept up his side of the bargain. We were in the kitchen.

Janilla held up the lamp we stole and the shadows fled in our midst. I wished I ate something before I left the King's residence.

Five was an odd man, for he was still bleeding. His coat became blacker with soaked blood, yet he walked undeterred. I needed to dress that wound tighter. Not now though, we needed to escape this place.

We were walking according to his knowledge of where the soldiers were. If he was doing this with magic, that was fine.

I lost my faith in Gods considering one God wanted to kill me. Though, Ashuor might still be on my side. I wanted to ask about that. Who was Erot in the grand scheme of things? Was she not a loving God?

Something was not right here. I still could not explain how a murderous witch was in a temple.

My head burned with the painful contemplation of this confusing affair.

Five stopped and caused me to bash into his back. I recoiled back in shock. After I steadied myself, Five gestured toward the table where a basket of fruits laid. I looked at it with a tilt of my head.

My finger lifted at him.

“Eat, so you may, not be famished, Maiden Mother," he cut in, without looking at me.

“Mother?” I asked. Not going to lie, I was slightly amused as to why he called me Mother, but something more interesting intrigued me. “How did you know I was hungry?”

“You said it.”

“No, I didn't.”

He looked at me, no, wait, it was his usual impartial stare. Five came closer and tilted his head forward. He touched my forehead twice. “Here.”

I leaned back from the touch, but it immediately registered.

My mind?

Yes, your mind. His lips never moved, yet I heard that, loud and clear.

“Get out of my head! How did you read my mind? Why would you? Actually, you know what, stop it. Do not do it,” I said.

“I cannot. I would have to die to fulfill that request.”

“What?”

“I hear everyone.”

“Everyone? Like everyone?”

He nodded his head in affirmation to that. “Yes, right now, she is begging Erot to deliver her from these mad people, meaning me and you.” Five gestured to Janilla.

I looked back at Janilla. She was smiling and almost on the edge of laughing. Janilla looked away and frowned. The glare of the coated light on the contours of her face laid a terrifying facial expression to bear.

“So you cannot turn it off?” I asked, while looking at Janilla.

“Nope, only by death.”

You got to be joking with me. This was going to be a problem and a pain. I looked at him. He was not looking at me. Part of me wanted to slap him. Then again he probably knew that now.

Groaning, I pointed at his face. “What I think are my thoughts do not follow them unless I am speaking to you directly. My words are more powerful commands than my thoughts got it?”

Five nodded his head at that. So this was what it was like to have a slave? I saw no appeal to it.

I hated people who could not think on their own, following orders blindly.

My breath held as I directed my thoughts toward him.

Also, don't take that insult seriously either.

Five replied, “None taken.”

I guessed that was my cue, pears, almonds, oranges, tangerines, cherries, and many more other delights. My sense was better, so I took up the whole basket. I grabbed a pear and bit into it. The water swelled inside my mouth and the sweetness accented my tongue.

“Come on.” I waved him forward. He lifted his hands as if to stop me, but he instead nodded his head.

My head was pounding more than usual as we left the temple. I sent Five to go and find Valor.

He was not in the temple. Valor must have escaped like he said he would. We could have walked those districts with the clothing of the church, carting around spears. That was a bad idea. Nuns were never supposed to leave the confines of the temple, so we layered on the clothing of our betters.

We found the clothing on the way out.

As I looked over my shoulder in the rising sun, Janilla walked like a klutz.

I smiled. She needed practice walking in those tight bodices even after ten years of practice, it was still ingrained in my bones. Our best bet was to get off the streets and find a hostel.

Keeping the purple brim hat low over my eyes; I walked lightly along the now-crowded street. I was not as dark as a typical Shyia. Janilla was a true-blood Shyia. She was dark as can be, and beautiful as well.

If only her nose was straighter.

I needed to establish my way out of this situation, for cursing the world was not going to help.

Para was right I could not go into Ascus blind. A Queen needed subjects, so I would gather them. We found a place and settled into a rather large room with the gold I stole from that Templar.

I rented two rooms. Each possessed two beds. One was larger than the first, with a thick satin curtain flowing in the wind. The place was well stocked.

The washbasin was clean with a dark green smooth stone countertop surrounding it, while the floor held a thick bear fur.

My head was beating heavy drums as I sat back. I let the thick sheets hug my pained body as Janilla looked around with absent disregard.

I could turn her into my servant. She served those bastards for years. The thought bounced for a while in my head. “Hey, sit down, rest you had a terrible day yesterday,” I said.

She twirled then she looked down at herself. The dress hugged her tightly at the waist. She patted the sides trying to push down the curve of the dress. “How do you take this off?” she asked innocently.

I glowered at her. Nope, she could not be a servant. It's just—not possible. I helped her take it off.

Janilla spoke. “My lady, pardon asking such a per—"

“Just ask.” I cut in.

She shivered. “Carmine, right, who was that man?”

I replied, “You already know. You have been listening to our discussions I am sure.” We talked about a lot of stuff mostly about me being a singularity. It was an important object or thing that affects time’s flow. That was why Erot wanted me dead. I was a singularity that resulted in her demise.

So, Erot wanted me dead to make sure she did not die. Great, it was for a selfish reason. Thinking about it, I would have done the same thing, I guessed.

“List—Carmine, many people died back there, as a servant of Erot I—” she cut off the volume to her voice, her lips moved to show she was still hoping to have her words laid out.

I gave her a frightening stare. It was not that I was annoyed, but ignorance was not something I tolerated.

If she understood how bad the situation was she would not be pretending her God was her deliverer.

“Janilla, your God wants me dead. Don't you dare mention that name to me. Burn your God. I will kill anyone to save myself. Remember that.” I barked low and close to her face.

Janilla shrunk away from me.

That was too much and I should not have said that. I looked away. “Do you not want to leave? Run away?”

“Leave where?” Janilla asked.

“Family, to your family?”

“I am a, a nun. I have none.” She looked away.

I sighed, for I forgot about that part. Nuns were separated from family, if not chosen from orphans, to ensure they committed to the task. “Guess me and you have something in common.” I came up to her and patted her on her shoulder as I passed. “I am going to sleep.”

***

Eyes fluttered. My body tilted as a soft wave of grogginess enveloped my bones and stalled them.

“...the hell you mean!”

“...hold...”

“I di—”

The pain hit me then. I sighed. Curses to this life. My eyes breached the drowsiness that held me ransom for so long. I wished it was longer. The room danced, and so did the bodies moving around in it.

Valor? Wait, why was he draping up Five's coat?

He was shouting too. My ears were failing to pick up on the fast unintelligible drivel that was being thrown about. I lifted myself and the ache in my side bawled as much as my cracked voice. “Valor.”

The noise stopped. He turned. His eyes widened. Valor's hands loosened on Five's shirt collar. He stepped up to me with a smile. “Hey, you ok? T—What the hell happened to you?!” He was gesturing to my bandaged-up hand, but I am sure he saw all the other cuts and nicks I accumulated.

“Too many things to talk about,” I said as I swung my body off the bed. My body was too cold, so I looked down. I was only in laced petticoats and stockings. Heat warmed my neck at my bad memory. His face softened and turned away. I covered my legs with the sheets.

I looked at Five. “Which reminds me. Valor is Erot a God?”

Valor squinted his eyes at me. He swiftly looked back at Five. “What did you tell her?”

Five replied, “It would be more accurate to ask, what she already knows. Thank Corona for that.”

“That witch of the east, what did she do to you?” Valor asked.

“She was quite a bitch. She almost killed me," I said.

“I was trying to warn you. That’s why I escaped, but I found out you already left the keep. Five met me sometime after,” Valor said.

He then turned in avid shock. His hands on his forehead, he groaned loudly.

“Valor, I asked you a question."

“She is a God,” Valor said then he rocked his head, adding, “If a Shyia with her power and abilities can be called a God, sure.”

“Shyia?”

“She is a Shyia masquerading as a God."

I nodded my head as frustration welled up in me. Then I heard it.

“Blasphemy.”

We all looked at Janilla. She looked disgusted. Right, she was living the lie more affectionately than me.

I was about to say something, but she rounded Five and pointed at Valor. “Listen not to this heretic! He throws around lies in her name!”

Valor scowled at her. I looked between them not sure what to say.

For a good while, I accepted witches were after my life. Now, I heard Erot herself was after my life. I was seeing priests and their servants practice and do things that stink of something nefarious.

Who was I to believe?

Valor smirked. He licked his lips and strode towards her. Janilla stepped back, Valor stopped, and Janilla's back hits the wall. Valor and Janilla glared at each other. His head lowered. “You are just a peasant.” His smile died, and the scowl returned. “You believe what you believe, you never question it.”

Janilla stepped forward and fury swelled up in her eyes. “Peasant!? I believe the truth. The true way to live! I lived that way all my life! Unlike some fairy that mixes with demons and witches.”

Valor gestured around him. “Where do you see demons and witches? Only two men and a noblewoman here.”

Janilla made a noise and moved to the corner of the room. “Stay away from me, devil worker.”

Valor waved her off dismissively. He looked at me. “Where you get this lass?”

I proceeded to tell him the gritty details of what happened and how we reached this point.

Janilla said nothing, she just shot stares at all of us with suspicion. Valor sat beside me on the bed and took my hand. He grazed at the top of the bandage with his fingers playing an imaginary timbre tune on it. It was soaked red.

I looked at it through a tense side glance. My lips twitched. What he would say? Valor frowned when he stared at it. “How long ago you changed this bandage?”

I shook out of my musing. “Not sure."

He ripped off the bandage. I drifted back. My skin shivered with a dreadful chill as my eyes beset my hand. The urge to vomit was high.

I pressed my lips tight and I looked on with a shake of revulsion. The pain crept up, yet stiffened my fingers to its angst. My hand parted between my middle and my ring finger, dried thick blood splashed between the partitions.

Darkened skin and bubbled-up pus lingered near the deep cut. The smell made both of us turn our heads.

Valor said, “We need to deal with this quickly.” Then I heard him whistle. “Hey fix this.”

I looked to see that he motioned at Five.

Five replied, “I have no expertise in that area.”

Valor got up. “Well, aren’t you useless? Killing alone is what you are good at, right?” He then mumbled, “Typical N.C., Elamnite waste of sperm.”

Five frowned at that. Valor snapped a finger at Janilla “Help me with this.”

She stared daggers at Valor and replied, “Do not talk to me in that manner fairy.”

Valor was about to retort.

“Valor, be easy," I said.

Valor sighed, while Janilla got up and walked wide of him.

She got water and washed the wound with water. It burned and that revived the piercing pain that held my arm in agony, but she cleaned off the dried blood, removed the pus, and cleaned off most of it. Valor wrapped it with a new bandage. Janilla said, “She will lose that hand, some of the skin—"

“I know. I have someone I can bring her to. But we have to leave now,” Valor said.

“Where are we going Valor?” I asked.

Valor looked at me, hands on his hip. “To see a real witch.”