The next morning, Anne was extremely reluctant to get up when Eva went to wake her.

Eva shook her on the arm gently, and Anne pushed her away, groaning. “Just five more minutes,” said Anne, not opening her eyes. “Or maybe, like, twenty more minutes…”

“You have a prayer meeting to conduct in twenty minutes,” said Eva, gently.

“Can’t I skip it?” asked Anne.

“No,” said Eva. “You can’t.”

Anne had clearly dozed off again. Eva sighed, hands on her hips, and said in a slightly raised voice. “And I thought you said seeing that woman would give you energy? Clearly it’s made you more tired than ever. As I thought, there’s no way I can let you go see her again until—”

Anne shot up in bed. “I’m up, I’m up!” she said.

Eva sighed, and said fondly, “Alright, good job. Now come, I’ll help you get dressed.”

“I really can’t keep going like this, Eva,” said Anne, sitting on her bed as Eva knelt in front of her, doing up the buttons on Anne's shirt. “I can’t work this hard. I feel like I’m dying all the time.”

“You can do it,” said Eva, reassuringly. “You’re much stronger than you think.”

“No, I’m serious, I need a break,” insisted Anne. “At least just a few days off, please.”

Eva looked up at Anne’s exhausted face. She raised one hand to gently stroke Anne’s cheek. “Alright. I’ll have a talk with the Bishop. But it will have to be after the miracle. If you put on a really good show, that will generate a lot of good will for the church, and that should put the Bishop in a generous mood.”

“About the miracle…” said Anne, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Do we really have to do it?”

“Of course,” said Eva, helping Anne into her trousers.

“But… you know my miracles are unpredictable,” said Anne. “I don’t feel like I can really… control them as much as I should be able to. Even after all this time."

Anne really hoped she wasn’t revealing too much by saying this. After all, Anne didn’t really know how well the real Saintess had been able to control her miracles. All she knew was that she, herself, had no fucking clue why it had worked the one time she had gotten it to work. And she hadn't been able to replicate it since.

“Wouldn’t it be really bad if we put on this big event and then when I got up there… nothing happened?” continued Anne.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” said Eva, putting a hand on Anne’s shoulder. “After all, the Goddess loves you. More than she loves anyone else. And she’ll always be there for you when you really need her. You just have to call on her with faith in your heart.”

Anne was not feeling a whole lot of faith at the moment.

“Now let’s get you into these boots,” said Eva. “Here, eat this muffin while I lace them up for you. You need to keep up your strength after all!”

Later that afternoon, while Anne was trying not to doze off in the middle of some ritual or another, Corvina was having a few friends over for tea.

They called themselves friends, although in the high stakes social world of the capital, friendships between noblewomen were really more like strategic alliances—connections formed in order for each person to further their political goals and gain more power for themselves and their families. Even if two women were genuinely enjoying each others' company, they would also be constantly making those calculations in the back of their mind. What can I get from this person? And what it is that they want from me? That was just the way it was.

This particular group of "friends" had been each other’s strongest allies for years now. Everyone in the capital knew that they supported one another, and collectively they held an incredible amount of social power in women’s circles. Most people knew this group by a particular name, although few people would dare to say that name to their faces:

The Bastards Club.

Aside from Corvina, the bastards club included three members.

First was Lady Belle Tulinmal, who had dark skin with cool undertones, and long black hair which she wore in a variety of styles. Always the height of fashion and refinement, on this particular day, Lady Belle’s hair was styled in massive drill curls around her head, and she wore a light-blue gown with white lace accents.

Next was Lady Nia Lowmal, who had warm brown skin and dark blue hair which she kept in a messy bob. Lady Nia was a more eccentric dresser, often wearing the traditional clothes of other nations, although today she was wearing a form-fitting red dress with gold accents. The one consistent element of her fashion was that she always wore a pair of small, round sunglasses. She claimed that they completed any look.

Finally, there was Countess Collette Vostelmal, the one who had given their little group their colorful nickname in the first place. She had pale, freckled skin and long, bright orange hair, which she usually wore half-up. Her fashion sense was best described as gaudy, and today was no exception. She wore a puffy green dress with a very low neckline and a gold necklace with a massive emerald at its center.

Right now, they were all sitting around the table in Corvina’s gazebo.

“So is it true what I’ve heard about your brother and fiance falling under the Saintess’s spell?” said Collette, taking a big bite of a cookie. “I heard they keep showing up at church events trying to get her to talk to them, but she won’t give them the time of day.”

“Or perhaps,” said Nia, with a wry smile and a pointed look, “The imperial family is finally acknowledging the authority of the church? There are already whispers of a shift in the balance of power.”

Corvina sighed, setting down her tea cup. “I prefer the first rumor to the second. It's more manageable. Although I fear I may soon have to act in a way that will make many people suspect that the second explanation is more true.”

“What do you mean?” asked Belle, narrowing her eyes.

“I’m planning to attend the Saintess’s miracle tomorrow.”

The other three gasped.

“You can’t do that!” said Belle, standing up. “As long as it’s only the Prince and the Duke acting like this, you can explain it away, but if you start acting like a lackey to the church…”

“I know,” said Corvina. “But I have to go. I need to see how these miracles work.”

“You could use an agent for that,” said Belle. “Have someone else go and describe it to you. You don’t need to go in person and cause all that trouble.”

“No, I have to go myself,” said Corvina.

“But why?”

Corvina blushed a little. It was subtle, but just enough that those who knew were well could notice. “Because I promised her I would…”

“Oh my goddess!” said Collette, covering her mouth with her hand. “Don’t tell me you’re also infatuated with the Saintess.”

“Collette!” said Belle, shooting her a warning look.

“What?” said Collette. “We’ve all heard that she specially invited the Saintess over for tea the day after the Summer Ball. You know you’ve been dying to ask about it, too.”

“I’m afraid I can’t really explain it right now,” said Corvina, maintaining her composure. “But I was hoping you all might be able to help me spin this in a way that minimizes the damage.”

“Did you have something in mind?” asked Nia, sipping her tea.

“Turn the narrative around,” said Corvina. “Subtly suggest to others that, rather than the imperial family supporting the Saintess, the Saintess is starting to support the imperial family. After all, the Saintess hasn’t shown any signs of being close with the church hierarchy. She and her entourage tend to avoid the Bishop and the High Priests when they can, even at public events.”

“Yes, but they also avoid the Prince and the Duke,” insisted Belle.

Corvina shrugged. “It doesn’t matter,” said Corvina. “It all comes down to emphasis. If nothing else, spreading this version of events will at least muddy the story somewhat and lessen the potential fallout.”

Belle scoffed. “I just don’t get why you would go this far out of your way for this Saintess. From what I’ve heard she has no sense of social decorum, lacks any impressive wit or intellect, and doesn’t even know how to dress herself.”

"I heard that's cause of some religious drivel about the goddess and vanity or something," Collette chimed in, sipping her tea.

“I promise I’ll introduce you all to her soon,” said Corvina. “I think when you meet her you might understand.”

“What is it that’s so impressive about her?” asked Belle.

“I really can’t explain it,” said Corvina. “You just have to meet her.”

Belle scoffed again and finally sat back down, folding her arms. “Fine. I’ll spread your little rumors for you. But this Saintess better be worth it. You know your reputation affects all of our reputations as the illegitimate daughters of nobility.”

“Yeah!” said Collette, grinning. “The Bastards Club lives and dies together!”

“I do wish you wouldn’t call us that,” said Belle.

“You do know it’s impossible to stop her, right?” asked Nia, with a wry smile. “In this or anything else.”

“Yeah!” said Collette. “I do what I want!”

“Just because you’re lucky enough to have already inherited your father’s title,” said Belle.

“Don’t forget I’m also independently wealthy thanks to my businesses,” said Collette. “And therefore under no pressure to marry for either political or financial reasons. I’m free as a bird!”

“Some people have all the luck,” said Belle, with a huff.

“Oh come on,” said Collette. “You’re not so badly off yourself, missy, with your loving family and your doting fiance.”

Belle continued to glare, but now she was also blushing. “Oh, I do wish you’d be quiet,” she said.

Collette laughed. “It’s such a shame you have so many wishes that will never come true.”

They continued chatting for a while about this and that. Corvina didn’t speak much, instead enjoying listening to the conversation. So many things had been changing for Corvina since she had met the Saintess. This familiarity was comforting.

When the tea had all been drunk and the snacks had all been eaten, they all got up to leave.

“You should bring the Saintess to my party on Friday,” said Collette, putting on a large, floppy sun hat. “I’m simply dying to meet her.”

“I’ll ask her,” said Corvina. “Although she may be busy.”

Collette waved a hand dismissively. “Everyone’s always busy. But you gotta make time for parties anyway!”

“I promise I’ll ask her,” said Corvina.

Belle huffed again. “Just tell her to wear something decent if she’s going to come."

Corvina waved as the two walked off across the lawn.

Nia hung back, pulling a small paper-wrapped package out of her purse and handing if over to Corvina. Corvina took it from her and pulled back the paper. It was several cartons of cigarettes.

“Thank you,” said Corvina.

“You’ve been going through these quicker than usual,” said Nia, leaning against the side of the gazebo. “Take it easy or your going to put a strain on my smugglers.”

“Sorry,” said Corvina. “It’s been a stressful time.”

“I wish you’d share your stress with us more,” said Nia. “You know Belle only acts grumpy because she’s worried about you.”

“I know,” said Corvina, with a wry smile. “After all these years I can pick up on that much.”

Nia shook her head. “Still, that girl could stand to be a bit more honest with her feelings.”

“This isn’t a world that rewards honesty,” said Corvina.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Nia, standing up straight. “Fine, so something big is going down but you can’t tell us about it yet. We can be patient for a while.”

Nia gave Corvina a casual salute as she sauntered across the lawn. “Just don’t keep us in suspense for too long, or we could end up causing you trouble! We are bastards after all.”