Helena carefully looked over both the town and the castle as they approached. The village itself had a low wall, nothing to stop a determined force, but enough to give defenders an advantage. Over time the village had spilled outside of the wall, and apparently no one had thought another wall would be needed. The houses were solid buildings, with large streets between them. It seemed this land was rich.

The manor castle was removed from the village proper, with a wall of its own. The building though was at least five stories, with a taller guard tower atop. Helena figured it could hold over one hundred people easily, though it almost certainly was not designed for that.

More interestingly Helena could tell, even at this distance, that a mage had claimed it as his domain. There was strong magic in that building. She sensed at least two workshops, several artifacts, and a guardian beast that was the equal of any chimera of her own realm. Alexis had not been bragging about her court mage's power. Helena's fingers itched at the knowledge that must be hidden away.

She forced herself to focus more on the political and physical realities then the magical ones. "I always wondered, how can such a small family live in such a huge house?"

"Well," Alexis said, "honestly the east wing is mostly empty. It is meant to house the court should the Kaiser or Prince ever come here. We keep it running while the king is away as part of our duties."

"Ah," Helena nodded. "That makes far more sense to me now."

The outer gates of the curtain wall were open but guarded as Helena and Alexis approached. The sun had not fully set, which meant the guards were alert, but couldn't see who was approaching clearly. "Who goes there?" the leftmost guard asked as they approached.

"Lady Alexis von Strausfen, daughter of Pfalzgraf Holdst von Strausfen. I have returned from my journey to find magical aid," Alexis replied. "Please take word to my father that I am back."

The guards snapped to attention at that. "Ah, my lady. We will send word immediately!" The two men looked at each other, then the one on the right ran towards the manor, while the one on the left moved to fill the entryway. "Heinrich will get Nedvarious right away, my lady. Sadly given the circumstances, I must ask you to please wait here."

Alexis smiled disarmingly at the man. "I understand. You must determine if it is really me after all."

"Problem with shape shifters?" Helena asked as they waited.

"Small, but once is enough," Alexis replied. "And given what we have learned, I am more forgiving of any inconvenience that keeps my father safe."

Helena nodded. Doppelgangers were far more likely to want to murder the local lord then the local cobbler. And the beasts loved this part of the Black Forest.

They did not have to wait long before the guard returned, with a man that could only be the court wizard. While he was not exactly thin, and his beard and hair were both short and neatly trimmed, the ostentatious yellow robes littered with red zodiac symbols and Babylonian runes were something only a magician or a charlatan would wear.

And Helena could tell the man wasn't a charlatan. Protective wards and innate spells swirled around him like a small dust devil. She could feel them poking and prodding at her own defensive spells, challenging the unfamiliar magic in their domain. She couldn't help but peer at the magic, trying to analyze and compare their spells, and she saw the man's eyes harden and do the same to her.

However the man's stony gaze disappeared into a merry bluster as he turned away from her and towards her companion. "Lady Alexis! I am glad to see you safe and sound. Your father and brother were nearly sick with grief when you fled out into the night, and my words that you were safe were all that seemed to calm them."

"Yes." Alexis blushed and bit her lip as she looked down at the ground. "I may have acted somewhat rashly, running off without consulting anyone." She looked up. "But I was afraid for my father's life. Apparently someone seeking his death has placed a curse on me."

"So I found out my lady," Nedvarious replied. "And I imagine that's why you hired this witch," he said turning his gaze to Helena. "Though I am somewhat confused why a battle mage agreed to help you."

Helena smiled. "Oh, curses and necromancy are my specialties. Battle magic is just a hobby. But I'm honored that an alchemist of your stature considers me worthy of the title."

He gave her another appraising look, this time focusing on her clothing. "A child of Hecate?" he asked in Greek.

"Helena Aoede, the Curse Gunner," she replied.

He switched back to German. "And I am Nedvarious, Alchemist of Babylon. I thank you for helping our lady." He gave a slight nod of respect, which Helena returned. Nedvarious' frown deepened. "I fear I may have to ask you to continue helping her."

Alexis looked between the two of them. "Would it not be better to combine your efforts? Or is that against some magical rule?"

"It is not against any rules, so much as against common sense," Nedvarious said with a deep sigh. He turned to her with a sad expression. "Please, you must understand Alexis. We cannot let you enter the manor."

"What?" Alexis gaped at the man. "But..."

He shook his head. "Think on it,my Lady. The curse's goal is to kill your father, and it is both subtle and vicious. If you are away from him, he is safe, but if you are near... even my magic might not be enough to stop the curse from striking." His expression grew hard again. "For the good of your father you must not come near him until the curse is gone."

Alexis stood there, jaw quivering as she learned she had been banished from her own home. Helena felt a sharp pang in her own heart at the sight. But Nedvarious was right. Every second Alexis was near her father was a chance for a disaster to occur.

Finally the young woman wiped her eyes and nose and turned towards the wizard. "M- May I at least send him letters?"

Nedvarious nodded. "Of course. And he wished to give you a letter as well." The wizard held out a rolled up scroll sealed with red wax.

Alexis reached up to take it with a shaky hand, then walked to one of the torches to read it. Everyone stepped away to give the woman some privacy.

Helena forced herself to turn to the wizard. "Nedvarious was it? I have some information you might find useful. And you know some things I need. How about an exchange?"

"About the curse I imagine," Nedvarious gave her a sidelong look. "What have you managed to learn?"

"I've confirmed it's targeted at the king, and that it was cast on behalf of another," Helena said. "I'm also fairly certain the caster is incompetent, which is unfortunately working against determining who the true source of the curse is."

The wizard narrowed his eyes as he considered her words. "I see. Which means we have a non-magical agitator to worry about as well. Troublesome." Helena nodded. The number of magicians killed by a lucky human with no magical skill was overstated, but still too large for any smart witch to ignore. And since she was trying to protect another magicless human, things could get much worse.

Nedvarious sighed. "So what do you need to know in return?"

"I need to know where your local witch lives," Helena said. She waved her hands at the castle manor. "Anyone who spends that much effort setting up a domain keeps track of the local spellcasters. Even if she's a hedge wizard in hiding you should know where she is."

"Why do you want to know?" Nedvarious asked.

Helena shrugged. "She seems like the person to question both about magic and about the opinions of the populace."

The wizard narrowed her eyes at her. He probably could tell she was lying, but in the end he decided he didn't care what bad fortune he gave to his local competitor. "She lives east of the town, down a trail that you can't find unless you carry gold in your hand." He sniffed. "Hardly the strongest of protections, but she does need customers."

Helena nodded. "Thank you." She then took a step away, which the wizard reciprocated, then checked Alexis.

She immediately turned away in embarrassment. The young woman was crying as she read the note, clenching it hard enough to crumple the parchment. As a witch Helena had often seen the tears of grief, pain or rage that society demanded people hide away, but it still felt like a horrible intrusion.

Helena did not look up until she heard Alexis blow her nose. The noblewoman was cleaning her face with a tissue, wearing a mask of strength to hide her disappointment. "Thank you for giving me this letter, Nedvarious. Please give my father my love, and tell him I shall write as soon as possible." Alexis turned to Helena. "My father has offered us grounds at one of the hunting lodges. We can continue our investigations from there, and he has ordered the citizens to give us whatever assistance they can. However, we are not to enter the city or castle, unless we may immediately resolve the matter by doing so."

Helena nodded. "I understand. Irksome but acceptable." She looked over at the wizard and the guards. "I believe we should be on our way then. I have little fear of the dark, but it doesn't make traveling in it any more fun. Good day to you all."

The guards bowed. "Safe travels miss. And please, if there is anything we can do to help you Lady Alexis call upon us. We owe your father greatly for his just rule. No man of the castle would balk at offering you whatever you ask."

Alexis managed a weak smile. "My thanks. I shall remember this." She turned to Helena. "Shall I lead the way?"

"Which direction is it?" Helena asked.

"To the South and East," Alexis remarked. "It is along a trail, so we should not need horses."

"Then let us be off," Helena said, pausing a moment to summon an orb of light and have it float before her like a lantern.

Alexis' steps were slow as they walked away from the castle, her eyes fixed upon the road before them. Helena walked silently beside her. She had once followed this same path, the path away from home, into exile.

As they plodded along, Alexis' mask began to slip and crack. Not into tears again, but a sullen, disappointed and questioning silence. Helena knew this part too, when the mind screamed at the injustice of it all, and began to question the worth of those forced to send you away, and yourself.

However none of those thoughts were healthy. Helena decided to step in. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

Alexis started in surprise then glared at her briefly. "I was not entirely sure there was something to talk about."

"No?" Helena raised an eyebrow. "Not many people get dictatorial use of the military and a personal note while being banished."

"That's-!" Alexis' glare returned full force, then the woman sighed and looked down again. "No. You're right. I shouldn't linger on this should I?"

Helena shrugged. "I don't know about shouldn't, but worrying about your father's feelings isn't the best idea." Helena began looking through her pouch. "The important thing is getting rid of this curse. Your father must trust that you can handle it."

"You're right." Alexis nodded slowly. "Since he can't do it himself, it is in my hands. Well our hands." She grinned weakly. "I am well aware who the leader of this search is."

Helena chuckled. "I don't know much about nobility, but I do know one of the biggest differences between a good noble and a bad noble is figuring out who to hire for the job. You'll never be able to do everything yourself."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Not even with magic?"

"With magic you might be able to do everything eventually," Helena said. "But there's still not enough time to handle it all on your own." She looked over at Alexis. "Besides, unless you're thinking of becoming a witch, you're going to have to hire a wizard anyway for such matters. And magicians have their own agendas."

"A fair point," Alexis said. She looked at Helena's bag. "What are you looking for by the way?"

"A piece of gold," Helena said. Finally she found the small nugget. "There!"

Alexis frowned. "What for?"

Helena smiled as a path appeared in the distance. "Because we're going to go interrogate your local witch."

Helena was impressed at how quickly Alexis had recovered from her early disappointment. Currently the woman was yelling at Helena's plan. "Are you seriously suggesting we burst into a woman's home in the dead of night and interrogate her for clues? Why? And why now? Shouldn't we at least wait until morning?"

"We need to interrogate her because she's the prime suspect for curses," Helena said. "Which means she'll know the person who hired her. And we're doing it now because if she's got any sense at all she'll run for the hills as soon as she notices we're here."

Alexis swore as she tripped on a root. "How would she know that though? We'll have only been here a day."

"And everyone in the city will know you're back before the church bell rings at dawn," Helena replied.

"How so?" Alexis asked. "Only my father's guards and Nedvarious even know we are here. And they would not sell that information to any spy."

Helena nodded. "Perhaps not. But they don't need to. They'll go home and tell all their family about the brave Lady's return, and the strange witch she brought with her. And how sad it must be for a father and daughter to have to stay apart, and like that..." Helena snapped her fingers. "Everyone knows."

Alexis stared at her for a bit, then grew thoughtful. "But... why us then? My father's men could just as easily inspect the place."

"They probably could," Helena sighed. "Still, confronting a witch in her home is dangerous. Especially for someone with no magic. Your wizard could handle it, but your guards might have a hard day."

"And why wouldn't Nedvarious be best suited to handle this?" Alexis frowned. "Actually why did he not do it himself?"

Helena swirled her hand around to indicate the forest. "A magician who wants to advertise their presence sets up a domain. This chunk of forest is a domain, and your manor has been claimed as the property of your court wizard. Magically anyway." Alexis' frown deepened as Helena continued. "While a domain has many benefits, it also has weaknesses. One is that anyone can tell if you leave it. The moment your wizard left the castle she'd probably run."

"While we can walk in unopposed." Alexis sighed. "But it still seems wrong."

"We'll just be asking questions to start," Helena lied. "Now rest a moment. I need to be careful here."

Helena focused for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to perceiving magic. It wasn't as good as using all her senses, but the eyes were best for seeing traps and snares.

What she saw was almost disappointing. The forest was covered in a mesh of magical lines, but most of those were devoted to the pathetic glamors designed to make the forest look dangerous, and to hide the path from people. The alarms began more than three fourths of the way into the forest, and they were simply magical tripwires designed to trigger when humans or magical creatures approached. Helena pulled out a bit of fur from her pouch and used it to put up a spell that told the alarms that they were simply deer.

That done she moved closer to one of the threads of power and touched it lightly. It tingled with a mix of hedge magic, half constructed Kabbalism and Celtic ritual. A hodgepodge of stolen magic.

A very familiar hodgepodge. She didn't need Lyudmila's skill to tell these wards used the same magical style as the curse. "What an idiot," Helena said as she shook her head. "Alright, let's go."

Helena strode quickly up the path, Alexis fretting as she followed behind. The noblewoman's concern seemed to increase when they reached the end of the path to find a simple cottage with a perfectly ordinary looking herb garden. "Are you sure this is the correct place?" Alexis asked.

"Yes." Helena sniffed. "And I suppose I shouldn't be too condescending towards her. Her fear charm is fairly subtle. If totally ineffective against other magical beings." She looked over at Alexis. "By the way, when things go wrong please don't pull your pistol. Even without the curse, older guns tend to misfire often when magicians start throwing power about."

"What?!" Alexis yelped.

While Alexis was recovering Helena flipped the latch on the gate and pushed it open, then grabbed her lock picks out of her pouch as she approached the door. Unfortunately the front door wasn't even locked. "I'm never going to use these things," she muttered before turning the handle and throwing the door open.

It slammed into a chair sending it toppling. The inside of the cottage was more traditionally witchy, with screens, curtains and a good cauldron bubbling. The scene was rather diminished by the shocked middle aged woman who had been washing dinner plates. "Hello there!" Helena said as she strode into the cottage.

The other witch had the presence of mind to drop the plate she was watching and grab a wand. "Who are you?" she demanded as she pointed the wand at Helena. "And what are you doing here?"

"I'm Helena Aoede," Helena said. "And as for why I'm here, I imagine that should be obvious." She pointed to where Alexis was standing open mouthed. Helena walked over to a chair next to the table and flopped down into it. "So now that we've introduced ourselves, why don't you give me your name and start describing any curses you cast recently?"

The other witch blanched at the sight of the young noblewoman, then turned and hissed a furious command to her wand. A scintillating blue bolt flew from it which Helena carelessly batted away. The strike hit a teacup which transformed into a slug. The elder witch slowly lowered her wand as she looked over the mess. "Your name?" Helena asked again.

"Margarete, that's all you'll be getting from me hagkin," the woman spat. The insult would have probably sent Lyudmila into a hissing rage, but Helena couldn't help but find the barb mildly amusing. Margarete looked over at Alexis. "And as for curses, I don't know why I should be caring about that woman. My curses have no connection to her."

"Please, don't insult me. You know I'm a more powerful magician then you," Helena said calmly. "More importantly you have to know anyone who can see your curse on Alexis there is just as capable of linking the magic to you."

Margarete snorted. "Maybe you ain't as good a magician as you think little girl. You and that pompous man up in his little castle. Did he hire you to handle matters for him? And when you failed you decided to trouble me?"

Alexis' shock disappeared behind a cold glare. "So you are responsible for trying to kill my father?"

The witch staggered back from the accusation. "What? No, no! I would never try to hurt your father my Lady. I've never cast a curse on him. Wouldn't do it. Not in a million years."

Helena nodded. "I see. So you can't curse him for some reason. Which is why you cursed Alexis instead." Margarete opened her mouth and Helena sighed. "Please stop lying. It will only draw out matters unpleasantly."

Margarete flinched again. "I swear my Lady, this witch is playing you for a fool and-" The woman's protests were cut off as she lowered the wand again, this time grabbing on to a crystal on the counter. Helena ducked the bolt the woman shot at her, and a chunk of the wall behind her burst into plaster shards.

As the other witch began chanting a longer spell, Helena swept her right arm over her head. Then as Margarete shied away, Helena focused her energy into her left hand and snapped out "Persephone's Temptation." An orb of lightning seared through the air towards the other witch. Margarete tried to leap aside, but the orb exploded into three smaller pieces that shattered the woman's simple wooden wand. Margarete screamed and clutched her hand in pain.

Helena steepled her hands. "Let's cut to the chase. Answer our questions truthfully and completely and we'll let you live. I'll even force Alexis here to give you a two day head start."

Alexis folded her arms. "I suppose I could acquiesce to that. But only if the answers come swiftly."

Margarete stood there, shaking in rage and fear as Helena and Alexis stared at her. Then she slumped. "Fine then," the woman spat. "Ask away. Though you'll get little from me, and glad I am of it!"

"Who hired you?" Helena asked.

"I do not know," Margarete sneered. "She wore a mask, and had items or spells to hide herself from my divinations. I only know it was a woman, and a woman filled with more spite than any I had ever seen."

Helena nodded grimly. Apparently their quarry was clever.

"And her accent?" Alexis asked.

The other witch grimaced. "She was from nearby. Not the village mind, or I would know of her, but nearby for sure."

"So then, since we can't find her, why don't you tell us what she hired you to do?" Helena said calmly.

Margarete glared at her for a while, then swallowed and said, "She asked for a death curse on Holdst von Strausfen. The strongest and most clever I could make." The witch closed her eyes. "But that damned puffed up dog the count owns has his owner protected with more wards than any man has a right to. I had his blood, and he still could not be found, not by any spell."

"We'll be taking that blood by the way," Helena said quickly.

The other witch laughed. "I burned it all when I was done. You'll not find a trace here." Helena nodded. That made things easier in the long term.

"Continue your story," Alexis commanded.

Margarete bit her lip, but eventually faltered under their stares. "After I failed I looked for another way of handling matters. After all, just because you cannot target a man, doesn't mean you cannot kill him. A rock summoned above someone's head strikes just as hard as a bolt of magic. In this case it was easy. I cursed his son." She sneered, "And since it's not my hatred, you can't even kill me to be rid of it."

"You incompetent fool," Helena said. "You managed to miss with a curse that strong? Can't you see your own magic?!" She pointed at Alexis. "Your curse is there!"

"And all the stranger for it," Margarete sneered. "Well tis not my business at all why one child is cursed and not the other. Take it up with your master mage if you want. All I know is my curse was cast upon the eldest son."

Alexis looked at Helena while she mused on the matter. It was possible the witch was lying to her, but given the sheer smugness in the woman's expression, it seemed unlikely. Of course she could test matters, but taking her eyes off Margarete right now would be foolish.

In the end Helena decided to end matters. "Thank you for your time, Margarete. You can leave as soon as you turn over the domain." She pointed at the stone that the woman was about to stuff into her purse. "Leave that though. And any stones like it you have. I suggest bacon for a large trip, and any preserves you have. A county can get pretty big, and you've got a ways to run."

Margarete let out a thin wail of frustration, but put down the stone. "Fine. The place is yours. May it serve you as well as it served me."

Helena's eyes narrowed as the wispy black curse from Margarete's words slinked out and crept towards her. She reached out and crushed it with her left hand before flicking the slimy mess of bad luck to the ground with all her contempt. "I admit to underestimating your skill, but not by much. You might be subtle, but that's all you have going for you. I suggest you find a different line of work, or you'll find your plans constantly falling apart when you feel closest to triumph."

The other woman simply fumed at her before stepping behind a curtain. Alexis moved inside carefully, but Helena simply waited. A few minutes later Margarete came out with a full pack, throwing down two fist sized stones before rummaging through her pantry stowing away some slabs of bacon.

Helena stood as the woman stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her. As the pans on the wall slowly finished rattling, Helena felt the presence of the domain around her weaken. "Well, that's that."

Alexis looked around. "Is this safe?" She sighed. "I admit I feel bad kicking an old woman out of her home and sending her into exile to start. But taking up residence in her place seems even more questionable. On top of that she is a witch."

"Yes, it would be dangerous if you were a normal person. But I'm also a witch. And she gave me the place." Helena closed her eyes. "Which means I can do this."

Helena opened up to the land around her. Normally a mage focused their magic into a spell instead of just letting the power run wild, but here the land had been crafted and cultivated so that power flowed in the correct ways already. All Helena had to do was make it hers.

And that was easy. The other witch's magic had already begun to fade away, fleeing just like its owner. Helena's overflowing power blasted the lingering scraps to dust.

Helena's eyes opened. Her surroundings felt familiar, though she barely knew the layout of the place. The house and the forest were hers now.

Alexis seemed to feel the change. Understandable since the fear spells no longer targeted the woman. "Did you do something, Helena?"

"I made this place my domain. Temporarily," Helena replied. She stood and walked to the cupboard with the bowls. "That's why I demanded she give us the house and everything in it. Stealing from a magician is difficult. Possible of course. Some mages make a career out of it. But very dangerous." Helena took the bowls over to the cauldron and sniffed the contents. "Ah, vegetable soup. Excellent."

"So why did she give in so easily?" Alexis asked.

Helena filled the bowls. "Well first, we could kill her. That's a big reason. Second, she was planning on running anyway." Helena looked at Alexis. "She did curse the lord of the land. A lord with a powerful magician as a retainer. She had that bag packed and ready to go as soon as trouble showed up." Helena placed the bowls down. "Finally, I imagine she gave in to protect herself. If she gives up ownership of everything here I can't use it to target her with any spells. Owning something is a weakness as well as a strength, where magic is concerned. That's why I'm going to give up the place when we're done. Too dangerous if I'm not living here."

Alexis nodded slowly. "That all makes a good amount of sense." She looked at the stew bowl. "Are we really stealing her dinner?"

"It's mine now," Helena said. "Though you could eat the rations instead if you wish."

The noblewoman stared at the bowl for a bit before sighing and digging in. "I'll call it right of quartering."

Helena simply began eating. Whatever made the woman feel better.