Katarina awoke a couple hours later to sunlight streaming through the window, to scattered chirping of birds, the whining hum of a mosquito in her ear and the mage struggling against her. There was a moment of disorientation where she could not remember where she was, a fleeting memory of a nightmare she'd forgotten, and then awareness crept in. Katarina prayed to her goddess, and extended her antimagic field to its limits.

"Ahhh, good morning, Mystia." Katarina announced dryly. The young woman froze for a moment, and then her struggles continued in earnest.

Katarina got up and stretched, twisting this way and that so that her bones popped comfortably. She'd been doing everything the past few days mechanically, in an exhausted daze that precluded thought. After a good sleep she was restive and alert. She rummaged in her saddlebags for a hairbrush and went to work on her head with a will. The mage growled at her through her gag, and Katarina looked at her expectantly.

"I lost my brush, so I'm borrowing yours." She remarked indifferently and went back to work on her hair. When it was brushed to her satisfaction, she rebraided it, dressed herself, and turned to the tied woman and knelt by the bed, bringing her head more or less level with the mages'.

"We haven't had much in the way of talk since I caught you." She explained. "My name is Katarina Pavlenko. I'm a Witch Hunter in service to the Golden Lady." She said, raising her hand and dangling her holy symbol in front of the witch. "I'm going to take you to the Church. We've got plenty more miles ahead of us little sparrow, so you can either behave or I can drug you again." Katarina encouraged.

The woman glared up at her, and Katarina stared back at her, nonplussed. Katarina had discovered it was necessary to gag the woman, because Mystia had a truly magical voice, her songs breeding terror, confusion and blindness.

Katarina squatted by the bed. "You've just spent the past week and a half tied to the back of my horse, you know. Do you remember any of that?" Katarina asked curiously, resting her elbow on the bed and propping her chin in her hand. "Do you even know where you are?" She asked with a pointed look. The smaller girl stopped struggling for a moment and gave her a guarded, confused look. Katarina nodded once.

"Neither do I." Katarina confided. "From what I saw last night, this is a frontier town. Very remote. You know what that means?" She asked Mystia, who was unable to answer. "It means that you and I have to negotiate." She answered as if Mystia had been able to respond.

"Now, you could agree to behave and I'd untie your bonds. We could go downstairs like two civilized ladies and eat breakfast in the common room." Katarina offered diplomatically. "Or I can drug you again, and the next time you wake up we'll be in a different place, and we'll have this conversation again."

She eyed Mystia carefully. "The one thing you absolutely can't do though, is start using magic. You see, if they figure out you're a magic-user, the townsfolk'll likely tear you apart. or hang you. Or burn you alive. Whatever the custom is here." She smiled diplomatically. "They wouldn't care if you were Sanctioned. They wouldn't care if Her Grace the Grand Cardinal of the Anglish Empire Herself told them that you wouldn't hurt a flea. In the bigger cities they'd maybe let you get away with it, but they'd report you to the Church. Out here on the frontier, however..." She paused. "It's different. You're a real danger and a moral threat. They'll do anything they can to kill you."

She shrugged and spread her hands disarmingly. "I'm just one woman, I don't know if I'd be able to keep you protected and safe from them."

Katarina waited expectantly, and then undid the rawhide and cloth gag. "What will it be, Mystia?" Katarina asked softly. The woman took a breath.

"You're a real cunt, you know that?" Mystia replied flatly.

"So you say." Katarina replied, unconsciously duplicating the woman's inflections and cadence.

"I could have gone anywhere, traveled to any city, made everyone obey me. Did I do it? No. Because I wanted to be left alone. I hadn't even used magic against someone until you showed up-"

Katarina nodded. "I believe you." she said, interrupting the girl.

"I- what?" Mystia offered lamely.

"I don't think you're evil." Katarina replied simply. "I don't think you want to hurt people." She continued. "I think that given the opportunity, most mages would rather go back to their lives, rather than be hunted down and killed." She replied comfortably.

Mystia nodded. "So you'll let me go?" She offered eagerly, and Katarina shook her head. "You know I can't do that." She replied.

"No, I don't!" Mystia rebutted bitterly.

"Listen, Mystia." Katarina began patiently. "Even if you have the best possible intentions, without the protection of the Goddess, you are a risk- not just to other people, but to yourself." She paused. "Magic is poisonous. It will sicken your body, or cause mutation; sometimes both." She chose her words with care; the girl was barely past her menses but not yet a woman. "The sicknesses and mutations are incurable. Worse, that corruption isn't limited to the body- it will seep into your mind and soul." She let that sink in for a moment. A cleric had explained the same thing to her sister nearly twenty years ago. Her sister had been nearly seven years old, then. How could you tell someone so young that they would get sick and die, that it was inevitable and incurable? She took a breath, and continued.

"My responsibility is to kill the witch." She explained, but held up her hand before Mystia could object. "But that doesn't mean you have to die, you know." She offered and settled herself next to the bed.

"The Golden Lady teaches love, light, and life." She explained gently. "Even if you have the power to work magic, there is still a place for you in her eyes."

"I'm already attainted with heresy." Mystia hissed. "That happened the moment I used magic." She replied, tears trickling down her face.

Katarina rolled her eyes testily and shook her head. "If you come with me willingly to the Church and agree to become Sanctioned, you will not be a heretic." She encouraged. "You'll be trained to use your magical power in service to the Golden Lady." She trailed off. "You might not see your friends or family again, but it might be preferable to death. It might be worse than death." She rolled her eyes. "But that's for you to decide." She finished.

"What will happen to me?" Mystia asked, and Katarina nodded. "You'll be Sanctioned. You'll receive a tattoo made with sacred inks blessed by the Golden Lady. It will protect you against the poisonous taint of magic so that you can live a normal, healthy life. You'll be sent to a magical school- like the Miskatonic in Darnell or the School of Innsmouth in Westharbor- and you'll be trained to use your power safely, without hurting anyone. You can live a life in the Church as a sanctioned mage, using your powers responsibly... or you can be attainted with heresy and I can end you here." She offered simply.

"You're not really giving me a choice." Mystia muttered numbly, and to this Katarina shrugged.

"No, I suppose I'm not." She agreed. "But we all have to make sacrifices. Will you come to the Church with me?" Katarina asked.

"I'll come." Mystia agreed sulkily. Katarina's impassive face softened into a smile. "Good. If last night's stew was any indication, we're in for a real treat for breakfast."

She cut the woman's bonds and helped her up.

"Your clothes aren't a total loss, I think." Katarina said by way of conversation, and then added, "Though they smell like a wet horse."

"So how do you expect me to behave?" Mystia asked bitterly. "Am I to pretend we're great friends? Smile and simper?" She punctuated this with an obscene gesture.

Katarina laughed at that. "Just keep your mouth shut. Anyone asks, I'll claim you're mute."

Mystia flashed her a look of hatred, but sighed wearily, resigned. "Fine."

"Good. Let's go get breakfast. Can you smell it? I think we're in for a real treat."