Chapter 113

The mage began chanting in a high, reedy voice, as the fire surged from tree to tree. The air was uncomfortable, thick with heat pressing down on Katarina and difficult to breathe.

The words were unimportant, she knew. Mages often chanted incomprehensibly, or moved their hands, arms, and bodies in strange gestures and stances in order to center within their mind what their spell should do when it took form. There was no uniform stance, chant or gesture, it was all a personal attunement to the arcane.

While he concentrated on bringing out his power he would be distracted; now was her chance. She rounded the tree, levelled her gun and fired. He was further away than she’d assumed, but her aim was impeccable, and her eye true.

The heavy lead slug caught him high in the shoulder, smashing ribs and shattering his shoulderblade as it passed through his upper chest and out the back. He screamed breathlessly and dropped, but his spell had completed. Another thick black cloud rushed out of the air in which he stood, heavy, fist-sized cinders glowing a brilliant orange-yellow erupted from the smoke, setting everything ablaze, adding to the confusion. The cinders smashed against her coat and forced her to duck away, but the cloud grew and grew, so she was forced to turn and run.

Faced with a burning forest at her back and the thick, incendiary cloud in front of her, she ran parallel to the edge of the forest, away from her prey and further away from the house she was certain housed her sister.

The entire clearing seethed with chaos. The forest fire was burning merrily, the large garden was blazing, and over it all was a thick black cloud that seethed with searing and burning cinders. She’d barely escaped the first cloud, which seemed to have reached the limits of its expansion. She glanced at the edges of the garden she stood next to: interspersed between the plants were row after row of deadly bronze blades, and the ground around them was covered in a slick, greasy substance that was rank with the scent of naptha. He’d done his job masterfully; there was no way she could approach from any side except how he directed. She couldn’t hope he was dead in that chaotic mess, and there was no way for her to check. The garden she was near to was beginning to catch alight as well.

A war between demons, undead, and militiamen on one side, a massive fire and brutally effective hedges of fire and blade on the other, and the large manor in between. No way to reach it. What was she to do?

The gardens were terraced, and the edges of the terracing were large stone blocks, each forming a low wall half the height of a man. She skirted the blazing garden on one side, vaulted up to the edge of the terracing, and raced along the stones. The fire hadn’t caught up to this terrace, and she was able to skirt around the blazing inferno and head towards the manor. As she approached, she noticed large, ungainly splashes of blood in an irregular, weaving pattern. She smiled her half smile, pleased with her discovery.

The door was thick planks of wood, with heavy bronze rivets. She wouldn’t be able to kick it open, and a gunshot would just wedge in the door.

Her gloves and one of her belts gave her magically reinforced strength, which would allow her to tear the door off its hinges, but instead she ignored the door entirely and took a few running steps and leaped to the second floor. The second floor was smaller than the first, and there were plenty of edges to grab onto. she scrambled to a window and vaulted in. The room was clear; she stepped out of the doorway. The emaciated-looking man was collapsed at the bottom of the stairwell, blood pooling beneath him, panting weakly. She grabbed him by his shirt and hauled him up.

"Where is she?" Katarina demanded.

He shook his head. "Just me, just me. She left, days ago. Hired me." Blood ran from his mouth, and he had a heavy, liquid breathing. she must have punched through one of his lungs when she shot him.

"Where is she?" she repeated and he just shook his head in loose, lolling turns. "Not here. Just me. Just me. Went east. Said... " he broke off in a fit of liquid coughing, spraying blood everywhere. "Said something about the Heretic Stone." She let him go, and he collapsed weakly at her feet with a moan.

The Heretic Stone was occasionally mentioned by rogue mages, a relic of untold and blasphemous power. The Church of course denied its existence or its whereabouts, but Katarina had hunted for years and had picked up enough scraps of lore to believe that it at least existed. Whether it was filled with power or not was entirely up for speculation, but its existence was at least probable.

She pulled Durandal from its sheath.

"May the judgement of the Golden Lady fall upon you, heretic." and with that she plunged the tip into the man’s chest, stopping his heart and ending his life.

Almost immediately after Katarina had left Darnell, she had been spectacular and draconian in Norn, judging the entire Church guilty of heresy, demanding a full Inquisition of the Sword.

Gabrielle had laughed when she saw the forms, Yuriko was shocked, Olivia was pensive and thoughtful, and the Grand Cardinal raised an eyebrow, but allowed it.

Afterwards, Katarina disappeared in true Witch Hunter fashion, Armilla reporting that they were heading into the forests to find the rogue mages.

Katarina could feel flares of magic coming from outside the building, so she forced herself up, holstered her gun and sheathed Galatine. She stepped out of the front door of the house, and noticed the incendiary clouds had been snuffed. Mages were using blasts of ice and snow to quell the forest fire.

Armilla trotted up. "Did you get them?" She asked.

Katarina’s mouth twisted."Our work’s incomplete. I got one; the other left. How are things on your end?" She asked.

"The beastmen are routed, the fouled dead are dead once more, and with the clerics’ help we were able to defeat the demon." Armilla reported. Her armor looked as if someone had thoroughly worked it over with hammers, and there was a cut on her cheek, crusted with drying blood.

Katarina nodded. "Then we’re nearly done here." She whistled for Marcela. "Let’s look over the house for clues."

They searched through the house and Katarina found a sheaf of papers in neat handwriting, detailing research attempts for locating the Heretic Stone. Katarina sighed. Alsabet had been here. Alsabet rambled on and on about "sounding the ley lines" and "searching for resonance" but the tone of her writings seemed empty; perhaps she was grasping at straws. In the basement they found a handful of semiprecious stones, but it seemed as though Alsabet had taken everything magical.

Katarina stepped out of the house and climbed up onto Marcela’s back. She reached down and offered Armilla a hand up as well.

One of the men came up to them.

"Your Grace, we found some tracks heading northeast; we suspect some of them escaped."

Katarina leapt to the ground and gestured imperiously. "Show me. We need to know how much of a lead they have."

She marched across the clearing, stopped, and turned towards Armilla. "What’re you doing? Come on." She demanded, and turned back to follow the man, shaking her head.

They hunkered around some horse tracks, and Katarina took a few steps, following the tracks, stooping to carefully poke and prod them with a fingertip. After a while she nodded, a clouded expression on her face.

"All right, let’s go." She remarked, and climbed into the saddle, reaching down to haul Armilla up behind her.

She signaled, and Marcela rose into the air.

"How far out could she be?" Armilla yelled over the wind as Marcela rose into the air, the thick smoke from the fires still whipping this way and that.

"Days, most likely. The tracks weren’t very fresh." Katarina hollered back. "Could be a day, maybe two."

"How far could she get in this forest?" Armilla asked.

"Normally she wouldn’t get far. Fifty miles or so, even on horseback."

"You think she’ll get further?" Armilla asked.

"Yes. The hoofprints were spaced like a centaurs. She’s probably eighty or a hundred miles away at least."

"So far?" Armilla asked. Katarina nodded. "Beastmen see perfectly fine in low light, have much better senses overall, and stamina- well, you fought centaurs in Norn, right?" Katarina asked rhetorically. Armilla nodded. She had a point. She glanced to the side, and saw a large black dot on the horizon, above the treeline.

"There, to the right, above the treeline!" Armilla yelled, startled, and Katarina signalled Marcela to halt. The drake gave a rumble of protest but churned the air, holding their position.

"What in the world is that?" Armilla asked, but Katarina pulled out a spyglass.

"It’s... a ship. In the air."

"A ship? You mean like a boat?" Armilla asked, and Katarina passed the spyglass back. Armilla peered through the spyglass, and was astounded. It was indeed a large ship, similar in design to the frigates built in Blackwall, on the southern continent. She guessed it was about a hundred and fifty feet long, and seemed to hang from a large airbag that bulged around the cords that secured it to the boat. wing-like sails arched from the sides gracefully.

"By the Goddess, I’ve never seen such a thing." Armilla wondered. Katarina nodded.

"It can’t be a coincidence; we need to check it out." Katarina decided, and Armilla nodded, and checked her gun and loosened the draw of her sword in its scabbard. Katarina urged with the reins, and Marcela swooped and lunged, gaining momentum, and began to speed towards the ship.

As they approached, Katarina eyed it through the glass. "No visible gunports or cannon. It has a rudder, sails, and a gasbag. I can count at least a double dozen or so crew." She reported. As they drew closer, one of the crew began waving and gesticulating bizarrely.

"What are they trying to say?" Katarina mused thoughtfully. As they drew closer, Katarina’s head jerked. "There’s magic aboard that ship." Armilla nodded absently. Suddenly, a voice boomed out at them, and Armilla flinched back instinctively.

"Greetings Witch Hunter, I’ve been expecting you. I’d be delighted to receive you on board; If you’d be so gracious as to land your drake on the bow of the ship, I’d be thrilled to greet you."

Katarina raised an eyebrow. "We’re expected?" She asked quietly, and Armilla glanced at Katarina.

Still, Katarina swung Marcela around.

"Well Marcela, let’s see if you can land on the bow of this airship." Katarina urged and Marcela roared. Marcela dropped to the deck, brutal claws gouging into the deck as the entire ship lurched with the impact. The crew ran here and there, yelling as Marcela flapped and steadied herself. Slowly, the airship righted itself.

A woman dressed opulently in velvets, silks, and furs, draped in all manner of ornamental chains, necklaces, amulets, pendants, rings, ostentatious earrings, and the jeweled crown of a duchess approached gracefully, long brown hair swinging and swaying with each step.

"Greetings and salutations, Katarina the Blessed." the woman greeted, and dipped a curtsy. "You have the pleasure of addressing Lady Duchess Celestina Dunten the Relentless, Captain of the Wulfenbach Pirates. You are welcome on my skyship, the Redeemer."

"Pirates, eh?" Katarina remarked, amused. She casually brushed her hand across the butt of her gun. "How do you know of me? That I’d be here?" Katarina asked. The woman smiled warmly, blue eyes twinkling. "Because like you, I too share a bond with our beloved Goddess of the Dawn." She gestured towards the rear of her ship.

"I will have a trough of water and food brought for your drake, Your Grace. Would you grant me the pleasure of accompanying me to my cabin?" She asked, and moved towards the rear of her ship as if it were a given that Katarina would follow. Katarina frowned, loosened Galatine in its sheath, and followed after her, Armilla trailing behind.

The cabin was just as lavish as the woman who owned it, the windows were framed in thick, heavy drapes; massive murals clad in polished steel frames hung from the walls. The bed fully took a third of the cabin, could comfortably rest four people, and was mounded with thick quilts and pillows.

"The Goddess has granted me visions since I was born, Your Grace." the Duchess announced, as a rough-looking man poured wine into real glasses. "She has charged me to hunt the witch much the way you do... though our methodologies no doubt are exceedingly different." She remarked conversationally.

She gestured to the man, who proffered two glasses to Katarina and her protege. After a moment, Katarina took one, and Armilla, following Katarina’s lead, took the other.

Katarina nodded. "You are no Witch Hunter." She remarked, the steel in her voice obvious. The Duchess nodded. "I did not say I was, Your Grace. I do hunt the witch, but I am not of the Witch Hunters." She sipped her wine.

"I was given a vision that I should be here, in this area, and that I should receive you." She remarked. "I can offer food, water, rest, and any resupply you require should you need it." Katarina shook her head. "I appreciate your offer of hospitality, but I hunt a witch that may be nearby."

The Duchess nodded. "I have a small bit of information in that area. They have headed northeast. They move much faster than I would expect someone to move through a forest, even on horseback."

"Do you pursue them as well?" Katarina asked, sipping at her wine. The Duchess looked troubled. "I would have. This is my territory; my domain. Trust me when i say that if I had seen a mage, Witch Hunter, I would strike them down without hesitation. I hunt the witches between here and Begierde. None may challenge me in my domain, and yet I cannot pursue this one." She declared angrily. She stamped her foot daintily.

Katarina frowned. "Why not?"

"We depend on the winds for travel, Your Grace." She replied with no small amount of frustration in her voice. "The season is changing, and the winds now move from the north. We cannot advance with any degree of alacrity." She smiled self-deprecatingly. "You can use your drake to propel yourself faster than my ship would be able to travel. Likely you could launch yourself after them, catch them, and return here long before we were able to move more than fifty miles." Katarina frowned, puzzled.

The Duchess sighed. "We would have to angle to the west, turn north once we got enough speed, go west, north again, and so on, and then drift south and east." She replied, gesturing with her hands. "I hear that in the future, skyships will not have this limitation, but..." She sighed. "Still, as I said, I can resupply you. Do you need food? Water? Some clean bedrolls, perhaps?"

"Have you any idea where they might be going? Any maps of the area?" Armilla asked, and the Duchess looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"Where they go... I can hazard a few guesses. There are a couple of lakes in that direction that might be fruitful. Also..." The Dutchess trailed off. She shook her head. "I have some maps, but I fear they would quickly become useless to you." She selected a couple and spread them on the desk; they were forced to agree. The areas to the northeast of Begierde were largely unmapped and unexplored, all the way to the edge of the mountain ranges that ran east-west, what the people of Nauders called The Spine.

Katarina eyed the Duchess. "I see you think yourself clever." She remarked, and the Duchess smiled at her prettily.

"I am quite clever, Your Grace." The woman replied calmly.

"You think that you could hide your nature by covering yourself in so many magically enchanted items." Katarina remarked, and directed a frown at Armilla, who still pored over the maps.

"Of course." The Duchess replied smoothly, smiling and stroking the fur that draped over her shoulders.

"You’re a mage." Katarina remarked, and the Duchess nodded. "Yes, that’s right."

Armilla straightened, turning. Her hand went to her gunbutt. "Unsanctioned?" Armilla advanced.

The Duchess nodded again. "This is also true." she finished her wine. "It is also true that we serve the same Goddess, and we perform the same duty; rooting out heresy and corruption wherever it may lead. I believe that it is my duty- my responsibility as a mage- to bring other mages to justice, and I have done so since I was twelve years old." She remarked pointedly.

"Then get Sanctioned." Armilla replied stolidly. The Duchess sighed irritably. "Sanctioning limits how far a mage can grow in their power. I cannot fight on equal terms with a mage if I am leashed and collared."

Katarina nodded. "This is so." She admitted grudgingly. The Duchess smiled at her, then.

"Does this mean I have your leave to continue my work?" She asked, and Katarina clamped her mouth shut.

"Will you bring me to justice, then?" The Duchess asked.

Katarina sighed. "I cannot afford to now, as I hunt another." She said with a grimace. She glanced at Armilla. "You can, however. Take the Duchess into custody." She stated. "fly this contraption to ...Begierde, as it’s closer. I’ll continue my pursuit of our mage north and east."

Armilla stepped forward, but the Duchess shook her head.

"I find the thought of surrendering to your acolyte offensive, Blessed Katarina. I will only surrender to you. I can make a corpse of her for you here and now, or we can agree to ... defer... my judgement."

"You think I’d let you cast a spell in my presence, mage?" Katarina laughed. The Duchess smiled. "This ship is imbued with many magical spells that lighten the weight of the ship and allow it to fly. Invoke your abilities and you doom us all. Slay me, and my crew will rise to avenge me even as they plummet to their deaths. Defer my judgement, Your Grace. Let us be civil here." She glanced over Katarina’s shoulder and shook her head. Armilla turned, but whomever she signaled to ducked out of sight.

"My second-in-command." The Duchess gushed, smiling prettily. "She is... very zealous in her devotion to the Goddess... and my command. No doubt she would try to kill you as well." her voice firmed. "Are you to strike me down, Your Grace?" She asked.

Katarina grimaced. "I will find you again." she warned, and the Duchess nodded.

"I look forward to it." She curtsied again and gestured to the door. "So? Food? Water? bedding? A tent, perhaps?" She asked. Katarina gestured dismissively to Armilla, who blinked, startled.

"Your job, apprentice." Katarina admonished under her breath. Armilla grit her teeth. "Food and water, some alchemical potions of healing, spare bandages..." She trailed off, and the Duchess smiled warmly. "Anything else?" She asked, and Armilla nodded. "A pot for brewing, and enough ground beans for a week’s worth of coffee." She finished. The Duchess laughed. "You think we would have something so cosmopolitan aboard this ship, out here beyond the provinces and lumber towns?" Armilla raised her eyebrow. "To the contrary, Duchess. Your grace and poise suggested to me that you would have such fare out here." She replied, struggling to sound cool.

"You’re right, of course." The Duchess replied. "I’ll have all you requested brought up."

True to her word, the duchess provided them with sacks of food, fresh canteens, and additional supplies.

Katarina complimented the duchess. "You had everything on hand, as you said." The woman smiled self-deprecatingly. "My second is the one to claim credit, I must say." Katarina raised an eyebrow. "If only we all were granted such competent staff." She muttered, rolling her eyes.

The duchess tinkled laughter. "Give her time, and train her well. I’m certain she will learn."

Katarina and Armilla launched from the skyship, Marcela roaring.

"You could have put a bullet through her heart." Armilla mentioned as they flew. Katarina nodded. "Yourself as well. But if she too has been chosen by the Golden Lady, then there will be other opportunities."

Armilla subsided, but Katarina chided her. "You should understand your responsibilities as my apprentice, and I shouldn’t have to remind you of them." She remarked coolly. "Not to mention your lack of discipline. Could you not tell she was a mage?"

Armilla opened and closed her mouth. "How was I to do that?" She asked.

Katarina let out a vexed noise. "Auravision, you idiot. You pray to the Goddess to strengthen your sight, and you concentrate. She covered herself in magical items, but she shone through them. You would have noticed had you not been goggling at her wanton opulence."

Armilla frowned. "That’s not-" She stopped. "I wasn’t-" She stopped again. "I haven’t been blessed with Auravision yet."

Katarina hung her head. "You gain the blessing of auravision around the time you are blessed with your spell resistance." She said through clenched teeth. She reached into one of her pouches and passed back a simple silver medallion.

"Focus on that and perform your exercises, apprentice. I expect success by the time we land." She ordered.