Calypso kept her eyes closed, allowing the comfort she was feeling to linger for a little while. It wasn’t every day she felt refreshed and well-rested. The memories of what happened tried to plague her mind, but with some effort the girl had kept the troublesome thoughts at bay, pushing them back for a later time. Moments like this had to be savoured. Considering she was not being tortured, yelled at or eaten alive, the young Hunter had a few minutes to spare and indulge in the luxury of just staying in bed.

“I missed you, kind one,” Maeve’s cheerful voice sounded in her head. “So much darkness surrounded us, I feared I would lose you.”

“I missed you too,” Calypso allowed a smile to spread on her face as she spoke softly.

“Thanks, but I am sure you have me mistaken with someone else.” A tired voice called from nearby. The girl almost jumped from the bed to see a young man sitting on the bed at the other end of the room. It was the same youth she had seen the other night with Irene. However, he looked as haggard and drained as she felt when the young Hunter had entered Esthergrad.

Calypso had missed his presence and with that realisation came the pain from her numerous wounds. They might have healed on the outside, now that she had only Maeve, it would take her a couple of days to be able to ignore the discomfort they caused. Actually, after risking to move her eyes away from the young man, she noted that most of the more serious ones had been treated and dressed and she could feel the stitches that had been added to assist her healing.

No! The wounds were dangerous, but her main problem should be the curse that was placed on her. Calypso had felt the burning sigil taint her skin. She reached with her hand, trying to feel the shape of the mark the thing had left. There was nothing, or her sense of touch was affected by the infernal spell.

“Can you tell me what it looks like?” She turned to the young man. If the Hunter could not do it on her own, he could help her. “Please.” She added after a moment.

“It’s pretty.” He blushed and an embarrassed smile split his lips. “I mean, you can barely see the wounds… Not that you are not pretty with them, but… I’m sorry.” The youth’s face turned scarlet and he closed his mouth in search for a way out of this conversation.

She was not prepared for the sincerity of his words. The girl felt the blood rush to her face and she answered his smile with one of her own. Calypso realised her training was useless in this situation. After all, she was only a trainee and it was up to her mentor to deal with people. The last time she was alone with someone not from the order was five years ago. But back then, it was an elderly woman, who had come to remove the girl’s ovaries. Although not one of her adoptive sisters, the old woman was someone the Frozen Keep trusted without question.

“Thank you,” Calypso muttered when the pause between them became uncomfortable. “I meant the…” She stopped.

How much was she allowed to reveal? Information about witches was closely guarded. Knowledge leads to temptation, her instructors reminded her at every step of the training.

Calypso took a deep breath and decided to be as vague as possible. “There should be a shape, like a tattoo on my neck. Could you describe it to me?” She turned her head to the side, exposing the spot where the mark was. “You can come closer if you can’t see it from there. There is no need to be afraid.”

“I think I’ll pass. I’ve learned my lesson.” The Hunter saw the muscles on the youth’s naked body tense. Judging by how well defined everything was, he was no farmer or a merchant’s apprentice. This man was a fighter and not a little scared of her.

“Besides, I don’t think it is appropriate for me to be in the same room as a naked woman, let alone get in her bed.” Despite his words, his eyes lingered on her.

Was that it? Calypso couldn’t prevent the chuckle from escaping her lips. Modesty was one of the first things that she had been forced to forget about. The beast and monsters of the Wilds did not care if she was clothed or not. And if she dropped everything when her body was exposed, she had no right to be a Witch Hunter. That said, certain rules had to be observed. The girl pulled the sheet up to her shoulders.

“I don’t bite. I promise.” He words came a little too bold than she intended. Not that she minded it and a part of her was curious to see if the youth would make a move.

Witch Hunters might be a step away from normal people, but they kept a part of their humanity. In Calypso’s case, this part was still the dominant one. Something her training with Lady Ire was supposed to fix.

“Kind one,” Maeve chimed. “Your mind wonders again. Let me ease your thoughts. The curse was broken by the entity that resides inside the one you call Irene Navina.”

The young Hunter diverted her attention to what her companion had just said. “Entity? As in not one of your kind?” Too late she realised she had spoken the words aloud.

“It saddens me to admit it, but I am not sure.” While the spirit whispered in her head, Calypso raised her hand to stop the man from speaking. She would have to deal with him later. “It was beautiful and pure, a visage none can mimic or fake, but there was so much darkness within it. Be very careful around that person.”

“Are all Witch Hunters crazy?” The youth asked and leaned back on his elbows. This was the second time he caught her unprepared and she was not happy about it.

“You do the same thing with your head as Lady Navina.” He added and smiled at her, but it was a forced smile, done out of habit. “But after seeing you, I can say she does a better job at hiding that she is talking to herself.”

The audacity! Comparing her to that woman was an insult. Calypso was nothing like Irene. The God-slayer’s sister was rude, obnoxious and clearly disregarded the order’s rules. She was ruled by her emotions. The girl froze. She was the walking the same path as Irene and if she continued on it, Calypso would become just like the older Witch Hunter. It was not a comforting thought.

“How much have you learned?” She gathered enough composer to ask.

“Enough to know that I better keep my mouth shut.” The youth answered. There was more to what he said, but it was obvious he was not going to share it willingly.

“Where is Irene?” The young Hunter asked, reluctant to change to subject, however she had little choice.

“Lady Pech…”

“Just Calypso,” she interrupted. “I’ve not yet earned the right to be addressed in such a way.”

“Please, accept my apologies.” He lowered his head before standing up and doing a formal bow. “Nathaniel, at your services, Witch Hunter Calypso.”

Feet kept close to each other, arms pressed against the body with the right one reaching for the handle of a weapon that was missing from his waist and bending at the shoulders. The girl couldn’t place where this person hailed from, but if his looks were not enough, this confirmed he was not local to the Highguard Combine. Witch Hunters roamed one or two regions, making sure they knew every last detail of etiquette, tradition and speech. As such, Calypso was not sure how to respond to the formal introduction. What made it worse was that it was similar to that of the so-called nobles of human society, but the man had only a single name, which made his standing lower than that of a peasant.

Thankfully Nathaniel saved her from making a fool of herself by continuing. “I don’t know where Lady Navina is, but the Silent Knights might.”

“Wait. What?” Calypso dropped the sheet and jumped from the bed. “There are Silent Knights here? Why didn’t start with that?!” She yelled at him.

Without a word, he threw his bed cover over her head and she heard him smirk as he walked towards the door. “Crazy’s not that bad.”

Nathaniel let out the breath he was holding once the door closed behind his back. The image of the naked Witch Hunter danced behind his eyelids when he leaned against the wall of the spacious corridor. She was something else and if he did not feel weakness all over his body, and if she was not what she was, there was no chance he could have controlled himself.

Fighting through the spasms that wracked his back, he forced himself to move. The Silent Knights were either walking around the building, training in the yard or doing whatever they were doing in their spare. How or why he and the wounded Witch Hunter were moved to the large mansion, the former sailor could not tell. Despite its rich interior and large chambers, the building resembled a fortress. Training halls, fighting pits and rooms with unknown purpose had taken over every space which was not reserved for sleeping, meditation and eating.

The only person to talk to him, after he woke up, was a speaker of the Quiet Brotherhood. A dour man of mean character, who had informed Nathaniel that the Knights were protecting him and Calypso, while Irene was away. That was over five days ago and since then, the young man had nothing to do and no one to talk to. Eating with the other inhabitants of the mansion was a tedious task and as a result, the young man had retreated to the single room he shared with Calypso.

He had spent his time observing the stoic men and the few women wearing the red tabards of their order. Nathaniel could swear he was starting to pick up the meaning behind their odd gestures when they, for the lack of a better word, talked with each other. But more than that, he was starting to pick on some shortcomings in their training.

Their skill and dedication could not be questioned. The Silent Knights were the mighty bulwark that stood between them and the monsters of the Wilds, just as people said. That was just it. They were a wall of strong individuals that could fight as a group. Each one trusted in the person next to them to cover them. And their training was too focused on the long swards they favoured. It was a weapon that restricted its wielder, forcing him to forgo the use of a shield. Not that a piece of wood, iron or steel was much protection against what lurked out there. However, some monsters were less dangerous when you had one.

On top of that, they lacked agility, despite their armour being limited to only a breastplate and a combination of elbow, knee and shoulder guards. Nathaniel thought he could stand his ground against a Silent Knight and now, after observing them from this close, he was sure of it. When he was fully healed, the young man would love to test that in one of the fighting pits. That, however, could wait.

Turning the corner, Nathaniel nearly collided with a group of the Quiet Brotherhood. Leading them was a large man, who the former sailor had noted to be the one leading them. There was no need for someone to translate the gestures of the old veteran. Without a doubt, he was asking what the young man was doing here. Although he was not barred from walking around the mansion, Nathaniel was not exactly encouraged to do so. His hosts eyed him with suspicion when he strayed too from his room. He was even willing to bet that the lack of a speaker anywhere he went, was intentional. Not that the young man could tell if he had bumped into one if they refused to talk.

“My apologies, lord,” Nathaniel said in a hushed polite voice. “I was looking for someone to inform that the Witch Hunter has awakened.”

Walking past him, as if he had not acknowledged his existence, the old man motioned for Nathaniel to follow. A second late, the former sailor had a Silent Knight walking next to him on each side. The same two always followed their leader. The idea that they were bodyguards was absurd, which meant that they were his trusted aides or something similar to that. It was hard to tell, without knowing how the Quiet Brotherhood was structured.

Nathaniel must have wondered for quite some time, considering how long it took them to reach the room. To think, he had failed to come across a single Knight shouldn’t be such a surprise. Yet, it bothered him. The veteran did not bother to knock on the door, instead barged right into the room. The boy half-expected for Calypso to greet them in the nude, after all, she did not look bothered by her lack of clothing when she talked with him. Thankfully, the young Witch Hunter had fashioned the sheet into a dress and stood crossed-legged on the edge of the bed, her impatience at having to wait for so long was visible on her pretty face. As if struck by lightning the girl jumped to her feet and lowered her head slightly.

“Marshal Tetradon, I was not informed you are my host.” Calypso assumed a semi-relaxed posture after that. As a Witch Hunter, she did not owe fealty to anyone and could speak as an equal with everyone. Be they a peasant, lord or the bloody Silent Knight’s Marshal.

Nathaniel, on the other hand, felt like someone had swept the rug under his feet. This man was Zan Tetradon. Wolf-Killer Zan! The same person who was known as the hero of Scarlet Pass and the saviour of Stavrota. No, there had to be a mistake. Every story he had heard, spoke of the famous Knight as a giant of a man, with a large black beard and wild silver eyes. A blur of gestured issued from the veteran, while Nathaniel pondered on how to apologise for his familiarity with the man.

“I’m sorry, Lord Tetradon.” Calypso shook her head. “No-speak is fine, but I need some more practice in it. Could you repeat that a little slower.”

Before motioning with less haste, the legendary man turned to one of the men who stood a step behind him. A flick of the chin was enough to send the fellow bolting down the corridor. Getting their gear back would be nice, but somehow Nathaniel doubted that was the case.

“You are too kind.” The young Witch Hunter said, her mismatched eyes fixed on Zan’s hands. “Calypso will do just fine,” she made a gesture of her own and the young man made sure to remember it. “As you can see, I am yet not ready to be called one.” She finished by pointing to her left hazel eye.

The girl looked at him after another set of gestures and smiled. “Actually, that is a good question. I don’t know who he is.”

Her words caused the man standing behind the Marshal to reach for his weapon. This sparked anger on Zan’s face as he turned to face the Knight and had a very animated exchange with him. After it, the offender shook his head and left the room. With a scowl, Lord Tetradon closed the door and motion for them to sit at the small table by the window.

“The Marshal is curious to know who you are.” Calypso translated and sat back in what she assumed was a posture of confidence. An effect that was lost due to sheet sliding slightly off her chests.

She might look like it, but the young Hunter was not as comfortable being naked as she wanted everyone to think. The former sailor would have missed it, but he saw how she pulled on the edge of the linen cloth. However, he was getting distracted again. That damn girl had obsessed his thoughts and no matter how hard he tried, they always turned to her.

“Why is…” Calypso paused and repeated the last gesture Zan had made. “Irene?” The veteran nodded, while the girl looked at him strangely.

“Why is Lady Navina interested in you?” She said in a way that made it clear she was not happy to address her fellow Witch Hunter in such a polite way.

“Nathaniel, Lord.” The youth lowered his head. “I wish I could answer your question,” Seeing that his statement might be misinterpreted, he added. “Not that I can’t. I just don’t know.”

It was close enough to the truth. That woman had called him a hybrid and she was very interested in the medallion he had in his possession. Enough to almost kill him for it, which was odd, since had returned it. When he woke up, he had found the valuable item inside a palm-size pouch dangling on his neck. Well, if Irene was not willing to give him an answer, Nathaniel could ask those two. It was clear that both the Silent Knight and the young Witch Hunter were familiar with the woman.

“To be honest, I am not she is interested in me.” It was all or nothing at this point. He removed the pouch and spilt its content on the table. “Lady Irene is more like to be interested in this.”

“Is that an Ilwgwaed?!” Calypso jumped. Even the composed Zan looked unnerved. “No. It can’t be.” The girl placed one finger on the item and closed her eyes. A moment later the metal disk began to chime.

“Shit!” The Witch Hunter jumped from her chair and stepped away from the table. “That’s the real thing! How… No, forget the how. Why do you have it?”

“It came in my possession a long time ago.” He answered, not wishing to go into the details. The reaction of the girl worried him. “I know it marks me as a friend of the Frozen Keep…”

“If it was one of the replicas – yes.” Calypso interrupted him. “But this is the Ilwgwaed! It is a relic our order had thought lost.”

“Wait! I didn’t steal it!” It was Nathaniel’s turn panic. This was not what he had expected.

“You couldn’t even if you wanted to.” The young Witch Hunter scoffed. “The spirit protecting it makes sure of that. As long as you are alive and don’t pass it to someone else, you cannot lose it. The Ilwgwaed will always find its way back in your hands.”

“Is that it?” Nathaniel felt betrayed. All that fuss for a coin that could not be lost.

“What?” Calypso gave him a look that questioned his sanity. “You think I’m going to reveal every last detail just because you have it?”

“No.” She snapped at the legendary warrior sitting at the table with them. “Marshal Tetradon, I do not tell you how to run your order, so please do the same. Besides, it’s not up to me make such a choice.”

At that moment the door opened and the first Knight that had left returned. To Nathaniel’s surprise, in his hands was a set of fresh clothing for the girl. Behind him followed a cowled man, the same one that had spoken with him five days ago.

“Excuse the delay, Witch Hunter,” the man spoke and walked next to Zan. “Repairing your clothing proved to be a fool’s errand, so we took the liberty to prepare a new set for you.”

“And my weapons?

“Our blacksmith is sharpening them as we speak.” The man answered politely. “My Lord, should I have the boy escorted out of the room?”

An out of breath man barged into the room. With shaking hands, he gestured towards the Marshal. His appearance prevented any response the famous warrior could have made. However, it was Calypso who reacted first to the newcomer’s words.

“What! Here? I need to speak at her, at once!” Dropping the sheet from her body, the girl snatched the offered clothing from the shocked Knight and began to dress.