The twins flicked their eyelids and Alexa spoke. “Let’s start at the start, Thais and I aren’t Temple trained Seers. Our Sisters in this very House taught us, so we know them somewhat intimately and our former lives as undiscovered twins had always been one of looking over our shoulder and never trusting anything which looks too good to be true. We spent most of Death Season with an, in the main, grumpy old lady who tried to rediscover her family’s Hedge Mage magic with some hard-earnt success while trying to teach us at the same time.”

Lysisa turned her attention to Thais, when she suddenly continued.

“The spells in her ancestral Spell Book were written on the assumption you already knew how to cast them, there existed a tradition in her family of mother teaching daughter so the spell book is almost useless at teaching you a spell from nothing, the beginning. Therefore, any new spell needed to be tested and tested again, never believing what the magic offered until thoroughly investigated. You can say some of the old lady’s ways rubbed off on us reinforcing our already healthy distrust of anything too good to be true.”

“The loyalty of my evil servant, too good to be true,” Lysisa said, with finality. After a moment she rushed another question at the twins. “Why did the Seers participate and want it to be true?”

“You already know the answer, don’t you?” suggested Thais.

Lysisa’s face screwed up slightly, so Thais obliged with an explanation.

“Seers have been unable to give and receive intimate affection all their lives and then they find out not only they can, but to increase their Seer skills they have to.”

Thais paused for a moment to allow Lysisa thinking time, wondering if the Seer truly slow or pretending.

“All Seers understand the consequences of carnal male contact, proven and a given. Then Temple rules and taboo over the centuries concerning female contact ensured other opportunities for intimate touching and affection in a Seer’s life unacceptable. Next you uncover an amazing, mind blowing, shall we say, sexing way coupled with your absolute orgasmic innocence, which you release to them instead of self-gratification. The training of a new Seer always a special reward and coupled with your technique, shall we say, a heady mix and they want more, so they tell themselves it is safe, convince themselves. We also suspect an Adept Seer can only progress further by consuming the releases from Apprentice Seers, hence why Clymene and Alcmene attended to you immediately after Niobe.”

Lysisa opened her mouth to speak, stalled and asked anyway. “Why didn’t you and Alexa speak up?”

“Ah yes, well we certainly joined the conversation, unfortunately Alexa and I aren’t Temple Trained Seers and our opinions aren’t always valued. Spending most of our time in the elder’s cottage tinkering with Hedge Mage magic when we aren’t melding stone doesn’t help of course. Take for example the question of granting you Items, we didn’t check with Clymene or Alcmene, we asked Astera. We apologise for these next words … you were our experiment and the Seers took advantage when a benefit could be realised.”

Lysisa’s head spun, an experiment, desperate Seers needing to sex and Charis. “How will Charis’ return make a difference?”

Alexa smiled and tapped her chin with a finger. “Our Mistress’ return, well for starters she is wise and normally has most of the answers.” Momentarily holding the same finger up in the air, she continued. “Don’t be fooled though, in reality she is just good at listening and hears from everyone and anyone regardless of any influence, before making a final decision. Also, she doesn’t mind making mistakes if something can be learnt from them, although her speech after the defeat of the evil a little concerning. Different from the Charis we once knew but waking up after weeks of sleep can explain the change we believe. So, we will wait five or six days, time to get her thinking back together and see then.”

Lysisa didn’t feel reassured, in fact a little aghast. “How can you be so calm? How come I can’t hear your thoughts or other Seers for that matter, yet the amount of chatter in the Seer Circle at times overwhelming?”

“Seer Links. You start exploring with the one Seer Link and in fact celebrate when you can recreate what you … had with your twin. As your Seer Skill grows the limitation of one Seer Link is, frankly, a handicap. You need to cast away the sibling to sibling thinking of the Temple, you are no longer one half of a pair, you can be one of many. When some discover this, they initially fail to control their discovery. This requires practice and when you feel you are done then practice some more. And we are calm because panic will not change the future, only freeze your ability to react.”

“I thank you both, can I try …”

Alexa and Thais nodded. Lysisa projected her Seer Link towards, or what she thought was towards Alexa. After numerous failures she closed her eyes in frustration.

“The initial flesh contact, the head touching head reduces the margin of error, you have no positional awareness of your Seer Link and unfortunately as a Seer Twin, genetics step in to will a connection, so this ‘skill’ is never developed. It explains why two Seers meeting in the street don’t accidently discover what we have. The other impediment is the taboo against touching within the Temple.”

Pensive Lysisa asked, “Niobe’s Seer Skill huge, most accomplished, when I first Seer Linked with her surely, she could randomly … Link?”

Alex and Thais joyfully laughed, with Lysisa, not at her. “After um, training with Niobe your Seer Skill is probably greater now than any of the Seers currently serving in the Temples. The Temple teachings have suppressed the capabilities of Seers, not developed them in our non-Temple trained opinion. The only question to be answered is if this is deliberate or fanatical ignorance.”

A dead weight sunk within Lysisa’s stomach. Her fleeting memories of joy as twins, learning their Seer Skill, happy after months of training with their Seer Skill improvements. Their delight when they could Seer Link across the Temple Courtyard for example, now trivial. The striving to please their adopted mother, the Mother Superior possibly a charade. Here in this House is where true Seer Skill … she was about to say being taught, no not taught she decided, discovered. Alex and Thais weren’t handicapped by Temple teachings, so they didn’t accept a prescribed understanding and therefore free to grow in anyway and in any direction. Thinking she lost her virginity and accepting she would never be a Seer, upon reflection provided Lysisa with a death of her past, an acceptance the future as yet unwritten and starkly, initially a bucket of crap. Now though …

Alexa and Thais exchanged glances, deciding Lysisa’s time of self-reflection needed to end. “Do you feel up to talking some more? Following us back to our cabin so we can question you about the Mage blue gem and the Vampire blue gem? You know the interview you promised.”

“Now? What about the Main Cavern Door?”

“Haven’t you realised yet Alexa and I are the help? Your girlfriend and her Goblin Sisters are in charge. They have the stone working skills and knowledge. All is set now to actually put the door together, the pieces are ready, and we can’t do much more. Their strength is obvious, so they don’t need us, and we are wondering when they will call by for Sweetears.”

Lysisa’s face and neck flooded red as Sweetears wrapped her arms around, fondling hands coming to rest upon breasts somehow, followed by a kiss upon the Seer’s neck.

Alexa leant forward trying to secure Lysisa's attention due to the ... distraction. “We would like to start while all is still a little fresh in your mind. We know Charis will ask when she arrives, and any explanations will be less stressful and more accurate if we report our investigation to her instead of you answering her questions directly. What do you say?”

Lysisa turned to kiss Sweetears, opening the stone cabin door and waving the twins outside.

Sweetears held Lysisa back by the hand. “Grow strong Prettyone,” she whispered, nodding in the direction of the twins. Lysisa did a double take and slowly nodded in reply.

The Apprentice Seer then led the twins to the Elder’s Stone Cabin. The twins had her at ‘instead of you answering her questions’.

---

The four riders greeted the dawn on the trail East, a large yellow-orange half-circle sun on the horizon. Dione outriding as usual, her stallion enjoying the extra activity, trotting out and then galloping back, sometimes staying out for many heartbeats longer than at other times. With a quiver full of arrows, courtesy of the Smithy, Zoe scanned for game while in the saddle, not expecting any this close to the trail and occasionally darting off, hopeful given the change of season.

“Helice ride ahead when Zoe returns and chat to Dione for a while please. I need some time with our Huntress,” sent Charis.

Helice smirked. “A while is difficult to determine, so please let me know when, by erm, probably Seer Link, yes Mistress?”

Half a bell passed before Zoe rode back to the trail joining Charis and Helice, complaining about the lack of game. Helice taking her leave trotted ahead to intercept Dione who happened to be returning as well.

“Zoe, I thought we might double time it to Farstay, visit the Priest there and then head over the Spur instead of taking the trail around to Maplethorn. Do you think there will be a problem with the Snow Wolves?”

Zoe shifted in her saddle; throat inexplicitly dry. “Death Season being over, I doubt they would tarry in the nearby Mountains let alone a little further south on the Spur Mistress.”

“Can you tell me about your encounters with them?”

“Yes Mistress. The Pack Leader is very intelligent and able to understand we don’t mean her and the pack any harm. I believe they could be true allies. They helped during the Walking Dead attack on the Cavern willingly and pursued the Female Vampire into the Cavern to be captured.”

“Well over the Spur we go and on the off chance they’re still about and you can find any tracks, we will try to follow them.”

“Yes Mistress.”

Charis needed haste. Instructing Dione to lead off on her Stallion, each rider then followed single file. Given their food consisted of hard tack they stayed in the saddle, the only stoppages taken to water the horses. With each rider equipped with a Borrow Stone and Charis’ own vision they rode well into the night, setting up camp in the dark with Charis administering healing to sore bottoms as requested. Charis wished to escape the temptation of taking a trail to Clayvale and locate the family of a certain young man, his death still haunting her. The first overnight camp short of the first turnoff. The second day, Charis steeled herself and rode past each of the turnoffs to Clayvale and once well passed the last made camp giving up at least a bell of night riding, which none questioned appreciating the extra sleep.

Her Sisters found out why the next day as early morning they galloped past the Stockade, Helice relieved perhaps more than Charis to avoid the fanatics within. Before dusk on the third day the cottages and low wall of Farstay greeted them.

Charis called a halt at the ‘border’ of Farstay, dismounting and stepping slowly towards her first real test after her cleansing. The imagined reality sustained to an extreme, to ensure the evil harvested and drained all possible sources of power. While reasonably certain the Vampire consumed the evil residue to sustain herself, the Village Priest’s circle of protection around Farstay provided the only true test without a hue and cry being raised, to confirm Charis now completely washed clean of the evil, which polluted previously her.

Charis’ head checked side to side at the village ‘gate’ as her boot slid forward. Encountering no resistance, Charis took a complete step past the ‘border’, again no rejection. She dropped to her haunches, hands on her face to cover the tears welling up, the relief overwhelming and unexpected. The clopping of horse hooves alerted her, hastily wiping her eyes and standing.

Helice handed the horse reins to her Mistress. “Mount up Mistress, I believe we have business with a certain Village Priest, and I am certain he awaits us with an unnatural keenness.”

As Charis mounted, Dione and Zoe trotted past.

Eyebrows raised. “Where did you send them?”

“I took a liberty asking my Sisters to ride ahead and check the stables and prepare for our arrival,” answered Helice.

Charis shifted in her saddle, squeezing the leather of her reins. “Why would you ask them?”

“You seemed to be having a moment. I tried a Seer Link and your mind Mistress, unfortunately closed tighter than one of Zoe’s knots.”

Through gritted teeth, Charis asked, “Are you ‘looking’ after me?”

Helice chuckled. “No Mistress. I will if you wish me to. Call this allowing you to have free time to consider the end to a beautiful day of riding in the countryside.”

Charis pointed a finger at the smiling Seer. “You are looking after me.”

Helice shook her head. “No, I’m not and I have to tell you, I would know if I were.”

Helice spurred her horse to a trot and after several moments reined her horse to a stop, shouting over her shoulder, “Hurry up Mistress.” She then spurred her horse to chase after Dione and Zoe leaving Charis oscillating between fuming and baffled.

“Helice …”

“If it makes you feel better, then believe I am handling you. So, given that, get your bottom to the stable so we can partake in a meaningful discussion with the Village Priest who we placed our trust in.”

“Partake? Where did you find that word?”

Helice’s laughter echoed across their Seer Link, while Charis spurred her horse into a reckless gallop to join her Sisters at the Stables, her ‘moment’ well and truly passed, leaving a glowing ember of wrath in the belly to ‘partake in a meaningful discussion’. And Helice did ‘look after’ her, she decided.

---

While surprised by the four female riders this early in the Season, the Stable Hand accepted the business gladly. He drew each mount to a stall, feed and water provisioned while he began the grooming. The owners marching off in the direction of the Church, one with a determined tilt to her head he noted wondering if the reclusive Priest would endure.

“Zoe would you see to the Inn and ensure we have rooms when finished here? Order meals also, we shouldn’t be too long.”

“Yes Mistress.” Zoe looked to Dione as she left with a quizzical face. Dione shrugged.

Charis bashed on the closed church door with the butt of her dagger and waited. Dione thought the Mistress a little impatient, waiting only a few heartbeats before Charis struck the door again, this time much louder.

Shuffling and footfalls, then the definite clunking of the crossbar being removed and like magic the Church Door opened.

A small juvenile face cautiously looked out.

“It is late for visiting the Church of Judge, please come back in the morning.”

Sensing his intention, Charis already placed a boot inside the doorframe before the door could be closed. As the boy looked up Charis pushed the door open wider and forced the small defender of the church into retreat.

“Wait you can’t just …”

Charis’ right hand clasped his jaw and the shock silenced him.

“Go fetch your Priest boy and be quick, I haven’t much time and then we won’t bother him again.” She then released the boy’s jaw and he scampered off in a mild panic.

Charis placed her weapons by the doorframe, Helice and Dione following suit.

“Not you Helice, stay at the door fully armed and ready. And Dione your rope isn’t a weapon so pick it up and follow.”

“Yes Mistress.”

Charis and Dione strode to the back of the Church, a body length away from the Main Alter. The Church still without a ceiling, although the exposed beams lent a sense of strength and beauty to the building in Charis’ opinion.

The Priest appeared, leaning against the doorframe of a doorway behind the Alter. His hair wild, eyes rimmed by redness with dark bags under them. As he staggered closer, Charis instinctively took a step back, holding her palm out, he reeked of sweat and body odour. He continued his advance, face perplexed, mind churning for several heartbeats while blinking several times trying to focus his eyes upon his visitor. Charis noticed him mentally squeak like a mouse, his head in retreat while his body continued forward following its last order.

Charis shook her head. “You are ill kept and in poor health Priest.”

“Miss Charis, yes … I have been busy studying.” And then staring at Charis wide eyed he remembered why. “To cleanse you of evil, yes, you have an evil taint and now I believe I can help. Yes, I am sure.”

“Perhaps not, as I am standing before you. Am I not?” replied Charis, dryly.

He stood perplexed, his face going through several contorted expressions as he tried to reconcile the reasons for his study against the conundrum of Charis standing before him. The show finally ending when his hands grabbed at his greasy hair while looking directly at Charis.

“We are here to collect the Holy Books of Judge we lent to you as we have need of them and your failed research is now at an end.”

His jaw dropped and quickly recovered to enable him to jibber. “No, you can’t, there is much I have yet to study. You gave them to me. There was never any mention of them being returned. You can’t have them.”

His head nodded curtly in affirmation, his mind clarifying as the very real threat to remove the source of his future knowledge finally dawned upon him.

Charis circled him, inspecting. “You don’t seem to be honouring this gift. Are you treating your faithful in the same way you are treating yourself?”

“Time, I don’t have enough time. There is much to learn, so very much. I can’t waste time on my appearance. My flock know of my devotion to them, they understand.” His clasped hands shaking before his mouth in some sort of plea.

His flock probably ignored him, and the Church during Death Season thought Charis as she spied the boy, spying on them from an almost closed doorway.

“Come here boy,” demanded Charis, finger pointing to a piece of floor before her.

He cautiously opened the door wider and looked to his Priest. His Priest didn’t pay anyone or anything any attention, deep in thought lips moving and yet no speech could be heard. The boy edged closer to the spot, although still well out of reach of Charis his jaw reminding him why.

“I thought you were in charge of the Priest’s health and wellbeing. You have failed boy.”

“He doesn’t listen to me, so its not my fault.” Tears streamed down leaving trails upon his dirty cheeks.

“I will listen. The boy’s words will be my mantra. I promise.” The Priest spoke quickly grasping at the possible chance.

Charis leant against the Alter. “Do you have a Novice or an Acolyte that would benefit from your teachings?”

“What? Why?” Throwing his arms up, questioning.

Charis again catching the Priest off balance.

“This is what is going to happen. You will listen to the boy. You will recruit a Novice or Acolyte to train in your teachings.” Pointing to her pin. “If any of my Daughters visit you will allow them into your church, and if they request, they will be permitted to view the Holy Books.”

“Yes, yes anything, just leave the Holy Books.”

Charis folded her arms. “Well yes and no. Boy, go fetch the first book.”

The Priest’s jaw dropped, and he couldn’t decide between stopping the boy or grabbing Charis to plead his case. His body trying to move in two directions at once and going nowhere.

“We will return every so often and return the book we have taken and take another in its place. If at any time we visit you look anything like you look now, we will take all the books.”

His face drooped, moisture gathering around his eyes. “I need them all they form a complete knowledge, there is always a need to refer to other volumes, a missing book will stop my learning.”

Charis smiled and half raised a fist. “Perfect. You can use that time to devote to your faithful and reflect upon what you have learnt.”

The Priest’s face white, drained of blood, aghast and defeated at the same time. Then he suddenly bowed his head, quickly flowing up with another, rapidly nodding and bobbing his head and trying to grasp Charis by the hand.

“As you say, I am honoured to be able to study them.”

Charis eyed him, intently. “Priest, I warn you now, if you and the Holy Books go missing, I will make it my holy duty to hunt you down.”

His eyes opened wide like saucers and he swallowed. The boy returning broke the Priest’s trembling, his eyes glued to the disappearing Holy Book as the boy handed the tome to Dione at Charis’ direction. The Priest extended his arms toward the book, half brave and half afraid, his pain of loss obvious.

The Priest winced, fingers scraping his face as Dione packed the book into her backpack and then swung the backpack onto her shoulder. At a flick of Charis’ wrist Dione left her side and calmly walked to join Helice.

The Priest’s eyes were still fixated on his loss moving further away and not until Charis called to him a third time, did he look at her.

“We will return at any time, so don’t fail yourself and your faithful. With good sleep comes good work. Take it from someone who knows.”

The Priest didn’t get it, all he knew for certain, his set wasn’t complete, so he wasn’t complete.

The boy handed the Priest a warm bowl of soup, prepared many bells ago, although ready and waiting upon the stove just in case. Charis looked on with some satisfaction and then left the church followed by Dione and Helice.

Hands crossed behind her back Charis strolled into the dark of the night heading towards the Inn. Helice a step behind chuckled and shook her head, Charis cocked an ear without making comment. Dione stared at both, trying to figure out their relationship, concluding their time away drew them together as one well beyond the excepted normal for lovers, friends and/or bodyguard. To observe them together, ignoring physical appearance, her assessment concluded they could easily be a true Seer Twin pair.

Dione’s heart wept a little. A huge black stallion her only trusted companion and yet since the chase of the Dark Priest, only her actions after, to save her Sisters possibly averted any recriminations. Perhaps the joy of finding Charis alive overshadowed … the need for difficult conversations for example, little things like riding away with the chests without permission and as far as she could tell, ignored so far. Charis issued commands to her and Zoe, while conversing with Helice. The relationship difference vast, whereas before, Charis avoided treating any Daughters of the Duchess unequally.

Hurrying to catch up, Dione shivered a little now, Charis’ ‘dealing’ with the Village Priest especially terse and to the point, ordering the man to adopt a new lifestyle and rearrange his household! Why did she trust him to do so?

“Mistress, won’t the Priest run with the remaining Holy Books?”

Charis didn’t pause or look back Dione noted.

“No. He is a collector as much as he thirsts for knowledge, he will always want for the missing one. He will distract himself with thoughts of how to get it back and if it is true that all are needed at once to learn from, perhaps during those times when he can’t, he will return to a balance.”

Dione pushed another question at Charis. “What if he does turn to violence though?”

Charis’ sigh audible. “We are always prepared to defend ourselves, but I hope it doesn’t come to that. Before revealed as evil I retained my senses and mind, allowing weeks of self-reflection. When you are responsible for many people’s lives you can’t do it alone. You need to gather good tested and true people around you and trust them to be responsible for some of those people. The Priest needs to grow some trusted helpers and take some time to stay healthy, otherwise he won’t wake up one morning or be like me, easily dominated by an evil.”

Dione’s hands shook, needed to place one within the other to steady both. The words ‘good tested and true people’ reverberating through her. She would need to retell the pursuit of the Dark Priest in a favourable manner, highlight her sisterly service once being chased rather than chasing.

Charis pushed passed the Inn Door striding into the Inn spotting the only customer, a lonely Zoe at a table with pot of something in the middle surrounded by four trenchers and idly twirling a dagger. Zoe nodded and began serving, the table bereft of general conversation or even orders from Charis and after eating, by silent general agreement the four stood and retired quietly to the single room Zoe secured. Two sets of double bunks, a table between with a large water filled clay bowl the only decoration. Charis shrugged and grabbed a low bunk, while Helice climbed into the bunk directly above her. Zoe choose low; Dione left with the top bunk above her.

“Mistress you know you haven’t spoken to either and they have noticed,” sent Helice to Charis.

“The time for conversation isn’t far away and I am saving my vocal cords.”

+++

Each Sister checked their equipment, packing saddle bags and backpacks in the morning as separate pairs, the room divided by an invisible line. Zoe tried to quip about the gruel being the leftover from the previous night served in the same pot, which died after Dione’s agreement and in the end the only conversation. A left-over bracing chill from Death Season escorted the four to the stables, Charis pleased when their readied horses appeared well cared for as instructed. The stable hand receiving an extra payment in recognition, smiling broadly, he nevertheless kept them under his gaze until they exited the Western Gate and only then relaxed. The silent tension palpable, he wondered if resolution would require bloodletting.

Once clear of the village ‘gate’ the four Sisters mounted, led out by Dione, backtracking, heading for the Lonely Keep until Charis whistled and pointed. Dione left the trail pushing through a freshly flowering field, climbing a gentle slope until she rode across a game trail leading further into the foothills of The Spur. Charis slowed, her memory returning to the field of months ago, a lonely scared girl desperately scrambling to stay alive, apologising for being alive given the recent death of her new companion. Dione guided them North following the game trail and even after cresting The Spur they didn’t break for a middle day meal. The riders continuing North until the challenge increased tenfold due to climbing into the Mountains proper at which point Charis called a halt, satisfied and they prepared their camp for the night a bell before dusk.

“Zoe set a trap line to the North and I will set one up to the South. Dione groom the horses. Helice find a hidden place to overwatch the camp.”

Charis’ orders the only words spoken. Even Helice cautioned to silence once Charis chastised her with raised eyebrows.

Zoe and Dione passed each other occasional looks, concerned, their Mistress wasn’t the same as before. Separately they wished for Seer Skill to talk over her odd behaviour with another and as a minimum warn those waiting in the House and frustrated, they couldn’t talk between themselves without making the whispered chat obvious.

Charis spoke again to set the night watch order; Dione, Helice, Zoe and Charis and fortunately the night passed without incident, although Dione and Zoe noted they were separated. Zoe didn’t return to sleep when Charis relieved her, venturing out to check her trap lines and rewarded with two catches ensuring their next meal would be freshly cooked rabbit. She considered staying out to check her remaining traps instead deciding to return and talk out whatever Charis believed worth the silent treatment. Zoe didn’t bother sneaking back into camp as she wanted Charis to notice her return and acknowledge her presence, if not existence.

Charis heard Zoe approach the camp well before she could spot the huntress, therefore a warning of sorts. Ample time to calm her thoughts and review the questions she already worked though during their several days of riding, while Seer Linking along the way to cross check perceptions and hopefully reveal facts. Zoe held up her catch and began preparing the first, Charis helping herself to the second one, knife in hand beginning the familiar and relaxing task.

“What have I done wrong Mistress, you talk to me only to issue orders, otherwise I am ignored.”

In a steady and controlled voice Charis replied, “Should I trust someone who breaks their oath to me? Who when asked doesn’t tell the whole truth?”

“I …” Zoe’s hands stilled, knife poised in one, rabbit carcass in the other.

“You can’t defend the truth of my questions?”

Head bowed, eyes squeezed shut Zoe mumbled, “I am under another oath.”

“How important to me is honouring an oath Warrior Sister Zoe, Daughter of Charis? Any oath.”

Zoe shifted her eyes from the bloodied rabbit to the calm frozen expression on Charis’ face and for the first time sensed real fear needing to tighten her loins to hold her water on the verge of release. The hand on her knife gripped tighter, knuckles white while her body coiled ready to spring into action.

“Do you wish to renounce your oath to me and follow another? If that is the case, I bare you no ill will and would wish you well.”

The second question asked so soon after the first confused Zoe, both regarding oaths although in her own mind the offer to renounce her oath to Charis repugnant and yet, perhaps at the same time, suggesting Zoe no longer welcome.

Weakly, her voice high pitched Zoe said, “I … am not sure what you are saying … Mistress.”

“I am being open and plain, you either honour your oaths or you ask to be released from them before you break them.”

A cold hard neutrality decorated Charis’ face. Zoe placed her knife beside the now bleeding first rabbit not entirely trusting herself, only noticing then Charis held no knife, both hands busy disembowelling the second rabbit while talking of oaths, no emotion or empathy. Zoe finally sensing the seriousness of the discussion, not a threat of conflict, the days of silent treatment having built up an unhealthy dose of paranoia. Charis simply after an answer, what did Zoe want?

“I would hold my oath to you Mistress, always.”

Charis pounced with her question. “What can you tell me about the saving your Sisters from several packs of Snow Wolves as reported to me by your oath sworn Sisters?”

Zoe’s eyes studied a trickle of blood flowing from the rabbit’s carcass. “As I explained to my Sisters the Pack Leader accepted us as allies.”

“So did the Pack Leader understand your words or do you understand the howls of wolves now?”

“I … just had a sense …” Zoe squeezed her bladder tight, a trickle escaped.

“You see how you can’t answer? You say you hold your oath to me and when tested I get hesitation and no real answer, therefore, naturally I wonder where you stand.”

“I am faithful to my oath Mistress. I always will be.”

“In the miracle of everyone being saved no one thought to ask how, so now I ask, and I sense there are some details missing and those details are yours to tell. Or not?”

“I cannot Mistress, I am under another oath.” The trickle of rabbit blood stopped flowing Zoe noted.

“I wonder how you can give an oath to a Pack Leader. They tell me you are scarred, show me Sister.”

As trapped and dead as the rabbit at her feet. To refuse a command from her Mistress, a simple one in fact, unworthy to break your oath for, raising suspicion. To agree, would invite more questions. Her eyes tearing Zoe slowly unlaced her armour and then her leather shirt, gradually revealing her chest. Charis noted the reluctance, her disappointment growing. The claw scars bright red welts running from breast to breast across the picturesque valley of light freckles inbetween.

“I can heal those if you wish.”

Zoe closed her shirt quickly and then with eyes the size of saucers, realised her mistake.

A sad inflection to her voice, Charis asked, “You treasure and wish to retain them, so perhaps your oath to the Pack Leader holds the greater value?”

“No Mistress you misunderstand.”

Charis raised an eyebrow and Zoe faltered.

“I … am caught between two oaths Mistress. I am sorry, I don’t know what you want, I can’t break one oath and don’t want to break the other oath. I request you release me from my oath to you as I have no other choice while I am before you, unable as I am to answer your questions.”

Be brave Charis told herself, follow through, maintain an inner calm when you desire nothing less.

“Finally, a decision, and I am glad the deliberation painstaking indicating how important each oath is to you. I accept your choice although I still wonder how you can give an oath to an animal, which can’t speak and is so binding you feel the need to ask for release from your longer standing oath to me and your Sisters.”

“This isn’t how it should be. I don’t wish to leave you Mistress.” Zoe openly sobbed realising her fate decided under a rising dawn, a bright new day, uncaring about the decisions of humans and their consequences.

“Warrior Sister Zoe daughter of Charis I am honoured by the service you have given me, and I hope I have fulfilled my obligation to you. I hereby accept, with no ill will and in fact wishing only the best for your future wherever it takes you, your request …”

“No Mistress!” A shouting plea interrupted Zoe’s oath release.

Charis looked over her shoulder, Dione red faced, hands upon her shaking head messing up its tangled hair all the more.

Raising an eyebrow, Charis plainly explained. “I am honouring your Sister’s request. She feels the conflict between two oaths, and has made a decision, I am saddened to be truthful, but I respect her choice.”

Dione marched forward, fisted hands at her sides. “You are being cruel by making her choose, leave it be, leave it as a mystery. In all other things you know as well as I do Zoe will honour her oath to you.”

“When she finds herself in conflict with the other oath, what then?”

“I …”

“So, Dione, even you can’t answer. I hope you see the situation this places me in. I need to be able to completely trust those who swear an oath to me, anything less and there will be ifs and buts. So, no, a single oath all or nothing, but I’m not cruel I just need to make sure a deliberate choice is made, and I believe Zoe has reached that point now. Although I am thinking I should dispense with words in the future and just scar future Daughters as such wounding makes for a stronger oath.”

“Not stronger Mistress, just equal and I have no way out,” pleaded Zoe, hitching her chest while sobbing.

Dione embraced Zoe and with piercing red rimmed eyes stared at Charis.

“If Zoe is to be released from her oath, then I wish to be released also.”

Charis didn’t consider one joining the other. She believed Dione selfish enough to require her own interrogation, therefore, Charis needed to quickly adapt her questions.

“I would hold none to me who don’t wish to be, but before I release you, I just need to ask you some questions while you continue to honour your oath to me if acceptable?”

Dione knitted her eyebrows together briefly before curtly nodding the once.

“You pursued the Dark Priest until almost your death and the death of the Sisters who followed you including the one you currently embrace. In fact, you wished to follow immediately and almost disobeyed the command of your Mistress not to do so. Why?”

Dione straitened her posture before answering. “We didn’t die, which is plain to see, and we managed to rescue you, so it ended well.”

Charis forced a wide smile upon her lips. “Chance and luck certainly favoured you, which you definitely needed given the lack of planning, failing to consider and take on council, consider other options, lack of concern for your life, your Sister’s lives, need I go on. Your Mistress didn’t order you back, why not do you think?”

“She …” Charis looked at Dione over her eyebrows. “Ahem … Mistress Astera supported our pursuit there was no question about that.” Dione nodded to herself, certain of her position.

“What would have been your answer if your Mistress would have ordered you back?”

Dione snapped back. “She didn’t.”

“But if she did!” Charis raised her voice a little, although enough.

Dione became momentarily confounded. What of their history? The Ladies Three? They all lived to tell the tale and fight another day and the Dark Priest as an embodiment of evil needed to be destroyed. Every effort expended to ensure his death. Same as the she Vampire which Charis destroyed. Same as the she Vampire she repeated in her mind.

“I still would have chased, we were so close, you weren’t there, and neither Mistress Astera, we really were that close, I saw the Dark Priest on multiple occasions and evil must be slain.”

“No Dione you were close, you were putting your Sisters in danger with each passing day and if your Mistress ordered you to return and you didn’t you would be named oath breakers. Your Mistress sensed you wouldn’t heed her command and didn’t want you to fail that test because an oath breaker would have been difficult to return from, whereas the dead could be mourned. I much prefer Zoe’s choice where she is being asked to be released before she needs cross a line of no return.”

Zoe subtly separated from Dione, while still maintaining their embrace until Dione stepped forward waving her hands at Charis. “But if we weren’t out there you would still be lost, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

“How did you know your chase would end with the finding of me?”

Dione folded her arms. “We or I didn’t but it still ended that way, so very good fortune.”

“Do you think the Goblins rescued you because they needed you, their only possible opportunity to return me so their leader could fulfil his self-imposed oath? If not you, I am sure he would’ve cared for me longer and found another way to deliver me. I am absolutely certain of this because he could have slaughtered Helice, Raisa and me at any time and no one would have known. I agree my return is the sole reason we are talking now because without the Goblin rescue your Sisters certainly would have died in a crumbling cottage, while you would have had to make a difficult choice between death or dishonour.”

Charis finished preparing the second rabbit and without missing a beat placed the stretched out dressed flesh over the now blazing campfire lit at the beginning of her watch and now larger than really required. She then rescued Zoe’s half-dressed rabbit from the leafy ground and proceeded to continue the preparation from where Zoe left off, knife in hand once again.

“Morning Sisters, why the long faces, from the bit I overheard it sounds like some mistakes were made, so perhaps we can learn from them,” Helice said, the cheer in her voice not overly appreciated by at least two in the audience.

“Mistress doesn’t seem to think so,” Dione groused.

“Do you believe your pursuit and how you conducted it still the correct way to do such a thing considering you can now recall the ordeal only because against all odds you were all just plain lucky to survive. There is nothing you would have done differently, nothing to learn?”

“Always Mistress,” replied Dione quietly.

“Perhaps it would be useful to discuss this with Mistress Astera? Also, with the Sisters who accompanied you. I suspect they followed you because along with Otonia we were the Ladies Three so they assumed you would be in command.”

“Yes Mistress.”

Charis knew as Mistress she and Astera needed to learn from this folly as well, in particular appointing a mission or quest leader. To mention this now would provide Dione with a false sense of shared blame, when she needed to take full ownership and grow.

“Mistress I don’t wish to be released from my oath,” said Zoe, her heart beating rapidly uncertain if Charis would accept.

Charis reached over and turned the second rabbit on the fire and then recommenced preparing the first one. Helice decided that she should at least check the perimeter of the camp as they could be surprised by a troop of cavalry given the intense depth of conversation occurring.

“So how do you intend to honour both oaths?”

“I was able to rescue my Sisters and ask for help from the Snow Wolves because we could communicate. I cannot tell you how because of my clawed oath, but I sensed they wish to be true allies with us if they can be sure of our intentions.”

“Well then …” Charis glanced at them all in turn, including Helice still busy preparing to leave. “Let’s eat?”

Dione exchanged glances with Zoe, while Helice shrugged and casually reached forward using her knife to cut a portion off the second, now first cooked rabbit. Charis for her part placed the first rabbit, soon to be second cooked rabbit, over the campfire. She then stood and stretched.

“I will check my trap line now and see if I can get lucky with my special bait.”

“You need me to accompany you Mistress?” Helice asked.

Charis waved her back and continued her walk away from the camp, the rising morning sun lighting the way. Dione and Zoe paying the most attention, waiting until certain.

“What is your part in this Helice? What is going on?” Dione asked.

“We all thought about where we were, although don’t ask me where we really were. A place of sunshine and forest, every day a pleasant day, truly magical. In the end though we were a burden and expelled. The Elven Lord apologised but there wasn’t much of a discussion. The next thing I remember, travelling in the back of a wagon. I couldn’t contact either Charis or Raisa using our Seer Link, although I didn’t become too alarmed as we couldn’t Seer Link when in the Elven Forest either.”

Helice paused while she nibbled on another slice of warm juicy rabbit.

Dione touched Helice’s arm lightly. “So, Charis and Raisa weren’t awake, not even when they were first placed in the Inn?”

“Neither, therefore I needed to formulate a plan with little guidance from them. Alcmene and Clymene contacted me, celebrating our newly recruited Apprentice Seer and how she tamed an evil Vampire Spirit and we would be using its evil presence to revive Charis and Raisa out of their trances and I needed to maintain the illusion I slept as well. The Apprentice Seer would advise her Vampire Spirit accordingly. I didn’t need to contact Charis, her view has always been, evil is evil and needs to be destroyed so I needed to plan a trap to achieve that. The instructions you received from Rhea, were actually from me.”

“So, while you planned for the evil’s destruction, you ignored the Seer’s plan to recapture the evil after serving to wake Charis and Raisa only because you knew Charis would want the evil destroyed,” gasped Zoe.

“My analysis wasn’t side tracked, shall we say, by self-interest. Our Apprentice Seer with the aid of her loyal Vampire Spirit became well accomplished in the pleasuring of Seer Sisters, which they wished to preserve if possible. After all they could always destroy the gem as an ultimate fail safe.”

“Yes, we heard the rumours,” Dione said.

“I needed to predict Charis’ actions and reactions given I couldn’t contact and inform her of the plan. The weakening of the Vampire Spirit plan, the same as weakening the Mage the first precaution, requiring the separation of the gem from the Apprentice Seer and then checking for the spirits return each time between chests. We thought its separation from the gem would cause it to flee back, instead the spirit continued forward, regardless of the risks to itself and so Charis needed to harness all the magic of the Seer Circle to defeat it, which Clymene prepared beforehand as another precaution.”

“Surely the Seers could harness its power?” asked Zoe.

“Evil is evil, Charis would never have permitted it. If you remember, the Mistress was tainted by evil so will not tolerate it under any conditions or guarantee. She has been … affected by the experience and she is, if anything else more determined and more protective now than ever before, so perhaps you are seeing that change in her now.”

Zoe looked at Dione and then turned to Helice to ask a question and stopped, turning back to eating. Dione distracted herself by turning the now cooked second rabbit to prevent it burning to a crisp.

“Zoe, Mistress holds all oaths binding, so if you gave an oath to another, she is more than happy for you to honour it as long as you can still tell her the truth within its limits. So, she needed to be sure you told all you could of your encounter with the Snow Wolf Pack Leader. Even as I listened, I found it difficult to believe that a wolf, even a Snow wolf would be able to bind you to an oath and you would obtain a sense they wished to be allies. There is something missing. The ‘missing’ is the issue.”

“Thank you Helice. I see now the folly of my answers and Mistress only tried to extract what I could reveal without breaking my other oath,” said Zoe.

“Your confession is over it seems.” Dione flashed a look at Zoe who returned a relieved smile. “I need to talk to Mistress Astera, and I need to apologise to many, including you, but I will do so in front of all those I have wronged if you can suffer the delay?”

“Certainly Sister, such a thing goes without saying between trusted Sisters.”

---

Charis located the start of her trap line; the first couple of traps still set and empty. The third more interesting, sprung, yet empty. Charis smiled to herself; they must have been watching her set them she concluded. The fourth and fifth the same as the third, three rabbits stolen and now left empty handed, how will she feed everyone? Charis smiled some more, proof the Pack Leader valued Zoe for a reason yet to be discerned, good enough to serve as bait when according to all, the Winter Wolves should be long gone into the Mountains by now. Charis scouted the sixth trap like she did previous five, downwind and from an unexpected direction. Satisfied she discovered all she could Charis approached the sixth trap from the direction of the fifth, although stealthily as befitting any stories they may have heard about her. Hands on her hips she shook her head inspecting the sprung and empty sixth trap, fussing around, waiting patiently.

“You are accomplished trapper Mistress Charis, so thank you for the morning meal.”

Charis turned slowly in the direction of the voice. She took a breath. A mature, although superbly athletic female stood several body lengths away. The torso wrapped in a large tanned and finished black bear skin equally impressive.

“I have been looking forward to this meeting. It seems we have an enemy in common, which you and yours have assisted with already. I do appreciate your help, so thank-you.”

“Firstly, I need to mention your attack on little wolf.”

Charis smiled at the naming, an assumed ownership right. Charis of course adopted something similar well before the Daughters were chartered, a new name symbolising a new beginning and by choosing ancient names an assumption of importance, an illusion backed up with an appropriate standard of dress, in the case of the Daughters, this typically meant weapons and armour, supported by a comfortable level of wealth. This naming though, possessive, endearing.

“Why do you smile, she is my oath sworn as much yours," stated the Wolf Pack Leader somewhat perplexed.

“While I acknowledge the strength of your oath upon her, I assume she would never be able to keep up with a wolf pack, which makes me wonder how you do, although I don’t expect you to tell me. I am sure Zoe knows why, which is the reason you swore her to an oath.”

“You …”

“I consider the information I have as much as the information I don’t or can’t be told about.”

The Pack Leader wondered how someone so young would come up with that way of thinking.

“Can I ask that the two with you reveal themselves or at least have the courtesy to move from behind me?”

“Zoe did say you were a hunter long before you were a Mistress.” She snapped her fingers.

“It helps that you aren’t in your natural form.” This a pure guess by Charis as Zoe, able to talk to the Pack Leader, although impossible for a human to keep up with a wolf pack, so the Pack Leader needed to be a wolf as well, even though a human stood before her. Charis observed a confirmation of sorts as the Pack Leader’s face quickly recovered from its surprise. The other option of course, a human who rode a large enough wolf, which given the lack of nearby wolves and the absolute command displayed by the woman in front, highly unlikely.

“Careful Mistress Charis too much guessing will give you a false conclusion.”

“I am young I can afford to guess a little wrong as I don’t know much of the world and most underestimate me. I have met an Elf Lord and now I have met a Snow Wolf Pack Leader, both it seems to me would like to help but obviously only if it suits their purposes. I have a sense that the damsel in distress soon after my Sisters were threatened with harm by the Wolf Pack probably a little too convenient. So, I would rather you tell me you would like one of your pack to accompany us. It could be known only between you and me to start but eventually I would need to reveal to all my Sisters as I don’t like secrets much.”

“You speak very plain. I am surprised by your openness and wonder why?”

“Like I said I am young, and youth are always in a hurry, keen to get as much as possible done, so I would rather say what is on my mind if in good company.”

“Interesting, our first meeting and you consider me good company, I’m flattered.”

“I am relying upon Zoe’s assessment largely, but I have seen nothing yet to have me doubt her. I acknowledge you need to be sure about any future ally or at least friend and would welcome any appraisal. If we aren’t a match than that is useful as well, it doesn’t mean we automatically become enemies, at least not to me, it just means our ways of achieving our outcomes differ too much most of the time, although there is nothing to say some common ground can’t be found occasionally. The Elf Lord is probably my friendly acquaintance if you want an existing comparison and we seem to help each other in our own way.” Charis couldn’t help but finish with a smile.

“Yes, the Elves are a purposeful race, if single minded about that purpose. I have never heard of one take an interest in a non-elf though.”

To help build trust, Charis demonstrated the answer. She pulled back her hair to reveal her silver jewellery topped decapitated ears, which produced a knowing nod from the Pack Leader.

“I must correct my assessment then.”

“He acknowledges the linage, but I suspect it means very little to him.”

“Yes, there are only twenty-one true Elven Lords and those elves of interest to them would need to have blond hair, which you haven’t, although equally unique in colour might I say. Can I touch it?”

Charis shrugged, “Sure.”

Although the Pack Leader already began her approach before waiting for the answer.

Charis unsure of the Pack Leader’s reaction if Charis withheld permission. What did alarm Charis though, the two until then stand-offish companions boldly stepped forward to do the same. They were younger, or appeared younger; some facial similarity with the Pack Leader, perhaps daughters to possibly different fathers?

“Is all your hair this colour?” asked one of the ‘wolf daughters’.

Charis thought the question very strange, still what harm could come from answering.

“Yes, all of my hair, is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“It just is.” the ‘wolf daughter’ replied, while revealing her own pure white loins by sweeping a bear skin, similar to her mothers, away from the usually private area. The three walked slowly around Charis touching her hair, running their fingers along her cheek. Eventually they stopped and stood back looking at Charis.

“My daughter will return with you. She will report to me her observations if that is acceptable.”

“She will need to swear an oath to me before my Sisters.”

The ‘wolf daughter’ quickly looked at her mother, for some sort of retort, instead her mother indulged in thought, considering Charis’ request instead.

“If this assists with your consideration, as with Zoe, any conflict between the oaths just needs to be declared as soon as possible, but I don’t see any issue going forward as I won’t ask any question of you and yours to test your oath to me and I can’t see any other situation where it could be an issue.”

“Yes, my daughter will swear an oath to you Mistress Charis and in our way, it will be a blood oath, so it will bind both parties. Be warned it doesn’t allow for her life to be thrown away as she is precious to me.”

“The oath my Sisters swear to me are not one sided, so all will be well I am certain.”

“I will trust you on this.”

“There is the question of attire and hair colour, especially hair colour, it would draw a crowd by itself …” Charis paused as the white turned to deep dark black.

“I trust peasant black will be suitable?”

“Yes certainly,” stammered Charis who looked at the Pack Leader.

“We have certain secrets of our own, like you do, for example, your Seers. We were witness to several of them, ‘arriving’ to rescue Zoe and her Sisters from the wolf pack. Do you care to explain?”

“Not immediately, but your daughter will find out in the near future in any case. I just can’t have her know more than she should before she joins otherwise my Sisters, several in particular, will know by her reaction or in this case lack of reaction.”

“I am good at acting,” confessed the wolf daughter.

“I will bare that in mind for the future, but there is no need to test this ability when you will know the truth soon enough.”

“I agree daughter.”

Her daughter pouted a little in disappointment but otherwise held any thoughts on the matter to herself.

“I am wondering about clothes now. When do you wish to be revealed, with me now or sometime in the future?”

The daughter dropped the bear skin, revealing an athletic body, pale yellow complexion, pouting a little, disappointed perhaps since Charis didn’t fixate upon her. The daughters hovering around the edges, slipping in and out of shadow, their physical appearance generally speaking difficult to assess, aided in part by their bear skins which covered them head to toe, by virtue of an attached hood and long length.

After visiting the forest and securing a bag of sorts the still naked wolf daughter sauntered into a ray of sunshine. She then proceeded at a leisurely seductive pace, retrieving one piece of clothing at a time from the bag and slowly dressing. Fortunately, the clothing simple and functional, loin cloth, long pants, shirt and boots. Buying time by feigning interest during the display Charis formulated a theory she decided to try and confirm.

“What is your story?” Charis asked.

“My story?” questioned the wolf daughter.

“What will you tell people, especially your future Sisters about yourself? Remember you will begin as a Novice until your skills and knowledge are known and loyalty proven.”

“I cannot be a Novice! You will know now that I am …”

“Daughter!” growled her Mother. She turned to look at her Mother and bowed her head.

“I sense you are beyond that, but this is where your acting needs to be demonstrated,” Charis said, to try and soothe her ego.

“You found me lost, I cannot remember my past and you have taken me in to see if the Daughters of the Duchess has a place for me. How does that sound?”

“Yes, very vague on detail and allows you to remember bits if it suits you. Are you following me now? Does Zoe or any other Sister know your face?”

“Possibly.”

“Well the story still holds and as they approach you and quiz you about recognising you elsewhere you can remember portions as you see fit.”

“Agreed.”

“You ready to leave? I intend to follow the trap line back, see if we have any catches for the middle day meal and then I will introduce you to Zoe, Dione and Helice as a first test of your story, their memory and possibly your acting ability.”