Enid

King Henry was sitting in the high seat in the castle’s courtroom. He leaned forward looking at Enid.

“Absolutely not! I forbid it.”

Sir Arl was about to speak but Enid put her hand on his forearm and looked at the king.

“Your majesty, common law is plain in this situation. If he demands a trial by combat, it is within his rights, and he has challenged me to a duel to the death. I must accept.”

“He challenged a woman he struck in the back after he’d been defeated in a tournament! You are injured Lady Sarah, I will not have my future sister-in-law bleeding out in front of the masses. Your skill and your bravery are beyond contestation now, you put them on display for all to see. If I had ten men of your skill, I would have conquered France ages ago. But you are injured and a woman. This is not right.”

“Right or wrong, he has challenged me and I have accepted.”

“Let a champion fight in your stead.”

Sir Arl finally found his voice even with Enid trying to hush him. He had finally found some manner of backbone. Perhaps watching Enid in battle had awakened something in him.

“I have asked you for nothing brother, have given you my unquestioning support. But I ask you this now. Let my betrothed keep her honor and fight this battle.”

Both Henry and Matilda looked at Arl in shock. Never before had they seen him speak for himself with such force, let alone someone else. Henry stood up and paced. Eleanor watched everything silently, her thoughts on it hidden behind the mask of indifference.

“Arl, you ask me to put your future wife at risk. What kind of husband does that?”

“One who respects his future wife enough to know she can defeat Sir Roland soundly.”

Matilda looked at Arl.

“You knew she was a capable fighter all along?”

“Yes. On our first meeting she disarmed me with no weapon in her hands.”

Even Eleanor perked up at that. Matilda quirked one of her eyebrows.

“Why did you have a weapon in your hand in the first place?”

“It is not a story for right now, mother.”

Matilda blinked at him, unaccustomed to such a backbone from her son. Henry looked at his wife and his mother.

“Do you have any input?”

Eleanor pursed her lips.

“I think he should be stripped of his lands and titles and his head should be cut from his body and put on a pike as a warning to all who would disrespect the crown by displaying such barbarity at a tournament of honor.”

Matilda laughed at her response.

“Girl. He has the third largest army in the kingdom. Do you really want to cause a rebellion?”

Eleanor frowned at Matilda. Enid could tell the two women were not on friendly terms. Enid spoke up again.

“Which is precisely why I need to honor my acceptance of the duel. He challenged me. If he dies from such a challenge it’s on him. It may not prevent an uprising, but it will give his heir an excuse not to rebel.”

Matilda nodded as Enid spoke. She looked at Henry.

“Listen to this one, not your half-witted wife.”

Henry sat back down and rubbed his face.

“Arl, are you sure? You will not find another woman like this.”

Sir Arl looked down at Enid.

“If I stand in her way, she will leave me regardless. Even if we do not give her our blessing she will kill him, I saw it in her eyes. Sir Roland has been a thorn in our family’s side since mother tried to take the throne. So why not remove this threat and be blameless. You can say you could not stop the duel; It was out of your hands the moment he issued it and she accepted it. Out on the open field in front of the nobles and the people… it will hush any talk of us having him killed. I know you’ve wanted him dead for a decade.”

Matilda looked at Enid.

“I dare say you are rubbing off on my son.”

Enid gave a small shrug. Henry rubbed his chin he gave one last look to his mother who gave the slightest of nods.

“Fine. Have the criers announce the tournament start will be delayed and that all are welcome to witness the duel between Lady Sarah of Scotland and Sir Roland of Nottingham.”

Arl nodded to his brother and left to spread the word. Henry looked at Enid in her plain dress.

“Lady Sarah, I believe you need to get ready for your engagement dinner. Good luck on the field tomorrow. I will not say so publicly but I fully support you in this endeavor.”

Enid curtsied.

“I understand, your Majesty. See you at dinner.”

Enid left the royal family to discuss royal family things and made her way to her rooms.

*****

Hazel

Father Mathew, who had been present at the first appearance of the pair of ‘angels’ was following the Atlantean armor clad Hazel through the underbrush of the wooded lands that bordered Lincoln proper. So far since the mother and daughter pair had been in town, he’d been asked about exorcising demons, whether a woman marrying another spouse so soon after another spouses death was sin, and now he was being dragged an hour into the forest to bless something called Apollo. He was quite confused by the two angels but neither had done anything to make him question their true origins. He almost ran into Hazel when she stopped at the edge of a clearing.

“Okay first, bless this.”

Hazel offered up a strange black device to Father Mathew who turned it over in his hand and as he did so he pressed something on the apparent handle and a beam of turquoise light flew out and burned a hole in a large rock that jutted out of the ground on the far end of the clearing. He dropped it and jumped back. He exclaimed loudly:

“What manner of thing is this?”

Hazel picked it up swearing under her breath as the beam had barely missed her.

“I said bless it, not fondle it. It is a relic of a time before creation. Same with the armor.”

He reached into his vestments and pulled out a skin of holy water he’d brought. He dabbed his finger in it and performed a blessing in the name of the father, son and the holy spirit on it. Hazel then led him to the far side of the rock. Where two servants were bound and gagged. They started to struggle when they saw the pair. Hazel could still sense the demons slithering around inside them. She pointed at the pair.

“These are the possessed servants. You do your exorcism and if they escape I’ll shoot them.”

“Why are they out here and not the dungeon or the church?”

“I figured if they were kicked out of the bodies they’d just find a new host, so here there’s only you and me, no innocents. I can shoot the demon and destroy them, bob’s your uncle.”

“You speak so strangely. I’ve never heard such Latin.”

Hazel realized she should try to choose patterns of speech that match the times. She’d spent far too much time in the 29th century and soaking up 20th and 21st century media.

“My way of speaking has been impacted by many generations of humanity, not just this one. Now can you kick the demons out or what, Father?”

He pulled the gag out of the woman’s mouth.

“Sister in Christ, I will get this demon out of you.”

The woman shook her head.

“She’s crazy she just grabbed us up! You need to get us out of here. She’s the one who is possessed she speaks to voices of things that you can’t see!”

Hazel leveled the Atlantean energy pistol at the woman then shot over her head at the rock. The father jumped back. Hazel crouched down and spoke in middle English. The next words out of her mouth were a complete fabrication.

“This pistol is from Atlantis it is made with the same power that a Soul Blade is made from. If I shoot you with it, you don’t go back to hell; You just get obliterated. So, leave on your own, be forced out by the good father here or get shot in the face I don’t care. The human you’re possessing is already lost as far as I’m concerned.”

The face of the woman contorted, and she hissed at the pair screaming in a language Hazel’s translator could not understand. The father jumped back and crossed himself. Hazel stayed where she was gun still in hand her forearms resting on her knees. She glanced up at Father Mathew.

“Do your thing, please. I don’t have time for this bullshit.”

Father Mathew pulled out a parchment of text he’d scribbled the verses to perform the exorcism with. He had a small wooden bowl he poured a measure of holy water out into, and he started to sprinkle it on the woman. Her skin sizzled and it boiled off here it struck. He worked his way through the rite and though the demon struggled it was pushed out of the body and lunged towards him but vanished in a flash of turquoise light when Hazel fired her weapon. Hazel motioned to the male servant with her ray gun.

“And this one.”

The father began to perform the ritual. Before he could complete it the demon leapt out at him. Hazel had been waiting and it was vaporized before it could do any harm. Hazel shrugged and checked the pulse on both humans.

“They seem fine. Not sure if they’ll be crazy but hey, they’re demon free.”

Father Mathew crossed himself as the last vestiges of turquoise light dissipated.

“You truly are who you say you are, a warrior of Heaven.”

Hazel pulled a dagger out of a sheath on her armor and cut the servant’s bonds and removed their gags. She replaced it in its sheath and then slid the pistol into another sheath that formed in the back of the armor near the waist. She slapped the woman on the cheek a few times gently. The woman’s blue eyes fluttered open and she screamed when she saw the giant of a sixteen year old girl kneeling in front of her. Father Mathew spoke with a gentle tone.

“Be calm child. You are safe.”

She looked up at Father Mathew obviously recognizing his voice.

“Father where are we? I was… I was in the tanner’s shop…”

“You are near town. You were possessed by a demon, but we were able to exorcise it. Once the other unfortunate soul wakes up you can head back, yes? Go to the church, pray for forgiveness for all that you have done and when I return, we can talk about it.”

The woman nodded. Hazel repeated the same process with the man and within fifteen minutes they were on their way back to town with food and water. Hazel stood up and dusted her armor’s knees off. Father Mathew looked to her expectantly.

“I am ready for what is next.”

She spoke into the clearing.

“Apollo disable cloak.”

Father Mathew jumped back behind the rock falling on his ass when the metallic purple fighter appeared. He had no comparison, no concept of what this thing could be. He crossed himself. Hazel offered her hand to help him up.

“It is alright Father Mathew do not be afraid. This is Apollo. He aids us in our mission.”

A female voice spoke in the grove.

“And what about me?”

Hazel frowned.

“That’s Sariel. Apollo, open your weapon ports please. The father needs to bless them.”

“Of course, combat mode engaged.”

The father jumped at the new voice but then became intrigued when the liquid metal retreated from the weapon ports and filled in over the glowing turquoise antigravs and scanner housings. He touched the skin of the fighter and looked at Hazel.

“It feels like steel.”

Hazel nodded.

“It is steel that forges itself. If you could bless the weapons, they are the things inside those hard points.”

Sariel spoke again.

“Why does he get to be blessed and I don’t?”

Hazel glanced in the direction of the voice.

“Because he has weapons and you do not.”

“I want to be blessed too! If that pile of junk gets blessings, I want it too. I’m far more worthy.”

“If you could bless her as well, I’m sure she would appreciate it.”

Father Mathew went through a blessing on all of the weapons and eventually on Apollo himself. He turned to look for Sariel. Hazel sighed.

“He cannot bless you if he cannot see you, Sariel.”

“He’s a priest and I’m naked.”

Hazel rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily.

“Just turn off the goddamned cloak!”

Sariel became visible after complaining a few more times. Father Mathew was less shocked this time. He looked between the two starfighters.

“Why is one black and one purple?”

Hazel glanced between them.

“It is a very long story let’s just say Lady Sarah screwed up and let hers get too hot, so she had to make do with the liquid metal she found.”

Apollo spoke.

“That is not exactly true. She did the best she could in the situation.”

Father Mathew went through the process of blessing Sariel. The AI also demanded each and every single one of her slaved drones receive the same treatment. Hazel looked between the fighters.

“Turn off combat mode and cloak again please. Apollo I’ll be back, mom gave us a mission.”

Sariel grumbled.

“Oh, he gets a mission, and I don’t?”

“He has weapons Sariel. It’s just a fact.”

“Well, I had weapons until she stole them!”

Hazel closed her eyes then opened them very slowly. The whole conversation was taking place in a language Father Mathew could not understand so he was just looking between the three. Hazel patted Sariel’s armored skin.

“It was that or the scrap heap. Now cloak.”

“Fine.”

Hazel rolled her eyes as she turned away, she smiled at the father.

“Let’s head back to town.”

She tapped the holo-web and her armor was concealed by a functional noblewoman’s dress. The father blinked at her again.

“You have such things.”

“All to do our job better. You have holy water and a bible. We have…other things.”

He nodded.

“The female…? Thing. Is rather umm. I do not understand the words, but she sounds very… interesting.”

“In a former life she was a teenage girl who was not the most modest of people. Catholic of course.”

“Sariel sounds like an angel’s name.”

“It is. She’s named after the Angel of Guidance and Protection.”

“Apollo is the name of a pagan god is it not?”

“Yes. Also name of some mortals. The best way to think of those two is souls that are in a different type of body.”

“What is their purpose?”

Hazel pointed to the sky which was still bright blue on this unseasonably warm day.

“When you look up at the night’s sky what do you see?”

“Stars.”

“We can use those to travel to those stars. They fly and are much faster than we are. The also allow us to move through creation like you and I are walking. Past, present, future. Killing demons and repairing the damage they have done. More reliably than our normal methods.”

“But as Angels can you not do this yourselves?”

“Believe it or not, angels are not all powerful. Not sure if I should say this… but they… we can’t even travel to Heaven anymore. Angels that were outside can be here, angels that were inside, cannot leave. It has been this way since the gates of hell opened or so my mother tells me.”

“What of mortal souls?”

Hazel realized she’d screwed up at that moment.

“Uh, no, no travel either way. The only one who has managed it is Lady Sarah and she had to almost die. But there is hope! Once we finish our mission everything will be as it was. The Heavens will be open.”

He crossed himself.

“How do you comprehend such a mission? The very souls of mortals hanging in the balance?”

“I don’t think about the big picture father. That’s for God. Or that’s what mother says. She used to tell me when I was a child that when everything seems overwhelming, you just have to focus on the next right thing to do. And right now, that is going to Nottingham to see if its filled with demons. Which uh reminds me. You think the bishop might urm give me a letter of introduction, so I don’t have to go through the whole prove I’m an angel thing with the churches there?”

“Of course. He will gladly write it, especially once I relate the wonders you’ve shown me.”

Hazel rubbed the back of your neck.

“About that father. Maybe don’t mention Apollo and Sariel, or the thing that shoots light? I mean the exorcism and me destroying the demons that’s all fine. And also, the whole Heaven thing? I really wasn’t supposed to say so much. I could get in real trouble from mother.”

Father Mathew touched his cross.

“It will be under the seal of confession.”

Hazel nodded.

“Thanks father. You’re really cool for a priest, you know that? I thought priests from here were all stuck up relic selling conmen.”

“Many of the church are corrupt. I do not judge, that is for the Lord above, and his servants such as you.”

*****

The Engagement Banquet

The nobles who were in favor with the King sat arrayed in the banquet hall of the castle. Enid was sitting at the head table with the royal family. She was rather fidgety tonight. The overly heavy dress was not doing her wound any favors tonight. The reaction to her had seemed mixed. Some seemed to hate her, some seemed to love her, and others were just curious about her. During the pre-dinner mixing she’d run the gamut. The dislike of her seemed to be weighed heavily towards the women in the room. She was mostly unaccustomed to jealousy from other women. Throughout her very long life she’d never been considered exceptionally beautiful, she was barely average looking. In most cases if it were not for her hair at a distance she could easily be mistaken for a boy, not even a man due to her height and stature. Tonight, though she was the envy of many of them. She found it disconcerting. She was unsure of why they felt so threatened by her presence. Duke William of somewhere in Scotland. Enid had missed his announcement was looking at her every so often his wife the duchess was sitting to her right. He finally spoke.

“Lady Sarah. I do not recall seeing you in the courts of Scotland. Did you not attend?”

“When I was a child, I did, but once I had a choice, I avoided it like my life depended on it.”

He chuckled and switched to Gaelic.

“From where do you hale, Lady Sarah?”

Enid responded in the same language.

“Near Kinlochleven.”

“The castle on the cliff.”

“Aye.”

“Legend has it a great clan lived there once. Descended from Cu Chulainn’s loins. The chief killed his daughter in anger. That she became a banshee and with her wail she cast him into the sea off the cliff and he lingers still at the bottom… That she still haunts the castle. And that on a quiet night you can hear the moans of the chieftain.”

Enid smiled. She was well aware of the legend that surrounded her old homeland. She pondered how it came to be. She continued the conversation in Gaelic.

“Yes. I am well aware of that legend. There was in fact a clan that lived there just before the Roman’s arrived. I am descended from it. The chieftain’s second daughter in fact. The one he murdered was named Enid. She was a seer. If you walk past the castle, you can still see the mark, she and her milk mother made on the stone. It is a favorite spot of mine. It is beautiful, if a bit brisk.”

His shoulders relaxed and he laughed. His suspicion waning. He continued speaking in Gaelic.

“I should have known you were from the highlands. Not like this poof of a woman from Normandy. Doesn’t know the pointy end of a sword from the hilt.”

He switched to middle English and addressed Sir Arl.

“So, you’ll be looking for a new guard then? Your last batch having been beaten soundly by a woman?”

King Henry laughed.

“Like he needs a guard with a wife like her.”

Sir Arl held his mug of wine up.

“Cheers to that brother.”

The men who heard it lifted their wine mugs as well and laughed. Enid let herself relax again; She hadn’t realized she had tensed up. As the dinner progressed the duke’s wife seemed somewhat uncomfortable. Enid realized she might not know any of the local languages. She addressed her in French.

“Milady duchess, is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable? I’m being a terrible hostess.”

Her French caught the ear of Duke William who looked at her again.

“She speaks French too. Where did you find this woman Sir Arl?”

Enid let her future husband and duke converse while she focused on the duchess’s words.

“I am new here and do not understand the language. Was my husband flirting with you?”

Enid shook her head.

“No, he was trying to determine if my noble birth was a lie. Fear not duchess, I have no designs on your husband. I’m quite happy with my future partner.”

She relaxed visibly.

“After what I saw on the field, I was worried. These Scottish men seem to favor strong women over beauty. I do not understand them.”

“Scottish men are brutes, handsome brutes but brutes non-the-less. But they can be gentle and loving too. If you’d like, I’ll be happy to teach you some Gaelic while you’re here. Things like pig quit gawking at her and look at her chest again and I’ll cut your balls off.”

The duchess giggled softly. Matilda smirked in response to Enid’s words. The duchess touched Enid’s wrist.

“Lady Sarah thank you. Now, you aren’t going to fight that knight tomorrow, are you?”

Enid nodded.

“I will be.”

“That is ghastly. To challenge a woman.”

“No what was ghastly was to attack me while I was being wrestled by two guards.”

“But your injury, surely your husband will champion your cause?”

Enid shook her head.

“My future husband is a fine man but if he faces Sir Roland, I will be a widow before I can say my vows. I’m afraid it will be me.”

Enid noticed Hazel and Father Mathew appear in the doorway of the banquet hall. She looked to the Duchess and then her future husband and excused herself.

“Excuse me Duchess, my daughter is seeking my attention.”

The duchess and Arl nodded Enid made her way the pair and tugged them out of view.

“Yes?”

Hazel didn’t look pleased.

“Mother, we tried to exercise the demon from Sir Roland. It did not work; It was too strong.”

Enid shrugged.

“Then Sir Roland needs to die with a blessed weapon. Speaking of which, did you bring the sword?”

Hazel pulled her Atlantean sword from under the hologram projected by her holo-web and offered it to her mother. Enid took it.

“Thank you, Hazel.”

Hazel frowned.

“I got the Atlantean pistol blessed, just let me shoot him in the face, we’re done.”

Enid shook her head.

“No, it needs to be pubic in the duel. Anything else could lead to his heir having an excuse to attack the Sir Arl, or the King.”

Hazel threw her hands up.

“Mom why do you make everything so complicated.”

Father Mathew looked between the two women remaining silent.

“Because the world is a complicated place, dear. You should know that from your previous work with Miles.”

Hazel’s lips turned into a thin line and her eyes narrowed.

“Fine. I’ll go deal with his keep.”

“Thank you, Hazel.”

Hazel stormed off. Enid sighed. Father Mathew finally spoke once the two women had finished bickering in a mix of modern English and Russian, though most of the Russian was on Hazel’s part.

“Do all angels bicker so much?”

“Father, every angel I have met has been a rude jerk in some fashion except for one. And his only job is making people feel better. My daughter and I are no exception.”

“I do not understand. How can angels have children?”

“With a mortal. Now, Father, things might get messy tomorrow during the duel. Demons don’t like to get sent back to hell. It might leave Sir Roland at the last minute. So, things might get flashy, I need you to prepare the clergy at the cathedral and local churches to deal with the…questions.”

“I still think we should tell Rome about this.”

“Rome will send investigators to investigate the miracles. Then the demons will notice then… just trust me. The quieter we keep this the better. Once I leave feel free to make a report to Rome. Though at this point we have at least a year before that happens.”

“Why must we delay?”

“Too much attention will endanger our mission here. As much as your assistance has been appreciated, we try to not be detected by anyone. I appreciate that you have blessed this sword. It will put a demon back in hell.”

“I have so many questions.”

“I will answer one more but then I must return the engagement banquet it is technically my party after all.”

He gripped his cross tightly.

“Why did God create hell? What purpose does it serve?”

“God did not create hell. An angel that sits above the rest did. It was done in anger. Until the denizens seek forgiveness they are to be trapped there for all eternity. The staff I wield is hers.”

He spoke again.

“How do they escape?”

Enid frowned.

“I said one more question, but your answer is this: A long time ago I destroyed something that could not be destroyed, and it destabilized all order in creation. I am now trying to set it right. I must go. I will be happy to answer more questions for you father, should I be allowed to share the answers.”

Father Mathew bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

Enid gave him a small wave and headed into the banquet hall sword in hand. She sat down in her chair and leaned the blade against the table. Arl looked at it and then to her.

“What manner of weapon is that?”

“The sword I crafted for my daughter. She loaned it to me for the duel. I just had Father Mathew bless it. Now, my future husband, I believe it’s time for you to make a speech soon is it not?”

Sir Arl nodded.