1688
'And just like that it's over.' Marie thought. 'I have no say in weather she comes with me
now. '
'And just like that it's over.' Kathrine thought. 'Three years of bruises, cracked bones, claw
marks, bite marks, and one missing fang, and it's finally over. I'm free. Okay witches! You
brides of Satan! You are going to burn!' Kathrine thoughts these thoughts heroically.
"Kathrine." Said Armando calmly and sternly getting the felman's attention.
'No Monkey-Cat?' "Yes?"
"As your teacher, and as my student, I give you one last lesson: Unless you are prepared to
die, you will grieve over the dead bodies of your packmates, if you are not prepared to kill,
your packmates will grieve over your dead body. No enemy I've ever met hesitated to kill,
you have to be prepared to do the same."
"'Thou Shall Not Kill...'"
"I believe the actual translation is 'Thou Shall Not Murder.' Otherwise I'd be going to
confession after every meal."
Marie looked as Kathrine made final words with the naked wolf man who was taller than
Marie the way Marie was taller than Kathrine.
'Draco would think me insane if I told me that we had waited three years while a friend of
mine learned to defend herself instead of me finding a competent soldiers in a third that
time at least. Maybe I am insane. What sane woman would do half the things I've done?'
Marie knew it was wrong, but she somehow felt satisfaction for when Abaza was executed
before her eyes rather than the pity she did when she put the unwilling victims of curses
out of their misery. Was it because he had chosen to be what he was? Or had Marie simply
gotten used to her appointed task?
"Come along Kathrine, we have a lot to do." Marie took her hand. She then looked at the
gray and faded crimson Wolf Pack Alpha and bowed her head, "Thank you for teaching my
friend to defend herself. Tell no one of this or her, the Inquisition will deny it all for I do
not exist."
"How can you not exist when you stand before me?" The old lupman said simply.
".... " Marie wasn't sure how to respond to that. "I'll think about that. Thank you."
The Roman Wolfpack was, of course, very disappointed at the let down of a fight that had
been building for three years. They knew there was going to be no blood letting, but they
had been hoping for a true display of skills. Being denied that left them in a bad mood,
and Marie realized it was best to not test their hospitality.
As the Nuns made their way back to the sanctuary of Rome's walls, Marie Cruz thought of
the trick spear that Kathrine now carried with her, in separate parts, hidden of course. In
spite of their marriage to God, both of them were carrying WEAPONS. Marie was already
sure both of them were going to Hell for betraying such a basic tenant. All the same, no
reason for Katrhine to be thrown into the deeper levels of Hell by Marie making Kathrine
own crimes worse.
Marie chose to spoke, before they entered the city least their words echoed to prying ears
and found their way to Zoey. (Marie gave the girl credit, she was a wealth of local
information if you knew how to ask the right questions).
"Kathrine, I've been a killer since before the age that most of those pups were still
cringing at breaking the neck of a weasel... The night I lost this eye was also the night I
lost any right to being a normal child.... No. I think it was when I saw my parents burned
after dying from the plague, and I was next." Marie didn't remember much from those
days, but one thing she'd never ever forget was the image of her parents dead from
plague, burned to ashes.
"The night I lost my eye just awoke it. Don't become a killer Kathrine. No matter how many
times you wash your hands, the blood stains won't ever go away."
Marie knew her duty to the Inquisition wouldn't end simply because the witches did. That
was just a fantasy on Kathrine's part. Like something out of a fairy tale where once the
wicked witch was dead all the other problems the person had faded away. But Marie saw
no reason to shatter that illusion right now however. She was the Inquisition's for life as
much as she was God's bride. Marie just hoped that Marie, Kathrine and Draco all lived to
see old age. 'Besides We've sworn ourselves to God. Our only marriage is to God. Our lines
end here anyway.'
As the two entered the Vatican, the pair noticed the other pair of a human nun with
glasses chatting happily with a leoman nun with the most non-extraordinary shade of
brown fur imaginable. It seemed the gossip princess herself had also finally found a real
friend. 'Alaba and Zoey. A to Z?' Marie thought of the symmetry of the names. Zoey had
found someone willing to share all they knew, and for Zoey to share all she knew with.
'Friendship takes all forms.' Marie thought. And thought of the friendship she had with the
witches, or at least, thought she had through her dreams. And she remembered the
daunting near impossible task ahead of her and her teammates. 'Bride of Satan,' She
thought with disgust.
Across the atlantic, another one eyed woman the same age as Marie felt a chill down her
spine and had the mental image of the woman she had dreamed about decades before
were the town had been in ruin (likely following their own rules to oblivion) and her foster
father wood and nailed to a cross (likely by the puritans) who had judge them evil for
seeking to free humanity from the unfair and cruel laws that had been imposed on them
without their say! Only one term described such a creature to Gogatha (whose chosen
name she had picked in direct mockery of her foster father's converted religon). "Dog of
God." She whispered under her breath.
++++++++++
"We're to get going at once?.. You do realize that--" Draco began glaring through his
bandaged face.
Marie nodded her head like a rocking horse, "Yes yes yes I know! BUt I TOLD YOU that this
was going to be the date that we had to leave! Are all the arrangements made?!"
"Don't use that tone of voice, and yes, it's been voted on and decided that yes, we need to
have a foot hold in the New World to lead the Protestants back to the true church. And
you?"
"The Inquisition is willing to send me there if to just have me far away from them. I'm
officially of course to establish part of the Inquisition there... by myself, with pretty much
no support... When the witches are dead it's going to be interesting."
"When they're dead, you've turned into a optimist Marie."
"I've been hanging out with a friend of mine too long."
"I guess that's that then for me as well."
"Eh?"
"Just a friend of mine I haven't seen in decades almost, never did find what happened to
him, the records simply stop, like he vanished into thin air."
"I see. I'm sorry." Marie said, the stereotypical dragon didn't have friends. But Kathrine had
taught her that stereotypes could be very wrong.
"Not your fault, so don't be sorry if you don't have anything to do with it."
"I'll be sorry for who I chose to be sorry for."
"Very well."
"Remember the Gargoyle I told you about? Did you request him as well?"
"Of course... there are lots of Gargoyles named Vatican however so it wasn't easy to find
the right one you meant... "
"Also... something changed recently... we have another tagalong, a nun I know who
managed to win over my promise she could help us hunt the three witches..."
"Please tell me you're joking."
"She's spent years preparing for this."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Fire came out of Draco's mouth, the bandages cover his
mouth blacken.
"I didn't think she'd reach the threshold she could defend herself, I was wrong."
"I REALLY don't like being kept in the dark, in particular since I'm the one helping -you-."
"I know. I apologize."
"Are you keeping any other secrets from me?"
"Yes." Marie said simply.
"How can I trust anything you've told me so far then?"
".... I promise to tell you everything once we're on the way to the New World. I swear to
God that the witches as far as I know do exist, and they are as great a threat as I have told
you."
Draco sighed. "You're not making this easy."
"I know."
"I need to write some letters to some friends of mine before we go. They should at least
know what happened to me if anything happens."
"You're telling them about the witches?"
"Maybe I am, maybe I am not. You keep things from me, I'll keep things from you."
Marie said nothing, "There one more detail you, we, need to add to that request of yours,
and we need to do so very VERY fast."
++++++++
"You are going -where-?!" Abbess Mary declared looking at the letter then at the two nuns
in front of her.
"To the New World to teach the savages God's true word." Kathrine said nodding her head
and smiling.
"I... I don't believe this! They can't just pick you up like chess pieces and place you
someplace else! And without even speaking to me before hand!"
"It's alright Sister, really it is." Marie bowed. "This is were God needs us to be. Who are we
to refuse that call?"
".... Very well but... I want you to know I'm proud of both of you. I am sad to see you go, as
I'm sure your other Sisters shall as well."
'I doubt that.' Marie thought simple.
++++++++
Zoey was a blubbering mess of tears as Alaba gently hugged the small human from
behind. "You CAN'T GO! It's not fair!"
Kathrine and Marie looked at each other stunned.
"You're going to go to see so many new places! See so many new people! I wanna go too!"
'Of course.' Marie said simply, "Zoey that's impossible."
"Then just stay here! I'm sure we'll go lots of books on what it's like there soon! I'm sure!"
Marie and Kathrine looked at each other again.
Marie realized she had stereotyped more than just species. Zoey had always just been a
set of ears and a mouth... there had never been a person. Marie looked at her, REALLY
LOOKED at her, with her eyes that told her MUCH MORE than the one that just showed
what there was to see.
Marie hugged her fellow bride of God and whispered in her ear, "Zoey. You can't go."
"Why not?" She sobbed.
Marie whispered, "Because... you're going to be Abbess one day."
Zoey's eyes widened.
++++++++++++
1687 Between The first day of Christmas and New Years.
The female felman opened the letter and read it. It wasn't addressed to her per-say, but it
was addressed to her family. She had dark blue fur with tiny white spots on her back that
only her husband ever saw. She was cool, calm, and collected, as was to be expected by
felman tradition given her fur color. Unlike her sister who was bright red with orange
accents that forever embraced her passions. And her other sister who fur colors correctly
predicted she was happy, friendly, and willing to make friends with anyone (there were
times the female felman wished she had the nature her other sister had).
Her two older sons were playing on the floor, while her youngest son was in one arm as
she read the letter in the plush chair she was in, a forth child waiting to be born in her
belly. Having given birth so many by felman standards had earned her the nickname 'Lucky
Star' by her family, husband and friends.
When she read who it was from, she resisted the desire to break out in dance and song as
that was improper to her fur color. Then she had to resist the urge to cry as that was
improper to her fur color as well.
'I haven't seen Kathrine since our mama died of the plague... ' Like the father of the
Prodigal son, 'Lucky Star' wasn't thinking of years distant, she was thinking of seeing her
again.
"What does it say mama?" Asked her son in her arms dressed only in shorts and a
pendant.
"We're going to go meet your auntie Kathrine dear..."
"Auntie who?"
"A very wonderful rainbow-fur." 'I need to tell all the others!'
++++++++++
"Kathrine had already sent the letter to her family before the duel even began?" Betty
asked surprised.
"She was very confident that she'd be able to win. And it would take that long just for the
letter to make it. It took most of her nerve just to put the pen to paper. She didn't know
that technically transport would have already been arranged. It turned out to be all for the
best however for what her family provided would get them across the ocean much faster...
And Kathrine going to the New World would actually inspire some of her nieces and
nephews to ultimately come to the Americas and, of course, being their inspiration, they'd
ultimately come to Glendale and Frostvile and Salem being the first Felman besides
Kathrine in the New World."
+++++++++++
With the epidemic, only the desperate or the reckless were visiting Glendale these days.
The children who had been born due to their siblings being forgotten by their parents
after becoming Golden Deer, fairies, animals, statues or dolls now struck by the witches as
well. Some acted like Olga after their change. Other acted like animals. Other were simply
insane. Joella was saddened, scared, worried, and outright fearful at what was happening.
For every child that acted better, there was nine who were suffering horribly by the
Wandering Demons.
Joella of course had no library to go to, since no public libraries existed yet in the colonies.
But there were generous families with a good amount of books who she easily won over
via her sheer personality and no geass given to her by her friends/foster parents (Joella
due to only having the memories of what the witches knew of her, only knew her old family
wasn't around anymore even before she lived in Glendale, though she didn't know where
she had lived before Glendale, but none of that mattered because she was happy and had
friends).
This generous family was one of the Leoman who had lost a daughter to the madness who
was now a little lunatic who needed to have an eye on constantly.
"I wish I was a fairy princess." A girl wish glasses said reading a copy of MidSummer
Night's Dream with a small number of boys and girls around her who couldn't read
listening to what she said. Joella saw their clothes didn't look all that clean. Neither did
those of the adults nearby.
"Then I'd be your fairy prince." Said one girl playfully teasing.
Joella knew fairies were real of course. Two dozen lived near and around the house she
lived with her Best Friends (a result of nearly a decade and a half worth of work by the
witches) and were her friends as well.
+++++++++
"What became of the people who the witches failed to make into Joella and made into
figurines to clean up the evidence?" Casandra had to know.
"They eventually evolved in their little prisons into totem spirits, or good luck charms
they'd be called now, whose were able to keep nightmares away from even the most
trouble child. The fairies gave the figurines all little fae wings on their backs as a fair-well
gift to them before they departed from the witches before Marie and her crew arrived.
Betty thought of one such an item she had seen once for sale in a antique shop.
"So Joella began down the path of good intentions to Hell too?" Maddex asked.
"Not precisely... unlike her parents, Joella made crystal clear first that these children knew
what they were singing up for and that there would NOT be a receipt to return to the store
if they chose being naked, tiny, with wings, and their brains practically swimming in magic
wasn't for them after a while. Joella was after all, how the witches thought of themselves,
not how they actually were."
"So she asked her mothers to turn these kinds into fairies? After the witches had
abandoned the idea of fairies being a good option for eternal childhood?"
"Of course not. Joella had no idea the fairies that existed, even if the fairies didn't
remember, were creations of the witches. So she'd ultimately ask the fairies themselves for
this favor."