(Continued from Ch 64, The Chill Curse of Winter) 

The Chronicles of Rapina
Chapter 65, The Nimbus of Mortaebius


"That sound must mean he is feeling good enough now to get me in trouble," Bellany said. "Early this morning the only sound he made was the last few pecks of a dying bird on my window. I was planning to sneak him over to see Headmaster Bristol or Guardian Moore this morning. I suppose he might have gone to them if he knew he was venerated by their religion, but Cleo and I sometimes fed him scraps and he is a big fan of Mary's pies. I guess he puts his faith in food before religion. Can you blame him?" Bellany asked. 

"Lady Norwit, show me what you have this instant before I haul you down to Headmistress Vargrend's office." 

"All right Mrs. Perkins," Bellany said as she threw the heavy covers off and sat up. 

There was a black, billed head poking out from a large bulge within Bellany's robe. She opened a few of the buttons and brought Nimbus out. He hopped onto her left arm and spread his coal black wings as she stood and got into her slippers. 

"Heavens, I have noticed that bird before. She has to be the biggest raven I've ever seen," Mrs. Perkins gasped. 

"She?" Bellany asked. 

"Yes, she is so big I assume she must be female. Male birds tend to be smaller," Mrs. Perkins said. "I am uncertain if there is a way to tell them apart for sure." 

"Oh," Bellany said. "Anyway we call her or him Nimbus after the dark cumulonimbus clouds, and Nimbus was all but dead when I found him just outside the window. The cold just about flattened me when I opened the window to get him." 

Mrs. Perkins nodded. 

Nimbus rubbed his head against Bellany's left palm. 

"She seems to like you," Mrs. Perkins observed.

"Yes, I imagine this is the first time Nimbus has been warm in weeks. I am surprised his feet still work. Earlier this morning they were all crinkled up against his body," Bellany said.

"Perhaps she was in less trouble than you thought," Mrs. Perkins said. 

"When I first put him in my robe the cold against my chest burned like fire," Bellany said. "I don't think he was faking anything. He is a wild bird. I doubt asking to come into our room would have occurred to him were it not for this murderous cold." 

Mrs. Perkins nodded. "I feel sorry for the bird, but I am going to have to take you to see Headmistress Vargrend about this. Keeping wild animals in your room is against the rules." 

Bellany grimaced. "Mary has to be off to work soon. When you give Mary the key to the library this morning may we go down to the offices via the spiral stairs from the library? The last thing a vindicator girl needs is to be caught in the hallway with a raven on her arm." 

Mrs. Perkins smiled. It was the first time Bellany had ever seen her smile. "Yes that will be fine. There is no need to make a circus out of a cold bird." 

After the monitor left, Mary rolled her eyes. "Bellany, you have such a talent for getting into trouble." 

"I know, but I could not just let the poor thing die. I may be naughty, but I am not heartless." 

Mary smiled. "I will go fetch us some breakfast." 

"Thank you, Mary. If you can scare up some lard and biscuits for Nimbus I would be much obliged. I am sure he is famished after freezing to death for the past few days." 

Mary nodded. "I know one of the cook's assistants. I will see what I can get for him." 

"Thanks." Bellany smiled. 

As it turned out, Mary brought a feast for Nimbus that consisted of lard, biscuits and some leftover mutton. 

"He sure likes you, Bellany. He flies away if I try to feed him." 

"He is just wild is all, Mary. He loves your pies though, remember? 

"Yes, I remember we were worried that he would take a peck from every pie in the competition but you bought one of mine to draw him off." 

"He enjoyed it. I have been giving him bits of food practically since the first days of school, so don't feel bad. He is just not used to you." 

"What made you feed a raven?" Mary asked. 

Bellany shrugged. "He found Cleo and me after lunch one day and I had a biscuit in my pocket so I put it on a tree branch for him. Things progressed from there." 

Bellany fed Nimbus another scrap of mutton. He was obviously very hungry. 

After a few minutes Mrs. Perkins came to the door and Mary led the way into the library. As Bellany followed Mrs. Perkins into the librarians' cage, Nimbus took off and began flying around the library. 

"Uh oh, I guess he did not like the confinement of the cage," Bellany said. 

"See if you can get him back, we mustn't let him soil the books," Mrs. Perkins said. 

"I'll try. Would you kindly fetch Headmaster Bristol? He is a priest of Mortaebius, isn't he?" Bellany asked. " He must know more about ravens than I do." 

Mrs. Perkins nodded. She took the key to the spiral stair, opened the door and disappeared down the stairs. 

Bellany stepped out into the library while Mary stayed in the cage and got things ready for the morning guests. After going behind some bookshelves, Bellany cast her Gentle Beast spell on Nimbus and then climbed up one of the library ladders and put him back onto her arm. She was walking towards the librarian's cage when Headmistress Vargrend and Headmaster Bristol followed by Mrs. Perkins arrived from the spiral staircase. 

"What have you done now, young lady?" Headmistress Vargrend scolded. 

"Nimbus just didn't like the librarian's cage at first. I think he's fine now," Bellany said. 

"How did you find the raven?" Headmaster Bristol asked. 

Bellany shrugged. "I was restarting the fire in the heating stove this morning when I heard a weak peck on the window. He was like a chunk of ice when I stuck him in my robe but he was talking when Mrs. Perkins woke me up, so I took him out of my robe and he seemed to be fine." 

Headmistress Vargrend shook her head crossly. "Wild animals do not belong in this school. I must think of a suitable punishment." 

Headmaster Bristol cleared his throat. "This is a raven of omen, Headmistress. Ravens of this size do not grow on trees. The proper punishment for Lady Norwit from any worshipper of our god is a heartfelt thank you and the assurance that we owe her a favor. Letting such a bird freeze to death would be a serious affront. We would essentially be telling Mortaebius that his wisdom is not welcome here. Is that the kind of message you want to send?" 

"Of course not," Headmistress Vargrend snapped. She looked a bit ruffled. 

"You don't owe me anything, Headmaster Bristol," Bellany said. "I may be naughty but I am not heartless and this poor bird was nearly dead when he pecked at my window. If we can just keep this quiet so that reverend Leland does not give me the third degree I will be happy." 

"Sleeping with you revived him?" Headmaster Bristol asked. 

Bellany nodded. "He was freezing to death and whatever other flaws I may have, I do have a warm body." 

"Leland would have a field day with this. Lady Norwit has taken a risk to save the life of an animal that is most certainly not sacred to the vindicator. It is our duty to be grateful," Headmaster Bristol argued. 

"But that bird is a wild animal," Headmistress Vargrend protested. 

Headmaster Bristol and Headmistress Vargrend locked eyes. In the past there would have been no question that Headmistress Vargrend would have stared him down, but he had endured fear that made Headmistress Vargrend's wrath seem like the caress of a warm summer's breeze. Headmistress Vargrend found the Headmaster's new adamant gaze positively unnerving. 

"Of course, Headmaster, I forgot myself. Our faith must come first." Headmistress Vargrend cleared her throat. "You have our gratitude for saving the life of this raven, Lady Norwit." 

"You are welcome, Headmistress," Bellany said. 

"Have you got a place to keep him until the weather lets up, Headmaster?" Bellany asked. 

"Yes, I will have to move some things around and make a nest box for him but we can put him in my attic. It is usually warm there since heat rises within my residence tower. Follow me this way, Milady Norwit." 

"It seems you have this problem well in hand, Headmaster. Mrs. Perkins and I must get back to work," Headmistress Vargrend said, excusing herself before hastily retreating down the stairs. 

Once they were in the headmaster's tower Bellany spoke up. "Well done, Guardian Bristol. You saved Nimbus' life and kept me out of detention without a single moment of hesitation." 

"Thank you, Mistress. I used to find Headmistress Vargrend intimidating but I have endured the fear of Mortaebius. She no longer has the power to intimidate me. Besides, she hung a sword over her own head. Her last gaffe put half the funding for Vargrend's Academy for Girls under my control. She will learn to mind her betters or suffer the consequences." 

Bellany smiled and nodded. "Sometimes I wish I were not so good at fear spells. Aside from the time in the dungeon when you needed proof of my credentials, I have been releasing the spell in such a way as to minimize its power but I still have not got the hang of the Remove Fear spell. I will have to talk to Baladus about it. Perhaps he has some insights." 

"He ought to. He was devastating with those chills," Headmaster Bristol said as he led the way to the attic. 

"Actually that was Lady Elaine Bristol with the chills," Bellany corrected. 

"It was?" 

"Yes, before we got to know each other she picked on me in the Library. She is a very active ghost and was instrumental in making sure that I met Baladus," Bellany explained. 

"You mean they did not know you were coming?" Headmaster Bristol asked. 

"Even I did not know I was coming and at the time the Norwits claimed me I did not even know who I was," Bellany admitted. 

"But now you know?" Headmaster Bristol asked as he opened the trapdoor to the attic and disappeared into the room above. 

Bellany followed. "I am Bellany Norwit unless the gods will otherwise. Let's get Nimbus moved in." 

"We need to move these loose items downstairs. The crated items can stay. Nimbus will not get into them. Were you aware that saints of Mortaebius were often surrounded by a nimbus of ravens?" Headmaster Bristol asked. 

Bellany grimaced. "Oops, maybe I should have named him something else. When my memory was impaired, things about Mortaebius were in my mind but I could not access them. I guess sometimes they came out through circuitous pathways." 

Headmaster Bristol nodded. "Since a raven is a bird of omen in our faith, worshippers of Mortaebius are supposed to pay close attention to something when ravens flock to it. Thus a person around whom ravens flock is to be heeded. When a raven is especially robust such as Nimbus, the idea is underscored." 

"I am glad Headmistress Vargrend is so wrapped up in her rules, otherwise she might have suspected something," Bellany said. 

"Indeed," Headmaster Bristol agreed. 

"I think maybe Nimbus stayed around for a purpose. I have been working on empathy spells. You and he can help me with them. They will be much easier on you than fear spells. Regrettably I mustn't quit on my Remove Fear spell. This whole man in rags thing is making me nervous and we need the magic to deal with it. Real ghouls paralyze through a form of magical fear. Remove the fear and you remove the paralysis." 

"Your knowledge of customs and saints is not always complete, but you seem to know a great deal about the undead," Headmaster Bristol observed. 

"Yes, but do you find that surprising given my last teacher?" Bellany asked. 

"I suppose not," Headmaster Bristol grimaced. "And your current teacher is even less among the living than your last, is he not?" 

Bellany laughed, "You have a point there. I wonder if I should go down and introduce Nimbus to Baladus? Do you suppose there is something special about this raven?" 

"She or he is exceptionally large, perhaps you should ask," Headmaster Bristol suggested. 

"I know female birds tend to be larger but I think Nimbus is male. I have a sort of knack where it comes to sexual energy and besides a female bird might become too busy with eggs and babies to help me with business." 

"You are probably correct. Although male birds are usually smaller than female birds, male ravens are usually slightly larger than female ravens. I will refer to Nimbus using the masculine gender hereafter, milady," Headmaster Bristol said. "In any case I will cover for you if you want to sneak down and see Baladus while I prepare Nimbus' roost." 

"I'll go down tonight. I don't think ghosts like to be active during the day. At least, they have an uncanny sense of when dawn is approaching if that is any indication. It seems that Lady Elaine is less fettered by the day but I remember that she was most likely to be spotted in the evenings back when I first met her. I would not want to be a burden to Baladus. He has been undernourished these past years - not that he had reason to be active before Avengene converted to the vindicator. Now that he does need to be active I do not want to put undue strain on him by disturbing him during his time of rest." 

Headmaster Bristol nodded. "Of course, Mistress; you are being considerate of ghosts while I am still grappling with the reality of their existence and that of The Shroud," he said. "You do not seem to give it a second thought." 

Bellany smiled. "It was a bit of a stretch when I first started my magical apprenticeship under the mortancer but I got used to it after a while. Don't ask me how. Sometimes I catch myself and wonder how I can accept things that are so utterly macabre. It must be the resilience of youth." 

After a few minutes, Bellany and Headmaster Bristol finished removing the necessary items and got Nimbus situated. 

"I have to hurry and get dressed to go to Jordell Manor to watch James' swordsmanship lesson. Thank you for putting Nimbus up during this murderous cold, Headmaster Bristol." Bellany gave the Headmaster a hug. 

"It is my pleasure. I am a priest of Mortaebius, after all. It is about time I started acting like one." 

Bellany nodded and smiled approvingly then waved and left for her room. After getting dressed she ran outside to meet the Jordell coach before going to her lesson. 

"Hello, Coachman Stevens, could you give me about ten minutes to check on Starstruck? I am running behind this morning." 

"Of course, Lady Norwit, take all the time you wish. I've no other pressing business." 

Bellany smiled. "Thank you, Coachman Stevens; why don't you go inside and inspect the cabin for me to make sure it is clean. I'll be a while." 

Stevens smiled. "Of course, milady." 

Bellany waved. It was murderously cold and Bellany knew that it would be impolite for Stevens to refuse her request even though she was sure he knew she had made the request to let him warm up in the heated cabin of the coach for a few minutes. 

She had already cast Gentle Beast this morning but had not cast any of her practice cantrips or spells. She used all of her remaining magical energy draining one stallion after another. She then checked on Starstruck for only a minute, kissed his black nose and ran back out to the Jordell coach. She had exhausted her reserves of life force on Nimbus early this morning and she knew that there was no way she would survive the pace of a brisk lesson in swordsmanship without the energy she had drained. 

------- 

That night after Mary went to sleep, Bellany went up into Headmaster Bristol's apartment to get Nimbus. The headmaster was in his study and did not notice Bellany as she snuck by. Nimbus flew to her arm when she offered it. She fed him a little leftover roast beef she had saved from dinner as she took him down to see Baladus in the crypts. Lady Elaine met her as she left the headmaster's tower. 

"Hello, Lady Elaine. You must have known I was here," Bellany whispered. 

"You are the life of death, milady. To ghosts your presence is distinctive. Besides, Baladus and I are here to assist you in whatever way we can." 

"That is sweet of you. I am headed down to see Baladus about a spell. This is Nimbus, a raven who adopted me after an omen prayer." 

Lady Elaine nodded. "I will fetch Baladus so that he is there to meet you," Lady Elaine said. 

"Thank you, Lady Elaine," Bellany said. 

When Bellany arrived in Baladus' classroom he was there sitting at his ancient desk. 

"Hello, Guardian Baladus. Thank you for seeing me. I am stuck on Remove Fear. I wonder if you could share any insights about the spell?" 

Baladus smiled. "It makes sense that anyone would have trouble overcoming a fear spell cast by The Life of Death. Have you mastered any of the empathy spells? You need extra insight into the nature of emotions to conquer such fear. 

"I can cast the cantrip Touch Empathy and the regular Empathy spell," Bellany said. 

"That is a start. You will find an addendum section for influencing the thoughts of others. It is best to learn the Telempathy spell before applying it, but once you do, you should immediately learn to apply the addendum. Once you can begin to influence surface thoughts and emotions in a small way, it will be easier for you to become the master of overwhelming fear in the mind of another person," Baladus said. 

Bellany smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, Guardian Baladus. I am feeling a little guilty for bothering you about this. Your explanation makes perfect sense and I should have seen it. The only time I had anything close to luck at removing fear was just after I learned the Empathy spell." 

Baladus smiled. "Perhaps you might have figured it out on your own, but I am here to lend you the benefit of my experience. You ask for so little, it is my pleasure to lend a hand where I can." 

"Thank you again, Guardian Baladus," Bellany said. 

"You are welcome. Who is your friend?" Baladus asked. 

"This is Nimbus. Back when my memory was still in tatters, I got Cleopatra Gleton to borrow a couple of books on Mortaebius from Guardian Moore so that I could read them on the sly. It was supposedly for the sake of naughtiness but actually I needed to jog my memory. It brought back quite a few bits of broken memory, as did the books on Mortaebius in the library stacks. Nimbus appeared right after I read a prayer asking Mortaebius for an omen. It was spooky." 

Baladus smiled. 

"Anyhow, I've been taking bits of food to him ever since we met early this fall. Currently the weather is murderously cold and Nimbus pecked at my window. He was nearly dead but I warmed him up and then cast Bestow Life Force on him three times before he finally came around." 

"Were you able to get the spell to work properly?" Baladus asked? 

"Yes, I finally managed to begin casting it by the book shortly before last night when I saved Nimbus. I had been practicing on bruised geldings. I could see their bruises with the Life Vision spell but I figured others would not be able to tell I had healed them." 

"That is fortunate. That the Life of Death saved a raven of omen speaks volumes of prophecy. Unfortunately prophecies are always so nebulous they are rarely understood until after they come true," Baladus said. 

Bellany grimaced and then changed the subject. "I have been wondering: Do you have any books on magical theory? My previous mentor was very big on theory." 

Baladus smiled. "Most of the theoretical works I used to use survive to this day in Headmaster Bristol's personal library. The dampness of the crypts is hard on books and when it is time to have them scribed anew I am often not able to get it done. Thus keeping anything down here that is not a grave secret is impractical. My emphasis has always been on practice and getting the feel of magic, but no magician's library is complete without theoretical works." 

"I was going to see the Headmaster tonight for a priestess lesson after discussing the Remove Fear spell with you. I will have to remember to ask him about books on magic." 

"If he does not know where they are, Lady Elaine can help you locate them," Baladus said. "Have you any other questions for me?" 

"I guess not. Was there anything special that I should do with Nimbus? I thought perhaps he could help me with the empathy spells. As I think I said before, he was the one who helped me perfect the Gentle Beast spell." 

Guardian Baladus nodded. "Obviously Mortaebius has sent him to assist you. I think you will find that using the Tele-empathic Projection spell on him will be quite a treat." 

Bellany's mouth fell open. "Seeing through a raven's eyes? Wow I'm sure you're right." 

"Pay attention to what he shows you. He is a creature of omen. Have you any other questions or may I retire?" 

"I think that is it. Thank you again, Guardian Baladus," Bellany said warmly. 

"It was my pleasure as always. Congratulations on the Bestow Life Force spell. Have you perfected any others?" 

"You know about Empathy and Bestow Life Force. I also got Visible Illusion and Audible Illusion to work. I managed to cast the Dancing Sword telekinesis spell too but it is horribly taxing. It is not very practical for me right now. The only time I use it is on frozen locks and afterwards I am never sure if it was worth it," Bellany admitted. 

"Improve your mastery of conjuration spells. You might find a bit of conjured slipperiness and Floating Dagger much easier on you than the Dancing Sword spell." 

"Do you have a lubricant conjuration spell?" Bellany asked. 

"Most of my conjuration spells are for clouds of poisons and contagions but if you check Headmaster Bristol's books I am sure such a utilitarian spell may be found," Baladus said. 

"Thank you; I will see what I can find." 

Baladus nodded. "I must retire now. Feel free to scribe the next illusion spell. It is the first comprehensive illusion spell that allows you to create an audiovisual experience. It is basically a form of ephemeral conjuration. Speaking of illusion, you may find the mental illusion spells helpful in your quest to master the Remove Fear spell since mental illusion is another means of influencing the mind of another person." 

"Thank you, Guardian; I will scribe them." 

Baladus waved. "Until next time, then." 

"Goodbye, Guardian Baladus," Bellany said as the ghost disappeared through the far wall. 

Bellany turned to Lady Elaine. "I will come back and scribe spells after I see the headmaster. He is going to need his sleep after I get finished with him." Bellany smiled. 

"Does Lady Lust feed heavily tonight?" Lady Elaine asked. 

Bellany nodded. "He expects it, though. It's just my way of dominating him." Bellany smiled. 

Lady Elaine shook her head. 

Bellany went upstairs within a cloud of darkness. She took Headmaster Bristol on the chair in his study and rode him like a banshee spirit until he came so hard he nearly passed out. 

"You are such an overwhelming young woman and positively addictive, Mistress," Headmaster Bristol panted. "I will sleep like the dead tonight, but before I succumb, let us discuss a few common rituals of Mortaebius." 

Bellany canceled her darkness. "That sounds like a good idea." Bellany sat across from the headmaster. They discussed several minor rituals of consecration and blessing that every priest of Mortaebius should know. Headmaster Bristol had Bellany read salient passages in a number of books and then he demonstrated each of the small rituals. She had seen many of them done before by Rames and Thane; thus she picked them up with uncanny ease. 

Bellany considered the rituals she was learning. "I know the average priest just does these as a matter of course, but most of them are magically sound. Is there an older version of The Consecration of the Blossom of Death?" 

"Why do you ask?" Headmaster Bristol asked. 

"This kiss and cry motion is quaint but if you were shaping magic you would split it. You would not want that for an enchantment," Bellany explained. 

"There is an older version but it is much more morbid. It involves the grieving or bleeding heart and plucked out eyes. I will find the reference for you if you like, Mistress," Headmaster Bristol offered. 

"Thank you, Guardian Bristol. Please see if you can find the actual rite and get it ready for next time. I have learned this newer version to keep up with the times, but for actual use the new version is not going to cut it. 

"Since classes are going back into session on Monday, I will be seeing you less often. I know I have been wearying you by visiting frequently these past weeks since I have been on break. I wish there were some way I could see you during the day. Meeting with you only once a week on Friday nights is not really frequent enough considering you are trying to teach me to be a priestess. Why don't you prepare part of my priestly lessons as readings? I can't have the books at Vargrend's but you could leave them up here in your study and I could come up when I can at night to do the readings as you sleep. You can leave your front door locked. I have no trouble with locks anymore since Headmistress Vargrend's grueling detention. Then on Friday we could discuss what I've read and do some practical performance of rituals." 

Headmaster Bristol nodded. "I will do that. Check your new semester schedule in your Library Mailbox. You will be taking the second half of The Trivium with Headmistress Vargrend this semester. After your morning Trivium class Headmistress Vargrend will take you to the offices and let you through to the Bristol Academy side. Even though you are certainly not a boy, I have enrolled you in the Bristol Academy for Boys so that you can take senior Mathematics. I will be teaching it just after the Trivium." 

"That is wonderful, and it could not have been easy to get it past Headmistress Vargrend." 

"It wasn't, but she knows she must tread lightly because I control much of her funding. I can be both wily and persuasive when Mortaebius wills it," Headmaster Bristol said. 

"That is a good thing. Charles mentioned that Baronet Norwit was conducting a winter campaign against the orcs. I would not be surprised if it is the tail end of an offensive that started earlier this year. Darl Norwit can be very tight-lipped about such things. If the orcs suffered a major setback this year then Avengene will have less worry about his borders and that means he may turn his might towards Bristol and the temples of Mortaebius." 

Headmaster Bristol grimaced. 

"This cold weather is no doubt making Avengene less effective. That is good for the temples of Mortaebius, but the cold has been effective for a comparatively paltry amount of time. If Avengene was successful earlier in the year we may be in big trouble as soon as the weather lets up. If I recall correctly, Avengene has used his troops to strike at temples to the Southeast during previous winters." 

Headmaster Bristol nodded gravely. 

"I'll see what I can find out from Charles and Abraham when they come back, but it is likely that the people in charge of defending the temples already know if Lord Avengene was especially aggressive with the orcs this year." 

Headmaster Bristol nodded and yawned. 

Bellany smiled. "You are tired, Bristol. Why don't you go to bed now? I've kept you up half the night. I will go down to the crypts and scribe a few spells and then turn in myself." 

"Oh, excuse me," Headmaster Bristol yawned. "You are right, Mistress, I really should turn in." 

"You have served me well, Bristol. Should you choose to study these works on priestly magic, include some with my lessons. I have a great deal of grounding in magical theory. Perhaps we can learn to cast clerical magic together." 

Headmaster Bristol nodded. "I would like that." 

"Good, let's see what we can do as far as getting more time together. I realize time is something neither of us has in great abundance. If you have any ideas, we can talk about them the next time I see you." 

Bristol nodded and waved as Bellany bowed out and let him get to bed. 

Bellany descended to Baladus' classroom and took the time to scribe Illusion II and Illusion of the Mind I into her book. She also scribed Irritant Cloud, a first tier conjuration spell. It was of limited use since clinging darkness would be more effective against an enemy but the casting notes would be very valuable if she managed to find a conjuration spell for slipperiness. 

After returning from the crypt, Bellany studied Illusion II until a couple hours before Mary got up, and then went to sleep until the monitor knocked to wake Mary. Bellany got dressed and ate breakfast with Mary in their room. It was a tradition that had started sometime after Bristol's snub. Early in the morning the cooks prepared a few staples for all students who worked mornings at the school, including Mary. The workers could go down and fetch breakfast and bring it back to their rooms. Most of the girls ate at the scheduled breakfast in the dining hall that ended just before the boys' breakfast was to start. Mary knew one of the cook's assistants and had been able to convince the cooks that Bellany was picked on so viciously that it was okay for Mary to fetch breakfast for the both of them. 

After breakfast, Bellany went to the library and collected her mail. Since Charles had not made it back from Avengene due to the cold, she got only one item, her schedule for the spring semester. She opened it right in the library and began reading. First and second period she would be taking The Trivium part II with Headmistress Vargrend. Third period would be Boys' Senior Mathematics with Headmaster Bristol. After lunch she would have music with Miss Galatino followed by... Bellany's mouth dropped open. 

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday she would be taking Elfish with Mrs. Dejan just as she thought she would be. Yet on Tuesday and Thursday she would be taking Elfish from Trinidar Leafwhisper at Jordell Manor. In either case, after Elfish was swordsmanship with Trinidar at Jordell Manor. On days she had a short swordsmanship lesson she would be taking Elfish from her swordsmaster. She suspected that Trinidar would simply give her a longer lesson in swordsmanship and continue to teach her Elfish throughout the week just as he always had. Last semester she had had ballroom dancing, but this semester instead of a second physical class she would have long swordsmanship lessons every day. Bellany jumped up and down and stifled a squeal as she walked out of the library. She then returned to her room, got dressed and snuck out to the stables to drain stallions shortly before the Jordell carriage was to arrive to take her to her swordsmanship lesson. 

She sketched Jamie for the morning and then started her lesson after lunch. Her swordsmanship lesson was as grueling as ever but she had somehow got used to the superhuman pace that Leafwhisper had escalated it to once the Medusa Club had provided her with the wherewithal to annihilate her formerly taxing pace. Leafwhisper was amazing. He seemed to know how hard he could push her from day to day and he pushed her just that hard. She regretted that she was not going to be able to watch Jamie train in the mornings anymore but she was glad to have learned so much during the solstice break. She was also glad Leafwhisper never asked her why she could maintain such an inhuman pace. The swordsmaster now regularly worked up a sweat during her lesson, yet he was a man of grace and his incredible skill more than made up for Bellany's rapier sharp wit and unflagging endurance. 

After her lesson, Bellany returned to her room and went over the chapter of the mathematics book that Headmaster Bristol would be starting with and worked the problems at the end of the chapter. An hour later she started studying the Telempathy spell. Just before bed she went over the illusion spells she knew in preparation for studying the first illusion spell that combined both audio and visual phantasms. 

Following a satisfying tryst with her beautiful roommate, she snuck out for a wild night at the Medusa Club. The wind was biting and she just barely managed to get the courtyard locks open with her Floating Dagger spell. By the time she got near Cooyman's she was shivering in spite of the heavy clothing she was wearing. As she neared Cooyman's cabin she spotted a man hiding in the bushes about fifty yards from Cooyman's door. He should have been practically undetectable, but his life force stood out like a beacon in contrast to the brush he hid behind. He was far enough away that Cooyman's roving pair of scouts would be hard pressed to notice him. 

Bellany realized that if she were to enter through the window as she normally did, light from the bedroom might give her away. She gave the cabin a wide berth and circled. She picked out two other men. One was in a cabin she knew belonged to one of Cooyman's coworkers. She suspected at least two of the men were deputies. A sane woman would have returned home but there were just too many men and too much lust at stake for her to take the prudent course of action. Instead she marked the men's positions and bided her time. 

She waited until Cooyman's sentries were on the other side of the cabin and clouds obscured the moon, then she snuck to the bedroom window and knocked. She held it closed and then called out in a low voice: 

"Shut the bedroom door and douse the lights, the place is being watched." 

After a minute she let her darkness drop and let the window open at the same time. Stratton let her in. Cooyman was also in the bedroom. 

"Ye say we got watchers?" Cooyman asked. 

"Yes - is Blake here yet?" 

"Aye," Cooyman confirmed. 

"There is someone in Blake's cabin and two others hiding behind bushes both well concealed, both thirty to fifty yards back from your cabin so as not to be noticed save for the one in Blake's cabin. I could not tell in the dark but my guess is that they are Herrington's men checking up on you in a new and improved fashion." 

"Aye, that would be Herrington. He can't abide it when others 'r havin' fun." 

"We need a plan," Bellany said. 

"Aye, trouble is Herrington holds all the aces," Cooyman said. 

"Maybe we should figure out what his plan is," Bellany reasoned. 

"Aye, my guess is that it's 'im in Blake's cabin, probably came up with th' appropriate threats ta shut th' man up so as 'e could take up a position in Blake's cabin or maybe, 'e simply snuck in - but that wouldn't be like Herrington." 

"We could flush 'im out pretendin' like we thought he was a burgler," Cooyman suggested. 

Bellany shook her head. "That would put him on the defensive. He would probably just threaten you all and stay put. What we need to do is to spring his trap and embarrass him," Bellany said impishly. 

"Aye that's not a bad idea. Maybe Dempsy could leave an' later come in with a different cloak an' a bit o' something stuffed o'er 'is chest," Cooyman began to grin. 

"That sounds good. Then a few falsetto squeals, some appropriate sound effects from the men and Herrington will come running. When he comes in the guys will say they were reminiscing about the time they did such and such with so and so. He will search the place, top to bottom and once he is done with any luck he will go home or at very least watch the perimeter like a hawk thinking he is sure that no woman is in the cabin. I could use that trapdoor you made and hide under the bedroom floor. I'll go way over to the far side so that even if he finds the door he will have a hard time seeing me, kind of like the time I hid under the bed only with a little better margin of safety," Bellany said. 

"Aye sounds like a good plan," Cooyman agreed. "It'll be cold down under th' floor so ye might as well get down there now before ye get undressed." 

Bellany nodded. Stratton and Cooyman carefully lifted the bed and moved it aside. She opened the narrow trapdoor in the floor and climbed down. It took about half an hour to implement the plan. It took over half that time for Bellany to cast an illusion spell that made it look like her corner of the crawlspace beneath the bedroom floor was empty. Once cast she simply maintained the vestiges of the spell using as little magic power as possible. She would beef the illusion up if anyone actually stuck his head down to look. 

After a particularly naughty squeal from one of the men and a chorus of grunts from many of the others, a loud knocking sounded against the door. 

"It's Herrington, open up!" 

"Constable, good ta see ya! It sure is cold out there, man. I know ye are on duty, but I got some hot cider, not too strong, that'd really hit the spot. Would ye like one?" 

"Thanks, but I won't be needing a drink tonight, Cooyman. You know that harboring a prostitute is a serious offence in Vargrend." 

"Aye, sir. Search around all ye want, the best we're doin here at the Saturday bash is jokin' around about former glories." 

After a thorough search Bellany heard one of the floorboards wailing as it was pried up. She bolstered her illusion and remained perfectly still through three more boards. Herrington's head appeared along with a lantern. He looked around and saw nothing but an empty crawlspace. After the boards were nailed back in place, Bellany heard Herrington apologize to Cooyman. 

"I could have sworn I heard a woman but I guess I was mistaken," Herrington said in an irritable voice. 

"Aye, th' men was squealin' like wenches out o' their pasts but we ain't got a live one here. Wish we did but this bein' Vargrend th' best we can do is ale an' memories," Cooyman said mournfully. 

"You men carry on then. I'd best get back to my rounds," Herrington grumbled. 

"Aye then, good night to ye, Constable." 

A few minutes later Cooyman opened the trapdoor. "Th' table be cleared." 

Bellany crawled over to the opening. "I don't trust Herrington. Did you send some revelers out to follow him?" Bellany whispered. 

"Aye we sure did. I wouldn't put it past 'im ta come back soon as he figured are guard were down, an' demand ta search some nook 'r cranny he hadn't seen. Th' man's a snake, but he is not dumb as one." 

"Send me Bill and then Byrnie to start. I think if we keep the party noise up and maybe post a couple of porch sentries with hot cider in addition to the wandering ones we should be fine," Bellany reasoned. 

"Aye, that should do it. We'll be keepin' the stove hot all night with th' chill an' so many men outside but better safe than sorry." 

Bellany nodded. 

When it was time to leave, she sent Dempsy out the door ahead of her to draw any eyes. She cast her Life Vision spell and her Clinging Darkness spell before slipping out the bedroom window and going in the opposite direction as her partner in crime. There was a single man watching from nearly a hundred yards away. She was sure her Darkness spell was proof against his spying her. She even felt a little sorry for him because it was extremely cold. She saw no one on the way back to the school but worried about the tracks she was leaving. 

Her new boots would make it seem as if she were a man, but she worried about being tracked back to the school. Whenever possible she walked in the footprints of the various men who had left the Medusa Club before she had. Thankfully the biting wind would soon cover her tracks. When she reached the school she deliberately overshot the gate. She then carefully made her way back to the school gate by walking backwards in her own footprints. Once in the courtyard she used her telekinesis to collapse the snow around her footprints so that the wind would cover them more quickly. 

Bellany did not bother to sleep that night, she was much too energized and besides she got back only about half an hour before the monitor knocked to wake Mary up. Instead she attempted to cast the Telempathy spell on Mary while she was dreaming her pre-awakening dreams. For a brief moment Bellany was hearing a two-way conversation in Mary's dream. Mary was blathering apologies about what a sinner she had been to reverend Leland while he replied with guilt inspiring lines about Mary's grave transgressions. Then Mary's thoughts turned to a search of some kind as she sifted through documents vainly searching for a reference that she could not seem to find. Bellany's impressions were somewhat jumbled. She guessed it was because Mary's dreams were jumbled but she could not be sure she had the spell right. She counted the casting as at least a limited success and began to write some casting notes as Mary stirred. 

"More secret poetry?" Mary asked as she pushed the covers back and blinked at Bellany who was already seated at her desk in a robe. 

"Not exactly. I was watching you dream and wrote down a few impressions about how you looked so cute with your eyes dancing behind the lids. Do you remember what you were dreaming about?" Bellany asked. 

Mary blushed. "I dreamt the reverend had found out about us and I was naked in front of him blathering apologies and then I was in the library. All the books were toys and I was looking for a real one. It was strange; perhaps I did not have enough to eat last night." 

"Dreams seldom make a lot of sense. It could be anxiety about the new semester ganging up with your anxiety about our secret to unsettle your dreams," Bellany said soothingly. 

Mary nodded. "That is probably about right." 

"Has there been any word of Charles?" Mary asked.

"No, I expect mail couriers are having as much difficulty with the cold as everyone else is. I just hope Charles is sensible about getting back here without freezing to death." 

"Speaking of which, it is bitterly nippy in here. You must have been too busy watching me dream when you got up to build a fire, but you also seem flushed," Mary observed. 

Bellany smiled and blushed. "I guess watching you dream does a little something for me." 

Mary embraced Bellany and kissed her on the mouth. 

"We better get a fire started before we become ice sculptures," Mary said, shivering. 

Bellany nodded and briefly stepped into the hall with a candle to fetch fire. A few minutes later their heater began to take the edge off of the cold within their room. 

They dressed and then Mary went to fetch breakfast while Bellany finished up her casting notes on the Telempathy spell. 

Mary arrived with breakfast a few minutes later and set Bellany's tray on her desk. 

"Have you picked up your books for the spring semester yet, Bellany?" Mary asked. 

"I have my mathematics book but I need to pick the other ones up," Bellany said. 

Mary nodded. "I bet you are happy to have got into boys' mathematics. I can't believe Headmistress Vargrend let you." 

"It is fantastic. I am not sure how I managed it. I tried to sell the idea to Headmaster Bristol that he could use me as a way to get the boys to work harder since none of them would want to be outdone by a girl. I am not sure that is what did it. It could be father was persuasive or simply that my mathematical skills impressed the headmaster." Bellany shrugged. 

"Or all of those things," Mary said. "I really wish I could get my books this morning when the commissary opens but I am going to be stuck getting them after work." 

"Nonsense, I am going to go down right after breakfast and wait a few minutes until they open. Write me a note with your classes on it and I will fetch your books when I get mine and then bring them to you in the library," Bellany offered. 

"Goodness Bellany, you don't have to do that. You are a lady, after all. It is I who should serve you," Mary said. 

"You do a lot of that and I have no complaints, but you must let me do something for you once in a while to show my appreciation," Bellany insisted. 

"All right, I will write a list," Mary said as she set pen to parchment. When she was done she handed the list to Bellany. "I really appreciate this, Bellany," Mary said while giving Bellany a hug. "I have to be off for work now; see you later." 

"Goodbye, Mary." 

After breakfast Mary went to work at the library and Bellany ran down to the commissary to fetch new books for their classes before the lines got bad. As it turned out she was there when they opened and got the pick of the litter. She took Mary's books to her and then returned to her room for a brief magical practice and a few exercises. 

Once she finished with her exercises Bellany began reading the books for the Trivium. There were eight of them this semester. Bellany took advantage of the energy of last night's Medusa Club that was still zinging around in her head. She read five of the eight books and three chapters at the beginnings of the three remaining volumes before lights out that night. 

That night after having some fun with Mary, she took candles into the part of the closet that she had set up as a miniature study. Moreover, she conjured six tiny globes of blue light to supplement the candles. She then opened the next book she wished to read and arranged the six tiny lights in a rectangular pattern to frame about half of a page. She moved the lights in this fixed pattern and found that it actually took less concentration to maintain the pattern of six lights than it would have taken to maintain three lights that moved independently. She moved the six globes of light down each page as a unit. She finished the remaining books for the Trivium and got perhaps three hours of sleep before it was time to rise for church. 

Reverend Leland did a sermon on the cleansing of evil. Part of it was about purging sinfulness within while the other part was about burning the house where evil dwells. It was obvious to Bellany that Leland was still on the job rallying the troops in support of destroying the temples of Mortaebius. 

Towards the end of the sermon there was some commotion in the back of the sanctuary. Bellany craned her neck to see what was up and discovered that Charles and Abraham had come in and taken seats in the back row. Charles was wearing five surcoats layered over his armor. It was lucky he was slim enough that he was able to find four additional surcoats from the garrison to place over his own. Abraham Steefl was a little blue, probably because he had fewer garments to keep him warm due to his larger size. He also seemed to be favoring his left leg. 

When the sermon was over, the reverend hastened to the back to greet Charles and Abraham. Leland shook their hands and welcomed them. 

"Charles, I am surprised to see you here. How was your trip? I thought it too cold to travel. I hope you did not get frost bit," reverend Leland exclaimed. 

"Me too." Charles smiled. "It was a dangerous trip but we made it. It was just Abraham, three cavalrymen and I. Dad had the smith forge special shoes for the horses to give us some extra traction on ice. We took the heartiest men and horses and wore a lot of extra clothing. Even having taken those precautions it took us four and a half days to get here. We stopped at every Inn we could for hot mulled cider before pressing on and we were delayed by heavy snowfall a few times. At one point, a blizzard came up on us without warning. We had to hole up in a thicket beside the road for fear of losing our way entirely." 

"That sounds like a harrowing adventure," the reverend said. Then in a whisper that Bellany only picked up because she was standing between the two boys with her arms around both, the reverend said, "Come back into my office later and bring me the news of the orc campaign." 

Bellany stuck with Charles and once he was through greeting everyone and answering questions about the weather during his trip, he went back to the reverend's office with Abraham. 

"Come in, and welcome Lord Norwit and Sir Steefl. I will put an extra log on the fire." Bellany slipped in as Leland was putting the log on. 

"Lady Norwit, what brings you here?" Reverend Leland frowned. 

"You don't think I am going to miss the war news, do you? Besides, someone needs to inspect toes, ears and Abraham's left leg." 

Reverend Leland nodded. "I take it you have acquired some nursing skill, then." 

Bellany nodded. "I finally got old enough to realize that Norwit lies in a war zone. It seems silly to ignore that fact when one can help in some way." 

"I do not approve of a lady wielding a sword, but I wish more ladies of the vindicator would learn something about caring for wounded warriors," Leland declared. 

"Few men approve of my skills at arms," Bellany said cheerfully. 

"They don't make sense until she saves your life with them," Charles said. "I used to feel guilty about teaching Belle but that stopped after she saved our lives up at the falls last summer. I would be pushing up daisies if my sister had not become a war lady." 

Leland frowned briefly. "You do have a point, but what of recent events? Did you see battle?" 

"Our scouts discovered orc activity north of one of our fortified outposts. We located a large orc camp. We waited until noon and then attacked it with a cavalry charge. The orcs tried to rally their troops behind some halberdiers but Abraham rode in and made a mess of their rallying point. He got a bad gash across the calf for his trouble. After Abraham put the fear of the Vindicator into them, their morale broke and those pork bellies routed like chickens." 

Bellany busily checked the young mens' ears and removed boots from Charles and Abraham as they spoke. 

"I might have been overwhelmed by the halberdiers but when the odds went long, a few of my opponents fell to crossbow bolts," Abraham said as he patted Charles' shoulder. 

"I couldn't let a few lucky orcs spoil your heroic reputation, Abe," Charles said as he heartily patted his friend on the back. "Besides, I had to put the new triple crossbow through its paces. Anyhow all assisting of heroes aside, after the main battle we spent two days cleaning up bands of orcs that had fled. The strange thing about this year's orcs is that they have started disposing of their dead rather than just leaving them on the battlefield. They sneak in at night and grab the bodies. We even lost some of our dead to those overzealous porkers. Back in the old days they just left the bodies to rot. Anyhow, we tracked several bands into the mountains but had to turn back because of a ferocious blizzard followed by bone-numbing cold. We went out again after re-supply but the weather was so brutal it must have driven the orcs underground. They were nowhere to be found. The bitter weather put an end to the campaign but we had a good year. All those green troops Lord Li'Yieraun sent up to get combat experience made a great deal of difference." 

"That is splendid. The Church of the Vindicator is spreading well in Li'Yieraun, especially in the south. Soon the legions of the Vindicator will be unstoppable." 

Charles nodded. "I hope you had a good solstice, reverend. Abe and I sure did." 

"Yes, not so exciting as yours but the work of the Vindicator feeds the soul. I am content to be his servant," reverend Leland said. 

It turned out that Abraham had some frostbite on a couple of his toes but Charles had managed to make the trip without injury. Bellany helped massage the blood back into Abraham's feet as he spoke with reverend Leland. 

"I suppose we had better get moving, Reverend. We have a few things to take care of before school starts tomorrow. It was good to see you again," Charles said agreeably. 

"It was a blessing to see you both hale and hearty as well, Lord Charles and Sir Steefl. Will you be staying for your lesson, Abraham?" 

Abraham looked at Bellany and then back at Reverend Leland. "If it is all right, Reverend, I would like to reschedule today's lesson and take the afternoon off today to prepare for school. We had hoped to get in a day or two ago but the weather prevented it." 

"That would be fine, Abraham. I am glad you were able to make it before classes. I can be flexible for a hero of the realm. You go ahead and get situated. Is Monday evening good for you?" 

"Yes, that would be fine," Abraham confirmed. 

"Good, I will see you then," Leland said. 

After they said their goodbyes to Leland and left his chambers, Bellany whispered in Charles' ear. "How did the sleuthing go?" 

"Bad and good," Charles said in a low voice. "Let's duck into the library and I'll tell you about it. Abraham, since you are a paladin candidate and all you may not want to hear this. It concerns a bit of sleuthing I did about the late Reverend Evangeline on behalf of the lovely Bruhnhilda Daelrath." 

Abraham looked at Bellany and then back to Charles. "Perhaps I _should_ hear it then," Abraham said evenly. 

"It's your call, Abe. What I found out was not flattering and I will not be repeating the full story even to Bruhnhilda. I have decided that our social position will be better served if the whole thing remains somewhat mysterious. You are welcome to stay and listen, Abraham, but I need your word as a knight that this story will never pass your lips. This is the kind of information a Baronet is not even supposed to tell his knights but you are my friend. If you are going to be a paladin putting your life on the line for the church everyday, then I will not deny you the right to hear this. Do I have your word?" 

"You have my word as a knight that I will not retell what you tell me here," Abraham said solemnly. 

Charles nodded. "Good, then I will tell the tale. Before actually going home, I skirted Keep Norwit and headed east to Evandell to scope out Evangeline's old church. Bruhnhilda said that Brianna Barter had been locked in a dungeon room that was below the lowest rooms of the church. I checked the basement and found that there was a wine cellar and a storage room down below. Had I not had the Norwit clout, I would never have been allowed to pull out some of the junk that was clogging the storage room. If the priest had not been a bit nervous about it I might not have investigated but reading the priest proved easier than reading the floor. 

"It was impossible to tell for sure if there was a patch of stone back in the storage room that was really newer than the rest of the basement but had been smeared with soot and worn a bit in an attempt to match the rest of the floor or not. I thought there might be a difference, but I am no expert on stonework. Nevertheless I knew if Evangeline was more of a sinner than people made him out to be that the Avengenes would have cleaned things up to keep their son's memory unsullied. The parson's body language made me think that maybe there was something to hide. I assured him that I had been hearing some noise amongst the peers and just wanted to make sure that the floor was good. He simply nodded and put up with my inspection. From then on I made like I already knew all there was to know and was simply checking up on people. 

"I checked out the church orphanage and the church home for unwed mothers. I saw a few kids who looked like they might have some Avengene blood but the mothers were as tight lipped as Vindicator virgins." Charles grinned. "I even went to church and talked to a few old women. They were all about Evangeline and thought he was the greatest pastor ever to preach before a congregation. I was about ready to give the whole thing up as inconclusive, but then I called in a favor from an old buddy of mine." 

"Who?" Bellany asked. 

"Ale." Charles chuckled. "I spent some time at the local tavern and eventually located an old-timer whose tongue loosened considerably when he was drunk. He confirmed that there had been a dungeon under the church that was used before the constable's office was built. He also said he didn't believe any of the nonsense rumors about Evangeline using it for anything other than righteously punishing the unfaithful. The way he put it the complainers were just sore about their penance and were trying to find a way to get back at the reverend for saving their souls. At that point I knew that I was on to something. There was a dungeon and it had been covered up. I started concentrating on talking about people who actually knew Evangeline. I found out about a man I felt sure would know the truth. 

"I found the man in the tavern and put my social skills to the test on the guy. He proved a tough nut to crack. The first night was a bust. I tried to match the man drink for drink and got so utterly wasted that I forgot what I was doing." 

Bellany smirked. 

"I might have given up then as there was no way I could out-drink this guy. He was a real lush. Later I concluded that all those years serving Evangeline had driven him to drink. At this point I was genuinely curious. I got creative and bribed the bartender to water my ale while at the same time giving my mark his most powerful brew. This was not difficult since the bartender had seen the man drink me under the table the night before and understood why I would drop him a gold domain for his help. My mark still avoided talk about the Brianna Barter incident although he did mention Barter's name when I slid the topic around to beautiful women. 

"The next evening just before closing I came by his place of work with a couple of hefty crocks of ale. I figured he would be more likely to talk with fewer ears listening. The crock I gave him was full of Inebridee Pale Ale from Montfort. IPA goes down smooth and kicks like a team of ass-whipped mules once it starts getting into your blood. My crock was full of well-watered local brew. 

"After I got my mark sufficiently lubricated I brought the conversation around to beautiful women and their favors. I made like I already knew all about Evangeline's indiscretions from being the Baronet to be. That angle plus the mules in the IPA got him to spill his guts. He said that of all Evangeline's penance girls, Barter was the hottest. Evidently he had tried her out himself, which was strictly against the rules. She was so hungry from fasting that she made it known to him that she would reward any efforts to secure food on her behalf. He said that she took the wind out of a man in a very pleasant way but it never occurred to him that she could kill a man by bedding him. 

"He was reluctant to say just what Evangeline did with the penance girls but my buddy ale and I got the gist of it out of him after his memories of Brianna got him started. Poor man really lost it with remorse towards the end. He said if the people had ever seen Evangeline's dark side they would never have followed him. After he realized what he had said he begged me not to tell anyone. The Avengenes had told him he was a dead man if he talked. 

"I assured him that he was not telling me anything I did not already know but that I would be sure to keep the lid on. That is why I have not used his name. That is also why when I tell Bruhnhilda what I found out, I will only tell her that I found out that there was a dungeon but that it had been covered up and that if Evangeline was a greater sinner than he let on, he and the Avengenes had done a good job of hiding it. I am entrusting you two with the story because Bellany had a powerful hunch about Evangeline and because Abraham, if you are going to put your life on the line for the church on a daily basis you have the right to know the truth about Evangeline. 

"The body count upholding Evangeline's pristine reputation is already high enough. The truth is I lied to Reverend Leland about having a good solstice. Dad somehow got wind of my stay in Evandell and interrogated me. I told him I had given my word not to betray my sources because they would all be dead men if I did, but that I had found out that Bellany's hunch about Evangeline had been right on the mark. The man was a lecher, plain and simple. He made me spit out the details. I might as well have punched dad, he was out of it for the whole vacation. He kept saying how he should have known something was amiss when Brenda Dawes failed to make her audience with him because she had suffered a crippling accident. That wasn't the worst of it though. At one point he even held up his hands and told me they were soiled with the blood of an innocent man." 

"Really?" Bellany asked. 

Charles nodded. "When Lord Avengene was doing the whole campaign to make Brianna Barter come home to face justice or be responsible for the deaths of her family members, Dad was pressed into service as Lord Avengene's executioner. I think Avengene did it as a way to let dad know that his methods had failed to bring Brianna Barter in, thus he would be forced to use stronger methods. There was a little bad blood between Dad and Lord Avengene because dad executed Barter's father but a month later when it was Barter's mother's turn at the block dad refused to kill her claiming that it was against his code of honor. That didn't stop Lord Avengene. He ordered the constable of Evandell to do the rest of the family, one every month in public." 

Bellany's mouth dropped open. "He killed… Brianna's family?" Bellany choked.

Charles nodded. "It started about six months after she ran away." 

"But they were innocent!" Bellany nearly screeched. "They sent her to that penance. Oh gods! No!" Bellany ran out of the church library with tears streaming from her eyes. She ran out the door, down the walkway and out into the courtyard. She ran so fast that she was gone before anyone had time to react. 

Bellany spent the next two hours crying into her pillow within her closet. She could not help but understand the situation because she had been an agent of the Shroud under Thane and a pirate under Red Jack. Yet knowing the ways of ruthless men did not reduce the unbearable pain. It simply deepened the tragedy. Baronet Norwit, the man she thought of as a second father, had murdered her real father under Lord Avengene's orders. Constable Rasper Grayton who knew the truth about Evangeline had murdered the rest of her family, one each month after Darl Norwit had wiped his hands of the executions after refusing to kill her mother. 

She suspected that Lord Avengene knew about Evangeline but had ordered Norwit and Grayton to kill her family just the same. It was obvious that Lord Avengene's sons played by a different set of rules than did Lord Avengene's subjects. Norwit had been able to remove himself from the situation after murdering her father because the second to be executed was her mother, a woman, and it was dishonorable for a knight to kill innocent women. Grayton was no knight or lord. Had he refused to carry out Avengene's orders, she had no doubt that he would have been executed himself. 

Between tears Bellany asked herself why Thane had not told her. Yet she already knew. Guardian Thane would have known a trap when he saw one. If he knew about it he would have chosen not to tell her. Had she known, all she would have succeeded in doing would have been to get caught in the trap. Perhaps later Thane might have freed the resources to rescue her family since she had grown more valuable to him, but he would still have been reluctant to take the risk. If she had turned herself in to Lord Avengene he would have executed her. She would not have been surprised if he had first executed her family in front of her as a way to exact revenge for her killing Evangeline. 

About two hours after she left Charles, a tentative knocking sounded at the door to her room. It took an act of will to pull herself together. 

"Bruhnhilda?" Bellany asked in confusion as she opened the door a crack. 

"Charles asked me to check on you," Bruhnhilda explained. "He said that when he told you about Evangeline's darker side and the execution of Brianna's family in spite of it, it had struck a nerve." 

"Oh excuse me, please come in, have a seat." Bellany motioned Bruhnhilda towards her desk chair while she sat on the bed. 

"Bellany, you're shaking," Bruhnhilda said gently. 

"I guess I am just overreacting, but it is so tragic," Bellany sniffed. "Innocent people killed to preserve a lie. I used to have so much faith in Lord Avengene, now I ... I just don't know." 

"Lord Avengene is a ruthless warlord. That is how he has stayed ahead of the orcs. The whole vindicator thing is just another wrinkle to his character." 

Bellany nodded. "After my abduction by the orcs I realized that my father was essentially a frontier warlord and by extension Lord Avengene is a bigger frontier warlord, but it just never occurred to me that he would..." 

"He did and he would," Bruhnhilda said grimly. "Brianna killed his lecherous, murderous son. He retaliated by killing her innocent family. He would have taken over Daelrath little by little by whatever means necessary if we had let him, but Brianna and I put a stop to that." 

Bellany nodded dumbly as she forced her mind to think about something other than the pain of loss. "I am sure Lord Avengene saw the strategic significance of surrounding Bristol on both the north and the east. Reverend Leland seems to love to fan the flames of this whole religious conflict. I am afraid Lord Avengene may be taking it seriously." 

"I have no doubt that he is," Bruhnhilda agreed. 

"How are you surviving without Avengene's help? You have trolls up in Daelrath, don't you?" Bellany asked. 

Bruhnhilda smiled. "I would not have been invited to attend Vargrend's if Bristol had not stepped up to help us. The Church of Mortaebius found us a priest of Virtusar to act as our healer and Bristol has been seasoning soldiers by sending them up for tours of duty in Daelrath. We are doing fine." 

"Good for you." Bellany sniffled. She desperately wanted to tell Bruhnhilda who she was but she knew she must not. Bruhnhilda had too much contact with Charles and Bianca. 

"Why are you seeing Charles? Doesn't that go against your politics?" Bellany asked. 

"Charles will be my neighbor to the east someday. I may not trust Avengene, but I am going to have to deal with him and with Charles. It doesn't hurt us to know each other," Bruhnhilda pointed out. 

Bellany nodded. "That is sensible." 

"Besides, he is nice to look at. I could not help but notice." Bruhnhilda blushed. 

Bellany smiled in spite of herself. "I suppose it keeps Bianca guessing as well. Charles could be a snake if he wanted to be, but he is a great brother," Bellany said. 

"Yes, I heard he taught you to use a rapier and now you are training with Lord Jordell. I wish Bianca was not at odds with James, otherwise I would love to come and watch." 

"James has been very sweet to me. He is the only peer who does not hate me because I was raped by orcs." 

Bruhnhilda grimaced. "It is a shame Bianca has to use that against you, but I think the real reason she is against you is because she is against Avengene." 

Bellany nodded. "I can understand her having issues with Avengene. I just wish she would not take them out on me." 

"I was all for it at first, but having met you I realize that you cannot be blamed for what Avengene does. Even Charles is not Lord Avengene, although I have to keep in mind that he will follow Avengene's orders," Bruhnhilda said.

Bellany nodded. "Yes, poor Charles. I don't know what would become of him if he were forced to murder innocents like father. It is just not right."

"It is a bloodthirsty world, and Avengene is as ruthless a lord as you will find." Bruhnilda affirmed.

"It is ironic but I cannot help thinking that my father, an elevated commoner, is nobler than certain men with much more impressive pedigrees," Bellany said pointedly. 

Bruhnhilda smiled. "My father is the same way." Bruhnhilda stood up. "I suppose I should be going now. I won't tell Charles you were red-faced and shaking when I arrived." 

"Thank you, Bruhnhilda. It would tarnish my reputation as a war lady." 

"The fact that you would cry over such a thing speaks well of you, Lady Norwit. I apologize for setting you up at the masquerade," Bruhnhilda bowed. 

"I accept your apology and I am glad you and your father are holding your own. It would be a shame to see such a strong woman as you forced into the tight shoes of a vindicator wife," Bellany said, somewhat cheered. 

Bruhnhilda smiled. "I agree. Thank the gods for Brianna. She taught me to make history happen rather than letting it happen to me." 

"It was good of you to come by, Bruhnhilda. I really appreciate it," Bellany said warmly. 

"It was my pleasure, Lady Norwit. Good day." 

"Good day, Lady Daelrath." 

Bellany reflected on the lesson she had taught Bruhnhilda while in Daelrath. Perhaps it seemed to Bruhnhilda as though Brianna was one to make history, but the truth was much less definitive. In truth she had been on assignment from Thane while in Daelrath and although she did make history happen, Thane certainly had a lot to do with it. Nevertheless, Bruhnhilda had come away with a decisive attitude that suited a Baroness of Daelrath. It was an attitude that Bellany could benefit from as well. Her dead Aunt had pulled her into a battle between gods and her family was with Mortaebius as a result. There was nothing she could do to bring them back, but she could make sure that they had not died in vain. 

Bellany wiped her reddened eyes. A part of her had died with her family. It was time to temper the steel that would replace it. 
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This ends, The Nimbus of Mortaebius, chapter 65 of The Chronicles of Rapina. 
The story continues in chapter 66, Snowed. 

My thanks to Graylore for his help editing this work.
Copyright 2006 by Rapina