Chapter 23

Trust

Weamar and Tshaya reached Alyssum before nightfall. To Weamar's relief all seemed normal there. He looked around for the lights and noises of a tavern, but then considered that his companion might not approve.

"You alright with staying in a 'Gaje' inn for the night?", Weamar asked carefully, trying not to imply anything. "Or should we find somewhere quieter?"

"I will not sleep with you in the woods.", Tshaya replied.

Weamar laughed at himself for doing exactly what he had been trying not to do. "I had no plans of sleeping in the woods given the current state of affairs, with a woman who's abilities I have no idea of.", he admitted in all honesty. "I was thinking of finding a farmstead that might offer you a bed, and me a stable."

"If a stable is where you're more comfortable.", Tshaya said without a hint of a smile. "But I prefer an inn."

"That may be difficult, some folk here probably think of Vistani as you think of 'Gaje'.", Weamar advised, hoping to pry open the woman's prejudices.

"I'm used to it.", Tshaya replied. "But my silver is Sithican. So they will let me stay."

Weamar sighed ever so slightly, then he had a thought. He dug into a pocket and pulled out one of the gold coins he found in Balican's chest.

Weamar flipped the coin to Tshaya. "Catch.", he said.

Tshaya snatched it easily out of the air.

"Do you recognize the markings on that?", Weamar asked hopefully.

"No.", Tshaya replied as she looked at the strange coin that Weamar had recovered from Balican's tomb. "Where is it from?"

Weamar looked slightly disappointed. "Hard to say, near the shadowrift, maybe.", he replied. "There were Vistani...remains...along the way. I thought the coin might have been somehow related to the Vistani, that's all."

Tshaya gave Weamar a surprised look when he said shadowrift, then her face went back to normal.

"So Petrov has been there too.", Tshaya said.

"Not as far as I know, the remains, in the state they were, might have been there for centuries.", Weamar clarified.

"Then they should have stayed away from the shadowrift.", Tshaya concluded.

Weamar didn't want to start the fate-debate again, so he just agreed. "I guess so. So, inn or farmstead? Or inn for food then farmstead?"

"We shall stay at the inn.", Tshaya replied. And that's what they did.

The next morning they awoke as a light rain began to fall. Weamar and Tshaya were eating breakfast in the dining hall when they mayor came to their table. Weamar had asked the innkeeper to summon him the previous night. He didn't want to cause a panic by waking him then, but felt that some sort of an alarm needed to be raised.

"I'm Walter Robbins.", the mayor said. "Welcome to Alyssum."

"Thank you, my name is Weamar, and this is Tshaya.", Weamar replied. "I asked to see you because of a possible threat to your township."

"Yes?", Walter asked, growing concerned.

Walter had heard all the stories about Gladehaven and had been worried about retaliation.

"Yesterday we traveled through Tricco, and discovered the town deserted.", Weamar continued.

"Deserted?", Walter replied. "What on earth?"

"To all appearances.", Weamar replied. "We obviously couldn't conduct a thorough search. But a brief look around showed signs that many had been taken by werewolves."

Walter gasped and looked a little woozy. "The...whole...town?", he said, recovering just enough to speak again.

"As far as we could tell.", Weamar replied. "Obviously, under the circumstances, we weren't keen to stay there long."

Walter's mind was reeling. He turned pale. "I will send word out immediately.", he said after a long pause.

Weamar got the mayor half a glass of water who thanked him and took a drink. "I have family there.", he said slowly, staring off into the distance.

"Oh...I'm sorry.", Weamar replied. He didn't know what else to say to the poor man. He knew that none of the towns in Verbrek could hold off attacks by dozens of werewolves at once.

Walter drank the rest of the glass and got up quickly. "Thank you for bringing this to me. We must prepare to defend ourselves.", he said. "We must send word to the Knights."

Weamar frowned. That was what he feared the mayor would do when he told him.

"How far away are the Knights from here?", Weamar asked.

"I don't know.", Walter admitted. "I was going to send a rider to Borca. But that will take days."

"They will come soon.", Tshaya said mysteriously. Then she added, "I am Vistani. I know things."

Walter and Weamar both looked at Tshaya.

"They?", Weamar asked. "Do you mean the Knights, or the werewolves?"

"Soldiers, in Mal Erek.", Tshaya explained casually. "They will come and then there will be war."

Walter stared at Tshaya who stared back at him. He wondered how she could care so little about something so important. But to Tshaya the world seemed to be a bloodbath that was following her around wherever she went. She knew that all she had to do was stay one step ahead.

"Then I'll send a rider there.", Walter said as he headed for the door.

Weamar watched him go, wondering if he did the right thing. For all he knew the wolves would be satisfied with Tricco and if the Knights came to clean things out it would only provoke more attacks. He also feared that the Knights would find werewolves living among the people of Alyssum and burn it to the ground just like Gladehaven. What was worse was that he had no idea how to relate his fears to anyone.

They left that morning knowing that the day's travel would be long. Not far out of town Tshaya objected to going east since that would take them through Invidia. Weamar just nodded and kept going. He'd already chosen the harder route to Gillsburg which went north through the forest. He knew all about the Vistani and Invidia. Weamar found the old trail and as the rain fell heavier they realized that traveling through the forest, and getting shelter from the trees, was a wonderful choice.

"I want people to trust me.", Tshaya said out of the blue. "How do I do that?"

"Dunno. It just kind of happens.", Weamar replied, amused by how something he took for granted was so difficult for Tshaya to understand. "People kind of sense it. Sometimes, maybe often, not very well. Surely there are some people you trust more than others?"

"I helped that man back there.", Tshaya said. "So now he trusts me?"

"Maybe. More likely if what you say turns out to be correct, he'll trust you more than he did.", Weamar answered.

"Ah, so now he will do something for me when I see him next?", Tshaya asked.

Weamar shrugged. "Maybe. Right now I wouldn't put money on seeing him again.", he replied grimly.

"So trust is like something that you buy with favors.", Tshaya said, seeming not to care about Walter's fate.

"More like something people give.", Weamar said, exploring the subject for the first time himself. "And if they think you're 'doing favors for trust' then you're likely to lose their trust, not gain it."

"So I have to pretend that I'm not doing it?", Tshaya asked. "Gaje ways are so strange."

"Only if you are doing it.", Weamar said, frustrated by his answer. "I'll try and put it a better way. Trust is believing a person is being 'honest', or 'fair dealing'. If you aren't trustworthy and you want people to think you are then you have to pretend. If you are trustworthy you don't. Do you trust the answers I'm giving?"

Tshaya was confused. And Weamar wondered if he'd made things less clear with his clarification.

Tshaya thought for a while. "I will do things your way.", she said. "And I will see if it works."

Then Tshaya pulled out the gold coin Weamar had given her the day before and handed it back to him.

"Keep it.", Weamar said with a smile.

"Then I will give it to someone else.", Tshaya said.

"As you wish.", Weamar answered.


Lynn and Eliza lay sprawled out across the bed, totally exhausted. Eliza lay on her stomach, her head resting on a pillow. Lynn lay on her back beside her, staring at the ceiling.

"Wow.", Lynn said as she tried to roll over but couldn't find the strength.

Eliza giggled. "I was thinking the same thing.", she said, looking over and smiling. "How long have we been here?"

"Hours.", Lynn answered in a spaced out kind of way. "Days.", she added with a smile.

Eliza slid over and molded herself along Lynn's side. "Where did you learn all that? It was...", she said as her voice trailed off in a satisfied growl.

"What?", Lynn asked innocently. "You mean this?", she added and slid a tingling finger down Eliza's spine.

Eliza shuddered slightly and breathed into Lynn's ear. "That.", she whispered.

"And this?", Lynn added as she ran her magic finger over Eliza's anus, her cunt, and settled it on her clitoris.

Eliza groaned. "And that.", she replied, reaching down and pulling Lynn's hand away. "Please. No more. I don't think that I can cum one more time."

"Kendra taught me while you were asleep.", Lynn explained.

Eliza looked at her and wondered who Kendra was. She didn't have time to ask. There was a knock at the door. From the other side a low voice groaned. Lynn mouthed the words with a drawn face as the butler said them, "Dinner is served."

Eliza laughed and said, "Shall we?"

"Yeah. I'm starved.", Lynn replied.

The two got dressed and then Lynn led Eliza through the dark hallways of the castle. They went down the stairs to the great hall and then to the dining room. Lit by only candles and the fire in the fireplace Eliza could see that the long center table was set for two. Wonderful smelling food surrounded both chairs. Strangely, Eliza felt at home even though she had never been there before The darkness, the shadows, and the portraits and murals with dark themes seemed to suit her tastes. She knew now that the world was a dark place and she needed to be strong to survive in it.

Lynn sat down gingerly and filled her plate, choosing some odd-looking items from the table. When Eliza looked closer at the platters she saw that about half of them catered to tastes that she was not familiar with.

Eliza cocked her head to the side and she sat down. "I've never seen some of this before.", she said, looking at Lynn's plate. "Is it good?"

"It's great.", Lynn said between bites. "Well, some of it might give you gas."

Eliza began to fill her plate, taking some of the more appetizing items that Lynn had selected as well as the more normal food. Then she took a bite of one of the strange foods. It was so spicy that she almost had to spit it out. But she maintained her composure and drank a full glass of water. She was brave and tried a bite of another dish and found that it tasted good but had a very odd aftertaste. Eliza decided that they were acquired tastes and wondered just how long Lynn had been there to acquire them.

Then Eliza looked around the dining hall. "This place is magnificent.", she said in amazement. "It's really odd but it almost feels like home."

"I like it.", Lynn replied, which sounded strange coming from a woman who fell in love with their cozy cottage in Dementlieu.

"You need strength for the journey ahead.", a cold, dark voice spoke from the once empty chair at the far end of the table.

Eliza's head snapped to the source of the voice, startled. She saw a woman with a dark face hidden in shadow and glowing red eyes. She remembered it staring down at her from her nightmarish memories of being healed.

"I've seen you before.", the young woman gasped.

The dark woman nodded. "I am Kendra. The mistress of the castle and the one who saved you from death.", she explained.

Eliza glanced at Lynn and then back to Kendra. She bowed her head slightly. "I am grateful.", she said graciously.

"You are not Eliza.", the dark woman explained. "You are the thing that was inside Eliza. You are liquid shadow."

Eliza couldn't believe her ears. For a moment she couldn't say anything. Then she frowned at the sorceress. Firmly she replied, "You must be mistaken. I am Eliza Duval. Anchorite, Warden of the Church of Ezra."

"I pulled you out of her, but by then you had grown and become a part of her.", Kendra continued. "That is why you share her form and her memories. When I first put you into that body, it was very different than what it is now."

Eliza began to breathe faster, looking again from Kendra to Lynn and back again. "But I remember everything. My life, my friends. And Lynn? What..", Eliza stuttered.

Eliza's head was spinning with the sudden doubt. She looked over at Lynn who looked down and nodded quietly. Then Eliza remembered back to her experiences in the dark tower, of being pulled upwards and looking down on her body. Tears brimmed at her eyes but she fought them down.

"If I'm not me, then who is?", Eliza gasped. "Who's, where's the real...?" But Eliza couldn't bring herself to voice the thought completely.

"What do you desire?", Kendra asked, her voice as cold as ice.

Eliza said nothing as everything whirled about her.

"What do you desire?", Kendra repeated herself, then added. "For that is who you are."

The memories of her former life washed over her. Eliza's life was consumed by her love for Lynn and now she was consumed by carnal desire for her. She looked longingly at her lover.

"Lynn.", Eliza said. "I want the life that I remember."

"I can give you that and more. I offer you everything that you ever wanted.", Kendra said, her voice sounding almost warm. "You will have Lynn. You will have the rings. And you will be restored to your rightful place in the church, or whatever place you desire."

"You can do this?", Eliza asked quietly.

Kendra nodded slowly. "But we must work together.", she said, her words weighing on the young woman.

Eliza though for a long time. When she thought about Lynn the world stopped spinning, and the thought of being a part of the church once more made her feel whole again. She looked at the dark woman. Something in her heart said that she could trust her.

"What must I do?", Eliza asked.

"Kill the one who has corrupted the church.", Kendra said icily. "Together we will rid the world of Ivana Boritsi."

"Murder.", Eliza thought to herself. She knew that she should feel some hesitation at the thought but oddly she didn't. So long as she could feel Lynn again, one life didn't seem to matter that much. Especially the life of one as corrupt as the Lady Boritsi.

Eliza nodded slowly. "How?", she asked.

At that moment a tall Drow woman stunningly dressed pink, violet, and black garb walked into the dining room. She wore dark shining armor and carried a pink granite hammer with a long black handle. The Drow walked confidently, taking firm footsteps across the wooden floor which echoed through the hall. Then she stopped next the Kendra and stood at attention.

"You will travel to Mortingy with Ilsa and Kiri.", Kendra explained. "There you will wait until you have an opportunity to kidnap Eliza. Then you will take her ring and take her place. Once you have accomplished that you will travel to Levkarest and create a disturbance at the Great Cathedral, one so bold that the Lady Boritsi will be forced to take notice."

The pieces were falling into place. Eliza, the real Eliza was out there somewhere and she still had the Fatebound ring. That meant that Lynn, the real Lynn, was probably out there with the other ring as well. She looked across the table at her companion.

"Then you must be...", Eliza said.

But instead of Lynn, Eliza saw an attractive Drow woman who leaned back in her chair with her feet up on the table. The Drow wore stylish black clothes and looked at her with lustful eyes.

"Kiri.", the Drow said with a big grin. "And you are such a great fuck."

Another twinge of betrayal shot along Eliza's nerves but the look in Kiri's eyes and the things they had done earlier seemed to mitigate it.

Turning back to Kendra, Eliza said, "Lynn will know."

"Can you hide nothing from each other?", Kendra asked.

"Some.", Eliza replied. "She would not know my thoughts but what I feel, she will feel."

"Then we shall arrange an incident.", the dark woman replied. "Something that you can say changed you. Lynn will sense the change but she will still love you, for part of you is still Eliza."

Eliza closed her eyes and rubbed the spot on her finger where her ring once was, or where she remembered it being. She looked at Kendra again. "What about my abilities?", she asked. "The gifts of Ezra. Can I still...?"

"You are as you were.", Kendra assured Eliza. "But there is one difference. The liquid shadow inside you has the power to kill.", she explained. "With one touch, you can release it. It will devour Lady Boritsi."

"Is that all I can use it for?", Eliza asked. "To kill? Once?"

"Yes, and after you release it, it will be gone. You will truly be Eliza.", Kendra replied.

Eliza looked down at her hands and nodded slowly. She knew that it was her only option. In the slightest whisper she said, "I'll do it."

"Play the martyr, and express your undying love for Lynn.", Kendra advised the priestess. "Ivana's weakness is jealousy. Play on that weakness. Draw her close to you. Touch her and the church will be free once more."

Eliza sat tall in her chair, squaring her shoulders as her course became firmly set in her mind. "When do we begin?", she asked the dark woman.

"Tomorrow there is a trial in Mortingy.", Kendra said. "Eliza will be attending. Today you will prepare. Tomorrow you will act."

Eliza nodded. "Who is on trial?", she asked.

"Aselid.", the dark woman replied.

Elisa heard the name but couldn't believe her ears. She looked around and then asked, "His crime?", but the dark woman was gone.

Eliza looked around her at Ilsa and Kiri.

"Sleeping with demons or something.", Kiri answered.

"Or no, summoning them.", Kiri corrected herself. "So that he can sleep with them of course. I mean, like, why else?"

Eliza looked at Ilsa and Kiri. "Well, let's get ready then.", she said.

Ilsa said nothing as Kiri sat up and rose to her feet slowly.

"Ohhh, ow.", Kiri whined, bending over at the waist and putting her hand over her pubic area. "I hope that I'm not so sore tomorrow."