Chapter 37

Last Rites

"Get the ring.", Ilsa hissed at Frelnikov in an arcane language.

The lawyer nodded, whispered a few magic words, and disappeared. Ilsa looked at Lynn lying on the ground, sobbing. Although her face was expressionless and her mind focused on her mission, she remembered the feelings all too well. She remembered the helplessness, the rage, and the despair when she was held captive, and forced to watch the desecration of all that she loved in the world. It was something that she could never forget nor forgive.

Ilsa's job was to protect Lynn and unite her with Eliza while doing as little damage as possible. Kendra wanted the church hierarchy to remain intact. It was Borca that she wanted to destroy, not the church of Ezra, but Kendra knew that the Dark Powers would have their say before it was all over. Ilsa thought about the men downstairs. Kendra may have forgiven the church, but she never could. And although the ones responsible for her suffering were long dead, Ilsa still burned to right the ancient wrongs. She would never go against Kendra's orders, but she silently hoped that something would go wrong and that she would finally have her revenge.

Weamar lunged at Ivan and swung at his head, but the spry old man ducked and landed a hit against Weamar's shoulder. Weamar jumped back, but he could feel that the blade had cut him. The poison was inside his body.

"Ha!", Ivan cried out.

"Fast acting is it, old man?", Weamar said bravely and continued to press his attack.

Marinae slung a knife at the old man, grazing him across the back of his neck and drawing a line of blood. Ivan shrugged it off and focused on Weamar. Then he noticed the guard standing at the foot of the stairs in a daze.

"Get the elf bitch!", Ivan cursed at the man who took a moment to follow the order.

"Bitch, am I?", Marinae replied, happy that she could irritate the old man.

The guard had no weapons but he went after Marinae anyway. Marinae turned to face her attacker. As she did so, she felt someone pass by her down the stairs but didn't see anyone. She glanced around for Frelnikov but he was nowhere to be seen. The guard reached for Marinae with both hands.

"Oh, you wish to dance!", Marinae smiled in delight. "Dance with me, you little toad."

The guard was no match for Marinae's magic bolts and he collapsed just out of arm's reach of the sorceress.

"Once again, the gentleman disappoints.", Marinae said proudly, and gingerly made her way down the stairs.

"The poison will kill you faster the harder you fight.", Ivan said to the ranger.

Then Ivan glanced at Ivana's fallen body and looked confused. Weamar caught the glance and bulled forward, determined to cut the old man down before the poison did him in. Ivan tried to duck Weamar's swing but the powerful blow landed and hit Ivan with such force that he couldn't counter-attack. The old man gave ground and hoped that his poison would take effect in time.

"Where is her power?", Ivan shouted, seemingly talking to the air around him. "Ivana is dead. I am the ruler of Borca now. It's my right. I am the successor!"

Weamar smiled broadly. "It's an omen. You aren't going to live long enough for it to bother with you!", he shouted at the old man, but Ivan was beside himself with rage and didn't hear his words.

Then Weamar felt the first pangs of the poison in his veins. His heart started pounding and fatigue was setting in. He glanced at Petrov who still had his hand on his sword and was simply staring off into space. Levin and Vasile stood up and backed away as the fight got close to them, but they did nothing to help either side. Something was in the air, and they knew that it was best to stand back and let it happen.

"Borca is rightfully mine!", Ivan shouted at no one. "You will not deny me again!"

But the Dark Powers had found another to bestow their gift upon. They'd found another young soul, unsure and tormented by inner demons, to make a deal with.

Weamar plodded onward, and swung clumsily at Ivan. His weak attack missed, but Ivan was beside himself with rage and missed Weamar in return. Finally, Petrov spoke.

"Ivan, your services are no longer required.", the stone-faced Knight said calmly.

Ivan's face looked as if it were about to explode. "You gave it to him?!", the old man screamed at nothing.

"I am assuming control of tax collection for Borca.", Petrov said calmly. "I am assuming control of all Borca as of this moment."

"You little shit!", Ivan screamed at Petrov as loud as he could.

Marinae had heard enough of Aselid's stories to know that this was the way of the world. Her master had talked about the Dark Powers and how they chose the succession of rulers for all the domains. They'd chosen Petrov, and that didn't make Marinae feel very good, for the Dark Powers gifts were always accompanied by a hideous curse.

Ivan was livid. "You will die!", he screamed. "All of you will die!"

Vasile and Levin looked at each other, and still wondered which side to support. Petrov was strong willed and noble minded, but he was young too. Still, they felt that he would be better than Ivan, even if he had been corrupted. After a short discussion their decision was made.

Weamar backed away from Ivan and then almost collapsed to the ground. The poison was taking its toll. Weamar lay down and tried to remain as still as possible, hoping to slow the spread of the poison. Ivan turned his full attention towards Petrov.

Marinae rushed to Weamar's side and Levin came over to attend to the fallen ranger.

"I can save your friend, but you must help Petrov in return.", Levin said to the young sorceress who gave him a reluctant look. "Having a friend in the church can be very, helpful.", he added, hoping to sweeten the deal.

Marinae looked from Levin to Petrov. "I've helped him before.", Marinae replied, unsure if that had turned out for the better. She looked down at Weamar dying and quickly decided that it had. "I will do as you ask."

Weamar wasn't convinced that it was a good trade, but he no longer had a say in the matter. Levin knelt down next to him and began the invocation. Weamar felt the poison burning in his veins as the priest chanted. He didn't know whether that was bad or good. Then he wondered if his wererat side would somehow come out and then hoped like hell that it wouldn't. Ezra's grace flowed through the Praesidius and into Weamar. The poison stopped burning and Weamar began to feel better.

Petrov was still standing with his hand on his sword hilt, facing down the shouting Ivan.

"The time will come for you!", Ivan spat at the young warrior. "One day you'll turn your back and I will be there to put a poisoned knife in it!"

Petrov just stared at him. He knew that now he was strong enough to defeat the old man and he had a strong urge to purge his new kingdom of the horrid and cruel tax collector. But Petrov also knew that with great power came responsibility and he wanted to set an example for his people from the first moment that he took power. He vowed to be merciful and to always use violence as a last resort.

And so the battle that Ivan was trying to goad Petrov into did not happen. Ivan simply finished his rant and turned to leave. Petrov let him go and Ivan got as far as the stairs before turned around to utter a few more choice words at the Knight, insulting the church and his heritage. Petrov stood fast, knowing that he was doing the right thing.

"We need to finish Ivan.", Levin whispered to Marinae and Weamar. "We can if we work together."

Vasile seemed reluctant but he nodded as well. "He'll try to destroy the church.", he added. "And we have too many enemies as it is."

"He just couldn't shut up and leave...", Marinae moaned, not looking forward to a duel with the man with the poisoned blade.

Weamar wondered if the number of enemies a church had was proportional to the number of instruments of torture it possessed. As he pondered that he could feel the poison going away. He felt like he could stand again.

"I'm more powerful than you and your church you self-righteous bastard!", Ivan hollered. "You'll see. One day you'll kneel before me and beg for death."

Ivan finally finished and turned to leave. Marinae took aim, and loosed the last of her energy into the villain. As they did to Ivana, Marinae's magical bolts hissed as they hit a force field around Ivan, but a little of the force got through and Ivan turned to glare at Marinae.

"You just signed your own death warrant!", Ivan shouted, but he wasn't stupid enough to try to take everyone on at once. He knew that he could kill them one by one, or have his men do it for him.

"Stop him.", Levin said gently. "You promised."

"That was my last magic missile.", Marinae moaned as she looked around the room, hoping to find something to use against the vulgar old man.

Weamar stood up. He felt his strength returning. Looking at Levin he simply nodded, and knew what he had to do.

As she searched, Marinae noticed that Lynn had crawled down the steps and over to Eliza. She sat beside her dead lover, weeping and holding her hand. Marinae knew that she couldn't ask for Lynn's help and kept looking. She spied a lot of torture implements all around the room, and recognized some similar to those in recent memory, used on her with great expertise while someone whispered in her ear.

"I should strap you to one of these, Ivan.", Marinae said.

But Ivan never heard her. When he saw Weamar getting up he bolted up the stairs. Then Marinae remembered her magical staff and held it out before her, concentrating on the body of the fallen guard at the top of the stairs. She felt the strain as she pulled hard but her effort was rewarded as Ivan tripped over the guards tumbling body and came crashing down the steps. Ivan landed at Weamar's feet at the bottom of the stairs and scrambled to get up, but Weamar reacted quickly, stepping on the old man's sword hand.

"I asked you before to drop your rapier.", Weamar said as Ivan pulled a knife out of his pocket with his other hand.

Weamar slashed down at Ivan's trapped hand with his acid blade. Ivan screamed as he saw the blow coming down but could do nothing to stop it. The blade sliced through flesh and bone but didn't completely sever his arm, leaving the acid to do the rest. Ivan screamed in agony. He futilely tried to stab at Weamar with his poisoned knife, but Weamar kicked it out of his hand.

"I would much preferred to play nice with you.", Weamar replied, victorious. "Apparently that is something you can't understand. What a pity."

Petrov and Marinae walked over to the pair. Marinae kicked Ivan's rapier aside and moved warily away from Petrov as he approached.

Weamar stepped away from Ivan. "Your request is fulfilled.", he said to Levin.

Levin nodded, hoping that The Lady's will had been done.

Petrov reached down and grabbed Ivan roughly. Then he lifted him up and carried him up the stairs. He bandaged the old man's arm and placed him into one of the cells.

When he returned Petrov said, "His fate will be determine by the people of Levkarest. Justice will be served."
 
Petrov was growing into his role as the merciful king. He looked down at Ivana and Eliza. "Those corpses will be taken to the furnace and burned.", he said calmly. Then he looked up at Levin and Vasile who were looking at him with a hint of fear in their eyes.

"I'll do it myself.", Petrov said with a shrug and went to unlock Eliza.

Petrov felt at peace. He understood that he had made a deal with the sinister forces that ruled the world, but he was determined to thwart their every attempt to corrupt him. He resolved to use the power that they had given him against them. As he gently undid the locks around Eliza's bruised limbs he felt sorrow. Eliza's fate had been part of the deal. He knew that Eliza would be the only woman that he would ever love, and now that she was dead he no longer felt the pain of knowing that she had giving her love to someone whom he despised. Forgiveness filled his heart and he could finally let go of his hatred.


As Eliza approached the church she could see that something awful had happened there. The fallen corpses of many White Knights littered the steps.

Eliza covered her mouth with one hand. "My goddess, what's happened here?", she gasped.

Among the bodies she saw a man wearing a Sentire's robe. Her heart skipped a beat. Eliza rushed forward and knelt down. With a trembling hand, she reached down and touched him.

"Marius?", Eliza said with a quivering voice.

Eliza rolled the fallen Sentire over and saw that it was the priest whom she loved the most. Her heart caught in her throat as tears started to slide down her face. She gently caressed his face but found his skin cool to the touch. As grief filled her, Eliza bent down and kissed the forehead of the man who had been closest thing she had known to a father. But while a part of her wanted only cling to Marius, another voice inside urged her onward. There would be time to grieve but for now there was work to be done.

Eliza climbed the rest of the stairs. At the top she saw two figures walking out of the large double doors of the cathedral. It was Ilsa and Frelnikov.

Eliza approached the pair. "What's happened?", she said, not seeing Lynn and growing more nervous.

"We won!", Frelnikov said happily.

Eliza looked at him with a serious expression. "Marius is dead.", she said accusingly.

"That's Mud's fault.", Frelnikov said, and for once wasn't too far from the truth.

Ilsa cleared her throat. "The ring.", she said to the Drow posing as a lawyer.

"Oh, yeah.", Frelnikov said and handed Eliza her ring.

Eliza took the ring and closed her hand around it. She looked up at the shape-shifter and remembered the way Kiri had tricked Marinae, how Kiri had tried to trick her, and how little she seemed to care about anyone but herself. The flippant tone in Frelnikov's voice as he spoke about Marius and winning filled her with anger. In a flash Eliza gave the lawyer the back of her hand. Frelnikov was caught completely off guard.

"Whatever else may have happened, there was no victory here.", Eliza said bitterly.

"Okay, I deserve that. I guess.", Frelnikov replied, rubbing his cheek.

Eliza turned to look at Ilsa. "Tell your mistress, I will search for the truth. I will try to undo the wrongs that the church has wrought.", she said firmly. "I will do these things because they are right not because she wants them. I will no longer be anyone's pawn."

Ilsa nodded. "Teodorus Raines.", she replied. Then she changed the message Kendra had given to her from an instruction into a request. "You should travel to Nevuchar Springs and see him."

Eliza walked past the two into the church. She'd heard that Teodorus was crazy, and hadn't had any desire to meet him before, but when she considered how poorly her past impressions had served her she erased those old beliefs from her mind. She wanted to know the truth, the whole truth, and so she felt that meeting with Teodorus was something that she had to do one day. But as she thought about that she remembered that there were more truths that she needed to learn.

Eliza called over her shoulder at the Drow warrior, "And Ilsa, I hope that you and I will be able to finish our conversation someday."

"Indeed. You are a worthy adversary.", Ilsa replied. "May we always be allies."

With that they parted. The two Drow walked quickly away from the Cathedral and towards the horse and cart. Kiri was still smarting from the blow Eliza had given her.

"How did she know that I got totally nasty with her other self?", Kiri asked.

Ilsa just stared at her.


Once she was alone, Eliza stopped and looked at the ring in her hand. She hesitated putting it back on. She was afraid of what she'd feel on the other side. Steeling her resolve, she slowly slipped the silver band onto her finger.

Agony, pure agony. What Eliza felt was so strong that it knocked her off her feet. Eliza cried out as she collapsed. Then quickly climbed to her feet again, pushing whatever warmth she could through the bond.

"I'm here. I'm here." Eliza whispered.


Lynn gasped and crawled backwards as fast as she could away from Eliza's corpse. She looked as though she had seen a ghost. She was completely white.

Lynn stared at Eliza's hands. "The ring.", she gasped. "Where's the ring?"

Marinae went to Lynn's side, wondering what comfort she could possibly offer, then she looked reluctantly at the broken thing in the chair and noted the missing ring.

"The D...", Marinae began, then she checked herself, knowing that Levin and Vasile were both near. "The damn lawyer must have taken it."

Marinae looked at Lynn "You should remove yours, lest you be its slave once more.", she advised.

"No, no.", Lynn protested to Marinae. "She lives, she lives!"

"What?!", Marinae erupted. "What do you mean...?"

"No, Lynn.", Petrov said quietly. "Eliza is dead. It was part of the deal."

Weamar got a bad feeling inside, almost as if the poison was returning. "What deal?", he wondered. "And with whom? And why?"

"I can feel her. I can feel her.", Lynn insisted.

"Here? Here in this room?", Marinae asked, wondering if it was another one of Kendra's tricks. She hoped that it was since the alternative was that Lynn had gone crazy in her grief.

"Lynn, Marinae, Weamar...", Petrov began, speaking humbly. "I pardon you, and I forgive you, and I apologize to you."

Petrov unlocked Eliza's broken body. "This had to happen, to save the church.", Petrov confessed. "Weamar. You are right. We killed innocent women and children in Gladehaven. And in Barovia. And elsewhere. We shouldn't have done it. We never should have been sent there in the first place. I'm going to change that, now."

Weamar nodded, hoping that Petrov was sane himself. But for the first time in months Weamar felt a spark of hope. Perhaps the 'new' Petrov would save Verbrek from certain destruction. It certainly sounded like he was repenting. Then Weamar felt good about trying to change the man's mind. It had worked.

"Eliza!", Lynn cried out.

Everyone turned to see where Lynn was looking. Eliza stood on the walkway on the other side of the bars. She looked as healthy as ever, if a bit careworn.

"Lynn!", Eliza shouted back, filled with joy.

"…and I have you to thank for that.", Petrov said to Weamar and Marinae. Then he turned as he heard Eliza's voice.

Petrov's jaw dropped. Now he knew that he'd been tricked. For a long time he couldn't say a word. Lynn gasped and rose to her feet and Eliza rushed down the stairs and into her lover's arms.

"Oh, it's you, it's you, it's you!", Lynn cried out at she was filled with strength once more.

It was her. Lynn could feel it. And all the darkness that she had felt since the courtroom incident was gone. Lynn hugged Eliza and spun her around. Petrov stared at them.

Eliza held Lynn tightly, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm here. It's okay, love. It's okay.", she said, overjoyed.

"Oh, it was awful, awful.", Lynn moaned as she buried her face into Eliza's hair. "I felt you die. But you're not dead." Eliza's heart broke as she felt the echoes of that.

Eliza gently stroked Lynn's hair. As she did, she saw the remains of her other self over Lynn's shoulder.

"Oh, goddess...", Eliza said as she slowly started to realize what it was the church had done.

Vasile and Levin looked anxiously at Petrov. Petrov could take no more. But instead of flying into a rage he simply lowered his head and walked up the stairs. He tried to tell himself that it didn't change anything, but deep inside he knew that it did.

Marinae was pretty sure that she was imagining all this. The sorceress stared dumbly at the two Elizas, certain that blood loss had addled her brain. She sat abruptly on the floor as the adrenaline wore off and fatigue began to set in.

Levin noticed Marinae's discomfort and walked over to her. "I shall heal you, that was our bargain.", he said. "But then you must leave."

Marinae looked up at him, wondering what he just said.

"I think we've heard that before. Somewhere.", Weamar said distantly.

Marinae looked up at him, too, wondering what he just said. She rubbed her arm where she had been cut and then looked down at her hand, covered in blood.

"Bloo…", the half-elf moaned and then promptly fainted.

Levin caught the young woman and lay her gently on the floor. He began another healing incantation and the power of Ezra flowed through him once more.

"She was you, but darker.", Lynn said to her lover softly. "She had that thing inside her."

Eliza reluctantly let go of Lynn and knelt next to the chair. She gently took the cool hand of her double and stared in troubled wonder. This could have been her. It was her, after a fashion. This copy, this double, felt the torment that was meant for her. And Lynn felt it as well, through rings.

"They tricked her." Eliza said. "Kendra told her that if she came here, that she would assume my life." She looked at Lynn. "That she would have you. That's all she really wanted."

Vasile was alarmed when he heard the name. "Did I hear you correctly? That this is Kendra's doing?", he asked the young priestess.

Eliza fixed Vasile with a glare that seemed like it should set him alight.

"We have made far too many enemies.", Levin said to Vasile. "It is time to change."

"You. And you." Eliza looked to the patriarch of the faith as she stood. "How could you do this?"

Eliza motioned to the body in the chair. "How could you do that to her? To me? To anyone!?", she said growing angry.

"We are glad that we did.", Vasile said sharply. "She has killed Ivana Boritsi. She could have killed us all."

"There would have been some measure of justice here if she had.", Eliza replied, her words bristling and harsh. "Ivana Boritsi was a monster and you are no different."

"These tools are regrettable, but necessary.", Levin said, apologetically. "Our enemies are much, much worse."

"Necessary? Necessary?", Eliza shot back. "Can you not see how we have strayed from Ezra's path if such things are seen as necessary?"

"The world is full of monsters.", Vasile defended himself. "And we need harsh methods to fight them."

Eliza gestured to the cruel implements all around. "This is not what we are! It is not what we should have ever been!", she shouted as the full impact of a secret torture room weighed down upon her. Eliza looked again at the two men. "You were trusted to lead our faith, to protect us all from evil and corruption and yet you have allowed that corruption into your own hearts. And you don't even see it. You have failed. It is time for someone else to be gifted with that charge."

Marinae woke up, hearing Levin's reply, then Eliza's. "Eliza, alive?", she said, almost in a daze. She looked around her, saw Eliza towering in rage, and joyful tears came to her eyes.

Weamar listened to the exchange, nodding and frowning by turns. He was ready to add his views in the hopes that the two stubborn men could be enlightened.

"We were idealistic when we were young too, like you.", Vasile began. "But in time we grew to realize the necessity of such methods. And furthermore, if Ezra did not approve, she would surely make it known to us."

"Stupid, arrogant humans.", Marinae muttered.

The High Seeker's hubris angered Eliza even further. She stepped toward him and began to speak but halted and looked surprised at her raised hand. It was surrounded in a pale nimbus, just barely visible.

Weamar looked confused as he pondered Vasile's argument. "Would Ezra continue to speak to someone who has turned their back, no matter how much they call her name?", he asked. "If those same people make it a crime to speak against them, how can those to whom Ezra speaks make their wrongs known?"

"That is a very thoughtful question.", Vasile replied to Weamar. "And one which we struggle to answer. There are four sects..."

Vasile stopped as he watched Eliza, then he muttered an incantation and looked closely at her.

"You cannot struggle to answer a question when alternate answers are forbi...", Weamar countered, but his attention turned to Eliza as well.

Marinae found herself looking at the slack features of the dead Eliza, those eyes, and felt the fear of death consuming her once more. Then her attention was drawn to the living Eliza's hand. The glow slowly encompassed the priestess's entire body. Lynn watched her lover and smiled. She closed her eyes and she sent a burst of warmth and strength through her ring. Suddenly the faint aura around Eliza began to glow brightly.

"...If you see what I mean.", Weamar's words drifted off. "Are you sure there are four sects?"

"It is a shield.", Vasile confessed. "It is faint, but it is a shield of the Home Faith."

Marinae struggled to stand up, with what dignity she had left. "Oh...", she whispered as she felt her bones aching. She was healed, but she was still exhausted.

As Lynn's strength poured into Eliza the white glow extended into a sword in Eliza's right hand and a shield on her left. Vasile gasped. Levin was speechless.

Vasile struggled to regain his composure. "Weamar, you are correct. There are not four sects.", he confessed. "Today there are five."

Marinae moved to kneel before Eliza, the only gesture she could think of. Weamar didn't, but he smiled through tears at the sight.

Eliza shook her head and smiled at her friend. "No, Marinae. You don't need to kneel before me.", she said, looking angelic and holy.

Marinae looked up and smiled impishly. "I'm trying to lead by example.", she replied and glanced at the churchmen. "It is good to see you whole."

Marinae stood and moved backward to stand beside Weamar.

"This is amazing.", Levin stuttered. "It is the image of The Lady."

Eliza turned her attention once again to Levin and Vasile. "When the rest hear what I have to say, they will believe.", she said determinedly. "When they know what I know, they will understand."

"We shall seal this room.", Levin said. "Forever."

Weamar frowned faintly at the suggestion. Marinae looked with a chill at the implements of the room, wishing that she could forget.

"No. It will remain, as a reminder of how close we came to becoming the enemy we fight.", Eliza said, speaking with a wisdom that seemed beyond her years. "What was done here today will never be forgotten."

Levin nodded and bowed.

"But Levin, she needs five acolytes to be a true prophet.", Vasile said as the initial shock wore off and he remembered the church doctrine. "And she must write down her revelation."

"And she will, she will.", Levin replied. "And I will be honored to read it.", Levin added, smiling at Eliza.

Lynn started to get tired. She relaxed and the shield went back to being a simple aura. Eliza relaxed too, feeling as close to Ezra as she ever had.

Then Eliza looked at the body of her twin. "This woman gave her life for me, though she didn't know it.", she said as all eyes watched her every move. "She is to be buried on holy ground here, in a place of honor."

Levin nodded. "Yes. In the catacombs.", he said. Then he paused for a moment. "But what name shall we carve on the tomb?", he asked.

"Name her who she was. Eliza Duval.", Eliza replied.

"But, isn't that you?", Levin asked.

Eliza nodded. "She was a part of me. She had a part of my spirit. A part that I gave up willingly to save the life of another.", the prophet answered. "And one day I'll return here and we will be together again."