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[Rough Draft] Chapter 59: A Blindfold of Superstition
Dark well water dripped from the swollen, dismembered human lower leg and foot as Larissa raised it from the depths of the village well. The audience of locals beyond the protective circle of Bastiallano’s knights gasped and recoiled from the gruesome sight.
“Well,” Larissa grunted as she waved the water bubble surrounding the limb over to the waiting barrel. “It looks like we’ve recovered the other half of the leg.”
Carina gritted her teeth as she raised a hand and swiftly encased the plague seed in a prism of ice. It dropped with a thud into the waiting barrel, where two water witches hurriedly slid a heavy wooden lid into place and secured it with hammer and nails.
‘Damn it, instead of five plague seeds; we’re likely looking at eight or nine.’
“Your Grace!” The trembling voice of the village leader turned Carina towards the elder woman dressed in refined but simple garments of blue and gray. “The well?”
“It is still contaminated,” Carina confirmed bluntly. “My knights will close it up properly with stones and boulders.”
“But then—what will we drink?”
“There are no other sources of water for your village?” Hana asked as she turned from where the knights were loading the barrel into the cart beside two other barrels, only one of which remained empty.
“There is a river but—”
“This is the Duchy of Hargreve,” Larissa interrupted. “The Duchess was only granted permission to enter to deal with the plague—not maters of public affairs which fall under the purview of your Duke.”
“Your Grace.” The elder woman pressed her lips and hands together. Her wrinkled gray eyes turned away from the Duchess and her party to gaze at those villagers well enough to stand inside the infected village. “The Duke already knows the plague has come here. That’s why we have been quarantined inside. Our food supply is already dangerously low. Without water—the death toll will only rise higher.”
“You could ask the Duke to dig another well—”
“I’m afraid that the Duke and his knights will not pass the barrier around our village—and most of the men I could rely upon to perform such a task—are either dead or fighting for their lives at the moment.”
Carina raised her hand as Larissa prepared to counter the village leader’s claims. “I can ask the Duke for permission to send knights to help you dig another well. In the meantime, I will see that fresh water and food are delivered to your village.”
“Your Grace!” The woman blinked back tears before quickly kneeling at the Duchess’s feet. “We will do our utmost to repay you!”
“If you want to repay me, then live.” Carina offered her hand to the elder woman and pulled her gently back to her feet. “Live and share your story. Let the surrounding villages know that not all witches are evil.”
“Wasn’t it a witch who brought the plague upon us?” Another woman’s shrill voice broke out from the crowd. “That—thing you pulled from the well—that was nothing natural!”
“Be silent, Brielle!” The village leader hastily spun towards the speaker as murmurs spread through the crowd.
“Why should we rely on a witch when we have the Duke of Hargreve to protect us?”
“How do we know she isn’t the witch that brought the plague here, to begin with?”
“She’s right! Only the Pope or a Saint can defeat the plague! So what if she got rid of the source? Half our village is either dead or infected!”
“Your Grace,” Larissa murmured as the knights pulled into a tight circle around the Duchess’s party.
“Kirsi,” Hana whispered worriedly as she slid her hands around the Duchess’s arm.
Carina’s eyes were cold as she gazed into the angry crowd. As much as she wanted to sympathize with these people who had lost family and loved ones to such a terrifying plague—beyond this logical reasoning of empathy, she felt only frustration.
“It was only after Lafeara gained its first witch Duchess that a plague appeared in our kingdom!” Brielle continued to rant, gaining courage from the support of her neighbors. “Duchess of Winter? More like Duchess of Death!”
“Ha!” The village leader flinched beneath the cynical laugh that slid past Carina’s smiling lips. The Duchess stepped forward and faced the outspoken villager with a calm smile. “And if I was to blame—what would I have to gain by helping you now?”
Brielle blinked rapidly as those around her seemed to shift away uncertainly. “You—well—you’ve come to extort us!”
“That’s ridiculous!” Larissa snapped. “The Duchess has never asked for any form of repayment for—”
“I heard she forced all those other people to move to her territory and work for her!” A man behind Brielle interrupted with a cynical snort.
“Duchess Kirsi has given refuge to the sick and the persecuted,” Hana replied incredulously as she straightened beside Carina.
“The persecuted?” Brielle rolled her lips back in a sneer. “You mean other witches like her?”
“Ever since the crown prince accepted a witch as a Duchess—more and more witches are appearing in Lafeara!”
“Another inquisition is sure to come!”
“Our land must be purified by the Church and the Saint, or we will all die to plague or famine!”
“Stop! Please stop and listen to yourselves!” The village leader protested loudly. “The Duchess has gone out of her way to help us and remove the source of this pestilence! How can you repay such charity with vile disrespect!”
“Didn’t you lose your own son and his family to this plague?” Brielle retorted coldly as she turned to face the elder woman. “How can you stomach groveling to one of their kind after what they did to us?”
“What we did?” Carina’s lips twisted into a mocking smile as she raised her gaze to the darkening sky. “and how many witches did your village burn?”
The village leader and Brielle both flinched beneath the Duchess’s tone.
“I saw the pyres outside the village barrier. Three pyres. Three witches. I almost turned around then and there, but….” Carian tilted her head as she studied the pair. She raised a hand to the jeweled broach on her cloak and pulled it free as she stepped closer towards them. “You speak of extortion? Do you know how much this jewel is worth?”
Brielle scowled even as her gaze locked onto the broach with unmistakable envy.
“I can assure you, this broach alone is worth more than all the possessions this village contains.” The Duchess raised the jewel towards a torch carried by one of her knights, where all the villagers could see it. “It could easily feed this entire village for a year. I have a dozen more like in my personal rooms.”
“Y-your Grace,” the village leader protested hesitantly.
“I came to stop the plague,” Carina continued firmly. “Here and wherever I can find any trace of its malice. I don’t need to extort a small village of scavengers, farmers, and herdsmen. I am a Duchess with enough wealth and power to rival that of a king!” She narrowed her eyes on Brielle as she returned the broach to her cloak and slowly raised a gloved hand. “And if I wanted to senselessly a handful of people who lived such a long way from the capital, I wouldn’t need to use a plague. Captain!”
The silence of the crowd only accentuated the sound of a dozen swords being drawn free. The villagers scampered back, many of them running from the small clearing to return to the safety of their homes.
Carina ignored their panicked cries as Captain Isaac advanced to her side. Brielle opened her mouth wordlessly as she stared at the knight Captain’s sword, glittering beneath the torchlight. She stumbled back in retreat, caught the hem of her dress, and fell with a muffled cry onto the ground.
“Please, your Grace!” The village leader protested as she dropped to her knees.
“Hold,” Carina murmured calmly. A sense of satisfaction tingled within her chest as Brielle’s terrified expression crumpled into one of relief and tears.
“Kirsi,” Hana whispered. The Viscountess’s hands tightened around the Duchess’s arms as she watched her friend worriedly.
Carina pulled her gaze away from the trembling villager to gaze into Hana’s calming turquoise-blue eyes and sighed before turning to the kneeling village elder. “It seems the village of Small Oak does not welcome the aid of the Duchy of Bastalliano.”
A pained expression crossed the elder woman’s face as she bowed her head in humble supplication. “Your Grace, I apologize.”
“Nevertheless, it is my responsibility to ensure that the plague does not spread further,” Carina continued and turned back towards the village well. “Until either my knights or those of Duke Hargreve are prepared to seal this well—” The Duchess held her hand over the dark, murky abyss. The cold, bright magic flowed down into the recesses of the contaminated pit, turning the first three feet of water into a solid block of ice before retreating to Carina’s outstretched hand. “This will ensure that no one else in this village will drink contaminated water.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Carina turned back to the woman, then raised her gaze to the few villagers who lingered beyond her circle of knights. “Regardless of the outspoken opinion of some of you, those who seek medicinal aid or a safe refuge are welcome inside the territory of Bastiallano.”
The Duchess turned, pulling the Viscountess along behind her gently. Captain Isaac and Larissa fell in step behind them as the knights moved into formation to prepare for departure.
“Please wait, your Grace!” The elder village leader hastily rose to her feet and rushed after them. “Duchess, I apologize for the arrogant words of my people, but—those of us remaining will not last until winter without proper food, water, or medicine!”
“I will write to the Duke of Hargreve on your behalf and pass on your request for a new well and supplies,” Carina replied as Isaac opened the carriage door and assisted Hana inside.
“But—what if the Duke—”
“Then I would suggest that you send a representative to the palace.”
The elder woman went visibly pale as her shoulders drooped in defeat. Carina completely understood her reaction. It was no secret that most plague victims found near the capital were quickly chased out, or worse still, burned to death in their homes. While Nicholas denied any involvement or implication that he had given such orders to prevent the plague from spreading further—Carina could think of no other person with the power to enforce such cruel measures.
‘At least I was able to convince him to grant me permission to transport the sick to my territory where they at least stand a chance of surviving.’
“Your Grace.” Isaac held out a hand as she moved towards the carriage step. Carina accepted it and moved to board the transport, ready to leave Small Oak Village behind and move on to their last destination—at least for this evening. “You can not hope to win them all.”
‘I know.’ Carina half-turned towards the knight Captain. She smiled and nodded her head silently as she released his hand and moved to sit across from Hana. Larissa secured the door behind them. Then she and Isaac moved towards their mounts and the waiting knights and witches.
Carina clenched her hands together as the silence of the small village passed by her carriage window. Her frustration gave way quickly to guilt at the sound of distant voices weeping and grieving beyond the main street. Doubt wormed its way through her clouded thoughts as Carina pressed the cold fingertips of her gloved hand against her temple. ‘Did I do the right thing?’
“I’m sorry, Kirsi,” Hana said softly from across the carriage. “You’ve given so much to help them, and yet—”
“It’s alright,” Carina replied with a sigh. “I knew that I couldn’t change centuries of religious indoctrination and superstition in such a short span of time.”
“But you have,” Hana protested. “The Town of Riverrun was more than grateful for your aid.”
‘At least to my face. The closer we are to the capital and civilization, the less likely people are to challenge the power of a new Duchess.’
“If the Duke doesn’t give them aid—we can always send food and supplies to Small Oak Village ourselves. At least enough to get them through winter.”
“No,” Carina countered firmly. “I will not waste my resources on those who would spread lies about me and witches in general.”
“But—not all of them—” The look on Hana’s face as she trailed off almost made Carina retract her words.
“I will send some of the newly recruited air witches to check in on the village. Those who seek my aid will be given safe transport to the Duchy.”
‘But the rest of them can burn in the same fire they built for the witches they killed.’
Carina glanced back at Hana, who appeared relieved by this alternative. “I know that you would prefer that I win them over with kindness—but that is not my nature.”
Hana smiled and reached across the distance between them to grasp Carina’s clenched hands in her own. “I know. I just don’t want to see you lose yourself to anger and resentment.”
Carina let out a weak laugh. “Why would I let the opinions of strangers get to me? I will have forgotten about it by tomorrow.”
“Of course,” Hana murmured as she lowered her gaze.
A strange silence fell between them. The Duchess watched silently as the muted light of torches glittered against Hana’s blonde curls, which slid down softly to cover her turquoise-blue eyes in shadows.
“But one day—the actions of a few people—may hurt you more than you could ever imagine.”
Carina narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I just want you to remember—why you started on this path,” Hana replied as she raised her head with a smile. “I want you to remain the Kirsi I have always known.”
Carina tilted her head as Hana withdrew her hand and sank back into her seat tiredly. “When you speak like that, I can’t help but wonder if you are keeping something from me?”
“I do not mean to. I can not see the future in the same way you can after all,” Hana replied with a faint smile. “I only know—that people rarely change their nature. And so I fear—that the past may repeat itself—despite our efforts to stop it.”
A small chill sank into Carina’s stomach as she turned to face the carriage window and contemplate her friend’s words. “I don’t believe that the future is set in stone. Too much of the past has changed in small and big ways. The plague is not as it was in Maura’s past.”
“That is due to the god’s interference.”
“Arachne’s at least—yes,” Carina affirmed as she turned back to the Viscountess. “What is it that worries you?”
“It’s—nothing,” Hana replied with a bittersweet smile. “I am with you now. I will always be by your side.”
“Yes,” Carina confirmed with a smile of relief. “And I am grateful.” Her ice-blue eyes lowered to the diamond snowflake necklace around Hana’s neck. “I will always keep you safe.”