Alicia crept along the wall. Keeping her own noise down was far more difficult than she had expected. Her habit was both soaked and torn. Soiled with foul liquids. Most of the fabric around her wrists, ankles, and waist had worn away thanks to her struggles against the restraints.
She slipped out of her robe, only wearing the undergarments. Parts of what she slipped out of were blessed. Tossing them on the floor so carelessly was disrespect almost to the point of heresy.
Caring about such a thing was incredibly difficult. It wasn’t like the cloth wasn’t ruined anyway.
Alicia slipped out of the torture chamber into a massive room. A throne, far larger than the one Ylva had used during their
There were doors everywhere. The walkway was circular and there was a door right next to one another.
The exit could be behind any one of the doors. But if Alicia had built the place, she would have built the throne facing the main entrance.
Assuming the throne couldn’t rotate.
Still, it was a better option than checking every door and stumbling across other people.
Halfway around the ring, Alicia heard voices coming from one of the rooms. A meeting perhaps? She considered stopping by and listening. Shaking her head, Alicia continued on. She had wasted so much time already. It was too important that she get back to the Elysium Order as soon as possible.
She hefted open the heavy doors.
The sun beat down on her.
It had been so long, she just sat, staring.
Smiling.
Voices behind Alicia shook her from her reverie. She sprinted out into the prison compound.
The cold air bit through her damp clothes, giving her instant shivers. Was it still November? December? Could it even be January?
It didn’t matter except to show how much time she had wasted with her foolishness.
She sprinted on, looking for any kind of exit.
Alicia stopped in her tracks and almost broke down in giggles. It had been so long, yet it was so easy.
With a moment’s concentration, Alicia connected. The source flowed through her, warming her cold body. It had been so long. Such a foreign feeling.
With a second thought, Alicia teleported. The prison fell away to reveal a pure, radiant white.
Elysium Grand Cathedral formed up around her.
Priests, monks, nuns, and all manner of other clergy turned as one to her direction.
She collapsed to her knees as the startled gasps and shouts echoed around her. Alicia had to remind herself to keep her hands as still and nonthreatening as possible. The Elysium Order wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if they thought she might be a threat.
“Sister Heiden,” someone shouted. That someone ran up to her, wearing the gold trimmed inquisitorial robes.
Alicia was sure she knew the inquisitor. It was someone familiar. She couldn’t quite grasp the name.
It didn’t matter.
“Water,” Alicia choked out.
—
Once the Elysium Order was certain that she was Alicia Heiden, it didn’t take long for her to find herself wrapped in a warm blanket with a glass of cool water in hand.
She had been sequestered away in one of the cathedral’s side rooms, probably with guards just outside.
The door opened. In walked one of the most highly decorated members of the Elysium Order. He wore black robes with actual platinum weaved in. The light always caught it in strange ways, giving it a shine unlike anything else.
He stopped just in front of Alicia, smiling down at her.
She smiled back. It was hard, forcing a relief filled smile. Probably not as hard as the smile he was forcing. The corners of his mouth kept twitching in a way Alicia had seen only once before.
During Sister Cross’ briefing just before they began their ill-planned assault on Ylva’s servant.
Brother Maynard reached out, placing a hand on Alicia’s shoulder. He gave a light squeeze before withdrawing his hand.
Alicia had repress narrowing her eyes. His face wrinkled slightly, especially around his nose. He was, however, less subtle in wiping off his hand onto his own robes.
Ylva had never done that.
Alicia knew she stunk. That water hadn’t got any cleaner as the days went on.
She didn’t need it rubbed in her face like that.
“My dear sister,” he said, “I can only imagine a fraction of what you must have gone through. Torture to leave you in such a state must have been cruel indeed.”
Alicia shook her head. “They care about the augur, Nel Stirling. I had no useful information on the subject, and they never asked me questions. I was kept, not tortured.”
Brother Maynard’s face lightened for a moment before his features turned downwards. “However did you escape, my dear?”
“One of the people there, a little girl. She would bring me my meals–a single roll of bread. Earlier today, I bit down into a key. I guess she felt sorry for me.”
“Most fortuitous indeed. Perhaps salvation is not yet out of reach for that one. I shall keep her in my prayers.”
Alicia nodded. She looked down into the glass of water she had been given, looking at her own reflection.
She wasn’t quite sure what was staring back at her.
