Betrayal

Ami trembled as she pointed her wand at Tal. "Tal! Why the hell are you working with this inquisitor!?"

"Why indeed. Tis simply my way of life, I suppose," Tal chuckled.

"Who are you?"

"Hmm? Duchess Twin D' Tal, heiress of House Twin D' Tal. Did you forget so quickly?"

"Then why are you working with the inquisitors? You need to think VERY carefully about your answer."

"Simple, I want to survive," Tal smirked as she began taking a few steps back.

She's retreating? Or could this be the set-up for an attack.

"Talia! I can't move! Hurry! Stab me with the holy blade and it's mission salvaged!" Floda fumed.

"LaNorne, you sensing anything from her?" Ami whispered.

"No, nothing," I replied.

Ami nodded before blasting a fireball at Floda. Much to our surprise, Tal remained stationary, allowing the fireball to hit and engulf Floda in flames. 

"Going to save him?" Ami asked as Floda screamed in pain. 

"Mmm, I feel like you'll do the work for me," Tal chuckled.

Ami clicked her tongue as she doused Floda with water magic. She then formed a giant water bubble over Tal, similar to the one Mariamne used on me, trapping Tal instantly. To our surprise, Tal didn't resist at all, and was out cold in seconds.

"Talia... You... damn... fool!" Floda trembled as foam began to ooze out of his mouth. 

"QUICK! Gag him!" Ami cried.

I quickly rushed over to Floda, but it was no use; he was dead.

"Shit, he killed himself. At least it wasn't with a dybbuk blade. Guess that means we get all our answers out of Tal then," Ami sighed as she dissipated the water bubble.

"Should I gag her?" I asked.

"Yeah, we need answers from her and can't have her biting her tongue or whatever poison pill she could be hiding in her mouth."

Once Tal was all tied up, Ami's legs began shaking before giving way.

"You alright?" I asked as I caught her.

"S- Still shaken... I- I don't think I can walk or fly."

"Want me to carry you?"

Ami's face went red. "N- Not like you were doing just a little while ago."

"Don't wanna be carried like a princess?" I teased.

"I'm- I'm not a princess," Ami sniffled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to upset you. Onto my back then," I smiled.

"I- I just need a moment. Stand guard while I rest," Ami mumbled as she began lowering herself to the ground.

Once her back was against the grass, she closed her eyes and began sleeping, occasionally mumbling, "Save me, mommy."

Poor thing really had been shaken more than I assumed.

Thus, I kept watch over Ami and Tal, until Ami finally reawakened.

"Feeling better, sleepyhead?" I smiled.

"Better enough to get an idea of where we are," Ami grumbled as she slowly began flying up into the sky.

Once she was high enough, she began covering her forehead with her hand as she stared out in all directions.

"That whore," she mumbled as she came floating back down.

"You know where we are?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're just a little ways south of the great lake. I can also see a small boat in the distance... Be on your guard, we might have more company."

"Should we run?"

"Yes, we make it to the bridge, we're back in civilization as Flódni's right there on the other side. We can also turn Tal over to the knights there, along with dead ass too."

"We're going to drag a corpse with us?"

"Not my first choice of action, but it's better than leaving him here. We don't want his buddies finding him."

"What about the wagon?"

"We take it with us so the knights can analyze it. However, we'll walk alongside it just in case it's booby trapped."

"You think it might be?"

"With inquisitors, you never know," Ami sighed as she began levitating Tal and Floda's corpse with a flick of her wand. "LaNorne, you can sense hostility, right?" she asked as she used her magic to guide the horses along with us.

I nodded my head.

"If we encounter anyone, use those instincts to see if they might be enemies. If inquisitors can pass themselves off as Blintzian nobles, they can sure as hell disguise themselves as travelers and knights."

Despite the heightened tension, our journey to the bridge was completely uneventful. Once we had crossed it, we soon came into view of a large city filled with castles.

"This is Flódni, capital of the Ober province, and where an overwhelming majority of the province's population lives," Ami stated as we reached the gates.

"What are the knights like here?" I asked.

A scowl appeared on Ami's face. "Not overly chivalrous, but they make up for it in being more battle-hungry. And the root of that? The commander, Duke Ober."

"'Duke Ober'?"

"What? You call for me?" a male voice scoffed.

Turning our heads to the sound of clanking armor approaching us, we were met with a squad of knights led by a man with short white hair and a short trimmed beard.

"Coming to greet us? That's rare," Ami scoffed.

"What do you mean? We were heading out and heard no word of your arrival," the man scoffed back.

"It's unannounced and unplanned. En route to Sto, we were kidnapped by inquisitors, one of which being the client who lured us out in the first place," Ami scowled as she levitated Tal and Floda's corpse towards the knights.

The man violently grabbed Floda's corpse and took a brief look at it. "Hang this from the gallows, then continue to Sto without me. This matter will require my attention."

The knights saluted and began marching on.

"Was the wagon part of the plot too?" the man asked.

"Yes, I was unable to use magic when inside," Ami nodded.

"The woman's still alive?"

"Yes, and aside from a little water in her lungs, should be fine. She's also the one that lured us out. Claims to be Duchess Twin D' Tal, but now I'm unsure. No matter. We'll get the secrets out of her."

"Hoh, you're confident. Very well, we'll interrogate her at the barracks." 

As we followed the man through the gates, I nervously leaned in to Ami's ear. "Who is that guy?"

"Duke Ober," Ami whispered back.

I gulped as I straightened back up. I hope he didn't know I didn't know who he was, because he sure seems like the type that would take offense to something like that. The duke didn't seem to show any reaction though, as we continued onward, passing through many beautiful sights. A town like this would've been a nice place to visit, but sadly, my first trip here would be forever tainted thanks to Tal.

Why did she do this? I really hope she'll tell us.