A Dawn Not Worth Arriving

The silence in the dining hall was uncanny. Once the children were done with supper, and Mother Martha corralled them away, only a strange sense of emptiness remained. 

Kaelan held his spoon firmly, finishing the last of his soup. In a way, he felt more at ease among the chaos; the peace threw him off.

Maria sat across, always the last to finish her meal. A clang of her spoon against her bowl echoed through the emptiness.

Neither exchanged words for a time, though Kaelan preferred it that way. Only a few days remained in the second week. It seemed so long, but Maria’s assessment had been right. His body no longer lagged with what his mind told it.

The soup was warm. It always was, a rich flavor that danced on his tongue. He’d always finish the last drop. Kaelan stood up with the empty bowl in hand, making his chair skid behind him.

“I’ll be gone by morning,” he said.

Maria replied with a simple nod. She didn’t probe. She never did. Only on that first morning did she question the reason she was a target.

Kaelan’s gaze lingered. It’d be only a matter of time until someone came once more to eliminate her. Tomorrow, he’d disappear. As long as he wasn’t around anymore, he could avoid his own worst ‌‌fate. As for Maria…

His eyes held onto her for far too long. Maria tilted her head.

This was the threat to the High Inquisitor. She possessed tremendous power, Kaelan could acknowledge, even more than he’d witnessed. But to be painted as a monster? And to use such means to get rid of the supposed threat? 

He scoffed. The kingdom's corruption ran deep, it seemed, even in places one would least expect it.

He should’ve just ended the thought then and there. Taken his bowl to the kitchen. Finished the night and left before the sun's rays could hope to catch him. But words crept up ‌his throat.

“Do you have any idea what you are?” he asked.

Maria gathered her thoughts. “A Sister?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

There were too many uncertainties with the job that Kaelan had brushed off. An assassin did not need to question their client. That hadn’t changed. But High Inquisitor Vane was no longer his client, and too many questions nagged at him.

“Tell me,” Kaelan took a seat once more. “Before my arrival, did you have any visitors?”

“Hmm. No more than usual. Some donations from a few villagers.” She tapped a finger beneath her chin. “Old Bill had come by seeking help that one night…”

“And apart from the villagers? I imagine travelers aren’t so common through these parts.”

They’d be hard to miss. Then again, this is Maria we’re talking about.

“Oh!” Maria’s face lit up. “That’s right. We did have a few visitors. It wasn’t so important, so it slipped my mind.” She playfully knocked on her head. “There was one morning when some polite men in golden armor knocked on our doors. They had such long, majestic white capes… I thought they were going to trip on them!”

“Golden armor? …By any chance, did they bear a crest?"

Maria nodded with a smile. “Of our grace-giving goddess, Elyra.”

Those were definitely holy paladins from the Church.

“They asked me to leave with them to the holy capital,” Maria continued, “but I declined.”

They tried to recruit her? …So much for not being anything important.

“Was that it?”

“Actually, they came by multiple times that month. One time, they arrived with an older man with kind eyes. He wore a fancy white robe and a golden-trimmed hat.”

It couldn’t be.

“Did he… have a ring?”

“Now that you mention it. Yes. On his left hand. Gold with a white stone. And the band had an engraving of the crest of our goddess.”

Kaelan’s face went blank. That was definitely the Pope…

“It was so pretty! He actually insisted that I hold on to it, but I probably would’ve smudged it during chores, so I declined.”

“Huh?” Kaelan’s eyes glazed over.

“And for their last visit…”

There’s more!?

“They brought an entire chest of gold!”

Kaelan had resigned himself. “Of course they did.”

“They really wanted me to come with them, told me I could help many people.” Maria’s words trailed. “They offered me private quarters at the holy palace.”

“So then…”

Maria shook her head. “They were truly kind, but I had to refuse. I mean, the children would miss me. Who knew how long I’d be gone?” Maria picked up her empty soup bowl. “And I can’t just leave Mother Martha to run this place all on her own.” She grabbed Kaelan’s bowl before he could protest.

Kaelan faked a chuckle. "Right. Right. Of course.”

“And it was far too much gold. How many sacks of potatoes would that have gotten us? I don’t even think the cellar would’ve been enough to hold them all.”

Maria disappeared into the kitchen, but he’d heard enough. He let out a sigh.

That explains it…

The secrecy, the framing. They couldn’t convince her with diplomacy. But to turn to the underbelly of the kingdom? It said everything it needed to about High Inquisitor Vane. If you can’t control such great power, get rid of it. Kaelan had seen many men with that same notion. Most now lay dead. The rot truly ran deep, even in the Church.

Kaelan had never been fond of owing people; it always led to issues down the road. And Maria had saved his life, no matter how much he regretted the fact that it had occurred. It was a debt he never wanted. He’d have preferred if his life had ended that night. But the fact remained that he was alive, and now a debt was owed. One he knew he could never fully repay.

But at least, before he disappeared by dawn, he could leave her with a warning.

***

Maria’s hand wrinkled under the sink water. She scrubbed dishes with more force than usual, making them redden and peel.

For the past two weeks, she’d kept a certain unease in the back of her mind, and with Kaelan’s recovery complete, she figured he was to leave without putting them to rest. He had no need to after all.

She didn’t dig further after asking him that first time, because, in a way, maybe she didn’t want to learn the truth of why people wanted her dead. She feared what would happen to the children, Mother Martha, to the Chapel, without her help around.

But now, without even being asked, Kaelan spoke of what she almost didn’t want to hear. He had followed her into the kitchen with a grim expression. More than his usual one. He spoke of High Inquisitor Vane, of what would soon follow in his failure, and of the target now painted on the chapel’s wooden doors while her presence remained within.

But why me?

She didn’t ask out loud, because in a way, she kind of had an idea. She wasn’t blind to her powers, but to come from the institution that held her same beliefs? There must’ve been some massive misunderstanding.

Kaelan hung back in the kitchen doorway, his shadow stretching across the floor. His eyes remained unfocused while he spoke of Vane.

“I didn’t return with your head, so they’ll be seeking mine,” Kaelan had said. “But yours is the one they’re truly after. And as long as you remain here… anyone in proximity is of no concern to those he’ll send.” The tail-end of those words is what stuck most with Maria.

She glanced out the kitchen window into the courtyard while the words repeated in her head. The children played and Mother Martha was perched on the porch, yelling at them to come inside. Leo ran after those who wouldn’t listen. Maria chuckled with a downcast gaze. She knew what had to be done.

That night, under a wavering lantern flame, Maria creaked the door into Mother Martha’s room. Mother Martha sat up and wore an expression that suggested she knew there would soon be major changes. She calmly listened as Maria explained everything, and the decision she’d already made.

“Then… all that’s left is packing.” Mother Martha had never been one to show her emotions on her sleeve, but the quiver in her voice told Maria everything she needed to know. 

She embraced Mother Martha with a tight hug. Soft, warm and comforting, it was truly home.

Dawn would soon come. The last morning in her beloved chapel. The orphanage.

What will the children say?

For once, Maria didn’t look forward to the start of another day.