Disquiet Minds

The day was gloomy and mizzly, the sky having donned a mourning guise of thick clouds. The earth did not see the sun that day, nor did the hearts of the sisters attending the funeral.

The procession sipped out of the main entrance to the monastery, led by sister Noene, carrying a brass eight-rayed sun on a pole. It used to be shiny and vibrant, but now it was tarnished and almost grey in the faint light of the day. Noene wore a black robe, with her face hidden under the hood, as did the other caresisters in attendance.

Mother Mina walked right behind, pressing Sonia’s longbow to her chest. Her face was inscrutable, but Satine knew that she had cried all her tears out the day before, when her daughter was returned to the abbey, wrapped in her own cloak.

After the prioress, the four battlesisters carried the casket. Satine and Katria held it at the head, with Taevine and Liesë following behind. It felt light as a feather, for the true burden weighed down on their hearts rather than arms.

The rest of their congregation walked after them, only a few dozen souls, as the Sisterhood was not as numerous as it had once been. Now, barely a few weeks after they buried Lynette and four of her companions, they gathered to bid farewell to one of their own once more.

Soon the procession arrived at the graveyard. It was placed outside the walls, on the far side of the hill, in the shade of nearby spruces, their sharp silhouettes piercing the dark sky like a row of spears presented in attention.

They passed Lynette’s grave, its earth still fresh and bare, and stopped by the empty pit right next to it. The casket was placed on the stand. Mother Mina ordered it opened, and the light of day saw Sonia’s face for the last time. It was pale as a wax, and dreary, almost unrecognizable to her sisters, used to her cheerful demeanor.

Once the mourners gathered around, mother Mina began her speech. She spoke slowly and with dignity:

“Great is the debt we have incurred to you, my dear Sonia. A debt of joy, which you had granted us more generously than we had ever deserved. Your merry smile has brightened up many a day in our arduous toil on this earth. Your sisters in arms shall remember your strong arm and quick eye as you drew your bow in defense of the innocent. Your fellow sisters in faith shall remember your assistance in their duties and their worries. I shall remember your selflessness and dedication in your service to our order. The Benevolent God shall remember that you made this world of his creation a better place. Great is this debt, and there is little we can offer you, only our tears. And we will not ever be able to repay it, for there aren’t enough tears in the world to fill the void you have left behind.”

She kneeled by the casket and laid the bow on Sonia’s chest, wrapping her cold hands around the arc. The other sisters kneeled too, their heads bowed in respect. At the sign given by the prioress, the caresisters nailed the casket shut.

Suddenly, someone passed Satine. It was Liesë, her face hidden in the shadow of the hood, tears dripping off her chin. She walked to the casket and laid her hand on the lid. Satine stood up and placed her hand on the other side. Taevine, Katria, and even mother Mina did the same. The nearest caresister laid her hand on Liesë’s shoulder. The others soon joined them, each sister laying her hand on the shoulder of the one before her. There was no sound but for Liesë’s quiet sobbing.

The first drop of rain fell on Satine’s hand, and slowly it began showering. The sky, too, joined in the mourning.

***

“Have you spoken with Liesë?” – Taevine asked Satine on their way from the graveyard. – “She’s been acting strange.”

“Only once. I don’t think she’s in the right state of mind to speak. She’s been quite shaken by all of this, especially since it was her who found the body.”

“How did that happen? I thought she mentioned seeing Sonia alive when the two of them emerged from the tunnel.”

“I don’t understand that either. Apparently, she and Sonia gave the horse to Katnir, he rode away and then Sonia went back to the tunnels. Liesë tried to follow her, but lost her.”

“Why didn’t Sonia wait for her?”

“Exactly. I don’t understand. But the strangest thing is that Liesë found three sets of footsteps in the dust.”

“So someone else was in the tunnel with them?”

“Apparently, but we couldn’t deduce the chain of events. And on top of that, Katnir’s gone, so we can’t ask him what he saw.”

“Could it be that it was that skin-shifting companion of his, posing as Sonia?”

Satine scowled at her for the suggestion.

“He was still on his post when I came back, and we exited the catacombs together. We only parted in the morning when he went searching for Katnir.”

“I think we should go back there and investigate.”

“Yes, I agree. Hopefully Liesë will be feeling better by tomorrow. The sooner we go there, the less tracks will be lost to time.”

“And what about the sorcerer?”

“Katnir? No one knows where he is.”

“Well, we better find him, because if it wasn’t his friend, the second Sonia could have been an illusion created by him.”

“We don’t even know if there was a second Sonia!”

Satine toned down her voice a little, seeing concerned glances from some of the caresisters. She said the next sentence quieter.

“We should take a closer look before coming to such conclusions.”

“It was clearly some sorcery, and he was the only sorcerer in the tunnels. Mark my words, Satine.”

Taevine continued back to the abbey while Satine took a break, leaning against a tree. There was so much on her mind she could not think clearly. And a clear mind was what she felt she needed the most. The loss of Sonia, Liesë’s depression, and now the stark plausibilities put forth by Taevine.

Now I wish even more that Lynette was here… I’m already tired of this.

***

It was already many hours after the evening service, but Katria still hadn’t gone to sleep. The silence of the night was only disturbed by the sound of rain rattling against the window and occasional flash of lightning illuminating her hunched silhouette.

Alone in her cell, she was lost in the prayer. She didn’t know if it helped Sonia in any way, but what it did help with was suppressing her grief. Sonia was the best friend to all battlesisters, and her loss had left a mark on them all.

She was especially worried about Liesë. She hadn’t spoken to anyone the entire day, and wasn’t even present for the supper or the evening service. She locked herself in her laboratory right after the funeral and hadn’t shown herself since. Katria suspected she was reading her books to wind down.

What do we do now? – she thought. – It’s the same as when we lost our sisters the previous time. But now there’s only four of us left.

When she looked out of the window, she caught a glimpse of the full moon between the thick clouds.

It’s so late already…

She laid on the bed hoping to catch some sleep before the morning service, but her sorrows followed her even there. She could not erase the sight of Sonia’s corpse from her memory no matter how hard she tried. It was the same as the few weeks back, with Lynette and others. Those visions had vanished after a few nights.

This, too, will pass – she thought, trying to comfort herself.

Suddenly, one thunderbolt struck particularly close and in its flash she saw a silhouette standing at her door. She screamed with horror, but as the silhouette pressed its finger to its mouth, Katria realized it was Liesë. But there was something strange about her, something unsettling. Her eyes seemed empty and her face was without expression, pale as death.

“I need your help, Katria” – she spoke with a hueless tone.

“Yes, of course” – she uttered frantically. – “How can I help you?”

“Just come with me” – there was something disturbing in her voice.

Katria stood up and put on her clothes. Just when they were about to leave her room, Liesë turned to her, her gaze a lightless chasm.

“And Katria… take a shovel with you.”