Homeward

Sylvina’s emerald eyes opened to Valerie’s concerned face. “W-where am I?”

“Divine Maiden Sylvina! Are you alright?”

“I-I think so. The cloaked ones took me…”

“It’s okay now! You’re safe. Atrina saved you.”

“No,” the witch denied. “We all did.” The sorceress walked to Valerie’s side and rested her hand on the paladin’s shoulder.

Nana and Levi wept silently around Shaw as he drew his last breaths. Sylvina’s heart sank as she heard their sniffling, and she requested, “Atrina, Valerie, please help me up. There must be something I can do for them.”

The witch and the knight supported the maiden as they walked to the grieving teenagers. Shaw’s wards knelt by him, and Nana held his remaining hand in hers.

“I can save him.” Sylvina feigned certainty, but her voice shook. “Please, let me heal him.” The teenagers gave the Divine Maiden space, and she placed her hands on Shaw’s broad chest.

The freed man stared at nothing as he spoke, “Nana...Levi...live free...be good...no...more masters.”

“Don’t speak, Shaw. Conserve your strength, for it is not your time to leave.” The maiden’s soothing voice eased Shaw. He did not anticipate surviving, but he felt fulfilled knowing that his children were free.

“Hand of God, save your son, Shaw!” Sylvina’s hands shimmered, and waves of healing energy coursed through the dying man’s body. The torn edges of Shaw’s pierced heart began to rejoin, but his blank expression did not change.

“Heavens, no! His soul is slipping away!” cried Sylvina. “Come back, Shaw! Return from the interstice between this world and the next.”

Shaw did not respond. Atrina refused to stand by and joined Sylvina in her effort to revive him. The witch placed her hands over the maiden’s and intoned, “Heal!” Nana and Levi followed Atrina’s example and lent their strength. “Don’t go, Shaw!” wept Levi.

Nana shook all over as she poured all of her magical power into her healing spell. “Shaw, please, Levi and I need you!”

The eyes of Shaw closed slowly, and his children wailed. The healing spell diminished, fading away as everyone struggled with the bitterness of their loss.

“God, why? Why couldn’t I save him?” The Divine Maiden threw herself into the witch’s arms and broke down into tears.

“Shaw…” the witch did not know what to say. The party sat in silence.

Without warning, Shaw took a breath of life. “GUHHHH!” The man gasped and choked as his soul returned to his mortal shell. After his fit passed, Shaw shifted his dazed expression to his children. “I-is this reality? I thought I was gone…”

Nana and Levi threw their arms around Shaw and shed tears of joy. “This is real, father,” giggled Shaw’s daughter.

Sylvina craned her neck and exclaimed, “Oh, thank God. It’s a miracle!”.

“I won’t thank God,” rasped Shaw. “But I will thank you—all of you—for bringing me back.”

Valerie gathered the sorceress and the maiden into her arms. “Ohmigosh, isn’t this amazing?”

Atrina’s cheek pressed tightly against the paladin’s chest. “Y-yeah, definitely, but…” The witch gently freed herself from Valerie’s embrace. “What will you do now, Shaw?”

Shaw’s children lifted him to his feet. “I don’t know, really. Nana, Levi, what do you want to do?”

Nana and Levi looked at each other, and Levi responded, “Live together as a family.”

“Well, there’s your answer,” Shaw chortled.

The witch was still concerned. “But, where will you live? Aren’t you all still wanted by the Church?”

“I’m sure they’re too busy trying to rebuild, after the blow they’ve been dealt by the mast—Khyrs.”

“If that’s the case, how about going to Josef Parish? They have a terrific community there, minus a particular nun.”

“Mmmm, the kids and I are sick of anything related to the Church. I think we’ll head back south.”

“The hamlet of Brooksill is down that way. The fish stew there is second to none," the witch suggested.

“How does that sound, kids?”

“Great!” Nana and Levi shouted in unison.

“We won’t ever forget you, Atrina,” Shaw said warmly. “You have given our lives back to us, and I hope our paths cross again.”

As Shaw and his wards mounted Nana’s ectoplasm, the burly man spoke over his shoulder, “Atrina, the world is a better place with people like you in it. Don’t ever let anyone tell you different.”

Atrina, Valerie, and Sylvina waved the family good bye as they rode the gelatinous blob into the distance. “D’ya think they’ll get in trouble for riding that thing?” Valerie asked Atrina.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, as long as they have each other. As for us, it’s about time we brought you back to Diosveil, Sylvina.”

“Thank you, brave warriors. I’m afraid that I’ll require your assistance on the journey.”

“Gotcha covered!” Valerie raised her thumb and index finger to her lips and sent out a shrill whistle.

Several minutes passed, and Atrina feared the worst. “Val, what if a cultist took your horse? Or, what if she fell into the cavern when it was destroyed?”

“Not a problem! My girl is as tough as nails, and as she’s as smart as...as...anywho, when I sent her away, I knew she could handle herself.”

Valerie’s confidence was not misplaced. Her robust mare bolted through the forest, galloping past the trees as its white mane blew in the wind. “There’s my girl!” cheered the knight.

The paladin’s mare slowed its approach and nuzzled her. “Attagirl. Divine Maiden, please accept my mount and ride with Atrina.”

“Val, that’s a horrible idea!” scoffed the witch.

“Why? My girl can’t carry more than two people, and I don’t want you or the Divine Maiden walking.”

Sylvina attempted to interject, “I think I should be able to walk on my own after a few—”

“Val, you can ride a horse. I can’t. We just saved Sylvina, and I don’t want to endanger her life with my nonexistent riding skills.”

“Okaaay. Are you really fine with just walking, though?”

The witch patted her thighs. “I’m sure you’ve seen how much of a good runner I am. Wanna race back? I’ve got more than enough magic left in the well!”

Valerie grinned playfully, but the Divine Maiden hastily discouraged their competition. “If we could have a peaceful ride back, I’d really prefer that. There are a lot of things I need time to think about.”

The sorceress and the paladin honored Sylvina’s wish. After a peaceful journey of five days, the trio returned to Diosveil.

-

The capital of the Sacred Provinces was in ruins. It was a gray day, and a gloomy atmosphere hung over the city. No guards greeted the three women at the gate. Upon entering Diosveil, Sylvina was profoundly disturbed by the widespread devastation. “Dear, God…”

The colossal structures were mere shadows of their former glory. Defaced, damaged, or completely destroyed, the capital’s buildings lay in ruin, and not a single soul was in sight.

Valerie attempted to comfort the maiden as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sure there are people somewhere. We just have to look a bit more...Hey! What about the square in front of Saint Zechariah’s Basilica?”

The Divine Maiden did not speak, and the witch and the paladin silently agreed to head to the square. As they walked through the city, Sylvina envisioned the capital’s phantoms going about their daily lives, existing as if the calamity had never happened. The maiden had touched countless lives in Diosveil, but many of them had passed on, and the magnitude of that loss was nearly unbearable to her.

Eventually, the three women arrived at the square of the ruined basilica. The landmark’s dome had been torn clean off—a horrendous reminder of the dead master’s terrible power. Sylvina was pulled from her pit of despair when the knight shouted, “Look! There’s people in the square!”

-

A crowd of one hundred or so civilians formed a circle, bowing towards the center where the High Priestess stood pontificating. “Children of God, we are gathered here today to remind ourselves of His mercy. While so many of our beloved friends and family have perished in the attack by the cultists, they will live on in our memories. They were martyred for their faith, just as Saint Zechariah was. Let us never forget the great evil that heretics are capable of, and let us never forgive those faithless barbarians.”

Laçais’ dogmatic words made Sylvina sick to her stomach. The maiden hopped off Valerie’s horse and marched to the circle.

“Sylvina, wait!” yelled the sorceress. The maiden did not break her stride, and tears stung Laçais’ eyes as she watched Sylvina approach.

“My dear child! God has delivered you from evil, and He brought you back to us!”

Murmuring in awe, the crowd made way for Sylvina as she moved to the center. The Divine Maiden marched right to the High Priestess with her nose pointed up. “No, High Priestess Laçais. The witch Atrina, Holy Knight Valerie, and the reformed cultists Shaw, Nana, and Levi were my salvation.”

“Oh, He is merciful. Most merciful! Your life is proof of His grace and—”

“Don’t act like you didn’t hear me!”

“I heard you, but they were mere tools used by God. Here and now, you can restore the spirit of our glorious nation!”

“I won’t be a puppet any longer.”

“What did you say?”

An auburn woman emerged from the crowd. “Your hearing must have gotten worse with the years, Laçais. Let me spell it out for you.”

Sylvina beamed. “Minnie!”

Minucia stood beside the other maiden and proclaimed, “We are tired of being figureheads. It’s time for a change.”

The High Priestess’ jaw dropped. “Foolish girls! What will you do if you are not Divine Maidens? It is your destiny!”

“Don’t conflate Divine Maidens with slaves,” Sylvina corrected. “I never knew the difference, but Atrina helped me realize that Minnie and I were prisoners of a faith we didn’t create.”

“Everyone here is a prisoner,” Minucia added. “Fear is our god, and that is all we have filled our hearts and souls with. We can’t go on like this, blindly serving the archbishop, the Prophet, or even you.”

The High Priestess did not recognize the maidens. “I never raised you to be blasphemers! My poor girls, what has become of you two?”

“We grew up,” affirmed Sylvina. “Minnie and I have the power to set things right in the world, and it starts with seeing the humanity in others.” The emerald-eyed maiden beckoned Valerie and Atrina to join them at the center of the circle.

Hesitantly, the witch and the mounted knight walked through the crowd, returning the people’s stares with equal wariness. As the two friends reached the center, Sylvina took Atrina’s hands.

“People of Diosveil, let this day commemorate the vow we have made to reexamine our faith and bring down the walls built by our ignorance.”

More and more people appeared from the city to join the crowd. Among the joiners was Eurielle and the surviving members of her unit.

“God would never promise something like that!” blustered Laçais.

“It’s a promise made here on earth, not far up above in the heavens.” Sylvina drew an arc in the air with one of her arms and intoned, “Arcoiris!”

A brilliant rainbow stretched across the sky, parting the heavy clouds that floated over Diosveil. Sylvina gazed into Atrina’s eyes. “Change will take time, but Minnie and I will do everything we can to lead the believers down a better path towards acceptance. Change is good and necessary if we are to start anew. The old age has fallen for a reason, but we can make the new age better for everyone.”

The spectating crowd remained ambivalent, but Eurielle and her knights pushed through everyone, and the captain pledged, “My knights and I will devote ourselves to your cause, Divine Maiden Sylvina and Divine Maiden Minucia. If anyone has a problem, they can answer to us.”

Suddenly, Captain Luke hobbled forth on a crutch. One of his eyes was missing, and a still healing gash extended from the top of his head to his chin. “So, little Euri and her flunkies are the top dogs now, eh?”

Valerie trot towards Luke and snarled, “You got a problem with that, mister?”

“Nah, the only problem I have is that my boys and I didn’t save Sylvina ourselves. Well done.” The captain set his crutch down and bowed. Soon, the rest of the crowd lowered their heads, and the witch’s heart fluttered.

Sylvina and Minucia embraced the witch, and the blonde maiden spoke into her ear, “Live your life, and live it well, Atrina.”

“Thank you.”

As the maidens released the sorceress, Laçais glowered. “I...I won’t ever accept you, witch.”

“I can live with that.” Atrina’s voice was steady and calm. “Well, Val, I think it’s time to go.”

The paladin helped Atrina onto her horse, and Valerie shot a pained look at Eurielle. The captain nodded wistfully but approvingly. “Go be with her, Val.”

Valerie’s heart soared. “Where to, Atrina?”

“It’s time I headed home, Val.”

-

Several days later, Atrina and Valerie lay in each other’s arms on a grassy hilltop, resting peacefully under the shade of an old tree. The sun was setting, and a beautiful tangerine radiance painted the horizon.

The witch snuggled against her lover. For the first time in her life, she felt complete, but a lingering tinge of anxiety gnawed away at her. “I don’t believe it, Val. One more day, and I’ll be home…”

Valerie caressed Atrina’s face and kissed the top of her head. “You think they’ll mind that I was a Holy Knight?”

“Maybe don’t tell them that until a while later. It was smart of you to ditch the armor on the way here.”

“Yeah! That was the best idea I’ve ever had. The days of blundering around in that heavy junk suit are now behind me!”

“Hehe, yeah...Val...what if...what if they don’t want me back?”

Valerie lifted Atrina’s face. “We’ve been over this, my love. They’ll see how much you’ve changed. You’re not the same woman that left the coven years ago. And, even if they don’t accept you, you’ll always have me, and...I hope that counts for something.”

“Oh, Val!” Atrina locked lips with Valerie. They were together and content in their world of two. When their kiss ended, the witch spoke, “That counts for everything.”

“Hey! If you really wanted to, you could make your own coven!”

“Haha, stop making a fool out of me! With you, I’ll always have a home.”

The two lovers rested their heads together and continued watching the sunset. At long last, the witch’s journey had come to an end. As the world changed around her, Atrina had finally found what she was seeking.

THE END