Touched, Chapter 3
"I'm in serious shit, I feel totally lost
If I'm asking for help it's only because
Being with you has opened my eyes
Could I ever believe such a perfect surprise?
I keep asking myself, wondering how
I keep closing my eyes but I can't block you out
Wanna fly to a place where it's just you and me
Nobody else so we can be free (Echo 1x)
All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head..."
-T.A.T.U., "All the Things She Said"
"You have acted extremely foolish, Norgia," the cloaked form said. They were walking far beyond the safety of the church grounds. It was just as hot as ever in South Florida, and Norgia was feeling it. Why they had to wear these ridiculous robes in the first place was beyond her comprehension. The Sisterhood, however, had many laws she didn't entirely agree with. Perhaps that is why she was the one walking two paces behind and to the left of the Grand Empress, while Alina, her long-time friend, strode on in her gold-trimmed maroon robes, on the back of which was emblazoned their symbol, the chalice well. It was two circles that intersected vertically with a larger circle encompassing them. A vertical line was drawn vertically, bisecting all three circles. Many believed it was the symbol of Pisces as well as the sword of King Arthur. They were right about the first, not the second. That vertical line was depicting a particular magical artifact far, far older than Arthur's sword. Norgia had little to say in reply to Alina's statement, and so they continued on in silence, an odd, out-of-season fog cloaking the bridge across which they were walking. Alina loved going out on the Venetian Causway Bridge to watch the inter-coastal waterway at night.
"The Sisterhood is demanding action. You have broken your covenant, Norgia."
"I broke no covenant to which I swore when I became a Sister," she quickly defended.
"These rules may not have existed when we became sisters, no," Alina agreed. "But that was over a century ago. Things have changed. This world has changed."
"And there are still young women out there who need help. She was in so much pain, Alina. Don't you remember us speaking of the changes you would make if you became Grand Empress? Don't you remember our revulsion when we passed that law?"
"Of course I do," Alina said in a tired, weary way. She leaned against the concrete banister that separated them from the plummet down to the gently swirling currents. Not even a mile east of them, several openings in the island chain allowed the waters to mingle with that of the Atlantic, where great cruise ships and cargo vessels came in and out. Only a mile south of them was Dodge Island where, coincidentally, Yesenia's own father was supervising the concrete pour as they continued construction on an underwater tunnel that would facilitate cargo transfer.
"Things change," Alina said after a long silence. "Perhaps, fifteen years ago, it would have been safe to start letting our guard down. But religious fervor is reawakening in this nation. There is no knowing what might happen if again the Sisterhood faces persecution for what we practice. You have to understand that what you did is a serious compromise of our confidentiality agreements."
"Listen to you," Norgia said incredulously. "We are dealing with a young female who is losing faith in everything she believes about herself. I've seen her, since she was sixteen. She isn't going to go and be reckless with her powers. She reminds me a lot of you, actually." Norgia strode up and leaned on the railing. She reached out and slid her arm into the crook of her long-time friend's arm. "Could you stop talking to me like a Sister and start talking to me as a friend, please?"
A red-colored hand with white fingers laid itself on top of Norgia's, giving it a squeeze. Finally, Alina pulled back her hood. An older-looking fox was revealed, willowy and thin in the face. Spots of gray around her muzzle and the fur in her ears betrayed her age, which by now was well into the hundreds. Grand Empresses tended to age faster. Her stony, gray eyes looked right into Norgia's. "Don't think I don't understand your motives, Norgia." She pulls down her friend's own hood, revealing Norgia's white, much more youthful-looking face and blond hair. With an affectionate little touch, Alina reached up and pushed a strand of hair back from Norgia's face. She smiled in a sad kind of way. "If you were near death, I would be able to make a case not to punish you. The law is forgiving of those who wish to pass the power on to one more before they die. But the council does not agree with being lenient on what they call a whim. If it was like the old days, where what the Grand Empress says goes, it would be different. But the council is just as powerful as I am. And they are getting paranoid. I've had to wipe the memories of three individuals this week alone due to others not knowing where not to stick their noses," Alina sighed, shaking her head.
"Then give me your pardon and resign. This job is killing you, anyway. Don't you miss just working with a bit more independence?"
Alina smirked, looking out over the water. "It would be nice, going out on adventures with you once again. But you'll be safer with me in power. They'll still vote to convict you if I step down from power, regardless of any pardon I try to pass before leaving. At least if I give you the chance to go into exile, I can't be blamed and I can help you from the inside."
The word "exile" was like a splash of Arctic water into Norgia's face. "Exile? Do you really expect the council's punishment to be that bad?"
Alina looked somber. "They speak of taking away your powers."
"But... I'll die," Norgia choked, her left hand going to her chest, her right shakily holding onto the railing to keep her steady. "They can't possibly--"
"Why do you think I asked you to meet me here instead of our hall?" Alina asked her as she dug under her robes. She pulled a hefty-looking brown leather bag out of her maroon gold-trimmed robes and handed it to Norgia. "Your belongings are in there, along with a couple items that might help you. Now," she said, holding up a finger to Norgia's alarmed face, "I have already taken care to ensure that my room looks like it has been broken into and ransacked. They will not know I tipped you off. I've already left a small trail of evidence that would lead them to believe you were eavesdropping on our council meeting."
Norgia took the bag, feeling like it was everything in her not to let the tears start flowing. "But Alina--"
Before she could even finish her sentence, Alina had bent down and lifted Norgia over her shoulder, throwing her off the bridge. "Deep breath!" she shouted as she did so.
Several miles away, Norgia was climbing from the water. Just ahead were two large buildings that shone brilliant in the darkness of Dodge Island, "Royal Caribbean Cruises" shining bright blue. She spluttered and coughed up water, dragging the bag with her as she went to a nearby palm tree and sat down, leaning her back against it. What the hell am I going to do? She asked herself, looking around fearfully. She'd seen more than a hundred years of her life as a Sister, and now felt more alone than ever. The fact was, however, she had to get to Yesenia first. Her powers would bring her to the Sisterhood in time, which was the original plan. But now Yesenia was as much a fugitive as Norgia.
Opening her bag, she saw a lot of familiar materials including food and water. But it wasn't until she pulled out a long wooden box that she would give an audible gasp. Inside was a twelve inch piece of blackened wood engraved with several tiny golden runes. It was one of the rarest items in the world, since the art of making it had long been lost, in no small part due to the efforts of the Sisterhood destroying dangerous magical artifacts. She closed the box quickly, putting it away in her bag. She swallowed hard. What the hell was Alina thinking, giving her the Mother Wand? Her hands shook as she sealed the bag and strapped it to her back. Standing, she looked around, suddenly very aware that she was going to have other Sisters after her in no time.
Norgia didn't dare take the commonly-used Port Boulevard to cross over to downtown Miami. Instead, she wound her way down a service road that ran parallel, appropriately named Caribbean Way since the headquarters she had left behind her were located on this road. The ocean breeze was strong here by the water, and her maroon robe whipped around her as she approached the middle of the bridge where it was permanently left in the up position to allow ships in and out. It only ever went down for trains to come in and pick up cargo from the Port of Miami. Looking to her right, at least twenty feet overhead, there was the Port Boulevard Bridge. With an unnatural strength, she jumped, clearing the distance easily and gripping the edge of the concrete railing that ran along the sidewalk on the bridge. Silently she cursed the fact she was so close still to their hidden headquarters. It would be so much easier to just disappear from this place, but they would be able to pick it up easily. And if her Sisters were aware of her fleeing, there was no way they wouldn't be able to notice the powerful magic required to transport herself.
After a long, shuffling transit over the open channel, she kicked away from the Port bridge and back onto the much lower bridge of Caribbean way. With that, she quickly made it the rest of the way in shadow, and quite easily disappeared into the depths of downtown.
Nicky was the last one to leave. This wasn't out of the ordinary. He was an intern, and typically he was left with the lion's share of the work. They were busy processing second-quarter earnings for a major business in South Florida before the deadline for the 10-Q. He hated the long hours, but you couldn't complain when that check came in. He could be like most of his peers, graduating from business school only to find themselves jobless and owing tens of thousands (even hundreds, in some cases) in student loans.
Standing and stretching, Nicky saw that it was already 10:30. His work friends would already have been down Miracle Mile, lighting it up at Tarpon Bend. It was Friday night, after all. But he had to be in early Saturday to continue crunching numbers for his client's inventory numbers. He was a handsome young feline, white-furred like his mother and black-haired like his father. Somehow, the contrast made him a magnet for the females in the office. It also helped that, on him, a business suit was the sexiest thing in the world. He slipped off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, looking out the window.
It took a few moments for him to realize what he was looking at, and when he put on his glasses he gave a shout of surprise. There, in the window, was his mother, staring back at him.
Nicky ran out of his office and over to the huge deck that overlooked Biscayne Bay just as his mother landed gracefully on the other end. The area was expansive, and was often where MBAF would host events for its clients as well as groups of potential interns. Nicky strode up to her quickly, looking agitated. "What the hell are you doing here? Do you know how dangerous it is to do that?!" he said in a low hiss. "What if I still had colleagues here, we're in crunch time right now!"
Norgia seemed un-phased by her son's words, giving him a kiss on the cheek and then striding past him towards the office. Nicky gave her departing form a dark look, then reluctantly followed.
Once the doorway was closed and locked, Nicky whirled on his mother. This was only the second time he had ever seen her wearing her full robes. After all, it wasn't normal to be walking around Miami in maroon robes. "What are you doing here?" he asked again as he grabbed his jacket and briefcase, which had already been packed up and ready to go. He strode past her into the lobby, expecting her to follow. When she didn't, he stopped, holding the door open. "Well, come on, we can't be here all night."
Something in the way she looked at him made him forget he was losing his patience. He hardly knew his mother, his father mostly raised him, but that didn't mean he didn't worry when she looked this--scared.
"I'm in serious trouble, Nicky," she said with a hoarse voice. "And so is a young woman that lives not far from here."
"Is this about your Sisterhood?" he asked, knowing only the name. He knew none of what they did, or why. He just knew that, for some reason, she wasn't there for him as a kit because she had responsibilities elsewhere for this cult. His father seemed to understand, but Nicky hardly ever did. He didn't like the thought of never having a mother around, unlike his friends. He would be lying if he didn't feel at least a little bitter towards her.
Norgia nodded, looking down. "I'm in exile. They're trying to hunt me down."
"Hunt you down? What kind of crazy--"
"There are a lot of things I cannot explain to you," she said patiently, cutting him off. "Just know that I cannot go to the authorities, and this is a very real danger."
"Dad might have trusted you at your word, but don't think I will."
Norgia turned and let her back lean against the wall in the hallway they stood in. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there much for you, Nicky. It has never been easy. But you're not my first child, and I hope not my last."
These words rocked Nicky. Not her first? How many children could she possibly hope for? She must be pushing fifty, at least. Hell, he was twenty-five. Even if she had him young, she couldn't possibly--
"How old do you think I am, Nicky?" She looked right at him, as if she were staring straight into his soul. He felt an unease, like those eyes were in his mind.
"Er... forty-five?" he guessed.
"Try one hundred thirty-seven, hun," she said. Even as unbelievable as it was, Nicky found himself believing her. There was no deception in her tone, and he had to admit, she held up pretty well over the years, considering she looked just as youthful now as when he remembered her as a kitten.
"What is this?" he asked, taking a back-step towards the door.
"Nicky, please understand that there are things that I cannot tell you. The Sisterhood is more than some cult, as you believe."
Nicky had never told her that, but with that odd gaze of hers, he didn't doubt now she could see right through him in more ways than one.
"These women can be dangerous, and now I'm an outsider to them. I need to get away from Miami before they can find me. You'll be one of the first they check out, so we have to hurry. Do you still have that BMW I gave you for your graduation gift?"
Nicky nodded blankly. He had indeed wondered how she could afford such a nice car. He wasn't aware that she worked at all. "Y-yeah, it's downstairs in the garage."
"I need to borrow it."