Part 23: Chapter Six - pt.2

The prophesy about twin angels seems to have come true... Is this you, my imaginary sister? Someone sneaked into the Cathedral this night, and carried the infection there! Alexander suspects Julia. Eva Yahn should tell me about her, provide me with hooks... Julia will not be easy to turn inside out...






Klara was walking through the Steppe towards Whirlpool, where she intended to have a conversation with Eva Yahn. Three days ago she’d questioned Julia about Eva; now the roles would be reversed.



It was doubtful that Julia had anything to do with the disaster – she really didn’t seem the kind.



But her name needed to be cleared, and anything she knew could point Klara in the direction of the real culprit. Culprit that needed to be found and turned in as soon as possible.



Nobody knew where they would go next and what they would do. And speaking of mysterious figures...



After what she’d heard this morning, there could be no doubt that her like-a-look was running loose somewhere in town!



Or was it herself again, sleepwalking and sleep-talking to people behind her own back? Klara didn’t even know which idea was scarier.



So what was that other-self after? The only thing that was clear was that it needed refuge. She didn’t know what it was capable of, but if it was anything like herself, it had to be capable of a lot.



And all she managed to learn about it was through hearsay. She couldn’t even ask the witnesses about the details – that could give away some things she wasn’t sure she needed everyone to know yet.



It was frustrating, having to rely on a worm’s eye view in such matters, but she knew she was getting warmer in her search with every passing minute.



Time was moving faster, the events were escalating quicker and quicker – almost too quick for her to react.



Hopefully, something would happen soon that would shed light on this new development.



She approached the turret of unknown purpose that was standing in the open, spotted the fence and the first houses of Eva’s district.



When she got closer, she took notice of another familiar, but much less welcome sight – a hooded robe stretched on a wooden frame, a warning sign of contamination.



As she moved towards the entry, she saw a militiaman walk out slowly. The security around the infectious parts of town was still tight. This one was probably posted here to stop the infected from running off into the Steppe. Perhaps he was just heading outside the gate to answer the call of nature. She shifted to the side of the path, intending to pass him by – she didn’t notice anything unusual in his behaviour until...



WHACK!
The force of the strike that caught her on the forehead caused her head to jerk back and forth on her shoulders.
An ambush!
Luckily, she was still on her feet.
The guard took another swing, but this time Klara saw it coming and jumped back as far as she could.






At least the gendarme didn’t die from touching her, she thought while running away. It turned out that her touch could only kill or heal if she tried to do something consciously. It was good news – Klara was beginning to get paranoid about physical contact.



But she would get more physical contact than she could handle if she didn’t find a way to throw the guard off her tail. She led him away from the gate in a wide arc, then sprinted towards it, into the familiar greenish glow.



She jogged away from the gate for a while, trying not to step on spongy pus-soaked bits that were growing on the cobbles here and there. When she found herself on Stone Yard’s central boulevard, she made a sharp turn towards Horns and the church, ran for a bit more.
The moustachioed man was holding onto the ornamental fence, catching his breath and giving her wide-eyed looks. Klara watched him for a few seconds then started up Whirlpool’s walkway.



...And froze in place immediately. A giant silhouette was hanging in the air right in front of her. It was semi-transparent – like dirty brown smoke that somehow maintained shape. Such peculiar shape... Like somebody pretending to be a ghost, with a sheet over their head, Klara thought. Her next thought was that if she were to die right there, that would be an extremely silly last thing to have thought of.

But the hazy shape just hung in mid-air, immobile. After a few seconds it began to spread outward, losing its essence, becoming more and more transparent until it disappeared completely.



For a short time Klara’s body refused to move; thankfully, the guard was no longer there to harass her.



Once Whirlpool’s door closed behind her, she remained still for a few moments, listening for any signs of chase, but there was nothing.






When she was sure that the guard hadn’t decided to return, she went around to Eva’s bedroom, which the woman apparently never left.

You haven’t been in the Cathedral last night, have you?
What happened there?
Don’t you know? Some woman entered the Cathedral at dawn, bypassing all walls and doors inexplicably. She kissed everybody who was there on the lips and gave them her belongings. All of them died. And the items they were holding in their hands belong to Julia.
But it wasn’t Julia, was it?
Oh no... The prime suspect is the entirely different person... Yes, Klara, it is you who is suspected. And Julia really wants to talk to you.
Will she agree... to give me her honest, unbiased answers?
I think it will be she who will ask and you shall answer. And don’t even try to charm Julia. You can’t outwit her with things like that. She is rational. Be careful, she can entangle you...
All I want is some frank answers...
Carpe diem. She has nothing to hide from you now.



So, Eva wasn’t happy about her friend being wrongfully accused.



Klara tried her hardest to avoid being seen, clinging to houses and eventually retreating into the backyards.




Something has changed! They all see me through before I can see them. What are they talking about? Do they not love me any more? Why do they treat me like a thief who should have been exposed a long time ago? I can hear disturbing whispers behind my back... Quick, to Julia! She is already waiting for me...



She only went out into the open to cross the bridge.



On and near the river’s banks there was nothing to cover her approach, and she was spotted before she even finished looking around. The guard was alone though, and Klara was able to outmanoeuvre him, getting across Throat.



The trip through Knots took her much longer than it would normally have, because of the need to avoid attackers that were coming from all directions. Random civilians were joining the chase now...



They were tireless and very angry, and Klara was cuffed on the head once more before she made it to Julia’s house.



She didn’t know how long she would be able to keep this up. Luckily, Seine was already close. She scuttled through the gates, crossed the courtyard followed by a significant crowd, opened the front door, threw herself inside and bolted it behind her.



Loud voices and banging of fists could be heard from the outside almost immediately. Klara would deal with that problem later. They couldn’t get inside and they wouldn’t dare set the mansion on fire.




What a guest... This is very convenient.
What happened in the Cathedral, Julia?
Just a minute... Does the cigarette smoke bother you? I can open a window. ...All right. Let’s talk about fatal regularities. You stand apart from the natural laws, Klara. What does that mean?
I don’t know.
Of course you do! An item found in the Cathedral had been given to you as a gift! And it was I who gave it to you. There were witnesses. They will confirm that.
I didn’t take anything!
Yes, you did, girl. Are you going to deny it?
It wasn’t me! I haven’t been at your place at all yesterday!
You can fool anybody but me. I won’t turn you in to the inquisitor but I wouldn’t go to the Saburovs if I were you. Your culpability is pretty obvious to everybody. They have already abandoned you in exchange for a reprieve for themselves. The Authorities must not think much of their accomplishments...
What? In exchange?
The Bachelor came to Alexander. He made a proposal that Saburov couldn’t resist. They must still love you though – they haven’t issued a warrant for your arrest yet. But you don’t have a home any more. You can stay at my place for a while, but you will have to tell me everything about yourself.
I don’t know anything about myself.
I don’t doubt that. It’s exactly what interests me greatly.
All the bad deeds I’m accused of were committed by my sister.
Ha-ha-ha! Are you sure? And who had taken my comb that was found in the Cathedral later? Who took a shawl from Lara and rings from Anna? Who has already admitted her guilt in front of Alexander?
It was all her doing!
The Bachelor will soon get to the bottom of it; he is a clever man. I want to know what the relationship between you two is. How did you give birth to her? Did your awkward lies do that?
What should I do now?
It depends on who is it in front of me. If you’re innocent, find the Bachelor before he finds you. He used that dreadful crime with the torn-out heart for his benefit quite cleverly. He takes blood samples from the suspects and compares them with the blood from yesterday’s victim. But if you are guilty, you should prepare for the end. The guards will be here any moment if they were following you.
I’ll go search for him.



Out of malice or out of good old stupidity, the doppleganger was doing all possible to implicate her in everybody’s eyes. Klara could no longer blame the townsfolk for trying to kill her the way they had – if she was one of them, she would be sharpening her pitchfork too after being presented with such overwhelming evidence. Or rather, hearing rumours of overwhelming evidence, she corrected herself.



Another thing that troubled her was what Julia mentioned about the Saburovs. She needed to visit them soon, see if she could still count on their support. Not that it had amounted to much lately.




Bachelor visits all suspicious women! I have a feeling that Julia is right... If he finds me before I find him – he will find the other Klara – the evil, lying, fearsome and all-around guilty one! I must meet him and show him my real self – the me that has nothing to be afraid of.



This time, Klara was extremely careful to stay unnoticed, and almost made it to Whirlpool quietly.



It wasn’t until Stone Yard that she was ambushed again. She rushed towards Eva’s door without hesitation. Last time she’d been chased, the pursuers lost interest after she managed to hide in Julia’s home. Locals had more important things to do than lay siege for hours.



When she closed the door, there was a metallic rumbling and a snap inside the wall; a sound of a heavy chunk of steel sliding into place.




Where is Bachelor now?
I’m talking to you only because Julia said I should do it. Though I am so sacred right now... Were you really Shabnak-Adyr all along?
Where is the Bachelor?
He is doing tests of all the women he suspects. Good thing we’ve got you! If he catches you, he’ll be saved. You shall stay here for now. He will have you, even if I’ll die from you.



Impostress ran back to the door – the handle wouldn’t even turn... She realized what the loud sound had been. Some sort of catch had been set up to snap as soon as the door would close.
The keyhole was tiny, too small for her picklock to even fit in. It seemed that Eva had prepared the trap surprisingly well.



Foolish woman!
Klara was the only person who knew the truth and could save countless lives. And there she was, stuck here in Folds, waiting for the arrival of Dankovsky, who could be anywh... Suddenly Klara realized that the name of the district had already been mentioned to her that day...

«You asked me to hide you somewhere. Some place where your pursuers wouldn’t be able to find you... I told you where you could go. ... In the Folds, silly! Are you pulling my leg? Is this a»



Did the Cathedral have a bell tower? Klara couldn’t remember... It had to? That would make most sense. She opened her diary again:

«From the windows of the house I found refuge in, a belfry can be seen.»






Klara tried to remember what Eva’s hook was.

I’m not guilty! It was all my twin’s fault! Let me go, or the Bachelor shall find her first! He is not prepared to face her.
This sounds like something one would make up on the spot. How can you prove it?
I think the fact that you’re still feeling well is proof enough.
All right. Leave all your belongings here. You will have to return for them.
Fine... As you wish.



When she finally emerged from Whirlpool half an hour later, she felt lighter. Much lighter. She hadn’t noticed how much junk she had been carrying around in her multiple pockets until she had to empty them into a drawer on Eva’s demand.
She finally received the key that opened the front door in return for: a gun with a small pile of bullets, a dried-up flower, some old sewing needles, a can of oil, three smoked fish, five straight razors, a couple dozen pills of different colours and sizes, a handful of coffee grains, two rolls of cloth, two fishing hooks, a bunch of cheap jewellery, a wad of bandage, a rat and a bottle of morphine. Klara didn’t question miracles.

At least she was allowed to keep her diary.



She navigated between buildings of Folds, careful not to set off another chase. Although she did feel that with the weight off her shoulders she would be able to run circles around her attackers.



Green fog that indicated the presence of Sand Plague stretched all the way to the Cathedral. Luckily, there weren't any infected in sight.



It would make sense that the culprit would hide nearby after infecting the whole temple full of people. Although apparently it had already visited Victoria, Vlad and Alexander since committing the crime.
Had the criminal returned to the crime scene?



A bell tower! All clues pointed to «sister» being nearby.



Suddenly one of the guards appeared from around the corner, but ran past the Impostress, not noticing her.



There was no time to waste – she chose the building that had the best view on the bell and approached it.



What did she think was there? What was she hoping to find?
As she was going in, it occurred to her again that the writing about the bell had appeared in HER diary, while she was sleeping in HER bed, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind again. She didn’t want to imagine that the hand that had scribbled those words was her own, dictated by a strange intelligence!