Part 40: Chapter Eleven - pt.4

Chthonic people control the town from below – they can also be named among the Town’s masters. Each has considerable authority over their own enclave: for the Elder it’s the Abattoir, for Griff it’s the catacombs under the warehouses. Their power is barely noticeable in the town itself. It creeps, its invisible feelers touching only those who seek it themselves. Griff has his twyrine distribution channels. Oyun has his echoes, memories of the town’s past.




He is not quite human. They say he is a descendant of a bull. He supervises the slaughterhouse because he descended from a Menkhu clan. It is because of him that the Abattoir can function as a prosperous production complex while remaining, at its core, a real pagan temple. How he manages this, I don’t know.




Speak, Mistress.
Listen to my words, Elder Oyun. I am the harbinger of your death. It is for you to choose what it will be like.
I have already made my choice. What gives you the right to say such things to me, one put here by the loins of Suok the clay Mother, and Bos Turokh the Founder himself?
The fact that I am the Mistress of the Humble. Listen to me, Elder Oyun, as you have listened to Nina the Wild and Victoria the Bright.
Yes. It seems that you do have the right. Speak.
Do you want to die as a true servant of Suok, nourishing the black nostrils of the earth with healing blood?
I do.
I shall lay my hands onto you and let you die Simon Kain’s death – if you agree to give your blood to the people as he did.
You will turn me into Bos Primigenius? Is it within your power to turn humans into Aurochs?
Yes. You will see.
I am convinced already. No need to promise anything. I want to atone for my shame and die as a votary.
Do you agree?
Yes. I do.
Will you confirm your agreement to the General?
I will, if it’s necessary.
Let Suok nurse you with her juices.



I still need to find six Adherents willing to give their lives so that the town can live and grow as before.



He is the husband of his wife. At the core of each House lies a union of a mystical power of the Mistress and administrative power of the family’s head. Since Katherine is powerless, he has to rely on force too much. A day will come when Saburov will attempt to seize total political control to make up for his wife’s weakness...




Alexander is a heroic man. When there was a fire in Tanners, he grabbed a hook himself and was entering burning buildings, evacuating people and helping put out the flames. That’s just how it was. Interestingly enough, no one really recognized him then, and he never mentioned it again. It only became known much later. He does these things without drawing attention to himself; it's a special type of heroism.




I’m so tired...
Hold on just a little longer. Listen to me... I am the harbinger of your death. It is for you to choose what it will be like.
Yes. Everyone must pay for their sins. It is only fair that you are the one to bring me the news. I betrayed and abandoned you.
Why did you do that?
Because in you I saw a sign of my defeat. It was no mere chance that you came to our house – a girl that passed a sentence on our entire town. I made one last attempt to avoid this outcome. I had to fight it.
I was fighting it too!
I know. Only my duty as a governor made me do what I did. You won’t believe me, but I’ve grown fond of you over those short days. I wanted a daughter so much... Young Mistress Saburov.
You deserve to die. But I shall give you a death that will end your path as a governor honourably and will let you fulfil your duty.
Death will be a welcome way out for me. Whatever your plan is, it must be better than a bullet to the temple. Isn’t it?
I shall lay my hands onto you and let you die Simon Kain’s death – if you agree to give your blood to the people as he did.
How will it happen?
Every drop of your blood will become elixir capable of saving the town. You will fulfil your mission as a governor.
This is the best death I could wish for. It is more merciful than complete pardon would be.
I take it you agree?
I agree. And I am grateful to you.
Will you confirm your words tomorrow?
Certainly. Now, pardon me, Klara, I need some time on my own.
Farewell.



I still need to find six five Adherents willing to give their lives so that the town can live and grow as before.



Used to be a princess, turned into a hag. That’s what happens when you play with spirits of the night. When Nina died, she was only eager to accept the role of the Dark Mistress – Victoria would have to shoulder the burden of caring for the Town, while Katherine got to play. But her game has gone too far... According to rumours, she injects morphia into her hip, and receives cold-skinned visitors every night.




Katherine was dealt a terrible blow and withstood it admirably. Who else could survive between the hammer that was Nina and the anvil that was Victoria? And that was exactly how the Town was shaped: Nina would forge, Victoria would hold in place, while Katherine would maintain the balance of power. I admire how much she and Alexander love each other. In the ancient times, they would be true kings – strong, noble and candid. Now is not the time for her.




I’m so anxious...
Katherine! Listen to me. I’m the harbinger of your death. It is for you to choose what it will be like.
Let me have a look at you once again, my girl... Yes. Everything is coming true... And not in the way I expected... Once again, I have no reason to complain. All the warning signs were there. Young Mistress... My heiress... How am I to go?
Do you want to die as a zealot and a martyr? Do you want to save thousands of lives in return for the thousands of deaths that you’ve caused?
I do.
I shall lay my hands onto you and let you die Simon Kain’s death – if you agree to give your blood to the people like he did.
So I can enter the land of the shadows not as a tyrant who was carrying out the orders of a rat, but as a sufferer who paid for her sins with her blood? I agree. It is an honourable death. Do what you must.
It is not the time yet. But soon...
Whatever you say, my girl...
Do you agree?
I agree. Be kind and fair when you rule over them. Be true to yourself. Don’t follow in Nina’s footsteps. Work your wonders if you can... And don’t yield to temptations.
You won’t deny your words tomorrow?
Silly girl... Of course I won’t...
See you tomorrow, Katherine.



I still need to find five four Adherents willing to give their lives so that the town can live and grow as before.