"Samira is one thing," Victoria continued while Claire was trying to recover. "One anomaly can be handled and hidden, but two others? That will be hard to cover up, even for me."
"I-I guess," Claire swallowed. She took a long, deep breath. She had some things she wanted to say, but it could wait until after their conversation. "Um, there's something else."
Victoria tilted her head. "What? Some other monster/human hybrid?"
"No." Claire wished Lily were here with her book, but she was inside. "Firewater and Silkie… They're likely His companions."
"His?" Victoria blinked. She thought for a second, then her eyes widened. "Oh, the Tyrant's?"
Claire nodded. "We found information on him right before meeting with Toni."
"Ahh, I wasn't following you then." Victoria giggled. It was different from her exaggerated laugh. Sounded more genuine. "Was helping those two and then meeting with my Lady."
"We dropped Lily off in Fyre. She found some ancient books there." Claire explained. "When did you rejoin us?"
"Fyre's library is extensive," She mumbled before answering Claire's question. "Since you left Restol. I thought about staying to help with the boys you rescued, but I knew Lady Efreit would want me to keep watch over Toni."
"How are you able to keep up with us?" Claire asked sheepishly. It'd been bothering her for a while. Victoria could keep up with horses.
"I'm not normal." Victoria shrugged. "I thought that was clear from before. Gave up a lot to be this way."
"I see." Claire studied the woman. Ursa said her heartbeat was so slow that it freaked even her out when they first met. "Was it worth it?"
Victoria stopped. Her eyes focused on the redhead. "For my Lady, yes."
Claire opened her mouth to say something, but chose not to. She wouldn't ask personal questions anymore. She refocused on the main topic. "So what should be done about them?"
"They're well hidden for now." Victoria leaned against the carriage. "I helped shuttle them to a similar fort to the one we're going to. Makes sense that they knew where to go now."
"Because it's from their time?" Claire asked without thinking.
Victoria nodded. "This fort's been a closely guarded secret for a long time. Was used by Lady Efreit's ancestors when they fought for these lands. Back then, the magic wasn't so old and rampant…"
"Rampant?" Claire asked.
"Old magic isn't as stable as the magic of today. They worked with a much more raw form, with little understanding of how to refine it," Victoria explained. She glanced at the map. "There are several forts just like this one. The magic was meant to fend off the demons. But over time, it targeted anything living. Your alchemist may know more, she's pretty smart. Or maybe one of the twins…"
"I've never heard of anything like it." Claire furrowed her brow. She wasn't the best student, but she'd remember something like this. It would have definitely caught her attention. She followed Victoria to the map, where she pointed to a spot north of here.
"These places are the exceptions." Victoria shrugged. "Instead of corroding or fading away with time, this magic went berserk. The mage who set up the spells has to be insanely powerful for them to last a millennium."
"Is that where Firewater is?" Claire looked at the border between Lloyd's fief and their neighbor's. It wasn't too far from where they first met the goblins. Victoria's finger was hovering over an empty spot in the mountain range. "Sorry to change the subject so quickly; I just want to know."
"It is," Victoria nodded. Claire glanced at the woman's expression. It had a subtle hint of fascination to it. "One we didn't know the exact location of. Silkie was the one to suggest it. Otherwise, we'd have had to ferry them all the way to this fort. That would have been a logistical nightmare."
"Why go this far for them?" Claire asked without thinking. "Why risk the Efreit's name and reputation for these goblins?"
"They aren't ordinary." Victoria stared off into the distance. "There's a chance these are only the first monsters to be this way. Uncorrupted and no longer thirsting for human flesh… And intelligent. If they are a sign for what's to come, then we may not have to fear monsters any longer."
"We suspect it's from Firewater's and not a new trend," Claire said. She figured Victoria already knew that or was close to guessing it. "His magic may be similar to my gift. Enhances his chosen kin. It's how we plan to cleanse Samira's magic."
"I suspect it was her magic, not his, that made them this way." Victoria rubbed her chin. "Firewater doesn't strike me as magically savvy. And she was quite knowledgeable about these forts. She pointed out several others just from a simple locating spell."
"Makes sense now that you point it out." Claire rubbed the back of her head. "Firewater was a fearsome warrior, not one you'd think to be magically talented. But then again, I'm not exactly the type of gal you'd pick to be a Goddess's Champion."
"Disagree." Victoria smiled. "You are quite insatiable sexually and a pretty talented novice warrior. Perfect for your Goddess."
"Maybe," Claire chuckled. "But you get what I mean. It could be something related to another God."
"I don't know if Marcellus could do that either." Victoria shook her head. She smiled at Claire's shocked reaction. "I've seen Him in my dreams, too."
"I understand your reasoning. Marcellus, we assume, was a war God back then. He wouldn't have the power to cleanse monsters like that." Claire explained. "But we never really know."
"War God? Ah, right, the breed of horse…" Victoria tilted her head. She thought for a moment. "I always assumed it was because it was a dying breed or because war led to death. Seems I missed a lot while helping those two."
"You did." Claire nodded. "We talked about them a lot after Lily came back. Was quite the shock to see the Tyrant when He was my age."
"Not the man you'd think He was. Honestly, it shocked me when I found out, too." Victoria sat down. "Seemed like such a peaceful man. He was content with being a doctor to monsters until the war."
"Yeah, He was so thin, too," Claire mumbled as she pictured the boy version of the Tyrant. "Looked like Toni could win against him."
Victoria held her hand over her mouth. She resisted the urge to burst out laughing. "I agree. Master Toni is definitely more athletic than He was at that time. But it makes His fall to the Tyrant more harrowing. Someone as fragile and peaceful as Him killed most of that time's Pantheon…"
"Agreed," Claire nodded. "It made more sense when I thought He was half giant. It made some sense that He could take on the Gods. But He looks more similar to the men of our time, even in his later life. Any idea how He was able to?"
Victoria shook her head. "Not much of the truth is left over. I can only do research during my free time. It's a curiosity for me and not my job, so I can't devote myself to it."
"They have to know," Claire sighed. They had to know. They were his companions.
"Definitely," Victoria agreed. She put her hand on Claire's shoulder. "But they are sworn to secrecy. Not by some oath or a promise, but by Divine magic. You need to get through that before then."
"Right," Claire nodded. "Don't suppose you know which God or Goddess is represented by a raven, do you?"
"I wish," Victoria chuckled. "It's been bothering me, too. Bennos, the Earth Goddess, Marcellus, the War God, and likely a Wisdom God. Could be magic or a scholar, Ravens do have a broad representation."
"Doesn't truly matter." Claire shrugged. "We need Their name."
"But that doesn't explain the connection to Samira," Victoria sighed. She glanced towards the forest. "I thought the three would have some form of connection, as you did. But Samira claims to be 19 in human years, right? That throws off their shared appearance by more than a decade. Both Firewater and Silkie claim six human years have passed."
"Yeah, but she was pictured beside the three Gods' animals; there has to be a connection," Claire replied.
"And I had hoped that they were directly connected." Victoria stretched. She took a long, deep breath. "But that looks to be wrong…"
"More unanswered questions," Claire chuckled. "Now you know how we feel."
Victoria shrugged. "Makes life more interesting. Not very fun to get everything right."
"Not very fun?" Claire furrowed her brow. "I wouldn't use fun as the word. Especially when it comes to people's lives."
"Apologies." Victoria lowered her head. "My status makes it quite easy to pass off regular struggles. Part of the trade-off for my power. Now, outside of my duties, something either entertains me or annoys me."
"Oh, right, speaking of annoyance." Claire gathered her thoughts for a moment.The feelings she suppressed came bubbling back to the surface. "Can you not fuck with Jasmine so much? She has a lot on her plate already. You patronizing her isn't helping."
"I'll try." Victoria smiled softly. "It's fun to break such a stoic woman's expression, though. Lila was similar."
"No. Don't try. Do." Claire insisted. For a moment, Victoria's expression changed. It was sharper and less relaxed. "She is not fond of you already. You're just making it worse."
"I know." Victoria sat beside the fire. "I'll apologize later. I'd rather she be annoyed at me than hard on herself for missing this."
"Noble," Claire continued. "But doing it in all the wrong ways."
"Sure," Victoria agreed. She studied Claire for a long moment. "I planned on apologizing after this was over. I agree I went overboard."
"Good," Claire huffed. "It was pissing me off."
"You hide your anger well, then." Victoria's exaggerated smile and laugh returned. "I swear I will apologize sincerely. And I will keep watch tonight. Go get some sleep."
Claire nodded and then turned towards the carriage. She felt the fatigue slowly take over her body. She was glad to have expressed the feelings of frustration with the spy that had been bubbling up since Jasmine joined their conversation. She walked in and quickly joined the pile of sleeping women. Claire felt Jasmine's arms wrap around her from behind.
"Thank you, Claire," She whispered softly. She squeezed Claire tightly. "She truly is an annoying bitch."
Victoria heard everything. She stared at the dying fire and contemplated their conversation. Claire and her companions continued to surprise her. She glanced up at the starry sky and took in its beauty for a moment.
"Please tell me this is why you had me follow them, and not because you had a crush on Claire's Goddess."