Chương 168: 159. Garash

I peeked from the doorway and noticed the white rolling mist in the sky growing darker and darker, slowly obscuring the light as the whole place grew dim. I swore and made my way upstairs. People were slowly panicking, with screams about what might be happening and what to do flying around, especially among the ones who thought they could stay in the safe spot. When I entered the room, William immediately approached me and, before we could say anything to one another, he pulled out his watch and showed it to me.

The hands read 10: 10.

"Ten Commandments?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Ten plagues?" I asked back, and we both groaned.

"How was your meeting?" he changed the subject. I looked him in the eyes, hesitant about what to answer. I trusted William, but the secret wasn't mine to share, and if the skinwalker couldn't fake trust, it wouldn't be that much of an issue.

"It was interesting… I know where the church might want to go." I saw his eyebrows raise, but he stopped himself before asking anything else.

"So where do you want me to vote?" he finally asked. I smiled lightly.

"The smithy."

"Got it."

"Got what?" Ophelia asked, approaching from the side.

"Our next votes," I replied, turning to her.

"How's the rest?"

"Bad," she sighed.

"The rooster's crow apparently caused some panic, and after what happened to Jean's group, she still isn't taking it well. Now the cold is only making it worse. Any idea what it was?" I shook my head. The crow was supposed to symbolize betrayal of trust. This was most likely related to either Zenon's death or Jean's group's disappearance. The issue was what exactly betrayal was. A skinwalker killing its enemy isn't exactly betrayal, but acting according to its interest.

But if a person believed someone without knowing there was an enemy, would that count as betrayal? My thoughts were broken by the sounds of heavily armed men going up the stairs. The paladins were done licking their wounds, and the church was ready for a council meeting. We set about making a quick decision, as some people who wore lighter clothing for the Sabbath were starting to shiver.

"Where do we go?" asked Jean. Her voice was still slightly shaky after losing her people. I noticed she was getting a few glances filled with suspicion.

"We have two options—back east to the safe spot found by Mr. Lenart, Elissa, and Saydaw, or forward to the safe spot found by us. As such, I propose we go to the northwestern one so as not to backtrack," Leo suggested.

"Wait." I broke in.

"We got some insulated cloaks at the blacksmith, but only for around thirty people, and it's becoming freezing cold. The blacksmith had a basement warmed by a massive hearth. I think we should go there."

"Is it a safe spot?" the druid woman asked.

"No, but we destroyed the enemy there. It should be safe for now."

"For now?" Leo asked with raised eyebrows.

"What is the building you found?" William asked.

"Old coffee shop," Helga replied.

"I doubt it has much insulation."

"So what?" Daniel Riswalt piped up.

"Some people will get a bit cold. Why risk it?" I frowned. He acted like a coward, so why the quick decision-making at the gate when he knocked out that panicking man?

"We can already see our breath, and it's getting colder. It goes beyond just getting a bit cold," Albert, the other Riswalt on the council, replied.

"The cloaks can protect us, right?" Daniel shrugged, looking at me.

"And what gives you the idea you'll get one?" I replied.

"Please don't introduce more strife, the pope is tired," Helga interrupted, and we all looked at poor Clementus, who was still suffering from the effects of the supposed panic attack.

"And what does His Holiness think about the ideas?" Leo asked, looking at him.

"Well, the people outside this room are our flock. If the blacksmith can offer them warmth, then maybe it is the better option?" he finished hesitantly. I noticed what he was doing. If I, Aren, William, Helga, and Clementus voted for the blacksmith, then opposed to us would be Leo, his paladin Jacob, and Daniel, and Arash, assuming the cat was still with them.

The remaining votes from Remi, Jean, Elissa, Saydaw, Lenart, and apparently Albert weren't certain, so if the skinwalker wanted to be sure, it should vote for the northwestern point where the church was. It might vote against their perceived interest.

"And how about the rest of our compatriots?" Leo asked, looking at the remaining people who didn't speak.

"What do you think?" Elissa spoke first, her voice even and calm.

"I don't speak for the rest, but I shall vote we head back east." We were taken aback by her words.

"Why would you do that?" Helga asked, confused. The woman looked at me, Clementus, and Leo one by one, her eyes strange, as if she looked slightly behind our backs.

"Because I feel like heading west makes me a part of a game I don't want to play." I chuckled lightly. That was an interesting way of seeing it. And she wasn't entirely wrong… After that, the rest didn't say anything.

"Okay," I spoke up.

"I say we all write where we want to go on pieces of paper and then turn them over one after another," I proposed.

"So that no one adjusts their vote based on others, but we know who wants to go where. You know, to be aware whose decisions lead us into shit, just in case," I finished with a smile at Leo. It was finally time to vote. We all wrote our decisions on slips of paper and then turned them over. The mortal church, both Riswalts, Arash, and, surprisingly, Jean voted for the northwestern safe spot. I, William, Aren, Helga, Clementus, and Lenart voted for the smithy. While the remaining two and Remi voted east.

So it was 6 to 6.

"You have to break the tie," I said, looking at the people who voted east.

"The smithy," Elissa said after a short break, and the two nodded. I was curious why Lenart voted with us, as he was closer to the team voting east. Someone might have influenced him. Jean's vote was strange, but I could understand it. All of her people were part of the groups going out, meaning they would get the cloaks. Her move would be safest for her people.

"Well," Leo sighed, "so be it." His church's goal would be a bit farther away now, but still relatively on the path if we continued west. The research center, however, was getting farther and farther away. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I memorized who voted for what, and we went on to break the news to the rest of the people present.

There was a mix of reactions, from relief to anger and confusion, but we didn't have time to discuss it with everyone, so the order was to start getting ready to move. The last thing to deal with was passing out the protective robes. The distribution was obvious—everyone who went out got one. The rest had five remaining to divide among themselves. It was another argument that raised resentment in the group, but I didn't care.

I could feel my cloak's runes come alive to fight off the cold as we packed the documents we needed to take with us. I looked to catch Jean or Lenart off to the side, but the two leaders were busy organizing their groups. Instead, my eyes ended up on Remi. I had the church's information from the pope. Now I could make the deal and figure out what the exorcism contract I got from the cat's caretaker was about. I came over to the animal as it sat to the side, watching over the preparations.

"Okay. You've got yourself a deal," I said in a half-whisper.

"What?" Remi asked, confused for a second, but then immediately caught on to what I was talking about.

"Great," she said with a smile.

"A decision you won't regret, I guarantee you." It looked like the cat was about to break into a political speech, so I cut in before that could happen.

"Yes, I'm glad and all. Now—what was the exorcism contract about?"

"Well, it wasn't from us. But I do have a good guess who gave it to you."

"I know."

"Someone here wants to tell you they, too, know of the old ways, and they think you have what it takes to catch the creature."

"Yes, I did get that. Now—who and why?"

"One of my clients might be the person."

"Oh my god, why are all Frumentarii like that?" I almost screamed. It felt like I was listening to Q'Shar whenever he had a chance to be mysterious.

"Get to the point, please."

"Fine, fine. Has anyone ever told you the niceties of negotiations are lost on you?"

"Yes," I answered flatly. She sighed and continued.

"One of the druids—Garash, who travels with Elissa. She comes from a druidic circle with an interesting history. Their group gained power at the beginning of the exorcists' creation. Can you guess how?"

"Skinwalker hunting," I said without thinking.

"Yes. The circle then fell once the Inquisition came, but their traditions survived."

"Did you ever think just telling me that there are people here with information on skinwalkers would make this quicker and safer?"

"We didn't have permission to release their information."

"But you have now?"

"Yes—only to you. Garash agreed around two hours ago." That gave me pause. That would be when the rooster crowed.

"So what do they know?"

"I don't know." I looked at the smug creature with raised eyebrows.

"What? I'm not a skinwalker hunter. I'm a—""Businesswoman," I finished for the cat.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. Just point me to the druid." The cat rolled her eyes and used her tail to point to one of the people. I made a mental note to talk to her as soon as possible and walked on, getting a stink eye from Arash, who noticed our conversation. Soon after, we set out for the blacksmith. Walking the streets as one big group was slightly unnerving, and now the cold and the dimming light were added to the list of things to worry about.

The entire city was slowly but surely drowning in darkness, as the sky was almost entirely covered by a dark, boiling mist that thickened into clouds. The only source of light now was the massive pillar still visible in the city center. This lengthened the shadows, and the tall buildings in this part of the town ensured that almost none of the illumination reached the street. By the time we arrived at the blacksmith, some of us had to use light spells to navigate.

Not to mention, anyone without the cold-protecting cloak was now trembling, white clouds of steam accompanying every breath. The only good news was that the streets were oddly similar to the time when the procession passed—empty and deadly silent. We went into the storage room and then downstairs, checking that no new enemy had shown up. The room was warm, as the now-dead furnace still had a functional heart. We rechecked the dwarf and the machines, but no new threat appeared.

After that, the rest of the people funneled downstairs—some froze at the sight of the machines fused with flesh. I also looked at them, and I could see a slight change. Their movements were different. Before, they were fast and precise, but now a slight trembling showed. Some of the appendages would sometimes drop something, only to pick it up quickly in panicked, scattered movements.

"I don't like that," I said, looking at the creatures.

"Mhm," Ophelia, next to me, agreed. I turned to her and noticed her hand was firmly placed on the hilt of her new weapon.

"We have to get away from the city as fast as possible," I said, my eyes back on the living machinery.

"You think we're about to learn the reason why the expeditions didn't come back?"

"Yes." After about fifteen minutes, another meeting of the council was called, and we began reading the documents we had taken from the office. The documentation for the farther part of the city was much scarcer, but I knew the church had some possible safe spots. The only problem was that one of those might be a trap set by the skinwalker. After comparing the documentation on previously confirmed safe places with what we were searching for, pinpointing the next goals took much less time.

Some of the buildings were referred to differently, as if not part of the singularity, with scarcer language or names and data missing in related documents. Thankfully, this time deciding on the path wasn't that hard. We had one obvious stop before the western part of the city and then three possible places there, but that was when things would get interesting. One of those would be near the entry to the second circle, where the research center was.

Another was closer to the church that Leo would be after, and another was farther west by the wall. The road we would take next would be crucial, and the church's path would no longer align with the creature's. We informed the rest that we would be moving soon, so they should rest as much as they could. I then went to talk to Garash during the break. The moment I approached, I could see the woman look up at me and smile lightly. We moved to the side—where others could see us, but hopefully not hear us.

"So, you got in touch with the cats," she started.

"Yes. Although I would have appreciated it if you had just gotten me the information at the beginning." She smiled.

"Wouldn't you do the same for your broker?"

"Yes... So what's this whole maneuver with the contract?"

"To get you interested and to give my broker an in. Had you agreed earlier, I would have had Remi feed you some of the information until I was sure it's really you. But now we can talk freely." I sighed at her words.

"Why are you so sure of that?"

"It's simple—I know how skinwalkers mimic their victims," the woman said, letting a second of silence hang between us.

"They can't just read your life like a book—not without a guide in the labyrinth of memory. They need intel first." I realized where she was going with this.

"So—associations with important moments in a person's life."

"Yes. As they assimilate, they will gain more and more information, but the base knowledge about the victim is crucial. If it wore someone without any initial intel, then the assimilation process would take much longer and never reach perfect mimicry."

"So the target was picked beforehand."

"Had to be." I nodded lightly before frowning.

"Still, why do you think it's not me? Why trust me now?"

"You're known for having a strange upbringing. Your identity was strictly protected. Your psyche is famously twisted. It makes you an unlikely target."

"Or a good one. Hard to tell if I'm acting strange."

"By normal people, sure. But if the creature mimicked you, I doubt it would reach perfection in a few hours if ever. So if you were really the target, I'm pretty sure your friends would have figured it out by now."

"That's why you waited before contacting me," I said, smiling at the realization.

"Yes. Your apprentice seems to trust you still—meaning it's most likely you in there." We then discussed a few more technical aspects of the creature, including its magic and biology. The information from the druid was still full of holes, but it was much better than mine. As it turned out, the skinwalkers were not only spies but also messengers and smugglers for the Miracle-Bringers. Their bodies were composed of thin, moving parts, resistant to most forms of scanning magic and perception.

Moreover, their "brain" consisted of segments with hollow spaces, allowing them to store things within their bodies, away from mental scanning. As we spoke, I realized one more crucial thing. They really needed a surefire target—one they knew the skinwalker could get to after switching bodies. All of the higher-ups within the church were under the paladins' eyes, so someone else—someone they knew would be here. The strange thing was that the Sabbath flowed in an unusual way this time around.

If not for the tie during the first vote, we wouldn't all be in the auditorium. No, it would be the boring political discussion—and a lot of behind-the-scenes talk by lawmakers as they prepared their legislation. The people present in the auditorium and its corridors would be completely different from those here. So if I cross-referenced who should have been there for the legislative talks, who was on the council right now or could influence people on it, and the vote before the next safe spot...

But there was one thing that still bothered me.

"It can read the soul through associations, but can it recreate the soul's shape?" I wondered.

"What do you mean?" she asked, lightly confused.

"It's mental landscape changes, right? And it can mimic the carrier's magic. But can it recreate the shape of their soul within itself?" The woman thought for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"Not at this level."

"Can we be sure about its power?" I asked skeptically.

"No, but if it were at a level of reorganizing its soul, then we wouldn't stand a chance against it." I chuckled at this. But what it confirmed to me was one very important thing. It and I shared a similar problem with pretending. I made my decision. We would kill the skinwalker before we arrived in the western part of the city.