The trip back was much more subdued. The missing in their ranks were obvious. Though their number had increased as several witch prisoners had been secured. Imita, Leiden, and Vilihe fallen. She wasn’t surprised Viline had fallen, though as soon as the thought formed she felt ashamed. But the slight marvelous spatuletail had been fragile in a way that had often made hunting a risk. She should never have risked an ht frontation. The harpies had been too caught up in their own prowess, and their hubris had cost them dearly.
Objo’s thoughts frequently dwelled on Zsa Zsa’s st words to her. Why had she been spared where Imita and Vaara had borhe god’s wrath? What gift was it that she had given? Was it the deaths of the other harpies? Had she been cursed to bear Zsa Zsa’s power by the sacrifice of her sisters? She shuddered, horrified that she might have somehow beed from the death of her loved ohat she might even now be carrying some intangible blessing. Or was she referring to the visioowed, the images that lingered of the holocaust Zsa Zsa cimed Nemia had wrought. They were true, she resolved, they lined up with what little she already knew of the holy sing purge that had swept through Nemia’s nds, before Objo’s version. But that didn’t meachgod hadn’t twisted events somehow. She g to that thought, that she was just misuanding. That Nemia had good reason, that the witches they brought her were for judgement, and not some nefarious, other reason.
She gnced over at their witch captives. They were a woeful looking bunch, clumped tightly together, their finery from the ritual now bedraggled. There were three of them, and Objo mourhat the flock's numbers were thirteen still, three killed, three retrieved. She only wished it had been her sisters returning with them instead, she would have rather they returned home empty hahan have these three cursed witches with them in pce of her sisters.
One of them looked up, a girl, really, dressed more simply thahers, who wore heavy gold adors. Her dress was simpler too, still reds and purples, as witches teo wear, but the pattern was a more demure cut, with a subtle flower pattern in the weave. Despite having spied on many witches, she had never paid that much attention to them as individuals, her focus mainly on finding the och tral to the ritual in order to capture them i of kin killing. And then was the traveling, ign their sobs or pleas or sometimes even manic ughter as she carted them to judgement. But now, traveling on foot with the flock, as ated by the wounded among them, she had time to really observe them.
They looked different, without the cloak of night and firelight, her usual hunting ditions. The older two wore their hair in plex braids, but the younger one wore hers loose, like Objo’s usual victims, the witches she snatched just after Zsa Zsa had left their bodies, the blood of their victims dreng them. Was she a kin killer then? But there was no blood on her, not even a drop. And she had no jewelry except for a single circlet on her head, a gold band with a pale purple gem in its ter.
Ooi approached the trio, skewers of cooked meat in her hands. Daich scoffed at her kindness, turning her head angrily from where she stood guard, her red crested head ruffled from lost sleep monit their captives. She and Ooi had offered to watch the witches, though they had separated out the tasks with Daich responsible for keeping watch to prevent their escape and Ooi taking over their basieeds. The older tted the meat, but the younger oly demurred. ‘Eat it, the witchmother will uand,’ the taller one said, but the girl shook her head. ‘The goddess abandoned us, why g to her,’ the other one said, her toter as she tore into her own skewer. The tall one, eyes still on the girl, responded curtly, ‘if this is the path the witchmother has chosen for us I will tread it even to death. Perhaps I will haunt my corpse,’ the st sentence was said more lightly, a teasing to to lighten the harsh words. The other woman snorted, ‘if the birds even leave you a corpse. Or a soul. The dead never returher as zombies nor as lurking ghosts.’ The tall one looked at her sharply, but made no more replies.
‘You will be judged,’ Daiterjected, the first time she had spoken to the witches directly, ‘and when you are found guilty you will be immoted by righteous fme. You are lucky, oddess will purge you of your impurities,’ she gave the witches a nasty smile, her eyes trailing from witch to witch.
