"Isabella....!!"
"Isabella....!?"
"Where in purgatory is that useless woman?"
"Have any of you seen Isabella?"
"N..No, your highest."
"I gave her one job...."
"Ugh.... When I find her, she's going to wish she never disobeyed me."
"Your soaking wet. Come, follow me, I'll see if I can find some dry clothes for both of you." Mira turning and signaling for Isabella and the little girl to follow her.
"Thank you." With the girl still in her arms she follows her."
"Et quid scis nomen eius? (How do you know her name?)
In adversitatibus nostris adiutorium, quod est hic? (Why in purgatory is she here?)
Quid tu hic Nicolaus permittens: ea enim quae operatur? (Why are you allowing this Nicholas, she works for them?)"
"Exaudi me!! (Answer me!!)"
Seeing the confusion on my twin sister's face, I take her by the shoulders and look her in the eyes. "Isn't our job to help people who are in need no matter who they are?"
Staring right back at me. "Quid sic? (Yes?)"
"So how is this any different?"
"Nico, sed... (but.....Nico)"
"No buts."
Pulling away from me and leaning her weapon against the wall. "Bene: sed si quis ex I vtrum sensus posset in periculum, et mortuus est. (Okay, but if I sense any danger towards anyone from her, she's dead.)"
I nod my head and make my way to the living room.
After a few moments, the three ladies venture down the stairs.
The little girl in one of Luis' shirts, which swallows her small, immature body and Isabella in one of Mira's night dresses, partially see through, I can see her lily white panties, her large breast and erected nipples.
Realizing that I can see everything, she covers her breasts with her hands, and her face and ears going red in embarrassment.
Everyone takes their seats in the living room, with the little girl on Isabella's lap, except Rona, who stands behind my chair, arms folded.
"Okay, now that everyone is here, I'll start with a couple questions."
"Do you remember us?" Questioning the little girl first.
She nods her head.
"Quid suus 'vestri nomen puella? (What's your name little girl?)"
"Rona you know she can't....." looking back before getting interrupted.
"Nora nomen meum. (My name is Nora.)" she says looking straight at us.
My head snapping back by the suddenty of her words.
Everyone except Isabella is shocked.
Moving from behind me. "Potestis intelligere me? (You can understand me?)"
"Sic. (Yes.)"
Realizing 'Nora' means light in the language only we can understand. "Who. Who are you?"
"You may know me by Tricia, my beautiful children. I am the goddess who created this world."
"Impossible." Mira says with disbelief written over her face.
I drop to my knees and bow my head in reverence. "Forgive us, our goddess for we have sinned."
Rona does the same next to me but doesn't say anything.
Mira still in disbelief, doesn't move. "I don't believe this nonsense, how could you be our goddess?"
"How dare you, your skepticism will not be forgiven." Isabella spits at Mira.
Getting up from Isabella's lap.
"No child, seeing is believing." Waving her hand and walking over to the center of the room.
"Forgive me goddess." Also bowing her head.
Nora raises her head, closes her eyes and reaches for the ceiling.
After a few moments, her bare feet no longer touching the floor, her body begins to glow, her hair flowing as if in water and goes from a dull white to a bright gold, her pale skin now the brightest thing in the room and her eyes now open, has no pupil or iris, just white.
"Do you believe now, child?" In a different, muffled voice.
With fear in her heart, Mira jumps from her seat to her knees and begs for forgiveness. "Yes. yes, my goddess. Forgive..... forgive me."
"All is forgiven my children. I know your hearts."
The light dissipates and Nora returns to the floor, with her appearance going back as it once was, she stumbles as if feeling faint but catches herself before falling.
"Raise and be seated."
Hearing her voice, we all get up and and return to our seats, with Rona sitting next to me.
"You all may have several questions as to why I'm here, why I'm in this childish form, what happened to me and many more."
"Yes, my lady." I say, looking down, not making eye contact.
"In the beginning of time, I made the heavens and the earth, the fish in the seas, the birds in the sky and the beast of the land. I made life as you know it today, all creatures, all my beautiful children but, I wanted more. I wanted to live amongst you, watch you grow and become as great as you are, so I disowned my immortality and began reincarnating my soul into another, every hundred years."
"Etiam nobis cognoscere meum deam. (Yes, we know my goddess.)"
"Levi autem mea fábulam. (You have read my story.)" focusing on Rona.
"Yes." I answer, pointing to the table in the dinning room with the images on it.
"I reincarnated into a poor family to the Far East of forest Ghura. My father was a very ill human artist, who passed away two years after I was born. My now passed mother, by whom you have met was very kind, very strong woman who always cared for others before herself."
Curious Mira asks. "My lady, why didn't you protect or save your parents?"
"With human blood and at this youth, I'm unable to use or manipulate magic as you do. I can neither protect nor defend others or myself."
"Why are you so silent Isabella?" I question.
"After your uncle was assassinated and I was sent to follow you, the high priest arranged for the capture of Nora and her mother.
I don't know how he knew about Nora but he found out."
"So you knew who kill our uncle and didn't tell us?" I ask with anger in my voice.
"I wasn't on your side at that time." Looking down at her feet.
I look across at my enraged sister and place my hand on hers in attempt to calm her down.
"My primary job is to bring prays to our goddess as a nun of the high temple but my private secondary job was to spy and gather important information on every and anyone he needs me too.
"So how are you here now?" Mira questions Isabella.
"After my last run in with miss anger issues over here, I knew the next time we cross paths I wouldn't survive. I was against spying on them any further after what happened, so I lock myself in the basement where he wouldn't find me. When I was down there I over heard two men conversing about this woman and child they kidnapped and what they did and was going to do to them. "
I look across at Nora, who had turned to look out the window.
"Qui hormines? (Who were the men?)"
Before I was able to translate my sister's words. "Extremos orcos scriptos essent. (They were ogres.)" Nora answers.
"Ogres?" I question.
"Ogres, why ogres?" Mira repeating after me.
"They aren't that smart and can be easily blamed for anything and if the priest was wrong about Nora being our goddess....." Isabella trails off.
"They would've eaten her." I say while clasping my hands and shaking my head in disbelief.
"Eaten?" Mira ask more to herself than anyone else.
"Yes, ogres have an unusual taste for human children." Nora says, still peering through the window, watching the rain.
"After hearing the conversation, I followed them to the room they were holding Nora and I broke her out." Breaking the brief moment of silence.
"The only other place I knew we would be safe was here, we can't trust anyone."
"Quid ergo hic perpetuo dissimulare potes. (So what now, you can't hide here forever.)"
Turning from the window. "We're only staying here for one night."
"One night? But my goddess....." Isabella standing in confusion.
"We have bigger problems. The priest has been taking numerous children, looking for me."
"But why?" I ask.
"He wants to become a god."
"But that's impossible, isn't it?" Mira asking Nora.
"Not entirely, by sacrificing my human body and preforming a forbidden ritual, he can reincarnate my angelic soul into him, making him immortal. If he's successful."
"And if he's not?"
"He'll die."
"Idque facere..... (but that would make him....)"
"Yes, he would have the power to destroy this world and create anew."
Mira questioning again. "So what can we do. Go on the run?"
"No, he'll never give up. He'll follow us to the ends of the world for power like this." I say looking at Rona.
"Ut youll 'have ut interficias eum coram se propter homicidium nobis. (We'll have to kill him before he kills us.)" looking back at me with conviction in her eyes.
"Yes, his life or mine." Nora says
Sitting back down. "That's easier said than done. He's an extremely powerful mage, with or without the angelic blessings bestowed on high priests." Isabella says while crossing her legs.
"With two huntsman and two assassins, I don't think we'll have a problem." I say with confidence.
"Two assassins?"
"I may not look it, but I once was an assassin for the neighboring country before I became a maid for Luis."
"What happened?" Isabella asks.
"I had to kill someone close to me and I couldn't do it." Looking down at the floor.
"Oh."
Nora stretches her arms and yawns.
Seeing this I get up. "We can discuss this further tomorrow, let's get some sleep."
"Ok." Everyone else says in unison.
"The two of you can take the rooms down here while we can get the rooms up stairs." Mira signaling to me and Rona.
"Will you be sleeping with me, my goddess?" Isabella asks Nora.
"No child. I will sleep with Mira, you have business to take care of."
Isabella goes silent and looks away with everyone else confused.
"Let's go to bed children." Nora says taking Mira by the hand and pushing to go up the stairs.