Penny went to the dining room as she had been told, and sorted out the rack of old and useless mission records, which had been shuffled as if on purpose, because such a mess in the papers of the otherwise pedantic High Inquisitor could not have arisen for nothing. Penny was drawn to the training ground like a magnet, and eventually she gave up.
When she left the tent, it was already evening - soon the detachment was supposed to move. Naïve people who had never encountered the work of the Inquisition might have thought that it was better to hunt evil spirits in the morning, but this was not true: the evil spirits did not care at what time of day they clung to a person's throat, and in the morning they could also be full and full of energy after a night hunt, if it was successful.
The training ground occupied most of the camp. There was an obstacle course, targets, several rings, a variety of weapons and everything you need for camouflage. Pennies were not allowed to go to the landfill. After all, she was just a fallen angel, an evil spirit, a bait, and not a real inquisitor or commissar. There was no point in teaching Penny to fight.
She stood at the railing and pulled the hood of her jacket lower. She looked around and finally found Ethan. He was practicing with a machete, a tomahawk, a knife and even a rapier were visible on the rack of the ring nearby. Penny had once wondered why the Inquisitors trained so much with melee weapons when they had pistols, shotguns, double-barreled shotguns, and flamethrowers, but then, on the third mission, she realized that the main advantage of melee weapons was that they never ran out of charge. It is effective against all lower types of evil spirits, such as vampires and rugaru, and any hunter can slow them down with a blade blow, even if they do not have the strength to blow off his head.
Ethan's torso was glistening with sweat, and his movements were so fast that Penny could barely keep track of them, but she could still notice that they were broken, short, and sharp, as if Ethan were trying to hit a very small target or avoid hitting someone who was standing next to an imaginary opponent.
Penny stepped closer and mingled with the small crowd that had gathered around the ring. Next to her, she noticed a man in a scarlet cassock and shuddered. Bishop. He had arrived at this camp about a week ago and had been closely watching everything that was happening, even the work of the High Inquisitor. The bishop reported what was happening in the camp to the Pope himself. I wonder if he knows that the High Inquisitor has sheltered a fallen angel? If he knows, he is definitely not delighted.
"I think that's enough," the Bishop's raspy voice rang out, and Ethan, having finished the last few passes, stopped. Slowly returned the weapon to the rack, wiped his face from sweat with a towel and jumped out of the ring.
"Disperse," he said.
Penny slipped into the shadows, continuing to admire Ethan's slender figure, who towered over the hunched Bishop by almost a head and a half.
"So, you decided to postpone the operation?" The Bishop pursed his lips disgustedly.
"Decided," Ethan nodded, dabbing his neck with a towel. "You should have been informed of this in the afternoon.
"I've been informed," the Bishop's voice sounded nasal. "May I know what your decision is connected with?"
— New data. The point where the alpha settled. This is not a vampire nest. This is a den of demons. You can't go there just like that, we needed time to retrain. We're going tomorrow afternoon.
Penny's heart skipped a beat, but the Bishop remained unfazed.
"Can I trust you with the command of this operation?"
"What do you mean?"
"I've heard rumors that you've missed out on the alpha. Saving this foundling of yours, your angel. Isn't there too much honor? I've been saying for a long time that these bastards, these renegades have no place...
"Do your job, Bishop," Ethan turned his back on him. "And don't get into mine.
"You're forgetting!" It is in my power to deprive you of your rank, do not think that you are all-powerful.
Ethan froze, and then turned over his shoulder and slowly advanced towards the Bishop.
"Strip him of his rank, that's how. And who will you put in my place? Themselves? Do you want to jump through the swamps after the evil spirits? Burn them, chop off their heads, drown them and bury them alive in the ground? No? So what do you want from me, Bishop?
"Your behavior...
"What is my behavior?" Ethan lowered his voice menacingly. "You are checking the effectiveness of the work of the inquisitors who are based in this camp. So check. If you want to take my place, you are welcome.
"Your methods are unacceptable!" The Bishop barked. "You're dragging evil spirits everywhere with you, you've warmed them up like—"
"Angel is an important part of my strategy. You're not going to discuss the choice of rifle I'm going to shoot the faeries in the head with, are you?" So don't meddle now.
Ethan wanted to leave, but the Bishop held him by the shoulder.
"I've heard rumors too," said the Bishop. "That on the last mission of the alpha of the vampire nest tasted your blood. Is this true? I can't entrust the command of a squad to a man whose blood has probably already fallen into the hands of demons. It's like sending you and your people to certain death.
Ethan was silent for a moment.
"I would swear that not a drop of my blood got to the vampire. And now, if you will allow me, I will go prepare for the mission.