Secrets and Sins Part 2: Finding Mary

Chapter 24

~Halo~

They should be here by now. Something must be wrong.

“Relax Ava, I’m sure it’s fine.”

The Bearer had been pacing the length of the briefing room for the last half an hour. Mother Superior, Father Vincent and Sister Camilla were all seated around the rectangular table. Halo noticed that all three would only shoot the odd glance Ava’s way and otherwise were carefully ignoring her. Not really a huge surprise after the Bearer’s loss of control earlier today.

Halo reflected on how wild and turbulent the young woman’s mind had been when they had reconnected. Ava’s rage had woken them from the deep hibernation caused by being drained so completely after healing Beatrice. Halo had witnessed the tangled ball of dark thoughts storming through the Bearer’s head, all driven by the loss of the sister warrior, the one person who could temper Ava’s impulsiveness. It was extremely concerning, especially the thought that Ava had clung to as they approached Lilith, 'Her fault…end her'. Halo knew that they probably needed to talk about the path the Bearer had decided to take in the heat of the moment, but now, while she was still stressing about the sister warrior, it was not the right time. The sooner Ava was reunited with Beatrice the better.

“Ava, will you please sit down?” Mother Superior requested, the Bearer completely ignored her continuing to wear a path on the tiled floor.

Ava had heard her, Halo could feel it, but for some reason the older nun’s voice grated on the Bearer causing a swell of irritation. They could remember Ava saying something about Mother Superior conspiring with Beatrice and Lilith during the fight with the winged woman this morning. Halo definitely required Ava to catch them up on what had been happening during their absence.

“Ava!” The leader of the OCS snapped sharply; the younger woman stopped dead.

“Hey…take a breath and sit down. It's not worth getting into it right now and you know it.”

Halo tried to reason with the Bearer, observing the stream of conscious thought begin to turn tumultuous once again. Lilith needed to hurry up with Beatrice, Ava’s patience was virtually non-existent, her emotions raw.

Thankfully, after a tense moment of indecision, she sunk into a chair, though it was the furthest one she could claim from Mother Superior.

Fine.

Just as she finally sat, the crack of purple power announcing Lilith’s arrival sent the Bearer springing back to her feet. Halo immediately sensed Ava's disappointment and fear as she realized Beatrice was not with the winged woman.

~Lilith~

“I can’t…I can’t go again.” Beatrice panted, doubling over in agony.

“What? Really? It’s only one more to get back.” Lilith couldn’t stop the annoyance leaking into her tone.

If I return without her, Ava might actually kill me this time.

“I’m sorry, Lilith. But another one…I won’t survive it.” Beatrice looked up at her desperately and the former sister warrior grimaced.

The other woman obviously wasn't doing well; her skin was grey and sweat beaded across her forehead. As much as Ava was going to be pissed if Lilith didn’t come back with her girlfriend, she would be next level furious if the winged woman hurt the sister warrior further by pushing her to continue.

“Okay, okay, let me think.” Lilith agreed, mind racing for a solution as she glanced around them.

They were currently in Valencia, standing on the boardwalk of the Alicante waterfront. The former sister warrior had only visited this city a handful of times, the last of which was when she was on mission with Shannon and Mary to retrieve a load of stolen divinium from a group of wraith-possessed Spaniards. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. Back then there was a small branch of the OCS hidden under the Church of San Nicolas, that would be their best bet. They most likely had a surgeon that could stabilize her friend and they would be well equipped to keep her safe while Lilith teleported ahead.

“Right…” She announced adjusting her grip on the sister warrior’s waist, trying her best not to put pressure on the bullet wound that she knew lay just beneath the oversized hoodie the bartender had given Beatrice to travel in.
“There’s an OCS chapter not too far from here…hopefully. I’ll take you there and then let the others back at the Cradle know.”

Beatrice just nodded, teeth clenched as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Lilith had to commend her on her stoic attitude, though her old friend had always been a tough cookie when it came to pain.