The Hunter

Sign on the Dotted Line

Finn collapsed with a gasp and Alice lifted her up over her shoulder like she was little more than duffle bag. She beckoned Gloria to follow her as she walked up the stairs and called, "Athena!"

The woman that had appeared and bandaged Finn the first time appeared in the room in time to watch Alice throw Finn onto the bed.

"What-" Athena started, staring at the blood seeping from Finn's side.

"She got uppity, I set her down." Alice responded as she turned her attention back to Gloria.

"I just-"

"She'll be fine, just reset that bone would you?"

"I don't think-"

"Semantics Athena." Alice turned to look at Athena. "And I'm not arguing with you now. We both have bigger issues to deal with. If yours isn't big enough-" Alice waved her hand in Finn's general direction as she turned around. "I can make it bigger."

"Stick your head in a microwave." Athena growled before she turned her attention to the unconscious Finn. Gloria found herself turned and physically guided back down the stairs and into the kitchen. She sat down.

"Explain." Alice ordered, hands on her hips and looking imperiously down at Gloria. Gloria bawled and gave the strange woman her life story. She told her things she hadn't told Finn or the preacher, things she would doubt the Angels were aware of unless they told her otherwise, and things she had changed her mind about so many times over she couldn't remember the original thought provoking instant. When she was done, she realized at some point she had started staring at the wall to the point where she hadn't noticed anything else. Across the table from her Alice sat with a half-empty jug of water in front of her, obviously she had been filling the glass of water in front of Finn. Athena leaned against the counter, arms crossed over her chest, and glared at a point somewhere between her head and the floor under the kitchen table.

"Ok, I won't argue the semantics of putting Finn under like that. I didn't realize how far out of control she'd gotten." Athena said, her attention still on that undefined point in front of her.

"Oh good. I was worried about that." Alice said, rolling her eyes, before turning to face Gloria. "You need to sign the Chronicler's Contract."

Gloria sniffled and opened her mouth to argue when Athena moved suddenly. "Wait, before you debate that let me go grab it." She left the room and returned a moment later with a book. She set the book in front of Gloria and flipped it to the back. At the top of the page the book read 'Exit Clauses', and although the first item on the list was 'Death', the list was by no means short.

"Yes, most Contracts in our world are Life Long, but they always include ways to break the contract without penalty." Athena stated as Gloria slowly started to read the list.

"That's debatable." Alice muttered.

"Everything's debatable." Athena answered Alice before turning back to Gloria. "The one thing you will get by signing this contract that you need - " Athena rested her hand on Gloria's shoulder, making sure Gloria was paying attention. "Need. Is knowledge. That is literally what the Chronicler is for, to keep knowledge alive. You read the books so their' stories aren't forgotten, but all the details that aren't in the books - that knowledge just becomes yours."

Gloria frowned, not quite understanding. "Because I read it."

"No. Because sometimes you need to know the local colloquialisms and political history to understand why someone cracked a joke and is now being drawn and quartered." Athena said and Gloria's eyes grew wide.

"You can't think of something a little less gruesome?" Alice said and Athena glared at her. "Maybe something else like the handbook for the house? I've read it and it certainly explains the how-to's and do's and don'ts of living in a magical house, but the only reason I know not to go into the crawl space without permission of the owner was because I was there when that spell went wrong. No one else alive today would know." Alice turned her eyes to Gloria. "Sign the contract and the knowledge of why not and the consequences become something you just know." She shrugged. "It'll take you time to learn when you know something you shouldn't know and how to think about it, but you will learn and in the mean time a lot of things should start making sense."

Gloria turned her eyes to the book and started reading it from the beginning. Athena glanced at Alice and tilted her head to ask for a side conversation.

"If she won't sign it she still needs training."

Alice nodded, but held up her hand. "Or a seal. I doubt she realizes that's an actual option. An Ancestral Seal is probably how no one in her family has magic or knows about it."

Athena frowned, but nodded in acknowledgment. "I can't leave right now. You broke a piece of rib into Finn's lung. I need to stay and make sure there's no other complications. You know who we need to get."

"I do. You'd be better suited to talking to him." Alice spoke quietly.

"True, but it is what it is." Athena grew thoughtful. The women turned back into the kitchen where Gloria was digging through drawers, she turned to face Alice and Athena with a new found pen in her hand.

"Athena, you are one of the patron deities of this Chronicler thing right?" She asked.

"Uh, well sort of. I more do wisdom than raw knowledge so I help-"

Alice interrupted. "She will debate specifics with you until you die of old age. The answer is no, she is not. But she can and will help either the Chronicler or the Hunter if they need her specific help." Alice spread her hands in defeated acceptance as Athena opened her mouth to argue. "Or if you're Finn."

"I have a point of clarification about this. Can I ask you?" Gloria pointed to the book and looked at Athena.

"You can." Athena smiled, glad to have a simple question.

"My understanding is that should I choose to break the Contract in the future any knowledge that I have made mine somehow stays mine, but the rest is lost to me? Unless I form it myself?" Gloria asked.

"That's two questions." Athena spoke and then grunted at an elbow jab from Alice. "Sorry. I need you to clarify something. How do you mean make it yours?"

"Available knowledge becomes my knowledge when I form some sort of attachment to it. In my thought processes." Gloria saw Athena's nodding and signed the contract.