Secrets and Sins Part 2: Finding Mary

Chapter 29

~Beatrice~

It turned out the only person who knew how to read Russian in the entire convent was Yasmine, so here they were, the inner circle, sitting around the rectangular table trying not to put any more pressure on the nun than she was already feeling.

"Sorry, but do you guys mind not staring? It's really off putting." The nun mumbled without looking up, everyone in the briefing room quickly redirecting their gaze.

"Anything yet, Yas?" Camilla asked, echoing the burning question that Beatrice had been biting her tongue on for the last half an hour.

"Some of it is written in a cipher which is slowing me down a fair amount. But I think this refers to the headquarters." Yasmine circled a word she had written on the small pad she had been taking notes on.
"Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it's a code word, which doesn't really help. I'll keep working on it, though."

Beatrice tried to hold it together as crushing disappointment threatened to overwhelm her. She had desperately hoped that they would have an answer sooner rather than later.

Beatrice could feel Camilla's eyes on her, the nun knew her well enough that she could see the cracks starting to form.

"Hey, let's go visit Mary while Yasmine works on this, yeah?" Camilla offered, placing a hand on her forearm.

"Okay."

~Camilla~

Entering the infirmary room, Camilla heard a sharp intake of breath behind her. Their friend looked worse now with her wounds cleaned and dressed than she had been when she was covered in dried blood. Bruises practically covered every inch of skin that was not bandaged. It struck Camilla that seeing Mary like this might make Beatrice more worried about something similar being inflicted on Ava.

Okay maybe visiting Mary wasn't the best idea...

"Hey guys." Mary croaked, able to give them a pleased smile despite her damaged face.
"Book yield anything of interest yet?"

Beatrice ignored the question and instead took a seat beside the bed, placing a hand delicately on Mary's cheek, "It's good to see you Mary, I've missed you." The sister warrior murmured honestly.

Camilla could hear the unspoken, 'It's not your fault', meaning behind the words. Tears welled in the bed-ridden woman's eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

"It's good to be back." Mary replied with a shaky voice.

Silence followed the statement and an uncomfortable one at that, so Camilla decided to answer Mary's original question, "Yasmine is working on translating the logbook, but it's more difficult than we initially thought."

Mary looked confused, "Yasmine?"

"Oh! I just realized you weren't around for that. Actually, you weren't around for a lot of things..." She peered over at Beatrice who had a glazed look on her face, "...We should probably fill you in, right Bea?" Camilla nudged the sister warrior's foot, shaking her out of whatever she was imagining in her head.

"Hmm?" Beatrice hummed, glancing between them.
"What were you saying?"

"I was saying that we need to tell Mary everything that has happened since she's been gone."

"Oh. Yeah." Camilla rolled her eyes at the taller woman's lack of enthusiasm.

"Well, I'll start then." The nun settled into her spot on the edge of the bed, it was going to be a long, long story.

~Ava~

Ava pressed herself into the wall beside the door, her heart rate quickening. The sound of boots thudding down the corridor spiking her anxiety after what had happened to her yesterday. Or what she thought was yesterday, there was really no way to tell how much time had passed in the dark cell. Ava shifted a little, grimacing when her cotton shirt clung to her blood-sticky back.

The memory of the excruciating pain from the extractors digging around in her flesh and, not to mention, the downright terrifying experience of the group of men ogling at her almost naked body made her shudder. Both would definitely be future nightmare fuel.

"Anything?" A heavily accented voice caught her attention outside the cell.

"No sir, she's been quiet since you left."

"Thank you, Brother."

Ava tensed listening to the key twisting in the lock, the door opened inwards slowly.

3, 2, 1...

As soon as Dominik stepped past the threshold of the door, Ava slammed it shut in his lackey's faces and launched herself at him, jumping onto his back like some sort of a deranged monkey. The Russian howled in pain as the Halo bearer used the only weapon she had left, her fingernails. She clawed at his face making absolutely no noise other than the ragged gasps of breath she drew in between clenched teeth. Ava wanted to hurt him or, better yet, blind him. The Halo bearer allowed her rage to feed the dark hate she felt for the man.

After a moment of floundering, Dominik regained enough wits to stagger backwards slamming her into the wall by the door. Stars burst in Ava's vision as her head cracked against the concrete, pain exploding across her mangled scar. Feeling woozy from the head knock, Ava's grip on the Russian loosened and he twisted, throwing her to the ground, the air leaving her lungs in a rush.
The door was thrown open, several henchmen rushing to their leader's aid.

"Leave it, I'm fine...I said I'm fine!" Dominik shouted, shoving away the man trying to tend to his bleeding face.

Ava was lifted off the floor by two of the guards, Dominik stormed towards her delivering a vicious backhand. The Halo bearer's head snapped to the side; she immediately tasted the iron tang of blood as it filled her mouth.

He grabbed her face roughly, "I hope you're happy with yourself."

Still a little dazed from the skirmish, Ava smiled a bloody smile, "Aww don't worry Hun, I hear the girls think scars are hot..." Another blow interrupted her snide remark, very nearly knocking her unconscious.

"I'd shut up if I was you." The Russian growled, straightening up.
"Bring her." He barked at the men holding her up and proceeded to lead the way from the cell.

~

Ava was half blinded as she was dragged from the gloom of one of the many identical corridors of the Brotherhood's facility into a bright, clinically lit room. She blinked, the light making her eyes ache as her vision adjusted. Ava realized quickly that she was back in the room that held Reya's glass bell and the strange white hub that gave her the creeps.

The henchmen dragged her over to one of the walls, far too close to the unnerving contraception for the Halo bearer's liking, shackling her wrists behind her back to a pipe.

Dominik crouched in front of her, his face still bleeding from Ava's assault, "See that over there..." He pointed at the disturbing machine, "That is another way to skin a cat..."

The Russian smirked at her before standing and following his men out of the room, leaving Ava alone with her least favorite entity in the world, although Dominik was definitely becoming a close second.

"Looking a little worse for wear, aren't you?" Ava glanced tiredly over at Reya to see the deity watching her with a somewhat satisfied but also curious expression.
"I suppose they have already tried the extractors but had no luck."

Fury like she had never known swept through her, Ava stood as best she could with her hands still bound behind her, "Fuck you, Reya."

I'm so sick of this Bitch.

"Working with a human cult now? Oh, how the mighty have fallen." The Halo bearer sneered, if they were right about the deity being the information leak than Reya was the reason the Brotherhood knew so much about removing the Halo, the reason why they had found them in the Alps, the reason Bea got shot.

She looked absolutely offended by Ava's insinuation, "If you think I'd ever work with them, then you have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Oh, and who am I dealing with?" Ava was finding it hard to focus on her enemy, she wasn't sure if it was her probable concussion or the blurry, pixelated movements of the trapped creature that was causing it.

"The Brotherhood has reach that you and your precious OCS cannot even imagine. They have men stationed in positions of power all over the world." Reya pressed her hands against the glass, her voice utterly serious.
"They definitely cannot be allowed to have control of the Halo."

Ava gaped, she really couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Well maybe you should have thought of that before you fucking gave them information about where I was and how to take it out of me!"

"I didn't tell them anything!" Reya snapped, again insulted.

Shaking her head, the Halo bearer refused to entertain this insanity anymore, "I don't believe you."

The deity huffed, crossing her arms, "Whatever. Where are your friends? Shouldn't they have rescued you by now?"

"They don't know where I am. Makes it a bit hard to mount a rescue mission." Ava muttered a little miserably.

"Can't you tell them? I heard the guards whispering about astral projection...Been a long time since a Bearer has been able to do that." Reya trailed off, almost seeming awed by the Halo bearer's skill.

"Ahhh, can you not see my new accessory?" She gestured at the blue metal collar resting on her neck.
"I'm not exactly wearing this to be fashionable, you know."

The deity scoffed, adopting a condescending tone, "Astral projection leaves your physical body behind; your physical body is the only thing currently being restrained."

Hmmm, I suppose she has a point.

"But I can't access the Halo's power?"

Reya rolled her eyes, "Again physical body, not astral."

"Fine, I'll try it." Ava grumbled.
"Do you know where we are?"

"Somewhere near the Baltic Sea."

"Helpful."