The Saintess and the Villainess

Chapter 29

Eva reappeared in a secluded hallway and stumbled, bracing herself against a wall.

It took a lot of effort to appear that omniscient and that all powerful. Truthfully, she'd only been able to watch what occurred between Anne and Duke Marshal because she'd spent a lot of time preparing the belfry the night before. And then performing that many teleportations in one day, not to mention the other spells she'd cast to intimidate the Duke...

Eva felt something trickling from her nose. She instinctively wiped it and her hand came away covered in blood.

"Pushed ourselves a little too far today, have we?" The Bishop stepped forward out of the shadows and offered a handkerchief, a gentle smile on her face.

Eva snatched the handkerchief from her. "How did you find me?" she asked, wiping away the blood.

"I know the sorts of places you go when you don't want to be found," said the Bishop. "I know how you think. Because I'm the one who taught you to think in the first place."

Eva scoffed.

"Now, I want you to tell me, what in the Goddess's name you were trying to pull here," asked the Bishop, no longer smiling. "Did you do it on purpose?"

"Which part?" asked Eva.

"The hood falling down!" snapped the Bishop. "The 'revelation!' All of it! Did you share some of the forbidden knowledge you've gained over the years with the Saintess? The knowledge that I graciously allowed you to acquire after I caught you all those years ago reading books you should never have known existed? Is this your idea of retaliation? Payback for something as petty as a busy schedule? Are you trying to embarrass me?"

Eva smirked. "I never told Anne anything," she said. "She must have figured it out on her own. Perhaps all those centuries of church propaganda weren't all that effective after all?"

The Bishop glared and took a deep breath, clearly readying a tirade, but Eva didn't let her get further than "How dare you?" before taking a step forward and interrupting.

"As for whether I used my magic to pull down Anne's hood, revealing her species to the world?" Eva shrugged. "Who knows? What difference does it make? What exactly are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to tell her that you've been faking her miracles all these years," said the Bishop, refusing to back down.

"No, you won't," said Eva, taking another step forward. The Bishop was taller than her, but Eva grabbed the front of her robe and pulled her down so their faces were closer. When Eva spoke again it was a whisper, or perhaps more of a hiss. "If you tell her, she'll leave. And after what she just announced to the world? She'll take a good chunk of your believers with her. Same if you denounce her as a heretic and kick her out. Any step you take now will turn her from a Saintess into a prophet. And how do you think your little power struggle with the Emperor will go if you're suddenly embroiled in a new power struggle with a whole new sect?"

Eva let go of the Bishop, shoving her a little so she stumbled back a step. "Sure, if you tell her, you'll ruin everything I've been working so hard for all these years. It will essentially be the end of my life. But I'll be sure to return the favor."

The Bishop struggled to come up with a response. "Not everyone will believe her words," she said, finally.

"Enough will," said Eva. "Enough for it to be a thorn in your side for years to come."

"Well, I can't just tell everyone what she said was the truth!" said the Bishop. "The church can't endorse that! We'll lose even more believers that way. You can't undo centuries of hatred just like that!"