"Me?" I cocked an eyebrow.
"Yes, you." Gennady stood up, and began pacing back and forth the room. "What are you going to do now? Your mother was one of the most wanted people in the entire world. She was regarded as a danger to any single Saint. If a group of Inquisitors were to have somehow run into her, their orders were to avoid engaging and to simply report on her location. The Mercenaries Guild had a bounty starting at a hundred gold just on getting any verifiable information on her. A thousand gold for her location. And 10,000 gold for her head.
"And that was just the Mercenaries Guild. In Vitae alone, the various countries would have equaled at least that much. And the Holy Xan Empire itself had a hundred thousand gold bounty for the person who would kill the Fiend."
I felt a breath get caught in my throat. A hundred thousand gold? For my mom? "B-but why?" I managed to ask the question.
"For her crimes," Gennady said softly, and cut me off before I could protest. "I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to hear this, but your mother committed many terrible deeds. Perhaps not always personally, but she was one of the core leaders of the Shadow’s Evangelium. They once destroyed an entire city— Xantioch— razing it to the ground and slaughtering all of its inhabitants. From what I’ve heard, there were no survivors."
I wanted to deny it; I wanted to tell the Dwarf that he was wrong. Yet I remembered how my mom avoided talking of her past— how she spoke little of the Shadow’s Evangelium, and pushed me against learning magic. It… made sense.
Even if my mom did not directly participate in such acts, she must have been responsible somehow. Why else would she hide it from me? Why else would she have gone into hiding? I stayed quiet, and Gennady noticed this.
He cleared his throat. "I’m sure your mother was not like this when you knew her, Aria. And there are some other things which made the bounty on her head jump even higher than it should be— inconsequential things like violating Holy Law and trespassing on Holy Lands— but it is true the Shadow’s Evangelium committed grave sins. I don’t know how exaggerated they are since most of it happened when I was still a young lad, however there is some truth to it. And from that truth, you should know you are in danger. The Church will come for you, it is only a matter of time."
My brows arched darkly over my eyes. I felt a sense of dread, trepidation of what was to come. It was a warning, but it almost felt like a prophecy. I knew the Holy Xan Empire would eventually come after me— they would not be satisfied with just killing my mom once they found out I could do magic. Even a Saint— one of their righteous heroes of justice— watched idly by as his friend struck out to kill me for casting a single spell.
Gennady continued.
"I know you say you’re not with the Dark Crusaders, and maybe it’s for the same reason why your mother went into hiding instead of joining the group, but I have to recommend that practicality should hold priority over any moral obligation you feel you might have in this situation. If you want, I know a few members I could introduce you to."
"Not happening," I said, sighing. I looked up at the ceiling as Gennady tilted his head to the side.
"Why not—"
"I already tried joining them, Gennady. It didn’t work out." I clenched my fists into a ball for a moment, then loosed my grip. "It never works out," I whispered, feeling a sense of depression I had not felt since my time as a slave.
I was not sure if Gennady heard the second part of what I said, but he quieted for a while; neither of us spoke, as the clock on the wall ticked a minute away.
"Aria," the Dwarf said, finally breaking the silence. "I only just met you, but I can tell, you’re a good lass. Maybe a bit paranoid, however I know it must be for good reason. I don’t believe I can, in good faith, allow you to just die. So I have a suggestion."
"A suggestion?"
"I told you I’m from the Taw Kingdom, right? Well I’m actually not just an ordinary Dwarf from there, although I probably implied as much. I am an inventor, and I used to be their head Scientist. Until I got replaced by that damned fool from the Holy Xan Empire."
I jerked, head snapping to look at him. "You are— uh, I mean, you were?"
"Yes I was. Is that so surprising?" Gennady asked, folding his arms.
"No! I mean, you said you’re good at Tinkering and I believed you. It’s just that…" I trailed off.
"Just what?" The Dwarf’s eyes bore into me, compelling me to explain myself.
"I thought you might’ve been some kind of exiled Dwarf, you know? Like kicked out from your country because of some disagreement with the King?"
"Hah," he snorted. "Good one! But the King begged me not to go. Adilet gave me another position— he said it would pay well. I left anyway. I did not want to deal with that Human."
"Bertrand?" I asked, remembering him mention that name before.
Gennady shook his head. "It does not matter. What matters now is that my Kingdom would take you in. We may be… allied with the Holy Xan Empire. And we are plagued by the Dark Crusaders constantly whisking away
