Chapter 965 The Matron
The present location where the Goddess's Sanctum sect was lodging was quite a quaint place.
The first thing that anyone would notice was the giant statue of the Goddess which had so ardently tried to murder the king and his confederates during their excursion to the sect. Its shadow fell upon all, as if to show its pride and power, which were both the reasons behind the existence of the sect to this day.
There was only one place that was not touched by the shadow of the giant Goddess, and that was a spot right behind the statue.
It was a large villa which always had only one occupant - the head of the Goddess's sanctum.
The ancient founder of the sect had been of the opinion that even if her prestige was maintained by her descendants, the respect that should be afforded to the current leader was not something to be infringed upon even by herself.
It was in this villa that a woman had just alighted after her trip outside. The pink, shimmering cloak that she wore upon her shoulders was still dusty despite the enchantment that was supposed to keep it clean, and she also looked tired. Rather than an exertion of the physical sense, this seemed to be more of a result of something attributed to the realm of emotions, and this was mainly indicated by the complicated look that she shot at one corner of the building.
Just like she always did, she had first looked over all of the other sect members before arriving in her room after her trip. It was a place to which only she had access, so she had grown accustomed to not check whether she was alone, but this time, something made her turn back in that same direction after she began to walk to her bedroom.
One of the things taught in all the sects of the Big Four was that instincts of those walking the Path to Power should never be ignored. This was all the more true for those who had made great strides in their life, and as a Champion, the head of the Goddess's Sanctum, or the Matron, as she was affectionately called, had long learned that she should never ignore those ephemeral twinges of insight.
Hesitantly, she walked to the spot which she could remember perfectly no matter where she was. It was, in fact, a bedroom whose door she slowly opened, and if one were in the room, they would have noticed that her hand shook ever so slightly as she touched the door to activate the enchantment to open it.
Even after it swung ajar, she closed her eyes, and it was only with a deep breath that she opened them to look upon what lay within.
Surprisingly, there was nothing sinister or dark inside the room: it simply looked like that of a young girl, complete with a small bed and a few drawings that hung on one wall.
The drawings were of three individuals doing various things. There was a progression to be seen here in the detail of each painting, and through it, one could tell that it must be the handiwork of someone who had gradually grown up while staying here.
In some paintings, the three individuals had their hands up while controlling some unseen object, and in others, they were doing more innocent things, like strolling on a beach as was evident by the broad strokes of blue which showed a water body, or cooking some wondrous dish whose details were not present as they surpassed the skill of the artist.
The matron stood in a peculiar pose. She wanted to move forward, but it was almost as if her legs were stuck in a mire, and when she finally did take that step forward, she stumbled and almost turned back.
However, finding some iota of courage deep within himself, she took step after step until she was finally in front of the paintings.
If anyone saw the respected Matron of the Goddess's Sanctum who had been so protecting of the ways and the pride of the sect that she had been prepared to even attack the strongest single force on the continent at this moment, they would be shocked as they could never have thought that she could be so vulnerable.
Her shaking hand raised to trace each brushstroke that made the painting, and her eyes shone with all sorts of emotions. There was love, sorrow, pain, and at one moment, even anger, and as she moved from painting to painting, she started to linger more and more, until she stood still for quite a long time at the last one.
Her eyes seemed to be playing back the memory that was accompanied by what she was seeing, and as she stood lost, it was obvious that she was now firmly disconnected from the world.
Suddenly, the sound of swishing blankets could be heard, and a moment later, a bundle of objects was thrown in the direction of the Matron.
Each struck a Hero's blow on the barriers that automatically activated to defend her, and even before they were done, a lithe figure darted forward with an exquisite dagger in her hands.
Even before the Matron could move, the dagger was at her throat, and seeing that her plan had succeeded, delight shone for a moment on Xuan's face.
However, it turned into a frown when she heard the Matron speak.
"I felt you the moment I entered the house. There are only two people in the world to whom I owe my life, and you are one of them. If you believe that you must, then go on - I will not stop you. I only ask that you let go of your wrath after killing my moth- the woman you used to call your grandmother. The rest of the sect had nothing to do with the injustice that you had to suffer."
The frown that came on Xuan's face was, of course, matted with shock, and for a few seconds, she couldn't comprehend that the words that she had just heard had confirmed what had been just a suspicion all along.
Rage and fury suddenly came on her face, and in a high-pitched voice, she shrieked, "You knew! You were in on it! I was right!"
Her anger controlling her actions, she moved her hand to end the life of the one who had apparently also betrayed her, but an instant later, another woman appeared from below the bed and firmly hung on to her wrist.
It is Eloise, and as Xuan turned her anger onto the woman who was stopping her from taking her rightful revenge, Eloise spoke quickly.
"Stop, Xuan! Hear her out, first - I can sense that there is much more to the tale. In fact, it seems to me… that she was powerless. Did you see the way she closed her eyes, and let her tears fall? Her expression is surely of one who feels a lot of guilt, but it is also that of someone who is angry with themselves. If you wish, keep the dagger there - you know that you can finish the act before she tries anything."
Still firmly in the grip of everything she had felt before when she had remembered the memory regarding her grandmother, Xuan looked between the two women in front of her.
The temptation of plunging that knife deep into the throat of someone she had loved so much, but whom she hated with all her heart at the moment was strong, but at the same time, both the coolness that she felt on her hand where Eloise was holding on, and the calmness that was almost contagious that she could see on the uncrowned Queen's face finally made her relent.
Making a sound filled with frustration, she moved the dagger away, but she still kept her eyes firmly on the Matron who was definitely more than a match for both of them.
The Matron was also quite talented in the path of refining one's body, and hence, even though the dagger had been pressed against her skin quite firmly, there was no wound to be seen.
However, a wound had definitely been inflicted, and this was visible on her face, which was much more blanched with pain and sadness that it had been before.
Both of the women did not have to look for a long time to find out the source behind this - there was a mirror right in front of them, and in it, the Matron could clearly see everything that had passed across Xuan's face when she had been ready to make that fatal decision.
Letting out a breath that she had been holding, Eloise said, "This is your chance. Speak. But if there is even a hint that there is any subterfuge, then that dagger will strike true, and you know that there is no way to stop it."
The Matron had to take a few moments to find her voice. This was such a stark contrast from what Eloise had seen with her own eyes when she had accompanied Daneel and the rest of the sovereigns on the trip here, so she was already suspicious of the woman.
Yet, just the first words out of her mouth were enough to allay this suspicion.
"I knew, all along, my dear child, but I could do nothing. I was hoping, no, praying that you might still somehow escape the clutches of that wretched Church which that woman joined, but it was all for naught- the moment that prophecy came to you, you were doomed. So, so many times, I thought of ending it all in one final bid to free you. However, I knew that it would be futile- I am too weak to contend with her, and even if I tried, there is a different way using which she can stop me in a moment—"
"You're shackled by her."
The Matron's voice broke down at that point, as if she had lost the strength that had kept her going until then.
In the silence, Eloise interjected in this way, and her assertion was met by a nod.
"At birth. She picked me up from a small village- in the same way that she found you. When I was still only a winter old, she used some forgotten spell to bind me to her. What she says, I must obey. I only came to know of its existence when I found out about her link with the Church- I was able to confront her, thinking it was all a misunderstanding, thinking that there was no way that my mother could betray the continent, but she turned on me then- she invoked the binding, and made me swear that I would not speak of it to someone who was not aware of it already. Your words, and your presence, confirmed to me that you found out, and so, I can speak of it. I have no proof, however, but my guilt kills me every day. If I did not care about the sect, I would have taken my life long ago. If that day is today, and if it is at your hands, then I welcome it. Xuan…all I wanted was for you to have a good life, but the moment you were born a woman, with the power of a seer, all hope was lost…"
With that, the Matron completely broke down into tears, and for the briefest moment, it looked like Xuan was tempted to believe her, and move to console the woman who had done the same for her many times.
However, one who had been betrayed would always find it hard, and even scary, to trust again. Besides, there was no proof, so a second later, Xuan looked at Eloise with firmness in her eyes.
"The best way to deal with this is to go to the source. She's in our power- let's tie her up. I can impersonate her and move the Goddess. Together, we, the sect, can kill that scourge upon Angaria, or die trying!"
They were obviously words spoken due to the heat of the blood coursing through her veins, but after thinking a bit more, Eloise turned to the Matron.
"Are you prepared to hand over your duties to Xuan, which will absolve you of oaths, and then swear to us that you will do whatever we say? And swear to the truth of your story, of course."
As if suddenly seeing a reed she could grasp to get out of the lake she was drowning in, the Matron looked up and exclaimed, "Yes! The process is even half-complete, it's how she could come in here! We can finish it without arousing anyone's suspicions!"
Finally, the suspicion in Xuan's face cracked as she heard this, and seeing this, Eloise smiled and said, "Good. I'm glad that my friend is wrong- she has at least one member of her family that she can depend on. After all the crying with joy is done, hear me out- I have a plan to kill that shrew, and I think it'll work wonderfully…"