The Power and the Glory

Book 3 Chapter XVI: Cured

Author's Note: Spot which character's name is a Tolkien reference!

Knives in the backs of martyrs
Lives in the burning fodder
Cauterised and atrophied
This is my unbecoming
-- Starset, Unbecoming

For the second time in as many months Abi found herself having to face her grandmother and confess to wrongdoing. This time was much more serious than the last. Then she'd only had to admit to necromancy. Now she had to admit to getting someone possessed and getting someone else killed.

She left out the part about Ilaran dying and her bringing him back to life. That would raise too many questions she didn't want to answer. In fact she left Ilaran out of it completely. Instead she gave the impression that this incident was connected to the corpse that had invaded the festival. Her grandmother listened with the look that warned there would be hell to pay as soon as Abi was finished.

"I hope you're proud," Raivíth said at last. "In less than two months you've caused more chaos than all of your cousins put together. And what was this about the palace being burnt? Did you decide to engage in arson?"

Abi winced. She'd skirted around that topic too because she just plain didn't know how to explain it. "Well, you see... It turns out the priests were right after all. I am a phoenix."

Raivíth buried her face in her hands. "So when you turned into one you almost burnt down the palace. I see."

"It wasn't as bad as that," Abi said, then remembered the unfortunate servant. "Er. I may have... I mean..." She steeled herself. "I accidentally got someone killed."

Raivíth started to her feet so abruptly she knocked over the table in front of her. "What?" she roared.

Abi shrank back. She did her best to make herself invisible. It didn't work.

Her grandmother glared at her as she righted the table. "Explain. Now."

Haltingly and with difficulty she explained how she had run into the main palace, found the servant, and accidentally led the possessed Ilaran -- who she referred to only as "the corpse" to continue giving the impression it was the same one that had interrupted the festival -- there. She glossed over the fact the servant had also gotten possessed after being killed. Instead she made it sound like she had accidentally killed her while trying to drive off the parasite.

When she finished her grandmother collapsed back into her chair. For a long time Raivíth didn't say anything. Abi stayed silent too and wished for the floor to open and swallow her.

"By your own admission you've performed dark magic and necromancy, experimented with things best left untouched, raised the dead, and are guilty of involuntary manslaughter at best. Do you think you can do anything you like without consequence?"

Abi shook her head slowly. Once upon a time she had thought that. Now she knew exactly how wrong she'd been.

"If you were anyone else I would exile you right now. Unfortunately that would cause a scandal. That must be avoided at all costs. I don't want anyone else to learn about your crimes. So from now on you're under house arrest. You will not take so much as one step outside your parents' house until I decide what to do. Guards!"

The sitting room door opened and two of the guards outside stepped in. Abi looked at them nervously to see if they'd heard anything of what was said. If they had they didn't let it show on their faces. But then these were the Empress's Personal Guards. Even if they overheard a member of the royal family confess to being a serial killer they wouldn't show any outward reaction.

Raivíth gestured sharply to Abi. "Escort the princess home."

The guards silently followed Abi every step of the way home. They never said a word to her. Their silence and blank faces were infinitely worse than any visible show of anger or disgust.