16 Coming In From The Cold

Pear entered the cloister and hurried down the halls avoiding everyone. Her mind still in turmoil from her run in with the guard. When she entered the last hallway before the nun's quarters, she noticed it was empty but for one person. Lissa was leaning against the wall halfway down the corridor.

Pear lowered her head trying not be noticed, intending to slip past her. But the moment she came near she felt her strength leave her again. Lissa lept forward and embraced Pear before she could fall this time. Even in her weakened state Pear squirmed a little bit. "Let... Me ... Go!" she said hoarsely.

"No no! its ok! you only did what you had to. What would have happened if you hadn't done that?" Lissa whispered.

Pear shuddered, "Then he would have... R*ped me?"

"That's why he got what was coming to him!" Lissa whispered fiercely, "You are special! you are important! I wish I had your power, you can fight when the rest of us are helpless!"

Indecision clouded Pear's mind again as she struggled with her emotions. Finally feeling helpless and beginning to tear up. she wailed "But Lissa I'm so hungry! How will I find more! They make me feel normal again... No, better than normal!"

"I can help you Pear! But I need your help too." Lissa said pleadingly.

"What can you do?!" Pear said almost accusingly.

"Pear... you are a witch like me." Lissa said gently.

Pear froze in shock the reality she'd been avoiding had been spoken aloud.

"Pear.. I can see possible futures, I can find the best way to get more stones."

Hope flooded across Pears face and she finally looked up into Lissa's blue eyes. Pear's own grey eyes were brighter then Lissa had ever seen them.

"F...fine then... I'll help you.. But only YOU!" Pear said stuttering, quickly averting her eyes.

Lissa smiled gently at Pear and pulled Pear's arm over her shoulder. "Come with me to talk to Isabella."

Pear tensed up again but couldn't struggle. "But.. Isn't she a pure witch from the church?"

"No. The truth is the church is gone. Isabella came up with that story so that she could save everyone." Lissa explained. "The head nun said Isabella automatically becomes the pope, But that's just silly."

Pear relaxed again and struggled to help move the direction Lissa was urging. "Why... why am I so weak when you are near me?"

Lissa sighed, "I'm sorry its this stone on my necklace, it restricts my power, and any witches power, Well... except for Isabella, it may never have effected her, because she is so powerful.

"Why would you want to restrict your power??" Pear looked at her incredulously.

"Because of Wendy.. She made me more powerful and that made me too sensitive." Lissa said looking embarrassed.

"Whats wrong with more power? No one can push you around if you have more power!" Pear said.

Lissa laughed. "My ability doesn't work like yours or Isabella's. Can you imagine seeing the next 2 days of everyone's lives that you pass in the hallway?"

Pear looked over at Lissa with a bit of pity "Oh... but wait did you say Wendy made you MORE powerful?" Pear's eyes then widened.

"Yep! she can do that, and when Wendy does it to you, the stones wont effect you anymore"

Lissa cautioned "But just so you know..... Isabella will always be able to do what the stones do to you if she wants, even when you are immune to them. she may not have strength like you but she can take anyone's power away."

Pear shuddered in fear, "I don't want that! I can't be weak ever again!"

The two made there way to the office of Isabella, to find she already had prepared a set of new clothes for Pear.

"Here Pear, We'll be depending on you to help fight the demons."

Isabella said to the girl supported by Lissa. From her first glance Isabella really didn't recognize Pear any longer. The previous pear was like a skeleton. The Pear before Isabella now was very shapely, nearly as shapely as Isabella, making Lissa seem more like a child despite Lissa's larger breasts. However the grey hair was more like an old woman's hair, more white then Roland's evenly colored blue grey hair. Pear also seemed very respectful to the point of fearful of Isabella. Isabella wondered what Lissa had told her.

Just a short while after they left her office and went to their room, The Old city guard returned, faces pale.

"Your Holiness... there is a monster loose in the city! It could be another demon."

The guardsman proclaimed.

"Why do you say that?" she asked bracing herself for the answer.

His face serious he spoke. "One of our guardsman was crushed like a bug on a wall."

A complicated expression came over Isabella's face.

"I have a solution." Isabella said, "Pick an object that each guard can carry, Like a key or a piece of metal and assign each guard their route for the day."

"Then gather all the guards together at the Old city guard headquarters and we'll check for their safety."

"Your Holiness.. what do you mean?" The guard said looking confused.

"I'm saying we can prevent the guards from being slaughtered if we know when and where the demons will attack, using magic of course."

*************

Lissa brought Pear into the old priest's room and was all smiles expecting to show off the luxury they would live in now. But pear looked around the room in a mix of disgust and horror.

"What's wrong?" Lissa asked.

"I've... been here before." she shook her head. "I'm not sleeping in here."

Pear walked to the side of the room where a small door lay.

"I'll sleep in here, its more to my liking."

Lissa blinked as she'd not even noticed the little door before. "What room is that?"

Lissa asked.

"Its a servants quarters, It has a bed and its fairly warm." Pear opened the door and placed her scant belongings inside. "Then you can call me when you need me."

"But.. you're not a servant.. you are a sister..." Lissa insisted.

"As long as you can feed me.. I'll do anything." Pear said seriously in her gravely voice.