Cornered!

"Alexios Dallassenos."

The name reverberated as a brass bell for Alexa.

"Who?" She tried to ask casually, trying to cover up her nervousness. The Florentine priest repeated the name with a slight smile, "Never heard of him?"

In fact, pretending ignorance could be worse. But first, she needed to know what Father Gianpietro knew.

"Being related to my family, yes, I listened vaguely about the Dallassenos. But I am confused, Father Gianpietro. I don't understand much about politics or religion, and I'm just…"

"Our trip is not that long, Lady 'Saskia,' so please don't underestimate my intelligence. Fortunately, I am a very well-informed man. I know what happened to the Dallassenos and that Alexios is missing. That last time he was seen was in Venice, about a year ago. And I know that his poor tortured soul, whether a heretic or not, has more enemies than friends. And I learned some of his enemies know, or guessed his destination. And they are getting closer. The last time I heard the name Dallassenos was right here in Kielstadt, in fact."

The Florentine Priest's deliberate manner of speaking while playing with his rosary beads was unnerving. He was in control. Alexa still tried,

"But… I'm not Alexos Dallassenos. I am Alexa Zoë Saskia. Our families have been related by business in the past, but…"

"Wouldn't it be interesting if Lord Saskia, this political expert, unfortunately now deceased, had a daughter who came up after a few years in a 'convent'? Exactly a year after a certain scandal involving young Alexios? And… Does this young woman travel while the Dallassenos were exterminated for heresy, according to the Orthodox Church?"

Alexa wanted to protest the way the priest spoke, because of course, things weren't that simple, but she was still astonished about how he was so well informed, from how much he had stated.

"Ah, uhn… Is that what they talk about? That the Dallassenos were heretics?"

"Don't worry, I know the situation is far more intricate than that. It involves a lot of things, and if it wasn't for the pivot, this young Alexios, who is about your age, is said to be as beautiful as an angel... And because of him, Eastern assassins came to Kielstadt, attracted by the description of such a young man…"

The maiden inhaled deeply, trying to calm down in the face of so much distressing information.

"You mean Eastern assassins are in town?" she asked, even though it was the strangest question of all.

"It would be a problem for both Lady Saskia and Alexios Dallassenos if they were. But that's not the only problem, is it?"

"Father Gianpietro, with all due respect, I don't know what you're talking about. I need to continue my journey, and get to my destination."

"That's what I thought yesterday, when I heard about everything that happened. I thought, 'If I were Alexios Dallassenos, trying to travel incognito, the last thing I would want would be to get involved in problems or anything that draws attention to my origin and my destiny. And I would do my best to leave as soon as possible. Getting to a safe place where I have allies."

"Are the affairs of the Orthodox Church in Constantinople so relevant to a Kielstadt-based priest, Father Gianpietro?" Alexa couldn't contain herself and was sarcastic, but deep down, she was feeling quite under pressure.

"Well, if the affairs have come to the Roman Curia, and there are people concerned that a new wave of heresy will start to plague our parishes...then yes."

The priest's cynical tone of speech implied far more than his words. Alexa knew the stories of how both churches fought the Cathars and Bogomils, and various other sects, during the centuries until the present day. Being considered a heretic by both churches was the least desirable situation one could wish for themselves.

"Hm, Father is freaking me out. The fact that I'm a foreigner doesn't mean I'm less Chris…"

"Watch your next words now, maiden," the priest warned rather seriously. "Don't say anything you'll regret later." There was a threatening tone now. "For a person with so many problems, you are very careless, and also, you seem to be unable to recognize when a hand is reaching out to you."

'Because I thought the priest is actually set for his final strike, that's it,' the Greek maiden thought, feeling absolutely unhappy. She looked out the window of the moving carriage, but she couldn't know where she was and didn't know if it was long before they reached the cathedral.

"I just want to finish my long journey and get to my destination, where they await me. I don't want to stay in Kielstadt," she said sulkily.

"To travel safely, you need help. Someone who tells you, for example, that a group of Eastern foreigners arrived in Bruges and they are assassins. And one of them was in Kielstadt, hunting down a person whose approximate description is that of Prince Alexander von Donnesmarck. And that about three months earlier, letters putting a price on a Greek boy's head arrived through paid messengers to some guilds of lousy reputation. Finally, the rumor about the last survivor of the sect known as The Lazarites in the East might have come to the West, bringing pernicious writings with him," the priest stared at the maiden with his piercing deep blue eyes as he said these things.

'What a lie! Lie! Lie! We were betrayed and sold! ' she wanted to scream out of her lungs, but for her survival, it was better to shut up.

"If this news came that way, other people must know," she said, reasoning that knowing how to avoid her hunters was crucial, though she wasn't sure whether Father Gianpietro's silence was so essential. But if he wasn't the only one who knew...

"These matters are not in the interests of the Kielstadt Court for now," said the Italian priest, to settle her doubts. "But it takes some effort, and a great effort, to find a good route, a safe route, to get this person to where they want to go."

'After all, what do you want, Blue Eyes?' thought Alexa, aggravated, but took a deep breath before capitulating. If she could get an ally inside the most important Florentine house, she might be able to get rid of her problems. She should bend to the circumstances, as she was only a maiden alone in this world.

"Father Gianpietro, I really am an ignorant person. I wouldn't know how to repay people who want to help me. All I want is to leave in peace, but I imagine they might confuse my origin and my connections with the Dallassenos family. What could I do now ?! Alone, with no one at my side! How can I survive if I'm all by myself, at the mercy of luck alone?"

"Uhn… " the Machiavellian priest took the maiden's bandaged hands in his, thoughtful. "Do not worry. I will protect you. As long as I find a way to send you to your allies and relatives, do you agree to be under my tutelage? Do you promise to be obedient and faithful?"

'What does he mean by that?' she wondered. But the carriage stopped, and by the sounds outside, they were in front of Kielstadt Cathedral. The priest was still holding her aching hands, awaiting her say on it.

"Yes, Father Gianpietro. I am grateful for your kindness in guarding me while I am in Kielstadt."