18: Rising Tension
Katrina, who had remained silent since her capture, stood up and took a few nervous steps towards the throne. “You keep saying we’ll find out soon,” she said, “But why can’t you just tell us now? Maybe…maybe we can even help you, if it means helping our friends?”
Phantasia, still frustrated by human politics, was taken aback by Katrina’s innocence, as too was Wotan, judging from his wide-eyed expression.
“Oh, I intend for you to help me, Ms Ritches,” he said, once he’d recovered from his momentary shock, “Though you have already done more than you realise. Were it not for the two of you, and those pictures you acquired, this convenient situation would never have occurred,”
Katrina scratched her head. “You mean the auragraphs? But why? They’re just pictures of electromagnetic fields,”
“You know that’s not true,” said Wotan, his eyes narrowing.
A look of realisation and giddiness flashed across Katrina’s face. “You mean they really do show auras?”
Wotan nodded.
“But…surely that isn’t enough to accuse anyone of heresy? Especially Kaori and Shelley! I never even took images of them, or of Phantasia!”
Wotan furrowed his brow and looked at Katrina as if she’d just announced that she was a middle-aged man. “You took some rather clear images of them,” he said, “Certainly not the sort of pictures one would easily forget,”
Before Katrina could look even more confused, Phantasia chimed in. “Someone changed your memory,” she said, “And everyone else’s!”
Katrina looked as if all the pieces to a puzzle were clicking into place. “So, Dante was right? I knew it!”
“That’s interesting,” said Wotan, resting into his throne again and rubbing the stubble on his chin, “So, someone has been changing memories you say?”
“It’s…” Phantasia paused and glanced at Katrina – her memory of Phantasia’s true identity would still be suppressed by the magic – then continued “It’s Wind faerie magic, I think.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Wotan, confirming he was as knowledgeable on such matters as Phantasia had hoped, “Even humans are capable of memory alteration. Sometimes they don’t even need magic to do it,”
“But on this scale…”
“Yes,” agreed Wotan, “On this scale, magic is definitely the cause, but I wouldn’t rule out a human source. Who knows what methods Payne and his staff will use to keep their students under lock and key,”
“They’re only so secretive because of you!” retorted Phantasia, before realising they’d had this debate before. Then they both noticed Katrina, standing to the side with a scrunched up face, pondering something.
“Faeries?” she asked.
