The voices were that of two women.
They recognized the first voice as Tyren's, but who was the other woman speaking?
She sounded very cold and dead. In the next second she sounded sweet.
"My dear, some honey caramel biscuits have been made by one of the young boys working in the kitchen. He's working on perfecting his baking skills."
Hildegarde's voice came up. "Oh, how sweet. How old is the boy?"
There was some shuffling around and the sound of a plate being placed on a table.
"Fourteen. He aspires to be a chef just like his uncle." The sweet, yet cold voice responded.
There was something very eerie about this woman Hildegarde was engaging with. Felicia and Alex both knew this voice belonged to a grown woman, yet she sounded like a little girl.
Alex had heard this voice before. It was one of the maids who worked for the Duchess.
The three of them were frozen with confusion and curiosity.
Hildegarde didn't know why her conversation with Maid Tara was coming out of the infinity loops.
Alex and Felicia, however knew the exchange was important. They were hearing it for a reason.
Hildegarde's voice disappeared and Tyren's came out again. She was talking to the mystery woman with the sickly sweet voice.
It was clear that Tyren was giving her a task. Her tone was both angry and determined.
"You know my rules, Tara. As much as I trust your abilities, there are no mistakes allowed. I want that hag dead!"
The woman giggled. It was a happy and sweet sound. As if she was a little girl who had just been given candy, as opposed to a grown woman tasked to kill someone.
"You need not be so tense, Duchess, I have no experience with failure. And this is such an easy task. I'll handle it just fine."
The infinity symbol instantly disappeared, the voices ceased and Alex felt the sword enter his wrist again.
His mark no longer burned and Felicia's eyes returned back to normal. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her reflection.
Hildegarde gave a bitter smile. "So, Tyren has tasked a maid to kill me. Those biscuits were poisoned and that's why my chest was hurting earlier."
Alex's head snapped in her direction. "You ate poisoned biscuits!? When? Why!?"
"It was two days ago. That maid, Tara, she came to me and she sounded so sweet and normal I never suspected a thing. A mishap on my part. I apologize."
"But if you've already eaten them then--"
"Alex, I already healed her. She was rubbing at her chest earlier and I used my holy powers to cleanse the poison out of her body and well as repair the damage it had done. It wasn't severe. It was a slow acting poison and hadn't fully taken root yet."
Alex's head moved between the two women before he relaxed.
Felicia looked back at her nanny. "See, this is why I told you you need a personal guard. He may have picked up on Tara's weird behavior and stopped her from approaching you."
"Why did the infinity symbol just show us that?" Alex pondered. "As useful as it was, what does it have to do the larger problem at hand?"
Felicia considered it.
"I think the power within the Holy sword and the magic within me are connected. The more I use my powers, the more the magic within the sword acts up."
Alex's brows furrowed. "The last time the infinity symbol acted on its own was after you nearly killed yourself healing me."
"I don't think I have to use a large amount of magic, just a little is enough to trigger the magic within your mark and the Holy Sword. You are my Guardian, after all. The Goddess made you such and granted you her sword to aid me. It only makes sense that your mark would be in tune with my magic. How better to ensure you know when I am in danger and need help than to cause your mark to burn? I mean, it did burn, didn't it? Right before the sword came out? I too feel a similar burn under my palms when I heal."
Felicia's assessment made sense to Alex. There was more to his role as Guardian than just swinging the Holy Sword.
"Yes, it did burn," Alex replied, pensive.
Hildegarde went to take a seat. Her old bones did not permit her to stand for very long. "I will accept a personal guard, my lady. You were right."
Felicia nodded her head. "Your body is old. Just because I was able to heal you fully this time does not mean I would be able to do the same if you took poison again and I didn't reach you in time."
Hildegarde nodded in understanding.
"I'm puzzled by one thing," Alex began, taking a seat. "Why did the symbol only just reveal that? Why not give us more insight? Why not let us hear what the Pope is up to?"
"The entire time I was healing her, I knew it was Tyren and I was very angry. I wanted information on how she was doing it," Felicia replied. "It was the same as before when we almost got caught and ended up at the lake. The Holy Sword responds to our emotions. And that includes all the runes carved into it...I think we have a tool in our hands which we have yet to fully learn how to utilize."
"Alex, do you remember when we were in the mists communicating with the Goddess? We only saw her eyes, but we heard her voice."
"Yeah, and wha----Oh, I see. To see and hear, we need both the infinity symbol and the red ruby. The magic is incomplete without both." He shot his feet when the implication of such a combination hit him. "Felicia, do you know what that would allow us to do? We could essentially spy on anybody! We could even observe conversations from the past. Hours, days, months, who knows how far back we could go?!"
Felicia eyes sparkled with excitement. "What if we could use it to see the future as well? After all, it's an infinity. Everything is connected."
Hildegarde smiled. "That would certainly even the odds. I hope you are right. But now, the two of you must head down for dinner or the Duke may send someone up and our conversation could be overheard."
"Yes, let's go. I'll assign a guard for you first thing tomorrow. And we will personally bring you your meals from now on."
Felicia nodded. "Yes, unless it's from us do not accept a plate or glass or a fork from anyone."
Hildegarde was about to object, but decided against it. As much as she hated becoming a burden for Moniqua's children, she was also secretly thrilled that she had people in her life who cared about her this much.
Even at such a late stage.
If only her sons had been this way.