December 31, Year 1469 in the year of Altima

I have been instructed by that good-for-nothing cardinal to tail a whore by the name of Reis Dular…a girl that I have once adored, but now I despise her for she loves me not. Draclau had told me to gather as much information about her as possible; his reasons I do not know, nor do I know his motives. Still, I shall follow his instructions faithfully, for he is a representative of Altima, who I believe is my true master.

Beowulf Kadmus, the temple knight…he had gotten in my way when I tried to follow her into a clothes shop; curses are due to him! 'A perverse bastard' he had called me, when all I had done was look into her golden locks as she held up a blue silken skirt. I was forced to flee from the store as the cursed temple knight chased after me with his sword raised above his head. Another failure like that, and it would cost me my head. Cardinal Draclau does not forgive easily…

Within the church itself I could not maintain my observations; for she is now no longer under the age of innocence, and therefore also part of the nunnery. Men are not allowed into that section of the church, and I dare not venture like an intrepid fly into certain death; the penalty of a male priest entering the female halls are…too gruesome to be described.

During the hours that I have spotted her away from the nunnery but still within the church, I find that she is greatly religious; hours upon hours she would spend in front of the lesser altar to God in the chapel; praying, listening for any responses, and praying again if none came. It was as though she were attached to the very spiritual world itself; understanding and speaking to souls we cannot see.

Twelve she may be, but a hard-working metal smith she is when outside of the church. Toiling away tirelessly, without breaking even the least sweat, she would hammer thousands of sheets of metal in a single session at the forge; taboo as it is for most clergy, she is after all, not quite a nun. Just a student. Only a student. And will ever be a student.

Curses upon her! She deals with a dirty merchant! One who multiplies money at the cost of others! This will prove useful to the cardinal, if he ever decides to get rid of her…

I find that her usually-cold stare had warmed a little; there was a little shadow of a smile playing about her lips…only if Beowulf was around. In fact, it would have been the reverse if I were the only one around. Her face would crumple in a frown, lips curving downward in disdain. I know not what makes her so…unappreciative of me. What is it about me that makes me so despicable?

The cold, chilling air of winter had further confined her to the living quarters of the church; seeing through walls is not my thing. And thus, I must make up an excuse to Draclau…It will be hard for me to do so, he is nearly omniscient. How he does this I will never know.

Snow had built up outside, prohibiting all movement between buildings. I hate it when the snow builds up like this, it is the worst weather for espionage…all footsteps traceable, clear as a blot of ink on a sheet of pure white silk. I will have to postpone my… forays into the female half of the church. Some disturbing things I have seen in there…

The two lovers, Beowulf and Reis…they appear to share many things in common.

One; both have been orphaned at some stage in their life; I have drawn a conclusion based on various meager pieces of information that I have been able to obtain, that Reis and Beowulf neither have their true parents. Reis' parents have been killed in a raid by bandits; I have obtained this from the chronicles of the city from years and years ago. Beowulf, on the other hand, had lost his parents in a more…chivalrous manner. His parents were respectable temple knights, who perished five years ago. He was left with a small fortune that the pair of warriors had left behind, and a modest-sized manor on the west coast of Lionel.

Two; both are virtually self-sufficient. I have never seen any two youths support each other as they do; they work for their own survival, requiring little if any input of money or goods from anywhere. Reis had become a favourite of many merchants in the marketplace, of which I cannot venture into anymore due to a small 'argument' that I had with a guard. Maybe, it should be called aggressive negotiations…the burns that I had inflicted on his face still haven't healed…

That is all that I have time to summarise for today. Altima bless you,

Until the day that the thirteen rise again,

Charles Buremonda