Cataindar

CHAPTER FORTY-AND-A-HALF

“Where should I begin?” asked Darcius.

Finn, Lusia and Throne stood surrounding him. Finn had recovered consciousness after a few firm slaps round the face.  Thorne was still holding her wounded stomach, fresh blood had seeped through her bandages, but she insisted she was alright.  Luisa had been completely doused in blood.  Darcius had washed her face carefully with water and a sponge as best he could, but the blood remained congealed in her hair and caked down her front. The decapitated corpse stayed on the floor, his blood stained the dust black and his head lay ten feet away, the mace was still set in his dead paw.

Darcius began, “I had begun to suspect something was amiss quite some time ago.  Whispers I had heard.  It is no secret that I have a reputation in Cataindar, I say what I think, I do not bow our institutions without thought or run such a straight, narrow course unlike you, my fellow scouger leaders. But, I would never harm Cataindar.  I believe it was this misguided reputation of me that attracted… radical ideas to my scouger clan.”

Thorne’s brows were furrowed and her jaw clenched; examining Darcius intently.

“It was not until Ms. Chopland came to me with some information that I began to notice the exchanged looks, catch fragments of conversations.  I confess I did not believe it.  I thought perhaps I was becoming weak in the brain. I can’t explain the horror… to discover such a deadly force within my own clan. My warning to you, Princess when you arrived, to, to be careful.”

Luisa gave a slight nod but squeezed her fists. Ashamed, angry, confused – again, but stayed silent, drawing in everything Darcius said.

Finn and Thorne were both regarding Darcius with the kind of feline focus that only a catain could muster.

Darcius continued, “I could prove nothing.  But after the murder in the chamber of records, I believe they raided the chamber looking for something specific. Maybe one, maybe several of the sacred journals.  I don’t know how Garner was party to this, we know ties run deep in the Drylliads, but… I am sure they killed him.  I believe the journals gave them secrets long forgotten, they knew about the carving in the great hall! What other secrets of Cataindar did they discover?  I know not.  I had to find out who was leading this…and to what devious end.  After the horrific carving was exposed, it began to make sense to me.  Why do expose such shame? They wanted to change the fabric of Cataindar. They were planning to overthrow Cataindar, breaking the prophecy, and that meant killing the princess.  Once awoken to their plans, I could act.  Forgive me Thorne and Finn, I believed I had to act alone.  It was my mess, my scougers and whispers can spread so fast.  Greaves was one of my most trusted scougers but he has always believed he should have his own clan, always had an image of grandeur for himself.  I got suspicious, and asked a loyal scouger to follow him, and a second to cover the one I had sent.  Today the second came back to me, told me that Greaves had killed the first.  That he was heading towards the training room where the princess was to be.  I rushed here, and made it just in time.  Too late to have saved such a terrible situation, but just in time to save the life of the Princess.” Darcius sighed, “I… I truly believe that with their leader gone, the other cowards will disappear back to their holes… but I cannot be certain and we should be vigilant.  The pain of these criminals acting in my own clan has, I must admit, affected me terribly… I need your support, Finn, Princess, Thorne, I reach out to you now… I need your help.”

Finn looked visibly shaken.

“What you speak of Darcius, such darkness within our own catains? But… my cadet, Darcius, did you see him?”

Darcius dropped his eyes.  “I did. He is dead. I am sorry.”

Finn closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Thorne remained focussed on Darcius. “You should have come to us, we could have averted this!”

“You may be right Thorne, but I did not know how far this spread. If it was in mine, could it be in yours?”

“No Darcius, it is not. We must to take this to the abbot now.”

“Very well. But first we must care for the Princess.  Princess, are you well?”

Luisa was trembling, she had failed. Again.

They look at me like I am an idiot. I’ll prove them  wrong.

“I want new clothes to wear, and water to wash out my hair.  Please get someone to take the dead body away.  But I am finishing my training session.”

“What?” Finn burst out.

“I want to finish my training.”

Finn shook his head in disbelief, “Princess. No! Please, don’t be foolish… I…”

“I just almost had my head smashed in Finn! Darcius, I want you to teach me how you did that. Now.”

Darcius raised his eyebrows, his blue eyes wide,

“It may take some time, perhaps you should….” The fire in Luisa’s eyes made him change his sentence.

He dipped his head in assent.

“Of course.”

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