The Archer (A Tale Of Heroes & Demons Book 1)

Chapter 41

Twist of the Blade

"To men, the thing that is worse than death is betrayal. You see, I could conceive death, but I could not conceive betrayal."

– Malcom X

"Caedmon, have you seen Katherine?" Declan had finished tying their packs to the horses.

The rebel leader shook his head. "No, I haven't. The last I saw her she was talking to Beatrice." He gestured to the woman now standing alone near the edge of the road before turning back to the task in front of him.

Declan made his way across the road and stopped in front of her. "Have you seen Katherine, by any chance?"

Beatrice shook her head. "Not since she left with Makom."

"Why was she with Makom?"

"I have no idea." She shrugged. "He said he wanted to talk to her and they headed down over there." She pointed to an alley, nearly hidden between two of the buildings. "That was quite a while ago, though."

Nodding his thanks, Declan went back over the Caedmon. "Is there any reason Makom would need to talk to Katherine?"

"Makom? I don't think so. Especially not after what he said last night."

"What was that?"

"He didn't want her to accompany us today."

Declan turned and walked across the road. His pace continued to increase until he was nearly running towards the mouth of the alley.

"Declan, wait!"

He could hear the pounding of Caedmon's feet as he tried to catch up. Once inside the alley, though, Declan stopped. He had no idea where they would have gone.

"Can you please tell me what this is about?"

Declan didn't turn to face Caedmon, instead scanning the alley, searching for any signs of movement. "Makom took Katherine this way. If he didn't want her to come with us I don't want to think what he may have done."

"Makom's a good man, Declan. He wouldn't hurt her."

"You didn't see the way he reacted that first night."

"You were new, he didn't know if he could trust you." Caedmon waved his hand, dismissing the idea.

"He didn't attack me like he did her."

"Makom knows you both now. He won't hurt you or Katherine."

Declan stopped and turned to Caedmon. "Fine, but we do need to start on our way, and to do that we require Katherine, yet we cannot find her. Will you help me search for her?"

Caedmon nodded. "Of course."

Together they walked down the alley, checking every side passage and cellar along the way. Further and further they travelled, until they could no longer see the entrance they had come through.

***

Groaning, Katherine opened her eyes slightly, and nearly panicked at the darkness that enveloped her. The eerie light was fainter now, and without Makom there the silence was louder than anything outside. Still, the soulstone was not completely gone, as she could still feel its pull as it stole her energy.

Sometime when she was unconscious Makom had sat her down and tied her to a chair, the ropes scratching harshly against her skin. Pulling and twisting her arms, she tried to loosen them to no avail. Her feet as well were tied to the legs of the chair.