Katerin was content with her quiet life of studying the arcane, and wanted for nothing in her life. She had friends, family, and plenty to do.
But life has a way of changing people--a way of pushing them to do things far outside their comfort and ex...
Graiden rubbed his fingers over the double-sided symbol. On one side, a familiar spear and gavel. On the other a nine-tailed whip, stained with blood.
Katerin found herself unable to speak. Staring at the items under her she felt sick. Horror rose up in a tide and threatened her grasp on consciousness.
"What... can you tell me why? What happened?" Graiden's voice cracked, and he sucked in a deep breath.
Fykes sighed and gave a short version of the information they had. Katerin handed him the letters and ledgers.
"But... why?" Graiden said, his usual stern visage miles away. "I'm sorry... if I had known I never would have sent you." He looked at Katerin, a pained expression in his eyes.
"We know..." Arjiah said. "It's alright."
Graiden glanced at the blade Katerin had shoved through her belt.
"It was Byron's," Katerin explained, numbly noting his gaze. "You can hav—" her words cut off, as the dizziness came over her again, leaving her unable to speak, taking her thought from her before she could voice it. "Have a look at it later." Her brow furrowed. "There's something strange about it. I'd like to take some time with it."
Graiden gave her a puzzled expression but only nodded.
Katerin glanced up to finally notice Lugaria standing against the back wall. "How long have you been there?"
"The whole time, nitwit," he said, looking at her with what might have been concern.
She choked out something close to a laugh, and it made everything hurt even more. "Fair enough."
"You look like the backside of a butcher shop," Lugaria said, something pulling at the corners of his mouth. Distaste? Or was it amusement?
Fykes looked up and down them with a sigh. "Mary is going to finish the job of beating us to death, if we try to go into the inn looking like this."
"Ocean?" Katerin said, feeling the blood as it dried on her skin. It was an unpleasant mixture of both itchy and sticky, and knowing what it was only served to strengthen the queasy feeling she had not been able to escape since leaving the cavern.
"Barracks showers," Fykes replied, "They get a lot of blood."
Lugaria eyed them. "Not that much."
Fykes sighed, and looked at him as if to ask what his other options were.
Graiden tore his gaze away from the bloody items on his desk. "The barracks showers will do you fine. I doubt you could make it to the shore, anyway." He took a deep breath and looked across them all. "Just, stay nearby. I'll... I'll need to talk to you further."
As they walked toward the hall to exit Graiden's office through the back of the keep, Katerin's head swam. Dizziness wracked her again. This time it was accompanied by terrible pain that originated from the wound in her shoulder.
Her vision blurred pure white, then faded to black as she collapsed in a heap on the floor, while a sinister chuckle echoed in her mind.
I will not obey you.
The sword on her belt disappeared in a crackle of black energy.
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