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.
"Hello?" she called into the gloom. When nobody answered her she to shuffle the chair forward towards the staircase.
Every movement drained her, and she found herself taking frequent breaks during her slow journey. She alive, and for that she was grateful, but the soulstone was still too close for her to do much. Even now she could feel the darkness creeping back into the edges of her vision.
She tried urging her magic forward to loosen the ropes, but instead all she found was emptiness inside her. Her magic was either gone or extremely weakened, so she instead attempted to rely on her physical abilities.
Still a good five steps away from the staircase, she called out again. "Hello? Is anybody there? Please! I need help!" Her voice was hoarse and her lips parched. She ran her tongue across them, and recoiled at the dirt that covered them.
Vaguely she could remember how she fell before, and her face and pressed into the earth. She hated to think how bad she looked at the moment, but she also knew she didn't care. Katherine just needed to get out of there.
Her energy was almost gone, and the clouds began to return to her mind. She knew she didn't have much time left, so with one last grunt, she pushed with her feet and launched herself and the chair forward, slamming into the stairs.
***
"Did you hear that?"
"What?" Declan turned back to where Caedmon was standing, a couple dozen feet behind him.
"It sounded like a crash. Something falling."
"Where?"
"Back there." Caedmon turned and pointed further behind him to one of the cellar doors.
Drawing his weapon, Declan approached the entrance carefully. He had already checked this cellar, had called into the darkness beyond, but had heard nothing in return. Throwing the doors, open, he bounded down the stairs, brandishing his sword.
It was empty.
***
Groaning softly, Katherine tried to push herself up but stopped at the pain that rushed up her arms and legs. She sat back and leaned against the wall. The remains of the chair were littered around her.
Exhaustion was about to take her when she heard the shuffling and voices coming through the thin dirt walls.
Blinking the darkness away, she listened closer.
"Are you sure this was the one?"
"There are no other cellars here."
The voices grew distant and she could hear the slamming of a door. She tried to call out to them, but nothing came out but a hoarse cry.
Ignoring the pain in her arm, she grasped one of the legs of the chair. After taking a deep breath to steady her beating heart, she threw it.
Up, up, up, it curved through the air until it landed against the door with a thunk.
Straining her ears, she tried to listen to see if they had heard it. A few minutes passed but when nothing happened Katherine resigned herself to the fact that she needed to save herself.
***
"I swear I heard something!" Caedmon said as he scoured the earth along the buildings.
"Are you sure? Is it like that crashing sound you heard earlier?"
"No. This was different." Caedmon stood and turned to Declan. "Why are you so reluctant to search all of a sudden?"
"I could ask you why you are suddenly so eager."
Declan didn't wait for a reply. He strode forward and pushed some of the bushed out of the way, trying to see if there was anything there. He continued searching until they were standing about five feet from the original door.
"I found something!"
There, covered with dirt and weeds, was an old, rotting cellar door. Caedmon shook his head when he saw it. "But if they are in there wouldn't it be uncovered?"
"Unless it was meant to stay hidden."
Stepping back, Declan eyed the door. He wasn't sure what to expect beyond those doors, but he also knew he didn't want to leave Katherine behind. He grasped the rusted handle and pulled.
His heart dropped when he surveyed the scene below him.
Katherine was leaning against the wall just at the base of the cellar steps, broken pieces of good scattered around her. Blood was running down her arms, and her ankle was twisted in the wrong direction. Whatever Makom had done to her had been cruel it seemed, and he felt anger build within him when he realized she didn't respond to them when they finally reached her.
Jumping down the stairs two at a time, he held his sword out in front of him and searched the small room for any adversaries. Seeing it was empty, he quickly sheathed his weapon and returned to Katherine's side.
Caedmon stared at the poor girl. Katherine was covered in dirt, her lips split where she had likely bitten it and a large gash on her forehead and arm dripped blood down onto the ground. Still, despite her injuries she looked up at them and smiled.
Anger, so unnatural to him, began to build deep within him. Makom had done this to her. Caedmon had no idea why his closest ally would attempt to sabotage them, but his mind ran back to the conversation from the night before. He could almost hear it again as clearly as when it had occurred, but now Caedmon was aware of the darker undertones to Makom's speech.
"Hey, it's about time, hero. I thought you would never show up."
Her voice was coarse, and he knelt down beside her to check her wounds. "Can you feel everything?"
He could see the force it took for her to stretch her face into the smile. "Yes," she replied, "and it really hurts." She tried to laugh but it dissolved into a cough. "I just need to sleep for a bit, and I will be ready to leave."
Shaking his head, Caedmon stepped back. "It was Makom that did this to you?"
She didn't meet his gaze. "Not exactly."
Declan kicked at the step and sat down. "What do you mean?"
Having closed her eyes, Katherine leaned her head back against the cool earthen wall. "Demonica."
"We can push the trip for a couple days if you want to come, Katherine, but we much leave as soon as we are able."
Nodding, she tried to push herself up but fell hard against the ground. "A little help please?"
"Of course."
"Yes."
The two men came forward and draped her arms around their shoulders and helped her up the stairs. Once they were out in the street they stopped. Caedmon pulled away, leaving Declan to support most of Katherine's weight.
"I am going to go find Makom. Get to the bottom of this."
Declan nodded and watched as Caedmon ducked into one of the alleys. Once out of sight, Caedmon travelled quickly through Nightridge. He had a good idea of where to find his second in command.
Through the Inn and down into the cellar, he waited impatiently for the door to roll open before him. Through the darkness he travelled, further and further into the tunnel until he arrived at one of the rooms. A single candle stood on a weathered desk, illuminating the room with its flickering light.
There Makom sat, leaning back on a chair with his feet propped on the desk. He was relaxed, his hands intertwined behind his head. His gaze travelled slowly across the room before they landed on Caedmon. His face was covered in shadows and the smile that spread across his face now sent chills down Caedmon's spine.
"What did you do?"
"Only what is right. She can't accompany you."
"Makom..."
"Makom's not here right now."
Pulling out his sword, Caedmon grasped the hilt tightly. "What have you done with my friend?"
"Nothing that would not have done on his own." Makom stood up and brushed off his shirt. "But it appears my work here is complete, at least for now." He glared at Caedmon and a smile spread across his face. "It is a pleasure to meet you...Caedmon. I am sure we will meet again in the future."
Makom stumbled back against the wall and groaned. He rubbed his head and blinked a couple times before he turned to his friend. "What just happened?"
"You attacked Katherine then came here. It looks like you were possessed."
"Possessed? By what?"
"I don't know."
"What did I do to the girl?"
Shaking his head, Caedmon loosened his grip on his sword. "I don't know. That is what I was hoping you would able to answer. I left her with the archer and came looking for you. She was hurt fairly bad when I left."
"I did that?" He shrugged. "Serves her right."
His sword clattered to the ground behind him as Caedmon darted forward. He swung back easily and threw his fist into the side of Makom's face.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?"
"For being a prat!"
Makom's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. "You have never called me anything before."
"I have never had reason to before."
"So what? My being possessed gives you the right to hit me? I didn't do anything to anybody."
"I don't know what is wrong with you, Makom, but this betrayal, no matter the reasons, cannot continue."
"What betrayal?!"
"The things you told me last night...whatever demon that possessed you probably found that weakness. You actions have set our trip back at least a day or more."
Rubbing his jaw, Makom stared at Caedmon. "Whatever you are thinking, it is wrong. I had absolutely nothing to do with this, and this anger you have towards me is unwarranted."
Caedmon didn't stay long enough to listen. He was already gone and up the cellar stairs. He went straight up to the second level to the bedroom that Declan and Katherine were currently occupying, and was relieved when he saw them both in there.
"Did you find him?" Declan stood up and reached for his sword before Caedmon waved him down.
"Yes, but I am afraid Katherine was right. It wasn't him that did it."
"But..."
"It does not mean that it was not his intention to something similar, but these acts were not his own." He turned to the figure laying in the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine." Katherine started to sit up, but Declan pusher her back down. He kept his hand securely on her shoulder.
"Will you be well enough to ride tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Then we leave at dawn."
Declan's eyes travelled from Katherine to Caedmon. "Are you sure that is wise?"
"We must see the Oracle."
"But she doesn't seem well enough."
"I'm right here!"
The men ignored Katherine's indignant cry. Caedmon gestured to the small window that resided on the far wall. "Every day that demon destroys more lives. You are the one that came here, that asked for my help."
"Not exactly."
"I have nonetheless offered my services to aid in this battle. We need to know how to defeat the demon, and the Oracle may give us the answers we seek. The longer we delay brings us all closer to our doom."
Resigned, Declan nodded. "You're right."
"Then sleep well tonight my friends. I will place a guard on your door to prevent further harm to either of you then we will meet tomorrow in the square, the same location as today. Good night."
Alone now, Caedmon thought back about the events of the day. No matter what he thought, no matter the things he knew, he couldn't stop the deep ripping in his gut when he thought about Makom. He knew it wasn't Makom's fault, but it still felt like betrayal.
Standing against the railing, he cast his eyes on the crowd below. For many of them, it was just an ordinary evening...but for Caedmon, he knew things were about to change, and he could only hope that they were eventually be for the better. of personal '