Chapter 39: Picking Up The Pieces.

As Sapphire made her way back to her room she heard Vulzan and Rachuck speaking in the greeting hall, she elected to go over and join in.

“He said he was paid to give out location to somebody using this” Vulzan held up a small little earring “The guy in black had one that matched. Whoever wants that knife wants it badly.”

“And just what am I supposed to do about that Vulzan? You saw what he was wearing, these aren't just thugs or thieves. That armor alone is worth a fortune to anyone dumb enough to put it on.” Rachuck replied.

“Yes I know I’m trying to work that out. I mean it might be possible he was the only one who knew about the knife?”

“If you are wrong there is a good chance there will be a town crier somewhere announcing either the destruction of Bizmati keep or the death of an unfortunate trader.” Vulzan didn’t seem very happy with that scenario, biting his lip.

“Could we just give it to someone and be done with it?”

“Are you crazy, we have no clue what it does”

“Then send it to someone who does know?”

“Well, you are the guy with the connections here, have any suggestions?”

“Originally I was going to take it back to a collector I know. All things considered, the Royal guard might be the best bet actually. If it is as dangerous as we think it is, it should be locked away or destroyed safely."

“On that, we agree but you are down to three guards and we can't spare anyone if we are going to be repelling attacks like this in the future.”

“We should leave as soon as possible. I believe we have shaken pursuit for the moment. I am ready for the wing if I have to.” Archeon joined in.

“I just hope we have shaken pursuit for long enough to get to the capitol. On the bright side, this should also prove an excellent incentive for sending Jarix here. Even if I am starting to question your choice of mentor” Vulzan added.

“What did he do?” The dragon asked thoughtfully.

“He tortured Dashu with water making him feel like he was drowning. It didn’t even take him half an hour to get him to tell everything I went down to have a look. He had been beaten to shit too, wing broken teeth missing. Sure, Dashu might not be the strongest of stomachs, but he knows we will kill him for this. Half an hour with Tom and he preferred death. He didn’t even want to talk to me”

Rachuck looked blank for a moment and the dragon curled his head around to lay on his forelegs.

“That is concerning, Rachuck have you ever witnessed Tom being cruel before?” Archeon asked.

“No never. There is a reason we let him watch the children. He’s like a big kid playing with them normally.”

Sapphire walked up adding her thought to the conversation. “I have never seen him like this. I have seen him angry but when he dragged Dashu off, there was no fury in him, just hate. That was scary, to say the least. I know he loves Kiran and cares deeply for the kids. I’m pretty sure that did it.”

“Are you sure he won’t suddenly decide I’m to blame for this?” Vulzan questioned. She could understand that sentiment. Most of the time he had seen Tom, he had been either fighting like a demon, drunk, or having a mental breakdown. The single day of sort of normal didn’t count for much.

“No, he won’t. Besides, I think he has a better bead on you than you think” Rachuck tried calming the trader down. Sapphire really hoped that was true, if Tom suddenly decided Vulzan was to blame she was not sure what would happen.

“What is that supposed to mean, bead on me?” Vulzan questioned.

“He might still sound like a child but I reckon there is a good chance he is the smartest one here. You'd do well to remember that.”

“Well he has studied for most of his life” Sapphire added. “If I remember right some 20 years and he is only 37 after all. Not to mention in a game about deception he beat us all while drunk.”

“I’ll keep that in mind” Vulzan went cautiously.

“Anyway, it is more than high time some of us got to bed. I and Herron will take the first shift. Vulzan, if you wouldn’t mind helping out...”

“Of course, that is the least I can do.”

“Get some rest Saph, you will be next up to watch the wounded."

As Sapphire's shift went on watching them she couldn’t help but feel useless. There had been a desperate fight trying to save the kids. Tom had once again proven himself more deadly than they had ever imagined and she had just run away with the children. As she sat there feeling sorry for herself she heard Tom start stirring again, maybe another of his bad dreams. She did feel sorry for him on that front. She did wonder if he had a good one too every now and again. She hoped so, the real world was proving rather sad for the time being.

He stopped after a bit and everything was quiet again. “What do now Sapphire?” Right then, he was awake after all.

“Well, we can’t hunt them down if there are more, we have too many wounded. Vulzan is planning on departing for the capitol as soon as possible, taking that damn knife with him and maybe securing some help. In the meantime, I think we’re safe up here.”

“Supplies?” Tom questioned rightfully so.

“Not much, it is still only spring, we haven’t worked up our stores yet.”

“Hold the fort then, okay. We know help will come?”

“They will come I’m sure.”

“Okay, Uhm Sapphire, guy in black had fancy armor and sword. Can we use?”

“The sword maybe, but don’t touch that armor, that’s lich plate”

“Lich?” Tom sounded taken aback by that, wait did he understand that one too? “Lich like dead guy but not dead?” Okay Maybe not entirely Sapphire concluded.

“No not really, it’s like a bargain you make with a Doetna, you serve them much like the darklings except you can still think and act like normal. If you don’t, things get painful. In return, you are granted this fine armor, a powerful blade, and most likely some troops to command.

They have been given many names, darkling lords, black knights, hell guards. They are pretty much all either arseholes or insane, since well if they don’t do as they are told, you get the idea.

“Think we got arsehole,” Tom stated.

“You can say that again. Tom, what did you do to Dashu? I mean he wouldn’t just admit to something like that?”

“Don't you have torture?”

“Well yes, whipping branding beatings sure, it is often used as punishment for committing a crime”

“There is problem then, you use only pain” A shiver ran down Sapphire's spine at that.

“What did you do to him then if it wasn’t just pain”

“Made him fear. I took hope, I think he shit himself, in fact”

“But Tom how could you do that to someone?”

“He killed the child, children are holy above all. Killing a child is unforgivable. He is no longer a person. He will die anyway no?”

“I’m fairly sure he will yes, we will throw him into hell”

“Sorry what?”

“You know of the edge, tie him up and throw him in”

“And you say my way is bad?”

“You die on impact it’s just falling, one last thrill before the end, all things considered, he might not even deserve that joy.”

“You guys are crazy,” Tom stated. What is down there anyway?”

“The ocean of course, what, you don’t have an ocean?”

“Yes we do, but no flying islands”

“Oh… Where is the land then?”

“Along the water, of course, think of our ocean as very very big lakes”

“I guess I can imagine that”

“We use them to get around make big uhmm what is called, big thing that floats”

“A tree?”

“No like big cart but for water”

“Why would you want that”

“Travel on water is easy”

“But didn’t you say you could fly”

“We do that too, but move large things use water and land, flying is hard and expensive”

“Right I’m guessing moving one of those tractor things by air would be a challenge after all.”

“Well, we can fly those if want to. Use a lot of fuel, very expensive, waterway cheaper. In English called Ship”

Sapphire tried playing with the word “shit, shaick, shicke” dammit, another of those lip sounds, perhaps it should be Esmeralda trying to learn to speak this weird language. Tom appeared to find her struggling, amusing this time, did he just make her say a rude word? god dammit Tom.

“Have a picture?”

“I think so. I show you later, be warned ships are very big” Sapphire thought for a moment what would it take to make Tom say that, she shuddered at the thought. There had been a bit of an awkward silence before Tom broke it again.

“Sapphire, what if Dashu not guilty?”

She paused to consider that for a moment.

“You said it was him and he confessed, right?”

“I forced him confess. What if wrong?”

“I… I don’t know whatever you did to him. But I hope he is guilty, otherwise...”

“You kill me?”

“You're in Bizmati-Keep, it would be up to Nunuk. But there would be severe consequences yes”

“There should be”

Tom had turned over and refused to talk further. Sapphire just let him be, she really hoped he had been right. Not only would they have to punish him for what he had done if he wasn’t. She wasn’t sure how he would take it. He had seemed so friendly, sharing his riches teaching them laughing with them helping where he could. And in the blink of an eye, he had turned into a demon, killing and torturing.

It was clear it had to do with Anastasi even if she wasn’t gonna push the subject with him. She just wondered what it would do to him if he had done this to someone who didn't deserve it.

“You better be right” She whispered out hoping he was already asleep.

As she sat in the dimly lit room her thoughts were running away with her, why had she been so useless. Two battles and she had done nothing. A kid was dead and she had done nothing. She felt like a piece of shit, of all the things she could be, why did it have to be useless? There wasn’t that long left before she could walk again, maybe even a little bit of light flying. If there was a next time she would be ready, she swore it.

Jackalope had swung by to say hi at one point, Sapphire wondered why she hadn’t been asleep, she just answered she had helped clean up? Sapphire had been too tired to question it, welcoming the company.

They chatted for a bit as Jackalope went around, pausing at Tom before going off to bed. Sapphire fell back into thought. Tom had made quite the mess, no he had butchered his way through the enemy. She had trained to be in the guard, then to become a huntress and a damn good one at that. Perhaps she had found a new teacher, if she could kill darklings like Tom could she would never be useless again. She would be one of the most feared warriors in the kingdom. Now wouldn’t that be a sight for sore eyes?

Perhaps she could even get the royal guard to beg her to join them. And then she could say “No. You had your chance.” What she wouldn’t give for that moment. She played out the scenario for herself, oh how sweet that would taste. It would mean learning to fight like Tom and judging by what she had seen he didn’t just fight differently. He thought differently too. That would be a hell of a challenge, but maybe just maybe it would be worth it.

When Tom stirred again the sun was starting to rise, Sapphire was tired. The few hours she had gotten before starting her watch, were a poor substitute for proper sleep. Not long after Fengi had come to replace her and the two had wandered off, Sapphire contemplating another nap after this.

The three had chatted for a bit before Tom elected to go have a chat with their prisoner, perhaps give him some water in the normal fashion. Sapphire had followed along, she wanted to see just what Tom had done down here.

As they walked the scene was gruesome, there was blood and guts sprayed everywhere. Corpses were still littering the place, so apparently Jackalope hadn’t done much cleaning.

Tom looked around dejectedly, it was clear he wasn’t happy with what he saw. He walked over to a corpse, its neck having been torn to pieces and knelt down.

“Sapphire, do they feel?”

“They screech in pain if that is what you mean.”

“I mean really feel, are they alive, can they think?”

“We don’t know for sure, somewhat it seems. They can make decisions, if they have their orders they will try and do it best they can”

“So they not just animals then”

“I’m not sure what they are exactly to be honest, except tragedies. They are all people who have been lost. I’m not sure if it is better to kill them or not to be honest”

“Let’s hope they don’t remember old times then” Tom went, getting up.

“Lets”

They had made their way further down and the carnage just continued. Sapphire wasn’t sure if she should be awestruck or horrified. The smell was starting to set in. They needed to get this place scrubbed down today.

As they arrived at the armory, Sapphire saw that there the carnage was on another level, though the bodies had been moved already. The black knight hadn’t been touched though, and Tom walked over to the knight and knelt down.

“Okay if touch?”

“Yeah just don’t put the armor on, maybe leave the blade be too”

Tom took off the helmet of the knight and went about inspecting his ears. He had a lot of earrings and other little pieces of jewelry. Tom inspected them all before taking one and pocketing it. Sapphire guessed the earring matched the one he had found on Dashu. Well if nothing else that did seal whether he was guilty or not.

Tom went back up to the smithy, he stopped in front of the smithy door, pausing for a moment with his hand at the doorhandle before going in. There Dashu sat in a chair apparently asleep. He looked beaten up but not as bad as Sapphire had imagined, then she remembered Tom’s mention of water torture.

Tom knocked his boot against a table leg a few times.

“Good morning”

There was no response from Dashu. Not surprising Sapphire thought, it was early morning, after all, still a little cold, even in here. Not to mention sleep might have come rather hard for Dashu.

Tom walked over and grabbed him by the horn and wiggled a bit. This got the desired response as Dashu woke up looking around, eyes coming to rest on Tom clearly scared, lowering his head.

“I found earring” Dashu seemed to shrink into himself

“I didn’t lie, I swear no more water. Please” Sapphire was shocked by the reaction. She had never tried being drowned but it really didn't sound pleasant. Dashu’s Reaction only Strengthened her belief.

“I think you did a little, but no matter” Tom didn’t sound angry as Sapphire had suspected, more thoughtful in fact and what did he mean Dashu had lied?

“How much did they pay you?” Dashu was clearly not willing to answer the question.

“If you want to live tell truth, remember?”

“20 gold” That was a lot of money, Sapphire admitted but seriously, she could feel her blood boil. He had sold the lives of his comrades for a mere.

“20 fucking gold!” She burst out, catching herself. Tom just shook his head at Dashu, straightening back up to his full height.

“You gotta be kidding”

“I’m sorry okay. I didn’t know they were gonna come attack us”

“But they did, and you still open door” Tom responded.

“You selfish little piece of shit” Sapphire added.

“What do you think they would do if I didn't huh? I didn’t know they were darklings before the attack I swear.”

“They threaten you, didn’t they” Tom went, holding up the earring.

“Of course they did.” Tom just shook his head.

“You are idiot, selfish, coward may the gods have mercy on your soul”

Tom didn’t seem angry anymore, just disappointed. Why wasn’t he angry? This was despicable, she looked to the sorry excuse for a dragonette as Tom turned to leave.

“It will be a long way down traitor” Dashu just began crying. She expected little less from a coward like that, even Anastasi had more of a spine than this guy. As she turned to follow Tom she smacked Dashu in the face with her tail. He didn't even bite her or shout back, what a failure. She would have loved the excuse.