Night Blades and Morning Blood

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“Tiberius, help this man.” Bores ordered. His task completed, the bleeding assassin slumped to his knees and began to suck in deep, rasping breaths. Tiberius and some other men rushed forward in aid but Bores turned his back on them and faced the band of mismatched listeners.
“New Challenge.” He began. “A kretch, formerly a guest of brother Barrett’s, has escaped the dungeons and is now free. All apprentices that are able will set out after the beast and return him to this very spot. A word of advice, this kretch is very smart and very quick, to which I can attest.” He rubbed his still bandaged arm. “So, you will need to work together to return him alive and he must be alive boys, he is very valuable to us. Understood?” All the apprentices nodded, each wearing a steely, determined expression.
“BEGIN!” he shouted to the heavens and the twenty-one boys who were uninjured or patched up with bright white bandages ran towards the house.
“Someone get a fire going in the trees.” Cutler ordered. “We have much to discuss.”

An hour passed before the nine members of the council stood around the small, smoky concoction of flames.
“My initial inspection of the creature’s cell indicates that although his manacles remained in place the silver bindings and cell door had been left open.” Tiberius reported. “Furthermore, the second guard on watch of the dungeons lay in the next cell over, with his throat ripped out and his blood all by drank.”
“And the first guard?” Cutler asked. “The one who warned us.”
“He is badly injured but should make a partial recovery at least.” They had that to be thankful for Barrett supposed.
“Very well.” Their leader rounded on the Bat. “Do you have anything to say on the matter Senik?”
The small hunched assassin gave an awkward chuckle. “I played with the prisoner most of the night and was sure I tied him up afterwards, but it must have slipped my mind in all the fun we were having.” He said he said to the fire dreamily.
Senik’s mistake had caused the death of a brother and the very least deserved a severe scalding from Cutler but instead the slimy man favored him with a poisonous smile and said: “We cannot afford to make mistakes like that Senik. You must do better. We will talk about this later.” Barrett stood astounded and was begining to form the words for an objection when he was interrupted.
“The apprentices have returned, brother Bores.” Announced another faceless brother and another (all be it significantly more informal) meeting was adjourned.
The nine strode across the garden crunching loudly on the white powder, which was beginning to thicken in the fresh bout of a mid-morning snow. The gaggle had once again assembled and were obscuring the scene that unfolded. As Barrett approached he noted the silence, every member, brother and apprentice, just stood in silence and stared. The members of the council pushed their way to the front.
The Kretch was on its knees in the center of the circle. Its hands were strapped behind his back with what seemed to be a piece of blood-stained sleeve. Against the snow the monster could have disappeared, glowing as white as the snow in the morning sun. The snow clouds passed across the sky and the beasts milk white skin greyed and lost its luminescence. Senik had been busy. The shine gone, the Kretch’s adornment of disfigurements were plain for all to see. Large slices of skin just beginning to heal and fresh attacks covered his chest and back, the knotted muscles exposed in places. It panted hard at the ground, expelling huge plumes of hot breath that rose and mingled with that of his exhausted captors.
“Apprentices, report.” Bores ordered, taking up position directly in front of the prisoner and looking down on him with disgust. A long limbed sinewy boy with untidy hair and a faint moustache stepped forward.
“The Kretch left the dungeons from a passage leading out into the woods. Jacen tracked it through the snow towards the north-west and we caught sight of the abomination as he was leaving the woods almost two miles from here. We quickly caught up and engaged it. Apprentices Tarin and Mercer fell in the fray before we banded together for victory.”
“Very well. I’m sure the tale will be told many times in years to come. It is quite a feat from all of you.” He drew a long dagger from his boot and brushed it gently across the Kretch’s nape. “Did you enjoy your brief taste of freedom, filth?” The Kretch gave no reply. Bores knelt and lifted its bulbous head with the blade point. “Well?”
“Don’t get too close, assassin, you still bear my marks I see.” It said gesturing towards Bores’ bandaged arm with its milky eyes.
“Well it is only fair that I share a mark with you then.” He kicked the prisoner to the ground and planted a large boot across his throat. He bent down over him and slowly began to meticulously carve around its eye socket. The air was filled with choking screams underlined with a soft chuckle from Senik.
“Enough Bores.” Cutler commanded. The bearded man ignored him and the kretch’s screams intensified. “Bores! I said enough!” Bores broke off his attack, shot Cutler a look of hatred and stormed off in the direction of the trees. The kretch groaned and regained his position on his knees.
Bores really had shared a mark. A fresh amount of blood now covered the monster’s grotesque face. It flowed and dripped into the snow from half a circle of finely spaced cuts that shone with the color of bone below.
Cutler stepped forward.
“You will pay for the life you took, filth. You will pay one-hundred times over with pain and blood.” He said.
“I have enjoyed our little chats, Cutler.” The kretch said. “Many hours spent talking by candle light. Not like the bat, he’s quiet but you like to talk.” Cutler began to circle the prisoner, remaining silent.
“You always had a question for me. What was happening here or there, what did this do, where did it come from? You ranted on for hours about this person or this victory or this kill, about what your mighty emperor did or didn’t know. All very interesting. We have come to know each other quite well; wouldn’t you say?”
“Silence, scum.” Cutler replied, punching down into the kretch’s already bleeding eye. The beast just laughed back at him.
“Here this mortal’s. My name is Shapeesh and when this frail body of mine finally falters I will return home to the place that fills your nightmares. I will bide my time and when I am summoned back to this dismal realm, rest assured my friends I shall be, I will seek revenge on all of you still living. I will begin with you, Mr. Cutler.”
Cutler struck him again, this time a brutal backhand that dislodge and bloody tooth into the soft white flakes.
“You are a very interesting man, Cutler, full of zeal, anger and sadness. Driven by your arrogance, ambition and deceit. So much deceit.”
Their leader was visibly shaking now, face reddening in a combination of anger and embarrassment.
“All those lies you spoke of in the darkness. What a burden they must be. But you have so many friends to share your problems with.” The kretch began to laugh again, cackling into the sky, misting bloody saliva that pinked the flakes as it fell.
But the creatures’ adulation was short lived. Cutler stepped quickly behind him, drew his disgusting sword and sliced clean through the prisoner’s neck. The crowd gasped and stared in awe as the black-red liquid fountained from the bloody expanse. The kretch fell forward into the snow, its hands still tied behind its back. The dark blood flowed in pulses at first but quickly drew to a slow trickle and then just hot drops that melted all the snow they touched. What had Cutler done? Had he not thought of the consequences?
Before Barrett or anyone else in the assembly could ask there was a deafening boom. The apprentices covered their ears and the brothers reached for their blades as the creatures body flashed black and dissolved into ashes before their eyes. Barrett’s ears rang. Cutler’s lips were moving but whether he was talking or not he could not tell. Barrett looked around him and recognized the confused look on everybody’s face as one he was mirroring. He wiggled his fingers in his ears and they popped, easing the ringing but only a little.
Realizing that the group could not hear him, Cutler gave up and began to wipe the blood from his blade on a handkerchief. Once it was clean he tried again.
“Somebody find Bores. Everybody else find something to eat.” He shouted.
Barrett went to stroll back to the house, still wiggling in his canals franticly but Cutler moved to block his path. “We must speak first Barrett, just me, you and Bores.”

The bat hadn’t yet moved, he stood staring down at the pile of ash that remained where his toy had once laid. Bores stomped over, clearly still hot with rage.
“In light of recent events…” Cutler began.
“The events of you trawling our rules through the mud you mean?” Bores interrupted. Cutler looked disgusted at the far too accurate accusation. “To begin with, your little pets slip of the mind cost a brother his life. The council should vote on what punishment should be delivered. It is not your place to wave your hand and dismiss his failings.”
“You are right Bores.” Cutler conceded. “A vote will be held tonight to decide Senik’s fate.” The bat made no acknowledgement of the development.
“Second, that thing over there was a valuable prisoner. Why did you think it appropriate to slit its throat and free the demon within without warning or discussion?” Bores was shouting now, his temper getting the better of him. Barrett just watched, he was right to be angry, everything he said was true and he was interested to hear the answers to the battlemaster’s questions.
“Again, old friend, you are right. My temper got the better of me and I am sorry.”
“Sorry!” His face reddened and the shouting intensified. He slowly edged towards Cutler with every answer that wasn’t to his liking. “Who knows what secrets that thing had to tell and now you’ve sent it back home, ripe and ready and gathering it’s strength, waiting to be summoned once more with revenge on his mind.”
“He’s right, Cutler.” Barrett spoke up. “We know little of Kretches and in our current situation one with such power would have been very valuable.”
“And you just took it upon yourself to throw all that away.”
“It was a grave mistake my friends and I am sorry, but do not forget who you are talking to.” Cutler warned.
“And who exactly would that be?” Barrett sensed that Bores liked the apologies even less than the answers. “Advisor to the emperor? Leader of our merry band?” Cutler had no answer. “What did it say Barrett? Before Cutler silenced it?” Pieces of a puzzle began to slot together.
“It said that Cutler was afraid. It said that all his deceit was a heavy burden. What did it mean Cutler?” Barrett too started to feel the beginning of anger.
“The creature lied of course, a demon clothed in flesh.”
“Really Cutler?” Barrett asked. “Or did you kill it to save your own skin? Silencing it before it said too much?”
“Evil lies Barrett we all know that. It was goading me into releasing him and it worked.”
“I hope your right.” Bores moved so the pairs noses were almost touching. “Because it doesn’t look good for you. I don’t trust you Cutler and I will be watching you.”
Cutler seemed to instantly calm as the subject closed. Bores stepped back into the small circle.
“I called this meeting to discuss an order that I hope you will agree will go without discussion.” Cutler shot the northerner a venomous look. “In light of today’s events I hope you will agree we must take drastic action. You must depart on your mission immediately brother Barrett.”
Barrett paused searching his mind for the words to form an answer. He had no attachment to the trials and would not receive an apprentice this year, therefore no reason to stay. But he couldn’t help but suspect there was more. This business with Cutler and the kretch, he may have the others convinced but Bores suspected something.
Barrett always distrusted Cutler, only a niggling distrust but distrust none the less. Maybe it was because of the way he treated him or maybe just a gut feeling but now the niggling was more pressing, more urgent. And now someone else felt the same.
He could not deny that he wanted Cutler’s seat at the table, he was ambitious of course, but more importantly the order was everything to him. They had raised him, fed him, taught him and he held its safety above all else. Cutler could not endanger that safety.
Barrett wished to talk with Bores away from prying eyes but hopefully that could wait. Reluctantly, he agreed and took his leave.