Chapter 20

I do not own Claymore

Leaving the bath room, they were heading up to their room and as Teresa passed a darkened side passage, a familiar voice spoke, "Hello there Teresa, it has been a long time."

In a flash, Teresa grabbed the speaker and dragged him into their room where she pushed him up against the wall with her left hand gripping his throat and her right hand gripping her knife hilt.

Rubel grimaced and gasped for breath as her powerful grip squeezed his windpipe, his weak, ineffectual hands pulling vainly at her hand.

After a few moments, she relinquished her grip on his throat and stepped back.

Rubel clasped his hands around his throat and said hoarsely, "You really had me there, why did you stop?"

Teresa glared at him and retorted coldly, "I can always finish the job you know, snapping your scrawny neck wouldn't take but a moment. What are you doing here, what are those warriors looking for and what's with the watchers?"

Rubel glanced at all of them and he said pleasantly, "They are not looking for you and they don't know I'm here either."

He smiled at Clare and said to her cheerfully, "It is good to see you again my dear, I am glad that you survived the northern campaign and found your "mother", so to speak."

Clare glared at him and spat hotly, "No thanks to you, asshole, those warriors you sacrificed were good people and my friends.

"You telling me you're glad to see me just doesn't ring true, so cut the crap!"

Sheila spoke up suddenly with her own question, "Did they revive Lord Dae like they did with Teresa? Last I saw of him, he was lying in his own blood with his head still rolling around."

Rubel said ruefully, "I'm afraid they did get to him in time, though they couldn't repair the other damage you did to him.

"He's gone quite mad about it you know, it's a very sensitive subject!"

Sheila smiled grimly and said gleefully, "I'm glad of that, I'm glad I destroyed his one source of pleasure, I hope it eats him up!"

Riful at this time spoke up cheerfully, "Good, that means I will get to inflict a lot of pain on him before I destroy him."

Rubel smiled at her and said unctuously, "You must be the Lady of the West, I have never had the pleasure of meeting you."

Riful smiled sweetly and remarked acidly, "The only reason you're still alive is because Teresa grabbed you first, my blades are as sharp as ever and my temper is very short." for emphasis, a lock of her hair formed into a long, slender blade and lightly caressed his soft throat, leaving behind a thin, red line to mark its passage.

Rubel went even paler than his usual pallor and as he gulped, his Adam's apple jogged briefly.

Teresa laid her hand on Riful's slim shoulder and said to her quietly, "I think he got your point Riful, the question I want answered is the one I already asked."

She looked at Rubel and said testily, "I repeat, what are you doing here if you're not with those watchers and warriors we saw earlier?"

Rubel smiled slightly and replied pleasantly, "I was actually hoping to meet up with some of my favorite warriors and I got my wish!"

"So, you're doing this without the knowledge of the organization? What's to prevent us from turning you over to them as a traitor?" Muttered Teresa.

Rubel smiled again and replied, "The thing that prevented you from reporting me to begin with, you have a long history of being rebellious Teresa. I'm honestly surprised that they would have forgotten that when they revived you.

"Were they thinking that you would be grateful? That you'd lose that stubborn streak? Even I knew better, I knew you would leave at the first opportunity and no one alive would be able to stop you."

Rubel chuckled and said almost happily, "Your being revived was like a prayer being answered, and young Sheila being assigned to help you regain your strength was almost too good to be true."

Clare suddenly blurted out, "You're a double agent? You're actually working for this enemy that the organization is opposing, you never intended for the organization to succeed at all!"

Rubel smiled and shrugged, "Every one needs a hobby, my hobby is undermining the organization without appearing to do anything."

"Why are you doing this?" Asked Clare.

"The war on the mainland has been going on too long, the organization aims to escalate it and prolong it. I aim to impede their progress, however I can..."

"What war, what mainland?" Snapped Riful, "What are you getting at?" She demanded.

"Ah me! I think I've said too much, I really should be going now. You're getting much too noisy and someone might be listening." Replied Rubel with a smirk on his pale face.

He stepped to the door and he paused before leaving them with his final word on the subject,

"You might want to bring this up with Miria, she and I have had several conversations about this very subject. Ta ta!"

With a negligent wave of his hand he stepped out of their room and left.

Riful started after him and was stopped by Teresa who hissed, "I want to kick his slimy ass too, now is not the time. We need to get you back to Rabona where the organization can't send any more of those feeder thingies after you."

Riful glared at Teresa for a moment, then her eyes returned to their normal brown and she sighed, "You're right, I shouldn't have let him piss me off like he did. How has he survived so long, being as annoying as he is?"

Clare cooly remarked, "Probably because we all have wanted to kick his ass and if the opportunity ever came up, we'd all be fighting over who got the privilege!"

Teresa quietly chuckled and said, "Clare, you just made a joke, are you feeling alright?"

Clare was about to reply when Cynthia spoke up in her own quiet manner, "Um, guys? Maybe we should be leaving? Rubel is right, we made a lot of racket just now and there are some watchers and warriors in town. It wouldn't do to bump into them."

Teresa glanced around at their faces and said ruefully, "Cynthia's right, we do need to get out of here. Meeting Rubel is just too much of a coincidence for my comfort."

Sheila glanced over at her freshly made bed and said glumly, "We'll have to do this another time."

The window to their room slowly opened and Clare peeked out, she looked around for a few moments and nodded to her companions still shrouded in darkness.

One by one, they slipped out of the window and dropped silently to the ground below.

With no moon out to light their way, they relied on their youki enhanced night vision to make their way through the alleys behind the inn.

Shadowy figures cloaked in shadows, they slipped away and nearly blundered into two of the warriors they had strived to avoid.

Time stood still as the shadowy tableaux froze with hands to weapons, weapons that wielded by those hands, could level the town into a blood spattered ruin.

The moments crawled by, one sudden, rash move could spark a conflagration of sword play that would leave the alley littered with the newly dead.

One of the warriors finally stepped back and spoke quietly, "My name is Patrice, I am number 24 and this is Claudia, she is number 36. May I ask your names?"

Sheila released her sword grip and slowly straightened to her full height.

Towering over the warriors, she said quietly, "I am Sheila, I was number 47, I knew a Patrice during training."

The warrior named Patrice also released her sword grip and she too, straightened to her full height, which was still considerably shorter than Sheila's height.

Her face broke out into a big grin and she said softly, "Am I glad to see you, Beanpole!"

The two broke into smiles and fondly embraced then broke out into a highly stifled giggling fit, the others, seeing the tension broken, relaxed until the two released each other.

In a hoarse whisper, Patrice asked, "What are you guys doing here? We're trying to find a missing warrior and instead we find ghosts."

Teresa replied tersely, "We're just passing through on our way back to our home. Obviously, we are not going to tell you where."

Patrice smiled at her and said, "I for one, am glad she went with you, if anyone could survive out here it would be you, Teresa of the faint smile."

Claudia spoke up and asked, "Have you seen a lone warrior in your travels?"

Teresa asked curtly, "Is she up for execution, for desertion?"

"No, she has gone missing under mysterious circumstances, she has always been very reliable. We are not an execution squad, we are a rescue party." replied Claudia.

Clare glanced over at Riful who had remained silent and asked her bluntly, "Is this something you did? I remember this was one of your tricks at one time."

Even in the gloom, the hurt look on Riful's doll like face was apparent as she replied testily, "I had nothing to do with this, I've spent too long in hiding trying to survive, I haven't been able to fool around with kidnapping any warriors, not lately."

Claudia glared at Riful and said sharply, "What do you mean by "not lately" You've done this in the past?"

Riful glared back at her and was about to retort when Sheila intervened by saying quickly, "I think a couple of introductions are needed here, just so you know who you're dealing with."

Riful folded her arms over her small bosom and stood glaring at Claudia while Sheila announced in a hoarse whisper, "Patrice, Claudia, I'd like you to meet Riful, as in Riful of the West."

Claudia's face blanching was apparent even in the dim light of the alley, and she blurted out in a strangled whisper, "You're traveling with an abyssal? Are you fucking crazy?!"

Patrice grabbed her arm and hoarsely whispered, "Watch your language! Riful used to be a number one and even if she is an abyssal now, she still deserves some respect and courtesy!"

Riful smiled at Patrice and said pleasantly, "I like you, you understand the importance of courtesy and respect." glancing at Claudia she frowned and said pointedly, "You could learn from her example!"

Cynthia suddenly hissed from her vantage point, "Someone's coming!"

They all slipped into the shadows as a pair of armed men strolled past the alley entrance with a glowing lantern to light their way.

Moments later when the glow of the lantern had passed, silence reigned until Patrice and Claudia realized that they were alone, the ghosts had slipped away in utter silence.

Claudia spoke first, "If you say we didn't see anything here, I will corroborate your story."

Patrice grinned at her sword companion and replied, "What makes you think we saw anything? It is awfully dark in this alley and the wind can make some funny noises sometimes."

Claudia grinned back and replied, "You're right, it does get a little spooky in these alleys!"

She slipped her arm possessively around Patrice's slim waist and the two headed to the inn for a meal, a bath and their bedroom.

Moments later, Rubel emerged from the darkened doorway he had hidden in, a smirk on his pale face.

He furtively glanced around and slipped away into the darkness.

Once more, the chirruping of the crickets returned as the alley resumed its slumber, dawn was still many hours away.