Blood Moon

Sydney Alexis

VI

I left Kathryn in the wives' bath and made my way to my room. After playing the role I was cast, I was exhausted. Every step, word, and action had to be carefully crafted without any hesitation. Despite my attempts, which Kathryn characterized as 'spot-on', I knew for a fact that I'm was being followed. I had been through most of the morning as I searched the castle for my pseudo-wife. The pillock tried to eavesdrop on our conversation earlier. I could almost hear the fool straining to pick up bits of our conversation. I'd nearly had enough.

Whoever he was, he was 'well' trained. While he was able to melt into the shadows, his footsteps were heavy, clumsy, and loud enough for me to identify gender and weight. An image of the elephant I'd ridden in India came to mind. Suppressing a laugh, I continued to walk towards my room. My tail stopped as I neared the doors, edging out behind the third pillar back on my right to watch me. An uneasy feeling crept through me- not from the idiot trying to follow me, but from my sixth sense telling me someone was waiting in my room.

I was left with an interesting dilemma. One behind me and at least one in front. The question was- were they working together? If so, he was waiting to give them a signal of my approach. Pausing to slide my dagger from its sheath and palming it, I retraced my steps back towards the massive staircase I had just climbed. One hundred seventy three steps to the third pillar on the right. I had counted to ensure I could escape this place at night if necessary.

As I approached my tail, I heard him draw in a deep breath, heard his feet shuffle against the stone flooring, attempting to mold himself there, willing me not to see him. Whoever had taught him, there skill was mediocre at best. One hundred seventy...one hundred seventy one... I drew the blade into my hand, grasping it lightly. One hundred seventy two...three. I walked a few paces from the pillar, imaging him sighing with relief that I didn't catch him. Idiot. His heart was racing hard if not harder than my own. He was fighting his body's call for more oxygen. Deeper breaths would give location away. Not that it mattered. I already knew exactly where he was.

I turned abruptly, my arm flying upwards, the dagger's blade leaving my hand and sailing through the air toward the third pillar. He didn't have time to move or react until after I had hit my target. A deep, strangled cry escaped the man's throat. From my position, I could smell the blood pooling from his wound. I drew my sword from my belt and approached cautiously.

The door to my room came flying open and two men and a woman came running out toward me. The first man was short with dark brown hair. He stopped, raising a crossbow, aimed it, pulled the trigger. I watched the arrow spiral on a straight trajectory. A smile tugged at my lips.Nothing like a good bout of violence to clear the mind.

I raised the wide blade of my sword, deflecting the object, then took a fighting stance. The second man ran came running to me at full force, swinging his sword widely and with brute strength. The action spoke volumes- he had little experience with a sword. Judging by his grip, his weapon of choice was a mace. I ducked the first arc easily. He swung again, even more widely this time. He was distracting me, trying to get me to turn my back to the men wielding the crossbow. At least these idiots could work together.

The woman, who was carrying a staff, was circling me trying to use the long, wooden weapon to drop me to my knees. I saw her swing the weapon expertly in my peripheral vision. Jumping to avoid the blow, I watched the swordman's mouth form an 'O' as the staff intercepted his leg.

The falling giant opened a window for the crossbow man to fire again. I heard the trigger release. Spinning quickly, I grabbed the woman's waist, pulling her in front of me like a human shield. The arrow hit with deadly accuracy. She coughed, reddish black blood spilling from her mouth.

"Anyankah!" A voice called from behind me. Chakotay knew this woman? The thought was quickly quelled at the sound of the crossbow clattered to the ground. The shooter had fallen to his knees in shock. I shrugged as I released the woman, letting her limp body fall to the ground.

I used the pause in fighting send my boot dagger flying towards the crumbled mass in front of my bedroom door and run the larger swordsman through. The larger man gurgled slightly as I pulled the blade out of him, but made no further sound. No need to check the crossbowman either. The dagger had hit him squarely in the neck.

By the time I had turned, my tail had made his way to the woman's side. He was stroking her hair affectionately and sobbing like a woman. I pressed the blood soaked blade against his neck.

"Chakotay," I said, evenly. "Out for a late night stroll?"

His eyes burned with hate and were laced with pain. I laughed at him. "You four really should have brushed up on your skills before you came back. Unless this little side trip was Neelix's idea. Some sort of training exercise?"

His jaw tightened in anger, but he said nothing. "Turn around, hands behind your back," I commanded. His spine stiffened.

For the first time, I allowed my gaze to slip from his. His hand was bleeding. The dagger's blade still embedded between the middle and ring finger's tendons.

I gripped the handle and pulled it out quickly. This time, only a moan escaped his lips.

"I didn't hit the main line. If I had, you would have bled out." I said

I paused, looking at the woman he had been cradling like she was precious. She had jet-black hair, brown eyes, and a curvy figure. She was probably a local girl with a complex like that. Her dress was of a pauper or equally low level, but her beauty was remarkable. What a waste.

"Who are these people...or should I say were?"

Again, he said nothing. He just tightened his jaw and kept pawing at her, whispering things in hushed tones. It was bringing unbidden memories. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"This game is getting old, and I didn't have the time or inclination to stand in a hallway all night. Walk," I said, pointing towards Kathryn's room. He cast one last, longing look at the bodies on the floor and obeyed, staying a beat or two ahead of me.

I tied him onto her vanity's chair using his shirt as a make-shift rope. I was careful to bind his wrists to the arms tight enough that he would loose all feeling in them.

"We can play this one of two ways: you tell me what I want to know and I kill you quickly, or I torture you until you tell me. My preference is the latter. It's always more fun that way. Course...I'm a little rusty in fine arts. Been awhile since someone's made me pry the information from them," I said, turning from him, wiping his blood off my blade with the remains of his shirt. When he said nothing, I moved to sit across from him on Kathryn's bed.

He had turned his head towards the door, staring at it intently. "Your girlfriend's long gone. She's lost too much blood for the shaman to do anything." No response. Not that I was expecting any.

"This is Kathryn's room," I said, watching his head snap back to look at me. "Course you knew that, didn't you? She really hates you. Can't say that I blame her...I wonder what she'll do when she finds us in here? I could just give you over to her...let her have her way."

I watched his eyes grow large as he shifted in his seat, but he still said nothing. "Wouldn't like that, would you, pillock?"

§¤§¤☼¤§¤§

By the time Kathryn returned, it was nearly time for sunset. Her eyes went wide at the site of a barely conscious Chakotay, tied to a chair, a small pool of blood beneath him. She looked from him back to me with an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"What happened?" She breathed.

I cocked my head the side and smiled at her. "What's a'matter, ducks, don't like your present?"

Kathryn didn't say anything. She just stood in the doorway, watching me running my favorite dagger over the sharpening stone I always carried in my pocket as a good luck charm. It was then that I suddenly noticed my blood stained hands. Before I realized what was happening, I felt the feather mattress dip beside me. She took my left hand in hers and started cleaning the red off with a wet cloth. I watched her do it, setting the weapons down at my side. When she'd finished, I let one hand trail through her hair and the other cover her knee. I watched her breathing grow ragged, and her eyes flutter closed.

"He was following me, watching us in the garden. He's working for the king," I said in a low voice. "Seems his friends and he were contracted to kill me before I reached the homeland."

I watched her spine stiffen as she pulled away, sobering from the effects of my touch. Siren.

"Do they know?" She asked. Her eyes filled with fear.

"No," I said, softly. "He has two more waiting in my room to kill me. I'll have to take care of them before morning," I said, pausing for a long moment to look over at Chakotay. He was slowly waking. "You never told me what he did to you."

Her gaze automatically fell to the hands in her lap, and I knew without asking. I didn't want the details- at the very least he beat her. I didn't want to think of anything else. She was, after all, still seen as property. Escaping property at that. While the laws stated she had to be returned, how was Crycus to know what happened to her between the time she was found and returned?

I covered her hands with one of my own, using the other to tilt her chin up. "Did you mean what you said this morning?" She shot me a confused look. I smiled at her. "Either way I have to kill him. He knows too much. I'm asking you if you want to do this or should I?"

For some odd reason I felt that I wanted to protect her from all the hurt the world had to offer. I suppose this was my odd way of offering her release. I watched the conflict in her eyes.

"I...I...ugh."

"It's okay if you don't want to, pet," I said, meeting her eyes evenly. "Killing him will change everything. It'll either haunt you or make you crave more, but it won't make you feel any better."

She shook her head slowly. "Then you might want to leave the room or turn away." This time she shook her head in the negative, eyes filled with tears. I shrugged my shoulders. Wasn't my place to question her judgment. I crossed the room to look down at Chakotay. He moaned as I approach, and tensed. I laughed loudly at his pain.

"Told you things would go faster if you gave up the general, mate. Least it's almost over."

"Just a matter of time, Crycus. You're living on borrowed time."

I placed my hands on either side of his head. "Been livin' on borrowed time for awhile now," I said, snapping his neck.