A/N: This chapter contains graphic threats of torture. Those who would prefer not to read such content are advised to stop here.
Karida tried hard to stop herself from glancing over at Jomei, Siensao, or Zoukani every few seconds to make sure they were still there. Most of the time, she failed. She was terrified, so much so that her hands wouldn't stop trembling. But there was relief as well. It'll be over. She won't listen and he'll kill me and it'll be over! I'll be safe! There was guilt, like a worm gnawing at her gut, but she pushed it away. All too soon, the large door of the granary was before her. As per her request, Siensao had given her the loan of Zoukani's sword and a small, sharp knife. The long jian hung at her hip, a weight she hadn't felt in a long time. The knife was in her right hand. Jomei hauled open the door and walked in first, looking to either side. He needn't have worried. She could have told him their enemy was far too confident for that. Sure enough, as they walked farther in and Zoukani closed the door behind them, she saw Reki the Blood Drinker standing in the middle of the building. Ten more Si Wong tribesmen stood far behind her, too far to help out in a fight, and two of them had the half-bare feet of sandbenders.
Upon seeing her, Reki crossed her arms, scowling. Karida's breath caught in her throat and she almost dropped the knife. Oh gods. It's her. She's really here. Her breath grew fast and shallow and her trembling became a full-body shaking as she stared at Reki as if the other woman was a poisonous snake poised to bite.
"You," Reki said, jabbing a finger at Karida, "Are in a lot of trouble. How long has it been? No, don't strain that pile of wet sand you're using for brains, I'll answer that. Enough time for you to grow your damn spine back and get angry enough to start thinking about training. But instead, I get word that you've got a fucking death wish! What the fuck is this? Are you trying to piss me off and hope that I just kill you? I was very clear about the consequences if you did something like this."
Karida felt her knees start to give out and the old urge to fling herself at Reki's feet came roaring back. No, no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Then Jomei interrupted.
"Hey, if this is question time, I've got one," he snapped, "Who in hell are you and what are you doing trying to pick a fight with Karida?"
Reki's gaze flicked over to the miner, who soon had to look away.
"Aw, that's just so cute," she said, chuckling, a smile breaking out on her face that made his neck hairs stand on end. "What rock have you been hiding under? My name's Reki. Most people call me the Blood Drinker, though rarely to my face. I rule half the Si Wong Desert and I'll get the other half in a year or two. Karida owes me the most challenging and bloody fight of my life. If you've taken advantage of her, stone-head, I'll get nasty with you." Her smile widened, showing teeth. "You wouldn't enjoy that, but I would. I almost wish you did do that."
"Nobody deserves what you did. And I didn't do anything like that. If you just called her down here to yell at her, we're done with that," Jomei answered, feeling his palms growing sweaty on the haft of his hammer.
"I called her down here for a gentle reminder of what she owes me, of course" Reki said. "Leave her and get out of my sight. You'll get her back alive in a day or two. Karida, come over here. Now."
Karida had recovered enough to only take one step forward before she forced herself to a stop.
"N-no," she whispered. In the still quiet of the granary, the near-whisper was clearly audible. Reki stopped smiling.
"Karida," she growled, "Come. Here. Now."
"I won't go back," Karida said, her voice shaking, and raised her knife to her own throat. Her hand wouldn't stop trembling and she held the blade in a white-knuckled grip.
Reki let out an amused snort.
"Yes, you will," she said, "I see it now, you've just forgotten how this goes. You threaten to kill yourself, but you can't, and then you do what I say and it's worse because you tried this stunt beforehand. Go ahead. I'll let you work through it."
Jomei watched in a horrible fascination as Karida touched the knife edge to her throat, pressed hard enough to draw blood…and then wilted, the knife falling to clatter on the stone at her feet.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to Jomei.
The miner raised his hammer and Karida froze in place. Do it, do it, do it!
"Maybe she can't do it," the miner said, "But I can. I'll kill her myself before I let you do anything else to her."
Reki laughed, the uneven sound echoing in the wide spaces of the granary.
"You've seen what I did to her, stone-head. If you so much as scratch her, I'll make it worse just for you. I'll cut you apart sliver by sliver and make you eat the bits. I'll put you in a wire jacket and flay you alive a fraction at a time until your skin is all scar. I'll turn you over to the most disgusting fucks among my warriors to bend over a table. When the end comes, you'll beg for death and I'll help you pull out your own guts inch by inch until I think you're ready for the buzzard-wasps. You think what I did to her was undeserved? Wait until you see what I do to you! I will fuck you up!"
Looking deep into Reki's shining green eyes and bared teeth, Jomei's resolve withered and he swallowed hard. His hammer shook slightly and Karida looked over at him with a wordless plea on her face. Then he felt the prick of cold metal at the base of his own neck and saw Siensao's katana sitting under his chin.
"I take care of my own people, Reki," the merchant admonished her, her tone mild. "If Jomei does kill Karida, I'll execute him for the crime of mortal stupidity. Your creative approach towards punishment is not needed nor welcome. And I think you'll find pursuing vengeance against me will end very unprofitably for you."
"I don't care about profit and the lot of you are starting to annoy me," Reki snapped back. "I don't care to repeat myself, so this is the last time I will. Give! Me! Karida!" The tribesmen at the Blood Drinker's back began drawing weapons.
"No deal, desert rat!" Jomei snarled, heart pounding fit to burst as he raised his hammer a fraction, unsure if he would be able to let it fall.
"Wait!" Karida burst out, causing everyone to stop and stare. Silence fell for a long moment.
"Wait," the sandbender said once again. "If…if I fight you…and I do well…will you let us all go?"
Reki's eyebrows rose a fraction. Then she smiled again.
"Fight me and I'll let just you go. Fight well enough to convince me you're not completely hopeless and everyone except hammerhead there goes free. No one calls me desert rat and lives."
"I apologize," Jomei said, lowering his hammer and bowing deeply, forcing the words out as if they pained him, "I was angry and I thought things were about to go badly. I take back everything I said."
"Quite aside from that," Siensao added, putting her sword back in its sheath, "He's been trying to help Karida grow strong again, as you would have wanted. Killing him would undo a lot of work."
Reki made a show of examining her fingernails, then nodded.
"Well, you are good-looking enough. I suppose I'll accept your apology. That being said, if you ever mention this to anyone, I'll find you. Karida, darling, step forward." Still that mad smile twisted her face. "Let's see if anyone here is going to live."
