“What are you doing here?” Judith demanded. “Do you have any –”

Jeanne slammed Judith’s head against the desk again. “I’d remember the situation as it is and not how you’re dreaming it.”

“Why are you here?” Judith asked.

“We just dealt with a gift from the good Guthrum and found his work on the bounty hunters you released, a local boy and Cyneswith’s child.”

“The fuck would I have to do with it?” Judith challenged. Jeanne slammed her head against the desk again.

“The only people who knew where they were going were us, Cyneswith and the hunters and you. Guthrum tried to kill us, he killed most of the others, and take a guess where that leaves you,” Jeanne said.

“Not a time to be you,” Benkin said, pulling out a long knife.

Judith saw the others beginning to take out their smaller weapons. “Y-you can’t do this!”

“Sure we can!” Jeanne said. “It’s just one person who can stop it before it starts. I hope you’re as dumb as you look.”

“You can’t prove anything!” Judith shouted.

“No, but that’s not a denial,” said Silvius.

“Who should start first?” Maeryn asked.

“Doctor? I don’t want to put you on the spot but …” Cid said before the doctor stepped forward.

“… No worries, I’ve been wanting to do this,” Leonidas said, rolling up his sleeves and unsheathing a small knife. “Is there a bucket anywhere?”

“There’s a chamber pot,” Hypatia said.

Leonidas walked over, looking inside. He picked it up, while nodding quickly, “this’ll work,” he said confidently, “I’ll need her tied to a chair.”

“On it,” Jeanne said, throwing the woman back into the chair and grabbed a sheet from her bed. “Look at this, fancy aren’t we?”

“It’s an heirloom from my mother,” Judith said, gritting her teeth.

“Sure it is,” Jeanne said as she ripped it into strips and tied Judith to the chair.

“Much obliged,” Leonidas said as he knelt down and looked at Judith. “Now I’m not going to lie, what I’m about to do, is going to hurt well beyond the worst you’ve ever felt before. Now we can do this the easy, or not.”

Judith shook her head. “I don’t know what you want me to say,” Judith replied.

“How did Guthrum know where Cyneswith and the others were at?” Cid asked as Leonidas placed the chamber pot behind Judith’s chair.

Judith looked up to the ceiling. “Please don’t do this,” she pleaded, tears running down her cheeks.

“That’s a good start,” Leonidas said as he walked behind Judith and cut her left hand, placing the chamber pot underneath her hands. As he moved back in front of the woman, he held a hand out, black ooze begin to pour from his skin and his eyes beginning to darken out before disappearing entirely.

“Last chance,” the doctor said, voice taking on a deep and gravelly quality.

“Shepherd help me,” Judith cried out weakly.

Jeanne felt a tinge in the back of her mind. She turned, expecting to find The Stranger standing in some shadowy part of the room, but found nothing.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Let’s see what one break will do,” Leonidas said as with a few movements of his fingers, there was a loud snap and Judith screamed in pain. Gabriel placed her hand on the reeve’s mouth.

“No need to frighten the neighbors now, is there?” she said.

“How did Guthrum know?” Cid asked.

Gabriel lifted her hand from Judith’s mouth. “I can’t tell you,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

“Break another,” Cid said to Leonidas.

Leonidas nodded as he snapped another part of Judith’s arm. Gabriel stifled Judith’s screams, now turning into cries.

“How did he find out?” Cid demanded.

“This is getting a little out of hand,” Silvius said, turning away.

“How much more are we going to do this?” Hypatia asked.

“Until she starts singing,” Leonidas said. “How did he know!”

Judith said nothing, only crying from the pain as she breathed heavy.

“Break another,” Cid said.

“I’ll talk,” Judith said breathlessly.

Leonidas kept his hand up. Causing the tendrils to keep tightening and Judith to scream, “I’ll talk!” louder.

“Doctor!” Cid called out, but the physician said nothing.

Jeanne grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him. “Leonidas!” He shook his head, blinking at her before regaining his senses.

“What?” Leonidas asked.

“She’s ready to talk now,” Jeanne said, pointing to the reeve.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll talk. Just don’t keeping hurting me, please,” she said, beginning to break down.

Leonidas retracted the dark substance and his eyes returned as he turned to Cid. “I think we’re in business.”

“I’ll take it,” Cid said. “So how did Guthrum learn where the group as going?”

“I told him,” Judith said. “He visited here a few hours after you all left and I told him.”

“Why?” Kveldulf asked.

“Because his brothers have been paying me to keep an eye on the two while they were in The Meadowlands.”

“You’ve been giving them protection!” Jeanne yelled, grabbing Judith’s nightdress by the collar.

Benkin pulled Jeanne off of her, “We’re not getting anything out of her if you’re roughing her up.”

“I was about to say that,” Cid followed. “But that is a good thing to discuss. Why have you been giving them protection?”

“They brothers are both close with Lord Bellem, who is well connected with Empress Adelize. And if I kept them happy, then they would raid the area and they could keep Aethewulf’s supporters.”

“So you allowed two murders to run wild?” Cid retorted.

“Two men are a pittance to dozens of bands running throughout the countryside laying waste to everything they see. There’s been rumors of the northern borders being raided by the Albans since this damned thing started with an invasion force not far behind. People look to me for some semblance of safety and I don’t know what to do.”

“And how many of your people have died because of this deal?” Cid asked. “Let alone whoever these monsters came across while passing through this region.”

“Or the towns they’ve burned to the ground in their wake,” said Hypatia.

“Or are they not a part of your jurisdiction,” Silvius said venomously.

“What would have done?” Judith said, defending herself.

“Not what you did,” Cid said. “And I’ve had my fair share of blood on my hands. There are towns now empty because of you. Families wiped off the face of this world, because of you. Stories now silent, because of you. And what makes me sick, is you have no sense of remorse for your actions. And if you did, you’d find a hole to throw yourself in to rid us of your stupidity.”

Judith sat in her chair, unable to speak as her eyes began sinking down to the floor. Cid then stepped closer grabbing her chin with his fingers. “Now, where can we find this Kolville?” he asked her.

“I don’t know where he is,” she said weakly.

Cid’s claws began to come out and press against her skin. Her eyes opened widely as she began breathing quickly again.

“I’m telling you the truth, I swear!”

His claws began pressing deeper, beginning to draw blood. “Where is he going?”

“U-up north, I think, to rejoin his brothers.”

“Why?”

“I think he said something about being needed up there. He didn’t say much on it.”

Cid released his grip, stood himself up and said to the others. “We have what we came for. Let’s move out.”

Making their way out Jeanne heard Judith call out. “You’ll pay, and for what? Two pitiful bounty hunters and a half-bred bastard!”

Jeanne felt the old anger come back with a burning fury. She turned around, marching back into the room. Summoning her stone scales, she slammed a clenched fist against Judith’s face. Several teeth flew out from the reeve’s mouth and onto the floor with blood splattering near them.

“His name was Denin. He was an infant who couldn’t even walk yet. And be thankful to the Shepherd I am in a merciful mood, you fucking quim,” Jeanne growled, she raised her hand to strike the woman again. From the corner of her eye she saw The Stranger looking at her, his gaze unyielding.

Jeanne let out a sharp exhale and lowered her hand, she looked at the bloodied reeve before shaking her head and walking out of the room.

“What was that …” Leonidas asked before Jeanne cut him off.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said bluntly as she walked out of the home.

“Jeanne!” Leonidas said.

Jeanne turned back to Leonidas, tears rolling down her face. “Please, I do not want to talk about it,” she said with her voice breaking.

Leonidas nodded softly. “All right, let’s … let’s get back then.”