Hearing the shouting coming from the room, Trish and Traijen quickly came to see what was happening. Entering just in time to see Katrina begin to hit Rone repeatedly in the chest.
“She didn’t deserve this!” Katrina screamed as she struck Rone again and again. He never moved or tried to stop her. Instead, he let her vent her grief until she grew weary.
“Leana would still be alive if not for…if you hadn’t…” She couldn’t even get the rest of the words out as she broke into tears and stood there trembling.
Seeing she was done, Rone pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. At first, she wanted to pull away from him. But his embrace was one of such comfort, that she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around him and bury her face into his chest.
“I don’t know what happened here, Kat, but whatever it was, I am truly sorry.” Rones's words only made her sobs even more profound as he held her to him.
She knew it wasn’t really his fault; it was hers. In her desperation to protect her sister, she had lost sight of why she had promised to do so.
When it was discovered as a baby that Leana was frail and became sick easily. Their mother, as a high priestess of Mephesto, decided there could be only one outcome. To sacrifice the weak child so the strong one might gain the Lord of Chaos’s favor.
A gift Katrina never wanted, as she despised the cruelty of those who worshiped Mephesto. Cruelty, she had witnessed her mother inflict many times throughout her life.
When she refused the blessing and denounced Mephesto to her mother. The high priestess invoked her right as Matriarch of their family and exiled them both.
Promising that if they ever returned to Luna’Dwell, they would both be sacrificed to the Chaos Lord.
As Katrina finally pulled away from Rone and looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, she wanted to tell him the truth. She tried to tell him about the deal with Zannith, what he was planning, everything. He deserved to hear it all, but she was terrified he would hate her for what she has done.
She wasn’t sure why she even cared, she only knew that she did. There was something about Rone, something that made her want to be near him. Something that made her feel safe with him.
From the moment he placed himself between her and the guard in Dusk Haven, she had felt it. No one had ever stood up for her like that. Not her mother, not Zannith, not even the people of this village.
Since her exile, it had been only her and Leana. But something in the way he looks at her gives her hope.
That hope is what had convinced her to get rid of Zannith’s pendant in Dusk Haven. Now it is also the thing that was filling her with fear.
Because she knew if Rone or the others learned the truth, they would abandon her here. And that she feared more than anything.
She took another deep breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks, still trying to decide if she should tell Rone what she knew. But before she could, a voice from outside the house made her pause.
“You in the house! I am Derik En’Arte, Captain of the village militia. Throw out your weapons and surrender peacefully!
Traijen and Trisha both looked at Rone,
“Do we fight Rone?” Traijen asked, reaching for his daggers.
“No, Katrina responded, pushing past them and heading for the door.
“It’s alright, Derik; they’re with me!” She shouted in response to the Captain's orders. Rone and the others quickly followed her to the door then stepped out into the street.
A quick look around told Rone they were vastly outnumbered, as a dozen or so warriors now surrounded the ruins of the house. The one called Derik stood in the street a few yards from the door. Accompanied by two other men, both armed with swords and crossbows.
When the captain saw it was Katrina, he lowered his bow and motioned for the others to do the same. Though they kept them readily available upon seeing Rone and the others.
“I’m sorry Katrina, I had hoped to see you before you found this mess,” Derik said as he moved towards them.
“What happened, Derik?” Katrina asked, looking as if she might break down again at any moment.
“I don’t know for sure; the fire woke me in the middle of the night.” The militiaman on Derik’s right, a skinny rather poorly groomed dark elf with a big scar on his forehead. Kind of grinned to himself, then spit casually on the ground.
“Wasn’t the fire that woke half the village, it was the screams. Your sister was skinned and hung on a pole like a summer ham.” The man said with what seemed almost enjoyment in his voice.
“Show some respect, Tellus or leave and save us from your idiocy,” Derik said, shooting the man an angry look, which only made Tellus’s grin more.
Shaking his head in disgust, Derik turned back to Katrina.
“I’m afraid I’m at a loss, Katrina. By the time anyone saw or heard anything, the fire had all but consumed the place. It was too late to do anything for your house, or your sister.
Not wanting to reveal too much in front of strangers, Derik eyed the companions suspiciously before asking,
“Where have you been? And who are your new friends?
“I left to become a merchant, but the one I apprenticed with was killed by bandits. I hired these adventurers to escort me home safely.”
Derik eyed Rone and the others carefully as if trying to assess if what she said was true.
“Since when did Thorn Callers start hiring themselves out as mercenaries?” He asked, looking directly at Rone. Who was surprised by his question until he realized it was his armor that gave him away.
“You talking about the armor, right?” Rone asked, looking down at the symbol of his order on his chest.
“Naturally,” Derik replied with a grin that made Rone more than a little uneasy.
“I took it off a dead man a few years back. It seems he had picked a fight with some Orcs out near the Dread Wastes, and it didn’t go in his favor.
The Orcs had no use for it, so I claimed it for myself. Not the best armor,” Rone said as he raised his arms and pretended it didn’t fit quite right.
“But it does the trick, and it’s hard to beat free stuff, am I right?” Rone asked, trying to sound whimsical.
“I suppose,” Derik responded, looking back at Katrina.
“Katrina, I would like to speak to you in private if you wouldn’t mind.” Katrina nodded then turned toward Rone.
“I’ll be back in a moment, wait here, and when I return, I’ll see you are paid the rest of your fee.”
Rone didn’t like her leaving them here this way but figured it best not to protest. After all, they were supposed to be in her employment.
Rone nodded, then turned towards Traijen and Trisha as if he was completely unconcerned.
“My men will stay here with you mercenary. You’ll forgive our harsh manners, but we aren’t accustomed to strangers roaming freely in our village.” Derik said as he turned to walk away with Katrina.
Rone could feel the mistrust and unwanted stares of the militiamen that had now moved in closer to the companions.
After Derik and Katrina had moved far enough away not to hear their conversation, the one called Tellus came to stand before Rone. His broken teeth and lousy breath made Rone back up a little for some space.
“So HoloFae, did your family’s house dis-own you? Or was your mother one of the brothel whores and didn’t know who your father was?
I mean, that is why most DokalFae half-bloods become mercenaries. Because everyone knows they sure aren’t fit for much else.”
The more Tellus talked, the angrier Rone became. He knew he shouldn’t allow himself to be goaded into a fight, but Tellus was pushing all the right buttons for it.