Stronger

[Kentrith Hapley]

Kentrith beat against the straw dummy, his practice ax humming as it struck at flaxen limbs again and again.

Swish.

Barred from Marik.

Thwack.

Blasio controlling FTN.

Thud.

Nire, still in the top tier, smirking.

?AAAARRRGGGHH!!!!?

The pole that served as the dummy?s spine snapped under the onslaught, bending the lumpy form in half. Kentrith heaved breaths in and out, ax held in both paws as he glared at the dummy.

?You?re an idiot!? Kentrith bellowed at the pathetic mound of cloth.

?There?s a reason it?s called a dummy.?

Kentrith whirled to find a guard standing behind him. The beast eyed him skeptically, no doubt questioning his sanity. Kentrith wasn?t sure himself. Hefting the ax over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow at the blue-jacketed beast. ?What do you want??

?I?m here on Master Blasio?s behalf. He would like to speak with you.?

Kentrith froze. What? He cleared his throat. ?Any particular reason??

A shrug. ?I?m not important enough to be told such a thing.?

Kentrith stood there for several moments, trying to move his paralyzed lungs, to say anything. ?When?? he managed to croak out.

The guard gave him an incredulous look. ?Now.?

Kentrith nodded once, then turned to put the ax away.

*******

The beaver had certainly seen better days. The wound he had received from Silas hadn?t killed him, but he babied his leg as he walked around the room, grumbling to himself. Kentrith stood with crossed arms, watching the lumbering beast?s movements. Blasio stoked the fire, poured water into a teapot, sloshed the pot presumably to steep the leaves, then splashed watery tea into one cup. He sipped and grimaced.

What did you expect, after treating it like that?

The beaver turned to his chair and eased into it with groaning and wincing. He looked up at Kentrith, clutching the tea as though the fox had moved to take it from him. ?Don?t know who to trust anymore,? he mumbled, settling deeper into his chair with a scowl. He glared at the fox. ?As if I don?t pay them enough!? He gulped the rest of the tea and coughed. ?That blasted rat wasn?t satisfied with that, oh no.? He shook his head. ?At least he won?t be bothering me any more.?

Kentrith bristled, but tamped down on his indignation at the large beaver. ?Any reason you asked me here?? he asked, leaning back against the wall.

Blasio shot him a glare. ?That?s no way to speak to your new employer, especially if you?re aiming for a bonus.?

Employer?!

?You?ve done very well,? Blasio continued briskly before Kentrith could bark at him. ?Slowing down all those monsters for Silas, though he betrayed me in the end. I wanted to reward you for your hard work, and offer you more of the same.?

?You want me to poison more monsters,? Kentrith clarified, incredulous.

?No, I want you to continue with high risk jobs to further my plans.? The beaver grinned widely, his buck teeth in prominent display. ?Think you can do that for me??

MY plans. Not FTN plans. Is this something he?s doing on his own? Does FTN even know about this?

?What sort of things would they be?? Kentrith asked slowly. The beaver grinned again, sending a shiver through the fox.

?Different things, perhaps lower risk than sabotage.? He pulled out an envelope and held it out to the fox.

Kentrith reluctantly retrieved it, and opened it. The words burned in his mind, and his ears pinned back against his skull. ?What is this?? he snarled.

The beaver only sipped his weak tea. ?It?s my move against Nire. This is the base of his power, the one thing that allows him to control so many beasts. Take this away, and there will be many more willing to join our cause.?

Red crept into Kentrith?s vision. ?If you think,? he hissed.

?Don?t be so indignant,? the beaver returned brusquely. ?You might think you have the upper paw, that you can refuse me. You forget, you?ve already helped me with other tasks.? His eyes hardened, glinting with malice. ?What do you think would happen if I were to tell Nire about them, about what you did to his monsters??

Kentrith stared at him. ?You?re? you?re blackmailing me??

?I realize that you?ve had to throw away so many values during your time here, first as a healer, then training others to take your place in the ring. But even you, hardened warrior that you are, might balk at something like this. How else can I assure that you will do as I wish??

Kentrith stared down at the damning paper, spots dancing before his eyes. He forced his trembling paws to fold it carefully back into its envelope instead of crumpling it or tearing it to pieces as he wanted to. ?When?? he gasped out.

Blasio leaned back, satisfaction written in his every line. ?When our new banner is unfurled for the Grand Tourney. I want Nire to be torn down from the castle he built for himself. I want him to descend into insanity. And when he is surrounded by enemies on all sides, I want to rip it away from him before he dies.? His buck teeth were no longer comical in his evil grin. ?And it will take a very long time.?

Kentrith?s fur stood on end as he left Blasio?s room.

*******

Kentrith grunted as yet another patron bumped him on their way to the door. Should have chosen a different table, he grumbled, leaning out of the way of another passer-by. He glanced at the door for the twentieth time in five minutes, grinding his teeth in frustration. Why did I have to pick such a busy tavern? He glanced down at his plate and sighed. At least the food is decent.

?Looking for someone??

Kentrith jumped, sloshing the water from his cup. Shaking his head, he pulled out his napkin to wipe up the spill. He looked up at his companion, whose form was shrouded in a thick cloak. ?Warn a fellow next time, would you??

?I thought that was a warning.? The voice was warm from amusement, but more serious than her usual flighty air. She turned to stop a serving maid, whispering from under her hood. Kentrith eyed her, trying to match her with the leader he had met during his first meeting. He had a sinking feeling that it wasn?t her, as this cloaked figure was taller than the previous one.

?Come,? she commanded, heading deeper into the tavern. Kentrith rose to follow, and found himself in a private booth, with no light but a candle in the middle of the table. Kentrith eyed it in distaste as he eased into the booth. ?How romantic,? he sniped, turning a skeptical eye to his companion.

?Can you think of a better reason for us to meet than a romantic candlelight dinner?? Eve gave him a coy look as she lowered her hood, slipping into the seat opposite him.

?I can think of plenty,? he snapped, rubbing his half ear. ?It might have been believable if I hadn?t already been eating.?

?Doesn?t matter. No one will comment on it. We?re just starting our relationship, so it isn?t serious yet.?

Kentrith had just taken a sip of his water. At this statement, he gasped, and choked. He bent over the table, hacking, trying to dislodge the liquid from his windpipe.

?Oh, calm down. It isn?t real.? Lady Eve primly folded her napkin, and smoothed it over her lap, waiting for Kentrith to finish coughing. Gasping, he took  a fresh sip from his cup to clear his throat. Wickedly, Eve continued, ?It?s a subject that can be revisited later.?

Kentrith choked again. Spluttering, he spat his mouthful of water, unable to prevent some from exiting his nose. He bent over the table, trying to curb the explosions from his chest. He distantly heard Eve order more water. Gasping for breath, he managed to glare across the table at his companion. ?Vixen, you will be the death of me.?

Taking his napkin, she wiped up the water he had sprayed. ?Oh, let me have my fun. Goodness knows I rarely get the opportunity anymore.?

Kentrith shook his head. ?Not much opportunity for anyone anymore.? He eyed her pensively. ?The position you hold is rather?odd, for one of your station.?

She carefully laid down the napkin, meticulously smoothing it so the damp spots were exposed to the air. ?I would not have come here of my own volition,? she murmured, staring at the soiled cloth.

Fearing he had overstepped, Kentrith blurted, ?I didn?t mean? I don?t want your life?s story!?

She glanced at him with a quick smile. ?No, I imagine there are many who have a similar tale.? She accepted the fresh glass of water and sipped daintily, before settling it before her with precise care. ?Now, I believe you asked me here for a reason??

Chills trickled down Kentrith?s back as he remembered his mandate from Blasio. Leaning back in his seat, he frowned at Lady Eve. ?Why did you accept Blasio?s money??

Her returned look held a tinge of irritation. ?Running a resistance does require quite a bit of funding,? she huffed.

?Why him?? Kentrith insisted.

?Benefactors don?t exactly line up for something that has failed twice.? A thread of ice wove through the words now.

?Why??

?We have one last chance!? she snarled, leaning forward. Her paws crushed the napkin, ruining the once-neat pleats. ?We have tried again and again to stomp out the disease that is this place, and both times we have been thrown back. If this fails,? the napkin creaked as she twisted it in her paws, ?we will not attempt again.? She stared at her paws, her voice flattening. ?We will not survive to make another.?

?If Blasio succeeds, the outcome will be the same as if you failed. Whatever game he is playing, he is no better than Nire. Did you know how deeply he has struck roots here? Many of those you think are loyal, are loyal only to him. He is grasping, conniving, and ruthless, by all accounts.? Kentrith slid the crumpled paper forward, no longer needing to read the words. ?And you have placed him in a position of power that he will not easily relinquish.?

Eve stared at the paper as if afraid it might sting her, then picked it up. She studied it in silence for several long moments, while Kentrith watched the dancing candle flame, slightly surprised that it had not gone out from his earlier antics.

?Will you?? Eve asked in a whisper.

?If I don?t, he will only find somebeast else, and I will be exposed. As will most of the plan.?

Eve snapped her head up, her eyes sharp. ?That?s not what I asked.?

Kentrith raised his head, his resolve hardening. ?I will do what I must.?

He ignored her gasp of outrage as he retrieved the paper, and touched the corner to the flickering fire. ?But I will not give him the satisfaction.?

He dropped the shriveling slip on the table and reached across to seize her paw. ?If you have any of your convictions left to you, you will help me.?

Under their clasped paws, the last scrap of the paper blackened, erasing the words that had etched into both their minds.

Destroy the hostages to release the slaves.