Daughter of Treason Ch. 01

"Pray?" she had repeated dumbly. "To who?"

He had looked confused. "To who? Why, t' the gods, o' course! I always prayed to the Trickster God m'self. His roguish ways seemed most in line with my own, if you're catchin' my meaning."

Kei had thought on that; she had learned about the gods back in her basic tutoring, but had never attended any temple services. Though Vera had gone devoutly to the Shining One's temple with great regularity, Kei had always preferred to stay behind, never liking the stuffy sermons. But now she was at a loss. Who would she pray to? What would she pray for? Although Shino had said that he would keep her from becoming a monster, what could she have a right to pray for? The answer presented itself. Even if Shino failed, perhaps the gods would pick up where he left off. Praying to the Warrior, the god of strength and the Judge, the god of retribution, she prayed for two things: justice, and the strength to endure it.

When they finally arrived at the port of Cromwell, this was still on her mind. Salty had given her no less than three thousand gold pieces, but when she saw it, it just made her sick to her stomach. She had prayed for justice, and she was being rewarded for killing? Turning to Shino, she asked, "Is there anything you need?"

He looked thoughtful. "Well, I used to be a diviner, but my spell book was damaged and lost back in Islandport. It would be nice buy a new spell book and reacquire some more spells."

She barely heard him. "Here," she said, thrusting the sack full of coins into his hand, "take it."

Looking confused, he held the bag, but asked, "Are you sure?"

Ignoring him, she turned to Salty. "Captain, might I have some shore leave?"

Salty nodded. "Aye, go ahead, Lass. You've earned it. Though I wonder what it is you'll be doing that doesn't require money," he said with a merry twinkle in his eye. Kei, good at reading people, didn't miss it; she just chose to ignore it. She was feeling increasingly claustrophobic, trapped on the cramped ship. She needed to get away, she needed to do... something. What precisely, she wasn't quite sure, but she knew that despite Shino's assurances, she did not feel that everything would be all right.

She began to wander. Out of habit, she stuck to the shadows, trod lightly, and kept her eyes open, not that it was necessary; though her figure may have made her a potential target for particularly ambitious ne'er-do-wells in the night, it was still afternoon, and the rapier on her hip and dagger sheathes on varying parts of her body meant that that the few who did see her and pay her notice gave her a wide berth.

Kei wandered aimlessly through the city, subconsciously heading towards the poorer distinct before her feet brought her to a stop in front of a temple. Glancing up, she noticed that it was the temple of the Judge. Uncertainly, she went inside, and was surprised at what she found. The Judge's temple in Islandport had been expansive, all marble and mahogany pews. This was something else. It had the same feeling of weight that all religious places do, but it was small, quaint almost; everything was wood, mostly oak and pine, and the few folks who were there didn't have the same self-important air about them that the merchants and government officials back in Islandport did. To the contrary, it was mostly merchant and lower-class families, either praying intently, speaking quietly but amiably with one another, or sometimes just sitting and watching. Kei felt uncomfortable, like she was intruding, but a part of her told her to stay. So she did, standing in the corner and watching the rest of the temple, from the ringed arms of the Judge's symbol to the patrons and practitioners.

She remained that way for quite some time, simply observing while her mind was occupied with the same things it had been for the past week, until a voice said, "A penny for your thoughts?" Starting, Kei almost jumped back before she realized it belonged to a small, middle-aged man standing just to her side. "I don't mean to intrude," he said quickly, catching her expression, "but you seem to be troubled."

Forcing a smile, Kei replied, "It's not important."

He gave her a look. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that. Come, take a seat."

"I don't want to impose-"

"It's why these temples even have priests," he said with a smile before sitting and motioning for her to follow suit. When she did so, he fixed a very patient gaze on her and said, "So why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." He gave her a look again. As she had grown up, it had paid for her to learn how to read people; indeed, a couple of times it had made the difference between being assaulted and simply a close call, and as such she had gotten very good at reading others. However, her lack of interaction had left her with absolutely no skill in lying; most who spoke to her could read her like a book. Sighing, she said, "Alright, have it your way. It's not nothing. I did something, something very bad."

"Why?" There was no judgment in his response, just an inquiry borne of a desire for more information.

"Why does anyone do anything? Because I had to. They attacked first, and we had no choice but to defend ourselves. But..." She looked him in the eyes. "I prayed for justice, you know. But today, instead of an arrest notice, I was given a reward. A reward! For-" She cut herself off, monetarily unable to continue.

There was a silence between them until the priest asked, "Did you do anything illegal?"

Kei faltered. "No, but-"

"Then why should you not be rewarded?"

She blinked. "Everything I did was legal, but I wasn't certain it wasn't right. Shouldn't what's right trump what's lawful?"

He smiled. "You've come to the wrong church if that's what you believe. But I do have some advice, if you'd like to hear it."

"By all means, please!"

"If you truly believe that what you did was wrong, even if it was legal, then do something to make up for it. I've seen many people come here after making a mistake, looking for guidance, and what I've found is this: the ones who can look themselves in a mirror five years later aren't the ones who stewed in their guilt. They're the ones who went out and did something about it."

"I don't think-" Kei began, but he cut her off.

"I'm not saying that they're perfectly happy with themselves. Many, if not all, of them still feel shame for whatever mistakes they made. But the difference between these people and the ones who can't even bear to look upon themselves is that at least the people who tried can honestly say, 'I have done my best to make amends, and if it's not enough, then at least I tried.'"

"I don't think I can make amends to the men I've wronged," Kei said with a hint of a smile.

The priest shrugged. "Then don't make amends to those you believe you've wronged, however legally. Make amends to the world in general. Find someone and help them or, if you cannot find anyone, then find someone who has been wronged and help them get justice." He smiled. "The Judge is the god of retribution, after all. The world is a big place; I'm sure you can find some way to make up for whatever you did."

Uncertainly, "I suppose, but do- Do you think I could stay here for a while? Just to think?"

The priest smiled. "Certainly. And if you need anything else- to talk more, advice, if you have questions- feel free to ask."

She returned his smile with one of her own. "I will. And thank you."

<<<<<Malefactum malefactoribus beneficiumque bonis face>>>> >

Kei stayed there for three more hours. She was going to do something good with her life, that much she had already decided on. But what, she had no idea. She knew a good many things, but very few of them overlapped, and even if they did, it took credentials to be hired as a sage. She had a good vocabulary from all the books she had read, though despite her cunning and intellect, she wasn't that good at dealing with people, so some form of lobbyist was impossible even if she could find an opening. She was fit, and so could and technically did work as a laborer, but that didn't seem to be helping anyone. Really, the only skills she had were killing people and looking pretty, and she'd be damned if she entered the flesh trade just to give her earnings away to some beggar. No, there had to be some way for her to make the world a better place without sacrificing her dignity.

Ultimately, the only compromise she could think of relied on acrobatics. She was still quite talented at them, having built off the little training she had received as she grew up with her own practice and experimentation. She didn't like the idea of performing simply for someone's pleasure, but the priest was right; she had to make amends, and this idea was at least a bit more tasteful than the only alternatives she could think of. And so, with one last smile to the priest of the Judge, she left the temple and went towards a tavern she remembered passing. On the way, she detoured back to the ship to drop off her rapier and place her daggers much more discretely; it wouldn't do to show up at an inn armed to the teeth and ask to become an entertainer. When she arrived, she fond it crowded and rowdy.

For the next half hour, she tried in vain to find a manager or owner or someone other than a barkeep who, when she asked for something other than a drink, simply looked confused for a moment before being distracted by someone saying the familiar words, 'barkeep, an ale!'. Finally, frustrated, she gave up and just sat at the bar, wondering if she should just leave. It was then that a man slid up to her asking, "Now why is a pretty little thing like you in a place like this?"

"Looking for work," she grumbled without even looking at him. She'd be come onto in precisely this manner more times than she cared to relate.

"Oh good!" That caught her interest. He said it in a relieved tone, but his previous statement had been solicitous. She had survived on more than a few occasions by her ability to read people, and there was something up with this one. "I need help, you see." His voice, all pleading, still rang false to her. "It's my family, you see! My wife and kids, they-" he choked up a moment before getting out, "they've been murdered!"

That much was true, she judged, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that something more was up. But the priest had said 'find someone and help them', so help she would. "How long ago was this?" she asked, still cautious.

"Just last night!"

He seemed so sincere now that a part of her wondered if she hadn't been imagining things. "Can you take me to where they were found?" she asked, becoming both genuinely concerned and excited that she might be able to do something good for once.

"Yes, sure! Come on!"

He lead her through the nighttime streets quickly, leading her to a poorer district before stopping in front a building. "This is my house," he explained, fidgeting with a key.

"Have you called the guards yet?" Kei asked; he had practically been running, so she hadn't been able to get a word in since she had been ushered out of the tavern.

He shook his head. "No, I've been too scared." He managed to unlock the door, pushed it open, and entered, motioning her in.

She followed, and immediately noticed that he had not been lying; sure enough, a woman and two children were lying face-up on the floorboards, their throats slit and, in the case of the woman and the younger child, tears in their shirts. Covering her mouth out of reflex, she asked, "Dear god, what happened here?"

She heard the door close behind her and the lock turned with an audible 'click'. The torchlight in the street just barely made it to the room, shrouding everything in shadows.

"She was going to leave, you know." The hairs on the back of Kei's neck stood up. It was the same man, but his voice sounded different. Detached. Dangerous. "And we couldn't have that."

Slowly turning to face the door, she scanned the shadows for him. "What did you do?" she asked in a low voice. She had found his figure, but couldn't make out his face.

"Oh, nothing too difficult. She said she was going to leave, so I grabbed Liam and put a knife to his throat. I told her I'd kill him is she left, but then I realized: why not do it anyway? I never wanted to get married you know. Liam was a mistake, and she said that we had to get married because of it. 'But hey,' I thought, 'why not solve two problems in one stroke?'"

"You..." Kei choked on anger. "You did this?"

"Oh yes," he said as Kei tried to discreetly free a dagger from where she had hidden it in her belt. "After cutting Liam's throat, she started screaming so loudly it hurt my ears. So I stabbed her, but she kept making this awful rasping noise, so I cut her throat, too. Now I'm not married any more."

"And the other child!?" She was frantically trying to make out his body now, but the torches outside gave him back lighting which made seeing anything but general shapes difficult.

"Well, we couldn't have any lose ends now, could we? But I realized something. After killing them, for the first time in my life I felt... free. Like I was finally in charge, you know? When I saw you in the bar, I thought, 'I want that.' But you didn't seem interested. But," he said, his voice laced with self satisfaction, "you seem interested now."

"That's because I want to-" She stopped mid-sentence. This was what she was here for. She may not have be good for making money or healing people, but she knew evil when she saw it. And yes, she wanted to kill this man. "Because I want to kill you." she finished calmly.

"Kill me?" The man sounded amused. "Then it's mutual! You're a pretty flower; I was worried you'd go without even a fight. But no, it looks like you'll squirm. That will be nice."

Not even bothering to hide it now, she drew the dagger from her belt and felt a smile start to form on her face. "Yes, kill you." He spoke very animatedly, and for a moment she had seen the silhouette of a dagger in his right hand. She took a fighting stance and prepared to strike as he began slinking towards her when suddenly he ducked under the back lighting of the window. Surprised and unable to see him, she darted back to find that she had forgotten about the bodies.

Tripping over the woman, she fell flat on her ass. She had scrambled to her feet, struggling to find footing when a searing pain flashed across her left arm, accompanied by a quiet 'swish'. Jumping backwards, she was expecting the body this time and allowed herself to fall backwards, turning it into a roll before finding her footing again on clear floor. He was standing again, and she could see his silhouette once more. Shifting her grip from the pommel to the blade, she cocked back her arm and threw it as hard as she could at his chest.

A grunt of pain brought another smile to her lips. "You...you stabbed me!" Not bothering to wait for him to continue, Kei freed another dagger from her belt for her wounded left hand and wrestled another from its hiding place between her breasts for her right. "You bitch! You STABBED me!"

Kei's grin only widened. A paladin may have taken the opportunity to say give some holier-than-thou 'how's a taste of your own medicine?' speech, but not Kei. She was not here to save him. She had already identified him as a disease of the world, and one that must be removed. Now all there was to do was remove it. Shifting her grip on the right dagger from pommel to blade again, she threw it at him as well.

Being left-handed, it was no surprise that a dagger thrown from her right missed. But when the handle bounced off the wood behind him, he realized exactly what she was doing, and before she could fish her final dagger out from her boot, he gave a cry of rage and charged her.

Though he avoided the bodies, Kei was ready for him. She saw his thrust coming from a mile away and batted it to the side easily before returning one of her own. He was not so quick as she; the dagger sunk deep into his chest. His momentum carried his body forward, and the resulting collision knocked both of them over which, ultimately, only drove both the thrown and thrust dagger deeper. For the second time in her life, Kei watched from less than a foot away as a man's life left his eyes, only this time there was no panic on her face; instead, her features held on a grin of satisfaction.

She shoved him off her unceremoniously before pulling out the two daggers which had hit their marks. She gave them a quick wipe down using his shirt before replacing them in their sheathes. She rooted around in the darkness until she found the last dagger, replaced it as well, and paused. When the guard finally did arrive, they would probably think that someone had killed him and his family both, rather than the first killing the second and the second slaying the third. Though she realized it didn't really matter, the idea that they would think her to be the monster didn't sit well with her. So using her dagger, she carved into the far wall, "A murderer lived here. Now he lies with his victims."

It wasn't the neatest message, but it was the best she could manage with only distant torchlight to see by. As she left, she contemplated telling the guards, but dismissed the notion; the guards would ask her many pointed questions, and could detain her for quite some time until they verified her story. The truth needs no testimony, and the guards' jobs were practically done, so Kei decided to let them find out in their own time.

She walked through the city quickly, once more sticking to the shadows; it had become almost like second nature to her by now. She felt high on life, like she had taken her first breath of air after ages under water, like she was just now starting something she should have been all along. Had she not been so occupied in feeling this, she might have wondered at what made her different from the man she had just ended, but endorphins and an adrenaline high rarely lead to introspection.

By the time she arrived back at the ship, she was so animated that Shino couldn't help but to take notice. "Glad you're feeling better!"

She just gave a self-satisfied "hm" in response before looking around. The normally camped living quarters were deserted but for Shino who sat at the galley with a thick book, a pile of scrolls and several inkwells. "Where is everyone?"

"Shore leave." replied Shino. "Apart from Salty, who's taking first watch, everyone's out having a good time."

Kei considered him, feeling strangely bold. "How about you? Are you having a good time?"

"Oh yes!" he replied. "I used that money you gave me to buy a Book of the Mage! Not only can it hold more spells than a normal spell book, but it's even proofed against the elements!"

Kei frowned, not certain why this response disappointed her. Perhaps, had she been more self-reflective, she would have realized that she wanted him to pick up on her flirtatious tone, not her bland words. But even if she had started looking into her own motives, she wouldn't have had time to reach any conclusions; Shino was staring at her chest and, to her unconscious dismay, not in the same way most men had over the years. "Kei?" he asked, suddenly alarmed. "Why is there blood on your shirt?"

Her eyes widened. "Blood...?" She glanced down for the first time since heading to the inn. There wasn't much, not nearly as much as when she had killed Raul. But sure enough, there was a large red stain on her cream tunic, and without the hot Islandport day to dry it, it still had its crimson color. "Oh." She gave a smile. "I killed a monster."

"A monster?" There was still a trace of alarm in his voice, but it was fading. "What do you mean?"

"A monster," she said, shrugging. "Someone who doesn't deserve the title of 'man', who forfeit his life when he forfeit his humanity."