Dagger and Scythe

by Emilie Knight

  Pitch blinked, surprised at the invitation. “I’d like to, but I don’t know if I can. Maniodes has me doing a lot of messenger work lately. Can I send a bat to you when I can come?”

  “Sure,” she said, shrugging.

  “Alright,” he beamed. “Thank you. Um…actually, I was wondering how the job really went too.”

  Again, a surprise, but Scythe played along. “It went fine. You were there during the report.”

  “I know.” He started picking at a fingernail. “But I wondered how you felt after the job. The girl was like you. I thought she would help.”

  “Help with what?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” he said, focusing on his fingers. “I just wondered if it would be like when Dagger changed after meeting Marella’s family. Maniodes told me about that.”

  “Dagger hasn’t changed,” Scythe promptly said. The moment she said those words she realized it wasn’t quite true. He hadn’t been able to kill Basil. That had never happened before.

  Did Pitch expect the same thing to happen to her?

  “Why do you ask?” she asked Pitch.

  “Just curious, really,” he said, examining the piece of nail he’d ripped off. “I should go. Maniodes is waiting for me.”

  He looked up then, flicking the nail away, and smiled at her. He looked as innocent as always.

  “I’ll send a bat when I can come visit,” he said, taking the stairs behind him up two at a time.

  Then he was gone around the curve in the stone. Scythe stood there for a moment, trying to make sense of the boy. She’d never seen him pick nervously at his fingers before while talking. Pitch had a spine of steel, he could even maintain eye contact with Maniodes on his bad days.

  Scythe brushed the thoughts from her mind. Pitch was probably just worried about Dagger. They hadn’t known each other personally for very long; maybe the kid did have the habit of picking his fingernails.

  Chapter 25

  Scythe stormed through the cracked corridor back to the chamber that held Dagger. He was finally being released. She already had ointments and linen for bandages back home. If Maniodes insisted that he stay in Skiachora to heal, Scythe would probably stab him. Not that she could reach any higher than his elbow, but there were more sensitive places she could reach.

  She forced her temper down. There was no point in thinking like that. It did nothing but make her angrier.

  She didn’t need a sentry to lead her as before. She was good with directions and remembered the way. Having spent a century exploring Ichorisis, she knew almost every back road through the thickest forests.

  A skeleton waited in the corridor before she could enter the chamber. Its bones rattled as the heavy axe with the long handle thudded against the ground, blocking her path.

  She halted, tempted to slash it to bits. Instead, she demanded, “What are you doing?”

  The sentry held out a note between its fleshless fingers.

  Scythe took it and opened it, reading quickly.

  “Dagger asked us to stall you until the chains were removed,” it read.

  “That bastard,” she cursed.

  She went to walk around the sentry, but it stopped her. It didn’t use the axe but just its arm clad in chain mail. She looked up to its empty eye sockets, and it shook its head slowly. Scythe was taken aback again by how aware it was.

  “Can you understand me?” she asked him.

  He nodded.

  “Will you let me pass?”

  He shook his head.

  Scythe sighed in frustration. “Dagger needs me.”

  She went to shove around him, but he held her back. He didn’t show one shred of violence, even with the imposing axe.

  A scream ripped through the corridor behind the sentry, followed by the sound of rattling chains. The scream washed through Scythe like a wave, and she shoved her way past the sentry. He didn’t stop her this time.

  Dagger held himself on his knees and trembling arms. Seeping red wounds covered his body where the chains had been. They were out of sight now, hidden by the shadows. Another sentry, shorter than the first, stood by Dagger, holding his effects.

  Scythe hurried over to Dagger and knelt beside him. He looked up at her touch. The relief in his eyes left him looking dazed, as if he was wondering when the chains would come back.

  “Hi.” His voice wavered with his delirium, but that was fading. Scythe could see the sharpness coming back in his gaze.

  “Hey,” she said tucking sweat-soaked hair behind his ear. “How do you feel?”

  She knew it was a dumb question, but she didn’t know what else to say.

  “Feels great to be off my feet,” he admitted, “and other than the fact that my entire body is screaming, I’m fine. What’s this?”

  Dagger couldn’t quite control his fingers, but he managed to turn over the note Scythe had dropped. It was the note the sentry used to stall her. The sentry had followed her inside without her noticing.

  “You couldn’t have been more discreet?” Dagger asked the skeletal figure, with more sarcasm than anger.

  The sentry just shrugged, unable to answer another way.

  Dagger snickered despite the pain he was in. He cut himself off with a cringe as the movement caught up with him.

  The shorter sentry stepped forward and held out Dagger’s cloak and belt of knives. Scythe took them and draped the cloak over Dagger. He flinched but smiled in gratitude.

  “Let’s go home,” he said softly.

  “Can you stand?”

  “I think so, yes.”

  He was able to, but the cloak nearly fell off him. Scythe was about to get it, but the taller sentry caught it first.

  “Thank you, Chip,” Dagger said as he gingerly slipped his arm into the sleeve the sentry held for him.

  “Chip?” she asked, wondering if the blood loss was making him dizzy or if the pain had driven him mad. She helped him into the other sleeve and adjusted it to cover him.

  “The tall one has a chip in his jaw.” Dagger indicated on his own face.

  Looking closer Scythe saw the notch in the bone on its left side below the teeth. The sentry nodded in acknowledgement, as if appreciating the name.

  “I’ve been calling the other one Shorty.” Dagger nodded to the other guard.

  This one gave no indication whether or not he liked the name, only glancing between Dagger and Scythe.

  Dagger grunted and hunched over. Scythe took his arm gently and lifted it over her shoulders while slipping her other arm around his waist.

  “My dear wife, I missed you too, but now isn’t exactly the best time,” he said, commenting on her closeness.

  “Enough joking,” she said, but couldn’t stop the half-grin. “Let’s get you home.”

  “It’s either joke or scream.”

  The dazed jubilance was gone. He was as sharp as ever.

  Chip stepped closer and supported Dagger’s other side. Dagger’s eyes softened again as he let them support him. Seeing he was no longer needed, Shorty nodded to them and left. Dagger managed to shout his thanks to Shorty’s back, causing Shorty to turn and nod again.

  It took some time, but Scythe and Chip managed to get Dagger home. Scythe opened the dead tree to their estate and held the main door as Chip helped Dagger limp inside. Chip even helped lead him up to his chambers and set him on the bed.

  The sentries were aware and alive. Scythe watched, stunned, as Chip made a writing gesture in the air.

  “There’s parchment on the desk,” she answered his silent question, “but the ink has run out.”

  Chip turned to the desk anyway, pulling a long piece of charcoal from behind his breastplate. The skeleton’s spine gave a faint click as he bent over the desk, writing for a few moments.

  Scythe kept a hand on Dagger’s shoulder, helping him sit up, but watched Chip. Dagger watched as well. The trembling had calmed as he sat, but his body still twitched now and then as if searching for the chains.

  Eventually
, Chip tucked the charcoal back and turned to them with the new note. Scythe took and held it up so Dagger could read it too.

  “If either of you need anything, or to hide anything, my leader knows we can trust you.”

  “Isn’t Maniodes your leader?” Scythe asked, dubious of the sudden information.

  Chip shook his head.

  “They have their own kind of hierarchy,” Dagger clarified. “A central leader who reports to Maniodes but is separate from him. He’s always been kept hidden.”

  Chip lowered the note once they’d read it.

  “Why is he kept hidden?”

  Chip just looked to the floor as in embarrassment and didn’t write anything else.

  “Don’t hound him, Scythe. I’ve been poking at him about it the past few days,” Dagger said.

  Chip looked up to Dagger and, although he couldn’t talk, Scythe felt the appreciation roll off of him.

  Scythe caught herself assuming Chip was a male. The skeleton was only made of noisy bone, and there was no indication of gender.

  “Chip,” she said getting its attention. “Are you male or female?”

  Chip tilted his skull, either surprised by her question or trying to remember the answer. Chip turned back to the desk and wrote on the back of the original note, then held it out to them.

  “I was male, and Shorty was female.”

  “Oh, oops,” Dagger laughed. “I thought you were both male. Let Shorty know I’m sorry about the assumption.” He went to chuckle but cringed again.

  “Okay, you need to lie down,” Scythe said to Dagger. “Thank you, Chip, and we’ll keep your offer in mind.”

  Chip left the note on the desk and bowed deeply to her and Dagger before seeing himself out. Scythe had never seen any sentry bow to Maniodes before.

  “Can they be trusted?” Scythe asked, easing Dagger down against the pillows.

  “Those two stayed with me the entire time, for the three days straight. Talking to them was the only reprieve I had. It was wonderful, because there was no sense of time down there. The chains made it feel much longer than just three days. A century could have passed for all I knew. Are you sure this is a good idea? I’m going to get blood all over the sheets.”

  “Don’t worry, I can clean them later.”

  Dagger finally relaxed and let Scythe bind his wounds. Scythe used the ointments to keep each one clean, but she honestly didn’t know if it would help. Neither of them had to eat or drink anything, and alcohol didn’t affect them. Potions to ease any physical pain probably wouldn’t have any effect either, and that made her wonder about the ointments. Incruentus Ferrum healed quickly and cleanly, so he had that advantage. With fifteen holes punched through his body and organs, healing might take him a week regardless.

  “Scythe,” Dagger was quiet. His eyes had closed a while ago, and she thought he’d fallen asleep.

  “Yes?” Scythe paused in binding the wound on his thigh.

  “Maniodes came to me at one point. I think he was trying to goad me into an argument, but I kept quiet. I’d probably would have just screamed if I had opened my mouth. I don’t remember most of what he said, but he seemed angry at us. Angry that we were happy. It was like he resented us.”

  Scythe started to fidget with the linen she held. It felt like her throat had clogged up with nervousness.

  “I don’t know what he was getting on about, but it got me thinking about us. I know we were forced into this marriage and we’ve had our fun before, but nothing serious came up before.”

  “He said something similar to me,” she admitted, which felt good. The ball of tension eased but didn’t loosen completely. “After I gave my last report, after he took you away, he commented on being impressed by our working marriage. He was surprised by how you pleaded for my life and my expression then.”

  Dagger shifted in the pillows, watching her intently. She didn’t like how nervous she felt.

  “He kept talking over the comment though, so I didn’t answer. Then I started wondering why I didn’t answer. Then I started thinking about pushing you away in the cellar. I’ve only ever used flirtation as a tool. When I met you, it was different. You didn’t want anything from me. Well, no, that’s wrong. I knew you wanted me, but you never forced anything. Then when you did start…pursuing, it was because I let you. And it felt right. Dagger, it felt good, and I wasn’t used to that. My mind wouldn’t let me have that moment, though, because I started thinking of my father and what he tried to do. That’s what scared me.”

  Scythe stopped there, unsure how to continue. Her thoughts were whirling around too much.

  “It’s rather daunting, isn’t it?” Dagger said. “Are you…happy at least?”

  “I am,” she admitted right away. She shifted on the bed to sit closer to his side. “I don’t want you thinking I’m not happy with you. I don’t know why I didn’t answer Maniodes, but I know how it felt when they took you away. I wanted to tear that place apart. And when he was standing over you, it was like I couldn’t breathe.”

  “That’s how scared I was when I thought you were going to be punished for my mistakes,” Dagger said. “When he was standing there, I could only look at you. I wanted you and our memories to be the last thing I saw.”

  Scythe stroked Dagger’s hair and left her hand on his cheek. He leaned into it, closing his eyes. All sense of anxiety was gone, and she was surprised how much easier it was to breathe.

  “I don’t think either of us are used to this,” he said, opening his eyes. “We’ve always played around the edges.”

  “I am sorry I pushed you away,” Scythe confessed.

  “It’s alright, I realized I had frightened you somehow,” Dagger said.

  “It wasn’t really you. I’d like to explain, but I don’t know how.”

  “Don’t worry about that now. I’m not going anywhere.” He took her hand.

  Scythe leaned down and kissed him. It did cause him to flinch and grunt in pain. She was about to pull away, but Dagger cupped the back of her head and held her still. His other hand trailed along her side. She wanted to touch him too, but didn’t want to hurt him again.

  She broke the kiss off despite his protest but stayed close.

  “I think I know why I’m not used to this yet,” Scythe said. “My father tainted a lot of things for me. I’d like to tell you about it.”

  Intrigue lit in his eyes, but he kept quiet, letting her finish.

  “Later though, when you’ve rested, and I can gather my thoughts about it more.”

  “Come now,” he said half-grinning, “you can’t work me up halfway, then leave me hanging.”

  “I’ve worked you up far more than that and left you more than just hanging,” she grinned right back. Her hand trailed down his stomach.

  He laughed in agreement and didn’t argue. He could barely keep his eyes open.

  Scythe kissed his forehead as he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 26

  Dagger lay in bed for two straight nights. He wasn’t just sleeping; he was unconscious. Scythe knew there was nothing to be done, and he couldn’t die anyway, but she stayed close.

  While Dagger healed, Scythe took the time to really examine their guests. The man was fine and kept begging to be let out, but the woman was quiet. She was conscious, sitting in the corner of her stone cell, cradling her arm. The stink was rancid. The pus oozing from the raw muscle was thick and yellowish. Scythe cursed while using the rest of the ointment on her. She resolved to cauterize it. The woman wasn’t too feverish, so there was still a chance.

  Scythe contemplated letting them go to die of exposure, but they might survive. If that happened, Maniodes would eventually learn about them. Even if they died out there, Scythe didn’t know if they would say anything to Nyx. If they told her where they had been held, then she and Dagger would be found out. She couldn’t risk it.

  Scythe lit the brazier and strapped the woman to her chair again. She wept and begged, but Scythe ignored her. Scyt
he found a butcher’s cleaver among the collection Dagger kept here and heated the side. It took a few tries and a lot of screams, but Scythe managed to burn away most of the infected flesh.

  After she sent a bat to Axe asking, as vaguely as possible, if he’d found anything useful. After a full day went by with no reply, she grew paranoid. She was torn between going to find him and keeping an eye on Dagger. Dagger hadn’t moved an inch, and his wounds were fine, so she decided to make a quick run to find Axe.

  The castle was nearly empty as always, except for a few guards. All of them bowed their head as she passed, and she greeted each one. It was odd and uncomfortable having so much subtle attention, but she would have to get used to it.

  The library was empty, and Scythe didn’t know where Axe’s chambers were. She cursed and headed back to Dagger, glad she could stay with him but worried about Axe. Images of Maniodes torturing Axe ran through her thoughts. Only two options were open to him if that happened: talk or don’t. Both could doom them all.

  Scythe controlled her paranoia until she got back home and ripped a random vine from the wall.

  She headed back upstairs to Dagger’s chamber.

  Scythe froze as she entered the room. Bloodstains marked where Dagger had been, but he was gone. The agitation at not finding Axe almost made her panic now. Her hands shook with a confused mix of worry and anger. Scythe took a breath and left the room.

  She checked her own because it was close. He wasn’t there, and she hadn’t entirely expected him to be. The dread started to rise again when she couldn’t find him in the garden, parlor, or on the balcony.

  She practically raced down the stairs to the kitchen, reminding herself to check the library, along with the dozens of other empty rooms. The kitchen door rebounded off the back wall as she strode through.

  The noise caught Dagger’s attention. He was leaning on the counter, eating out of a pouch of peanuts he’d stashed away.

  “A little violent with the door, don’t you think?” He popped another peanut into his mouth.