The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy

by K. M. Ashling

  "She be busying herself with a boy right now. You'd best be waiting in that chair." The boy retorted.

  Camden felt a flush rise in his cheeks. What if Ol’Edna was with one of their guys right now? He resisted the urge to rush into the back room and sat himself down beside Marston.

  After Camden and Marston had sat down, the young boy walked to the back room, presumably to warn Ol’Edna of their arrival.

  "We should follow him," Camden said quietly, "what if one of them is back there now?"

  "Ol’Edna will tell us. She's a good woman and she won't put up with us barging into her medical room. Catch more flies with honey, Cam."

  Camden's leg was shaking with his pent up anxiety when Ol’Edna finally entered the room.

  "Good Mars, what ails you so late at night as to trek out here to me?" Ol’Edna spoke sweetly as she stepped into Mars' proffered arms for an embrace. "And what you doing bringing strangers up into my rooms, good Mars? If I didn't like you so much I'd throw you on your ear, I would."

  "Dear Edna, this here is my nephew, Camden, and we are here for some very private advice and help from you." Camden flinched ever so slightly at the family title. They did not often refer to each other as family. It was a risk to the mission and pained them both to think about the person that gave them that familial connection.

  "Ahh, well, alright. I'll be trusting you this one time, good Mars. Come on back here to my room and we'll see what we can set you up with." Ol’Edna turned on her heel and guided them back into the room that the light shone from. She directed Camden to sit on an examination table while Marston took a chair by the table and Edna sat noisily on a creaking stool across from them. The room was old, but clean, and well lit by a series of mismatched lamps.

  "I'm sorry, I'm not actually ill Ms. Edna, I just-" Camden began, but Ol’Edna cut him off.

  "Don't you go be calling me Missus. I be Ol’Edna or straight Edna. Or you could be a precious one like your good uncle and call me a sweet name. That be it young man, clear?"

  "Umm, yes. Yes Edna, ma'am, I apologize," Camden was startled. Then, Mars and Ol’Edna both began to laugh in unison. Camden allowed a tight smile to pass across his face and he turned to Marston to talk to the woman.

  "Dear Edna, you know that I am a former guard of the beloved Sacrifice?" Edna nodded her assent and Marston continued, "Well just this night, the Sacrifice was attacked by three men. Camden here just did make it to her side in time. The men meant to kill her. Well, during the attack Camden injured two of the three men and we hoped that they came to you or one of your colleagues for healing."

  "And you expect that I am going to tell you who they are." Edna's matter of fact statement made Camden uneasy. She may not be as fond of Marston as they had thought.

  "Yes, I do. I need you to. The Sacrifice needs you to. And Camden here, he wouldn't feel settled if they weren't found and brought to proper justice."

  "Well, good Mars, I don't much care for the justice of the Minister. It ain't right and it ain't proper neither," Edna stood and began to look through cabinets. Camden felt frustration surge through him.

  "Ms. Edna, I mean, Ol’Edna, please hear me when I say this. I understand your disdain for the Minister's justice. I would generally agree with you, but this is different. Alessa was hurt, almost killed, and these men enjoyed themselves at her peril. If you, as a woman of medicine and healing, had seen Alessa in the state I found her in, you would bring your own swift justice down on these men. They intended to rape and drown her. Now I am determined to find these men. They will meet my justice first and then will go on to the Minister's. I will not rest until they are found. You can make that an easier process on me and my uncle if you choose." Camden stood as he finished his speech, prepared to leave the healing woman's shop.

  "Now you just hold yourself. Describe these boys and their injuries. I'll help if I can, but I don't know about how much I'll be promising you." Edna sat on her stool as Camden described the thugs that had attacked Alessa and what injuries they sustained.

  "Well, now I have not been working on anyone with a smashed up hand. That would be work of a true physician, but I did see a boy run down the street with his nose got blood pouring out of it. I shouted out to him to come in to my shop and I be taking care of him, but he ran past and shot into Marlene's shop."

  "Where is Marlene's shop?" Camden was almost out of the room and only looked over his shoulder for an answer.

  "Marlene ain't goin’to help you boy. She only works on the slum's people. Best let me walk down there and find what I can. I be coming back and tell you what's what."

  "I'd really like to go with you, ma'am," Camden couldn't sit and wait an undetermined amount of time while the three men delved farther into hiding. Ol’Edna walked over to the door and grabbed a threadbare coat.

  "That would be too bad, young sir, you sit there and be nice with your uncle. I be coming back directly." And Camden watched as she waddled down the street.

  Camden paced around the shop. Marston simply watched him until Camden finally plopped himself down beside Marston.

  "She is helping us, Cam," Marston's voice was calm, "we just have to be patient."

  "Every minute we wait they get farther away," Camden said with irritation.

  "But we'd be hunting blind without this wait." That shut Camden up. Of course Marston was right. Camden simply wasn't the type to sit idly while someone else took care of things.

  Minutes felt like hours sitting in the dark, cramped shop. Finally, Ol’Edna returned. In her wake was a young man, plainly a young teenager. Upon closer look, Camden recognized the smallest of the assailants, the one who got away unharmed. Camden sprung up from his seat and had the boy by the throat in an instant.

  "Whoa there young sir, you stop that this instant if you wanting me to keep helping along your cause," Edna stamped her foot to punctuate her demand. Camden released the boy's throat, but kept a hand wrapped firmly around the boy's arm.

  "That's some better. Toby, be explaining yourself to these two good men, and don't be leaving anything out of your story." Edna's voice was stern with the boy. Before he began to speak, Toby coughed and cleared his throat, to Camden's satisfaction.

  "The other two, the bigger guys, they are being my cousins. I didn't want to hurt the girl, rightly so after we saw she was the Sacrifice, but they wouldn't stop and if I were running they would be hurting me so I stayed. I be so sorry, I didn't want to hurt the girl, I didn't want to, I swear." Toby was breathing heavy and tears were forming in his eyes. Camden knew from what he saw of the attack that Toby was being honest, but it still didn't help that he was involved, whether he wanted to be or not. Camden released his arm with a shove that nearly toppled the boy over.

  "You are going to help us find these cousins of yours. You will take us to them and you won't cause any trouble. Then I might let you get off without any permanent damage, you understand?" Camden spoke quietly, menacingly. He ignored everyone else in the room. At that moment he only had eyes for this boy who was going to lead him to the true aggressor of Alessa's attack.

  "I, I mean, I, yes, I will take you," the boy said weakly. Camden gripped his arm again and propelled him towards the door.

  "My nephew seems to have a one track mind. I do thank you kindly Dear Edna for all of your help," Marston embraced Ol’Edna once more.

  "I be understanding that one track mind Good Mars, I do much. That be the one track of one in love, it certainly be." Edna winked at Camden before he could turn away from her.

  Camden was disoriented by her statement. He wasn't in love with Alessa. He cared about her, that was sure, but love was not an option for Camden. He had a job, a calling, a purpose. He would fulfill this mission and go on to the next. There was no room for someone back home. He couldn't be weakened by a threat to anyone but himself. He pushed the thought from his mind. Ol’Edna didn't know that he was Alessa's guard nor did she know about his mission. That is why she clearly mistook his duty for love. That
was all. He followed the boy out onto the street and deep into the slums.

  Toby led them up to a stone house barely bigger than the meeting room that Camden met Khi and Alec in every morning.

  "This be where they live. They be brothers, Steven and Micah, and they live here together," Toby seemed nervous and fidgety. Camden knew that both he and Marston would have to convince the other two to come in, that they would not have the conscience that Toby had.

  "Listen Toby," Camden started, "you are going to stay right here. You aren't going to run away and you aren't going to make a peep to warn them that we are here. So far, your cooperation is going to get you some leniency. Don't screw it up, understand?"

  "Yes" Toby squeaked out.

  Marston took the lead while Camden stood off of his right shoulder as they approached the house. Marston tried the door and found it unlocked. The house was little more than one room. They must move in on them as soon as the door opened. Marston looked at Camden and nodded silently, counting. Once, twice, thrice, and he pushed the door open.

  Their targets sat around a small table drinking liquor, presumably to offset the pain they were feeling. The nose-bleeder hadn't even changed his soiled shirt, although the blood had long since stopped running and dried. The leader jumped immediately to his feet, but swayed from the alcohol and cradled his injured hand in the other.

  "Hey, you're that guy from earlier tonight, kept us from our lady friend. You need to apologize for that," the large brute slurred to Camden.

  Camden shrugged off Mars' stabilizing hand on his shoulder and advanced towards the leader of the pack. He grabbed the man's hand in his own and squeezed until the man cried out.

  "Sit," Camden commanded and the man sat directly, "Name," Camden demanded of him.

  "Micah, I, hey calm down. Let me go! We didn't mean any harm!" Micah was near panic as Camden continued to squeeze his injured hand.

  "Do you realize who you hurt tonight? Do you realize what you almost did?" Camden was nearly screaming in Micah's face and had yet to ascertain whether Marston had subdued his victim. Years of training with Marston told Camden that Marston would have let him know by now if there was a problem.

  "Hey, man, I didn't know she was claimed." Camden couldn't stand to allow Micah to talk anymore. He released the injured hand and waited just long enough for relief to register on Micah's smug face before he punched him, hard, and knocked him unconscious to the floor.

  "Well now that was impulsive." Marston admonished him, "Now someone is going to have to carry him back to the Manor."

  "His family can carry him. Otherwise we'll just have to kill him so we can be sure that he's still here for someone to come pick up later." Camden looked pointedly at the one who must be Steven.

  "You wouldn't," Steven said incredulously.

  "Look outside, boy, look! The sun is coming up. That means I have been awake for more than twenty four hours. I have spent a week in the woods and I was looking forward to a nice soft bed tonight rather that fighting your pitiful cousin and then hunting you dogs down. You ruined my evening, hurt my charge, and kept me awake. I would kill all three of you and take a nap on your stinking corpses right now. If you care to test me, take more than thirty seconds to pick him up and follow me." Camden didn't wait to see if Steven followed, he knew that he would.

  Outside of the house, Camden was mildly surprised to see Toby still standing there waiting for him.

  "Grab the other side and go in front. Don't make us walk too slowly." Camden demanded.

  "A little grouchy tonight, Cam?" Marston teased once the three men were out of earshot. Camden thought that Micah seemed to be coming in and out of consciousness and he was glad to see that the two smaller men struggled to keep his weight.

  "They deserve it," Camden responded angrily.

  "Oh, no doubt about that. I'm just interested to see how long it takes you to put that temper away. I don't think I've seen you get quite that mad. Alessa must have really made an impression on you."

  "It's my job, Mars. It's my job and my mission. That's all it is. That's it, alright?" Camden was almost shouting.

  "You just let me know how long that lasts you, boy. You just let me know."

  They walked in silence to the gate of the manor.

  "I have no desire to re-enter those walls without absolute necessity. They won't run off. You take it from here." Marston began to turn away.

  "Hey, Mars," Camden called him back, "thanks for your help tonight. I couldn't have done it alone."

  "It's for the mission, right?" Marston chuckled at his own joke and stalked away towards the rising sun.

  True to form, Alec and Khi came running out of the Manor as soon as the four men crossed the gate's threshold.

  "Where's Marston?" Khi asked.

  "He went home. He left me at the entrance. He was a big help. I never would have found them without him." Camden felt fatigue rush over him now that his adventure was over.

  "What happened to the big one?"

  "That one was the instigator of the whole thing. And he was disrespectful when I went to take them into custody. There's only so much I'll take," Camden said plainly.

  "Alright, Alec, help me get them inside," Khi said.

  "I'm going to find somewhere to sleep. I'm a little exhausted. Mind if I take the day off, boss?" Camden did little to mask his sarcasm, but Khi was obviously pleased with Camden's performance and chose not to take the bait.

  "Yeah, no problem, but I'd suggest staying on the Manor. Less was difficult to get to sleep without seeing you first so I imagine she will ask for you when she wakes up," Khi looked Camden over, seemingly for a sign of some sort. Camden was careful to keep his face in check as he responded.

  "Yes, I'll be in the guard break room if she wakes," he forced his reply to be smooth and nonchalant, but he was truly masking a warmth that flooded through him at the thought that she wanted him near her and a small sadness that he was not there.

  "Hey, Cam," Khi stopped him as he began to walk away, "good work. Thank you."

  "I was always going to find them, Khi. You know I wouldn't have stopped."

  "Yeah I know. And I may not always like why, but I respect what you're trying to do here. I trust you. I want you to know that."

  Camden nodded at Khi, unsure how to respond to his confession. He was glad to officially have Khi on his side. That would make the mission easier. He could even bring Khi into the negotiation with Alessa if it came down to it, although Camden hoped desperately that he could do that part on his own.

  Camden made his way through the halls of the manor to the quiet break room that hardly ever got used. He settled onto the small couch, allowing his feet to hang off of the arm rest, and closed his eyes. All of the exhaustion of the past week seemed to hang just above him. He was unwaveringly tired, but could not bring himself to sleep. He continued to wonder how Alessa was and if she was sleeping well. It was absurd, of course, she was with her parents and Jayna and a physician at this point and there was no service he could offer her, but even as he thought it he realized that he needed to check on her personally before he would be able to rest fully. Frustrated, he rose from the couch and wound his way through the maze of hallways to Alessa's room.

  He tapped as lightly as he could bear to knock on the door of her room. Jayna opened a crack in the door and peered out at him.

  "She's asleep, Cam," Jayna said plainly.

  "Good, I'm glad. Are you the only one with her?"

  "Yes, we finally got her parents to go to bed and the doctor is due back in a few hours. She didn't go to sleep until just a couple of hours ago. She kept asking after you. What sort of impression have you made on this girl?" Jayna's question held a hint of amusement and Camden found himself smiling.

  "A similar one as she has made on me," he replied honestly, "I just came to check on her. I can't seem to rest until I do. Can I please see her? I won't wake her, you know that."

  "Ahh, she'd have my head if she found out tha
t you came by and I didn't let you in. Come on now." Jayna pulled him into the room and locked the door behind them. "I don't want anyone coming in without my say so."

  "You're a tough one, Jay, I'm glad you're around." Camden nudged Jayna lovingly on the arm. He admired this woman. You could tell in an instant that she had trustworthy eyes and a knowing soul.

  Camden walked over to the bed where Alessa slept peacefully. Her left eye was swollen to the point that he suspected she couldn't open it very far if she were trying to. Her lip was busted, but not bleeding due to a salve that covered it. Her neck had an angry red welt where fingers had pressed into it.

  "She was in a lot of pain wasn't she?" He kept his voice quiet, but his anger was barely controlled. He wanted to go back down to the cell of the attackers and give them exactly what they deserved. He wanted to kick himself for letting them off so easily.

  "She wouldn't say so, but it took quite a bit of medicine to get her to sleep. She's a strong girl. You know, Cam, she's going to make it, this one. She can do it and I believe that she will."

  "Shh, Jay, not here, not now." He admonished her but simultaneously nodded his head. She would make it. She just had to want to. He continued to stand there watching her sleep. He thought that he could be grateful that he showed up when he did. She would think about the attack from time to time, but nothing like if it had gone farther, and he had stopped them from killing her. She stirred in her sleep. He found himself holding his breath until hers evened back out. After she had settled again, he gently moved a piece of hair that had fallen into her face.

  "You're not going anywhere, are you?" Jayna laughed quietly at Camden as she asked.

  "I will, just not yet. I just want to make sure she is okay. I have put a lot of effort into this girl recently. I need to reassure myself."

  "Yes I'm sure you're just protecting your investment," Jayna scoffed at Camden's dirty look, "it seems to me that the couch over there isn't much different than the couch in the break room. We all know she's going to ask for you as soon as she wakes. This way you will be here and I can go get some rest of my own. Works out all ways. The doctor is due in four hours." Jayna finished her sentence as she walked towards the door. Camden smiled his thanks to her and she waved at him sweetly as she closed the door silently behind her.