Emilie came back into view as her chair was dragged back into the room and stopped next to Livia, just as it’d been before… and her face was spattered with blood. It was trickling down her neck and staining the collar, shoulders, and hood of her robe. Livia felt a burning in her throat. “Krey! You said they wouldn’t hurt her!”

“What?!” Krey leaned forward now so he could actually get a look at Emilie… and then flew to his feet, the plan be damned. Before he could draw his sword, Hector was hauled from his feet by the collar and slammed into the wall. Krey brought a knee up into the commandant inquisitor’s genitals, and his words spat saliva in his face. “I didn’t think you could get any worse, Hector, but you’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“I could say the same for you,” Hector coughed.

“I’m not the one who tortures one of our world’s most sacred saints!”

“Oh please, Krey, I didn’t torture her; I gave her some encouragement. Sadly, she wasn’t willing to give us what we wanted. She’s tougher than she looks— I’ll give her that much.”

“And you fuckers claim to serve the gods…”

“We do, Krey. We do the things their more naive servants cannot, and if said naive children must be used in our service, then so be it.”

“Oh yeah? Then tell me, which of the gods told you to mercilessly beat one of their listeners?”

Hector beamed from ear to ear, only just choking back was Krey was sure was a cackle, judging from the quivering of the bastard’s throat. “Our Lord of Judgement, Fyren himself.”

Krey nearly loosened his grip on Hector, his eyes threatening to pop from their sockets. “What…? You mean to tell me one of the Decakon has turned on the others?”

“I don’t know about that specifically,” Hector shrugged. “But I do know he has his fingers in a great many pies these days— far more than he would’ve cared to in eras past. He’s apparently even made contact with Dunlark Spire recently, if rumours are to be believed.” He did permit himself a chortle now. “Of course, I wouldn’t know anything about that~”

Krey took one hand away, but still held Hector up with the mighty strength of a man who walks every step under the burden of steel, and planted his fist in the inquisitor’s stomach. He dropped Hector to his knees and kicked him in the face with his metal-clad foot, a blood-curdling crack sounding that his nose had been broken. Hector, from the floor, hoarsely yelled: “to arms! Get in here and dispose of our guests!” Krey kicked him again, this time in the kidney.

“I think it’s time we got out of here,” Krey said with his usual calm demeanour to Livia.

Livia just gawked at him without a word. Krey didn’t waste any time getting his friends’ hands untied. Livia retrieved Veridis just in time to fend off the two garnet inquisitors who came barging in. She immediately cut one across the abdomen, and deflected the other with Veridis’ magic shield, following up with a murder stroke to his neck. Krey retrieved his own arms, slung his shield on his back and sheathed his sword, and scooped Emilie into his arms. Livia leapt into the dying daylight, making sure there weren’t anymore inquisitors waiting for them. As it turned out, they were at the carriages just outside the city that Krey had been sceptical of initially. I guess he really did recognise them, Livia thought.

Before stepping out, Krey turned in the doorway, staring Hector down as the commandant inquisitor shambled to his feet. “Don’t follow us, Hector,” Krey put grimly. “I told you once, and I’m telling you again, but this is your final warning. Next time I see you, I’ll kill you.”

Livia had summoned Danu, and both she and Krey had spotted the returning contingent of inquisitors… who were now running at them with their sideswords drawn. They worked together to get Emilie mounted, resting her against Danu’s neck, and then Krey climbed on behind her. “Didn’t Phyrn say that Danu could only sit two riders?” He asked in a less-than-composed tone.

“She also said that the only thing that could slow Danu down was killing her,” Livia answered with even less composure. “So scooch your booch!” Krey indeed scooched his booch, scooching Emilie’s unconscious booch at the same time, careful not to jolt her too forcefully. Livia swung up onto Danu’s back at the same time her gallop began, flying up nearly perfectly horizontally before landing. My booch will not be happy about that later, Livia lamented silently, a dull ache already manifesting in her coccyx from the impact.