A blade was levelled at Kaori’s throat, its cold steel tickling her skin and coercing her not to breath. From the shadows, a bear-like Inquisitor sat admiring archaic torture devices in his giant paws, giving her the occasional knowing look. Kaori closed her eyes and prayed, once again, that it was all a bad dream and she’d wake up next to Joel any moment now.

“I’ll repeat my question,” said Bear through clenched teeth, “Does Rembrandt Payne have connections with the Seven Sisters?”

Kaori struggled to make a sound. Even a sob was too much of a risk with the blade so close. Behind her, the Knife-Inquisitor increased his grip on her naked, bruised shoulder.

“Maybe she’s been put under a spell,” said one, who stalked the shadows with beady eyes, like a rat, “I wouldn’t put it past those heretics to curse their own soldiers,”

“We checked her out already,” said Bear, “She’s clean. Only thing we picked up on was a familiar following her around. Just one of their witches keeping track of her, no doubt. We dealt with it already,”

“This girl seems too innocent,” said Knife with a sneer, “Why’d the Bishop drag in a nobody to present the Patriarch? It’ll be an embarrassment!”

The fourth Inquisitor, the hyena of the group, popped up in Kaori’s face, startling her. “Maybe he just wanted the meat?” he said, his wide eyes like twin moons staring into her soul.

Rat grunted. “If the Bishop has any sense, he’ll offer himself up as a sacrifice,”

“Now, now. Not in front of the child,” said Bear, glancing over at the Rat with narrow eyes.

“She’ll be dead within an hour, what does it matter?” he replied.

“Unless the Patriarch somehow agrees to offer her ‘rehabilitation’, though I very much doubt it,” said Knife, his blade threatening to peel off a slice of Kaori’s flesh, “Bishop Wotan has already let enough heretics walk away without punishment,”

“I’m sure the Patriarch will spare us any more indignity,” said Bear, “I’m as tired of the Bishop’s lenience as the rest of you, but we have a job to do. The Patriarch will want answers, not a dead body,”

“If this girl is an agent of Payne, she must know about his alliances!” spat Hyena, “Even if that knowledge if buried deep inside her brain and we have to cut it out!” He traced a finger along Kaori’s forehead, salivating at the prospect until Knife shooed him away.

Bear rose up to his full, monstrous height. Kaori wished she had the answers they wanted – at least then they might let her go! “I-I don’t know anything,” she sobbed, “I don’t know. I just want Joel,”

Rat came scampering out of the shadows. “Joel? Who’s Joel? Is he one of your teachers?”

“A wizard sent to rescue her, perhaps?” said Hyena.

Kaori was trembling, her hair irritating her eyes as it clung to her sweat-soaked forehead and her heart beating faster with each question asked. If only he were here to hold her hand. If only he were here to whisk her away, up a tower no other could climb where they could live the rest of their lives peacefully, away from all the hate and suffering.

“Who is Joel?” asked Bear.

“M-my boyfriend,”

There was a sniggering sound, like a group of pre-teens laughing at their friend when they discovered she’d kissed a boy, or the time Kaori tripped over her dress in front of a group of Hawks.

“Just another slab of meat after all,” sighed Bear.

“Let’s gut her!” said Hyena, but Bear ignored him. A smile had crept across his rugged, scared face. As he moved forwards, his hand reached out towards her.

“I have a better idea,” he said.

Kaori closed her eyes as tight as they would go and, body shaking with cold fear, tried her best to focus her mind on images of a certain lanky, ginger-haired musician, the only thing she had left between her and oblivion.

***

Chapter 19
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