Prose Piece
Who: Salome, Cecile. References to Elza, Mathiu, Luc, Thomas, Maxine, Geddoe, Eike, Yuber & Luca
What: Salome slips into the infirmary to glean some information behind who attacked Cecile and why, then divulges some confidential information.
Where: The Budehuc infirmary
When: Winter, in the middle of the night January 2008ish
Warnings: None
Why: A creative writing piece I started years ago but never got around to finishing. About 2,000 words. Adapting this format because Setzer was always one step ahead of the curve.
The midnight stillness throughout the castle hallways was a welcome reprieve for Salome. He silently made his way down the corridor with a single candle in hand and mused with each step. His timing was deliberate - by this hour, most residents should be asleep. This week’s recent events were… taxing. It was important to make his movements during a time of quiet, but lately quiet seemed to be an unattainable luxury.
Elza perked up at the front of the infirmary door as he rounded the corner. He raised his candle and quietly nodded, a silent understanding between the two of them. “If I may, please.”
“Salome…” she glanced at his candle and noted the lack of any weapons on his person. “I’ll stand by.”
“Please do. I’d like to keep this...quiet. I don’t want to overstimulate the patients.”
The gunner nodded and gently opened the door. “Understood.”
Salome slipped across the infirmary threshold and quietly clicked the door shut. Despite the most recent attack taking place only days prior, there was still a faint lingering odor of blood and antiseptic hovering in the air. He knew Mathiu and Luc were trying their best, but it was obvious by the disarray of medical supplies surrounding him… it was an ongoing battle they were fighting. He seated himself by the bed and gingerly placed the candle on the small bedside table.
Cecile lay sleeping in the infirmary bed. When had she last woken up? Luc mentioned she had moments where she briefly woke, then slipped away again. While any sort of consciousness was reassuring, Salome was uncertain just how conscious she actually was. After the last “episode” a few days ago, she had yet to wake since.
He rubbed his temples. Elza’s latest station outside the infirmary door was a necessary precaution after Luca Blight himself burst into the infirmary. Luc and Mathiu had some choice words from the encounter, and unfortunately the Silverberg had a rough time of it all and didn’t fare well from the altercation. Although the Highland prince only seemed interested in “checking on” Cecile and nothing else, things still escalated to the point where Luc resorted to using his rune to drive him out. To Salome’s knowledge, Cecile had not regained consciousness since that event.
He felt a pang of sadness. He wasn’t quite old enough to be her father, but it was close enough. The late Commander Brown was a good man. Salome couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for keeping an eye on his daughter after his passing, if even from a distance. Watching her grow over the years alongside Thomas and come into her own as their ragtag castle bunch grew and transformed the place…
Goddess… what a disaster this was all turning out to be. Salome laced his fingers together and lowered his head in thought. He ran through the scenarios in his mind, seeking some kind of connecting thread.
He was loathe to admit it without concrete evidence, but it was highly likely that Yuber and Luca Blight were working together and guilty in some fashion. Salome was fairly certain that at the minimum they had Thomas in their keep. While he wasn’t about to come out and say it, there was a part of him that was deeply comforted by Geddoe’s growing restlessness and insistence of their guilt. I have little doubt Geddoe’s right, Salome mulled to himself, but with the council watching our every move I need someone like him taking less orthodox measures into his own hands while I maintain the law.
But… things weren’t adding up. Geddoe’s comments haunted him. The search group returned after discovering the location where Cecile was most likely injured. Her shield and spear were left discarded in the snow, but they were a fair distance away from the castle and deep in the woods. Given that Luc discovered her body at daybreak… the logical assumption would be that she was attacked in the middle of the night. Yet where was the lantern? She was accustomed to night patrols, so the thought of her venturing that deep in the woods -- far off-course from her patrol route in the first place and without any light source was highly suspect.
But most pressing of all… who brought her to the infirmary?
Fresh snow had fallen in the early hours of the morning, so any tracks that would’ve been left behind had long since disappeared. And after talking with Mathiu in more detail… it was impossible anyone with that kind of injury would be walking anywhere, let alone almost half an hour to the infirmary from the woods. As Geddoe himself conjectured, the angle of the wound was such that she must’ve looked directly at the face of her attacker.
Geddoe...the words they exchanged in their earlier conversation echoed in Salome’s mind.
“So it's likely she went out with someone, or met someone out there. Unless her assailant actually carried her back...which is strange…”
What kind of assailant would carry their own victim back?
No one in the castle spoke up and said anything about discovering her, carrying her back, or seeing anyone leaving her at the infirmary. And in a place like Budehuc, that kind of gossip would never stay quiet this long, meaning whomever carried her back was keeping silent for unknown reasons…
“I've heard of mercenaries deliberately pulling a strike to wound instead of kill someone they preferred to keep alive...in fact, I've done it myself.”
Salome raised his head and glanced over at Cecile’s motionless body. Her face was ghostly pale in the candlelight. Mathiu’s earlier report was grim, yet a curious detail still nagged at the strategist. The placement and angle of her wound was almost too deliberate - just barely missing anything truly vital. In fact, the biggest danger to her survival was blood loss and exposure to the cold. In addition to her deep abdominal wound, she had a separate smaller bandage across her cheek.
“Salome...were you aware that Luca struck Cecile, a few nights before this happened?”
An attacker who was known by the victim and bold enough to attack facing them.
A victim who nearly died, but not quite.
A body that somehow made its way to the infirmary despite critical injuries.
No footprints. No lantern. No witnesses.
The only one who truly knew the answers was sleeping in front of him.
Salome quietly removed his gloves and took Cecile’s hand in his. Her fingers were cool and dry. As he studied her sleeping face her eyelashes fluttered open.
“...Cecile?”
She stared up at the ceiling and didn’t react to the sound of his voice. Her eyes were unfocused and hazy.
He gently brushed a thumb across her fingers and kept his voice soft. “It’s Salome. Do you recognize me?”
Cecile slowly turned her head to the side -- the first response so far. Her eyes struggled to focus.
“I apologize if I woke you.”
Her fingers twitched in his hand. “N...no,” a weak protest.
Salome closed both hands over hers in attempts to improve her circulation. “Do you know where you are?”
There was more clarity in her eyes now. She knew. But she wasn’t saying anything.
Salome continued, keeping his voice gentle and quiet. “You have been very brave. But I’ve known for quite some time this is to be expected of you.”
Her expression softened into a peaceful calm. He figured that put her at ease.
“I need you to continue being brave for everyone here at Budehuc. Can you do that for me? For us?”
“Mm,” she murmured and looked back up at him.
Salome continued holding onto her hand. This was going to be difficult. Delicacy was of the utmost importance if he was going to have success in gleaning any information. His earlier conversation with Eike… even in moments of happiness Eike was difficult to read, but Salome suspected Eike learned something from Cecile and was unwilling to share.
He started with a small bluff to draw her out. “We are sending out a rescue party for Master Thomas and expect to find him soon.”
“M...Master Thomas…” The expression on her face was hard to place. Anxiety? He anticipated relief, but this supported his guess -- if something dire happened to Thomas, she’d already know. In fact, Salome speculated darkly, she most likely wouldn’t have hung on like this if she knew tragedy befell the castle master. Therefore, she was most likely already aware Thomas was relatively safe.
“Cecile…” he gave her hand a very careful squeeze. “I need to tell you a secret. I hope you do not mind.”
“Why…?” Her eyes clouded again.
Salome leaned closer in his chair. “We are devising a plan to lure Luca Blight out and capture him.”
Panic flooded her face and she suddenly gripped his hand.
Ah. Gossip was a strong weapon in times of peace and war alike. And the strange dynamic between the garrison commander and her subordinate had been a popular topic over the last two years. Salome himself was no stranger to the whispers dancing through the castle halls.
An assailant known to the victim, but purposefully avoiding a fatal strike… then transporting the victim to the one place most likely to assure their survival.
An angry infirmary visit with no violent motives.
Before even entering the infirmary the strategist had his suspicions, but...
“Y...you can’t,” her voice weak. “Please don’t.”
Salome knew he had to tread carefully. He couldn’t push her too far. It wasn’t fear for her own safety in her voice - was it for theirs? His? “It is hard when our friends hurt us. I understand.”
A cold sweat started to form on her forehead. He reached up and brushed her bangs aside. “It’s… please don’t… not him… he didn’t…”
“But this is not the biggest part of my secret,” he lowered his voice, more for show to make her feel as a confidant, “Lady Maxine believes that we need to seal Luca’s rune and separate it from him.”
This was a gamble -- the plan itself, and simply telling Cecile. Salome wasn’t sure how she’d take the news, or if she’d even understand it. Admittedly, he had yet to share this detail with anyone outside of Maxine herself. The mage speculated Luca was keeping his True Rune a secret from the residents and possibly under its influence. But without knowing just how much to attribute to the rune and how much to attribute to the man, it was difficult to assign blame and prepare their next steps. But depending on Cecile’s reaction…
“S...seal?”
“Yes,” he pressed her hand in his reassuringly. “True Runes… they can be very dangerous. They can change people.”
Suddenly her eyes were sharp and clear. “Change?”
The pieces were falling into place. “Indeed. Some people, like Geddoe, can mostly live in harmony with their rune,” he quietly squeezed her hand and shifted the conversation. “Cecile...I’ve shared my secret with you. May I ask you to share a secret with me in return?”
Her hand quivered and he continued, selecting his words carefully. “Until recently… did you ever feel unsafe in Luca’s company?”
The candle flickered atop the bedside table. A small tear fell from the corner of her eye. “N...no...I thought... I thought we were friends.”
Salome reached out and wiped her tear. “I understand... Thank you for sharing your secret with me.”
Cecile exhaled and seemed to sink deeper into the infirmary bed as if a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“I promise I will do everything I can to keep your friends safe. Now it is up to you to continue being brave.”
Cecile opened her mouth to say more but struggled and closed her eyes. After a few moments the tension left her body. She was asleep. He gave her hand a soothing pat. “It’s okay. Please rest.”
Salome quietly stood and looked across the infirmary one last time.
If his theory was correct... if they were able to coordinate properly, they could avoid any further casualties. But explaining this approach to a crew of scorned residents who were hungry for action and retribution… it was going to be a tough sell.
What: Salome slips into the infirmary to glean some information behind who attacked Cecile and why, then divulges some confidential information.
Where: The Budehuc infirmary
When: Winter, in the middle of the night January 2008ish
Warnings: None
Why: A creative writing piece I started years ago but never got around to finishing. About 2,000 words. Adapting this format because Setzer was always one step ahead of the curve.
The midnight stillness throughout the castle hallways was a welcome reprieve for Salome. He silently made his way down the corridor with a single candle in hand and mused with each step. His timing was deliberate - by this hour, most residents should be asleep. This week’s recent events were… taxing. It was important to make his movements during a time of quiet, but lately quiet seemed to be an unattainable luxury.
Elza perked up at the front of the infirmary door as he rounded the corner. He raised his candle and quietly nodded, a silent understanding between the two of them. “If I may, please.”
“Salome…” she glanced at his candle and noted the lack of any weapons on his person. “I’ll stand by.”
“Please do. I’d like to keep this...quiet. I don’t want to overstimulate the patients.”
The gunner nodded and gently opened the door. “Understood.”
Salome slipped across the infirmary threshold and quietly clicked the door shut. Despite the most recent attack taking place only days prior, there was still a faint lingering odor of blood and antiseptic hovering in the air. He knew Mathiu and Luc were trying their best, but it was obvious by the disarray of medical supplies surrounding him… it was an ongoing battle they were fighting. He seated himself by the bed and gingerly placed the candle on the small bedside table.
Cecile lay sleeping in the infirmary bed. When had she last woken up? Luc mentioned she had moments where she briefly woke, then slipped away again. While any sort of consciousness was reassuring, Salome was uncertain just how conscious she actually was. After the last “episode” a few days ago, she had yet to wake since.
He rubbed his temples. Elza’s latest station outside the infirmary door was a necessary precaution after Luca Blight himself burst into the infirmary. Luc and Mathiu had some choice words from the encounter, and unfortunately the Silverberg had a rough time of it all and didn’t fare well from the altercation. Although the Highland prince only seemed interested in “checking on” Cecile and nothing else, things still escalated to the point where Luc resorted to using his rune to drive him out. To Salome’s knowledge, Cecile had not regained consciousness since that event.
He felt a pang of sadness. He wasn’t quite old enough to be her father, but it was close enough. The late Commander Brown was a good man. Salome couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for keeping an eye on his daughter after his passing, if even from a distance. Watching her grow over the years alongside Thomas and come into her own as their ragtag castle bunch grew and transformed the place…
Goddess… what a disaster this was all turning out to be. Salome laced his fingers together and lowered his head in thought. He ran through the scenarios in his mind, seeking some kind of connecting thread.
He was loathe to admit it without concrete evidence, but it was highly likely that Yuber and Luca Blight were working together and guilty in some fashion. Salome was fairly certain that at the minimum they had Thomas in their keep. While he wasn’t about to come out and say it, there was a part of him that was deeply comforted by Geddoe’s growing restlessness and insistence of their guilt. I have little doubt Geddoe’s right, Salome mulled to himself, but with the council watching our every move I need someone like him taking less orthodox measures into his own hands while I maintain the law.
But… things weren’t adding up. Geddoe’s comments haunted him. The search group returned after discovering the location where Cecile was most likely injured. Her shield and spear were left discarded in the snow, but they were a fair distance away from the castle and deep in the woods. Given that Luc discovered her body at daybreak… the logical assumption would be that she was attacked in the middle of the night. Yet where was the lantern? She was accustomed to night patrols, so the thought of her venturing that deep in the woods -- far off-course from her patrol route in the first place and without any light source was highly suspect.
But most pressing of all… who brought her to the infirmary?
Fresh snow had fallen in the early hours of the morning, so any tracks that would’ve been left behind had long since disappeared. And after talking with Mathiu in more detail… it was impossible anyone with that kind of injury would be walking anywhere, let alone almost half an hour to the infirmary from the woods. As Geddoe himself conjectured, the angle of the wound was such that she must’ve looked directly at the face of her attacker.
Geddoe...the words they exchanged in their earlier conversation echoed in Salome’s mind.
“So it's likely she went out with someone, or met someone out there. Unless her assailant actually carried her back...which is strange…”
What kind of assailant would carry their own victim back?
No one in the castle spoke up and said anything about discovering her, carrying her back, or seeing anyone leaving her at the infirmary. And in a place like Budehuc, that kind of gossip would never stay quiet this long, meaning whomever carried her back was keeping silent for unknown reasons…
“I've heard of mercenaries deliberately pulling a strike to wound instead of kill someone they preferred to keep alive...in fact, I've done it myself.”
Salome raised his head and glanced over at Cecile’s motionless body. Her face was ghostly pale in the candlelight. Mathiu’s earlier report was grim, yet a curious detail still nagged at the strategist. The placement and angle of her wound was almost too deliberate - just barely missing anything truly vital. In fact, the biggest danger to her survival was blood loss and exposure to the cold. In addition to her deep abdominal wound, she had a separate smaller bandage across her cheek.
“Salome...were you aware that Luca struck Cecile, a few nights before this happened?”
An attacker who was known by the victim and bold enough to attack facing them.
A victim who nearly died, but not quite.
A body that somehow made its way to the infirmary despite critical injuries.
No footprints. No lantern. No witnesses.
The only one who truly knew the answers was sleeping in front of him.
Salome quietly removed his gloves and took Cecile’s hand in his. Her fingers were cool and dry. As he studied her sleeping face her eyelashes fluttered open.
“...Cecile?”
She stared up at the ceiling and didn’t react to the sound of his voice. Her eyes were unfocused and hazy.
He gently brushed a thumb across her fingers and kept his voice soft. “It’s Salome. Do you recognize me?”
Cecile slowly turned her head to the side -- the first response so far. Her eyes struggled to focus.
“I apologize if I woke you.”
Her fingers twitched in his hand. “N...no,” a weak protest.
Salome closed both hands over hers in attempts to improve her circulation. “Do you know where you are?”
There was more clarity in her eyes now. She knew. But she wasn’t saying anything.
Salome continued, keeping his voice gentle and quiet. “You have been very brave. But I’ve known for quite some time this is to be expected of you.”
Her expression softened into a peaceful calm. He figured that put her at ease.
“I need you to continue being brave for everyone here at Budehuc. Can you do that for me? For us?”
“Mm,” she murmured and looked back up at him.
Salome continued holding onto her hand. This was going to be difficult. Delicacy was of the utmost importance if he was going to have success in gleaning any information. His earlier conversation with Eike… even in moments of happiness Eike was difficult to read, but Salome suspected Eike learned something from Cecile and was unwilling to share.
He started with a small bluff to draw her out. “We are sending out a rescue party for Master Thomas and expect to find him soon.”
“M...Master Thomas…” The expression on her face was hard to place. Anxiety? He anticipated relief, but this supported his guess -- if something dire happened to Thomas, she’d already know. In fact, Salome speculated darkly, she most likely wouldn’t have hung on like this if she knew tragedy befell the castle master. Therefore, she was most likely already aware Thomas was relatively safe.
“Cecile…” he gave her hand a very careful squeeze. “I need to tell you a secret. I hope you do not mind.”
“Why…?” Her eyes clouded again.
Salome leaned closer in his chair. “We are devising a plan to lure Luca Blight out and capture him.”
Panic flooded her face and she suddenly gripped his hand.
Ah. Gossip was a strong weapon in times of peace and war alike. And the strange dynamic between the garrison commander and her subordinate had been a popular topic over the last two years. Salome himself was no stranger to the whispers dancing through the castle halls.
An assailant known to the victim, but purposefully avoiding a fatal strike… then transporting the victim to the one place most likely to assure their survival.
An angry infirmary visit with no violent motives.
Before even entering the infirmary the strategist had his suspicions, but...
“Y...you can’t,” her voice weak. “Please don’t.”
Salome knew he had to tread carefully. He couldn’t push her too far. It wasn’t fear for her own safety in her voice - was it for theirs? His? “It is hard when our friends hurt us. I understand.”
A cold sweat started to form on her forehead. He reached up and brushed her bangs aside. “It’s… please don’t… not him… he didn’t…”
“But this is not the biggest part of my secret,” he lowered his voice, more for show to make her feel as a confidant, “Lady Maxine believes that we need to seal Luca’s rune and separate it from him.”
This was a gamble -- the plan itself, and simply telling Cecile. Salome wasn’t sure how she’d take the news, or if she’d even understand it. Admittedly, he had yet to share this detail with anyone outside of Maxine herself. The mage speculated Luca was keeping his True Rune a secret from the residents and possibly under its influence. But without knowing just how much to attribute to the rune and how much to attribute to the man, it was difficult to assign blame and prepare their next steps. But depending on Cecile’s reaction…
“S...seal?”
“Yes,” he pressed her hand in his reassuringly. “True Runes… they can be very dangerous. They can change people.”
Suddenly her eyes were sharp and clear. “Change?”
The pieces were falling into place. “Indeed. Some people, like Geddoe, can mostly live in harmony with their rune,” he quietly squeezed her hand and shifted the conversation. “Cecile...I’ve shared my secret with you. May I ask you to share a secret with me in return?”
Her hand quivered and he continued, selecting his words carefully. “Until recently… did you ever feel unsafe in Luca’s company?”
The candle flickered atop the bedside table. A small tear fell from the corner of her eye. “N...no...I thought... I thought we were friends.”
Salome reached out and wiped her tear. “I understand... Thank you for sharing your secret with me.”
Cecile exhaled and seemed to sink deeper into the infirmary bed as if a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“I promise I will do everything I can to keep your friends safe. Now it is up to you to continue being brave.”
Cecile opened her mouth to say more but struggled and closed her eyes. After a few moments the tension left her body. She was asleep. He gave her hand a soothing pat. “It’s okay. Please rest.”
Salome quietly stood and looked across the infirmary one last time.
If his theory was correct... if they were able to coordinate properly, they could avoid any further casualties. But explaining this approach to a crew of scorned residents who were hungry for action and retribution… it was going to be a tough sell.