Katherine's heart pounded against her chest as she walked down the dark street. She needed to get some feverfew for her daughter, Margaret, who was bedridden and had a bad fever. But they were out of the herb at home, so...
Off to the market, she went.
In the middle of the night.
Alone.
She held her breath whenever she passed men sitting by the street, hoping they wouldn't notice her. Being a lone woman out in the middle of the night, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
Her heart continued to beat like a drum until she finally made it to the market.
"Alright, what do you need?" the man at the wooden counter asked, his face filled with exhaustion and boredom.
"Fe-feverfew," Katherine stammered out, then added, "Please."
As he began to rummage in some drawers for the feverfew, Katherine heard hushed voices to her right. She turned her head and saw five men huddled in a corner whispering to each other.
They were wearing black robes and masks on their faces. The patrollers. They were a group of highly trained assassins who dealt with people from petty thieves to war criminals.
As Katherine glanced at them, the five men all turned to look at her. Their dark cutouts for eyes seemed to peer into her soul, and Katherine shivered as she turned back to the man at the counter.
"That'll be three copper coins, ma'am," he muttered, placing the feverfew on the counter.
Katherine rummaged in her purse for the coins, casting a glance every now and then at the patrollers in the corner.
She finally paid, then rushed out of the small shop and down the street. She felt her breath quicken again as she passed the homeless and poor near the road. She heard loud footsteps behind her and saw the five men exiting the shop.
Katherine continued onward, nearing her house. It was almost over. She was almost home.
The footsteps grew closer.
Another glance behind her and Katherine saw the patrollers close behind her now.
What should she do? If she made it to Margaret, she could help her with this horrid illness. But if these men were following her, she didn't want to lead them to her daughter.
Katherine cut into an alleyway, catching her breath as she glanced out onto the street.
The patrollers were gone.
Katherine breathed a sigh of relief, still clutching the feverfew close to get chest.
"Ms. Hill."
Katherine nearly screamed as a hand was roughly placed over her mouth.
"Listen carefully, Ms. Hill," a voice breathed in her ear, a man was standing behind her as he gripped one hand over her mouth and the other tight around her waist. "If you wish your daughter to see the sun tomorow morning, I suggest you give us what we want."
Katherine tried to gasp for breath, but the man's hand blocked the air coming into her mouth. So she slowly breathed in through her nose instead. Her heart was going a thousand beats a minute.
"Ms. Hill," the monotone voice continued, "We need you to tell us everything you know about the Dean of the Stars.
Katherine slightly shook her head. She could never tell anybody about what happened that day. It was too much to bear.
"Ms. Hill, I know it was hard for you to see, but we need to know as much about that night as possible."
She continued to shake her head. No. Never. Never again would she revisit that memory.
"Katherine," he pleaded, his voice now soft. "I only want to help. We want to take them away from this world as much as you do. You were caught in their web of lies and deception just as much as we were." His voice broke, and she heard a sigh.
Katherine tentatively put a hand up to the man's that covered her mouth, and he slowly released her. She turned to look at him, and removed the mask from his face.
His eyes sparkled in the dim light, and he closed them as the tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Henry..." Katherine softly spoke as she put a hand up to his face, tears filling her own eyes, "You don't have to cry..."
He tilted his head and gently kissed her hand, his eyes full of sadness. They used to be lovers once, long ago. But after Katherine and Henry found out the truth about the Dean of the Stars, they had grown apart. Henry decided to join the patrollers and destroy the DTS from the inside, while Katherine chose instead to live a simple life, raising their daughter Margaret.
"Katherine, please," Henry begged again, and this time she didn't refuse. She told him of all the horrid things they had done that night, the night she decided she would no longer be a part of the DTS.
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