Blue Crystal - The Heavy Price

Day 14

Josephina Jujitsu woke up to the screams from the room next door. She picked up her short sword and knives and opened the door ready for a fight. Rosaleighm stood next to her knives in hand. A group of about ten men had been making their way down the passage killing everyone, room by room.

“Rosaleighm, I need you to find out whose men these are. It is a very important thing that you find out for me.” Joe said.

Rosaleighm disappeared into the tunnels in the walls. Joe killed everyone, using the solid wooden door as a weapon and a shield, she killed them one by one. Joe kicked the bodies aside. That now blocked her doorway.

She rang a bell and yelled.

“We are under attack! We are under attack!”

Sugar came over to her. She had blood from those she had slain on her clothes.

“Where were you?” Joe asked.

“A captive, that cat thing of the queen’s found me. I killed them all.” She replied.

“Taken hostage, the mighty Sugar.” Joe laughed.

“If you want our agreement to stand then be careful what you say next.” Sugar warned.

There disagreement was interrupted by another group of soldiers.

Joe and Sugar killed them all as they came.

“I know these men. I fought beside some of them when protecting the peace talk leaders.” Joe said.

“Looks like one of the leaders are not so peaceful.” Sugar stated.

They decided to find the queen. So, they fought their way to the queen’s chambers. But she was not there.

“No blood.” Joe pointed out “The queen was not killed here.”

They quietly moved down the passageway towards the stairs. They didn’t want to engage in more fighting until they had more numbers.

Joe was leading them towards the sick rooms where people were recovering.

“Do you think the queen was injured?” Sugar asked seeing where they were going.

“She has friends there. I have friends there.” Joe said.

The sick room’s door was barricaded.

“It’s Joe with Sugar. We have come to check on you and help you to safety.”

Joe could hear furniture moving behind the door. Spice opened the door. They hugged.

“Are you alright?” Joe asked Spice.

“For now.” Spice replied.

The door was barricaded behind them. The sick room had very injured people in it. Rachael was still in the bed. She was looking better but she was still a mess. Most of her was still wrapped in bandages.

“Are you alright?” Joe asked Rachael.

“No, I am not.” Rachael replied, “I have almost died on this rock several times. I don’t want to die.”

“One of us must stay here to protect these people.” Joe said to Sugar.

“Why? They are dead weight.” Sugar replied.

“Because they are people, and numbers that follow you, that’s what makes you strong.” Joe said.

“This room is filled with warriors who will be warriors again. Will they remember us as a blood debt or as someone they owe.” Joe asked.

“For a moment there, I thought you were going soft.” Sugar smirked.

Joe glared at her.

“Call me soft and I will kill you. Our truce will be over.” Joe meant it.

Calling her soft was something she wouldn’t stand for and if Sugar thought she was soft Sugar would find out very quickly how wrong she was.

“I will stay and protect the weak.” Sugar sighed.

Joe left the room. She was angry.

She quietly moved through the castle avoiding as many fights as she could. Her injuries from the previous fights made her weary to engage unnecessarily. She saw a commotion in the queen’s dining hall. Joe slowly approached. Men were outraged by the dead man lying on the floor. Joe couldn’t understand them, but she could read the room. They were looking for someone. Joe knew about the passage under the table. All the leader who she had hidden in there now knew about it. But these men didn’t seem to know about it.

Griffith came into the room.

“Why are you standing around, where is she?” he demanded.

“I don’t know.” His captain said.

“This dead loaf said she was in here. But she’s not and he’s dead.” The man pointed out.

“I see that.” Griffith snapped “Check under the table. The secret passage that I was put in for safety is under there.” He commanded.

Joe saw them moving towards the table. She needed to do something. Joe wolf whistled and showed only a leg in the doorway.

She had seen it in a movie. It was all she could think of without engaging fifteen men by herself.

“What?!” Griffith and his men were perplexed.

“You check it out. The rest of you, get the queen.” He ordered.

Joe heard the footsteps and withdrew her leg. As he came into view, she grabbed him and snapped his neck. She took off his shoe and through it at the unsuspecting Griffith.

‘Thud’

The shoe hit him in the back.

“Brut, stop messing around. Get back here.” Griffith demanded he was getting angry.

Joe started making strange notices as to get their attention again.

The men had moved the table, and they were looking for a way in.

Joe heard footsteps coming from behind her. She looked to see Victoria the woman in charge of mount Jeku.

‘A coup.’ Joe thought.

The unsuspecting Victoria was met in the passage, her two guards were killed, and a knife was held to her throat.

“Ohh, you are strong. Come work for me.” Victoria offered Joe.

Joe couldn’t understand her. Nor did she care to. She planned on using Victoria to her advantage.

Joe entered the room holding Victoria and the sharp knife against her throat. Without a word, Joe through knives at the men trying to open the secret passageway. One knife one kill. She was accurate. Victoria laughed. It was amusing for her.

“Stop killing my men!” Griffith ordered.

But Joe didn’t understand him. She kept throwing knives till all ten had a victim. She used Victoria as a human shield.

“What do you want?” Griffith said unaware Joe had stopped because she had run out of knives.

“I can pay you. I have money.” He bargained.

“This is the queen’s killer, the one who killed so many of her men in one day.” Victoria told him.

“Killed the queen’s men and lived to see the next day. The queen is soft.” Griffith said.

“Or smart, this woman now protects her.” Victoria said “I told you to get rid of her first. I knew she would be a problem, I told you, I warned you.” Victoria scolded “But you said no woman could be everything you have heard. Now look…”

Griffith stabbed Victoria in the chest.

“Learn to be silent woman!” he said.

Joe took her short sword and stabbed it into Griffith’s face. Both bodies slumped to the ground. She stood victorious over them both. She looked at the remaining five men that were Griffith’s. She prepared to take them. They all approached at once. A silent understanding between them. Joe raised her sword. They all knelt before her. Weapons laid on the ground in front of them.

‘What!’

Joe was not prepared for this.