Gifted

19

The bathwater turned a coppery red colour as Erin washed the dried blood from her skin. She combed it out of her hair, she scrubbed it from her face and she picked it out from under her fingernails. When she was done, she stepped wearily out of the tub and cocooned herself in a fluffy robe. She pulled the plug from the bath and watched the tainted water drain. The water was gone, but the blood wasn't. She could still feel the blood on her skin, hot, sticky and sweet. No amount of scrubbing would get rid of that blood.

Erin cleaned her clothes next, soaking and rubbing them in the tub until they returned to their original colours. Finally, she cleaned her knife. It took very little to remove the crust from the weapon, and Erin caught her reflection in its gleaming blade. She stared at herself for a while but was distracted by a knock at the door.

"Erin? It's me, Isaiah," a voice said from outside.

Erin padded to the door and let him in.

"How do you like your quarters?" he asked, casting his eyes over the modest space.

"I like it," she nodded, "the water's nice and hot."

"I'm glad."

Erin watched his eyes flicker between her drying clothes and the red-stained bathtub. She thought she sensed a touch of guilt.

"What happened earlier Erin . . . that shouldn't have needed to happen," he said. "I let my guard down and terrible things happened as a result. For this I apologise."

"It's okay," she sniffed, "I did what I had to do. There was no way Maddox was putting me in prison again."

"What you did Erin was . . . surprising. I know Inquisitors three times your age who couldn't do what you did, and for that you should proud. However, what you did was also, for want of a better term, terrible. Taking a life is no small matter, let alone two dozen. These sorts of things can weigh a person down-"

"I said it's okay," she said snapped, unable to meet Isaiah's gaze. "I'm fine."

Isaiah bowed his head, accepting Erin's privacy.

"The Main Hall is being fortified as we speak," Isaiah said, wanting to change the topic of conversation. "The Chief is overseeing the preparations personally. When they come, we'll be ready for them."

"And when will they come?"

"Dawn. That's what our sources are telling us. They'll want to crush us before we can muster any support from the Palace. That's what I'd do if I was them."

"Do you think we stand a chance?"

"Honestly?" Isaiah sighed, "It's difficult to say. They'll outnumber us for sure, but our defences will cost them dearly and our troops outmatch theirs on-on-one. Dominus and Vigilate have never been great fighters."

Erin nodded and mulled this over.

"I want to fight tomorrow."

"Erin, we've been over this already," Isaiah sighed. "It's too risky. It's you they want and if they catch you and perform the ritual then it's game over. Nothing we have will be able to stop them then."

"But if I don't fight and they beat us then they'll catch me anyway! You saw what I did today, Isaiah. You know I can help."

"I'm sorry Erin I just don't like the idea of-"

"It's not your choice, Isaiah. It's mine. I want to fight so I'll fight," she scowled.

Isaiah bit his lip. Erin was determined and, yes, she had proven she could handle herself.

"Okay, fine," he sighed. "But you do not leave my side, am I clear?"

"Yes, yes of course-"

"I'm serious, Erin. A full-blown battle is far more dangerous than a squad of Watchmen."

Erin nodded obediently.

"Have you Seen anything yet? About tomorrow I mean."

"I'm afraid not. None of the Seers have. All we know is that after tomorrow, the City will never be the same again. Whether that's for better or worse, we cannot say."

"I think we'll win," Erin said. "Nothing's stopped us yet has it?"

"No, you're quite right," Isaiah smiled. "But that's enough talk for now. If you're fighting tomorrow, you should get some sleep. After today exertions you must be exhausted."

Erin gave a wide yawn at the mention of sleep and she suddenly realised just how tired she was.

"I'll wake you in the morning," Isaiah said, walking to the door. "Good night, my dear."

"Wait," Erin said quietly.

She hesitated for a moment then ran over to Isaiah and hugged him. He froze in surprise for a second then returned her embrace.

"Don't you dare tell anyone I did that," she said with a scowl.

"Of course not, my dear," Isaiah chuckled. "Goodnight."

Then Erin was alone. She yawned again then shuffled over to the bed in the corner of the room. She wriggled under the blankets and curled up into a ball, shuddering a little at the coolness of the fabric. She closed her eyes and drifted down, down, down into troubled sleep.