Judgement (The Twelve) (17 page)

But as she grew back her fathers short bladed Wakizashi to complete her revenge, one of the surviving retinue let fly with an arrow that
ricocheted from the Shoguns carriage and
pierced her left eye
,
she fell dying onto the dirt tracked road.
Quickly, fearing for further attacks, the remaining warriors and servants carried the Shoguns carriage to safety within the castle.

Patch bowed, “And that was when
Anvil
found me and waited until I was reborn. Although healed,
The
Lord
above
left my eye socket empty as a reminder of my past life.
”

Chris ran over the story in his mind,” Do you
still have your
fathers’
swords?
I don’t see you carrying one
.
”

Patch grinned, “They are ready for use in the coming war, not before. Aren’t you going to ask how I still look so young? Or why was
Anvil
there? Or how was I reborn?”

Chris shrugged
,
“
Not my place to ask. I can tell that you spoke the truth
. T
herefore it happened as you said.
Anvil
will or won’t tell me how he was there
,
whenever he may feel like explaining.
The only thing I’d like to know is what happened to the Shogun
. I hope he was punished
?
”

Patch jumped onto his lap and kissed him soundly on the lips, “You are Judgement
!
Anvil
smashed his
fat
head in of course!
”

Huntress stood and stretched her shapely long legs. As usual her white hair flowed about her head as if a gentle breeze was blowing.

She glanced once towards Chris with those strange white eyes before looking away, “My story will be even shorter. I was hung for
trying to feed my family.”

Huntress started to walk away, but Patch stopped her, “Finish your story white eyes. Judgements one of us now.”

Huntress angrily spun to glare at Patch, “I’ve warned you about calling me that
;
little Cyclops!”

Patch started to get to her feet, but Chris pulled her back down, “Patch
behave,
if
Huntress
doesn’t want to tell me
,
that’s fine
with
me.”

Patch sat back down, mumbling curses under her breath, from across the room Priest told her off for blaspheming. Huntress stood there staring at Chris for a few seconds longer, before half turning away from him to stare at the rug, arms folded across her chest.

“I was poaching in the Kings Forest. It’s called the New Forest now.
Back t
hen it was
the
property of King
William the First or William the Conqueror to you, it was
a royal hunting ground
for the rich and idle.”

Chris sat forward on the settee, “But that was in 1075!”

“1079 actually, but I came on the scene in 1084. I was caught, tried on the spot by several Dukes and
one or two
other stinking royalty. They hung me from the branch of a giant Oak tree and left me there to rot.”

Chris was still reeling from the time line, “1084!!!”

Huntress continued as if she hadn’t heard, “
I
magine being reborn whilst hanging from a rope!”

She cast a reproachful glance towards
Anvil
, who quickly retorted, “It wasn’t my fault, I keep telling you. My horse went lame.”

Huntress turned her gaze fully upon Chris, “It was windy that day and my hair kept blowing even after death. It was black as a ravens when I died and white when I was reborn.  It
keeps moving on it’s own as if that wind
is
still blowing. My eyes
, we
ll a dead persons eyes glaze over after a while and it was cold that day. They stayed like this but my vision is a hu
ndred times sharper than it was before I died.
”

Huntress wore a high necked top and after a moments hesitation pulled down one corner to reveal a healed rope burn to her neck.

“
T
hat’s my story. Don’t ask anything else about me because you will get no answers.”

So
Chris looked to
Anvil
and asked quietly
, “What of her family?”

Huntress ignored him and walked away, so
Anvil
answered for her, “Her husband didn’t want her anywhere near him. Thought she was the work of the devil.  Nearly broke her heart.  I took her under my wing and we held up in a mill I owned in Kent.  Priest and Speed helped care for her.
B
efore we moved
across the channel
,
he died a drunkard a
fter selling
his children into servitude.
Told anyone who would listen that his wife was the walking dead and his children, spawn of the devil. Stupid man, no loss to anyone
. “

Huntress cast him an angry glare but he ignored the look, “You know I’m right and I did
rescue your
children.”

Huntress relaxed her face, nodding once, “Aye, they had a better life than I could have given them.
You saw to that. Gave money as a secret benefactor to
a
famil
y
that
had no children of there own, kept them together.
That
couple loved them as there own, a
t least they lived lives with a full belly and a roof over there heads
in the country
and I was there in the background when each and every one died from old age.”

Patch whispered to Chris, “Life expectancy wasn’t long. Her son was thirty
eight
when he died. Her daughters
lived to see
t
hirty six and forty one years
.”

Priest coughed to clear the air, “Since my name was mentioned I shall go next. I was as you may gather a Priest but alas one with a sinful nature. I enjoyed too much food and drink. I did nothing with my life except preach, dr
ink and eat. I had the honour of burying
Máel Coluim mac Cináeda.
He was my Royal Highness,
t
he king of Scot
land
in the year 1034. It was a lavish and somewhat drunken affair. Alas I choked on a chicken bone at his wake
and died flat out across a dining table without hardly any one noticing. Those that did found it somewhat amusing I was told.
”

“Anvil
was there and pulled me to the floor and removed the bone from my throat. He enjoyed the food and ale and waited until I was reborn.

I refused to believe I had died and
been
reborn. That was blasphemy! Only Gods own son held that privilege. I thanked
Anvil
for removing the offending bone but had him thrown out of the Royal Hall
as a trespasser but due to his act of kindness, I did not insist on a beating, even though h
e was not one of the clan and had no place or right to be at such an event.

That night, I collapsed yet again,
but this was due
to excess alcohol
and that was
when I had
my first prophesised dream. In it I s
tood in
a circle of
fire
and in that circle
,
stood
eleven
beams of light that slowly took on human form. I couldn’t see there faces except for
Anvils
and my own.
A voice told me that I was one of twelve and I was to follow
Anvil
without question.  I awoke strangely without a hangover and so vivid was my dream, I searched outside in the surrounding village and woods for
Anvil
. Needless to say, he found me and that was that really.”

Priest belched once and added, “Excuse me! Oh one last thing. I keep getting prophesies from time to time which I pass on to
Anvil
.”

Priest looked down at his girth, “Oh and don’t be mistaken for believing I am slow, fat and useless. I can move far faster than my incredible weight suggests. I carry it as if I was as light as a feather. My body is a juggernaut. I can absorb and shrug off incredible punishment.
”

Priest chuckled
to himself
, “Hey Speed
,
remember that bank vault?”

A gust of wind blew across Chris face and he found himself staring up at the whippet thin Speed, “Don’t I just!” Speed laughed

“Old
Priest
here was in a situation. We’d found a small
Shade
nest in a closed down bank in Middlesbrough of all places. The place contained about
eighty
Shades and we had a real set to. Well Priest followed three into the old vault and one of the cheeky bastards on the outside s
lammed
shut the door. Now I’m talking about a foot of re-enforced layered steel plated multi hinged bank vault door. Well we finished off those outside and Priest, well he sort of squished those trapped inside.
Anvil
was just asking Rage to try and rip the door off its hinges, when all of a sudden there was this almighty crash from the next room. The place was full of smashed steel reinforced concrete and
dust and there standing in the middle was Priest, covered head to toe in concrete dust
and y
ou know what?”

Speed continued without waiting for Chris, “I asked him how he’d gotten out of there?  Priest just shrugged
the
dust off and said and I quote,
‘I
prayed to God, put
my head down and started walking.’
Now I’ll tell you something for nothing
Chris, never get in the way of holy boy when he starts walking!”