The Divide

Chapter 2: Secrets Among Kin

“Water!” shouted Kaite as both Kenny and Cole leapt from their table in haste. In all the years that I’ve been coming here, I’ve never see those two move so quickly. Katie hopped over the bar and hurriedly came to the Canid’s side along with Cole. Kenny joined them shortly thereafter with a rag and a bucket of water from the kitchen. Seeing the Canid laying there bloodied made my mind race back to the war. The absolute carnage that had been inflicted by and upon all sides is the reason I left. As far as the council knows, I died a long time ago.

My mind continued to think of times past when it was brought into the present by the distinct sound of clanging metal. And while I’m used to hearing the sound of a few local guards whenever there is a problem here, this sounded like an entire platoon marching. Katie, Kenny, and Cole all took notice as well.

“Quick! Kenny, get her up and take her to the kitchen. Use the barrel in the back. And DO NOT come back out until I give the signal. Lock the door behind you,” Katie said as she started to clean up the blood on the ground. 

Without saying a word, Kenny quickly picked up the Canid and did as he was told while Katie and Cole remained at the entrance cleaning up the mess. The sound of the approaching troops got louder then stopped.  Katie and Cole stopped as well. The silence that filled the dusty bar could have been sliced with the spoon that was sitting in my soup. And just as quickly as everything went silent, a voice rang out from outside.

“WE KNOW YOU’RE AROUND HERE. IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, GIVE YOURSELF UP NOW. WE DO NOT WISH TO HARM YOU BUT YOU’VE NOT GIVEN US MUCH CHOICE,”  shouted Katie’s brother Conner.

Once again, silence filled the room. Katie, looking worried, turned to me and whispered, “Ta’kom, do not say a word. If they talk to you, you don’t know anything about the girl, you hear me?”

Gathering my thoughts, “I don’t want any part of this. I don’t know what’s going on but you can just leave me out,” I said waving my hand. Katie continued to stare for a moment before going back to cleaning. 

The voice outside called out once more.

“THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. SURRENDER NOW OR WE WILL TEAR THIS TOWN APART. YOU CAN NOT HIDE FOREVER.”

As Conner finished, both Katie and Cole  picked up their cleaning instruments and returned to their normal positions. The normal banter of the bar had come to a complete stand still and replaced with only the sound of Katie wiping down the bar and the crackle of the fireplace. All of our attentions were focused toward the door in anticipation of what might happen. Normally, Conner is a laid back rabbit but his demeanor tonight did not seem like his own. The sound of muffed voices and shifting armor could be heard from beyond the walls.

The fear of being discovered overcame my mind. I could not go back to the front line. “Katie, what is your brother doing?”

Her scowling face turned toward me, “Shut up before they hear you,” she said while pressing her finger to her lips. 

“BEGIN THE SEARCH. CHECK EVERYWHERE. CITIZENS, YOU ARE HERE BY ORDERED TO OPEN YOUR HOMES AND SHOPS. ANYBODY FOUND AIDING OR ABATING WILL BE TRIED FOR TREASON AGAINST THE CROWN.”

The sound of clanging armor broke the silence that had enveloped the area. All across the town, the sound of doors being knocked on or broken down could be heard. While I’ve done this kind of search in the past, I’ve never been a by-standard. Screams from the various citizens could be heard as they continued their search. As my mind continued to wander and my gaze focused at the door, Conner walked in alone.

Slowly, Conner scanned over the room looking for anything out of place. “Katie…,” he said as his focus turned toward her.

“Conner…,” Katie replied.

Without hesitation, Conner said, “Where is Kenny?”

“I’m not real sure. He left a bit ago.”

Conner continued to stare at Katie for a bit longer. I could see on his face that he didn’t know if he should believe her or not. After a moment, he began to walk toward Cole.

Stopping squarely in front of Cole, Conner demanded, “Where’s your brother Cole?”

“Beats me, tuft butt,” Cole replied with a smirk.

Conner slammed his fist on the table yet kept his voice quiet, “Now is not the time Cole!” The anger on his face was something I had never seen from a Lupid. What was going on here? This wasn’t the normal level-headed demeanor I had come to expect from Conner.

Throwing his hands up, Cole replied, “Alright, calm down. I really don’t know. Like Katie told you he left a bit ago. Didn’t tell me nothing.” Conner stared at Cole, nose twitching, before turning toward me.

Pointing at me, Conner spoke, “What say you? Did you see where Kenny went?”

Not knowing exactly how I should reply, I simply shook my head. I looked over to Katie and could see a sigh come from her chest as if she was unsure if I would betray her. Katie spoke up at this.

“See Conner? None of us know.”

“Well let me ask you three another question. Did you see a woman, Canid, wearing a black tunic and green trousers? Possibly injured?” Katie, Cole, and myself all replied “No.”

Conner continued, “She’s a fugitive and the King has declared that her capture is made top priority. I don’t know what she’s done and I don’t care. My men will be in here shortly so cooperate or I’ll be forced to detain any or all of you. Also, Commander Kraysh from the Kings personal guard is here. She’s the one that tracked her here and I cannot have her thinking my regiment is a bunch of lay-a-bouts.”

As Conner was finishing his sentence, Katie stepped from around the bar and walked up to her brother. “Conner, you don’t have to worry. If I see or hear anything, you’ll be the first to know, ok?”

Conner replied with a softer tone. “Katie, I came in here as a courtesy to you cause you’re my sister but I know some shady things go on in this bar that I’ve never confronted you with. Figured whatever it is was innocent enough. But if you’re hiding a fugitive…” Katie cut him off.

“No brother, nothing like that. You have nothing to worry about, I promise.”

“This is your only warning sis. My men will search this bar so if you have anything in here that you shouldn’t, get rid of it now,” Conner said as he started to walk toward the door. He turned back toward us after opening the door wide. “You’ve got roughly fifteen minutes before they get here. Tell them exactly what you told me and do exactly as they say. I don’t need you in my jail Katie.”

“And I don’t have any desire to be there,” Katie replied as Conner left. After a moment, she motioned toward the door, “Cole, go find Kenny. Tell him to be safe.” Then she turned toward me. “Ta’kom, you’re more than welcome to stay here and finish your meal or head on to Mrs. Crumpleton’s. I’d recommend staying here for a bit until they pass.”

I ate a few more spoonful’s of my soup before saying anything. There were so many questions that were floating around in my head and Katie had all the answers. “Katie, you’ve been a friend to me when no one else would even look at me. I don’t want to seem ungrateful but can you please tell me what is going on?”

Katie walked over to my table and sat down, moving the chair to face the front door. “Ta’kom, I’m going to level with you because after all this time, I think I can trust you. You’ve not caused me any trouble in the past and have even helped me when drunks started acting up.”

Letting out a heavy sigh and folding her hands together, Katie continued, “I know who you are and where you came from. I’ve known since the day you walked in here looking for something to eat.”

How could she have known? My mind began racing, searching for anything that I might have said or done to divulge my past. Feigning, I replied, “What are you talking about Kaite? I’m just a drifter from nowhere.” 

Katie reached across the table, grabbed ahold to my hand,  and continued. “My brother is the leader of the town guard and I run a bar. It’s not uncommon for him to ask me if I’ve seen this person or that one. The description he gave of you was spot on. Desertion, right?”

“But why haven’t you turned me in?” I replied. I couldn’t fathom what her intentions were. Katie gave my hand a slight squeeze just as I was about to speak.

Before I could get the words out of my mouth, a smirk spread across her face. “What Conner doesn’t know is that this bar is part of a network for those who are on the run. Kenny took that poor girl to the tunnels that run under the bar out to Roger’s place. I know you’ve heard Conner tell me to protect the burrow before. If only he knew how true that was.”

“Alright but that still didn’t answer my question,” I replied. “If you’re not going to turn me in, then why haven’t you tried to help me.”

Katie’s head dropped slightly toward the table and she brought her hands back together in contemplation. “Well, you never asked. I’ve been expecting it but you’ve just kept to yourself. Didn’t take you long to find employment either. You’re a good guy in my book. I figured if you needed help, you’d ask.” Katie then stood up from the chair and said, “Look. Those guys will be here any minute now. Just sit tight, let me do the talking and they’ll be gone in no time. We can talk about this more after they leave.”

I nodded my head in agreement. Now was really not the time to be discussing Katie’s potentially illegal activities, especially with a member of the Royal Guard in town. The questions remained in my mind though. What if someone walks in here that recognizes me? I’ve met most of the guard over the years and none of them have said anything but what about Commander Kraysh? Is it possible we’ve met before on the battlefield? I didn’t meet too many Felids during the war but I did come across a few. 

After roughly twenty minutes or so, the guards came and left, leaving none the wiser. Katie did get noticeably more nervous when the two guards entered the kitchen area but they didn’t stay in there more than a few moments. After coming back into the bar area, Katie escorted the two guards to the door, chatting with them but I wasn’t paying enough attention to determine what they were saying. Katie returned to the bar as nonchalantly as she could while not making eye contact with me. The two of us remained silent and I finally felt comfortable enough to finish my meal. The soup had gotten cold but I wasn’t about to squander it. Especially since Katie’s the one who made it. Knowing what I know now, I would feel terrible about turning down her hospitality.

Once I ate the last bites of food, I gathered my dishes and took them to the bar.  “Here Katie. Think I’m going to head on to the my room. Hopefully, they didn’t go through my things while trying to find this girl.”

Katie stared up at me for a moment, as if she was unsure of what she was going to say, before speaking in a hushed voice, “I need you to hang around for a little while. The bar will be closing soon and I don’t think I want to be in here alone. I’m not sure if you knew but I live in the basement of this place.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have guessed but then again, I’ve never seen you walking around town,” I said. Guess I’ve never given it much thought.

A smile came across her face, “I would invite you down, but I think the ceilings would be a little low for you.” 

I smiled at her innuendo. This was the Katie I was used to.

“Hardy, har, har. On a serious note, why do you need me to hang around?” I questioned.

Again, Katie reached out and grabbed my hand, “There’s a lot we need to discuss.”