The capitol was in ruin. Several walls had been crushed. Through the shattered remnants came the cool ocean air, smelling of salt and distant lands. Marshal marched down the corridors, searching for any sign left by Beth. Eventually he came to the clear mark of a battle scene. The walls and ceiling were decimated, streaks of blood lined the floor and a crushed helmet sat lonely in the corner. Ser Bryce Conroy, or what was left of him. There was no flesh remaining. The serpent had been fed. Marshal marched double time. There was a chance Elizabeth returned to his condo, but he found that an unlikely possibility. More probably, Elizabeth was somewhere within the capitol; doing what, he could never guess. Marshal followed the destruction leading him up a flight of stairs where he saw another battle scene. On the marble floor was crimson streak of blood and the shard of a sword. Remnants of the golden ceremonial blade Marshal gave Elizabeth earlier in the night. Much like Bryce, there was nothing left of Elizabeth. Marshal refused to believe it; she could not have kneeled over and died so easily.

  Marshal turned the corner and saw a tail of blood and destruction. He chased after it. It took him around the entire second floor of the capitol and then up another flight of stairs. On the third floor, the trail of blood seemed fresh. Marshal followed it into a small side room. There was a pool of blood along with torn strips of Elizabeth's uniform. She bandaged herself, but there the trail stopped and there was no way left to track her.

  Marshal had a hunch he should continue to climb, as Elizabeth had. He found the final flight of stairs and ascended to the Messiah’s Plate. The first thing he saw when he entered was not the colossal serpent hanging from the ceiling, nor the captain of the guard arguing with Ezekiel, but he saw an ash knight dragging Elizabeth's lifeless body from the bronze plate. He held her by a limp arm and flung her away from the plate without a care for her body. It bounced on the marble floor and slammed against an ivory tree on the far side. Marshal drew his blade.

  ‘Whoa, whoa, Marshal stop,’ Ezekiel said in a frantic voice. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘You did this.’

  ‘Aye, I had to. My duty was to get rid of anyone who left the meeting early, which includes your little cub.’

  Marshal swung his blade. Ezekiel vanished.

  Ezekiel nervously chuckled from behind Marshal. ‘I like a duel as much as the next guy, but don’t you think we should consid- whoa.’

  Marshal swung. Ezekiel vanished, but this time, Marshal could see the flickering of his body as it moved.

  ‘CALM DOWN!’ Ezekiel shouted as soon as he reappeared.

  Marshal did not calm down. He fainted another strike, but this time his time he reached out his hand between where Ezekiel was and where he would be. When he vanished, instead of reappearing behind Marshal, his neck was stuck in the Red Bears grip.

  ‘You have gotten slow,’ Marshal said.

  The cryptic gave a short yelp. When it looked like he would try to talk, Marshal cut him off with a squeeze. ‘Elizabeth is no holy-knight; she isn’t even an honor knight. You had no reason to kill her.’

  Ezekiel's face grew purple, and he tapped at his mouth. Marshal loosened his grip and Ezekiel took a gasp. ‘THE ORDERS SAID ANYONE WHO LEAVES!’

  Marshal squeezed again. The cryptic was slapping on Marshals hand, trying to pry his fingers away, but it would do no good. Ash-knight guards were starting to take notice, but Marshal did not care. Looking into Ezekiel’s bulging eyes, he considered ending it right there, yet he eased his grip, only just enough.

  Between frantic breathes Ezekiel said, ‘SHE’S ALIVE!’ The look on Marshal’s face must have scared him as he quickly added on, ‘I am serious. Go check for yourself.’

  Marshal looked around and a host of ash-knights had surrounded him, each facing their silver lined shields and pointing their spears. Marshal pushed past them and walked over to Elizabeth, dragging Ezekiel behind him. Her bandaged leg was bloody, she was bleeding from her skull, a matching blood spot on the ivory pillar she had collided against, but she was breathing.

  Marshal looked down at Ezekiel and considered squeezing until he stopped moving regardless, but he let him go. The cryptic vanished as soon as he was free, reappearing on the opposite side of the room, rubbing his neck. Marshal put a hand under Elizabeth's neck and legs, lifting her into a bridal carry. He looked at the man who had thrown her, an ash-knight who was pretending not to notice him. Killing you now will do no good, but I will remember your face. Marshal brushed through the ash knights again and walked down the stairs.

  * * * *

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  A pot of Moroccan lamb stew simmered on the stove. It had an orange color with red, oily dots on the surface. Chunks of potato, diced peppers, herbs and meat chunks peaked above the surface. It smelt of cumin and paprika. Marshal took a sip from his ladle; it was thick and hearty on his tongue, but wanted for salt. He added two more teaspoons and a pinch of pepper.

  A groan and the sound of a creaking bed came from Elizabeth's room. Marshal walked over to the door and listened, there was definitely shuffling. He rushed back to the kitchenette. The stew was not exactly how he planned it, but it would do. He poured three ladles into a wooden bowl and placed in a matching spoon. Knocking on the door, he did not get a response. He knocked again to the same result.

  ‘Beth, I’m coming in.’ Marshal opened the door. Elizabeth did not so much as look at Marshal. She lay in bed with her back against the wall, tears running down her cheeks, repetitively grasping for something around her neck. There was nothing there. She kept reaching and clawing at her skin as if on the next grab a necklace would magically appear.

  Marshal placed the wooden bowl of steaming stew on her bedside table and she stopped moving, but still would not look at him, the skin around her eyes were red.

  ‘You know, I realized that we haven't eaten since, Capernaum, well even before that. You must be starving.’

  She didn’t respond, it was as if she wasn’t even there.

  ‘You can talk to me,’ Marshal persisted, he sat down on the end of the bed. It groaned under his weight.

  ‘There’s nothing to talk about.’

  ‘Beth.’

  She made eye contact with him, and opened her mouth, but then closed it again before any words came out.

  ‘Beth-’

  ‘What? What do you want?’

  ‘I found you unconscious on top of the Messiah’s plate for god sake. You could have died.’

  ‘Well I didn’t.’

  ‘What were you doing? Why couldn’t you talk to me about it?’

  ‘Because.’

  ‘Because why?’

  ‘Because I was abandoning you,’ she said, as if she were spitting the words. ‘After everything you have done for me. I was trying to leave you behind. Without saying goodbye, thank you or sorry. That’s why I didn’t tell you, because I’m a bad person.’

  ‘I don’t think there’s anyone in Purgatory who isn’t a bad person.’

  Elizabeth scrunched her nose, ‘On earth I earnt money by smuggling drugs. In Purgatory I have lied to and used every person, I have met, and then I tried to abandon you, just like how I abandoned my brother on Earth. And for what? It was all pointless.’

  ‘What was pointless?’

  ‘I was trying to return to Earth, but I can’t,’ Elizabeth said and then in a self-mocking voice, ‘I’m not holy.’

  So it's true. Ezekiel had visited in the morning, while she was still unconscious and healers crowded this room. He had explained what Beth told him she was trying to do, but Marshal could not believe it. Now he had to.

  ‘If I can’t return,’ she said as the tears streamed faster and her voice come out squeaky, ‘and everything I have done for the past two years was pointless… Then I- I can’t-’

  ‘You can become holy,’ Marshal said without thinking. In truth, he had no idea it was even possible to return to Earth. If the requirement were becoming a holy knight, why would anyone ever want to return? Reaching this rank meant wealth and comfort for centuries; much greater than anything they would have had on earth. Not to mention by the time most people joined the holy order, everyone they once knew were dead. ‘If you are knighted in the holy order, you will be able to return to Earth, right?’ Marshal asked, ‘So stay with me and I will make you a holy-knight.’

  ‘In a century, Luis will be dead.’

  ‘It won’t take a century. War has come to Purgatory, possibly the largest war ever seen. There will be casualties, with that comes vacant positions in need to be filled. With merit, you could claim a position. I can help you earn that merit.’ Marshal heard the desperation in his own voice. Why did the idea of someone leaving whom he met only a few months ago hurt so much?

  ‘I can’t keep moving,’ Beth said. ‘I can’t take another step.’

  ‘You can,’ Marshal said, clasping her hands in his own. ‘You are strong Beth. I have seen it.’

  She did not respond, but she listened.

  ‘I have a mission in the eastern continent of Jacob. If you come with me, you can earn enough merit and in time, a holy knight or two will fall in battle. In fact, one holy-knight died last night to Ezekiel’s pet. There will be a duel to claim his place among the holy-squires and I will train you to win that duel. Within a month you could return to Earth.’

  ‘A month,’ she said with a croaky voice.

  ‘A month,’ Marshal confirmed, ‘Just keep fighting for one more month.’

  ‘Why are you still helping me? I tried to abandon you. I used you.’

  Because I cannot lose you, ‘Maybe I need to earn a little repentance.’ Marshal smiled. ‘Not that it will do much good. We are all bad people down here after all.’