Deserter

THREE

{Chapter Triggers: mentions of assassination attempts, mention of snakes, interrogation situation, sword/weapon being drawn, suggestion of murder. Those are all I can think of/figure out from reading through the chapter, I apologize if I missed any and feel free to inform me.}

Roman scoffed loudly. "As if we would accept help from one of your kind."

"What is your definition of 'my kind' if you don't mind me asking?" The prisoner raised his eyebrows. "Human? Eadenite?"

"Assassin." Logan finished smoothly. "As a Trickster, it makes it very hard for us to trust your word."

"Would that not make me the most trustworthy?" The man smirked a little. "I know more about this castle than the average man, after breaking in so many times."

"The fact that you mention breaking in destroys that bond you are trying to create. Besides, the country is at peace right now, the only threats are your own men."

"My men." He snorted. "Snakes, the lot."

Logan raised his eyebrows, glancing at the other two. The Tricksters were an extremely loyal group, bonds as close-knit as those that brothers had.

"What is your name?" Patton suddenly asked. The others looked at him.

"I really am not inclined to provide that, given the situation you have put me in." The man glanced around his cell.

"If you think we are going to let a branded Trickster run around the castle at his will, you are horribly mistaken." Roman sneered.

"They let a neanderthal like you loose, I hardly compare to that threat." The prisoner smirked.

Roman growled and shifted his grip on his sword.

"Easy, Roman." Logan said quietly, shaking his head.

"You know we cannot trust the fiend!" Roman insisted as the strategist pulled him a little farther from the bars, making no attempt to keep his voice down. "This is a ploy, once we let him free of the cell he will attempt to go after the king."

"I came here to warn Thomas."

"Respect the king!" Roman barked.

The prisoner leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "He is not my king, and I carry little respect for him."

"If you carry little respect for him, why did you decide to come warn him of potential danger?"

"Because I have even less respect for Lord Deceit."

Logan blinked in surprise. The Tricksters' leader had named himself Deceit when the group had first come to being. Taking his lead, the others had picked trait names similar. Logan only knew a few.

"Less respect for him, but you still use his title?" He pointed out.

"Force of habit. I stayed in the man's house for years." Their prisoner shrugged.

"What are you planning on warning King Thomas of?" Roman put heavy emphasis on the king's title. The man ignored it and glanced out the tiny barred window in the cell.

"Lo- Deceit has gathered an army. His plan is to mount a full on attack on this castle. He plans to destroy Thomas once and for all."

"Why are you telling us this?" Logan narrowed his eyes.

"I told you. I hold less respect for Deceit than Thomas, and I think that the country is doing well enough under the current rule."

"That defies the very nature of who you are as a Trickster."

"I'm a defiant person." He shrugged.

"You have to have more reasoning than that." Logan insisted, crossing his arms. "To have worked with the Tricksters long enough to have their mark, you must have agreed with them at some point."

"I am not obligated to tell you my other reasons. You have the truth and the only reason that will properly motivate you to listen to me."

"We still do not know your name." Logan pointed out.

"And we do not need it." Roman said irritably. "Logan, clearly he is lying to get into our good graces."

"I'd hardly say he's in good graces. Even if he is telling the truth, which we shall surely see eventually, he will stay in the cell until we can be sure our trust is properly placed. That would most likely not even happen until after the battle that would eventually come." Logan shrugged casually.

Patton was watching the man in the cell closely. He ignored the group and kept looking out the window. At one point he shifted, and Patton saw the distinct wince of pain that crossed his face for a moment. He frowned worriedly and looked at the other two.

They were never going to let him help this man.

"What is your name?" Logan asked once he and Roman had come to some sort of agreement.

The man shrugged. "You don't need to know."

"Well I am not going to address you as Trickster whenever I deal with you. What shall we call you?"

"You could use my formal name." The names of the Tricksters.

"Which is?" Roman demanded.

He raised his eyebrows, a smirk flickering across his face for a moment. "I would think you of all people would know my name, Sir Roman. One of the main components of your career is to deal with Tricksters that may attempt to take the king's life."

"That does not mean I know who each of you are." Roman rolled his eyes.

"Even with that aside, we've met before."

That threw the military commander for a loop. "We have?"

"Three years ago, on the outskirts of Gensig."

Logan looked at Roman, waiting for a response. The knight's eyes widened and he drew his sword again.

"Do not listen to a thing this fiend says, Logan, he cannot be here to help us. We must kill him, it is the only way to handle this situation-"

"Roman, who is he? We have no clue what that means!" Logan was exasperated.

"Don't kill him!" Patton insisted at the same time. He hated death, it didn't matter to him whose death it was.

"Why are you really here, you vile snake?" Roman demanded, storming to the bars.

"I told you, I'm here to help." The man shrugged, nonchalantly inspecting the ripped hem of his shirt-sleeve.

"I don't believe you-"

"That is entirely unsurprising."

"Roman." Logan barked, using the voice he'd once turned on unruly students. "Calm down and tell us who he is."

He shook his head, shaking in anger and at a loss for words. Logan sighed and turned to the man. "Clearly, he is not going to share that information any time soon. Who are you?"

"Deceit's former right hand." He looked up. "Does that satisfy you?"

Patton saw his slim chances of healing the prisoner melting away as Logan's shoulders tensed and his expression went icy.

"Anxiety."

{If you have suggestions to writing the Sides, feel free to give your input

Also, I have the whole book prewritten now so I can post a chapter a week!}