Abishai was laying on the small jail bunk staring at the cracked wooden roof. He had not planned on getting arrested by the US Marshal. All he done was prevent the unnecessary killing of another man. It was not due to some moral code of his that did not allow for killing, he had killed a man earlier that same day and had killed a hundred dozen men over the years. He did find it strange that this town, Hamilton he had found out, had a Mayor and Marshall with an aversion to violence. Most of the frontier towns that he had frequented over the years normally let fights reach a natural would have let the fact the fight was over be just that the end of it. The longer he spent in this town, which now seemed like it would be an even longer stay, something felt off about it.
The first real indication that caused Abishai to feel suspicious was when he was stripped of his belongings in the jailhouse. The Marshal had walked him down the main street to the only stonewalled building in town, making it almost a spectacle with the slowness that he walked so that all of the townspeople who were outside could see. Once they had reached the inside of the jail the Marshal began the process of stripping Abishai. When he removed the LeMat from the holster he twisted it in his hand with admiration before saying, "Interesting weapon for a foreigner to be carrying in my town."
Next off came the duster and his vest. Once the vest was removed the golden cross that he wore around his neck was fully visible and Abishai could see what could best be described as a darkness cross over the Marshal's face. "Are you a priest boy?" The tone very much changed.
"I am not a priest just a Servant of God." Abishai replied straight faced.
The Marshal grabbed the cross and pulled it and the chain straight off his neck and dropped it into the lock box on his desk, it made a heavy thump as it landed. If Abishai had been questioned about the Marshal's face he would have thought he looked in pain holding the cross. By the end of the interaction he was left in just his undershirt and long underwear before being thrown into the small cell he was currently in.
Thinking back about when he had first ridden into town he also noticed that the temperature seemed much colder once he was on the main street. As he lay there with his mind playing back the last few hours of his day a voice spoke in his ear.
"Prepare yourself Solider, they are coming." The Light-Bringer said.
Fight or flight suddenly began coursing throughout Abishai's body. Fight was the only option he knew to respond with. Sliding off the bunk, he quickly darted his eyes around the room searching for a weapon to use. As could be expected in the jail cell there was nothing that could make an effective weapon. Pulling the blanket off the bunk, he wrapped the coarse wool around his hand and knuckles leaving some slack hanging. Abishai crouched in the corner furthest from any source of light just as he was able to hear a key in the door at the end of the hallway.
A voice he had never heard before spoke, "Take your time with him." The door closed and footsteps began to walk down the hallway before stopping at this cell door. It was Mathis, his face slightly swollen and bruised from their earlier encounter. He opened the cell and walked in, Abishai could see that he had an ax handle in his hand.
"Where are you hiding?" Mathis swung the length of wood down on the empty bed, with his back turned Abishai rushed forward and attempted to knock him off his feet. Something was different in Mathis this time compared to their last fight. Before Abishai reached his target Mathis spun around and jabbed the ax handle into his ribs. Abishai felt the distinct feeling of bones snapping as he breath was forced out of him. Getting a better look at Mathis's face he could see the bruises but his eyes were glowing orange. That would explain his reaction speed, in that moment he was not fully human.
Grabbing a hold of the slack that he had left himself from the blanket on his hand he pulled it tight in front of him. This would not be as easy a fight as their last one had been. Mathis swung the ax handle in a wide arc aiming for the side of Abishai's head, lifting the taut length of blanket he deflected the attack throwing Mathis off balance. With his Mathis following the direction of the ax handle Abishai stepped forward and delivered a kick with the bottom of his foot directly into Mathis's ribs.
This kick caused some distance to develop between them, allowing them Abishai to catch his breath slightly. Mathis spun around on his left foot and began to sprint the small distance to Abishai, the ax handle raised above him. Abishai needed to separate his attacker and his weapon. Mathis was running recklessly, that was exactly what Abishai wanted him to do.
As Mathis brought the ax handle down he dropped down to the ground and rolled forward using the extra length of blanket to wrap around Mathis's ankle trip him. The combination his momentum swinging down with the ax handle and being tripped Mathis fell forward, his face crashing into the iron bed frame. The ax handle falling to the ground as a sickening crunch was produced with his face smashing into the iron bed frame.
Now that he had successfully separated Mathis from his weapon he jumped on his back and wrapped the length of blanket around his neck and pulled back. Mathis had clearly spent much of life doing manual labor if the thickness of his neck was any indication. Mathis tried to strand up, if he did he would lift Abishai with him fully negating the effect from the blanket. In a quick attempt to keep him down Abishai stepped into the back of Mathis's knee causing the leg to buckle.
Pulling tighter on the blanket noose Abishai could feel the light going out in Mathis, Abishai was not planning to knock him out this time. This fight was a fight to the death but not before he got some information. Mathis began to waver with unconsciousness, letting go of the blanket from around his throat Abishai would only have one chance to complete the plan in his head. 'Father of Creation and Light-bringer give me strength." He thought in his head and he began to execute his plan.
Loosening his grip of the blanket slightly Abishai reached out for the ax handle. He could feel Mathis starting to regain the oxygen supply to his brain. One chance. Abishai grabbed the tip of the ax handle and pulled it towards him, Mathis starting to get to his feet. One chance. Abishai swung the length of wood with his full strength against Mathis's knee, the sound of exploding bone and splintering wood reverberated throughout the cell.
"MOTHERFUCKER!" Mathis's roared as he fell to the ground, Abishai pounced on him like a wild cat. Pinning him to the ground with the ax handle.
"Who let you in here?!"
"Go to hell!" Mathis choked out.
Abishai punched downwards with his wrapped hand right on to Mathis's already broken nose. Another roar of pain echoed.
"Who let you in here?!" Abishai asked again
"Fuck you!" A bloody glob of spit landed on his face as Mathis laughed, a laugh that sounded like a thousand all at once. "He calls me home Hospitaller, He will meet you soon." The orange glowing eyes that was staring directly into Abishai's soul suddenly dimmed into coals. Mathis's body went limp, the rage of his pulse in his neck disappeared and his lungs fell quiet. He was dead but more pressing he knew what Abishai was. How?
At the end of the hall the door unlocked and boots began walking down the hallway. Standing there in the cell doorway was the Marshall. "Well holy hell! Look at that our foreign friend has committed murder right here in the jail, of a deputy no less."
The mystery partial became clear to Abishai, this was a set up from the Marshal but than who was the "He" Mathis had mentioned. He remained silent and stared at the Marshall.
"You will hang for this Fritz. As the newly installed Judge of Hamilton I find you guilty of the accused crime. Tomorrow you hang." The Marshal walked in the cell and brought his blackjack down across Abishai's face.