Knight (7 page)

“Alright, um . . .” She spun around and walked ahead when she suddenly collided with a hard chest. Staggering back, she looked up and met chocolate brown eyes boring into her own.

This man was similar to Seraphina in a lot of ways. The same style of uniform, but of different color. He had light-brown hair with a matching pair of eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. His gaze was sharp and cold, like it saw right into her soul.

Valeriana jumped and stepped back.

“Celeste Emmett? What are you doing here?” Seraphina asked, stiffening when the said man took a step forward.

“On a mission myself. A new batch of demons descended.”

What in the world is going on?
 Valeriana asked mentally.

Emmett narrowed his eyes as he stared down Valeriana. “Do you know this girl, Celeste?”

“What are you talking about?” The face the lady knight had on her face was stoic and devoid of emotions. “I don't know her at all.”

“What?” Valeriana turned towards Seraphina with wide, confused eyes.

“I was just asking her about important matters.”

“Is that so?” His face held suspicion. “I saw a small demon around this park. I was chasing it down since a while ago.” He then turned towards Valeriana, raising his voice purposely. “Perhaps you saw it?”

She looked at Seraphina, who gave her a pointed look.

Valeriana did not know what to say. Seeing how this man was looking at her, she was starting to panic. So instead, she laughed. “Haha! That's ridiculous!”

“Quit bothering the girl. She doesn't know anything.”

“Do you take me as a fool? I heard you talking to her.”

Seraphina mentally berated herself.

“And you're saying she can see demons?” He continued to advance, causing the two to walk backwards even further. “If Lord Aeron knew about this, he will—”

“If you're planning to tell the Court Leader, I cannot allow it.” She stepped forward and pushed the girl protectively behind her.

“You don't know what you're doing. The Court must know. We have to take her back with us.”

“No.” The lady knight ushered the girl away forcefully before running forward herself with her weapon drawn. “Valeriana, run!”

“But I—”

“Just run! Get somewhere far from here!”

Stumbling on her own feet, Valeriana speedily took off running as fast as her feet could take her. The man glanced at her direction but had to divert his attention to Seraphina for her incoming attack.

Emmett pulled his own weapon free swiftly and parried the blow skillfully with one hand. “What are you doing, Seraphina? You are raising your sword against a fellow comrade. Do you intend to betray your own kind because of that human?”

“I need you to 
not
 tell the others, Emmett.” She told him. “The girl deserves to be able to maintain her current way of life. To tell the Court would mean to destroy what she has. She had already gotten into enough trouble as it is.”

“That is not for you to decide.” Emmett replied. “Besides, I do not think she can ever go back to the way her life was even if you try to save her now. You've already gotten her involved.”

They exchanged blows, their blades ringing noisily with every clang. Sparks would also occasionally flash before them as they fought, momentarily lighting up their surroundings.

“Perhaps that is my biggest mistake.”

“That girl can see demons. That is not something a normal being of her kind is capable of!”

“No.”

Seraphina took a swift turn, her feet shifting while she put in her whole strength in one swing. The clang was almost deafening as their blades clashed, sending waves of vibrations that stopped immediately as their weapons were pulled back as fast as they were swung.

The woman jumped back before rushing forward once more, determination burning in her vibrant blue eyes. Her strikes were quick and simple. Still, Emmett managed to either fully elude her attacks or parry her blow.

He wasn't serious by the way he was moving. The fact that he was staying defensive the past minute that Seraphina was relentlessly attacking him made it obvious to the woman that he wasn't taking their fight seriously.

His eyes gleamed with no emotion, as though it didn't affect him. Seraphina, with great effort, was slowly pushing him back. She truly did not know what she was going to do if the Celeste before her decided to go all out.

“Lady Seraphina, you are serious about this?”

“I am more than serious.”

Emmett then stepped forward, bringing his blade to willfully clash against her own. He gripped it tighter and skillfully struck from above, leaving Seraphina to defensively bring her sword forward to protect herself.

They both paused from any further actions as the man began to press down hard, letting a battle of strength to take over. He knew that Seraphina made up for lacking in that particular area with her speed and techniques, so if things were to last any further, her body would give in from the strain.

The power behind Seraphina's blows mostly came from her movements. But if raw power was going to be discussed, she would immediately lose. The woman was stronger than average females, but compared to Emmett, she was nothing.

She knew he was targeting her weakness. Gritting her teeth, she nimbly slid off the disadvantageous position and struck him from behind with the back of her sword. Emmett grunted from the blow but turned to his opponent.

Emmett struck down at her hard. With a clang, her weapon came flying, landing on a bush nearby.

-*-

Although Valeriana had that nagging feeling eating away at her guts that said something bad was happening to Seraphina, she couldn't stop her feet from running. She didn't know what happened right after, but she just suddenly found herself lying on the bed of her room, covered in sweat and panting like a dog. She didn't know how long she was trying to get away, but her lungs burned and her knees ached.

“Valery! I have your dinner in the microwave! Just eat it when you feel like it!” Her mother's soothing voice echoed from downstairs.

“O-okay!” She answered back.

Her chest rose and fell and beads of sweat traveled down the sides of her face. She couldn't believe Seraphina was willing to go that far to protect her. How was she supposed to feel about that?

Although Seraphina was a particularly strong warrior, her new opponent had a fair share of that confident air about him. No doubt he was just as experienced as she was, maybe even more.

“Ugh.” Filled with frustration, she fell face first on her bed and muffled her moans with the sheets. “I'm a coward.”

Should she have stayed? Even though she wasn't probably going to be much help, the overwhelming guilt she was feeling wouldn't let her rest easy anyway. She might've gotten out of that safely with the woman's help, but if something happened to Seraphina, she would carry that guilt for the rest of her life.

She sat up and paced about the room. “Gosh. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel about this.”

What exactly was happening to her life anyway?

She jumped back to the mattress, closed her eyes and tried to drown out the thoughts.

What she didn't expect to happen was falling asleep.

When she
did
open her eyes, the first thing she did was jump out of the bed. She glanced towards the clock and saw the hands pointing at four in the morning. It was still dark out as well.

“It's a dream . . . it was a dream.” She muttered to herself before raking her hands through her hair and climbing out of the bed.

That was when she realized she was still in the same clothes as before. However, the comforters were pulled over her body and her shoes were removed. She suspected that this was her mother's doing—who else would've done it anyway?

“What the . . . I guess it's not.” She padded her way towards the window, feeling curious about what happened between Seraphina and that Emmett guy.

Should she it out? The park wasn't that far from her house.

Rubbing the crust out of her eyes, she took a deep breath and thought for a moment. She had to go back. She just 
had to know
.

Making her way downstairs, she made sure that she wouldn't wake up her mother or Jareth. Quiet as a rat, she climbed down the staircase and winced at every creak it made. After finally reaching the landing, she made a dash for the door and rushed out of the house.

Valeriana did a quick jog towards the park and arrived there only to find it deserted and void of any two, strangely dressed weirdoes fighting with swords. In fact, it was painfully quiet that it was disconcerting. It made her feel disappointed somewhat, but maybe that was to be expected.

She quietly made her way towards the spot where she last saw Seraphina standing and looked around. Aside from a flickering lamppost, a few bushes, and small trees, there was nothing at all to be seen. The skies were dark and covered in clouds, but the moon and stars occasionally peeked through and shed some light.

Valeriana took a step back to leave when she found nothing, only to have a glint catch her attention. Although it could've been just a piece of broken glass, it still made the girl curious. Perhaps it was something that could serve as a clue of what happened to the woman.

Until now, she couldn't help but still feel guilty of running away.

Yet, what she found lying among the bushes made her heart jump.

It was a sword.

Valeriana only saw it a few times, but she was sure that it belonged to Seraphina. It was the weapon she used to fight those demons with. She slowly reached for it, wrapping her hands around the hilt.

“So you came back. How convenient.”

She jumped from where she was crouched, dropping the weapon back where she found it. “Sweet baby Jesus!”

She turned to the familiar voice and saw Emmett. “You . . . stay away from me!”

Emmett's eyes were trained to her, as if she was the prey and he was the hunter. “You're coming with me.” He advanced towards Valeriana in long strides and grabbed her wrist. Instinctively, she tried breaking free.

“What did you do to Seraphina?” She was then caged in his arms.

He didn't answer.

Sure she might've not had the luxury of taking karate lessons from a pro, but her father taught her a thing or two about defending herself. Despite having an outrageous potbelly, he was far more experienced in fighting than anyone expected.

She stepped harshly on his foot and took the time crushing it under the bottoms of her feet. She could hear the grunts of pain erupting from the back of his throat but she still didn't feel his hold loosening. Given no other choice, she swung her head back and repeatedly started hitting him—head to head.

Luckily, before she started feeling dizzy about smashing her own head against his, his hold finally slackened. She took advantage of this opportunity and elbowed him on the ribs. Valeriana managed to slip away. However, he recovered quickly, so she stepped away and threw her fist forward, hitting him square on the face.

He stumbled, and at the same time, she screamed, “Bloody murder!”

Her fingers ached from the impact, her hand losing all its strength from the strike of pain. She dismissed that, even so. She ran away as fast it her feet could take her while he was still stunned—though she knew it wouldn't last long. Her blood pulsed through her veins, the rush of adrenalin being pumped into her blood.

“That's it,” the man said as he struggled to stand back up on his feet. He massaged his lower jaw and spat on the ground. “I am done playing games.”

With a flash, he shot off from his position, running so fast that he caught up with Valeriana with not much effort. When he reached near her, he stuck out his first two fingers out of a fist and jabbed Valeriana on a nerve point located in her neck. This caused her to collapse and lose consciousness.

He paused on his tracks, dust fogging the trails he left behind. He placed a hand on the protesting muscles of his stomach and frowned. A loud sigh escaped his tight lips as he gazed disappointedly at Valeriana, who was lying on the ground knocked out cold.

“How passionate. Very brutal.”

Emmett took a deep breath and turned to meet the owner of the voice. “Lord Aeron.”

“Never mind. I've had my fair share of sightseeing for tonight.” He waved his hand dismissively. “So this is her?”

Aeron walked forward, his hands buried deep in his pockets. He slowly made his way towards Valeriana, who Emmett gathered in his arms. The girl was deeply unconscious. He leaned forward and poked Valeriana's cheek.

“We should go.” Said Emmett.

“Do wait a moment.” Aeron fished something out of his. The object glinted when it hit the light and Emmett could only squint at the sudden flash.

He clasped a necklace around her neck and smiled. “Now we're ready to go.”

Chapter Five ♣ The Court's Trial

V
aleriana's head felt heavy. Her head was spinning and she couldn't quite think straight. Her mind was all mixed up, thoughts scrambled.

“Wake up, human.” A voice boomed.

Her eyes fluttered open. Her vision, first blurry, adjusted to the dim-lighting of the room she was in. She looked around her and tried moving but then discovered that her movements were tightly restricted. She diverted her gaze down to her body and discovered that from her torso right down to her ankles were tightly bound by thick ropes.

“What the hell!” She exclaimed, struggling to sit up. “What in the world is this?”

“Keep it down, now.” She paused as the command resonated throughout the whole room.

Valeriana fixed her gaze to the sound of the voice. She was lying on the center of round, dim-lit chamber of some sort. The walls were made up of brick of rough, pale-grey stones with a domed ceiling and candles which served as the wall-lighting. There were elevated seats behind a long, curved table in which five, cloaked figures, sitting distantly from one another had positioned themselves.

“I am the Court Leader, Lord Aeron LaVallene. Here with me is Sir Berias, Lady Aleara, Sir Zeke, and Lady Josephine.”

Their cloaks were the color of silky white, trimmed with gold. Silvery threads embroidered patterns onto the cloth, making them look domineering and . . . formidable. Valeriana silently huffed at the train of thought, but at least they weren't brown.

She cautiously stared at all of them. “You guys look like you're a part of a cult.” She commented straight on.

Hearing this, the cloaked figure at the very center started laughing. Throwing her gaze around some more, she discovered that Seraphina was standing a few steps away from her, head hanging low with her hands bound by a rope together in front of her. Her hair blinded her face, so she wasn't able to see how she looked like.

Valeriana gasped and trashed around violently, wanting to be freed in desperation. At least there was one person in the room that she, at least, knew. Sad news was that she didn't look freer than she was.

“Seraphina! You—what . . .”

A hand clamped on her shoulder and she was pulled up on her feet. She strained to stand up straight and prevent herself from falling back down.

“So you do know her.”

Uh-oh.
Though instead of showing her idiocy at slipping, she tried to redirect the attention.

“Hey, people! What's with the ropes?!” She yelled angrily in discomfort.

“Instead of going peacefully, you fought hard and attempted to escape. Emmett also informed us how violent you were. We're only taking countermeasures.”

“What did you expect me to do? Come with you with a smile on my face! Hell no! I'm not some idiot!” She began falling over due to the reckless movements she was making. “Holy—holy shiznits!”

Luckily she was caught by a pair of arms and was brought back up to her feet. She sighed and breathed a sigh of relief. “Still! Why the heck do I have to be tied all over! You could've just cuffed my hands and feet together, you know. I don't get why it should be my whole body except my face!”

“Such ruckus. Quiet down!”

“Oh, please! Will someone gag this girl!?”

One of the cloaked figures started waving their hands and someone walked forward, winding a cloth around her mouth tightly.

“Mmmm! Mmmmmm! Mm!” She tried speaking, but her words came out as low, muffled moans.

“She's too noisy.” One commented.

“At least we know now this whole thing won't be boring.” Added another.

“She's an aggressive one. Well, then, let's proceed.”

The other one yawned.

Their faces were shadowed by their cloaks, the distinct sound of their voices were her only clue.

There was a slight pause. “Here in front of us, is the human individual who witnessed the Celeste's pursuit of the Loupe Garou, who escaped from the Holy Gates and was responsible for the death of many in the human dimension.”

“Witness? You cannot be serious! Humans are oblivious creatures. They cannot see demons at all!”

“Well, apparently, this girl can.”

A round of gasps echoed.

“Celeste Emmett himself confirms it, and Lady Seraphina does not deny it.”

“Has there been any record of humans being able to see demons?” A woman's voice echoed. “I do not remember anything of that sort.”

“This is the first time I've encountered something like this.” The man from before replied. “Humans will become aggressive and hostile towards anything that threatens their survival. If the knowledge of demons being active in their city becomes known to their people . . .”

“Their reaction will be uncertain.”

Silence fell.

“We want to know the reason why you attempted to hide this from us, Lady Seraphina. Though you are one of the Celestial Knights, you are in no position to decide what is supposed to be done in such situations.” The voice was masculine, so with that hint, Valeriana alone was sure he was a man—a middle-aged one at that. There was also a hint of . . . smile?

“I did not feel the need to involve an innocent soul in our trifles with demons.” Seraphina confessed.

The other growled. “What if she started spilling to the others what she saw? If there was any proper action that should've been done that very moment, it would be killing her!”

“I'm sorry. But I disagree.” Seraphina frowned. “Firstly, the chances of her telling what happened regarding the hunt was very small since her people consider stories of demons as mere myths. She has shown that to me well. Unlike before, I have learned that humans will not believe things which they cannot see for their own eyes.”

“What proof do you have to back up your words?”

“I have no proof. I only bear my candor. I've learned a few things during my time down on the human realm. They are no longer those creatures who would carelessly believe everything they hear!”

“A 
few
 does not mean it is 
enough
.”

They all turned towards Valeriana, who was still gagged.

“You know that your actions may come with a corresponding death penalty? Attempting to hide very important information from the court and lying about what happened that day is considered 
treason!
Not to mention you turned against your own comrade for the sake of this . . . pathetic human being!”

Seraphina went silent.

“If you cannot give me any proper reason, I'll have you executed.”

This took Valeriana aback. From her continuous exertion of effort, the cloth around her mouth came loose. She shook her head to get it off and spat it from her mouth.

“Wait!” Valeriana exclaimed from where she was, shocked by the consequences of the lady's actions. “That's just not fair!”

Seraphina stiffened, but resigned herself to the idea. She had so much to say, so much to reason out with, but she decided sum it up with one sentence. “I felt . . . that she can be trusted.”

“Is that how you base your decisions?! Your feelings? How foolish! I expected more from you as a Celeste! What is it about this girl that made you start acting so stupid?!”

Valeriana continued to struggle, but failed to do anything worth except for talking. “Stop!”

They ignored her.

“If that is what you decide to do . . . then I shall consent.”

“Why give your life to a pitiful creature? Why go so far?” This time, Lord Aeron spoke.

Seraphina did not answer.

“Are you all listening?!” Valeriana screamed. “I've got something so say! Shut up and listen you all damned—”

Someone reached out once again and wound the cloth around her mouth once more. Gagged yet again, Valeriana could only make incoherent sounds in protest.

“How about this, then?” Aeron offered. “If you kill her now, I'm willing to give you another chance. I'll turn a blind eye on this incident and I'll brush it off as if it never happened.”

Seraphina's eyes widened.

The eyes hiding under the sanctuary of darkness glinted challengingly, but they did not notice. “I'm giving you a chance to escape this situation. But a fault will be a fault, and it cannot go unpunished. Choose, then. Is it her life? Or yours?”

Valeriana's heart lodged in her throat when she heard what he said. Thoughts frantically chased around her head. She began asking herself if she even heard him right, or if she was just being delusional.

Someone cut her free of the ropes that tied her hands together and handed her a dagger. The room fell quiet as Valeriana's breathing became ragged. She stared at the dagger Seraphina held as the lady knight advanced towards her slowly.

She struggled, trying to free herself from the ropes that bound her whole body together. The roughness chaffed her skin which would certainly cause it to turn red. Her movements were restricted. Include the fact that she also had someone behind her holding her in place and preventing her from escaping.

Seraphina stopped in front of Valeriana while the poor girl merely, painfully, and slowly dragged her own eyes to meet hers. There had been no rollercoaster or airdrop rides that made her stomach churn in such way, where her heart slithered up to her throat and the fear boiled through her blood.

That was when she locked gazes with her. Seraphina's eyes showed no danger or intent of killing, her gaze was soft and benevolent. In an instant, her worries and fear were set aside.

Seraphina gently cut off the ropes that held her in place and set her free. Valeriana felt unexpectedly taken aback by her actions but she was grateful at the same time. She ripped off the gag covering her mouth.

She never realized her eyes were heavy with tears until she blinked after the longest while and a huge, fat drop rolled down her cheek.

“Wha—” Berias's words were cut off when the lady spoke before he could even ask.

“I'm sorry. Only a coward will try to escape this.” Seraphina turned and faced the Court Members. “I absolutely have no intention of killing this girl. I won't change that decision until the very end.” She said.

Laughter could be heard, coming from Lord Aeron's lips. “Alright, I was only jesting.” The man named Aeron laughed. The sound boomed throughout the entire room, echoing in Valeriana's ears. “Nobody will die.”

She looked up in shock. “What the hell. You think that was a joke!”

“So what's with all the rubbish?” Aleara asked.

“I was interested in seeing how things would turn out, especially what your reactions would be and what you were going to do.”

“See? It was strange how you were making such a big deal out of it.” Josephine sleepily commented.

Valeriana could only look at the Court Leader with shock, unsure about what exactly was going on inside his head.

“I don't exactly know what you saw in this girl, Seraphina.” He chuckled.

“You should know.” Seraphina told him.

“Well, I wonder.” The man answered, a secretive smile curling on his lips. “However, I wanted to confirm something.”

“I don't even have a single idea what's going on . . .” Valeriana was clueless.

“If you really wish to know, then I shall answer that question.” Aeron's voice echoed. “A mistake will only be seen as a mistake if the one who committed it considers it as that. If you yourself are willing to stand by your beliefs, so long as your reasons are rational enough to be considered logical, even if other people see it as wrong, then everything else will fall into place.”

The depth of his words sent Valeriana contemplating. She herself wasn't sure what to make of what he said. Looking at Seraphina, she seemed somewhat confused as well.

“Sometimes, even so, that is not the case. No matter how right and just you think you are, your eyes have seen only a part of the sky, and you've only lived a single grain long from the trickle of the hourglass's immortal flow. Do know that you cannot take matters into your own hands. Seraphina, do you understand?”

Valeriana blinked. “That was deep.”

“Yes, Court Leader.” Seraphina answered.