The Knight of Swords Takes up His Leadership Role

Hello,

I hope you are still enjoying the Knight of Sword's story!  I am currently preparing various manuscripts to be sent out to Publishers for my Literary Agent so I am afraid this post is going to be brief.

I have posted the next part below.  Please continue to let me know what you think.  Once this story is finished I will be starting another one.

Storm Island

In the meantime you can also check out another spooky paranormal mystery story involving the bloodthirsty Nix Mermaids on Storm Island on Thoughtcatalog.

Enjoy the next instalment of Knight of Swords!

Sleep well and remember, don't have nightmares!

Sara




Knight of Swords

I stared into the forest ahead.  Translucent, black shadows, without substance or true form darted between the trees, moving around and between us.  My men struck out with lightening speed.  Two of the demons fell at our feet, materializing into their gruesome yellow and black spotted human forms, disguised by black hooded cloaks.  One of my men went forward to finish the life of one.  It shot forth spittle from its mouth that hissed and burned in the air.  He stepped back to avoid the spray while swinging his blade in a precise, elegant arc to sever the demon’s head from its body.

I heard Gabriel shout, ‘Be careful of the venom, Nathan.  It causes unbearable pain.  You will never fully recover from the injury it inflicts.  Some believe it is a fate worse than death.’

I slashed out at a demon that passed by me so quickly it had me spinning around.  ‘Point taken, Gabriel,’ I grunted.  ‘I wouldn’t want to disappoint you as a weakened opponent.’

I heard him chuckle as he caught another, cleanly cutting his blade through its neck.  My attention was suddenly distracted by a loud cry from Josephine.  ‘They have Emily, they’ve taken Emily.’

I turned swiftly to Josephine.  She was pointing into the forest.  Turning back to follow her line, I caught sight of the offender.  The demon was in physical form, carrying Emily away at speed.  Without a moment of hesitation, I took off after the creature.  I had made the child a promise and I intended to keep it.

Chapter Eleven

I ran through the forest, chasing after the creature that had spirited Emily away.  Moonlight poked through an opening through heavy cloud to cast light upon the demon, aiding my pursuit.  Unable to take its shadow form and move at speed when carrying the child, I caught up with it easily.  I ploughed into the monster from the side with my shoulder.  All three of us fell with a crunch into the snow.

I climbed over the demon’s back as Emily, still clasping her doll, struggled to free herself out from beneath him.  His black hood had fallen aside, uncovering a shiny yellow head with black spots.  I tried to force his head back into an uncomfortable position to raise him from Emily, but there was no hair for me to grip.  The more I wrestled him, the more his grip upon the child loosened, but his skin was too moist and slippery for me to gain a secure hold.

The demon turned his head sideways at an inhuman angle, intent on spitting his acidic venom in my face with a long, lithe, reptilian tongue.  I quickly rolled over onto my back, forcing the creature backwards on top of me.  I would have simply torn out his throat but for the venom that ran through his veins.  As I completed the movement, he finally lost hold of the child.

I rose to one knee, holding the demon with his back pressed against me.  I pinned my forearm across his throat.  Squeezing as hard as I could, I shouted at Emily to move away.  The demon struggled violently, clawing at my gloved hands with his black talon fingernails as I began to pull again at his head.  I forced him down into the snow, placing my foot against a tree trunk to maintain my position, trying to assist my grip under his slippery chin.  With one more sharp wrench, I pulled his head from his neck.

The Hunter Demon’s body slumped at my feet.  From the open wound where his head had once been attached, a torrent of greenish yellow blood spilled onto the white snow.  I watched his body spasm and twitch with shock.  Then become still.  I looked down at the lifeless head I still held in my hands, disbelieving of my new strength.  Suddenly, I felt a burning in my hands as flames spread rapidly over the surface of the demon’s head.  With a startled cry, I dropped the head into the snow next to the body.  Jumping to my feet, I found Emily standing behind a tree peeking out at me.  I beckoned for her to come out, reassuring her that she was now safe.  Together we watched the head and body of the demon spontaneously combust and burn, dissolving into grey ash inside the black woollen cloak.

I wiped at my hands with snow, removing flakes of charred yellow skin, then brushed down my long riding coat.  I humorously decided that if I was to ride to Juliet’s rescue I would be properly neat for the event.  As I straightened my neck tie, I felt Emily clinging to my leg and bent down to lift her into my arms.  I held her close, relieved that I had retrieved her small fragile form from the demon’s clutches.  I picked up the black hooded cloak and shook it free from the demon’s ashes before swirling it around Emily in an effort to warm her freezing, shaking body.

‘I see you saved your doll,’ I said politely.  ‘She must be very precious to you?’

‘My mummy gave her to me before they took her away.  She is called Victoria.  She used to be pretty, but she’s dirty now.’

Her small voice was downcast.

‘I will buy you another one,’ I told her, pleased with my solution, but she began to cry.

‘I don’t want another one.  I want Victoria.’

Of course the child wanted to keep the last gift her mother had given her.  Had I not been just the same when my own parents died?  I had treasured every gift they had given me.  How could I have been so heartless?

‘Hush, Emily,’ I soothed.  ‘Then you must keep her.  Perhaps we can clean her up a little, buy her a new dress.  We will make her more presentable for society,’ I said with a grin.

She giggled as she wiped at her tears.  Her small eyes began to close.  She was tired from the day’s exhausting events.  Emily buried her head against my chest once more as I did my best to shield her from the bitter, cold weather.  I had to get her back to the others quickly.

‘Emily, would you like to see how fast I can run?’

She lifted her head and looked at me with curious interest.  After a moment’s thought, she nodded.

‘You must hold on tight.’

She wound her small hands around my neck, still clutching her doll.  I broke out into a fast run.   The cold air brushed hard and tight against me as snow began to fall once more.  I pressed Emily’s face into my coat to protect her from its harshness.  Within minutes we had covered the distance and found ourselves back at the group.

The demons had gone, skilfully dispatched by my men.  Gabriel nodded to me with approval as I came to stand before him.

‘You did well, but Sebastian will send more.  We must get the children to safety.’

It was now snowing heavily.  The decline in the weather increased my anxiety for the girls to have warm shelter.  ‘Your home is too far away.  Is there not somewhere nearer we can take them?’  I ventured, looking down with concern at the small shivering bodies before me. 

Gabriel fell silent as he ran a hand through his snow covered hair, contemplating a safe haven for the girls.  ‘There are some farmsteads to the west of here.  I know two of the farmers.  I am sure they will help us.’

‘Good.  I want you to take the girls with four other men whilst I go to retrieve Juliet.’

Gabriel stretched out his hand, slapping it down onto my arm to halt me.

‘No.  I must come with you.  Jason can lead the men.  Juliet will need us both.’

I looked down at his hand on my arm.  My temper was such that if he did not remove it I had a mind to sever it from his arm.  I raised my dark, narrowed eyes towards him, but he did not heed my warning.  Had I not still held Emily tightly in my arms, I would have forced him to remove his hold.

‘I am leader here, Gabriel.  I want you to protect the children.  Take your hand from my arm,’ I hissed with contempt.

Gabriel moved his hand as he smiled with heavy sarcasm.

‘You seek to remove me from your quest to make Juliet yours.  You will not be rid of me so easily, Nathan.’

‘I do not doubt it, Gabriel, but I am all Juliet needs.  You will have your day with me, but now is not the time for challenges.  We must be united or our Queen will die.  You know the owners of these, farmsteads, as you so quaintly call them.  You are the only one able to secure their help.  Do not let me down.’

He was suitably silent, his smile fading when he realised the logic of my command.  I began talking to Emily once more.

‘Emily, I must leave you with this man.  He is called Gabriel.  He will take care of you and the others.  Promise you will do as he tells you.’

She shook her head.  I raised my eyebrows at her in surprise.  ‘But I don’t want to go with him.  I want to stay with you.’

She flung herself against my chest.  I looked down at her not sure what to make of her outburst, whether to be flattered or dismayed.

‘But Emily, I thought you wanted me to find our Queen and rescue her from the red ones?  You wouldn’t want me to let her down, would you?’

‘No.’

‘Then you’ll do as I ask?’

She nodded clutching her doll to her small chest as though for comfort.

‘Good girl.’

I looked over at Gabriel with a wicked smile twitching at my lips.  I whispered in Emily’s ear, knowing fine well his hybrid hearing would catch it clearly, ‘Besides, he is always getting up to mischief.  I need you to keep an eye on him for me.  Can you do that?’

She nodded.  Her bottom lip pouted out at Gabriel as her eyes travelled the length and breadth of his body in a frown.  I was given the distinct impression that she shared my distrust of the man.

‘Oh, thank you, Nathan.  All I require is a troublesome child.  This is not going to . . .’

‘You see what I mean, Emily?’ I said quickly interrupting him.

‘Yes.  I will watch him for you,’ she replied widening her pretty tortoise shell eyes, eager to please me.

‘Good, now go to him.  I will come for you all when I have rescued our Queen.’

I handed her over to Gabriel, watching her sit stiffly in his arms, despite his obvious ease with holding a child.  He pulled the cloak tighter around her body as he reassured her of his protection.  She did not appear impressed.  I suppressed a smile.

‘Be careful, Nathan.  I will be waiting for your return.  But I am not patient.  If I have not heard from you within a day and a night, I will follow you,’ Gabriel told me sternly.

‘Make sure the children are safe before you do or I will not wait for the challenge to remove your head.’

I walked away from him towards Jason, deciding to trust him plus six of the other knights to accompany me to the village.  We had to move quickly before Juliet was rendered a slave and lost to me forever.

Chapter Twelve

My plan to free Juliet was simple.  Sebastian had taken and threatened she who I held most dear to my heart.  I would do the same to him.  He had imprisoned and murdered defenceless women.  He had tortured, raped, and butchered Taleians and hybrids, offering their healing flesh and organs to these human cannibals he cared for so much.  Not to mention the profit he made from it.  His flock, as he so righteously called them, had been complicit in his plan.  I would free our Queen and our women.  Sebastian and his flock would pay dearly for their treachery.

Now he had Juliet, Sebastian would be distracted with lust and hunger to make her his own.  He was arrogant enough to believe he could defeat any attack I made upon the village.  But my psychic gifts were becoming stronger by the hour since my change.  I was now able to bar Sebastian from my mind, preventing him from knowing how and when we would make our move.  I had the element of surprise.  This time fate was on my side.

Looking out over the sleepy, quaint village of Bullbeggar, nestled in a valley between two large hills swathed in heavy snow, I searched for a way I could utilise this element of surprise.  Slowly the corners of my mouth lifted into a triumphant smile as I stared keenly at my answer.

Jason came to stand at my side.  ‘There appears to be some sort of gathering in the village hall.  If we attack now, we will take most of them.’

My smile widened.  ‘It is most likely Sebastian telling his flock that he has our Queen.’  I spat my words with contempt.  ‘But no matter, it is perfect timing.  I do not intend to simply kill them.  That would be too easy, and I fear it would provoke Sebastian into hurting or even killing Juliet in retaliation.  I intend to hold their lives to ransom, gentlemen.  Now, I am going to start an avalanche to trap these fools in their village hall so there is no escape for them.  Then we will attack.’

Jason nodded, clearly impressed even though I sensed he would have preferred the humans to answer for their crimes in blood.  But they would not escape punishment.  I made one more unsuccessful attempt to reach Juliet as we readied ourselves.

 It was not that she did not hear me or chose to ignore my words, there was something barring our communication.  Every time I reached for her, I felt a strange pain sear inside my temples as though red hot fingers pushed through my mind.  It was accompanied by the smell of rusted iron.  The pain I felt was not mine, it was Juliet’s.   My concern for her intensified even further.  My temper flared with it.  Whatever Sebastian had done to Juliet to fill her mind with such agony was designed to prevent her communication with me.  I did not have any more time to waste.

I stared across at the hills bathed in silver moonlight that glinted over their crisp, white surfaces.  Concentrating on the looming forms, I envisioned a mass of snow moving towards the village.  Nothing happened.  Only a small amount of snow dislodged from one of them to slide down ineffectually.  My powers were insufficient.

‘Damn it,’ I hissed before making another attempt.  One of my men, Cedric was his name, spoke up.

‘The Queen could easily trigger the snow on her own, but perhaps you need some help.  Psychic ability is not as strong in male hybrids . . .’

I turned to glare at him, cutting him dead.  His dark features turned an even harsher shade of pale.  But he was right.  I had been foolish to believe I could complete the feat on my own.  I softened my features, admitting defeat.  ‘You are right.  We should join our minds.  But we must hurry.’

We stood in a group staring at the hills, each man having made contact with the others in the group.  The strain of maintaining a link with so many was taxing.  It threatened to overwhelm us all.  My mind felt as though it was being torn apart into pieces as it was pulled and stretched from every corner.  However, no man broke the contact despite the pain or the threat to our sanity.  Our collective fierce desire to rescue our Queen and free the women drove us on.  We supported each other as we turned our conjoined concentration upon both of the hills from a safe distance.

Our energy threw a cold wind around us, spraying snow in our faces as the shadowy white mass on the hill began to heave and shudder.  Just a little more effort was required before we heard a distant rumble that mimicked thunder.  A loud crack followed, just like that made by a whip, echoing in the night air.  The snow broke free and began to tumble down the hill to the left of the village at speed.  Then the snow slid loose from the second hill.  A race was on to be first to hit the village.

We watched as the snow stampeded through the unsuspecting village’s small narrow streets, knocking down everything in its wake.  A man and woman were making their way to the village hall in a horse and trap.  I sensed their terror.  They did their best to ride away from the snow’s approach, but the snow was much too fast.  It was upon them before they could utter a cry.  I felt revenge sit satisfactorily in my stomach as they were lost beneath it.