***
“My Lord,” the captain of the guard said with a deep bow. Alric had just walked onto the south lawn where the Castle Protectors were standing in rows. Their plate armor was shiny in the bright sun, and he was pleased to see their perfection.
“Thank you for gathering on such short notice,” Alric said. He looked out over the elite knights.
“We are ready.”
“I see that. We need to wait though, another will be joining us.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Actually, please have two of your newer members ready themselves for a fight.”
The captain turned and ordered two of the knights forward. They moved quickly and soon had their swords in hand as they stopped before their leader.
They waited silently until Kyrin appeared. She had changed, as instructed, and looked more comfortable in the pants than she had been in the dress. Alric wasn’t surprised to see her flail tucked into her belt. She surveyed the gathered knights as she walked up to Alric.
“Much better, thank you,” he said, smiling.
When she saw the two battle ready knights, she suddenly drew her flail and crouched toward them, instantly prepared to fight.
The knight’s captain chuckled. “Interesting.”
“Kyrin, this is for training. They won’t actually try to kill you,” Alric told her.
“What exactly do we do then?” one of them asked him.
“I wish to see her skill level. Start off easy, and we’ll go from there.”
“You want them dead?” Kyrin asked, narrowing her eyes.
Alric smiled. “I don’t think you can kill them, but yes, that’s the general idea.”
The two knights gasped when she lunged at them without the signal to begin. She kicked one hard in the chest and sent him flying to the ground. The precision it took to knock the knight off balance using his own armor as leverage was surprising, and the captain was no longer smiling.
She swung her flail at the same time as she kicked the first, catching the other knight in the throat. He fell to the ground. His windpipe had collapsed, and he fought for air. Alric barely had time to react as she brought her flail down onto the knight she’d kicked, and the spiked balls connected with his side. She swung her hand back and the flail ripped his breastplate off, exposing his vulnerable torso.
“Stop!” Alric yelled, and Kyrin turned with furious eyes. The evil look on her face made him take a step back. “That’s enough.”
The innocent expression returned to her face, and she nodded and stepped back. Alric dropped to his knees before the injured knight, and within a few minutes, he was breathing again. Being a Holy Knight of Sithias granted him the ability to heal.
The captain watched Kyrin closely and had even called some of his best knights forward to keep her from attacking anyone else.
Once Alric was sure the knights were okay, he stood up and faced Kyrin. She seemed un-phased by the brutal beating she’d just given to two of his knights. “Would you care to explain?”
She looked over at him. “You said to kill them.”
“How long have you been fighting?”
“I’ve always fought.”
“I think I underestimated your ability.” Alric checked with the knights again and then walked over to talk to the captain in private.
Kyrin ignored the angry glares from the knights and looked around at the green lawns and lush trees. Most of the dimensions were brown and dead, so it was shocking to see one with such an abundance of water.
“Kyrin,” Alric said finally. She looked over at him. “I apologize. That was my fault. I do have a concern though.”
“Such as?” she asked.
“You don’t seem at all upset that you almost killed them.”
“You told me to.”
“Still, a conscience, some type of inner thought that killing them would be wrong.”
She shrugged. “I do as I’m told.”
“Who did you say your god is?”
“Daemionis”
“Does he have Holy Knights?”
“No”
“What are his top followers called?”
“Is this relevant?”
“Yes, it is.” Alric and the captain were trying to decide if the small girl was one of the fabled evils. A vile, repulsive being that disappeared when magic died.
“They are his priest and priestesses.”
“May I see your weapon?” the captain asked, holding his hand out. Finn was tall and muscular, with wavy blonde hair that was tied in a low pony tail.
Her grip tightened.
“He won’t keep it. Please let him see it,” Alric said.
She didn’t have a choice, so she handed the flail over to the large knight. He weighed it in his hand and tried to grip it, but the small handle kept him from getting a good hold.
“Who made this for you?” he asked her, and handed it back.
She took it and slipped the handle into her belt. “Mika had it made for me.”
“Who is Mika?”
“I don’t believe that’s any of your concern.”
“He made it specifically for you?”
“He didn’t, but he had it made for me, yes.”
“That’s why it’s weighted differently,” the captain said, narrowing his eyes. “It’s specifically made to move with her natural movements and to complement her personal fighting style.”
“Not only to assist her in battle, but to protect her. If an enemy was to get that flail, it would be less effective in their hands,” Alric added.
“Where can I find this Mika?”
Kyrin watched him but didn’t answer.
“Answer him,” Alric said.
“Indebted servitude only goes so far. You may punish me for refusing to answer.”
“You would take a punishment over that small bit of information?”
“Yes”
Alric began to walk around her. “Have you been punished often in your life?”
“Define often,” she said, looking straight ahead.
“You may go back to your room.”
She nodded and then turned and walked quickly back to the castle. Once out of earshot, Alric turned to the captain. “She’s too young to be an evil.”
“Is she? Maybe she’s lying.”
“Still, magic is dead.”
“Not all evils had magic.”
He nodded. “That’s true. Her fighting is impressive though, for one so young.”
“We don’t know what she’s been through, sir. She may have spent her entire life fighting,” the captain said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of. That hard of a life can turn a heart cold.”
“Have you talked to her about the scars she had on her body?”
“No, I would imagine she won’t tell me.”
The captain sighed. “To fight like she does, without remorse or regret, makes her more dangerous than even the Qualsax.”
“I know, but she’s so young.”
“Seventeen you said?”
“Yes”
“We need to learn more about her and somehow get her to trust us,” the captain said. “If we have her on our side, the Qualsax wouldn’t know what hit them.”
“I cannot send one so innocent into battle with a Qualsax Warrior.”
“Innocent? She tried to kill two of my knights.”
Alric nodded. “I know. I need to consult Sithias and see what he thinks.”
The captain nodded and called his troops forward when Alric left for the temple. On horse, it took him only a few minutes to arrive.
“Sire,” one of the priests said, coming out to greet him.
“Lock the doors. I need to converse with Sithias.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Alric walked into the temple and disappeared behind a hidden wall at the back of the main monastery. Behind that wall was his private chamber to speak to Sithias. Only a few ha
d ever earned the title of Holy Knight, and those few were able to speak to their god when necessary.
Alric left his sword by the door and then knelt before the tall statue. Sithias was a strong presence but had a kind, caring face unless you crossed him. His statue was close to his true height of 7 ½ feet tall, and Alric looked up into the gentle face. “My Lord, I ask for your advice.”
When Alric lowered his eyes, a shimmer began before him, and Sithias stepped out, clad in white robes trimmed in sparkling gold. “You seem troubled, Alric.”
“Do you know of my houseguest?”
“Of course.”
“Do you know who she is, my Lord?”
“No, she walks from different lands than we know.”
“What does that mean?” Alric asked.
“There are lands beyond what you know. Her past runs deeper than you could ever imagine.”
“She’s so young.”
Sithias nodded. “Yes, but very old.”
“I fear she may be an evil.”
“Of that I’m almost certain.”
“Does she know magic?”
“I don’t know yet. It will take time to discover that.”
Alric looked up. “What if she is an evil? I cannot harbor her, but she thinks she’s indebted to me.”
“Take this opportunity to study her. If she’s an evil for certain, we’ll deal with it at that time. She is very young, and we may be able to sway her.”
“Her god, Daemionis… who is he?”
“There are many deities that I do not know. He is one of them.”
“Am I putting my people at risk having her here?” Alric asked.
Sithias shook his head. “Not if you watch her and learn her ways.”
“Her ways are barbaric and foreign to me.”
“I fear that she has led a life most of us see only in nightmares.”
“Can I help her?”
“If her soul is pure, she may come around.”
“Thank you, my Lord,” Alric said, and then bowed his head as Sithias’ image shimmered and faded.
Alric grabbed his sword on the way out of the room, and then was soon on his horse headed back for the castle. What Sithias said was weighing heavily on his mind. He was a knight, a fighter, and didn’t know how to rehabilitate a lost girl.
“Sir!” the captain said, running up to him when he dismounted.
“What’s wrong, Finn?” Alric asked, tired.
“We had to put the girl into prison. She tried to kill Lukas.”
“She did?!”
“It was sort of his fault, sir.”
Alric sighed. “Start at the beginning.”
“It began back in the knight’s quarters. They started making fun of the two she fought, how they were beaten up by a girl.”
“Perfect,” Alric said, and started into the castle.
“It grew into a bit of a fight, until Lukas said he wanted a second round with her to prove he would win. She was still in her room, following your orders, but she opened the door when he knocked. He was furious by then and stormed into her room, demanding a rematch.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Pride, plain and simple. He was screaming at her that she cheated and attacked before the signal to begin. She started to get mad, and when she readied her flail, he hit her.”
Alric turned, shocked. “He hit her?”
“Yes, and she just… well… she went off on him. He was cowering in the corner as she pummeled him with that flail. By the time they hauled her away from him, he was a bloody heap on the floor.”
“Sounds to me like he deserved it. Why is she in a prison cell?” Alric asked.
“She wouldn’t calm down. She attacked anyone who got near her. To protect her and the knights, I had her locked up.”
He nodded. “I’ll go and talk to her.”
“Lukas is still healing. He could use some help, sir.”
“I think he can heal on his own. What he did was beneath him, and I’m furious that he stooped to that level.”
“Yes, sir,” Finn said, following Alric down into the dungeon. They stopped at the cell holding Kyrin and looked inside. She was sitting, facing the wall with her legs crossed in front of her. She was barely breathing and wasn’t moving.
Alric dug out his keys and opened the cell, then stepped inside. “Can we talk?”
“Am I to finish out my time in here?” she whispered.
“No, I will take you back to your room.”
She turned to look at him. “What is my punishment?”
“I’m not going to punish you.”
“But you will,” she said to Finn.
“No, I will not.”
“Then I will punish myself,” she said, turning back to the wall.
“Come to your room, please,” Alric said, standing up. “I want to talk to you about what happened.”
“I wish to remain here.”
“No, come with me,” he said sternly. He wasn’t going to have her punished when she was attacked in her room while she waited out his orders.
Nodding, she stood up and turned toward him. He frowned when he saw a gash along her arm.
“I didn’t know you were injured.”
“It’s nothing,” she said, covering it with her sleeve.
“I can heal it.”
“I’d rather you not.”
“Very well,” he said, and then walked up the stairs with Kyrin and Finn following. They all sat down in her room at the small table by the window.
Finn stayed, just in case she lost her temper around the king. He saw her single-handedly take out three of his top knights and didn’t want to risk her alone with Alric.
“I wanted to apologize,” Alric said to her. She frowned slightly, and he continued, “He had no right to come in here and treat you like that.”
“Is he dead?”
“No,” Finn said. “However, he is severely injured.”
“I will be punished. It’s okay.”
“You didn’t listen to me,” Alric told her. “You don’t deserve to be punished. He attacked you, and you defended yourself.”
“Can you tell me where you learned to fight? It’s most impressive,” Finn said.
“Where I come from, if you don’t fight, you don’t live.”
“Were you formally trained?”
She nodded.
“By this Mika?”
“Yes”
“What were his methods?”
She looked up at him. “His training methods?”
“Yes”
“He put me in the arena with members of the Apprehension Crew.”
“Adults?”
“Yes”
“How old were you?”
“I was seven when I started learning to fight.”
Alric sat back and let the captain get out of her what he could. “So you learned by fighting grown men.”
“That was Mika’s way.”
“Is that how you got so many scars?”
“Some”
“Did you ever kill one of them?”
“Yes, it was death or get punished.”
“Wait,” Alric said, shocked. “At 7-years-old you were in a battle to the death with adult warriors?”
“Yes”
“I’m surprised they didn’t kill you when you lacked experience,” Finn said.
“They weren’t allowed to kill me. Once I was unconscious, they were to stop.”
He frowned. “How often were these trainings?”
“It depended. If I didn’t kill the ones I fought, then I was punished, sometimes for a full week.”
“As a child?”
“Childhood is not an excuse to be inept.”
“Children should be nurtured and cared for.”
She smiled. “Here maybe.”
“How did you come to be with Mika?” Alric asked. He had been curious from the moment she mentioned her time with him
.
“I was indentured to him.”
“Indentured?” Finn asked him.
Alric watched her. “It’s a barbaric practice where fines are paid by giving a slave. That slave works to pay off the fines.”
“So your parents owed this Mika.”
“No, I had no parents.”
“Who had you then?”
She stiffened. “They had no choice but to give me to Mika or risk all of them dying at the hands of his Apprehension Crews.”
“I understand that, and I don’t blame them. I just wonder who they are, and how you came to be with them.”
“I was left on their doorstep as an infant.”
“These Apprehension Crews you keep speaking of, was Mika training you to join them?”
“He never told me of his plans.”
“How did you get away?” Alric asked, leaning forward.
Kyrin shifted nervously. “I…”
“It’s okay. We just want to know.”
When she tensed and looked toward the window, Alric stood.
“I think that’s enough for now. You don’t have to worry about being attacked by my knights again,” Alric told her.
Finn scowled. “They will not bother you again.”
“Are you still going to punish yourself?”
“Yes, you don’t have to worry about that,” she said to him.
“I’m more worried about you actually torturing yourself.”
“I have to.”
“How will you do it?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“Please wait until tomorrow and let’s talk again. For now, your dinner has arrived, and I must go and speak to Lukas.”
She turned to the window, so the others left.