The Knights of Sheba Ep. 12: "Damsel" B

 The Knights of Sheba 112 B…Start

            Geneva and Nina come to a stop at a local park on the edge of town.  The sun is already set by the time they park and the chill of night settles quickly afterward.  They wait in Nina’s car, watching the darkness and hoping to find if anything watching back.

            Five minutes pass.

            Thirty minutes pass.

            They search the area and find nothing.  An hour later, they return to the car, hands in their pockets and glaring at the night.

            “Well, this has been fun,” Geneva says as they pass a playground.  She hops onto the slide and walks up its slick surface, arms out like a gymnast.  “Fun and not a complete and total waste of time at all.”  At the top of the slide she stops and looks down at Nina, who watches her impassively.  “That was sarcasm, by the way.  I just wanted to let you to know, so there wouldn’t be any confusion.”

            “Yes.  Thank you for the honesty, Ms. Oaks.”

            Geneva salutes limply.  “You can always count on me to tell you when you suck.”

            Nina turns her back on the slide and marches forward.  She pulls out her cell and dials Erak.  It rings twice and then, distractedly, “Yes, Lieutenant, what is it? I’m rather busy.”

            “Are you? Because we’re not.”

            A lengthy pause, and then a more severe, “Excuse me?”

            Nina takes a deep breath.  “What I mean to say is that we arrived at the specified location some time ago and have yet to see any evidence of a demonic presence.

            “And you’ve taken the time to search thoroughly?”

            Nina looks back to find Geneva lying on her back and riding the slide down head-first. At the bottom she hangs half-off and stares up at the sky.  “Yes,” Nina says.  “We’ve searched and found nothing, sir.  Not even tracks.”

            “I see.  Let me check something.”  He shuffles papers and mumbles.  “Ah.  Intel’s falling behind.  All our fault.  Looks like the target has moved back into the city.  It’s mucking around near downtown.  How quickly can you be there?”

            Nina looks back toward the city’s glittering skyline.  “We’re quite a ways out, to be honest.”

            “Listen, we really need you.  You and your little knight have become quite invaluable to us.”

            Nina pauses thoughtfully before saying, “Yes.  Of course, sir.  If you send me the exact streets addresses, we can be there shortly.”

            “Right.”  Click, and Erak is gone.  Nina glares at her phone before stuffing it into her jacket.  She turns back to Geneva, who is now sitting and staring at her.

            “Let me guess: we have to go back.”

            “Yes.”

            “And we’re sure that he doesn’t just hate me and isn’t running us around for a laugh?”
            Nina doesn’t answer.  She starts toward the SUV.

            Geneva climbs over the side of the slide and dusts off her pants.  “Right.  Well, back to the car, I guess.”

            Nina arrives first and unlocks the doors.  She looks at Geneva over the hood.  “Ms. Oaks, I would just like to apologize, preemptively, should this all be a petty joke.”

            “Yeah, yeah. ‘He’s a jerk.  Makes us all look bad.  Our ears are pointy, and we all look like women.’ Heard it all before.”  Geneva pulls open the door.  “Let’s just get this over with.”

 

-The Knights of Sheba-

 

            Ashview High by night is an imposing white figure cut into an inky black sky.  It is far enough from the city proper so that the city appears like a bleary smudge in the distance but not so far as to escape the light pollution.  The sky is dark and featureless, save for the crescent moon that hangs, hooked, in the sky, winking at the car’s approach.

            Claude and Kit park across the street and watch the building.  The school’s parking lot is lit up even in the dead of night and reflects off the white brickwork of the school walls. It grants the night an ethereal glow that makes the school look haunted and alive.

            Claude shifts in his seat and has a flash of intuition staring at the building, and he knows where Shirley is and where they are waiting.  They are in the darkness, just out of view, watching from just down the hill, and they saw the car’s approach and are mobilizing an armed welcome.

            Kit gets out.  Claude follows hesitantly.  Ducking down, he whispers over the hood of the car, “Where are you going?”

            She looks at him over the hood.  “We’re going to get your girlfriend, remember?”

            “Yes.  But we can’t just rush in.”
            “Okay.”  She stuffs her hands into her pocket.  “And why not?”

            Claude sighs, rubs his face.  “Because they’re waiting for us.  They know we’re coming, and they’re soldiers.  Well-equipped soldiers.”

            “Okay.  And you’re…”  She waves her hand vaguely.  “Whatever you are.  That should even the odds.”

            “All I can do is throw some paper and plan ahead, and if you go charging then that doesn’t leave me much time to plan.”

            “Then plan quickly,” she says, and she shivers in the cold.  “Throw some fire or something.  Whatever we do, we have to do it fast.  If they’re willing to kill me to get to Geneva, then they’re willing to kill your girl, too.”

            “And if we rush in, we’re dead first.”  Claude stares into the distance.  “They’re waiting down that hill, out of the light, and they’ll have all approaches covered.  I think they’ll want to end this quickly, and so they’ll be waiting to ambush us.”

            With a click and the chill of cold steel to his neck, Claude goes still.  The steel nudges him, and he stands, his hands over his head.  Kit turns, wide-eyed on him and finds two figures now by the car, one Claude and the other small, lithe, and brandishing a pistol.  “Maybe you should have thought about an ambush earlier,” the elf says, in English.  “And don’t even think about reaching for that card.”

            Claude freezes again, sighs.  “If you’re going to kill us…”

            “Save the clichés, please.  I just want to talk, and I want you to listen.”

            “So, you pull a gun on us,” Kit asks.

            The elf points the gun at her.  “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but guns are a great way of getting attention.”

            She goes stiff. “I noticed.”

            “So, what do you want before you kill us,” Claude asks.  In the back of his head he searches for ways out, ways to get the upper-hand, but even his intuition is silent.  Everything in his body is telling him to keep still and wait it out.

            “I want to not kill you,” the elf says.  “I want to tell you that I am on your side, and I want you to hear it and know I mean it, because it would be really unfortunate if I have to kill you out of self-defense.”  The elf steps back, safeties his gun and holsters it.  Then, he pulls up his goggles and down his mask, revealing soft features, fair skin, blue eyes and pink lips.  He smiles, briefly, showing off his dimples.  “And I could kill you, if I wanted to.”

            Claude turns, grabs for a card, and has himself pinned, quickly and unceremoniously, against the car.  The way the elf holds his hand makes his fingers feel numb.  “Seriously.  I don’t want to hurt you.”

            “Fine, fine,” Claude says, and he is released.  He flexes his fingers to get the blood flowing to them again and glares at the elf.

            Kit rounds the car. “So, wait, you’re not evil?”

            “No,” the elf says. “And they’re not, either.  At least, not really.”

            “Seem evil when they’re trying to kill you.”

            “It’s all perspective, but that’s another conversation.  What they are, ultimately, is fools, all of them.  And they’re led by an ambitious fool, which is a lot more dangerous than an evil one.”

            Claude straightens up, stares back at the elf. “Who are you, and why are you helping us?”

            “I’m Viness.  Viness Crowenn, and I am helping you because, well, not every elf hates humans, and not everyone one of us thinks that going to war with the demons is such a good idea.”

            Kit chews her cheek and stares at him, her arms crossed, and her humor long soured.  “Then why are you all trying to kill me?”

            “I’m not,” Viness says, and he gives another dimpled smile.  She glares, and he holds his hands up.  “Just keeping facts as facts, Ms. Wright, and facts are that these guys are not under any orders from the higher ups.  They’re doing this on their own, without permission, and they’re doing it sloppy, too.  But that’s what you get when you send a bunch of amateurs.”

            Kit blinks.  “Amateurs?”

            “Amateurs.  The demons weren’t a thing, and humans have long forgotten.  The Border Defense is a nowhere placement, meant for so-and-so’s bastard or so-and-so-and-so’s son, who didn’t flunk out of the military academy but didn’t score so well, either.  Their boss, Erak, is the latter, but he sees himself an opportunity to make a name, and with name goes prestige.  So, he gives a couple of idiots some knives and tell them to go stabbing.”  He points at Kit.  “Stabbing you, specifically.”

            “Why?”

            “Because you know.  And because you’re close to the girl, Geneva Oaks, human, student, first knight in, well, a long, long time.  Not that she told you as much.”

            “And why are you telling us this much,” Claude asks.

            “Because,” Viness says, “I don’t work for the Defense, and I don’t work for Erak.  I work for, let’s say, a higher power, and while they see reason for secrecy, they aren’t stupid.  Things are changing, and with change comes a little mess.  Thing is, blood is messier than lies and harder to clean up.”  Viness shrugs.  “At least, in my experience.”

            “So, you’re here to stop them from killing Kit.”

            Viness gives Claude a flat stare.  “Didn’t I already say that?”

            “I still don’t understand,” Kit says.  “If they’re part of some defense thing, and Geneva is a knight, aren’t they are on the same side?”

            Viness laughs.  “Miss, you have to understand, elves are only, ever, on their own side.”

            “Even now,” Claude asks, and Viness gives a quiet grin.  “Okay, how about this: does Nina know?”

            “She knows nothing of it,” Viness says, and he looks at Kit. “Nina is your teacher.”

            “I know,” she says.

            “She’s also pretty vocal about her views on the mistreatment of other races, especially in the colonies.  Anyway, long and short is you’re in danger, and if you do exactly what I say, you won’t be anymore.”

            Kit looks at Claude, who stares intently at Viness and then shrugs.  She frowns.  “Thanks.”  Then, she looks back at Viness.  “But it depends on what you want me to do.”

            “I want you to be bait.”

            Claude goes wide-eyed.  “Wait, what?”

            Viness looks at Claude.  “They’ve got your friend, the girl,” he snaps his fingers as if summoning the memory.

            “Shirley.”
            “Yeah, her.  They’ve got her.  And if you don’t come down there, she will be killed, and that won’t help elf-human relations, I imagine.  So, that in mind, she doesn’t die.  And neither do you.”  Viness smiles at Kit.  “No one dies.  Except for them.  And, as I mentioned previously, they’re idiots, but we need to make them think you’re giving them what they want.  So, I lead you over, and when you get the signal, you help me out, Mr. Sylvain.  And you, Kit, hit the ground.”

            “I’m not going to curl up and hide.”

            “That’s admirable of you, but admirable fools are about as dangerous as ambitious ones.  You want to save Shirley, keep yourself safe for Geneva, you do what I say.  Otherwise, I may as well just shoot you now.”

            Kit frowns.

            “Good.”  He pulls down his goggles, pulls up his mask.  “Let’s go.”

            “Wait,” Claude says.  “One last question.  Why are you helping us?”

            “Orders.  Also, I like humans.  And I like Geneva.  She’s funny.  So, I don’t want to see her get hurt, and I don’t want to see her dragged into war for the sake of one man’s career.”

            “Good enough for me,” Kit says.  “Don’t get me killed.”

            “Same to you.”  He looks at Claude.  “You keep to the shadows and attack by surprise.”

            “Fine,” Claude says, and then he looks at Kit. “Hey, do you have your cell on you?”

            Kit pulls it from her pocket and hands it to him.  “Who are you calling right now?”

            “Geneva. I just thought of it.  This way, even if we all die, we can ruin whatever crazy plan they have for her.”

 

-The Knights of Sheba-

 

            Geneva stares out the window despondently as they cross the bridge.  Ahead of them is the city proper, stretching out and shimmering in the night. Its glow spills out into the surrounding area and paints the sky.  Once, Geneva visited her grandmother in the country, and she stared up at all of the stars, each one a single, defined point of light, and she felt small when she realized how they outnumbered her.

            Her phone goes off, and Geneva stares out the window.  She ignores the ringing of it until she feels her pocket humming.  Then, she pulls it out and looks at Ms. Olivia.  The number showing is unfamiliar to her.

            Ms. Olivia glances at her.   “Ms. Oaks, what did I tell you about giving out that number?”

            “Only person I gave it to was that Claude guy.”  She looks back at the phone.  “Maybe it’s a wrong number?”

            “Maybe it’s Mr. Sylvain.”

            “That doesn’t make me any more inclined to answer it.”

            “Ms. Oaks.”

            “Yeah, yeah.”  Geneva flips the phone open, holds it to her ear.  “Uh.  Hello?”

            “Geneva,” Claude says, “Is that you?”

            “Yes.”

            “Are you alone?”

            Geneva knits her brow, glances sideways at Ms. Olivia.  “Nope.”

            “Okay, then I’ll be brief.  I know this might seem crazy, but,” he sighs, “I’m not sure how to explain it.”

            “Hey, give me the phone.”  This is Kit.  There is movement, and then she says into the phone, “Hey, Genny?”

            “Kit? What are you…”

            “Listen, Genny, Claude showed up at my place and saved me from the elves.  They’re attacking, attacking me.  They want to kill me to get to you.”

            “Wait, what?  What are you talking about?”

            Another sigh, this time Kit.  “Honestly, I don’t even know anymore.  All I know is, they’re after me, and they’ve got Claude’s girlfriend, and they’re trying to get to you.  To control you.  They think that if they kill me and blame it on the—What are they again?  Demons?  Really?  Who would call themselves that?”

            As Kit speaks Geneva turns to stare at Ms. Olivia, who trades looks between her and the road.  “Kit, are you sure about this?”

            “Yeah, I’m pretty sure.  I’ve been at gun and knife point more times tonight than, well, I mean, I’ve been at gun and knife point tonight.”

            “And is it all the elves?”

            “No,” Kit says firmly.  “No, not all of them.  Ms. Olivia is one, right?  I don’t think she knows about it.”

            “How sure are you?”
            “Uh.”

            “And where are you?”

            “We’re at the school.  We’re going to save Shirley, but in case something happened to us I wanted to…”

            “Nothing will happen.  I’ll be there soon.”

            “Wait!”

            Geneva hangs up, slips her phone back into her pocket, and she stares at Ms. Olivia.

            Ms. Olivia keeps both hands on the wheel while trading glances between the road and Geneva.  Streetlights cast light on them in brief flashes.  “That sounded quite hectic.  May I ask what is going on?”

            “I’d like to talk about that exact thing.  Erak is the one giving you orders, right?”  Geneva grabs her door handle tightly.

            “Yes.  He is my commanding officer.”

            “Strange how there’s no traffic like last time a demon attacked, huh?”

            “I think it’s smaller than the last one.  Or I hope.”

            “If it’s smaller then why do you need me?”

            “Ms. Oaks, please.  You’re a knight.  This is your duty.”

            “Killing demons.  That’s my duty, right?”

            Ms. Olivia pauses. “Ms. Oaks, who called you?”

            “Tell me you don’t know about this.”

            “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”

            “Tell me that you don’t know about the attack on Kit.  That they’re trying to kill her to get to me.”

            Ms. Olivia frowns ahead.  “They are—Who told you this?”

            “Just tell me!”

            “Ms. Oaks, I haven’t any idea what you are,” and she goes quiet.  Then, she curses.  “Erak, you fool.”

            Geneva undoes her seatbelt and opens her door.  “I’m sorry,” she says, the wind whipping the words away.  She steps out of the seat, balancing between the car’s interior and the door frame.

            “Ms. Oaks, what are you doing?”

            “What I’m trained to do.  I’m going to go stop the monsters.”  There isn’t a flash but a shift in form.  A liquid carapace spreads over her and solidifies into her signet armor and her wings unfurl and catch on the wind, pulling at her.  She holds firm to the car.  “Don’t follow me!”

            She releases and glides off, away from the bridge and toward Ashview.  Below her, Ms. Olivia skids to a halt on the empty street and watches Geneva drift away toward the school.

 

-The Knights of Sheba-

 

            Viness assigns orders and leads Kit down the hill at gunpoint.  Claude trails after and hides at the top of the hill.  He tosses a card into the air.  It catches on the wind, doesn’t fly far, but it lands among the elves at the bottom who don’t seem to notice.

            A small road separates the sports fields from the school’s main body.  It is fenced off toward the fields.  A group of elves, eight in number, wait in the darkness, all dressed to blend in with the night.  Shirley stands among them, arms bound and a gun to her back.   She isn’t crying, but that is only because she doesn’t have any tears left.

            Viness leans forward and the barrel of his gun brushes Kit’s neck.  She shivers at the contact of cold steel as he whispers to her, “Keep quiet, keep focused, and do whatever I say.  If you’re careful and you’re smart, you’ll be safe.  I promise.”

            Kit stares ahead as they approach the group, sees them relax at the sight of her.  She even hears a few chuckle.  “I’m not afraid.”

            “Yeah, you are, and you’d be stupid if you weren’t,” Viness says.

            They approach together.  Kit holds her hands up for no particular reason and shivers slightly.  As they approach, a tall, lean elf at the front peels his mask off, revealing curly red hair and a dimpled smile.  His eyes are so vibrantly green that they almost glow in the night.

            “Good job, soldier.  Looks like you were right to do a perimeter walk.”

            “Humans are nothing if not predictable,” Viness says, and he nudges Kit forward.  “What will we do now that we’ve got her?”

            “Kill her, of course.”  The red-headed elf reaches back and brandishes a knife.  It gleams in the distant light of the school parking lot and reflects the elf’s vicious smile on the blade.

            “Of course, kill her, but what about the other one?”

            “Her?”  The redheaded elf looks back, reaches for Shirley, and the elf behind him shoves her forward.  The red-headed elf takes her about the neck and holds her in place.  She stares ahead at Kit, who stares back stoically.  The red-headed elf holds the knife to her cheek.  “We kill her, too, make it all the more tragic.”

            Viness pauses.  “Is that necessary?”

            “You’re new, right,” the redheaded elf asks. “Trust me, you stay around the humans long enough, you’ll know that not one of them deserves our mercy.”  The elf looks Shirley over, stares into her tear-streaked face.  He is still smiling, but the expression is hollow, without feeling or meaning.  “This is for a better world.  I hope you understand.”

            “Wait,” Viness says, his gun still on Kit, holding her in place.  The redheaded elf has his dagger gripped firmly but now held away from Shirley.  He looks at Viness, who says, “Let me do it.”  There is a pause, a hush as the elves listen and wait.  “I’m new,” he adds, “I want to do my part.”

            The redheaded elf’s smile returns in earnest.  “Fine,” he says, and he shoves Shirley forward.  She stumbles, still bound and gagged, and looks back at him.  He motions forward with his knife.  “Go on, girl.  It’s either him or me, and I get the feeling he’ll be more gentle.”

            She looks forward, at Kit and then at Viness, and Vinnes nods.  Shuffling, slowly, she moves forward, and Viness whispers to Kit.  “You’re going to hear loud bang.  When you do, grab her and duck down.”

            Kit’s brow knits and, once Shirley is close, she hears it.  Her ears a ring and whistle, and she can feel the gun blast reverberate in her skull.  It makes her eyes shake but she moves, leaping forward and tugging Shirley down into the dirt.

            There is more gunfire but only from one source to start.  The redheaded elf falls back, his head opened, with a small hole in the front and a larger one in the back.  Other elves duck down, curse and react.  They fire blankly on the moving Viness, who kneels down and shrinks into the darkness as he attacks.

            An explosion and Claude reveals himself.  He steps from his shroud and throws cards at the enemy’s feet.  There is smoke and blood.

            The battle is short and hard.  Viness and Claude quickly subdue the enemies and, by the time Kit is looking up, it is already over.  There are limbs scattered in the dirt, bloodied stumps breaded with pebbles and dust.  She covers her mouth to keep from vomiting.

            Claude, meanwhile, goes straight to Shirley and cuts her binds.  He pulls the rag from her mouth and lets her embrace him.  They kiss deeply and in relief as she settles in his arms and just lets him hold her.  He smells her hair and kisses her head before whispering to her.  “You’re safe.”

            She smiles.  “Of course.  You’re here.  So, I was never in any real danger.”  She smiles up at him, the tears in her eyes finally falling down her cheeks again.  “I knew you would come for me.”

            Claude looks over her, at Kit watching.  He nods.  “I would never leave you,” he says.

            Kit turns, shakily, to Viness, who now has his goggles and mask off.  “How’s your ear,” he asks.

            Kit squints.  Feels her ear and the blood leaking from it.  She sighs.

            Viness feels it too and winces.  “We’ll have that taken care of.”  He smiles.  “You did well.  Better than what I’d expect from a civilian.  You humans are full of surprises.”

            She smiles and holds herself at the waist, and she stares at him, because looking anywhere else would make her feel sick again.  She can smell the iron in the air and the fat, and other scents that she is not familiar with and doesn’t want to know.

            “Come on, let’s get you away from here and get that girlfriend of yours on the phone, tell her everything is alright.”

            A shuddering breath, a nod, and then, “Okay.”

            Behind her there is movement.  An elf, shot in the right arm, rises, pistol drawn.  He screams as he levels his weapon and, before he can pull the trigger, is taken by the wind.  Geneva lands in a plume of dust and, with the accompaniment of a roar, hurls him across the road with the swing of her sword.  He lands heavily and with a wheeze, and he stops moving.

            Before Geneva’s arrival, Viness reacted.  He took Kit, pulled her back and readied his weapon, stopping with the barrel now pointing at Geneva.  She turns on him, bringing her blade around for his neck as Kit screams.  Geneva stops just inches from Kit’s chest, and now they have her between them.  Viness has her arm stretched out behind her, and Geneva has her blade before her.

            “Stop,” Kit says, yanking her arm free from Viness’ grip and forcing them apart.  She pushes Viness’ gun down while staring at Geneva in her armor.  It is the first time she has seen it, and it hard for her to reconcile Geneva with the woman in white plate and beige aweave.  “Geneva?”

            Geneva shakes.  Her gaze is still fixed on Viness, who is tense at Kit’s side.

            Kit reaches forward and timidly takes Geneva’s hand in hers.  “Geneva, stop.  He helped us.  Saved us.  Saved me.”

            Geneva looks at her now, or Kit thinks she does, it is hard to tell through the helm, and she lowers her sword and sighs heavily.  The tension leaves her body, and she slouches now under the weight of her armor.  Pulling her hand away from Kit, she sheaths her wand and removes her helm, revealing herself to them, and she has tears in her eyes.

            “Kit, I...”

            Kit goes to her, and they fall into each other, crying and hugging each other for support.

 

-The Knights of Sheba-

 

            Nina leaves her car in the woods and approaches the compound on foot.  She comes from the west, away from the light of the city, and shrouded in darkness.  Using the trees for cover, she moves silently through the underbrush without even moonlight to betray her. Even out here the stars aren’t enough to see by, but she is familiar with fighting in complete darkness.

            After all, that is how she made a name for herself.

            She stops at the threshold of the compound.  In the distance it is a solid shadow with faint light bleeding through the windows.  Two guards are out front, each carrying assault rifles.  They move quietly and only when necessary.  In the window, Nina can see the form of a broad-shouldered elf with closely cropped hair.  Erak.

            She pulls her phone out and dials him.  The shadow pauses in the window and then moves forward to a desk, obscuring the light from the computer monitor.  He holds something to his ear, and Erak answers the phone.  “Lieutenant.  I was beginning to worry.  You haven’t reported in for some time and it seems the demon is moving again.”

            “I know,” Nina says, moving slowly and carefully through the woods.  Her footfalls are so light they hardly seem to make a sound.  “He’s right under my nose.”

            Erak pauses, his breath catching.  “Is he?”

            “Yes.”

            “You’re sure?”

            “You’ve seen my record, major.  I know a monster when I see one.  Ms. Oaks is a bit busy right now, but I can take care of this myself.”

            The figure turns to look out the window.  Nina leans into the cover of a thick trunked tree.  “Where are you right now?”

            “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?  Better yet, did you think that this would even work?”

            A pause and then he laughs.  “I see.  Not very clever of you, giving yourself away in such a manner.”

            “I’m not trying to be clever.  I’m giving you a chance, one chance, to surrender now before you get the men under you hurt for your own ego.”  He hangs up, and she turns her phone off immediately after, pocketing it before kneeling close to the ground.  Deep down, she knew he wouldn’t surrender, but she wanted to believe he might.

            The figure inside warns the guards outside to be alert, but even then, they didn’t notice her before she reached the deck.  By the time they saw her she was already on them, moving quickly and without a sound, and she leaped onto the platform and landed with her foot on one of the guard’s knees, collapsing it before he could fire.

            The guard manages half a shout before she kicks him in the head, knocking him face-first into one of the awning posts.   The next guard turns to fire on her, but she is already there, following his movements fluidly.  He opens fire on the empty space where she was while she grabs the strap of his rifle and twists it around her arm.  She yanks the strap back, angling the gun upward while she continues moving.  Using the gun strap, she strangles the man until he goes limp against her back.  Then, she lets him fall.

            With both guards unconscious she kneels down beside the door and listens at the window.  Erak is moving around inside and issuing orders.  He picks up a pistol as he stomps around the room and the soldiers inside with him ready their weapons and train them on the front door.

            Nina searches one of the guards and takes a flash bang from him.  She tosses it through the window and ducks down when she hears the gunfire roaring overhead, followed by a loud burst as the window is blown outward.  Inside, the guards scream orders to each other but hold formation, firing until their clips go dry.

            She moves to the other room and takes a run at the window, leaping through it before they have time to reload.  The first guard hardly has his weapon trained on her before she slams him, head-first, into the wall.  She punches the second guard in the throat and drops him with an elbow to the face.  The last she takes by the arm and hurls him over her shoulder onto his stomach, and she kicks him into the floor before he has time to stand up.

            Gunfire splinters the wood beside her and sends shards of it into her cheek.  She winces and turns to find Erak ducked down behind the stairwell and firing blindly.  With a huff, she stomps forward and grabs the gun from him, twisting his hand in the process before kicking him in the chest.  She undoes his clip and drops the bullets one by one while staring at him.  Then she pops the last bullet from the chamber before dismantling the gun the rest of the way.

            Erak retreats to the nearby wall and brandishes a knife, and she rises slowly.  He is bigger than her, but he is shaking.  “I guess the rumors were true.  You really are a monster.”

            “No, this is simply what a real soldier looks like.  You wouldn’t know, because you’ve never seen battle before.  None of you have.  Not so glorious, is it?”

            “And there you go, showing how soft you’ve become, and just when I was starting to respect you.”  He laughs bitterly.  “I think I could take it, losing to you, if you weren’t such a bleeding heart.”

            “I am only doing what is best for the elves.”

            “You’re neutering us with all of your apologist rhetoric.  All of this talk about helping others, letting the other races rule themselves.  You say you want what is best for us?  Then it’s up to people like me to protect our own best interests.”

            “Enough of this.”  Nina steps forward, into Erak’s lunge, and intercepts him smoothly.  With a flick of her wrist the blade is on the floor, and he is held by the forearm and wheeled around pinned to the wall.  Blood gushes down his face as his nose fractures, and he allows a long string of elven curses while using a nearby table for support.  She holds him by his wrist, twisting his hand to keep him pinned.

            “Major Erak Draco, sir, I am afraid that I must put you under arrest for treason.”

            “Me? You’re arresting me?”  He begins to laugh and struggle against her, and she twists his arm until it snaps and listens to him scream before pushing him to the floor with her foot.  Then, she stands over him and pulls out her phone, turning it on and calling Geneva.

            “Lieutenant Olivier.  I sure am glad to hear from you.”

            “Crowenn?”

            “Ma’am.  Where are you right now?”

            “I am at the compound.”

            “Ah.  Then I’m assuming Erak has already been neutralized.”

            Nina regards Erak on the ground, curled up and holding his arm as he bleeds and glars.  “Yes.  And why do you have Ms. Oaks’ phone?”

            “Because I’m here with her.  She’s busy right now.  I’m sure you can imagine, lots of hugging and crying going on over at the school.”

            “They’re safe?”

            “All of them.  Do you need me there?”

            “No.  I will meet you at the school.  We’ll have to move quick to round them all up before they can mount another attack.”

            Viness laughs.  “I think we’ll be fine between the two of us.”

            “Still, we should contact the council.”

            “I know, I know.  Are you surprised?”

            Nina looks down at Erak, and she sighs.  “Sadly, yes, and also deeply disappointed.”

 

-The Knights of Sheba-

 

            Viness hangs up and approaches Geneva and Kit.  Geneva is still in her armor, holding Kit.  The two of them had stopped crying and now silence has settled.  Viness was taking the time to clear up some of the bodies when Ms. Olivia called and offered to answer it for Geneva, who was still refusing to speak with her.

            Geneva turns to him with a glare as he approaches, and Kit takes her by the hand and holds her tight.  “Genny, he helped us.”

            “I know.”  Geneva takes her phone from him.  “What did she say?”

            “She’s captured Erak.”

            “Good for her.”  She looks passed Viness, at Claude and Shirley.  “Can we get a ride home with you two?”

            “Actually, Kit’s the one who drove us here,” Claude says.  He looks at Shirley, who has stopped crying mostly and is now smiling as she holds him so tightly that it hurts them both.  “You ready to go?” She nods, and he turns to Viness, who shrugs.

            “It’s getting late.  You can all go, if you want to.  I’ve got things here.”

            Geneva turns, and her armor liquefies and condenses back into the ring.  She pockets her phone and starts back toward the school when Viness grabs her by the arm, and she jerks away from him.

            “Listen.  She had nothing to do with this.”

            Geneva breathes deeply and stares at him.  “I know, but I’m still not ready to see her or even talk to her.”

            “Fine, but you’re a knight.  Keep your phone on.”

            She purses her lips and pats her pocket, and then she turns again and starts up the hill.  Kit lingers, offering an apologetic stare to Viness, who gives a friendly wink and grin before nodding toward her.  She nods back and then follows Geneva up the hill.

 

-The Knights of Sheba-

 

            Shirley drives them back and drops Kit and Geneva off in front of Kit’s house.  They give tired farewells before pulling away, leaving Kit and Geneva standing in front of Kit’s car, staring at the perfectly manicured lawn of her home. It is Geneva’s first time being in the Ash Valley estates.  Normally, she would be in awe of how big Kit’s house is.  Right now, however, she just wants the night to end.

            Kit sighs and gives a weak smile.  Geneva returns it.  In the three years that they have been friends, she has never seen Kit look so tired.  Her eyes are still puffy from crying, and her skin is pale.  Sometimes, Geneva can see her shaking, but Kit seems to notice this, too, and is doing her best to control it.

            Geneva reaches out and touches Kit’s ear.  “Are you okay?  You’ve got blood on your ear.”

            Kit feels her ear, too.  Their fingers touch, and Geneva pulls away.  “Oh, uh, yeah.  A gun went off by my ear.  It’s fine now.”

            “Oh.  A gun.  Makes sense.”  Geneva looks at her feet.

            “Uh, mind if I clean up a bit before I drive you back.  Don’t want your parents asking questions, just in case they see me.”

            Geneva nods, slowly.  “That’s fine.  I’ll wait out here.”

            “No.  Go ahead and come in,” Kit says as she approaches the front door.  Geneva watches her.

            “You sure?”

            Kit nods before opening the door.  She stands with her hand on the doorknob. “Yeah.  It’ll be fine, and it’ll raise more questions if people see you sitting out here or something.”

            “Your parent’s won’t mind?”

            “They won’t be back until late.”  Kit laughs and then looks at Geneva, who has followed lazily behind her.  “And besides, they won’t notice anyway.  You haven’t seen my room, have you?  I should show it to you.”

            “Uh, sure.”

            Geneva follows Kit through an expansive foyer, up two flights of stairs to a room with a view.  Kit’s room takes up the better part of the third floor and is easily twice the size of Geneva’s own room.  It has its own private bath with a luxury tub that is polished to a shine.  From Kit’s window Geneva can see the entire city glittering in the night.  It reminds her of the view from the hillside outside of the city, only at night there isn’t steel spires but a threadwork of light that looks to her like a pearl necklace.

            “I’m going to wash my face.  Sit on the bed, if you like.”

            Geneva settles on the bed.  Like everything else in the room, it is big and expensive, topped with a comforter thick enough to be a mattress on its own.  The room is colored in loud shades of gold and pink.  Posters on the wall show the things Kit likes, the movies, the bands, the people, each lovely and artistic in their own unconventional ways.  Many of them are adorned with tattoos and piercings of various kinds.  Most seem to be screaming.

            Kit returns with her face rinsed and some color back in her skin.  She joins Geneva on the bed, their shoulders touching and their hands resting close together.  She takes a deep breath, holds it, and then releases.  “So.”

            “So.”

            Kit looks at her.  “Thanks for saving me.”

            Geneva slouches forward, her body being crushed by the weight of nothing and everything all at once.  She can feel tears in her eyes and the room goes a bit blurry, and she tries to rub them away.  “No need to thank me.  Sorry you were ever in danger in the first place.”

            “Don’t be.  It’s not your fault.”

            “Yes, it is.”

            “No, Genny.”  Kit takes one of Geneva’s hands and laces their fingers.  With her free hand, she wipes away some of Geneva’s tears.  “It’s theirs. They were the ones who were trying to hurt me.  You were the one who saved me.”

            “I should have told you.”

            “You were protecting me.”

            “No.”  Geneva shakes her head and begins to sob openly.  She tries to pull her hand away, but Kit holds it tight.  “It wasn’t you I was protecting.  It was,” she takes a deep breath and begins to laugh between her tears.  “God, I’m no good at this.  I’m no good at people. And feelings? Ugh.”

            Kit laughs and pulls her into a hug, and she pats Geneva’s hair while holding her close.  There, Geneva relives it all.  She relives every battle, every blow, every bit of training, every nightmare, and every failure.  It passes through her and falls onto Kit’s chest, and she keeps telling Kit how sorry she is.

            The whole while, Kit just holds her, and smooths her hair, and kisses her forehead and whispers to her.  As Geneva settles, Kit releases her, and watches as she sits back and wipes the tears from her eyes.  Still, Kit holds her hand, and she smiles.  “Now, you hush.  You didn’t do anything wrong.  You saved me.  Okay?”

            “But I put you in danger in the first place.  I was the one...”

            Kit puts a finger to Geneva’s lips.  “You. Saved. Me.  Okay?”

            Geneva blinks, dropping more tears from her eye lashes, and then she nods.

            Kit smile again, this time more warmly, and she squeezes Geneva’s hand while resting her back against the headboard.  It, like the rest of the room, is expensive, and it has lions engraved into it.  “Good.”

            Geneva sighs beside her and settles in, holding Kit’s hand tightly and resting her head on Kit’s shoulder.  “Kit?”

            “Yup?”

            “Thanks and stuff.”

            “Thank you,” she says.  “You know, you looked pretty dashing in that armor.  My hero.”

            Geneva laughs.

            “Hey, how did you get there, anyway?”

            “I flew.”

            “You can fly?”

            “Well,” Geneva stammers, “It’s more like gliding, but it,” a sigh, “Yeah.  I can fly.”

            They go quiet.  Geneva sits there against Kit, feeling her warmth and her heartbeat.  She remembers the bodies of the elves scattered around her when she landed, remembers the body of Andromalius scattered around her after the battle ended, and she imagines them to be Kit.  The tears return, moving through her like a great current and leaving her unable to breathe.

            Kit feels her jerk and moves to intercept.  She takes Geneva by the face with one hand and holds her hand tightly in the other, and she pulls her into a kiss.  They stay like this for a moment and, as they part, Geneva whispers more apologies and Kit assurances.  Time stands still like this, and Geneva sees Kit there, breathing, alive, safe, and she cries harder but this out of relief.

            Their lips meet again, and Geneva pulls her hand free and grabs Kit by the head and holds her close.  They part but only long enough to breathe before reuniting, their tongues meeting and their bodies following suit.  Geneva pulls Kit into her, and they fall back onto the bed together, hands wandering but lips never straying.

            There they stay, twined like lace, as the night comes to a close.

The Knights of Sheba 112...End