“We are Blood Knights!” Cassandra reminded them. “Our home is ruled by a tyrant. Our sisters are imprisoned being forced to do god knows what and you want to find an easier way through. How pathetic! Sisters, what is our saying!”
“Blood and honor!”
“Victory or death!”
“Glory in Blood!”
“And should death find me then let it be glorious!”
“That’s what I like to hear!” Cassandra yelled. “Now do you still wanna act like a baby, or do you wanna save our home?”
The Blood Knight Cassandra punched rose to her feet, wiped the blood from her and said, “Victory or death!”
Vincent was impressed by Cassandra’s ability to motivate her people. Still, even with a new found resolve, this was still a dangerous task. “Cassandra,” Vincent whispered. “You don’t have to do this. I can just…”
“No,” she interrupted. “I know what you are about to say, Vincent, and the answer is no. Me and my sisters are not just gonna sit by and wait to be rescued. We do the rescuing. Blackfire is our home. You should remember this, we aren’t like most women. We don’t require a man to look out for us.”
Vincent would keep that in mind.
They each tore two pieces of a blanket off and wrapped the bottom of their feet. They wouldn’t want to fall. Once that was done, they all lined up and took a deep breath. Cassandra was the first one to run. The others soon followed. It was very cold once they pass through. Their hands and feet went numb, each breath felt like breathing in tiny shards of ice. However, no matter what, they could no stop. For death was certain if they did.
It was hard to tell just how long they were running. Two hours, three hours, perhaps even five hours. None of them knew. They were all focused on their breathing and stamina that time was the furthest thing from their mind. When the sun went down there were eight. When the sun came up there were only six.
Sisters in arms dying together. One refusing to leave the other. They were brought into the Blood Knights together and they would die together. Respect was the only word Cassandra could use to describe them. Sisters to the end.
Day two, feet blistering, lungs on fire, throat parched, signs of exhaustion very apparent, and there was no end in sight. How long can the human body keep this up for? Not much longer it would seem. They were all slowing down. Another Blood Knight fell due to a cramp. The cold took her in seconds. Sadly enough, they needed to see that. A reminder that if they so much as stop, then death is all that awaits them.
By dusk on the second day, they saw green just ahead. It was a very welcome sight. Using what little strength remained the pushed as fast as they could to get out of the frozen area. They immediately all collapsed.
Vincent grabbed his container of water and just poured it on his face. Cassandra and Emilia tore into a bag of jerky they had.
“So, anyone wanna cross the Black Sea next?” Vincent asked in a joking manner.
Everyone found themselves laughing harder than should be. Most likely due to the exhaustion, but laughing none the less.
Their laughter soon stopped when a loud scream tore through the air. They looked over and saw one of the Blood Knights with ice shards sticking out of her chest. She looked at them. “Run…” she mumbled and shattered into ice. The ice was alive and it was moving.
Ice came shooting out of the ground, to exhausted to move, the other Blood Knight was hit, froze, and shattered. Ice erupted out of the floor underneath Cassandra. She dodges but not completely. There was a cut on her left arm and that all it took. A single scratch and her left arm began to freeze. She screamed in pain. Thinking fast she grabbed her sword and cut off her arm. However, the pain was so great that she passed out.
Vincent grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. He and Emilia ran but she could go no further. Even with her life in danger and a surge of adrenaline, her legs would not move. The ice began to envelop her just as Vincent turned around to see. Her body froze, his heart sank and Emilia smiled.
“No!” Vincent held out his hand and began to run back. Time seemed to be at a standstill. What happened next is something no one could explain. Black lightning arched from his fingertips in a thunderous boom. The ice began to shatter as the lightning struck the ground. The ice that enveloped Emilia broke but her body remained in tacked.
He picked her up by her belt and ran. As more time passes, Vincent knows even less about his arm.
Emilia awoke later that night next to Cassandra. Her armor was stripped off and her body was bandaged. Same as Emilia. She got to her feet and immediately felt winded. She saw Vincent sitting underneath a tree staring up at the moon. She limped over to him.
“Hey…” she said.
Vincent looked at her. “Hey. How are you feeling?”
“Cold, actually. You mind if I sit here?”
“Not at all.”
Vincent moved slightly over and Emilia sat down next to him. There was nothing but the sound of cricket. Finally, Emilia said, “I was dead. Vincent, what happened?”
He looked down at his bandaged right arm. “I don’t know. One minute I’m watching you freeze and next thing I know I’m shooting lightning from my hand. It broke the ice. This…thing worries me, Emilia. I saw something similar like this in Illya inside an old abandoned temple.”
“Someone with an arm like yours?”
“No. One of the seven statues representing the seven gods. They were so broken that there was no telling which it was. What do you think that means?”
“I don’t know, Vincent. I really don’t, but it doesn’t sound good.” She grabbed his hand and interlocked her fingers with his. “But whatever it means, I will help you find it.”
Vincent smiled and began to blush. Emilia took notice. “Is the great Vincent Valentine blushing?” she asked with a smirk.
“No.” He replied. “The great Vincent Valentine is…passing out.”
His head slumped over and began to snore. He was as tired as she was if not more so. She placed her head on his lap and his arm on her shoulder. It didn’t take long for her to asleep. She felt comfortable having him close by.
Chapter 5
There Vincent sat in a garden across from a black silhouette. On the table in front of him was a cup of tea. He reached to grab it but noticed that his right arm was gone.
“Looking for something?” the figure said. “You shun the power that you have because of the past you cannot change. How pathetic that I am forced to be used by such a weakling.”
“Who the hell are you?”
The black figure leaned forward on the table. Vincent was in disbelief as to what he saw. He saw himself. “I’m you. The better you.”
With the sound of thunder booming in his ear, Vincent awoke. He could feel his heart beating in his ear. What was that dream? Was it a dream? He looked at his arm. It was fine and more importantly it was there. Emilia was sleeping soundly on his lap. There was a ladybug on her cheek. He picked it up and placed it on the grass next to him. It flew away. It was probably spooked by the loud smack. Vincent peered behind the tree. Cassandra was awake and she was training.
He raises Emilia's head up just enough for him to maneuver his way out. He took off his black leather jacket and placed it over her making sure not disturb her sleep. Cassandra was hacking away a tree. By the look of the scars on the tree trunk, she must’ve been at it for quite some time.
“I think an axe would be better to chop down this tree.” He said. “At this point your just making toothpicks.”
Cassandra smirked. “Very funny.” She mumbled.
“I try. Anyway, how are you feeling?”
“My legs feel like lead, I have blisters all over my feet, I’m having serious phantom limb syndrome right now, and my entire squad is dead. How do you think I feel?”
Cassandra became extremely light headed. The sword in her hand fell to the ground and she stumbled backward. Vincent caught her. Once the ground beneath her feet stopped spinning she pu
lled away. “Get off me!” she yelled. “I do not need any help from a man! I…sorry.” She turned her back to him. “It's okay…it's okay…calm down…calm down…”
“Cassandra? What’s wrong?” Vincent repeated as he placed his hand on her shoulder. He felt her body stiffen as if it had just frozen solid. She fell to her knees and began to cry.
“Cassandra? What’s wrong?” he repeated.
She turned around and looked at him. Her eyes widen in fear and she broke out into a cold sweat. She screamed and began throwing rocks at Vincent. “Don’t touch! Don’t look at me! Don’t come near me!”
Emilia was awoken by the commotion. She ran over as fast as she could and pinned Cassandra to the ground. She struggled to try and get loose. “No! No! No!” Cassandra continued to yell.
“Cassandra!” Her eyes immediately became focused on Emilia. “It’s okay. It's alright. Breath, Cassandra. Just breath. No one here is going to hurt you.” Her eyes wondered and she locked eyes with Vincent. She screamed once again and began to thrash about. “Vincent leave!”
He was confused. “What?”
“Leave! So that she doesn’t see you. Hide somewhere!”
So he did. Once he was out of sight Cassandra calmed down. “He’s gone, Cassandra, okay? No one is going to hurt you. I’m here. I’ll always be here. I promise you that nothing bad will happen so long as I’m here.” Tears began to streak from her eyes. Emilia grabbed a vial from her belt full of white liquid. “Drink this. It’s milk of the poppy.”
Cassandra drank half of it and her eyes became very heavy. “When you wake up everything will be okay. I promise.”
Emilia gathered a bunch of leaves and wrapped them inside a blanket. She placed it under Cassandra’s head and threw another one over her body. Vincent emerged from the tree he was hiding behind and walked up to her. “Emilia, what just happened?” he asked.
Emilia looked at the ground and pursed her lips. “Vincent, what I am about to tell you only two people know. Me and my mother. My father knew to but he’s no longer with us.”
Vincent sat down the ground. “You can tell me anything.” He said.
Emilia took a deep breath. “Cassandra wasn’t born in Blackfire. She was originally from Livia. She was part of a noble family house. A very distance cousin to Livia’s royal dynasty. As you know, or probably don’t know, the woman there are married off at a young age. An extremely young age. Those who don’t are called leftover girls and are…forced to wed within the family. Cassandra was eight then she got married. She got married to her father.”
“Her father?” Vincent said with a shocked tone of voice.
“Yeah. He was single. Cassandra’s mother died during childbirth. He was the next unattached man within her family. Going by Livia’s laws it made sense.”
“So he forced himself on top of his own daughter? An eight-year-old none the less. Excuse me, I have the sudden need to throw up.”
Emilia nodded. “If only it was the simple and if only that’s where it ended. Cassandra will never say her father raped her. Even to this day. She was just a child and even then she knew what was demanded of her. Cooking, cleaning, and pleasuring. Livia was one of the main reasons my ancestor became a conquer. She saw how women were treated and wanted to change that, but we know how that all ends. I don’t think Cassandra ever realized just how…sick her father was. He began selling her to anyone willing to pay. For three years, she was locked away in a basement and forced to serve.
One day, she noticed a crack in the door. Her father forgot to lock it. She took a big risk, but she ran away. Didn’t stop until she reached Blackfire’s boarder. That’s where she ran into me and my mother. It took her nearly half a year for her to tell us her name. Even longer for her to tell us what happened. She lived with us in the castle. All her attendants were female. Had to. The very sight of a man would send her into a panic. Gods forbid they even touched her.”
“So, that’s why that happened. Wait, but I don’t understand. Why is that happening now? She rode horseback with me for days and we’ve been conversing just fine.”
“It took her a very long time but she did eventually overcome her issues. I think with the exhaustion, losing her arm and her entire unit, it might have reopened some old scars. I suppose if anyone could understand what that’s like it would be you.”
Vincent did indeed. Turning into the Black Knight gives him amazing abilities, but doing so makes him relive the events of the past. For this reason, he refuses to transform if he can help it. However, he does understand that perhaps the Black Knight will be needed once again.
“Then perhaps I should go on ahead.” He offered. “You two can catch up when your ready.”
“Not a chance,” Emilia said. “Although I appreciate the offer, I refuse to become indebted to you any more than I already am. Blackfire is my home and it shall be retaken by a Blackfire. We are conquers after all.”
“Then, I suppose we wait.”
The moon was high, the lanterns were lit and a crow screeched in the distance. Illya, though it may be a shining white kingdom, was rather eerie come nightfall.
Kristy entered an inn alone on the border leading into Hothcar. There was a tall muscular man tending the bar counter. She sat down.
“What can I get you?” he asked.
Kristy placed the parchment she received from Mama Murphy on the table. He picked it up and looked over it.
“Shadows spread…”
“When the moon is high. The hawk watches…”
“As the wolf hunts! Brother…”
“Sister. What brings you by?”
“That note you have in your hand. Mama Murphy’s orders.”
“Mama Murphy…” he said with a scowl. “I’ll never understand how someone like her was allowed on the seat of the High council. Regardless, what does she want with the Valentine twins? She does realize that not even we know where they are, right?”
“She has no interest in the twins. We just need to get Vincent to a certain location. For that, we need him to make a quick detour on his quest. Do you know anyone who might have had contact with them when they came through here?”
“Yeah I do. A man, I think, in Anders. He’s had contact with them.”
“You think it’s a man?”
“I’ve been getting rather confusing reports about him. Some say he’s a man. Others say he’s a demon wearing flesh. Either way, the point is mute. You’ll never be able to get to talk to him.”
“Why is that?” she asked.
“He’s locked up. Tight. So deep underground you’ll start seeing pockets of lava start to erupt. However, there might be one other person. I can’t say for sure, but there is an elderly man east of Anders. Very nice guy. Far too nice for this world if you ask me, but he runs an orphanage. He takes care of so many kids there. Assuming the Valentine sisters made it out of Anders alive, I would bet coin they stopped there.”
“Thanks for your help, brother.”
“Sister! May Yennefer’s magic protect you on the days ahead.”
“May she protect us all.”
Chapter 6
Cassandra had a very hard time once again overcoming her fear of men. Each time she saw Vincent she would scream and toss rocks at him. She’s a seasoned soldier yet she’s acting like a child afraid of her own shadow. That’s probably what drove her crazy the most. She was perfectly aware as to how she was acting, knew Vincent would never hurt her the way her father did, but each time she saw him the memories of those days just kept flooding back.
For the first few days, it was rock throwing and screaming. By the end of the week, she got use to him being around but was unable to look at him or talk to him. If not for Emilia’s constant support and guidance, there was a high chance that Cassandra would’ve stayed like this. After a fortnight, Cassandra was back to how she was.
Before setting back off down the road, Cassandra pulled Vincent away from Emilia to talk. Her face was red. She was cracking her knu
ckles. She wanted to apologize. Just two words. “I’m sorry,” but she was unable to speak. Not out of fear but out of embarrassment.
“Cassandra,” Vincent said. She looked up at him. Her eyes were beginning to water. “I know what you’re trying to do and it’s unnecessary. You have nothing to apologize for.”
Cassandra smirked as she hung her head. “Emilia told you, didn’t she?”
Vincent nodded. “You have my word that I will never breathe a word of that to anyone. I’m just sorry that——”
“Please stop!” Cassandra interrupted. “Please don’t finish your sentence. All my life I was treated like a victim. It didn’t occur to me just how much I hated that until I finally fully recovered. People apologizing to me as if they did it, coddling me as if I was some child. Although, if I am being honest, I needed to be coddled. It's just…when people apologize to me and say sorry that happened to you. Nothing changes. So, what's the point in saying it? Time can only move forward never back. Only when you are reminded of those days do you truly step back in time. I can still feel it sometimes. Locked in that cold basement. Chained to the bed with a blindfold over my eyes. My clothes torn from my body as someone's cock is thrusted inside of me. I guess some scars never truly heal.”
Vincent raised his hand and wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn’t even realize she had been crying this entire time. “You’re right. Some scars never heal, but you can’t let that pain consume you. Cause if you do then time can never truly move forward and those scars will continue to fester.”
Wise words. Such a shame Vincent doesn’t listen to his own advice. As we speak, his wounds are festering like an egg cooking on a slab of stone on a hot day.
“We should get going. Any longer and Emilia will assume we are fooling around. I know first hand how jealous Emilia can be.” Cassandra said.
The Return of Constantine (The Blackest Knight Series, Book 2) Page 3
