Angels of the Knights

by Valerie Zambito

  “Nor do I care,” she responded and lunged with supernatural speed. He tried to dodge the thrust, but she was too quick and the sword pierced his side. He hissed in pain but managed to spin in a circle and bring his leg around toward her head. With her left hand, she caught his ankle in a vise-like grip inches from her face. With her right, she sliced his throat.

  He made a clumsy attempt to hit her, but he was already dying from the cut she made, so she let go of his ankle and pushed him to the ground.

  His death did not take long and within seconds, a black, snarling wraith exploded out of the corpse, searching for a nearby body to steal. It roared menacingly when its eyes found Fallon, but she did not hesitate. She plunged the Aventi into the center of the dark mass and it disintegrated into a pile of ash.

  The threat eliminated, she walked over to the body of the young man and looked down at him with sadness. His head lolled to the side and his eyes were glazed over in death but already she could see the change in him. His face showed such innocence now. She wondered when the Kjin took his body. Was he a child at the time? Was it more recent? Had his family detected the changes in his personality and wondered at the cause?

  She knelt by his side and whispered, “Your Aegian guide awaits you, my child. There you will find your peace.”

  Whoever found his earthly body would assume he died of natural causes. That would be better for the parents to accept than the fact that a demon had been living in their son’s body.

  All that Fallon cared about was that there was one less Kjin in the world. They could not reproduce so every one slain was a step closer to having an earth free of evil.

  The girl moaned.

  Fallon quickly went to her, picked her up and brought her back to the sidewalk. As soon as the girl opened her eyes, Fallon waved the Aventi before her eyes. The pupils dilated and went out of focus for a moment and then regained their vision.

  “Are you all right?” Fallon asked.

  “Yes, I think so,” she said, getting to her feet. “What happened?”

  Fallon refused to lie. “It looks like you took a blow to your head.”

  “I…I must have tripped and blacked out.”

  She did not correct her. “Can I help you home?”

  The girl shakily picked up her book bag and slung it over her arm. “No, I…I think I am all right. I live just down the street. Thank you for your help.”

  “No problem. But, hey, be careful next time, okay?”

  The girl gave her a grateful smile and walked away.

  Fallon turned and went back the way she had come. She was late now for her meeting with Father Tomas at St. Mary’s Cathedral Church. She had not expected to find a Kjin here so quickly.

  Alden was a typical upstate New York college town—peaceful and quaint with the requisite non-working fountain in the center of Main Street. Old and stately homes dotted the surrounding streets, many of which had been converted into apartments for the students that flooded into the area every fall.

  Fallon untied her hoodie from around her waist and put it back on, pulling the hood over her head. Back on Main Street, she passed through the crowds without making eye contact, but their easy companionship made her long for Julian and Nikki, the only friends she had here on earth. Any friends Fallon had prior to her death were most likely busy making plans for retirement or caring for grandchildren.

  Still, she did not feel envious. She was following her calling and knew that Darius was pleased with her efforts to eradicate the Kjin and save human lives.

  With a smile, she thought back to her first day of Knight training.

  Leah, the Patie, left her after she received her wings, so Fallon walked into the vast arched doors of the Hall of Knights on her own. Beneath a domed ceiling at least one hundred feet high, male and female angels engaged in a variety of combat drills. Some were learning defensive moves and others were being lectured in small groups. Most, however, were sparring with a sword of light. The speed and agility with which the angels moved was otherworldly, and Fallon wondered if she, too, would have these same abilities when her training was complete.

  The door opened behind her and three angels, two boys and a girl, similar to her age walked into the hall. They immediately approached her. “Are you going to train to be a Knight?” one asked, a tall, blonde-haired boy.

  She nodded.

  “My name is Julian,” he told her. “And, these two are Blane and Nikki.” Blane was also tall but with dark hair, and Nikki had her long auburn hair pulled back into a high ponytail.

  “Hi, I’m Fallon.”

  She was about to ask them questions when a male angel dressed in a white pants and a sleeveless white shirt belted around the middle with a tie glided toward them. At least seven feet in height, he was much larger and glowed brighter than anyone else in the room.

  Julian nudged her and whispered. “It’s an Elder.”

  “What’s an Elder?” she asked.

  “There are four Elders in total, one for each caste. I guess you could say he is our new boss.”

  “Angels,” the Elder greeted in a rumbling, deep voice. “My name is Darius and I am the Elder for the Knight Caste.” He reached into a bag with a drawstring that hung from his belt. He handed each one of them a gold cuff. “You are to wear this on your arm. It is called a Kur and it is a device of great power.” Reaching back into the bag, he handed them another object. It looked like a simple black tube. “This is your Aventi. Your sword. It is the only weapon capable of killing the Kjin. To ignite its power, you simply touch the Aventi against the Kur on your arm. I will demonstrate.” Darius stepped back and tapped the black tube he held to the Kur around his bicep. Immediately, a sword of light burst into existence with a slight humming sound. He slammed the hilt of the Aventi against the Kur once again, and the white beam was extinguished.

  “Amazing,” breathed Nikki.

  “You will learn more as you train, but I will give you a little background now before we begin. Back in the early days of the world’s creation, a sinister presence developed from the seed of man. His name was Tyras, and he was very successful at whispering dark insinuations into the ears of the flawed men and women of earth. Soon, he developed a large following of evildoers. The Creator knew what Tyras was up to and banished him and his followers into the underworld of Mordeaux. Many years later, Tyras discovered a way to break out of his prison and let loose thousands of his demonic brethren into the world. The Creator was able to capture Tyras and send him back to Mordeaux where he sealed him once again into his underworld prison, but the others, we call the Kjin, were not so easy to find. They appear as normal people, but are not. They are the murderers, the rapists, and the terrorists that live to torment humans. The evil wraiths live in the host bodies of those they kill, and when that body dies, they simply move on to another. If not for these creatures, there would be very little sin on earth.” He paused to make sure his young audience was listening. “The only weapon that can kill the Kjin is the Aventi of a Knight of Emperica.”

  “How many Knights are there?” Blane asked.

  “Very few are chosen. Very few develop the skills necessary to defeat the Kjin. It remains to be seen whether the four of you will become Knights.”

  “My guide mentioned that if I become a Knight, my wings will be clipped and I will be earthbound,” Nikki commented with a shudder.

  Darius nodded. “It is not a very pleasant experience I am afraid as the sacrifice of your wings cannot be made lightly. But, it is the only way. You must have a corporeal form to wield the Aventi. The pain of wing removal also serves as a reminder of the commitment you wish to undertake. Mortals are completely defenseless against the Kjin and their only protection is the Knights of this caste. If you succeed in your goal of Knighthood, you will not return back here to Emperica again until every Kjin is destroyed or you are killed. If a Kjin does manage to kill you, you will return to Emperica and the Patrit Caste.”

  “A Patie! But, I don’t
want to be a Patie!” exclaimed Julian.

  Darius patted him on the shoulder. “Then I suggest that you do not die again, young angel.”

  Fallon felt a sense of pride fill her at the thought of returning to earth and saving humans from the Kjin. She was even thinking of seeing her old friends again. “How long does the training take, Elder?”

  “Thirty years.”

  CHAPTER 2

  The Emissier & The Cop

  “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been four days since my last confession.”

  Fallon could not see the Emissier’s face beyond the screened window, but did hear him chuckle softly. “You are forgiven, child, although I doubt very much you have anything to be forgiven for.”

  She smiled in the dark of the small confessional. “No.”

  “Thank you for coming, Fallon. Darius tells me that you have proven yourself to be one of the best Knights we have.”

  “I do what I can, Father.”

  “That is good to hear, because we have a particularly dangerous Kjin in this area. Two children have gone missing within the past month, but before that, the Kjin was killing college-aged girls. A total of six over the past fifteen years that I can with almost certainty attribute to him.”

  “Are you sure it’s the same Kjin? It would be unusual for a serial killer of women to suddenly resort to crimes against children.”

  The dark silhouette nodded. “It is the same one. He is now leaving a calling card.”

  “He’s taunting the police?”

  “No. Me.”

  The news shocked Fallon. “You? What does he leave?”

  “Flowers. A lily dipped in fresh blood was placed on the rectory steps after each child disappeared.”

  Fallon’s blood raged at the thought of this Kjin killing innocent women and children. “Luck may be with us, Father. I killed a Kjin just before I came here and it could have been the one you are looking for.”

  The priest paused.

  “It was a young man,” she continued, “and he attempted to abduct a girl right off the street.”

  “No. This Kjin is quite a few years older. But, it is highly unusual to have another one in the immediate area. The Kjin have never come together as an organized faction which means these animals are very territorial about their dens of destruction.”

  “How do you know how old he is?”

  Again, he paused. “I know who he is, Fallon. He is the President and a professor at Alden University with a wife and four children. I have personally known him for over twenty years and never once suspected him of being Kjin until three weeks ago when he carelessly walked too close to the font and a splash of holy water sizzled on his hand from the contact. He tried to quickly cover his mistake, but not before I saw it happen.”

  “What is his name?”

  “Marc Ellis, and for this particular assignment, you will pose as a college student to get closer to him. He is very intelligent, Fallon, and I will not give you a false impression regarding how difficult this will be.” The shadow leaned in close to the screen. “He has already killed another Knight, Fallon. A man named Gabe Mackey.”

  Fallon sucked in her breath. “A Ha’Basin?” The Ha’Basin was a ritual of dark magic that required ten Kjin working in concert to invoke the power necessary to cast a Knight back to Emperica. It was an almost impossible feat to get a Knight into a weakened position to allow that to happen and even more rare for that many Kjin to be working together.

  “No, not a Ha’Basin. He was drugged and killed.”

  Again, her anger flared. “I will handle this, Father.”

  The priest’s voice turned urgent. “Please be careful, Fallon, I do not wish to lose another Knight.”

  She nodded but did not respond, already planning the Kjin’s demise in her mind.

  “Go to AU, get close to the man, and choose your opportunity carefully. Your registration is complete and you simply need to go to the Registrar’s Office tomorrow morning to pick up your schedule.”

  “Do you have a place for me to stay?”

  A white paper appeared under the screen. “Here is the address. Just two blocks from here, it is an old, yellow Victorian. It is quite large for one person, but all I could arrange with the notice I had. It is very hard to find housing at this time of year.” An envelope slid toward her. “Here is the key and money.”

  “Thank you, Father,” she said, standing. “I will be back in touch in a few days.”

  “Wait! I need you to do one other thing for me if you would.”

  She sat back down. “Of course.”

  “It is a personal favor. There is a young former police officer at the jailhouse named Kade Royce. He is being released today after spending the past year in jail. His parents are out of the country and I promised to deliver the key to his new apartment which just happens to be next door to yours.” The Emissier passed another envelope to her. “He is also attending AU this fall.”

  “What did he do to end up in jail?”

  “He was too good at his job. He had an uncanny ability to ferret out the criminals in this county. Unfortunately, the top Kjin took notice and set him up on fake drug charges.”

  “This Marc Ellis?”

  “Yes. Gabe Mackey was posing as a police officer alongside Kade, and the two made quite a pair before the set up. An undercover police officer got to Kade and arrested him before he could be killed. Gabe was not so lucky.”

  “Things are a lot more complicated than I thought.”

  “That they are, Fallon. Thank you for doing this and, again, please be careful.”

  She nodded and then stood, pulled back the black curtain of the confessional stall and stepped out. The church was silent at this hour, but a sudden movement caught her eye. An altar boy dressed in a white cassock was taking a seat in the last pew to pray. Fallon left him to his private moment and pushed out of the wide double doors of the church.

  She looked at the small paper in her hand.

  Large yellow Victorian at 47 Oak Street

  She already knew where Oak Street was from her earlier walk through the small town, but headed in the opposite direction toward the county jailhouse.

  Navigating once again through the teenaged mob, Fallon could feel their excitement in the air. For most of these kids, this was their first time being out on their own. Not yet bogged down with the deluge of work that would keep many of them confined to their dorms or apartments for long hours after the term started, tonight was a night for celebration.

  Soon, she would be among them, but she was not looking forward to it. She had little in common with young adults her age and was not comfortable in social situations the same way she used to be. After thirty years away, she was still trying to wrap her mind around that fact that you could talk on a phone without wires and that parachute pants and platform shoes had gone out of style. Whenever she made an attempt at conversation, it was inevitable that she would make a comment that would cause them to look at her funny. The problem was, she was never quite sure which one was the offending comment so that she could correct it for the next time.

  Julian tried to help as he was having no such trouble. Apparently, it was much easier for him to assimilate back into this society. He was smooth and polished, and acted as if he had been born in the 1990’s instead of the 1960’s.

  With a smile, she shook away her thoughts of her friend.

  The jailhouse was easy to find, a nineteenth century red brick building with huge white pillars. She pushed her way in.

  The young deputy behind the desk immediately straightened. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m here for Kade Royce.”

  His face registered shock, but he tried to hide it. He directed her to a bench along the wall. “Have a seat. He will be out in a few minutes.”

  She turned from the desk and sat down, but noticed the guard glancing her way every few seconds, clearly curious as to who she was. Alden was a very small town and the deputy not only m
ust have worked with this Kade guy, but probably knew him personally.

  Well, he would have to keep guessing.

  The door behind the deputy buzzed open and a young man in faded jeans and white tee shirt strode out. He was about six foot, muscular throughout the shoulders and chest, but with narrow hips and legs. His dark hair was too long, and he needed a shave, but it did not hide the obvious—he was drop dead gorgeous. He walked with a primal and authoritative grace that belied his young age, which if she had to guess was about twenty-two.

  He threw some papers down on the desk. “Everything is there, Dave. I’m out,” and he walked toward the door without waiting for a response.

  “Um…Kade.”

  He turned back impatiently. “What is it?”

  Dave the deputy nodded his head toward Fallon. “She’s here for you.”

  Kade turned and looked at her and then shrugged. “For whatever reason you’re here, let’s talk about it outside. I need fresh air.”

  Fallon walked over to him and he held the door open for her. She felt her face flush when she passed by him. His presence was so raw and masculine.

  When they were out on the street, he looked up at the sky and breathed a sigh of relief and she could see the tension visibly go out of his body. Then, he turned to her. “So, who are you?”

  His eyes were a remarkable, pale blue. “I…I’m Fallon Angell. Father Tomas sent me to deliver this.” She handed him the envelope. “Keys and the address to your new apartment.”

  Their fingers brushed when he took the envelope from her, and the electricity generated by their touch surprised them both.

  Kade recovered first. “He shouldn’t have worried about it. I already know where I’m going. My friends visited me last week. I’ll be rooming with them.”

  “I guess your parents wanted him to make sure you got settled in after being…,” she hesitated.

  “Incarcerated. You can say it. Never be afraid of the truth, Fallon,” he admonished with a playful grin.

  Were those dimples?

  “Are you a college student?” he asked.