by Arantes
The way he said it did not sit well with William at all. It’s as if he was accusing him of something.
Samuel smiled, “Are you accusing me of something? Aleister is the killer on the loose, not me.”
Angelione failed to remember that Sonia was still shaking.
“I don’t know how you do things in King Victor’s Kingdom, but here you need evidence before you point your finger,” said William.
Tension between William and Angelione was growing.
Sonia shook the fear out of her and quickly stepped in to stop them. “Angelione, we have to take our leave, we’re done for now.”
Samuel stood in their way as they were about to leave. He approached her, “Well I hope this doesn’t change anything between us, milady.”
She stared at him, that bright smile on his face sickened her. This whole kingdom sickens her! “There were never any us,” she replied with an attitude.
Sonia and Angelione made their way back to the inn. The snow had not stopped pouring, leaving footsteps all around them. Several nobles were outside wondering where the lightning had come from. Sonia hated the way they stared at her, as if she was one of their properties. Their bellies were fat from stealing from the poor. Nobles in Atnius she could tolerate to an extent, but the ones here she hated them.
“I don’t trust those two,” said Angelione.
“Something is not right about that guy, something is not right about everyone in this damn city,” said Sonia with a fuming voice.
They both started wondering why they each had encounter Aleister at the same time.
“How can there be two of Aleister? Is it possible he possesses the ability to multiply?” asked Sonia.
“Hmm, describe the one you fought?” asked Angelione.
“Well he had white hair, a blue and a red eye. He was fast as well and strong. He had his grip around my neck and threw me to the other side of the room, and I think his eyes were glowing a bit.”
O no, glowing eyes, thought a worry Angelione.
The snow had now become thicker. The hated this cold weather. In Atnius it’s mostly
warm throughout the seasons and even in winter it doesn’t snow.
“Were there any fangs, did his nails become sharper; did his eyes glow a bit?”
“No,” responded Angelione. “He looked just as normal as the rest of us. But I did find it strange that he didn’t say one single word, it’s as if he was a zombie.”
The thick snow made it hard to see and walk. A snowstorm was approaching.
“I find it strange, that your description of Aleister did not fit mine,” said Sonia.
They both looked at each other and Angelione hurried to get inside. The cold was unbearable, but the wind made it worst. For tonight they would call it quits.
Chapter 7
Catching a predator
They made it to the inn after a long day of investigation. Sonia wasted no time getting in the shower. She stripped naked and allowed the warm water to touch her skin. She switched the light off. She always did like pitch-black. Tonight the water was going to be extra hot. She gently brushed her hair as the water ran down on her. The shower was now off and she lay peacefully in the tub. A bath was what was on her mind. She thought about how perplexed the situation was today. I can’t think about that right now. She was still a bit frail from what happened. Albedo! She loved thinking about him, how courageous he is. She wanted to see him. She hated everything about this damn place. She looked up to see the glass window on the ceiling. The moon was beautiful as always, reflecting its redness down on her. She dried herself with a towel and put on her pajamas. Angelione was fast asleep in his room by the time she was done. Sonia was now by her window in her room, admiring the moon to ease her mind.
“How can a beautiful thing like this moon be so bright in a disturbing place like this?” Albedo loved to sit and stare at the moon; it always brought him peace when he did so.
“Albedo would sure love to see this, the snow, the bright moon. If I know him, he’s probably looking at it back home. I kind of miss home,” she smiled and went to bed.
Angelione was gone when Sonia woke up the next day. She asked the servant where he was and was told that he had gone to the library.
“The library? What in the world is he doing there?” She left to join him.
By now the snow had finally stopped, the guards had cleaned most of the street. She opened the door to the library and looked around. Our library is better than this, she thought. It was clear no one had dusted for day. Books lying everywhere. There were very few people around. The librarian was an old lady with grey hair and a plain suit; she was half asleep. Sonia saw how miserable she looked and didn’t want to bother her. She remembered how much more joyful her librarian was. She touched the smooth bindings of ancient and new books, and noticed Angelione in the corner. She heard nothing but the quiet peaceful sounds of paper turning and his mind thinking at his best.
“Angelione, there you are,” said Sonia with a quiet tone.
She approached him. He had a stack of books on the table. The one in his hand was about wanted criminals throughout Nacune. She had never seen him reading another book besides the one he always has with him “The Black Dagger”
“So there you are. You’ve been busy I see,” said Sonia with a faint smile. Not eating her sweets today had made her cranky.
“I’m not too convinced that Aleister is the killer,” he said with the most serious face he could emit. “I think someone else is behind the killing and they’re trying to frame Aleister, or at least using his name to do so.”
She sat down and picked up a book. She thought about what Angelione just told her and tried to observe it.
“For all we know, the real Aleister might not even be here,” said Angelione. This time his face looked more certain.
Sonia put her book down, “No, the one that I encountered was the real one, only he or the others could put that much fear into someone’s eyes.” She still had that frail look when she’s talking about Aleister.
He continued reading, and knew that she was still emotionally wounded. “Sonia, do you believe in my abilities?”
She responded with a smile, “We’ve been partners for a long time now. I have never doubted you before and I don’t plan on it now/”
An hour passed and they found nothing; none of the books had the answer they were looking for. Sonia wondered what Angelione was looking for anyway. He didn’t even bother to tell her what they were looking for. She hated all this reading in the morning. Once the man starts to read it was impossible to talk to him. His eyes steadily focused on the book, forgetting other people around him.
“This is ludicrous, we’ve been here for an hour and I’ve yet to find anything important!” said Sonia engagingly. What she really wanted to say was what exactly are we looking for?
The librarian shot her a look, which Sonia did not care for. The woman had been asleep all morning on her job and now she wants to pretend she was doing something.
Angelione got up, took one of the books and he ripped a page from it and put it in his pocket. She wondered if he found something valuable, but his expression was the same.
“Hmm, so this is why our books in our library are always missing pages,” said Sonia with curiosity. She had always wondered who was ripping pages from the books. “Well did you find something?” she asked.
“We have to leave now,” he said.
“Leaving me in the dark again I see,” she mumbles. She hated it when he kept information from her; they were a team after all.
They left to meet with William and Samuel. Sonia had asked Angelione to apologize for the accusation he made against Samuel. Angelione stood there in silence with a blank stare. Samuel looked thrilled to see her. She gave him a fake smile.
“Apology accepted,” said Samuel sarcastically.
Angelione paid no attention to his comments. He didn’t care if he had insulted him.
William
was not completely satisfied but accepted the buried hatchet.
Angelione proceeded with business, “Now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s go back to our number one goal: finding Aleister.”
Samuel approached Sonia. “So milady, have the two of you given any thought to this so called second Aleister?”
“Actually we did, you see,” said Angelione quickly now. “It’s a shame you killed that old woman, Samuel. With her ability we could have solved this already.”
Samuel smiled. “Yeah it is a shame, but we all know Aleister is the killer that we’re looking for. After all, his past speaks for itself.”
Angelione’s suspicion of Samuel had not faded, “But you see Samuel, what if someone had the ability to track energy?” said Angelione. This time he had a faint smile as he fixed his glasses.
“What are you blabbering about now, Angelione?” said William angrily. He had thought they had put the suspicion behind them.
“Let me explain to you how my ability works. Whenever someone uses their ability, they leave a residue behind that cannot be seen by the naked eyes. But with my ability I can see it; kind of like a slug that dragged its slim and left it behind. Think about someone running, as they run they leave a trail of sweat behind.” He fixed the glasses on his face. “When I fought Aleister I knew something was odd, that’s because it was you Samuel. When I left upstairs from the mansion, I saw the residue on your clothes when you were comforting Sonia.”
The air around them shifted fast. Samuel smiled and started to clap. “Well bravo Detective! I can see why the two of you are famous. But here's my question. If you possess such an ability, why have you not used it already to find me back then at the crime scene?”
“The residue only lasts for approximately an hour or less. So I didn’t see it back then. At the mansion, it was still fresh when I saw it with my eyes. You were the second Aleister. Let me ask you something, who would have believed me if I had said something?” Now my question is, why are you disguising as Aleister?
The last word put a chill in the air, an unspoken silence. Angelione was right, you don’t go to another man’s home and accuse them and expect his people to believe you.
“Now Samuel, if you would be so kind and use your ability so I can prove my point,” said Angelione.
Now William looked more perplexed than ever.
Samuel with a disturbing look responded. “One question, how do you know I’m a Pureblood? For all you know I can be a vampire.”
“When you killed that old woman, your hands moved too fast. Only a Pureblood could’ve killed someone that fast.”
William had heard enough, “That’s enough, Angelione! I thought we were done with this! Aleister is the killer and we all know he’s here!” His face now looked infuriated more than ever. He continued, “You said it yourself and others have said it, they saw Aleister! Even you Sonia, you saw Aleister through that old woman’s memories.” William was not slow to defend Samuel, he had taught him everything he knew, and hoped one day he would be his successor.
“The residue led back to him after he showed up and held Sonia. It was after she encountered Aleister. THE REAL ALEISTER! I promise you Aleister is here, but I believe we also have ourselves --.” Angelione tilts his head and glared at Samuel as he spoke the truth, “a copy cat.”
“So you expect me to believe that someone like you possesses such a powerful ability? I expected nothing more from you people.” William left in anger. His hatred for Sonia and Angelione only grew stronger.
Angelione’s eyes and Samuel’s eyes were locked in hatred. Samuel’s expression did not change; he still had that smirk on his face that Sonia hated. He looked at Sonia at last and said, “I must go too, milady. We must continue another time.” He was now looking at Angelione. “And Angelione, I hope the next time we meet you won’t think that I’m the killer.”
Sonia shook her head; all this commotion almost gave her a headache. She hated all that accusations and yelling. She had no doubt that Angelione was right, but the guy could have simmered down a bit.
“I am disappointed in you Angelione! We are a team—a unit! You don’t make allegations like that without confronting me about them first! If that was really Aleister, we could’ve been killed! We fight as a unit this is not a solo mission, Angelione!”
Angelione breathed in calmness. “It had to be done and it had to be done that way. Look at it as a warning shot. I need you to trust me and full disclosure is not the most important part of teamwork but trust is.”
“Just follow procedure next time. It’s about the war not the battle,” said Sonia.
It was clear to Angelione that William would not trust the words of an outsider. Samuel was like a son to him. He could have had all the evidence in the world and William would’ve still doubted him.
Sonia stopped and got herself together, getting upset with him wasn’t going to get them anywhere. She had to accept this was his personality. “So you really believe Samuel is the one behind the killing?”
“Yes I do,” said Angelione with the dullest voice.
She shook her boots off to remove the snow that seemed to have made its way inside. “This whole thing just feels funny. Let’s go back to the inn. I’m a bit hungry.” She had not even eaten anything all day. She missed her sweets.
***
King Henry sat on his throne with two beautiful twin sisters feeding him exotic fruits. The one on the left had long black hair, big brown eyes, curvy hips, full lips and bronze-kissed olive skin. Her sister was on the king’s other side. The man truly looked like he was leaving the king’s life. What more does a king want? Beautiful women, gold, lots of influential powers, abilities, and fear, he had it all. The king whispered something in their ears and they smiled, their teeth were as white as the snow. To be one of the king’s women your beauty has to be unmatched. He required only the best.
The king looked more relaxed than ever, until one of the guards walked in and said, “My lord, William and Samuel are here to report.”
Henry was going to have his head for disturbing him. The King hated to be disturbed. He waved his hand to let them in. The beautiful women left the room. They walked slowly as they left the room, as if they’re tempting him on purpose. As much as Henry loved powers, he loved beautiful women almost as much. Almost.
“Forgive me my lord. I had hoped to bring you good news,” said William. He sounded like he had a lump in his throat.
King Henry had quickly forgotten he had company. Hesitantly, he turned his head away from the ladies to face William. “William, I am one of the most powerful kings in Nacune. Some even call me a High King. Do you know why?”
William was stuck, his mind scrambling for an answer. King Henry took the rest of the food the girls were feeding him and threw it in William’s face. William cleaned his face from the wetness of the syrup the girls had. Samuel watched in surprise, he himself was a bit scared of the king. The man killed people for just looking at him the wrong way.
The King continued, “This kingdom can no longer sustain my ambitions! I had goals for this world! Thanks to King Victor and his father I had to halt my plans! Even my strategy had to be changed! Now you’re telling me you can’t even bring me one man! I am a High King!”
There he goes again, ranting and raving. “My lord, if I may,” said William steadily, not wanting to sound bitter.
“But nothing! You will find him or I will kill each and every one of you! For every hour that passes by I’ll send one of my men to kill one of your people! The poor district is where I found you and I turned you into a warrior when you were nothing!” He pointed his finger. “Now go and don’t. Dis—A--Point. Me!” He looked furious.
Samuel could see William shaking in fear. Was it because his people might get killed or was it himself? They bowed their heads and took their leave quickly. Samuel saw William looking back in fear. Samuel had watched his mentor be disrespected in the worst possible way. It wasn’t until he made it outside
the throne room he started to relax. Just as they were walking in the hallway, Philip was coming their way. He had no expression on his face, he walked pass them and shot them a look.
For all I’ve done for them and this is how they treat me? William felt lower than a small bug.
***
Philip finished his daily reports to the king. He told the king about the food supplies, the military’s progress, and what’s going on in the rich and poor district. King Henry loves to stay inform on what’s going on in his kingdom. The king wondered how his men and the Black Reapers can’t find one man.
“Philip, tell me about the new noble family, is everything to their liking?” asked the King.
“Yes my lord. They grant an audience with you in the near future.”
“Yes, we do have a lot to discuss. I have big plans for them,” the king smiled.
It was getting late outside and they both needed their sleep.
“My Lord, it’s getting late, you should get some rest.”
King Henry got up, vacating his throne. “Those fools better bring me better news next time!” said the king, still looking furious.
Philip was the only one left in the room with him, not to mention the two guards guarding the throne’s door. As King Henry was about to leave, he could hear a knock on the throne’s door.
“Who dares knocks on the king’s door this late!” shouted Philip. “Guards!” As they unlocked the door, it flew opened violently. The guard on the left was caught by the force of the door, sending him flying to the other side unconsciously. Two mysterious people walked in, wearing a black cloak and a red mask. The guard on the right was ready to strike a blow. Too slow! He was caught with a sword to his chest.
Philip said in surprised, “It’s the Black Reapers! King Victor sent them here to assassinate you!”
The two assailants wasted no time going after King Henry. The one with a chain threw it towards him. Within seconds, King Henry grabbed the chain and yanked the Reaper towards him. Henry’s strong fist caught its right jaw, sending the Reaper flying to the other side of the room. The other one came from the left with his heavy sword, the King blocked it with one hand. “You’re weak,” said the king with a smile on his face. King Henry didn’t even look worried. The sword’s force wasn’t strong enough to even harm the king’s skin. The assailants were neither strong nor fast.
