Crimson Knight (Crimson Series Book 0)

by K. L. O Johnson

  “You might need to move.” I offered and soon felt the Jeep travel down the road. The further we moved down the road. The more I saw glass silver screens gracing the tall glassy buildings. They were not images but clips, almost like a vmv—a virtual music video. There were scenes of people fighting and heavy metal or techno music to match those scenes in the background.

  We could hear the beat of the music but it was gentle. Not too loud but not too soft either. It was loud enough to block out if you needed to. Or wanted to. I couldn’t stop my ogling as I was without a doubt certain, the citizens regarded me with confusion and fear but I couldn’t help it. They were so beautiful and clean. “No seriously where are we?” Daphne asked and my eyes landed on a seven-point star banner.

  We all turned to Kal for confirmation. “We’re in Nefelia. My home.”

  I was indisputably aware, my mouth hung open. “Your . . . home?” I somehow managed.

  Kal nodded. “Take a right here. We’ll head to the Central Citadel.” Jorden did as Kal ordered and as we inched towards the large sterling fortress. I was gobsmacked at how many Knights walked around. Their silver cloaks fanning out behind them.

  “Wait if we’re in Nefelia than that means . . .” Marcus began.

  “We crossed through the Nexus. Yes.” Daphne finished.

  “When would have that happened? We didn’t see a portal on the way?” asked Odette.

  “Not sure.” Kal spoke her eyes glazing the ground. “I will find out though.” The sterling silver intimidating gates peered high and an armoured woman with blue scales and a silver cloak like all the other knights walked over to us. Jorden wound down the window and the woman’s blue eyes like Kal’s graced us before turning to Jorden.

  “Your pass please.”

  “I’m sorry . . .?” Jorden quizzed.

  I felt Kal shift forward and pull out something from her jeans pocket. She tapped Marcus on the shoulder and the Nefaliem guard regarded Kal with curiosity. I noticed Kal didn’t lift her head. She didn’t even demand for the gates to be opened. This puzzled me. She was their Princess their next ruler. So why was she shying away?

  Jorden plucked something from Kal’s fingers and handed it to the Nefaliem. She scanned the transparent pass card I presumed, regarding the blue writing skimming along the card before a moment the woman’s armour beeped. Satisfied she handed it back to us, “You have level one access. All facilities and rooms are available for your use. Mr . . .?” she began eyeing Jorden.

  “Galavint.” Jorden finished and the woman’s eye widened a bit.

  “I hope you enjoy your stay. You’re majesty.” Jorden nodded and the woman stepped back. The gates opened and Kal sat back beside me.

  The car moved forward. Entering the gates was like entering a tunnel instead of street lights there were guards with weapons, security clearances that Jorden continued to pass through with Kal’s card. Eventually we made it to what appeared to be a city. “Where to now?” Jorden called over his shoulder.

  “You see that tall glowing tower in the distance?” Kal asked. Everyone in the car ducked down to spy the large crystal building beneath a green glowing beacon of light that shot towards the sky.

  “Yeah,” we all said.

  “We’ll head to that.” she declared and we continued down the road. Eventually we pulled into what appeared like a silver castle. Its sterling walls were surrounded by armoured guards and a dome-like-barrier. Similar to the one back at Castle Haven. Jorden pulled up the Jeep and we filed out carefully but quickly. I watched as the others lined behind Kal and I followed suit. It reminded me of when we were in the artificial training dome—a few months after my panic attack.

  We were following her lead. She clenched her fist and we all froze silently behind her. Marcus handed Kal back her pass as several armoured Nefaliem neglectfully strode passed us and we turned around a corner. Kal pulled out her card and tapped it on the keypad beside the door. The red light overhead turned green and the door unlocked. She pushed it open and we entered the building after her. “That was easier than I thought it would be.” Marcus commented.

  Kal glared. Odette was quick to smack him in the back of the head, “Idiot.”

  “Ow.” Marcus growled. Rubbing the back of his head.

  “Shh!” Kal hissed and we immediately fell silent.

  Down the halls we walked. I regarded my friends questioningly only to find something even more dangerous and devastating up ahead. Two large silver armoured beings walked towards us. And the only reason why I registered what was occurring before me was because of Kal and her fear—frozen presence. “Hide!” she whispered.

  It happened too quickly to decipher in time. Marcus, Odette, Daphne and Jorden were concealed by Jorden’s Faerie magic while Kal and I were invisible. I didn’t realise how but briefly noticed Kal’s hand on my shoulder. Then men wandered passed us and I froze. Holding my breath. Soon, I relaxed as they walked on ahead.

  We slipped passed the automatic doors and filed into the large elevator. It moved slowly towards the upper levels. Without the walls or ceiling it was easy to spot the numbers in bold green prints. No one spoke I was sure no one wanted to breathe. Vampieruz hearing was perfect but Nefaliem hearing was so much sharper. I fought internally to calm my racing heart. Every part of me screamed to find help and the other part of me screamed we shouldn’t be here.

  I felt something brush at my mind and soon I felt connected. Cecelia, Marcus, Odette, Daphne and Jorden. When level thirty arrives we’ll stop the elevator and Jorden will conceal you with his glamour.

  Got it. I heard the others in my head say. I stared at Kal and the others and watched as she nodded at me.

  You’re doing this? I mentally asked. Telepathy?

  Kal smirked. Yeah, pretty cool right?

  I’ll say.

  When level thirty arrived. The elevator stopped and we slipped out of the doors. I noticed a guard at the end of the hall regarded the opening of the elevator with suspicion and walked towards us with a weapon in hand. With Jorden’s Fae Glamour I knew we would be okay. Or so I hoped. There was nothing worse I thought in my book than being at gun point. We were quiet I could tell Marcus was ready to lunge at an order.

  Once the guard had disappeared rounding a corner. We took flight and darted around a nearby corner. Kal swiped her card and the door we huddled beside opened. She slinked inside and we followed after.

  The door closed behind us.

  We stood before another red lit door. Moving to the side where all the other security pads were. Kal swiped her card, this time and the door opened. We piled in. The room was dark but by the time the double sliding doors met the room lit up. The ceiling lights lit up section by section. What we entered was similar to a modern Russian apartment. This room’s main primary colours were; black, silver, red and blue the same hue as the Nefaliem’s scales.

  Even as I regarded Kal’s scales. I knew by the sight of them—they were as impenetrable as the sheen of my Vampieruz diamond skin. If made me wonder if a room allocated for Vampieruz would have a deep blood red allure.

  We stood frozen and watched as Kal moved over to a silver couch. I noticed the shifting hairs of the back of the sofa and bushed the detail of the material to the back of my mind. I felt Mark shift around me, Kal eyed us all expectantly as the others moved towards the living room. I saw Kal lean over, moving for a better view, I regarded her black blue scaled fingers slide over the glass table. “So what do you guys want to watch?”

  “Action.” Sweet Odette offered and I felt everyone gaze, as did I at the gentlest of us, with undeniable surprise. “What?”

  “Action, it is.” Kal replied. She dragged her fingers then tapped twice the glass and instantly before us a movie arrived. Seeing the haunting suspense. I squeezed in beside Jorden who sat beside Daphne. The movie raged on as a woman desperate for justice decided to take matters into her own hands not caring about the explicit dangers involved, had at me clenching in fear.

  I
ironically thought she was my hero. When the movie ended we ordered room service before calling it a night. I sleepily trudged to my room. Tired now but a little grumpy that Mark took a while to shower. Odette had a laugh at cutting off his water supply causing him to stomp to his room—passing both of us with a glare.

  “That was mean.” I had whispered once Mark was out of sight. To Odette whose idol blond hair was wound up in a towel above her blue satin coat.

  “You can’t blame me. He took his sweet time.” she countered.

  After my warm calming shower. I entered my room where its automatic doors opened sweetly upon my presence. I moved over to the silver dresser and changed into a familiar silk gown. It fell nicely to my mid-thighs and was quick to find a matching silk coat.

  My fingers graced the belt of the satin coat, I placed it at the head of my bed. Pulling back the covers I climbed into bed and slept. It felt like only seconds ago I had closed my eyes. Instead, they sprang open as quickly as I sat up in my bed. It was quiet but I was sure I had felt it. I was sure I had heard it. A voice—hovering above me. It was a voice I was certain that ultimately woke me but as I laid wide awake.

  I thought I saw something hovering in the shadows of my room only to be proven wrong the moment I turned on my bedside lamp. Regardless of what I thought I saw; I couldn’t shake it. It wasn’t a feeling, it was haunting. It was like my sense to flee overwhelmed me ten-fold. I pulled back my covers and climbed out of bed. I was quick to nick my night coat that lay evenly at my mid-thighs and abandoned the safety of my room.

  Slipping on my think silk coat didn’t distract my mind. It was slow and daunting as I crept down the hall. My eyes peeled for movement, a figure or the sight of nothing. I sighed and brushed my fingers frustratingly through my hair before I headed towards the kitchen, at the opposite end of the apartment.

  I skidded to the fridge and pulled out a jug of milk. Taking a glass from the cabinet I poured my fill and drank. The milk strangely wasn’t calming me down at all but I knew that man that was after me, knew he didn’t know where I was, or so I liked to believe. After my third glass I placed the jug in the fridge and rinsed my cup. I would place it on the rack to dry but my eyes flickered to the darkness that my eyes had long ago adjusted to, so the glass remained by the sink. I knew not even under the light of the oven head was I safe. I heard it this time as clear as the day, the sound of something crawling vastly along the ground.

  I darted away from the counter top and away from the sound of scratching nails against the silver tilted flooring and onto the carpeted area of the living room. It dulled as I scanned the room. I heard a purr of a cat and glanced down only to find not a cat but a blue scaly dragon. Its blue hair and green eyes were cool to its silver underbelly. Its tall tapped lightly against the cushion of a couch against the one we squeezed on earlier. “Ah . . . hello.” I whispered.

  The small dragon titled its head to the side. Its glowing green eyes stared back at me. So I tried again, “Hello.” It moved gracefully closer to me. I stretched out my hand and giggled as its smooth cool scales met my fleshy idol fingers. “Aren’t you cute?” I giggled and heard something sync to my cognisance.

  The dragon’s jade green eyes graced mine. Behind you.

  THIRTEEN

  Incursion

  I peered over my shoulder and ducked as grey fingers mauled towards me, I fell on the couch; aware the small dragon moved and flipped over the back. Regarding closely my attacker. I heard something light land on top of the rail beside me, only find it was that same dragon. “You talk!” I whispered frantically and turned back to the now empty living room.

  Yes, I talk. The mature sound of a male voice graced my mind.

  “But your mouth isn’t moving!”

  Honestly how long has it been since you’ve returned? I was certain you’d be used to that which goes bump-in-the-night?

  I faced the prideful dragon, the size of an average house cat and glared. With my hands on my hips I warned, “Don’t get smart or you can fight that thing on your own.”

  What makes you think it can be fought physically? the dragon retorted.

  I stared. “What do you mean?”

  Look around. Have you seen the spirit?

  “Spirit?”

  Yes Spirit. If demons and angels exist—so do they. But I fear this isn’t an average spirit nor does it wish us harm.

  “Are you sure?”

  Slightly positive.

  I glared at the dragon and repeated. “Slightly positive?”

  I’m being cautious.

  “Well what does it want?”

  Perhaps it’s here to deliver a message.

  “A message.” I repeated and watched as the woman’s long sickly finger pointed behind me. Her form blew away like the Sahara sands and I was stuck in fear. So, slowly my body acted on its own and turned. I glanced at what was behind me and what I faced was what I didn’t expect. It wasn’t a vampiere. I soon felt the dragon tense and heard the warning growl vibrating deep in its throat.

  Cecelia when I give the word. Run for the exit.

  “But the others—!”

  —Are in a deep catatonic sleep. We won’t be able to wake them until we exorcise the master demon. The dragon declared. I ducked as black crackly claws sharp as razors swiped at my centre. I retreated behind the monster and watched as the dragon bit into its neck. The demon monster disintegrated to ash and I sprinted to the front of the apartment and into the bright white halls of citadel tower.

  “Demon!” I screeched the same moment the doors of Kal’s apartment split open. I darted around the corner aware of the small dragon at my heels. “Where do we go?” I demanded.

  The indoor pool. A few levels below. the dragon replied. This way! I followed the small dragon as he stopped before an exit door. I pushed against it and it flew open. I attempted to keep up with the dragon who jumped from handrail to handrail and down the winding abyss of stairs. I heard the door, we had entered, smash against the wall. Then the sound of the familiar nails clawing against the ground.

  I glanced over my shoulder and screamed at the frightening sight. Long black hair floated above the pale face and dark eyes of an angry woman. “Banshee!” I screamed.

  Don’t slow down! I heard the dragon’s voice whisper in my mind. Here! he called and we finally made it to an elevator. I was hesitant at first to go in that same elevator that I had used with Kal and the others then I instead turned around to find nothing behind me. It won’t be here. It’s retreated for now.

  I heard a screech and I was sure it had come from the Banshee. I crouched as the elevator began to move. Something Volvomich had told us to do when we were on the move and felt threatened. I regarded the glassy silver walls around us and watched as the numbers passed us. Eventually we made it to the ground floor and I walked towards the double automatic silver doors at the end of the hall. The dragon began to run and I followed after, certain he knew where to go. We entered a foyer of some kind and the dragon twisted around the reception desk and I chased after it.

  Seeing a woman standing in the glass behind me. I turned over my shoulder only to find nothing. This entity wasn’t messing around and I knew I was going to get into trouble should I try something like this. So I chased after the dragon, careful not to be separated. I feared the worst if we were. The dragon skidded around a corner before and pointed with its snout, There.

  I looked up and regarded the sight of a large sterling pool. The clear water looked silver to the eye and I knew it wasn’t silver because Kal drank water like every other normal organism. My legs were quick to move before my mind could register what my body was doing.

  The small dragon stopped. Its nose rose high in the air, alert. Immediately, I darted for the pool and yelled, “Banshees aren’t supposed to act like this!” Hear her not scream in sorrow but in rage.

  The high ceiling began to smoke in darkness as the glass ceiling-to-floor windows shattered, in the moment the ground split, in jagged cracks.
I felt the dragon’s presence in my mind, Banshees often don’t but this seems to be a Morkania Banshee those that are chained to demons for their pain and assistance.

  Placing my hand in the silver thrashing waves, I gawked, aware of something in the water heading straight towards me. “What on earth?” I muttered, slightly stricken by the sight.

  Blood serpents. Be careful. They’re the monsters’ humans made legends about. They’re titled blood serpents but because of their Vampieruz heritage but because they have an unquenchable blood lust.

  “Lovely.” I cursed then added, “What do I do now?”

  Use your energy to purify the water. The dragon purred and I watched as its wings began to flap as water began to pour over pool edges and onto the steel floor beneath my bare feet. A small green shield surrounded the dragon as it growled at the blood-red scaly serpents in the water. Easier said than done. I ruefully thought as two large heads began to rise out of the water to stare down at me. Their blood red eyes glowed against the shadowy smoke that began to descend.

  Don’t worry I have faith in you. he encouraged and I watched as bit by bit, both the dragon and the serpents began to disappear from my idol sight. Even as I had no idea what to do, I prayed something horrible wouldn’t happen. My mind was quickly pulled to the sound of clapping that began to draw closer and closer. Ooh.

  I felt the danger in the air and held my tongue, “Some say the king and queen were smart in protecting their child. Others would state they were stupid. As they—,”—the voice was silent until it buzzed in my ear—”—hid the truth.”

  Within the smoke three sets of red eyes stared hauntingly back at me and I knew that two of those were the blood serpents. Their larger eyes out shone the small fiery ones a few feet from me. I felt something brush around my damp ankles but didn’t pay any attention as I was ultimately aware if I did I’d be attacked. “Now, now little princess let’s not jump to conclusions. I won’t hurt you unless you make me.”

  Even though I’ve had combat training I was certain that I was no match for the demon, “I don’t believe you,” I managed dryly.