Werewolf Knight 3, page 20
Everyone looked straight at Imelda, who slowly brought her hands to her mouth. I put my hand on her back and felt her shake ever so slightly from trying to hold back tears.”
“Timothy,” she finally said. “This… this can’t be.”
The priestess stood up and made her way to the old knight with very small, deliberate footsteps.
The two of them looked at each other and merely shook their heads.
“Imelda, you haven’t aged at all,” he said with a laugh. “That venom obviously worked wonders for you.”
Imelda brushed her white hair out of her face and broke into another fit of laughter.
“Timothy,” she said. “The last time I saw you, you were only a little boy of ten. And that was--”
“Too many years ago to count,” he replied with a laugh.
Suddenly, a trumpet burst interrupted the heartfelt reunion. All eyes in the court immediately turned to the tapestry, where the King would appear. There was a rustling from behind the fabric, and then the King appeared with Sebastian by his side.
The whole court fell silent as we watched our leader head for his throne. Several of the more decorated knights also fell to one knee in preparation for the evening’s festivities.
Maybe it was because of the duel, but the King was wearing the most decadent outfit I’d ever seen him wear, from the long crimson cloak to the chainmail collar that dripped with diamonds. His crown sparkled so much that I was sure Sebastian had probably spent most of the day polishing it.
“Good evening, everyone,” the King said as he stopped in front of his throne. “I must admit, although I am flattered by this reverential silence, I don’t quite understand why it is more quiet than usual. We have a feast, we have a duel, we have…”
The King trailed off as he caught sight of Imelda standing near our table.
“We have a priestess,” he said with a tone of slight surprise.
Imelda immediately bowed in deep reverence to the King, and the nobles bowed their heads as well.
“What is your name?” the King requested of Imelda, and she opened her mouth to speak.
“I am Imelda Lowery of the Obsidian Temple,” she said in a proud and defiant voice. “And since the infestation by Wenderoth, I have been living in the White Basilica as a vampire.”
Suddenly, the whole court erupted into a cacophony of hisses and gasps. However, Imelda stood her ground as even the King’s eyes widened in shock.
“By the grace of the Moon Goddess,” Imelda said over the crowd, “I am no longer a vampire. Sir Henry Baker came to the White Basilica, and he saved me. Without him, I would still be living each day in darkness and horror. But now I am free, and I am privileged enough to return to my post of serving Lupercalia.”
The crowd went silent again. All attention was on the King. I knew it would be difficult to make the entire court comfortable in the presence of an ex-vampire, but the King’s response would sway everything.
“Your highness,” Timothy said, and the King turned to look at him. “If I may put in a word for the priestess, then I would like to.”
“Go on, Sir Timothy,” the King replied.
“Well,” the old knight started. “Long ago, Imelda Lowery used to be the priestess of the Obsidian Temple, where my family lived for generations before that terrible vampire swept through the village. Imelda was the life behind the community, and did her utmost to bring everyone together in praise of the Moon Goddess. When Imelda was taken by vampires, we knew that it was the beginning of the end for our dear village. If a powerful priestess could not withstand the evil of the vampires, how could we? But here she is, brought back to us by the Moon Goddess and our good friend, Henry Baker.”
“Thank you, Timothy,” Imelda said, and she turned around and gave me a kind smile.
The old knight nodded at her and then turned to the crowd of aristocrats, who seemed torn between their hatred of vampires and their love of the Goddess.
“And if I may address the nobility who are here with us tonight,” Timothy boomed. “I would add this. The vampire is and has always been our enemy. The vampire has attempted to take everything from us. They destroyed our communities and corrupted our temples. But the worst thing that the vampires took from us were our own people. Think about your families, your grandparents and your children. If any of them had been turned into a hideous beast, you wouldn’t hate them for it. You would just miss them. Now, look at Imelda, who was returned to her original form by the power of the Moon Goddess. She is a living, breathing example of triumph over darkness. What Imelda has been through is nothing short of horrific, and now she stands before us as a testimony to the goodness of our dear protector, the Moon Goddess.”
Timothy turned around and nodded at Imelda. His lips were pursed and his chest was puffed out, and just making the speech had been a lot of work for the aged warrior.
Sybil and Tabitha both stared at the old knight without blinking. He had managed to keep the entire congregation of nobles completely transfixed, and I was impressed with his public speaking skills.
Imelda, meanwhile, hugged her old student and then turned to face the King. She looked determined, but her bottom lip quivered for a moment as she awaited her fate.
“My child,” the King said with a slow nod. “The torture you have endured by living as an enemy to your own people against your will is unimaginable for many of us. But all of that is over now. As a servant of the Moon Goddess and the Lupercalian people, you will be treated with nothing but respect in these lands. I believe in the power of the Moon Goddess and the knightly fortitude of Sir Henry Baker, and it is a privilege to bear witness to magic such as this.”
The King smiled at Imelda, and I watched as a single teardrop rolled down her pale cheek.
“Thank you, Sire,” she said, and her face flushed pink with color.
“And Sir Henry,” the King boomed, and he looked down at me. “What can I say? The noble savior of Lupercalia manages to commit another feat of bravery that far surpasses any of our expectations.”
My heart filled with warmth at not only having saved Imelda, but also because I did something groundbreaking for the Kingdom.
I heard a few taps on the floor, and then a full rumble of feet. The whole place was practically shaking with the sound of the aristocracy stomping on the floor in approval.
Imelda shot a look at me, and her mouth stretched into a big toothy smile. Her canines gleamed in the candlelight, but she was so happy that she didn’t even realize that her teeth were on display.
The rumbling drew to a close, and I looked down to Sybil and Tabitha, who stared up at me with wide eyes.
“That went better than I expected,” Tabitha said as she patted her dad on the back.
Suddenly a voice boomed from the other side of the dining hall, and the whole place went silent.
“Sir Henry Baker,” it said.
I turned around, and a light-colored hybrid knight raised a long, thin sword and pointed it straight at me.
“I am Sir Clancy of Yarikh, and tonight we duel,” he declared.
Clearly, it was time to move on to the entertainment portion of the evening.
Chapter 12
The energy in the room started to rise palpably, and my body flushed with excitement. It was finally happening.
Squires flooded the hall and started to shoo the nobles from their seats.
“What’s happening?” I asked Tabitha.
“They’re moving all the tables,” the blonde aristocrat responded. “The duel is going to be right here.”
“Whoa,” I said as the little squires continued to usher people to the corners of the room with an impressive speed. “So, do you all just stand around and watch?”
“Well, I certainly don’t,” old Blueclaw said with a low chortle. “Us old knights maintain our spots by the King, just to be sure no one accidentally crashes into him or strikes him with a weapon. Everyone else forms a circle around the duelists to cheer you on.”
“Remember, no one’s supposed to die or anything,” Tabitha said.
“Of course,” I said and shrugged. “But I think it’s also pretty important that I kick ass, too.”
Blueclaw laughed at the unfamiliar phrase, and Sybil leaned back in her chair and nodded.
“Go protect what’s yours, Hank,” the young witch said with a smile. “We’ll be over here cheering you on.”
By now, the center of the room had been pretty much cleared of all the tables. Just like Tabitha had said, everyone was standing around in a huddle, and Clancy was in the corner of the room talking to a few nobles that I didn’t recognize.
“You’ll be needing this,” a familiar voice said.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. I swung around to see the face that I had most wanted to see. It was Charles.
The friendly knight was wearing a navy blue tunic with matching leggings and a chainmail vest. His eyes twinkled with mischief as he pressed the handle of the long, thin steel sword into my paw.
“Charles,” I said with a laugh, and I gave him a big pat on the back. “Charles, you are the one man I wanted to see right now.”
“Well, you know I’d never miss your very first duel,” he said and raised an eyebrow. “And if it’s anything like your very first joust, then poor Clancy doesn’t know what he’s in for.”
I turned around and saw that Clancy was walking very slowly into the center of the room. He was wearing an orange velvet tunic with orange leggings, and he had a big smirk on his face.
I couldn’t wait to wipe that smirk right off of him.
“Well, I’d love to stay and chat,” I replied. “But you know, I have some important business to attend to. Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need it,” Charles said. “But good luck anyway. Fight fair, and make sure to give a good speech if you win.”
“Is the speech really mandatory?” I asked, but Charles had already started to make his way to the table where old Blueclaw and my girls were posted.
The buzz of the crowd filled my body with adrenaline, and I started to pace into the center of the room. I felt like each one of my nerves were on fire, but it was amazing. I fucking loved a good fight, and I couldn’t wait to impress the court with a live demonstration of what I could do.
I knew I had to put on a show, so I decided to go full wrestling style. I stopped halfway to the middle of the room so I could taunt my challenger a little, just like Ric Flair on his way to the ring.
“Sir Clancy of Yarikh,” I said, and I swung my sword around in the air. “How does it feel to have made the biggest mistake of your knightly life?”
The crowd started to jeer and rumble their feet, and I knew that I was already off to an exciting start.
“My mistake?” the light-furred noble responded, and he leaned back and let out a big, dramatic cackle. “Sir Henry Baker of New Jersey, it was your mistake that brought us here in the first place.”
The noble literally turned around in a kind of pirouette and swung his sword in a flamboyant wiggle. The crowd ooh-ed and aaah-ed at the weird display, and I couldn’t help but snicker to myself.
If the best this guy could do was a little twirl, then he was doomed before we’d even started. This guy was going to eat shit, and I was there to make sure he did.
“Clancy,” I said to the noble. “This may be my very first duel, but we both know how good I am at new beginnings. Normally, I’d suggest you put your weapon down and walk away, but I’m way too excited at the idea of kicking your ass.”
The entire crowd burst into a fit of laughter. I knew that kicking ass wasn’t exactly in the Lupercalian vernacular, so along with all of my other titles, I could probably add wordsmith. If only my ninth grade English teacher could see me now.
Even the knights in Clancy’s corner were laughing at my retort, and a quick glance revealed that one of those knights was Hector, my sort-of nemesis. But Hector actually nodded when he caught my eye, and I knew then that I was on the right track with my WWE routine.
“For those who aren’t aware,” Clancy said to the crowd. “I have challenged Sir Henry to a duel on behalf of Yarikh. He has taken some of my villagers, and the only way to settle my loss is with a duel. Henry, do you have anything else to say before we begin our noble fight?”
I tapped at my chin as if I was genuinely trying to think of something to say. Then, I widened my eyes and pulled a big a-ha face to let the crowd know that I had thought of something.
“In fact I do,” I said to the knight. “And that would be to say your prayers, Clancy, because I’m going to plunder you again.”
The crowd stomped on the ground with their feet, and I could hear the shouts and jeers of the nobles in the audience. Some of them were singing songs, and some of them were laughing, but then it was like the sound started to travel far away from me.
I looked at Clancy and knew that it was time for deep focus. If I could get in the zone, then there wasn’t going to be any problem.
I closed my eyes for a split second and took a deep breath. I felt the entire weight of my body and knew that it was time to teach this fucker exactly who he was messing with.
Showtime.
When I opened my eyes, Clancy was coming straight at me. I didn’t think that his silly footwork would actually give him an advantage, but he made a small kind of skip and launched his sword straight at my arm.
I brought my sword up to try and shield myself, but Clancy had already managed to strike me. The sword cut straight through my suede shirt and left a small gash on my lower arm. A few red droplets of blood spilled from my wrist onto the floor.
It stung, but now that I was a werewolf, I would be able to heal quickly. However, what I didn’t take into account is that most of the nobles had never seen red blood from a werewolf before. And while I was sure that the story of my red blood was well known, I still heard several people gasp as they saw the red smear.
Apparently, I really was giving them a show, even when I was losing.
I took a few steps back to try and recompose myself, but Clancy was obviously experienced. He jabbed my lower hip, and I barely managed to stave him off with a quick flick of my sword.
I pushed against his sword with mine, but his grip was strong. The two of us were locked with our swords below our waist, and Clancy’s mouth twisted into a sick smile. He knew he was good at this.
I was about to separate from Clancy and strike him on the side, but he beat me to it. Our swords made a scratching noise as he scraped his blade against mine. Then, he made a twirl to his left and slammed the sword against my other side like he was making an underhand shot in tennis. It felt like someone was hitting me with a metal pole rather than a thin sword, and I knew that if I were in my human form I’d be bruised.
I recoiled and took a step away from him to regain my bearings. Fuck. This guy was really pulling out all the tricks of the trade. I had to get ahead fast.
One success wasn’t enough for one night.
I tried to imitate the flowery swirling motion he made with his sword. I hit my sword against his, but he defended against it with one swift movement. This useless sparring was starting to piss me off. I wanted to get this guy and get him good.
But to do that, I had to get ahead of him. I decided to take a risk and step forward while distracting him with some sword movements. It seemed like this game was just as much about distracting the opponent as it was about the sheer power and swordsmanship.
I jumped forward, and he had no option but to back up. He slammed his sword against mine to my right, and just as I stopped him he pulled back and tried to get my lower half. Luckily, I turned my sword vertically and guarded myself from his jab. Before he could recover, I took a swipe at his leg, which he just barely dodged.
I pulled my sword back, and in a flash, I spun around in a fair imitation of Clancy and brought my sword into his side. It didn’t cut him, but it went straight into his chainmail vest, and he stepped to the side in shock.
The crowd gasped as he stumbled slightly, and I took the opportunity to jab him again on the side. Even though I was only hitting his chainmail, he was still built like a brick shithouse, and it was like none of my strikes were actually making any impact on him.
Okay, so I was a newbie at this. He obviously had some command over his weapon that I didn’t understand, but I was going to learn damn quick what it was that he was doing, because there was no way that I was going to let him take me down in front of a room full of people.
He regained his footing, and I went in for another jab on his right, but he instinctively held his sword right where I was going to slash him. Once again my sword hit metal, and he gracefully flicked his sword forward, grazed my chest, and let out a cocky little laugh.
The scratch was so distracting that he jabbed at me again, but this time, he punctured me way deeper than I thought a steel sword could. I felt the tip of his sword plunge through my armpit into my insides. It was cold and hard against my fleshy organs, but it happened so quickly that I didn’t even feel pain.
I was so shocked to be struck again that it felt like everything became slow motion, and the noise of the crowd disappeared. As he pulled the sword out from my lung, my chest was overwhelmed with heat. I coughed and sputtered before the fire in my chest seemed to fix all my ailments. It was almost like I could feel the tear rebuild itself. Being a werewolf was fucking awesome.
I let out a deep exhale and focused on my opponent once more. Luckily with my super wolf senses, I could see what he was doing in great detail. I noticed that instead of gripping his sword very firmly, he was practically letting the handle swing around his hands. In fact, instead of trying to force his sword into me, it was like he was using his body to angle at me and the sword merely followed where his energy was going.
