The Fallen Angel And The Demon In Green

Chapter 3: Arrivals and Departures

'Again!' the old man demands.

I reach for the knife I have thrown, for the umpteenth time, without hitting the target, and return to my initial position. With a deep breath, eyes on the target, I launch the blade. The knife fails to cling to the wooden target. Instead, it disappears into the foliage behind.

"I told you to keep your wrist unbent."

"It's been hours already. Can we take a break?" I beg.

"Again," his stern voice tells me that we won't stop until I succeed.

With a sigh of resignation, I go in search of the knife again.

By the end of the day, I get the gist of the technique. After I manage to hit all the targets without failing, Eulogie lets me go for the day.

I climb the ladder that connects the gym with the rest of the house. Today is a special day, and Eulogie knows that. That's the reason why he let me go earlier from our session. After I have had a shower and a change of clothes, I head to my room. Eulogie won't be pestering me to make his dinner; today is the two-year anniversary of Saphir's death. For all his faults, the man at least gives me my space, so I can relax and pay my respects.

Cross-legged on the window bench, I sip the velvet liquor from a glass. The water lapping against the glass reminds me of another window, and another storm, a much lethal one. As I let the memories of that night carry me away, my gaze falls on the other glass of wine and the checkers board in front of me. I have never been to a funeral before, nor do I have any knowledge of how to mourn a loved one. Since there is no grave to visit and bring flowers to, I thought I could recreate the only evenings we felt at ease; our usual game of checkers.

When Saphir arrived early from his shift, she was often in the mood to play checkers. She would always beat me, of course, since I had never played before meeting her, and she went undefeated, come to think of it. The shadow of a smile comes to my lips at the memory of her triumphant yell as she placed the last piece, and it prompts me to refill my glass. There was no wine to share during our games, obviously, but she always said that red wine was her favourite, so I thought I'd add it. There was an island she kept mentioning, where the wine was the sweetest, she said, but, ironically, I feel a sour taste when I realise that I did not retain the name of the island.

Sleep summons me after the fourth glass. I take one last glance towards Saphir's place, and, maybe it's the dizziness, or the faint lighting playing tricks on me, but I can almost see a feathery blue silhouette beaming joyfully at me, just like the last time I saw her. "Hey! Do me a favour and live, okay?"

"And start making your bed in the morning, for the love of God."

-----

The singing of the birds announces a new day, but I've been in the training room long before that, as usual. Eulogie's lessons are exhausting, to say the least, and his way of teaching puts the tortures in the tower to shame, but I asked for this, so I can't complain.

The agreement was simple: Eulogie would train me with everything he knows in exchange for me taking care of the housework. I'm sure the chores were just an excuse: the man had been living on his own for who knows how many years now. What probably moved him was pity for me, and guilt: I noticed his grimace when he saw the pendant of his compatriot. Of course, Eulogie would probably hang himself before admitting it. On my end, however, I need his expertise. If I plan to destroy the trafficking operation in this island, I must become stronger, and Eulogie is my only opportunity to achieve that.

The man could be quite overbearing during training sessions, and when the food wasn't to his liking, but in general we got along well. Of course, we didn't talk much. Which is not surprising, considering he was used to the solitude of his home. Despite his introversion, I learned a lot about his past, thanks to the loss of inhibitions that comes with booze. Apparently, after the victory in Galicie, his homeland, Eulogie joined the navy and reached the highest circles, although he never gives specifics. His retirement on this island was only temporary, contrary to what I had imagined. He is just enjoying the cosiness of his prolonged vacations, waiting to be called up again.