Prophecy of the Nexus

Chapter 6

Everything for the next few hours was kinda a blur. I remember leaving the council room with the racket of a hundred voices talking at once. I was numb, unsure how to react to the news I was now going to be trained as an Arknight. Everything I had ever wanted, yet now I wasn't so sure. Facing down a demon had been more than enough excitement for me, and I wanted to leave that part of me behind. But it appears the Grandmaster had other ideas.

Marcus dragged me through the crowd. He was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear him. I was too busy noticing the eyes of Arknights, all looking at me as we made our way out of the entrance hall. The corridors and people I had only just past minutes ago seemed so different now. They still didn't notice me, but I felt different. Marcus was dragging me this way and that before pulling me in front of a set of offices. Each one had an Arknights name, and we stood outside Sir Atticus's one.

Soon Sir Atticus was marching down the corridor, a look of fury on his face. My legs wobbled, both from exhaustion but also from the anger on his face. Marcus stood to attention, and I tried to do a weak imitation. "Inside," Sir Atticus barked, "now." My veins froze as I followed Marcus into Sir Atticus's office.

It was not what I inspected from the office of an Arknight. I had imagined in dreams of maps stuck to the wall with armies being represented by pins. Though there was a world map behind his chair, that was all I recognised. The room was more of a mix match of things. On the left side was a bookcase filled tomes with letters peeling off the covers. On the right was a wall covered in shelves. There were several items on there, but photos mainly dominated it. I spotted a few of Sir Atticus and Marcus smiling up at me.

Marcus didn't sit down, so neither did I. If I was going to become an Arknight, I would have to learn what to do. "At ease," Sir Atticus said, sweeping around his desk. I relaxed, but Marcus stayed upright. His face was braced for something I couldn't see coming, which made me feel even more nervous. Sir Atticus undid his tie and bent low over the table like a panther about to pounce. "What in the angels do you two think you were doing?" Sir Atticus said, glaring at the pair of us. It was like being in Mrs Reynolds' class again but much, much worse. "Marcus, I told you to keep an eye out for Sara, not bring her back."

"After what I witnessed, I thought the Council should know about it, sir," Marcus replied. How he wasn't cowering from the Sir Atticus wrath was beyond me?

"It was the Council I was trying to protect her from," Sir Atticus replied. "I knew something like this would happen. A demon prophecy? If the Council wasn't blind enough." I was a little taken aback by this blatant insult to the most important gathering of people in the country. If a civilian had been saying those things, they could be arrested for general disorder, but to see an Arknight say that was unthinkable.

I wanted to ask a thousand questions, but I didn't feel like it was my place. I was new here, and I didn't know if I was allowed to speak. "What do you think it means, sir?" Marcus asked.

Sir Atticus shook his head. "A thousand theories with not an atom of evidence," Sir Atticus answered. He looked over at the pictures and sighed. "However, I think the demons and Sara's prophecy have a link. Something is going on here, and I bet whatever this Fallen is has a lot to do with it." Sir Atticus turned to Marcus again. "We will have a long chat about this later," Sir Atticus said, giving Marcus a knowing nod. "But for now, I need you to go to your fellow Squires. I'm sure finding out they're now thirteen has caused quite a stir. Do some damage control. Sara and I will join you shortly." Marcus gave a sharp nod and marched out of the room.