Life As A Shadow Knight

Chapter 15

"So what's your story?" Sibyl asked me as she hands me a cup of tea and a plate of square pumpkin bread. 

Her house is actually pretty nice. The walls are entirely made of bright reddish-brown wood and the leaves are a bright, darkest yet beautiful green though I like yellow more than I do green. Two red sofas press against a wall, connected by a birch table. Birch bookcases line against one wall, making room for a ladder to go to the second floor. Some birch tables pressed against the wall have flower pots on them as well as other objects.

"Story?" I echoed. I say this like I have no idea what she's talking about when she says story even though I know exactly what she means.

"Yeah, story." Sibyl smiled at me as if she couldn't get my problem with her question, "You know, backstory, past, talents, that kind of stuff. What makes you, you?" 

Was this girl asking me to reveal my deepest secrets? Really? I raised my eyebrows at her, wondering if she was just really good at joking but from the look in her eye, she was dead serious.

"Are you asking me to reveal my darkest secrets?"

I noticed heat rise to Sibyl's cheeks as she tugged at her slate skirt, "Oh well when you put it like that..... that makes me really socially awkward huh?" She giggled and tucked a strand of black hair behind an ear, her eyes betraying how awkward she felt.

I stared back at her, emotionless, because I knew she was expecting me to laugh back to ease the tension in the room.

Sibyl rocked back and forth on her checkered shoes and sat down on the opposite sofa. She patted her knees, looked up and took a deep breath. The look on her face clearly said okay, I've invited this woman into my house, now what? I smiled slightly and decided to make conversation. I would be leaving soon anyway and Sibyl wouldn't miss me. People never miss me.

"So why do you live here and not in a village?" I asked. It was a forward question, one that might have a dark past but so what? I'm not trying to make Sibyl my friend.

Sibyl didn't seem fazed by the question, in fact she smiled a huge smile. So big I thought she was going to break a muscle in her mouth. "Villages seem... crowded and loud don't you think? They also barely pay any mind to nature. Out here in the forest is nice and quiet. The animals keep me company and I just love running through the clearings and climbing up the trees. I feel at home here."

I nodded, "I see. Nature lover. Well I'm a merchant. I know I don't look like one but I have to keep this armor on to defend myself from bandits. I don't look much like a merchant do I? But then again, you never can judge a person by their looks." 

Don't ever judge a person by the looks Sibyl. I am exactly what I look like. A guard. Or a knight. Shadow Knight to be exact. I kill and I'm an assassin but I'm a good lying aren't I?

It was true, I was good at lying. You had to be when you my career. I could convince myself I'm a merchant if I wanted to. No one ever knows what I am unless I tell them. I can fake anything and hide my abilities well. In fact I was hiding the Shadow Knight side of me at the current moment. You never know. This "Sibyl" could be a guard or an assassin, reaching out to lure stupid criminals into a false sense of security than have them jailed once she knows. Or she could be a magicks user.

"Say... do you have any magicks. I usually think those that live out here are here because they don't want to get in problem for having magicks. Some villages hate that kind of stuff." I say breezily in a manner that sounds like I don't care even though I have to know. If she's lying, I can tell. Don't worry about that.

"Magicks?" Sibly echoed as if the concept confused her, "No.... thank goodness. They seem so... complex to control. And dangerous. With great power can be a blessing but it can also be a burden in disguise. If you let yourself, you'll lose your true personality in a search for power and a pointless quest. Power can corrupt people and turn them into monsters."