A Timely Knight

A Blood Moon

Eldon's hands were tied behind his back. His ankles were stiff from the heavy weights attached to them, making it hard to move. Eyes covered, he could only react to what he heard and considering his attackers were very quiet, things weren't going so great.

The sound of wind being pierced alerted him and he quickly moved to the left, narrowly dodging the metallic bat that was aiming for his elbow. He wasn't so lucky in avoiding the shot that was fired directly at him and when the blank reached his chest, it was like a very large and painful blister had just burst.

He hardly had time to acknowledge the pain, because gusts of wind whooshing alerted him of the next attack. Knowing both the bat and the gun were coming at him at the same time, he made the reckless and foolish decision to evade them by throwing himself to the ground. He rolled on the wet grass, successfully escaping both attacks. However, he hadn't taken into consideration just how hard it would be to stand up with no hands and weighted ankles. He tried to, but was too slow.

A new shot was fired, this time landing on his right leg. The pain that invaded him was so intense that he thought the blank might've actually pierced his skin. Another shot, this time on his abs, made him release all the air in his body at once and left him vulnerable to the bat, which smashed against his chest.

Eldon felt his eyes filling with tears, but they weren't of pain. As the anger at his own stupidity took control of him, he instinctively raised his legs and jumped back up. Behind you, a voice in his head said and he turned at once, kicking the bat away from his attacker. He head-butted his opponent just as a new shot crashed against his back, forcing him to let out a loud scream.

He jumped back and landed close to the shooter, or at least he hoped he had. He threw a second kick that hurt nothing but the air. Another kick also went unnoticed by the shooter, and Eldon knew he only had one chance left. Standing still, he tried to listen for any sign of movement, but there was nothing other than crickets and wind whistles. And then he heard the pulling of a trigger on his left side and he reacted immediately; he docked and threw a low kick at the shooter, who this time was undoubtedly there. The blank travelled past him and, panting, he grinned in victory, thinking he had won.

But then he felt flames against his skin and he screamed in shock and pain as he impulsively jumped back, trying to escape the heat. The fire followed him and Eldon was running out of places to dash to.

"What the holy fuck is wrong with you?" Eldon shouted, trying to overcome the roar of the flames.

Master Nilla's voice seemed to resonate in the entire yard. "You said the bird spat fire, Master Eldon. You need to be prepared for fire attacks."

"You could at least give me a heads up. In case you haven't noticed I'm fucking blind here."

"Yes, because I'm sure the bird will warn you before it attacks."

The sound of Master Nilla's mocking tone made his blood boil, especially because he knew she was right. He grunted and clenched his teeth, preparing for this new fiery dance.

She had taken him by surprise for the last time. It wouldn't happen again.

Three hours later, with a burned arm covered in a thick and foul-smelling ointment that Master Nilla had applied to the red and vulnerable skin, a listless Eldon made his way to the library. As he entered the parlor, Timmy's face appeared and his wide grin rapidly disappeared as soon as he saw Eldon's wounded arm.

"What happened?" Tim asked, his eyes fixed on the ugly-looking burn.

"My big-ass mouth happened," Eldon replied, before reminding Tim that the bird spat fire in his dream.