A Knight of Nowhere

Chapter Nine - Innocence

Adrenaline flushed Rygel's veins as his feet collided with the hard cobble floor. The pain of which was numbed by urgency as he repaired his stance, not even breaking stride. His heart thumped, over and over, like prey as it accepted the appearance of a predator. His exact heartbeat echoed throughout his ears, an intense melody of trepidation, set to a beat of blood.

Rygel unsurprisingly had the upper-hand in his knowledge of the Kyragian streets, most importantly... the back streets. Enough time spent in the shadows made everything quite easy for him when he was free to run in the light. His eyes jolted to his left, before faltering down the side street. If he had figured it out right in his head, this would be the only back alley he had to dart down. In fact, he was almost certain.

The speed at which his feet carried him left him nearing the edge of the street faster than he ever had previously. The path ahead was now carved of shadow and uncertainty. Rygel had run through this alley more times than he cared to count, this is where his muscle memory would serve him well. He planted his foot against the wall as he jumped, vaulting over it's crumbling stone supports. Landing in a frantic roll.

He raised his head as he continued his sprint. Something catching his eye amidst the moonlight. A shadow. The silhouette of a man, wrapped in a ragged cloak. His eyes were the most striking thing, a luminescent purple. But in a blink, he was gone. A lone hawk taking his place, crying amidst the macabre moonlight. Rygel slapped sense into himself. Not now! He gritted his teeth. She's more important than some damned hallucination!

He continued his way down the streets then. Dodging and weaving his way between buildings and onto different streets. His feet in a frenzy upon the uneven cobbles. His head was still a typhoon of fear and anticipation. Feeling was something that had all but left his skin now, not even feeling the icy wind that sliced it.

One last street turned. But Rygel froze at what he saw, anger beginning to flare turmoil within his soul. His suspicions were confirmed at the exact moment his heart dropped. He saw Eva, lying on the cold cobbles, scars up her arms. Her clothes, torn and ragged.

And there, standing in the doorway, he saw the man that did it. Smiling all the while. This much filled Rygel with a rage that he couldn't fathom. Nor did he want to control....

So he charged.

*

Raika wasn't too far behind Rygel, even though he was much faster. Though, as she got to the head of Eva's street, just off of the market street. Her frail, shaking body, now cowered behind the safety of the stalls. Please don't be seen, she pleaded. Please!

Her insides flared with an intense feeling, akin to how she assumed lightning would feel. She shook, sweating her emotions. Though, she looked within herself, trying to find something. One sliver of the thing she needed; courage.

She took a few moments, revelling in bleak nothingness. Her eyes searched within herself, yet her ears remained poised, targeting the sound coming from the house. She could hear everything, each individual breath of her brother. Yet she still couldn't bring herself to look, her arms still shaking from the feeling.

"You monster!" She heard her brother shout, the thunder of his voice booming throughout her ears.

"Monster," Eva's father said, a dead but malicious tone leaving his mouth. "Monster," he continued. More malice layering on his voice. Now, Raika found something inside herself, a line between fear and idiocy - bravery. She plucked up the courage to look, but even this filled her with dread. What can I do? How am I meant to help? I need to help... I need to. Her eyes now peeked over the rim of the stall. "I'm as much a monster as you are!"