Home > Court of Nightfall (The Nightfall Chronicles #1)(12)

Court of Nightfall (The Nightfall Chronicles #1)(12)
Author: Karpov Kinrade

"Why not just build something new?"

"They say the building itself holds ancient magic, though I suspect what the ancient's thought of as magic is mostly Angel Technology. I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't be surprised. Strange things have been known to happen in the castle."

"Why am I here? Where are we going?" My clothing had stuck to me with blood and sweat and God only knew what else. My hair hung in clumps around my sore, bruised head, the normal pale blonde stained red.

Despite all of that, I couldn't pull my focus from the world around me. I marveled at how it all looked in color, at how much I had missed with just Evie translating my black and white existence.

And I wished more fiercely than anything that I could share this with my parents. This new awareness. But I shoved that aside. I would pull out that pain when I was finally alone and had a moment to break down. Because once I started crying, I feared I would never stop.

And there were still answers to uncover.

"We're going straight to the Council. I tried to argue you needed rest first, but they want to talk to you. With the weapon missing, it's a matter of global security at this point."

I glanced at Jax, this boy I'd grown up with, the boy I'd run my first lemonade stand with as a child. My first crush, my only real friend. His jaw was set in a hard line and he walked with purpose. He walked like a soldier. And he looked like a stranger.

"And why am I here? You didn't answer that."

He stopped and finally looked at me, and for a moment a flicker of the boy I knew flashed in his eyes. "Because this is the only place you'll be safe, Scarlett." He reached for my hand and held it. "I failed your parents. I can't fail you too. I can't lose the last person I love."

Earlier today those words would have swelled my heart to bursting. Now, they fell at my feet like a dead thing. I said nothing in response and followed him through the parking structure, to a black car. I looked around and realized all the cars in this section were black, with U.F.I. plates.

"You work for the U.F.I.?" I asked, not even surprised anymore.

"I'm a Teutonic Knight. A Guardian. Like my father was, once. I work for the Four Orders under the authority of the Pope. The U.F.I. just handles the paperwork."

Everything, all of it, my whole life had been a lie. "Your father didn't die in a car crash, did he?"

I got into the dark sedan and slammed the door shut. Jax started the engine and pulled out. "No, he didn't." His face looked haunted, and I could tell he wouldn't elaborate.

So I didn't ask for more. In that moment, as calloused as it sounds, I didn't care about his father while my own father's body was left to rot on our lawn.

The sights of the town blurred past me. Storefronts and small homes with big yards, a downtown area with street vendors set up on cobblestone streets. Ever-glowing lights lined the walking paths, and a steel sculpture of a cross hovered over an intersection. Once again, that mix of old Europe and Angel technology created something surprisingly beautiful. Most shops were closed at this time of night. We'd been flying for three hours. I reached up to tap on my e-Glass, but remembered it wasn't there.

Jax caught my movement. "I'll pick you up a new one. I know you need it to help with colors."

Yes. Colors. That wasn't true anymore, but I knew I couldn't tell him that, though I didn't know why. "Thanks." I would need it for other reasons, though. I'd need it to review the chip I had, and to keep tabs on the outside world. They'd of course bug whatever device they gave me, but I could override that easily enough and make it my own—and bring my Evie back. I'd spent too much time custom-coding her to lose all of that now.

We drove onto Vianney Bridge, a drawbridge, currently open. It was the only way into the castle, which was surrounded by a moat and various rivers separating it from Manhattan and Queens. We passed through the giant open gates, covered in engravings of knights. The grey stone façade of the castle gleamed in the moonlight with chips of obsidian, giving it a beautifully ominous feel. It stood in a square with four towers, one at each corner, rising high into the sky.

At the end of the moat, two guards stood to either side of the castle entrance, dressed in light armor with a "V" crest on the right side of their chest and a Celtic cross on the left. Jax held out his hand and showed them his ring, something I hadn't noticed him slip on but that had the crest of Teutonic Knights, wings in red and black. They nodded and he ushered me into the castle courtyard.

A gentle breeze blew the hair off my face, cooling my fevered skin as we walked down a path surrounded by trees and gardens. "This is where many students come to walk, hang out, read or study," he said. We only saw two students this late at night. Both had on black cloaks with the V crest embossed in gold and silver thread on their chests and their back. "Those are Initiates," he said. "Once they are accepted to one of the Four Orders they'll receive the uniforms for their Order during their training."

"The Four Orders… Teutonic, Inquisition, Hospitaller and Templar, right?" I asked, recalling what I'd learned from the news. They used to be secret, but in our modern world it was hard to keep secret societies, so the Orders had 'come out of the closet' in a manner of speaking, and owned up to their role in the government. However, just about everything they did remained shrouded in shadows and mystery. Knowing they existed was one thing, knowing what they did under the cover of their Order was another thing all together.

   
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