Dragon Frost (9 page)

The sight of
the church with soldiers are positioned in a strategic manner,
several walk up and down the front of the church entrance while
there are some guards situated at the front of the wooden picketed
fence where at every fifteen or so meters there is another guard.
Some are archers while others are the general foot soldiers. I
notice they have a particular change in shift every five hours, I
only have just been surveying this place for now twelve hours. I
need to make sure that when I infiltrate, I can carry out my
mission.

I know that not
all churches are bad. This however is corrupt.

Not even
our people enjoy other races worshiping us like gods because we
aren’t. We may be a lot stronger faster and bestowed with magical
and energetic power that doesn’t necessarily mean we are going to
make everyone succumb to our wishes. Above all, that action will
just irritate me. I don’t like the power hungry kind of people. To
me they appear more insecure than anything else. Still, I try not
to make the world view us as such even though some still continue
to treat me differently.

Not with
fear but with praise. That’s what I don’t like. The Nefaliem are
known to have many abilities that which includes flight, since I
can’t transform into my Nefaliem form. I’m somewhat flightless but
it doesn’t mean I can’t glide. My cloak is; my wings in this form
but because I can’t completely transform, I can only use it to
glide. It doesn’t make my infiltration missions any easier not that
it matters—no point in everything being easy.

The easier it
is, the less I try.

I
remember when we were in the Kalzan plains, Sparta. The terrain was
rough and bare. Not much cover was given and at that time we had to
work alongside with the rebel soldiers. They were rough and had the
whole caveman appearance. Their colours that of red and gold, their
silver battle suited uniforms covered the individual from head to
toe but they were still advanced and strong but not as strong as
the Nefaliem or Nephilim. They were a hundred times stronger than
the humans, this was both male and female and the men were the ones
I had to fight beside.

At the
time, I preferred for Altair or Dante to take that mission but I
didn’t have any other choice the Nefaliem Order, our worlds Order
made it final and I couldn’t go against our planet’s Council. They
were the ones that practically ran our world from the smallest
trade to the largest or most prominent laws. There were people
voted into the Royal Court but the Council hands over its titles to
its descendants. There were other ways for people to become a
council member by either being granted the title by a member of the
royal family or being bestowed the title from a previous council
member who doesn’t have any descendants and is either on the verge
of death or insists on retiring.

“
You take
the right, I’ve got the left.” said Kurtz. His silver armour was
differentiated by the red dragon printed on his chest above his
family crest. I turned and moved down the opposite side of the bend
where we sat —waiting on the mountain side. The valley below at the
time had the Galatin General a mercenary group that works beside
the Covenant but they aren’t exactly a part of the Covenant they
were their backbone. They protected the Covenant from
assassinations. I was attacked from behind and defeated the large
man by using my shield as a weapon. The metal of our world was
tougher than steel and did triple the damage.

The
darkness manages to hide my form enough so that I easily land on
the tiles of the roof where I slip through the trap door under the
large bell in the bell tower and enter the church. I am surprised
that they didn’t think to put anyone up there. I don’t linger on it
and slip through and down the step ladders. There’s no movement. I
know that I’ll have to be careful from here on. I move along the
wooden floorboards that creak gently under my feet. I slip behind a
large wooden pillar, I wait five seconds, slowly counting it in my
head before I move through the rest of the upper part of the church
where the marble and stone slowly begins to show as I further move
down the church. I hide here and there from the guards that stand
and watch the grounds carefully willingly to do their duty. I
manage to finally make my way to the ground level, sticking to the
shadows as much as I could. I hear voices. “I heard a Knight’s in
town.” remarks a woman.

“
No need
to be worried about him, will skin him alive the moment he steps
foot on these grounds.” says the other woman and I roll my eyes
under my faceplate. 
They are really dense.

“
Maybe we
can have some fun first?” teases the other woman and I slip past
them and make my way towards the achieve room. Closing the heavy
door behind me carefully, I observe the piles of scrolls and books
that are stacked in the massive ceiling high bookshelves. I move
towards the light where a kerosene lamp sits on a desk with
scattered papers spaced all over the table, an ink pod is confined
to the feather quill where I regard what is inscribed on the
parchment.

Drawings
of men and women with several arms and legs there are pentagrams
sketched upon the torso of the men and on the legs of women. I know
from the layout of these documents that the plan isn’t good.
Hearing the door open—I just entered—I slip around a piece of
armour. The statue stands tall and lifeless where I listen to the
oncoming footsteps of two men. “Do you think this will work?” asks
a man from where I see through the arm of the armored knight. There
are two men, one with a long white beard the other has no hair but
still appears to be old just like the other. The clothes they were
resemble that of Priests.

“
Don’t
worry my friend, it will work. I’ll make sure of it.”

“
Still I
don’t trust the rumors.” comments the white bearded man.

“
I don’t
trust them either but they could be that rumors.” says his friend
as they walk towards the desk where I once was. They continue to
converse without knowledge of my presence, well for the time being.
This rumor makes me wonder if it was what those women said
earlier.

“
Are you
sure? Several of the citizens are fighting back.” he declares his
voice full of concern and I wonder if he was really accused of what
he is accused.

“
Calm
yourself Fredrick they’ll be back to submissive dogs the moment we
dispose of her!” growls his partner and the other man regards his
words questionably.

“
Her?” he
asks.

“
Yes, 
her
 as in
the Knight is 
female
.” retorts
his bald companion with a lack of patients. “Have the Ground Troops
scout the city for her. I want her found before she causes more
trouble.” he demands. The sound of his words made me wonder if I
heard him right; he accused me of giving people courage when I’ve
only been in the town for several hours.

“
But the
people . . . ” begins his friend.

“
Will
cease to grow a back bone once she’s disposed of!” With all this
new information I found it odd to understand why they feared my
presence than again, my presence isn’t something that can be
bargained with. Wave money in the face of Knights and Rangers,
they’ll strip you of all the power you once had and rescind you.
The other man turned to leave his face was masked with fear for a
moment before returning to normal. The other man turns to his pages
and begins to work. He instigates muttering things under his breath
for a moment before I feel something wrap around my waist. Glancing
down I see a black clawed hand.

“
Nefaliem!” it hisses in my ear.

I’m
warped from where I once stood and now on my knees in the centre of
the room. I so knew something like this was going to happen just
when was the question. “So you were here the whole time?” questions
the bald head man. “Should have expected that.” he says with his
back still turned from me. “Bind her.” he instructs the demon and
it grasps my hand firmly. Once my wrists were bound I stare at the
man. The hand of the demon still on my shoulder should I try
anything.

“
I guess
it is true.” I accuse loud enough for me to hear, my face
indifferent as ever.

“
Oh and
what is that?” he asks. I have no need to answer and I don’t, he
finishes scribbling something down on one of his many pages that I
really couldn’t care for.

He turns
to me with a devilish smile that I know isn’t close to evil, it’s
childish in comparison. He paces towards me, his eyes raking my
body and I roll my eyes. He grasps my chin and forces my eyes to
meet his. “Tell me; is it wrong to want order and power?” I don’t
answer since it is always “yes”. “What have you come here for huh?
To investigate this matter? To find evidence of my doing? Before
you go crawling back to your Chief.” he taunts and I still remain
impassive. If he is going to try and hurt me with words he
couldn’t, I have no feelings left to hurt.

“
No.
To 
neutralise
.”

I
head-butt him hard, his nose shatters where blood pours down his
face. I grasp the hand of the demon and force it from my shoulder
with all my strength and I’m surprised, I am able to fight him off.
I send my leg under his where he falls to the ground immediately
after, I bring my leg up and force his head to smash back into the
stone ground with a loud crack. The demon ceases to move
momentarily and I know that he won’t stay down for long. I roll
over my shoulder and stand on my feet, seeing the Priest make for
the door; I sprint after him after I loop my bound wrists in front
of me.

I slither
through the door that slowly began to close on its own and stretch
my arms over my back, still as I run after the Priest. Pulling out
my blade, I slip it in between my wrists and stop. He’s heading
down the man church for more guards. I slice the rope and my hands
are free. I move towards an open window and disappear into the
night. With the scent of his blood in the air it won’t take long to
find him, his beating heart is evident in my ears like the fall of
spring. It almost made me feel sorry for the man . . . how scared
he was gave me more pleasure than I can say. However, it is only
those who force my hand I enjoy the chase of. I scale the walls,
careful not to draw attention to myself.

The
moment I’m on top of the tiles, the chime of bells fills my ears.
They’re calling in reinforcements. I pull my crossbow from my lower
back and take aim, the Priest runs through the grave sites
desperate to reach the gates, I release and arrow, he falls limp on
the ground while several men and women move to where the now dead
Priest lies. I turn my gaze scanning the area, I need to find the
other and burn the blueprints. I slip back inside through the
balcony window. I take out the armed forces within easily and move
down the halls. I remember the scent of the other man; however,
there are so many scents to sniff though. I halt.

The sound
of a racing heart fills my ears; the scent of the bearded man is
strongly orientated around the room adjacent to me. I enter. There
he stands with a sword pointed to me. “Don’t come any closer.” The
prospect of his blade shaking his face molds in fear and anger at
the sight of me is rather amusing than I
wonder; 
am I really that much of a threat or have these boys been
playing with fire?

“
Or
you’ll do what?” He charges at me his blade over his head, I step
to the side with ease and knock the blade from his hand and turn my
head to the side. This had to be some sort of trick, right? I’ve
never taken on an enemy so weak before. A dangerous laugh fills the
room and I see that the Priest’s eyes are now glowing; a deadly
bright crimson colour. I gaze into them momentarily questioning his
origins, his heritage but his aura, his scent is that of a
Zylarian.

I dodge
the next attack where his blade effectively slices the thick wooden
pillar with ease. I stare at him. 
Where on this Earth did he receive
that strength from?
 I drop and avoid the next attack. The blade inches
from my scalp I feel something grasp me from behind me. A demon
bares its teeth down at me. I stop and bring the hilt of my sword
to his side, I head butt him and his grip slacks he steps
back.

“
I won’t
die, Knight. I’ve worked too hard for too long. I won’t let you
take what I’ve spent my whole life doing!” he barks with fury and I
scowl.

“
Maybe
you should have thought about that earlier!” I snap. I dodge the
black claws of the demon and fight the impulse to rip off its head.
I need to kill the Priest before he makes a break for it, as if on
cue there he goes out the door and I step under and around to the
demon’s exposed side and pull out my curved dagger embedding it in
its back where I yank it down the hollows of his spine. The
cracking sound of severing bone greets my ears and I fight back the
urge to shudder.

The demon
cries out in pain, its arms spinning around to claw at me, I step
around again, ventral. Opposite of where I once was. I jab the
dagger into its chest as I approximate where its heart will lay. A
high shirks fill my ears and I jerk out the dagger before forcing
it back down again, his form falls to the ground. I haul out my
dagger once more as its form becomes nothing but ash. I stare at
where it once was. 
How is a demon able to survive outside of Transit,
outside of Limbo?