Ghost in the Roses

This is our last dinner together and a plate of chicken steak and red potato mash never tasted so bitter-sweet.

“We got good news,” with a sly smile, Kai taunts me to press for more info.

“What is it?” I play along.

“Kai’s fiancé transfer got approved. We’ll be both living at the Blue Domain. Our wait for our mentors will be a little longer compare to the rest and we will be picked up sometime next week,” Nina’s all too happy to tell the rest.

“That’s awesome,” my smile bursts wide open.

“You’re meeting yours tomorrow. Are you nervous?” Nina looks up from her plate while cutting a piece of rotisserie chicken.

“A little. I just hope to make a somewhat decent first impression.”

“I keep hearing that your knight mentor is the shit. I heard that Sir Nikal has a huge scar all the way down across his left eye,” Kai motions his butter knife across his face.

“Augh, so gross,” Nina shudders.

“I think it’s badass,” Kai disagrees.

“Shop’s open. Would you like one right now?” with a steak knife in my hand, I showcase the absolute possibility of him getting one.

“Sorry, Adrien. Wifey says no. My wild days are over,” laughing, Kai declines the offer.

“You still going to the temple after dinner?” with the drink still fizzing in her glass, Nina brings the refreshing bubbles to her lips.

“Yeah, just want to say a prayer or two,” nodding, I take the last few bites of my food.

“Why? What do you need to pray about? Life is so good for us right now,” it doesn’t seem like Kai understands the entire point of it.

“Exactly. Don’t you think it would be rude not to say thank you?” I suggest the basis for going. “Besides, I’m still waiting on that rainbow pony I’ve asked for.”

“Okay, tell them I said hello,” Kai says, paying no attention to my reasoning.

“Lucky them,” I throw my napkin at his face as I stand up to put my dirty plate away.

“We’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Nina waves bye to me.

“See ya tomorrow, guys,” I take my leave for the temple.

I ask the coach to stop several blocks before where the temple is at. For the rest of the way there, I walk down the lit-up streets of Petograd and take it in for the last time. This is my last time here in this crazy town and surprisingly, I dare to admit that I’m going to miss it. This town on the other hand, is way too busy, too big, too loud and noisy to ever notice that I’ll be gone and will be easily replaced with a brand-new cadet in just a few more weeks.

I’m going to miss that dry-cleaning place at the plaza, and that diner making the best waffles, that trio of giant unicorns’ fountain with its bottom covered with a coper collage of coins. That hospital and its staff where I spend time volunteering won’t be seeing me anymore and who knows when the next time I’ll get to step into grand lobby of the High Court.

What I’m not going to miss is that group of men following me. This is very new, but already they annoy me. What the fuck is it this time? What does a guy have to do around here to be left alone? Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but my hope of that dies when I pretend to accidently take a turn too soon. The reflections in the glass windows show that they’re still at my tail. Here is a directory coming up. What are they going to do when I stop to look at it?

As I face the six feet tall map adorned with indexes and labels, the reflection in the protective glass reveals that my secret company makes a stop as well. Out of rows and rows of open-air shops, they decide to give interest to one of them and I don’t mean to judge, but those guys don’t look like they’d sincerely be interested in purchasing those sparkly bookmarks of every pastel color imaginable. It could be for their elementary school aged daughters, but what are the odds that this is how a group of tough guys decide to spend their night out at the capital?

I’m kind of curious to find out what is it they really want and why they think I would have it. My games end when I get to the temple and enter. The perfume drifting from the scent burners cleanse me from the downtown’s sinful air. There’re just a few other people here and they’re too lost in their prayers to notice the shifting of the front doors.

As suspected, I don’t enter alone.

Past all the rows of benches, I pace myself down the marble pathway to the altar. By the sound of footsteps, only three of them follow me in. The rest of them are still outside, probably dispersing themselves at every possible exit - a classic move of bounty hunters. Or assassins.

Based on their dark taste in expensive clothing and lack of any red insignias, they couldn’t be any of Lada’s friends. And as far as I know, there are no warrants for my arrest. The process of simple elimination, leaves me with only one possibility.

As I light the candle for the gilded icons, the footsteps get closer.

“I’m be done in a moment, please wait your turn,” pretending to be naive of their intentions, I politely remind them of worship protocol.

They say nothing, just keep their distance allowing me to dip my finger into the holy water. My next step are the burners so I can wash the aromatic smoke over myself, but there is one particular sweet smell that's completely out of place. The holy fragrance fails to cover up the chloroform creeping up behind me.

I don’t like such surprises and my hostility shows no mercy to the gesture behind me. The soaking wet cloth drop out of my stalker’s hand as he screams in pain, falling to his knees. He’s not so stealthy with broken glass and irritants in his eyes and I’m sorry to leave this beautiful altar one scent burner short.

I don’t know what possible grudge the next guy has as he keeps trying to punch me. Finally, with his wrist exposed, I take the chance to shove it behind his back. Immobilized, he is forced to take a face dunk into the basin of blessed waters. My tight grip of a mother don't let up as he tries to fight his bath. The few worshippers run out screaming, as my attacker’s air bubbles stop resurfacing and his body grows limp.

Slowly, I let the unconscious body down on his side so it can recover. Meanwhile, the third one keeps away.

"What do you want from me?!" I shout at him.

The look on his face tells that his distance from me is not out of fear.

"Come with me, boy! Me and my friends will be more than happy to explain!" there’s something sinister brewing behind those weathered eyes.

The sharpening noise of his enormous knives do not sound very welcoming and I really don’t want to be tonight’s sacrificial offering to the angels. The odds of beating him in close combat are low, since my only option for a weapon is the cutting blade sticking out of the bread of offering. I take my chances and the blade. Somehow, I have to keep him away and got only one shot at this.

“Go ahead, boy! Throw it! I love playing catch!” he grins.

Holy shit! I don't think he's kidding.

“Come on, let’s play!”

I accept.

My knife comes flying.

“Ha! You fool!” he mocks my miss at his head.

But that’s not what I aimed for.

At a moment's notice, his perspective on the outcome changes. The overconfident hunter fails to escape the massiveness of forged metal crushing down from above. Under the weight of the chandelier he cries in agony while holding on to his broken legs.

“Catch this,” I say.

Before someone decides to bill me for thrashing the place, I need to come up with an escape.

All this noise does not go unnoticed and a priest comes out to see what’s all the commotion about.

“I’m so sorry for this,” I cringe, hoping that showing my Knight’s Coin will prove my truth. “I’m a knight and those guys came after me.”

“I saw, but there are more waiting for you at the doors,” to my relief there is no lecture, only a warning.

“I can’t take the fight to open public. Someone innocent might get hurt. Can you help me?”

“Come with me, Sir,” he unlocks the steel gates behind the altar.

I follow him into the secret basement.

“In the past, we build these tunnels to help the political refuges to hide from Vita the Terrible,” with a burning lantern in hand, he explains the temple’s secret.

“Where do you want to go?” his hand motions at the fork splitting this tunnel into many more.

“Back to the academy. Something's wrong and I must warn Knight’s Council,” there isn’t a way to justly express this urgency.

“This one. Take this tunnel. It will take you into the valley behind it,” the priest points and hands me the light.

“Thank you, priest,” I rush off into the passage.

“May the gods be with you and keep you, knight of the people,” his blessing echoes behind me and I can’t wait to reach the other end of this wormhole.