Darkness' Touch

Chapter 37: No longer a secret

And yes, there were only the two of them. At least after Mariel decided not to go after finding out that Blackwell was the name of the district that the lady was going to visit. She was sure that she heard her muttering something although she wasn't able to make up any sentences from it, the odd detail was, she looked troubled for a second before beaming an apologetic smile at her, saying that she won't be able to join them. 

Their numbers threatened to increase when the two young lads volunteered to go, but there's no way Light's hair color would go unnoticed by the townfolks while Avy isn't really capable of changing someone's eye color- Ciel's eyes- hence she went against the idea of them going, much to their dismay. She could still picture their disappointed faces that looked like puppies deprived of treats, kittens drenched by the rain. In the end, she chose to only drag her knight outside the estate to stand as her guard, and as a walking assurance that she would return home safe and sound. 

Avy sported a simple cream-colored dress topped with a deep brown vest with laces and a brown cloak whilst Clerivan wore a cream-colored button-up sleeved top paired with a pair of black trousers, the scabbard of his sword was attached to his belt. They both blended in quite well.

Everything went smooth, except for the fact that it should've really been her knight who wore a better disguise or just hid his face from the people. 

"Sir Warde! Your knights said that you were on a vacation, what brings you here?" a cheerful voice of an elderly woman coming from a stall of fruits called the knight's name. Avy looked in the direction where she heard the voice and saw a woman with brown hair tied into a low ponytail looking at them with a wide smile.

"And who might this be? Did you already find a lover after such a long time?" the woman said teasingly, sending Clerivan a playful glance. It wouldn't be a surprise for Avy to be mistaken as someone older than her actual age, after all, she is tall and quite mature looking even as a sixteen-year-old.

"She-"

"I'm Revie's distant cousin, I just moved here from the countryside." before Clerivan could answer, Avy beat him to it, extending her hand to greet the woman with a handshake. 

"Oh my, you didn't tell me that you have such a beauty for a cousin, Sir Warde. I would've offered my son as a marriage candidate." the woman chuckled, accepting the hand with a bright smile. "I'm Martha Kaelin. I've known this knight right here for years since he's been managing our district quite well," Martha said, pertaining to Clerivan.

"I'm Avy."

"What a pretty name. It is the same with Duke Arkwright's only daughter." the older woman pointed out.

Avy replied with a smile, "Yes, I've heard."

"Welcome to the capital, Avy. Although you should've chosen a safer district to move in." Martha spoke with worry, seeing the curious face that Avy gave her, she continued. " You know, this district is really dangerous even with the ravens doing their best to keep the peace. To be honest, before Sir Warde was appointed as the Knight Brigade Captain, terrible crimes happen in broad daylight because the lord who governs this part of the capital; marquis Heron, didn't take any action to solve the problem. That man is a selfish bastard, I'm telling you." the woman huffed in irritation. Avy was a little amused by how brave she spoke, knowing that she could get in trouble for talking shit about a noble.

"If the knights didn't patrol the forest after cessation, no one would've known that the animals have gone feral that they would attack any human on sight." 

This statement caught Clerivan's attention, finally opening his mouth after only listening to the woman speaking. "Would you mind saying more about the incident?"  

Avy kept quiet as the woman started filling them the details, knowing all too well that she's a living witness of what happened, and even a survivor. 

"It seems like some crazy people entered the forest two nights ago and slaughtered the animals. The knights said it was a mage and a swordsman, or a mage who specializes in swords. It was really an awful sight." she shivered by the thought. 

Martha conversed with them for a couple more minutes before they decided to go on their way, the woman gave them two bags of fruits as a welcome gift to Avy which she didn't refuse. Clerivan being stopped by some person happened a few times before they reached the restaurant where Avy left Kill a couple of nights ago. 

She looked at her knight, expecting him to react, it was his sister's diner after all. But Clerivan just kept a straight face, just a hint of surprise visible in his eyes. She just shrugged it off and pushed the door, the ventilation hit her face first thing she entered. 

"Avy!" a familiar voice called her name prompting her to look at the person who shouted and saw Ares walking towards her. He was wearing his usual white button up sleeve that was unbuttoned, showing his chest proudly and black pants, that again, he stole from her brother's wardrobe. Avy would never admit that he looked good in them though, or he might just stay in his human form every second of the day and annoy her until she kicks him out.

"What took you so long? What's that?" Ares quickly made his way towards her and was about to take the bag she was holding but a blade of sword stopped him in his tracks. 

It was fast and swift that Avy didn't notice whathappened until his knight stood in front of her, the paper bag he was holding was already neatly laid on the floor. 

"Another step closer and we might have to spill some blood." Clerivan stared coldly at Ares who didn't even look frightened at the blade pointed at his neck, instead he locked eyes with the knight and smiled in a not so friendly manner.

"I wouldn't want to spill blood too, but if you insist." 

~~~

Hello it's me how are you??? I just updated so that I could shamelessly plug my new book lololol but how was this chapter? Tell me what you think! I'd also really appreciate if you gave feedback on the new book that I published. It's only a short story so please check it out!