Chapter 9

The Fallen Star

Revelry, an emotion a few felt to their fullest. For Lupo, he had discovered it through the comradery brought on by the group of friends he found himself in. He was unsure of the exact amount of time that had passed, but Lupo knew it had been at least a month spent with them. Long nights of alcohol, stories, A few even ending with Grym, Wu and Acharil all at the training grounds, Giving Lupo pointers about is stances, weapons, and even a few tricks to help him out in a pinch like short alchemical recipes, and a survival kit to keep him alive despite his extensive training to know how already. He cherished the small metal container they gave him just as much as he did the cloak that defended him from the cold, and the locket that seared his chest whenever he saw or thought of the Queen.

Excusing himself from the table, Lupo exited the Tavern and walked towards the fountain enjoying the brisk air of the evening, looking at the stars. He used to stare at them and be jealous of the amount of “friends” each star seemed to have around them. Now, looking to the ivory dots hanging in the sky, he smiled. He knew what it felt like. Much to his surprise, Lupo noticed a streak cross the sky, then another. A small cluster of stars seemed to swirl in the sky, moving across it before he saw a large red cloaked star hurtling towards the surface. Lupo watched on, trying to plot just where it was going to land, until he saw the rooftops begin to glow a vibrant red color, matching the star coming in for a landing. He quickly darted behind a building before an explosion went off in the fountain area, turning the windows in the surrounding area into shards of broken glass. Standing up and dusting himself off and coughing up dust, Lupo looked around then went towards the fountain, being met with the rest of his group as they slowly poked around the cloud of dust and debris to find what caused it.

They walked slowly, minding their footing, as the incident had deformed the terrain. Cobblestones pointed upwards, dirt had been removed from entire sections, and they even heard the sound of the fountain leaking from near the center of the cloud. Moving forward, the group continued towards the impact point, except Lupo who paused and lifted something from his boot. A white feather, faintly glowing in his hand, before the wind picked up and began to move the dust cloud away. Acharil assisted the group, unfurling her wings as she used them to clear the area. As they rose, the group began to realize, the star that had fallen was not a star. It was a person. Clad in white and gold. Robes, tarnished by the dirt he lay half buried in, the figure was striking to behold. Massive white feathered wings, some of which drifted absently through the air. His hair the same color as starlight, and nearly glowing in the light of the moon as it practically bathed him in an ethereal and otherworldly beauty. The Knights and Lupo stood in shock. No one could have survived this and yet, as they stared on, they saw him breathing softly.

Years of experience taught Lupo to be weary of bodies, and people that laid in the forest. Yet none of his usual red flags were raised. No signs of aggression or reasons to even be mildly worried arose, to him. The knights, on the other hand, have already drawn their weapons, poised and ready for anything, almost anything The man's eyes opened showing a vibrant shade of purple around his pupils, one that actually glowed in the night. They passed over the Knights who were positioned to one side of him, weapons ready. The man reacted, using his powerful wings to get him off the ground and put distance between them, as Lupo noticed something odd. The man's right arm glowed a bright gold and white color as a spear and shield manifested in his grasp, the man taking what was obviously a defensive pose. The man, barked a question at the knights, his tone demanding an answer, though his attempt fell a bit short as he spoke in a language none of them understood. Cursing in the same tongue, the man changed his tone, still holding his stance, "Rank and name!"

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Lupo stood there confused by the request, but noted the authority in the man's voice. Whoever he was, he had been in command of troops before, and definitely knew how to use the weapons in his hands. Grym however, almost on reaction, stood upright, and responded "Grym Shadoweaver, Captain of the Queen's personal guard.” No sooner had he spoken did Grym feel a bit sheepish. A stranger with only his voice commanded the same level of authority that the Queen did. Gathering himself, Grym pointed his weapon at the man, as his two allies did the same. “That doesn’t matter, By order of the Queen, for the-” He paused to find a reason to bring the man in, setting on the fountain as his nail in the coffin. "Destruction of a public landmark, you are here by under arrest. Put down your weapon and come peacefully.” The man tsked. Though he was technically outmatched via numbers alone, he had no doubt that after the fight he would still be standing. That in mind, and the concept of him being a wanted criminal not siting well with him. He let go of his weapons, both of them vanishing into small clouds of golden dust. He silently turned and tucked his wings, before putting his arms behind himself, wrists together. By sheer chance, Acharil had not fully removed her Knight's equipment and had a pair of shackles on her person. After they were secure, she glanced between the three other members of the group, their expressions matching her internal one. They did not know what he was, and considering what they saw, they did not feel comfortable being around him.

Lupo and the Knights enter the holding chambers of the castle grounds. They, being their reputation and standing within the guard, usually do not enter here, especially since their main line of duty is to protect the queen herself. Though, she sometimes runs off, as she tends to do. But, having a mysterious being in there possession, they will make and exception. Acharil has a hold on the shackles of the man. She has secured many criminals and rowdy citizens much larger than herself, but the aura and the uneasiness she and the band have standing next to this man seems to make them very uncomfortable. Grym stands in front, being one of the tallest next to Wu, this being is of similar height standing a whopping six foot and eight inches. It does not strain from the unorthodox and elegant wings tucked behind the man's back. The holding chambers were often slightly rowdy with criminals and the homeless bickering and whining to be let out as the guards of this place deal with them. With the presence of both the Queen's Guards and this man, the only sound you hear is murmuring and shuffling of the armor of the guards as they stand straight. They stare at both the stranger and Acharil, both in awe and curiosity.

Grym approaches the warden with a serious look while the warden looks up from his desk lost for words, "What in goddess’ name". Grym goes with the procedure of processing him by stating his destruction of a public landmark to the warden, telling him what he witnessed from the point of contact of the man followed by his weapons that mysteriously vanished. He then escorted him to one of the holding cells. Grym then turns to his knights, giving them a look that only they understand, a gaze of concern that they need to report this to the queen herself. Acharil in turn looks to Lupo then back to Grym as he nods. Lupo, confused, still stands a little straighter, feeling in his gut he is now included in an even bigger ordeal than he thought. The mysterious man sits against the wall staring at the structure of the walls and bars but proceeds to lead his eyes to Lupo who feels an uneasiness to the man's gaze. The glowing purple eyes stare at him, making Lupo dart his gaze towards Acharil just before she speaks. "Wu, stay here and watch him as we report this to the queen." Acharil orders. Wu nods and stands at the bars, squatting as Acharil, Grym, and Lupo head towards the castle as they try to conjure up a way to tell the queen of this new development.

Uzume sat on her throne reading a book with thoughts running through her mind. Both of Mal and herself and of her normal duties, she is intoxicated by her feelings on the matter when she was abruptly snapped out of her daydreams and into reality of an unknown presence. Her eyes look up as she feels the aura, it is so vibrant and mysterious and yet… familiar. She closes her book and stands, almost drawn to it. She stares at the anomaly in front of her perplexed by it for what she sees is some sort of distortion in her vision, space around her warped, for just a second, then it returned to normal. Not only that, but she is perplexed and feels the oddity of this phenomenon for a while longer. But before she could reach for the anomaly she is stopped by Lady Acharil and Sir Grym entering the throne with haste. She looks at them and without even asking she knew by the look on their faces they are aware of what she has felt, but their eyes seem to say much, much more. She then looks behind them and her eyes widen a bit, seeing the man that was the supposed stalker Mal and her saw by the hot-springs. She takes a note of him, but alas, she has other important matters to attend too. This indeed looks like today will be just a bit more interesting than book reading…