Disclaimer: I do not own Dragons Knights if by "own" you mean MAKING money. Me, do that? yeah right.

MMRoxx: No, you're right, it's spelled with an 'o'. I'm just stupid.:) Thanx for the review

Chapter Seven: Sweet and Sour

Nick listened intently as the boy next to her explained the workings of a creature called a "demon". She didn't exactly know what he was explaining exactly, but he had bought her something called an ice cream, which was absolutely fabulous, and the sunlight had proven to be enjoyable after she realized it didn't scorch her flesh clean from her bones so she was quite content on listening to whatever came from the knight's mouth. Plus, she liked the sound of his voice. It contained something she couldn't place but she liked it.

"Um, Mister Rath?" she asked when he was done, wanting to hear it-the voice- again, "what is a demon?"

Rath looked over at her and she could see the small bit of anger in his features. So he liked talking about demons, but didn't like talking about demons? Nick tried playing it out in her head but then the anger vanished into something Nick didn't know. She only grew up learning to read the degrees of anger, pain, and fear. Everything else was still new to her.

"I'm a demon," Rath said almost joyfully.

"But you just said you enjoy killing them," Nick pointed out.

"I did. I do."

"I don't understand."

Rath looked on ahead at the many treasure put out on display for sale. It had been a long run, being locked in the castle and it felt great to be out again. Maybe he should pick up something for Cesia. She was sick again, or maybe flowers…? He didn't know about that kind of thing.

"Why are you so stupid, Nick?" Rath asked again.

"I don't know," Nick replied taking no offense. "How would a stupid person know why they're stupid? Stupid people don't know their stupid; they think they're the smartest people in the world."

Rath took the bait. "And you think you're the smartest person in the world?"

Nick smiled. "I was kept in the dark everyday, Mister Rath, I didn't even know the world existed until I woke up here."

The Fire Knight was about to comment when he looked past her and saw a black creature on the wall behind them. It's dark violet eyes glared at him reminding Rath of the King of Demons. His hand instinctively went to the bell hanging from his neck. The thing looked somewhat like a dragon…

A hand on her back stopped her cold. She heard Rath swear as he was thrown into the venders though she didn't see it. Her eyes blurred, her breath stopped completely by the lightness on the touch and the presence she sensed. Her mind went crazy with vision. Of what, she couldn't say, they flashed by too quickly.

"I see the Dragons have taken in our dear little child," a slimy voice said from somewhere. She didn't dare track it.

She fell to her knees, eyes down, ready to receive orders and punishment, which ever came first. Usually it was both at once, while the dark things in the background snickered. Suddenly, the sun was too bright.

"Changing your appearance would never keep us away," Shydeman said, sliding a finger under her chin, cutting her throat with the dark magic. "And this is not Dragon magic. So why, sweet child, did you slaughter one of your brothers instead of the humans and run to the Master's pests? You were not trained to do that."

She could feel the dark liquid lightly drip down her throat. She was silent, trying to stop the shaking in her hands were the ice cream had numbed her fingers.

"Speak," the Demon Officer commanded.

"I am sorry," Nick said a little too quiet for the demon's taste. His whole hand wrapped around her throat, picking her off the ground. She spoke louder, "I don't remember what happened. It is the truth. I woke up, wondering where Master was."

"You foolish little child." Shydeman's voice grew angry. "To lie to me!" He snapped her neck once.

"It was not my intention," Nick said through the pain. He snapped it back and further. "It was not my fault!" He snapped it again. "Lidan told me so! That he would take care of it!"

By this time the Dragon Knight of Fire, also known as Rath Illuser, came charging from the broken stone and gathered crowd, sword in hand, with every intent on killing whomever had tossed him into the glassware whatever his position-also known as the demon Officer Shydeman who just happened to have a wounded young woman in his clutches.

oy vey, this chapter is REALLY short. All my chapters are short. I'm sorry. But I wanna update once in awhile and since I don't have the story already planned out it goes slowly. Again, sorry.

But hey, you wants to place bets? Rath, our darling knight, or Shydeman, the demon with the annoying name? No, really, I don't know who'll win but I'm hoping it means PLOT DEVICE! yay...

TBC...