The Ninth Star

Summary: An evil enigmatic being known as The Ninth Star was once in a group known as the Nefarious Nine, all of whom were destroyed. The sole survivor of the attack, The Ninth Star takes up residence in a new host, and has now been tracked down to Valestrai, where there are nine powerful magic wielders under investigation. Sofia and company are called in to help question the suspects, but nothing could have prepared them for the outcome when the mystery begins to unravel. *Takes place two years after The Tainted Ten*

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First. The following characters belong to me: Jastin Butterford, Muscles, Malango the Magnanimous (mentioned), Corban, Charlie, Serena, Angel, Shikoba, Alo, the Ninth Star (and other Stars), and several others not mentioned in the other lists. MarionetteJ2X owns Nana, Tanya, and Terra. Mr. Shortman92 owns Christopher Crowley and Amaya. NerdsinaTree owns Captain Nereus. Royal Detective owns Gabriel Sebastian. Allyrwhitney owns Feya. Jettmanas owns Davidius. Creepy-Pasta owns Neoma. Pinkscarlet08 owns Amerie. Theblackraven2.0 owns Malcom "Mac" Woodruff. Also, the "Nefarious Nine" title belongs to NerdsinaTree, as the title was originally supposed to be used in "The Tainted Ten" until we added a tenth character.


Chapter 7: Christopher Crowley


"Please, have a seat," Orion insisted, nodding toward the single seat before the table. His eyes drifted to the young woman near him, who remained standing when the older man sat. "And… You are…?"

"I'm Amaya," she answered defensively, standing her ground. "I'm his assistant, I guess you could say…" Amaya was on the shorter side with dark sun-kissed skin. Her hair fell in dark, luscious ringlets around her shoulders, bouncing against her head and back each time she moved. She wore basic clothing: a white tank top, khaki shorts, and brown boots. Despite her youthful appearance, she was almost 30 years old, which might have been more evident had people paid attention to her mature dark eyes or listened to her stories. "And before anyone gets cute, we're just friends. I'm more of a business partner than a lover, I guess."

Sofia grinned secretively toward Cedric, who offered her a sheepish smile. "Sounds familiar…"

"Very well," Shikoba responded. "Though it is a bit unorthodox to have a secondary participant in the room, we will permit it. Providing you allow him to answer without interference."

"Crowley can speak for himself," she quipped, moving to a corner of the room, and sliding down to sit with her legs crossed. "I'll just wait here till he's done." She watched as Alo approached her, sniffing her shoes, and then sat before her, his tail swishing back and forth on the floor. "Um, have you fed your dog recently?"

"We keep him on a strict diet of youthful flesh," Greylock joked before feeling a sharp jab to his side. He winced as he eyed the culprit (Vega, of all people) and groaned out, "J-Just… Just kidding."

Shikoba rolled her eyes. "Alo is merely curious. Here." She took a small bag of treats from a pouch fastened at her side and tossed it to Amaya, who caught it with one hand. "Give him a few, and you will gain a new friend."

Blinking, Amaya did as she was told and smiled as she saw the wolf-dog scarf down the treats before licking her cheek, his head then resting on her lap. "And here I always considered myself more of a cat person…" She lowered her hand to his head, gently scratching behind his ears, earning a satisfied whine from the dog.

"Back to the matter at hand," Vega began, attracting the attention of the others.

"Can you tell us a bit about yourself, Mr. Crowley?" Sofia asked, wanting to move things along a little quicker. She wasn't sure if it was the tension she felt from Amaya or what, but the sooner they finished their interrogation, the better.

The dark-haired man chuckled, smiling at the princess. "Please, just call me Crowley. 'Mister' sounds a little old, and I don't need any more reminders of my…advanced youth, as Amaya likes to call it."

"At least I don't call you 'Gramps' like some of the village kids do," she remarked without missing a beat, a smirk on her lips as she continued scratching Alo's ears.

Crowley hummed softly to himself before sitting up straighter in his chair, bracing himself for any line of questioning. Christopher Crowley was a 67-year-old man (though he'd realistically been around much longer) with long black hair that fell to his midback. It was bespattered with some noticeable gray streaks, especially in his bangs, hinting at his age. He wore his hair slightly off centered and kept his bangs swept to the right, which often annoyed Amaya to no end (and she'd spend at least five minutes trying to fix his 'unhinged hair tragedy' most mornings, to no avail).

His eyes were a deep brown color that sometimes seemed to flash to red if one looked closely enough. His skin was pale white, almost an ashy gray tone. He was moderately tall at 5'10' and possessed a medium build with some fading muscle definition. Just on his left wrist, one could see a mysterious tattoo of a flying creature with a mane, horns, and a long winding tail. Near his left eye was a vertical scar, though its origins were uncertain.

Crowley preferred black clothing above all else: black boots, pants, shirt, vest, gloves, and collared cloak. It added to his mysterious personality but also offered him some form of comforting anonymity if he happened to be out among a dense crowd. That was something he really enjoyed.

"Now that we're all settled," Orion started, shifting some papers in his hands as he noticed Vega's gaze lingering a little longer on the older man than he would expect, "tell us about yourself." He caught Vega's eye, and he frowned as she looked off to the side, avoiding his eyes.

"I'm from a village called Black Rock," Crowley told them. "It is settled just outside Zumaria and gets its name from the color of the ore that is often mined there. Geography aside, I had a fairly average childhood, I suppose. Of course, by the time I'd passed my teens, things began changing for me…" He shifted a bit in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "When I was in my twenties, I joined an organization that I thought was doing good. I was hired to be something of a security guard, but one day, I discovered their plans for dark magic experimentation on people. When I confronted them, I was quickly captured."

Sofia frowned. It sounded all too familiar to her…

"They believed I would make a good test subject, and admittedly, I suppose they were right. With the right combination of dark and light magic, and an ancient Maruvian crystal, they were able to make me shapeshift into a powerful beast. But without the crystal in close proximity, my 'beast' form was uncontrollable, so they locked me in a magical stasis until they could work out a solution to the problem. However, with time, they forgot about me… That is, until the spell wore off, and I awoke…"

The others, even Amaya, were intrigued by his story. It was unique, and he told it rather well.

"By this time, most who'd made me this way had passed. But I wasted no time exacting my revenge on those who were unlucky enough to still be alive, and I left that place in a pillar of smoke behind me—set ablaze for the world to see… With the crystal in my possession, I only needed a doctor to surgically implant it into my chest so that I would always be the one in control. Eventually, I joined a new organization, and one where I would play a more important role. The organizers knew of my past, but nobody talked about it. I still had a dark mark on my left wrist that sometimes causes me pain." He lifted his hand, his fingers slightly brushing over the mark. "It's a reminder that the beast isn't gone, but merely sleeping. Since the surgery, I've only had to use it on a few occasions to even the odds…" His tone lightened as he eyed the young woman in the corner of the room, his dark eyes meeting hers as she became shy suddenly, her fingers tangling in her curls. "On one such occasion, after saving a village from a large number of Never Realm rejects, I met this young girl named Amaya, whose parents had been killed. While she begged me to take her with me, I initially refused, since my duties would get in the way of taking care of someone so young. However, I placed her in the hands of a young couple in the village, and I told her to come find me once she was fully grown. And she did. And she has been accompanying me on my adventures for the last decade by now."

"Wow," Sofia breathed, having been captivated by the story. "And so, with all that, what kind of magical specialty do you have?"

"Magical tracking is my main specialty. I can detect traces of magic left behind on surfaces, who left it, and how long it has been there. Additionally, under dire circumstances, I can transform into a chimera, but I try to avoid that if possible."

"I think that's very interesting," Vega told him with a silky tone to her voice, a smile crossing her lips.

Crowley returned her smile, though it was definitely smaller and more reserved. "Thank you."

Shikoba nodded. "I believe you have been a great help in your explanation. Kindly follow me so that I can get you to sign this waiver. After we finish, follow Orion so that he can conduct his magic test."

As Crowley stood and stretched, Orion nudged Vega and murmured to her, "Could you be a little less obvious?"

She smiled playfully, her eyes narrowing a bit as she looked at him. "I don't know what you mean."

"I mean… You are ogling a standoffish suspect with aging flesh and a tainted history."

The Protector blushed a bit, shaking her head. "Orion, I can't believe you would say that…" She smiled a bit, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Could it be that you're…jealous?"

"Jealous?" He watched Crowley slide on a pair of glasses as Shikoba passed him a form to sign, specifically regarding Amaya's presence during his deposition. "Of a nearsighted individual with no discernable factors that help him stand out in an enticingly magical manner? Not at all."

"You know," the older man began in a somewhat amused tone as he finished signing his name, handing the plume back to Shikoba, and then lowering his glasses from his nose. "My eyesight may be deteriorating, but I can still hear very well."

"Ooh, drama," Greylock whispered enthusiastically to Cedric and Sofia, who both rolled their eyes. "We just need some snacks and a blanket, and this would be a great moment of entertainment."

"Come along," Orion insisted as he stood and led Crowley to the same area where he'd taken the others. He was a bit more forceful when he pressed his hand to the other man's forehead, waiting impatiently for the magic test to conclude. He wasn't sure whether he wanted this man to be the Ninth Star or not; all he did want was to get him out of the room. When he finished, he lowered his hand and nodded once. "Thanks. Send in Davidius please."

Crowley simply nodded and walked to the corner, pulling Amaya to her feet. He gently brushed some of her hair over her shoulder and quietly whispered something to her, to which she nodded. Afterward, he took her hand and led her out of the room.

Shikoba turned to the others as Alo walked back to her, sitting next to her chair. "I believe this is a good time to remind everyone that we are professionals and should act as such. Regardless of personal feelings one might have for a suspect or for another individual, it is not at all appropriate to act out of brash thinking. Understood?"

The others quietly nodded, feeling as though they'd just been scolded. And perhaps they had, and needed it, even. Shikoba was a serious professional who had aims to solve the serious mystery of the Ninth Star. They were there to help.

"I apologize," Orion told her. "It won't happen again."

"Agreed," Vega echoed. "From either of us."

"And I'll keep these two under control," Greylock teased, yelping when Cedric shot him a pointed look. "I mean… We're all going to do much better. I promise!"

They barely had time to say anything else when the door creaked open and a rather quiet and melancholy-looking man entered.

Shikoba turned, smiling at the newcomer. "Davidius, right?"

The brunet blinked before nodding, his arms self consciously folded behind his back. "R-Right…"

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Davidius