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 12: Gabriel
Gabriel Sebastian was a 25-year-old young man with short spiky black hair and icy blue eyes. He stood around 6'5" and had a mild tan due to his time in the sun (similar to Mac). He was a bit muscular with scars all over his body; however, the most recognizable scar was an "x" across his face, etched into his skin in a ruddy fashion. He wore a black tank top with matching pants, armor over his arms and legs, a belt around his waist with several weapons and especially a sword, and two belts crossing over his chest in the shape of an "x."
The others remembered that Greylock knew the next suspect, but it was still odd to them. No one they'd come across had been connected with anyone else. Was it some sort of coincidence, or did it mean something deeper?
"Remind us how you know him, Greylock?" Shikoba requested almost instantly, not only curious but also concerned. Any familiarity with a suspect could skew one's perception, whether intended or not.
"I knew his father," Greylock admitted. "Marcellus and I were mates before Slickwell took the position of steward for King Magnus."
"Yes," Gabriel added, folding his arms. "I was born into a long line of stewards, including my father, and I was raised from birth to learn stewardship. I was made to spend my evenings and weekends following Father around, doing as he did. Father indicated that I would take his position after his retirement, which I learned to be accepting of and even excited about. I was rather good at stewardship, after all."
"Did something happen?" Sofia wondered, frowning. "Just…with the way you're talking, it almost sounds like that is all part of the past, or that it didn't happen the way you hoped."
"And by the way, you can sit down," Vega assured him, gesturing toward the seat before them.
Gabriel blinked before shrugging with a slight eyeroll (mostly to himself) before laughing softly. "Right, right…" He moved into the chair, pressing his hands to his knees. "Well, I say 'was' because of the rest of the history…" He gestured toward Greylock, who looked away. "Greylock probably remembers… There was a duchess in a smaller nearby castle, and my father wanted me to get some experience stewarding for her. He told me I would never be able to handle King Magnus if I couldn't handle Duchess Irena."
"Ugh, just that name makes me want to claw my own eardrums and rip out my own eyes," the brunet sorcerer grumbled. "I couldn't stand her. No one could."
"Greylock, I think you need to either step out for this particular suspect, or stop talking altogether," Shikoba warned him gently. "While we can appreciate your former connection, this is neither the time nor the place for such walks down memory lane."
"S-Sorry, sorry…" Greylock considered the situation before sighing, standing. "I think she's right, Gabriel. It's not exactly fair for me to be in here, because regardless of the outcome, I would actually have a biased opinion of you since I know you and your family." He looked toward Shikoba, who smiled softly. "Excuse me. And just send for me when you're finished." He moved quickly to the door, opening it and shutting it behind him as he left.
Orion caught the younger man's attention and nodded. "You may continue."
"Right, so…" He rubbed one of his arms before sighing, straightening up in his chair. "The duchess had a daughter named Naima. I adored her. She was the sun in the darkness to me, always making my days better each time I came to work."
"Sounds familiar," Cedric teased gently, nudging Sofia, who giggled.
"But her mother found out that I had feelings for her daughter, and she all but attacked me." He frowned, curling his fingers into fists. "I was just a young teenager, though, and I didn't want to disappoint my father, so… I never told anyone about that attack… Or the abuse I suffered from the duchess for the next five years…"
"Five years," Shikoba murmured, trying not to let any emotion show. She felt Alo nudge her leg, and she reached down to pet his head, her fingers lingering in his fur—almost as a grounding method.
"One night, after the duchess beat me so hard, something strange happened…" He lifted his hands, a soft glow emanating from them. "I felt this rush of magical defensive ability fill me, and without even having to do much, my magic killed the duchess."
"Killed…" Sofia was astonished. Of all the ones they'd interviewed so far, this guy was the first one who had any real connection to death or murder in any fashion. Could he be the Ninth Star? But that didn't make any sense… It was self-defense. Morally ambiguous situations always frustrated her…
"I know it sounds terrible, and I feel horrible that Naima lost her mother, but… She was a terrible woman, the duchess. I loathe to think what she might have done to her own daughter…" He shook his head. "Anyway… To spare my family any disgrace, I disappeared. I ran away to live in the forest and be away from people. And that's where I've stayed ever since."
"So, your defense magic," Vega mentioned. "Can it protect others as well as you?"
"I'm sure it can. I just haven't been in the position to find out."
"Any other questions?" Shikoba asked as she looked toward the others, seeing the others either shaking their heads or remaining still. "All right, Orion. You are next."
Orion conducted his usual routine of guiding Gabriel to the other side of the room, performing his magic test. After he received his results, he looked toward Gabriel. "Thank you, Gabriel. Could you do me a favor when you leave, and ask Greylock to return and Captain Nereus to join us?"
"Of course. Thanks." Gabriel kept his eyes on the floor, avoiding the others' looks, as he left, closing the door behind him.
"He is seething beneath that calm exterior," Orion told the others. "Whatever that duchess did to him was bad, and I hate to say it, but perhaps she deserved her fate."
Vega folded her arms. "We don't know the full story, though, Orion. We can't make rash claims like that."
"You didn't feel what I did, Vega… That young man went through pain we cannot even imagine…" He sighed, walking back to his chair and sitting down. "I'm glad this is our last one. I'm getting drained…"
Despite her slight chiding, Vega reached over and patted her friend's back, her hand lingering enough to rub his shoulder. "You're doing a great job, Orion. Just hang in there…"
He scarcely had time to smile appreciatively at her before Greylock re-entered and returned to his seat, and then another man entered.
"Captain Nereus?" Shikoba asked.
"Ay," he answered, his voice light with a small tremble, stumbling a bit as he caught the chair and sat down. "Pardon. Sea legs were so much easier than land legs…" He chuckled as the others relaxed a bit with his small joke.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Captain Nereus
