A Crooked Shadow

"You… set me up." Sun exhaled the words without actually processing their meaning.

I braced myself for the storm I knew was coming, but my beloved Knight-Captain hadn't undergone years of personality warping for nothing. He maintained his air of perfection by kissing my cousin gently on the forehead and thanked her kindly. It didn't sound like he was thanking her. It sounded to Gianne that he was giving a lecture about the God of Light. Gianne practically shoved us both out the door and promised to handle things on her end as long as Sun didn't say another word.

I wanted to tell her that I would check up on her later, but I couldn't make that promise. I followed Sun mutely without being ordered. He didn't head straight back to the temple. Instead Sun walked a few blocks down to a shady looking inn. Sun, still in disguise, pushed opened the doors, ordered five bottles of wine and a room. Sun threw the innkeeper an extra sack of coins.

"You might hear some shouting," he told the innkeeper. "Don't let anyone interfere."

The innkeeper looked at us with alarmed and accepted the coins gingerly. He handed over a key belonging to the inn's most secluded room. The room was small and only had one bed. That was fine because Sun hadn't come there to sleep. Sun placed the bottles on the end table and sat down on the bed.

I closed the door behind us and then stood at attention. I knew I deserved whatever I had coming. I just wasn't sure exactly what I had coming. I knew Theo Sun very well. I knew what kind of person he was and I knew what kind of Sun Knight he was. Boot size, place of birth, birthday, astrology sign, first love, current taste in women, hobbies, phobia, favorite minstrel quartet, and favorite dessert. I knew it all, but I did not know what he was going to do next.

If I were in Sun's position and one of my subordinates had led me in a little dance- it would quickly have become a case of "what subordinate?"

Judging by the bottles, though, I assumed somewhere along the line he was going to drink. In fact he got the drinking process started almost immediately by opening up one of the bottles.

"Take off your hood and your mask," he ordered and took a swig. "I want to see your expression. You're real expression."

I complied. My hair had been cut back to a shorter length so even without my mask there wasn't anything about me that seemed like a girl. When people looked at me they would see a holy knight. My armor was darker than other platoons and slimmer. The plates had been specifically designed to not clink together when I moved. Sun wouldn't be able to tell so easily that I was shaking.

"You set me up." Sun said again as if he still didn't believe it.

"Yes." I didn't show any expression. I wasn't shy about what I had done. I had intentionally let a creature beat me within an inch of my life and I had let Sun and the other holy knights watch. He had every right to be furious. I wasn't afraid of Sun, but I was afraid of what he would do.

"Are you suicidal?" he asked.

"No."

"Is there some badge of honor that you think you deserve or some attentions that you're not getting that you think justifies sneaking around behind my back? Were you just testing me?!"

"No."

"Then why?! I thought I knew you Glo," Sun was frustrated, but he was doing well holding it together. He finished off one bottle and then moved to the next one. The first bottle flew past my head and shattered when it hit the wall. "Selfish bitch."

I said nothing. My expression remained calm which only infuriated him even more.

I didn't feel guilty. After the incident I stopped meddling in his private affairs and didn't spy (to an excessive degree) on the women he chose to date. There was no longer any need for me to do so. He would only stick with a girl for one or two dates. They were usually of noble birth, very wealthy and they knew how to keep the church's secrets. I also never again engaged in a battle when I didn't have a sure chance at victory.

For me, now that Sun knew the truth, the incident had been put to its final rest.

But why? I thought about it. It should have been his platoon who had fought the creature. If he had chosen his duty over a girl… Except that he had chosen his duty. In the end Sun arrived (if a bit late), saved the day and saved his comrades. It had been unfair to test him like that, but since then I have never once doubted Sun's commitment to his holy knights.

But before that time I needed something more than just commitment.

"Because," I replied slowly. "They need you to be perfect."

"What the hell?" Sun spat. "Is that all? Because the common man needs their Sun Knight?"

"What do you mean, 'is that all'?" I countered. "Do you care about your position at all? Or is it just a habit that was beaten into you?"

"What do you think?"

"Of course." I said blandly. I already knew the answer to that. 'It didn't matter'. As long as the people believed then it didn't matter what the Sun Knight was really like. That's why my job existed. It was a stupid question so I asked a better one.

"Then what if it was because I needed you to be perfect?"

Sun cursed, but it didn't appear to be directed at me. Instead he rubbed his temples and opened the next bottle. He let the finished bottle fall to the floor and at that exact moment there was an earth shattering CRASH as the window caved in. Shards of flying glass rained on the floor and a dark shape knelt down in front of me like a panther ready to strike.

People say that in moments like this the world slows down and you remember every detail as the adrenaline kicks. I imagined that Sun's eyes had gotten very wide, but I didn't take the time to look. In the same span it would have taken Sun's expression to change from surly to surprise and the intruder to lurch forward, I had already drawn my blade. Since the shadow was already in motion all I had to do was move my sword forward into the right place whereabouts the neck would be. That way the intruder ended up slitting his own throat. Using the same motion I moved to shield my commander. I let the assassin's dagger graze my armor. In my trade it wasn't uncommon for blade to be coated with poison, but it would have to reach my skin first.

"Hell!"

I couldn't tell if I was being worried after or scolded. I let the intruder fall and put my boot on the back of the figure's head. Only then I return to my senses.

"Allies would have come through the door," I spoke in the low and manly tone that I used when giving orders to my platoon. If Sun was still intent on finishing our conversation, it would have to wait until our new "friend" had been dealt with.

"You didn't have to kill-"

"He won't be alone," I interrupted Sun and moved to the now wrecked window. "We need to get back to temple."

Sun turned the corpse over. I wished he hadn't done that. I'd never be able to forget the man's face after that. It was common courtesy in my profession to wear a mask. Our attacker was probably an amateur. His partner was not. In the alley way down below I caught a glimpse of movement that only my trained eyes could have seen. I wanted to give chase, but I resisted. Following would likely lead me into a trap. My first duty was to escort Knight-Captain Sun back to safety. After that I could organize my platoon to do a search.

Sun's fury would also have to wait.

When I returned to my office a tall figure in black (always, black it seems. Tall figures in my profession seem to have a penchant for it) was waiting for me. Even my boldest enemies wouldn't just march through my door. I knew from the ease of his stance and the way he felt ownership in the space he occupied that this man was a well known ally.

"Teacher," I whispered with inquiry and awe. The man was my predecessor, Falcon Hell, the 81st Hell Knight.

"There's disturbing news in the underground," my teacher's voice was deeper than I remembered and had a bit of a rasp to it now.

"What's so important that you had to tell me personally?" I asked unnervingly. "You left to investigate…" I trailed off. My teacher's "hobby" didn't need to be spoken of, but he nodded all the same.

"That matter is as we have feared, but that must wait for another day." My teacher removed a piece of paper from his jacket and passed it on to me. "I thought this might interest you."

The contents were a piece of inelegance from his network. My chain of spies was something of a marvel, but it was nothing compared to my teacher's. Part of my training had been to build up my own spy network of people I could (within reason) trust. Spies weren't something that could be inherited.

Without even looking I knew exactly what the paper contained.

"War," I said bluntly. I carefully memorized the names the merchants had hired. A few were rather famous. "This wouldn't have happened if there were still dragon's to be slain."

"Stop wishing for the good old days," my teacher scolded. "Your capacity for the dark arts will never return."

"I don't care about that!" I snapped. "I'm just fine with my glimmer of holy light."

My cousin was right. I should have been the greatest necromancer our family had ever seen. The dark arts ran through both my parents' blood. But much like the dragons they once hunted, conjurers and mages were quickly becoming fewer and fewer in number. The masters were dying and there were no talented novices to take their place. Both my teacher and I had confirmed this with our own eyes when we had traveled the globe together. The magic of the world was disappearing.

"And those bastards are going to make a fortune on it." I gritted my teeth. Losing magic was one thing, but to replace it with weapons that any idiot could use without ancient lore to keep them in check. "Of all times for Sun to be angry with me."

"What?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm on suspension without pay."

"Oh, well." My teacher cocked his head. "That's never stopped you before has it?"

"Our falling out has become rather… serious." I admitted.

"Theo will get over it," my teacher didn't appear impressed. "You'll have more pressing matters to deal with. The merchants have tapped into underworld connections."

"I know."

"They've hired the best assassins they could find."

"I know."

"The merchants are very rich and very desperate. They'll be hard to out bid."

"I'm sure."

"Does Carlisle still cook?"

"Yes, he's gotten very good now."I acknowledged and thought about the fish he had made for me.

My teacher rubbed his hands together, "Excellent."

"Do we have a bid then?" I raised an eyebrow.

"What's and old man like me going to use gold for anyhow?" my teacher flashed a grin. "Lead on!"