Page 11 of The Knight
“I need help. It seems that someone is trying to injure the person I am protecting. Have you heard anything about any of Prince Tarick’s men from Haleston living here?”
“I wouldn't know, knight; however, I can find the boss for you.”
“The boss?”
“We found it easier when people come by to use the terms from this realm as much as possible. The boss is a knight, also.” I nodded and followed him as he showed me to a large business building. I waited for a few moments in a lobby of sorts before someone came into the room. His melody wasn't pure. I took note of the black, corrupt parts of it before he shielded them from me. I will have to keep my guard up with him, I thought.
“A Dallard?” he asked, as I stood. I nodded, and he and I bowed in the pattern of proper respect of our people, and formyfamily. I couldn't read him, couldn't sense his melody, so I did not know from where he hailed.
“It’s great to meet you—I’m in search of information.”
“Yes, this is what Will said.” He cleared his throat and walked with me into a room, no doubt some kind of office for an important person at one point. He motioned for me to sit, and I did, in a leather back chair in front of a massive wooden desk. He quickly moved around the desk to sit behind it. The room had papers and folders spread across the floor, as if they were laid out in haste.
“Yes, sorry for the mess,” he cleared his throat. “I am Rian. We are glad to help you. What do you seek?”
“I’m looking for someone. Have you noticed any soulless in the general area—or have you heard of any?” It was my gut feeling that the man from the sketch was soulless. The sketch, in my opinion, though in black and white, showed proof of it; he had soulless, black eyes. I imagined that the idea of the culprit being a soulless would bring me some peace—but why, I thought, was asoulless doing such things? And why was hestillalive? Everyone knew that you could not live long without a soul.
“There is one man who comes through here to recruit people to work for his mining company. He has been through here three times now, and each time, he can't tell us what happened to his old recruits—he says it’s confidential.” He held his hands in front of him on his desk, and I noticed the injuries to his knuckles, small bruises, and scabs. “He always promises us that all who go with him will have their identities protected. Some of our people really want that—after being banished here to this realm.” He took a drink from a glass cup on his desk. It was then when I noticed that the walls of the room were stocked high and low with books—books not only on every single shelf, but also covering large spaces on the floor. Rian looked up at me, his brown eyes heavy with worry, it seemed. His scruffy beard barely covered his jaw and chin, his thick brown hair fell over his forehead, and he moved it aside.
“I spoke with him directly the last time he was here. I always thought he was human, but he said something to me that made me think that he might be soulless, but it astounds me how he could be one when he has survived for so long?”
“Who is he?”
“I don't have a name. I only know that he isn't welcome here anymore.” I watched as he cracked his knuckles. I looked again at his bruised hands.
I dug through my bag and looked for the sketch. Other than that one cop, Emma was the only other person to have seen him. I found the picture and held it up.
“This him?” I asked, staring into his eyes and listening to his melody, trying to pick up on any lies that he might try to shield.
“That's him alright,” he nodded and looked down at his glass cup.
I nodded back, and I silently congratulated myself and put the paper back into my bag, getting ready to ask my next question. “Do you happen to have a seeker's crystal?”
The conversation wasn’t fruitless, but they didn’t have a crystal. I said my goodbyes and thank-yous and drove back to the hotel room. I wished I had been able to get more information, but what I got was solid intel.
As soon as I walked into my hotel room, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I shut the hotel door and sat on the bed; then I answered the call. Mary got right to her point as soon as I said, “hello.”
“Prince Shad is here. As far as I have seen, he has stayed away from Emma, but his melody is strong, Ryker.” I heard Mary’s concerned voice, and it pulled me away from my deep thoughts about the Terran colony I had just visited.
I cursed. “Mary, how long has he been there?”
“He moved in, literally across the street, three weeks ago.”
“And you are justnowtelling me this?” I growled as I shoved my clothing and otheruselessitems into my carry-on bag. I needed to leave, and I needed to leave right away.
“It is hard to get in touch with you in order to tell you anything, Ryker. Calm down. His melody, Ryker—it’s so powerful; it reminds me of Emma’s.”
I felt sick, “What do I care about his melody?”
“He just—he doesn’t seem like the horrible prince that you've made him out to be, and how could he be that bad when his melody is so strong? I don’t think he shields any part of it. There’s no corruption at all in his melody.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course, his melody would be perfect. “He’s horrible. Do you know how many people rave and talk abouthim on Terra? He’s like the most well-known heir, and it was only because of his soul,” I answered, thinking to myself that he was horrible because he wanted Emma for himself, because he wanted to create some fairytale life with her. He was horrible. Shad irritated me by simply breathing.
“Well, that’s what happens on Terra. I don’t know why that would surprise me. That is why people could come for Emma’s soul if it is left unshielded. You need to unshield your soul, Ryker. Emma is very drawn to him, and I see why. It’s not just his melody being strong. She is much happier since he has been around, and her melody—the corruption, it’s—it’s gone.” She paused for a moment. “When was the last time you unshielded your soul entirely? Let it really be free?”
“Mary, I cannot. You know why. Please, just stop. I am not able to break my vows. I will unshield it when the time is right, just as Lamont required of me.” I threw a shirt at my bag and walked away from the foot of the bed to lean against the wall. “I have to keep her safe, Mary, safe from any and all threats. I can’t have a target on us both. I have to focus only on her. If I let my melody out, I would be signaling who-knows-who to come for us. There are many Terrans who hate my family. Not all Terrans who are here were banished here for illegitimate reasons.” The phone felt heavy in my hands as I spoke. I gripped it so hard that my hand shook slightly.
“I know, Ryker."
