
Aside from personal effects, the cells in maximum custody had proven the diligence of its overseeing officers. Other than nuisance contraband, trash, little else could be found. Much less anything of value to our cause. After Vestil and I had cleared yet another cell and come up empty handed, we’d gotten the gist of the situation and had decided to leave the rest to its officers.
With my praises for their efforts acting as my parting, we’d taken our leave to the medium custody yards. After a brief meeting with the acting lieutenant, we’d joined the hordes of officers that swarmed the fourth living unit for shake downs.
Going cell by cell, it was once more so proven that the lot of the prison knights held their position with pride. Yet even with the most tightly knit security, there are still times when something can slip through.
“Celestial Knight, Freelancer Trauvil. Please visit by cell B-110.” My radio crackled to life.
“10-4. En route.” I give my response.
Arranging for a duo of free knights to continue mine and Vestil’s current shake down, we make our way. Quick to the provided location, before entering into the cell I make a passing note of the two residing prisoners’ faces and names. The nervous expressions they wear puts it simply that they know what’s on the horizon. When I lock eyes with one of them, it’s not just they who leer at me, but I stare back with a feeling of displeasure welling up inside of me.
Upon entry of the cell and visit with the knight who had called for me, we’re shown a clear bag filled with dark black powder. I can discern the most subtle hint of bloody crimson in its complexion as I take it into my hands and give it my own inspection.
“Retro.” He states, matter of fact. “Looks like some had gotten through after all.”
“Good work.” I congratulate him and his partner. “This is a step forward and exactly what the kingdom is looking for.”
“I’m grateful I could be of service. It’s amazing that even here they can manage to get their hands on things like this.”
“While there’s a will, there’s a way.” Vestil speaks the old adage coolly. “The knights here do their best, but sometimes it’s tough to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to cretins.”
Calling a knight on standby to my location with a quick click of my radio, they enter into the cell with us. I then radio the acting lieutenant to discuss a quick strategy to which he gives his approval.
“Take this and keep it safe in the storage room within an organized evidence box. Watch the doors and make sure that you’re the only one entering and exiting that room. If you’re given more contraband materials, you will alone will be the one to organize and place it.”
The knight affirms his understanding to me and does as he’s told as he takes the bag from my hands and gets a move on.
“You two are free to begin searching the next cell. Captain Vestil and I will give this one a thorough search.”
“Understood.”
Trauvil and his associate bow respectfully towards us before moving out. Thus I don’t waste another second of time. I swap out my vinyl gloves for a new set and commence.
“I’m taking the fact that they’d had Retro as a sign that there’s something more to this one.” I convey to Vestil.
“I’d thought the exact same thing. Great minds, they say. You take up the desk space and I’ll start with the bunks.”
Going over my share of the work, I shine a light through the personal hygiene containers to seek out any hidden objects within. When all of the products come up clean, I check over the rest of the contents until that too is finished. Last that I have left, I begin to rifle through a set of papers on the desk and skim their handwritten contents.
“Anything interesting?” Vestil asks in curiosity as she sees me hard into reading.
“It may have gotten through the mail room’s security, but there’s definitely something here.”
“What’s tipping you off?”
“Listen to this.” I preface my reading one of the selections that had caught my attention. “The meek spirit chased by the dog finds its sanctuary in a burrow. In its solitude it finds profound wisdom.”
“What is that? Some kind of a proverb?” She turns from the last of her own part and sits herself on the bed.
“All of these letters talk about creatures and most of them are filled with a similar style of phrasing. Though they read like they’re sharing short story ideas, between the sections of personal conversation, I know there’s something more to them.”
Flipping the paper towards her, I show a marking present on the text. “Take, for instance, this little notch that has been drawn, even in the text of the letter.”
“That is a strange little thing, isn’t it?”
“There are others like it throughout the pages. A total of 6 different markings through these sequences of letters. So…” I begin to organize and shift the selection about until I line up the approximate locations on each of the pages, “…perhaps if I were to form them as such…”
I lift the selected pages up to the light and let it shine through. Revealed for Vestil is exactly what I’d imagined I would be seeing. Through the onion shelling of the letters is the marking symbolizing the worship of Eclipse.
Two circles, one dashed, with rays like light shining forth from it.
“Now that’s some out of the box thinking.” There’s awe in her voice as she continues staring at our finding.
“All the pages that were left without any markings gave off a different conversational tone than these. I think I’ll be confiscating these to see if the scholars can determine anything about them.”
“Good thinking.”
The rest of our seeking about the cell proves unprofitable. But as I prepare to rise up from the desk once more, I look at the small, personal mirror adhered to the wall and suddenly realize that the mirror on the opposing wall matches its gaze.
“…Reflecting itself.”
“Hm?” Vestil’s brow arches as she passively hears my mumbling.
“Now isn’t that interesting?” I think aloud before I call to the knights standing guard outside of the cell. “If you two would please bring the top bunk resident to stand at the doorway to speak with me.”
“Understood, sir.”
The man I’d requested meets his summons and stands between the guards who now face him.
“You have mirrors on both of these walls. I’ve come to notice that most prisoners, at most, only adhere one at a time. Whatever mirror left over is placed aside.”
“My celly and I like to have our own mirrors to use.”
“Away from the sink and in such a cramped space? Which one of you would be facing away from the desk if this was the case?”
“…I would. I prefer to turn around from what I’m doing if I’m going to look at a mirror. Don’t like seeing my face when I’m doing things.”
“What a strange habit.” I say with a little humor.
“It took us a little bit of time to get them both to stick where they are. I’d prefer it if you didn’t mess with them too much.”
“At least one of you is going to be removed from population after this. I’m sure this cell will be able to do with one less mirror.”
“But what if the next celly wants that mirror?”
“It’s personal property that will be taken with the belongings of whichever of you two chooses to take responsibility for the Retro we’d found. Now if you would please tell me who it belonged to, the investigation will proceed.”
He grits his teeth, unable to find another reason to argue all the while knowing that I wouldn’t have the patience for anymore delay.
“It’s mine.”
“Then you’ll be charged for possession and will be removed to the designated solitary confinement unit. Dismissed.” I motion to the two guards, “And you two; don’t cuff him just yet.”
The guards motion the prisoner back away from the cell door and at once I begin to pry one the mirror opposing the desk from its surface. The adhesive material gives its resistance as its popping clicks while I slowly peel it away from the wall.
When it comes loose, I flip it over and give its back a look. At the top right corner is a pattern of small dots. Though seemingly mundane, I know far better than to let something so peculiar go when it comes to a particular cult.
“Please hold this for a moment.” I pass the mirror to Vestil and she puts her eyes exactly where I’d had mine.
I make short work prying the second off while respecting the fragility of its plastic. When it too comes loose, I flip it over and see another specking of dots. 3 different positions and patterns.
2 nearby with 5 beneath it and to the top right, an hourglass like formation made up of the markings.
“As I’d expected. These mirrors have a hidden message. But what they could mean is the question.”
“These two really are connected to Astrologia? Well, there are plenty of security threat groups in this place. The Downtown Businessmen found their way to the bottom of the pecking order pretty quick after we’d cleaned them up.” She sighs, happy that we’ve made progress after all. “I’m sure this is nothing that smoking hot Plutia can’t find something about.”
“We’re not done yet; there’s one thing we have left to do.”
I motion for Vestil to follow behind me and hand her the second mirror and the pages I’d taken for safekeeping. Outside of the cell, I approach the prisoner who would be taking the wrap for all of this. Just seeing his face strikes my memories.
“It would seem that at least one of you has a connection to Astrologia. Mind filling me in on this?”
“…Just because you’re the Celestial Knight doesn’t mean that you can just blame us however you like.” He becomes defensive.
“I’d thought that Astrologia had some strange fixation on the Celestial Knight. A bit uncouth to be so cross with him, I’d think.”
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you.”
“I wouldn’t imagine you had. I haven’t forgotten you either, Miras. Or rather, should I call your real name: Caetis?”
“Wait a minute, you’re Caetis? That Caetis?” Vestil accidentally yelps in surprise beside me.
Long ago when I’d arrested him for his crimes, he was the linchpin to the madness that would follow. Although his face had become rougher through his time behind bars, but I couldn’t mistake it.
The leader of the loansharking gang that was no longer: the Downtown Businessmen’s own assistant manager.
“If I had to guess, you’d made a deal with Astrologia after everything that happened. Seeing how you’re out here in general population. Prison life could have likely been hell for you otherwise. They’d even found a way to bring you Retro.”
Swinging my vision to his partner in crime, I speak my deduction.
“And I’d wager a guess that this man was ascribed to you to keep you in check and be your own spiritual guide. That’s just how much pull that cult had before it had been erased like your own business. Am I wrong?”
“You took everything from me and now you’re going to take this as well?” The frustration on his face grows more defined with every word that leaves his lips. “You think you can just come down here and make my life worse than it already is?”
“I didn’t take the easy way out in life and I certainly didn’t join a cult. That was all choices you’d made. You’re just reaping the seed that you’ve sown.”
“And what of my sister? Going to go to her cell looking for any reason to torture her even more?”
“I didn’t come here looking for either of you. I have no reason to visit her facility either. After what she’d done, there’s little hope she’ll ever see the sun again as it is.”
There’s a pause, a silence as he begins to rub his fingers together to the sound of his joints popping. A vein on his forehead already looking as if it’ll burst swells even more before his feet kick him into a dash towards me with a raised fist.
“Rot in hell!”
He makes it before me and swings with all he has to give. His body lurches into the strike, all of his momentum flares forward to knock me out cold. But it’s with a simple step that I let it brush past me and into my arms. From there, I guide the rest of his expended energy and assist him to the floor.
A grip on his wrist, a knee on his back, my left hand pressuring his shoulder. He screams from the pain of his face contacting the cement and then the shock of the manipulation of his arm.
“G-Get… Get off of me and fight like a man, you yellow bastard!”
“Stop resisting and you won’t have to deal with this. Simple as that.” I spit out, finally past my own point of patience, wrenching his wrist to bring out another shot of pain.
“Like hell! You’re… You’re lying, aren’t you! You’re just h-here to jack with me!”
“You… sicken me. It’s true.” I confess, uncaring that our audience hears it. “But your believed self importance is an illusion. You’re nothing in this world and given how you’re unrepentant, you’re fixing to be nothing but a stain on society.”
Despite the position he’s in, he continues futilely attempting to worm his way out of my grasp.
“You’ve had all this time to think through what you’ve done, but like any criminal, you blame everyone but yourself. So arrogant and full of yourself that you would believe anything and everything is about you to fulfill your fragile ego. It’s disgusting.”
“What the hell are you-?”
“Here you are, refusing to learn accountability for your own misery and the misery you’ve caused others. Just rotting away, wasting everyone’s time, money and patience still being the pathetic creature you are.”
Another twist and another quick word telling him to give up his resistance, but he continues to writhe beneath me with a will to fight.
“You see, the difference between a knight, a well adjusted civilian, even, and a criminal like you is the fact that we know better than to make excuses to take shortcuts. We work for what we have, we’re willing to suffer to see good come to pass. We don’t blame the rich men and their riches for our lives. We don’t force others to pass off their own earnings and hate themselves for some pretentious preaching of it being for the ‘good of all’. And we certainly know how to do more than complain and fight.”
“Don’t… patronize-”
I jerk his arm a little bit more to shut him, up, unwilling to hear his backtalk.
“You could have the world but I know even then it wouldn’t ever be enough for you. You’d had your own world, your own life and that wasn’t enough for you. You had your sister and yet you’d both just let yourselves be miserable and spread your misery. It’s both funny and sad. You’d attempted to destroy a family even though you’d experienced what it’s like to have your family destroyed.”
I lean down to his ear and speak a quiet word for him only.
“I haven’t forgotten about what you’d attempted to do to that boy and his mother.” I intentionally twist his arm further, letting my wrath out into him. “If you’d have charged any of these knights, I’d might have exercised my rights as the Celestial Knight to their fullest extent. But maybe you were looking for a way that someone could put you out of your misery rather than stand up and do something about it, you coward.”
✩ ✩ ✩
After having finally broken down his will and forced him into submission, I’d been quick to slap a pair of cuffs onto Caetis. But that wasn’t enough for me. I’d put in orders to have his cellmate removed from population along with him. In no way did I have it in mind to play games with Astrologians.
In time to come, they’d be well interrogated for their connections and for Neptanie’s sake. For now, I’d be off and back to my own time to make due with what I’d found and begin our own investigations.
Vestil and I had ordered the secure transfer of all materials and reports filed to the kingdom’s scholars and assistants. From there the two of us had taken off in her car after our word of thanks and parting to all of the knights for a job well done.
“What a day, huh?” Vestil says with a snicker as the sunset breeze tickles at her hair.
“To put it lightly.” I respond. “I’m going to have plenty to do when I get back. All of the Classical Killer’s letters were finally delivered to their recipient, after all. I suspect that months of writing ought to be quite a task to comb through, but I’ll see how I can manage.”
“If you need a hand, you know you’ve got plenty.”
“You’ve helped out so much already. I couldn’t ask for more.”
“You can always ask away to your heart’s content.” She snickers with a toothy grin. “Anything for my sweet Khiron.”
“Still not used to it.” I fire back. “All these years of that Prince Charming act and I finally have it thrown this way rather than watching from the side. Months pass by and yet it’s just as uncanny.”
“Oh, come on! All of the others can call you all these little names but you treat me like this?! It’s my signature! My brand!”
“Well, I suppose I mostly like to treat the women I love like princesses. So what do you say? Willing to try it?”
“…Okay, maybe I understand where you’re coming from.”
Bantering back and forth, we carry on the rest of our drive laughing together. While she has one hand on the wheel, the other is knitted together with mine.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
IMPORTANT NOTE!
It can be hard keeping up with writing, editing, everything while balancing life. My apologies that there was a mix up with chapters.
This chapter is being reuploaded with due maintenance to the overall story's chapter numbering system.
https://www.scribblehub.com/read/345205-destined-knight/chapter/1114021/
The chapters were meant to be released in the following order:
My Hated Ill > Rotting Away > A Hard Interface > For Salvation > Mise en Abyme
If you'd missed a chapter, I hope that this will help with the context moving forward.
Thank you for your patience.