Ebony

Who Are You

Later that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, I sat precariously on the edge of my bed and watched the box like it was a living creature. Gripping the small silver key tightly in my palm, I raised the black box with one shaking hand.

The carvings seemed almost sinister in the shadows of my rooms,so I quickly turned my attention to the key hole that knew would open for the little key in my fist. With a deep breath I fit the key in the lock, then turned it ever so slowly. With a click the box sprung open, startling me into dropping  it and it's contents on the floor. My heart beat wildly as I knelt on the floor and gingerly grabbed the crimson blanket that turned out to be silk. Unfolding it across the wooden floor boards, I gasped in shock. There,wrapped in the middle of the blanket, was a silver dagger. It gleamed even in the dim light, and it looked deadly against the blood read cloth.

Now I was truly terrified.

Not of the dagger itself, but what it symbolised. What kind of people could my birth parents have been if the only thing they left me was an extremely sharp knife. As I carefully picked the dagger up I noticed the blade was inscribed. Looking closer I could tell it was in a foreign language, apparently latin.

"pro omnibus effundatur sanguis in ferrum latoris praesentium, ante finem," I muttered to myself.

A sudden wind blew my windows open, and the forest green curtains fluttered wildly. The lights went out and I backed up against the foot board of my bed in a panic. The moon was my onlt source of light, but even it was being blocked out by the hulking figure that now occupied a good bit of my room.

The hood of the huge black cloak it wore made the face indistinguishable. Because of the lack of light, I knew the darkness was playing tricks on my mind, but I could have sworn I heard the rustle of  feathers behind the figure.

"W-who are you?" I managed to croak out.

The stranger remained silent, and a sense of dread filled my stomach.  'He's going to kill me,' I said to myself. Suddenly, the visitor shifted,and the moon light poured into the room. The hood was pulled back just enough for me to make out the shape of chin and mouth,the tip of his nose barely protruding. The eyes were still hidden, but I had a feeling they would be just as beautiful.

"Do not be afraid," he said suddenly, his voice filling the room. It was not nearly as deep as I had expected it would be, but instead it was soft with a underlying tone of authority. I had a feeling that where ever he was from, this guy was highly respected.

I frowned and gained a little courage. "Who are you?" I repeated, and this time the man frowned.

"Listen child, I haven't much time to speak. Listen closely,tis a matter of life and death."

Ok, now he had my attention.

" You are in grave danger, Kacey, there are bad people after you. Be weary of your surroundings, trust no one. You must wield that blade at all times,"he gestured to the dagger in my hand," and try not to hurt yourself."  Turning as if to leave, I jumped up and fired off.

"Hold up, you never answered my question! Who are you, where did you come from, how do you know my name, and what th hell do you mean 'bad people are coming for me'?"   I reached out as if to stop him.

Before I could even get close, the stranger grabbed my hand and in that moment a blinding flash of heat surged from my hand,up my arm and throughout my body. In too much pain to scream, the last thing I remember was falling to my knees and my head hitting the floor.