Cup of Blood

Chapter 9: Dawn (Jhaviel)

"You there! Genesis! My lad!" Zacchaeus says as the three of us: Lehiko, Zacchaeus, and I walk downstairs to meet the new recruit, Genesis; who, in all fairness, went to sleep out of boredom, or so it seems. The night is already at most silent at this hour, and the candles start to dwindle of their flame. The chill creeps to all, and the melancholic gust of the winter's soft gale proved too much a man could deter. Of course, it is acceptable to sleep on the Long Table if necessary, and so Genesis did. I saw the lad awoken from his deep slumber, as he looked at all three of us with a droopy look, and yawned as he stretched his muscles and flexed himself to prepare for our arrival. He sits upright on the long table, and fondles with his gear, as the three of us start to position ourselves on the long table. Zacchaeus nearest to the lad; I a seat away from him; and Lehiko seated right beside me. We are all positioned to be in direct eye contact with the lad. 

"Alright, lad. What holds you in this place?" Zacchaeus proceeds to the questioning. I honestly do not know why he'd have to ask the lad, knowing that the three of us noblemen here already know this lad's true intentions. Maybe to refresh the mind of Genesis? Ah. It did leave Lehiko and I in utter shock, as obvious by our gesture of looking at Zacchaeus as he inquired that. 

"Well, sir. In all honesty, I come here to serve England and to uphold her name in any manner likewise. Furthermore, I aim to contribute to England's greatest mission as of this bloody decade: to eradicate the assassins' order long there in France, and if ever I be proven true and mighty, I will be of the greatest honor if I'd get my hands on one of those un-Christian scoundrels. So, sir, I say this with all honesty. I also have my own personal reasons: one is because I want to earn for myself," Genesis says. He didn't seem nervous as he stated his purpose in this endeavor, and I saw Zacchaeus impressed by the lad's confidence and honesty in his words. Although Genesis might be all true, I saw no emotion in him. A warrior's state. A pure one, as Neodymius would have called it. I may have done something so least earnest as to annoy this lad, but what ever that may be, I would not have had enough attention to give it. Lehiko kept on asking questions, until Zacchaeus asked one particular question that should not have been mentioned nor bothered being answered.

"Where did you come from? It says here you were orphaned. May you speak of what the truth really is? I reckon you know the laws of this land, so I do purposely think you know how to muster and manipulate it to gain benefits."

Genesis was in shock, as I'd known it in his face. A long pause was heard in the Cabinet. The lad looked blankly at the walls, as his mouth slowly opened, so as to seem to recall memories of the past. All three of us had our gazes on his mouth, attempting to read beforehand what he might say. And then, the lad opened his mouth, and spoke:

"As far as my late father had told me, I was born out of love. I was born of a very large and wealthy family which originated from the heathen land of the assassins...," he spoke. Our faces seemed to dwell on his words. It seemed to us -- particularly me -- that what he speaks at the initial of his story sounded so familiar. We were silent, and so the boy paused for a few moments before speaking again. "...I lived in Swor's Village. Yes, I wasn't an orphan, but I changed my name purposely so as to get the benefits of the kingdom as I enlisted in the Royal Guard," he continued. "I have made my sins, and I do hope I am due for forgiveness. To continue the story, I have grown to a fresh twenty years in living, and as you may have put it: strong, fit, and a soldier within. Ah. My parents also told me that I was born out of a heightened massacre at Chartres Cathedral in France...," he said. By those words, the three of us realized something very crucial about Genesis. "...and it was my Christening, as told by my father, as a rebel group of France terrorized us and killed our family...," he paused.

"And what family may you belong to, in truth? Young lad?" I speak. Genesis looks up to me with a straight face, as the other two would look at him with faint, but noticeable suspicion. Then, Genesis opened his mouth, and spoke.

"I am Light Talon. Son of Mace and Andrea Talon of France. Born in Swor's Village more than twenty years back. February fourteen is my birth date," his words struck us. We ended up giving glances to one another. The lad may have not noticed this, but we all had the same thoughts in mind. 

"So what happened to your parents?" Zacchaeus asked intently.

"By the birth of Winter the past year in England, through the outer walls of Mainland, at a deserted land where bandits are to always come by, they were there, and there they met with their terrible fate. Their fresh blood mixed with the cold chill of air. They died in cold blood along with a boy helper who had the same features as I. They were hunted by assassins out of unreasonable motives, as told by the public and as rumored through the villages. I took heed of this call, and through anger, left a pact on myself to kill every last assassin there is. To kill them of each family. of each blood line. That's why I joined the Royal Guard, and that is to assassinate the assassins. They who wrought this woe upon this land of the Lord God."

He finished his story as he sat down on his chair, with all three of us in awe. It was something unexpected. It was something none of us even dared to talk about at this hour. We have harbored one of their blood. Trained him in our arts, and housed him in the Cabinet. We felt vulnerable as our eye contacts prove so. Then, we gestured the lad a "thank you" and ordered him to exit the Cabinet, for we have some other things to discuss. After the lad had left the Cabinet, we, the three, went together. It was all the truth.

"Light is Genesis. Light is an assassin. What child we killed wasn't he. It was a helper. What do we do?" Lehiko initiated.

"I didn't expect this. Nearly a year of training and he was an assassin all this time," I.

"What do we do? We couldn't let the other Orders learn about this," Zacchaeus.

I spoke up, and talked to them in secrecy, and with a whim of a hand and a gaze of the mouth, I speak.

"We do what we should as part of the Royal Order."