The Knights of Time and the Forgotten Book

Chapter 16: Claire

The explosion was big enough to hurl the notebooks, Jeremy and I to one side of the wine cellar. Some of the barrels were knocked over. One of them was damaged and had some red wine flowing out. I picked Leonardo’s manuscripts, and inspected them to make sure they were unharmed. One was slightly singed, but apart from that, most were in pristine condition.

The room was foggy with smoke, and the bright light had faded. I looked at Jeremy who coughed and was rubbing off dust from his arms, which also had a few cuts and bruises. He looked worried but nodded at me.

 Then, a single, sharp sound sliced the silence contained within the room; the slow, rhythmic, clip-clopping of heels against the cellar floor.

A woman walked towards us, like a ghost coming out of the mist. She was beautiful, but had poison in her glare. I didn’t need to read her mind to see that she had vicious thoughts.

She wore high-heeled boots over skin-tight black leather trousers. She wore a black shirt with a collar and no sleeves. It wasn’t an outfit you’d expect to spot in the middle of the Italian Renaissance era.

She had the classic Spek features too; pale-grey skin, blood red eyes and the ferocious look on her face. Her coal black, straight hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail.

I felt my skin prickle as I recognised her. The only time I’d seen her was in a vision, and I was standing in a dark room there. I felt her voice echo inside my head.

My mistress demands that you tell her where her jewel is.

You’re the girl who can see. You have the sight.

It was undoubtedly her. I sucked in some air and walked back in fear as she approached us. I held on to Jeremy’s arm like it was my own lifeline.

My moment was coming.

She looked at us with amusement and casually took out some red lipstick and applied it to her lips at her own leisure, as we stood there trying to gather what was going on.

Amador quickly followed her out of the shadows, staring at her with admiration, acting like he was her own lapdog. Two other men joined the party. At first I thought they were Alpha and Omega, but quickly realised they weren’t twins, and one had dark skin, and the other was way too skinny to be one of them. The three of them all held the same type dark metallic sword, like the one which killed my mother, and the one we were attacked with.

“Well done,” the woman snapped at Amador, as she pouted her lips, her voice low and deep. “You have truly proved yourself, Marcus.” She looked at the two of us like we were a science experiment. “Your coordinates were accurate, and we didn’t even pull much attention. We didn’t need some of those pesky, unintelligent farmers trying to figure out how to kill us.”

She laughed, her deep voice echoing. Amador smiled from behind her, looking proud of himself, paler than I ever remembered him being.

“You!” Jeremy yelled. I instinctively kept him back, putting my hand against his chest. Jeremy angrily pointed towards him. “Brandon was right, and I knew something was wrong. You betrayed us. How dare you!”

Amador stood there silently, letting a larger smile creep upon his face.

My breathing became faster, and I felt myself hyperventilating.

“Why would you ever involve yourself with them? What did you think could come out of dealing with these- these things?!”

“What would you know?” said Amador, his tone sharp and hostile. “I’ve been exiled to this dreaded age by my own family. You’d think people from the year 2601 would be more forgiving and understanding. But they weren’t... these people are. And I can now become one of them.”