Kingdom Fall (Ethereal #1)

- Chapter 16 -

The Shadow Assassin

Archie

Sapphire did not speak to Archie for two days.

Considering how she reacted because he simply slandered her, he could not imagine that wrath Sir Cedric had to face for killing her father. Also he taught her.

The boy gained a newfound respect for the cold knight. But Archie could not help but wonder about how only he was able to retain a personality while the chamber maids didn't. He guessed that maybe his cold indifferent persona was mostly dew to the brain control, or maybe since he was a well known character, personality changes would become suspicious. Or, maybe his mind was strong enough to withstand it somehow.

Archie wondered all of these things while Sapphire gave him the silent treatment. The general didn't bother them much and the soldiers didn't pay too much attention to them. But they did turn their gazes towards them whenever they passed by.

On the night of the second day, the general invited the two adolescents to join them around the campfire. He found it rather abnormal for children to be so quiet. It rather unnerved him.

Actually he seemed quite determined to have them behave like regular children of their age. Archie could not help but sigh, sensing his intentions. He was a very persistent human being, too persistent in fact.

That is why Archie and Sapphire had no choice but to sit amidst the troup of soldiers as they told each other tales and cracked jokes around the fire. Fortunately for the children, the general didn't allow the men to drink, otherwise things would have been more dramatic than the present.

Sapphire still refused to look eye to eye with the poor boy. As a matter of fact, Archie was starting to miss her presence.

'That's I when kicked the bastard and told him to get out! He even had the guts to swing a blade at me.'

'Surely you ran out instead.'

'Me? Run away because of a puny blade? I drew out my sword and knocked it out of his fingers. He ran away like a whipped lad.'

'Yeah, yeah, the great and fearsome Harold. Even ladies scamper at the sight of him.'

Laughter erupted from the crowd. Even General Leonard could not help but laugh. The soldier named Harold's face flushed as he grumbled to himself and sat down.

Archie tried to find what was funny in the when ordeal. Even if he did find it funny, he doubted that he had the right to laugh out loud. Just as he was about to get up to retreat secretly back to the tent, his ears picked up a familiar sound.

He had been running for so long from that sound that listening to it became almost a second nature to him. He shot a glance at Sapphire who was sulking under a tree. For once, seeing his expression, she forgot the feud she had with him and she nodded in understanding.

He was here and they had to leave.

But their actions did not go unnoticed by the general. Archie could feel his eyes on him which where calculating his next action.

Suddenly, there was a whiz. Archie did not have much time to react, he pushed the soldier next to him onto the ground.

'WHAT ARE_'

But the general glared ice at him, freezing the man on the spot. The camp bacame silent.

So silent, you could hear the charcoal popping in the fire. That is when the soldier saw the dart stuck onto the ground.

One soldier dropped down onto the ground, then another. Archie knew where all the shots were aimed, but he was not fast enough to intercept them. By then, the soldiers in the camp knew that something was wrong. They drew out their swords and put up their shields which their could find, forming a circle around the fire.