Knight Casefiles Book 1: Revelations

Revelations [Chapter 8]

Chapter 8

In any battle – be it a duel, tennis match, or even chess – you should never hesitate. An instant of apprehension could be the deciding moment of that battle and trust me: you do not want to be caught with your pants down. The same held true for my line of duty if not more so. I was only human, frail and fallible, and almost every creature that I’ve come across during my apprenticeship was faster and stronger than I was. It was only their hubris that kept me alive.

Ironic, I know.

It took only a single glance around the room for me to realize what was up and who was going down for it. I locked on the girl who stood over Sigrun. She wore an all-black dress, a cloak draped over her shoulder. Her hair hung short at the back, with long bangs at the front covering her left eye. She seemed young, no older than Margaret. However, I decided that if she was able to incapacitate the Valkyrie, close-armed combat was not the way to go; no matter how physically unimposing she looked. I adjusted my grip on the penknife, aimed, and flung it at her.

The knife got within a foot of the woman before it stopped in midair and dropped harmlessly to the ground. The woman gave me a disinterested look before beginning to walk around the bed where Sigrun lay. An amethyst-tinged aura gathered around her in a haze. Power rolled off of her in waves and I suddenly had no problem believing that she’d managed to down Sigrun. Oh, crap.

My eyes darted around the room, searching for a weapon I could use to defend myself. Lamely, I reached for the vase on the corner table and held it between myself and her.

The woman paused, staring at me for a moment, before throwing her head back in laughter. “You are young,” she announced, teary-eyed when she had stopped. “I believe we have not met.” The aura surrounding her faded. She bent down; picked up the knife I’d thrown, and handed it to me. “Peace, Sir Knight. I’m here on business.”

Sigrun shifted from where she lay and with her eyes still closed, I saw her lips curl up in amusement. “A vase?”

I eyed the two of them warily, my breathing receding back to normal as my face warmed. “Did I miss something?”

“Put down the…vase. And then we’ll talk.” I could hear the laughter in Sigrun’s voice.

The woman glanced once at Sigrun, and then at me, before pulling up a hood over her head. “I’m afraid I must take my leave now.” She bowed once at me. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Sir Knight. Sister.” She nodded at Sigrun before walking to the window and opening it. Cold air flowed into the room, enough to make me shiver. The woman didn’t seem to mind at all.  

My eyes widened as the woman’s form seemed to melt. Under the cloak which was also slowly shrinking, I couldn’t see the change, but she was definitely shrinking. A few moments a later, a raven stood in her place, perched on the windowsill. It gazed at me with glinting, black eyes before flying off. I stood with my mouth agape.

I only vaguely noticed Margaret’s presence as she sidled up next to me. “Was that who I think it was?”

I swallowed something large. “Huginn.”

“Muninn, actually,” Sigrun corrected. “Don’t worry; even I get them mixed up sometimes though it’s nice to see you still know your mythology.”

I shook my head, trying to recover from the realization that I’d just thrown a penknife at one of Sigrun’s peers and hadn’t known it. I could’ve died. “Why were you on the bed?”

Sigrun shrugged. “I was drained; she was giving me a little pick me up. The ritual with the forest spirit last night drained me further than I thought.”