The Raphael Cup (Book One Of The Mehan Trilogy)

XV

"Nooo!" yelled Clementine.

 She quickly picked up the sword beside her and struck at the guard. The guard stopped her with her shield and struck at her right hand. A long, deep slice appeared on her right hand. Clementine screamed, falling onto the floor with Jason. Two guards from behind stepped forward and cuffed both of them.

Joseph explored the crowd for Zhavia. He spotted her behind the circle, still clutching his spare sword. On seeing Joseph, Zhavia ran forward and seized him, the same way she gripped him the first time.

"Joseph, are you alright?"

Joseph replied, "Are YOU alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Now, tell me, did you get hurt. Don't hide."

"Well, ok. I got a tiny injury."

Joseph rolled up his sleeves and exposed his left elbow. At the joint, there was a big cut. Though blood had stopped clotting, Zhavia went into hysterics. To avoid getting much attention, Joseph took Zhavia inside their room.

"Zhavia, cool down. It's a minor injury. It will heal."

"No, it won't. I hate you. What if it was a big wound! You could have died."

"Zhavia, as long as you are with me, I am not gonna die." Joseph held her cheeks and pulled her closer into a kiss. Joseph picked up a tired Zhavia and placed her on her bed. He rolled up the sheets.

"Now, where are you going, Joseph?" spoke Zhavia, softly.

"I'll be back in a minute. You sleep until I get back."

"Come back soon," spoke Zhavia.

"I will," whispered Joseph. He kissed her forehead and went out to deal with the dead Cretonian.

The crowd had increased. The 'Cretonian Flare,' a group which deals with the death of people related to the second world, had arrived. They were checking the Cretonians body for clues. As they rummaged his pockets, they found a pendant in one of his hidden pockets. On the pendant, an 'S' mark embedded. Elliana arrived at the door of the Jace House after a few minutes. Joseph waited there for her. Drizzling had started.

"Joseph, what happened?" asked Elliana.

She wore her fighting gear which was a blue and black uniform.

Joseph answered, "A Cretonian of ours died. The Bloodreapers attacked for the second time."

Elliana face turned livid.

 "Who was it and are there any clues."

Joseph shoved his hands in his pocket. The sky was clouding slowly. 

"Fynn Lynch. Member of our house. He had a pendant in his pocket."

"A pendant?" she asked.

"Yeah, an 'S' was embedded on it," answered Joseph.

'An 's' on a pendant?' Elliana thought.

"Oh HOLY FUCK!" Elliana yelled.

"He's not a Cretonian but a SANDERTH! Shit, we need to go upstairs, NOW! FUCKING NOW!"

The Bloodreapers took them both back to their sinister boss, Michael. This time, even Liam was present. As they both reached Michaels's throne room, Liam stepped forward and landed a punch on Jason. Clementine resisted but was clutched tightly by the guards.

"You little bitch, they trained you well, huh," spoke Michael furiously, who sat on his throne. 

His wounds were recovering. Liam held Jason by his neck and raised him above ground.

"This is for touching my master," he said, throwing Jason on the ground.

"Aaaaaahhh!!!" Jason yelled out loud.

"What is your problem? Leave us. Please," spoke Clementine running towards Jason. 

The guards didn't stop her. She held him and placed his head on her lap. Michael watched them amusingly.

"Not after what you did, you lil bitch."

Jason raised his head, weakly.

"Call her that again, and I'm gonna tear your chest apart," spoke Jason slowly getting up. 

He couldn't, though. He knew it well. Every breath felt like someone hammering him on the chest. His back was bleeding. Michael stood up.

"Oh, so the little still dares to speak. Liam!"

Liam stepped forward and pulled Clementine away from the guards. He kicked Jason on his back, making Jason yell in pain.

"Stop it! Please. Please," pleaded Clementine. Tears started forming on the edges of her eyes, but they didn't fall.

Elliana and Joseph ran back inside.

Joseph asked, "So, does the presence of a Sanderth means a bad thing, and how come do 'you' know about it while the Cretonian Flare doesn't?" as they ran inside the Jace House.

"See for yourself," spoke Elliana, not wanting to talk till they reached the floor.

"Ok," spoke Joseph pressing the button of the elevator. 

As they reached the floor, they saw that all the Cretonians, who had created a swarm around the 'dead' Cretonian, were lying on the floor, unconscious. The look on Joseph's face turned into a horrid one.

"Jesus, what the hell happened here?" he asked.

Elliana answered, "They all are unconscious, not dead. The Sanderth did it."

The Sanderth was gone, leaving behind nothing but a residue of sand. Joseph motioned to his room to find Zhavia. She was lying on her bed, unconscious.

"Zhavia, wake up. It's me, Joseph."

Elliana stepped inside.

"Don't worry, Joseph. She's just unconscious. She will be awake within two hours. We've got a bigger problem to deal with."

"What?" asked Joseph.

"The Sanderth entered Sintale. It means that the Sanderth are supporting the Bloodreapers. Now, the thing is that whether why did they made this trap?"

An arrow hit a window, and it broke into shatters. Five Bloodreapers stepped, followed by more."FUCK! Joseph, ATTACK. NOW!"

Joseph and Elliana struck at the Bloodreapers. With unison, they both beheaded two of the Bloodreapers in front of them. Joseph then revealed his throwing knives. Each stabbed into a Bloodreapers' heart. Elliana quickly took out her shield and threw it at the window. The shield bashed the Bloodreaper who was trying to get in. She then quickly neared the window and pushed the ladder, placed on it. Three of the Bloodreapers who were trying to climb fell. As Elliana gazed down, she saw hundreds of Bloodreapers entering the Jace House.