The Spectre

Chapter Eleven

"Jez!" the General said loudly as Jez passed the open door to the General's office, and Jez paused, walking back and pausing in the doorway. "Come in and shut the door," his father commanded, and Jez did as he was told before stepping towards the General's desk. "Yes, father?" Jez asked, and for a moment, Jez thought he could see something like pride in his father's eyes. "I have a mission for you," he said, and Jez nodded, feeling his heart sink into his stomach. "We have located the last Spectre," the General said, "He is hiding out in a medieval-style town. They have knights and horses at the ready for any attack, which is why you will be teaming up with the Black Knight and his Black Riders to capture him." Now Jez was surprised because he had thought he would not end up working with anyone from his crew again.

"Go to the gym; fetch your sword from your locker, and then report to the Black Knight at the front of the school. You will not need armour, all you need is to show up, capture the Spectre and then escape." Jez nodded, and his father waved his hand, commanding Jez to leave the room. Jez felt like he was walking through cement as he headed to the gym, approached his locker, unlocked it and took out his sword and sheath, carefully tying the sheath around his waist before securing the sword to it. Several students stared as Jez walked through the hallways toward the front of the school, but he did not care. He found the Black Knight instantly, propped onto a black horse in the carpark, another empty black horse next to him. "Ah, good to see you," he said, but Jez did not say the same.

He headed towards the horse, gripping the reins and then climbed onto the saddle. The Black Knight watched him, his expression unreadable as his visor was down, and then he began riding off, Jez hot on his tail. "Have any experience with horse riding?" the Black Knight asked absent-mindedly, and Jez shook his head, which seemed to surprise the Black Knight, but the Knight said nothing. They trotted down the concrete road, not a car in sight, and then the Black Knight suddenly veered off, now galloping into the Black Forest, Jez kicking his horse's side and giving chase. Jez arrived side-by-side with the Black Knight, who suddenly drew his sword. "Had experience fighting with a sword?" he yelled, and Jez nodded, "A bit!" The Black Knight sighed loudly, threw his sword to his left hand, and jabbed it at Jez. Jez ducked, withdrawing his own sword and parrying another jab.

The Black Knight was incredible, his sword flipping and twisting through the air with tremendous speed and accuracy. Jez blocked and parried, his sword flashing through the air as the Black Knight quickly struck upwards, sending Jez's sword flying into the air as they sped along a dirt path, and the Black Knight caught it. "You need to improve your game if you are to kill this Spectre," the Black Knight said, sheathing his sword, handing Jez's back to him, and then gripping both his reins tightly. Jez sheathed his sword, sweat already dripping from his face, and he too gripped the reins. "Are we headed straight there?" he asked, and the Black Knight laughed, "No, you are. My Black Riders are going to wait, and then we will attack." Jez thought of protesting this tactic, but he thought better of it.

"How far is it until we arrive?" he asked, and the Black Knight laughed, "A day of riding, but by the time you arrive, you will have to be ready to face down their knights." Jez felt uneasy, but he nodded and proceeded with riding. Their horses continued their gallop until the two came to a river, where they allowed their horses to drink for five minutes before moving on. "I don't suppose that I can have that?" Jez asked, pointing at the Black Knight's hips, where a shiny dagger was hanging. The Black Knight quickly unbuckled it and handed the blade to Jez, who thanked the Black Knight, stopped his horse, turned, and flung it high into the air. "The hell do you think you're doing?" The Black Knight hissed, also stopped, but then there was a loud thud, and he saw someone dropped from the trees, a dagger in their chest.

"A scout! This close to our Zodiac Empire!" The Black Knight exclaimed as Jez hopped off his horse, approached the man and took the dagger from his chest. "He looks like another knight," Jez said, looking at the bright blue uniform, and the Black Knight growled. "He is a knight! That's one of the ones who are protecting the Spectre!" Jez sighed, looked around, and saw something glinting from a nearby tree. "Will your horse run away from battle?" Jez asked, and the Black Knight laughed loudly, "No she won't. Why?" Jez looked around more, sighed, and approached the Black Knight's horse. "Go to your men; tell them I am close behind. I shall arrive in a day or two," Jez murmured, and then he slapped the horse's side. The horse neighed loudly and shot off, the Black Knight shouting out in surprise, and Jez's horse followed. "That was a stupid move, boy," snarled a voice, and six people leapt down from the trees.