The Infinite Bk. 04 Ch. 05

The man lunged, aiming for her throat. She dodged the stab and tried to kick the back of his knee, but he shifted his footing and went for a slash. She ducked down to avoid it and rolled across the floor, getting behind him and blocking off the path to Cyrilo's study. He spun around, and she kicked him in the chest, but he maintained his posture and came at her with a flurry of attacks.

She avoided and redirected each strike away from her body, the two fighters moving with lightning-fast reflexes. He was skilled, but what scared Alexis was the droplets she felt splash her cheek when she dodged a stab. There was some kind of liquid on the blade of his knife.

'A poisoned blade? This man isn't a warrior or adventurer with a grudge; he's an assassin!'

Although Alexis avoided getting cut by a narrow margin, she managed to land two punches and a kick, sending him staggering back just long enough for her to rip a candleholder off the wall. She threw the candle, and he avoided the molten wax, then closed in for another stab. However, she blocked his attack with the metal holder, used like a parrying dagger.

The man cursed and tried another barrage of strikes, but now, Alexis could defend against every attempt, and each failed attack was met with a counter, be it a painful punch or a rib-cracking kick. Ever since she was a child, Alexis had trained with obsessive dedication, and after her time at the knight academy, even a skilled assassin couldn't leave a mark in an exchange of blades.

The man wasn't blind to the situation, and though it would anger his superior and bruise his ego, he realized this was a battle he couldn't win. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a glass bottle full of nails, and pointed the bottom at her. "Gale Burst!"

Alexis instinctively shielded her face and vital areas, saving her life as a flameless explosion surged within the bottle, shattering it and sending a wall of shrapnel flying at her like a blunderbuss. The enchanted air knocked Alexis off her feet, while nails and broken glass splattered her blood on the walls, floor, and ceiling. Given this opening, the man turned and ran, rushing right past Sophia and into the parlor.

He stopped and turned to her. "You! The assistant!"

He lunged towards Sophia, but Alexis, shredded from head to toe, tackled him and knocked him to the floor. He elbowed her in the face to free himself and scrambled back to his feet, but she wasn't going to quit. She had lost a decent amount of blood and was compensating with pure fury. She stood up, dodging several more slashes with the whole Knight's Sheath watching in stunned silence. Unfortunately, she lost the candleholder and was once more unarmed.

"Alexis!" Sophia cried out, seeing her dripping blood.

Instead of replying, Alexis reached out and stole the belt from Sophia's dress. She swung it at the man, striking his arm as he lunged and throwing off his attacks. She then grabbed the belt with both hands and went for the throat. He raised his knife to his neck and cut through the belt before it could close around him. Alexis reformed her hold and went at it again, wrapping the belt around his wrist.

She got behind him, kicking the back of his knee and knocking him to the floor. Then, while wrapping her legs around his other arm, she grabbed his bound wrist with one hand and held both ends of the belt behind his head with the other, now pulling the knife towards the man's throat. It became a competition of strength, the man's one arm against Alexis's two, and it was a losing battle.

"Who sent you?! Give me a name!" she demanded as the blade inched ever closer.

"Never!" he growled, resisting with desperate strength. He tried wrenching his other arm free and flailing his legs, but Alexis wasn't giving in.

"Tell me who it was or I'll kill you here and now!"

Then, to Alexis's shock, rather than resisting her, he plunged the dagger into his neck, driving it ever deeper until he succeeded in severing his spinal column. A simple throat-slitting could have been healed, but with this, his secrets died with him. The whole Knight's Sheath was left in shock as the assassin's blood pooled on the floor.

Following the failed assassination attempt, the local knight, Lady Frigga, arrived with a group of soldiers and found there was nothing left to do but ask questions and take the body. While Cyrilo spoke to the knight, Sophia was busy tending to Alexis.

"How do you feel?" Sophia asked, removing shrapnel and closing one wound after another.

"I'll live," Alexis mumbled, not making eye contact.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she replied, still despondent.

Cyrilo walked over, having regressed to an attractive woman in her thirties. "Are you two ok?"

"We're fine, don't worry," said Alexis.

"You've done truly spectacular work tonight, Alexis. Making you my bodyguard has been the best decision I ever made. I owe you a debt of gratitude."

"Thanks," Alexis said softly.

Frigga then approached. "He wasn't carrying anything aside from the poisoned knife and what we suspect to be the antidote. We'll check to see if he has any identifying marks, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. You must have seriously angered someone." She then turned to Alexis and smiled. "But from what I heard, you were incredible. People have been talking about a girl here that beats up any customers who step out of line. You even have a couple nicknames floating around. Have you given any thought to joining the knighthood?"

Alexis sighed. "I've toyed with the idea."

"I'll come back to deliver any good news. All of you, stay safe." She then turned to Cyrilo and nodded. "Madam." She did the same to Alexis. "Mistress."

Things were quiet for a while. Cyrilo's publishing was still on hold as details with the king were hammered out, but Alexis received new levels of respect for her vanquishing of the assassin, from the girls, the customers, and even the neighbors. But several days after the attack, the last man she wanted to see entered the Knight's Sheath.

"Father," she stammered, dropping the glass she was holding. She had his sharp eyes, but not his hair, and as he approached, Alexis noticed the gauntness of stress. "What are you doing here?"

"Your uncle and I received letters that our daughters were working in a brothel, but even after everything you've done, I had to see it to believe it. You've always been rebellious, but now you've brought shame to yourself, me, and our entire family. Are you happy?"

"I haven't committed any sin or crime, I swear, and neither has Sophia."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying! I help run the counter, and Sophia is the owner's magic assistant and the resident healer. We only agreed to work here because it got us out of the dungeon, and were assured we'd never have to do anything improper."

"And yet you're here because you befriended the most-wanted man in the country. Sophia's parents were shaken enough by the dueling scandal, but this...."

"Our knighthood status was revoked because of him, and we will be listed as traitors if we leave the city. Madam Cyrilo offered us shelter and work until Noah is caught and our innocence is proven."

"Lord Boris," Sophia said, approaching the counter with trembling steps. Alexis's father only gave her a look of disgust.

"Sophia, so this is what you've become. You were a member of the church, a healer, a beacon of hope for the branch family, but then we heard about your affair, and your engagement was dissolved."

"Galvin was the one who wagered her! The fault lies with him!"

"What's going on here?"

All eyes turned to Cyrilo, entering the fray.

"It's none of your concern," Boris growled.

"I am the proprietress of this establishment, and you're airing your dirty laundry in my parlor. If the three of you need to have a family conversation, you may use my study or another room to speak privately, but I would prefer you not cause a scene in front of my customers."

"No need, I'll be brief. Your father didn't have the heart to come here himself, Sophia, but he asked me, if I saw you here and the rumors were true, to tell you you're no longer his daughter. You both have brought shame on our family and are henceforth banished. Don't ever show your faces in my territory again." He turned around and walked away, leaving Alexis and Sophia stunned.

Fury shook Alexis out of her stupor and she jumped over the counter and chased her father into the street. "Fine! Go celebrate your wish being granted! You're finally rid of me!"

Boris turned to her. "You think this is easy for me? You think I want this? You think your mother and the rest of the family want this?"

"After years of trying to sell me off to one noble after another, I think you finally have an excuse to cut your losses."

"I did that for you! You are a Veres! As a duke, as a father, how could I let you waste your life wallowing in mud and gore? I wanted you to live a proper life, to be taken care of."

"And trying to marry me off to Galvin, you thought I'd be taken care of?!"

"He's a prince!"

"He's a monster!"

They glared at each other, with onlookers in the street drawn to their shouting.

"Your mother and I tried to raise you as a noblewoman, but you fought us every step of the way."

"You raised me to be a trophy, a shiny prize for my future husband to put on his mantle while I pushed out babies. I was raised to be sold off like a slave."

Boris paused. "If that's what you think, then I am a failure as a father."

"You're right; you are a failure. I realized that a long time ago. But Sophia and I aren't." Alexis stormed back into the Knight's Sheath and slammed the door behind her.

After being disowned, Alexis and Sophia did their best to fight against the curse of despair. Deep down, they knew it would happen eventually; they knew it long before they came to the Knight's Sheath. They predicted and prepared for banishment, but the fact that it wasn't from their illicit relationship left them both a mix of relieved and bitter. It made the pain sharper, though neither knew why. On the plus side, everyone at the Knight's Sheath was supportive and understanding. All the girls, from the laundry and cleaning staff to the courtesans, had been orphaned somehow.

Alexis dealt with the pain as one might expect. She continued punishing troublemakers, now using them as punching bags to vent her anger on. When things were quiet, she'd scan the bar like a predator looking for movement in the grass, impatiently searching for someone to give her an excuse. Lucius frequently had to reel her in so she wouldn't attack customers who talked too loudly.

However, after banning the repeat offenders and beating the assassin, most customers were very well behaved, much more so than when she first arrived. Whenever she'd walk by a table, every man sitting would lower his head like a submissive dog. All she needed was a riding crop, and they'd roll on their backs and show her their bellies.

Juxtaposed with Alexis's violent therapy, Sophia focused on the illuminated manuscript with Cyrilo. Though her training at the church had included copying holy texts, she and the other healers never trained to create something so artistic. Still, she'd seen and read enough of them to be familiar with their styles and helped Cyrilo plan out every page, from the placement of art and diagrams to the word count.

First, she had to compile the notes she and Cyrilo had taken and was astounded by the amount of knowledge of sensuality Noah left behind, dwarfing his on-stage lecture. Foreplay, sex moves, bedroom tricks, fetishes, preferences, healthy means of exploration, and even some relationship advice poured into her brain like a tea kettle and left her steaming with arousal, guilt, and excitement. She didn't know what 'Kama Sutra' meant, but each sketched position made her heart skip a beat.

While serving as a perfect distraction, it left her curiosity and lust frantically clawing at the walls of her skull, trying to get out. It was hard to focus when her inner thighs were slick with arousal. There were so many things she wanted to try with Noah, but each sinful desire threatened her relationship with Alexis. To shake herself free of these desires, she pictured Noah reciting the information to Cyrilo, speaking with a completely deadpan expression. It always made her laugh and helped clear her mind.

The Knight's Sheath was thriving, but the atmosphere around Alexis and Sophia remained heavy, so Cyrilo invited them on an outing to give them some fresh air. The three women set out into the sunny streets early in the morning, though technically, it was two women and a cat. Mornings were difficult for Cyrilo due to her aging curse, so she planned to remain in her feline form whenever possible.

"Ah, isn't it a lovely morning? Just feel that sun."

She was sitting on Sophia's lap as the three rode through the streets on the back of a wagon. Colbrand was full of horse-drawn carts and carriages to taxi people around the city, and several others had managed to take a seat on the benches lining the cart.

"It feels like it's going to be a hot day," said Sophia with her feet hanging over the street, same with all the other passengers.

"Let's try to get this done quickly and be back at the Knight's Sheath by lunch," said Cyrilo. "I sense a nap in a sunbeam in my future."

"What's the plan for today?" asked Alexis.

"Some of my favorite merchants are selling essential ingredients, so I need to get them while I can."

"Oh, are the livermot seeds in?" Sophia asked.

"That's right."

"Livermot seeds?"

"I'm sure Sophia has told you about the potion-brewing we do. It takes a lot of work to keep my girls disease-free, and the ingredients aren't always cheap and available. Customers won't want to screw if they suffer from 'fire stream.'"

Alexis turned to Sophia. "Should I ask?"

"It was mentioned in the booklet!"

"Oh right, I think I avoided that page. Speaking of which...." Alexis looked back into the wagon, where riders put their luggage and possessions. Among the bags were several stacks of Sophia's booklets. "So, what are we doing with these?"

"Spreading the good word," said Cyrilo.

They reached the market and disembarked from the wagon. While Sophia carried Cyrilo, Alexis pulled a small cart filled with booklets like a rolling suitcase. On this beautiful day, the market was a bustling hive of activity, with goods from various territories and other countries flooding the streets. Food, clothing, weapons, monster pieces, spices, jewelry, magic crafting materials, and so on; everything one could need was available for a price, and coins changed hands too fast to be tracked.

"Hey, eyes on the prize," said Cyrilo as Sophia began to amble towards a clothing stall selling garments from across the sea.

"Oh, sorry," Sophia replied while unknowingly wandering toward a food stall.

"Sophia!"

"Sorry!" Every time Cyrilo tried to steer Sophia back onto the path, something would draw her attention, be it shiny, soft, or fragrant.

"Look, if you really want to shop so badly, you can come here on your own time, but if Sahom is out of hulen dust because your love of knick-knacks slowed us down, expect to find hairballs on your pillow for the rest of the month! Alexis, talk to her, would you?"

No reply.

"Alexis?" Sophia asked, turning around. She spotted Alexis down the street, seemingly staring into space.

"The two of you, I swear to the gods," Cyrilo grumbled as she hopped down from Sophia's embrace and scurried over to Alexis. "Whatever it is you want to buy, you can buy it later."

Alexis didn't respond, so Cyrilo took her human form and followed Alexis's eyes. She was watching a slave auction taking place. Men, women, and children, most of them from Handent, were being sold before a large crowd. Standing atop a stage, it was clear that hope had left them, but they still trembled in fear, as if the chains on their limbs and necks had sucked the warmth from their bodies like ice.

"Growing up, everyone who worked for my family always seemed so friendly," said Alexis. "I thought it was because they respected my father, that he had given them jobs and was helping them. My parents would tell me that they happily came to work for our family, but still, I was to avoid them, not to talk to them, unlike the butlers and maids in the house.

Of course, I didn't listen, and I'd sneak out to the fields, looking for friendship. They were so kind to me; I thought they were loyal, beloved servants. It wasn't until later that I realized they were terrified of me, afraid of punishment for being rude to the duke's daughter.

I was just a naïve child when a fresh batch of slaves was brought to our home to work the fields, tend to livestock, and perform every other chore. When they arrived, they looked so miserable and sick, I thought we were helping them, sheltering them from evil people, but I was so wrong. We were the evil people. My family tried to keep me isolated from them, but I had become adept at creeping around."

Alexis paused as a young boy on stage began to cry. He could barely stand, looking so small wearing those shackles. Unfortunately, his bawling interrupted the auction, so he was pulled off the stage by slave traders and savagely beaten until he learned to be silent. As Alexis watched, blood began to trickle from her clenched fists.

"It was just like that. Like all slaves, they had to be broken down to replace any thoughts of resistance or hope with fear. In a barn I was never supposed to enter, I saw the new arrivals get beaten, whipped, branded, and tortured by men I had grown up seeing, who I thought were my father's friends, but who later realized were the overseers. Among the slaves was a woman and her daughter, and the sick things those men did to them...." She once more paused, with a lone tear falling down her cheek.

"I tried to tell my father what I saw, thinking he would put a stop to it, thinking he would do the right thing. But, instead, all it earned me was a smack across the face for sticking my nose where it didn't belong. On that day, I learned how horrible the world is and realized I had to fight.

That evening, I snuck out of the house with a ring of keys and tried to free everyone I could to undo my father's evil. What I once thought were the homes of my friends, I realized were slave quarters, and with every locked door I opened and every shackle I released, I wondered how many people had been trapped against their will while I frolicked in my family's mansion.

Try as I might to go unnoticed, the overseers soon found out what was happening. I remember seeing slaves running into the fields, trying to get away, and being chased down by men on horseback. I found the girl from earlier and managed to get her out. We were running in darkness, unsure of where we were even going, hearing dogs and seeing torches behind us. A bola brought me to the ground, and I told her to go on without me. The overseers caught me and set the dogs loose on her. I still remember the sounds of them mauling her to death. I never even knew her name.

I was brought back home, and to this day, I have never seen my father so angry. "A small fortune!" he kept screaming. Between the slaves who escaped and those who were incidentally killed, I had cost him a small fortune. That's all he cared about, and I never looked at him the same way again. Since then, I've trained to become strong enough to free the enslaved and the oppressed.

I wanted the power to shape my destiny and give others the power to do the same. I joined the knighthood to change the system and lead others in the right direction. Now here I am, all these years later, and what do I have to show for it? I should be stopping this, but I'm still just standing by, watching slaves get beaten."