Court of Nightfall (The Nightfall Chronicles #1)(26)

When he noticed Jax, he dropped his gun a fraction. "Sir Lux. We'll escort you back to Castle Vianney." He turned to the men behind him. "Grab the girl."

Jax positioned himself in front of me, every muscle in his body flexed as if ready for a fight. "She's with me."

The leader approached him. "I'm sorry, Sir, but all non-military citizens in the area are to be held for questioning at the command of the Head Inquisitor."

His jaw clenched. "I've been with her this whole time," he said. "We have nothing to report."

"Sorry, Sir, but she's non-military, and she's wearing Officer equipment. We can't let her go." They moved closer to us as one unit, and I felt real fear at what they would do if they took me. The fact that Jax lied to keep me from them spoke volumes about his own fear.

"I order you to stand down," said Jax.

"Inquisitor Ragathon is in command of this mission, Sir. We follow his orders."

"Stay away from her," Jax said, nearly growling his words.

The leader raised his gun slightly, his finger on the trigger. "Sir, move out of the way."

Jax grabbed two handles off his belt and held them. They each extended into swords. "No."

"Target him," the commander screamed. They raised their guns, all pointing at him.

"Threatening a Knight of the Fourth…" he said, his voice still primal, "is against the law. I hereby strip all of you of your rank. You are no soldiers."

The Officers hesitated, two of them looking toward their leader as if worried about what this meant. I stood in shock. A Knight of the Fourth? I had no idea he ranked that high. There were only three ranks above him in the world, and only a small handful of people who could call themselves those ranks. Jax ranked amongst the highest of any Order in the world.

"Open fire," the leader commanded.

I was about to lunge at them, to use my powers on them all if I had to. I couldn't let them kill the only real family I had left. The only friend I had in the world. I still loved Jax. Even if I didn't trust him, he was still a part of me and always would be.

But before I could move, before I could even access my power, Jax launched himself off the ground, flying forward and then to the side, as if being pulled my some other force. Bullets followed him, and missed. He hit a wall and pushed off before the soldiers could re-aim. I watched, mouth agape as he spun through the air, a vision of flashing sliver, his swords a tornado of carnage as he cut down all the Officers in his way. The soldiers still stood stuck in their spots as he landed on the other side of the room, their eyes blank, empty, as one by one they fell to the ground as if in slow motion.

I looked up at Jax, who stood drenched in their blood, swords in the air, his face one of a warrior in battle. "I have eliminated you in the name of the Teutonic Order," he said, his voice calm, hard, deep. "I pray your souls find peace."

The leader of the group raised his head, still alive, but only just. "You fool," he whispered, blood trickling out of his mouth and staining his pale lips. "The Inquisitor will see this…"

Jax walked over to him calmly. And sliced his throat. "I care not what a deserter thinks."

I stood, stunned, staring at this boy I'd known my whole life. Not only was he one of the highest ranking members of any Order. He was also a Zenith.





Chapter 12


Nephilim War


We didn't use the underwater subway to return to Castle V. Jax acquired an Order vehicle somehow and we crossed over the bridge from Manhattan to the island. We were stopped by two armed Teutonic guards to show ID, but as soon as they recognized Jax they let us through. They didn't even raise an eyebrow at the amount of blood staining us both.

We drove in silence for a while, until I asked the question that had been on my mind since seeing him fight. "How are you a Zenith? I remember you getting tested in sixth grade, a few years before me. You passed. No para-powers."

"I didn't pass, Scarlett. And I'd seen the way Zenith were—and still are—treated. I knew it was either live a life of discrimination or do something about it. So, I asked my dad to let me join the Order. He got me in."

He stole a glance at me, but I kept my face neutral as I listened.

"I trained over the summers—"

"Those times you said you were at camp—"

He nodded. "And they gave me clearance not to wear Zenith identification. Eventually, I found out why. They wanted me to become your protector, which I have been for a few years now."

"But, the day… that day, you told me you were leaving for flight academy." All the lies. All the secrets. I couldn't keep them straight in my head. Every memory seemed tainted with falsehoods. I didn't know how much of what I remembered in my life was real and how much of it was a carefully crafted illusion meant to keep me in the dark.

"I'd been offered a full time position at the castle, as a trainer. There'd been no danger to you or your parents for years, so it seemed like the right decision."

"How did you become a Knight of the Fourth? How could you possibly get so high with just summer training?"

"As a Zenith," he said. "Five years ago, at the end of the Nephilim War, I was recruited to fight. During a mission, I killed one of them, a young girl… though I'm sure she only looked young. The Orders gave me a medal, a promotion. They placed me on a pedestal for young recruits to admire. I didn't deserve it, but that was then."