Terror Forty-Four - Templar"Ah," I say as I slowly turn around.There`s a man behind us. He`s not very tall, and he`s not very big. He doesn`t even look all that scary. And yet he`s somehow really freaking intimidating. Maybe it`s the glare, maybe it`s the persistent feeling that I`m being watched...Yeah, it`s definitely that.The man`s a Vigilance mage; there`s no doubt about it. His magic is wrapped around him like a layer of eyes, watchful and wary.I`m beginning to think sneaking into the academy of the God of Heroes, who also happens to be the God of Vigilance, was maybe not my greatest idea."We`re here to, ah, ask if the people here are hungry," Esme says. "Food`s almost served?"One of the man`s bushy white eyebrows perk. "Really now," he says. He`s not even bothering to make it sound like a question!"W-what my friend means"—I need to salvage this—"is that we`re here, uh, looking for some books for, um, an assignment.""Yes, of course," he said. "Three acolytes." He glances down at our robes. "Of three entirely different years and ranks. All working on a single assignment. One that requires they move into the library used by the priests of H閞oe. Three female acolytes, no less, in a year where we have, if I recall correctly, only one.""Ah," I say. "We`re here to support our older brothers?""No," he says."No?""No, that story isn`t nearly entertaining enough. Try another."I feel Felix leaning closer to my side. "What`s that mean?" she whispers."It means that I want to have a more interesting tale to tell my fellow templars when we share a drink tonight. Your story isn`t far-fetched enough for me to get a free drink out of it.""So if we tell you a story that`s wild enough... you`ll let us go?" I ask."Oh no, there`s no chance of that. I do intend to see the three of you belted for this. I just hoped for a better story to tell."I can hear Esme gulp. "Templars can tell when people lie," she says."We can," the man confirms."I thought that was a lie," I say. "You know, make people think that they can tell the truth from lies so no one bothers lying to them."He sniffs. "Ridiculous.""M-maybe we should tell the truth?" Esme squeaks."Sure," I say. I have a plan!"Do go on," the templar says. He`s not wearing any armour. Just a tunic belted to his waist, the same white material as the sack-like robes we have on. It looks like it might be something worn under armour, I guess. The main point is, he`s not equipped for a fight."So, my name is Valeria. I`m a princess."He blinks.He`s believing it! "I`m here to steal some of the books that the church stole from others. Like, a whole heap of them.""Three children plan on stealing from the academy... of the God of Heroes?" he asks."Well, yes. I have a dragon.""What.""My name`s Valeria Malvada. My mom`s Luciana Malvada, the Dark Goddess. You know, the person you bunch don`t like."The templar takes a small step back, and that gives me the time to pull one of my butterbutts out from within my robes. I present it to him."See! A monster."My little friend darts ahead with a malevolent hiss and jumps towards the templar`s face.He`s a trained warrior. There`s no way such a small monster will stop him, and the way he swipes it out of the air proves as much. It does distract him for a couple of precious seconds."Felix, shove him!" I call out while I tug my hood back.Felix laughs, and a heavy gust of wind almost knocks me down as it slams ahead of Felix and rams the templar while he`s already bending back and away from my now-dead butterbutt.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it`s taken without permission from the author. Report it.I step over to Esme, the final cog in my very carefully laid last-second plan. She`s staring at me, eyes as wide as saucers and hair a bushy mess. I can see the sparks flickering around. "Yo-you`re--""I am," I say. "And I really need you to zap him. Now!"Esme turns towards the templar who is, predictably, starting to stand up. He looks a bit cross with us, and I can see the skin over his fists hardening as if it`s turning to stone.Esme saves the day.The crack-bang of her Surprise magic unleashing all at once is like a gunshot going off right next to my head, and even somewhat prepared for it I reel back.The templar fares a lot worse. All I have to deal with is some ringing in my ears. He got a jolt of electric-blue magic right to the chest. His eyes roll up and he crashes to the floor with a heavy thump I can barely hear."Well done!" I say. It`s always nice to praise a friend who has done good work.Esme doesn`t seem to appreciate it. She turns to me, then points a finger towards my face. "You... you lied to me!""Huh?"Esme drops her hand with a swipe, and I can`t help but stare at the way her lips are wobbling. "You never told me you were... that."I cross my arms. We don`t have time for this. "I never lied to you," I say."Yes, you did!""No, I didn`t," I say. "I never said I was Mom`s daughter, but that shouldn`t matter.""Of course it matters!" Esme says. "Are you even a human?""Hey!" Felix says. "Miss Val`s nice.""You knew!" Esme says. Now she`s being angry at Felix. "You knew the whole time, I bet.""That Miss Valeria`s who she is?" Felix asks. "Yeah, I knew. She didn`t have to tell you about it. It`s her business.""It`s everyone`s business!" Esme says. "She... you brought monsters into the city!""I control them. They won`t hurt anyone I don`t want them to.""That`s worse!" Esme says."No, it`s not. My little friends are nice unless I tell them not to be. They`re like... trained dogs.""Monsters aren`t like dogs.""Sure they are," I say.Esme`s face goes very red. "They are not!""Yes, they are. They`re nice and cuddly, they can be well-behaved and--""Dogs didn`t kill my parents!" Esme shouts.I don`t know what to say. Felix stays quiet too, and Esme just stands there, breathing hard, eyes staring at the floor.I want to reach out to her, but I don`t know what to say. "I`m sorry" would sound so... stupid. What would I say to the person I thought was kind of responsible for... for doing that to Mom?I think I`d be a lot more violent than Esme is being right now."I...""Shut up, Valeria," Esme says. She sniffs, and it`s an ugly gurgly noise, but I can`t blame her. She wipes her nose and eyes across the sleeve of her robes. "We need to take care of him. Someone could walk in, and we made a lot of noise.""Yeah," Felix says. "We can hide him in a closet, I think, with a gag in his mouth and his hands tied, but we`ll have to be fast. People don`t stay knocked out for long.""I used a spell for that. We should have some time," Esme says."I`m sorry," I mutter.Esme glares at me. "I thought you were my friend."I swallow. "You are... I am.""I... I don`t believe you."I don`t know what to do for a moment, then it`s my turn to glare. "Look, I didn`t choose to be born a monster, alright? But I`m happy I am one, because it means I have a great Mom and... and stuff. I didn`t lie to you but... yeah, I should have told you. And... I don`t know the monsters that did... that to your parents, but if you want, we can find them and you can do whatever you want to them, okay?""I don`t want revenge," Esme says."I... okay, that`s okay."***