Chapter 245 - The Voice of the Mist (1/2)

It had taken Kit a good three hours to steal a Knight's Badge. He wasn't proud of the time it had taken, and Olly had certainly been frustrated with him, but he'd had to wait for them to let their guard down. Kit didn't usually wonder around without Olly, so he'd had to wait until shortly before meal time when he'd asked for some food for him and Olly. That excuse had been well accepted and it had been easy for Kit to take a badge when the cook wasn't looking.

After that, Kit had taken to hiding in the shadows, from what Olly had said, he'd appear to be in the cafeteria to those watching the stone below.

The entrance, surprisingly, was unguarded. Mostly because it was some inconspicuous hut right next to where they stored all the wood for the fireplaces in the Fort. Kit had only spotted it because he thought it strange that such an area would be so active in summer. Once he was underground, hiding in the shadows became a lot easier. He only had to wait for the right moment to draw the locking charm on the stone, which was clearly Evanine, then escape through the shadow back to the pavilion as everyone panicked.

”Alright, done,” said Kit.

Olly nodded, ”It won't be long now”.

Kit approached him, following Olly's gaze as he looked up and around, the night sky revealing the stars above.

”So what do we do?” asked Kit.

”Turn your back to mine, then take four steps forward,” said Olly.

Kit frowned, but did as told, ”Okay, what now?”

Olly turned to look at him, ”Be ready”.

Kit was about to ask ready for what when he heard a scream in one of the courtyards to the left. Alarms began to sound out, and the fortress went into a panic.

”The Inktress, she's entered the Fort!”

”Ready for Battle!”

”Protect the Pavilion!”

Kit drew on the shadows. The shadows at night were long and deep, so much more powerful than those in the day time. They condensed around the Pavilion, a ring to protect them.

More screams and shouts of alarm rang out around them, then suddenly, silence prevailed.

Kit tensed, the chilling feeling of that damp dark and wrong presence so close by he could almost touch it.

”Left!”

At Olly's call Kit reacted instantly, the Shadows shot out like great spikes piercing through under the arches of the Pavilion and streaming towards the forming blob of inky blackness.

It pierced it from ten or more different directions, but only a chuckle rang out in response, the ink slipping past his spikes and forming into the threatening woman as she stepped towards him and Olly.

”You're not the only one you should watch for in the dark, little boy,” the Inktress grinned.

Kit threw out a swipe of his shadows, aiming to cut her in half it not stab threw her. But she moved quickly, and in and instant she was right behind Olly, wrapping him in her ink before she turned him to face Kit, a dagger of dripping darkness held near Olly's throat.

She grinned at Kit.