Knight by RA. Gil Page B

didn't answer.
    Sure she might've not had the luxury of taking karate lessons from a pro, but her father taught her a thing or two about defending herself. Despite having an outrageous potbelly, he was far more experienced in fighting than anyone expected.
    She stepped harshly on his foot and took the time crushing it under the bottoms of her feet. She could hear the grunts of pain erupting from the back of his throat but she still didn't feel his hold loosening. Given no other choice, she swung her head back and repeatedly started hitting him—head to head.
    Luckily, before she started feeling dizzy about smashing her own head against his, his hold finally slackened. She took advantage of this opportunity and elbowed him on the ribs. Valeriana managed to slip away. However, he recovered quickly, so she stepped away and threw her fist forward, hitting him square on the face.
    He stumbled, and at the same time, she screamed, “Bloody murder!”
    Her fingers ached from the impact, her hand losing all its strength from the strike of pain. She dismissed that, even so. She ran away as fast it her feet could take her while he was still stunned—though she knew it wouldn't last long. Her blood pulsed through her veins, the rush of adrenalin being pumped into her blood.
    “That's it,” the man said as he struggled to stand back up on his feet. He massaged his lower jaw and spat on the ground. “I am done playing games.”
    With a flash, he shot off from his position, running so fast that he caught up with Valeriana with not much effort. When he reached near her, he stuck out his first two fingers out of a fist and jabbed Valeriana on a nerve point located in her neck. This caused her to collapse and lose consciousness.
    He paused on his tracks, dust fogging the trails he left behind. He placed a hand on the protesting muscles of his stomach and frowned. A loud sigh escaped his tight lips as he gazed disappointedly at Valeriana, who was lying on the ground knocked out cold.
    “How passionate. Very brutal.”
    Emmett took a deep breath and turned to meet the owner of the voice. “Lord Aeron.”
    “Never mind. I've had my fair share of sightseeing for tonight.” He waved his hand dismissively. “So this is her?”
    Aeron walked forward, his hands buried deep in his pockets. He slowly made his way towards Valeriana, who Emmett gathered in his arms. The girl was deeply unconscious. He leaned forward and poked Valeriana's cheek.
    “We should go.” Said Emmett.
    “Do wait a moment.” Aeron fished something out of his. The object glinted when it hit the light and Emmett could only squint at the sudden flash.
    He clasped a necklace around her neck and smiled. “Now we're ready to go.”

 
    Chapter Five ♣ The Court's Trial
     
    V aleriana's head felt heavy. Her head was spinning and she couldn't quite think straight. Her mind was all mixed up, thoughts scrambled.
    “Wake up, human.” A voice boomed.
    Her eyes fluttered open. Her vision, first blurry, adjusted to the dim-lighting of the room she was in. She looked around her and tried moving but then discovered that her movements were tightly restricted. She diverted her gaze down to her body and discovered that from her torso right down to her ankles were tightly bound by thick ropes.
    “What the hell!” She exclaimed, struggling to sit up. “What in the world is this?”
    “Keep it down, now.” She paused as the command resonated throughout the whole room.
    Valeriana fixed her gaze to the sound of the voice. She was lying on the center of round, dim-lit chamber of some sort. The walls were made up of brick of rough, pale-grey stones with a domed ceiling and candles which served as the wall-lighting. There were elevated seats behind a long, curved table in which five, cloaked figures, sitting distantly from one another had positioned themselves.
    “I am the Court Leader, Lord Aeron LaVallene. Here with me is Sir Berias, Lady Aleara, Sir Zeke, and Lady