Tact looked back at the group, the candlelight drawing hazes of amber on his face. He gave us a smile. "We'll be back, don't worry."
Miss Lidia pulled back the table that barricaded the worn kitchen door. Before Calm joined the others at the kitchen door he walked to the front door barricade and crouched. He held Reason by the back of his neck, pressing their foreheads together. "If anything happens to me…" The statement hung heavily in the air. Reason's hands dug roughly into the fabric of Calm's cloak. I looked away, feeling uncomfortable.
When the moment had passed and Calm made his way back, the door creaked open slowly.
Jewel barreled forward with a cry, shoving roughly into the thing frozen at the door with the chair she armed herself with. Tact and Calm followed behind her with planks of wood, beating it roughly as it croaked. Jewel held it steadfastly to the floor. It couldn't move anything but its arms and legs as it thrashed, a horrifying scream rattling from its mouth.
I swallowed thickly, holding the knife in front of me.
Tact's breath came out roughly, beginning to tire as they continued to beat it. He was hitting with the intent to kill and maim. Calm was sweating, grunts leaving him intermittently. Jewel's body was tense, tiring of holding it down as it struggled up against her.
Blood splattered, again and again. It moved. A sickening crack resounded through the dining hall, it's jaw broken. It moved still. The creature would not die.
Then--
Miss Lidia rushed forward with a yell, past the boys. Her black gown was like a sign of death before she drove her large hair pin into its eye socket. Finally, it stopped moving. The squelch would remain permanently engraved in my mind.
The world quieted for a moment. Even the ever present rage at the front door was silent as we waited with bated breath. After a moment, Virtue let out a breath of relief. The rest of the room seemed to breathe with her. Tact looked surprised they had managed it at all and looked back at us. His voice wavered with a nervous smile, "See?"
Sir James' face was red and strained, yet I could tell that some of the prior tension was gone from his body. "All of you need to get out now. Discipline and Reason, that means you too." That tore me out of my previous daze.
"And you?" I snapped.
"I'll be right behind you all," he said, no fear to be found in his eyes. "I need to hold this until the last possible second. After that, we run or we fight." He leveled me with a sharp gaze. It was insulting. He had never given me such a look before. "Now heed my orders."
"You heard the man," Tact said, just another one of us once again. He grabbed Virtue gently and led her behind him. He gave me a knowing look. I struggled to understand it. I felt the need to defend myself.
Miss Lidia, crying and shaking, led the way regardless of her state. I shoved myself into the middle of the group. I couldn't be one of the first out, but I couldn't linger in the back either. I hit into a solid body. When I looked up, Reason was looking back at me. I tore my gaze away and simply followed the wave of people.
We began filtering people through the broken window. When my turn came to amble over the thing that attacked us, I felt my stomach turn. Blood ran like a river down its eyes and mouth on to the floor, the color of charcoal. It's jaw was unhinged, limp.
When I made it to the window, a hand came into view. It was Tact's. I ignored it and hoisted myself over the window before plopping on to the other side and pushing past him. I saw him shrug from the corner of my eye.
Sir James' voice sounded from inside the dining hall when we all made it out. "Everybody…" his voice faltered, "Out?"
"Everyone's out!" Discipline called back, clambering to shout into the kitchen. "I have your sword, sir!" He behaved as if under his direct command. I noted the glass of the window had cut him, but he ignored it.
It was easy to see who had chosen their own name and who had been assigned one by Sir James. It wasn't clear to me in which category Discipline fell into. Truth be told, he was the least interesting of the bunch there. But he was nice to look at.
"Make way!" Sir James yelled before a crash sounded. Wood thudded on wood and metal hit floor as the barricade gave way. Then with speed unmatched by anything I had ever seen, Sir James leapt through the window just as we had finished moving away from it. He rolled heavily and clunky to the ground. Dirt and grass clung to his uniform, but he wasn't winded at all. An absolute unit. I thought for the first time he had clearly earned the title of Commander of the Greer knights.
"Your sword, sir!" Exclaimed Discipline.
I could tell the boys were impressed. They were all skin and bones compared to Sir James. After all they were sheltered rich boys who had never had to lift a finger in their lives.
From beside me, Charm was in a similar state of awe. Her hands twitched, as if yearning for movement. Her eyes seemed to shine as she watched him. It forced me back into a time I had that same look on my face. Pulled me back to a time where old, wrinkled hands sewed together a dress for me, as if making silk from rags.
But rags were just rags in the end.
"Don't relax just yet, my little waywards," said the knight, raising his sword with both hands in front of his face, his stance firm and ready.
They were coming.