Ray Blackwell

Cool & Popular

The young King of the Black Army hates being tied down and values freedom above all else. He is stoic and candid with everyone he meets, and is popular with Cradle citizens of all ages. Despite his brisk demeanor, he has a soft spot for cats.

Birthday: March 23rd

Height: 5 ft 8 in

Blood Type: O

Summary:

He's the man who caught you when you fell from the sky-- the young King of Spades, Ray Blackwell.

He's a tease, a troublemaker, aloof and seeking only freedom, and he lives in a different world.

Or at least, that's what you thought. But as you learn his deepest secrets, and the fierce past that haunts him, your heart begins to waver

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Part 1

What awaits you at your destination?

An array of unique soldiers at the Black Army's headquarters!

30 days until the next full moon--

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Chapter 1

30 days remained until the next full moon--

I'd come under the protection of the Black Army, and now I found myself on horseback.

As we made our way out of the Central Quarter, I gawked at the unfamiliar scenery around me.

(Would you look at this place! It's nothing like London!)

Ray: Hey, it's all well and good to enjoy the sights, but hold on tight, would ya?

Kiera: Oh! Right.

Sirius was riding abreast of us, and he laughed as he glanced over at us.

Sirius: Kiera, look up ahead.

Kiera: What is it?

Sirius: We're almost home.

Sirius: You should be able to see the Black Army's headquarters any moment now.

I turned to look up ahead, eager to see what sort of place they lived in.

Kiera: Whoa!

The paved road stretched out long and straight ahead of us, but at the end of it I spied a huge black building.

(That looks completely different from the Red Army's headquarters!)

Black flags snapped in the breeze, and the whole place had an open, welcoming air to it.

I stared in wonder as we drew closer, and then a cheerful voice called out, seemingly from nowhere.

Black Soldier 1: The king has returned!

Black Soldier 2: And he's with Sirius, Luka, Seth, Fenrir!

Black Soldier 1: Welcome home!

Fenrir: Oh yeah, that's the kind of spirited greeting I like to come home to!

Ray: Geez, I've told them time and again that they don't need to come out and greet me every time.

Fenrir: C'mon, it's proof that they love you, right?

Fenrir: Kiera, those men are all soldiers in the Black Army-- they're our comrades.

Kiera: There's so many of them!

Fenrir: Well, our headquarters does hold about 500 people, you know.

Kiera: 500? That's impressive!

Fenrir: Yeah, but it's still less than the Red Army.

Fenrir: Hey, Ray! You gonna stop your horse, or what?

Ray: Yeah.

Ray reigned in his horse, and it finally stopped. He dismounted easily, as if he was used to it.

He turned back, looking up as he offered me his hand.

Ray: Here, take my hand.

Ray: You'll probably fall otherwise, am I right?

There was something captivating about that amused grin of his, and I grinned back as I reached out to take his hand.

As his fingers closed around mine, I felt as if I heard a sound signifying the start of something-- but I didn't quite understand what that meant.

Ray: Welcome to the Black Army's headquarters.

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Chapter 2

Ray: Now, let's see--

Seth: I know! It's time for the Official Black Army Headquarters Tour, right.

Ray: Huh?

Fenrir: Nice idea, Seth!

Seth: I know, right?! I mean, our sweet little Alice here is living with us from now on!

Seth: She needs to know where everything is!

Seth & Fenrir: And that means--

The two of them grinned at each other, and then stepped up on either side of me, each of them taking hold of one arm.

Kiera: What are you doing?

Seth: Get ready, Alice.

Fenrir: C'mon, let's go! It's the Official Black Army Headquarters Tour!

Seth: Gosh, I haven't had this much fun in ages!

Kiera: Wait a minute, you two!

But they were both so excited it was clear they hadn't heard a word I'd said.

Sirius: Hold up, you two! Calm down and come back to the lounge already!

Sirius: Are they even listening? They're not listening, are they?

Ray: They're not listening.

Luka: Not even remotely.

--

Fenrir: Right, now this here is the training grounds!

Fenrir: That means we're always training here, day and night.

Fenrir: In this line of work, your body is your main asset. You gotta sweat until you--

Seth: Oh, come off it! Give it up with all that butch talk about sweat already!

Seth: Besides, it's boring bringing her to a filthy place like this!

Seth: Alice, how about we get out of here and head inside?

Seth: This is the office!

Kiera: Wow, this place is amazing!

I stared in awe at the huge flag hanging on the wall, wondering if the symbol on it represented the Black Army.

As I looked around, I saw that the desk and shelves were littered with books, maps, and scraps of parchment.

(Peace lies in freedom, huh?)

The words were written under the symbol on the flag, and I contemplated what they might mean.

Seth: This place is usually used for us to all gather and talk about things.

Seth: We refine our tactics, or discuss the state of affairs here in Cradle.

Kiera: So a lot of important conversations must happen here.

Seth: That's right! We meet face-to-face, our expressions deadly earnest, our--

Fenrir: I'm sure I remember you using face lotion in here the other day, to try and improve your looks.

Seth: How rude! What I do in here is none of your business!

Seth and Fenrir both crossed their arms, glaring at each other.

(You know, I really can't tell if you guys are best friends or bitter rivals.)

I wondered if I should step in before things got any worse, but I was still trying to make up my mind when Fenrir's expression changed.

Fenrir: Seth! Forget about that! We haven't shown her the most important room of all!

Seth: Oh my, you're right! What a complete idiot I am.

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Chapter 3

Bright sunlight filtered in through windows here and there as we walked down another corridor.

Fenrir: Okay! Stop right there, Kiera.

Seth: Teehee. Where do you think we are?

Seth: That's right! This is your special room, Alice.

Seth's smile was bursting with delight as he threw the door wide open.

Seth: Waaaah!

His face drained of all color, and he slammed the door shut again.

Kiera: Seth? What's the matter?

Seth: This is the absolute worst.

Fenrir: What is it? Don't tell me--

Fenrir: Did an enemy break in?

Kiera: What?!

Seth: It's even worse than that, Fenrir!

(Okay, you're starting to freak me out here, Seth!)

Fenrir: Dammit!

Fenrir reached down toward the pistols strapped at his waist.

Seth: Her room isn't ready for her! Not at all!

You & Seth: You-- what?

Seth: The sheets, the pillow cases, the curtains-- not a single thing is suitable for a lady like our Alice!

Seth: I absolutely refuse to let her sleep in a room like that!

Fenrir: Geez, Seth, don't get me worked up over something like that.

Seth: 'Something like that'? This is really important!

Seth: A woman's room is the only place where she can feel completely relaxed!

Seth: And besides, it goes completely against my aesthetics.

Seth: Which means you're gonna help me fix it later, right, Fenrir?

Fenrir: Okay, okay! You're not gonna accept any other answer anyway, are you?

Fenrir: Now-- we should probably join the others, right?

I followed them through the building again until at last Fenrir opened a large door and gestured for me to walk through it.

I threw him a quick smile as I stepped into the room.

Sirius: Hey, we've been waiting for you.

Luka: That took too long.

Several other members of the Black Army were gathered in the room, with Ray standing in the center.

He looked over at me, his expression calm, but there was something distant about his eyes.

Sirius: We haven't properly introduced ourselves, have we?

Sirius: Our leaders number thirteen in total, but not everyone's here today, so I'll just introduce those who are.

(Thirteen leaders? Where did I hear that mentioned before?)

Suddenly the White Rabbit's words from earlier echoed through my mind.

White Rabbit: The highest ranking of both the Red and Black armies are called The Chosen Thirteen.

White Rabbit: The highest rank is King, followed by Queen, Jack, and Ten, while the lowest is the Ace.

White Rabbit: Though the Ace is technically the lowest in rank, they're often in charge of unusual assignments, putting them in a different league than the others.

Sirius: Company, present!

At Sirius's command, the gathered members of the army moved to form a line in front of me.

Sirius: Remove your hats.

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Chapter 4

There was a rustle of sound as they all took off their hats, but they continued to stand at attention.

Fenrir: I suppose we should start with me, then.

Fenrir: I'm Fenrir Godspeed. My rank is Ace.

Fenrir: I'm captain of our spec ops-- special operations. I'm the officer in charge of raids for our army.

Fenrir seemed like a different person from the one who'd just dragged me round the building; his words were courteous, his smile dashing.

Fenrir: It's nice to meet you, Kiera.

Seth: I guess I'm next.

Seth: I'm Seth Hyde. My rank is 10.

Seth: Despite how I look, I'm pretty strong, okay?

As Seth's eyes met mine, I thought I saw an edge of suspicion in them, just for a moment.

Luka: Luka Clemence. Rank, Jack.

Luka: Major General.

Luka only met my gaze briefly as he spoke, before looking down at the ground again.

Sirius: I'm Sirius Oswald. My rank is Queen.

Sirius: My title's Lieutenant General. If you have any problems, feel free to call on me.

Sirius: And finally--

Ray's gaze moved toward me, and our eyes met and held.

Ray: Ray. Ray Blackwell.

Ray: Rank-- King. Welcome aboard.

(When you're all lined up like this, you really have some serious presence.)

(But I have to admit-- you've got more presence than anyone, Ray. You're in a league of your own.)

I studied them as they stood there in a row.

-

I stood up straighter.

-

I stood up straighter and lifted my chin, speaking as clearly as I could.

Kiera: Thank you for taking me in. I look forward to staying with you until the next full moon!

Luka: Welcome.

Seth: Hey, I've got it! Let's have a party tonight!

Seth: We need to do something to celebrate Alice's arrival!

Sirius: Oh, good idea. Maybe I should go buy some ale.

Fenrir: Luka, I want to eat beef tonight! Lots of beef!

Luka: We're having fish. It's already decided.

They were suddenly relaxed again, chattering happily amongst themselves, and I smiled as I watched them.

Then I realized Ray was standing next to me, and I turned to look at him.

Kiera: Thank you again, Ray. Or-- should I call you King Ray? Sir Ray? Some other title?

Ray: Just Ray.

Ray: You're not that much younger than me. There's no need to be formal.

Kiera: Okay, then. Ray.

Ray: Mmm.

He was studying me again, and the look in his eyes made me feel like I was two feet tall.

Ray: I don't mind you staying here, but watch yourself.

Ray: I don't have time to protect a useless kid.

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Chapter 5

Ray: I don't have time to protect a useless kid.

My mouth dropped open in disbelief, but I quickly found my voice again.

Kiera: What do you mean, kid? You just said-- right then-- that I'm not that much younger than you!

Ray: I'm not talking about your age.

Ray: You look like you can barely tell left from right.

Ray: You remind me of a lost kid, about to start crying for her mommy.

Kiera: Geh--

I almost couldn't stand the pitying way he was looking at me.

Ray: But hey, you joined up with us, so don't worry-- we won't let any harm come to you.

Ray: That was our deal, after all.

(I haven't forgotten our deal, but--)

Kiera: Are you sure it's okay for an outsider to live with you? I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble.

Ray: Let's cut a deal, Kiera, that will help both of us survive in this world.

Kiera: What kind of deal?

Ray: Your ability to deflect magic is just what we need.

Ray: If you promise to help us when we need you, I promise we'll keep you safe.

As I remembered our conversation, I finally realized what it really meant.

(I'm just a useful tool to you, aren't I? Something to be exploited, nothing more.)

(Well, it's true enough, so I don't care if you think that way, but--)

I was stuck with the Black Army for a full month, until the next full moon.

(I refuse to be some useless burden, dragging you down and making you protect me all the time!)

Kiera: You don't need to protect me.

I stood up as straight and tall as I could, staring up at Ray, and he reached out to catch hold of my chin, as if forcing me to look at him.

Ray: Hmm?

As we stared into each other's eyes, I realized his were a deep, emerald green.

Kiera: I can take care of myself.

Ray: Hmph. I didn't expect you to have that kind of nerve.

Kiera: I just made up my mind, right then.

Kiera: When a woman makes up her mind about something, she's stronger than you can imagine.

Ray: Is that so?

Kiera: It is.

Something flickered in his gaze as he studied me, and I felt like he was trying to see into my very soul.

Ray: Then I have high hopes for you.