Knight of the Black Rose (2 page)

"Good evening I was wondering how much a single room was here pre night, or if you do any offers," Domnus asked her politely.

"Well, Monday to Thursday the rooms are £15; Friday to Sunday they're £25," Allison told him. "But we do, do offers of course; for a week £110 so you're getting a night free so if you stay for two weeks you get two nights free so it'll be £220,"

"Well then, I'll have two weeks," Domnus told her, he wasn't completely sure what their currency was but he was getting two nights free and hopefully he won't really need to stay for so long, but he might as well air of the side of caution.

"That's great, I'll just take your details then; when will you be staying from?" Allison asked him.

"Starting tonight of course," Domnus told her.

"That's fine, sorry," Allison said smiling as she typed on the keyboard and scanning the screen. "Yes, we have a room for you and it's for two weeks; all I need now is you name and payment details."

"Ordin Domnus," Domnus told her, she looked up at him waiting; he didn't realize at first what she seemed to be waiting for and then seemed to realise and spelt out his name for her. "O...R...D...I...N D...O...M...N...U...S." He reached into his pocket of his trousers and pulled out a silver coloured card that had strange markings on it and handed it over. "Seya un morla.”

She held the card in her hand staring at it, then she looked up at him and handed it back. "Thank you,"

She typed some more and then she turned around to the numbered open boxes that covered the wall behind her and pulled out the key to room number 317, then she turned back around and handed him the key.

"Evening meal begins at 6:30pm and finishes at 9:00pm, breakfast begins at 7: 00am and finishes at 9:30am, lunch is from 12:00pm till 2:00pm. The bar opens at 12:00pm and closes at midnight. I hope that you have a pleasant stay Mr Dom...nus,"

"Thank you for your help," Domnus said before he walked off towards the lift on his right beside the stairs, he pressed the button and waited for the doors to open.

It took a whole minute before the lift binged loudly and then the doors opened, he stepped inside of the small box mirrored lift and just stood there waiting for the lift doors to close, when he noticed a panel on the right with numbers upon them; he reached out and pressed 3; the doors closed and the lift started to move upwards somewhat unsteadily as he looked at himself through the mirror's that he was unable to hide from as every inch was covered.

"Not actually what I had planned," Domnus said to himself. "I just hope that she's alright...where ever she is." He knew that it might not always be her fault but trouble did kind of follow her around, he just hoped that she wasn't in any that she couldn't get herself out of until he could get to her. Or if it was just him, he hoped that she would be able to help him and get him back to where he really belonged.

The lifted binged loudly as it stopped waiting several seconds before the door slide open, he stepped out onto the beige carpeted hall with small light fittings along the walls in-between the rooms; he looked at the first room to his right which was silver with the number 302 so he carried on walking knowing now which side the odd numbers were and how far along his room would be.

Domnus turned the corner at the end of the hall and there was his room, his pushed the key into the hole but the door didn't open, yet it fit so he turned it and heard the mechanism click and then it opened; he pushed the door open and went inside closing the door behind him.

There was a double bed with white sheets and tables on either side, drawers facing with a mirror above it attached to the wall itself; beneath the window with the curtains open was a small round glass table with two chairs, behind him was a built in wardrobe and where he had come into the room on the right was another door, open, which lead into the small bathroom.

It wasn't much but that didn't bother him considering that he had stayed in place's that wouldn't have even been classed as liveable by most races, though when one didn't have the local currency one couldn't really complain about the accommodations. He walked over to the window at the world below him, it was starting to rain making it look later than it actually was; he smiled slightly to himself thinking that Luxis would be cursing him right about now because she had never liked the rain.

The smile faded as quickly as it had appeared, he knew that they would have been able to find each other or even let the other know that they were alright if she was really here, so he had to consider the possibility that she wasn't here with him and that he was in fact alone on Earth at the end of the twentieth century; but all wasn't lost because he knew of course with being human himself that there were others like him here all he had to do was find them and perhaps then he would be able to get back to his own time.

The rain pounded on the window in the small hotel room, the main light in the centre of the room was still lit even though it was early morning but considering the weather there wasn't really much light coming from the outside. Domnus sat at the table with a newspaper in hand checking once again if any strange events have been reported as his arrival had been, it had been all over their news channels and newspapers for days because no one could explain how it had appeared and disappeared so quickly and without it being picked up by their satellites; as he read his breakfast sat in front of him going cold and forgotten.

"Nothing..." Domnus said to himself annoyed. "It's been a whole week, there has to have been something else..."

Domnus seemed to have realized something and put the paper down grabbing the toast off the side plate as he stood up and fastened his waist coat, he walked over to the mirror looking at himself still in the clothes that he had arrived in knowing that he had to do something about it because this was taking a lot longer than he had first thought that it would; he'd just have to get a job somehow doing something to earn some real money.

He held out his hand and the paper lifted off of the table and shot over to him, he flicked through the pages knowing that he had seen a section advertising jobs and thought that this was his best chance of finding one until he fully understood how society worked here properly at this point in time or at least found some of his own kind, as that wasn't going as easily as he had hoped either. Perhaps he should have paid more attention in history classes when he was younger, or at least studied up more on the politics’ for mixed worlds contacting others from off world, he had never needed to worry about that much considering that most of the worlds that he had visited knew that he was coming. He also wasn’t normally stranded alone very often without any resources of any kind.

It didn't take him long to find the job section, he decided to stick with something simple that he knew and understood, there were security jobs, which he could do; there were about half a dozen advertisements and he didn't know where any of them were but that didn't mean that he wouldn't be able to find them, using their internet that stored information similar to his own databases, but just not as advanced.

So he began his job hunt, which turned out to be quite easy because all he had to do was ring up as most of them had numbers that he could call. When he got through to them, he gave his details over the phone and then they would get back to him, it took the better part of an hour to go through the list of jobs that he had found. Then with that done and with only time to wait to find out if any of them would get back to him, he decided to go out to have another look around; he picked up the umbrella that Allison had given him the other day because he didn't have one or a proper coat, he had thought that it was quite kind of her to do.

As he walked through the bus station it kind of reminded him a little of home because of how differently everyone looked and dressed, no one seemed to care how you were dressed when you were in the city centre but when he ventured out into the small centres the people would look at you as though you were from a strange far off land; which to be honest he kind of was, but of course none of them actually knew that.

The buses parked up empty after letting people off, and then filled up once more letting those on from the rain glad to be out of it for a while and then leaving once more splashing water onto the sidewalks as they pulled off but not high enough to actually splash anyone with; Domnus was sure that they didn't really care, in fact he was kind of sure that drivers here enjoyed it and actually hoped that they might splash someone.

Domnus was watching the people go about their normal lives not realizing who he really was as he walked passed them as though he was one of them; a sadness filled him as he thought that these people will never know the wonders and horrors that he has seen nor will their grandchildren, though if he can't find away to get back home he won't be able to see any of them again either.

A bell signalled that a tram was coming so Domnus stopped on the corner and waited, but in that moment he saw a group of people with cloaks across the road, he was sure of it, as it wasn't something you would mistake with the fashions of today. He rushed out in front of the tram only missing it by half a meter, everyone stared at him mainly in shock that he had made it across safely and that he didn't seem to have noticed the scene that he had created, as he just carried on waking without looking back.

Domnus followed where he thought he had seen the cloaked people heading, it had only been a second when he had took his eyes off of them but he had lost them; he didn't understand how he could have lost them when he had been tracking people for years and never in all of that time has he ever lost anyone in such a manner. Yet this situation might in fact anger others, it didn't Domnus it just meant that he still had much to learn and also he had in fact found what he was looking for; well not completely found what he was looking for, but he at least knew for sure now that they were around here, since he had been sensing their presence for the past couple of days now he just hadn't been able to pinpoint their location.

He would prefer to be with them even if they were behind like those on this side of the wall was, he would still be with his own kind and have a better chance of figuring out what had happened to him; so all he had to do was find the entrance so he began to slowly walk looking at the wall on his right very carefully not wanting to miss a thing.

"Revelas!" Domnus ordered but nothing happened, well he knew it wasn't going to be that easy but he also knew that if it was there, just hidden from normal view that he would be able to find it now.

He carried on walking, looking occasionally at the wall without it actually looking as though he was looking for something so not to draw too much attention to himself once again by those passing by, because if he did manage to find an entry point he didn't want to advertise it to the whole world; it what a secret after all as was their way of life. He crossed the road and found himself in China Town, which he had found on his first real full day as though he had been drawn here as in hope that he could have found Luxis here if she had arrived with him and she was in trouble hiding from whom ever had done this; but there had been no sign of her and he was sure that if she had arrived back here with him that she also would have arrived in this country considering that there had been no other reports of mysteries cyclones in any other countries only this one.

A door swung open hitting the wall from the restaurant up ahead, three men ran out dressed all in black and their face's covered with balaclava's; the engine of the car at the bottom of the steps roared into action, the man at the front jumped the last two steps.

Domnus didn't even think about it as he ran forward and in one swift moment grabbed the mans hand turning still back to the next man his leg lifting off of the ground and connecting to his chest knocking him to the ground pulling the other man with him along with a bag that sounded as though it was full of money, he swung the man he still had hold of into the other two on the steps as the car pulled out; he was about to stop it as he held out his hand but stopped himself and instead memorized the license plate number before he turned back around to the three dazed men on the steps just as two elderly Chinese men rushed out quite out of breath.

They looked down at the three men sloped on their steps and then at Domnus stood over them, he still looked completely calm and his clothes hadn't been ruffled at all.

"Young man...did...did you stop them?" The eldest man asked; his skin had yet to show his proper age yet his hair was almost white.

"I'm sorry to have coursed you any trouble, I will call the police..." Domnus told him.

"They're already on their way," The other man told him eyeing him with a small smile forming. "How would you like a job?"

The elder bent down and picked up the bag of money holding it close to his chest as he watched Domnus waiting for his answer, Domnus bent down and picked up his umbrella.

"That is very generous of you, but my I ask what the job is?" Domnus asked them.

"What are you, stupid?" One of the robbers shouted at him from the bottom step.

"You could work the doors for us...a...bouncer...I think that is the term," The elder answered.

"Thank you," Domnus said bowing his head slightly. "I'll wait outside with these men stall I until the police arrive then?"