Knights: Defenders of Ollanhar (Ollanhar Series Book 1) (15 page)

 
A notice was
inscribed on the stone door:

ONLY
THE PURE OF HEART SHALL ENTER HERE:

THOSE
WHO TREAT OTHERS KINDLY

THOSE
WHO HONOR THE DIVINE ESSENCE

AND
THE CHILDREN OF OUR LAND

“What
does it say?” asked Taith, looking fearful.

“Can’t
you read?” Lannon asked.

“Not
very well,” said Taith. “Just some of the smaller words.”

Lannon
winked at Taith. “It says you can enter.”

Taith
looked skeptical. “Why? I’m not a Knight, and I don’t care about your
stupid Divine Essence. If I enter, I might get struck down.”

“You
won’t get struck down,” said Lannon, pulling the stone door open. “Follow
along now, Taith.” With that, he entered the shrine.

They
stood in a circular chamber that contained stone benches, a rectangular altar,
and statues of famous Knights, including, of course, Kuran Darkender—the
original and greatest Lord Knight of Dremlock. The most powerful and noble
warrior who had ever lived, incorruptible to Tharnin, towered over the other
statues, yet at his feet lay a serpent-like figure with evil eyes—a warning
that some unknown servant of the Deep Shadow below Dremlock had slain this
seemingly invincible Knight. It was a chilling image that sent shivers down
Lannon’s spine.

The
shrine was clean and smelled of recently burned incense. Lannon lit some
incense that was in a brass holder and some candles, and the two of them sat
down on a bench facing the altar. Lannon sat in silence for a time, letting the
soothing atmosphere settle over them—hoping that young Taith would be
enlightened. The presence of the Divine Essence was strong here—perhaps strong
enough to seep into Taith’s soul and bring about some changes.

But
Taith was not so easily swayed.

“Are
we going to sit here all day?” Taith groaned. “This stupid shrine is
boring, and the statues are ugly. At least take me back to camp.”

“It’s
peaceful,” said Lannon. “Don’t you think? Look at the statues of
those great Knights, who once brought peace and justice to Silverland.”

“Who
cares?” said Taith. “Some old dead Knights who fought wars. And it
stinks in here. That incense smells like dung.”

“It
smells of fine spices,” Lannon argued.

“Dung,”
Taith insisted. “I hate it in here.”

For
an instant, Lannon’s will faltered. Taith seemed to have no redeeming qualities
whatsoever. He could sit in this wondrous shrine and feel nothing but boredom
and contempt, while he plotted to steal, irritate others endlessly, and perhaps
even attempt to torture the horses (that last one really made Lannon’s blood
boil). Lannon suddenly felt he was wasting his time.

Yet Lannon shored up his patience and tried again.
“Look there, Taith,” he said, pointing at a stone plaque that listed
The
Six Gluttonous Demons
that Divine Knights—and all people in general—were
supposed to be wary of. These demons were, supposedly, the greatest threat to
humanity:

The Six Gluttonous Demons

Lust
of the Eye

The
eye seeks pleasure but is never satisfied, as the body and world decays. And so
we learn the fate of many kings who waste away on silk and furs. Let the
dancers dance, but let the eye look upon many great accomplishments. The enemy
of this demon is Hard Work.

Wine
and Related Concoctions

The
mind is dulled with pleasure, while the body and world decays. The common
 
enemy of this demon is Strict Moderation,
though to truly be safe from this sly foe one should practice Utter Avoidance.

Love
of Coin and Gem

The
purse is full, but the soul is empty and so the purse seems empty. This is the
fate of those who hoard treasure uselessly in dark places and live in fear that
it will be discovered by thieves. The enemy of this demon is Appreciation of
Wealth.

Lust
of the Mind

Cast
your gaze from the beautiful maiden, oh Knight of the Divine Order, lest your
feet take command and carry you to ruin. The enemy of this demon is Purity of
Thought, to prevent it from entering.

Justification
of Anger

Anger
will grow to consume everything under the illusion of being justified. The
enemy of this demon is Patience, for the more patience grows, the more anger
shrinks.

Smoldering
Hatred

The
heart is driven by pain to hate, but the hate in turn keeps the heart in an
injured state. The enemy of this demon is Forgiveness, which is not to be
confused with exempting a lawbreaker from being held accountable for evil
actions.

Lannon
read them aloud, pride in his voice. When he was finished, he said, “So
those are some demons to be wary of that could cause you grief, Taith. They
have led many great Knights to ruin throughout the ages.”

Taith
yawned. “I think what you read is actually quite stupid. How can a purse
be full but empty at the same time? If it’s full, it’s not empty. And how is
wine a demon? It’s a drink you pour down your throat. Do you drink a demon? I
could write better stuff than that and it would make more sense.”

“It
was originally written in a different language,” said Lannon, “called
Birlote Secondary
or
Birlote Divine
. It might not be a perfect
translation, but these are warnings from the Divine Essence itself.”

Taith
shrugged. “They don’t make sense.”

“I
could try to explain it,” said Lannon, “but I’m not going to. I guess
it doesn’t matter. You’re not going to be a Divine Knight anyway, so you won’t
have to worry about all of our silly rules. Actually, I’m not sure why I even
brought you here.” Lannon’s mood was sinking by the moment, and he felt
weary. Taith seemed to mock everything Lannon cared about, and even though
Taith was only a lad, it bothered Lannon. He knew some of what the Divine
Knights believed seemed laughable to those outside the kingdom, but Lannon had
always embraced the teachings wholeheartedly. It was a way of life for him and
he had wanted Taith to share a bit in the joy of it. Instead, the lad was bored
out of his mind.

“Can
we go yet?” asked Taith.

Lannon
rose. “Yes, we can leave.” He glanced at the altar, where words were
written in the Sacred Text that only a Dark Watchman could read. To everyone
else, the runes would simply appear as meaningless mystical symbols.

The inscription read:

IF YOU CAN READ THIS,

YOU
ARE A DARK WATCHMAN

Lannon
smiled. The Divine Essence had a sense of humor that, although displayed only
rarely, was legendary at Dremlock. This was one of the best examples of it
Lannon had ever witnessed. Their god was a strange creature, demanding that no
one worship it but allowing for prayer. It believed itself merely to be a
servant of a more powerful god that existed above a mountain. Yet it was thought
of, and treated like, the lone god of Dremlock Kingdom. It was the earthy link
to the Great Light—something that had a physical presence in the world and
made decisions that directly affected the land.

Lannon
grabbed Taith’s arm. “Come on, young man. Time to go join the
others.”

“Wait
a moment,” said Taith. “I’m trying to read what that says on the
altar.”

“You
can’t,” said Lannon, tugging at him.

“Then
you tell me what it says,” said Taith. “Or can’t you read it?”

“I
can,” said Lannon. “But I am forbidden to tell you.”

“Then
I’ll read it myself,” said Taith. He squinted.
“If…you…can…” He shook his head. “What is that next
word?”

For
a moment Lannon stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by the realization in his
mind. Then he gathered his wits and said, “The word is
read
,
Taith.”

“Right,”
said Taith.
“If…you…can…read…this…you…are…a…something…something.”

“A
Dark Watchman,” Lannon finished, in amazement. “
Then you are a
Dark Watchman.
And, well, that seems to be what
you
are.”

“Me?”
said Taith, raising his eyebrows. “No way is that possible. I don’t know
anything about that stuff. Is that what you are, Lannon?”

Lannon
nodded. “Has anything strange ever happened to you? Have you seen things
you shouldn’t be able to see?”

“No,
nothing like that,” said Taith. “I did have a friend once—a girl
around my age. She used to move stuff around just by waving at it, like rocks
and stuff. It made her really tired, though, so she didn’t do it often.”

“Do
you know where she lives?” asked Lannon.

“Maybe,”
said Taith. He struggled to remember. “She moved to the city of Kalamede,
I think, a few years ago. Maybe like…five years ago.”

“Are
you sure it wasn’t
you
moving the rocks?” asked Lannon, wondering
what this could possibly all mean.

“No,
it was definitely her,” said Taith. “She would fall asleep afterward.
She even got sick a couple times and couldn’t stand up. It was weird. I told
her to quit doing it. What’s this about, anyways?”

“I
don’t know,” said Lannon. “I will discuss it with Aldreya. Meanwhile,
you will join the others and you
will
behave. Is that understood?”

Taith
nodded. “I suppose.”

***

The
air had grown colder, and it had begun to rain again, when Lannon and Taith
arrived at camp, shivering. The Knights had set up tents for the evening, and
Lannon met with Aldreya inside her tent while Jace looked after Taith.

They
sat across from each other on a quilt, sipping hot tea, as the rain beat down
on the tent roof. After Lannon told his tale, Aldreya was quiet for a time, her
face contemplative in the glow of a lantern.

At
last she said, “I think this is solid proof that young Taith bears the Eye
of Divinity. Therefore, we must protect him from Bellis and the Deep Shadow in
the days ahead and then send him to Dremlock to be trained.”

“But
what about his lack of character?” asked Lannon. “Surely training him
would be dangerous. Look at what happened to…Timlin Woodmaster.” The
memory of his dead friend again caused pain to flood through Lannon’s heart. He
could never forget how he had slain Timlin in battle, ending Lannon’s desperate
hope for the former Squire’s redemption.

“True,”
said Aldreya. “But many Knights start out that way. Some children are
thieves and even, in rare cases, killers. But they learn the ways of honor.
This Taith is no different. There is good in him waiting to be awakened.”

“What
about the girl he spoke of?” asked Lannon.

“Dremlock
will search for her,” said Aldreya, “when the time is right. If her
parents are willing, she too will be trained. Unless Taith provides more
information, however, she will be very difficult to locate.”

“I
thought the Eye of Divinity was rare,” said Lannon. “Yet now I find
there could be two others who possess it.” He was still amazed by this
turn of events (in contrast to Aldreya’s calm demeanor) and wondering where it
was all going to lead. He was so used to being the lone Dark Watchman of
Dremlock that he couldn’t imagine sharing the stage with others who possessed
the Eye.

“It
is
rare,” said Aldreya. “But when it does appear, it usually does
so in clusters. Therefore, it is not surprising that two children who lived
near each other would have use of it. I suspect that these children do not
possess it as strongly as you do, Lannon. After all, the Divine Essence itself
was able to find you. However, it seems they were invisible to our god.”

“I
don’t understand,” said Lannon. “Does that mean they will never reach
the potential of fully trained Dark Watchmen?”

“Not
necessarily,” said Aldreya. “The Eye can grow stronger over time.
Regardless, this is potentially good fortune for Dremlock—if indeed it was
mere luck and not the power of the Eye itself leading Taith to us.”

“How
could the Eye do that?” asked Lannon.

Aldreya
shrugged. “The Eye is capable of many wonders. It could have been working through
both of you. Why did you take Taith to the shrine? You could have chosen to
ignore him and let others tend to him. After all, you’re the High Watchman and
have your duties. Yet as much as he annoyed you, you dragged him along to that
shrine, where he read the Sacred Text. Mere coincidence?”

“I’m
not sure,” said Lannon. “I guess I wanted to show him something, but
he ended up showing something to
me.
Maybe the Divine Essence actually
knew of Taith and was guiding my actions.”

Aldreya
nodded. “It is certainly possible. Regardless, I can guarantee that
Dremlock will train Taith—and the girl too if she can be found. Having two
more Dark Watchmen in our army would be very helpful against Bellis. Dremlock
will ignore the dangers of the Deep Shadow and what happened to all of the
previous Dark Watchmen. Times are that desperate.”