Knights: Defenders of Ollanhar (Ollanhar Series Book 1) (38 page)

Chapter
20:

The Banners of Ollanhar

At Ollanhar, after funerals were held for the fallen
Knights, a special ceremony took place outside on the tower grounds to honor
Faindan, Furlus, Valedos, and the rest of the Nine Axes. Three days had passed
since Tenneth Bard’s defeat, and it was a warm summer evening, the heavens
filled with stars. A feast was held, and a fire was blazing. Orange Squires
served drinks while a pair of bards wandered about between the tables and
entertained the crowd.

Faindan, Furlus, and Valedos sat apart from the others at a
table. It was a pleasant evening, but Valedos was sullen—still feeling pain
over the deaths of two of the Nine Axes at the hands of Tenneth Bard.
Nevertheless, Valedos had already cleaned two platters of food and had consumed
three jugs of ale.

“What are we to be now?” he asked. “The
Seven
Axes?”

“Seven are better than none,” said Furlus.
“But there are other Dark Knights who would qualify. What about Garndon
Steelbreaker? He is one of the stoutest Knights I’ve ever seen. Why haven’t you
recruited him?”

Valedos nodded. “Yes, I can find others. But the
original Ten Axes fought together for so long I had come to believe we were
invincible. Yet now three of us are dead. I thought the catacombs beneath
Dremlock were as dangerous as things could get, yet all three perished above
ground.”

“No man is invincible,” said Furlus. “Not
even Faindan here.” He nudged Faindan’s arm, smiling. “But he sure
looked invincible when he knocked Tenneth Bard off his horse and injured him so
deeply. It’s just a pity we were not able to successfully hunt down the Black
Knight afterwards.”

“I don’t know what I did,” said Faindan. “I
just noticed my sword was wrapped in white fire, and I lashed out at him. I
still can’t believe what happened.”

“What happened,” said Furlus, “is that you
caught Tenneth Bard off guard. He wasn’t expecting the white fire. If he survives
his wounds, the next time he faces you he will be more prepared.”

“What is the white fire?” asked Faindan.

Furlus frowned. “Didn’t you pay attention during your
studies as a Squire? You should have learned about the white fire.”

“I hated study time,” Faindan admitted. “My
mind was always wandering.”

“The white fire,” Furlus said, “is an
extremely rare ability that only a handful of Knights have ever possessed.
Kuran Darkender was the first, and there have only been eight others since over
the centuries. Faindan, you are the tenth overall. The white fire is extremely
powerful, allowing a blade to cut through almost anything—even stone or
steel.”

“Like the White Flamestone itself,” said Faindan,
in awe.

Furlus shook his head. “While there are similarities,
they are not the same. The white fire that you wield is something unique. It is
the common Knightly fire taken to an extreme level. We believe that any Knight
has the potential to unlock the white fire—but for whatever reason, only a few
succeed.”

“But what does this mean for me?” asked Faindan.
“And what about the vision of Kuran Darkender I had? Does that mean
anything?”

“Possibly,” said Furlus. “Do you know what
every Lord Knight who has ever served Dremlock Kingdom has in common? They all
had a vision of Kuran Darkender when they were in a time of great need. In
fact, such a vision is one of the major qualifications to becoming a Lord
Knight.”

Faindan shook his head in amazement. “So not only do I
wield the white fire, but…if I worked extremely hard, I could be Lord Knight
someday.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “A one-handed Lord
Knight.”

“Stranger things have happened,” said Furlus.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” said Valedos.
“You fought well, Faindan. But you have much to learn, and the white fire
can be difficult to master. And I hate to say it, but now you will be a major
target of the Deep Shadow—right up there with Lannon Sunshield and Prince
Vannas.”

“Great,” said Faindan. “I find out I have a
rare power and the potential to be a Lord Knight—but now I have to constantly
worry about being assassinated.”

Furlus nodded. “Striking such a terrible blow to
Tenneth Bard will have consequences for you. It is the way of things.”

“What should I do now?” Faindan asked.

“Eat, drink, and enjoy this fine evening,” said
Furlus. “Whatever happens will happen. And that goes for you as well,
Valedos.”

Valedos’ hand clamped around his ale mug. “We already
know how our stories will end. They will end with death. But what will we do in
the meanwhile? What great deeds will we accomplish? There is still time.”

“At least I have another chance,” said Faindan.
“Not long ago I thought I was finished as a Divine Knight. I am truly
blessed to be here.”

“Any word from Lannon and the others?” asked
Valedos.

Faindan chuckled. “Aldreya probably thinks I’m long
gone, that I quit in shame. She’s going to be in for quite a surprise.”

“A Hawk has not arrived yet,” said Furlus,
“but I doubt there is any reason for worry. They’re probably beyond the
Soddurn Mountains now and well into new lands. Soon the Green Flamestone will
be ours.”

“The future is bright,” said Faindan, raising his
ale mug.

They banged their ale mugs together, as a bard broke into a
new song about hope, peace, and justice in the land of silver.

***

They left their tents standing on the mountainside. It was
not yet time to move on. A Hawk had been sent to Dremlock carrying written news
of their situation and questions for the High Council, and it would take days
before they heard back—which meant days of camping in the gloomy peaks.

Though the evil aura of the mountains was always present,
the air smelled fresh and clean. With Prince Vannas claiming his ability to use
the White Flamestone had improved, they were feeling optimistic about the
future.

It was still difficult for them to accept that all the
Knights who had accompanied the Council of Ollanhar were dead. They decided
they would hold funerals for the fallen warriors after leaving the mountains.

“As you all know,” said Aldreya, “our
mission to obtain the Green Flamestone is being postponed until we have word
from Dremlock. They may opt to send Knights to replace those who were slain, or
they may want us to finish securing Wallrock Fortress being moving on.
Considering Prince Vannas keeps gaining more power, they may choose to abandon
the quest for the Green Flamestone altogether—though that seems doubtful. We
simply won’t know until they tell us. I definitely expect someone to come and
escort young Taith to Dremlock.”

“Regardless,” said Prince Vannas, “this excursion
into the Soddurn Mountains has been a great victory. We have slain one of
Dremlock’s mightiest foes, and his fortress with its many resources is now ours
for the taking.”

Lannon was surprisingly disappointed that they weren’t
heading off to distant lands immediately. He found himself wanting to see new
places and learn new things. What strange wonders—and terrors—existed beyond
Silverland on the sprawling continent known as Gallamerth? He hoped he would
get a chance to find out before all was said and done.

Jerret sat apart from the others, a gloomy look on his
face. He may have been contemplating his future and the loss of his
Knighthood—or Galvia’s death. No one knew, because Jerret was choosing not to
talk.

“I have an announcement to make,” said Dallsa.
She stood with her hand on Taith’s shoulder. “Bekka Nightspear has made a
dramatic improvement. Her strength is truly remarkable. Her wounds would surely
have killed, or at least driven mad, a lesser warrior. She will always bear
scars on her soul from the ordeal, yet I am convinced she will emerge from this
stronger than ever.”

“That is excellent news,” said Aldreya. “I
have seen great potential in Bekka, and I am certain she will continue to grow
as a Knight.”

“What now?” said Lannon. “I think this calls
for a celebration.”

“Let us raise the Banners of Ollanhar,” said
Aldreya. “To honor our struggle and those Knights who have perished. Then
we will have a feast.”

They raised the banners high (flags that depicted a black
image of Ollanhar Tower on a green background) and cheered. Jerret, however,
refrained from holding one of the banners, looking bitter.

“We are far from defeated,” said Aldreya.
“Bellis will soon realize that. Tenneth Bard will soon realize that, if he
doesn’t already. We may be a small island in a raging sea, but we will continue
to expand.”

“The future shows great promise,” said Dallsa,
squeezing Taith’s shoulder.

Taith gazed up at her questioningly.

Suddenly, Lannon had the urge
to be alone, and he left the campsite and leaned against a huge, gnarled pine,
a cloaked shadow in the fog who would always walk a path no one else could
follow—not even Taith. The boy would have to walk his own strange path as a
Dark Watchman, and Lannon ultimately could not help him. The future indeed seemed
promising, but the potential for great evil was there as well. Yet the Sacred
Laws were Lannon’s friend, and as long as he continued to obey them, he knew he
had nothing to fear. The Divine Essence had given him what he needed to resist
the darkness, and Lannon controlled his own fate.

End.

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