Bloodless Knights (26 page)

“We
have business to attend to.” Vivian pointed at Trave and he nodded.

I
shook my head. “I am not letting thee out of my sight again, Miss Vivian. I saw
my brother in Hereford and he told me if we destroy my father this is all over.
I would bid ye to please help me.” I paused a moment, “And I have a boat.”

Asher
and Vivian’s heads snapped up to look at me, “Ye saw thy brother? But how can
that be? What exactly did ye see in Hereford?” Vivian asked.

“Follow
me to the bay, and I will tell thee all that’s happened since we parted ways.”
I grabbed Vivian’s hand; she let me, without a sour look. “And methinks it’s
appropriate for thee to tell me about thy travels as well.”

As
we walked through the crunchy snow, our cloaks pulled snuggly around us; I told
the group about my little adventure not leaving out one gruesome detail. Every
word I spoke was carried by a long silence from the bunch. No questions were
asked; my comrades let me speak without interruption.

The
one thing that seemed to interest them most was that I had found my brother,
alive and well. The news brought forth excitement and joy; especially from
Vivian who was relieved she could take his death off her list of guilty sins.

As
we approached the bay, I wandered to the spot where I had tied the boat to the
oak tree. The boat was nowhere to be seen.

#
# #

“Help
me find the boat!” I thoroughly searched the frozen weeds without success.
Vivian and Asher wandered to the left and Trave followed me to the right.

“Oh
Tristen, thou won’t be too thrilled, but the boat is out past the weeds.”
Vivian almost laughed when she broke the horrible news.

I
walked toward Vivian and Asher, who I still wanted to punch, and gazed over the
water. Patiently taunting me from a half league out was the small rowboat that
saved me from Hereford.

“Oh
shite…” I mumbled and took off Vivian’s cloak. I handed it to her as she stared
at me with bemusement. I peeled off my armor one piece at a time and piled it
on the ground.

“What
art thou doing, Sir Tristen? Ye’ll catch thy death!” Vivian’s face became
serious, as she clung tightly to the heavy cloak.

I
grinned at her, “I doubt ye would care about that, lovely. But one of us needs
to fetch that boat.”

“Well,
now, that’s not fair Tristen. Of course I would care.” The woman’s face was red
with cold and her large lips were more deeply ruby-colored than ever. The eyes
I had dreamed of for days were now looking on, concerned at my well-being.

After
I laid the last of the armor on the rocky bank, I touched her cold cheek with
my equally cold hand and said, “Don’t ye worry thy pretty head my lady. I will
get the boat and we shall be on our way.” I dropped most of my remaining
clothing and turned to the water.

“Tristen,
no!” Vivian yelled. Just as I turned to see her, a giant tiger, wearing the
same mini-barrel around its neck bolted toward me, nearly flattening me. I
lunged out of the way as the orange and black cat soared past me, diving into
the water. I wondered if Vivian had purposely waited for me to remove all of my
clothing before deciding to get the boat.

As
I put my clothes and gear back on, I watched the graceful tiger swim to the
boat. She was much faster than I. She grabbed the rope attached to the bow of
the boat, and pulled it to shore with her teeth. The men stood on the dirt
watching the animal pull the boat without effort. I stared at Vivian, also
known as Lugina, in amazement.

“What’s
the barrel for?” I asked Trave.

He
slowly turned his head and glared at me, “Believe me, Sir, that’s really
something ye don’t want to know about.” After he spoke, he turned his head back
to watch the tiger. I stood staring at him like a dunce. As every minute
passed, I grew wearier of the secrets.

Lugina
dragged the boat onto the dirt and walked away from us. The tiger shook water
from her fur then appeared as Vivian again. The lady was as dry as she had been
when she had watched me undress.

Asher
spoke for the first time in a while, “My lady? How is it that ye remain dry as
a bone, when as a tiger, ye were clearly soaked through?”

Vivian
smiled slyly, “Let’s get on the boat, gentlemen.”

Trave
offered Vivian his hand to assist her onto the boat. She sat on the middle
bench. Asher boarded the boat and placed himself on the bench at the stern.
Trave swung his long legs onto the boat, seating himself near the bow. I
ascended the boat last, joining Vivian on the middle seat. She glanced at me
and feigned a smile. “Shall we row?”

I
couldn’t help myself. “Aye, after ye tell us the secret about Lugina being
drenched, yet ye remain as lovely and intact as ever?”

Asher
leaned forward from the back. Vivian rolled her eyes.

“It’s
simple. Lugina is like wearing a cloak. She covers and protects me, but she is
not me.” Vivian smiled and handed me an oar.

I
took the oar and smacked my right leg with my palm, “Oy! Well that makes
perfect sense!”

Trave
abruptly turned to me, “Watch thy mouth, sir!”

Our
eyes locked, I gritted my teeth, “Or what, sir?”

“Settle
down, gentlemen.” Vivian stated in a tone that shut both of us down. “Tristen,
let’s row this canoe out of here and get on with it. I knowest thou hast a
mission, but so do we.”

I
began rowing, “Aye, Vivian, ye claim ye have a ‘secret mission’, yet thou
speaketh not of it. Thy cat wears a barrel that I shouldn’t knowest about, and
we still knoweth not why ye and Trave were killing soldiers.” I looked back at
Asher who nodded his head, while holding it up with his palm, which extended
from an arm resting on his thigh.

A
devastated expression came over Vivian’s face, like a wave in a wind storm. She
stared blankly into the water. Trave peered over his shoulder, sadly shaking
his head when he saw her.

“It
had to be done. We couldn’t risk them warning the one we are searching for.”
Tears fell from Vivian’s eyes; she didn’t bother to wipe them.

Asher
piped up, “Who are ye looking for, and why can’t the person knoweth?”

Vivian
didn’t speak; she simply hummed her haunting lullaby. A calm blanket-of-peace
covered my mind. I suddenly wanted to sleep. All my cares disappeared and my
arms seemed incredibly light. A smile tugged my cheeks as the tune swept me
away.

After
a while, Vivian’s sultry voice surprised me, dragging me from my musical
intoxication, “Oh dear God!”

All
men jumped at once, and noticed Vivian watching something in the sky. I knew it
could only be one thing. The dragon had awakened and was soaring from the
mountain top. I scanned the area further. Bendixon patiently waited for us to
row a little further.

“We
can make it to the town, row quickly!” I demanded. We increased our speed.
Although my arms felt weary; the pounding in my chest wouldn’t let me stop.
Suddenly, my feet were colder than they had been. I looked down into the boat,
only to see it filling with water.

My
shipmates noticed the new problem as well. Trave grabbed the tin cup that hung
on the side of the boat where I had placed it. Vivian nervously laughed.

“That’s
not going to help much, dear brother. We must have hit some ice, or a shallow
spot of water.” Vivian lifted her oar from the water and dropped it in the
boat. “I have to do something now, that I should have done sooner, but it would
have worn out Lugina too quickly.”

The
next thing I knew, Vivian had plunged into the frigid water. Lugina’s head
appeared, followed by her large body. Trave pushed the rope out into the water
and Lugina held tightly to it with her fang-like teeth, pulling the little
boat. It seemed the added speed only caused the boat to fill up quicker. Asher
moved to the middle bench with me, as the stern began rapidly sinking.

Trave
kept his eye on Gittins as the boat moved forward. My calves were covered with
water. I couldn’t feel my legs at all. Asher’s shoulder slumped forward and he
sighed.

“I’m
going to swim for shore. This little tug-boat’s not going to make it. We’re all
going to end up swimming anyway; we may as well do it now.” Before I could stop
him, Asher flung himself into the water. When his head came up, the shocked
look on his face told me the water was much colder than he had anticipated.
“See thee at shore!” He exhaled with a cloud of cold air.

I
was so surprised I yelled, “Asher!” I lifted my oar into the boat with such jerking
force, that it hit Trave square on the back of his head, causing him to go
overboard. Asher was already out of sight. I assumed the chill of the water had
him in a hurry, but now I was more worried about Trave than Asher. In other
circumstances, I would have patted myself on the back for a most delightful
smack-upside-the-head, but we were already in enough trouble. I didn’t need a
new problem.

“Lugina!
Vivian! Whatever thou calls thyself.” I yelled at the tiger, “Trave is
overboard.”

The
tiger seemed to take a moment to register what I had shouted. She dropped the
rope and swam to the side of the boat. I sat in the boat staring at the water
like a dunderhead. Meanwhile, the water was rising around me. I was so cold it
was becoming difficult to breathe.

Asher
quickly approached the shore. The dragon approached quickly. Lugina’s big fury
head and wild eyes searched the vicinity then Vivian’s sweet face appeared in
an instant. The lovely woman shivered when she realized she was now soaked in
freezing water.

“Tristen,
swim for it. I’m going to find Trave. Go quickly!” Vivian’s black hair turned
quickly back to orange and black stripes as I plunged my heavily armored body
into the icy water. My breath completely disappeared when my skin touched the
surface. I didn’t know how I was going to reach the shore in all my clunky
metal but sheer strength and will pressed me forward. As the metal dragged me
down, I tried to shake it from my arms but decided the effort would best be
used in pushing on. Asher was only a few yards further than I and I focused on
catching him. Suddenly it became a game to see who could reach the shore first.

I
didn’t dare look back but I knew the dragon would probably be upon us at any
moment. I hoped Vivian and Trave would make it. I couldn’t stand to lose Vivian
for good and I knew she would be devastated at the loss of her brother – I
could be happy without him, however. I should have been more careful with the
oar, but Asher caused the whole mess. I decided when I caught up to him, I
would definitely punch him.

Approaching
the shore, I felt my limbs almost give out. Determination to escape the flying
monster, kept me going. Asher had reached the shore and collapsed. I wanted to
yell at him to hide from the dragon but the icy chill of the water had frozen
my lungs. I didn’t think I could make a sound if I tried.

After
a few minutes, which seemed like years, I reached the shore. Before I could
escape the bitter icy water, my body gave up on me and I simply laid face-down
on the rocks. I may have lost consciousness for a bit, because suddenly, I was
facing Asher. He shook me desperately, trying to drag me from the water. He
could not; he was just too weak.

I
may have been delusional but I thought I heard Asher scream, “No! Not Tristen!”
The next thing I knew, he had flung his body on top of mine. The jolt knocked
the wind out of me and I tried to push him off. At first, I thought I had
succeeded and then as his body weight disappeared; I watched as my dear mate
was carried away by a massive reptile.

A
shadow that had enveloped me, disappeared swiftly, as the dragon ascended
speedily away toward his newfound home on Montour Mountain. I pressed myself
from the ground to a seated position and screamed, “Come back! Bring back my
brother!”

Tears
burned my eyes. I let them fall. The nightmare I wanted to wake from seemed to
continue, turning into a blacker mess. Flashbacks of Brendan being carried away
tore through me, as I remembered fleeing from my comrades in Hereford and
leaving them to die. Everyone I cared for was rapidly disappearing from my life
and I prayed for the next to be me. I wasn’t prepared to lose one more person.
At least I had found Brendan and he was alive, at the time, but worry crept in
my mind that perhaps he was already gone again.

Suddenly,
one of the last people alive that I still cared deeply for ran to my side.
Vivian’s face was soaked with concern as she held my face in her hands.
“Tristen, look at me! How art thou?”

I
focused on Vivian’s vivid eyes. I simply felt too exhausted and devastated to
speak. Somehow I raised my arms to her slight back and grabbed her. I pulled
her close to me and sobbed. Vivian didn’t draw away but gently sat herself on
my lap and held on tight. I couldn’t see her face, but the shaking in her back
gave away that she was weeping as well. It was nice holding her close, not only
for the comfort she provided, but the spectacular body heat we shared; she was
spectacularly warm-blooded.

I
grabbed Vivian’s head with both of my hands tangled in her wet hair. I pulled
her lips to mine. She kissed me back with the urgency I felt. Warmth spread
from my lips to my neck, and moved its way down.