Knights: Book 03 - The Heart of Shadows (14 page)

He
stood atop the crusty snow, gazing at the few bright stars burning overhead.
The life of a Divine Knight was a lonely one, but Lannon was used to that. He'd
been alone growing up (with his parents too focused on each other and their
constant battles to pay attention to him) and now, even with friends like
Aldreya, he still felt alone. His power seemed to separate him from others,
leaving him feeling detached. He wondered if the Dark Watchmen had felt that
isolation and if it had helped drive them into the eager embrace of the Deep
Shadow. As that last thought crept into his mind, Lannon's gaze was drawn to
the ancient tower that stood nearby, its windows dark and empty in the
starlight, and chills flooded down his spine.

***

Lannon
had just returned to the tent and was feeling warm and relaxed under his
quilt--and looking forward to a peaceful night of sleep--when Taris Warhawk
leaned into the tent. "Come outside, Lannon," the sorcerer said,
"and bring your climbing gear. Bring all of your tools, actually."

 
Lannon shoved aside the quilt and rose,
strapping on his sword and tightening his fur cloak around him. He loaded up
with all of his Blue Squire gear--rope and grapple hook, grip powder,
lock-picking tools, and a tiny Glaetherin saw that could cut through steel.
Then he stepped out into the freezing air, wondering what Taris wanted at this
late hour.

Taris
held a Birlote torch, and he pointed it toward the ancient tower.
"Remember when I said I would tell you the story of the Dark
Watchmen?"

Lannon
nodded.

"Well,
the time has come," Taris went on. "Except that I'm not going to
merely tell it to you--I'm going to
show
it to you. That is the ancient
meeting place of the Dark Watchmen, where they discussed the affairs of the
land. It is a strange old keep, and a very dangerous one--still protected by
dark sorcery. However, you will be safe enough under my guidance. And this will
give you a chance to get some proper training as a Blue Squire."

Lannon
gazed at the dark tower that rose above the treetops and shuddered. The keep
struck fear into his heart, but he was eager to learn about the Dark Watchmen,
and he felt he had little to fear with Taris accompanying him.

"This
will be a good test for you," said Taris. "It could strengthen you
and make you a greater threat to the Deep Shadow. Or it could be a very bitter
experience. So yes, it has its risks. Are you prepared?"

Lannon
considered it and felt confident he could do whatever Taris demanded of him.
"I think I'm ready."

"Good,"
said Taris. "I figured you would be up to the challenge."

"Is
anyone else coming with us?" Lannon asked.

"No,"
said Taris. "We must go alone. I don't want to put anyone else in danger.
This keep is filled with traps for the unwary."

Without
another word, Taris started down the hillside. Lannon hesitated for a moment,
then hurried after him. Their boots made crunching noises on the crusty snow.
They passed through a grove of ancient oak trees, at the center of which stood
the old stone tower in a small clearing. It rose up about two-hundred feet into
the air, its bulk darkly outlined against the stars. The lower half of the
tower was webbed with ice-covered vines, and a large stone door stood before them.
Two life-sized stone statues (also webbed in vines) of cloaked and hooded
figures holding swords stood on either side of the door. The presence of dark
sorcery overwhelmed Lannon, and he dreaded entering the tower. It seemed to
have a grim intelligence behind it, something plotting his downfall even before
he passed beyond the door. This was the darkest, strangest keep Lannon had ever
encountered. Yet mixed with that darkness was beauty and a hint that this had
once been a noble place.

"Quite
a sight, isn't it?" said Taris, running his fingers over the door.
"This tower once stood for peace and justice--before the Deep Shadow
corrupted it. Yet even after hundreds of years of darkness, one can still sense
the presence of hope and honor that Tharnin has not been able to completely
erase."

Lannon
nodded, his emotions on edge. The Eye of Divinity revealed the tower as it once
was--a beautiful keep surrounded by blessed oaks, where the guardians of
Silverland would meet and hold extravagant feasts. The tower was the same in
appearance after centuries--except that it was now murky with shadow. The power
of Tharnin concealed its beauty and made it sinister.

The
door had no handle.

"I
entered through a window," Taris explained, "when I visited here
before." He pointed to a window about forty feet above them. "We can
gain access there, if we must. But this door was designed for one who possesses
the Eye of Divinity. This whole tower was built for
you
, Lannon."

Lannon
seized the stone door with the Eye and pulled. Slowly it came open enough to
let them through. They stepped inside, and the door closed on its own behind
them. Immediately, Lannon felt like he was home--like the whole tower was
embracing him. For the first time in his life, he truly felt he was where he
belonged. He had no doubt this ancient tower was indeed built for him.

They
stood in an octagonal chamber with a trapdoor at the middle of it. Thirty feet
above them was a stone ceiling with a round hole cut in it. Ancient boards and
stone blocks lay strewn around, but otherwise the chamber was barren. Lannon
could see no stairway leading upward. Lannon examined the trapdoor. It was made
of stone, with an iron ring, and looked to be quite heavy.

"We're
going up," Taris said, pointing at the hole above them.

Lannon
flung the grapple hook up through the hole, but it snagged nothing and fell
back down. He tried again and got the same result. He glanced at Taris.
"I'm not sure there is anything I can hook up there."

"You
could levitate yourself up," said Taris, shrugging.

Lannon
considered it. He'd tried levitation before with the power of the Eye, but it
quickly wore him out. It took a lot of energy to move objects even briefly--let
alone lift himself thirty feet into the air. And using the Eye on himself seemed
especially tiring for some reason, as if he were struggling against himself
somehow. "I think I'll pass on that," he said. "Any other
ideas?"

Taris
frowned. "Where is your imagination, Squire? A Dark Watchman could get up
there easily. Remember, this tower was designed for Blue Knights who possess
the Eye of Divinity."

An
idea occurred to Lannon, and he hurled the grapple hook again. This time he
reached out with the Eye and searched for a place to hook it. The distance was
significant, but the hook was light and easy to move. He found a small metal
ring on the floor above, and he forced the hook to snag it.

"And
there you have it," said Taris. "You combined the power of the Eye
with your skills as a Blue Squire. That's what it's all about."

Lannon
started to slowly climb up, but Taris chastised him. "You're climbing like
a fool. Use the Eye to help you climb faster. Don't be afraid of wearing
yourself out, for that is how you increase your capacity."

Lannon
focused on scampering up the rope. The Eye did indeed help him climb faster,
and he soon stood on the next floor, gazing down through the hole and feeling
pride in his accomplishment. He was standing in snow that had blown in through
the tower windows (as their shutters were long gone).

Taris
took off his boots and put them in his pack, exposing his large, muscular
Birlote feet that had claw-like toenails. He went up the rope like a spider,
moving even faster than Lannon had. When he reached the top, he grabbed the
edge of the hole and pulled himself up with ease, as if he were completely
weightless.

Lannon
sensed the chamber they stood in used to be a library, and he would have loved
to see the books it contained--but the books and even the shelves they once
rested on were long gone. A few gargoyle statues with claws outstretched and
long, hooked beaks still protruded from the walls, and a large stone fireplace
was still intact. Sadness filled Lannon as he looked around, and he longed to
see the tower as it had once been--to glimpse it with his own eyes and not the
Eye of Divinity. He wanted the keep exactly as it used to be and would have
gladly done the work to restore it. But the corruption of the Deep Shadow
permeated everything, making restoration of the tower out of the question. And,
Lannon reminded himself, there was no point to restoring it anyway. He was a
Squire of Dremlock, and Dremlock was his home until he retired from
Knighthood--if he ever chose to retire. Still, the longing in his heart
remained.

They
took a stairway up to the next floor and found stone tables and chairs still
intact. This was either a dining hall or meeting hall--or both. There were no
windows here, and no snow. Just frosty stone walls. Lannon took a seat in one
of the chairs and found it comfortable enough. The smooth stone was sculpted to
the shape of his body and, in spite of the freezing air, felt strangely warm
beneath him. He relaxed for a moment, lost in his ponderings of the tower.

Taris
smiled and pointed at another stairway. "This is no time for rest, my
young friend. Our journey must take us to the very peak of this tower."

They
went up three more floors and found storage rooms, bedchambers, and barren
rooms with no discernable purpose. Lannon wanted to carefully examine each room
with the Eye, but Taris kept him moving. At last they stood in a chamber where
a hole in the ceiling was sixty feet above them and just barely visible in the
light of the Birlote torch--a hole that was ten feet beyond the length of
Lannon's rope. The walls were smooth marble and looked impossible to climb,
curving inward toward the top. Clearly, the Dark Watchman had wanted it to be
very difficult for anyone to reach the chamber above.

"I
am greatly intrigued by that chamber up there," said Taris. "When I
was last here, I was able to withstand the dark sorcery that guards it and
ascend through the hole. But then I was confronted by a cube of
Glaetherin--like a huge safe--protected by a wheel lock which no one today
would know how to open. Completely impenetrable."

Not
completely impenetrable
,
Lannon thought, remembering how Vannas had cut through a slab of Glaetherin
with the White Flamestone.

"I
suspect that safe contains items that were of great importance to the Dark
Watchmen," said Taris. "Items that should pass to you, Lannon--if,
that is, you can manage to open the wheel lock."

"I
have opened them before," said Lannon, eager to learn what treasures the
safe contained.

"This
one is
very
complex," said Taris, "designed only for someone
with full command of the Eye."

"Then
we should have brought Prince Vannas," said Lannon. "It would take
some time, but he could cut through it."

"No,"
said Taris. "The safe should only be opened by one who is worthy--one who
is ready to possess what lies within. If you can't do it yourself, then you
have no right to lay claim to what it holds."

"How
are we even going to get up there?" said Lannon.

"I
can climb walls," said Taris, smiling.

"But
I'm not a Birlote," said Lannon, "so I can't."

"It
has nothing to do with being a Birlote," said Taris. "A Birlote only
climbs trees or rugged surfaces, but I can climb
any
surface. It has
taken decades, but I've mastered the sorcery that allows me to bind myself to
smooth walls. However, you'll have to use your rope and the power of the Eye.
I'll meet you up there. Beware of the dark sorcery that will seek to turn you
away."

Taris
handed Lannon the torch and proceeded to climb slowly up the marble wall. Taris
grunted with strain as he moved upward. Clearly, it took immense energy to bind
the sorcerer to the stone. Lannon found himself amazed yet again at Taris
Warhawk's abilities. The Tower Master was truly on a skill level that few had
ever reached. Birlotes by nature had extreme talent for sorcery, yet Taris was
exceptional even amongst them.

Lannon
seized his grapple hook with the Eye and hurled it at the hole, letting go of
the rope. He guided it upward and found a stone ring to snag on the chamber
floor. But now the rope's end was nearly fifteen feet above him.

"I
can't reach it," he called to Taris.

"Levitate,"
was Taris' reply.

Lannon
sighed, hating the prospect of levitation. As he used the Eye to try to lift
himself into the air, the unpleasant feeling of his power battling his own body
made him nauseous. Instantly, he felt drained. He realized he was never going to
enjoy levitation--which explained why the Dark Watchmen had favored rope and
grapple hooks. Slowly he lifted himself high enough to grab the rope. He hung
there for a moment, feeling exhausted and dizzy, the slender Birlote torch
clenched in his teeth. Then he started upward. As he climbed, an overwhelming
fear gripped him--dark sorcery, radiating from sources hidden in the marble
walls, making him want to flee from the keep. He fought back with the Eye,
pushing the fear from his mind, and managed to keep climbing.