Knights: Book 03 - The Heart of Shadows (17 page)

"Well
done, Lannon!" said Vannas.

"Yes,
great stroke," said Jerret, his eyes full of envy.

"You
looked so confident!" said Aldreya. "I'm very impressed."

Daledus
grinned. "Not bad, for a swordsman."

Lannon
shrugged. "Thank you, but I wasn't as confident as I looked. I hate Pit
Crawlers!"

"It
just wanted some food," said Lothrin, looking amused.

"I'm
sure it had more in mind than just a meal," said Aldreya, with a shudder.
"Pit Crawlers are cunning and evil."

The
farmer and his daughter came out of the barn with sad expressions on their
faces. "Six cows dead," the farmer muttered. He clutched his head and
groaned. "Now what will I do? I lost my wife to illness earlier in the
winter, and now this... But I thank you for killing the beast."

Lannon
was overcome by pity for the farmer and his daughter. He still had the bag of
silver coins he'd found in the Watchmen's Keep, and he wanted to give it to
them. He approached Taris and made his request.

"You
wish to give them an entire bag of silver?" said Taris. "Silver that
could go to Dremlock, to be used for the good of this land?"

"Yes,"
said Lannon.

"The
answer is
no
," said Taris. "We are in a war with the Deep
Shadow, and Dremlock does not have unlimited funds."

Lannon
drew the jeweled dagger he'd found in the tower. "Then I will give them
this. I'm sure it's worth some silver."

"It's
worth
a
lot
of silver," said Taris. "That is Birlote
steel and real rubies, with a blade that will never dull and is sharper than a
razor. A useful dagger for a Blue Squire. Are you sure you want to give up such
a fine weapon?"

"If
I'm allowed to, yes," said Lannon.

"The
dagger is yours," said Taris, with a shrug. "You can give it to
whoever you choose. But think carefully about this decision. That is a rare
blade--given only by a Birlote king to honor a great deed."

"I
will give it to the farmer," said Lannon, though he hated to part with it.
"I still have my sword, and he needs it more than I do."

Taris
nodded, looking pleased. "I'm impressed with your generosity, Lannon, in
giving up something of great value for the sake of another. That is the quality
of a Divine Knight. I would have given a
share
of the silver to the
farmer, but the dagger is worth far more. Consider yourself a true hero this
day."

Lannon
bowed, delighted at the compliment. He presented the dagger to the farmer,
whose eyes lit up when he saw it. "This is worth a lot," said Lannon.
He described the qualities of the dagger, so the farmer would know to demand a
high price for it. "You should take it to town and sell it. It should more
than make up for the loss of the cows."

The
farmer's face showed gratitude and relief. "You are brave and generous,
Master Knight."

His
daughter went to Lannon and kissed him on the cheek. "I will never forget
you," she said. "My name is Tessa, and my father is Logan. Come back
and visit us when you get the chance."

"Thank
you," said Lannon. "I will."

Lannon
climbed onto his horse, feeling warm inside over the day's events. He realized
he could get addicted to doing good deeds. But his joyful mood darkened a bit
as the Knights discussed the situation.

"That
Pit Crawler was enormous," said Shennen. "The largest I've ever seen.
This does not bode well for Silverland."

"Yes,
another exceptionally powerful Goblin," said Taris, "like the ones in
Elder Oak. Even beheading it failed to end its life. I suspect the answer to
this mystery will be found at Blombalk Fortress."

"It
was mere chance that we encountered the farmer," said Trenton, "while
the beast was in his barn. I can only wonder how many people are in great peril
even as we speak. How many small, defenseless towns like Elder Oak are under
attack by these new Goblins? I fear the dead are piling up unbeknownst to
us."

"Silverland
is not a vast expanse," said Jace. "So I would guess the threat is
fairly widespread and growing by the moment."

"All
I know," said Daledus, "is that I agree with Shennen. That snake was
massive! I wonder what it had been feeding on to grow that big?"

"Hopefully
not the good folks of Silverland," said Trenton, with a disgusted look.
"We need to hunt down these new Goblins quickly."

"The
message has been sent to Dremlock," said Taris. "There is nothing
more we can do right now. We must move on to Blombalk."

Chapter
9:
 
Blombalk Fortress

The
cold weather and snow continued as they journeyed through Hethos. As they drew
close to Blombalk Fortress, the scouts discovered the Blood Legion was already
in control of the fortress (which was not unexpected, considering the Legion
had been several hours ahead in the race). The wooden keep stood on a rocky
cliff on the edge of the Western Bloodlands. Dremlock's warriors were close
enough they could see archers in the guard towers. Beyond the fortress stood a
line of twisted, snow-covered trees with crimson boughs--the Mother Trees of
the Bloodlands.

"So
we lost the race," said Trenton, his gaze fixed on Taris. "Now
what?"

"I
think we should demand to be let in," said Taris.

"But
surely they will fight," said Trenton.

"I
very much doubt it," said Taris. "We have the White Flamestone on our
side--the ultimate siege weapon. They dare not oppose us. And we can't afford
to wait while they conduct their own investigation. Bear in mind that a great
power source--a weapon--was being used at this fortress. I have no doubt that
the Blood Legion is searching for that weapon even as we speak. If they find
it, if it still exists here, we may lose our advantage."

"But
we know nothing of this power source," said Trenton. "Only a vague
dream by our Lord Knight. Is that enough to prompt us to proceed recklessly?"

"Again,
they dare not oppose us," said Taris.

"Unless,"
said Trenton, "they have already regained possession of the mysterious
weapon. If they did, things could get very ugly."

"I'm
prepared to accept that risk," said Taris.

"We
can take this fortress," said Daledus. "It has only wooden walls to
protect it. Dremlock should have conquered it ages ago."

"I
agree," said Shennen. "Blombalk is not nearly as well defended as Old
Hammer Hall."

"They
why not just attack?" said Daledus.

"Our
goal is to avoid bloodshed," said Taris. "We were sent here by the
Divine Essence to retrieve the great power source and investigate the attack on
the fortress. Our goal is not combat. Nor is it, I believe, the goal of the
Blood Legion. They too are undoubtedly seeking the power source."

"Taris
speaks true," said Trenton, glaring at the others. "We are Divine
Knights, not warmongers. We do not enter into mass conflict lightly."

"Is
that why the Blood Legion still exists?" said Daledus, scowling.
"Because Dremlock is reluctant to engage in battle?"

"The
Blood Legion is strong," said Taris, with a shrug. "They have their
own dark fire and their own tricks. Dremlock has tried to eradicate them many
times and failed. When their numbers are low, they tend to go into hiding.
However, we still hold out hope that we can put an end to them."

"Why
not put an end to them right now?" said Daledus, raising his oversized
axe.

"Great
idea!" said Jerret, his eyes blazing. He raised his broadsword.

Some
of the other Knights overheard Daledus and Jerret, and they raised their
weapons and bellowed in agreement.

"Calm
yourselves!" Taris commanded. "There will be no more talk of
bloodshed this day. We have a specific mission here--ordered by the Divine
Essence itself. There will be time for battle later."

 
Reluctantly, they lowered their weapons.

Taris
commanded the army to ride to the fortress, with no weapons drawn. Soon they
were gathered before the cliff on which it sat, gazing up at the log walls and
towers through the glittering snowflakes. The Blood Legion archers trained
their bows on the Divine Knights. The cliff was sheer, and Lannon wondered how
they were going to gain access to the fortress. He assumed there was a route
that was not visible. The moments drifted past, while the army sat in silence.

At
last, Timlin and his Dark Knight, Ulmason Deathhand, emerged from the fortress
and stood on the cliff, gazing down at them. The two were flanked by twenty
archers and two Goblin Lords. Timlin had an arrow in his bow, which he aimed at
Lannon while grinning. "What do you want?" Timlin called down.

Lannon
shielded himself with the Eye. Then he took out his Glaetherin throwing star,
which he was able to keep concealed in his hand. The archers were more than
eighty feet away, but it was the only ranged weapon Lannon possessed. He knew
if he had to hurl it that far, he might not be able to draw it back to his hand
and could lose it. His command of the Eye--as far as distance went--seemed to
vary widely depending on how much energy he had. However, he was well rested
after a long, uneventful ride.

"You
know what we want," Taris shouted back. "We intend to investigate
this fortress. You can let us enter peacefully, or you can seek to block us.
But I assure you that none of you will survive a battle. What say you?"

"But
what of the duel?" Timlin replied. "It seems you did not honor it. So
the Knights of Dremlock are not true to their word."

"The
duel was unfair," said Taris, "as you well know. I'm not going to
debate this with you, Timlin. Either allow us in peacefully, or face the white
fire that will bring you to ruin! Speak quickly!"

Timlin
spoke to his Dark Knight for a moment. Then he lowered his bow. "You may
enter. No need for bloodshed. But we will be sharing equal space here and not
bowing to Dremlock's rules."

"Agreed,"
said Taris, though some of Dremlock's fighters--including Daledus and
Jerret--looked dismayed at the notion of sharing space with their sworn
enemies.

"I
won't be dining with them!" Daledus grunted.

"Nor
will I," said Jerret.

"Dining
with them is not required," said Taris. "We will dine in our tents,
as usual."

"Yet
I hear their rice pudding is excellent," said Jace.

***

Blombalk
fortress had been the main Blood Legion headquarters for nearly a century. It
consisted almost entirely of grey logs from the great Mother Trees of the
nearby Western Bloodlands. The logs had been treated to remove the stench and
to protect against fire attacks from the Divine Knights. There were several
guard towers set atop twenty-foot-high walls that featured rows of
end-sharpened logs to making climbing over them perilous. Within the walls
stood several buildings--the Council Meeting Hall, the Solider Barracks, the
Council Barracks, the Solider Storehouse (where supplies were kept), the
Healing Hall, the Guardhouse (where prisoners were held), and the Training Hall
and Grounds. The only easy way to the fortress gates was a narrow, winding
trail that led up the cliff.

Blombalk
had suffered quite a bit of damage in the recent attack. Two of the guard towers
were burned into ruin, along with the Training Hall and the Guardhouse. And
most of the buildings had sustained damage to varying degrees. It was as if a
hurricane had struck the fort, tearing doors off hinges and ripping apart
walls. Many Legion warriors had been killed in the attack--including
high-ranking Council members--but there were no bodies to be found. It appeared
the creatures of the nearby Bloodlands had come to pick clean the fortress.

The
Divine Knights erected tents on the fortress grounds, preferring to let
Timlin's Soldiers have the barracks. They weren't happy at all about camping in
the midst of their foes--especially considering that snarling Goblins roamed
freely about the camp. It went against the training and instincts of a Divine Knight
to camp amongst foul Goblins and simply ignore them.

 
A meeting was called in the Council Barracks
between the Divine Shield, Timlin, Ulmason Deathhand, and two Legion Council
members--Hoytus Shadowblood and Rulain Knightslayer (both Olrogs, and brothers).
Also present were two Goblin Lords who stood holding twisted staffs. Everyone
was seated at a long table, and ale, water, bread, and sliced cheese was passed
around.
 
Jerret and Daledus refused to
eat or drink, however, and sat looking sullen. They were in a dining hall that
was warmed by a large stone fireplace. Paintings of famous Blood Legion
warriors hung from the walls--including one that showed a Divine Knight lying
on the bloodstained ground and raising his hand as if to beg for his life, while
a grinning Legion Knight held an axe poised for a downward stroke.

Timlin
guzzled some ale and then slammed his mug down on the table. He grinned at
Lannon. "Care for some ale or pipe leaf?"

Lannon
shook his head. He focused the Eye of Divinity on Timlin, and he could glimpse
massive power behind the flawless white and blue armor. Vorden's Hand of
Tharnin had made Timlin an extension of itself, altering his body with dark
sorcery and making his already formidable skills all the more dangerous. Vorden
had created a monster out of Timlin.

"Oh,
that's right," said Timlin, lighting a pipe. "You're not allowed ale
or smoke,
Squire
. You're just allowed to risk your life for
Dremlock."

"I
don't care for those things anyway," said Lannon, which was true. He was
barely aware of what he was saying. His mind was overcome with despair as he
gazed at Timlin, for Lannon now understood just how far gone he was. Timlin was
caught in an unbreakable grip of the Deep Shadow, and not a flicker of doubt or
conscience remained within him.

"No,
you probably don't," said Timlin, sneering. "Does ale remind you of
your father? You mentioned once that he is a pathetic drunk."

Lannon
didn't reply, but Timlin was correct in that ale reminded him of the unpleasant
aspects of his father. The words stung, and Lannon wanted to say something to
get back at Timlin; but it was pointless. He swallowed the bitterness (along
with some bread and cheese). Getting angry with Timlin served no purpose.
Timlin was a prisoner of darkness and deserved only pity.

Timlin
blew pipe smoke in Lannon's face. "Don't breathe in,
Squire
, or
you're sure to be in trouble."

Lannon
glared at him, his anger and frustration finally boiling over. "That
stinking leaf of yours doesn't interest me, Timlin, so enough with your games.
Puppet of Tharnin or not, why don't you grow up?"

"Puppet
of Tharnin?" said Timlin, his grin vanishing. "Hardly. You're just
jealous that I'm in command of my life. You're the only puppet here, Lannon.
You're shoved into one battle after the next, but you can't even have a good
smoke. And that sort of thing is exactly why I left Dremlock."

"Let's
get to the point here," said Trenton. "I'm not a very patient man.
What have you discovered so far, Timlin?"

Timlin
frowned. "From our investigation? Well, first of all, we've agreed to give
you access to the fortress for now, but we haven't agreed to work with you.
We're supposed to be enemies, remember?"

"Noted,"
said Trenton. "But we have a common interest. Whatever force attacked this
fortress struck a deep blow to the Blood Legion. Surely you want vengeance. And
surely you didn't call this meeting to talk about ale and pipe smoking and
waste time mocking Lannon."

"Of
course we want vengeance," said Timlin. "But we can achieve that on
our own. I know you didn't come here merely to investigate--and certainly not
to assist us. You came here to claim the great weapon--the Heart of
Kings."

"The
Heart of Kings?" said Trenton, glancing at Taris.

"Ah,
I see," said Jace, a knowing look on his face. "That is another term
for the Black Flamestone. Well, this is interesting!"

"This
does not surprise me," said Taris.

"So
there is a black one as well," said Trenton, looking amused. "The
good one must have its evil counterpart."

"It's
not actually black," said Jace. "It's dark blue and red. Of course,
the
Dark Blue and Red Flamestone
just doesn't sound right."

"Both
came from the White Guardian's heart," said Taris. "Because the White
Guardian was only a child, its heart was still impure."

"Why
would a child's heart hold evil?" said Daledus. "Grown men do evil in
this world, not children. That makes no sense."

"The
White Guardian," said Taris, "cannot be compared to a mortal child.
Our god is a unique creature. Regardless, its heart contained traces of selfish
evil. When the creature was shattered, the heart was split and that trace of
evil became the so-called Black Flamestone. It was lost for centuries--until
now. This is why the Divine Essence has given us the White Flamestone, because
it knew of the threat and feared it would fall into the hands of our
enemies."

"I
had assumed it was a Flamestone we were after," said Trenton. "But I
didn't have a clue which one. Yet somehow you knew, Taris."

"I
only suspected it," said Taris.

"So
where is it now?" asked Shennen, his gaze fixed on Timlin. "That is
the question we need answered."

Timlin
gazed back at Shennen defiantly. "And it's a good question, oh jolly
assassin, but I don't have an answer."

"What
happened at this fortress?" asked Taris. "Or are you not able to
answer that question either?"