Knights: Book 03 - The Heart of Shadows (24 page)

"I've
grown stronger since we last fought," said Vorden, "though training
and battle. My name inspires terror on the other side."

"I
only wish you could face me," Prince Vannas called out. "Though I
know you wouldn't dare."

Vorden
glanced at him. "Don't be so sure you would win, oh arrogant Birlote. That
shiny stone is easy to get free of your hand." Vorden wiggled his iron
fingers. "Unlike this gauntlet, which is bound to me forever."

"Yes,
you're forever a puppet!" Jerret snarled. "I had you beat in our
duel, and you know it. Just be glad it's not me you face."

Vorden
yawned. "Nevertheless, you lost. And my combat skills have advanced far
beyond anything you can imagine, Jerret, as Lannon will soon learn. I am now
the greatest swordsman on Gallamerth."

"Quite
a boast," said Shennen. "I'm sure you're very formidable in armed
combat. But can you defeat a Dark Watchman?"

Vorden
sneered. "I don't see any Dark Watchmen. They're long dead. All I see is
boring Lannon Sunshield and his toy Dragon sword."

"You
were a fool to return!" growled Furlus.

Vorden
ignored the Grey Dwarf and fixed his gaze on Aldreya. "What about you?
Nothing to say, Aldreya Snootyhawk?"

Aldreya's
face darkened. "If Vorden were here, I would gladly speak to him. But he
is dead, and I don't talk to mindless slaves."

Vorden
rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Snootyhawk. I'm quite alive and aware
of everything. But keep pretending otherwise if you wish."

"Words
are meaningless," said Taris. "Let the duel proceed."

"Not
just yet," said Vorden. "I want something clarified. This is supposed
to be a duel of blades, correct? So that means blades only--no Hand of Tharnin
and no Eye of Divinity."

"I'm
not fighting without the Eye," said Lannon, though he knew it sounded
cowardly. He doubted he could beat Vorden on skill alone. Vorden was immensely
talented--and his skills had increased, if his boasts were true.

"Fine
by me," said Vorden. "You use the Eye, and I use the Hand. But you
would have a better chance leaving sorcery out of it."

"We
fight with blades," said Lannon, "
and
sorcery. Or we don't
fight at all--and you can deal with Prince Vannas and his Flamestone."

Vorden
glanced at the prince, then nodded. "I agree. To the death, then."

"I
will accept your submission," said Lannon.

Vorden
shook his head. "I'll never submit to you, Lannon, and I won't accept
your
submission. I fully intend to kill you."

"Do
what you must," said Lannon, drawing his Dragon sword.

Vorden
drew his bizarre spider sword that looked like it was adorned with webs--that
ancient blade that might have once served the Dark Watchmen. It was a powerful
sword, resting in the hands of a powerful swordsman who wielded a gauntlet that
gave him the power of a god. For moment, Lannon wondered if he'd lost his mind
in accepting this duel. But Shennen had faith in Lannon, and Lannon had
developed immense respect for the Lord of the Blue Knights. Shennen had saved
Lannon from Thrake's wrath, when no one else--not even Taris--could foresee
what was going to happen. And Lannon knew he was the only one who cared enough
(or perhaps was foolish enough) to try to save Vorden's life.

Vorden
focused his energy into his sword, and the blade grew red hot. "This will
cut through your armor like its made of butter, old friend."

"I
should hope so," said Lannon. "I only wear leather."

Vorden
chuckled. "You're getting a smart mouth--the best quality I've seen out of
you so far. Very amusing."

Lannon
channeled the Eye of Divinity into his sword, and the Dragon blade quivered
with life, welcoming his energy. "This is the end of the Hand of Tharnin.
Save yourself the trouble and submit!"

Vorden
responded by slashing at Lannon's neck. The move was so swift that Lannon never
saw it. However, somehow his blade was there to deflect the blow that would
have beheaded him.

Vorden
stepped back, his eyebrows raised. Then he drove in again with more incredibly
swift strokes, but this time the Eye adapted and slowed Lannon's view of the
moves, though he was still limited in how fast he could respond. Seeing things
in slow motion made him realize just how close some of Vorden's strokes were to
connecting.

His
flurry of attacks blocked, Vorden again stepped back, his chest heaving.
"Incredible! I can't believe you're still alive!"

"We
don't have to do this," said Lannon. "Surrender, and we can get that
gauntlet off of you. You could return to life as a Squire. You were the best of
all of us, Vorden. You still have a bright future at Dremlock."

"You're
lost in a sad dream world," said Vorden. "This is a fight to the
death, and my old life means nothing to me."

Vorden
drove in again and they crossed blades. Vorden shoved at Lannon, but Lannon
resisted and held his ground. Hand and Eye pushed against each other, and
neither gave way. The air seemed to warp around them. The heat from Vorden's
blade made sweat pour off Lannon, as he couldn't spare much energy on shielding
himself. It was so hot that the onlookers had to move back a bit.

Vorden's
yellow eyes gleamed with focus, the Will of the Deep Shadow demanding Lannon
give way. Vorden was charged with the power of the demon that lurked within his
gauntlet, and his face showed an inhuman malice. He was entirely bent on
Lannon's destruction.

As
Lannon gazed into those demonic eyes, he had to struggle to keep from
faltering. The evil and madness radiating from Vorden sickened Lannon to the
core and threatened to drain his will. But Lannon's training--and the power of
the Eye--helped him resist.

"It
is
you
who should submit," said Vorden. "You have no future at
Dremlock. The Kingdom of Bellis will see to that. Thousands of Knights, bearing
massive siege engines, will swarm over Dremlock like a wave washing away sand.
Your only hope for survival, Lannon, is to swear allegiance to the Deep
Shadow--as the Dark Watchmen once did. Take your oath now and I will spare your
life."

"I
would rather die," said Lannon, remembering the haunted face of Thrake
Wolfaxe's ghost. "The Deep Shadow offers no peace."

"Fool!"
Vorden bellowed. "I am at peace. Look into my eyes to see the truth. I
don't have a care in the world, Lannon. My mind is free of burdens, and I live
only to serve myself. I'm not a puppet of Tharnin--I just use the Deep Shadow
to grant me power. That's why the Tharnin Lords fear me."

"They
fear you because of that gauntlet," said Lannon. "It makes you crazy,
Vorden. Yet you can't even see that truth."

Vorden
didn't reply. Instead, he tried to communicate his feelings directly to Lannon--allowing
the Eye to glimpse the wonders that Vorden held in such high regard. Lannon saw
a bleak, frozen domain where power was all that mattered and kindness, charity,
and morality were concepts given little weight. But Lannon felt only disgust
for Vorden's ideal world, and Vorden simply couldn't understand why Lannon
wasn't enthralled with the concept of Tharnin.

"If
you actually came back to recruit me," said Lannon, "you were
destined to fail. You should realize by now that I'm not Timlin."

Vorden's
face turned crimson with rage. "Very well, then witness the fires of
purification!" Vorden sent a furious surge of energy into his blade, and
it burned even hotter--looking like a tongue of flame. Lannon feared his Dragon
sword would be burned through, but the weapon held--perhaps sustained in part
by the Eye. Lannon diverted more energy to shielding himself, as a blazing red
fireball expanded between them. The fireball suddenly exploded and sent lesser
fireballs flying around the chamber, causing Knights and Soldiers to dive for
cover. Lannon was blown back several feet, all of his focus on shielding
himself from the intense heat and energy, but he stayed standing.

With
a howl, Vorden leapt through the air at Lannon. The two warriors collided in a
flurry of sword strokes--with Lannon again mostly defending Vorden's attacks.
Vorden was expending massive amounts of energy trying to break through Lannon's
defenses, and Lannon was growing weary of having to block blows that would have
shredded steel. Battling Vorden seemed to bring out the best in Lannon, but
Lannon wasn't sure how much longer he could sustain it. The Hand of Tharnin
seemed to harbor endless power, but Lannon was growing exhausted. He knew he
had to go on the attack and make something happen.

Finally
Vorden paused, panting. He thrust his arms out and grinned. "This is a
great battle, old friend, to make me have to catch my breath. But--"

Lannon
threw everything into a single attack--summoning all the remaining power of the
Eye and forcing it into his blade. The Dragon sword responded by lashing out in
a move so swift it caught Vorden by surprise. The bone blade cut through
Vorden's arm just below the shoulder--the arm that was bound by the Hand of
Tharnin. The heavy gauntlet, which was still wrapped around the hilt of the
spider sword, clattered to the floor, the severed arm protruding from it.

Vorden
gazed down at the fallen gauntlet, dumbfounded. "You...you cut off my arm.
You wretched coward!"

Vorden
reached toward the gauntlet with his remaining arm, but Lannon leapt forward
and kicked him in the chest. Vorden fell on his back, blood pooling around his
shoulder. "You worthless sneak!" he cried, his eyes wide.

Lannon
stood over Vorden, his sword poised for a killing blow. "This duel is
over, Vorden. Do you submit?"

"I
expected better of you!" Vorden snarled. "Is that how you win a duel?
By taking a limb?"

Lannon
shrugged. "It did the job."

"A
cowardly attack!" Almdrax cried. The huge Dark Knight raised his axe.
"The duel is unfair!"

"The
move was legal," Taris said. "Honor is preserved."

"Legal
or not," said Almdrax, "only a coward severs limbs to win a
duel."

The
Legion Soldiers muttered in agreement.

Lannon
nodded. "I accept the label of a coward, if it means saving a life."
He positioned the sword above Vorden's heart. "I ask again--do you
submit?"

"Kill
me!" Vorden growled.

Lannon
hesitated, then nodded. As much as he hated the thought of killing his former
friend, he couldn't afford to lose the duel and allow the Hand of Tharnin to
remain with the Blood Legion. If Vorden refused to yield, death was the only
alternative. Lannon raised the sword, shutting out his disgust over what he was
forced to do. It simply had to be done.

But
Vorden saw the focus in Lannon's eyes and knew Lannon meant business.
"Wait!" he cried, raising his hand. "Spare me, old friend. I
don't want to die here like this. Yes, I am the loser of the duel. I
yield!"

With
a sigh of relief, Lannon lowered his blade.

Cries
of rage and despair arose from the Blood Legion. They cursed Vorden for being a
coward, but they were forced to throw down their weapons and surrender. Almdrax
was the last to give up, but finally he dropped his axe and bowed his head, his
expression concealed--as always--beneath his horned helm.

Vorden
closed his eyes, either unconscious or unwilling to communicate. A healer set
to work on his arm.

Lannon
knew that simply removing the Hand of Tharnin from Vorden did not mean his
former friend would return to normal. Vorden had a rough road ahead of him.
However, one grave threat to Dremlock had been dealt with, and for a moment at
least, the Knights and Squires could savor victory.

Jace
started toward the fallen gauntlet, but Lannon motioned him back. "I think
I should do this myself." Lannon had once watched in horror as the Hand of
Tharnin had attached itself to Vorden, and he had no intention of standing by
and watching someone else fall victim to the device.

"Yes,
let Lannon unlock it," said Taris.

"Why
unlock it at all?" said Trenton. "It's not worth the risk."

"I
have to save Vorden's arm," said Lannon, shrugging.

But
before Lannon could even set to work on the complicated lock, the Hand of
Tharnin was drawn to Lannon's power, and it strongly desired to bind itself to
him. The four latches opened on their own and the device came unlocked in a
burst of steam. Before the gauntlet could make a move, Lannon froze it with his
power. He removed Vorden's severed arm and stepped back, motioning to Prince
Vannas.

"Destroy
it," Lannon said.

"I
wouldn't advise that," said Jace. "Too dangerous. I suggest we lock
it away somewhere and study it."

"Study
it?" said Taris. "Like we studied the Dragon Bones? I think I'm quite
weary of studying objects infested with the Deep Shadow."

"I
am opposed to studying it," said Shennen, bowing his head. "I don't
want a repeat of what happened to Thrake."

"This
is different," said Jace. "To destroy the Hand of Tharnin could
result in a malicious demon being released in our presence. And to bury it
would be folly, for it will last forever and someone would eventually find it.
Place it in Dremlock's most secure vault, until we can find a way to safely
destroy it. If nothing else, it should be taken out onto the ocean and sank
into the deep."