Knights: Book 03 - The Heart of Shadows (8 page)

Lannon
suspected Shennen was right. "Then how could I win?"

"As
I told you earlier," said Shennen, "you must become a fully trained
Blue Knight and learn to channel the Eye of Divinity through your sword. You
must become like the Dark Watchmen of old in learning to focus your power in
ways that will enhance your combat skills."

Lannon
wondered if Shennen had lost his wits. "But the Dark Watchmen turned to
evil. Didn't you hear the story Jace just told? And Taris has warned me as well
not to follow the path they took."

"I
know the story," said Shennen. "And I understand Taris' concerns. But
I fear greatly for your survival. Your relentless foes will eventually catch
you off guard and kill you. You are the most hated foe of Tharnin--because you
are a living symbol of the power of the Divine Essence. The White Flamestone is
merely an object--as mighty as it is--but you are alive and easily despised. If
you do not train yourself as a Dark Watchman, I'm convinced that you will soon
be dead."

With
that, Shennen ended the conversation.

***

Later
that night they camped near a grove of pines. Lannon lay awake after everyone
else was asleep. The assassination attempt dominated his thoughts, as he
struggled to make sense of it. He also searched his memory for clues he'd
missed that would have revealed Thrake's link to Tharnin, but could find none.

Lannon
pondered what Shennen had told him, how if he didn't enhance his training and
focus--like the Dark Watchmen of ancient times--he would surely die. But if
Lannon went that route, he risked losing himself to the Deep Shadow, a fate
some believed to be worse than death. For Thrake, that fate had indeed been
worse than death, because Thrake's reputation was forever tarnished. He wasn't
even allowed a proper burial at Dremlock.

When
Lannon thought of the lonely pile of ashes in the snow that had once been
Thrake Wolfaxe, his heart was weighed down by sadness. All the years of
sacrifice and hard work the Red Knight had put into his service at Dremlock had
been undone quickly and easily by the Deep Shadow. It seemed terribly unfair
that Dremlock wasn't allowed to honor Thrake, as if all those years of
defending the kingdom suddenly meant nothing. Because the Sacred Laws came from
the Divine Essence itself, they were not open to debate and Lannon wasn't even
supposed to question them privately. But some of those laws seemed far too
strict and judgmental, and Lannon couldn't help but question the reasoning
behind them.

Lannon's
thoughts toward Thrake became almost an obsession, and he realized that a quiet
voice was whispering in his mind, urging him to leave the tent. Lannon
hesitated to obey, however, believing it to be some trick of the Deep Shadow.
He sent the Eye of Divinity outside the tent and found four Knights standing
guard. He couldn't sense any danger.

The
voice in Lannon's mind became pleading, and at last Lannon pulled his fur cloak
tighter around himself and stepped out into the frosty air. The voice was
coming from the edge of the pine grove, and the Eye of Divinity revealed a
shadow there, standing atop the snow. It was a shadow only Lannon could see.
Chills crept over the Squire's flesh, for he sensed no life there--only a ghost
of a man who'd once been alive. It was sorcery that seemed to have no end and
no beginning, infinite and detached and having little bearing upon the world.

The
guards glanced at Lannon questioningly.

He
pointed to where the shade awaited him. "I must go there alone, just to
the edge of the grove. Business concerning the Eye." Two of the guards
went and scouted the area for danger, then returned and motioned him on.

Lannon
and Prince Vannas were normally so carefully guarded they couldn't go anywhere
alone, but Lannon was also allowed to make use of his power as he saw fit. In
that regard, he had more freedom than Vannas.

Lannon
approached the shade slowly and cautiously, having no idea why it had appeared
and was summoning him. But as he drew close, the Eye of Divinity saw through
the shadows and the face of Thrake Wolfaxe was revealed. Lannon took a step
back, startled. This was not who he'd expected to see.

Thrake's
shade was blue in hue--almost frozen looking--and faintly glowing in the
moonlight. His eyes had a hollow, dreary look to them. In one hand he held a
glowing pale-blue light, like a strange lantern.

"Thrake!"
Lannon whispered.

 
One of the guards started toward
Lannon--perhaps to remind him not to stray out of sight--but Lannon turned and
motioned him back with a wave. The guard glanced at the others, then
reluctantly did as Lannon ordered. The four Knights watched him with curious
expressions, their hands on their weapons.

"Yes,
it is me," the shade replied in a detached, inhuman voice that seemed to
come from all around Lannon.

"Why
have you come to me?" Lannon asked. He didn't want to speak to Thrake's ghost--especially
when that ghost looked tormented. He wanted Thrake laid to rest and living on
as a memory. Lannon cursed the Eye of Divinity for allowing this form of
communication, thinking his power could be torturous sometimes. He was certain
he wouldn't like what Thrake had to say.

"Calm
yourself, Lannon," said Thrake. "I'm not here to harm you, but to
guide you. I have come to give you a dire warning."

Lannon
groaned, weary of dire warnings. "If this is about the Dark
Watchmen..."

"It
is about the will of Tharnin," said Thrake.

"What
happened to you?" Lannon asked. "How did...?"

"It
was the Dragon bones," said Thrake. "Like Shennen, I became obsessed
with them. But unlike Shennen, I didn't have the wisdom to resist their power.
They corrupted me and I became a Dragon Knight, bound to the service of the
Great Dragon. I was filled with sorcery and evil--and cunning. I was able to
fool everyone except Shennen. I enjoyed killing the Knights in Dorok's Hand. I
relished being a traitor. That is how lost my soul had become."

 
Thrake paused, raising his lantern, and his
eyes gleamed like silver coins. Twice, he chanted in a strange, quivering, and
shrill voice:
"The fall of Dremlock nears! The wolves hunt for blood
beneath the moon!"

"What
are you saying?" asked Lannon, shuddering.

Thrake
lowered the lantern and stood in silence for a moment. "I'm sorry, Lannon.
I was lost in the fog for a moment."

"I
don't see any fog," said Lannon, and he was wracked by chills. "You
were talking about wolves and the fall of Dremlock. I've heard something like
that before, from Trenton. Is Dremlock actually going to fall?"

"All
things must eventually pass in your world," said Thrake. "Ask me no
more concerning the fate of Dremlock. Promise me you will focus on the here and
now and not worry about the will of fate."

Reluctantly,
Lannon nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Are
you okay, Lannon?" one of the guards called out.

"I'm
using the Eye of Divinity," Lannon called back. "I'm not in any
danger. I must not be disturbed until my task is finished."

The
guards spoke to each other, then signaled him to proceed. However, they
continued to watch him closely, looking puzzled. A moment later, one them
entered Taris' tent, perhaps to inform him of Lannon's odd behavior.

"The
Dragon will recruit another Knight," said Thrake. "The bones must be
buried deep in the ground--forever. You must pass my warning onto Taris
immediately. Do not wait until morning!"

"I'll
tell him right away," said Lannon. He hesitated, then added, "And
I'll tell Jerret I spoke to you and that you seem to be doing fine."

Thrake
wailed and hissed, and Lannon shrank back. A moment later, Thrake calmed down.
"Tell Jerret nothing of this visit! He does not deserve to be lied to, and
the truth would be very painful for him. I am
not
doing fine. The curse
of Tharnin stains my soul and denies me rest. I must go on a long journey to
free myself...a journey that will take me over the hills of ice and through the
valley of the Frost Giants. I am the Spirit of the Snows, the Child of Winter,
and until I am free I will never see spring again. The snows do not melt here,
where I exist. The ice forever hangs from the boughs. Let Jerret remember me as
I was."

"I
will," said Lannon, only wanting the meeting to end. He could not relate
to the restless dead, and he found the conversation deeply disturbing.
Everything about Thrake was bleak, cold, and strange.

But
Thrake smiled. "Do not despair, Lannon Sunshield." He held up his
lantern. "I have a light to guide me through the fog. My tiny blue light
that is deeper than the Deep Shadow itself. It is the light of truth."

"I'm
glad to hear that," Lannon mumbled, gazing at the cold lantern and
wondering what truth its glow revealed to Thrake. To Lannon, it was a light
that glittered like frost and offered no comfort. "So when you free
yourself, where will you go? Will you find peace and rest?"

"I
will find
spring
," said Thrake, still smiling. "The snows will
melt at last and the ice will fall from the boughs. The rivers will thaw and
sparkle in the sun. I will come to understand that the endless winter does in
fact have an end, and warmer weather lies beyond."

"I
don't understand," said Lannon, sighing. "About the winter, I mean.
It is springtime right now, and the snows will soon melt away."

"Your
world is no longer my home," said Thrake, "and you are not meant to
understand what I experience. Every path is different. This is my journey
alone, old friend. Yet perhaps we may meet again...at the journey's end. I'm
sorry I tried to kill you, Lannon. The Deep Shadow hates you above all others,
and thus I too harbored vicious hated for you. But I don't hate you anymore,
and I'm glad you live on. For now, I must say farewell and begin my long
walk."

"I
hope we do meet again," said Lannon, relief flooding through him as he
realized Thrake's tormented shade would not be visiting him again. This
encounter had brought a sort of closure to Lannon, and he was grateful for
that. "And I forgive you for attacking me. I won't forget you. You were a
great Knight and a great mentor to Jerret. Goodbye, Master Thrake."

Thrake
turned away and walked into the grove of pines, leaving no footprints in the
snow. He soon vanished from sight. A cold wind blew through the area, and ice
rattled on the boughs. Lannon shivered beneath his fur cloak and felt like he
was in a dream, perhaps under an illusion that the Eye of Divinity could not
see through. He wondered if he'd really even spoken to Thrake or if it had been
a strange game played by the Deep Shadow--perhaps for its amusement. He gazed
at the moon for answers, for he knew from Knightly teachings that looking at
the moon would reveal whether or not one was under a dream spell. He found he
was wide awake.

***

Lannon
stood before Taris' tent, wondering if the Tower Master was asleep. It was
around midnight. The guards were still watching him, but they didn't question
his actions. However, one of them had gone and scouted around where Lannon had
been talking to Thrake's shade. The Knights were well aware that the Eye of
Divinity was something they could never understand and that Lannon was assigned
an investigative role at Dremlock. They were also aware of Lannon's importance
and rank as a member of the Divine Shield.

"Taris
is awake, Lannon," of the guards said. "He is expecting you."

Lannon
stepped into the tent, to find Taris sitting cross-legged in the lantern light
with his hands folded in his lap as if in prayer. The scent of a strange
incense filled the tent's interior. Taris' cloak hood was drawn back, his
pointed ears and scarred face revealed. The tent's interior was warm thanks to
Taris' burning dagger, which was laying on a metal chest. Lannon marveled at
Taris' ability to keep the dagger burning without touching it, a feat Lannon
had never seen before.

"Sit
down, Lannon," said Taris. He poured water from a steaming teakettle into
a cup. "Would you care for some tea?"

Lannon
sat down across from him. "Yes, thanks."

Taris
poured Lannon a cup of tea, and the Squire took a sip. It tasted like
blackberries and Lannon found it delicious.

"What
business brings you here beneath the moon?" Taris asked.

Lannon
described his encounter with Thrake's shade. The incident was still vivid in
Lannon's mind and he was able to reveal it in great detail. It seemed that
whenever Lannon used the Eye of Divinity to view something, the memories of it
were etched deeply into his brain right down to the smallest details.

Taris
took another sip of tea and sat in thoughtful silence. At last he said, "I
believe Thrake's spirit spoke true. I believe he was attempting to redeem
himself by warning us about the Dragon bones, and this incident will receive
mention in Dremlock's official records."

"But
what happens now?" asked Lannon.

"I
will send two messengers to Dremlock," said Taris. "One of my Knights
and an Elder Hawk." He lowered his voice. "They will carry
instructions to Furlus to bury the bones in a secret location that shall never
be revealed. The danger of keeping them for study is too great. It has already
cost us Thrake Wolfaxe, one of our greatest warriors, and it nearly cost us the
White Flamestone and the Eye of Divinity, which would have been devastating to
our kingdom. We can't afford to have any more of these Dragon Knights roaming
around."