Chapter 10
The ramp that curved down into darkness was large enough for a wagon. The rock walls were natural with reinforcements similar to the cave. Liselle reached out to feel their rough surface under her fingertips.
Vevin did a spin. “I get to go first this time. It is my home after all!”
“All right. You go first,” Tathan said.
Vevin waved for the lights to follow him into the tunnel. The journey to reach the bottom took a lot longer than they expected. A pair of steel doors lay on the ground in rusty pieces. Vevin jumped over them. The cousins followed.
The group walked into a larger cave. Vevin’s purple flames moved to the ceiling, casting their illumination over the new area. The cave was much bigger than the previous one and there was a design covering the entire floor.
“Oh my! This is extraordinary!” Vevin traced the lines through the air with his finger. “This is a rune cut into the floor. The magic is gone from it, but it must have been very powerful at one time.”
“That is a rune isn’t it?” Tathan said in amazement.
“Tathan, Vevin.” Liselle pointed across the cave. “There’s someone standing on the other side, I think.”
The figure’s arms rested on the crossbars of an enormous sword, which was point down against the stone floor.
Vevin waved. “Hello there!”
Tathan buried his face in his hands. His companions were terrible at being stealthy.
Liselle put a hand on Vevin’s arm. “I don’t think that person is going to be friendly to us, Vevin. It looks like a knight, but the black armor he’s wearing is scary.”
There was disappointment on Vevin’s face. “Oh really? You don’t think he’s going to take my new home and hurt me do you?”
“I don’t know Vevin. This might be his home,” Liselle said. “We can go ask him, but let’s be really careful, all right?”
Tathan dared to lift his face out of his hands.
“All right.” Vevin brightened. “We’ll go talk to him. Yes! That’s what we’ll do.” He waved at the figure. “Hello! We’re coming over to talk to you now!”
Tathan replanted his face in his hands.
Liselle giggled at both of them and began to walk across the floor toward the mysterious figure. Tathan and Vevin protectively moved to either side.
As they walked, Liselle studied the area around the knight. There were ornate doors just behind him -she had decided the figure was a him because she didn’t think women usually stood around in metal armor holding big swords. The doors showed no signs of rust, indicating they were reinforced with magic. Runes similar to the ones in the floor were etched in filigree over their face. Dim white globes hung from the wall on either side, casting minimal light.
When they were within twenty paces, the knight put up a hand. A hollow voice echoed throughout the cave. “Hold, figments.”
They stopped as commanded. Vevin’s flames illuminated nearly-invisible runes running throughout the plate armor. More runes, mixed with etchings of flames, ran down the center of the shining sword. A golden clasp at the base of his neck attached to a rich red cloak flowing down his back. His visor was down and they could see nothing of the figure inside.
“Why did you call us figments, Sir Knight?” Liselle asked courteously.
The knight put his hand back on the thick crossbar. The sword was tall as the knight from the bottom of the steel-threaded hilt to the tip of the blade.
“You are obviously figments,” the knight responded. “No one has been here in one millennium plus six centuries,” A great sigh escaped the armor. His chest heaved with the breath. “It’s all right. I’m used to it. I must say, you are a very pretty figment, Milady.”
Liselle blushed. “Well, thank you, Sir Knight. It’s nice to meet someone so polite.”
Vevin nodded. “Oh yes! Sayyy . . . I’d like to make this my home. It would be very polite of you not to object,” he suggested hopefully.
The knight looked at Vevin. Then he looked back at Liselle. Lastly, he turned toward Tathan who had his sword at the ready and was in another crouch. “You are very odd figments, not at all like the usual ones created by my mad imagination.”
“I didn’t even realize that I was a figment until you told me!” Vevin said. “I feel quite real, I must say.”
“I apologize, Sir Knight, but we are real, not figments,” Liselle said.
“Are you certain, Milady?”
“Yes, Sir Knight. I’m certain. Tathan and I come from a valley twelve days south of here. We met Vevin in this city.”
Vevin turned to Liselle. “I don’t know that I’m not a figment in all honesty.”
Tathan rolled his eyes.
“You are not figments after all!” the knight exclaimed. “I must say my warning!” He cleared his throat. “Ahem. Hear ye, hear ye, you who would come to steal the Crown of Morhain! You must know that I, Sir Danth Wazmordin, shall dutifully guard the doors to the vault ‘til death and beyond!”
“Oh wonderful! That’s a vault behind you! What good news. I need a vault for my home,” Vevin said enthusiastically.
Sir Danth Wazmordin lifted his sword and settled it onto his shoulder. “I do not like this talk of you making a home here, Sir.”
“What if we’re not here to steal the crown, Sir Danth?” Liselle asked.
The knight paused for a moment as if the thought had not occurred to him. “Well of course you’re here to steal the crown. Why else would you be here, Milady?”
“Tathan and I are exploring and Vevin is searching for a new home since his old one was stolen along with all of his treasure.”
“Stolen?! What a travesty.”
“And he hurt me!” Vevin turned so Sir Danth could see the wound.
“Terrible! It is not at all right!” Sir Danth put the tip of the sword back on the ground. He rested his arms over the crossbars. “Well, I’ll let you live here then, but you cannot have the vault. I have sworn to guard the doors.”
“We won’t steal the crown, Sir Knight,” Tathan said. “We’re sorry to bother you. We’ll leave now.”
“What?! Leave?!” Alarm touched Sir Danth’s voice. “You can’t leave! Please don’t leave! Please!” He got to his knees and gripped the blade of the sword in his gauntlets.
The group stared at the sudden transformation in stunned disbelief.
“I’ve been here for one millennium plus six centuries! Do you know how long that is? Not one person has come to steal the crown!” Strangled sobs emitted from the helm. “My soul is bound to the armor and I can’t escape unless it is destroyed, but it’s magical and will most likely exist until the end of eternity! Please don’t leave me! I can’t stand it anymore.” At that point, Sir Danth Wazmordin dropped his sword and began banging his head against the floor.
“Oh, Sir Danth!” Liselle dashed to him, knelt and took his helmet in her hands to stop the banging.
He lifted his head in surprise.
Liselle wrapped him up in a big hug.
He threw his arms around her. The sobbing from inside the helmet continued.
Vevin and Tathan looked at each other and shrugged.
Liselle stood, drawing Sir Danth with her. She turned to Tathan. “We must help him, Cousin.”
“Umm, all right . . . How are we going to do that?”
“I don’t know. Come up with something, please!”
He threw his arms up in exasperation. “Really? It’s your idea to help, why can’t you come up with something?”
Liselle folded her arms and tapped her foot while narrowing her eyes dangerously.
Tathan turned to Vevin. “Do you have any ideas?”
Vevin shook his head no and held his arms out helplessly.
Tathan sighed and paced for a moment. He turned to the knight. “You said you swore an oath to guard the doors to the vault, which holds the Crown of Mor
hain, right?”
Sir Danth gave a single nod. “That is correct. I don’t care anymore if that helps.”
That surprised Tathan. “You don’t care?”
“Exactly. At this point, you can go in and steal the Crown of Morhain. I can’t live in this cave any longer, never seeing the light of day, never having anyone to talk to.” There was a pleading tone in Sir Danth’s voice. “I don’t care if you take the crown. Nothing is worth this eternity of seclusion that I have faced.”
“What about your oath?” Tathan asked.
The knight folded his arms. “Have you ever kept an oath for one millennium plus six centuries?”
Tathan noticed the massive sword was in a sheath on the knight’s back with the hilt sticking over his shoulder. “No.” Tathan hadn’t noticed the knight put the sword away, a detail he wouldn’t have normally missed. It bothered him.
“When you have, you will be more than welcome to judge me.”
“What’s so special about the crown?” Vevin asked. “Is it powerful and magical?”
“Not at all. It is just a symbol of the Kingdom of Morhain. The crown is made of gold, encrusted with valuable gems, but has no magic, though there are other items in the vault that are powerful.”
Vevin seemed disappointed. “No magic? Why in the world would a knight be made to guard it for a millennium if it isn’t magic?” He scratched his head in confusion.
“A millennium and six centuries,” Sir Danth corrected. “It was a crown made for the last king of Morhain. It is a symbol of the kingdom. The king insisted it be guarded. I took the oath when no one else wanted it.”
“Will there be any consequences if you break the oath?” Tathan asked. “Will you die, be cursed, or something?”
“No.”
“No? Isn’t there usually some sort of consequence for breaking an oath?”
“I am a knight. When I give an oath, it is understood that I will not break it. There is no curse upon me if I do. I will lose honor for breaking it though.” Sir Danth’s shoulders slumped. “I have always been an honorable man. But sixteen hundred years of guarding an item of wealth for vanity’s sake is not a matter of honor.” The knight straightened, holding a finger up as he thought. “I will let you in the doors myself. That will solve the problem.” He walked over to the doors and said a few words that made the filigree glow. The doors opened toward them.
“There you are. Take the Crown of Morhain and anything else you like. I don’t care anymore.” Sir Danth turned to Liselle. “I’m afraid I’ve been a bad knight, Milady. I hope you won’t be too disappointed. I’d invite you to spank me, but you’d hurt your pretty little hand on my armor.”
Liselle blushed and giggled as Vevin and Tathan stared at the knight in shock. “I certainly wouldn’t want to hurt my hand, Sir Danth.” Liselle put a hand on his plated arm and walked toward the vault with him. “Shall we go steal a crown, my brave Knight?”
Rojuun Page 18