Knights End

by Brad Clark

  He reached out and took her hand. A warmth spread from his hand into hers, and her heart tingled with joy. The feeling was so powerful that it took her breath away. Never in her life had she felt such a wonderful feeling, and she hoped it would never go away.

  ***

  Conner stood next to Elissa at the entrance to the great hall greeting each and everyone who attended. All the Elves had arrived early, their faces blank and expressionless. Conner tried to get a good read on what they were thinking, but their demeanor gave no clues. They were all pleasant but remained quiet and to themselves. Soon, a steady stream of the Karmon survivors showed up, packing the hall with a standing-room-only crowd. What was supposed to be a small meeting among the war council quickly spread to a castle-wide meeting. Those that could not fit into the hall crowded into the corridor or huddled up outside in the cold.

  Marik was one of the last to arrive and came with his wife, Ilasha. He had changed into a light tunic, and for the first time since their days in South Karmon, he did not wear a sword at his side. He had also taken the time to bathe in a tub of hot water to soak his weary muscles. Ilasha and Elissa shared a tearful hug, while Conner and Marik shared an awkward hug.

  “You have healed?” Conner asked.

  “Yes,” Marik replied. “Hargon visited me a few hours ago and healed me. As it turns out, I had a pretty deep stab wound. I’m not sure I’d be here without him.”

  Ilasha glanced over and gave him a playful glare.

  “I know I am lucky to be alive,” Marik continued. His voice dropped to be barely audible. “But I would have easily given my life to bring back my Knights. We once numbered in the thousands, but there are now only eleven of us remaining.”

  “It is a different world,” Conner said. “Maybe we won’t need them.”

  “I have a feeling that there will always be a need. We will live in peace and harmony for a few years, or maybe even a few dozen years. Eventually, though, we will forget about the sacrifices and our egos and pride will divide us once again.”

  “I hope you are wrong. I hope that the people of this world can learn from the evil that came, and also learn from the courage of those who came together to fight it.”

  Elissa stepped over to Conner and took his hand. “It is time to start,” she said.

  Hand-in-hand, they walked through the crowd towards the front of the hall. King Illichian stood stoically on a raised platform so he could see across the crowd. Behind him were Glaerion, Hallendrielle, Nikki, Aeneas, and Hemli. Off to the side, seeming uncomfortable among those unlike them stood the Bargoroth leaders Ulg and Barr.

  Elissa leaned over and whispered, “Where is Hargon? Does not he know of the meeting.”

  “He was the first one I told,” Conner replied.

  Elissa felt herself shudder and the ramifications of what his absence might mean. If he did not go along with giving up the Ark of Life, their fighting might not be over.

  As Elissa approached, King Illichian directed her to his side with an open palm. “Queen Elissa, will you join me.”

  Elissa took his offered hand and was helped up the steps so that she was on the raised platform, also looking out at the crowd. As she took her place, the low murmur that had been coming from the crowd disappeared. She recognized some faces, but many more were unfamiliar. Her heart began beating faster at the anxiety of what they were about to do.

  “We are here to discuss our future,” King Illichian said, his voice strong and powerful. It was deathly quiet, allowing his voice to not only carry to the end of the chamber but out into the corridor and out to the courtyard. “Not just the future of those gathered here, but the future of this world and the people of this world. We have won the last battle, and we have won the war.”

  Despite the rise in pitch of his voice, no one cheered. This was not a pep talk to gather up their courage to keep fighting. Many knew why they were here, and they were afraid.

  “But, there is much to do.,” King Illichian continued. “There are dead bodies scattered throughout the valley. They must be disposed of before spring comes. There are remnants of the Deceiver’s army that must found and eliminated, else they will fester in the mountains like a sickness. And we must decide what to do with the Ark of Life.”

  “Destroy it!” someone shouted from the back of the hall.

  The crowd reacted slowly. At first there was but a murmur, and then as more and more people began to voice their opinions, a wave of sound swept through the hall.

  Before the ground got too loud and out of control, he raised a hand and shouted, “Removing magic from the world will have devastating effects!” The crowd was not completely silent, so he repeated himself. This time, his words hung for a long time in the hall.

  Behind him, Hallendrielle took Glaerion’s hand, which he accepted, and squeezed.

  “It could kill us all,” another shouted. A murmur of agreement swept through the hall.

  King Illichian pointed at the speaker, an Elf who stood among his brethren. “You are right,” he said. “The Web of Magic permeates the universe, its tendrils spreading out to touch all of us, Elves and Dragons most of all. It is the fuel that burns the fire of our lives. It is what allows us to live for centuries.” He looked around the hall, his eyes touching every Elf that was in attendance. “The One God gave us a gift of a long life. Of all his creatures, only the great ancient Dragons were given a greater gift. No other creature, no other animal, nothing else, other than the rocks themselves will outlive us. We are not immortal, though. We can still be killed, as we are as vulnerable as any other of His creatures. We can still grow old, as I can attest to. Why us? Why did he give us this gift of a long life? It is a question that has never been answered, but it has been too long since we have asked it of ourselves. How have we used this gift? Have we made this world a better place because of it? We turned our backs on this world and let the Humans rule in our absence. Across the continents, they spread. Their villages grew into cities. Their kingdoms into empires. Without us, they evolved into a greater society than we could have imagined. In our absence, the world has become a better place.” A hush fell across the hall. No one commented. No one argued. Hardly anyone breathed.

  “How much greater,” the king continued. “How much greater, though, could this world have been if we had found a way to exist peacefully with the Humans. We are a truly a peaceful people that will never back down from a fight, but we turned and ran from the biggest fight of our kind. We let our egos and our arrogance and our pride rule. Rather than seeking out peace, we abandoned it. When we left, we allowed the Deceiver a way to get to this world. If we had been watching, we could have stopped this war even before it happened. We are here, never to leave again. At our side will be Humans.” He turned to look at Hemli and nodded to him. “And the Dwarves. Our three races will be as one. Living together as we should have from the beginning, as friends, allowing the best of ourselves to come to light.”

  “And yet, as long as the touch of the Web of Magic connects the Deceiver’s realm to ours, there will always be the chance that he can return. Whether it is tomorrow, next year, or in ten thousand years, he will come, and when he comes, he will be stronger than he was this time. We were lucky because he did not bring his full might. If the Ark of Life had fallen into his hands, then we would have felt his full might, and we would not have survived. I find us blessed that we were able to stop it. It took great heroics from the unlikeliest of souls, and sacrifices from many of us. Many, many innocent people died. Even though the touch of the Deceiver did not extend to all corners of the world, the earth will never be the same. Tales of the destruction of Karmon and Taran will spread, and fear will spread as well. With the threat of the return of the Deceiver always hanging over us, how can we live our lives in peace? Forever, we will have to keep a watch out for his return. As vigilant as we can possibly be, there is always the chance that the Deceiver will do what he does best and sneak his way into this realm and try and destroy it again
. There is but one way to stop him. One way for sure. If the connection between our realms is severed, then he will never be a threat to us!”

  “Do not be deceived!” The voice rose from the back, and heads turned.

  From the shadows of the back wall, Hargon strode forward. The crowd parted before him, allowing him to stride purposefully towards King Illichian. His face was dark and showed little emotion. His black robes, which had been ripped and torn during the battle had been replaced. Hanging from his neck was the gold necklace from which hung a pendant that encased the shimmering black gem. The force of the Ark of Life seemed to penetrate the silence. Whispers and quiet gasps spread across the crowd.

  Hargon stopped two paces from King Illichian.

  “The Deceiver’s touch on this world extends beyond the Web of Magic,” Hargon said. “Do what you must but know that he will always seek to find a way to this realm and into our souls. Evil will always exist, and we will never be able to stop it.”

  “That is true,” King Illichian said. “We cannot be so naïve to think that the presence of evil would go away.”

  “They why should we take away the one weapon that we could use against any force that could be brought against us?” Hargon’s hand unconsciously gripped the pendant, covering the black gem with his fist. Everyone in the room could feel a tingle of electricity touch the back of their necks. “You realize the power that I hold in my hand?”

  Hargon’s word echoed through the room. The tone and his presence made it seem like a threat. Most of the room leaned back, expecting something terrible to happen. Several stepped forward. They were led by Conner, with Glaerion right behind.

  “Hargon,” Conner said softly. “It is too much power for one person.”

  Hargon’s blue eyes sparkled, and he smiled, showing his white teeth. “It is just enough power for one person.” He kept his eyes on King Illichian and added, “And there is really nothing you can do about it.”

  “I am Hurai,” Conner said. “Your magic will not affect me.”

  “My power can bring down this castle, and you inside.” He closed his eyes and squeezed his palm around the gem. A swirling mist suddenly appeared around him. Everyone but Conner and Glaerion backed away. He lifted his hands up, and white lightning appeared in the midst. It wrapped around him, encompassing only him. The bright light caused Conner to shield his eyes. Glaerion drew his daggers and was about to pounce when the mist and lightening disappeared in a flash.

  A surprised and fearful gasp drew across the crowd. Hargon was still smiling. Slowly, carefully, he lifted the pendant above his head, and the necklace followed. With everyone watching and holding their breath, he walked towards Conner.

  “This started with you,” Hargon said. “It should end with you.”

  Hargon held the necklace out to Conner, who gently accepted it. Conner expected it to be burning hot with some sort of power, but it was cool to the touch. For several long heartbeats, he looked at it, amazed at the unseen power held inside.

  “I will miss the feeling of it around my neck,” Hargon said. “It was a power that filled my soul and made me complete. So many have sacrificed their lives. I guess it is my time to do what I needed to do. I could keep it, but it would not be mine. Its power would control me, maybe even corrupt me. You are right, Conner, the Ark of Life is too powerful for any one person.”

  “Why would the Once God give it to us, then?” Conner asked what everyone else in the hall was asking themselves.

  “It served its purpose, did it not?” Hargon asked.

  “I guess it did. Without it, we would never have been able to defeat his army.”

  Hargon turned to the king and asked, “What will happen if you cut off this realm from the Web of Magic? What will happen to you and your people?”

  Slowly the king shook his head. “I do not know. Maybe we’ll die instantly. The touch of the Web of Magic is a part of us. To be without it may just stop our bodies from working, and then we’ll die.”

  “You’re willing to have that happen?”

  King Illichian did not waver and replied, “If it allows the world to survive, then yes.”

  A young Elf pushed his way through the crowd. His facial expression and body language seemed threatening enough that Glaerion took a couple steps forward.

  “That’s easy for you to say,” the Elf barked sharply.

  Hargon crossed his arms and turned to the Elf, but he said nothing.

  “You are old and have lived a full life!” the Elf continued. “Many of us, most of us, have barely lived a blink of an eye compared to you!”

  King Illichian felt Glaerion begin to move even closer, but he held out a hand to stop Glaerion.

  “Your name is Rae?”

  Rae seemed surprised that the king knew his same. “Yes.”

  “Rae, we have all lived a life longer than any Human alive. We have been blessed with many years on this earth, and for the most part, we have wasted them in exile. Now, we have a chance to make our world a better place for all of us.”

  “I don’t want to die.”

  “No one wants to die.”

  “If this happens, our entire race will be gone, and all that will be left will be Humans.”

  “Hey now!” Hemli growled from behind them.

  King Illichian laughed and motioned towards the Dwarf. “There is more to this world than Humans. There are Dwarves. Creatures of the sea. Birds of the sky. Animals of the land. If destroying the Ark of Life caused the Elven race to die out, I truly believe the world will be left in good hands. But, I don’t believe that will happen. Many, many Humans have Elven blood flowing through them, they just don’t know it. Would the destruction of the Ark of Life kill those as well? I don’t believe so. Hargon is correct when he says that evil will never go away, and the influence of the Deceiver will not cease. We can fight evil with good. We can overcome hate with love. We can conquer the Deceiver’s schemes with the goodness of our souls, rather than having to rely upon a magical artifact. How powerful is that?”

  “You are risking our lives for a belief that may be right or wrong. We should vote like we did in our village.”

  King Illichian shook his head slowly. “There will be no vote. We will be doing this.”

  “You condemn us to death!”

  Glaerion had enough and marched forward. He kept his daggers stuck in his belt, but they were readily available. “I do not know you, Rae, but I have seen you. You were an archer atop the walls, and you fired hundreds if not thousands of arrows at the goblins. You stayed there when the Stone Ogres attacked and tried to kill them by shooting them in their eye. I know you are not a coward but listen to your words. You would be willing to sacrifice your life in battle, but not in peacetime? Shame on you!”

  Glaerion looked up and around the crowd, trying to catch as many eyes as he could. “Shame on any of you that would choose to be a coward. I have a wife, friends, and much to lose. Just like all of you. We stood and fought an evil god and survived. If we do not destroy the Ark of Life, the Deceiver will return again and again to try and conquer our world. Then lives of all those that have fallen in this war would have been wasted. There will be no more talk. This has to happen.”

  No one argued. Rae lowered his eyes to the ground, and he did his best to keep his hands from shaking.

  Glaerion turned to King Illichian and asked, “How do we do this?”

  King Illichian started to shake his head, then he tilted it, to hear better the words that were being spoken to him. A moment later, he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We must go outside.”

  Without waiting for anyone else to move, King Illichian strode through the crowd, heading for the exit.

  ***

  Complete darkness had fallen across the mountains, but torches were mounted on walls, buildings, and even the side of the mountain to give light to the courtyard. It was a harsh, yellow light that didn’t penetrate the midnight darkness. Much of the courtyard was still in s
hadows which helped to hide the heavily damaged walls.

  Standing in the middle of the courtyard, with light glimmering off her scales was Myllia. At her side was Immerallis. King Illichian stood in front of her, and the crowd slowly encircled them.

  “Come forth, bearer of the Ark of Life.” The words of Myllia resonated in everyone’s head.

  Conner, still gripping the Ark of Life tightly with one hand, squeezed Elissa’s hand with his other before letting it go. Then he walked forward, past King Illichian and right up to Myllia. His heart pounded hard, for he did not know what was about to happen. Standing in front of the Dragon, he suddenly felt all alone. The weight of the world was again on his shoulders, and he did not know what to do.

  Elissa, afraid for what was about to happen, saw Conner standing alone and knew he should not be alone. With quick short strides, she joined him at his side. As Elissa moved, Glaerion moved as well, taking up position on Conner’s other side. Marik stepped away from his wife, Ilasha, and stood behind Conner and put a firm hand on his shoulder. Marik squeezed, letting Conner know that his friends were there at his side. Nikki, not knowing why, stepped forward as well. Aeneas, no longer limping after being healed by Hargon strode next to her. A step behind them was Hallendrielle, who moved to stand next to Glaerion. Hemli, his battle ax perched against his shoulder also walked forward and stood next to Conner.

  Finally, from the midst of the crowd, Hargon pushed his way to the front and walked up to Conner. He stood stone-faced; his jaw clenched tightly. Marila, in her Human illusion, moved to his side and slid her hand into his. He looked down at her, and she smiled at up him. His face relaxed into a smile.

  Conner looked around as the rest of the Elves, Dwarves, and Humans crowded in even closer. They looked different on the outside, but they were all the same on the inside, and that was why they were able to join together and defeat the Deceiver. The Ark of Life helped, but if it were not for the races working together, the war would have been over a long time ago.