The Sorcerer Knight

by Robert Ryan

  “Come forth,” Lindercroft demanded. “The game is up. You led me a merry chase, but now you are caught. There is no escape. You will die here. Or, you can beg my mercy. Even you, Aranloth. I am not without pity.”

  Aranloth did what Faran least expected. He laughed, and opened the door.

  “You have no pity, Lindercroft. You have no say in anything. You are a tool. You live to serve the king, and his will is yours. And the king’s will, in turn, now belongs to the Morleth Stone. Look deep into your heart, and you will see that it is so.”

  “It is not so,” Lindercroft said quietly. “I am a knight. And I need not listen to lies from your mouth.”

  “Lies? How easily lies spring from your own tongue. Your orders are to kill us. Therefore, in the name of King Conduil, founder of the knights, and by my right as Osahka, I strip you of your title. You are a Kingshield Knight no longer. You are cast from the order. I judge you unworthy, and may the land have mercy upon you.”

  Lindercroft went white. He trembled, and Aranloth’s words seemed to cut him to the bone. But the old man was not done.

  “This choice is now yours, Lindercroft. You are no longer a knight. But you can redeem yourself, if you are strong enough. Renounce the king. Renounce the Shadow. Serve the Light instead.”

  Lindercroft swayed, and almost Faran thought the words of the lòhren might come to fruition.

  But they did not. Slowly, Lindercroft shook his head in denial.

  “My choices are made. My path is set, and it is unalterable.” His voice grew stronger as he went on. “The king leads, and I follow. I must follow, for I have sworn to do so, and the glory of Faladir, and Alithoras after, awaits.”

  “You swore other oaths once,” Aranloth said quietly.

  “Not on the Morleth Stone. But enough of this. You are surrounded here, and there is no escape. Come out now, and die a swift death by sword, or I will burn you inside the cabin and you will perish in fire and agony.”

  Aranloth was not done. “I see by the scars on your face that the king is a harsher leader than ever I was or the kings before him. If you fail here, and you will fail here, I expect he will punish you even more harshly. He—”

  “Enough!” Lindercroft signaled to his men, and Faran saw that some of them carried branches. These they set alight.

  “This is your last chance, Aranloth. Come out, and bring the others with you.”

  “It was a last chance indeed,” Aranloth replied. “But it was yours.” With that, he closed the door on Lindercroft.

  Aranloth looked at Kareste. “You know what to do,” he said. It was not a question.

  She nodded. “Good luck, old man.” Strangely, she went to the table and moved it. Faran thought she meant to use it to barricade the door, but then she got on her hands and knees, drew a knife, and dug into the hardpacked clay.

  It was not long before she found what she sought. She exposed a metal ring, and then she sheathed her knife and with a grunt pulled the ring hard.

  The clay of the floor split in the neat form of a square, and she lifted a trapdoor upward, exposing a hole beneath, and Faran caught a glimpse of a dark tunnel. He could not believe it. All this time there had been an escape route, and he had never known of it.

  “Quickly,” Kareste said. “Gather your things and follow me down.”

  Ferla went down after her, and Faran followed. There was a sturdy ladder that went a short way and brought them to a tunnel. Wooden beams secured it, though it was narrow. But it ran arrow straight, so far as Faran could tell, toward the lake.

  Light burned now at the tip of Kareste’s staff. “Let’s go,” she said.

  Faran glanced up. Aranloth had not followed them.

  Kareste saw where he was looking and shook her head.

  “Move! He’ll join us later. For the moment, he’ll stay in the cabin and ensure they don’t break in too quickly. He’s giving us time to escape.”

  “But how will he escape?” Ferla asked.

  “He’ll join us in a little while. When he’s sure we’re through, he’ll follow, collapse the tunnel behind us and catch up. But he must make sure they don’t follow. Now move!”

  They hastened ahead, Kareste following up the rear. The earth seemed moist, and it grew wetter as they got closer to the lake. Soon, they were walking in pools of water, and Faran spotted an area of the tunnel that had more wooden bracing than the rest. Yet there were chains attached to that bracing, and he guessed this was where Aranloth would collapse the ceiling and prevent pursuit.

  The collapse point was near the end of the tunnel. Shortly after, they climbed a set of earth stairs lined with hardwood, and Kareste slipped through ahead of them. She held a finger to her lips.

  “Quiet,” she whispered. “Our enemies should all be near the cabin, but this part may be dangerous.”

  There did not seem to be any light other than Kareste’s staff, so Faran was not sure where the exit was. But at the top of the stairs was a small boat. Kareste moved beyond it, and then she traced her hands across what seemed to be a wall.

  But it was not a wall. After some moments he realized it was cowhide, the thick leather heavily oiled to protect it from weather.

  The light faded away from Kareste’s staff, but she had gently eased the cowhide open from the bottom, and light showed from outside.

  Very carefully, Kareste eased herself through and looked outside. Then she came back in.

  “It’s safe. At least for the moment. But be very quiet. The cabin is not so far away. Push the boat through gently, and ease it into the water. Without a splash.”

  She removed the cowhide from the entrance, and Faran and Ferla pushed the boat ahead. It was placed on a series of poles, and it rolled noiselessly.

  Just outside the entrance, there was an overhang of willow roots, and tall reeds growing thickly. The boat moved easily through this, and then floated as water buoyed it up from underneath.

  Peering just above the reeds, they saw the cabin. Flames ate it. Smoke billowed into the sky.

  Faran felt tears wet his cheeks. The reek of the burning took him back to Dromdruin and murder, and he wondered if he were destined to see all that he ever loved destroyed. Once more, happiness had been taken from him. He almost ran to attack those who had done it, but that would be suicide.

  He felt Ferla’s hand on his shoulder. She understood. She knew how he felt. He glanced at Kareste. She stood close by, but her gaze was on the exit from the tunnel.

  So they waited, and every breath seemed an eternity. Where was Aranloth? The sooner he came the sooner they could escape.

  There was a rumble through the earth, and a few moments later a cloud of dust wafted from the tunnel exit. It could not be long now before the lòhren reached them.

  But they waited in vain. The old man did not come, and the moments passed by as smoke filled the air and the cabin burned.

  “Stay here,” Kareste whispered. “Do not move unless the enemy comes.”

  So saying, she slipped back through the reeds and into the tunnel.

  Faran felt a sense of dread creep over him. It was a day of destruction and doom, and he feared for the old man.

  There was movement in the tunnel a few moments later. It was Kareste, and her face was coated by dust and she coughed quietly.

  “Move,” she hissed. “Row the boat toward the center of the lake.”

  “What of Aranloth?” Ferla asked.

  “He must be dead. He triggered the trap from the other side and blocked off pursuit. They must have come into the cabin too quickly for him to make good his escape.”

  “Then we have to go back for him to be sure.”

  “He’s beyond our help. Don’t let his sacrifice be in vain. Now into the boat and row. The time he bought us so dearly slips away!”

  Reluctantly, they boarded the boat and used the paddles stored within it to row. Faran felt cold shock. Aranloth was dead. If he were on this side of the collapsed tunnel, Kareste would have found him.
On the other side, he would surely be killed by Lindercroft and all his men.

  There was no choice but to go on. Kareste drew a mist up from the water to hide them, and dispersed it gently between them and the shore. It was not a thick fog. It was enough to hide them only, but not so much as to attract attention.

  Lindercroft and his men would have to wait a long time for the burning cabin to cool down. Only then could they go in and check for bodies.

  It worried Faran that they may have discovered the tunnel. If that were so, then they would start to search immediately. But there was no sign of that. Aranloth must have triggered the collapse by magic, and then stayed in the cabin for a last stand.

  He realized that Ferla was crying, and he put an arm around her.

  “What do we do now?” he asked Kareste.

  “We escape, as Aranloth wanted us to. And then your training continues.”

  Faran felt a cold determination grow inside him. Twice now, his enemies had murdered by fire and steel those he knew. Twice now, they had stolen happiness from him.

  He would learn what he must. Nothing would stop him, and then he would find a way to destroy Lindercroft. And after him, even the king, no matter that he was protected by his knights and an army. Nor even the power of the Morleth Stone…

  Thus ends The Sorcerer Knight. The Kingshield series continues in book three, The Sage Knight, where Faran and Ferla discover more of the arts of the knights, and the shadow of the Morleth Stone stretches longer…

  THE SAGE KNIGHT

  BOOK THREE OF THE KINGSHIELD SERIES

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  Dedication

  There’s a growing movement in fantasy literature. Its name is noblebright, and it’s the opposite of grimdark.

  Noblebright celebrates the virtues of heroism. It’s an old-fashioned thing, as old as the first story ever told around a smoky campfire beneath ancient stars. It’s storytelling that highlights courage and loyalty and hope for the spirit of humanity. It recognizes the dark, the dark in us all, and the dark in the villains of its stories. It recognizes death, and treachery and betrayal. But it dwells on none of these things.

  I dedicate this book, such as it is, to that which is noblebright. And I thank the authors before me who held the torch high so that I could see the path: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Susan Cooper, Roger Taylor and many others. I salute you.

  And, for a time, I too shall hold the torch high.

  Appendix: Encyclopedic Glossary

  Note: the glossary of each book in this series is individualized for that book alone. Additionally, there is often historical material provided in its entries for people, artifacts and events that are not included in the main text.

  Many races dwell in Alithoras. All have their own language, and though sometimes related to one another the changes sparked by migration, isolation and various influences often render these tongues unintelligible to each other.

  The ascendancy of Halathrin culture, combined with their widespread efforts to secure and maintain allies against elug incursions, has made their language the primary means of communication between diverse peoples.

  This glossary contains a range of names and terms. Many are of Halathrin origin, and their meaning is provided. The remainder derive from native tongues and are obscure, so meanings are only given intermittently.

  Often, names of Camar and Halathrin elements are combined. This is especially so for the aristocracy. Few other tribes had such long-term friendship with the immortal Halathrin as the Camar, and though in this relationship they lost some of their natural culture, they gained nobility and knowledge in return.

  List of abbreviations:

  Cam. Camar

  Comb. Combined

  Cor. Corrupted form

  Hal. Halathrin

  Leth. Letharn

  Prn. Pronounced

  Alithoras: Hal. “Silver land.” The Halathrin name for the continent they settled after leaving their own homeland. Refers to the extensive river and lake systems they found and their wonder at the beauty of the land.

  Aranloth: Hal. “Noble might.” A lòhren of ancient heritage. Travels Alithoras under different names and guises.

  Brand: Duth. A heroic figure in Alithoras. Both warrior and lòhren. Stories of his exploits have spread over the land, and they kindle hope wherever they are heard.

  Camar: Cam. Prn. Kay-mar. A race of interrelated tribes that migrated in two main stages. The first brought them to the vicinity of Halathar, homeland of the immortal Halathrin; in the second, they separated and established cities along a broad stretch of eastern Alithoras. Faladir is one such city.

  Camarelon: Cam. A city established by migrating Camar tribes. Its people retained more of their traditional cultural values and were less influenced by the Halathrin. The city they built is not as grand as other Camar cities, but it still became wealthy via profitable trade.

  Carcur-halioth: Leth. An ancient circle of standing stones constructed by the Letharn. Named after one of their great magicians, Carcur. His abode was in Arach Nedular, but he had great need to travel widely through the Letharn empire, which was vast. He did not invent Traveling, but he discovered how to construct a Ring that made the process far less dangerous.

  Cardoroth: Cor. Hal. Comb. Cam. A Camar city, often called Red Cardoroth. Some say this alludes to the red granite commonly used in the construction of its buildings, others that it refers to a prophecy of destruction. If so, Brand appears to have thwarted it.

  Careth Tar: Cor. Hal. “Careth Tar(an) – Great Father.” Title of respect for the leader of the lòhrens. This has always been, and remains, Aranloth.

  Conduil: Cam. Etymology obscure. The first king of Faladir. He broke the Siege of Faladir and founded the order of Kingshield Knights, of which he was the first. Among his descendants there is a high prevalence of knights.

  Dromdruin: Cam. “Valley of the ancient woods.” One of many valleys in the realm of Faladir. Home of Faran, and birthplace throughout the history of the realm of many Kingshield Knights.

  Druilgar: Hal. “Spear star – a comet.” King of Faladir, and First Knight of the Kingshield Knights. Descendent of King Conduil.

  Duthenor: Duth. “The people.” A tribe of people farther to the west of Camar lands. Related to the Camar, and sharing many common legends and experiences. But different also.

  Elves: See Halathrin.

  Elù-drak: Hal. “Shadow wings.” A creature of the dark. Deadly, and used by sorcerers to gather information and assassinate chosen victims. The female of the species is the most dangerous, having the power to inspire terror and bend victims to her will. Few can resist. Of old, even great warriors succumbed and willingly let the creature take their life. One of the more terrible creatures of the Old World.

  Elùdurlik: Hal. “Shadow hunter.” A type of summoning. Formed of a melding of dark magic and the thoughts of the summoner. Instilled with a driving purpose that it can never ignore, and dies once that purpose is achieved.

  Elùgai: Hal. Prn. Eloo-guy. “Shadowed force.” The sorcery of an elùgroth.

  Elù-haraken: Hal. “The shadowed wars.” Long ago battles in a time that is become myth to the scattered Camar tribes.

  Elùdrath: Hal. “Shadowed lord.” Once, a lòhren. But he succumbed to evil and pursued forbidden knowledge and powers. He created an empire of darkness and struck to conquer all Alithoras during the elù-haraken. He was defeated, but his magic had become greater than any ever known. Some say he will return from death to finish the war he started. Whether that is so, no one knows. But the order of lòhrens guard against it,
and many evils that served him yet live.

  Elùgroth: Hal. “Shadowed horror.” A sorcerer. They often take names in the Halathrin tongue in mockery of the lòhren practice to do so.

  Faladir: Cam. “Fortress of Light.” A Camar city founded out of the ruinous days of the elù-haraken.

  Faran: Cam. “Spear of the night – a star.” A name of good luck. Related to the name Dardenath, though of a later layer of linguistic change. A young hunter from Dromdruin valley. His grandfather was a Kingshield Knight, though not the first of their ancestors to be so.

  Ferla: Cam. “Unforeseen bounty.” A young hunter from Dromdruin valley.

  First Knight: The designated leader of the Kingshield Knights.

  Gaeblung: A general of antiquity. Said to be a Duthenor warrior, though his mother was of the Camar. His skill in the art of warfare was so great that even the Halathrin gave command of some of their armies to him. A forefather of Brand.

  Halathrin: Hal. “People of Halath.” A race of elves named after an honored lord who led an exodus of his people to the land of Alithoras in pursuit of justice, having sworn to defeat a great evil. They are human, though of fairer form, greater skill and higher culture. They possess a unity of body, mind and spirit that enables insight and endurance beyond the native races of Alithoras. Said to be immortal, but killed in great numbers during their conflicts in ancient times with the evil they sought to destroy. Those conflicts are collectively known as the Shadowed Wars.

  Halakness: A word of power. It means water. Used to focus the mind in the early stages of lòhrengai. In truth, no words of power are needed for magic. Their usage is a beginner’s aid.

  Haeldurn: A word of power. It means to protect, to cause to endure or to remain steadfast.

  Har-harat: Leth. An energy point of the body just below the navel. Used as a focus for meditation and to replenish the body’s vital force. By meditation on this point, the physical body and the spiritual essence are unified. Used by both warriors and mystics.