The Darkness Within (A Lythinall Novel) (Book 2)

by Michael Nadeau

  "Greetings General Pondar, what brings you to Lythinall on this late spring day?" Franc was limping badly, as he took an arrow to his leg, but his smile was bright and his salute unwavering.

  "Silence you pet Ellis, I am not in the mood." Pondar was an older man, with close cropped grey hair and broad shoulders. Gone was his stylized jacket, replaced by a more practical field jacket. It still had most of his awards on it though.

  "Forgive him General, we've had a long run. The messengers got past us, but were severely wounded. We circled back and attacked the hold, but were decimated by archers before we even got to the walls. Reports on the number of archers at the hold were greatly under exaggerated and it cost us dearly." He glanced at Franc and was relieved to see the man keeping quiet for once.

  "Yes, well, the report is moot. Queen G'harr wants Lythinall right now, and Keragan hold is the first stop on the way to Everknight." He knew that the hold would fall, he had brought two sorcerers that guaranteed it.

  "Is this all the men you're bringing to invade the capitol city?" Ellis seemed unsure that they could pull that off. Sure it was enough to decimate the hold, but Everknight had more than two thousand soldiers.

  "Generals Haldir and Kasson are behind me by two days, and they each have another two thousand, not that I have to explain our plans to a commander." He gave Ellis that look that said the conversation was over, and then gave the same look to the little one with the mouth. "Now get some medical attention and rest up, we march back towards the hold in the morning. In three days it will be rubble." He turned on his heel and stormed back towards the General's tent leaving Commander Ellis alone with his second.

  "Bit of a wind bag don't you think sir?" Franc didn't much care for Pondar, especially after serving with the pompous ass two years ago. The man didn't have a solid thought in his head that didn't come from higher up.

  Commander Ellis smiled and turned away so that Franc didn't see him. Unfortunately his second was right, Pondar was a windbag, but he was his General and he had to follow him into the Hells if need be. "Shut up Franc."

  Western gate, City of Everknight

  He hated the fact that he was charismatic. It made him the perfect choice to lead the force sent to help Keragan Hold. That and how resourceful he was when it came down to the wire. Lord Tanan smirked at a female soldier as she rode past him and then turned to look at the horizon. The council meeting yesterday was long and boring, but they had gone through everyone's assignments and where they were going to be during the attack. Lucky him got picked to lead this suicide mission.

  Then the runner from Keragan Hold had arrived and with the news that G'harr was already marching and that really made Arian's blood boil. The King hated when Karsis was right. So here he was, the Lord Norhil at the head of five hundred men and women ready to ride into danger on his word. You would think I would be used to this after the years making the hard calls up north, but somehow this feels worse. He thought, as he held his hand up to give the signal to march. There was no fanfare, no send off from the King, and no last minute speech. They had to move quickly so they could help the people at Keragan Hold survive. The plan was to break through, grab whoever was left to save, and fight a retreating battle back to Everknight. Five hundred men against two thousand. Not great odds, but then again he loved those types of campaigns. Going with him were the beautiful bard, Jana Suris and Dren. The Guard captain was almost fully recovered, but shouldn't be anywhere near a saddle, never mind a fight, for at least three tendays. He should know, Caerlyn had told him that for over an hour.

  "Drop the hand already, by the time we get there Storn will be old and grey." Dren smiled through the stiffness in his arms and legs and shook his head as Lord Tanan dropped his arm in a spectacular fashion. Horns blared and they were off. It would take them a day of hard marching to get to the hold and by the runners account, the G'harran's would be getting there slightly before them. So they had to hurry. Dren wouldn't miss this for the world.

  Jana couldn't believe that everyone was in such good spirits. The hold was more than likely going to be in pieces when they arrived, then they would probably get ambushed and be killed. Slowly. They had told her that Storn was resourceful and that there was a good chance that they would get there in time, but she still had her doubts. It didn't help that she was grumpy. She never got a crack at Karsis so she was pouting.

  She had sat next to him and tried every trick in the book to get him under her spell, but to no avail. Oh sure he had said that if they made it out of all this he would take her up on it, but it still felt like a rejection. She hated rejection. She might as well ride behind this handsome rogue for the trip.

  "Smile Jana, we're going to kill a lot of G'harran's very soon." Dren tried not to sound eager and failed miserably.

  "Sometimes I just don't know about you people, then there's the other times that I do and that scares me." She smiled at him though and knew that he was doing this to avenge Stard. She couldn't fault him for that. She had lost her fair share of friends over the decades, and she knew all about revenge. "Well let's go then and I'll even write a song about it afterwards." She laughed and rode on. To glory.

  Graf watched the column of soldiers march out of the West gate and shook his head sadly. He had wanted to go with them, but Arian needed him in the city. His job was to go through the streets and listen to the word rumbling through the people. He was to listen for any traitors that may have been left behind and deal with them. Once that was done, or the fighting at the gates started, he was to head to the East gate and help Caerlyn, Gareth and Tierra hold that section. He turned and headed back into the city. Now that his mind was healed once more, everything had become clearer. He remembered everything that had happened. From when he had been captured those many years ago in G'harr and tortured until his mind snapped, until he heard that voice, Norar's voice, telling him who he was. He had been in such deep reflection that he had almost missed the fact that he was being followed. He stepped into an alley and spun around into a ball, pulling his ratted cloak down over his head. He heard slight footfalls enter the alley and shuffle past him, then he counted to three in his mind.

  When he got to three he heard the slight scrape of the foot as the someone turned around and he leapt up, throwing the cloak off and kicked out. His surprise was complete when his foot was grabbed and he was thrust back against the wall. Hard.

  "Now why would you want to kick an old lady?" Illiyana smiled and bent her head slightly downward so that this vagabond couldn't see her face. She pulled off the 'Old Lady' bit rather well since her hair was bone white.

  "Maybe because the old lady was following me?" Graf sized her up in a minute and knew something was wrong. You can't con a con. She looked old, but her legs showed no discoloration of her veins and her back was as straight as you could get on one leg. She was still holding him against the wall with her other leg.

  "You madam are not what you appear to be, and It's my job to root out all traitors to the crown. So what will it be? Going to tell me what you're hiding, or do we have to dance?" Graf's eyes gleamed with eagerness. With his mind whole once more, his fighting prowess had all come back to him, and he was deadly before this.

  She could see that he was no ordinary vagabond, and she cursed herself under her breath at her folly. She had stayed hidden for over fifty years in this city, living on the streets and caring for some of the children, and now she would have to be discovered. All things must end, but it's up to me how they end. She thought as she lowered her foot and backed up a bit. "Very well. My name is Illiyana and I live on these streets. I have no intention of harming any King or Queen, I just want to be left alone." She widened her stance and gripped her dagger in her belt tightly, just in case.

  "Graf cocked his head to the side and looked at her hair, then saw what had caught his eye. Her ears were pointed. "Oh good Gods you're an elf?" He laughed out loud and the fight went out of him. "Don't worry, I don't care about your heritage, just your allegian
ce." He still wanted to know why she was following him though. "So why are you so interested in me?"

  She didn't trust him completely, but she saw that he had relaxed. "I was interested in the new guy in town, so to speak. I've seen you sleeping in the alleys and walking the streets here and there." She stood up and stopped pretending to be an old lady, and showed him exactly who she was. Her short white hair fell to her slim shoulders, and her silver eyes sparkled in the sun. She was almost five feet and her slight frame was very lean but rugged.

  "Well to warn you, war is coming. G'harr is marching upon this city and we are all preparing to defend it. Women and children are being moved up into the castle and all able bodied men are going to be holding the gates." He brushed off his cloak and straightened up, "But it seems like you could hold your own." He nodded to her and started walking for the main street.

  "You're not going to bring me to your King?" She couldn't believe that he was going to just walk away. It wasn't everyday that you saw an elf. Would she have to flee the city and start over somewhere else?

  "Graf stopped at the mouth of the alley and smiled back at her. "He's not my King, just a friend, and I see no traitors here. That being said, If I find out that your intentions have changed, well, I've always wanted to dance with an elven blademaster."

  "I'm not a..."

  "Oh don't even try. Your feet are spread apart for optimum balance, your shoulder is dipped just enough for pivoting, and your grip on that dagger is almost perfect for any style." He was flattered that she thought she could hide it from him.

  "Almost perfect?!" Illiyana didn't know if she should hit him or buy him a drink. Never had she been so transparent to anyone, even her fellow elves. Who was this man?

  "Tell you what. If we all live from this attack, I'll come back down and find you and we can go over this then, unless you end up joining me at the East gate during the fight." He walked out into the street, blending in with the people heading up to the castle.

  She was left with her mouth at her feet. She smiled and got back into her 'Old Lady' persona and hobbled back out into the street. Yes, times were changing, but could she keep up this time...

  The Bent Shield, City of Everknight

  Lan walked into the popular drinking establishment and had to stand there and let his eyes adjust. It was dark in here, like always, and he couldn't see anything. The note that was left in his quarters said to meet here, and he wasn't sure who he was meeting. Then he heard their voices and his heart fell. It was the castle knights having one last night before the attack. Fantastic.

  "Well if it isn't the young 'Knight'." Trav had a deep voice, not quite booming, but close. He was shocked to see the little upstart here. Shocked, but not disappointed. "Come in here for another 'Lesson' did we?" The others behind him laughed and lifted their mugs in salute to the funny quip, and he turned and raised his own mug in response.

  Lan sighed. This was not what he wanted to go through on the eve of what could be the end of Everknight. If there was only someway that he could prove to them that he wasn't trying to show them up. "No Trav, actually I received a note to meet someone here." He saw the man come closer and could've hit him low to disable him early, but that wouldn't be honorable.

  Trav smiled at the kid and raised his meaty fist. Couple of hits to his shield arm would make training real difficult. He didn't want this young upstart showing them up, especially in front of the High General. They had worked hard for their post as knights, and it just wasn't fair that this kid was sailing through this easy.

  Trav's fist came down fast and stopped an inch from the kids shoulder. He didn't know what shocked him more; That the kid never flinched, or that someone's hand had stopped him. The hand that was holding his wrist was like a carpenter's vice, and wasn't even shaking.

  "Well, well, well. I see that you boys are having fun." The hand let the big man go and tossed his arm aside. The lithe figure stepped back and lowered her hood. Carana smiled at the horror on the knights faces. "I thought that would be the reaction I would get." Without waiting she lunged at them and set about beating them with her bare hands. It was four to one, and they were no match for her at all. She connected a left hook on his friend sitting at the table and spun his head clear around, sending him out of his chair and on to the ground. Trav hit her in the face and she spit blood at him, as she kicked him in the sternum. He stumbled back and two others took his place. "That's right boys, come and test me."

  Lan watched Carana take the knights apart, and not like in the training room. She was really hurting them. The two that went at her fell quickly, one with a broken leg, the other holding his throat after she hit him with a knife hand strike. Then she advanced on Trav, hitting him again and again, no matter how fast he tried to put his guard up. Her fist was always where he least expected. Lan swallowed hard. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was shaking with conflicting thoughts, but as she raised her hand to strike Trav one last time, Lan rushed in front and shielded him with his arm. "Wait High General!"

  She hadn't let loose like this in a long time, and by the Gods they had it coming. She stepped over the two sprawling knights and advanced upon the ringleader. Trav was despicable. To think that he was hurting this kid purposefully to keep him from being better than them.

  She smiled at the big knight as she hit him over and over, finally hitting him back into his chair. He had a look of horror upon his guilty face and she raised her fist to bring her wrath down upon him for a final blow, then Lan was there and she had to blink a couple of times to figure out what was going on. He was actually shielding the man! "Lan, what are you doing?"

  "Lady High General I evoke the knight's honor code." It was a gamble, he knew, but he couldn't just sit by and do nothing. The city was going to be under attack any day and it needed all of the warriors it could find.

  She tried to hide her utter surprise. She failed of course, but she tried. "The honor code? Really?" Carana had invented that code decades ago, so she knew what it meant.

  Lan would bind his fate with Trav's and be held accountable for his actions, as well as his own. This lasted until the death of either of the participants. "I have to ask Lan, with what this despicable knight was doing to you, how could you vouch for him?" Carana knew the answer, but she wanted Trav to hear it from the boy.

  Lan took a steadying breath and looked her in the eyes. "Because It's what any knight would do for one of their own."

  "But we were horrible to you kid....." Trav tried to say through a swollen face.

  Lan turned around and faced Trav. The boy had a worn smile on his face that said he knew exactly what they had done. "Yes. I know, but I have to ask myself if I would be any less of a knight if I stood by and let it happen. You are a fellow knight and no formal charges were filled, so that means you were in distress. A true knight always helps those in distress." He turned back to face Carana and saw that she was smiling.

  It wasn't her desired effect, she was hoping for more of the 'grovel while being beaten' approach, but it worked out the same. "Very well young knight. Trav and you shall be honor bound together until the death of either one of you. Now, let's get a round of drinks over here."

  The bar keep, who was fingering the pouch of gold that the High General had slipped him for any disruption tonight, merely whistled and the serving girls brought over mugs of warm mead.

  Lan was still puzzled though about the note. "Lady Carana, was it you who left me that note then?"

  Carana looked at him with a questioning look and simply turned away. "What note Lan?" She had turned so that he couldn't see her smile. She stepped over the bodies of Trav's friends and sat down wondering if any of these knights would survive the attack.

  Elsewhere in the city, Kari walked in silence with Sprout, Vance, and Tomas. They were heading to their old alley to discuss what the King and Queen had discussed with them. She missed Lan and really needed him right now, since all the kids were looking to her with his absence. Sprout was t
he only one that seemed happy, bouncing as she walked down the familiar streets. Kari shook her head at the little ball of energy. "Try to cheer up Sprout."

  Sprout stopped and turned to the others, confused. "But I am happy...."

  Vance laughed despite the butterflies in his stomach. "No Sprout, she was being funny again because you're too happy." They arrived at the alley and they crawled over their old wooden pile and slid down to their old hideout. they hadn't been here since that fateful night and weren't sure it would even still be here.

  Kari didn't know where to start. The King had wanted them to help defend the city, even though they weren't fully trained yet. He had said that they would have the North gate with what guards they could spare, and that they didn't expect any forces to hit that gate with the other two more accessible. She didn't believe that for a second. "All right, so we have to guard the North gate when the G'harran's come, does anyone have any thoughts on this? Suggestions?" She had a knack for speaking to people, but she was at a loss for words on this subject. She was terrified.

  Tomas, usually very quiet had waited for his cue to speak this time. "I think this is the perfect opportunity to prove ourselves to the King." Short and to the point, that was the blacksmith in him. They were told that they would be outfitted with the proper weapons on the morrow, and any armor that they could wear without impeding their fighting ability would be theirs as well.

  "You would say that. We can't prove ourselves if were dead Tomas." Vance was skeptical, though with the right bow in his hands, he could do a lot of damage at a distance. "If those bastard G'harran's swing around we will be in real combat and serious trouble." He wished Griff was here, though the King said the young healer would be at the North gate with them.