After a few moments of small talk Trance finally got his breakfast ordered. It came and he found it hard to try and eat. He kept gazing at the beautiful princess. Trance learned about his family being found and about his dad getting such a royal welcome and becoming a very prominent person in the kingdom. He still didn’t find out who Kyle was yet. He wondered who he might be.
When the meal was over Trance went outside with the knights. Zak went over and talked to the Major about Trance and got permission to let him ride the old warhorse. He then came and led Trance to the robot horse and quickly showed him how to operate the horse’s controls. Trance took an instant liking to the horse. It might have been his imagination but the horse seemed happier with a rider, yet sad at the same time that it would soon be heading to be recycled. Bear came over on his horse and assisted Trance with the basic controls so he could ride the horse.
While Trance was situating himself on the robot warhorse and learning its controls a very powerfully built knight came over. Trance could tell even before he arrived that this was the Major. Trance could tell by his badge that he was a swordsman. “Trance this is Major Marlett, he’s the leader of our division. Major, this is Trance Sonderson, I believe that he is the son of Dr. Sonderson,” introduced Zak.
“Hello Trance, how are you? I’ve heard a bit about you. I’ll have to hear from you how you escaped from the Boulthorians. I heard that you had defended the Markem’s farm, and that you defeated a number of their soldiers that came after you. I find it a little hard to believe that you could bring those knights down. However, we’ll talk about that later. Zak and the princess have persuaded me to let you come along with us and let you ride that horse. We’ll pass by the town where Dr. Sonderson and his family live and we’ll drop you off there. Do what you’re told and we’ll have no problem,” Marlett said briskly. He wasn’t sure about allowing a strange boy who apparently came out of nowhere to join them. He was the leader of this troop and was responsible for them, and especially responsible for protecting the princess. Yet, the princess did have some power and influence. He guessed that it wouldn’t hurt to let him come along. Besides it might look very good on his record to take part in finding Dr. Sonderson’s missing son.
Trance sat on the horse and squirmed a little. He wasn’t sure if he was welcome to go with this troop. Zak and Bear seemed to think he needed to come along so they could take him home. The princess also thought that it was okay for him to come. Many of the other knights looked at him curiously. They were not sure if they believed his story. How could a boy from Earth be able to wield a weapon with the apparent skill that it took to defeat those battle-ready Boulthorian knights?
Trance started up the horse and noticed the information and targeting screen built into the back of the horse’s neck. The screen also had a communications component so the horse could talk to the rider. “Hello, how are you? Who are you? My rider has been slain. Why are you riding me?”
Trance was surprised as he read the comments as they appeared on the screen. Quickly he responded as best he could on the small keypad just below the screen. “I’m fine. My name is Trance. I’m so sorry that your rider was killed. These knights seem to know my family and they are taking me home.” Trance thought a moment and then asked the horse a couple questions. “What is your name? What will happen to you now?”
“My memory has been altered. I don’t have a name anymore since my rider was slain. I am headed to be recycled. Most of me will be scrap,” the horse responded sadly. The horse’s head seemed to droop.
At that moment Trance determined to see if he could keep this horse from being turned into scrap. Before he could formulate how to do this he found himself being urged to start moving. Zak moved up to be on Trance’s left side as Bear rode on his right. The three started talking again and Trance asked questions about the Golden Griffins and about how to become one. The two knights were very ready to explain their branch of military service and tell him what he needed to do to become one. With a lot of luck and hard work he might get in. But they were an elite group and it would take a miracle for him to join them. As Trance talked with them and some of the other knights he found his eyes searching to the front of the troop to where Marlett rode with the princess.
As they rode along Trance’s new friends left him to talk to some of the other knights in their troop and he was alone, but not for long. The town where he had met these knights was far behind them and he was thinking seriously about becoming a knight when the princess came back and talked to him. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” he answered nervously. He felt his face flush as he kept trying not to stare at her. His heart was really starting to pound.
They had some small talk. Trance asked about school and her family and learned of her royal heritage. He also learned more about the political system. He also learned that she was learning to be a lady knight. He had heard that there were some troops of lady knights. How could someone so beautiful be a lady knight? She told him about her family and her life in the castle. Trance told her about Earth and his family. He was surprised to learn that she had met his dad and he was more amazed at how important his dad seemed to be. But, as they talked and started to become friends, they were unaware of the danger that was awaiting them just down the road.
Chapter 9
Battle Homeward
Twenty miles had passed, and Princess Corena was back at her spot in the lead of the troop of Golden Griffins. Trance had become very comfortable and used to the old robot warhorse that he was riding. Gradually he started asking questions about the horse. Zak directed him to go and talk to Major Marlett and ask him about the horse. Trance drove the horse forward and slowly approached the Major.
“Excuse me Major,” Trance said nervously.
“Yes,” said Marlett as he turned his head curiously to see Trance ride up to him.
“I was just wondering about this horse. Who did it belong to, and why does it have to be recycled?” Trance asked.
“That horse belonged to our third in command, Odrian. He was a very good soldier and had served for quite some time. His horse that you’re riding he inherited from his father who had also been a Golden Griffin. The horse is very old and can’t keep up, so it will be recycled and become parts for a new robot horse or some other robot animal,” Marlett explained.
Trance glanced at the horse’s head and saw it droop slightly more. “The horse seems to be alright and steady. What’s wrong with him that he needs to be recycled? Could the horse be refitted with new parts instead?” Trance asked.
“Well, structurally the horse is sound, but it’s his circuitry. The circuits, chips, and processors are old. The target screen is old and off by three centimeters. It would take a lot of work to check and switch all of the old and faulty circuits and chips for new modern hex chips and replace the screen,” answered Marlett.
“Could somebody take the horse and redo it on their own?” Trance asked curiously, determined to find some way to save the horse from the scrap pile.
“Yeah,” said Marlett, slowly wondering what Trance’s interest in the horse was. “I suppose a person could do it. It would still cost quite a bit though. And besides who’d want to refit an old warhorse that might have a circuit or chip fail in the middle of a battle. Usually a new knight selects and gets a brand new horse, right from the factory where everything is brand new and in perfect working order.”
Trance took a deep breath and asked the question that was burning inside him. “Would there be any way that I could buy the horse?”
Marlett was taken by surprise. He had not expected this Earth boy to ask if he could buy the horse. He had never heard of anybody anywhere wanting an old and used warhorse. They were just taken and recycled and parted out. “Let me consult the princess,” he said to give him time to think. He couldn’t figure out why Trance wanted the horse.
Trance watched Marlett ride
over and start talking to Corena. She looked at him and then back at Trance with a very curious look. A moment later Marlett came back and asked him why he wanted the horse.
“Well I just feel comfortable on it right now. I don’t know really, I just have a feeling. The horse seems to be in pretty good working order and as you said it’s structurally in good shape. If I’d get to be a knight I can’t imagine getting another horse. I like this one,” Trance answered honestly.
“I might as well tell you that if you are allowed to buy the horse, you’d have to do an incredible job getting it ready and have it pass a very serious inspection before you’d be able to ride it as your horse as a knight, provided that you yourself are able to get in as a knight,” Marlett said rather seriously.
“If you’ll allow me to buy the horse, I’d surely love to try to become a knight and get him ready to be my horse,” Trance said confidently. “Is there a manual I could find so I’d know how to fix him and what the inspection is looking for?”
“Yes there is. You could find it at a local bookstore. There are three books on warhorses, any one of which should help you. The one I would suggest is entitled, ‘Modern Warhorses: A Technical Manual.’ It’s very detailed and will show you what to look for and what an inspection will be looking for. It will depend on you being able to find the parts to update and upgrade the horse,” said Marlett.
Marlett turned to Corena and they talked for a few more minutes privately. Finally Marlett rode back to Trance and with a quick look back at the princess, who was watching, he turned to Trance and said, “If it were up to just me I’d have to say no; however, the princess seems to think that it would be alright. There are several instances where a public citizen was allowed to buy a warhorse,” said Marlett, but before he could tell Trance what the price might be an arrow sped right between them.
Suddenly a squad of one hundred and twenty Boulthorian knights attacked from nowhere. They just swept in from the left flank, dropping seven Golden Griffins in the flood of cold, hard, and sharp metal blades as they came through.
Zak raced up with his sword raised and fought to get to Trance’s side to advise him on how to defend himself. Trance took the advice seriously and followed it to a tee.
The advice was to keep the horse pointed at the oncoming enemy knights and fire the horse’s built-in crossbows and not let any on them get next to or past him. He was also to keep his body behind the neck and head of the horse. In that position he’d be protected and be able to line up his shots by lining up one enemy knight up at a time on the target screen.
Trance was so curious about the horse’s hidden weapons that he leaned over slightly when he activated them to watch them come out. He watched and saw a small and very powerful crossbow come out of a panel near the base of the neck. He quickly leaned and saw the same weapon on the other side. When they came out they were loaded and ready to fire. To reload, a mechanical arm reached out over the top of the crossbow and reached down and pulled the string back into firing position, and a bolt came up from underneath.
Trance used his thumbs to press the firing buttons that sat on top of the horse’s control sticks. He sent two bolts into the abdomen of one knight and put a couple into the throat of another Boulthorian knight. Trance watched with fascinated horror at what the bolts did to the enemy knights when he shot them. He was also fascinated by the battle around him. The sound of clashing weapons was ringing. Before his mind could dwell on what was happening, he caught sight of a Boulthorian knight race after Corena, the princess.
With swift movements Trance turned the horse toward the princess and charged at the enemy knight bearing down on her. Trance drew his sword and readied himself for the confrontation.
The Boulthorian knight saw Trance charging and turned on his gray robot warhorse and hefted his ax to bring down this little pest disturbing him in the process of capturing the princess.
Trance bore down on the knight and readied his swing. He swung and hit the man in the side while the man was in the process of setting up his own swing to deal a deadly blow. Trance’s blow unseated the knight and he fell with a thud to the ground. The enemy recovered and stood ready to deliver a blow to unseat his opponent so he could deal with him easier. Trance quickly turned the horse toward the enemy knight, swung with all his might and nearly removed the knight’s head from his shoulders.
“Are you alright?” Trance asked Corena with concern in his voice. It was then that he saw that she had a sword of her own. It was very elegant yet deadly sharp. The crosspiece at the top of the hilt was shaped like upturned thorns and the pommel at the base of the hilt was of a rose blossom. The blade was two feet long and two inches wide and engraved with a rose branch pattern.
“Yea, I’m fine,” Corena said confidently and straightened up proudly.
Now that he knew that she was alright he turned back to the battle, sheathed his sword and started shooting down enemy knights again as he saw Corena take down a couple of enemy knights by herself, actually protecting him. As he used the target screen to aim at each enemy he noticed a counter at the bottom of the screen counting down the number of bolts that he had left.
With every shot it went down by two for both bolts being fired. He soon noticed that he was down to twenty bolts left. He started planning what to do when he ran out of crossbow bolts. He aimed carefully and fired as accurately as he could to hit as many enemy knights as possible. Finally it happened, he shot down another enemy knight and a light came on signaling that he was now out of crossbow bolts. Well, he figured it was time to do what he had planned.
He would wield his sword against each enemy knight and battle him like he had the knights that had chased him. Moving cautiously and a little hesitantly at first Trance picked out a Boulthorian knight, raised his sword and moved forward. The knight saw him coming and grinned wickedly, thinking this was too easy. The enemy knight raised his own sword and turned to meet Trance. Their swords clashed and the knight proved to be a rather good swordsman, yet somehow Trance held his own. As they battled, the knight found himself getting frustrated and Trance felt his confidence growing. The knight swung very hard and opened up at the wrong moment, leaving himself unprotected by his sword or shield. Trance took advantage and defeated the enemy.
He moved to another knight and attacked with more confidence and power, and knocked the knight to the ground where one of the Golden Griffins swept in and finished him off. Trance turned and went after another knight. He kept in mind that the Golden Griffins were still outnumbered. He also kept his eye on Corena and made it a point to stay within a short distance of her and keep her from being attacked from behind. As he watched, he saw that she was very able to defend herself. She was a very gifted swordswoman.
The next Boulthorian knight proved to be a much greater challenge. He had seen Trance defeat four of his comrades and he determined that he would end this youth’s winning streak. He raised his rather large battleaxe and rode fast and hard. Trance saw him just in time and raised his sword to keep himself from being cut in half. The knight’s swing was so hard that Trance was nearly unseated and had the sword knocked out of his hand. As the knight turned around Trance desperately moved his horse back and tried to figure out what to do next. How was he to fight this knight now without his sword? He reached for his own ax. He knew that it was just an ordinary farm wood ax and quite small compared to the knight’s battleaxe. They rode at each other again and swung at each other. The knight’s ax cut very deep into the handle of Trance’s ax. On the next pass Trance’s ax was cleaved in two.
Now what? Trance only had his butcher knife left, but what good was that going to be against this knight and his massive battleaxe. There was one thing he could think to do. He rode and tried his best to get behind the knight. The enemy knight swung wildly at him, but Trance slowly got behind him. Trance moved up and finally got where he could reach the knight, and with a deep breath he did what he had
to do. He reached out and with his left hand pulled the knight’s head back and slashed with his right. The battleaxe fell to the ground as the dying knight grabbed his throat and fell heavily on top of it.
Trance let the man fall and was immediately approached by another Boulthorian knight. With the same plan in mind he rode to get behind this knight as well. He was faster dispatching this knight. As his opponent fell, Trance noticed that the Boulthorians were starting a retreat. They had taken the Golden Griffins by surprise and outnumbered them, yet they had greatly underestimated them. The Althorians proved to be extremely capable of beating them back. Before Trance could take on another enemy, they were in full retreat and Zak and Bear rode up to check on him.
“Hey Trance, you fight really well for an Earth boy,” said Zak cheerily. Happiness shone in his face now that he knew that his new friend was safe.
“Yea, you sure did a fine job fighting those knights. I watched from where I was battling, and you fought like a pro. You would make an excellent knight if you continue to fight like that, maybe you’d even make a Golden Griffin,” Bear said encouragingly.
At that, Marlett rode up and handed Trance the sword that had been knocked out of his hand. “Here is your sword. You did a fine job. I’m impressed. You fought better than some knights I’ve known that have served for years. When you’re ready to join the service, let me know and I’ll give you a personal recommendation. That will help you get where you want to go.”
Other Golden Griffins came and complimented Trance. Most importantly Corena came up and told him that she appreciated that he had stuck around and protected her. She knew that she could hold her own, but she was rather impressed by the fact that he had gone out of his way to keep her from being attacked from behind. “As a token of my appreciation, I give you this horse. I heard how much you wanted it, and you rode him very well. Now you have a horse for when you become a knight,” she said graciously, and then she whispered, “I truly hope that you do.” She blushed slightly and then sheathed her own sword and rode back to the front of the troop, now forming to move again.
Space Knights: The Arrival Page 11