A Knight's Path (The Path of Cinder Book 1)

by Nathan Grafton

  The green eyed teen glanced over at the blonde man and then back at Elise. He set his jaw and said nothing as Elise applied more pressure and the man yelped, “Alright, alright! I’m sorry!”

  Elise relaxed some of the pressure, “Are you going to do it again?”

  Alden raised one eyebrow as the man on the ground continued, “No, I swear I won’t even look at you again if you don’t want me to!”

  The blonde girl put some of the pressure back onto the man’s arm, “Not just me. Any girl. Understand?”

  The man moaned, “I won’t! I swear! Please let me go!”

  Elise released her victim and stood, “Beat it before I change my mind.”

  The blonde’s victim scrambled to his feet and ran off through the crowd. Elise glared after him and then seemed to notice the crowd for the first time as she flushed bright red. Enzo cleared his throat, “Show’s over, folks. Let’s get a move on.”

  The crowd dispersed slowly as Alden walked over to the twins and glanced back and forth between the two of them. The green eyed teen finally asked, “What was that about?”

  Elise looked at her brother who shook his head, “That moron, decided he needed to know what Elise’s ass felt like. Unfortunately for him, Elise got to him before I did.”

  Alden shook his head, “People in this city amaze me. Back home if someone did something to a woman against her will he would’ve been beaten, shunned and most likely forced to leave the area because everyone would refuse to do business with him.”

  The twins stared at the young man for a long moment before he shrugged, “Most people where I’m from have at least one daughter, sister or niece so we take things like that seriously. Because if we let people like that walk around it won’t be long before it gets worse or affects you directly. So we nip the problem in the bud.”

  Enzo nodded his head, “I heard that the Northern Empire implements the death penalty for any offence of that nature.”

  Alden frowned, “I don’t know much about the Empire so I couldn’t tell you. What are you two up to?”

  Elise answered this time, “Just learning the town. This city is massive compared to home but your village must be even smaller then ours.”

  The green eyed teen shrugged, “It fluctuates a lot. People will leave and get married or somebody will come to the village to marry someone who lives there. Theres about 150, 200 people most of the time.”

  The blonde man glanced at his twin, “Our village is closer to 800 people.”

  Alden shrugged and Elise continued, “What are you doing?”

  The sandy haired teen popped his neck, “Gonna meet Warren for lunch. Other then that just driftin’.”

  Enzo stopped outside a cafe, “Mind if we stop and grab a drink?”

  Alden shook his head as Elise led the way inside the little building. It was dim on the main floor but each table had its own private light. Books lined a large number of shelves that covered two of the walls. One wall was occupied by the long counter and the final wall was a large window. Elise and Alden sat down at one of the tables as Enzo ordered coffee for them and brought the mugs over.

  The green eyed teen picked his up and took a drink before he scowled at the bitter taste. Enzo smirked and took a sip, “It’s something of an acquired taste.”

  Elise began to drink hers and Alden grit his teeth and tossed the drink back in a single gulp. The young man shook his head and grimaced at the taste in his mouth. The blonde woman smiled at him over her drink and asked, “You realize that’s probably going to make you sick right?”

  Alden grinned back at her, “I have a gut made of iron. It’ll be fine.”

  The blue eyed girl rolled her eyes but Alden could see the amusement on her face. For some reason, that made the young man happy. Suddenly, Alden felt an awkwardness settle over him as he looked at Elise and he looked down at the empty mug in his hand. He could feel his face heat up and out of the corner of his eyes Elise suddenly seemed interested in the street outside. Enzo’s eyes darted between the two of them before settling on Alden with a glare. The young man studied the street and ignored the pointed look.

  A few minutes later Alden rose to his feet with a grunt, “I should get goin’. I have to meet Warren before long.”

  Elise looked up, “Mind if I tag along?”

  Alden glanced at the blonde girl before her brother cleared his throat, “We don’t want to intrude. It’s fine.”

  The green eyed teen shook his head, “It’s not a problem at all. You can both come.”

  The blonde girl seemed to deflate a little but trailed Alden out of the door with her brother a few steps behind her. The trio made their way through the city and Alden ducked into a side alley to save a few minutes. He realized the mistake he had made a little too late. A shadow blocked the exit of the alley and as he glanced back over his shoulder three more figures were blocking the way they had come from. Two more people stepped into the alley in front of Alden and a heavy silence filled the air.

  Alden grit his teeth and heard one of the thugs in front of him ask, “What about the blondes? We’re only getting paid for him?”

  The green eyed teen narrowed his eyes, “How about we just let my friends go and we can settle this between us?”

  Elise’s head snapping towards him caught the corner of Alden’s eye as she hissed, “We’re not going anywhere. It’d be six against one. You need a hand here, Flint.”

  The leader of the group cleared his throat, “Let the other two go. Do what your friend suggests, miss.”

  The blonde woman didn’t move and Alden turned his head toward Enzo, “Get her out of here.”

  Enzo shook his head and rolled his shoulders, “Afraid I’m with her on this one. We stick by our friends.”

  Alden grit his teeth and glared at the outline of the leader of the thugs, “Who paid you and why?”

  The man shrugged, “As for why we were paid somebody wants you gone and out of their hair. We were informed that you have a hard time reading and we should deliver the message physically. Who paid us though, well, he said you would know.”

  The green eyed teen cracked his thumb and snarled, “Let’s see you deliver this message then.”

  The leader’s head moved between Enzo and Elise as he spoke, “You two can still leave.”

  The twins shook their heads in silence and the man sighed, “So be it. Rough them up.”

  Alden lunged forward before the thugs had a chance to answer. His fist slammed across the jaw of the speaker but his second punch was caught by the big man and a fist like a hammer walloped into Alden’s stomach. The young man grunted and tried to jump back but the man had a vise like grip on his left arm. A punch smashed into Alden’s jaw and then a second fist hit him in the ribs. Another blow hammered into his stomach before the young man was released. Alden stumbled backwards and grit his teeth, A deep growl rumbling out of his throat as his anger boiled and the pain faded to the back of his mind.

  The young man shot forward and the top of his skull connected with a nose. A wild punch followed a moment later and one of the thugs stumbled back as Alden threw an elbow into the leader’s nose, breaking it with a crunch. Alden stumbled as the other thug punched him in the mouth and then hit him again. The young man roared and tackled the man to the ground and began to beat him. A pair of heavy hands grabbed him and tossed him backwards against the alley wall. Alden looked up and had enough time to register the club of a City Guard before it connected and unconsciousness settled over him.

  Chapter 18 Solving Problems

  Sergeant Hunter stepped into Captain Fox’s office a few minutes after he had been summoned. The Captain was waiting on him, as well as Inquisitor Solace. The Sergeant stood at attention for a few minutes until Fox let out a long breath.

  The silence continued on for a few more seconds befo
re Fox broke it, this time with his voice, “Another Knight has been murdered.”

  Malcolm froze at the statement and then asked, “Who was it?”

  The Inquisitor responded this time, “Paladin Frederick Jones. Some manner and knife as Rogers. There was another death this time though. A member of the kitchen staff named Elizabeth Dayton. I believe she walked in as the murder was taking place. Her wound wasn’t as clean as the ones on Jones or Rogers and she bled to death. A major artery was severed instead of a direct blow to the heart.”

  Malcolm swallowed and then grit his teeth, “Have you found anything to point you towards the individual doing this?”

  Solace shook his head, “Sadly, I have not. Blackfeather holds a certain….resentment… towards the Guards who were born as commoners instead of Merchants or Nobles. I do not believe he is capable of murder, although he may be concealing his true feelings. If he is the one committing these murders he knows we’re looking for him.”

  The Captain sighed, “Keep after it, Solace. But I had a reason for calling you down here, Sergeant. The King has made a request and you know as well as I do a request from the King is as good as an order.”

  The Sergeant nodded, “I do. What’s the request?”

  Fox leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead, “For the Third Trial of the first years he wants them to duel in the arena.”

  Malcolm paused as he waited for more information but then said, “That’s not too bad. But who are they supposed to duel?”

  The Captain’s eyes met Malcolm’s and the older man spoke like the words were made of lead, “An orc.”

  The Sergeant shook his head and half-shouted, “What!? Did you say an orc?! A fully trained Paladin would have a hard time surviving a duel with an orc!”

  Fox nodded his head and raised a hand to calm the Knight, “I understand and I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn’t listen to me. Once the First Trial is complete start weapons training. I’m going to have the other teachers start orc tactics early in the classroom. We’ll get them gear but it’ll be the second year lay outs instead of the regular first year ones. I don’t want to lose any recruits. Understood?”

  Malcolm let out a sigh and answered, “Yes, sir.”

  Fox waved a hand, “Good, dis-.”

  The Captain was cut short by a hard pounding on the door. Fox gestured to it and Sergeant Hunter threw the door open and a Cadet stumbled in out of breath. The Knight Sergeant put a hand on his shoulder, “Easy there. What’s happening, Hawkes?”

  Alexander Hawkes sucked in a deep breath, “Alden, Elise and Enzo have been arrested. Reginald had something to do with it but I can’t prove it.”

  Captain Fox furrowed his brow, “Arrested for what?”

  Hawkes swallowed, “They’re being charged with assault even though they were the ones who got attacked.”

  Inquisitor Solace looked up, “Should I intervene?”

  The Captain sighed and nodded, “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 19 A Hidden Friend

  Warren woke up as the sun shined through his window and onto his face. The large teen grunted and rolled over before tossing his covers off after a few minutes. It was already 11 at least. Warren turned and sat up, swinging his legs off the bed. The large boy stretched and stood, his eyes reading Alden’s note and then he nodded to himself.

  The young man dressed lazily. His tunic was a dark blue with gold trim, the colors of his family, and the pants were black. The large teen had ordered them the weekend before and they had arrived yesterday. He popped his neck and moved towards the door, planing on heading directly to The Oak to meet Alden. When the big man got there the green eyed man was no where in sight and Warren waited for a half hour. His friend never appeared.

  The big man left and made his way back toward the Wall. Alden was always on time, it was just a part of how he was. Warren drifted along the streets, wondering if something had befallen his friend.

  Skorri’s voice called out to him from behind, “Warren! Come and sit for a moment!”

  Warren looked up and strode over to Skorri and John sitting on a nearby bench. The big warrior smiled up at him, “What brings you to this part of town?”

  The big man returned a half-smile, “Just heading back to the Wall actually.”

  Skorri leaned forward in his seat, “What’s troubling you?”

  Warren opened his mouth and then shook his head, “It is nothing.”

  The giant frowned at him and Warren asked, “Have you seen Alden?”

  Skorri shook his head, “No. Why?’

  Warren nodded half to himself, “He asked me to meet him and then never showed up.”

  The big man rubbed his face, “That is not like, Flint. But it’s probably nothing. I’ll keep an eye out anyway.”

  A new voice cut into the conversation that made Warren grind his teeth, “If you want to find him check in the city dungeon.”

  Warren turned to face Reginald and spat, “Why would he be in the dungeon, Blackfeather?”

  The dark haired young man shrugged, “No real reason I just heard from a little bird that Alden got himself, and those Colbert twins arrested.”

  Warren stepped in closer to him and growled, “Arrested for what?”

  Reginald smiled, “Assault. Apparently Alden went off the deep end and attacked someone on the street. The man’s friends tried to intervene but the twins wouldn’t let them. Enzo was stuck up and too full of himself. So was she for that matter but at least she was nice to look at.”

  Skorri rose from his seat and stepped up beside Warren. Reginald’s smile wavered but he continued, “It doesn’t matter at this point though. She’ll be skin and bones before long in that dungeon unless the Guards decide to keep her.”

  A rumble came from Skorri’s chest and Reginald took a quick step back and let out a laugh, “So eager to join your friend, Skorri? I’ll be seeing you.”

  Warren bit his lip and glared at the retreating figure before he shook his head. Skorri slapped him on the back of the head, “Well, are you going to stand there or go get the Captain?”

  The smack galvanized the big man into action and he started to run towards the Wall. Warren jerked to a halt to avoid running directly into the Captain’s chest.

  Warren sucked in a breath and stammered, “Captain, it’s Alden. He’s been arrested but something tells me that Reg-”

  Captain Fox held up a hand, “I know. Cadet Hawkes told us. Head inside and wait for us to return.”

  The big man nodded and got out of the street to let the Knight Captain and Sergeant Hunter pass by.

  Chapter 20 A Dark Little Hole

  Alden woke up with a groan and found himself laying on a cold, damp, stone floor. The young man shoved himself into a sitting position and surveyed the room he was in. It was a cell and sitting on the floor nearby was Elise. One of her eyes was black and her lip had been split but the knuckles of both her hands were raw. Enzo sat beside her and his nose looked like it had been bleeding, there was a gash along his right eyebrow, his jaw was swollen, and from the way he sat he had taken a few hits to the ribs. But his knuckles were covered in a film of dried blood.

  The green eyed teen slid across the floor without getting up and leaned his head back against the wall. It seemed extraordinarily loud in the silent room. Alden sucked in a breath, “What happened?”

  Enzo responded, “We got arrested.”

  Elise glanced at her twin and put a hand on his shoulder before she continued his explanation, “We’re being charged with assault. They can’t find any witnesses and its our word against theirs. And apparently 6 is still greater then 3.”

  Alden began to examine himself as he answered, “Explains our luxury suite here.”

  His jaw ached with every motion, his stomach would be an array of bruises later,
his head felt like he had spent the last 36 hours drinking and his shoulder felt strange. Alden looked up, “What happened to my arm?”

  Elise winced, “Popped outta place when the Guard dropped you. Enzo jammed it back in after they dropped us in here.”

  The green eyed teen leaned back against the wall before asking his final question, “My coat?”

  Enzo motioned toward the door, “Guard took it.

  Alden nodded, “Any idea how long they’re going to keep us in here?”

  The blonde woman shrugged ,“Not really. They’ll probably come talk to you before long and see what you have to say.”

  Her brother glared at the doorway and Alden let the room fall back into silence as he sat there in the dim light. All the twins had done was stand up for him when he needed it and now they had landed in a cell next to him. Alden kicked himself, he should have made them leave instead of sticking around. At the time the back up hadn’t seemed like a bad idea. Elise was vicious, he had seen that himself, and Enzo was a powerful man and from the amount of blood coating his knuckles he had used that strength to good effect. But somehow the Guards chose the side of six common thugs over three Cadets in the Royal Guard. Something smelled off to him and Alden’s gut told him that it smelled like Blackfeather.

  The question now became not who was responsible but how did Alden go about proving that Blackfeather had done it. Unless he could get a confession out of the man who had assaulted him there didn’t really seem to be an answer. The other proof would be finding whoever Reginald bribed in the City Guard and having them confess. But that was just as unlikely because who would admit to such a thing or write it down and leave it in a convenient place for him to find?

  After a few minutes of trying to solve the conundrum a City Guardsman walked into the room, unlocked the cell and hauled Alden roughly to his feet before shoving him out the door. Alden stumbled and ran into the wall, his bad shoulder slamming against the adjacent cell bars. The Guardsman grabbed Alden by his shirt and propelled him down the hall with a rough shove. The young man managed to catch himself and began to walk on his own as the Guard led him to a small room with a single table and a chair beside it. Alden was tossed into the room and ordered to sit before the door slammed shut behind him.