Shard Knight (Echoes Across Time Book 1)

by Ballard, Matthew

  “I’ve an idea Your Highness.”

  Ronan’s gaze darted around the table. “Kelwin, did you say something?”

  “I said it sir.” A pimple-faced teenage boy carrying an armful of dirty dishes stood behind Kelwin’s chair.

  Ronan’s brows furrowed. “You’re the stable hand that took care of Betty.”

  “Yes sir. My name’s Fitz.”

  “What’s your idea son?” Tyrell said.

  “My aunt works evenings as a palace maid,” Fitz said. “She sees the king…that is…” The boy’s face flashed red.

  Ronan smiled. “It’s okay Fitz. Please continue.”

  “My Aunt Lilah said the king visits Elan’s Heart alone every night at ten o’clock sharp.”

  Sir Alcott sighed. “Even if we could break into the palace, three shard knights guard Elan’s Heart twenty-four hours a day.”

  A sly smile crept across Ronan’s face. “Three knights…a healer, a shield knight, and a battle knight.”

  Devery laughed. “You can’t be serious. That’s brash.”

  Tyrell rubbed his chin. “If the guard rotations haven’t changed, it stands a chance.”

  “Whatever you’ve planned, count me in,” Kelwin said.

  Sir Alcott narrowed his eyes and gazed around the table. “Did I miss something?”

  “We’re going to impersonate the three shard knights that guard Elan’s Heart,” Ronan said. “But first, we’re going to free Rika from the death camp.”

  “Devery, can you and Sir Alcott move the militia south toward Freehold and set up an advanced base?” Tyrell said. “Ronan, Kelwin and I will travel to the northern camp before we meet you.’

  Devery leaned back and scratched his gray beard. “Yes. We’ll scout guard rotations at the citadel.”

  “How do you plan to sneak a full militia through Winter Haven undetected?” Ronan said.

  “We’ll use the gap in the mountains east of Redkeep,” Devery said. “Pride’s regular soldiers don’t know it exists.”

  “It’s settled.” Tyrell said. “Devery, I’ve a favor to ask. Ronan needs a shard blade. Can you craft him a sword before we leave?”

  Devery grimaced. “I should have time to finish a new blade before we leave, but I should warn you they’re growing weaker.”

  Tyrell’s eyebrows narrowed. “Weaker?”

  “Shards are growing weaker or my smithing skill is declining. In the last decade, I’ve forged four shard blades, each weaker than the one before. They’ll work better than regular steel, but they’re nothing like blades created a hundred years ago. Even blades made twenty or thirty years ago were stronger. But, Ronan can’t fight shard knights swinging a dinner knife.” Devery met Ronan’s eyes. “At first light find me at my forge, and we’ll see what we can do.”

  “Thank you Devery. I’ll be there,” Ronan said.

  ***

  The thick steel door slammed shut followed by the sound of a heavy bar sliding into place. Heavy booted footsteps echoed and retreated growing fainter until they disappeared.

  Danielle’s stomach churned, and she grappled with rising panic for outright control of her reactions. She leaned against the steel door frame and forced even breaths in her through her nostrils and out her mouth. They’d removed her belt pouch and her staff. With leering eyeballs and roaming hands, Meranthian guards had stripped her naked, searched her, and assigned her a standard striped colonists uniform. Her imagination devised far worse scenarios they’d enact in the days ahead.

  She felt for the ring and necklace she’d worn every day for a decade, and hot tears welled in her eyes. With their merciless act of thievery, they’d torn away her family connection. Rage and sorrow battled for her emotional control, and she couldn’t allow either to win.

  “I can’t sense any animal life around us. I’d expect insects at least. Can you feel any plant life?” Keely said.

  Danielle reigned in her thoughts and wiped the streaking tears from her face. “I’ll try.” She channeled power and searched for any living plant or seed that might offer assistance.

  The stone floors and walls offered nothing in the form of plant life. A thick oaken water barrel sat in the room’s center with a rusty ladle hooked to its side. Where the walls met the ceiling, tiny slits, a few inches wide, allowed sunlight and air to reach the inmates.

  Danielle slid down the cell door, and her shoulders sagged. “There’s nothing around us Keely.”

  Small groups of Ayralen women and children sat huddled in clumps around the room. Their frail bodies and hollow sunken eyes shone light on the despondency, horror, and lost hope inflicted on them all. The beaten groups of Ayralens didn’t bother to look toward Danielle or Keely as they entered the cell.

  “Did they blindfold you?” Danielle said.

  Keely nodded. “I couldn’t see anything.” She looked around the prison cell. “You warned the Assembly about these death camps. Didn’t you?”

  “Yes I did,” Danielle said. “But, dwelling on their decision won’t serve us now.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Keely, why didn’t you escape when you could? I don’t want you to die in this God-forsaken hole,” Danielle said.

  “I won’t leave you Danielle,” Keely leveled her warm green eyes at Danielle. “I don’t strand my friends.”

  Danielle’s chest tightened, and she took Keely’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you Keely.” Fresh tears rimmed her eyes. “You’re a good friend.”

  Keely looked away and rubbed moisture from her eyes. “Don’t go all mushy on me. We’ll find a way out. I’ve escaped from tighter spots than this dump.” She looked around the room. “This place feels like paradise compared with kitchen duty back at the academy.”

  Danielle laughed, and the foreign noise bounced from the cell’s cold stone walls.

  Several Ayralen women shifted cowering away as if Danielle and Keely carried an infectious disease.

  A young woman slumped alone in the cell’s far corner jerked her head toward the sound of laughter. She pulled dry cracked raven colored hair behind her ear and stared at Danielle through haunted gray eyes.

  A flicker of recognition sparked in the young woman’s eyes.

  Danielle thought she knew the woman but dismissed the idea. Although many beautiful women lived in Ayralen, she’d remember a woman so striking. This young woman carried an innate beauty that went beyond her appearance. Her aura commanded attention like kittens to a saucer of cream. Danielle felt an immediate bond with her, and she knew she’d seen those gray eyes somewhere. “Keely. Do you recognize that young woman?” Danielle said holding her voice to a whisper.

  “No. I’ve never seen her, but it looks like she recognizes you,” Keely said.

  The young woman’s eyes opened wide in recognition. With intense effort she pushed herself to her feet and staggered across the room.

  Danielle’s breath caught in her throat, and her stomach twisted. She recognized her, but this woman had died years ago. As the name came to her, Danielle leaped to her feet and met the young woman halfway across the room. “Rika? Rika Finn?”

  Rika threw her arms around Danielle and hugged her. Her knees wobbled, and she fell slack in Danielle’s arms. “Danielle Deveaux? Am I dreaming?” Her voice came out harsh and raspy.

  Danielle held Rika upright. Spikes of alarm flashed through her head as she felt Rika’s sharp ribs beneath her colonist’s uniform. Rika’s skeletal frame consisted of little more than skin and bone, and Danielle feared she’d break her spine should she hug her. “Please Rika, come sit with me.” She and Keely guided her to the floor, and Danielle sat on the hard stone floor next to her.

  Keely slid in next to Rika, and shifted her body to keep Rika seated upright.

  Rika leaned her head against the wall. “I’m so tired.” The words sounded harsh crossing her dry cracked lips. Rika closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  “How do you know her?” Keely said.

  “I played w
ith her when we were children, but I thought she died,” Danielle said. “Do you remember Ambassador James Finn?”

  “Didn’t he disappear inside Meranthia years ago?” Keely’s eyes widened as recognition bloomed. She examined Rika as she dozed. “Is she Finn’s daughter? The teenage girl that went missing with him?”

  “Yes. It’s her. Help me make her comfortable.” Danielle held Rika as gentle as a newborn babe easing her head into her lap.

  Keely stretched Rika’s legs outward in a comfortable position and stood giving Rika space to stretch out.

  Danielle stroked Rika’s dry cracked hair. “Keely, do you think you can help her? I’m not sure she’ll live the night.”

  Keely glared at Danielle. “Of course I can help her. Do I look like a novice guardian to you?”

  “But, she’s so frail,” Danielle said. “Can she survive the channeling?”

  “Absolutely. It’s no different from saving a half-starved jaguar nursing a gimp leg.”

  Danielle knew the strain such magic placed on a guardian. Keely wouldn’t return to full strength for a week, but she’d never admit as much. “Thank you Keely.”

  Keely knelt and placed her palms on the sides of Rika’s head.

  A little boy no older than six stood where he sat alone across the room. On spindly emaciated legs he wobbled over to Danielle like a babe taking his first steps.

  Through a dark twist of flat matted hair, Danielle noticed his handsome features.

  His hazel eyes betrayed nervous anxiety before he spoke. “You’re not hurting Miss Rika are you? She’s real nice.”

  Danielle smiled. “What’s your name?”

  Keely closed her eyes, and green mist rose in a shroud around her.

  The boy’s eyes widened in shock. “My name’s Ferris ma’am. Please don’t hurt Miss Rika.” His words came out pleading.

  Danielle held out her hand. “We aren’t hurting her sweetheart. We’re helping her. Come sit with me, and you’ll see.”

  He stepped backward from her outstretched hand and shook his head. His eyes flickered to her hair. “No ma’am. I’ll stay right here. I don’t want them to take me like they did my ma last week.”

  Danielle touched the locks of her golden hair. He didn’t trust her. Not with her blond hair and blue eyes. “Ferris, look at my skin.” She rolled up her sleeve and held out her tanned arm. “It’s golden just like yours. I’m from Ayralen. I would never hurt you.”

  Sweat beaded on Keely’s forehead as the mist surrounding her centralized in a mass covering her hands. “Hold still Rika. We’re almost done.”

  Rika remained motionless with her dry flaky lips parted open, and her lungs filled with hard uneven breaths.

  Ferris took a step forward and stared with awe as the mist flowed into Rika through her ears, nose, and mouth. “I saw a healer fix a cut on a soldier’s leg once, but I never saw them do that.”

  The sunken pits in Rika’s cheeks lifted and firmed with new muscle and healthy tissue. Her lips, once dry and cracked, now appeared luscious, moist, and full. Her skin tone had changed from a dry mottled brown to a smooth honey glow free of any blemish. Rika’s colony uniform, once saggy and oversized, now appeared too small as sold muscle and normal tissue re-formed over her entire body. Her hair, once dry and brittle, transformed into a thick weave of raven luster cascading over her shoulders. Her full breasts strained against the colony uniform as her chest raised and lowered with a smooth even rhythm.

  Danielle gasped, and a smile rippled across her face. “Keely. You’ve done it!”

  Keely slumped against the wall as beads of perspiration rolled down her face, and her sweat soaked colony uniform clung to her skin. “Of course I did.” Her words came out hoarse.

  Rika’s eyes flickered open, and she jerked her head from Danielle’s lap springing to her feet. Her clear gray eyes widened in fear as she crouched in a defensive posture and extended her arms ready to fight.

  Danielle stood and held out her palms. “Rika, it’s okay.” She placed a hand on her chest. “I’m Danielle Deveaux. Do you remember me? You saw me just a moment ago.”

  “I dreamed that.” Her brow furrowed. “How do you know Danielle?” Rika said.

  “Take a minute and relax. You’re a prisoner at a Meranthian internment camp. My name’s Danielle, and that’s Keely.” Danielle gestured toward Keely sagged against the wall. “A group of shard knights locked us in here with you a few minutes ago.”

  Ferris appeared next to Keely carrying a ladle full of water. “She’s right Miss Rika. Miss Keely healed you.” He knelt next to Keely and held the ladle of water to her dry lips.

  Keely drained the ladle in a single gulp. “More water please.”

  Rika stared at her arms and legs and touched her face brushing her fingertips over the succulent flesh of her cheeks, nose, and lips. She stared wide-eyed at Keely. “You’re a guardian.” Excitement laced the tone of her words.

  “And a damn good one I don’t mind saying,” Keely said.

  Rika relaxed and lowered her arms. “I can never repay what you’ve given me. Thank you doesn’t seem adequate,” Rika said.

  Keely waved off the thanks. “Enough gushing Rika. You’re welcome.”

  “Rest Keely. Save your strength,” Danielle said.

  Ferris returned holding a fresh ladle of water and offered it to Keely.

  “Rika, what happened to you? We thought you died with your father years ago,” Danielle said.

  “My father isn’t dead. At least he wasn’t a few weeks ago. Pride’s holding him captive at the southern death camp,” Rika said. “You came from Ayralen?”

  Danielle nodded.

  “Have you seen my brother Kelwin? Is he okay? I never meant to cause him so much pain.”

  “The Prime Guardian gave him leave to search for you and your father. He left the Heartwood a year ago,” Danielle said. “As far as I know, he’s traveling Meranthia searching for you and your father.”

  Rika flashed a smile. “He’s been stubborn his whole life. What’s your story Danielle? How did the Prime Guardian’s daughter land in a Meranthian death camp?”

  Danielle didn’t know what to say. She knew battle knights had exceptional hearing, and anyone of these women could trade her secrets for food. Even worse, camp guards could torture the prisoners for information. “Our team traveled through the Trinity Range when a freak storm overwhelmed us. We took cover in a cave, and Meranthian shard knights surprised us, captured us, and brought us here.”

  Rika gasped. “You’re a warden!”

  Danielle’s face flushed. She leaned in and placed her lips near Rika’s ear and whispered. “Rika, can the shard knights hear us? Can we trust the people locked in this prison cell? I don’t want to place them in more danger.”

  Rika nodded. “Let’s go sit over there.” She pointed toward an empty area opposite the water barrel.

  Danielle offered her hand to Keely. “Let’s go. We’re setting up camp in the far corner.”

  Keely pushed away Danielle’s hand and stood. “My legs aren’t broken. I can walk.”

  “Ferris, can you give us some privacy while we talk? I’m fine. I promise,” Rika said.

  Ferris smiled. “Yes Miss Rika.” The frail boy huddled on the stone floor taking the spot Keely occupied.

  Keely dropped to the dirty stone floor and sagged into the corner. “I’m exhausted. Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll be good as new.” She propped her head against the wall, closed her eyes, and sleep took her within seconds.

  Danielle slid down the wall and positioned herself beside Keely.

  Rika found a spot next to Danielle.

  Danielle huddled near Rika and whispered. “Yes, I’m a warden. The story I told a minute ago is true. Our team entered a mission that brought us to Meranthia, but shard knights captured four of us, and we lost two others in the cave. I believe the knights took the two men traveling with us to the southern death camp.”

  “Do the shard knights kn
ow you’re a warden?”

  “They don’t know the extent of our abilities, but they believe we’re dangerous.”

  “That explains why they locked you in here,” Rika said. “The camp guard reserves this cell for dangerous prisoners. We’re isolated from the camp’s general population. Even if they watched you channel magic, they’d refuse to admit its existence. They believe Elan ordains all magic, and mentioning Ayralen magic is blasphemous in the eyes of the king.”

  “Why aren’t they feeding you?” Danielle said.

  “Merric Pride believes that once we’ve found Elan, He will provide nourishment for our bodies.”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. “That’s madness. They’ll die without food.”

  “Hundreds already have. They’re buried in shallow pits east of camp. Downwind of course,” Rika said. “Pride believes their death serves the greater good, and those that haven’t died may still find a path to Elan.”

  “Why do Meranthians allow this barbaric torture?” Danielle said.

  “He’s used an avalanche of propaganda against regular Meranthians. They’ll believe anything he says. He’s convinced thousands he sits at the right hand of Elan himself. He’s explained that he’s offered Ayralens a chance to redeem their souls in these colonies, and they’ve accepted in droves.” She gestured toward the wretched souls huddled together. “What you see is his grand vision fulfilled. He believes Ayralen’s path to Elan comes through isolation and contemplation. Living in communal harmony, so close to Elan’s touch, is Pride’s great gift to our people. It’s a chance for us to purge our wicked beliefs. At least that’s the story he’s sold the masses.”

  A simmering rage boiled inside Danielle. This animal had the blood of hundreds, maybe thousands of people, chained to his soul. She shook her head. “Haven’t stories leaked?”

  Rika shrugged. “The death camps are off limits for regular Meranthians, and, as far as I’ve heard, nobody has escaped. But, the camps just opened, and last I heard, the camp isn’t finished.”

  “Where’s Ferris’ mother? He said they took her away,” Danielle said.

  Rika’s face darkened, and hot rage raced across her face. “Ferris’ father is Meranthian. The Culture Ministry caught him organizing resistance against the unfair treatment of Ayralens. The Order arrested Ferris and his mother before sending them here two week ago.”