Knight Quest (The Champion Chronicles Book 5)

by Brad Clark

  “Oh, thank you!” She exclaimed.

  Ilasha gripped the ax with both hands and stepped over to a large trunk that had many smaller branches coming out of it. With quick precision, she began cutting off the small branches and then cutting them into foot-long sections.

  “I haven’t seen you before,” Ilasha said after a few minutes of cutting branches. She looked up to see Marila’s reaction before dropping the ax to cut off another small branch. “You must be staying in the tunnels.”

  There were only so many chambers in the castle that could house people. Most of them were reserved for soldiers, so most of the refugees from the cities were housed in the large tunnels and caverns underneath the mountains. It was not the most elegant place to live, but the temperature in the caverns never got as cold as it did outside. A handful of fires kept them warm enough to be comfortable, even if it was a little chilly.

  Marila’s did not reply right away, which returned a twinge of suspicion into Ilasha’s thoughts.

  “Well, yes,” Marila said after a moment. “But not in the big caverns. I and some others found a nice spot in an alcove off one of the main tunnels. The heat of the big fires doesn’t quite reach us there, so we have to have our own.”

  Ilasha smiled in response. “That is good.” She felt silly for being suspicious of this woman. There was no reason for her to have even considered that there was something to be concerned about. The woman was harmless and seemingly fortunate to have survived this long, Wars made the soft hard and those who couldn’t be made hard would be unfortunate victims. Marila was likely as suspicious of her as she had been of Marila.

  With a forced smile, Marila said, “It is what we call home. At least it is safe.”

  It didn’t take long for Ilasha to fill the woman’s basket. It ended up being too heavy for the woman to carry alone, so Ilasha offered to help carry it. With ax over her shoulder and each woman carrying one end of the basket, they headed back to the gate.

  ***

  Marila could barely contain herself. It took every ounce of mental strength to act as a nearly helpless Human. She wanted to jump at this female, rip the ax out of her hands and chop her to pieces. For several days she had scouted the castle, waiting for the right time to find her way in. The Humans came and went on a regular basis, but mostly in larger groups that she did not feel comfortable joining. There was one poor man that she was able to capture two nights prior. He died a slow and painful death, revealing important information about the castle and its interior. Fortunately, her victim had been living in the tunnels that this Human named Ilasha was referring to.

  As they approached the castle gate, Marila looked at Ilasha. Because of the Human’s pretty face and gender, she had mistaken her for being soft. Clearly, though, Ilasha was anything but. She carried the basket as if it had no weight and walked with long, purposeful strides. She had swung the ax like a man. Maybe not with the same power, but certainly with the same effectiveness. Marila had sensed that Ilasha was suspicious, or at least cautious, but her answers about the tunnel seemed to satisfy that suspicion. Soon enough, she would be inside the castle, and it should not take her too long to confirm that the necklace piece of the Ark of Life was hidden inside. Once found, she knew it should not be that difficult to take from whoever held it or wherever it was hidden. There was not a Human in the castle that could stand against her.

  Two Karmon Knights stood guard outside the outermost door. They were clad in a combination of leather armor and metal plates. Their presence was as much ceremonial as it was practical. Two Karmon Knights would not stop an invading army, but it did provide a visual reminder that they were in the castle and they would protect its inhabitants from all who would attack. Much was made of Queen Elissa’s disbandment of the knights. Many thought maybe the loss of the city of South Karmon was because the knights had been disbanded. Although the outcome of the battle would not have changed, the perception was still there. It had been Marik’s idea to set an around the clock watch outside the gates. Not only were Knights eager to stand the watch, but the survivors had also found it comforting. Marik had wanted them to stand their watch stoically with their full plate armor to remind everyone of their power and prestige, but some others, including Sir Gossmire, had wanted them to be less stand-offish. They wore battle dress and swords, but not helms. This allowed the people who came and went to see their faces and look them in the eyes. Likewise, it offered the knights a way to look back at those they had committed to protect.

  Marila looked at them closely, judging their combat readiness by their posture and appearance. Their eyes quickly scanned them and seeing no threat, they went past them and towards the forest beyond. Standing straight and ridged, they showed the discipline of soldiers who knew the importance of standing watch at the only entrance into the castle. One had his hand casually resting on the pommel of his longsword, the other grasped the handle of his sword. Everything about them told her that they were ready to die to protect their castle.

  She wanted to smile as a thought came to her mind. All of them would likely be dead well before springtime.

  Without being challenged, they walked through the first open gate and into a small courtyard. Trying not turn her head to study the entrance, Marila did what she could to observe and note the details of the killing courtyard. The murder holes were likely unmanned, but they would certainly be used if there was an assault on the castle. It was a well-constructed gate that would surely take many thousands of goblin lives to breach. It didn’t matter to her as she knew the Deceiver had a nearly unlimited supply of them. The second set of doors that led directly into the castle’s inner courtyard were open, exposing a muddy field where large groups of soldiers were training.

  Her eyes were focused on those soldiers when an imposing figure suddenly stepped in front of them.

  “Who is this?” The man demanded.

  ***

  Ilasha jumped at Hargon’s stern voice. She glanced over at Marila, who visibly cringed.

  “Easy, Hargon!” Ilasha exclaimed. “You startled me. Us.”

  “My apologies,” Hargon said. “I had seen you leave earlier and was waiting for you to return. I had not expected you to come back with company.”

  “This is Marila,” Ilasha said. “She is a refugee from South Karmon. And why are you following me?”

  Hargon ignored her question. To Marila, he asked, “You have just come from South Karmon?”

  Marila shook her head. “No, I have been here for some time. I am housed in the tunnels.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” Hargon replied with a stern voice.

  Marila’s heart suddenly started pounding. Her mind quickly went through a series of options. She could either fight her way out of this and hide in the castle, or she could simply turn and run away. Either option would set her mission back for several days. She knew how important it was to find the necklace quickly as the Deceiver was not one to have patience.

  Just as she was about to act, a wide smile came across Hargon’s face, showing his white teeth. “For I would never have missed a beauty such as yourself.”

  Ilasha spat out a laugh. In retrospect, she should have expected it as he had pretty much done the same thing to her several nights ago. Hargon had gotten the message and did not try and push his charms on her anymore. Now though, he was trying to push his charms on the next pretty girl he saw.

  Hargon gave Ilasha a harsh look as if she dared laugh at him.

  “You are no longer emperor, Hargon,” Ilasha said. “You cannot simply snap your fingers and bed anyone you desire!”

  Hargon clenched his jaw and kept his mouth shut.

  Marila, though, asked, “Emperor?”

  “Yes, he was once Emperor Hargon, emperor of Taran.”

  “Oh!” Marila exclaimed, wondering if she should have known this information already. “It is you, then. I thought I noticed your Taran accent.”

  “Well, I speak Commoner like the rest of you barbarians
. I just hope that I do it with more eloquence.”

  “Now that you’ve insulted us,” Ilasha said. “What do you want?”

  Hargon looked at Marila.

  Ilasha read the look and said, “She is one of us, Hargon. She is a refugee from South Karmon. You can speak freely.”

  Hargon shook his head. “I have some information that I thought I should share with you. Just you.”

  Marila gently touched Ilasha’s shoulder. “It is okay. I must return to the tunnels and work on my fire. Those that share my alcove are waiting for me.”

  “The basket,” Ilasha said. “You will need help with it.”

  Marila had just about bent over to pick it up when Ilasha’s words remind her that she must play the female weakling. It grated her, but she knew she must play the game. A soldier was called over who easily picked up the basket and followed Marila towards the large oak doors that led to the castle’s interior.

  Hargon watched her leave, making sure that she was far enough away before he said, “Well, she is a beauty.”

  Ilasha shook her head and let out a grunt of disgust.

  Then Hargon added, “But not quite the same as you.” He looked at her and winked. As he saw her face turn red, he let out a laugh and said, “I play! I only chide you because I like you. I know you are Sir Marik’s lady. I miss the days of being emperor when the women around me fawned at my feet and fought like cats for my attention.”

  “I bet that was so wonderful,” Ilasha said with a sneer. “Now what is it that you want before I take my ax and chop off your manhood!”

  “There is news from the south,” he said, ignoring her comment. “The Elves have arrived. A small group of their scouts arrived in the middle of the night. Their main army should be arriving within the next few days.”

  “That is good news!”

  “I would imagine that Marik would be with them.”

  She let out a wide smile. “That would be better news!” Her feelings for Hargon softened. He did not have to tell her this news. “Thank you. I think you are softer and sweeter than you pretend to be.”

  He winked at her and said, “I was once the Taran Emperor, you know. I have a reputation to uphold.”

  ***

  The soldier who was carrying the basket turned his head to ask, “Where in the tunnels am I taking you?”

  Marila, of course, had no idea. “Lead on, I will show you when we get there.”

  The soldier was a young man who seemed to keep wanting to look back at her. Based on the way that the man in the black robes spoke to her and the way this soldier kept trying to not glance at her, she might have chosen the wrong appearance. She had chosen an appearance that would be acceptable and pleasing, but it seemed that it attracted more attention than she wanted. As they walked through the corridors and passed other females, she kept an eye on his eyes to see if they drifted towards any particular look. Indeed, the more pleasant the features, the more attention the females got. She thought it was a curious observation of Humans. At some point, she would need to change her look so that she wouldn’t be noticed.

  The smooth castle corridors ended, and the rough-hewn tunnels that existed underneath the mountains appeared. The soldier came to a stop as there were three possible tunnels to continue into. Without hesitating, she pointed to what she thought was the darkest of the three.

  He trudged on in front of her. She walked a step behind and kept her eyes out for a dark place where she could get rid of the soldier. After making a sharp turn to the left, the wide tunnel had a small chamber off to the right. She glanced in. It appeared to be a storage room of some sort as there were barrels stacked high to the ceiling.

  “Here,” she said.

  The soldier stopped and turned. “What? But that’s the…”

  He didn’t finish his words as she sprang forward. She was much stronger than she looked and easily overpowered him. Needing information from him meant that she could not kill him. At least yet. Driven to the ground, he tried to let out a shout, but she put a hand over his mouth. He strained to struggle and pull the hand away, but she easily resisted.

  “Shh,” she said. “Tell me what I want to know, and this will over quickly.”

  His eyes went wide, and he shook his head.

  Keeping one hand over his mouth, she grabbed him by the front of his tunic and tossed him into the side chamber. He tumbled into a barrel, knocking it over on top of him. Before he could crawl away or let out a shout, she was on top of him again. Her left hand gripped his throat, constricting it so that it was crushing his windpipe and preventing him from breathing. He kicked and scratched at her, but she felt no pain.

  “I will crush the life out of you if I must,” she snarled. “But if you don’t want to die, then you will tell me what I want to know.”

  He did not reply, and she squeezed her hand tighter. With eyes popping out of his head, he finally quickly nodded. She released her grasp.

  He coughed and gasped for breath. She remained on top of him, her hand around his throat, but not squeezing it.

  “Who…” he started to ask.

  She put her fingers to his throat but did not squeeze. “Only warning. I ask the questions.”

  “What is your name.”

  “Daniel.”

  “What are your duties?”

  “I am nobody.” Tears started to come out of the corner of his eyes. “I am just training to defend the castle. I came from Tyre where I was a carpenter’s apprentice.”

  She shook her head and said, “I don’t know where that is, or what that is. Do you have family here?”

  Confusion showed on his face. “Family?”

  “Yes! Family. I need to know all about you!”

  “Me? I’m a nobody! Why are you doing this to me!”

  “You are exactly what I need. You are a nobody. No one will care about you or will miss you when you are gone. And when I take over your life, I will be able to walk the castle as you.”

  Her face suddenly became blurry, and the skin shifted appearance. A moment later, he was looking at himself, as if he were looking in a mirror.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After pushing through the first night to gain distance between themselves and their pursuers, Conner, Nikki, Glaerion, and Ryshak slept for only a few hours before starting out again. Even with no visible signs of pursuit, they kept riding hard until nightfall. Conner slept the second night fitfully, unable to turn his mind off from both the Hurai villagers who may or may not be pursuing them and the fact that he missed Elissa and might never see her again. The only time he actually slept well was during his turn at watch.

  It became clear by the afternoon of the next day that no one was following them. They had started to climb up into the mountains, and they could see their path behind them for many miles. The eagle eyes of the Elves were able to pick out large game animals among the trees and open fields, but there were no Hurai pursuers. Yet, even with knowing that they were not being chased, none of them wanted to slow their pace. Even Conner, who continued to feel perpetually fatigued didn’t want to slow down. The longer their trek took, the more anxious they were for getting to the end and finding out if the Spear of Salvation was actually real.

  Conner followed a few steps behind Glaerion as Princess Nikki led them through the thick mountainous vegetation. Glaerion and Ryshak had no problems staying with her, but Conner found himself struggling at times to match her pace. He did his best to not show fatigue, but he knew that whenever Nikki glanced back at him, her pace slowed just a little bit. He didn’t complain, nor did they badger him to keep up. It frustrated him to think that he was the weakest link in their party right now. Hopefully, they would reach their destination soon, and he’d be able to get a good night’s sleep and recover his strength and energy.

  They came across a small stream that was winding its way down the mountain. Eventually, it would join others like it and turn into a wide river that dumped into the ocean. For now, though, it offered col
d water to satisfy their thirst. It had been some time since they had last stopped. By unspoken consent, it was decided it was time for their midday meal.

  Glaerion handed out strips of dried meat. “We have one more day’s supply of provisions before we will need to forage for all our meals. When we stop for the night, we should hunt up some rabbit or small game and save what is left for tomorrow’s midday meal. After that, each time we stop, we will have to take the time to find food.” He gave his companions a good, long look. “We could stop for a couple days to build up a supply of provisions. That might allow us to rest our bodies, too.”

  Nikki was a few feet away from the rest of the group, squatting at the swiftly flowing stream filling her water skin. Without turning her head, she said, “We are almost there.”

  The others turned their heads as one.

  “Are you sure?” Conner asked.

  Nikki took another moment to finish filling her water skin before she stood and turned to them. She declared, “Towards the majestic mountains of smoke, through the fields of green, and past winding streams of icy water you will travel. There, where the land weeps tears of sadness, you will find the birthplace of rivers. From there, the rivers begin their long, slow descent towards the oceans. But, past there, you will rise up to the valley of the land of the living dead.” She looked at them for a moment and seeing questioning looks on all their faces and added, “Those are the words of my father as he remembered from ancient scrolls that described the location of the Spear of Salvation.”

  Motioning towards the mountains behind her, Nikki said, “Those are the Parian Mountains. When seen from a distance, they appear to be covered with a haze of smoke.”

  They all turned to look at the mountains. The sky was clear and the sun was high in the sky, making the day hot and bright. The trees that covered the mountain were crystal clear.