The Last Knight

by Candace Sams

  “But you obviously killed him,” she quickly injected.

  “The guy almost had me,” Gart continued. “He knocked me down so hard that I almost lost consciousness. My sword went flying, and he’d have taken my head if not for your great grandfather hitting him in the back with a tire iron. James knew a gun would do no good, so he grabbed the only thing he could think of, just to slow the son-of-a-bitch down.”

  Jean’s eyes grew wider.

  “The bastard turned on James. James tried to get out of the way, stumbled backward, but took a sword swing in the outer left thigh. That slice was quite deep.”

  Jean winced. Her hands went automatically to her throat.

  “Your great grandfather’s action gave me the extra seconds it took to get up, retrieve my sword, and take the rogue’s head.”

  “My God!”

  Gart ran one hand over the back of his neck. “I know that if James hadn’t hit that Nazi, I’d have died. I wasn’t prepared to take on someone who’d been doing what we later believed was some unknown concoction of hallucinogenic herbs. Autopsy results told us so.”

  “You actually brought a dead man back from Austria?” she asked.

  “Couldn’t leave him lying there. The way the Nazis were, they’d have killed local villagers to retaliate for their immortal’s death. The way we handled it, Hitler’s people thought the son-of-a-bitch ran off somewhere. At least, that’s the word we got later.”

  “Thank God it turned out as it did!” Jean somberly told him.

  “I don’t think God had much to do with that entire damned war. Anyhow…when we got back, allied doctors told us the immortal was full drugs they couldn’t begin to reproduce!”

  “And my great grandfather?”

  “You obviously know he lived. You wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t. I got him and the immortal’s body to allies though I don’t know how James hung on.”

  “You were very brave. Both you and my great grandfather.”

  “James fought hard to live. He showed determination the likes of which I’d never seen. When we got him back home, he was in a rough state. His leg had to be taken. The war was over for him.” Gart slowly shook his head. “I’ve never known a finer man. We kept in contact often.” He paused before softly telling the last part. “When he passed away in 1968, I was a pallbearer at his funeral. I’m not exaggerating when I say that part of my heart is in that grave. I miss him. I always will. He was older than me. A mentor and like a brother.”

  Jean’s gaze fell to the floor.

  Before it did, he caught a glimmer of controlled tears.

  She spoke quite softly. “I’m…I’m quite sure you’ve shortened that story to soften more horrific points, and that those records are probably still sealed. There might be trouble from all kinds of political sources these days if certain top secret actions during in WWII were revealed.”

  “You’ve hit that nail directly on its head!”

  Her response was to take a shaky breath, then she sniffed back tears.

  Gart gently put one hand on her left shoulder. “I didn’t tell you this to upset you, but we still fight battles nowadays. Some are just as secretive though we have less and less call for severely redacted tactics. Mostly, a whole lot of people know when an immortal goes bad. It’s expected that other immortals will handle it. Again, as I must stress, immortals are never sent into any mission without backup. Lately, several immortals are sent together.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t be one of them since I’m well known across the continent. Sadly, I’m almost a celebrity in certain groupie sets. Besides that, it’s difficult to disguise someone of my size. In decades past, there weren’t phones with cameras in them. There were no computers that can send images all over the world in seconds. These days…my picture is all over the place, whether home office wanted that to happen or not. So, it would do your future missions more harm than good if I tagged along. Still, backup will be with you. Always.” He bent slightly to look into her eyes. “Jean, you have James’s blood in your veins. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You can do this. I know you can.”

  “How soon w-would I have to accept a m-mission?”

  “Several years. By then, political aggression now demanding immortal intervention might have abated. We can only hope.”

  She let out a loud gasp of such obvious relief that he openly smiled. The poor thing stood there thinking she’d be off to kill someone in the span of months. When she found out she had much more time, her smile came back and she briefly dipped her chin in acceptance.

  “When do we start training, sir? By the time the government needs me, I’ll be the best of the best. I won’t let anyone down.”

  It was the second time she’d said as much and he believed her. She was now in what he called the adventurous phase of immortality, having had months to get through the nonacceptance phase.

  David Harrington would be pleased. More importantly, he was seeing that side of the Long bloodline that’d so endeared her great grandfather to all his comrades.

  “We’ll start tomorrow morning, after breakfast. You can bring Mrs. Gast with you, if you wish.”

  “Anna?”

  “She knows her way around the gym.”

  “She does?”

  “A long time ago, Anna asked if she could train. Mostly as a way to learn something new. Now, that training will stand her in good stead as a claviger.” He chuckled. “She even got Ben interested in training. I think you’ll find them shockingly good at their choice of armament.”

  “Anna never said anything.”

  “Holding a weapon is second nature to Mrs. Gast and Ben. They likely never thought about telling you.”

  “So…what weapons do she and Ben use? Obviously, I know what a sword is for, and why it’d be used against immortals. But what else?”

  “We don’t just fight immortals. Sometimes, there are regular humans who can’t be brought in by any other method except immortal intervention. You’ll come to understand what I mean. At any rate, we’ll begin tomorrow morning. Don’t forget.” He grinned and strode away.

  He hadn’t answered her question, but she’d find out about Anna’s weapon skills soon enough.

  She felt so much better knowing that Anna wasn’t averse to handling a weapon. If Anna could do it, then she certainly could learn.

  But what about the question Gart asked; a question she’d already considered? When the time came, if she had to do it, could she kill someone? Even if it was deemed for the protection of country and innocents? Even if it meant saving her own life?

  It was one thing to say one would do one’s duty, quite another when faced with reality. Still, this was the reality she had. There was no other.

  Shaking her head to clear cobwebs of uncertainty from her brain, she took the day to wander the more remote parts of the property she hadn’t seen. She found herself farther away indeed, into the hillsides.

  An hour later, she stood on a tall hilltop and looked back. Even from a distance, Bloodnight Hall looked enormous. The perfect gardens surrounding the place made it look much less austere than it must have appeared during earlier times in history. The structure was filled with spaces like an oak-lined library, a music room, a ballroom, and multiple bedrooms she’d been unable to count. All those bedrooms were aligned down galleries filled with oil paintings and décor from bygone eras. She assumed, at some point, that members from home office probably met here. The place was remote enough to keep such meetings private. There were certainly enough rooms to house many.

  Aside from the building itself, the land Garrett Bloodnight owned now stretched as far as the eye could see. Anna made a point of telling her how grand the place was, probably to assuage her doubts of remaining at the hall.

  Other employees she’d spoken to seemed to love the place and their positions. They expressed their admiration for Garrett Bloodnight. To them, ‘he was a fine man’. ‘A grand gentleman’. ‘A very good sort and wonderful employer’.

&n
bsp; Aside from the manicured large gardens near the house, complete with herb and vegetable beds, everything away from the castle itself had been left in its natural state. At least, nothing but a bit of mowing went on to disturb the rest of the landscape.

  Quite a lot of animals grazed and frolicked over the land. Fat, healthy cattle mingled with sheep. Happy, barking dogs played around the barn where helpers from the nearby villages came in each day to feed and take care of livestock.

  Garrett Bloodnight seemed to have a soft spot for animals with special needs. Some of the caretakers told her that he’d never turn any creature away simply because it was too old, too young, or had some infirmity. If it showed up at his door, it was considered well-loved and looked after. She’d been told he paid a hefty bill to the local veterinarian, but the employees on the property seemed to both respect and admire the man for his care of both them, and the menagerie.

  One thing seemed quite odd and out of expectation. Especially for such a brawny, muscular man.

  At every single meal, Garrett Bloodnight only ate vegetables, fruit, or pasta. He occasionally loved rich desserts, like ice cream. For some reason, she couldn’t ever see him eating any of his livestock. Indeed, they all had names, wore identifying tags, and were gently treated. They all had places to sleep that were particular to them, and they all had various diets that some veterinarian approved. She’d watched them being fed and groomed and knew them to be very cared for indeed.

  Perhaps immortals could be vegetarian. Just like many humans.

  For some reason, she found this diet choice—in a man so large and presumably dangerous when the need arose—to be rather endearing. In some respects, Garrett Bloodnight was like a great big shaggy teddy bear. She couldn’t recall that he’d ever even raised his voice to his staff.

  As for her, she could take up that same diet. It suddenly occurred to her that, as her humanity slipped away, something better might have taken its place.

  There were plenty of fruits and vegetables to eat. Now that she was immortal, there was no need to worry about when or where any meal originated. She could get hungry, but would never starve to death. She could feel cold, but never freeze. She could fall into the deepest lake, but never drown. How many events such as these had her trainer endured? Still, he maintained a very soft spot for helpless creatures and those he employed. Nothing bad he’d done or seen seemed to daunt his hopeful attitude.

  As if these very thoughts summoned him forth, she saw a large figure emerge from the front, arched doors of Bloodnight Hall.

  Garrett seemed to have had his fill of looking over records for the day. There was no mistaking the gargantuan figure as he walked. The light from the bright sunshine gleamed off his brown, shaggy mane. Even from her spot on the hill, he loomed over everyone like some warrior god. She believed she caught a hint of his laughter on the strong breeze.

  How peaceful this place was. What a magnificent man he was.

  In her entire life, she couldn’t have imagined a more overwhelming individual. Yet, she once again acknowledged his gentle approach. He spoke honestly about his past and her future.

  At home office, David Harrington had led her to believe that Garrett Bloodnight hadn’t wanted her presence in his domain. If that was so, she’d never seen such opinions coming from the man himself. Her host acted quite amenable. In doing so, he’d made her acquiescent to life in this place. Everyone was kind. Everyone cared about everyone and everything.

  Even Anna Gast was now quite close, and beloved as a friend. It’d all happened in such a short time. It was as if this life and her place in it was meant to be.

  As Garrett Bloodnight promised, she was making friends quickly. Strangely, that happenstance wasn’t remotely considered before she’d left the London office. She’d only seen the bad side of her circumstance. She’d just been afraid. Now, she couldn’t imagine why.

  If she couldn’t fit in here, with luxury and kindness surrounding her, then she’d never fit anywhere. It was actually a relief to get here though she’d dreaded the trip from London’s immortal safe house at first.

  Everything was new. Her life was starting over. She’d be eternally young, but at the government’s call if some crisis arose.

  She finally felt like fully accepting her life, in its new dimensions.

  There were worse things. She might have been forever hospitalized, without anyone left alive to give a damn.

  “Not today,” she whispered. “I’m not going to think about that today.”

  Jean turned and climbed higher up the hill. The exertion and lovely surroundings helped clear her brain of the past.

  In the middle of such loveliness, she could get in touch with her heart. She could imagine new possibilities. As Garrett told her, she might be able to help people in ways she’d never be able to in her old life.

  As she reached the summit of the highest hill—the one nearest the place she now considered home—she looked down into a small valley on the other side.

  A man there was riding a black and white Gypsy Vanner horse. Together, the older man and the lovely horse trotted along, in a pasture that had apparently been cleared for riding.

  The big animal’s long mane, tail, and feathered legs made it look like something out of a fairytale. Having seen such animals pulling carts along roadways near Barnsdale, she’d taken it upon herself to learn about them. Now it was divine to just sit on a rock and enjoy the pastoral scene.

  Green hills, tall trees, even some megalithic rock circles dotted the landscape. It was all there to explore. All this was home now.

  Yes, things could be so much worse. What had she feared?

  Garrett saw her from a distance. Tired of bending over his desk, shuffling papers, he’d wandered outdoors to see Jean climbing the nearest hill overlooking his castle.

  “She’s so very beautiful, isn’t she?”

  He quickly turned when he heard Anna Gast speaking.

  “Uh…just admiring the scenery,” he admitted.

  “Yes. I know what scenery you’re talking about,” she said as she, too, looked up the hill at Jean’s retreating figure. “You know, I expected something else when home office said they were sending her. Even then, it didn’t really register.”

  “What do you mean?” he questioned.

  “I was only considering how difficult it’d be for her here. And how hard it’d be on the rest of us to bring her along with all the other work we already have. But, she’s quite different than I expected. She’s a very kind girl. Very big-hearted,” the older woman complimented.

  “No more anxiety?”

  “Ben and I…well, we’re quite taken with her. She’s…”

  “Go on,” he urged.

  “If I’d been able to have a child, I’d have wanted her to be just like Jean. She’s got a lot of courage. She wanted to fight us at first, but I think she’s not the kind of person to stay depressed. And she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. That girl can clean like no one I’ve ever seen. Our new sewing room is spotless. Ben says she’s not afraid of working around the animals, and seems quite genuinely concerned about them. Just like someone else I know.”

  He ignored that last statement. “She’s accepted this situation far more readily than I expected. She likes it better here than in London, I’m sure.”

  “As if you don’t know why!”

  He shrugged noncommittally. “She’s smart. She knows we’re only trying to help.”

  “Garrett Bloodnight…it’s more than that and you know it! Even after a short time, everyone is saying how you’re two peas-in-a-pod!”

  “Mrs. Gast—

  “She’s determined, so are you. She can be stubborn, so can you. She loves the outdoors as you do. She speaks her mind, even if she knows the response might not be what she’d like. She likes being alone, and has a great intellect. Guess who else has all those traits?” She smirked. “If there were ever two immortals so alike, it’s you and Jean Long. In fact, it’s no coincidence th
at she landed on our doorstep. She makes those around her feel comfortable. She talks to all the employees on an equal footing, and is trying to get to know them. Everyone is saying good things about her. Very good things.” She clasped her hands together. “She’s a darling girl. I was wrong to have prejudged her.”

  “I was wrong, too. I didn’t want anyone invading my world, getting things churned up. We have a certain way of going about the day here. I saw Jean as an impediment,” he said as he stared up the hill.

  “Well, she’s turned into a blessing. She’s trying very hard, we must do as much.”

  He silently agreed.

  “Nice day for a walk, isn’t it?” she suggested as she glanced toward the hillside and the girl walking there.

  “Deskwork can wait. I think I’ll take a stroll,” he told her, as if he hadn’t heard her obvious suggestion to follow after the newest member of the household.

  The older woman winked. “What a shock!”

  Gart grinned.

  This was life at Bloodnight Hall. It was getting better every day though he’d have never once thought that such a thing could be possible.

  Chapter 5

  Gart hurried up the hillside as fast as he could.

  For some reason that was a bit ridiculous given their immortal nature, missing even a moment of Jean’s walk seemed like time that could never be regained. He wanted to see her face when he pointed out certain landmarks, or his favorite lookouts. He wanted to show her the birds, the flora and fauna, and watch her blue eyes sparkle as she discovered secrets of the ancient landscape that only he could show her.

  Simply because she was there, existence seemed so much more exciting. Whether she made it so, or his attitude changed, he couldn’t be certain. All he knew was, she was the best thing that’d happened to him, in a very long time.

  When he got near the top of the hill, voices stalled his progress. He heard Jean. She was talking with a man. That male voice was strange to him. This wasn’t someone who belonged on the property, at this time of day. Or at all.