Una turned to face the castle again. “I’m not so sure,” she said, thinking it through. “The Faerie Queen wanted us to work together, so there has to be something we can both do to get George out of there.”
“What if I provide a distraction and you can go in to rescue the knight yourself. No one will bother to so much as look at you once they realize who I am.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You think highly of yourself.”
“Among these types I am well known,” he replied, not taking offense at her words. “Even though the rest of England has likely forgotten about me by now, the sight of my sword will undoubtedly strike fear into any spawn of the Otherworld.”
“Alright,” she said, stopping herself from rolling her eyes. “So you distract them, and I’ll sneak in to find George.”
“If the layout is anything like other castles I’ve seen, he’ll likely be in the dungeons,” said Arthur. “Or in a tower cell. Try the tall one first.”
Una nodded. They were really going to do this. “Are you sure you can take care of yourself?” she asked. Not that she cared. If Arthur died, it would be no remorse to her after what he’d done, though it would make rescuing the Red Cross knight a lot harder. So maybe she cared a little bit.
“I will be fine,” said Arthur with a flash of a smile she recognized from three years ago, a hint of a joyous and carefree optimism. “I’m good at not getting cornered. And I’m also good at getting out of tight scrapes when I am cornered.”
“Basically, you’re saying you’re good at everything,” she said with a dry stare.
His grin widened. “Now if I said that, I wouldn’t be very humble would I?”
“Let me guess, humility is also something you’re good at.”
“You said it not me.”
Una scowled. Why was she even making such conversation with Arthur? She’d spent the last three years dreaming of what she might say to the young man if she ever saw him again, and this was not how she had imagined it.
“Alright,” she said, bringing the conversation back around again. “I’m assuming the only way is through the front gate.”
“Likely,” he confirmed.
“Then you’ll create your distraction there, and I’ll wait for the gate to open. If all goes well, they’ll be so fixated on you that I’ll have a chance to slip in.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” he said cheerfully.
With that, he straightened and marched forward, fishing in his pouch for something Una couldn’t see.
Wait, he was going now? For a moment, Una didn’t know whether to follow or call him back. But to think it through, there was no other reason why they needed to wait. This plan wouldn’t get any better in darkness. In fact, the light was likely to be their ally.
She hurried after him before he disappeared in the fog.
25
Una watched as Arthur walked with the confidence of a dozen men, his left hand resting on his sword hilt. All he had was that sword. Did he have some kind of death wish?
Within just a few minutes, they arrived at the castle wall. The one good thing about the fog is that it kept anyone at the castle from spotting their arrival. Una quickly flattened herself against the wall next to the gate. She would wait here until the doors opened.
Arthur, on the other hand, stood with feet apart, directly in front of the gate. He pulled out of his pouch a white horn, gilded with gold.
“Merlin, give me strength,” he said softly. Then taking a deep breath, he blew on the horn.
It was a sound that pierced through the air, and even seemed to pierce through the darkness and fog. The air lightened, and Una felt her spirits lift, despite herself. The clear tone of that horn was enough to give her strength and confidence.
Yet a part of her shrank away from the sound, something deep within her. Was that her magic?
She didn’t have time to think about that. For in that moment, a crescendo of muffled voices came through the gate. Arthur was certainly calling attention.
Arthur blew a second note on the horn, and this time, the reaction was more pronounced. The fog was definitely lifting, and the air filled with light where there had been none.
The gate opened with a mighty grinding sound. Arthur stood resolute, facing down whoever was on the other side of that gate.
For the first time, Arthur pulled his sword out of its scabbard. The gentle sound of metal scraping against leather could be heard, a note almost as clear as the horn. Light shone on the blade, creating almost a shimmering melody of its own.
On that sword was written an inscription, and though Una could not make it out from where she stood, she knew what it said.
WHOSO PULLETH OUT THIS SWORD FROM THIS STONE, IS DULLY BORN KING OF BRITAIN.
There was a roar of voices as several grotesque individuals began pouring out of the gate. They knew Arthur was not one of them, not come to worship Duessa as they had. The sound of the horn and the sight of Arthur’s sword were enough to confirm he was an agent of light. It was a true paragon of good vs. evil, and as much as Una hated to admit it, Arthur was, in that moment, the embodiment of good.
The first of the monsters, a serpent similar to the one Una and George had fought, but smaller, approached Arthur, baring its fangs and ready to strike.
Arthur lobbed off its head with hardly any effort at all.
That was enough to take some of the others by surprise. They hesitated, watching as the serpent collapsed to the ground, dead from a clean cut through its neck.
None of them had noticed Una as she hugged the side of the wall. All of their eyes were fixed on Arthur and his now blood-tipped sword. Then as one, they charged him. Arthur grinned and raised his sword. Then the creatures began to die.
Una almost forgot her part in the plan. She couldn’t help but watch as Arthur hew down one monster after another. Creatures that did not belong in this world were suddenly taken out of it by the swing of Arthur’s sword.
And Arthur himself was a whirlwind of motion. His feet moved in precise steps, dodging back and forth to avoid attacks, and placing himself in prime positions to strike.
Yet the creatures kept attacking. Some with misshapen bodies or animal parts, and others that looked no different than any other human, though some of their clothing and ornamentation were unfamiliar to Una, much like that Pyrochles person had been. Arthur killed them all, every last one.
An enormous bellow stretched over the clearing, loud enough that Una had to stop up her ears. She risked a peek around the corner to see a massive form step through the gate, a giant that had to be at least twenty feet tall.
“You hurt pretty people!” he screamed at Arthur. “You pay!”
“You have someone I want,” replied Arthur, even as he cut down a monster with a human body and two wolf heads. “Hand him over, and I will leave you to your misery.”
“You hurt pretty people,” the giant repeated. Apparently, he did not understand much of what Arthur was saying. “Orgoglio hurt you!”
And with that, the giant charged out from under the gate, directly at Arthur.
Now was the time to leave. Everyone around them was either dead or watching as Arthur began to do battle with the giant. Nobody would notice a small form enter the gates.
Covering her face with her travel cloak, Una hurried inside. There were several people there, though not as many as she had thought. Apparently, this place had emptied recently as Tom Thumb had said. And those that did remain were too fixated on Arthur to notice as she slipped by. She had always been pretty good at sneaking around.
Keeping her travel cloak over her head, she hurried away from the gate, towards the largest of the towers.
“I’m coming for you, George,” she whispered.
Arthur had not had so much fun in years. Most of these mutated carrion weren’t even difficult to kill, not compared to the foes he’d fought in recent years. But this giant would be a fun challenge. He’d never fought a giant before.
The twenty-foot beast roared as he charged, and Arthur caught a brief glimpse of Una slipping through the gate. Good, hopefully she could stay safe long enough to get this Red Cross knight out of the city. Which meant it was his job to keep everyone else occupied until that happened.
The giant swung a club the size of a small oak tree. He had to leap to one side to avoid the club as it landed in the space he had just occupied. The blow was enough to rattle the ground beneath him, and he nearly lost his balance.
But the giant’s attack had left the creature vulnerable. With the club still stuck in the ground, the giant pulled with one arm. It was the perfect opportunity.
Arthur ran forward and swung at the giant's arm with Caliburn, and the enchanted sword met no resistance as it sliced through the giant’s flesh and bone.
With a roar like a great waterfall, the giant staggered backward, his club and the arm that held it lying forgotten on the ground.
“You...you,” the giant was speechless. “Orgoglio kill for that!”
Blood was draining out of the giant’s arm. He would likely bleed out eventually, but Arthur had to keep him busy until then, or maybe even finish the battle early. That would strike fear into the hearts of all those who remained. Although maybe that wasn’t the best option, considering he needed to keep this distraction up for as long as he could.
“Hold!” came a clear voice from the gate. Arthur spared a glance to see a woman, sitting on a chariot attached to a hideous steed.
The thing had seven heads, each like that of an eel. Each head was attached to the body that appeared to be a combination of a horse and a bird. It was honestly amazing that such a beast could be tamed so.
But his attention soon left the creature and fixated on the chariot it pulled. More specifically the one who guided it. The woman had black clothing that hung with weight over her curves, despite the cloth’s lack of thickness. Around her neck lay emerald jewels, and her face sneered down on him from her chariot.
All the onlookers hurried to get out of her way, and even the giant took a step back and to the side upon hearing her voice. Whoever she was, she commanded respect among these people. This had to be Duessa.
He raised his sword high. “Stand back if you want to keep living.”
The woman regarded him; her emotions masked. That worried him.
“You are the one who would be king,” she said slowly, emphasizing every word.
“I would not be king,” he said. “But some have called me thus.”
She sneered. “It is no wonder this country is so ripe for the taking, when all it has to offer in defense is a person like you. You make a mistake of coming here.” She put her arms on her hips, not scared in the slightest.
“I think not,” he said, raising his blade.
The woman gestured to the giant, who drew closer. She took its arm in hers, and muttered a few words whilst placing her hand gently on its wound. Within seconds, the blood had dried up, and a smooth stump lay in its place.
Arthur considered charging the pair of them right then. Clearly Duessa was strong in the mystic arts. Merlin had always warned him to be careful of such beings. It was often better to attack first and ask questions later. Odd that Merlin would have told him to do that when he himself was a magician.
“You have wounded my favorite giant,” said Duessa, glaring at him and putting her hands back on her waist. Orgoglio puffed out his chest. “He has been performing a great service for me, which you have now interrupted. Now, you will pay!”
With that last pronouncement, she pulled a small handful of powder from a pouch. She must have been going for that this whole time while her hands had been at her waist. Before Arthur had a chance to react, the woman threw the powder forward, its momentum carried as if by a strong wind until it reached his face.
A dizziness took him, and he found himself on the ground, somewhat unsure of how he had gotten there. Caliburn fell to his side.
Well this wasn’t good.
He tried to lift an arm or a leg, but none would respond. The giant, however, was moving fast, taking advantage of Arthur’s helpless state to strike. And he would very well succeed too if Arthur didn’t do something. Clearly the Faerie Queen wouldn’t have sent him against Duessa if his chances against the woman were hopeless.
Struggling with all his might, he tried to reach for his sword. The hand moved just a little bit. How he would be able to wield the sword, he didn’t know, but all he did know was that he had to take hold of it.
A finger brushed the tip of the hilt. All of a sudden, feeling returned to the rest of his body as he grasped the edge of the enchanted weapon. Without pausing to look or think, he rolled out of the way just as the giant brought his club down with his other arm. It fell mere inches from where he lay, shaking the ground beneath him.
With a slight grin, he rose to his feet and brandished his sword in one swift motion. Duessa’s steed had moved in for an attack of its own, clearly not expecting Arthur to already be on his feet. Even Duessa seemed a little startled. She reached for her pouch again.
“Oh no you don’t,” Arthur yelled and swung his blade forward, catching the nearest of the steed’s seven heads.
It cried out in a six-headed scream, the remaining heads thrashing in the air. The reaction was enough to buck the chariot up and down, nearly sending it flying to one side. Duessa lost hold and failed to extract any more magic dust from her pouch.
He struck again, this time spearing the creature in its side, drawing closer to Duessa, and causing the beast to buck her off.
“You not hurt the mistress!” cried Orgoglio, and Arthur turned just in time to dodge another blow. But the club did not stay embedded in the ground this time. He swung it at Arthur, whose only course of action was to throw himself back. The giant swung again, and again, driving Arthur backward with each stroke.
Using the space he had been given, Orgoglio reached one hand out to Duessa, who stepped onto the hand gratefully, even as her steed continued to thrash about.
Lifting his one good hand upward, the giant brought Duessa up to the top of the wall, where she gracefully alighted before turning to look down on Arthur.
For a moment, Arthur thought he caught a glimpse of something else in the woman, a foul nature. Her skin flashed a pale gray, and what looked like talons took the place of her hands. But then it was gone, and those hands began to weave together.
The darkness that had dissipated once Arthur blew his horn began to coalesce once again. The fog returned, and Arthur almost lost sight of her, even though the wall was not terribly high.
In fact, the fog was growing worse than when he had first arrived. It was all around him now, and the only person he could see was the giant as he lifted up his club for another strike.
Arthur dodged out of the way, the only way he could truly avoid the attack. But as the fog drew closer, he lost all sight, even of the enormous giant.
“He is blinded, Orgoglio. Attack now.” That was Duessa’s voice. Which meant...
Instinctively, he leapt out of the way, just in time to avoid another swipe of the club, the ground shaking behind him as it fell.
This wasn’t good. How could he fight the monster if he couldn’t see him? Duessa was indeed a powerful sorceress, perhaps even more powerful than some of those he’d heard about at Avalon.
Duessa had said “he is blinded” which possibly meant that only Arthur saw the fog. Perhaps Orgoglio and the others continued to see the light of day, and only he was affected. That was some trick.
A sound of a great object whooshing through the air, and he flattened himself to the ground. There was a slight breath of wind on the back of his head as the club flew past the place where he had just been.
In the next instant, he rolled back to a standing position. Yes, this was a problem. He tightened his grip on Caliburn. “Merlin, sword of my fathers, help me break through this enchantment.”
For a moment, nothing happened, and he readied himself to dod
ge blindly out of another attack.
Then in a flash, his vision cleared. He blinked as sunlight blazed around him. It hadn’t been this bright before, had it?
But no, he wasn’t seeing the sun directly, but its reflection on his sword. It illuminated the air all around him, cutting through the fog around his eyes, and blinding the enormous figure of the giant directly in front of him.
He was standing just outside of the gates. Duessa stood atop the wall, with Orgoglio beneath. Both were shielding their faces from the light reflecting off Caliburn.
Arthur knew enough about his sword to know it had a certain wisdom. That was how it had selected him after all. And even though he had stepped away from that responsibility, that did not mean he passed up such a weapon.
He straightened, staring the giant directly in the eyes, and smiled. The action brought the desired response as the giant took a step backward.
“Kill him, you fool!” yelled Duessa. “Now while he’s still off-balance.”
Orgoglio rushed to obey, raising his club high into the air, nearly banging it into the battlements above where Duessa shouted orders.
Arthur was not off-balance. He was ready and waiting.
Orgoglio swung, but even as he did so, Arthur merely adjusted his weight on one side, moving just enough that the club passed his face by mere inches. Then he sprang forward, thanking the training he’d had from Sir Ector, even as he swung Caliburn in an expert arc.
The blade sliced through Orgoglio’s leg, though not enough to sever it completely, he doubted the blade was even long enough to carve through such a thick leg. But it was enough to topple the giant. His leg buckled and with a low groan that grew to a piercing cry, he fell on his chest.
One would have thought there was an earthquake from the way the walls rattled, but Arthur didn’t let that slow him down. Quick on his feet, he scampered forward until he was level with the giant’s face. Then raising his sword high, even as the giant’s eye moved and widened, realizing what Arthur was about to do, he brought Caliburn down with all his might.
Knight Rising Page 19