As well, he hadn't yet brought up a question that nagged him since Sir Sergeant Waleski had gained the sonic power. He desperately wanted to know why god used only their names. After all, if they were god's knights, then it seemed more logical that god would address them by their titles even though the established knights used only the last portion of their names in addressing each other much of the time.
Chapter 9
"Leave the Sir Private Ashen suit," Jones said. He stepped toward the center of the Sacred Hall, so he could exit through the open top.
"What? You know we can't leave it unguarded," Gonzales said.
"It won't be unguarded. Duke Sabbo will be taking it under his protection."
"Duke Sabbo? I'm sorry, but I don't understand why he'd be guarding one of our suits. He's not a knight."
Jones moved closer, and whispered, "Private conversation, please. Deactivate Private Jones suit." Gonzales hesitated for a moment, then issued his own deactivation command. "The Duke wishes to impress a visiting noblewoman. He gives us complete cooperation in our defense of the castle in exchange for the opportunity to achieve some friendly conquests."
"He uses one of our suits to further his own interests? No, that won't be permitted. Not while I'm in charge," Gonzales exclaimed.
"It does us no harm. Besides, he can't put the suit on and it's clearly damaged already."
"I don't care. Every suit is sacred. Mine was believed damaged, yet it works."
"Then you better speak with Sir Private Van Dyke. He permitted the Duke to borrow the suit while he was in charge here. It's part of getting along with the nobility. We are, after all, sworn to serve them."
"No, we're not."
"Actually, we are. The nobles are appointed over us by the Grand King. We serve at their leisure, as much as we do for the comfort of the king and his people," Jones said.
"We might act in their behalf, but our suits are strictly meant for those who qualify by possessing the inner virtues valued by god. Besides which, I was instructed to operate the defense of the suits as I saw fit. The suits will all go into our towers. Only the defense of High Crag is at the Duke's direction. Do you wish to argue that?"
Jones shrugged as he shook his head. "I'll inform Duke Sabbo that it's by your direction that I didn't leave the suit for him to borrow."
"You don't have to. I'll wait here and inform him myself. Take the suit to your tower."
***
"Looking for something, Duke Sabbo?" Gonzales asked, from the back of the Sacred Hall.
"Yes, Sir Lieutenant Gonzales, a suit. I was going to protect one of the suits in my quarters tonight."
Gonzales stared briefly at Duke Sabbo's physique. It was evident that the man could fit into any of the suits. In all likelihood, the nobleman had tried to qualify just as had nearly everyone else who could slip into one of the leather testers.
"I understand how you intended to protect the suit. Our Order is bound to god. As such, I cannot allow one of our suits to be used by you to such purpose."
"A fine one you are to talk about such matters. Bound to god, indeed. Bring me one of the suits, and be quick about it."
"You'll not be given possession of a suit. Furthermore, I don't understand what you mean with your other comments."
With his hands upon his hips, Sabbo scowled at Gonzales. "You mean to tell me you've never carried a woman aloft to your quarters?"
"Why should I?"
Sabbo stood in contemplation for another moment. "From what kingdom do you hail?"
"Copra."
"It figures. The people in Copra simply don't have the same respect for their nobility as those in the other Allied Kingdoms. Regardless, I am your superior. As such, you will furnish me with one of the suits. Your own will do if you refuse to hand over one of the others."
"My answer is still no on this matter. I will follow your orders, and those of other nobility in other matters, but not in handing over one of god's suits."
"In that case, I shall report you to Queen Neessha. Doubtless, she will take up the matter with your knightly superior."
"That remains your choice. In the meantime, our discussion is ended. Five up!"
Duke Sabbo staggered back at the impudence exhibited by Sir Lieutenant Gonzales. He'd never had a knight leave on his own before without permission.
"You've not heard the last of this!"
***
Jones silently crossed to the tower where Gonzales lived. Through the open door, Jones could see Gonzales placing his suit in one of the storage niches in the lushly padded stone. The entire room, like his own, featured elaborately embroidered tapestries whose features could barely be appreciated by candlelight and rivaled those found in the courts of their kings and queens. A large bed occupied the center of the room and several cushioned chairs completed the furnishings. Jones mouthed his commands softly enough that Gonzales noticed him only when he spoke upon landing on the encircling balcony.
"Deactivate Private Jones suit. I overheard what you said to Duke Sabbo. He'll make trouble for you."
"That may be, but this I feel strongly about. God gave us these suits to accomplish good, not personal gain. Am I right?"
"Well…"
"You don't agree?" Gonzales asked.
"It's not that. It's just that some of us have been approached by women eager to sleep with us. Our oaths and the proctors don't forbid us from accepting such offers. Surely, you've noticed that some of the women look at you much differently than before you became a knight."
"I attributed that to differences between the women around here and those where I lived. Are you telling me it's not?"
Jones walked closer to Gonzales. "You haven't been back home yet. Otherwise, you'd know that you're considered special by many of the people. A few might be jealous that you can fly. A few more than that, however, will be jealous of the eyes cast upon you by the women. Those feelings are tempered only by the fact that many of us do not live long lives and accomplish much for them in the brief time we do have as knights. What I'm getting at is that you will be offered much by the people. The Order does not prohibit you from accepting, especially in light of the fact that god doesn't pay us for our services. Most of us would starve if it weren't for the merchants, farmers, and fishers who see us as beneficial and willingly give us enough to fill our plates."
"Beneficial? In what manner?"
"Ah yes, I forgot you're from Copra where raiders aren't such a problem and few knights ever visit. We reduce losses for the merchants, farmers, and fishers by warning them of raider attacks. That gives them plenty of time to hide their families and goods before the able-bodied among them report for duty with one of the local dukes. They're quite appreciative in light of how much many of them stand to lose without any warning, as often occurs during the stormy season. What we consume in a year comes nowhere close to what they might lose in a single raid. That is why most of them see us as beneficial. Similar reasoning applies to our relationships with the women who favor us."
"I understand what you said about the merchants, but I don't see how similar reasons can apply for the women," Gonzales said.
"A lot of the men didn't realize it at first, either, until the wiser among them pointed out that we knights accept far fewer women in a year than the raiders would steal or otherwise despoil in the same time. Those same wise tongues pointed out that we never took an unwilling woman or intentionally interfered with a marriage."
"Why wasn't this covered in my training?"
"Because none of it is official policy. We haven't asked for this to be covered or ruled upon because the Grand King or any of the Council of Kings might view us as becoming too powerful. Our Order has officially asked for very little. We wouldn't have these well-protected rooms had it not been for the attempted assassination of the knighthood by raider spies."
Gonzales said, "That much I know. The attempted assassination was covered in my training. Otherwise, I would have wondered about living this well in
comparison to what I had before."
"There's probably lots more that you haven't learned yet. My only advice is that you try not to upset the nobles."
Chapter 10
Gonzales halted before the guard at the palace entrance. "Sir Lieutenant Gonzales to see the Queen by her order."
"Pass. She's expecting you, sir."
Gonzales strode past the guard into an entrance bordered with tapestries showing notable events in the history of the kingdom. Several featured Castle High Crag withstanding attacks by raiders from different lands. On the latest could be seen flying figures whose dark armor and robes contrasted with the bright metallic armor that ground defenders wore. Though there were fewer battles depicted for the past century, it was clear that the battles were no less important. Though Gonzales wished to pause and take a closer look, he didn't. He was under orders to report promptly, even though he was in trouble and probably couldn't get into anymore by feeding his curiosity.
The entranceway opened up to a much larger room than any he'd seen before. Though he could fly about and might have speculated upon the size of the rooms inside the castle keep, he hadn't given much thought to how large the throne room might be. Now he felt awed at the size of the room. It was large enough that he could even fly safely within it, had he wished, though he resisted the urge. He continued to advance, even as an escort took position beside him.
"Halt when I stop," the escort whispered.
Gonzales nodded.
"Business before the Queen?" a minister shouted.
"Say 'I report at the Queen's order'," the escort whispered.
"I report at the Queen's order," Gonzales said.
"You may approach," the minister shouted, even though Gonzales and his escort hadn't stopped their advance across the room.
Larger tapestries covered the high walls. Empty cushioned chairs to the sides faced the throne where the queen in her raiment sat. Aside from her, what few people occupied the room remained standing.
Gonzales noticed a well-worn mark on the floor. Upon reaching it, he wasn't surprised that his escort halted. Gonzales stopped close enough to the mark without alarming any of the guards stationed throughout the room. Just to the side of the Queen and behind some guards, Gonzales caught sight of Duke Sabbo whose face seemed to be occupied by a sneer.
"It has come to my understanding that you have refused an order given you by Duke Sabbo."
"Address Queen Neessha as 'My Queen', and answer her," the escort whispered.
"My Queen, sadly, it is true. I am most guilty of not turning over to Duke Sabbo one of the hollow suits when he so ordered. His command conflicted with my orders to protect the suits from all who are not knights of the Order," Gonzales said.
Duke Sabbo's sneer changed to a look of alarm, as he caught sight of the Queen glancing in his direction. "My Queen, Sir Lieutenant Gonzales must have misunderstood my intentions. I wished only to study one of the hollow suits."
"Duke Sabbo, it is not your position to study their suits. God sent the Knights of the Star those suits. He has made that quite clear by who he permits to wear the suits. No amount of study has ever changed the mind of god as to who is worthy. In the future, I suggest that you concentrate your studies upon the defense of Castle High Crag which is your responsibility." Queen Neessha's stare relaxed, as she turned her gaze back toward Gonzales. "Sir Lieutenant Gonzales, return to your duties with your Queen's permission."
"My Queen, thank you," the escort whispered.
"That's it?" Gonzales whispered, as he glanced at his escort.
"Just say that, turn about, and leave," the escort whispered.
"My Queen, thank you," Gonzales said.
He turned about awkwardly and walked back to the entrance with the escort beside him. When he reached the entryway, the escort halted. Gonzales paused for a moment.
"Is it all right if I look at some of these before I leave?" he whispered.
The escort glanced back at Gonzales. "Are you crazy? Get out of here before you do find yourself in trouble."
Gonzales walked toward the entrance, while attempting to admire as much of the stories shown in the tapestries as possible. When he reached the entrance, the guard smiled.
"Duke Sabbo got his? Good for you," the guard whispered.
"I guess so. I'm not really certain what went on in there."
"Stop by our quarters tonight. I'll explain whatever you want to know."
"Um, thank you. I just might."
***
Klaus said, "I never thought I'd be guarding the Sacred Hall. How did it go?"
"Apparently, I'm not really in any trouble. The Queen told the Duke that he didn't have a right to study our suits. Then she said I could return to my duties," Gonzales said, upon reaching the entrance to the Sacred Hall to take over.
"You didn't tell her why he really wanted the suit?"
"I wasn't sure that it mattered, not after what Jones told me last night." Klaus looked at Gonzales with puzzlement. "I learned that quite a few of the women find us desirable. I couldn't very well accuse the Duke of something that some of us engage in as well, especially as there's no law against it," Gonzales whispered.
"Yes, I had a couple of lovelies pass by here who gave me more of a look than they did the suits behind me." Klaus stepped aside so Gonzales could take over as the guard. "I remember some of the women giving such looks to the knights stationed on Minius. I used to think it was because they thought those knights were handsome. I never thought an ugly fish like me would ever get such a reaction. Now I know differently."
"Maybe the women around here prefer ugly fish," Gonzales whispered, with a smile.
"In that case, you and I will have more than a few to choose from," Klaus said.
"Report to your training with Jones!" Gonzales said with mock anger.
***
Duke Sabbo paused before Gonzales at the Sacred Hall. "We're not finished. You caused me great embarrassment today. I'll not forget that."
***
Gonzales entered the guardhouse and paused as the voices within quieted to a hush. Heads turned toward him as he surveyed the austere furnishings of rough wooden tables and chairs with little in the way of tapestries. Certainly, the few inside the guardhouse were old and remarkably dull without the benefit of historical art upon them. The food on the tables, however, gave off an aroma as good as what he'd received since becoming a knight.
"Sir Lieutenant Gonzales! You accepted my offer?"
Gonzales accepted the chair the guard pulled out from the table. "Thank you, yes. You offered to explain things to me. One thing I've already learned is that I need to learn more. There's a lot more to being a knight than I first believed."
"I'm Osongh, Imperial Guardsman, though you could probably tell as much from my uniform."
Gonzales nodded. The alternating black and white chevrons that covered the front of Osongh's tunic could be seen from a distance. Friend and foe, alike, could easily recognize an Imperial Guardsman among other troops. As well, Gonzales knew that Osongh was a skilled veteran as the Imperial Guard drew from experienced units only. That Osongh was in the twenty-man-strong Imperial Guard indicated he was in the top ten percent of the standing military in the Kingdom of Cragland.
"Sometimes I wish I was back in the Red and Black, instead of the White and Black," Osongh said, as he offered a bottle by holding it over a wooden cup. "At least, you knew then that your leaders were capable. Otherwise, they never lived long enough to be much of a bother."
Gonzales nodded once at the offer. He didn't need an explanation of what Osongh meant by the Red and Black. Those were the colors of the uniforms worn by the military's professional combat units that closed in to kill the enemy. When not in battle, they trained the civilians how to defend themselves.
"That's plenty for me to drink. Thanks."
"Sounds like you've been warned about flying and drinking," Osongh said, as he set down the bottle.
"I was told that they ha
d to sweep up what was left of Sir Private Ashen. Having seen his suit, I have no reason not to believe how he died."
"Before my time, but I've heard the story. However, the Duke isn't before my time. I can tell you one thing, I'm glad that we have you here. He's incompetent enough to get us killed."
"I don't see how, so long as you remain inside the castle."
Osongh laughed. "Tell him what we practice, Eusis!"
"When we drill, the Duke has us practicing charges. We're supposed to practice defense to protect the Queen. Instead, he has us practicing charging the enemy," Eusis said.
"If raiders ever breach this castle, we're done for. That's why we're glad that you have this new power, and were assigned here," Osongh said. "We feel certain that it doesn't matter what we practice, since they'll never get past you."
"I should think that raiders would never get this far. Certainly not past the cliffs on two sides, and past the Red and Blacks on the other," Gonzales said.
"I heard you ask to look at the tapestries more closely. I can arrange for you to see some that are no longer displayed, if you're truly interested," Osongh said.
"The Mothers' Tears, we call them," Eusis said.
"Before the Knights of the Star came into being, High Crag was defended by five times our number," Osongh said. "The raiders cut through the only unit outside the walls in less than an hour. Then they set siege to High Crag. It didn't fall, but the people outside suffered greatly until the raiders left with the coming of the stormy season."
"They're not pleasant to view. Too many mothers and daughters suffered while their men were murdered or enslaved. This area didn't even bother rebuilding any towns until the Knights proved their worth," Eusis said.
Osongh drew his knife and threw it near a barrel of grain, catching a hairy sneak full in the back. The small pest squeaked out loud once before kicking about as it died on the floor.
"The people back then ate hairy sneaks just to survive. They couldn't hunt, fish, or farm while the raiders besieged the castle. We just kill them for practice." He stood and walked over to retrieve his weapon.
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