Gonzales had to step over to view the third tapestry to learn more about how the war had been won so decisively over the Kron Empire. Fortunately, Duke Quexxo of Copra was given the task of managing the forces. His stewardship wasn't limited in scope to the previous ideas of dispatching the flying knights as a single force to charge into the enemy's midst. Instead, he researched their capabilities. He'd conceived of having the knights use their god voices to communicate with each other and his forces. He'd stationed Sir Private Malidor with him to relay his instructions to the other flying knights and his units. Another flying knight moved from unit to unit relaying his instructions based upon the reconnaissance given him by the other three knights. Consequently, two small units managed to simultaneously ambush and massacre a larger force of Kron raiders shortly after they landed, and formed up for their attack on an inland town. That victory incited the Kron Empire into staging a full-scale invasion.
Gonzales side-stepped to the next tapestry to view the history of the first invasion. Again, Duke Quexxo was placed in charge shortly after two patrolling Knights of the Star alerted the newly formed Allied Kingdoms that the Kron Empire was invading in force against two shores after having learned of the alliance and the defeat of its raid. That, in itself, posed new problems because there were still only five Knights of the Star. No one else had succeeded in opening a suit. Even so, Duke Quexxo managed to surmount the problems of communication by stationing himself on an icy mountaintop near the middle of the Allied Kingdoms. He ignored how it appeared to the troops, along with the discomfort to himself.
Again, Duke Quexxo pulled off stunning major victories on each coast. His forces reached the Kron landing beaches in plenty of time to prepare their defenses and prevent Kron forces from moving inland against the villages. On the western coast, the defeat was so thorough that not one Kron boat left after the battle. Instead, those were all captured and converted into replacements for some of the many ships the Kron raiders had stolen before. Nearly as many boats were taken on the eastern coast, though a few Kron boats managed to escape with partial crews on board.
After the invasion, very few Kron raiders appeared near their combined shores. One reason was the lack of forces available to the Kron Empire. Another was the lack of boats. Those that did appear tended to veer off immediately if a flying knight was spotted. Several decades passed before a second massive attack was launched by the Kron Empire only to scatter in retreat when faced with the prospect of dealing with fifteen rather than only five flying knights.
Faced with a new weapon that was somehow renewable, even though Duke Quexxo had died by then, the Kron Empire worked to establish a network of spies in hopes of countering the Knights of the Star. At the same time, they limited their raids to attacks only on seaside villages and towns that were more numerous and prospering by then. Occasionally, they succeeded in reaching a town or village before land forces could be marshaled against them. Other times they found themselves facing forces holding complete strategic and tactical command of the situation as the Allied Kingdoms learned how to counter the new Kron tactic.
However, one thing had changed since Duke Quexxo's death. The Knights of the Star were used more and more in an offensive role. Only a few nobles knew why. Though the change in tactics was meant to put the knights in a position where they could be wiped out in combat, that hadn't happened. Instead, the knights had adapted and steadily replaced their ranks from growing numbers of converts to the Order's following.
Chapter 21
"You better bundle up," Jones said, as he watched Klaus, Deliah, and Gwinn prepare for sea patrol. "We're not entirely through the stormy season."
Klaus nodded as he added a second set of leggings beneath his bunched up robe. "I just hope we don't have to deal with any fog."
"What's to worry about? Just hover and listen. If there are any raiders, they're bound to talk some," Gwinn said.
"I'm not worried about them. I just don't want to hit either of you."
"If it's any consolation, Gonzales wanted to go out in your place, Klaus. He's actually tired of being tied down to the Sacred Hall," Jones said.
"Maybe he'll see some action anyway, if Basoc turns up. I've heard that they've found more tunnels beneath High Crag," Klaus said.
***
"Sure you don't want me to take the first shift?" Coffin asked, as she stood waiting by a niche in the Sacred Hall.
"Even if you do, I'm staying right here so you can teach me more about reading and writing," Gonzales said, as he put the last suit brought down from the tower in its place within the Sacred Hall.
"What sparked that interest in you?"
"Whether or not god gave us these suits, there is writing of some sort in the god visions. It's my responsibility to at least try to learn. God gave us these suits for more than stopping the Kron Empire."
"You see the Bendovians as a real threat?"
Gonzales shook his head. "No. From what sailors have told me, no man does. They steal only a few men from fishing boats for use as mates. Likely as not, they look forward to the Bendovian women attacking every five years. It's just that I feel god wants us to accomplish more than merely patrol the border. Already, I'm matching these strange symbols with all of our names. I can, at least, learn my language first before attempting to learn more of god's."
"The fog must be thicker than usual. I can't hear any of the others out on patrol," Coffin said.
"Five up!" Gonzales glanced out to sea. "You're correct. The fog is heavy today. I can't even see them on my directioner. Land."
"Okay, I'll teach you. You'll need a few things first. Fetch a bucket of sand and two sticks."
"You're not worried about our friends?"
"They have Jones along to teach them. He's probably making the most of training them how to handle fog."
***
"Is something wrong, Sir Lieutenant Gonzales?" Proctor Meson asked.
Gonzales looked up and noticed that Proctor Meson leading a small group of applicants past. "No, nothing's wrong. I was studying how to make my letters so I can learn to read." Gonzales flashed a smile at the applicants who then visibly relaxed.
Even on the stormiest of days a few applicants struggled through wind and rain to reach High Crag for the opportunity to try out for knighthood. Some camped out for days in the shelters outside the castle until the weather behaved enough that they could test. In the last few days, only foggy weather had stood in their way. Once the weather became better, the groups would become larger. Until then, only small groups would go through, because the applicants couldn't be tested on wet equipment.
Meson nodded in a thoughtful manner. "If you need another tutor, I'll be available as well. We can include some reading lessons with your archery practice."
"Thank you, Proctor. That sounds good to me. How are these applicants doing?"
"They're good learners. Knights usually are, I've noticed. Anyway, I've my hopes up that one of these will become a knight. I always keep my hopes up about that. I was rewarded five times so far this year with my hopes. I'd best get them moving. Very well, now, everyone. You've seen the hollow suits. Move on past. You've still more to learn. The ropes will soon be dry enough."
Gonzales continued to smile even when one hand flashed out to touch his suit as the applicants filed by. He'd become used to that kind of attention. After they were gone, he returned part of his attention back to the letters drawn in the sand near his feet.
***
Sir Private Moto landed just as Gonzales returned to the Sacred Hall to carry off more of the hollow suits. "Coffin, Gonzales."
"Moto!" Coffin exclaimed. "What brings you here? You should have spoken before you arrived."
"I felt it best not to announce my presence. I trust my fellow knights, but our security needs tightening. However, I'm not here about our security. I'm here to make assignments. Klaus and Gwinn should be trained by now."
"They are," Jones suddenly said. "We're just now coming in s
ight of land."
"Good. In that case, I'm sending Klaus and Gwinn to Castle Bright Sand. They can leave in the morning."
"What about me? I'm experienced. I can handle that sector now with the sonic power in my suit," Coffin said.
"Someone is needed here to train Sir Private Deliah. Your background might be more useful here. On advice from other proctors, it's better for us if you remain here so you can read any records left by Basoc," Moto said.
"Useless junk, if you ask me. His few writings we've found are nothing more than images of what we see when we're wearing our suits," Coffin said. "A few are fairly good drawings of Castle Staten Island."
"All the more reason to keep you here for now. You're our most educated knight. Believe me, that's the only reason I want you here with Gonzales," Moto said.
"I'm interested in the security problem," Gonzales said.
"I'll talk about that later when we have privacy," Moto said. "In the meantime, I'll give you a hand in storing away the hollow suits."
Moto waited for the other knights to remove their suits before saying another word after learning that the secret passage had been thoroughly blocked. No one could get close enough to hear, let alone enter any longer. Even so, Gonzales had carried up a heavy stone with the help of other knights to place on top of the secret door as an added precaution.
"Basoc isn't our only threat. Someone threw a knife at me at Black Water. Fortunately, they didn't know that I still had my suit on under the hooded cloak I added to keep myself warm. Otherwise, I might be dead."
"In the Grand King's own court?" Coffin exclaimed.
"My suspicion is that Basoc wasn't the only infiltrator sent by Kron," Moto said.
"Another knight?" Gonzales asked.
"No, I'm certain that it has to be someone outside the Order. Whoever it was is allowed access into the castle," Moto said.
"Then you don't suspect any of the proctors?" Coffin asked.
Moto shook his head. "At the same time, I don't want us talking to each other about any of this while in public. It's too easy to be overheard without even thinking about who might be around. We've become too used to being overheard by everyone in range. That's why I'm not announcing where I'm going. I don't want to take any chances."
"We do have a tendency to talk loud at times," Coffin said.
"The point is that we know we can be infiltrated. We can no longer operate as we did. I'm just sorry that it cost us a dear friend to learn that," Moto said.
"How will things change?" Gonzales asked.
"Well, you'll have two other knights assigned here with you. Eventually, I'll assign Coffin to one of the other sectors. Very likely, I'll leave Jones and Deliah here. King Vimma would rather that we continue pairing our knights instead of tripling them. That means that this will be the only castle with three knights. King Vimma found that reasonable because you have to conduct patrols as well as guard the Sacred Hall. He's willing to let me keep four knights here until Deliah is thoroughly trained. That gives you about two months before you lose Coffin," Moto said.
"So I've got two months to read anything Basoc left behind and help train Deliah?" Coffin asked.
"When you're not running patrols or taking a shift at the Sacred Hall," Moto said.
Coffin bit her lower lip while nodding. "Where am I going later?"
"Depends on how things develop. King Vimma made me aware of a few things that I hadn't considered before, such as dispersing our force to give more sectors the advantage of our new sonic power. If necessary, which someday it will be, we won't have a knight with sonic power guarding the Sacred Hall. Castle High Crag is easily defended. Anyway, we've protected the suits before without that power," Moto said.
"What about if Gonzales can activate the other suits? Has anyone given that any thought?" Coffin asked. "If he can, we could have thirty knights and cover every border kingdom for once."
"Very privately, King Vimma told me that he's not interested in seeing the people lose their faith or in further antagonizing the nobles, some of whom distinctly don't care for us. However, he stated that he wouldn't oppose the church's efforts to determine whether it's possible. Grand Proctor Folon suggested that we shouldn't. He's concerned that if Gonzales succeeds, it would give the crown the authority to transfer the Order directly and completely under their control. We'd no longer have the church's support and that might affect the people," Moto said.
Gonzales scowled. "Let me get this straight. You think I can activate those other suits?"
"It's like I was explaining before Basoc tried to kill us. If the suits have a hierarchy, then you might very well be at the top. That doesn't have to necessarily mean that god didn't give us these suits as Basoc insisted, but it could mean that god chose to give us more latitude than we ever suspected. Even if you have that power from god, unless someone replaces you when you retire, that power will be lost, again. I think the Grand Proctor has little to worry about," Coffin answered.
"God couldn't have meant to trust me with so much power," Gonzales said facing Coffin.
"I don't see why not. You're one of the most devout knights I've ever known," Moto said. "You don't carry anyone up into your tower, even though you're free to do so. You attend church regularly to pray."
"He doesn't have a drinking problem, either," Jones said. "How is Royal?"
Moto sighed. "Not any better, I'm afraid.However, we're getting away from Gonzales. I'm similarly concerned about this problem. The potential for damage to the Order is high. There are plenty who would condemn us if we discover that we can predetermine who is to become a knight. We also face the problem of who to select if Gonzales does have this power to create knights."
"Is that why I'm remaining here?" Deliah asked.
Moto turned to Deliah. "You're remaining here to learn. Most of our knights trained here first. However, you're also here so that we can see whether your knighthood is further influenced by Gonzales. Regardless of where I assign you, proctors will study you in ways they wish they could have studied Sir Private Malidor. You'll cooperate with the proctors when it doesn't interfere with your duties."
"Then am I supposed to try activating one of the other suits?" Gonzales asked.
Moto turned to Gonzales. "I really don't know. I'm supposed to be your leader, but this is something no one ever faced before. I don't have anything to guide me."
"Except god," Gonzales said.
"God doesn't talk to me as often as he does with you. I strongly suspect that you'd be our leader now if Basoc hadn't engineered a false murder charge against you."
"I don't know how to lead."
"That's not true. You already lead the knights here at High Crag. Have more faith in yourself, as god obviously does," Moto said. "Possibly that's the answer we're both seeking. God wants you to accomplish great matters. He's given you special powers. I believe that you'd only disappoint god by failing to use those powers."
"You'll need assistance from the proctors. Several of them observed you while you suffered the brief illness," Coffin said.
"I remember they did. I wasn't asleep or delirious all the time," Gonzales said.
"True, but it was only when you slept that you gave magic commands," Coffin said.
"Consult the proctors. Let them guide you in what you said. When you're ready to try, warn the other knights so they can take precautions. I recall that some of their suits reacted. They'll want to be on the ground or farther away before you try," Moto said.
Gonzales nodded. "I take it you want me to try."
"Contrary to the Grand Proctor's guidance, yes."
"What if I fail?"
"There's no dishonor in failing. If you should, then we'll know that god meant for you to only make Deliah's admission possible under her name. Then we'll know that you're part of an important chain and look to her for the next instruction from god."
"Me?" Deliah exclaimed.
"You're a knight now. No one cares that you happened to be a thief befo
re this," Moto said.
"You know?" Deliah exclaimed.
Gonzales turned his puzzled face toward Deliah.
"The people in your kingdom are still baffled at the news that god chose you to become one of his knights," Moto said.
"Shouldn't we have been told?" Gwinn asked.
"I didn't steal anything in Cragless!" Deliah exclaimed.
"It's not our job to pass on such matters, particularly as we're expected to accept each other. Eventually, that information will reach here on its own. Do you really need to know that one of us was a murderer before becoming a knight?" Moto said.
"Here in this room?" Gwinn asked.
"I only said one of the knights. Anyway, we're not here to discuss what each of us did before becoming a knight, though it would certainly be interesting," Moto said.
Coffin nodded. "Past knights were no better or worse than those alive in the Order now. The last Cardin worked as a prostitute before she became a knight. Washington studied to become a proctor before finding out that he was to first become a knight after someone noticed that he could easily fit within a suit and convinced him to try. The last Yakamata preferred men in his bed. Not that it matters, as it's on record now, I'm the one who murdered a man before I became a knight. I knew instantly upon seeing my suit open that god would forgive me provided I channeled my efforts into accomplishing what was needed for his people. Like some initiates before me, I freely confessed my prior sins to a proctor before flying to Castle Staten Island to give my oath to god."
Knight Spirits Page 15