"It must have been your destiny to save an innocent life in exchange for the one you took," Gwinn said.
"Not hardly. I'd kill that hairy sneak, again, if need be. Believe me, I don't kill any man without sufficient reason," Coffin said. "Still, there might be something in what you say about it being my destiny to save an innocent life. We all seem to be individual links in a chain leading somewhere."
"So my own destiny may have already been fulfilled?" Gonzales said.
Moto sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "As knights, we all stand equal before god. Only time will tell if he has special purposes in store for some of us."
Chapter 22
Waleski waved at the sailors as their small convoy passed below her. She could tell by the ship designs and their signal flags that they were friendly and merely on their way to Minius for the purpose of trade.
"Land," Royal said, descending onto the deck of one boat. "Would you have some wine for a knight in need on such a dreary day?"
Waleski didn't hear any reply, but she saw a sailor scurry off with Royal's flask despite the dim light caused by the heavy cloud cover. He returned less than a minute later with it filled.
"My thanks to you, brave sailors! Journey in safety! We'll keep an eye out for raiders and turn any away from you! Up!" Royal shot up past her. "Well, well, what have we here? Waleski, I do believe that we'll have to kick some raiders back from the coast today. So far, I see at least ten ships."
"Up!" Waleski found herself beside Royal and stared out at the burgeoning numbers of Kron raiders on the horizon. "It's more than a raid. That's an invasion force. Waleski to any knight who can hear me. We've twenty Kron ships in sight and more arriving."
"Go after them with your power," Royal said. "We don't need any of the other knights. You don't even need me, except to help keep watch."
Waleski nodded. "Yes, I guess you're right."
She gave her magic commands to alter her course and descend toward the raiders. Just as arrows rose up toward her, her suit flashed in rapid succession at the boats.
"Warning. Available power reduced fifty percent."
"God just spoke to me and changed some of the god lights. The long green light is now shorter and yellow," Waleski said.
"He did? It is?" Royal exclaimed, as he pulled his flask away from his face.
"Warning. Available power reduced by sixty percent."
"God's still speaking to me. The yellow god light is getting shorter."
"Try to remember what he says. The proctors will want to know that."
"Warning. Available power reduced by seventy percent. Flight capability may be…"
"Help!"
Royal watched incredulously as Waleski fell into the water. He'd barely heard her over the god voice. He hesitated for a moment before he noticed that the raiders had observed her distress and were no longer attempting to retreat. Then he reacted. As he moved in, the raiders changed their minds once more and resumed their frantic retreat. Waleski reached up to grab Royal by his ankles.
She shouted, "I can barely hear you over my god voice. I don't know what went wrong. Is god mad at me for attacking those raiders?"
"I don't know anymore than you. We better get you back to Minius. Five up. You sound cold."
"I am cold. I'm completely soaked and I'm freezing."
"Take a drink of this. It will help warm you." Royal passed down his flask. "I won't fly too fast, either. Five up."
Royal maintained a low altitude and moderate speed until they reached the island. Only then did he ascend to a higher level as it was necessary to clear many of the rocks. When, at last, solid ground became available, Royal descended so that Waleski could release her hold upon his legs and rest her arms. She tumbled to the ground and rolled to a stop.
"Commencing solar recharge."
"Are you all right?"
"Available power at twenty-five percent."
"I'm fine, thanks. God's still talking to me and showing me an angry red bar. I wish I knew his language. I didn't mean to offend him."
"I don't see how you could. You didn't do anything different from before. Wait here. I'll get you a blanket. Five up!"
"Thanks," Waleski chattered.
"Available power at twenty-six percent."
Waleski barely lifted up before dropping back to the ground.
"Available power at twenty-three percent. Available power at twenty-four percent."
"God, I'm sorry for anything I've done to offend you."
"Available power at twenty-five percent."
"Try giving penance," Royal's voice said.
Waleski mumbled, "That's what I'm trying to do," as she positioned herself upon her knees.
***
"Sir Sergeant Waleski fell from the sky? Are you certain?" Duke Plesso asked. He'd been surprised to learn that Sir Tacchon had run from the official court with the news.
"That's what was just reported," Tacchon gasped. "I scarcely believed it myself, but she fell into the sea while fighting off raiders from Kron."
"We can use this somehow." Plesso stood and paced about for a moment. "There must be a way for this to benefit us."
"She's afraid that she offended god in some manner."
"That's it! Of course, she did! That means it's up to us to see that she's tried for her sins."
"But that falls within the church's responsibilities."
"Then they'll have to try her or face displeasing the crown. King Vimma won't tolerate them doing that. It would take very little to engineer a shift in his support to one of the other religions. His own kingdom's religion would very much like to be recognized as the official state religion."
"But they don't have control of the Knights of the Star."
"They won't need any control. If the proctors fail to try Waleski, then they'll be forced to dissolve their knighthood, perhaps even their Order. At the very least, we can force them to rid themselves of one knight. Even an embarrassment is a victory for us."
***
Waleski felt warmer after Royal placed a blanket around her. When the sun broke through the clouds, she momentarily halted her prayers to remove the blanket so she could dry out faster.
"Is god still angry at you?" Royal asked.
"I don't know. He's still talking to me, though not as often."
"Warning, available power at thirty percent."
"Oh, my!
"What's wrong?"
"He must have heard my prayers. The red bar changed back to yellow, again."
"Warning, available power at thirty-five percent."
"I better pray some more."
"Very well, I'll try not to disturb you. Maybe I should check on the raiders just to make sure they've actually retreated."
Waleski ignored Royal as she returned to her prayers.
Chapter 23
Moto changed his course slightly to intercept Coffin, even though they were both in god voice range of each other. He noticed as he came into eyesight of her that she was looking in his direction, evidently expecting him.
"You've made good time."
"So far. If it was warmer, I'd try going faster."
Moto nodded. He understood that it was asking too much of any of the knights to travel too fast when the weather was still cool. "You brought the writings?"
"I brought what there was."
"Good. We'll discuss those in private when we reach Minius."
"That won't be long now. There's the ocean."
Moto glanced around at the landmarks. "Five left."
Coffin gave the same command. "Will there be a trial?"
"That remains to be seen."
"How does Grand King Vimma feel about this?"
"That can't be discussed now. Too much is reported over our god voices," Moto said.
Moto and Coffin both descended toward a large rock standing tall out of the water a short distance from Minius. The privacy it offered was obvious because it was too dangerous to approach by boat. Climbing it fro
m the sea was just as hazardous. In addition, numerous smaller rocks between the open sea and the shore were partly why Minius was so impregnable. Both knights doffed their armor suits and sat down to talk.
"There are severe undercurrents in Vimma's court," Moto said.
"Precisely as Van Dyke and I both warned long ago?"
"Yes, if it wasn't for your warnings, we'd be down to ten knights by now and in serious danger of extermination. The nobles pressed Vimma to demand that the Grand Proctor order a church trial of Waleski."
"I thought as much. Are we to sacrifice Waleski for the good of the Order?" Coffin asked.
"Vimma doesn't want to lose her. He's aware that we broke up the last invasion on our own. He knows that Waleski broke up another attempt probably aimed at Minius. He doesn't dare insult Queen Elannia."
"I should hope not. Of all the kingdoms, hers is key to the defense of the western shores. If she withdraws her kingdom, there's no way for the others to force her back into the alliance."
"Exactly what he said to me, though in different words. That's why he chose to have the trial held on Minius, just as he left Gonzales in Queen Neessha's hands. Vimma feels certain that Queen Elannia will influence the outcome toward a favorable conclusion."
"That makes sense. Then if Waleski is found guilty, Queen Elannia can't cry foul," Coffin said.
"Vimma said as much. Basoc's actions made it only too clear to him that Kron fears us more than anything else. Vimma doesn't want us ended for all the obvious reasons. At the same time, he has to balance the demands of the nobles because he still requires their support. They wouldn't be such a problem if Van Dyke was still alive."
"Yes, the nobles tolerated us better with him in charge."
"You should have taken over instead of me," Moto said.
"I wasn't active at the time. Choosing me under that circumstance wouldn't have settled well with our fellow knights. Besides, Basoc probably would have caused more harm had I not been retired and in a position to see what he was pulling."
"Vimma suggested that we consider some alternatives."
"Such as?" Coffin asked.
"That we realign ourselves politically. By that, he suggested that we break away completely from the Order of the Star. We would become the Imperial Knights. As such, he could then shield us better against the nobles."
"I seriously doubt that. If anything, we'd become more vulnerable to their actions. Sooner or later, they'd insist that we not have any sacred towers as quarters. We'd have to give in to that demand. Then they'd assassinate us as soon as we let our collective guard down. Right now, the Order of the Star is our only real protection against the nobles and their jealousy. Is that why you wanted me to bring the writings?"
"Vimma did suggest that we could find justification in the writings to prove that we don't have to remain connected to only one religion. That would ease some of the religious jealousies he has to deal with continually."
Coffin shook her head. "Even though I know that's true, I'm not going to support it. This has nothing to do with the fact that I grew up as a follower of the Order of the Star."
"It's true?" Moto exclaimed.
"Basoc wasn't fabricating evidence to split up the Alliance. He was uncovering what was best left alone for the good of all, except the Kron Empire, that is. After all, it's more difficult to refute the truth. If anything, I'll admit that he wasn't a fool."
"Then he was right about Gonzales' suit?"
"I strongly suspect that he was. Our problem isn't just that, however. If we announce that, we risk exposing other truths that are best left alone. Vimma might not realize this, but others do. Our entire Alliance is in jeopardy if the Knights of the Star leave the Order. Queen Neessha confided in me about this."
"I don't see how," Moto said.
"It's simple and quite scary. If we're not selected by god, then there's no reason to believe in any particular religion. That puts them all out of power as far as controlling us. At the same time, if we have more power than the nobility of all the kingdoms, then that points out that they're not related to god as most claim. Similarly, they don't have any valid reasons for controlling us. Unfortunately, many of the nobles realize this. However, some are unwilling to leave things as they are. In doing so, they might cause the people to realize that we've a more legitimate claim in leading them than anyone else, especially since most of us came from among the people. If that ever happens, we'll be forced to choose sides in a war that will involve every single kingdom within the Alliance. That's if they don't murder us first after we break free of the church."
"The kingdoms will fight each other?"
"A few might. However, it's more likely that the people will fight against the nobility. Should the Kron Empire find out about that, they'll move in and take over. Can you see that now?"
Moto nodded. "What you're telling me is that we're doomed if we become Imperial Knights."
"I'd much rather fight Kron than my friends."
"In which case, we need some suggestions to offer Queen Elannia."
"Hopefully, she'll ask for some."
***
Gonzales felt surprised for a moment before he realized that he was hearing sounds from underground as he stood guard before the Sacred Hall. The sound of moving stone came to his ears before he saw the slab moving behind him in his god visions. He drew his sword as he turned and faced two applicants whose meditations were abruptly interrupted by the vibrations.
"Stand aside," Gonzales ordered, as he faced the opening.
Three Kron raiders rushed up steps that few knew existed as the two applicants crawled out of the way. The raiders clearly hadn't expected to meet a Knight of the Star with his weapon at the ready. Gonzales advanced upon them swinging his sword.
"Knights of the Star! The Sacred Hall is under attack!"
Unable to spread out, the raiders found themselves forced to fight one-on-one as Gonzales blocked them from exiting the underground labyrinth. One fell moments later to his sword and dropped back down the steps. Forced off balance, the second raider was wounded by Gonzales, even as more appeared below and pressed against each other to advance up the steps. A dark shape descended behind Gonzales. A quick glance in his god vision was sufficient to impart that his own reinforcements had arrived.
"I was about to take my suit off when you called," Deliah said.
"Just watch my back and let these applicants get out safely. I can hold off the rest of these raiders."
"Shouldn't we call upon the guards? Never mind, they're coming already."
"Tell them to circle behind these raiders underground."
"Proctors, arm yourselves!" someone shouted.
"Guardsmen to the tunnels! Sir Lieutenant Gonzales and I can hold this entrance!" Deliah shouted at two who came running with their weapons at the ready.
"No doubt Basoc is behind this," Gonzales said.
He took advantage of a raider's missed swing and kicked the man in the face to tumble him backward into the arms of his comrades. More guards ran into the courtyard with their weapons as the alarm spread through the castle.
"Can we hold them all off? It looks like there are tens of raiders below us," Deliah exclaimed.
"Carry off the hollow suits while I keep them out!"
"What if I mix them up?"
"Just carry them off! We'll figure out later which suit is which! Now do it!"
"Yes, sir," Deliah said. She quickly grabbed four of the suits. She leaped out of the hall and ascended to her tower quarters where she hurried to place the suits in storage niches before flying down to retrieve more. "The suit beside you is the last one left to move!"
Gonzales kicked another raider while slashing with his sword. He then turned, grabbed the last suit, and ran the few feet out of the hall before giving the commands to ascend. As he reached his tower, he noticed that the guards were falling back from other secret entrances now open. There were just too many enemy soldiers below to hold back.
"Deliah, get to the Queen's side and carry her to safety. I'll find the Duke and help his men."
"Where should I take her?"
"Bring her up here. As soon as you get her to safety, carry up some of the archers." Gonzales then commanded, "Up!" He watched his god visor until he saw that the bar indicating his altitude was at its top limit. "Sir Lieutenant Gonzales to all knights. Castle High Crag is under attack from the underground tunnels. We need help urgently. Land!"
Already, several enemy soldiers were in the courtyard engaging the proctors and Imperial Guards. Even some of the applicants had picked up weapons and joined in against the men from Kron.
"My Queen, you must come with me to safety. Most of your personal guards are already dead. You must trust me," Gonzales heard Deliah say over the god voice, while swords clanked about in the background.
It was clear to him that some of the enemy had invaded her royal court. He caught sight of a Kron raider behind him and turned to slash out at the man, catching him by surprise. It was enough to put the man out of action so that Gonzales could then run for the Duke's office. He was almost to the office when he heard the Duke's voice coming from elsewhere in the courtyard as he ordered his men about to defend the castle. Gonzales turned and ran for the Duke's location. He used the one suit he still held as an temporary shield and slashed out with his sword at another Kron agent.
"Duke Sabbo!"
"Gonzales! Are the suits safe?"
"All but this one. Grab hold of me so I can fly you up to guard Queen Neessha."
"I have to lead the attack!"
"In that case, you'll need armor. I hope this works."
"What are you talking about?" Sabbo asked.
"Activate Private Ashen suit."
"Nano-tech repairs forty-seven percent complete, Lieutenant Gonzales."
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