by Chuck Black
“What large fellow?” a fellow knight asked.
“Just as we were getting ready to leave, a large—”
I stopped midsentence. Footsteps were approaching from outside Barrett’s shop. We all grabbed for our swords.
“Someone must have followed you,” Jonathan whispered.
The footsteps grew louder. We stared at the back door. There were at least six men by the sound of the boots on the cobblestone. We braced ourselves for the deadly fight that surely would come if these were Noble Knights.
The men walked to our door … and passed. We all breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed our swords.
“Greetings, gentlemen.” A voice spoke from behind us, yet was in the same room.
I dared not turn to see the owner of the voice. It was familiar. Too familiar. The hair on my arms and neck stood straight, and I could tell that the others felt the near terror too. I did not fear the voice, but rather what the voice meant.
I must be going mad, I thought.
Slowly I turned, my eyes leading the way. Once I saw the author of those words, I stumbled back, catching myself on a center support beam. There were no words on my tongue or coherent thoughts in my mind.
Before us stood the Prince!
Some of the knights stumbled into chairs, while others grabbed something to keep themselves from falling. Two were making their way toward the back door.
I saw the scars on His body, but His strength and power seemed to be even more accentuated.
“Do not be afraid, My friends,” the Prince said. “I am not a ghost, and you are not going mad. Please sit down and let Me explain.”
“M-my Lord,” I stammered, “how can this be? I saw You die. I saw You hang on the tree. What trick or miracle is this?”
“A trick it is not, My dear Cedric. But miracle? Ah, yes. You see, gentlemen, My Father is not only wise and wealthy, but He also commands power that none here can comprehend. The Noble Knights will not believe, though they see Me with their own eyes. That is why My Father sent Me here to train you. You are privileged, My friends. You are part of the plan to restore His kingdom.”
Slowly we came to believe that what we saw was not an apparition but truly the Prince we’d grown to love and serve. Terror and shock were eventually replaced by joy and excitement.
“Now You can help us defeat this evil Kifus and the Noble Knights, my Lord?” Rob asked.
“No, Rob. I must return to My Father’s kingdom, and you will not fight Kifus and the Noble Knights.”
“Then what is this all for, my Lord?” William asked.
“You must remember what I taught you and why I taught you. Your battle is with the greater foe, the Dark Knight. Do not be fooled. He also has powers that will amaze and trick many people. You must stay strong and wary. He knows I have trained you, and he will seek to destroy you before I can return. You must add to the Knights of the Prince. Be vigilant in your training, and above all, stay true to the Code. I was your example. Now you must be the example to others!”
Those same compassionate eyes—eyes that burned like fire—took each of us in.
“Why must You leave us again, my Prince?” I asked. I did not share the Prince’s confidence in us.
“Cedric, your heart is strong in the Code. Trust in it and in Me. As long as you live by the Code, I will be with you. What I have taught you will not fail you. I go to prepare our kingdom across the sea for the battle that must come with the Dark Knight and his Shadow Warriors. Do not be afraid. I will come back for you.”
I looked at the strong face of the Prince and found my hope again.
“Your sword is here, my Prince,” I said.
I retrieved the cloth that held His glorious sword from the same chest Leinad had stored it in for so many years.
“It found me in my despair,” I said and held the sword before the Prince.
He smiled and lifted it from my hands. “Do not forget, My friends. It is the Code that makes the sword worth carrying.”
We all knelt before Him and then bid Him farewell.
I was lonely again, but this time I knew it would not last forever.
WE BUILD
At first we worked in secret, quietly adding strength and numbers to the Knights of the Prince. But soon our confidence with the sword and our belief in the King, the Prince, and the Code drove us to recruit openly. Anyone who believed our story of the Prince and had a heart to follow the Code was welcomed and trained.
The Noble Knights hated us as they had hated the Prince. We were hunted but not defeated. The Prince had taught us well, and the Noble Knights soon realized that we were not going away. Small battles broke out across the country, but the Knights of the Prince stood strong.
Some of our men were beaten and thrown into prison, but this only solidified our resolve to accomplish our mission—to be ready for the Prince’s return and to be prepared for the great battle with the Dark Knight.
“Are you ready, my brother?” I asked William.
The Code made friends of strangers and brothers of friends. William and I were now kindred spirits, not of our own doing, but because of what the Prince had taught us to believe in.
“Yes, Cedric, let’s be on our way,” William said. “The road is long before us, and we must make Chandril before sundown.”
We set off on our journey that morning hoping to find more recruits in the neighboring city of Chandril. Along the way, we came across a man and his family journeying to our own city of Chessington. A wheel on their cart was broken, and we stopped to help. We told them of our mission and shared the story of the Prince. Their ears yearned to hear of such hope and promise.
“Please be careful in Chandril,” the man said as we completed the work on his cart. “Not only is there poverty in the city, but also many of the people have become bitter and hateful. There are evil men that have great influence over the people. It is not a safe place anymore. That is why I am taking my family to Chessington.”
“Find the shop owned by a man named Barrett,” I said. “Tell him that William and Cedric sent you. He will help you get settled and provide protection for your family.”
“Thank you for all you have done, gentlemen,” the man replied. His wife smiled gratefully as they passed and proceeded on toward Chessington.
The delay caused us to arrive in Chandril at dusk. I felt the city’s oppression in my spirit as we entered the outskirts. We walked up a broad street where shops were closing windows and locking doors at the end of a day’s work. Our presence caught the stares of many weary faces. We stopped one fellow as he began to shut his door.
“Good sir, would you be kind enough to direct us toward the nearest inn?” William asked.
He glanced at our tunics and saw the emblem of the Prince. His face revealed his disgust.
“I have heard of your kind and your lies. Stay away from my shop!” Then he slammed the door in our faces.
A gang of six burly men across the street turned their attention to us when they heard the door slam. We walked on our way but were acutely aware of the menacing men following our every turn. They quickened their pace to gain ground. Finally we could not ignore them any longer and turned to face them.
The shops had all closed by now, and the sun was set, but there was enough residual light to see that these men were not friendly. They slowly surrounded us, each brandishing a sword on his hip. Timid faces appeared in the windows of the nearby shops and homes.
“Can we help you, gentlemen?” I asked while searching their faces for intent.
“Who are you?” the lead man asked.
“We are from Chessington and are looking for a place to stay,” I said.
“I didn’t ask where you were from. I recognize that mark, and it is not welcome here. You should be more careful about where you walk.”
“You have allegiance to the Noble Knights then?” I asked.
“We have allegiance to no one but ourselves. Kill them and take their money,” he ordered hi
s men.
They all drew their swords and advanced on us.
We drew our swords quickly and positioned ourselves against the wall of the shop behind us. Even if they were only average swordsmen, I knew their numbers would eventually overwhelm us.
They attacked with fury, and William and I found ourselves in a fight for our lives. Our swords collided, but there were too many of them. I injured one with a quick slice from my right, but then I caught a thrust through my left arm. The steel burned as it entered and left my flesh. I heard William gasp in pain as he caught a slice across his chest that bled profusely. He recovered and brought down his attacker with a quick thrust to his opponent’s abdomen, but the leader filled his place.
Our situation was hopeless, and my thoughts turned to the Prince. Would His work here carry on effectively without us? Had we let Him down?
From within my heart came my final words to the world. I shouted for all to hear, “The King reigns—and His Son!”
Just when all seemed lost, from above our heads came the sound of deliverance. A man jumped from the roof and landed just behind the ring of attackers. From between the buildings to my left came another man who positioned himself beside the first.
The band of thieves was as shocked as we were, and the fighting momentarily stopped. The two men held brilliant swords, and they were massive men of power. Their chiseled facial features matched their muscular frames, which were partially hidden by peasant clothes. They were … Silent Warriors! William collapsed from the loss of blood, and I moved to cover his position. The Silent Warriors advanced on the thieves without hesitation. There was no mercy. In less than a minute, four of the thieves were prone on the ground, and the remaining two managed to escape down an alleyway.
The Silent Warriors wiped their swords and sheathed them. One knelt down and lifted William with the ease of a parent lifting his child.
“I am Keef, and this is Ramon,” the other knight said. “Follow me.”
Keef led us to an old building near the southern part of Chandril. Once inside, Ramon laid William on a table and tore off a portion of his own tunic to dress the wound. William was still unconscious.
“Thank you for saving our lives,” I said to them both. “Is William …?”
“William will live,” Keef said. “Ramon will make sure of it.”
It was almost an order, but Ramon nodded in agreement. I felt some relief in their confidence.
“How did you know to come to our aid?” I asked Keef.
“You spoke the words of the Prince, and your situation was desperate. Only then are we allowed to reveal ourselves.”
I had forgotten what the Prince told us and felt stupid. My foolishness had nearly cost William his life.
“Is there any message from the Prince?” I asked. It had been many months since He left us to return to the King.
“We have not been home for a long time.” Keef began dressing my wounded upper arm. “There is no message, but do not lose heart. Continue to build. What you tasted tonight is the work of the Dark Knight. These people do not swear allegiance to anyone. Therefore, they become his tools to work anarchy in the kingdom. When the time is right, he will sweep in and bring tyrannical rule, which the people will gladly swallow for the sake of order. The Dark Knight and his Shadow Warriors are moving, and you must be vigilant.”
I watched Ramon cover William’s gash with a salve from his pouch. The sweet odor of the salve filled the small room.
I turned back toward Keef. “Where did the Dark Knight come from, and why is he such a fierce enemy of the King?”
Keef finished bandaging my wound and sat down on a wooden stool. He leaned against the wall and folded one arm over his thick chest while his other hand stroked his cheek.
I saw a flood of memories pass across his thoughts. I was ready to hear a story that might make sense of this strange saga.
ORIGINS OF EVIL
“Ramon and I were both there,” Keef began, “many, many years ago.” Keef was clearly a veteran of warfare. His dark blue eyes conveyed a “serious business” attitude in all that he did. His hair was sand colored and cut short. He owned a square jaw that matched his determination. His broad neck, shoulders, and arms revealed tremendous strength, and his hands dwarfed my own.
Yes, Keef would make a most formidable foe. I was glad to be on the same side.
Ramon finished dressing William’s wound and joined us on another stool. Ramon was just as large as Keef with slightly darker skin and hair. He was a man of action and very few words.
Keef continued. “In our kingdom across the sea, life was peaceful, and the Dark Knight was not always our enemy. In fact, he was the head of the Silent Warriors. There were nearly five thousand of us. We followed his orders without question. He proved himself to be the best of the best and won favor with the King. His given name is Lucius. Next to the King and His Son, no one had more authority or power than Lucius.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “What happened to make Lucius the King’s archenemy?”
Keef hesitated as he pondered his memories. “I’m not sure, Cedric. You have lived with the Prince and know that there is only kindness and compassion in His heart. I believe the only reason Lucius eventually turned on the Prince was pure jealousy. I am sure that his pride in his own ability, and pride in his power, ultimately led to his downfall.
“I first noticed it during our drills. One day the Prince came to check on us as Lucius led us through the training. When the Prince approached, Lucius bowed, but not in heart. I sensed the slightest hint of contempt. And when the Prince left us, Lucius watched Him carefully; his thoughts were clearly elsewhere. I was not the only knight that noticed. Most of us questioned our own judgment, yet some seemed interested in Lucius’s newfound arrogance.
“As the weeks wore on, Lucius grew more and more rebellious in front of the knights, and yet he hid it from the Prince and the King. One of the knights approached him about his attitude. Lucius pulled him aside and spoke but a few brief words to that knight. We saw fear on the knight’s face, and he was silent from then on. None of us dared challenge Lucius, for none could defeat him.
“However, a commander’s heart is not his own. I felt the disdain and rebellious attitudes filtering down the ranks. Many of the knights were more loyal to Lucius than to the King and the Prince. Risking our lives at the hand of Lucius, Ramon and I decided to take the matter to the Prince.”
William moaned on the table as he stirred. Ramon and I walked over to check on him, but he fell back asleep.
As I returned to my stool to hear the rest of Keef’s story, I became acutely aware of my hunger. We had not eaten since arriving in Chandril, and all the activity had eliminated any opportunity to eat. I reached for the provisions we had brought for the journey and offered some to the Silent Warriors. They accepted graciously, and while they ate, I waited patiently for the rest of Keef’s story, pondering all that he had told me already. Keef finished his food and drank heavily from his water flask. He leaned back on his stool and continued.
“Ramon and I agreed to approach the King’s palace at night so as not to draw attention to ourselves. Even at night, the palace is more glorious than anything else I have ever seen. You and William will see it one day, Cedric. All of the Knights of the Prince will see it.
“As we came to the palace, four other knights intercepted us. We greeted them and tried to pass on nonchalantly, but they would not give way. It was only then that I realized just how serious the situation had become. We were men sworn to the King. We trained and fought side by side and even ate our meals together. We wore the same emblem.
“But these four had changed their allegiance. The realization of their actions shocked me. We tried to appeal to their sworn loyalty, but it was clear they had crossed the line. They threatened to kill us if we would not join them. For the first time in the history of the King’s kingdom, two swords of the Silent Warriors met as enemies. A rebellion was born.
&
nbsp; “We fought defensively at first, still not wanting to believe what was happening. But when they drew first blood on Ramon, we knew there was no turning back.”
Ramon lifted the portion of his tunic that remained, after having used part of it for William’s bandage, and revealed a deep scar that crossed his chest.
Keef continued. “Ramon quickly recovered and slew his attacker. I injured a second to make the fight even, but our skirmish brought attention, and three more knights came to join the fight. I recognized them and guessed them to be loyal to Lucius. I was right. Our situation was grave. We fought back-to-back to provide as much protection for each other as possible, but we could not last long.”
Keef’s eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed. I sympathized with him, having just escaped our own deaths by a very narrow margin.
“I was never so glad to see the Prince ride up on His white stallion as I was that night. The five traitorous knights ran to the shadows and disappeared. Their boldness temporarily faded in the presence of the Prince. We explained our understanding of the situation to the Prince as we walked with Him to the palace.
“ ‘Come with Me to the King,’ the Prince said. Micalem, second in command under Lucius and a brilliant knight as well as an outstanding warrior, joined us inside the palace. His face revealed his sorrow at the news of the rebellion.
“The three of us and the Prince entered the throne room and approached the King. We knelt before His Majesty, and He bid us to rise. ‘It has happened, Father,’ the Prince said. ‘Yes, as I feared it would,’ the King said. ‘Gather the Silent Warriors who are loyal and prepare for war, My Son.’ ‘As you wish, Father,’ the Prince said.
“We bowed and left the King. The Prince took us to another chamber. ‘Micalem,’ he said, ‘you are now in command of the Silent Warriors. Stay with Me to plan our next move. Keef and Ramon, gather those you know to be loyal and brief them on the situation. Then spread out and gather all other loyal knights. Gentlemen, there is no war more deadly or devastating than a war from within. Be careful.’