The Endless Knight: The Seekers Trilogy (The Watchers Series Book 6)

by T. C. Edge

  This boy whose true purpose was to save us all.

  He waits inside the mountain now, hidden away where he feels more comfortable. It isn’t attention that he wants or craves, but silence and freedom. His entire life has been spent following orders, doing terrible things for the sake of a madman. Now, he’s atoning for those things, desiring nothing but a quiet life away from war and terror, away from the chaos he was created to inflict.

  He’ll be given that, given space and time to try to find peace. After everything that’s happened, it’s the least he deserves.

  Jackson’s eulogy continues, his own place now atop this world. In the weeks and months to come, we’ll all vote on a new leader to take us forward, a new President to see to the rebuilding of our lands.

  I stand proud, knowing that my father will be at the front of the queue. That he will continue the proud tradition in our family, and lead us to a better future.

  But for Drake, his part is over. Soon, his body will be set alight, and the ashes will be gathered. We’ll spread it to the places he loved the most: his home of Agricola, where he once raised my mother; the city here, where he helped build the rebel cause; the old husk of Eden, still spiking out from the churning surf, the crumpled city so dear to him for so long.

  Many places have seen his influence. Many places will miss him dearly. As will the people.

  But none more than my mother, who stands beside me now, tears rolling gently down her cheeks. I take her hand in mine and squeeze tight, and we stand together and listen to Jackson speak of her father’s great deeds, and the great deeds of Markus too.

  He could go on forever, such were the lives the two men led. But he doesn’t, bringing the service to an end as their bodies are lit to flame.

  He steps down from the plinth, and we watch for a time as the stage turns to flame, and the bodies of the masters of Eden and Petram get consumed by the warming blaze.

  Behind, some people begin to shuffle off, returning to their lives. But others remain, setting into a long vigil, unwilling to leave until their beloved leaders are gone, their corporeal forms fully cremated.

  And with Cyra and Jackson, and Link and Ellie and Ajax, and Velia and Vesuvia and Athena and Leeta, we stand. All of us, together, side by side, waiting with our heads bowed in respect, the hours passing by like the flowing of the wind.

  And only when the flames have fallen, and only embers remain, do we turn and move into the mountain, the air now growing with a bitter cold as the night descends.

  Inside, the sounds of music are heard, the people turning to the celebration of their great leaders’ lives. And to all those across the lands who have been lost to this war, words are spoken and memories shared, drinks sunk down throats as the people give thanks for the lives they still hold onto.

  I hold Velia tight amid the throng, and pray that I never have to let go. And across from me, Ajax and Vesuvia do the same, her leg now fully healed, the four of us back together again.

  We drink, and talk, and for the first time I meet Velia’s mother. She draws me into a hug and kisses my cheek, and I see Velia’s face light up with a beaming smile. And in that moment, as the music plays and she cuddles up close to me, I hear her whisper in my ear that she loves me.

  I look at her with warm eyes and repeat the words back at her, and we kiss and dance among the people. And as we celebrate, never do we forget those we’ve lost, those we’re here to say farewell to. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters and distance relatives, dearest friends and colleagues. Everyone here has lost someone. Everyone here has felt the sting of grief.

  But now, it’s time for us all to move on.

  The future depends on us to do so.

  As the party continues, my mother comes to me. I’m reminded of how she did the same during Troy’s funeral, passing me my first alcohol drink. Back then, the world was so different, my desire for adventure so strong. Now, I’ve seen enough to last a dozen lifetimes.

  This time, she comes with no drink, moving through the crowd and setting her fingers and eyes to my bear claw necklace.

  “Seems like a long time ago that I took this from you,” she says. “I should never have doubted you, Theo.”

  “No, mum, you were just trying to protect me. You didn’t know what was going to happen.”

  “Perhaps. But I need to learn to let go. I see you now…you’re a man. And you’re in love.”

  A knowing smile brightens on her face, and I feel a warmth beginning to build on my cheeks. I look to Velia, dancing with her mother and sister, and nod.

  “I am…” I whisper.

  “I’m so happy for you,” she says, beaming. “But can I pull you away from her for a moment?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good,” she says, her words flattening a little. “Now follow me.”

  She leads me towards the back of the chamber, and down a long passage away from it. Winding away into the darkness, we descend through the mountain, the lights fixed to the rocky walls growing more and more sparse the deeper we go.

  Soon, they stop completely, and my mum pulls out a torch to guide our way. The music above grows quieter and quieter, until it’s barely audible. Eventually, as we reach passages and chambers I’ve never been to, it stops completely, only our footsteps now heard as they echo around us.

  Eventually, we come to a final turn, and Cyra leads me onwards to a small gap in the stone. She squeezes through first, and I follow, entering into a small cave, cold and damp and dripping from above with an endless form of aural torture.

  Her light shines towards the far wall, and I see a creature appear, dressed in rags and chained to the wall, his face pale as snow and covered with the early growth of a patchy beard. His black hair hangs down, lank and unwashed, his body littered with scars and cuts, his eyes shielded from the light with long, calloused fingers.

  In the cold chamber, my mum’s voice drifts out of her.

  “Augustus,” she says. “Augustus, are you awake?”

  I watch on as Knight continues to squint at the light, such a rare thing for him down here.

  “So this is where you’ve been keeping him,” I say.

  “Oh, this is the place,” says Cyra.

  Knight stirs, and his eyes open a little wider.

  “You can’t keep me down here forever,” his voice comes out, raspy and hoarse. “Nothing can contain me!”

  “Oh, I beg to differ,” counters Cyra. “Do you know what day it is?”

  He doesn’t answer.

  “Today is the day of my father’s funeral, a man loved across this country. A man you killed. Oh, I think we’re quite happy to keep you down here.”

  She hovers the light a little away from his face, shining it on the wall nearby. With the brightness doused, his eyes open wider, and he looks straight at my mother, standing above him.

  “Look at me, Augustus. Look me right in the eye. I will be the last person you see. No one will come down here again. No one will save you. You will sit here, and you will think of everything you have done. You will rot here in the silence, with only your thoughts for company. Here, in the endless night, you will live, and you will die.”

  She takes a little step back, moving towards the gap in the stone where I stand.

  “Now say goodbye to the light, Augustus. You will never know its warm glow again.”

  “You can’t keep me here,” he growls. “You can’t…”

  “Say goodbye,” repeats Cyra slowly, moving back. “Say goodbye…”

  “You can’t do this to me!” he calls as she reaches me, his voice echoing down the passage behind us.

  As his voice rages, my mother turns to me.

  “Now come on, Theo. Let’s rejoin the party.”

  We move through the little gap once more, and she tells me to take a grip of the rock. I note, now, that it’s a boulder, capable of being rolled a little to the right. With all our might, we heave and push, and Knight’s mad screams continue to ra
ge. And bit by bit, the boulder moves, blocking the entrance and muting the calls of the devil within.

  Alone in the darkness, he will face the endless night, stewing on his failure, his body still young. From a small gap in the stone above, food will be drooped, and water provided by the leak that incessantly drips to the cold, wet floor. Should he want it, he can stay alive, subsisting on the meagre rations we provide. Or should he choose to end his life by starving himself, or by battering his head on the rock walls, he can.

  But live or die, he will never see the light again.

  He wanted to cover the world in darkness, to spread his shadow across it.

  Now, that’s all he’ll ever know.

  But not us.

  Despite the suffering we’ve faced, and the terrible horrors we’ve endured, life will go on. Many have been laid to rest, but many more are still alive, ready to fight on and rebuild our world. Better. Stronger. Fairer and more prosperous than ever before.

  A new day is dawning.

  And with Velia, and all my friends and family by my side, I know it will be a bright one.

  THE END

  From the Author

  First of all, a big thanks for getting all the way through to this point! If you’ve enjoyed yourself, I’d love it if you’d drop me a review telling me what you thought.

  Also, feel free to share and spread the word to family and friends if you think they’d like the series.

  As of now, the Watchers Series is all wrapped up. I may return to it in the future, but for now it’s onto pastures new. Don’t worry, I have plenty more stories to tell!

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  Hopefully, I’ll see you on the inside!

  Toby C Edge