Knightfall: Book Four of the Nightlord series

by Garon Whited

  “No, I can handle this. It’ll be even easier at night.”

  “Very good, Miss Mary.”

  “How many shots does it get?”

  “In anti-personnel mode, over a hundred. In anti-materiel mode, ten.”

  “This should be interesting,” Mary mused, hefting this bazooka attachment over one shoulder and sighting through the boxy unit on the side. “Ooo! It has night vision and thermal imaging!”

  “Okay, we need to be getting back,” I told them. “How’s the armor coming?”

  “I am still working on materials fabrication, Professor.”

  “Armor?” Mary asked.

  “Your typical jumpsuit isn’t my idea of protective wear. I want you wearing ballistic fibers with some rigid plates. Diogenes has designs decades in advance of your own world.”

  “Thank you very much, Diogenes.”

  “It is a pleasure to be of assistance, Miss Mary.”

  “Why are you being so formal, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  “Is not one supposed to be formal when entertaining guests?”

  “Good point.”

  “All right,” I said. “Let me check the output on those electromagical transformer designs and we’ll be off.”

  I pointed out the ones radiating the more intense magical fields and Diogenes promised to build several for placement around the gate. The gate itself seemed surprisingly well-charged, but it had some help, obviously. Transferring the connection from the ring to the arch went smoothly, we stepped through, and the whole thing shut down.

  “That was refreshingly simple,” I said. Mary nodded agreement and hefted her new toy, sighting down it.

  “I take it I’m going to blow some heads off?”

  “Any objection?”

  “I’m kind of looking forward to seeing what this baby will do.”

  I called Beltar on the mirror and asked him to call a meeting. He agreed we could have everyone ready before sunset.

  “That’s fine. I won’t be there until after sunset, so take your time. But have them bring their power crystals.”

  “It shall be done, my lord.”

  The rest of the day I spent in the upper gate room and in the hallway outside it. The silver was coming in nicely, so I spent my time doing power-coupling work and some revisions on the gate. I wanted it to be an enchantment, embedded in the archway’s matrix, rather than an expendable spell. There’s always one more thing to do around the house, it seems, whether it be cleaning the gutters, mowing the lawn, or reinforcing the magical matrix of a gate spell. There’s no end to these things.

  Mary wanted to come along to the meeting.

  “I’ve always wanted to see a demigod addressing his worshippers.”

  “You’re not as funny as you think you are. Besides, I’m an avatar, not a demigod.”

  “I’ll give you three-to-two I can find someone willing to argue.”

  “How about you stop giving me a hard time about it?”

  “Wellll… all right. But you have to give me a hard time before nightfall.”

  “Woman, you have very few tracks in your mind.”

  “We already covered that. Now come with me.”

  “No. I have something for you to do. Something else for you to do.”

  “Oh?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. “What is it?”

  “While I’m finishing up this gate enchantment, you can use the mirror to find a good spot to connect to one of the palaces.”

  “Ooo!” she cried, clapping her hands together. “Am I going to help with a full-scale assault?”

  “Yep. Then I want you to look over the other two palaces and give me an idea of where to find the various lords, what defenses they have, all that stuff.”

  “Are we going to put the arm on three princes in one night?”

  “Unless we wind up putting them to the sword. I have other things to do and these idiots are delaying my vacation plans. I’m going out of my way to try and be reasonable about this, but I’m feeling a bit testy. We’ll see how reasonable they’re willing to be.”

  “I never met a politician who was reasonable. Self-interested, maybe.”

  “I’ve met Reason on the energy plane. I’m prepared to send them there for a personal visit.”

  “Have I mentioned how sexy you are when you’re angry?”

  “Business first.”

  “Yes, dear one.” She turned her attention to the mirror while I finished binding magic into the gate. She made good progress while I worked, but she wasn’t finished when I was. I gave her a quick kiss and left her to it, promising to be available in the late afternoon.

  I went back to the sand table. I wanted to find a good ambush spot somewhere west of Peleseyn. The King’s Road ran through the Darkwood, all the way to the coast, then forked to run north and south as a coastal road. It was pretty much a straight line east-west, but it branched beyond the forest to run to several places along the coast. The army was already headed east, so somewhere along that long, straight stretch through the Darkwood was likely to be our battleground.

  I looked over the terrain for a while, picked my spot, and gave the mountain some instructions about the road.

  Later, after dark, we took the underground passage to the Temple. It’s a long walk, all things considered, so we hustled along as soon as our evening transformation concluded.

  The temple’s main sanctuary was packed with people in black armor and grey sashes. I spotted several red sashes, too. Is it a conflict of interest to be a knight in the Queen’s service as well as a knight of a religious order? Or are they merely worshippers, not clerical knights? Interesting question. I don’t even know for sure if priests of Shadow are required to be knights. I guess I’m not really cut out for ecclesiastical work.

  As I walked in, the whole room leaped to its feet. They didn’t have the space to kneel, so they all saluted.

  I walked up to the central platform, saluted in return, and gestured them to be seated.

  “Gentlemen—and, I see, a few ladies—No,” I corrected myself. “I’ve started off with the wrong words. Knights. Male or female matters not in the least. Knights. Wearers of the grey or crimson, that is what you are.

  “I have called you here because the Kingdom of Karvalen is facing a threat from the armies of the West. Hyceteyn, Actareyn, and Lyraneyn have mustered their forces and are currently marching through the Darkwood, east of Peleseyn. I have plans for the army, but the part I would ask you to play is more strategic. They have greatly weakened their cities by sending so much of their military on this errand. My intention is to send you to one of their cities, right into the heart of the palace, to take it, hold it, and subdue the ruler of that city as a vassal lord rebelling against his sovereign.

  “I know your first loyalty—for most of you—is not to the kingdom. I know it is a dangerous thing for you to do, since the only way to send you there is through magic. There will be no line of retreat; no easy way to flee if things do not go well. There will be no failure, only success or death.

  “If you will go, then follow me and I will send you where I need you to go. If you choose to remain, I will think no less of you, for this may not be the wisest course. It is a gamble to end a war before it can truly begin, and the wager is your life. The choice is entirely up to you; I command nothing, only ask.”

  I stepped down from the platform and walked out. A lot of feet thundered along behind me. I was afraid to look back.

  Someone started singing a marching song and everyone picked it up, feet echoing along the tunnel like a martial drumbeat. In between the Light and Dark/ where all men must keep their hearts/ the Shadow of the world shall call/ and men must choose to rise or fall…

  My translation is lousy, but it gets the point across. I wonder who wrote it. Linnaeus? Minaren? Probably Linnaeus. It sounded like his style.

  We marched up into the mountain and the gate room. Mary was waiting for us. She was dressed in her cat-burglar outfit, complete with
weaponry. She had the gate’s mirror already lined up with an internal hallway in—I think—Lyraneyn, the northernmost city on the coast.

  “Did you get a look at the local lord?” I asked.

  “Yep. Caught his likeness in a crystal. I think. I’m not sure I did it right. Check me, please?” She handed me the clear crystal and I examined it.

  “You did it right,” I informed her. “Good work.” I turned to the people following me and paused. The room was full, the hallway packed, and the far end of the crowd was around the curve. This was at least… four hundred? Five hundred people? Worse than people. Volunteers.

  Ever heard the phrase, “an embarrassment of riches”?

  Beltar was right up front, too. He saluted. Everyone saluted.

  What the hell were they thinking? I’m not charismatic enough for this! I can talk in front of a crowd, no problem, and I usually sound fairly coherent, but I’m not a motivational speaker. I can barely keep order in a kindergarten, so how do I get hundreds of serious-minded fighting men to volunteer for a one-way trip through a magic gate? Is it a religious thing? Or the mystique of being a king? Or are they all idiots? This was dangerous, not some evening picnic run! I told them it was dangerous!

  Or… did I set things up, way back when, to gather good men together? Men who would stand up for something, hopefully something right? Did I try to do a good thing and actually succeed?

  Well, they say even a blind pig occasionally finds a truffle.

  “This is the target,” I said, holding up the crystal and causing it to throw up an image of the prince of Lyraneyn. “Pass it back and remember him. I want him alive. He has to recall his troops and answer to the Queen.” I handed the crystal to someone on the front row and it made its way back along the column.

  “Got your pocket mirror, Beltar?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “Good. Call my gate-mirror when you need anything. Now have them place their power crystals in the receptacles. Any extras, just put them up against the walls; we can use them for the return trip.”

  Beltar bellowed orders before moving forward to tap his pocket mirror against the scrying mirror beside the gate. I waited until he had it saved to his contacts list, then had Mary show me around the palace in Lyraneyn. A little panning around showed me the point of view was right inside the front doors. Opening the gate would park it in the front door. Troops would stream into the palace, right into the grand hall, while the front doors were still shut and bolted for the night.

  Mary smiled at me with a twinkle in her eyes. Professional housebreaker. Right.

  “Beltar.”

  “My lord?”

  “Silence spells for everyone, please. The longer we keep this invasion a secret, the farther we’ll get before they start sounding alarms and suchlike. Killing is not our first priority.”

  Beltar passed the word and a lot of magic swirled through the air. While the spells were still being cast, Heydyl came running up along the line to bring me the image crystal. He wore a dark outfit with a white sash.

  “Good to see you again, Heydyl. New job?”

  “Squiring at the Temple of Shadow, my lord!”

  “And are you going on this trip?”

  “Yes, my lord!”

  I looked at Beltar.

  “Is he?” I asked.

  “He has the heart for it, my lord, but I do not recall summoning him.”

  “The call was for anyone!” Heydyl protested.

  “I won’t argue,” I told him, and added, “but you stay with Beltar and watch him, learn from him. He’s in charge and I want you paying attention to what he does and most especially why he does it. If you have to, you defend yourself and him. You do not go chasing through the palace. I want you on his left like a shield. Got that?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “Good.” I unbuckled my spare sword and, despite the sound-muffling spells swirling in the hallway, a sudden hush fell. I handed the sword and tackle to Heydyl. “Prove to me I can trust you with a sword by bringing this one back.”

  He took it and belted it on, unable to answer.

  “Gentlemen!” I said, loud enough to carry down the hallway, “Prepare to take the Palace!”

  The ringing sound was nothing but a whisper of steel, but it raised the hackles on my neck. Visors clicked soundlessly closed. An army of black-armored war machines dropped into a stance, prepared to charge.

  I was desperately glad they were on my side. Looking at them scared me.

  Whups. Almost forgot.

  Hey, you.

  Firebrand replied with a wordless query.

  Not you. The other guy.

  Oh, you mean Me, came the reply. Firebrand sighed and waited.

  Yeah, you. Do you want to bless the troops or something? They’re holy warriors, sort of.

  Thank you for asking. Yes, please, if you would be so kind. May I drive for a moment?

  My growl was entirely psychic.

  Is that a no? he asked.

  No… go ahead. But would you please try not to black me out? You doing some of the controlling stuff isn’t so bad, at least compared to anyone else—psychic affinity, maybe—but I want to watch, and to override if I feel like it. It’s a control thing, okay?

  I understand. I’ll try. Some other time, if you like, we can practice it in private.

  That’s a thought. Not a great one, but a thought. I’ll consider it.

  You’re very kind. Thank you. Now raise your hands and I’ll do my thing.

  I raised my hands and a wave of power moved through me, out of me, rolled down the hallway like a flood.

  Imagine my surprise to find I didn’t suffer any lost time. I lowered my hands.

  Thanks. What did you do?

  It’s hard to explain. The shorthand version is a blessing, but the actual effect is complicated.

  One of those things incomprehensible to mortal man?

  Not really. All you’ll need is some new vocabulary and a couple of years to bone up on the theory.

  I’ll pass for now, thanks.

  Suit yourself.

  I activated the gate. Power crackled along the lines of silver. The image in the mirror flicked into the distance, flushed away—and Beltar gestured with his sword, the signal to charge, half an eyeblink before it actually snapped into position. Good timing. The black river became rapids as men flowed by in eerie silence, accelerating from a jog to a run to an all-out sprint.

  The charge held. The river of shadows flooded the gate, flowed away, and I closed it behind them.

  If it all goes wrong, I thought, loudly, you better let me know.

  The blessing helps me keep an eye on them. I’m watching. Relax. They’re good guys.

  That’s why I worry about them.

  “Mary?”

  “Yes?”

  “Pick your palace. I’ll get the last one.”

  “Shouldn’t we take turns? Someone should be here to monitor the gate in case of emergency.”

  “Crap. I didn’t think of that. I intended for us all to tackle palaces together, then I’d come back, pull you back, and then we’d work on getting the guys back from Lyraneyn.”

  “And how did you intend to get back?”

  “Casting a point-to-point gate isn’t too hard. I can open a man-sized gate in this world without a lot of trouble and make a connection to my geode-room gate. Then the maintenance cost is paid from this end of the connection.” I thought about it for a moment, making new mental links. Could I open a ring-gate from somewhere to connect to a ring-gate here, establish the connection, and have it transfer to a larger gate at both ends? It would be like shooting an arrow with a string over a projection, then using the string to pull up a real rope for climbing. It would take a little longer, but the initial cost to connect would be almost trivial. And it would let me look before leaping, in case I missed my target point again.

  “Oh. You can do that?” Mary asked. I blinked and came back from my momentary epiphany.
<
br />   “Certainly. Why?”

  “I thought it was impossible. I should have known better. Silly me. But we should still have someone here to turn this one on if we need it.”

  “I agree with the obvious, now that you’ve pointed it out.”

  “I would have pointed it out sooner if I’d been privy to the actual details.”

  “This apologizing thing is getting tiresome. How about you just beat me for it?”

  “Nope. Not my thing.”

  “Can I apologize later?”

  “If you also perform an act of contrition,” she agreed, leering.

  “Have you been praying behind my back?”

  “What?” she asked, surprised.

  “Nothing. Let me see who I can find.”

  “Actually,” she countered, “I have a better idea.”

  “Oh?”

  I sat in the upstairs gate room and watched her through the scrying mirror. Detecting her, as in using something to pinpoint her position, was impossible by any technique I knew. Following her around once I found her was another matter entirely. She slipped through the palace in Actareyn with her usual grace and stealth while I panned my viewpoint to keep up with her. She paused every so often to make sure I didn’t lose her. I appreciated it.

  Someday, with magic, practice, discipline, training, and more magic, I’ll be that sneaky. Okay, no, I won’t, but it’s a goal I can work toward in the sure knowledge I’ll never be that good.

  She passed a dozen people undetected, including half a dozen sentries. A few guards were impossible to bypass, though. They were standing on either side of the door to the private, scry-shielded quarters of the palace. She didn’t kill them, although she did hit them rather harder than I thought necessary.

  I’m sure Mary considered climbing in a window, but we were on a schedule. She wouldn’t bash their heads together like that simply for the fun of it. I think.

  Her tendril opened the lock, squeezed the hinges to eliminate creaking, and slipped inside. She left the door open so I could look in; the scrying sensor couldn’t follow her any farther. She went through what was obviously a receiving room and started exploring the rest of the rooms.