by Vinn Winters
“We should, I’m already going to be late,” Vyra said.
Great form Vyra, I bet he’ll hate you now, she thought.
“There’s no time to waste then,” Maek wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Vyra asked.
“Your courage won’t get you far if you’re all out of energy. Lean on me, I’ll help you get there quicker.”
“Thanks, Maek. I don’t know how I could do this without you.”
“Well, there would be fewer traumatized guards at least,” Maek said with a forced chuckle.
Chapter 4
“Looks like your squire didn’t have the courage to show up after all,” Salderon said with a haughty laugh.
“Guess she finally figured out her place was to not show up. A battle like this is a duel between men, am I right Maefus?” he continued.
The knight roughly tapped the squire on the back. Maefus nodded in agreement, but said nothing.
“Lord Aldrean, do you think she won’t show up?” Orbit asked, the gnome’s face scrunched with concern.
“I don’t understand why she shouldn’t. She was so determined for this. She trained so hard,” Aldrean replied.
“Aldrean, come here,” Orbit said, motioning the paladin away from the other knights. Aldrean obliged, but then the gnome looked up at him, while pushing up on his toes. With a heavy sigh, Aldrean crouched down. The paladin cringed as he felt Orbit’s beard brush by his cheek.
“You weren’t too... rough on her, in the bedroom, were you?” Orbit whispered into his ear. “Performed some acts that would be unbefitting for a Paladin?”
“No, of course not!” Aldrean quickly replied, his voice cracking.
“You are not lying to Orbit, are you?” Orbit continued. “Because Orbit is not easily fooled.”
“I am telling the truth!” Aldrean hissed.
“You swear, under the Holy Willow?” the gnome warlord pressed. “Because Orbit sometimes wonders, with the river of women pouring into your bedroom, that your normal routine might get quite boring. Perhaps then only more devious routes would fit to satisfy your entertainment—”
“I haven’t slept with her, Orbit!” Aldrean snapped. “She’s my squire; she looks to me for guidance. It would be an abuse of my position.”
Orbit leaned back and raised an eyebrow.
“That’s surprisingly honorable of you, Aldrean,” Orbit said. “Orbit has never known you to show restraint before.”
“She’s different than those other women, Orbit. She’s…” Aldrean said.
“Such a peculiar transformation this lass has had on you,” Orbit said. He leaned back, stroking his beard. “Maybe there is hope for you yet, Sheet-slayer.”
“I was not aware you knew words so complex,” Aldrean replied with mild irritation.
“Orbit is brimming with knowledge,” Orbit said, holding his head high.
“Of course you are,” Aldrean replied unenthusiastically.
“Well then,” the gnome warlord said, puffing himself up with a deep breath. “We must insure she safely arrives to this duel then. Where have you checked?”
“I checked her room early this morning. I suspected something was not right when I saw the door was open. It looks like there may have been a struggle inside. I then checked every other place that Sister Clevora said she visited frequently, mostly where her former servant duties had been. She wasn’t there either.”
“Do you suspect foul play?” Orbit inquired.
“I do, but without Vyra to make an allegation, it would be difficult to sustain such a claim,” Aldrean explained.
“Some may say, that the fact that she is not here to make the claim at all is foundation enough,” Orbit followed, raising one fuzzy eyebrow.
“Perhaps, but only once her absence has gone beyond casual explanation,” Aldrean said. “If I am to make an accusation, especially against Salderon, I need more information.”
“A wise move; you may be the king’s chosen, but Lord Salderon is still a knight of high status. He is close friends with both Radek and also De’eyzen, who has the king’s ear and despises you. Even you could not move against him without proof,” Orbit mused.
“I’m painfully aware,” Aldrean said, clenching his teeth in frustration. “I only hope that if she is in danger, the chains of bureaucracy do not hold me back from reaching her until it becomes too late.”
“If it’s a scheme supported by De’eyzen,” Orbit said solemnly, “then it’s already too late.”
“One day I will see that man hang from the ends of a rope,” Aldrean growled.
“Or he will see you to that fate, Orbit fears,” Orbit replied.
“Salderon’s squire, Maefus, has been awfully quiet today, has he not?” Aldrean observed.
“It is peculiar… Orbit has not known that boy to ever be silent,” the gnome agreed.
A door opened, and all eyes turned to the barrack entry, awaiting the female squire; but instead an excessively tall man stepped through.
“Modrem!” Orbit shouted. “Any news?”
“None unfortunately, milord. She’s not in the High Priestess’s gardens, and I didn’t see her in the morning market,” Modrem replied solemnly.
“With as much shame as her pathetic attempt on grabbing status will bring her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she chose to flee the city!” Salderon shouted. A chorus of knights cheered and laughed with him. Maefus smiled meekly, but remained silent.
“With as much as you championed her, I only hope you got a taste of that stubborn flower before the bandits and the goblins have their way with her. I doubt you’d want her afterwards!” Salderon continued, bursting into laughter, with hoots and hollers from the crowd.
“Cease your tongue,” Aldrean roared. “You have said enough.”
The laughter immediately ceased.
“Have I said something to offend the great paladin?” Salderon replied in contemptuous tone. “If I have, you have my deepest apologies.”
“Do not play tricks with me, I know your actions,” Aldrean growled.
“Oh really, and what actions are those?” Salderon asked, a wide smirk crossing his face.
“Careful, Aldrean,” Orbit hissed. “What is done next cannot be undone.”
Aldrean clenched his teeth as he stared down the other knight.
“A lot may not agree with my decision to have Vyra as my squire,” Aldrean said, turning his attention to the other knights. “A woman is forbidden from becoming a knight—”
“So has decreed the king. Your king,” Salderon interrupted.
“And in all other matters, my will serves only as an extension to the king,” Aldrean continued. “But I have trained with Vyra. I can see in her eyes a determination for strength and the desire to use that strength for good. I see, in her eyes, what I strive for every moment, to one day see in my own.”
The knights stared at him in silence.
“And if that is not honor,” Aldrean said. “Then I do not know what is.”
“Oh, a woman with honor? I did not know Lord Aldrean believed in such things. Maybe we’ll even let them lead us into battle!” Salderon sneered. “Or perhaps, we should call it what it really is, that the side of your bed has just grown cold.”
“You speak too often without consequence,” Aldrean snarled, stepping towards Salderon and placing his hand on the handle of his sword.
“And you speak of treason,” Salderon countered, moving towards the paladin. “I wonder what the king will think when he hears about your little speech.”
The room erupted in shouts for a fight.
“Words you will not be able to deliver if you lack a tongue,” Aldrean said, beginning to unsheathe his sword.
“It’s not a crime to take the head of a traitor.” Salderon reached for his weapon.
The ringing of drawn swords was the last noise before the room fell silent; all eyes turning to the squire who had just entered the room.
Vyra
stood facing the knights. She had one hand around the shoulder of a skinny boy with spiky, brown hair.
Who is that boy, and why is he holding her like she’s injured? Aldrean thought. I’ve seen him somewhere before…
The paladin’s gaze quickly shifted to Vyra.
What happened to her? She looks like she can barely stand!
“I can take it from here, thank you,” she said to the boy.
“I’m here if you need me,” he said, quietly backing away.
Vyra slowly limped towards the other knights.
Aldrean quickly moved towards her.
“Vyra, what happened? You’re covered in cuts and bruises! Are you okay?” he asked with concern.
“No,” she replied calmly. “But I’ll manage.”
“We can reschedule the duel,” Aldrean continued. “There’s no dishonor in avoiding a fight when you should be resting and healing. I’ll let them know that—”
“I can do it,” she said.
“What?” Aldrean replied, his mouth falling open. “No, Vyra… that’s ridiculous. You’re clearly seriously injured.”
“I need to do it,” she said, staring into the crowd of knights. Aldrean turned and followed her gaze, to Maefus. Salderon’s squire looked like he had just seen a ghost, his mouth hung open and eyes were wide, all the color had drained from his face.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Aldrean asked.
“I’m certain,” Vyra replied, and began limping her way to the arena.
Aldrean dashed to the weapon rack to grab her sword.
“You cannot be serious,” Salderon scoffed as he watched them move. “She looks like she swam through a marsh; like the faintest breeze will cast her to oblivion. You wouldn’t stand a chance against my squire at your best, but in this state…hah! This is pathetic, even for you, Lord Aldrean.”
Aldrean said nothing. Balancing the blade of the short sword in his hands, he handed it to Vyra. She grabbed the sword, dropping it immediately with a short yelp.
There were chuckles from the crowd of knights. Salderon looked at the knights on either side of him, and then smirked.
Aldrean quickly leaned over to grab the sword, but felt Vyra’s hand gently press against his shoulder.
“Please… let me do this,” she urged quietly.
The paladin nodded and stepped back. Vyra slowly and picked up the sword, wincing from the weight of it in her arm as she rose. She cracked her neck, and glared at Maefus.
“Alright,” Salderon said with another chuckle. “She’s made her choice. You know what to do, Maefus. Show her what a real squire is capable of.”
“If both parties agree, Orbit will be the arbiter for this duel,” Orbit said.
“Fine by me,” Salderon said confidently.
“Okay,” Aldrean added.
Maefus slowly stepped into the arena and drew his sword.
“How?” he whispered, facing his blade towards Vyra.
Her only reply was a glare.
“You may begin,” Orbit announced.
Maefus swiftly lunged at her, directing his blade towards her side. She blocked it mid-strike.
He drew back and swung at her again, aiming for her legs. She countered that attack as well.
Maefus leaned forward, swinging a third time, this time aiming for her neck. She blocked the blade with her own, then brought her off-hand fist to his face.
With his arms still outward, Maefus staggered back, shocked by the unexpected strike. Vyra stepped forward, swinging at his face again with her off-hand, and then again. By the third punch he had dropped his sword, and by the found he had fallen on his back.
Vyra leapt on his chest, bringing her blade down so it caught the cloth at his wrist, pinning his right hand. Before Maefus could lift his left hand to grab her, she struck him in the face. Alternating hands, she hit him again, and again; each blow too quick for him to recover from.
“Orbit, call the duel!” Salderon shouted.
“Orbit cannot yet. The match looks pretty even. We cannot yet call a winner,” Orbit replied.
“The match looks pretty even — she’s beating his face to a pulp!” Salderon protested.
“Yes, but she too looks pretty injured, like the faintest breeze will cast her to oblivion,” Orbit replied, casting Aldrean a faint grin.
“This is not amusing, Orbit!” Salderon yelled.
“Which is why Orbit is not laughing, and neither is Vyra or Maefus,” Orbit replied, holding his head high.
“Enough!” Salderon roared. He charged towards Vyra, unsheathing his sword.
The boy who helped Vyra into the room dashed towards the arena, but Aldrean was faster. Throwing himself between Vyra and Salderon, the paladin drew his blade and turned to face the charging knight. Salderon stopped right before entering Aldrean’s striking range, conflicted of whether he should go further.
“Cease the fighting!” Orbit yelled.
Silence fell over the barracks, with the exception of the heavy breathing that Aldrean heard from behind him. He turned to see Vyra standing over Maefus. It was difficult to see Maefus’s swollen face through the blood seeping from it. She had pulled her sword from his sleeve. Though her breath was now ragged gasps, she stood facing Salderon, her sword pointing his direction.
“How is she still standing?” one of the knights whispered.
“Not only is she standing, but she was prepared to fight a knight too.”
“Not any knight, Lord Salderon!” the first responded.
“That’s not a warrior, that’s a berserker!” the second added.
“No woman is capable of such violence,” Salderon snarled. “She’s clearly possessed by a demon!”
Vyra merely glared in response, tightening her grip on her sword.
“There’s no demon here. Maefus just wasn’t strong enough,” Aldrean countered.
“Someone please, get a cleric over here! My squire needs help!” Salderon replied, sheathing his blade.
Knights rushed over to help carry the defeated squire away. Vyra remained where she was, staring down Salderon.
“That woman is a menace,” Salderon shouted as he started to walk away.
“Take your leave. You lost,” Aldrean yelled at the departing knight. Then he quickly turned back to Vyra.
“You did amazing! Are you okay? Let me help you,” Aldrean said.
“I’m fine… Lord Aldrean. I’m—”
Vyra’s sword fell from her hands, and then she collapsed to the floor.
~
“So, why are we here right now, boss?” Tuq-tuq said, getting his bearings after the recent teleportation spell Eygodon had cast on them both.
“Why must I repeat myself to you, again,” Eygodon said with a groan. “We are going to enlist the help of Dregeldune, the only being powerful enough to help me breach the walls of Beckonthrone.”
“Well, there is another who is strong enough to help you get inside the kingdom,” Tuq-tuq replied.
“I am not requesting the help of The Duskpetal Witch!” Eygodon snapped.
“Really, since when?” Tuq-tuq asked.
“Since she dumped me and stole my army!” Eygodon replied, fuming.
Tuq-tuq, being one of the smartest goblins of the Gruharr, decided not to pursue that point further.
“Okay boss, so we’re going to see the dragon,” Tuq-tuq continued. “So what are we doing here?”
“Dregeldune, the dragon,” Eygodon explained, emphasizing each of his words with exasperated frustration, “lives in the Fallen Mountains. We are traveling there to enlist his aid to our cause. What-part-of-this-is-too-hard-for-you-to-understand?”
“The-part-where-you-didn’t-teleport-us-to-the-Fallen-Mountains,” Tuq-tuq replied with equal tone.
“What?” Eygodon said, drawing his head back in confusion.
Still staring at the warlock, Tuq-tuq pointed one hand towards the human settlement in front of them.
“Oh, I see,” Eygodon said, having
now actually looked in that direction. “Well, I believe this is the town of Tek… Tram… Tren—”
“It’s Trael,” Tuq-tuq corrected flatly. “This is the town of Trael.”
“Yes, Trael!” Eygodon said, clearing his throat. “And on the other side of Trael is our destination, The Fallen Mountains.”
“So…” Tuq-tuq squinted at the warlock, “why didn’t you just teleport us past the town of our enemies and to our destination?”
“A teleportation spell is not something you can just conjure out of the blue,” Eygodon replied defensively, “it takes considerable effort to study. For example: you need to be sure that—”
“You could have just asked for a map, boss. Here, I have one in my bag,” Tuq-tuq said. Reaching into the satchel at his side, he pulled out a scroll and held it out to the warlock.
“You dare insult my wisdom and knowledge,” Eygodon said, staring down at the scroll with disgust.
“It’s not my job to insult your wisdom or whatever,” Tuq-tuq replied indifferently, “just to make sure you know where you’re going.”
“I knew where I was going,” Eygodon scoffed. “I just was off by a short distance, that’s all.”
“Yeah, the span of an entire town plus five more,” Tuq-tuq said, squinting with his hand above his eyes as he stared towards the mountains.
“Enough of the meaningless technicalities,” Eygodon snapped. “Opportunity awaits! We just need a disguise to get past the town guards and we will practically be at our destination.”
“Shouldn’t we just walk around the city of our enemies?” Tuq-tuq asked warily.
Eygodon ripped the scroll from Tuq-tuq’s hand and looked at it.
“Trael is wedged between a forest and Wishwind Lake. It would take days to go around. We don’t have days. We must go through it.”
“I didn’t know we were running short on time, boss,” Tuq-tuq remarked.
“Yes, my patience with this quest is already wearing thin,” Eygodon responded.
“Oh, so that’s our measurement of time then,” Tuq-tuq replied with a loud sigh.
The warlock ignored the goblin’s comment, instead quickly checking on Brielle to make sure she was still okay.
“And how will two goblins and an unconscious nymph get through an armed Kae-koon city?” Tuq-tuq asked, eager to change the topic.