Knight Quest

by Brad Clark

  “My wife is waiting for me back in Karmon,” Conner said. “She may think I am dead and the longer that I am away, the more her fears will seem real. I cannot leave her for any longer than I must.”

  “Queen Elissa will have her hands busy fighting a war,” Glaerion said. “If we have the chance to find a weapon that can help us in our fight against the Deceiver, then we should not pass up this opportunity. She will never stop believing that you are alive. I am sure of that. We will pass the word to Captain Gorge and the Elven Guard to find Elissa and let her know that you are alive.”

  “She thought I was dead once. I don’t want her to go through that again.”

  Glaerion stepped closer and lowered his voice. He continued, “You are not the only one with a wife that you miss, or misses you. It has been a long time since I have felt this way towards Hallendrielle, and it kills me to be so far away from her. The Deceiver's army is not invincible, but it may be nearly so. The Deceiver himself has one-half of the Ark of Life, and that makes him incredibly powerful. What if he finds the other half? Then what? If this weapon can really kill him, then we must have it. We can kill dragons. I don’t know how, but they are just flesh and blood, are they not? We can find a way. We know how to kill the Stone Ogres. But the Deceiver with all his power? Maybe our magic can help us, but I can feel his power, even from this far away. I can feel the evil coming from his touch on the Web of Magic. If King Lorshin says it can kill the Deceiver, then we must have this weapon if we are to win.”

  Conner looked from one to another. Every ounce of his soul hurt because he could not be with Elissa, but he knew what the right thing to do was.

  Finally, Conner asked, “Where is this spear?”

  King Lorshin smiled “It exists hidden in a land far from here, protected by creatures that cannot be killed by normal means.”

  “If it is protected, how can we get it?” Glaerion asked. He saw Conner’s look and said, “Do you think I’d let you go alone?”

  “The swords that this young man carries are not normal swords. They have been touched by the power of the Web of Magic, have they not? And you, Elf, you have powers of magic at your disposal, do you not?”

  Glaerion nodded.

  “Then you have the means, but do you have the will?”

  “If this weapon can kill the Deceiver, then yes, we will find it!”

  “I will go as well,” Princess Nikki said.

  Conner looked at her warily. “I do not think that would be a good idea,” he said. There was obvious tension between the Elves and her, and he wasn’t sure about how he felt about her, either. “The fight against the Deceiver will need as many warriors as possible. She should go with the other Sak’Hurai.”

  “You will not tell me what to do or where to go.”

  King Lorshin gave his daughter a stern gaze. “Princess Nikki, you forget that you are Sak’Hurai. Your will belongs to the king and to the Hurai people, not to your own.”

  Princess Nikki dipped her head. “My apologies father.”

  “Princess Nikki will accompany you,” the King declared. “As much as anyone, she knows the legends of our people. Those legends are not just stories to scare young children or to pass the time during festivals. They will help guide you through the ancient lands.”

  “When do we leave?” Conner asked. Being away even one day longer than he wanted was going to gnaw on his soul and test his patience. The king was right, and he needed to find the weapon first, but that didn’t mean he would dally retrieving it.

  King Lorshin smiled and said, “It is late in the day, and you could use a good night’s sleep, no? You will leave at first light in the morning. The Sak’Hurai and all able-bodied men and women will start their march east tomorrow as well. While you are seeking out the Spear of Salvation, the Hurai will march to war.”

  “There is a ship anchored just off the beach to the south,” Conner said. “There are Elven soldiers that could help us in our quest.”

  “Not on this quest. The four of you is all you will need. All other swords should go to war to hold off the Deceiver's army until you can find the Spear. You also must be famished. We will dine tonight and then rest, for it may be the last good night’s sleep that you get in some time.”

  Without another word, King Lorshin turned away and shuffled towards the back of the room where a Sak’Hurai opened a hidden door that led to his personal chambers. As soon as the king left the chamber, the Sak’Hurai who had entered left as quickly as they had arrived.

  Glaerion, Conner, Ryshak, and Princess Nikki were left looking at one another.

  “There will be food in the main hall,” Princess Nikki said.

  “Lead on, then,” Glaerion said, licking his lips.

  Conner followed them out of the king’s audience chamber and into the adjacent main hall. The smell of hot food caused his stomach to rumble, and he realized how hungry he was. For a few minutes, he forgot about missing Elissa, the war with the Deceiver, and the strange quest that the king had put before them. He ate and drank his fill, enjoying what might be his last grand feast.

  Chapter Five

  Conner woke with a start, bathed in a light coating of sweat. Bright sunlight shone through the open window telling him the day was well under way. A light tropical breeze blew in, causing him to suddenly shiver. At some point in the night he had tossed off his covers, but even that hadn’t kept him cool from the oppressive nighttime humidity. For a brief moment, he didn’t know where he was, and confusion mingled with a fuzziness that he felt in his head. As the events of the previous day started to come back to him, there was a gentle knocking on the door. Before he could answer, the door opened.

  An elderly female servant stepped into the room carrying a small basin of water. She quickly scampered across the room and placed the basin on the floor at the foot of his bed. Then she set two towels on the bed, patting them to be sure that he saw them. After a quick bow from the waist, she turned and walked out of the room.

  He looked at the door for a moment as his mind processed what had just happened. He debated whether he should be worried about the intrusion. Then he remembered his time in the castle at South Karmon where servants came and went without notice or concern. Elissa had mentioned several times to him about the lack of privacy she had, so maybe it was just something nobles and royalty dealt with. Even if it was a regular occurrence for royals, it felt odd to him. At least he was still wearing his tunic. It was hot enough that he could have tossed off all his clothes to try and get cool, but then he would have been really uncomfortable at an intrusion.

  He rolled out bed, stepped over to the basin of water, and dipped his hand in it. It was ice cold as if it had been outside in the middle of winter. One towel he soaked in the cold water and then used it to scrub his skin, cleaning off the grime from his many days at sea. The other he used to dry himself off. The simple sponge bath left him feeling surprisingly clean and refreshed.

  Soon after he dressed in his dirty and worn clothes, there was a sharper knock on the door. He hesitated a moment thinking it was another servant who would just come barging in. When the door remained closed, he called out, “Come in.”

  Princess Nikki stepped through the doorway carrying a pile of clothes. Her long, black hair was tied into a single braid that hung down her back. She wore a loose tunic that came down to her knees and belted around her waist. She also wore loose trousers that ended at mid-calf. The sight of a woman wearing pants surprised him, but he could see it would be much easier to travel in her current clothes than in a flowing gown that he had expected a princess to wear. The paint that she had worn across her face had been cleaned off, giving her a softer, more feminine appearance. It was clear, now, why she had worn the paint as it made her look more menacing as a warrior. Now, she looked almost like a princess, except she still walked like a warrior.

  “I have garments for you that are more suited to our travels,” she said. Her tone of voice was still firm and strong, and her eyes w
ere sharp and piercing. She might look like a princess from the outside, but she was a warrior through and through.

  He looked at himself and said, “I’m dressed and ready to go.”

  “Well,” she replied with a turn of her nose. “Yours are ragged, and they smell.”

  Conner looked down at himself at again. His clothes looked fine to him, but he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Okay.”

  She set the clothes on his bed. “Get dressed quickly. Your friends are already up and ready to leave.”

  “How late is it?” It was bright as midday, but since he couldn’t see the sun through the open window, he was not sure how late it really was. “Usually I’m up with the sun, but it seems I was pretty tired.”

  “It is still mid-morning, but we need to get going as soon as we can. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

  “Mid-morning?” Conner said to himself. He stifled a yawn and scratched his face. “I must have really been worn out.”

  “Are you refreshed?”

  “Very much so! So, where is this Spear of Salvation located?”

  She motioned towards the window. “North. Across the water to the mainland. You cannot see it from your window, but on a clear day, you can see it from top of the palace. From there we’ll travel inland to a Hurai village where we will get horses for the rest of our journey. Then, we go farther north where we will have to travel through deep forests and across tall mountains. It will take many days of travel, even on horseback.”

  “You sure this spear really exists and is not just a myth?”

  “I trust my father and his faith in the One God. He has studied the prophesies and legends all his life. If there is anyone else in this world that knows more about the history of the Hurai, I would be surprised. He is the smartest man I’ve ever met, and I have never known him to be wrong. If my father says it’s real, then I believe him.”

  “And you’re sure you can find it?”

  Princess Nikki gave Conner a look of annoyance. His persistent questions and questioning of her would soon grow old. With a heavy breath, she replied, “My father has given me directions to its location. As long as he has read the ancient scrolls correctly, then we will find it.”

  “Ancient scrolls? What if it’s been moved since these scrolls were written?”

  “You must have faith in what the One God has provided us. He has given us prophecies and spoken to our ancestors so that they wrote down all that the One God had told them. Our scrolls are our history. As for it being moved from where the scrolls say, well, the weapon is protected by an invincible protector, so it would not have been moved. The myth is that Sak’Hurai were first trained to fight this creature to retrieve the Spear of Salvation, but the creature is so strong, even an army of Sak’Hurai could not defeat it. The Spear is surely still where the scrolls say it is as there is none that have been strong enough to defeat it.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing you have me and two Elves with you. The four of us should easily be able to handle whatever is guarding it.” He started to laugh, but her face remained serious, and he quickly stopped his laugh.

  “If an army of Sak’Hurai could not find and retrieve the Spear, then what makes you think a Human and two Elves could?”

  Conner dropped his humor and said with a serious, grim face, “We don’t have a choice, do we? Once we find it, we must defeat this creature. Ryshak and Glaerion give us something the Hurai never had, and that is magic. I sure hope that your father really knows where it is.”

  “We will need more than hope to find it,” Princess Nikki said. “And more than hope to defeat the creature.”

  “Sometimes hope is all we have.”

  “Hope will only take us so far. It is the help of the One God that we will need. The One God gives us direction and purpose and the strength for victory. Did Master Goshin not teach you about the One God, too?”

  Conner glanced away as thoughts of his old friend saddened him. It had been many months since he had watched Goshin get murdered by Tarcious and he had had little downtime to reflect upon his life and their friendship. He would not be where he was and be the man he was without having spent many painful months training under his tutelage. He walked over to where his swords were propped up against a wall. He drew one and looked at its glimmering blade.

  Softly, Conner said, “Master Goshin taught me a lot about fighting and how to kill. I was born to be a swordsman, but I did not know it until Glaerion told me I was Hurai, and then it all made sense. I know of the One God, and Master Goshin taught me that He made me who I am. And who I am is meant to kill the Deceiver. Whether it is with your Spear of Salvation or my swords, I will kill him. I know that is my destiny.”

  “Is that all you have to live for? Killing the Deceiver? I know you did not learn that from Master Goshin. Sak’Hurai do not exist to just kill. Our service is to the One God and his realm. Sometimes we are tasked to fight and to kill, but it is never our purpose.”

  “Then what is your purpose? Is it not to kill the creature that protects the Spear? And after that, will you not fight and kill the Deceiver’s army to defeat him?”

  “You misunderstand. I said it is not our purpose to kill. I did not say it was something that we don’t do. To kill indiscriminately is not the Sak’Hurai way. We only kill when we must, but when we do it, we do it without hesitation or mercy.”

  Once again, Conner looked down at his sword. “My life changed the moment I saved Elissa’s life. I started training with Master Goshin, and I realized that I have an ability with these swords that I never imagined I could have. I have killed many people with these swords, and I know there will be more to come in the future. It is who I have become, and I know it is my purpose.”

  “Killing is not who you are. You are not a killer, even though you may be good at it. If your destiny is to kill the Deceiver, then all that you have gone through, all your training, your experience, even all the killing that you have done has brought you to this moment. It is not your destiny to kill or be a killer, but it is to serve the One God’s prophesy. Through that, to accomplish that which he has set before you, you may have to kill. But, it is not who you are.”

  Conner fell silent, and he slowly sheathed his swords.

  “It seems all I have done the past two years is to kill and follow everyone else’s plan other than my own.”

  “What would your own plan be?”

  “Find a small plot of land in the southern part of our kingdom where it is warm all year long and build a comfortable house for Elissa and me and to spend the rest of our lives.”

  “Even if it meant ignoring the plans that the One God has for you?”

  “Have you ever been in love?” Conner asked.

  “Of course, not. I am Sak’Hurai. My destiny is to serve the One God, serve my people, and not to serve my own needs.”

  “Then you’d never understand. When you fall in love, it is all that you can think about. Everything else seems like a distraction and your perspective on life changes. Try it sometime, maybe even your perspective might change.”

  Princess Nikki’s face hardened. “I don’t want my perspective to change. It is my duty to serve the One God. It is why I am here and why I will be joining you on your quest. I believe my entire life has led to this one moment. My destiny is to help you in your fight against the Deceiver.”

  “You’re sure about that?”

  Without hesitation, she replied, “Yes. I believe it with all my heart and being that this is my destiny. Just as you believe it is your destiny to kill the Deceiver.”

  “It might be my destiny, but I don’t like it. I want my destiny to spend the rest of my life with Elissa.”

  Princess Nikki slowly nodded her head. “I listened carefully to the tale of your journey, and even though she ended up as your wife, it seemed that at each step of your story you found yourself apart from her. You must consider the prophecy of the Hurai and that your destiny may be something other than you wish. Maybe
there is a reason that you keep finding yourself away from Elissa. Maybe it is because the One God has other plans for you.”

  Conner did not reply right away because those same thoughts had been swimming under the surface of his consciousness. He did not want to believe that his love for Elissa was as simple as a naïve crush, but that it was the true love of a man and a woman. Every time he thought of her, his heart fluttered. Yet, life kept getting in their way. He was fortunate enough to have time with her while they were crossing the ocean, and several wonderful days in the Elven village, but they had found themselves apart once more.

  Princess Nikki continued softly, “I am not asking you to ignore your heart. Our purpose in this world is given to us by the One God and we can either listen to Him or not. If we listen to Him, then he will bestow upon us treasures beyond our imagination. It might be painful in the short term, but in the long term, we will be so much better off. I may have never fallen in love, but I certainly can see it in you. They way you talk about your Elissa and the way your eyes sparkle when you do shows that you are clearly in love. And yet, you call yourself a killer. Can you both be a lover and a killer? Maybe that is why you and your Elissa have not spent much time together. The One God can be mysterious, but this seems obvious. You need to put Elissa out of your mind until our quest is over and maybe even until the Deceiver is killed. Elissa is far away and following her own destiny. You have your own destiny right now. Once this war is over, maybe then your desires will be in line with the will of the One God.”

  Conner took in a deep breath and slowly let out a long sigh. “You are right. There will be time for us after this war is over. I have loved her since the moment I saw her, but I think I have spent more time away from her this past year than with her. Although I treasure when we are together, and love her with all my heart, I think I am glad that she is not here with me now. My heart will be with her, but my mind and body right now need to be focused on finding the Spear and killing the Deceiver.”

  “You are ready,” Princess Nikki declared.