Knight Quest

by Brad Clark

  Princess Nikki looked at Conner and winked. “Our swords will be enough to protect us. I do not know why no Hurai has ever returned, but maybe it’s because no Hurai had ever been as good as us.”

  “Or had Elves with them,” Conner added. “I have seen the power of the Elven spells, and with them with us, we will survive and find the Spear. Now, it is getting late in the day, and we still have several hours of travel ahead of us. The more we stand around and argue, the darker it will be when we get to the mainland. So we can stay here and keep bringing up the past and complain about each other, or we can start this journey together. Together in mind, spirit, and body.”

  Glaerion smiled and said, “Well said. Our quest is to find a weapon that will help us to kill the Deceiver, a god. Yet, we continue to squabble about our fears and who isn’t afraid of ghosts. Ryshak, we should know better, so enough of this.”

  Ryshak glanced away, embarrassed at being called out.

  Glaerion continued, “Maybe we’ll never be friends, but we must respect one another. I know what I’m talking about because I hated Humans as much as any Elf, but Conner and I have fought together and grown together. If we are going to succeed in this quest, whatever prejudice that we have in our hearts needs to stay here and cannot come with us.”

  “I’m good with that,” Princes Nikki said, trying to sound believable. She trusted Conner, but that was it. Although Glaerion was not the angry Elf that Ryshak was, he was still not worthy of trust and likely would never be.

  “You know I am,” Conner replied.

  Ryshak took in a deep sigh, but he did not immediately respond.

  “Ryshak?” Glaerion said. “You are the best warrior of the Elvenkind. We will need your daggers and your expertise, but not at the expense of your hatred.”

  “You have nothing to worry about from me.”

  “Then stop your bickering! It does us no good.”

  “Very well. I will keep my mouth shut.”

  “Well, that will be a start,” Glaerion said. He looked at Princess Nikki and then at Conner and smiled. “Look at us. We are Elf and Human questing together. Are we ready?”

  “Let’s get on with it, then,” Conner said.

  Prince Nikki took the lead and started walking towards a path that led them out of the courtyard and away from the palace. It felt a bit anticlimactic as they left with no fanfare. Even the king had not seen them off. They were heading on a quest to find a weapon that could possibly save the world, and it seemed like they were just going on an afternoon walk.

  ***

  Before long, they left the palace grounds and made their way over rolling hills and through sparsely populated woods towards the northern coast of the island. When Conner smelled the faint scent of salt in the air, he knew the ocean was near. The memory of his first visit to the castle at South Karmon came back to him, and he revisited his time from just a couple years ago. So much had changed since then. He had been a boy with a crush, trailing after a pretty girl with nothing but hope in his heart. Now, that girl was his wife, and he was far away from her, chasing after a weapon that could save the world. Then, his only fears had been in making sure that he had enough food and shelter for the winter. Now, he feared that the end of the world was just around the corner. In terms of years, he was still young, but so much had happened to him since he had first smelled salt in the air. He felt proud and confident in who he was, but there was also the nagging fear of failure. For some reason, he was given the task of saving the world and the more he thought about it, the more the fear of failure began to overtake that confidence.

  Princess Nikki was directly in front of him, and he watched her closely. Her strides were long and purposeful, and her demeanor was not lacking in confidence, and she showed no fear. She truly was a Sak’Hurai, someone that he had once thought he could be. He had to remind himself that his training had only been a few months, while hers had been her whole life. There was no reason for him to think that he should be on the same level as her, but he did. The weight of his own pressures were on him, and it made him afraid. He could not let the voice inside his head stop him. He needed to ignore it and conquer it. With his biggest fears coming from within, he had to find the strength to overcome.

  As the sound of the ocean waves filled their ears, the woods they were walking through opened up to a rocky shoreline of a small bay. In the middle of the bay was a ship.

  “Is that ours?” Conner asked.

  Princess Nikki stopped at the edge of the water. She replied, “Early this morning word was sent to your ship to meet us here. They will transport us to the mainland.”

  Someone on board lifted his hand and waved. The ship was several hundred yards out, so he couldn’t see who it was. Conner waved back and shortly after, the ship’s shore boat was lowered into the water.

  Princess Nikki continued, “We have our own boats, smaller canoes that we use to cross to the mainland, but my father thought it would be best if your people heard directly from you about our journey. If you just disappeared, I can only imagine that we would have more of your Elves wandering our island, and we wouldn’t want that.”

  Ryshak let out a disapproving snort but said nothing else.

  “They would not have harmed anyone,” Conner said.

  Princess Nikki looked sharply at Conner. “Remember, if it were not for you being with them, these two would be dead.”

  “For a people devoted to the One God, you are sure quick to kill,” Ryshak retorted, despite a harsh glare from Glaerion.

  “Ryshak, we have agreed to hold out tongues,” Glaerion said. His tone was commanding, but not angry. “We are in need of their help, and if we’re going to join with them, we must do so without prejudice.”

  “We are a team, now,” Conner added. “We must trust one another. If we cannot, then there is no sense in crossing this water together.”

  “Fighting by her side will not be a problem,” Ryshak said. “I trust her to hold up her end of a fight. Doesn’t mean I have to like her, though.”

  “Open your mind and your heart, Ryshak. You feel no animosity towards Conner, but you do so towards Princess Nikki? The crimes of his ancestors are more grievous than those of hers. Rid yourself of your anger, else you will be a detriment to all of us.”

  Ryshak kicked a stone and looked away. He did not reply, but he also did not continue to argue.

  Princess Nikki held her lips closed tight, for if she started to speak, angry words would come out. Although she would mean each and every one of them, the words would be biting and insulting. They were traveling companions, and there was a time to speak one’s mind, and there was a time to hold the tongue. Right now, she knew it was time to hold her tongue to prevent her from saying something that would turn the Elves against her. Until she had the Spear of Salvation in her hands, they needed to believe that she was completely on their side. After that, she would have to do what her father asked of her. The magic wielding Elves could not survive this quest.

  After several silent minutes of waiting, the shore boat approached, and they quickly and quietly climbed aboard. Conner found himself sitting next to Glaerion.

  “He is like you when we first met,” Conner said. “But he was not like this around Elissa or me back in your village. Why so much anger towards Princess Nikki?”

  “Remember, he was with King Illichian on a mission when they came across Hurai, and it did not go well. He was gravely wounded, and although our lives are long, our memories never fade. I am sure he is replaying that fight in his head. I know I would.”

  “He will be okay, right?”

  “I would trust no one else to protect my back. He is a good Elf, and in time his heart will soften.” A smile came across his face as he looked towards the Flying Narwhal anchored in the calm water of the small bay. “If my heart can be softened, then anyone’s can. It may just take some time and patience.”

  Glaerion glanced up at the sun and asked Princess Nikki, “Are you sure we are not leavi
ng too late. The sun is on its way towards the horizon.”

  “We’ll get to the mainland well before dark. The village is several miles inland, but it is an easy walk through wide open fields. No trees or underbrush to fight through. The sun may indeed be below the horizon by the time we get there, but the light of the stars will guide us.”

  Conner asked Glaerion in a soft voice, “You don’t think whatever is in this Valley of Ghosts will be a problem, do you?”

  Glaerion shook his head and let out a chuckle. “What can they be? They are not of the Deceiver, right? They could just be legend and myth. We have bedtime stories that we tell our little Elflings that have ghosts in them. They could just be nothing. Do not worry. I will be well-rested and able to cast many spells to help us through whomever or whatever we might come across.”

  Princess Nikki leaned towards them and said, “Some legends say the valley is filled with the dead walking the earth to haunt the living.”

  “In Karmon, we called those demons,” Conner said. “But I have been all over our kingdom, and I never saw one.”

  “Ghosts, demons, maybe they are the same, maybe they are different,” Glaerion said. “Maybe they are just animals that know how to hide from us. The jungles around our village are filled with them. Do not fret as we have good, cold steel to protect us. But, if that isn’t enough, I have my spells.”

  The sailor stopped rowing, and he let the boat coast towards the Flying Narwhal’s bow. Captain Gorge stood on the deck and waved down to them in greeting. Once the shore boat bumped against the ship’s hull, a rope ladder was tossed down into the small boat, and everyone quickly climbed up.

  After they were all on board, Captain Gorge gripped Conner firmly on the shoulder. “It is good to see you well. I was beginning to get a little worried, especially when some of their warriors came out to our ship.”

  “We are fine. You are looking well, too.” Captain Gorge still did not look fully healthy, but at least the wound he took to the chest from the falling mainmast was not fatal.

  “Who is your new friend?” the captain asked.

  Conner turned to Princess Nikki and introduced her. “This is Princess Nikki. She is to be our guide. We have another journey that we must go on before we head back to Karmon.”

  The captain slowly nodded his head, yet his eyes showed disapproval. “Yes, one of the Hurai who met us this morning explained that you would not be returning to Karmon with us. This war will need fighters. Plus, the queen will be missing her husband, I am sure.”

  Conner was already conflicted about going on the quest and not going back to Karmon. The last thing he needed was someone giving him good reasons to stay on the ship and return directly to Karmon.

  When Conner hesitated in his reply, Glaerion spoke up, “Between the Elves that are on their way and the Hurai that will soon join them, there will be plenty of capable fighters to join in the war.”

  “Aye, that may be true,” the captain said. “But fighters, soldiers, they need good leaders.”

  “There are plenty of capable leaders. Queen Elissa herself has proven herself worthy. With her is King Illichian. The Elven Guard are the most capable of Elven warriors. All of them can provide any leadership needed.”

  Conner added, “There are many Karmon Knights, too.”

  “If any of them have survived,” Captain Gorge replied. “We have been gone for many, many days. It is hard to say how such a war could go in that amount of time.”

  “Karmons are tough, resilient fighters,” Conner said with some irritation. Although he understood the captain’s pragmatic perspective, he did not like hearing it. “We will not easily give up on our kingdom.”

  “Yes, I am sure you are right. I will say nothing more on this. It is clear that your quest is important and I will be sure to let the queen know that you are well.”

  “We will return as soon as we can, and we will have a weapon that can kill the Deceiver. You must pass that information on to the Elves and to Elissa. Regardless of how the war is going, they must have hope that victory will be coming.”

  “How long will that be?”

  Conner turned to Princess Nikki.

  “There is no answer to that question,” she replied. “It will take as long as it takes. It could be one week or one month. Or one year.”

  “What am I supposed to tell Queen Elissa, then?” the captain asked.

  Glaerion answered, “She will need to fight as if we will not be coming back. In truth, we have no idea what we will find, or if we will even find it. Yes, she must have hope that we will return with this weapon, but they must fight as if we are not returning.”

  “We will find it,” Princess Nikki snapped. “The Hurai do not fail.”

  “The fate of the world cannot be left to just your word. The war that King Illichian and Queen Elissa lead must go on with or without us.”

  Conner said, “Knowing that we are going after a weapon that can help should give them hope. Maybe enough hope to keep them fighting against overwhelming odds. We will return, and we will return with the Spear of Salvation. Tell them that.”

  Captain Gorge gave a sharp nod. “Of course, I will.”

  Ryshak stepped forward. “We have already spent too much time talking. If the fate of the world rests on us finding this spear, then each moment we waste talking brings us closer to the end of the world.”

  “Very well, then,” Captain Gorge said with a heavy sigh. “We were told that you needed transport off the island.”

  Princess Nikki turned and pointed to a spot on the northern horizon. “There is a river that empties into the ocean. You can drop us off there. I will guide you.”

  She followed the captain to the rear of the ship where she could give instructions to the pilot. While they walked, Captain Gorge shouted commands to his sailors, who immediately jumped to begin preparations to leave the small bay.

  Ryshak walked away to meet up with the rest of his Elven Guard, who had been standing at the bow of the ship. Knowing that a war was being fought by Elves without them being involved made them anxious.

  Conner looked at Glaerion and motioned his head with a slight nod towards Princess Nikki. “What do you make of her?”

  “A tremendous warrior,” Glaerion said. “I think you could have taken her, though. You almost had her, but you backed off at the end.”

  “Well, I got tired,” Conner answered. “But no, I don’t mean as a warrior, but as a companion. Can we trust her?”

  “We have committed to this quest with her. Does that not mean we trust her?”

  Conner wasn’t sure how to answer that. Everything about her seemed right. Although she had originally tried to kill him, he could feel that there was no longer any anger or animosity between them. She had really thought they were invaders of some sort and she was simply defending her island. Fortunately for him, he had been trained by the king’s younger brother, which allowed him to survive their attack. They were about to go on a quest together without really knowing much about one another, and if they didn’t trust one another completely, they could easily end up dead.

  “We really don’t have a choice, do we?” Conner asked.

  “We always have a choice,” Glaerion said. “Right now, our choice is to follow her to find this Spear of Salvation, which may or may not exist. I think our choice tells much about whether we trust her or not.”

  Chapter Six

  Marik found the horse passively grazing in the fields north of the Darkenwood Forest. Although snow covered the ground, the wild grasses of the plains were still long enough to be seen and eaten. She was a dark brown mare who had once been strong and powerful. A cold season of survival had left her skinny and skittish. He quickly surmised that she had been one of the lucky warhorses to survive the Taran assault and the subsequent battle with the Deceiver’s goblins. Because she didn’t have any tack, he thought the mare was wild, but she didn’t run away as he approached. The horse did nervously prance a few steps away, but with Ma
rik’s smooth and settling voice, she allowed him to walk up to her.

  With one hand on her neck, he talked to her, trying to soothe the fear that he could see in the animal’s eyes. It didn’t take very long for her to take to him, and she soon went back to munching on the tall grass. After giving her a once-over to be sure that she didn’t have any injuries, Marik grabbed a handful of mane and jumped onto her back, quickly swinging his right leg over and settled into riding position on her back.

  He prepared himself to be bucked off or for the horse to lurch forward, but she stood still as if she suddenly remembered her own training and ignored survival instincts. At that instant, he was fully convinced she was an abandoned warhorse used by the Karmon Knights. They were highly trained to be ridden with both saddle and bareback. Fighting atop one would be a challenge, but he knew he could at least ride it. He gripped the horse’s mane tightly, centered his balance, and tapped his heels to the animal’s sides. She began walking forward at a brisk pace. With the gentle nudge of his knees, he directed her south, towards the ruins of the city of South Karmon.

  He had been traveling for four days now, and he hadn’t seen any signs of the Deceiver’s army, but he had certainly seen evidence of their passing. A wide swath of vegetation was trampled and destroyed, making it quite clear that an army had passed through. Their trail led northwest where there was an easy passage between the mountains and the coast of the Gulf of Taran that led to the Taran Empire. He figured that was a good sign, at least for Karmon. Taran had a much larger army and could possibly stand up against the might of the goblin horde, although they would not stand against the Stone Ogres or the power of the Deceiver himself. It also meant they might have an opportunity to sneak the necklace piece of the Ark of Life far away to keep it from falling into the Deceiver’s hands. If South Karmon were cleared of the army, he would return back to Neffenmark Castle to fetch Hargon and the necklace and get it as far away from the Deceiver as he could.