Hope

by Sam Rook

  Every night, she had glimpses of a violent future filled with death and destruction. Seeing her friends impaled upon Daemon spears started to take its toll. Kathryn sat on her bed, clutching her hands while she wondered what her family did back on Earth. Did they believe someone had kidnapped or murdered her? Did they think she had abandoned them? Sometimes, she felt like she was alone here. In the castle, almost all men surrounded her. The women were so busy with surviving that they had no time to speak with her, let alone be friends.

  A knock sounded upon the door. It was probably Hal. She opened the door and was surprised to see Assessor Jakara.

  "Lady Kathryn, I’d like to speak with you if you don’t mind."

  She didn’t feel comfortable inviting this man into her room, so she stepped out into the common room and shut the door behind her. "Assessor Jakara I’m surprised by your visit. Is there something I can do for you?" Say no. Say no.

  He looked uncomfortable and almost embarrassed. "I wanted to give you something." He pulled out a wrapped object from his belt and held it before him, offering it to her.

  She took the item and unwrapped it, expecting some type of cursed object from the man who had despised her for so long. Instead, she saw a beautiful dagger of blue steel with a unicorn carved upon the hilt. There were runes upon the blade that she didn’t understand. "Assessor Jakara, this is beautiful, but I don’t understand why you’re giving it to me. It’s...unexpected."

  He looked down to the floor, then up to her with sad eyes. "It was my daughter, Nlei’s, favorite. I had it made for her the day she joined the Knighthood. I was so proud of her. She died some cycles ago and I blamed the Earth woman instructor who had thought her ready enough to fight. Armored Daemons ambushed them and wiped out the entire squad. It wasn’t until that day you showed me your Sight that I realized I not only blamed the instructor, but I blamed myself for encouraging Nlei to join the Knighthood." He looked down and sighed.

  "You know, it was Nlei’s choice and neither I nor the instructor would have discouraged her from doing her duty." He met her eyes. "I think it’s time I focused on the present instead of on the past. I used to look at that dagger every night before bed and torture myself. It’s time to move on. I’d like you to have it."

  "I’d be honored." She felt sad that he had to endure the loss of his daughter. It was amazing how the events of people’s lives shaped how they looked at the world. Even bad events could help to move a person in a better direction. "What do the runes mean?"

  "They mean light and strength, for that’s what she was to me. I can teach you how to use it, if you’d like. I’m an expert with a dagger and I used to teach her a lot about fighting opponents larger than herself."

  She realized he was looking for redemption. "I’d be happy to learn, since pretty much everyone around here is bigger than I am." Perhaps he wasn’t the only one who needed it.

  "Well, Lady Kathryn, I believe the proper thing to do is to wish you a happy Nameday. I must be going now. Be safe." He nodded and headed down the hall.

  He passed Hal coming from the other direction. Hal gestured behind him and asked, "What did he want?"

  "He wanted to give me this." She showed him the dagger and he whistled with appreciation. "It was his daughter’s. I think he wants a truce. He offered me lessons on how to use it as well. It seems like he’s changed. He seems a little sadder and I don’t sense any more bitterness or arrogance from him."

  "I got the same feeling when I talked to him in the market. I told him it was your birthday by the way. Sorry." He looked down in embarrassment. "I got you this." She hadn’t noticed the bundle behind his back.

  It was heavy and her eyes widened in surprise and delight when she unwrapped a gorgeous statue of a knight on horseback. The piece stood about a foot high and was made of a beautiful white stone, similar to marble. "Oh my, Hal. This is beautiful. I’ve never seen a carving so detailed!"

  He removed his helmet, a huge smile upon his face. "I saw it and knew you’d love it immediately. I tried to find you some candy or something as well, but I didn’t know where to look."

  He was so much like her brother, Donny. "It’s perfect. Let me put this stuff in my room, then we can go down for dinner." He nodded and she went back into her room carrying her new gifts with a sense of joy. Feeling so depressed a little while ago, now she felt good. Someone hadn't forgotten her and she had actually made a difference on this world. After placing the dagger and the statue next to her books upon the shelf over the desk, she spent the rest of the evening in a better mood than on her last birthday.

  Chapter 18

  "Sir Lanclor, that horse is possessed. None of the grooms will go near her and when someone is stupid enough to try to ride her, she throws him." The frustrated stable master wasn’t going to leave Lanclor alone until he did something about the horse. "I don’t even remember where we got her. Probably from a Daemon somewhere. If she weren’t the most beautiful horse I’d ever seen, I would’ve gotten rid of her months ago. She has the muscle for a knight, if not the temperament. I figure I’d let you take a look at her before I finally dispose of her."

  Before he could continue, Lanclor cut in, "Maybe if you showed her to me, Master Junten, I could judge for myself."

  The stable master winced. "Yes, Sir Lanclor. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself."

  Lanclor didn't understand why people cowered every time he addressed them. Maybe his black armor reminded them of a Daemon. If only the title of Destructor were an honorable one and not one known for treachery. He couldn’t change who he was, or whom he Bore.

  The stable master broke into his self-pitying thoughts. "We had to put her back here away from the other horses some time ago. It’s quieter back here and the grooms seem to work a lot better without her around."

  The stalls around the one in the back of the stable were empty. He beheld a mare that he would consider beautiful and well-bred if she were clean and not standing in muck. "How long have you had her in this filth?"

  Master Junten hung his head. "She’s only been like this for the past few weeks. We had her in the stall near the other horses for over five months. About a month ago, she suddenly became violent. She attacked most of the grooms, only the men, when they tried to clean her stall. Only little Larna could do anything with her. Her mood seemed to spread to the other horses and they started to act a little more aggressive as well. I had Larna move her to this stall a few weeks ago, then Larna died in that attack on the North Village while visiting her mother." The stable master shook his head.

  "After that, the other grooms, both men and women, thought her cursed and wouldn’t go near her. I’ve been feeding her all this time, but I’ve had to time it just right so she wouldn’t bite me. It’s impossible to get into her stall to clean it, much less groom her. Word travels fast and no groom in the area will touch her. You’re pretty much her last hope."

  He'd misjudged the stable master. "I understand why she’s like this. I’ll give you two gold crowns for her."

  The stable master's eyes bulged, but he quickly recovered and accepted Lanclor's insane offer. An ill-tempered horse wasn’t worth one gold crown, let alone two. Still, the mare was remarkable and of obviously high breeding and Lanclor wanted to apologize for the insult.

  "I’ll send a woman down to collect the mare tonight," Lanclor said as he dropped one coin into Junten's palm. "You’ll receive the rest of the gold upon delivery. Good day, Master Junten." He gave him no time to object and left him standing there with his mouth partially open. With the proper spells, he could at least make the mare quiet enough so she could bear a few foals. With her attributes, her foals would fetch a fair price.

  The next day, he decided to drop by and see what the mare looked like under all of that filth. He was about to ask the knight stable master where she was stalled when he heard a curse and a whinny.

  "That damn horse is monstrous!" A groom backed out of a stall a few yards away nursing a bloody arm. He sa
w Lanclor watching him and explained, "I was only trying to give her some fresh grain and she took a chunk out of my arm! I didn’t even do anything to her!"

  Lanclor looked into the stall of the "monstrous" horse and held his breath. The filthy mare now gleamed. Her white coat, mane and tail shone while her black muzzle, speckled with the groom’s blood, matched her black stockings. She gave him a challenging stare, but didn’t seem overly aggressive. He walked toward the door of her stall and he could tell she didn’t know what to make of him.

  He reached out to stroke her muzzle. She surprised him by clamping down on his arm. Luckily, he wore armor, but he had moved quickly away from her after her attack. That was strange; a horse had bitten him before and he had never retreated afterward. He couldn’t seem to gather his courage to approach her again and decided he would need to find a knight who would be able to work with her so he could learn more about her.

  Lanclor had been working on the supply lists with growing irritation for the past few hours. They had a surplus of supplies that had been growing over the past few cycles. The number of new recruits was a fraction of the number of recently killed knights. A knock on the door only added to his annoyance.

  "Enter."

  Hal was a tall man, only slightly shorter than he was. Hal's fighting skills were remarkable. All of his instructors complimented his skills. His magic skills left a lot to be desired. Kathryn, Lady Kathryn, was average in her fighting ability, but some of her magic instructors suspected that she was trying to hide her magical aptitude. Complete opposites.

  Lady Kathryn's casting of spells without uttering a sound made them all question their knowledge of how magic occurred. Some of the instructors had wanted to approach her on the matter to find out how she accomplished it, but had agreed to wait until her wings had Declared. If only she would explain what had happened that day in the practice ring.

  "I’m sorry to bother you, Sir Lanclor, but I wasn’t sure who else to ask." Hal was a confident man on the practice field, but it seemed as if he lost that confidence every time he spoke with Lanclor.

  "You’re not bothering me, knight. What’s the question?"

  "I’m concerned about Lady Kathryn. She’s refused to leave her room for over three days now. I can’t even convince her to open her door. She hasn’t attended any drills in that time, which is unlike her since she takes her training seriously. For her suddenly to refuse to attend the sessions, it worries me. I asked if she wanted to see a healer, but she said she wasn’t ill. Could you perhaps speak with her? Maybe she’ll respond to someone with authority."

  It wasn’t unheard of, though rare, that a knight failed after acceptance into the Knighthood. In those cases, the instructors witnessed the knight’s decline and the failure wasn’t surprising, but no instructors had complained about Lady Kathryn. They knew her to be a quiet, but competent learner. He was curious to find out what her problem involved.

  "I’ll speak to her, but I’ll speak to her alone. Perhaps the problem involves something she doesn’t wish to share with someone from Earth. I’ll let you know what I find out, if she wants that information shared. I’ll talk to her this evening after the meal."

  "I appreciate it, Sir Lanclor." Hal saluted and left the room.

  After the evening meal, Sir Lanclor climbed the stairs in the North Wing. He stood in the Earthling’s common room in front of Lady Kathryn’s door and knocked, awaiting a response.

  "Who is it?" Lady Kathryn’s muffled reply leaked through the thick door.

  "Sir Lanclor. I’d like to speak with you face to face."

  There were a few seconds of hesitation, then a response. "Just a moment, Sir Lanclor."

  The moment lasted almost a full minute. He had forgotten how a minute sometimes felt like an hour. Lady Kathryn finally opened the door and stood helmet less in a long cloak. It was alarming to see an entire human face of someone who was not a Grounded. Lady Kathryn’s appearance was anything but common. In a world of dark-haired and dark-eyed people, Lady Kathryn’s light brown hair and gray eyes were startling.

  "Please come in Sir Lanclor." She said with a stiff salute.

  He entered her room and left the door open as honor demanded. "I didn’t realize the weather was so horrible outside today. In fact, I was thinking earlier about taking a rest from my paperwork to go for a ride on such a fine day." The statement hung in the air like an executioner’s ax.

  Surprise, anger, and then resignation passed over her face. He again appreciated always wearing a helmet. She removed her cloak to reveal her armor and wings.

  "By the Goddess!" Lanclor stepped backward.

  Staring into his eyes with a challenging look, she spread her stark white wings. Her armor was just a shade lighter than her wings. He’d never seen anything like it before. Normally, a new knight would Declare after about two cycles, one in rare cases, but always a gray or brown. Even those who were Soulbearers were graywings or brownwings first.

  In Lanclor's case, he was a brownwing before his wings turned midnight black. He’d been worried that he’d failed being a brownwing and had converted back to the dark gray of an Undeclared until he stood next to an Undeclared and saw that his wings were shades darker. In all of the histories, there was no record of a white-winged knight.

  "I don’t know what this means, Sir Lanclor, but I hope you can tell me?" Her challenging look turned to one of uncertainty. He could imagine what she was going through. The pain of not knowing where you belonged in the Knighthood could be significant.

  "When did this happen?"

  "About three days ago. I woke up one morning and they were just like this, although my armor was still dark at that time. I noticed it lightening as the day wore on. By the evening meal, it was the color it is now. I was afraid to go out like this. I didn’t know if it meant something on this world, something bad."

  "I’m not sure what it means, but I’m sure it’s not something bad." The only color a new knight feared to wield was the cursed black he now wore. While he was the Bearer of one of the most skilled knights in history, that knight had another reputation. "Have you noticed any unexplained abilities, glimpses of a past life?"

  He saw her hesitation. "I have many abilities, but those occurred before I entered the Knighthood. My Sights seem to happen more often. I also seem to have a knack with spells."

  She had to be a Soulbearer. "Why have you not told us about your Sights?"

  "I don’t know. I guess I was afraid that they’d end up just being dreams. My off-worlder reputation would be tarnished with madness." She began pacing the room, occasionally glancing at him to hold the conversation. "On my world, if you go around claiming you can see the future in dreams, you’d be locked away in a mental ward or you’d have your own 900 number."

  He had no idea what a 900 number was, but he understood her reasoning. "I think you should still share your dreams with someone. They may just be dreams, but if they aren’t, they may help us win this war or avoid many deaths. What do you mean by a ‘knack with spells?’ Is a ‘knack’ a good thing?"

  She smiled at his ignorance of her common terms. "I have a gift with spells. I usually can cast a spell on my first try. When I can’t, it usually means it’s misspelled in the book. I sometimes have to make revisions to the book." Looking embarrassed, she stopped. "I mean no offense, Sir Lanclor, but some of the spells in the advanced books are not spelled right. After I correct the spelling, I can cast the spell without a problem."

  "Which spells have you revised? I know you have access to the library, and every knight is encouraged to take a look at the more advanced spells, although I don’t think you should be changing anything in the books." Lanclor forced himself to stand in one spot. He wanted to pace, but both of them pacing at the same time wouldn't be appropriate.

  "I don’t actually change anything in the book; I just write down the spell in my parchment book as I think it should be written and reference the book with the problem. Let me get my parchment and I’ll show
you." She went to her desk and returned with a small parchment book. The book was about an inch think. "Most of the spells are from the same book." She opened it and offered it to him.

  Her writing was neat with notations in English. The first spell surprised him as it was definitely from the Lost Spells book. The spell of Communication was one of the most sought-after lost spells in the book. With that spell, officers could communicate with their knights using a type of telepathy.

  In flight, many verbal commands were lost in the wind. This spell was lost to them over a century ago with the unexpected death of an entire battalion and their instructors in the Barrens. While the knights thought the spell was safe in the texts, the scribe apparently spelled it wrong, thus the pronunciation was lost. "Have you successfully used this spell?"

  "Yes. It’s a simple spell. I used it on Hal and he complained I was ‘talking’ too loud, but I haven’t had a chance to try it again to attempt to tone it down. I could try it with you if you’d like, Sir Lanclor."

  His curiosity had to be satisfied. "I’d like you to try if you’re up to it. It’s a spell that has been lost too long."

  She smiled, seeming to think about what she would say. He was waiting for her lips to move with the incantation when she looked up at him.

  I’m not sure what you’d like me to say, Sir Lanclor. I hope I’m not shouting at you. I think I’ve found out how to control the volume of the spell. I’m sure you’re the only one who can hear me. I’d have to experiment more to find out how to send messages out to large groups of people.

  Lanclor smile beneath his helmet and his mind raced with the implications of the Communication spell resurfacing. They could coordinate their attacks more effectively.