Knights Without Kings

by J. M. Topp

  Ayda looked up past the blue snake. The tunnel had been narrow and short up until this point. Rebecca and the others had to walk with their head and shoulders scrunched. Gruizoch had the worst time of it. Ayda felt sad for him. He hadn’t chosen this. Perhaps it would have been better to die under the weight of that daemonic warhammer. Ayda didn’t know why he was going with them. He would not be inconspicuous in a place like that. Would they allow him to even enter? He had the form of a daemon now. Ayda shuddered. At least she could hide her daemons.

  The narrow path suddenly branched off into a large cavern. Rebecca stretched and took in the air. Theyllyn sniffed the air as well. ‘Humid. That’s good.’

  ‘Why?’ Ayda asked, glancing up at him.

  ‘If we get lost, we can find water down here,’ said Korhas as he walked up to them. ‘The Whitecrown Mountains are known for their legendary secrets. It’s too bad we don’t have the time to explore them. Imagine the adventures.’

  ‘Best not, Korhas. Adventures are great only in one’s mind,’ hissed Theyllyn.

  ‘Wait.’ Ayagi shushed them and began to coil his body.

  He turned to Gruizoch, who suddenly caught a whiff of something in the air beneath the mountains. ‘It’s that foul smell again.’

  Gruizoch leaned down, grabbed a large boulder, and held it in his hand. He sniffed the draft. Ayda put her nose to the air and took in a big whiff, but she couldn't smell what Ayagi or Gruizoch smelled.

  ‘What is it?’

  Rebecca turned her head slightly and whispered, careful to keep her ears to any sound other than her own voice. ‘Keepers. They are rarely seen outside of the mountain range.’

  Rebecca turned to Gruizoch, who was still sniffing the air. ‘Let’s get out of here before we meet some of them.’

  ‘Too late,’ Ayagi said. Gruizoch pointed to a ridge across the mountain cavern. Dozens of yellow eyes peered from within the darkness. They blinked watchfully and silently.

  ‘What are they waiting for?’ Korhas said, putting a hand to his sword.

  ‘They’re studying us. I’ll bet they never expected to meet someone like Gruizoch or Ayagi down here. I’ll bet they’re alerting clans further down the path,’ said Rebecca, clenching her teeth.

  ‘How much longer do we have to go?’ whispered Ayda, staring at the blinking eyes.

  Rebecca bit her lip and forced a smile to her face. ‘The path isn’t very long if you know where to go. Unfortunately, I know these parts very well.’

  Rebecca laughed, but it sounded to Ayda that it came more out of nervousness than anything else.

  AYDA DIDN’T KNOW if it was night or day on the outside of the Whitecrown Mountains. Time blurred into itself, as all she did was keep up with the light Ayagi emanated. Ayda looked down at her boots—the ones Bendrick had given her in that creepy house. They were very well made, and not for the last time did she admire them. The leather was tough, and it was perfect for climbing over mountains and even through them, it seemed. Ayda glanced at Gruizoch.

  ‘What part of you is in there?’ she thought to herself. ‘Will you always be in there? Or will that daemon come back?’

  The troop entered another large, cavernous opening in the path. Suddenly, Ayagi stopped and began to shake.

  ‘Something is coming.’

  Rebecca turned to look at Ayda. ‘Stay close to me.’

  But before the words escaped her lips, a tremor rocked through the mountain. Rocks and dust kicked up into their faces. Rebecca, Korhas, and Theyllyn drew her swords in unison, prepared for an attack. Rebecca put herself in front of Ayda.

  ‘Stay close to me,’ Rebecca whispered again, but as the dust began to settle, they realized that something was in their way. A monster twice the size of Gruizoch stood in their way. His arms were covered in fur, and upon them, were odd and olden shoulder and chest plates. The monster carried a crude mace in its hands. Its breath escaped its jaws in white wisps of cold fog. Its fangs shone like silver in the glowing light coming from Ayagi. Dozens of smaller ape-like monsters crowded around behind it, all with glowing eyes staring at the troop. The large one roared and charged them. It raised its mace and rushed at Rebecca. Rebecca screamed, and two smaller creatures jumped at her from the side, pushing her out of the way.

  ‘Ayda!’ Rebecca screamed again and shoved her sword into the neck of one of the creatures. The creature’s mouth fell open, and its screams shot from its mouth as blood spewed from his neck. The other she grabbed by the throat and placed under her foot. She stomped on its windpipe, killing it instantly. The large creature raced at Ayda with mace raised over its head. The mace fell fast. A shadow jumped in the monster’s way and stood over Ayda. Gruizoch stopped the falling mace with his bare hands and growled at the monster, fangs covered with dripping saliva. Ayda glanced at Ayagi, who had three creatures trying to stab into his thick scales with sharpened sticks and rusty nails.

  ‘Get back, Ayda. Now,’ hissed Ayagi. Ayda stood and ran behind him. The monster roared in Gruizoch’s face, and dozens of smaller creatures struck at Gruizoch’s legs with sticks and large stones. Ayda thought for a moment that Gruizoch was laughing. Suddenly, Gruizoch roared. The sound was louder than anything Ayda had heard in her life. The creatures around his legs burst into pools of blood instantly. The large one, however, was stronger than that. Blood began to spill from the monster’s mouth, nose, and ears, but it still held the mace. Gruizoch punched the monster in the stomach, and the monster retaliated with a bite to his neck. They both went down into the dust, but Ayda couldn’t see where. Three monsters rushed at her, but Ayagi sprang in front of Ayda. He whipped his tail, and it snapped the neck of one of the monsters. The other two jumped onto the snake’s body and began slapping at it with large pieces of wood. Ayagi twisted his body and squeezed one ape, crushing its bones. The other realized too late that Ayagi was much stronger than he, and with a shriek, tried to run away. Ayagi leapt and bit into the ape’s head, crushing it as well.

  Rebecca was a flurry of silver. She whipped up in the air like a dancer, twisting, dodging, and killing. Korhas killed creatures left and right, expertly crushing the dark beings. Theyllyn, though, wasn’t doing so well. He swung his sword hesitantly and without much strength. Even Ayda, inexperienced with weapons of any kind, knew that that was not how to handle one. Regardless, Ayda smiled. They were beating the Keepers back.

  She instantly regretted that thought as a thousand screams echoed in the chasm like a choir of death. It seemed as if everyone stopped fighting to look up at the ceiling. Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared down with bloodlust. Monsters began to fall from the ceiling, with clubs and sharp stalactites. One landed inches before her and swung a jagged rock at her head. Ayda ducked and stuck the knife into the creature’s leg. The Keeper screamed, and Ayagi whipped his tail, knocking the head from the creature’s body as if it had not been attached at all. The monster fell onto the damp ground, spilling blood over Ayda.

  ‘We cannot hold against so many!’ shouted Theyllyn.

  Ayda looked at Rebecca. She wasn’t dancing anymore. Her efforts were more concentrated and calculated and not so elabourate. She was sweating. Suddenly, there were too many. Ayda looked at Gruizoch. He had acquired the mace of the large monster and was swinging it wildly. He rammed his horns into the body of three apes, crushing them, but as he did so, a few more jumped on his back, stabbing it with sharp rocks and picks.

  ‘We can’t stay here, Rebecca.’ Ayda’s voice cracked as she helplessly stood watching the attacks unfold before her. Another large monster dropped from the ceiling, cracking rock underneath as it landed. Rebecca was too busy to notice.

  ‘Rebecca, look out!’ Ayda shouted, but it was too late. The monstrous ape jabbed his crude wooden stave into Rebecca’s back. The elf didn’t even scream. Her body went limp on the point of the stave.

  ‘Rebecca!’ Ayda screamed, tears clouding her vision. She lunged at the large beast. The monster snarled and slapped Ayda in the head, drawing blood from her
face. Ayda fell to the ground and felt a strong wind pass her by with loud footsteps that cracked rock beneath them. Gruizoch charged the monster with lowered horns. The monster’s ribs were pulverized under the blunt force of Gruizoch’s head and horns. Another tremor rocked through the cavern. Large stones began to fall with the Keepers. Rebecca was holding her side, and her own blood was pooling by her legs.

  ‘Get them out of here!’ Gruizoch screamed as he grabbed two Keepers and smashed their heads against each other.

  ‘We need you with us!’ Korhas screamed as he deflected a blow to his legs and cracked the neck of another creature. ‘We need you for the prophecy!’

  Ayagi coiled around Ayda, trying to protect her as much as he could. ‘The cavern is about to collapse. We have to leave, now!’

  Korhas glanced at Gruizoch. The Minotaur was completely surrounded. Korhas sheathed his sword and bit his lip in hesitation.

  ‘No. I won’t leave him!’ Ayda screamed.

  ‘We have to go.’ Theyllyn was already running down the path. Light could be seen further up ahead. Korhas grabbed Rebecca and carried her in his arms. She was losing blood, but somehow was still breathing.

  ‘No.’ Ayda wrestled herself from Ayagi’s grip and slid from his body.

  ‘Ayda! No!’ Korhas shouted. Ayda looked back at Gruizoch. His fur-covered arms were dropping blood, and his legs had splintered steel jutting from muscle and bone. Gruizoch bared his jaws and snarled at the encircling Keepers.

  Ayda turned as tears filled her eyes, with fists clenched.

  ‘Fuck you. I’m not leaving him! Not again.’

  Korhas jumped to grab her, but Ayda was too fast. She dodged the lord’s lunge, but tripped on a body. Ayda fell before the feet of a Keeper. The monster smiled down on her, but before it could move, a pool of blood burst from the monster’s torso with a sharp horn piercing it. The creature rose in the air, and Gruizoch threw the dying body behind him. For a moment, everything froze around her. The monsters stood frozen as if they were statues. The ones falling from the ceiling hung suspended in the air—their laughing faces like statues without noise. Rebecca’s look of horror was cemented onto her face.

  ‘You.’

  Ayda froze. It sounded like it had come from Gruizoch, but the voice was wrong. The voice belonged to Bendrick.

  ‘This,’ Ayda said, summoning all the courage she had not to cry. She put her hand up to his face. Only her thumb and pointer finger remained. ‘This is your promise. You cut me, but I still chose you. You left me, but I didn’t abandon you.’ Ayda looked up at the Minotaur. A form that would normally fill her soul with terror strangely gave her comfort. Bendrick was still there, beneath the fur, muscle, horns, and jagged teeth in his jaws. ‘Don’t abandon me again.’

  Gruizoch knelt before Ayda and stared into the halfling’s eyes.

  ‘This was your promise, Ayda,’ said Gruizoch. ‘I didn’t know it would be here, but I stand now thanks to you. You came for me, even when I told you not to.’

  Ayda laughed and sobbed at the same time. She looked back to Korhas, who had a look of fear on his face. Rebecca stared at Ayda from within Korhas’ arms.

  ‘My promise should never have been tied to a person.’ Gruizoch looked at Korhas and Rebecca. ‘Regardless of how close you are to them, your purpose should lie with something greater than you. Greater than anyone around you. Only then can you shine bright. You have taught me that. It was you who saved my life, Ayda.’

  ‘I did?’

  ‘In your own way.’

  ‘Stop saying stupid things like that. You have to come with me,’ said Ayda, tears filling her eyes. ‘I can’t do this on my own. Please come with us. Don’t leave me again.’

  ‘Remember the things I taught you. Learn them well, and do what I couldn’t.’

  ‘What was that?’

  ‘Learn to let go.’

  As the words escaped Gruizoch’s jaws, time seemed to catch up. Screams rained down from the cavern ceiling along with dozens of monsters. Korhas grabbed Ayda’s hand and pulled her from Gruizoch. Ayda stared as dozens of monsters crowded around Gruizoch and jumped on him all at once.

  BEFORE AYDA REALIZED it, she was being dragged along the grassy hill from the cavern exit.

  ‘Let me go!’ She slapped at Korhas’ hand in annoyance. Korhas let go of her and carried Rebecca to a tree. The elf’s side was covered in a dripping blanket of crimson. Rebecca was losing too much blood. Ayda gasped and looked at her wound. Her ribs seemed to be crushed, and Rebecca was gasping short and quick breaths. Ayagi slithered beside them. He was bleeding too, though not as badly as Rebecca was.

  ‘What do we do, Ayagi?’ asked Ayda, touching Rebecca’s arm.

  ‘I don’t know, Ayda. I’ve never—’

  Korhas pushed them both out of the way and took his green cloak from his back. ‘Serpent, guard the entrance. Make sure we weren’t followed out,’ he said simply, tearing Rebecca’s doublet off, exposing her breasts. Korhas paused for a moment but quickly kicked himself into action trying to stop the bleeding. Ayda nodded to Ayagi, and he slithered off near the cave exit. Ayda sat down and realized how much her arms and legs ached. She could barely believe they had made it out alive. She never would have guessed that they were so close to the exit. Ayda thought she could hear screams coming from the tunnels, but it could have been the wind.

  Rebecca coughed, making Ayda turn to Korhas. He was tearing strands from his cloak and wrapping them around her waist. He was keeping pressure on the wound with one hand. Blood was seeping through, but it had slowed. Korhas grabbed a small phial from his belt and poured the clear-blue liquid onto the wrappings.

  ‘Samryn with a tiny pinch of Wyrmroot. This potion should do the trick. Works well enough for knights in the field,’ Korhas said, inspecting Rebecca’s body for any other wounds. ‘Just more scratches. With enough rest, she could be ok. I just have to keep an eye on her.’

  Rebecca seemed to have passed out and was lying with eyes closed against the tree. Korhas sighed and stood up, stretching his arms. He winced and touched his left arm and leg. Cuts decorated them. Footsteps alerted them all, and they turned at once. Theyllyn was out of breath and leaned against a tree.

  ‘Thanks for the help back there,’ Korhas said, sitting down beside Rebecca. Ayda realized that Theyllyn must have run up the path, abandoning them. Ayda frowned and put her hands on her hips. Something was wrong though. Theyllyn’s eyes were the size of saucers, and his mouth was open in shock.

  Theyllyn shook his head nervously. ‘They’ve found us.’

  A large metal carriage burst through the undergrowth. It was not drawn by horses, but seemed to move on its own. It stopped just before them, imposing and silent, save for a strange whirring of machinery coming from within. A door opened on the side, and someone stepped from the carriage who made Korhas tense up.

  ‘It’s an elf,’ Korhas said, standing up. He stood in front of Rebecca to make sure that they didn’t see her body. Ayda realized what she was looking at. The elf wore a grey leather jacket and worn black boots. He wore no armour of any kind, nor did he carry any sword or crossbow. His ears jutted past his head. He wore some odd eyewear that glimmered in the sunlight, and his mouth and nose were wrapped in some kind of rag.

  ‘Halt! In the name of the Twin Princes!’ The voice was muffled and foreign.

  Korhas sighed and twisted his neck. It popped twice. Korhas smiled at the elf.

  ‘That is an interesting “thing” you have there.’

  The elf merely stared at them. The metal carriage was unlike any carriage Ayda had seen before. The wheels were underneath, and there were at least a dozen small ones with a metal track on them. Ayda stared, unable to decide what to think.

  ‘I’ve had a bad day, you see, and we have somewhere to be. Let us pass, and no harm will come to you,’ said Korhas with confidence surprising to Ayda. Still, the elf only stared. Light bounced off his eyewear, blinding Ayda for a moment. Korhas took a step towards the elf
. ‘Why don’t you come down from that contraption and face me like a man?’

  The elf reached into the large metal box and pulled out a silver tube. The elf pointed it at Korhas. A puff of smoke blew from the end, and right before Ayda’s eyes, Korhas fell on the ground motionless. The elf pointed the tube at Theyllyn, but Theyllyn threw his arms in the air.

  ‘Don’t! We have Zoreadryyn with us! She’s an elf!’ Theyllyn screamed, his eyes closed and his pants going damp.

  ‘Theyllyn!’ Ayda snapped. She looked at the elf man. The elf relaxed and glanced where Theyllyn was pointing. He turned back into the metal carriage.

  ‘They have an elf with them.What do you want me to do?’ he said to someone inside. He nodded and then pointed the tube to Theyllyn. The same puff of smoke blew from the end, making Theyllyn fall to the ground beside Korhas, completely paralyzed. The elf stepped from the metal box towards Ayda.

  Ayda took a step back.

  ‘Don’t move.’

  Ayda glanced behind her.

  Where’s Ayagi?

  The elf stood before Ayda and took his face wrap off. He lifted his odd eyewear and peered at Ayda. His nose was finely carved, and his jaw was beardless. His eyes were dark, however—green and poisonous. The elf grabbed Ayda by the neck and lifted her from the ground. Ayda choked and tried to free herself from his grip.

  ‘Dirty halfling, I should break your neck.’

  ‘…Don’t…’

  Ayda and the elf turned to Rebecca. She was still lying beside the tree, taking short breaths, but her hand was open and extending to Ayda.

  The elf chuckled.

  ‘It’s not up to me, outcast. The Twin Princes will decide what to do with you.’ The elf turned and threw Ayda into the dark, cold metal box.

  ‘If you last the trip from here to Felheim.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The Dark Soul

  THE BEAST’S CHEST rose and fell like the draft of wind blowing through the cavern. He lay over a pile of bodies of Keepers littering the wet ground beneath him. Somewhere further down the mountain, water was rushing. Its watery echoes surrounded him. Only pitch black resided all around him. A faint ray of light burst through the rocks, but he couldn’t tell where.Without moving his head, he looked down at his legs. The hoofed, black muscle-laden lower limbs rested on bodies of dead Keepers. If there were more of the monsters, they were long gone.