Shadow of the Knight

by Matt Heppe

  “Wonderful,” Calen said. “She means well. I’ll just forget the other offences.”

  “It won’t matter after tomorrow,” Sulentis said. “I’ll be king and she’ll no longer rule.”

  “You said you’d come to Belen first,” Telea said.

  Sulentis paused a moment. “What I mean is that I’ll have Forsvar, and in truth, I’ll be king of Salador.” He clapped his hands together. “We should sleep now. Tomorrow will be a momentous day.”

  They moved apart from each other and found places to sleep. Telea found a private place and rolled herself in her blanket. The hay made for comfortable bedding.

  Rain pounded on the roof above. She usually loved the sound, but this night it wouldn’t lull her to sleep. She couldn’t help but think of the change in Sulentis. It was the pressure. She was certain. It was one thing to run away from home. It would be quite a different thing to return to Sal-Oras and challenge his mother.

  What would she do if Sulentis, Calen, and Fendal were captured tomorrow? She’d be with Escalan, but would he help her? With her dark skin she’d never escape for long alone.

  Telea felt the demon’s presence. You could be powerful here, it said. They don’t know the strength of a summoner.

  Go away! I don’t want to hear you. And I’m not a summoner. I don’t know the summoner ways.

  I am with you. I could teach you. You would be powerful, and no one could harm you.

  I’m not a summoner! She hammered at the demon’s presence with her thoughts.

  But you are. The demon seemed to laugh within her.

  Go away! She pushed the demon from her conscious mind.

  Gnawing at her, though, was the thought that the demon might be right.

  ***

  The sky was clear the following morning, although the storm had left its mark. Windblown leaves and fallen branches lay in deep puddles, while a nearby stream overran its banks.

  Fendal was late leaving the manor. He claimed that his gracious host wouldn’t let him depart sooner, but the rest of the group didn’t accept his story. It seemed to them he had enjoyed the hospitality of the manor a little too much.

  They rode out with their train of spare horses, making good time, but getting thoroughly splattered with mud for their efforts. Sulentis was more cheerful at least.

  They rode through more populated farmlands now. Telea rode next to Orlos. “What do you think?” she asked.

  He raised a quizzical eyebrow and glanced meaningfully at Sulentis. “About….”

  “About what you’ll be doing tonight. You’re going to scale the side of a fortress and sneak into the chamber of the queen. What did you think I was talking about?”

  He leaned closer to her. “I thought you might be asking about Sulentis. I’m not certain he plans on leaving immediately. I think he might stay and take the throne first.”

  “He can’t do that,” Telea said. “We have to go to the empire right away.”

  “I don’t think he sees it that way.”

  “But he believes me. He believes what I’ve told him—what we’ve told him. Doesn’t he?”

  “I don’t know. The closer we get to Forsvar and the Throne of Salador, the less he thinks about other things. Our concerns are far away. His concerns are right here.”

  Telea took a deep breath and watched Sulentis’s back as he rode with Fendal and Escalan, well ahead of them. “What do we do?”

  He smiled. “I’m the one getting the Godshield. Who says I need to give it to him right away?”

  Telea’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t!”

  “I’m the one that can turn invisible.” He laughed.

  “Thank you, Orlos,” she said.

  “I’ve seen them,” he said, more serious now. “I’ve seen the demons through the stone. I know the danger.” He paused a moment. “Don’t forget, I can see what’s in you as well.”

  She leaned close to him. “I can’t help it. There’s nothing I can do. Not until we get to Belen.”

  He nodded but didn’t reply.

  They rode until almost noon, when Sulentis led them off the main road and along a narrow path leading north. Soon a small village came into sight and beyond it, the Treteren River. The villagers eyed them suspiciously as they rode into the village. There was a simple dirt track for a main street.

  “You, good man,” Fendal called out to a peasant standing with crossed arms at the door of his cottage. “I need to board my horses for a day. There are affairs I must take care of before I take my horses into Sal-Oras.”

  The man stepped closer, taking a good look at the party and at their horses. “I can’t stable them all, but you can put them in my fallow field.” Telea could barely make out his strongly accented Saladoran. “Twenty-five commons,” the man said. “Not a penny less.”

  “What?” Fendal exclaimed. “And you’re not even stabling them?”

  “We’ll pay it,” Sulentis said. “And two of us will stay as well. Just for the night.”

  “I can put them up in the barn. It will cost you five more commons if they’re eating my food.”

  “Fine.” Sulentis turned to Escalan, “Pay the man, would you? Everyone dismount.”

  As they got off their horses, Sulentis went to Calen and Sindi and spoke to them, but Telea couldn’t hear what he said. The farmer called his family out of the house, and they began taking the horses out to the field. There was no need to hobble the horses, as the field was surrounded by an ancient, jumbled stone wall.

  “Can you feed my people?” Sulentis asked. “I’ll give you two silver nobles for a meal for all of them.”

  Sulentis had clearly given up on the subterfuge that Fendal was the leader of the group. Telea wondered at the change. Maybe it was just not needed with a peasant. Maybe he thought only a lord would wonder at the odd group.

  The peasant grinned. “I’ll even open my tall beer for that,” he said.

  “Two nobles for the man as well, Escalan,” Sulentis said. “Everyone eat. I’ll return soon,” he said.

  “I’ll come with you,” Escalan said.

  “No need. Eat something.” Sulentis waved him off. “I’m just going to get our boat.”

  They all helped unsaddle the horses. The farmer’s children curried the horses and saw that they were fed. His wife and eldest daughter busied themselves with preparing supper.

  “Will we need anything for tonight?” Telea asked Escalan.

  “Might want to bring a blanket, but that’s about it. We’ll probably wait half the night. Let’s bring a little food and something to drink as well.”

  Telea gave a little laugh. “I don’t know why I asked. I don’t think I have anything to my name.”

  “Sulentis will fix that. He’ll make certain that everything is made right.”

  “Aren’t you worried?” Telea asked. “Isn’t he taking a big risk?”

  “I think he should have done this a long time ago. His mother has been queen far too long. She’s not a good queen.”

  “Why didn’t he do it earlier?”

  “It’s not easy to turn against your mother. She’ll never forgive him. Everything she’s done has been to keep him safe.”

  “And what makes you think Sulentis will be successful now?”

  “Queen Ilana has never understood the strength of Handrin—I mean—Sulentis’s magic. He’s far more powerful than his father ever was. She’s taken precautions, but she’s not as safe as she thinks she is. Her only real protection is Forsvar. And, I’ll admit, it’s a potent defense against an elementar. That’s why Orlos is going.”

  They hadn’t even started eating when Sulentis returned. He waved Fendal over. “I have a boat,” he said. “We will head over after we’ve eaten.”

  “That’s a big river,” Fendal said. “And it’s running fast. Do you know how to sail? Or will we row across?”

  “We’ll sail.”

  “You’ve sailed before?”

  “No, but I’ve been on a boat. We will figu
re it out.”

  Fendal’s brow furrowed. “We’ll figure it out? The wind and rain have the river churning.”

  Sulentis shook his head. “The wind and the waves will obey us. The journey is the least of our worries.”

  The meal was a simple one of sausage, bread, cheese, and beer, which was fine as far as Telea was concerned. She’d had her fill of split peas and jerked venison.

  “It’s time to go.” Sulentis said after they had finished their meal. Telea wrapped a piece of hard sausage and a hunk of dark bread in a linen cloth and rolled it into her blanket. She had a water skin and her knife as well, but that was it. How long had it been since she had lived comfortably for any period of time? Over a year? Since even before the summoners had started their war. Her recent life made even the monastic healing academy seem like a life of luxury.

  Before they departed, Telea saw Orlos in close conversation with Calen and Sindi. Calen was clearly not pleased to be left behind, and Orlos seemed to be placating him.

  “Orlos! We must go,” Sulentis said.

  “Coming,” Orlos replied. He clasped forearms with Calen and Sindi before joining the rest of the group. Telea waved a farewell to the two Landomeri and followed Sulentis towards the river.

  The village was small, the single track leading down the shallow slope to the riverbank. It seemed to Telea that most of the villagers made their living from farming the river plain, but still, down by the river she saw several small fishing boats. There were few people about, most already in the fields.

  Sulentis led them to a small sailboat set apart from the others. It looked less than twelve paces long. “We’re crossing in that?” Fendal asked, clearly incredulous.

  “There wasn’t much choice. All the boats I found were this size.”

  A stiff breeze blew upstream, and the river seemed choppy to Telea. She’d never crossed such a large body of water before, and her heart thudded in her chest. She could do a lot of things, but swimming wasn’t one of them. The river crossing, something she’d thought nothing of before, suddenly seemed a daunting, dangerous task.

  Telea looked up river and caught her breath. There was a large, walled city there. It was some distance away, but she hadn’t realized how close.

  There were many legendary tales about Sal-Oras, the ancient home of the elementar-kings of Salador. Many a heroic battle had been fought there. It had been the objective of the Belenese embassy to get there, and now that she was here, she still wouldn’t get in.

  “Climb aboard,” Sulentis said. “Telea in front, Orlos and Fendal behind her, and Escalan and me in the back.”

  “Can the boat even support all of us?” Fendal asked, saving Telea the necessity of asking the same question.

  “Yes, the owner said it would.” He and Escalan pushed the boat partially into the water, keeping just the stern ashore. Both stood in the water as the three passengers got in. Telea caught her breath as the boat rocked under her weight.

  “Right into the bow,” Sulentis said.

  “What if it sinks?” Telea asked as she gingerly made her way to the front of the boat.

  “It won’t sink,” Sulentis said.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I’m an elementar, and water is one of the four elements,” he snapped. “Now, let’s go. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

  The crowded boat sank low into the water. Escalan pushed the boat out into the current before jumping aboard.

  Sulentis sat at the rudder. Telea saw the glow of magic on his hands and the rudder itself seemed to hum with the music of magic. Once again she was struck by the similarity between his magic and hers, although the effects were very different.

  Escalan tugged a rope taut, and the boat heeled over, racing away from shore. Water splashed Telea as waves smacked into the front of the boat, sending spray over the bow. She shrank back until she was pushed up against Orlos. He gave her a reassuring smile.

  Low clouds scudded across the sky as a stiff breeze blew upstream. Telea saw Sal-Oras clearly now. The ancient walls contrasted with the bright stone of the keep. “Is the keep new?” she asked.

  “Just a few years old,” Fendal said. “The Great Keep of Sal-Oras was destroyed seventeen years ago.”

  It was nothing like the Imperial Palace in Belen. The palace was covered with elaborate stonework and had hundreds of windows. If you could get close to it, it would be easy to climb. The Great Keep, however, had sheer stone walls and few windows, except those very high up.

  Telea looked at Orlos. “That’s a long way to climb.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve climbed to the very tops of Landomeri oaks. If there are handholds, it shouldn’t be much of an issue.”

  Telea thought of her long descent down the sheer face of the Great Salador Pass. If the long chimney crack hadn’t been there, they never would have made it.

  They were a third of the way across the river, and the journey was easier than Telea had thought. She tried not to think about the depth of the water beneath her. Upstream, near the city, she saw the flash of sunlight on the water. After a moment it came again. It took her a moment to realize that it was sunlight reflecting off of oars.

  “There’s a boat coming,” she said, pointing at the ship.

  All eyes followed her finger as she pointed upstream. “A patrol galley,” Sulentis said. “Hopefully they’ll ignore us.”

  “And if they don’t?” Fendal asked.

  “We’ll say we’re heading for…” Sulentis scanned the far bank. There were no villages here, just a few scattered cottages.

  “We can say we’re heading for the city,” Escalan said.

  “We make a suspicious crew,” Sulentis said. He paused a moment and then said, “And I fear I might be recognized. An officer of the Queen’s Guard will command the vessel, and there is a good chance he’d know me.”

  The galley raced closer. Telea couldn’t count how many oars there were, but it seemed like fifty or more. They moved in perfect harmony as the galley sliced through the water. If it chose, the galley could crush the little sailboat without slowing it a bit. It would be on them in just a few heartbeats as it was.

  “What will you do?” Fendal asked.

  “They will have an emergency,” Sulentis said. “A fire, I think.”

  “You won’t sink them, I hope,” Telea said.

  He paused. “Not if I don’t have to.”

  “Why not just push them off course?”

  Sulentis waved his hand, dismissing her as he turned on the approaching galley. “They’d turn on us. I couldn’t hold them off forever. Whatever I do, they’ll know it’s the work of an elementar. I need to disable them.”

  The galley slowed as it approached, the oars sinking into the water, dragging the boat slower. Then they rose and backed water, keeping the galley close.

  “Lower your sail!” a man shouted. He wore a blue tabard with three gold crowns upon it. “Heave to.” There were more armed men on board. Four of them held poleaxes, while another four had crossbows. The crossbowmen held their weapons ready, while not quite aiming them at the sailboat.

  “Just a moment, there,” Sulentis called out. He raised his hand and waved in greeting at the galley, but Telea saw him do something more. She saw the glow of blue light as he reached into the aether and touched the music there.

  A cloud of smoke billowed from amidships. There were shouts of alarm and calls for water buckets. Meanwhile, the little sailboat surged forward as a sudden gust struck it. Telea had to grab the railing to stop from being tossed to the floor of the boat.

  “Elementar! Stop them!” A second man was shouting now. He wore a blue and yellow tabard bearing the lamp and crossed lightning bolts of an inquisitor. “Stop or we’ll shoot,” he shouted.

  Flames erupted from under the feet of the crossbowmen. They leapt into the oar decks, fouling the men there. The galley turned in the water.

  The sailboat was past the galley now, running quickly under full sail.
Men in the galley gathered canvas water buckets and threw them on the fire, but the boat was rocking now, and their tosses were ineffective.

  Telea and her companions were forgotten by all but the inquisitor. The inquisitor did nothing to help with the fire, instead running to the stern of the other boat and watching as the sailboat made its escape.

  She thought they were through then. But Sulentis raised his hands one more time and sent a wave surging towards the galley. It wasn’t high, but neither were the sides of the galley. The wave crashed into the side of the galley, broaching it. Smoke and steam rose as the water quenched the fire, but now more water came on, and the ship sank under the waves.

  “Why did you do that?” Telea asked. “We escaped.”

  Sulentis didn’t reply, staring off at the far shore instead.

  Behind him men cried out for help as they leapt into the water or clung to oars that broke free of their locks. Those in armor foundered for a few moments before the weight of their aketons and mail dragged them under.

  “Should we help?” Telea asked. The thought of drowning horrified her. She imagined being pulled under, holding one’s breath until it was unbearable before sucking in a lungful of water.

  “No. We go on,” Sulentis said without even a glance over his shoulder. “It would be too much risk to be discovered now.”

  “But innocent men are dying,” Telea said.

  “It couldn’t be helped.”

  “It could!” she shouted. “We can still help some now!”

  “No we can’t!” Sulentis clenched his fist and slammed it against the side of the boat. “The stone is cast!”

  The cries for help faded as the sailboat made for the far shore. It wasn’t long, and Telea couldn’t see the shapes bobbing in the water any longer. Fifty men? Sixty men?

  They call summoners evil? her demon said. When even elementars care not for the souls of men.

  Telea jerked from her thoughts as their boat slid ashore. Escalan and Orlos leapt out, dragging the boat forward, higher onto dry land. Telea and the others jumped out and helped pull the boat even further ashore. Trees grew right up to the river’s edge here. The boat wouldn’t be easy to see unless someone came very close.