Shadow of the Knight

by Matt Heppe

  “We’ll leave now,” Sulentis said. “We still have a quarter day until the sun begins to fall, but I want to be in position before that time.”

  “I don’t like that you’re leaving me behind,” Escalan said.

  “There’s nothing for you to do, Rayne. Soon we’ll have Forsvar and this will be done. Watch the boat and keep Telea safe. We’ll be back in the middle of the night. Be ready to leave at a moment.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Orlos gave Telea a smile and a wink as he, Sulentis, and Fendal departed. “Luck be with you,” she said as they walked through a line of trees and then down a narrow track between two fields of wheat. None of them carried any weapons save for their daggers. This wasn’t to be an assault.

  Escalan had his sword, shield, and aketon. Now that they were ashore, he put the aketon on. Telea helped with the buckles and he smiled his thanks. “You make a good squire,” he said.

  “I’ve helped my father many times. And I’ve been around soldiers a good part of my life.”

  They ate a cold meal as darkness fell. Telea couldn’t stop thinking about the galley on the river. Had anyone survived? Sulentis, who hadn’t wanted to kill any innocents on their journey, certainly had no problem with people who stood in his way.

  He isn’t the man I thought he was, she thought.

  It’s easy to be a good man when temptation is far away, her demon said. He sees himself upon the throne.

  “Here, take a swig,” Escalan said, startling her as he proffered his wine flask.

  She drank and then pulled her cloak close around her. “Tell me of Sir Nidon and Hadde the Landomeri. Tell me something heroic and good,” she said.

  Escalan smiled. “I’d love to,” he said, settling himself next to her. For a time she sat listening, enraptured by his tales, but eventually sleep overcame her.

  She woke to soldiers in the night.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Orlos, Fendal, and Sulentis made their way down a rocky path just strides from the Treteren River. Ahead, Sal-Oras stood on a bluff overlooking the river. Belavil’s slopes were steeper, Orlos thought, but couldn’t compare to the massive man-made defenses of Sal-Oras.

  “We’ll stop here,” Sulentis said, motioning to a large fallen tree. “And wait for full darkness.” He pointed towards the tallest part of the castle, barely visible trough the trees growing on the riverbank. “That is the Great Keep. Queen Ilana’s chambers overlook the river, which is good for us. There’s little chance anyone will see us climbing the walls.”

  Orlos nodded as he stared up at the massive castle. He’d never seen its like. The stone walls stretched off for miles surrounding the city. Nearby, however, there was only the Great Keep. It stood, impossibly high, looking down over the river. He couldn’t imagine climbing it.

  “There’ll be a moon tonight,” Orlos said. “And not many clouds.”

  “We’ll use our magic to douse any torches that might give us away. And I can silence any guards that might appear.”

  “Silence?” Fendal said. “We’re leaving a lot of bodies behind us.”

  Sulentis glared at him. “I said I’d silence them. Not kill them.”

  “You are my king,” Fendal said, shrugging. “I’ll do as you command.”

  “Great things require hard deeds,” Sulentis said. “I’ll bring a golden age to Salador. We’ll go to Rigaria and break Cragor’s hold on the Orb of Creation. And then, with Forsvar and the Orb, I’ll restore Salador to its days of glory.”

  “What of the spiridus?” Orlos asked, keeping his voice low so that no strangers might hear him. “What of Telea’s quest?”

  “That will come as well. The threat of the Dromost Gate cannot be ignored. And the world will be a better place for the restoration of the spiridus.”

  “I saw the demons,” Orlos said. “They are real. They are coming.”

  “And so is Cragor. One day he will march from Rigaria.”

  “But he’s not been heard from for many years,” Orlos said. “He’s trapped in Rigaria. You wouldn’t speak this way if you’d seen what I’ve seen. Cragor is flesh and blood. The demons are—”

  “The Dromost Gate has been closed for five hundred years. Don’t worry, Orlos. Everything will be taken care of. Tonight’s the first step. Are you with me, or not?”

  “Of course,” Orlos said. “I’m with you.”

  Sulentis wouldn’t do what he had promised, Orlos now knew. He was certain of it now. Sulentis didn’t understand the risk because he hadn’t seen it. It was too distant.

  Orlos’s gaze went to the top of the Great Keep. Forsvar is there, but how will I ever get it out? And what do I do then?

  Sulentis put his hand on Orlos’s shoulder. “They’ll be freed. I promise it.”

  As they rested behind the tree, Orlos’s thoughts turned to what was to come. It was at once terrifying and exciting. Was he really considering taking Forsvar from Sulentis? His legs bounced with anticipation. Beside him, Fendal slept.

  Orlos jumped when, some time later, Sulentis said, “It’s time.”

  They departed the path and headed uphill towards the city walls. A nearly full moon lit their way. It seemed to Orlos that Sulentis knew his way, as well he should. He’d lived here for years.

  “See up there?” Sulentis said. “Well above the parapets… that balcony is my mother’s.”

  “I don’t see it,” Fendal said.

  “I do,” Orlos said. “It’s very high. Very, very high.” Far higher than the tallest Landomeri oaks. He suddenly didn’t like the idea of clinging to the side of the sheer castle wall.

  “You’ll have very good handholds.” Sulentis took a deep breath. “Fendal, you’ll take us up the curtain wall. I’ll take Orlos up the side of the keep.”

  “What do I do while you’re up there?”

  “Come back down and wait right here.”

  “And if you don’t come back?”

  “Well, my faithful friend, I suggest you make your way to Idoria, unless a life in Landomere suits you.”

  “Wonderful. Wonderful plan, my king.”

  Sulentis glared at him. “We’re all taking risks here. Maybe you’d prefer the inquisitors? No?” He looked back to the wall. “Move to the side when you are close to the top. I’ll go onto the wall first.”

  Fendal nodded.

  The stones at the base of the wall were massive and rough-cut. Looking at them, Orlos thought they could be climbed without any aid at all.

  Fendal glanced over his shoulder and then started up the wall. Orlos saw no sign that he was using any magic at all. Maybe he isn’t.

  Sulentis followed him. Orlos waited until they were well ahead, and then went up the wall after them. Rough stone greeted his hands, and he had no trouble climbing at first.

  After a dozen strides, the stone changed. It was smoother here, and the blocks were smaller. Orlos found his first handhold here—a slot between two blocks. Was this always here, or did Fendal make it?

  Orlos looked up and saw Sulentis just above him. The elementar’s booted toes were lodged in a crack. A few flakes of stone fell and struck Orlos on his face, and he quickly turned away. When he looked back up, Sulentis had advanced another stride.

  At this pace we’ll still be on the wall when the sun rises.

  Orlos reached up and discovered another handhold. It was perfectly formed so that he could easily grip it. He pushed himself up and found another handhold waiting for him.

  He imagined pushing his fingers into the stone as if it was mud. He tried it and found the stone just as unyielding as it always was. I wish… he almost snorted out a laugh. What do I wish? I’m a spiridus. I can turn invisible. Can you do that, Sulentis?

  They started moving faster. Perhaps Fendal was getting a hang of making the handholds. Orlos made the mistake of looking down. After a moment of vertigo, he swore not to do it again.

  Orlos heard laughter and froze. Two voices came from above. It had to be two guards walkin
g along the ramparts. If they chose that moment to look down, Orlos and his companions were dead men. One dropped stone would take them all off the wall.

  The voices moved off. Orlos looked to his left. There was a tower maybe fifty strides away. Anyone on it could look down the length of the wall and see them. Or could they? Moon shadows shrouded the wall. It was possible the dark would protect them. He reminded himself how poor Saladoran night vision was.

  It seemed to take forever, but they eventually neared the top of the wall. Fendal moved aside and clung to the side of the wall. To Orlos he looked like a spider clinging to the side of a tree. A sheen of sweat covered Fendal’s face. Manipulating the rock while clinging to the wall had taken a toll on him.

  Sulentis disappeared over the parapets above. Orlos followed him. The walkway was clear. “Why didn’t we bring a rope?” Fendal asked as he dropped onto the walkway next to them. “I don’t relish the climb down.”

  “We can’t be long,” Sulentis said, ignoring Fendal’s comment. “The guards will be back shortly. Are you ready, Orlos?”

  Orlos shook out his arms. It hadn’t been too difficult a climb, but the next section was twice as high. “Sure,” he replied.

  “Silence at the top,” Sulentis warned. “The balcony door could be open.”

  “I know how to be sneaky,” Orlos said with a smile. “Trust me.”

  Sulentis gave Orlos a hard look. “I do trust you, Orlos. Remember, you owe me. You would have died or been taken by the bloodstone if not for me.”

  “I know that,” Orlos said, his eyes narrowing at the blunt reminder. “And I saved you from the inquisitors.”

  “No you didn’t,” Sulentis said, staring up the wall of the keep and wringing his hands. “I never needed saving.”

  Sulentis turned to Fendal. “You’d better get clear before you’re discovered.” Before Fendal could respond, Sulentis put his hands on the wall, and to Orlos’s amazement, they sunk into the rock. In just heartbeats, he created two handholds.

  Orlos followed Sulentis as he climbed the keep. Their progress was much faster with Sulentis leading the way. He’s a more powerful elementar. The stone is easier for him to work.

  The stone was smooth and new, nothing like the ancient ruins of Belavil. In Belavil there wasn’t a stone he couldn’t climb. Here, without Sulentis’s workings, the climb would have been impossible.

  Orlos wondered if Fendal had left the wall yet but didn’t dare look down. Instead, he kept his eyes on the wall in front of him, or on Sulentis above.

  They passed a few windows but no balconies. The only balcony was still well above them but noticeably closer. Orlos shuddered. If the balcony was close, the fall below…just imagining the fall gave him vertigo.

  Sulentis had gotten ahead of him. The elementar’s pace hadn’t slowed. Orlos pulled himself closer, one handhold at a time. The holds seemed shallower now, with less of a lip for him to hold onto. He found himself clutching them harder. His forearms burned with the effort.

  Fear rose like a physical thing. What would happen if he slipped? What if his hands grew too fatigued? From this height, falling onto stone, there could only be one result.

  Orlos realized he’d stopped moving. His hands shook with the effort of holding himself onto the wall. He forced himself to look up. They were almost there. He thought he heard a shout below, but didn’t turn. Had Fendal been discovered? The shout wasn’t repeated, and no crossbow bolts skittered off the wall nearby. Just some guard yelling at another. I hope.

  Finally, Sulentis climbed onto the balcony above. Orlos willed himself to climb the final handholds. All he had to do was to reach out and grab the stone railing, but fear froze him, clutching to the wall.

  “Just a little further,” Sulentis said. “Do it, Orlos.”

  Orlos clenched his jaws and grabbed for the railing. Relief washed over him as he clutched it. He took hold of another rail with his right hand and pulled himself higher. His foot slipped and his guts twisted with fear as he scrambled for a better hold. He caught himself just as Sulentis took hold of his arm. Orlos climbed over the rail and knelt on the balcony, taking deep breaths to steady his pounding heart.

  Sulentis knelt beside him. The elementar was drenched with sweat, and his face was flushed.

  “Are you well?” Orlos asked between breaths.

  “It was much harder than I thought,” Sulentis said. “Stone is difficult to work with.”

  “Really?” Orlos said. “Stone is hard to work with? You just learned this?”

  Sulentis chuckled and clapped Orlos on the shoulder. “We made it. That’s all that matters.” He helped Orlos to his feet. “Are you ready?”

  Orlos glanced at the balcony door. Sulentis was making no effort to speak quietly. “Is she here?” Orlos whispered.

  “No one can hear us. I’m using my magic to keep us silent.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Our voices—all sounds—are carried on the air, and I control the air.”

  “Can you stop the noise of us opening the door?”

  “Yes, and I will.”

  The door was closed, although two windows flanking it, some five strides away on either side, were open. The door was covered in glass panes. Orlos knew enough about the world outside of Landomere to know that it was worth a fortune. Curtains were drawn behind the door, preventing them from seeing into the room.

  “She’s in there?” Orlos asked.

  Sulentis nodded. “She keeps late hours, but she should be asleep by now.”

  “Should be?”

  “The room is dark. If she isn’t in, you can come back out, and we’ll wait until she arrives.”

  “What if she—”

  “Just go and look.”

  Orlos grinned. “Sure, I’ll just take a peek into the queen’s bedchambers. She’s just a queen.”

  Sulentis took the door handle and paused a moment. The world seemed muffled to Orlos. It had better be. If the queen awoke and called her guards, well, it was a long trip off the tower.

  Sulentis turned the handle and smiled as he pulled the door ajar. There was no sound, and only a slight breeze ruffled the curtains. “Time for you do to your magic,” Sulentis said.

  Orlos swallowed and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly and cleared his mind. This is insane.

  The spiridus cloak didn’t come easily. It took a few heartbeats for it to manifest, and then he waited a dozen more to be certain he had it firmly in place. The world was brighter now, almost like full daylight. At least he wouldn’t trip on anything.

  Sulentis pulled the door wide enough for Orlos to slip through, but he paused a moment. Before Orlos stepped into the room he had to move the curtain…there was no way around it. Just don’t let her be awake and looking this way.

  Orlos pulled the curtain back. There were no screams, at least. He took a step forward and peered into the room. The queen’s bedchamber was a large room with its own sitting area and a huge fireplace. Two doors led from the room, one open, the other closed. The bed was enormous—and occupied.

  Orlos looked closer. Not only was it occupied, it was occupied by more than one person. And they were moving. He couldn’t hear them, but he certainly saw them.

  “Well?” came Sulentis’s voice. “Is she there? Is Forsvar there?”

  “She’s here,” Orlos said, “and so is Forsvar.” The Godshield hung on the bed’s headboard. It was a round shield, red, with crossed lightning bolts upon it. Orlos didn’t know how he knew it was the right shield. He just knew it. The shield radiated the touch of the god.

  “Get it,” Sulentis said, his voice urgent.

  “She’s not alone.”

  Sulentis paused. “Get it anyway. It doesn’t make a difference.”

  “Ah, it does. They’re awake.”

  “What? Did they see the curtain move?”

  “They, ah, they’re occupied…and, um, her back is to me.”

  “Forsvar save me.”

  The sig
ht wasn’t new to Orlos. He’d done it himself on more than one occasion. But this was certainly a new perspective on it. The queen was certainly…engaged in her nocturnal activities.

  “What are you doing?” Sulentis asked. “Are you still there?”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Get Forsvar!”

  Orlos turned and looked back at Sulentis. He was right next to Orlos, almost touching him, although it was clear he couldn’t see Orlos. “Get it while they’re…you know?”

  “Just do it. Get the Godshield to me and everything will be fine. Just get it into my hands.

  “Can’t we wait until they go to sleep?”

  “No! There’s something happening below. Fendal, maybe. We have to do this now. Before there’s an alarm.”

  Orlos slipped past the curtain and into the room. He must have moved past the field of Sulentis’s magic, because he could suddenly hear more, much more, than he wanted to hear. He focused on his spiridus shadows and tried to ignore the noises coming from the bed.

  The floor was tiled, with thick rugs over top. It made for silent movement at least. Orlos crept closer to the bed. The spiridus cloak wasn’t perfect, he knew, and he would be close to them—right in front of the queen when he took the Godshield. At least it was almost pitch dark in the room. The lack of light had little effect on him, but that wasn’t the case for the queen and her…friend.

  The pale light there was came from the room through the open door. There was candlelight in there.

  Orlos took a deep breath as he passed the queen. Too preoccupied by her endeavors, she made no notice of him. The man beneath her was very focused on the queen. Orlos kept his eyes averted and tried not to pay attention to their words… and noises. He felt his spiridus cloak slipping. It was harder maintaining his focus than when he faced the inquisitors.

  How would he ever get Forsvar from her? How would he ever keep it from Sulentis? All his plans—everything seemed mad to him at that moment.

  Orlos stepped up to the headboard and reached for Forsvar just as the queen let out a particularly loud moan. And then she screamed. Orlos snatched the Godshield from the wall, his spiridus cloak dropping away from him in tattered shreds.