"Knights, we have an urgent problem. I’m sure you all remember the death of the messenger that recently happened in this very room. Since that time, we've spent manpower and resources investigating his claims, and I am sorry to say that they are true."
Rich leaned over to Angela and Nadia and whispered that he would explain more later.
"The Corridor of Keys has in fact undergone a remarkable metamorphosis. Its physical appearance has changed, but these changes are not only cosmetic. Instead of being a group of interlocking puzzle rooms and sanctuaries, it is now one enormous connected labyrinth of traps and hazards patrolled by abominations that make the Gigantaurs look like seeing-eye dogs."
Murmurs went around the room, each knight whispering to a neighbor. Rich gave Nadia what he hoped was a reassuring look, but she just turned and stared off into space. Man, she must have been through some really bad stuff.
St. George raised his goblet, and Rich noticed that he was looking a little worse for wear. His usually white robe with its red cross was looking a bit singed in places, with similar dark patches on his skin. "You say that the Gray Knight is behind this? How is that possible? The Knights Temper have sworn to remain neutral, and Temperance herself has not been seen in ages, nor the Homeland in which she was buried. How is it that they can break the treaty without fearing retribution from the sovereigns?"
Minerva responded to his question. "An astute observation, George. It is as we feared. The sovereigns, both Palad and Nemes, have become weak. Without being able to see into the heart of the Corridor, we do not truly know why, but we have an educated guess."
She held up three fingers. "The sovereigns were initially given three stones of power—the sunstone, the moonstone, and the starstone. The Palad family carried the sunstone, the Nemes family looked after the moonstone, and the starstone was entrusted to Temperance and her followers. The stones are what give the families their power to begin with."
Her husband took up the dialogue, speaking with more animation in his gestures than Rich had ever seen him do before. This was a story Grandfather knew well, and in his voice, it seemed all that more real to Rich.
“As the family lines get longer and longer, there is less energy to go around. Yes, the stones possess immense power and it lasted for thousands of years and countless generations, but I'm afraid we've reached the tipping point. The stones also give the sovereigns the power they need to continue the conflict with each other. Because Palad and Nemes have been fighting constantly for so long, this has drained the stones significantly."
Rich was trying to see where this was going. No one had ever mentioned Temperance joining in the fight, and no fighting meant no using up the energy of her stone. Her two brothers had been draining the batteries, in a way, while she sat on the sidelines, waiting for her chance.
"So now the Knights Temper have more power than both of the other families combined, don't they?” Rich said. "That's the tipping point."
His grandfather hung his head as though admitting something he was very ashamed of. "That is right, Heinrich. I admit I am guilty of turning a blind eye to this possibility. We should have prepared better."
Minerva reached over and placed her hand on his. Some of the pain left his face, and he took a moment to smile over at her. “No one knew for sure that this would happen,” she said. “And there is no use in wasting the time and energy squabbling over who is to blame.”
Nodding, his grandfather looked back to the rest of the table. “The Gray Knight has placed most of the power from the starstone into the Corridor itself. He can now move it at will, and there are some indications that he may have weaponized it. Several cities that it has passed through have sustained major damage, and it is now flying above ground with ease. We are not sure what his ultimate plans are, but whatever they are, they cannot be good for anyone, paladin and nemesis alike.”
St. George raised his goblet, and heads turned to him. “A classic ‘storm the keep’ sort of situation, then? You can count me in.”
“Might not be so simple, George,” Minerva said. “First, we’ll need to get in. Second, we need to navigate to the central chamber where the sovereigns are battling, and finally, we need bring them out and work together with them to meet this threat. Every one of the tasks is a tall order, but accomplishing all three will be the stuff of legends. We will need stealth, cunning, strength, and a healthy dose of imagination.”
Rich perked up at the last word, which his grandmother had directed squarely at him. He knew it probably had something to do with the door, but the thought made him squirm. “If the whole Corridor has changed, how do we know that the door leading to the sovereigns is the same?”
“We don’t,” Minerva said, shaking her head. “But then again, it takes a great deal of power to make the changes he has. If he should use too much, he will lose the advantage he has now. The door is the most heavily enchanted part of the Corridor, and so would require the most power to change. So there’s a good chance he left it alone.”
Simultaneous conversations broke out all around the room, but Rich didn’t join in. He didn’t like the thought of making the dangerous trip and not knowing if he’d even be able to complete it when they came to the end. But that wasn’t all. They’d said they would need to get both the dark knights and the paladins out of the Corridor and convince them to work together against the threat. That seemed like the hardest part of all. He thought about fighting alongside Mallory and knew that he’d always be glancing over his shoulder, wondering if she was literally going to stab him in the back.
One of the louder voices gave voice to his concern. Rich turned and saw that it was one of the red-bearded knights. “And how do you supposed we convince them all to come out and play nice, even if we do manage to get there? In all these years, they have not emerged even once. Not to stretch their legs, not for a snack break...nothing. I suppose we can just call a ‘time out’ or pull the fire alarm or something.”
From the shouting in the room, it seemed like most of the others agreed. Rich’s grandfather raised his goblet and slammed it down for silence. “I never claimed this would be easy. While Sir Svenson has spoken the truth, these are times like none other. Above all, both sides wish victory, and will see that both sides will lose if they do not turn their focus. Faced with impending destruction, they will make the only choice they can. We must simply convince them of that.”
The entire room fell silent, most knights looking into their goblets or down at the table. Though it terrified him, Rich knew he could not back down from this one. He didn’t know what the dark knights would do with Laura and his cousins, but no matter what, he would be doing this for them, for his friends, and for his home. Slowly, he rose to his feet, turning toward his grandparents. “I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but the only wrong thing would be for us not to try. We might have to figure things out on the way, but at least we’ll doing something.”
Minerva looked at him, her eyes wet. “Well said. I wish we had more time to plan, but unfortunately, we must simply get moving. Rich, you must go so you can open the door with your gifts. Your parents, Aaron, Jan, George, and a few others will follow you in. We cannot send too many at once, and we do need to leave others behind to guard the Sanctuary. It is too dangerous for the two of us as the king and queen to leave this place. It would be too easy to checkmate us there.”
Minerva cleared her throat and met Rich’s eyes, a strange expression on her face. She bit her lip and paused before continuing, all of which made Rich feel a bit off balance. “There’s one other thing, Heinrich,” she finally managed. “To make your task easier, we have managed to secure the key to the first part of the door you will have to open. It must be carried in two parts, and it’s best if the parts are carried by those who are not knights.”
Rich’s stomach sank as he realized what she was getting at. There was a reason why Angela and Nadia were still sitting at the table, listening in, even though they weren’t knights. Whether they liked it or not, they were both part of this now.
“Why?” Rich asked. “Wouldn’t that be especially dangerous for them? I mean, it’s not a day at the park for us either, but they don’t have shields or...well, anything.”
“We haven’t even considered using the key until now. A powerful enchantment lies on it. Any knight, whether Palad or Nemes, who holds a part of the key is slowly driven insane. The knight who retrieved it jumped from a skyscraper after causing a great deal of damage. I know your friends won’t have the other protections that knights enjoy, but they will have you.”
She then turned her head, giving a little nod to both Angela and Nadia. “I would like you to accompany Rich, though I know I can’t force you. You probably do not understand what’s going on, but I assure you, nothing could be more important. It will be dangerous, but I promise that Rich and the others will make it their first priority to keep you safe. What do you think?”
Angela stood first and put her hand on Rich’s shoulder. “Well, I’m glad I’m seeing all this with my own eyes. If Rich has just told me about it, I wouldn’t have believed him. Rich’s a pretty cool guy. I’ll come along and help if I can.”
The other knights raised their goblets to her, and all eyes turned to Nadia. She stood slowly, her eyes staring off into space. Rich thought for a moment that she might make a little speech like Angela had, but in the end, she said only a few words before sitting again.
“Sure, I’ll come too.”
The knights cheered again, but with much less enthusiasm than they had responded with for Angela. Rich couldn’t figure out what was going on with her. He had never seen her this quiet.
“Thank you,” Rich’s grandfather said. “We’ll leave right away, then. The Corridor is flying through central Oklahoma on a collision course with Oklahoma City. Suffice it to say that things won’t be OK if it gets there.” He smiled at his own joke as he motioned to Aaron, who stood and gave a salute. “We’ve arranged for you all to take a plane, and Aaron has graciously agreed to be our pilot. Rest assured, it is not your run-of-the-mill airliner. In case the Corridor has defenses, this craft will be ready for anything.”
Aaron grinned, and Rich noticed he could barely stand still. First a sport’s car and now a high-tech airplane. Being a paladin sometimes had its perks.
Rich’s grandparents rose, and all the other knights with them. “Good luck, all of you. We send our blessing as you go on your way, and may Palad’s own fortune go with you.”
For the next hour, Rich’s head felt like it would spin off his shoulders as the entire sanctuary become a bustle of non-stop activity. Servants came and outfitted each knight with extra armor and weapons for the journey and relayed assignments as given by his grandparents. Angela and Nadia changed into outfits with light mail shirts and other bits of light armor.
While Angela talked almost constantly with the servants and other knights, Nadia didn’t say a word. When Rich had finished preparing himself, he walked over and waved at her, trying his best reassuring smile. “Uh, hi. Are you holding up okay?”
She nodded, but didn’t say anything. Rich’s smile faltered for a moment, but he managed to save it right before it sank into a frown.
“Thanks for coming with me. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d said no. We’ll keep you safe.”
Nadia grunted and looked away. “I don’t need you to keep me safe. I can do that myself.”
While he was glad she had broken her self-imposed vow of silence, Rich winced at the coldness in her voice. He couldn’t help himself anymore.
“Nadia, I’m sorry,” he said, swallowing hard. “I know it must have been bad, what they did to you after they captured you. I feel like that’s all my fault. You wouldn’t be part of all this...lemonade stuff if it wasn’t for me.”
Rich thought he saw the flicker of a smile, but then it vanished again.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Feeling more confused than ever, Rich watched Nadia walk away, his heart sinking lower with every step.
CHAPTER 9: FLIGHT OF THE PEGASUS
When his grandfather had said the plane was no ordinary one, he wasn’t exaggerating. One look at it, and Rich immediately resolved to build a model version for his collection if he ever got through this.
Its body looked like a regular airliner, but its wings, still made out of metal, had been crafted to look huge and feathery. A head of a knight chess piece jutted out where the cockpit usually was. The name Paladin’s Pegasus stood out on the side, painted in golden letters.
To Rich’s relief, the inside of the plane was much better than a normal airliner as well. Each seat had a thick cushion of soft blue fabric, plenty of leg room, and an individual table that wrapped around part of it. The matching blue carpet felt so plush, he was tempted to take off his shoes to enjoy it.
They had only been inside a minute when Aaron snagged his arm and led him to the cockpit. “Would you like to be my copilot? It seems like you have fulfilled a similar role with me many times already.”
Rich laughed, half amused, half nervous. “Uh, that’s cool and all, but I think you actually have to know how to fly a plane to be a copilot. I can’t even drive a car.”
This didn’t seem to bother Aaron at all, who continued to pull him toward the front. “Oh, it couldn’t be simpler, Rich! This thing practically flies itself. Come on!”
Hoping that he wasn’t about to condemn them all to a fiery plane crash, Rich followed Aaron up a short flight of stairs into the cockpit, which looked out of where the chess knight’s eyes would be. The pilot and copilot’s chairs looked like fancy leather recliners done in dark blue leather.
The controls, not too surprisingly, looked like a chessboard with a single white knight placed on one end of it and a bunch of colored buttons around it. No sign of a joystick or steering wheel or anything.
Aaron took a seat and pointed to the board in front of him. “This will show us any threats and allow us to control the craft. You just put your hand on the white knight and tilt it the way you want to go. The farther you tilt it, the faster it goes, and you just pull it backward to break. Want to try?”
Rich took his seat and made sure he buckled every strap possible. “Uh, maybe I’ll watch you do it first. I’m just the copilot, right?”
“Fair enough,” Aaron said, reaching for what looked like an intercom system. “Pegasus passengers, this is your captain speaking. Please take your seats, strap in, and keep your parachute handy. I’m taking off in exactly one minute.”
Rich swallowed hard and shot a concerned glance at his friends. “Parachutes? You think we’re going to need those?”
With a shrug, Aaron started to press buttons around the control panel and the craft’s engine whirred to life, giving the entire room a slight vibration. “Who knows? I’d rather have one handy and not need it than to find myself tumbling though space wearing armor.”
Rich couldn’t disagree with that logic and took a second to locate the parachute under his seat. “Wow, Aaron. Not only do you make a good paladin, but you could join the Boy Scouts.”
Aaron looked over, his face inquisitive. “What’s a Boy Scout? Do they get to fly planes?”
Racking his brain, Rich couldn’t remember if there was a merit badge for that. Probably one for learning about planes, but not flying them. “Not really, but they do camp a lot and go on hikes. You’d like it.”
“I’m sure I would,” Aaron said, putting his hand on the white knight piece that controlled the plane. “Shall we go?”
/> He didn’t give Rich the chance to answer one way or another. He jammed the white knight piece forward, and the plane launched ahead. For a while, they could not see anything out the viewport, and Rich felt sure they were going to crash any second. Aaron guided the plane in a straight line, and after about a few minutes, Rich could see a light in the distance, which grew until they passed through it, rocketing into the night sky.
The plane climbed, pinning Rich back against his chair from G force. Aaron laughed and yelled in excitement the entire way up, and Rich wondered how he was going to top this. He’d already mastered a sports car and a plane. Maybe they’d have to get him some sort of spaceship next.
They finally leveled out, and Rich took a relieved breath. He looked around and saw rolling hills with the occasional patch of trees. It was then he realized he had no idea where they were.
“How long will it take to catch up with the Corridor? Where are we, exactly?”
Aaron studied the chessboard, which had changed so the surface showed nearby landmarks like a three-dimensional holographic map, though Rich could still see the black and white squares underneath.
“According to this,” Aaron said, “we are now flying somewhere over Kansas. Unless we meet a twister, it should take us less than two hours.”
Rich studied Aaron as he guided the plane using only the chessboard controls. The map changed slightly with the terrain, but they didn’t see anything else until they got much closer.
“Aaron?” Rich asked. “My grandma mentioned weapons on this things. You do know how to use those, right?”
Aaron’s eyes lit up with childish glee, and he rubbed his hands together. “Oh, I know how to use them, and so do you!” He placed his hand on the knight that controlled the plane. “The great thing about this craft is that it can use the powers of the knights flying it to defend it. You can use your shield, and it enhances it so it surrounds the entire plane. As a rook, you could turn the plane’s skin to stone, or even castle the whole thing to another person in need.”
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