Warriors of the Black Shroud

by Peter Howe

  He turned to Walker, took his hands, and looked him straight in the eyes with such sorrow that the boy feared he was about to cry.

  “I hope to return,” he said, “because, old as I am, I would like to live a little longer, but also because I would like to have the time to know you better. You are a fine young man, and I would like to watch you grow into the person you are destined to become.”

  Then he turned and strode out of the room, closely followed by Jevon.

  “Where do you wish to go, my lord?” the page asked.

  “Back to Astrodor’s,” Walker replied. “It’s okay, you don’t have to show me. I can find my way.”

  When Walker got back to the house, things were pretty much as he had left them. Eddie was on the floor with the twins, only now, instead of playing rocks, they were erecting a tall tower from the building stones. Artor was still reading and Astrodor and Frankie were sitting together in a corner talking. There was no sign of either parent. When they saw Walker return they clamored around him, asking what had happened, and had he agreed to be the king’s heir, and would he be going back to the Outerworld ever again.

  “I will be going back to the Outerworld often,” he told them, “and by myself.”

  This brought a gasp from the listeners.

  “So he taught you how to do that, did he?” Eddie asked somewhat sullenly. “Well, let me tell you, it’s not as easy as you would think.”

  “When you say you’re going back by yourself,” Frankie questioned him, “do you mean alone or just without help? Because if you’re going I’m coming with you, so don’t think I’m not.”

  “Okay, then. Are you ready now?” Walker asked, grasping her hand.

  “You’re leaving me here?” Eddie was incredulous. “I mean, just like that?”

  “I’ve got to try this,” Walker said. “Otherwise I can’t stay here. If we don’t return straight away come find us. It’ll mean I don’t know how to get us back.”

  “I just hope you get there,” Eddie warned him, “and don’t get stuck somewhere between the two worlds. It would be tricky to rescue you if that happened.”

  “It’s a risk I’m going to take,” said Walker. “How about you?” he asked Frankie.

  “Hey,” she replied. “You’re a Chosen One. How bad could it be?”

  They said good-bye to everyone and walked out of the house and down the street toward the avenue that ran from the Palace to the gates. When they got to the wider road Walker gripped Frankie’s hand tightly and they started to run. He closed his eyes and thought of the orchard behind the barn. Faster and faster they ran, quicker than Walker had ever run before. Suddenly there was a crash and a blow that knocked the wind out of him. He looked around to see that he had run directly into the side of the barn. Sprawled in front of him was Frankie, covered in mud and grass. Behind her he could see the sun shining through the leaves of the apple trees. She looked up at him.

  “Eddie’s right, you know,” she gasped. “This stuff is harder than it looks.”

  Chapter 11

  Eddie watched Walker and Frankie go down the path toward the street. He wondered what he should do while they were away. He could follow them back to the Outerworld but that would be as good as admitting that he was jealous and felt left out, and there was no way he was going to do that.

  He said good-bye to the boys and walked aimlessly toward the big avenue. Then he noticed that a crowd had gathered and was lining the sides of the avenue. He gently pushed his way to the front and saw the king and six of his Lightkeepers on unicorns some distance from him. He knew it was the king because someone mounted on a jet-black steed led the group, and the sovereign was the only one to have such a unicorn; every other one in the Kingdom was white. The story went that the animal, Tonar, once belonged to the Black Count, but during the Battle of Barren Plains it threw him from its back and ran to the king when his mount was killed during the fighting. They had been inseparable ever since.

  As the royal party got closer Eddie could see that the knights held Lances of Light. He wondered why there were so few riders and why they were all so old. He turned to one of the onlookers.

  “What’s happening, do you know?” he asked.

  “From what I hear,” replied the man, “they’re going to try to get through to Litherium again, although why they think they can do it when other patrols have failed I don’t know. Still, he’s the king so he probably has information we don’t.”

  “Don’t you believe it,” said a voice behind them. “I think he’s gotten too old for the job. He’s going senile. We need new leaders, in my opinion.”

  Eddie whirled around to see who was speaking. You never heard anyone criticizing the king; it was unthinkable. Everyone else seemed as disturbed as he was, but nobody could tell who had made the remark. He moved to the back of the throng and walked in the same direction as the riders—toward the huge gates in the wall. The crowd thickened as he got closer, and he had to push his way through.

  A plan had formed in his mind. He would try and slip through the gates when they were opened to let the king and his party out. Then if he hung behind until it was too late for them to send him back, he would join the group and go to Litherium. It was many Eons since he’d been to a Sister City. Not only would it be exciting, but it would also show Walker and Frankie that he could live without them. He might not be a Chosen One, but he was still a prince of the realm and important in his own right.

  The riders were now in front of the gates. They halted and the huge doors began to slowly open. Eddie noticed that as they did, a gap appeared under one of the massive hinges. It wasn’t big, but big enough for an eleven-year-old to slip through.

  “Look at the power of those lances,” he said in a voice loud enough for everyone around him to hear. The surrounding crowd turned their heads to see what he was talking about, and as they did he slipped through the gap and into the vast darkness beyond the walls.

  “We have to go back,” said Walker.

  “Why?” asked Frankie, who was lying in the orchard idly chewing on a blade of grass. “We just got here.”

  “I promised the king I would stay in Nebula until he returned,” Walker explained. “I only wanted to come here to see if I could.”

  “You just want to get back to see if they’ve got that unicorn thing ready for you,” Frankie suggested. “But if you’re going to be all antsy, let’s go now. We don’t even know if it’ll work from this side. We might have to wait until Eddie comes to get us. Think how happy he’ll be if that happens.”

  Walker was worried about the return journey too. The king had only described the process from the Kingdom to the Outerworld. Walker assumed it would work the same in reverse, but there was only one way to find out.

  “We need more open space than we have here to get up enough speed,” he said. “Let’s go to the meadow.”

  Next to the orchard there was a cow field with plenty of room for them to run without banging into anything. Walker took Frankie’s hand and the two of them began to sprint across the grass. He concentrated with all his might on the square in the middle of the Palace. They kept going and going but nothing changed. He finally brought them to a halt.

  “Nothing happened,” he said.

  “Oh, yes it did!” cried Frankie. “Yuck. Look at my shoes. How gross!”

  He looked down to see her sneakers covered in cow manure and grinned.

  “Well, you’re a real country girl now,” he said.

  “I smell like one,” she replied. “What’s more, we’re still here.”

  Walker banged his forehead with the palm of his hand.

  “Of course! We have to use the hole from this side!” he cried. “That was so stupid!”

  “It would have been nice if you’d remembered that before I got covered in all this poop,” she complained.

  They went back through the fence and over to the hole behind the barn. Standing on the edge, Walker once again concentrated on the square. He he
ld Frankie’s hand.

  “Jump on three,” he told her. “One—two—three!”

  They leaped into the air and were immediately enveloped in the sensation of floating in space. He landed in the middle of the square and looked around to find Frankie. There was a loud splash and he turned to see her standing ankle-deep in the water of the fountain. She looked at him crossly.

  “Next time,” she said as she climbed out, “I think I’ll wait for Eddie.”

  “Well, at least your shoes are clean now,” he said. Fortunately Astrodor found them before Walker could get himself into any more trouble.

  “Did Prince Edward come back with you?” he inquired.

  “Back?” Walker replied. “He didn’t even come with us.”

  “Really?” said Astrodor. “He followed you out and I just assumed he was going along.”

  “Nope,” said Frankie. “We didn’t see him at all.”

  “Oh well,” Astrodor said, “I expect he’s around somewhere. It must be so amazing to go to the Outerworld and come back whenever you want to. Was it easy?”

  “Oh, yeah, it was no problem,” Walker assured him. Then, looking at Frankie’s soaking socks and shoes, he added, “Well, nothing major, anyway.”

  “That’s great,” said Astrodor. “Oh, I forgot, Lord Jevon told me he promised the king to take you to the unicorn farm to get a mount.”

  “When did the king leave?” Walker asked.

  “About two cycles ago,” Astrodor replied. “We’ve heard nothing from them up to now. Anyway, when do you want to go to the farm? The Mistress of the Herd said she has a really great one picked out for you. You are so lucky you’re getting a unicorn of your very own right now. I probably won’t get one until I’m a Lightkeeper and that could be Eons away. When would you like to see it?”

  “Let’s do it now,” said Frankie, “before he explodes with excitement.”

  Walker didn’t even bother to deny his eagerness, and so they all made their way to the unicorn farm. It was a long walk, near the rock quarry and far away from the settlements. It wasn’t big but Walker could make out pens containing forty to fifty unicorns, all of different ages and sizes. He and Frankie were stroking a group of foals and letting them nibble their fingers when a stern-looking woman strode up. Instead of the normal floor-length gown she wore white baggy pants and high boots.

  “You must be the Chosen One here to claim his mount,” she said to Walker. “My name is Amula. I’m the Mistress of the Herd and I have her waiting for you. Come, follow me.”

  She turned on her heels and headed toward the buildings at one end of the pens. No wonder the unicorns are well trained, Walker thought as he trotted after her.

  As they turned the corner on the largest building he stopped and gasped. There before him, tethered to a ring in the wall, stood an animal that was so beautiful he just had to stare at her. She was not the largest in the herd, but what she lacked in size she made up for in elegance. Her tail reached to the ground, and her mane was long and wavy. A thick forelock brushed the edges of her eyes, and her coat was a light creamy color but was flecked with pure silver that made it sparkle.

  “Wow,” said Frankie. “I’m no unicorn expert but that is one good-looking beast.”

  Walker went up to her and stroked her nose. She nuzzled him affectionately. Her eyes were bright green, just like Eddie’s, and they shone with the same intensity. Protruding from the center of her forehead was a stubby horn. Amula saw him touch it.

  “She’s young, but it will grow in,” she assured him.

  “What’s her name?” he almost whispered.

  “Doesn’t have one,” said Amula. “We always let the knights name them.”

  “But I’m not a knight,” Walker pointed out.

  “If you have one of the king’s unicorns you are,” Amula declared. “Choose a name.”

  Walker thought for a minute.

  “I’m going to call her Lightning,” he decided.

  Amula had clearly never heard of lightning, because she shrugged her shoulders and said: “Strange name, but Lightning it is, then. Let me get a saddle and bridle. I’ll get a double saddle. I presume the young lady will be riding behind you, and we don’t want her falling off.”

  She said it in a tone of voice that indicated she didn’t care either way, and walked off.

  “What did I do to upset her?” Frankie asked.

  “I dunno,” said Walker. “Maybe she just likes animals better than people.”

  “Well, I like animals better than her, especially this one,” she said as she stroked Lightning’s nose. “She’s beautiful.”

  Lightning let out a long, low whinny and gently pressed her head against Frankie’s chest. Frankie was clearly in love. Amula returned with a saddle that had two seats in it, one for each rider, and two sets of stirrups. The bridle was simply a band that went over the nose, with long reins attached. Amula fitted them on the unicorn and handed the reins to Walker.

  “What do I do?” he asked.

  “Tell her that you want to mount,” she instructed.

  “Okay,” Walker said. “I WANT TO MOUNT!”

  “There’s no need to shout,” said Amula. “Her hearing is much more sensitive than yours.”

  And indeed Lightning was now down on her front knees, bringing the saddle low enough for both of them to hop up. When they were on she rose to her feet again.

  “What do I do now?” asked Walker, grabbing the reins tightly.

  “The first thing is to relax,” said Amula. “Then simply picture in your mind where you want to go and she’ll take you there.”

  “Just like that?” he asked.

  “Just like that,” she assured him. “Try it out. Go around the back of the farm.”

  There was a rock-strewn path around the perimeter of the unicorn enclosures, and Walker looked at the farthest point of it he could see. Lightning moved quickly forward, her gait so smooth that her two riders barely felt any movement. As Walker looked farther on, Lightning moved in the same direction.

  “Imagine going faster,” Frankie whispered in his ear.

  He did so and immediately Lightning’s pace increased.

  “No, faster,” urged Frankie.

  “Let’s go, Lightning,” Walker said. “Show us what you’ve got!”

  The unicorn sprang into action and within moments they were racing. Even though they could hear the sound of her hooves on the rough ground, it felt as if they really were soaring through the air. They were on the outer fringes of the Kingdom now, close to the walls, and Lightning was going as fast as she knew how.

  The path veered to the right and suddenly Walker could see that their way was blocked by a fall of stones from the side of a round turret. The pens of the farm closed off the other side of the path and there was nowhere for them to go. Before he could think they were on top of the fallen stones. He shut his eyes, and Frankie let out a little “Uh-oh” and tightened her grip around his waist. Then they felt the animal jump, clearing the barrier by several feet. She flew through the air, then landed and smoothly continued on her way. Walker had the good sense to imagine her going slower and within a short time they were back to a gentle walk.

  “Wow!” cried Frankie. “Double wow! I don’t know what Eddie’s doing right now, but I bet it’s nowhere near as exciting as this.”

  Chapter 12

  Eddie knew from the very beginning that this was a foolish thing to do. The fact that the knights were carrying Lances of Light was a sure indication that the mission was going to be difficult and dangerous. But he did it anyway.

  He’d managed to conceal himself for a while, but it was hard to hide his glow, even behind big rocks. It wasn’t so much of a problem near to the Kingdom because of the light that spilled from its walls, but the farther they went the darker it became. And the party went farther into Diabolonia than Eddie had ever been. The king had decided that instead of taking the direct road from Nebula to Litherium, they would sweep in a wide circ
le and approach the Sister City from a completely different direction. If the Warriors of the Black Shroud had captured the city, this would take them by surprise.

  Everything started to go wrong when the group stopped to rest. The knights had formed a defensive circle, and the rider facing Eddie saw his glow and immediately went to investigate.

  “Your royal highness,” said the knight when he discovered him, “this is not a good place for anyone to be, least of all a child. The king will not be pleased.”

  And indeed the king was far from pleased.

  “What in the name of Light possessed you to follow us out here?” he asked sternly. “Didn’t you realize you would make a difficult task even harder? Your welfare is now our burden.”

  Eddie felt foolish and ashamed.

  “Please, sire, I wanted to visit Litherium again. It’s been a long time since I was there,” was all he could think to say.

  “You wanted to see Litherium!” the king repeated. “Did you think this was some pleasure trip we were embarked upon? That we were visiting cousins? Don’t you realize it is likely the Shroud have already destroyed that city, and that we may happen upon them at any moment?”

  He looked down at the small boy, who seemed even smaller next to his huge unicorn.

  “Prince Edward,” he said in a softer voice, “I know that the curse you have carried for so long hangs heavy upon you, but it will not be lifted through foolish and reckless actions such as this.”

  Eddie hung his head in shame. He knew that the king spoke the truth.

  “Here,” said the king, leaning down and offering his hand, “hop up here. There’s no point in you skulking around behind rocks for the rest of the mission.”

  The sovereign grasped Eddie’s hand. The older man’s grip was strong and he easily lifted him onto the animal’s back.

  “Hang on,” Leukos said, “and put your arms around me. We don’t want you falling off. You’ve been enough trouble already.”