by Chuck Black
Swish! An arrow flew within inches of Dalton’s shoulder and on toward the leading hound, but it flew wide and to the right of its target. Dalton timed a wide, powerful cut to meet the hound that was now leaping toward his throat. His sword cut through the hide of the beast. Dalton continued his slice, simultaneously turning his body to the left and ducking beneath the blur of brown hide and snapping teeth. The animal flew over the top of Dalton and landed in a motionless heap just behind him.
Dalton was now vulnerable to the second hound’s attack, but another arrow swished passed his shoulder just as the hound was nearly to him. This time the arrow sunk deep into the animal’s chest. It yelped and tumbled to rest at Dalton’s feet.
The last two hounds were larger but slower. Dalton had enough time to recover for one more attack, but he could not imagine how to take two of them at once. He saw Koen attempt to come to him, but a guard impeded his progress. One hound outdistanced the other, and as Dalton prepared himself, a moment of hope filled his heart. He glimpsed his friend Si Kon lunge from a rocky ledge at the trailing hound, a dagger in his hand.
The last hound was nearly to Dalton, and he swung his blade just as before. This time the hound hesitated, and Dalton’s sword cut only through air. With his body now turned to the left, he was vulnerable, and the hound lunged for Dalton’s chest.
Dalton quickly dropped his sword and drew his dagger in the split second that remained. The force of the attack pushed him backward, and he felt the powerful jaws of the beast sink into his side as he fell to the ground. His chain mail held, but the pain was severe just the same.
Dalton grabbed the dagger handle and plunged the blade deep into the side of the beast. It instantly released its bite and clamped onto Daltons forearm. He struggled to free his arm, but the crushing jaws held firm.
Dalton dropped the knife, rolled, and grabbed the knife with his left hand as he passed over the top of it. The hound released his grip on Daltons arm and lunged for his neck. Dalton sunk the knife once more deep into the chest of the vicious beast and this time pierced its heart. It fell lifeless on top of Dalton, and he pushed it off himself only to see a greater horror waiting.
Drox stood over Dalton with his sword pointed at his chest.
The entire chamber of the prison now fell silent as the epic conclusion of the battle between the evil master of darkness and the courageous young knight who dared return to his lair played out before them.
“Oh, how I love to kill the incompetent Knights of the Prince!” Drox’s words echoed from Dalton’s past. He raised his sword high in the air to strike. This time, Dalton knew Drox’s target would be his heart.
“No!” Carliss’s scream pierced the silence.
Dalton’s courage vanished. Had his encounter with Master Sejus meant anything at all if his ending was to be the same as before?
Drox’s blade began its death plunge as Dalton’s mind raced through the circumstances that had brought him to this moment in time. He turned his head to the right and saw Si Kon covered in blood but standing victoriously over the brown mass of the last hound. His eyes were full of fear as he watched. This would not simply be the execution of another friend, but the final blow to his own courageous attempt to hope once more.
A glint of light shone off Dalton’s blade, which lay on the ground just an arm’s length away, and it told him something was different. This sword was not broken. It whispered to be used against the darkness of Drox.
Dalton once more felt the power of the Prince rise up within him as he reached to grasp the hilt of his mighty sword and brought it up to intersect the path of Drox’s descending blade. There was a clash of metal, and Drox’s blade was deflected to the left, where it imbedded itself in the hard ground of the chamber floor.
Drox struggled for a moment to dislodge his sword. Looking up from the ground at his nemesis, Dalton deftly set the tip of his blade just beneath the bottom edge of Drox’s breastplate. He thrust upward with all his might, and there was nothing to stop the plunge of his double-edged sword.
Drox’s eyes bulged in disbelief. He slowly looked down at Dalton, and his face turned ashen white. In that instant, Dalton saw three familiar faces—the mighty warrior, the young man of crafty words, and the boy of doubt years ago at the well. Three enemies who had stalked and hurt him. Three foes in one body—now stripped of power.
Dalton withdrew his sword, and Drox stumbled backward. He fell to his knees, his face contorted in anguish and rage. With one hand he clutched his chest, and with the other he raised a clenched fist into the air.
“My brothers will seek you out,” he tried to scream, “and kill you all!” His weakened cry was his last. He fell face forward to the chamber floor.
Dalton stood and walked to the massive hulk of Drox’s prone form. His own heavy breathing seemed to be the only sound in the midst of many hundreds of onlookers.
Dalton lifted his sword into the air. “Skia Ek Distazo…Lord Drox…is dead!” He slowly turned to see the faces of guards, Vinceros, and prisoners stunned by the moment. “By the power of the Prince, you are free!”
There was an absence of response from the prisoners, and it seemed as though the guards and Vincero Knights also didn’t know what to do.
There was a clamor from the cave entrance, and all turned to see Sir Orland enter with a contingent of forty knights. At that, the Vinceros dropped their swords, and some of the prisoners began to cheer.
Si Kon stumbled over to Dalton and slowly shook his head. “You came back”—he looked once at Drox and then back to Dalton—“and defeated him. I dared not hope for such a thing.”
Dalton stepped toward his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. “Together we defeated him, my friend,” he said. “By the power of the Prince, we defeated him.”
Si Kon’s lips slowly curled into a smile. He raised his hands and yelled as Dalton had never heard before. Si Kon then fell to his knees and wept.
“I will see my family once more,” he murmured through tears.
Dalton knelt down. “Yes, Si Kon.”
“And I will teach my children never to doubt the Prince as I once did. Through you I have seen His might, and I will never lose faith again.”
Dalton smiled and lifted his friend to his feet just as Koen and Carliss reached them. Koen grasped Dalton’s arm. Carliss looked as though she wanted to hug him. She smiled instead and then quickly turned away.
“The King reigns!” Koen shouted.
“And His Son!” came the cries of hundreds in unison.
Dalton smiled at Koen. “It was your courage that inspired me,” he said as Carliss turned back to him. “Both of you. Thank you!”
THE JOURNEY HOME
Sir Orland began giving commands to his knights, and the work of recovery and restoration began. First he gathered the guards and Vincero Knights and completely disarmed them. He offered all of them an opportunity to rejoin the cause of the Prince, but none did. Then he assigned a contingent of knights to escort Drox’s henchmen to Chessington, where they would stand trial before the Council of Knights.
As soon as the guards and Vinceros were subdued, Dalton, Carliss, Koen, and Si Kon helped the other knights tend to the wounded prisoners and gather the others, explaining to all that they were free to leave. Those who had come to free the imprisoned knights were shocked when some of the prisoners refused to leave. The fear of Drox’s final words still held them in invisible chains of bondage, and they could not break free. Even many of those who agreed to leave the prison seemed nearly overcome with apprehension.
“Even if we bring them out of this pit, there is only one way to truly free them,” Dalton explained to Sir Orland as they discussed their options.
“What is that?” Orland asked.
“We must strengthen their hearts for the Prince and train them again,” Dalton said as he recalled his weeks with Master Sejus. “I’ve been where they are, and only His healing power and belief in the King can overcome this.”
&nbs
p; Orland nodded. “I agree. We will take those who so desire to havens that will do what you have said. There are too many for one haven, however, so we will split them between the havens at Bremsfeld, Varlaken, and Salisburg.”
Dalton, Koen, and Carliss exchanged concerned looks as they thought of the haven at Salisburg. Sir Orland seemed to understand their hesitation. “Not to worry. I’ve spoken to the Council of Knights at Chessington, and they are sending new leadership to the haven at Salisburg. The new trainer will arrive tomorrow. Sir Dornan has already been dismissed.”
It took many hours to prepare the knights for the journey. The wounded were placed on horses and sent to Salisburg under the escort of Koen and five other knights. Dalton and Carliss remained to help with the final preparations for the others.
Carliss was adjusting the harness of her horse when Dalton found her. He tapped her shoulder, and she turned around to look at him. She seemed surprised. She wiped a few strands of hair that clung to the sweat on her cheeks and gazed at him with eyes that he now saw manifested a truly noble and courageous soul within.
“Carliss, I haven’t yet thanked you.”
“For what?” She loosed a brief smile, then quickly resumed her previous activity, rechecking the harness she had finished adjusting just a moment ago.
Dalton grabbed her arm, and she stopped. She looked up into his eyes.
“Thank you for saving my life…numerous times.” He smiled at her. “You’ve quite the eye with that bow.”
Dalton expected her to shy from the compliment as usual and nonchalantly resume her duties, but she did not. Instead she met his eyes with a direct gaze.
“My father taught me.”
“Then I shall thank him too,” Dalton said.
Carliss’s eyes seemed to search his soul, and now it was Dalton who wanted to find something to occupy his hands. He realized he was still grasping her arm, and he let loose.
“I guess I’d—”
“Dalton,” Carliss interrupted before he could turn away.
“Yes?”
“What will you do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Where will you go, and what will you do?” she asked plainly.
For a moment he thought it odd that she would even care. She was such a quiet lass, and he never could tell what she was thinking.
He looked away, realizing he hadn’t thought that far ahead. For the past few weeks he had been preoccupied with this very day, and now that it was gone, the future ahead seemed so open.
“I guess I will return to Salisburg and help train the knights,” he said as he looked at the hundreds of knights who were preparing to leave.
“And?” she prodded.
Dalton thought of Lady Brynn. With new leadership coming to the haven, he hoped that her zeal to serve the Prince might grow. That was truly his desire.
“Lady Brynn waits for me,” he said. “At least I hope she does,” he added.
He looked back at Carliss. She seemed to stare through him and into the horizon behind. She nodded slowly and forced a corner of her mouth up into her signature subtle smile.
“What of you, Carliss? What will you do?”
Carliss turned back to her horse, all business once more.
“I am going with the group to Varlaken to help there.”
“Varlaken…Does Koen know?” Dalton asked.
Carliss was now on the opposite side of her horse and glanced briefly across the animal’s nose at Dalton. She was her elusive, serious self again.
“No, please tell him and my family for me.”
“Are you sure, Carliss? I don’t think Koen—”
“I’m sure.” Carliss looked at Dalton with determination, and he knew she could not be swayed.
He nodded, a little confused. “I’ll tell them.”
The entire entourage of knights traveled east together until Carliss and one group turned southeast toward Varlaken. Half of the remainder would turn south to Bremsfeld under the command of Sir Orland, and Dalton and the other half journeyed north to Salisburg.
Something disquieted Dalton’s spirit as he watched Carliss disappear over a knoll. Varlaken was not that far from Salisburg, he told himself. He and Koen would travel together in a week or so to bring her home.
He comforted himself with this as his thoughts turned to Lady Brynn and the hope of their future together.
They arrived at Salisburg on the eve of the following day, for most of the freed knights had to walk and their progress was slow. Dalton met with Koen at the haven and conveyed Carliss’s message.
“Varlaken?” Koen said, concern on his face.
“Yes, she asked me to tell you,” Dalton said, feeling a bit as though he had let his friend down. “I’m sorry, I should have insisted she return with me.”
Koen looked at Dalton and nearly laughed. “Not much chance of that happening. Once my sister has set her mind to something, there’s little chance of changing it. It’s strange for her not to tell me, though.” Koen thought for a moment and seemed to understand. “Working at another haven for a while will be good for her. She’s been a bit sullen lately.”
“Is she all right?” Dalton asked.
Koen forced a slight smile. “She will be. I’ll ride to Varlaken to fetch her in two or three weeks.”
“Let me know when you go,” Dalton said as he mounted Chaser. “Perhaps I’ll join you.”
They saluted, and Dalton rode toward town. He was joyfully greeted by his family; then he ate and cleaned up. Tomorrow, before reporting for work at the haven, he planned to visit Lady Brynn. He wasn’t sure what to expect, since his last visit had not been what he had hoped for. They had shared their future dreams a hundred times over the past few years, though, and living them together seemed only right…or did it?
Dalton had to acknowledge that something had changed. His recent enthusiasm for his call as a Knight of the Prince seemed to push the two of them further apart. He didn’t fully understand why, but since he was the one who had changed, he felt all the more responsible for making their relationship work.
He fell asleep that night with a mind full of uncertainty. He reminded himself of one of Master Sejus’s proverbs and told himself that the morning always refreshes the body, soul, and spirit. Dalton found himself humming the familiar tune, and the words of his master fell softly into his mind as he drifted off to sleep.
The way of a fool is right in his eyes
But he that listens to counsel is wise!
A lying tongue is a brief endeavor,
But the lip of truth will last forever!
LOVE LOST
Dalton arrived at Lady Brynn’s home in the beauty of a summer morning. She stepped outside the doorway and onto the veranda before he had come to the steps. This encouraged him, for she seemed to have anticipated his visit.
“I picked these for you,” Dalton said and offered a medley of brightly colored flowers.
She gave him one of her dazzling smiles, accepted the bouquet, and leaned over to inhale the delicate fragrance. Dalton watched her and was nearly entranced with her magical movements. Her beauty radiated in the morning sunshine, and the flowers seemed dull in comparison.
So why did he feel that something was missing?
They walked to the back of her family’s manor and into the garden. Hardly a word was spoken between them, and Brynn seemed content with this. Dalton finally stopped and took Brynn’s hand. He turned to face her and looked deeply into her eyes. His heart began to sink as he slowly came to face the truth.
“Brynn, I came here to ask your father for your hand in marriage.” He sighed. “But we both know that isn’t meant to be.”
Brynn’s eyes saddened. She pulled her hand from his and turned away. After two steps, she turned back.
“You’ve changed, Dalton.”
Dalton nodded. “I have.”
“Why, Dalton? Why did you have to ruin…us…our future?”
Dalton stepped toward her.
He took her hand in his once again. “Because it was a future void of passion for the Prince.” He ached for her to understand…to change with him.
She shook her head. “You’ve become a fanatic. It’s all you talk about, all you care about.”
Dalton couldn’t deny it. Serving the Prince now made the rest of life seem dull by comparison, and he was filled with this passion to serve Him. Brynn’s simple statement of truth conveyed with finality the incompatible condition of each of their hearts.
In that instant, his romantic feelings for her snapped. It was a revelation that both saddened and freed him, but with each passing moment his heart lightened. He could not join to one who did not share his convictions and zeal to serve the King and the Prince wholeheartedly.
“You are right, my lady, and it is something I cannot change…nor would I ever wish to.” He gently let loose of her hand and stepped back.
He looked at her once more and smiled. “I wish you all the joy and happiness you seek, Brynn.”
He bowed and slowly walked away. She did not call for him, and there were no tears, only a small ache for dreams not lived.
Dalton mounted his steed and set his course for the haven. With each mile he traveled, the strings that tied him to unimportant matters of the kingdom seemed to stretch and break, falling behind in the wake of Chaser’s strides. The kingdom felt big and vast, and he was thrilled to be part of something even greater than himself
What would come next?
He was beginning to have an inkling of what he would like his future to hold…but he served at the will of the Prince, and he was content to let the future unfold in its own time.
Back at the haven, Dalton found there was much work to be done in retraining the recovered prisoners. He offered his services to help until his next assignment was decided.
While working, he often wondered how the havens at Bremsfeld and Varlaken were doing. He was particularly curious as to how Carliss was faring. In moments of solitude, he often found himself smiling as he thought of her.
He saw Koen frequently at the haven, and they set a day to ride together and bring Carliss home. But one day well before that time, Koen failed to appear at the haven. He was absent the next day as well, so Dalton rode out to his farm to check on him.