Shadow Knight

by O. J. Lowe

  I know in High Hall, possible and impossible do tend to blend together, but some rules of the universe are malleable, and some are irrefutable. Sometimes, if you want something badly enough in this place, you can will something approximating it into existence, but such things are usually flawed. Removing an immensely powerful magical artefact from someone’s possession, it’s not the sort of thing you can bodge, magically gifted or not.

  Hmmm… What is often the case though, is that when something looks impossible, the simplest solution is often the correct one. Consider this like a detective. If the thing couldn’t be removed from my neck, then chances were that it was still there. I tried to jerk my head down to get a better look, couldn’t feel the weight of it against my chest at all. Casting magic to conceal it would be immensely easier than forcibly removing it. I once inquired of Queen Leanna what sort of force it’d take to destroy the amulet, she’d simply smiled at me, forced a mental image into my head of an immense crater amidst a desert, the result of the sort of impact taking credit for wiping out an entire species. So, that was something.

  There was only one thing to do. I’d really worked on being able to activate the armour without placing hands on the amulet, I’d been caught out before and doing it against would just be irresponsible. I’d worked on subvocalizing it, thinking the words to activate it. They weren’t common words, there had to be intent behind them. A stray thought lighting it up could be dangerous, could send all sorts of wrong messages. It still needed some force of willpower behind it, but better safe than sorry.

  I’m never going to tell her this, but when I was working it out, I’d needed to attach a mental phrase to it to get it going. I’d thought of Libby and how she’d needed to rescue me the last time things had gone wrong, at the Lucky Dragon casino and I’d decided I wasn’t ever going to let it get to that point again. So, I’d done the typical fae thing and nicked her family motto for the magic words. They felt right.

  Semper Servientes. Semper Ortu. Semper Melius. Always serving. Always rising. Always better. I served the Queen Leanna. I’d rise to any challenge, as twee as that sounds, I’d always have to be better than whatever came my way, lest I end up dead.

  I subvocalized those words, screamed them mentally over and over, something twitching inside my shirt. Warmth spread across my chest, I screamed a cheer of triumph as the armour forced its way over my skin, the black magic dying out with a fizzle as the fae metal met it. Within moments, I was free, punched the air as the feeling gradually returned to my limbs.

  Have some of that, you creepy bastard! A simple trick and he’d so nearly fooled me. Nearly wasn’t good enough though. It didn’t change the circumstances overtly though, I was still a few days travel from the palace, my mount had been killed and eaten, which the truth be told, I was immensely pissed off about. The thunder god Thor had the capability to kill his rams, eat them and then restore them to life with his hammer. I didn’t have that power, so I left his bones where they’d been abandoned by Moulton. Burying an animal was a sentiment I didn’t have the time for right now.

  That whole thing is pretty ridiculous, if you think about it. I mean, I can sort of get burying a loved one. That’s just a show of respect. A pet or a mount though, why? Some people get way too attached to dumb beasts.

  The truth of it was, I could stand here ruminating all I wanted, I could bemoan my circumstances, but it wouldn’t get me where I need to be. I deactivated the armour, sighed ruefully and took off at a run. I wouldn’t put it past Moulton to be able to be able to teleport over there, I didn’t have any time to spare. If I needed to push myself to breaking point, then that was what I’d do. My queen wouldn’t expect me to do anything less. I’d run all night until my feet were little more than stumps and then crawl over broken glass if I had to. Because if I didn’t, then she’d be upset, she’d make me wish I had. Disappointing Leanna was a dumb career move. She might not need my help with dealing with Moulton. But she’d expect it regardless.

  One of the sweet, sweet parts of the knight package I’d long since discovered were the physical enhancements, nothing impossible but I was definitely stronger and faster than the average bear. When I’d heard about the gifts Libby had received from the angel her family had made a deal with, I’d wondered if she measured up. When I’d seen her in action, I’d arrived at the conclusion that maybe I didn’t.

  If I could get close enough to beat Moulton to death, my armour could repel his magic. He’d gotten the drop on me before, but I was damn sure that wouldn’t happen again. I knew he was loose in High Hall now; I’d be on my guard. Fool me once, that happens. Fool me twice, that’s on me.

  How long did I run? Not a bloody clue, but even with my enhanced stamina, I was puffing by the time I reached the trees, the glow of the fire I’d abandoned little more than a memory in the distance, the faintest kiss of orange against the black horizon. I’d done well, more than if I’d been meandering along on my mount.

  Moulton was ahead of me, had to be, but how far? Maybe I could stop him here in the woods before he reached the city. No way he could fit in amongst the populace of High Hall, his ears would give him away, largely because they weren’t pointed like the locals. Those scarred things would make him stand out like… Well, like he had ruined ears.

  Just a second to catch my breath. I shouldn’t, but… Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Long as I didn’t fall down and go to sleep, I’d be fine. I’d left the iron sword behind, patted at my waist and realised with a grimace. One day, I’d set out to retrieve it, but that wasn’t today. My armour still worked that was the main thing. You never know just how much you take stuff for granted until it’s stripped from you.

  My break over, I took a step into the trees, didn’t dare devolve into a run, but I definitely went at it with a quick walk, desperate to scan the darkness ahead. The mantle did give me passable night vision, but nothing special. I could maybe see three feet in front of me, the rest of the forest a cloak of shadows. Hence the reason I wasn’t running. It’d be all too easy to trip and turn an ankle.

  Somewhere around me, a roar burst through the darkness and I stiffened up, that ancient reaction of prey everywhere. If I don’t move, it can’t see me. I wasn’t going to lie; the sound certainly was troubling. There were a number of predators in these woods I could think of, though there might well be more, I’ve never claimed to be an expert on the local wildlife. Tiger bears for one, huge striped things that lived in trees and had a hankering for flesh being the most noted example of a large predator I could think of. Some of the fae hunted them to prove their masculinity.

  I took a deep breath, activated the armour around me. That’d give me an edge if something came up, if I was attacked. It was a little heavier than my clothes, though not by much. Magic fae metal, right? It has many redeeming qualities to make up for that iron weakness. Lightweight but durable.

  “My, my, oh my!”

  I stiffened at the sound of the voice, went for a weapon that wasn’t there, the voice throatily feminine and taunting. “Who’s there?!” Well, you hear someone talking, you have to ask the question, don’t you?

  “A friend, perhaps. An enemy, maybe. It’s better to be sure lest you suffer an injury.” Mockery filled her words. “Brave little knight running the woods, he can’t possibly know that he’s going to be too late to do his duty.”

  “Show yourself or I’m leaving.” It felt like an empty threat, I knew it the instant the words left my mouth and I disliked myself for it.

  “Is it better to work fast or to work smart? Why use a hundred randomly placed nails when a single strategic one will do the job?” I caught the glimpse of movement ahead, light suddenly filling my vision as she laughed, stepped into sight with her palms ablaze. Some sort of fire magic maybe. All I knew was it cancelled out any need for my limited night vision, I took in her face. There was something undeniably rough about her, her hair a dirty blond colour, her eyes a piercing shade of ice blue. Beneath her armour, she was buff for
a woman, looked every inch a warrior. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to stop with the riddles because it’s not really me.”

  “I didn’t ask you to do them,” I said. “Who are you?”

  “I have many names,” she said with a shrug of those huge shoulders. “I’ve been called Bastard; I’ve been called Half-Breed—”

  “Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you?!” I demanded. That ship had sailed long before I’d even heard the name High Hall, I wasn’t going to feel pity for some bitch lurking in a forest who’d had some nasty names brandished at her.

  “Valentine,” she said.

  “That a first name or last? Or just the one name? Like a god? Or a singer, I guess.”

  “It’s the only one you’re getting.”

  “Can I not just call you Bastard?” I inquired.

  “Not if you enjoy having your limbs where nature intended them to be. I was like you once, you know, Ronald. I had very little power, but huge potential, just needed someone to coax it out of me. It’s why I’m here. Kindred spirits and all that.”

  I fixed her with a stony glance. “You know nothing about me!”

  “Don’t I? Child of Stoller’s Shanty, no parents, born with nothing and grew up with less. Found a way into High Hall, killed one of the former rulers and inadvertently became the favourite of Queen Leanna, gaining the highest position any mortal can hope to hold in this demesne.” She gave me a sarcastic smile. “Do tell me when I get something wrong, yes?”

  “Doesn’t mean you know me.”

  “I think it means I know all I need to. Did you harbour dreams of becoming a knight? Or did you simply take the mantle to survive?” When I didn’t answer, she chuckled. “I thought so. We’ve been through that choice, to lay down and die or to be the people we never dreamed we could. When you killed Titania, what did you feel?”

  “What does that matter?”

  “Just curious,” she shrugged. “Do you know why she and Mab were kicked off the throne? Things were going badly, their world was dying, the people were pissed. And if you think regular people getting pissed over what their leaders are doing is bad, you’ve never seen a revolution here.”

  “Are you going somewhere with this?”

  “The fae thrones are bought with blood,” she said, as if I hadn’t spoken. “The rules are quite clear about that. There’s no peaceful transition, no retiring to spend time with the family. It’s a quick trip into the ground. But you know what the funny thing about it is. When a new ruler puts that crown on their head, it comes with its own set of obligations. A certain way to act if you like. They were so eager to get rid of Mab and Titania, they put Leanna on the throne. But the truth is, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I keep an eye on High Hall for my boss, he can’t come here you see. And well, Leanna hasn’t done anything in her duties that Mab or Titania wouldn’t have.”

  “What happened to Mab?” I asked, voicing the question I’d wondered for a long time. Whenever I asked, the question either fell on deaf ears or nobody seemed to know.

  “Now that,” Valentine said with a smile, “is the million-dollar question, right? What did happen to Mab?” She waved a hand, I took a step back in shock at the scene in front of me, recognised the main city of High Hall, the walls aflame, troll-apes hurling themselves at the defences, clubs and spears in their hands as they went toe to toe with the royal guard, archers lining up their shots to send arrows into exposed flesh, warriors clad in gaudy armour and carrying swords in each hands traded blows with their bigger enemies while officers tried to marshal a defence. Rasputin himself stood amidst a circle of corpses on the battlefield, more troll-apes than I’d ever seen in a single place coming over the horizon. Buildings burned behind the walls where they’d hurled flaming projectiles over them, some of them splattering scorching liquid against the defences, killing those manning them on sigh.

  “What is this?”

  “A window,” she said. “Part of my heritage, I suppose you could say, is to see the battle when it’s ongoing, an objective view of the proceedings.” I narrowed my eyes at her, not entirely sure what she meant by it, she let out a sigh, rolled her eyes. “I’m a Valkyrie, Frazer.”

  “Ah, gotcha.” Fair enough. “What’s this got to do with Mab then?”

  “The past is always relative to the present,” she smiled. “What we sow, we reap. What we grow, we eat. I can’t speak to Mister Moulton’s motivations, but I know he has some severe anger issues driving him. Such a foe is dangerous, enraged but with the cunning capabilities to carry out his revenge.”

  “Why are you showing me this?”

  “Even as we speak, High Hall is burning. Will the invaders triumph? Will the defenders repel them? It’s hard to say, the entire situation is fluid and ever-changing. But a window has multiple uses. You can look through or go through. Think about that, Frazer. Save you the walking, won’t it? You might even get there in time to make a difference.”

  “And you’re just doing that out of the goodness of your heart, huh?”

  “Well now,” she said, that smirk growing. “Everything has a price, Frazer. You should have been here long enough to know that by now.”

  Eight.

  The woman’s named was Leanna, though calling her a woman felt painfully inadequate. Sure, she was undoubtedly leaning towards the feminine, but the more I studied her, the more I found there was something pliantly androgynous about her. Just like Titania, the more I thought about it. Weird, that. She took my arm, guided me through what felt like treacle and suddenly we weren’t outside any longer, rather in a strangely ornate throne room, the walls adorned with paintings of two women, the one that I’d slain in the woods outside, the other a rather severe-looking one in a high-collared blue dress, her hair white blond, her eyes a brilliantly vivid shade of sapphire. Both of them wore crowns, silver ones adorned with rubies and sapphires and emeralds, the paintings did their best to convey the twinkle of the precious gemstones. The painter must have been pretty damn good.

  Even before my eyes, the room changed, the paintings turning to ash and falling from the wall, I glanced around and let out an involuntary yelp at the body towards the back of the room. He hadn’t died easily, crushed between heavy wooden doors, a sword protruding from his throat. Around his neck, a silver amulet rested against his chest, the fine chain kissing the blade.

  “Ah, him,” Leanna said. “Ignore him. He’s no longer important.” My gaze followed her as she moved to the throne, studied it tentatively before she lowered herself onto it with a contented sigh. “Feels better than ever I did imagine it would.”

  “Who was he?”

  “A relic,” she said. “Someone who no longer matters. There’s always one, you know. Or at least, there were two. One for summer, one for winter. A queen of fire and a queen of ice, a dominance and a submission depending on the season. Now though, High Hall is united. The old queens are gone. Long live the new queen.”

  “Should I bow?” I asked, before shrugging. “Sorry, I’ve never met a queen before.”

  She studied me the way a shark looked at a particularly appetising fish, studied my bloodied dishevelled appearance and wrinkled her nose. “As well I can imagine,” she said with a small smile. “If you’d arrived even ten years earlier, things might be different. Titania is dead. Mab is… gone, let’s leave it at that. They would not have been as gracious as I.”

  “You’ve welcomed me into your home,” I said, “and a grand old place it is. For that, I thank you for your hospitality.”

  “My, my, a little rough around the edges perhaps, but even burnished metal can produce gleaming silver. What’s your name?”

  “Ronald Frazer,” I said. I didn’t hesitate in giving her it, she’d given me hers after all and a show of trust is always a good thing. Plus, I didn’t want to be the one who spurned her. I very much got the impression that here was a fickle, malevolent figure who might well not hesitate with mood swings. “At your service, your ma
jesty.”

  “Would you?” she asked. “Serve?”

  “I think I already have,” I admitted. “Did killing Titania—”

  “Name her no more for her shade may yet hear you. To name such a thing is to grant it a modicum of power it does not deserve any longer.”

  “Did it grant you a service?”

  “Did you do it in my name? Dedicate it to me? Kill her for my benefit knowingly.”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t even know your name until just now. I didn’t kill her for love or anger, envy or hate. I killed her only so that I may survive. With the greatest of respect, your majesty, that is what I am. I am not a noble man; I am not a rich man. I’m someone who has seen the worst of it all and I’ve survived it. Nothing more.” I smiled at her. “That said, I dedicate the kill to you now.”

  “It doesn’t entirely work that way,” she said, returning the smile. “But the gesture is appreciated, if impotent. Soon, I’d be of a mind to flay you alive simply for making such an insulting. I’m a woman of refined tastes, I have a set of lingerie fashioned from a dark-skinned human who came across me some years ago.” That was an image I really didn’t need in my head. “To fail me is to court unimaginable suffering. To be a success though is to be rewarded beyond all dreams.”

  “I see.” It sounded trite, but the truth was, I guess every prospective employer has said something like that at some point or another. If I’d ever had a job before, no doubt I’d have heard something similar.

  “Do you accept the mantle?” she asked. “Where once there were two, now there will be only one.” She held out her hands, a pair of crowns appearing in her grasp, one per hand. Seeing them out the corner of my eyes, I realised they were the ones worn by the queens in the paintings, she thrust them together with relentless force, energy crackling about her fingers and as my vision cleared of the light, a single crown remained, an amalgamation of the two, similar yet different.