by O. J. Lowe
“The mantle?”
“Every queen needs a knight,” she said, the crown suddenly atop her head though I hadn’t seen her put it on. Behind me, the amulet around the corpse’s neck faded, appeared in her grasp. “As my knight, my champion, you’ll enforce my will, you’ll be my defender and my conqueror, you’ll be my light amidst the darkness, you’ll be the hammer that crushes my enemies. With my blessing, you’ll become something more than you are, something better. You have massive potential; my blessing will give you the chance to build yourself into something magnificent.”
I said nothing, she smiled at me. “To hesitate is to be human. Every queen needs a knight, always we pick one from the mortal world. Though you are to follow our rules, you will not be bound by them the way a child of fae would. The most cunning, the most savage, these are the traits you will need. Knight, diplomat, bailiff, advisor, all of these are roles you will carry out at one time or another, depending on the circumstances. You cannot afford to hesitate. If you decline, well I’ll send you back to where you came, your reward shall be the safe passage back. If you accept, we’ll do great things together.”
I thought of where I had come from, of the gutter and the constant fight for survival, of the lack of food and the cold nights, of seeing the opulence in the distance and yet so far away. This was the chance I’d desired forever, what sort of man would I be if I turned it down? I couldn’t do that.
“Sign me up,” I said. “I accept. Grant me this boon and I’ll be yours until the day I die.” I didn’t know where the words came from, they simply spilled from me as if the faucet had been jammed open.
“Excellent,” she grinned, showed all her teeth and just for an instant, the confusion ground through me, that little moment of doubt demanding to know whether I’d done the right thing or not. I guessed only time would tell. Whatever happened next, I doubted it could possibly be worse than where I’d come from. The amulet flew from her hand, hit me hard in the chest like a bullet, I gasped as fiery pain coursed through me, nearly doubled over as the chain wound itself around my neck, searing into my skin. “It’s just pain. Pain is power. Should you conquer your pain, it has no power over you. To hurt is to be alive, to be alive is to be hurt. You mortals, from the moment you’re born to the day you die, you live in agony you can’t even sense.”
Power! I wondered if this was what a superhero origin story felt like, the purest form of energy driving into my muscles, cramping them as they expanded, grew and strengthened into those belonging to someone who’d actually fed them, nourished them. This… This was brilliant. In that moment, I felt like I could tackle anyone and anything, like I had nothing to fear and little to worry about.
“That first taste of something better is always the sweetest, is it not?” Leanna said, her smile not fading.
“What is this going to cost me?” I asked. “You obviously want something from me, or you wouldn’t be here. I’d be running around in the dark if you didn’t have something in mind.”
“I can take you there, you know,” Valentine said. “Throw you right into the thick of the battle, make sure you can fulfil your role. Divide and conquer. That’s what the knight of shadows set out to do to you. Take you from your queen. Take her right hand from her. She’s alone now.”
“She’s not exactly powerless, you know.”
“No,” Valentine mused. “Not at all. And yet she knows not what comes for her tonight.”
“And you do?”
“I have my suspicions,” she replied. “It’s my job to know stuff like this, so consider my embarrassment.”
“Can he kill her?” Somehow, I knew the answer to the question and at the same time, didn’t want to know.
“Under the right circumstances, all things may die,” she mused. “I should know, I’ve taken enough souls. It’s never those who you think survive.”
“Let me get there and save her,” I said. “Let me do my duty. She despatched me out here to investigate rumours of troll-ape activity, she didn’t know what was going to happen. If I don’t get back, I’ve failed.”
“I think if she dies, your successes or failures are moot,” she replied. “Although it’s unlikely her replacement would want a failed knight. You know your future is interlinked with hers. For as long as Leanna sits on the throne, you dance atop the tip of a sword, it might cut you, it might not. But the chance is always there. Should she be replaced, and there’s a history of it in High Hall now, then you’re sliding down the business end of the blade and that is going to cut you sooner or later, just a question of when.”
“For God’s sake woman!” I bellowed. “Get me over there! My city burns and I need to be there!” I ran for the image she’d created, tried to jump through it and failed miserably, the vision merely swirled a moment and then resumed normal service, showing an unfettered view of the battle going on.
“At the moment it’s a window,” she said. “But it can be changed into a door. One favour to be named at a later date and you can’t refuse.”
I hesitated, only for a moment. “As long as it doesn’t harm High Hall or Queen Leanna.”
Valentine had no such hesitation. “It will not have any negative impact on this demesne or the ruler, I can work with that.” She clicked her fingers the window tore open with a sound like squelching paper, the scents and sounds of the battle rushed in where previously there’d only been sights. “Go then, Sir Knight. Do your duty.”
“Do you have a spare sword?” I inquired. “I appear to have lost mine.”
“All that time,” she said, shaking her head with a scowl, “and you’ve still never learned how to use that armour properly, have you?”
“What do you mean?”
“That armour doesn’t need a sword, boy! All this time you’ve been carrying a sword when you’ve not worked it out. You are the damn sword!”
Well if that wasn’t suitably cryptic, I didn’t know what was. I took a look at the rip in reality, drew a deep breath and charged towards it, musing the words ‘I am the sword’ over and over in my head as I leaped through, found myself a dozen feet above the battlefield and I hit the ground like a missile, right in the thick of a group of charging troll-apes. I held my hands out, drew another deep breath and prepared to fight. This was going to hurt.
I wasn’t exactly sure how or when the swords formed in my grasp, great silver broadswords light enough to wield one-handed, the thought that they had to be magical rushing through my head, but I wasn’t going to look this gift horse in the mouth. I hurled myself into the fray, blades sweeping limbs asunder, tearing them from where they belonged, only the slightest resistance as they bit through muscle and bone.
“Come on!” I screamed. “Come on, let’s have you!”
More of them charged towards me, they’d seen my fall, the magic on my blades lit up the battlefield for miles around, I didn’t care, I couldn’t. If they came for me, then they’d die. I’d kill them, kill them all and it wouldn’t be enough. They’d come to High Hall, they wanted to kill the queen, burn her home, slaughter her subjects—
Except it wasn’t them, was it?
Who cared, they deserved to die for this insult. I was going to make the troll-ape an endangered species, I thought savagely as my blades bit through filthy flesh, the screams of the dying filling my ears.
Someone else.
Moulton!
That name snapped into my ears, I blinked several times beneath my helmet, my thoughts returning to somewhat normal, though my body remained going on autopilot, blocked an axe aimed for my head and I drove one of my swords into the attacker’s guts, swept it upwards and opened him up like a zip on a coat, his blood spattered my armour.
I had to get to Leanna, or it was all for nothing. I might well end up paying a hefty price for getting here, I needed to do my duty. The royal guard would repel them, their numbers had already taken a beating between Rasputin’s efforts and mine. They might outnumber us, but we had more power, those wearing the armour o
f Leanna’s royal guard were already mopping up the wounded, fae sorcerers sending wave after wave of arcane power into the oncoming masses. We had magic, they did not.
Confident things would work out around here, I turned to run. The roar behind me told me otherwise, I span around in shock, I’d heard a sound like that before and I’d never hoped to again. Maybe twenty of them dragged it towards the city on chains, all struggling despite their greater numbers. I couldn’t say I was surprised, the thing was huge, easily twice the size of the one I’d seen before, maybe fourteen feet tall with enough silver fur to cover a wall across its muscular body, a bushy red beard growing from its chin, beady black eyes staring at us. Those fists were the size of the shields the guard carried; I didn’t doubt it’d be able to shatter them with very little effort.
They let go of the chains and the andah studied the city in front of it, the flames lighting it up, some faint hint of recognition in those eyes, though not in a good way.
“Bugger!” I heard Rasputin say from somewhere around me, before it charged.
It had the misfortune to run into Valentine.
Nine.
This armour was fantastic, no two ways of arguing about it. I could honestly say I’d never experienced anything like it before, the way it responded to my thoughts, gave me a helmet if I needed it, could remove and replace any part at will. Already I’d mentally phased a gauntlet out of existence so I could scratch my nose.
“Are you impressed?” Leanna asked.
“It’s very cool,” I admitted.
“You can adjust the temperature mentally,” she said, either she didn’t understand me, or she was being sarcastic. Looking at her face, I was tempted to lean towards the former. Mental note to self, avoid human idioms out here. It’s a bit too easy for them to be misinterpreted.
“I mean, it’s great,” I replied. “Very good.”
“I have many enemies,” she said. “I have those who might not consider me an enemy yet have no love for me. Those are going to be the ones you will deal with, anyone who wishes me harm is someone you will despatch with terminal intensity. You will not falter in this task for I take attempts on my life very seriously. You’ve been given a gift here, Ronald Frazer. You’ve been inducted into a group comparatively few mortals have ever joined, but how you are remembered after is up to you. Some knights are still honoured by the royal family of High Hall, some have had the very memory of them stricken from the people. Success or failure, those are your only options.”
“I will not fail you,” I promised. “If I do, then my life is forfeit. I’ll lay down my own in penance.”
“Such a promise is not to be taken lightly, that’s the first thing you need to remember about High Hall.” Her eyes twinkled, not with admonishment but with amusement. “Words are powerful here, even a throwaway comment can have massive repercussions. An idle promise made as jest can still bind you. Speak no more than you need to until you can hold your tongue. Don’t make me regret picking you. Whatever you do reflects on me, if you fail, then I look weak and believe me!” She smashed her fist against the arm of her throne, the impact of the blow ringing around the throne room as the armrest bent under the force of her blow. “I worked considerably hard to get this crown, I will not throw it away because of the follies of my knight. You’re my weapon, you are my sword and my shield, you are mine to do what I desire with. Your life as you once knew it is over.”
I shrugged. “Like I’m going to miss that life anyway.”
“You have much to learn, Sir Knight,” she said. “You are untrained, untamed, weak. You are going to be forged anew, you will become something else.” For the first time, I became aware of the presence behind me, hurled myself forward to evade the thud of the blade crashing into the ground where I’d stood before. The stout fae with the beard from before grunted with disgust, withdrew his sword. How long he’d been stood there, I didn’t know. “This one is Rasputin,” Leanna said. “And he’s going to remake you into what I need.”
Those glittering black eyes fixated on me, the slash of a mouth contorted into a grin, though not a friendly one. “You’re mine, boy! Let’s see if her majesty made a good choice with you.”
I didn’t know why Valentine had chosen to enter the field, maybe she just wanted to kill one of the andah, maybe she’d been drawn to the death and violence. Either way, she stood facing the rampaging ape, resting on her sword without a care in the world as it charged towards her, fifty feet until impact, thirty, a dozen and finally she reacted, left the point of her blade in the dirt and raised both hands into the air. Around her, those slaughtered rose to their feet, their motions jerky at first before they found their rhythm and at her command, they hurled themselves at the andah, troll-ape and fae alike, more than twenty bodies trying to dogpile the huge thing, wrapping themselves around its legs, holding it immobile. The roar broke from its jaws as it tried to kick them away with little success, the anger replaced by pain as she summoned fire to her palms and launched the blast into its face like she was pitching a baseball, its beard catching alight in an instant.
I couldn’t afford to stand and watch, as interesting as it might be. Another battalion emerged from behind the andah, tore towards the walls, taking the momentary distraction as a chance to attack further. I turned and ran, didn’t give a damn about how cowardly it looked. I had my duties, to hell with the battle. Had Moulton done this? Driven the troll-apes to attack? And for what? I didn’t know why or how; I didn’t really care. Getting caught up in the reasons why was a fast way to end up dead.
I reached the walls in double quick time, a few soldiers tasked with defending it raising their spears until they recognised my armour. They all knew what was good for them, they lowered them pretty damn quick before I could kick their asses. That was good, it saved me having to make the choice. Nothing destroys moral in a battle faster than a commanding officer having to beat the shit out of an underling for insubordination. I didn’t even have to ask for the gates to be opened, they caught the urgency, let me through and the gates swung open just far enough for me to slide through. Behind me, a tremendous crash thundered around the battlefield as the andah went down, I permitted myself a brief look to check, the fur scorched from its face, one eye put through by Valentine’s sword. She stood atop its chest, a glow enveloping her as she did.
At least the troll-apes hadn’t gotten beyond the walls en masse yet, though I did catch a few pockets of fighting as I raced through the streets towards Queen Leanna’s palace, the giant curved building in the middle of the city, a golden spire reaching towards the heavens at the very peak of it. More than once, a foe wandered into my path and I needed to summon my swords to hastily despatch them. They didn’t put up much of a fight, burns and cuts covering their fur and I noted their lack of armour for the first time. Usually they didn’t bother with it, as much as I’ve been able to read of their psyche, they think armour is for cowards. But still, when you’re fighting a war, it’s probably a good idea to swallow your pride. Anything that makes you harder to kill is usually a good thing.
I despair sometimes. They’d made it too easy. Or they weren’t thinking straight. Getting killed for the sake of pride is the worst sort of death.
Not that any of them were particularly good, really.
The closer I got to the palace, the more I caught the scents of it, I hadn’t noticed it out on the Silent Plains but now it was thick and odorous, the smell of magic different from what High Hall was used to. Shadow magic? Perhaps. Valentine had mentioned a knight of shadows and part of me had wondered what she’d meant at the time. Moulton maybe? He had an amulet and the five families that made up the Shining Council, the ruling body of magic-users in the Novisarium, they did have five amulets that functioned similarly to mine.
Why the Shining Council would want to attack High Hall though, that wasn’t a question easily answered. There was nothing in it for them. Mortal magic didn’t work entirely the same here. Valentine was a Valkyrie, she’d told
me, the rules didn’t apply to her. And yet Moulton had had no such trouble using his shadowmancy.
My head hurt. I shouldn’t be the one working this shit out. I wasn’t a thinker, I was a blunt instrument meant to sort problems out, not create new ones. You didn’t accuse the Shining Council of something unless you had irreconcilable proof. Besides, if they’d wanted to invade High Hall, they’d have sent all five knights, not just one.
Or had I simply not seen them yet? That was an unsettling thought. Moulton had gotten the drop on me alone, the idea there were another four hanging around didn’t sit right.
I reached the doors of the palace in record time, barrelled through them with a shoulder, the cloying scent of death hitting me like a hammer as I saw the bodies piled in the foyer, a few guards mixed in amidst the civilians, it looked as if they’d tried to protect them and failed miserably. I mentally dispelled my helmet, just in case the vomit threatening to push its way through me made an appearance, but no such luck. Good. Good. I needed to be harder than that. Showing such weakness as sorrow here would be problematic.
But Jesus fucking Christ, this was bad. These civilians, I’d seen them around the court before, they weren’t fighters, they were administrators, they kept things running smoothly, made sure that Leanna’s desires were carried out, that the kingdom ran smoothly. There was no need to kill them, and yet part of me could appreciate the planning behind it. Even if Leanna survived, her kingdom had been crippled for the time being. New people would need to be put into place, less experienced people. Such a thing was difficult to recover from.
They’d been killed with shadow magic, some faint black wisps of the stuff still remained across the bodies, I reached down and swept my gauntleted arm through it to wipe it away, the magic in my armour dispelling it.