Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor (7 page)

Baylor froze, and his eyes regained their steely gaze. He grabbed Twitch’s tunic and shoved him up next to a tree. He held his finger to his lips, then quietly drew his sword. Twitch’s heart began to race again. Were the Shadow Warriors back? Were there more this time?

Baylor readied his sword. He turned away from Twitch, his muscles taut and ready to fight. Twitch saw him reach for a chain around his neck and lift a small silver disk out of his tunic. He turned away and brought his hand to his face, then replaced the disk inside his shirt.

“Stay here,” Baylor whispered over his shoulder.

Twitch watched as the man stealthily made his way through the trees along the ridge. His face began convulsing again. He drew his own sword and tried to see through the shadows of the retreating day. In another moment, Baylor had disappeared completely, and Twitch struggled to keep his fear in check.

Something shuffled behind him, and he spun about with his sword, fully expecting another grisly weapon to be descending on him. A squirrel raced across the forest floor and scurried up a tree. Twitch exhaled with relief. The faint sound of deep voices filtered through the foliage, but the words were unintelligible. Finally Baylor appeared again, his sword sheathed. Twitch quickly sheathed his own and waited.

Baylor walked directly to Twitch and put his fists on his hips. He eyed him up and down with a perplexed look on his face. It was an awkward moment, and Twitch’s cheek seemed worse than ever.

“What’s your name?” Baylor asked bluntly.

“Twitch, sir.”

Annoyance flashed across Baylor’s face. “What’s your real name?”

Twitch studied the ground. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked him for his real name. He looked back up at the stern face of Sir Baylor.

“My name is Quinlan.”

LEAST OF THE LEAST

Baylor motioned toward the ridge.

“Come, Sir Quinlan. You’re riding with us.”

Baylor immediately stepped over the ridge and on toward the base of Mount Resolute. Quinlan stood still, stunned by Sir Baylor’s apparent change of mind. He had fully expected his request to be denied, for his skills as a knight were nothing compared to Tav’s, not to mention the knights who rode with Sir Baylor. Quinlan knew he could spend his whole life in training and still not achieve what he had just seen.

He ran to catch up to Sir Baylor. “I should tell Tav and his parents. They are my only family and will want to know.”

“We need to leave immediately.” Baylor’s words felt cold, and his demeanor toward Quinlan seemed to harden. “However, we can afford to give you a few minutes to gather your things and say good-bye.”

Quinlan didn’t say another word. He knew Baylor’s offer to join him would only happen once, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that in any way. Yet second thoughts began even before he had mounted Kobalt. Quinlan had come to Mount Resolute looking for answers to a few questions, not seeking to abandon everything in his life in a moment. Yet here he was, following a man he knew almost nothing
about into a completely unknown future. The only thing he really knew was that he was ill-equipped and unprepared—the least of the least—for whatever lay ahead.

When they arrived at Quinlan’s home, Baylor waited outside. Tav was still away with Mirya. After explaining the scratches on his face and hands to Tav’s parents, Quinlan told them what he’d decided to do. Tav’s father looked sternly at him, then went outside to speak with Baylor. Tav’s mother put her hand on Quinlan’s arm. “Are you sure about this, Twitch?”

Quinlan nodded at the woman who had been his substitute mother for the past nine years. “Yes … I’m sure.” He put his hand on hers. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me. Someday I hope to be able to repay you.”

She squeezed his arm. “Sons don’t repay a father or a mother for raising them.”

Quinlan lowered his head, moved by her words. He looked into her worried face and quickly hugged her, then headed for his room to gather a few belongings.

He was nearly ready when Tav burst into his room. “What crazy nonsense is this?”

Quinlan finished tying up his knapsack and turned to face his friend.

“What happened to you?” Tav took a few steps closer to inspect the scratches across Quinlan’s face.

Quinlan realized that Disty was glaring at him from Tav’s shoulder and baring its teeth. He pointed at the paytha, which growled. “Tav, you need to get rid of that thing!”

“What are you talking about?” Tav reached up to pet Disty, who settled a bit.

Quinlan held up his hands to show Tav the bite marks. “Bli attacked me for no reason. It just went mad.”

Tav looked confused. He walked over to a table and tapped on it. Disty scurried down his arm onto the table and chortled softly while Tav stroked its neck.

“That probably had something to do with Baylor too,” he said. “What’s going on, chum?”

“Sir Baylor said I could go with him, Tav.” Quinlan hesitated. “And I’m going.”

“You can’t do this.” Tav lowered his voice. “Baylor is crazy! There’s no telling what will happen to you.”

“He’s not crazy, Tav. You and I both know that. Tonight I saw something …” Quinlan looked at the ground and slowly shook his head. He looked up and took a step toward his friend. “You should come with me!”

Disty growled again, and Quinlan backed away.

“Whoa, Disty—what’s wrong with you tonight?” Tav said. The critter scurried closer to him and begged to be lifted back onto Tav’s shoulder. Tav obliged.

“You are what Sir Baylor needs, much more so than I.” Quinlan imagined both of them on a quest of great purpose for the Prince, just as they had dreamed of years ago. “We could do this together.”

“Leave my father without any help at all? Leave Mirya? I don’t think so, chum.” Tav looked deep into Quinlan’s eyes, then forced a weak smile. “This isn’t for me. It’s for you.”

He held out his arm, and Quinlan grabbed it.

“You be careful,” Tav said. “Whether Baylor’s crazy or not, you be careful.”

Quinlan nodded, then walked outside, where Tav’s father was exchanging heated words with Sir Baylor. He hushed when Quinlan appeared. Quinlan’s farewell to Tav’s father was wordless in keeping with their reserved relationship, but he still rode away with a lump in his throat.

Quinlan trailed closely behind Sir Baylor until they reached the little grove near the river where Sir Drake, Sir Kessler, and Sir Purcell were waiting. “Gentlemen,” Baylor announced as he dismounted, “this is Sir Quinlan, the newest member of our unit.”

The look of consternation on the faces of the knights made Quinlan cringe, which set his cheek to twitching.

“You’re kidding,” Purcell said. “What’s going on, Commander?”

Baylor crossed his arms. “Quinlan is our fifth knight. We will train him as such.”

“Commander”—Drake motioned with his head—“can we have a word with you?”

Baylor clenched his jaw and walked a few paces away with the three knights. Their conversation was hushed and unintelligible to Quinlan at first, but soon the volume of the voices rose.

“Commander, our lives depend on each other’s skills.” Drake’s deep voice carried to Quinlan’s ears. “This lad can hardly handle a sword, let alone handle himself in a fight.”

“That’s right,” Purcell joined in. “He’s no replacement for Sir Freyton and certainly not his equal. One or all of us could get killed because of his inexperience. You must reconsider!”

That Kessler remained silent was small compensation for the humiliation Quinlan felt. He walked to the far side of Kobalt, intending to ride back to Burkfield and forget this day had ever happened. He checked the girth and set his foot into the stirrup.

“Do you two have anything else you want to say?” Quinlan heard Baylor ask sternly.

Silence was the only reply.

“Then mount up. We ride for Arimil—all of us. We only have a few hours of moonlight.”

Quinlan hesitated with his foot in the stirrup. He completely agreed with Purcell and Drake. He could never truly be a replacement for any of them, and he was just as confused as they were about why Baylor had chosen him.

He slowly lifted himself onto Kobalt as the other knights recovered their steeds. He felt trapped. Nothing he could do would feel right now. He watched with great trepidation as Baylor led the knights toward the road that led to Arimil. Quinlan delayed until he was last in line, but he followed.

Not long after they began, Kessler broke from Purcell and Drake and joined Quinlan at the rear. “Is Burkfield home for you?” he asked.

“For as long as I can remember,” Quinlan replied.

“So you’ve got family there?”

“Not really,” Quinlan said. “Tav’s—Gustav’s—family took me in when I was just a lad, after my parents died. They’re as close as I have to family.”

Kessler nodded. He leaned over to Quinlan and spoke more softly than usual. “Don’t let Drake and Purcell rattle you. They’re good men once you get to know them.”

Quinlan glanced at Kessler and caught a quick wink accompanied by a crooked grin. He forced a smile in return, grateful for Kessler’s attempt to make him feel better. The overture couldn’t change reality, though. Everyone in the unit knew Quinlan shouldn’t be there—everyone, apparently, except Baylor.

They had not ridden far before the moon set and the roadway grew too dark for the horses to navigate. Baylor chose a secluded grove of trees for their camp. The following morning they were on their way by daybreak.

At midafternoon, they arrived in the little town of Briar Grove, where Baylor purchased provisions for the unit and a few items for Quinlan. Now fully outfitted, they resumed their journey to Arimil.

“You ride with me, Quinlan,” Baylor commanded.

Quinlan cantered Kobalt up next to Baylor.

“There are three rules in this unit that are never broken.”

Baylor squinted meaningfully at Quinlan as if trying to convince himself he had made the right choice. Quinlan waited for the commander to continue.

Baylor held up one finger.

“We live and die by the Articles of the Code and by the Sword of the Prince. Learn and live them well.”

Baylor held up a second finger.

“Secrecy is our life. As far as the rest of the kingdom is concerned, you do not exist.”

A third finger went up.

“My word is final—always! Do you understand?”

Quinlan nodded.

“Very well.” Baylor nodded. “I’m sure you have questions. I can answer some of them now. Others will be answered for you as your training progresses.” He looked at Quinlan as if he were waiting.

There were a hundred questions Quinlan wanted to ask, but there was only one he absolutely had to know the answer to. “Why did you allow me to join the unit?”

Baylor stared blankly at Quinlan for a long while; then his gaze went back to the road. Finally he turned and looked straight into Quinlan’s eyes. “Tell me why you were kneeling on Mount Resolute.”

Quinlan looked away, reliving that powerful moment in his mind. Emotions flooded his bosom as he remembered his words.

“I made an oath to the Prince,” he said, “to live my life completely for Him and give Him all that I have.” Quinlan looked down at Kobalt’s mane. “But I don’t have much to offer Him.” He looked back at Baylor. His cheek twitched, and he shrugged.