The Rogue Knight (36 page)

“Not right now,” Callista said. “I would if I could. Do you know how you came here?”

“I was dreaming,” Brady said. “I got stuck. I couldn't wake up. I couldn't leave.”

“I see,” Callista said. “You brought yourself here while dreaming. You opened a way. Then you couldn't get out.”

“Not until the guys came and got me,” Brady said. “But they didn't take me home.”

“You had enormous power,” Callista told him.

“I imagined things, and they happened,” Brady replied. “Just like a dream, except it felt really real. I tried to make up happy things. But I couldn't stop thinking of scary stuff, too. The guys who took me made it go away.”

“You gave them your power, and they channeled it to somebody else,” Callista said.

“They gave it to some lady,” Brady said. “I let them. They promised the dreams would stop. The lady changed.”

“How did she change?” Callista asked.

He paused, looking at the ground. “She became like Mrs. Morgan,” he said softly. “Except worse.”

“Who is Mrs. Morgan?” Callista asked.

Brady studied his feet. “She was my teacher. My first-grade teacher. She was so mean. She hated me.”

“Morgassa,” Cole murmured.

“Yeah,” Brady said, looking over at Cole. “The lady called herself that after she changed. She got taller. She was so angry. She said I was a bad boy. She said she would make me pay. The guys took me away. They took her away too. The guys told me I was safe. They were liars.”

Mira approached Brady. “We're going to stop her,” she said. “We're going to stop Morgassa.”

Brady looked worried. “Don't try. She'll get you.”

“We have to try,” Honor said.

“Is there anything you know about her that could help us?” Callista asked.

“That lady was different from Mrs. Morgan,” Brady said. “Angrier. Stronger. Kind of like when my monsters came to Dreamland. They were always worse than I imagined.”

“Did Mrs. Morgan have any weaknesses?” Mira asked.

Brady looked stumped.

“Did anything ever scare Mrs. Morgan?” Cole followed up. “Did anything bother her?”

Brady paused to think. “She hated when we wouldn't pay attention,” he said. “She wanted us to listen. She wanted us to obey. And she hated messes. She always made me clean my desk. It was never good enough.”

Callista approached Joe. “Watch over Brady.”

“I'm coming with you,” Joe protested.

Callista shook her head. “We're all protected by changings. Someone needs to watch over the boy. He trusts you. We'll return to you after we deal with Morgassa. How is your arm?”

Joe rubbed it. “Could be worse.”

Callista rested a hand on his shoulder. “You don't need the sling anymore.”

Rotating his shoulder, Joe rubbed his upper arm and flexed it. “Amazing.”

“A minor changing,” Callista said. “It isn't truly healed yet. But the changing will leave it fully functional until the healing occurs. Take the boy to the farthest tent. We have matters to discuss.”

“I want to stay,” Brady complained. “I'm not a baby.”

“Come on, Brady,” Joe said. “I know a game.”

“What kind of game?”

“It's a secret,” Joe said. “You'll see.”

Joe started walking, and Brady hurried to catch up, taking his hand. They strode away together.

“Morgassa came from the lad?” the Rogue Knight asked, his voice quiet for a change.

“Much like how your power came from Honor,” Callista confirmed. “The chief difference is that the boy gave up all claim to his power. It now exists separate from him.”

The Rogue Knight turned to Honor. “If you surrender your claim to your power, my sword and my knights are yours.”

“I will not,” Honor said. “Your power might feel like part of you, but it came from me. My father and those who aided him took it by force. But I will lay aside my claim for now if you will help us.”

The Rogue Knight drew Verity. “I could slay your companions and take you prisoner.”

“You could try,” Jace said, putting on his mask and transforming into a mighty wolf.

Cole put on his mask as well. Changing into a mountain lion felt so empowering that he let out a yowling roar. This was more like it! The Rogue Knight and his men no longer looked quite so intimidating. Cole almost wanted them to attack. The armor might be problematic, but he felt confident that his claws and jaws were equal to the challenge. As he noticed a bear on one side and a ram on the other, Cole realized that the others had also used their masks.

“I fear neither man nor beast,” the Rogue Knight bellowed. “I had my reservations about attacking children. My men and I would welcome a fairer fight.”

Cole crouched, ready to pounce. The Rogue Knight's horse looked delicious. If Cole stayed low, he suspected he could bring it down without the Rogue Knight touching him.

“If you want a fair fight,” Honor offered, “leave the others out of it. Duel with me.”

Only Callista remained in her true form. She held up her hands. “Cease this foolishness!” she demanded. “Rogue Knight, I doubt you wish to test yourself in combat against a virtuous young lady. She has not wronged you in any way. You have wronged her. If you cause any harm to Princess Honor, your honor would be the price. You did not personally steal her power. Do not make yourself an accomplice after the fact! Your alternative to helping us would be to live out your days on the run, either evading Morgassa or else falling prey to her. You physically cannot leave Elloweer. Side with us against this menace and give Elloweer a chance.”

“You ask too much,” the Rogue Knight growled, as if the words had been torn from him. He pointed Verity at Honor. “I am her power more than I am anything else, as are my knights. You ask me to give up my identity. Our identities.”

Minimus dismounted and walked to the Rogue Knight. “Sigmund, the identity you wish to protect is not yours. It's hers. Yes, it changed you, but you remain beneath it. Keeping her power goes against all you now stand for and all you taught us.”

Silence reigned in the camp. Eleven and a half knights watched their leader in stoic, faceless silence.

“Let's see how the battle goes,” Honor suggested. “You have done much good with my power. Perhaps there is more you could accomplish before I ask for it back.”

“After this battle,” the Rogue Knight said, “you might ask, and I might refuse.”

“I'm willing to take that chance,” Honor said.

“Our best hope against Morgassa is to unite our efforts,” Callista said. “I will stand with you, as will Honor, her sister, and their companions. It's perhaps our only chance to end this menace.”

“Very well,” the Rogue Knight said, a hint of defeat in his voice. “I have watched Morgassa. She is indeed a catastrophe of the magnitude you describe. We will join the hunt, but I make no promise about afterward.”

“That problem may resolve itself,” Callista said brightly. “There is a high probability that none of us will survive.”

C
HAPTER

 37 

SHOWDOWN

F
luid strides propelled Cole forward at a thrilling speed. The physical rapture of running as a cougar helped him suppress his fears about the upcoming battle. Though worries tickled the back of his mind, they failed to rival the exhilaration of sprinting with this pack of knights and animals.

The knights' mounts must have been changed as much as their masters, because despite the hundreds of pounds on their backs, they had no trouble keeping pace with the other tireless beasts. Hooves thundering around him, a bear charging on one side, a bull on the other, Cole felt close to invincible. What could possibly stand against them?

Cole smelled the horde before he saw them. Something about the scent was . . . unnatural. His instincts recoiled. The horde smelled . . . What? Infected? Rancid? Those words came close. They smelled like nothing he wanted to touch or bite. They smelled like something a healthy animal should avoid.

A little village came into view at the base of a hill. People fled small buildings with stone walls and thatched roofs as the vanguard of the horde fell upon them, hurling frightened villagers to the ground and holding them down as figments claimed them.

“Morgassa is beyond the hill,” Callista called. “Her horde has spread out to swarm several hamlets at once. This will be as good a chance as any to strike.”

“Onward,” the Rogue Knight urged, drawing Verity. “Don't slow to fight. Success depends on keeping our speed.”

Cole ran harder than ever, paws pulling at the ground, muscles bunching and releasing to heave him forward. No people ran from the village anymore. They had all been overtaken.

Cole braced himself as the first members of the horde drew closer. He compared the revulsion to how he might feel if forced to plunge through deep sewage. But this was worse. At least sewage was natural. His senses warned that this horde was a crime against nature.

The Rogue Knight took the lead. His knights fanned out diagonally behind him, forming an arrowhead that protected Honor and the animals.

Figments glided their way to intercept them, their languid movements deceptively speedy. Human in form, the figments lacked detail. Their faces were blank, and each of their average-size bodies could have been male or female.

Ahead of the figments charged dozens of changed people, their clothes soiled and tattered. Old and young, tall and short, fat and thin, they scrambled forward with deranged intensity, blundering into one another, gibbering and growling with mindless fervor. They moved quickly but gracelessly, as if driven by panic.

The knights did not slow as they reached the horde. Their horses trampled the changed individuals coming their way. Some of the most nimble changelings jumped at the knights, as if hoping to tackle them from their saddles, but the knights beat them back with shields and weapons.

As figments closed in, the Rogue Knight swung Verity in broad sweeps. In whatever direction he waved his sword, the figments disintegrated.

Cole found himself running over fallen changelings. He tried not to harm them. They might be foul and deranged, but they were also innocent people under Morgassa's control. The knights were of a similar mind, focusing on knocking people aside instead of inflicting fatal wounds. Cole noticed them using the flat sides of their swords and axes to bash rather than slash.

The knights didn't slow as they made it past the outliers and reached the solid ranks of changelings. They mowed through the crowd, sending bodies flying and trampling them into the dirt. Cole could not avoid the fallen changelings carpeting the ground. He focused on keeping his speed up as bodies groaned beneath his paws.

The Rogue Knight kept swinging Verity vigorously, and figments continued to evaporate. After some time, the figments seemed to realize they had no chance against a sword that could erase seemings, and they held back.

But the changelings kept coming.

Cole felt bad for the people underfoot. They didn't mean to attack. They had lost control of themselves. But Cole also knew that given a chance, the changelings would tear him apart. No matter how many fell, the rest pressed toward them, undaunted. Wild eyes rolled back, and saliva drooled from twisted lips. At least they didn't seem to feel any pain.

Cole raged onward, reminding himself that if he and the others failed to stop Morgassa, the changelings would be stuck as her servants forever, and the rest of Elloweer would soon join them. If some changelings got hurt along the way, that was part of the price.

After passing the little village, the Rogue Knight galloped up the shoulder of the hill. The horde had mostly gone around the hill rather than over it, so Cole suddenly was running over a grassy slope instead of injured bodies.

“Morgassa senses us,” Callista called. “She's coming our way.”

Avoiding the summit of the hill, the Rogue Knight led them up and over the side of it. As they came around to the far side, Morgassa glided into view.

She wore conservative clothes that Cole recognized from his world—a white blouse, a long gray skirt, dark stockings, and flat black shoes. Her hair was up in a messy bun. She looked like a schoolteacher on a parent conference day. He'd had teachers who dressed like her. Except that Morgassa was at least eight feet tall. And she hovered a few inches above the ground.

As they ran down the far slope of the hill toward Morgassa, she drifted in their direction. Raising a hand, she called out to them. Eerily, all the changelings and figments in all directions cried the same words in unison.

“Strangers!” Morgassa and her horde called, countless voices shouting as one. “Halt and explain why you destroy my children!”

“These are not your children,” the Rogue Knight accused, hastening his charge. “You have hijacked innocents.”

“Stop and speak or face my full wrath!” Morgassa and her horde demanded.

“Honor?” the Rogue Knight asked, still galloping.

“What is there to say?” Honor asked from the back of her horse.

“You are misbehaving!” Morgassa shrieked, the horde screaming her words. “Explain yourselves or perish!”

“It might benefit us to better understand her,” Callista suggested.

The Rogue Knight raised an arm and slowed to a canter, then a trot, then a walk. He came to a stop twenty yards up the slope from Morgassa. Cole didn't like slowing down. He could sense her foul power and wanted to hit her at full speed. Coming to a standstill made him antsy. He shifted, so he could see her between two of the horsemen. Despite her impressive height, she appeared relatively defenseless. Her face was stern and still. Cole could easily picture her in a classroom back home.

“What have you to say?” Honor called.

“Does the master make explanations to the servant?” Morgassa and her horde chanted. “We are the agents of order. Why must you bring chaos among us?”

“You are taking control of people,” Honor called. “Free them!”

“The mother and her children are one!” Morgassa and her horde shrieked. “Why must you defy us? Surrender to the peace of my will.”

“Her puppets move to surround us,” the Rogue Knight warned.

“If you want to talk, stop moving your minions,” Honor called. “Free them or face the consequences.”

Fingers hooking like talons, Morgassa grimaced. Then she and her horde shouted, “
You
do not give ultimatums to
me
!”

“Enough!” Honor shouted back, her voice small compared to the fanatical choir. “Prepare to defend yourself.”

“I like you,” the Rogue Knight muttered over his shoulder to Honor as he spurred his horse forward. His knights followed his lead, and Cole charged behind them, flanked by the other animals.

“Unacceptable!” Morgassa and her minions shrieked. Extending both hands, Morgassa sent at least a hundred newly formed blank figments flowing their way.

The Rogue Knight swung Verity and erased them. Morgassa made more, and he unmade them again.

The Rogue Knight closed on Morgassa, riding straight at her. He raised Verity and leaned sideways to issue a killing stroke.

In a blink, Morgassa disappeared inside a full suit of white armor, embellished with gold accents on the breastplate, greaves, arm guards, and helm. She held a sword nearly as tall as a man, and a shield the size of a tabletop. Standing on the ground, she now stood taller than the Rogue Knight on his horse.

Verity clanged against the shield, then Morgassa leaned into the charge, shoving the Rogue Knight's horse over with her shield. The horse flopped and rolled, tearing up huge chunks of earth. The Rogue Knight went flying, landing in an awkward somersault.

Swerving expertly, the other knights converged on Morgassa. She blocked a chain mace with her sword, twisted to avoid a lance, and cleaved a knight from shoulder to hip with a vicious slash that unhorsed him and left him writhing.

Not all the knights had room to bring their horses to bear on her. Some leaped to the ground. Others wheeled around for another pass.

A couple of lengths behind the other knights, Minimus charged right at Morgassa. He sprang from the back of his horse and met her sword with his when she swung. The impact changed his trajectory, and he sailed past her, tumbling down the hillside.

Suddenly, Cole found nothing between himself and Morgassa. He raced toward her, claws tearing at the grassy earth. Morgassa faced him, sword raised, shield ready, towering in her splendid armor. He knew the sword was dangerous. He knew her armor would be difficult to penetrate. But he could also sense her fear.

Because her sword was held high, Cole went at her low, lunging at her legs. His claws raked across the surface of her armor, grinding shallow gouges into the smooth metal. He tried to catch her ankle in his teeth, but she danced away, and the sword swished down, opening a wound along his shoulder and down his side.

Morgassa prepared another blow, but Callista, in the form of an African buffalo, plowed into her, horns lowered. The white knight spun and fell to one knee as the buffalo rumbled by. Then Dalton, in the shape of a bull, smashed into her with his wide horns. Stunned, Morgassa fell to her hands and knees.

Mira, in the form of a ram, rose up high and then bashed Morgassa with a mighty blow from her curled horns. Dropping her sword, the white knight jounced away from the impact. Skye, in the form of a bear, and Jace, in the form of a huge wolf, charged in.

Cole heard tooth and claw grate against steel. Then Morgassa heaved the wolf aside and lunged for her sword. Turning, she lopped off one of the bear's paws and stabbed her sword at the animal's chest.

Leaping between bear and knight, Honor knocked the thrust aside and pressed toward Morgassa. As the white knight defended herself from Honor's attack, the bull approached from behind and lost a horn when Morgassa dodged the charge and chopped downward.

Cole's shoulder and side were on fire. He could feel a large flap of skin hanging loose. The white knight was facing away from him. Enraged, he ran for Morgassa, even though his injured foreleg had lost some of its strength. He sprang at her while she fought off Honor, but he got smashed out of the air by her shield.

Cole felt dazed after he landed. Did Morgassa have eyes in the back of her helmet? She had defended herself perfectly even though he should have blindsided her. The bone-jarring blow had worsened his injury. He wanted to find a place to hide away, so he could recover. A shallow cave would serve. Cole wasn't sure if that desire came from his feline instincts or his real feelings. Was there a difference? He was a mountain lion. The transformation might have come from a mask, but he hadn't damaged a costume. Those were his nerves on fire. That was his blood spilling to the ground.

From all directions, figments and changelings pressed toward them. Minimus and the other knights turned to ward off the horde. The Rogue Knight frantically swung Verity to disperse the onrushing figments. The battleground where Morgassa fought the animals became an island in an ocean of enemies.