Bloodless Knights (21 page)

For
a few minutes nobody spoke. The thoughts that plagued my mind were surely
consuming the others. Then suddenly, a strange sound pierced the quiet air.

“Help…”
It was faint, but I heard a man near me call out through a gurgled slur. I
quickly jumped off Flash and hurried to the blood-covered soldier. His thick
beard was matted with blood, his hair clung to his head in soaked tendrils. One
arm was underneath him and I was unclear where his legs were. I imagined they
were under the large horse that had him pinned to the ground. It was clear from
his position, that he was not well.

The
man whispered something, so I leaned in to hear. “The faceless…the Faceless!”
He called out as loud as he could, which was still barely audible.

“The
Faceless? What’s that?” I tried to look past the blood rolling into his blue
eyes, but he was clearly seeing things past, and not with me in the present.
The man seemed absolutely petrified.

The
soldier realized that I was there long enough to cry out one final request,
“Please kill me.”

The
appeal drove me back to a past I tried always to forget, yet, the situation was
similar, but it was not I fighting the war and the man before me was unknown.

A
few years prior, I had stupidly led a platoon of men into a battle there was no
way we could win. We did not win and I lost almost all my men, including my
best mate, James Brosno. As he lay on the blood stained ground, he too had
begged me to kill him. I could not. It haunted me for years, seeing myself
turning away from him. To this day, I still hoped he had passed on abruptly
instead of suffering for hours, or worse, days.

Sobs
pulled me back into the present and I grabbed the man’s face, hoping he would
concentrate on me. I asked him his name; he told me it was Michael.

I
looked at the hovering troop nearby and shouted, “Michael has begged to end his
life. Shall I? What say ye?”

The
men were silent for a moment then Patrious unenthusiastically said, “Aye.” Ten
other “Aye’s” rang through the wind. The agreement sounded about as unsure as I
felt, however, I knew in my heart I could not leave Michael alone and scared
like I had done to my dear mate, James.

I
blessed Michael with the sign of the cross and pulled my sword. “Any last words
brave sir?”

Michael
slowly shook his head but at the last moment, “God bless thee.”

With
a sick feeling in my gut, I swiftly relieved the man of his head. Without
focusing on his face, I turned back to my troops and sighed. “God bless
thee
,
Sir Michael. Rest easy.”

I
re-sheathed my sword without wiping it, for that would be a sign of great
disrespect to the fallen warrior.

As
I slowly returned to Flash, I looked around and realized that we were no longer
in Mistrust Forest. I could see Montour Mountain in the near distance. Relief
soothed my mind, just as a loud roar of galloping hooves exploded in my ears.

Every
man in the party turned to look behind them. I had a horrible feeling that we
were going to die.

#
# #

Before
I could reach Flash, screams cut the air like a blade: “Flee! Flee!”

Tearing
through the forest was the straggling bit of our army. Horses hastily galloped,
carrying riders with terrified, twisted faces. I couldn’t see what they were
running from but they seemed quite out-of-sorts.

As
the men passed, I abruptly climbed onto Flash’s saddle and rode to the side,
letting my army pass. Their pass was not easy however, when they took-in the
battle-sight, horses paused as the riders looked on in horror. Confusion
set-in, as men decided which was worse, crossing a battlefield or turning back
to what they fled from. I held my ground.

Patrious
kept his horse steady near me as we watched the men rush by. Fear consumed his
face and I knew he was wondering about the fate of his family. Our supply carts
weren’t made to handle the abuse that galloping would pound under them.

A
few of the soldiers noticed we were hanging back, and stayed by our sides.
Others ignored the dead and galloped over bodies and weapons. I still couldn’t
see what caused the upheaval.

More
of the men were holding back with us as we watched over the slight hill in the
bend. I worried about Jadorion and Patrious’ lovely ladies and I wondered why
the men hadn’t merely chopped up whatever chased them. The last of the men
seemed to come over the hill, but there was no cart and no women; no Jadorion.

Suddenly
over the brim of the small hill, I saw something too crazy: a white wolf on a
horse. But as a white-armored horse approached, I could see more clearly that
it wasn’t a wolf, but an extravagant white fur coat with a wolf’s head for the
hat. From this distance, the rider didn’t seem particularly odd or scary.

The
frightening part came behind him; dozens of riders donned in identical cloaks.
As the monsters neared, it was apparent that their faces were not there; only
dark black spaces. Bright white armor covered the riders and a faceless white
helm hid under a wolf’s head. “The Faceless”…as Michael had said; the
reaper-soldiers that had put down the army of St. Anthony were now upon us.

I
pulled my sword, preparing to battle. The lead rider came close enough; I could
see something that startled and shook me through. On his armor was the skull
crest of Denoi. On the second rider, was the crest of Dow; my own family crest
being shamefully worn by an anonymous rider! I would have great pleasure taking
down this enemy who presented a blasphemy to my family! The third rider wore a
replica lion crest of Patrious’ uniform. I searched his face and saw fiery
anger flash over his eyes. We were being mocked.

The
anger I felt filled me so thoroughly, that I charged forward. Yet oddly, the
rider did not weld a weapon, nor seem to acknowledge my existence. As we
speedily approached one another, he veered right, avoiding me, continuing
forward. The remaining riders did the same. I sat atop Flash in utter
disbelief.

Every
rider who passed wore a crest of a kingdom. Some I did not recognize, but the
ones I did, fueled my anger. A few more riders trickled past, but they were
carrying cargo. Odo and our other missing watchmen, along with a few people I
did not recognize, were strapped to the back of some horses. As they passed, I
yelled at Odo, who was still dressed in his Bendixon uniform. He stared
straight at me without a blink, a smile, a nod or anything. It was as if he was
sleeping with his eyes open. All the other prisoners held the same state as
they passed.

Patrious
called out to Odo and every captive on each horse; no response. The last rider
was one I recognized: the “witch” from the field, wearing the same maroon dress
and brown belt, riding a shining brown mare. Her white hood had shifted to the
side of her disheveled hair, like she had been riding for a long time at a fast
pace. She continued her ride but as she passed, gazed at me with almost a smirk
and said, “Thou art lucky we got what we came for.”

“What
did
ye come for?” I yelled and waved my sword above my head. “Murder,
destruction, and mockery?”

The
woman didn’t glance back. She followed her army over the bodies they had
destroyed. It frightened me as it hit me again; not one of their soldiers had I
seen on the ground of the clearing. They must have ambushed St. Anthony’s army
in order not to lose even one.

Patrious
charged past me on his horse to the direction we had come. I followed him,
knowing that he was going back for his family.

We
passed the tents again. Now that I knew the fate of their owners, I felt
unworthy to look at them. The thought that had crossed my mind of it being a
trap, made me feel silly and ashamed. Nearby one of the tents was an overturned
and broken supply cart, a horrified soldier, Gervase, Jadorion, and three
lovely ladies all huddled together.

Patrious
threw himself down from his horse and wrapped his arms around Elizabeth. She
cried as her frozen body tried to turn toward him. From the slow movements of
the ladies, it seemed evident they had been thrown roughly from the cart.

Jadorion
came toward me. “Sir! What were those things? They didn’t bother us or do any
harm, but scurry as all-get-out! And what of their armor? I’ve never seen
naught like it!”

“Jad,
are ye alright?” I avoided his questions.

Jadorion
nodded, “I’m fine, but the princesses and queen were thrown from the cart when
it hit a boulder. Ted tried to ease the ride but with those things upon us it
was tough goin’.”

“Where’s
Bolt?” I jumped off Flash’s back and pulled Vivian’s cloak tightly around me.

Jadorion
looked around. “I’m shorn he’s ‘round here somewhere.” He became uninterested
in me and went back to Elex. She offered a weak, but sincere smile in his
direction.

Patrious
helped his wife, and Elena, from the ground. Ted and Gervase situated Elex back
onto her bed with Jadorion’s assistance. I approached the king.

“Your
majesty, what is thine opinion of those riders? I’ve seen the woman before; she
seems to be some kind of dragon-tamer or witch. But the wolf riders, Sir
Michael called them Faceless; I’m not sure what to make of them.” I tried to
avoid Elena’s eyes; they were much too lovely in the wake of destruction.

“Sir
Tristen, we must move forward. We must retrieve those men. We must slay that
dragon and we must return my family to our home. Those are the only things I
knoweth for certain anymore.” Patrious paused, “The supply cart is destroyed,
and we have to transport our most precious cargo.”

Valen
rode toward us. He and Patrious exchanged a glance, and Valen said, “Aye, sir,
what is it I may do here?”

“The
ladies need horses. What have we done with the extra belonging to our kidnapped
warriors?” Patrious was trumped by his missus, as she held a hand to his lips.

Elizabeth’s
voice was soft and sweet. “My dear husband, I shall ride with thee. Elena can
ride with Sir Tristen, and Elex can be carried by Valen and Ted, if that’s
alright with them.”

Jadorion
jumped on the last part of the sentence, “I can help with Elex!” Elizabeth
smiled at him and nodded.

I
didn’t like the part where I was involved, but I respected Elizabeth, as I
would my own mother, and kept my mouth shut. I took a moment to briefly glance
at Elena; she was grinning.

“My
Lord, don’t look so mortified!” Elena giggled.

Patrious
and Elizabeth abruptly looked at me. Before they could say a word, I said, “Oh
no, I’m not; methinks we have wasted enough time and need to be on our way.”

I
helped Elena ascend Flash and once I had settled on his back she whispered in
my ear, “Don’t worry Sir, I don’t bite.” The skin on my neck burned.

Once
we had found all the members of our troop and gathered our supplies, we made
our way carefully around the graveyard of fallen soldiers and finally left the
forest behind us. All were quiet as we honored the fallen men on the field.
After moving past the destruction, everyone seemed to relax and jolly song
floated over our heads as the soldiers whistled and sang songs from their
lands.

“Sir
Tristen? Jadorion told me about how he ruined thy chance of being with thine
long-lost love. Tell me about her.” Elena spoke softly; her arms still clung
tight to me after she had grabbed me when she saw the carnage on the
battlefield.

I
sat silent for a bit. I didn’t presume I wanted to tell Elena about Vivian but
I felt I did actually want to talk about her, so I did. “Well, her name is
Vivian. She makes me feel like I can do anything and be anything. She makes me
want to be a better man.”

I
saw visions of Vivian’s almond-shaped green eyes and finely arched brows
staring at me through the clouds that hovered over the mountain of Montour. It
was like she curiously watched me riding with another woman.

“Well,
that sounds like the best kind of woman to have in one’s life, sir. I hope ye
find her.” Elena gently squeezed me.

I
rapidly turned to look at Elena. For the first time, I really saw her. She was
a beauty like no other; sadly I would admit she was even prettier than Vivian.
“Dost thou?” I blurted in surprise.

Elena
guffawed, “Aye, silly bird! Why wouldn’t I want ye to have thy heart’s desire?
I wish that for all people.”

I
looked back at the snow-covered ground. Snow crunched under Flash’s feet. We
rode against the edge of Snake Pass. Louie Bay was on our right and Montour
Mountain loomed directly before us. Every step took us closer to retrieving a
big, bright diamond to slay the pesky dragon with. I couldn’t wait for the task
to be over. I did, however, notice how much more I enjoyed the trip having a
lovely lady to talk to.

Somehow
Flash had fallen back from leading the pack; perhaps I had subconsciously
worried about carrying the king’s daughter in the path of danger. The riders in
front of us were coming to a stop and I peered around a shoulder to see why.

To
the left there was a large patch of trees and nestled directly in the center
was a cozy little cottage. The cottage was constructed in a manner I had only
seen in large, wealthy cities. The dark boards were even; the roof was thatched
like a most perfect painting. The front door was painted white. A tidy fence
surrounding the house seemed to invite one closer rather than keep one out.

Patrious
appeared from the group, Elizabeth enclosed in his arms. She was much smaller
than the large man and was barely noticeable.

“Sir
Tristen, I am going to see who owns this house and bid them if my ladies may
stay here while we go to battle. We are nigh upon Hereford.” Patrious spoke
softly. Elizabeth looked at Elena, offering a feeble smile.

I
nodded at him, “Your majesty, methinks that’s an excellent idea. I shall go
with thee.” We dismounted our horses, leaving the ladies alone.

We
carefully approached the house. Patrious rapped the door with his gloved hand.
There was no noise in the house and the door remained closed. He knocked a
second time, louder. Still no sound arose from inside the house. We waited a
moment for someone to appear but nobody did.

Patrious
pressed the latch for the door; it opened with ease. He looked at me and I
nodded. His large hand slowly pushed the door open and with a slight “creak” he
swung it entirely open. We looked around the neat and orderly home. There
seemed to be no one inside, so we entered.

“Hallo?”
Patrious bellowed as we entered the small, comfortable house. The house was
considerably warmer than the outdoors and I really wanted to light the
fireplace and sit a spell. We looked around. Although nothing in the home
seemed out-of-place, many medicines and books were strewn across tall
bookshelves in a manner non-consistent with the room. The table was littered
with potions and drawings with notes scribbled all over them.

We
meandered further into the abode, when Patrious let out a low whistle.
“Tristen, look here.”

I
walked to where he stood and looked behind the work table in the kitchen.
Sprawled on the wooden floor was a woman in a maroon dress, with a brown belt
cinched around her waist. A white shawl covered her hair. Her hands were
clasped at her chest and her empty eyes stared at the floor. The degree of
stiffness and puffiness in the woman told a story that she had been in the same
pile for at least a day, possibly two. I would know the woman anywhere, and in
fact, we had just seen her hours before: the dragon-tamer turned wolf-warrior
princess.

An
ornate, silver, hand-held looking-glass was smashed into thousands of pieces
near the women’s hands. The tiny pieces of mirror shined brightly, as the light
coming through a small window in the kitchen twinkled from them.

Patrious
had seen enough wounded and dead in his lifetime to know exactly what I
knew…the woman had not just recently died within the past two, or so, hours.
However, it was undeniable that we had seen her riding through the forest. The
king shook his head and asked, “What witchery goes on in this place? I cannot
imagine what evil lurks around us.”

I
didn’t speak. I focused on the writings that buried the table. A large note was
written on a page closest to the woman: The truth shall make thee wish ye were
free. Then below it: God forgive us for our sins, as we knoweth not what we do.
Signed, Aelfgyva

I
showed the note to Patrious. He scratched his head and sighed. “Where shall we
move the body? Women need to stay here and they can’t see this.”

“Sire,
are ye mad? Thy ladies should not stay here! This is a bad place to be!” I
realized I had shouted, so lowered my voice, “We will find another place for
them.”

Patrious
pressed his lips together and shook his head in a stubborn and determined way,
“No, sir, my ladies shall stay here. This place is as safe as anywhere, and we
shall leave some men with them. However, they’ll not knowest this woman passed
here. Let’s move her body.”

The
cottage had a large window at the back; I suggested we take her out that way.
Patrious agreed and called for Valen and Ted to come into the cottage.

The
men arrived and were startled at the discovery of the woman; they had seen her
alive, just as we had. Patrious ordered them to go to the back window. He told
them that after we handed off the mysterious lady to them, they were to take
her body and hide it in the trees.

The
men offered no questions, simply did as they were commanded. When I walked to
the window, I passed an embroidery strewn over a chair. Boldly colored
depictions of horses and wars were sewn and labeled in a language I did not
know. The only word I recognized: Aelfgyva. I presumed it was the woman’s name.

I
reached for the window and opened it with ease. Patrious grabbed the woman’s
feet. I saw that her hands were stiff at her chest, making it impossible to
hold her by her arms. I grabbed her back, near her shoulders and lifted her at
the same time Patrious did. The body was solid and rigid; she went through the
window without a problem. Valen and Ted carried her away and Patrious went
after his women.

While
I was alone in the home, I found a little broom to sweep the shards of the
broken mirror. They shimmered and seemed to glow. I stared at them a moment and
saw a sight I didn’t expect. It seemed that little people ran around in the
glass ruins. At one point, it seemed my father was one of the reflections. I
shook my head and rubbed my eyes then looked again…pieces of destruction were
all that remained. I grabbed the ash pan and scooped the entire pile, then
threw the mess into the fireplace.

“But
father, methinks it’s not fair that we have to stay here! I want to go!” Elena
was throwing a tantrum as she followed Patrious into the house. Elizabeth
followed with Jadorion at her heels. Valen came in last, carrying little Elex
in his arms.

Elex
looked pale and tired. She was small next to Valen and she leaned her head
against his broad chest. Every time I looked at Valen, he seemed larger, and
every time I saw Elex she seemed smaller, so the two together made me chuckle.

“What’s
funny?” Patrious abruptly stopped walking to scowl at me.

I
held my breath to keep from laughing then cleared my throat, “Naught, your
majesty. Elena seems to knowest what she wants, is all. However, methinks it’s
not safe for her out there either. I believe all the ladies shall stay here.”

“And
me.” Jadorion looked matter-of-factly at me.

“Thee?”
I stared at Jadorion. “But I …”

Patrious
sternly cut-off my words with, “Sir Tristen let the young man stay if he wants
to. We have to leave some men here to guard my wife and daughters anyway; he
may as well be part of the unit. We have no time to argue this out; we have to
make quick decisions and be on our way! Anyone who would like to stay here let
them. The rest of us shall hastily move out. The sooner we’re on our way, the
sooner I can have my kingdom again.”

The
king’s words struck me deeply. Patrious was in a desperate hurry to go home.
That made sense to me and also reminded me that I wanted to be done with this
business as well. I wanted to be free to scour the land for Vivian. I nodded at
the king in agreement then patted Jadorion on the shoulder, “Take good care of
these ladies, Jadorion. We’re counting on thee to keep them safe.”

Jadorion
looked at Elex and said, “I shant let an ‘air on their ‘ead be lost.”

Elex
gazed at Jadorion and tried to smile. She closed her eyes instead. Valen rested
her on the bed of the deceased Aelfgyva. I grimaced at the thought of the
lady’s body out in the cold but knew there was nothing to be done; the living
needed a safe haven.

Elena
smiled at me then swayed toward me and placed her thin hand on my forearm. My
heartbeat quickened as her eyes devoured my face. She used her other hand to
remove a hairpin from her luscious locks. She attached the pin to the collar of
Vivian’s cloak. I winced inside but hoped she didn’t notice. She didn’t.

“My
Lord, please remember us and what thou fights for: the safety and normalcy of
the land! And knowest thou art my hero already.” Elena’s gentle smile and
shining eyes were a sight I didn’t want to forget.

Patrious
and Elizabeth looked on with toothy grins. Elizabeth’s smile was by-far better
than her husband’s.

Elex’s
coughing and choking noises alarmed the room to action. The women ran to the
young girl, as Patrious barked orders and men obeyed.

It
was decided that only seven men would stay at the cottage, they included
Jadorion, Gervase and Ted, who had already been tending to Elex, and four more:
Nether, Martonis, Arik, and Oronius. The men were all from the village of
Bendixon and had decided to join the troops just as they had left for St.
Anthony. Patrious and Valen knew them well and trusted them with the ladies.

After
everyone was situated and good-byes were offered, the new, smaller army geared
up and moved forward to Snake Pass. We were down fifteen men but it seemed like
many more than that. I didn’t feel prepared, in the state we were in, to meet
the Faceless again. If they were angry, we were done-for.

It
was snowing, and cold enough, that by the time we reached the half-way point of
the winding mountain trail, frost had accumulated on the faces of every man. I
had never personally been on the trail, but Patrious had advised us the trail
would turn soon, and we would see the valley of Hereford. He had been an avid
hunter since childhood and knew the hills like the back of his hand. I felt
lucky to have him on the ride with us. Without him, I may have never reached
the point I had.

Our
horses were tired and we were all frozen. I noticed I was starting to
hallucinate and when I looked at Vivian’s cloak, it appeared to be covered in
blood instead of snow. I cried out!

Valen,
who was riding on my right side, seemed startled as he suddenly looked at me,
“What troubles thee, sir?” His face was as red as Vivian’s cloak had just been
in my mind.

I
pulled my wits together. “Mind’s just playing tricks on me!” I brushed snow off
the cloak to expose the black velvet underneath. I knew the cloak was getting
ruined in my activities, but I couldn’t bear to put it away.

“Aye,
Tristen. This weather is awful to be trekin’ in.” Valen turned to Patrious, who
was riding slightly behind us, “Your majesty is it asking too much that we may
stop at the grove around the bend? Methinks we could all use a rest.”

Patrious
didn’t seem to be paying attention. He sat atop his horse staring ahead. When
he realized Valen was watching him, he seemed to wake up and asked, “Huh”?

Valen
gruffly dictated, “We’re stopping in the grove ahead for a rest, your majesty.
An’ perchance we should stay there for the night.”

“Oh,
aye. Quite right! I agree with that.” Patrious brushed the snow from his hood
and tried to wipe his face; the snow on his arm simply coated his face with
more moisture. He let out a long sigh, his breath all around him like a puff of
smoke.