Bloodless Knights (32 page)

Silence
ensued. As we walked through the halls, the smell of baked goods permeated the
building; Jean was at it some more. We didn’t pass anyone in the hall, and when
we entered the lobby, it was empty.

I
left the room keys on the desk. We headed to the stable to fetch Blad’s horse.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Vivian. Even in the cold, with her cheeks and eyes
red and dry, her black hair matted around her; she radiated beauty I couldn’t
duplicate if I tried. I felt like the luckiest man alive.

“Shall
we buy another horse, Tristen? Perchance it would be easier if we each rode.” I
thought it over for a moment then declined.

“We
knoweth not what size of boat we will have; it may be a misuse of coins.” I
didn’t add that I wanted her with me, but that was true as well.

We
entered the stable, asking the Marshal for our horse. He retrieved it quickly.
We headed back into the cold and rode toward the dock.

#
# #

The
sun rose over Montour Mountain, as the giant horse swiftly galloped over the
snow-covered dirt roads of Bendixon. Shopkeepers were preparing to open as we
hurried through town. It wasn’t long before we were out of the city. A busy
dock greeted us. I gulped. At the same time Vivian exclaimed, “What in blazes?”

Spread
throughout the forest and across the beach, were full guard towers. Hundreds of
colorful tents littered the landscape. Too many men to count tarried at the
beach. Low wood-rail fences had been built to house hoards of healthy horses.

A
giant double-decked ship spanned one side of the beach. The bow pointed toward
the center of the bay; ready to sail. The ship appeared to be complete, or at
least nearly. I inhaled a large amount of cold air and snapped the reins on the
horse. We lurched forward.

Seeing
all the activity so early in the day surprised me. I realized I was in a
fishing town full of early risers, but this was bloody daft. As we got closer
to the beach, I searched for Tendril. Many faces watched us. Too many lustful
eyes devoured Vivian. I didn’t see a familiar face in the bunch.

I
spotted Tendril talking to a soldier clad in uniform of St. Anthony. I saw many
similar uniforms, and many I didn’t recognize. The number of knights and
soldiers humbled me. I had never seen a large force, joining the same cause, in
one spot.

We
cautiously approached the men. The closer I got to them, the more features came
to focus on the soldier near Tendril.

“Sir
Kristoff!” I hollered, as the horse pranced next to him. “What bringest thou to
Bendixon?”

The
prince offered his hand to shake mine. Tendril smiled and waved, as I got down
from the horse. I helped Vivian down as Kristoff spoke. Her beautiful dress
whispered as her feet hit the ground.

“Lord
Tristen! When ye left the city, I was impressed by your plea. Also, my father
told me that you had seen my brothers lying dead in the forest. I knowest the
dragon isn’t merely thy problem. Thou needs help and I need to avenge my men! I
immediately rounded up my soldiers and knights from all around. We are here to
slay the beast, but we need a boat. Turns out, Mr. Tendril here, has a great
ship and many soldiers as well. We are planning a brutal attack on that scaly
monster.” Kristoff nodded at Vivian; she smiled at him then introduced herself
to Tendril.

I
stared Kristoff in the eye, “That is wonderful! I’ve been over there. I must
tell thee, there is a strange type of army….”

Vivian
interrupted me, “The Faceless. There is only one way to kill them and I knoweth
how.”

I
turned to the woman who continually surprised me. “How dost thou knoweth that,
my lady? Hast thou seen them?”

She
shook her head, “No, I have not. My friend Aelfgyva told Trave and I about
them. She said they are made of ice. What melts ice? Fire. They burn. That is
the only way to kill them. Direct sunlight may kill them as well, but I knoweth
not. Gyva also shared that the weather has gone so cold, to keep the
temperature right for them. The sky stays overcast to protect them from burning
sun.”

“Vivian,
I was unaware thou knowest Aelfgyva. Perchance thou knoweth not that she is
deceased?” I couldn’t wait to find out all the other things I didn’t know about
the woman I loved. The secret she just shared was shocking.

The
stunned look that crept up Vivian’s face, painted that she didn’t know. I
continued, “In fact, we’re on our way to her cottage, where I left my friends.”

“Oh…well,
I assumed by the crazy way she acted, when I saw her the other morrow, that it
was only a matter of time before she totally lost her wits. However, Trave and
I got her to tell us some secrets; killing the dragon’s army was one.” The
shock quickly faded from Vivian’s face. I assumed she felt as I did, in that
more death was just part of this ugly package.

“Perchance,
how does she knoweth the dragon secrets?” I assumed it was because she trained
him, but I had seen her home, she had been a normal citizen – or at least as
normal as a crazy old lady in the woods could be.

Vivian
looked at Kristoff, then Tendril, and rested her eyes on my lips before she
spoke, “She has a Mirror of Truth. She gazed into it and knew all the secrets
of the land. I wanted to look into it to see who Mr. Hat was but she told me
that I could not. She said once ye knoweth all truth, ye realize thou art
better off blind.”

“Well!
No wonder she smashed the thing.” I interjected.

Vivian
startled, “She smashed it?”

“Yes,
dear, she did. That shouldn’t even matter to thee, now that ye knoweth Mr.
Hat’s identity.” I glared at her and she reluctantly nodded.

Kristoff
cleared his throat, “Well now, all of this information is valuable. Thou sayest
thou art headed to the house? Is that why ye came to Bendixon, for a boat?”

I
nodded and looked at Tendril. The old man was being awfully quiet.

“I
promised the boat to the prince, Sir Tristen. Anything ye need to do is up to
him now.” Tendril smiled at me with kind eyes.

Vivian
piped up again, “I have a plan to slay the dragon; let’s get all the soldiers
to the cottage. After we’re there, we can make a plan of attack to melt the
Faceless. Tristen and I will take care of the dragon. That cottage is close to
where we need to be anyway, let’s use it.”

Kristoff
nodded, “Aye. Let’s get all men over there. May need to make two trips, but it
should be done by the end of the day.”

I
nodded and Vivian smiled and whispered. “It’s settled then.”

“Is
the boat usable?” I asked Tendril.

He
smiled again, “Aye. It still needs a bit of polishin’, but it’ll float. Gather
yourn people and I’ll sail it for thee.”

“Thou
art missing some members of thy party?” Kristoff asked as we walked to the
boat.

I
let Vivian answer, “Aye. Trave and Asher. They gave their lives to save
Tristen’s.”

I
checked Vivian’s face for any further meaning in her words. Her sullen face
stared at the dirty snow.

Kristoff
offered his condolences then wandered around the camp to tell the army what was
about to happen. I told him I would give directions if he would send troops to
the ship.

Vivian
and I stood at the stern, waiting for troops to appear. I had a question I needed
to know, “My cousin who ye were married to, what happened to him?”

Vivian’s
face crumpled. “Well, he was a horrible man, just like thy father. He died. I
didn’t mourn; simply took over the kingdom. Trave and other people dear to my
heart helped me.”

“And
how did ye knoweth Aelfgyva? It seems she’s a bit far from thy home.” I
quipped.

Vivian
pulled her cloak tighter around her, “Trave and Aelfgyva studied science
together. She gave us the things we needed to make our secret weapon.”

When
I was just about to ask about the weapon, a few men trickled our direction.
Then many men quickly arrived. Before I knew it, we were surrounded by a
handsome group wearing various uniforms, and men also dressed in peasant
clothing.

Vivian
smiled as she found a fishing crate and overturned it. I questioned her with a
look as she pointed at the wooden box. “Stand on that. The men need to hear
their leader, my lord!”

The
graceful lady took a bow. I grinned at her gesture, and climbed atop the sturdy
box. I looked over the flock with a sense of pride. From what I could see, we
had enough men to keep the Faceless at bay. Although my back was to Montour
Mountain, I wanted to shake my fist at it, and let the devil know we were on
our way to fight ice with fire. I didn’t have to; the group chanted.

“Kill
the beast! Kill the beast!” The demand started quiet at first, then as each man
heard the others, fists raised in the air and rich, powerful voices yelled. I
looked around from my perch and smiled as I bellowed with my new army.

I
stopped calling out and the din died quickly. I cleared my throat. “As some of
ye knoweth, I am Sir Tristen Dow. I had a large bounty placed on my head by my
evil father. He is the very evil that brought this monster to our colony! We
have taken down King Dow’s dastardly head knight, and that ‘king’ has been
removed from his throne. Now, it is our mission to defeat the dragon that
scourges our land.

“It
has been said that the dragon’s evil minions can only be killed by fire.
Therefore, I bid each and every one of thee to find all the arrows thou can;
make them if ye must! We will rain down a fire that has never been seen
before!” The noise made by the men, as they cheered and shouted praise, quieted
me momentarily.

When
the soldiers settled, I continued. “Tendril has offered us the use of his fine
ship. The boat shall sail as soon as every man has his horse and weapons. Any
willing bowman, who will ride second to a knight, will be appreciated. Arrows
from the back of a horse are much more effective than from the ground.

“We
may have to make two trips to gather everyone to the other side. However, once
we are there, our plan will be implemented in the most precise and efficient
way, with all of thy help. Thou art a powerful group of men. We
will
destroy
the beast and put this land right!”

I
finished my speech loud and bold. Then something odd happened; each and every
man, and my lovely lady, put one knee to the ground as they bowed in deepest
respect. I stood in awe.

“Our
Lord, our King!” The throng‘s voices grew loud enough that I was sure “Gittins”
could hear them - even across the bay. I hoped he knew that we would send him
back whence he came.

Eager
soldiers and horses scattered every deck on Tendril’s vessel. Kristoff had
stayed at Bendixon to organize the remaining men.

I
admitted several times to our captain that the ship was the fanciest I had seen
- which was zero – but he didn’t need to know that. Montour Mountain loomed
over the starboard side of the ship as we made way over the icy, yet calm,
water.

The
trip didn’t take long. Before we knew it, we were near the rocks next to Snake
Pass. The cottage wasn’t far from where we landed. I couldn’t wait to see
everyone again. As I remembered the party I left behind, a sudden memory of
lovely Elena smacked me in the face. I glanced at Vivian who smiled sweetly as
we lead Blad’s horse through the shallow, chilly water to the snow-encrusted
land. I wanted to punch myself in the face for the thoughts I had in Vivian’s
absence but as she would never know them, I quickly forgave myself.

After
every soldier had exited the ship, Tendril waved to us and returned to Bendixon
to pick up the rest of the army. I knew we didn’t have much time to update the
people at the cottage, and I still didn’t know what our plan was. I helped
Vivian onto the horse then quickly jumped up myself as I motioned to the others
to follow me.

As
we approached the house, I heard a faint crying, but ignored it. Vivian,
however, did not, and demanded that I stop.

“We
don’t have time to stop, Vivian. We have to get…” Then I heard the crying,
louder.

“Momma?”
A child’s voice floated from a patch of raspberry bushes.

As
Vivian let herself down from the horse, I stayed astride, staring in disbelief
that a child could be out in this weather. I wondered where it came from.

“Careful,
Vivian, it could be a trick.” I spoke without realizing who I was talking to,
but the glance she threw back at me quickly put me in my place.

Vivian
got on her knees and peered into the bushes. She was silent for a few moments,
then cooed, “Oh ye precious thing, come out here.”

Vivian
disappeared into the bushes and brought out a golden haired boy who seemed to
be about three or four years of age. He was dressed in a brown coat and slacks
with a pair of thin shoes. A knit cap was pulled snug over his head with little
curls billowing from it. His face and hands were dark red, and appeared burned
with frost.

“Hiya.”
He said, when Vivian stood up with him.

Vivian
smiled at him, slowly reaching to touch his cheek. “What’s thy name, my sweet
boy?”

The
boy pinched his face together and frowned at Vivian. He whispered, “Gabe.”

“Well,
Gabe, where is thy family?” Vivian asked the obvious question.

The
boy whimpered but didn’t answer her.

“Vivian,
we’ll talk to him anon. We must get to the cottage, so gather him up and let’s
move along.” I looked around at my soldiers patiently waiting for the
empathetic woman.

Vivian
scowled at me, “I will carry Gabe, the cottage is right there. Go ahead.”

I
nodded at her and moved through the snow to the house. What I saw concerned me;
there was only one horse outside. I knew we had left at least half a dozen. I
hadn’t expected to see Patrious’ horse, but had hoped. I hurried inside the
cottage, calling back to my knights to set up some kind of camp.

I
didn’t knock on the cottage door, just tore through it, like a mad-man. Two
women and a horrifically skinny Jadorion jumped from their seats around
Aelfgyva’s kitchen table. Every single person had red, tear-stained eyes, which
caused me alarm. I twirled to see the bed in the corner; it was empty.

I
stood in the center of the warm room that smelled of cooking meat, and debated
what to say first. The question that seemed most proper, and least intruding,
was, “Where is Patrious?”

Elena
squealed with delight when she saw me. She rapidly moved toward me, when Vivian
waltzed through the door holding Gabe’s hand. Elena halted in her tracks. Her
face threw a hundred questions at Vivian’s arrival. With the ladies
side-by-side, it occurred to me that they looked frighteningly similar.

Elizabeth
stood and walked toward me, leaving Elena next to the table with her jaw
hanging. “Sir Tristen, Patrious went to bury Elex. We were informed that ye
were dead. So happy that is untrue.”

The
words from Elizabeth’s mouth jolted me deeply. Not only hearing that Elex had
passed on, but that I had fallen as well. I knew the one rumor to be false, but
the second message seemed a lie as well.

I
took Elizabeth in my arms and held her. “I’m dreadfully sorry for thy loss Elizabeth,
but grateful that Patrious made it back.”

At
my words, Vivian became interested in the conversation. “Elizabeth? Art thou
His Majesty, Patrious’, wife?”

Elizabeth
pushed herself away from me to see Vivian. “Aya, I am. And who art thou?”

As
I was about to introduce Vivian, she did so herself, in the most unusual way.
The woman’s hand dropped little Gabe’s hand and threw her arms around
Elizabeth, causing a stir in the room.

Elizabeth
stood with her hands by her sides. It was clear from the shocked expression on
her face, that she didn’t know how to react to a woman who walked in a room and
hugged her. Honestly, I didn’t know how to react either, so I simply stood and
stared.

Vivian
let the woman go, staring her in the eyes, “I’m sure ye probably don’t remember
me…”

Elizabeth’s
eyes welled up with fat tears that threatened to fall, but hovered on the rims
of her blood-shot eyes as she blurted, “Art thou Kreesha or Vivian?”

“Aye!
Aye…mother, it’s me - Vivian.” Every person in the room inhaled sharply as Elizabeth’s
tears overflowed. She took the moment to wrap her arms around Vivian.

Elena
was the first shocked person to break the silence. “Mother?!”

“I
second that.” I exhaled the breath I had been holding.  Something struck my
memory about a story Patrious had told me of his kidnapped children, and
everything made sense. I watched Jadorion, who hadn’t moved an inch after I
came in the room. The poor boy looked absolutely dreadful.

“Oh
Vivian! I thought thou were long dead. What of thy brother and sister? Are they
here too?” Elizabeth grew unnecessarily excited, releasing Vivian, as she
turned to the wide-open door.

Vivian
shook her head sadly. “Kreesha was killed when the army took us. Trave lived a
long and prosperous life. He was with us until he sacrificed himself to save
Tristen.”

Elizabeth
stared at the fire, as if thinking of times long before, and sighed, “I always
knew my boy would die a hero.”

Vivian
reached for Elizabeth again and her embrace was reciprocated. Elizabeth pulled
Elena close. She didn’t seem too pleased, but reluctantly joined the circle.

Jadorion
finally snapped out of his indifference, his lanky legs carrying him by my
side. “What happened to ye, sir?”

“That’s
a question I’ll answer anon, lad, but for now, I must knoweth what happened to
thee?” I patted the frail boy on the back, careful not to knock him to the
floor.

Jadorion
held back tears, “Elex died. It was horrible.”

I
simply nodded, deciding it wasn’t the time to tell him that Asher had probably
died too. He didn’t need to know I had returned to Asher. I was happy that I
did, at least, have good news for him.

“Brendan
is alive, Jadorion. I saw him with my own eyes. He helped me escape from the
dragon.” I smiled and watched Gabe, who had found a poker to play in the fire
with. I wondered what the story was with the kiddle, but decided we could
figure it out later.

Jadorion
smiled and put his hands together, “At least there’s some good news out of
this! I see ye found yourn lady; that’s good news too.”

“Aye,
it is; apparently for many people.” I watched, as Vivian and Elizabeth chatted
and hugged. Elena seemed beside herself.  Patrious had mentioned she didn’t
know she had other siblings. That seemed unfair when I judged the betrayed look
in her eyes.

Loud
male voices came from outside the cottage. I instantly recognized Patrious’
voice and wondered how he had escaped the brutal attack in Hereford.

“What
blessing is this?” Patrious hollered, as he stormed in the room. Catching a
glimpse of me, he paled.

Elizabeth
spoke before anyone else. “It’s a bigger blessing than ye can imagine! Vivian
is home.”

A
confused looked washed over Patrious’ face as he stared at Elizabeth. The room
remained silent while the king studied Vivian. The stern look on his face
softened. “Well, thou certainly appear to be a daughter of mine. I thought thou
were gone forever.”

After
an odd silence, Patrious wrapped his arms around Vivian, asking, “How did ye
find us?”

I
felt the need to interject, “She didn’t find thee, Patrious; she came here with
me.”

Patrious
looked over Vivian’s shoulder at me. “So…my daughter is the woman who had thee
bent out-of-sorts. Well now! That is a pleasure and a great thing.”

The
kind words came out of his mouth, but the way he looked at Elena made me feel
like a traitor. I glanced timidly at Elena too; although she was as beautiful
as I had ever seen her, she looked like she had been punched in the gut.

I
decided the family reunion could be continued later; time was not on our side.
Clearing my throat, I asked Patrious for a word.

He
reluctantly released Vivian, and followed me outside. Cool air slapped both
sides of my face, reminding me that things were changing for the worst. I gazed
over what had been an amazing forest, to what was now a more amazing, vividly
colorful, campsite.

“This
is a great army, Sir. Where did thou get the soldiers?” Patrious stepped out
onto the porch. We leaned against the rail, looking together over the vast
camp.

I
smiled, “I didn’t get them. St. Anthony’s prince, Kristoff, was planning an
attack. We joined forces. In fact, he’s on his way here with the rest of his
men. Tendril built a ship and transported us all here.”

Patrious
smiled back and nodded, “That’s excellent. How did ye escape that attack in
Hereford? I thought ye fell with everyone else.”

“Everyone
else? Well, I should have - I guess - but my brother came out of nowhere,
telling me how to escape. How did thou escape, and did anyone else make it?” I
leaned against a post that supported the roof.

Patrious
gazed over the snow with a lost look, “Well, that’s odd. Little Elex came up on
my horse, and told me a place to hide. She said if I didn’t, that I wouldn’t
make it. Then she disappeared. So I hid away, like a lily-livered mouse, and
lost all my men. I thought.”

“Valen?
Did he make it?” I questioned, but the look on Patrious’ face answered me
before his actual words.

Patrious
shook his head, “No. Nobody made it. Then again, I thought thou fell, and here
ye are.”

“So,
Elex told thee to escape…but how could that be?” I whispered.

Patrious
shook his head, “Ghosts.”

Panic
struck me, “Art thou implying that Brendan is a ghost?”

“Aye,
sir, I’m implying that exact thing. This land is full of evil scourge; why not
ghosts too?”

Silence
took over, as we watched soldiers building a fire and preparing food. I
pondered what Patrious had said. Although it made complete sense; it didn’t. I
couldn’t believe that my brother was dead. However, Elex was dead, and she had
appeared to Patrious, like my brother had to me.

Jadorion
skulked from inside the cottage and stood next to me. “Can I join ye folks?”

“Of
course, lad. It’s a right honor to have thee.” Patrious patted him on the back
and continued, “Thou were a great help to my little departed daughter, and for
that I’m truly indebted.”

Jadorion
sat motionless, not saying a word, as he stared into the forest trees.

I
took a deep breath of cold air, “Patrious, I need thee to lead the army to
fight the Faceless soldiers, while Vivian and I deploy a secret weapon against
the dragon.”

“I’ve
got a diamond, Tristen. We can have someone forge a few great arrows for thy
use. However, the Faceless soldiers cannot be killed; I have yet to see them
die.” Patrious reached into his coin purse, producing a coin-sized gem unlike
any I had seen. It was clear, and brilliant, in the palm of his hand.

I
admired the stone that wasn’t, and then answered the king. “We don’t have time
for the arrows, your majesty. Keep that jewel for thy lovely ladies. As for the
Faceless, fire arrows will burn them down. I hear they are made of ice, which
is the reason for these frigid temperatures.”

Patrious
became thoroughly interested in what I said, “Now how dost thou knoweth that? I
knoweth not one person who knowest how to handle them.”

“Thy
daughter. She knew the woman who lived here. She said a truth mirror, or
something, told the lady everything. Not really sure what she knew, or why, but
that seems like a valid explanation.” I watched a few soldiers practice their
sword skills against one another.