Bloodless Knights (34 page)

“What’s
in that barrel?” Jadorion asked, without as much as a glimmer of concern.

I
looked at the brown, wooden box and noticed it had a latch at the top. I wanted
to open it, but didn’t trust to disturb it, since I had no idea what was
inside.

I
shook my head. “Jadorion, I knoweth not much of what is going on here. Let’s
move to the castle to see if Vivian can get anyone to come out and speak to us.
We have to find out what’s going on here.” I placed the barrel into one of the
saddle bags on Blad’s horse, making sure it was fastened tightly.

Jadorion
and I mounted our horses, and rode back to the castle. It gleamed with an
intense light. I couldn’t explain how it lit up, but its beauty helped me
understand why Patrious wanted to get back inside.

As
soon as we got near the gate, hundreds of people flooded from the castle,
apparently alarmed. It wasn’t long before I heard a ferocious roar. Tiger
Lugina charged from the building, at the feet of unsuspecting citizens.

After
a mass group stood in the courtyard; Lugina silently lurked back into the
castle. Worried faces of castle parishioners searched the faces of the waiting
soldiers in utter suspense.  The surprise on their faces couldn’t have matched
the shock I felt on my own face when I saw not only my brother Brendan, but my
mother and her lady-in-waiting. Then, as I continued looking over the crowd, I
saw Trave, Valen and the Mives’. The person that astonished me most was the
face of Asher.

My
breath came in short, broken bursts. I wanted to scream, but couldn’t find the
power. I felt only a deep and horrible stupor.

Suddenly
from behind Trave, walked the small and ever lovely Elex. She shyly waved at
Jadorion, who immediately began screaming as he ran toward her. Whatever force
had kept me from the courtyard, immediately knocked the lad onto his arse.

Jadorion
continued screaming, “Elex! I’ll save ye!” He crawled on the ground, trying to
dig his way under the bubble - or whatever it was - that kept him out.

As
we watched Jadorion make a sad spectacle of himself, Vivian’s horse galloped
from the trees, and stood near me. She glanced at the group before noticing
Trave, which threw her in a tailspin, but holding Trave’s hand was the little
girl I had seen with Brendan. Just as Vivian screeched her name, I remembered
it.

“Aiva!
Oh dear lord! My baby!” Vivian tossed herself from the horse, stopping before
she fell against the bubble. She stared at the girl, who was an exact image of
her mother. Vivian’s hands fell to her side as she looked from Aiva to Trave.

“Trave!
What game is this?” Vivian demanded, her voice shaking.

Trave
glanced at Vivian, “Art thou speaking to me, miss?”

Vivian
screamed then turned to me, “What manner of wickedness is this? These people
are dead!”

I
looked at Patrious. His stern gaze stayed locked on the face of his daughter.
Ghosts – he had said. I felt sick.

Thundering
hooves rattled our meeting even more. Our army murmured, turning toward the
west; the direction of the forest. The people behind the bubble turned quickly,
returning to the safety of the castle. The Faceless were on the loose.

Vivian’s
tear spoiled face ran to me. She held her hand out for me to pull her onto my
horse. I did so. “Back to the bank!”

Jadorion
speedily returned to his horse, shouting, “I’m going with ye!”

There
was nothing I could say to stop him, and I didn’t like the idea of him being in
the fray. We rode to the bank, while my soldiers prepared to fire flaming
arrows at the army from hell.

Before
we were out of the line of sight; I looked back in time to see a flaming arrow
connect with a wolf-headed demon. As the arrow melted the evil-doer, something
unsettled me greatly. The outer shell of the monster disappeared. What remained
was the body of a regular man, wearing armor with a yellow, flower crest. I
recognized him as a soldier of Marrin who had once yelled at me to “get out of
his way”. I shook my head and turned away.

Confusion
and utter terror filled my heart. I had no idea what Vivian had planned to do,
and at the same time, I worried for my warriors. I prayed Vivian was correct in
her theory that fire would burn them all down.

“Ride
down the river to the flat stone where that wicked beast eats.” Vivian yelled
at me.

I
didn’t answer her, just smacked the horse with the reins, continually kicking
my feet to move him quicker. I tried to direct him to areas where the snow was
less, which wasn’t easy. After a short while, the stone appeared in my sight.

A
woman sat with her back against the stone. Although I couldn’t make out her
features, I presumed it was Aelfgyva. The closer we became, the more I knew I
was correct. She wore the same clothes I had always seen her in.

When
we approached, Aelfgyva stood and smiled. “Ah…my lady, Vivian, how did I
knoweth t’would be thee at the center of this upheaval?”

Vivian
grasped my hand, lowering herself to the ground. She went to hug the woman, who
held up her hand, “No my dear. As I appreciate it, don’t want to see ye knocked
down. We can’t connect anymore; we’re in different worlds.”

Although
I didn’t understand what that meant, Vivian nodded. “Gyva, we need thy help. We
have to get the dragon to this stone. Will thou sing?”

Aelfgyva
chortled. “I came here waiting on thee, your grace. As soon as I saw that damn
tiger I knew ye would be smart enough to knoweth what to do. I hurried here to
let thee know, if ye want the beast, put food on his plate.” She pointed at the
stone.

Vivian
nodded, scanning the area – for what, I did not know. “Gyva, please tell me why
Trave and Aiva don’t remember me? Why do our loved ones act as if they knoweth
us not?”

Aelfgyva
sternly glared at Vivian, chuckling to herself. “The Fallen only remember this
life for a brief while. The longer they are down, the less they remember.
That’s all. When ye walk with them, they will remember thee.

“Thy
life has brought thee to this moment, my dear lady. Everything thou went
through was to shape thee for what’s to come. People who make a difference
never follow the flock. Ye certainly haven’t. As for me though, I cannot help
thee. It’s my job to protect the Fallen from him. I can serve no purpose in
helping thee, or he will have my soul.”

“Yourn
helpin’ us right now.” Jadorion stated the obvious.

The
old woman cackled louder, and harder, than before. “So thou thinketh, my boy!
This won’t be an easy task for thee. With that said, I must return to calm my
people.” She looked at all of us, and then paused on Vivian again, “I will
watch over thy little one. Please be careful. One wrong move and thou art all
gone.”

We
silently watched Aelfgyva walk toward the castle. In the distance, the battle
rumbled on while we sat in stupor. I finally jumped from the horse, gently
grabbing Vivian’s arm.

“Dost
thou really have a plan or did we come here to sacrifice ourselves?” Vivian
stared at me as if I had slapped her.

The
woman looked at Jadorion, then back at me. “Don’t worry, he spied. Whatever
thou have to say can be said to him as well.” I blurted.

“Where
is the container?” Vivian inquired. I reached for it from the bag where it had
been safely hidden.

As
I placed the bottle in her small cold, hand. I asked what was in it.

Vivian’s
eyes saddened, “It’s a scientific experiment, made by Aelfgyva and Trave.
They’re called ‘Weeches’. They are a cross between a worm and a leech. Once the
Weech gets inside a blood source, it devours the blood until it’s gone. Then it
moves out to find more blood. If it doesn’t find more ‘food’ it begins to contract.
The digestion of the animal can’t keep up with the food it’s inhaled, causing
the poor thing to explode; thus leaving no whole evidence. It’s how we got rid
of the knights when we were looking for Mr. Hat.”

I
stared at Vivian like she was completely insane. She was holding the most
dangerous weapon I had ever heard of. “But how will we employ this for our use,
Vivian?”

“We’re
going to feed them to this horse. Then we will feed him to that dragon. Once
the dragon eats the Weeches, it’s only a matter of time before he is
destroyed.” Vivian coyly smiled.

Once
her words settled in my mind, I smiled too. The woman’s idea really was insane;
and totally brilliant!

#
# #

Vivian
rubbed the horses face, humming softly. I felt myself wanting to go to sleep.
She opened the container. What appeared to be just a dark and thick sludge soup
seemed completely unappetizing. She stopped humming, asking Jadorion to hold
the horse’s reins, and me to hold open his mouth. I laughed at that request,
but tried my best. She fed the liquid to the animal. He licked it like it was a
delicious oat-laced broth.

“Now
what?” I asked after the concoction was in the horse’s belly.

Vivian
told Jadorion to lead the horse up the stone. Jadorion got on top of the flat
rock, pulling the horse onto it. The horse seemed happy to follow.

As
Jadorion and the horse adorned the stone, a few things happened; a dragon
appeared from the mountain top and I watched people leaving the castle. I
remembered seeing the dragon feast on Odor, and how all the Fallen had gone to
watch.

Jadorion
saw the dragon, his face crumpling as he swung his fist and shouted, “Now
Gittins! Ye’ll get yers!”

I
smiled while Jadorion continued holding the prancing horse onto the stone. He
noticed me watching him and nodded with a determined glint in his eye.

Vivian
stood watching the horse, as if expecting it to flee. She continued humming,
but when Jadorion sat down on the stone in a trance, she stopped. Jadorion
stood up just as the horse collapsed on its side.

The
horse seemed to be shrinking right before our eyes. In stunned dismay, I felt a
tinge of guilt at the magnificent animal’s demise.

“Jadorion,
get down from that rock!” Vivian called to him. We watched the dragon ease
closer to us.

“Aye!”
He replied and rapidly jumped down.

As
the “ghosts” came closer to us, I wondered how the army was fairing in keeping
the Faceless at bay. I sincerely hoped we didn’t lose any men, if it could be
helped.

The
dragon was hovering above the trees, close enough that we could see his disgusting
liquid-type eyes watching us while he prepared to devour his last dinner.

Suddenly,
something unexpected and awful happened. Right before my eyes, hundreds of
long, fat worms appeared from every cavity in the horse’s body. The worms
slinked from the deflated horse in search of another host. Vivian screamed.

“No!
Oh no! We used too many, too soon!” She ran around, grabbing at worms. “Hurry,
get them and let’s give them to Jadorion’s horse!”

The
dragon eased closer to the rock. Vivian looked at him, and then looked at me.
“Tristen! Gather them! Get another animal. I’ll keep the dragon busy until ye
can.”

“Vivian!
No!” I screamed at her as she went behind the rock. Although I didn’t like what
she suggested, I didn’t have a better idea. All I could do was grab at the
worms that inched along, searching for food. My hands trembled, as I watched a
spotted cat emerge from behind the rock. Confusion filled my eyes, as I didn’t
understand the beast now before me. An orange cat with black spots, and what
seemed to be black tears pouring from its eyes down each side of its black
nose, stared at me with piercing yellow eyes. Lugina licked her black lips with
a pink tongue, and then turned toward the dragon. Long, muscular legs tore into
the ground as the cat pounced at the descending dragon. I turned back to my
worm-collecting, hoping she could hold the dragon without losing her life.

While
struggling to collect worms, something utterly devastating caught my eye. As I
watched Jadorion, I threw down all the worms in my arms and ran to him.

“Stop
it, fool!” I reached for the boy, who was grabbing slimy worms and letting them
slide down his throat.

“What
in blazes art thou doing?” I held his arm, reaching to take the worms from him,
but he persisted.

Shaking
from my grasp, Jadorion scowled at me. “Remember when ye told me that sometimes
we hafta sacrifice ourselves for the good of others? Well, we don’t have time
to make another horse eat these bloody things, Sir! Let me do this!”

I
stood with my jaw hanging, my eyes filling with tears. I watched Jadorion,
feeling the last bits of a hero leaving my midst. The young man crawled around
collecting worms then threw himself onto the flat stone. About one dozen worms
wriggled in his hands.

Jadorion’s
back was flat on the rock as he smiled at me, “Don’t worry, Tristen. I’m
sacrificing for the good of everyone; it’s what a knight does! Call for the
cat!”

I
nodded slowly, tears freezing to my cheek as they fell. I choked back a sob as
I watched my noble squire wait to die.

I
heard many feet, and cautiously glanced around. The people from the castle had
arrived. A ferocious feline ran from, and then chased an angry dragon. The
sight may have been comical if I was watching it with no investment. However, I
feared this would end in a more heartbreaking disaster.